It might be a cliché, but over the last few years or so, Arsenal have been on a pretty remarkable journey from mid-table strugglers to one of the best teams in the country.

The Gunners may well have looked lacklustre in the last month or so, but under Mikel Arteta’s premiership, they have challenged for the Premier League in back-to-back campaigns, and they may well do so for a third if things go their way in the coming weeks.

Now, a large part of the North Londoners’ rejuvenation is undoubtedly down to Arteta’s tactical brilliance and leadership qualities, but equally important have been the signings he’s made.

The likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhaes have all played critical roles in the last few years, but there was one addition made just over three years ago who has been utterly transformational and could now be worth a small fortune.

Arsenal's 2021 summer signings

So, the player in question officially put pen to paper on a long-term deal with Arsenal in the summer of 2021, but before we talk about him, let’s examine a few other additions made in that transfer window, starting with Ben White.

The Englishman joined the Gunners from fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion for a whopping £50m that July.

While there were plenty of detractors at the time, it would be hard to describe the move as anything other than a roaring success.

In his first season with the club, the Poole-born ace almost exclusively played in the centre-back position, but upon the introduction of William Saliba the following summer, he moved to right-back, where he remains a key member of the team today, 146 appearances later – he also netted the club’s 10000th goal last season.

The club signed another versatile defender that same summer, splashing £15.5m on Bologna’s Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu, although things have not gone quite as well for the 26-year-old since.

Now, that is not down to his ability, as the club were delighted to hand him a new contract over the summer, but instead, his fitness, as since joining the Gunners, he’s missed 62 games for club and country and is currently out of action with a knee action.

However, the Fukuoka-born ace has not been the only 2021 arrival to suffer from injury problems this season, although his fellow summer arrival is now back in the team, justifying his comparisons to some of the best players in the world and the potential mammoth price tag that comes with those comparisons.

The Arsenal star who could be worth a fortune

Okay, so with two 2021 additions already accounted for, and the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Albert Sambi Lokonga no longer at the club, it’s probably not a surprise that the player in question is none other than Martin Odegaard.

The midfield maestro may have joined the club on loan in January 2021, but it wasn’t until August that the club opted to spend £30m to make his move permanent, and what a decision that was.

In 159 appearances, the Drammen-born dynamo has racked up a seriously impressive haul of 35 goals and 27 assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.56 games.

However, it’s not just his output that makes the “sensational” Norwegian star, as dubbed by The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, such an essential member of the team; he’s also an incredible leader, captaining his national team and being handed the armband by Arteta in 2022, despite being just 23 years old at the time.

In short, the former Real Madrid gem has become an essential member of this Arsenal side in countless ways, and as such, has won comparisons to some of the best players in the world, including last season’s PFA Player of the Year, Phil Foden.

The comparison stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the number one most similar midfielder to the Gunners star.

Now, to get a better idea of how this conclusion was reached, we can examine the underlying metrics in which the pair ranks most closely, metrics including but not limited to progressive carries, non-penalty expected goals, shots on target, passes into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

Progressive Carries

2.98

2.30

Non-Penalty Expected Goals

0.17

0.23

Shots on Target

0.42

0.33

Passing Accuracy

82.9%

82.9%

Passes into the Penalty Area

2.77

2.30

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.21

0.33

Live Passes

43.2

47.9

Comparisons to such a superb player should be celebrated in their own right, but there could be more reasons for the board to be happy, as if the two midfielders are positionally and statistically similar, while also being just a year apart age-wise, should they not be valued similarly?

Arteta and Co will certainly hope so, as Transfermarkt values the City star at an eye-watering €150m, which converts to around £125m.

So, while he doesn’t have that valuation today, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that in Odegaard, Arsenal have an incredible £125m superstar in the making.

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Arsenal hold a “massive excitement” over one unseen teenager in their ranks, alongside fellow rising stars Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, who are making most of the headlines in north London right now.

Ethan Nwaneri scores for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest

Both Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri are enjoying breakthrough campaigns at N5, with manager Mikel Arteta handing both teenagers minutes amid an early season which has been plagued by injuries to first-team stars.

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Lewis-Skelly, 18, has made six first-team appearances in all competitions – mostly filling in at left-back – with the cameos including one full start against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.

“He can play in three positions – as a left-back, as a six, as an eight,” said Arteta on Lewis-Skelly’s versatility earlier this season.

“He’s very adaptable, I think that’s a good thing about Myles. He’s very intelligent, very thorough. And he has a competitive edge that I think is demanded at this level. He really wants it, and we’re going to use him in different positions.

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Everton (home)

December 14

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

“He’s a competitor, you look at him in every duel … the way he reacts with his teammates, you speak to him and it’s constantly eye contact, he’s asking questions … it’s a special character.”

While Lewis-Skelly is attracting praise from Arteta, the same can definitely be said for Nwaneri, who’s bagged four goals in nine appearances across all competitions this term.

He scored his first Premier League goal on Saturday, during Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, and the 17-year-old appears to be establishing himself as Hale End’s latest Gunners sensation.

“The first thing he does is take a touch, run forward, run past two players and put it inches away from the post,” said Arteta on Nwaneri’s attacking threat.

“I understand that, I am responsible for him, and you have to do that brick by brick. Today he put in another brick, now we have to put the cement, make sure that it doesn’t get dry, so that he can put in another one and another one and that one is going to stick. Then we put one more layer, we want to put five in a row. Believe me, it won’t work, and we have to manage that with his expectations and his load as well, which is really important.”

Nwaneri has already been called Arsenal’s next £100m star in the making, but the English gem may have some competition already.

Arsenal hold "massive excitement" over Max Dowman

According to Football Transfers, yet another teenager could be about to burst through the youth ranks. Arsenal apparently hold “massive excitement” over young midfielder Max Dowman. The 14-year-old, who turns 15 next month, is already being compared to AC Milan legend Kaka within the club, and he’s set to play alongside senior players in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

The match is being organised in two weeks’ time, and it is specifically being arranged to assess Dowman, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri.

Dowman recently became the youngest-ever Arsenal player to feature for the Under-18s, with FT sources describing the Englishman as an “insane” footballer.

Aston Villa have made some superb signings under Unai Emery since the Spaniard took charge of the club back in October 2022. He has overseen four transfer windows as Villans boss so far, spending a few hundred million to strengthen the squad.

That has certainly paid off, with the Midlands club now competing for the top four and in the Champions League.

The most expensive player the former Arsenal boss has signed during his tenure at Villa Park was Amadou Onana. The Belgian midfielder cost £50m from Premier League rivals Everton. The Villans have also signed Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire and Pau Torres from Villarreal.

Arguably Emery’s best signing as Villa manager, however, is Morgan Rogers.

Rogers’ stats for Villa

Since making the move to Villa Park in January 2024, versatile attacker Rogers has been a revelation for the club. He left Championship side Middlesbrough to join Villa, in a deal worth an initial £8m, but with the potential to rise to £16m with add-ons.

It has been an exceptional start to life in the Midlands for the Manchester City academy graduate. Rogers has quickly become a key player under Emery and is now a regular starter in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

So far for the Villans, he has played 30 times and already has six goals and four assists to his name. This term in the Premier League, the 22-year-old has been in impressive form, with five goal involvements so far.

Competition

Games

Minutes

Goals

Assists

Premier League (2023/24)

11

641

3

1

Europa Conference League (2023/24)

5

339

0

0

Premier League (2024/25)

10

813

3

2

Champions League (2024/25)

4

334

0

1

There have certainly been plenty of high-profile people who have taken notice of the electric attacker. One of those is former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher. Earlier in the season, he described the Villa number 27 as a “machine”, explaining that he looks “unstoppable” when he dribbles.

Rogers is hitting new heights each week and continues to excel in that famous Claret and Blue shirt. His value has risen to £18.2m as per Transfermarkt, exceeding the price he cost the Midlands club.

With that being said, there is a former Villans loanee who is also having an impressive season and is now worth even more than their star man.

The former Villa star worth more than Rogers

One of the biggest cult heroes at Villa Park in recent years was Tammy Abraham. He was a pivotal figure in their promotion success back in 2018/19 when he spent a year on loan at the club from Chelsea.

That season was simply phenomenal for the Cobham graduate. He scored 25 goals in 37 Championship games, and a further strike in the play-offs as the Villans won promotion by beating Derby County at Wembley.

Four of those finishes came in a hectic 5-5 draw at home to Nottingham Forest.

Since his loan at Villa Park expired, the striker has gone on to play for some big European clubs. Of course, he returned to Chelsea where he played for a few seasons, before moving to Italy. Abraham joined Roma from his boyhood club, and impressed despite missing a season with a bad injury.

For the duration of the 2024/25 campaign, the 27-year-old is on loan at Milan. He has scored once and has two assists to his name in seven Serie A appearances, although has played just 355 minutes. That is the equivalent of 3.9 full 90 minute games. With three goal involvements in just over three full games, his numbers are stacking up well.

With that in mind, the striker, who was described as an “outstanding” player by football statistician Statman Dave, is now valued higher than Rogers.

According to Transfermarkt, Abraham is worth £20.7m, although that has dropped given he missed a season with injury.

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?

Looking back on it, Villa fans surely wish they had tried to keep the deadly marksman, who has shown impressive form and is now playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

They can only dream of how many goals he would’ve scored for the club if he had stayed at Villa Park longer.

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VVS Laxman hailed the “resilience and positive attitude” shown by India’s Under-19 World Cup winners, after they overcame a mid-campaign outbreak of Covid-19 to outclass their battling England opponents in the final, winning by four wickets to lift the trophy for the fifth time in the tournament’s history.”In the middle of this tournament, we all know what happened to the boys,” Laxman, the former India great who now heads their National Cricket Academy, told the host broadcaster. “To test positive, but to show that kind of resilience and positive attitude, was exemplary.”Yash Dhull, the captain, was one of six India players to test positive for the virus during the group stages of the tournament, alongside Nishant Sindhu and Shaik Rasheed, both of whom made half-centuries in India’s successful run-chase in the final. That followed an exceptional effort in the field, led by Ravi Kumar and Raj Bawa, in which England were bowled out for 189 despite a fine 95 from James Rew.”It’s a proud moment to achieve something for India,” Dhull said at the post-match presentation. “At first it was difficult to find our combinations in the tournament but then we became like a family. Sir [head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar] made it a good environment and team strength was good.”After collapsing to 61 for 6 despite winning the toss, England made India work for their victory – first through the efforts of Rew, who found key support from James Sales in an eighth-wicket stand of 93, and then in a spirited defence of their sub-par total. The left-arm seamer Josh Boyden struck in his first over to remove Angkrish Raghuvanshi for 0, and when Sales grabbed two wickets in three balls in the middle overs, India were again vulnerable at 97 for 4.”It was too exciting for my good, but I’m happy with the result,” Kanitkar said afterwards. “But I think we learned a lot from this. [Dhull] led them very well, he has a good head on his shoulders, he read the game situation and what players would want, and I think that really counted today.”Tom Prest, England’s captain, was one of the early wickets to fall as Kumar bowled him for a fourth-ball duck to end a fine campaign with the bat on a low note. But despite his disappointment, he was full of praise for the fight that his team had shown.”Obviously choosing to bat first, we’d have liked a better start, but the way James Rew then batted to get 95 – he deserved a hundred – we got to a score that we felt we were in the game with, and I think we gave that a good crack.”We’ve got a strong bowling attack and taking a wicket in the first over, that got the mood up and got some confidence going. But they obviously batted really well, they had a couple of great partnerships. So credit to them.”Dhull acknowledged that Rew and Sales had made India work for their win, but said his team had remained confident throughout. “Those two batted well and England made a good comeback, but we were cool in the chase,” he said. “It was great for us that VVS sir, Hrishi sir, Sairaj sir, Bali sir, Harsha sir all joined us. Their words will help us all individually.”Despite falling at the final hurdle, Prest was still the first England captain to reach an Under-19 final in 24 years, and he was full of praise for the tournament experience. “It’s been amazing,” he said. “We’ve all really enjoyed it. Not only the cricket, the media exposure that we’ve got, and doing interviews like this. It’s something that we’ll never forget. And we’re very proud of our achievements.”Kanitkar echoed Prest’s sentiments. “I think it’s a fabulous competition,” he said. “Getting this stage to perform at young age. I think for all teams it’s a great opportunity to showcase talent, and also for the academies all over the world. You get a lot of things you can work on now.”Related

• Under-19 World Cup 2022: Wyllie, Dhull, Brevis and Wellalage headline ESPNcricinfo's Team of the Tournament

• There was no pressure, because 'we were prepared for everything' – Yash Dhull

• 'I'm always ready' – Rehan Ahmed is on the move, and has a World Cup trophy in his sights

• Fateh Singh's journey – from seam to spin, now treading the Moeen Ali route

• Messages from Kohli, Root and others lift India and England squads ahead of Under-19 final

Laxman, whose own experience of Under-19 cricket predated the tournament’s reboot in 1998, added that the players should recognise the importance of the achievement, but use it as a learning process first and foremost.”This is just the start of their journey,” he said. “Everyone in this group understands that, because this is all about development as players, as persons, and it’s great to see the way they have developed and the way they’ve evolved over the last couple of months. It’s very exciting time for all of them but it’s just the start of their journeys as cricketers.”Huge congratulations to the selection committee,” he added. “It was a new selection committee and quite challenging to identify this group. The coaching staff, with Rishikesh as the head coach and all the support staff, the way they brought this group together, they worked really hard. They won the Asia Cup and the preparation to this World Cup was fantastic.”Asked what India is doing right at Under-19 level, Laxman said it was all about “structure”.”The BCCI has to be complimented for the number of matches and the number of tournaments,” he added. “Each age-group level gets to play, whether it’s Under-16, Under-19, Under-23. But unfortunately, over the last two years, because of Covid, they didn’t play any tournaments. And that’s why I think this tournament win is very special.”After the result, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced an INR 40 lakh prize for every player in the winning squad and INR 25 lakh for every support-staff member. BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly also tweeted: “Absolutely breathtaking and tremendous skills under pressure.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo goleou o Santos por 3 a 0, na Vila Belmiro, na noite deste domingo, pelo Campeonato Paulista. Para o meia-atacante Nikão, que deu duas assistências no clássico, o triunfo foi importante para, além de conquistar três pontos, convencer.

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– Estávamos fazendo bons jogos, mas infelizmente a vitória não estava vindo. Hoje não só vencemos, como convencemos, pela postura que o time jogou. Com a cara do que é o São Paulo, um time aguerrido e com disposição. Feliz pela entrega de todos – disse o camisa 10.

NIkão também comentou sobre a entrega e agradeceu ao São Paulo pela oportunidade de demonstrar seu futebol no clube.

– Glorifico e agradeço a Deus pelo jogo de hoje, agradeço ao apoio dos companheiros, do Rogério Ceni, que dispensa comentários, toda a diretoria, minha esposa, meus filhos. Fico feliz de poder fazer um grande jogo e mais feliz ainda com o resultado no clássico. Feliz pela entrega e pelo jogo, não só pela vitória, mas pelo jogo consistente que fizemos durante os 90 e mais cinco minutos – finalizou.

Agora, o São Paulo vira a chave para a Copa do Brasil.O Tricolor vai a Campina Grande enfrentar o Campinense, quinta-feira, às 21h30.

Elsewhere, Bengal chased down 349 against Baroda, and Parvez Rasool’s ten-wicket match haul gave J&K a comfortable win over Puducherry

Sreshth Shah20-Feb-2022Elite Group AChasing 195, Gujarat were rolled over for 88 in the fourth innings by Madhya Pradesh, led by left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya’s five-wicket haul. Gujarat had rattled Madhya Pradesh from an overnight score of 202 for 4 to 251 all out on the back of Chintan Gaja’s six-for in the morning, but with a batting display where only one player (Karan Patel) crossed the 20s, they fell 106 short.MP are now second on the points table in Group A, with Kerala at the top after their innings win over Meghalaya on Saturday.Shahbaz Ahmed struck an unbeaten 71 as Bengal chased down 349 against Baroda•BCCIElite Group BAll out for 88 in their first innings, Bengal’s batters turned it around on the final day to successfully chase down 349 against Baroda in Cuttack. The 79 from opener Abhimanyu Easwaran had given them a leg up on day three, but they needed an unbeaten 108-run seventh-wicket partnership between allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed (71*) and debutant wicketkeeper Abishek Porel (53*) to cross the line.In the other Group B game, Ravi Teja ran through Chandigarh’s batting line up to give Hyderabad a 217-run win. Hyderabad had set Chandigarh a 401-run target on the back of Hanuma Vihari’s 106. Teja then proved too hot for Chandigarh on the final day with a six-for, taking his match haul to 9 for 94. Chandigarh opener Arslan Khan made 68 while Raj Bawa, the Player of the Match at the U-19 World Cup final, was left unbeaten on a 47-ball 35 with the side losing their last four wickets for just one run.Parvez Rasool’s ten-wicket match haul gave Jammu & Kashmir a comfortable win•BCCIElite Group CJammu & Kashmir began their campaign with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Puducherry. Puducherry were 113 for 9 overnight on the back of offspinner Parvez Rasool’s five-for, and he added a sixth in the morning. J&K needed to chase only 42 and their Ian Dev Singh finished the game off with a six on the very first delivery he faced. For Rasool, it was the fourth time he took ten wickets in a match.J&K now lead Group C after Karnataka and Railways played out a draw. Karnataka declared their second innings on 223 for 9 after seamer Amit Mishra (4 for 58) and legspinner Karn Sharma (3 for 47) shared seven wickets, leaving Railways chasing an improbable 279 in the afternoon. Even though Railways were reduced to 26 for 3, they eventually finished on 69 for 4 at the close of play.After his first-innings duck, Cheteshwar Pujara struck a counter-attacking 83-ball 91 in the second dig against Mumbai•Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty ImagesElite Group DLeft-arm spinner Shams Mulani’s seven-wicket haul had put Mumbai within one wicket of victory going into the last hour against Saurashtra but Jaydev Unadkat (32*) and Chetan Sakariya (10*) batted out 17.2 overs to deny them in Ahmedabad. Following on, Saurashtra openers Harvik Desai (62) and Snell Patel (98) provided a 163-run start but both fell in consecutive overs. Despite Cheteshwar Pujara’s counter-attacking 83-ball 91 with 16 fours and a six, Saurashtra needed the last-gasp partnership to save the day. Sarfaraz Khan was named the Player of the Match for his 275 in Mumbai’s first innings.Odisha held on to a draw in the other Group D game after Goa could take only seven of the ten wickets on day four. Opener Shantanu Mishra’s 267-ball 103 helped Odisha hold up one end for 96.3 overs while wicketkeeper Rajesh Dhuper made 52 from No. 6.Elite Group ENeeding 39 more in a chase of 133, Uttarakhand wrapped up a nine-wicket win inside nine overs on the final day against Services. Jay Bista struck a run-a-ball 87 not out. Uttarakhand allrounder Dikshanshu Negi was Player of the Match for his match haul of five wickets and 68 in their first innings.Andhra lost their last six wickets in less than 25 overs on day four as Rajasthan’s bowlers wrapped up a 158-run win in the other Group E fixture. Chasing 368, Andhra were restarting on 100 for 4 but left-arm spinner Shubham Sharma took 4 for 32 and Aniket Choudhary finished with 3 for 50 to bowl Andhra out for 209.Jayant Yadav’s six-for ensured Haryana took the first-innings lead in a drawn game against Tripura•PTI Elite Group FGroup F saw both fixtures in Delhi finish as high-scoring draws. At Palam, Tripura posted 436 in response to Haryana’s 556, and Haryana could bat only 20 overs in the second innings before the teams shook hands. The 222-run third-wicket stand between Bishal Ghosh (159) and Samit Gohel (122) lifted Tripura from 56 for 2 on the third day, but Jayant Yadav’s six-for ensured Haryana took the first-innings lead and pocketed three points.At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Himachal Pradesh batter Akash Vasisht made 140 on the final day to follow up on his first-innings 87, but their game against Punjab ended in a drab draw. After Punjab scored 526 in response to HP’s 354, they had a 172-run lead and a chance to register an outright victory. But Himachal batted 118 overs to finish on 402 for 8.Elite Group GUttar Pradesh held on for a draw against Vidarbha after Rinku Singh (62*) and Saurabh Kumar (81*) rescued them from a precarious position. Trying to overcome a 247-run first-innings deficit, UP were 126 for 6 on the final day, but Rinku and Saurabh put on an unbeaten 154-run seventh-wicket stand to deny Vidarbha’s bowlers. Before their stand, overnight batter Priyam Garg made 56 but Akshay Wakhare’s three-wicket haul briefly rattled UP.Rinku Singh (above) and Saurabh Kumar helped Uttar Pradesh eke out a draw•BCCIMaharashtra’s left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav finished with 7 for 45 to secure an innings win over Assam in Rohtak. Riyan Parag made 56 for Assam, but Bachhav picked up the last three wickets in one over as Assam folded for 160, seven short to make Maharshtra bat again.Elite Group HDelhi’s Yash Dhull became only the ninth batter in first-class cricket to score a century in each innings on debut as he struck an unbeaten 113 to follow up on his first-innings 113 against Tamil Nadu in Guwahati. Dhruv Shorey struck an unbeaten 107 to take Delhi to 228 for no loss as the match ended in a draw. On day three, Tamil Nadu had taken a 42-run lead on the back of Shahrukh Khan’s 148-ball 194 and Baba Indrajith’s 117.Both Tamil Nadu (3 points) and Delhi (1 point) are behind Chhattisgarh on the points table in this group after they beat Jharkhand by eight wickets inside three days.Sakibul Gani’s 341 on debut could not earn Bihar an outright win against Mizoram•ESPNcricinfo LtdPlate GroupNagaland successfully chased down 174 with six wickets in hand, after Sikkim were bowled out for 283 in their second innings. Shrikant Mundhe’s half-century saw them through to the win. Chetan Bist was named Player of the Match for scoring 115 in the first innings and taking eight catches in the game.Sakibul Gani’s first innings score of 341 could not earn Bihar a win as Mizoram lost only four wickets in their second innings after being asked to follow on. Taruwar Kohli’s unbeaten 101 ensured Mizoram had one senior batter holding the fort from one end, while Uday Kaul also made 56. Bihar, though, took three points for their first-innings lead.Manipur are currently leading the Plate Group table. They had completed an innings win over Arunachal Pradesh on day three.

Time looks to be running out for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham. Despite heavy investment in the transfer market over the summer, the Hammers currently find themselves in a relegation battle under the guidance of Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes as manager in May.

The Spaniard’s side are 14th in the league having won just three of their 11 games so far. Amid that poor run of form, West Ham’s board are now understood to be considering Lopetegui’s future at the London Stadium.

Speaking to Football Insider earlier this month, former West Ham recruitment employee Mick Brown said of Lopetegui’s situation: “He could lose his job and be sacked immediately, at any time, things can change with the click of a finger.

“When he was appointed to take over from Moyesy, they expected him to pick up where he left off and keep them moving up the table. From what I’ve heard, they were keen to give him time at first, but that faith is fading quickly.”

Mourinho "very interested" in Hammers job

Amid the talk of Lopetegui’s impending sack, Football Insider hs reported that former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is “very interested” in the prospect of taking over from the Spaniard.

The publication claims to have been told by sources that Mourinho would “jump at the chance” to return to London with the Hammers, and still has a house in the capital.

Mourinho, who typically plays a 3-5-2 formation and has previously been credited with turning his teams into “results machines,” by Jurgen Klopp, has been open about his desire to one day return to England.

After his Fenerbahce side held former club United to a 1-1 draw in the Europa League last month, Mourinho told reporters: “The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fener is that I go to a club that doesn’t play in UEFA competition.

“So a club at the bottom in England who needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go,” he said, adding: “Nobody wants to watch the Turkish league.”

Mourinho's managerial record

Self-proclaimed as “The Special One”, Mourinho, 61, is one of the most revered and decorated managers in football history. To date, he’s won no less than 26 major honours across spells in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Italy.

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In England, he’s best known for his time at Chelsea, where, in two separate spells between 2004 and 2015, he guided the Blues to three Premier League titles, three League Cups, and the FA Cup. He’s also the only manager in football history to have won all three of European football’s major club competitions.

Mourinho has won the Champions League twice, once with Porto and once with Inter Milan, while he’s also won the Europa League and Europa Conference League with Manchester United and AS Roma respectively.

Over the course of the Premier League era, Aston Villa have had some exceptional strikers lead the line. Perhaps the best of the bunch was Dwight Yorke, who played for the Villans between 1990 and 1998 before departing to Manchester United. Another former Red Devil who also represented the Midlands side was Dion Dublin, who played for the club between 1998 and 2004.

In more recent years, Christian Benteke was one of the best strikers at Villa Park, scoring 49 times in 101 games. Nowadays, Ollie Watkins is the man of the moment upfront for Unai Emery’s side. The Englishman has already scored 75 goals and has 29 assists in 181 games in Claret and Blue.

There is another player who is in fine goalscoring form in the current Villa side. That man is Jhon Duran.

Duran’s Villa stats

The rise to the top has been quite something for 20-year-old Duran. Since he joined in a £18m deal from MLS side Chicago Fire in 2023, the Colombian has gone on a phenomenal run of goalscoring form to become one of the Premier League’s deadliest strikers.

The Villans’ number nine has already got a superb record in that famous Claret and Blue shirt. In 63 games, he has 16 goals, but what makes it most incredible is the number of minutes he has played.

Duran has featured for just 1666 minutes so far, equivalent to 18.5 full 90-minute games, meaning his goal tally is proportional to almost one goal per game.

This campaign has been no different for the deadly centre-forward. Already, the Colombia international has scored eight times in 14 games. That includes four in nine Premier League games and two in three Champions League games.

According to FBref, the former Chicago Fire attacker ranks 4th across Europe’s big five leagues for the most goals per 90 minutes with 1.48. That only factored in players who have played the equivalent of 90 minutes once or more. That shows exactly how deadly Duran has been in this campaign.

Incredibly, Villa are targeting a winger who could join the club and make the young striker even deadlier than he already is.

Aston Villa transfer news

The player in question here is Barcelona and Spain winger Ferran Torres. According to reports from Spain earlier this week, via London World, the Villans are set to go head-to-head with Arsenal for the winger’s signature. The report suggests that both clubs are ready to pay ‘a reasonable price’ in order to sign the Euro 2024 winner.

24-year-old winger Torres has already played Premier League football. He spent 18 months at Manchester City before moving to Barca for £46.7m upfront and a further £8.5m in add-ons in 2022. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, the winger played 43 games, scoring 16 times and grabbing four assists.

He has performed well for La Liga giants Barca, too, so it is perhaps surprising they are willing to part ways with him. He has 41 goal involvements in 123 games on the Spanish coast and has been an important player for Hansi Flick as they have dominated both domestically and in the Champions League.

Should Villa sign the winger this summer, he could well form a brilliant partnership with Duran. Typically throughout his career, the 24-year-old has developed a strong understanding with the centre-forward of his side. He has combined more times for a goal with Robert Lewandowski than any other player, with six.

Torres most joint goal involvements in his career
Player	Position	Games	Goal involvements
Robert Lewandowski	CF	78	6
Rodrigo	CF	74	4
Jordi Alba	LB	65	4
Ilkay Gundogan	CM	65	4
Kevin Gamiero	CF	58	4
Stats from Transfermarkt

This is certainly a trend that could continue at Villa Park. Duran is already one of the deadliest strikers in Europe, judging by both the number of goals he has scored and the underlying statistics. With the Barcelona number seven’s habit of forming dangerous partnerships with the strikers of his team, it is something that could well continue to happen.

Signing the “insanely good” attacker, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, could be an excellent piece of business from Villa. Not only would they be adding a quality winger to their attack, but Torres could make Duran even more unplayable and help them continue to fight for top four spots in the Premier League.

£15m Aston Villa target considering leaving Boca Juniors in 2025 transfer

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By
Brett Worthington

Oct 30, 2024

تمكن فريق بيراميدز من تحقيق فوز كبير على منافسه الجيش الملكي، بنتيجة 4-1، في المباراة التي انتهت منذ قليل ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الجيش الملكي حل ضيفاً على بيراميدز في استاد الدفاع الجوي، في ذهاب دور ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتقدم فيستون مايلي بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة الثانية من عمر الشوط الأول، بعد تلقيه عرضية من مصطفى فتحي داخل منطقة الجزاء.

طالع أيضاً.. وائل جمعة ينتقد أداء الأهلي في الشوط الأول أمام الهلال السوداني.. ويصرح: مهاجم الفريق بعيد عن رتم المباريات

وأحرز فيستون مايلي الهدف الثاني لبيراميدز في الدقيقة 12 بعد تمريرة من إبراهيم عادل قابلها مايلي بتسديدة داخل الشباك.

وأحرز إبراهيم عادل الهدف الثالث لفريق بيراميدز أمام الجيش الملكي، مستغلًا تمريرة رمضان صبحي ومعززًا تقدم فريقه بثلاثية نظيفة، في الدقيقة 38 من عمر الشوط الأول.

وسجل هدف فريق الجيش الملكي الأول، اللاعب عبد الفتاح حدراف بالدقيقة 45 لتصبح النتيجة 3-1 لصالح أصحاب الأرض.

وعاد بيراميدز للتسجيل من جديد وأضاف إبراهيم عادل الهدف الرابع في الدقيقة 68، بعد تمريرة من بلاتي توريه إلى إبراهيم عادل الذي راوغ وتوغل ووضع الكرة داخل الشباك.

ويتأهل الفائز من بيراميدز والجيش الملكي، لمواجهة المتأهل من لقاء أورلاندو بايرتس ضد مولودية الجزائر (بمجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب)، في دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا. أهداف مباراة بيراميدز والجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

Former Arsenal striker Mika Biereth scored his third hat-trick in just seven matches as his dream start at Monaco continued.

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Biereth left Arsenal last summerJoined Monaco in JanuaryScores third hat-trick in seven gamesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The ex-Gunners forward scored all three goals as Monaco beat Reims 3-0 to rise to fourth in Ligue 1 on Friday evening. The 22-year-old only joined the French side from Sturm Graz in January but already he has three hat-tricks and 10 goals in as many games in all competitions.

AdvertisementWHAT BIERETH SAID

After the game, Biereth admitted it is taking time to process his goalscoring feats. He said: "It’s a good night but the most important thing is the three points.

"I admit I don’t fully realise what’s happening with this new hat-trick. I approach every game trying to score and my team-mates put me in good positions.

"I think I’ve always been pretty good at putting the ball in the back of the net. Today, it worked well again."

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Biereth joined Arsenal's youth academy in 2021 after a spell at Fulham and was loaned to RKC in Netherlands and Scottish side Motherwell before a temporary stay at Sturm Graz that turned permanent last summer. Arsenal have been crying out for a centre-forward in recent times, especially with the injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus as their Premier League title hopes fade. And with Biereth firing in goals for fun at Monaco, this may have been the one that got away for Mikel Arteta.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Danish attacker Biereth has become the first player in 70 years to score three hat-tricks in his first seven Ligue 1 matches.