Bruno Fernandes' red card for a tackle on James Maddison has been overturned following an appeal from Manchester United.
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After a Premier League season full of genuinely impressive performances, including big wins over Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal had to settle for second place for the second year running.
Mikel Arteta's side pushed Manchester City all the way, but yet again, they go into the summer with a big job on their hands and, based on a number of reports, are in the market for a striker.
However, while the club might sign the perfect number nine to lead the line next year, they still need a reliable backup to replace Eddie Nketiah, and as it turns out, they might just have one in a player who just won a title, as well as comparisons to Erling Haaland of all people.
The player in question is 21-year-old Danish striker Mika Biereth, who has spent the season on loan in Scotland and Austria.
The youngster joined Arsenal from fellow London outfit Fulham in July 2021, and after lighting it up for the youth sides – scoring 12 goals and providing five assists for the U23s – and a mediocre loan move to RKC Waalwijk last season, he joined Scottish Premiership side Motherwell on loan last summer.
Unlike his time in the Netherlands, the London-born ace got off to a flyer north of the border, and by the time the January transfer window had come around, he had six goals and five assists to his name in just 15 appearances.
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Biereth's incredible season |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Team |
Motherwell |
Sturm Graz |
Total |
|
Appearances |
15 |
22 |
37 |
|
Goals |
6 |
9 |
15 |
|
Assists |
5 |
4 |
9 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.73 |
0.59 |
0.64 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|||
This incredible form led to Arsenal recalling him and sending him to Austrian first-division side Sturm Graz – where Rasmus Højlund caught Atalanta's attention – who were in the midst of a title race with RB Salzburg.
Over the next few months, the 6 foot 2 forward scored nine goals and provided four assists in just 22 outings to help the Graz-based side end Salzburg's ten-year dominance.
Clearly a player with a sense of humour and a willingness to engage in self-deprecation, the Dane described himself as like "a s**t [Erling] Haaland and a s**t [Harry] Kane" in an interview with the i newspaper earlier this year, saying “like Haaland, all I really care about is scoring goals. If you’d offer me two touches of the ball and two goals I’d take that. For me, it’s all about scoring goals."
However, as journalist Oliver Young-Myles points out, there are similarities between the pair beyond just goalscoring.
For starters, like Biereth, the City superstar cut his teeth in the Austrian Bundesliga, joining Salzburg from Molde in January 2019 before making the leap to Borussia Dortmund the following winter and truly announcing himself to the wider footballing public at large.
Moreover, the Arsenal youngster has thrived on loan, and while his return of 13 goals and assists in 22 games isn't quite on the level of the Norwegian's 36 in 27, the fact that he succeeded in a league that can be quite challenging should encourage those at the Emirates.
And on that topic, while his numbers don't stack up to those of the City phenom, they certainly look better than the player he could replace next season, Nketiah.
For example, in 37 appearances this term, the Englishman has only scored six goals and provided three assists, which, when held up to Biereth's 15 goals and nine assists in as many games, looks rather underwhelming, to put it lightly.
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Nketiah's underwhelming season |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
37 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.24 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
Ultimately, while the Gunners' young striker is unlikely to match Haaland's inhuman output, he has shown an ability to score goals and provide assists, which Nketiah has struggled to do this year.
So next season, when the level has to be that bit higher throughout the squad, Arteta should appoint the Dane as his backup forward instead of the Englishman.
Arsenal's "sensational" 8/10 star just revived his career
The incredible talent could be a difference-maker next season.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
May 20, 2024
Manchester United are leading the race to sign a teenage gem this summer, it has emerged, as new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to continue his overhaul of the club.
There is set to be wholesale changes at Old Trafford this summer after another disappointing Premier League season.
With two games left to play, Erik ten Hag's side need to win both to have any chance of playing European football next season, though they could still reach the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, where they will face Manchester City in the final.
A key part of the summer could be trimming the wage bill, with the club's highest earners rarely justifying their massive salaries. Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane are on course to leave for free, while there is interest in Casemiro from Saudi Arabia, which could see him leave after a string of poor outings.
|
Man Utd's highest earners |
||
|
Player |
Wages (per week) |
Contract until |
|
Casemiro |
£350,000 |
2026 |
|
Raphael Varane |
£340,000 |
2024 |
|
Marcus Rashford |
£300,000 |
2028 |
|
Anthony Martial |
£250,000 |
2024 |
|
Mason Mount |
£250,000 |
2028 |
At the other end of the spectrum, there is also set to be an increased focus on signing young high-potential stars, and with that in mind, Ratcliffe seems to already be plotting his move.
Now, it has emerged that despite their struggles, Manchester United are leading the race to sign Championship gem Chris Rigg, who has been impressing viewers at Sunderland.
The teenage talent has appeared 21 times in England's second tier this season, scoring twice in the process despite starting just eight of those games.
During his time in charge of the Black Cats, former manager Tony Mowbray admitted that Rigg was a special talent. "He’s still a young boy but he has wonderful qualities and wonderful attributes", he explained. “He knows where the goal is and wants to run forward, he’s got energy to burn and can keep running all day.
And his outings have caught the eye of a whole host of top clubs, including Newcastle United, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen. However, The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson has revealed that it is Manchester United who leads the race for his signature as things stand, with Ratcliffe keen to make him the poster boy for their overhauled academy following his arrival at Old Trafford at the start of the year.
Done deal: Man Utd agree to sign new teenage left-back for Ten Hag
He has undergone a successful trial at Old Trafford.
By
Henry Jackson
May 14, 2024
One of his objectives is to restore Carrington as the place for the best young talent in the country, an accolade which currently belongs either to rivals Manchester City or London giants Chelsea.
To achieve this, it is claimed that "United have had a scouting presence at the vast majority of Rigg’s games" across the past two seasons, and are now ready to table a formal offer for the talent this summer, though they will have to wait until he turns 17 in June.
For their part, Sunderland are hoping that "his positive development to this point will persuade him to commit the first part of his professional future to the Black Cats" instead of seeking pastures new, but know that they will not be able to match any offers from bigger sides financially. With that in mind, United could well swoop in.
Arsenal's win over north London rivals Tottenham was extra-special for one lucky supporter.
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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has already warned Jadon Sancho about the standards expected of him after his arrival from Manchester United.
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Newcastle United have invested heavily in the playing squad over the last couple of seasons, with the signings making a huge impact at St James' Park.
The Magpies finished fourth in the Premier League, qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League – an unimaginable feat given the club were in the Premier League's relegation zone at the time of the PIF takeover.
Players such as Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak have been the most successful additions since their respective £40m and £63m moves – with the latter scoring 19 times in 26 Premier League appearances this season.
However, last summer, the club invested heavily once more as Eddie Howe's side bolstered their ranks, looking to build on the success from the season prior.
Nearly a year on from one player's arrival on Tyneside, the Magpies' talent has struggled to force his way into the first-team and is starting to look like a poor investment for the time being.
After originally joining the club on loan, it was confirmed that Newcastle would complete the £28m deal to sign full-back Lewis Hall from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.
However, the 19-year-old has struggled to make the impact he would've envisaged at St James' Park, only featuring in 14 Premier League games this season – only four of which have been from the start.
Hall – who ranks in the top 16% among his European peers for touches in the opposition box – is a more attacking option than regular left-back Dan Burn, but Howe has often preferred playing the 6 foot 6 centre-back out of position for his defensive attributes.
The peripheral youngster has only managed to feature for 607 minutes for the Magpies this season, a tally that is 82 minutes less than £55m signing Sandro Tonali, who's been missing since October, after receiving a ten-month suspension for breaching betting rules.
|
Hall's stats at Newcastle in 23/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Games |
Minutes |
|
Premier League |
14 |
415' |
|
Carabao Cup |
2 |
119' |
|
Champions League |
1 |
45' |
|
FA Cup |
1 |
28' |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
Tonali has also received a further sanction in recent times, after betting on four Newcastle games after his move to Tyneside, which has resulted in a suspended two-month ban and a £20k fine for his troubles.
Despite his absence, the former AC Milan man has still featured more than Hall for Howe's side this season, whilst the 19-year-old's market value has also taken a big hit just months after his big-money move.
Just a couple of months after his £28m move to the club from Chelsea, left-back Hall has seen his market value plummet to just £6.7m, as per Football Transfers.
Undoubtedly, his drop in value is down to his lack of game time under Howe, with the youngster still unable to obtain a run of games in a starting role despite the club's recent injury issues.
The hope will be that the rising star will come good for the Magpies, with Howe claiming he's a signing for the "long-term" but he may not be at the level required down the line should he not consistently feature at St James'.
However, for the time being, it appears the club are being shortchanged for the transfer, with Mauricio Pochettino's side getting the better end of the deal at present.
Newcastle hit the jackpot on warrior whose value has skyrocketed 328%
He’s enjoyed a successful stint in the first-team under Eddie Howe.
By
Ethan Lamb
May 3, 2024
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been the masters of the transfer market in recent years, which has helped them maintain their status as a Premier League club.
From signing prospects with plenty of potential to acquiring value-for-money players, every strategy has been optimised to the max.
However, it’s not just the buying of players that’s been a success, as the Molineux side also been able to sell their talents for large fees, notably Matheus Nunes and Diogo Jota.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a former player who Wolves truly hit the jackpot on back in 2017.
In the summer of 2017, Wolves signed highly-rated Ruben Neves from FC Porto, reuniting with Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Portuguese prospect had already cemented himself as one of the best upcoming talents in Europe, having already owned the status of the youngest player to captain a side in the Champions League.
Although the fee paid for the midfielder wasn’t confirmed, it is reported to have been around £15m, making him one of the most expensive Championship transfers of all time.
During his first campaign, Neves’ quality and influence on the team were immense over his 42 matches, scoring six goals and helping Wolves win the title, ultimately seeing them return to the Premier League – the division they play in to this day.
Throughout his time in the Premier League, the former Wolves number eight developed into an elite midfielder, playing 177 times in the competition and scoring 21 goals.
The 27-year-old even played a vital role in Wolves’ 2019/20 Europa League run, starting nine times and picking up two goal contributions as they made it to the quarter-finals.
Around this point, Neves’ value had skyrocketed, as according to Transfermarkt, he was estimated to be worth £43m, which is more than Matheus Cunha’s value today, for example, £36m.
Nonetheless, in the summer, Wolves parted ways with the Portugal international, as the departing hero was one of the many players to join the Saudi Pro League, becoming an Al Hilal asset in a deal worth £47m.
|
Wolves' Most Expensive Sales |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Fee |
|
Matheus Nunes |
£53m |
|
Ruben Neves |
£47m |
|
Diogo Jota |
£43m |
|
Morgan Gibbs-White |
£25m |
|
Nathan Collins |
£23m |
|
Via Transfermarkt |
|
As you can see, this makes Neves the second most expensive sale from the club of all time, ranking just below Nunes and higher than Jota.
Selling the “superb” ace, as dubbed by journalist Nathan Judah, for such a high fee means that the club profited heavily, even selling the midfielder for 200% more than what they bought him for six years prior.
Not only did this enable Wolves to invest in the squad, but it meant that they could almost entirely fund their move for Cunha with the Neves sale, which has proven to be a masterstroke.
The Brazilian has been absolutely unbelievable in the Premier League this season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists, and without him in the side, it’s almost guaranteed that Gary O’Neil’s side would be much worse off.
Today, Neves is currently enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia, helping his side to the league title with ten assists in 26 starts, but it’s clear that Wolves – and Nuno – absolutely struck gold by beating the competition to his signature back in 2017.
Wolves may have made a bigger mistake than Vitinha by selling Neto upgrade
Wolves may have endured a mistake by selling a current sensation for peanuts back in 2019…
By
Ross Kilvington
Apr 18, 2024
Manchester United are on the brink of a deal to sign FC Porto midfielder Vitinha for £34m, according to reports in Portugal.
Vitinha is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in holding or attacking midfield roles. The 22-year-old spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Wolves, making ‘special talent’ after making the move to Molineux.
The Premier League side didn’t exercise their option to make a move permanent, but the Portugal international, who shares the same agency as Cristiano Ronaldo, could now be heading back to England to work under Erik ten Hag.
Sports Witness relayed an update from Portuguese 0utlet Record on Tuesday morning regarding Vitinha.
They claimed that the midfielder is heading for an ‘imminent’ exit, with a Premier League club set to exercise his €40m (£34m) release clause. Manchester United are the only club mentioned, with Vitinha apparently fitting Ten Hag’s style of play.
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Vitinha only made attacking midfielder.
He seemed to improve last season and was a regular for FC Porto playing in a deeper role though, so that could be a position Ten Hag looks to use him in going forward.
That would leave Bruno Fernandes free to occupy a more advanced role, and still just 22 years of age, United could look back on a move for Vitinha in years to come as a smart piece of business.
In other news: Fabrizio Romano now drops more transfer news he’s heard from Man Utd after ‘internal’ talks.
Liverpool are set for a busy summer with the futures of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah’s future uncertain but replacements are potentially being lined up.
Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma has been fielding interest from Liverpool for a while now but now reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the news.
The Italian journalist was speaking on his Here We Go podcast on Monday (via Liverpool Echo), and said: “He did really great with Villarreal, he has a release clause in his contract it’s around €45m (£38m), maybe a bit more, and so could be an opportunity in the market.
“Liverpool have been following him since January, let’s see if they will jump into it.”
When Liverpool took on Real Madrid in the Champions League final a few weeks ago there would have been dread about facing Karim Benzema.
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The Frenchman didn’t score on the night as Madrid took home the crown but the concerns were hardly surprising considering the centre-forward bagged 44 goals in 46 matches this term.
That goal tally is rather obscene and considering Danjuma scored 16 times in comparison, it looks hard to make any sort of comparison on the surface.
Of course, the Netherlands international is capable of finding the net but not nearly as much regularity as the Madrid star.
That said, the 25-year-old is similar in many ways. Indeed, FB Ref’s ‘similar’ players model lists the duo as like-minded footballers and a delve into the stats shows you why.
Danjuma had 1.52 shots on target per 90 minutes compared to Benzema’s 1.63. Furthermore, they both fire their attempts at goal from a similar distance, with the former registering an average yardage of 14.7 compared to the latter’s 15.5 yards.
When it comes to progressive carries in possession, there isn’t much between them either, that’s despite Danjuma’s pace and tricky nature. The Dutchman makes an average of 5.79 per 90 in comparison to the former Lyon forward’s 6.32.
It’s rather evident that Benzema is the more clinical in front of goal but their style of play when it comes to both shooting and carries shows there is plenty to like, especially with the ex-Bournemouth man dubbed a “nightmare” by Kevin Phillips.
Danjuma is still very much finding himself as a footballer and despite not being the finished article would be a superb addition to Liverpool’s ranks.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has swung his axe as the Lilywhites close in on a summer exit, according to reports.
Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici met with Conte in Italy last week to discuss recruitment strategy ahead of what will be a very interesting window for the north Londoners.
The Lilywhites head coach secured a Premier League top four finish and Champions League football for the 2022/2023 campaign, prompting the club to green-light a major £150million equity increase.
Conte will benefit from the bulk of these added funds as Spurs look set to back their manager and ensure he has most of what he needs for his first full season in charge.
While new signings have been heavily tipped, so have exits from Hotspur Way, with Football Insider now sharing the latest development involving midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.
According to their information, a Tottenham ‘agreement is close to being reached’ over Lo Celso’s permanent departure to Villarreal with ‘extensive talks’ held.
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This comes as Conte swings his axe and deems the Argentine ‘surplus to requirements’.
As per this update, Spurs are keen to offload, so much so they’re willing to take a near-£10million loss.
Dropping the asking price from £30million to around £20million, according to this report, certainly stands out as a major call.
Perhaps this is an indicator of Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy’s eagerness to back Conte and seriousness in going the extra mile to display a matched ambition.
Selling Lo Celso for that amount is generous to say the least, especially considering he thrived on loan under Unai Emery and was a key player on their run to the Champions League semi-finals.
In other news: Alasdair Gold says ‘exciting’ Conte target is now eyeing a move to Tottenham! Find out more here.