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Arsenal have a huge summer ahead of them if they are to finally make the step-up and end their generational wait for a Premier League title triumph.

Mikel Arteta has led the Gunners to a second-placed finish in each of the last two seasons, looking increasingly likely to finish in the same position once again this time around.

Additions are needed in the summer if they are to push for a title battle, with squad depth needed in key areas of the pitch to prevent a repeat of the situation that has occurred this campaign.

Injuries have plagued the squad, leading to various players having to operate in unfamiliar roles, restricting the progress the Gunners have made under the Spaniard’s guidance.

However, with the summer rapidly approaching, new sporting director Andrea Berta has wasted no time in identifying targets to improve the squad and help mount their title ambitions.

The latest on Arsenal’s pursuit of new attackers this summer

In recent days, Arsenal have taken the lead in the race for Athletic Club’s Spanish forward Nico Williams, with Barcelona pulling out of the running to land the 22-year-old.

The youngster has been on the club’s radar over the last couple of years, but it appears Berta looks set to reignite interest in his signature over the coming months.

A previous report has claimed that the Gunners are willing to trigger his £50m release clause within his current contract in an attempt to bolster Arteta’s forward line ahead of 2025/26.

However, other names have already been thrown into the mix, with Real Betis winger Jesus Rodriguez the latest name touted with a summer deal to the Emirates.

According to a report from CaughtOffside, Arteta’s men are leading the race for the 19-year-old’s signature but also face stiff competition from Liverpool and Chelsea for the star, who has a £42m release clause.

Why Rodriguez would be better than Williams for Arsenal

Williams will undoubtedly be top of many fans shopping list ahead of the summer transfer window, with his figures at the top level of LaLiga nothing short of sensational.

He would undoubtedly provide the options which the manager has been hunting for in recent months, offering a solution to their ongoing injury issues.

However, the same could be said for fellow target Rodriguez, with the compatriot potentially a better and cheaper alternative than the Athletic Club sensation.

It’s been the 19-year-old’s breakthrough year as a professional, playing a key role in the club’s hunt to claim Europa Conference League glory come the end of the season.

When comparing their respective stats from the current season, Rodriguez has managed to outperform fellow target Williams in numerous key areas – highlighting how much of an impressive addition he would be in North London.

Games played

15

27

Goals & assists

1

10

Shot-on-target accuracy

37%

36%

Pass accuracy

72%

70%

Tackles won

1.6

1.2

Take-on success

97%

36%

Carries into final third

3.4

2.6

Fouls won

3.6

1.6

The winger, who’s been labelled “outstanding” by analyst Ben Mattinson, may have registered fewer combined goals and assists, but has managed to notch a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate – showcasing his clinical nature in attacking areas.

He’s also managed to complete more take-ons this season, whilst also registering more carries into the final third per 90, highlighting the threat he carries with the ball at his feet.

Rodriguez is a threat at both ends of the pitch, winning more tackles per 90, having the defensive quality and work ethic to regain possession should the Gunners find themselves under the cosh.

Either winger would massively bolster the attacking department in North London, certainly providing the reinforcements Arteta has craved over the last couple of months.

But given the age difference and contrast in quality, the hierarchy must certainly push for Rodriguez’s signature, desperately needing to pursue a move to avoid missing out on him to an English rival.

Imagine him & Gyokeres: Arsenal leading the race to sign £50m sensation

Arsenal could be about to massively improve their forward line ahead of 2025/26.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 17, 2025

Eighteen years ago, Delhi had to choose between two local players. They did not choose Kohli and the rest is history

Matt Roller26-Apr-20252:23

Will it be another happy homecoming for Kohli in Delhi?

When Virat Kohli walks out of the away team dressing room in the pavilion that bears his name at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, it will be tempting to wonder what might have been. As the IPL turns 18, Kohli remains the only player to have represented the same franchise in every single season – but it is not the team based in his hometown.It remains the biggest missed opportunity in IPL history. In February 2008, two months before the league’s launch, Delhi Daredevils (as they were then known) were lining up local players for their first squad. “In the mandatory under-22 category, we have identified Virat Kohli, Pradeep Sangwan and Tanmay Srivastava,” TA Sekhar, their head of cricket operations, said at the time.The move made perfect sense: Kohli was the India Under-19 captain, born and raised in Delhi, and had already represented the state team in the Ranji Trophy and in white-ball cricket. And yet, one month later, Kohli was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the inaugural IPL season. He has never left, and has declared that he never will.The chain of events started with a frenzied backdrop as the league hurried towards its launch. “Everything was done with an unhealthy rush,” recalls Charu Sharma, who was appointed chief executive of RCB by owner Vijay Mallya in early 2008. “The juggernaut started in late 2007… To get a league of this magnitude up and running in three-and-a-half months was just ridiculous.”Related

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Five ‘icon’ players were signed before the initial auction in mid-February, after which teams began to approach unsigned players directly. Franchises were told to sign a minimum of four Under-22 players, and a minimum of four from their local ‘catchment area’, prompting a race for the best young talent – including India’s Under-19s.Sharma reached out to Karnataka’s Manish Pandey, who fit both criteria for RCB, and asked him to commit to the franchise in writing. “It wasn’t a contract, just a two-liner to say, ‘It’s OK by me’ because we wanted to make it legitimate,'” Sharma says. “Manish said, ‘Thank you so much, I’m very happy,’ but a day or so later, I still hadn’t heard from him. I said, ‘What’s going on?'”Pandey was with India’s squad at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, and agents had caught wind of an opportunity. “He told me that agents had landed from India and were running around the hotel, promising people all sorts of things,” Sharma explains. “The boys were being pestered by these agents saying, ‘Sign with me, I’ll get you a better deal.’ It was quite disturbing.”Sharma escalated the matter to Mallya and his fellow CEOs at other franchises. The BCCI soon issued a diktat that, for the duration of the World Cup, the Under-19 players were strictly off-limits. In the meantime, a new system was proposed: they would be selected via a draft at a second, smaller player auction in mid-March, with each team picking up two players.The mechanism was straightforward: each team would have two picks in a double-draft, with the first team drawn at random picking first and 16th, the second team picking second and 15th, and so on. Salaries were capped at US$30,000 for the Under-19s – or $50,000 for those who, like Kohli, had already played for their state teams in the Ranji Trophy.Virat Kohli is playing his 18th IPL season for RCB•Associated Press”Lo and behold, the first name to come out of the bag was Delhi Daredevils,” Sharma says. “There was a collective groan, with everyone thinking, ‘OK, Kohli is gone.’ He was captain of the team, the best player, and he was from Delhi. And to everyone’s surprise, they got into a huddle, and after a few moments, they said, ‘We’ll take the left-arm seamer: Pradeep Sangwan.'”The decision had cricketing logic: the Daredevils squad was already stacked with batting. In the first auction, they had signed Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, AB de Villiers, Dinesh Karthik, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Manoj Tiwary; in the interim, they had recruited Shikhar Dhawan and Mithun Manhas among their ‘catchment’ players.Sangwan, another Delhi boy, was considered a star in the making. “He was touted as one of the next big things for India,” recalls Abhinav Mukund, who was part of the India Under-19 World Cup squad. “India was going through a left-arm pace obsession at that point with Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan. He bowled really well throughout that tournament, and had some pace too.”Sehwag, the Daredevils ‘icon’ player, was an advocate for Sangwan’s selection. They both grew up in the same western suburb, Najafgarh, and Sehwag had played a role in Sangwan’s call-up to Delhi’s state teams in 2007. Sekhar, the franchise’s head of cricket operations, had also played a prominent role in his development, working with him at the MRF Academy.When RCB had the second pick, they had no hesitation at all. “We took about a quarter of a quarter of a quarter-second, and said, ‘Virat Kohli, thank you,'” Sharma says, laughing. “I don’t think anybody knew that he would become a big global superstar, but he was certainly showing all the signs of being the best Under-19 player in India.”Even as he was fast-tracked into India’s national set-up, Kohli was not an immediate success at RCB. Across the first three IPL seasons, he averaged 21.75 and scored only two half-centuries, primarily batting at No. 5 or 6; it came as something of a surprise when he was the franchise’s only retention ahead of the 2011 mega-auction. But the fact remains that no other team since has ever had the opportunity to sign Kohli; it is unlikely they ever will.”I’ve been approached many times to come into the auction,” he told an RCB podcast in 2022. “[But] what this franchise has given me in terms of opportunity in the first three years, and believed in me, that is the most special thing.” Kohli has been retained for 17 consecutive seasons, and declared when quitting the captaincy in 2021 that he would be an RCB player “until my retirement”.Sangwan, meanwhile, started well at Delhi: in 2009, he took 15 wickets as the Daredevils finished top of the table in South Africa. But as Kohli soared, he never kicked on as intended: he struggled to get a game when he joined Kolkata Knight Riders, and served an 18-month ban in 2013-14 after testing positive for a banned steroid. Now 34, he has not played a professional game in 15 months.Kohli’s standing in Delhi is as strong as ever, no matter his association with a rival IPL franchise: when he made an improbable return to their Ranji Trophy side in January, crowds estimated at more than 10,000 came to watch. Sunday will be his first RCB game in the city since 2023, with both teams chasing a win which will boost their chances of a top-two finish.But in that regard, at least, Sangwan has the upper hand. For all that Delhi’s decision to sign him ahead of Kohli is remembered as the IPL’s greatest recruitment blunder, Sangwan has been part of two title-winning squads: at KKR in 2012, and with Gujarat Titans a decade later. Kohli, RCB and DC are all still on the hunt for their first IPL trophy.

He was, for most of us, not just a cricketing idol but a member of our family – one we could turn to for hope and comfort

Alagappan Muthu24-Apr-2023There is an essential component to fake news. The consumer has to want to believe it. So it needs to be something seductive. Something evocative. Something that feeds into the popular belief.When Barack Obama was the US president, a quote was once ascribed to him, where he wanted to understand why his country’s GDP went down every time Sachin Tendulkar went out to bat. (Presumably because all the Indian Americans were too busy watching cricket to be productive at work.)There is nothing in the public record to substantiate a single word of this. Yet it caught on like a college nickname. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make sense, it’s out there now and everybody else likes it.Somewhere in the meme-ification of this story is the truth of what one man meant to more than a billion people. We didn’t stop at any of the red flags. We saw a world leader known for being thoughtful and genuine praising our childhood hero and we wanted it to be true because it made us feel good.Sachin just made us feel good.It’s his birthday today. His 50th. And there is a thing he used to do whenever he reached that milestone on the field. He’d tilt his head to one side, raise his bat but not all the way up, just sort of shoulder-height, with the face tilted down. And if the sun caught him at the right angle, the shadow from the visor of his helmet would hide his eyes, giving off major boss vibes.Related

Boy wonder down under

Quiz: How well do you remember Tendulkar's career? (2021)

The man whom cricket loved back (2013)

Tendulkar's perfect balance (2013)

It has been ten years since he retired, but the biggest batting records continue to bear his name. Most runs. Most hundreds. Most fifties. Some of those records might stand all the way until the end of time. And some of them are only under threat because, a) his successor is also ridiculously prolific, and b) the white ball don’t reverse-swing no more.Statistics, though, are only tools. They can, at best, guide us when there is a choice to be made. The decision itself comes from a far more primal place.Look and feel.And Sachin offered up a ton of both. Straight drives with so little fuss it felt like the fulfilment of a pact. “Just be a good ball and go for four, okay?” Back-foot punches that combined the grace of a ballet dancer with the power of a heavyweight fighter. And those flicks. If they could talk, they’d be like, “Come on, man. Don’t make it this easy.” He was geometric perfection. But also a bit cheeky. Sometimes, when the required rate was getting to him, he would play a shot that didn’t make sense even as it happened right before our eyes. An inside-out drive for six over cover to a ball pitching outside leg stump. That stuff was freestyle. That stuff was gangsta.Plus, he went and did all this to the best of the best. Wasim Akram. Shane Warne. Courtney Walsh. Glenn McGrath. Muthiah Muralidaran. This five-foot nothing prodigy made world-beating his day job, and that at a time when Indians didn’t fancy themselves capable of such audacity. This is how he made people who had no connection to him want good things for him. By that definition alone, he became like family. He became the stranger we kept calling by first name.Legitimacy helped. Especially when it came from the greatest batter in history. “I’ve only seen Tendulkar on the television,” Sir Don Bradman said, “And I was very, very struck by his technique and I asked my wife to come and have a look at him because I said, ‘I never saw myself play but I feel that this fella is playing much the same as I used to play’.”

Suddenly Sachin’s greatness started to make sense. He got so good because he wanted to make everybody – including himself – happy

Legendary innings helped. Sharjah 1998. Chennai 1999. Centurion 2003. But really, the relationship between a player and a fan – more specifically between Sachin and his fans – was personal. Some 19-year-olds right now probably owe their very existence to that six he hit off Shoaib Akhtar.I went to a house party in college. My crush was there. I was worried I’d spend the whole thing gawking at her and being weird. Fortunately the TV was showing a rerun of the CB Series final of 2008, allowing me to gawk at that and be weird in a less embarrassing way.I have not seen peak Sachin first-hand. The Perth century. The Qadir takedown. The Desert Storm. My memories of him are all of the accumulator that he became later in his career. The artist who became a technician, culling all the risk out of his game in order to increase productivity. But there was still some magic left. Like Chennai 2008, where his only Test-match-winning century in a chase came just a few days after a terror attack on his city.It was one of his more bespoke innings. He left nothing to chance. Not even the fate of his non-striker. For 42 overs, he was the voice inside Yuvraj Singh’s head. And when it was done, he dedicated the win to the people of Mumbai and hoped it might in some small way ease their pain. Stone-cold precision born out of warmth, feeling and empathy. Suddenly Sachin’s greatness started to make sense. He got so good because he wanted to make everybody – including himself – happy.He has tried to do the same after the end of his career as well, but it has probably not had the same effect. Mindful of the way the Indian media functions, grabbing anything he says and turning it into a headline, he exercises an abundance of caution in all of his public appearances. He tries so hard not to say the wrong thing that he ends up barely saying anything.We are pushing it, of course, asking a private citizen to be more vocal just because at one point he used to carry all of our hopes and dreams. And it feels very on brand that even on his birthday, we’re the ones asking for presents. It was deeply unfair for us to burden him that way in the first place and it was remarkable that he was able to shoulder that weight for so long. Sachin doesn’t belong to us anymore. He belongs to Anjali, Arjun and Sara now. And he’s earned the break. Twenty-four years of being at our beck and call is enough. Probably.

The lowdown on dropped catches in the first half of IPL 2020

S Rajesh14-Oct-2020Royal Challengers Bangalore are among three teams sitting at the top of the table with 10 points, but they have reached there despite being the worst catching team of the tournament so far. At the halfway point, they have caught only 69.2% of the chances that have come their way, which is easily the poorest among all teams. Seven different players have dropped 12 catches, which is almost 23% of all catches dropped in IPL 2020 so far, according to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data. Only one other team has dropped more than nine catches – Delhi Capitals, and they are in the top three as well, indicating that these teams are winning despite giving extra opportunities to the opposition.ESPNcricinfo LtdAccording to Luck Index, these 12 dropped catches have cost the Royal Challengers 130 runs. This value is calculated by through a complex algorithm, which takes the following factors into account:
– Runs scored by the batsman after the drop, and the team’s final total
– Runs which would have been scored by the other players, had that batsman been dismissed off that ball. The extra balls that the batsman faced is distributed among the batsmen who were unbeaten or didn’t bat in the innings. The runs they would have scored is calculated by taking into account their batting quality, the balls remaining in the innings, the bowling quality, and the match conditions
– The difference between the actual team score and the score obtained through this simulated exercise is the impact of the dropped catch, in terms of runs.Let us, for example, take KL Rahul’s unbeaten 132 against the Royal Challengers. He was dropped twice during that innings, and scored 48 off 13 after the first drop, and 42 off nine after the second. Luck Index calculated that the first drop cost them 24 runs, and the second 26, which means Kings XI would have scored 26 fewer runs had the second catch been taken.ESPNcricinfo LtdFor the purpose of this exercise, both those values of 26 and 24 runs have been taken into account, and are a part of the overall tally of 132, though there was a large overlap between the two. This is to ensure that each dropped catch has a run impact associated with it.Most dropped catches at the halfway stage of the league phase•ESPNcricinfo LtdHowever, that wasn’t the most expensive drop of the tournament. That honour belongs to Prithvi Shaw’s drop of Mayank Agarwal in the second game of the tournament, which went into a Super Over. Agarwal was on 35 off 37 when he was dropped in the 16th over, and eventually scored 89 off 60. Given the quality of the batsmen who were unbeaten or didn’t bat – Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell and Ravi Bishnoi – the algorithm reckoned that the drop cost the Delhi Capitals 46 runs. Of the top six most expensive drops, though, four belong to the Royal Challengers.ESPNcricinfo LtdShaw’s reprieve of Agarwal is one of three catches he has dropped in the tournament so far. Three other fielders have dropped three catches – Devdutt Padikkal, Tom Curran and Manish Pandey. Tom Curran is also among the bowlers who has suffered the most, with three drops off his bowling, though the bowler topping the list is current Purple Cap holder Kagiso Rabada, who has 17 wickets despite having five catches dropped off his bowling.The batting team which has benefited the most are the Kings XI Punjab, though it’s another matter that they haven’t made much use of their good fortune. They are the only team whose total benefit from the drops is more than 100 runs, thanks largely to the numbers adding up from the chances offered to Agarwal (against the Capitals) and Rahul (against the Royal Challengers). Among the batsmen, Aaron Finch and Jonny Bairstow have got four reprieves each, while Faf du Plessis, Ishan Kishan and Rahul have been dropped thrice.ESPNcricinfo LtdFinally, much has been written and spoken about how difficult it has been to take catches in Dubai, and the numbers justify that talk. One in four chances has been spilled here, while the catch percentage is 81.5% in Sharjah, and nearly 89% in Abu Dhabi.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The Phillies' 2025 season ended in the worst way possible on Thursday night.

Just one out away from navigating out of trouble in the bottom of the 11th inning with the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1, Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering induced a slow roller off the bat of Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages that bounced off of Kerkering's foot just as Hyeseong Kim scampered home. Kerkering fielded the ball but, instead of making the easier throw to first, attempted to get Kim out at the plate.

But he airmailed the throw, allowing Kim to score the winning run, ending the Phillies' season in heartbreaking fashion.

"It just hit off my foot. Once that pressure got to me, I just thought there's a faster throw to J.T. [Realmuto], little quicker throw than trying to cross-body it to Bryce," Kerkering told reporters after the game. "Just a horse—- throw."

Making the moment even more gut-wrenching for the Phillies is that replays showed that Kerkering had time to make the throw to first base to get Pages—and that Realmuto was gesturing for him to do so. But in the chaos of the moment—a pressure cooker of a postseason scenario with thousands of screaming fans, a ball caroming off his foot and baserunners flying around the bases—Kerkering said he didn't hear his teammates calling for him to make the throw to first and didn't see Realmuto's gestures.

As the Dodgers' celebrated the thrilling walk-off win, a distraught Kerkering was comforted by Realmuto and outfielder Nick Castellanos, who ran from the outfield to make sure he got to the young reliever.

"Just keep your head up," Kerkering said his teammates told him. "It's an honest mistake. It's baseball. S— happens. Just keep your head up, you'll be good for a long time to come. Stuff like it's not my fault—had opportunities to score. Just keep your head up."

As Kerkering headed off the field, the first person waiting for him at the dugout step was Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who consoled him and shared a brief message for him.

"Just keep his head up," Thomson said he told Kerkering. "He just got caught up in the moment a little bit. Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us. I feel for him [Orion Kerkering] because he's putting it all on his shoulders. But we win as a team and we lose as a team."

ATLANTA — Clayton Kershaw has skipped vacations and injury rehab to be at past All-Star Games, but when he found out he made this year’s roster, he initially didn’t want to come. 

On Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gathered his team to announce who had made the National League All-Star team: catcher Will Smith, first baseman Freddie Freeman, and DH Shohei Ohtani, as fan selections; righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as a league selection; and Kershaw, whom the commissioner chose as his “Legend Pick.” While his teammates cheered, Kershaw, 37, scoffed. “What is this?” he asked. “A senior citizen’s discount?”

He considered declining the invitation—his 11th, the most in franchise history, but his first that has not come amid an exemplary season. 

No, Roberts insisted. It’s actually one of the highest honors you can receive, because it comes amid an exemplary . Kershaw’s 2.52 career ERA is best in the live-ball era for a pitcher with at least 1,500 innings. He has won three Cy Young Awards, an MVP Award and two World Series. He notched his 3,000th career strikeout last week, making him only the 20th pitcher to hit that mark. (And for what it’s worth, in 50 ⅔ innings this season, he has an ERA+ of 121—21% above league average.)

Kershaw remained skeptical. “It’s uncomfortable,” he says now. “I want the All-Star Game to mean something. I want it to be: If you deserve to be here, you should be here. The way that I got to be here is probably not how I would want to make a team.” And he dislikes the terminology: is “a weird word,” he says. “It’s a little embarrassing. But whatever they have to call it, I’m excited to be here.”

Freeman laughs. “He is a legend,” he says. “He’s one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers of all time. I saw his numbers on the board earlier—216 wins, two-five ERA. Yes, he deserves to be here.”

In the end, it was Kershaw’s wife, Ellen, who persuaded him. She was not interested in litigating who deserved to be where. She canceled the family’s planned trip to Colorado. “You’re going to have a lot of summers to do whatever you want,” she told him. “If you get invited to an All-Star Game, it could be your last one.”

Roberts loves that attitude. “In this day and age where players are opting out, he’s still living in a world where you never know when it could happen again, and [you should] relish every opportunity and be grateful,” he says. 

Kershaw says, “I think my wife’s the best at that of anybody, especially if I don’t want to do something. And she’s right, because stuff like this, having my kids come and watch, that’s special.”

Indeed, that was ultimately the deciding factor. Kershaw likes being around the other All-Stars, he says, although he says he can’t point to anything he has learned from them. He likes the chance to face some of the game’s best—a chance Roberts, who is managing the NL squad, says he plans to afford his pitcher on Tuesday for an inning. But “at the end of the day,” Kershaw says, “All-Star Games are for your family.”

So at Monday’s autograph session, he had 8-year-old Charley hand him baseballs to sign, and at the Home Run Derby that night, he clutched 3-year-old Chance, watched as 10-year-old Cali hung out with teammates’ children and facilitated autographs for 5-year-old Cooper. Kershaw was beaming the whole time.

In many ways, this year will not compare to his first All-Star Game, in 2011, or the one he started at Dodger Stadium, in ’22, or even the one he attended despite injury in ’16. But in some ways it will be better: His kids will likely remember it. So on the whole, he’s glad he listened to Ellen. 

He grins and says, “That’s usually the case.”

Arsenal are well-stocked all over the pitch and boast one of the finest squad depths in England, yet they continue to be linked with high-profile transfers ahead of January.

Arsenal overcome Brentford to go five points clear

On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their commanding lead at the Premier League summit with a professional 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory extended their unbeaten streak to an incredible 18 matches across all competitions, with Arteta seriously rotating his squad following a recent demanding triple-header against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze were all rested from the starting lineup, but the Gunners’ strength in depth showed with Ben White and Noni Madueke combining brilliantly down the right throughout.

The opener arrived early on when White delivered an inviting cross that found Mikel Merino, who powered a header past Caoimhin Kelleher for his fifth goal of the campaign.

The Spaniard, who Arteta never expected to be the proficient going forward, has now netted 21 times in 2025 for club and country, showcasing his remarkable goalscoring form.

Arsenal suffered a blow before the interval when Cristhian Mosquera limped off with an ankle injury, compounding their defensive concerns with both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba already sidelined. Timber then replaced the injured defender as Arteta juggled his limited centre-back options.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews introduced Igor Thiago, Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson from the bench after an hour, while Arteta countered by bringing on Saka and Eze.

Arsenal controlled proceedings but missed several opportunities to seal the contest earlier.

Arsenal hold new talks with Juventus star who Alonso has recommended to Real Madrid

The Gunners are ‘captivated’ by him.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 3, 2025

To add further injury worry after Mosquera, Arsenal’s arguable player of the season, Declan Rice, departed late with a calf problem, with Arteta now sweating over his fitness ahead of a hectic Christmas schedule and the clash with Aston Villa.

Saka finally made the points safe in stoppage time, latching onto Merino’s perfectly weighted pass before finishing past Kelleher despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the effort.

Given Arsenal’s injury curse which has plagued them since last season, sporting director Andrea Berta will be attentive to any unmissable transfer market opportunities.

Enter Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is reportedly up for sale this winter after playing a bit-part role under Xabi Alonso.

Rodrygo expresses wish to join Arsenal as agents open talks

Arsenal have already been linked with a move for the Brazil international heading into January, following exploratory talks over a deal last summer.

The 24-year-old has managed just three La Liga starts this term, making the vast majority of his appearances off the bench, with Rodrygo believed to be in the process of finding a new club.

That is according to TEAMtalk and reporter Graeme Bailey, who also state that Rodrygo has ‘expressed a wish’ to join Arsenal among four other Premier League sides he’s also interested in.

Crucially, though, the ex-Santos star’s agents have apparently reopened talks with Arteta’s side, who also ‘pushed hardest’ to sign him in the summer window.

However, Arsenal will need a minimum £70 million to strike a deal, with a loan appearing unlikely as things stand.

Berta and co, meanwhile, are believed to be monitoring his situation closely, which isn’t hard to see why given their bad luck with injuries, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

The latter wingers are both out of contract in under two years, and with no sign of an extension for either, Arsenal need to think about long-term succession planning.

Rodrygo’s £282,000-per-week salary would put him in line with Arsenal’s highest earners, so it is an expensive transfer to pull off beyond just his club fee.

That being said, Rodrygo is also a player of proven quality, having racked up 68 goals and 53 assists in under 300 appearances for Los Blancos.

MLB's All-Star festivities are coming to Truist Park in mid-July, as the Atlanta Braves are slated to host this season's midsummer classic.

The biggest stars from across the league will take part in the annual exhibition game, and as excitement for the event builds, MLB released a first look at the official uniforms players from the American League and National League will be wearing in Atlanta.

There are new All-Star jerseys every year, so the release of the latest edition isn't much of a surprise. That said, there's a pretty significant twist tied to the reveal of this season's MLB All-Star uniforms.

Much to the delight of fans, MLB is reverting its All-Star Game dress code back to a previous format, under which players would wear the jerseys of their respective MLB teams, rather than donning the official All-Star Game attire.

Here's a first glance at the 2025 All-Star uniforms:

With players wearing their team uniforms for the actual All-Star Game, these jerseys will be reserved for the weekend's other events, such as the Home Run Derby.

Players rocking the All-Star uniform during the All-Star Game been a major sticking point among MLB fans in previous years, as they made clear they longed for the days when players would rock their own team's jerseys. Calls for that stylistic change did not go unnoticed by MLB's front office, prompting the change implented this year.

As for voting for the All-Star Game, fans will be able to vote in phase one from June 4 to 26, and again in phase two from June 30 to July 2.

Manchester United’s transfer business has left the supporters with a lot to be desired over the last couple of years, with numerous of their high-profile additions failing to impress at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have spent nearly £800m on new additions since the summer of 2022, with former boss Erik ten Hag spending around £600m of the sum on his own.

Current boss Ruben Amorim has already splashed over £200m since his arrival last November, in an attempt to try and lead the club back to the glory achieved under Sir Alex Ferguson.

No manager has been able to win the Premier League title since the Scotsman retired back in 2013, but the added investment in recent years could help Amorim become the first man to achieve such a feat.

There’s no denying he needs added reinforcements in the months ahead to provide him with the all-round quality that he needs to take the club back to the top of England’s top-flight.

United’s hunt for added reinforcements in January

Over the last couple of weeks, United have been strongly linked with a move for Angelo Stiller, with the German seen as an option to bolster the midfield ranks.

The 24-year-old is also said to be on the shortlist of Real Madrid ahead of the January transfer window, which could present a fierce battle between the sides for his signature.

However, it’s also been reported that he could be available for a fee in the region of £53m, a potential bargain for a youngster who has bags of time to develop further in the years ahead.

He’s not the only Bundesliga star currently in the Red Devils’ sights, with forward Karim Adeyemi another player who the hierarchy are considering a move for in January.

According to Sky Sports, Amorim’s men have reportedly made contact with Borussia Dortmund over a deal for the 24-year-old, who’s scored three goals in 2025/26 to date.

German outlet BILD also claim that Niko Kovac’s men currently value the German international at around the £70m mark, but it’s unclear whether United would pay such a figure during the winter window.

Why United’s £70m target would be another Mbeumo

During their recent summer spending spree in the transfer market, United splashed a mammoth £71m on the signature of forward Bryan Mbeumo from fellow Premier League side Brentford.

Such a price tag generated huge excitement within the fanbase, not to mention his incredible goalscoring ability last season, which saw him end the year on 20 league goals.

The Cameroonian has already made an impressive start to life at Old Trafford, scoring five times in his 11 league appearances – the most of any player in the first-team squad.

The 26-year-old has operated on the right-hand side in behind the striker, often catching the eye with his impressive left-footed efforts – subsequently winning the October Player of the Month award.

He may have cost a pretty penny, but there’s little denying Mbeumo has massively transformed the club’s frontline and made the side a force to be reckoned with once again.

However, they could be about to land another version of the forward with a deal for Adeyemi in the months ahead, with the German possessing numerous similar qualities.

He also operated off the right-hand side and likes to cut inside onto his favoured left-foot, which has also allowed him to hit the ground running in the early stages of 2025/26.

His underlying stats also showcase the talent he possesses, with the 24-year-old able to add further depth and quality into Amorim’s already impressive frontline.

Adeyemi, previously been dubbed “incredible” by former Red Bull Salzburg coach Matthias Jaissle, has completed 2.3 dribbles per 90 in the Bundesliga to date, whilst also notching 6.8 touches in the opposition’s box per 90.

Karim Adeyemi – Bundesliga stats (25/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

10

Goals & assists

3

Pass accuracy

75%

Successful dribbles

2.3

Touches in opposition box

6.8

Shots taken

2.8

Duels won

5.9

Aerial success rate

60%

Stats via FotMob

Both of the aforementioned tallies showcase his incredible ability to get the ball into dangerous areas, potentially handing Mbeumo the chance to improve further at Old Trafford.

The youngster has also registered 2.8 shots per 90 this campaign, showcasing his ability to add the end product to his mazy runs when taking on the opposition.

Other numbers, such as 5.9 duels won per 90 and a 60% aerial success rate, highlight his all-round nature in the final third, which could make him a hugely exciting addition.

There’s no doubting that it would be a surprise to see another mammoth sum forked out for an attacker after Mbeumo’s move, but the pair could well offer a deadly threat in front of goal.

Should Adeyemi make the move to Old Trafford, he could reach the next step in his career, potentially leading the club to new heights during Amorim’s tenure in charge.

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When Jacob Murphy smashed home a fierce effort after just four minutes, Newcastle United must have already been dreaming that a comprehensive win was in the bag, away at a struggling West Ham United side.

Unfortunately for the Magpies, though, their grip on a Premier League win would be very weak, as an inspired and passionate Hammers comeback would hand Nuno Espirito Santo his first win in the dug-out, as Eddie Howe’s men had to stomach a demoralising 3-1 defeat.

Lucas Paqueta would get the hosts initially back into the tie with a stunning first-half effort, before a mixture of Newcastle’s bad luck – which saw Sven Botman score a disastrous own goal – and West Ham’s never-say-die attitude, courtesy of a last-minute strike by Thomas Soucek, gifted the home outfit a much-needed win.

While Paqueta was undoubtedly back to his classy best, many of Howe’s dependable first-team faces let their manager down big time, as the Toon now remain stuck in an unsatisfactory 13th spot.

Newcastle's notable underperformers vs West Ham

Very few Newcastle players could trudge off at the end of the 3-1 defeat, enthused by their personal performance.

Malick Thiaw, arguably, put in a commendable shift, but he was very much let down by the likes of the aforementioned Botman and Emil Krafth next to him at the back, with the stand-in number 17 even being hooked off at the half-time mark, after winning zero duels during a calamitous first 45 minutes, per Sofascore.

Dan Burn also looked ropey throughout as a makeshift option on the left flank, but he somehow survived the full 90. Nick Woltemade, on the other hand, would also fall victim to Howe’s half-time wrath, with the German striker only managing a weak 14 touches of the ball, before William Osula came on in his place.

Osula wasn’t any better in a second-half showing that was simply described bleakly as not having “one positive” according to Toon great Alan Shearer, with Nick Pope also looking rather shaky, as he failed to palm Paqueta’s stinging strike away, before further not covering himself in much glory when Soucek’s scrappy effort was somehow bundled home.

However, one of Newcastle’s biggest underperformers is yet to be mentioned, with the midfielder in question outclassed throughout by Paqueta, away from just the Brazilian scoring West Ham’s memorable opener.

The 4/10 Newcastle star who was outclassed by Paqueta

Paqueta was in dire need of showing the London Stadium masses why he keeps being selected week in, week out, with his top-drawer performance against Newcastle silencing the critics, no doubt.

Indeed, the hot-and-cold number ten would battle hard throughout the 3-1 win to ensure Nuno collected his first victory as Hammers boss, with seven duels won. On top of that, his sensational strike, which is his third Premier League goal of the season already, reminded everyone of his split-second ability to change games.

Paqueta’s performance vs Joelinton’s

Stat

Paqueta

Joelinton

Minutes played

90

90

Goals scored

1

0

Assists

0

0

Touches

77

51

Shots

2

1

Shots on target

2

0

Accurate passes

45/52 (87%)

32/37 (86%)

Key passes

1

0

Tackles won

2/3

0/0

Total duels won

7/11

3/7

Stats by Sofascore

While Paqueta was lively and instrumental to West Ham gaining a rare home success, Joelinton continued his ongoing demise from the middle of the park, as can be seen looking at the table above.

Journalist Luke Edwards would label Newcastle’s overall performance as having “no energy”, and that was very evident in the no-show served up by Paqueta’s fellow compatriot, as the declining number seven won zero tackles, alongside also winning only 42% of his duels.

Even West Ham’s Freddie Potts would outclass Joelinton in this regard, as the homegrown Hammers prodigy won three tackles and five duels on what was his first Premier League start of the campaign to date.

Only mustering up one effort on the West Ham goal, too, it’s clear that the 29-year-old was way off Paqueta’s high standards throughout, culminating in Newcastle World’s Jordan Cronin dishing him out a low 4/10 post-match rating.

Howe will have to consider dropping some of his long-standing loyalties he holds with many of his well-established servants if Newcastle is to bounce back with a win against Athletic Club in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with Anthony Gordon another who could be at risk of being axed, after the aforementioned Edwards dubbed his first-half efforts in East London as “awful”.

But, Joelinton will surely be the most fearful about his first team spot moving forward after being upstaged by Paqueta, as a refreshed side potentially takes to the field against the visitors from Spain mid-week.

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