The NFL legend playfully hinted at the possibility of signing the Portuguese superstar following the Clarets' promotion to the Premier League
For Arsenal, the biggest side in European football now awaits. No pressure, then.
With the Premier League title race done and dusted, the sole remaining opportunity for the Gunners to win anything this term is the Champions League.
They’ve swatted PSV Eindhoven to one side, defeating the Dutch side 9-3 on aggregate and proven that, despite a list of injuries, they can score goals with the right conditions. That said, Real Madrid in the quarter-finals will be a stern test, perhaps the sternest you can be given in this competition.
By the time that tie comes around, they will hope that Bukayo Saka is back fit and available.
After all, if they end up taking on Carlo Ancelotti’s side with the XI that drew 2-2 with PSV on Wednesday, they won’t stand a chance.
Taking a 7-1 lead to the Emirates this week, Arteta was always going to make changes to his starting lineup in a bid to rest and rotate.
Some of those changes were expected. Ben White – currently building up to full fitness following injury – came in for Jurrien Timber.
Jorginho came in for Thomas Partey and Raheem Sterling replaced wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri on the right. The 17-year-old has been mesmeric this season and certainly deserved a night off.
Sterling shone as he supplied two assists, the second of which was a superb piece of direct play, darting to the byline and then pulling the ball back to Declan Rice who headed home powerfully.
There were, however, two rather unexpected changes by the club’s Spanish tactician. Kieran Tierney was one of them.
No, he wasn’t at left-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly started there. Instead, the Scot started on the left wing.
The £25m signing – whose contract expires this summer – has played there on a few occasions, introduced as a substitute, but he hasn’t started there.
It’s a role that suits his athletic ability, not that he had many chances to do what he does best which is drive forward and swing a cross in.
Another rare start fell the way of Oleksandr Zinchenko. It’s safe to say he did pretty well.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
When Granit Xhaka left Arsenal behind in the summer of 2023, fans were rightfully gutted.
Despite his rollercoaster time of it in north London, he left a hero having scored nine goals during his final campaign in England.
But, even with the arrival of club-record man Rice, few would have expected the Swiss to still need replacing nearly two years on.
Arteta tried and failed to replace his output with Kai Havertz. A midfielder by trade, the German has ended up playing as a centre-forward and to his credit, has thrived. Still, he’s not playing in the Xhaka role.
Mikel Merino was signed last summer and ironically, is now having to deputise for Havertz up top. He is not playing in the Xhaka role either.
So, during a game that, truth be told, was a bit of a non-event, Zinchenko stepped forward and staked his claim for that position.
It was actually in the Martin Odegaard role that the £30m Ukrainian started on Wednesday but showed exactly why he deserves to play more often in the centre of the park.
|
Zinchenko vs PSV |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
79 |
|
Touches |
28 |
|
Accurate passes |
18/25 (72%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
Crosses |
1 |
|
Shots on target |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0/1 |
|
Possession lost |
9x |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
Zinchenko learnt his trade as a midfielder until Pep Guardiola crafted him into an inverted full-back at Manchester City. After moving to Arsenal, he’s performed a similar role.
Yet, versus PSV, he offered everyone a timely reminder of his qualities and unbelievable technique, notably opening the scoring with a rasping, curling effort.
In all honesty, this was one of Zinchenko’s best nights in an Arsenal shirt, driving forward with the ball and progressing play in a way Xhaka would have been proud of. He consequently earned an 8/10 rating courtesy of Football.London.
For so long, Arteta has struggled to find someone capable of filling the void but the former Man City ace may well have just provided a solution. Ranking in the top 1% of full-backs in the top five European leagues for progressive passes, there is perhaps no better profile in Arsenal’s squad for playing as the left 8 in this system.
Arsenal have been struggling to create and they’ve been struggling to score with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Havertz missing through injury. So, surely Arteta will take any solution he can get his hands on?
Zinchenko has offered a glimmer of hope when most thought his career in N5 was done and dusted.
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Chelsea have had a whole host of players on international duty this week, including Marc Cucurella for Spain, Enzo Fernández for Argentina, Moises Caicedo for Ecuador, Pedro Neto for Portugal and, of course, Reece James for England.
Fernandez put in an excellent display against Brazil in Argentina’s 4-1 victory, scoring a goal, providing an assist, winning seven of his 11 contested duels in the match and therefore being awarded man of the match.
But perhaps the performance that got the most traction over this break was James linking back up with his old manager, Thomas Tuchel, at international level, and the usage of him as a right-back.
James only has 18 England caps so far, despite making his debut at 20-years-old under Gareth Southgate in October 2020.
Yet, after a wretched few years with injury, it didn’t look as though he’d get too many more opportunities to make his mark on the international stage. That was, until, Tuchel named in his first England squad last week.
Well, the 25-year-old came back into the team earlier this week, scoring his first interntaional goal with a scorching free-kick against Latvia in England’s 3-0 victory, also being awarded man of the match.
Tuchel, having worked with James in his time at Chelsea, awarded the defender with his first England start in two years when facing Latvia, starting as the right-back but having an interesting role in the game.
Indeed, for much of the match, James played as a right-sided centre-back in a back three, tucking inside whilst Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly inverted alongside Rice into midfield.
But for the final 11 minutes, James moved over to the left side of defence, stepping into that inverted midfield role, showing his versatility, something Chelsea fans have already seen a lot of this season under Enzo Maresca.
|
Reece James vs Latvia performance |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
James |
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Touches |
118 |
|
Accurate Passes |
96/97 |
|
Key Passes |
1 |
|
Crosses |
2/3 |
|
Long Balls |
2/2 |
|
Ground Duels Won |
2/4 |
|
Tackles |
2 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Stats taken from Sofascore |
|
James put in an excellent display, only misplacing one pass in the entire match, completing two out of two long balls and completing two of his three crosses, one of which could have resulted in an assist.
But he wasn’t the only player impressing for an England side on international duty, as one of Cobham’s stars featured heavily for the U19s.
Chelsea’s Cobham star, Josh Acheampong, has captained England U19s twice whilst away on international duty, starting both times as a left-sided centre-back, despite naturally being a right-back/right-sided centre-back hybrid.
The 19-year-old defender is blessed with a long frame, standing at around 6 foot 3 and possesses superb athletic qualities already.
On top of this, Acheampong has composure on the ball, can progress play via his passing, but particularly with his excellent ability to carry the ball out from the back.
Maresca has already praised Acheampong, stating he was “our best player” when he made his first Premier League start against Crystal Palace.
Jacek Kulig has also labelled the defender as “dominant” whilst also calling him the “definition of a modern defender”.
Whether he is playing as a right-back or as one of the central defenders, Acheampong clearly has a very bright future ahead of him, for both Chelsea and England.
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Chelsea have now joined the race to sign a £43m striker, who is also being targeted by a number of other Premier League clubs, according to a report.
As we edge closer to the summer transfer window, the Blues have started to step up their pursuit of new forwards, having now opened talks to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, amid the uncertainty surrounding Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho’s futures.
Madueke has emerged as a target for AC Milan, with the Italian club lodging a £33m bid for the England international, while there have been widespread reports that Sancho could be sent back to Manchester United, if Enzo Maresca’s side pay a £5m fee.
Not only are the west Londoners keen on strengthening out wide, but they are also well-known to be interested in a new striker, and Jon Obi Mikel recently revealed Napoli’s Victor Osimhen “really wants” to move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
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Other options include Premier League stars Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, with a pre-summer bid for the Englishman believed to be in the works.
There is no shortage of strikers on the shortlist, but Chelsea have now joined the race for another forward, with a report from Viola News revealing they are now closely monitoring Fiorentina’s Moise Kean, who is a subject of interest for several English clubs.
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa are also in the race for Kean, who has a €52m (£43m) release clause in his contract with the Italian club, which is starting to look like a bargain fee.
The Italian recently bagged two goals for his national side against Germany, which has thrust his name back into the spotlight, and there is a feeling £43m could be way below his actual value.
The Italy international made a real statement by scoring a brace against Germany on Sunday evening, and he has also been extremely impressive at club level this season, picking up 20 goals and three assists in all competitions.
The former Everton man is showing real signs of development this season, with football writer Mina Rzouki claiming “his performances just keep getting better”, while also dubbing the 25-year-old the “king of kings”.
It looks like the striker’s career could finally be taking off, having been inconsistent in the past, failing to adapt to life in England during his time with the Toffees, while also struggling to regularly provide goals for Juventus over the past three seasons.
While his previous spell in England will be a concern, it is exciting news that Chelsea are in the race for Kean, and if he is able to maintain his current levels of performance, £43m could prove to be a bargain fee.
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Rangers’ bonkers form continues. Last weekend, the Gers fought back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at , with Tom Lawrence’s long-range laser equalising nine minutes from time, before Cyriel Dessers snatched victory right at the death for Barry Ferguson’s side.
So, since Barry Ferguson took over as interim manager, the Gers have lost at home to Motherwell, ousted Fenerbahce on penalties in the Europa League and claimed victories on the road at Kilmarnock, Celtic and now Dundee, these three fixtures producing a whopping 18 goals.
Next up in the Premiership, the Gers face third-placed Hibs and then Aberdeen, who are fourth, at Pittodrie, with the small matter of a Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Club on the agenda too; the Basque side visit Ibrox next Thursday.
Who knows what to expect from these four matches? Well, goals probably.
2025 is set to be a huge year of change for Rangers, starting with the fact manager Philippe Clement was sacked back in February after 86 matches in charge.
Meantime, the club is also subject to a takeover, with Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises, set to become the club’s majority shareholder, a deal that is reportedly currently still being finalised.
His first task, as alluded to, will be to appoint a new permanent manager, with Steven Gerrard, Sean Dyche, Kevin Muscat, Liam Rosenior, Kjetil Knutsen, Marco Rose and many others reportedly in the fray.
Well, whoever they choose to appoint, they’ll want to do so quickly, given that next season starts early for the Light Blues, kicking off with the first leg of a crucial Champions League qualifying tie on 22 or 23 July.
Meantime, the squad is likely to undergo a major rebuild, and one fans’ favourite in particular appears highly-likely to depart.
Three permanently contracted players could be on their way out of the Glasgow club this summer, notably Tom Lawrence and Leon Balogun, while it’s unlikely attacking hero Vaclav Cerny will be back next season, largely due to his price tag after some cracking form.
Another who finds himself out of contract in June is Ianis Hagi, set to leave the club as a free agent this summer.
It’s fair to say the Romanian’s Rangers career has had its ups and downs, scoring a spectacular brace shortly after arriving against Braga in the Europa League, on a night the Gers fought back from 2-0 down to win, sparking wild celebrations at Ibrox.
When he signed from Genk in January 2020, then-manager Steven Gerrard labeled him “one of the best talents in Europe” but it hasn’t quite happened for him in Light Blue.
Indeed, despite being at the club for over five years now, Hagi has made just 125 appearances for the club, largely due to the fact that he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Stirling Albion in January 2022, spending the next 372 days on the sidelines.
Then, after not being in Michael Beale’s plans, the Romanian spent last season on loan at Deportivo Alavés in Spain before being reintegrated into the first-team squad this season, albeit he’s lost his regular starting spot since Ferguson took over from Clement.
|
Ianis Hagi’s Rangers career by season |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Seasons |
Appearances |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2019/20* |
13 |
3 |
2 |
|
2020/21 |
46 |
8 |
15 |
|
2021/22 |
27 |
4 |
4 |
|
2022/23 |
11 |
1 |
Zero |
|
2023/24** |
2 |
Zero |
Zero |
|
2024/25 |
25 |
3 |
7 |
|
*joined in January. **26 appearances out on loan |
|||
|
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt |
|||
As the table outlines, Hagi has not been a regular in the Rangers side since that aforementioned knee injury in January 2022, until recently, albeit he hasn’t been especially productive in front of goal since the title-winning campaign of 2020/21.
As a result, his Transfermarkt value has plummeted to £1.69m, having been as high as £6m at one stage, significantly lower than the reported £4.5m paid to secure his services in the first place.
Thus, given his injury record, Rangers should sadly release Hagi in the summer as part of their squad rebuild.
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