All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers hit the jackpot when they brought Alfredo Morelos to Ibrox in the summer of 2017.

The Rangers striker went on to rack up an impressive 124 goals and 57 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for the Gers before his exit in 2023.

They signed a host of other number nines over the years in an attempt to replace the Colombia international, who now plays for Nacional in his home country of Colombia, and they may have thought that they struck gold with the signing of Antonio Colak.

The Croatian marksman enjoyed a terrific start to life at Ibrox and was even described as a better centre-forward than Morelos, who was still at the club at the time.

Colak hailed as better than Morelos

In January 2023, Aberdeen captain Anthony Stewart claimed that Colak is a “better striker” than Morelos, based on his all-round game, having played against both of them in the Scottish Premiership.

The Light Blues had signed the Croatia international from PAOK for a reported fee of £1.8m the previous summer and he enjoyed a fantastic start to his career in Scotland.

By the time of Stewart’s comment, Colak had racked up 11 goals and three assists in 15 appearances in the Premiership and three goals in four Champions League qualifiers.

Whereas, Morelos did not score more than 12 goals in an entire Premiership campaign in any of his last four seasons with the club, which illustrates how impressive that first half of the season from the Croatian ace was.

Colak's decline at Rangers

Unfortunately, that early-season form did not continue and the former PAOK man endured a frustrating second half of the campaign under Michael Beale.

After Stewart’s comments, Colak only made ten more appearances in the Premiership for the Hoops and scored three goals, two of which came in the same game against Hibernian, whilst failing to provide an assist.

Beale then decided to cash in on the 31-year-old centre-forward ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and Parma swooped in to agree a £2.5m fee with the club.

Appearances

22

Goals

3

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Duel success rate

26%

As you can see in the table above, Colak’s struggles in front of goal continued last season as he only managed three goals in 22 Serie B matches for Parma.

The Italian side then opted to cash in on him after one year, selling him to Spezia in the same league, and he has only played eight minutes so far this term.

These statistics suggest that Rangers were right to sell Colak after his second-half-of-the-season woes at Ibrox, as he is yet to recapture his goalscoring form over 12 months on from his departure.

The £300k Rangers signing who was sold for more than Bajrami is worth

The Light Blues played a blinder by developing and selling this midfield wizard.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 11, 2024

It is a shame, however, that a player the club may have thought was going to be better than Morelos, after his sensational start to life with the Gers, ended up being sold six months after Stewart’s comments about his quality.

Chelsea centre-forward Nicolas Jackson continued his impressive start to the 2024/25 campaign with two goals against West Ham United on Saturday. The Senegal international, who scored 14 goals in the Premier League last season, has produced four goals and two assists in five league matches for the Blues this term.

He looks to be undroppable on current form due to his sublime output in the final third, with the likes of Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho, and Cole Palmer providing him with quality service.

However, the former Villarreal star’s superb goalscoring start to the season has not stopped the club from eyeing up a new striker ahead of the January transfer window.

Latest Chelsea transfer news

According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea are planning to add another centre-forward to Enzo Maresca’s squad after the turn of the year, despite Jackson’s form.

The report claims that the club are in contact with Victor Osimhen’s agent and are considering a move for the Nigeria international, who is currently on loan with Galatasaray in Turkey, but are also eyeing up an alternative option instead. Indeed, the Blues are interested in signing Sporting sensation Viktor Gyokeres as an alternative to the Napoli loanee in January.

The outlet reveals that the Sweden international, who has a €100m (£84m) release clause in his contract, is on their wish list of striker targets and is being monitored closely by the club, as he continues to shine in Portugal. The report believes the Blues could well make a serious move for the former Coventry star if they do not go through with a move for Osimhen.

It remains to be seen, though, whether or not Chelsea would be prepared to pay the former Coventry star’s £84m release clause, or if they would look to negotiate a lower fee.

Why Chelsea should sign Gyokeres instead of Osimhen

Viktor or Victor is the question for the Blues ahead of the January transfer window and there is a genuine case for the Swedish version to be the smart choice. The 26-year-old star already has experience in England, with Brighton, Swansea, and Coventry, and may not need as much time to adapt to the physicality of English football, as well as living in the country.

Gyokeres’ form for Sporting also suggests that the potential is there for him to be a better option than Osimhen. He has already racked up a staggering ten goals in six league games this season, compared to the Nigerian forward’s zero goals in two league outings.

Appearances

33

25

xG

22.71

15.40

Goals

29

15

Big chances created

11

5

Assists

10

3

As you can see in the table above, an end product monster, he also outperformed the Napoli man at league level during the 2023/24 campaign, with 14 more goals and seven more assists.

Whilst it is difficult to gauge the difference in quality between the Portuguese and Italian top-flights, these statistics do show that the £84m-rated star has been in prolific form and would arrive high on confidence, whereas Osimhen is still looking for his first goal of the campaign.

Therefore, Gyokeres, who was once described as “unplayable” by former teammate Maxime Biamou, could be an exciting and lethal addition to Maresca’s squad.

Chelsea star was slammed by Lampard last season, now he's undroppable

Chelsea star now undroppable after being torn into last season

ByConnor Holden Sep 23, 2024

High-flying Chelsea continued their impressive start to life under new boss Enzo Maresca by seeing off a spirited Gent side in Conference League action on Thursday evening, with the much-changed hosts running out 4-2 winners at Stamford Bridge.

Fresh from having seen off Brighton and Hove Albion by the same scoreline on Saturday afternoon, the west Londoners showcased the depth of their firepower to deliver once again last night, despite the absence of the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and, of course, Cole Palmer.

Leaving the Englishman out of the squad for the first stage of this competition may have been a bold call, although Maresca appears to have more than enough quality at his disposal to make up for it, with both Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku notably getting on the scoresheet – the latter man now boasting seven goals in total so far this season.

The night also saw Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall register their first goals for the club against the Belgian visitors, with the pair no doubt making a strong statement amid the desire to force their way into the manager’s Premier League XI.

Chelsea's best performers vs Gent

The man who kicked things off with a well-taken header at the back post, summer signing Veiga made his presence felt in that inverted left-back berth, notably racking up four key passes, while also completing 100% of his attempted dribbles, as per Sofascore.

The 21-year-old has been restricted to just one top-flight start so far this season, although on the evidence of his most recent performance, he could well represent a firm threat to Marc Cucurella on the left flank moving forward.

Enzo Fernandez is another who may also soon be fearing for his place in the midfield ranks, if Dewsbury-Hall’s form is anything to go by, with the £30m addition from Leicester City having been masterful in the centre of the park.

Not only did he react quickly to slot home late on, but the playmaker was also integral to everything that was good about the hosts, successfully completing all three of his dribble attempts and winning six of his eight ground duels.

The same cannot be said of the man next to him, however, with midfield colleague Cesare Casadei failing his big audition on what was a sticky outing for the promising Italian.

Casadei's game in numbers vs Gent

The 21-year-old – who played alongside Dewsbury-Hall during a loan spell at Leicester in the first half of last season – had looked set to depart Stamford Bridge over the summer, albeit with the youngster revealing that he opted against sealing another temporary exit, following discussions with his manager.

While the presence of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia has ensured that game time in the league will be hard to come by, cup competitions will no doubt provide the former Inter Milan ace some much-needed minutes, having notably started in the 5-0 thrashing of League Two side Barrow last week.

90 minutes

78 touches

87% pass accuracy

0 key passes

1/4 dribbles

2/10 ground duels

5/6 aerial duels

14x possession lost

3 interceptions

1 tackle

Up against tougher opposition this time around, the one-time Reading loanee didn’t exactly pass the test with flying colours, even despite recording an impressive 97% pass accuracy, while also enjoying 100 touches of the ball.

That involvement did only amount to one key pass, while the rising star also won just a solitary duel on the day, with the Standard’s Dom Smith writing that it was an ‘an evening to forget’ for Casadei, whom he awarded a 5/10 match rating too. In truth, he needed to show more.

The Italy youth international would have been hoping to properly make his mark in order to try and push his way into Maresca’s ‘A’ team, yet he simply appears to be no closer to realising his undoubted potential in a Chelsea shirt.

There remains a long way to go in the season, of course, yet while the likes of Veiga and Dewsbury-Hall appear to be closing the gap on their competitors in the squad, Casadei remains at risk of being left behind.

Saved by Nkunku & Neto: Maresca must immediately axe 175-touch Chelsea man

The Blues secured their first win of the Conference League campaign.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 4, 2024

Desperately searching for their first victory since earning promotion to the Championship, Portsmouth have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their game against Queens Park Rangers this weekend.

Portsmouth injury news

Any dream that Pompey could potentially follow in the footsteps of Ipswich Town have been ruthlessly brought to a crashing halt. Instead of a miraculous achievement, the newly promoted side currently look destined to complete an instant return to League One, having accumulated just five points and failed to win any of their first nine Championship games so far this season.

John Mousinho has of course got plenty of credit in the bank after securing promotion from League One last season, but that may not stop the pressure from mounting, especially against fellow strugglers QPR this weekend. The London club sit just one place above Portsmouth in the relegation zone, ahead of Pompey by just two points, to highlight just how important this weekend’s meeting is for both sides. With that in mind, those at Fratton Park have at least been handed a major double injury boost.

As reported by Portsmouth News, Callum Lang is now back in training and in line to return for the first time in three Championship games against QPR alongside Kusini Yengi this weekend.

The two forwards should hand Mousinho a much-needed boost, especially Lang who’s scored three goals from six league starts so far this season. Yengi, meanwhile, could make his first appearance since mid-September in a 3-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion.

Having scored just three goals in their last five games, the return of Portsmouth’s £5,000-a-week man should signal relief around Fratton Park in what Mousinho will hope makes a vital difference in his side’s pursuit of three points against QPR.

"Strong" Lang vital to Portsmouth survival

If Lang’s importance hasn’t already been proved in abundance this season, then the forthcoming run of fixtures should highlight it for all to see. The forward was one of the key men Portsmouth’s promotion last season, scoring seven goals and assisting a further three, and has already almost scored half of the amount he managed in that last campaign despite his side’s struggles.

Mousinho is well aware of the role that Lang plays too, telling reporters via Portsmouth News after his striker scored twice against Leeds United earlier this season: “He struggled a bit when he came back into the side (after injury) but he has looked every inch that (first) Callum Lang over pre-season. He’s looked sharp and strong.

“I am probably more pleased with the second goal for Callum because of the pressure he was under. I know the first goal was a better strike, but look at the pressure he was under for the second.

“It took 2-3 minutes to take the penalty and a huge amount of pressure. He got the ball, he wanted it, and that’s leadership we’re really grateful to have in Callum.”

Now, with QPR awaiting, Lang will be desperate to return with a bang.

West Bromwich Albion return to Championship action with two away games coming up, which could work in the favour of Carlos Corberan’s men in their bid to return to winning ways.

The Baggies boast an impressive three wins from their four away clashes of the campaign to date, but will be wary about their form continuing to go awry, with no victories picked up from their last three second-tier contests.

Corberan will hope his troops have enough to overcome Oxford United regardless, as they aim to keep putting points on the board in their mission to successfully jump up to the Premier League.

If they do get there, it will be intriguing to see who will bold enough to adjust to the gigantic leap up in quality, with one former Baggies man going on to struggle in the top flight after being known as a top EFL performer.

Romaine Sawyers' transfer to West Brom

Once on the books at the Hawthorns as an exciting youngster, Romaine Sawyers exited his boyhood club in 2013 in order to make a name for himself elsewhere.

He certainly succeeded with this goal, as Sawyers quickly became known as an entertaining attacking player for the likes of Walsall and Brentford. Both were managed by Dean Smith at the time, as the ex-Aston Villa boss clearly took a shining to the midfielder.

It was his ability to split open defences with wonderful through balls like the one above that caught the eye of his former employers, after Sawyers had tallied up seven assists in Championship action for the Bees during the 2018/19 campaign.

In the end, West Brom splashed out £2.9m on their former youngster to see him return to the Hawthorns in a deal that was a statement by Slaven Bilic and Co about their promotion aspirations.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the most awe-inspiring stint of Sawyers’ career back where it all began, as he struggled to show off his best for the Baggies over two seasons.

Sawyers' return to West Brom

In total, the former West Brom number 19 only mustered up one goal and one assist from 64 first-team appearances situated in the West Midlands, with his time at the club really starting to unravel when promotion to the top flight was secured.

Despite never really actively taking the bull by the horns, Sawyers did still manage to win himself a spot in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for 2020 with his unassuming but sometimes stylish displays, with Bilic spearheading a second place finish from the dug-out.

1. GK – Brice Samba

Nottingham Forest

2. RB – Luke Ayling

Leeds United

3. CB – Ben White

Leeds

4. CB – Liam Cooper

Leeds

5. LB – Joe Byran

Fulham

6. CM – Eberechi Eze

QPR

7. CM – Kalvin Phillips

Leeds

8. CM – Romaine Sawyers

West Brom

9. RW – Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham

10. ST – Ollie Watkins

Brentford

11. LW – Said Benrahma

Brentford

As you can see above, Sawyers was in some esteemed company making it into an illustrious TOTY, with the likes of England internationals Ollie Watkins and Ben White making up some components of the team.

Unfortunately, unlike that pair who are now household names in the top-flight, Sawyers would never acclimatise well to the bright lights of the elite league, failing to score and assist from 19 games handed his way.

Sawyers even had to make do with U21 action to get some rare game time, after being frozen out of the first team by Bilic’s replacement, Sam Allardyce.

In the end, his time fizzled out in the Midlands with his contract left to expire two years ago. Right now, Sawyers finds himself without a club having left Cardiff over the summer.

Imagine him & Fellows: West Brom battling to sign “insane” Maja rival

West Bromwich Albion could soon be in the market for a new attacker.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 15, 2024

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed one of the slowest learners in his squad, following their 4-1 win away to Panathinaikos in Greece on Thursday evening.

Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea as Maresca bounces back from Liverpool defeat

It didn’t take too long for the Premier League side to return to form after their defeat at Anfield last weekend.

Jason Cundy tells Chelsea to sign fringe Liverpool star to replace mainstay

He’s “too good”.

ByEmilio Galantini Oct 25, 2024

Chelsea demolished Panathinaikos on away turf thanks to goals from summer signing Joao Felix (2), Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku. In the build-up to the game, some reports claimed Maresca was unconvinced by Felix behind the scenes, but the Portugal international moved to silence his critics and impress on a wonderful night for him personally.

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Alongside Felix, it was also a good night for Mudryk, who got on the scoresheet and put in an impressive all-round display. There have been many rumours circulating that Chelsea could look to offload Mudryk in January, but the Ukraine international wouldn’t have done himself any harm at all with a convincing display in Europe last night.

Pedro Neto was one of the more sub-par performers against Panathinaikos, being handed a 6/10 rating by some outlets. However, barring that, there was very little to complain about from a Chelsea perspective – who now prepare to take on Newcastle United on Sunday.

“It was a very good performance,” said Maresca on Chelsea’s win over Panathinaikos last night.

“I think we struggled a little bit at the beginning of the game. And we adjusted; we struggled off the ball with our pressing, I think on the ball we were quite good – and then we made some adjustment and were much better.

“The most important thing, I always said, no matter how many players we change, you can see the identity of the team. We can do things better. The identity is quite clear, the way we play on the ball and the way we play off the ball.”

Maresca praises Mudryk but makes slow learner admission at Chelsea

While Mudryk performed well, Maresca made an interesting admission on the Ukranian after their victory.

The Italian, speaking in his post-match press conference, explained that Mudryk is a slower learner than most in the Chelsea squad – but praised the £62 million player for maintaining a consistent improvement behind the scenes.

“Since we started, we are working with Misha and all the wingers to arrive in the box, into the position where Misha scored,” said Maresca.

“He struggled to arrive there and now he is starting to arrive there. That is where we are going to score goals. It’s for him, it’s for Jadon [Sancho], it’s for Noni [Madueke], it’s for Pedro [Neto] – all of the wingers. They need to be in position because the ball is going to arrive in that position.

“We want the best for Misha. Since day one, we are trying to help Misha. Probably for him, he is one of the guys that the learning process is more slow compared to the rest but he is improving. I’m sure that slowly, slowly we will have Misha scoring more goals and being important for us.”

Crystal Palace have seen their fair share of managers come in and out of Selhurst Park over the last few years.

Oliver Glasner may be in the hot seat at present, but before him and before Roy Hodgson, for that matter, it was Premier League legend Patrick Vieira.

The Frenchman had a promising start to life in South London, but as time passed, he seemingly lost his way before being fired in March 2023.

However, while it would be hard to call his time south of the river a roaring success, he made a few interesting signings, including one future international currently outscoring Jude Bellingham.

Matches

74

Wins

22

Draws

24

Defeats

28

Win %

29.73%

Vieira's summer 2021 signings

The player in question joined Palace in the summer of 2021, but before we get to him, let’s start with a couple of other brilliant additions from that window, beginning with Marc Guehi.

The Englishman joined the Eagles from West London side Chelsea for a fee of around £18m, and while he wasn’t a household name, impressive loan spells with Swansea City had turned the heads of those in the know.

Since moving to Selhurst Park, the Abidjan-born titan has come on leaps and bounds, making 124 appearances for the club and 18 for England, which makes his links with a mammoth £65m move to Newcastle United over the summer unsurprising.

However, while the incredible centre-back wasn’t sold, one of his former teammates who joined the Eagles in the same summer, Michael Olise, was.

The French superstar joined the South Londoners for just £8m from Championship side Reading mere days after Vieira was appointed manager, and to say the winger’s transfer was a success would be an understatement.

The 22-year-old made 90 first-team appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals and providing 25 assists before being sold to Bayern Munich for £50.8m, a nice £42.8m profit.

With that said, arguably the most impactful signing made that summer was a loan signing, someone who has since gone on to play for his national team and is now outscoring Bellingham in Spain.

Palace's former loan star outscoring Bellingham

The player in question is, of course, Conor Gallagher, who put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal with Palace in July 2021, and what a deal it was.

The midfield “warrior”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, hit the ground running at Selhurst Park, scoring six goals and providing three assists, all before Christmas Day.

The Englishman might have slowed down slightly in the second half of the season, but he still ended up with an impressive haul of eight goals and five assists in 39 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every three games.

Unsurprisingly, this sort of form saw the Epsom-born star remain at Chelsea the following season, where he made 45 appearances.

Over two years, he firmly established himself in the Blues first-team while also making multiple appearances for the Three Lions, including five at Euro 2024.

However, upon the hiring of Enzo Maresca in the summer, the former Palace loanee was sold to La Liga giants Atlético Madrid for a fee of around £34m, and so far, he has looked right at home in the Spanish capital.

In fact, despite playing in central midfield, the 24-year-old, whom Atlético fans have nicknamed ‘Pitbull’ for his tenacious style of play, has already scored two goals in 13 appearances, which is one more than Bellingham has at Real Madrid.

Chelsea

95

10

10

Crystal Palace

39

8

5

West Bromwich Albion

32

2

2

Charlton Athletic

26

6

4

Swansea City

21

0

7

Atlético Madrid

13

2

0

Ultimately, it’s too early to say with any certainty whether Gallagher will be a success in Spain, but if he can replicate some of the form he showed during his stint with Palace, then he should be just fine.

Crystal Palace identify 20 y/o rising star as long-term Mateta replacement

Palace are putting together a list of replacements for Mateta should he leave Selhurst Park.

ByBrett Worthington Nov 4, 2024

Liverpool were expected to take time to adjust following the departure of long-standing manager Jurgen Klopp and the arrival of Arne Slot back in May.

That, however, has not been the case at all. The Reds are currently top of both the Premier League and Champions League, having won 15 of their 17 games in all competitions this term.

While their attackers, most notably the rejuvenated Mohamed Salah, have stolen the headlines, it’s their sturdy defence which has been the true key to their success.

Under Slot, Liverpool have conceded just six times in 11 Premier League games, keeping six clean sheets, while in Europe, they’ve let in just one goal in four games, that being in a 3-1 win over AC Milan at the San Siro.

Slot ready to shake things up at Liverpool

A large part of Liverpool’s impressive defensive record this term can be attributed to the performances of goalkeepers Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher, who have shared responsibilities between the sticks.

In the Premier League, the pair boast two of the highest clean sheet percentages this term – Alisson with 66.7% and Kelleher with 40%.

Premier League: Highest clean sheet percentages (2024/25)

Player

Club

Games

Save %

Vitezslav Jaros

Liverpool

1

100

Alisson Becker

Liverpool

6

66.7

Jason Steele

Brighton

2

50

Andre Onana

Manchester United

11

45.5

Caoimhin Kelleher

Liverpool

5

40

Mats Sels

Nottingham Forest

11

36.4

Nick Pope

Newcastle United

11

27.3

Stats correct as of November 19, 2024

Despite their impressive displays, however, Slot is, according to TBR Football, willing to let Alisson and Kelleher leave Liverpool in 2025 and hand the number one jersey to the inbound Giorgi Mamardashvili in what they describe as a shock decision.

Liverpool signed the Georgia international from Valencia in the summer for a fee of £30 million, and will join up with his new club until the end of this season. TBR Football claim that Liverpool are confident that a number of clubs would be interested in Alisson, who earns £150,000 per week at Anfield.

Meanwhile, the publication also claims that Kelleher, who earns just a fraction of Allison’s wages with £10,000 per week, has now been told he can leave the club next summer. The Republic of Ireland international had previously stated his desire to leave Anfield in search of first-team football, and it appears his wish has now been granted.

Mamardashvili could be wrong choice for Liverpool, claims Schwarzer

While Slot appears to have full confidence that Mamardashvili can be Liverpool’s main man in goal next term, Premier League legend Mark Schwarzer thinks otherwise.

During a recent appearance on the Optus Sport Football Podcast, relayed by Liverpool.com, the Australian, who is the second-most capped keeper in top-flight history, expressed his confusion at the Reds’ decision to sign the Georgian.

“The thing about that is, and we talked about it at the Euros as well, his strong point isn’t playing with the ball at his feet, Mamardashvili,” said Schwarzer.

“That’s why I was a little bit surprised by Liverpool signing him. I don’t understand it because I don’t think he is the blueprint of goalkeeper that they would have, like Alisson or even Kelleher with the ball at his feet, because they are very, very good.”

Arsenal are back. All it took was Martin Odegaard to return and suddenly the Gunners look like Premier League and Champions League contenders again.

It’s funny how football works, isn’t it? During a run of four league games between October and November, Mikel Arteta failed to steer his men to a single win.

There was nightmare evening on the south coast when Bournemouth defeated Arsenal before they also lost up north when they travelled to Newcastle. That was between draws with Liverpool and Chelsea, slightly more acceptable results.

Sadly, those performances have left them behind in the title race with Arne Slot’s Liverpool cementing themselves at the top of the division.

However, we all know just how swiftly things can change. This is a hectic festive schedule, after all.

Their latest performance was a thrilling and chaotic 5-2 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Arsenal’s best performers against West Ham

The last time Arsenal travelled to the London Stadium they put in a performance worthy of the Olympic gold medalists who once graced such an area of the country.

The visitors left having sealed a 6-0 win against David Moyes’ side. This time around Julen Lopetegui’s men hardly fared much better as Arsenal raced into a 4-0 lead after 36 minutes on the clock.

It was Bukayo Saka who was at the heart of things as usual, laying on two assists and scoring from the penalty spot.

The Englishman was simply sublime, with his wicked delivery from the corner spot finding Gabriel who headed home to open the scoring. Saka was the provider for the second, darting into Odegaard’s clipped ball in behind before laying it on a plate for Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal’s no.7 was again at the heart of things for the third goal as he was fouled to give them their second penalty in as many games. Saka would be the usual taker but he handed over the ball to Odegaard who made no mistake from 12 yards.

Although it was Leandtro Trossard and Kai Havertz who combined for the fourth goal, Saka was again involved in the final strike, stepping up to slot home the visitors’ second penalty of the game.

While the likes of Gabriel and Saka stood out, praise should be reserved for Jorginho.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Jorginho’s performance in numbers

Prior to the north Londoners’ 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend, Italy international Jorginho had started just twice in the Premier League this term.

In truth, it has turned out to be a bizarre decision considering his outings in the last week or so.

To date, the likes of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino have been preferred in the centre of the park but the last few weeks have allowed for the former Chelsea star to feature instead. It’s safe to say that he’s done an admirable job after coming back into the team.

Should we be surprised? Definitely not. The £110k-per-week earner is a big game player and when he plays, the Gunners do often come out on top. Usually trusted against the top sides in the division, he is a remarkably consistent asset, notably starting in wins against Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle last term.

For a bargain price of just £12m, it is hard to argue that he isn’t one of the best value-for-money signings of the Arteta era. He proved as much with yet another metronomic performance against the Hammers.

He featured for the full 90 minutes and in the process, won four of his six ground duels and completed 83% of his passes. For context, only Jurrien Timber won more ground duels (6) in Arsenal colours.

Minutes played

90

Touches

62

Accurate passes

43/52 (83%)

Key passes

0

Long balls

2/3

Ground duels won

4/6

Aerial duels won

0/2

Fouls

2

Interceptions

3

Tackles

3

So, why should he go down as one of the best Arsenal’s best signings in recent years? Well, while much of the club’s recruitment has been built on signing young and progressing players, Jorginho is a very different player.

As a certain Granit Xhaka was before, the 32-year-old is Arteta’s voice on the pitch, he’s the true leader of the group without possessing the armband. Unlike some in the squad, he boasts experience that very few players in this side have. He’s won the Champions League, he’s won the Euros and he’s been a brilliantly consistent Premier League player for a long time now.

Having had very few poor games in Arsenal colours. He is without a doubt one of the biggest unsung heroes in the team. Saka and Gabriel will steal the headlines but it should not be understated just how important Jorginho is.

His performances are better than any stats could possibly showcase.

Saka's dream signing: Arsenal target £150m "genius" who's like Yamal

The “world-class” talent would be a game-changing signing for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 28, 2024

Everton have a long way ahead before they reach the position that they deserve to occupy in English (and possibly European?) football, but the agreed deal for The Friedkin Group to purchase Farhad Moshiri’s 94% stake in the club does hint at exciting change.

Hopefully, things will be moving forward by Christmas. Sean Dyche’s side are toiling in the Premier League this season and look set to be scrapping for survival once again.

An impactful winter transfer window could change that. The 16th-placed side have a balanced crop, but some more quality and experience would be ideal. Ideal, however, football is not.

That said, there’s a chance that the Toffees could be in business this January, with three areas identified for improvements.

1 GK – Jordan Pickford

Somehow still criminally underrated, Jordan Pickford may remain at Everton for the rest of his career. His blood runs blue. He’s been let down by some dismal defending this term but finished second in the Premier League’s clean sheet charts last year, and third for shot-to-save percentage.

England’s No. 1 will be sure to be emboldened by some purposeful movements in the market.

2 RB – Kieran Trippier

Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young and Nathan Patterson all operate at right-back, but the first two have a combined age of 75 and the latter practically lives in the infirmary.

Kieran Trippier’s no spring chicken himself, but he’s still one of the Premier League’s most exciting playmakers, ranking among the top 8% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

He was courted in the summer and is an outcast at Newcastle United. It could be the creative injection that Everton need.

3 CB – Jarrad Branthwaite

Jarrad Branthwaite will remain at Everton – until the end of the season, at least. The monstrous centre-back was incredible last year but has suffered with injuries across the past several months.

Rejecting Manchester United’s advances could prove the difference in the months of football to come. Let’s see.

4 CB – James Tarkowski

Everton signed James Tarkowski on a free transfer after Burnley were relegated in 2022, and he has started every single Premier League fixture since.

1.

Arsenal

29

18

2.

Manchester City

34

13

3.

Everton

51

13

4.

Liverpool

41

10

5.

Crystal Palace

58

10

A real leader, he’s not been at his best this term but has still averaged 2.5 tackles per game, as per Sofascore, while winning 72% of his aerial battles.

5 LB – Vitalii Mykolenko

Vitalii Mykolenko’s grip on the left-back position at Everton isn’t made of iron, but he’ll continue to star as the club’s first choice this season.

6 CM – Abdoulaye Doucoure

Timeless. Abdoulaye Doucoure will continue to strut his stuff for Everton for the rest of the campaign, and hopefully beyond. He’s experienced, combative and creative all. He also bears a knack for an important goal that cannot be understated.

7 CM – Bryan Cristante

The Friedkin Group already own AS Roma in Italy, and thus the rumour mill has suggested, through Italian reports, that a swap deal concerning Everton’s Beto and centre-midfielder Bryan Cristante could be engineered. He’s a cultured midfielder whose arrival could spark a bit more possession and fluency.

Interestingly, Cristante’s tactical profile puts him as Martin Zubimendi’s most statistically comparable player, as per FBref.

8 RW – Ernest Nuamah

At the backend of the summer transfer window, it was reported that Everton had agreed personal terms with Lyon’s Ernest Nuamah.

Lyon signed Nuamah for €28.5m (£24m) this year but financial woes could force them to let him go. A £15m figure has been mooted, and it could prove to be a shrewd deal indeed, replacing the on-loan Merseysider Jesper Lindstrom.

An electric winger with “outrageous” qualities, as talent scout Jacek Kulig has said, the 21-year-old has what it takes to become a Premier League superstar. Lindstrom, meanwhile, should be sent packing after failing to score or assist in 2024/25 thus far.

9 AM – Dwight McNeil

Dwight McNeil has been superb this season, posting three goals and three assists across ten Premier League outings and averaging 2.7 key passes per game.

He’s the club’s attacking lifeblood right now and could take his already improved skills to another level entirely with a couple of meaningful tweaks.

10 LW – Iliman Ndiaye

A maverick. Iliman Ndiaye is perhaps the most exciting player at Goodison Park since Richarlison. The Senegalese’s tricks and skills have made for entertaining viewing, and he still has so much more to give.