Tag Futebol

Nottingham Forest have failed to arrest their slump in form and Fabrizio Romano has now revealed the steps Evangelos Marinakis will take over the international break at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest suffer defeat at Newcastle United

Ange Postecoglou has found himself in a frustrating position since taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo and now has the unwanted record of going seven matches without a win in charge.

Newcastle United away was always a tough encounter to walk into after a 3-2 defeat at home to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, and goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Nick Woltemade condemned the Tricky Trees to another defeat under the former Celtic boss.

Post-match, Postecoglou refused to back down despite growing speculation that he could be set for a swift exit, stating: “If people want to make an assessment of me after three and a half weeks in which I’ve had six or seven games, there’s nothing I can do about that.

“But at the same time, there’s nothing wrong with things being tough. That’s okay. I’ll say it a million times, I did have an option. I could have been sitting on the couch watching the game today and not be in the middle of it. I’d rather be, much rather be… I love a fight. So it’s a fight, so it’s a struggle – so what? That’s okay.”

Evangelos Marinakis won’t hesitate to relieve Postecoglou of his duties if results don’t improve, as he has already shown this term with Nuno, albeit you get the impression that the international break has come at a good time for all parties.

Murillo repeat: Nottingham Forest now eyeing 2026 move to sign Brazil int'l

The Midlands club are already thinking about reinforcements.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 6, 2025

With the pause in the Premier League season now upon supporters, they have gained some insight on the direction Nottingham Forest’s owner could take amid their questionable run of results.

Marinakis plans crisis talks with Ange

Writing in his letter for GIVEMESPORT, Romano confirmed Marinakis will look to clarify why Nottingham Forest aren’t claiming results since Postecoglou’s appointment in the East Midlands.

He explained: “Marinakis wants to clarify with Ange and understand why this is not working. So for sure there will be discussions about his impact at the club.”

Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest results

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Swansea City 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Burnley 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Real Betis 2-2 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Sunderland

Nottingham Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland

Newcastle United 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Ultimately, Postecoglou hasn’t been able to find a winning formula since taking over at the Tricky Trees, which is a major cause for concern amid their poor start to the season.

However, his spells at Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur illustrate that sometimes, hardship comes before success is found. The 60-year-old has won six trophies since 2022, potentially offering scope for a little more leeway to get things right.

One thing is for certain, he must deliver sooner rather than later, otherwise Marinakis will be left with no choice but to pull the trigger and hire a replacement.

Arsenal continued their solid start to 2025/2026 with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League on Tuesday, courtesy of super sub duo Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal see off Athletic Bilbao with crucial Champions League win

Despite all the uncertainty surrounding Martinelli’s future, with the Brazilian recently tipped to leave in January as he’s no longer a guaranteed starter, Mikel Arteta was sent a clear message after his heroics in Spain.

Leandro Trossard

8.1/10

Gabriel Martinelli

7.9/10

Jurrien Timber

7.4/10

Riccardo Calafiori

7.4/10

Cristhian Mosquera

7.3/10

via WhoScored

The 24-year-old put in a match-winning display off the bench, scoring Arsenal’s opener after breaking away from the Bilbao defence to fire home, with Martinelli setting up fellow exit-linked teammate Leandro Trossard for their second of the 90.

Arteta heaped praise on Martinelli for his stunning European display after Arsenal struggled to break down Bilbao, with the forward ultimately showcasing that he still has plenty to offer in the Premier League title race.

Alongside Martinelli and Trossard, summer signing Cristhian Mosquera also impressed yet again in place of the unavailable William Saliba.

The 21-year-old, who Arsenal believe could be one of the best in the world over these next few years (Graeme Bailey), has been an assured presence at the heart of Arteta’s backline — despite his young age and inexperience playing English football.

Noni Madueke has arguably been Arsenal’s most impressive summer signing thus far, but Mosquera is proving to be worth every penny of the initial £13 million that Andrea Berta paid to sign him from Valencia.

He put in yet another excellent showing against Bilbao, and it’s arguably harsh that Arteta will be forced to drop Mosquera once Saliba fully returns to the fold.

Andrea Berta thinks Cristhian Mosquera is a "bargain" for Arsenal

Speaking to GiveMeSport, via their newsletter, Fabrizio Romano has shared exactly what Berta thinks about the young Spaniard, after he arguably sealed one of the best low-cost buys of the window.

Mosquera had the best tackle success rate of any La Liga centre-back at a staggering 76.7 per cent, according to Opta, with the Spain Under-21 international looking extremely capable in one-v-one duels.

Gunners legend Martin Keown has already tipped the defender for big things after what he’s already seen — heaping praise on Mosquera’s pace and strength whilst likening him to both Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The sky appears to be the limit for him, and some reports claim that Mosquera’s value has already tripled just months after joining the north Londoners.

Members of the media, like Charles Watts, have also lavished praise on him after his fire-start to life in N5.

Arsenal are now preparing an opening bid for a “quick” star, who has agreed personal terms on a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Berta has work to do before transfer deadline

It has undoubtedly been a fantastic summer transfer window for Arsenal, with Andrea Berta strengthening the squad significantly, and the recent hijack of Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Eberechi Eze was the icing on the cake.

However, the sporting director still has work to do before the September 1st deadline, considering there may well be some departures before then, with Fabrizio Romano revealing FC Porto are set to make an offer for Jakub Kiwior.

On Monday, it was revealed that another stunning hijack could be on the cards, with Berta lining up a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie, who is also of interest to Tottenham, and there has now been a promising further development.

Taking to X, Romano has revealed that Arsenal are now preparing an opening bid for Hincapie, who has already “said yes” to signing for the Gunners, with personal terms agreed and a long-term deal ready.

Mikel Arteta views the defender as an “ideal signing”, and the deal is now looking increasingly likely, as the Ecuadorian favours a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal reach agreement to sign "explosive" attacking gem after Eze deal

The Gunners are set to sign another attacker…

By
Dominic Lund

Aug 24, 2025

The deal is likely to be an initial loan, which would include an obligation to buy, with the defender being brought in as a direct replacement for Kiwior, who is set to move to FC Porto “soon”.

"Quick" Hincapie could be perfect Kiwior replacement

Arsenal-supporting scout Ben Mattinson has given an overview of the Ecuador international’s abilities in the past, and makes the suggestion that he could be a perfect fit in an Arteta system.

At 23-years-old, the centre-back is at a good age to be a long-term successor to Kiwior, and he is clearly a forward-thinking defender, having performed well across some key metrics over the past year.

Statistic	Average per 90
Progressive passes	4.86 (86th percentile)
Progressive carries	1.65 (95th percentile)
Touches (Att pen)	1.57 (94th percentile)

Hincapie is clearly an archetypal modern-day centre-back, and his versatility is an added bonus, with the Leverkusen defender also comfortable at left-back, so it would be fantastic if Arsenal were able to get a deal, which is expected to amount to £52m, over the line.

Matt Henry finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy despite missing the final

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Mar-20255:26

Santner: ‘Rohit puts fear in bowlers’

Matt Henry had been desperate to play in the final of the Champions Trophy. He had taken five wickets in the previous match in Dubai, against India. He was the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. And even after he suffered the injury to the shoulder as he took the catch that removed Heinrich Klaasen in the semi-final against South Africa, he came back and bowled two further overs, and fielded.And yet, the injury kept him out of the final, against an opposition he has tended to dominate. In 11 ODIs against India, he has 21 wickets at an average of 21.00, with an economy rate of 4.48. India’s chase in Dubai suffered stutters through the middle, but they eventually got home with four wickets to spare, and an over in reserve.Henry was missed, said captain Mitchell Santner. His replacement Nathan Smith only bowled two overs in the final. Henry went through a fitness test just before the game, and was visibly distraught as he was failing it.Related

Shoulder injury keeps Matt Henry out of Champions Trophy final

Rohit, Rahul, spinners lead India to third Champions Trophy title

Stats – Four drops, a spin strangle, and 15 tosses lost in a row

“He was the leading wicket-taker going into this game, and he’s an outstanding bowler, as we’ve seen,” Santner said. Henry’s ten wickets at an average of 16.70 still leads the Champions Trophy wickets chart, despite his missing the final. “He seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don’t look like they should nip, so I guess we missed that today. I feel for Matty. He’s a massive team man, and he looked pretty distraught.”We just kind of said, like, let’s do it for him. To come this far and then be injured for the main event was pretty tough for him and I guess for us. He tried everything he could to be ready for this game, and unfortunately for us, he wasn’t quite there.”There were other battles that New Zealand had had to fight through in the course of the tournament. Where India played all five matches in Dubai, New Zealand had to zip between Dubai and all three venues in Pakistan – the only team in the Champions Trophy to play at four venues.Rachin Ravindra, the Player of the Tournament with 263 runs at an average of 65.75 and a strike rate of 106.47, plus three wickets, had also suffered a blow to his forehead attempting a catch in the outfield in the tri-series in Pakistan that preceded the Champions Trophy. Kyle Jamieson, meanwhile, was a late replacement for Lockie Ferguson, who was injured playing in the ILT20.1:27

Southee: Henry not playing the final a ‘massive loss’ for New Zealand

“It’s never going to go perfectly in these tournaments, I guess, with the quick turnaround of games like we had,” Santner said. “But I think what’s most pleasing is different guys got opportunities and stepped up as. I couldn’t be prouder of the group.”There were guys coming in and out due to injury. And then the way Rachin came back straightaway after his head knock and hit the ground running was great. And Kyle Jamieson flying over and coming straight into the team – I thought he bowled extremely well in the games he played.”Although New Zealand made mistakes in the field as they attempted to defend a target of 253 in the final, it was the first innings that had been definitive, Santner said. New Zealand were 57 for no wicket after 7.4 overs, but then lost Will Young, Ravindra and Kane Williamson in quick succession, to be 75 for 3 after 12.2 overs. Varun Chakravarthy struck the first blow, before Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Ravindra and Williamson within his first seven deliveries.”I think the way we went about it for the first eight overs or so was outstanding. And then it took some brilliance from the spinners to really peg us back and make it challenging through that middle phase,” Santner said. “After the start, we were probably thinking of a score around 275 or 280. Credit has to go to Kuldeep for the way he bowled straight after the powerplay, and Varun inside the powerplay.”

Marcus Rashford admits it has been "difficult" for him to settle quickly at Barcelona, after completing a loan move from Manchester United, but he is up and running on the competitive goal front. That account was opened when netting a stunning brace for the Liga giants in their first fixture of the 2025-26 Champions League campaign away at Newcastle.

Barcelona move for Rashford after Aston Villa loan

England international Rashford secured a surprising switch to Catalunya during the summer transfer window after being made aware that he still has no role to play for his parent club – with the second half of last season being spent with Aston Villa.

AdvertisementRashford scores first Barca goals in Newcastle win

Rashford jumped at the chance to link up with the likes of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, but is still searching for a lost spark – with inconsistent form leading to him slipping down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old showed what he is capable of when netting two impressive goals at St James’ Park – one with his head and another that was rifled in off the underneath of the crossbar from 20 yards out – with said efforts seeing Barca to a 2-1 victory on Tyneside.

Struggles to adapt to new life in Spain

Rashford hopes shackles have now been shaken, after making a slow start to life with the reigning champions of Spain, with it difficult to hit the ground running when stepping out of your comfort zone. Rashford told reporters of that process: "We have a team with top players. It’s difficult to arrive in a new city, a new culture, but I’m enjoying it and I’m getting more and more comfortable. As time goes by I’ll improve my football."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty 'Nothing else is on our minds'

Rashford has joined Barca in order to compete for the most prestigious of honours, with the ultimate Champions League target being set. Asked about the limit of collective ambition in European competition, Rashford added: "It's only to win it. Nothing else is on our minds. We know how tough the competition is.

"Playing for Barcelona is an amazing experience. I've always been a huge admirer of Barcelona. We want to win as much as possible. 100% I'm full of excitement. I'm very motivated and determined. The quality we have in the team excites me. It's so refreshing to play with these players."

She made a welcome return to form as the hosts clean-swept India building towards a defence of their 50-over title

Tristan Lavalette11-Dec-2024Having gone through what went wrong at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Australia rebounded with a series clean sweep of India as they build towards a defence of their 50-over crown next year.Australia outplayed India after two comfortable victories in Brisbane before finishing the series with an 83-run win in a topsy-turvy contest in oppressive conditions at the WACA in Perth.Australia entered the ODI series with an unfamiliar bitter taste after their semi-final defeat to South Africa in the UAE. Underlining an increasingly cramped women’s cricket calendar, the team and hierarchy did not get a chance to debrief due to the WBBL starting almost immediately after.Related

Harmanpreet points to players' 'mindset' for India losing big games

Mooney: Voll has taken to international cricket 'like a duck to water'

Sutherland 110, Gardner five-for make it 3-0 for Australia

Stats – Gardner's double, Mandhana's milestones, Sutherland's rearguard heroics

Once the WBBL ended, the squad assembled in Brisbane and had to dissect their failed bid for a fourth straight T20 World Cup title. “I think it was just a really good touch point for our group to realise the things that we weren’t doing as well as probably what we could have,” Ashleigh Gardner told reporters after the third ODI. “We reviewed that game [against South Africa] and then… we were just really positive on where this group can get to.”And I think that’s the most exciting thing, that anyone that comes into this group is excited to be here, really wants to be here, and just striving to be better every day.”Australia had numerous players step up across the series against India. Their wins in Brisbane were highlighted by debutant Georgia Voll’s spectacular performances at the top of the order, while in Perth all-round efforts from Gardner and Annabel Sutherland overcame an Indian team mustering belated fight.It was a welcome return to form for Gardner, who shrugged off her struggles in the WBBL with 50 off 64 balls after Australia had collapsed to 78 for 4. It was her first ODI half-century in almost 18 months and she backed up with the ball to claim career-best figures of 5 for 30.Ashleigh Gardner scored her first fifty of 2024•Getty Images”I felt it’s one of those things… you feel really confident in the nets but then it doesn’t replicate in the middle,” Gardner said. “For me, I knew that I just had to spend a little bit of time out in the middle and I came in at a pretty tough time.”I just love batting with Bells [Sutherland]. It’s always really positive, just keep each other going in those moments and knowing that if we just got through that tough little phase… it would be fine. And I guess that’s the messaging that I just tried to keep telling myself.”With Alyssa Healy on the sidelines for the entire series due to injury, Tahlia McGrath took the captaincy reins with the 27-year-old Gardner as her deputy. “I think T-Mac [McGrath] and I work really well together,” she said. “We’re obviously very different personalities, but I think we complement each other in that way as well.”She’s a very cool, calm person. And I guess what I challenged her with was to try and think outside the box. What I tried to throw to her was just different ideas at different points to get her mind ticking over.”Australia, however, did not submit a flawless performance in Perth having endured a ragged effort in the field marked by five dropped catches. It is an area they will hope to brush up quickly ahead of the three-match ODI series in New Zealand starting on December 19.”We want to be the best fielding team in the world and that certainly wasn’t on show tonight,” Gardner said. “I think there were glimpses of brilliance, but then there’s just those little moments where maybe it’s a lapse of concentration.”We do train really hard on our fielding but maybe it’s just training under pressure more, and try to do some different drills.”

“I think this group’s in a really good place at the moment. We’ve been really successful in 50-over cricket. So it’s just kind of going on to the next progression and that’s obviously looking forward to the World Cup”Ashleigh Gardner

Australia took precautions ahead of the New Zealand tour with Voll and Sophie Molineux leaving the field after diving efforts left them feeling ginger, while the fitness of Healy will continue to be monitored.”Healy’s coming away with us, we’ll see how she goes. But she’s progressing well, which is really pleasing,” Gardner said. “I’m sure she’ll be chomping at the bit to play that first game in New Zealand.”The group’s just really excited. It’s a really cool little period. We’re only over there for ten days before the Christmas break. I think it’s going to really spur the team on to finish off what we’ve done here in this series.”I think this group’s in a really good place at the moment. We’ve been really successful in 50-over cricket. So it’s just kind of going on to the next progression and that’s obviously looking forward to the World Cup.”

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has a key decision to make about the future of a big-name player this summer, with Premier League rivals now looking at tempting him with a move away.

Berta given £35m demand for seventh Arsenal signing after "initial talks"

Andrea Berta has been told exactly what he needs to do.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 31, 2025

Berta’s key priority right now, according to Fabrizio Romano, is sealing some outgoings to balance the books – having already spent over £200 million on new additions this window.

Gyokeres is their latest official capture after he sealed a long-awaited £64 million move from Sporting CP last weekend, joining Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera.

Eze would be a fine addition to this already-impressive crop of exceptional new talent, and Arsenal are believed to have already held initial talks with Crystal Palace. However, going by Romano’s update, exits will be necessary before they can formally bid.

Leandro Trossard faces a reported uncertain future at Arsenal given the Belgian has now entered the final 12 months of his contract. According to recent reports, Arsenal could sell Trossard this summer, rather than lose him for free in 2026.

The winger has offers to leave England with Borussia Dortmund keen (Florian Plettenberg), and Trossard isn’t the only forward who could quit before deadline day.

Reports earlier this month, specifically from talkSPORT, claimed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr hold a serious interest in Gabriel Martinelli and were considering a £73 million bid, which would double Arsenal’s club-record sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in 2017.

£265,000-per-week striker Gabriel Jesus is another nominee for Berta’s chopping block, especially following Gyokeres’ arrival.

Arsenal poised to accept Gabriel Jesus offer as Premier League rivals line up

Jesus has attracted serious interest from Flamengo, according to recent reports from Brazil, with the 28-year-old also open to leaving the Emirates.

Right now, Jesus is in recovery from a crippling ACL rupture which ended his 2024/2025 season, and that potentially makes finding an outright buyer pretty difficult.

Nevertheless, according to well-connected former chief scout Mick Brown, who worked at Man United during their most successful period, top flight rivals are keen on signing Jesus from Arsenal.

“Arsenal are going to accept an offer for Jesus if their price is met.

“I think his best days are behind him, but he was still a reliable squad player at Arsenal until now. He hasn’t pulled up any trees, but he’s done alright. I think the thing for Arsenal has been that they need better than ‘alright’ and that’s why they’ve now gone out and spent all that money on Gyokeres.

“With him and Havertz there, it’s difficult to see where Jesus would fit in their plans.

“I hear there’s interest from a few teams in the Premier League, so that would be a good option. From his point of view, he’s going to want to go somewhere he can play at a high level but also play regular football, because he won’t get that at Arsenal.

“And from the club’s point of view, if they can make good money from him, they can spend it elsewhere. It’s the type of deal I think could work for all parties.”

The former Man City star signed for around £45 million on a long-term deal back in 2022, but has struggled to become that ’25 goal per season’ striker despite periods of excellent form.

Jesus enjoyed a real purple patch just last season, but that was immediately followed by his long-term injury in what was real bad luck for the ex-Palmeiras sensation. With just two years remaining on his deal, now could be the right time to sell Jesus if any suitor is prepared to take the plunge.

As it is every year, this summer has already been incredibly busy for Chelsea.

It feels like Enzo Maresca’s men were lifting the Conference League trophy only a week ago, but in reality, they’ve already made it to the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup and have made a real splash in the transfer market.

The likes of Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr and Dario Essugo were already through the door before the team jetted off for the United States, and now Joao Pedro is set to join up with them.

However, the Blues aren’t finished yet, and now it looks like they are set to chase another Premier League star, although this potential deal could be bad news for the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace.

Chelsea to move for Premier League star

After being linked with the club, as well as some others, for several weeks, Pedro was finally officially announced as a Chelsea player yesterday afternoon.

Transfer Focus

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

The former Seagulls’ star completed his medical with the Blues out in the States, signed a seven-year deal, and reportedly cost the club a cool £60m, which is twice the fee Brighton paid for him only two years ago.

However, while it’s a lot of money, it would be hard to deny that his arrival makes the West Londoners stronger, as he was his former side’s joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League last season.

Yet, it now looks like the Pensioners are set to target another exciting player from the Premier League, someone who could be bad news for the Brazilian: Mohammed Kudus.

Yes, according to a recent report from Football Insider, Chelsea are one of several clubs incredibly interested in the West Ham United star.

In fact, the report claims the West Londoners are looking to make a move to sign the Ghanaian international, who is also a serious target for London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The good news is that the Hammers are likely to accept offers below the player’s £80m release clause, with some reports from last week suggesting a fee in the region of £70m could be enough.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but Kudus could be an excellent addition to Chelsea’s squad, albeit one that could spell trouble for Pedro.

Why Kudus could be trouble for Pedro

When it really comes down to it, the reason Kudus’ joining Chelsea could be bad news for Pedro is the same reason his arrival could be considered far from ideal for Delap: competition.

As things stand, the Blues now have three out-and-out centre-forwards in the former Brighton man, the former Ipswich Town ace and Nicolas Jackson.

So, when you then also take into consideration the Kudus’ ability to play up top, among other positions, that role starts to look rather crowded.

In fact, it’s not hard to see a world in which the Brazilian has a slow start to life at the Bridge and immediately begins to see himself falling down the pecking order, potentially even behind the former Ajax gem.

We say it’s not hard to imagine, as since moving to England, the “electric” talent as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 13 goals and provided 12 assists in 65 Premier League appearances.

That means he’s averaging a goal involvement every 2.6 league games at West Ham, despite being asked to play all over, from out wide to midfielder and then also up top.

In contrast, the former Watford poacher has scored 22 goals and provided ten assists in 89 Premier League appearances, which actually comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.78 games.

Kudus vs Pedro in the PL
Players	Kudus	Pedro
Appearances	65	89
Goals	13	22
Assists	12	10
Goal Involvements per Match	0.38	0.35
All Stats via Transfermarkt

That’s already a little worrying, but becomes even more so when you consider he has played up top, as a striker in the vast majority of those games.

Ultimately, Chelsea have a talented player in Pedro, but if they also sign Kudus, and he starts to outscore him, the Brazilian’s role in the squad might start to shrink very early on.

Pedro will love him: Chelsea in talks to sign £60m PL "superstar"

The talented prospect could reach the next level at Chelsea.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jul 1, 2025

Ryan Mason has already won himself one standout signing since entering the pressurised West Bromwich Albion hot-seat.

Indeed, the Baggies forked out £3m on the services of Nathaniel Phillips to strengthen at the back, with Phillips just fresh off a relegation-saving season at Derby County in the Championship on loan from Liverpool. Now, he’s West Brom’s first major foray into the market.

Transfers at the Hawthorns are unlikely to halt there, though, as West Brom aim to bolster all over the pitch in the wake of Baggies stalwarts Grady Diangana, John Swift, and Semi Ajayi all leaving for nothing.

West Brom interested in another centre-back

A big chunk of West Brom’s long-standing servants are now nowhere to be seen in the West Midlands, as Mason prepares to leave his mark on proceedings.

It’s been heavily commented on, but the 33-year-old does have his past Tottenham Hotspur connections he can fall back on when targeting some sensational summer acquisitions, with both Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear reportedly in their sights when assessing the cream of Spurs’ young crop.

Away from treading down this familiar North London path, however, West Brom could be about to win a much-talked-about 22-year-old prospect from the EFL.

West Brom-based X account DOOD has speculated that Mason and Co. are interested in the possibility of acquiring Stockport County powerhouse Ethan Pye this summer, although nothing is in motion as of yet.

It’s clear when looking at his sublime 2024/25 season – which ended with him winning every personal Hatters accolade possible – why West Brom are hunting him down as a possible partner for Phillips in the heart of defence.

After all, many of West Brom’s star performers once plied their trade in the lower depths of the EFL, as the promotion hopefuls now hope that Pye can be another to burst into life up a division, much like Tom Fellows managed after an early lower league education.

How Pye can be Fellows 2.0

Looking at the final West Brom lineup fielded at the close of the 24/25 campaign is enough to validate how many of the Baggies’ seasoned first-teamers have the third tier to thank for an initial boost in confidence, with Darnell Furlong once loaned out to Swindon Town in League One, before his big Hawthorns break.

Two goals and five assists would come the experienced right-back’s way during his formative County Ground switch, which is amazingly five more goal contributions than Fellows would register on the books of Crawley Town prior to his moment in the spotlight.

The rest is history now for the Solihull-born ace, however, with the homegrown product one of the first names on the Baggies’ teamsheet last season when collecting a blistering 14 assists in Championship action.

Pye will hope he can be as much of a standout figure for the second tier side down the line if a move is finalised, considering the Manchester-born defender has also had to endure many a lower league loan, before developing into one of Dave Challinor’s integral pieces of the jigsaw last season at Edgeley Park.

Games played

35

Goals scored

1

Assists

1

Touches*

73.7

Accurate passes*

44.4 (79%)

Ball recoveries*

4.5

Total duels won*

7.3

Clean sheets

11

Only two years prior to his breakout 24/25 offering Pye was plying his trade in the National League with Gateshead. Now, much like Fellows back at the Hawthorns, the Hatters’ success largely depended on the 22-year-old last season, with a mighty 7.3 duels won per game by Pye as Stockport dared to dream about promotion up to the Championship.

Hailed as “outstanding” by West Brom-based journalist Chris Hall, this could be a buy that sees West Brom repeat their unbelievable Fellows magic, with Pye more than ready to make a splash up a level.

It does appear to be only faint murmurs at this point, but West Brom will surely want to make more moves soon as the new season edges closer, with Pye perhaps the next figure to join the intriguing Mason project.

West Brom can secure perfect Swift replacement by signing "incredible" star

West Bromwich Albion could instantly respond to John Swift leaving the Hawthorns by snapping up this EFL ace.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 2, 2025

The window might not be officially open yet, but silly season is already in full swing, and it looks set to be a busy one for Arsenal.

The Gunners didn’t make sufficient additions to the first team last year, and it came back to bite them in a big way, with injuries and a lack of cutting-edge subjecting them to a fifth trophyless season and yet another second-place finish in the Premier League.

One of the few positives to come from the campaign was Bukayo Saka’s continually impressive development, as even though he missed almost four months of action, the Englishman managed to rack up a brilliant haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances.

So, fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to another Premier League-proven winger who has not only won comparisons to the Hale Ender but also has something distinctly Thierry Henry-esque in his game.

Arsenal's winger search

Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other wingers who have been touted for moves to Arsenal in recent weeks, such as Bryan Mbeumo and Jamie Gittens.

Transfer Focus

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

The former could be available for up to £51m in the coming weeks, and, in all honesty, that’s probably a more than fair price, as in just 42 appearances for Brentford this season, the Cameroonian dynamo scored 20 goals and provided nine assists.

On the other hand, Gittens looks likely to cost somewhere in the region of £46m this summer, which, again, doesn’t seem unreasonable for a 20-year-old talent who scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 48 games this season.

However, neither of these players have been compared to both Saka and Henry, unlike Kaoru Mitoma.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are now interested in the Brighton & Hove Albion star.

Plettenberg revealed that the club have added the Japanese international, who is also of interest to Bayern Munich, “to their list for the summer.”

However, the most significant obstacle to this transfer could be the price, with reports from last month claiming that the Seagulls want up to £80m for their star winger.

It looks like this will be a costly and complicated transfer to get done this summer, but given Mitoma’s ability and the comparisons to Saka, it might be one worth fighting for.

How Mitoma compares to Saka

So, before we get to some of the other reasons why Arsenal might want to sign Mitoma this summer, it’s worth examining this comparison to Saka and where it comes from.

In this instance, it stems from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions in the Premier League this season and concluded that the Arsenal star ranked at the very top.

The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, such as non-penalty expected goals, progressive carries, passing accuracy, live passes, tackles and more, all per 90.

Mitoma & Saka
Statistics per 90	Mitoma	Saka
Non-Penalty Expected Goals	0.32	0.31
Progressive Carries	5.05	5.00
Passing Accuracy	75.8%	75.5%
Live Passes	33.4	33.5
Tackles	1.56	1.51
Ball Recoveries	3.43	3.65
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 PL Season

On top of his similarities to the Gunners’ mercurial number seven, there are some other reasons why Arteta and Co should be signing the Seagulls’ incredibly entertaining left-winger, like his output.

For example, in the Premier League alone, the “insane” talent, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, managed to score ten goals and provided four assists in 36 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.57 games.

Moreover, while the Kawasaki-born maestro has proven himself able to produce a number of finishes, perhaps his most effective sees him peeling off from the left and placing the ball in the far corner, leading to former teammate Christian Burgess claiming he “finishes like Thierry Henry.”

Ultimately, while it would require a substantial financial effort, Mitoma could be just what Arsenal need next season, and therefore, the club should do what they can to sign him this summer.

Odegaard will love him: Berta in talks to sign £75m "monster" for Arsenal

Martin Odegaard would be a fan of this £75m transfer for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

May 26, 2025