"Absolutely fuming" – Pundit rages at Martin's latest Rangers decision

After his latest controversial decision, one Sky Sports pundit has admitted that he’d be “absolutely fuming” at Russell Martin if he was in the current Rangers squad.

Martin: Some fans didn't want me in the first place

Five league games, zero wins and sat in 10th place. That’s how dire things have been for Rangers under Martin. Their Champions League humiliation at the hands of Club Brugge could almost be excused – put down to simply being outmatched by better opposition – but that same excuse cannot be applied in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers have endured a historically poor start and the writing is arguably already on the wall for Martin, who admitted that some fans didn’t even want him at Ibrox in the first place after defeat against Hearts.

Up next for Rangers is the visit of Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final. As things stand, it looks as though Martin will be in charge for that game and maintains the support of the 49ers. Whether another defeat would change that is the question that everyone will be pondering.

What certainly hasn’t helped the manager’s case is the latest decision that he’s made, resulting in criticism from Jamie O’Hara.

O'Hara: "I'd be fuming" with Loch Lomond trip

When backs are up against the wall, managers often get creative with their approach and Martin is no different. In the middle of a dreadful run, the Rangers boss took his side to Loch Lomond for a team bonding trip, which featured wild swimming and a hike up a mountain. O’Hara, like many, has shared his opinion on the strangely-timed trip, taking aim at Martin.

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The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder told Sky Sports: “If I was a player, I’d be absolutely fuming. Why would I wanna go swimming in Loch Lomond as a team bonding session?

“Give me some golf clubs and we’ll go play Loch Lomond or get the fishing rods out and go out on the boat for the day, then fair enough. What are you talking about, go swimming in Loch Lomond?”

Only time will tell whether Rangers’ quite literal uphill climb results in an upturn in form, but for now it is the latest in a growing list of Martin’s decisions to come under fire.

'He was the first one to text me' – Everton star Beto issues touching tribute to Diogo Jota after Liverpool star's tragic death

Everton striker Beto has paid tribute to his compatriot Diogo Jota, revealing the late Liverpool and Portugal forward was the first person to text him following his move to Merseyside. The footballing world was left devastated after Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, tragically died in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora in July.

Beto presented floral tribute to Jota in the wake of the tragedy

In the wake of the tragedy, Beto – alongside then-Everton player and fellow Portuguese Youssef Chermiti – joined Toffees ambassador Ian Snodin as they presented a floral tribute outside Anfield in memory of both Diogo and Andre.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBeto pays tribute to Jota ahead of Merseyside derby on Saturday

And ahead of the first Merseyside derby of the 2025-26 season between Liverpool and Everton on Saturday afternoon, Beto has opened up about how Jota went out of his way to welcome him to the city after he joined the Blues from Udinese in 2023.

Beto reveals heartwarming Jota gesture after joining Everton

In quotes carried by the Liverpool Echo, Beto reflected on Jota's death, saying: “That day, the day that thing happened, I was at home in Portugal. That day I would travel to Manchester to come here for the pre-season.

“I was shocked. I was shocked because Diogo was a really good guy. We were not friends, but you know, when you play against Portuguese players and everything, we normally stop, we speak a little bit. You have Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, these guys, but when I signed for Everton, he was the first guy who texted me.

“He just texted me and said: ‘I'm happy for you. I'm happy for you. If you need anything on the city, everything, I can help you, just give me a shout'.

“After every game that we play against Liverpool, we’d talk a little bit. We were not best friends, you know, but we talk a little bit, he was a really, really good guy. I’d ask: ‘how is everything?’ 

“It was sad. It was really sad.”

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Jota scored final goal for Liverpool against Everton in 2025

Jota scored his final goal for Liverpool in last season's Merseyside derby at Anfield on April 2. The striker netted the only goal of the game as the Reds secured a crucial three points en route to claiming the 2024-25 Premier League title.

Corinthians tem trio convocado para o Mundial Sub-20, mas ainda não decidiu sobre liberação

MatériaMais Notícias

Três jogadores do Corinthians foram convocados para o Mundial Sub-20, que acontece entre os dias 20 de maio e 11 de junho: o meia Biro e os atacantes Giovane e Pedro. Através das redes sociais, o clube celebrou a convocação, mas isso não significa que vai liberar os atletas. A decisão sobre o aval será do novo treinador, que ainda não foi definido.

A tendência é que Biro e Giovane sejam liberados. Pedro, por sua vez, é uma incógnita. Os dois primeiros não são utilizados constantemente, ainda que integrados ao elenco profissional, e por isso devem ter a sua participação no torneio internacional permitida. Já o terceiro, vinha ganhando muito espaço com o técnico Fernando Lázaro, remanejado de cargo e que voltou a ser auxiliar técnico após a derrota corintiana para o Argentinos Juniors, pela Libertadores, há duas semanas.

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Para a diretoria do Timão, Pedro só não seria liberado se o novo comandante garantir que usará o atleta com constância. Fora isso, é do interesse do clube que o atleta participe da Copa do Mundo da categoria, porque seria uma ótima vitrine. O atacante é um dos ativos mais valiosos do Corinthians. Recentemente ele renovou o contrato com a equipe, com a multa rescisória colocada em 120 milhões de euros (R$ 665,8 mi, na cotação atual) para o mercado internacional.

A direção corintiana, inclusive, tem recebido sondagens de equipes do exterior que buscam mais informações sobre o atleta, mas nada que avance a uma proposta. Há a expectativa de que algo formal chegue na janela do segundo semestre, que abre no dia 3 de julho.

Biro, Giovane e Pedro já serviram a Seleção Brasileira sub-20 nesta temporada. Em janeiro, o trio fez parte do elenco campeão sul-americano da categoria, na Colômbia.

رونالدو: منتخب البرازيل لا يمتلك لاعبًا مثل نيمار.. ويجب عودته

طالب الظاهرة رونالدو المدرب الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي، المدير الفني لمنتخب البرازيل الأول لكرة القدم بعودة نيمار دا سيلفا للمشاركة مع السلساو.

كان أنشيلوتي قد أوضح في تصريحات سابقة له أنه تحدث مع قائد منتخب البرازيل بأن باب المنتخب مفتوحًا له في أي وقت وأنه يريد الاعتماد عليه.

ويغيب نيمار عن منتخب البرازيل منذ معسكر مارس 2023 إذ عانى من إصابات عديدة جعلته يغيب عن العديد من المباريات.

وقال الظاهرة رونالدو عن عدم استدعاء نيمار: “إنه لاعب حاسم في وليس لدينا لاعب آخر مثل نيمار ونأمل أن يكون جاهزًا تمامًا لكأس العالم”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أنشيلوتي يكشف مركز نيمار الجديد مع البرازيل.. وموقفه من تجديد عقده

وأوضح رونالدو الفارق بين تأثير نيمار في حضوره وغيابه: “إذا كان هنا، فسنحقق بالتأكيد نتائج أفضل بكثير مما لو لم يكن موجودًا”.

ودافع عن مواطنه الذي تعرض لانتقادات شديدة بسبب إصاباته المتكررة: “أي شخص يلعب كرة القدم يفهم جيدًا مدى صعوبة العودة من الإصابة واستعادة الثقة مرة أخرى والنسق الذي كان عليه”.

يُذكر أن نجم برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان السابق يعتبر الهداف التاريخي للمنتخب البرازيلي برصيد 79 هدفًا في 128 مباراة خاضها بقميص السلساو.

No regrets for Dickson as Somerset lose their third title in a week

Both teams happy to decide final on the field as shortened contest beats the weather

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network23-Sep-2024

Both Sean Dickson and Kiran Carlson were happy to contest the One-Day Cup final as a 20-over contest•Getty Images

After a first-day washout in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge, Glamorgan managed to beat both Somerset and the weather to regain the title that they last won in 2021, in a competition that was pragmatically reduced from 50-overs-a-side to 20 to maximise the prospect of a result.It was, as Sam Northeast, Glamorgan’s matchwinning batter, said: “the right thing to do in the circumstances”. That sentiment was echoed by Somerset’s captain, Sean Dickson, who insisted his over-riding emotion was one of pride even as his team saw a third title slip through their fingers in the space of a week, after their loss in the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston and Surrey’s County Championship triumph on Friday.”We hadn’t played any Twenty20 for a while so it was strange coming into a 20-over contest,” Northeast told the ECB Reporters Network, after top-scoring for his team with 63 not out from 49 balls. “We didn’t even know we were going to get a game at all, so the change from 50 to 20 overs, about 40 minutes before, meant we had to adapt as best as possible.”In the event, it started to rain just as we were coming off, so somebody was clearly looking down on us. I’m glad they did make the change. It was the right thing to do in the circumstances, to get the game on.”Somerset had made the early running after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, with Alfie Ogborne, their 21-year-old left-armer seamer, claiming two wickets in his first over. However, the team’s inexperience was exposed at key moments of the contest, particularly while Northeast, Billy Root and Timm van der Gugten were accelerating through the back-end of their innings to add 115 in the final ten overs.”We didn’t really know what a good score was,” Northeast said. “So from my point of view it was just about building partnerships, getting a bit of a platform and trying to accelerate once we had a feel for the pitch.”At one point we thought 160 might be okay but that little innings from Timm van der Gugten at the end gave us what we thought was a pretty good score, one that we knew would be competitive. Timm hit the ball really cleanly and Billy Root through the middle too, and the way Will Smale got us off to a bit of a flyer meant we had something to build on.”With Somerset choosing to back the players that had carried them through to the final, it meant they were missing 11 players who had featured in this year’s Men’s Hundred, which had run concurrent with the group stages. Their most experienced player on the day was England’s left-armer spinner, Jack Leach, but between the damp conditions and the List A regulation fields that limited the number of out-fielders through the middle overs, he did not get a bowl.”As a county, we’ve ended up winning nothing when we would have liked to finish with at least one or two trophies,” Dickson said. “But the bottom line is that we have just competed for three trophies and we are really proud as a squad that we have been able to do that.”In this competition, we have resisted the temptation to bring back guys that we lost to the Hundred, so I’m hugely proud that this squad in particular made it all the way to the final.”And we were much happier today to be able to go out and try to win on the field, rather than have had a total washout and shared the trophy. No one wants to share a trophy, everyone wants a bash at trying to be a winner.”We were fine playing it as a T20. We just wanted to get a game on, as did they. We had a discussion with the umpires, the match ref and the ECB ref that was there so we were all on board.”We could analyse all day where the game was won and lost but I think they obviously bowled better than us. With the fresh pitch, it definitely offered something with the new ball up top.”Our bowlers were slipping and sliding all over the place, which was unfortunate, but that’s what you get for choosing to bowl first and we just have to take our medicine and move forward.”

Done deal: Southampton have "agreed" £6.8m exit of "incredible" attacker

Southampton have “agreed a fee” with a club over the sale of an “incredible” Saints player, according to a fresh claim from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Will Still outlines plans as Southampton manager

Will Still has begun life as Southampton’s new manager, with the Englishman looking to back up his reputation as an exciting young coach with a big future in the game.

The 32-year-old has already spoken well since taking charge at St Mary’s Stadium, outlining what he wants to see from his team in a tactical sense.

“I don’t like to sit in and wait and be passive in what we do. I’d like our teams to dominate, to go and press, to be as aggressive as we can be. I don’t do that just for the fact of running and to say, oh, we’re going to be really aggressive. We want to be high up the pitch and in the opposition’s third as much as possible.

“It’s been entertaining. I want the players to enjoy it. I want the fans, obviously, to get on board and support it. But it’s (about) creating that environment where we’re here to win and we want to win a lot. We want to win consistently.”

The pressure will be on Still to guide Southampton straight back into the Premier League from the Championship, and he will know that new signings are vital. There are also players who will leave after Saints’ relegation, however, and a key update has emerged regarding one such figure.

"Incredible" Southampton attacker set to leave

Writing on X, Romano reported that Southampton have “agreed a fee” with Trabzonspor over the £6.8m sale of striker Paul Onuachu from St Mary’s.

Seeing Onuachu depart is a shame, given his popularity among Southampton supporters, with his giant stature and unique style making him something of a cult hero.

The Nigerian is a good footballer in his own right, however, scoring four Premier League goals last season and being lauded by Ivan Juric: “He’s an incredible guy, always training hard. He has some good things and some bad things he can do better, but he’s one of those guys that is always working hard.”

The fact that Onuachu only has one year remaining on his current Southampton deal means that selling him now is the sensible decision, though, allowing the club to receive a healthy amount of money that can be used on new signings this summer.

Southampton and Still want to sign new £4m+ forward with 11 goals in 24/25

The Saints are looking for a swift return to the Premier League.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

May 30, 2025

A new striker will be needed in his place, though, and Still has to nail his replacement, in order to give his side the best possible chance of a quickfire return to the top flight.

Nottingham Forest open talks to sign "elite" new star after Weah rejection

Wasting no time after being rejected by Juventus’ Timothy Weah, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly opened talks to sign another Serie A star this summer.

Weah rejects Nottingham Forest move

Looking to get their summer business officially underway, Nottingham Forest set their sights on Weah and would have been hoping to flex their European muscles for the first time. The American has since burst that bubble, however. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the versatile winger has sent the Tricky Trees back to the drawing board after rejecting a move to the City Ground this summer.

His rejection comes at a time when Newcastle United have set their sights on Anthony Elanaga and that could yet deal Nottingham Forest a double blow. Whilst those at the City Ground have reportedly rejected a bid worth around £45m for the Swede, it can’t be ruled out that the Magpies return with a second offer before the end of the summer.

Although Elanga remains a Nottingham Forest player, the Midlands club would be wise to think about a potential replacement. Already, it looks as though Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus are on their way to add more firepower fresh from an impressive Club World Cup campaign with Botafofo, but Forest will not be done there.

With European action to balance alongside any domestic responsibilities, squad depth will be the key to any success at the City Ground. Weah would have helped on that front, but now that Forest are back to the drawing board they could welcome an option who is an even greater talent than the winger.

Nottingham Forest open talks to sign Musah

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Nottingham Forest have now opened talks to sign Yunus Musah from AC Milan this summer. The American international initially looked destined to be on his way to Napoli before a move ultimately broke down to open the door for Forest to make their move.

Nottingham Forest join race for one of the rising stars of U21 Euros

Anderson already knows all about his quality…

ByTom Cunningham Jun 26, 2025

At 22 years old, the American international, who came through Arsenal’s academy, already has some impressive experience under his belt in La Liga with Valencia and in Italy with Milan. Now, he could be on his way back to English football to offer Nuno Espirito Santo a versatile star who can play as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder and right midfielder.

Particularly standing out at the 2022 World Cup, Musah was described as a “hardworking” player with an “elite engine” by scout Jacek Kulig and those are just two traits that he could now bring to Nottingham Forest this summer.

He's like Isak: Arsenal plan talks to sign £105m Gyokeres alternative

If Arsenal needed any more motivation to get over the finishing line next season, Tottenham Hotspur have just provided them with it.

With second place in the Premier League now practically secured, the board and new Sporting Director Andrea Berta can turn their attention to the summer transfer window and the hunt for a new striker.

Two of the strikers most heavily linked with a move to the Emirates over the last few months have been Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, although, with the former lacking experience in a top-five league and the latter potentially costing upwards of £150m, other options have also been floated.

In fact, if recent reports are to be believed, Mikel Arteta and Co are now interested in an ideal Gyokeres alternative who has won comparisons to the Toon star.

Arsenal's striker search

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth going over some of the other strikers who have been linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, like Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap.

Transfer Focus

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

The former has enjoyed another impressive season with RB Leipzig, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 45 games, although such a rate of return has reportedly seen his release clause increase to around £75m.

Delap, on the other hand, has a release clause worth just £30m in his current contract, although, with 12 goals and two assists to his name in 36 Premier League games this season, he’d represent more of a gamble.

Ipswich Town'sLiamDelapapplauds fans after the match

Moreover, if Arteta and Co really want someone who’d be a genuine alternative to Gyokeres, they’d have to be a proven goalscorer, such as Julián Alvarez.

According to a recent report from journalist Matías Palacios via the Spanish football program El Chiringuito, Arsenal are one of several teams very interested in the Atletico Madrid star.

In fact, the journalist claims that the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all “want” the Argentine this summer and that “meetings with the interested clubs will begin” next week.

A potential price tag for the striker is not mentioned, but as he cost the La Liga giants around £82m only last summer, we wouldn’t be surprised to see his valuation hit nine figures, especially as the CIES Football Observatory price him at €125m, which is about £105m.

With that said, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Alvarez, as not only could he be an ideal alternative to Gyokeres, but he’s also won comparisons to Isak.

How Alvarez compares Isak

So, before we look at some of the other reasons Arsenal should be looking to sign Alvarez this summer, we should examine this comparison to Isak and where it comes from.

Newcastle United's AlexanderIsakcelebrates scoring their first goal

Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and concluded that the Swede is the tenth most similar forward to the Argentine across the last 365 days.

We can better understand their similarities by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which they rank closely, including, but not limited to, expected assisted goals, progressive carries, shots on target and goals per shot, key passes, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Expected Assisted Goals

0.17

0.15

Progressive Carries

2.79

2.77

Shots on Target

1.23

1.32

Goals per Shot

0.19

0.21

Passing Accuracy

74.6%

74.7%

Key Passes

1.45

1.39

Goal-Creating Actions

0.45

0.47

On top of the clear statistical similarities, the former Manchester City star has also scored a similar number of goals as the Newcastle ace this season.

For example, in 53 appearances, the “world-class” forward, as dubbed by City content creator It’s LB, has scored 29 goals and provided six assists.

In comparison, the former Real Sociedad star has scored 27 goals and provided six assists in 41 games for the Magpies this term.

Finally, on top of the goals and similarities to one of the best strikers in the world, the Gunners should seriously consider signing Alveraz because he’s a proven winner, having won the treble with City in the 22/23 season.

Therefore, whatever it costs, Arsenal should look to bring the World Cup winner to N5 this summer, even if that means not signing Gyokeres.

Viktor Gyokeres' message to close circle amid Arsenal agreement claims

The Portugal has admitted something to teammates.

1 ByEmilio Galantini May 22, 2025

Premier League club set for talks to sign "underrated" £60m Tottenham player

One Tottenham Hotspur star is attracting very serious interest from a Premier League rival, who are also set to open talks over his signing “in the coming weeks”.

Tottenham face Bodo/Glimt in crunch Europa League semi-final

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou’s sole focus right now is on the club’s potentially fruitful Europa League campaign.

Manager who's open to joining Tottenham has now turned down new contract

He’s becoming a more solid contender to replace Ange Postecoglou.

2 ByEmilio Galantini May 8, 2025

The north Londoners travel to Bodo/Glimt knowing they’re just 90 minutes away from their first European final since Mauricio Pochettino took them to the brink of Champions League glory in 2019, and if they avoid an embarrassing defeat against the Norwegian minnows, Spurs’ spot will be confirmed.

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Brighton (home)

May 25th

Winning the Europa League would be a perfect end to an otherwise dismal campaign for Postecoglou, who has led the Lilywhites to 19 Premier League defeats as Tottenham languish 16th in the table.

Not only would it mean lifting their first piece of major silverware since 2008, but Spurs also have a golden opportunity to book a place in next season’s Champions League draw, so quite a lot is on the line tonight as Postecoglou seeks to rescue the season in dramatic fashion.

“I think the fact it is a semi-final and such a big game irrespective it is always going to be a bit tight and tense throughout the whole game,” said Postecoglou on the challenge of Bodo/Glimt.

“I think it is just the nature of the competition you’re in and being in a semi-final, whether it was at our place first or at our place second, it would have been the same kind of scenario of two teams who know there is a big prize at the end of getting to a final. Yeah, we’ll have to perform.”

Everton set to open talks for Richarlison

Their success in the competition may also determine Tottenham’s transfer plans for the summer, with recent reports suggesting they’re set for a ‘sell to buy’ summer window as things stand (The Telegraph).

One of the men who could be sacrificed to make room for new signings is £60 million striker Richarlison, who hasn’t featured as often as he would’ve liked this term due to a 24/25 campaign blighted by injuries.

The Brazil forward also faces losing his spot in the national team, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who also told The Boot Room that Everton are set to open talks for Richarlison “in the coming weeks”.

The Merseysiders could offer Tottenham’s “underrated” attacker a route out in pursuit of more minutes, and it is believed Richarlison views the brand-new Everton Stadium as an ideal landing spot.

“I’m told that he has been made aware that he needs to be playing next season,” said Bailey.

“Brazil have a host of options competing with him – Real Madrid’s Endrick but also a host of Premier League rivals – Joao Pedro, Rodrigo Muniz and Evanilson – and they will all be starting for their respective clubs.

Richarlison injured for Tottenham

“Richarlison needs to be playing, he knows this and that is just why Everton are in such a strong position. They can offer him that chance of first-team football.

“Everton want him back, as we revealed earlier this year, and I believe there is confidence from their side, but also a belief from Richarlison and Spurs’ end that this is likely the best option.

“As it stands a permanent deal will be tough, but that is what the talks in the coming weeks will be aimed to work out.”

Richarlison is also believed to be attracting interest from Brazilian Serie A sides, and it will be intriguing to see where his future lies.

The 27-year-old has been a real mixed bag since making the move to London, enduring spells of bad form and unavailability whilst also going through real purple patches, like the one midway through 2023/2024, when he was seemingly scoring goals for fun.

White repeat: Arsenal in the leading pack to sign "dominant" £50m phenom

Since joining Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has overseen plenty of changes at the club.

He’s instilled a new style of play, a level of expectation that was missing for so many years, and most crucially, he’s completely overhauled the squad.

Now, not every signing the Spaniard has made has been a success, but he’s had a pretty decent track record thus far, with the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber all massively improving the team.

However, when it comes to his most underrated acquisition, it has to be Ben White, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to another star whose signing could be a repeat of White’s.

Arsenal's transfer targets

It’s going to be a massive summer of business for Arsenal, and one of the areas they look most intent on improving is left-wing, with Nico Williams one of their top targets.

Transfer Focus

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

The Spaniard is said to have a release clause worth around £52m in his current contract, which could prove to be value for money considering he’s scored 17 goals and provided 25 assists in 77 appearances since the start of last season.

Another youngster the North Londoners are supposedly interested in signing this summer is Real Madrid’s Arda Güler.

The 20-year-old could be available for just £26m, and as he’s managed to rack up ten goal involvements in just 1170 minutes this season, that could be an incredible deal.

However, there is another, even younger prospect worth even more money that the Gunners are being heavily linked with: Dean Huijsen.

AFC Bournemouth's DeanHuijsenduring the warm up before the match

Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal are very interested in the Bournemouth star.

In fact, Ornstein has revealed that alongside Liverpool and Chelsea, the Gunners are a leading contender for the Spaniard, while Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have also made contact.

However, on top of beating out the competition, the North Londoners will also have to stump up a significant amount of cash to get their man, as he has a release clause worth £50m in his contract.

In all, it would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Huijsen’s immense ability and potential, it’s one well worth fighting for, especially as he could be a White repeat.

Why signing Huijsen would be a White repeat

So, should Arsenal be able to get ahead of the chasing pack and get their hands on Huijsen this summer, what would make the deal so similar to White’s in 2021?

Well, the first and perhaps most surface-level similarity is that when the Gunners signed the Englishman, he also cost £50m and moved to the Emirates from an upwardly mobile midtable Premier League side in Brighton & Hove Albion, which is how you could describe Bournemouth.

On top of that, the Poole-born star had just made his way into the England set-up ahead of his move, and the Cherries gem won his first senior cap for La Roja last month.

However, the most significant similarity between the players is that even though the Gunners’ number four has now moved to right-back, he was initially signed as a centre-back, which is where the “extremely dominant” Spaniard, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would play should he move to the Emirates.

With all that said, there are obviously other reasons the North Londoners should be looking to sign the defender on top of the mirroring of his potential move to White’s, such as his sensational underlying numbers.

Interceptions

2.10

Top 1%

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.17

Top 2%

Clearances

6.78

Top 4%

Shot-Creating Actions

1.64

Top 5%

Progressive Carries

1.45

Top 8%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.09

Top 10%

Touches in the Attacking Box

1.36

Top 12%

Progressive Passes

4.49

Top 20%

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions, the top 2% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 4% for clearances, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive carries and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, signing another defender might not be high on the list of priorities this summer.

Bournemouth's DeanHuijsencelebrates after the match

However, Huijsen looks to be an incredibly special player, so Arteta and Co should do what they can to secure his services, as he could become as important a player as White in the future.

Fabregas 2.0: Real Madrid make Arsenal's £86m "monster" a priority signing

Losing the “phenomenal” talent would be devastating for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 11, 2025

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