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A highly-regarded player has made his transfer preference crystal clear, and will not sign for any other club except Arsenal this summer.

Who Arsenal could sign next after Riccardo Calafiori

Manager Mikel Arteta has little time remaining before the new Premier League season kicks off, as the Spaniard seeks to beat Man City to a title at the third successive attempt.

Arsenal's 30-cap international agrees to join new club with deal imminent

The Gunners are close to agreeing another exit.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 7, 2024

The Gunners fell narrowly short last term, pushing City all the way to the final day, and Arsenal may just be three or four players shy of going that one step further. Sporting director Edu Gaspar and the wider recruitment team haven't been too busy this window, with the north Londoners making just two major signings in David Raya and Riccardo Calafiori.

The latter, who joined from Bologna in an initial £34 million deal, comes in to bolster Arteta's defensive ranks after an excellent 23/24 campaign for Bologna and standout performances for Italy at Euro 2024.

Serie A Games

30

Goal Contributuion

7

Clean Sheets

15

Interceptions Per 90 Minutes

1.92

Tackles Per 90 Minutes

1.80

via WhoScored

Summer deadline day is just weeks away, though, so rumours have circulated in regard to who could be next through the door. It is believed Arsenal are keen to sign a new forward, with the likes of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres and Wolves' Pedro Neto all players who've been linked with moves to Arsenal.

Meanwhile, a new midfielder seems the most possible next deal for Edu and co, with Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino heavily linked. The 28-year-old, fresh off the back of an impressive Euros campaign for eventual champions Spain, is firmly on the agenda at Arsenal as his contract ticks down to expiry in 2025.

Mikel Merino only wants to join Arsenal this summer

Arsenal have been in talks over signing Merino for a while now, with journalist Steve Kay sharing an update to KS1TV (via TBR).

It is believed Merino doesn't want to join any other club except Arsenal, and the deal is on the verge of being done for around £25 million.

"My information is that this is on the verge of being done. Personal terms are agreed, a deal of around €30m (£25m)," said Kay. “The clubs have agreed. Merino doesn’t want to sign for anyone else. He’s not signing a new contract.

“From what I’m hearing it’s the total opposite of what other publications have come out with because as far as I know this will be done in the next couple of days.”

The Sociedad star scored eight goals and registered five assists in 45 appearances across all competitions last season, so £25 million could be considered a bit of a steal in this market, especially considering his glowing reputation.

"I think that tournament [Euro 2024] was a good reflection of him," said Miguel Flaño, a former Osasuna team-mate, to Sky Sports.

"He is used to starting games and being very important for his club. But his role at the European Championship was something different. Although he wasn't a starter, he showed a lot of humility, understanding he could still be important in another way.

"And as we saw, he was decisive, most of all with his goal against Germany but also in the games when he didn't score. He just puts the team first and thinks about how he can help."

Another ex-Osasuna player, Alfredo Sanchez, also called Merino a "top, top player".

Arsenal come into the 2024/25 Premier League campaign looking to better their previous two seasons of 2nd place medals, with a title, missing out last season by two points on the final day.

Despite Kai Havertz having a good overall debut season for the Gunners, the question remains, can he score enough goals to fire Arsenal to the Premier League title over Manchester City?

Havertz made 51 appearances for Arsenal last season in all competitions, scoring 14 goals, providing seven assists, and totaling 3,827 minutes in their Premier League runner-up campaign.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a report from Repubblica, via Arena Napoli, Arsenal are ahead of league rivals Chelsea in pursuit of Napoli's wantaway striker, Victor Osimhen.

Other strikers who have been linked to the Gunners this summer, are Ivan Toney and Viktor Gyokeres, but the Nigerian international – who has a release clause of £110m, could be the one they move for towards the back end of the window.

Osimhen made 32 appearances in all competitions for Napoli last season, scoring 17 goals, providing four assists, and totaling 2,476 minutes played.

Osimhen vs Havertz comparison

Dubbed an aerial "monster" by Ben Mattinson, the main allure of the Nigerian striker is his aerial threat and box prowess. The 6ft 1 striker is extremely athletically gifted, possessing a huge leap and a powerful running style.

Whilst Havertz can impose himself on a game, using his 6 foot 3 frame, it's different, as he looks to bump players in a more calculated fashion, and uses his body to win fouls, as opposed to bullying defenders with pure power, in the same way as Osimhen.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Osimhen

Havertz

Goals

0.62

0.33

Assists

0.11

0.17

xG

0.65

0.35

Progressive Carries

1.59

1.70

Progressive Passes

0.96

3.14

Shots Total

3.69

2.15

Shots on Target

1.53

0.83

Goals/shot

0.14

0.14

Shot-Creating Actions

2.47

3.19

Touches (Att Pen)

6.83

5.55

Aerials Won

1.81

3.35

Stats taken from FBref

Now, the first thing to point out is the 'Aerials Won' metric, as despite calling Osimhen the aerial threat, Havertz actually wins more aerial duels than the Nigerian, winning 3.35 per 90, in comparison to Osimhen's 1.81.

As previously mentioned, the way these two impose themselves on games is different, Havertz often dropping deeper to link play, and win aerial duels all over the pitch, increasing his aerials won numbers, due to the way he looks to utilise his height.

Osimhen, on the other hand, is a box striker, who wants to bully his defender and impose himself in the penalty area, looking to use his height and leap to attack balls into the box, and have the decisive touch.

Havertz seemingly offers more of an all-round game, averaging more assists per 90, more progressive carries and passes per 90, and producing more shot-creating actions per 90, whereas Osimhen looks to affect the game in and around the box.

This is shown by Osimhen's 6.83 penalty area touches per 90, and the way he wants to affect the game is shown by his shot volume metrics, taking 3.69 shots per 90, and managing 1.53 of those on target per 90.

Whilst Havertz is clearly an important piece for Arsenal, a clinical box striker could be exactly what the Gunners need to fire them to a Premier League title, which is why the Nigerian ace could displace him as the starting centre-forward – leaving the German to compete for a midfield role.

Liverpool and Manchester City target Martin Zubimendi has picked up a 'serious' injury which could affect the two Premier League sides' January plans.

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Zubimendi rejected Liverpool in the summerMan City also interested in the midfielderZubimendi picks up 'serious' injuryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Zubimendi was a major target for Liverpool in the summer as the Reds looked to bring in a defensive midfielder, however, the Spain star decided to stay put with his boyhood club. Manchester City have joined the race to sign the Spaniard in January as they look to replace the injured Rodri amid their inconsistent form.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

However, Zubimendi has now picked up what has been described as a serious injury while playing with Real Sociedad in their 3-0 win against Leganes. After suffering a blow to his back, Zubimendi was in clear pain, he signalled to the bench and was quickly replaced by Jon Ander Olasagasti. La Real boss Imanol Alguacil has now opened up on his back injury.

WHAT ALGUACIL SAID

Speaking to the media, Alguacil said: "Zubimendi and Aihen Munoz asked me to change them, and it seems serious."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ZUBIMENDI?

However, it is reported bythat Zubimendi will only miss two to three weeks of action and return for Real Sociedad's last two league games of the calendar year. As such, it is possible that Liverpool and Manchester City's plans are not hindered.

Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva move up in Test batting rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2021Mohammad Rizwan continued his rapid rise as a T20I batter by entering the top 10 in the ICC rankings on the back of his player-of-the-series performance in Zimbabwe.Rizwan hit 82* and 91* in the two matches Pakistan won, and that took him up five slots to tenth. He went past Eoin Morgan and Rohit Sharma on the table where Dawid Malan, Aaron Finch, Babar Azam, Devon Conway and Virat Kohli retained the top five positions.Haris Rauf was the other Pakistan player to make a noteworthy gain, up 17 places to 21st after taking four wickets in three matches.Zimbabwe, who won the second T20I to give themselves a chance of a rare series win, moved up one slot – past Ireland – to No. 11 in the team rankings, while Pakistan remained in fourth place. Elsewhere, Nepal’s victory in the T20I tri-series at home against Netherlands and Malaysia meant a move up (by one spot, past Scotland) to No 14, while Netherlands slipped from 17th to 18th and Malaysia stayed at No. 31.The drawn first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Pallekele had a number of major performances by the batters of the two sides, and that reflected in the Test batting rankings too.Dimuth Karunaratne’s career-best 244 helped him gain seven places to reach the 15th position. His 676 rating points was also his best since last January.The other Sri Lanka batter to move up was Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored 166, and was involved in a 345-run stand for the fourth wicket with Karunaratne in Sri Lanka’s only innings. He gained seven spots to reach his career-best 28th position.Among Bangladesh batters, Mominul Haque’s 11th Test century, and first overseas, took him from 35th to joint 31st, while Vishwa Fernando was the only bowler to have a decent haul, and his 4 for 96 in the first innings took him to 43rd place.

Time is running out for Celtic to complete the rest of their incoming business as the summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday night.

The Hoops have added four new players to their squad since the end of the 2023/24 campaign, with two goalkeepers, a central midfielder, and a centre-forward coming in.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart retired when his contract expired at the end of May and the club reacted by signing Viljami Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel to compete for the number one shirt.

Brendan Rodgers also dipped back into the market to re-sign Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah on permanent deals after their respective loan spells at Parkhead last season.

The Northern Irish head coach looks set to do further business before the deadline passes on Friday after the club confirmed on Monday that central midfielder Matt O'Riley has left the club.

Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion swooped in to snap the Denmark international up on a permanent deal and that has left a gap in the middle of the park for Celtic, after his return of 18 goals and 13 assists in the Scottish Premiership last term.

The Hoops have reacted to that by making moves to add to their squad in that area of the park, as they are eyeing up a new midfield addition.

Celtic eyeing up midfield signing

According to Football Insider, Rodgers is pushing to secure a Celtic deal to sign Los Angeles FC central midfielder Mateusz Bogusz this week.

The report claims that the Bhoys boss is desperate to bolster his side in order to continue their dominance of Scottish football and to compete in the new-look Champions League format.

It states that the Scottish giants are now looking to bring the former Leeds United gem to Parkhead before the end of the summer transfer window on Friday, whilst they are also keen on Augsburg starlet Arne Engels alongside their pursuit of the Polish whiz.

The outlet adds that Engels and Bogusz have both been identified as top targets to come in and improve the team's options in the middle of the park, following O'Riley's £25m+ move to the Premier League.

It has previously been reported that the LAFC star is valued at around £8m and Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph claims that a bid has been lodged for him, with talks underway between the two sides.

If the Premiership champions can get a deal over the line for the 23-year-old talent before the deadline then Rodgers could land an exciting partner for Adam Idah at the top end of the pitch.

Adam Idah's potential for Celtic

Celtic showed that they have huge hopes for the Ireland international when they agreed a £9.5m deal to bring him back to Glasgow on a permanent basis this summer.

The Bhoys have agreed to an £8.5m fee with Norwich City and it could rise by another £1m if add-ons are met, which would make it a club-record deal – exceeding the £9m paid to Paris Saint-Germain for Odsonne Edouard in 2018.

Idah was handed his second full debut with the Hoops against St Mirren on Sunday and looked short of match sharpness, as he completed just five passes and missed one 'big chance' before being substituted.

However, his form during his loan spell at Parkhead during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign suggests that there is far more to come from the 6 foot 3 marksman.

He joined on loan from Norwich in the winter window and made an instant impact in Glasgow with his clinical performances in the final third.

Appearances

15

Starts

5

Goals

8

Big chances missed

7

Conversion rate

27%

Minutes per goal

76

As you can see in the table above, Idah only missed seven 'big chances' and scored eight goals in just five starts in the division, scoring more than one in every four shots on average.

These statistics show that the potential is there for him to be a lethal scorer for the Scottish giants if he can recapture and then build upon that form this term.

Celtic will need players who can support and create chances for him in matches on a consistent basis, though, and that is why Bogusz could be a dream signing for the Irishman.

Why Celtic should sign Mateusz Bogusz

The 23-year-old star has been in stunning form for LAFC in the MLS this year and his performances suggest that he has the potential to be a fantastic signing for Rodgers.

Firstly, Bogusz is a goalscoring midfielder who can also play as a centre-forward when required. His return of 13 goals in 24 MLS appearances this year speaks to his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

Those 13 goals also came from an Expected Goals tally of 6.97 and he only missed four 'big chances', which shows that the midfield whiz is a clinical finisher who can provide a huge goal threat from the middle of the park.

This could take some of the pressure off Idah's shoulders because Bogusz could run beyond him to chip in with goals to prevent the striker from being relied upon as the only source of regular goals.

Appearances

24

xG

6.97

Goals

13

Key passes per game

2.2

Big chances created

8

Assists

5

As you can see in the table above, the Polish maestro is also a creative midfield player who has the ability to split open opposition defences to create chances for his teammates.

Only Matt O'Riley (2.5) and Luis Palma (2.4) made more than 2.2 key passes per game in the Premiership for Celtic last term, which shows that Bogusz could come in as one of the most creative players in the squad for Rodgers.

The LAFC sensation, who was once described as a "dangerous" player by journalist Greg Beacham, could create opportunities on a regular basis for Idah to find the back of the net, which is another reason why he would be a dream for the £9.5m-rated centre-forward if Celtic can bring him to the club this week.

Alongside Engels: Celtic can ease O'Riley blow by signing "remarkable" gem

The Hoops have been linked with an interest in the young attacker this month.

ByDan Emery Aug 27, 2024

The team is without a handful of the regular players, including the centrally-contracted Mary Waldron

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2021Ireland have named a 15-player women’s squad for their T20I series against Scotland at Stormont this month, their first international fixtures since the T20 World Cup qualifier in September 2019. Laura Delany will captain the side.The tour has been postponed twice already, after plans to stage it in Spain – first in November, then in March – were abandoned at short notice due to Covid-related concerns and travel restrictions.Ireland are without a handful of regular players, including the centrally-contracted Mary Waldron, and five players on non-retainer deals in Eimar Richardson, Hannah Little, Louise Little, Una Raymond-Hoey and Sophie MacMahon.Five players – Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Jane Maguire and Jenny Sparrow – would be making their T20I debuts if selected. All have been involved in the ongoing Arachas Super Series – the domestic competition – over the past few weeks.Carrie Archer, the chair of selectors, said: “With an average age of less than 21, it is one of the youngest squads we have ever selected, but one full of talent and potential. With a big year ahead, it is vital that these players get as much competitive cricket as they can, and I have no doubt they will require little additional motivation to perform in this long-awaited return to the international arena.”With a number of players still overseas and unavailable, there is an opportunity now for several emerging players to make their mark ahead of the World Cup Qualifier tournaments later in the year.”Ed Joyce, the head coach, said: “It’s great to see players being rewarded for their performances in the Super Series – it goes to show all players that there is a defined pathway to international cricket and that performances are being recognised with higher honours.”Scotland have already named their squad for the tour, which will be captained by Kathryn Bryce. The series starts on May 23, with four T20Is due to be played in five days, all at Stormont in Belfast. May 25 is a reserve day for the first two fixtures.Ireland squad: Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Laura Delany (captain), Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Jane Maguire, Lara Maritz, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Jenny Sparrow, Rebecca Stokell

GOAL reviews key takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Reyna's big goal and Robinson's effort vs Liverpool

Even without Christian Pulisic taking the field, it was a big weekend for Americans Abroad. From much-needed goals to big performances in big games, there was plenty to be excited about.

Gio Reyna stole the show, no doubt, scoring a monumental goal for Borussia Dortmund. It was his first since May 2024, and it certainly felt like a turning point for the young American. With that goal, he now has 14, the most by a U23 American in a top five league, surpassing even Pulisic. It was a reminder of how young Reyna is and, at his best, how good he can be.

Speaking of the best, zoom in on Antonee Robinson, who stood tall against Liverpool. The Reds came all the way back for a draw, but Robinson was fantastic with two assists and one lockdown defensive performance against Mohammed Salah.

Things are trending upwards for the USMNT's big stars heading into 2025, particularly if Reyna can get going. GOAL looks at key takeaways from Americans Abroad.

Getty Images SportThe Premier League's best left-back

The social media chatter has been particularly active: “Antonee Robinson is the best left-back in the Premier League.” Some said it with their hearts. Some said it with statistics. On Saturday, anyone who wasn’t saying it saw it with their very eyes. 

Where do you even begin? Is it with the two assists in Fulham’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool? Is it the tireless work rate? Is it with the defensive masterclass against Mohammed Salah, the best attacker in the Premier League? Robinson did it all with the world watching. 

It’s not something said in jest – Robinson IS the Premier League’s best left-back. Often overlooked due to his consistency, he can’t be anymore. Perhaps he deserves to be playing at a higher level, but in other ways, there’s no chance he could be playing at a level higher than he is right now.

So put some respect on Robinson’s name. He continues to earn it in the biggest games.

AdvertisementGettyReyna creates his own momentum

He sure needed that, didn't he? Given the chance to start for Dortmund, Reyna scored exactly the type of goal to get himself back on track.

Just seconds into the second half, Reyna smashed home his first goal in more than a year, giving Dortmund a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim. They were unable to protect that lead, conceding a goal in the 91st minute, but, in terms of Reyna, this was a great day for the big picture.

After having a few decent moments against Barcelona midweek, Reyna finally made an emphatic statement. By crushing that goal, Reyna announced that he can be a real contributor for this Dortmund team. One swing of the foot doesn't erase how difficult it has been, but it's one hell of a start.

Now, it's all about how Reyna builds on this momentum. Can he hold onto this newfound starting spot? That's the aim. Reyna is still very much in prove-it mode, but, thanks to Sunday's goal, he has reason to feel confident heading into 2025.

AFPChampions League highs, Serie A lows for Juventus

It was ann odd week for the Americans at Juventus. Midweek was the highest of highs. The weekend? Well, it wasn’t that. 

After a Weston McKennie-Tim Weah connection led the way in a win over Manchester City, Juve’s poor run in Serie A continued on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Venezia. With that result, Juventus have now drawn four consecutive league matches, which isn't the formula for winning a Scuddeto now, is it?

McKennie was largely solid in midfield, continuing to build on his goal against City midweek. Weah couldn't quite make his mark in the attack, with Kenan Yildiz being more of a focal point on the other side. Meanwhile, fellow American Gianluca Busio stepped up with a good performance for Venezia, helping the relegation favorites steal a point from a visit to one of the league's giants.

Venezia will take that point and run, while Juventus will be extremely frustrated. Fresh off their biggest win of the season, Juve failed to carry on that momentum. Now, despite still being without a loss in the league, they sit nine points behind league-leaders Atalanta. Too many draws, too few points, and that lesson was driven home once again this weekend for Juventus.

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AFPPepi situation gets weirder

Entering the weekend, Ricardo Pepi had scored 10 goals in 613 Eredivisie minutes. PSV benched him on Saturday anyway. It proved costly. Pepi came on for the final 23 minutes, but was unable to save PSV in a 1-0 loss to Heerenveen.

It was just PSV's second loss of the league season, with the only other coming against Ajax in November. That Ajax game, conveniently, was when Luuk de Jong scored his most recent goal. The Dutch veteran has been PSV's starter since Pepi arrived and, despite the American's goalscoring run, seems to remain the preferred option up top for the Dutch giants.

Will that remain the case? Can PSV afford to not continue riding the Pepi train? Saturday showed that they may not be able to continue on without the striker, who has been too good to ignore all season long.

T20 stalwart reveals he taught Edwards the slower variation that dismissed Finch in the chase

Andrew McGlashan11-Jul-2021Dwayne Bravo is the second-most capped player in T20 history – his international captain Kieron Pollard is well ahead at the top – and there were examples of that wealth of experience dotted throughout West Indies’ hugely impressive performance in St Lucia.It had been five years since he had batted as high as No. 5 in international cricket and two years since he’d done it at any level. Having briefly looked as though his presence might stall the innings when he sat on 17 off 17 – especially with the fact that Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran and Fabian Allen were to follow – he then finished with 47 off 34 balls. It was both his longest and highest innings since making 55 off 54 against Pakistan in Dubai in September 2016.”It was always in the team plan if we bat first and we lose early wickets for me to go in and control the innings with the bat – it’s more my style of play,” he told the host broadcaster. “Pick up the ones and twos, lay that solid platform for the likes of Russell, Fabian, Pooran, if Polly is in the squad, to do what they have to do in the back end.”He did admit, though, to realising the batting power that was still to come. “I must be honest, at some point I was trying get out at the back end to allow Russell and these guys to finish off,” he said.Watch cricket on ESPN+

West Indies v Australia is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

The runs on the board were just one part of the role he played. There was the knowledge and advice he was able to bring to the match-defining 103-run partnership with Shimron Hetmyer. “I had never batted with Bravo before … he was just telling me to keep going and just do what you do best,” Hetmyer said. “I really trusted him batting and running between the wickets.”As Hetmyer cut loose in the latter part of the innings – turning 14 off 13 balls into 61 off 36 – Bravo had the best seat in the house.”We needed partnerships and the way Hetmyer batted in the first game and into this game, it’s just a pleasure to see him bat,” Bravo said. “He’s a batting leader in our group, we gave him the responsibility to take control of the batting and show some maturity. We all know how classy he is and how dangerous he can be, [the advice was] just to bat deep, it’s a ground that has a big wind factor advantage.”It’s just about guiding the younger players: Hety, Pooran, Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh…that’s the kind of information we keep feeding to these younger players.”In the field, Bravo remains very solid – notwithstanding one missed chance running from short third man – and while he claimed the late wicket of Dan Christian, his most significant contribution was not obvious on the scorecard.When Fidel Edwards removed Aaron Finch with a slower ball that cannoned off the pads into the stumps he immediately ran to Bravo – a master of such variations – in his celebration.”Two days ago I teach him how to do it,” Bravo revealed. “I said, you have the perfect action to bowl a different slower ball. I let him stand about five feet away from me and said Fidel, all you have to do with your action is sling the ball like this with pace but he didn’t have the confidence to do it in a game. So I said to him do a few in a practice. I said do it [in the game], nothing wrong with trying, so for me to see him have success I’m happy.”

The last couple of years have been a dream for Aston Villa football club, especially considering the precarious position they found themselves in just a couple of years ago.

They only secured survival on the final day of the 2019/20 season away at West Ham United, with the club undergoing a huge overhaul in recent years.

Significant investment into the playing squad has allowed for a huge turnaround, with Unai Emery’s side qualifying for the Champions League during the 2023/24 campaign after finishing in the Premier League’s top four.

Emery has been the man at the helm for their recent success, providing the supporters with memories to last a lifetime – with European football a distant dream before his arrival in November 2022.

He’s formed a fantastic squad with the help of President of Football Operations Monchi, with the pair working together to form a squad without one of the club’s most high-profile academy graduates.

Jack Grealish’s time at Aston Villa

After joining the club as a six-year-old, Jack Grealish rapidly developed through the club’s academy setup, before making his first-team debut back in 2014 following a successful loan spell at Notts County, where he registered 12 goal involvements in 39 games.

The forward is the definition of a modern-day club legend, staying at the club after relegation from the Premier League in 2016, and becoming a spearhead in the squad that eventually claimed promotion three years later.

He was named as club captain during the promotion-winning campaign, producing numerous moments of magic – including against bitter rivals Birmingham City after he was attacked by a supporter.

It was fitting that Grealish scored the goal to keep Villa in the Premier League back in 2020, with the boyhood fan going on to join Manchester City in a record-breaking deal 12 months later, departing Villa Park with 213 appearances to his name.

The attacker joined Pep Guardiola’s side in a £100m deal – the most expensive transfer for an English player at the time, before Declan Rice's £105m move to Arsenal last summer.

1. Jack Grealish

2021/22

£100m

2. Moussa Diaby

2024/25

£50.5m

3. Douglas Luiz

2024/25

£43.3m

4. Christian Benteke

2015/16

£39m

5. Stewart Downing

2011/12

£19.2m

Whilst it was a big call to let such a talented player leave Villa Park, the fee was too good to turn down, with the club currently having a player who is worth more than the English international in 2024.

Jack Grealish’s market value in 2024

Villa star Ollie Watkins enjoyed his best top-flight goalscoring campaign last season, bagging 19 goals in his 37 appearances – helping the club finish in the top four.

The 28-year-old “nightmare”, as described by Conor Coady, has been a constant source of goals for Villa after his £28m move from Brentford back in 2020, with Dean Smith's signing going on to register double figures in every campaign he’s featured in for the club.

His excellent form last season saw him receive a call-up to the England squad for Euro 2024, scoring the winning goal off the bench during the semi-final victory over the Netherlands.

Watkins’ superb showings over the last 12 months has seen his market value soar, with the striker now valued at £55m as per Transfermarkt – a figure that is higher than former fan-favourite Grealish, who’s now only valued at £50m just three years after his record-breaking move.

The striker is just one example of the club’s excellent recruitment in recent times, with his goalscoring abilities allowing the club to reach heights that were unimaginable just a couple of years ago.

The supporters and Emery will desperately be hoping that he can replicate his sensational form from last season in 2024/25 as the club embark on an unforgettable European adventure in the coming months.

Aston Villa struck gold on free signing who's now worth more than Martinez

The club have certainly bagged themselves a gem.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 3, 2024

Dusan Vlahovic has had an on-and-off relationship with Juventus since arriving almost three years ago and could now be on his way out.

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Juve consider selling VlahovicNo agreement reached over a renewalContract expires in June 2026Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Juventus and Dusan Vlahovic have reached a deadlock in negotiations over his contract renewal, and the club is now prepared to part ways with the Serbian striker, according to a report from La Repubblica (via Calciomercato). Vlahovic, currently the highest-paid player at the club with a €12 million net annual salary, may soon be playing in different colours if he decides to reject Juventus' request for a pay cut. The situation leaves his future at the club in serious doubt as the club seeks to reduce its wage bill.

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Vlahovic’s situation at Juventus involves significant financial figures as he will be entering the final year of his contract at the end of the ongoing season. Purchased from Fiorentina in January 2022, for over €85 million (including bonuses), the Serbia international signed a 4.5-year deal with a growing salary, now at €12m net (approx. €23m gross, without growth decree benefits).

The Serie A giants have been desperate to reduce their wage bill in recent years and Vlahovic will have to accept a pay cut or risk being frozen out if he insists in maintaining his current salary.

Vlahovic's cirumstances are similar to that of Federico Chiesa, who was also among the club's top earners and was eventually shipped out to Liverpool in a cut-price deal after refusing to accept lower wages.

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The former Fiorentina man's current salary, which exceeds the club's new cost-cutting plans, has created a standoff. Despite ongoing talks between Vlahovic's agent and Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, no agreement has been reached on a renewal that would reduce his fixed salary, either through cuts, restructuring with bonuses, or spreading the overall package over a longer period.

According to , if Vlahovic refuses to accept a pay cut, he could be sidelined from Bianconeri's technical project, similar to the situation with Chiesa last summer. A January sale without a renewal now appears increasingly likely, with Juve prepared to sell him on a cut-price deal.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DUSAN VLAHOVIC?

Vlahovic has scored 12 goals in 20 games in all competitions this season under new boss Thiago Motta. While he had a relatively quiet start to the season, where it seemed like he was finding it difficult to fit in Motta's tactics, the 24-year-old has improved his performances of late, scoring a goal in Juve's 4-0 victory over Cagliari in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 earlier this week. He will next be seen in action on Sunday, December 22, when Monza welcome Juve in Serie A.