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We’re only in January, and Tottenham Hotspur’s season already depends on the cup competitions.

Ange Postecoglou’s side has been absolutely devastated by injuries this year, and while the Australian can certainly end the campaign with a trophy, that feels very unlikely indeed.

However, while there has not been much for Spurs fans to cheer about, one undeniable positive has been the development of Dejan Kulusevski.

The former Juventus ace has always been an important player for the North Londoners, but he has come on leaps and bounds this year, and based on recent reports, the club are looking to bring in an England international who could help him get even better.

Tottenham target England ace

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Tottenham have ‘ramped up their own bid’ to sign LOSC Lille star Angel Gomes.

Transfer Focus

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

The report has revealed that the North Londoners have entered the race to sign the England international and could now beat fellow Premier League side West Ham United to the midfielder’s signature.

The good news is that the Lilywhites should be able to sign the former Manchester United prospect for free due to his £11k-per-week contract expiring in the summer, but the bad news is that he won’t be able to officially join until then either.

It could still be a complicated transfer to get over the line if the Irons step up their pursuit of other teams entering the fray, but given Gomes’ ability, Spurs should be doing all they can to secure this deal as soon as possible, especially as he’d be an ideal teammate for Kulusevski.

Why Gomes would be a dream teammate for Kulusevski

Okay, so if Kulusevski’s long-term role at Spurs is going to be that of one of the more attacking midfielders in the team, then there are a couple of reasons why Gomes would be an excellent teammate for him.

The first is that, as the Englishman is adept at playing in central and attacking midfield himself, he’ll be the player who can adjust his starting role to platform and allow the Swede to further hone his skills in that more offensive role in the middle of the park.

Moreover, due to his ability to play deeper, the “top quality” talent, as dubbed by former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson, is no stranger to defensive duties, as shown by the fact FBref places him in the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shots blocked in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League per 90.

Pass Completion

86.6%

Top 1%

Successful Take-On %

57.9%

Top 1%

Carries

45.40

Top 3%

Passes into the Final Third

4.86

Top 4%

Shots Blocked

0.23

Top 5%

Progressive Passes

6.69

Top 6%

Switches

0.61

Top 6%

However, he’s not just there to do the mopping up.

He is more than capable of dictating play, firing off dangerous passes and taking on opponents, as shown by FBref placing him in the top 1% for pass completion and successful take-on percentage, the top 3% for carries, the top4% for passes into the final third, the top 6% for progressive passes, switches and more, all per 90.

Not only do these statistics suggest that the Edmonton-born star would be able to play intricate passes into Kulusevski when he’s in dangerous positions, but it would also make him a player that opposing defenders would have to mark more proactively, thus naturally opening up more space for his future teammates.

Finally, the 24-year-old has already shown that he has a tough mentality, as he made the bold decision to leave Old Trafford in 2020 and back himself to earn a move from Portugal to a top-five league and now potentially back to the Premier League, all while breaking into the England setup, which is just the sort of player who’d improve the dressing room at Spurs.

Ultimately, signing Gomes this year feels like a total no-brainer for Tottenham, as his skill set and ability would undoubtedly improve the entire team, let alone Kulusevski.

He's a bit like Kulusevski: Spurs in the hunt to sign £30m "superstar"

The experienced winner might be just what Spurs need.

3 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 22, 2025

خاض فريق بايرن ميونخ مباراته في بطولة الدوري الألماني لكرة القدم موسم 2024/25، عصر اليوم السبت، ضد خصمه لايبزيج، حيث فشل في حسم اللقب اليوم.

واستضاف ملعب “ريد بول آرينا” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية والثلاثين من البطولة، حيث تعادلا بثلاثة أهداف لمثلها.

كان لايبزيج قد نجح في تسجيل الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 11 من عمر الشوط الأول، عن طريق اللاعب بنجامين سيسكو.

خروج غير موفق من أوربيغ يمنح سيسكو فرصة ذهبية للتسجيل من بعيد! 💥⚽#الدوري_الألماني #بايرن_ميونيخ pic.twitter.com/E3GGjdkQ79 — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 3, 2025

وفي الدقيقة 39، تمكن لايبزيج من مضاعفة النتيجة لصالحه بعدما سجل اللاعب لوكاس كلوسترمان الهدف الثاني لأصحاب الأرض.

🎯 تحت أنظار هاري كاين.. بايرن ميونيخ يستقبل الهدف الثاني من رأسية لا تُرد!#الدوري_الألماني #بايرن_ميونيخ pic.twitter.com/U2qwTgh9Dg — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 3, 2025

ولكن بايرن ميونخ لم يستسلم، حيث قلص الفارق بتسجيله هدف عن طريق اللاعب إريك دير في الدقيقة 62.

ونجح بايرن ميونخ في إدراك التعادل بعدما سجل اللاعب مايكل أوليز الهدف الثاني للضيوف في الدقيقة 63.

دفاع لايبتسيغ ينهار في ثوانٍ معدودات أمام هجوم بايرن ميونيخ

ماذا يحدث؟#الدوري_الألماني | #بايرن_ميونيخ | #لايبزيغ pic.twitter.com/2ofiIv28Ig — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 3, 2025

وفي الدقيقة 83، تمكن ليروي ساني من تحقيق ريمونتادا لصالح بايرن ميونخ بعدما سجل الهدف الثالث في شباك لايبزيج.

ساني يتألق ويقود بايرن ميونيخ لحسم لقب الدوري أمام لايبتسيغ!#الدوري_الألماني #بايرن_ميونيخ | #لايبتسيغ pic.twitter.com/99e0wdj29P — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 3, 2025

وبينما كانت المباراة في طريقها إلى منح نقاطها كاملة لـ بايرن ميونخ ومن ثم التتويج باللقب، تمكن لايبزيج من تسجيل هدف تعادل قاتل في الدقيقة 94 عن طريق يوسف أولسن.

هدف قاتل في الدقائق الأخيرة يعيد المباراة لنقطة التعادل أمام بايرن ميونيخ!#الدوري_الألماني #بايرن_ميونيخ | #لايبتسيغ pic.twitter.com/lRg785c2ws — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 3, 2025

ولم يشارك النجم الإنجليزي هاري كين في المباراة حيث تواجد في المدرجات بسبب الإيقاف، بعدما تحصل على بطاقة صفراء في الجولة الماضية أمام ماينز.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد بايرن ميونخ إلى 76 نقطة في المركز الأول، بينما أصبح رصيد لايبزيج 50 نقطة في المركز الخامس.

وينتظر بايرن ميونخ بذلك نتيجة مباراة باير ليفركوزن وفرايبورج في الجولة نفسها غدًا، حيث أن تعثر ليفركوزن يعني منح البافاري اللقب الرابع والثلاثين في تاريخ النادي، والبطولة الأولى في مسيرة هاري كين.

With rumours regarding Andreas Pereira’s potential exit not going away, Fulham have now reportedly set their sights on signing an in-demand Premier League midfielder for Marco Silva.

Fulham transfer news

The Cottagers remain one of the most exciting sides to watch in the Premier League. No longer a side scrapping away in the battle to avoid relegation, Fulham have once again become an established top-flight side under Silva – who is doing an excellent job. His side’s recent success may not come without its consequences, however. In fact, they could fall victim to their own success.

Related Fulham now keen to sign "special" Man City star ready to leave in January

He’s a man in demand…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Dec 28, 2024

With the January transfer window now open, Fulham are reportedly fearful that Marseille could reignite their interest in Pereira and secure the Brazilian’s signature this month. And they’re not the only club reportedly interested. Recent reports have indicated that Brazilian club Fluminense are progressing in talks to sign the midfielder in what would be a major blow this month.

It seems as though that fear has led them straight to a potential replacement too. According to Football Insider, Fulham are now eyeing a move to sign Will Hughes in what could come at no cost at all if he leaves Crystal Palace as a free agent at the end of the season.

The London club aren’t the only side interested, however, with West Ham United and local rivals Brentford also keeping an eye on the situation. A player with plenty of experience in the top flight, the interest in Hughes’ signature should come as no surprise.

From a business standpoint, selling Pereira for an impressive fee and welcoming a possible replacement in the summer without having to splash out, themselves, could represent a shrewd move for all involved at Fulham.

"Leader" Hughes could seamlessly replace Pereira

More combative than the elegant Pereira, Hughes would step straight in to replace the Brazilian at Craven Cottage and sit next to both Alex Iwobi and Sasa Lukic. Forming a tireless midfield three, Silva’s side could even benefit from swapping the old for the new all whilst wisely cashing in.

Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Will Hughes

Andreas Pereira

Goals

0

2

Assists

3

1

Tackles Won

21

4

Ball Recoveries

66

62

Also able to create whilst completing impressive work off the ball, it’s no surprise that Hughes has been at the centre of Oliver Glasner’s praise throughout his Crystal Palace tenure.

The Palace manager told reporters as relayed by Tribal Football last month: “Will Hughes not just a performer, he’s also a leader in the dressing room. He’s an experienced guy, an English guy, he’s been here for several years, he knows the club, he knows his teammates, and of course he’s an outstanding good football player.

“His passing, his fighting spirit, and he’s one of the few players, maybe a little bit old generation, who is talking on the pitch. Every manager is looking for some guys who are talking on the pitch, he’s one of them, so he’s very important for our game.”

Crystal Palace do have the option to extend Hughes’ Selhurst Park deal, but if they don’t, Fulham could be in a position to pounce in a cheap transfer.

Marsch, a Wisconsin native, insists he's enjoying his time with Canada after being overlooked for the USMNT role

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Marsch says he's not a traitor for coaching Canada
• Led Canada to third-place win over the USMNT
• Insists he's thinking long-term future with Canada

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Jesse Marsch is America's most successful coach abroad, taking on three first division managerial roles with RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds before eventually joining Canada. Prior to Canada's third-place match against the USMNT Sunday night, where they would win 2-1, Marsch spoke with CBS and defended himself against recent insults in the U.S. about being a traitor for coaching

  "This is not about being a traitor," Marsch said in the interview. "If I would have said, 'I'm not taking the U.S. job. I'm going to Canada?' Right? That's an important [distinction] then maybe you could say, yeah. But like, you know U.S. had the chance to hire me, and now it's over."

  Long-rumored for the U.S. job, the team interviewed Marsch while investigating Gregg Berhalter for violent conduct. The USMNT elected to bring back Berhalter and a year later, Marsch reflected on the process saying he wasn't treated very well by U.S. Soccer.

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  WHAT MARSCH SAID

  "You know it's over, trust me, it is over. It is over," Marsch said of future interest in the USMNT role. "I'm enjoying my time in Canada entirely. Like, I'm thinking more about what could this look like long term, you know? And working with the game in the country, working with the coaching elements, trying to build a more robust youth national team program, trying to connect the dots of what the game is and what the sport is in the country. And I find that there's a lot of people that really want to work together and that part's been really nice."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Marsch's arrival in Canada heightened the rivalry between and the Americans. Canada have beaten the U.S. in their last two outings, including Sunday night, for the first time since 1985. And Marsch now wants Canada to continue to progress ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

  "We had a good 2024, we did well at Copa America, all these things. And I just said, 'Look, culturally, the game is nowhere near what it is in Mexico, right?' So it's not just, do we have a good player pool and is our do we, you know, do we have a good foundation for what the team is," Marsch said. "Yes, we do. We can say that we're creating some high-level talents in these countries, but to put it all together culturally, right? To really understand how to be the best, to beat the best, to be amongst the best – like this is where the challenge lies."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Marsch has a 7-5-4 record as Canada's manager (WLD).

Durham left to rue rain earlier in match as Glamorgan recover from top-order wobble

ECB Reporters Network10-Apr-2022

Chris Cooke held firm as Glamorgan rallied for the draw•Getty Images

Despite a flurry of wickets in the morning session, the final day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Durham in Cardiff finished in a draw after half centuries from Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke took the home side to safety.The day started with seven Durham wickets falling for 32 runs as Andrew Salter claimed career-best figures. Durham had a first-innings lead of 149 with Alex Lees finishing undefeated on 182.Four early Glamorgan wickets gave Durham some hope of claiming victory but the stand between Cooke and Carlson took the home side to safety with the teams shaking hands with 16 overs un-bowled.Durham will be left ruing the bad weather that took so much time out of this game on the first two days as they were the team best placed to push for a positive result.Durham resumed their first innings 114 runs in front with seven wickets in hand. In a madcap first hour they went from 351 for three to 383 all out. The destroyer-in-chief was Salter who finished with 7 for 45, his first five-wicket haul in the format, as the Durham middle and lower order attempted to press home their advantage with quick runs.Salter dismissed David Bedingham in the second over of the day, well stumped by Cooke with a ball that appeared to swing away from the batter. What followed was a succession of Durham players giving away their wickets with attempted big shots.As his side collapsed around him Lees stood firm, carrying his bat for the second time in his career on his way to his highest first-class score for Durham. While a quick conclusion of the Durham innings may not have been their plan as they started out the final day of this match, it did give them more time to claim the ten Glamorgan wickets they needed for victory.In the 14 overs they bowled before lunch, Durham claimed three Glamorgan wickets with the home side still trailing by 116 at the break. It could have been four wickets before the interval but Paul Coughlin put down a relatively simple chance at third slip that would have dismissed Colin Ingram without scoring.While the morning session was hectic, things settled down after lunch. Durham had Glamorgan 66 for four when Ben Raine had Ingram bowled but a partnership of 90 between Carlson and Cooke took Glamorgan into the lead.It was a breakthrough year for Carlson in 2021 with the Welsh batter scoring 928 first-class runs at an average of 48.84 and he was playing exceptionally before edging one through to the wicket-keeper on 61 off the bowling of Matthew Potts. Glamorgan will be hoping for more eye-catching innings like this one in 2022.Cooke made 59 in the first innings and was 85 not out in the second, those runs combined with the 205 not out he made in the last match of the 2021 season it is an impressing run of scores for the Glamorgan wicket-keeper.Durham take 15 points away from this match while Glamorgan claim 11.

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has had a break from club action this weekend during the last international break until the next one in March of next year.

The German head coach will have spent this time analysing how the season has gone so far and what he and his coaches can do to ensure that the team progresses and kicks on to secure automatic promotion.

Sunderland and Sheffield United, who currently occupy the top two positions, are two points ahead of the West Yorkshire outfit, which means that one game could flip the outlook on the campaign.

The Whites finished third in the Championship last term and that meant that they had to go through the play-offs, where they beat Norwich City over two legs before losing 1-0 to Southampton in the final at Wembley.

Leeds will surely want to remove any doubt and avoid the play-offs by finishing in the top two this season, and they will need their key players to remain fit and in fine form to do so.

During the current international break, numerous Leeds players have been in action for their respective countries, with mixed success on the pitch.

Leeds United's international performers

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon endured a frustrating night on Thursday, despite a strong result for his team, losing 100% of his duels and failing with all four of his dribbles in a 0-0 draw for Israel against France, as he was dominated by Theo Hernandez.

On Friday, Brenden Aaronson and Ao Tanaka did not feature for the USA or Japan respectively, whilst Wilfried Gnonto did not register a goal or an assist in a 2-2 draw for Italy’s U21s against France. Mateo Joseph also blanked and missed a ‘big chance’ in a 0-0 draw with England’s U21s for Spain.

Junior Firpo started as a left wing-back for the Dominican Republic against Dominica on Saturday and won nine of his 13 duels in a 6-1 win for his country, along with two chances created for his teammates.

Meanwhile, Joe Rodon caught the eye for Wales in a 0-0 draw with Turkiye. The Leeds central defender won three of his six duels and made eight clearances to help his side keep a clean sheet, earning himself a Player of the Match award.

He was not the only Whites star to shine for Wales in that match, however, as rarely-seen goalkeeper Karl Darlow also impressed between the sticks.

Karl Darlow starred for Wales

The English-born colossus opted to make himself available for Wales this season and it currently looks as though that was a great decision, as he has thrived on the international stage.

Darlow has now made three appearances for his country in the Nations League and Craig Bellamy’s side have won all three of those games, conceding just one goal in the process.

The 34-year-old ace starred in the 0-0 draw with Turkey on Saturday, with three saves, two punches, and one high claim to keep a clean sheet, whilst the Leeds man was helped out by Kerem Aktürkoğlu hitting the woodwork with his late penalty.

GIVEMESPORT handed him a player rating of 7/10 for his performance and wrote that he made ‘key saves’ to keep the hosts at bay throughout the match.

Darlow has only started one game in the Championship since his move to Elland Road from Newcastle United on a permanent deal in the summer of 2023, which means that he has not had much of a chance to showcase his quality between the sticks at club level.

He did, however, impress during his time on loan with Hull City in the division during the 2022/23 campaign. The shot-stopper made 12 appearances for the Tigers and conceded 1.7 fewer goals than expected based on the post-shot xG of the shots against him.

Appearances

3

Goals conceded

1

Save success rate

88%

Run-out success rate

100%

Saves made

7

As you can see in the table above, Darlow’s shot-stopping has been strong at international level for Wales this season, as it was during his time with Hull, and Farke must now take advantage of his form.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Magpies goalkeeper has shown the manager that he can step up and perform at a high level, against countries like Turkiye, and this means that the German boss can now afford to finally ditch Illan Meslier from the starting line-up.

Why Illan Meslier should be dropped

The French shot-stopper, who joined the club amid interest in Emi Martinez in 2020, kept his ninth clean sheet in 15 Championship appearances in the 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers before this latest international break.

However, the man between the sticks has not been the main reason why Leeds have had such an impressive defence in the second tier this season, it has been the back four and team in front of him.

Meslier has only faced a post-shot xG, which measures the value of shots after they have been taken, of 6.5 in 15 games, and conceded nine goals, which shows that the Frenchman has underperformed as a shot-stopper so far.

Journalist Barry Collins described him as a “liability” in 2022 and his performances at Championship level have done little to prove the reporter wrong, with his biggest blunder this term coming against Sunderland – in the clip below.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Meslier has prevented -5.50 goals, based on the xG against him, which essentially means that an average goalkeeper would be expected to have conceded between five and six fewer goals than he has in that time.

The £30k-per-week liability has, therefore, underperformed significantly as a shot-stopper at Championship level, after conceding a staggering 22.32 more than expected based on xG in his last two seasons in the Premier League with the Whites.

Including Bamford: The three Leeds players Farke must cash in on in January

The Leeds United head coach must consider cashing in all three of these players.

ByDan Emery Nov 16, 2024

When it gets to the important stage of the season where Leeds are battling it out for an automatic promotion place, they will need their goalkeeper to be reliable as a shot-stopper and that is why Farke must consider unleashing Darlow instead of the underperforming Frenchman, particularly after his recent showings for Wales.

أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، كارلو أنشيلوتي، عن قائمة اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة آرسنال في ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتقام مباراة ريال مدريد وآرسنال في ملعب الأخير “الإمارات” يوم الثلاثاء المقبل بتمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” بقيادة الحكم البوسني الدولي، عرفان بيليتو.

وشهدت قائمة ريال مدريد تواجد الحارس الأساسي، تيبو كورتوا، عقب مشاركته في تدريبات الملكي مع غياب أندريه لونين بسبب الإصابة.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماركا: اهتمام خليجي قوي بضم مودريتش في الصيف.. والكرواتي قراره واضح

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados!
🆚 @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/p0TBcA3w6V — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 6, 2025

قائمة ريال مدريد لمباراة آرسنال في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا، فران جونزاليس، سيرجيو ميستيري.

خط الدفاع: ديفيد ألابا، لوكاس فاسكيز، خيسوس فاييخو، فران جارسيا، أنطونيو روديجر، راؤول أسينسيو، جاكوبو، لورينزو.

خط الوسط: جود بيلينجهام، كامافينجا، فيدي فالفيردي، لوكا مودريتش، تشواميني، أردا جولر، تشيما.

خط الهجوم: فينيسيوس جونيور، كيليان مبابي، رودريجو، إندريك، إبراهيم دياز، جونزالو.

Hoping to make a statement in the form of a rare Anfield victory, Chelsea have received an injury boost at the perfect time, with one player now in line to return for the first time this season.

Chelsea injury news

Despite boasting one of the biggest squads in the Premier League, Chelsea still struggled with their injury issues last season. Ultimately, a number of other factors caused the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s spell, but Enzo Maresca has since fared far better on that front, with the results arriving in the early stages of the Italian’s tenure.

The Blues have looked the closest to their best since Thomas Tuchel’s time in charge, with Maresca finally turning things around for Todd Boehly at Stamford Bridge – and Cole Palmer unsurprisingly playing a central role of stealing the headlines.

Their toughest test yet under their new manager now awaits in the form of Arne Slot’s Liverpool side at Anfield. Losing just once and going stride for stride with Manchester City and Arsenal so far this season, the Reds have conceded just two goals in seven Premier League games under their new boss – representing the task ahead for Maresca’s team.

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What could help unlock a stubborn Liverpool defence is the return of a star man. As confirmed by Maresca, Reece James is now in line to return against Liverpool and could feature for the first time this season after missing the last 11 games in all competitions due to hamstring problem.

Maresca told reporters, as relayed by Goal: “He [James] is finally available. He worked with us over the international break. It’s good news, especially for him because being injured is not a good feeling. Finally, he is back.

“It’s complicated when you get injury, injury, injury again. It’s not easy, so you are always looking for a solution. Probably, the solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week, in one game, because probably in this moment, for different reasons, Reece’s body cannot play twice a week.”

Now or never for "decisive" James

Whilst James’ return should be seen as a positive, those around Stamford Bridge have seen how this story plays out one too many times before, and they, alongside their captain, will be desperate for a twist to the tale this time around. No one can doubt the £250,000-a-week defender’s quality, but that quality becomes void when he’s forced to watch on from the sidelines.

Dubbed “decisive” by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, if Maresca manages James’ workload, he may just have one of the best right-backs in European football at his disposal on a consistent basis for the first time in what feels like forever.

It’s been a frankly extraordinary few seasons for Ipswich Town.

The club appointed an inexperienced manager in Kieran McKenna, who has led them to back-to-back promotions, making it back into the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.

However, while much of the club’s recent success is down to the man management and tactical nous of the Northern Irishman, the players and brilliant transfers conducted in recent windows can’t be forgotten.

For example, in the summer of 2023, the Blues signed several exciting talents who have since become essential players for the club, including one star whose value has skyrocketed 120%.

Ipswich's brilliant 2023 signings

So, before we get to the player whose value has more than doubled since joining the club, let’s take a look at a couple of other brilliant signings made in 2023, starting with a loan acquisition: Omari Hutchinson.

Yes, a year before he made a permanent £20m switch to Portman Road, the former Chelsea prospect joined McKenna’s revolution on a season-long loan and made quite the impression as his subsequent transfer would suggest.

In all, the Redhill-born talent made 50 appearances across all competitions, scoring 11 goals, providing six assists, and winning the club’s Young Player of the Year Award to boot.

However, the 20-year-old was not the only savvy pickup in 2023, as another player who arrived for nothing was former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe, who joined on a free transfer in September.

The once-capped Congolese international was limited to just a handful of appearances for the first half of the season due to injury and fitness concerns, but once he was given a run of starts in February, his ability was impossible to deny.

By the end of the campaign, he was the club’s starting right-back, and while a thumb injury has seen him sidelined since October 4th, the Bunia-born gem started the first six league games of this season, showing that he can and likely will have a large part to play this year.

However, there was another exciting player the club signed and paid for last season that has just grabbed the headlines and has seen his valuation more than double.

George Hirst's valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is English striker George Hirst, who joined Ipswich from Leicester City for about £1.5m in July 2023.

The Sheffield-born poacher impressed on loan with Portsmouth in the 2021/22 season, but with just two appearances for the Foxes, there were some question marks over how he would fare in the Championship, but to say he has exceeded expectations at Portman Road so far would be an understatement.

For example, while injuries limited the “unique” marksman, as dubbed by McKenna, to just 29 appearances for the club last season, he still managed to rack up a seriously impressive haul of seven goals and seven assists, meaning he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 2.07 games.

Appearances

58

Minutes

3216′

Goals

15

Assists

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.43

Minutes per Goal Involvement

128.64′

Moreover, while knee surgery in the summer has limited his game time this season, the “powerful” 25-year-old, as dubbed by journalist Alan Biggs, looked brilliant on his first start against Brentford over the weekend, scoring and assisting a goal in the first half.

Unsurprisingly, these impressive performances for the Tractor Boys have seen the poacher’s valuation soar, with Transfermarkt now pricing him at €4m, which converts to around £3.3m, or 120% more than he cost the club just over a year ago.

Ultimately, Ipswich made several clever signings last summer, and while he might not be a household name at the moment, Hirst looks more than ready to make an impact in the Premier League this season.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 27, 2024

For a long time, Arsenal had a reputation for being frankly rubbish at selling their star players, and in all fairness, it wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

For example, superstars like Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had to be forced out of the club after signing mega-money deals and the sensational Alexis Sanchez was moved on in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan come to North London.

However, in recent years, Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have slowly turned the Gunners into a club that can, and often does, get significant fees for their stars and unwanted players.

In fact, the pair have overseen some big sales in the last couple of years, including a frustrating player who netted the club a much larger fee than Granit Xhaka did.

Arsenal's recent notable sales

So, starting with the Swiss international’s sale to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023, the Gunners earned a cool £21.4m.

Now, that might not seem like a massive sum of money for a player that was so important to Arteta’s side, but at the time, he had just a year left on his deal, was 30 years old, and by all accounts, the manager wanted to give him the chance to take on a new challenge after spending six incredibly intense seasons in North London.

However, while the tenacious midfielder’s exit was a big one that summer, it wasn’t the most profitable, as a month later, the club announced the sale of American academy graduate Folarin Balogun, who joined Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco for a fee in the region of £35m, which for a player who had made just ten appearances for the club was seriously sizable.

The club continued to pick up hefty fees for fringe players this summer as well, with Aaron Ramsdale joining Southampton for a fee that could reach £25m, while Emile Smith Rowe joined Fulham in a deal that could see the North Londoners earn up to £34m, which is seriously impressive considering the minuscule amount of minutes he received last season.

However, while both these sales are impressive, Arteta and Edu oversaw another significant exit this summer that was arguably the most remarkable sale of them all.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Expand Collapse Eddie Nketiah's Arsenal exit

Yes, the player in question is Eddie Nketiah, who finally left Arsenal this summer after joining the club as a 14-year-old.

The talented “beast”, as dubbed by Arteta, endured a mixed career in North London, as while he showed glimpses of real quality here and there, he was ultimately more frustrating than anything else, and despite earning a new £100k-per-week contract and the number 14 shirt in the summer of 2022, he couldn’t establish himself as a regular starter.

For example, despite stepping up in the latter half of the 21/22 campaign, scoring ten goals and providing one assist in 27 appearances, he could only muster an underwhelming tally of 38 goals and seven assists in 168 first-team appearances across his entire career in North London.

Nketiah’s Arsenal career

Appearances

168

Goals

38

Assists

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.26

All Stats via Transfermarkt

That means that the once-capped Englishman averaged a goal involvement every 3.73 games for the Gunners, and while that certainly isn’t abysmal, it is nowhere near good enough to lead the line for a club looking to win the Premier League title.

So it felt more like when and not if he would be sold, but given his lack of form and game time over the last couple of seasons, there was concern that he wouldn’t bring in much of a fee, a concern that proved wrong.

In the dying embers of the transfer window this summer, and following multiple failed moves to Marseille and Nottingham Forest, Edu and Co finally got the fee they were after when Crystal Palace agreed to pay up to £30m for the 25-year-old forward, which is a seriously impressive fee considering the far more important Xhaka was sold for just £21.4m just a year prior.

Ultimately, Nketiah’s sale this summer worked out for everyone, as Arsenal got a sizable sum for a player who wasn’t good enough to play for them, Palace got a striker with Premier League experience, and the player himself has the chance to establish himself as a starting striker for a first-tier club.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2024