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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly planning talks over the possible signing of Luis Muriel for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Striker wanted

Given recent links to the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Armando Broja, it is clear that the St James’ Park outfit want to bring in a new striker before the transfer window closes.

Callum Wilson opened his account for the season with a delightful finish in the 2-0 win at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, but the Tyneside club will want a decent back-up for their 2021/22 top scorer in case he gets injured (as has happened frequently) or suspended.

The Latest: Muriel talks planned

As per TuttoMercatoWeb, talks have already been planned with Atalanta over a potential move for Muriel.

However, it looks as if Newcastle will face competition from Juventus to sign the Colombia international.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Signing Muriel could turn out to be a shrewd move by the Tynesiders, should they be able to get a deal over the line.

It is believed that it would cost around €15m (£12.6m) to sign the 31-year-old as he is in the last year of his contract.

Hailed as an ‘incredible’ footballer by Atalanta team-mate Ruslan Malinovskyi, this could turn out to be a bargain for a player with no fewer than 148 goals over the course of his career for both club and country.

Muriel is certainly one to watch for Newcastle supporters as the transfer window progresses.

An update has emerged on Leeds United and their interest in Nicolas Pepe in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Mail, the Whites are one of the teams eyeing up a swoop to land the winger ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, as Victor Orta eyes the Ivorian international.

The report claims that Sevilla and Marseille are also set to compete to land his signature, if Arsenal opt to part ways with him.

It has been claimed, earlier this summer, that the Gunners would be willing to cash in on the attacker for as little as £25m, although it remains to be seen how much Leeds would be willing to pay for him.

Raphinha 2.0

By snapping up a deal to sign Pepe from Arsenal, Orta can find Leeds their next Raphinha by signing a skilful left-footed right winger with Ligue 1 and Premier League experience.

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The Whites sold the Brazil international, who they signed from Rennes in 2020, and he enjoyed a fantastic time in England. He scored 17 goals and racked up 12 assists in two league campaigns – starting 60 matches – for the club, showcasing his ability to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Pepe endured a difficult 2021/22 – scoring once in 20 league outings – but has previously shown that he has the potential to be a useful player at this level.

In his first two Premier League seasons for the Gunners, the Ivorian international scored 15 goals and registered seven assists – starting 38 games in total. This suggests that he can have a similar impact to Raphinha in the final third if Leeds can help him to rediscover his best form.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once claimed that the 27-year-old “destroyed Ligue 1” and the statistics from his time in France with Lille back that up.

Pepe amassed a whopping 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 matches in the French top-flight in 2018/19. He created 16 big chances for his teammates and averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.28, proving that he did destroy the league with his quality out wide as he regularly made a big impact in front of goal.

His form for Lille coupled with his first two campaigns with Arsenal suggest that there is a brilliant player – who is Raphinha-esque in style and end product – for Leeds to unlock if they are able to sign him this summer.

AND in other news: Orta could land Marsch his very own Scamacca in Leeds swoop for 56 G/A “wonderkid”

David Moyes means business in the summer transfer window with West Ham signing Nayef Aguerd and Flynn Downes, whilst securing a permanent move for PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola following his loan spell last season.

The Scot will be aiming to carry the momentum from last season, where West Ham reached a historic Europa League semi-final and finished a lofty seventh place in the Premier League.

With additions to the defence and midfield so far, Moyes will be looking at bolstering his attacking options, and with the club linked with moves for strikers Armando Broja and Emmanuel Dennis amongst others, he should be making a move for a 23-year-old who has had an excellent 18 months for both club and country.

The Sun reported in May that West Ham were interested in Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton-Diaz, with the Championship club slapping a £20m price tag on the player.

His former manager Tony Mowbray dubbed the striker “extraordinary” with FourFourTwo describing him as a ‘superstar’ and it could be an excellent move for West Ham.

The 23-year-old scored a remarkable 22 goals from 37 Championship appearances last season and this has naturally attracted interest from the likes of West Ham and fellow Premier League side Leeds United.

He has also added four goals from 14 international appearances for Chile – the country of his mother’s birth – and the striker even scored at the Copa America in 2021.

With West Ham only having one senior forward at the club in Michael Antonio, who scored 13 goals last season, signing Brereton-Diaz would prove to be a major upgrade.

In terms of league goals, Brereton-Diaz scored more (22 to 10), had more shots per game (2.8 to 2.3) and scored more frequently (a goal every 139 minutes to 238 minutes).

These stats show that the Chilean international could be an upgrade on Antonio for next season as Moyes aims to improve his attacking options.

AND in other news: Big West Ham transfer update emerges that’ll delight Moyes…

It’s no secret that Everton need a major summer overhaul following on from their narrow escape from Premier League relegation at the end of last season.

Frank Lampard inherited a squad which should have had enough quality to finish much higher than their eventual position of 16th in the table, and he now has the summer transfer window to clear out some deadwood and bring in a few upgrades.

One player that the 43-year-old should be aiming to bring in sooner rather than later is Matheus Nunes from Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to Goodison Park according to O Jogo, who claimed that Everton showed initial interest in 2021 before continuing to watch him develop; and after a great season at Sporting, they are now looking to swoop.

Journalist Santi Aouna tweeted: “Info: Nunes has received approaches from Wolverhampton, Newcastle, and Everton. He will only be sold at the price of his release clause which is €60m.”

This works out as around £51m and would be a massive outlay for Everton, but they need to add quality to their ranks, and he is a major upgrade on Allan.

Not only is Nunes more of a goalscoring threat, netting three goals last season to the Brazilian’s zero, he also took more shots (22 to seven), giving himself a better chance of scoring.

Nunes created six big chances in the league last term, whereas Allan didn’t create any, and the Portuguese gem also took 12 more touches on average compared to the Everton midfielder (59.5 to 47.5), showing his composure on the ball.

Nunes was only dribbled past 0.7 times per match last season, while Allan let opponents go past him 2.5 times per 90 minutes.

These figures show the type of player that Lampard requires, and he could finally axe Allan in the process. Having been described as “one of the best players in the world today” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, then it’s clear he will be able to excel in the Premier League.

AND in other news, “Full agreement”: Fabrizio Romano drops Everton transfer claim that’ll delight Lampard

Tottenham Hotspur will have to spend €40m (£34m) to sign transfer target Weston McKennie. 

That’s according to Italian outlet Calciomercato (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare and Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote at the weekend that Antonio Conte and Spurs were hoping to strengthen in central midfield this summer. The north Londoners signed Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus in the winter but could do further business with the Bianconeri ahead of the expected departure of Harry Winks.

It was only last summer that Juve officially signed McKennie from Schalke for £18.45m after an initial loan. He is predominantly a central midfielder but has played in a vast array of positions, including both deeper and more advanced roles in the middle and on the right wing.

It’s worth noting that the American was missing from late February until the end of the season with a metatarsal fracture.

The latest

McKennie could move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, with Spurs scouring the Italian market once again.

As per Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), managing director of football Fabio Paratici ‘particularly likes’ the 23-year-old and could push for a move.

Juventus are reportedly demanding £34m for his services, and it’s unclear yet as to whether Spurs will be willing to pay that amount.

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The verdict

McKennie isn’t necessarily someone who will come up with big numbers of goals and assists, having only notched three direct goal contributions in 2021/22.

However, he does take up advanced positions, ranking in the 98th percentile among his positional peers in Europe’s big five leagues for both progressive passes received and touches in the penalty area.

McKennie, who won his country’s Player of the Year award in 2020, was starting to ‘come alive after a stuttering spell’ prior to his injury, in the words of sports journalist Josh Bunting.

Squawka have described him as a ‘wizard’ at his best, and Paratici clearly has confidence that the 23-year-old can reach that level consistently.

After doing business with Juventus for Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, perhaps it’s time for the Spurs supremo to once again tap into that existing relationship with the Serie A club.

In other news, Alasdair Gold has dropped a promising claim on another Serie A target

The New Zealand allrounder on his preparation ahead of a gruelling Test schedule, the country’s domestic depth, and more

Deivarayan Muthu03-Sep-2024Coming off a steady diet of white-ball cricket over the past six months, New Zealand allrounder Rachin Ravindra has ramped up his red-ball preparation for the upcoming Tests in India and Sri Lanka.Ravindra, and his good friend Ben Sears, the young tearaway, arrived in Chennai earlier this week for a short camp before they link up with the rest of the New Zealand Test side that will depart from Auckland on September 4 to Greater Noida for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, which begins on September 9. This will be followed by a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka before New Zealand return to India to play three more Tests later this year.Prior to visiting India, Ravindra was part of red-ball winter camps at home along with a number of other New Zealand and New Zealand A players.Related

• Williamson: We don't usually get such a volume of Tests

• Ben Sears eager to prove himself in subcontinent challenge

• Southee excited about 'great challenge' in the backdrop of cricket's 'changing landscape'

• Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson awarded New Zealand central contracts

• Fab Four now on two legs – Root and Williamson firm, Kohli and Smith wobbly

“As a group, we have had some good camps together,” Ravindra said during a media interaction at the Chennai Super Kings high-performance centre in Chennai. “Two camps in the Mount [Maunganui], Tauranga and we’ve had a camp in Christchurch and Lincoln. The wickets have been really good. We’ve been able to get around to each other after being away, especially the Test team being away as a group for a little while.”So, it’s been good to be together and have that bonding and prepare for conditions that we might face over in the subcontinent. It’s been a great few days here in Chennai, being able to acclimatise ourselves a little bit in terms of the red soil and black soil, stuff [pitches] that we might face. It’s been quite enjoyable.”Ravindra has already had considerable success in India across formats. On Test debut in Kanpur in November 2021, he soaked up 91 balls, scoring an unbeaten 18 to help New Zealand salvage a draw against a strong India spin attack comprising R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Then, during the 2023 ODI World Cup, he emerged as the breakout star, and more recently this year, he played some sparkling cameos for CSK in his maiden IPL stint. Ravindra hopes to tap into those experiences and challenge India again later this year.”I think whenever you play India in a three-match Test series, it’s always going to be difficult,” he said. “I think it shows how good they are as a team around the world, especially at home in the red-ball format. It’s obviously going to be tough and the stuff that we learnt from the last series, we’ll look to take it here.Rachin Ravindra trains at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai•Super Kings Academy”Three different venues – Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai – and three different surfaces, so it’s going to pose different challenges. They’re a world-class team for a reason and hopefully we can give them a run for their money. But also recognising that’s still a month away, we have still got three Tests ahead of us before that, first against Afghanistan, then two against Sri Lanka, so that’s all very important. In the context of the World Test Championship, every game is important. That’s the mindset we’re going to be taking into it.”With New Zealand set to face spin-heavy attacks in both India and Sri Lanka, Ravindra has urged his team-mates to have an “open mind” and find their own ways to counter the slower bowlers.”It’s a completely different challenge,” Ravindra said. “When you look at the way the guys from the subcontinent bat, the way they hold their shape for longer in the lower positions they get into, I think as cricketers from the western side of the world, we’re still trying to incorporate that into our spin games. It’s about having an open mind to all that and stuff, but it’s also still important for us to remember what we do well as a team and players. It’s about being able to take bits from the experiences we’ve had and ultimately back ourselves and trust our plan.”Ravindra has had an eventful few months, in the lead-up to these Test tours. In July, playing for Washington Freedom, he won the Major League Cricket (MLC) title in the USA with Ricky Ponting as coach and emerged as the most successful spinner in the tournament, with 12 wickets in six innings at an average of 6.08 and economy rate of 4.81. Only his Washington team-mate Saurabh Netravalkar had more wickets than him in the tournament. Also in July, he earned his first New Zealand central contract.”I guess being able to share a dressing room with Trav [Travis Head], Smudge [Steven Smith] and Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] and Marco [Jansen],… we had an unbelievable team and locals too,” Ravindra said. “It was just being able to take experience from them and learning from them; how they prepare and how confident they are in their own games. Ricky Ponting – having someone like that in the dressing room is amazing. You talk about great players, some of the greatest players of all time and he’s right up there, so being able to see his intensity and his competitiveness was cool to see.”I’m very lucky to have been part of some great teams recently, MLC, Chennai Super Kings and obviously Black Caps. With great support staff, learning from those guys, Huss [Mike Hussey], Flem [Stephen Fleming], Rutu [Ruturaj Gaikwad], Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane], all those guys.”Rachin Ravindra reunites with his former Wellington coach Sriram Krishnamurthy in Chennai•Super Kings Academy

Ravindra: ‘Hard to crystal-ball gaze but we’re ready for transition’

With Ross Taylor, BJ Watling and Neil Wagner retiring, and Trent Boult recently ending his T20 World Cup career and making only sporadic appearances for New Zealand since becoming a free agent, New Zealand are in transition across formats. Ravindra talked up New Zealand’s domestic depth and backed the fringe players to make the step up to international cricket in the near future.”I think it’s always going to be tough when you have world-class players – [Trent] Boult, Nossy [Kane Williamson], Timmy [Tim Southee] and the likes [of] boys coming in recently, Dev [Devon Conway], Daryl [Mitchell], it happens, and I think the beauty of it is, New Zealand… we’re a competitive nation, and the structure in terms of domestic cricket, and the pathway system is really good. There’s a lot of guys playing for New Zealand at the moment, who’ve gone through the New Zealand A pathway, and learnt a lot from that too, and I think our domestic cricket is very good too.”I think the beauty of having a competitive team is that guys in the lower level down are always trying to get better. It’s hard to crystal-ball gaze, and see what’s going to happen, but I guess hopefully we’re all ready for it. We can all continue contributing to the team, and understand that yes, the quality of players is still there, but it’s important how we treat this environment and how we keep driving it forward, and keep it a great place to play.”Rachin Ravindra won MLC 2024 under Ricky Ponting at Washington Freedom•MLC

Playing for NZ is Ravindra’s priority

While the cricketing landscape is changing in New Zealand, with a number of international and domestic players knocking back their central contracts to pursue franchise T20 opportunities, Ravindra insisted that his top priority right now is to play for New Zealand.”I think I can only speak for my situation and right now I’m still very young in my career,” he said. “For me playing for New Zealand at the moment is what I see fit for myself, and everyone’s got their own decisions to make. We all respect that and I think that’s the beauty of our team, our environment and our culture. We all have that mutual respect and love, so everyone’s situations are different and it’s hard to judge everyone based on that. We’ll see where it takes us, but as of now I guess we just deal with what’s in front of us and it’s these Tests.”

There is also an extended IPL window from March to May in the ICC’s new men’s FTP for 2023-27

Sidharth Monga17-Aug-2022India, runners-up in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) that ended in 2021, have a relatively tough draw in the third and fourth WTC cycles, according to the ICC’s new Future Tours Programme for men that runs from 2023 to 2027.In the third WTC cycle, India play away series in South Africa, Australia and the West Indies; and in the 2025-2027 cycle, they will tour New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka as part of the WTC. With most teams being strong at home, away Tests become crucial for WTC points. Two out of three of India’s away opponents in the next two cycles have traditionally been strong at home, although India have won their previous two series in Australia.India’s home opponents in the 2023-25 cycle are Bangladesh, England and New Zealand; and in the 2025-2027 WTC cycle it is Australia, South Africa and West Indies.Related

• FTP takeaways: Bangladesh the busiest, fewer ODIs for India, and T20 windows aplenty

• IPL window extended; space for Hundred and BBL as well

• Full members to play more international cricket in ICC's new FTP cycle

• PSL set to go head-to-head with IPL in 2025

India are set to play a total of 141 bilateral international matches in the 2023-27 FTP, behind only Bangladesh (150), West Indies (147) and England (142). India will play 61 bilateral T20Is – the second most after West Indies; 42 bilateral ODIs – the second fewest ahead of South Africa; and 38 Tests – the third most after England and Australia.Having last played a five-Test series against Australia in 1991-92, India will go back to playing five Tests against them, making the Border-Gavaskar Trophy one of three marquee Test series along with The Ashes and India-England contests. India will tour Australia and England once each for five-Test series, and host them as well. The limited-overs matches between these teams – whether home or away – will be played during separate tours.The first five-Test Border-Gavaskar series will take place during the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle, when India tour Australia in the summer of 2024-25. Australia then tour India during the 2025-2027 World Test Championship cycle for five Tests in January-February 2027. India’s five-Test series against England are at home in early 2024 and away in 2025. There are no bilateral series between India and Pakistan scheduled in the FTP.India will also play eight five-match T20I series in the new FTP, which puts them among the busiest T20 international teams in the world. They also have an extended IPL window, during which very little international cricket has been scheduled, in April and May every year between 2023 and 2027.India’s emphasis on T20Is comes at the cost of bilateral ODIs. India will not be playing any bilateral ODI series longer than three matches in the 2023-27 FTP cycle.

What was going on inside Sri Lanka’s dressing room on the first day of the Galle Test?

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Jan-2021Ah, hello guys. How are you? Happy new year, , happy new year. Come, come. Dressing room is there, just straight and to the left. I think Asitha said he was going to bring the match ball and the stumps for us. He’s the newest guy in the team, no? So obviously I’m going to give him the job nobody wants.Do you have all your gear? No-one has forgotten anything? Everyone has their own box today? Wow, nice pads Thirimanne! New? Where from? No matter what anybody says, buddy, you’re always the sharpest-looking player on the field, ah. Remember that 31 you made two weeks ago? Never seen a better 31 bro, honestly.You know what, you should open the innings. No, I’m serious. Dimuth called just this morning and said he can’t come today. That guy is too serious anyway. It’s all you Thiri. And hey, Kusal Perera… Mr. 153… you can also open, right? You guys go together. Two lefties. Like Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden.I’m feeling good about today guys. Back on our home ground after a while. Yes, we got hammered in the last two games, but that was away from home. We’re a different team on our own pitch. Yes, OK, so we also lost to this opposition last time we were here. But we fired that coach, remember? It’s fine.Related

• Joe Root posts majestic 228 but Lahiru Thirimanne stands firm to give SL hope of saving Test

• Timely Joe Root century sees England tighten their grip

• Wasteful SL skittled for 135 as England take control

• Bess admits 'I didn't feel like I bowled very well'

• Normal service for SA as collapse exposes familiar faultlines

Boys, look at that perfect forward defence from Thiri. I knew it was the right choice to play him again and have him open the innings, guys. Someone was telling me there are these guys doing well in the lower level doing really well. I don’t know, man, some Pathum Nissanka or someone. But we’ve all seen Thiri’s glorious cover drive, right? Bent-kneed, just like Kumar Sangakkara. Their fast bowlers won’t know what to do. I know he’s barely started, but look how correct that shot is.Oh, he’s out? But how? He’s middled that shot, still! He’s flicked it straight to the sneaky leg slip they’ve put in. Can’t fault the batsman there, guys, the only thing he didn’t do was take into account the trap they’ve laid for him. Hard luck, Thiri. Yah, I know you’ve only hit one fifty in the last 18 innings you’ve played, but you’ll come good, everybody knows that – your technique is great. And anyway, look at that – you blocked enough of their fast bowlers out that they have their spinners on already. This guy, Dominic Bess or something, hasn’t even played on these kinds of pitches before. Obviously we’re going to smash him., is Kusal Perera out now? Must have dozed off. Playing the reverse-sweep? It’s OK, KJP, that’s the shot that gets you so many runs also, isn’t it? That’s fine, you tried it today against this Bess character, and fair enough, he hasn’t played here before so we can do what we like against him. It’s just the way you play. Everybody remembers innings. Relax. Our two most-experienced batsmen are in now. We’ll get 200 and roll them over on this pitch with our spinners guys, just watch. OK, Mathews and Chandimal are also out playing their shots. That must mean it’s a difficult pitch, right, if even those guys are failing? Our bowlers are going to go wild.Kusal Perera reverse-sweeps Dom Bess… straight to slip•SLCAh, Mr. Niroshan Dickwella… Dikka. Why don’t you go out and get us out of this mess? Just play your shots. They still have this Bess on, what a joke. Can he even turn it? Look at this terrible ball he has bowled! It might bounce twice before getting to the keeper. Oh, no. Dikka – you’ve hit it straight to point. OK but to be fair, wide long-hops can be hard to deal with . They arrive so much later than you think – you really have to wait for them. Maybe that’s not your thing?Ah, now Hasaranga has also got out playing a reverse-sweep to this Bess. It must be a killer pitch if even he’s getting wickets. This score looks low now guys, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a big first-innings lead here.So now that we’re all out, what are the takeaways from that innings? Yes, we definitely could have been slightly more selective with our shots. OK, I hear what you’re saying – when you nail a reverse-sweep against the turn early in your innings, what could demoralise an a team more? I mean, some would say a total of 135 is demoralising, but we’re talking about the opposition.And look, a lot of us were unlucky. Look at Dasun Shanaka getting caught off the boot of short leg. And Lasith Embuldeniya getting run out from a deflection off the bowler’s hand. We had really bad luck today.And also what a fantastic-looking 4 off 22 balls from Thirimanne, right? Guy has potential.

Major League Baseball remains the only major North American professional sports league without a salary cap in place. MLB's current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire in Dec. 2026 and commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly pushing for that to change in the next round of negotiations.

In a recent episode of , MLB Players Association deputy executive director Bruce Meyer said the players hold "the right amount of skepticism" about a potential cap according to a new report from 's Evan Drellich.

“The league and some of the individual owners have made no secret that they would like to see a system that they tried to get for 50 years, which is a salary-cap system,” Meyer said on via .

Drellich's report noted that the skepticism from the players stems from the push for a salary cap coming from Manfred and team ownership groups, who have pitched a cap numerous times in prior negotiations.

“The pitch is like, ‘Hey, this is really good for the players,’” Meyer continued via . “One of the things players immediately seize on is, ‘Well, if this is so good for us, then why are they pushing it so hard? Why do they want it so desperately? Why did the other leagues lock out players to get it?’ Guys immediately understand that the reason they want that system is not because they want to pay players more.”

Reports surfaced in April that MLB officials were considering both a salary cap and floor in the next CBA. The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers have become one of the most dominant teams in baseball in part because there is no limit on how much money they can spend to sign the best players. This has agitated other owners, presumably because they don't have endless cash to put down on massive contract after massive contract.

The MLBPA, understandably, likely doesn't want to put a limit on how much cash can get handed to players. They would be interested in a salary floor—a minimum amount each team must spend annually—but that may only come at the cost of an added cap. We'll see where conversations land when CBA negotiations heat up following this season.

You can watch Meyer's full conversation on below:

They may have dropped points on the weekend, but Arsenal are flying this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are top of both the Champions League and Premier League tables at the moment, and show no signs of slowing down.

Even with the absurd number of injuries the Gunners have had to deal with, they have been rock-solid at the back and clinical in attack.

One of Arsenal’s surprising stars of the season so far has been Leandro Trossard, but if reports are to be believed, the club could be looking to sign an upgrade.

Arsenal target Trossard upgrade

The winter transfer window is now less than a month from opening, and Arsenal have already been linked with a huge number of exciting and potentially game-changing additions.

Transfer Focus

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

Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, for example, has been touted for a £70m switch to the Emirates, as has Nottingham Forest’s monstrous centre-back Murillo.

However, while both players would certainly add something to Arteta’s squad and likely improve it, they cannot be described as Trossard upgrades, unlike Kenan Yıldız.

Yes, according to a recent report from Italy, Arsenal are once again interested in the hugely exciting Turkish wonderkid.

More than that, though, the report has revealed that the Gunners have once again been in contact with the player’s representatives to find out what it would take to make the deal work.

However, Juventus are understandably keen to keep hold of the incredible talent, and according to other reports from Italy, would demand at least £88m to sell him.

It could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s ability and potential, it is one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he’d be a perfect Trossard upgrade.

How Yıldız compares to Trossard

Now, it might sound simplistic, and that’s because it is: the first place to start when comparing two attackers is their raw output from the last two seasons.

For his efforts last season, Yıldız racked up an impressive tally of 12 goals and nine assists in 52 appearances, which comes out to a goal involvement every 2.47 games.

Trossard, on the other hand, scored ten goals and provided ten assists in 56 appearances, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games.

In other words, the Turkish gem was comfortably more productive last season, but this year, it’s the Belgian who has been marginally better.

In 16 appearances, he has produced ten goal involvements, which is an average of one every 1.6 games.

In contrast, the Juve star has produced as many goal involvements in 18 appearances, averaging one every 1.8 games.

With that said, when you look at both campaigns holistically, it is still the youngster who comes out ahead, as he does when comparing their underlying numbers.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.41

0.38

Progressive Carries

4.36

2.63

Progressive Passes

3.55

3.63

Shots on Target

1.09

0.62

Passing Accuracy

78.9%

69.3%

Key Passes

2.45

1.38

Shot-Creating Actions

4.80

3.25

Goal-Creating Actions

0.45

0.37

Successful Take-Ons

1.64

0.88

For example, the Regensburg-born dynamo lives up to his billing as a player with “Mbappe-like ability”, in the words of European football writer Danny Corcoran, by coming out on top in most relevant metrics like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, key passes, goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, add the statistical advantages to the fact that he is still just 20 years old, and therefore has over a decade left to play at the top level, and it’s clear he would be an upgrade on the Belgian.

Ultimately, Trossard has been a great player for Arsenal and has been unreal this season, but if the Gunners have the chance, they should go all out to sign Yıldız, as he would be an upgrade.

The new Rice: Berta enters race to sign £70m midfield "machine" for Arsenal

The international superstar could become Mikel Arteta’s next Declan Rice at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 3, 2025