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A mixed start to Newcastle United’s pre-season fixtures.

First, the Magpies demolished Carlisle United 4-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly, with the now-departed Sean Longstaff breaking the deadlock, before Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and youngster Ben Parkinson were all on target.

However, on Saturday, with over 10,000 Geordies in attendance in Glasgow, Eddie Howe’s side were embarrassingly battered 4-0 by Celtic at Parkhead, with Nick Pope responsible for an absolute howler, gifting the Hoops their second.

Next up, the Toon Army will take on Arsenal at the Singapore National Stadium on Sunday, but will they have a new signing to get excited about before then?

Newcastle United's latest transfer news

So far this summer, Newcastle have signed Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £55m, making him the club’s second-most expensive signing of all-time, behind fellow-Swede Alexander Isak.

Meantime, they’ve seen a £25m bid rejected for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, although the DR Congo international has left the Bees’ pre-season training camp in Portugal, and it is widely expected this deal will be finalised in the end.

While Wissa would be an excellent addition, representing a major upgrade on the released Callum Wilson, are Newcastle also turning their attention back to their top target?

Well, as reported by Chris Waugh of the Athletic, Newcastle ‘remain interested’ in signing Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guéhi, noting that internal discussions during recruitment meetings have been held.

Transfer Focus

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

Fair to say, Newcastle hold a long-standing interest in the England international, having had four bids rejected for Guéhi last summer, the highest of which was £60m, with Palace owner Steve Parish telling BBC Sport back then that it would require “superstar money” for the Eagles to consider selling their captain.

Guéhi is purportedly valued at £70m by the South London side, so should Newcastle push the boat out to bring him to Tyneside?

How Marc Guéhi would improve Newcastle

Howe will be looking to bolster his centre-back options this summer, ahead of a very busy schedule, given that his side have qualified for the Champions League.

The table below underlines his limited options in that position last season.

Newcastle United’s centre-back options 2024/25
Statistics	Dan Burn	Fabian Schär	Sven Botman
Appearances	46	42	10
Starts	44	40	8
Minutes	3,974	3,629	581
% of total minutes played	91%	83%	13%
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table outlines, due to Sven Botman’s injury issues, Dan Burn and Fabin Schär started the vast majority of Newcastle’s 48 fixtures last season in league and cup, something that’ll surely not be possible again with, at a minimum, eight Champions League ties thrown into the mix.

Should Guéhi arrive, he would certainly become first-choice in that spot, given that then-England manager Gareth Southgate described his performances at last summer’s Euros as “exceptional”, while former teammate Josef Buršík, now of Club Brugge, labelled him an “absolute tank”.

Meantime, Nathan Jackson of Total Football Analysis outlines how he has the potential to become the best centre-back in the Premier League, with Elias Burke of the Athletic praising his ability to complete ‘ambitious’ forward passes, due to his top-class quality on the ball, citing Roy Hodgson, who asserted that he is a future England captain.

So, let’s see how he compares to Burn, the man he’d surely be usurping in the Newcastle pecking order.

Marc Guéhi vs Dan Burn 2024/25 Premier League comparison
Statistics (per 90)	Guéhi	Burn
Pass completion %	84.15%	88.62%
Forward passes	20.8	17
Duels contested	8.4	8.9
Aerial duel success %	53.91%	66.07%
Ground duel success %	63.46%	50%
Tackles	1.8	1.1
Interceptions	0.9	0.8
Blocks	0.7	0.7
Ball Recoveries	4.3	2.8
All statistics courtesy of Squawka

As the table outlines, Guéhi comes out on top for the vast majority of defensive metrics included; it is little surprise that Burn boasts better numbers when it comes to aerial duels!

This is exactly why Guéhi would be such a key signing for Newcastle, as he would represent a massive upgrade in a position of need.

Wissa, on the other hand, while an excellent player, not so much.

The Magpies already have Isak, who Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show asserts is one of the best four centre-forwards on the planet, alongside Erling Braut Håland, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski.

Of course, an Isak back-up is necessary, but this is why they signed William Osula last summer, a player who Beth Limb of Breaking the Lines believes has a ‘bright future ahead’, praising his ‘strong physical profile’ and ‘wonderful burst of acceleration’.

So, while Wissa will be a useful squad addition, Guéhi would represent a transformational first-team starter, hence why Newcastle should go all out to secure his signature.

Better fit than Ekitike: Newcastle lead race to sign £44m Wissa alternative

Newcastle eye highly-rated French forward after losing out on Ekitike

By
Will Miller

Jul 22, 2025

Ireland were bowled out for just 132 inside 32 overs

Abhimanyu Bose02-Oct-2024

File photo: Ryan Rickelton stroked a career-best 91•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa 271 for 9 (Rickelton 91, Stubbs 79, Adair 4-50, Young 3-45) beat Ireland 132 (Dockrell 21, Williams 4-32, Fortuin 2-28, Ngidi 2-35) by 139 runs Career-best ODI scores from Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs respectively and career-best List A figures of 4-32 from Lizaad Williams helped South Africa crush Ireland by 139 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Rickelton and Stubbs put on a 152-run partnership in the middle of two mini-collapses to help South Africa get to 271 before Williams’ three-for in an eight-over opening spell left Ireland five down inside 14 overs. Ireland eventually only got to 132.South Africa got off to a watchful start, with Rickelton doing a majority of the scoring early on. He cut Mark Adair through point for a boundary off the first ball of the match before hitting a couple of cover drives off Graham Hume and Adair.In between, Hume induced the outside edge from him but was dropped by wicketkeeper Stephen Doheny.But Adair got the breakthrough in the seventh over, when he changed tactics and banged one in short. Tony de Zorzi got a top edge as he looked to pull and was taken at deep backward square.Temba Bavuma was then given out lbw first ball as a length ball jagged in from outside off, but was reprieved as he reviewed and ball-tracking showed the ball going over middle stump.But it was short-lived relief for the South African captain, as Craig Young got another inducker to beat his defence and crash into the stumps.Two wickets in two overs became three in three as Adair ended his first spell by getting Rassie van der Dussen to edge to second slip.Once the first powerplay ended, spin came in and that led to more chances. Stubbs tried to reverse-sweep Andy Mcbrine but hit it straight to short third where Craig Young shelled a catch in the seventeenth over. One ball later, Rickelton lofted debutant legspinner Gavin Hoey down the ground and just cleared long-on, who was standing a few yards inside the ropes and had to track back.Hume came back into the attack in the 22nd over, and was launched over long-on by Stubbs as he brought up a half-century stand with Rickelton.Rickelton brought up his maiden ODI half-century off 74 balls in the 26th over and immediately put his foot down on the accelerator.Hoey bowled a couple of half-volleys and Rickelton first lofted him down the ground before slog-sweeping him over midwicket. When Hoey shortened his length, Rickelton adjusted to steer it past the wicketkeeper for a boundary in what was an 18-run over.Stubbs brought up a 62-run fifty in the next over, before Rickelton slapped Campher through backward point for another boundary to bring up the century stand. While the first fifty runs of their partnership took 73 balls, they took just 39 balls to get the next fifty.Stubbs then came down the ground to Craig Young for a six over long-on that brought up 150 for South Africa in the 30th over, before Hoey was swept behind square by Rickelton next over.Even as Stubbs hit McBrine and Adair for boundaries, that was the last one Rickelton hit. After facing ten balls without a boundary, Rickelton tried to go after a full and wide delivery from McBrine but ended up dragging the ball on, falling nine runs short of a maiden ODI century.File photo: Lizaad Williams ended with 4 for 32•ICC via Getty Images

That dismissal sparked another mini-collapse as Adair combined with Balbirnie for two wickets in his next two overs. Stubbs pulled the fast bowler to Balbirnie at short midwicket before Phehlukwayo was done in by a slower ball and ended up spooning it short cover.A slower ball brought about another wicket as Wiaan Mulder was early in his attempt to pull Young and holed out at deep midwicket.Young then had his third when Williams skied his pull to deep midwicket, as South Africa lost five wickets for 38 runs.Bjorn Fortuin took South Africa past 250 as he hit Young for two boundaries before pulling Hume to midwicket for a 34-ball 28. Ngidi then hit a four and a six to take South Africa to 271.Ngidi continued giving South Africa momentum when the chase began, as he got Paul Stirling to chop on.Balbirnie and Curtis Campher then rebuilt for Ireland, adding 35 runs including top-edged sixes from both batters, before Williams drew an inside edge from Balbirnie that hit the stumps.Harry Tector brought out two gorgeous drives, one through point and one down the ground, off consecutive balls from Williams before he was trapped in front next ball.Williams then got one to stop on Campher, who was early into a shot and ended up offering a simple catch to cover.Debutant Ottneil Baartman then had his maiden ODI wicket when he got one to jag in and go through Doheny’s defence. George Dockrell and Adair hung around before the latter got a feather edge off Ngidi in the 21st over.Four overs later, Dockrell chopped on off Mulder before Fortuin trapped Hoey in front next over to ensure all of South Africa’s bowlers got on the wickets column.Williams returned to complete his quota and bounced McBrine out in his final over before Fortuin had Hume caught at mid-off to wrap up the win.

Liverpool don’t want to sell Luis Diaz this summer, but they might have to. Keeping a player on the books whose heart is set elsewhere is an ill-fated move, and the Colombian wants to leave Anfield.

You can see his case. Aged 28, Diaz is one of the finest wingers in the game, but he earns a comparatively modest salary at Liverpool and has entered the second-to-last year of his contract.

Diaz wants a pay rise, but Liverpool aren’t inclined to give him one, instead willing to see out his contract.

Rank

Player

Gross pay per week

Gross pay per year

1

Mohamed Salah

£400,000

£20,800,000

2

Virgil Van Dijk

£350,000

£18,200,000

3

Florian Wirtz

£195,000

£10,140,000

4

Andrew Robertson

£160,000

£8,320,000

=5

Alexis Mac Allister

£150,000

£7,800,000

=5

Alisson

£150,000

£7,800,000

=5

Ryan Gravenberch

£150,000

£7,800,000

=5

Federico Chiesa

£150,000

£7,800,000

16*

Luis Diaz

£55,000

£2,860,000

Data via Capology

He was a crucial part of last season’s success. Diaz scored 17 goals and supplied eight assists across all competitions for Liverpool, his best return for the club.

His electric pace, tenacious fight and versatility proved perfect for Arne Slot as the Dutch coach led the Reds to the Premier League title.

But Bayern Munich are persistent in their bid to sign the Colombian winger, having already seen a £58.5m bid knocked back this summer.

However, Sky Germany confirm that the Bundesliga champions continue to push, and with Liverpool set to sign a new striker, perhaps his sale for a mammoth fee wouldn’t be such a bad thing in the long run.

The latest on Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike has been one of the more coveted names on the market this summer. Manchester United and Newcastle United have both shown an interest, but it’s the Reds who will likely prevail, the Frenchman submitting a transfer request on Thursday to seal a deal with the Anfield side.

Valued at €100m (£85m) Ekitike will cost a pretty penny, all right, but he’s worth it, already regarded “one of the best strikers out there” by analyst Ben Mattinson.

While Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak has been sporting director Richard Hughes’ first choice, the Magpies have rejected Liverpool’s advances, so the Reds have stolen their top target instead.

He’s not as good as Isak, but the 23-year-old does have sky-high potential, the genuine chance to make headway over a number of years at Liverpool and reach that pedestal.

While Diaz spent a fair share of time as a makeshift striker in 2024/25, he is at his core a left-sided forward. With Darwin Nunez supposedly off as well, Liverpool might need to sign a winger to go alongside Ekitike.

Liverpool line up Luis Diaz heir

According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Liverpool have retained an interest in signing Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, having come close to signing him one year ago.

The England international, 24, is valued at £75m and any concrete move is dependent on Diaz’s future. However, the long-standing interest and Gordon’s Merseyside affiliation could see him push for a return to Anfield, having left Liverpool’s academy as an 11-year-old.

While Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is also on Liverpool’s radar, with preliminary talks having taken place, Gordon might be the man to go for.

Why Liverpool want Anthony Gordon

In Cody Gakpo, Liverpool have a prolific and proven left winger. However, Diaz’s departure would call for a direct replacement, and while Rodrygo would be a stunning signing, Arsenal also have a vested interest, and Real Madrid are seeking upwards of £87m.

Gordon would be a more than acceptable fallback. A high-speed runner with a dogged approach to his football, the Newcastle star has bloomed into one of the Premier League’s finest over the past couple of years, with teammate Bruno Guimaraes describing him as “special”.

Technically sharp and physically robust, he certainly fits the mould that Diaz would leave behind, and this dynamic skill set could be the perfect thing for a young striker in Ekitike, who will need support as he steps into the cauldron of fire that is the English top flight.

Ekitike will, of course, have the likes of Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz to lead the supply line, but in Gordon, Liverpool could retain the sense of energy and completeness that Diaz brings to the table.

And anyway, the Toon talent has already demonstrated in the Premier League that he’s capable of throwing down with the likes of Diaz, and indeed Rodrygo, whose skill has led Luka Modric to describe him as a “world-class superstar” in La Liga.

Let’s dig a little deeper. Now, we’re going to skew the data a tad. Gordon’s 2024/25 campaign left plenty to be desired, but he was a force to be reckoned with the season prior.

Looking at that 2023/24 term, comparing it to Rodrygo and Diaz’s league efforts last term, we can see that he’s got the potential to make quite the impression at Liverpool.

League Comparison – Gordon vs Rodrygo vs Diaz

Stats (* per game)

Gordon (23/24)

Rodrygo (24/25)

Diaz (24/25)

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

30 (22)

36 (28)

Goals

11

6

13

Assists

10

5

5

Shots (on target)*

2.3 (0.9)

1.8 (0.7)

2.0 (0.8)

Big chances missed

9

1

11

Pass completion

82%

91%

86%

Big chances created

16

5

8

Key passes*

1.6

1.6

1.6

Dribbles*

1.5

1.6

1.5

Ball recoveries*

3.6

2.4

2.9

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.1

1.3

Duels won*

5.3

3.8

3.8

Stats via Sofascore

Quite the effort. Gordon’s performances, notching 21 goal contributions across Newcastle’s injury-hit year, led to the honour of the club’s Player of the Year. It was his first full season on Tyneside, and an illustration of his capacity for high-level performances.

And while his high duel rate, creativity and potency in the final third would elevate Ekitike as he makes his maiden way in England, the centre-forward could certainly return the favour, with a style of play that is truly layered and vast.

Indeed, as per FBref, Ekitike ranked among the top 10% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues last season for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, and the top 4% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

Whichever way you look at it, it’s hard to imagine Liverpool’s transfer window being anything other than a success. Slot proved his worth last season, and now he’s being rewarded with the parts to create a lasting squad of champions.

Related Better than Isak & Ekitike: Liverpool make £142m "monster" a dream target

Liverpool have two primary candidates to bolster their forward line; Alexander Isak & Hugo Ekitike.

Posts 1 ByMatt Dawson Jul 17, 2025

It wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret this summer that Birmingham City were interested in landing Peterborough United superstar Kwame Poku.

Unfortunately, the Blues’ drawn-out pursuit of the entertaining Ghanaian has seemingly gone cold now, as the likes of Russell Martin’s Rangers accelerate to the front of the queue for his coveted services instead.

This would have been a knock to Chris Davies and Co.’s confidence as they navigate up to the Championship, but it hasn’t stopped them from pressing on with other attacking targets, as the ambitious Blues look to close in on another statement addition up top.

Birmingham close in on statement reunion

As per a recent report from journalist Alan Nixon, the newly promoted outfit look to be edging ever closer to bringing former star Demarai Gray back to their ranks this summer.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

Much like their chase for Poku, it had been well publicised that the Blues wanted to make such a stunning reunion happen.

Now, it might well become a reality, with both Sunderland and Fiorentina, who had also been looking at signing the experienced Jamaica international in an £8m deal, left in Birmingham’s dust to seal the sublime move.

Whilst the Rangers-bound attacker had been viewed as the flavour of the month in the EFL after a sensational season on the books of Posh, landing Gray might well be an even more exciting pick-up than the 23-year-old.

Why Gray would be a more exciting signing than Poku

If Birmingham are deadly serious about going after back-to-back promotions, Gray joining will undoubtedly help them to pull off such an arduous feat, with the former Blues prodigy going on to have a lengthy career at the very top after waving St. Andrew’s goodbye in 2016.

Indeed, Gray is likely more well-known in English football now for being a Premier League regular on the books of Leicester City and Everton, than a one-time academy product emerging up the Blues ranks.

In total, the Birmingham-born forward has amassed over 200 Premier League appearances for the likes of the Foxes and the Toffees, with an impressive 19 goals and 14 assists coming his way from those contests, on top of a Premier League title astoundingly being lifted when situated at the King Power Stadium.

Gray’s G/A numbers by club

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

Leicester

169

13

14

Birmingham

78

8

4

Everton

75

12

6

Al-Ettifaq

50

4

5

Bayer Leverkusen

12

1

2

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Poku might well have a certain level of freshness on his side – considering he has just tallied up a blistering 12 goals and 11 assists for Darren Ferguson’s men last campaign – but the table above really does speak for itself when judging the 28-year-old’s pedigree alone, with a season even under his belt in the Bundesliga when lining up for Bayer Leverkusen.

Moreover, whilst Poku was a breakout success for Posh last season, he has never actually bagged a goal in the Championship, despite ripping up the third-tier, with just a meagre two goal contributions next to his name at the difficult level from 20 clashes.

An “electric” attacker on his day – in the words of journalist Scott Saunders – his first major steps in the senior game did actually come in the Championship with his hometown club, notably netting a memorable hat-trick above three of the eight strikes he has managed in the division when donning Birmingham blue.

It will now be up to Gray to roll back the years on his expected return, with more Premier League appearances perhaps coming his way down the line.

Whilst Poku is the talk of the town as an up-and-coming ace, Gray has already cemented himself as a Championship-capable talent and beyond across his vast playing days, with another chapter soon to be added to his packed story when hopefully starring for Davies and Co.

Related Birmingham want to sign "fantastic" £8m ace who scored in St Andrew's win

He could be an excellent summer addition.

Posts 1 ByHenry Jackson Jun 22, 2025

Hoping to bounce back from Liam Delap’s rejection, Everton are reportedly alert in the race to sign a Serie A striker who David Moyes “likes” ahead of the summer transfer window.

Everton may need to replace Dominic Calvert-Lewin

As improved as Beto has been under Moyes, there’s no escaping that Everton still need to sign another striker this summer if they are to push beyond relegation concerns at the start of a new era. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin on course to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract next month too, welcoming a player to replace the academy graduate could be the key to success for the Toffees this summer.

Moyes spoke to reporters about Calvert-Lewin’s future at the beginning of May, revealing that the forward had not been offered a new deal at that point. The Everton boss said: “There has not been a contract offer on the table since I’ve been here. I think the contract offer was here under a different regime.

Everton & TFG in contact to sign "outstanding" Championship star for Moyes

He missed out on promotion.

ByTom Cunningham May 28, 2025

“We want everybody to fight for what they’re doing, show what they’re worth, so there’s a lot of that. We’re taking a little bit of time – we’ve not had loads of time since January but we’ve had some – and unfortunately Dom has been injured for a big part of it, but Dom’s history has been very good so we’ll obviously be taking all of that into consideration.”

Still in need of a replacement, it looked for a moment as though Everton could have pulled off a shock move to sign Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, with talks held, only for the £30m forward to since choose Chelsea over the chasing pack.

The talented striker would have transformed Moyes’ attack and the manager would have been well aware of that when pitching the move to Delap’s representatives. Ultimately, however, Everton were rejected and have reportedly been forced to turn their attention towards a Serie A forward.

Everton now alert in Tammy Abraham race

According to transfer reporter Graeme Bailey, Everton are now alert in the race to sign Tammy Abraham from AS Roma this summer. The former Chelsea striker spent the season on loan at AC Milan, but struggled to make his mark. Now, he could be heading back to English football for the first time since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2021.

Bailey told Everton News: “Everton are one of the clubs aware of Tammy Abraham’s situation. I am told he is one David Moyes likes, and at 27 he is a very good age. An England international – he has a lot left to offer.

“Obviously if Everton want him, then the fact he is already employed by the Friedkin Group – is a bonus, but that only takes you so far – the player will decide his next move.”

Appearances

112

Goals

29

Assists

14

A player who already had Premier League experience under his belt when heading to Italy, but one who now has experience in another top European league, Abraham could prove to be invaluable for a side like Everton. Dubbed “amazing” by Jose Mourinho during his time at Roma, the ex-Chelsea man is one to watch this summer.

All eyes might be on next week’s Champions League semi-final for the fans, but behind the scenes, Arsenal are preparing for a massive summer transfer window.

The Gunners are set to finish with fewer points in the Premier League than their previous campaign under Mikel Arteta for the first time, and as they’ve scored 12 goals fewer than Liverpool, it’s clear they need attacking reinforcements.

One of the standout players most heavily touted for a move to the Emirates in recent months has been Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, who would be available for around £50m thanks to the release clause in his current deal.

However, while the Spaniard is a supremely exciting winger, recent reports have now linked the club with another sensational wideman, someone having a way better season than the Basque star.

Arsenal looking to sign one of the best players in Europe

As we get closer and closer to the opening of the summer transfer window, the links to incredible stars have been steadily increasing, so before looking at the potential Williams upgrade, it’s worth going over some of the other names touted for a move to N5, such as Rafael Leao.

Transfer Focus

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

According to reports from earlier this month, the Portuguese international could be available for around £86m this summer, and while that’s a lot of money, it could prove to be a fee worth paying, as in just 46 appearances for AC Milan this term, he’s scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists.

However, a far cheaper option would be Kingsley Coman, who has been touted for a £39m move to the North Londoners.

The Bayern Munich star, who scored the winning goal in the 2020 UCL Final, has somewhat fallen out of favour in Bavaria this year but has still managed to rack up a haul of seven goals and four assists in 1666 minutes of action.

With that said, perhaps the most exciting winger linked with Arsenal at the moment, and the one who would be a better signing than Williams, is Raphinha.

According to a recent report from Spain, the Gunners are one of several sides interested in the Brazilian game-changer, including Liverpool, Chelsea and teams from the Saudi Pro League.

However, the key information is that, per the story, Barcelona have not ruled out selling the former Leeds United star, and that should an offer of around €100m – £86m – be made, they’d be willing to cash in.

It would be an incredibly costly and potentially complicated transfer to get over the line for Arsenal, but given Raphinha’s immense ability, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he’d be a better signing than Williams.

How Raphinha compares to Williams

So, with the fees being reported, it seems likely that Arsenal would sign Raphinha or Williams and not both, so how do they compare?

Well, when it comes down to the most important metric for an attacking player, their raw output, it’s the Barcelona star who comes out way ahead.

For example, in 49 appearances this season, totalling 3952 minutes, the “amazing” Porto Alegre-born star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has racked up an outrageous tally of 30 goals and 23 assists. He is truly living up to his billing as “the best player in the world” this season, as hailed by Statman Dave.

That means he is currently averaging 1.08 goal involvements a game or one every 74.56 minutes, which is a simply world-class rate of return and makes Thierry Henry’s tip for him to win the Ballon d’Or earlier this year look like a shrewd one.

In contrast, the Pamplona-born dynamo has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists for the Basque side in 43 appearances, totalling 2971 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.38 games, or every 165.05 minutes.

Raphinha vs Williams
Player	Raphinha	Williams
Appearances	49	43
Minutes	3952′	2971′
Goals	30	11
Assists	23	7
Goal Involvements per Match	1.08	0.41
Minutes per Goal Involvement	74.56′	165.05 ‘
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Now, it should be said that, in and of itself, that is an excellent rate of return for a winger, but it’s simply incomparable to the Brazilian’s mind-blowing efforts this year.

Ultimately, Arsenal need to sign an attacker who can propel them forward this summer, and while he won’t be cheap, that attacker is Raphinha, not Willimas.

Shades of Xhaka: Arsenal star who won 100% duels is now undroppable

The impressive international has turned his Arsenal career around.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 24, 2025

This season could have been catastrophic for Manchester City, but they’re now very much on course to salvage the campaign.

On Wednesday night, even without the sidelined Erling Haaland, the Sky Blues swatted aside Leicester at the Etihad, thanks to first-half goals from Jack Grealish and then Omar Marmoush.

This victory propelled Pep Guardiola’s team up to fourth, ahead of a fascinating Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Citizens could also bookend a generally miserable season with silverware, through to the FA Cup semi-finals for a seventh successive season, set to face high-fliers Nottingham Forest at Wembley in three and a half week’s time.

As Man City rebuild, and Guardiola continues to rejig his team, has he found his new Raheem Sterling?

Raheem Sterling's Manchester City career

As outlined by David Mercer of Sky News, Sterling has spent his entire career ‘in the spotlight’ with ‘newspaper controversies’ often overshadowing his sporting talent.

This was certainly the case when he made the £49m move from Liverpool to Manchester City in 2015, with former Manchester United defender Paul Parker labeling him ‘overpriced’, claiming Man City paid ‘a lot of money’ for a player who hadn’t ‘really done anything that’s worthy of that price’.

Well, fair to say, Sterling did justify his price tag in sky blue, scoring 131 goals and providing 73 assists in 339 appearances for the club, winning four Premier League titles, an FA Cup and five EFL Cups.

Guardiola labeled him ‘so important’ to their success, while Vincent Kompany believed, at his peak, Sterling was ‘one of the best wingers in the world’. His form at Chelsea and now Arsenal subsequently show Man City were vindicated to sell him for £47.5m when they did.

Now, can Man City’s current mercurial talent, who exists under a similar level of media scrutiny, rediscover his best form and become a key figure for Guardiola once again?

Man City's new Raheem Sterling

By opening the scoring against Leicester on Wednesday, Jack Grealish ended his 473-day wait for a Premier League goal, dedicating it to his younger brother Keelan, who tragically died exactly 25 years ago to the day.

On Wednesday, Guardiola chose to deploy Grealish as the central playmaker, handing him his first Premier League start since Christmas, a decision that was certainly vindicated.

The England international certainly made a strong case to start as the number ten in Sunday’s Manchester derby too, considering both Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne continue to misfire, notably reduced to a role among the subs.

Minutes played

90

Goals

1

Assists

0

Touches

68

Accurate passes

51/55 (93%)

Shots

2

Key passes

2

Duels won

1/9

Fouls won

1

By his own admission, Grealish has not been at his best this season, but he still has plenty to offer between now and the end of the campaign.

Similar to Sterling, Grealish exists under intense media scrutiny, which John Nicholson of Football365 describes as ‘grotesque’ and hyperbolic stupidity in pursuit of content’.

Chalkboard

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

The most recent example of this came just last month when the Daily Mail ran a story about Grealish spending an evening in a pub in Newcastle, supposedly ‘stumbling’ out in the early hours of the morning.

Back on the pitch, Gareth Southgate described Grealish as “fantastic”, so let’s compare his campaign to those of the aforementioned Foden and De Bruyne, attempting to decipher who Guardiola should start going forward.

Appearances

28

31

39

Minutes

1,430

1,698

2,674

Goals

3

4

10

Assists

5

7

6

Chances created

51

54

70

Take-on success %

41.2%

37.5%

40%

Shot-creating actions per 90

5.56

6

4.66

Pass completion %

87.8%

75.9%

84.8%

Touches per 90

37

60

51

As the table outlines, Grealish comes out on top when it comes to dribbling and pass completion, with Foden registering the best statistics overall, albeit he’s played 1,200 more minutes than his compatriot and 1,000 more than De Bruyne.

So, while none of the trio have been at their best, Grealish might just be the man in form, suggesting their ‘new Sterling’ should start at Old Trafford this weekend.

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How Aussie legspinner punked England’s batters

Matt Roller04-Nov-20232:02

Why has Zampa been such a threat?

Jos Buttler dances down the pitch to a wide legbreak and swings hard through the line of the ball, flicking his back leg as the ball flies into the upper tier of Dubai International Stadium. Two overs later, he hits an even bigger six back over the bowler’s head then knocks a single; Jonny Bairstow is on strike, and thumps consecutive sixes himself.This used to be the story when Adam Zampa played against England. After that night in Dubai, he had taken four wickets in four T20Is against them while conceding nearly 11 runs per over; across his first five ODIs against them, he took two wickets at 133.50. He might have been good enough against the also-rans, but not against this lot.But the Zampa that came up against England in Ahmedabad on Saturday night is a very different bowler to the one who used to get milked and whacked in equal measure – and England are a very different team to the side who set the standard for the rest of the world, brimming with self-assurance and bravado.Related

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Zampa bowls straighter, faster and flatter than he used to, and has reached a point where he has total confidence in where he will land the ball. “I’d say tonight is as satisfying as it feels after an ODI, in terms of my 10 overs,” he said. “My length control was as good as it’s been.”These were difficult conditions for a legspinner. There were signs of dew when Zampa came on in the 12th over, and for most of his spell he found himself bowling to Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali: in total, 45 out of the 60 balls he bowled were to left-handers.It meant he relied heavily on his googlies and rarely strayed from a good length or a straight line, targeting the top of the stumps. It was a simple plan, but England gave Zampa little reason to change things up: not only did they fail to hit a boundary in his 10-over spell, they did not even manage to hit a two off him.It was Buttler who finally tried to hit him off his length, skipping down and looking to launch him over long-off, as if trying to rekindle the spirit of that heady night in Dubai. Instead, it was Zampa who came out on top, roaring as loud as he could in celebration as Cameron Green took a simple catch.He was so consistent with his stock ball that any deviation from it seemed to bring a wicket. The ball that got Stokes might have been his worst of the night, sliding down the leg side and swept tamely to short fine leg; he tossed one up full to Moeen, who slog-swept him out to deep midwicket.The ball to Moeen was Zampa’s finally pay-out, the result of the pressure he had built up across his spell. At 49.7mph, it was significantly slower than the majorty of his spell and had enough overspin to take the top edge. “I’m known for bowling flatter and faster,” he said, “so to be able to bowl it slower and bring it back a little bit was a really satisfying wicket.”He finished with extraordinary figures of 3 for 21, the cheapest spell of his ODI career – by a distance. Australia’s decision to pick a solitary frontline spinner in their World Cup squad was a calculated gamble: with 19 wickets across seven matches, the selectors are quids in.Adam Zampa didn’t concede a boundary•Getty ImagesEven if these Australian players are significantly different to those that came before in character, there is still an underlying machismo: most of the squad used their days off at the start of the week to take golf far too seriously, then explained Glenn Maxwell’s injury away by saying that “boys will be boys” and that they “need a mum on tour”.But Zampa is a different personality. He labels golfers “floggers” and stayed in Dharamsala with his family instead. “It was really nice,” he said. “I wore a few robes, and found myself up there in the hills. I just went on a couple of treks… I was a recluse for a few days.”He certainly didn’t work on his batting, and has hardly netted all tour. You couldn’t tell from his innings at No. 10, a vital 29 off 19 balls which included a straight drive off a 92mph Mark Wood rocket, a pull for four off Chris Woakes and a drag through wide long-on off David Willey.To top it all off, he took a blinder in the field to see the back of Willey, running 25 metres from deep fine leg to square leg and diving underneath a spectacular catch. “I mean, I’m not known as the best fielder in the world,” Zampa said, “but it’s satisfying to work on stuff and things come off like that. It’s a good feeling.”Zampa used to be the bowler that England’s batters queued up to take down. On Sunday, he will head to Mumbai with Buttler, Stokes and Moeen in his pocket – and as the leading wicket-taker at this World Cup.

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S Sudarshanan06-Apr-2022