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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Arthur Melo joined Barcelona in the summer of 2018 and back then, the Catalans already knew they had someone special on their hands.

The now 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder was never one to bang in dozens of goals or assists but he had that Barcelona DNA in him – he was a master of passing the ball and holding possession, keeping his team in firm control at all times.

His skill and natural ability were the things that attracted the Blaugrana and it only took €31m (£26.7m) to get him from Gremio to Catalonia.

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Of course, there are certain add-ons in his contract that could bump that price up a bit but all things considered, and especially given the state of the modern-day market, his transfer does look like a true steal.

And this is even truer today than it was a year ago when he joined.

Back in 2018 everyone could see there were talent and potential in the kid but despite playing 44 games across all competitions in his first season in Europe, he only managed two assists in the process and couldn’t really finish the full 90 minutes of a high-paced game in Spain.

Of course, he was still secure on the ball with 93.5% passing accuracy but with only 0.5 key passes and 0.4 dribbles per game, he did little to actually tilt the big clashes in Barcelona’s favour.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Fast forward a year, however, and Arthur is a changed man.

From a talented midfielder, he turned to a brilliant one that is slowly but surely even becoming world-class.

Now, after only nine games played across all competitions, the Brazilian can already boast with two goals and four assists to his name. Not only that but he has improved in other categories as well.

His passing accuracy is still brilliant despite a small dip with 87.8% but both key passes and dribbles have improved greatly and now stand at 1.3 and 2.7 per game respectively.

By all means, he truly seems like a reformed man and not only that but he has also played the full 90 minutes of four out of those nine games in total, showing that he has successfully adjusted to Barcelona’s tempo and style of play.

Needless to say, if he can continue his development like that and keep improving, there’s no telling how good the 23-year-old can actually become and the world-class bracket certainly seems within his grasp.

For the Blaugrana, this is certainly wonderful news.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had his pre-season and he’s still not getting the results.The Norwegian placed a huge amount of emphasis on fitness when he returned to Old Trafford in December, claiming that he was shocked at just how unfit his players were when he initially took over from Jose Mourinho.Since then, Solskjaer has had eight months to get his players up to the standard expected of them, including a pre-season, which promised to be gruelling given just how fitness-crazed he was.Fast forward to October and United have just lost to Newcastle and have also made their worst start to a season in 30 years. Solskjaer’s win ratio is 47.5% – which is the lowest of any United boss since Dave Sexton.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As it stands, Jesse Lingard is out injured after limping off clutching his hamstring against AZ Alkmaar, Paul Pogba is suffering from a reoccurring ankle injury, Anthony Martial is also battling with a hamstring injury, as is Luke Shaw, and Phil Jones is out of action in the long-term. Solskjaer’s cardio crusade is going very poorly indeed.

Speaking to fan channel Full Time Devils, Daily Record journalist Duncan Castles recently revealed that a lot of the players aren’t convinced by their manager’s training regime…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

You’d think after the start the team have made this season that he’d be able to relax a little bit more.

Sabri Lamouchi has masterminded a near-perfect start to the season for Nottingham Forest, barring the slight blip during his first game against West Bromwich Albion.

Despite all that though, it appears as though his first aim as Forest boss is to make sure that he is still in the dugout at the City Ground at this time next season.

Speaking to Sporting Life, Lamouchi noted the high turnover of managers at Forest and how he isn’t trying to get ahead of himself when it comes to what he can achieve:

“The last five years, they have changed 11 managers here. The last one to do a full season it was close to ten years ago. I just want to make one season, one full season, and we will see where we finish. It just needs stability. I am not a magician. I am just a manager.”

Whilst it is good to see that Lamouchi isn’t coming across as arrogant in what he’s saying, very much the polar opposite of Jose Mourinho when he first came to England, you wonder if perhaps he is being too cautious.

It’s all about getting the balance right, but at the same time if consider the start that Forest have had, if all he is aiming for is stability, then it essentially means that he’s not 100% focused on promotion to the Premier League.

That’s something that stands to be a real possibility for Forest this term too.

Perhaps he’s not really telling us his true feelings and is trying to be ‘diplomatic’ with how he comes across, but is that really being honest with the fans if that’s his response.

If you are setting your expectations that low, why should they get excited by what you’re offering?

It’s one of the oldest motivational sayings in the book, but it applies here. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

He doesn’t have to go promising that they’ll go the rest of the season unbeaten, but if his main concern is just staying in the job, he could himself out of it if things start to go wrong.

As he said, there’s a high turnover rate at the City Ground, so the owners won’t be hesitant to make a change.

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Leeds fans have been quick to voice their concerns over Marcelo Bielsa’s team selection in recent times with Helder Costa seemingly at the height of their agenda.

The Portuguese has yet to start in the Championship despite costing a potential £15m next summer and registering three assists already this term.

The Whites have struggled to create clear cut opportunities and the impact of Jack Harrison certainly hasn’t helped in that regard. Of 31 attempted crosses in the league this season, only one of them has been accurate.

However, YEP journalist Graham Smyth has provided a further damning statistic on their ability to cross the ball.

Given Harrison’s inability to find a teammate from a cross, this statistic is hardly surprising but it did provoke quite the reaction from supporters on Twitter.

Some were alarmed by the stat as one said they had the final-third output of a Neil Warnock side. One fan simply claimed that Costa now had to start while another said Leeds kicked a lot of aimless balls into the area.

Bielsa’s men are currently top of the league but failed to take their chances against Derby in a 1-1 draw last weekend. Patrick Bamford hit the post and Mateusz Klich missed a penalty before they were pegged back in a game they should have been out of sight.

Here’s the best of the discussion about their creative woes.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolves are back in league action on Saturday having taken a break in midweek for the Carabao Cup.

It’s a bottom of the table clash at Molineux as the league’s worst team, Watford, make the trip north.

After both teams finished inside the top 11 last season, no one could have predicted they would be the two to occupy 19th and 20th after six matches, but that is the case.

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The term ‘six-pointer’ is often a massively overused cliché within football, nevertheless, it can be applied here.

Both teams could do with a win to kickstart their season. A Wolves win would hand them a five-point cushion from rock-bottom which would be rather handy.

Several of Nuno Santo’s men will be fresh for this fixture having been gifted a rest in midweek, none more so than Joao Moutinho, who could prove to be the defining man in the middle on Saturday.

If you don’t know the words to the Joao Moutinho chant in the video below, are you even a real Wolves fan?…

On the Chalkboard

Last season, the Portuguese playmaker was Wolves’ key creative outlet as he recorded eight assists in the Premier League.

He’s continued his attacking influence into this campaign having registered five assists in all competitions already.

Football FanCast have previously shown how Nuno’s midfield has regressed over the summer, but if anyone has the quality to turn it around, it’s the Euro 2016 and 2019 Nations League winning 33-year-old.

At 2 key passes per game, he already has an advantage over Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is averaging 1.7 himself.

The Portugal international has also been getting involved in the defensive side of things this season too, recording 3.7 tackles per game which is also higher than the Hornets’ defensive midfielder, who has only managed 2.2.

The 26-year-old sits deeper hence his higher number of passes per game as he is more involved in the match linking the defensive play to the more creative sorts around him – like Gerard Deulofeu, who averages 2 key passes per game.

Moutinho will need to do better with his dribbling as Doucoure is strong in the interception and an incredibly robust individual.

If Wolves’ midfield can get back to the same heights as last season through the Portuguese playmaker, they’ll have every chance of success versus Watford.

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According to The Telegraph, Everton have agreed a £4m compensation fee with Watford for Marco Silva, whom the Toffees appointed as their manager in the summer.

Hertfordshire outfit Watford were furious with their fellow Premier League club after attempts were made to bring the Portuguese north in November 2017 following the sacking of then-boss Ronald Koeman, although, now that an agreement has been reached, this is surely the end of the matter.

The former Hornets boss filled the vacant role left by Sam Allardyce at the Goodison Park helm prior to the start of the 18/19 season but has had far from an enjoyable time on Merseyside so far.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Silva’s side have largely underperformed and, despite their respectable position in the standings, will surely feel that they should be doing better. They have lost five of their last six games in all competitions and are in desperate need of a result against Cardiff, who they face on Tuesday.

Here’s how the Evertonians reacted on Twitter…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Back in the summer, Crystal Palace attempted to lure Brentford hitman Ollie Watkins to Selhurst Park, reportedly tabling an £11m bid for the Englishman.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, they saw their offer rebuffed.

The south Londoners may live to regret not pushing harder for the 23-year-old, as two factors since their failed bid will surely have seen Watkins’ value soar.

Firstly, the man with 27 goals in 100 appearances for the Bees has since signed a new long-term contract with the Championship side, taking his stay at Griffin Park to 2023.

As a result of that, Watkins’ value will surely have risen from the £11m that Palace seemed to value him at – that offer alone could be considered insulting seeing as Brentford reportedly demanded £15m back in 2018.

Another reason as to why the long-term Palace target may now command a much higher fee is his excellent start to the campaign.

Watkins has hit four goals in just seven Championship appearances so far this term, proving to be the shining light in Brentford’s poor start to the season – the Bees currently sit 18th having won just two games.

The 5 foot 11 forward averages 2.7 shots per game, while also making 1.7 key passes per game – his overall form has been very good in a poor Brentford side.

Watkins also draws 1.6 fouls per game – you can see why he’s on the Eagles’ radar.

However, it’s no good having a player on your radar if you don’t strike when the time is right.

Palace missed an opportunity back in 2018 to match Brentford’s £15m asking price and also failed to up their £11m offer despite reports stating that they were expected to make a second offer.

If the south Londoners were hoping to land their man for a similar fee, or even a cheaper price, they may now find themselves disappointed – they should’ve pushed harder before he signed a new deal and began the campaign in such fine form.

West Ham United have been handed a boost in their chase to sign Liverpool defender Nat Phillips in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Hammers have got their sights set on the centre-back, and ExWHUEmployee has now revealed that David Moyes’ side are “weighing up” a move in this final week of the window.

He said: “Nathan Philips has reportedly told Liverpool that he would like to leave this window and his price is expected to be around £14m. He is another target and someone whose dad shares a good relationship with David Moyes. The club will be weighing up this option against other targets.”

Big boost for Moyes

For all the success West Ham have enjoyed this season in the Premier League – they currently lie in fifth place in the table and just one point off fourth-placed Manchester United – injuries have already played a big part in decimating Moyes’ side.

Centre-back has been the area most impacted through injuries with Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma in particular suffering extended spells out, leaving the Hammers desperately short of options in the middle, so much so that Craig Dawson has had to play through issues of his own.

Speaking earlier this month, Ex said: “Craig Dawson has had some unfair stick in our minds these last few weeks – especially when he has been struggling with injury himself in recent weeks but has played due to our lack of other options (this has not been widely reported elsewhere).”

The fact it’s now being claimed that one of the club’s main targets to improve their options in Phillips, is keen to leave Liverpool and that the Hammers have the added advantage of his dad having a “good relationship” with Moyes, leaves them in good stead in this final week of the transfer window.

If they can get a deal over the line for the centre-back, West Ham fans will surely be buzzing.

Meanwhile, West Ham have made their “first offer” for this Ligue 1 striker…

Newcastle United head of recruitment Steve Nickson admires Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca, according to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old Italian striker has finally established himself in the Sassuolo first-team after loan stints at Cremonese, PEC Zwolle, Ascoli and Genoa. He has scored 13 goals in 28 Serie A appearances this season, averaging one every 117 minutes.

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Nicknamed ‘Il Bomber’, Scamacca has been called ‘deadly’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig and dubbed ‘a bit Zlatan-ish’ by sports journalist Maxi Angelo.

Newcastle have also been strongly linked with another Serie A striker in the form of Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata. The Daily Record even claimed that the Magpies made a £25m bid for the Colombian in January.

The latest

Ryder reported for The Chronicle that Zapata remains on Newcastle’s ‘wish list’, but they may only make a move for the 30-year-old if they are unable to snap up Scamacca.

Nickson is said to be ‘well aware’ of the Sassuolo hitman ahead of the summer transfer window.

The verdict

How do Scamacca and Zapata compare?

First and foremost, the former scores more non-penalty goals per 90 minutes (0.65 against 0.52). In terms of their all-round game, though, Zapata boasts double the expected assists p90 (0.2 against 0.1) and has also completed more than twice as many dribbles (1.68 against 0.79) a the Sassuolo marksman.

However, Scamacca’s defensive contribution is far stronger – he ranks in the 62nd percentile (among positional peers) for pressures and the 73rd for tackles, compared to just the sixth and the 19th for Zapata.

Also, whereas the Colombian may be more or less the finished article at the age of 30, Scamacca’s game can be expected to develop even further over the coming years. Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old could be a smart long-term addition for Newcastle.

In other news, Luke Edwards has revealed Newcastle’s summer budget

Leeds United have long lacked a Samuel Saiz-like presence in midfield, but that could soon change.

Last month, the Sunday People reported that the Yorkshire outfit were tracking RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson ahead of a potential move this January transfer window.

It’s thought that the USMNT international fits the athletic profile required to play under Marcelo Bielsa and he has impressed throughout his breakthrough in Austria.

Since then, further fuel has been added to the fire by journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a fresh update to GIVEMESPORT this very week.

“With Aaronson at RB Salzburg, I know Leeds scouts have been watching him,” he revealed.

Of course, the priority at Elland Road appears to be in finding a new central midfielder before deadline day, and there’s a lot to like about the American dynamo.

Signed by Victor Orta in 2017, Saiz soon became a hit with supporters after scoring a hat-trick on his debut for the club. His tenacity and creativity in the engine room made him a very exciting talent but things just did not pan out.

He left after ten goals and 12 assists across 58 appearances (via Transfermarkt) and has never truly been replaced.

Enter Aaronson.

The Salzburg sensation, who former USA legend DeMarcus Beasley dubbed “silky”, has proven to be a major influence for both club and country. From midfield, he’s bagged five goals in only 15 caps, whilst in 51 appearances for the Austrian champions, he has delivered ten goals and 12 assists.

Valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, Aaronson has also been lauded as “young” and “exciting” by O’Rourke, and he could offer Leeds some valuable experience in the engine room, having featured in the Champions League numerous times now.

In his six appearances in the competition this season, the 21-year-old averaged two tackles, 1.3 dribbles, 1.2 shots and one key pass per game (via WhoScored), proving to be a major influence at either end of the pitch.

Also likened to Lionel Messi, Aaronsen has been dubbed the “future” of the American game by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who also touted him as “highly talented”.

On the above evidence, Orta could well discover his next Saiz with a move for the Salzburg sensation this month. It’s surely a deal that many around Elland Road would love to see happen, so he must get it done sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops positive Raphinha contract update…