Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have been given a bit of encouragement over signing a prolific striker, as his stance on a potential switch to London emerges.

Strikers who Arsenal could sign this summer

It is perhaps football’s worst-kept secret that the Gunners need a new number nine sooner rather than later, with current strike force Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus sidelined after picking up long-term injury problems.

Arsenal ready talks for £313k-per-week striker as they plan 8-figure bid

The Gunners could strike a bargain deal.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Mar 7, 2025

There are even suggestions that Jesus could be out until 2026 after he ruptured his ACL during Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round defeat to Man United, while Havertz won’t begin to return to action until pre-season preparations for next campaign.

Arsenal did attempt to reinforce Arteta’s centre-forward options in January, submitting a low-ball £40 million offer for Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins (The Times), but Unai Emery’s side rejected it out of hand.

Man Utd (away)

March 9th

Chelsea (home)

March 16th

Fulham (home)

April 1st

Everton (away)

April 5th

Brentford (home)

April 12th

Villa were said to be outraged by the timing of Arsenal’s approach for Watkins, which was on the eve of their pivotal Champions League clash with Celtic, but they were prepared to negotiate at a starting fee of around £60 million – a figure which Arteta’s side decided not to reach (The Times).

Arsenal then ended the winter window without obtaining a new goalscorer, with Arteta now forced to wait until the summer for his club to resolve the glaring lack of options up front.

In terms of their rumoured targets for next season, many high-profile names are attracting attention from N5, with Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović high on Arsenal’s transfer shortlist amid Italian reports the club are prepared to open talks.

Arsenal have retained their interest in signing Watkins as an option as well, while Newcastle United star Alexander Isak is believed to be a dream target for Arteta.

RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko also remains a very serious target for the north Londoners. The Slovenia international is dazzling in Germany yet again this season, having scored 17 goals in all competitions already, which is just one shy of his entire tally from last campaign.

Arsenal had a proposal to sign Sesko rejected last summer, with the 21-year-old deciding to remain at Leipzig on the condition of a gentlemen’s agreement they’ll allow him to leave this summer or in 2026 (Fabrizio Romano).

Benjamin Sesko has privately told Arsenal he'd like a move to London

Journalist Graeme Bailey, writing in a piece for The Boot Room, has shared an update on their chances of landing the sensation.

According to his information, Sesko has privately told suitors, including Arsenal, that he’d prefer a move to London. While this hands the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea a slight boost, Bailey also writes that other elite Premier League sides like Liverpool are still firmly in contention for his signature.

What comes as more good news, though, is that Leipzig will help to orchestrate his transfer and won’t stand in Sesko’s way as long as they’re satisfied with the final proposal. The Bundesliga outfit could even let him leave for a fee lower than his £58 million release clause.

Arsenal and Chelsea are also believed to be frontrunners for his signature as things stand, despite enquiries from Liverpool.

The striker, who’s been heralded for his “extremely quick” burst of pace, would suit English football down to the ground as a physically imposing frontman with an impressive scoring record.

Former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke has encouraged the club to sign Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa in the summer.

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• Yorke wants Man Utd to sign Martinez
• Believes he is an upgrade on Onana
• Martinez bid tearful goodbye to Villa fans

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Martinez waved goodbye to the Aston Villa fans with tears in his eyes at the end of the club's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their final home game of the season at Villa Park last weekend. The Argentina star's emotional outburst fuelled widespread speculation over his future at the club.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  reported earlier this week that Barcelona and United are closely linked with a move for the World Cup-winning shot-stopper. Now, United legend Yorke believes that signing Martinez should be a "no-brainer" for manager Ruben Amorim, as he feels the Argentine will be a massive upgrade on current No.1 Andre Onana.

• WHAT DWIGHT YORKE SAID

  Speaking to , Yorke said: "It’s kind of a no-brainer. Emi Martinez has been really exceptional for a number of years and again you could see why huge clubs would want him. I mean Man United, I know they're struggling, but even now you’d have to consider it because they’re such a huge club. He wouldn’t just be bringing experience, but he’s a far better goalkeeper than Andre Onana, just going by the numbers. I think for Onana, it hasn’t quite worked out, and everyone anticipated that he would have done well. But definitely, signing Martinez would be a huge coup for United."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  For now, the Red Devils remain fully focused on ending a nightmare 2024-25 campaign on a high and winning the Europa League title as they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the final at Bilbao on Wednesday.

Arsenal and Barcelona may reportedly be pipped to the signature of Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia by Bournemouth.

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Arsenal targeted Garcia since last yearBarcelona join race for Espanyol starBournemouth may win keeper pursuitFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

AS, via Sport Witness, claims Arsenal are stepping up their interest in the 24-year-old, but Bournemouth are also keeping tabs on him. Moreover, Mundo Deportivo states the Gunners are leading the race for his services and 'has negotiated' with Mikel Arteta's team, but Barcelona are also targeting the 6ft 3in player.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite all that, Sport claim Garcia is unlikely to settle for a backup role and could prioritise a club that will make him first choice. David Raya is Arsenal's number one, and Marc-André ter Stegen is Barcelona's. Therefore, if Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga does not join Bournemouth permanently, that could pave the way for a Garcia switch.

DID YOU KNOW?

Garcia is said to have a €25 million (£21m) release clause, which will rise to €30m (£25.2m) for the last 15 days of the summer transfer window. However, reports suggest he could leave for as little as €15m (£12.6m) in order to balance their books before June 30.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Before transfer bids can take place, Garcia will hope to delay Barcelona's La Liga title party when lowly Espanyol host Hansi Flick's side on Thursday night.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية أن نادي برشلونة كثف تحركاته من أجل التعاقد مع الجناح نيكو ويليامز، لاعب أتلتيك بلباو، خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

ورصدت كاميرات برنامجي “El Chiringuito” و”Jijantes FC” المدير الرياضي لبرشلونة ديكو، في رحلة إلى إيبيزا، يُعتقد أنها مرتبطة بالتفاوض مع نيكو ويليامز.

وكان ديكو قد سافر إلى إيبيزا مباشرة بعد اجتماعه بالمدرب الجديد هانز فليك، ورافقه كل من بويان كركيتش والمستشار أليخاندرو إتشيفاريا، المقرب من الرئيس خوان لابورتا.

اقرأ أيضًا | يراهن على الضغط.. خطة برشلونة وفليك لإجبار تير شتيجن على الرحيل

😯 “La buena imagen que da Laporta para el Barça… y QUÉ MALA DECO”.

😡 “Qué director deportivo…”

¡El @jpedrerol más contundente en #ChiringuitoMadrid! pic.twitter.com/Ksug1F5kw8 — El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) June 18, 2025

ورفض ديكو الرد على أسئلة الصحفيين حول الصفقة، ومنها: “هل تم حسم التعاقد مع نيكو؟” و”هل نيكو هو صفقة برشلونة الكبرى؟”، ما زاد من الغموض والتكهنات.

من جانبه، صرح الرئيس خوان لابورتا: “نحن على وشك إتمام صفقة، وهناك أخرى نعمل عليها ونشعر بالحماس تجاهها”، في إشارة غير مباشرة إلى نيكو ويليامز.

يُذكر أن عقد نيكو ويليامز مع أتلتيك بلباو يمتد حتى 2027، ويتضمن شرطًا جزائيًا بقيمة 60 مليون يورو، وسط اهتمام متزايد من أندية أوروبية كبرى.

ويُعد نيكو ويليامز أحد أبرز المرشحين لتدعيم هجوم برشلونة، إلى جانب أسماء مثل لويس دياز، ماركوس راشفورد، ورافائيل لياو، لكن حسم الصفقة ما زال معلقًا.

إذا حسم برشلونة صفقة نيكو ويليامز ستكون ثاني التدعيمات هذا الصيف بعد ضم حارس إسبانيول، خوان جارسيا، رسميًا يوم أمس، الأربعاء.

Liverpool had to dig deep to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers and restore their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

If you want to be a champion, you have to win in different ways; teams will not get steamrolled each week. Arne Slot’s side showed resilience against a relegation-threatened team that took all ten of the shots in the second half, with Matheus Cunha scoring a brilliant curved shot from outside the area after the hour mark.

Already two goals to the good following Luis Diaz’s strike and Mohamed Salah’s penalty, Anfield turned to some of its fringe players to succeed, with the club’s academy proving its new-found worth once again.

Liverpool's thriving academy

Through Trent Alexander-Arnold, Steven Gerrard before him and Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler too, Liverpool have long enjoyed a strong-bonded connection with their homegrown talent.

But there’s been a shift in recent years, the scale of Kirkby’s talent pool stretching. Last season, ‘Klopp’s Kids’ proved instrumental in winning the Carabao Cup, and are showing plenty of promise under Slot’s wing.

Against Wolves, Jarell Quansah returned to form with a stunning second-half performance, so important in rebuffing the visitors’ threat.

After the game, journalist Bence Bocsak said that “so many people” wrote Quansah off after his slow start to the season, but that he “didn’t put a foot wrong” as Anfield breathed a sigh of relief upon claiming a fourth win in five top-flight fixtures.

With Conor Bradley also impressing, replacing Alexander-Arnold after the hour mark, and Harvey Elliott waiting in the wings, it feels like FSG have got the balance just right, suffusing an ambitious first team with the perfect amount of homegrown potential.

Who will be next? Already, the likes of Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni have earned senior minutes this term and look to be top talents, but Liverpool might find that they have another young forward who could be Slot’s own version of Cunha.

Slot may already have his own Cunha

You may think of Diaz when it comes to Liverpool having their own version of Wolves’ talisman. But in actuality, the Brazilian’s style could be followed by a much younger member of the Reds family.

The man in question is Trent Kone-Doherty. Aged 18, the forward has been a potent threat in Liverpool’s academy over the past several years.

A Republic of Ireland youth international, Liverpool signed him from Derry City back in 2022 and he quickly made his presence known, with skills and speed at the centre of his game plan.

He was handed his senior debut last month too, entering the fray in the second half as Liverpool not so much bowed as tumbled out of the FA Cup, slain by giant killers Plymouth Argyle.

It was a substitution that illustrated the bareness of Liverpool’s bench, but this rising star showed application and got into the thick of the action, taking 11 touches, completing his one attempted dribble and winning his only duel, as per Sofascore. That kind of combativeness speaks toward his future, and it’s a glowing endorsement.

With 30 goals and seven assists across 67 youth fixtures for the Merseysiders, Kone-Doherty has showcased his star quality in goalscoring. More importantly, he’s able to juggle his output across the frontline, something that Cunha has found much success with at Molineux, less of a striker and more of a goalscoring winger or number ten, thrusting forward and into space.

Trent Kone-Doherty: LFC Youth Stats by Position
Position	Apps	Goals	Assists
Left winger	30	21	4
Right winger	14	5	2
Centre-forward	2	1	0
Centre-back	1	0	0
Stats via Transfermarkt

This isn’t to say that Diaz doesn’t mirror some of these interesting attributes, but the Colombian is 28 years old and nearing the penultimate year of his Liverpool contract.

Whether Liverpool retain his services by offering a new bumper package leading into his 30s (which goes against FSG’s typical position) remains to be seen, but Kone-Doherty’s potential to star for many, many years suggests that he is the one who could become Liverpool’s next dynamic and positionally versatile attacking threat.

Kone-Doherty has also described himself as a “fearless” forward, owing to his sharp pace and willingness to engage with opponents. This is something that provides further similarities to Cunha, who has averaged 1.3 tackles and 5.6 successful duels per Premier League match this season, as per Sofascore.

In the past, U18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson has commented on the teenager’s skill set, saying:

Plucking a thread from such comments, it’s curious to note that he has received praise for his ability against bigger players, something that Cunha does so well himself through balance and raw energy and technical quality.

Despite plying his art within a club that teeters on outside of the relegation zone, Cunha has proved that he has enough quality to perform for the best of them, ranking among the top 3% of Premier League forwards this season for non-penalty goals per 90, as per FBref.

That, surely, is the profile that Kone-Doherty should work toward emulating, for he boasts the right physical strengths and natural-born striking instinct to do so.

In The Pipeline

Indeed, Liverpool academy reporter Lewis Bower has hailed Kone-Doherty for his “exceptional” finishing, and with such an exciting and balanced style of play, it may well be that Slot unleashes Liverpool’s own version of Cunha down the line, potentially saving the club millions.

Now worth £15m more: Liverpool have struck gold on their answer to Cunha

Liverpool have struck gold with their own answer to Matheus Cunha.

By
Kelan Sarson

Feb 17, 2025

It took until the final thirty minutes of the final session on the fourth day, and a marathon 142 overs in the field – over 200 if you count the overs in the first innings Sri Lanka followed on from – but New Zealand eventually broke through Sri Lanka’s defiant rearguard to secure an innings-and-58-run victory in the second Test at Wellington, and with it a deserved 2-0 series win.Henry Nicholls was Player of the Match for his unbeaten double-hundred, while Kane Williamson was named the Player of the Series for his match-winning century in the first Test and then his game-defining double-ton in the second. And if you ever needed a marker for New Zealand’s dominance in Wellington, just take in the fact that Sri Lanka’s total of 358 in their second innings was still five runs short of the mammoth 363-run stand between Williamson and Nicholls.But shifting from the exemplary to the inexplicable, the final day of this hard-fought series was marked by batting of a much poorer variety. Indeed, if day three consisted of rookie mistakes, then day four could only be categorised as an extended amateur hour, with it eventually left to Kasun Rajitha and his fellow tailenders to attempt to drag the game to an improbable day five.Rajitha, who was the last man dismissed, eventually lasted 148 minutes out in the middle, during which he faced a 110 deliveries – longer than any of Sri Lanka’s other batters had fared barring Dhananjaya de Silva.Now this is not necessarily to say that Sri Lanka batted poorly, in fact for large segments of the day some of the strokeplay on display was some of the best seen across this Test, however rarely if ever would a string of such similarly soft dismissals have ever been seen across a single innings.Of the nine wickets to fall in the day, five fell to the short ball – that number rises to six if you count Dimuth Karunaratne the previous evening. Of those, only Prabath Jayasuriya, a certified tailender, could probably be excused for this indiscretion, top-edging a long hop from Michael Bracewell.Kusal Mendis, who had started the day unbeaten on 50, and had perhaps been harbouring hopes of another miracle at the Basin Reserve alongside his partner Angelo Mathews, was the first to go falling in the first over of the day. A short ball, sitting up, slapped straight to midwicket.Dhananjaya de Silva fell agonisingly short of a first Test century in New Zealand•Getty Images

Two overs later, Mathews would follow his partner’s cue, this pull shot even more egregiously ill-judged. With New Zealand having lined up three men – at short leg, square leg, and deep square leg – just for the short ball that Blair Tickner would deliver tirelessly over the day, Mathews would conspire to pull it straight to the second of those men.At 116 for 4, and just three recognised batters left, Sri Lanka and those watching on at the stadium and at home were likely fearing the worst. And New Zealand were probably eyeing an early lunch, or at the very least an extended tea break.Unsurprisingly, having succeeded twice with the short ball, New Zealand would continue to pepper the pair of Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya with similar. But if you thought the lack of success in pulling thus far would have put these two off the notion, think again.That said, the most incredible aspect of this period was that this actually worked in Sri Lanka’s favour. With the wicket flattening out, anything fuller in length was driven straight and through the covers with little fuss. And so it was left to Tickner and co. to continuously try Sri Lanka’s patience with the shorter stuff. Over the course of their 126-run stand, the pair would utilise it liberally – sometimes crunching it in front of square, other times getting it away fine, less controlled but safe.Of the two, Dhananjaya had looked the more susceptible to the short ball, which was what made it even more jarring when Chandimal top-edged a short one to fine leg just two minutes before lunch.It was a body blow that Sri Lanka seemed ill-equipped to recover from, however after the break Nishan Madushka and Dhananjaya defied expectations. With the New Zealand bowlers gradually tiring and the wind picking up in force, the pair were able navigate the short stuff, punish anything full and generally turn over the strike with relative ease.Sure, there was the odd ball that beat the edge, but for the most part theirs was an untroubled partnership – right up until it wasn’t that is, as Madushka became the latest to succumb to a short ball, this one dragged from outside off straight to a catching midwicket, a fielder that had been a mainstay for most of the day. And that too, on the stroke of tea.Dhananjaya was then left to bat with the tail, but he wouldn’t manage that for long, toe-ending a premeditated scoop to short leg off Michael Bracewell, to fall an agonising two runs short a first Test century in New Zealand.The writing was on the wall at that point, or so the hosts would have hoped, but alongside Rajitha, Sri Lanka’s tail would hold on for longer than anyone expected. While they would burn through three reviews in the process, such was their desperation, it was always a tall ask for such a long tail to hang about for as long as it did. Though their efforts are certainly something the rest of Sri Lanka’s batters would do well to take note of.

Manchester City’s Champions League campaign is over.

On Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola’s side were hammered by Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, with Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick seeing the holders easily progress; Nico González’s first goal for the club in stoppage time scant consolation.

It’s pretty indisputable that this Champions League campaign was an abject failure for the Citizens, this their earliest elimination since 2013, with their only victories in the competition coming over Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague and Club Brugge.

So, once again, Man City’s transfer strategy is coming under intense scrutiny; did the reigning Premier League champions let their answer to Mbappé go?

Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid career so far

When the world was watching on Wednesday, Mbappé really came to the fore, scoring all three as Real Madrid swatted Man City aside, the 17th Champions League hat-trick by a los Blancos player, which is a new competition record.

The Frenchman now has 27 goals to his name this season, on target every 113 minutes on average, which certainly isn’t bad, but it hasn’t been all plain sailing since he made the move to the Spanish capital.

Earlier in the season, Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian argued Mbappé’s arrival had disrupted the ‘balance of the forward line’, adding that the Frenchman ‘cut a frustrated figure’ during October’s 4-0 Clásico defeat at the hands of Barcelona, in which he was caught offside eight times, a record-breaking amount.

In November, Didier Deschamps decided to leave les Bleus’ captain out of his squad for Nations League fixtures against Israel and Italy, citing ‘non-sporting problems’, which Mbappé later revealing he’d been struggling with a “mentality issue” throughout the season.

Nevertheless, speaking on the La Liga weekly podcast, former Man United and Wimbledon striker Terry Gibson believes the concerns surrounding Mbappé’s early season form were overblown, and that expectations were merely set ridiculously high when he signed.

Now, having scored 18 goals since the start of December, he is being widely praised, with Adwaidh Rajan of BBC Sport noting he’s gone from ‘adapting’ to ‘thriving’, teammate Jude Bellingham, speaking to TNT Sports after Wednesday’s win, described him as “brilliant” and “dangerous”, while Mbappé himself says he wants to “define an era” and “make history at Real Madrid”.

Man City had no answer to Mbappé on the night, but did they recently sell their own version, a decision they’re being made to regret?

Man City sold their answer to Mbappé

Mbappé wasn’t the only big-name striker who arrived in the Spanish capital last summer because, across the city, Atlético Madrid bought Julián Álvarez from Manchester City for a reported fee of £81.8m.

Chalkboard

At the time, this was viewed as an excellent deal for Man City, with Richard Jolly of the Independent noting they got great value for Erling Håland’s ‘second-choice’, while Steve Price of Forbes added that the Argentine became the Sky Blues’ record-sale.

However, this isn’t so much the case anymore, with Dermot Corrigan and Thom Harris of the Athletic documenting that Álvarez has ‘hit the ground running’ at Atleti, adding that nobody is questioning his transfer fee anymore.

His recent Panenka penalty in a Madrid derby, that finished 1-1 at the Bernabéu, takes Álvarez’s tally to 17 goals for the season, leaving los Colchoneros third in La Liga, just a point behind both Barça and Real Madrid, hence why Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show described this as Europe’s best title race.

Interestingly, FBref deem Alvarez to be a similar player to Mbappe among La Liga forwards, so let’s analyse how their first seasons in Madrid compare.

Statistics

Mbappé

Álvarez

Appearances

37

37

Minutes

3,043

2,385

Goals (per 90)

0.77

0.64

Assists (per 90)

0.09

0.15

Goals – xG

0

+3.7

Shots per 90

4.64

2.75

Shots on target %

50.6%

46.6%

Shot-creating actions

111

83

Goal-creating actions

14

12

Touches per 90

37.48

38.15

Take-on success %

44.7%

54.4%

As outlined by the table, Mbappé ranks higher than Álvarez for most metrics, but only just, with the Argentine coming out on top when it comes to assists per 90, take-on success % and touches, admitidly the latter is only marginal.

In this season’s Champions League, only one player, namely Barça’s Raphinha, boasts a higher goals – xG figure than Álvarez’s +3.8, underlining how clinical he has been; for reference, Mbappé’s figure of -1.7 leaves him 862nd, out of 870, in this statistic.

Alex Kirkland of ESPN claims Álvarez could become Atlético’s ‘next great striker’, following in the footsteps of Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao, Diego Forlán​​​​​​​ and current teammate Antoine Griezmann.

Meantime, Charlotte Coates of BBC Sport believes Guardiola made a ‘mistake’ letting Álvarez leave, with the manager himself admitting “it could be a problem”, having previously described the Argentine as “incredible”.

So, would Man City have beaten Real Madrid if they’d had Álvarez in their ranks? Perhaps not, but it is still looking more and more like a mistake to allow him to depart.

Forget Dias: Pep must axe 5/10 Man City star after "hall of shame" display

Manchester City exited the Champions League with a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid last night.

2 ByEthan Lamb Feb 20, 2025

South Africa fall short by seven runs in 221-run chase at the Wanderers

Firdose Moonda28-Mar-2023Romario Shepherd’s unbeaten 44 off 22 balls, and his ninth-wicket partnership of 59 off 26 balls with Alzarri Joseph, who went on to take his first T20I five-for, secured a series win for West Indies to end an entertaining series.Shepherd and Joseph gave West Indies the third-highest score at the Wanderers and the highest total without an individual fifty since Australia’s 221 for 5 against England in 2007. They were able to defend it in challenging conditions, with plenty of dew greasing up the ball, and against a determined South African line-up.Reeza Hendricks notched up a career-best 83 and put on 80 with Rilee Rossouw for the second wicket but the required run-rate ballooned on South Africa and their batting line-up appeared a little light.The result means West Indies have now won a second successive T20I series win in South Africa, eight years after taking the trophy in 2015. Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder are the only members of the current squad who played in that series.Ngidi’s nightmare start After last playing a T20I when South Africa lost to Netherlands at the World Cup in November, Ngidi may have thought things could only get better but they didn’t for him. He bowled a decent delivery first up but then erred down the leg-side to the powerful Brandon King who helped the ball on its way over long leg. Ngidi adjusted to outside off stump with his next ball but King launched it onto the roof over deep mid-wicket and forced Ngidi to think of something else. He tried pace off with this fourth ball but King spotted it and sent it over mid-wicket for four. In frustration, Ngidi overstepped for his next ball and had to bowl it again. His extra delivery was a low full-toss that Kyle Mayers hit over extra cover for four to complete a 22-run over.But the rest of the bowlers do the early work Kagiso Rabada was given the ball immediately after Ngidi and made amends. He bowled Mayers with a full, fast delivery that knocked the West Indian opener off his feet as it found the stumps and then brought the centurion from SuperSport Park, Johnson Charles, down to earth with a first-ball duck. Charles didn’t move his feet to a ball that nipped back into him and inside-edged onto his stumps as South Africa roared back. Anrich Nortje returned in the ninth over and saw Mayers walk across his stumps so pitched it on leg stump and took it out. Aiden Markram joined in the fun when Rovman Powell opened his stance and missed a slog and he became the fourth West Indian to be bowled. West Indies were 108 for 4 at the halfway stage, after which Ngidi redeemed himself when he had Nicholas Pooran caught behind. Shepherding the tailWest Indies needed a strong finish after they lost 3 for 21 between the 13th and 16th over with not much batting to come. Shepherd and Joseph put on the highest ninth-wicket partnership at the Wanderers, and took 52 runs off the last three overs to ensure West Indies topped 200. Shepherd survived two chances in that time – he edged Wayne Parnell but Quinton de Kock could not hold on and then he skied a chance off Rabada but Heinrich Klaasen lost it in the lights at fine leg. Shepherd finished the innings with a massive six over long on, a pull through mid-wicket for four and an aerial drive over Rabada’s head in an over that cost 26 runs. Shepherd finished unbeaten on 44 off 22 balls. All square in the Powerplay South Africa started in fairly circumspect style, with only seven runs off the first two overs of their reply, before Quinton de Kock picked up the pace. He steered Cottrell past third man to open his boundary count and then took three fours off Roston Chase’s second over to signal South Africa’s intent. De Kock was profiting off the slower bowling but misread when Joseph put the brakes on and cut to Chase at third. As he left the field, de Kock told Rossouw the ball was sticking in the pitch a bit but that seemed to mean nothing to the No.3. He hit the first ball he faced over extra cover for four, and then sent Joseph over point for six and through the covers for another four. Rossouw scored 19 runs off the first six balls he faced and South Africa finished the Powerplay on exactly the same score as West Indies: 61, but had lost one fewer wicket.Six of the best Unlike de Kock or Rossouw, Hendricks finds his runs with finesse over fury, and he has found a lot of them that way. He brought up his sixth T20I half century in his last eight innings with a six. Hendricks pulled a Shepherd slower ball over deep mid-wicket, showing off his strong use of the wrists and the power he finds through placement, and then decided it was time to show off his big-hitting. He threw his bat at the next ball and sent it swirling to deep extra cover, where it slipped through Brandon King’s hands. South Africa needed 92 off 46 balls at that stage. Hendricks’ lifeline emboldened him and he went aerial in the next over too, but the ball fell short of mid-wicket and Hendricks survived again. He went on to a career best 83 and was at the crease until the penultimate over. South Africa needed 35 runs off 12 balls and Hendricks tried to muscle them there by going over long-on but hit Joseph to Powell on the fence.Joseph gets another five-forHe removed de Kock in his first over, and Miller in his third but Joseph’s biggest task came in his final six balls, with South Africa’s big-hitters at the ready to get big runs. Hendricks was out off his first ball and then Klaasen walked across his stumps and hit him for six. Joseph could have been overawed but he wasn’t. He pulled back the pace and presented Klaasen with a full slower ball that he sliced skyward. Cottrell took a good running catch to send South Africa’s last recognised batter back. Then Joseph got the gas back and sent a full, fast ball to Wayne Parnell, who swung and missed, to record his first T20I five-for.

Tuesday night came as a complete and utter surprise to the majority of Arsenal fans.

After a couple of rather dower weeks, there was a concern among some that their game against PSV Eindhoven would be just another underwhelming affair.

Instead, Mikel Arteta’s side put seven past the Dutch giants, with Hale End sensation Ethan Nwaneri once again grabbing a European game by the scruff of its neck.

The teenage dynamo has been one of the Gunners’ most exciting players this season and looks set for a massive future, but he’s still being outperformed by a former youth player the club couldn’t keep a hold of.

Nwaneri's remarkable rise at Arsenal

Most Arsenal fans first took notice of Nwaneri when Arteta made him the youngest player in Premier League history in September 2022, bringing him on in the dying embers of a win against Brentford at just 15 years and 181 days old.

He’d make a few more appearances the following season, but this year has been the 17-year-old’s major breakthrough.

Despite still being so young, the often “unplayable” prospect, as dubbed by Jack Wilshere, has already made 27 first-team appearances this term, totalling 1019 minutes, in which he’s scored eight goals and provided one assist.

That means the Enfield-born gem is averaging a goal involvement every three games, or every 113.22 minutes, which is undeniably impressive.

Moreover, he’s not just scoring tap-ins, he’s already amassed quite the catalogue of strikes, from well-worked team moves to curlers from outside the area – the kid can do it all.

He’s showcased since Bukayo Saka’s injury why he’s so special, notably scoring in back-to-back away Champions League games, which included a brilliant goal against PSV this week.

Nwaneri vs PSV

Minutes played

71

Touches

24

Accurate passes

6/9 (67%)

Shots on target

2

Shots off target

1

Successful dribbles

1/1

Accurate crosses

1/3

Duels won

2/4

Possession lost

7x

Stats via Sofascore.

With that said, as brilliant as he’s been, another former academy gem has been even more effective this season.

The European superstar doing better than Nwaneri

Given the size of Arsenal and their academy, it should come as no surprise that they have had many superstars fall through the cracks early on in their careers, with Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze just a couple of examples.

However, some people might not be aware that, before he moved to Chelsea’s academy, Michael Olise was a part of Hale End for a short period.

Unfortunately, the club did not keep a hold of him, and after being released by the Blues in 2016, then spending time with Manchester City’s youth set-up, he secured a move to Reading in 2017, Crystal Palace in 2021 and then finally, a mega £50m move to Bayern Munich in the summer just gone.

Olise vs Nwaneri in 24/25

Player

Olise

Nwaneri

Appearances

36

27

Minutes

2354′

1019′

Goals

13

8

Assists

12

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.69

0.33

Minutes per Goal Involvement

94.16′

113.22′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

While the Frenchman was already tremendously impressive in South London, racking up a tally of 16 goals and 25 assists in 90 appearances, he’s reached another level entirely this season having previously been described as “one of the best talents in the world” by Oliver Glasner.

In just 36 appearances for FC Hollywood, totalling 2354 minutes, the “unstoppable” game-changer, as dubbed by Statman Dave, has scored 13 goals and provided 12 assists and is showing no signs of slowing down.

That means the sensational winger, whom writer Muhammad Butt dubbed a “wizard”, is averaging a goal involvement every 1.44 games, or every 94.16 minutes.

Ultimately, in Nwaneri, Arsenal look to have a genuine world-beater in the making, but with how well Olise has played this season, we imagine the club wishes they could have kept hold of him in the past.

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Instead of bouncing back from their defeat to Manchester City last week, Tottenham Hotspur endeavoured to lose their second game on the bounce last night.

Ange Postecoglou’s men travelled to the Netherlands to take on AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie, but from how they played, you’d have been forgiven for thinking it was a pre-season friendly.

The North Londoners managed to make what was, in all honesty, a kind draw look like an encounter with a top Premier League side and were lucky to come away with just a one-goal deficit.

There were dismal performances across the pitch for the visitors, but two experienced internationals, including Son Heung-min, stood out for the wrong reasons and must be dropped ahead of Sunday’s encounter with Bournemouth.

Son's performance in numbers against Alkmaar

Postecoglou opted to bring Son back into the starting lineup last night and started him off the left of a front three with Mathys Tel to his right and Brennan Johnson on the other flank.

Throughout the first half, the South Korean superstar might as well have been on the bench, as, alongside his fellow attackers, he was completely anonymous.

Worse still, when Tel was hooked at half-time, and the 32-year-old was moved into the middle in an attempt to provide a more cutting threat, he was arguably even more ineffective, with his most notable contributions in the game being his involvement in a ridiculous free-kick routine and a wild effort from outside the box in the second half.

Football.london’s Alasdair Gold was equally unimpressed, awarding the captain a 3/10 match rating at full-time, and when you take a look at his statistics from the game alongside his overall display, it’s not hard to see why.

For example, in 72 minutes of ‘action’, he amassed a combined expected goals and assists figure of 0.33, failed to take a single shot on target, maintained a passing accuracy of just 81%, took 43 touches but played just one key pass, lost 50% of his duels and lost the ball nine times.

Minutes

72′

Expected Goals

0.27

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.05

Assists

0

Shots on Target

0

Dribbles (Successful)

3 (1)

Touches

43

Passing Accuracy

26/32 (81%)

Key Passes

0

Crosses (Accurate)

2 (1)

Long Balls (Accurate)

1 (0)

Duels (Won)

4 (2)

Lost Possession

9

In all, it was the sort of performance that should see Son sit the next game out, which could be said for one of his midfield teammates.

Spurs midfielder who must be dropped after Alkmaar

You really could make an argument for any of Spurs’ starting midfielders to be dropped for the game on Sunday.

Nevertheless, when it comes down to it, Rodrigo Bentancur was the most disappointing, as not only did he offer nothing whatsoever in attack, but he was also pedestrian when it came to the defensive side of things.

It felt as if the Uruguayan international was losing the ball with every other action he took, and his most notable contribution to the game was picking up a yellow card, which means he’ll miss the second leg.

However, Ange should not start him against Bournemouth either, as if he couldn’t cope with AZ last night, then he has no hope against a Cherries side who can give anyone a game.

It might sound overly harsh, but it’s an appraisal that Gold shares, as he awarded the former Juventus star a 4/10 match rating, writing that he ‘didn’t offer too much.’

Minutes

90′

Expected Goals

0.00

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.04

Assists

0

Shots on Target

0

Passing Accuracy

72/84 (86%)

Key Passes

1

Aerial Duels (Won)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

9 (4)

Lost Possession

15

Fouls

1

Dribbled Past

1

Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old’s statistics do not make for pretty reading either, as in his 96 minutes of action he amassed an expected goals and assists figure of just 0.04, maintained a passing accuracy of just 86%, failed to take a shot on target, lost his only aerial duel and five of nine ground duels, lost the ball 15 times, committed one foul and was dribbled past once.

Ultimately, it was a terrible showing from practically the entire team last night, but Son and Bentancur were particularly disappointing and should be dropped for Sunday’s clash.

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