For the third season in a row, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are firmly in the race to fight for the Premier League title after two near misses in the two seasons prior.

However, on both occasions, Manchester City have pipped them to victory, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking to make it seven titles in the last eight seasons come the end of May.

Liverpool have been the only side since the 2017/18 campaign to dethrone City, with Arteta hoping to finally get one over on his former employers this term and make it third time lucky.

His side have been set up for success in recent years after their excellent recruitment in the transfer market, signing numerous talents who have propelled them to the top end of England’s top division.

However, one window brought about real excitement amongst the fanbase after the additions of multiple players with experience of winning the Premier League.

Arsenal’s summer transfer window in 2022

In what was the club’s first real push to compete with Guardiola’s side, the hierarchy splashed the cash to give Arteta the best chance of having bragging rights over his compatriot.

The additions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City obviously brought excitement amongst supporters after their time at the Etihad, which saw the duo each win four league titles during their respective times in Manchester.

The aforementioned pairing arrived with the knowledge of what it takes to get over the line and secure the title, potentially helping the Gunners end their long wait for a Premier League crown.

Within the same window, the club made a move for American shot-stopper Matt Turner from MLS side New England Revolution, moving to the Emirates as backup to Aaron Ramsdale after Bernd Leno left to join Fulham.

Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Alexandre Lacazette all departed the club as Arteta looked to trim down his squad whilst adding quality in certain areas and bolstering their top four ambitions.

The 42-year-old also signed one other player, but his time in North London certainly hasn’t gone to plan, looking to be a waste of money up until now.

Fabio Vieira’s market value in 2024

Midfielder Fabio Vieira joined the Gunners from Portuguese side Porto during the summer of 2022, with his real expectations placed on his shoulders given his huge £34m transfer.

The 24-year-old, who’s previously been dubbed as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, enjoyed a relatively impressive first campaign in North London, scoring two and assisting six in his 33 appearances – which included a wonder strike on his debut against Brentford.

However, his game time has significantly decreased since his debut campaign, making just 16 appearances last time around, starting just twice all season in the Premier League.

As a result, Vieira has been shipped out on loan to Porto, the side from which he joined, in a bid to resurrect his confidence and hopefully return him to the levels he demonstrated before his big-money transfer.

Should he fail to impress in his home country this season, the midfielder could see him out of Arteta’s plans, which could spell the end of his disappointing stint in North London.

Vieira has already seen his market value plummet as a result of his lack of minutes in the club’s first-team since his transfer, with Football Transfers now only valuing the 24-year-old at £7m – a drop of £27m in just two seasons.

It’s such a shame to see a player endure such a drop-off in a short space of time, but he simply hasn’t been able to replicate his performance levels from his first few months at the club – subsequently being unable to dislodge Martin Odegaard from the starting lineup.

As a result, Arteta will undoubtedly monitor his progress over the next couple of months, potentially having a huge decision to make and offloading the ace to avoid losing any more money on their sizeable investment.

Martin Keown thought Arsenal ace was like Henry, then he left on a free

The star was very unfortunate during his time at Arsenal.

By
Ethan Lamb

Oct 18, 2024

Tamim revealed another X-ray showed a fracture of the thumb still remained

Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2021

A thumb injury has ruled Tamim Iqbal out of Bangladesh’s two-match Test series against Pakistan starting later this month. An X-ray report on Sunday revealed that he had a fracture on his left thumb, which he had earlier injured during an Everest Premier League match in Kathmandu last month.Tamim completed rehabilitation work on the thumb in the last four weeks, even starting to bat against fast bowling recently at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. He was planning to appear for Chattogram Division in the National Cricket League in the fifth round that began today. But the continued swelling and pain prompted a second look, which showed that a fracture remained.”The fracture had almost healed but my thumb remained swollen,” Tamim said. “So we wanted to have another X-ray, which revealed that there was a fracture. Probably there were two, but it didn’t come out in the first scan. The finger has gone back into the split. I can’t move it. The whole process has to start again.”Tamim last played for Bangladesh in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in July before a knee injury kept him out of Bangladesh’s build-up for the T20 World Cup. He eventually skipped the tournament to give the other openers a fair chance.Bangladesh will play three T20Is against Pakistan in Dhaka starting this Friday, before the two-match Test series beginning in Chattogram on November 26. The second Test in Dhaka is from December 4. This is Bangladesh’s first series in the World Test Championship’s second cycle.Tamim will now prepare himself for Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand where they will play two Tests in January. Bangladesh’s next ODIs, where Tamim is the captain, are against Afghanistan in February next year.

Newcastle United entered the international break winless in their last three Premier League games, with Eddie Howe cursing his side’s luck when drawing 0-0 last time out away at Everton.

The story of the game could have been different if Anthony Gordon managed to hold his nerve from the penalty spot against his former club, but a chorus of jeers from the Toffees faithful got the better of the Magpies star in the end, as Jordan Pickford successfully saved his weak spot-kick.

Gordon won’t want this to be his undoing though, after the Newcastle number ten had enjoyed a successful personal season to date away from that blunder at Goodison Park.

Gordon's form for Newcastle

Prior to this stalemate on the road, Gordon had fired home his side’s only goal of the game against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, taking his account for the campaign to two strikes.

Eyebrows were somewhat raised when the homegrown Toffees product did walk away from home comforts on Merseyside in 2023, with the Magpies splashing out a hefty £45m but he is arguably justifying that extortionate amount now.

In total, the England international has 15 goals and 11 assists lining up for Howe’s men, with 23 of those goal contributions coming last campaign as the left winger sparked into life for his new employers.

Gordon will be striving to match those numbers – or even better them – across this season to come, pushing the disappointment of that penalty miss to the back of his mind in the process.

But, although he has started this campaign in a promising manner away from the clash at Everton, there is a former Magpies dud who is currently outperforming him who Newcastle fans would have definitely forgotten about.

How Florian Thauvin is performing in 2024

Away from striking gold with the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle have been prone to a slip-up when buying from France in the past and Florian Thauvin is certainly one for the dud category when he arrived from Olympique de Marseille in 2015.

Thauvin cost £15m to get in through the door, which ended up being a colossal waste of money, with the French ace making only 16 appearances for the Magpies in total across one forgettable season, with just one goal to show for his efforts on top of three assists.

Now, however, Thauvin has managed to find a black and white strip that’s a more comfortable fit, with three goals and one assist picked up from six games in Serie A action this season to date for Udinese.

Games played

6

7

Goals scored

3

2

Assists

1

0

Shots*

1.7

1.3

Scoring frequency

152 mins

301 mins

Goal conversion

30%

22%

The Frenchman even wears the captain’s armband now for his Italian employers, with the 31-year-old able to put his nightmare stint in England way behind him now without hesitation, as he keeps being a consistent hero for Giampaolo Pozzo’s outfit instead.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

He even has a further one goal and two assists in cup action for Udinese throughout 2024/25, with his electric form certainly seeing him live up to the “magnificent” billing once handed out to him by football journalist Josh Bunting when Thauvin initially bounced back from his dire Magpies stint playing for Marseille again.

Thauvin could arguably be useful to Howe’s troops now if he was theoretically back at St James’ Park, considering the Magpies boss doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of options to call upon down the right wing, with Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron his main two choices amidst a lack of squad depth.

Howe will at least be thankful that he has Gordon at his disposal on the opposite flank, as the one-time Toffees youngster aims to continue nailing down a starting spot for Newcastle this campaign, and perhaps he could better his goal and assist tally for last season in the process.

Almiron upgrade: Newcastle lead race for "unplayable" ex-Sunderland star

This would complete Eddie Howe’s side’s frontline.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 10, 2024

Cricket Ireland high-performance director says Ford wanted to put “his mental health, physical health and family first at this time”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021Graham Ford has stepped down as head coach of the Ireland men’s team with immediate effect, with Richard Holdsworth, high-performance director for Cricket Ireland, saying that dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic “has taken its toll and he [Ford] needs a break from the game”.Ireland are getting ready to tour USA in December and then the West Indies in January next year, and Cricket Ireland said in a statement: “Interim coaching plans will be put in place over the coming weeks, while a longer-term plan is developed, which will take into account any recommendations from the current T20 World Cup Review underway.”Related

Andy Balbirnie: 'We're a Test member but at the moment it only really feels like a name'

Campher on emulating Malinga: 'Maybe it will set in a bit later'

Graham Ford: 'Desperate to go through to the next phase'

T20 WC exit prompts 'serious questions' of Ireland operations

In the meantime, Ford will be on leave as he observes his contractual notice period that runs until mid-December.”The last four years have been very special for me – I have enjoyed many happy days with a cricket squad made up of very special people,” Ford said. “I have also enjoyed watching club cricket and experiencing the passion and club loyalty of many fine cricketing people.”When compared with the other ICC Full Member nations, Cricket Ireland has faced many handicaps and challenges. Despite this, on several occasions the team has competed impressively with some of the top teams in world cricket and it has been a privilege for me to experience first-hand the character and togetherness of the Irish players.”However, over a period of time these challenges and handicaps have taken their toll on me. After much consideration and discussion with my family, I realise that this is the right time for me to step away from Cricket Ireland. I’d like to end by thanking all the players and the support staff for their impressive attitudes and loyal support during the four years and I look forward to watching them achieve big things in the future.”Ford, a South African national, was appointed Ireland head coach in late 2017, initially on a three-year contract that was extended by three years in 2019. He oversaw a transitional phase with the team, that included their Test debut in 2018 and, more recently, the disappointing run at the T20 World Cup.During Ford’s tenure as head coach, Ireland played 101 international matches – 51 T20Is, 47 ODIs, and three Tests. He had also provided insights for the restructuring of the men’s inter-provincial set-up, and the regional performance coaching hubs.Ireland made their appearance as a Test nation during Ford’s tenure•Getty ImagesIreland captain Andy Balbirnie thanked Ford for his “consistent positivity”. “Graham has been one of the best coaches I have ever worked with, and I feel very fortunate that I got to spend four years working with him, not just for the playing development side of my game, but for his incredible support during my captaincy to date,” Balbirnie said. “We have had our challenges over the last number of years as a squad, but his consistent positivity has been infectious and his determination to improve the skills of everyone in the squad has brought some of our young cricketers on leaps and bounds…”Holdsworth said he respected Ford’s decision to put “his mental health, physical health and family first at this time”.”It is a sad day to see Graham bid farewell to Cricket Ireland – he is a truly world-class coach who has incredible respect within the game, both for his achievements on the field and his work in developing players off the field,” Holdsworth said. “It would be sugar-coating the occasion to not acknowledge the challenges that Graham has faced – in many respects, unprecedented challenges. The physical and mental impact of the pandemic has been much talked about regarding players, but the coaches and support staff are equally impacted by circumstances…Graham has been a stoic coach, mentor and support for a squad of players dealing with extremely demanding circumstances. And, as he admits himself, it has taken its toll and he needs a break from the game.”He has barely taken a day off voluntarily in his four years here, such is his commitment, and probably hasn’t had a sustained break from the game for well over two decades. The pace, relentlessness and increasing pressures of international cricket – compounded by the impact of the pandemic – are such that we fully understand and appreciate Graham’s position.”

Sheffield Wednesday fans must have been fearing another defeat last night when Norwich City travelled to South Yorkshire, after a humiliating 6-2 loss at the hands of Watford in the Championship had seriously soured the mood at Hillsborough last time out.

But, the Owls bounced back with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Canaries instead of succumbing to another loss in the league, as Johannes Hoff Thorup’s away side offered very little in attempting to get anything out of the contest.

Hit by a worrying injury list, Norwich crumbled on the road, as Danny Rohl’s men eventually strolled to a much-needed three points with Josh Windass standing out in particular for the rejuvenated hosts.

Windass' performance in numbers

Windass got his team up and running with the opening strike of the contest, with the entertaining 30-year-old latching onto a Marvin Johnson through ball early into the first half to then power home an effort past a shaky George Long for 1-0.

Away from that crucial contribution, the Wednesday number 11 did fade in and out of the game with only 30 touches coming his way from the 66 minutes he was present for on the Hillsborough turf, but he would still manage to notch up a key pass for his efforts alongside winning two ground duels.

That strike is already Windass’ fourth goal of the Championship season for the inconsistent Owls, who know they can rely on their attacking midfield ace to come up trumps when they need a moment of magic, with six goals and two assists picked up last season in league action as Rohl’s men managed to beat the drop.

Rohl and Co will hope wins like these against Norwich can go far in steering them away from those dreaded relegation spaces again, with other midfielders on the night away from just Windass also impressing those watching on, especially Shea Charles who assisted the game-clinching second goal of the clash when Dominic Iorfa headed home the Southampton loanee’s delivery.

Charles' performance in numbers

The Northern Ireland international has been a steady performer for his new side ever since putting pen to paper on a loan switch to move to South Yorkshire in the summer, with the 21-year-old starting 11 games for Wednesday in the league to date.

This showing against a beleaguered Norwich side is arguably his most impressive, away from just picking up the assist for Iorfa’s decisive header.

The Owls’ number 44 was calm and controlled on the ball whilst also showing the necessary grit to protect his side’s clean sheet in the 2-0 victory.

Charles’ performance in numbers

Stat

Charles

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

48

Accurate passes

31/33 (94%)

Key passes

4

Big chances created

1

Tackles

2

Total duels won

4/7

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, it was a well-rounded display from the central midfielder, with only two passes misplaced all match seeing him end the game with a 94% pass accuracy in-tact, whilst also managing to win two tackles and four duels as a forceful presence in the middle of the park.

Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller would rightly praise Charles’ performance after the game, gifting the 21-year-old a high 8/10 rating post-match and singling out the fact that the Southampton loanee ‘never stopped running’ amongst other glowing words.

Rohl will hope his team has turned a corner ahead of the Steel City Derby that awaits them in the next round of second-tier fixtures, with Bramall Lane no doubt bouncing this coming Sunday as the Owls aim to burst the Blades bubble with back-to-back wins.

Related Sheffield Wednesday in new contract talks with "very interesting" 19 y/o

He has been praised by manager Danny Rohl.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Nov 1, 2024

Manchester United secured their first victory of the Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win against Greek side PAOK at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

A double from winger Amad Diallo secured the win for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, as the Dutchman claimed his second victory in temporary charge after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal last week.

The win takes the Red Devils up to 15th in the league phase, three points off an automatic qualification place, despite remaining unbeaten in the first four outings of the competition.

It’s safe to say that Diallo took the opportunity with both hands, staking his claim for a regular starting role under new boss Ruben Amorim, when the Portuguese takes over on the 11th of November.

He wasn’t the only player, with numerous first-team members impressing during the victory, helping Van Nistelrooy kickstart the European campaign.

United’s star performers against PAOK

Captain Bruno Fernandes produced another impressive display for United, registering an assist for one of the goals during the victory – whilst also registering numerous eye-catching figures.

The 30-year-old completed 43 passes at a completion rate of 80%, creating seven key passes for his teammates as he helped the Red Devils end their European drought without a win.

Fernandes also completed four crosses – the most of any player on either side – often looking as the most likely to create opportunities in attacking areas.

Full-back Noussair Mazraoui once again impressed in at right-back, forcing Diogo Dalot to continue featuring in a slightly unnatural left-sided role.

The Moroccan featured for the entirety of the contest, winning five of the six ground duels that he entered – completing 93% of the passes he attempted during the victory.

In what was a disappointing transfer window over the summer, Mazraoui has proven to be one of the best of a poor bunch of additions – looking to be worth every penny of the £17.2m transfer fee the hierarchy paid for his signature.

The same can’t be said for one signing, who time and time again has proven that he’s not been worth the big money splashed out for his services.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The man who dropped a 4/10 against PAOK

Striker Rasmus Hojlund cost the Red Devils £72m in August last year, but up to now he’s only managed to notch a total of 18 goals since his arrival.

He’s often looked sluggish and off the pace, even being ineffective at the top end of the pitch – looking like a talent well below the confidence levels required of a striker who cost such a hefty sum of money.

Last night was no different for the 21-year-old, struggling to make any form of impact on the meeting, only managing a total of 16 touches – with goalkeeper Andre Onana having far more with his total of 51.

Hojlund also only completed four of his six attempted passes, losing possession seven times out of his 16 touches – which saw him lose the ball 44% of the time he had control of it.

Minutes played

89

Touches

16

Passes completed

4/6 (76%)

Possession lost

7x

Times caught offside

1

Fouls committed

1

Duels won

4/9 (44%)

He was also caught offside once, conceding a foul, and winning less than 50% of the duels he entered during the win for Van Nistelrooy’s men at Old Trafford.

As a result of his dismal display, the striker was handed a 4/10 match rating by Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst – receiving the joint-lowest rating of any player in the squad.

United host Leicester City on Sunday afternoon looking to claim just their fourth league win of the campaign, but striker Hojlund should be nowhere near the starting lineup given his terrible showing last night.

The Dutchman could look to bring in Marcus Rashford and utilise him as a central striker, allowing the Englishman to feature in a more natural role – potentially allowing him to regain his confidence and start finding the back of the net once again.

Man Utd want "unreal" signing who could be Ronaldo 2.0 for Amorim

Manchester United are already looking to bolster the attack for new boss Ruben Amorim.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 7, 2024

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن تحرك جديد من جانب المدير الفني لفريق باير ليفركوزن، تشابي ألونسو، مع ارتباطه بإمكانية تولي مسؤولية تدريب ريال مدريد الموسم المقبل.

وسبق أن ارتبط تشابي ألونسو أكثر من مرة بإمكانية مغادرة باير ليفركوزن والانتقال إلى ريال مدريد لتدريب الملكي.

وظهرت تقارير صحفية مؤخرًا تفيد إمكانية استعانة ريال مدريد بـ تشابي ألونسو، حال فشل المدرب الحالي كارلو أنشيلوتي في قيادة الفريق إلى تحقيق لقب الدوري الإسباني أو دوري أبطال أوروبا هذا الموسم.

ولكن يبدو أن تشابي ألونسو يمتلك اتجاهًا آخر، حسبما ذكرت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية نقلًا عن “بيلد” الألمانية.

وأوضحت أن تشابي ألونسو يقترب من البقاء مع باير ليفركوزن لموسم آخر، حيث يبحث عن منزل في مدينة دوسلدورف، حيث يعيش بالفعل هناك في مبني سكني مع زوجته وثلاثة أطفال في سن المدرسة، ولكن يبحث عن منزل أكبر الآن.

اقرأ أيضًا | “إشارة بالقتل وحركة قبيحة”.. أتلتيكو مدريد يرد على تحقيق يويفا بشأن مباراة ريال مدريد

وأفادت أنه بناءً على ذلك، فإن ألونسو سيظل في منصبه كمدرب لـ ليفركوزن لموسم قادم، خاصة وأن النادي سعيد به، ويبدو أن المدرب لديه نفس الشعور تجاه الفريق الألماني.

وسبق أن ذكرت الصحافة الألمانية أن شهر مارس سيكون حاسمًا بالنسبة لمستقبل ألونسو حيث سيتعين عليه اتخاذ قراره، ويبدو أنه اتخذ بالفعل قرار البقاء.

من جهة أخرى، يمتلك أنشيلوتي عقدًا ساريًا مع ريال مدريد حتى يونيو 2026، ولكن استمراره مع بطل أوروبا حتى نهاية عقده ليس مضمونًا.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has explained that the club are being "really careful" with Christian Eriksen over his "heart situation".

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Man Utd taking care over EriksenDane missed United's clash with SpursUnited travel to Goodison Park next weekendFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite being expected to come into the starting line-up, Eriksen was ruled out of Sunday's game against Spurs through illness. With a depleted squad and eight academy players making up the most of the bench, United would go on to lose 1-0 and slip to 15th in the table. After the game, Amorim explained that they could not take a risk on the midfielder's health.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT AMORIM SAID

Explaining the Dane's absence, Amorim said: "Chris [Eriksen] has the heart situation and we have to be really careful with that – it’s nothing about the heart! I’m just saying the heart rate has to be controlled because he has a fever."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Eriksen collapsed on the pitch in the European Championships in 2021 against Finland and has been playing with a heart-starting device since. He returned to the Premier League with Brentford and his performances were good enough to persuade United to take a chance on him as a free agent. While Eriksen has played without trouble at Old Trafford, the club do not want to risk his health when he is not well.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ERIKSEN?

Eriksen's illness is not thought to be anything major and he will likely return to action for United in their next Premier League game against Everton. The club have fallen to 15th in the table and are below the Toffees ahead of the game at Goodison Park. The fixture also sees ex-United boss David Moyes aiming to take yet more points from the Red Devils.

Pakistan made light work of what might have seemed a tricky target on Monday evening, getting to 203 for the loss of just the openers. As in the first innings, Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique did the bulk of the work, backing up that 146-run first-innings partnership with a 151-run stand. Abid was unfortunate not to get two hundreds in a Test when Taijul Islam had him trapped in front nine short of the three-figure mark, but by then Pakistan needed just 22 to win, which Babar Azam and Azhar Ali knocked off with ease.Pakistan began the day at 109 for no wicket, but the chase didn’t seem like the cakewalk that score might imply. In the first innings, Pakistan lost nine wickets for 111 runs, so Bangladesh would have been aware early wickets up top could test the middle order. Abid and Shafique, though, ensured they didn’t make the mistakes of day three and refused to let Bangladesh get an early wicket, seeing off the first few overs cautiously before going after them.It was the 39th over, with Taijul bowling to Abid, that Pakistan made their move. The batter skipped down the wicket to whip Bangladesh’s best bowler through midwicket, before dispatching a long hop. He went on to make it three in three with a punch through cover, and Pakistan were on their way.Shafique was quieter but picked up a couple of boundaries to keep the runs ticking over. Just after the 150-run partnership was brought up, he missed a sweep that was set to flick off stump, bringing down the curtain on Pakistan’s opening partnership and a dream debut for the 22-year-old.Abid continued to press on, closing in on his second hundred of the Test. The runs by now were flowing freely, and the jeopardy had been sucked out of the game. But Taijul ensured he’d have the last laugh over Abid once more, capping a superb individual fight by the Bangladesh left-arm orthodox bowler. Bangladesh were exceptionally generous in their send-off to him, much as Pakistan had been with Liton Das. Between two sides that have on occasion seen frosty relationships, this was a game played amid much warmth in the late November sunshine.By now, the target itself was a formality. Taijul had the chance to pick up the prized wicket of Babar if he’d clung on to a sharp return catch, but that was just about the last moment of excitement Bangladesh had in this Test. The badly out-of-form Azhar used this time to try and get some runs under his belt. Before the chase was out, he was even reverse sweeping behind point for four, finishing off with a swipe behind fine leg to complete the victory.Pakistan take a 1-0 lead into the series, and just as importantly, rise up to second in the World Test Championship table in a cycle where they have more than a decent chance of staying around the top two.