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Just as you thought Arsenal’s start to the summer was quiet, they have roared into life over the last fortnight to welcome in a batch of new acquisitions.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed from Chelsea (yes, another one), Christian Norgaard has arrived from Brentford and the headline addition so far has been £55m Martin Zubimendi.

The trio have already got to work during the club’s warm weather training camp in La Manga and it’s not long now until the Gunners head to Asia, more specifically Singapore, for their pre-season tour on July 19th.

Before then, Mikel Arteta will hope for more new faces. Here’s the latest on that.

Arsenal's summer transfer window: the latest

This could be a busy old week for Andrea Berta and Co as he aims to bring in a few more fresh signings before that trip to Singapore.

The first is set to be Noni Madueke. Whether you like it or not, the Chelsea winger is due to be announced as an Arsenal player this week after undergoing a medical this weekend.

According to Henry Winter, he looks set be followed through the door by Valencia centre-half Cristhian Mosquera. A deal had gone quiet over recent weeks, but the journalist shared that things should be wrapped up soon.

And then there’s the centre-forward, the elusive striker. Will Viktor Gyokeres finally head to the Gunners?

Transfer Focus

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

Well, things are becoming rather toxic between him and Sporting at the moment. The Swede has regularly told his club that he will never play for them again and has made it clear he won’t attend pre-season training.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas, has since hit back at the striker, saying: “If they [Arsenal] don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’re very comfortable with that for the next three years. This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.”

Sky Sports reports that the Portuguese giants are looking for around £69m, add-ons included. Despite the war of words here, the former Coventry star is still confident of getting his move, so much so that he expects to be in London this week.

That’s according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who said: “Gyokeres considers his Sporting career over, having agreed personal terms with Arsenal. Sources have also told me that he hopes to be in England early next week to complete his move.”

The impact Viktor Gyokeres could have at Arsenal

In recent years, it’s safe to say that Arsenal haven’t exactly got their squad building 100% nailed on.

They’ve signed good players, of course, but since Arteta became Arsenal boss, he has only signed six attackers; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Willian and Marquinhos.

It’s hardly an illustrious list of names and therefore, the signing of Gyokeres could transform this Arsenal side.

Let’s cast our minds back two years a moment. In the same week of the 2023 summer window, Declan Rice was putting pen to paper on a club-record £105m move at the Emirates Stadium and Gyokeres was completing his switch from Coventry to Sporting.

Since then, the duo have become two of the best players on the continent. Rice has totally transformed this Arsenal team and it was his performances that propelled them towards the Champions League semi-finals.

No one will forget that night in north London when Arsenal hit three past Real Madrid. Rice was the hero, scoring two stunning free-kicks. It felt like his transfer fee had been paid back in one night, if it hadn’t already.

Rice went on to dazzle in the Bernabeu too, with Rio Ferdinand noting that the England international “stood up against the holders of this trophy” and “ran the show in both games”. The former defender exclaimed that the midfielder has now “put himself in another bracket.”

Well, if Rice was one piece of the puzzle that was missing, then Gyokeres could be the final piece that completes the jigsaw. He could be the Rice-like signing that catapults this Arsenal team to greater things, and by greater things, we mean finally winning a trophy.

Arteta may have the FA Cup to show for his efforts, but the Premier League and Champions League continue to elude him.

Rice has now taken Arsenal close but Gyokeres could help across the finish line. Why? Well, he’s one of, if not the best centre-forwards in Europe right now.

Gyokeres through the years
Season	Games	Goals	Assists
2020/21	34	5	1
2021/22	47	18	5
2022/23	50	22	12
2023/24	50	43	15
2024/25	52	54	13
Stats via Transfermarkt.

Forget Alexander Isak, forget Erling Haaland, what the Swedish powerhouse has done over the last two years is nothing short of remarkable.

In 2023/24, the striker bagged 43 goals in 50 outings and went even better throughout the latest campaign, netting a stunning haul of 54 goals in 52 appearances.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that that tally is pretty damn good, and considering how Arsenal struggled in offensive areas of the pitch last season, he could be game-changing.

Arteta’s side didn’t lack creativity. No player registered more expected assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Bukayo Saka in 2024/25. As a club, they had the sixth-highest number of shots in the division and produced the fifth-most key passes.

However, despite that, they found it difficult to put the ball in the net. For the first time since 1923/24, the Gunners failed to find a player who scored double figures in the league.

As a result, signing a man who has scored 97 goals at club level over the last two campaigns ought to fix the problem.

Gyokeres might not be a club-record move like Rice was but his impact on the field of play is likely to be just as significant. Dare we smell another Arsenal title charge? Time will tell.

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By
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Jul 10, 2025

After missing out on Joao Pedro to Chelsea, Newcastle United have reportedly turned their attention towards an instant alternative who scored 27 goals last season.

To say it’s been a disappointing summer for Newcastle thus far would be a major understatement. The Magpies first missed out on Dean Huijsen, then saw their bid rejected for Anthony Elanga and have since watched on as Pedro chose Chelsea instead of a move to St James’ Park. Going three for three for transfer failures, the Magpies will be desperate to secure at least one top target in the coming months.

To that end, there will be some relief around Tyneside that James Trafford is still on his way. The Burnley shot-stopper, like Elanga and others, has been a top target for quite some time. On this occasion though, the Magpies are set to get their man.

Whilst Trafford will offer Eddie Howe an instant upgrade on Nick Pope, what he will not end is Newcastle’s search for attacking reinforcements.

Once again, they simply must go again in pursuit of fresh options. The money is there for PIF to spend this time around after PSR struggles forced Newcastle to take a step back in the past and now they must back Howe with alternative targets.

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Those around St James’ Park will be frustrated with how this summer has gone so far, but it’s far from over. Missing out on Pedro would even be a blessing in disguise if Newcastle now go and sign one particular forward as an excellent alternative.

Newcastle battling to sign Samu Aghehowa

According to O Jogo, as relayed by Caught Offside, Newcastle are now battling to sign Samu Aghehowa from FC Porto this summer. The former Atletico Madrid forward enjoyed a clinical debut season in Portugal and has attracted plenty of interest from the Premier League as a result. As has been the case with in-form forwards all summer, however, he will cost a hefty price.

Porto are in no mood to lose their star at a cut-price and will reportedly demand that his €100m (£85m) release clause is triggered if they are to bid farewell this summer. Having had bids around the £50-60m mark rejected for other targets already, that fee may not be a problem for Newcastle who will be getting more and more desperate to land key reinforcements.

Starts

30

27

Goals

19

10

Assists

3

6

Expected Goals

14.1

8.1

Dubbed a player with “elite potential” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Aghehowa would turn any Pedro failure into an instant afterthought at Newcastle if he arrived this summer. With 19 league goals and 27 goals in all competitions last season, the Spain international would be worth every penny of his £85m release clause.

Arsenal have been told exactly what it will take for Benjamin Sesko to leave RB Leipzig this summer, as his agent speaks out about reports linking his client with a move away from the Red Bull Arena.

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Sesko has just finished a career-best Bundesliga campaign, bagging 21 goals in all competitions, but he couldn’t quite guide Leipzig to a European spot – with the Germans missing out on a place in the Conference League, Europa League and Champions League.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

It is the first time Leipzig haven’t qualified for Europe since their top-flight arrival in 2016, and this will surely get Sesko thinking about his immediate future as Arsenal reportedly circle to offer him a route out.

The Slovenia international is a top target for Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, who’s been chasing his signature for 12 months.

Arsenal had a proposal rejected for Sesko last summer, who instead put pen to paper on a contract extension to remain at Leipzig and further his development, with the north Londoners also having an attempt rebuffed in January (Ben Jacobs).

They’re now trying to make it ‘third-time-lucky’ with another move for Sesko, and “concrete talks” have been taking place since late May (Florian Plettenberg). However, as things stand, Sky Germany are reporting that Arsenal are unwilling to match Leipzig’s financial demands for the centre-forward.

With plenty of work still to do, the 22-year-old’s own representative, Elvis Basanovic, has now provided an update on his client’s future in an interview with GiveMeSport this week.

Arsenal told key transfer condition by Benjamin Sesko's agent

Speaking to GMS, Basanovic has revealed the key condition for Sesko to depart Leipzig before summer deadline day on September 1.

The agent claims he’ll only leave Leipzig for a “special” new destination, refusing to clarify whether Arsenal fall into this category. When asked if the plan for Sesko is to find a new club, Basanovic said: “Well, his numbers at his age compared to some strikers with already great careers at his age are confirming my words.

“He will move from RB Leipzig only when we recognise a special club, a special project with a special coach.”

More worryingly for Arteta, the intermediary even suggested that Sesko could stay at Leipzig for years if they deem it the right call.

“It can be next week, or next year, or in 3 years,” Basanovic continued.

“Even if there may be – or will be – a strong desire of the player to move to a certain club, we will never force or blackmail RB Leipzig. I believe this is not the right way, because the way you actually exit from the club shows your values. Values that you are bringing into a new club.

“I can understand in very big transfers, there are a lot of different interests, but no matter what, I believe in the football world ‘there’ should be more respect. So that’s why we do things in the right way, or we don’t do them. It’s very simple, even maybe in the media it looks very complicated.”

Well, it all comes down to this for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side take on Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League final tonight in the knowledge that winning by a two-goal margin will send them to the club’s first final in the competition in 19 years – their second overall.

However, for them to get those two goals, or even to win by one and get through to penalties, the North Londoners are going to have to be at their very best from the first minute to the last, and that means making some personnel changes from the team that lost against Bournemouth.

In particular, there’s one player who has to be ruthlessly dropped by Arteta, a player who struggled just as much as the out-of-form Martin Odegaard did.

Arsenal's poor performers

Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth going over some of the other starters who underwhelmed on Saturday afternoon, such as Leandro Trossard.

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The Belgian wasn’t terrible on the day, but as can sometimes happen when he starts up top, the natural winger offered little to nothing in attack, earning himself a 6/10 from the Standard’s Simon Collings.

Likewise, it was another worrying showing from David Raya, who once again looked shakey in possession and almost gifted the visitors a goal out of nothing with a poor pass out from the back.

Finally, while he did manage to pick up an assist for Declan Rice’s great goal, it was yet another poor game for Odegaard, as his lacklustre marking of Evanilson in the closing stages saw the Cherries knick all three points and more than justified the 6/10 match rating he received from Collings.

However, while the Norwegian will almost certainly keep his place in the team for tonight’s game thanks to the armband and a lack of other genuine options, there was another starter who simply has to be dropped by Arteta ahead of tonight.

The Arsenal star who has to be dropped

So, while Trossard is likely one of the starters who will be taken out of the lineup for tonight’s game, Ben White should be another.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion star came back into the starting XI on the back of news that Jurrien Timber had picked up a minor knock.

While £50m defender wasn’t terrible on the day, he didn’t convince anyone that he should keep his place now that the Dutchman’s seemingly back in full training.

For example, while the Englishman offered something on the overlap and should eventually get back up to speed, he really struggled with the defensive side of the game and was ‘troubled by Dango Ouattara’s pace,’ per Collings.

Unfortunately, on top of looking shaky and failing the eye test, the Gunners’ “warrior,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also had some pretty terrible statistics from the game.

Minutes

86′

Expected Assists

0.01

Clearances

6

Dribbled Past

3

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (1)

Lost Possession

8

Passing Accuracy

22/28 (79%)

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (0)

For example, while he did well to make six clearances, he was dribbled past three times, lost four of five ground duels, lost the ball eight times, failed his one and only attempted dribble and amassed a dire expected assists figure of 0.01.

Ultimately, if he couldn’t live with Ouattara on the weekend, then there is no way the manager should be looking to start him against potentially Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tonight.

That is especially true now that Timber seems to be fit and back in contention, who respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described as an “elite 1v1 defender” following his monstrous display away to Real Madrid.

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Battling Premier League rivals on and off the pitch, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly joined the race to sign a 12-goal star who will be available for as little as £30m this summer.

Nottingham Forest's summer plans

They may still be battling to secure their Champions League place in a race which could yet end in defeat, but nothing can take away from Nottingham Forest’s excellent season. With or without a place in the top five, it’s been one to remember for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who are likely to find themselves playing in some form of European football next season.

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All of a sudden, a move to the City Ground is a seriously attractive one. It’s not one that will leave players scrapping to keep the club in the Premier League. Instead, the chance to join the current Forest side is arguably one of the most exciting prospects in English football, given how they’ve cut through teams with pace and the rapid counter-attacking football that the Premier League has desperately lacked in recent times.

With that said, it’s no surprise that owner Evangelos Marinakis has already set his sights on the summer transfer window. Already, names such as Baris Alper Yilmaz and Yeremay Hernandez have been mentioned as potential targets in recent weeks, with Forest’s transfer plan becoming clearer by the day.

As the Midlands club look to repeat their success next season, it looks as though welcoming additional attacking support behind and around Chris Wood will be among Forest’s priorities.

The 33-year-old won’t be at the peak of his powers forever and after the City Ground got a glimpse of what life will be like without his goals in recent games, signing a striker should sit top of Espirito Santo’s wishlist.

Nottingham Forest join Liam Delap race

According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Marinakis has now registered Nottingham Forest’s interest in signing Liam Delap, joining the race to sign the Ipswich Town star who has a release clause worth just £30m after the Tractor Boys suffered Premier League relegation.

One of the most sought-after stars ahead of the summer transfer window, Forest would do well to win the race for Delap’s signature against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

With 12 goals to his name in all competitions this season, Delap earned the praise of football talent scout Jacek Kulig in April, who described the forward’s campaign as “superb”.

At just 22 years old, there’s every chance that the former Manchester City man is only just getting started. Wood, meanwhile, is coming towards the end of his career – making the arrival of a younger, in-form forward something that would be timed to perfection at the City Ground this summer.

Delap undoubtedly deserves to be playing Premier League football. Whether that’s for Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Man Utd or another club remains to be seen, however.

All the stats highlights from the third ODI and the one-day series that Australia whitewashed

Deep Gadhia17-Jan-2025308 for 8 – Australia’s first innings total against England in the third ODI is the highest score in the Women’s Ashes ODIs since they began in 2013. This is also the first instance of a team breaching the 300-run mark in the Women’s Ashes. The previous best was Australia’s 296 for 6 at Coffs Harbour in 2017.249 – Runs added by Australia’s five pairs after the fall of their fourth wicket at 59 are the most by a team in ODIs after the fall of the fourth wicket. Only six times have teams added more than 200 runs for the last six wickets, four of which have been done by Australia.2 – Ashleigh Gardner became just the second woman in ODI history to score a century at No. 6 or below. The first one was West Indies’ Shemaine Campbelle when she scored her only hundred to date against Sri Lanka in 2013.316.67 – Georgia Wareham’s strike rate during her unbeaten 12-ball 38 is the highest by a batter in a women’s ODI innings, among batters who have scored at least 30 runs. Her strike rate of 264.28 during her knock of 37 in the previous Ashes stands to be the third-best.