Manchester United might be in the market for a striker during the January transfer window. The Red Devils signed Benjamin Sesko over the summer, but he picked up a knee injury during their most recent Premier League clash, a 2-2 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Even if that blow doesn’t prove to be a severe one, as is expected, the Red Devils could still be in need of a new number nine in the winter window. When Sesko is absent or injured, it leaves Joshua Zirkzee as the only senior striker in the squad – although 17-year-old Chido Obi could also be called upon.

It seems as though Ruben Amorim’s side may have a centre-forward in mind if they dip into the market.

United’s centre-forward target

At this stage, it is unclear how much INEOS will put into the transfer kitty for Amorim to dip into in the January market. However, there has been a clear plan to back the Portuguese, so there could well be funds made available.

Transfer Focus

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If that is the case, the Red Devils could be looking to win the battle to sign Brazilian striker Vitor Roque. The 20-year-old is someone United are racing to sign, according to Pete O’Rourke, transfer correspondent for Football Insider.

However, they will not be the only Premier League club looking to sign the striker in a couple of months.

Londoners Chelsea and Spurs are in the frame too, although it could be a deal that is ignited “more in the summer” if reports are to be believed. As for a price, reports in Spain indicated that he could cost as much as £44m.

Why Roque would be a good signing

Whether this is a move that happens in January or the summer, there is no doubt that United would be buying an exciting young talent. Although he struggled during his first stint in Europe at Barcelona, Roque has proven he has plenty of ability since.

Nowadays, the one-cap Brazilian international is plying his trade back in his home country, for Palmeiras. His form has been impressive in 2025, too. In 52 games across all competitions, Roque has found the back of the net 20 times and assisted five goals.

In the Brazilian top flight, the 20-year-old has played his best football. He’s made 30 appearances in the competition this calendar year, bagging 16 times, at better than a goal every other game.

Described as an “unstoppable” force by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Roque’s underlying numbers back up how well he has played.

For example, he’s averaging 0.76 goals per game, which places him in the top 6% of Brazilian top-flight strikers.

Rique key stats in Brazilian top flight

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Goals

0.76

94th

Expected goals

0.58xG

92nd

Goals per shot

0.21

89th

Shot-creating actions

4.07

88th

Take-ons completed

1.85

97th

Stats from FBref

If this deal gets over the line, it could be like the second coming of Matheus Cunha for United. Roque’s fellow Brazilian has not set the world alight in terms of goals and assists, with just one to his name so far against Brighton and Hove Albion.

But, he has still played superbly, and shown exactly why United paid the £62.5m fee to Wolverhampton Wanderers. After a wonderful performance away to Liverpool, journalist Sam Pilger described him as “an incredible signing” for the Red Devils.

If United were to sign Roque, they would love for him to have such an impact, even if he wasn’t able to chip in with goals and assists as much as you might expect. There are similarities between the Palmeiras star and United’s new number 10, with both exciting Brazilian forwards who can be a real difference maker.

For a fee of £44m, this is certainly an interesting move for the Red Devils. They may need him in January, but if they end up getting him in the summer, Roque could be an exciting addition to their attack, just as Cunha has been so far this season.

With Sesko scoring just twice so far this term, injury or not, the Old Trafford side could be in need of a suitable rival in that number nine berth.

Related Man Utd "monster" is fast becoming their new Vidic and it's not De Ligt

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Posts 1 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 11, 2025

Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar have all played crucial hands this year in putting the franchise on cloud nine

Alagappan Muthu07-Apr-20252:15

Is 2025 finally going to be RCB’s year?

Virat Kohli is a fan boy. He has spent a part of his time at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dancing with Chris Gayle, nerding out with AB de Villiers and being blown away by Glenn Maxwell. In all that time, the team has tasted a lot of success. Four play-off appearances in the last five years. But that was never enough. Not for this franchise. Not with their history.At the auction, they did a lot of good business. Once more, they were able to attract high-impact overseas players. Phil Salt was a dream buy. His aggression at the top compensates for the others. Tim David has the power to make anything happen. He once changed a game facing just 14 balls. Josh Hazlewood broke the game open at Chepauk and closed the game out at Wankhede.But there is another thing that RCB are doing right. Something that they rarely have. They’re getting more out of their Indian players.Related

• RCB return to Chinnaswamy to take on unbeaten DC with renewed optimism

• Jayawardene says Bumrah is in 'good nick' after IPL comeback

• Patidar lauds Krunal's 'courage' after triple-wicket final over

• Stats – Kohli becomes first Indian to 13,000 T20 runs; Bhuvneshwar overtakes Bravo

• Kohli, Patidar and Krunal star as RCB end ten-year Wankhede jinx

Devdutt Padikkal has faced 49 deliveries in IPL 2025. He’s hit 11 of them for boundaries. His strike rate right now is 159.18. That’s twice as much as it was last season. A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to effect such a change.”I knew there were things that I needed to improve,” Padikkal said, “And there were lots of aspects of the game that I wasn’t up to the mark I felt in the last year. I had a good couple of months before the IPL started and I feel all that hard work is coming into effect now.”Padikkal had a good start to his IPL career, scoring three fifties in his first four innings and a hundred by the time he was 21. Usually, that might have meant he could settle into the team and grow into his role. But in the IPL, its different. Rajasthan Royals (RR) came calling and he had to prove himself all over again. Then he moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) where he had that horror season, averaging 5.49 and striking at 71.69.”When I made that move to another franchise, it was a little uncomfortable obviously. I wasn’t very confident about myself, and it took me three-four years to really find what I am as a cricketer in IPL,” he said. “So it’s not that easy, you try your hardest but at times it just doesn’t work. So coming into this season, obviously I had to work really hard.”Coming in at No. 3, obviously that is a role that has been given to me. I feel in T20 cricket these days everybody pretty much has the same role, to go out and hit from ball one, so that doesn’t really make any difference in terms of what I have to do as well. So, yeah that’s how it’s been going and hopefully I can carry on in the same way.”3:43

Rayudu: Patidar’s use of Bhuvi at the death was a masterstroke

Jitesh Sharma is a livewire. Where other batters might have needed convincing about the tempo of T20 cricket, he came fully formed. Batting down the order requires some sacrifice. Specifically, you can never play for your own runs. Jitesh has on average found the boundary once every five deliveries in the IPL. This season, he’s been even more destructive. One in three deliveries he’s faced, including a near yorker from Jasprit Bumrah, has ended up in the fence.”Jitesh has been terrific,” Krunal Pandya said at the end of the game. “I mean, the way he has batted, if you see, he has improved his game. The game awareness what he’s having while batting has been top notch. Again he has worked really hard, and with gloves he has been terrific, always. Working hard and you know, seeing the result, it feels good.”It is early in the season, but Jitesh is the one of only nine players averaging over 40 and striking at over 180.Bridging the gap between the top order and the finishers is the captain. Rajat Patidar came in as an unknown quantity but seems to be happy with the responsibility. Crucially, it hasn’t affected his batting. He is RCB’s best player of spin and their primary source of impetus in the middle overs. He has performed that role to perfection against both IPL’s five-time champions.Overall, add Kohli’s 67 to Patidar’s 64, Jitesh’s 40 (not out) and Padikkal’s 37, and Indian batters scored 208 runs for RCB against Mumbai Indians (MI), the most for them in an IPL match – their previous best was 188, against LSG in 2022. That’s also the joint-fifth-highest by Indian batters for any team in an IPL innings.RCB are on cloud nine this season•BCCIA significant test of his captaincy arrived as MI clobbered 89 runs in 34 balls through the middle overs to bring themselves back into the game. At the end of 16 overs, they were 170 for 4, the first time in the game where their score had ticked over RCB’s at the same stage. They were looking favourites to chase down 222. But Patidar was able to rally his bowlers and it appears he had a hand in the defensive masterclass that Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal pulled off.”At that time, I think the message was, the wide yorkers, I think that was not a good option,” Patidar said. “The way all the bowlers, especially the fast bowlers the way they have executed their plans, I think that was really amazing and the one bowler, I think the way he has bowled, KP, Krunal Pandya, the last over, I think that was not easy to be bowling any of the team, against any team, 20th over. The way he has bowled, that was really amazing. The way he has shown courage, that was really fantastic.”RCB conceded only 28 runs and took five wickets in those last three overs. They had to dig real deep. “That was a really amazing match and that was very hard, I think,” Patidar said.RCB look different now. They’re getting the best out of even their unheralded players. Maybe 18th time really is the charm.”I don’t want to jinx it,” Krunal said. “Or I don’t want to say. But we all know, right, when you get into this tournament, what we want at the end of the tournament.”

Kylian Mbappe is heading to court as his protracted legal dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain continues. Despite severing ties with the Ligue 1 giants in the summer of 2024, the World Cup winner claims to be owed €55 million (£48m/$64m) in unpaid wages. That case is now heading to labour courts in the French capital, with a final ruling being sought.

Day in court: Mbappe to face PSG in legal dispute

Said hearing is set to take place on November 17, 2025, with France international Mbappe heading back to his homeland. The two parties at the centre of a long-running saga are due to meet at 1pm local time.

The dispute has been taken to the Parisian labour court despite that council being unaccustomed to dealing with such high-profile cases. Arguments will be heard “directly in the judgment chamber” as the preliminary “conciliation” stage has been bypassed due to Mbappe “requesting the reclassification of his fixed-term contract as a permanent one”.

AdvertisementGettyWhat happens next? Parisian lawyer explains

Elie Dottelonde, a lawyer at the Paris bar, has told of what happens next: “(Mbappe) is the plaintiff. He will present his arguments, namely the non-execution of his employment contract, more specifically the non-payment of the last three months' salary and unpaid bonuses. The defendant (PSG) will have to explain why, according to them, they do not have to pay these months' salary and unpaid bonuses. This would be a first in the history of the case law of the Industrial Tribunal.”

While Mbappe has got his day in court, it is reported that a decision in the case will not be made for “several months”. Mbappe’s lawyer, Delphine Verheyden, stated in April 2025 that her client is “determined to assert his rights, for himself but also for all the other players” that have been wronged by their respective clubs.

How Mbappe's dispute with PSG started

Mbappe’s battle with PSG has tarnished his reputation somewhat at Parc des Princes, despite being the club’s all-time leading scorer with 235 goals to his name. A falling out in the French capital began during the summer of 2023 when Mbappe made it clear that he would not be signing a contract extension and intended to leave as a free agent when his deal expired.

He was dropped for the start of the 2023-24 campaign, only to be almost immediately reinstated after one round of fixtures. PSG maintain that Mbappe was drafted back into their plans after agreeing to forgo a portion of the funds owed to him. The Mbappe camp has billed such claims as “fantasy”.

His entourage claim that no agreement was made to waive certain payments. PSG have branded that stance a “fanciful tale”, with meetings said to have taken place during the summer of 2023. Mbappe continues to demand payment of the €55m that he believes is rightfully his.

A court order to freeze that amount in PSG’s accounts was overturned on May 26, 2025. Mbappe has withdrawn his criminal complaints of psychological harassment. An investigation there had, however, been opened and was still running in the summer of 2025. Mbappe and PSG engaged in a legal battle before the LFP and FFF sporting authorities, who ultimately declared that they were unable to enforce decisions in favour of the player due to an ongoing preliminary hearing requested by the club before the Paris Judicial Court. That hearing was due to take place last May, but has been postponed indefinitely.

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GettyMbappe in 2025-26: How many goals has be scored & is the Real star injured?

On the field, Mbappe has been starring for France and Real Madrid again in 2025-26. He has registered 23 goals through 20 appearances for club and country. After netting a brace for France against Ukraine, as they booked their place at the 2026 World Cup, he has moved to within two efforts of Olivier Giroud at the top of Les Bleus’ all-time list.

Mbappe played no part in a 3-1 win over Azerbaijan after being released from Didier Deschamps’ squad. He was said to be nursing ankle inflammation, but RMC report that was a “diplomatic injury” that allowed the 26-year-old to head back to Spain without running the risk of suffering a more serious fitness setback in a game that had nothing riding on it.

For the time being, Daniel Farke looks as if he will survive another day in the Leeds United dug-out.

Time is surely running out for the under-fire German, though, before the powers that be at Elland Road are tempted to pull the plug. Yet, journalist Graham Smyth has come out to clarify that a change in the Whites’ hot seat is not anticipated at this stage.

However, if the Premier League defeats continue to stack up, the 49ers might be left with no choice but to get rid, as a tough fixture list of Aston Villa at home and Manchester City at the Etihad close out November.

Some names are floating about already, regarding who could succeed the ex-Norwich City manager if he is given the axe, with a previous FA Cup winner catching the eye…

The potential replacements for Farke at Leeds United

This isn’t fresh news surrounding Farke being under pressure in the Elland Road dug-out.

Indeed, last season – even after promotion was successfully clinched – it was speculated that Leeds were tempted to get rid of the 49-year-old. Then, the Guardian even speculated that Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in line to take over the Premier League-bound outfit.

In the here and now, Gary O’Neil is out of a job and managed to steer Wolves to 14th spot in the daunting top-flight during the 2023/24 season. Could he be a pair of safe hands that enable Leeds to push out of their current doom? He only very recently nearly returned to Wolves, only for a deal to fall through.

The West Yorkshire outfit have also been tentatively linked to RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior in recent weeks, but Leeds could look elsewhere.

Who? Well, Brendan Rodgers could be one man, with the 49ers alleged to have previously spoken to the ex-Liverpool boss about the Whites’ job before they hired Sam Allardyce in 2023.

Now, having just been relieved of his duties at Celtic after an 83-win stint back at the Hoops helm, it could be the perfect time to reignite talks, with the Northern Irishman a clear upgrade on Farke when looking at his managerial record in even more detail.

How Rodgers is a "world-class" upgrade on Farke

This isn’t to say that Farke won’t be remembered fondly down the line for what he has achieved at the West Yorkshire giants, with 100 points accumulated last season seeing Leeds lift the Championship title in style.

But, it’s night and day when assessing the German’s successes in the second tier, next to his struggles in the gruelling top-flight, with a dismal win percentage of just 15% in the Premier League next to his name, collecting only nine wins from a possible 60.

Rodgers’ PL record

Stat

Rodgers

Games managed

312

Wins

139

Draws

71

Losses

102

Points accumulated

488

Goals scored

529

Goals conceded

410

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Whereas Rodgers is far more at home in the high-intensity division, with 139 wins collected from 312 outings in the Premier League.

His overlooked time at Swansea City will stand out for Leeds fans, with Rodgers managing to steer the Welsh outfit to 11th place in the Premier League way back in 2011, just after clinching promotion out of the Championship.

On top of that, the 52-year-old would manage to regalvanise Leicester City after the legendary Claudio Ranieri departed, with two fifth-place finishes even seeing Gary Neville once tip the “innovative” boss for the Manchester City job post-Pep Guardiola.

The FA Cup would, of course, also come the Northern Irishman’s way during this celebrated stint with the Foxes, with Farke’s achievements at Championship level now largely paling in comparison.

This is before you even touch on the fact that Rodgers once cultivated a staggering 62-game unbeaten streak in Glasgow with Celtic, with talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor also going out of his way to hail the Leeds-linked manager as “world-class”.

Rodgers will hope he can be beneficial to Leeds in the present, though, away from all his past glittering achievements, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin perhaps benefiting from a change of boss, having seen what the Northern Irishman got out of an ageing Jamie Vardy.

At the moment, however, this is all just speculative chatter.

But, if push comes to shove and Farke is still floundering under all the pressure, Leeds would be hard-pressed to find a better replacement than the out-of-work FA Cup winner.

Related Fewer touches than Perri: Farke must ditch Leeds flop who's Meslier 2.0

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 10, 2025

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry poked fun at former rivals Tottenham when visiting their new home for the first time. The World Cup-winning Frenchman was among those in attendance for an epic boxing bout between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jnr. He found himself behind enemy lines when taking up a seat at ringside, with personal allegiances being pledged to a heavyweight outfit on the other side of north London.

Gunners great: Henry's goal record for Arsenal

Henry spent eight memorable years in England between 1999 and 2007. He helped Arsenal to restore domestic dominance, claiming two Premier League titles while becoming the Gunners’ all-time leading scorer with 226 goals to his name. He returned for a brief loan spell in January, adding a further two efforts to his historic tally.

The mercurial France international was almost unplayable when performing at the peak of his powers, with Spurs often finding that out to their cost. Henry enjoyed nothing more than taking centre stage on derby day.

AdvertisementHenry returns to north London in Tottenham territory

He was, however, in Tottenham territory when returning to a familiar part of the world for a grudge match between Benn and Eubank. Henry was at Spurs’ impressive home – which opened its doors in 2019 – for the first time.

He never got the chance to grace the turf there – at a venue which also plays host to NFL fixtures and some of the world’s biggest music artists – with it at White Hart Lane that he used to lock horns with Spurs.

Henry enjoyed some memorable outings there, with his derby record making for impressive reading, and told when asked what it felt like to be in enemy territory: “Weird. I never came to the new stadium, I used to come to the old one and win a lot, but it's nice.”

Henry admits that he grew to hate Tottenham

Henry has never tried to hide his disdain for Tottenham, with it impossible for him to break emotional ties with Arsenal. He has previously told L’Equipe: “During my eight years there, something came into me. I have learned the culture of this club… I learned to hate Tottenham.”

One of Henry’s most iconic goals was recorded against Spurs – with there now a statue of his celebration that day outside Emirates Stadium. He recently took his children to see that monument.

His daughter asked: “Why are your eyes like that?” Henry replied with: “Because I was upset that day.” After being quizzed by his son on why he was upset, the Gunners great added: “Because we were playing Tottenham, and I don’t like Tottenham.”

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GettyTitle winners? Henry makes north London derby prediction

Henry secured Premier League title glory at White Hart Lane in 2004, as Arsenal’s fabled ‘Invincibles’ confirmed their coronation at the home of their fiercest rivals. The Gunners have not been crowned champions since.

Mikel Arteta is hoping to change that in 2025-26, with his team currently sat four points clear at the top of the table. They did drop two immediately prior to the November international break when being held to a 2-2 draw by newly-promoted Sunderland.

Another clash with Tottenham is next on the agenda, with the Gunners preparing to play host to old adversaries on Sunday. Henry will be an interested observer of that contest, and is unsurprisingly backing a home win.

He added to DAZN when asked about the next north London derby and the Gunners’ title ambition: “As a fan I'm going to have to go with Arsenal. I do think we look solid, a bit less against Sunderland the other day, but it's time for us so hopefully it can happen.”

Arsenal have gone unbeaten through their last six derby encounters with Spurs, emerging victorious in five of those contests. You have to turn the clock all the way back to November 2010 – some 15 years ago – to find the last time that they suffered a Premier League defeat to Tottenham at the Emirates. That bodes well for Arteta and the Gunners’ class of 2025 as they attempt to give Henry more to cheer about.

Amazon Warriors were restricted to just 130, and Tahir and Joseph fought back, but Hosein’s boundaries took TKR home

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2025

The Trinbago Knight Riders players start the celebrations•Randy Brooks/CPL T20/Getty Images

Akeal Hosein took two big wickets to help restrict Guyana Amazon Warriors to 130 and then scored a quick and unbeaten 16 off seven balls in the dying moments of a tense chase to lift Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to their fifth CPL title. Hosein went out to bat when TKR were 116 for 7, needing 15 from 22 balls, and he finished things off in dramatic fashion with a six and four in consecutive balls off Gudakesh Motie to spark off their celebrations.The home fans in Providence were left stunned after their 46-year-old captain Imran Tahir had given them hopes of lifting the trophy with his 3 for 34, which included the wickets of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell on consecutive deliveries.That it wasn’t a great outing for the batters was evident in Alex Hales scratching his way to 26 off 34 balls in the chase, as he saw six wickets fall while dropping anchor. The highest score by any batter across both innings was Iftikhar Ahmed’s 30 for Amazon Warriors, who required contributions from their middle and lower orders after being 65 for 5 in 12 overs.Once Amazon Warriors opted to bat, Russell struck in the first over by having Quentin Sampson caught for a duck, but Ben McDermott countered soon after. He went for 4, 6, 4 off Hosein to end the fourth over even as Shai Hope took his time at the other end. Saurabh Netravalkar ended the 38-run stand in the last over of the powerplay when McDermott found the fielder at deep midwicket to depart for 28 off 17 balls, which began a collapse of 4 for 24.Hosein bowled Hope for 12 off 19, Usman Tariq cleaned Moeen Ali up for 10, and Hosein got his second by having Shimron Hetmyer find long-on for 4. But Iftikhar, Dwaine Pretorius (25 off 18) and Romario Shepherd (13 off 9) doubled Amazon Warriors’ score in the last eight overs. Netravalkar dismissed both Pretorius and Iftikhar to finish with 3 for 25.Halfway into the third over of TKR’s chase, it looked like the target was too little to challenge Colin Munro, who hammered three fours in a 22-run second over that saw five wides from Shepherd. Pretorius, however, dismissed Munro next over to check TKR’s progress.TKR captain Nicholas Pooran huffed and puffed to 1 off eight balls before finding mid-off, and TKR were 55 for 3 after eight overs, with Darren Bravo being trapped lbw by Tahir. Just 12 runs came off the next three overs without a single boundary as Moeen and Tahir didn’t allow the TKR batters to break free. But Sunil Narine brought TKR back by heaving Motie for two sixes in the 12th over to bring the equation under run a ball.The twists and turns continued when Shamar Joseph had Narine caught at mid-off for 22, and Pollard hit back by launching Tahir for three sixes in the 14th over, to make the equation a lot more comfortable at 22 required off 36.But Tahir gave TKR another scare. He bowled Pollard with a googly and had Russell caught at slip first ball. When Joseph took a return catch off Hales in the 17th over, Amazon Warriors believed a miracle was coming, but Hosein washed away all their hopes with a match-winning cameo.

Arsenal might be flying in the Premier League and Champions League this season, but things have not always looked so rosy for Mikel Arteta.

In fact, in his second season, just half a year after winning the FA Cup, there was a real sense that he could be fired.

After all, the North Londoners were bottom of the table by the first international break, and from the 8th of November to Boxing Day, the team didn’t win a league game.

Aston Vila (H)

3-0 (Loss)

Leeds United (A)

0-0 (Draw)

Wolves (A)

2-1 (Loss)

Tottenham (A)

2-0 (Loss)

Burnely (H)

1-0 (Loss)

Southampton (H)

1-1 (Draw)

Everton (A)

2-1 (Loss)

Amazingly, one of the reasons things turned around for the Spaniard was his decision to unleash academy gem Emile Smith Rowe, who, alongside Bukayo Saka, helped steer the club out of trouble.

Since then, it has felt like Hale End has produced talents in pairs for the club, and it looks like they’ve done so again with a duo who could become the new Smith Rowe and Saka, and no, it’s not Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri.

Saka & Smith Rowe's partnership

Smith Rowe made his debut for Arsenal and started a few Europa League games in the 18/19 season, and made a few more appearances the following year.

However, his first Premier League start for the club came on Boxing Day 2020, and alongside Saka, he helped put the club back on track.

He provided the assist for his Hale End teammate, and that started a partnership that finally gave the fans something to be excited about when it came to their team.

Appearances

33

46

Minutes

2220′

3606′

Goals

4

7

Assists

7

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.33

0.30

Minutes per Goal Involvement

201.81′

257.57′

In fact, the pair made such an impact as a dynamic duo that the fans created and constantly sang a song about them playing together.

Unfortunately, injuries soon began to take their toll on the Croydon-born gem, and while he was on the sidelines, his Saka started to grow in importance on his own.

Moreover, the overall team began rapidly improving, both from a personnel and performance perspective, so when the dynamic midfielder was fit again in the 23/24 season, he barely featured at all.

This led to the club accepting a £34m offer from Fulham in the summer of 2024.

It might not have ended well, but for a time, Saka and Smith Rowe were an incredible partnership, making 81 appearances together and combining for six goals.

Now it looks like Hale End might be about to produce another dynamic pairing for Arsenal, and it’s not Dowman and Nwaneri.

Arsenal's new Saka and Smith Rowe

Now, there is an argument to be made that the duo of Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the closest Arsenal have come to recreating the Saka and Smith Rowe pairing.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, with the latter primarily playing at left-back, that comparison doesn’t really work.

It’s a different story, however, when it comes to Hale End gems Alex Marciniak and Louis Zecevic-John.

The pair have demonstrated an ability to play in several different positions, but the former, who is just 17, is primarily an attacking midfielder, and the latter, also 17, is primarily a right winger.

In other words, they could burst into the first team and, as one content creator put it, become “the new Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.”

Now, that is certainly a lot of pressure to put on youngsters that most fans will not have heard of yet, but based on their form in the youth sides and what those in the know are saying about them, it’s a pressure they might be able to handle.

For example, the “insane” Marciniak, as dubbed by academy expert Will Balsam, has already racked up a tally of one goal and three assists in eight appearances for the U18s this season.

Zecevic-John, whom Balsam has described as “a game-changing attacker” who is “electric with the ball at his feet” and blessed with “blistering pace,” also put up incredible numbers last year.

In 22 appearances, totalling 1539 minutes, he scored seven goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.57 games, or every 109.92 minutes.

Ultimately, there is still a long way to go for both youngsters, but given their positions and undeniable ability, they could one day be Arsenal’s new Saka and Smith Rowe.

Arsenal lost 'one of the world's best', now he's outperforming Saka & Eze

The incredible international is now playing better than Arsenal’s Eze and Saka.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 14, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in the transfer market over the summer was largely successful, with numerous of their additions already making a huge impact in the Premier League.

Mohammed Kudus was the most expensive addition during the recent window, joining the Lilywhites in a £55m transfer from London rivals West Ham United.

The Ghanaian has already adhered himself to the supporters, with his tally of one goal and four assists the highest tally of any player in Thomas Frank’s first-team squad.

However, not all of their big-money additions have hit the ground running in North London, with Xavi Simons only able to register a single league assist after his £52m switch from RB Leipzig.

At just 22, he will have bags of time to adapt to life in England’s top-flight, but the same can’t be said for another first-team member who will likely be on borrowed time in the near future.

The total cost of Spurs’ deal to land Richarlison

Back in the summer of 2022, Spurs paid a reported £60m for the signature of striker Richarlison, with the Brazilian moving to North London from fellow Premier League side Everton.

Many supporters were excited upon his arrival, no doubt due to the size of the fee, but it’s safe to say the 28-year-old’s spell at the club has been nothing be plain sailing.

During his three years with the Lilywhites, he’s racked up a total of 108 appearances across all competitions, but has only scored a total of 24 goals in such a period.

However, he’s also taken home a small fortune in wages, with his £90k-per-week wages seeing him earn a total of £18.72m in wages alone since his transfer.

When combining his transfer fee with his wages, Richarlison has cost the hierarchy a total of £78.72m – a simply staggering amount of money given his lack of impact.

Given his tally of 24 goals, he’s cost around £3.28m per effort – further highlighting how much money the board have wasted on his signature over the last few seasons.

Games played

108

Cost per appearance

£728k

Goals scored

24

Cost per goal

£3.28m

Assists

11

Cost per assist

£7.15m

The player who could end Richarlison’s Spurs career

The numbers behind Richarlison’s deal at Spurs are nothing short of mind-boggling, but his underlying stats from the current campaign further indicate his lack of positive impact.

The Brazilian has only scored four times in the Premier League to date, but he has missed six big chances in the process, which has no doubt hindered his ability to provide the goods.

He’s also registered the least amount of touches of any player on the pitch in four of his 11 league appearances, often being unable to make a real impact on proceedings.

When in possession, the 28-year-old has struggled to find a teammate, only completing 63% of his passes – a tally which ranks him in the bottom 12% of all players in the division.

His lack of quality, coupled with his staggering cost, should see the club look to move him on in the near future, with Frank desperately needing to drop him from his starting eleven.

However, that may be a tricky task given the recent injuries to Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, but the Dane does have an excellent option in the form of Mathys Tel.

The Frenchman originally joined on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich last campaign, but he made such a move permanent in the summer – costing a fee in the region of £27m.

However, he’s found minutes hard to come by under Frank, with the 20-year-old only starting three matches out of a possible 11 in England’s top-flight to date.

Tel, who’s been labelled “one of the best finishers in Europe” by Ben Mattinson, has managed to impress despite his limited minutes, as seen by his tally of two goals.

Such a tally is all the more impressive when delving into his minute per goal ratio, with his 124-minute goalscoring record the best in the current squad in North London.

Games played

8

Goals scored

2

Minutes per goal

124

Pass accuracy

83%

Dribble success

50%

Touches in opposition box

3.9

Possession won in final third

1.1

Shots taken

2.2

The youngster has also caught the eye with his dribble success, often taking the ball past the opposition and handing the side a more nimble and off-the-shoulder type of centre-forward.

Despite his small frame, Tel has managed to make a nuisance of numerous backlines, even impressing out of possession and winning the ball back 1.1 times per 90 in the final third – which places him in the 95th percentile.

There’s no disputing that Tel is still a young and raw talent, but he’s already demonstrated glimpses of his quality, which should see Frank hand the Frenchman a consistent run of starts.

As for Richarlison, he could find himself on the fringes in the coming months, with the hierarchy needing to cash in as soon as possible to avoid losing a small fortune on their investment.

Forget Simons: Spurs have an academy sensation who could be Dele 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur already have a sensation who could replace Xavi Simons in North London.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 13, 2025

On paper, Australia remain favourites, but India wouldn’t be too displeased either with how things stand going into the MCG

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2024At 2.33pm on Wednesday the players left the field at the Gabba for the final time. A short while later, the approaching rain hit the ground and the umpires didn’t wait too long to bring down the curtain on a rare five-day Test that felt much longer than that. The evening before, KL Rahul had joked he’d got more tired walking up and down to the dressing room than he did in the middle.And yet, the final day included its fair share of intrigue. There was a curious Australia second innings in which Steven Smith appeared at No. 6; Jasprit Bumrah taking his series tally to 21 wickets at 10.90; a (seemingly brief) injury scare around Travis Head; and finally the most surprising development, the international retirement of R Ashwin.It means Ashwin won’t be at the MCG, where he had such a big impact on India’s victory in the 2020-21 series, when the teams reconvene on Boxing Day tantalisingly poised at 1-1.But how do you assess the tied scoreline? Offer that to India before arriving and there’s a good chance they’d have bitten your hand off for it given the historic success of Australia in Perth and Adelaide especially and the fact they were coming off a whitewash against New Zealand. After the first Test, though? Perhaps they would have hoped for more.Related

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From Australia’s point of view, it feels under where they would have expected to be for the same reasons of their records at the venues but it’s been a strong response to the thrashing at Optus Stadium. Last week’s pink ball gave them a leg up when it was desperately needed. Despite the odd-looking second innings in Brisbane, they were never on the back foot in this match once Head and Smith had lifted them from 75 for 3.India were not shy of celebrating when they saved the follow-on through the fighting efforts of Bumrah and Akash Deep. Rohit Sharma had a wry smile on his face when he was asked if India’s joy at that moment was a reflection of deeper cracks in the side.”I have been here enough to understand what are mind games and what are chit-chatters and all of that,” he said. “From our personal point of view, we were behind the game. Obviously, it is a little victory for us to avoid that follow-on, looking at how the weather was going to play, looking at where the game was heading. Eventually, we ended up in a draw.”With Australia being ahead in the game, they didn’t manage to get the result. For us to celebrate that, it was a little victory for us. There is no harm. We enjoy each and every moment. We saw two guys who were fighting for the team and we were really happy with that. So, we were celebrating how these two guys batted at the end.”Cummins, playing his role in the mid-series fun, later laughed off suggestions that India took more than Australia from how the game panned out.”Can’t say I’ve ever been scared of momentum,” he said. “Don’t really care about that. Think we can take a lot from this week. A couple of great partnerships. To be sent in on a wicket and score 450 and then be a bowler down and manage to bowl India out for 250 when the wicket was probably a bit better, think we can take a lot from that.”Heading to Melbourne, both sides have similar issues to confront around the top order. For India, the form of Rohit and Virat Kohli remains a concern, Yashasvi Jaiswal has not been able to back up his 161 in Perth and Rishabh Pant has been kept quiet, particularly by Cummins.For Australia the spotlight is on openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney. Marnus Labuschagne’s half-century in Adelaide has eased some pressure on him, but he was again out loosely to Nitish Kumar Reddy in this Test. Bumrah is proving a mighty handful for the top order although Cummins added little should be read into Australia’s second innings at the Gabba given the attempt to set a target.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc took on most of Australia’s bowling load•AFP/Getty ImagesMitchell Marsh’s series has also yet to take off: he walked when he didn’t nick one in Adelaide and has bowled six overs in two Tests, despite Australia being a bowler down for most of the game in Brisbane. Two excellent catches aided his team in this match, but he has yet to suggest he can hit the heights of last season when he was named the Allan Border Medalist.However, one area where Australia have better depth than India is the pace bowling. While Josh Hazlewood’s injury is a significant blow, it is quite the luxury to know that Scott Boland is waiting in the wings to return on his home ground where he is such a force. Meanwhile, Rohit did not sound confident about Mohammed Shami being available at all during the series although Akash, who is often compared to Shami, was much better than his 1 for 95 would suggest.On balance, Australia remain favourites for the series although that is largely based on the stunning form of Head, a revived Smith and the durability of Cummins and Mitchell Starc.And so the roadshow heads to the MCG, a surface that has been a fast bowler’s dream in recent seasons, with the prospect of a record opening-day crowd. The weather forecast, whisper it, looks good for Boxing Day (it’s also good for Brisbane the moment the Test leaves town) and there is a series where everything remains up for grabs. Merry cricket Christmas.

Trio of fifties set the agenda for bottom club in must-win contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay16-Sep-2025Worcestershire 320 for 5 (Roderick 95*, D’Oliveira 84, Edavalath 61) vs DurhamHalf-centuries from Rehaan Edavalath, Brett D’Oliveira and Gareth Roderick helped Division Two bound Worcestershire frustrate relegation candidates Durham on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash.Durham struck twice in the morning session to leave the visitors 49 for two, but 21-year-old Edavalath and 19-year-old Dan Lategan combined for a partnership worth 84 to steer their side out of a spot of trouble.Durham bounced back with a double-wicket burst, removing the pair in the afternoon, but Roderick and D’Oliveira frustrated Durham, picking up their own half-centuries in a partnership worth 170, the highest fifth wicket partnership for their side in the fixture, to take the Pears to 320 for five at close.After a washout on day one, Durham won the toss and elected to bowl first in their crucial clash with the Pears. Jake Libby got off the mark early on with a tidy shot through the covers from the bowling of Ben Raine. The Worcestershire opening pair of Libby and Edavalath managed to negate some probing bowling from Raine and Matthew Potts without taking many risks during the first half hour.Raine was rewarded for the pressure he built up as Libby was caught behind for 14, after he chased one down the legside. A second soon followed as Kashif Ali edged a Potts delivery straight into the hands of David Bedingham at third slip for 10.Lategan then came to the crease and showed the first signs of aggression from the Pears batting line-up as he picked up three boundaries from a Potts over. Edavalath remained solid after seeing off the new ball and Lategan continued to attack as the youthful pair took their side to 100 before lunch.Edavalath calmly accumulated his way to his maiden First Class fifty just after lunch, reaching it from 96 deliveries. The opener played a glorious straight drive off the bowling of Durham’s Afghan debutant Shafiquallah Ghafari for four to keep the scoreboard ticking over.Lategan followed that up as he cut a Raine ball to the boundary, but Raine struck back as he got him LBW for a well-made 44.Pears skipper D’Oliveira was almost following the youngster back to the pavilion as he edged a Raine delivery to Emilio Gay at second slip but he couldn’t cling on.Just a couple of balls later, chaos ensued in the middle as when going for a quick single, Edavalath was sent back by his skipper and he was run out by Graham Clark for 61. However, D’Oliveira played a beautiful shot through the offside off the bowling of Potts to break the shackles.Roderick and D’Oliveira soaked up the pressure and they continued to accumulate runs, with the Pears captain finding the boundary after Sam Conners offered a bit of width. Roderick then joined in to whip a Ghafari ball off his legs to the boundary.The pair resumed after tea, with Roderick playing a delicate shot through the onside for four to kick things off after the tea break and he passed fifty off 88 balls soon after. D’Oliveira then reached his milestone from 114 balls as he got his side to a first batting point.Durham took the new ball on the 80-over mark and there was a little bit on offer for Raine, but Roderick and D’Oliveira continued to look unflustered.D’Oliveira played a beautiful shot through the offside for four, while Roderick continued to attack as he whipped a Will Rhodes ball through the legside for four.There was a late twist as Conners sent D’Oliveira’s off-stump flying for an excellent 84, but it was Worcestershire’s day as they got to 320 for five at close.