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With the transfer window now in full swing, it looks like a Premier League club is prepared to spend big in order to tempt a Sunderland star away from the Stadium of Light this summer.

Sunderland enjoy steady summer so far

After last season saw Sunderland finish 16th in the Championship table, much of the Black Cats' faithful felt that their side needed a serious rebuild during the transfer window. The early passages of the summer have seen Sunderland start their business by bringing in a couple of experienced players.

Related Sunderland looking to sign “poacher” who could shine with Clarke

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The first to arrive on Wearside was goalkeeper Simon Moore who joined the Black Cats on a free transfer from fellow second tier outfit Coventry City. The 34-year-old has penned a two-year deal at the Stadium of Light with an option for a further twelve months.

The arrival of Moore was quickly followed by that of Alan Browne who in a similar fashion joined on a free transfer from Preston North End. Rounding off the Black Cats’ recent spree of free transfers is Ian Poveda, who arrives in Wearside after his current deal expired at Leeds United.

Whilst the news of incomings will be a cause for excitement among the Sunderland faithful, the Wearside outfit could see some high-profile exits this summer. Both Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham have caught the eye of Premier League clubs in recent weeks with the duo's future at the club currently hanging in the balance.

With top flight clubs not shy of shopping at the Stadium of Light, it appears that one of the Premier League new-boys are preapred to spend big to sign a Black Cat this summer.

Leicester eye deal to sign Ekwah

As reported by Sport Witness, a recent report in the African media has claimed that Leicester City are in the picture to sign Sunderland’s Pierre Ekwah this summer. The outlet states that the Foxes' scouts have contacted Ekwah's camp to find out more information about the 22-year-old ahead of a potential bid.

Despite there being no mention of the exact fee that Leicester are willing to pay, the report claims that Sunderland could make a lot of money from the sale. Based on this information, it would be safe to assume that the Foxes are willing to spend big to get the deal done this summer.

Ekwah first arrived on Wearside in a move from West Ham United back in January 2023. During his time at the Stadium of Light, the Frenchman, who also has Ghanaian citizenship, has made 60 appearances for the Black Cats, finding the back of the net on five occasions.

Speaking on the midfielder's talents, former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray waxed lyrical about the player telling the press: "That part of his game is really coming along, and I keep telling him that if he can develop that physical aspect of his game then what a footballer we've got because he can do amazing things with his feet.

"He's so clever with his feet, you can see how fast his feet are, and he can see pictures."

Whilst Sunderland will no doubt eager to keep Ekwah at the club this summer, the Foxes may be able to force their hand with an offer that is simply too good to turn down.

MatériaMais Notícias

A última quarta-feira (15) não foi nada boa para o São Paulo. Em uma partida onde o time foi dominado pelo Fortaleza, o Tricolor paulista deu adeus à Copa do Brasil, sendo eliminado nas quartas de final, na Arena Castelão. Durante a partida, entre muitas atuações negativas, o desempenho ruim de Benítez, que era esperança de boas jogadas, chamou a atenção.

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CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO BRASILEIRÃO DE 2021!

Poupado no final de semana, quando iniciou a partida diante do Fluminense no banco de reservas, Benítez foi escalado entre os titulares para enfrentar o Leão, ficando em campo até os 28 minutos do segundo tempo.

O meia foi alvo de muita polêmica devido às suas condições físicas. Em outra eliminação da equipe, contra o Palmeiras, Benítez ficou no banco por não ter condições de jogo. Com média

Com 49 toques na bola durante o jogo, o argentino teve rendimento ruim nos seus principais artifícios: o passe e o drible.

Ao todo, Benítez tentou 34 passes, dos quais acertou 23 e errou 11. Com isso, o aproveitamento do camisa 8 em seus passes foi de 68%, número muito baixo para o meia, que costuma ser um dos principais criadores da equipe.

Entretanto, desses passes, dois foram considerados passes-chave pelo SofaScore, site que mede estatísticas esportivas.

Nos dribles, apenas 33,3% de acerto. Benítez tentou três dribles na partida inteira e concluiu somente um. Dos 10 duelos que travou pelo solo, ganhou três e perdeu os outros sete.

O meia perdeu 21 vezes a posse de bola, além de se envolver no lance do primeiro gol do Fortaleza, quando estava de costas para o passe de Liziero, que foi ruim, e não conseguiu ficar com a posse. O meia Ronald, do Leão, tomou a bola e bateu para o gol, contando com falha de Volpi para abrir o placar.

Em uma atuação muito fraca de Benítez,o meio de campo da equipe foi um dos setores que jogou pior contra o Fortaleza. Além das falhas de Liziero, o meio não teve força de marcação, sendo superado facilmente.

Agora a equipe disputa apenas o Brasileirão, onde luta para se afastar da zona de rebaixamento. Apenas um ponto à frente do Z4, o São Paulo encara o Atlético-GO no próximo domingo (19), às 16h, no Morumbi, pela 21ª rodada.

The WBBL will get its first prime time conclusion with the semis and final being played under lights at North Sydney Oval in late November.The two semi-finals will be played on November 25 and 26 with the final on November 28 – the day between the opening two ODIs between Australia and India – with all matches to begin at 7.10pm local time.The WBBL finals have previously been played in afternoon time slots, including last season when it was a standalone tournament for the first time.”The move to a full prime time Finals series is another major leap in the evolution of the rebel WBBL,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the Big Bash, said.”As we pass the half way mark of our second standalone season, we’re delighted to confirm that the pinnacle events of our season will be taken live into homes around the country at a family friendly time.”This announcement is a testament to the outstanding work of our Clubs and the League who have delivered a safe and successful tournament thus far. We thank the NSW Government for recognising this and rewarding our loyal fans in Sydney.”The tournament has just passed the halfway mark with the group stage finishing on November 22.

انتشرت الكثير من التكهنات حول مستقبل جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الريان، محمود حسن تريزيجيه، وإمكانية الرحيل والانتقال إلى صفوف الأهلي بالميركاتو الشتوي.

وبدأ الأهلي التخطيط من أجل بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025 والتي سيشارك فيها خلال الفترة من 15 يونيو إلى 13 يوليو، وكانت القرعة قد أوقعته مع فرق المجموعة الأولى رفقة بالميراس، بورتو وإنتر ميامي.

وانتقل تريزيجيه إلى صفوف الريان في الصيف الماضي على سبيل الإعارة مع شرط أحقية شراء للنادي القطري بنهاية الموسم الحالي.

وشارك اللاعب هذا الموسم في بطولتي الدوري القطري وكأس النخبة الآسيوي خلال 21 مباراة وسجل 3 أهداف وصنع هدفين آخرين.

اقرأ أيضًا | يقترح صفقتين قويتين.. ميدو يوضح ماذا ينقص الأهلي قبل كأس العالم للأندية 2025

لكن خرجت بعض الأنباء من قبل الصحافة التركية أن اللاعب غير سعيد في الريان ويرغب في الرحيل عنه في أقرب وقت ممكن وهناك إمكانية لانتقاله إلى الأهلي في يناير المقبل.

وتواصل btolat.com مع مصدر داخل نادي طرابزون سبور التركي لمعرفة إذا كان هناك معرفة بالفعل برغبة الأهلي بضم تريزيجيه، وقال: “لا، لم يتواصل معنا أحدًا بشأن هذا الأمر”.

واستمر: “لم يتقدم الأهلي بأي عروض رسمية أيضًا، وبالتالي، يبقى الوضع كما هو عليه”.

وعن رغبتهم في استعادة اللاعب في يناير: “لقد فكرنا في الأمر، لأننا كنا بحاجة إلى وجوده في المباريات، لكن الريان رفض ولا نتوقع أن يفعلوا شرط أحقية الشراء في هذا التوقيت لأن الإعارة ستنتهي في نهاية الموسم”.

وإمكانية انتقال اللاعب إلى الأهلي في الصيف خاصة وأن عقده مع الفريق التركي ينتهي في 2026: “إذا عاد لنا اللاعب، سننتظر العروض الرسمية لدراستها حيث نأمل في الحصول على مبلغ مالي كبير نظير الموافقة على رحيل تريزيجيه إلى مصر أو أي مكان آخر”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em meio aos problemas financeiros do Vasco, a desembargadora Edith Maria Correa Tourinho, presidente do Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 1ª Região, reconheceu o direito do clubeem centralizar a execução de todas as suas dívidas trabalhistas. Além disso, a magistrada definiu um prazo de 60 dias para que o Cruz-Maltino apresente um plano de pagamento. A informação foi inicialmente divulgada pelo portal “GE”

+ Confira e simule a tabela da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro

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Após ser excluído do Ato Trabalhista, o gestor de centralização do TRT-1,Fernando Reis de Abreu, pediu ao Vascoo Regime Especial de Execução Forçada (Reef). Com isso, cobrouR$ 93 milhões em dívidas com ex-funcionários. O clube tentou suspender essa decisão, porém o pedido foi negado pela desembargadora. Ainda cabe recurso, algo que será realizado pela direção vascaína.

+Após as cobranças de Lisca por reforços, confira as disputas de posição do Vasco

No dia 10 de agosto, a direção do Gigante da Colina fez o pedido de instauração do Regime Centralizado de Execuções (RCE), algo previsto na nova lei brasileira voltada ao clube-empresa. Por meio dela, os clubes têm direito de realizar uma centralização das cobranças visando evitar algum tipo de penhoras individuais e fazer o pagamento em no máximo seis anos com o repasse de 20% da receita mensal. O clube criticou a decisão da justiça na época.

Dessa forma, o Vasco terá dentro de 60 dias que apresentar um plano oficial de pagamento para que a magistrada analise e decida a sua validade. O vice jurídico do clube, José Cândido Bulhões, falou sobre a definição da Desembargadora, divulgada na tarde desta segunda-feira. Ele também explicou que o Gigante da Colinatentará suspender o REEF por entender que as decisões são incompatíveis (REEF e REC).

– Foi uma decisão muito lúcida da presidente do TRT-1, em linha com a recente decisão do desembargador Sérgio Pinto Martins em São Paulo, reconhecendo o direito dos clubes à centralização das execuções com base na Lei da SAF. É um passo muito importante para a recuperação dos clubes de futebol no Brasil, pois viabiliza o pagamento das dívidas sem asfixiar o fluxo de caixa e sem comprometer a operação dos clubes – disse José Cândido Bulhões, vice jurídico do Vasco, e acrescentou:

– O nosso pedido de suspensão do REFF foi indeferido em razão da competência para analisar a matéria. O Vasco entende que a execução forçada e a centralização das execuções são institutos incompatíveis. Diante do reconhecimento do direito do clube à centralização, a execução forçada deve ser suspensa. Por isso, vamos requerer a reconsideração do juiz que determinou o REFF – analisou.

+Um mês de Lisca: Vasco cai de rendimento e na tabela; técnico terá, agora, período maior para treinos

A cobrança dosR$ 93,5 milhões é válida e diversas receitas do Cruz-Maltino seguem bloqueadas. Dentre elas,R$ 24 milhões referentes aos diretos de transmissão do Grupo Globo, direitos de transmissão da TV Record, créditos sobre premiações e classificações em torneios da CBF e 30% da receita sobre o programa de sócio torcedor, Mercado Bitcoin, Kappa, VascoTV, Banco BMG, Tim, Havan, Ambev e Konami.

Celtic attacking midfielder Matt O'Riley collected multiple trophies at the club's end-of-season awards night at the weekend after a sublime season from the star.

He won the Young Player of the Year, Men's Player of the Year, and Men's Players' Player of the Year awards for his contributions on the pitch this term.

It will now be interesting to see whether or not the Hoops can keep hold of the Denmark international, who was recently named as a player of interest to Italian giants Inter.

The Bhoys have made a profit on a number of players, who O'Riley could join this summer, over the years and one star they hit the jackpot with was goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

How much Celtic paid for Fraser Forster

The towering stopper initially joined the Hoops on loan from English Premier League side Newcastle United in the summer of 2010 and spent two seasons on loan from the Magpies.

In the summer of 2012, Celtic completed a reported £2m deal to sign the goalkeeper on a permanent deal from the English team, and then-manager Neil Lennon claimed that he would be a "magnificent" signing for the club.

Scottish Premiership form
Fraser Forster	2010/11	2011/12
Appearances	36	33
Minutes played	3,240	2,962
Goals conceded	22	20
Clean sheets	21	21
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, his form over his two seasons on loan with the Scottish giants warranted them making a move to sign him permanently.

He caught the eye with a staggering 42 clean sheets in 69 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, conceding just 42 goals for the club in that time.

How much Celtic sold Fraser Forster for in 2024 money

After two more years with the Hoops, Forster's performances in Scotland were impressive enough to draw in interest from Premier League side Southampton.

When you adjust for the inflation of transfer fees in football over the subsequent years, per Totally Money's index, then the £11.2m the Saints paid to sign him in the summer of 2014 would be worth a staggering £20.2m in today's (2024) money.

This shows that Celtic hit the jackpot with Forster as they made a significant profit on the initial £2m they paid Newcastle to sign him, making £9.2m, and the fee they raked in from Southampton would be worth a huge £20.2m in the current day, which speaks to how expensive the deal was at the time.

The England international, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, later enjoyed another season on loan with the Hoops, from the Saints, during the 2019/20 campaign and has racked up 118 clean sheets in 234 appearances for the club in all competitions to date.

Forster was, as shown by the aforementioned statistics, a clean sheet machine for the Scottish giants with more than one shutout every other match on average.

Celtic's "pressing machine" was as good as O'Riley in the Old Firm

The Hoops star was unplayable for Brendan Rodgers against Rangers on Sunday.

By
Dan Emery

May 11, 2024

He was a colossal performer on the pitch, winning eight domestic trophies in total, and then made the Hoops a huge sum of money just two years after being signed for only £2m, which illustrates how much of a blinder they played with the titan.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy appears ready to take a loss on a senior first-teamer this summer, who will be told that he's free to leave.

Spurs now considering over a dozen player sales before 2024/2025

Reliable media sources, like FA registered intermediary Paul O'Keefe, who regularly breaks Spurs news on X, state that the Lilywhites are now considering sales for over a dozen players when the transfer window reopens.

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Intermediaries have contacted the club.

ByEmilio Galantini May 7, 2024

Indeed, it is believed Spurs chiefs and manager Ange Postecoglou would be willing to part ways with the squad members in question if suitable offers arrive, which highlights the scale of their potential rebuild over these next few years.

While these players aren't named specifically, supporters and critics can hazard a pretty good guess as to who they might be. Indeed, Bryan Gil, Giovani Lo Celso, Troy Parrott, Joe Rodon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Richarlison, Tanguy Ndombele, Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Manor Solomon and Djed Spence have all been linked with permanent Spurs exits in the last few months, but there are a couple of mystery names who have yet to be mentioned.

O'Keefe's claim falls in line with Postecoglou's latest admission that Tottenham need to implement serious change.

"We need change. Change has to happen," said Postecoglou on the Tottenham project.

Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham

Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham

Tottenham 2-3 Arsenal

Newcastle United 4-0 Tottenham

Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest

"You can’t want to alter your course and expect the same people are going to be on that. It’s just not going to happen. We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about.

"It’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey."

The aforementioned crop are sure-fire contenders for Postecoglou's axe, but there now appears to be another exit candidate in defender Emerson Royal. The Brazilian, who's featured 22 times in the league this season, has been filling in for the injured Destiny Udogie at left-back in recent weeks.

Levy ready to take loss as Emerson told he's free to leave Tottenham

According to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, he could well be sold this summer. Indeed, it is believed Spurs chiefs are set to tell Emerson to find a new club, with Levy ready to take a small loss on the £26 million they paid for his services in 2021.

The north Londoners will apparently accept an offer of around £20 million for the former Real Betis and Barcelona full-back, who was tipped for stardom at Spurs by former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell when he first signed.

“Let me tell you, this guy is very, very good. He is all action. He is up and down, very quick and loves to attack," said Campbell to Football Insider.

“The way Spurs play, with the full-backs bombing on, he is perfect. He is relentless down the flank because he is an incredibly fit guy. He also has good quality on the ball so I expect him to quickly become a fan favourite there."

Glasgow Rangers lost a host of attacking players during last summer under Michael Beale, who, if truth be told, were not properly replaced.

Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos left after their contracts expired, while Antonio Colak and Fashion Sakala – despite being fairly one dimensional, scored 30 goals between them – were sold by Beale in order to raise funds for future arrivals.

Overall, these four players scored 45 goals combined last season, something which Beale had to replace in the summer.

Aside from Cyriel Dessers, who has found the back of the net on 20 occasions since joining, and Abdallah Sima, the other summer recruits have failed to really give the club much going forwards.

Danilo has missed most of the season due to injury, while Sam Lammers was so poor, Philippe Clement ended up sending him out on loan to FC Utrecht, where he has scored nine goals in just 16 Eredivisie matches since February.

While the other three were dispensable, especially Kent, following his poor final season in front of goal, it was clear Beale made a mistake allowing Morelos to leave.

How much Alfredo Morelos cost Rangers

The summer of 2017 proved to be a disastrous one for Rangers. Pedro Caixinha, who was appointed as manager in March, made a total of 11 new signings, which ranged from the expensive flop Carlos Pena to a bargain move for Ryan Jack.

Combine this with the fact that Caixinha failed to lead Rangers beyond the first qualifying round of the Europa League, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn, it was clear his managerial spell wasn’t going to last long.

Season

Games

Goals

2022/23

48

12

2021/22

42

18

2020/21

44

17

2019/20

47

29

2018/19

48

30

2017/18

43

18

There weren’t many reasons to be cheerful as a supporter, but the acquisition of Morelos for a fee of just £1m from Finnish side HJK Helsinki.

The Colombian had scored 46 goals in just 62 appearances in Finland and Caixinha was certainly hoping he could replicate this type of form in Scotland throughout the 2017/18 campaign.

Over the next six seasons, Morelos would exceed all expectations and then some.

Alfredo Morelos’ Rangers statistics

Morelos scored 18 goals in his maiden season at Ibrox, certainly proving to be worth the £1m that was paid to sign him, and he would go from strength to strength.

Tallies of 30 and 29 goals saw him emerge as one of the finest signings the Light Blues had made since returning to the top flight in 2016.

It wasn’t just his performances domestically which were impressive, but under Steven Gerrard, the Colombian striker was a feared presence in European competition.

The 2019/20 Europa League competition certainly proved it. Across 17 games in both qualifying and the main tournament, the centre-forward scored 14 times as the Gers lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.

A few months later, Morelos would go on to make history. His goal against Benfica during the group stage of the 2020/21 competition saw him become the highest ever goal scorer in Europe for the Ibrox side, with his 22nd effort surpassing the total of club legend Ally McCoist, who had terrorised defences on the continent during his 15-year spell at Rangers.

By the end of his time in Glasgow, Morelos had netted 29 goals in Europe, further extending his advantage over McCoist, but he couldn’t add to that tally in the Champions League last season.

His final campaign in Scotland saw the 27-year-old score just 12 times in all competitions as he battled fitness problems, and it appeared he was looking to move on when his contract expired.

In reality, he should have left for a big transfer fee a couple of years previously when he was in his prime at the club. Failing to extend his contract was certainly a mistake, especially as his market value has risen recently since departing Rangers.

Alfredo Morelos’ current market value

A few years ago, Morelos was a target for quite a few clubs on the continent, with Gerrard even rejecting a bid of around £16.25m from French side Lille in the summer of 2020 for their prized asset.

Hailed as a “nightmare for defenders” by one former Premiership opponent back in 2019, Morelos failed to really recover from an injury sustained while on international duty in April 2022, thus ruling him out of the Scottish Cup and Europa League finals.

He looked a shadow of his former self when returning the following season before leaving last May. A few years ago, clubs were queuing up to secure his signature, but he had to wait a few weeks in order to make his next move.

Following what was a surprise move to Santos, Morelos has scored just three goals in 13 games for the iconic Brazilian club, which counts Pele, Neymar, and Robinho as former alumni.

They were relegated at the end of last season; therefore, the Colombian will be aiming to fire them back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Despite his poor form, Morelos’ market value means Rangers made a big mistake in letting him go for free. According to Transfermarkt, the striker is now currently valued at €4m (£3.5) and this could rise steadily if he begins to score on a frequent basis.

It’s a far cry from the €15m (£12.9m) he was valued at in 2020 following his wonderful season, but there is no doubt if he can return to this sort of form in Brazil, the striker could soon start to garner plenty of interest.

Much will depend on his attitude and whether he wants another crack in Europe. Poor fitness and mindset certainly disrupted his progress during the final two years at Ibrox.

If he can battle these demons and continue to showcase his true talents, Morelos could be a good signing for a number of sides.

Turning down a bid of nearly £17m four years ago showed that Gerrard believed in his main centre-forward, but he has since failed to ever match those lofty heights. Perhaps the club should have struck when the iron was hot.

Rangers could finally replace Kent with 20 y/o who "wants to go to Europe"

Rangers may have been given a boost with regards to a player they have been linked with…

ByRoss Kilvington May 8, 2024

West Bromwich Albion will want to get back to winning ways against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, knowing that their spot in the Championship play-off picture isn't concrete just yet.

Hull City's entertaining mid-week win over Coventry City will have troubled the Baggies somewhat, knowing that the Tigers could be level on points with Carlos Corberan's promotion challengers if the West Midlands outfit lost to Danny Rohl's Owls at the end of play this weekend.

Corberan will want titan-like performances from his defenders away at Hillsborough subsequently, knowing that Wednesday will be going full-throttle to attempt to win themselves in their bid to stave off relegation.

West Brom will also know that one of his centre-back heroes, Cedric Kipre, could be nearing a summer exit even if do they go up, walking out of the building on a potential free transfer – with the Baggies at least cashing in sensibly on another former star in the heart of defence back in 2008.

Curtis Davies' time at West Brom

Remarkably, Curtis Davies is still lining up for League One outfit Cheltenham Town at 39 years of age, with Baggies supporters fondly remembering the veteran defender more for being a spritely young star.

Davies would make his West Brom debut all the way back in 2005, the 6 foot 2 warrior plunged straight in at the deep end at the Hawthorns by making 33 Premier League appearances that same campaign.

Scoring two goals during that season too, Davies' name would start to be uttered by higher-up suitors as a potential transfer target when the Baggies were relegated to the Championship.

Under Tony Mowbray during the 2006/07 season in the second tier, in which West Brom failed to clinch promotion, Davies would star again with 32 appearances accumulated before near neighbours Aston Villa swooped in for his services.

Reportedly signing on the dotted line at Villa Park for £9m, after initially joining on loan for the 2007/08 campaign, the Baggies would end up winning with this sale by offloading Davies for such a high price which would be even higher in today's inflated market, according to TotallyMoney's Transfer Index.

Curtis Davies' transfer value in 2024

If that same deal went through by 2024's inflated standards, West Brom would have pocketed significantly more at an eye-watering £23m, as per Totally Money.

Regardless, the West Midlands outfit would have been pleased with the original amount Villa coughed up especially when evaluating how much their ex-centre back ended up struggling away from the Hawthorns.

1. Salomon Rondon

£16.5m

2. Matheus Pereira

£16m

3. Saido Berahino

£12m

4. Nacer Chadli

£10m

5. Jay Rodriguez

£10m

Davies' new bumped-up fee would see him become West Brom's record departure in a theoretical world, the Baggies hitting the jackpot anyway by making the 6 foot 2 defender Villa's problem.

Admitting his debut performance for his new club was that of a "pub player" in 2007, his full three seasons at Villa Park would be very underwhelming with the move now seen as a major flop.

Davies would make 68 appearances in total before becoming public enemy one by moving on to Villa's arch nemesis in Birmingham City, relocating to St Andrew's controversially after playing just three games during his final season for The Villans.

Amazingly, the now-veteran defender would be a hit for the Blues to add even more salt into Villa's gaping wound by netting 12 goals from 106 games.

West Brom will hope that they can tie down Kipre to a new contract soon, not wanting to fall victim to a transfer blunder in the here and now involving their current crop of defenders after having the last laugh over Davies.

West Brom can solve Kipre situation with 21 y/o who “leads by example”

West Bromwich Albion will have to prepare for life without Cedric Kipre soon.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 23, 2024

Arsenal have had one major problem this season. You could argue they still lack a natural centre-forward capable of scoring 20 goals a term but that can be remedied rather simply, you'd hope, in the summer transfer window.

The issue we're talking about is Mikel Arteta's seeming lack of faith in the fringe players at his disposal.

This season, Arsenal's more trusted individuals have played far more football than any of their title rivals. William Saliba hasn't missed a game while midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard round off the top four alongside Virgil van Dijk when it comes to minutes.

William Saliba

Arsenal

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Declan Rice

Arsenal

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Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool

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Martin Odegaard

Arsenal

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Gabriel

Arsenal

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Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

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Ben White

Arsenal

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Julian Alvarez

Man City

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Phil Foden

Man City

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Rodri

Man City

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So, what is the solution? Well, Arteta either needs to pick the likes of Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe on a more frequent basis or get rid and replace them with players he does actually trust.

That's all easier said than done, of course, but one big boost from Arsenal that'll help is the return of Jurrien Timber.

The Dutchman caught the eye during the opening weeks of his time in north London having traded Amsterdam and Ajax in a £38m move.

However, his debut campaign was ripped away from him in cruel fashion after sustaining an ACL injury against Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend of the Premier League.

Timber is now back training with the first team and has returned to action too. The full-back made an appearance for the U21s in a 2-2 draw with Blackburn last Monday and made quite the impact.

Just nine minutes into the game, the Netherlands international – who was fielded as a left-back – curled the ball deliciously into the top corner from the edge of the box. Not a bad return, eh?

It will be great to see the 22-year-old back in senior action soon but expectations must be tempered. It's unlikely he'll walk into the XI immediately.

What Alan Smith said about Jurrien Timber

Football FanCast sat down with Gunners legend Alan Smith this week to talk exclusively about all things Arsenal on behalf of Crypto Casino. One of the subjects discussed was the defender's return.

Asked how big a boost it'll be, the former striker said: "Yeah, it will be huge. I saw that goal – what a way to announce yourself coming back after a long time out!"

Smith then outlined the summer signing's best attributes, revealing what he could bring to the Arsenal team once he gets back on the field: "I just remember when he first arrived at the club, everybody was so impressed about his ability and his character and what he brought to the dressing room," the Sky Sports pundit stated.

"It was a huge blow to lose him and left back is a problem position, there's no doubt about that. They've tried three [Kiwior, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu] in recent weeks and none have said 'you know, that's me, that's who you should be picking' ,so Timber coming back would be great if he can return to league action. He will be a big boost."

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