Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is aiming to follow in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps by keeping the team in the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Argentine boss is the only manager in the last 20 years to keep the Whites up in their first season back in the top-flight, as Jesse Marsch only managed it in the club’s second year in the division.

Farke was relegated from the Premier League with Norwich City in the 2019/20 campaign, after winning the Championship title with the Canaries, and was sacked in the 2021/22 season after winning the second tier a second time.

The German boss will need to be backed in the transfer market by the board, as Bielsa was after he won the Championship. Sporting director Victor Orta provided him with the tools he needed to build a successful Premier League outfit.

Orta smashed the club’s transfer record to sign Rodrigo from Valencia for a reported fee of £30m, and he went on to score 28 goals in three seasons, as shown by the graphic above.

However, it was the signing of Raphinha from Rennes that proved to be the difference-maker for the West Yorkshire outfit, as he fired the team to safety in both of his seasons a Elland Road.

Why Raphinha was a huge signing for Leeds

The Brazil international was a huge signing for the Whites because his contributions at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League helped the club to avoid the drop on two occasions.

Raphinha’s ability to create things out of nothing in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Leeds won many valuable points for Bielsa’s team, and Marsch’s in the 2021/22 season.

In fact, Farke felt the full force of the Brazilian star in one of his last games in charge of the Canaries, as the winger scored a sensational solo goal, as shown in the clip above.

That goal sums up Raphinha’s time as a player at Leeds. He had the quality to beat opposition players at will, despite their best efforts, whilst also having the end product to make the most of the chances he created for himself.

Raphinha (Premier League)

20/21

21/22

Appearances

30

35

Goals

6

11

Big chances missed

4

6

Big chances created

12

10

Key passes per game

2.1

1.9

Assists

9

3

Dribbles completed per game

1.9

1.8

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed sensation produced 17 goals and 22 ‘big chances’ created in his two seasons in the Premier League, which helped the Whites to avoid the drop both times.

Leeds then sold him to Barcelona in the summer of 2022, for a reported fee of £55m, and they were relegated from the top-flight in the following season, which further illustrates how important he was to the team.

Leeds closing in on attacking midfielder

Having confirmed the arrival of Jaka Bijol on Monday, the Whites are now reportedly eyeing up a new signing for Farke who could come in as the club’s biggest deal since they snapped up Raphinha from Rennes in 2020.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to Le Nouvel Echo, as relayed by La Gazzetta Express, Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign RB Salzburg playmaker Oscar Gloukh before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Championship champions are ‘close to securing’ a transfer for the Israel international to bolster their options in the number ten position.

It adds that Salzburg value the 21-year-old starlet at a fee of around £21m and that Leeds have expressed an interest in bringing him to Elland Road ahead of next season.

The outlet reveals that the Whites are looking to improve the creativity within their squad and have identified Gloukh as a player who could add more quality to the team in the final third.

Why Leeds should sign Oscar Gloukh

Farke should push for the club to get a deal over the line because the young talent could be the club’s biggest signing since Raphinha, due to his potential to shine at Elland Road.

Gloukh, who scored a stunning goal against Pachuca in the Club World Cup earlier this month, is a player who has the potential to lead Leeds to safety with his ability as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the attacking midfield positon.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once claimed that the playmaker has “exceptional” vision for passes and is a “two-footed” player who is “destined for big things”, which speaks to both his quality in the here and now as well as his potential for the future.

At the age of 21, the Whites would be signing an incredible young talent who has the scope to be worth millions more in the future, as was the case when they signed Raphinha, who went on to be sold for a whopping £55m.

As well as having long-term potential, Gloukh’s performances for Salzburg in the 2024/25 campaign also suggest that he would come in as an instant upgrade on Brenden Aaronson.

24/25 season

Gloukh (Austrian Bundesliga)

Aaronson (Championship)

Appearances

26

46

Goals

10

9

Big chances missed

6

11

Key passes per game

2.5

1.6

Big chances created

15

9

Assists

5

2

Dribbles completed per game

3.0

1.1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Israel international could provide more quality in front of goal than the American dud, given that he scored more goals, created more ‘big chances’, assisted more goals, and completed almost three times as many dribbles per game.

Gloukh is an attacking midfielder who has the ability to influence matches on a regular basis, thanks to the threat he provides as a scorer and a creator, which is why he could be a huge signing for Farke this summer.

The young playmaker could be crucial to the team’s survival in the Premier League by winning vital points for the side with goals and assists from a number ten position, if he can translate his form over to English football.

This is why the £21m-rated star could be the club’s biggest signing since Raphinha because no player has kept the team up since the Brazilian ace left in 2022, and Gloukh has the potential to replicate the success the left-footed whiz had in West Yorkshire.

Related As exciting as Buendia: Leeds expected to make move for £18m EFL star

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Posts 1 ByDan Emery Jun 23, 2025

England captain believes her players have become ‘smarter’ while sticking to aggressive mantra

Valkerie Baynes18-Jun-2024

Heather Knight, England women’s captain, believes the team are playing ‘smarter’ cricket•Chance to Shine

For some 18 months, England Women have committed to playing a harder, faster, more aggressive style of cricket but, according to Heather Knight, they are also becoming smarter.Since Jon Lewis took over as head coach at the end of the 2022 English summer, the team vision has been clear, expressed in mantras such as “attacking mindset”, “walk towards the danger” and the even more ubiquitous “inspire and entertain”.It has worked in so far as it has transformed a team which was comprehensively beaten 12 points to four by Australia in the 2019 Ashes and 6-4 in a rain-hit 2021-22 series into a side which drew last year’s series on points, winning four matches to Australia’s three.But it is very much a work in progress. In their recent home series against Pakistan, England lacked ruthlessness and polish, despite being a far stronger side.Knight, England’s captain, believes that in hosting New Zealand in three ODIs starting next week followed by five T20Is, they have an opportunity to build on knowledge gained against the White Ferns in New Zealand earlier this year.”We became a bit of a smarter team,” Knight told ESPNcricinfo, looking back on England’s tour of New Zealand in March and April. “We played on bigger boundaries, wickets that did a little bit more in the powerplay, so it wasn’t really easy to attack then. We learned how to be a bit smarter and how to adapt a little bit to different conditions.”Sometimes it’s going to be hard to attack in the powerplay, the idea was to sort of go from ball one and keep the foot down, but that isn’t always going to be possible and sometimes there’s going to be little bumps along the road, but I think we learned a lot from that tour.”Heather Knight speaks at a Chance to Shine event at Lord’s•Chance to Shine

England defeated New Zealand in their ODIs earlier this year 2-1 and won the T20I series 4-1.England have lost only two of their 13 completed ODIs since the start of December 2022 and they have won 21 of their 27 T20Is in that time. Crucially, with a T20 World Cup fast approaching in Bangladesh in October, one of those defeats was to hosts and underdogs South Africa in the semi-final of last year’s T20 World Cup and two more to a visiting Sri Lanka side who had never beaten them in a series before.There were also learnings against Pakistan, including playing on slower wickets. At Edgbaston, England recovered from 11 for 4 to win the first T20I, then secured a 37-run ODI victory in Derby which Knight described at the time as “scrappy”.”Our job is just to keep getting better, keep playing cricket that we want to play and also winning those games when it’s tough,” Knight said.”You look at that Derby game, it wasn’t probably the most exciting to watch sometimes,” she added, recalling how England failed to claim the final wicket of a match that they had otherwise dominated. “I guess in that case it is just about punching out results and trying to say, look, it wasn’t quite the perfect wicket to be able to play how we wanted to, but being smart with it and adapting to what’s in front of us.”Because ultimately our biggest chance to inspire as well is winning big competitions and performing in big events, and trying to win in the way that we want to do, which is exciting and attacking.”The balance is much finer in T20 cricket, where the margins for error are far smaller and understanding that is becoming a key part of England’s narrative.Danni Wyatt’s 48-ball 87 in the third T20I against Pakistan was by far the standout performance for England, while Nat Sciver-Brunt produced a corresponding innings in the ODIs with an unbeaten century in the last match of the tour.”T20 is so hard to be consistent, it’s really a tough thing to do,” Knight said. “A top opening batter in world cricket maybe might come off one in three, one in four, and someone like Danni is one of the best openers in the world. She doesn’t come off every game and she’s brilliant at being able to manage that.”It can be quite mentally tough, honestly. Her super-strength has been able to say: ‘Right, I didn’t get any runs, I’m completely fine. That’s how I want to play and I’m going to go and try and play exactly the same way in the next game’.”It’s about being really clear going into that T20 World Cup in particular, how we want to do things. It’s all well and good saying, ‘oh, we’re going to be attacking, we’re going to be aggressive,’ but being really clear on individually the ‘how’ of that.”But it is not only a World Cup victory, or how it is achieved, that has the potential to inspire, as Knight well knows. On Monday, she joined Chance to Shine, the children’s cricket charity with whom she has held a long association, in welcoming hundreds of state school pupils to Lord’s for a day of cricket coaching and other activities.Related

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Knight has worked with the organisation since finishing university, when she coached state-school children – often alongside Charlotte Edwards – two days a week while juggling a burgeoning playing career that, for her, didn’t become fully professional until three years later, in 2013.”It enabled us to pay the bills basically whilst we were still playing cricket for England and enabled us to live before everything became professional,” Knight said. “It’s really important to try to get cricket into state schools and there’s a lot of barriers there, like facilities. At my old school there, people used to smoke on the rubbish astro turf that we had and there was stains on it and things like that.”Here today there’s state-school children from all over the place, from all backgrounds, coming in and having an amazing day at Lord’s. It’s all about giving them a good first experience of cricket really, and trying to get them interested in the game and more involved.”Chance to Shine deliver cricket to over 600,000 young people each year, working in state schools and underserved communities. Until midday on 18th June donations made to Chance to Shine will be doubled by the Big Give campaign. Support the charity today and help inspire more young people through cricket.

Being the massive club they are, Arsenal have been blessed with an abundance of world-class players in the past.

The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira were unreal in the early 2000s, while Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez were the shining lights of the latter Arsène Wenger years.

However, on top of the bonafide stars, the Gunners also had more than their fair share of those who fell one or two rungs below, those who were still incredibly talented but are now seen as cult heroes more than anything else.

Theo Walcott would likely fall into the category for many fans, as while he never really fulfilled the potential so many believed he had, the former England international was still more than a handful, responsible for some iconic goals and was arguably the club’s best attacker for a season or two.

So, fans should be excited about recent reports linking Arsenal to an international who could be the Mikel Arteta’s own Walcott.

Arsenal transfer news

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other talented internationals touted for moves to Arsenal in recent weeks and months, like Rodrygo and Mohammed Kudus.

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 around £84m, which might be a fee worth paying, as in 51 games for Real Madrid this season, he has scored 14 goals and provided ten assists.

On the other hand, Kudus might prove even more challenging to pry away from West Ham United as, according to reports from last week, he has a release clause worth up to a staggering £120m in his current deal.

Fortunately, another attacking talent has entered the frame for Arteta and Co: Anthony Elanga.

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in the Nottingham Forest star ahead of the transfer window reopening next week.

The report claims that, alongside the Gunners, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Aston Villa have all been watching the Swedish international ‘closely.’

However, on top of dealing with the potential competition, the North Londoners would have to stump up a hefty fee of around £60m to get their man.

It could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Elanga’s ability and the potential for him to improve further, it’s one Arsenal should be fighting for, especially as he could be their new Walcott.

Why Elanga would be Walcott 2.0

Okay, while there are certainly numerous reasons why Arsenal would want to, and probably should, sign Elanga this summer, let’s first address just why he could be the club’s new Walcott.

The first is that, like with the former Southampton gem, it would be another example of the Gunners signing an exciting and dynamic right-winger who can play in other positions from a fellow Premier League side.

Moreover, while the Swede is a fair bit older than the Englishman was when he moved to North London, the fact he’s still just 23 years old means there is plenty of time for him to further develop and grow in N5.

However, there is another, even more significant similarity between the two players: their pace.

While he was playing under Wenger, the former Arsenal star wasn’t always necessarily the most technical of footballers, but he was blisteringly quick, as shown by the Castol Football Index calculating his top speed to be 22.72 mph in March 2014, which converts to about 36.56 km/h.

In comparison, the Forest star reached an even higher speed of 22.78 mph this season, which is about 36.66 km/h, but did even better and hit 22.93 mph last season, which is around 36.91kmph.

Impressively, that is currently the fourth-fastest sprint since Premier League records began and more than justifies his statement that he’s “one of the fastest players in the league.”

Appearances

43

Minutes

2752′

Goals

6

Assists

12

Goal Involvements per Match

0.41

Minutes per Goal Involvement

152.88′

Finally, on top of being absurdly fast, the “special” talent, as dubbed by manager Nuno Espírito Santo, is also a potent threat, scoring six goals and providing 12 assists in just 43 appearances, totalling 2752 minutes this season.

That comes out to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.38 games, or every 152.88 minutes.

Ultimately, Arsenal need to add more attacking talent to the squad this summer, and someone who’s a genuine threat while also being incredibly fast sounds like just the player they should be signing.

He's like Mbappe: Arsenal submit offer to sign £68m "powerhouse"

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 11, 2025

Chelsea are set for a busy summer of incomings and outgoings in the build up to Enzo Maresca’s second season in charge, with some business taking place amid their Club World Cup campaign in the States.

The west Londoners were dealt a significant blow in their pursuit of CWC glory and the potential £97 million on offer if they win the tournament, losing 3-1 to Brazilian top-flight heavyweights Flamengo.

Chelsea hold talks over £70m Brazilian who's spoken to friends about joining

Conversations are ongoing.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 20, 2025

Second-half goals from Bruno Henrique, Danilo and Wallace Yan cancelled out Pedro Neto’s early goal to hand Maresca his first defeat since Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle in May, with striker Nicolas Jackson also sent off just four minutes after replacing Liam Delap.

The Senegalese’s future has been a small talking point in some circles, especially since the arrival of Delap in a £30 million deal from Ipswich.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Jackson, due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations next season, could also miss crucial games midway through 2025/2026 and there are reports that the forward’s exit is entirely possible this summer.

“Chelsea do like Jackson but there has been a desire to upgrade him and bring more competition in. They believe that he doesn’t have enough to lead Chelsea in the Champions League right now so have looked to bring in others,” said journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack, recently.

“In terms of a selling standpoint, they will very much listen to any offers that come in without actively pushing to sell him.

“And on the player side, he has been unhappy this season for various reasons, mainly due to what he feels has been unfair criticism and abuse from his own fans. However, at this moment he has not yet communicated a desire to leave, although that could soon happen.”

Chelsea are also believed to be in the market for another striker after Delap, so signs are pointing towards the 24-year-old’s potential departure from Stamford Bridge.

Nicolas Jackson could leave Chelsea as Napoli and Juventus make contact

As per Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Jackson is now attracting serious interest from Serie A, with both Juventus and Scudetto winners Napoli making contact over a potential deal for the ex-Villarreal star.

He’s deemed “no longer untouchable” by Chelsea, echoing Phillips’ previous report that they could decide to offload Jackson in the event a suitable bid arrives. It wasn’t exactly the young centre-forward’s finest hour against Flamengo, but he did prove a crucial player for Chelsea at times last season, as explained by pundit Joe Cole.

“What I would say about Jackson is he’s made himself one of Chelsea’s most important players,” he told TNT Sports, via Chelsea News, in May.

“Because he does this, he doesn’t give up. He’s hard work. He’s aggressive. All the things, he might not be as measured as other players, but he gives you this.

“Nothing is better when you’re behind him as a midfielder when you’ve got a centre-forward who will chase down everything. It’s fantastic.”

Jackson netted 13 goals in all competitions last term, including 10 in the Premier League, even if he did majorly tail off towards the back-end, partly due to a hamstring injury.

However, if Chelsea do opt to sell, then BlueCo will likely want to make a profit on the £32 million they paid to sign him from La Liga two years ago.

As their goalkeeper search goes on, Manchester United have now reportedly received the green light to sign an impressive shot-stopper in a cut-price deal this summer.

Onana keen to fight for Man Utd place

Amid links to the likes of Emiliano Martinez, it is expected that Andre Onana could face an uphill battle to keep hold of his No.1 spot next season. The former Inter star has been a liability for some time at Old Trafford and whilst they’re in the mood to spend big it looks as though INEOS have set their sights on an upgrade. Onana, however, isn’t keen to give up that easily.

Reportedly under the impression that he will stay put at Old Trafford, Manchester United could yet decide to burst Onana’s bubble by welcoming his replacement in the coming months.

To that end, Martinez would certainly be an impressive arrival. Weakening Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the process, United would be signing a World Cup winner who the Villans may be forced to sell amid their PSR concerns.

The Argentine star isn’t the only name on the Red Devils’ radar, however. The likes of Andriy Lunin have also threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks. The Real Madrid No.2 could yet decide to leave the Spanish giants in pursuit of a starting role and that would open the door for United to come swooping in.

He's better than Nkunku: Man Utd make huge offer to sign "sensational" star

Manchester United appear to be moving one step closer to landing a key target this summer.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 24, 2025

A Champions League winner who has experience at the very top level, it’s no surprise that Lunin has found himself in United’s sights this summer. But they may still opt for an alternative option and one who is now reportedly pushing to leave his current club.

Man Utd receive green light from Diogo Costa

According to A Bola, Manchester United have now received the green light from Diogo Costa over a summer move from FC Porto. The goalkeeper is reportedly pushing to leave the Portuguese club and they are now willing to accept a cheaper offer than his €75m (£64m) release clause.

Costa is expected to leave Porto this summer and his desire to experience life outside of Portugal should place Old Trafford high up on his list of options. Given that he’s available at a cut-price too, it’s a deal that INEOS would be wise to pursue in the coming months.

Starts

32

34

Clean Sheets

16

9

Saves P90

1.78

2.59

Save Percentage

74.1%

68.9%

Described as “complete” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Costa would be a clear upgrade on Onana. Whilst the latter maintained a 68.9% save percentage last season, the Porto man thrived with a record of 74.1% to keep 16 clean sheets in 32 league appearances.

For the right price, a move to sign the Portugal international would represent yet more impressive business by INEOS this summer.

If England and West Indies win
That will leave three teams – England, West Indies and South Africa – on four points each. West Indies’ huge win against USA means they will finish with a higher net run rate than South Africa if they beat them by any margin on Sunday night. So West Indies will qualify for sure with a win, regardless of the England-USA result.For England to go past South Africa’s NRR, the sum of margins of the two results will have to be 10 runs (assuming first-innings totals of 160). That means, if England win by 10 runs, they will go ahead on run rate even if South Africa lose in the Super Over. If the margin of result is under 10, South Africa will stay ahead and qualify with four points.If USA and South Africa win
South Africa will top the table with six points, while the other three teams will finish on two points each. If England lose in the Super Over chasing 160, West Indies will have to lose by 43 or more runs for their NRR to drop below that of England. If England lose by a bigger margin, West Indies will have more leeway, which means in such a scenario South Africa and West Indies are the likely semi-finalists.Related

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• How de Kock's local knowledge helped win the powerplay, and the match

USA’s poor run rate means they’ll need two huge results to stand any chance of finishing in the top two: they will first need to beat England by at least 56 runs (assuming a total of 160) to go past them on NRR, and then hope that West Indies lose by at least 91 runs for their run rate to drop below USA’s.If USA and West Indies win
In this case, West Indies and South Africa will qualify with four points, while England and USA will finish on two.If England and South Africa win
South Africa, with six points, and England, with four, will be the semi-finalists.

The left-arm spinner counts swing/drift among his main tools in T20 cricket

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jun-20241:50

Bishop: Hosein’s five-for will boost his morale

Late on a warm Saturday night in Providence Guyana, Akeal Hosein made spin bowling look easy. Big turn first ball, a plumb lbw with his second, then four more dismissals – all bowled or lbw – only two boundaries conceded, and his team on track to a rollicking victory by the time he’d finished his overs.An uninterrupted four-over spell, figures of 5 for 11… but all that only a cinch, Hosein said. Polishing up your skills to get to a place where batters, from however inexperienced a team, have no idea how to play you – all that takes time.Because there was serious skill in how Hosein bowled against Uganda. And these are skills that very few players ever in the history of cricket have possessed. Hosein is one example of an ultra-modern breed of cricketer – the spin bowler who operates in the powerplay. More than that, he is a spin bowler who counts swing/drift (in terms of physics acting on the ball, they are basically the same thing, we just tend to call it swing when it is fast and drift when it’s slow), among his main tools.Related

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Akeal Hosein's great escape

Five-star Hosein helps West Indies blow Uganda away

While there was turn on offer for Hosein on the Providence surface, it is this drift with the new ball that brought him the majority of his wickets. He bowls at a fast spinner’s pace, but sends the ball down seam upright, a little tilted. On Saturday, he was getting the ball to swing/drift late. Batters frequently played down the wrong line, and as Hosein was frequently attacking the stumps, this meant a lot of lbw and bowled dismissals.After the match, Hosein revealed he’d been working with Sunil Narine – another ultra-modernist, and a bowler who uses swing/drift to excellent effect.”I’ve been doing lots of work here,” Hosein said. “We had a camp before we came into the World Cup, but I’ve been doing lots of work with Sunil Narine as well. He’s a very close friend of mine.”So, it’s just about constant work. And especially when you start getting success your way, we know the game has evolved so much that guys are going to be reading about you. Guys are going to be doing their homework. So, you always have to try and stay one step ahead.”Among the other reasons for Hosein’s success against Uganda is that he kept the length up, and the pace fairly quick, so batters had to keep committing to front foot shots to him.”Today I thought I’d judge my spell mainly on the lengths that I bowl, and I know once I execute those lengths it’ll be tough for most batsmen to play,” he said. “I think it’s a pitch where if you really go searching, sometimes you can miss your length.”With Hosein having bowled himself into some form in this match, West Indies are now looking increasingly ominous in what is a home World Cup for them. They have overcome two oppositions they were expected to beat – Papua New Guinea and now Uganda. But they have tougher games coming up – against New Zealand, and Afghanistan.”I think going into the third game, we definitely are force to reckon with,” Hosein said. “We have been playing good cricket over the last 12 years and we have improved immensely in areas that we weren’t the best at.”

While the addition of a new goalkeeper, some midfield reinforcements, and a potential replacement for Takehiro Tomiyasu are all additions that will strengthen Arsenal, new attackers must remain the priority this summer.

For example, although they ultimately finished last season without a title to their name, Mikel Arteta’s side secured second place in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

However, there is every chance they could have found themselves lifting at least one of those trophies had they added some quality to the frontline last summer, or even in the winter.

Fortunately, the club seem intent on adding more firepower to the team, with recent links to Ollie Watkins, and another international who could be his dream teammate.

Arsenal target dream teammate for Watkins

The first link to Watkins this year appeared in the winter window, when it was revealed that Arsenal had made a surprise £40m offer, which Aston Villa turned down.

Transfer Focus

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

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Since then, murmurs of the Gunners’ interest in the Englishman persisted in the background, but they remained nothing more than that until quite recently.

However, earlier this week, reports revealed that the North Londoners had once again been in contact with the player, who would “love” to play for the club.

Given his ability – and record against Arteta’s men – picking up the former Exeter City gem could prove to be great business, and what could make it even better are the links to someone who could create an unreal partnership with him: Rodrygo.

Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the Real Madrid star.

What’s more, the report claims that the Gunners have been in talks with the Brazilian camp, and that the Spanish giants would be willing to sell him this summer.

The report makes no mention of the potential cost of the former Santos gem, but according to stories from earlier this summer, the final price might be around £85m.

It would be a lot of money to spend on one player, but given Rodrygo’s ability and potential, it’d be money well spent for Arsenal, especially as he’d be a dream teammate for Watkins.

Why Watkins would love Rodrygo

Now, there are fundamentally two reasons why Watkins would love playing alongside Rodrygo at Arsenal, and the first is his output.

For example, even though the Brazilian international has been played out of his preferred left-wing role for much of the last two seasons for Los Blancos, he has remained a dangerous asset for them.

Since the start of the 23/24 campaign, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has scored 32 goals and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7225 minutes.

Rodrygo’s recent record

Season

23/24

24/25

Appearances

52

53

Minutes

3777′

3448′

Goals

18

14

Assists

9

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvement

139.88′

137.92′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In other words, the 33-capped international has averaged a goal involvement every 2.01 games, or every 138.94 minutes across two seasons.

Just imagine the sort of numbers the Villa ace, who racked up 31 goal involvements in 54 games last season, could produce with someone as effective as the Real ace alongside him.

Finally, on top of the output, the 24-year-old would be a dream teammate for the Torquay-born poacher, as he has already reached the peak of club football.

Not only that, but he has also played an essential role in Real winning the Champions League and La Liga.

So, he’d have the mentality to help the Gunners finally get over the line as well, and in turn, help the Villa star pick up his first piece of major silverware.

Ultimately, while it wouldn’t be cheap, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Watkins and Rodrygo this summer, as together, they could provide the fire Arteta’s side have been crying out for.

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Viktor Gyokeres would enjoy playing alongside this £43m superstar at Arsenal.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 4, 2025

قاد روبرت ليفاندوفسكي منتخب بلاده بولندا، للفوز أمام فنلندا بثلاثية دون مقابل، مساء الأحد، ضمن التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.

والتقى المنتخب البولندي مع نظيره الفنلندي ضمن مباريات تصفيات القارة الأوروبية المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.

شهدت المباراة مشاركة روبرت ليفاندوفسكي والذي عاد للمنتخب البولندي بعد فترة غياب بسبب خلافات مع المدير الفني السابق ميشال بروبيرز.

اقرأ أيضًا | فيديو | هولندا تهزم ليتوانيا بثلاثية في تصفيات كأس العالم.. وإنجاز تاريخي لـ ديباي

وافتتح ماتي كاش التسجيل لبولندا في الدقيقة 27 من اللقاء، ثم أضاف ليفاندوفسكي الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت المحتسب بدلاً من الضائع.

الهدف الثالث لصالح بولندا في شباك فنلندا جاء عن طريق ياكوب كامينسكي في الدقيقة 54 من اللقاء.

وجاء هدف فنلندا الوحيد عن طريق بنجامين كالمان في الدقيقة 88، وانتهت المباراة بفوز بولندا بثلاثية دون رد، لترفع رصيدها إلى 10 نقاط وتتساوى مع هولندا متصدرة المجموعة.

إلى جوار هولندا وبولندا، تضم المجموعة منتخبات، فنلندا (7 نقاط)، ليتوانيا (3 نقاط)، ومالطا (نقطتان).

Tottenham Hotspur appear to have lost out in the race for a highly-rated forward, as La Liga champions Barcelona agree terms to seal his signature before Thomas Frank’s side had the chance.

Tottenham preparing bid for £30m colossus wanted by Napoli, Milan and Inter

Spurs could scupper Antonio Conte in the race for his signature.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 21, 2025

Spurs are expected to back their new manager to the hilt this summer, especially after they qualified for the Champions League with their historic Europa League final win in Bilbao.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025	Average match rating
Son Heung-min	7.00
James Maddison	6.98
Pedro Porro	6.95
Dominic Solanke	6.84
Dejan Kulusevski	6.83
via WhoScored

The Lilywhites are set for a significant financial windfall, which Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge described as “huge” in terms of their recruitment drive. Chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange no longer have to operate under a sell-to-buy policy, with Spurs already agreeing a permanent deal for Mathys Tel as they continue to scour the market for new wingers.

With Son Heung-min’s future uncertain, amid links to Saudi Arabia, the likes of West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus, Man City outcast Jack Grealish, Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, Southampton sensation Tyler Dibling and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo have all been linked within the past fortnight.

Tottenham face competition from Man United for Mbeumo, who’ve now submitted a fresh £60 million bid for the Cameroonian, while Bournemouth are expected to demand around £70 million for Semenyo (The Athletic).

Levy and Lange will need to either dig deep into the Tottenham coffers or get very creative in their pursuit of a high-profile winger, as all of their reported targets are likely to cost a premium.

The north Londoners did have their eyes on a bargain option, though, in the form of FC Copenhagen starlet Roony Bardghji.

Bardghji, dubbed the ‘Swedish Messi’ by some, burst on to the scene with a heroic performance against Man United in the Champions League nearly two years ago.

He bagged a stunning late winner against them at the end of an unlikely 4-3 group stage victory over the Red Devils in November 2023, with Bardghji set to leave Copenhagen on the cheap this summer as his contract expires in late December.

The 19-year-old, after coming back from a serious injury, is now on the verge of joining Barcelona – but Spurs did try their hand.

Barcelona hijack Tottenham talks for Roony Bardghji

Tottenham held talks with Bardghji and his representatives in a bid to tempt the winger to London, according to journalist Graeme Bailey and TBR Football, but Barça are now seemingly set to “win the race” for his signature.

That is according to TBR again in another update this week, with Bailey reporting that while Tottenham hoped to inspire a ‘Lucas Bergvall-type’ transfer by opening talks with Bardghji, Hansi Flick’s side have hijacked their move by closing in on a deal for the top talent.

This is echoed by reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, who believe that Bardghji’s move to the Camp Nou is merely a matter of time with terms agreed.

Levy has now missed out on a potential bargain forward who could’ve joined for the meagre price of just £1.7 million, not to mention a player who’s been likened to Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

“He has very similar characteristics to Mohamed Salah,” said Scandinavian journalist Nicklas Degn.

“When Copenhagen have to come up with something brilliant or unlock a team, it is Roony they look to. He has this unique talent.”