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Frenkie de Jong refused to clarify his future at Barcelona, fuelling speculation that the Dutchman could probably be headed for an exit this summer.

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• De Jong on the verge of being offered a new deal by Barca
• Club yet to reach agreement with the player
• Dutchman refused to comment on his future

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Frenkie de Jong has cast doubt over his future at Barcelona after offering a vague response when asked about his long-term plans with the club. Despite reports suggesting that the Catalan giants are willing to offer a new contract, the Dutch midfielder stopped short of committing himself to a continued stay at Camp Nou.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  De Jong is currently enjoying some of his best form since joining Barcelona, with recent months highlighting a remarkable resurgence in his performances. Backed by incoming manager Hansi Flick and reinstated as a regular starter, the 27-year-old appears to have re-established himself as a key figure in the squad. In light of his resurgence, Barca have held constant talks over a renewal. However, the club's sporting director, Deco, has maintained an informal policy of not allowing players to enter the final year of their contracts without a renewal in place. With De Jong’s current deal set to expire in 2026, negotiations are expected to intensify in the coming months.

• WHAT FRENKIE DE JONG SAID

  “I’ve always said it, I’m very happy living and playing in Barcelona,” De Jong told MARCA on Wednesday. "We’re in the final phase of the season, so we’re not focused on that. There will [be] time for all of that.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FRENKIE DE JONG?

  The Netherlands international will be expected to start in Barcelona's upcoming fixture, in which they will take on Celta Vigo on Saturday, April 19. Barca are currently leading LaLiga with a four-point lead over rivals Real Madrid.

Kobbie Mainoo's mother was in tears after the Manchester United sensation scored the 120th minute equaliser against Lyon.

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• Mainoo's mother was in tears after Man Utd's win over Lyon
• United beat the French side 5-4
• Mainoo scored first goal since returning from injury

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mainoo replaced Rasmus Hojlund in the 87th minute of the match, and Ruben Amorim's substitution proved to be a masterclass as the young midfielder scored the equaliser in the 120th minute, before Harry Maguire won it for the Red Devils against Lyon and booked their berth in the Europa League last-four stage.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As Mainoo scored his first goal since returning from a long injury lay-off, his mother could not control her emotions at full-time, as she told the , while shedding tears, "I can't believe it!". The teenager returned to action for United last Sunday against Newcastle United. He will turn 20 on April 19.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  United returned to winning ways for the first time since their 3-0 triumph over Leicester City in the Premier League on March 17. They will now aim to build on the historic comeback and hope to end a miserable 2024-25 campaign on a high.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Ruben Amorim's side will be back in action on Sunday as they take on Wolves at home in a crucial Premier League clash.

Alexis Sanchez. For those of an Arsenal persuasion, you either love him or you hate him.

He is one of the best players of the Emirates era, crashing home 80 goals and supplying 44 assists in 166 matches. The Chilean was pretty damn good, that’s for sure.

The way he left the Gunners behind, however, has left a sour taste in the mouth of supporters. Fans thought he was chasing the money as he eventually departed north London and headed for Manchester United in a repeat move of Robin van Persie’s exit.

Sadly for him, it did not go according to plan. Sanchez played just 45 times for the Old Trafford side, scoring five goals in the process.

In an interview, he infamously revealed that after one training session he wish he’d never left the comforts of Arsenal behind.

Well, with Alexis initially moving from Barcelona, Arsenal could repeat that deal this winter.

Arsenal looking at LaLiga star

The main name on Arsenal fans’ lips this winter has been Nico Williams.

The Athletic Club winger is a player that Mikel Arteta reportedly ‘wants to sign this month’ but whether a deal can be done this month is hard to tell. The player boasts a release clause of around £50m but his wage demands are allegedly uncomfortable for the Gunners’ hierarchy.

So, why not sign another defender? That seems to be the order of the day as far as Arsenal are concerned. Considering they ended last season with the best defensive record in the Premier League, you can’t complain too much. That said, the fact of the matter is Arsenal haven’t made enough additions to their forward line.

Still, reports in Spain are now suggesting that Arteta and Co could raid LaLiga. Not for Williams, however, but for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo.

According to the report, the defender now ‘wants to leave the club’ and with ‘Arsenal after the player’, they could submit a bid to sign him in the coming days.

Araujo is also receiving interest from Juventus and it’s thought a move could be done for a fee in the region of £67m.

Why Ronald Araujo would be a good signing for Arsenal

Throughout the years there have been a number of transactions between Arsenal and Barcelona.

More often than not, it’s been the Spanish giants raiding Arsenal, with the likes of club legend Thierry Henry, Alexander Hleb, Thomas Vermaelen, Alex Song, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and more all leaving north London for rather sunnier weather in Catalonia.

That said, the Premier League side have tried to seek revenge throughout the years and there are no two better examples than Cesc Fabregas and Alexis.

Sanchez was playing in the shadow of Lionel Messi, Neymar and to some extent Pedro at Camp Nou so understandably decided to leave Spain behind after scoring 46 goals in 141 matches.

Rather more appreciated at Arsenal, he became the main man at a big club, something he always dreamt of.

Transfer Focus

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

The situation is perhaps a tad similar to Araujo’s. The Uruguayan hasn’t played all season because of a hamstring injury but even last term he found himself in and out of the league team, starting just 21 of the 32 LaLiga fixtures he was available for.

Considering Xavi has previously described the 25-year-old as “one of the best centre-backs in the world”, this is rather surprising.

Still, Barcelona’s loss is Arsenal’s gain here. They may well have plenty of defenders but you sense that if William Saliba or Gabriel got injured, they are still lacking somewhat.

Jurrien Timber can play at centre-half but has done a sterling job at right-back while it looks as though Riccardo Calafiori’s future is at left-back. That leaves Jakub Kiwior whose performances have been incredibly inconsistent, notably making a massive error that led to Crystal Palace’s opening goal in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

It’s often spoken about how Arsenal can raise the floor of this squad and by replacing Kiwior with Araujo, they’d certainly be doing that.

Here’s how the Barca star compares to the club’s very best centre-backs.

So, as you can see, there isn’t very much separating the trio but there are some areas where Araujo has the beating of Saliba and Gabriel.

He’s a far more progressive carrier of the ball and interestingly, he wins an even higher percentage of his aerial duels.

That could well be music to the ears of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover who will no doubt be delighted about the idea of adding even more aerial threat to the team.

While Gabriel has been one of the most free-scoring defenders, bagging 19 goals in 194 outings, Araujo certainly knows where the net is too.

He has netted 21 goals in 243 club outings (a goal every 11.5 games) to Gabriel’s 25 in 308 (a goal every 12 games), meaning that he could be an even greater weapon for Jover moving forward.

While a centre-back should by no means be Arsenal’s number one priority in 2025, if they did complete a deal it would be a brilliant signing.

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By
Brett Worthington

Dec 5, 2024

Everything you need to know about Timothy Weah's salary details playing for Juventus

Timothy Weah, son of the legendary George Weah, currently plays for Italian giants Juventus.

Coming through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain, Weah spent time on loan at Celtic in Scotland before returning to Ligue 1 to play for Lille in 2019.

After impressing with the French side, Weah secured a move to Juventus in the summer of 2023.

Weah earns a substantial salary playing for the Old Lady and has been performing consistently for his side across a number of different positions.

His current contract with Juve runs until 2028, but exactly how much does the versatile USMNT star earn under the terms of his current deal?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

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• Timothy Weah's wages at Juventus in numbers

  Under Timothy Weah's current contract with Juventus, he receives a weekly salary of £42,318 ($55,912). His annual income reaches £2.2 million ($2.9 million).

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Timothy Weah	USA	£42,318	$55,912	£2,200,535	$2,907,422

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  Top earners at Juventus

  Leading the earnings chart at Juventus is the distinguished Serbian striker, Dusan Vlahovic, formerly of Fiorentina.

  Following Vlahovic are two accomplished Brazilians, Bremer and Douglas Luiz. Bremer transitioned to Juventus from Torino in 2022, while Douglas Luiz recently joined from Premier League's Aston Villa.

  In fourth place is the skilled Manuel Locatelli, with former Atalanta standout Teun Koopmeiners completing the top five.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Dusan Vlahovic	Serbian	£321,352	$424,581	£16,710,313	$22,078,237
  Bremer	Brazilian	£153,072	$126,020	£7,959,748	$10,516,691
  Douglas Luiz	Brazilian	£137,699	$121,434	£7,160,335	$9,460,479
  Manuel Locatelli	Italian	£101,001	$121,434	£5,252,058	$6,939,199
  Teun Koopmeiners	Dutch	£95,381	$112,042	£4,959,800	$6,553,057

• Top earners in Serie A

  Dusan Vlahovic stands as Juventus' highest-paid player and leads the league's salary rankings.

  In close pursuit, Inter's stars Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, and Hakan Calhanoglu secure the second, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively.

  Occupying the third position is former Juventus standout Paulo Dybala, now representing AS Roma.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Dusan Vlahovic	Serbian	£321,352	$424,581	£16,710,313	$22,078,237
  Lautaro Martinez	Argentine	£275,563	$364,083	£14,329,265	$18,932,316
  Paulo Dybala	Argentine	£214,235	$283,054	£11,140,208	$14,718,825
  Nicolo Barella	Italian	£199,027	$262,961	£10,349,391	$13,673,970
  Hakan Calhanoglu	Turkish	£183,653	$242,649	£9,549,978	$12,617,758

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  Highest paid players in the world

  Despite their substantial earnings, no Serie A players rank among the top five highest-paid footballers globally.

  The top five are exclusively from the Saudi Pro League, with the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr commanding the highest salary.

  Following him is Karim Benzema, his former Real Madrid teammate, while Riyad Mahrez, ex-Manchester City winger now at Al-Ahli, holds the third position.

  Completing the list are Senegalese stars Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	£3,216,155	$4,210,425	£167,250,468	$218,942,120
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	£1,608,178	$2,105,213	£83,625,234	$109,471,060
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	£839,469	$1,098,921	£45,652,372	$57,43,893
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	£643,271	$842,085	£33,450,094	$43,788,424
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	£558,038	$730,509	£29,017,956	$37,986,458

Glasgow Rangers have signed several players from England over the previous few years to varying degrees of success.

The likes of Juninho Bacuna, Kieran Dowell and George Edmundsson failed to light up Ibrox following moves to Scotland.

Elsewhere, Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Jack Butland have shone during their respective spells at the Light Blues. One name that stands out – despite his acrimonious ending to his spell at Rangers – is Todd Cantwell.

The Englishman on his day looked like one of the best players in the Premiership, no doubt about that.

Todd Cantwell’s statistics at Rangers

Michael Beale didn’t get much right during his ten-month stint in charge of the Gers, but signing Cantwell and Nico Raskin in January 2023 was one success story.

The former Norwich City starlet took to Scottish football with ease, scoring six goals and grabbing five assists for the club during his first few months.

The following season, 15 goal contributions were registered as the Light Blues won the League Cup, but it was clear that Philippe Clement wasn’t too keen on Cantwell.

The Englishman did create seven big chances while averaging 1.7 key passes per game in the top flight last term, but he was sold to Blackburn Rovers last summer.

Judging by his statistics, Cantwell was a decent signing and could still have contributed to the team this term if he wasn’t sold.

There are plenty of players from the EFL who have a lot to offer and recently, the Gers have been linked with a current Watford defender.

Considering the injury crisis in defence, it is clear that the Belgian manager will be keen to add reinforcements to this area of the pitch.

Rangers could repeat Cantwell masterclass

It was reported at the start of the month that the Light Blues had made a bid for Watford centre-back Ryan Porteous as they look to make a signing.

The Scot is well known to the Ibrox faithful, especially for his often provocative actions when playing against the club during his spell at Hibs.

There is no doubting the defender is talented, however, but things haven’t worked out this term in the Championship for him. Indeed, the 6 foot 2 titan has started only 17 games for Watford.

Despite this, he has still won 57% of his total duels contested per game in the second tier, along with succeeding with 85% of his passes and making 1.7 tackles per game.

Having made over 150 appearances for Hibs during his spell in Edinburgh, Porteous is well accustomed to the physicality of Scottish football, which could make him a solid signing for the Gers.

John Hughes hailed the defender as being a “full-blooded type of player” back in 2022 and this type of centre-back is exactly what Rangers and Clement need.

Much will depend on how much money the manager has to spend, but if Watford demands a reasonable price for the 25-year-old, then a concrete offer should be made.

Transfer Focus

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

Having seen the benefits in snapping up Cantwell from England’s second tier during a January window, the Gers could repeat that trick by moving for Porteous this month.

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By
Ben Gray

Jan 15, 2025

West Bromwich Albion fans loved having Carlos Corberan in charge but the Spaniard was never known to set his sides up to play the most attractive and daring football in attack.

Tony Mowbray, however, is known for wanting his teams to go gung-ho and that was evident for all to see last match at the Hawthorns as a first-half flurry of goals saw the Baggies sweep Portsmouth aside 5-1.

He is also known to get the very best out of up-and-coming talents across his extensive managerial career to date, with the promotion candidates having many exciting young talents in their ranks away from possessing more experienced faces such as Alex Mowatt and Kyle Bartley.

The 61-year-old could now unearth his next Jobe Bellingham with one exciting youngster in particular, as the 19-year-old got his first chances to shine at the Stadium of Light under Mowbray’s watchful eye.

Jobe Bellingham's numbers under Mowbray

Indeed, the now Baggies manager gave Bellingham his first senior minutes on Wearside at the very start of the 2023/24 season, with the teenager never looking back from that point on.

It would only take the Borussia Dortmund target three games in the first team fold to start blowing away Black Cats supporters with his class, as a brace fell to him against Rotherham United all the way back in 2023.

In total, Bellingham would notch up four of his 15 goal contributions overall donning Sunderland red and white with Mowbray positioned at the helm, with his then-manager even referring to the midfield talent as a “diamond.”

Mowbray will hope he can be as influential in his current job role with another rising star who he has already begun to wax lyrical about in similarly glowing terms.

Mowbray's next Jobe Bellingham

Despite only being 21 years of age himself, Isaac Price has already left quite an impression on the senior game with 16 senior Northern Ireland caps under his belt.

Price will be desperate to succeed at the Hawthorns too, having had to previously make a move out to Standard Liege to gain more minutes after struggling to ever break into the Everton first-team picture despite shining in the youth set-up.

Mowbray has already been impressed by his new £2.5m buy judging by comments after his debut off the bench versus Pompey, complimenting in particular the 21-year-old’s “smooth” ability on the ball which was seen in his 89% pass accuracy come full-time.

He might well see shades of Bellingham already in the ex-Liege gem, with Price also capable of being a goalscorer from a number ten role, as seen in a hat-trick he scored for his national side from this position, alongside the fact the 5 foot 10 ace is comfortable in a whole range of midfield spots like his Sunderland counterpart.

Looking at the table above, Price has played in a staggering seven different positions across his career to date, with Bellingham’s adaptability up in Wearside seeing him line up in five different positions too.

Like Mowbray managed to do with Bellingham at Sunderland, Price could significantly improve his game under the know-how of the 61-year-old across this season to come, having once been lauded as “outstanding” at Goodison Park by ex-Toffees teammate Asmir Begovic before his time at Merseyside fizzled out.

Now, he has the platform again to impress in the English game, with the potential for his first full campaign at West Brom to end with a stunning promotion.

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By
Kelan Sarson

Jan 26, 2025

Everything you need to know about Federico Dimarco's salary details playing for Inter

Federico Dimarco has had a rather interesting journey with the Nerazzurri in Italy. Having spent his entire youth career at Inter, Dimarco left the club permanently to sign for Sion in 2017 due to limited opportunities.

However, he was brought back in 2018 as Inter exercised their buy-back clause for the then-young Italian. Dimarco was once again loaned out in the following seasons, this time to Parma and Hellas Verona, before marking his return to the San Siro in 2021.

Since then, the Italian has become a mainstay in the current Inter side, becoming an indispensable figure in Simone Inzaghi's defensively sound team.

Dimarco signed a four-year contract extension with Inter in 2023, keeping him at the club until 2027.

Although not one of the highest earners in the squad, Dimarco receives a substantial salary for his contributions and loyalty to the Nerazzurri. But exactly how much does the Italian star earn?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology to found out exactly how much he earns at the Giuseppe Meazza side!

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• Federico Dimarco's wages at Inter in numbers

  Currently, Dimarco narrowly misses a position among Inter's top five earners, holding the seventh rank.

  Under his existing contract at San Siro, the Italian secures a weekly income of £122,491 ($161,839), translating to an annual salary of £6.3 million ($8.4m).

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Federico Dimarco	Italian	£122,491	$161,839	£6,369,517	$8,415,624

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  Top earners at Inter

  Lautaro Martinez, the Argentine forward, commands the top spot on Inter's salary roster.

  Following him are midfielders Nico Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu, ranked second and third, respectively.

  Bastoni holds the fourth position, while former Napoli player Piotr Zielinski is fifth.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Lautaro Martinez	Argentine	£275,563	$364,083	£14,329,265	$18,932,316
  Nicolo Barella	Italian	£199,027	$262,961	£10,349,391	$13,673,970
  Hakan Calhanoglu	Turkish	£183,653	$242,649	£9,549,978	$12,617,758
  Alessandro Bastoni	Italian	£168,445	$222,556	£8,759,161	$11,572,903
  Piotr Zielinski	Polish	£137,699	$181,932	£7,160,335	$9,460,479

• Top earners in Serie A

  Juventus' Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic stands as the top-earning player in Serie A. Notably, Inter boasts three players in the top five: Lautaro Martinez ranks second, while Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu secure fourth and fifth positions. AS Roma's Paulo Dybala holds the third spot.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Dusan Vlahovic	Juventus	£321,352	$424,581	£16,710,313	$22,078,237
  Lautaro Martinez	Inter	£275,563	$364,083	£14,329,265	$18,932,316
  Paulo Dybala	AS Roma	£214,235	$283,054	£11,140,208	$14,718,825
  Nicolo Barella	Inter	£199,027	$262,961	£10,349,391	$13,673,970
  Hakan Calhanoglu	Inter	£183,653	$242,649	£9,549,978	$12,617,758

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  Highest paid players in the world

  Despite their significant earnings, no Serie A players feature among the top five highest-paid footballers worldwide.

  The top five are exclusively from the Saudi Pro League, with the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr earning the highest salary.

  His former Real Madrid colleague Karim Benzema ranks second, while ex-Manchester City winger and current Al-Ahli star Riyad Mahrez is third.

  Completing the list in fourth and fifth positions are Senegalese talents Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, respectively.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	£3,216,155	$4,210,425	£167,250,468	$218,942,120
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	£1,608,178	$2,105,213	£83,625,234	$109,471,060
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	£839,469	$1,098,921	£45,652,372	$57,43,893
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	£643,271	$842,085	£33,450,094	$43,788,424
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	£558,038	$730,509	£29,017,956	$37,986,458

Mikel Arteta revealed whether Arsenal will hand Liverpool a guard of honour after the Reds stormed to the Premier League title.

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• Liverpool have already clinched the championship
• They won with four matches remaining
• Will travel to North London on Sunday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arteta has confirmed that his side will line up to applaud newly crowned champions Liverpool when they visit Anfield this weekend. Arteta acknowledged Liverpool’s dominant campaign and explained that his squad would participate in the traditional gesture of respect prior to kickoff on Sunday. It marks the second time in recent years that Arsenal have honoured Liverpool in this manner, having done the same during the 2019/20 season when the Reds also captured the league title.

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  WHAT ARTETA SAID

  Arteta described the Reds’ performance this season as a testament to their consistency and quality, and said that recognising such a team is part of what makes football special.

  Arteta told reporters: "They deserve that. They've been the best team, they've been the most consistent, what Arne [Slot] and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it's been really good and they fully deserve it. And that's the sport, when somebody is better you have to applaud and accept and try to reach that level."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Arteta also hinted that the act of offering a guard of honour could serve as fuel for his players, who will no doubt be eager to one day be on the receiving end of such respect.

  He added: "Yes, something that has to drive you, motivate you, and pain probably is a good one to use sometimes when you don't really want to do something but it's the right thing to do, usually as a motivation for next season."

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal currently sit in second place, with three fixtures left to play. Although their title hopes have faded, the Gunners remain firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification. That goal could be achieved as early as this weekend if they secure a victory at Anfield and other results across the league tilt in their favour.

Graham Potter has now been in charge of West Ham for five games, winning once, drawing once and losing three times.

The Hammers are now out of the FA Cup and sit 15th in the Premier League after 24 games so it’s safe to say he’s walked into a troubling scenario.

West Ham are averaging 46.5% possession this season which is alarmingly, is the fifth lowest figure in the division while they are taking 13.8 shots per game (9th highest in the league) and conceding 16.7 shots per game (4th highest).

Things have looked better since Potter took charge, however, and the addition of Evan Ferguson should also help the English boss by having a natural centre-forward to finally lead the line.

Evan Ferguson's record at Brighton

Ferguson has already played under Potter once before at Brighton, playing five games for the English coach, scoring one goal, providing two assists and totalling 180 minutes. But it was under the next Brighton coach, Roberto De Zerbi, that Ferguson took the next step, making 60 appearances, netting 15 goals and providing three assists.

Potter has been playing with Lucas Paqueta as a false nine in recent weeks, tasking him with being the focal point for the team, bringing down long balls, making it stick and trying to bring others into play, so an addition like Ferguson will clearly suit this style of play, being able to operate as a target man.

The 20-year-old has struggled for minutes under Fabian Hurzeler this term, with the likes of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order, managing 15 appearances, but only scoring one goal and taking to the field across 401 minutes.

Ultimately, this has led to a loan opportunity for Ferguson at West Ham, to work with Potter once again. It has come at the perfect time, with the new West Ham boss desperately needing a classic number nine through the middle.

But, this could have been avoided if the Hammers hadn’t sold a certain centre-forward of their own back in 2023.

West Ham sold big-money striker too soon

West Ham signed Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo for a fee of around £35.5m in 2022, and went on to make 27 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

But just one year later, the Hammers sold the Italian, who returned to Italy, joining Atalanta for a fee of around £21.5m plus add-ons, making a huge loss on the striker after just one season.

When you compare Scamacca’s underlying numbers from his last season at West Ham vs his first at Atalanta, you can see the vast improvement across the board. Indeed, the only metric that he’s not improved is aerial duels won per 90, which only regressed by 0.05.

Liverpool’s ex-manager, Jürgen Klopp, labelled Scamacca “exceptional” after playing against his Reds side, stating he was a “handful” to play against, great in the air and on the floor. In short, he’s a bit Ferguson and would perhaps be an evening better option.

Since joining Atalanta, Scamacca has made 45 appearances for the Italian club, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists in 2,324 minutes. If we compare that to Ferguson, the Irishman has found the net just seven times.

It feels like the best is still yet to come for the 26-year-old Italin, who West Ham would sure like to have back on their books if they could turn back the clocks.

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West Ham needn’t have brought back James Ward-Prowse…

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By
Connor Holden

Feb 6, 2025

Arsenal can now sign a January striker target for a very affordable fee this summer, following their rejected bid in the winter transfer window.

Arsenal targeting Alexander Isak alternatives

Newcastle United star Alexander Isak is a priority transfer choice for manager Mikel Arteta, according to various reports, but a deal for the superstar Premier League striker will be very hard to pull off.

Arsenal seriously considering £60m Isak alternative after 17-goal haul

The Magpies star could be too unattainable.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 19, 2025

Arteta is a real fan of Isak, and has the Swede at the very top of his personal striker wishlist, according to David Ornstein, but Newcastle have zero intention of selling and he could be priced out of the market.

“The way he [Isak] has developed and flourished is just spectacular, and it probably makes Arsenal rue their missed opportunity,” said Ornstein on the Sky Sports Back Pages podcast earlier this month.

“There’s no doubt that he is the player that Mikel Arteta has at the top of his list. If he was to sign a striker, he’s seen as perfect for Arsenal’s system and everything he offers. But Newcastle fans will hate hearing that, because they’ve got him under contract for a few years yet. He’s their key player. He’s at the centre of what they and their Saudi-led ownership are doing.

“And they’ve got no intention of seeing him go anywhere. They want him to sign a new contract. If they don’t qualify for the Champions League, maybe there’s a consideration, but the price will be phenomenally high.”

Some reports this week have even suggested that Newcastle could demand around £160 million to sell Isak, which would be the second-highest fee in football history after Neymar’s £198 million move to PSG.

As such, Arteta’s side are weighing up other options, with Arsenal seriously considering Eintracht Frankfurt sensation Hugo Ektike. Meanwhile, they’ve also been repeatedly linked with Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović.

Arsenal can sign Dušan Vlahović for just £33 million

The Serbian is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at the end of this season, meaning Arsenal could sign Vlahovic for just £33 million in a bargain deal, according to Calciomercato.

Fiorentina’s ex-star has scored 13 goals in 29 appearances for the Old Lady this season, with Arsenal having a loan bid rejected for Vlahovic in January.

However, it appears the 25-year-old’s contract situation and fall behind Randal Kolo Muani could hand Arteta the chance to sign a prolific alternative to Isak at a very reasonable cost. Vlahovic has also been called the “strongest striker” in Serie A by his compatriot, Filip Kostić.

“He is very happy with my arrival. It feels wonderful to be a part of Juventus, which is among the biggest clubs in the world. It fills me with pride. It is important to have someone who speaks the same language. Having Dusan by my side is essential,” said Kostic in 2022.

“He is the strongest striker in the league. I’m fortunate to be able to play alongside him.”