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Everton have endured an interminable period of struggle in the Premier League but might just be heading toward a new era of success, with the Friedkin Group on the cusp of purchasing Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake.

The 2024/25 campaign kicked off with four successive losses in the top flight to cast a gloomy setting over Goodison Park, but a draw at Leicester City has been followed up with a turnaround victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League to lift Sean Dyche’s side out of the relegation zone.

The Merseysiders are indebted to Dwight McNeil’s fast start to the season, with the winger turned number ten thriving in his new role.

Dwight McNeil's recent Everton form

It’s been a bit more than two years since Everton signed McNeil from Burnley for a £20m fee. The playmaking winger had risen to first-team prominence with the Clarets – under Dyche’s wing – but had failed to save them from relegation, and was understandably allowed to move to a Premier League side.

He’s chalked up 14 goals and 12 assists across 88 appearances for the Toffees, but is really starting to come into his own this season as he moves away from left wing to a more central attacking midfield role, flourishing.

Indeed, the 24-year-old has bagged four goals and two assists across eight matches, already surpassing last year’s haul of three goals from 41 matches in all competitions.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for progressive carries per 90, emphasising his efficacy in driving the play forward and making things happen with his ball-playing.

McNeil has outscored Dominic Calvert-Lewin so far in 2024/25, with the centre-forward’s salvaged fitness levels allowing him to lead the line across all six of Everton’s top-flight matches this season, bagging two goals and claiming one assist.

The towering talisman might have only posted a modest return at best, but his restoration is such a bonus for the Blues in their quest to preserve top-flight status.

Believe it or not, there’s a former Everton player, sold not too long ago, who’s outscoring both of the aforementioned this season, and he did it all in just one game.

Tom Cannon is on fire for Stoke City

We’re talking, of course, about Tom Cannon, who put four past Portsmouth in the Championship on Wednesday evening in what was unquestionably the performance of the 21-year-old’s fledgling career.

Plying his trade with the Potters this term after leaving Leicester City on loan, Cannon will feel that his career is now starting to take off, having moved to Leicester from Everton last summer for roughly a £7.5m fee.

A natural-born goalscorer, Cannon excelled at youth level for Everton but failed to break into the first team despite impressing while on loan with Preston North End in 2022/23. His talent was recognised by Leicester, however, and the Liverpool-based side were happy to turn a profit.

Hailed for his “insane” performance against Portsmouth by Stoke correspondent Pete Smith, the aptly-named Cannon fired them in like howitzers to lift his loan outfit into 14th place after six fixtures, curbing a three-game losing run. Portsmouth, back in the second tier after years away, remain winless.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

As per Sofascore, the young gun showcased a skillset that stretches beyond that of a ‘poacher’, putting in a performance of a rounded and dynamic nature.

On top of his four-goal haul, Cannon succeeded with his one attempted dribble, won the penalty. that he converted for his hat-trick, completed 81% of his passes and won seven of his 11 contested duels.

Everton must rue cashing in on the talent, especially since the small fee recouped for his sale in 2023 was put toward signing Beto from Udinese in a deal worth up to £30m.

Moreover, compounding the issue, Calvert-Lewin’s contract at Goodison Park is set to expire at the end of the campaign, and though Armando Broja was welcomed from Chelsea in August on a loan deal that could become permanent, the Albania international has yet to feature as he recuperates from injury and, having endured extended spells on the sidelines in the past, perhaps can’t be entrusted with the role of focal frontman just yet.

Cannon, however, is proving that he has the goalscoring prowess to succeed in the Premier League, ranking as he does among the top 6% of strikers across divisions similar to the Championship for goals scored and the top 9% for through balls per 90.

That latter metric is particularly interesting, speaking of a passing game and enterprise in his movements that could prove to be tailor-made for Dyche’s system, dropping deep and getting stuck in but also boasting the pace and power to drive forward and get into promising positions, where he can lash shots past the goalkeeper and into the net.

Given that, on Tuesday evening, Cannon outstripped both McNeil and Calvert-Lewin for goalscoring this season despite the promise shown from each of Everton’s star forwards this year, it might come to be a well-known fact that Everton suffered a massive blunder when letting their young and talented forward, Cannon, leave for a small fee.

He’s got the quality to become a major player.

Lampard wanted Everton to sign star now worth £85m but got Maupay instead

The Toffees could have missed a trick over one centre-forward signing…

By
Joe Nuttall

Oct 3, 2024

Arsenal head into the latest international break third in the Premier League. It’s been a brilliant start to the season with the Gunners sitting unbeaten across all competitions.

They have risen to the challenge of Tottenham and Manchester City on the domestic scene. They have dispatched Bolton Wanderers with ease in the Carabao Cup and triumphed against a slightly bigger side in PSG last week in the Champions League.

Still, you feel as though there is more to come from Mikel Arteta’s team after the break with the Londoners having shipped three across matches with Leicester and Southampton while scoring 15 times in the Premier League, two shy of second-place Manchester City.

How they could do with a certain Martin Odegaard back in their squad to boost their goal tally.

The latest on Martin Odegaard's injury

During the first international break of the new season, Arsenal supporters were dealt the worst news; Odegaard was ruled out through injury.

The Norway captain was in action for his country against Austria when he was on the receiving end of a nasty challenge that subsequently saw him hobble from the field with an ankle problem.

Scans showed that he had sustained ‘significant’ ligament damage which has so far ruled him out for nearly a month. Well, it could be another four weeks before we see him back in the famous red and white.

That’s according to Ben Jacobs who was in conversation with GIVEMESPORT this week. He told the publication to expect the midfielder to be ruled out for the ‘best part of four weeks’ before he’s ready to get up to speed again.

That said, the doctors at the Emirates Stadium won’t take any risks with his ankle and it could be longer before he’s back in action.

Why Odegaard injury is bad news for Havertz and Saka

Bukayo Saka scored and registered two assists in the 3-1 win over Southampton a few days ago. Kai Havertz also found the net.

On that evidence, it doesn’t look as though they’re missing Odegaard. However, there is quite a hole left in Arsenal’s squad that has and will continue to impact the pair of them.

Indeed, as a result of the captain’s injury, it’s meant that Arteta has tweaked his system a little bit. Havertz now isn’t the sole operator in central forward areas and has been interchanging with either Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Jesus.

At times it’s been listed as more of a 4-4-2. Against City, for example, Trossard played slightly deeper behind Havertz. Yet, when the Saints came to town last Saturday, it was Havertz who was occupying the deeper role behind Jesus. That was until the Brazilian was substituted around the hour mark.

That has impacted Havertz somewhat as the supply line from midfield into attack hasn’t been so prominent. He failed to score against Tottenham and City but did find the net against Leicester and Southampton, matches you’d expect your centre-forward to score in anyway.

Saka has certainly made up for the lack of Odegaard, registering a staggering haul of 15 key passes across his last two league matches. As such, he now has seven assists in his opening seven games.

That said, you can tell he’s suffered a bit. After all, it is that right-sided combo between Odegaard and the England star that has led to so many goals throughout the last few years.

Throughout the Norwegian’s career, no player has benefited more from his service than Saka with a joint-goal participation rate of nine. For Arsenal’s academy product, only Gabriel Martinelli has benefited more from Saka with a joint-goal participation of 12.

For further context, as of May 2024, no two players had a higher combination of chances created in the Premier League than Arsenal’s precious duo. Odegaard supplied 22 chances for Saka and the wide man created 18 chances in return.

The club’s sparkling number 7 has taken his game to a new level so far this season but he won’t be at his very very best until Odegaard is out. Sadly, he will have to wait until November to team up with his partner in crime again.

Perfect for Havertz: Arsenal could unleash Saka in a totally different role

Mikel Arteta could make a tactical tweak after the international break…

By
Robbie Walls

Oct 9, 2024

Martin Odegaard has fired a warning to Arsenal's Premier League title rivals ahead of the final few months of the season.

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• Arsenal chasing Premier League title
• Odegaard hints rivals should be worried
• Says what he needs to improve on

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal sit second in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool – who also have a game in hand. However, Gunners captain Odegaard believes his team still have "another gear" and that he can improve his goal-scoring stats in what remains of this season.

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  WHAT MARTIN ODEGAARD SAID

  He said, via : “For the team, we’re in a good position. But still I feel like we have another gear, another step that we can take and hopefully we can hit that top form now until the end of the season. It was the same last year. We really hit top form towards the end of the season. Hopefully we can do that again and finish with a good run.

  “It’s (goals) been something that I haven’t been good enough with this season. I feel like I’ve been in enough situations and created a lot for others but I haven’t been clinical enough with the finishing. So that’s something that I really want to step up towards the end of the season.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Indeed, Odegaard scored 15 goals in 2022-23 and 11 last season, but has managed just two this term. If Arsenal are finally to end their long drought for a league title, everyone, including the Norwegian, need to raise their game.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal host defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday in a game that could end their title hopes if they lose.

The 24-year-old striker subbed onto the pitch vs. Millwall to a large applause from those in attendance

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• Dike returns from injury for West Brom
• Striker tore Achilles in February 2024
• Forward is a U.S. international

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. international Daryl Dike returned from injury for West Bromwich Albion on Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Millwall. The 24-year-old sustatined an Achilles tear in February 2024, just one year after suffering an Achilles tear on the opposite leg.

  After two years of injury rehabilitation, the former Orlando City star returned to the pitch for the on Saturday, to a massive applause from those in attendance.

  He logged 13 minutes plus stoppage.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dike first broke out with MLS side Orlando City after scoring 18 goals in 35 appearances for the club. He was the No. 5 overall pick by Orlando in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, being selected out of the University of Virginia.

  In January 2021, he was sent on loan to English side Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 appearances. The following winter, in January 2022, he signed for the for a reported fee of $10 million.

  However, due to injuries, he has only made 33 appearances, scoring 8 goals.

  He has 10 caps with the USMNT, where he has scored three goals. He scored once in an international friendly, and twice in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. All of his caps came under former U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter.

  Now, after returning to the pitch once again for West Brom, there's hope he can find his goal-scoring prowess while staying fit for the foreseeable future.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In the last three seasons, Dike has played in just 28 league matches due to his injuries. In the last two seasons, he's played in just four prior to Saturday's return.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DIKE AND WEST BROM?

  The are back in action on Feb. 22 against Oxford United where DIke will look to earn more minutes as he regains full fitness once again.

Liverpool’s rip-roaring start to the season bears testament to Arne Slot’s tactical approach, encouraging this highly talented squad to foster their qualities and make title-winning improvements.

Without a doubt, the nine wins claimed from ten matches would not have been possible had Ryan Gravenberch not glided into his new role at number six, praised for his “sensational” performances by pundit Steve Nicol.

Gravenberch's start to the season

Gravenberch has long been regarded as a multi-functional midfield talent but he’s starting to showcase a real skill in the deep-sitting area of the engine room, with Slot won over by his young countryman’s properties, demonstrating great promise in his positional awareness and play-breaking.

The failed attempt to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad is but a distant and hazy mishap at this stage, even if the Spaniard would have dovetailed right into the new Anfield system. Let bygones be bygones and all that.

Liverpool have saved a pretty penny in fashioning Gravenberch, whose maiden year in England was solidly unspectacular, into a first-class number six. There’s plenty of football yet to play this term but the signs, Liverpool fans, are promising indeed.

He sort of carried a range of skills that hadn’t been properly executed throughout his Bayern and early Anfield days, but Slot’s fused them into a whole and he looks right in his wheelhouse in this new brand.

The Dutchman has been Merseyside’s finest breakout star of the season, for sure, and he’s set to see his current market value of £34m, as per Transfermarkt, skyrocket in the years to come.

There’s another Liverpool ace pushing toward the prime of their career in Giorgi Mamardashvili who could be Slot’s hero next season, and he hasn’t even moved to the city yet.

Mamardashvili could be Liverpool's next breakout star

FSG might not be everybody’s cup of tea but they do operate with a commendable degree of prudence, current contractual quandaries notwithstanding.

Liverpool boast one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation in Alisson Becker, but the 31-year-old has missed many matches across the past several campaigns and his brilliant backup, Caoimhin Kelleher, is desperate to make his name as a number one. The Irishman will be gone at some stage, likely next year.

That’s why Michael Edwards and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes acted this summer to sign Valencia goalkeeper Mamardashvili, 24, who was loaned back to the La Liga club for the duration of the current term.

Rising to performances with the Georgian national team this summer, Mamardashvili established himself as a goalkeeper capable of starring for one of Europe’s elite, and thus Liverpool acted swiftly to sign him for a £25m fee, plus £4m in add-ons.

Described as “an absolute monster” between the sticks by Spanish journalist Paco Polit, Liverpool look like they’ve scored a real coup with this one: Mamardashvili has the blend of physicality, shot-stopping athleticism and authority to speak of a prosperous Premier League career under Slot’s guidance.

As per FBref, the 6 foot 6 titan ranks among the top 7% of goalkeepers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed.

Now, this is a confusing metric, so let’s put it another way: Mamardashvili’s ability to prevent goals in situations when a save seems improbable has already established him as one of the hottest prospects in the game, showcased marvellously during Georgia’s exceptional Euro 2024 campaign, with the 24-year-old was awarded the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper award.

Liverpool are only going to go from strength to strength with this goalkeeper eventually replacing Alisson. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has even praised him as “one of the best shot-stoppers in Europe”, and though his distribution leaves something to be desired, it’s important to remember that Mamardashvili is young and below the average prime of a goalkeeper.

Even so, he’s already regarded as a top talent, with Transfermarkt actually recording the Georgian’s price tag at £37m, suggesting that Liverpool struck a bargain in bringing him over to Merseyside, allowing him to nurture his talents further with Valencia before hopping over to the Premier League.

To emphasise how exciting this acquisition is for the Reds, let’s hark back to Gravenberch. As discussed earlier, the Netherlands international, who is still only 22, is valued at £34m, which is actually in line with the fee that was paid to Bayern Munich for his services just over one year ago.

It’s exciting to think that Liverpool have a player at a similar stage of their career in Mamardashvili who could add to the Gravenberch revolution that Slot is orchestrating.

The Reds have so much to look forward to over the coming years, and though the fateful day when Alisson lays down his gloves will be poignant, it’s thrilling to think that the worthiest of successors has already been clinched.

Liverpool must miss a star who's earning more than Van Dijk after leaving

Liverpool sold one of Klopp’s main men and he’s earned loads more than Salah since.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 18, 2024

The referee has been sanctioned by North America's controlling soccer body for his post-game actions

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• Inter Miami beat Sporting KC 1-0 in CONCACAF Champions Cup
• Lionel Messi scored game-winner
• CONCACAF has now disciplined referee
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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  CONCACAF announced that they have disciplined referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava for requesting an autograph from Lionel Messi after Inter Miami CF's CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Sporting Kansas City Wednesday at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.

  After a 1-0 victory for the with the winner being scored by the Argentine himself – the referee had reportedly approached Messi and asked for his jersey. However, it's now been clarified that Ortiz Nava actually requested an autograph for a family member with special needs.

  His action were deemed against the code of conduct for CONCACAF officials.

  "CONCACAF is aware of the interaction that occurred between referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava and player Lionel Messi immediately following the final whistle of last night's Concacaf Champions Cup match between Sporting Kansas City and Inter Miami CF," a CONCACAF spokesperson told ESPN in a statement. "Upon investigation, CONCACAF has learned that the referee approached the player to request an autograph for a family member with special needs.

  "The referee's conduct does not align with the Confederation's Code of Conduct for match officials and existing processes for these types of requests. The referee has acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action CONCACAF has applied."

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Sporting themselves made a statement, sharing they informed both MLS and CONCACAF of the situation upon learning of the request.

  "We informed CONCACAF and Major League Soccer about the incident after the match against Inter Miami CF on Wednesday. We await further review of the matter and the action CONCACAF will take," the team said.

  CONCACAF has not disclosed the specifics of the discipline.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The midweek clash with Sporting was delayed 24 hours due to frigid and subzero temperatures in Kansas City. When the match was played Wednesday night, the kickoff temperature was four degrees Farenheit with a "feels like" temperature of nine degrees below zero.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MIAMI?

  Miami take on New York City FC Saturday night to open the 2025 MLS season. Leg two of their CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against Sporting takes place in South Florida on Feb. 25.

Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards has urged Arsenal and sporting director Edu Gaspar to make a signing so manager Mikel Arteta can stop relying on a “frustrating” weak-link in his Gunners team.

Arsenal draw with Liverpool in thoroughly entertaining clash of titans

Despite missing a host of key players in William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori and captain Martin Odegaard, Arteta very nearly came away from the Emirates Stadium with a victory over high-flying Liverpool on Sunday.

Transfer expert: Arsenal weighing up bid to sign £45,000-p/w ace in January

The Gunners will face some competition for his signature though.

By
Ben Browning

Oct 28, 2024

Bukayo Saka, despite reports in the build up suggesting he looked set to miss their face-off with Arne Slot’s side, was deemed fit to play and opened the scoring with an excellent finish into the roof of the net.

Virgil van Dijk equalised just under 10 minutes later, but it didn’t take long for the home side to seize back an advantage through summer signing Mikel Merino’s diving header.

They held a 2-1 lead for the majority of the second period, with Liverpool superstar Mohammed Salah unfortunately leveling the score just nine minutes from full-time.

Whilst Kiwior’s lack of awareness arguably led to Salah’s equaliser, which squandered the advantage, it was an impressive outing overall by the north Londoners considering they were forced to field a weakened team – with Thomas Partey also playing at right-back so Ben White could fill in for Saliba.

Arsenal didn’t really have a potent attacking option to call upon in place of Kai Havertz, either, with striker Gabriel Jesus misfiring so far this term and yet to get off the mark in all competitions.

This has led to reports that Edu is looking to sign a striker in January, and pundit Richards has now had his say on the matter.

Richards urges Arsenal to sign striker for Arteta

Speaking on the Rest of Football podcast, Richards urged Edu to sign a striker for Arsenal, to ease the reliance on Jesus and take some of the pressure off Havertz’s shoulders to lead the line, as the club continue their quest for a first Premier League title in over two decades.

“It’s how adaptable Arsenal are. You see [Thomas] Partey playing right-back, Timber playing left-back,” said Richards.

“Without key players they still managed to find a way. If they want a low block, if they want to counter-attack and still cause problems.

“People question their mentality in terms of how they want to play but I always give a manager credit if they’re able to adapt to what the game needs and Arteta did that really well.

“I think it’s just frustrating for him [Arteta], you bring in Jesus as this striker, winger, forward whatever you want to call him and he’s not contributing enough in terms of goal threat. Maybe another forward [needs to be signed] just to help him out, relieve some of that pressure on [Kai] Havertz.”

Aston Villa dropped out of the top four in the Premier League on Sunday after they were comfortably beaten 4-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in London.

The Villans had taken the lead in the first-half, thanks to a scrappy goal from Morgan Rogers from a corner, and kept that lead heading into the break.

However, a second-half collapse resulted in all three points going to Ange Postecoglou’s side, after the hosts scored four goals in the second half.

Brennan Johnson levelled the score before a brace from Dominic Solanke put Spurs comfortably ahead, with substitute James Maddison scoring a late free-kick to make sure of the result.

Super substitute Jhon Duran was not enough to save the Villans on this occasion, as the Colombia international came on with 21 minutes left to play and failed to register a shot on goal, whilst he completed two of his four attempted passes.

The former MLS star has bailed out Unai Emery’s side on several occasions in the 2024/25 campaign but this one was too big of an ask, as the defence let the team down by allowing four goals to be conceded in just 45 minutes.

Jhon Duran's form this season

The 20-year-old sensation has already racked up six goals across the Premier League and the Champions League this season, despite starting one match in the two competitions combined.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Duran only managed five goals in 23 appearances in the Premier League and two goals in ten outings in the Europa Conference League, which shows that he is already on course to comfortably beat his tally in the top-flight and Europe this term.

The left-footed ace has scored winning goals off the bench against Bayern Munich, Everton, and West Ham United already this season in all competitions, and this shows that his goals have been meaningful and impactful for Villa, rather than being the third or fourth goal in heavy victories.

As you can see in the table above, Duran has outperformed his xG tally in the Premier League this season, which suggests that he has been ruthless in front of goal when chances have come his way for the Villans.

His emergence as a star for Villa should not come as a huge surprise, however, as the club did splash a significant fee of £18m to sign the then-teenager from Chicago Fire at the start of 2023.

Although, spending a huge sum of money on a player does not guarantee that they will go on to be a success, as the Villans have learned the hard way in the past. In fact, they once spent even more than £18m to sign a centre-forward who struggled under Dean Smith – Wesley.

How much Aston Villa paid for Wesley

Aston Villa won the play-offs and were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2018/19 season and decided to dip into the market to bolster their squad ahead of the top-flight campaign.

Smith opted to swoop for Club Brugge centre-forward Wesley and the Villans reportedly splashed out a fee of £22m to secure his services in the summer transfer window in 2019, which meant that he cost £4m more than Duran.

They decided to invest such a big sum of money in the Brazilian number nine after his return of 17 goals and ten assists in 48 matches in all competitions for the Belgian side during the 2018/19 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, Wesley was handed plenty of chances to impress, starting 21 times, but only registered five goals and one assist, as he flopped for the money spent on him in that time.

Two of those goals and his only assist came in the 5-1 win over Norwich, which meant that he managed three goals and zero assists in 20 matches outside of that rout against the struggling Canaries.

In January of his first season, though, he suffered a horrendous knee injury against Burnley that eventually kept him on the sidelines for 57 matches.

The Brazilian, unfortunately, was never able to recover his Villa career after that lengthy absence, playing four more times in the Premier League, and his early struggles before his injury do not mean that he would have been a flop in the long-term without that injury, as the youngster could have adapted to the country and gone on to develop into a star.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

He was then released in the summer of 2023, after loan spells with Club Brugge, Internacional, and Levante, before joining Stoke on a free transfer last year.

Where Wesley is currently playing

At the time of writing (04/11/2024), Wesley currently plays for Karagümrük in the second division of football in Turkey, which illustrates how far his career has fallen since his horrific knee injury.

The £22m signing for Villa should be in the prime of his career, at the age of 27, and is, instead, arguably playing at the lowest standard of his senior career to date, having played in the Belgian top-flight, the Premier League, the Brazilian Serie A, LaLiga 2, and the Championship prior to this latest move.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Wesley made 23 appearances for Stoke City in all competitions, after joining on a free transfer from the Villans, and failed to register a single goal or assist.

The Potters then decided that they did not want to keep hold of the Brazilian titan, who failed to score in 20 Championship outings, and he made the move to Turkey’s second tier earlier this year.

As you can see in the table above, Wesley has enjoyed a terrific start to life in Turkey, with nine goals in 11 games, and appears to be finally enjoying his football again.

Hopefully, he can get his career back on track and earn himself a move back to one of Europe’s top leagues, thanks to his goalscoring record in the second division in Turkey.

As bad as Watkins: Emery must drop 4/10 Aston Villa star after Spurs

Aston Villa suffered an almighty collapse on the road against Tottenham Hotspur.

1

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 3, 2024

Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri is a surprise inclusion in the Argentina squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil.

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• Echeverri called up by Lionel Scaloni
• Yet to make Man City debut
• Shone at U20 South American Championship

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 19-year-old starlet has been called up to Lionel Scaloni's preliminary senior squad for the clashes later this month alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez – despite the fact he is yet to make his City debut.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Echeverri's City bow has been delayed by his involvement in the Under-20 South American Championship in Venezuela, and his call-up seems to be reward for his stellar performances there. The teenage attacking midfielder racked up nine goal involvements in nine games, including six strikes of his own, although Argentina's arch-rivals Brazil ultimately triumphed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  City signed Echeverri from River Plate in January 2024 for a reported fee of £12.5 million ($15.7m) plus add-ons before sending him back on loan to the Argentine giants for the rest of the year. He has now finally joined up with his new club ahead of the run-in and has been handed the No.30 shirt at the Etihad Stadium.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR ECHEVERRI?

  It remains to be seen when Echeverri will be deemed ready to make his debut for his new club, but it is feasible that he makes his first senior international appearance before that. City travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while Argentina continue their World Cup qualifying campaign against Uruguay on March 22.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his players come back from the international break without any major injuries or incidents that affect how they perform for the club in the weeks to come.

He has already had to deal with a blow to Adam Idah, who withdrew from the Ireland squad before any matches took place, and it remains to be seen what the severity of that is.

The likes of Alistair Johnston, Anthony Ralston, Luis Palma, who scored two for Honduras against Mexico, and Arne Engels, among others, have already competed for their countries and avoided any issues.

However, one Celtic star had a night to forget – to put it lightly – as central defender Liam Scales was left embarrassed against England at Wembley.

Liam Scales' performance against England

The Ireland international lined up on the left side of a three-man central defensive unit, as part of a back five, against the Three Lions in the Nations League on Sunday.

Scales had a very strong start to the game and won four of his five duels, including one crunching challenge on England captain Harry Kane in the middle of the park.

The left-footed defender, however, was left embarrassed by Jude Bellingham, who was signed by Real Madrid for £88m in the summer of 2023, at the start of the second half.

As you can see in the clip above, the superstar midfielder sold the centre-back a dream with his first touch and tricked the Celtic dud into tripping him up, giving away a penalty.

That resulted in his second booking of the match and a red card, after he picked up a yellow card in the first half for delaying the restart, pushing the ball away with his hand before kicking it away moments later – forcing the referee’s hand.

Scales, who was handed a player rating of 5/10 by the Independent, was embarrassed by Bellingham and let his team down in the process.

The score was 0-0 at the time, in the 51st minute, and his side went on to be thrashed 5-0 with ten men in the second half.

What this could mean for Liam Scales

This could be bad news for the Irish flop after the international break if Cameron Carter-Vickers is back fit and available for selection against Hearts.

Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty were preferred as the first-choice centre-back pairing in the games against Aberdeen in the semi-final of the League Cup and against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, before Scales came back in against Kilmarnock as the former Spurs man missed out through injury.

His naive performance against England at Wembley will do little to show Rodgers that he should be his go-to centre-back alongside either Carter-Vickers or Trusty moving forward.

It is now down to the left-footed titan to return to Glasgow this week and show the manager that he can bounce back quickly and nail down a regular starting spot ahead of his positional rivals at Parkhead.

With games against Aberdeen and Club Brugge in the weeks to come, Scales will need to show Rodgers that he is not likely to repeat his Wembley howler on the biggest stages for the Hoops.

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By
Dan Emery

Nov 16, 2024