Arsenal have reportedly lined up a replacement midfielder for Thomas Partey who is set to leave North London this summer.
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Gunners eyeing Premier League midfielderPartey on way out Arteta has extensive shortlist WHAT HAPPENED?
Arsenal have asked about the availability of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana as speculation around Thomas Partey's future intensifies. The Ghana international, who joined the Gunners from Atlético Madrid in 2020, is reportedly set to leave the Emirates this summer. Partey has been a pivotal figure in Arsenal's midfield, but injuries and inconsistent form have marred his tenure. Onana is just one potential replacement, according to the Liverpool Echo.
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Partey's departure signals Arsenal's intent to continue strengthening in a bid to catch Manchester City ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign. Onana impressed for the Toffees during another difficult campaign on Merseyside and the club's stretched financial fair play position means they may have to ship the Belgium international out for a cut fee.
DID YOU KNOW?
Onana made 37 appearances for Everton in all competitions last season. He scored twice and his efforts in helping his team from conceding caught the eye. In fact, the Toffees had one of the best defensive records in the Premier League in 2023-24, shipping just 51 goals.
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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ONANA AND PARTEY?
Onana's future may be decided during Euro 2024 as he attempts to help Belgium conquer the continent's best in Germany this summer. For Partey, he still has one year left on his contract but the Gunners may opt to either cut his stay short or offload him for cheap to free up room in the squad.
Leicestershire Foxes slumped to a third consecutive defeat as Durham raced to a nine-wicket win in just 11.1 overs in their Vitality Blast North Group match at the Fischer County Ground.Durham were powered on their way by some brutal hitting from their 20-year-old opener Scott Steel, who made his Twenty20 debut only last week but already has two half-centuries to his name. Smashing sixes with abandon, Steel raced to his second fifty off just 19 deliveries as Durham plundered 91 runs in the six Powerplay overs to make the result almost a formality.He was out for 70 – his best so far – and though much of his ball-striking was short on finesse it was mightily effective, and with the Australian D’Arcy Short contributing a more cultured but nonetheless rapid unbeaten 77 the home side suffered one of the more savage defeats of their history in the short format.Leicestershire were bowled out for 158 after winning the toss and opting to bat first, disappointingly losing their last five wickets for seven runs off the final 10 deliveries of their 20 overs after skipper Colin Ackerman had struck 58 off 41 balls.Durham seamer Matty Potts finished with a hat-trick for figures of 3 for 28 after his first two overs had gone for 24 runs.The Foxes won the toss and a series of lusty blows by Mark Cosgrove gave them a cracking start, the burly Australian racing to 36 off 19 balls with six fours and a six driven over long-on off Chris Rushworth. But after an ugly heave against Nathan Rimmington cost Cosgrove his wicket in the fifth over, the innings ran into trouble, not helped by a muscle injury to Neil Dexter that required him to summon Cosgrove back out as a runner, to the amusement of the home bench.Arron Lilley then broke his bat driving Liam Trevaskis through the off side but faced only one delivery with the replacement, offering the left-arm spinner a rather tame return catch in the last of the Powerplay overs, which yielded 58 runs thanks to Cosgrove’s early impetus.Dexter, struggling to move his feet much at all let alone run, was bowled off stump by Brydon Carse off the first delivery of the seventh over. The second block of six overs saw the Foxes add only 28 runs, which was a measure of how well Durham had fought back, in particular Trevaskis, who had Lewis Hill caught at deep backward square on the sweep to finish with an impressive 2 for 24 from his four overs.Ackermann brought his experience to bear with a 38-ball half-century but just as he and Harry Dearden tried to step up the pace of scoring with a slog-sweep apiece for six off Short, Dearden was undone as he tried to scoop a quicker ball from the Australian left-armer and Rushworth jogged in to take the catch.Ackerman himself was bowled for 58 as he misread a slower ball from Rimmington, who bowled Adil Ali with a similar delivery two balls later to finish with an excellent 3 for 26, concluding with two wickets for just six runs in a skilful final over.There was still a chance to push the total near to 170 with a productive final over, but it was Potts who had the last word, bowling Dieter Klein before Callum Parkinson and Chris Wright perished to the next two balls in almost identical fashion, both leg before attempting scoop shots.All round it was a depressing night for the Foxes, who sit bottom of the North Group table and do not look like climbing off it any time soon.
Aaron Ramsdale faces a transfer poser, with the Arsenal goalkeeper needing to pick between a Premier League transfer or following Harry Kane abroad.
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Lost his place at Emirates Stadium
Tied to long-term contract
Seeing summer switch speculated on
WHAT HAPPENED?
At 26 years of age, the England international is still relatively young for an elite shot-stopper – meaning that time is on his side when it comes to putting down roots and becoming an established No.1. He had been hoping to achieve that at Emirates Stadium, but lost his place to David Raya in 2023-24 and took in just 11 appearances across all competitions as a result.
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WHAT SEAMAN SAID
Ramsdale – who is on Euro 2024 duty with England at present – must now decide what his short and long-term future holds, with David Seaman on hand to offer words of wisdom. The legendary Gunners keeper has linked up with Manchester United icon Peter Schmeichel for a three-part mini-series from that discusses all things Euros, hottest heads in the dressing room and the true heritage of bacon and eggs!
As part of that collaboration, Seaman has told GOAL when asked what advice he would have for Ramsdale this summer: “He needs to play. If he’s not playing, he’s going to start falling down the pecking order for England. At the moment, that doesn’t look like it’s going to be at Arsenal. Do I want him to leave the club? No, for selfish reasons because having two good goalkeepers is always good for the club. But he has got to go and play somewhere. I can’t imagine it will be on loan, it will be a permanent deal. My advice is he’s got to play. He’s too good to be a No.2.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
There do not appear to be too many options in the Premier League – at the level Ramsdale will be looking for – so he may be tempted to cast the transfer net a little wider and consider following England team-mates Kane and Jude Bellingham – who are now at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively – abroad.
Seaman added when asked if a completely fresh start may appeal to Ramsdale: “He might go abroad. Aaron is only 26, so he has got a lot of options and a lot of time – whether it is in the Premier League or abroad. Ideally I would like to see him in the Premier League still, but he’s got to play. When you don’t play, your career almost goes on pause. It’s tough. There are certain goalkeepers that are good No.2s, you look at [Stefan] Ortega at Man City, he doesn’t kick up a fuss and as soon as Ederson is fit he’s back in. He comes in and plays the cup games and has shown us what a good goalkeeper he is. With Aaron, he’s too good to be a No.2 and needs to be a No.1 somewhere.”
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WHAT NEXT?
Ramsdale’s contract at Arsenal runs until 2026, with the option for a further year beyond that, meaning that the north London outfit will be able to demand a sizeable fee from any deal. It appears unlikely that the former Sheffield United and Bournemouth star will get a chance to put himself in the shop window at Euro 2024, with Jordan Pickford very much England’s first-choice between the sticks.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will be focused on their game against Manchester United tonight.
However, Gary O'Neil will also keep an eye on the development of any transfers for his side throughout Deadline Day.
A striker is at the top of his list, with the Wanderers keen to reinforce the attack.
Wolves' search for a striker
David Ornstein of the The Athletic has just revealed that Chelsea are now willing to let Armando Broja leave on a straight loan – with the Old Gold among the sides said to be showing an interest.
Armando Broja
Wolves have already made a loan offer for the Albanian international, but it was rejected, and journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed the Blues want £5m for the loan deal.
The Midlands side are still interested in the attacker and could move again now that Chelsea's stance has changed, albeit with it yet to be seen whether the loan fee could now hinder the move.
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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024 How Broja would fit into the Wolves starting XI
Matheus Cunha has become a fan favourite since his £44m move to the club, and this season he has taken his performance to another level. The Brazilian is loving life in the Premier League, and after 21 games, he's scored six goals and provided five assists.
The 24-year-old is on fire as of late, and he has contributed to 11 goals in his last 13 matches, including the winner in the FA Cup, Black Country Derby last weekend. Cunha features in the left-second striker role, where he can create and score, and the potential signing of Broja could be his perfect strike partner.
Matheus Cunha
Broja has struggled for minutes this season at Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino even fielding Cole Palmer as a false nine over him at times. The 22-year-old averages just 36 minutes per game, and he was an unused substitute last night against Liverpool.
Nonetheless, he is a player with great potential and an "animal" in attack, as per Villa writer Jacob Tanswell, and the table below shows a handful of stats that prove he would be a great signing for Wolves, while also comparing him to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues.
Goals
0.20
Bottom 89%
xG
0.48
Top 35%
Touches (Att pen)
6.94
Top 13%
Successful take-ons
2.58
Top 1%
Progressive passes received
7.33
Top 16%
Goals have not come easy for the young striker this season, with his confidence clearly lacking. The £40k-per-week star's finishing has been suspect at times, and he's often rushing in front of goal, as displayed by his underperformance on xG. Although that can be looked at negatively, it should be highlighted as a positive as it indicates that he knows how to get himself in positions to score, which is a sign that his movement and goal-scoring instincts are superb.
Having a true number nine who likes to operate in the box, as per his high touches in the penalty area, would boost Cunha's creativity, which is frightening considering he already ranks in the top 18% for assists in the league.
The fact that Wolves often play on the counter also lends itself perfectly to Broja's game, as he is an excellent dribbler – as shown by his successful take-ons ranking – and can comfortably play with his back to goal, which would bring the Brazilian into the play much more often.
Even if it's just a loan deal, Wolves must look to sign Broja before another rival snaps him up.
Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign a new striker who shares the same agent as Reece James, as the Blues look at a late January addition.
Chelsea striker rumours
Mauricio Pochettino currently has Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja as his two senior centre-forward options, although the former of the two is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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During that time, there has also been plenty of talk about Broja’s future, with reports suggesting Chelsea would be open to selling for £35m as Crystal Palace, Fulham, West Ham and Wolves all circle. Despite this, Pochettino has recently come out and backed the Albanian, putting his faith in the 22-year-old and comparing him to Harry Kane’s situation earlier in his career.
“All the biggest strikers needed time when they were young. They need to find their own balance. But I still believe that he has the potential to be an amazing striker.
“The process takes time. I always compare it to Harry Kane. He went on loan to Leyton Orient, Norwich and spent time finding his real balance. In our first six months, he started to perform only in December and January, and that’s when we started to see his real potential.
“He’s a player that suffered a big injury last season, he needs to put that big idea behind him, always that is difficult. And we are at Chelsea, he is trying to deliver while compared with the biggest strikers like [Didier] Drogba, [Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink or others. That’s always difficult for a young guy.”
Even if Broja remained at the club, there is still an argument that a third centre-forward could be needed, and there hasn’t been a shortage of rumoured targets.
The likes of Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres have been linked as big-money targets, while as short-term solutions, AZ Alkmaar’s Vangelis Pavlidis, Zenit St Petersburg’s Mateo Cassierra, Cercle Brugge’s Kevin Denkey and Atletico Mineiro’s Paulinho have been offered to Chelsea.
Another new forward could now be of interest to the Blues following a transfer update in the last 48 hours.
Chelsea offered Callum Wilson
According to talkSPORT, Callum Wilson has been ‘offered to Chelsea and West Ham for a bargain fee as Newcastle look to cash in before the January transfer window shuts’.
The report claims that Newcastle ‘could be forced to consider offers of between £18million and £20m for Wilson to help ease their concerns over breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.’
Stamford Bridge could therefore be his next destination, and Wilson is a forward who has netted twice at the stadium before. Wilson, who shares the same agent as James, would arrive with plenty of Premier League experience after making more than 200 appearances in the competition and may still have years of top-flight football left in him at the age of 31.
Eddie Howe is also a big fan of the striker after working with Wilson at Bournemouth and Newcastle, saying last year:
"He's been incredible and I feel that his performance was right up there with one of the best I've seen him play, purely from a tactical perspective.
"He has to lead the press and the one we bounce off initially. He kept going right until the end and his goalscoring record is excellent. I'm delighted for him, he's a huge player for us and a big presence in the dressing room."
The new bowling coach knows there is only one way to be a side that does well abroad and that is to have seamers who know how to hit a line and length
Mohammad Isam29-Jul-2019
Afghanistan bowling coach Charl Langeveldt organizes his charges during training•Peter Della Penna
Since 2015, a major part of Bangladesh’s success in ODI cricket was because of their ability to take wickets with the new ball. However, since the start of 2019, their main quicks have managed only seven wickets in the first Powerplay, at a strike-rate of 113.14 and a bowling average of 103. This is the first problem their new bowling coach Charl Langeveldt will have to try to fix.As a function of playing at home a lot, most of the Bangladesh fast bowlers know how to exploit pitches that are slow and partial to spin. The cutter, for example, is Mustafizur Rahman’s go-to delivery, and he was able to put it to good use even in England where all 20 of his wickets in the World Cup came after the 30th over. However, for Bangladesh to be a successful bowling unit in all conditions, Langeveldt, who has previously been part of the support staff at South Africa and Afghanistan, said they had to work on their consistency and fitness.”In all formats you need to be consistent with the new ball,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “You need to be able to hit your length consistently, and bowl at least four or five balls in the right area from where you will be able to ask questions. Most of the time at home they will play one or two seamers but when you go to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, you might have to go with three seamers. I have to identify three fit guys who will bowl consistently in good areas and be aggressive in that length.”If you want to be the best, you need to be able to be consistent with the new ball. You have to be consistent with the length. [Mustafizur Rahman] is good with change of pace but it is hard with the new ball. The wicket is not gripping at times. For me it is to get the seam position nice and straight. He uses a lot of offcutters into the wicket but for me the key would be able to swing the ball back in to the right-handers, and take it away from the left-handers.”Langeveldt was the South Africa bowling coach in 2017 when they beat Bangladesh 2-0 with the visiting pacers picking up just nine wickets in the entire Test series.”This is a good challenge for me,” he said. “I was coaching the South Africa bowlers couple of years ago when we played against them, and we saw them struggle in foreign conditions. They were struggling with consistency in line and length. It is a thing that can be fixed, and I have to see if it is a technical problem. It will be my challenge.”Langeveldt pointed to the fast bowling revolution taking place in India as proof that teams from the subcontinent can do well abroad. “When you want to play well away from home, you need to have good seamers. India have improved because they play well all over the world. They have good spinners but they also have great seamers. I would like to ensure a few [Bangladesh] seamers come through the system and be able to compete in international cricket.”Langeveldt said that he is the type of bowling coach who likes to be up front with the players, so that he can quickly identify their strengths and weaknesses. “I will go to the bowler first, discuss things with him. What does he think? Then I would try to implement my coaching philosophy on him, and tell him if you want to be the No 1 bowler in the world, this is what you need to do.”How can I help you? If this is a technical thing, I will definitely help him. But first it is a discussion between me and player, what his shortcomings are, and then we will take it forward from then.”
Derby County will aim to head back to winning ways on Tuesday night, making the long journey down to Exeter City, the Rams nowhere near their attacking best last match up against Shrewsbury in a 1-1 draw.
Only registering three shots on target in a blunt display against Paul Hurst's lowly Shrews, Paul Warne will look at what he can do to his starting XI to overcome the Grecians up next and not fall victim to another off-day in-front of goal.
Joe Ward could well be one casualty to Warne's lineup for the lengthy trip to Devon as a result, the summer signing from Peterborough United underwhelming mores time than not when pulling on a Rams strip this season.
Joe Ward's performance vs Shrewsbury in numbers
Only lasting for 45 minutes before being substituted off indicates that Warne wasn't best impressed with Ward's showing at the weekend, the below-par right winger frustrating those watching on at Pride Park in the process.
The Derby number 23 would give up possession nine times from just 28 touches of the ball against the Shrews, on top of only completing one accurate cross for the likes of James Collins to try and latch onto.
The underperforming ex-Posh man was also weak when it came to asserting himself into duels, only winning one out of the five duels that came his way.
Ward's passive display might well have allowed Hurst's underdogs to grow in confidence and not feel scared about playing a team near the top-end of League One, with Aaron Pierre then managing to equalise late on for the plucky visitors to steal a surprise share of the points.
Derbyshire Live journalist Josh Holland was critical of Ward's forgettable 45 minutes in his post-match thoughts, handing out a 5/10 rating to the 5 foot 6 midfielder who 'really struggled to get into the game'.
With Warne needing his players to be more switched on and ruthless even when facing off against opposition they should comfortably overcome, the Rams boss could axe Ward from his starting lineup for the trip to Exeter tonight.
Tom Barkhuizen is the logical replacement for the sub-par Derby number 23, with the ex-Preston North End man far more dangerous going forward in his second half showing than Ward last time out.
Tom Barkhuizen's season in numbers
Barkhuizen very much fits the mould of the ageing Derby team Warne has at his disposal, with the tricky attacker being 30 years of age.
Yet, even as his career gradually winds down, the Rams number seven has been a thorn in the side for many League One defences this season with the 5 foot 10 winger onto six goals in all competitions from 31 appearances.
The experienced midfielder – who is comfortable playing down both channels – stood out when Derby had to mount a comeback to win against Burton Albion last month – helping himself to a goal and an assist in a standout individual display that steered the Rams back on course to a dramatic 3-2 win.
Minutes played
89
Goals
1
Assists
1
Key passes
3
Shots on target
3
Passes completed
18/26 (69%)
The former Preston man tried his hardest to help his team pull off another win against Shrewsbury when introduced into the contest, but his best efforts were to no avail – hitting a solitary effort off target on a poor collective day at the office for Warne's promotion chasers.
Described as being "brilliant" by football journalist Leigh Curtis early into his Rams career, the £7.6k-per-week winger will hope he has done enough to break back into the first-team fold against Exeter tonight.
Derby can't afford many more slip-ups if they want to make that second spot in the third tier their own, meaning Ward's time in the starting lineup could now be up as Warne becomes more cut-throat with the pressure intensifying.
Nomes que conhecem bem a gestão do técnico Daniel Paulista, treinador ex-Sport hoje no Confiança, o zagueiro Pedrão e o lateral-esquerdo Luciano Juba foram emprestados pelo Leão da Ilha ao clube sergipano.
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>Leão em terceiro: a classificação atualizada do Pernambucano
Em informação que foi confirmada pelo Confiança nos seus canais oficiais, o vínculo de empréstimo terá duração até o fim da temporada 2021 e representará apenas um alívio parcial na folha salarial do clube pernambucano. Isso porque, segundo o que foi apurado, as equipes dividirão os vencimentos dos dois atletas.
Tanto Luciano como Pedrão, ambos com 21 anos de idade, são formados nas categorias de base do Sport e vão para o Confiança na busca de ganharem maior experiência profissional em um cenário até mais previsível do que o momento vivido pela equipe pernambucana. Isso porque, após a demissão do técnico Jair Ventura, o clube da Praça da Bandeira passará por um processo eleitoral na próxima sexta-feira (9) para a escolha de um novo presidente.
Somente à partir daí, o clube intensificará novamente a sua busca por um treinador responsável, principalmente, por recuperar o moral da equipe eliminada precocemente da Copa do Nordeste, da Copa do Brasil e que só conseguiu dois triunfos em 13 compromissos válidos pela temporada 2021.
Arsenal have apparently made it clear they will bid for an £80 million midfielder who Declan Rice lavished with praise last year.
Arteta's desire to sign new midfielder for Arsenal
Over the past six months, reports have suggested that manager Mikel Arteta has a real desire to bring in a new central midfielder.
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Noise will continue to surround the likes of Brentford star Ivan Toney amid Arsenal's widely reported hunt for a striker this summer, but the engine room is something which sporting director Edu and Arteta clearly wish to address.
Some rumours surfaced over the January window that Arsenal opened talks to sign Everton star Amadou Onana as one option, but that move failed to materialise.
Both Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are out of contract at the end of this season, which would leave Arteta desperately short of midfield options, while Thomas Partey has been linked with an exit from Arsenal as well.
Bukayo Saka
7.65
Declan Rice
7.31
Martin Odegaard
7.22
Gabriel Jesus
7.07
Gabriel Martinelli
7.01
It could be an interesting few months ahead behind-the-scenes, as Arsenal also look to seal their first league title in 20 years. Off the field, Edu is constantly at work on planning to strengthen Arteta's squad, and some news has now come to light about their interest in West Ham star Lucas Paqueta.
Arsenal "clear" they will bid for Paqueta
According to West Ham insider Claret & Hugh, Arsenal have made it clear they will bid for Paqueta once the Brazilian is clear of all charges regarding his investigation for breaching gambling laws.
The midfielder, whose contract includes an £80 million buy-out clause, has professed innocence. However, the longer this goes on, it is less likely he'll be able to seal a move to Man City.
Arsenal are waiting in the wings for Paqueta, as are three other English clubs with the north Londoners and City. The 26-year-old is currently West Ham's best-performing player by average match rating according to WhoScored, having impressed over his 18 domestic starts, but is out injured at the moment.
Lucas Paqueta for West Ham.
Rice, during his final few months at West Ham, branded Paqueta a player of "mind-boggling" quality.
“It’s obviously taken him a while to settle into the Premier League and into the training ground, moving his family over. I think now you’re seeing the real Lucas. Some of the stuff he does, even in training, it’s just mind-boggling how good he is.”
There is a ripple of trepidation surging throughout Merseyside right now, with all associated with Liverpool waiting for clarification on the roll of injuries that threaten to hinder a thrilling campaign.
Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are the latest victims, both withdrawn against Brentford on Saturday and both leaving the Gtech Community Stadium braced in protective gear – Jota with a suspected knee injury.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Jurgen Klopp's side marched on, however, and secured three points to preserve their slender lead at the Premier League summit, two points ahead of Arsenal and five above Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Dominik Szoboszlai are also recuperating from injuries, while Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic are longer-term absentees.
Liverpool still boast a high-quality crop of players but, as Klopp conceded, this is "not cool". Liverpool play across three competitions over the next nine days, hosting Luton Town in the Premier League on Wednesday before heading southward to Wembley to face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final ahead of an FA Cup clash with Southampton next week.
Klopp needs all the players he can find, and while the setbacks are each damaging in their own way, the blow to Jota might be the biggest detriment to the forthcoming torrent of fixtures.
Diogo Jota's season in numbers
Mohamed Salah might have taken the limelight for much of the campaign, scoring and assisting at a frightening rate, but Jota has been sublime this term and has posted 14 goals and four assists across just 18 starting appearances.
Since missing most of December with a muscular problem, the Portugal international has clinched six goals and four assists, leading Reds correspondent Neil Jones to hail his "clinical" efforts.
Only days ago, the 27-year-old ace displayed his creative side by dinking a deft header into Darwin Nunez's path, allowing the brazen Uruguayan to chip Mark Flekken for the opener.
Unfortunately, Jota would be carried off the pitch on a stretcher less than ten minutes later, facing the possibility of a long-term injury.
His absence, to put it plainly, will be a big blow. As per Sofascore, Jota has scored nine goals and supplied three assists from just 13 Premier League starts, averaging 1.1 key passes per match and thriving wherever played – right, left, central, he is a menace and offers unfavoured laterality in his striking, dangerous from every angle.
Liverpool star Diogo Jota.
To emphasise his prowess, perhaps his FBref metrics would help paint the full picture of his value to Liverpool – the £140k-per-week forward ranks among the top 4% of positional peers for goals scored, the top 11% for assists, the top 7% for progressive carries, the top 10% for passes attempted and the top 2% for tackles made per 90 across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days.
Salah's return is a massive boost to Liverpool's chances over the coming period, but the Egyptian machine would always be the first name on the team sheet from an attacking viewpoint, and it could be Cody Gakpo who will now need to step up with increased responsibility.
Cody Gakpo the likely replacement
Liverpool signed Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven in a £35m transfer just over one year ago, the Dutchman arriving off the back of a striking string of performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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ByAngus Sinclair Feb 18, 2024
So far, the 24-year-old has clinched 17 goals and eight assists from 60 outings for the Anfield side, grabbing his tenth of the season off the bench against the Bees last weekend.
Once lauded for his "absolutely phenomenal" development on the pitch by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Gakpo matches Jota for versatility and offers a dynamic approach to his attacking play while boasting a fearsome shot to boot, so he's the obvious pick to fill his peer's shoes.
#
Player
Club
1.
Kingsley Coman
Bayern Munich
2.
Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid
3.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
4.
Ousmane Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain
5.
Marcus Rashford
Manchester United
Source: Football Transfers
Showcasing this, Gakpo ranks among the top 17% of forwards for assists, the top 18% for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 16% for progressive carries, and the top 2% for tackles in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days.
While the 6 foot 1 star will be expected to maintain a positive level of performance over the crucial business end of the campaign, he's not the only player who might be called upon to take Jota's place, with teenager Bobby Clark and-unlikely, but potentially apt, stopgap.
Why Bobby Clark could replace Jota
Klopp has not exactly shown an aversion to entrusting younger players with first-team roles throughout his Liverpool tenure, with Alexander-Arnold, Jones and Harvey Elliott regular and influential members of the squad.
This season, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah have emerged as exciting options but neither defender would be a suitable replacement for the injured Jota, obviously.
However, Clark may well be, having already earned five appearances in all competitions, coming off the bench in three of the past five Premier League games.
Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark in pre-match Premier League action against Bournemouth.
Spending his early days as a winger but since converted into an all-action midfield playmaker, the 19-year-old has landed 18 goals and 13 assists from 69 matches in all competitions for Liverpool's development sides.
These statistics suggest that he has the potential to step up as both a scorer and a creator of goals at the top end of the pitch, to make up for the attacking contributions that Jota has provided throughout the season, and throughout his time at the club in general.
His youth manager, Barry Lewtas, is certainly a big believer in his qualities, saying: “He’s extremely talented and his pressing is excellent. He’s been a really good player for us, but I also think he’s made massive strides as well, big improvements, and that’s what he’s going to have to continue to do.”
Praised for his "confident" disposition by the aforementioned Jones, Clark has the flair and multi-functionality to step in for his senior teammate, with his 'excellent pressing' exactly what is needed.
Indeed, Liverpool's assistant coach Pep Lijnders has previously gushed over the Portuguese ace's energy and tenacity, calling him a "pressing monster", and Clark seemingly has the innate traits to emulate this.
The young gem already made an initial mark on Liverpool's senior set-up and now is the time for him to walk the same path as Bradley, Quansah, and co and start making a real impact under Klopp's leadership.
It is now down to him to take his opportunity to nail down a place in the first-team on a regular basis if the German head coach does provide him with a chance to stake a claim for Jota's spot.