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Arsenal’s summer transfer window once again blended big-money investment with their long-standing faith in youth.

After finishing second in the Premier League last season, and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, the club doubled down on its squad rebuild.

Major arrivals included Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Departures such as Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Reiss Nelson cleared space in the squad, while Arsenal also leaned heavily on their Hale End academy graduates.

Ethan Nwaneri, now 18, continues to develop after becoming the Premier League’s youngest-ever debutant in 2022.

Myles Lewis-Skelly enjoyed a breakout season, and Max Dowman, still only 15, made his senior bow against Leeds.

That commitment to the academy has become a central pillar of Arsenal’s squad-building philosophy under Mikel Arteta.

Yet while several young prospects have been integrated, others have slipped away.

The balance between spending heavily and nurturing talent is once again at the heart of Arsenal’s defensive planning.

Who is Piero Hincapié, and Why Did Arsenal Sign Him?

When Arsenal announced the arrival of Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with a £45m option to buy, it was framed as a major upgrade on the left side of their defence.

At 23, the Ecuadorian international already brings European pedigree, with 32 Bundesliga appearances last season, contributing two goals and two assists.

Hincapié has been on Arsenal’s radar for years, valued for his ability to operate at both left centre-back and left-back.

With Gabriel undergoing hamstring surgery at the end of last season and Riccardo Calafiori struggling with fitness, versatility is essential.

Sporting Director Andrea Berta emphasised Hincapié’s tactical flexibility, and Arteta believes he is not simply cover but a genuine competitor for a starting role. His statistical profile backs up the excitement.

Compared to positional peers, Hincapié ranked in the 96th percentile for progressive carries (1.69 per 90), underlining his comfort driving forward with the ball.

He also sat in the 86th percentile for progressive passes (4.94 per 90) and an eye-catching 94th percentile for key passes (0.54 per 90) – numbers that show how he can help Arsenal’s build-up from deep.

Defensively, he impressed in the 89th percentile for tackles won (1.29 per 90) and the 86th percentile for passes blocked (0.72 per 90).

This blend of defensive solidity and forward-thinking distribution makes him a natural fit for Arteta’s system, where centre-backs are expected to initiate attacks as much as they are to shut them down.

His arrival represents a continuation of Arsenal’s recent strategy: recruit players with multi-positional value while retaining the ability to progress possession.

Ayden Heaven could have been Hincapie 2.0

As Arsenal commit to potentially spending £45m next summer to make Hincapié’s move permanent, questions linger over whether they let a homegrown option slip through their fingers.

Ayden Heaven, once considered one of the Hale End academy’s brightest defensive prospects, departed for Manchester United in February for a fee of just £1m.

His departure came after limited opportunities at the Emirates despite being highly rated within the club. Analyst Ben Mattinson once described Heaven as “highly unique,” and he has quickly shown why.

Drafted into United’s first-team picture earlier than expected after Lisandro Martínez’s season-ending injury, the 18-year-old has already made eight appearances for the Red Devils.

He has looked composed in possession, comfortable carrying the ball out from defence, and tactically assured despite his age.

United moved quickly to secure him on a long-term deal running until 2029, amid reported interest from Barcelona, Frankfurt and Marseille.

Heaven’s profile, a left-footed defender who is confident on the ball, is precisely the type of player Arsenal are now looking to integrate through Hincapié.

The irony is hard to miss.

Where Hincapié ranks among Europe’s best for progressive actions, Heaven has showcased similar traits in his early United outings.

His poise on the ball and ability to step into midfield mirrors the qualities Arteta demands from his defenders.

For a club that has prided itself on giving opportunities to youth, losing Heaven for such a modest fee may come to be seen as a misstep.

The comparison is not to suggest Hincapié is the wrong signing – his experience and proven metrics make him a high-level addition.

But for a side that has successfully nurtured Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly, the case of Heaven highlights the fine margins of squad planning.

Arsenal could soon pay £45m for a defender to fill the very role that a Hale End graduate, now at a Premier League rival, may have slotted into seamlessly.

Sold by Wenger: Arsenal had their own Rodrygo in £312k-p/w "future legend"

The incredibly successful international would have been a superstar at Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 5, 2025

One of the best known radio voices of the Caribbean belongs to a man who stammered as a child

Sriram Veera09-Jun-2011It is sometime in the early 1950s in Georgetown, Guyana. Frank Sinatra’s voice fills the room and the boys and girls are swaying, but one kid stands apart a little, shy. He has a problem, a terrible stammer that is killing his confidence.”By the time I went ‘May I…’ Sinatra’s song would get over. I struggled socially in school. I couldn’t participate in discussions because I couldn’t get my questions or replies out.”He would, though, grow up to be Joseph “Reds” Perreira, a famous radio commentator and sports administrator in the Caribbean. His voice, clear, loud, and with no hint of a stammer, goes on to boom through radios across the world for decades.It’s a remarkable story. Reds covered 145 Tests and over 300 ODIs and regards himself lucky to have had the career he has had. As you would expect, he has stories to tell. To start with, about how he overcame that stammer.”My mother, a marvellous lady, allowed fantasy.” And so the young boy would lie in bed and do imaginary broadcasts for imaginary matches. “Statham comes in to bowl to Kanhai. Kanhai goes back and plays to third man. Kanhai moves to 13, West Indies move to 50. It’s important that Kanhai and Sobers stay together.” And on and on. For 30 dreamy minutes. Every day.As a teenager Reds lived in Denmark for a year and worked as a dishwasher. He spent his spare time sorting out his stammer, without a therapist. Not quite but sort of. He returned to the Caribbean, took up radio commentary and went from strength to strength.Fast forward to a pivotal moment in his reporting career. It was Reds who broke the story of West Indies flying out to South Africa for the rebel tour. It was breaking news before breaking news became a fad, and a development that tore the Caribbean apart.Reds was travelling in Barbados when he was stopped by a man; his version of Deep Throat. “I swear I will never ever call his name,” he says. “He has passed away, but it would be a betrayal.”So he tells me, ‘West Indies rebel team is going to South Africa. Do your homework.’ And slips away. “I’m thinking, ‘It will be so bad if BBC breaks this story.’ I’m thinking hard.”So he calls a friend and asks her about flights from Port-of-Spain to Miami, via Barbados. Too many. She needs a name. He gives her a couple and, voila, hits the jackpot. She confirms that the players are on a flight out the following day.”So I went on air and said, ‘Breaking news. A West Indies rebel team is going to South Africa.'” The telephone threatened to ring itself out of service. “If I was wrong, my whole career would end. Next day every one turned up at Barbados airport to see if I was right or wrong.” The plane comes in. People get on the plane. No West Indies team. Reds is sweating.”Oh my god, I really am in trouble here. I walk around, searching. I meet a red cap, people who handle bags, and nudge him: ‘Seen anything?’ And he goes, ‘Pereira, I saw Alvin Greendige come in with family and take a suitcase to American Airlines.’ Reds hits up the airline’s manager. “I’m not here to cause trouble. Just confirm by nodding your head whether the team is in. And he nodded.” Reds’ biggest scoop had come to pass.All of a sudden, a van arrives. Screeching tyres. Out come Sylvester Clarke and the rest of the team. “I was very relieved. The first plane was a decoy. Then they met Colin Croft and Lawrence Rowe up ahead.”Reds’ views on the tour have no ambivalence. “It was disappointing. We were made honorary whites! That hurt a lot of Caribbean people. Honorary white for a month. Then, when the tour is over, you can’t go into the same hotel or restaurant. It was a bit of a farce.”Reds’ fame grows. He does boxing games. Foreman v Frazier in Jamaica. Foreman v Ali. ABC runs a 45-minute programme with Reds ringside. A career on the rise. He meets the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis. He meets Fidel Castro in Cuba.”I shake hands, bow and prepare to leave, when Castro stops me through an interpreter. He wants to know why cricket is so popular in the Caribbean. I told him, ‘As a colonial country, we beat our rulers, England, and it inspired our people to fight for independence. What baseball is to Cuba, cricket is to West Indies.’ He got it.”Reds’ voice comes through the wireless all over the world. India, Australia, England, Sri Lanka. New Zealand, everywhere. He stays for a week with Hanumant Singh, former India batsman, in Singh’s Cuffe Parade home in Mumbai. He spends time with the Chappells in Australia. “Chappells either like you or dislike you. Luckily for me, they thought I was an okay guy.”

“We were made honorary whites! That hurt a lot of Caribbean people. Honorary white for a month. Then, when the tour is over, you can’t go into the same hotel or restaurant. It was a bit of a farce”Perreira looks back on the West Indies rebel tour of South Africa

The travels continued till suddenly, one day, his heart gave way. He was in Sydney, Australia, covering West Indies’ 1996 tour of Australia when he had a stroke on the 1st of January. “My life changed. Whole left side was gone. Paralysed. I was lying in bed in the hospital in Sydney.” Reds doesn’t omit to provide the cricketing background as well. “That was the game Windies lost on the last ball – Bevan hit Harper for four.”With modern medicine, doctors, friends, and a positive mindset, I recovered,” he adds. Commentary played a part. The physiotherapist brought in a tape of the match between Sri Lanka and Australia and Reds did commentary for it, from his hospital bed. Like in his childhood; the days of imaginary commentary. “Vaas comes in, bowls to Waugh, who goes on the back foot to tuck it away. They run hard and come back for second. The score moves to…” The voice returns. The heart stabilises. Reds is back. Or is he?A game between New Zealand and West Indies later in 1996. Curtly Ambrose has the ball. A nervous Reds is behind the mike. “I don’t know whether any word is going to come out of my mouth.” They do, though. “Ambrose runs in to bowl to Crowe, who goes back and plays it to mid-off.” All is well.His mind goes back to the Kerry Packer series. He commentated on Lawrence Rowe’s 175 against Lillee and Thomson. “It was one the best knocks I have ever seen in my life, and hardly anyone saw it. “Packer gets a breakthrough and gets the SCG. West Indies v Australia, starting at 2pm. By 4, the crowd start to come. Australia are batting first. Now it’s 6’o clock and the crowd are packing in. It’s 8pm and your skin is crawling. I can’t believe what’s happening. Are there really 50,000 people in? Packer was delighted. Champagne flowed like water. Finally, he had made the point to the Australian board. I was delighted too. West Indies won that game, you see!”Those were happy times, on the road with West Indies when they were rulers of the world.Reds tells another story. “It’s in South Africa and they make me read out a letter on air. A custody case in court. The judge asks the boy whether he wants to live with his father. ‘No, lord, my father beats me. No, lord, my mother too beats me.’ Halfway through I realise the joke is on me, but what to do? ‘Send me to the West Indies team. They don’t beat anyone.’I laugh. Reds doesn’t. I wonder how West Indies’ fans have endured the last 15 years of decline.Fast forward to today. Reds, no longer active in commentary, is in the press box. A call comes in from a radio network. They’re doing live updates from the ground. Reds clears his throat. “Simmons and Sarwan are playing really well. West Indies 100 for 1. Simmons is playing the big shots and, importantly, rotating the strike well. Sarwan is looking good. West Indies are looking good…”

Hales was the second-highest run scorer in last year’s tournament and will be available for the whole competition

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2020Alex Hales will return to the Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash as he becomes the first overseas player to sign a new deal with the league ahead of what is expected to be the arrival of a significant number of England players.Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) are so far the only other confirmed overseas names for the tournament but they had existing deals with their clubs.Hales, who was dropped from the England side shortly before the 2019 World Cup after receiving a ban for using recreational drugs and has not played since, was the second-highest run scorer in last season’s BBL with 576 at 38.40 and a strike-rate of 146.93.”To get the chance to come back is exciting because we’re at the start of something,” Hales said. “I think the next two-to-three years is going to be very special for Sydney Thunder as a franchise. I really believe that, and to know I’m coming back to that means a lot.”It is expected that England names will feature strongly in this season’s BBL. ESPNcricinfo previously reported that Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy were lining up deals while Dawid Malan, the current No.1-ranked T20I batsman, is also in the mix and Liam Livingstone is tipped to head back to the Perth Scorchers.However, with England in talks about a limited-overs tour of South Africa in November it remains to be seen the availability of those who would be part of the squad. Overseas players arriving for the BBL will need to undergo two weeks of quarantine when they reach Australia amid the Covid-19 protocols.Shane Bond, the Sydney Thunder coach, said: “There’s a whole range of reasons to be excited about Alex extending his contract – and they’re exactly why we signed him in the first place. He is a great player who is available for the entire tournament.”He played brilliantly for us last year, but he was brilliant on-and-off the field. He was hugely popular with the players and support staff – and that’s how Alex is viewed wherever he plays.”We have some very talented players in our squad, and it is important to have those professionals, like Alex, around so they can learn off them as well. Everyone in the team is looking forward to having him back, he’s a brilliant bloke.”The revised fixture list for the BBL – which is currently due to start on December 3 – is yet to be confirmed by Cricket Australia but there is a chance it will be played in rolling hubs around the country to navigate the various Covid-19 border restrictions.

Ex-England star Wes Brown has backed Jobe and Jude Bellingham to star together for Real Madrid, if the younger brother impresses at Borussia Dortmund.

• Brown agrees Belligham brothers can feature for Madrid
• Ex-defender stresses Jobe has to prove himself first
• Says youngster must match older sibling's level

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Jobe and Jude have had a similar football journey in terms of their moves. Coming from Stourbridge, both brothers spent their early years at Birmingham City. After Jude moved to Borussia Dortmund and on to Real Madrid, Jobe spent two years with Sunderland and helped secure promotion to the Premier League. He then opted to follow in his brother's path by heading to Dortmund this summer, with big things expected of the 19-year-old.

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  There have been many instances in football when the careers of two brothers have intersected—Kolo and Yaya Toure at Manchester City, Gary and Phil Neville at Manchester United, and Frank and Ronald de Boer who played alongside each other on several teams. A similar instance might be awaiting Jobe, to cross paths with his brother at Madrid, but former United and England defender Brown claims that for that to happen, the 19-year-old will have to work hard and match his brother Jude's level.

• WHAT BROWN SAID

  Brown said to : "He could [play alongside Jude at Real Madrid]. It’s happened before, brothers playing in the same team. I don't think it's something you think about (at the moment), but if Jobe can get to that sort of level, I'm sure Real Madrid will look at him in the future at some point. But I think the first thing is to see if he can establish himself at Dortmund.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JOBE?

  Jobe joined Dortmund this summer in a deal reportedly worth €37m (£32m/$43m). The midfielder was included in the first team and played a major role for Dortmund in their Club World Cup campaign, registering a goal and an assist in the competition. He will likely make his Bundesliga debut against St Pauli on August 23.

Alastair Cook’s latest Ashes ton has effectively thwarted Australia’s faint hopes of saving the series

Andrew Miller at the SCG05-Jan-2011It wasn’t much fun being an Englishman in Australia on the last Ashes tour in 2006-07, but at least the Barmy Army landed a blow for Blighty with the best sledge of the trip – a mocking line of T-shirts bearing the legend: “Captain Cook only stopped for a ****”. On the back, there was a picture of the skipper perched on a dunny in Botany Bay, apparently intending to move onto pastures new once he’d done what he had to do.Nearly two-and-a-half centuries later, the descendants of that expedition show no sign of moving on, and neither did the latest English-born Cook to leave his mark on the country’s east coast. Much like the T-shirt version, Australia had expected Alastair Cook’s visits in this series to be brief and perfunctory, as befitting an Ashes career average of 26.21 in 10 previous Tests. But at the back-end of a campaign that began with him matching his previous tally Down Under in a single Test at the Gabba, Cook has marched on to conquer some of the most extraordinary peaks in the game.By the time he snicked off to Shane Watson for a monumental 189, Cook had batted for 36 hours and 11 minutes in the series, or the equivalent of six full days out of the 19-and-a-half that have taken place to date. No Englishman has ever spent longer at the crease in a Test series, and only Wally Hammond, who scored 905 runs on the Ashes tour of 1928-29 has amassed more runs than Cook’s current tally of 766. With a lead of 208 and two days of the Test still to come, it’s not impossible that he’ll get one last opportunity to push on towards the elusive 800 mark – which has been passed on just nine occasions in Test history, and only six times by a player not called Don Bradman.”It hasn’t sunk in yet, well, it has a little bit,” said Cook, who flies back to England at the conclusion of this match, while his team-mates press on to play the one-day series. “When I get home and it’s cold in a week’s time, and you’re on the farm walking the dog, you think actually, yeah, I’ve achieved something special. But it would be even better if we play well for the next two days and get the right result.”Like his fellow left-handed opener Graeme Smith, who stunned England with consecutive innings of 277 and 254 at Edgbaston and Lord’s in 2003, Cook will never be a player to please the purists. He’s a functional entity with a manufactured technique, and when his mechanics let him down – such as occurred in England last summer – he can look both ugly and horribly ineffective, a combination of factors that can leave him closer to the chopping block than a pretty practitioner such as a Gower or a Lara.As far as the England management are concerned, however, Cook is a banker, and has been ever since he defied jet-lag, debutant nerves and India’s spinners to rack up a century on debut at Nagpur in March 2006, when he had only recently turned 21. The faith in his temperament has superseded all qualms about his technique, and it’s remarkable to think that he has now amassed 1022 first-class runs on the current tour of Australia, even though he began the tour with a dreadful pair of innings against Western Australia at the WACA.He made 5 and 9 in that game to reawaken the doubts about his Test berth, but responded with a century at Adelaide in the second warm-up match at Adelaide, and has scarcely looked back since. “I could only have dreamt about this six or seven weeks ago, especially after that first warm-up game,” said Cook. “I didn’t get any runs and this looked a long way away, so I can’t really believe what I’ve achieved and what the side has achieved. It’s been a good couple of months but there are two days of hard work left.”Throughout his latest epic, in which he matched Michael Vaughan’s feat of three centuries in Australia in 2002-03, Cook’s watchfulness outside off stump was matched by a keen appreciation of his scoring opportunities, particularly off the toes whenever Australia’s seamers overpitched, and through midwicket and point respectively on the regular occasions they banged it in too short. He rode his luck on two notable occasions, on 46 when a no-ball referral earned him a second chance, and again on 99 when Phil Hughes failed to scoop a low chance at short leg. But Australia found him to be a roadblock once again, as their faint hopes of saving the series were effectively thwarted.Given that Cook’s game is built on the solidity of his character, the numbers that he has racked up in the past eight months are extraordinary. Going into the second innings of the Pakistan Test at The Oval back in August, he had limped to 106 runs in eight innings at the puny average of 13.25, and was one false stroke from being dropped from the side (if only for the fourth and final Test at Lord’s, because his mental strength would have been sorely missed at the Gabbatoir). Typically, he responded with a gutsy 110, and has now made 886 runs in his last nine innings, at the extraordinary average of 110.75.”I had a tough summer, it was obviously well documented, but when you score runs people tend to leave you alone,” said Cook. “So it was important in that second game at Adelaide, where I scored that hundred in the second innings, I just thought to myself I can score runs in Australia. It gave me that little bit of confidence that you need, and that time in the middle to tell myself that my gameplan does work if I execute it well. It’s worked well so far this trip.”The exact reason for Cook’s transformation still eludes him, however, but all that matters to him is that he enjoys the sensation of being in the form of his life. “Form comes and goes, and I couldn’t hit the middle of the bat six months ago,” he said. “But that’s the secret of sport, isn’t it, why form comes and goes as much as it can do, I don’t know. But you keep working hard and enjoy it when you do do well, because there were some pretty dark times last summer and I’m sure there will be in my career at some other time.”One key reason may be his supreme fitness. As he admitted at Adelaide during the second of his back-to-back hundreds, Cook has been blessed with a physique that hardly sweats even in the most extreme temperatures. What is more, England as a squad have adopted an exhaustive regime under their former rugby-playing fitness trainer, Huw Bevan, in which they practice batting while already knackered. Though he admitted it wasn’t always fun, Cook conceded that the benefits were plain to see.”There’s the modern game, you have to be fit to bat for a long time, it’s not to look good on the beach unfortunately,” he said. “I remember turning up to Perth and before I’d even batted for the first time on tour I had to do a pre-fatigue session. That’s how seriously we were taking it, and I was pretty grumpy at the time because all I wanted to do was bat. But little things like that adds on, and you get rewards later on.”You work hard physically, you work hard on the mental side of the game, but when you’re in this form it all happens quite easily,” he added. “Suddenly, you bat for an hour and you don’t realise you’ve batted for an hour, whereas last summer when I was desperately trying to bat for ten minutes, it felt like a lifetime. You just get in that rhythm, that tempo, and tell yourself not to make mistakes. When you’re not worried about your technique or anything else, that makes it a lot easier. Physically you get a little bit tired, but you’re rather be a little bit tired and get a hundred.”

Jude Bellingham FaceTimed England team-mate James Maddison after the Tottenham forward underwent surgery on his ACL injury. In a touching moment away from the pitch, the Real Madrid star checked in on his compatriot through video calling, delivering a message of strength and support.

• Bellingham FaceTimes Maddison after ACL surgery
• Spurs eye replacement for sidelined midfielder
• Both stars are facing lengthy injury lay-offs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  What began as a routine pre-season outing against Newcastle last week quickly turned sour for Tottenham as Maddison went down with what was later confirmed as an anterior cruciate ligament injury. It’s a crushing setback for Thomas Frank’s side, who had been counting on the 28-year-old to be a key creative force in their new campaign.

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  While Maddison begins his long road to recovery, one of the first calls he received was from Bellingham. The Madrid midfielder, who is also sidelined with an injury, reached out over FaceTime to check in on his fellow England international after his operation.

• WHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

  Maddison shared a screenshot of their chat on social media with the caption: “Some fella for one fella, the sheriff @judebellingham.” Bellingham reposted the image to his own account, adding: “My sheriff. Back even better! 0 doubt.”

  @judebellingham Instagram

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Tottenham’s response to Maddison’s absence has been swift. With the Premier League season fast approaching, the club have already tested the waters in the transfer market. Their first move was a €40 million (£35m/$47m) bid for Como’s Nico Paz, but the Italian side swiftly rejected it. Spurs also remain strongly linked with Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. The 26-year-old has a release clause of £68m ($91.9m/€78.6m), but it will only remain active until August 15, leaving the north London club in a race against the clock to seal a deal.

There hasn't been an awful lot to cheer about for Chelsea fans this season, as an embarrassing defeat seemingly follows every impressive win.

Mauricio Pochettino has struggled to build a cohesive team out of his expensively assembled squad of youngsters, but he has been able to rely on the hardworking Conor Gallagher.

A popular player at Stamford Bridge, Gallagher has been in impressive form for the Blues this year, although, with consistent reports linking him with moves away, he might not be playing in blue for much longer.

That said, Cobham might be about to provide Pochettino with the perfect replacement should the worst happen.

Conor Gallagher's season in numbers

Gallagher played a reasonably important role for Chelsea last season, making 45 appearances across the campaign. However, with only 21 being starts, it would have been fair to have described him as a squad player, more than an essential part of the first team.

However, this year, the Epsom-born gem has already made 41 appearances for Pochettino, and a whopping 37 of those have been starts, meaning he has quickly become one of the most pivotal players in the Argentine's setup.

His output has also dramatically increased, as the Englishman returned just three goals and one assist last season, whereas this year, he has already scored five goals and provided eight assists.

So, with his improvement clearly visible and his undeniable importance to the team, it seems absurd that the 24-year-old could still be sold, but that's still the case.

According to a report from last week from ESPN, due to the looming threat of profit and sustainability punishments, Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah will be made available to be sold in the summer, which will be music to the ears of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, who have tried to sign the midfielder in the past.

Ultimately, selling the popular player would be a massive mistake from a playing and PR point of view, but Cobham could be about to provide Pochettino with the perfect replacement if Gallagher is sold.

Why fans should be excited about Leo Castledine

The Cobham talent in question is 18-year-old Leo Castledine. He has been on fire for the U21s this season and looks ready to make a name for himself with the first team next year.

This season alone, the Kingston upon Thames-born gem has scored nine goals, provided nine assists in just 21 appearances, and excelled in midfield and out wide on occasion.

Across his whole youth career thus far, the "terrific" teen, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists, meaning that he averages a goal involvement every 1.96 games.

It would be a massive step-up for the boyhood Chelsea fan to start playing regular first-team football, but with club legend John Terry describing him as "a magnet in the box" and Mango waxing lyrical about his "technical excellence," it seems more a matter of when rather than if he takes up a central role in the Blues' midfield.

Ultimately, it would be wise for Todd Boehly and Co to keep hold of Gallagher for at least a few more seasons, but if they do sell him in the summer, Poch could do a lot worse than bringing Castledine into the first team as a potential long-term replacement.

Chelsea were bled dry by Conte flop who earned 3x more than Gallagher

The talented star just couldn’t make it work at Stamford Bridge.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 9, 2024

Babar available for seven group games plus knockouts if Somerset qualify

Matt Roller29-Aug-2020Somerset have confirmed that Babar Azam will be available for seven Vitality Blast group-stage games, and the knockout stages should they qualify, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo.Babar’s availability hinged on a no-objection certificate from the PCB, and a new visa being arranged for his county stint. But those hurdles have been cleared, and he is expected to make his first appearance of the season in Somerset’s televised fixture against Worcestershire at Edgbaston on September 3.He was the competition’s leading run-scorer last season, with 578 runs at 52.54 and a strike rate of 149.35, and will be the Blast’s most high-profile overseas player in a year that has seen the majority of internationals have their contracts cancelled or deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.No other Pakistan players have confirmed Blast stints as yet, though it is understood Hampshire are still confident about the possibility of having Shaheen Shah Afridi available for the latter part of the group stage following the T20I series against England.Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, said: “We originally agreed terms and announced Babar’s signing prior to the impact of Covid-19. However, since then there have obviously been revisions to the domestic and Vitality Blast schedules.”Since the confirmation of the 2020 fixtures we have been working collaboratively with the ECB, PCB, Babar and his management team to ensure that we could all make the necessary adjustments that would enable him to join us to fulfil the pre-existing agreement.””I really enjoyed playing for Somerset last year and I can’t wait to get back to the club,” Babar said. “For obvious reasons, this year has been very different from what we were all expecting, and I fully appreciate the challenges the game has faced globally as well as here in England.”We have all had to adapt and I’m just really pleased that we could find a way to make this happen. I hope that I can help to contribute to success on the field for Somerset again.”Meanwhile, Warwickshire have confirmed the signing of Jake Lintott for the whole of the Blast. Lintott, a left-arm wristspinner, has played four professional T20s – one for Hampshire in 2017 and three for Gloucestershire the following summer – and goes straight into the Birmingham Bears’ squad to play Glamorgan on Sunday.

Daniel Farke has shown this season, even with all the pressures on his back of having to manage a Leeds United team expected to win promotion back up to the Premier League, that he doesn't hesitate when it comes to gifting youngsters chances to impress.

Archie Gray has notably benefitted from his manager's forward-thinking approach to throw starlets straight into the first-team mix unfazed, with the 18-year-old now a fully-fledged senior face at Elland Road by amassing 38 Championship appearances this campaign.

Mateo Joseph has also found his minutes increased in recent weeks, with the German boss even allowing 17-year-old Charlie Crew a spot on the Leeds substitutes bench in his side's last two second tier games.

Farke won't just make do with the crop of talented youngsters he has at his disposal currently, however, as Leeds look to tie down this prolific teenager to a permanent deal soon.

Leeds United transfer news

The Championship title-chasing Whites clearly see a lot of potential in young Sunderland attacker Mason Cotcher, having had the 17-year-old attacker on trial at Thorp Arch for the last two months.

It's now believed that the West Yorkshire titans are scrambling to sign Cotcher on a permanent deal and have made an offer to do just that according to Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, with the Sunderland homegrown product leaving behind his boyhood club in the process.

Formerly on trial at both Arsenal and Manchester United – the latter of whom he spent time with in January – before Leeds came calling, the teen sensation has clearly left more of a lasting impact on his third suitor if rumours are correct.

Cotcher will view Leeds as an attractive destination to stay put in, having seen what Farke has managed to achieve with Gray in a staggeringly short amount of time.

With Patrick Bamford also not getting any younger at 30 years of age, and his dismal display against Hull City still stinging, Cotcher could send tremors through the Leeds first team soon up top if he continues to impress those at Thorp Arch.

Mason Cotcher's statistics at youth level

From just four starts in the Leeds youth set-up to date, Cotcher has proven himself to be a prolific finisher and even made the step-up to Premier League 2 action last time out.

The 17-year-old has also proven himself to be a flexible figure, slotting in to play at attacking midfield for Leeds and not finding this position switch to be troubling in the slightest.

Cotcher has bagged both of his Leeds goals from this spot actually, which included a winner against Sunderland U18s when facing off against the familiar Wearside opponent.

Scanning the table above though, it's obvious that Cotcher's most dangerous position is as a striker leading the line with five of his Sunderland youth strikes coming from that role.

However, as has been seen with Gray slotting in at right-back regularly despite being more of a natural in the middle of the park for Leeds, Farke will love Cotcher's adaptability and value it as a worthwhile trait.

Cotcher is some way off making waves in the Leeds senior side just yet though, but with Gray taking to men's football like a duck to water and others knocking on the door for more first-team opportunities springing up from the youth structure in West Yorkshire, it won't be viewed as a major shock if the 17-year-old becomes Leeds' next Gray over time.

What a treat it would be to see a player who had come close to linking up with those at Old Trafford then go on to sparkle at Elland Road…

Report shares concerning off-field news out of Leeds United on Archie Gray

He’s been catching the eye.

By
Charlie Smith

Apr 3, 2024

Axel Witsel has sealed his next move after leaving Atletico Madrid, with the veteran midfielder set to remain in Spain’s top flight.

• Veteran midfielder secures fresh La Liga deal
• Leaves Atletico Madrid after contract expiry
• Remains in Spain for next career chapter

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Belgian international Witsel has decided to extend his career in La Liga after leaving Atletico Madrid as a free agent this summer, according to a report from The 36-year-old midfielder who initially appeared set for a move to Serie A side Udinese after agreeing personal terms, ultimately turned down the deal. Girona stepped in with a longer contract offer, two years instead of Udinese’s one, and that proved decisive in convincing Witsel to join the Catalan club ahead of the 2025-26 season.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Witsel’s decision reflects both his desire to continue playing in a top European league and his ambition to stay sharp ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Belgium. Despite interest from the Saudi Pro League in the past, he has prioritised competitive football in Spain over potentially more lucrative offers elsewhere. His move also adds valuable experience to a Girona side aiming to consolidate their position in La Liga after recent progress.

• TELL ME MORE

  During his three seasons with Atleti, Witsel was a reliable figure, particularly in his first two campaigns, making 68 La Liga appearances in 78 matches. However, his role diminished in the 2024-25 season, with Jose Maria Gimenez, Clement Lenglet, and Robin Le Normand ahead of him in Diego Simeone’s pecking order. Atletico’s defensive rebuild, including the permanent signing of Lenglet and new arrivals such as Marc Pubill and David Hancko, meant his contract was not renewed. Girona’s offer of an extra year, combined with the opportunity for regular playing time, proved the perfect fit.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WITSEL AND GIRONA?

  Witsel is expected to slot into Girona’s midfield and defence, providing leadership and versatility for a team that will also compete in Europe this season. Girona begin their La Liga campaign at home to Rayo Vallecano on August 15, while Witsel will also have one eye on Belgium’s September World Cup qualifiers. His experience and tactical intelligence could be a key asset as Girona aim for another strong season in Spain’s top flight.