Arsenal are now ready to pay the £51m release clause for a “world-class” player, who is also of interest to Real Madrid, according to a report.
Gunners title hopes bleak despite Fulham victory
Fulham secured a surprise 3-2 victory against Liverpool yesterday afternoon, which means the Gunners remain 11 points behind the Reds in the Premier League table, but with just seven games left to play, their title hopes are looking very bleak.
Mikel Arteta still has an opportunity to make the 2024-25 campaign a memorable one, however, with his side still fighting in the Champions League, although their route to Munich will not be easy, as they are set to take on Real Madrid in the quarter-final.
The north Londoners will have to take on the reigning champions without an out-and-out striker, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus still sidelined, which will make the daunting task even more difficult.
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Squad depth has been an issue for Arteta this season, and the manager is keen to bolster his options in the summer transfer window, with a new central midfielder of interest.
According to a report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are now ready to meet the €60m (£51m) release clause in Martin Zubimendi’s Real Sociedad contract, having wanted to sign the midfielder for quite some time.
Real Sociedad's MartinZubimendiin action with FC Midtjylland's Adam Buksa Henning Bagger
The Gunners are looking to finalise the deal for Zubimendi, who is Arteta’s primary target in central midfield, but Real Madrid also retain an interest, and the Spanish side could provide competition for his signature, alongside Atlético Madrid and Manchester City.
An agreement has already been reached on personal terms, indicating the Spaniard is keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, but his head could still be turned by one of the rival suitors.
Gunners must win race for "world-class" Zubimendi
The 26-year-old has been one of Sociedad’s best performers in La Liga this season, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.89, the second-highest figure in the squad, and he has received high praise from members of the media.
Ben Mattinson lauded the Spain international for a “top performance” against Real Madrid last week, claiming he could relieve the burden of creating chances that is currently on Martin Odegaard, while he has also proven himself to be solid defensively.
Journalist Alexandra Jonson believes there is “no doubt” the Sociedad star is “world-class”, indicating he could take Arsenal’s midfield to the next level, with Arteta in need of at least one new player, given that Jorginho is in talks over a move elsewhere.
As such, it is promising news that Arsenal are now ready to pay the £51m release clause, and they will be hoping his head isn’t turned by the prospect of remaining in Spain with Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid.
The New Zealand captain brings up a century of appearances in each format in Christchurch. Will another pace bowler ever do it?
Alex Malcolm06-Mar-2024There is a tree native to the Northland region in New Zealand called the kauri. It grows fast and naturally, before maturing to become tall, stable and ever-present. They are one of the longest-living tree species in the world and among the largest.If Kane Williamson is New Zealand’s bedrock, Tim Southee, a Northland native, is their kauri.Just three men have played 100 Tests, 100 ODIs, and 100 T20Is for their country: Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli and David Warner. Southee will join them on Friday in Christchurch. But he will stand alone as the first bowler when he leads New Zealand in his 100th Test match.Related
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It is an extraordinary feat. But extraordinary is not a word that you would associate with Southee. Unassuming might be a better description. Unicorn might be even better. He might be the first and last New Zealand seamer to play 100 Tests.Very few players have played in an Under-19 World Cup semi-final and a Test match within a month. But that was Southee’s entrance to Test cricket in 2008. His first wicket was Michael Vaughan. His next two were Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen on the way to a debut five-wicket haul.He played in a Test match alongside Stephen Fleming, who debuted in 1994. He has played in a Test match with Will O’Rourke, who was born in 2002.In that first foray into Tests, his batting was on display too. He smashed 77 not out off 40 balls including nine sixes. Test cricket appeared to come very easily.But there were some harsh lessons in those early days coming straight out of U-19s. His third and fourth Tests were in Australia in 2008. Although he had success in swinging conditions in Brisbane, bagging Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting, he got a heavy dose of reality on a flat track in Adelaide when he bowled 27 wicketless overs, with just one maiden, and gave up 100 runs in an innings for the first time in his fledgling first-class career.What has made Southee so impressive is his ability to adapt and survive. The cheeky kid from a farming family in Whangarei had cruised through under-age cricket thanks to his physical size, self-belief and ability to swing the ball around corners. Kane Williamson joked that he hadn’t seen the inside of a gym before playing Test cricket. But he had to learn to thrive in all conditions. He did so like any son of a farming family would, through hard work and determination.Southee has endured through an era where fast bowlers appear to have gone through some kind of genetic mutation. Dale Steyn was a swing bowler at warp speed. Australia produced three monsters, each with differing skill sets. Kagiso Rabada looks like he was built in a laboratory. Jasprit Bumrah is from another planet.He has been true to himself. Those who have faced him say the swing can be prodigious. He’s always at the batter, asking questions. But no one fears the pace or even the bounce like they do the swing.Those who have kept to him say it is a heavier ball than most would think. They love the carry he gets even though the pace is not at the level of others.Tim Southee burst onto the scene with five wickets and an unbeaten 77 on debut•Getty ImagesBut with skills that seem suitable only in certain conditions, he found a method to be successful for in all conditions. It’s no shock that he has two six-wicket hauls at Lord’s. But he took his best Test figures of 7 for 64 in Bengaluru on a surface where India’s two spinners bagged 13 wickets between them.Later that year, he took eight wickets in a Test win in Colombo. He averages 15.47 in Sri Lanka, 28.70 in India, and 23.71 in the West Indies where his 3 for 28 in the fourth innings in Bridgetown helped New Zealand seal a famous series victory.Part of adapting that method was developing a three-quarter seam ball. It made his stock outswinger more effective, whilst giving him a weapon when the swing wasn’t there.It’s hard not to think of Southee as part of a double act with Trent Boult. The mention of one was ubiquitous with the other. The two of them formed the backbone of the New Zealand attack through a golden era. While Kyle Jamieson took the plaudits in the first innings of the 2021 World Test Championship final, it was Southee and Boult who shared seven wickets in the second to set up the winning chase.But while Boult chased greener pastures, Southee stayed where his roots were and ascended to the Test captaincy. It hasn’t gone entirely smoothly, but Southee endures. No matter the scenario, win, lose or draw, he remains phlegmatic. His temperament is a lauded feature of his leadership internally.Southee’s achievements should not be undersold, particularly the endurance they require, but there are questions being asked as he heads into his landmark game. He’s taken eight Test wickets in his last 10 bowling innings at a cost of 52.75 apiece, while striking at 101.7.Even with his batting, the promise of his first Test has never flowered into something more. His innings against England remains his highest score. His six-hitting prowess has never abated. His name stands out on the list of most sixes hit in Test cricket. He’s struck more than Viv Richards in 22 fewer matches yet averages under 16 overall. While he cheekily niggles Brendon McCullum privately, suggesting his New Zealand record isn’t safe, one wonders whether his talent with the bat hasn’t quite been fulfilled.But his commitment to his main craft remains strong. Two days out from his 100th Test, with 33,178 international deliveries in his legs, he cut a lone figure on the outfield at Hagley Oval doing some old-school shuttle runs. Much younger international cricketers would have needed a strength and conditioning staffer to oversee it. To count every metre and monitor every second.But like the kauri trees in Northland, Southee can adapt and survive on his own. On Friday, he will stand tall as the first New Zealand fast bowler to play 100 Test matches and the first bowler worldwide to play 100 games in each format. It is a mighty achievement.
The kryptonite is still there, but the Australia opener’s contribution in this Test match cannot be ignored
Alex Malcolm27-Dec-2021When Marcus Harris reached his half-century on day two there was a unique roar from the MCG.It wasn’t the familiar parochial chorus for a Victorian on home soil, nor was it the trusting cheer for an Australian on the march to an inevitable century.It was empathy for a man who has done it tough in Test cricket so far.Related
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It was a day of firsts for Harris. It was his first Test half-century in 17 innings across nearly three years. It was the most number of balls he had faced in Test cricket, and the first time he had batted with either Steven Smith or Travis Head, despite appearing in multiple series with the pair of them.His 76 was invaluable in the context of the match. The highest score by any batter on either side so far on a sporting pitch where only four players have reached 30 and the seamers have dominated. The combined first-innings total of 452 was the lowest at the MCG since 1990.Yet it will not appease his critics, of which there are many. As one of the innumerable ex-Australia Test batters wandering the halls of the MCG media centre said yesterday, “I wish I’d been given this many chances.”The selectors have shown an incredible amount of faith in Harris given he averages just 24.63 from 24 Test innings, and while his 76 wasn’t quite the statement repayment that might be expected, it was a clear sign of why they had given him an extended run.
No other player in the game has come close to his performance with the bat after one innings each. As fluent as Root’s 50 was on day one, it came in less than half the time and deliveries Harris survived on a tricky track
Harris has proven himself, unequivocally by data at least, to be Australia’s best opener in first-class cricket not named David Warner. He has made more runs and more centuries at a better average than any of his contemporaries in the last five years. The selectors have told him privately, and have uttered publicly, that his wider body of work in first-class cricket is what they mark him on, after shunting him out of the side twice since his debut in 2018. Since his initial run of six straight Tests from debut, this current run of four is his longest stretch, but even then, there was 11 months between his return Test against India and the first Test of this Ashes series.In a comfortable setting, his home ground, he showed what the selectors have seen in him and what has made him so prolific at domestic level.His intent was a feature on the first night. He started brightly with a classy clip off his toes in the first over, and there was a trademark cut shot backward of point later in the evening. He showed toughness in the shadows, pinned on the hand by Ben Stokes that split his finger open, but he calmly got through to stumps unperturbed.On the second morning, when Marnus Labuschagne and Smith were turned inside out by the class of James Anderson and the velocity of Mark Wood, Harris applied himself better than he has at any stage of his Test career. He defended well, playing inside and under his eye-line far better than he has done previously. He picked off the limited scoring balls that came patiently. There were three driven threes to show off his control and prove he could rein in his penchant for trying to over-hit the ball.Marcus Harris rode his luck but was eventually done in by James Anderson•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesHe did have some luck. He survived two stupendous overs from Anderson amid a vintage six-over spell prior to lunch that yielded figures of 1 for 1. He was given out lbw to Stokes only to overturn it on review thanks to an inside edge, and even took the opportunity to sledge Hot Spot in the process on the stump mic. Harris jumped down the track wildly and needlessly to a ball from Jack Leach that spun down the leg side but Jos Buttler missed the difficult chance. It was the luck he needed having fallen to two spectacular catches from Buttler in Adelaide while the gloveman gave Labuschagne two lives and Smith one in the same game.He was also beaten countless times and played 20 shots that were not in control. But, eventually, his luck ran out as Anderson returned to deliver another world-class spell. Harris was forced to play at a ball angled into off stump from around the wicket only for it to nip away late, catch the edge and find the safe hands of Joe Root at first slip.For all the selectors’ faith, all the promise he showed, and all the belief he may glean from this innings, the kryptonite is still there and readily accessible for any good bowling attack to expose. He’s been out 11 times in Test cricket to right-arm seamers coming around the wicket, averaging 20.81, while he averages 38.40 to right-arm seamers from over the wicket.But his contribution in this Test match cannot be overstated. No other player in the game has come close to his performance with the bat after one innings each. As fluent as Root’s 50 was on day one, it came in less than half the time and deliveries Harris survived on a tricky track.Australia needed it badly. They still haven’t made a total of 300 or more without a 50-plus contribution from one of Warner, Smith or Labuschagne since February 2019, 18 Tests ago. Head, Cameron Green and Alex Carey all failed when they were needed most in the absence of significant scores from the senior trio. Harris’ half-century won’t buy him another 17 Test innings from the selectors on its own. But it is something to build on.
Manchester United managed to return to winning ways in the Premier League last night, after a dominant 4-1 thrashing of bottom-placed side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ruben Amorim’s men produced one of their best performances of the campaign to date, to put themselves into sixth place and just a point off the top four.
Hearts will no doubt have been in the mouths of all supporters at the break, after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ensured the game was level going into the break.
However, three goals in the second half secured a seventh league victory of the 2025/26 campaign for the Red Devils – now extending their run to just one loss in the last nine outings.
One player deserves massive credit for his showing at Molineux on Monday night, with the first-team member massively excelling during the well-deserved triumph.
Bruno Fernandes’ stats against Wolves
Bruno Fernandes has often struggled throughout the ongoing campaign, as Amorim has decided to utilise him in a deeper-lying midfield role rather than the number ten position.
It’s required the Portuguese international to think more defensively, which has no doubt had an effect on his output within the final third in the Premier League.
However, his showing against Rob Edwards’ men was arguably his best of the season to date, with the 31-year-old notching two goals and an assist in the triumph.
Such a tally takes him to 10 combined goals and assists in his first 15 appearances of the season, but it was his underlying figures that highlighted his impressive display.
He featured for the entirety of the contest and registered 55 completed passes, whilst creating five chances for his teammates – with both the highest of any player in the meeting.
Bruno also completed 12 passes into the final third, and only misplaced eight passes in total, further highlighting his incredible performance with the ball at his feet.
However, without the ball, the midfielder was just as impressive, as seen by his tally of 100% tackles won, seven recoveries made and a total of five combined aerials and ground duels won.
The United player who is as undroppable as Bruno
As seen by his tally of 15 starts out of a possible 15 in 2025/26, there’s little denying that Bruno is undroppable and certainly one of Amorim’s most important players.
Numerous other players are starting to force themselves into such a bracket, with Bryan Mbeumo just one player who should be a starter week in and week out.
The Cameroonian international netted once again in the clash in the West Midlands, subsequently taking his league tally to six this campaign – the most of any player in the squad.
He registered four shots on target against the hosts, whilst also completing two dribbles – largely being a menace to the Wolves backline during the victory last night.
However, the backline has been a cause for concern over the last couple of weeks, especially with the absence of centre-back Matthijs de Ligt in the last two matches.
As a result, youngster Ayden Heaven has been thrown in at the deep end, but he’s managed to impress – with his showing at Molineux certainly one to remember.
It was just his second start of the season, but the 19-year-old appeared unfazed and produced numerous impressive figures that could make him undroppable within the manager’s current side.
The teenager registered 36 passes during his minutes on the pitch, subsequently achieving a completion rate of 100% – the highest of any player who started the match.
Minutes played
69
Touches
49
Passes completed
36
Pass accuracy
100%
Blocks made
1
Clearances made
7
Duels won
100%
Fouls won
2
He also made seven clearances, three of which were with his head, whilst making three recoveries, which enabled him to be in the right place at the right time when called upon.
Heaven’s dominance at the heart of the three-man defence was further highlighted by his impressive tally of six combined duels won – also at a success rate of 100%.
It’s no mean feat for such a young defender to start in the middle of a Premier League defence, but Heaven has made it look routine over the last couple of weeks.
Given his tender age, expectations will no doubt need to be managed by Amorim, but it is certainly hard not to get excited by the youngster after his showing at Molineux.
He’s certainly done enough to cement his place in the starting eleven for the run-up to Christmas, potentially being a huge asset for the club in their hunt for Premier League glory in the years ahead.
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Man United’s need for a new centre-midfielder is as pressing as ever.
While many would blame Russell Martin, the primary reason behind Rangers’ catastrophic start to this season is poor recruitment.
In attacking areas, Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane and Václav Černý, who scored 63 goals between them last season, have all departed, replaced by Djeidi Gassama, Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti, who are simply not of the same quality.
Elsewhere, Joe Rothwell has been cast aside since the appointment of Danny Röhl, while defence remains a major issue too, with Max Aarons and Jayden Meghoma appearing out of their depth, while a solid and reliable central partnership is yet to be unearthed.
So, when the Gers return to action against Livingston after the international break, should Röhl ditch an error-prone defender and begin to entrust his “colossus”?
Nasser Djiga's Rangers career so far
Nasser Djiga arrived at Rangers with a pretty decent reputation; a Burkina Faso international joined on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had signed him for around £10m from Crvena zvezda as recently as January.
Well, he certainly did not make the ideal start to life in Glasgow, sent off on his home Premiership debut during a dismal 1-1 draw with Dundee at Ibrox.
Just ten days later, Djiga was then at the scene of a catastrophic error.
The centre-back seemingly denounced any responsibility as the ball bobbled through the heart of the Rangers defence, allowing Romeo Vermant to open the scoring, the first of nine goals Club Brugge would bag across the two legs of the harrowing and ignominious Champions League play-off tie.
Djiga thereby found himself out of the team for a few weeks thereafter, albeit he has been reintegrated for recent matches by Röhl, after he switched to a back three, requiring a third member of this back-line alongside Derek Cornelius and John Souttar.
Nevertheless, he has not impressed, with the Scotsman labelling him ‘unconvincing’ following Rangers’ recent Europa League defeat to Roma, having previously outlined that the defender endured a ‘really difficult’ afternoon against Celtic at Hampden in the League Cup semi-finals a few days earlier.
That has sparked suggestions that his season-long loan could be terminated as early as January, a scenario that could well be sped up if Röhl gives one of Rangers’ forgotten summer signings an opportunity to stake a claim.
Rangers' forgotten colossus deserves a chance
Considering Rangers signed 12 players in the summer, a few of these new recruits have been overlooked and forgotten about.
Well, this is certainly the case when it comes to centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez.
The 24-year-old had already bounced around numerous lower league English clubs, Sheppey United and Spalding United to name just two, before making the move north of the border from Peterborough United, following an outstanding campaign in EFL League One.
He cost a reported £3.5m, a not insignificant fee for Rangers, but has barely featured for the Glasgow giants.
Fernandez made his debut against Alloa Athletic in the League Cup, marking the occasion with this towering header in front of the Broomloan Road Stand, starting at St Mirren the following weekend, but seeing a mere one-minute cameo at Easter Road since 24 August, an unused substitute on 12 occasions in total.
Upon his arrival, then-manager Martin labelled Fernandez a “commanding defender” who boasts a “strong physical presence”, while Darragh MacAnthony, Chairman of his former club Peterborough, described him as a “colossus”, adding that the “gentle giant” is a “great organiser and talker”.
So, let’s assess his statistics from EFL League One last season.
Fernandez 2024/25 stats
Stats
Fernandez
League 1 rank
Goals
5
2nd
Tackles (per 90)
1.24
63rd
Interceptions (per 90)
0.91
46th
Clearances (per 90)
6.83
19th
Passing accuracy %
85.35%
20th
Passes (per 90)
65.93
5th
Aerial duels won (per 90)
4
27th
Aerial duels won %
62.24%
25th
Ground duels won (per 90)
2.87
35th
Note: rankings are defenders only.
Stats via SofaScore
As the table documents, despite only seeing 2,380 minutes of action out of a possible 4,140, Fernandez boasted pretty impressive statistics at Posh last season.
He scored five goals, including this rocket at Exeter City, while also ranking highly when it came to clearances, passing and aerial duels, helped by the fact that he is 194 cms (6 ft 4 in) tall when it comes to the latter.
So, given a chance, Fernandez could really flourish at Ibrox, hoping to replicate the career Calvin Bassey enjoyed in Glasgow.
When Bassey arrived at Rangers from English football in 2020, costing a mere £230k in compensation, he had never previously played senior first-team football, having merely plied his trade in Leicester City’s youth teams.
Initially signed as Borna Barišić’s left-back deputy, Bassey would ultimately become the club’s best central defender, a key figure in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team that won the Scottish Cup and reached the Europa League Final in 2021/22.
That summer, the Nigerian international was sold to Ajax for around £20m, which remains the club’s biggest sale of all-time.
Fernandez is certainly more experienced now than Bassey was when his Rangers career began five years ago, given that he has a full season in EFL League One under his belt, a division that Global Football Rankings believes is comparable in level to the Scottish Premiership, just eight spots below.
Thus, considering the scarcity of other options, especially with Röhl electing to deploy a back three, Fernandez certainly deserves an opportunity to stake a claim, likely to prove more reliable than Djiga in the long run.
Bassey emerged from obscurity and the periphery to flourish at Ibrox – why can’t Fernandez now do the same?
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ECB Media10-Aug-2025Southern Brave made it two from two in this year’s competition, as Sophie Devine starred in a 15-run victory over Birmingham Phoenix in front of a record crowd at Utilita Bowl.A crowd of 11,167 turned out in the Hampshire sunshine to see the home side prevail in a game which see-sawed throughout but was ultimately decided by the regular wickets Brave took throughout the Phoenix run chase.Both teams came into today’s game off the back of strong opening wins, with Phoenix winning the toss and opting to field. Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 59 from 39 balls was the foundation for the Brave’s total of 139, ably supported by Laura Wolvaardt (28) and Devine (27).After a good start from Brave, Phoenix came back into the first innings, restraining the home side in the last 25 balls. At one stage, a big score was on the cards but, led by Megan Schutt (2 for 23 from 20 balls) and then Em Arlott (2 for 19 from 20 balls) at the death, Brave faltered to 139 with only 19 coming from the last 15 balls.Southern Brave took the early wickers of Emma Lamb and Georgia Voll, both of whom had done well in the Phoenix’s first game. Ellyse Perry and Amy Jones then steadied the ship and looked comfortable in their efforts to knock off the total.When Jones was out for 20, Sterre Kalis took over the charge to the finish, with Phoenix needing 45 from the final 30 balls. However, when Perry was caught well in the deep by Mady Villiers for 26 from 21 balls, Kalis accelerated but ultimately ran out of support, and Phoenix were bowled out with two balls to spare, 15 short.The Brave bowling performance was headlined by Lauren Bell taking 3 for 17 from 19 balls, with Devine’s 2 for 28 and Tilly Corteen-Coleman’s 2 for 16 also doing damage.With her 27 runs, two wickets and a run out, Devine, the Meerkat Match Hero said: “I’m really pleased about the result. Danni (Wyatt-Hodge) was outstanding. The way she set up the game, it was trickier than she made it look. It was a great game for us and nice to do it in front of the home crowd.”It is always nice to perform against teams you have previously played for. Every game is on the line and you have to be good. We have to keep sharp and keep learning. I have not played a lot of cricket over the last few months and was probably swinging like a rusty gate. I’ve played enough cricket to know that it will come. When you have someone like her (Wyatt-Hodge), it makes easier. If I can contribute in any way, that is what I am here for.”
“He may be cast in bronze, but he’s still capable of producing truly golden moments”, were the words Jon Champion cried when Thierry Henry scored that goal for Arsenal.
Titi, as he became known, had been there and done it all with the Gunners.
A Highbury legend, the great Frenchman is the club’s all-time record goalscorer, he holds the record for the most assists (20) in a single Premier League season and has countless honours to show for his efforts.
He is a multiple Golden Boot winner, a league winner, an FA Cup winner and he even has a World Cup winner’s medal. He is, arguably, the greatest player never to have won a Ballon d’Or.
So, when he returned on loan from New York Red Bulls during Arsene Wenger’s final years in north London, he was only going to deal in one currency: goals.
While he may have been reduced to a bit-part player, the magic was still there, netting that vintage goal against Leeds in the FA Cup to which we’ve already referred, before scoring a winner against Sunderland.
Henry joins fellow club legends Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams in having been cast as a statue outside the Emirates Stadium.
Since those memories were erected, supporters have longed for similar times. They have not won the league since the Invincibles side of 2003/04. How they would love for that to change.
21 years on and there is a sense this is their greatest chance of winning it since. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Co may well find themselves cast in bronze outside the stadium before too long.
Why a statue awaits Bukayo Saka
Has the Emirates era ever seen a more dazzling player than Saka?
The likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez would all have something to say about that but none of them were loved quite as much as Saka.
He is Arsenal through and through. Born in London, raised in Hale End. The winger has been with the Gunners since he was a wee lad and has been the poster boy for Mikel Arteta’s project.
Saka’s emergence came under Unai Emery but it’s Arteta who has helped him become a household name, Arsenal’s talisman and one of the first names on the team sheet for England.
The 24-year-old’s rise to stardom has been quite something. Starting out in the senior ranks as a makeshift left-back, he is now ranked among the best wingers in the world. He’s done it Gareth Bale style and he’s now got the numbers to showcase why he’s quickly becoming an Arsenal legend.
No player has appeared more under Arteta than Saka and overall, he has now been seen decked in Arsenal colours on 272 occasions, scoring 73 and assisting 71 goals.
Arteta’s most used players
Player
Games
1. Bukayo Saka
252
2. Gabriel
221
3. Gabriel Martinelli
218
4. Martin Odegaard
204
5. Thomas Partey
166
6. Ben White
163
7. Eddie Nketiah
149
8. Granit Xhaka
147
9. William Saliba
144
10. Leandro Trossard
133
Saka only has one trophy to his name, an FA Cup, but if Arsenal’s vice-captain can help lead them to Premier League or Champions League glory, then he will surely be immortalised alongside Henry and Co outside the stadium.
Alongside him could well be the club’s new Adams.
Arsenal’s new Tony Adams is heading towards statue territory
Without Saka in recent years, Arteta’s attack would have lacked sparkle. After all, it is in the final third where their biggest problems have been found.
Largely due to Saka and Kai Havertz’s long-term hamstring injuries, the 2024/25 campaign was the first since 1923/24 that an Arsenal player failed to score double figures in the league.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
So what has the bedrock of Arteta’s success been built on? The defence.
When the Spaniard first took charge of Arsenal, the backline was a mess. His opening match in charge against Bournemouth saw Saka fielded alongside a pairing of Sokratis and David Luiz, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles featured at right back.
Sokratis and Luiz are far from the worst defenders Arsenal have had; think the likes of Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi in that regard.
That’s a sign of just how far the Gunners have come under Arteta’s stewardship. For those who criticise them for being boring, just think of what it used to be like.
Mikel Arteta’s first Arsenal XI
GK – Bernd Leno
RB – Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CB – Sokratis
CB – David Luiz
LB – Bukayo Saka
CM – Lucas Torreira
CM – Granit Xhaka
CAM – Mesut Ozil
RW – Reiss Nelson
LW – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
CF – Alexandre Lacazette
The year before Arsenal’s former skipper returned to manage the club, 2018/19, the Gunners shipped 51 goals, the most they have ever conceded across a single Premier League campaign.
Fast forward to the present day and there is arguably no better defensive side in Europe. They are yet to concede across their three Champions League ties and have conceded just three goals in the Premier League, only one of which has been scored from open play. That came courtesy of Erling Haaland and we can excuse that. The man is a machine.
As a result, they are on course to concede just 14 league goals, thus bettering that remarkable campaign by Chelsea in 2004/05 when they let in only 15. That statistic still defies belief.
Arteta has strengthened his backline enormously and in Gabriel Magalhaes, he has found a player who may well be worthy of a statue once all is said and done. Indeed, he is the Tony Adams of the present day.
A ferocious leader, a damn good defender, and a scorer of goals, there isn’t a lot the Brazilian can’t do.
To think he once cost only £27m is incredible. He now looks every bit a £100m centre-back.
Over the last few years, it’s William Saliba who’s gained the most vocal praise from pundits. The French superstar is a Rolls-Royce defender but onlookers are quickly realising that it is indeed Gabriel who is the glue of this team.
Saliba oozes class and composure but Gabriel is certainly more of a leader of men. He not only does that with his talking but his actions speak a thousand words.
It was Jamie Carragher who admitted last season that the French defender looks a little lost when his partner in crime isn’t playing but the same cannot be said for Gabriel who is becoming Mr Reliable.
To rubber-stamp just how good the former Lille star is, he has won 77% of his ground duels in the league this season. For context, of English top-flight defenders to win more than ten ground duels, he ranks joint-fifth for percentage of ground duels won, sitting level with the great Virgil van Dijk.
But, it’s Gabriel’s offensive record that is the most striking. If a corner or free-kick gets swung, you can bet your house on the fact that the big Brazilian is likely to score a header from it. As Arsenal writer Adam Keys put it, he is a “colossus”.
He was involved in two of the goals against Atletico Madrid during the 4-0 win earlier in the week. Declan Rice’s swinging free-kick was nodded home to open the scoring and Gabriel then provided the assist from Rice’s corner for Viktor Gyokeres to bag his second of the evening.
The simple fact of the matter is that Gabriel is a clutch player. No centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than his tally of 22 since 2020/21.
In league football alone, he has scored 18, a tally that places him second behind Laurent Koscielny (22) for goals scored by an Arsenal defender in the Premier League.
He is a modern-day great, a pillar of solidity, a warrior, a leader, a titan. Should Arsenal go on to create a title-winning dynasty, then Gabriel will surely be in with a shout of being cast in bronze. He is that good.
Former midfielder Jamie O’Hara has slammed two Tottenham Hotspur stars in the wake of the 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday, branding their performances “painful”.
Spurs fall to sixth after Aston Villa defeat
Tottenham suffered their second Premier League defeat of the season at the weekend, suffering a 2-1 loss at home against Villa, which means they have now fallen to sixth in the table.
On the balance of play, it was a relatively even game, with very few big chances being created by either side, but the visitors were ultimately more clinical, and Morgan Rogers’ first-half goal was particularly eye-catching.
Thomas Frank admitted the loss was a fair result in his post-match interview, saying: “I don’t think we did enough. If we’d done enough we wouldn’t have lost this game. I don’t think we gave too much away, they scored two goals from outside the box. But I think we can also create more for ourselves.”
As you’d probably expect, O’Hara was a little more scathing in his assessment of Spurs’ performance, taking to X to single out two players in particular for heavy criticism.
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The former midfielder said: “We’re so frustrating to watch it’s painful, why is Tel playing? Why is Odebert starting? They are not good enough, we need more than just long throws, our home form needs to be million times better.”
Tottenham must improve ahead of tricky run of fixtures
Frank’s side’s fixtures have been relatively kind on paper so far this season, but things are about to get more difficult, with upcoming Premier League opponents Everton still undefeated at home since their move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures
Date
Everton (a)
October 26th
Chelsea (h)
November 1st
Manchester United (h)
November 8th
Arsenal (a)
November 23rd
Fulham (h)
November 29th
As such, Spurs must start showing signs of improvement soon, and O’Hara is right to be concerned about Odobert’s performances, with the winger still yet to register a single goal or assist in eight Premier League games this season.
Tel has also disappointed since his arrival, scoring just four goals in 28 outings, and the 20-year-old struggled once again on Sunday afternoon, receiving a 6.1 SofaScore match rating before being withdrawn on the hour mark.
Consequently, Frank could do with Dominic Solanke returning sooner rather than later, and the Tottenham boss recently provided a promising update on the centre-forward’s return from injury, saying: “The good thing is it’s positive, he’s progressing now. But he’s still training on his own. I don’t want to be too excited or too negative either way, so I’m actually taking it a little bit day-by-day and week-by-week to see how quick he progresses.”
تعرض منتخب الإمارات تحت 17 عامًا، للخسارة أمام كرواتيا، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما في دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا.
وواجه منتخب الإمارات نظيره كرواتيا، في الساعة الخامسة وربع مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، التي تقام في الدوحة.
طالع.. ترتيب مجموعة تونس في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا بعد الخسارة أمام الأرجنتين
وتلقى منتخب الإمارات الخسارة بثلاثية نظيفة، وأحرز أهداف المنتخب الكرواتي كل من تينز كوزانوفيتش في الدقيقة 30 من الشوط الأول، وجابريال سافيتش في الدقيقة 36، ورادوس في الدقيقة 89.
وبهذه النتيجة رفع منتخب كرواتيا رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في صدارة ترتيب المجموعة، بينما توقف رصيد منتخب الإمارات عند نقطة وحيدة في المركز الأخير.
يذكر ان منتخب الإمارات يقع في المجموعة الثالثة في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، مع منتخبات كرواتيا والسنغال وكوستاريكا.
وتقام بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا في قطر خلال الفترة من 3 إلى 28 من شهر نوفمبر الجاري. أهداف مباراة الإمارات وكرواتيا اليوم في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا
“It was a big moment,” as Stephen Fleming put it, and CSK lost it because of their batters – Dewald Brevis and Ravindra Jadeja – not being alert enough
Ashish Pant04-May-20253:10
Brevis’ late review down to lack of game awareness?
On an evening where the contest ebbed and flowed all the way through, there was also a contentious decision, which led to a long argument in the middle at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.The incident took place on the third ball of the 17th over of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) chase of 214 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Lungi Ngidi bowled a knee-high full toss on middle and leg stump. Dewald Brevis missed, and was hit on the pad. The umpire’s finger went up in a jiffy. As per the rules, the ball became dead at that point, and the 15-second timer kicked off.However, Brevis and his partner Ravindra Jadeja, seemingly unsure of what was happening, continued running the single, and the fielder fired in a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from the point region. After a bit, Brevis chatted with Jadeja and asked for a review only to be told that the 15-second time limit had elapsed.Related
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It led to an argument with Jadeja and Brevis on one side and the on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Mohit Krishnadas on the other. Eventually, a disgruntled Brevis had to walk back for a first-ball duck. To add to CSK’s misery, replays confirmed that Ngidi’s delivery was comfortably sliding down leg and Brevis would have been saved had he taken the review on time.”Yeah, it was a big moment,” Stephen Fleming, the CSK coach said after the game. “In talking to Jaddu [Jadeja] and Brevis, there was a lot going on with running straight away. I think they saw the ball ricochet and actually went to the boundary for four. And lost in that was whether Brevis took the review in time. I don’t know the answer to that. He wasn’t sure, given that they were running at the time.”As soon as you’re given out, I understand the timer starts. There was a fair bit eaten up with the play still being completed, and whether they just ran out of time… in the umpire’s view, it did. The other part about it, because he was given out, we wouldn’t have got the runs. While we would have maintained the wicket, it certainly wouldn’t have given us the five runs, which would have been nice.”But it’s a big moment in a big game. There was twists and turns all the way through.”According to the IPL 2025 playing conditions, “The total time elapsed between the ball becoming dead and the review request being made shall be no more than 15 seconds. If the on-field umpires believe that a request has not been made within the 15-second time limit, they shall decline the request for a player review.”Dewald Brevis is struck high on the pads off a Lungi Ngidi full toss•BCCI
ESPNcricinfo’s match experts felt that it was a case of “lack of awareness” on Brevis and Jadeja’s part.”Why are you saving your reviews? Do you cash those in? Do you get some money at the end of the game?” Danny Morrison said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, while suggesting that it was a “mistake” from Brevis and Jadeja to not go for the review right away.Piyush Chawla had a similar view, especially with Brevis being an in-form batter.”You don’t need to discuss. Three-and-a-half overs left, two reviews remaining, you could have gone for the review straightaway,” he said. “When you are batting, with the angles, as a batter you also know it might slide [down the leg side] because of the rule sometimes when it hits directly onto your pads, from there they take it straight with the tracker.”Brevis had scores of 42 and 32 in two innings coming into the game. When he fell, CSK required 42 off 21 balls, but they fell short by two runs in a tense finish.