Arsenal have now joined the race for a Premier League forward who has “X-factor pace”, but they may have to pay at least £43m for his services, according to a report.

Gunners set sights on new winger

After progressing past Real Madrid last week, the Gunners have a golden opportunity to win the Champions League for the first time, but Mikel Arteta’s side have been hampered in their Premier League title pursuit by a number of injury issues.

Bukayo Saka’s long-term absence arguably hit the north Londoners the hardest, with the inexperienced Ethan Nwaneri being given the nod at right-wing while the talisman was sidelined, underlining the need for Arteta to bolster his wide options this summer despite Nwaneri’s clear potential.

Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams appears to be among the main targets, with a bid for the Spanish winger now being formulated, while talks have also been held over a deal for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, who could be available for a fee of just £25m.

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Williams has been a long-term target for Arteta, given the level of his performances for club and country, while Cherki has been in remarkable form for Lyon this season, amassing 12 goals and 18 assists in all competitions.

However, with neither player proven in England, Arsenal are also monitoring a winger who has performed very well in the Premier League this season, namely Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga, according to a report from Caught Offside.

Elanga has caught the eye for the Tricky Trees, meaning a whole host of Premier League clubs are also in the race for his signature, including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and former employers Manchester United.

Forest haven’t put the winger up for sale, and they are considering offering him a contract extension, but there is a feeling they could be open to bids of at least €50m (£43m).

"Powerful" Elanga impressing for Europe-chasing Forest

Forest’s Champions League hopes have recently taken a hit, having lost their last two Premier League games, but they remain in a strong position to qualify for Europe next season, and the 22-year-old has been one of their most important players.

The Forest star has six goals and eight assists to his name in 32 Premier League outings, having predominantly featured at right-wing, although the Swede has often featured on the opposite side throughout his career, indicating he could push for Gabriel Martinelli’s starting spot.

The former Man United man has also impressed both Andy Reid and Jamie Redknapp this season, with the former particularly impressed by his “X-factor pace”.

Elanga’s displays for Forest indicate Man United made a mistake letting him leave, and with Arteta in need of more attacking depth next season, the Sweden international’s versatility could make him an ideal addition to the squad.

A duck for R Ashwin at No.3? He was just keeping his promise of being unpredictable this IPL

Srinath Sripath08-May-2018Ashwin keeps his promise

You’ll not be able to predict my next move. All players you think are going to open will play in the middle order and all the middle-order batsmen will open.

Ahead of this season, R Ashwin promised to be a funky captain, and while many of his moves this IPL have already been out-of-the-box, his decision to promote himself to No. 3 in the batting order outdid them all. Chris Gayle’s second single-digit score of the season and Mayank Agarwal’s exclusion from the starting XI would ideally have meant a promotion for Karun Nair or the incoming Akshdeep Nath. However, it was Ashwin who walked in at one drop to face K Gowtham.Ashwin has opened the batting in the IPL once before and come in to bat as high as No. 4, both times in low-scoring, successful chases. This time, a two-ball duck was all he could manage, done in by a conventional offbreak from Gowtham. Ashwin’s Powerplay batting in the IPL does not make for good reading: 12 runs off 26 balls, 20 of them dots. Two of these three times, he has been dismissed within the first over without doing much. Ashwin’s move came after Rajasthan Royals had also done the same, by promoting Gowtham to No. 3, where he only managed 8 off 6 balls.ESPNcricinfo LtdHow slow was Jos Buttler after the Powerplay?

Jos Buttler innings:

first 43 runs: 20 balls
next 39 runs: 38 ballshttps://t.co/hp2ffwIShf #RRvKXIP #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/Nd1UJRkE2o

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 8, 2018

Why Royals took so long to ask Jos Buttler to open is anyone’s guess, but his innings against Kings XI was another example of how his rollicking starts in the first six overs have given way to sedate middle-overs phases. Buttler has scored nearly 65% of all his IPL runs in boundaries, and once the fielding restrictions are over, his strike rate drops from 164.9 to 116.7. ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, our new metrics for T20 cricket, indicate he consistently scores slower than the batsman at the other end, and much lesser than the overall innings run rate in the middle overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdAgainst Kings XI, Buttler’s slowdown wasn’t compensated for by any acceleration from the other end, with no fours or sixes coming from his partners for 42 balls between overs 7 and 13. His dismissal in the 17th over didn’t help matters either, and with Gowtham already out, Royals managed only 26 runs for four wickets off the last 22 balls.How much more can KL Rahul do?
No side has been dependent on a single batsman this IPL as much as Kings XI have been on KL Rahul. After ten innings, he is the top scorer in IPL 2018 with 471 runs, having scored 29% of his team’s total runs so far, at a staggering average of 58.87. After ten games, Kings XI’s middle-order batsmen (Nos. 3-6), however, average an abysmal 19.43 runs per dismissal, the lowest among all teams, with only one fifty from a cumulative 36 innings.Against the same bowling attack on Sunday, Rahul had chased down a similar total, waiting till the end overs to accelerate after a sluggish start. In Jaipur, on a bigger ground, Kings XI batsmen only managed eight fours and one six till the end of the 18th over, with a number of them getting out trying to play release shots. On Tuesday, Rahul managed to hit a surfeit of boundaries towards the end, but by then it was way too late to catch up.ESPNcricinfo LtdDoes Jofra Archer have the most effective yorker in the business?
Archer’s yorkers have been far more productive than any other bowler this season so far, snaffling four wickets from 16 balls, at an economy rate of 3.75. No other bowler in the competition has managed more than one wicket, and his accuracy was on view at the death, again, on Tuesday, even while up against Rahul. His 17th over, which went for just four runs, swung the game decisively in favour of the Royals.While measuring accuracy of yorkers, one trend that often goes unnoticed is how frequently bowlers miss yorker lengths and go for runs off full-tosses and half-volleys. A closer look at Archer’s record shows that he lands over 63% of his intended yorkers on target, which is a higher rate than even Bhuvneshwar Kumar. In his short career so far, he has picked up eight wickets off 47 successful yorkers at an economy rate of 2.94 – numbers superior to more accomplished T20 stars. A side strain might have initially kept him out of the tournament this season, meaning he’d debut only in Royals’ seventh game, but if they make it to the playoffs somehow, they will have his bowling to thank.

In pursuit of making an instant statement this summer, The Friedkin Group have now reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive striker for Everton who could be worth as much as £80m.

Friedkin plotting big Everton summer

A fresh attacking lead certainly seems on the agenda for the Toffees this summer, who have already been linked with a shock move the in-demand Liam Delap. The Ipswich Town star is set for Premier League relegation but could earn top-flight redemption following an excellent individual campaign.

That said, he’s not the only one on Everton’s reported radar. Friedkin have also reportedly set their sights on Liverpool’s Ben Doak in what would certainly steal plenty of headlines.

The Anfield academy star impressed on loan at Middlesbrough this season before injury disrupted an otherwise successful spell. That form may still not be enough to earn a place in Arne Slot’s first-team, however, potentially resulting in a move across Stanley Park.

Everton boss David Moyes recently had his say on what could be a busy summer at the club, telling reporters: “There’s going to be a change, and all those bits are still being pieced together at the minute.

“I’ve had one short conversation with Angus, that was all because he’s got his job to do at Leeds. And I don’t want to disrupt him whilst he’s working there. But we’re getting things together, we’re starting to plan, but obviously again the league position and league you’re in is all important.”

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Just how much Friedkin will spend this summer remains to be seen, but if they want to take the Toffees back into the top half then they’ll certainly need to make a statement or two. And that could yet include the arrival of a big-money striker in the coming months.

Everton join £80m Pavlidis race

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin set to depart as a free agent this summer, those at Goodison Park have reportedly set their sights on an impressive replacement. According to The Boot Room, Everton have now joined the race to sign Vangelis Pavlidis from Benfica this summer alongside the likes of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

The deal won’t come cheap though, given that the forward reportedly has a release clause worth as much as £80m in his current Benfica contract. Such a deal at such a price would certainly make the intended statement for Friedkin, especially if they fend off interest from their rivals, but whether they have that budget to spend is the big question.

It should come as no surprise that Benfica boss Bruno Lage – formerly of Wolverhampton Wanderers – described Pavlidis as “important” earlier this month. After all, the big-money forward has scored 24 goals in all competitions and assisted another 10.

Lage told reporters following the forward’s hat-trick in a 4-1 thrashing of Porto: “He has done a lot of important work for us. It is important to have men who score a lot of goals, but in the end, this was mainly a real team effort.”

“I would put all my eggs in Test basket for the moment,” he said while outlining his schedule management

PTI22-May-2024

Travis Head might have taken this year’s IPL by storm, but he would like to limit his participation in T20 leagues to just two events per year and prioritise Test cricket.”This has been the first year in IPL for me in quite a while (since 2017),” Head told PTI. “I would put all my eggs in Test basket for the moment, I will continue to do that.”Head, who has enjoyed an incredible last ten months, has been a nemesis for India with centuries in both the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final. Currently, he has piled on 533 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, forging a fabulous opening partnership with uncapped Indian Abhishek Sharma.Related

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Despite becoming a sought-after T20 star, the 30-year-old looks to be selective with how he slots in franchise-league commitments in his schedule, while putting Tests first.”After Tests, I will pick formats, and see in which different ways I am available for selection,” Head said. “At this stage, I would like to be back here in [the] IPL next year. Like I will play Major League Cricket [in the USA] this year right after the World T20 [T20 World Cup] but next year might just look a lot different.”Each year, you prioritise what you can and can’t do. Next year, Test cricket is around, we tour the West Indies and probably I will not feature in many other franchises.””Look, in few years when I am finished with Test cricket, then probably there will be few more opportunities to play a bit more franchise cricket. But at this time, I would try to limit it to a couple of franchise[s] maybe, and [focus on] Test cricket.”Despite coming off a hectic ten months where he had to overcome a hand injury that threatened his place in the ODI World Cup and the short lead-in to the T20 World Cup following the IPL, Head doesn’t want to make a big deal about workload management.”I will be home in a couple of days’ time once we are done with IPL. Be home for two-three days and make the trip to the West Indies with family and start all over again.”Look, we are very fortunate to do what we do and I am not going to do it forever. So [we] try and make the most of it as we can, we are lucky that we are well looked after.””I know in a few years, I can retire and do nothing, I will have plenty of time to look back and wish I was back on tour, I would like to be in the moment, keep batting through and stay in the moment, enjoying the moment.”

Arsenal head into the summer with a new sporting director, Andrea Berta, and given the volume of work expected to be carried out, it’s just as well they’ve acted swiftly to appoint Edu’s successor.

Given Arsenal’s domestic plight this season, this summer is a crucial one for the Gunners as they go in search of adding the bodies required to help them lift their first Premier League title in over 20 years.

Top of Berta’s priority list must be a striker. Kai Havertz has been a solid signing, but he’s not your 20-goal-a-season man.

The likes of Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres, and of course, Alexander Isak continue to be linked with moves to north London.

Yet, this summer won’t all be about incomings. The Gunners need to get rid of a few bodies too.

Arsenal's exit dilemmas this summer

There are a few players definitely expected to depart this summer with Scottish full-back Kieran Tierney set to bring his association with the club to an end when his contract expires.

It’s expected that Tierney will head to former club Celtic, the side he swapped Arsenal for in a £25m deal in 2019.

Midfielder Jorginho is also expected to depart upon the conclusion of his contract but against all odds, Thomas Partey looks set to stay.

The Ghana midfielder’s deal ends at the conclusion of the season and it was widely thought that he would depart but the Athletic’s David Ornstein reported last week that talks are being held over a new deal.

So, who else could take their leave? Well, Oleksandr Zinchenko – who was linked with Dortmund last January – has seen decreased game time and will likely seek pastures new.

If Arsenal sign a new batch of forwards then don’t be surprised to see Leandro Trossard flee the Emirates either. There has been Saudi interest in the enigmatic Belgian who has found a recent run of strong form.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The other forward who must leave Arsenal

Over the last two seasons, there has been a common theme with Arsenal’s summer business. They’ve seen a batch of homegrown attackers leave the club.

In 2023, it was the turn of Folarin Balogun who after a rip-roaring season on loan in France, headed to Monaco in a permanent deal.

Last summer, Eddie Nketiah left for Crystal Palace, Mika Biereth headed to Sturm Graz in Austria and infamously, Chibo Obi Martin left to Manchester United.

Well, in 2025, it must be the turn of Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.

The striker is out of contract in the summer and it’s unlikely Arsenal will take the opportunity to renew his terms.

Now aged 22, the forward has still only played 27 senior games of football in his career, and the returns he has to show for those appearances are non-existent, failing to find the back of the net.

While it might be a harsh assessment, one has to be realistic here. Butler-Oyedeji is just one year younger than Saka. He’s four years older than Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. While we wish him the best for the rest of his career, he’s not going to make it Arsenal, it’s as simple as that.

Arsenal U21

64

23

12

Arsenal U18

29

3

2

Cheltenham

14

0

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Accrington

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Arsenal first team

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Despite that, it has been a landmark campaign for the young attacker who must have learnt plenty from his regular appearances in the Arsenal matchday squad.

He made his first-team debut against Dinamo Zagreb, appearing off the bench in a Champions League dead rubber a few months ago and then finally earned his Premier League debut last weekend, coming off the bench against Ipswich.

He’s rated highly, particularly by the aforementioned Nwaneri, who revealed that his “finishing is so good”.

It was a lovely moment indeed, but for a 22-year-old it’s for the best of his career that he goes out and finds regular first-team football at a senior level next season.

Arsenal are yet to see much of that expert finishing, but there’s no doubt he’ll have a successful career elsewhere. As we always say, one a Gooner, always a Gooner.

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