Arsenal are in hot pursuit of fresh squad upgrades ahead of a crucial campaign for Mikel Arteta, with the pressure on for him to deliver major silverware.

Related Benjamin Sesko has now made "unusual" demand in Arsenal transfer talks

The Slovenia international wants something out of the ordinary.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 20, 2025

It’s been five years since Arteta lifted his first major honour, which came at the end of his first season in charge of the Gunners. Since then, barring Community Shield wins, their trophy cabinet has remained barren, despite coming close on a number of occasions.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

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

Man City edged Arsenal in each of the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 title races, with Arteta’s side battling Pep Guardiola until the very final day last year. However, it was close but no cigar, and Arsenal meekly surrendered the latest Premier League crown to Liverpool by a seismic 10 points.

After many seasons steadily building the project, Arteta has undoubtedly transformed the Gunners into an elite-level side, and this was evident in the Champions League last season when they put 15-time European champions Real Madrid to the sword.

The progress made has been clear, but Arteta has still come under fire for Arsenal’s lack of trophies over the last few years.

New sporting director Andrea Berta has been tasked with backing the Spaniard this summer, and Arsenal are set to sign both midfielder Martin Zubimendi and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (The Times) in what is a real boost.

However, their lack of a prolific striker is seen as a major elephant in the room. It is by far the position which supporters are most keen to see strengthened, with Berta working on deals for both Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Viktor Gyokeres convinced he's going to join Arsenal

The former has been central to a tense transfer saga, with Sporting publicly denying claims that Gyokeres can leave for £60 million and their president, Frederico Varandas, taking aim at the player’s agent.

The “underrated” striker’s 54-goal haul in all competitions last season helped the Primeira Liga giants lift their first domestic double in two decades, and Gyokeres won’t be leaving for Sporting until one of his suitors meets his asking price.

Arsenal do possess a trump card, namely reliable reports that Gyokeres is prioritising a switch to the Emirates Stadium (Fabrizio Romano).

Now, as per talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Gyokeres is apparently convinced that he’ll join Arsenal, and has even made this clear to his close circle.

“I had a message 24 hours or so ago suggesting that Viktor Gyokeres has told friends and family he expects to join Arsenal,” said Crook on talkSPORT Breakfast earlier this week.

“We know that Manchester United are interested in signing him as well, obviously there is that pre-existing relationship with Ruben Amorim.

“But Arsenal can offer Champions League football, maybe can offer a tilt at the title next season. Sporting are going to play hardball, there’s been a fallout between Gyokeres and the club because his agent has suggested that they had a gentleman’s agreement he could leave for £60million, I think they’re looking for nearer £80m.

“Arsenal are juggling both him and Benjamin Sesko, they’ve opened talks with Leipzig as well but at the moment, I would say Gyokeres looks the more likely.”

The player’s willingness is crystal clear at this point, but Sporting’s demands remain a major roadblock, so it will be very interesting to see how this consistently evolving story unfolds over the coming weeks.

Chelsea have endured a frustrating start to the campaign and the main thing that has contributed to their poor form is a lack of cutting edge in the final third.

What's the latest news involving Chelsea?

The Blues have received some much-needed clarification regarding their front-of-shirt sponsor in recent times amid news that US-based sports data organisation Infinite Athlete have agreed a £40 million per season deal to place their logo on the front of the Chelsea jersey, as per The Guardian.

The report states that the agreement has come too late to see Chelsea sport their new sponsor in Wednesday's Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion; nevertheless, it may make an appearance for the first time in their away clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League next Monday.

In conversation with GIVEMESPORT meanwhile, journalist Dean Jones is bemused as to why Mauricio Pochettino continues to persist with young defender Levi Colwill in a left-back role, while Ben Chilwell, who predominantly operates as a full-back on that side, continues to be seen as a challenger to Mykhailo Mudryk on the left flank rather than an option at left-back.

Jones stated: "He's obviously looking for something here at left back that we probably didn't expect necessarily. I thought that he'd want somebody like Chilwell to play that role. But he doesn't. He wants Chilwell to be seen clearly as somebody that can challenge Mudryk for his position now. I find it astonishing, really, that Chilwell is basically now being considered as an alternative wide forward rather than a full-back because that's not really where his strengths lie."

Lecce full-back Patrick Dorgu has signalled his desire to move to Chelsea at some point in his career despite attracting interest from Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester City, as he said in a recent interview: "Chelsea is my dream to play for. I’ve been a fan of them for over ten years, so playing for them would be a huge dream."

Where is Christopher Nkunku?

According to Football Insider, Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku's absence from first-team involvement due to injury is viewed as a devastating blow by coaches at Stamford Bridge, while the France international could be set to miss the rest of the year owing to a serious knee problem.

After being brought in for a fee in the region of £52 million, Nkunku hasn't made a single competitive appearance for the Premier League giants and Chelsea have scored just five goals in their opening six top-flight encounters.

Last term, Nkunku registered 23 goals and nine assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for RB Leipzig, earning himself a high-profile move to Chelsea to spearhead their attack, which so far hasn't panned out the way he would've hoped, as per Transfermarkt.

Former RB Leipzig assistant coach Achim Beierlorzer labelled Nkunku a "world-class player" back in 2021 and it is easy to see why he is deserving of such praise. In 2022/23, the 25-year-old averaged around three shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.5 completed dribbles per fixture in the Bundesliga, as per WhoScored.

Chelsea fans will be keen to see Nkunku return to the fold as soon as possible, especially given that Pochettino is struggling to get the best out of his current options in the final third.

A victory in the opening match of the Championship season will inevitably have supporters quietly asking themselves if this could be the year

George Dobell at Taunton22-Apr-20182:57

Defending champions Essex off the mark

ScorecardExperience should have taught Somerset supporters better. Years of near misses have tempered expectations at Taunton and they remain, painfully, one of just three of the first-class counties never to have won the County Championship title. Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire are the other two.They’ve been second a few times. Including, in 2010, when they finished on the same number of points as the winners (Nottinghamshire) but missed out on the basis of having won fewer games. A period in which they were second so often in so many different competitions that it led to a sense of fatalistic acceptance. Such experiences tend to leave scars.And yet… somehow, at this time of year, the hope like the sap rises. A victory in the opening match of the Championship season – the first time they have managed that since 2012 – will inevitably have supporters quietly asking themselves – in weak moments and against their better judgement – if this could be the year. Not many, not even the most fervent supporters of other clubs, would begrudge them.There were encouraging signs here, certainly. It must have been some time since Somerset won a home again without their spinners taking a wicket. Or, indeed, bowling until 39 wickets had already fallen in the match. They have several skilful seamers who, in this second innings in particular, harnessed the conditions very well. Matt Renshaw, too, settled in quickly and may prove to be an astute overseas signing. They have now won three in a row at home.But Somerset will know that life is going to get much harder. Worcestershire, for all the all-round excellence of Ed Barnard, produced two flimsy displays with the bat – Tom Fell has not scored a half-century in any form of the game since September 2016, Brett D’Oliveira has scored 10 in four Championship innings so far this season and George Rhodes has two runs in his last three innings – and dropped several chances. Crucially, James Hildreth was put down twice in each innings.And Somerset will know that, against more resolute opposition, their own frailties may be exploited. Their batting, to some extent masked in this match by Renshaw’s resilience and Hildreth taking his chances so well, remains a concern, while Marcus Trescothick is starting to become a bit of a worry at slip. He put down two chances in Worcestershire’s second innings and might have been a touch slow to go for a couple that might be termed half-chances. When you’re aged 42, people will start to ask questions though it is true that slip fielders of all ages drop chances.There was just a touch of controversy at the end of the match. Steve Magoffin, clearly struggling with a hamstring injury, failed to make his ground when attempting a second run and was beaten by Renshaw’s throw from the cover boundary in front of the Caddick Pavilion. Those close to that boundary – and the dressing rooms of both sides overlook it – insisted that one foot was over the rope when he intercepted the ball leaving Joe Leach, the Worcestershire captain, to politely but clearly remonstrate with the umpires.To be fair to Renshaw, who as a replacement for Cameron Bancroft must be desperate to avoid any negative publicity, he might not have known his foot had crossed the rope. There was no way the umpires or most of those in the crowd could tell, though those close to the incident seemed pretty certain. As a local wag put it: “He was so far over, he was in bloody Dorset.”Leach was pretty philosophical about it. He accepted Worcestershire’s fielding was more relevant to this result than Renshaw’s but frustrated that, for all the glimpses of quality his side have shown in their first two games, they have lost two from two and find themselves already a little off the pace”As we lost by more than 80 runs, the run-out probably wouldn’t have made any difference,” he admitted. “But there have been big last-wicket partnerships and you never know.”In the end our fielding has cost us the game. We’ve let ourselves down. I don’t know how many catches we dropped, but it was too many, and if you drop six or seven chances you’re going to struggle. In both our opening games we have had periods of control and I have no doubts about our ability to compete in the First Division as the season progresses.”Not for a moment did it appear Worcestershire would chase down their target of 279. Lewis Gregory claimed two wickets in his opening spell, Travis Head flashed at one off the back foot and, while Barnard added 74 for the last two wickets, it always looked likely to be too little, too late.Gregory bowled beautifully in that first spell. Having sneaked one through the gap between Daryl Mitchell’s bat and pad to knock out both off and middle stumps, he set up Joe Clarke with a series of outswingers and trapped him with one that tailed back just a little.He later denied any knowledge of an approach from another club, though Jason Kerr – Somerset’s head coach – admitted it was “inevitable” and confirmed Gregory had been offered a new contract at Somerset. “He wants some time to think about it and that’s okay,” Kerr said. “We’re in discussions.”Somerset, meanwhile, are awaiting news of scans on Jamie Overton and Eddie Byrom, who dislocated his shoulder while fielding.It will be no consolation to Worcestershire, but this match was, in many ways, the perfect antidote to news from elsewhere in the game over recent days. To see two teams stuffed with home-grown players – there were nine in the Worcestershire side and six in Somerset’s – contesting an entertaining match in front of a good number of spectators (more than 5,000 over the three days) was heartening.For those of us who aren’t entirely sure what a Kardashian is, don’t recognise who the ‘celebrities’ entering the jungle are and don’t much care whether they leave it or not, it was a reminder that this great game doesn’t need too many gimmicks to retain its charm or value. If only those that run our sport believed in it as much as those that watch it.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action again today, as they host Liverpool in a bid to maintain their unbeaten start to the league season and earn another hard-fought result against a side expected to finish way above them in the table.

However, much of those predictions were made before Ange Postecoglou had begun endearing himself to the wider footballing world.

The Australian's impact has been nothing short of revolutionary, with his tactical philosophy already proving profitable given they have toppled Manchester United, and battled well with a well-drilled Brentford side and last year's title challengers Arsenal to earn draws on the road.

His summer signings have already integrated well too, and fusing with what stars he chose to retain over a transformative window, already the foundation is in place for unbridled success in the near future.

However, as the old saying goes, if they are to be the best they must first beat the best.

Jurgen Klopp has engineered a fine resurgence in recent months with a few tactical tweaks of his own, and will hope to bring the Lilywhites' party crashing down. Given the potential absentees the hosts might face, this could actually be an endeavour made much easier…

Who is fit for Spurs' game with Liverpool?

With a host of players who will all be fighting for fitness, whether they pass a late check could completely change the potential makeup of the match, and who might therefore possess the initiative.

However, one star for certain will not be involved, with Brennan Johnson having been brought off last weekend with complaints of a hamstring injury. Postecoglou would then confirm: "From last week, Brennan will miss out. It's nothing too serious but he won't be right for this weekend."

Another big blow from that clash was James Maddison, who despite playing on after jolting his knee had to be replaced before full-time. Despite that, football.london expects the former Leicester City man to shrug off that ailment, before relaying the manager's comments once again: "Madders and Sonny [Son Heung-Min] trained today, they got through it, and we'll have to see how they pull up. It's been a fragmented week of training."

With a front line ravaged by fitness concerns, it seems like should there be changes, that is the position that could see the biggest upheaval. After all, Manor Solomon and Richarlison will both be desperate for that starting spot, having each performed admirably in separate games this campaign.

However, given the history he shares with the Merseyside outfit, and his unrelenting desire to prove a thorn in their side, perhaps the Brazilian should be preferred.

Who does Richarlison normally fare against Liverpool?

Having moved to north London from Everton, who share a fierce rivalry with Liverpool, the 26-year-old was always bound to harbour some resentment towards the Reds. Especially when the former Watford man had become so entrenched in the culture at Goodison Park, famously stating: "Everybody in England hates Liverpool. Everyone is obsessed with Van Dijk, but he’s not the best defender in the world. Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, and Sergio Ramos are all better than him."

His feud is longstanding, but at times he would get the better of the Dutch defender with a string of goals in the always-combative derby.

In fact, aside from Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton, there is no other club that Richarlison enjoys scoring past more.

The 46-cap star has found the net on three occasions when facing Klopp's men, one of which helped the Toffees earn their first win at Anfield since 1999.

Another, scored last season, marked the £90k-per-week finisher's only league strike of the season before Diogo Jota would cancel out his late equaliser with an even later winner.

Richarlison's relationship with Liverpool is forever frantic but always seems to bring out the best in him. It harnesses all that makes the striker great, fusing his aggression, work-rate and quality into one electric fixture. After all, Antonio Conte did seek to laud these attributes last term, noting: "Richy is another player, strong player, you feel him when stay on pitch and feel his personality on the pitch. He’s a warrior, a fighter and we need this type of player to improve this type of aspect".

Surely if Postecoglou is seeking to take control at home today, he must start the striker and allow him to spearhead the press that could prove pivotal in claiming another big win over a north-west superpower.

How has Richarlison played for Spurs?

Whilst it has been tough for the forward since that £60m move in the summer of 2022, there have been glimpses of the tireless forward they signed, who had saved his former employers from the drop with ten goals and five assists in the league.

However, these have been far too infrequent to justify his huge price tag, with one Premier League goal in the whole of last season, having already matched that tally this term.

Whilst his 6.83 average rating is largely upheld by his starring substitute appearance against Sheffield United, he does remain a consistent threat, recording 1.5 shots and 0.5 key passes per game despite only averaging 43 minutes per game, via Sofascore.

Although pundit Jamie O'Hara branded him not "good enough to fill the void of Harry Kane", it must be noted that arguably nobody on the planet can.

Richarlison offers guaranteed hard work, and should he hit a rich vein of form, could offer an admirable chunk of goals to boost the side. After all, his character remains unflinching, with a former teammate of his Guilherme Xavier effusive in his praise of the man who could make all the difference today: "He was so explosive. He was powerful and really quick. I was also impressed by his desire. For Richarlison, there was no such thing as a lost ball."

He continued: "He’s a special guy and such a pure person. He is simple, modest, with an enormous heart. It was great to live those moments with him.

Perhaps now marks the time to reignite a stuttering period in N17, and finally kickstart a career that once promised much. Who better to do it against than his long-time rivals, and one of his favourite opponents.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco conseguiu nesta terça a liberação da CBF para queTalles Magno, Bruno Gomes e Lucão possam estar à disposição do técnico português Ricardo Sá Pinto para o duelo com o Corinthians, nesta quarta, às 21h30, em São Januário. O trio foi convocado pelo treinador André Jardine para um período de treinamentos com a seleção sub-20, que vai do dia 21 deste outubro até o dia 31 do mesmo mês

No entanto, o presidenteAlexandre Campello enviou um pedido à entidade para a liberação dos atletas. Neste sentido, eles poderão entrar em campo pelo Gigante da Colina na partida válida pela 18ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro e terão que se apresentar à seleção sub-20, na quinta-feira, em Itu.

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Como não se trata de uma Data Fifa, a diretoria do Vasco ainda negocia com a CBF para que o trio seja liberado em definitivo. Todavia, a entidade não tem intenção de desconvocar os atletas. Com isso, eles podem desfalcar a equipe no primeiro jogo da próxima fase da Copa Sul-Americana, que será na semana que vem. O time irá conhecer o seu adversário após um sorteio, que será realizado dia 23.

O Corinthians, por sua vez, também conseguiu a liberação do meio-campista Mantuan, que será relacionado para o jogo desta quarta e se apresenta à Seleção no dia seguinte.

The BCB has slashed the number of centrally contracted players from 16 last year to 10 this year. It is, by all measure, an indictment of the Bangladesh team’s average performance in 2017 compared to the relative highs of 2015 and 2016.The unchanged salary too indicated how much the board rated their performance.Soumya Sarkar, Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Imrul Kayes, Taskin Ahmed and Sabbir Rahman have been kept out of the coveted list.

List of contracted players

Contracted players: Tamim Iqbal, Taijul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mominul Haque, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan
Out: Soumya Sarkar, Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Imrul Kayes, Taskin Ahmed, Sabbir Rahman

Apart from the five senior cricketers, the BCB have included Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain and Mehidy Hasan among the contracted cricketers for 2018.BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that their salary will also remain the same as last year, although he said that three more players will be included by the board later. The board directors also couldn’t come to a conclusion about which player will fall under which grade. .”We have reduced in number because the cricket operations and selectors have decided it. They think that their performances have not been up to a level that makes a compelling case for them to be included in the contract,” he said.Soumya is perhaps the most significant name cut from this year’s salary list. He started 2017 with a string of Test fifties but in the year’s marquee event – the ICC Champions Trophy – he averaged 8.50 in four matches. Against Australia at home and in South Africa, he remained in lackluster form before being dropped for Tests and ODIs against Sri Lanka earlier this year. He retained his T20 spot, though he averaged just 10.00 in the Nidahas Trophy.Imrul is another noteworthy miss, having averaged 18.93 in Tests, 25.00 in ODIs and 10.40 in T20s since January 2017. Taskin too misses out for taking 20 wickets in all three formats combined, at 65.50 bowling average.An eye condition kept Mosaddek out for most of 2017 although his dogged innings against Sri Lanka in Chittagong back in January this year seemingly saved Bangladesh from a Test defeat, but he was axed from the squad altogether. Rabbi played three Tests last year while Sabbir was stripped off his 2017 contract in January this year after he was found guilty of beating up a kid during a domestic first-class match.

Amid what has been a turbulent period for Tottenham Hotspur in recent years following numerous managerial changes, Daniel Levy and co haven't always acted particularly wisely in the transfer market, with big fees having been dished out for players who ultimately went on to underwhelm.

That is the case with regard to Tanguy Ndombele, for instance, with the mercurial Frenchman only recently sealing a third successive loan move away from N17, despite signing on what remains a club-record £63m deal back in 2019.

The former Lyon maestro has sealed a switch to Turkish giants, Galatasaray alongside teammate, Davinson Sanchez, with the Colombian international departing for a reported fee of just £12.8m – someway short of the £42m that was spent to secure his services from Ajax six years ago.

Those two recent exits encapsulate the troubles that the Lilywhites have endured on the transfer front of late, although that was not always the case as far as Levy is concerned, with the Spurs chairman having made notable shrewd investments in years gone by.

Arguably the major success story of modern memory was the bargain capture of Gareth Bale from Southampton during Martin Jol's time at the helm, with the Welshman going on to earn the north Londoners a handsome profit following his subsequent sale.

How much did Tottenham pay for Gareth Bale?

The Cardiff-born sensation had begun life on the books with the Saints, with the teenage talent making a promising start to his senior career after scoring five goals and registering 12 assists in just 45 games in all competitions with the south coast side.

Despite having been operating in the second tier at the time, those at N17 had seemingly seen enough to be impressed by the promising youngster, with Jol sanctioning a move for the then full-back in the summer of 2007.

As per The Guardian, the in-demand gem had also been courting attention from rivals Manchester United at the time – with his compatriot Ryan Giggs seemingly aiding in the Red Devils' pursuit – yet it was Spurs who ultimately won the race for a reported fee of around £10m.

That investment may have initially looked like an errant purchase amid Bale's early woes in the capital, as he failed to win any of his first 24 Premier League games, yet those struggles were swiftly forgotten as the wing wizard ultimately caught fire.

How many goals did Bale score for Tottenham?

Even despite the early faith and persistence that was shown in the young Bale, few at Spurs could quite have predicted the 6 foot 1 speedster's eventual explosion as he blossomed into something of an emerging superstar under Harry Redknapp's watch.

Having been pushed into a more advanced attacking berth down the left flank, the devastating starlet memorably wreaked havoc on Inter Milan both home and away in the Champions League in late 2010, scoring three times and registering two assists in those two group stage meetings with the reigning champions.

While Redknapp's men would subsequently go on to crash out to Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage, the genie was already out of the bottle so to speak, with Bale's talents having been exposed to the watching world.

That would help to ignite a stellar run of form for the young dynamo over the next few years, with Bale scoring ten goals and providing 14 assists in the league during the 2011/12 season, before contributing 29 goal involvements in just 33 top-flight games in the following campaign.

Stats via Transfermarkt

Such remarkable form in 2012/13, in particular, saw the former Saints ace hailed as a "super talent" by then-boss Andre Villas-Boas, with that hot streak helping the wideman to achieve his overall club tally of 71 goals and 58 assists in 236 games in all competitions – including his later return on loan in 2020/21.

Those highs both domestically and on the continent also caused some of Europe's elite clubs to sit up and take notice, with those at the Bernabeu the most prominent side to come calling in the summer of 2013.

How much did Tottenham sell Bale for?

While reports were again rife that Man United were intent on keeping Bale in the Premier League by taking him to Old Trafford, it was Madrid who ultimately once the race for his signature just over a decade ago, calling time on a stunning six-year spell in north London.

Amid the interest from the Red Devils, Levy was able to coax the La Liga giants into forking out was then a world record fee of £85m, eclipsing the £80m that had been spent on the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo just a few years earlier.

Despite the obvious blow of losing such an influential and talismanic figure, on a purely financial basis that high-profile sale represented impressive business for the Lilywhites, with that £85m fee representing a 750% rise from the club's initial investment back in '07.

What is Gareth Bale doing now?

For all the talk of the toxic end to the winger's time in the Spanish capital – as he notably irked supporters with the infamous 'Wales.Golf.Madrid' banner – Bale's stint abroad can still be considered an overriding success as he claimed five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles in that time.

With a more than respectable haul of 106 goals and 67 assists in 258 games under his belt in all competitions for Los Blancos, the Spurs hero certainly made his mark in his new surroundings, memorably scoring that outrageous overhead kick in the European showpiece win over Liverpool in 2018.

Having ultimately brought his time with Madrid to a close last year, the 34-year-old sought one last adventure in America with LAFC, scoring a last-gasp equaliser in the MLS Cup final victory back in November.

After an underwhelming World Cup in Qatar as Wales failed to make it out of the group, the ageing ace called time on his playing days in January earlier this year, bringing to an end a glittering career for both club and country.

While it may be in Spain that the now-retired star claimed his riches, he will likely not forget that it was at White Hart Lane where his talents were truly nurtured and developed…

كشفت صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية عن إصابة جديدة قد تمثل ضربة هجومية في صفوف منتخب الديوك قبل مباراة بولندا في الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من دور المجموعات في كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

وتلتقي فرنسا وبولندا يوم، الثلاثاء المقبل، في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “سيجنال إدونا بارك” في مدينة “دورتموند” بقيادة الحكم الإيطالي، ماركو جويدا.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماذا يحتاج كل فريق في يورو 2024 لحسم التأهل لدور الـ 16.. ومعايير اختيار الأفضل بالمركز الثالث

وفي تدريبات الأمس، لم يشارك كينجسلي كومان بسبب إصابته في ربلة الساق أمام هولندا في الجولة الثانية يوم، الجمعة الماضي.

وبالتالي، لم يشارك في مباراة ودية أمس السبت أمام فريق الشباب بنادي بادربورن لكن من المتوقع أن يعود إلى التدريبات اليوم وسيتم اختباره طبيًا وفنيًا قبل مباراة بولندا.

الجدير بالذكر أن فرنسا تعاني بسبب إصابة كيليان مبابي قائد الديوك والفريق لم يسجل أي هدف بأقدام لاعبيه في يورو 2024 حتى فوزهم أمام النمسا كان بالنيران الصديقة للمدافع، ماكسيماليان فوبر.

The Sunrisers medium-pacer decodes how they have been able to defend two low targets in as many games, without Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20181:56

Each of our bowlers is playing his role well – Sandeep

How difficult is it for a team to stage a turnaround – defend two low totals in consecutive games after conceding 180-plus in two back-to-back matches before that? That, too, with a depleted pace contingent without spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake? Ask Sandeep Sharma, and he’ll decode Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling might that humbled his former side Kings XI Punjab by 13 runs while defending 132.”All the bowlers are playing their roles very well which is why we’ve been able to defend two low totals. Our bowling unit is going to get a lot of confidence from these two wins,” Sandeep said after the match. “We had bowled very well in the last game too [against Mumbai Indians], and our bowling unit is performing together, which is very important.”Sandeep’s role in that line-up, as he said, was to assess the pitch as soon as possible after opening the bowling and advise the rest of the bowlers. Varying the length between full and good length, Sandeep made generous use of his slower-ball variations, including the knuckleball, in his three-over opening spell that conceded only 11 runs. Even though Kings XI marched to 44 for 0 in the Powerplay, he tied both Chris Gayle and KL Rahul down with 10 dot balls and a solitary four off his first 18 deliveries.”Since I bowl the first over with the new ball, I am able to read the pitch quickly. I try to convey that message to the other bowlers,” Sandeep said of his role in the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Stanlake. “Today, the knuckleballs and slower ones were getting a lot of help from the pitch and were getting stuck. They were not easy to hit. I gave them that suggestion and you must have seen that Basil Thampi got Gayle with a slower ball. So I just try to convey this message to the other bowlers as soon as possible.”A 139kmh delivery on full length in Thampi’s first over had been bludgeoned over long-on for six by Gayle. In the ninth over and his second, Thampi took the pace off and bowled one short which Gayle top-edged and Thampi sprinted to square leg to pouch a return catch.”To bowl a slower one on that particular delivery wasn’t really my idea but I had given him (Thampi) the suggestion that the slower ball is getting a lot of help from the pitch so you can bowl more of those than the seam-up deliveries.”Even though Kings XI’s prolific opening pair registered their fourth fifty stand in as many innings, Sandeep counted the early dismissals of Gayle and Rahul as the crucial junctures in the game.”There wasn’t any one turning point because we were defending such a low total,” he said. “It was important for our bowlers to play their roles properly. Like Rashid Khan got KL [Rahul] out and Gayle’s wicket was very important. Their openers have been doing really well so it was important to take those two wickets and after that there were two back-to-back wickets in my over which were also very important. Collectively, we bowled well.”With Sunrisers now positioned second only to Chennai Super Kings on the points table, Sandeep attributed the team’s resilience to captain Kane Williamson’s cool-headed demeanour on the field. On April 24 too, Williamson led his team to a 31-run win against Mumbai, after they had been bowled out for only 118.”Kane Williamson is a really good captain. He is really calm. These are pressure games but he’s always calm on the ground,” Sandeep said. “He always remains positive. Even though we didn’t score much, he said, ‘We will give our best, we won’t look at the scoreboard. We will give it our best shot and then if we lose, it doesn’t matter.’ It obviously helps your team if your leader is so calm and gives you positive vibes.”He had said that we’re not going to focus on the situation of the match, we will just focus on our bowling. We’ll keep trying to take wickets. That was the plan and it worked for us tonight.”

When Mikel Arteta took the manager’s job almost six years ago, Arsenal were in a sorry state.

Since then, he has turned a club that were sliding down the table into consistent Premier League challengers and a serious threat in the Champions League.

While this change has in part been down to his tactical approach and philosophy, it’s also been down to a recruitment strategy that has generally worked out.

However, every manager is going to have their misses in this regard, and Arteta’s signings could end up going down as Arsenal’s worst since Shkodran Mustafi.

Arsenal's worst signings in the Emirates era

Now, an element that has to be considered when discussing a team’s worst signing is how much they cost.

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After all, if a cheap or free player ends up being a flop, it is generally less of a problem than a big-money player flopping.

With this in mind, the first transfer dud who comes to mind is Lucas Perez, who joined the Gunners for around £17m in the summer of 2016.

The Spaniard was a talented striker; his time in La Liga proves as much.

However, he failed to make a mark in England and was loaned back to Deportivo La Coruna in the 17/18 season, then sold to West Ham the year after, with just seven goals and five assists to his name in 21 games.

An attacker who made a greater impact at the club but cost the club much more was Nicolas Pepe.

The Ivorian international joined Unai Emery’s Gunners for a then-club record fee of £72m in the summer of 2019 following a season in which he scored 23 goals and provided 12 assists in 41 games for LOSC Lille.

It would be fair to say that there was an awful lot of expectation on his shoulders then, an expectation he wouldn’t be able to fulfil.

Despite a reasonable enough first season, in which he produced a tally of eight goals and ten assists in 42 appearances, the dynamic winger would end up leaving the club by mutual consent in the summer of 2023 following two loan spells and with a middling tally of 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 games.

Last but not least, the player many fans consider to be one of the worst big-money signings made during the Emirates era: Mustafi.

The German centre-back joined the North Londoners for an astounding £35m in the summer of 2016, and at the time Arsène Wenger described him as a “very focused player who can play with the ball as well.”

Unfortunately, that couldn’t have been much further from the truth, as while he started off well enough, the former Valencia star would soon prove to be something of a liability.

In fact, it got so bad that after a couple of years, he was labelled the “King of the blunders” by former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit.

As if that wasn’t enough, Martin Keown slammed him for “schoolboy defending” after a 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace in April 2019.

The 33-year-old was eventually phased out of the team by Arteta and left the club altogether in 2021.

In all, Arsenal have made their fair share of costly transfer blunders in the Emirates era, and the bad news is, they may have done so again in the summer.

Arsenal's worst signing since Mustafi

The good news for Arsenal is that, so far anyway, most of the summer signings have looked pretty good this season.

The bad news is that due to their broad success, one has stood out as being comfortably the most underwhelming and, if he doesn’t improve quickly, could become the club’s worst signing since Mustafi: Viktor Gyokeres.

Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, there is, of course, every chance that the Swedish marksman will come good for Arteta and Co, but it cannot be denied that, so far this season, he has been poor.

For example, despite ending last season with 67 goal involvements in 52 appearances, the former Sporting CP star has scored just six goals in 19 appearances, totalling 1273 minutes.

That comes out to a poor average of a goal involvement every 3.16 games, or every 212.16 minutes, which just isn’t good enough for someone who cost around £63m.

Moreover, while some might make the argument that his teammates haven’t created enough chances for him, the counter to that was his performance against Wolves on Saturday.

Gyokeres’ 25/26

Appearances

19

Minutes

1273′

Goals

6

Assists

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.31

Minutes per Goal Involvement

212.16′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

The 27-year-old was beyond poor against the Premier League’s bottom side, be that due to his total lack of box movement or his lacklustre attempts when he did have a chance.

As content creator and analyst James B put it, the star striker simply “looks way off it.”

Ultimately, the fans and team will rally behind Gyokeres over the next few months, but unless he improves, and significantly at that, the word flop will be impossible to ignore, and he’ll join the likes of Mustafi and Pepe.

Related £45m star who plays a "bit like Henry" could end Gyokeres' Arsenal career

The incredibly talented Arsenal star could spell trouble for Gyokeres.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes 5 days ago