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Arsenal suffered a costly dip in form in the latter stages of the 2022/23 campaign, subsequently ending their title hopes.

The Gunners are reportedly weighing up options ahead of the summer transfer window, however, as Mikel Arteta will look to strengthen his squad.

It’s been far from all doom and gloom for the north Londoners, who despite falling short of the title, have confirmed Champions League football for next season, as well as their highest league finish since 2016.

With one game remaining to sign off the campaign, Arsenal are reportedly eyeing another midfielder to add to the team this summer, with the transfer window opening an opportunity for Arteta to build on his squad’s depth.

What’s the latest on Mohammed Kudus to Arsenal?

As reported earlier this week by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus could be on the move this summer.

The 22-year-old is contracted by the Eredivisie side until 2025, however, rejected the option to extend, making his wishes to depart the club.

Arsenal, along with Manchester United and Newcastle United are among the Premier League representatives that are “tracking” the youngster.

It’s stated that the attacking midfielder could be priced around the £40m mark, with the price possibly changing depending on the clubs showing interest.

What could Mohammed Kudus bring to Arsenal?

Averaging a Sofascore match rating of 7.08 in Eredivisie this season, the Ghanaian places himself within his side’s top ten performers this term.

Described by Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag as having “incredible potential”, the 22-year-old has cemented himself as one of the league’s hottest talents, contributing to 14 goals in 29 appearances – scoring 11 and assisting three – as per Sofascore.

The young midfielder could add further rejuvenation to Arteta’s young squad, particularly in midfield where he could prove to be the perfect partner for Martin Odegaard.

The Arsenal skipper has been formidable this season with 15 league goals to his name and could have a replica to his playing style in Kudus, who has been lauded as “absolutely outstanding” for his technical ability by U23 scout Antonio Mango.

While Arteta tends to line up with Odegaard as a lone attacking midfielder, the Accra-born talent could thrive alongside the Norwegian, should the Spaniard opt to one day integrate formations learnt at Manchester City at the Emirates.

Likened to PSV wonderkid and fellow Arsenal target Xavi Simons, Kudus is just as impressive when it comes to his numbers, averaging a mammoth 4.23 successful take-ons per 90, compared to the Emirates captain’s 1.26 per 90 – as per FBref.

Their slightly differential approaches to play in identical areas of the field could spark a budding duo in attacking midfield, as we see frequently in Pep Guardiola’s set-up with Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne, in a system that is constantly creating.

Squad depth is essential for Arsenal to target this summer, especially with the Champions League being added to their already-bustling schedule next season.

With rivalled interest from the Premier League, only time will tell if Arteta can get his man

تواجد حسام حسن المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول في المؤتمر الصحفي الذي نظمه الاتحاد الإفريقي، ويجمع نجوم القارة السمراء السابقين الفائزين بلقب كأس أمم إفريقيا على مر التاريخ.

وعبر حسام حسن عن فخره بأنه وُلد في بلد كبيرة مثل مصر، صاحبة الألقاب السبعة على مدار تاريخها في البطولة.

كما أشار إلى أنه كان محظوظًا بالمشاركة في سبع بطولات من كأس أمم إفريقيا، وتتويجه بثلاثة ألقاب من بينها وهي ١٩٨٦ و١٩٩٨ و٢٠٠٦.

اقرأ أيضًا.. اتحاد الكرة يُعلن تلقي حسام حسن دعوة لحضور نهائي كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023

وأضاف أنه عاصر أجيالًا عديدة وشارك في بطولة الأمم الإفريقية وهو على مشارف الأربعين من عمره في بطولة ٢٠٠٦.

وأردف أن لقب نسخة 1998 كان الأصعب في تاريخ منتخب مصر لأن الراحل محمود الجوهري مدرب الفراعنة وقتها كون جيلًا جديدًا لا يملك سوى اثنين من عناصر الخبرة، أنا وهاني رمزي.

وأوضح أن الجميع داخل مصر كان يعلم وقتها أن المنتخب سيعود سريعًا من بوركينا فاسو ولن ينافس على اللقب، وأن المنتخب المصري واجه منافسين أقوياء وآخرهم منتخب جنوب إفريقيا الذي كان حاملًا للقب ويملك جيلًا عظيمًا و”في رأيي نسخة 1998 أصعب من نسخة 2006 وقدمت خلالها أفضل مستوياتي”.

واختتم أن الكرة الإفريقية تستحق الأفضل لأنها تمتلك مواهب كبيرة على مدار تاريخها.

New Zealand’s coach Mike Hesson has said his side’s 2-0 sweep of the Test series in Zimbabwe is important as they look to establish themselves as a top team

Firdose Moonda11-Aug-2016

New Zealand have taken major steps on the ladder to being considered a top Test team by winning another series in foreign conditions. Their 2-0 sweep in Zimbabwe meant they have only lost two of their last seven away series, which includes a victory in West Indies and a draw in the UAE. This result, coach Mike Hesson explained, is important as they look to improve.”We know we will only be judged a decent team once we start to do well away from home,” Hesson said after their series win in Bulawayo. “We won in West Indies and Sri Lanka, and we are getting better. We were challenged here in Zimbabwe with both bat and ball and India are going to challenge us in a few months’ time.”Hesson called different unknown surfaces “a great leveler” and Kane Williamson used the same term when he discussed how touring teams need to take on both the opposition and their conditions.”Any time you tour away from home, the conditions are so diverse that the challenge is not just playing a different nation, it’s having to make big adjustments to your game and your approach as a team,” Williamson said. “Those are challenges that are unique to the international game and something every side finds difficult. It’s a leveler as well because everyone is most used to their home conditions. So when you go away you have to adapt as quickly as you can and it’s not an easy thing.”So how are New Zealand working on being able to adjust their game to match up to changing conditions? “We’ve got enough experience in the group that players can talk about it,” Hesson said. “When we train, we train with a purpose. We’ve got a group of players that share ideas and learn from each other.”Of New Zealand’s current squad, four had played in the Bulawayo Test they won by 34 runs five years ago. It’s no surprise then that Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill and BJ Watling were among the top five run-scorers in 2016. They knew the pitch did not allow for quick runs and that they would have to show patience, a word they used with nauseating frequency in the lead-up, to build a total.The approach paid off. New Zealand posted two scored in excess of 500 and only rushed things in the second innings of the second Test when they needed to set Zimbabwe a total.The man who accelerated was Taylor, whose eye was in better than anyone else’s. “He is in an excellent space. A very calm space and technically, he is playing nicely,” Hesson said. “He is training very well and is just making good decision after good decision.”The best decision, though, was made by Neil Wagner. He banged in short ball after short ball on a surface that was not supposed to give him bounce and he stunned Zimbabwe’s inexperienced line-up in the first Test. Later, he showed he could work an old ball and find reverse swing, something that will be crucial in the subcontinent.In doing so, Wagner also kept New Zealand’s only seam-bowling allrounder Doug Bracewell out of the side. “Doug is competing with Neil Wagner. With Neil’s ability to reverse the ball, that’s a role we wanted. We thought Neil was the right one to go with and he had a very good first Test, so he got a second,” Hesson explained.Bracewell, though, will likely come into contention in South Africa, where pitches would be a bit more lively. Test cricket has never been played at either Kingsmead or SuperSport Park in August before, so New Zealand will have to adapt again. Bracewell, Matt Henry and offspinner Mark Craig could come into contention as New Zealand attempt to win a first-ever Test series in South Africa to continue their form on the road.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez could still be set for a potential exit from Villa Park this summer despite their impressive 2022/23 campaign.

How long is left on Emi Martinez's contract?

Unai Emery's arrival at Aston Villa proved nothing short of a masterstroke from the Villa owners last year as they were able to secure a spot in Europe ahead of next season.

Indeed, their seventh-placed finish means Emery's men will play in the qualifying stages for the Europa Conference League over the summer.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the transfer window at Villa Park with the owners expected to provide the Spanish manager sufficient backing over the coming months.

However, as Villa prepare for a busy summer of arrivals, it seems they may also be set to lose some of their first-team regulars.

Reports have circulated in recent months over a potential exit for their Argentine shot-stopper with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur said to be interested in his services.

The north London side were pipped to the European spots by Villa which has left them with an easier schedule for the new campaign as they can focus solely on their domestic fixtures.

But this perhaps provides an interesting situation surrounding the former Arsenal goalkeeper and his future – with four years still remaining on his deal – as Fabrizio Romano suggests he could still depart over the coming months:

"I think that is a possibility in terms of goalkeepers' domino. We know there will be a goalkeepers' domino."

"Let's see what happens at Tottenham. Let's see what happens at Villarreal. Let's see what happens also with some other English clubs, including Chelsea, but for Emi Martinez there could be some possibility."

How old is Emi Martinez?

The £120k-per-week Argentine goalkeeper has had a season to remember having won the World Cup earlier in the campaign and then helped to secure a spot in Europe for Villa.

With this in mind, it could be a surprise to some to hear that he could still be open to a potential move away from Villa Park this summer.

Since the arrival of Emery in the earlier stages of the season, Martinez has been able to keep nine clean sheets in the 22 appearances under the Spaniard (via Transfermarkt).

Considering Villa were battling at the bottom end of the table before Emery's arrival, their stunning turnaround shows just how impressive their transformation has been.

If a club inside the top four were to come in and offer Martinez a move, then it would be understandable if he was to leave.

However, when it is the likes of Spurs who are being linked with a potential move for the 30-year-old, this may only create confusion among the Villa fanbase.

On the back of the two sides' respective campaigns, they do seem to be two clubs going in completely opposite directions.

Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for just ten runs as Leicestershire pulled off an incredible victory in their Division Two Specsavers County Championship match at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2016
ScorecardCharlie Shreck took four wickets to help bundle out Glamorgan (file photo)•Getty Images

Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for just ten runs as Leicestershire pulled off an incredible victory in their Division Two Specsavers County Championship match at Grace Road.Resuming on 11 for 1 and needing 181 to win, the visitors were wobbling when they lost two early wickets. Left-arm seamer Dieter Klein was the man responsible, swinging the ball at pace to take the edge of Jacques Rudolph’s bat before knocking Owen Morgan’s middle stump out of the ground to leave Glamorgan on 36 for 3.It should have been four, but Leicestershire dropped Will Bragg off his first ball, delivered by Klein and edged between wicketkeeper Ned Eckersley and first slip Paul Horton. Horton got his fingers to the ball, but couldn’t hang on, and it proved an expensive miss as Bragg and Aneurin Donald added 53 for the fourth wicket.Donald, who began his innings needing to score 40 to reach 1000 Championship runs for the season, was on 23 when he pushed tentatively at a Charlie Shreck outswinger and edged to second slip, but Bragg continued to make Leicestershire pay, going on to a half-century as Glamorgan lunched just 45 runs short of what would be their fourth Championship win of the season.Few could have predicted what would happen next. Clint McKay, charging in from the Bennett End seamed consecutive deliveries back in to win leg-before decisions against Kiran Carlson and then – perhaps a touch fortunately – Craig Meschede.In the following over, Mark Wallace pushed forward to Shreck and edged to Eckersley and Timm van der Gugten, deep in his crease, survived only one delivery before being pinned leg before by the veteran Cornishman.Michael Hogan drove airily and edged McKay behind the wicket, and then a despairing and desperate Bragg, who had been watching in disbelief at the other end, lofted Shreck high towards the cover boundary where Harry Dearden, making his home debut, held the calmest of catches to seal the most unlikeliest of wins.

رفع مارك روزه، المدير الفني لفريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي لايبزيج الألماني، راية التحدي، قبل مواجهة ريال مدريد في ذهاب دور الـ16 من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

لايبزيج الألماني يستضيف ريال مدريد الإسباني، في ذهاب دور الـ16 من دوري الأبطال، على ملعب ريد بول أرينا، غدًا الثلاثاء في العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

طالع أيضًا | قائمة ريال مدريد لمواجهة لايبزيج في دوري أبطال أوروبا.. استعادة مدافع وثنائي شاب لتعويض بيلينجهام

وفي تصريحاته بالمؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بالمباراة، قال مارك روزه: “لقد تطور ريال مدريد بطريقة غير عادية هذا الموسم، وأصبح من أقوى الفرق في أوروبا، إنهم في حالة استثنائية، ويعرفون جيدًا ما يعنيه اللعب في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا وتحقيق اللقب”.

وأضاف: “نعلم قوة ريال مدريد، لكننا لسنا فريقًا سيئًا، ولا نشعر بالخوف منهم، سنبذل أقصى ما لدينا لمحاولة تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية في مواجهة الذهاب، وسنرى ما سيحدث”.

وعن موقف داني أولمو: “إنه متحمس دائمًا، ومستعد لمساعدتنا ضد ريال مدريد، إنه لاعب رائع ومهم بالنسبة لنا، وأدرك تمامًا حماسه في مواجهة نادٍ من بلده”.

واختتم: “لقد عملنا بجد في دوري أبطال أوروبا هذا الموسم، ونتطلع للتحدي الذي يمثله ريال مدريد بالنسبة لنا وللأجواء في ملعبنا”.

تحدث أسامة نبيه مدرب منتخب مصر 2007 عن طموحاته مع الفراعنة الصغار بعد توليه المسؤولية مؤخرًا.

وقال أسامة نبيه في تصريحات لقناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “منتخب 2007 مرحلة عمرية مهمة جدًا في كرة القدم، وأتمنى أن تخرج مواهب عديدة تخدم المنتخب الأول، هم بعد ذلك سيكونون نواة كأس العالم 2030”.

وأوضح مدى امكانية عودة نجله يوسف أسامة نبيه للزمالك: “القلعة البيضاء بيتنا، وشرف لأي أحد أن يعود لبيته، أنا شرحت سبب رحيله أكثر من مرة وقلت إنه كانت هناك ظروف وإجراءات إدارية مرتبكة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. يوسف أسامة نبيه يوضح موقفه من العودة لـ الزمالك حال رحيله عن بيراميدز

وأكمل: “وجهة نظرنا كانت سليمة وقتها، وإن شاء الله نعود في يوم من الأيام إذا لنا نصيب، لكن الآن لدينا تعاقد مع بيراميدز ونُقدم أفضل شيء له، ونحن فخورين بالتواجد به، ولو لنا نصيب في العودة للزمالك سنعود”.

وكان يوسف أسامة نبيه رحل عن صفوف الزمالك وانضم لبيراميدز في صفقة انتقال مجانية في الصيف الماضي.

Jayant Yadav was added to the India squad as a replacement for the ill Ishant Sharma, but he will be on stand-by for R Ashwin, who has a corn on the middle finger of his right hand

Sidharth Monga on Kolkata28-Sep-2016September is an unusual time to play cricket in Kolkata. The monsoon is only just winding down and grand Puja festivities are around the corner. Eden Gardens has never hosted a Test in this month. Add the freshly relaid square and the overcast, muggy weather to the mix and there is an uncertainty about what to expect from the conditions.There is less doubt about India’s combination for the second Test against New Zealand, but they have added offspinner Jayant Yadav to the squad just in case.Jayant’s inclusion as a replacement for the ill Ishant Sharma might seem odd, but it makes sense given the occasional discomfort R Ashwin bowled with in the first Test in Kanpur. Ashwin said he had gone into the match without having bowled a lot in the previous 25 days because of a corn, a painful area of thickened skin, on the middle finger of his bowling hand.”This game especially, I have a corn on my finger and I haven’t bowled a lot in the last 25 days,” Ashwin had said after the third day in Kanpur. “I’m not very happy with the way it has come out so far. I just hope that I can do better in the series.”Jayant is likely to be on stand-by if the corn proves too painful for Ashwin to play in Kolkata, but India’s coach Anil Kumble said all 15 players were available for selection. Even if Jayant doesn’t play, bowling alongside Test spinners to Test batsmen in the nets is valuable experience. Ashwin did not bowl at practice two days before the Test, but that is no indication of his fitness because others had also opted out of the optional training session.Among those who turned up, Virat Kohli practised batting against a rubber ball, presumably to get used to a bit of spongy or uneven bounce. He had failed to control a slog sweep in the second innings in Kanpur, top-edging for a catch.Shikhar Dhawan had a long net, which is indication that he will open in KL Rahul’s absence though Gautam Gambhir was brought into the squad. That much was clear because as soon as the first Test finished in Kanpur, batting coach Sanjay Bangar and Kumble arranged a practice session for Dhawan on the fifth-day pitch at Green Park.Kumble, though, welcomed Gambhir back into the squad. “I think it’s really nice to have Gautam back,” Kumble said in Kolkata. “Unfortunately Rahul got injured in the last Test match. I think for some reason something has been happening with the openers. Vijay got injured in West Indies. Now Rahul. It’s unfortunate because Rahul was batting brilliantly. Having said that, Gautam has done really well in domestic cricket. He’s part of the 15. I don’t want to give away anything with regard to team combinations.”Rohit Sharma, whose place in the side is always debated, might have earned breathing space with a half-century in the second innings in Kanpur, but Kumble has not forgotten the shot he played in the first innings to throw away a start of 35.”Generally over the last one year, we have constantly gone with five bowlers but in the last Test match we felt that four bowlers and the additional batsman was important, and that’s why Rohit came into the team at No. 6,” Kumble said. “Him batting well certainly augurs well for us. In the first innings, obviously he was disappointed with the way he got out. That’s something which he is aware of and when he played in the second innings, it was a brilliant innings.”That knock, with Jadeja in that partnership of 100-plus, was crucial as well for us to take the game away from the New Zealanders and ensure that we dominate that session. That momentum got carried over when we went on to bowl as well. So in that sense, Rohit contributing was a huge boost for not just the team, but I’m sure it would have done a lot of good for his confidence.”Whether India play five bowlers or four, and how comfortable Ashwin feels, will only be known during and after their final training session before the Test. The conditions on the eve of the match will also play an important role, though Kumble said he wasn’t worried about them.”I still haven’t had a look at the pitch,” he said. “Yes it’s early in the season, there’s been a lot of rain in the air and I hope rain doesn’t play spoilsport during the Test match. It will be a good wicket. I’ve spoken about this before the start of the series too – that whatever wicket is there, we have the squad to encounter any challenge and adapt to any conditions. So we’re not really worried too much about the pitch and what it can do, what it cannot do. We have all bases covered.”

At the backend of a forgettable campaign, the emergence of Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones will have been a pleasing consolation for manager Jurgen Klopp, with the Scouse-born ace playing an important part in a seven-match winning run to bridge the gap to the top four.

It was too little too late, and the Reds failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven years with a fifth-placed finish, ending an illustrious run in the competition that has led the Anfield side to three finals, winning one.

Hailed as the "complete #8" by one analyst & scout, the 22-year-old has almost certainly earned a place in Klopp's plans next term after his purple patch, especially considering James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all left the club following the expiry of their contracts.

And now, the Guardian report that Chelsea are the latest team to have joined the race for the 21-year-old, but that Liverpool and Barcelona are both wanting to claim the player's signature for themselves, all looking to meet his €40m (£34m) buyout clause.

How good is Gabri Veiga?

The £35m signing of Alexis Mac Allister is the first of an ostensible torrent of incomings, with two or three top-class acquisitions still expected to be made, and one, the precocious Spanish talent Veiga, could spell danger for Jones' role on Merseyside.

Despite the recently-concluded campaign being Veiga's first with regular top-flight football, he has plundered 11 goals and supplied a further four assists from just 28 LaLiga starts, earning acclaim for his "dangerous" skill set – as said by journalist Euan McTear.

It's quite frightening to envisage the fleet-footed midfielder's future, given how brilliantly he has taken to life at the top level, already ranking among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 20% for rate of assists, the top 12% for progressive carries and successful take-ons, and the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, as per FBref.

The praise is mounting: talent scout Jacek Kulig has marvelled at the "amazing" talent while journalist and content creator Rimedi dubbed him "baby Kaka" for his elegance on the ball and deft dribbling skills.

Jones boasts some impressive metrics of his own after starting the last 11 league matches of the year, scoring three goals and registering one assist, ranking among the top 6% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 20% for shot-creating actions and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, also crisp as they come with the ball, ranking among the top 3% for pass completion.

Klopp will be wary of hampering Jones' progress but with such a fantastic starlet available for an affordable fee, it's simply too good an opportunity to cede, especially given the tumult of Liverpool's present situation. Indeed, this move could be a blow to one of Anfield's hottest young talents.

For all the progress that has been made at Manchester United this season under manager Erik ten Hag, the club's FA Cup final defeat to rivals Manchester City showcased that there is still much room for improvement if the Red Devils are to eventually challenge Pep Guardiola's men next season.

One key concern that has been exacerbated following that 2-1 loss is the future of United's goalkeeping ranks, with long-serving asset David De Gea having hardly covered himself in glory after failing to keep out Ilkay Gundogan's second-half strike.

As Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst stated, that inability to prevent what appeared to be a 'saveable' attempt on goal is merely yet another reason why the Spaniard 'needs moving on', despite having only recently claimed the Premier League's Golden Glove award after finishing with the most clean sheets in the division.

There has been talk that the 32-year-old is set to be offered a new deal this summer in order to extend his 12-year stay at Old Trafford, albeit with it somewhat telling that Ten Hag is reportedly offering no guarantees that the £375k-per-week man will remain as the first-choice pick.

With the former Atletico Madrid man's existing deal set to expire later this month, there have been suggestions that the club should simply bite the bullet and call time on his United career, with club legend Gary Neville stating last week that the Red Devils "do need to get rid of him either now or if they’ve not got the money then obviously a year later is the maximum".

As Neville alluded to, it remains to be seen if Ten Hag will have enough in the budget to able to acquire a suitable replacement for the 45-cap international, although even so, the former Ajax boss must surely avoid keeping his current number one out of just pure convenience.

Should De Gea leave this summer?

It does appear that the time has come for De Gea to seek out pastures new, with it no doubt set to be a real bonus to shift a player who takes up roughly 9% of the total wage bill – according to Caplology – representing the highest portion of any of his teammates.

Much of the grievances surrounding the 6 foot 4 stopper centre on his struggles on the ball, with treble-winner Paul Scholes stating that his former teammate "isn't the best footballer", as he notably finished the season with an average pass accuracy rate of just 68% in the league – a far worse record than City counterpart, Ederson (84%), for instance.

As his mistake against United's Manchester rivals at the weekend also showcased, De Gea is also not immune from the odd blunder with his hands either, having made two errors leading to goals in the Premier League in 2022/23.

The Madrid-born 'keeper notably allowed Said Benrahama's tame effort to squirm past him in the defeat to West Ham United last month, having also been bizarrely breached at his near post in the FA Cup win over Everton earlier this year, with Conor Coady ultimately tapping in from point-blank range.

There was also, of course, the grim night in Seville in the Europa League in which the towering asset gifted possession to Youssef En-Nesyri in the build-up to the game's third goal, having also failed to deal with a rather innocuous header from Loic Bade.

As for the recent clash with Guardiola and co, it was not the first time that De Gea has let the side down at Wembley, having also 'committed a howler' against Chelsea in the same competition at the semi-final stage in 2020, in the words of Luckhurst.

With the error-prone stopper evidently now a "big problem" for Ten Hag – according to pundit Jamie Carragher – the Dutchman must be ruthless and axe the title winner ahead of next season.