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Girona coach Michel says he is "the worst coach" in La Liga after his team’s 4-0 defeat to Levante, a match in which his side finished with two red cards and dropped to the bottom of the table. Reflecting on the loss, the Spanish coach said his players must set aside their egos, take responsibility for their struggles and step up to improve results.

Girona’s loss against Levante

Goals from Etta Eyong, Ivan Romero, Carlos Alvarez and Goduine Koyalipou sealed a dominant win for Levante against Girona. Girona’s troubles began when midfielder Axel Witsel was sent off for a second yellow card, shortly before Levante took the lead. Their hopes were completely dashed early in the second half, as on loan Manchester City defender Vitor Reis became the second player to be sent off in the 46th minute, leaving Girona with no chance of a comeback.

AdvertisementMichel’s comments after the game

Michel blasted his players after the game, saying at a press conference: "We lack connection and a settled way of playing. I noticed a lack of decisiveness and humility, because the standings don't matter. And if anyone thinks they're playing for Girona in the Champions League, it's a lie. If I start looking at the 15 goals conceded or the fact that we have one point out of 15, I'm dead. I look forward. Fear doesn't freeze me. I believe in myself a lot and I feel like I'm very good at what I do. I need time."

"I think Witsel touched the ball and gave the second yellow card too quickly. VAR couldn't have been involved, and for me it's not. I didn't even see the second one. I was thinking about changing the dynamic, but that expulsion killed us, and I had to improvise."

"We have to get back on our feet now. We're the worst team in the division, and all we have to do is work. I'm the worst coach in LaLiga, so I want the players to put their egos aside and go for it."

Getty Images SportGirona’s woes after brilliant 2023-24 season

After finishing third in La Liga in the 2023-24 season, Girona qualified for last term's Champions League. However, the loss of key players like Savinho to City, Artem Dovbyk to Roma, Yan Couto to Borussia Dortmund and Miguel Gutierrez to Napoli left the team struggling. Girona slipped to a 16th place finish in the last campaign and this season, they find themselves at the bottom of the table with one point.

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Getty Images SportGirona’s challenge vs Bilbao

Michel will hope that Girona will be able to overcome their bad pitch this season and turn their season around as they take on Athletic Bilbao tomorrow at San Mames.

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a player who had a huge impact in a short space of time at Manchester United, capturing the hearts of the fanbase as a result.

The Swede joined the club on a free transfer from PSG back in the summer of 2016, subsequently handing the Red Devils the needed talisman they craved.

He managed to register 28 goals in his 46 appearances during his debut campaign, including four in the EFL Cup as he helped the club claim the trophy with a win over Southampton at Wembley.

However, a serious knee injury massively halted his progress at Old Trafford, only managing a total of seven outings throughout his second year at the club – before leaving on a free in June 2018.

Seven years on from his departure, boss Ruben Amorim has the opportunity to land his own version of the striker this summer in an attempt to rise up the Premier League table throughout 2025/26.

The latest on United’s hunt for a new striker this summer

Alexander Isak has been a player at the heart of one of the biggest transfer sagas this summer, with United themselves making an enquiry to land the Newcastle United star.

However, such an approach was rapidly dismissed, with the player himself holding out for a move to Liverpool after their opening offer of £120m was rejected last week.

Despite the failure to land the Swede, Amorim could be about to make a move to land RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko, according to The Standard’s latest update.

They claim that the Red Devils are preparing an offer for the Slovenian international, after Newcastle had their £69m offer rejected over the weekend.

The Standard also states that the player himself could still be keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer, despite their lack of European football ahead of next season.

Why United’s latest target could be Amorim’s own Ibrahimovic

There are very few players in the modern game who can compare to Zlatan, with the legendary forward possessing a unique playstyle – not to mention his confidence off the field.

The 43-year-old was a player who was an aerially dominant option, but also capable of scoring the spectacular, as seen by the stupendous goal catalogue he’s produced during his career.

Moments of magic are what made him the player he was at Old Trafford, with his effort against Sunderland showcasing his ability to create an opportunity out of nothing.

His height, at 6”5, was a huge problem for multiple backlines in England’s top-flight, perfectly fitting the mould of what’s needed for a striker leading the line for the Red Devils.

Very few players have been able to replicate such levels since his departure, but that could all be about to change at Old Trafford in the coming weeks, with a move for the RB Leipzig talisman.

Sesko, who sits at a staggering 6”5, possesses a very similar frame to Zlatan, also being aerially dominant, like the Swede, as seen by his tally of 2.6 aerials won per 90 last season.

The Slovenian, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by analyst Antonio Mango, also scored 21 goals in 2024/25, often producing a sensational strike, as seen by his long-range effort against Bayern Munich.

His excellence in attacking areas is further showcased in his tally of 1.5 dribbles completed per 90, having the all-round talent to impress in the air or on the ground when needed.

Ultimately, his record of goals last season is the biggest sign of a good player, with Amorim’s side desperately needing a new forward who can produce the goods if they are to improve on their dismal 2024/25.

Games played

33

Goals scored

13

Shots on target per game

1.2

Goals scored per 90

0.5

Dribbles completed

55%

Aerials won

57%

Duels won

5.1

Sesko has all the tools needed to thrive in the current first-team squad, able to develop further under the manager’s guidance, given his tender age of just 22 years.

If he can build on his recent displays in Germany at Old Trafford, he would be a phenomenal buy, despite the fee, potentially being Amorim’s own version of former fan favourite Ibrahimović.

Amorim's own Pogba: Man Utd make approach to sign "special" £25m talent

Manchester United could be about to land a star who could emulate Paul Pogba’s time at the club.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Contra o Cruzeiro, o Corinthians precisava dar uma resposta ao torcedor, após a vexatória derrota diante do Remo, na Copa do Brasil, e a equipe conseguiu a vitória por 2 a 1 no Brasileirão. Contudo, mais uma vez a atuação ficou aquém do talento que o elenco corintiano possui, com os mesmos problemas que assombram o Timão no ano.

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O técnico Fernando Lázaro até mudou o esquema, colocando a equipe no 4-3-3 e jogando de maneira mais posicional, com Barletta e Róger Guedes bem abertos pelos lados. A estratégia não funcionou, já que novamente a circulação de bola do Corinthians foi lenta, e o clube sofreu demais na criação.

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O principal destaque positivo nas mudanças de Lázaro foi a entrada de Matheus Bidu. O lateral foi muito bem como titular e mostrou que pode brigar com Fábio Santos na esquerda.

O treinador também merece elogios ao optar por Matheus Araújo ao invés de seguir dando chances a Paulinho e Maycon. O garoto da base não foi brilhante, mas deu dinamismo ao meio-campo, algo tão carente sem Renato Augusto, e mudou a partida quando tabelou com Fausto Vera para anotar seu primeiro gol pelo clube.

O gol deixou as arquibancadas em êxtase, e o Timão soube capitalizar o raro bom momento no jogo para selar a vitória com um gol no final, novamente marcado por Róger Guedes. A Raposa, que dominou a posse de bola, descontou nos acréscimos, mas a defesa corintiana segurou os três pontos.

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A vitória alivia a barra de Lázaro e traz paz momentânea e necessária paz ao elenco para o duelo contra o Argentinos Juniors, na Libertadores. Mas não é coerente dizer que o Corinthians está evoluindo na temporada pois a equipe apresenta as mesmas dificuldades e não convence o seu torcedor.

continua após a publicidade

He has bowled 30 over in the Test so far and picked up two wickets

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Sep-2024″I thought there was a run. Daryl [Mitchell] trusted my call. It was a pretty good throw. At the end of the day, run-outs in Test cricket are not exactly ideal. I take full accountability for it, and hopefully on another day I make a different decision.”Glenn Phillips isn’t the kind to mince words, especially when he’s the guy who did a team-mate wrong. Daryl Mitchell had been batting beautifully on 57 off 86 when that run out came. Mitchell couldn’t really have done much different, aside from maybe dive into the crease, and even then it may not have saved him.But then Phillips is one of cricket’s great hustlers – a wicketkeeper who can bowl ripping offspin on dry tracks, who is as box office as any infielder or outfielder in the game, and oh, also, one of cricket’s most reliable boundary-hitters. Not many cricketers do as much on so many fronts. You gotta respect the hustle.Related

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He took two wickets in the first innings with his offspin, which at times took huge turn. He has bowled 30 overs in this Test so far and, from the sound of it, has loved it.”I love my bowling much more than my batting. Being able to bowl spells of ten overs and then eight overs on the first day, and then a cheeky six today – I love it. Hopefully, there’s a few more poles [wickets] under the belt in the coming days.”New Zealand have a rest day immediately on their horizon, but have another Test in Galle next up, plus matches in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai to come. With Will O’Rourke and Tim Southee digging up some footmarks in Galle, perhaps there is potential for even spinners like Phillips to be effective, against left-handers especially.”[O’Rourke] has made some good footmarks on both sides of the pitch, if you manage to hit them there’s some good turn and bounce.”Phillips’ biggest contribution so far in this Test has been through his batting, however. He made 49 not out off 48 balls. Thirty of those runs came off sixes.”Batting with the tail is always a niche art. The fact that we managed to put 36 on for the final wicket is a boost going into the bowling period. We would have liked more, but a 34-run [35] lead is always valuable.”

Nottingham Forest are on the lookout for new additions this summer and could now step up their efforts to land an England international, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest set to lose Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United

Unfortunately, departures are part of football and big-money sales from any club essentially prove that their recruitment structure is in working order when it comes to profiling talent.

However, Fabrizio Romano’s confirmation that Anthony Elanga is set to join Newcastle United will come as a bitter blow to Nottingham Forest supporters, even if links have went on to grow arms and legs in recent weeks.

Taking to social media platform X, Romano stated: “Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, here we go! Deal in place club to club with Nottingham Forest for £55m. Agreement also in place with player’s camp on long term deal. Excellent addition for NUFC.”

With his move to Tyneside all but confirmed, Nottingham Forest have lined up Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman as an Elanga replacement.

Nevertheless, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are also in the hunt to sign the Nigeria international, who could cost as much as £52 million to prize away from the Serie A outfit.

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Lyon’s Malick Fofana could also arrive at the City Ground due to the French giants suffering relegation to Ligue 2 amid financial troubles, albeit Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli could offer the Belgium international Champions League football.

In a strange sequence of events, Nottingham Forest are still yet to find out whether they will be in the Europa Conference League or Europa League next term as Crystal Palace wait patiently for their verdict.

Either way, Evangelos Marinakis is now eyeing a statement arrival in the East Midlands that would make headlines nationwide.

Nottingham Forest look to pull off move for Jack Grealish

According to CaughtOffside, Nottingham Forest want to pull off a statement deal to sign Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, but they face competition from several clubs to land the Three Lions international.

Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle and Napoli are all keen on offering him an escape route from the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli, Al Hilal and Neom SC have made contact with his entourage to discuss the possibility of finding an agreement.

Jack Grealish at Manchester City – has his spell been a success?

Appearances

157

Goals

17

Assists

23

Trophies won

3x Premier League

1x FA Cup

1x UEFA Champions League

1x UEFA Super Cup

1x FIFA Club World Cup

1x FA Community Shield

Labelled “unbelievable” by Pep Guardiola, Grealish is said to be available for £40 million and his main priority is becoming a first-team regular after seeing his minutes dwindle at the Citizens.

Nottingham Forest have a vacancy needing filled on the left-hand side and will feel they have every chance of tempting Grealish to the City Ground this summer.

Newcastle United are “keeping a close eye” on a Premier League star this summer amid rival interest from Everton, with the player expected to leave his current club.

Newcastle pushing for attacking signings

The Magpies felt overly reliant on the goals of Alexander Isak at times last season, highlighting the need to bring in attacking reinforcements before the start of the 2025/26 campaign.

Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga has been mentioned as an eye-catching option, with the former Manchester United youngster impressing at the City Ground last term, helping them seal a surprise return to European football.

Meanwhile, Celtic wide man Nicolas Kuhn is considered an alternative option to the Swede, should Newcastle miss out on him. The Hoops star bagged 13 goals and nine assists for the Scottish giants last season, but it also heavily linked with RB Leipzig.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic has also been linked with a summer move to the Magpies, although the Serb would surely only come in if Isak departs, which is something many supporters will be dreading. Liverpool’s interest isn’t completely going away, but an enormous fee would be needed to prise him away.

Newcastle monitoring Premier League winner

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown claimed that Newcastle are “keeping a close eye” on Manchester City ace Jack Grealish.

“Newcastle are still keeping a close eye on Jack Grealish. There’s been a lot of talk about Everton, but I think they’re still very much in the mix. Of course, they’re not the only club interested because everybody knows about Jack’s qualities and what he can bring to the side when he’s at his best. The thing is for Newcastle, they have a lot of areas of the team where they want to improve.

“I don’t think Grealish is at the top of their list of priorities, but that’s a risk because somebody else might jump in quickly and get it done. If the opportunity comes up they’re going to be one of the clubs in for him. For now, they’ll look elsewhere but from what I hear they’re keeping a close eye on the situation. His main aim is playing regular football, he’d like to play in the Champions League but if he’s not going to be starting I expect him to look elswhere. It’s an interesting one to watch, that’s for sure.”

Grealish may have enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at City after joining for £100m on £300k-a-week from Aston Villa in 2021, but there is a feeling that he underperformed there, and that he needs to get his career back on track.

The Englishman turns 30 this year, so signing him would be a gamble by Newcastle, but he has the natural talent and maverick style to be a hit for a few years at St James’ Park.

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Grealish may relish being given more attacking freedom by Eddie Howe, compared to arguably the more tactically rigid Pep Guardiola, and he has registered four assists against the Magpies in the past, never losing to them in seven appearances.

It could make more sense to signing a younger wide option instead, considering the City man may simply have peaked as a player at this point, but it is easy to see him enjoying a new challenge, having been called a “good leader” by Guardiola in the past.

Will Chelsea spend big again this summer?

Since being taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago, the Blues have signed over 35 senior first-team players for in excess of £1bn, but are showing no signs of slowing down.

The Blues have already completed the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich for £30m, meaning he will be eligible to feature at the Club World Cup, with Enzo Maresca’s side kicking off their campaign against LAFC next Monday.

Before that match in Atlanta, could Chelsea sign another young attacker?

Chelsea's search for a new wide-attacker

BlueCo are incredibly busy trying to improve the squad before the Club World Cup gets underway with Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan reportedly closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge.

Yet, he’s not the only player who could arrive before Chelsea’s American adventure.

According to a report by RMC Sport, Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens on a whopping seven-year contract.

Transfer Focus

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

This comes after David Ornstein of the Athletic reported that the Blues have submitted an official bid, although Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland claims that Chelsea’s initial bid of €29.5m was “rejected”, with die Schwarzgelben “demanding” closer to £51m.

Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian has previously documented that adding a ‘right-footed left-winger’ to their squad, having previously assessed Nico Williams and Alejandro Garnacho, but Gittens has emerged as the first-choice target.

So, it appears to be just a matter of time until this deal gets done, although they only have until 7pm (BST) on Tuesday to finalise the transfer, if Gittens is going to feature at the Club World Cup.

How Jamie Gittens could unleash Liam Delap

Neel Shelat of Total Football Analysis outlines how Delap has all the attributes to be a top-class penalty box poacher, so why would Gittens’ arrival be the dream signing for him?

Well, Felix Johnston describes the 20-year-old winger as “electric”, praising his “variation with crosses” and ability to make threatening “back post” runs.

Meantime, Lebohang Mwamuka of Breaking the Lines believes Gittens has the ability to become a ‘regular creator from wide areas’, given that he is “strong with both feet… dynamic” and possesses “remarkable dribbling’.

Jacek Kulig of Talent Football Scout agrees, believing Gittens’ ‘potential is extremely high’, noting that his primary strengths are dribbling, ‘decision-making and movement’.

So, let’s analyse Gittens’ statistics in the Bundesliga this season.

As the table outlines, there are few better dribblers in the Bundesliga than Gittens, ranked first for attempted take-ons and carries into the opposition penalty area, behind only Liverpool-bound Florian Wirtz for successful take-ons.

In fact, across Europe’s big five leagues, the Englishman ranks seventh for attempted take-ons as well as seventh in the Champions League for the same metric. Thus, Gittens’ dribbling and creative abilities would surely get the best out of centre-forward Delap.

The duo have actually played together on nine occasions before, seven of which have been with England’s U21s, while they were briefly teammates in Manchester City’s academy too, with Delap assisting Gittens for a goal against Liverpool’s U18s in September 2019.

Thus, if the pair are reunited in West London later this summer, they could form quite the devastating attacking duo.

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Emilio Galantini

Jun 8, 2025

If Arsenal needed any more motivation to get over the finishing line next season, Tottenham Hotspur have just provided them with it.

With second place in the Premier League now practically secured, the board and new Sporting Director Andrea Berta can turn their attention to the summer transfer window and the hunt for a new striker.

Two of the strikers most heavily linked with a move to the Emirates over the last few months have been Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, although, with the former lacking experience in a top-five league and the latter potentially costing upwards of £150m, other options have also been floated.

In fact, if recent reports are to be believed, Mikel Arteta and Co are now interested in an ideal Gyokeres alternative who has won comparisons to the Toon star.

Arsenal's striker search

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth going over some of the other strikers who have been linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, like Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap.

Transfer Focus

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

The former has enjoyed another impressive season with RB Leipzig, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 45 games, although such a rate of return has reportedly seen his release clause increase to around £75m.

Delap, on the other hand, has a release clause worth just £30m in his current contract, although, with 12 goals and two assists to his name in 36 Premier League games this season, he’d represent more of a gamble.

Moreover, if Arteta and Co really want someone who’d be a genuine alternative to Gyokeres, they’d have to be a proven goalscorer, such as Julián Alvarez.

According to a recent report from journalist Matías Palacios via the Spanish football program El Chiringuito, Arsenal are one of several teams very interested in the Atletico Madrid star.

In fact, the journalist claims that the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all “want” the Argentine this summer and that “meetings with the interested clubs will begin” next week.

A potential price tag for the striker is not mentioned, but as he cost the La Liga giants around £82m only last summer, we wouldn’t be surprised to see his valuation hit nine figures, especially as the CIES Football Observatory price him at €125m, which is about £105m.

With that said, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Alvarez, as not only could he be an ideal alternative to Gyokeres, but he’s also won comparisons to Isak.

How Alvarez compares Isak

So, before we look at some of the other reasons Arsenal should be looking to sign Alvarez this summer, we should examine this comparison to Isak and where it comes from.

Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and concluded that the Swede is the tenth most similar forward to the Argentine across the last 365 days.

We can better understand their similarities by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which they rank closely, including, but not limited to, expected assisted goals, progressive carries, shots on target and goals per shot, key passes, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Expected Assisted Goals

0.17

0.15

Progressive Carries

2.79

2.77

Shots on Target

1.23

1.32

Goals per Shot

0.19

0.21

Passing Accuracy

74.6%

74.7%

Key Passes

1.45

1.39

Goal-Creating Actions

0.45

0.47

On top of the clear statistical similarities, the former Manchester City star has also scored a similar number of goals as the Newcastle ace this season.

For example, in 53 appearances, the “world-class” forward, as dubbed by City content creator It’s LB, has scored 29 goals and provided six assists.

In comparison, the former Real Sociedad star has scored 27 goals and provided six assists in 41 games for the Magpies this term.

Finally, on top of the goals and similarities to one of the best strikers in the world, the Gunners should seriously consider signing Alveraz because he’s a proven winner, having won the treble with City in the 22/23 season.

Therefore, whatever it costs, Arsenal should look to bring the World Cup winner to N5 this summer, even if that means not signing Gyokeres.

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1 ByEmilio Galantini May 22, 2025

Arsenal’s season now rests on 90 minutes in Paris next week.

Mikel Arteta’s side have failed to win the Premier League for a third campaign on the bounce, but as things stand, they still have a genuine chance of overturning Paris Saint-Germain’s one-nil lead at the Parc des Princes and making it to their first Champions League final in 19 years.

However, to do that, they’ll have to play substantially better than they did on Tuesday night, and more specifically, club captain Martin Odegaard will have to step up in a big way following his dismal showing at home.

With just 15 goal improvements in 40 appearances, the Norwegian international has been a massive disappointment this season, so it’s excellent news that recent reports have linked the club with a striker who should be able to revive his fortunes next year.

Arsenal's striker search

Ask any Arsenal fan what they desperately need in the summer, and we’d hazard a guess that almost all of them will say a striker. After all, despite being just one place ahead of them in the Premier League, Liverpool have scored 17 more goals this season.

Transfer Focus

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

Fortunately, the board clearly agrees with this sentiment, as there have been a whole host of centre-forwards touted for moves to the Emirates in recent weeks, one of the more recent being Jonathan David.

Thanks to his contract expiring at the end of next month, the Canadian international will be available for nothing in the summer, and as he’s already scored 25 goals and provided 11 assists in 46 games this year, he’d undoubtedly be an incredible addition to Arteta’s squad.

A little closer to home, the Gunners have once again been linked with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins in recent weeks.

The Englishman was the subject of a failed £45m bid from the North Londoners in the winter window, and while it’s unclear just how much he’d cost in the summer, it’s clear that with 29 goal involvements in 50 games this season, he’d be a brilliant signing.

However, to really propel the club to the title next year and get the likes of Odegaard firing again, Arteta and Co need to sign a goalscoring machine, which is where Viktor Gyokeres comes in.

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal remain incredibly keen on bringing the Swedish international to N5 this summer.

A potential price tag is not mentioned in the story, but other reports from this week claim that the striker could be available for up to £70m.

It’s certainly a lot to spend on one player, but given his immense ability and the effect he could have on the likes of Odegaard, it’s a transfer worth doing for Arsenal.

How Gyokeres would revive Odegaard

While there might be several small reasons here and there why Gyokeres would be able to get more out of Odegaard, like his application in training sessions and his attitude during games, his raw output is what matters more than anything.

After all, it doesn’t matter how hard he works if he can’t finish the chances the Norwegian creates for him.

Fortunately, when it comes to being a pure out-and-out goalscorer, it’s hard to think of anyone better than the former Coventry City star in Europe at the moment.

For example, in 48 appearances for Sporting CP, totalling 3858 minutes, the 6 foot 2 “powerhouse,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored a simply staggering 52 goals and provided 12 assists for good measure.

In other words, the 26-capped monster is currently averaging 1.33 goal involvements every game, or one every 60.28 minutes, which is undoubtedly a world-class rate of return.

Just imagine a striker as unrelentingly efficient as that in front of the Gunners’ captain – he’d almost instantly see his assist tally skyrocket.

Moreover, if opposition defenders had to spend more time worrying about the North Londoners’ new monstrous forward as well as Bukayo Saka off the right, there would be more room for the former Real Madrid prospect to operate in, and as a result, his own goal tally would likely increase as well.

Ultimately, while it’s a lot of money, Arsenal should be doing all they can to bring Gyokeres to the Emirates this summer, as not only could he fire them to the title next year, but he could be just the man to get Odegaard back to his mercurial best as well.

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May 1, 2025

The 180-run stand between Greaves and Kemar Roach was the highest for the seventh wicket in the fourth innings of a Test

Namooh Shah06-Dec-2025202* Justin Greaves became the fourth West Indies player, and the seventh overall, to score a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test, which he did against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test.Greaves is also the first visiting batter to score a fourth-innings double-hundred in New Zealand.388 Balls faced by Greaves is the most by a West Indies batter in the fourth innings of a Test. George Headley held the record previously, when he faced 385 balls against England in Kingston in 1930.457 for 6 West Indies’ total while chasing against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test is the second-highest team score in the fourth innings of a Test. The highest such score is 654 for 5 by England in the timeless Test in Durban in 1939.923 Runs scored across the last two innings of the Christchurch Test is the fourth-highest runs in the last two innings of a Test, and the highest since 1969.163.3 Overs batted by West Indies in the second innings is the second-most overs they have faced in the fourth innings of a Test, just behind the 164.3 overs they faced against England in Kingston in 1930. It is also the most overs New Zealand have ever bowled in the fourth innings, going past the 146.4 overs against England in 1997.The number of overs West Indies batted in the second innings in Christchurch is also the first time that a team faced more than 150 overs in the last innings of a Test in New Zealand.385 runs added by West Indies batters after the fall of the fourth wicket is the highest ever in the last innings of a Test, going past the previous best of 310 runs by New Zealand against England in 1973.West Indies’ effort in Christchurch included a 196-run partnership between Shai Hope and Greaves, followed by a stand of 180* between Greaves and Kemar Roach. That made it only the third instance of two 150-plus partnerships in the last innings of a Test, and the first since 1979.180* runs scored and 409 balls faced in the partnership for the seventh wicket between Greaves and Roach is also the highest ever in the fourth innings of a Test for the seventh wicket or lower (where balls faced data is available).233 Balls faced by Roach for his career-best first-class score of 58*. That makes him the first batter to face 200-plus balls batting at No. 8 or lower in the last innings of a Test.138 Innings taken by Roach to score his maiden Test fifty is the most by a batter. The previous highest was 131 innings by James Anderson.72 Number of consecutive dot balls Roach played in his innings between the 128th and 200th ball, which is the third-most in a Test innings. Peter Nevill with 90 dot balls and Steve O’Keefe with 76, both in the second innings of the Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka in 2016, are ahead of Roach.