Chelsea Transfers

[ahmedou 188]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL4pDCCiSlq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

[whats happening 1,615]

[Fabrizio Romano] Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham, here we go! Spurs trigger £60m release clause after direct contact with Forest today. Medical booked and set to take place in 24h, as @TeleFootball @mcgrathmike reported. Follows Kudus deal done, massive moves for Spurs project .

[Pizy 18,877]

Spuds going to buy only #10’s this window? When they already have Maddison?

These are solid players they’re buying but I don’t see how you fit Kudus, Maddison, Gibbs-White, and Kulusevski in the same team. Guess the answer is you don’t but it would be weird for Frank to come in and immediately bench Spuds’ best players for these expensive new signings. 

Very un-Spuds like transfer window. Seems they’re actually going to be spending serious money.

[nyikolajevics 2,690]

5 hours ago, mkh said:

Arsenal are also believed to be confident that Ethan Nwaneri will sign a  new contract at the Emirates despite interest from Chelsea and German clubs in the 18-year-old.
(@ed_aarons )

😔

"Believed to be confident"

The art of saying nothing.. 

[Vesper 30,119]

39 minutes ago, whats happening said:

[Fabrizio Romano] Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham, here we go! Spurs trigger £60m release clause after direct contact with Forest today. Medical booked and set to take place in 24h, as @TeleFootball @mcgrathmike reported. Follows Kudus deal done, massive moves for Spurs project .

Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White set for Tottenham medical

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6485577/2025/07/10/morgan-gibbs-white-tottenham-transfer-forest/

Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is set for a medical at Tottenham Hotspur.

Gibbs-White has been high on the recruitment lists of several leading clubs but Spurs are set to bolster new head coach Thomas Frank’s squad further ahead of the new season with the 25-year-old, who has a £60million release clause in his contract at the City Ground.

Gibbs-White moved to Forest from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2022 and has become one of the Premier League’s most impressive players, while also earning recognition at international level for England.

Recently-appointed Spurs boss Frank is a long-term admirer of Gibbs-White and switching to north London would give him a chance to play Champions League football.

Gibbs-White was strongly considered by Manchester City heading into this transfer window, however, they ultimately favoured the acquisitions of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.

What You Should Read Next

Morgan Gibbs-White – the mischievous schoolboy who became a ‘special’ footballer

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Gibbs-White signed a contract until June 2027 when he joined from Wolves for a fee of up to £42.5million (now $57.6m) including bonuses.

The Englishman starred for Forest in 2024-25, registering seven goals and 10 assists as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side secured a seventh-place finish in the Premier League and qualified for the Conference League next season. He has 18 goals and 28 assists in 118 matches during his three years at Forest, where he has captained the side on occasion.

Spurs, meanwhile, have already agreed a £55m deal to sign West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus and have completed the signing of Japan international defender Kota Takai. Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have also joined permanently following loan spells last season. They qualified for the Champions League after beating Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final.

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Worrying news for Forest fans

Analysis by senior writer Danny Taylor

There is no denying the fact that, if you are a Nottingham Forest supporter, this is exceedingly worrying news.

Fresh from the news that Anthony Elanga is joining Newcastle United for £52m, most Forest fans might have been forgiven for thinking that would end any further discussion about the possibility of losing another of their other key performers.

That, however, is not the case and the prospect of losing Gibbs-White will be hard to take given his emergence as a high-calibre Premier League player, winning England recognition in the process.

 

Elanga, who scored six and assisted 11 Premier League goals last season, is poised to move to Newcastle United (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Why are Spurs trying to sign him? Well, the bottom line here is that he would be an ideal wearer of the club’s colours. And the advantage for Spurs, of course, is that they can offer him Champions League football as well as a substantial pay rise.

Yes, we are talking about a side that finished 17th last season, ten places behind Forest, but this is still an exciting period for the side under Frank.

If they can arrange a deal for Gibbs-White in addition to the one they have struck for Kudus, they have even more reason for optimism that they can re-establish himself themselves as a top-six club.

An exciting move for Spurs – but would it be the right one?

Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris

Ange Postecoglou must be looking on with envy at the moves Spurs are making in the transfer window this summer. Last year, the only player they signed who immediately improved the starting XI was Dominic Solanke in a club-record deal worth £65m. They spent the rest of their money on talented teenagers Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert but it left their squad light in lots of areas.

It feels like they have a completely different attitude in this window under Frank. They should complete the signing of Ghana international Kudus by the end of the week and landing Gibbs-White would only make their fanbase even more optimistic about the future with Frank.

When Frank was in charge of Brentford, they were interested in signing Gibbs-White before he joined Forest. Frank mainly used a 4-2-3-1 formation at Brentford last season and Mikkel Damsgaard thrived as the No 10, recording 10 assists which was the joint-fourth best record in the league. Gibbs-White could perform a similar role for Spurs or sit slightly deeper alongside a defensive midfielder.

With the expanded version of the Champions League on the horizon, Spurs need to bulk up their squad but it is already packed with attacking talent. Gibbs-White possesses the quality to start every week but where does that leave James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski? Kudus can play on the right but operates centrally for Ghana. It would be an exciting move but some Spurs fans might argue that the priority should be sourcing an upgrade on Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur at No 6.

[Vesper 30,119]

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/everton-target-four-major-transfers-consider-surprise-return-3792731

Signing Thierno Barry from ­Villareal – a £27.5m move that could be completed this week – is part of the solution and would represent their biggest statement of intent under the Friedkin Group ownership. 

But Everton’s recruitment efforts are also focused on spreading out a budget of around £100m to make sure they have upgrades across the squad.

It is, as one insider admitted to The i Paper recently, something “no other Premier League club has tried to do before”.

The i Paper understands they have a number of ambitious targets, with a £25m move for Manchester City’s James McAtee among the more eye-catching moves being considered.

McAtee has interest from the Bundesliga – Borussia Dortmund are one of several clubs in Germany monitoring him – but Moyes is also a big admirer and there has been dialogue with City.

[DH1988 1,348]

1 hour ago, whats happening said:

[Fabrizio Romano] Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham, here we go! Spurs trigger £60m release clause after direct contact with Forest today. Medical booked and set to take place in 24h, as @TeleFootball @mcgrathmike reported. Follows Kudus deal done, massive moves for Spurs project .

Brilliant signing for them, irrespective of current players that can play there, smart buy, I rate it. However, I now hate him due to being a Spurs player.

[Mário César 1,249]

Feeling bad for Nottm

They are losing their best players

[TheHulk 2,424]

Slow day today.. considering how many we need to shift this summer you would think there would be more activity.

[Pizy 18,877]

31 minutes ago, TheHulk said:

Slow day today.. considering how many we need to shift this summer you would think there would be more activity.

Everything probably on hold til after the final on Sunday. Then we’ll probably quickly see a bunch of outgoings.

[iceboy 1,018]

Official: Kudus to Spurs.

[Vesper 30,119]

the following excerpts are taken from an article in re Arsenal, but has great info on winger targets

Scouting wingers

https://billycarpenter.substack.com/p/scouting-wingers

snip

It’d be a misnomer to say that Barcola is an up-and-comer, or a promising talent, or whatever. He may not be in his final form. But he’s a superstar already.

Here, I’ll crib from Kim’s post at The Transfer Flow:

 

Look and laugh:

• 99th percentile xG

• 98th percentile open play xG assisted

• 97th percentile dribble & carry on-ball value

• 99th percentile touches in the box.

• All replicated in the Champions League.

Ha, ha, ha.

I saw him the normal amount (five times?) this year, and then speed-ran four matches for this, and created a big playlist of actions from there.

Yeah. He ticks every box. He’s fast, penetrative, a great associator, helpful, flexible, smart, a good off-ball mover, hard-working, and proven at the highest levels. Even though he had to rotate with PSG’s famously murderous group of attackers, he logged 39 fucking G+A across competitions last year.

He does this with a breezy directness. He’s blazing fast over short distances, and when he’s running at defenders, they often just wave a white flag and backpedal. His dribbling is somewhat unique, mostly about explosive strides, glides, and assertiveness. His retention isn’t where it should be: while dribble success rate doesn’t really matter, 25% is too low. It felt somewhat tactical to me, like his role was to go, go go, regardless of the circumstance; he’s been more retentive in the past. But you can’t argue with the results. It still injects unpredictability into everything, and output shortly comes.

There’s serious playmaking, too. His passing, particularly cutbacks and low crosses, is refined and intelligent. He’s got an innate sense of timing, and 17 league assists over two seasons to prove it.

His natural rhythm (pulling defenders wide, then sharply releasing a ball into central areas, with either foot) is impressive, although occasional sloppiness can still creep in.

It’s not limited to moments with the ball at his feet. This is where he separates himself from many other 1v1 threats. He frequently initiates his positioning wide, stretching the defensive shape, before slicing diagonally into half-spaces or behind defensive lines.

His late runs to the far post for cutbacks and crosses are consistently dangerous, leveraging his speed and even his height-slash-length (6’1”) to finish first-time. This threat profile makes him potent both in structured attacks and fast breaks.

He’s got that satisfying “easy power,” with the shades of those Thierry Henry finishes, effortless yet powerful, often into the side webbing. He generates that clean, pendulum-like contact that looks deceptively casual.

But it can really fluctuate in accuracy, too, and he tends toward his right foot significantly. I’d expect him to continue to fight bouts of coldness or variance, with misses that seem out-of-character given the quality he shows at his best. He very rarely shoots from outside the box, and I don’t believe he has a single goal from there in Ligue 1. Still, there’s a confident swagger to his finishing that suggests even more potential.

Defensively, Barcola is engaged in pressing and disciplined enough to handle PSG’s pretty demanding off-ball system. He’s got endurance and can cover considerable ground at pace. Earlier concerns from his Lyon days about his physicality have been dispelled by his adaptation at these levels. He had periods where he’d flow in and out of games, or look less engaged back then, but I haven’t really seen it at PSG.

I’d expect him to be a purer left-wing at Arsenal, but he can play on the right, and is comfortable rotating across zones. He naturally understands spacing, able to drift inside or outside based on the striker’s movement, ensuring he’s consistently available in optimal attacking areas.

While he can theoretically play across the front line or even as a makeshift stretch nine, his skills are most effectively harnessed on the left, often out on the touchline, where his full toolset is most dangerous.

Refinements to his dribbling efficiency and finishing consistency could elevate him further, but his foundation, current state, and production are all exceptional already.

I’d give PSG a big bag and figure out the other signings later.

Doesn’t seem likely though, does it?

 

We certainly don’t mind the idea of a Real Madrid cast-off, do we?

Rodrygo is 24 years old and has already played in over 250 matches for Real Madrid, scored in a Champions League semi-final, and lifted the trophy twice … and yet it looks like he could be on the way out. It’s getting real.

Alonso took charge at Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup and at that point Rodrygo’s future appeared undecided, but now sources at the club, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, have told The Athletic that Madrid and the coach agree the club will not stand in the player’s way if a suitable offer is made.

There’s an interesting subtext: Arteta and Xabi Alonso share a deep friendship from their youth days, and may be passing notes on the situation.

Regardless, this is a rare opportunity, and if the next club gets the context right, there’s a very real chance they unlock a version of him that becomes one of the better players in the world.

But that’s part of the question: is he just very good, or potentially great?

Watching him presents an interesting puzzle. On top of his obvious gifts, he’s also layered and subtle, and defies neat explanation. I speed-ran five of his games for this, and it felt vaguely challenging at times: sometimes scouting a player who has played such a visible role in high-level football, and is so embedded in the collective consciousness, can feel like trying to describe air or water.

Here’s where he’s been of late (high right).

His standout traits are still in ball-striking, association, quickness, and space interpretation. On his strengths, he can sit with anybody.

I’ve found myself most impressed with his ability to “tilt.” Look at how easily he slightly changes direction while carrying at full speed, little leans left and right, with the ball never an inch away from his foot, all while surveying options. I’m not comparing levels, but that’s the Messi superpower.

 

While he can cause some disorder himself, especially when gaining attention on the carry, he is exceptional at reading and exploiting gaps opened by others. He makes consistently intelligent off-ball runs, particularly in transitions or against disrupted shapes. Remember this one against City?

His timing when arriving late and central into the box is impressive, and it’s where he has some real strikery instincts. He can always find the soft spot.

As a ball-striker, he’s pretty exceptional. There’s snap, composure, and a bit of violence. He finishes confidently with both feet and offers variety, capable of scoring everything from close-range tap-ins to delayed shots from tricky angles (and even free-kicks). He has an interesting, patient sense of timing. There’s a minor risk that more windows close on him in the Premier League, but I’m not too worried.

Out wide, he’s quick-footed, sharp with his touches, and can shift direction neatly. He’s not the 1v1 demon dribbling tornado that Vinícius or Doku might be. His strength is in nuanced control and agility, but he also occasionally tries to get all the way to the goal from the halfway line.

A lot of dialogue is about Rodrygo’s role, so let’s dive into that. From The Athletic:

 

Source: The Athletic

It won’t be breaking news to say that Rodrygo’s best performances come when he's not on the right. They also don’t come when he’s tasked with a boring width-holding role. Another one, again from The Athletic:

 

This mostly comes down to his receiving and shooting angles. Below, you can see that he has shot from all over while mostly playing right-wing, but if you’re looking for blues (on target) and fuschias (goals), you’ll find more on the left and middle, and fewer on the right (or on far-post tap-ins).

 

Source: Wyscout

It’s not rocket science. He just rips better from over there.

That isn’t to say he’s an ineffective player from the right. He’s just not nearly as special of one. As nuance: when we were doing our scouting on Real Madrid before that tie, we saw how important his contributions were. If he got the ball enough, the team was more balanced, and Real Madrid played at their best.

Lewis-Skelly limited his impact, and it played a big role in the lack of sustained threat from Real Madrid.

In attack, he naturally drifts inward from wide positions, thriving with full-backs, midfielders, or strikers who provide some chances to give-and-go. His interplay is excellent; in particular, I think he and Calafiori will really like playing with each other, as they have the same brains for give-and, ahem, Goes. He excels at drawing defenders into uncomfortable positions and releasing the ball cleverly to teammates, creating openings others might not see, and then running right behind them. He can ride contact on his shoulders but isn’t the strongest with his back to the goal. There’s a question about whether he will get shoved off the ball a little bit too much.

He’s an intense, high-stamina runner and presser. Out-of-possession, he can really shape the opponent’s actions because he runs so much, which forces backward or sideways passes. He can consistently track runners in transition, and while his defensive work rate is great, it may be overrated slightly because his final interventions and leans aren’t overly muscle-y.

Either way, his effort is fully Arteta Standard.

A big question is how effectively his skillset translates consistently against physical Premier League blocks, especially in isolated situations. He doesn’t typically dominate through sheer individual power or relentless dribbling. But I also don’t really think a system change is necessary, and think he can thrive with a full-back who is merely fluid: it doesn’t need to be a pure overlapper, just somebody comfortable in three different points in the “triangle” over there. With his associative qualities, quick decision-making, and tactical intelligence, Rodrygo can flourish in a structured, possession-oriented attack, ideally alongside teammates who can rotate and zag.

He and Gyökeres could work well, positionally: Gyökeres sprinting through the left channel to receive, Rodrygo flowing back through the middle. Rodrygo does like a playmate, and I wonder if Havertz might be better at those quick handoff-style passes, whereas Gyökeres is more greedy.

The other thing to mention is that he does suffer from bouts of inconsistency. I generally find talk of player inconsistency to be dubious, as it often involves similar levels of baseline play, but fluctuations in fitness and finishing variance. But watching him over the years, it sure does feel true that Rodrygo has a few weeks every year where he looks like one of the best players in the world, and other periods where he seems less impactful. How much to make of that is up to you.

But here’s the thing. He’s a 24-year-old with 127 G+A across comps, including 37 G+A in the Champions League. It’s fairly easy, and true, to say that the bulk of that has come without ideal conditions for him to rack up goals personally. If he moves, he’ll have a lot to prove, and it’s not hard to see him logging some years that feel like some midpoint of peak Mané, Sané, Sterling, or whoever comes to mind for you. There’s a bit of risk of physical adjustment, too: he might be a “tweener” forward that is simply quite good but doesn’t have the physical power and ego to reach the very final echelon.

While I think Rodrygo is better than Martinelli, I don’t think simply swapping them out is enough of a cure for what ails Arsenal to justify a big outlay, as the team would still be short on pure pace. The team needs to get comfortable with serious depth across the frontline, and Martinelli is an ideal fourth forward: fast, defensive, team-oriented, talented, capable of winning games late.

Rodrygo, meanwhile, can be plugged in as a locked-in starter at LW but is also serious depth at striker, right-wing, and even #10. I keep coming back to the simplest logic: many deals are complicated, but Real Madrid should want to do this, Arsenal should want to do this, and Rodrygo should want to do this. The stars feel like they align.

Cost-wise, the Julián Alvarez deal was £64m (€75m) up-front, scaling up to £82m (€95m) based on add-ons. That total package would definitely be too high here, because of the physical scaling question: Premier League to La Liga is more of a sure-thing than the opposite. But the upfront fee feels like a fairly realistic place to anchor. Wages are an open question.

Basically, if possible, I think Arsenal should really push for it.

I know that’s not exactly a bold take.

 

I’ve made no secret of my love for Eberechi Eze over the years.

He is probably the single non-Arsenal player in the world I like the most. He represents everything I treasure about the game: brains, technique, joy, and ideas. And I’ll work him into any conversation; I just saw that I mentioned him three times in my striker article, haha. He was #2 in BALLER, after Williams.

Hello, old friend.

His development period was instructive for a lot of reasons. From a former coach:

“You could see he was growing into his body. He wasn’t particularly quick or strong. That allowed him to concentrate on his technique and get out of trouble with his passing and movement. Young players who aren’t physically ready at that age learn different ways to survive. Now he has that physicality as well, he has that technique honed through his career.”

In general, we’d be better off if we stopped looking for players without weaknesses, which may even be temporary. We are neuroplastic. That very weakness may be leading to extra superpowers elsewhere. Have you ever noticed that some of the most freakishly athletic players can make the worst decisions? It’s likely because, growing up, their decision-making wasn’t put into the crucible as much.

Here was a simpler message from me last June:

You, me, everybody can talk through the intricacies of the attacking profile to target and all that (and we should). But we all know that if Eze actually happened, every last one of us is saying “fuuuuck yes.”

Before that, he was #2 after Nico Williams in the BALLER rankings.

I find Eze to be one of the easier-to-appreciate players in the world. I’ve seen people beat Declan Rice before, but I’m not sure I’ve seen others confuse him on the tackle. Eze had him late-lunging all over the place.

When we go through the list of ways for Arsenal to improve, Eze is additive to a lot of them. He has a high degree of risk tolerance (and skill) through the middle, can be a dangerous dribbler (riding challenges easily) or a retentive one, and has all kinds of ideas that can unsettle a block. He’s great at creating shots for himself (3.59 shots/90), has a good swing, and will be able to start in 3-4 positions across the frontline and you’d be happy every time you see him the sheet. There are no indications that he wouldn’t succeed under the Champions League lights.

He was Arsenal and he still feels Arsenal.

I then also laid out some of the headwinds to a deal:

The issue with Eze is actually hinted at in that interview with Lynch, when he said this about the attacker: “It was almost like he ran quicker with the ball than he did without.”

Now, that’s a nice compliment, but it shows how Eze doesn’t perfectly align with the specific need of the day. He is not slow, but he is no stretch winger — he wants to have the ball at his feet, and doesn’t demonstrate the burst to lose a good full-back in behind, or drive down the touchline without a Kyle Walker gaining ground. I have no doubt he could be a good winger at Arsenal, and will offer immediate improvement to that left side, but it may push too many of his extraordinary talents too far from goal and strip him of some of his liveliness. Inserting him directly in the left-8 spot may result in some balance issues elsewhere, and you don’t necessarily want him floating down into the pivot to spur progression (that would probably fall to Ødegaard, which has its own tradeoffs).

You also never feel great about an Achilles rupture. But he seems to be all the way back athletically, which is the primary concern.

In summary:

He clears the “do you want this flexible player at your club for five years?” test with ease. He clears the “does he solve the immediate problem before us?” test with less room.

Every “perfect” option is 100m+.

The rest have some trade-offs.

I find myself quite comfortable with those of Eze.

Recruitment is more complicated than “buy who you love.” Despite all I’ve said, it’s worth double-checking all our priors. I watched a good amount of Eze back for this and tried to learn some new details about him.

Here’s an oversimplified look at his role. He’s a wingery left-10, with a lot of freedom to roam in the pockets.

Transitional quality isn’t just about running in straight lines. It’s about burst, timing, deception, power-carries, composure under pressure, combination play, and the ability to manipulate defenders into committing and then playing past them. Eze has all of that. He’s constantly turning, slipping past markers, and finding the right pass at full speed. I’d still like another burner in the squad, but it’s not a question about transitional capacity with him.

He’s a sharp receiver in central areas, especially in tight spaces.

Here’s him winning it deep. You can see how much leverage, getting low, “body as barrier,” hand-checking there is to get free from one of the world’s most yappy defenders.

He can sometimes be a touch overconfident in his ability to wriggle out of anything, but I’ll always prefer that to a hoofer.

I do find it interesting that his progressive carry numbers don’t quite reflect the image you’re left with when watching him: explosive through contact, able to ride a challenge and keep moving, and frequently opens up the pitch after just a few touches. I’d guess his progressive numbers suffer because of his high positioning (i.e., he’s already high), but it’s worth a pause.

As a runner, his off-ball movement is much better than I previously understood. One of the games I went and watched back was against City, and there were several moments where he dragged defenders, paused his run, and re-engaged with perfect timing.

You can often see this with England, where he often plays a more probing role.

Against Chelsea, his supporting run made all of this possible.

This one, too.

And his most repeatable version of these runs is from left-to-right, keeping the full-back behind him and getting lost in the RCB’s blind-spot.

The data backs it up, too. He scores really well on SCOUTED’s “Mo Salah Metric.”

His runs in behind seem plenty respectable, and are replicated across years. His passes in behind are super-high. The combination is right where you’d hope it’d be.

He can play off the left, on the right, in the Ødegaard spot, and as a false nine. Something to remember is that depth doesn’t have to be about rigid positional cover: Eze can cover Saka and/or Ødegaard, even if he does it in a different position, technically. He can do a lot of things.

He’s best when he doesn’t have to defend deep or play in a rigid block, which makes him a slightly awkward fit for the current left-eight role in our structure. There are nonetheless dreams of “Rice behind two 10’s against a low-block.” You can feasibly support that with a 4-1-4-1 defensive structure, where the ball-side CM is jumping out and the other is plunging the pivot. But you’d only want to do that if you’re not in your block a whole lot.

Still, as a winger in a 4-3-3, especially in a low-block game state, he can definitely do the job, and I don’t think he needs dramatically different circumstances than Arsenal can offer him.

His setups for dribbles and crosses from the left are generally polished. His “intention neutrality” is strong: maintaining open hips and a balanced stance, often holding shape just long enough to threaten moves both inside and outside: defenders aren’t confident about playing him one way or another, so a lot of times they just fall back. It moves him further from the danger zones at times, but he’s still effective. His deployment on the wing may not be your first choice, but it shouldn’t be dismissed.

You don’t hear a lot about “link play” with non-strikers but he’s great at it: lay-offs, bounce-passes, quick one-twos, that kind of thing. You can shuffle the ball up to him in crowded, pressy situations and count on him to find a way out. There is a worry that his shot-creation numbers via live-ball pass aren’t as high as you’d like (2.5 per 9); he pads with dead-ball numbers, then balances it with take-ons, shots, and fouls drawn, but it’s worth noting.

Wherever he goes, he’s very helpful for a striker to have. As I kept watching, I thought Mateta should try and join up with Eze wherever he goes. So many of those finishes were because Eze picked him out in a tough position: cutbacks, looping crosses, and passes in-behind. Gyökeres will like him a lot: there aren’t many better players to deliver that transitional channel ball, right on time.

Shot selection is seemingly a weak spot. There’s an over-eagerness to rip from range or take low-percentage efforts, especially lately: he had the sixth-most shots in the league, but so many of them were from difficult distances and angles. Arsenal could use more shot volume, so some overcorrection might actually help, but he needs to clean it up a bit. I will say that his shot numbers are skewed by 16% of them being from free-kicks, which are low-percentage as a rule, and he also can be seen ripping them in after corners, hoping to create mayhem in the box. But right now, his baseline discretion just isn’t discretionary enough. Lotta low-percentage ones like this.

Out-of-possession, I don’t have a question about his attitude or buy-in. He’s a willing player and a top person.

He won’t be one of Arsenal’s most combative defenders; that doesn’t make him a liability, but it separates him from the highest tier, and maybe limits his late-game usage. Let him press, cover angles, and focus on transitional moments. Otherwise, he’s pretty chippy with loose balls, probably because he wants to start counters with them.

Some final thoughts:

• He’s 27, which makes this a win-now move. I’d prefer he be paired with a Trossard exit so we’re not stockpiling too many attackers with lower resale value, and you have to ask how that’d work out with a Gyökeres entry, too. I’d wager that he’ll be effective for the duration of a standard contract, so it’s just about what the asset looks like on the back half. Still, the priority is wins, not resale.

• From a profile standpoint, Eze isn’t the overpowered, unicorn-in-behind sprinter you’d ideally like to add to the squad. This initially had him slightly behind Xavi Simons in my rankings, because Simons is younger and faster. Crucially, though, Eze is much better as a runner than I thought.

• He gives you cover across multiple roles and makes it easier to roll the dice on a third, riskier attacking signing. We’ll get into those options later.

• Finally, his release clause is high for a 27-year-old with his injury history: he’s got an achilles in his past, and a few soft-tissue absences over the years. It all needs to be priced in.

• Furthermore, I think the next two (Rogers and Simons) are more “valuable” from a fee perspective. Eze should be cheaper than both.

What you’re buying here is ideas, shots, transitional capacity, playmaking, creativity, central access, dribbles, and an ideal culture raiser.

Arsenal need all of that. If he is one of two attacking signings, and Eze is seen as a player who can play across the frontline, including left-wing, it’s smart and impactful, but there are a couple of worthwhile counterarguments.

If he represents one of three attacking signings, it’s dreamland.

Most importantly, it would make Billy very, very happy. Let’s do it.

 

Simons is a thoroughly quick, robust, relentless, modern, tekky attacker who suits where the game is headed. At 22, he’s been on the radar for roughly a decade. I struggled with his ranking, and can definitely make a case for him above Eze, or below Rogers. He should be more expensive.

His showing against Arsenal for PSV, remember it as you will, made that clear. Playing as a false nine, he drifted around, pulling the backline apart.

He found gaps, drew fouls, and helped unsettle the structure, with Gakpo peeling wide. It was a performance that showed off how he could generate 29 G+A as a 19-year-old.

I was also pretty gobsmacked by his performance against Spain this year. He came on at 78’, immediately had an assist, drew a penalty, hit that penalty, and then hit another penalty in the shootout.

Wherever he plays, he shows the same ideas: receive between lines, drive forward with short touches, and find quick combinations. He’s urgent, skilled, and has real physical force (and stubbornness) in tight spaces. He is fairly Ødegaard-brained in terms of overall intention and team-oriented movement, but with more power on the carry and a bit more unpredictability and power near goal.

He’s a clean passer, has a strong understanding of when to press, and communicates well off the ball. But he’s more direct, more immediate, and more likely to turn a loose ball into a shot.

His winger profiling is the problem. It’s probably not where he’s used best, but he can put in a Silva shift out there, or potentially rotate like Doué. He doesn’t always isolate, but when he does, he can lean into contact and still get through. He has repeatability in his duels, but what makes him even more dangerous is his movement into zone-14.

His diagonal entries are well-timed and hard to track, and he rarely stands still. He’ll drift from the edge into the box, attack rebounds, or make reverse runs behind a striker.

He can also do his version of in-behind runs, like this.

Crucially, the name of the game is “relentless chance creation,” and he’s just a high-level playmaker. His best actions often come right after receiving. His first touch puts him into windows where he can thread a through-ball or take a quick shot. His right foot is incredibly dominant this year (zero shots with his left this year!!!).

He’s good at playing people into space like this.

He’s got a good feel for disguised balls, underlaps, and cutbacks, and he makes decisions quickly. While his final ball isn’t always consistent from wide areas, his value comes more from linking play in central zones and slipping runners in. His work in transition is especially strong.

He presses with purpose, spots loose touches quickly, and can turn pressure into attack almost instantly. Here’s him ripping it off Rice and blasting it across his body.

If there are drawbacks, they’re mostly about fit. As I said, he’s not a true winger in the classic sense. He won’t necessarily beat a fullback over and over in a true 1v1 out wide or whip in crosses on the run. I’ve also seen him disappear in a few games, or rack up a few miscontrols in a row. There’s a good amount of overlap with Ødegaard or Nwaneri in terms of profiles. But you can use him as a 10, a wide 8, a left winger, or a false 9. You just need to give him smart collaborators and keep the game flowing around him.

Overall, Simons is a near-ideal “unlocker” profile. He’s high touch, smart with space, brave on the dribble, and alert in the press. He can cover the qualities that Arsenal lacked when Saka/Ødegaard were hobbled last year, and deliver through-balls to the strikers ahead. He’s already tested himself across leagues and shown no issues with physicality or smarts. There’s no projection needed. He fits the playing culture, brings technical consistency, and adds a bit of unpredictability to break mid-blocks. In a game that’s getting faster, narrower, and more fluid, he’s built for the next phase.

 

I joked on Twitter last year that my Morgan Rogers comp was Nelson Muntz.

Here’s him against Spurs, for example.

 

Here he is, Muntzing it against City.

…and here’s how that sequence ended.

He is a totem for the modern game. He plays like football has finally caught up with how he’s always seen it: stretched out, space-intensive, player-led. In a man-to-man game that is increasingly stretched in build-up, so much is dependent on getting a player like Rogers isolated in the cavernous space in the middle against a defensive midfielder, and he wins that battle almost every time. He’ll shift weight, roll pressure, or just run through someone’s shoulder.

While not a burner in the classic sense, he also doesn’t go down. Strong in the duel, loose in his hips, and clever with arrival timing, he can float across the front line, receive in tough pockets, and create enough gravity to free others.

Arsenal struggle with exactly the sorts of zone-14 receptions that Rogers has become famous for. He treats that area like a second home.

You already know about the carrying. Rogers is one of the best in the world. What makes him unique is that it doesn't really matter where he starts. Right-wing, left-wing, as a 10 or a false 9, his approach stays the same. He’s deliberate, upright, aggressive, and hard to knock off stride. He pulls defenders with him and creates knock-on effects for the entire attacking structure.

He’d be a strong foil for Havertz in a #9/shadow-striker situation. His reading of striker movements is unusually good. When a striker drops, Rogers immediately fills the zone behind, often arriving unmarked or with a timing advantage. That recognition sounds minor, but it’s vital to keeping the box occupied, which doesn’t always happen when Havertz moves. He showed this repeatedly with Watkins.

He seems like he’d be fun to play with.

The most underrated part of his game might be his passing. He’s shown a real knack for quick interplay and vertical through-balls, often with his weaker foot.

I’ll be honest: when I saw it, the next action caused me to sit and rethink everything about his ranking. Look at this Trent-style pass to Rashford … first touch, with his left.

Is this a good, exciting player, or a legit genius?

In build-up, his forward passing is quick, and he’s a helpful release valve under pressure. The raw assist numbers aren’t flashy, but the tape shows a player who connects play, unlocks space with tempo, and delivers clever, first-time passes under duress. You can have him drop wide atop a double-pivot, receive in space, and then just drive forward from there.

There are still questions. His stats don’t pop, not really, and it’s worth reflecting on why: perhaps his big moments are so unique and memorable that they dull our memories of the games in which he doesn’t have as much impact. He’s also not a winger in the classic sense, and I’m less interested in him hanging on the touchline than players like Eze, Simons, and Rodrygo. His goals often look the same: boisterous carries through the middle. In pinned attacks, he’s less of a final-action killer than in more end-to-end play.

There's also the price. Villa likely won’t sell unless it’s an extraordinary offer, and given his age and projection, that cost has ample supporting evidence. But if you want a player who plays across all zones, partners well with others, and, most importantly, carries a few truly elite modern traits, Rogers definitely fits.

 

I don’t know where the fuck to put Leão in my rankings.

Let’s dig in.

Remove the name and consider the profile: tall (6’2”); powerful; very fast; agile; almost equally skilled with both feet; a dribbler capable of beating defenders from virtually any angle or position or block type: inside, outside, through contact, or at speed; his ball-striking is crisp; he usually overperforms his chances as a finisher; his crossing is consistently dangerous, and his playmaking has elite characteristics; he’s extremely associative, threading perfectly weighted passes, cutbacks, and long-balls backspinning to runners, with both feet; he’s capable of doing it against everybody; he was just pivotal against Spain in the Nations League final.

It sounds like a Ballon d'Or finalist, no?

This gave a good look at his worldview.

“Yes, it’s true, I love beautiful goals. Of course, I’d like to score more and more. But I make assists, plays, I’m complete. Football today is only statistics, numbers. And I don’t like that. Football is magic, joy. It makes me angry that people only think about numbers. If you have a bad game, but then you score, they say “wow”. I’m not like that. Because people have to have fun. And then I have to have fun too. I’m for beauty. Aesthetics. In football, as in fashion and music. As in love.”

But there’s a catch. I speed-ran six games of his for this (either watching completely, or doing all-action videos), and the best I can describe the Leão Experience is this: there were four games where I would have considered putting him at the top of this list again, and two where I’d almost want him off it entirely. He’s explosively fun. Just not all the time.

Off the ball, Leão often operates at a walking pace, and he’s not subtle about it. He strolls visibly, Messi or Salah style, but without yet delivering the production levels to justify that luxury. Plenty of attackers drift in and out of games defensively, yet they typically mask it with light jogging or bursts of activity. Leão has no qualms with appearances.

I’d have more time for that, but I think Lewis-Skelly and Calafiori need some coverage runs to be at their inverted, gallivanting best. On the other wing, Timber has shit on lock, so if you’re choosing one side to walk more, I’d choose Saka’s. The added context is that a) when Leão is engaged, and when he does duel, he’s physical and successful, and b) Leão shoulders a hell of a lot of responsibility on the ball.

You can see the trade-off here. Walking, high up, and pretty disengaged on the top of the screen. But as soon as the ball is won, he’s positioned well and off to the races.

Here, from another incredible SCOUTED piece, you can see that he’s pretty high in terms of sprints. He just performs a huge majority of them in the attacking phase: the highest in all the land, actually.

 

Also: environments matter, and people are complicated.

As one example, here are Marcus Rashford’s stats for tackles per 90 and tackle success rate:

• 22/23 (Manchester United): 0.63 | 37.5%

• 23/24 (Manchester United): 0.75 | 34.6%

• 24/25 (Manchester United): 0.64 | 33.3%

• 24/25 (Aston Villa): 2.04 | 66.7%

Sample size alert, but still.

With the ball, his decision-making can be interesting, incredible, and sometimes weird. “Weird” isn’t a bad thing, as the best players are always weird. While he regularly produces sublime passes and brilliant moments, he occasionally opts for congested choices, giving away possession cheaply and casually. He’s good enough technically to make difficult plays look easy, yet can falter in more straightforward moments. It feels more like lapses in focus than capability.

There’s also a valid concern about how right-dominant Arsenal can be. If the Ødegaard-Saka side is dominating possession and creating chances, will Leão remain locked in?

Despite these concerns, Leão’s upside is fucking enormous. He needs absolutely no conditions to succeed: just give him the ball. Few wingers in world football can break down defenders in settled situations as reliably as he can. His capacity to beat opponents 1v1, or 1v2, or 1v3, using sharp acceleration, sudden changes in direction, and deception, is exceptional. He can walk with the ball and then turn on the jets in an instant, and the gap between the two speeds is huge and bewildering.

He combines this with genuinely elite passing skills, crafting high-quality chances (crosses, through balls, and cutbacks) that his current teammates don’t always bring home. His actual assist (and xAG) figures might undersell his creative impact due to this: a lot of unmet pea-rollers. My belief is that Arsenal have solidified the floor. To me, Leão is close to an ideal example of a ceiling signing.

The ranking for Leão doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the deal, and about having a firm understanding of the person himself. My view, which is based on completely incomplete information and shouldn’t really be considered trustworthy, is that Leão isn’t a disruptive personality so much as a player who needs a supportive environment and is showing signs of workplace burnout; perhaps you can relate. After all, he's started 30+ league games for six consecutive seasons, indicating the trust of multiple managers, and a clear play-style and set of expectations has been solidified. Maybe a little competition and a fresh start would do him well.

Now 26, he’s at an important precipice in his career. There is every opportunity to take the next step, but if he makes the wrong decision, or continues to plod along, it will feel like another tale of slightly-bungled potential.

The risk is clear. So is the reward. Arsenal or any top side considering Leão must weigh his frustrating tendencies against his rare blend of creativity, timing, brains on the ball, physical dominance, and technical brilliance. Maybe his fee has fallen to a spot where it’s an acceptable risk.

I reckon I’d be more inclined to take that risk than Arsenal.

 

Semenyo extended his contract, which perhaps interrupts some of the endless squad churn of this talented Bournemouth side, and almost assuredly takes him off this list. Whatever the context, I watched and compiled notes, and those notes have to go somewhere.

It’s hard not to like him. He has quietly built one of the most well-rounded, brainy, flexible, powerful forward profiles in the Premier League. He can play both flanks or operate centrally, and his toolset fits basically every team tactically. His dribbling is clean and forceful: a lot of his setups are training video-type stuff, followed by pushing forward like a freight train. He’s especially comfortable when he’s in transition and can take on a centre-back directly.

I pulled this at one point. Look at the blues.

 

He’s especially effective when receiving on the high-right side, where he mirrors many of Bukayo Saka’s best entries. His positional flexibility opens up options for role-swapping wide systems.

When I pulled his report, you could see how he has a green light from anywhere.

His quick weight shifts and powerful shot release make him a consistent threat to shoot. He led the league in total shots last season (125), with a shots-per-90 rate that would have ranked highest at Arsenal. I’m not sure he knows what foot is his best: on the season (this report was from a slice in time), he took 63 shots with his left, and 54 with his right.

He adds value all over the pitch. He presses with intent, led all forwards in pass blocks, and was second in recoveries. He can be a target man, too, which is why I’ve floated him as a potential joint signing for Gyökeres; he’s very good at flicks and volume aerial metrics. He has the acceleration to threaten behind and the strength to hold off pressure.

The main question is when it comes to settled possession, creative playmaking. His assist numbers felt padded to me (there were a lot of deflections, rebounds, or broken plays). His low chance-creation numbers suggest he’s more of a finisher than a facilitator. While his final-third passing is functional, and he can strike a ball, it doesn’t feel like a strength yet. He destroys CBs with changes of pace, but I think he’s a little less effective against FBs.

Still, with 16 G+A and no penalties, elite physical tools, and the ability to press, shoot, and win duels at a high level, he’s a plug-and-play option who matches the tempo and physical demands of top-level football. I’m very curious to learn his final level.

 

Here are some players with real potential who could hit the ground running, vaguely in an order, I suppose:

• Kenan Yıldız, Juventus: He’s a superstar in the making, as you’ve seen in the Club World Cup, and somehow, Juventus have resisted the urge to sell him and replace him with a worse, more expensive 28-year-old. He’d be a pretty incredible strike partner with Havertz, with both being so physical and runny, but Yıldız offsetting it with power-carries, playmaking, and huge power from both feet. His body can get really horizontal when he leans with the ball, and he has a pretty unique kind of agility. Out wide, he does a lot of chops and crosses, oddly reminding me of a roided-up version of Pascal Groß (complimentary). There are a lot of delays, shot fakes, quick back and forths, etc, etc. While he’s flexible and vertical, he doesn’t have a neat position at Arsenal: I wouldn’t really want him at striker unless Havertz was in the LCM, and I’d start him at LW, but wouldn’t want to push him as a default into super-wide 1v1s at LW. In that 4-4-2 type thing that we saw with Jesus+Havertz, he’d cook.

• Ademola Lookman, Atalanta: He really should be higher up, and his statistical profile would warrant that. But for that top-12, I tried to make a list of signings that could be made independently of other moves; Lookman, I think, would require a Trossard exit. I really like the idea of him playing wide when Saka has it on the other side, or flooding the box when Gyökeres or a left-back has it on the left wing, or turning and shooting off quick deliveries in the half-space from Lewis-Skelly or the like. He can score from any angle, has bangers in his repertoire, also has some nice crosses, and is quite quick and has repeat intensity. He generates little bits of separation and had the sixth-most touches in the attacking pen of anyone in the top-5 leagues of Europe, behind only Salah, Mbappé, Yamal, Barcola, and Vini. The problem is that he’s 27, turning 28 in October (say it with me), is positionally similar to Trossard, and (unlike Eze) feasts on some of the disordered boxes that happen in Serie A, so the risk is a little higher. He’d kind of “Premier League proven,” though: I liked him in that Leicester year. If Trossard leaves, but Gyökeres also arrives at striker, it’s still pretty marginal; you also can’t sign both Lookman and Eze. I’d want to balance that with younger, sellable churn in the attack force. But if you can make it all work out, he’s a great addition to the specific qualities Arsenal lack: speed, ball-striking, and an urgent need to make things happen.

• Loïs Openda, RB Leipzig: Last time: “Relentless runner and pressure-merchant with a straight-line hunger for goal. Was the second-fastest player in the Bundesliga this year — quicker than Frimpong, Davies, Adeyemi — and it shows. He’s not a build-up player, and the ball can get bouncy under pressure, but if you’ve got a good structure behind him (Leipzig didn’t this season), he’ll break games open. One of the first names I’d want running behind a mid-block — saw him do it to Villa in the Champions League and wished we had him.”

• Mikkel Damsgaard, Brentford: I didn’t have him here originally, but I added him after watching Mbeumo/Schade. I always associated him with final balls and I didn’t really understand what a sick, snappy, unsettling little dribbler he can be. He’s got injury concerns, but he’s really intense, incredibly skilled, and, in classic Brentford fashion, he’s younger than people think (turned 24 last week). He’s low-key Wirtzy.

• Iliman Ndiaye, Everton: One of the best watches of this whole thing. I don’t know where, exactly, he should be on the list, but I think he should be on the list. He can really beat his man, I trust his tight-space agility to translate, he works really hard, is good with both feet, is flexible, quick, and I think his shot looks nice (though his nine goals were padded with a couple of penalties and some xG overperformance). He’s not too far removed from dropping 14G+11A in the Championship, where I liked how he could ride contact and wriggle out of trouble with tidy dribbles. I do think you can #actually start him at winger or at #10, so long as he has room to go inside.

• Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest: Lovely player, but I also don’t see the fit from a squad-building perspective. I wouldn’t really want to play him on the wings, so that’d lock in his usage to Ødegaard rotation. He’d rightfully command minutes and block Nwaneri time.

• Lee Kang-In, PSG: I still don’t feel like I have the cleanest handle on Kang-In’s game, and wasn’t able to watch him more for this. But I do trust his technical level. It’s all about how he’d scale up physically.

• Ismaïla Sarr, Crystal Palace: One of the most pivotal players in the Premier League last season, and I’m not sure he got his proper due. That Palace machine wouldn’t have worked so well without him. He played in every single match and started 30 of them. His 10.7 non-penalty xG was 12th-highest in the league, and, of course, higher than anyone at Arsenal. He’s also fast as fuck. I feel like he just needs proper platforming, and Palace are so good at that with this sprinting inside winger thing he does. He’s 27 now, and it feels like he’s in the right place.

• Dango Ouattara, Bournemouth: I like everything I’ve seen from Ouattara. He might be the clearest example of my “depth right winger as bombing left-back against low blocks” dream; he actually did that for Bournemouth last year. I can’t say with high confidence how he’d fit at Arsenal. His touch doesn’t always feel tidy enough, but I’m open to being proven wrong.

 

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🔥 Developing stories

The players on this list make sense as a third signing: high potential, young, can mop up minutes now, but shouldn’t be 100% counted upon as immediate game-changers.

Malick Fofana, Lyon: I hadn’t seen him much before this (Ligue 1 is usually my weakest coverage) but I caught up on him a bit for this. He’s got serious shake to his game. I watched the Man United match where he beat Dalot clean, and his acceleration stood out immediately. I thought he worked hard, has a killer foundation, but there are still a lot of details to shore up. For Arsenal, I was thinking more loan-to-buy than buy. For the mid-table he looks like a smart signing at a good value.

• Bilal El Khannouss, Leicester: If you go big with two attacking signings, like Rodrygo and a ready-made striker, I think El Khannouss is one of the more intriguing third options available. His fee should be fairly reasonable, and he’s already proven he can ball at this level, is flexible, good enough to get minutes, and may have a pretty special passing bag (combined with great vision). One concern with a Šeško/Rodrygo or Gyökeres/Rodrygo swoop is, essentially, whether there are enough deadly passes on the pitch, and El Khannouss offers something exciting there. I don’t personally feel settled on how up or down the pitch that should be.

• Maghnes Akliouche, Monaco: Like El Khannouss, he may be a nice level for a third attacking signing: good enough to play, but still developing enough to be rotational. He caught my eye against Arsenal last year and his stats are extremely good: 15 G+A, dribbles, carries, final balls. Watching him, there’s some “ESR risk” in terms of physical application, and without speed or killer finishing, the fact that I like him on the right-side more (he’s left-footed) means that I don’t think he’s quite the piece I’d seek from a squad-building perspective. Too much overlap, not enough additive.

• Eli Junior Kroupi, FC Lorient (Bournemouth): As I said last time: “Still just 18, and both the footage and underlying stats are pretty absurd; he was one of the best watches of this whole thing. In Ligue 2, he led a first-place promotion run by averaging 1.03 goals per 90 (!). A slippery left-sided technician with great balance and a knack for delay moves. He’s a sharp finisher and someone who can create all on his own. A bit in-between positions at Arsenal, but likely to have an impressive year at Bournemouth after he phases in. Another example of multi-club hoarding, ugh.” There will be a physical jump, I could see him having a Lookman-style impact as early as the second half of next year.

• Tyler Dibling, Southampton: Feels like he can look like Kvara’s mirror image, though that might just be the aesthetics and the socks. He’s so slick, and he can cut inside, dribble in traffic, and strike with real finesse. The flashes are awfully enticing, and I’m not fully sure what his final position will be.

• Assane Diao, Como: Diao has everything. Noticing his talent is the easy part. Finding the right timing for his next move will be the tougher one. Some of the take-on and loss stats are pretty inefficient right now, but he’s still 19 and works awfully hard whenever I’ve watched. He benefitted from some xG overperformance (+4.0 in just 13.9 90s), but he was fouled constantly and is already a tough mark. Another year at Como, and some big bids will start coming through.

• Rodrigo Mora, Porto: Too early for a move, but pretty clearly a future star. He may be a current one.

• Nico Paz, Como: Tall, creative, and another key staple of Cesc’s squad of hipster prospects in a non-difficult place to recruit to. I saw him twice last year, and despite all his production (14 G+A in a 19-year-old season is nothing to scoff at), I thought he’d be right to stay in Como for another year.

• I like what I’ve seen (in very limited doses) from Chemsdine Talbi, who is now off to Sunderland. He may have a year of adjustment but there’s a nice mix of burst and composure/maturity to his game.

• Konstantinos Karetsas (Genk) feels legit, but early. He’s the kind of player I’d like to loan out for a year or two.

• There’s something still interesting about Yaser Asprilla at Girona. I barely caught him there this year (once? maybe twice?) but he’s got a cleanliness to him and a work-rate that was pretty appealing last year.

• I’ll always hold my Jack Clarke stocks. Sounds like he’ll head back to destroying the Championship, eh?

• Kim at Transfer Flow just floated the idea of Harvey Barnes, which, other than the age makeup stuff I keep repeating, may have some merit.

I’ll throw this out there in case the Chelsea tree somehow keeps bearing fruit: unfortunately, they hold the rights to my two fave winger prospects in the world: Geovany Quenda and Estêvão. Who knows what the future could bring? #RelationsAreGood.

Also: I ultimately didn’t go down the “purer #10” market too deep here, which would have a lot more players. I only added some of the players who are also flexible on the wings, or who caught my eye recently. It’s not too scientific.

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🔥 Probably not

Finally, here’s another group I looked into more closely, but they aren’t really my cup of tea for one reason or another. Some of these I know fairly well, while others are more initial impressions based on comps, Wyscout playlists, and maybe a game or two. Basically, these opinions should be held with less confidence:

• Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United: I think he’s underrated as a pure player. Good movement, generates strong underlying numbers for his age. But he has bouncy touches, and I have reservations about him performing in a high-detail system. He also may lack some of the real physical power to climb to the top at Arsenal. It’s about finding the right level. He could go to Italy and rack it up. Ultimately, he’s not my thing.

• Edon Zhegrova, Lille: Real ones will remember the old transfer links. Zhegrova’s dribbling offers real star quality, and I see flashes elsewhere, but at 26, I’m not sure he’s made it to the final step. Still intrigued.

• Antonio Nusa, RB Leipzig: He’s tempting because of how clean and coordinated he is on the dribble, and how good he looks with the national squad. I watched him a fair bit while looking at Šeško and Simons, and even the previous year in Belgium, when his name came up more. The Leipzig footage isn’t too appealing, but he was another player who was poorly-served by that setup; he was often playing deep and wide in the shape. And despite how refined he can look in certain dribbling situations, I think there are too many current demerits to merit a move at the moment: strength, playmaking, end product, knee problems. He could still wind up quite good. His body could fill out, he could take the next step. But it’s no certainty.

• Johan Bakayoko, PSV: Pretty fun player, coming off a real rough year. The couple times I went to check in on him this spring (mostly to watch Malik Tillman) he’d been benched for Ivan Perišić, which might tell you something. It was a tough team to break into, with Noa Lang, Tillman, and others. He can be explosive, and he can beat his man; his underlying numbers are great. Still, he didn’t have a neat line of progression, and I just think he needs a year in Spain, France, Italy, or a lower-midtable Premier League squad to assess his final quality.

• Mika Godts, Ajax: Limited viewing this year, but: I saw glimpses of interesting dribbling, but I didn’t see physical levels that could translate, at least not yet.

• Christos Tzolis, Club Brugge: Belgium is my preferred destination to find attackers, and Tzolis is one of the best in the league. He dropped 22 goals in the 2. Bundesliga last year, and now he’s already at 14.2 non-penalty xG plus xAG. He’s quick and coordinated on comps, but I’m still feeling out his final level. I haven’t seen enough to be convinced he’s a top-four type yet.

• Abdul Fatawu, Leicester: He’d be on this list if not for the ACL.

• Isaac Babadi, PSV: I’ve always eyed him as a kind of Young Eze, but he got blocked by Tillman, and hasn’t been able to break through yet. He’s still 20 and I remain hopeful.

• Bryan Zaragoza, Bayern Munich: I read that Bournemouth were tracking him, and that just feels... right. Didn’t catch him this year, he was spry and shifty last year.

• Takefusa Kubo, Real Sociedad: Don’t think he solves a clear need for Arsenal.

A few others I didn’t have time to research more for this: Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Benfica), Samuel Lino (Atlético Madrid), Yann Cathline (FC Utrecht), Cyriaque Irie (SC Freiburg), Dan Ndoye (Bologna), Matías Soulé (Roma). I also meant to catch up on Yeremy Pino, who was a previous candidate.

I’m sure there are others, but I’m very tired, and I’m sure you are, too. When a dear reader refers to you as the “George R. R. Martin of Substack,” it’s probably time to wrap it up.

Be honest: how many reads did it take you to get this far? Is anyone reading this?

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🔥

 

[Special Juan 28,132]

Fucking hell @Vesper I started watching that post when we won the 2012 CL, I have just finished it now

[Mário César 1,249]

2 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

Fucking hell @Vesper I started watching that post when we won the 2012 CL, I have just finished it now

hahah

[Pizy 18,877]

Regarding Nico Jackson potentially leaving, the only way I can see it is if a PL club comes in hard for him. I’m seeing reports on Twitter that Milan love him and “dream” of him but you know these cheap ass Italian clubs will never come close to the price we’d ask. Knowing them they’d ask for a loan.

I’d guess we’d ask for between £65-70m for him. Nobody other than a PL club is paying that. And then there’s the whole question of whether Jackson would even agree to go to a smaller club which I doubt.