Christian Pulisic’s emergence as a “difference maker” at AC Milan has been explained, with the USMNT star benefiting from “fresh legs”.
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Arsenal may have spent big throughout a transformative summer window, but it seems Mikel Arteta is far from content as he seeks to cement his stranglehold over the Premier League…
Having already welcomed Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz recently on big-money deals, it should come as no surprise that funds are likely low at the Emirates.
However, that does not mean they cannot afford to dip into the market should a bargain present itself, which is exactly the suggestion made by TEAMtalk.
The report notes the Gunners' interest in promising teenage sensation Arthur Vermeeren, who Royal Antwerp have made available for just £15m, but will face competition from other European powerhouses such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona.
It is also stated that such a signing might force the former West Ham United captain into a new role, helping to further unlock the potential of the club's record signing.
Having burst onto the scene at the start of the 2022/23 season, as a fresh-faced 17-year-old handed an opportunity, he quickly made himself indispensable for his boyhood club, starring in defensive midfield.
As a classic number six, boasting immense maturity for someone so young, it is actually his start to the new term that has certainly caught the eye, with the 18-year-old having posted an outstanding 7.45 average match rating, buoyed by his 88% pass accuracy combined with 1.6 key passes, 1.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and a whopping 8.3 ball recoveries per game, via Sofascore.
Despite his clear defensive prowess, other sections of the media have sought to laud the all-around assets of Vermeeren, with Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig noting: "18 years of age. G/A wasn't his strength and now he starts adding it to his repertoire. One of the most complete young midfielders in Europe."
Then, former Arsenal favourite and current Barcelona sporting director Marc Overmars would laud the teenager with further praise, suggesting: "I have no doubt that he has a fantastic level. The first time I saw him he reminded me of Xavi and Iniesta, a footballer of the same profile".
With a silky skillset and a clear ability to create whilst dictating games, it seems the latter is perhaps a more appropriate comparison.
Should the defensive-minded youngster be brought in and handed an instant start by Arteta, who does boast an acute focus on developing youth, then it might allow Rice to push further forward and start adding more goals and assisting to a game already so well-rounded.
After all, last season for the Hammers he would record six goal contributions whilst managing one key pass per game in the league, earning praise for his offensive qualities despite largely featuring as a holding midfielder. After all, even Sky Sports's Sam Blitz would claim back in June: 'The midfielder is West Ham's most reliable attacking player, yet has some of the best defensive numbers in the Premier League.'
The technical quality is there for Rice to begin his offensive journey, and it could just take the acquisition of Vermeeren to instigate it. His solid presence just behind the Englishman might provide the perfect backbone to turn Arteta's side into one capable of winning it all.
West Ham United have started the season in good form regardless of the notable sale of Declan Rice in the summer to Arsenal, winning half of their games so far and sitting in seventh spot.
It's been the fresh blood added into the building for the Hammers that has seen them perform so well in the infancy of this campaign, the midfield additions of Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse have been inspired buys by David Moyes – both new faces contributing to 11 of the club's goals in all competitions so far, Ward-Prowse already notching up six assists.
The likes of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen have also been ever reliable for the Hammers, both players scoring recently in a dominant 2-0 victory against a hapless Sheffield United side at the London Stadium.
It's looking rosy away from just the current crop of first team performers at West Ham too, with teenager Callum Marshall an academy prospect being hyped up to be the next best thing rising through the ranks at the club.
Winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for September, Marshall is highly regarded at West Ham at just 18 years of age.
Drawing comparisons to Northern Ireland goalscoring hero David Healy – according to Sammy McIlroy – Marshall born in Glengormley and featured for Northern Irish side Linfield before joining the Irons in 2022 – there's lots of expectation in the air that the youngster will go on to have a fantastic career.
He has 40 goals to his name for both West Ham U18's and U21's, already scoring eight times this campaign in the Premier League 2 from just six starts.
It's even led to the prolific marksman being capped by his country at senior level already, featuring twice for his nation under Michael O'Neill against Denmark and San Marino.
The Northern Ireland manager doesn't want to put too much pressure on the young man's shoulders, although an impressive teenage attacker that "excites people" will always have people raving about the potential he possesses.
The former Stoke City boss said: “I can’t think back to when we’ve had a young striker – they generally come in later…A young striker coming in always excites people.
"Like every country, you want somebody at the top end of the pitch who can be a natural goalscorer, and without putting any burden on Callum, he has the potential and has shown the potential certainly since we’ve had him in. We’ve seen that he has the attributes."
West Ham will hope that Marshall will follow a similar trajectory to former talisman, Rice, albeit that it doesn't end with another club poaching him.
The England international gradually rose through the ranks to become the star-man for the Hammers, going from a player on the fringes waiting for his moment in the spotlight to captaining the club to Europa Conference League glory, before his £105m departure to the Emirates.
There's no reason why the teenage striker can't start knocking on the door of the first team sooner rather than later, with West Ham's main striker, Michail Antonio, 33 years of age with his career running down.
Likewise, Moyes' other option as an out-and-out striker is Danny Ings, the ex Burnley man 31 years of age and prone to an injury, having netted just three goals for the club to date.
Marshall will just continue plugging away in the youth set-up for the time being, scoring goals by the bucket load if recent evidence is anything to go off.
But, don't be surprised if he's starring up top for the Hammers in a few years time as a raw, exciting and hungry figure, who could potentially be the next best thing since Rice.
Manchester City may be without Kyle Walker for the Premier League title against Arsenal on Sunday due to a hamstring injury.
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What a time it is to be associated with Tottenham Hotspur, with the north London outfit continuing to march on under their infallible new boss, Ange Postecoglou, following a remarkable, unbeaten start to the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Currently resting atop the table – two points ahead of champions Manchester City and rivals Arsenal – all is well for the Lilywhites at present, with the club's most recent encounter having seen them secure a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday night.
Amid what is a quick turnaround ahead of tonight's trip to west London to face Crystal Palace – who conceded four against Newcastle United at the weekend – Postecoglou may well need to shuffle his pack to keep his side fresh and firing against Roy Hodgson's men.
Defensively, the north Londoners may well be sweating on the fitness of Destiny Udogie after the full-back was withdrawn around the hour mark earlier this week, with Postecoglou having revealed that the 20-year-old will have to be assessed ahead of this evening's fixture.
If the Italian is to miss out, his potential replacement, Ben Davies, did miss that clash with a knock of his own, although the former Celtic boss has since stated that the long-serving asset should be fine to return this time around.
As for the midfield ranks, the hope is that Pape Matar Sarr will be fit to feature from the start after also being taken off against the Cottagers amid a bout of illness, although Spurs do have the bonus of the returning Yves Bissouma, after the 26-year-old sat out Monday's win through suspension.
Further tweaks could also lie in store in the attacking ranks, with it set to be no surprise if Brennan Johnson is unleashed from the start ahead of Richarlison, while Bryan Gil – who is making his return from injury – could pose a threat to Dejan Kulusevski's starting berth on the right flank.
It may seem bizarre to suggest that the young Spaniard is called upon after making little impact in Lilywhite to date – with no goals and two assists in 31 games in all competitions – yet having now returned from his spell on loan in Spain last season, the 22-year-old could be worthy of a chance to impress.
Having missed much of the campaign so far through injury, the former Sevilla and Valencia ace has been back on the bench in the last two league games, albeit without earning a cameo appearance in either of those wins.
The playmaker is evidently a player Postecoglou is thinking about, however, with the 58-year-old stating last week that the returning ace could "get an opportunity", amid the hectic nature of the fixture schedule:
"He certainly has all the criteria to play in that position for is and his training is getting stronger now, he’s part of the group and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity. We’ve a Monday night game and then a Friday night game, so we’ll need the squad to deal with those two games over the next five days.”
Despite failing to really impress in recent years at N17, Gil has earned lofty praise from the likes of Antonio Conte, with the Italian coach hailing him as "like Bernardo Silva" due to his "technical quality".
That comparison to a fellow left-footer bodes well for the impact that the Spaniard could make if given a run of games, with Silva – who has won trophies galore at Manchester City, including a treble last term – a truly gifted individual, having been described as "one of the best players" that Pep Guardiola has ever coached.
A key likeness between the two attackers is also their work off the ball, with Silva hailed for his "incredible" work ethic by Guardiola in the past, while Gil ranks in the top 14% among his European peers for tackles made, as well as the top 9% for interceptions per 90, as a sign of his ability to muck in defensively.
Postecoglou could utilise that strength this evening in place of Kulusevski, with the latter man hardly impressing against Marco Silva's men just a few days ago, as 90min's Sean Walsh wrote that the Swede's 'slow and ponderous decision-making threatened to derail Tottenham' on the night.
It would be a bold call to ditch the former Juventus man later today, but sooner or later Gil must be given a chance to shine under the new regime.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Ben White has received "a lot of love" after making himself unavailable for England selection.
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Glasgow Rangers continued their rapid improvement under Philippe Clement with an excellent 5-0 away victory in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening.
Dundee were put to the sword in what was the Gers’ biggest away victory in the league for over two years, with the 6-1 win against Motherwell on 31 October 2021 the last time the side scored five or more away from Ibrox.
It was a confident performance and one that should inspire confidence amongst the supporters, but there is still a long road ahead, and with a League Cup semi-final clash coming up this weekend against Hearts, Clement will be tested once again.
The Belgian has not been able to call on several members of his squad due to injury and this has impacted who he can pick for his starting XI at the current moment in time.
Nicolas Raskin is the latest player to join the treatment table after being stretchered off against Hearts last weekend and with Clement already missing Kemar Roofe and Tom Lawrence, there is still some more quality to come into the starting XI.
The former Club Brugge manager could turn to the January transfer window, however, in order to add some much-needed squad depth to the side.
Last week, the 49-year-old tactician discussed his plans for the coming months while speaking to the media, saying: "I am here to build the team and make them stronger – that is where my focus lies and not on any external noise.
“We need to work hard in the coming weeks and months to see what we need to do in January. With injuries, you need to find solutions but we had players who were able to step in and that is what I expect.”
Although previous manager Michael Beale spent a lot during the summer transfer window, these comments certainly suggest that Clement may be looking to add an extra body or two to the current squad.
A recent update has emerged from TEAMtalk regarding some transfer news, and it appears as though Rangers are keen on signing Jhon Arias, who plays for Brazilian side Fluminense.
The report claims that the Gers have been keeping tabs on the player, who can play across a multitude of positions, yet they are not the only admirers.
Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Burnley, and Leeds United have also checked Arias recently and his performances have evidently drawn plenty of interest from these clubs, and the Light Blues look set to face significant competition for his signature.
With the money on offer south of the border, it remains to be seen whether or not Clement will able to tempt the Colombian gem to Scotland with a promise of winning trophies and potentially playing in the Champions League, instead of a move to the Premier League.
Throughout the 2023 season for his club, Arias has mainly operated on the right side of the midfield, either as a winger or dropping slightly deeper, yet he has produced some incredible numbers.
Across 53 matches for the Brazilian side, the 26-year-old has registered 22 goal contributions – nine goals and 13 assists – as Fluminense have reached the Copa Libertadores final against Boca Juniors which takes place on Saturday evening.
Indeed, during the continental competition, the winger is currently ranked third across the squad for goals and assists (five) along with ranking second for big chances created (three), first for key passes per game (2.3), and first for successful dribbles per game (3.3), showcasing his attacking talents on the biggest stage of them all.
His performances have powered his club to the final and another solid display against the Argentinian outfit could drive his price tag up further.
However, it remains to be seen how much the 5 foot 6 dynamo will cost and that may not be an issue that Rangers need to worry about until the January transfer window is close to opening for business.
Journalist Fernando Campos hailed Arias as "decisive" earlier this year, and said: “Jhon Arias has been one of the best players in the country since the beginning of last year and we don't talk about that much.”
The right side of the attack has been a weak point for the Gers this term and Clement has had to persist by using Scott Wright, and there is no doubt that the Colombian is a far better option than the former Aberdeen gem.
It looked as though Wright was ready to depart Rangers during the summer, with a move to Turkish side Pendikspor all but sealed, yet nothing materialised, and he chose to stay and fight for his place.
Despite remaining, the winger has made just four starts all season while failing to score or grab an assist, and his attacking output has been disappointing, to say the least.
|
Domestic league statistics during the current season |
Scott Wright |
Jhon Arias |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
0 |
5 |
|
Assists |
0 |
3 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.6 |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
2 |
|
Shots per game |
1.4 |
1.6 |
Indeed, since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, he has played 43 matches, yet managed to register just two assists, a woeful return, and this area of the team needs to vastly improve in the coming months.
Wright has not been able to produce quality shots or passes with regularity at the top end of the pitch and the Gers could now bring in a player with the ability to be a difference-maker.
Since the start of the 2022 campaign, Arias has played 114 matches across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and grabbing 30 assists, clearly indicating how impressive he has been going forwards.
If Clement is serious about challenging for silverware with the Light Blues and making progress in Europe, signing talented players such as Arias is the way to significantly bolster his squad.
The 26-year-old whiz has shone in South America over the previous few years, and it is clear his talent deserves to secure him a move to Europe sooner rather than later.
Players like Wright, who have underperformed since before Beale was brought in as manager, should not still be one of the main attacking options at the club, and it shows how far the Gers have regressed since winning the league in 2021.
Although they face stiff competition to sign the Colombian maestro in the coming months, Clement must act fast in order to convince him that his project at Rangers is interesting enough for him to move to Glasgow.
It would certainly signal a huge statement of intent if they pulled this move off, and it would further speed up Wright’s inevitable exit for the Glasgow side.
Arias' statistics suggest that the talented wizard has the ability to be a significant upgrade on the Scottish dud, if he can translate his form to Scottish football, and that is why the Gers must swoop for his services.
Since his move to Barcelona, Vitor Roque has failed to see much time on the pitch and head coach Xavi has fired a warning to the forward.
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Chelsea captain Reece James shared an update on his injury amid speculation his season is over.
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Newcastle United are reportedly in a battle with numerous top Premier League clubs for the signing of an exciting teenage ace with a potentially bright future in the game.
The Magpies are going through an extremely testing period at the moment, with the final international break of the year arguably arriving at the right time. Eddie Howe's men were a shadow of their former selves in their 2-0 defeat away to Bournemouth on Saturday evening, and a combination of injuries and tiredness appear to be holding them back.
With each passing game, the more vital it seems that business needs to be done in the January transfer window, in order to add some life to an ailing squad. Midfield certainly looks like the key area of focus, especially with Sandro Tonali's ban meaning he will play no part in the remainder of the season, and Newcastle have been linked with a move for Kalvin Phillips, not to mention a host of other names, including former Wolves hero Ruben Neves.
The Magpies may also look to sign players in other positions, too, should Howe feel that more options are required all over the pitch, and they are now reportedly in the race to bring in a big young talent.
According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are interested in signing Irish teenage right-back Sam Curtis, but they are far from alone in expressing a keenness to snap him up.
"TT can report that both United and City have already made contact about right-back Davis, who is understood to already be close to a full international call-up. We can also reveal that the likes Everton, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Sheffield United, Hull City and Middlesbrough are also showing an interest in Curtis."
While it is clear that Newcastle need to be signing players for the here and now in January, signing top young footballers who are long-term additions is something that should also never be sniffed at. This new era at St James' Park is one that is hopefully going to head in the right direction for years to come, so bringing in teenagers who could eventually be key men represents shrewd planning by the club.
It clearly isn't going to be easy for Newcastle to acquire the services of Curtis, who is currently plying his trade at St Patrick's Athletic, but beating Premier League rivals to his signature would be a real coup.
|
Sam Curtis international caps |
Total |
|---|---|
|
Republic of Ireland Under-21s |
2 |
|
Republic of Ireland Under-19s |
7 |
|
Republic of Ireland Under-18s |
5 |
|
Republic of Ireland Under-17s |
4 |
|
Republic of Ireland Under-15s |
10 |
For all their current injury struggles and dip in form, the Magpies still have a huge amount of appeal at the moment, with the club heading in the right direction overall. The hope is that this could sway Curtis' thinking, even though some of the other teams mentioned are similarly world-renowned.
Despite only being 17 years of age, Curtis' stats speak volumes about the progress he is making, with two caps already coming his way for the Republic of Ireland's Under-21s. That says a lot about his potential, and he could come in and learn from the likes of Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento at right-back.