Chelsea have been warned by UEFA over inflated fees on swap transfers along with Aston Villa, with both under scrutiny after receiving recent fines.
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Over the last few months, Arsenal have built a reputation as intelligent operators in the transfer market.
For example, the arrivals of Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, and even David Raya have all proven to be brilliant moves that have dramatically improved the team's quality.
However, while Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have bought well, they've also sold well.
Just a few years ago the pair sanctioned the sale of a Hale End gem for £25m whose value has since cratered and is now worth less than Eddie Nketiah.
Nketiah joined the Gunners as a 14-year-old after being released by cross-city rivals Chelsea and has since become an important member of Arteta's squad.
The academy graduate made his debut for the first team in a Europa League match against Bate Borisov in September 2017, but he made his full debut the following season in the same competition, as Arsenal beat Vorskla Poltava 3-0.
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Eddie Nketiah's full Arsenal debut |
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Vorskla Poltava 0 – 3 Arsenal: November 2018 |
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GK – Petr Cech |
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RB – Stephan Lichtsteiner |
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CB – Carl Jenkinson |
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CB – Rob Holding |
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LB – Ainsley Maitland-Niles |
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CM – Mohamed Elneny |
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CM – Matteo Guendouzi |
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RM – Joe Willock |
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CAM – Aaron Ramsey |
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LM – Emile Smith Rowe |
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ST – Eddie Nketiah |
He would make sporadic appearances over the following years and even spend six months on loan with Leeds United in the 2019/20 season before getting a real chance in the first team in the latter half of the 2021/22 campaign, scoring ten goals and providing one assist in 27 appearances as Arsenal came close to securing top four.
The following year, he was just as crucial in the club's title charge when Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for several months with a knee injury, scoring nine goals and providing three assists in 39 games.
However, as valuable as he was last year, the 24-year-old's opportunities have been severely limited this season with the arrival of Kai Havertz.
With his role reduced in the team and his £100k-per-week contract set to run until June 2027, Arsenal appear set to sell their academy product, with West Ham United one of several clubs heavily touted for his signature at a price of around £43m.
It wouldn't be the first time they have successfully cashed in on an academy gem either, and if Nketiah's career mirrors Joe Willock's, then the club could be playing a blinder.
Like Nketiah, Willock fought his way through Arsenal's various youth sides before making his full debut for the first time in the Europa League clash against Bate Borisov in September 2017.
Over the next few seasons, the Waltham Forest-born midfielder made 78 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists before being sent on loan to Newcastle United for the second half of the 2020/21 campaign. In that period, he scored eight goals in just 14 games.
This excellent run of form saw the Magpies spend £25m to secure the Englishman's signature that summer.
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Joe Willock's Newcastle career |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Season |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
|
Appearances |
14 |
31 |
43 |
11 |
|
Goals |
8 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
Assists |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.57 |
0.06 |
0.20 |
0.18 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
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However, in the 85 appearances since, the 24-year-old has scored just seven goals and provided six assists, which would explain why his valuation has plunged since the transfer, with the Football Transfers' Expected Value model pricing the Toon star at just €23m, or £20m, which is £5m less than he was sold for and a whopping £23m less than the price Nketiah could fetch.
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Ultimately, Arsenal's decision to sell Willock was the right one, and if they can repeat the trick with Nketiah this summer, they must jump at the chance.
The former Free State Cricket president and father of the late SA captain Hansie was ailing from cancer
Firdose Moonda11-May-2020Ewie Cronje, the former Free State Cricket president and father of the late South Africa captain Hansie Cronje has died. Cronje was suffering from stomach cancer. He was 80.Cronje played 27 first-class matches for Free State between 1960 and 1971 but was better known for his time in administration. He played a leading role in establishing and growing cricket at the University of the Free State and went on to become president of Free State Cricket Union, a position he held between 1983 and 1990. Cronjé was a mentor to some of the province’s high-profile players including Allan Donald, Corrie van Zyl and Boeta Dippenaar.He stood by Hansie during the match-fixing scandal in the year 2000 and though Hansie was banned from all forms of cricket and died two years later, Ewie continued to work in the development of the game. In 2012, Cronje was honoured by Cricket South Africa, who presented him with the Khaya Majola Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his years of service to the game.Cronje’s health deteriorated steadily this year and he was unable to speak when former cricket boss Dr Ali Bacher contacted him late last month to mend their relationship. Bacher told the weekly Afrikaans newspaper that the coronavirus pandemic prompted him to reach out to Cronje, who he had not spoken to in almost two decades. Though Cronjé could not respond, he was able to listen to Bacher and his family reported that his response was emotional.That was three weeks ago, when Cronje was described as seriously ill. At 2.05pm on Monday, he passed away.With South Africa still under a strict lockdown and restrictions in place on the number of people who can gather, the family have opted not have a funeral at this stage. Cronje is survived by his wife San-Marie, his son Frans and his daughter Hester.
Lionel Messi has set the Herons a target of claiming two pieces of silverware before the season ends
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Yet again, Tottenham Hotspur fell behind against Crystal Palace last weekend but the belief and collective quality under Ange Postecoglou saw a dramatic turnaround in the late stage to keep at the heels of fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Tottenham travel to Villa Park on Sunday and will cut their deficit to just two points despite having played a game less, with the much-improved efforts in the Premier League a product of the focused vision and polished synergy after last year's struggle.
Postecoglou has a plan, and Daniel Levy will likely be prepared to provide the craggy-faced Australian with the requisite time and tools to create a prosperous future, having ousted multiple managers over recent years, qualifying for the Champions League just once since 2019/20.
Jurgen Klopp required years to bring silverware to Liverpool; Mikel Arteta flattered to deceive in the early stage of his Arsenal tenure; even Pep Guardiola's maiden campaign with Manchester City yielded indifference, finishing third in the Premier League.
The early stirrings of success have been discernible and Postecoglou deserves credit for marrying into Levy's way of life as chairman, astute transfer business charging an entertaining and attack-minded squad.
Struggling members of the outfit have been moved on, with Tanguy Ndombele and Davinson Sanchez joining Galatasaray, Eric Dier moving to Munich and Guglielmo Vicario replacing former captain Hugo Lloris between the sticks, the ageing Frenchman dismal last term.
James Maddison and Co have been immense since completing transfers to Spurs but the cream of the crop has to be Micky van de Ven, who has reminded Tottenham what it means to defend, doing so with unseen athleticism and unparalleled speed.
Throughout the summer, Tottenham and Liverpool were two of the top Premier League clubs well-known to be perusing the market for a new centre-back, and while Klopp's Reds were interested in securing Van de Ven's services, it was Spurs who won the race.
Signing the Dutchman from German club Wolfsburg for a fee approaching £43m in August, there were a few raised eyebrows as Tottenham spent big to improve their backline, but Van de Ven has put any rumours regarding his quality to bed with his brilliant displays in north London.
Last season, the crux of Tottenham's eighth-placed finish in the Premier League was the dreadful defensive organisation and solidity, with the 63 goals shipped higher than all but the relegated teams and newly-promoted survivors Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
Praised for his "dominant" and "complete" displays in the Bundesliga by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Van de Ven excelled upon arriving in England and formed a formidable partnership with Cristian Romero in the rearguard across the opening months, with Tottenham top of the table and undefeated after ten fixtures, only for the 22-year-old to pick up a muscular injury against Chelsea in November, kicking off a dour period of form.
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Spurs' PL PPG: With/without Van de Ven |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Games played |
GF |
GA |
Points |
PPG |
|
|
With Van de Ven |
17 |
36 |
23 |
37 |
2.2 |
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Without Van de Ven |
9 |
19 |
14 |
13 |
1.4 |
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Sourced via Transfermarkt |
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As per Sofascore, the 6 foot 4 titan has completed 95% of his passes in the Premier League across 17 appearances, incredibly averaging 5.9 ball recoveries per game – and 2.9 clearances and 1.8 tackles – succeeding with 63% of his dribbles and winning a whopping 68% of his ground duels. For good measure, he is also the quickest player in the division.
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The table above delineates his importance within Postecoglou's system, and it's worth noting too that the dynamic defender was withdrawn in the early phase against Chelsea, with a subsequent sequence of red cards resulting in a 4-1 home defeat.
He also ranks among the top 3% of centre-halfs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 2% for successful take-ons and the top 15% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, highlighting the incredible physical attributes that provide Van de Ven with a singular skill set.
Signing Van de Ven was a masterful piece of business for resurgent Tottenham and highlights the progress being made at N17, especially given this talented player is only on £50k per week.
The above-mentioned flops have been shipped on but that was not an exhaustive list, with Harry Winks also sold to relegated Leicester City in a £10m transfer last summer, remarkably still pocketing higher earnings than Van de Ven.
Winks was once considered a valuable and industrious member of Tottenham's team since making his senior debut as a Lilywhite back in 2014.
But while he chalked up 203 appearances for the club, the 28-year-old started just 18 Premier League matches across his final two campaigns in London, shipped out on loan to Serie A side Sampdoria last term before moving to the King Power Stadium to aid Leicester in their bid for an instantaneous return to the big time.
Admittedly, he did a job for Tottenham for large periods and boasts a career passing accuracy of 90.1%, highlighting his crisp passing quality and the composure that he can instil in the centre of the park, but he waned after a promising rise from the formative fold and was even branded as "not good enough" by former manager Alex McLeish later on.
While he has been the centrepiece of Championship table-toppers Leicester's season, it's hard to imagine that he would have secured a regular starting berth under Postecoglou, albeit offering attributes that might have left him well-equipped for a utility role in the squad.
Nonetheless, he never lived up to his potential and despite costing a grand total of nothing for Levy, his wages across the many years of his time at the club leaked a ballpark figure of £25m, with his £91k-per-week salary before moving to Leicester too much for one too ineffectual.
Moreover, since dropping down a division, Winks is still earning more than Van de Ven currently does, taking home £61k per week under Enzo Maresca.
Winks is hardly at the bottom of Tottenham's player pyramid across the past decade but undoubtedly he could have offered more after displaying such promise in his early years, and the fact that Van de Ven still earns less than he does in the Championship bespeaks the new judiciousness at the centre of Spurs' recruitment strategy.
An error-prone New Zealand fell short after dropping three catches
The Report by Daniel Brettig27-Feb-2020India squeezed past an error-prone New Zealand into the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals and probable tournament favouritism, after Shafali Verma added to her tournament highlight reel and and then Harmanpreet Kaur marshalled her bowlers to suffocating effect at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Sent in to bat by Sophie Devine, India benefited from another whip-crack start thanks to Verma, who cashed in on two dropped chances on her way to 46 off 34, after scores of 29 and 39 against Australia and Bangladesh. While the innings faded at its back end, the bowlers had been given more than enough to defend on a sluggish surface that rewarded canny slow bowling against a New Zealand side eager to get to grips with the turning ball.After Shikha Pandey struck first, Suzie Bates and Devine perished to deliveries they needed to wait just a fraction longer before hitting, and from that early loss of three wickets it was always going to be a game of catch-up. Amelia Kerr threatened when she took 18 off Poonam Yadav in the 19th over, but Pandey kept her nerve to send India through as New Zealand scored 29 off the last two overs when they needed 34.Hurricane Verma blows into Junction OvalThere was absolutely nothing dull about Verma’s latest appearance, although it was at times on the scrappier side as both sides adjusted from the pace of Perth to the slower Junction Oval surface. A few early plays and misses gave way to boundaries, and then the sign that Verma was really in when she deposited successive deliveries from Anna Peterson over the straight boundary for sixes, when an obliging half volley was followed by an even more generous full toss. All was not well at the other end, however, after Smriti Mandhana dragged Lea Tahuhu onto the stumps and then Taniya Bhatia’s sound supporting innings was ended with a square cut off Rosemary Mair that arrowed straight to Kerr.Verma’s innings was also to grow more ragged, as she was twice put down by New Zealand at long-on and then midwicket. Further wickets, as Jemimah Rodrigues front edged a full toss and then Kaur offered the tamest of return catches to Leigh Kasperek, contributed to a sense of claustrophobia, and Verma’s stay was to end with a catch to long-off. Spectacular as some of her shots had been, the innings was petering out.Kerr restricts IndiaDespite a greenish tinge on the pitch, New Zealand loaded up on spin after the early overs, as Devine called upon no fewer than seven bowlers in her efforts to slow down India. Best of the bunch was Kerr, not surprisingly, who twirled her legbreaks and variations with typical skill and was rewarded with the wickets of Verma and Veda Krishnamurthy lbw on the sweep after New Zealand opted for the recourse of the DRS.Having been 1 for 68, India declined as far as 7 for 111 before Pandey and Radha Yadav scrounged some vital runs at the death, including the only six of the innings not fired off by Verma. New Zealand were left feeling mixed about proceedings: they would probably have taken a target as low as 134 at the start of the match, but their profligacy in missing numerous chances – a trend for several teams in the tournament so far – left a sour sense of opportunity spurned.Slow bowling, fast exitsPatience is a virtue when facing India’s spinners, not only in terms of waiting for the bad ball but also in terms of waiting for each individual ball to actually arrive. For New Zealand’s top order, this wait proved too much under World Cup pressure, as Bates and Devine played too presumptuously and too soon at balls whirring slowly down at them. Pandey’s mediums gained the first breakthrough as Priest, having already found the boundary, aimed for midwicket and could only offer a skier to be caught inside the fielding circle after it swirled tantalisingly in the breeze.Bates, spoiling to go on the attack herself, made a pre-movement across her stumps that gave Deepti Sharma a split second in which to slow her pace further, and have the New Zealand No. 3 rushing through her shot and bowled behind her pads. Devine, having dominated against all comers recently while churning out six consecutive half-centuries, waited and waited for Poonam’s full toss to reach her, only to mistime it for another simple catch.New Zealand suffocatedDespite a salvaging stand between Maddy Green and Katey Martin, the required rate drifted up and up over six, seven, eight, nine and 10, as an expectant Indian-centric crowd anticipated a victory.Fifty-seven runs were still required off 35 balls when Green finally decided that attack was her only available path and ran down the pitch to Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who had artfully held one back just enough to gain the drop and turn required to spin past the bat and offer Bhatia a simple stumping. From there only a brilliant rearguard from Kerr, who scooped 18 from Poonam’s final over, gave the Indians some jitters, before Pandey delivered an exceptional final over to close it out.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has provided updates on injuries to Lionesses stars Beth Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy, ahead of Champions League qualifying.
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Everton have had many in-comings and outgoings over the last few seasons with both their playing and coaching staff, with some additions becoming flops and others becoming 'cult heroes' among the Everton fan base.
The Toffees haven't had the best of times lately and currently find themselves in 17th place, just one point outside of the relegation zone.
Granted, the fact that Sean Dyche's side have had a ten point deduction thrown their way this season needs to be taken into account. However, it feels as if the Toffees should have done much better than what they have done.
One of the key reasons why they only find themselves just outside of the drop zone is the fact that they are the third-lowest scoring team within England's top flight.
To rub even more salt in the wounds of the Toffees, Neal Maupay, a striker whom they loaned to Brentford at the start of the season, has only been involved in one less goal than that of their main strikers, Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
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These figures will undoubtedly be frustrating for Dyche as he was the one who sanctioned the move. In the past, Everton have had some elite-level strikers with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Tim Cahill and even Samuel Eto'o all plying their trade for the club at different points. They notably had immense success away from Goodison but there is another who perhaps isn't so elite now shining elsewhere; Salomon Rondon.
After joining the Toffees on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 from Chinese club, Dalian Professional, he was reunited with his former manager for a third time after the pair were both at Newcastle and Dalian Professional at the same time.
There was a lot of anticipation around his signing, as, with his previous two stints in England, the Venezuelan produced some solid numbers.
Whilst with his first English club, West Brom, whom he joined for a fee of £12m, he stayed at the club from 2015/16 until the 2017/18 season.
During his time representing the Baggies, he played a total of 120 games and amassed 38 goal contributions with 20 of those coming as his goals. This return sparked the interest of Newcastle's Benitez who made the Venezuela international his number one target.
He then later joined the Magpies on a season-long loan, which resulted in Dwight Gayle being loaned to West Brom in return.
Speaking on his arrival at Newcastle, Rondon said the following: "It's one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and I knew about the interest of the gaffer, so I'm happy to be here."
Then manager, Benitez, also weighed in on the addition of Rondon to his squad. "I am delighted to sign Salomón," he said.
"When we were looking for options up front, we knew how important experience would be. Salomón has been in the Premier League for a while, and he knows how demanding it is. He, together with Yoshinori Muto, will give us different options and will improve the competition between the strikers, which is always positive for the team."
Despite appearing a total of 33 times for the Magpies and managing to contribute to 19 goals, Newcastle rejected the chance to sign the forward permanently.
That is despite being the first forward since Alan Shearer in 2003 to win Newcastle's 2019 Player of the Year award.
At the time, many thought this was a mistake on Mike Ashley's behalf as, in the same season, Rafa Benitez also left the Tyneside club.
Rondon has since spoken about his Newcastle departure. "It was a beautiful year for me. I loved it because the supporters were behind me all the time," he said via Goal.
"I enjoyed playing with the number 9 shirt, I scored goals and the atmosphere at St James’ Park was amazing. Always, I will remember that season. Was I disappointed to leave? Yes, because I was waiting for something. I was waiting for Rafa."
However, it wasn't long before the pair were reunited in China where Rondon spent just a year.
It was after his stint in China, where he managed a total of 14 goals, that sparked the interest of Everton and Benitez.
You guessed it, the then 31-year-old was brought back to the Premier League thanks to Benitez, who was the manager of Everton at the time.
However, his stint with the Toffees didn't go as swimmingly as his previous campaign in England did for Newcastle.
During the two seasons in which the stocky forward represented the blue of Everton, he only amassed a total of 31 appearances and managed to only be involved in four goals.
This was a major fall from grace for the former Newcastle Player of the Year and was the main reasoning behind why, during his time with Everton, he was branded a flop.
His time with the Toffees was held in that bad a regard that his contract was terminated. This termination was in aid of the Venezuelan seeking more playing minutes after being isolated from the squad by then manager, Frank Lampard.
Following his termination, Rondon found himself in Argentina, representing River Plate. He had initially signed a two-year deal which would've kept him at the club until December 2025.
However, much like his Everton stint, he left the squad less than 12 months into his contract. Despite being at River for less than a year, he managed to re-find his form somewhat and garnered a total of 35 appearances whilst bagging ten goals.
Indeed, this isn't the greatest of returns, however, it's an awful lot more than what he managed to do with Everton.
Now in the 2023/24 season, the 34-year-old has found himself plying his trade in Mexico's top league for CF Pachuca.
Since his arrival in Mexico, it feels as if he has once again found his goal-scoring form which he showed whilst playing for Newcastle.
In just nine games, he has managed a total of seven goal contributions which is more than that of Calvert-Lewin and Beto individually.
Although Rondon has had quite a roller-coaster of a career, it feels as if he has now found somewhere where he can live out his twilight years.
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Smuts and du Plessis candidates to replace batsman in opening role with no replacement named
Firdose Moonda18-Feb-2020Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of South Africa’s T20 series opener against Australia this Friday with a hamstring strain.Bavuma sustained the injury while fielding against England at SuperSport Park on Sunday and will requite seven to 10 days rest. He will remain with the South African squad with a view to playing as early as this Sunday, in Port Elizabeth.ALSO READ: South Africa pick du Plessis for Australia T20s, Rabada returnsBavuma’s diagnosis means that South Africa will go into the match one of the aspects of their game that worked best against England – their opening pair. Bavuma shared stands of 92, 48 and 84 with Quinton de Kock and started South Africa’s innings with intent.With no replacement named in the squad, it is unclear who will join de Kock at the top of the order. Jon-Jon Smutshas some experience in the role, having opened in his first eight T20I innings, while Faf du Plessis has spent the last two IPL seasons at the top of the Chennai Super Kings order. Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen and the uncapped Pite van Biljon are alternative options.Du Plessis, who stepped down from the captaincy on Monday, makes a return to the squad along with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje after being rested from the England white-ball matches as South Africa look to continue experimenting with combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.AB de Villiers, who is set to make a comeback at the event, is not involved in these matches but could play for South Africa after the IPL.