Tottenham Hotspur are now “in the running” to sign a “freak of nature” midfielder this summer, having conducted scouting missions this season, according to former scout Mick Brown.

Spurs eyeing move for midfielder

Tottenham’s midfield has looked solid at times when everyone is fully-fit, with the trio of James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall performing well in the recent 1-0 victory against Manchester United in the Premier League.

Maddison bagged the winner in the narrow victory over the Red Devils, which saw the Lilywhites rise to 12th place.

However, Ange Postecoglou clearly feels some additional depth is required, given that the manager has been left short on midfield options at times this season due to the injury crisis he has had to deal with.

Several targets have been identified by Spurs, with the likes of Palmeiras’ Richard Rios and Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso on the shortlist, and there is now a feeling they are also keen on signing one of the Championship’s stars.

Manager stalls new contract after Tottenham express interest in hiring him

Ange Postecoglou has been under serious pressure in recent weeks.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 15, 2025

In a recent interview with Football Insider, ex-scout Mick Brown stated Tottenham are one of the clubs keeping a close eye on Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham, who could leave this summer if the Black Cats receive a big offer.

“Crystal Palace and Tottenham have had scouts watching him this season so they’ll be two of the teams in the running if he is going to leave. So it’ll be up to them to assess whether he’s ready to make that jump.

“From a Sunderland point of view, knowing the way the owners want to operate, I think if they get a huge bid for him then they’ll let him go.“

Amid links to Arsenal last month, the Sunderland star was thought to have a price tag of £20m, but the asking price could theoretically rise if he continues to impress over the course of the next few months.

Bellingham emerging as key player for Sunderland

The Black Cats are pushing for promotion to the Premier League this season, and the 19-year-old has established himself as a key player, making 28 appearances in the Championship, during which time he has picked up four goals and three assists.

Not only is the teenager a threat going forward, but he has also done a stellar job defensively over the past year, ranking in the 90th percentile for aerials won and the 87th percentile for clearances, when compared to his positional peers playing at a similar level.

Fellow Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil has lauded his teammate in the past, saying: “He’s an absolute freak of nature, physically. I have never seen a 17-year-old that size. Technically, he is a top, top, player as well.”

As such, it is exciting news that Tottenham could be in the race to sign Bellingham in the summer, and they should continue to monitor his performances between now and the end of the season.

Arsenal have suffered another transfer blow as we fast approach the final three days of this January window, with news emerging from the Emirates Stadium courtesy of reliable journalist David Ornstein.

Mikel Arteta shares January transfer update from Arsenal

With the deadline fast approaching on February 3rd, Mikel Arteta has shared another update on the club’s transfer activity, with the Spaniard previously confirming their pursuit of a new forward.

Arsenal hold internal talks over January move for £60m Watkins alternative

The Gunners failed with a bid for Watkins earlier this week.

3

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 31, 2025

Arteta said midway through January that Arsenal are in dire need of a fresh attacking option after injuries to both Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, sharing that the north Londoners were looking at opportunities on the market.

“Yes, for sure, because we lost two big players – Bukayo, who could be out for up to three months, and then Gabby, who will be out for a long, long, long time,” said Arteta to TNT Sports when asked whether they’d bring in another forward.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games	Date
Man City (home)	February 2nd
Leicester City (away)	February 15th
West Ham (home)	February 22nd
Nottingham Forest (away)	February 26th
Man United (away)	March 9th

“We are going to try [in this window] for sure. We are actively looking. We will try. Let’s see what we can get.”

Fast-forward to now, and Arsenal are yet to confirm the arrival of any outfield signing, with interim sporting director Jason Ayto and the recruitment team falling short in their £60 million offer to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.

Arsenal have held internal talks over Evan Ferguson as a potential alternative, but West Ham are believed to be hot on his trail with talks ongoing (Dharmesh Sheth).

Whoever the Gunners opt to pursue, Arteta is adamant that they’re doing all they can behind-the-scenes.

“We are trying everything we can on the market,” said Arteta in his pre-match press conference ahead of Man City.

“Ollie Watkins? You know I’m not going to talk about any individuals, we are actively looking proactively to find a solution in that position. Let’s see what the market brings.”

Arsenal miss out on Sverre Nypan with midfielder set to stay at Rosenborg

After missing out on Watkins, Arsenal have now been dealt another transfer setback. Norwegian wonderkid Sverre Nypan has been at the centre of serious interest from Arsenal, and Arteta’s side were believed to be in advanced talks to sign the midfielder.

However, as per Ornstein, it appears Arsenal are set to miss out on Nypan this month, who has decided to remain at Roseborg until the summer.

The teenager racked up eight goals and 10 assists in all competitions throughout the 2024 campaign for Rosenborg, and would’ve cost Arsenal just £10 million. However, it appears Arteta is now forced to play the waiting game.

Birmingham City are thought to have turned down a £5m bid for a young player and now think they can receive more, according to a new update.

Latest Birmingham news

Chris Davies’ side are flying at the moment, winning their last four League One matches in a row, and next up is a trip to Reading on Saturday lunchtime. Their opponents sit ninth in the table, looking to battle their way into the playoff positions, so it could be a tough assignment.

Victory for Birmingham would be another big step in the right direction, having already built up a six-point lead at the top of the table, not to mention with two games in hand. At this point, failure to win the title would be a shock, but the Blues cannot take anything for granted, continuing to be ruthless in their quest to return to the Championship.

When it comes to transfer news, Zaid Betteka has been linked with a move away from St Andrew’s, with the 18-year-old potentially not signing a professional contract at the club.

Now, it turns out that there was an opportunity for Birmingham to allow a young player to leave on a permanent basis recently, following a fresh claim that has dropped.

Birmingham rejected £5m bid for young player

According to Football Insider, Brentford saw a £5m bid for Romelle Donovan rejected by Birmingham, prior to him joining the Premier League side on loan instead for the remainder of the season, predominantly playing for their B team.

The report notes that the 18-year-old is ‘making impressive progress with the Bees and could be in the reckoning for a first-team promotion before the season ends’, with Birmingham now feeling ‘they could receive offers well in excess of £5m for him this summer’.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Donovan between now and the end of the season, in terms of whether Brentford decide to look at retaining his services or not.

The teenage winger has racked up 10 appearances for Birmingham to date, including one start and six outings in League One this season, while Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane has lauded his qualities, saying:

“Romelle will definitely add to our attacking options within the group. He is a player who has really good technical abilities aligned to our attacking style of play and he comes into a team that has been performing so well this season. We believe he can add goals and assists to further enhance the current group.”

At 18, Donovan is still such a young player, so there is no rush for Birmingham to sell him, but the lure of moving him on for a big fee must be tempting.

Related Birmingham City could now lose attacking gem in major blow, says reporter

Three clubs are keen.

Posts 1 ByCharlie Smith Feb 13, 2025

Should the attacker continue to shine at Brentford, the Blues will be able to justify demanding more than £5m for his signature, so there could be a big decision to make in the summer.

Mohammed Siraj’s best T20I figures helped India bowl New Zealand out for 160, before a heavy downpour saw the match ending in a tie. India were 75 for 4 in the chase when players were forced off the field, with the par score as per DLS method being 75 at that point. This was after a rainy day in Napier saw a 40-minute delay to the start of the game.New Zealand’s fast start was halted by Siraj before Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips led a middle-overs recovery. But Siraj returned towards the death to end the partnership and, with the help of Arshdeep Singh, triggered a collapse as New Zealand lost their last eight wickets for just 30 runs.India then lost three wickets inside the powerplay before captain Hardik Pandya helped India gain lost footing. In fact, just before play was stopped, Mitchell Santner at point misfielded a slap from Deepak Hooda to allow India the single that brought them on par with the DLS par score.The Conway-Phillips show
Conway and Phillips got together in the last over of the powerplay after New Zealand opted to bat first after toss was delayed by half an hour. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had extracted prodigious movement with the new ball but it was Arshdeep’s inswing that had Finn Allen trapped lbw. Mark Chapman looked to up the ante but fell when he tried to take on Siraj.

Watch India tour of New Zealand LIVE on Prime Video in India from Nov 18 to 30

Conway had just gotten himself going when he hit a six sandwiched between two fours off Arshdeep’s second over in the powerplay. He then used Bhuvneshwar’s pace to tonk a massive six over deep midwicket. From 2 from 11 balls, he had suddenly raced to 23 off 17 at the six-over mark. He then hit two more fours in Yuzvendra Chahal’s first two overs to get a measure of the surface.Phillips, too, took a bit of time to get himself in. Two of his first three fours had come via edges – first, when he inside-edged a Harshal Patel delivery between his legs and then when he was rooted to the crease and outside-edged a Siraj ball after being beaten for pace. But he announced his arrival when he struck successive boundaries off Chahal. He first powered a quicker one through cover before a generously flighted ball from the legspinner was deposited in the roof of the stands at cow corner.Phillips’ pyrotechnics saw him bring up his eighth T20I half-century. In the interim, Conway also notched up his fifty. At 2 for 130 with over four overs left, New Zealand seemed to have set sights at a 180-plus score at McLean Park, where the square boundaries were quite short.Glenn Phillips congratulates Devon Conway on his half-century•Getty Images

Siraj – too hot to handle
Siraj was brought on to bowl at a crucial stage, not once but twice. New Zealand had just scored 33 in the previous two overs when he came on to close the powerplay. Chapman had changed the tempo with his attacking start which rubbed off on Conway. The hosts were 44 for 1 when a short-of-length ball from Siraj made Chapman sky an attempted flick, only for Arshdeep to take a well-judged catch after running to his right from mid-on.Conway and Phillips were then amidst an 86-run partnership with New Zealand aiming for a tall finish. Runs were coming thick and fast. What do India do? Call Siraj, maybe?He used a high-paced bumper to have Phillips caught on the pull before hitting the hard length again to have James Neesham top-edge a cross-batted heave. He then took pace off his short ball to have Mitchell Santner slice one to covers. He gave away just two fours in his spell – one of which was via Phillips’ outside edge after he was beaten for pace.That was not all. In the penultimate over, Siraj was stationed at backward point and he nailed a direct hit at the bowler’s end to run Adam Milne out. He truly had a field day.Arshdeep puts his hand up, again
After conceding just one and dismissing Allen in his opening over, Arshdeep was carted for 19 in his next. Conway and Daryl Mitchell struck a four apiece in his third over, the first at the death (overs 16 to 20). But with a clever change of pace, he had Conway hole out to deep midwicket for 59.In his next over, he cranked up the pace to take Mitchell, who gloved an attempted pull, by surprise. Arshdeep then resorted to his favoured weapon at the death, the yorker, to castle Ish Sodhi, who was on the back foot anticipating a bouncer.“SKY” Pandya to the rescue
India’s chase began with Ishan Kishan slapping Tim Southee, who stood in for Kane Williamson, over point in the opening over. He then pulled a short ball from Adam Milne before Chapman caught him out on the edge of the deep-midwicket boundary. Rishabh Pant then struck a couple of fours before he was dismissed by Southee.When Southee bounced Shreyas Iyer out first ball, India were 3 for 21 inside three overs and in tatters.But Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya continued to attack their way out of trouble. They added 39 inside four overs to bring India back into the contest. Pandya opened the six count for India with a disdainful pull before Suryakumar played an extended extra-cover drive to emulate the result.However, the introduction of spin saw India slow down, with Sodhi managing to prise Suryakumar out. Hooda and Pandya then played out a couple of overs before the match was called off.

تحددت مواعيد مباريات منتخب مصر للشباب تحت 20 عامًا في بطولة كأس العالم للشباب 2025 المقامة في تشيلي، في الفترة مابين 27 سبتمبر إلى 19 أكتوبر 2025.

وأقيمت قرعة البطولة في الساعات الأولى من اليوم الجمعة، في العاصمة التشيلية سانتياجو والتي أسفرت عن تواجد الفراعنة في المجموعة الأولى والتي تضم صاحب الأرض تشيلي ونيوزيلندا واليابان.

طالع.. خاص | تحديد موقف منتخب مصر للشباب من المشاركة في بطولة خوفو الدولية ,نجح منتخب مصر للشباب في حجز مقعده في بطولة كأس العالم تحت 20 عامًا، بعد أن احتل المركز الرابع في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للشباب، التي استضافتها مصر مؤخرًا. وجاء تأهل “الفراعنة الصغار” عقب خسارتهم أمام منتخب نيجيريا بركلات الترجيح في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع.

ويتولى قيادة منتخب مصر للشباب جهاز فني بقيادة أسامة نبيه مديرًا فنيًا، ويعاونه كل من علاء عبده مدربًا عامًا، ومحمد عمر النور مدربًا مساعدًا، إلى جانب أيمن طاهر مدربًا لحراس المرمى. مواعيد مباريات منتخب مصر للشباب

– مصر ضد اليابان الجولة الأولى الساعة 1 صباحًا بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية يوم 28 سبتمبر.

– مصر ضد نيوزيلندا الجولثة الثانية الساعة 1 صباحًا بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية يوم 1 أكتوبر.

– مصر ضد تشيلي الجولة الثالثة الساعة 4 فجرًا بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية يوم 4 أكتوبر.

Three ODIs in Antigua to be followed by five T20Is in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2022

England are without a win in the ICC Women’s Championship after a 3-0 loss to India•ECB via Getty Images

England’s women will play three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies in Antigua and Barbados in December.The ODIs in Antigua will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship, in which England are yet to get off the mark following their 3-0 defeat by India in September.The Tour runs from December 4 to 22, which means it will be concurrent to the men’s Test tour of Pakistan, which gets underway in Rawalpindi on December 1, with the third Test in Karachi ending on December 21.England are likely to be able to call upon the services of Nat Sciver, who withdrew from the India series for a mental-health break in the summer, while their captain Heather Knight is also hopeful of being fit after undergoing hip surgery during the summer.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We’re happy to be able to release the schedule for the tour of the West Indies,” Jonathan Finch, director of England Women’s cricket, said.”It’s always a great place to visit and with a new head coach soon to come on board it’s the beginning of a new cycle for this team.”The West Indies series sees our first overseas round of the ICC Women’s Championship and it’s key we get some points on the board. The tour also plays an important role in preparing for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup early next year.”

It is fair to say that the season has not gone to plan for Glasgow Rangers so far as they are facing an uphill battle in their pursuit of silverware.

The Light Blues are already 13 points behind Glasgow rivals Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership title, which makes it seem unlikely that they will avoid missing out on the top-flight trophy for the fourth year in succession.

Philippe Clement’s men did have a big chance to lift a piece of silverware in December after they took the Hoops to penalties in the final of the SFA Cup, but they just fell short.

The Gers did not use the January transfer window, however, to massively bolster their chances of success in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Nils Koppen brought in central defender Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille to provide back-up to the likes of Robin Propper, John Souttar, and Clinton Nsiala, and that was the only immediate addition of the window.

The Ibrox giants did, however, announce that they have secured a pre-contract agreement with Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron, who is now set to move to the club in the summer.

Why Lyall Cameron could be a good signing

It was recently reported that the Light Blues may have to pay a compensation fee of around £400k, as the 22-year-old came up through the ranks at Dundee, despite him being out of contract at the end of the season.

This means that Rangers are set to sign the Premiership talent for a bargain fee, particularly when you consider his impressive performances in the division this season.

The Scotland U21 international provided a timely reminder of his quality in the SFA Cup on Saturday, as the midfield whiz scored two goals and provided one assist in a 4-0 win over Airdrieonians for Dundee.

Cameron has, now, racked up a return of ten goals and eight assists in 31 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish side, typically deployed as a central midfielder, but he has also been utilised in a number ten position.

Appearances

23

Goals

5

Big chances created

4

Assists

4

Key passes per game

1.6

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old dynamo has proven his quality at the top end of the pitch in the Premiership, with nine direct goal contributions in 23 outings.

This form comes after the Dundee academy graduate scored five goals in 32 appearances in the top-flight during the 2023/24 campaign, which came after a return of seven goals in 25 Championship matches for Montrose on loan in the previous season.

Wage Burners

Cameron could come in to provide an attacking threat from midfield, whilst being a relatively cheap option, which is why this could be an excellent piece of business for the club.

The Dundee youngster is reportedly on £340-per-week, per Salary Sport, and that could soar significantly upon his deal at Rangers coming into effect, particularly when you consider the wage bill at Ibrox.

What Rangers' wage bill looks like after signing Cameron

No regular first-team member at Rangers earns less than £1.4k-per-week, per Salary Sport, and this suggests that Cameron is in line for a big wage increase next season, assuming that they put him in line with a first-team wage at Ibrox.

In fact, the highest earner at the club earns almost 100 times more per week than the Dundee youngster, as club captain James Tavernier is reportedly on £30k-per-week.

James Tavernier

£30k

Cyriel Dessers

£27k

Danilo

£26k

Jack Butland

£25k

Dujon Sterling

£22k

Tom Lawrence

£22k

Ianis Hagi

£21k

Nicolas Raskin

£19k

Mohamed Diomande

£12k

Nedim Bajrami

£12k

As you can see in the table above, there are some significant earners within the Gers squad and some of them have not offered enough back on the pitch in return.

The high earner who must leave Rangers after Cameron move

Tom Lawrence is one player whose future at Ibrox should be in doubt after the arrival of Cameron, as his contract is up at the end of the season and he is on a huge £22k-per-week.

To put it simply, the Wales international has been too inconsistent with both his availability and his performance levels on the pitch to justify a contract extension.

Cameron, on £340-per-week, has only missed four squads through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, and has contributed with 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions in that time.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has missed out on 47 matchday squads since the start of last season, and contributed with eight goals and five assists for the Scottish giants in all competitions.

The 31-year-old flop joined the club from Derby County in the summer of 2022 and has only made 57 first-team appearances in more than two-and-a-half years at Ibrox to date.

Rangers are not getting enough back from him, in performances or availability, to justify his wages beyond his current contract, particularly when you consider how well Raskin, who earns less than Lawrence, has performed in midfield this season.

Appearances

21

9

Goals

0

3

Assists

4

2

Duels won per game

6.4

3.3

Duel success rate

61%

36%

As you can see in the table above, the Belgian dynamo has been available week-in-week-out for the Gers and has contributed with quality at both ends of the pitch, unlike the Welshman.

This suggests that Rangers are not getting value for money out of Lawrence’s contract, as a player earning less than him is contributing far more, and the signing of Cameron will provide Clement and Koppen with a chance to finally ditch the former Rams star.

£6.6m wasted: Koppen must sell Rangers loanee who earns more than Hagi

Rangers must finally sell a player who earns more than Ianis Hagi.

ByRoss Kilvington Feb 7, 2025

When the Dundee man’s move to Ibrox is officially complete, Rangers will have the options in central and attacking midfield to finally part ways with the flop, shaving a big chunk off the wage bill in the process.

The January transfer window can be a notoriously difficult time to get deals done but Celtic have done well in recent years to extract value out of the winter market.

It is harder to get transfers over the line midway through the season because you are, typically, trying to sign quality players and their current clubs may not be keen to cash in on one of their stars midway through a campaign, damaging their team ahead of the second half of the season.

However, the Hoops hit the jackpot in January of last year when they swooped to sign German forward Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna for a reported fee of £3m.

The left-footed winger has racked up 21 goals, including two goals against RB Leipzig in the Champions League this season, and 15 assists in 57 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops to date.

Kuhn has provided a regular threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the right flank for Brendan Rodgers, but he was not the only arrival in that January window who went on to become a success at Parkhead.

The Scottish giants also wanted to bolster their centre-forward options ahead of the second half of the 2023/24 campaign and swooped to sign Adam Idah on loan from Norwich City.

Adam Idah's impressive loan spell

The Ireland international, who came up through the academy system at Carrow Road, had scored six goals in 28 appearances in the Championship for the Canaries in the first half of that season, which was far from an exceptional return.

This was not a case of Celtic going out and pinching a team’s best player for big money. Idah found himself behind the likes of Josh Sargent, Ashley Barnes, and Hwang Ui-jo under David Wagner, which presented the Hoops with an opportunity to sign him on an initial loan deal.

The 6 foot 3 marksman did not need any time to settle into life in Glasgow, though, as he recorded an assist off the bench on his debut against Aberdeen and scored twice, both from the penalty spot, against Hibernian on his full debut in the next match.

He had to compete for a place in the starting line-up with Kyogo Furuhashi, however, and that meant that he was often on the bench in reserve, whilst the Japanese forward started.

Appearances (starts)

15 (5)

Goals

8

Conversion rate

27%

Goals per 90

1.2

Big chances missed per 90

0.5

Assists

2

As you can see in the table above, Idah provided a huge threat in front of goal in spite of his limited game time, averaging 1.2 goals per 90 minutes in the Scottish Premiership.

The crowning moment of his loan spell at Celtic, however, came in his final appearance of the season with the winner against Rangers at Hampden Park in the last minute of the SFA Cup final.

The Hoops did not have an option to sign him permanently, as part of their original loan agreement, and that meant that they had to pursue him in the summer window.

Celtic's deal to sign Adam Idah

Idah returned to Norfolk for pre-season last summer and had a new head coach to impress in Johannes Hoff Thorup, who had replaced Wagner at Norwich, and that may have caused some concern in Celtic circles as it represented a potential chance of a resurgence for the Irishman at the English side.

However, despite the striker featuring in pre-season and in Norwich’s opening day clash with Oxford United, the Hoops continued to pursue a deal for him.

Celtic had a bid of £4m rejected by the Canaries in July and made another offer of £6m in August, which was not enough to strike a deal but did allow them to continue negotiations.

Chalkboard

Eventually, on the 14th of August, the Premiership champions reached an agreement with Norwich to sign Idah for an initial fee of £8.5m, rising to £9.5m with add-ons.

The 24-year-old striker has scored 13 goals in all competitions for the club this season, and he will hopefully go on to enjoy a long and successful career with the Bhoys.

Rodgers made more moves in the most recent January transfer window and may have unearthed his next Idah by signing Jeffrey Schlupp on loan from Crystal Palace.

Why Schlupp could be the next Idah

The Hoops needed to add a left-back to their squad ahead of the second half of the season after Barcelona recalled young defender Alex Valle from his loan spell in order to send him to Como in Italy.

Greg Taylor was the only senior left-back option in the squad after Valle’s departure from Parkhead, and Rodgers reacted to that by swooping to sign Schlupp on loan until the end of the season.

The versatile star, who can also play in midfield or on the wing, arrived as a vastly experienced option for the manager to call upon, as he has played 280 Premier League matches in his career – winning the title with Leicester City.

Schlupp, who Rodgers claimed has “incredible pace”, has only played seven matches for the Scottish giants so far but has already shown enough to suggest that the club should attempt to sign him permanently in the summer.

The Ghana international has won 58% of his duels across four appearances in the Premiership, however, his most impressive display came against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Minutes

90

Clearances

9

Tackles + interceptions

11

Blocks

1

Duels won

8/10

Dribbled past

1x

As you can see in the table above, Schlupp was a defensive force against the German giants in the 1-1 draw in Bavaria, as he kept former teammate Michael Olise relatively quiet.

Olise won five of his seven ground duels and scored a goal up against Taylor in the first leg, before losing seven of his 12 ground duels and failing to provide a goal or an assist against Schlupp in the second leg.

The veteran defender, therefore, outperformed Taylor on the biggest stage and his impressive early performances could convince Rodgers to sign him permanently, particularly given that his contract at Palace expires in the summer.

Schlupp could be the next Idah to impress on loan as a January addition before signing permanently in the summer, although Celtic could land him on a free transfer instead of having to prolong a multi-million-pound pursuit of him as they did with the striker.

Celtic must sell Hoops flop who Rodgers thought would have a "big impact"

The Celtic midfielder has failed to live up to expectations at Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Feb 26, 2025

Kieran Tierney is due to join on a free transfer in the summer, but, with Taylor also out of contract, Schlupp could sign permanently to provide quality back-up to the Scotland international.

After over a month of rumours and speculation, Arsenal ended the transfer window with a grand total of zero first team signings.

Mikel Arteta’s squad are still just about in the Premier League title race, are flying in the Champions League and have the slimmest of chances to overturn their two-goal deficit in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, but with no new addition to their thread-bare attack, the chance of any silverware feels distant.

Perhaps the disappointment stems from the fact that the North Londoners were linked to a plethora of tremendous attackers, from RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko to Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, only to end up with nothing.

At the same time, fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur secured the services of the incredibly exciting Mathys Tel, who was also linked with the Gunners, on a short-term loan with an option to buy at £45m.

However, while the Frenchman would have been a brilliant addition to the squad, Arteta already has a winger worth millions upon millions more who could still have a significant impact on the team’s fortunes.

Why Arsenal would have wanted Tel

So, while we now know that Tel ended up joining the white side of North London, why would Arsenal have considered signing him before that happened?

Well, you only have to look at his record from last season to see why, as in the relatively small amount of minutes he was given, he made quite an impact.

For example, in 41 appearances, totalling 1406 minutes, the 19-year-old phenomenon racked up a seriously impressive tally of ten goals and six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.56 games, or every 87.87 minutes.

Tel’s 23/24
Appearances	41
Starts	10
Minutes	1406′
Goals	10
Assists	6
Goal Involvements per Match	0.39
Minutes per Goal Involvement	87.87′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, on top of scoring and assisting goals for fun, the Sarcelles-born dynamo is positionally versatile, and while he can play across the front three, he excels off the left and down the middle.

However, he has not played much at all this season, and in the 14 appearances he has made, which amounts to 458 minutes, he’s provided just one assist, which points to him still being quite raw.

So, when you take that into account, it does make a little more sense why Arsenal were unwilling to take him at present when they need players who can make a guaranteed impact, especially when they should be getting one of their own superstars back next month who can do just that and is worth millions more.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Tel

So, to get straight to the point, the Arsenal star we are talking about is, unsurprisingly, Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End graduate has developed into the club’s talisman over the last few years and, according to the CIES Football Observatory, is currently worth up to a staggering €157m, which is about £131m, or at least £86m more than Spurs may end up paying for Tel.

In even better news, he could be back on the pitch at some point next month.

Now, it’s often challenging to justify the extravagant valuations of players, but in this case, it’s really not, as over the last few seasons, the homegrown superstar has reached a level many argue is world-class.

For example, last season, the “incredible” winger, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 20 goals and provided 14 assists in just 47 appearances, totalling 3865 minutes, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.38 games, or every 113.67 minutes across an entire campaign.

Somehow, prior to his injury, the 23-year-old monster was on track to do even better this season, racking up a sensational tally of nine goals and 13 assists in just 24 appearances, totalling 1828 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.09 games, or every 83.09 minutes.

When you add to that the fact he’s won back-to-back Player of the Year Awards for England while racking up a haul of 12 goals and seven assists in 43 games, it becomes hard to deny that he is more than worth his lofty valuation.

Saka’s senior record
Team	Arsenal	England
Appearances	250	43
Goals	67	12
Assists	63	7
Goal Involvements per Match	0.52	0.44
All Stats via Transfermakrt

Ultimately, Arsenal fans might be understandably annoyed at missing out on Tel to Spurs, but once Saka comes back into the side next month, the world will be watching the latter, not the former.

Arsenal must rue selling incredible star who's outscoring Havertz & Watkins

The free-scoring forward would be perfect for Arsenal at the moment.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 4, 2025

Without Luis Suarez, the Herons were smacked around the field by the Loons in a battle between two of MLS' best to start 2025

Inter Miami's defense capitulated, conceding two goals in each half, as fell to Minnesota United 4-1 on the road in a battle of two MLS's best teams this season.

Luis Suarez was not available for selection due to "personal reasons," and Miami couldn't find any rhythm going forward without one of their leaders on attack.

Lionel Messi did find the back of the net, with the reigning MLS MVP bringing within a goal early in the second half after MNUFC went into the break with a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Anthony Markanich and Bongokuhle Hlongwane. However, a 68th-minute own-goal from defender Marcelo Weigandt ultimately doomed Miami, ending its momentum.

Finland international Robin Lod scored Minnesota's fourth – a blistering strike – to put the cherry on top just two minutes later.

Manager Javier Mascherano made four changes in the second half to try and turn their fortunes around, but the were completely outplayed throughout the 90 minutes and left with zero ideas on the pitch.

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It was another concerning result for Miami as it continues its poor run of form, losing its fourth match in its last five in all competitions. This is also the largest margin of defeat for the club since Messi's arrival in 2023. Prior to Saturday's three-goal defeat, Messi and Co. had only suffered one two-goal defeat, it's 3-1 home loss to Atlanta United in May 2024.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Allianz Field…

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Oscar Ustari (5/10):

There really wasn't much he could do. His defense let him down on the first two, Weigandt scored an own-goal on the third and Robin Lod just hit a brilliant strike for the fourth. Not his day.

Jordi Alba (3/10):

Completely torn apart on MNUFC's opener. Perhaps his worst showing of 2025.

Noah Allen (5/10):

Some positive moments, but just outplayed by counter-attack.

Gonzalo Lujan (4/10):

Could not handle Tani Oluwaseyi all evening. Really struggled defensively.

Marcelo Weigandt (3/10):

Just a rough performance. Was beaten around defensively, and scored an own-goal that was one to forget for 'Chelo.'

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Yannick Bright (5/10):

Much better second half in a double pivot alongside Busquets after Redondo was removed, but again – much like his teammates – just could not progress the ball forward.

Federico Redondo (3/10):

Subbed off at halftime after an underwhelming midfield showing. Looked a bit lost in a midfield three.

Sergio Busquets (6/10):

Played a destroyer role well and broke midfield down throughout the game. But those around him let him down.

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Benjamin Cremaschi (5/10):

Played out of position in the first half, and was moved centrally in the second half – but it didn't help. Just couldn't progress the ball.

Lionel Messi (6/10):

Great finish for their opener, but failed to lift those around him – a crucial part of why he is in the team. Just not enough.

Telasaco Segovia (4/10):

Struggled most of the match to make an attacking impact. Not a great performance by any means.

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Allen Obando (5/10):

Instant impact as he drew defenders away on Messi's goal, but struggled to find space after. Not a terrible performance, but not his best.

Ian Fray (N/A):

Should have started over Weigandt. Solid to close the game out.

Tomas Aviles (N/A):

Subbed on with 14 minutes to spare.

Leo Afonso (N/A):

Brought on the same time as Aviles. Close out the match.

Javier Mascherano (3/10):

Just completely got the team selection wrong. Without a striker, Messi wasn't allowed any freedom in the first half, and their midfield was overloaded to the point where forward progression was halted due to congestion in their own passing lanes. The choice to start Weigandt, not select Falcon, and leave Obando on the bench from the start will leave a lot of Miami fans scratching their heads.

Outcoached, outplayed, outsmarted. Mascherano should start to feel some heat.