Tottenham have now turned their attentions to a new signing in January as they look to fix a problem area for manager Ange Postecoglou in a bid to deliver silverware to north London.

Tottenham continue inconsistent start to the season

Following their 4-0 statement win over Manchester City, Spurs have been held to two draws in six days. Conceding in stoppage time to Roma, they were then held to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League by Fulham, who played the final minutes of the game with 10 men.

After the game, Postecoglou was quick to point out the problems that faced the Lilywhites as their mixed form continued, claiming that his second choice defenders would naturally see a drop off in performance.

“I’ve seen so much violin-playing over [other teams having] one centre-back out, but we’re just supposed to get on with it,” Postecoglou told reporters.

“Benny and Radu have been outstanding throughout this spell. I mean there aren’t too many teams in the league who have both their centre-backs out.

“I love the characters they’re showing. I love the fact that they’re not seeking excuses or wanting me to make allowances for it. But at some point, I need to also acknowledge the massive effort that all these guys are putting in. Radu and Ben were outstanding again today.”

It is not the first time that Spurs have found themselves in this position in Postecoglou’s reign, with both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven missing chunks of last season too but Spurs opting not to add another defender to their ranks over the summer.

Now just a point ahead of Manchester United, Spurs are turning their attentions to the January transfer window, and have reportedly identified a potential solution to their defensive issues.

Tottenham eyeing £25m signing

That comes according to reliable journalist Mike McGrath, who reports that Tottenham are one of as many as seven sides keeping tabs on Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov ahead of a potential January swoop.

The Uzbek defender, who joined Lens in 2023 for just €100,000, has quickly risen through the ranks to become a key man for Will Still’s side, and has drawn no shortage of praise in the process.

Tottenham keen on 56-Premier League goal player in potential free transfer

Ange Postecoglou is keen to bolster his attacking options.

3

By
Dominic Lund

Dec 2, 2024

Taking to X, Football Analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him an “absolute unit” and a “warrior” who “just loves to defend”, adding that he has been “really impressed” by his performances so far this season.

So have Tottenham, according to the report, with the Lilywhites and Newcastle United both “chasing” the 20-year-old, who is set to “fetch more than £25 million in the current market”, a fee that would put him among Lens’ biggest ever sales.

Spurs have made a point of signing younger talent in recent transfer windows, with both Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert being examples of that in the most recent summer window. In Khusanov, they could have found another future star to add to Postecoglou’s ranks, while he may well come in useful across the second half of the season thanks to his ability to play on either side of defence, which could allow the Spurs boss to rotate his first choice options more regularly.

MatériaMais Notícias

Baixa no Internacional nos últimos dias, o meia D’Alessandro foi a grande novidade no treino realizado no CT Parque Gigante nesta quinta-feira.

RelacionadasInternacionalDemitido do Internacional, Paulo Bracks quebra o silêncio em postagem na rede socialInternacional31/03/2022Fora de CampoApós desentendimentos internos, Ronaldo Giovanelli é demitido da Rádio TransaméricaFora de Campo31/03/2022CearáVai lotar! Torcida do Ceará compra mais de 20 mil entradas para estreia na Sul-AmericanaCeará31/03/2022

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE A DO BRASILEIRÃO

Antes com dor no tornozelo, o jogador apareceu no gramado e correu em volta do campo durante a atividade.

A expectativa é que ele seja reintegrado ao elenco na sexta-feira e fique liberado para a estreia do Internacional na Copa Sul-Americana, diante do 9 de Octubre.

Desfalques

Se D’Alessandro está perto do retorno, o técnico Alexander Medina não conta com o lateral Moisés e o atacante David, lesionados. O zagueiro Victor Cuesta também foi baixa no treino. Ele apresentou um quadro de gastroenterite.

England kept at bay by star allrounder as South Africa recover from 45 for 4 to 284 all out

Valkerie Baynes27-Jun-2022England leaned on youth, South Africa on experience – of sorts – as Marizanne Kapp’s brilliant century rescued her side from near oblivion on an enthralling first day of their Test in Taunton.Kapp, who with Lizelle Lee represents the sum total of their team’s Test experience having both played in South Africa’s last one which ended in an innings defeat to India in 2014, played the flawless innings the tourists desperately needed to reach 284 by the time they were bowled out, ending the day’s play.Kapp came in with her side 45 for 4 after England’s two international debutants, Issy Wong and Lauren Bell, combined with the new, old hands of the side, Kate Cross and Nat Sciver, to reduce them to rubble in England’s first Test in 11 since 2008 without either of their retired seamers Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole.Kapp shared a 72-run stand with Anneke Bosch before Bosch gifted her wicket to left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclesteone, a veteran at just 23 years of age, cutting straight to backward point for 30. But it was a resolute stand with Sinalo Jafta, only worth 25 but during which Jafta faced 39 deliveries for her 4 runs which saw Kapp to her ton. Another stand worth 49 for the ninth wicket with Tumi Sekhukhune took Kapp to 150, making her the first woman since Mithali Raj in 2002 to reach the milestone.In the meantime, England took the second new ball as soon as it became available after 80 overs and Wong drew the first false shot of Kapp’s innings when she was beaten attempting to defend one on a length that jagged away from her.It’s facetious to suggest Kapp’s experience amounts to one previous Test. She has also played 210 white-ball games for her country and she exuded calm and authority to manoeuvre her side to a first-innings total that seemed incredibly unlikely earlier.She cruised to her fifty from 80 balls, including eight fours, and raised her century with the first of three fours in one Cross over, slashed over the slips cordon before carving the next through backward point and then edging over keeper Amy Jones to take her past the previous highest Test score for a South African woman.Kapp was prolific on the off side, scoring 100 of her first 135 runs in that area, though by the time she reached 150 she had scored 45 runs on the leg side as she continued to manipulate the field. It took a spectacular catch from Tammy Beaumont, launching herself to her right at mid-off to pull the ball down after Kapp had tried to flay Bell over the infield, to end her stay.”It looked like she’s been playing Test cricket for years,” Cross said of Kapp after she had bowled Nonkululeko Mlaba to claim her fourth wicket of the innings.Cross had made the initial breakthrough for England in the fifth over when she dismissed Andrie Steyn, who shouldered arms and left her off stump exposed to a line Cross had been probing throughout her opening spell.Wong, the 20-year-old quick promoted from her position as travelling reserve on Saturday to replace Emily Arlott, who is still recovering from the after-effects of Covid, was selected ahead of Freya Davies, who has played 24 limited-overs internationals but is yet to play a Test.Having been presented with her cap by Brunt, who travelled with the squad to continue her preparation for the white-ball portion of this multi-format series, Wong, struck with just her 12th delivery in international cricket. She lured the dangerous opener Laura Wolvaardt into an attempted cover drive with one that nipped back off the seam and shot through the gate to clatter into middle and off.It didn’t take long for Lauren Bell to pick up her first Test wicket for England•PA Images/GettyLara Goodall fell lbw to Sciver after England reviewed umpire Sue Redfern’s original not-out decision, with the DRS showing the ball right on target to hit middle stump.Bell returned after a solid four-over opening spell and secured her maiden wicket with her fourth ball back, rapping Lee on the pad with a fuller ball which struck seemingly just in line with off stump. Lee reviewed but her dismissal was upheld on umpire’s call on impact, meaning she departed for an eight-ball duck.Wong could have had a second in the final over before lunch when Sune Luus, the South Africa captain, split Sophie Ecclestone and Cross at second and third slip, the latter appearing to get a finger to the ball before it raced away for four. But when Cross removed Luus in the second over after lunch, with Sciver taking a sharp catch at third slip, South Africa were still struggling at 89 for 5.From there, Kapp set about her wonderful rebuilding effort with Bosch, then Nadine de Klerk, who was caught behind of another England Test debutant, Alice Davidson-Richards, a 28-year-old batting allrounder who provides another seam bowling option but who hasn’t played for her country since six white-ball games in 2018.It took a catch rivaling Beaumont’s effort which ended Kapp’s knock to remove Jafta and it was Wong who provided it, back-pedalling in the covers and flinging her right hand high and almost behind her to pluck a leading edge off Cross from thin air, holding on tightly as she tumbled to the ground.Cross ended with 4 for 63 from 17.4 overs to be the pick of the England bowlers who all ended the day satisfied with what they had achieved and having set up an intriguing second day’s play.

Declan Rice hailed Erling Haaland for taking Myles Lewis-Skelly's celebration in good spirits after the Arsenal youngster faced criticism.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

Rice praised HaalandDefended Lewis-Skelly's gestureArsenal face Fulham on TuesdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Lewis-Skelly imitated Manchester City star Haaland's celebration, sitting in a meditation pose after scoring his first-ever goal in professional football, in the Gunners' 5-1 win over the champions in a Premier League clash in February. After the game, the youngster faced a lot of backlash from pundits across the world, with some of them advising him to remain grounded.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Now, Lewis-Skelly's Arsenal and England team-mate Rice came to his defence as the midfielder claimed that the youngster did not mean to insult Haaland. He also praised the Norwegian forward, for taking it in good spirits.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Speaking to , Rice said: "Yeah, look. I think people went a bit over the top with it in terms of what they were saying about it. I know Erling just like, took it on the chin. It's football at the end of the day. It's a goal, it's a celebration. If you don't celebrate when you score a goal, what's the point of obviously playing football?

"I've not celebrated before because I played for previous clubs and what not, but for him to score his first goal and obviously do that. I know he has a lot of respect for Haaland. It wasn't out of a mean gesture. It was just, you know, in the moment."

Lewis-Skelly also opened up on the much talked about celebration as he added: "I was kind of in the flow. I wasn't really thinking. And then just, yeah just everything takes care of itself really."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The North London side, who are trailing league leaders Liverpool by 12 points, are all set to host Fulham in a must-win Premier League encounter on Tuesday.

Glasgow Rangers secured their first Old Firm victory in 18 months earlier this week with a stunning 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox, but it will count for nothing if they cannot secure another three points today.

Philippe Clement takes his side to Edinburgh to face a resurgent Hibs side who have defeated both Aberdeen and Hearts in recent weeks.

With such a short turnaround between matches, the supporters can expect a few changes to the starting XI and this might see Hamza Igamane drop to the bench for the clash against the Easter Road side.

Why Hamza Igamane could be dropped to the bench

The young centre-forward was chosen ahead of Danilo and Cyriel Dessers to start against Celtic, and he delivered a mature performance.

He may not have gotten on the scoresheet, but Igamane was full of running, constantly dragging opposition defenders out of space, allowing others behind him to push into the final third and create chances.

Despite this, he also managed to lose the ball ten times while winning just one of the seven ground duels he contested, and it looked like he was beginning to run out of steam towards the end of the game.

With Clement desperate to secure all three points against Hibs, perhaps a change in the final third could do the team the world of good.

Danilo emerged off the bench to score the third goal against Celtic on Thursday and the clash at Easter Road could be the perfect opportunity to unleash him from the start.

The Rangers player who could replace Igamane

The Brazilian has seen his game time managed since making a return to the squad following his serious knee injury.

Despite this, he has made a total of 14 appearances in all competitions this term, scoring seven goals and grabbing two assists, which works out as a goal contribution every 1.5 matches.

Matches (starts)

10 (4)

Goals

5

Shots per game

3

Scoring frequency

A goal every 91 minutes

Big chances created

4

Successful dribbles per game

0.8 (73% success rate)

On this evidence, the former Feyenoord striker has offered plenty in the final third, with two goals in recent weeks coming against Celtic.

Journalist Jonny McFarlane praised the centre-forward following the Old Firm victory, saying: “Danilo currently has a goal contribution every 68.8 minutes. He scores every 88.5 minutes. If he stays fit, the numbers suggest he will be a major player for Rangers.”

There is certainly no denying his ability, but it looked as though injuries had taken their toll on the player, who missed 41 games for the Ibrox side last term.

With a point to prove and two Old Firms since mid-December, unleashing Danilo against Hibs could be the most logical thing Clement can do, especially with Igamane likely feeling the effects of the previous few weeks.

If so, the former Ajax star could be the difference in the final third for Rangers. With the likes of Ianis Hagi, Vaclav Cerny and Nedim Bajrami all operating behind him, the 25-year-old won’t be short of chances, that’s for sure.

A repeat of the Celtic display would be wonderful, but sealing three points is the priority for the Belgian this afternoon.

Rangers can repeat their Prso masterclass in deal for "impressive" gem

Rangers are showing interest in a young Croatian midfielder ahead of making a potential move…

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 3, 2025

Shane Snater and Chris Pringle’s son Tim both named in provisional 18-man squad

Matt Roller10-Jun-2022

Tom Cooper, the veteran Australian batter, is set to play his first ODI in nine years next week after being included in the Netherlands squad to play England in three World Cup Super League ODIs in Amstelveen.Cooper, 35, has made 41 appearances for the Netherlands across ODI and T20I cricket and was part of their squads for the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2014 and 2016 World T20s, but has not been involved in the set-up since the most recent of those tournaments.He was cut from South Australia’s contract list after the 2020-21 season and played seven games for Brisbane Heat with limited success in the 2021-22 Big Bash League, but his return is a boost to a young squad that has seen Ryan ten Doeschate, Stephan Myburgh and Tom’s brother Ben retire over the last nine months.The majority of the Netherlands’ county-contracted players are unavailable due to a clash with the T20 Blast. Shane Snater (Essex) and Fred Klaassen (Kent) are the two county-contracted players named in the squad, though may only be available for part of the series.Related

Pieter Seelaar admits to 'frustrations' as key Netherlands players put county over country

Eoin Morgan: 'I can still contribute to a World Cup win'

Rare sighting for forgotten format as England-Netherlands make history in Amstelveen

Samiuddin: If ODIs feel irrelevant now, just wait till the next FTP cycle

Mayers, Brooks centuries set up 3-0 whitewash for West Indies

There is also a call-up for the uncapped Tim Pringle, a 19-year-old left-arm spinner who has played for New Zealand’s Under-19s. He is the son of Chris Pringle, the former New Zealand medium-pacer who also played for the Netherlands.”We are very pleased with the arrival of Tom Cooper, who brings with him a huge amount of experience,” Roland Lefebvre, the Netherlands’ high-performance manager, said. “In recent years, some important players of the Dutch national team have stopped. The availability of Dutch players employed by English counties is also limited.”The knowledge and experience, but also the mentoring role that Tom will have within the young Dutch national team, is of great value. Tom is available for the rest of the international fixtures.”Pieter Seelaar, who will captain the side, said: “After a very competitive series against the West Indies, we take on the reigning world champions England, taking a lot of positives from the matches against the West Indies into the upcoming series. In saying that, there are also areas we need to improve in order to be as competitive against England.”Tonny Staal is the only player to drop out of contention from the squad that played against West Indies earlier this month, losing 3-0 despite some competitive performances. The KNCB said that the 18-man squad would be trimmed to 15 at a later date.England named a strong 14-man squad earlier this month and are due to fly to Amsterdam on Tuesday morning ahead of the first ODI on Friday.Netherlands squad vs England: Pieter Seelaar (captain), Scott Edwards (wicketkeeper), Musa Ahmed, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Philippe Boissevain, Tom Cooper, Aryan Dutt, Clayton Floyd, Vivian Kingma, Fred Klaassen, Ryan Klein, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Tim Pringle, Vikramjit Singh, Shane SnaterFixtures: June 17 – 1st ODI, June 19 – 2nd ODI, June 22 – 3rd ODI (all fixtures at VRA, Amstelveen)

West Ham United have made a £25 million bid to sign a striker who they once tried to capture for ex-boss David Moyes, with Julen Lopetegui’s side now receiving a reply to their latest offer.

Tim Steidten eyeing new striker for West Ham in January

Hammers technical director Tim Steidten is tasked with leading their pursuit of a fresh centre-forward option next month.

West Ham could attempt January deal for "tailor-made" £60m striker

The Hammers need a prolific alternative to Danny Ings and Niclas Fullkrug.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 19, 2024

Michail Antonio is set to be out for the foreseeable future after his horrific car crash near the start of December, while summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has bagged just one goal in all competitions so far, owing to his persistent achilles tendon problem which kept him sidelined for nearly three months.

Lopetegui’s lack of faith in Danny Ings means that he’s been forced to turn towards winger Jarrod Bowen as a makeshift striker option, with the England international scoring West Ham’s ‘El Sackico’ winner against Wolves and ultimately helping to save his manager’s job.

However, West Ham don’t plan on sticking with Bowen in that role, and reports suggest they’re firmly on the hunt for a new striker. The club have been tipped to bring in a fresh option in that area for quite some time, with West Ham’s former scout Mick Brown telling Football Insider that they were after a striker as far back as October.

“When you think about clubs that need a striker, there are a few of those in the Premier League, and he’d be a worthwhile contender,” said Brown on West Ham’s previous links with Greece star Vangelis Pavlidis.

“I know clubs have been having close looks since before he moved to Benfica.

“From what I know the likes of West Ham are looking for a striker, and have looked at him before. I’ve also heard that that interest could still be there, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see their name in the running if he is to move again.”

Brighton star Evan Ferguson is a rumoured striker target for West Ham also, and it is believed they’ve reignited their interest in Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto.

Corinthians reply as West Ham make £25 million bid for Yuri Alberto

The Brazilian has just secured his country’s Golden Boot award after a phenomenal 2024 campaign, where he bagged 31 goals in all competitions, and he’s a long-time target for West Ham.

Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves confirmed that he rejected a £13 million offer from the east London club last year when Moyes was in the dugout, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying their luck yet again.

According to South American journalist Neto, via Sport Witness and Soutimao, West Ham have made another offer to Corinthians for Alberto.

They’ve apparently tabled a £25 million bid for his services, but president Alves has yet again rejected their advances. As a result, a transfer away for the 23-year-old looks more likely to be in the summer rather than January.

“I had said that he (Yuri Alberto) would be sold for £25m to West Ham, but that will no longer happen, because he will stay until the July 2025 window,” said Neto.

“Corinthians received an offer of €30m, but did not want to sell Yuri Alberto at that moment.”

Manchester City got back to winning ways on Sunday, beating Leicester City 2-0 at the King Power.

Savinho, belatedly, opened his account for the club, on target in his 24th appearance in Sky Blue, before Erling Braut Haaland made the points secure in the East Midlands.

This though was just a second victory in 14 matches for the Citizens, moving the four-in-a-row champions back up to fifth, with Pep Guardiola himself admitting his team are “at risk” of missing out on next season’s Champions League.

With Guardiola having signed a new two-year extension back in November, Man City will need to undergo a major rebuild in 2025, so who will be top of incoming sporting director Hugo Viana’s wishlist?

Erling Braut Haaland's recent concerning form

After arriving from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland ripped up all the record books during his first two seasons at Manchester City.

Thus, despite the fact he’s currently the second-top scorer in the Premier League, behind only Mohamed Salah, this is considered a down-season for the Norwegian centre-forward, with the table below outlining why.

Erling Braut Håland Premier League season-by-season comparison

Statistic

22/23

23/24

24/25

Appearances

35

31

19

Minutes

2,769

2,552

1,709

Goals

36

27

14

Goals per 90

1.17

0.95

0.74

Goals – xG

+7.6

-2.2

-0.8

Shots

116

113

77

Shots per 90

3.77

3.99

4.06

All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

During his debut campaign, Haaland broke the single-season scoring record, netting 36 times, while his goals – xG figure of +7.6 made him the second-most clinical forward in the division, although he’s currently performing below his expected goals figure, having more shots-per-90 than ever before this season, with these yielding fewer goals.

So, could a high-profile edition help get Haaland back to his best?

How Jamal Musiala would improve Manchester City

As reported by Caught Offside earlier this week, Manchester City are interested in signing Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala, with Real Madrid, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain also interested in securing his services.

The 21-year-old is being targeted as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, whose contract expires next summer, although the Bavarian giants are currently negotiating a new contract with Musiala, hoping to tie down their most prized asset until 2029.

That aforementioned report claims Musiala is valued at €180m (around £149m), which would more than treble Bayern Munich’s record departure, selling Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona in 2022 and Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United last summer, both for €50m (£42m).

Meantime, this would also smash Man City’s transfer record, the £100m splashed on Jack Grealish in 2021.

So, would Musiala be worth this heavy investment? If anyone is, it’s got to be him.

Germany’s all-time most-capped player Lothar Matthäus compared his compatriot to Lionel Messi, exclaiming his delight that the “best player from the young English generation” chose to represent die Mannschaft.

Back in September 2022, during a UEFA Nations League fixture at Wembley, Musiala was in the very unique position of being booed by opposition fans due to the fact that he was facing his former nation; he previously represented England at youth level.

For his national team of choice, Musiala has scored seven senior goals to date, on target against Scotland, Hungary and Denmark during Euro 2024.

For Bayern Munich meantime, the youngster has a more than impressive 14 goals to his name already this season, coming in just 22 outings, breaking the deadlock inside 30 seconds as the Bundesliga leaders smashed RB Leipzig 5-1 in the final fixture before the winterpause.

Having scored 16 and 12 goals across the previous two seasons, it’s easy to see why Martin Rogers of Fox Sports has described Musiala as one of the best players on the planet, so it would be quite the coup if Man City were able to secure his signature.

Indeed, it would also prove fruitful for that man Haaland, with the German superstar possessing that innate creative touch having laid on six ‘big chances’ in the Bundesliga this season. Such creativity is being lapped up by teammate Harry Kane at Bayern, with the England skipper – who has 11 joint goal contributions with Musiala – describing his club colleague as “fantastic to play with”.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

The playmaker’s desire to wreak havoc in the final third – as shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 4% in Europe for touches in the attacking penalty area – could help to drag City closer to the opposition goal, thus enhancing the opportunity for Haaland score.

Such a youthful combination could certainly be tantalising one at the Etihad, if this marquee deal can be pulled off.

Related Man City now eyeing move to sign Gundogan-like midfielder ahead of Arsenal

He’s one for the future…

Posts 1 ByTom Cunningham Dec 29, 2024

Arsenal’s title hopes suffered yet another setback on Saturday evening, held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion.

Mikel Arteta’s team started a Premier League game without any of Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard or Kai Havertz, three of last season’s four highest scorers, for the first time since the German joined the club, and one could tell, with the Gunners lacking attacking cutting edge throughout.

Last season, Arsenal scored 91 goals in the Premier League, their most in a single league campaign since the title-winning campaign of 1952/53, while they became the first team in English top-flight history to score 5+ times in six separate away league games in a calendar year during 2024, surpassing the previous record held by Sunderland in 1892 and Manchester City in 1937 of five.

However, the Gunners have scored either zero or one goal in nine of their 20 league matches so far this season, for context, run-away league leaders Liverpool have done so just twice, underlining that attacking reinforcements are required in January, especially considering their star man Saka is set to be sidelined for “more than two months”.

Arsenal chasing Bundesliga winger

With Saka out for some time and Ethan Nwaneri – who found the net against Brighton last Saturday – set to spend time on the sidelines with a muscular problem – it calls for recruits this winter.

Indeed, according to a report by Connor Humm for Football Insider, Arsenal have set their sights on Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman.

Valued at £28m by Football Transfers, the French winger is currently under contract in Munich until June 2027.

How Kingsley Coman compares to Bukayo Saka

Labelled as a “serial winner” by European football expert Zach Lowy on Twitter, with the winger winning the league title during the first 11 seasons of his senior career, two with Paris Saint-Germain, one with Juventus and eight at Bayern Munich, this could be a move that finally helps Arsenal get over the line themselves.

No player has won the title in four of Europe’s “big five” leagues, a fact Gooners will hope changes should Coman make the switch to North London this month.

Transfer Focus

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

Any wide-player Arsenal are able to sign in the January window will be tasked with replicating what Saka produces, which certainly will not be easy for anyone, but how do Coman and Saka compare?

Well, the England international blows him out of the water for goal involvements but there are some attributes where they are alike, with FBRef’s ‘similar players’ feature suggesting that Saka is one of the most similar players in Europe’s top five leagues to the Bayern forward.

Appearances

96

144

Minutes

5,488

11,085

Goals

21

49

Assists

13

41

Shots

169

323

Goals – xG

+5.1

+9.2

Shot-creating actions per 90

5.18

5.09

Goal-creating actions per 90

0.50

0.80

Successful take-on %

49.8%

41.5%

Progressive carries per 90

5.95

5.00

Progressive passes per 90

4.78

3.50

Since August 2022, Saka has played twice the amount of minutes Coman has, with the Englishman having accumulated more goals and assists, as well as a frighteningly impressive goals – xG figure of +9.2.

However, no one Arsenal will be able to get their hands on in January will be as good as Saka, but Coman’s numbers do suggest he could be a more than useful edition.

The Frenchman has been successful with almost half of his attempted take-ons during this large sample size, something Gabriel Martinelli has been widely criticised for not doing anymore, so Coman’s high-quality dribbling ability – which actually sees him register more progressive carries per 90 than Saka – could add an extra dimension to the Gunners’ attack.

He has also scored an impressive number of goals, bagging four this season in just 885 minutes on the field for Bayern, so while Coman is unlikely to be Arteta’s dream, long-term solution, he could be a much-needed edition this month.

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The incredible striker would supercharge Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 6, 2025

As the winter window approaches, Manchester United are reportedly refusing to rule out a January move to sign an instant upgrade on Luke Shaw and one who just stole the show in front of their scouts in the Champions League.

Man Utd transfer news

If the last few weeks have exposed anything under the new reign of Ruben Amorim, it’s just how much Manchester United desperately need reinforcements once again. Despite spending big last summer, the Red Devils are in need of another rebuild under a new manager and entirely new system, with Matthijs de Ligt and Andre Onana proving exactly why in an eventual 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in midweek.

Whilst the goalkeeper’s pass lacked pace, De Ligt was far from innocent in the error, with the Dutchman not exactly keen to receive such a pass despite Amorim’s clear instruction to play out from the back. With that said, the former Sporting Club boss will be desperate for January to arrive.

According to GiveMeSport, Manchester United are refusing to rule out a January move to sign Alvaro Fernandez after he was awarded the Man of the Match award in front of the Red Devils’ scouts in a midweek 0-0 draw between Benfica and Bologna in midweek.

INEOS ready to sell £40m star who Man Utd feel has developed under Amorim

He was once valued at £100m.

ByCharlie Smith Dec 13, 2024

Those at Old Trafford would even have the chance to land a bargain deal to re-sign their former youth player too, given that they reportedly have a buyback clause of just £16.5m – a far cheaper price than his current £42m release clause.

In many ways, re-signing a young player they regret allowing to leave just six months later would sum the chaos that is Manchester United up pretty perfectly, but it’s a move they’d be wise to make nonetheless.

"Amazing" Fernandez can earn Man Utd redemption

Although things didn’t quite work out for the young left-back last time out at Manchester United, the Red Devils could hand him an instant shot at redemption just months after his departure in the January transfer window. For the bargain price of just £16.5m too, Amorim would be getting a solution to his wing-back problem down the left-hand side and an instant upgrade on Shaw, who remains unreliable thanks to injury issues.

In truth, Fernandez’s rise is one that Manchester United should have seen coming. Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig certainly never looked past his talent, however, describing his engine and quality as “amazing” when he was first making strides in the Red Devils’ youth side.

Still just 21 years old, Fernandez remains a Manchester United academy graduate to watch, especially if he does complete a return to Old Trafford in the near future.