The Rayados-Whitecaps match couldn't be played at Estadio BBVA because of a Shakira concert held at the stadium
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Ramos' first goal in the Champions Cup couldn’t prevent elimination
The Spaniard has scored three goals in three games for Rayados
The aggregate score was 3-3, but Vancouver advanced due to away goals
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Rayados de Monterrey were eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup after a 2-2 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps in the second leg of the Round of 16. The aggregate score ended 3-3, but the MLS side advanced to the next round due to the away goals rule.
After the elimination, former Real Madrid player Sergio Ramos didn’t hold back, saying his team has a lot to improve on heading into the remainder of the Clausura 2025, and Rayados' participation in the Club World Cup.
"In the end, you learn much more from defeat. We need to be self-critical because, regardless of being eliminated today, we know we can give much more. We have time to prepare for the next match and move past this, which is not pleasant for anyone," Ramos said after the match, in which he scored a goal.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
All eyes were on Ramos' debut in theChampions Cup. The defender had enjoyed a great start with his new team, but the club suffered their first disappointment, despite the Spaniard scoring his third goal in three matches for Rayados.
After taking the lead against Whitecaps, Monterrey became overconfident and ultimately were eliminated in the Round of 16. The Rayados-Whitecaps match couldn't be played at Estadio BBVA because of a Shakira concert held at the stadium.
AFP
WHAT TATO NORIEGA SAID
"I don't want to speak hastily, but this is a very sad, dark night for the history of this great club. We have to take responsibility, this can't happen," said the Tato Noriega, sporting director of Rayados, regarding Martín Demichelis future as the team's coach.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MONTERREY?
Monterrey must now focus on Liga MX, where they will visit Pumas next Sunday, aiming to climb up the overall standings. The team coached by Martín Demichelis sits in the ninth place with 16 points.
Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has acknowledged the need to “reset” England’s red-ball fortunes in the wake of an “exceptionally difficult” Ashes campaign, after insisting that “our priority is Test cricket”.Speaking to reporters in Hobart, Harrison echoed the sentiments of England’s Test captain, Joe Root, who had called on the ECB to match the efforts they put into white-ball cricket in the wake of the 2015 World Cup – a focus that, four years later, delivered victory on home soil in the 2019 event.And while England continue to excel across one-day formats – despite falling in the semi-finals at the T20 World Cup, they are the No. 1-ranked side in that format and No. 2 in ODIs – they are currently rock-bottom in the World Test Championship, and have won just one of their last 13 matches, with nine defeats.Related
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'Effort is non-negotiable when you're playing for England'
England’s draw in Sydney last week was only their second non-defeat in 14 Tests in Australia, dating back to the 2013-14 whitewash, and came after a humiliating innings defeat in Melbourne in which England had surrendered the Ashes in just 12 days.”Our priority is Test cricket,” Harrison said. “We want to be successful at white-ball cricket, of course we do, but we absolutely need to be successful at Test cricket.”It feels like this is a moment to reset the importance of red-ball cricket in our domestic schedule, for us to recalibrate how we play first-class cricket in the UK. It’s a brilliant opportunity for us to come together as a game and really sort that once and for all.”A review of the series is due to be compiled by Ashley Giles, the managing director of men’s cricket, and Mo Bobat, the performance director, and Harrison will take the recommendations to the board, after it has been ratified by Andrew Strauss, the chairman of ECB’s cricket committee.With Giles having hinted that cosmetic changes will not resolve the game’s deep-seated issues, the recommendations are likely to include the retention of Root at Test captain, even though he has now overseen consecutive defeats on Ashes tours – the first England captain to do so in more than a century.Harrison’s tenure began in the wake of the 2015 World Cup, and he has since staked his reputation on the establishment of the Hundred – a competition that runs at the height of the English summer and which has caused the County Championship to be pushed ever further to the margins of the season.And despite some attempts to reposition red-ball cricket in the 2022 domestic schedule – which is due to be published next week – England’s failure to compete on equal terms at any stage of the Ashes has underlined how critical the Test team’s fortunes have become.Speaking earlier in the week, Zak Crawley blamed the standard of county pitches for England’s batting struggles in the course of this series, while the use of the Dukes ball, with its propensity to swing for longer periods than Australia’s Kookaburra, is another factor that Harrison said would have to come into consideration.”Sometimes the ability to effect change on something as complicated as our schedule is when you have a performance-related issue, and we have one now,” Harrison said. “This has been an exceptionally difficult tour. I don’t think we can get away from the fact that it has been another very disappointing episode in our ongoing attempt to win the Ashes in Australia.”We have really got to get to the bottom of this once and for all now and make sure the debate is answering the questions we are asking. We must not be afraid of some of these questions. Let’s have the right balance of red and white ball, let’s look at when we play red-ball cricket, the pitches we play on, the ball we use.”England’s recent problems have been exacerbated by factors beyond the ECB’s direct control – most particularly the onset of Covid-19 and the need to operate in bio-secure environments – but the crammed international schedule is an aspect of the modern game that Harrison acknowledged would have to be reviewed, even if a reduction in fixtures comes with a financial hit.Tom Harrison: “We have the opportunity to come out of this crisis with a roadmap that demonstrates that we are absolutely serious about tackling discrimination in our sport”•Getty Images
“We do have to look at the schedule – everyone knows that,” Harrison said. “The way we manage player workloads is clearly going to be a matter of premium concern as we go forward in 2022. Internationally, when we get out of the immediate aftermath in the wake of Covid, we’ve got to look at how we manage fixture workloads.”This is something that the chief executives’ committee at ICC need to tackle. It is a difficult challenge for world cricket.”The ECB is also dealing with the fallouts of the racism inquiry at Yorkshire, with the department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee concluding that the sport has a “deep-seated” problem, and warning that it needs to “clean up its act” if it is to qualify for future government funding.”We welcome the scrutiny,” Harrison said. “It’s been a difficult few months for us. We have the opportunity to come out of this crisis with a roadmap that demonstrates that we are absolutely serious about tackling discrimination in our sport, not just racism.”Despite the heightened scrutiny on his tenure, Harrison would not be drawn on the issue of the £2.1 million bonus pool that the ECB’s senior management are set to share among themselves after the launching of the Hundred.”That is a question about an employment contract,” he said. “The board set the criteria on which we are judged and that’s a matter for them.”
We are still just 11 games into the Premier League season, but it already feels like Arsenal’s title challenge has come off the rails.
Mikel Arteta’s side were hoping it would be third time lucky when they kicked off their campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers in August, but five wins, four draws and two losses later, they sit in fourth place, nine points off leaders Liverpool.
However, while things look somewhat bleak for the North Londoners, a few signings here and there to bolster their attack could help turn things around.
1
Liverpool
11
15
28
2
Manchester City
11
9
23
3
Chelsea
11
8
19
4
Arsenal
11
6
19
5
Nottingham Forest
11
5
19
6
Brighton & Hove Albion
11
4
19
Fortunately, recent reports suggest that the club may have identified the ideal player to come in and help solve their goalscoring woes, although it could be bad news for Kai Havertz.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal have identified Atalanta star Mateo Retegui as a potential signing for 2025.
Now, the report does claim that Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres remains the club’s primary target, but the Bergamo outfit’s star striker remains a player they are interested in.
The good news is that, unlike the Swede, the Italian international should be relatively straightforward to sign, with the report claiming that the Serie A side would be happy to sell the player for around €50m, which is about £41m.
Mateo Retegui for Italy
It still wouldn’t be a cheap transfer to get done, but given Retegui’s form this season, it is one worth pursuing, even if it negatively impacts Havertz’s game time.
How Retegui compares to Havertz
So, if Arsenal do spend upwards of £40m on Retegui next year, it likely won’t be with the idea of just putting him on the bench to pick up minutes here and there; Arteta will want him to compete for the starting striker spot, which in turn would put him up against Havertz.
The former Chelsea ace may have joined the Gunners to play in midfield, but from the midway point of last season, he has firmly established himself as the team’s starting number nine, but how does he compare to the player he could be competing with?
Well, the bad news for him is that when it comes to the pair’s raw output – the most important metric of all for a striker – it’s the Atalanta ace who comes out ahead.
For example, despite seeing David Raya save his penalty in the Champions League earlier this season, the “lethal” 25-year-old, as dubbed by Italian manager Luciano Spalletti, has found the back of the net on 11 occasions and provided three assists to boot, which equates to an average of a goal involvement every 1.21 games.
In contrast, the North Londoners’ number 29 has scored seven goals and provided just one assist in as many games, meaning he’s maintained a worse average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.78
0.52
Actual Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
1.40
0.45
Shots
4.55
2.55
Shots on Target
1.63
0.91
Passing Accuracy
77.5%
75.1%
Key Passes
1.51
0.82
Shot-Creating Actions
3.15
2.55
Goal-Creating Actions
0.82
0.09
Moreover, when we examine the pair’s underlying numbers, the San Fernando-born poacher comes out way ahead in practically all relevant metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy and key passes, and shot and goal-creating actions, all per 90.
Ultimately, Havertz is an undeniably talented player who has shown he can lead the line for a top club, but so far this season, Retegui has been the far more effective goalscorer, and it’s not even close.
Therefore, if Arsenal want to turn their form around in 2025 and reignite their title charge this season or the next, they must sign Atalanta’s red-hot marksman.
Game-changer: Arsenal handed golden chance to land £71m Havertz upgrade
The sensational striker would take Arsenal to the next level.
Mais breve do que nos dois anos anteriores, o Flamengo estreará o grupo principal na temporada após duas rodadas do Carioca jogando com um time alternativo. Paulo Sousa terá a primeira experiência à beira do campo já nesta quarta, antes do previsto, para enfrentar o Boavista, no Raulino de Oliveira.
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Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW
Paulo Sousa optou por não fazer jogo-treino antes de estrear otime principal, mas ainda terá até terça-feira para definir os relacionados e a formação que entrará em campo, visando chegar ao Fla-Flu, no dia 6 de fevereiro, com a equipe mais afinada. Vale destacar que o plantel folga neste domingo.
Como a Data Fifa só encerra no dia 1º, ou seja, nesta terça, véspera do jogo contra o Boavista, Paulo Sousa não deve escalar o quarto selecionável – Isla, Arrascaeta, Everton Ribeiro e Gabigol – para este meio de semana.
TRIO DA BASE PODE APROVEITAR BRECHAS
Da garotada do time comandado por Fabio Matias, o zagueiro Noga, o lateral-esquerdo Marcos Paulo e o meia-atacante Lázaro foram jogadores de linha que alcançaram um bom nível e que podem aproveitar lacunas em seus devidos setores neste início de temporada.
No de Marcos Paulo, por exemplo, Filipe Luís ainda não está 100% fisicamente após se recuperar da Covid-19 e, sem ter feito todas asrecentes sessões de treinos, é dúvida para esta quarta, o mesmo status de Ramon, em fase de transição depois de uma lesão muscular na coxa. Renê está à disposição.
Capitão do time alternativo e consistente na defesa, Noga pode aproveitar que Rodrigo Caio está lesionado para brigar por espaço com mais chances neste cenário. Já Lázaro, embora tenha tido uma atuação apagada ontem, brilhou na estreia e foi o autor dos gols do triunfo contra a Portuguesa, ganhando ainda mais moral com Paulo Sousa, que o havia elogiado anteriormente.
> Veja a tabela do Cariocão
A ver como será os esperados primeiros time e teste de Paulo Sousa à frente do Flamengo. O LANCE! transmitirá o jogo entre Rubro-Negro e Boavista, às 18h desta quarta-feira, em Tempo Real.
As Manchester United look to add to the midfield rebuild that they started by signing Manuel Ugarte last summer, INEOS are reportedly battling Liverpool to sign one 2025 target.
Man Utd transfer news
Midfield is certainly an area of concern for the Red Devils. Even after welcoming Ugarte in the summer, Erik ten Hag’s side have struggled for control and, therefore, struggled to find results once again. Sitting outside of the Premier League’s top four, questions have already come the way of Ten Hag with the pressure continuing to pile on the Dutchman and INEOS reportedly eyeing options such as former Barcelona boss Xavi.
The midfield legend has been out of a job since leaving Barcelona in the summer, but could yet emerge to become the latest manager tasked with turning things around. Before then, however, the Red Devils could welcome further reinforcements.
According to reports in Spain, INEOS and Man Utd are battling alongside Liverpool in pole position to sign Morten Hjulmand in 2025. The Sporting Club midfielder is now 25 years old and represents a player in his prime who could now step into the Premier League.
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Liverpool, of course, are looking to complete their own midfield after missing out on Martin Zubimendi last summer, but it’s United who will be desperate to deny the Reds this time around.
As the two English giants do battle and are at the forefront of the transfer race, it remains to be seen just how much Sporting will demand for their midfielder given that he holds such an integral role at the heart of their side as Ruben Amorim’s captain.
"Intelligent" Hjulmand could complete Man Utd midfield
In a repeat of their deal to sign Bruno Fernandes, who has starred ever since, Manchester United could lure Hjulmand from Sporting to Old Trafford in an attempt to complete their midfield. Standing next to Ugarte and the aforementioned Fernandes, the Dane may well be the missing piece to what has been a frustrating puzzle for Ten Hag.
League stats 24/25 P90 (via FBref)
Morten Hjulmand
Manuel Ugarte
Appearances
7
4
Progressive Carries
0.18
0.83
Progressive Passes
5.54
2.50
Ball Recoveries
5.36
7.50
Amorim – also a reported candidate to replace Ten Hag at Old Trafford – has been among those to praise Hjulmand at Sporting, previously telling reporters after his side defeated Moreirense: “I really liked his showing. He made a lot of tackles and he was very intelligent. He’s going to improve a lot physically.
“He’s going to increase his goal tally because he appears in the right places a lot, and he even hit the post before scoring. He has great ability with the ball, and that’s his main role at Sporting CP. He’s going to grow a lot.”
Now, the Sporting duo now find themselves linking up at Manchester United in what would be an impressive double deal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer marked his return to management in spectacular fashion, guiding Besiktas to a 4-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in Europe.
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Solskjaer starts Besiktas reign with a win
Beat Athletic Bilbao by a 4-1 margin in UEL
Besiktas had been struggling in Europe before his appointment
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Norwegian coach, appointed just days earlier, oversaw a dominant performance that breathed new life into the Turkish side's Europa League campaign. Prior to his arrival, Besiktas had endured a disappointing run in European competition, securing only two wins in six matches while losing the remaining four. The team’s hopes of advancing seemed dim, but Solskjaer’s influence appears to have rejuvenated the squad.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Besiktas wasted no time making their intentions clear. Milot Rashica opened the scoring in the 17th minute, capitalising on an early opportunity to put the home side ahead. However, Bilbao’s Unai Gomez had other plans, levelling the score just before halftime. Rashica was once again at the forefront, reclaiming the lead for Besiktas with his second goal of the night just 15 minutes into the second half.
The Spanish side’s hopes of a comeback were extinguished late in the match when Rashica completed his hat trick, securing a commanding lead for Besiktas. Whereas, Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario added the finishing touch in stoppage time, confidently converting a penalty to make it 4-1.
DID YOU KNOW?
Solskjaer took charge of Manchester United in 2018 and led the Red Devils in nearly 150 games. He inspired them to a second-place finish in the Premier League and also guided them to a Europa League final in the 2020-21 campaign.
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WHAT NEXT FOR SOLSKJAER?
Building on the European success, Solskjaer will aim to replicate their strong performance in the domestic league, where Besiktas will face Antalyaspor on Sunday.
Club stalwart oversaw rich era of success, stemming from appointment of Chris Silverwood
George Dobell08-Aug-2021
General view of the County Ground•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Ronnie Irani has announced he is to step down as chair of Essex’s cricket committee to focus on his business commitments.Irani has fulfilled the unpaid role for about six years. In that time, Essex have won five trophies including the County Championship in 2017 and 2019 and the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020. They were in Division Two when he took on the role.With his business interests growing, however, Irani feels he no longer has the time required to continue in the position. He estimates he has dedicated around 40 hours a week to the club over the last few years and, with his company (R&D Advisors) now employing 40 people, he has feels he needs to commit more time to it. He will remain on the club’s board and his company remains one of Essex’s sponsors.One of Irani’s key decisions was appointing Chris Silverwood as head coach at the end of 2015. Silverwood went on to enjoy great success at Essex and was subsequently appointed as head coach of England. It is understood Irani was in the last two for the role of director of men’s cricket at the ECB at the end of 2018. Ashley Giles was eventually appointed to the job.”It’s been an incredible turnaround for Essex over the last six seasons and I’m proud of the part I’ve played in that,” Irani said. “When I became Chairman of the Cricket Committee on a voluntary basis we were underachieving and not playing to our potential. We won Division Two in my first season and won a first County Championship title in 25 years the following year.”Since then, we’ve added another three trophies to the cabinet, including that incredible double in 2019 and become one of the best and most successful cricket clubs in the world. We’re lucky to have quality in the squad and I feel the structure we’ve put in place has helped the players and coaching staff achieve their goals.”It’s been an amazing journey and one I can look back on with immense pride. I feel that I’m stepping down with the club in a good position, and I have no doubt there are more trophies on the horizon.”At this time my business commitments must come first, but my passion and support for Essex cricket will never go and I look forward to more success at the club in the future.”
Arsenal are hoping to scale the walls erected around the elusive Premier League trophy this season. After narrowly missing out against Manchester City in successive years, Mikel Arteta will hope that third-time lucky is realised in north London.
In both of the previous two campaigns, Arsenal had looked like favourites at one stage but were felled by the ludicrous late-season form that Man City invariably string together each year.
After signing Raheem Sterling, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino this summer, while only shipping out the fringier players in Arteta's squad, there is hope that this could finally be the year.
There have been some wonderful stories that have hatched during this incremental rise over the past four-and-a-half years, but none more so than that of Bukayo Saka, who might just be the cream of the crop.
What makes Bukayo Saka so special
Hale End's finest. Saka made his professional debut back in November 2018, coming off the bench in the Europa League against Vorskla Poltava to contribute toward a 3-0 victory.
Saka, who has just turned 23, has since enjoyed a meteoric rise to the forefront of the European scene, scoring 59 goals and adding 56 assists across 229 appearances and winning the 2019/20 FA Cup and two Community Shields.
A maverick on the right flank, the England international ranks among the top 14% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 9% for assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions and the top 13% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
Premier League
173
48
38
Europa League
25
5
9
FA Cup
11
1
1
Champions League
9
4
4
Carabao Cup
9
1
2
Community Shield
2
0
2
He's one of a kind… or is he? What if Arsenal had another homegrown talent waiting to burst onto the scene? It's a name that many will already be acquainted with: Ethan Nwaneri is gearing up to become the Gunners' latest prodigy.
The player to follow in Saka's footsteps
Nwaneri is the youngest debutant in Premier League history, first gracing the grass aged only 15 years and 188 days, replacing Fabio Vieira.
The 17-year-old has scored 27 goals and claimed ten assists across 53 matches at youth level, though now he's at the stage when he could take the leap into regular first-team action.
He's been an unused substitute across each of Arsenal's opening Premier League fixtures of the campaign. Last season, he sat on the bench against West Ham United in the top-flight defeat at the Emirates before coming off the bench to make his divisional debut in the reverse fixture, but that was the extent of his action.
Arteta's decision to place him in the matchday squad each week suggests that he's enjoying a speedy rise indeed, and it's conceivable to think that he could earn sporadic minutes throughout the campaign, especially so when considering the congested nature of Arsenal's term.
Make no mistake, he's held in very high regard. Hailed as the "absolute diamond" of Arsenal's youth system by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Nwaneri is starting to take notes from club captain Martin Odegaard as he looks to fashion his way toward the limelight.
Odegaard, Arsenal's midfield general, has been a maestro and monster both in the middle over the past few years, winning the Player of the Season for two years running, and though Arsenal will hope that he remains for many years yet, Nwaneri could be the perfect understudy.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard
Analyst and Arsenal supporter Ben Mattinson has even mused that the teenager's "best position is likely to be as a no. 10/second striker. Similar to where Odegaard played last season [2022/23]".
Odegaard is a box-crashing master and this is something that Nwaneri could utilise for his own skillset. After all, he evidenced as much after scoring three goals across four fixtures at the U17 European Championship.
Arteta will need to manage the precocious talent's workload across the coming year (and beyond) but this is a player whose talent and blooming ability belies his youthful years.
Take, for example, his cameo against West Ham last year, during the emphatic 6-0 drubbing. The data pool is slim but the England U19 international completed 83% of his passes, made a key pass and won two of his three contested duels, as per Sofascore.
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri
This is the kind of tenacious, rounded and physical approach that has served Saka so well. Oh sure, the £195k-per-week superstar is an exceptional technician with unmatched tactical nous, but he's also an able defender, having moonlit as a left-back in the past.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, Saka ranks among the top 13% of positional peers for tackles per 90, illuminating the attacking machine's dynamic quality, something that has set him apart from the lion's share of talented hopefuls in the Premier League and spread across Europe.
Mattinson has admitted that Nwaneri could "play in many" different positions as he steps onto the senior scene, but there's little question that his multi-functionality makes a crucial comment on his ability to thrive in the centre of the park.
Offering defensive security that will only solidify further over coming years, Nwaneri is at his core an immense technical talent with an eye for goal and the other for a defence-splitting pass.
He could be the next Odegaard, walking the same trail toward stardom that Saka traversed at the beginning of his glittering career. Arsenal, you better believe it, only continue to rise.
Arsenal flop sold for £1m in 2018 is outscoring Gabriel Martinelli
The international just couldn’t make it work in North London.
Chelsea are set for a free run over signing a £63 million striker in 2025, coming after a decision from London rivals Arsenal.
Chelsea miss out on signing world-class striker this summer
Despite many reports linking the Blues with a world-class new striker, Enzo Maresca couldn't quite get one over the line in time, despite making moves for big names.
Chelsea now want £13m Premier League defender who Arteta called "very good"
The Spaniard has also praised his consistency.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Sep 7, 2024
Chelsea made an approach to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford during the last week of the transfer window, before the Englishman joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, and Todd Boehly also attempted a blockbuster last minute deal for Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian, who was one of Serie A's most prolific goalscorers of the last few years, was forced to settle for a loan move to Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray – after transfers to both Al-Ahli and Chelsea collapsed at the eleventh hour.
Appearances
25
Goals
15
Assists
3
Shots Per 90
3.86
Key Passes Per 90
1.05
Successful Take-Ons Per 90
0.73
Chelsea made a summer deadline day bid to sign Osimhen, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, but the Blues couldn't quite finalise a deal in time for the 25-year-old to make a Premier League move.
While Osimhen's proposed move to Stamford Bridge is off for the time being, ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi-Mikel has revealed the player's desire to join, and disappointment they couldn't get it done before 11pm that day.
“I know what Victor wanted, I know what the club offered him, I know where we got to, we finally got to a compromise, both sides had to compromise, I was just some little things here and there, paperwork, medical, and a few issues we just couldn’t get over the line and we didn’t have much time," said Obi-Mikel on Osimhen's failed Chelsea move.
“Both sides really played their part in terms of getting the deal done, and I commend Chelsea for that because I can see their ambition of where they want to take this club now and also on Victor’s side, how much he really wanted to come to the club.
“He was disappointed it didn’t happen. I spoke to him when the transfer window shut, I gave him a call, we spent 20 minutes talking, I said, ‘listen, I’m always here for you, you need to keep your head down, you need to keep working hard, keep training, I know it’s not the best situation right now but I know you’re strong’.
Chelsea set for free run over signing Osimhen in 2025
While the African has joined Galatasaray on loan for the rest of this season, Osimhen's contract has a break clause, which allows certain interested clubs to swoop for him in January.
His new Napoli release clause is also set at around £63 million, so this could be a very good opportunity for Chelsea if they wish to reignite their interest at the turn of the year. GiveMeSport claim Chelsea will also have a free run over signing Osimhen, following Arsenal's decision not to pursue a winter deal for him.
Arsenal have started the current campaign imperiously, but then do we expect anything less from Mikel Arteta's side at this point, for he has moulded the Gunners into one of Europe's elite.
It's been quite a low-key transfer window, though, as the north Londoners look to trump Manchester City to the Premier League title after successive seasons of agony.
That elusive free-scoring centre-forward has still not been signed, and while that may not happen today, a deal for a decorated winger is currently being weighed up…
Arsenal weighing up D-day deal
According to the Independent's Miguel Delaney, Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign Raheem Sterling from Chelsea, with the distinguished Englishman surplus to requirements under Enzo Maresca.
Sterling worked with Arteta during his Manchester City days and would offer an injection of depth to aid the north Londoners in the title aspirations.
What Raheem Sterling would bring to Arsenal
Sterling might be 29 now but he has much still to offer in English football, and while he's predominantly a left-sided winger, he can play on the alternate flank and has even operated as a centre-forward on numerous occasions throughout his career.
Left winger
275
92
44
Right winger
178
51
49
Centre-forward
62
25
10
Attacking midfield
35
10
8
He might have lost his awe-inspiring potency at Man City since signing for Chelsea for about £50m in 2022, but then the Blues have fallen by the wayside in recent years and a return of 19 goals and 12 assists over 81 matches isn't a poor haul by any stretch.
And anyway, as per FBref, the diminutive winger ranks among the top 14% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, emphasising the kind of ball-carrying presence Arteta would bring into his robust squad.
Raheem Sterling
Hailed as "unplayable" on his day by pundit Paul Merson, Sterling would be sure to provide competition for Bukayo Saka on the right flank, but then the 23-year-old is immovable in Arteta's starting line-up, one of the Premier League's finest.
Instead, Sterling could find himself competing with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard for a regular starting berth. Martinelli has fallen off over the past year or so but his Belgian counterpart has proved to be a formidable goalscorer, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for goals scored per 90.
Journalist Sam Dean values Trossard over Martinelli, for sure, saying: "He's not as quick as Martinelli, and he doesn't dribble like Saka, but no one finishes at Arsenal like Leandro Trossard. Deadly."
However, Sterling has showcased significant powers of shooting throughout his time at the Etihad, notably scoring 56 goals across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. Moreover, he carries the underlying dribbling and drives forward with pace to emulate elements from each of Arsenal's prized wide forwards.
His shooting boots have not deserted him at Stamford Bridge, but Stering will likely feel that he hasn't given the extent of his skill set to the Chelsea fans, though this is principally down to the turbulent conditions.
Turbulence is nowhere to be seen at Arsenal, who could resurrect one of the modern Premier League greats and continue their charge toward titles and glory unseen in many, many years.
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The experienced international would give Arteta more options this season.