Tag Futebol

Last summer, Arsenal needed to sign a new centre-forward. Benjamin Sesko was in their crosshairs but he ultimately ended up signing a new contract with current employers, RB Leipzig.

In the end, the Gunners went without. The only signing to bolster the forward line was Raheem Sterling.

The Chelsea loanee promised we’d see the best of him. That did not happen.

In January, Mikel Arteta was crying out for a striker again but it wasn’t forthcoming. What happened next? Kai Havertz sustained a nasty hamstring injury during a warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

Arsenal’s Premier League form suffered drastically and it ultimately tripped them up in Paris when they exited the Champions League at the semi-final stages.

So, a year on from when a new centre-forward first should have arrived, Arteta and Co are back at square one, chasing Sesko again.

Arsenal moving closer to signing a new centre forward

When you end the campaign with Mikel Merino up top, you know something has gone drastically wrong.

In all fairness, Merino was fine. Fine being the key word. He wasn’t exceptional, he wasn’t the spearhead you need to win a Premier League or continental title but he did score six goals in 12 outings as a striker.

That’s not bad at all, but it’s not the 54-goal tally Viktor Gyokeres scored. It’s not the 27 goals Alexander Isak scored. It’s not the 21 goals Sesko scored either.

All three of those players would be excellent signings, but it’s Sesko who looks the most likely to arrive at the moment.

Transfer Focus

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

That’s according to German publication BILD, via Sport Witness. They report on Wednesday that a deal is beginning to move on the player side.

Indeed, BILD states that Arsenal have ‘reached an agreement’ on personal terms between them and the striker.

While that doesn’t mean anything is wrapped up with Leipzig, the report does note that Arsenal have signalled to the Bundesliga club that they are set to made a bid that will not fall below their expectations financially.

It’s likely to take an offer between £68m-£85m to convince them to sell.

How Sesko could replicate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal

It’s safe to say that since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Arsenal behind, Arteta has lacked a real potent centre-forward.

That’s not to say it was a mistake to let him go. After all, the Gabonese striker departed in controversial circumstances, stripped of the captaincy (video below) and then flying out to Barcelona on a trip that wasn’t sanctioned by the club.

Despite his flaws, Aubameyang was a mighty fine player for the club and was a key reason behind Arteta’s only trophy as a manager so far, the FA Cup in 2019/20.

Given Arsenal’s recent progress, it’s remarkable that they’re currently in the middle of a five-year trophy drought, but it’s perhaps no coincidence that they’re yet to win any major honours since Auba departed.

His record with the Gunners was exceptional, scoring 92 goals in 163 outings, most notably winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018/19.

He was one of the meanest forwards in the whole of English football during his time at the Emirates Stadium and even deservedly found his way into the PFA Team of the Year for 2019/20.

Aubameyang was relentless, netting 31 goals in 51 games throughout 2018/19 and then the following term, he bagged 29 in 44 matches.

Well, if Sesko did arrive then he’d certainly have a lot to live up to but there are similarities in the way they play the game.

Described as “the new Haaland” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Slovenian possesses a tall frame, standing at 6 foot 5. In contrast, the former Arsenal forward stands at 6 foot 2.

There is a slight difference there but what their height allows is for a longer and more powerful stride pattern. They can burst beyond the last line of the defence and surge towards goal in a similarly explosive fashion.

Rather than relying on intricate build-up play, they’re also very clever with their movement and rely on their instinctive finishing ability. In essence, they’re both mighty fine poachers. More often than not, they’re always in the right place at the right time.

Shots

2.50

2.61

Shot on target %

43.9%

44%

Average shot distance

17.5 yards

15.5 yards

Expected goals (xG)

0.38

0.42

Shot-creating actions

1.93

1.98

Touches

34.1

35.4

Carries

16.8

20.9

Completed passes

15.7

17.6

Key passes

0.72

0.75

Pass completion %

67.6%

67.3%

Comparing one of Aubameyang’s best seasons at Arsenal with Sesko’s latest campaign, we can see see alike the pair are.

They took a near identical number of touches and completed a near identical rate of successful passes per 90 minutes, suggesting their actions in the build-up are very similar.

Likewise, they come out very closely for key passes and shot-creating actions, underlining how often they make something happen in the final third of the pitch.

Aged just 22, Sesko clearly has a lot of development left to do but if Arteta could extract that in north London, the Spaniard may well have the next Aubameyang on his hands, just without the excess baggage. That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

He's shades of Nwaneri: Berta holds talks to sign £40m star for Arsenal

Arsenal are looking at signing one of Europe’s best young prospects this summer.

ByMatt Dawson Jun 18, 2025

Leeds United have been given a transfer boost as they eye a move for a new Brazilian attacker who has hailed former Whites star Raphinha.

Raphinha starring for Barcelona after leaving Leeds

Following promotion back in 2020, Raphinha was Leeds’ best signing in recent memory, joining from Rennes and starring at Elland Road under Marcelo Bielsa.

The Brazilian would also almost single-handedly keep Leeds in the top flight in the 2021/22 campaign before sealing a dream £50m transfer to Barcelona.

Since moving to the Nou Camp, the relentless winger has gone from strength to strength and is now a leading contender to win the Ballon d’Or after scoring 34 goals and providing 25 assists in 2024/25.

Leeds: 49ers lead race to sign £20m+ La Liga attacker who Chelsea wanted

He was playing amateur football in 2019.

1

By
Charlie Smith

Jun 4, 2025

Raphinha, who won his second La Liga title and first Copa del Rey in 24/25, still keeps an eye out for Leeds and celebrated the Whites’ recent promotion, reacting to the club’s social media post on Instagram.

Leeds will now be looking for a player of the same ilk as Raphinha as they aim to establish themselves in the Premier League once again, and one wide attacker who has been linked with a move to Elland Road is Igor Paixao from Feyenoord.

There were claims Leeds submitted an enquiry to sign the Brazilian, however, the Dutch club would like a fee of €40m (£34m), but there has been a new update on a potential move.

Igor Paixao now open to Leeds transfer

According to Leeds Live, Paixao is open to the idea of joining Leeds this summer, however, despite previous reports, no contact has been made by the Whites at this moment in time.

Paixao would consider a move to Yorkshire, though, under the right personal terms, following an excellent individual campaign in 24/25 where he produced some impressive numbers, scoring 18 goals and registering a further 19 assists.

Talking earlier in the season, the Brazilian addressed his future and left the door open to a possible exit this summer.

The 24-year-old is a right-footed winger who primarily plays on the left-hand side and previously expressed his admiration for Raphinha, saying: “Raphinha is an example for me and all of us Brazilians.”

Now, should Leeds make their move, they could soon have another exciting Brazilian winger on the books, three years after parting ways with Raphinha.

It might be something of an understatement to say that this season hasn’t gone quite how the Tottenham Hotspur faithful would have hoped back in August.

Yet, while they sit 16th in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou’s side are in with a real chance to lift the Europa League, although before they can think about that, they need to secure passage to the final by keeping or extending their two-goal advantage away to FK Bodø/Glimt on Thursday night.

Unfortunately, they will be without James Maddison, and as things stand, Dominic Solanke could also be set to miss out.

While he’s been effective here and there, the club-record signing has not blown anyone away this season, and that might explain recent reports linking the team to a new centre-forward, who may well be an upgrade on the Englishman.

Tottenham's striker search

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other strikers linked with Spurs in recent months, such as Daizen Maeda and Jonathan David.

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 may spend a lot of time on the wing, but he’s no stranger to playing down the middle, and with a tally of 45 goal involvements this season and a potential price tag of £25m, he could be an incredible signing.

The latter has racked up a sensational haul of 25 goals and 12 assists in 47 games this season and, thanks to his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, will be available on a free.

However, another international striker has now caught the attention of Daniel Levy and Co: Tim Kleindienst.

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in signing the German forward this summer.

In fact, the report claims that the Lilywhites are now ready to pay up to £30m for the goalscorer, but so are West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton.

Moreover, AC Milan, AS Roma, and Bayern Munich are also keeping close tabs on the Bourrusia Mönchengladbach star.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but it’s one worth fighting for, especially as Kleindienst could be a big upgrade on Solanke.

How Kleindienst compares to Solanke

So, if Spurs are going to go out, get ahead of the competition and splash the cash on Kleindienst, would he come straight into the starting lineup?

Well, when we compare him to Solanke, as he’d be his main competitor, the answer is a pretty resounding yes.

For example, when it comes to the pair’s raw output from this season, which is, of course, the most important metric for a striker, it’s the German who comes out comfortably on top.

In just 32 appearances for Mönchengladbach, totalling 2835 minutes, the “remarkable” 29-year-old, as dubbed by ESPN reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, has scored 16 goals and provided ten assists.

In other words, the Jüterbog-born poacher is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.23 games, or every 109.03 minutes.

Appearnaces

32

41

Minutes

2835′

3131′

Goals

16

14

Assists

10

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.81

0.53

Minutes per Goal Involvement

109.03′

142.31′

In contrast, the North Londoner’s record signing has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in 41 appearances, totalling 3131 minutes.

That means the Englishman is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.86 games, or every 142.31 minutes, and while that isn’t bad, it is noticeably worse than his potential competitor.

Furthermore, while the former FC Heidenheim ace has scored four goals and provided one assist in his six senior caps for Germany, the former Bournemouth striker has no goals or assists to his name in three caps.

Ultimately, while Solanke has been a useful player for Spurs so far, it’s clear that Kleindienst is the better goalscorer, and therefore, Levy and Co should go out and sign him this summer.

Not just Davies: Ange must sell Spurs dud who looked like a "pub player"

Tottenham Hotspur failed to impress once again this afternoon, drawing 1-1 with West Ham United.

1 ByEthan Lamb May 4, 2025

Leeds United might have well strolled to automatic promotion in the end with a sizeable 100-point haul next to their name, but the Whites will know the Premier League is a different beast altogether compared to the Championship.

Indeed, Daniel Farke will be the manager tasked with turning the West Yorkshire giants back into a Premier League-ready outfit, with Leeds unfortunately falling back down to the EFL at the end of the 2022/23 season after three campaigns at the daunting level.

To help achieve that, the German looks to be in the market for some new defensive buys to shore up his newly promoted side, with a fresh goalkeeper very much a must when leaping up to the unforgiving top-flight.

Leeds' targets in defence

Of course, one of the main talking points towards the back-end of their promotion campaign was Farke axing Illan Meslier due to far too many errors seeping into the Frenchman’s game.

Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a great shock to anyone that the Whites are prioritising an upgrade in the number one position, with Serbian shot-stopper Djordje Petrovic reportedly catching their eye.

A new report from TEAMTalk suggests that Leeds are seriously considering a move for the Chelsea goalkeeper off the back of a standout loan stint in France with RC Strasbourg.

With Petrovic’s first-team situation uncertain at Stamford Bridge, Leeds could offer the 25-year-old plenty more game time, with the five-time Serbia international perhaps finding a new defensive teammate in Leonardo Balerdi if he also relocates to Elland Road shortly.

Further reports claim that the Whites are ready to put forward a bumper £38m bid for the Argentine centre-back, meaning their defence could have a fresh look ahead of their Premier League adventure if both signings enter the building, with the new duo in question potentially helping Leeds to stay afloat.

How Farke could transform Leeds' defence

Amazingly, despite playing for two separate Ligue 1 clubs currently, the standout pairing could both be donning Leeds colours next season if everything goes smoothly.

Both defensive figures do look ready for the challenge of top-flight football in England too, with Balerdi a calm orchestrator at the back for Marseille with a mammoth 104 touches of the ball averaged per league clash, alongside Petrovic also receiving some glowing praises in-between the sticks for Liam Rosenior’s men.

Petrovic’s constant class in goal for Strasbourg has even seen the ex-Hull City boss label the 25-year-old as “world-class”, alongside also stating that the 6 foot 4 ‘keeper will go on to have a “remarkable” career after his formative loan experience in France is up.

Leeds will hope the promising stopper morphs into an even better ‘keeper in West Yorkshire, therefore, with his numbers in Ligue 1 this campaign making him a huge upgrade on a waning Meslier in terms of being able to handle the pressures of a top division.

Games played

29

25

Minutes averaged*

90

84

Touches*

56.9

107.4

Accurate passes*

36.1 (78%)

89.4 (94%)

Ball recoveries*

9.0

6.1

Clean sheets

10

4

Combined, both Petrovic and Balerdi have managed to collect 14 clean sheets this season in league action, with the Serbian also proving himself to be a calm presence on the ball much like his South American counterpart, seen in him averaging a 78% pass accuracy from 29 league contests.

To add context, Meslier has only amassed 21 clean sheets in the Premier League from a far higher 107 clashes, with Petrovic already up to five at the intimidating level when infrequently featuring under Enzo Maresca.

Whilst Balerdi might find it hard to displace the likes of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon in the heart of defence immediately, his hefty £38m price tag must count for something in terms of his game time not being too thin.

With a safer pair of gloves in Petrovic too, Leeds will pray they don’t fall victim to a leaky Premier League campaign that ends with the all-too-familiar taste of relegation.

Farke's next Pukki: Leeds looking to sign "powerful" £17m striker

Daniel Farke will hope this new potential signing can become his next Teemu Pukki at Leeds United.

ByKelan Sarson May 9, 2025

Don’t read too much into it, but South Africa took the lead in the three-match T20I series against England after winning a game initially reduced to nine overs a side by batting for 7.5 and then defending an adjusted five-over target.Wet conditions in Cardiff stalked the match throughout as play began two hours and 20 minutes after the scheduled 6.30pm start, and was then interrupted with seven balls remaining in South Africa’s innings.South Africa were on track for a total over 100 thanks to a top-score of 28 from captain Aiden Markram, who sold for R14 million (US$800,000 approx.) at Tuesday’s SA20 auction and hit two fours and two sixes in the 14 balls he faced. Markam shared in a 32-run second-wicket stand with Lhuan-dre Pretorius before Dewald Brevis and Donovan Ferreira put on 36 off 15 balls to form the spine of a competitive total.A heavy burst of rain ended South Africa’s innings prematurely and England were set a reduced target of 69 of 30 balls. With a required run rate of 13.8 an over, their task was always going to be tough but losing Phil Salt and Harry Brook for ducks made it even more difficult. Jos Buttler returned to the top of the order and scored 25 off 11 but needed support against South Africa’s top seamers to challenge for the result to go England’s way.

Wood proves his worth

England made a late change to include left-arm seamer Luke Wood in their XI in place of Jofra Archer, who was wrapped in cotton wool in wet conditions. Wood seized his opportunity: his second ball, and first to the left-handed Ryan Rickelton, swung away, Rickelton drove with no footwork and edged to Buttler for a golden duck.Luke Wood claimed Ryan Rickelton for a first-ball duck•AFP/Getty Images

Markram hit Wood over mid-off for the innings’ first boundary later in that over, then back over his head for six and over mid-on for four at the start of his second over but Wood came back well. Pretorius tried to hit over the leg side but miscued towards mid-off where Brook dived forward to take a stunning catch and Wood ended with 2 for 22.

Brevis justifies the big bucks

After breaking the SA20 pay record and selling for R16.5 million (approx US$944,000) a little over 24 hours ago, Brevis is expected to produce big things and he delivered. When Liam Dawson was brought on in the fifth over, Brevis played the no-look six first up and then smashed a low full toss into the sightscreen for six more. He is a strong player of spin and dispatched Adil Rashid too, over midwicket for his third six.But when Sam Curran was brought on, to bowl his first international spell of the year, he foxed Brevis with an ultra-slow slower ball that Brevis played too early and edged to third. Still, his cameo in partnership with Ferreira showed off his quality – and the reason Pretoria Capitals were willing to splash the cash.Dewald Brevis drills a six down the ground•AFP/Getty Images

Welcome back, South Africa’s strike bowlers

The wisdom of picking Kagiso Rabada, who sat out the ODIs in both England and Australia with ankle inflammation and will have a big role to play in upcoming tours to Pakistan and India, and Marco Jansen, who has not played for almost three months, could have been questioned but both seemed keen to be back.Rabada’s first ball back was full to Phil Salt, who picked out Kwena Maphaka at deep backward square with precision. Rabada barely had time to celebrate his early strike before Buttler hit his fourth and fifth balls, both pace-off, for four and then six to close out the over strongly.Jansen beat Jacob Bethell to start but was then dispatched over midwicket for six before he had him caught at cover. After Brook missed a coupe, Jansen then found extra bounce to beat his uppercut and ended with a slower ball. He bowled a second over, mixed up his pace well and ended with the wicket of Buttler, caught off the inside edge, to end the game as a contest.South Africa were without Lungi Ngidi, ruled out of the series with a hamstring strain sustained at training on Tuesday, and Keshav Maharaj, who tweaked his groin during the warm-ups. Nandre Burger will replace Ngidi – who is due to fly home on Thursday – and will join up with the squad ahead of Friday’s second T20I in Manchester.

She speaks on a variety of topics and, of course, that delivery to Sophia Dunkley at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2025Alana King set the Women’s Ashes alight with her consistent bowling. She shares her thoughts on her T20 resurgence, making a WPL debut and ball of the century, while another Australia star, Beth Mooney, talks about the growth of the game ahead of International Women’s Day.