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Arsenal have endured some bad luck this campaign that has derailed their title challenge, leaving supporters frustrated due to their unusually high volume of muscle injuries.

Arsenal's hard luck story this season under Mikel Arteta

At the start of the campaign, Mikel Arteta would’ve been optimistic that his side could finally claim the Premier League title under his reign after steadily building a squad capable of fighting on all fronts.

Stylistically, an aggressive focus on set-pieces alongside signings such as Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori appeared to have added extra steel to the flair present in the Gunners’ attack. However, their season hasn’t gone the way many envisaged.

Crashing out of the EFL Cup and FA Cup to Newcastle United and Manchester United put an end to dreams of domestic cup silverware, while their inconsistent run of form in the Premier League compared to Liverpool has become a bitter pill to swallow for an expectant support.

Nevertheless, Arsenal have been subject to an injury crisis that has left them with a major shortage of bodies in forward areas throughout the second half of 2024/25. Unfortunately, recognised strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are still ruled out, leaving square pegs in round holes through the middle.

Bukayo Saka has been the main absentee of a long list for the Gunners, taking their tally of players who have spent time on the sidelines to 18 across this term. Returning during the week, the England international fired his side to a 2-1 victory over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium.

Other incidents such as Declan Rice’s harsh red card at home to Brighton & Hove Albion set an unwanted tone early on, culminating in a series of unfortunate events that have left the North Londoners feeling short-changed despite still being on course for a respectable second-place finish.

£84m striker really wants to join Arteta with Arsenal "top" of his list

The Gunners are now favourites.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 3, 2025

In a seemingly never-ending cycle of setbacks, Arsenal have fallen victim to yet another body blow ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.

Arsenal's Grade 3 hamstring tear statistical anomaly

Arsenal have now suffered three Grade 3 hamstring tears in one season, following confirmation that Gabriel Magalhães has been ruled out until next term with an injury of that description. Saka and Havertz comprise the other two who fit the criteria.

According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, in a 20 year-period of Premier League football (from 2001/02 to 2021/22) only 3 per cent of hamstring injuries were Grade 3, making suffering three such problems in the space of six months a truly rare phenomenon that has barely been witnessed in football history.

Arsenal’s hamstring injuries this season
Gabriel Magalhães	Out until next season
Bukayo Saka	Finally back after long setback
Kai Havertz	Return unknown

Ultimately, many contributing factors play their part in a club falling short of their objectives. In this case, Arsenal have a right to feel that injuries have definitely altered the course of a season that was destined to deliver so much promise.

Sophie Molineux has returned to Cricket Australia’s central contract list following her successful comeback across formats.Molineux, who was dropped from the list two years ago, has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is over the last two months after an extended period on the sidelines due to a variety of injuries, most recently an ACL. Those appearances had been enough for her to earn an upgrade to a contract before confirmation of the 17 names in 2024-25 group.Related

• Molineux stars on her ODI comeback as Australia take 2-0 ODI series lead

• How injury forced Sophie Molineux to 'start from the start again'

• Healy thrilled with Bangladesh gains ahead of T20 World Cup

Molineux made her comeback in the Test against South Africa in Perth. She was named Player of the Series in the T20Is against Bangladesh which concluded last week having taken six wickets at 8.33. Earlier in the tour she took 3 for 10 on her return to the ODI side.She has recently forced the experienced Jess Jonassen out of the squad but Jonassen, who has not featured since the tour of India last December, has retained her contract.The retired Meg Lanning is the only player to drop off the list from last year. The MoU between CA and the Australia Cricketers’ Association allows for between 15 and 18 contracts.”We’re really pleased to be able to offer Soph a contract after her successful return to the side this summer,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “She’s shown a great deal of resilience to get back to full fitness and she’ll play an important role next summer.”Players not awarded contracts as part of the initial squad can earn upgrades throughout the year by accruing 12 upgrade points. Players receive five points for a Test match, two for an ODI and two for a T20I.Australia face another busy season of action in 2024-25 including the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the multiformat Ashes next January. They will host New Zealand for T20Is before the World Cup followed by a return series in December while they also host India for three ODIs.

Australia women’s contract list 2024-25

Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

MatériaMais Notícias

da blaze casino： Dorival Júnior criticou a longa sequência de jogos – e viagens -, que o São Paulo terá que enfrentar nos próximos dias. Após a vitória por 2 a 0 contra o Internacional neste domingo (7), a equipe se prepara para viajar até o Ceará, para enfrentar o Fortaleza, nesta quinta-feira (11).

RelacionadasSão PauloBeraldo fala sobre destaque em vitória do São Paulo e destaca confiança de Arboleda: ‘Trabalhei quietinho esperando a oportunidade’São Paulo07/05/2023São PauloATUAÇÕES: Pablo Maia marca golaço, e São Paulo tem grande atuação coletiva na vitória sobre o Internacional pelo BrasileirãoSão Paulo07/05/2023São PauloCom golaço de Pablo Maia, São Paulo vence o Internacional pelo Brasileirão e mantém invencibilidade de Dorival JúniorSão Paulo07/05/2023

da realsbet： Mas não para por aí. No próximo domingo (14), volta para a capital paulista e enfrenta o Corinthians, em clássico na Neo Química Arena. Depois, viaja mais uma vez, para Pernambuco, onde encontra o Sport, pela Copa do Brasil. Volta para casa e enfrenta o Vasco, também pelo Brasileiro. Depois, no dia 23 de maio, vai para a Venezuela, jogar contra o Puerto Cabello pela Copa Sul-Americana. Quatro dias depois, no Morumbi, encontra o Goiás. E por fim, no último dia do mês, joga contra o Sport – no Morumbi e para decidir seu futuro na Copa do Brasil.

ATUAÇÕES: Pablo Maia marca golaço, e São Paulo tem grande atuação coletiva na vitória sobre o Internacional pelo Brasileirão

Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Ou seja, são muitos jogos, muitas viagens e poucos dias entre uma partida e outra. Dorival Júnior afirmou que quer colocar em campo ‘o melhor time possível’, mas destacou que reconhece o quão dura esta sequência pode ser. Segundo suas palavras, ‘quer contar com todo mundo’.

– Não é nem no sentido de poupar, mas de colocar em campo o melhor time possível. Agora temos uma sequência muito complicada. Viajaremos para Fortaleza, voltamos para o jogo contra o Corinthians, depois Sport, retorno para dois dias e meio depois jogar com o Vasco no Morumbi. Em seguida uma viagem terrível para Venezuela provavelmente decidindo uma classificação. Tenho que contar com todo mundo – disse.

O treinador afirmou que terão mexidas e que isso é algo já a ser esperado pensando em escalações futuras, muito para evitar desgastes no elenco, e até mesmo, possíveis novas lesões. Dorival ainda foi direto e reto – tratou a sequência como ‘absurda’ e afirmou que ‘ninguém suporta esta carga’.

– Eles têm que estar preparados porque a todo momento teremos mexidas para segurar alguns jogadores e ter, teoricamente, um time mais saudável para o jogo seguinte. Isso vai acontecer, para amanhã não causar surpresa. Nossa sequência é absurda, e não há quem suporte a carga de jogos e treinamentos – completou.

Neste domingo (7), o São Paulo venceu o Internacional por 2 a 0, no estádio do Morumbi. Depois de três jogos fora, retornou para casa.

Dushmantha Chameera will miss Sri Lanka’s second ODI against Afghanistan, with Asitha Fernando drafted into the squad as his replacement.Chameera had limped off midway through his eighth over during Sri Lanka’s 42-run victory in the first ODI. He had picked up two wickets at the time but could not continue after that. It has now been confirmed that he injured his left quadriceps.It is understood the injury is not related to any of his previous injuries; last year he had missed a chunk of Sri Lanka’s games with a torn pectoral muscle, and prior to that he had undergone surgery for an ankle injury.The extent of the current injury is unknown. The 32-year-old fast bowler underwent a scan following Friday’s game, the results of which have been sent to a specialist in the UK for consultation.”He’s feeling better now, but we won’t know for sure the exact nature of his injury until we hear back from the specialist,” Sri Lanka’s team manager Mahinda Halangoda told ESPNcricinfo.Fernando, his replacement in the squad, last played an ODI in November 2022, also against Afghanistan. He has played five ODIs in all, picking up the solitary wicket.However, he has impressed in Tests, most recently against Afghanistan when he picked up six wickets in the match to help Sri Lanka on their way to victory.

da lvbet： From afar, the intense battle for automatic promotion in the Championship is an enthralling spectacle to watch.

da pixbet： But, for those locked deep in it, there is nothing more nerve-wracking, with one minor misfire squandering your chances of an instant path up to the Premier League.

Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United have found out the hard way how cruel the tense promotion fight can be, with the one-time leaders now out of the top two after two humbling losses on the spin.

Time is still on their side to atone for these missteps, but Wilder will need to be more cutthroat with his team selections and drop underperformers, with Ben Brereton Diaz’s first-team spot on shaky ground.

Why Brereton Diaz needs to be dropped

The Chilean attacker won’t be deemed as a blunder in the transfer market, however, with Brereton Diaz boasting a mildly impressive three goals and three assists from 14 encounters since joining on loan in January.

But, to the dismay of the Blades faithful watching on alongside his manager, the usually potent forward was largely anonymous in the last two defeats against Oxford United and Millwall.

Brereton Diaz’s numbers vs Oxford + Millwall

Stat

Oxford

Millwall

Minutes played

59

45

Goals scored

0

0

Assists

0

0

Shots

0

2

Touches

20

21

Accurate passes

7/10 (70%)

9/14

Possession lost

7x

6x

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Brereton Diaz has been massively underperforming to the detriment of his promotion-chasing side, with only two shots registered in total across a combined 104 minutes versus the U’s and Alex Neil’s visitors.

Moreover, his wastefulness on the ball as a right winger has killed many an attacking opportunity, with possession given up a high seven times at the Kassam Stadium, despite only mustering up a weak 20 touches of the ball.

Wilder substituting off the Southampton loanee at the half-time interval versus Millwall could mean he’s willing to drop the 25-year-old completely for his side’s mammoth trip to Plymouth Argyle later on, therefore, which might potentially gift this exciting winger the chance to nail down a starting spot on the right subsequently.

How Wilder can replace Brereton Diaz

After all, if the Blades do decide to go all gung-ho on their travels to Devon, they could gain a lot of joy from a leaky, relegation-doomed side in the Pilgrims, considering Plymouth have given up a high 81 goals in league action.

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Jesurun Rak-Sakyi could be licking his lips at the prospect of a start at Home Park, consequently, with the Crystal Palace loanee gifting his side a lot more on the right flank last time out than the out-of-sorts Brereton Diaz.

Across his bright 45-minute stint on the Bramall Lane turf, Rak-Sakyi managed to tally up three more shots than his poor counterpart, on top of also twisting and turn Millwall shirts for fun with three successful dribbles, as per Sofascore.

Winning 100% of his ground duels too, the 22-year-old attacker would have been kicking himself that he didn’t add to his growing goal and assist tally for the club in the unfortunate 1-0 defeat, having picked up six strikes and two assists away from this second successive loss.

Hailed as a “remarkable” player by former Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, Rak-Sakyi would love to close out his memorable stint in South Yorkshire with a promotion on his fledgling CV.

With double the amount of strikes compared next to Brereton Diaz’s league output – on top of his promising cameo against Millwall – the time could be right to hand the entertaining youngster a start, as Wilder attempts to roll the dice subtly to get his team’s stuttering promotion push back on course.

Related Wilder must axe Sheffield United man earning more than Cooper & Campbell

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 8, 2025

Fulham are still outside contenders for European qualification with Marco Silva leading them to an impressive season overall, but certain clubs may be looking to poach their outstanding players as a result.

Fulham face Liverpool in crucial Premier League clash

It’s been a bad week for the west Londoners, having crashed out of the FA Cup following a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage and followed that up with defeat to Arsenal.

Fulham now make contact to sign £8m ace who may replace Timothy Castagne

Fulham are among the teams interested in signing a new defender.

ByBrett Worthington Mar 26, 2025

Now, an equally tough test awaits Silva in the form of Premier League title favourites Liverpool, who are looking to cement their status as champions of England. Fulham could make a real statement by thwarting Liverpool and gaining much-needed points in the race for Europe, with Silva about to lead his side into a season-defining next few matches.

After Arne Slot’s side visit the English capital, Fulham take on fellow European contenders Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, with a west London derby then on the horizon against Chelsea.

Liverpool (home)

April 6th

Bournemouth (away)

April 14th

Chelsea (home)

April 20th

Southampton (away)

April 26th

Aston Villa (away)

May 3rd

Fulham have one eye on next season already, making summer transfer plans and targeting a move for Celtic defender Alistair Johnston, among others (David Ornstein), but for now, it is strictly business on the field.

Silva will need all of his crop fit and firing, as the Whites eye their first European campaign since 2011/2012 – when they qualified for the Europa League via England’s Fair Play berth.

Fulham fans have fond memories of their 2009/2010 season in the Europa, when Roy Hodgson guided them to an unprecedented place in the final against eventual winners Atlético Madrid.

It still isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that they could replicate those heroics next season, but they’ll need to keep hold of their key men. Silva is attracting interest from Tottenham as a potential replacement for Ange Postecoglou, and winger Andreas Pereira is a wanted man in Brazil.

Flamengo plotting unique offer for Fulham star Andreas Pereira

The former Man United gem boasts two goals and seven assists from 31 appearances in all competitions this term, but Pereira’s contract expires next year, leading to clubs from his homeland taking a real interest in poaching him.

Palmeiras are rumoured to have already made an offer, while Flamengo are believed to be plotting a unique bid for Pereira, according to journalist Bruno Lemos.

“About Andreas Pereira. Flamengo is moving forward to have Andreas Pereira for the FIFA Super World Cup,” said Lemos on X.

“After a successful conversation with the midfielder’s agent, Giuliano Bertolucci, the red-black board of directors may use an important asset to open negotiations with Fulham: 20% of the rights to striker Rodrigo Muniz, sold to the English club in 2021, and may include the percentage it still holds of the athlete to offset a possible request from the British.

“Recently, Palmeiras offered 20 million euros for the player, but Fla does not intend to reach that amount, counting on Andreas’ desire to return to Ninho do Urubu and the ability of his agent to facilitate the transfer, in addition to the contribution of 15 million dollars for participating in the World Cup and 16 million pounds from the sale of Argentine Alcaraz to Everton, also from England, part of which will be used to qualify the squad and obtain reinforcements, including a player to serve as an alternative to Uruguayan Arrascaeta, who has again presented physical problems.”

The 29-year-old could be tempted by this opportunity to make a return home as he slowly enters the twilight phase of his career, but Fulham’s boss may be keen to avoid this scenario as Silva has described Pereira as a “very important” player.

The transfer window might still be closed for another two months, but that hasn’t stopped the rumours circulating Arsenal.

Unless they can beat Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League next month, Mikel Arteta’s side look likely to end the season empty-handed yet again, and a big reason for that is a lack of firepower up top.

Now, injuries have played their part as well, but when the club’s most productive player – Bukayo Saka – is someone who hasn’t kicked a ball since December, you know there is a problem.

So, it’s unsurprising to see the team being linked with a whole host of extraordinary strikers at the moment, like Victor Gyokeres, but centre-forwards are not the only players being touted for moves this summer.

Arsenal's search for new attackers

So, while Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, and Alexander Isak all continue to be linked with Arsenal due to their acute need for a prolific number nine, a whole host of wingers have also had their names connected with the club.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané, who will be a free agent in the summer, keeps popping up in connection with the Gunners, as is Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who is already Premier League-proven.

However, when there is one winger who the North Londoners seem to be prioritising above all others and he might just be the most exciting of the lot.

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal are determined to add another wide player to their ranks in the summer, and both Arteta and new Sporting Director, Andrea Berta, have a top target: Nico Williams.

The Spanish international has a €58m release clause in his current contract, which is about £48m, and while that isn’t an egregious sum of money, it would need to be paid upfront, which could complicate matters.

Interestingly, though, the report has revealed that the Gunners could offer Bilbao a higher fee to structure payments more favourably.

It looks like it will be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line this year, but given his immense ability and potential, one well worth fighting for, especially as he could sensational alongside Gyokeres, should Arsenal be able to secure his services as well.

Why Williams would be incredible for Arsenal and Gyokeres

So, let’s say Arsenal are successful in their pursuit of Gyokeres this summer. Why would Williams be an incredible addition to the team, particularly for him?

Well, it comes down to two things, the first of which is his output. For example, in 37 appearances last season, totalling 2729 minutes, the young Spaniard racked up a sensational tally of eight goals and 16 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.54 games or every 113.70 minutes.

This season, he’s not been quite as devastating but has nonetheless maintained an impressive level of output, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists in 38 appearances, totalling 2689 minutes.

Season

23/24

24/25

Appearances

37

38

Minutes

2729′

2689′

Goals

8

9

Assists

19

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.72

0.36

Minutes per Goal Involvements

113.70′

168.06′

This comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.37 games, or 168.06 minutes.

Now, just imagine what the Bilbao ace’s output would look like playing alongside the Swede, who has racked up a tally of 111 goal involvements in 92 games for Sporting CP.

His already impressive assist record would explode next to a striker that prolific, and in return, the former Coventry City star would almost certainly see his own goal tally continue to impress with such a reliable provider to his left.

The second reason the “world-class” winger, as journalist Zach Lowy has dubbed him, would be such a dream teammate for the 26-year-old is that he occupies defenders so effectively.

Due to being a reliable source of goals and assists, the Pamplona-born star forces opposition defenders to expend time and energy keeping him under wraps, which in turn should free up space for his teammates.

Moreover, with FBref placing him in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons per 90, he’s capable of making things happen regardless of how much an opposition player tries to stop him.

Ultimately, Arsenal need some attacking reinforcements this summer, and while it might be a complicated transfer to get over the line, they should be going all out for Williams, especially if they also sign Gyokeres.

Arsenal's "special" teen was meant to be Ramsey 2.0, then Arteta sold him

The talented midfielder never made it at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 29, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da dobrowin： O Nova Iguaçu recebe o Vitória nesta quarta-feira, às 16h30, pela Copa do Brasil, consciente da importância da competição. O lateral-direito Léo Fernandes, um dos destaques do time no Campeonato Carioca, fala das vantagens do torneio nacional.

– É uma competição de enorme visibilidade e retorno financeiro para o clube. O Vitória é uma equipe tradicional e que certamente vai impor bastante dificuldade. Teremos que realizar uma partida próxima da perfeição para passarmos de fase – declarou.

+ Confira a tabela de jogos da Copa do Brasil de 2023

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da betano casino： Mandante, o Nova Iguaçu precisará vencer o jogo para avançar no torneio. Segundo Léo, o regulamento influenciará diretamente na forma de jogar do time da Baixada.

– Nessa etapa da Copa do Brasil uma equipe tem a vantagem do mando de campo e a outra de poder empatar. O Nova Iguaçu entrará em campo ciente de que apenas vencendo atingirá o seu objetivo e procurará jogar com inteligência – concluiu.

It is understood a group of players wrote to CSA wanting to see change following Moreeng’s lengthy tenure

Firdose Moonda11-Aug-2023Hilton Moreeng will stay on as coach of the South African national women’s team, extending his tenure beyond 11 years. Moreeng has been in charge since 2012 and was expected to move on after the home T20 World Cup, in which South Africa reached the final, but will continue for at least the 2023-24 season.ESPNcricinfo understands that a group of players are unhappy with Moreeng’s continuance and some of them took their complaints to Cricket South Africa via email. This move stems from what sources have called a desire to see a change in the coaching style following Moreeng’s lengthy tenure. However, the players have been unable to get CSA to see eye-to-eye with their thinking and Moreeng has been rewarded for a string of good results which includes qualifying for the last two 50-over World Cup semi-finals and becoming the first coach to take a senior South African team to a World Cup final.”It was never going to make sense not to extend (Moreeng’s deal) because of the back-to-back tours we have coming up now,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s CEO told ESPNcricinfo.Related

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Although South Africa have not played since the T20 World Cup in February, they have a full schedule over the next few months, starting with a trip to Pakistan in August. They will then return home to host New Zealand and also have visits from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka already penciled in on the Future Tours Programme (FTP) before an all-format trip to Australia in early 2024. The time between the end of Moreeng’s contract in April and this season’s fixtures was deemed too short to replace him. “It would have not been fair to ask a new person to take over and have only a month or so to prepare the team for the Pakistan series [which begins on September 1],” Moseki said.Instead, CSA has turned its attention to creating a new position in the women’s game: head of women’s cricket. Applications for the post closed on July 14 and ESPNcricinfo understands that the process of finalising the appointment is ongoing. The head of women’s cricket will report to the current Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, who has been in meetings with the women’s team management this week.At the time of writing, Nkwe was unavailable for comment.

da dobrowin： Manchester City are now showing concrete interest in a defender, whose price tag has now dropped by £12.5m, but there may be competition for his signature from Real Madrid, according to a report.

Man City keen to strengthen at full-back

da leao： Kyle Walker joining AC Milan on loan last month could spell the end for the right-back at the Etihad Stadium, and Pep Guardiola has started to work on finding a replacement, with widespread reports linking Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento with a move.

Not only is Pep looking to strengthen at right-back, but the manager is also keen to bolster his options on the opposite side, with Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso remaining on the list of targets, having been interested in signing the Italian during the January window.

Other left-backs to be considered by City in recent times include Paris Saint Germain’s Nuno Mendes and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez, with Pep seemingly looking to bring in competition for Josko Gvardiol.

Related Man City want to sign "insane" £83m star who Pep loves; he's a key target

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Posts ByDominic Lund Feb 26, 2025

There has now been a new update on the Sky Blues’ pursuit of Hernandez, with TEAMtalk revealing the left-back is now likely to leave AC Milan this summer, with the Italian club slashing their asking price from £41.5m to £29.5m.

Amid the £12m price drop, Man City are now showing concrete interest in the left-back, who is now climbing higher on their shortlist, with the £29.5m fee considered a fair price.

The only potential issue is the fact Real Madrid have also expressed an interest in the Frenchman, and he would be open to a return to the Bernabeu, having spent two years with the Spanish side earlier in his career.

Hernandez is a top attacking left-back

Throughout his career, the Milan defender has consistently provided an attacking threat, despite almost exclusively featuring at left-back, providing seven goals and six assists in the Serie A during the 2020-21 campaign.

Freelance Ben Mattinson has described the former Madrid man as “electric fast”, while also branding him “the best attacking LB in the world”, so it is promising news he could be available for just £29.5m this summer.

Although the report states the France international’s form has dipped this season, he has remained a key player for Milan, and he has continued to provide a consistent attacking threat over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.10 (82nd percentile)

Progressive carries

3.51 (93rd percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.14 (85th percentile)

Not only does the defender impress on the front foot, but he has also received praise for his defensive work in the past too, being lauded by CBS’ Marco Messina.

As such, Hernandez could be a fantastic signing for City this summer, and given that his price tag has fallen significantly, they should definitely pursue a move.