With Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal continuing to do battle over Eberechi Eze’s signature, the Lilywhites have reportedly set their sights on an impressive alternative who is fighting with the Crystal Palace star for an England place.
Latest on Tottenham's Eze pursuit
With the Premier League season now underway, Spurs have just two weeks to strengthen Thomas Frank’s side. So far, the North London club have welcomed Joao Palhinha, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, with the latter particularly impressing against Paris Saint-Germain. Following the news that James Maddison is likely to miss the majority of the campaign, however, they must return to the transfer market to welcome one last star.
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Having his own say on potential incomings recently, Frank told reporters: “We are definitely in the market in general. Of course, when players get a long term injury we need to look into that.”
The former Brentford boss will be well aware just how important it is to add a crucial creative spark back to his side in Maddison’s absence, and one player who would add that in abundance is Eze.
The Crystal Palace star has been the subject of a transfer battle between both Tottenham and Arsenal this summer, but it now looks as though it is the Lilywhites who are in pole position ahead of their North London rivals.
As Fabrizio Romano reported, Tottenham are preparing formal talks with Palace over a move to sign Eze and the player himself is now keen on the move. But even as all signs point towards Frank’s side, those in North London are still reportedly considering an alternative option.
Tottenham ready to make Rogers move
According to The Daily Mail, Tottenham are now ready to make their move for Morgan Rogers if Aston Villa open the exit door amid their PSR struggles this summer. The England midfielder is seen as a game-changing signing in North London, but whether the Villans intend to sell their star man may well be another question entirely.
Minutes
2,588
3,114
Goals
8
8
Assists
8
10
Key Passes
58
51
In terms of Eze alternatives, Rogers should sit top of Spurs’ shortlist if they are beaten to the Palace star’s signature by Arsenal. The Aston Villa midfielder went stride for stride with his England teammate last season and even outperformed him in total output.
Villa boss Unai Emery is well aware of the talent that he has on his hands too, having previously told reporters: “He is a player. He is intelligent. He understands football. When we analysed and we signed him, it was because we analysed his ability to adapt quickly to our structure.”
Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers
With a matter of weeks left until the transfer window slams shut, Rogers could yet emerge as one to keep an eye on.
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The South Korea captain has brought attacking quality to LAFC, as well as a willingness to be a face for the league
After the final whistle of LAFC's 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake Wednesday night, Son Heung-Min took time for everything. He did a TV interview, and answered each question gracefully. He smiled for fans, and took in the scenes around him. And then, after the furor had died down, he did a post-game media availability, taking on each query with the kind of effort you might expect out of a much younger, much more naive professional athlete.
It helped, too, that he was excellent on the pitch. Son dazzled with the first of what you might suspect will be many hat-tricks for LAFC, cutting through a helpless Real Salt Lake side with the kind of razor-sharp grace that both Spurs and South Korea fans took in for years.
It was a strange evening in the scope of modern day Major League Soccer. Superstars aren't supposed to do this anymore. They don't give up spare time or smile for the cameras. They might not even impact the game that much.
For some, coming to America, kicking a ball about a bit, grabbing a paycheck, is something of an extended holiday. Even the best to ever play the game – and some of the best to ever grace the league – have treated things more like a kickabout and drive home than a sporting duty.
Yet here we have Son, who breaks that mold. So much of the conversation around his signing was about how important he would be for the Korean community, or how much he would raise the profile of MLS. That is all true.
But what is perhaps missed, somehow, in all of this, is the fact that Son is a very good footballer who takes this job very, seriously. And for LAFC – the soccer team and brand – his impact could not be more welcome.
MLS and the relationship with superstardom
There are numerous facets of being a soccer superstar. It is impossible, in this landscape, to be just a fantastic player, one who pays no attention to the wider obligations of being an elite athlete. At the same time, it's difficult to be a worldwide brand and still be able to perform on the pitch.
This is not, it must be admitted, a harsh task, in relative terms. Being famous isn't that difficult – nor should it require the empathy of the average fan.
But in MLS, there is a specific expectation placed on the guys who make the most money. This may be a far more stable league than it used to be, but it still leans heavily on stars and marquee signings. Yet at the same time, this country is no longer naive enough to be fooled by poor performances.
In other words, superstardom is now about elite performance and public relations, from media obligations to helping the marketing and social media arms of a club to enhance the brand. You have to be able to do both.
Historically, few have been able to do it. Sure, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibhrahmovic and Thierry Henry all played good footy and answered questions after full time. But that was a different league back then. There was still a bit of anonymity. And, in all honesty, fewer people were watching.
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Son, who signs autographs
Last week, Son and the LAFC squad walked out of the team hotel in San Jose, California. Metal barricades were up, and fans in LAFC, Spurs and Korea jerseys stood behind them. Many pleaded for signatures of their shirts. One fan handed him a photo book. Selfie requests ran rampant. And Son took every second to sign every last one.
It was a ruthlessly efficient scene, captured on social media. But it was also quite a novel in this era, a superstar taking the time to interact with fans – seven hours from his home stadium. Some would have gotten straight onto the team bus. Others might have taken one or two photos and waved a brisk goodbye. Yet Son took the time.
And so what? Guy signs autographs. This is what we expect of our heroes, right? They are supposed to do these things.
The reality, of course, is that many of them don't – especially in American soccer. And Son is certainly, quite comfortably, the second most famous footballer in MLS. No one will ever catch Lionel Messi. The Argentine gets his own stratosphere.
But Son has nearly 15 million Instagram followers. He has deals with Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Gillette and Samsung, among others. He is almost certainly the most famous Asian footballer on the planet. The symbolism is visceral – so much bigger than everyone else, so unattainable, yet taking any time for anything.
"He plays the game the right way. He's open and honest with the media. He gives great answers. He's always got a smile on his face," former USMNT midfielder Sacha Kljestan told GOAL.
Getty Images Sport
Very, very good at football
Then again, we were all told that this would be likely. Son is, well, a good bloke. He is the smiliest man in football, the definition of a nice guy. He has certainly profited from the brand of being a good dude. And truth be told, it seems rather genuine. Even if it is impressive, Son's good nature is no real surprise.
What might be, though, is just how good he has been for LAFC – and so quickly. The stats make for fine reading: six matches (five of them starts), five goals, one assist. He is averaging a goal contribution every 77 minutes – a mark bested only by Messi in MLS.
And then there's the less tangible stuff. Son presses. Son runs the channels. Son makes the off ball movements that he knows won't lead to a pass, just to draw the attention of others. He creates spaces by being there alone.
He is scoring different kinds of goals, too. His first was a wonderful free kick, curled in from 30 yards – only the second set piece goal of his entire career. His second was a tap in at the far post.
But his hat-trick in Wednesday night's win was most emblematic of his career. He bagged the first with a classic dart in behind the defense. He received a pass on the run, burned a defender, and tucked home. The second was a whipped, snarling thing into the bottom corner from 25 yards. And the third was a weak foot finish off a Denis Bouanga feed.
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How LAFC benefit
This is all rather good for LAFC, who have quietly done a wonderful job of overhauling their side. They endured a poor start to the season. Olivier Giroud was misfiring, and failing to work in Steve Cherundolo's system. It was widely assumed that they might sign Antoine Griezmann to make it all work. He committed his long term future to Atletico Madrid. Son was the unexpected answer.
And what an answer he has been. LAFC have lost just one of his six games. Either he or Bounaga have combined for of the team's last 10 goals. The are more fluid, better balanced. And, in all honesty, they're more watchable. Soccer is a product, and LAFC, in signing Son, have created a pretty good one.
Another key element here is the way that Son seems to have taken to his teammates. These are the little glimpses into life that suggest something resembling harmony. When asked about his own performance Wednesday, Son swiftly went about thanking seemingly every single member of the LAFC team before acknowledging that he, too, had played quite a good game.
He and Bouanga do each other's celebrations. There are Instagram selifes, and lockerroom celebrations.
"He'll play the right pass over taking the shot," former USMNT star Maurice Edu told GOAL. "He'll find ways to bring his team into the game. His body language and all that. His demeanor doesn't come across as whiny and complaining. It's more like, 'OK, how do I get my team motivated?' And those are valuable traits to have from a superstar."
Adam Hollioake, Surrey’s legendary former captain, has been named as Kent’s new head coach, on a three-year deal that will keep him at Canterbury at least until the end of the 2027 season.He will take over from Matt Walker, who stepped down in September after eight years in the role, with Kent having suffered relegation from Division One of the County Championship, as well as finishing bottom of the South Group of the Vitality Blast.Hollioake, 53, has had limited coaching experience since retiring from playing in 2007, but forged his reputation as an inspirational leader during his time at Surrey, whom he guided to seven trophies, including three County Championships, between 1996 and 2003.He played four Tests for England between 1997 and 1998, as well as 35 ODIs in which his temporary role as captain resulted in a famous tournament victory in Sharjah in 1997-98. His tactical acumen is widely regarded to have been ahead of its time, and he was considered to lead England into the 1999 World Cup, in which he also played.Hollioake’s career was marred by tragedy, when his brother Ben was killed in a car-crash in March 2002, and he drifted away from cricket after retirement. After moving to live in Queensland in 2004, he set up a property company but was soon forced to declare bankruptcy and subsequently forged a brief career as a cage-fighter.Having coached Hong Kong at the 2000 ACC Trophy, he returned to cricket in 2017 as head coach of Boost Defenders in Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League, a role that he chose to stay on in even after a fatal bomb blast outside the ground in Kabul where his team were playing.This will be Hollioake’s first major head coach role, but he served as an assistant coach at Surrey in 2024, having previously worked as a batting coach for Pakistan, Queensland, and England Lions. He had been lined up by his former Surrey team-mate Graham Thorpe to join the England coaching set-up during the 2021-22 Ashes, but was ruled out after a close contact tested positive for Covid.”I’m honoured to be appointed as the head coach of Kent,” Hollioake said. “It’s an amazing chance for me to work with a great squad of players and to be involved with a county with such a rich history of success.”County Cricket is something that I hold extremely close to my heart, and this is an opportunity that I could not turn down.”Kent’s director of cricket, Simon Cook, said: “Adam has shown throughout his playing and coaching career that he has outstanding leadership qualities and a winning mentality, something that was instrumental in our decision to move in a new direction following our robust and thorough search for a new men’s head coach.”We welcome Adam into the Kent Cricket family and look forward to his leadership of our men’s side going into the new season.”
Arsenal are believed to be intensifying their plans to sign another target after sealing deals for both Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, according to a new report.
Arsenal's most expensive sales of all time
A look at the Gunners’ record departures in their history.
ByCharlie Smith Dec 28, 2024
Mosquera jetted out to Singapore earlier this week to link up with the Arsenal squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, and reports suggest that the centre-back will soon be joined on the journey by Gyokeres.
The prolific striker, who racked up an incredible 97 goals in 102 appearances during his time at Sporting, scored 54 of them last season and played a pivotal role as the Primeira Liga champions secured their first domestic double in around two decades.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
25/26 – summer
£140m
Gyokeres is arguably the proven goalscoring centre-forward who Mikel Arteta has been crying out for, and he could be a truly season-defining capture following Arsenal’s struggles against the low-block last term.
The Gunners drew more Premier League matches than any other side in the top 10 by the end of 2024/2025, scoring just 69 goals, which pales in comparison to their 91 and 88-goal hauls in the two previous seasons.
Arsenal are set to sign Gyokeres to help fix this problem, with the north Londoners fully agreeing a deal worth up to £64 million for the 27-year-old, including add-ons (Fabrizio Romano).
“[Signing Gyokeres] would be the icing on the cake for Arsenal,” said club legend Alan Smith.
“The missing piece of the jigsaw. This is the signing every Arsenal fan has been craving. An out-and-out number 9 and someone who can get Arsenal over the line for the title.
“You saw last season when Arsenal had a striker crisis, that they struggled to score goals and dropped well behind Liverpool. Gyokeres, if he signs, will mean Arsenal can play a different style at times and get the ball forward quickly, rather than the build-up they have been doing.”
According to recent reports, sporting director Andrea Berta isn’t finished after completing the Gyokeres deal. Indeed, Arsenal’s next order of business is the potential signing of a central attacking midfielder to complement Martin Odegaard (Ben Jacobs).
Right now, Chelsea are making serious progress in the race for Xavi Simons, who’s also a rumoured target for Berta, so perhaps Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is the more likely option.
Arsenal "accelerating plans" to sign Eberechi Eze after Viktor Gyokeres
The England international has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium for weeks, and journalist Pete O’Rourke has now told Football Insider that Arsenal are “accelerating plans” to sign Eze after finally sealing Gyokeres.
Berta apparently has “more than enough funds available” to bring in another major attacking signing, and Eze could well be that man.
The 27-year-old, who scored 14 goals and bagged a further 11 assists in all competitions last term, could leave Selhurst Park if someone triggers his estimated £60 million release clause, which could rise to £68m if all bonuses are achieved (Sky Sports).
Arsenal will need the player buy-in first, and according to some reports, Eze has loosely agreed broad personal terms already. Among his many admirers is Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who heaped praise on the attacker during his time as Palace boss.
“Ebs is a fantastic player,” said Vieira.
“He creates chances and scores goals – things happen with him on the field.”
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will be desperate to ensure that his decision to sack Ange Postecoglou won’t come back to bite him, and he’s apparently prepared to back new manager Thomas Frank so he can give the Australian’s replacement the best-possible chance of success.
Frank holds Tottenham talks over signing £300k-p/w ace who's open to joining
The Spurs boss has been discussing him with Lilywhites hierarchy.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 18, 2025
Postecoglou ended the club’s 17-year wait for a major trophy by guiding them to an historic Europa League final victory over Man United last month, a result which also gifted them a spot in the Champions League next season, but Spurs’ torrid 2024/2025 domestic form meant that Levy was forced into the tough call of letting him go.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
Frank is now tasked with re-settling the dressing room whilst helping Spurs to kick on from their memorable night in Bilbao, and the Dane has already paid homage to his predecessor’s work at N17.
“I think Ange has done something special. He’ll forever be a legend in Tottenham,” Frank said in his first interview as Tottenham boss.
“It’s important to understand we all stand on the shoulders of others. I’m going in on the foundation Ange built, and his coaching staff, and I’m very humble about that. I’ll do my very best to continue the great work he put in.
“The feeling, the excitement, the joy and the happiness in the fans’ faces, the pictures were ‘wow’. Hopefully, we can create more of those moments. That will be the ultimate dream: to do that and build on that.”
The 51-year-old is reportedly keen to upgrade his new ranks by signing a proven wide-attacking player, especially considering Son Heung-min may have already played his last competitive game for Tottenham amid interest from Saudi Arabia.
Many high-profile Premier League names have been linked already, but chief among them is Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.
The England international guided Palace to their first ever major trophy last season, bagging the winner in a 1-0 victory over Man City in the FA Cup final, adding to his impressive tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
Eze has been a star player at Selhurst Park ever since his move there from QPR, and Eagles chairman Steve Parish was left “astounded” by the lack of interest in him last summer.
Tottenham ready to pay £68 million for Eberechi Eze
The £100,000-per-week forward, who can play both as a CAM and out wide, has certainly got admirers this time round, and Spurs are one of the chief contenders for his signature.
Reports have suggested that Frank has personally recommended Eze as a target for Tottenham, with TEAMtalk now sharing an update on the situation amid rumours that the player would also be keen on a north London move.
The outlet states that Tottenham are ready to meet the price required to sign Eze, his £68 million release clause, and the ex-Arsenal academy man is “enthusiastic” about swapping south London for a place in Frank’s side.
Frank also apparently believes that Eze would be a stellar addition for the Lilywhites, and one capable of thriving both on the wing and as a complement to James Maddison in the centre of attacking midfield.
Palace are also open to receiving Eze’s final fee in installments, even if they’d want an upfront payment of £45 million, something which Tottenham are prepared to offer as well.
This could be one to watch in the coming days/weeks, as Spurs want to act “swiftly” and provide Frank with fresh additions ahead of a crucial campaign.
England duo star on county return after Luke Wood mops up resistance with three wickets
ECB Reporters Network17-Jul-2024
Liam Livingstone goes big•Getty Images
Lancashire 136 for 2 (Salt 70, Livingstone 54*) beat Nottinghamshire 131 for 7 (James 51, Wood 3-23) by eight wicketsLancashire became the second North Group side to qualify for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals, brushing struggling Nottinghamshire aside by eight wickets chasing 132 at Emirates Old Trafford as England duo Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone starred on their return to county action.Second-placed Lightning joined leaders Birmingham in progressing courtesy of their seventh win in 13 games, set up by a polished bowling display led by left-arm quick Luke Wood’s season’s best three for 23 in limiting his former county to 131 for seven.All-rounder Lyndon James top-scored with a career best 51 off 38 balls before Salt underpinned a successful chase with a more destructive 70 off 42, including five sixes, in his first innings after T20 World Cup duty.Livingstone, another returning international, also contributed a wicket, three catches and 54 not out off 37 with three sixes. He shared a second-wicket 112 with Salt as victory was sealed with 5.3 overs remaining.Lancashire became the first county to achieve 150 wins in Blast history.From the moment Outlaws captain Joe Clarke got a thick edge behind off Saqib Mahmood’s pace, leaving the visitors two for one after eight balls, Lightning controlled things.The Outlaws, inserted, slipped to 28 for four inside six overs, Wood claiming his first – Jack Haynes caught at deep square-leg – added to other scalps for spinners Chris Green and Tom Hartley.The latter, England’s left-arm spinner, had Matt Montgomery caught at deep square-leg for his first wicket in any format since May 12, owing much to him being a squad member only at the recent T20 World Cup.In terms of games won, Nottinghamshire (144) are the second-most successful side in Blast history. But they will want to forget this campaign having only won twice so far.James and Tom Moores shared a fifth-wicket 53 inside eight overs and hit a six apiece to stem the tide and at least get the Outlaws into an innings which saw home captain Keaton Jennings employ four spinners to share 12 overs.Irish overseas debutant George Dockrell wasn’t one, but Livingstone was.And he broke the partnership when Moores miscued a wider delivery to long-off for 26 – 81 for five in the 13th over.After Wood struck again to get Liam Patterson-White caught at deep cover, James reached his fifty off 37 balls – by which time Nottinghamshire were 122 for six early in the 19th over.But, having mixed power with invention, James fell next ball to a brilliant diving catch from Livingstone at deep mid-wicket to hand Wood his third wicket.The visitors did well to get the total they did, though it just didn’t feel like one to threaten Lancashire’s progression through to a 17th quarter-final in 22 seasons.Afghanistan quick Fazalhaq Farooqi had Luke Wells caught at point in the second over of the chase – 14 for one – to raise Outlaws’ hopes.Livingstone, in at three, was dropped in the deep on five and 20 en-route to a fifty later achieved with the winning hit – a pulled six off Farooqi.Salt pulled Olly Stone for an early six and hit Luke Fletcher for two more in succession over the off-side shortly afterwards.By the time Salt reached his fifty off 31 balls, Lancashire – now on course for a home tie in the quarters – were motoring at 84 for one in the 10th over.Salt hit two more sixes off Fletcher’s seam to bring up the century partnership with Livingstone before falling to Patterson-White’s spin.
While this season ended up being an undeniable failure, Arsenal fans shouldn’t forget how brilliant some of their players are.
For example, David Raya, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães helped to create the best defence in the Premier League.
Moreover, Declan Rice has gone from strength to strength, and now looks more than at home as the left eight.
And then, despite missing over three months of action, the club’s best player, Bukayo Saka, was able to rack up an incredible haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in just 37 games.
The Hale Ender is undoubtedly the team’s talisman and most dangerous attacker, so fans should be delighted about reports linking Arsenal to another international star who has won comparisons to the Englishman.
Arsenal's winger search
Given Arsenal’s significant reliance on Saka to produce from the right this season, it’s not been much of a surprise to seem linked with several talented left-wingers in recent weeks, such as Nico Williams and Leroy Sané.
Transfer Focus
The former has a well-known release clause worth around £50m in his current contract with Athletic Bilbao, and while that is a lot of money, he did perform reasonably well this season, chalking up a tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 45 games.
Sané, on the other hand, would be a free signing thanks to his contract with Bayern Munich running out this month, although even with his impressive haul of 19 goal involvements this term, the fact he’ll be 30 midway next season makes signing him a less appealing prospect.
Moreover, it’s difficult to imagine him matching Saka’s output from the left next year, which isn’t the case for Rodrygo.
Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s Real Madrid correspondent, Mario Cortegana, Arsenal are one of a few clubs intensely interested in the Brazilian international.
In fact, he claims that Arteta is “convinced he would have a big role” in the team, although on top of convincing the player, reports from earlier this month claim that the Gunners would have to stump up around £84m to get their man.
It could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Rodrygo’s immense ability, it is one worth fighting for, especially as he’s won comparisons to Saka.
How Rodrygo compares to Saka
So then, before we take a look at some of the other reasons why Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer, it’s important to examine this comparison to Saka and where it has come from.
Well, in this case, it stems from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions in the Champions League this season and then created a list of the ten most comparable players.
By doing this, it concluded that the Real Madrid star was the tenth most similar attacking midfielder or winger and the third most similar midfielder to the Arsenal star in the competition this season.
Rodrygo & Saka
Statistic per 90
Rodrygo
Saka
Assists
0.21
0.24
Progressive Passes Received
10.3
10.2
Shots
2.57
2.61
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.10
0.12
Shot-Creating Actions
3.70
3.67
Successful Take-Ons
1.86
1.67
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 UCL Season
The best way to see how this is worked out is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including but not limited to assists, progressive passes received, shots, crosses into the penalty area, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.
However, while a comparison to someone incredibly talented as Saka is undoubtedly encouraging, there are other reasons Arteta and Co should sign Real’s “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by former teammate Luka Modrić.
The most important is that he’d be a reliable source of goals, as, since the start of the 23/24 campaign, the former Santos gem has managed to score 32 goals and provide 19 assists in 103 appearances, totalling 7,137 minutes – even though he has spent much of that time out on the right when he’d rather be off the left.
In other words, he’s maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.01 games, or every 139.94, for two years.
Ultimately, he will cost a lot of money, and it might be a difficult transfer to pull off, but due to his brilliant record and the fact he shares some key statistical similarities with Saka, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer.
Arsenal targeting £80m "nightmare" who'd be more exciting than Zubimendi
Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Martin Zubimendi.
Chelsea’s chances of securing a place in the Champions League were dealt a blow when they lost to rivals Newcastle United 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Blues remain fifth in the division, in the last Champions League spot, but only one point separates them from Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the table, which tees up a tense final two matchdays.
As shown in the highlights above, Enzo Maresca’s side were not helped by Nicolas Jackson’s decision to charge into Sven Botman whilst the ball was in the air.
The Senegal international had a look at the Dutch defender and moved his defender into the upper chest and lower face of the Newcastle star whilst grappling to win an aerial duel, which led to VAR recommending a red card for the striker.
Jackson will, now, sit out the final two matches of the Premier League season, and the first game of the 2025/26 campaign, after being hit with a three-game ban for violent conduct, which is a big blow for the Blues.
Why losing Nicolas Jackson is a big blow for Chelsea
The former Villarreal star scored three goals in his last three games before the trip to St. James’ Park and looked to be on his way back to his best in front of goal after a barren run.
Prior to his strike against Everton in the Premier League last month, Jackson had gone 13 matches without a goal in all competitions for the Blues, stretching back to the middle of December.
However, a goal against the Toffees and two goals against Djurgarden in the Conference League suggested that he was on track to play a pivotal role in the final few games of the season.
There is little doubt that Jackson is a player who has the ability to make a big impact in the final third for Chelsea, despite his tendency to miss ‘big chances’, because he has had plenty of impressive moments since his move to Stamford Bridge.
Appearances
35
30
xG
18.63
12.34
Goals
14
10
Big chances missed
24
19
Big chances created
8
6
Assists
5
5
As you can see in the table above, the former LaLiga star has been a wasteful finisher, missing 43 ‘big chances’, but he has also been directly involved in 34 goals in 65 Premier League games for the club.
This shows that, despite his flaws, Jackson is a constant threat who can be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch as either a scorer or a creator of goals, which is why losing him to suspension for the last two games of the campaign is a blow for Maresca.
The 23-year-old centre-forward, who scored a hat-trick against Spurs last season, is Chelsea’s best number nine option and has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League, hence why he would have been useful to have as an option heading into these last two games.
What makes the situation even worse for the Blues is that Christopher Nkunku, their other forward option, is currently out with an injury that could keep him out of the last two matches if he does not recover in time.
That is not the only problem with the France international, though, as he has also failed to deliver quality when called upon this season when fit, which is why the club must ruthlessly cash in on him this summer.
Why Chelsea must cash in on Christopher Nkunku
The Premier League side reportedly paid £52m to bring him to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, as they aimed to bolster the quality of their attacking options, having offloaded Kai Havertz to Arsenal that summer.
Nkunku scored 70 goals and provided 55 assists in 17 matches for Leipzig in all competitions during his time in Germany, which made him an exciting signing, at face value, as he had a history of providing consistent quality in a major European league.
Unfortunately, however, the France international has been unable to translate that form over to English football in his two seasons at Stamford Bridge to date, as he has struggled to make an impact in the final third for the Blues.
After the club’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton earlier this year, former Chelsea player Craig Burley criticised the 27-year-old star, who reportedly earns £195k-per-week, and described him as a “waste of money”.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Burley said: “There was no cutting edge to the game. [Cole] Palmer has stopped influencing games like he was. Nkunku up front, I mean what a total waste of money he’s been.”
It is hard to argue with his assessment of Nkunku’s situation because he has not provided much quality back on the pitch to make up for the £52m fee and £195k-per-week wages as a forward player.
Appearances
11
27
xG
2.30
4.83
Goals
3
3
Big chances missed
3
6
Key passes per game
0.3
0.5
Assists
0
1
As you can see in the table above, the French flop has only been involved in seven goals in 38 appearances in the Premier League since the start of last season, and has underperformed his xG overall, which shows that he has been even worse than Jackson in the last two campaigns.
The experienced forward has not delivered goals or assists on a regular, or even semi-regular, basis in the top-flight, despite the huge outlay to bring him to London almost two years ago, whilst the Senegal international has, at least, delivered 34 goals and assists.
Arsenal have been linked with an interest in Nkunku ahead of the summer transfer window, and Chelsea must finally cash in on the big-money flop in an attempt to recoup some of the £52m fee that they splashed out on his services.
The French dud has not done enough to suggest that he will be a key player for Maresca moving forward, given his lack of quality in the Premier League, which is why the club should ruthlessly ditch him this summer, whether that is to Arsenal or another club.
Chelsea favourites to sign £148m forward ahead of Al-Nassr with talks held
Glasgow Rangers held their annual player of the year award ceremony on Sunday evening. After a campaign filled with disarray at Ibrox, many would have wondered why the club bothered.
Nevertheless, several first-team players won awards on the night. John Souttar claimed the John Greig CBE Achievement Award while Hamza Igamane won the Men’s Goal of the Season award for his stunning late winner against Celtic at Parkhead in March.
Elsewhere, Cyriel Dessers won the Sam English Bowl for being the club’s top scorer this season. The most deserving award, however, went to Nicolas Raskin, who won both the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year and Men’s Player of the Year awards, with both the players and supporters recognising the Belgian’s achievements.
With the 49ers Enterprises takeover looking like it could go ahead before the start of next season, they will be keen on building as strong a squad as possible.
Financial investment would be welcome, of course, but keeping the club’s best players for a tilt at the Premiership title next term is the main aim.
Having won two awards on the weekend, Raskin is certainly one player who could attract plenty of attention this summer, no doubt about that.
Nico Raskin: Rangers most indispensable player?
Michael Beale may go down as one of the worst managers in the history of the football club, but paying a fee of just £1.5m to bring the young midfielder to Ibrox is arguably the best decision he made while in charge.
He may have struggled to assert his authority during his first few months at the club, but the persistence the former Standard Liege starlet has shown is now beginning to pay off.
After suffering an injury in pre-season last summer, it appeared as though Raskin would never fulfil his potential at Ibrox. Upon his return to the first-team picture in September, the 23-year-old has been a revelation.
Nicolas Raskin
Nine goal contributions have been registered across 43 appearances in all competitions, but it was his opener against Celtic in the 3-2 win last month which was the most important.
Raskin even captained the side during the festive season when James Tavernier was sidelined through injury, and he gave a dominating performance in the Old Firm clash at the turn of the year.
The midfielder has shown in the Premiership so far this term. His tenacious nature has certainly been on display, making 2.9 tackles per game and winning an impressive 6.5 total duels per match – a success rate of 57% – which has allowed the player to dominate at the heart of the pitch.
Going forward, however, Raskin has demonstrated his attacking abilities. Not only has he created six big chances for his teammates, but the Belgian also averages one key pass and 0.9 successful dribbles per match in the top flight.
This combination of attacking and defensive traits makes Raskin a prized asset at Ibrox. There will be a time when the club decides to cash in, but he could be the fulcrum of a new-look side at the start of next season.
Who shouldn’t be at the club next season? Well, it may be a bit of a surprise to some.
Rangers' most dispensable player?
While the 49ers will be keen on strengthening the squad, they must also balance the books by moving several players this summer.
It shouldn’t be a difficult decision on who to release and sell, especially with so many players underperforming throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Dessers may have won the Sam English Bowl, but in reality, the Gers must cash in on him before the start of next season.
Beale may have spent little to bring Raskin to Scotland, but the opposite is true of Dessers’ move to Glasgow. Indeed, he cost around £4.5m from Serie A side Cremonese in the summer of 2023.
Given that Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent had left for free just a month or so before, Beale had to inject some goals into his side ahead of the 2023/24 season. Dessers had netted just ten goals the season prior, hardly the prolific forward Beale required.
Goals
16
13
Assists
4
2
Big chances missed
27
20
Shots per game
2.9
2.2
Goal conversion percentage
16%
19%
A total of 22 goals and nine assists during his maiden year at the Light Blues certainly appears to be a decent tally, but diving deeper, Dessers could have scored a lot more.
In the Premiership alone, he missed a staggering 27 big chances across 35 matches, often taking three or four opportunities to find the back of the net.
This season hasn’t exactly been much of an improvement. 13 domestic goals have been scored thus far, yet he has still missed 20 big chances in the top flight. With four games to go, this figure could still rise.
Scottish analyst John Walker dubbed the centre-forward as “poor” during a pre-season friendly against Manchester United last July. He may offer plenty in terms of work rate and determination, but the Nigerian striker simply isn’t the right man to lead the club into a new era under the 49ers.
The 30-year-old has two years left on his current contract at Rangers, which means this summer represents the perfect chance to try and make back some of the £4.5m that was spent on him two years ago.
Not only that, but he is also one of the highest earners at the Light Blues. Taking home a wage of £27k-per-week, Dessers ranks second behind only Tavernier in terms of earnings.
There is no doubt that freeing up this money in the summer and redirecting it back into bringing one or two younger talents would be the best thing to do.
The club face one of the most important transfer windows in recent memory this summer. Get things right and Celtic could be set for a serious title challenge next season.
On the flip side, however, if the same mistakes are made, Rangers will continue to be left in the wake of their rivals as they motor to a fifth consecutive title.
Rangers must axe £3m flop who has missed more games than Lawrence
Kevin Thelwell has a big job on his hands at Rangers
Shakib’s bite is the latest addition to off-beat solutions players have come up with for technical adjustments. Here are some more
Varun Shetty27-Sep-2024A pain in the neck
The neck strap was not Shakib’s first attempt at fixing his head position; in fact, it might be an extension of a method he has tried in training before. At the T20 World Cup earlier this year, he was seen warming up with a neck brace on. Shakib’s head-positioning issues have stemmed from an eye condition called Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC), where a fluid accumulates beneath the retina and affects the person’s vision. As a result, he has had to adjust his head positioning to ensure he could track the ball clearly, while avoiding excessive head tilt that could interfere with his technique.Gilchrist squashes Sri Lanka
Adam Gilchrist had been working on improving his grip and decided – on the day of the 2007 ODI World Cup final – that he would employ a little hack deviced back home in the big game against Sri Lanka. That hack was lodging a squash ball inside the batting glove of his bottom hand. The result was perhaps the best batting performance in a World Cup final – 149 off 104.The objective was to avoid gripping the bat too tightly with the last two or three fingers of his bottom hand. To help with this, his batting coach, Bob Meuleman, had suggested placing a squash ball in his glove, which created resistance against those outer fingers. The adjustment forced Gilchrist to rely more on his thumb and forefinger, allowing his top hand to dominate his shots.Banish the racket, squash your opponents in a World Cup final•Getty ImagesMalinga’s feet simulator
Lasith Malinga’s approach to bowling in limited-overs cricket was simple. As a boy, he watched Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis bowl yorkers and thought it was a “great ball to bowl”. Then he met bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake early in his leather-ball-cricket days, who told him to simply focus on bowling straight and fast.With those clear-minded philosophies in place, Malinga’s mastery of the yorker began with another simple but extremely effective drill in the nets. The pair placed two boots at the batting crease, aligned as if a batter was taking guard. Even in the absence of actual batters at the nets, Malinga now had a way of slinging the ball into their feet.George Bailey turns his back on everyone
In December 2016, when George Bailey first adopted his unconventional stance with his back turned towards the bowler, he admitted to Cricket Australia, “I’ll be the first to say it’s crazy. That’s why I don’t like watching it.” What drove him to such an extreme adjustment?Related
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Ugly delicious (2019)
Bailey realised that his traditional stance was causing him to get squared up, especially in swinging conditions, where his hands would drift away from his body in compensation. As a “ruthless” fix, he adopted a closed-off stance, positioning his left leg ahead of his right, with both feet pointing towards deep third.Pietersen goes no-pads
Kevin Pietersen’s Test dismissals break-up shows that he was dismissed by left-arm spinners on 29 occasions out of 181 innings. In hindsight, those aren’t alarming numbers by any stretch – he did still average 52.86 against that type of bowling. But his perceived problems against left-arm spin became a sticky narrative wherever he went, exacerbated by occasional dismissals against part-timers and rookies.A remedy emerged in a letter written to him by Rahul Dravid – to face Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in the nets without his pads on. The idea was that his big front-foot push down the wicket would be slightly delayed, allowing him to not push hard at a turning ball, which was inevitable once the foot was planted early.Ranjitsinhji flicks open a new scoring area
Ranjitsinhji was the first well-known Indian cricketer. He has been described as “the first Indian of any kind to become universally known and popular” by John Lord in the book , and is still a part of Indian cricket through the Ranji Trophy, which is named after him. He is also widely believed to have invented the leg glance.According to legend, one of the Surrey professionals who tutored cricketers at Cambridge – where Ranjitsinhji was an undergraduate – fixed and “nailed” his back boot to the crease to stop him from retreating from the ball. Whether true or not, his newfound ability to deflect deliveries to the leg side revolutionised batting, unlocking previously untapped scoring areas on the field. This 1897 footage of him gives us a glimpse of a rather static back foot.