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Manchester City may not win the Premier League title for the fifth season in a row this term, but Pep Guardiola will be hoping that his side can bounce back by 2025/26.

It has felt like the ending of an era at the Etihad over the previous few months. Off the pace in the title race, losing in the League Cup last-16 and occupying 22nd place in the Champions League table, the FA Cup might be the most realistic chance of silverware.

Despite the poor run of form in recent months, the Spaniard signed a new two-year extension to his contract, suggesting his heart is still in it.

This month could be crucial when it comes to adding some reinforcements to his squad, especially with several areas of the team stagnating of late.

One player who looks certain to be making the move to Manchester before the end of the transfer window is Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush, as a verbal agreement has been reached.

Erling Haaland is the only senior striker in the current squad, placing great strain on him to perform during every game.

Marmoush, therefore, is the perfect signing for Guardiola, especially judging by his record in front of goal this season.

Omar Marmoush’s stats this season

The 25-year-old has been on fire in Germany this season for Frankfurt, scoring 20 goals in just 26 matches for the club in all competitions.

The striker scores once every 97 minutes in the Bundesliga, while he also contributes in other areas, including creating 11 big chances, averaging 2.1 key passes and succeeding with 2.7 dribbles per match in the top flight.

The Egyptian is arguably a better all-around striker than Haaland, and these attributes could perhaps help City get back to their best over the next few months.

When compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Marmoush even ranks in the top 1% for shot-creating actions and assists, the top 3% for successful take-ons and in the top 9% for touches in the opposition penalty area.

These statistics prove that Guardiola is buying one of the finest strikers in Europe. Hopefully, he can be the catalyst needed to spur on the rest of the team.

Metric

Haaland

Marmoush

Goals

16

15

Assists

1

9

Key passes per game

0.9

2.1

Big chances created

2

11

Scoring frequency (minutes)

118

97

Successful dribbles per game

0.5

2.7

Signing such a player won’t come cheap to the Etihad side. According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, City will have to pay a fee of around €80m (£67.5m) to sign the striker this month.

Considering his form during the 2024/25 campaign, there is no doubt that Marmoush is worth a fee in this region, with Frankfurt holding firm in their valuation of their prized asset.

Despite this amount of money being spent by the Spaniard in a bid to improve his squad, there is a player already at the club who is worth even more than Marmoush following a solid start to the season…

The player Man City have struck gold on

In a bid to improve his wide options, Guardiola spent £30m on signing winger Savinho from French side Troyes last summer.

During his loan spell at Girona in 2023/24, he scored 11 goals and grabbed ten assists as they secured qualification for the Champions League after a stunning season in La Liga.

This prompted City to secure his signature from Troyes, who are part of the City Football Group. City director of football Txiki Begiristain said at the time:

So far, he has shown glimpses of his quality in England following his move just seven months ago.

Savinho’s season in numbers

The Brazilian has had plenty of faith placed in him by the manager, starting 19 of his 27 appearances so far this season. During his time on the pitch, the winger has scored once while chipping in with eight assists across all competitions.

During the early part of the season, Savinho received plenty of praise from pundit Paul Merson, who backed the City starlet to become a “superstar” in the future.

“I haven’t seen anything like him for a long time” added Merson when discussing the summer signing, and if he maintains his current form, he can be a star for City over the coming years.

Indeed, when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the 20-year-old ranks in the top 3% for progressive carries (6.51) and successful take-ons (3.33) per 90, along with ranking in the top 11% for touches in the opposition penalty area (6.77) and assists (0.35) per 90 over the previous 365 days.

His potential is limitless, with the £30m fee that Guardiola paid for him looking like one of the finest bargains in City’s recent transfer history.

Not only that, but Savinho’s market value has soared since making the move to England last summer…

Savinho’s market value at Man City

According to the CIES Football Observatory, when compared to fellow Brazilians in terms of market value, Savinho ranks fifth, ahead of players such as Gabriel, Bruno Guimaraes and Evanilson.

The most impressive aspect? His valuation currently stands at €95.3m (£80.5m), which is due to performing well in England under Guardiola.

Not only does this suggest the club could make a significant profit on him if they so desired, but his value is also more than Marmoush.

They have a genuine sensation in their midst and the manager will hope to give him plenty more game time, which will only see the Brazilian get better and better as time goes on.

Market Movers

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

The £40k-per-week starlet could be the next big talisman at City over the next few years. With Guardiola looking to bring in other young talents, is Savinho the future?

Judging by his recent form, he is the present.

Man City make move to sign "versatile" player with club wanting £42m+

The Blues could be set to lose Kyle Walker this month, but his replacement may have already been found.

ByBrett Worthington Jan 16, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Palmeiras e Corinthians se enfrentam pela terceira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, neste sábado (23), às 19h, na Arena Barueri, em São Paulo.

> GALERIA -Lembre como foram os últimos Dérbis
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A partida acontecerá neste estádio, e não no Allianz Parque, casa palmeirense, por conta de shows que ocorrerão nos próximos dias no local.

Antes do Dérbi, os setoristas do Palmeiras, Alexandre Guariglia, e Corinthians, Fábio Lázaro, batem um papo sobre a partida.

Ex-Man Utd first team coach Rene Meulensteen has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson was keen on signing Barcelona legend Ronaldinho in the early 2000s.

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Ronaldinho enjoyed considerable success at BarcaFerguson was keen on working with the BrazilianWanted to sign him from both PSG and BarcelonaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldinho is one of the greatest players of all-time, cementing his place in the upper echelons of the game while destroying defences as a Barcelona and Brazil player. However, the 2005 Ballon d'Or winner could have signed for Manchester United, with former Red Devils first team coach Rene Meulesteen revealing that legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson was keen to bring Ronaldinho to the club.

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Indeed, Ferguson tried everything in his power to lure Ronaldinho to Old Trafford in 2003, while he was still contracted to Paris Saint-Germain. Several former players have revealed that the club were close to announcing his transfer, but the Brazilian changed his mind last minute and signed for Barcelona. Subsequently, Man Utd signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP after being snubbed by the iconic attacking midfielder.

Speaking to ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel on The Obi One podcast, Rio Ferdinand said: "I remember when Cristiano Ronaldo signed we went on tour to Lisbon and he was actually lucky that we signed him. It was only on the disappointment of not signing Ronaldinho that summer.

"I remember we were going to sign Ronaldinho but he chose to leave PSG for Barcelona. The manager was absolutely devastated. Then on the tour, he went to Sporting Lisbon to open the stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo plays and the rest is history."

WHAT RENE MEULENSTEEN SAID

Speaking to Poker Firma, Meulensteen spoke about Ferguson's interest in the Brazilian legend: “After I joined the club in the 2000s, I do believe Sir Alex was really keen on signing Ronaldinho from Barcelona. He was absolutely exceptional during his time in Spain and he would have brought that superstar element with him to the club, which I don’t think Sir Alex would have minded as long as he was able to manage him."

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Ronaldinho is said to have brought more than 20 people into face-to-face negotiations with United in 2003, before eventually deciding on a move to Barcelona instead. Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon shed light on why the deal fell through, telling the  podcast: "Normally, in these cases, you're dealing with the player and his agent. Here, we're dealing with the player, several agents and about 20 other people in the room. He's a great player, but suddenly we're into a whole different thing.

"Injecting that sort of culture around training, not normally on time, which is different. The Brazilian health culture is different. Fantastic player, but there are all sorts of other things that started to get introduced into all this, and he was clearly coming with a load of people. You know what United was like at that time. It was an institution, no one got treated differently than the rest."

Ibrahima Konate revealed his frustrations with playing alongside Virgil van Dijk as he joked that the Liverpool captain hogs all the limelight.

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Konate revealed frustrations of playing with Van DijkAccused Dutchamn of hogging all the limelightReds face Fulham on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Konate and Van Dijk form one of the most staunch defensive pairs in the Premier League at the moment. The Reds' central defenders have played a crucial role in the club sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier League table as Arne Slot's side have conceded only 27 goals in the 2024-25 campaign – the second fewest number of goals conceded after Arsenal.

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The French defender, however, expressed his frustration at playing alongside a stalwart like Van Dijk as he accused the veteran defender of hogging all the limelight, albeit jokingly. He also heaped praise on the Dutchman while claiming he learnt a lot from his defensive partner.

WHAT IBRAHIMA KONATE SAID

Speaking to , the French defender said: "With Virgil, we know how good he is, how special he is, and what he’s been doing for years. He’s so good. I take a few things from him. He gave me a lot of advice when I came to the club. Like I’ve said previously, I will be better than you one day, that’s why I work very hard every day to achieve this.

"It’s crazy how many Man of the Match [awards] I could get this season. It’s very good to play with Virg because he is a very good player, but sometimes people who watch the game they think it’s only Virgil who plays. No, I am playing as well. I've had a great game as well, but no, but because it's Virgil. I’m not jealous, but watch the game, and it will tell you the truth."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

After competing in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday in the Premier League, Liverpool will be next seen in action on Sunday as they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage in a league clash.

Pakistan’s collapse, he suggested, came about because conditions were difficult for batters new to the crease

Umar Farooq23-Mar-2022

Pakistan have a long history of collapses in Test cricket, and they added a new chapter on Wednesday, when they lost their last five wickets for just four runs – a new record – to hand Australia a 123-run first-innings lead. Azhar Ali has conceded that the lower-order implosion has “dented Pakistan’s chances” in the Lahore Test, but has not lost hope that they can come back into the game.Related

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Pakistan began the day at 90 for 1, and the overnight pair of Azhar and Abdullah Shafique batted through the first session and stretched their second-wicket stand to 150 to put Pakistan in a solid position at 170 for 1 in response to Australia’s 391. Along the way, Azhar also brought up a major milestone, becoming only the fifth Pakistan batter to score 7000 Test runs.There were no major partnerships thereafter, however, as Pakistan crumbled around Babar Azam’s 67 to be bowled out for 268, with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins running amok in furious spells of pace and reverse-swing.”The collapse we had after tea has dented our chances a little bit in the game but Test cricket is like that – it goes up and down,” Azhar said in his press conference at the end of the day’s play. “That’s the beauty of Test cricket and hopefully we can turn things around tomorrow.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

He was generous in his praise for Starc and Cummins. “We have to give credit to them. We always knew how good they are, especially Starc when it comes to reverse-swing. Cummins, he’s an all-round very good bowler – he is the top bowler in the world right now, and he exploited the conditions really well.”It was hard work for the fast bowlers but there was always a kind of low bounce and reverse-swing was going on since yesterday. They kept on bowling on the right areas and kept asking questions, even to the set batsmen as well, and late in the day there was some good results for them. It was lovely to see good, fast, reverse-swing bowling, and unfortunately we were on the receiving end.”Asked for a possible reason behind Pakistan’s collapse after tea, Azhar suggested the pitch was not an easy one for new batters to settle down on. Knowing this, he said Pakistan’s batters had been conscious of needing to bat long when set, but that didn’t quite happen, with neither he, Shafique nor Babar going on to convert their half-centuries into a hundred.”When you play on these pitches you have to bat long, because runs don’t come very quickly. Our intent was to maximise the partnerships because it becomes a little difficult for the new batsman, because runs don’t come quickly, you don’t become set, and reverse-swing starts very early. So I think against a quality bowling side like Australia who have Cummins and Starc, they can cause problems in these conditions especially for new batsmen.”Our 80s, we wanted to convert them into 150s and 170s because it was difficult for the new batsmen. Once our partnership [Azhar-Shafique] was broken, it wasn’t easy for the new batsmen who came in. Unfortunately the collapse happened very early, and yes, we are in some trouble. But we will try to change [our situation] and in a similar way we have the opportunity to take quick wickets and change things around.”Pat Cummins held a stunning return catch to remove Azhar Ali•AFP

Pakistan’s scoring rate – 2.29 over their innings – became a talking point too. Other than Babar, who scored his runs at a strike rate of 51.14, no batter even struck in the 40s. Azhar said these scoring rates were an outcome of the slowness of the pitch.”The conditions basically dictate how you play cricket, Azhar said. “If you compare across all three Test matches, both teams have been batting similarly. Even when we used to play in the UAE, one question was always asked, why we score so slowly. When you get slow pitches it’s not easy to score quickly. It’s easier when the ball is new, but when the ball gets old and there are straight fields [more fielders in front of the wicket], and when there are low-bounce pitches, it’s not easy to score quick runs.”Pakistan went into this match with five specialist bowlers, leaving out their allrounder Faheem Ashraf and playing only six specialist batters including the keeper Mohammad Rizwan. Asked if that had left them with a long tail that contributed to their collapse, Azhar backed the decision, saying it was a positive move made with taking 20 wickets at the forefront.”You have to take a chance sometimes,” Azhar said. “I think it was a positive move from the management, they wanted five bowlers because you win Test matches only by taking 20 wickets. Our top six were the ones scoring maximum runs and we wanted to take [extra] responsibility as a batting unit. Unfortunately this collapse happened, but it doesn’t mean the team selection was wrong. Naseem Shah proved that decision to play him as a fifth bowler paid off; he took four wickets and bowled very well. So sometimes, while taking a positive decision, you have to sacrifice something else, and we stand behind the decision as a team and and optimistic that it will pay off.”

West Ham United are eyeing a move for an England international as they look to rebuild under Julen Lopetegui, it has been claimed, with the Hammers in desperate need of reinforcements.

West Ham lose again

After an impressive 2-0 win over Newcastle United, West Ham’s feel-good factor was promptly shattered as they were thrashed 5-2 by Premier League hopefuls Arsenal at the London Stadium. The Gunners were 4-0 up inside 36 minutes, and despite a small West Ham fightback before half-time, they never looked like giving up that advantage as plenty of home fans left early in disgust.

And, speaking on Sky Sports, Gary Neville slammed Lopetegui’s tactics, dubbing them utter madness: “It’s just utter madness. When you’re 3-0 down against Arsenal just hit it long into Antonio. They can’t get out. I just don’t understand it.”

The result leaves the Hammers languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, with defeat to Arsenal being their sixth already this season, the same number as Everton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.

Lopetegui, already the holder of the unwanted record of being the first West Ham boss to lose each of his first three home games in the Premier League, is under pressure ahead of a run of fixtures in which the Hammers will be expecting to pick up plenty of points from sides around and below them.

Leicester City (Away)

Wolves (Home)

Bournemouth (Away)

Brighton (Home)

Southampton (Away)

Now, West Ham are reportedly keen to bolster a defence that has conceded 24 goals so far this season, the joint fourth-most in the division.

West Ham eye cut-price England international

That comes according to reports in Italy, which put West Ham firmly in the frame to sign AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori in 2025. The England international has seen his stock fall at San Siro, and has lost his place in Paulo Fonseca’s starting XI, seeing just 11 minutes of action across the last six Serie A games as Malick Thiaw and Matteo Gabbia have overtaken him in the pecking order.

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ByConnor Holden Dec 2, 2024

With two and a half years left on his £72k a week deal in Milan, Tomori could well be sold in a bid to raise funds to strengthen elsewhere, and all of Juventus, Newcastle United, West Ham and Aston Villa are credited with an interest in the 26-year-old centre-back.

Though Milan demanded 30m euros (£24m) to part ways with the defender in the summer, it is claimed that the Rossoneri ‘could settle for less’ now after failing to attract a bidder.

A return to the Premier League could offer Tomori a better chance of returning to the England squad, where he has been consistently overlooked since his move to Milan, and West Ham could offer him regular first team football in his home-city.

Tomori would certainly add strength to the Hammers’ backline, which has looked increasingly fragile in recent weeks despite the summer arrivals of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, neither of whom have been huge successes in the early stages of their West Ham careers.

The pitch offered square turn and uncertain bounce from ball one, but it was India’s pacers who did all the damage at the top

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Mar-20221:10

Why were India’s pacers more successful than the spinners?

Sixteen wickets fell on a pitch offering square turn and uncertain bounce from ball one, and India ended day one in a hugely dominant position. The packed crowd that thronged the Chinnaswamy Stadium may have expected their spin trio to get them to that position; instead, it was Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami who took five of the six Sri Lankan wickets to fall, bowling with high pace and skill, and extracting maximum value from a pink ball that swung and seamed just enough under lights to keep threatening both edges.This was still a spinner’s pitch, but R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were still waiting to fully come into the game at the close of play. Sri Lanka’s spinners, meanwhile, failed entirely to capitalise on the help they were getting, bowling too full or too short and allowing India to score at more than four runs an over on a pitch where they had no business doing so. Shreyas Iyer led their charge to a first-innings total of 252, using his feet expertly and putting the spinners under immense pressure over the course of a counterattacking innings of 92.The innings was one of calculated aggression and daring forays down the pitch – he hit four sixes, one of which clattered into the roof of the stands beyond wide long-on – but it was also helped along by poor bowling, particularly from Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama.Two numbers from ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data summed up the contest between Iyer and Sri Lanka: of the 89 balls he faced from the spinners, he cut or pulled 14, and he only defended 11. Iyer told the broadcasters after the day’s play that he went in with defence far from his mind – “I just decided I couldn’t get out defending the ball because there was more chance getting out that way” – but Sri Lanka’s spinners hardly ever forced him to either.Iyer and Rishabh Pant – who clattered 39 off 26 balls – took away all momentum from Sri Lanka after India ended the first session at 93 for 4, but the truth was that Embuldeniya and, in particular, Jayawickrama had already let India off the hook, with the latter making a nervy start to his first spell of the series, spraying the ball short or down the leg side repeatedly.Mohammed Shami struck with his first ball, bowling Dimuth Karunaratne•BCCIEmbuldeniya extracted turn and bounce from the very first over he bowled, and soon had Rohit Sharma edging one to gully. Hanuma Vihari and Virat Kohli judged length beautifully during a third-wicket stand of 47, but neither could have done much about the balls that got them out – Jayawickrama nicking off the former with one that turned to follow one that didn’t, and Dhananjaya de Silva trapping the latter in front with a short ball that scooted through at shin height.The ball continued to misbehave through the rest of the innings, but the spinners’ inconsistency and Iyer’s opportunism ensured that India ended up with more than 250. Embuldeniya, Jayawickrama and de Silva combined to take 8 for 207 in 48.1 overs. The wicket balls were inevitable on this pitch; what they did in between put their team firmly on the back foot by the time they began their reply.Sri Lanka knew they would get no such largesse from India’s bowlers; what they may not have expected was the sheer potency of Bumrah and Shami. India began with pace from one end and spin from the other, but Bumrah, swinging the ball both ways, had both the right-handed Kusal Mendis and the left-handed Lahiru Thirimanne caught at third slip by the time he’d bowled 13 balls, so Ashwin gave way to Shami.And Shami struck with his very first ball, in trademark fashion, bolt-upright seam causing inward deviation to bowl the left-handed Dimuth Karunaratne through the gate. Shami struck again in his fourth over, getting one to skid through from just short of a length to strike the crease-bound de Silva’s back pad in front of the stumps. It took a certain amount of pleading from Shami and Pant to convince Rohit to review umpire Nitin Menon’s not-out decision, and vindication arrived when ball-tracking suggested the ball would have hit a good chunk of the top of the stumps. Shami’s skiddiness had prised out another victim.Angelo Mathews looked very good while his innings lasted, but on 43 he erred against Jasprit Bumrah•BCCIWhen pace finally gave way to spin in tandem, Sri Lanka enjoyed perhaps their most comfortable – only in relative terms, because the bowling was still testingly accurate – spell with the bat, with Angelo Mathews and Charith Asalanka adding 22 in just 5.4 overs, with both batters showing a willingness to use their feet. But Asalanka’s readiness to step out also cost him his wicket, as he failed to reach the pitch of an Axar delivery and skewed it high and into mid-off’s hands.Mathews played perhaps the innings of the day, demonstrating a method of coping with the threat of Jadeja and Axar. He largely stayed leg-side of the ball against the two left-arm spinners, leaving his pads out of the way of the straight skidder, and playing with his hands close to his body and allowing himself to be beaten in case the ball turned big. He also used his reach to hit down the ground when anything was remotely in his arc, and made it harder for the spinners to settle into their lengths.Having done all that hard work and moved to 43, though, he made a fatal error against a not particularly threatening ball from the returning Bumrah, the lack of pace of his offcutter possibly causing him to jab away from his body. The ball bounced a little more than expected, caught his outside edge, and settled nicely in second slip’s hands. The dismissal was perfectly timed from India’s perspective, allowing them to begin day two with one lower-order batter at the crease.

The four-time champions have named a 17-member squad, with five additional players on stand-by

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2021

Batter Yash Dhull will lead a 17-member India squad at the next edition of the Under-19 World Cup, to be played across four countries in the Caribbean from January 14 to February 5 next year. The Delhi man’s deputy is SK Rasheed, the batter from Andhra Pradesh.India are grouped with Ireland, South Africa and Uganda in Group B, and start their campaign on January 15 against South Africa in Guyana, followed by fixtures on January 19 against Ireland and on January 22 against Uganda; both those matches will be played in Trinidad & Tobago.Related

New Zealand withdraw from 2022 Under-19 World Cup

VVS Laxman to be part of India's U-19 World Cup contingent

Defending champions Bangladesh are in Group A with Canada, England and UAE. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe make up Group C. And Group D has Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and hosts West Indies.New Zealand are the only major side that will be missing in this edition of the tournament, after they decided to withdraw owing to “extensive mandatory quarantine restrictions [because of Covid-19] for minors on their return home”. Scotland, who had initially missed qualification in the Europe qualifiers, became the 16th team to participate in New Zealand’s absence.Recently, in November-December, two India Under-19 sides, A and B, faced off against Bangladesh Under-19s in a triangular tournament in Kolkata, but fell short, with the visiting side winning all their matches, except one that was washed out, on their way to the title. The main India squad now has the Under-19 Asia Cup – to be played in the UAE from December 23 – to get its finetuning done.India, four-time title-winners, have been the most successful team in the history of the Under-19 World Cup, with Australia in second place, with three crowns, followed by Pakistan, who have won it twice. India last won the tournament in 2018, when they were led by Prithvi Shaw, and finished runners-up in 2020 to Bangladesh, who won the title for the first time.India’s other successes came in 2000, when they were led by Mohammad Kaif, in 2008, when Virat Kohli was the captain, and in 2012, under Unmukt Chand’s leadership.Squad: Yash Dhull (capt), SK Rasheed (vice-capt), Harnoor Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nishant Sindhu, Siddarth Yadav, Aneeshwar Gautam, Dinesh Bana (wk), Aaradhya Yadav (wk), Raj Angad Bawa, Manav Parakh, Kaushal Tambe, RS Hangargekar, Vasu Vats, Vicky Ostwal, Ravikumar, Garv Sangwan.
Stand-by players: Rishit Reddy, Uday Saharan, Ansh Gosai, Amrit Raj Upadhyay, PM Singh Rathore.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has lavished praise on a Hale End “boy”, who he says could become one of the club’s “biggest” players.

Hale End academy stars set for bright Arsenal futures

A few obvious names spring to mind when contemplating who could be the next young stars out of Arsenal, with both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri featuring in matchday squads and on the pitch during the current campaign.

Related Patrick Vieira names the near-£100m striker who's just perfect for Arsenal

The Gunners legend thinks he’d take them to another level.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Nov 1, 2024

Lewis-Skelly, who made his senior debut for the north Londoners during their 2-2 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League earlier this season, has featured in every competition since then – with Arsenal’s plague of injury concerns handing the 18-year-old opportunities to impress.

The versatile youngster, usually a midfielder, has played at left-back to cover for the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu off the bench with both first-teamers currently sidelined.

Calafiori will be out for weeks after he was taken off against Shakhtar Donetsk last week, while Tomiyasu won’t return before the next international break.

Arsenal injury list

Predicted return date

Takehiro Tomiyasu (Knee)

23/11/2024

Kieran Tierney (Thigh)

23/11/2024

Riccardo Calafiori (Knee)

23/11/2024

Martin Odegaard (Ankle)

10/11/2024

The absence of Martin Odegaard since September has also freed up more space in Arteta’s XI for highly rated attacking midfield gem Nwaneri. Journalist Charles Watts tipped the departure of Emile Smith Rowe to lead to more minutes for Nwaneri, and the reporter has since been proven right.

The 17-year-old, arguably Arsenal’s highest-rated teenage prospect right now, has featured in an array of top-flight matches and boasts three goals from his two starts in the Carabao Cup.

However, as per Arteta, there is one Arsenal academy graduate who will be hard to top: star winger Bukayo Saka.

The £195,000-per-week forward is arguably their most important player, having racked up 20 goals and 14 assists in all competitions last season – and he’s well on the way to amassing similar numbers this term.

Arteta backs Bukayo Saka to become one of Arsenal's all-time greats

Speaking in an interview with TNT Sports prior to their clash with Newcastle at St James’ Park this weekend, Arteta backed Saka to become one of Arsenal’s “biggest” players in their history.

Speaking on things Saka can do to become a legend, Arteta said: “One of them is to increase his leadership role in the team.

“He’s a boy that was raised at the club, through every single brick that is necessary to be at the top level, and I think he has the right values, he has the right temperament, the right character and exceptional ability to become one of our biggest players and create [a] legacy at this football club.

Related Bukayo Saka's top 11 Premier League goals for Arsenal

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is a serious goal threat – here are his best strikes for the Gunners.

Posts ByRoss Kilvington Nov 2, 2024

“In order to do that, his leadership role has to increase. [It’s] leadership in every way. Impacting the team, that’s leadership, making others better, creating higher standards, raising the demands in every level at the football club.

“And when that happens, then you are leading. He’s worn the armband a few times already this season, which is another step up, he’s in the leadership team, so that’s, for me, what he needs to do.”

At just 23 years old, Saka has already achieved so much as a player, not just at club level, but also with England – reaching two major tournament finals. The sky really is the limit for him, and it appears inevitable that the Englishman will be remembered as an icon for decades to come.

Todd Boehly is looking into moving Chelsea's home from Stamford Bridge to a new stadium built in Earl's Court.

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Chelsea to potentially leave Stamford BridgeNew stadium in Earl's Court plannedGovernment could fund some of the new buildFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues have long been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge and had plans for a new 60,000-seater stadium accepted in 2015 under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. The plans were scrapped three years later, but the are reporting that a new stadium may be on the cards again for Chelsea. The report adds that the club might benefit from government funding too should Stamford Bridge be converted into housing.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Blues have earmarked a spot in Earl's Court as a potential new site for the new ground. The club believe that the 60,000-capacity stadium could be built on land previously occupied by an exhibition and concert centre that was closed in 2014 and then demolished a year later. Any move would be subject to approval by the Chelsea Pitch Owners supporters' group.

DID YOU KNOW?

When Stamford Bridge opened in 1877, it was originally used by London Athletic Club. When Chelsea were founded in 1905 by Gus Mears he moved the club to the ground where they have played ever since.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

Any plans for a new stadium will take more time to develop and Chelsea won't be saying goodbye to their famous, old ground for a while. The Blues welcome West Ham to Stamford Bridge on Sunday as they look to get back to winning ways after a disappointing defeat at Manchester City last weekend. The fixture also sees former boss Graham Potter returning to the ground for the first time since his sacking.