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So long, Tanguy Ndombele. Thank you for the artistic improvisation to lob Aaron Ramsdale, thank you for leaving N'Golo Kante munching dust after wheeling away with silk and style, thank you for that turn-and-scoop to set Heung-min Son into space, who scored, of course, en route to Tottenham Hotspur victory over Manchester City.

Moments of brilliance, class of blue-chip standing, but, alas, Ndombele has now departed upon the expiry of his contract, never renewed, a renewal never discussed openly, the Frenchman, still only 27, last donning Lilywhite colours on Boxing Day 2021, earning 11 Premier League minutes against Crystal Palace before leaving for a string of unsuccessful cameos overseas.

He signed from Lyon for a club-record £55m fee in July 2019, earned a wage of £200k per week, though periods of promise were few and far between and he was even described as "one of the worst signings Spurs have ever made" by journalist Paul Brown.

Farewell, Ndombele. Ange Postecoglou will ensure the blunder is not repeated, having already drawn up plans for an exciting replacement.

Spurs lining up Premier League star

As per Football Insider, Tottenham are seeking to strengthen the advanced area of the midfield and have lined up Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, who is valued at £60m by his outfit.

Daniel Levy is understood to have a strong interest in bringing the 24-year-old to north London, placing him on a tight shortlist and continuing to keep an eagle eye on his situation at the City Ground.

Forest paid £25m to sign Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022, with a further £17.5m in potential add-ons. The Tricky Trees star, however, is deemed one of the club's most sellable assets as they fight to avoid breaching PSR and suffer another points deduction.

Why Gibbs-White is a Ndombele upgrade

James Maddison's nosedive in form over the closing months of the campaign highlighted the importance of signing another attacking midfielder this summer.

Giovani Lo Celso is unhappy at the club and is expected to leave, with Tottenham transfer-listing the Argentine for only £15m. Ndombele is gone, and while he's indeed been away from the first team for a few years, the hole left by the pair would leave a Gibbs-White-shaped hole in Postecoglou's system.

And since he's a dream for the London-based side, it's surely worth making a move. Analyst Ben Mattinson has even noted that the player has "got Tottenham written all over him" as noise surrounding a swoop continues to rise.

Matches played

37

33

Matches started

35

28

Goals

5

3

Assists

10

2

Pass completion

77%

86%

Big chances created

16

5

Touches per game

54.8

49.0

Key passes per game

2.0

0.4

Recoveries per game

5.1

5.2

Dribbles per game

1.2

2.2

Duels won per game

5.3

5.6

Since Maddison is Spurs' chief playmaker and it's hard to imagine that Gibbs-White would usurp him in that regard, Postecoglou must look to integrate the 24-year-old into the mould of Spurs' fallen star, Ndombele.

The all-action midfielder's second season at Tottenham, 2020/21, was inarguably his finest and it's through the collation of the respective players that it can be posited that Forest's playmaking lifeblood can be the belated upgrade to offer Spurs a new dimension in the centre of the park.

Ndombele sat deeper than Gibbs-White does for Forest but his remarkable rate of dribbling speaks of the willingness and tactical responsibility to drive forward and create for his peers. Unfortunately, his playmaking skill was not channelled to its best degree, making less than a quarter of the English midfielder's key passes on average.

But there's no denying that Gibbs-White is robust and combative. He might sit further forward but he covers far more ground and receives a greater number of passes from his teammates.

Given that Tottenham are seeking a defensive midfielder also, Gibbs-White, who currently earns £80k per week, might just be the dream, multi-functional replacement.

What Spurs' starting lineup could look like after £201m spending spree

Spurs will want to give Postecoglou everything he needs to build a successful side this summer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 9, 2024

Arsenal could reportedly launch a mega Kenan Yildiz swoop as the Gunners have been linked with a €60 million (£52m/$70m) swap deal to sign the Juventus ace. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has been on fire for the Old Lady this term. With two goals and four assists in just five appearances, Yildiz has rocketed to the top of Juve’s list of untouchables.

North London's obsession with Yildiz

reports that Mikel Arteta and his recruitment chiefs are “crazy” about the Turkish international. Behind the scenes, initial conversations are said to have been sparked, although it remains unclear whether they’ve reached out to the player’s camp, Juventus directly, or both. What is clear, however, is Arsenal’s burning intent to bring Yildiz to the Emirates.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesDetails of the deal

Arsenal are willing to table €60m in cash along with Leandro Trossard as bait. Juventus, though, reportedly value Yildiz closer to the €80-100m (£70m/$94m-£87m/$117m) bracket, making the proposed package a test of their resolve. For Juve, the Belgian winger offers experience and versatility, but at 31 this December, his resale value is slim compared to the rising star they currently possess.

Juve digging in their heels

Sources close to the Italian club insist the Bianconeri want to hold on to their prized asset. In fact, Juve are already working to lock Yildiz down on a fresh contract running until 2030. That long-term plan signals just how central the young midfielder is to their future vision. Letting him go now, even with €60m plus Trossard on the table, would be a bitter pill to swallow.

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Getty ImagesArteta desperate for more firepower

Despite strengthening his frontline in the summer, with the likes of Eberechi Eze, Victor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke, Arteta is still keen to inject fresh creativity and youth into his attack. Yildiz, with his ability to glide past defenders and unlock tight games, fits the bill perfectly.

Initiative to recognise prominent grassroots campaigners for efforts during pandemic

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2020The Kia Oval has been renamed for 24 hours as the Kia Shahidul Alam Ratan Oval, in honour of a former Bangladesh cricketer who is now the leader of a London cricket charity which has been helping to keep children active during lockdown.The Oval was one of a number of prominent sports venues in London to join an initiative to honour grassroots sport community workers and volunteers who, with the support of National Lottery funding, have gone above and beyond during the Covid-19 pandemic.Ratan, a wicketkeeper in Bangladesh’s pre-Test days in the 1980s and 1990s, is chief executive of Capital Kids Cricket, a charity which uses cricket as tool to change the lives of disadvantaged children.During lockdown, Capital Kids Cricket created a digital activity zone to keep kids active, learning and keep in touch with each other socially. Ratan oversaw all their activity, including running virtual sessions with vulnerable kids such as refugees. The charity also arranged regular quiz evenings and family consultations via Zoom to ask about challenges they might face and offer support.”It is brilliant news to be recognised with this honour and it means a lot,” Ratan said. “This may bring some light to the charity and people like me who want to make a change, who want to go the extra mile to help people who need it.”To have a prestigious stadium like The Kia Oval named after me is a huge honour in the cricketing world, not only here in the UK. I would like to thank Surrey Cricket as well.”Without funding, we can’t do anything. The National Lottery are a very generous funder,” he added.”We work across London but we do a lot of coaching in Newham, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Westminster and Camden – then some bits in Hammersmith & Fulham and Ealing.”As soon as we found out about going into lockdown, I had a call with our coaches and said we must make sure we keep things going.”We have three or four clubs we look after and we told our coaches to set up activities within a home environment. Show the kids what they can do with batting, bowling and fielding within their home – in living rooms, small backyards or alleyways between houses.”After two weeks, we decided to introduce a virtual challenge and competitive element. It was very simple challenges like keepie-uppies with the bat and ball, seeing how many times they could keep the ball up in the air, or juggling with two or three cricket balls.”Once we finished that competition, we’d started to establish a connection with clubs around the world. We then wanted to do something simple to connect with those clubs and even more people.”The charity initiated a virtual ball-passing game globally. Hundreds of people joined from the USA to Australia, South Africa to Sweden, including Syrian refugee camps from Lebanon, ending with a virtual celebration with 130 people and families from across the globe joining via zoom.They have now started women and girl’s activities online, running aerobics exercises and boxing classes, and they also ran summer cricket camps in three locations, while constantly supporting parents over the phone who are facing loneliness or suffering from mental health challenges.Other venues to change names this week will be Twickenham rugby stadium, The Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, The Paula Radcliffe Athletics Track, The Geraint Thomas Velodrome in Wales and The National Outdoor Centre in Wales.Dame Katherine Grainger, UK Sport Chair said, “It’s fantastic that sports across the nations have been able to come together to celebrate grassroots champions who have gone above and beyond this year. Around £30m a week is raised for good causes across the UK by people playing The National Lottery, and has helped sport at all levels, from the smallest rowing club to helping athletes prepare for the Tokyo Olympics next year.”Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “With the help of The National Lottery’s players, thousands of grassroots sports workers and volunteers from local clubs and organisations across the UK have been be able to continue to help people and communities to remain active, connected and motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grassroots sport also has a fundamental role to play in providing much needed physical and mental wellbeing in these difficult times.”

Saif Zaib’s useful cameo takes game away from Somerset

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2020Adam Rossington defied a hand injury as he struck a quickfire half-century to lead Northants Steelbacks to a nine-run win over Somerset at Wantage Road.Rossington was left grimacing in pain for the majority of his 51 from 31 balls after he was pinned on the right hand by Somerset seamer Ollie Sale and required treatment on the field.But the wicketkeeper-batsman, profiting from targeting the leg side, played the match-defining innings and he shared an 81-run stand with captain Josh Cobb.Rossington was then unable to take his place in the field as the hosts held on to defend 171 for six, with 39-year-old allrounder Gareth Berg, making his Northants debut in the Vitality Blast, claiming 2 for 31.Somerset made a bright start to their chase, reaching the end of the six-over Powerplay at 54 for 1, but lost four wickets in the next five overs as Berg’s experience and changes of pace proved invaluable.Berg initially fooled debutant George Bartlett with a slower ball that found his off stump after a 50-run partnership with James Hildreth.
Hildreth played fluently for 34 but picked out Saif Zaib in the deep off Berg before Tom Abell and Eddie Byrom fell cheaply from successive deliveries. Ben Sanderson removed the big-hitting threat of the Overton twins, on his way to 3 for 36, but Roelof van der Merwe kept Somerset’s faint hopes alive with an unbeaten 41 from 25 balls.Van der Merwe shared an unbroken 46-run stand for the ninth wicket with Sale, but with 21 needed from Sanderson’s final over he was left with too much to do.Northants will now await injury news on Rossington, who missed last week’s Bob Willis Trophy match with a right finger injury, as the only misfortune of their otherwise fine start to the Vitality Blast.After an opening-night washout at Gloucestershire the Steelbacks thumped last season’s finalists Worcestershire Rapids by nine wickets on Saturday before casting aside a Somerset side in good spirits following their Bob Willis Trophy form.Paul Stirling, the hero of Northants’ opening win over the Rapids, had picked up where he left off by carving Craig Overton over point for six but was out next ball edging behind as he stepped away to try and replicate the shot. Richard Levi was then unluckily run out backing up when Craig Overton got a finger to a Cobb straight drive.Rossington suffered the blow to the hand early and while he was in visible pain, struck seven fours and a six, before an athletic diving catch from Sale at backward square leg off Max Waller.The impressive Sale was the pick of the Somerset attack and produced another smart piece of fielding off his own bowling when he held a reflex catch to dismiss Cobb, for 42 from 41 balls, just as the home captain looked set to accelerate.Zaib ensured the late hitting with an unbeaten on 28 from 13 balls – including 10 from the final two deliveries – which proved invaluable.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have called up England’s spin-bowling allrounder Charlie Dean to replace the injured Sophie Molineux in their squad for the upcoming WPL 2025.Molineux, the Australian left-arm spinner, was ruled out of their home Ashes series against England after picking up a knee injury that will require surgery.She had managed the knee issue through the WBBL in October-November last year. She captained Melbourne Renegades to the title despite missing four of their 11 games.Related

• RCB's title defence hit by player unavailability and injury concerns

• Gujarat Giants vs RCB to kick off WPL 2025 on February 14 in Vadodara; final in Mumbai

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• WPL 2025 auction: Uncapped Indians make a splash

The issue flared up again during Australia’s ODI series against India at home, which immediately followed the WBBL. Molineux played in the second and third games of the series, and picked up one wicket across the 11 overs she bowled.She also missed the trip to New Zealand, which featured another three ODIs, and now faces a further spell out of action. Australia’s physiotherapist Kate Beerworth had said in December that “further updates on an anticipated return date” for Molineux would be provided only after the surgery, which is supposed to take place this month.Molineux was retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 edition of the WPL. She had represented them in their title-winning run in 2024, when she had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an average of 23.16.Dean, meanwhile, is yet to feature in the WPL. But she has played 36 T20Is for England, and taken 46 wickets at a brilliant average of 18.19. She is currently in action for her country in Australia, where she has struck only once in the first two ODIs of the Women’s Ashes.Dean has also represented London Spirit in the women’s Hundred, and has played 30 games for the franchise across four seasons from 2021.

Batsman might have been in line for Test debut in absence of Ben Stokes

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2020
Dan Lawrence has left the England bio-secure bubble due to a family bereavement, and will miss the chance to make his Test debut in Thursday’s second Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl.Lawrence, 23, had been named as one of England’s reserve batsmen for the Test leg of England’s summer, and had been a possible inclusion for the second Test following Ben Stokes’ departure from the squad due to his own family reasons.Ollie Robinson, the fast bowler, was this week withdrawn from Sussex’s Bob Willis Trophy fixture against Kent to bolster England’s seam options ahead of the second Test. However, the management have chosen not to replace Lawrence in England’s 18-man party.That means that Zak Crawley is the likely beneficiary of Stokes’ absence, having been omitted to include an extra seamer in the last two Tests. The uncapped James Bracey and Ben Foakes, both wicketkeeper-batsmen, are the other two batting options at England’s disposal.One of the heroes of England’s victory on Saturday, Jos Buttler, produced his match-winning innings despite his father being taken into hospital during the match.Speaking about the team environment before Lawrence’s news was made public, James Anderson praised the efforts that the current management go to, in particular the captain Joe Root and head coach Chris Silverwood, to ensure the players’ mental wellbeing is taken into account.”I do think cricket is more empathetic now, yes,” Anderson said. “It has definitely changed for the better. We quite often take this game very seriously – I have done this week – and it is quite a big deal for some people.”But there is nothing more important than family. It is something that certainly Joe and Chris have brought in under their leadership: family comes first. And this group of players rally round each other and help if there is anything that needs help.”

AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud has backed Christian Pulisic to star at the 2026 World Cup, and has labelled the winger as "scary."

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Pulisic backed to explode before 2026 tournamentGiroud played with winger at Chelsea and Milan Tournament to be played in USA, Canada and Mexico WHAT HAPPENED?

Giroud has reflected on the ability of Pulisic following his move to MLS. The Frenchman played with the USMNT star at both Chelsea and Milan. Giroud believes that Pulisic can continue to improve and will be ready to take the 2026 World Cup by the scruff of the neck.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pulisic registered 26 goal involvements in 50 games for Milan last season, and appears to have finally found a club where he feels comfortable. At Chelsea, he made 145 appearances but was limited to 45 goal involvements across those games.

WHAT GIROUD SAID

Speaking to ESPN, he said: “I had a very good understanding with him at Chelsea and straight away when he arrived in Milan also. I was very pleased about his move and I wish him the very best. He's someone I estimate a lot. He's a great player and he still can improve, which is scary because he's got so many skills. So I hope to see him shining in the following years and also the future World Cup in 2026.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Pulisic will be in action for Milan when they take on Barcelona in their next pre-season friendly. They kick off their Serie A season against Torino on August 17.

The position will report to the head of sports science Alex Kountouris

Daniel Brettig14-Jul-2020In the wake of 40 redundancies at Cricket Australia and more than 150 around the states in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is some logic to the news that the first new job created at the downsized governing body will be devoted entirely to mental health.CA this week advertised for the role of mental health and wellbeing lead, to report to its head of sports science Alex Kountouris. It is a little less than a year since the AFL appointed its own head of mental health and wellbeing, Kate Hall, and the winter after Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson and Will Pucovski all made very public withdrawals from cricket to deal with their mental health.While Maxwell, Maddinson and Pucovski were all dealing with issues stemming one way or another from the unrelenting treadmill of constant cricket, its attendant pressures and risks, the more recent Covid-19 crisis has laid bare matters concerned with what happens when that particular schedule and the sporting business in general are brought to a shuddering halt by unforeseen external events.Both instances, though, have underlined the need for more focus on the area, the better to allow CA’s two dedicated sports psychologists, Michael Lloyd for the men’s team and Peter Clarke for the women’s team and pathways, to spend more time with individual cricketers and staff.Meanwhile the new role is geared at taking a broader approach to the area, whether that be in managing cases between CA, states and W/BBL clubs, updating the governing body’s approach according to new research, or evolving the remit beyond high performance to the whole of CA.”The new Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead will give a greater focus on mental health at Cricket Australia, giving us an individual resource dedicated to this area,” CA’s high performance chief Drew Ginn told ESPNcricinfo. “The role will also provide broader case management support for CA contracted players.”It’s a great chance to prioritise mental health. It will provide further reinforcement to our current psychologists working with our teams. To have a dedicated leader in a national role and having them focus on a national strategy, policy, future partnerships, critical case management and support for players and states is a positive step forward for the sport.Michael Lloyd (left) chats with Australia coach Justin Langer•Getty Images”This role is more important than ever, particularly in a world where mental health issues continue to be prevalent, particularly with the demands of elite cricket, Covid and all of the uncertainty. It’s crucial for us to provide the right support and environment for our players, coaches and staff, and this builds on fantastic work being done by Michael Lloyd and Peter Clarke.”Required qualifications for the role include post-graduate qualification in psychology/psychiatry, behavioural science, or a related field and clinical practice experience, in addition to senior management and case management expertise.One of the areas needing to be negotiated will be the varying approaches taken in each state association, where not every department has the same structure or resources regarding mental health or other areas. This has only been exacerbated by the aforementioned staff cuts, where only Cricket New South Wales has so far managed to steer clear of cost-cutting.At the same time, CA staff are still regaining their composure after the traumas of April, May and June, when 200 staff were stood down ahead of redundancies that also saw the departure of the chief executive Kevin Roberts amid widespread rancour between CA, the states and the players’ union.”We are looking for a senior mental health professional who has experience in systems leadership,” the position description states. “You will have expertise in the development and operationalisation of best practice mental health and wellbeing strategies, policy, governance and partnerships. In this role you will also be assisting Australian Cricket health professionals in case management.”Reporting to the Head of Sports Science & Medicine, you will bring your previous success in implementing best in class mental health and wellbeing outcomes. This is a pivotal strategic role and your success will be determined by your ability to influence outcomes across a complex stakeholder landscape.”

Australia vice-captain believes international cricket should take precedence over IPL if travel restrictions are lifted worldwide

Daniel Brettig03-Apr-2020Pat Cummins’ AU$3.17 million contract with Kolkata Knight Riders may be enough reason for him to want this year’s IPL to go ahead. But the Australian vice-captain has admitted that international cricket should take priority over the world’s richest domestic league should health and travel restrictions from the COVID19 pandemic be relaxed in time to allow the calendar to resume later this year.Wouldn’t want to play if can’t shine ball – Cummins

Pat Cummins believes it would be a bridge too far to expect bowlers to play the game – particularly in its long form – without being able to use saliva to shine the ball as a heath precaution during the coronavirus pandemic. Cummins revealed the Australian team had discussed the balance between taking precautions and not compromising the game’s integrity before their ODI against New Zealand at an empty SCG, shortly before the spread of the virus brought global sport to a shuddering halt.
“If it’s at that stage where we’re that worried about spread of risk it’s probably… I’m not sure we’d be playing sport and bringing ourselves out of isolation if we were that worried about it still,” Cummins said. “It’s a tough one; it’s actually something we spoke about before the SCG game against New Zealand, the one-dayer, we made it clear we’re obviously really keen to play, but if we’re going to have to have things in play that really change the way we play the game then … we don’t want to break the integrity of how we’ve played in the past.
“So we’ll see. I find that pretty unlikely but obviously so many things around the world are changing, so you never know. Changing celebrations and the way we interacted [against New Zealand] but the way we shined the ball didn’t change. Obviously different with red ball. As a bowler I think it would be [a] pretty tough going if we couldn’t shine the ball in a Test match.”

Australia is due to host the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in October and November, before a lucrative Indian tour that follows. Cricket Australia (CA) have reportedly drawn up scenarios for the 2020-21 season that feature losses of 25%, 50% or 100% of projected revenue, while also seeking a $200 million line of credit from banks to be used if required.These plans suggest not only the possibility of Cummins’ IPL deal being placed on hold by global events, but also a significant pay reduction for the players under their revenue share model with CA.”There are so many scenarios. It always seems to change. I guess the lucky thing is we have time on our hands here in Australia with cricket,” Cummins said. “The World Cup is still six months away, at least seven months away, and the big Indian tour is still 8-9 months away. So lots of things can change. Imminently, obviously the IPL, the Bangladesh tour and the one-dayers over in England are the ones that we are probably more focused on at the moment.”I guess the lucky thing is, coming off so much cricket, we feel like it won’t take too long to get up to speed again. So just trying to tick things over at the moment. Yeah, be really open-minded that things might change and they might change pretty quickly so just being aware of it, I think this year’s going to look very different to what we’ve seen before.”Obviously, we got some word through last week about contracts to say with so many unknowns, the CA are just going to delay that by a couple of weeks than what they’d normally do. It was three years ago that in our MOU negotiations players wanted to make it clear that we wanted to be partners in the game, and sharing in the upsides and exactly the same as in moments like these. We’ll take some of that pain if things don’t quite go right.”BCCI

As for how the crammed intentional calendar can be adjusted for the time being lost, Cummins was clear that something would likely have to give. Though he has plenty of desire to fulfill his IPL deal, Cummins said the T20 World Cup and looming Test series towards the back end of the world championship would need to take priority.”The T20 World Cup is something we’ve spoken about for the best part of two or three years,” he said. “Here in Australia to play a home World Cup, we know the ODI World Cup in 2015, that was absolutely a career highlight for me and I wasn’t even playing. I’d love to see that go ahead. That’s the big tournament this year for international cricket.”I’d love for that to happen in a perfect world and if I was to be really greedy, I’d love for the IPL to happen as well. But just wait and see…Test cricket, that’s the pinnacle for cricket. Hopefully we can play as much of that as possible but there’s so many more much bigger things at play. It’s all out of our hands.”Cummins has maintained daily contact with Knight Riders as all IPL clubs wait for further clarification after the tournament was initially delayed until April 15 by the BCCI. That decision predated a national state of lockdown to limit the spread of coronavirus, with strict international travel restrictions also imposed.”They obviously haven’t cancelled it or anything like that yet. It’s still a bit of a holding pattern, so we’re in contact with our teams every few days,” Cummins said. “And obviously everyone is still really keen for it to go ahead, but the priority is to minimise risk of it spreading and everything else.”Everybody is still really confident and hopeful it’ll be played at some stage. But obviously it’s going to be pretty tight, I think the [Indian] travel ban is in place until April 14 so I don’t expect anything too soon to happen. I mean obviously the preference would be to be over there playing, but I think the silver lining is we do get a bit of a break.”We’re lucky in cricket, that it’s right at the end of the season. We’ve played basically our whole season out, except for the last couple of games, and we’re always looking for those small breaks to refresh. So at the moment we’re just trying to – that’s been the emphasis from the coaches and the staff, this is kind of our rest period anyway – if we weren’t going to IPL.”So just trying to have a bit of a refresher at the moment then obviously we’ll play it by ear in terms of what’s ahead. But it almost feels like the start of an off-season at the moment, albeit we’re all training by ourselves at home rather than going to the team gym.”

da supremo： There's been another claim that Arsenal are favourites to seal a major signing this summer, as manager Mikel Arteta and Edu's transfer plans continue to take shape ahead of this summer.

Edu sets out Arsenal targets as Gunners linked with striker

da apostaganha： The Brazilian transfer chief recently admitted that summer transfer planning is well and truly underway, with Arsenal knowing exactly the kind of profile they're targeting this summer.

Related Arsenal enter pole position for "phenomenal" 25 y/o, cut price move likely

The Gunners could be busy this summer.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Mar 19, 2024

“Well, I understand what the fans are asking for but we already have our targets,” said Edu on Arsenal's summer activity.

“We have planned a lot ahead and I will be worried if we don’t score a lot of goals and if we’re not creating chances, which is the opposite because we create a lot and score a lot of goals.

“The plan is to try to get better every year and I think we are in a good moment. Let's see if we can keep improving. I think if you see the type of the players we have at the moment, it’s players which have a big, big commitment of [to] the club, which is very important.

Arsenal's top scorers in the league this season

Goals

Bukayo Saka

13

Kai Havertz

8

Leandro Trossard

7

Declan Rice

6

Gabriel Martinelli

6

“So the way we transmit to the fans, transmit to people our commitment – sometimes you can lose, you can win games, it’s all part of the sport – helps us perform the best way possible and show the passion we have for the club and try to be win as many games as we can."

One of the major areas which Arsenal have been tipped to strengthen is at centre-forward. Indeed, the likes of Victor Osimhen are apparently on Edu's radar heading into the summer window, alongside Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres.

A report by CaughtOffside this week stated that Arteta's side are in pole position to sign the latter man, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise after swapping Coventry City for the Primeira Liga.

The Swede has bagged a sensational 22 goals in 24 Primeira Liga starts this season, registering a further 10 assists, with reports from Portugal now also placing Arsenal at the top of the pile to seal a deal for him.

Arsenal favourites to sign Gyokeres with Edu willing to pay release clause

His release clause stands at around £85m, and this is a price Edu is apparently willing to pay.

That is according to newspaper Correio da Manha, via Sport Witness, who state that Arsenal are "leading the way" to sign Gyokeres above other elite suitors.

"I know him well. We went to school together. He is incredibly strong and good at winning duels. It's nice to play with him," said Tottenham midfielder and international teammate Dejan Kulusevski.

"He's really good and I'm happy for him that things are going well at Sporting.

"He takes a lot of duels and then you yourself can focus on not taking the duels, but playing football, finding passes and teammates. He is really strong and fast. He is good in depth. A complete player."