Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino reveals Ben Chilwell is recovering from a fresh knock suffering during the international break.
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Sunderland's rise from being held by the clutches of League One to now launching an assault towards the Premier League is a remarkable turnaround in such a short space of time.
Aside from being punished 4-0 by North East rivals Middlesbrough last time out, the Black Cats have been firing across all cylinders this term and that is down to their strong spine consisting of goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, centre-back Daniel Ballard, central midfielder Dan Neil, attacking midfielder Jobe Bellingham and winger Jack Clarke.
While that list of impressive young talent have become instrumental to their early promotion bid, other individuals in the squad perhaps haven't eclipsed last season's form and one of those is the talented Patrick Roberts.
Roberts was a key figure in Sunderland's play-off campaign last term with Tony Mowbray labelling him as a "natural talent" for showcasing his abundance of skill and trickery.
The 26-year-old's five goals and seven assists from the right flank were the most goal contributions he'd managed in a single campaign for an English club, perhaps an inclination that Roberts was threatening to reach the ceiling of his Premier League potential.
Praised by former manager Alex Neil for being a "little magician", the Englishman has failed to back up that claim and sprinkle some more magic this season.
The fleet-footed winger has impressed with his stunning approach play, dazzling defenders with his precise dribbling and quick acceleration, ranking in the top 16% for progressive carries against his positional peers in the Championship this season, top 5% for successful take-ons and top 1% for carries into the final third, as per FBref.
However, when it comes to the bread and butter of any attacking player – producing an end product to match the build-up – Roberts has fallen short, missing three big chances, only creating one, firing just 0.4 shots per game and accumulating zero goal contributions, via Sofascore.
Compare that to Amad Diallo, who was devastating in the final third last season, and the Manchester United youngster is levels ahead.
Fortunately, reports claim that Sunderland could take him back on loan in January and if that is the case, he could replace Roberts in the starting XI and fire them to promotion.
Diallo's impact in the Championship was devastating. The 21-year-old unleashed his exceptional attributes with regularity, including his searing pace, press resistance when carrying the ball, fleet-footed dribbling and an end product to match.
Not only did Diallo rank in the top 6% for progressive passes in the second tier last season, top 8% for shot-creating actions, top 12% for successful take-ons and top 15% for progressive carries, but he also showcased maturity with his decision-making in the final third, as per FBref.
Adored by his Sunderland teammates for the impact he made at the Stadium of Light and dubbed by Luke O'Nein as "incredible", the Ivory Coast international produced stellar numbers and performances to demonstrate why Manchester United paid Atalanta a whopping £37m for him in January 2021.
In 39 Championship appearances, the explosive winger served up 14 goals and three assists from wide as defenders quickly found out that he was near impossible to stop when fashioning space to cut in on his left foot.
Although Roberts is undoubtedly talented, if Diallo were to return in January, he would see him push the Englishman out and deliver the devastating performances that were so crucial in Sunderland's charge into the play-offs last term.
Chelsea and Lionesses legend Fran Kirby came off the bench in the Blues' 2-0 win over West Ham and brought up an impressive milestone with the club.
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Southampton are pushing for promotion from the Championship this season, and they are believed to be eyeing a move for a young defender with plenty of potential, according to a new update.
Saints suffered are misery of being relegated from the Premier League last season, eventually finishing bottom of the table after a desperately disappointing run of results. Russell Martin's side went into the new campaign as one of the favourites to go straight back up, however, and a win away to Sheffield Wednesday on the opening night further suggested that that would be the case.
Things haven't quite gone as well since then, with inconsistent results leaving Southampton sitting 10th in the table, but they are still clearly in the mix for at least the playoffs, although new signings may be required to take them up a further gear.
Next up is a trip to Hull City, who are level on points with Martin's side, before a difficult mid-week trip to high-flying Preston.
Having quality and depth in the squad can be priceless in the Championship, considering how relentless the fixtures are the more the season goes on, and Saints are seemingly keen on signing a Premier League player to boost their defensive depth in January.
Ben Johnson to Southampton is reportedly a deal that could come to fruition in 2024, according to West Ham insiders Claret and Hugh, who report the player is likely to be sold to one of the interested parties:
"Everton are understood to be interested along with Southampton, whilst Luton Town could show interest in the player given his versatility as a right and left back."
This could be a really strong piece of business by Southampton, with Johnson someone who has racked up plenty of experience, and who could be looking to move away from West Ham at this point in his career.
The 23-year-old has found himself out of favour at the London Stadium in recent times, with Johnson's statistics showing that he hasn't yet played at all in the league this season, instead making just one solitary appearance in the EFL Cup.
He will see his current West Ham deal expire at the end of this season, meaning they could be tempted to cash in come January. The fact that he has the same agent as Kyle Walker-Peters could be aid discussions over a move too, and the positives outweigh the negatives.
Even if Johnson's move to St Mary's Stadium doesn't work out, the cheap element of the signing would make it less of a risk, and his ability to play in several positions kills mutliple birds with one stone.
|
Ben Johnson career statistics |
Total |
|---|---|
|
West Ham appearances |
88 |
|
Premier League appearances |
55 |
|
England Under-21 caps |
10 |
The Englishman is a versatile defender who can play on either flank and in a central role, and former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has described him as "brilliant" in the past.
For any Championship club to snap up a Premier League players feels like a coup, and Johnson has the ability to make Southampton a more fearsome proposition at the back for years to come, with West Ham also seemingly happy to see him move on, given the lack of minutes they are affording him at the moment.
Arsenal have reaped the benefits of unearthing talent from the academy over the years, with Mikel Arteta's current crop showcasing just how far hard work can catapult starlets hoping to graduate from Hale End.
The Gunners enjoyed a highly-successful 2022/23 campaign, which inspired a charge for the Premier League title inspired by the likes of Bukayo Saka, who is arguably one of the club’s best ever academy graduates.
Saka, who joined Arsenal’s youth set-up at the age of eight took his chances throughout the levels of the academy, with him now sitting today as a crucial player at the club earning £195k-per-week and enjoying his status as a 2023 Ballon D’Or Nominee.
The 22-year-old sensation is not the only star to recently burst through the doors of Hale End to impact the first team, with Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe following suit, however not every big talent from the set-up in north London has selected Arsenal as the place to grow as a senior player.
After excelling on a season long loan spell with Ligue 1 outfit Reims, Gunners academy striker Folarin Balogun opted to leave his boyhood club to seek further highs in France, signing for Monaco this summer in a deal worth £35m.
While the north Londoners received a suitable fee for the 22-year-old, other exits from the capital over the years have proved to be huge financial fumbles by Arsenal, with none more frustrating than the loss of Donyell Malen.
In 2015, Arsenal welcomed Dutch prodigy, Malen, to the scene at Hale End from Ajax at the age of 16, as the Gunners saw potential in the versatile teen forward.
The 1999-born whiz enjoyed a strong two years in England, making a total of 67 appearances at both U18 and U21 level in which he scored 27 goals for the club.
His time at Arsenal was inspired by his former coach at Ajax U10’s, Dennis Bergkamp, who will forever be a much-loved figure in Islington, with his figure cast in bronze outside the Emirates Stadium.
During his time in the academy ranks, the then-teenager was tipped to have a great future, with his former agent Mino Raiola backing him to one day become a “revelation” in north London.
Despite enjoying his time in England, in 2017, the forward made the decision to continue his career back in his homeland instead of opting to extend his stay with Arsenal, which he explained to be due to the potential opportunities that could arise in the Netherlands.
It didn’t take long for Malen to make his wishes a reality, as he was signed by PSV Eindhoven that year for a fee reported to be in the region of just £200k.
It quickly became apparent of the direction that the departed forward’s career was headed, and with that came the realisation of just how poor the decision was to sanction his exit for less than £1m.
A year after his exit, in the summer of 2018, Football Transfers documented the start of Malen’s rise in value, as his expected transfer value (xTV) sat at €4m (£3.4m) just 12 months after his £200k departure.
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Donyell Malen xTV rise at PSV |
|
|
Month/Year |
Expected transfer value |
|
07/2018 |
€4m (£3.4m) |
|
07/2019 |
€8.9m (£7.7m) |
|
07/2020 |
€16.7m (£14.5m) |
|
07/2021 |
€29.4m (£25.5m) |
|
Via Football Transfers |
|
From that point onwards, the Dutchman’s xTV almost doubled year by year, as highlighted in the table above, adding to Arsenal’s pain of losing the forward from their grasp at such a slim figure just a year prior to his senior breakthrough.
A year after his arrival at PSV, Malen became an established member of the first team, following his heroics during the 2017/18 campaign with the U21’s, in which he netted 13 goals and claimed three assists in 22 appearances.
During that season, the Dutch international picked up four Eredivisie appearances, paving the way for his senior breakthrough the following term, where he recorded 31 appearances.
In the 2018/19 Eredivisie, the tricky forward scored ten goals and recorded five assists, and his record improved the season after with 11 goals, despite only playing 14 games due to sustaining a complex knee injury which left him sidelined for over 200 days.
|
Donyell Malen record at PSV in all competitions |
|||
|
Season |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2017/18 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
2018/19 |
42 |
11 |
5 |
|
2019/20 |
25 |
17 |
9 |
|
2020/21 |
45 |
27 |
10 |
|
Figures via Transfermarkt |
|||
After surgery, there was some anxiety that the youngster may have lost some of his pace and proficiency in the final third, however this was far from the case, as in the 2020/21 edition of the Eredivisie, he recorded 27 goal contributions in 32 appearances.
At 22, Malen ended that season as the second-highest scorer in the league, and it wasn’t long until his talents were noticed beyond the threshold of his home country.
Following Jadon Sancho’s blockbuster move to Manchester United in 2021, Borussia Dortmund were on the prowl for attacking reinforcements, and deemed Malen as the ideal option to fill the void left by the Englishman.
Dortmund paid PSV a fee of €30m (£26m) for the Dutchman, a figure 12900% higher than the price Arsenal sold Malen to the Eredivisie outfit for.
While Dortmund were slyly hoping to see home parallels between the former Gunners starlet and Sancho, their similarities in the 2021/22 campaign were far from being for their quality in the final third.
Both Malen and Sancho had a slow start to life at their new clubs, with the Dutch international recording only nine goals and six assists in 38 appearances for Dortmund that season, while Sancho scored just five times and registered only three assists.
Last term, the £26m man contributed to 18 goals in 35 appearances, however, scoring ten and assisting eight, with him on track to beat that record as he’s already secured four goals and two assists in 12 appearances in 2023/24.
In the summer of 2022, Malen’s xTV hit a high of €48.8m (£42.4m), with his current market value recorded by CIES Football Observatory to be sat at a whopping €60m (£52m).
Lauded as a “sizzling” earlier this year for his form at Dortmund by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Arsenal are frequently reminded of the mere £200k price tag that they lost the former academy star for, with his current value reading 25900% higher.
While it’s more of a pleasant sight to see a once hopeful starlet succeed on the biggest stages of domestic football, the Gunners truly missed out on unearthing a goldmine in Malen.
Barcelona lead the chase to sign Estevao Willian, better known as Messinho, as the 16-year-old dreams of playing for the Blaugrana.
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Tottenham struck gold with their recruitment into the building this summer, softening the blow of Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich expertly by signing exciting new talents to fit into new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou’s overhaul.
Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and James Maddison have been early standout performers under the Australian head coach, key components to Spurs’ unbeaten run so far in the Premier League.
Maddison, in particular, has been instrumental, notching up eight goal contributions from ten matches after joining Tottenham from Leicester City for £40m.
The north London hot shots could be in the market for more players this January despite their electric start to this campaign, with Feyenoord attacker Santiago Gimenez linked with Postecoglou’s high-flyers according to reports.
Spurs will have to be cautious in their pursuit of the Eredivisie forward, however, eager to not let history repeat itself.
Vincent Janssen left AZ Alkmaar behind for Tottenham in similar circumstances back in 2016, spectacularly flopping throughout his doomed stay in the English capital subsequently.
Fabrizio Romano has reported reported, via TEAMtalk that Spurs are interested in the 22-year-old striker as a potential option to strengthen the attack, Richarlison falling down the pecking order even further at the club if this move is pulled off.
The notorious reporter stated: "Something in the region of £39m could be the right fee to make it happen. From what I’m told, Tottenham [Hotspur] scouts have been following the player already last year. They saw that Gimenez is a very good striker… Decisions will be made in the next months.”
Gimenez justifies this price-tag with a sensational 13 goals from just 11 Dutch first-division appearances to date.
Still, Spurs will know too well that potency in front of goal in the Netherlands doesn’t always mean that a similar clinical edge will be apparent when relocating to the Premier League.
Janssen, who joined Spurs at the same age Gimenez is now, endured a torrid time at White Hart Lane after setting the Eredivisie alight with his goal output.
The misfiring Dutch striker would only manage six goals for Tottenham from 42 appearances, a weak goal return after netting a far superior 32 goals from 49 games whilst at AZ.
The 6-foot forward, who is now 29, has rebuilt his career since this nightmare spell in north London with Janssen the leading man in attack for Royal Antwerp currently.
Gimenez will just pray that he doesn’t fall victim to the pressure of a high-profile move in a similar fashion, hoping to excel in his new surroundings instead of being disregarded as a dud.
Feyenoord’s lethal talismanic striker continues to be a terrifying prospect for Eredivisie defenders to contain, occupying second spot in the top scorer chart for the league.
The standout display of Gimenez’s season so far came against Ajax, netting three goals against the Dutch titans to give Feyenoord a comprehensive 4-0 win in De Klassieker.
Only registering four shots in the 90 minutes per Sofascore, the Mexico International showcased his prolific nature for his club side to net a devastating hat-trick.
Over the last year for the Rotterdam-based giants, Gimenez has averaged a staggering 8.32 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 minutes according to FBRef – the sign of a striker always waiting for an opportunity to strike from close range, always lurking to finish off a chance.
Tottenham will attempt everything in their power to persuade the 22-year-old to join the North London outfit, hopeful that lightning won’t strike twice when pursuing exports from the Eredivisie and that Gimenez will finally plug the gap Kane left behind up top.
Inter Miami boss Tata Martino has announced that Lionel Messi will make his starting XI for the second leg of a Champions Cup clash with Monterrey.
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Newcastle United have been linked with a move for a "special" player in the past, and their interest in him has now reportedly been reignited after an injury to Callum Wilson.
The Magpies have looked like a ragged side in recent weeks, with their season becoming increasingly affected by a combination of injuries and fatigue. Eddie Howe has suffered some desperately bad luck in the fitness department, losing what feels like a never ending list of players to injury, and in last weekend's 2-0 defeat away to Bournemouth in the Premier League, Newcastle seemingly had little left in the tank.
January transfers feel essential for the Magpies, with Sandro Tonali's ban meaning at least one midfielder is required to cover for him. Manchester City ace Kalvin Phillips is reportedly a target, while Ruben Neves heading to St James' Park also isn't out of the question.
While the midfield has arguably taken precedence, another attacker could be on the agenda, too, especially with concerns around the fitness of the likes of Miguel Almiron, Wilson and Alexander Isak. Barcelona's Ferran Torres has been earmaked as a target for Newcastle, and he could be an eye-catching addition midway through the season, or even next summer for that matter.
According to a new twist from 90min, Newcastle's interest in Paris Saint-Germain attacker Hugo Ekitike has returned, as they look to seal a loan move for him in January after missing out on him in the summer.
"Newcastle United have reignited their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike and are exploring a potential loan move for the 21-year-old, 90min understands.
"The Magpies failed with a €40m (£35m) bid to sign Ekitike from Stade Reims in the summer of 2022, with PSG going on to sign the striker on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent this year for €35m (£30m)."
Ekitike is someone with a huge amount of potential, so he could be viewed as a great long-term option for Newcastle if they go ahead with a buy option. The youngster is finding it really difficult to enjoy regular playing time for PSG at the moment – Ekitike has only played nine minutes of Ligue 1 action this season – and he could jump at the chance of a new challenge.
The 21-year-old has shown his worth in the past, scoring and assisting four times apiece for his current club, but he has often had to play second fiddle behind such illustrious teammates as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Howe could feel that he can turn Ekitike into a fantastic striker over time, giving him more regular football and making him a more polished all-round footballer, and he has been lauded by former Reims manager Oscar Garcia in the past, who said of him:
"There is something very special about him. He’s young, and he has the quality to become a very good player. He’s a young man with a lot of quality but also a lot to improve on, but he works hard in training."
Failure to sign a midfielder and some depth up front in January would feel like negligence by Newcastle, assuming the funds are available, and Ekitike looks like an exciting option to bring in.
Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin has compared Blues star Cole Palmer to Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
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