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Daniel Farke, manager of Leeds United, has been questioned for his side’s performance against Nottingham Forest.

Morgan Gibbs-White produced the perfect response to his England omission by helping Forest to their first Premier League win since the opening day of the season.

Gibbs-White was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for next week’s World Cup qualifiers, but reminded the German of his talent with a decisive goal in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Leeds.

The midfielder’s second-half header helped end Forest’s nine-game winless streak in the league as they secured three points for the first time under head coach Sean Dyche.

It was far from pretty as they had to come from behind, Ibrahim Sangare cancelling out Lukas Nmecha’s opener for Leeds.

Elliot Anderson’s late penalty sealed a vital triumph for Forest, who have now taken four points from their last two games and look to be heading in the right direction.

They are just two points behind Leeds, who have lost four out of their last five matches. Following their latest defeat, manager Farke has been called into question.

Farke should have made earlier changes against Forest

Since arriving at Leeds in 2023, Farke has sometimes been questioned for his decisions surrounding substitutes. Often, the German seems to bring new bodies into the game only after the majority of minutes have been played.

Against Nottingham, Leeds made no changes until the 74th minute. This is despite having lost their one-goal advantage, finding themselves 2-1 down and offering little threat to their hosts. Such a decision was noted by commentator Jon Newsome who at the time of United’s substitutions, as per BBC Sport West Yorkshire.

England midfielder Anderson killed the game from the spot in the 90th minute after the lively Hutchinson, introduced from the bench, was fouled by Jack Harrison, a natural wide midfielder who replaced left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson.

In attack, Leeds were bereft of inspiration. They had just four shots before the 70th minute and of the 10 they had across the game, as per SofaScore, only three were on target. Beren Cross of The Athletic commented on the fact that, despite Farke saying he had been in team training for a fortnight, Italian forward Willy Gnonto, who would offer a much-needed creative spark, was not in the squad against Forest.

With an international break ahead of them, Leeds will face a number of tough fixtures as they look for what will be a needed improvement in form. With four defeats within their past five Premier League games, questions may soon be asked of Farke’s future at Elland Road if such a run continues.

Leeds must unleash their "best finisher"

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-1 by 10-man Bayern Munich in the Champions League at Parc des Princes on Tuesday. Luis Diaz scored both goals in an impressive first half but then saw red just before half-time for a reckless challenge on Achraf Hakimi. PSG hit back after the break, pulling one goal back through substitute Joao Neves, but Bayern managed to hang on for all three points.

• AFP
  

  Bayern beat PSG despite red card for Diaz

  Bayern dominated an incident-packed first half and will wonder how they made it to the break only 2-0 ahead. Diaz needed less than four minutes to break the deadlock, firing home after Lucas Chevalier had blocked a shot from Michael Olise following a quick counter.

  The German giants kept getting in behind PSG and saw Aleksandar Pavlovic fire narrowly wide and Serge Gnabry hit both posts with one shot before Diaz bagged his brace. This time he caught Marquinhos napping, nicking the ball off the dawdling Brazilian's toes and then slotting another strike home.

  Josip Stanisic thought he’d made it 3-0 just before the break but saw his effort ruled out for offside, before Diaz went from hero to villain. The Colombia international lunged in two-footed on Achraf Hakimi in a challenge which saw the PSG star helped off the pitch in tears and the referee brandish the red card for Diaz after a VAR check.

  The dismissal saw Vincent Kompany take off the influential Gnabry at half-time for Tom Bischof, with the new man booked almost immediately after arriving. PSG went on to enjoy plenty more possession but struggled to work Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal initially.

  Goncalo Ramos and Joao Neves were sent on as Luis Enrique tried to find a way back into the game and the breakthrough eventually came. Neves halved the deficit on the volley after a great ball in from Kang-in Lee with just 15 minutes of normal time remaining.

  The goal gave PSG hope and the chances continued to come. Neves headed another opportunity wide as PSG kept on pushing for an equaliser but Bayern clung on for a huge win against the defending champions.

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• The MVP

  Diaz was Bayern's best player in the first half but his senseless red card ended his claims for the MVP award. Instead it goes to Bayern team-mate Dayot Upamecano, who was rock-solid in the heart of the backline, particularly during the second half when the visitors played a man down and faced all sort of pressure from the defending European champions.

• The big loser

  Marquinhos deserves a mention for an error-strewn game but there's no doubt that Diaz overshadowed the Brazilian with his needless red card. Bayern were absolutely cruising heading into the break with a 2-0 lead and having also seen PSG lose talisman Ousmane Dembele to injury. Diaz had played a starring role for Bayern but a reckless and needless foul on birthday boy Hakimi looks to have caused a serious injury to the PSG defender and left Bayern having to play the second half a man down. The Colombian will also now face a suspension in the Champions League which will be a blow to Bayern ahead of their next fixture in the competition against Arsenal.

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• AFP
  

  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

أعلن الألماني هانز فليك، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، قائمة فريقه لمواجهة كلوب بروج البلجيكي، ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا ثقيلًا على كلوب بروج غدًا الأربعاء، وذلك ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من مرحلة الدوري في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويسعى الفريق الكتالوني إلى تحقيق الانتصار على كلوب بروج، بعد التراجع الذي شهده الفريق الكتالوني على مدار الأسابيع الماضية.

ويتواجد برشلونة في المركز الثاني في ترتيب الدوري الإسباني خلف ريال مدريد المتصدر بفارق خمس نقاط كاملة، أما في دوري أبطال أوروبا فقد حقق رجال فليك فوزين من أصل 3 مباريات خلال المسابقة حتى الآن.

اقرأ أيضًا | موقف خوان جارسيا من مباراة برشلونة وكلوب بروج.. وانتكاسة جديدة

وعاد الدولي البولندي روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، مهاجم البلوجرانا إلى قائمة الفريق لأول مرة في مسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد العودة من الإصابة التي تعرض لها في الركبة.

كما شهدت أيضًا عودة داني أولمو بعد الإصابة واستمر غياب جافي، بيدري، خوان جارسيا، كريستنسن وتير شتيجن. قائمة برشلونة لمباراة كلوب بروج في دوري أبطال أوروبا

✈️ Bruges, here we come! pic.twitter.com/waRj0dAsCP — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 4, 2025

Manchester United are keen to add more talent under Ruben Amorim and could now look to make a move that would make the world sit up and take notice of developments at Old Trafford.

Man Utd look to strike tactical balance under Ruben Amorim

Undoubtedly, Amorim’s decision to stick with his complex 3-4-3 formation has drawn his fair share of admirers and critics. However, the Portuguese boss doesn’t appear likely to change that any time soon.

Per Pundit Arena, Emile Heskey has claimed that regardless of their tactical set-up, a lack of leaders in the Old Trafford dressing room is a reason behind their inconsistent form this season.

He stated: “Nothing seems to go right for Ruben Amorim. Everyone keeps talking about the tactics, but when you put 11 players on the pitch, they’ve got to fight. Where’s your leaders? I remember playing at Liverpool, I was only 22 at the time, we had Gary McAllister and he would be on to us. Steven Gerrard was younger than me, he would be on to us, Sami Hyypia, too.

“It doesn’t look like Man Utd have any leaders on the pitch, who are really digging people out.”

Now, that may be a little harsh. Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire are two shining examples of leadership, but ultimately, the best form of authority in football comes from players who do their talking with the ball at their feet.

Related Man Utd have a "£100m + footballer" who's becoming their new McTominay

Man Utd will not want to repeat the mistake they made with McTominay

Posts 2 ByJoe Nuttall Oct 13, 2025

Bringing new talent with the potential to be world-class is what will take Manchester United closer to their glory days. Nevertheless, that is easier said than done, all things considered.

However, they may now be plotting a seismic move to sign a proven international who is becoming one of Europe’s best attacking forces due to his excellent displays.

Man Utd ready to go big for Kenan Yildiz

According to reports in Europe via Stretty News, Manchester United are planning to launch an offensive for Juventus star Kenan Yildiz, someone who was previously of interest to the club during the summer window.

Regardless, it would take a fee well over the region of £86 million to entice him to Old Trafford, with the Serie A giants keen to retain the 24-cap Turkish international at all costs.

Five similar players to Kenan Yildiz (FBRef)

Lazar Samardzic

Atalanta

Francisco Conceicao

Juventus

Mohammed Kudus

Tottenham Hotspur

Zuriko Davitashvili

Saint-Etienne

Dejan Kulusevski

Tottenham Hotspur

Labelled “brilliant” by Massimiliano Allegri, Yildiz has registered two goals and four assists in eight appearances for Juventus this term across all competitions, proving his worth as the Old Lady aim to push for the league title.

Furthermore, the Regensburg-born winger has already created 17 chances and delivered eight successful crosses in Serie A, per Fotmob, illustrating his ability to carve open defences.

With Manchester United pushing hard for his signature, it remains to be seen whether they can come to an agreement with Juventus on a structure for a potential deal and whether he would be open to moving to Old Trafford.

Glasgow Rangers had one of their better afternoons of the 2025/26 campaign on Saturday when they beat Hibernian 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Goals from Nicolas Raskin and Bojan Miovski secured the win for Russell Martin’s side, after Martin Boyle had a goal disallowed at 0-0 in the first half.

It has been a frustrating season for the Light Blues, with no wins in the Scottish Premiership to date, and there have been issues all over the pitch under the new head coach, particularly in the left-back position.

Why Rangers have struggled at left-back this season

It was evident that Martin was not happy with Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz as his options at left-back at the start of the season, because right-footed right-back Max Aarons started the campaign in that position.

Once it was clear that having a player out of position at left-back was not working, Jefte came into the side for a few games before the club decided to sell him to Palmeiras, shortly followed out of the door by Yilmaz, who returned to Besiktas.

Having sold their only two natural full-backs, Rangers brought Jayden Meghoma in on loan from Brentford. A young player who had only started 11 league games in the 2024/25 campaign, all on loan at Preston in the Championship.

The English defender has lost 56% of his duels and failed to register an assist in three appearances for Rangers in the Premiership to date, per Sofascore, and the club may rue that they let go of a star who was once compared to Lionel Messi.

Rangers fumbled their own Lionel Messi

Back in 2019, Croatian coach Davor Rupnik compared Borna Barisic, who was at Ibrox at the time, to Barcelona and Argentina’s legendary attacker.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

Rupnik said: “Many people don’t know he is a superb free kick and set piece taker. He has a left foot like Lionel Messi. He has improved massively and he is also an exceptionally hard worker. He used to ask for extra gym work in the evening after training.”

Of course, this does not mean that Barisic was dribbling past four or five players and scoring two or three goals every week, like the World Cup-winning icon, but he did have a left foot that consistently delivered quality at the top end of the pitch.

23/24

17

3

22/23

29

10

21/22

19

3

20/21

30

7

19/20

22

8

18/19

15

3

Total

132

34

As you can see in the table above, the Croatia international provided a big threat in the final third as a creative force from left-back throughout his Premiership career.

The left-footed star created 12 or more ‘big chances’ in all competitions in three of his last five seasons at Ibrox, which shows that he was still at the top of his game from a creative perspective up to the point that he was released at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Looking back, given what has happened in the left-back position up to this point, Rangers may regret alowing Barisic to move on because he was a proven Premiership performer who made a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Unfortunately, for the defender, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury for Leganes in LaLiga in January and is currently without a club, having been released by Trabzonspor whilst dealing with that horrendous injury in the summer.

Rangers must regret losing the Harry Kane of Scottish football for nothing

Rangers had their own version of Harry Kane and Michael Beale watched him walk away for nothing.

ByDan Emery Sep 18, 2025

Ultimately, though, Rangers lost a star who was “like Lionel Messi” on a free transfer, and their current left-back situation shows that they are still looking for his replacement over a year on from his departure.

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola believes Phil Foden is "the best player we have in small spaces by far" while explaining how big a boost the Englishman's return to form is for his team. The 25-year-old has been deployed in a new-look No.10 role, which sees him operate closer to the box, and the change in how his position has provided highly positive results immediately.

Foden back to his best

Foden has started the 2025-26 season with a bang, regaining confidence and showing the sort of form which earned him the Premier League Player of the Year award at the end of the 2023-24 season. City are unbeaten in their previous six games, with Foden starting in all six. Not just that, but he has already produced four direct goal contributions in seven games, a drastic improvement from the last 18 league outings of the last season, where he recorded a solitary goal involvement.  

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGuardiola hails Foden's 'desire'

A reporter asked Guardiola, "When Phil's playing at the standard he is now, how much more does he give this unit as a team?" 

"A lot," said Guardiola in response, before praising Foden and explaining what makes him such a threat. "He’s one of the best players we have in small spaces in the final third, by far,” the City coach claimed. “In terms of assists and in terms of goals in small spaces, how he times an attack and the desire to score a goal is the best we have.”  

Foden overlooked for England by Thomas Tuchel

"He plays a little bit free and close to the box, he can do something that is unique," said the former Barcelona manager last week. Indeed, the City starboy is thriving in his new-look No.10 role, but his exploits have been overlooked by England boss Tuchel. In a squad that is bereft of the other No.10s, such as Jude Bellingham and the injured Cole Palmer, Foden must have felt heartbreaking to not have received the call-up. He hasn't played a game for England since March.    

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(C)Getty ImagesWho will Man City face next?

City recorded their worst-ever start to a season in two decades, but their fortunes have turned around without any surprises. Foden has been a key player in helping City wake up from their early slumber, and Guardiola will hope for more exploits from his star man on Sunday against Brentford.     

Nottingham Forest had really ramped up their transfer activity heading into the drama that is deadline day.

At the time of writing, the Tricky Trees have welcomed in ten brand-new faces to the City Ground this summer, with John Victor the latest capture from Botafogo to enhance the Premier League outfit’s options in goal.

All this frenzied activity isn’t slowing down either as we head towards 7pm’s sharp cut-off, as Forest now look set to land a long-term target to further bolster their plentiful attacking personnel.

Nottingham Forest close in on £35m star

There had been whispers all window long regarding Forest’s chase for RC Strasbourg ace Dilane Bakwa.

Now, it looks as if Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have finally won their long-sought-after attacker, with journalist John Percy first taking to X to confirm that the Europa League competitors were in advanced talks for the Frenchman, with the Ligue 1 side looking for a fee of around £35m.

Following that, another Forest-based journalist, Tom Collomosse has added more fuel to the fire by stating that a medical will take place today for the winger to join the ever-increasing ranks.

After failing to secure a deal for the now Benfica-bound Dodi Lukebakio, this would be a welcome relief if Forest could snap up the signature of Bakwa instead, with the assist-hungry attacker arguably an improvement on the Belgian.

How Bakwa compares to Lukebakio

Of course, nobody at the City Ground would have actively turned their nose up at Lukebakio entering the building, with the 27-year-old just fresh off an 11-goal season in La Liga with soon-to-be ex-employers Sevilla.

But, away from that standout offering, he has struggled in the Spanish top-flight previously to be at that same consistent peak, with only five goals powered home during the 2023/24 season.

Games played

64

63

Goals scored

10

17

Assists

18

3

Big chances created

27

10

Whereas, Bakwa has only grown in confidence the more he’s donned Strasbourg blue, with a ridiculous tally of one goal and three assists already next to his name in Ligue 1 action this campaign, despite only lining up for three contests so far.

Lukebakio might well have more strikes next to his name when comparing the head-to-head statistics, but the £35m attacker is an unbelievable creative force when he gets going, with a whopping 27 big chances created for his Strasbourg teammates from 64 league appearances.

This will surely be one facet of his varied game that has caught Forest’s eye, considering Anthony Elanga is no longer under Nuno’s wing, who was an assist king for the likes of Chris Wood throughout his stint in the Midlands.

Moreover, with Bakwa being just 22 years of age – compared to Lukebakio, who is 27 – Nuno will hope he can get even more out of a talent who has dazzled Ligue 1 defences for fun, with the young attacker already being branded as “very exciting” to watch by journalist Josh Bunting.

The real challenge for Forest’s statement deadline day purchase will be how he acclimatises to the pressures of the Premier League.

But, if his blistering Ligue 1 numbers are anything to go by, this could be a golden deal at the £35m mark, as Forest instantly brushes Lukebakio’s move falling through to land their long-term man.

Nottingham Forest now agree deal to sign gem with same agent as Chris Wood

Forest are set to complete a deadline day move for a defender.

ByDominic Lund Sep 1, 2025

How many more new signings will Chelsea make before the transfer window closes on 1 September?

So far, the Blues have brought in eight new recruits, including João Pedro and Liam Delap, both of whom featured during their victorious Club World Cup campaign, as well as Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens, Kendry Páez, and others.

However, they are far from done yet, with Xavi Simons on course to arrive from RB Leipzig, while they remain interested in Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United, as the Blues seemingly aim to sign all the attacking midfielders and wingers.

Now, could Enzo Maresca’s side strengthen the other end of the pitch, targeting a repeat of Thiago Silva’s arrival from five years ago?

Chelsea targeting a new goalkeeper

As outlined by Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport, many believe Chelsea need a new first-choice goalkeeper if they’re to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League, with a lot of observers remaining unconvinced by Robert Sánchez.

The table below documents why.

Minutes

2,880

10th

Goals conceded per-90

1.06

4th

Saves

92

10th

Save %

76.4%

1st

Clean sheet %

31.3%

6th

Post-shot xG – goal conceded

+1.7

11th

High claims

44

3rd

Crosses not claimed

2

2nd

Punches

12

14th

Errors leading to goals

5

1st

Average SofaScore rating

7.03

24th

As the table outlines, Sánchez’s statistics in the Premier League last season were, at best, mixed, ranked first for save percentage, but also first for errors leading to goals, hence why a team with aspirations of winning the title may want better.

With that in mind, according to a report by Ahad Shaukat of Caught Offside, Chelsea are ‘in the mix’ to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain, with Manchester United and Manchester City also interested.

Les Rouge-et-Bleu are closing in on the signing of Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, so are looking to offload their Italian shot-stopper, valued at around £35m, according to a report by La Repubblica.

So, could Donnarumma become the latest Italian superstar to call Stamford Bridge home, following in the footsteps of Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo, Gianluca Vialli, and many others?

How Gianluigi Donnarumma would improve Chelsea

Amazingly, Donnarumma is still only 26 years old, having made his senior debut for AC Milan a decade ago, racking up 251 appearances for the Rossoneri, before featuring 161 times for Paris Saint-Germain, since moving to the French capital in 2021.

On top of this, he has racked up 74 caps for Italy, currently Gli Azzurri’s captain, having been instrumental to their triumph at Euro 2020, named player of the tournament following his exploits in the shootout victory over England.

Then-Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti asserted ahead of Euro 2024 that the goalkeeper is “world-class”, while his agent Vincenzo Raiola, who admittedly isn’t a neutral observer, believes he is the “best goalkeeper in the world” who “deserves [to win] the Ballon d’Or”.

Well, let’s put those assertions to the test.

Goals conceded per 90

0.91

5th

Saves

35

13th

Save %

70.8%

20th

Clean sheet %

40%

9th

Post-shot xG – goals conceded

+2.2

13th

Crosses stopped

4th

3rd

Punches

13

1st

High claims

13

4th

Errors leading to a goal

1

13th

Average SofaScore rating

7.1

16th

As the table documents, Donnarumma was a key figure in the Paris Saint-Germain side that won the Champions League last season, posting very impressive statistics across the board, emphasising that he is a top-class goalkeeper, even if he is no longer wanted by the European champions.

Similarly, five years ago, Thiago Silva was deemed surplus to requirements in the French capital, cast aside when his PSG contract expired in 2020, before proving he certainly still had the quality to compete at the highest level after joining Chelsea, making 155 appearances across four seasons in West London, most notably winning the Champions League.

Tom Sanderson of the Guardian documents that the Brazilian centre-back was very ‘successful’ during his time at Chelsea, able to perform at a very high level, labelling him a ‘great leader’.

Well, albeit significantly younger, all available evidence suggests that Donnarumma could have a similar impact, should he arrive at Stamford Bridge later this month, given his performances on the pitch and the leadership qualities that he could provide.

Chelsea confirm signing of "sensation" from Crystal Palace after hijacking move

The Blues have officially secured an eye-catching prospect.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 2, 2025

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has introduced national contracts for an additional 30 female cricketers who are either uncapped or haven’t played for Bangladesh for some time. This is in addition to the 18 centrally-contracted women, and the newly-contracted players will get a monthly salary till June 2025. The contract system is similar to the men’s first-class contracts in Bangladesh and is aimed at increasing the pool of players across the country.The existing centrally-contracted players were also given a raise in the BCB meeting on Saturday.”The women’s national contract is similar to the first-class players’ contract for male cricketers,” the BCB stated in a release. “The board has decided to introduce this in an effort to provide financial stability to a larger pool of women cricketers. Thirty cricketers, who are not a part of the central contract, have been placed in the women’s national contract for the November 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 period.”The BCB has raised the salary in all four grades of their women’s central contracts for the October 2024 to June 2025 period. Grades A and B will now get BDT 120,000 (US$ 1,000 approx.) and BDT 100,000 ($850 approx.) per month respectively – up by BDT 20,000 each from 2023-24 – while Grades C and D will get BDT 70,000 ($600 approx.) and BDT 60,000 ($500 approx.) per month respectively – an increase of BDT 10,000 each.Among the 18 contracted cricketers, Sharmin Akhter, Murshida Khatun and Marufa Akter were promoted from grade C to B.The BCB has also introduced match- and series-winning bonus for the women. They will receive BDT 100,000 ($850 approx.) and BDT 50,000 ($420 approx.) in ODIs and T20Is respectively for beating a top-three side in the ICC rankings. The bonus amounts for beating teams ranked from fourth to sixth are BDT 75,000 ($630 approx.) and BDT 35,000 ($300 approx.) and for beating those ranked seventh to ninth are BDT 50,000 ($420 approx.) and BDT 30,000 ($250 approx.).

Bangladesh women’s central contracts for October 2024 to June 2025

• Grade A (BDT 120,000): Nigar Sultana Joty, Fargana Haque, Ritu Moni, Nahida Akter
• Grade B (BDT 100,000): Fahima Khatun, Shamima Sultana, Sharmin Akhter, Murshida Khatun, Marufa Akter, Rabeya Khan
• Grade C (BDT 70,000): Sobhana Mostary, Lata Mondal, Jahanara Alam, Shorna Akter
• Grade D (BDT 60,000): Disha Biswas, Sultana Khatun, Dilara Akter, Shathi Rani

Bangladesh women with national contracts

Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Ishma Tanjim, Fariha Trisna, Sumaiya Akter, Sharmin Sultana, Rubya Haider, Farzana Akter, Suraya Azmim, Puja Chakroborty, Nishita Akter Nishi, Shampa Biswas, Jannatul Ferdus Sumona, Sabikun Nahar Jesmin, Sanjida Akter Meghla, Fatema Jahara, Reya Akter Shika, Misty Shaha, Jannatul Ferdous Tithi, Ayesha Akter (Jr.), Fuara Begum, Mosammat Eva, Sumaiya Akter Shuborna, Jannatul Maoua, Dipa Khatun, Afia Ashima Era, Unnoti Akter, Taj Nehar, Shorifa Khatun

Okay, while there have been some positives to take from this summer, specifically off the pitch, there have also been some worrying signs for Arsenal.

For example, Mikel Arteta’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur out in Hong Kong this time last week, and failed to bounce back with a win against Villarreal at the Emirates yesterday evening.

Not only did the Premier League runners-up lose, but they looked just as blunt in attack as they did at points last season, and, rather unsurprisingly at this point, Gabriel Martinelli was entirely ineffective.

The Brazilian is becoming a real problem for the manager, but, in good news, it looks like the club could get their hands on someone who’d be a solution.

Arsenal target Premier League problem solver

While there have been some concerning signs on the pitch this summer, Arsenal have made some positive moves off the pitch in the transfer market.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera have all massively improved the squad depth, while Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres look ready to come in and make waves in the first team from gameweek one.

Moreover, Andrea Berta and Co don’t appear to be done just yet, as the North Londoners continue to be linked with a super talent who could help solve Arteta’s Martinelli problem.

At least that’s according to a recent report from journalist Ben Jacobs, who on a recent podcast reaffirmed the Gunners’ interest in Eberechi Eze.

More than that, he claims that the player has “his heart set on Arsenal,” which will surely be music to the ears of the fans.

Interestingly, while the Englishman has a £68m release clause in his current deal, it reportedly expires on the 15th of this month, and it looks like Berta and Co are waiting until after that point to start negotiating a lower price.

It could still be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Eze has proven he’s worth fighting for, especially as he’d help solve Arteta’s Martinelli problem.

How Eze would solve Arsenal's Martinelli problem

So, there are really two prongs to Arsenal’s Martinelli problem: his lack of goalscoring and the lack of chances created for and by him.

Interestingly, there are also two main ways Eze could help solve or alleviate these issues, and the first would be for Arteta to simply start him off the left in place of the Brazilian winger.

It might be the case that the Englishman spent most of last season in the middle of the park, but he’s no stranger to playing out wide, and with how ineffective the former Ituano gem has been over the last few years, we have no doubt the Palace ace would outperform him.

For example, despite playing for a team that are mid-table at best, the former QPR gem managed to find the back of the net 14 times and provide 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes.

In other words, the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

In contrast, the Gunners’ number 11 was only able to score ten goals and provide six assists in 51 appearances, totalling 3564 minutes, which comes out to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or every 222.75 minutes.

So, simply replacing Martinelli with Eze would solve the problem of his being ineffective.

Appearances

43

51

Minutes

3303′

3564′

Goals

14

10

Assists

11

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.31

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

222.75′

Still, if the manager wanted to persevere with the 23-year-old for one more season, he could potentially give him a better chance of succeeding by starting the Eagles star as the team’s starting ten.

After all, club captain Martin Odegaard was only able to score six goals and provide 12 assists in 45 games, so there is every chance we’d see more out of the Guarulhos-born dynamo with the Greenwich-born star behind him in place of the Norwegian international.

Ultimately, it’s clear that Martinelli is currently a problem for Arteta, and while it won’t be cheap, Eze could be the perfect solution for Arsenal.

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