Henry's last match was the 4-0 thrashing of Chivas in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Clásico Nacional, played on March 12
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Martín is suffering from tendonitis in his Achilles tendon.
He will miss the matches against Tigres, Cruz Azul, and Pachuca.
The forward is doubtful for the return leg against Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup.
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América captain Henry Martín will be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a lingering Achilles injury. The forward has been dealing with the issue for months and hasn’t been at full strength since the start of the year. His absence means he will miss Liga MX matches against Tigres and Pachuca, as well as the first leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinals against Cruz Azul.
It is unlikely that Martín will recover in time for the second leg on April 8, and his availability for América’s Liga MX match against Cruz Azul on April 12 (Matchday 15) remains uncertain. Manager André Jardine will have to wait and see if his captain can return in time.
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A few weeks ago, the forward consulted a specialist in Guadalajara, who recommended that he stop and undergo a month of rehabilitation to return fully recovered.
Martín currently has his leg immobilized with an orthopedic boot, and although he is receiving daily rehabilitation at Coapa, for now, he cannot engage in any football-related activities.
Getty Images SportWHAT VÍCTOR DÁVILA SAID
"A shame, we hope to have all our teammates available for the end of the tournament, but we're calm because the coach has handled it well. We've had rotations, and we have a wide enough squad to cover every position," Davila said of Martin's injury. "Each player has contributed good things in the attack, and André Jardine has managed the pieces well and distributed each player accordingly. What we expect is that Henry can recover properly, and it will be up to us to do our part and cover for his absence."
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
Injuries have impacted Martin's performance this season. The forward has only been able to play nine matches this year between Liga MX and the Champions Cup, where he has scored just once and registered three assists. Martín has a total of 115 goals in matches with América and is currently in fourth place on the list of the club's all-time top scorers.
Everything you need to know about the game's most important terms ahead of two major tournaments coming up over the next 18 months
With the Club World Cup around the corner and the World Cup 2026 taking place in USA, Mexico and Canada next year, GOAL runs you through some of the key soccer terms you need to know ahead of these major tournaments.
First off: the offside rule! What is it? What does it mean? And how does it even work? Don't worry, we've got you covered!
Understanding the offside rule doesn't have to be a head-scratcher. We break down football's most debated rule in simple terms, from its basic principles to common misconceptions.
The offside rule in football is often a source of confusion for new fans and even some seasoned supporters. It's arguably the most debated rule in the game, but understanding it doesn't have to be a challenge worthy of a VAR review. This quick guide tackles the offside rule head-on, breaking it down into bite-sized chunks to leave you feeling confident about this crucial aspect of the beautiful game.
It's All About Attacking
First things first: only the team in possession of the ball can be caught offside. That means players on the defending team are free from offside calls.
Offside can only occur in the attacking half of the pitch, so any player on the attacking team within their own half is automatically onside.
Think of it this way: you can't be offside if you're closer to your own goal than the ball is.
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The Offside Position: A Question of Positioning
Technically speaking, an attacking player is in an offside position when they are closer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent.
Typically, the second-to-last opponent is a defender, but it could also be the goalkeeper if they've ventured out.
Pro Tip: Imagine a line drawn across the pitch level with the second-to-last defender. If an attacking player is beyond that line when the ball is played to them, they are in an offside position.
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It's Not Just About Being Offside
Being in an offside position isn't an automatic infringement. An offside offense only occurs when a player in an offside position is actively involved in the play at the moment the ball is played to them.
This "active involvement" can include:
Touching the ball: If the player receives a pass while offside.
Interfering with an opponent: If the player's position prevents an opponent from playing the ball, even if they don't touch it themselves.
Gaining an advantage: If the player is in a better position to receive the ball because they were offside.
The Offside Trap: Defenders Aren't Standing Still
The offside rule is a dynamic one. Defenders can move up the field quickly, catching attacking players offside even if they were behind the defensive line moments before.
This tactic, known as the "offside trap," is a common defensive strategy to neutralize attacking threats.
Tottenham Hotspur are now plotting an “important” bid to sign a star from Serie A champions Inter Milan, with their CEO Giuseppe Marotta now seriously considering his sale.
Tottenham shock Man City with 4-0 win at the Eithad Stadium
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was an extremely happy man on Saturday, with the Australian watching on as his side caused a huge upset against Premier League champions Man City on enemy turf.
La Liga trio open talks with "quality" Tottenham player as loan deal mooted
Spurs could let him go in the winter.
ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2024
The Lilywhites were imperious in an attacking sense – dismantling Pep Guardiola’s men courtesy of goals from James Maddison (2), Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson – and teams beating City by that type of scoreline is usually unheard of, especially in Manchester.
Tottenham vs Fulham
December 1
Bournemouth vs Tottenham
December 5
Tottenham vs Chelsea
December 8
Southampton vs Tottenham
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Tottenham vs Liverpool
December 22
A clean sheet at the Etihad was made all the more impressive by the fact Postecoglou was minus star central defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, with Postecoglou thrilled by Tottenham’s performance.
“Yeah, you don’t come to a place like this thinking that it’s going to be probably as convincing as it was for us in terms of just the way we handled it,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s shock win over City.
“I’ve said it before, City test you in every football way possible. You’ve got to do a bit of everything. You’ve got to defend, you’ve got to work hard, be disciplined, and you’ve got to play football. I thought in all four areas we really got to a really strong level today where the players were really determined, after a really disappointing game last time and we just got back to our core beliefs as a team. Credit to the lads. I thought they were just outstanding out there today.
“We knew that in the first 10 minutes they’d come out flying, especially with the four losses they’ve had were away from home. So being at home, there’d be an energy in the stadium. We were going to have to weather the storm, which I thought we did fairly well and then we just grew into the game and I’m just so pleased for the players.”
Off the field, Spurs’ recruitment team are planning ways to strengthen Postecoglou’s squad in 2025, with Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi on their radar. Tottenham have already been linked with Frattesi, but another update has emerged today.
Tottenham plot "important" £29m bid for Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi
According to InterLive, Tottenham could make an “important” £29 million bid for Frattesi, and Nerazzurri CEO Marotta is seriously considering the possibility of his transfer next summer.
The Italy international, who’s bagged three goals and an assist over 16 appearances in all competitions this season, has featured as both a traditional central midfield player and an attacking midfielder.
He’s got a quarter of a century of international caps under his belt as well, with his agency, GR Sports, already facilitating a £55 million Premier League move for Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali in the summer of 2023.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was given a hero's welcome as he arrived to complete the formalities of his return to Marseille.
Aubameyang to rejoin Marseille
Played for the club in 2023-24 season
Joined Al-Qadsiah for 24-25
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Aubameyang is returning to the club on a free transfer, having left for Saudi Arabia at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. And in doing so, he was met by a huge gaggle of fans, who greeted him with applause and chants.
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Aubameyang played 51 times for Marseille in 23-24, scoring 30 goals and registering 11 assists. He departed the club to head to the Middle East, joining Al-Qadsiah on a two-year contract, but he left the club at the end of the season and is now preparing for his homecoming. In Saudi Arabia, he scored 21 times in 36 games.
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WHAT NEXT?
Aubameyang will complete his move and could make his debut for Marseille when they play Sevilla on August 2 in a pre-season friendly as he aims to forge a working relationship with Mason Greenwood up front.
New York City defender Mitja Ilenic made a dream come true when he performed Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration in the presence of Lionel Messi.
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Ilenic scored against Messi's MiamiCopied Ronaldo's 'Siu' celebrationSaid the taunt was a 'dream'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
After Messi squared to Tomas Aviles to score an early goal for Inter Miami, Ilenic scored a first-half equaliser as his side played out a 2-2 draw in their opening game of the MLS season on Sunday. In his celebration, the 20-year-old copied Ronaldo's famous 'Siu' celebration as the Portugal and Al-Nassr hero's long-time rival Messi watched on.
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Ilenic was very happy with himself after pulling off a taunt in front of Messi as he explained his love for the 40-year-old ex-Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker.
"About the celebration, I'm a big fan of Cristiano, to be honest," he said after the game. "That was basically my dream: to do it in front of (Lionel) Messi. I would say it also shows my confidence and I'm super, super happy about it, that it happened today."
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NYCFC went ahead 10 minutes into the second half, but Messi helped bail out the Herons when he sent through Telasco Segovia to lift it over goalkeeper Matthew Freese deep in stoppage time. Messi then was seen in a heated argument with the referee and grabbed one of NYCFC's coaches by the neck in a fiery end to the match.
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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?
Messi scored the only goal of the game as his side beat Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of their Champions Cup tie this week, and will hope to fire his team into the next round when they meet again on Tuesday.
The supremely talented 17-year-old could be the answer for Mikel Arteta amid an unprecedented selection crisis in attack
The Premier League title race is not finished yet! At least, that's what Arsenal will be thinking after Everton stole a dramatic late 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the final Merseyside derby ever to be played at Goodison Park.
Instead of opening up a commanding nine-point lead at the summit, Arne Slot's side are now just seven points ahead of Arsenal with 14 games still to play, including a huge clash between the two sides at Anfield. Mikel Arteta's goal will be to ensure the Gunners have their destiny in their own hands when that game kicks-off on May 10.
The problem is, Arsenal are heading into the business end of the season with a depleted strike force. In a cruel twist of fate, Kai Havertz has joined Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus on the treatment table, leaving Arteta with a major conundrum.
The Arsenal boss no longer has a recognised striker, while Slot can call upon the best attack in Europe, led by the irrepressible Mohamed Salah and ever-improving Cody Gakpo. Liverpool, therefore, have a huge advantage, but all is not lost quite yet. Arteta still has a wildcard option to play in the form of Ethan Nwaneri: the 17-year-old sensation who should now be given the chance to make history.
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Bleak outlook
Putting his faith in a teenager with only 16 Premier League appearances under his belt may seem like a huge gamble, but Arteta has no choice but to try something new. Havertz is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring in training during Arsenal's warm weather camp in Dubai, and may be forced to undergo surgery.
Havertz is Arsenal's top scorer for 2024-25 so far, with 15 goals across all competitions, six more than any other player in the squad. Saka is second with nine, but has been out injured with his own hamstring tear since December 21, and is not expected back until at least the start of March.
Martinelli will reportedly also be on the sidelines for the rest of the month after suffering a hamstring strain in Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat to Newcastle, while Gabriel Jesus is recovering from an operation on his knee after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the club's FA Cup third-round loss against Manchester United, and it has been suggested he faces an uphill battle to return to action before the end of 2025.
The situation could hardly be more bleak for Arteta, who is paying the price for refusing to sign a new striker last summer. However, according to , the Spaniard has also ruled out dipping into the free agency market for forward cover, believing Arsenal will be able to cope until Saka and Martinelli are back to full fitness.
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Unreliable alternatives
Arteta probably made that decision because he does still have two players available who are capable of operating as a 'false nine'. Leandro Trossard has been asked to play upfront for Arsenal before, albeit usually supporting Havertz, and is the obvious choice to move into the middle from his usual position on the left wing.
Trossard is not the ideal solution, though. The former Brighton star has shown some signs of decline this season, and only has five goals to his name from 36 appearances across all competitions.
Raheem Sterling, too, has plenty of experience leading the line from his time at Manchester City, but he's even more of an enigma. Arteta has only trusted Sterling to start three Premier League games since his loan move from Chelsea last summer, with the 30-year-old looking a shadow of the player he once was under Pep Guardiola.
The harsh truth is, Trossard and Sterling won't strike fear into the hearts of opposing defences. Nwaneri will, though, and Arteta has already suggested that the teenager has the potential to make a devastating impact in a central role.
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Natural eye for goal
"Ethan can play as a right attacking midfielder, left attacking midfielder, and as a right winger, and there is another position he can develop into in a few years time: nine," Arteta said in December. "[When] he’s got the goal in front of him, he just looks at the goal. He has a tremendous ability to put the ball in the back of the net."
Arteta has carefully managed expectations around Nwaneri since his record-breaking introduction to Premier League audiences at just 15, but it's becoming harder and harder for him to keep the youngster out of the spotlight. Nwaneri is currently enjoying a breakout campaign at Arsenal, with seven goals in 23 appearances, only seven of which have come as a starter.
The academy graduate has excelled when filling in for Saka on the right flank, showing off his explosive power when driving into the final third and delivering the kind of end product that is extremely rare to see from a player of his age. And as Arteta has observed, he has a natural eye for goal.
Fast-tracking Nwaneri's development into a No.9 makes a lot of sense. It wouldn't be an alien position to him either, because he was deployed there by coaches at U14 and U15 level, and earned rave reviews for his composure and finishing technique.
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Deadly left foot
Arsenal fans have been able to witness that technique up close this term, and have frequently had their breath taken away. Once Nwaneri cuts in onto his left foot and gets a sight of the posts, he's able to find his mark with unerring accuracy using a deadly combination of whip and venom.
He did it first against Preston in the League Cup, before repeating the trick against Girona in the Champions League and in Arsenal's thumping 5-1 league victory over Manchester City on February 2. Those stunning efforts came as no surprise to his Arsenal team-mates, with Mikel Merino saying after the 2-1 win at Girona: "This kind of goal does not happen by chance. This kind of action is something you train. He is always trying to make this shot, trying to cross to the second post from the right side. He trains it every day. He has an amazing talent, but there is nothing that comes without hard work.”
Imagine what Nwaneri could do stationed closer to the goal. He's confident enough to manufacture his own space and let rip instead of always going for the easy pass, and that ruthless mindset holds him in great stead to lead the line for the Gunners.
Left-arm spinner will “miss going home” but is happy to welcome friends and family to watch him play at the Wankhede
Srinidhi Ramanujam01-Dec-2021For Ajaz Patel, life has come full circle. The left-arm spinner was just a month-old baby when New Zealand last played a Test in Mumbai. And when Ajaz left Mumbai, the ‘City of Dreams’, as an eight-year-old, returning to play a Test here may have not even been in his dreams. But here he is, 25 years later, gearing up to play a Test in the city for his country, which he now calls his home.Watch live cricket on ESPN+ in the US
India vs New Zealand is available in the US on ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to live coverage of the 2nd Test in English or in Hindi.
Coming back to Mumbai makes him “nostalgic” and “emotional” with New Zealand set to fight for the series in the second Test from Friday, after eking out a draw in the Kanpur Test – a result Ajaz helped orchestrate in the final session of the fifth day along with debutant Rachin Ravindra in the fading light. For Ajaz, playing a Test in Mumbai is “something that I’m sure I will look back on very fondly in future”.”I was thinking about it when we landed in Mumbai yesterday,” Ajaz said. “It was nice coming out – we have come here with family for holidays [in the past]. It’s a little bit different now, obviously. This time I am with cricket.”I have come to the Wankhede for a lot of IPL games, thanks to Mitch McClenaghan. He has been very kind every time I have come here. I have also bowled here a few times, training and stuff like that. It is kind of nostalgic being here. I just have to cope with not being able to see the family. I’m sure I will be making a quick trip back home very frequently whenever that’s possible.”Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel helped New Zealand eke out a draw in fading light in Kanpur•BCCIFor someone whose parents have never “seen me play in person even back in New Zealand”, Ajaz said it would be “really special” for his family to come and watch him play from the stands at the Wankhede.”I have got various members of the family coming in on different days of the game,” he said. “I guess it’s the beauty of Test cricket. Everyone can come in on days that they are free.”I don’t think about it [playing in front of the family] as pressure, it’s more of excitement. I know we didn’t get off at the airport. I have got a lot of flashbacks – leaving Mumbai for the first time and coming back to Mumbai for the first time, coming to Mumbai for a wedding and stuff like that. For me, it’s going to be a very, very special moment.”The past week has been one of a roller coaster for Ajaz. It all started with him starring on a tense final day in Kanpur alongside Ravindra. The pair played eight overs together – with Ajaz facing 23 deliveries – with one wicket in hand to save the match. Ajaz said it was “a very cool moment” for the two Indian-origin players to be fighting for a draw against a strong home side and that in itself is “an amazing story”.Related
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Anatomy of a stalemate on a dead Kanpur pitch
“He [Ravindra] was calm out there. He has got a great head on his shoulders,” Ajaz said. “We spoke about playing the ball as straight as possible. If it goes past the outside edge, it goes past the outside edge but as long as we keep the stumps out of play and not get out in front of pads – that’s the most important part. I don’t think at any point I thought about the outcome, and I am not really sure if Rachin did. It makes things a lot easier.”Against the irony of us at home – towards the back end of the game and after the game was over – the two boys of Indian heritage, being brought up in New Zealand, playing against one of the biggest cricketing nations, trying to fight for a draw and that I suppose, [is] quite an amazing story in itself. It was special for us to be out there, and I thought that was quite fitting.”
Sunderland fans will hope their team gets back to their best when Championship football resumes this weekend, with Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats top of the current second tier pile.
It hasn’t been constant sunshine however at the Stadium of Light, as Le Bris’ side have shown some chinks in their armour, with back-to-back away defeats in the league making for worrying reading as the Wearside outfit prepare for their trip to Hull City this coming Saturday.
The already popular Frenchman will just want his players to raise their performance levels for the away game versus the Tigers, to avoid an ego-bruising third straight loss on the road, with the ex-Lorient manager definitely wanting Jobe Bellingham to stand up and be counted more.
Bellingham's form this season
It has been somewhat of a quiet start to the campaign for the Sunderland boy wonder, who announced himself to the Black Cats faithful last season with a stunning seven goals, despite only still being a wide-eyed teenager.
The 19-year-old only has an underwhelming one goal and one assist this time around from seven league clashes, but his performances have been encouraging to view, away from his output slightly drying up.
His showing against Leeds United was particularly impressive, with the Sunderland number seven only misplacing two of his 48 passes on the day coming up against a makeshift Whites midfield, alongside also registering three efforts on Illan Meslier’s net.
The game before this enthralling 2-2 draw also saw Bellingham break his duck for the season with a sublime strike versus Derby County, with the teenager raring to get back on a pitch for his Championship employers and score more stunning strikes, starting with a trip to Tim Walter’s Hull this weekend.
Whilst Bellingham will aim to better his 2023/24 output across this marathon of a campaign to come, on the way to his side potentially making a long-awaited return to Premier League, one former Sunderland man is actually now bettering the starlet’s numbers, despite being very much submerged in the twilight years of his playing days.
The player who is outperforming Bellingham
Amazingly, despite being 35 years of age, ex-Black Cats winger James McClean is currently trumping Bellingham’s numbers, lining up for Wrexham in the league below.
McClean was let go of by the Wearside club 11 years ago, when Sunderland were regularly competing in the top-flight, with Paolo Di Canio selling him on to Championship outfit Wigan Athletic for £1m.
Club played for
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Wigan
171
23
27
West Bromwich Albion
112
5
5
Stoke City
111
12
19
Wrexham
56
6
14
He would go on to become a success at the Latics, away from collecting 11 goals and six assists from 70 appearances at the Stadium of Light, with McClean also becoming a household name in the Championship and Premier League with various different clubs away from solely Wigan.
In the here and now, the 104-time Republic of Ireland international has arguably found a new lease of life with Wrexham, even as his playing days begin to wind down.
Last time out, the experienced Red Dragons captain would help himself to two goals and an assist as his Welsh outfit easily brushed aside Northampton Town 4-1, bettering Bellingham’s season numbers in just one League One encounter, with those being his only golden contributions in the league so far.
McClean was an obvious coup for the resurgent team when he put pen to paper on a deal last year, with Wrexham even remarkably having another major player from Sunderland’s recent history in Steven Fletcher on their books now too.
If the tenacious Irishman can keep up his top form, he could end up steering his employers up to the same division as Sunderland, where the two teams could face off if Le Bris’ men don’t also taste promotion themselves.
Whilst Wrexham are proving that age is just a number in the case of their star number seven, the Black Cats operate very differently with a young and hungry core front and centre of their philosophy, as they strive to move back up to the Premier League with this raw group.
Development as Sunderland now make contact over stunning new Henderson move
Sri Lanka batter unlikely to be ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa at home
Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Aug-2021
Kusal Perera had missed the July series against India because of a shoulder injury•Getty Images
Sri Lanka batter Kusal Perera has tested positive for Covid-19 and will now have to isolate for at least ten days. The development should not, at this stage, rule him out of the limited-overs series against South Africa at home in the first half of September. Perera had also missed the home series against India in July with a shoulder injury, and was just preparing to make a comeback to competitive cricket when a test on Sunday showed him to be positive for the virus.Related
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“The protocol when someone tests positive is that we keep them isolated for ten to 14 days, and then we’ll do a cardiac assessment,” Dr Daminda Attanayake, the Sri Lanka team’s chief medical officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “If he comes back okay from the cardiac assessments and other tests, that I don’t see why we should keep him away from the South Africa series.”The Sri Lanka squad is expected to enter a biosecure bubble around August 25 in preparation for the South Africa series. As Perera will already be in isolation, he will be allowed to enter the bubble once his isolation period is concluded.Although the virus is not expected to keep Perera out of the series, Attanayake did suggest that it was not yet clear whether his shoulder injury had healed sufficiently for him to return to international cricket.South Africa are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20s, all in Colombo. The first of those games is set for September 2 and the last for September 14.
Newcastle United were unable to adorn St. James’ Park with bells and whistles this summer but they did bolster their backline and they also avoided a detrimental sale of a key first-team star.
Heading into the transfer window, Eddie Howe’s outfit clearly needed reinforcements after turning up a day late and a dollar short in the race for European qualification, one year on from the victorious and unforeseen campaign toward the top four, earning a place in the Champions League.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe
But it was a season of misfortune for the Magpies, who were knocked by persistent injuries and ultimately finished seventh in the Premier League, losing their Conference League qualifying spot after Manchester United, who finished eighth, won the FA Cup.
It must be said that while Newcastle kept the essence of their project intact, they didn’t make any actual improvements to their frontline, missing out on top attacking target Anthony Elanga.
Why Newcastle wanted Anthony Elanga
There was plenty of talk about Miguel Almiron’s future on Tyneside this summer. The Paraguayan winger has been a stalwart over the years but is not prolific enough to warrant a regular starting spot on the flank. Jacob Murphy is another to play a present part in Howe’s plans, but he too could be displaced by a superior wideman.
24/25
2 (0)
0
0
23/24
23 (13)
3
1
22/23
29 (24)
11
5
21/22
19 (8)
1
0
20/21
28 (22)
4
1
19/20
35 (34)
4
2
18/19
9 (8)
0
0
The 30-year-old could still make an impact this season, but a player of Elanga’s quality could have made a positive impact on Howe’s unit, taking the starring role on the right and allowing his older peers to contribute when called upon.
Last summer, Nottingham Forest signed Elanga from Manchester United for a fee believed to be £15m. The winger, who completed a five-year move, had shown promise at Old Trafford but was not going to work his way into Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup.
Their loss. The Tricky Trees thoroughly enjoyed his performances last season, with Elanga wrapping up the campaign with five goals and nine assists across his 36 Premier League fixtures, proving to be instrumental in the (successful) fight to stay in the division.
He might be waiting for his first goal contribution of the current campaign but the Sweden international hasn’t exactly been slacking, with an average 91% pass completion rate and 2.7 key passes per game across his opening top-flight appearances, as per Sofascore.
It’s no surprise that Newcastle have a vested interest in his signature. The Toon had been hoping to sign him on a £45m deal in the summer but were batted away with each advance.
It’s a rueful one. He’d be deadly on the right wing, and the perfect partner for Anthony Gordon on the alternate – a player who is even more valuable than him.
Anthony Gordon is shaping into a superstar
Gordon is turning into quite the player. His voracious love for reading and determined personality are eloquent of his elite mindset, and his performances in Newcastle colours have been indicative of just that.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing for the England international on Tyneside, who forced his way out of Everton in January 2023 and signed for £45m. Across the latter half of the 2022/23 campaign, Gordon worked hard but to little avail, scoring his first goal on the final day, during a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Last season, however, he put any notion of being a ‘flop’ to bed, actually winning Newcastle’s Player of the Season award after scoring 12 goals and claiming 11 assists across all competitions, hailed by Bruno Guimaraes for his “unbelievable” performances.
Matches (starts)
35 (34)
36 (25)
Goals
11
5
Assists
10
9
Touches
44.9
30.5
Shots (on target)*
2.3 (0.9)
1.5 (0.6)
Big chances created
16
14
Pass completion
82%
75%
Key passes*
1.6
0.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
1.1
Ball recoveries*
3.6
2.7
Dribbles*
1.5
0.8
Total duels won*
5.3
2.9
The 23-year-old is only going to get better and better, and while he has a distance to go before sitting alongside Europe’s very finest attacking midfielders, he carries the trappings of such a player, with the profile of a top, top superstar.
After all, he caught Liverpool’s attention during the off-season…
Anthony Gordon's market value in 2024/25
Liverpool were interested in signing Gordon this summer, with a £75m deal preliminarily in place that would see the winger return to Merseyside and Liverpool’s Joe Gomez head to St. James’ Park in return.
Newcastle circumvented their PSR problem without losing any of their most important players – namely, Gordon, Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.
It was fantastic that this was achieved, especially when considering the gravitas of Newcastle’s task: restoring its place among Europe’s elite and continuing to push for silverware.
Liverpool target Anthony Gordon in action for England at EURO 2024.
Gordon will be instrumental in this regard. Signing Elanga would have been nice, but he’s not performing at the same level as Gordon, who is combative, cultured and creative – the full package, and he’s “fearless” besides, as has been said by Alan Shearer.
A player on the rise, the Englishman was only actually valued at £7m, as per Transfermarkt, at the time at which PIF took over Newcastle back in late 2021, although he has since soared to that £75m price tag – an increase of 971%.
When we look back at Newcastle’s summer activity, there might be an element of regret at having not bolstered as had been desired, but keeping a grip on a player of Gordon’s ilk might just prove to be more influential than the signing of Elanga would ever have been.
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