أعلن نادي فياريال الإسباني تكريم لاعبه السابق خلال مواجهة الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويواجه مانشستر سيتي نظيره فياريال مساء اليوم، الثلاثاء، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة.
ويستضيف ملعب “لا سيراميكا” مباراة فريقي مانشستر سيتي وفياريال، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويمتلك مانشستر سيتي 4 نقاط في الوقت الحالي، حيث فاز في الجولة الأولى على نابولي بهدفين دون رد، بينما سقط في فخ التعادل مع موناكو بهدفين لمثليهما.
اقرأ أيضًا | المرشحون لجائزة أفضل لاعب في الجولة الثامنة بـ الدوري الإنجليزي
وشهدت قائمة مانشستر سيتي المستدعاة لخوض مباراة فياريال مساء اليوم وجود النجم المصري عمر مرموش بعدما تعافى مؤخرًا من الإصابة.
وأعلن نادي فياريال أنه سيقوم بتكريم لاعبه السابق رودري، نجم خط وسط مانشستر سيتي قبل اللقاء بـ 10 دقائق إذ سيقوم الجمهور بإلقاء التحية للاعب الفريق السابق الذي حقق نجاحًا استثنائيًا خلال مسيرته.
وبالإضافة إلى التكريم على أرض الملعب، النادي الإسباني سيضيف اسم اللاعب المتوج بالكرة الذهبية على ممر “باسيج جروس” في ملعب لا سيراميكا، وهو ممشى المشاهير للنادي الذي يكرم الشخصيات التي صنعت تاريخ “الغواصات الصفراء”.
WA, currently bottom of the Shield table, gave themselves a chance of a vital win
AAP18-Feb-2025
Corey Rocchiccioli took a career-best 7 for 52•Getty Images
Spinner Corey Rocchiccioli bagged his best first-class figures as Western Australia dominated Queensland on day one of their Sheffield Shield game.Rocchiccioli snared 7 for 52 as Queensland were bowled out for 147 at the Gabba in Brisbane. WA cruised to 112 for 1 in reply, with Sam Whiteman making 67.Related
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WA (24.91 points) are in last place, with Queensland (27.75) third on a table topped by South Australia (36.93). But with three games including this fixture remaining, Rocchiccioli’s feats have given WA a superb opportunity to jump up the ladder.The 27-year-old had never previously taken five wickets in a first-class innings but spun his way to a career-best day. He captured seven of the last nine wickets to fall as the Queensland batsmen struggled.Ben McDermott top-scored with 37 from 112 balls. Next best were No.10 Mitchell Swepson (20 not out) and No. 8 Xavier Bartlett (20).Matthew Renshaw, Jimmy Peirson and Michael Neser were among those to fall cheaply against Rocchiccioli and paceman Cameron Gannon.Neser fell to a superb one-handed catch from Rocchiccioli, diving to his right from his own bowling. He also took a smart, diving return catch to dismiss Renshaw.WA’s openers Whiteman and Sam Fanning then cashed in for the visitors with their unbroken partnership. Whiteman set an aggressive tone, smacking seven fours and three sixes in his 88-ball innings before being bowled by Tom Whitney about 25 minutes before stumps. Fanning was more circumspect, striking two fours from his 107 deliveries.
It may seem crazy at this early stage of the season, but it would appear as though Russell Martin’s days at Rangers are numbered.
On Sunday, the first Old Firm of the season took place and to say it wasn’t a classic would be a contender for understatement of the century; it finished goalless, with Rangers’ xG 0.16 to the opposition’s 0.17.
After both Glasgow giants were ignominiously dumped out of Champions League qualifying during the week, neither are at the peak of their powers just now, but the crisis in Govan is certainly the more alarming of the two, so could this result in the shortest managerial tenure in the club’s 153-year history?
Russell Martin a man under pressure
Not including caretakers, Pedro Caixinha holds the record for the shortest tenure of any permanent Rangers manager, overseeing 26 matches in 2017, infamously knocked out of Europa League qualifying by Luxembourgish minnows Progrès Niederkorn.
Manager Focus
However, this record could be smashed in the coming weeks, with Martin having taken charge of just 11 fixtures to date; his 26th would come on 27 November against Braga, but many are forecasting that he’ll be long gone before then.
Sunday’s goalless stalemate with Celtic means Rangers have now drawn all four Premiership matches so far, previously held by Motherwell, Dundee and St Mirren, making this their worst start to a season since 1983, going on to finish all the way down in fourth back then.
Meantime, while they did enjoy impressive victories over Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzeň, Rangers’ Champions League dreams were crushed by Club Brugge in the play-off round, steamrollered 9-1 on aggregate, their biggest two-legged European defeat for 65 years.
Following last Wednesday’s 6-0 annihilation at Jan Breydelstadion, speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Ewan Murray believes that never before has there been a managerial appointment so instantaneously “doomed” as Martin at Rangers, adding that supporters didn’t want him in the first place, and the atmosphere has truly turned toxic following “horrendous” results and performances.
So, with games against Hearts, Hibs and then Genk to come after the international break, the new ownership group 49ers Enterprises have to be considering other managerial candidates, despite publicly backing Martin, so should a “serial winner” be very much at the top of their list?
Rangers' dream Russell Martin successor
In shock news last Friday, it was announced that Fenerbahçe had sacked José Mourinho, following their own elimination in the Champions League play-offs, defeated at Estádio da Luz on Wednesday, thereby ousted 1-0 aggregate by Benfica.
The İstanbul-based giants still have not qualified for the Champions League group stages since 2008, their most recent Turkish Süper Lig title coming in 2014, appointing Mourinho to change both of these facts, but he ultimately achieved neither during 14 months in the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium dugout.
In fairness, this has proved a salient strategy for numerous clubs in the past.
Before Mourinho, Porto hadn’t won the Champions League for 17 years, Chelsea hadn’t won the Premier League for 50 years, Inter hadn’t been European champions for 45 years and Roma hadn’t won a continental title for 62 years.
Well, given Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football recently, Rangers appears to be the perfect next destination for Mourinho, given his cult of personality, with reports late last week suggesting that the Gers could be set to open talks with the veteran coach.
For context, not only have the Hoops won 13 of the last 14 Premiership titles, since 2011/12, Celtic have picked up 28 major honours, during which time Rangers have won three, the same number as St Johnstone.
Well, speaking on BT Sport following Roma’s Conference League triumph over Feyenoord, Owen Hargreaves labelled Mourinho a “serial winner”, adding “football is about winning” and that is why he has brought Rome to life, so could the Special One do something similar on Glasgow’s south side?
Well, when 49ers Enterprises took a majority stake in Rangers earlier this summer, many were expecting them to target a big name; Martin doesn’t really fit that billing, does he?
Also, ahead of Fenerbahçe’s Europa League round of 16 tie at Ibrox in March, Mourinho intimated that he would like to manage one of Glasgow’s big two in the future.
When asked, he stated “why not in the future?”, adding that the Scottish league is a “league of passion…. which is everything”, and that he only wants to work at a club with “big fan bases, big emotions, big responsibilities and big expectations”.
So, could the recently out-of-work 62-year-old soon be unveiled in Glasgow?
Should this happen, it would, without doubt, be the most excited the Rangers support have been about a new manager since Steven Gerrard arrived seven years ago.
Back in 2018, thousands of supporters descended on Ibrox just to welcome the rookie manager, who would eventually deliver the Premiership title in his third season.
None of his successors, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale nor Philippe Clement, have been able to repeat this feat, but Mourinho-mania would go through the roof in Glasgow, and he wins wherever he goes, except Tottenham, so why not Rangers?
Martin cost Rangers the win by playing star who was worse than Aasgaard
Russell Martin may look back on this tactical decision with regret after his underwhelming display.
Celtic are back in action once again this evening as they prepare to welcome Falkirk to Parkhead in their first League Cup match of the season.
The Hoops won the competition in the 2024/25 campaign, beating Rangers on penalties in the final, and they will be hoping to lift it again this year under Brendan Rodgers.
They must first get past Falkirk, who have conceded five goals in their first two matches back in the Scottish Premiership, and it will be interesting to see what route the manager goes down with his team selection.
Rodgers could see this as an opportunity to provide the fringe players with chances to impress him, or he could go with his preferred line-up to give them the best chance of winning the game.
The Northern Irish head coach should hand minutes to one of his other options in the centre-forward position, though, as Shin Yamada and Johnny Kenny are both waiting in the wings behind Adam Idah.
Celtic’s number nine has started the season as the first-choice striker for Rodgers, but has yet to prove that he has what it takes to be the main man for the team moving forward.
Why Adam Idah should be on the bench
Idah did not do enough in the games against St Mirren and Aberdeen to suggest that he is going to be a ruthless and clinical goalscorer in the centre-forward position for the Hoops this term.
Whilst it is still very early in the season, the former Norwich City marksman’s statistics in the graphic above illustrate just how poorly he played on the opening day, missing three ‘big chances’ in the scrappy 1-0 win over St Mirren.
The 6 foot 3 attacker’s output for the Scottish giants in the 2024/25 campaign also does not suggest that he is suited to starting week-in-week-out in the Premiership, as he was more productive when coming off the bench against tired defenders to make an impact.
Appearances
19
16
Minutes
1,352
357
Goals
6
7
Minutes per goal
225
51
Assists
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Idah was far more effective as a substitute in the Premiership last season, scoring more goals in roughly 1,000 fewer minutes on the pitch.
These statistics suggest that the Irishman is at his best when he is coming off the bench to use his physicality – strength and speed – to take advantage of tiring defences to score goals for the Hoops.
This means that the Hoops need to find a player, before the end of the summer transfer window, to allow Idah to drop down to the bench to play that role.
However, it does not have to be a centre-forward because Daizen Maeda scored 14 goals in 11 matches as a striker, per Transfermarkt, for Celtic last season and could play that role.
Celtic make contact to sign new winger
According to Africa Foot, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Al Jazira wide attacker Oumar Traore before the summer transfer window slams shut.
The report claims that the Scottish giants have already made contact with the UAE outfit to discuss a potential move for the Mali international in the coming weeks.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
It adds that negotiations are well underway between Celtic and Al Jazira over a deal for the 23-year-old forward, as they remain locked in talks to reach an agreement for his services.
Africa Foot also reveals that it will take an offer of around €3m (£2.6m) to convince his club to part ways with him, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops are prepared to pay that asking price.
The outlet claims that Traore is expected to complete a transfer to a team in Europe before the end of the summer transfer window, and Celtic are seemingly hoping that they will be the club to snap him up.
Why Celtic should sign Oumar Traore
The Premiership champions should push to get a deal over the line for Traore, if he is the winger they want to sign as this report suggests, because he could allow Rodgers to bench Idah.
He is a versatile winger who can play on either the left or the right flank, having played over 30 matches on both sides of the pitch, as per Transfermarkt, and this could make him a very useful player for the manager to call upon.
If Rodgers decides to use him as a left winger, Maeda would then be free to play through the middle, where he had success last term, and that would allow Idah to move to the bench to come on as a super sub.
Of course, Traore still needs to have the quality to be an effective operator in his own position to make this transfer make sense, though, as the Hoops could otherwise put any player out on the left to facilitate this move.
Starts
17
8
Goals
5
3
Conversion rate
12%
19%
Big chances created
5
2
Assists
4
2
Completed dribbles
33
8
As you can see in the table above, the Mali international has scored eight goals and created seven ‘big chances’ in his last 25 league starts for his club, which suggests that he can provide a fairly regular threat in front of goal as both a scorer and a creator.
Traore has delivered 24 goals and 19 assists in 140 matches for Al Jazira in all competitions during his career to date, as per Transfermarkt, and still has plenty of time left ahead of him, at the age of 23, to develop and improve his output at the top end of the pitch.
Celtic manager BrendanRodgersbefore the match
These statistics suggest that he carries enough of a threat in the final third already, if he can translate it over to Scottish football, to allow Maeda to move centrally, where he thrived last season.
This is why the signing of Traore could directly lead to Idah being dropped down to the bench, where he is at his best, despite the Mali international not being a natural centre-forward to replace the striker.
Celtic make offer to sign attacker compared to Jota as Hoops receive reply
The first of Rodgers’ three potential new signings has been identified.
توج نادي بيراميدز، ببطولة كأس القارات الثلاثة بالإضافة إلى تأهله إلى نصف نهائي بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال، بالفوز على الأهلي السعودي 3-1، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الثلاثاء.
والتقى فريقا بيراميدز والأهلي السعودي، في إطار مواجهات دور ربع النهائي من مباريات بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال 2025، على ملعب الجوهرة بالسعودية، للمنافسة على لقب كأس القارات الثلاثة (كأس أفريقيا آسيا المحيط الهادي).
وتقدم نادي بيراميدز، عن طريق المهاجم فيستون مايلي، في الدقيقة 21، من تسديدة قوية من على حدود منطقة الـ18، بعد تمريرة رائعة من بلاتي توريه.
ثم تعادل النادي الأهلي السعودي، عن طريق مهاجمه الإنجليزي إيفان توني من ركلة جزاء نجح في تنفذها، عند الدقيقة 45 من نهاية الشوط الأول.
طالع | موعد مباراة بيراميدز القادمة في كأس إنتركونتيننتال بعد الفوز على الأهلي السعودي
وفي الشوط الثاني، نجح اللاعب الكونغولي فيستون مايلي، من تسجيل هدفين متتاليين، في الدقيقتين 71 و 75 على الترتيب، ليمنح فريق بيراميدز الفوز عن جدارة واستحاق. أهداف مباراة بيراميدز والأهلي السعودي في كأس إنتركونتيننتال
ويشارك بيراميدز في بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، للمرة الأولى في تاريخه، بعد التتويج ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا الموسم الماضي.
وكان بيراميدز، قد خاض مباراة في الدور التمهيدي من بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال أمام أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي، حقق الفوز بنتجة 3-0، في المباراة التي أقيمت بالقاهرة.
ومن المقرر أن يستكمل بيراميدز، مباراته في بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، بخوض مواجهة نصف النهائي مع الفائز من ديربي الأمريكتين، ذلك يوم 13 ديسمبر المقبل.
وستقام مباراة ديربي الأمريكتين بين كروز أزول المكسيكي (بطل الكونكاكاف) أمام بطل قارة أمريكا الجنوبية (لم يتحدد بعد)، يوم 10 ديسمبر.
يذكر، أن في حالة تخطي بيراميدز دور نصف النهائي، سيواجه باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي (بطل دوري أبطال أوروبا) يوم 17 ديسمبر.
Tottenham have their eyes on other transfer targets, amid their ongoing legal dispute over Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White.
Talks ongoing: Tottenham in contact to sign £70m Premier League "superstar"
Spurs are in talks to sign a forward, who is now keen to leave his current club this summer.
1 ByDominic Lund Jul 21, 2025
According to Fabrizio Romano, a lot of Spurs’ focus right now is on finalising the deal for Gibbs-White, despite Forest placing many hurdles for chairman Daniel Levy to leapfrog in pursuit of his signature.
The Lilywhites and Gibbs-White’s agent have been threatened with action in a letter written by Forest (Sky Sports), as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are unhappy with the manner they obtained information about Gibbs-White’s £60 million release clause.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
Forest also accused Tottenham of effectively ‘tapping up’ the 25-year-old (Ben Jacobs), and if they’re found guilty of these alleged offences, talkSPORT recently suggested that Spurs face a fine or even a transfer ban.
Forest even adopted a ‘not for sale’ stance recently, but despite all of this, Tottenham remain hopeful they can sign Gibbs-White and make the England international their fourth signing of the summer after Kota Takai, Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel.
Terms won’t be an issue, as the former Wolves star was even scheduled to have a medical at Hotspur Way on July 11 before Forest blocked the move.
It is simply a case of waiting for Forest to step aside before Tottenham can complete this move, but they could end up having to pay an even higher transfer fee above the original £60 million as compensation (Stefan Borson).
In the meantime, away from Gibbs-White, there are suggestions that Spurs want to sign another centre-back this summer, but it is unclear whether that ties into Cristian Romero’s uncertain long-term future (Matt Law).
Tottenham are also targeting a new number six, with Yves Bissouma’s exit rumoured as a likely possibility before deadline day.
Bayern Munich tell Joao Palhinha he can leave after Tottenham talks
GiveMeSport reported earlier this week that Tottenham recently held discussions with Bayern Munich over signing Joao Palhinha, where they were told he’ll be allowed to leave on a permanent deal.
TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey now have more information on the 30-year-old’s potential switch to N17.
It is believed that Bayern have made it “clear” to Palhinha he can leave this summer, having endured an unfortunate debut campaign at the Allianz Arena last season, and Vincent Kompany’s side want around £30 million to green-light his exit.
This comes after Tottenham also held talks with Palhinha via his representatives, which was relayed in this latest update from TBR Football, but Thomas Frank’s side are currently £10 million off their asking price.
Spurs want to get a deal for Palhinha done at £20 million, so there is still plenty of work to be done here, but the experienced ex-Premier League midfielder could be worth a solid effort.
“Joao is a tackling machine,” said former Fulham teammate Harrison Reed to Sky Sports.
“My job is to get pressure on the ball. It is about complementing his style and forcing the ball into areas where we can win it. My tackle numbers are not very high but in terms of pressuring the ball that is where I affect the game more.”
England Under-19s suffer collapse before Shanmuganathan fifty buoys tourists in second dig
ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2024England Men Under-19s will head to Chelmsford for a series decider after the first Youth Test against Sri Lanka Under-19s ended in a rain-affected draw.Any hopes of a result had been dulled when the second day was completely washed out, after which the tourists controlled the contest to earn a deserved 77-run first-innings lead. Sri Lanka U19s then batted out the remainder of the match to be 192 for 4 when stumps was called at 5.30pm.Skipper Dinura Kalupahana’s century was followed by Praveen Maneesha’s 6 for 56 as the legspinner claimed five of the six Young Lions wickets to fall on the final day.England U19s were bowled out for 247 but will take positives ahead of next week’s second Youth Test in the form of Freddie McCann’s 92 at the top of the order while Lancashire’s Keshana Fonseka also fell just short of a century when he was caught driving at Sheshane Marasinghe on 86. The pair had put on 160 for the second wicket yesterday.Surrey Academy paceman Alex French picked up four wickets in the first innings too – when England had reduced Sri Lanka to 37 for 4 – but they were unable to assert that early authority as Kalupahana’s classy century shifted the momentum.Three late wickets last night meant the Young Lions started the day needing to reassert themselves, but instead they lost 6 for 54 with Maneesha’s skiddy legspin doing the majority of the damage.Rocky Flintoff added one to his overnight score when he was caught by Nathan Caldera before Maneesha had Jack Carney trapped lbw pushing forward.Fonseka had been untroubled as he struck 13 boundaries in his 149-ball stay but, like a number of batters yesterday on a slowing pitch, he pushed a drive into the infield and was caught by Sadew Samarasinghe.Maneesha mopped up the remaining three wickets in back-to-back overs to give Sri Lanka a first-innings lead they would barely have imagined earing after their first-morning collapse.From there the match meandered towards a draw. Farhan Ahmed picked up his first wicket of the match when he snuck one past Samarsinghe’s forward prod and in the next over Noah Thain held a sharp catch above his head at first slip when Pulindu Perera swiped at Jaydn Denly’s second ball.Sharujan Shanmuganathan was composed in reaching 73 before swiping at Denly and being caught in the deep by Ahmed, who also held the catch to remove Gayana Weerasinghe off Daavya Sharma.
Whilst Rangers continue to close in on their first arrival of the summer, as many as seven clubs are now reportedly battling it out to deal Russell Martin his first exit blow at Ibrox.
Rangers closing in on first arrival
According to recent reports, Rangers are set to sign Josh Mulligan from Dundee in a deal which is now imminent. The young right-midfielder has undergone a medical and looks destined to become the first signing of both the 49ers and Martin era.
Martin's own Kamara: Rangers exploring move to sign "ridiculous" £10m star
Rangers have explored a deal for a £10m-rated star who could be Russell Martin’s own Glen Kamara.
ByDan Emery Jun 12, 2025
As the new owners attempt to bridge the gap on Old Firm rivals and Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, Mulligan may just be the start this summer. The Gers desperately need fresh faces even after the Scottish sensation and recent transfer rumours have provided plenty of hope on that front.
49ers chairman Paraag Marathe only added to that hope with his first interview at the club too, telling Rangers’ official website: “At 49ers Enterprises, we have built a track record of sporting and business success, but our driving motivation is our deep connection to the clubs and communities we serve.
“We are excited to join Andrew and our other consortium of investors in a new era for this iconic club, and we are determined to build something that supporters can be proud of for years to come.”
Mulligan aside, Rangers have also been linked with moves for Flynn Downes, who worked with Martin at Southampton, and veteran defender Conor Coady. Both players would be excellent additions, there’s no doubting that, but whether the Gers can lure them to Ibrox will be the big question this summer.
It’s not just incomings that the 49ers have to worry about either. Following another disappointing season, Rangers could yet lose some key men and that may even include a breakthrough talent this summer.
7 clubs now chasing Igamane deal
According to Foot Mercato, as relayed by Sport Witness, as many as seven teams are now chasing a deal to sign Hamza Igamane this summer. Described as a ‘breakthrough’ talent, the 22-year-old forward enjoyed an excellent debut season at Rangers and has now attracted interest from West Ham United, Brentford, Everton, Lens, RC Strasbourg, Lille, and Stade Rennais.
To make matters worse for Rangers, out of those interested parties, Lens have reportedly taken one step further by making contact over a potential deal.
To say that he is a man in demand would be an understatement, handing the Gers an uphill battle when attempting to keep hold of their star man. Although the interest in Igamane should come as no shock, not many at Ibrox would have expected the forward to enjoy such a clinical debut season in front of goal.
Yet, after netting as many as 16 goals in his debut season fresh from Morroco, Igamane has become an unexpected star that Rangers should be desperate to keep hold of his summer.
A Rangers “hero” within the space of a year as described by scout Jacek Kulig, losing Igamane would be a frustrating way for Martin and the 49ers to commence a new era.
Crystal Palace have now joined the hotly-contested race to sign a “brilliant” new striker on a free transfer this summer, according to a recent report.
Nketiah reaches 50 goals in Crystal Palace win over Wolves
The Eagles followed up their amazing 1-0 triumph over Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday with an impressive 4-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final home game of the season, reaching a club record 52 Premier League points.
Crystal Palace now plotting quick deal to sign "aggressive" £20m midfielder
The Eagles are now eyeing a move for an attacking midfielder.
ByDominic Lund May 20, 2025
Oliver Glasner decided to hand striker Eddie Nketiah a rare start, and it was a move that paid off as he netted twice in a five-minute window to help the South Londoners on their way to victory. It meant Tuesday night’s game was a special landmark for the 25-year-old, as he netted his 50th career goal. After the game, Nketiah revealed he wants to contribute more next season.
“It is nice to reach that landmark. I know I can do much better and help the team. It’s a nice way to end the last home game, and I want to contribute more next season.”
Nketiah joined the Eagles last summer having decided to leave Arsenal in search of regular football. His move to Selhurst Park probably hasn’t quite gone the way he expected, as he’s made just nine starts in the Premier League, scoring only three goals, perhaps understandably struggling to get ahead of Jean-Philippe Mateta in the pecking order.
Crystal Palace join Leeds in race to sign £140k-p/w star on free transfer
Nketiah will hope next season he can contribute more, but his chances of doing so could be dealt a further blow, as according to Football Insider, Crystal Palace have made contact with Jamie Vardy over a move to Selhurst Park.
Football Insider reports that contact has been made between the South Londoners and Vardy’s camp, as they try to get an understanding of whether he would want to move to Selhurst Park. The 38-year-old, who scored in his final game at the King Power Stadium as a Leicester City player on Sunday, is planning to continue playing at the highest level.
Palace don’t have a clear run at signing the Englishman, as it’s already been reported that Wolves are already plotting a move to sign the striker, while Leeds are also advancing on a deal, and Everton are said to be leading the race to sign Vardy.
Apps
342
Goals
145
Assists
50
The 38-year-old, who has been hailed as “brilliant” by Gary Lineker, has scored nine goals in 35 Premier League games this season, taking his total top flight tally to 145, a number any striker would kill to achieve in one of the top leagues in Europe.
It isn’t clear if Vardy would be interested in a move to Palace, but if the Eagles have any chance of signing the striker, they are going to have to pay around the £140,000 mark for wages, as that is what Vardy currently earns at Leicester.
The bad news is that Arsenal’s campaign is set to end trophyless for a fifth year running; the good news is that there are only three games left until it’s over.
Mikel Arteta’s side had the chance to make it to only the second Champions League final in the club’s history on Wednesday night, but despite their fast start, they couldn’t get over the line.
Perhaps things would have been a little different if Kai Havertz had been fit and leading the line; as for all the criticism he gets, the German remains the club’s top scorer this season, even though he hasn’t played since early February.
However, even though he’s not been too bad when fit this season, he may well find his minutes reduced next year, as, based on reports, the club are looking at a striker who might just be an upgrade.
Arsenal's striker search
With the striker position being such a clear area to address, Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of incredible strikers in recent months, such as Jonathan David and Viktor Gyokeres.
Transfer Focus
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The former has scored 25 goals and provided 12 assists in 47 games this season, and best of all would be available for free, as his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Gyokeres, on the other hand, could cost a whopping £70m, although as he’s managed to score a staggering 52 goals and provide 12 assists in 49 games for Sporting CP, that may well be a fair price.
However, if Arteta and Co want to spend more money on other positions in the team, they might opt for a cheaper but still effective striker to come in, which would explain the interest in Evann Guessand.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in signing the French forward.
Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that West Ham United, Aston Villa and Newcastle United have sent scouts to watch him in recent games, while other stories have also credited Manchester United with an interest in the 23-year-old.
A potential price is not revealed in the report, but according to other stories from the start of the year, he could be available for around £25m, which would make this potential transfer feel like a no-brainer, especially as he could be an upgrade on Havertz.
How Guessand compares to Havertz
Now, while Guessand is more than capable of playing off the right of a front three, it seems incredibly unlikely that he would ever start there ahead of Saka.
So, were he to join Arsenal in the summer, he’d almost certainly be played down the middle, in turn putting him up against Havertz for game time, but who’s the better player?
Well, when we look at their raw output, it’s incredibly close.
For example, when looking at all competitions, the German has scored 15 goals and provided five assists in 34 games, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.7 games.
This is marginally better than the Nice ace, as his 12 goals and nine assists in 40 appearances come out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.90 games.
However, when we take a look at their league records, their bread and butter, it’s the Frenchman who comes ahead, with 11 goals and eight assists in 31 appearances to the Aachen-born star’s nine goals and three assists in 21 appearances, coming out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.63 and 1.75 league games respectively.
Interesting, and quite crucially, while there isn’t much to separate them regarding their output, things start to look a lot better for the “unpredictable” 23-year-old, as dubbed by The Athletic’s Alex Barker, when we take a look under the hood, at their underlying numbers.
Non-Penalty G+As
0.67
0.59
Progressive Passes
2.85
2.89
Progressive Carries
3.11
1.67
Goals per Shot
0.19
0.17
Goals per Shot on Target
0.44
0.43
Passing Accuracy
74.0%
78.5%
Expected Assists
0.17
0.08
Key Passes
1.11
0.78
Passes into the Final Third
1.70
1.27
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.96
0.39
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.15
0.05
Shot-Creating Actions
3.19
2.01
Goal-Creating Actions
0.56
0.15
Successful Take-Ons
1.59
0.44
Ball Recoveries
3.52
1.91
In almost every relevant metric, the Ajaccio-born poacher comes out on top, metrics including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, expected assists, progressive carries, goals per shot and shot on target, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons, key passes and more, all per 90.
So, while their output is somewhat similar at the moment, the Nice gem has far better underlying numbers, so it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect his goal and assist tallies to dramatically improve if he was in a better team.
Ultimately, Guessand is already a great forward, and with his age and the price tag, signing him this summer feels like a no-brainer for Arsenal, even if it could be bad news for Havertz’s future game time.
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