It’s been an incredible week to be an Arsenal fan.

On Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side demolished Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.

And then, if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners brushed aside the excellent Bayern Munich to go top of the Champions League table.

There were sensational performances across the pitch for Arsenal, including from someone who is becoming something of a hybrid between Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka.

Eze & Saka's performances vs Bayern

While the likes of Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are getting most of the praise following Wednesday night, and rightly so, Saka also put in a performance to be proud of.

Now, it’s true that he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, but he did provide the assist for the opening goal and was a constant threat throughout his time on the pitch.

At certain points, he had to deal with three Bayern players on his own, but still managed to create two big chances, complete three of four crosses, take one shot on target and recover the ball twice.

It’s clear that the Hale End superstar is still not quite at his very best, but even without a goal to his name, he’s impacting games in a big way.

Likewise, Eze didn’t score a fourth goal in two games, but once again showed why he is one of the best number tens around against the German giants.

It was just before the visitors scored that he helped create a chance with some tidy footwork, only for him to just overhit the pass into Saka.

Then in the second half, every time he had the ball at his feet, he was looking to do something positive.

It was this mindset that saw him play an excellent ball over the top for Gabriel Martinelli to knock around Manuel Neuer and secure all three points.

Overall, Saka and Eze weren’t necessarily the best players on the pitch against Bayern, but they put in strong performances, and now it looks like Arsenal have a player who is becoming a hybrid of both.

Arsenal's Saka & Eze hybrid

With Saka undoubtedly being Arsenal’s most important player and Eze proving to be one of their best signings from the summer, a player would have to be pretty special to be described as a hybrid of the two.

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Fortunately, despite certain sections of the fanbase clearly thinking otherwise in the summer, Noni Madueke has proven himself to be just that.

Now, nobody is saying the former Chelsea ace is as good as his compatriots, but he certainly shares some similarities with them.

For example, like the former Palace star, he is someone who can make something happen from nothing.

Granted, that hasn’t necessarily translated into a goal or assist this season, but he is such a direct attacker that, with the ball at his feet, he can make opposition defenders panic.

Moreover, like the 27-year-old, given his ability to make something of nothing, Arteta seems to have given him more freedom to try things on the ball.

Arsenal writer Adam Keys perhaps put it best when, after his goal against Bayern, he described the 23-year-old as an “agent of chaos,” which is just the sort of player the North Londoners have been missing in recent years.

Madueke & Saka
Statistics per 90	Madueke	Saka
Expected Assists	0.26	0.27
Progressive Passes Received	12.9	12.4
Key Passes	2.29	2.21
Live Passes	32.9	33.5
Tackles Won	0.57	0.58
Successful Take-On %	42.1%	40.5%
Carries	26.9	29.5
All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 PL

Now, when it comes to Saka, the similarities come down to their left-footedness, their close control, and the fact that FBref ranked the Hale Ender as the sixth-most similar attacking midfielder or winger to Madueke in Europe’s top five leagues.

The best way to understand how they came to this conclusion is to look at the underlying metrics they rank closely in, metrics like expected assists, key passes, tackles won, successful take-on percentage and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while his signing was not universally celebrated across the fanbase, Madueke has proven himself to be a more than useful player for Arsenal, and the fact that he shares so many traits with Saka and Eze can only be a good thing.

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The outrageous Arsenal star was as good as Declan Rice in the Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 27, 2025

Celtic look set to finally confirm the appointment of their permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers in the dugout at Parkhead with the arrival of Wilfried Nancy from Columbus Crew.

Rodgers tendered his resignation at the end of October, after a 3-1 loss to Hearts, and experienced manager Martin O’Neill has taken the reins as interim head coach for the past month or so.

The former Celtic boss, as shown in the graphic above, won the Scottish Premiership title in his first two seasons back at Parkhead, and it will be down to Nancy to overcome Hearts to win the division in his first season.

Journalist Graeme Bailey claims that the Hoops are set to confirm the appointment of the MLS boss before the weekend, but that means that it remains to be seen if he will be in the dugout for the weekend’s clash with Hibernian.

Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen and Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna were also said to be in the running for the role, but it is the Frenchman who is poised to replace Rodgers.

Whilst Nancy will have to deal with the players that he inherits for the first month or so of his reign in Glasgow, the incoming boss has already been linked with a move to bring one of his Columbus Crew stars to Scotland.

The Columbus Crew star Wilfried Nancy could bring to Celtic

Earlier this week, it was reported that Celtic are lining up a move to bolster their attack by swooping for one of the French head coach’s key players from the MLS side.

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

Nancy is reportedly set to swoop for Columbus Crew centre-forward Wessam Abou Ali to provide him with a proven and lethal number nine at Parkhead for the second half of the 2025/26 season.

The Palestine international scored three goals in five MLS games for Nancy towards the end of the 2025 campaign, per Sofascore, after a £5.7m move from Egyptian giants Al Ahly back in July.

Prior to his almost £6m move to the MLS in July, Abou Ali’s form for Al Ahly in Egypt caught the eye, as he showcased his reliability in front of goal in the Egyptian Premier League.

Appearances

19

16

Goals

18

10

Minutes per goal

76

118

Big chances missed

5

1

Conversion rate

40%

23%

Big chances created

3

2

Assists

4

3

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old frontman scored a staggering 28 goals in 35 appearances in those two seasons, which shows that he can find the back of the net on a regular basis.

However, it remains to be seen how much money Columbus Crew would want for the prolific striker because they paid almost £6m for him earlier this year, and he has already scored three goals in five league games.

If the MLS side demand a hefty fee that Celtic are either unable or unwilling to pay in the January transfer window, Nancy will have to look at alternative ways to bolster his attacking ranks at Parkhead.

For example, the French boss could unearth his next version of Abou Ali by helping young striker Callum Osmand fulfill his potential when he is back fit and available for selection.

Why Osmand could be Celtic's own version of Abou Ali

The Jersey-born star is currently out with a hamstring injury and a timeline has not been given on his return date, so it remains to be seen when he will be available to the incoming Hoops boss.

With Kelechi Iheanacho and Osmand both missing through injury, Ireland international Johnny Kenny is the first-choice number nine at Parkhead. The young forward has had an impressive run under interim boss O’Neill with four goals in five matches, per Sofascore.

However, it may be the former Fulham youngster who is the most likely to emerge as the star goalscorer of the Nancy era when you consider his record at first-team and academy level to date.

Appearances

150

83

Goals

47

49

Games per goal

3.19

1.69

Assists

11

13

Games per assist

13.64

6.38

As you can see in the table above, Osmand has scored and created goals at a much more impressive rate than Kenny has throughout his career to date, with an exceptional haul of 49 goals in 83 matches.

Whilst the majority of those goals have been at youth level, the 20-year-old star also showcased his quality in the first-team with a poacher’s finish against Rangers in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden Park earlier this month.

Unfortunately, Osmand then suffered his hamstring injury off the bench against Midtjylland in the Europa League in the very next game, shortly after winning a penalty from which Reo Hatate scored.

The ex-Fulham youngster, who was also hailed as “lightning quick” by Fulham expert Jack Kelly, scored one goal and won a penalty in his first three first-team outings for the Scottish giants, which is an impressive start to senior football for the young attacker.

His exceptional goalscoring record in his career suggests that he has the potential to emerge as a real star for Celtic in the future, once he is back from injury, because he has the quality to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis.

Therefore, the summer signing could be unearthed as Nancy’s next version of Abou Ali, who has been a prolific scorer for his last two teams, as another number nine who can provide a lethal presence in front of goal, if the Hoops are unable to get a deal done for the MLS star.

£1.5m Celtic flop has been an even bigger waste of time than Balikwisha

This Celtic flop has been an even worse signing than Michel-Ange Balikwisha for the Scottish giants.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

It is no surprise to anyone that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been in such dominant form this season. The Citizens number nine cannot stop scoring, and already has 19 goals to his name from just 16 games so far in 2025/26, chipping in with an assist, too.

His form in the Premier League has been largely unstoppable. Haaland has found the back of the net 14 times in the English top flight, coming in just 12 appearances. In two of those games, the 25-year-old didn’t score. His form has been as good as ever for City.

However, it is not just at club level where Haaland has been in fine goalscoring form. Norway are reaping the benefits, too.

Haaland’s form in the November international break

Despite only playing 48 games for his country, Haaland has 55 goals already. That makes him the top goalscorer in Norway’s history, 22 clear of anyone else. Captaining his nation in the November internationals, he added four more goals to that tally.

The first of two braces Haaland scored during the international break came at home to Estonia. Two second-half strikes, six minutes apart, helped Norway to a 4-1 win, pushing them closer to automatic World Cup qualification.

Next up was a tougher assignment against Italy. The City striker, however, helped to brush the our-time World Cup winners aside, securing another 4-1 win.

The strikes came within a minute of each other, the first an acrobatic effort in the penalty box and the second an easy goal from close range, with City teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma unable to stop Haaland from scoring.

The goals from Haaland this week will certainly please the Citizens faithful. The fact that their talismanic number nine is continuing his deadly form ahead of a huge festive period surely means they can expect to see similar results at club level.

Haaland, however, was not the only City striker who shone during the November international break.

Man City’s other in-form international striker

There is one question surrounding Haaland, and that is who City have as an alternative to the striker. There is no obvious understudy in the first team, despite the likes of Omar Marmoush being able to operate as a nine.

Well, Pep Guardiola could always turn to the academy if needs be, where the club might have the homegrown Haaland in the form of Reigan Heskey. The 17-year-old is the son of former England striker Emile and has been impressing for City’s academy for several years.

Heskey, who was born in Liverpool, can operate on either flank or as a striker. He shone for City’s under-18s last season in the U18s Premier League, a competition in which he bagged 18 goals in 19 games and assisted a further seven.

Guardiola is possibly the most important person who could take note of this impressive form of the teenager. Well, the Spaniard gave Heskey his first-team debut this season, a seven-minute Carabao Cup cameo against Huddersfield Town, along with his brother, Jaden.

It is not just his club form that has been superb, but his form for England under-17s.

Heskey has been a key member of the Three Lions U17 World Cup squad this month, with football scout Antonio Mango describing him as “unstoppable this international break.”

The 17-year-old attacker played five matches in the competition, finding the back of the net four times and assisting three. He also averaged 1.9 key passes and three successful dribbles per 90 minutes, showing just how much of a threat he is.

Heskey – U17 World Cup stats

Stat

Per 90 mins

Tournament total

Goals and assists

1.4

7

Key passes

1.9

9

Big chances created

0.6

3

Dribbles completed

3

14

Tackles and interceptions

2.3

11

Stats from Sofascore

Heskey is certainly showing deadly form in front of goal, which Guardiola has already rewarded with minutes in the first team. If he continues on this upward trajectory, there is no reason to suggest he cannot break into the squad permanently a bit further down the line.

Haaland was not the only City striker in form for his country this month. Heskey has been on fire, and would love to keep this form going when he returns to club football.

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Posts 2 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 16, 2025

For the sixth time this season, Aaron Boone was ejected from a New York Yankees game. This time, he wasn't the only one, as he was accompanied by relief pitcher Devin Williams, who was also ejected Wednesday night. Boone was irate with the umpires over the strike zone after Williams surrendered four runs on one hit and three walks in his unsuccessful outing against the Houston Astros,

Boone was livid, and he gave home plate umpire Brian Walsh an earful as he delivered a scathing review of his performance behind the dish. Cameras caught much of Boone's tirade, and he wasn't holding back as he shouted at Walsh in frustration.

Among the comments made by Boone caught on the broadcast was the Yankees manager shouting, "You f––ing stink!" at Walsh before making his way to the dugout.

Williams was the first to go, as he had some choice words for the umpires after he was relieved by Camilo Doval during the eighth inning. Boone then came to the defense of his reliever before joining him in banishment.

Boone has been ejected 45 times in his eight years as manager of the Yankees, and he's tied with Cardinals manager Oli Marmol for the MLB lead in the 2025 season with six ejections.

The Yankees lost Wednesday's game, 8–7.

The New York Yankees didn't have Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, but late in a tie game, the team looked to the veteran slugger for some offense.

The Orioles were prepared for that, however. After Stanton entered the game as a pinch hitter, taking the place of Ryan McMahon, Baltimore opted to intentionally walk him to eliminate the home run threat.

Well, with Stanton being an absolutely abysmal baserunner, the decision to give him first base for free resulted in the end of his night. Aaron Boone quickly moved to pinch run for Stanton, who is a liability on the base paths, bringing in Anthony Volpe to take over at first base.

As quickly as Stanton's night started, it ended.

That's one way to make a contribution. Unfortunately, the Yankees weren't able to capitalize on Stanton's intentional walk, unable to get a run on the board to break the 1–1 deadlock.

Stanton's lack of mobility at this stage in his career means he's best served being utilized at DH. But with Aaron Judge occupying the role on Sunday, Stanton was out of the lineup and on the bench.

In 70 games this year, Stanton has a .916 OPS with 21 home runs and 56 RBIs.

تحدث تشابي ألونسو، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد عن مباراة فريقه أمام نظيره سيلتا فيجو ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

ومن المقرر أن يخوض ريال مدريد مباراته أمام سيلتا فيجو مساء غدٍ، الأحد، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ 15 من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشر بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

وقال ألونسو في المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بالمباراة والذي نقلته صحيفة “آس”: “أداء ريال مدريد كان جيدًا أمام بلباو، مباراة متكاملة، نأمل أن نجد أنفسنا بمشاعر إيجابية مع استمرار أداء بلباو، هذا ما تحدثنا عنه وعملنا عليه”.

وأكمل: “فالفيردي ظهير أيمن؟ علينا تقييم القرار الذي سنتخذه ولكن هناك خيارات أخرى، فيدي يضع دائمًا احتياجات الفريق في المقام الأول ولطالما لعب بمستوى عالي في هذا المركز ولكن قد تكون هناك خيارات أخرى، سنرى غدًا”.

وتابع: “أتذكر مباريات كان فيها مُتميزًا للغاية، برشلونة، يوفنتوس، نعرف مكانته جيدًا لكنه يُضحي من أجل الفريق جدًا، يُريد مساعدة الفريق والشعار، هو يجسد قيم النادي تمامًا ووجوده شرف حقيقي”.

وأردف: “مباراة بلباو نقطة تحول؟ لقد كانت مباراة جيدة، كما قلت مباراة متكاملة والآن نريد البناء على ذلك، الفوز بمزيد من المباريات والوصول إلى أعلى مركز ممكن في جدول الترتيب لأننا في أبريل ومايو نحتاج إلى أن نكون في المكان المناسب”.

وأوضح: “فينيسيوس؟ إنه في حالة رائعة على الصعيد الشخصي والمهني، يبدو سعيدًا للغاية، من المؤسف أنه لم يسجل أمام أولمبياكوس أو بلباو، لكن عندما تراه يبتسم، فهذا يُنعش الفريق حقًا، من الضروري أن يكون في هذه الحالة الذهنية، نأمل أن يكمل هذه المشاعر بهدف غدًا”.

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واستطرد: “مقارنة مبابي وكريستيانو؟ كيليان في طريقه لصنع التاريخ مع ريال مدريد تمامًا كما فعل كريستيانو، طموحه وأرقامه دليل على ذلك، إنه استثنائي، العمل معه يوميًا رائع، رغبته في التأثير على الآخرين، وطاقته الذي ينشرها بين زملائه، أمور مشتركة بينه وبين كريستيانو، هنا أرى أوجه التشابه بينهما”.

وبسؤاله حول الاختيار بينهما أجاب: “كريستيانو هو كريستيانو، وكيليان هو كيليان، كلاهما استثنائي، نحن محظوظون جدًا بوجود كيليان، وعلينا أن نستغل ذلك على أكمل وجه”.

وعن الإصابات استكمل: “نعمل جاهدين على إعادة تأهيل العديد منهم في أسرع وقت ممكن، ستكون هناك أخبار سارة على المدى القريب، هذه مراحل علينا التعايش معها، هدفنا هو عكس هذا الوضع بأسرع وقت ممكن ومنافسة ما لدينا”.

وعن جولر كشف: “يتمتع بالقدرة على اللعب في مستويات مختلفة، وممارسة درجات متفاوتة من التأثير حسب احتياجات الفريق، يجيد تنظيم اللعب وتمرير التمريرات الحاسمة بل ويصل حتى إلى منطقة الجزاء متأخرًا، يتكيف مع الظروف المحيطة به، هذه الموهبة تعطي مرونة على تكتيكات الفريق لكنه يتطور بسرعة وعلينا الاستثمار فيه كما ذكرت في كأس العالم لأنه استثنائي”.

واسترسل: “مفتاح تحسن الفريق؟ خضنا ثلاث مباريات دون فوز ولم نكن فيها على المستوى المطلوب، سواءً بالكرة أو بدونها لكن الثبات هو الفارق، بغض النظر عن أسلوب الخصم”.

وأكد: “مستقبلي؟ أنا بخير، شكرًا لك (للصحفي) أعرف وضعي جيدًا وأعرف متطلبات النادي، وأنني بحاجة إلى الهدوء اللازم للتركيز على ما هو أساسي، أن أكون ناقدًا لنفسي ولكن دون أن ألوم نفسي”.

وأتم حول لعب ميليتاو في مركز الظهير الأيمن: “إنه خيار من ضمن الخيارات المتاحة، علينا أن نرى ما لدينا في قلب الدفاع، أعتقد أنه كان ضد السنغال لعب كظهير أيمن مع البرازيل وقدم أداءً رائعًا، لديه هذه الموهبة، يُذكرني قليلًا بـ بيبي، كان تنافسيًا وكنت تعلم أنه أينما لعب، سيكون تنافسيًا، أينما كانت هناك حاجة لميليتاو، سيكون حاضرًا”.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has heaped praise upon Mason Mount after the English midfielder's stunning effort earned all three points for the Red Devils at Crystal Palace. The former Chelsea player has struggled since moving to Old Trafford, but will be hopeful that Sunday's performance can be the start of a turnaround in form at United.

• United recover to earn precious victory

  The writing looked on the wall for United when they fell behind in south London courtesy of a Jean-Phillipe Mateta penalty. The Eagles have an impressive record against the Red Devils and would have assumed that they were on for another victory when they opened the scoring. The flat performance of the visitors in the first half did little to suggest much to the contrary either, with another disappointing trip back up to the northwest of England beckoning for Ruben Amorim and his players.

  Yet, after the half-time interval, the United midfield helped turn around the display and the result. Fernandes was integral to the victory, registering two assists for Joshua Zirkzee and Mount and earning the Player of the Match award. United fans will have been worried when their skipper appeared to fall down injured late in the game, but Amorim has insisted the Portuguese maestro is not too badly hurt.

  After the game, Fernandes was highly complimentary of Mount. The pair had combined for the winner – Fernandes nudging the ball to Mount from a free-kick before the midfielder struck low into the net – and demonstrated signs of a partnership developing.

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  Mount centre of praise for Fernandes and Amorim

  Speaking to , Fernandes described Mount as a "great player" and was delighted to see his team-mate back amongst the goals.

  "Mason is a great player," Fernandes said. "His quality was never in doubt with his team-mates. Sometimes he struggled a bit for goals and assists and also with injuries, but when he gets his fitness, he is important."

  The words of Fernandes echoed those of his coach. Before the game, Amorim had said the 26-year-old is "really smart" and offers a goal threat that not many others in his squad possess.

  The ex-Sporting CP manager was proven right by his number seven.

• Milestone for Mount

  It was not only an important goal for Mount against Crystal Palace, but the midfielder also reached a long-awaited milestone. He played the full 90 minutes of a Premier League game for the first time in almost three years, with his last completed fixture coming in a Chelsea shirt, also against Crystal Palace in January 2023.

  It represents a huge step in the right direction for the United man, who has been plagued by a series of injuries throughout his time at Old Trafford. Mount’s time at Chelsea faltered and ended in a disappointing exit out the back door after a number of setbacks reduced him to a mere squad player.

  Mount exploded onto the scene as a youngster and quickly established himself as a key player in the Chelsea midfield. The Cobham graduate would go on to provide the match-winning assist for Kai Havertz in the Champions League final in his career highlight, but has not reached those heights again since.

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  Up next for United: West Ham at home

  With Mount seemingly beginning to put his injury woes behind him, Amorim can look forward to using the immensely talented player more often. Capable of playing as one of the two central midfielders or anywhere across the front-line of Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, Mount can offer something slightly different to any of United’s other options.

  Should Amorim be able to revitalise Mount and restore him to the player he was when he first took the Premier League by storm, United will start to think they struck gold with a player shunted out of Stamford Bridge.

  There is still a long way to go before Mount eclipses the levels he reached at the Blues, but his goal and 90 minutes at Selhurst Park is a start. He has a chance to build on Sunday’s performance with a game against West Ham at Old Trafford on Thursday.

If Daniel Farke is relieved of his duties soon by the 49ers regime, how will he be remembered among the die-hard Leeds United fanbase?

First and foremost, there will likely always be some fondness towards the German from the Elland Road faithful for being the manager who delivered a promotion back up to the Premier League, having collected the Championship title on a mighty 100 points.

But, in the here and now, that title success – and the subsequent parade that merrily went through Leeds city centre – feels like a lifetime ago, with the ex-Norwich City boss continuing to struggle in the Premier League as a head coach.

A change could soon come then, with the Whites now five defeats from their last six league games and stuck in 18th spot.

Unfortunately, though, Leeds haven’t always got it right when getting right of celebrated promotion winners in the past, with Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement coming in the form of Jesse Marsch, who could only muster up a weak 11 wins from the pressurised dug out.

On top of that, his track record in the transfer department left a lot to be desired when he was situated in West Yorkshire, with all of his hits, followed by a large list of poor misses.

Leeds’ top five most expensive signings
Player	Cost	The manager who signed them
1. Georginio Rutter	£35.5m	Marsch
2. Brenden Aaronson	£28.5m	Marsch
3. Rodrigo	£26m	Bielsa
4. Dan James	£25m	Bielsa
5. Luis Sinisterra	£21m	Marsch
Sourced by FFC

Ranking Marsch's signings at Leeds

Amazingly, Marsch would sign off on Leeds’ two most expensive captures of all time during his whirlwind 12-month stint in England.

Georginio Rutter never really kicked into gear at the Whites under the unpopular American’s management, but considering he managed to put away eight goals and 18 assists in the end, largely under Farke, he is definitely seen as a success story, having also banked Leeds £40m when he moved to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Another standout success story from Marsch’s spending is Wilfried Gnonto, even if he is not now a regular under the current regime.

Landing the tricky Italian for just £3.8m continues to stand out to his day as an almighty bargain, with the ex-FC Zurich attacker even managing to star under Marsch, when collecting three goals from just 12 games under his methods, which included this fierce effort being thumped home.

Unfortunately for Marsch, this is where his positives in the transfer department begin to dry up, with a vast majority of the ten other signings made under his short-lived tenure no longer at the club.

Luis Sinisterra would at least manage to bag a promising five league goals at Elland Road, to somewhat justify the lavish £21m dropped on his services, but much like Tyler Adams, Rasmus Kristensen, and Marc Roca who all joined the Leeds ranks together at the same time, this wave of disappointing pick-ups couldn’t leave the building any faster after relegation was confirmed.

Weston McKennie has also left a bad taste in the mouth up to the present as a failed loanee under Marsch, with the American midfielder registering just one forgettable assist from 20 appearances, which led to the ex-Juventus man labelling the short stint as one of the “lowest” points of his varied career.

The elephant in the room now is, of course, the fact that the current Canada boss was the figure who first brought Brenden Aaronson to English shores, with the former £28.5m purchase a constant source of frustration.

Marsch couldn’t quite get a tune out of the ex-Union Berlin man, despite working closely alongside him at RB Leipzig, with just one sorry goal all he could muster up, before his fellow compatriot’s dismissal.

Thankfully, Farke has managed to get the best out of the 25-year-old in flashes, particularly in the Championship. Yet, with just one goal and one assist all he wrote this season in the Premier League so far, the consensus will be that Leeds overpaid back in 2022 when securing the hit-and-miss playmaker’s services for £28.5m.

Aaronson’s record under Farke
Season	Games	Goals + Assists
25/26	13	1 + 1
24/25	47	9 + 2
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Still, Aaronson does have his nine strikes to fall back on during Leeds’ phenomenal promotion journey.

Whereas this summer recruit has little to cling onto, as he already looks to be an even bigger waste of money than Aaronson’s much-talked-about arrival.

Leeds have made a bigger error than Aaronson

Much like the West Yorkshire giants showed off during Marsch’s reign, significant wads of cash were also dropped in the off-season to try and prepare Leeds for the gigantic leap up to the Premier League.

A position that was in dire need of upgrading was definitely in between the sticks, with Illan Meslier overstaying his welcome as Leeds’ number one goalkeeper by the time a top-flight return was officially clinched, having become error-prone during the Whites’ vital promotion run-in.

Therefore, Leeds must have thought they’d hit the jackpot when they secured the services of Lucas Perri for a substantial £13.9m, with the Brazilian ‘stopper previously being tipped to be one of the “best in the world” in his position by his former manager Paulo Fonseca.

However, the top-flight newcomers have yet to see the calm and assured version of Perri that regularly shone for Lyon – with ten clean sheets falling into his lap last season in Ligue 1 – with the South American receiving plenty of pelters, instead, particularly when he conceded this Morgan Rogers free-kick last time out, as he bizarrely remained rooted to his spot.

Off the back of leaking this effort from Rogers, Perri has now given up a costly eight goals across his string of depressing clashes in November, with the underlying numbers overall – away from just goals conceded – also pointing in the direction of the number one being a colossal waste of cash.

Indeed, it’s unclear now if Leeds have even upgraded on a wobbly Meslier, with Meslier arguably a better option at this point, with his 21 clean sheets in the tough division to date an impressive tally, weighed up next to Perri’s two so far.

The drop-off from his standout Ligue 1 campaign last season is also extremely worrying, with Perri averaging a 74% pass accuracy in the French top division, compared to him now regularly mis-hitting passes, at a far lesser average of 57%.

Of course, the defenders do have to share their load of the blame here for the recent porous displays, but the backline cannot be confident whatsoever, having a ropey Perri behind them, with ex-Leeds player Jon Newsome rightly suggesting that Farke and the 49ers had “wasted funds” after the demoralising 3-1 defeat at the City Ground.

In another reality, Leeds might well have been better sticking with what they had over splashing £13.9m on Perri, with Aaronson at least putting in bright performances here and there this season, while the new ‘keeper has routinely suffered.

Indeed, one Leeds content creator would even hail his showing against West Ham United as “his best in a Leeds shirt”, with eight duels won against the Hammers, standing him in good stead for any relegation scrap that comes, away from also firing an effort home.

The relegation-threatened side would have hoped they’d moved past notable blunders in the transfer department when Marsch left the building, but it looks as if Perri could now be seen in the same light as failed faces such as Sinisterra and Adams down the line, particularly if relegation is grimly served up and the Whites struggle to offload him.

Leeds in one of the biggest transfer battles of all time for England midfielder

He could add so much quality and bite to the midfield.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 25, 2025

Newcastle United just cannot string together a consistent run of wins at the moment.

Indeed, Eddie Howe would have been hopeful that his side had turned over a new leaf when getting the better of Manchester City in Premier League action 2-1 last time out, but – again – home comforts clearly were in play, as the Toon have since succumbed to a 2-1 away defeat at Marseille in the Champions League.

On another night, however, Newcastle might well have walked away from the Orange Velodrome with another three points secured in Europe, with Harvey Barnes’ early opener suggesting that the Magpies would be successful on their travels.

Unfortunately for the away side, though, ex-Premier League goal machine Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would have other ideas, as his quickfire second-half brace sealed the win for the Ligue 1 hosts.

While the former Arsenal striker was his instinctive self throughout, he was undoubtedly helped by Nick Pope dropping even more clangers in between the sticks.

Why Nick Pope has to finally be dropped

It’s now three away games on the spin where the ex-Burnley goalkeeper has looked ropey and unconvincing.

He gifted Marseille a route back into the even contest on Tuesday night when rushing out of his net, only for Aubameyang to utilise his pace to comfortably place an effort past Pope, who was stuck in no man’s land after the “inexplicable” error, as it was branded by the Athletic’s Chris Waugh.

The immediate inquest now centres on whether Howe should get rid of the 33-year-old or not, with Aaron Ramsdale certainly a capable replacement, having previously kept 32 clean sheets on the books of Arsenal.

Still, despite all the rampant criticism coming his ‘keeper’s way, Howe would publicly defend Pope at the full-time whistle, stating that he “certainly” backs him, having saved his side “many times” in the past.

Yet, even with this very public vote of confidence, Howe must be aware that his usually trusted number one is declining, with another well-established defensive presence for the Toon, who lined up against Marseille, now also fearful of his starting spot moving forward.

Howe must also bench another Newcastle hero

At this point in time, the 47-year-old could well find he’s on the chopping block sooner rather than later, if he doesn’t drop the likes of Pope, even if they have been regular fixtures of his reign so far.

Fabian Schar also falls into the category of a long-standing servant who likely isn’t the required standard of the first team anymore, even with 241 games under his belt at St James’ Park, and the label of being a “total one off” handed to him by his manager for what he provides for the club at his very best.

Schar’s performance in numbers

Stat

Schar

Minutes played

61

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

30

Accurate passes

13/16 (81%)

Possession lost

5x

Tackles won

0/0

Interceptions

1

Clearances

7

Blocked shots

0

Recoveries

1

Total duels won

0/3

Stats by Sofascore

Based on the table above, though, he is experiencing a swift decline akin to the Toon number one right now, with the Swiss international winning zero of his attempted duels, during his 61 minutes on the pitch.

On top of that, the ageing centre-back would only manage to complete 13 accurate passes all night long, with Aubameyang no doubt feeling even more confident in front of goal, knowing he had the shoddy duo of Schar and Pope to get the better of.

With only five Premier League starts next to his name this season, too, it’s clear that Schar is no longer a guaranteed first-teamer under his manager, with talk also centring on the ex-Deportivo defender being resigned to walking away from Tyneside when his contract expires next year.

As the new breed of Newcastle stars coming through in Malick Thiaw continue to shine, with the German completing 36 passes and winning four duels in France, it’s now very clear that the old guard at St James’ Park are rusty, and cannot be kept in the side long-term.

The obvious alteration to make is to drop Pope, after another “moment of madness” cost his side dear, as his rush out of the goal was branded by journalist Mark Douglas.

But, Schar isn’t above criticism, either, with both well-established Toon servants in very grave danger of dropping out of their manager’s XI for the upcoming away trip to Everton.

Related As bad as Pope: Howe must drop 4/10 Newcastle dud who made just 14 passes

Newcastle were defeated at Marseille in the Champions League.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 26, 2025

Surrey and Reliance intend to finalise Oval Invincibles deal imminently after lengthy process

Matt Roller07-Oct-2025An influential administrator in Australian cricket has been appointed to the Trent Rockets board, with the Nottingham-based team becoming the seventh of eight deals to be finalised in the Hundred’s private investment process.John Knox, the chair of Cricket New South Wales, is also a partner and head of Australia/New Zealand at Ares Management, one of two private equity firms who agreed a £40 million deal to buy a 49% stake in Rockets earlier this year. Their deal to run the franchise as a joint venture with majority partners Nottinghamshire was formalised last week.It means that Surrey’s partnership with Reliance – the owners of Mumbai Indians – to run Oval Invincibles is the only deal that remains to be finalised. ESPNcricinfo understands that the involvement of over a dozen lawyers in the process has slowed progress, but that both parties hope to sign contracts later this week.Related

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The ECB said in July that the remaining two deals were “set for formal completion at a later date” after investors were “offered the option of completing later” than initially planned. The process of finalising arrangements has dragged on far longer than first anticipated, when the board set an eight-week ‘exclusivity period’ at the end of the auction process in early February.ESPNcricinfo understands that Knox’s new role on the Rockets board is independent from his role at Cricket NSW, which he has held since 2018. Knox was considered influential in the removal of Earl Eddings as Cricket Australia chair in 2021, and successfully pushed for the Cricket NSW board to assume gender diversity targets last year.Knox’s involvement at the Rockets comes at a time when Cricket Australia are actively exploring private investment in the Big Bash League. He told the earlier this year that he considers cricket to be his “life’s passion” and that he views T20 cricket as a “tremendous… growth opportunity”.John Knox has served as Cricket New South Wales chairman since 2018•Cricket New South Wales

He will serve as one of three directors on the Rockets board from the new investors’ side. Knox will be joined by Jonathan Goldstein and Joe Stelzer, who are Cain’s chief executive and senior managing director respectively. Nottinghamshire’s four board seats will be filled by senior figures at the club including director of cricket Mick Newell, who doubles as Rockets’ general manager.Rockets suffered a blow last week when Andy Flower, who has coached their men’s team throughout the Hundred’s first five seasons, signed a multi-year deal to take over from Justin Langer at London Spirit. They have not yet lined up a successor, and identifying the right replacement will be an early priority for the new board.The sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises raised over £500 million which will be split across the English game and help to ensure the survival of all 18 first-class counties. Gloucestershire announced last week that they had cleared all debts after “more than 20 years” of borrowing, which treasurer Nick Bryan said was a “seminal moment” for the club.