Tag Futebol

Will West Ham United’s midfield rebuild right at the end of this transfer window continue?

So far in the Premier League, the Hammers have been smashed 3-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and then 5-1 when Chelsea visited the London Stadium.

In the latter, the Irons midfield pairing of Tomáš Souček and James Ward-Prowse was completely overrun by Chelsea’s duo of Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, both of whom scored, barely getting near them all night.

Thus, it is no surprise that Graham Potter has prioritised midfield reinforcements since that ill-fated defeat, so could another be on his way to East London?

West Ham's midfield rebuild

On Friday, West Ham signed not one but two new midfielders.

First, Mateus Fernandes arrived from Southampton for £38m before, a mere few hours later, Soungoutou Magassa joined from Monaco for a reported fee of £17m.

The latter, who won Olympic silver with France in the summer of 2024, is very highly rated, so West Ham fans should be excited about his arrival, but could his dream midfield partner soon be on his way to Stratford?

Well, according to a report by TEAMTalk, West Ham are ready to raid Rangers for Nicolas Raskin, adding that the Glasgow-based giants value their Belgian international at around £15m.

This transfer speculation has been fuelled by the news that Raskin will not be involved in Sunday’s Glasgow derby, training away from the rest of the first team, following an alleged falling out with manager Russell Martin.

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

Wolves, Burnley, Aston Villa, Brighton, Fiorentina and others are also purportedly interested in signing the Belgian, but could he soon swap Glasgow’s south side for East London?

What Nicolas Raskin would bring to West Ham

Raskin was Rangers’ Players’ Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year last season, very much their standout player during an otherwise underwhelming campaign.

In total, the 24-year-old has made 104 appearances for the Glasgow giants, scoring six goals and registering 16 assists.

Thus, before a ball was kicked this season, it would’ve been unthinkable for Rangers supporters that he would not be in their lineup for key fixtures.

Well, that has been the case under Martin, with Raskin left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, introduced at half time at Jan Breydelstadion on Wednesday with the team 5-0 down.

The table below documents Raskin’s importance to Rangers last season.

Raskin – 2024/25

Stat

Raskin

Rangers rank

Minutes

3,591

3rd

Goals

5

5th

Assists

11

1st

Shots

53

7th

Shots on target

23

5th

Passes completed

392

1st

Passes into final 3rd

41

1st

Shot-creating actions

20

4th

Tackles

44

1st

Interceptions

40

3rd

Ball recoveries

89

1st

Touches

639

1st

via FBref.com

As the table outlines, Raskin was a key contributor for Rangers last season in every aspect, ranked first for assists, passes, tackles, ball recoveries and touches, emphasising his importance both in and out of possession.

He was even labelled a “pitbull” by journalist Bob Faesan – who noted that he is a “a box-to-box midfielder” – while John Walker has also described his performances as “utterly sensational”.

Thus, alongside Magassa, who likes to sit in front of a defence, they could form an excellent partnership. Indeed, the Frenchman is a real monster out of possession in his own right, having ranked in the 3% of European midfielders for interceptions per 90, as well as in the top 4% for tackles made, as per FBref.

Statistically similar to the aforementioned Caicedo, among his European peers, Magassa also has the benefit of being able to drag his side up the pitch, having also ranked in the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90.

Raskin has been at his best in a Rangers jersey when given the freedom to get forward and contribute in attacking areas, while also getting back and offering defensive solidity, ensuring both he and Magassa could strike a perfect balance in the centre of the park.

So, if the Belgian is on the way out at Rangers, West Ham could snap him up for a bargain fee and potentially form an exciting, new-look midfield duo.

Related West Ham readying bid to sign "crazy" ace who dreams of Premier League move

The Hammers have set their sights on a late deal…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Aug 30, 2025

It is starting to feel like it’s now or never for Arsenal this season.

Mikel Arteta has done a brilliant job taking the Gunners from mid-table mediocrity to perennial challengers over the last five years. Still, after three successive second-placed finishes in the Premier League, some are starting to lose patience.

Fortunately, the board and new Sporting Director Andrea Berta and Co are backing him this summer, and have already made several exciting signings, most notably Viktor Gyokeres.

However, with Alexander Isak looking like he might be going to reigning champions Liverpool, the North Londoners might need to find some more firepower from somewhere.

Interestingly, the club have already been linked with just the player this summer, someone who’d improve the team overall and even help Gyokeres reach the output levels of Isak.

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 Gyokeres' potential impact at Arsenal

After what felt like months of back and forth with Sporting CP, Arsenal finally got their hands on Gyokeres for around £63.5m including add-ons late last month, and while that is undoubtedly a lot of money, it’s not hard to understand why the club think he’ll be worth it.

For example, in just 52 appearances last season, the Swedish “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored a staggering 54 goals and provided 13 assists to boot.

In other words, the 27-year-old international averaged 1.28 goal involvements every game, or one every 63.40 minutes, which is nothing short of miraculous.

However, two potential problems could stifle his output in England.

The first is the simple fact that Portugal’s top-flight is far more forgiving than the Premier League, with it being ranked as just the eighth toughest in the world by Opta Analyst, coming in behind the Championship and Belgian top-flight.

The second problem is that, unlike the right-hand side, where Bukayo Saka will provide a constant stream of top-quality chances, the Gunners’ left-wing options haven’t been as effective as they needed to be over the last few years.

This is even more of a problem with the former Coventry City star, as when you look at his heat map from last season, it’s evident that, at times, he floats out to the left to interchange and collect the ball from his teammates.

However, the good news is that Arsenal could solve this problem if they go back into the market and sign an international player they were linked with earlier in the window: Morgan Rogers.

Why Rogers could help Gyokeres reach Isak level numbers

While there haven’t been any concrete links to Rogers in recent weeks, he was touted for a move to Arsenal earlier in the summer, although with a potential price tag of up to £100m.

Ignoring the potential cost of the deal for now, it would be fair to say that adding Rogers to Arteta’s current side would make them even more dangerous this season, and in particular, he could help Gyokeres reach Isak’s level of numbers.

We say this as even though he was playing for an Aston Villa side that eventually missed out on Champions League qualification last season, he was still an absolute output “machine,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob.

Rogers’ 24/25

Appearances

54

Minutes

4496′

Goals

14

Assists

15

Goal Involvements per Match

0.53

Minutes per Goal Involvement

155.03′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, in 54 appearances last season, totalling 4496 minutes, the Halesowen-born superstar scored 14 goals and provided 15 assists, which means he was able to average a goal involvement every 1.86 games, or every 155.03 minutes.

On top of being a reliable source of goals and assists, the second reason the Claret and Blue star could be the player to help supercharge Gyokeres this season is his positional versatility.

While the 23-year-old dynamo is more than comfortable playing in the midfield, as a somewhat traditional number ten, he’s just as, if not more comfortable playing off the left, which, as we’ve already mentioned, is an area of weakness for Arteta and Co.

Just imagine a winger pairing of Saka on the right and Rogers on the left; there is no way Gyokeres won’t hit the same numbers Isak did last season playing between those two.

Ultimately, it would be a costly and extremely complicated transfer to get over the line, but if Arsenal want to ensure their new number nine can match the man who may be going to Liverpool, they should do all they can to sign the Villa star.

Related A new Bergkamp: Arteta has spoken to £100k-p/w star about joining Arsenal

The incredible international could be a game-changer for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 13, 2025

Bangladesh’s batters were under the scanner after South Africa completed a seven-wicket win on the fourth morning of the Dhaka Test. The top four contributed 105 runs in the match, their worst showing this year. Bangladesh’s collapse on the first day of the match haunted them for the rest of it, with only the lower order, led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, ensuring that there wasn’t an innings defeat.Mehidy, whose 97 in the second innings forced South Africa to bat again, said that the pitch and the conditions were to their liking and even the toss went their way but the top-order’s failure on the first day took them out of the contest too early and there was no coming back.”Everything was in our favour as we won the toss and decided to bat first,” Mehidy said. “It is hard to bat on the fourth day on this wicket so we prepared ourselves in that way. We couldn’t score runs, unfortunately. If we could have scored our second innings runs in the first… We were in the back foot in the first innings. We were bowled out before the second session on the first day. 106 all out. First innings runs are very important in Test cricket.”Related

• Cricket and chaos – Bangladesh are used to it, but Shanto wants out

• Another crisis situation, another Mehidy rescue act

• Rabada sets up South Africa's first Test win in Asia since 2014

• Markram hopes Mirpur win will end South Africa's Asia hoodoo

Mehidy said that Bangladesh’s batters must improve their decision-making out in the middle. Mahmudul Hasan Joy was the only member from the top four to make any kind of contribution (30 and 40). Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto failed in both innings. However, each of those three players still have at least one recent innings of note under their belt. Shadman scored a crucial 93 in the first Test against Pakistan, while Mominul scored a century in Bangladesh’s previous Test in Kanpur. Shanto made 82 in the Chennai Test.”I think decision-making is an important aspect [of batting],” Mehidy said. “We would do better as a team if the top order starts contributing again. We did it in Pakistan where the top four were contributing to the total. When the openers start well, it makes life easier for the rest of the batters. When the No. 5 and 6 batters are playing against the new ball, life becomes hard. We are working on how to improve the top order. I am hopeful that we will figure out where to improve in the coming matches.”Batters have to take more responsibility. Lack of runs on the board makes life difficult for the bowlers. We bowled well despite all the pressure. Taijul [Islam] bowled really well. We discussed that not all the batters will score every day. But at least three or four batters should turn their starts into big ones.”Mehidy is leading Bangladesh’s batting charts in this World Test Championship cycle.”I always try to enjoy pressure situations,” he said while trying to explain his success. “I see it as an opportunity to become a hero. I am happy to be making use of opportunities. I bat in a difficult position. I know that if I bat well from my position, the team may do well. If I don’t do well, the team won’t get a result. I am mentally trying to prepare myself to score runs. I am always trying to get better. I started with a 1.5 batting average. I have improved quite a bit now.”I have worked at batting against the new ball because sometimes I have to bat against the second new ball. I have worked on surviving as a batter, how to score runs and then how to dominate the bowlers. I have shared my thoughts with those who are less experienced in the dressing room, just like my seniors shared ideas with me.”Mehidy, however, isn’t keen on the comparison with Shakib Al Hasan, who was supposed to play his farewell Test in Dhaka. He said that he is trying to get a few years of consistency going before accepting such lofty accolades.”Everyone says I will take Shakib ‘s place. He is a legend who has achieved a lot over 17 years. He batted higher up the order. He has been scoring runs since early in his career. I have started scoring runs consistently in the last one or two years. I bat at No. 7 or 8. Shakib is in his place, I am in my place. I think it’s best not to compare us,” Mehidy said.Bangladesh have four days’ time to do some soul searching ahead of the Chattogram Test. The batters haven’t contributed much this year, but they have one last opportunity to get a score in familiar conditions before they hit the road for assignments in the UAE and the West Indies in the next couple of months.

سجل إيرلينج هالاند مهاجم مانشستر سيتي هدفين في اللحظات الأخيرة ضد بيرنلي، ليقود فريقه للفوز الساحق بخمسة أهداف لهدف في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ونشر الموقع الرسمي لمانشستر سيتي أن إيرلينج هالاند تقدم في قائمة أفضل 10 هدافين في تاريخ مانشستر سيتي بهدفيه في مباراة اليوم.

ووصل النرويجي للهدف رقم 133 مع مانشستر سيتي في 153 مباراة، مما جعله تاسع أفضل هداف في تاريخ مانشستر سيتي متقدماً على بيلي جيليسبي وفريد تيلسون.

ولايزال الطريق أمام صاحب القميص رقم 9 طويلًا ليعادل رقم سيرجيو أجويرو المهاجم الأرجنتيني صاحب الرقم القياسي بـ260 هدفًا خلال 10 سنوات.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا يشيد بثنائي مانشستر سيتي بعد الفوز ضد بيرنلي بخماسية

واحتاج كل من جيليسبي وتيلسون إلى 231 و275 مباراة على التوالي خلال مسيرتهما للوصول إلى 132 هدفًا.

وسجل هالاند أهدافًا في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أكثر من أي لاعب نرويجي آخر متجاوزًاً أولي جونار سولشاير برصيد 93 هدفًا في 103 مباراة، وكان مهاجم مانشستر يونايتد السابق قد أحرز 91 هدفًا خلال 235 مباراة.

ويجعل ذلك المهاجم النرويجي ثاني أفضل هداف في مباريات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز على ملعب الاتحاد، ورفع هدفي اليوم رصيد هالاند لـ52 هدفًا خلال 51 مباراة على ملعب الاتحاد مما يجعله يتفوق على ستيرلينج الذي سجل 51 هدفًا في 109 مباراة.

ويعد سيرجيو أجويرو هو الوحيد فقط الذي سجل أهدافًا أكثر في ملعب الاتحاد من الثنائي حيث أحرز 106 أهداف خلال 142 مباراة.

تغزل أحمد حسام ميدو، لاعب الزمالك السابق، في صانع ألعاب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالقلعة البيضاء، كما وصفه بأنه “مودريتش الكرة المصرية”.

وقال ميدو، في برنامجه أوضة اللبس على قناة النهار : “عبد الله السعيد أسطورة بمعنى الكلمة، وصل لأربعين سنة ويكون أفضل لاعب في الملعب في معظم المباريات، ويقدم كرة مختلفة عن كل لاعبي الدوري المصري، من حيث الرؤية والمجهود والتركيز والقيادة ويكون نموذجا لكل اللاعبين الصغار، السعيد أسطورة”.

طالع| مران الزمالك | يانيك فيريرا يحاضر اللاعبين فنيًا.. وتدريبات خاصة استعدادًا لمباراة الإسماعيلي

وتابع: “عبد الله السعيد أسطورة ومثال لكل اللاعبين، عندما كنت أشاهد مباراة لميلان الإيطالي، أول ما شاهدت مودريتش يلعب تذكرت عبد الله السعيد”.

وأضاف: “عبد الله السعيد مودريتش الكرة المصرية هو شبهه في كل شيء الذكاء وأسلوب اللعب والالتزام وأنه قدوة، وأحيي مسؤولي الزمالك لأن كان لديهم إصرار باستمرار عبد الله السعيد، وأحيي السعيد أنه قدوة للجميع، عبد الله السعيد (كل ما بيكبر بيحلى)”.

وفيما يتعلق بالنادي الأهلي، قال: “على الجميع أن يحترم خصوصية محمود الخطيب بعدم دخوله الانتخابات المقبلة، هذا الرجل هو أسطورة، لو أخذ قرارا أنه لن يدخل دورة مرة أخرى، ستكون خسارة للأهلي وهو قدم للأهلي أشياء كثيرة جدًا كلاعب وكمسؤول، واحد من أعظم رؤساء الأندية في تاريخ الأهلي أتمنى له الشفاء”.

وكشف: “الأهلي غني بأبنائه، طاهر أبو زيد ومحمود طاهر وياسين منصور الثلاثة قادرين على النجاح ويصلحون لرئاسة النادي، وأكثر واحد أتمنى له يكون رئيسا للأهلي تعويضا له عن أشياء كثيرة حدثت في حياته هو طاهر أبو زيد، هو أسطورة وعاشق للنادي للأهلي”.

 وعلق على انتقال أحمد سيد زيزو للأهلي: “صفقة زيزو لها أبعاد كثيرة جدًا عن أكثر من الكرة، زيزو لاعب كبير وإضافة للأهلي، ولكن في رأيي أنها صنعت روحا داخل غرفة الملابس بسبب راتبه، ولو كان جدد للزمالك بـ 80 مليون جنيه كان سيدخل في نفس الأزمة، لأنه رقم مبالغ فيه ولن نقدر نجدد لكل اللاعبين، هذا الرقم يهز أي اوضة لبس”.

وعن تصريحات حسام غالي، لاعب الأهلي السابق، بشأن رغبته في تولي رئاسة الأهلي، اختتم: “خانه التوفيق ولم يخدمه في تصريحاته، أعرف حسام منذ ان كان عمره 14 سنة، لا يخرج ويقول هذه التصريحات إلا عندما يكون لديه ألم وحزن كبير جدًا، جمهور الأهلي يجب أن يعرف ومصر كلها، حسام غالي أنقى شخصية في كرة القدم بمصر، وأطلب من جمهور الأهلي ألا يقسوا عليه، قرارات كثيرة جدًا ليس له أي دخل فيها وتم تشويه صورته بالفعل، لأنه خطر على ناس كثيرة، لأنه نجم وقائد ويده نظيفة، لو سار في طريقه الصحيح يفوز على أي أحد”.

Teenage batter following in footsteps of father Andrew, who spent his career at Lancs

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2024

Rocky Flintoff gets a handshake from Mark Chilton•Getty Images

Rocky Flintoff, son of former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff, has signed his first professional contract with Lancashire at the age of 16.Flinfoff, who was earlier this week named in the England Under-19s squad to face Sri Lanka, joined the Lancashire academy last year. He has featured four times for the 2nd XI this season, hitting a half-century against Durham and a hundred against Warwickshire.Clips of him batting went viral on social media due to the similarity of his technique to that of his father.”I’m very happy and excited to have signed my first professional contract with Lancashire,” Rocky Flintoff said. “It’s something that I’ve been working towards since I started playing cricket, so to sign for my home county is a dream come true.”I’ve been with the club since I was 8 years old, so to have the opportunity to keep representing the Red Rose is a big honour. I have loved playing for the Second XI so far this season and I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard on all aspects of my game.”Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, said: “I would like to congratulate Rocky, his family and everybody who has been with him on his journey in cricket so far.”He has impressed the coaching staff with his performances and determined attitude for the Second XI already this season. He is a grounded individual and knows the work starts now for him to fulfil his potential in the years ahead.”Rocky will be away with the England U19s for the next couple of weeks, and we look forward to welcoming him into the professional squad after that.”Andrew Flintoff made his Lancashire debut in 1995 before going on to become one of England’s most-pivotal allrounders, playing more than 200 times across formats and famous for his role in helping to regain the Ashes in 2005, after 16 years in Australian hands.

It would be fair to say that this season was something of a disappointment for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side ended up ten points off Liverpool in the Premier League, failed to make a dent in the FA Cup, and, with better finishing, could have realistically been in a Champions League final.

However, while it’s easy to focus on the negative, there have been at least a few positives, such as the development and performances of Jurrien Timber, who seriously stepped up in the absence of Ben White.

The Dutchman is now unquestionably one of the manager’s best signings, and based on reports, it looks like he could soon have himself another younger version of the international.

Arsenal transfer news

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other young talents Arsenal have been linked with in recent weeks, such as Adam Wharton and Konstantinos Karetsas.

Transfer Focus

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

The former is reportedly available for close to £80m this summer, and while that is a lot of money to spend on someone who is just 21 years old, he’s more than proven his ability at Crystal Palace and played a key role in their FA Cup triumph this year.

Karetsas, on the other hand, is a little harder to justify at a whopping £38m, as while he’s seriously impressed in Belgium this season, he is still just 17 years old, and that sort of money would probably be better off being spent on someone who could play for the team next year.

With that said, while these two youngsters are incredibly talented, neither one can be described as anything like Timber, unlike Jorrel Hato.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several teams incredibly interested in the Ajax star.

The report has revealed that Arsenal, alongside the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle United, have already made contact to find out more information about a possible transfer.

However, on top of having to contend with some serious competition, Andrea Berta and Co would have to stump a fee of up to €50m to get their man, which is about £42m.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but it is one Arsenal should be fighting for, especially as he’d be the club’s next Timber.

Why Hato would be Arsenal's next timber

Now, it might sound like a bold claim to suggest that a teenager from outside the top five leagues could develop into a full-back who was impeccable against Real Madrid home and away in the Champions League.

Yet, that is exactly what we are suggesting, and there are a number of reasons why.

Firstly, the Eridivise might not be one of the best leagues in Europe, but it’s only just outside the top five, sitting in sixth place, and crucially, Timber made his way to North London from the Netherlands.

In fact, not only did the Gunners’ ace join Arteta’s title challengers from the same country, but he did so from Ajax, which is where Hato is currently plying his trade.

Furthermore, the pair are both Dutch and on top of coming up through the Ajax academy, they also share the ability to play in more than one position, depending on what the manager wants and needs.

Left-Back

68

3

6

Centre-Back

41

1

3

Left Midfield

1

0

0

Centre-Back

170

9

6

Right-Back

82

4

5

Left-Back

22

1

1

Defensive Midfield

2

1

0

For example, we all know that Timber is at his best at right-back, but he’s already played at centre-back and left-back since moving to England, just as the in-demand youngster has primarily played at left-back in his career but is more than comfortable at centre-back as well.

Finally, it’s not just us who see the parallels, as respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described the 19-year-old gem as “Timber 2.0.”

Ultimately, he might not be cheap, but Hato looks destined to be a monster of a defender, and for that reason, Arsenal should do what they can to bring him to the club, as he could be their new Timber.

Arsenal targeting £80m "nightmare" who'd be more exciting than Zubimendi

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Martin Zubimendi.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 10, 2025

Newcastle United supporters will be praying that Eddie Howe can keep hold of Alexander Isak this summer.

Securing Champions League football for next season would give the club a big boost in this regard, but with interest in the Swede circling, it may be difficult to persuade him to stay.

Liverpool and Arsenal are the leading contenders to attempt a move to sign the centre-forward when the transfer window opens.

Why Newcastle must keep hold of Alexander Isak

The former Borussia Dortmund forward has enjoyed the finest individual season of his career throughout 2024/25. Across 41 games for the Magpies in all competitions, Isak has scored 27 goals while recording six assists.

At the time of writing, the Toon sit third in the Premier League table, and Isak’s 23 league goals have gone a long way in powering the club to what could be Champions League qualification next term.

This would allow Howe the chance to bring more high-profile players to the North East, while enabling him to potentially keep the likes of Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Bruno Guimaraes for another season.

If the Swedish striker does decide to move on in the summer, Howe will need to bring in a replacement who knows what it takes to score at the very highest level.

Could he turn to La Liga in the coming weeks?

Newcastle could replace Isak with Alexander Sorloth

Signing another centre-forward is certainly on Howe’s wishlist, especially with sparse options in this area of the team.

With Isak’s future uncertain and Callum Wilson not getting any younger and missing the majority of the season due to injury, money will need to be spent.

Reports in Spain, Newcastle are keen on signing Atlético Madrid frontman Alexander Sorloth this summer.

Atlético signed him last summer for a fee of £27m, although it remains to be seen just how much he could cost this year, especially coming off an excellent campaign for the La Liga side.

The Norwegian was dubbed “legendary” after scoring three goals in the opening 11 minutes of the club’s 4-0 success over Real Sociedad. He ended up netting all four, in what was a stunning display.

Compared to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Sorloth demonstrated his sublime abilities in the final third.

Indeed, not only does he rank in the top 1% for non-penalty goals (0.96), but the striker also ranks in the top 3% for total shots (4.24) and in the top 7% for touches in the opposition penalty area, which speaks to how lethal he is in front of goal and why he would be a dream replacement for Isak.

Alexander Sorloth’s stats this season
Metric	La Liga
Appearances	33
xG	13.91
Goals	17
Shots per game	2.1
Goal conversion percentage	25%
Goal frequency (minutes)	87
Assists	2
Via Sofascore

Considering he has scored a total of 21 goals for the Spanish side, signing Sorloth could give Newcastle supporters hope that not all is lost if Isak moves on from St. James’ Park.

He has history with the Premier League, playing 16 scoreless games for Crystal Palace during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, but now appears to be prepared to be a key player at that level thanks to his experience in Madrid.

Should he return, the striker has matured and surely wouldn’t be fazed this time around, that’s for sure.

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By
Henry Jackson

May 17, 2025

As rumours continue to arrive over Arsenal’s summer transfer plans, new sporting director Andrea Berta is now reportedly keeping a close eye on a somewhat cheaper attacking option who has scored 25 goals this season.

Arsenal looking to ease goalscoring woes

Whilst it’s easy to list the absurd number of injuries that Arsenal have suffered throughout the current campaign, their Premier League form since the return of Bukayo Saka has highlighted their clear problems for all to see. And Berta must address those issues in his first summer in charge.

Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth

Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace

Ipswich Town 0-4 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Brentford

Everton 1-1 Arsenal

Even though their form has come at a time when the Premier League title has drifted away from them and into Liverpool’s grasp as official champions, Arsenal still have Champions League qualification to worry about. Mikel Arteta, with three games to go, simply has to seal a place in the top five amid concerns that a disappointing campaign could still turn disastrous.

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The Spaniard recently had his say on Liverpool’s title win and the Gunners’ failure, telling reporters: “Winning trophies is about being in the right moment in the right place. Liverpool have won the title with less points than we have in the last two seasons. With the points of the past two season we have two Premier League [titles].”

What would certainly help ensure that Arsenal are in the right moment in the right place, however, is the arrival of a pure goalscorer this summer. Amid links to the likes of Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko, those in North London must get things right this summer and solve Arteta’s greatest problem.

Meanwhile, if it’s a question of money, then Berta may yet turn towards a cheaper options who could turn into the summer’s best bargain if all goes to plan.

Arsenal plotting £34m Patrik Schick move

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are now plotting a move to sign Patrik Schick from Bayer Leverkusen this summer with Berta keeping a close eye on the Czech Republic forward. Valued at around €40m (£34m) by the Bundesliga club, the Gunners could swoop in and solve their attacking problems for far cheaper than if they signed Isak or Sesko.

Despite his bargain price, Schick has enjoyed a season worthy of a far higher valuation – scoring 25 goals in all competitions – and could yet prove that in the Premier League. At 29 years old, the only concern for Arsenal should be his age, but as Chris Wood has proved at Nottingham Forest this season, players are more than capable of making the difference even when outside of what are considered prime years.

Minutes

1,562

2,354

Goals

19

8

Assists

0

5

Expected Goals

11.5

6.8

Smashing his expected goals in the Bundesliga this season, Schick is the pure goalscorer that Arsenal have so desperately lacked all season. His name wouldn’t steal the same headlines as an Isak or Sesko, but he would arguably be just as clinical. Previously dubbed “great” by former Sampdoria boss Marco Giampaolo, Schick is one to watch this summer.

Chelsea’s next game in the Premier League sees them host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. This has, historically, been a favourable fixture for the West Londoners; at least, that has been the case in the Premier League.

The Blues’ record at Stamford Bridge against Spurs since the 1992/92 season is exceptional. In 32 top flight games, they have won 20, drawn 11 and lost just one. In that time, they have scored 61 goals to the Lilywhites’ 23.

Last season, this fixture ended 2-0 to Chelsea, thanks to goals from defender Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson. Surprisingly, it was a rare game in which Cole Palmer failed to register a goal involvement.

However, he will have a chance to do so on Thursday night, with Enzo Maresca bearing good news about his return from injury.

Chelsea team news vs. Spurs

Well, Chelsea fans can breathe a sigh of relief because Palmer will return to action against Spurs. After missing England duty and the last Premier League game against Arsenal, Maresca explained, “Cole is back, he is ok. He is better”, in his pre-match press conference.

The Wythenshawe-born sensation has actually been on a bit of a goal drought in recent weeks but still has 14 goals and seven assists in 28 Premier League games this term.

He scored twice away from home against the Lilywhites in a 4-3 earlier in the season, including a clever panenka, and will surely be hoping to repeat the feat this week at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer is not the only England international returning to the Blues’ first team this week. Noni Madueke is also returning to the first-team fold after missing the last four Premier League games with a hamstring injury.

Maresca confirmed the former PSV Eindhoven star is “better” and seemingly will be available for selection against the Lilywhites, where he played academy football. Madueke will be looking to add to his eight goals and four assists this term.

Having Palmer and Madueke back is a huge boost for Maresca, but they are not the only attacking stars returning to action for Chelsea. The Blues boss also has a deadly forward available who could do Spurs some damage.

The returning Chelsea star who can unlock Palmer

Not only are the two England internationals back in action this week for the Blues, but so is Jackson, one of the goal-scorers from last season against the North Londoners.

Chalkboard

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

He has missed the last five league games with a hamstring issue, but Maresca also said he is “better”, describing the returning trio as “all good”.

It has been an impressive season for Jackson on the whole. He has featured 23 times in the Premier League, scoring nine times and grabbing five assists.

His all-round centre-forward play seems to have improved this term, given he has already matched his assist tally from 2023/24. Jamie Carragher described the 23-year-old as a “handful” at the start of February.

Indeed, the stats on FBref certainly back up how much trouble he can cause opposition defences. For example, in the Premier League this season, he averages 0.52 goal-creating actions, ranking him in the top 12% of strikers in the English top flight.

Shots on target

1.56

88th

Non-penalty expected goals

0.59npxG

88th

Assists

0.26

90th

Shot-creating actions

3.21

76th

Goal-creating actions

0.52

88th

Football scout Antonio Mango said Jackson’s “movement is key to unlocking Cole Palmer”, with the movement he makes creating space for the England international to exploit. This seems like something the Blues would appreciate, given Palmer’s goal drought over the last few weeks.

Indeed, his elite movement off the ball was evident at the start of his Chelsea career. In September 2023, analyst Nick Wright wrote a piece for Sky Sports, which noted that ‘Jackson has made more off-the-ball runs than any other Premier League player this season’. Already, you can see how good Jackson is at moving off the ball to facilitate his teammates.

If given the chance, Jackson definitely has the potential to hurt Spurs this evening. The fact that he can facilitate Palmer so well with his elite movement, plus his ability in front of goal, makes him a great weapon in Chelsea’s arsenal ahead of this crunch clash on Thursday night.

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