It would be fair to say that this summer has been about as good as any Arsenal fan could have hoped it would be at the end of last season.

On top of looking pretty good on the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side have been massively reinforced in the transfer market, with seven senior players joining so far.

Moreover, the signing of Eberechi Eze was twice as sweet for fans, as not only did they get a sensational gifted playmaker who can play on the wing, but they also managed to snatch him from the grasp of Tottenham Hotspur, who look like they have done the same thing with Xavi Simons and Chelsea.

With all that said, there are still a few days left until the window closes, and if Arsenal really want to end it with a bang, they should go back in for a player they’ve been linked with before, a player more talented than Eze and Simons.

Why Eze is such an important signing for Arsenal

Even though we are going to look at another player Arsenal should sign later, it’s important to remember that Eze is a potentially game-changing addition in his own right.

After all, one of the Gunners’ most significant problems last season was an inability to break teams down and make things happen when their star players were injured or out of form, and this is something the Englishman can solve.

For example, according to FBref, he ranked in the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for total shots, the top 10% for successful take-ons, the top 11% for shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Moreover, despite playing for a mid-table side at best, the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by Micah Richards, scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes.

In other words, the £100k-per-week superstar managed to maintain an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

He is also a big-game player, scoring in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final of the FA Cup to help Palace win their first-ever major trophy.

With all that said, the Gunners could land themselves a bigger talent than Eze and Simons by going back in for a Premier League star they’ve been linked with in the past.

The player who is a bigger talent than Eze & Simons

Now, for a player to even be compared to Eze and Simons, let alone be considered a bigger talent, they’ve got to be something quite special.

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Fortunately, that would be an apt way to describe Morgan Rogers, who has been linked with Arsenal a number of times this summer, and might just be available for around £80m.

It would certainly be a significant investment to make in one player, but the Aston Villa star has proven he’d be worth it and then some over the last season or so.

Moreover, as the Premier League is ranked the toughest league in the world, and the Bundesliga is just the fourth, comparing all of his numbers to Simons’ is difficult.

However, thankfully, we can get a clearer picture of who the bigger talent is, thanks to both playing in the Champions League last year.

Appearances

12

5

Minutes

1025′

337′

Goals

4

0

Assists

3

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.00

Minutes per Goal Involvement

146.42′

N/A

Unsurprisingly, it is the Claret and Blue “machine,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob, who comes out miles ahead, as in his 12 appearances, totalling 1025 minutes, he scored four goals and provided three assists.

That means the often “unstoppable” midfielder, as dubbed by former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher, was able to average a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 146.42 minutes in football’s biggest club competition.

On the other hand, the Leipzig ace was unable to score a single goal or provide a single assist, despite facing some rather beatable teams, such as Sporting CP and Sturm Graz.

Now, when it comes to statistical comparisons with Arsenal’s new number ten, the Villans’ attacking dynamo does not come out on top, but his overall average of a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 149.86 minutes across the full campaign, isn’t far off.

Moreover, the reason we would still classify him as a bigger talent is that, at just 22 years old, he is approximately four years away from reaching his peak, according to research carried out by The Athletic.

So, when he does reach that point, based on what he’s already doing, we would expect his numbers to be better than Eze’s are today.

Ultimately, Arsenal have made an exceptional signing in the former Palace star, and it looks like Spurs have in the young Dutchman, but for our money, Rogers is still the biggest talent of the three.

Imagine him and Eze: Arsenal "closing in on" agreement to sign £52m "beast"

Mikel Arteta is close to finalising a deal that would be perfect for Arsenal and for new man Eberechi Eze.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 29, 2025

كشفت تقارير صحفية تطورات تخص المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، آرني سلوت، ومستقبله مع حامل لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بعدما نجح في خلافة يورجن كلوب الموسم الماضي.

وتعاقد ليفربول مع آرني سلوت، صيف 2024، بعد رحيل يورجن كلوب، حيث نجح في قيادة محمد صلاح ورفاقه نحو تحقيق لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويمر ليفربول في الوقت الحالي بفترة سيئة حيث تعرض لثلاث هزائم متتالية، بواقع خسارتين في الدوري الإنجليزي أمام كريستال بالاس وتشيلسي، وواحدة في دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام جالطة سراي.

وذكرت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” الإنجليزية أن ليفربول يتطلع إلى تجديد عقد المدرب آرني سلوت، حيث يُقال إن وكيل أعماله يعمل بالفعل على تلك الصفقة مع مسؤولي النادي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ليفربول يتلقى خبرًا سارًا بشأن محمد صلاح قبل مباراة مانشستر يونايتد

ويمتلك آرني سلوت عقدًا ساريًا مع ليفربول لمدة 3 سنوات، حيث وقع عليه عند تعيينه في مايو 2024، ويرغب النادي الآن في تمديد عقده قبل منتصف مدة صفقته الحالية.

وأشارت إلى أن مسؤولي ليفربول يرغبون في التحرك بسرعة لحسم ملف تجديد عقد سلوت، حيث يواجهون احتمالية بدء الموسم المقبل مع الهولندي وهو في عامه الأخير في عقده الساري.

وأفادت أن ذلك قد يمثل خطرًا على ليفربول ويُعيد إلى الأذهان ما حدث مع الثلاثي محمد صلاح، فيرجيل فان دايك وترينت ألكسندر أرنولد الموسم الماضي، عندما سيطر مستقبلهم على تفكير الجميع.

وكان من المقرر انتهاء عقود الثلاثي المذكور مع ليفربول في يونيو 2025، ولم يتوصل النادي إلى اتفاق مع محمد صلاح وفان دايك إلا في أبريل الماضي، في حين رحل أرنولد إلى ريال مدريد.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن إدارة ليفربول منحت كلوب عقدًا جديدًا، لمدة 6 سنوات، بعد مرور 9 أشهر فقط من توليه منصبه في “الأنفيلد”.

Aston Villa have now been approached over the signing of a “dominant” defender, who they have tracked for quite some time, according to a report.

Villa keen on new defender after signing Guessand

After selling Jhon Duran in the January transfer window, Villa were a little light on options in the striker department, but Unai Emery now has both Ollie Watkins and Evann Guessand to choose from at centre-forward, with the ex-OGC Nice man arriving for £30m.

Consequently, Emery now want to turn his attentions to strengthening at the opposite end of the pitch, especially considering Pau Torres is attracting interest from elsewhere, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr recently being named as potential suitors.

It could be wise to cash-in on Torres this summer, given that the Villans are well-known to be treading a fine line when it comes to PSR, and Saudi teams are arguably more willing to pay over the odds, with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez recently joining Al-Hilal for up to £56.6m.

Aston Villa make approach to sign £22m attacker, may submit bid within days

The Villans have now made contact over a deal for an “incredible” player.

ByDominic Lund Aug 10, 2025

Should Aston Villa sell the 28-year-old, it may be a smart move to bring in a younger centre-back, with greater re-sell value, and they have now been approached over the potential signing of Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez.

That is according to a report from The Boot Room, which states Villa are being kept informed about Ordonez, alongside a whole host of their Premier League rivals, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur also named as potential suitors.

Emery’s side have been in contact over the highly-rated young defender for the past 12 months, but he is now closing in on a move to Marseille, which means they will need to move swiftly to hijack a deal, and it may take a bid of around €33m (£28m).

"Dominant" Ordonez could be fantastic signing for Villa

At just 21-years-old, the Brugge centre-back is still in the infancy of his career, but football talent scout Jacek Kulig believes he could go on to achieve great things, having likened the youngster to Real Madrid star Antonio Rüdiger.

Kulig describes the Ecuadorian as a “dominant” defender, which suggests he is strong in duels, but the starlet is also forward-thinking and very comfortable in possession of the ball, which is crucial for a modern-day centre-back.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

66.15 (87th percentile)

Pass completion %

91.6% (95th percentile)

Progressive passes

5.31 (94th percentile)

Despite his age, the Ecuador international already has a plethora of experience at first-team level, making 84 appearances for Club Brugge, including 12 in the Champions League last season, which suggests he may now be ready to test himself in the Premier League.

As such, it would certainly be exciting if Aston Villa were to pursue a late move for Ordonez, but they would have to move swiftly, given that Marseille are closing in on a deal.

Manchester United have been urged to bring in former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate to "restructure the whole place" as pressure mounts on Ruben Amorim. United finished 15th in the Premier League under Amorim last season and he has only overseen two wins out of five at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

• United's struggles continue under Amorim

  Amorim was brought in to replace Erik ten Hag in November 2024 but could not bring in an immediate remedy to United's misery as they finished in the bottom half of the table, and a loss against Tottenham in the Europa League final meant that the club dropped out of European competition for the 2025-26 campaign.

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  Summer signings yet to spark improvement

  United spent heavily in the summer transfer window to bolster Amorim's attack as the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo were drafted in. There has been little improvement in results, though, with Amorim's side currently 11th in the Premier League table with just seven points, while they also crashed out of the Carabao Cup in the second round at the hands of fourth-tier Grimsby Town.

• Man Utd urged to bring in Southgate

  Former Manchester United forward Teddy Sheringham has urged the English giants to bring in ex-England boss Southgate if they part ways with Amorim, telling : "If you look at some of the high-profile managers who have been at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson left, a lot of them have come in and unsuccessfully tried to take the club forward in their own way. I know some United fans had reservations over Gareth Southgate due to his style of play, but having looked at what he achieved with England, he could be the man to steady the ship at Old Trafford. 

  "Manchester United are the pinnacle of English football, and I think Southgate will understand the enormity of the task having been the manager of England for eight years. He’d understand the pressure that would come with the task and he’d be in a better place to take on the mantle of getting United back to where they belong. I don’t want to see Ruben Amorim or any other manager lose his job, but you could do a lot worse than getting Gareth in to restructure the whole place."

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  Will Man Utd sack Amorim?

  Amorim's position somewhat improved as United bounced back from their derby humiliation against Manchester City to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Premier League last weekend. As of now, there is no indication from the Red Devils hierarchy that they would consider replacing the Portuguese coach before he completes a full season at Old Trafford. The 40-year-old, however, has been criticised for his rigidity over his playing system. 

Crystal Palace are now targeting a “clinical” Premier League forward as a replacement for Eberechi Eze, amid continued interest from Tottenham.

Eze tells Palace to let him join Tottenham

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has now revealed that Eze has informed Palace of his desire to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, with the move still expected to go through, despite the 27-year-old starting against Chelsea at the weekend.

Consequently, the Eagles will now be tasked with bringing in a replacement for the England international, and Ornstein names Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis as two potential options.

However, a deal for El Khannouss could be difficult to orchestrate, as the Moroccan’s release clause has now expired, and Leicester will be tough negotiators, while journalist Sacha Tavolieri has revealed Brugge are extremely reluctant to sell Tzolis.

As such, Crystal Palace may be forced to move on to alternative targets, and they are now eyeing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan as a direct replacement for Eze, with Tottenham recently submitting a bid for the Englishman.

That is according to Lianos on X, who also states the Eagles are weighing up the possibility of bringing in the Wolves forward on a loan deal.

The interest in Tzolis and El Khannouss remains, but Brugge are playing hardball over the former, having already rejected a £26m offer.

"Elite" player tells his club to accept Crystal Palace bid

Crystal Palace have shopping left to do in the market and find themselves pressing ahead.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Aug 18, 2025

"Clinical" Hwang could reignite career at Selhurst Park

The 2024-25 campaign wasn’t the South Korean’s best by any stretch, chipping in with just two goals in the Premier League, however, the forward has previously proven himself as a reliable goalscorer in the top flight.

Most notably, the 29-year-old chipped in with an impressive 12 goals and three assists for the Old Gold in the 2023-24 campaign, during which time he was lauded as “clinical” by journalist Alex Richards.

As such, if the Wolves ace, who is known to pocket £70k-a-week, were able to get back to those levels, he could be a solid signing for Palace, although there are doubts over whether the South Korea international should be brought in as a direct replacement for Eze.

Hwang has most commonly featured as a centre-forward throughout his career to date, and Palace need to bring in a player who specialises in attacking midfield, so El Khannouss, who has two assists in two Championship games this season, should be their top target.

Pep Guardiola has eased Manchester City fears by confirming Erling Haaland is fit to face Burnley despite a recent back issue. The Norwegian striker, who limped off in the 1-1 draw at Arsenal and missed the midweek Carabao Cup clash, trained with the squad on Thursday, giving a major boost for City’s attack.

'He is ready' – Guardiola gives major update

City boss Guardiola has confirmed that Norwegian international Haaland will be available for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Burnley. Haaland was withdrawn after 76 minutes in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Arsenal with discomfort in his back, sparking fears of a lay-off. The 25-year-old also missed City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup victory against Huddersfield Town in midweek. However, Guardiola gave a concise but decisive update in his pre-match press conference, stating: “He is ready.”

AdvertisementHaaland's form continues

Despite City managing just two wins from their opening five league games, leaving them eight points behind leaders Liverpool, Haaland remains prolific. The Norwegian has scored seven goals in his first six appearances for the club this season, including the opener at the Emirates. Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, he has scored 91 goals in 104 Premier League appearances, including a record-breaking 36-goal haul in his debut campaign that helped City clinch a historic Treble.

Haaland has also continued to shine on the European stage, the City striker recently set a new benchmark in the Champions League, becoming the fastest player in history to hit 50 goals. He reached the milestone in only 49 appearances, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy’s long-standing record of 62 matches, with his latest strike coming in the 2-0 victory over Napoli.

Guardiola provides another injury update

While Haaland’s return, Guardiola also offered a wider squad update, Omar Marmoush remains sidelined with a knee injury, while both Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri are unavailable. Defender Abdukodir Khusanov is also nursing an ankle problem. There was more optimism regarding midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who has not featured since last season following surgery.

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AFPKyle Walker returns to Etihad for City's upcoming challenge

Saturday’s match also carries extra significance with the return of Kyle Walker, who will face City for the first time since his January exit to Burnley. The 35-year-old right-back made 317 appearances for City across eight years, winning 17 trophies including six Premier League titles. Guardiola paid tribute to his former captain, “one of the greatest full-backs ever,” City boss said.

City’s ninth-place start to the Premier League season leaves little margin for error heading into a busy schedule. After Burnley, Guardiola’s side face Monaco in the Champions League before a league meeting with Brentford. With several first-team players still sidelined, Haaland’s availability is a major relief as City look to regain momentum. The striker’s fitness could prove decisive in narrowing the gap to Liverpool at the top of the table.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos deseja o retorno do técnico Fábio Carille, que está no V-Varen Nagasaki, do Japão, e já fez contatos com o estafe do treinador. Roger Machado, sem clube desde setembro de 2022, quando deixou o Grêmio, também é avaliado.

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Decidida em demitir o técnico Odair Hellmann desde a manhã desta quinta-feira (22), a direção santista oficializou a saída no início da tarde, mas já avalia o mercado em busca de um substituto.

Carille é visto como o profissional que mais apresentou respostas positivas no período em que esteve à frente do Santos, em setembro de 2021 até fevereiro de 2022, e sua saída foi um erro de gestão. Na época, a medida foi tomada pelo então executivo de futebol Edu Dracena, que tinha divergências com o treinador.

+ Até 70% OFF em produtos do Peixe para os torcedores fanáticos!

Porém, a própria contratação de Dracena para o cargo diretivo hoje é analisada como um equívoco. O presidente Andres Rueda já deu declarações públicas demonstrando arrependimento da demissão de Carille.

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COMO CONVENCER O SUBSTITUTO

O entendimento da diretoria santista é que a oportunidade de voltar ao Brasil pode convencer Carille a aceitar um possível convite do Santos, que ainda não aconteceu. Por outro lado, seja qual for o profissional contratado, ele só teria contrato até o fim do ano, quando termina o mandato da gestão atual. Isso pode ser um impeditivo para Carille, que está empregado e tem contrato até janeiro de 2024 com o clube japonês.

Enquanto isso, o estafe de Roger Machado entrou em contato com a direção alvinegra de maneira informal. O nome do treinador foi oferecido ao clube alvinegro, que não mostrou resistência à opção. Pessoas próximas ao profissional, inclusive, disseram que não seria problema firmar um contrato até dezembro deste ano.

On three occasions, the third umpire ruled Capitals batters to be not out, seemingly not considering the stumps lighting up as the point at which the wicket should be considered broken

S Sudarshanan15-Feb-2025Three contentious run-out decisions occurred in the closing stages of Delhi Capitals’ (DC) last-ball win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Vadodara. In all three instances, third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled not out, seemingly not considering the LED stumps lighting up as the point at which the wicket should be considered broken.Former India captain Mithali Raj, in her role as commentator, said that two of those decisions – involving Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav – should have gone in favour of MI. “Pandey was given not out while the batter had the bat on the line,” Raj said while speaking on JioHotstar after the match.”When you dive and your bat first hits the ground [inside the crease] and then it [bounces up] because you have to dive full stretch, then it is not out. [But] with Radha Yadav, we can see the blade of the bat up. It is nowhere touching any part of the ground [inside] the crease [when the LED stumps light up]. That means she is out. The bat was never in the crease. That is pretty much out.”Related

Zing-bail glitch prompts WPL rule change: Wicket broken only when bail fully dislodged

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Shafali Verma, Niki Prasad star as DC seal last-ball thriller

Appendix D of the WPL 2025 playing conditions has this to say on what constitutes the wicket being broken when there are LED stumps in play: “Where LED wickets are used, the moment at which the wicket has been put down shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps.”The Pandey incident happened first ball for her, in the 18th over of Capitals’ chase. After stepping across the stumps and missing a heave, she looked to steal a bye but was sent back by Niki Prasad. There was a direct-hit at the striker’s end and, after the batters stole a bye on the deflection, the run-out appeal was referred to the TV umpire. The replays showed that Pandey’s bat was on the line when the LED stumps first lit up. However, the TV umpire rolled forward and based her not-out decision on the next frame, in which the bails visibly came off the groove, by which time Pandey’s bat was inside the crease.

Not sure why the umpire tonight has decided that the zinger bails are not applicable? Once bails lights up connection is lost therefore wicket is broken! That is in the playing conditions! Have seen more confusion in last 10 mins than ever before #WPL2025 #MIvDC #wpl #runout

— Mike Hesson (@CoachHesson) February 15, 2025