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Napoli are about to reignite the talks to extend the contract of Alex Meret, which has been a recurring thing in recent years as his contracts have always been short-term. His current one was extended for the 2023/2024 season due to the activation of a previous appearance-related option, Il Mattino informs.
There are no more gimmicks that could prolong his deal past the June 2025 deadline. The Azzurri will have to come to terms with his agent Andrea Pastorello to keep ahold of him and avoid a departure on a free.
Napoli will meet with the Meret camp on Monday, but the parties are still pretty distant. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to find common ground so soon, but there’s a mutual desire to continue together. The goalkeeper makes €3.7M annually presently and would like a little pay bump. Instead, the team would rather not touch up his salary and simply add more years. The 27-year-old has missed the last few games due to a thigh injury, and Elia Caprile has been impeccable in relief.
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal have shown some interest in the Italian shot-stopper as they were unable to sign a new quality one to join David Raya last summer, settling for Neto on loan.
Our Take on Napoli and Meret
He’s reliable but not always elite, and there’s not a big gap between him and his deputy, who might have a higher upside since he’s a few years younger. A Bosman exit would be disastrous. If they aren’t close to an understanding in December, they should weigh putting him on sale in January to salvage the situation from an economic standpoint.
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- MLS playoffs: How the East stacks up after Game 1
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MLS coaching changes: What's next for these three franchises?
The 2025 Major League Soccer regular season has come to a close. While 16 of the league's top teams compete for the MLS Cup, the remaining 14 have some serious reshuffling to do. Three teams — Atlanta United, the Colorado Rapids and the New York Red Bulls — closed out their dismal regular seasons by firing their head coaches. But why? What happened? And who is in line to turn things around for each club? Atlanta United What happened? Atlanta entered 2025 desperate to recapture its pre-pandemic, MLS Cup-winning magic. Under the watchful eye of proven MLS coach Ronny Deila, midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk, winger Miguel Almiron and striker Emmanuel Latte Lath were expected to bring Atlanta back to the top of the Eastern Conference. It didn't happen. Atlanta's expensive leaders failed to gel, and the team finished the 2025 season third from bottom while shouldering the league's third-highest wage bill. No one in MLS spent more to achieve less. Was it a coaching issue? Sort of. Atlanta's 2025 roster construction turned out to be a big swing and a miss. Knowing what we know now, it's hard to see any coach delivering results with that lineup. Deila did, however, struggle mightily to adapt his style to Atlanta's needs. Who's in line to take over? There's really only one name on Atlanta's wish list, and it's a familiar one: Tata Martino. The Argentinian coach was the architect of Atlanta's 2018 success and the man who led Inter Miami to its first club trophy in 2023. (He did, to be fair, get a heavy assist from Lionel Messi on that last one.) Tata's return is an exciting prospect for Atlanta fans ... but after a failed year of partying like it was 2018, it does feel slightly alarming to see the front office leveraging that approach yet again. Colorado Rapids What happened? The beloved Pids fielded a team of unheralded prospects and failed to challenge their moneyed, experienced peers. Things came to a head this season when coach Chris Armas sold the team's best player, USMNT fringe candidate Djordje Mihailovic, to Toronto FC in the summer window. Seeing Mihailovic go was bad enough; seeing him go to a rival franchise was infuriating. Was it a coaching issue? Not until the very end. It's not Armas' fault that Colorado prefers to run lean; it was also, by most accounts, not Armas' fault that Mihailovic was sold to Toronto. But Armas is a big, sensitive character, and he publicly crumbled under the pressure when Colorado failed to make the playoffs this season. (He later apologized.) Who's in line to take over? No one yet — Colorado is considering its options. If it wants an ex-USMNT player in the Armas mold, it could do worse than consider former Austin coach Josh Wolff. If it wants energy, drama and a hit of flair, it might want to look at former Portland coach Gio Savarese. The Venezuelan has been on the market all season and deserves another shot. New York Red Bulls What happened? The unthinkable. After 15 consecutive playoff appearances — the longest active streak in American sports, period — the Red Bulls missed out on the postseason. Was it a coaching issue? Not really, no. This failure came down to the front office, not the coaching staff. The team needed a DP striker and was unable to secure one despite months of effort. Other high-profile signings, like German defender Alexander Hack, flopped spectacularly, and the whole season left the Red Bulls' front office looking rather foolish. Who's in line to take over? It's Jim Curtin, it has to be. The MLS and Philadelphia legend took himself out of the running for every managerial vacancy in the league except for this one — it keeps him close enough to his Mid-Atlantic family to make long-term sense.
Cowboys WR George Pickens has telling response to question about contract
George Pickens is having an outstanding first season with the Dallas Cowboys, and the career-best pace has come at a time when he is preparing for potential free agency. Is it possible the star wide receiver could sign an extension before he gets to that point? Pickens says that is up to his boss. Pickens, who was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, is in the final season of his rookie contract. He was asked on Thursday if he would consider signing a new deal with the Cowboys before he becomes a free agent after the season. He had a noteworthy response. "That’s kinda up to what (Jerry Jones) wants to do. All I can do is perform at my best," Pickens said. George Pickens has earned No. 1 wideout money Pickens has 685 receiving yards through the first eight weeks of the season, which ranks third in the NFL. His six touchdown catches are already the most of his four-year career. CeeDee Lamb missed several games this season with an ankle injury, and Pickens showed during that time that he is more than capable of being the featured wideout in a quality offense. That should go a long way toward setting his market, whether he re-signs with the Cowboys or becomes a free agent. With Lamb making an average of $34M per year, the Cowboys probably cannot afford to keep Pickens. For now, the 24-year-old is at least giving off the impression that he is open to the possibility. He also suggested recently that money is not the most important thing to him with his next contract, which could keep Dallas in the running.
Latest news prove Minnesota Vikings aren't content with the status quo, and it could elevate the team to the playoffs
This Sunday against the Detroit Lions is going to be huge when it comes to setting the expectations for the rest of the season. A loss will make a run toward the playoffs significantly less likely for the Vikings, and it could impact how they approach the trade deadline. The conventional wisdom would be that the Vikings wouldn't make a move to add at the trade deadline due to their record, especially when you look at the majority of players being acquired are on expiring contracts. Three years ago, the Vikings and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a big splash to acquire T.J. Hockenson at the deadline, and it was a big addition both for the 2022 season and beyond. Even if the Vikings lose, they could make an addition with the long-term in mind. Vikings trade history with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah The Vikings traded second and third round picks for T.J. Hockenson and two fourth-round picks at the trade deadline in 2022 Ahead of the 2022 season, the Vikings made low-risk trades for both Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock At the 2024 trade deadline, the Vikings acquired LT Cam Robinson for a 2026 fourth-round pick Minnesota Vikings eyeing a cornerback at the trade deadline One of the positions the Vikings need to find a long-term solution for is cornerback. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported on Friday that the Vikings are looking for a cornerback. "As for buyers, the Vikings and Colts are among a list of teams looking for corners. That market isn’t rich with options, which could make the Rams (McCreary), Browns (Tyson Campbell) and Eagles (Michael Carter II) look smart for striking a little earlier." It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the Vikings are looking for a cornerback to help them out, especially with Jeff Okudah being both ineffective and injured. They haven't shown a willingness to trust Dwight McGlothern as of yet, and finding a player at the position to fortify with Isaiah Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr. should make a difference, especially when it comes to playing man coverage. The key here is finding a cornerback whom the Vikings can trade for. There aren't a lot of options, especially with four cornerbacks having already been traded. Two that come to mind are Riq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks and Alontae Taylor of the New Orleans Saints. Woolen has fallen out of favor with the Seahawks over the last couple of seasons with Mike Macdonald at the helm. He is currently starting for the Seahawks, but he doesn't seem to be in their long-term plans. He would provide the necessary size and speed the Vikings need at the cornerback position. Taylor is more of a slot cornerback, which the Vikings have been hesitant to add with wanting to slide Murphy on the inside. Even so, he's a versatile piece that could end up being a huge benefit for the Vikings. The deadline is going to be huge for the Vikings, and it could give them a necessary piece to help the defense both short-term and long-term. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-383').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-383').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
How likely is it that Falcons, Kirk Cousins will part ways before trade deadline?
Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Kirk Cousins reportedly is still interested in finding a starting job with a different team before the NFL trade deadline arrives at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 4. That said, there was no indication throughout October that any team was close to pulling the trigger on a transaction to land his services. For an article published on Friday, Falcons reporter Josh Kendall of The Athletic revealed that it is "unlikely" Cousins will have a new NFL home by the time the first Tuesday of November comes to an end. Why Kirk Cousins, Falcons will likely stay married through trade deadline "Is there a team out there willing to give up a Day 2 draft pick for a 37-year-old quarterback with two-plus years and $115M of cap hits remaining on his contract? Probably not," Kendall wrote. As Kendall pointed out, Cousins was "mediocre" while starting in place of injured starter Michael Penix Jr. for Atlanta's Week 8 home game versus the lowly Miami Dolphins. In total, Cousins completed 21-of-31 passes for 173 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in a 34-10 blowout loss to what was previously a 1-6 Miami side. That same Dolphins team was booed off its home field during a 28-6 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. Why Falcons may want to hold onto Kirk Cousins despite his bad outing "Even though Cousins told Falcons owner Arthur Blank during an offseason meeting that he wanted to be traded to a team with which he could start again," Kendall continued, "Atlanta kept him on the roster. And while Cousins has reportedly reiterated his desire to be moved in recent weeks, given what the Falcons would get in return — a late-round pick — it seems likely they’d rather stand pat and keep him as insurance for Penix." The 3-4 Falcons will enter the first weekend of November in the playoff hunt. Blank likely understands that quality QB2s don't simply grow on trees, so it makes sense that he'd want to keep a proven veteran who knows how to run Atlanta's offense on the roster. That said, one wonders if the outcome of this Sunday's game between the Falcons and 6-2 New England Patriots could result in Atlanta dropping its asking price for Cousins. As of Friday morning, ESPN BET had the Falcons as 5.5-point underdogs for the matchup at Gillette Stadium.
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