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Liverpool may have made contact with a European club over the signing of their “monster in the making” in the January transfer window, with a summer move to Anfield still possible.

Latest Liverpool news

The Reds suffered a rare off day on Sunday afternoon, crashing out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage, following a 1-0 defeat away to Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle.

In the grand scheme of things, the result was no disaster for Liverpool, with Arne Slot ringing the changes at Home Park, ahead of a vital Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening. Still, being eliminated from any competition is never ideal for momentum and confidence.

In terms of Red-related transfer news, the Merseysiders are believed to be pushing to complete the signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer. The 27-year-old could be made surplus to requirements at the end of the season, so Slot may look to pounce.

Feyenoord centre-back David Hancko, who Slot knows well from their time working together, has also been linked with a move to Liverpool, being seen as a possible long-term heir to Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence. He has started 20 league games his season, averaging 2.8 clearances and 1.6 aerial duel wins per match.

Liverpool contacted club over defensive signings

According to a new update from Jornal de Noticias [via Sport Witness], Liverpool contacted Benfica over the potential signing of defenders Alvaro Carreras and Tomas Araujo in the January window, although it isn’t specified who the Reds wanted out of the two.

While the Reds were unable to sign the left-back and centre-back, respectively, a summer deal still looks possible for one or the other. Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are also mentioned in the report with an interest in either defender.

A new left-back is essential for Liverpool in the summer, considering Andy Robertson turns 31 soon and Kostas Tsimikas arguably isn’t the long-term answer in that position. In Carreras, the Reds could have an ideal option to bring in, having already become such a key player for Benfica, making 49 appearances to date.

The 21-year-old has a £41.5m release clause in his contract, which seems relatively cheap in the modern game, and football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as a “monster in the making” recently, further highlighting his talent.

Bournemouth ace Milos Kerkez is the same age and arguably looks like the strongest target, mainly because he already has Premier League experience, but the Benfica man could be right near the top of the list, too.

Meanwhile, centre-back also has to be an area of focus for Liverpool, considering Virgil van Dijk isn’t getting any younger and Ibrahima Konate is injury-prone, and Araujo stands out as an exciting signing.

Time to upgrade: Slot must sell 4/10 Liverpool dud who won just 44% duels

Liverpool were dumped out the FA Cup by giant-killing Plymouth.

By
Angus Sinclair

Feb 10, 2025

The 22-year-old is already an influential figure for Benfica, averaging 2.2 aerial wins per game in the Primeira Liga this season, and completing 86.% of his passes in the Champions League. He would be a long-term acquisition who could also battle to be a starter from the off.

Aston Villa snuck through to the next round of the FA Cup last night after getting the better of Ange Postecoglou’s out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur side 2-1.

On another occasion, Unai Emery’s Villans might well have cruised to victory instead of being made to hang on at the end courtesy of a goal from Spurs debutant Mathys Tel, with the hosts registering a bumper seven shots on target across the duration of the entertaining clash.

Thankfully, Villa got the ball rolling early on when homegrown product Jacob Ramsey caught Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky cold, with Ramsey one of many faces for the hosts that can walk away from the Cup win with their heads held high.

Standout Aston Villa performers vs Spurs

The natural place to start here is with Ramsey’s fortuitous goal within the first minute of the match, with the Villa starlet lashing an effort towards the Czech ‘keeper’s net that somehow trickled in.

Away from this perfectly timed opener, there were also the likes of Donyell Malen and Leon Bailey who looked equally as lively in attack with a combined five shots amassed between them, on top of Morgan Rogers stylishly stealing the show from the number ten spot once more.

Rogers would ultimately seal the win with a tap-in deep into the second 45 minutes, with his performance on the night more than deserving of another standout moment in the Villa Park spotlight, considering the on-fire 22-year-old accumulated four key passes, two successful dribbles and won six duels away from this simple finish finding the back of the net.

Whilst there would have been frustrations that Villa leaked a late goal, the main mood around the stadium at full-time would have been one of joy and optimism, especially with the star-studded substitutes bench Emery can now call upon after a busy transfer deadline day.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Aston Villa star has already shown glimpses of Grealish

Obviously, there was a lot of fanfare surrounding Marcus Rashford’s late introduction into the contest, but Marco Asensio would end up leaving more of a lasting mark on Villa supporters than the Manchester United loanee.

Indeed, Asensio very much showed off his ex-Real Madrid pedigree with a cool and assured 24-minute cameo, amazingly not misplacing any of his 15 passes which was undoubtedly the standout statistic.

Minutes played

24

Touches

20

Accurate passes

15/15

Key passes

1

Dribbles

1

Crosses

2

Duels won

2/3

Possession lost

2

Interceptions

1

Tackles

1

Birmingham Live journalist John Townley gifted the skilful Spaniard a high 8/10 post-match rating despite the 29-year-old barely being on the pitch, stating that his brief showing gave the Villa masses something to ‘cheer’ about late on with more ‘flicks and tricks’ to come as he establishes himself in England.

Asensio will hope he goes down remembered as an exciting player in the West Midlands in a similar manner to Jack Grealish with the Spain international’s cameo certainly showing a few shades of the Midlands native. The backheel to set free Rogers at one stage (footage above) was simply marvellous.

Both Asensio and Grealish certainly share similar traits with both players in question regularly leaving defenders in a spin courtesy of a whole array of flashy moves down the wing, with the end product also there to justify the immense trickery.

PSG

47

7

11

Real Madrid

286

61

32

At his previous two esteemed employers, Asensio has managed to pick up an impressive 111 goals and assists from 333 appearances, with Grealish helping himself to a hefty 32 goals and 41 assists when hitting the 200-plus game mark at Villa Park.

Emery will hope Asensio can explode into life like this – away from these promising beginnings in Birmingham – to show off his PSG and Madrid best.

The options the ex-Arsenal manager has at his disposal now in attack are very impressive as the Villans potentially eye up a FA Cup success as well as a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Cost £0, now worth 2x more than Malen: Aston Villa hit gold with magic ace

The Villa star has been impressive under Emery.

ByJoe Nuttall Feb 8, 2025

Broadcast commentators confirm there was an issue during the DRS process after West Indies reviewed the on-field not-out decision

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2023A clarification has been issued regarding Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal in India’s first innings of the second Test in Port-of-Spain, with broadcast commentators saying during the tea analysis show that the correct decision was made by the TV umpire despite “a glitch” during the DRS process.India were 360 for 5 in the 104th over when Kemar Roach offered a ball wide outside off stump. Jadeja took the bait, driving away from his body, and turned around to see the wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva go up in immediate celebration. Jadeja was expressionless. And so was the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus.West Indies challenged the on-field decision of not out and DRS came into play, starting with the spin-vision replay, which showed bat and ball were close together. The TV umpire Michael Gough then asked for the assistance of UltraEdge.The replay that came up, however, seemed to be for a different shot that Jadeja played. The actual ball was wide outside off stump and Jadeja was playing away from his body. At the point where the ball passed the outside edge of his bat, his bat was quite visibly away from his pad. But in the replay where UltraEdge showed a clear spike, Jadeja’s bat was so close to front pad that his inside edge flicks it. Furthermore, the shot he was playing in the UltraEdge replay seemed to be a straight-bat shot. The actual shot that put Jadeja in trouble was more of an extra-cover drive.Umpire Gough was satisfied that there was an edge and asked the on-field umpire Erasmus to reverse his decision. Jadeja was dismissed for 61 off 152 balls and walked off without protest.Later on, while on air with Curtly Ambrose and Samuel Badree, Daren Ganga offered a clarification while speaking to visuals of the correct replay of the wicket delivery. “This is the actual replay and the ball part. There was no contact with bat on pad,” he said, while the replay was shown on the broadcast. “This is the correct UltraEdge. And the right decision was made in the end, that is the most important thing.”Just to clear that issue up and basically set the record straight, no fault of the umpires or the system, it’s just a glitch that took place.”

da betsul： If this is to be the end of Martin O’Neill’s brief return, what a way to sign off.

da winzada777： On Thursday night, Celtic ended a 16-match, four-year-long winless streak in European away games by beating Feyenoord 3-1 at De Kuip, coming back from a goal down to do so; Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren all on target.

This means O’Neill has won five of six matches since being parachuted into the role following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation.

The 73-year-old, alongside Shaun Maloney, is set to remain in charge when the Celts visit Easter Road to take on Hibernian on Sunday lunchtime, but there is optimism that Wilfried Nancy will take over soon, potentially in time for the visit of Dundee on Wednesday.

Once the Frenchman does swap Ohio for Glasgow, one of Celtic’s breakout stars from this season could well become a key figure, currently on course to replicate an active club legend.

Callum McGregor's importance at Celtic

While players, managers and board members come and go, Callum McGregor remains a constant, the heartbeat in both the team and the club as a whole.

Thursday saw the captain make his 540th appearance for the club, starting 21 of 22 matches so far this season, accumulating 1,939 minutes out of a possible 2,040 so far (95%).

When Scott Brown departed in 2021, his leadership and all-around brilliance was supposed to be impossible to replace, but McGregor has transitioned into this role seamlessly, lifting 24 major trophies to date, and it is incomprehensible to imagine a Celtic side without him.

As well as winning back the ball and keeping the team ticking in possession, McGregor continues to produce key moments, lashing home a 95th-minute winner at St Mirren last Saturday night, having scored a similar rocket against Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.

Having joined the club as an eight-year-old, McGregor continues to set an example to all those in the Celtic academy dreaming of representing the first team one day, but who is currently on course to follow in his footsteps?

Celtic's next academy star

Celtic have endured rotten luck in terms of injuries this season.

Cameron Carter-Vickers could be out for the rest of the season following achilles surgery, Jota remains sidelined after rupturing his ACL in April, while Alistair Johnston suffered a torn hamstring against Kairat in August, only to aggravate the issue 26 minutes into his return when Sturm Graz visited Parkhead.

With Johnston, who has been so excellent since joining the club, having started only five matches all season, most would have expected Anthony Ralston to deputise, but it appears as though Colby Donovan has leapfrogged him in the pecking order.

After featuring sporadically during pre-season, scoring against Cork City at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in July, the 19-year-old made his competitive senior debut against Livingston when Rodgers made wholesale changes in between the two legs against Kairat.

Well, since then, he hasn’t really looked back, starting just two Premiership matches, but included in the lineup for four of the five Europa League fixtures, these against Crvena zvezda, Braga, Sturm Graz and now Feyenoord, putting in an excellent display in Rotterdam.

The table below documents how well he has played in Europe so far.

Colby Donovan’s UEL stats

Stats

Donovan

Celtic rank

Minutes

283

9th

Assists

1

2nd

Completed passes

151

7th

Key passes

3

6th

Big chances created

2

3rd

Passes into final 3rd

14

5th

Progressive passes

18

4th

Passes into box

4

3rd

Shot-creating actions

6

7th

Goal-creating actions

3

1st

Successful dribbles per 90

1.8

3rd

Tackles

7

2nd

Touches

227

6th

Average rating

7.10

2nd

Stats via FBref and SofaScore

As the table documents, Donovan has been excellent in the Europa League this season, contributing in a wide variety of ways.

The teenager ranks highly for all the in possession metrics, recording an assist for Liam Scales’ crucial equaliser against Sturm Graz, while only Arne Engels and Benjamin Nygren have created more big chances, ranked first in terms of goal-creating actions.

Given that incoming manager Nancy deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation, his Columbus Crew side featuring flying wing-backs Max Arfsten and Andrés Herrera, his imminent arrival could be great news for the youngster.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Braga, then-manager Rodgers praised Donovan’s “outstanding” performances, labelling him a “real bright spark” as well as heralding his “personality” and “mentality”.

Well, these all feel like compliments that could be thrown the way of a certain McGregor, whose leadership is as invaluable as his quality to this team.

Thus, it is certainly still early days, but all the signs suggest that Celtic supporters are rightly excited about Donovan, who will go on to have quite the career should he manage to match McGregor’s achievements and make 500+ appearances for the club.

Related Celtic man was finished under Rodgers, now he can be undroppable for Nancy

Celtic’s wait for a European away win is over, beating Feyenoord 3-1, with a star Brendan Rodgers once labelled “sloppy” playing like an £100m man.

Posts ByBen Gray Nov 28, 2025

Bangladesh will be looking to bounce back in the two T20Is in Sylhet after Afghanistan came up trumps in the ODI series

Mohammad Isam13-Jul-2023Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play their last T20I series before entering an ODI extravaganza for the next few months. Both teams have the Asia Cup and World Cup in mind but these two matches in Sylhet could pose an interesting challenge for the two sides. The home side is itching to bounce back after going down in the ODIs earlier in the week, but Afghanistan are an even stronger force in T20Is and have the wood over Bangladesh in the format.The home advantageBangladesh have had a great year so far in T20Is – winning five out of six games – so beating Afghanistan will be the icing on the cake. They won both series they have played this year, against England and Ireland, further improving their already strong home performance in T20Is, taking their win percentage up to 61.9% at home in the last three years.They have adopted a new and bolder approach with big hitting throughout the batting order, which they have shortened to include extra bowlers. Mehidy Hasan Miraz bats at No. 7, which allows for him and Shakib Al Hasan to be the spinners, followed by a four-man pace attack. This year is so far Bangladesh’s best in terms of team bowling average and strike rate.Related

'We do well when we aren't thinking about opposition' – Shakib on Bangladesh's T20 approach

Afif, Ebadot back in Bangladesh's T20I squad for Afghanistan series

Rashid, Shahzad back in Afghanistan squad for Bangladesh T20Is

Afghanistan have the firepowerA quick look at the Afghanistan squad makes it clear that they have loaded their side with big hitters. Mohammad Shahzad is back in national colours after almost two years, Hazratullah Zazai also returns after missing the T20Is against Pakistan, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz is in fine form after his 145 against Bangladesh in the second ODI last week.Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a crucial 145 in the second ODI against Bangladesh•AFP/Getty ImagesThey also have youngsters Sediqullah Atal, a left-hand batter who made his T20I debut recently against Pakistan, and Ibrahim Zadran in their batting stocks. Najibullah Zadran will be the finisher alongside allrounders Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai. Captain Rashid Khan has young Noor Ahmad and the now-experienced Mujeeb Ur Rahman for company in the spin department.Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the pace attack alongside fellow left-arm quick Fareed Ahmad and Wafadar Momand, the only uncapped player in the squad. Nijat Masood, who took a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh on Test debut last month, was called up to replace Naveen-ul-Haq.Litton Das, Rony Talukdar vs Afghanistan’s new-ball attackBangladesh’s run rate of 6.03 in the powerplay overall against Afghanistan needs to meet their powerplay run rate of 9.36 from 2023. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar have been all the rage in the Bangladesh T20I side, leading their bold approach. They have already amassed 328 runs in six innings together, just 68 short of eclipsing Bangladesh’s best-ever opening pair. Their brave approach will be facing a strong Afghanistan spin attack, particularly Mujeeb who troubled the Bangladesh openers during the ODI series.A T20I supply line for ODIs?Since both teams have two major ODI tournaments from September, much of their focus will be on giving game time to key players who will feature in those competitions. At the same time, they will also be on the lookout for any new and emerging talent. Two T20Is can’t tell a lot but if a player makes a case for himself, doing well in these matches could help their causes.Bangladesh will get another look at batters Talukdar and Shamim Hossain, and spinners Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain. It will also be another chance for Afif Hossain, who had a miserable ODI series, to get some runs under his belt.Afghanistan can look at several players including batters Hazratullah, Sediqullah and Shahzad, while fast bowlers Fareed, Janat and Nijat could get a look in. The prodigious Noor Ahmad can be a handy option in the subcontinent so a call-up in Sylhet may help him.Rain a big threat in big-scoring SylhetJuly is peak monsoon in Sylhet. It also means peak offseason for cricket in the region. The first T20Is to be held in Sylhet for five years therefore have the risk of both matches getting interrupted by rain. T20Is, however, last roughly three hours and coupled with the ground’s strong drainage facilities, they could sneak in the cricket. The scoring rate is quite high for night T20s in recent years in Sylhet, with BPL teams scoring at an average of 182 runs an innings since 2020.

“I had a lot of luck didn’t I? Jesus.” Harry Brook was under no illusions that his seventh Test century was riddled with fortune.But having been gifted five lives by New Zealand, Brook did not waste them with a hearty 171 that lifted England to 499. A score which, at this stage, puts them in the box seat, with New Zealand closing day three just four runs ahead and with only four second innings wickets remaining.Brook resumed day three on 132 not out – having bagged the accolade of being England’s second fastest batter to two thousand Test runs, in his 36th innings – adding 39 from 34 deliveries. A sixth-wicket stand with Ben Stokes (who finished with 80) took England past New Zealand’s first innings score of 348.Related

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That partnership would eventually be broken on 159, when Brook feathered an edge through to Tom Blundell off Matt Henry. The relief in the field was palpable, and not just because Brook had begun to free his arms, which included planting Tim Southee onto the roof of the Pavilion for his third six.New Zealand, who shelled eight chances in all, had dropped Brook four times on Friday (on 18, 41, 70 and 106) before another on 147 on Saturday morning. Brook looked to the heavens, as he did when he reached three figures, though he was laughing to himself this time.The last was the easiest of the lot; straight to Glenn Phillips at gully, who was also culpable for the costliest miss on 18. The Yorkshire batter did cede not all of his chances were straightforward – not least because of how hard he strikes the ball, as evidenced by most of his 18 boundaries.”That first drop, especially, I’m not sure many people are catching that to be honest,” Brook said. “I hit that very hard.”I do throw my hands at it quite hard sometimes and it is going to be a good catch if you catch one at gully there, especially with the viewing. Just go out there and watch the ball and try and hit it really.”Phillips had redeemed himself somewhat on Friday with a stunning effort diving full-length to his right to remove Ollie Pope for 77. Brook, who had been given three lives at that point, went over and apologised to Pope as he was walking off.Harry Brook went past 150 for the fourth time in Tests•Joe Allison/Getty Images

Nevertheless, it was still an innings of substance from Brook, his second of the winter after the blockbuster 317 against Pakistan at the start of October. He was out in the middle at the Hagley Oval for five hours 23 minutes, having arrived at the start of the second session of day two with his side reeling on 45 for 3.A charging lofted cover drive off Southee – from his 186th ball – took him past 150 for the fourth time. The career average is now a shade above 60, the average against New Zealand a crisp 100.00.Brook now has two centuries and two fifties in five innings against New Zealand – with the only failure a duck when he was run out without facing in the fourth innings of 2023’s famous Wellington Test.”I just think I’ve gone out there and just tried to play the ball, really,” Brook said, at a loss to explain why he found the hosts such amenable foes.”The pitches have been fairly good with a bit of pace and bounce, and if you get it past the infield most of the time it’s four. I’ve tried to use the pace, ride the bounce and had quite a bit of luck in there this week.”

Micky Van de Ven was left blown away by the performance of a Tottenham Hotspur star in the 2-0 victory against Brentford at the weekend.

Tottenham secure first Premier League win since late October

The pressure has been mounting on Thomas Frank in recent weeks, with it even emerging that Tottenham were considering a move for Barcelona manager Xavi as a replacement, but the Dane may have bought himself more time courtesy of a victory against Brentford.

Spurs breezed to a 2-0 win against the Bees, which was their first triumph in the Premier League since winning 3-0 at Everton at the end of October, with Richarlison opening the scoring after 26 minutes, finding the back of the net for the seventh time in all competitions this season.

Xavi Simons was the creator, and the Dutchman then went on to score his first goal since moving to north London just before half-time, sealing all three points for Frank’s side in the process.

Simons has received heavy criticism for making a slow start to life at Tottenham, with Jamie O’Hara left particularly scathing after the defeat against Fulham, but he clearly has the full support of teammate Van de Ven, who singled the attacking midfielder out for high praise after Brentford.

Simons needs to build on his Brentford performance

Frank will no doubt be delighted the Netherlands international appears to be finding his feet, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 9.5 after registering a goal and an assist against Keith Andrews’ side.

Having finally shown what he can produce, the 22-year-old needs to build on that performance, starting on Tuesday against Slavia Prague, with Spurs set to host the Czech side in their sixth Champions League game.

Forget Simons: Spurs "liability" is now becoming the new Ndombele

This Tottenham star is flattering to deceive in spite of his immense talent.

ByAngus Sinclair 5 days ago

Frank’s side have looked bereft of ideas at times this season, with only a Richarlison wonder goal preventing them from suffering an even heavier loss against Arsenal back in November.

As such, Simons needs to step up, and Tottenham will be hoping the former RB Leipzig man can start recording similar attacking numbers to what he did during his time with the German club, registering 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 games.

For most of this month, it felt like Arsenal were in real danger of falling behind their rivals in the transfer market.

Fortunately, the last week or so has finally seen the club spring into life somewhat, with both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard looking set to join Martin Zubimendi ahead of next season.

However, while the club are starting to get bodies through the door, there is still a question mark over the lack of truly game-changing signings, like Liverpool’s capture of Florian Wirtz.

Yet, there might be no need for concern, as recent reports have once again linked the Gunners with an incredible attacker who could be their own version of the German international.

Arsenal target game-changing signings

While Arsenal’s focus appeared to be on useful squad players last week, the North Londoners have still been linked with a host of potentially game-changing superstars in recent weeks, such as Rodrygo and, more recently, Eberechi Eze.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former could cost up to £85, but with two Champions League titles to his name and a tally of 25 goal involvements in 53 games this season, it would be hard to deny that’s a fair valuation for the Brazilian dynamo.

Likewise, while Eze’s £68m release clause is undeniably massive, he’d be more than worth it, as, on top of helping Crystal Palace win their first major honour ever this season, he racked up a haul of 25 goal involvements in just 43 appearances.

Yet, while both players would undoubtedly have a massive impact on the Gunners, there is another star linked with the club who’d surely be even more game-changing: Viktor Gyokeres.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, the Sporting CP star has been one of Arsenal’s top targets this summer and remains a genuine option to lead the line for next season, with it revealing that the Gunners are maintaining talks and asking to be kept up to date on the Swede’s situation.

However, what’s interesting is that the report also claims it’s now ‘only a matter of time’ before the Swedish international leaves the Portuguese champions, despite the Lisbon side holding out for more money.

Regarding the money, the story reaffirms prior reports that Sporting will not budge on their €80m valuation of the free-scoring forward, which converts to around £68m. Considering the player’s wage demands, it may be a move that ends up totalling close to £111m.

It might not be a straightforward transfer to get over the line, but Arsenal should do all they can to sign Gyokeres in the coming weeks, as he could be as consequential for them as Wirtz looks like he will be for Liverpool.

Why Gyokeres could be Arsenal's Wirtz

Now, there is already one massive difference between Wirtz and Gyokeres, which is their respective positions.

However, the fact that the former is a midfielder and the latter a striker really has no bearing on this comparison.

The basis for the Swede becoming the Gunners’ version of the German is instead solely based on how much of a game-changer he could be for them.

For example, the former Bayer Leverkusen gem was unsurprisingly brilliant this season, racking up a tally of 16 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3392 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.45 games, or every 109.41 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Gunners’ faithful, that level of output is undoubtedly going to have a massive impact on the Champions next season, but the good news is that the former Coventry City star could be just as impactful for Arteta’s side.

For example, in 52 appearances this season, totalling 4248 minutes, the Stockholm-born “monster,” as dubbed by journalist Alex Turk, scored 54 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes to a frankly absurd average of 1.28 goal involvements per game, or one every 63.40 minutes.

The 27-year-old was just as effective last season, scoring 43 goals and providing 15 assists in 50 appearances, totalling 4,169 minutes, which came out to an average of 1.16 goal involvements every game, or one every 71.87 minutes.

Appearances

50

52

Minutes

4169′

4248′

Goals

43

54

Assists

15

13

Goal Involvements per Match

1.16

1.28

Minutes per Goal Involvement

71.87′

63.40′

It is true that he’s currently playing outside of a top-five league, but if the Swedish machine can replicate even a third of his performances in North London, then his arrival could be what finally pushes Arteta’s side over the line in the Premier League or Champions League next year.

Ultimately, it’s Gyokeres’ incredible output and the fact his arrival would be such a signal of intent that means he could end up being Arsenal’s answer to Witz this summer.

Better move than Norgaard: Arsenal agree personal terms to sign £17m phenom

The exciting prospect could develop into something special at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 30, 2025

Kai Rooney copied Viktor Gyokeres' celebration after scoring for Manchester United's Under-16 team at the SuperCupNI.

Rooney Jr copies GyokeresScores in Man Utd's 3-0 winBeat West Cork AcademyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kai scored for United's Under-16s against West Cork Academy on Monday, converting a penalty to make it 2-0, having first assisted Sam O'Brien's opening goal. After the second goal, Rooney Jr ran to the touchline and covered his mouth in a celebration that mirrors that of Arsenal's new signing, Gyokeres. Bassirou Nkoto scored their third goal as United won 3-0.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

United had pursued Gyokeres throughout the summer but he instead opted to move to north London. That did not stop Rooney Jr from emulating the Sweden international, however. Gyokeres covering his mouth is said to be a reference to Batman villain Bane.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kai is fast developing into a really promising prospect at United, playing for the youth teams and working his way slowly through the system. Gyokeres, last season, scored 52 goals in all competitions; Rooney Jr has found a pretty promising striker to follow in the footsteps of.

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Rooney and his Under-16 team-mates will also play Rangers and Co Tyrone in their group.

Chelsea officially announced the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town earlier this week, after triggering his £30 million release clause, and it is believed they’re seriously pursuing another former Man City gem to accompany the Englishman and Cole Palmer.

Chelsea announce Liam Delap deal as striker pens six-year contract

The 22-year-old was Kieran McKenna’s shining light in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Ipswich, who dropped straight back down to the Championship just one season after clinching promotion.

Chelsea make "official offer" to sign "promising" striker after 20-goal season

The west Londoners are the first club to submit a bid.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 5, 2025

Delap bagged 12 Premier League goals for the Tractor Boys, which is impressive for an under-performing side, and Chelsea will only pay around £20 million of the clause up front with the rest due via installments (Sky Sports).

Knowing his quality, Ipswich smartly inserted a sell-on clause into the deal, hoping to make a further profit if Chelsea eventually decide he isn’t suited to them after all.

Ipswich Town 2-0 Chelsea

8.08

Bournemouth 1-2 Ipswich Town

8.05

Ipswich Town 2-2 Aston Villa

8.04

Ipswich Town 1-2 Southampton

7.83

Fulham 2-2 Ipswich Town

7.55

via WhoScored

“I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach,” said Delap about his move to Chelsea.

“It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies. Growing up watching this club and how incredible it has been over the years, I wanted to come here to win trophies. When I spoke to the club, everyone wanted to get back to the very top, and they have the quality and the players to do that.

“The hunger and desire to keep adding trophies, to take the club back to where it belongs, that is the main objective.”

Delap is in very good company at Stamford Bridge, having worked with Enzo Maresca during their time together at Eastlands, as well as Palmer, with both players coming through the academy together.

According to recent reports, Chelsea are attempting to add another ex-City academy ace to their ranks who could accompany the duo – heavily-linked Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens.

Some media sources claim that Chelsea have already submitted an offer for Gittens, and journalist Simon Phillips says that they’re really trying to get a deal done.

Chelsea "pushing" to sign Jamie Gittens amid £20m price drop

While the consensus was that the winger would cost around £50 million, his price has now dropped to around £30 million, gifting BlueCo a £20 million discount.

Phillips also states that Chelsea are “pushing” to sign Gittens, and they have a trump card in the form of Carney Chukwuemeka, who Dortmund would ideally like to keep in the Bundesliga, so they’re actually being very open in negotiations.

“Any fee for Jamie Gittens to join from Dortmund would not be £50m, it would actually be closer to £30m,” wrote the journalist.

“This has now been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.

“Chelsea are pushing on Gittens, and again, our insiders believe that this will get over the line. SPTC sources have heard that Dortmund are ‘being nice’ to Chelsea in these discussions and this is likely to be because they want to keep Carney Chukwuemeka in some capacity. Gittens to Chelsea is moving, but there is other interest.

“If Chelsea sign Gittens, I do not believe that it will be the only new winger arriving this summer with Jadon Sancho now gone. Although, that ‘winger’ could just be another new attacking midfielder who is versatile and can play on the left wing as well as other positions.”

The 20-year-old bagged 12 goals and registered five assists in all competitions last season, with ex-Dortmund captain and sporting director Sebastian Kehl believing Gittens is “almost impossible to defend against” inside the penalty area.

Gittens is also represented by the same agency as Romeo Lavia and Tyrique George, which could further help to facilitate a deal.