Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will be looking to make it four wins in a row this afternoon when they host Southampton at the Emirates.

The Gunners come into the game off the back of an impressive 2-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, maintaining their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 campaign.

However, attention switches back to the Premier League this weekend, as a familiar face in Aaron Ramsdale returns to North London for the first time after his transfer to the Saints during the transfer window.

Arteta will have some key calls to make over selection ahead of the clash, with numerous players looking to secure their place in the starting lineup.

The Spaniard may be without two key first-team members, with the duo both struggling with injuries ahead of the clash in North London this weekend.

21/04/2023

3-3

Draw

11/12/2021

3-0

Win

16/12/2020

1-1

Draw

23/11/2019

2-2

Draw

24/02/2019

2-0

Win

Arsenal team news

Arsenal have been well stocked in the right-back department with Ben White and Jurrien Timber currently the senior options available at Arteta’s disposal.

However, Englishman White has been missing for the last couple of outings with a slight injury, allowing for Dutchman Timber to take his place in the starting lineup.

The 23-year-old started the Champions League clash in midweek, but limped off at half-time with a suspected muscular issue, making him touch and go over a potential start once against Russell Martin’s side.

The Gunners boss provided an injury update on the pair in his pre-match press conference, stating: “We had to modify training for them [Timber and White], We have a decision to make. They are close, so good news.”

Should the pair miss out on the meeting at the Emirates, however, Arteta could deploy one first team member in a slightly unnatural position.

The man who could replace Timber & White

Midfielder Thomas Partey has started every game in the 2024/25 campaign, taking up a more senior role after the injury to Martin Odegaard.

The emergence of youngster Ethan Nwaneri has seen the 17-year-old receive an increase in first-team minutes given the current injury situation – taking his opportunity with both hands and potentially seeing him rewarded with more frequent opportunities in the coming weeks.

He could be handed his first Premier League start as a result of his recent breakthrough, which could see Partey shift to an unfamiliar right-back role.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Ghanaian “monster”, as dubbed by presenter Adam Keys, has switched to a full-back position, featuring there temporarily at the start of last season after Timber’s ACL injury on his debut.

His ball-winning abilities – which have seen him average 1.5 tackles per 90 this season – alongside his excellent passing range could work wonders, potentially playing in an inverted role and pushing centrally into midfield when the Gunners are in possession.

Whilst it may be a last resort, Arsenal’s current injury situation may leave Arteta with no choice given knocks picked up by Timber and White in recent weeks.

However, given Partey’s experience in the role, he could be the perfect replacement for the aforementioned pair, providing an experience option in another must-win Premier League affair.

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Liverpool beat Crystal Palace to remain atop the Premier League table heading into the October international break, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for Arne Slot’s side.

It’s been an extremely impressive start to the campaign for the Reds, who have avoided any semblance of a slump following the departure of legendary manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Merseysiders are indebted to the rise of Ryan Gravenberch, who has probably been the standout star of the year so far, having been refashioned into a deep-sitting midfield role. He was brilliant once again at Selhurst Park on Saturday lunchtime.

Ryan Gravenberch's performance in numbers

Liverpool’s failed bid for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi is proving to be a crucial part of Liverpool’s season, though not in the way anyone expected, with Gravenberch more than stepping up to the plate in an anchoring midfield role.

Respected journalist Henry Winter hailed the Dutchman’s “powerful performances” after the victory over Palace, with Gravenberch once again playing with the silky and stylish sort of gusto that is supercharging Slot’s team.

Commenting on the 22-year-old’s display, the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle wrote: “Excellent in keeping hold of and moving on possession and good engine to cover Palace runs before [the] break. Second half a bit more difficult, however, as home pressure intensified.”

Minutes played

90

Touches

89

Shots (on target)

1 (0)

Accurate passes

72/78 (92%)

Key passes

2

Dribbles (completed)

1 (1)

Tackles

0

Interceptions

2

Total duels (won)

5 (3)

He’s the glue holding Liverpool’s engine room together, but he’s not quite the real lifeblood of Liverpool’s team.

That would be Virgil van Dijk, who proved once again why he is one of the finest centre-backs in the Premier League with a dominant display over Oliver Glasner’s attack.

Virgil van Dijk was a colossus v Palace

Liverpool are still in first place, one point ahead of title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, who both recovered from losing positions to win later on Saturday.

It might not have been three points in the bag for Liverpool had skipper Van Dijk not been so imperious in his defensive work, organisation and leadership. Palace came on strong and Alisson was withdrawn toward the end of play with a suspected hamstring injury.

Doyle was even more effusive in his praise for the Netherlands captain, awarding him an 8/10 match rating and heralding his composure and ability to take on the responsibility of thwarting the Eagles’ advances.

The 33-year-old was front and centre of it all. He took 116 touches and completed 99 passes at a success rate of 92%, also making three interceptions, two clearances and winning six of his eight contested duels, as per Sofascore.

That’s five clean sheets from seven Premier League matches for Liverpool this season, with just two goals conceded. Last year, it took the Reds 15 matches to reach that many shutouts.

Improvements have been considerable. There’s more fluency and control to Liverpool’s play, and Van Dijk is the galvanising leader keeping it all together as he produced another masterclass in south London.

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ByAngus Sinclair Oct 2, 2024

Leeds United maintained their place in the top six in the Championship with a comfortable and convincing 3-0 win over Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday.

The Whites were looking to build on their 2-0 win away at Cardiff City last time out and did exactly that, keeping a fifth clean sheet in seven matches in the division.

Daniel Farke will be hoping that his team can push on and close in on the top two places in the league to avoid the play-offs in their promotion efforts.

The West Yorkshire outfit finished third in the Championship last season, missing out on the top two, and went on to lose 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final.

Their failure to earn promotion to the Premier League left them open to teams from top-flight clubs coming in to take their best players, as Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara all moved on to West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, and Rennes respectively.

Summerville was a particularly big loss after he won the PFA Championship Player of the Season award for his efforts in the 2023/24 campaign for Leeds.

Crysencio Summerville's form for Leeds

The Dutch forward, who cut in from the left wing, enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in the second tier after the Whites had been relegated from the Premier League.

Summerville stepped up after the likes of Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra left on loan and emerged as the star of the show for Leeds on a weekly basis.

He stepped out of their shadow to rack up 28 goals and assists combined in 41 starts during the regular season in the Championship, as the electric forward showcased his ability to provide regular quality as a scorer and a creator of goals.

23/24 Championship

Crysencio Summerville

Starts

41

Goals

19

Conversion rate

15%

Assists

9

Big chances created

17

Dribbles completed per game

2.3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old sensation had reason to be frustrated with his teammates because they did not make the most of the quality opportunities that he created for them.

They only scored nine times from the 17 ‘big chances’ that the former Feyenoord man put on a plate during the season, which suggests that they were wasteful in front of goal as a team.

Whereas, Summerville scored 19 goals from 16.41 xG and this shows that he was a clinical finisher who made the most of the chances that were created for him.

The Dutch star ranked within the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.39), and the top 4% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.30).

This shows that he was among the best in his position in the Championship at both scoring goals from open play and creating high-quality chances for his teammates.

His move to West Ham was, therefore, a big blow, but it also provided others with an opportunity to step out from his shadow to shine, which is what Wilfried Gnonto is now doing.

Wilfried Gnonto's performance against Coventry

The Italy U21 international was pivotal to Leeds’ success against Coventry with a sublime performance on the right flank for Farke on Saturday.

Gnonto, who was handed a player rating of 8/10 by LeedsLive, scored the opening goal in the game with a terrific finish into the top of the net from Junior Firpo’s pullback. He timed his run into the box to perfection and met the cross brilliantly to beat Ben Wilson.

The former Inter youngster then produced the cross for Joel Piroe’s goal to make it 3-0 to the Whites in the second half, which meant that he ended the match with a direct involvement in two of the club’s three goals.

Wilfried Gnonto

Vs Coventry

Shots

2

Goals

1

Big chances created

1

Assists

1

Tackles + interceptions

2

Possession lost

13x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Gnonto offered up an incredibly effective display for Leeds, with one goal from two shots and one assist from one ‘big chance’ created.

He was able to showcase his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, despite losing possession 13 times, and appears to have stepped out of Summerville’s shadow this season.

Wilfried Gnonto's improved performances

In the 2023/24 campaign, the 20-year-old forward only started 19 of his 36 appearances in the second tier as he failed to nail down a regular starting berth throughout the entire season.

In those 36 outings in the Championship, Gnonto provided the team with eight goals and two assists, just about hitting double figures for goal contributions, and this shows that he was not quite at the same level as Summerville – who was involved in 28.

Now that the Dutchman has moved on from Elland Road, the electric Italian winger has stepped into the spotlight and has been a key player for Farke, starting all seven of the club’s league matches so far.

Wilfried Gnonto

23/24 Championship

24/25 Championship

Appearances

36

7

Key passes per game

0.6

0.7

Big chances created

5

3

Assists

2

1

Touches per game

31.1

49.4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Gnonto has taken more responsibility on the ball in matches for Leeds since Summerville left the club, taking around 18 more touches per game on average.

This has helped to unlock the best of his creative quality after the forward had only managed to create five ‘big chances’ in 36 appearances last season. He has already created three ‘big chances’ for his side this term and is showing that the quality is there for him to be a scorer and a creator for the Whites.

Gnonto has stepped out of Summerville’s shadow and now looks set to be the star of the show for Leeds this season, as he was against Coventry on Saturday, by providing regular goals and assists on the flank as the key man for Farke out wide.

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The development will allow players from England and Bangladesh to play in the IPL when it resumes in September

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2021

The limited-overs series between Bangladesh and England were originally scheduled for September-October this year•AFP/Getty Images

The ECB and BCB have confirmed that England’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh has been rescheduled to March 2023. The tour, comprising both ODIs and T20Is, was originally slated to take place in September-October this year, ahead of the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman.Both the ECB and BCB put out statements to the effect on Tuesday morning, saying it was “mutually decided” to reschedule the series. “The tour is planned to take place in the first two weeks of March 2023, with three ODIs and three T20Is due to take place in Dhaka and Chattogram,” the statements said.Related

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While the BCB has said that the proposal to reschedule the games had come from the ECB, sources within the England board told ESPNcricinfo on Monday that it was being postponed on the BCB’s request, with Covid-19 protocols possibly playing a part in the decision. It may be relevant, however, that the decision will allow many of those involved to return to the IPL when it resumes in the UAE on September 19 . The IPL was postponed after 29 matches earlier this year following a spike in Covid-19 cases within many teams’ bio-bubbles.The ECB is set to allow their players to take part in the remainder of the tournament, having said that it will provide ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will be staged in the same part of the world a few weeks later.The players not involved in the IPL, meanwhile, will get a chance to rest before England embark on a packed winter touring schedule that includes the T20 World Cup, which begins on October 17, and the Ashes in Australia. England are also scheduled to tour Pakistan for two T20Is on October 14 and 15 as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup. The PCB and ECB are currently confident this tour will go ahead.Ashley Giles had earlier said that England were not planning on making changes to their plans to accommodate the IPL•PA Images/Getty

The ECB has also indicated that it will complete England’s aborted limited-overs tour of South Africa at some stage.In May this year, Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, had stressed that England were not planning on making any changes to their plans to accommodate the IPL.The discussion then had been around rejigging the schedule of the upcoming home Test series against India, which is set to begin on Wednesday. The question was whether the dates for the Test series could change to enable a larger window for the IPL. The fifth day of the final Test of the series is September 14, with England originally having been scheduled to leave for Bangladesh less than a week after that. The IPL, meanwhile, will resume on September 19 and run until October 15.The England cricketers expected to link up with their IPL squads are Moeen Ali and Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings), Sam Billings, Tom Curran, and Chris Woakes (Delhi Capitals), Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan (Punjab Kings), Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), and Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy (Sunrisers Hyderabad). The Royals also had Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone in their ranks to start with, but all of them were withdrawn for one reason or another during the first leg in April-May. Shakib Al Hasan (Knight Riders) and Mustafizur Rahman (Royals) are the only Bangladeshis in the IPL.As for Bangladesh, they will begin a five-match T20I series at home against Australia – the first bilateral T20I series between the two sides – today and are also expected to host New Zealand before the T20 World Cup.

South Africa women are scheduled to play three T20Is and five ODIs in Antigua, starting on August 31

Firdose Moonda17-Aug-2021Dane van Niekerk will return to captain South Africa for the three-T20 and five-ODI series in West Indies, starting on August 31. van Niekerk has not played for the national team since the T20 World Cup semi-final last March. She missed the series against Pakistan and India with a back injury, but returned to action in the women’s Hundred, where she is leading the Oval Invincibles. She takes back the position from Sune Luus, who led South Africa in her absence.The series, which will take place in Antigua, also sees the return of allrounder Chloe Tryon, who has not played since the T20 World Cup. Tryon also had a back injury and sat out against Pakistan and India but made her comeback for London Spirit in the Hundred.”A few of our players have been making solid progress in their return from injuries and we are glad to see them giving a good account of themselves in international tournaments,” Hilton Moreen, the South Africa coach, said. “We look forward to them taking part in this series after some time away from the national set-up.”The rest of the squad is made up of familiar faces including Marizanne Kapp, who has completely recovered from a medical condition which kept her on the sidelines for several weeks earlier in the year. She will be joined by Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnim Ismail, Mignon du Preez and Lizelle Lee, who are playing in the Hundred. Two others in the squad – Masabata Klaas and Tasmin Brits – have had recent match-time after featuring for the South African Emerging side in a tour to Zimbabwe in May. The rest of the players have been part of training camps, with another one planned ahead of the team’s departure.This will be South Africa’s first bilateral series since their win over India in March, when they won the ODI series 4-1 and the T20s 2-1. They also played Pakistan in January and February.South Africa squad vs West Indies: Dane Van Niekerk (c), Sune Luus, Ayabonga Khaka, Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Trisha Chetty, Sinalo Jafta, Tasmin Britz, Marizanne Kapp, Nondu Shangase, Lizelle Lee, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Tumi Sekhukhune, Masabata Klaas

لا يزال مستقبل الدولي المصري محمد صلاح في ليفربول الإنجليزي محل شك، مع تألقه خلال هذا الموسم وما يقدمه في الدوري الإنجليزي ودوري أبطال أوروبا.

محمد صلاح يقود ليفربول لصدارة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز والاقتراب من حسم اللقب الغائب منذ 5 سنوات، وقاد الفريق للتأهل إلى دور الـ16 من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

رغم ذلك، حتى الآن محمد صلاح يقترب من نهاية عقده في يونيو المقبل، ولم يقدم ليفربول عرضًا له للبقاء في ملعب أنفيلد.

وفي تصريحات لموقع “جول” العالمي، علق جون آرني ريسه، اللاعب النرويجي السابق وبطل دوري أبطال أوروبا 2005 مع فريق ليفربول على مستقبل محمد صلاح.

طالع أيضًا | مو لا يشبه أحد.. سلوت يعلق على حظوظ محمد صلاح في الفوز بالكرة الذهبية

وقال ريسه: “لست متأكدًا من مقدار ما فعلوه خلف الكواليس، ربما يحاولون التفاوض مع وكيله، ولكنني أشكك في أستمرار محمد صلاح مع ليفربول”.

وأضاف: “هناك أمور غير مفهومة، بالنظر لتصريحات محمد صلاح، وتصريحات أي شخص آخر من النادي نفسه. من الصعب حقًا فهم ما يحدث. ومن العار أن يخرج هذا النوع من الأشياء إلى الصحافة”.

وأكمل: “إنه لاعب لا يصدق، هو الآن في موقف يسمح له بالرحيل. لا أحد يرغب في أن يكون أفضل لاعبيه في هذا الموقف، لكن على إدارة ليفربول أن تُدرك ذلك”.

وواصل: “إذا رحل محمد صلاح عن ليفربول، أنا متأكد أنه سيذهب إلى السعودية. لقد لعب لـ تشيلسي وفي إيطاليا وقام بدوره في أوروبا مع جميع الأندية التي لعب لها. لذلك أعتقد أنه سيبدأ في تحدي جديد”.

واختتم: “حتى الآن لا أعرف موقف ليفربول، في السابق كنت مقتنعًا بأنه سيوقع. قبل بضعة أسابيع فقط. لكن الأمر يستغرق وقتًا طويلًا لدرجة أنني لست متأكدًا الآن من استمراره”.

Former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait has been appointed Afghanistan’s bowling coach with immediate effect for a period of five months. He will be working alongside head coach Lance Klusener.Tait’s first assignment will be a three-match ODI series against Pakistan, set to be played between September 1 and 5 in Sri Lanka. That will be followed by the T20 World Cup in the UAE, for which Afghanistan are in Group 2 along with India, Pakistan, New Zealand and two qualifying teams. Afghanistan are also set to play a one-off Test in Australia, starting November 27 in Hobart.”There have been talks for a few months now about me possibly taking up the role,” Tait told ESPNcricinfo. “It eventuated because head coach Lance Klusener wanted someone else to oversee the bowling side specifically.”Afghanistan rely heavily on their spin troika of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to win them games in white-ball cricket. Tait said he wanted fast bowlers to play a bigger role as well.”Everyone talks about Afghanistan’s spinners, so one of the specifics of my role is to get people talking more about their fast bowlers. There is some improvement to be done and hopefully, I can add that side of things. With all the concentration on the spin, a couple of guys get picked to do the role at the death and they’re gonna need some guidance. That’s where I come in.”There are some exciting guys like Naveen-u-Haq, who has clearly shown that, certainly at the death with his change-up deliveries… He is obviously not gonna be the only Afghanistan fast bowler who can do it. If someone like Naveen is doing well in the CPL and over here in the UK in the Blast, that means there’s a future there for fast bowling. So I am looking forward to getting in there, working with guys like him, all the other fast bowlers, and including the spinners and learning more about the spin side.”Tait, who lives in London with his family now, won’t be moving to Kabul though but he “will be travelling wherever the team goes. And obviously the big one is the T20 World Cup and I am looking forward to being a big part of that.”Tait, 38, is a level-two certified coach from Cricket Australia and has worked as a bowling coach with Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League and Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 league.Tait , who was one of the quickest bowlers in the world, retired from all cricket in 2017. He played three Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Australia, picking up 95 wickets in all. In the 2007 ODI World Cup, which Australia won, Tait was the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 23 scalps.

Arsenal have gone from strength to strength over the past several years, and though Mikel Arteta has not added to the FA Cup trophy he clinched in his first full term with the Gunners – a season he joined in December – the progress has been astounding.

The past two seasons in the Premier League have ended in late-stage misery as the Manchester City machine churns on, collecting its fourth successive league title in May, but there’s growing optimism around north London that this could be the year.

While injury should never be wished upon a professional athlete, the season-ending blow suffered by Rodri last month does open up a new world of possibility for competitors like Arsenal and Liverpool. He’s that good, and his absence will be felt keenly.

Of course, Arsenal haven’t fallen that far short in recent years, and with a youthful crop now blooming into world-class quality, it’s starting to feel like it might, maybe, be the year.

Arsenal's new generation

Arteta, still only 42, is probably the finest young manager in the world at the moment, but just like his Arsenal team, in its sixth season with the Spaniard at the helm, he’s maturing.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, two of the finest players in the world in their respective positions, are both now 23 but have spent recent years developing their nascent ability and directing it toward something that is capable of dethroning the all-conquering machine that is Man City.

Saka, for example, has produced breathtaking results across the opening months of the 2024/25 term, posting three goals and seven assists across ten matches in all competitions. Saliba, meanwhile, continues to rival Virgil van Dijk as the finest centre-back in English football, exceptionally winning 71% of his ground duels in the Premier League so far, as per Sofascore.

2024/25

25.5

14th

2023/24

25.1

17th

2022/23

24.6

20th=

2021/22

24.4

20th

2020/21

25.7

16th

2019/20

25.1

19th

As you can see, Arsenal’s average age in the top flight has been creeping upward over the past four seasons, which is principally down to the fine balance that Arteta has crafted. A core clutch, including Saka and Saliba, have started to float away from youthful potential and into the conversation for the best players that Europe has to offer. They are high and central in such debates, in fact.

Arsenal are on the up indeed. But there’s still progress to be had. Every department of Arteta’s squad is packed with quality, but one player who must be ditched in 2025 has got to be Thomas Partey, with the Ghana international failing to live up to the lofty price tag.

The 31-year-old is part of the reason that the Emirates side’s average age has bobbed up, and while this isn’t a flaw in itself, it’s indicative of the midfielder’s dwindling performance level that doesn’t justify the financials.

Thomas Partey's Arsenal career in numbers

It was October 2020, and Arsenal purchased Partey from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid after activating the player’s £45m release clause. He’s since chalked up 124 appearances, having been frequently disrupted by injuries, albeit enjoying a renaissance this year, starting all seven Premier League matches so far.

For a player who was supposed to revolutionise the centre of the park, he’s failed to live up to the price tag and the expectations. Despite this, of course, the Gunners have skyrocketed toward elite status on the continent, but as Arterta’s influence has waxed, so too has the dynamo’s role been diminished.

At his best, the occasional defender brings strength and steel to the team, with an imposing physicality that still, to this day, Arsenal don’t have in surplus. Declan Rice is an elite athletic, sweeping up, controlling, driving – a regular force of nature. He’s not, however, a ‘defensive’ midfielder, and needs a partner like Partey to hit the height of his skill.

2024/25

7 (7)

0

0

2023/24

14 (9)

0

0

2022/23

33 (28)

3

0

2021/22

24 (23)

2

1

2020/21

24 (18)

0

1

But alas, Arsenal must turn their gaze elsewhere, for Partey is entering the twilit stage of his career in the English capital.

Why Arteta must axe Thomas Partey

This is a case of ‘what if?’ since Partey is clearly an exceptional talent. The sticking point loops back to his injury record, precluding his chances of reaching his zenith.

Football.london suggested before the summer transfer window that Partey would be one of the players that sporting director Edu and Arteta would seek to ship on, looking to claim some cashback before his contract expires, as it is due to at the end of the season.

Injuries have foiled much of the fluency that Partey’s natural skillset suggests can be offered, but for such a lofty price tag and the weight of expectation that followed the Ghanaian from Atletico Madrid, there’s a rueful tinge to the whole thing for sure.

Ah, and that’s without even addressing the salary situation. As you can see above, Partey is one of Arsenal’s highest earners, pocketing £200k-per-week.

Partey has played a part for Arsenal over the years and can’t quite be branded a flop, but he’s hardly proving himself to be a man whose contract is worth renewing – and given that he’s taking home more than superstars Saka and Saliba, it’s probably time to go.

Given the direction that Arsenal are heading in, it’s only right that Partey is cut loose in 2025. He’s played a part but Arteta is looking to craft a team that is capable of competing and winning the biggest prizes in football.

Expect attention to the midfield next year, with an exciting upgrade made on Partey, partnering Rice and pushing the club ever closer to the top position on the continent.

Arsenal wasted £56m on a bad signing who earned more than Timber

Arsenal have unfortunately had some notable duds throughout the years.

ByMatt Dawson Oct 14, 2024

Sunday's 2-1 loss to Leicester has left Tottenham precariously sitting above the Premier League drop zone on the precipice of crisis

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And so it has come to this. Little over five years ago, Tottenham Hotspur were 90 minutes away from being crowned champions of Europe for the first time in their history. Even in eventual and perhaps predictable defeat, they had the hope of a bright future to look forward to having just moved into their new billion-pound stadium designed to close the gap on the elite.

Half a decade on, it's now a very real possibility that Spurs will soon be playing in the Championship. The fall from grace has been painful for all involved. Think of Homer Simpson attempting to fly across Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard, only for gravity to hurl him down the cliff-face, hitting every jagged rock on his way to the bottom. He's airlifted to an ambulance, which promptly crashes into a tree and he topples out the wrecked vehicle back down the same cliff-face on a stretcher. That's the state of Tottenham right now.

At the time of writing, the Lilywhites sit 15th in the Premier League table having accrued a mere 24 points from 23 games – a tally which they cleared during the first 10 games of last season upon Ange Postecoglou's arrival. Ipswich Town are the only other club in the bottom five to have not changed their manager to this point, and that's down to the credit Kieran McKenna has stored in the bank following successive promotions.

The problems in N17 go beyond the man in the dugout, however. Postecoglou is not blameless, but he is definitely not the main reason why Tottenham are side-eyeing the second tier.

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  Constant failure

  The first sign of Tottenham's decline ironically came around 12 months before their trip to the Champions League final, with the club going a year-and-a-half without an incoming. This was despite then-manager Mauricio Pochettino's desperate plea to help rebuild a playing squad he felt had hit the glass ceiling, and it's a minor miracle he was able to lead them to the brink of continental glory.

  "When you talk about Tottenham, everyone says you have an amazing house but you need to put in the furniture," said the Argentine, half-referencing the stadium move. "If you want to have a lovely house maybe you need better furniture."

  Chairman Daniel Levy has become notorious for shying away from the spotlight, particularly when Spurs seem to be in trouble. He did, at least, provide an explanation of this staggering lack of transfer activity at a meeting with the club's Supporters' Trust in October 2018. False presumptions that certain players would leave in order to free up funds and space was one reason cited, but concerningly, 'transfers were complicated with several variables' was another. This is the kind of remark that would leave Roy Keane flabbergasted and telling people to do their job.

  By the time Pochettino finally got some new faces through the door in 2019, it was too late. The cycle had ended with that team and he was the one who paid the price, with Levy hiring Jose Mourinho – a man he claimed to have been the second-best manager in the world at the time, despite that clearly not being the case.

  To the shock of no one, Mourinho didn't work out. He ought to have been sacked long before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, yet Levy chose until days before that showdown with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to axe him. After roughly two months of searching for a successor, the job landed at the feet of Nuno Espirito Santo, who lasted about the same timespan into the 2021-22 season before he too was unceremoniously fired.

  Then came Antonio Conte, the only manager to lead Tottenham to a top-four finish since Pochettino left. To the Italian's credit, he figured out how to get the best out of the Harry Kane and Son Heung-min duo without compromising at the other end of the pitch. He wanted to bridge the gap to the title contenders and fight for more than Champions League qualification. Just one player was signed in his only summer window that immediately improved the starting XI – Ivan Perisic, at this point in his mid-thirties – and three-quarters of the way into a challenging season professionally and personally, Conte lost his job after an astonishing 10-minute rant at a press conference digging out his players and the board.

  In Pochettino's five full seasons, Spurs finished fifth, third, second, third and fourth. Since then, it's been sixth, seventh, fourth, eighth and fifth. They still haven't won a trophy since 2008.

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  Levy's lost credit

  It can't be forgotten that Levy did well to build Tottenham up as a contending club again after spending the nineties and early-noughties in the wilderness, but it is equally as impressive how he's lost a large proportion of the fanbase since his crowning moment of the stadium move.

  At the start of the first coronavirus lockdown, there was significant backlash to the furloughing of club staff, so much so that this was quickly reversed. One year later, Spurs decided to throw their hat into the short-lived European Super League ring. More recently, soaring ticket prices in spite of a lack of success have been protested, as has the decision to remove concession prices. The sentiment among regular match-goers is they are being priced out for tourists.

  During Sunday's 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester City, Tottenham supporters chanted against Levy, while a banner was unfurled in the single-tier south stand claiming it was 'time for change'. Levy has always been able to fall back on his prestige and expertise as a businessman, but as so many have pointed out, Tottenham are a club first and foremost, and that appears to have been forgotten.

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  Postecoglou's doomed reign

  Similarly to Nuno two years prior, Postecoglou was handed the head coach's job when other candidates, notably Arne Slot, decided against taking it. To make matters worse, the sale of Kane – a man whose quality was definitely taken for granted – to Bayern Munich was sanctioned on the opening week of the season. Had Tottenham plummeted into the no-man's-land of mid-table, it would have been understandable.

  Alas, Postecoglou managed to steer Spurs to a respectable fifth-place finish, only two points behind Aston Villa in the Champions League spots. There were signs of promise for this new era. Like Conte though, the Australian was afforded only one player to come straight into his starting XI, as well as three teenagers and an extended loan for Timo Werner.

  The squad needed surgery even prior to the injury crisis that has plagued their current campaign. Postecoglou's Tottenham are now on life support and he is hanging by a thread. After every defeat comes a new report that the board want to stick with the Australian and support him through this period, though all the while doing little to actually stand that sentiment up.

  Unlike his predecessors who weren't afraid to make their ill-feelings towards the board known, Postecoglou has dressed up his request for reinforcements in a dignified manner and more along the lines of a cry for 'help'.

  "I've said all along, the players need help and I've also said the club are working hard in that area to try to alleviate some of those problems," has been the constant message. "The players are going out there and giving everything they can because we can't call off games. We've got another game in three days' time that these players have to front up for. The injury situation will ease and I'm confident they will sort of help us. Even one more player coming in, just in the short term will give us an opportunity, at least to navigate these last 10 days, two weeks, of what's been a really hard slog for this group of players."

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  On-field problems

  Through the autumn, Spurs' main issue was their wild inconsistency. They were a team capable of winning away at both Manchester clubs with a combined score of 7-0, yet would be too easily undone when a game wasn't going their way – 12 of their 13 defeats in the Premier League have been by a single goal in matches where the opposition simply shut up shop.

  Those would be understandable teething issues for a project team at or close to full strength, but Postecoglou has not been afforded that luxury. A detailed report from into their spate of injuries this season did not necessarily blame the head coach, though did suggest his high-energy style in training as well as matches hasn't done much to relieve the strain.

  'Ange-ball' in full flight is breathtaking. It has made Tottenham one of the best watches in all of Europe and they have a clear identity again. But it's a style that often requires perfection in order to succeed, and at the moment, Spurs aren't even good enough to get lucky. There's been an absence of scrappy wins and draws, their penchant for late goals and comebacks from last season evaporating into thin air.

  Tottenham, under Pochettino or anyone else, have been unable to win major honours because when you scratch beneath the surface of the first XI, there has always appeared a serious lack of quality and options. Only now has that truly been exposed with Postecoglou's makeshift lineups which are coming potentially at the detriment of his players' careers, with several soldiering on through injury just to help the cause.

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