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Arsenal are flying at the moment.

Mikel Arteta’s thumping 4-1 win in the North London Derby on Sunday has seen them go six points clear of second-place Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table and seven points clear of Manchester City.

It was an incredible team performance from the North Londoners, but even so, Eberechi Eze stood out, scoring the first hat-trick in the competition since Alan Sunderland in 1978.

The former Crystal Palace star has been an excellent signing for Arsenal, and now the club are being linked with someone who’d be a dream teammate for him.

Arsenal target dream teammate for Eze

Arsenal may have spent big in the summer, but perhaps due to them being in a great position domestically and in Europe, they are already being linked with some huge players ahead of the winter window.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Juventus’ sensationally talented Kenan Yıldız, for example, has been touted for an £88m move to the Emirates, as has the £120m Elliot Anderson.

However, the North Londoners are also looking at another goalscoring centre-forward, someone who’d be a dream signing for Eze.

At least, that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Arsenal are one of several teams interested in Samu Aghehowa.

In fact, the report goes a step further, revealing that the Gunners are among the sides leading the race for his signature, even if Tottenham Hotspur are just marginally ahead.

However, on top of the competition, one of the hurdles the Premier League leaders will have to overcome to secure the Spaniard’s signature is the fact that it could take around €90m – £79m – to convince Porto to let him go.

Even so, given Samu’s ability, potential and goal record, this is a deal Arsenal should be fighting for, especially as he could be a dream signing for Eze.

Why Samu would be a dream signing for Eze

Now, while it is most certainly simplistic, it is also true that the primary reason Samu would be a dream signing for Eze, and by extension Arsenal, is the fact that he’s an output machine.

After all, whether he’s playing on the wing or in the ten, the former Crystal Palace star will want whoever is playing down the middle to be someone who can reliably score goals and even provide assists for him at times.

Fortunately, that sounds a lot like the Spaniard.

For example, in 44 appearances across all competitions last season, totalling 3,370 minutes, the 21-year-old racked up an impressive tally of 27 goals and three assists.

That comes out to a staggering average of a goal involvement every 1.46 games, or every 112.33 minutes.

Appearances

44

16

Minutes

3,370′

809′

Goals

27

6

Assists

3

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.68

0.43

Minutes per Goal Involvement

112.33′

115.57′

He’s showing no signs of that being a hot streak either, as so far this season, the monstrous forward has chalked up six goals and one assist in 16 appearances, totalling 809 minutes.

In other words, he is currently averaging a goal involvement every 2.28 games, or more crucially, every 115.57 minutes.

On top of being a forward who’d be able to reliably finish the chances created for him, the former Atletico Madrid gem is also a battering ram of a player.

Standing at 6 foot 4, the four-capped international, whom journalist Zach Lowy described as “one of the best STs in Europe,” is not someone who’d struggle with the physical nature of the Premier League.

If anything, he’d thrive in it and be able to use his impressive stature to bully opposition defenders and create opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Finally, despite being such an imposing figure, he has demonstrated an impressive level of agility and movement through a few seriously impressive strikes.

Ultimately, while the fee is high, Samu is a goalscoring machine who would not only improve Arteta’s squad but also potentially help Eze’s goal and assist tallies explode.

Therefore, Arsenal should do what they can to sign him in January, before another side, like Spurs, gets to him first.

Forget Eze: Arsenal's "cult hero" is becoming Arteta's new Odegaard instead

The incredible Arsenal ace has been in fine form this season and is starting to become Arteta’s new Odegaard.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 25, 2025

Ruben Amorim had some strong words for a £120,000-a-week Manchester United star in front of the rest of the squad at their Carrington training ground, it has been revealed.

Amorim says Man Utd “have a lot to do” after Tottenham draw

The Red Devils boss bemoaned United’s inability to kill off Tottenham and insisted they still have “lots of problems” after a dramatic 2-2 Premier League draw.

Matthijs de Ligt struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a point for United, who faced a first loss since a difficult September following Spurs goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison.

“We have a lot of problems. We are just in the beginning. I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving. We are improving but we have a lot to do,” Amorim reflected candidly.

“You can divide the game into the final 10 minutes and also when we have to take out Harry Maguire, then suffer two goals and then losing Ben. To overcome everything and manage to score is a good thing.

“If you look at the rest of the game, I think we were comfortable in the game but we should do better. Be more aggressive, feeling the environment in the stadium that the three points were there, the space was there and I think we felt too comfortable during the game.

“We need to expect that in one play anything can happen and change the mood of the stadium. Today was that. I think we control well the game, but we need to do better because the game was there to take.”

It was the first time United faced Spurs since the Europa League final, and it has now been revealed that Amorim was fuming with one of his players after the defeat in Bilbao.

Man Utd slammed Ugarte in front of teammates during Carrington meeting

The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell wrote an in-depth story on Amorim’s first year in charge at Old Trafford.

He revealed that Amorim wasn’t happy with Manuel Ugarte following the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham and let him know in front of his Man Utd teammates during a Carrington meeting.

Amorim felt that Ugarte ‘had let his work rate slide from their time together at Sporting’ adding that the midfielder ‘had gotten comfortable and said he did not recognise him as the same player from their first stint together’.

Whitwell added that ‘criticising a former player in front of his team-mates certainly caused a ripple of reaction among those in the squad’ and ‘showed them that Amorim was hard, but broadly fair, when it came to assessing application’.

Ugarte’s Man Utd stats

Total

Games

55

Goals

2

Assists

6

Yellow cards

15

Red cards

0

Minutes played

3,239

The Uruguay international, on £120,000-a-week in Manchester, is yet to be fully trusted by Amorim during the 2025/26 season, considering that he’s started just two Premier League games so far.

Playing under 350 minutes in all competitions, Ugarte has been preferred to Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in central midfield, so by the looks of things, he still has plenty of work to do to get back in Amorim’s good books.

Casemiro's stance on new contract as Man Utd make U-turn and contact his agent

MatériaMais Notícias

O lateral-esquerdo Ayrton Lucas, do Flamengo, deixou o gramado do Maracanã lesionado. O atleta, convocado por Dorival Júnior para a Seleção Brasileira, reclamou de um incômodo no joelho direito e foi substituído por Matias Viña.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoÀs vésperas de Flamengo e Fluminense, jornalistas analisam Tite e Diniz e definem o melhorFora de Campo09/03/2024DicasFluminense x Flamengo: odds, estatísticas e informações para apostar na semifinal do CariocaDicas09/03/2024NotíciasCarioca: como foram os últimos jogos entre Fluminense e Flamengo?Notícias09/03/2024

Os médicos do Flamengo irão avaliar a situação de Ayrton Lucas, que já começou o tratamento no banco de reservas.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Estatísticas de Fluminense e Flamengo

O clássico Fla-Flu já aconteceu em 379 oportunidades e, apesar dos números equilibrados, o Flamengo leva uma certa vantagem sobre o Fluminense. O Rubro-Negro venceu, até aqui, 138 vezes, empatou 122 e perdeu 119 jogos para o Tricolor. Na última vez que os rivais se enfrentaram, no Estadual deste ano, o Fla venceu por 2 a 0.

O Fla terminou a primeira fase na liderança do Carioca, com 27 pontos, sendo oito vitórias, três empates e nenhuma derrota, enquanto o Flu foi o quarto colocado na tabela de classificação, com 21 pontos, sendo seis vitórias, três empates e duas derrotas.

continua após a publicidade

Além disso, enquanto o Flamengo balançou as redes 23 vezes e sofreu apenas um gol, o Fluminense marcou 17 e teve sua rede vazada 11 vezes.

Tudo sobre

FlamengoFluminenseSeleção Brasileira

By winning their last regular-season game Renegades also improved to fourth, while Sixers are third

AAP05-Dec-2025Melbourne Renegades duo Georgia Wareham and Courtney Webb have produced a match-winning partnership to sink Sydney Sixers and keep the defending WBBL champions in finals contention.The win had significant ramifications ahead of next week’s finals, ending Sixers’ three-game winning streak and meaning Hobart Hurricanes will finish top of the ladder.That means Hurricanes will host the final on Saturday week. Adelaide will host Hurricanes tonight at Karen Rolton Oval, with Strikers needing an upset win to stay in the top-four hunt.By winning their last regular-season game Renegades also improved to fourth, while Sixers are third. But Renegades must sweat on other results to find out whether they play in the finals.Chasing 131 for victory, Wareham (49 not out) and Webb (33 not out) took Renegades to 134 for 4 from 16.2 overs on Friday in Melbourne.The pair put on a whirlwind unbroken 85-run stand, rescuing Renegades from a wobbly 49 for 4 in the tenth over.Wareham, who earlier took three wickets, finished with a furious flourish, cracking five fours and two sixes from her 29 deliveries. And Webb also found the boundary four times as Renegades (five wins, five losses) climbed from sixth to fourth on the table.Sixers (five wins, three losses) remain third after failing to capitalise on an Ellyse Perryspecial with the bat.Perry top-scored with 65 from 47 balls but Sixers struggled to 130 for 9. The allrounder dominated Sixers’ innings, hitting nine fours and a six, despite frequently losing partners.Only one other team-mate – Ash Gardner (16) – reached double figures amid some excellent legspin bowling from Wareham (3 for 21 from four overs).Alyssa Healy made a six-ball duck and the middle order failed to fire around Perry, who was dismissed in the 18th over when caught at long-on from the bowling of Alice Capsey (2 for 27).Ellyse Perry put on a one-woman show with the bat for Sixers•Getty ImagesRenegades hit early trouble in their chase when Maitlan Brown snared two wickets in the second over.Opener Davina Perrin (28 from 27) and Capsey (10 from 15) briefly steadied before both fell in a three-over patch, leaving Renegades in serious strife four down.But Wareham and Webb launched a power-packed counter-punch with Brown (2 for 45) the only multiple wicket-taker for Sixers.All three games over the weekend will affect the top-four finishing order. The Melbourne Stars are second and on Saturday cannot afford a slip-up when they host the Sydney Thunder, who are out of finals contention.The late Saturday game will feature fifth-placed Perth Scorchers at home against bottom side Heat, while Sixers host Adelaide Strikers on Sunday in a massive end to the regular season.Only three points separates Stars from the sixth-placed Strikers.Tuesday’s knockout final will feature the third-placed team at home against fourth.The winner of that game travels to the second-placed team on Thursday for the challenger final and that will decide who faces Hurricanes for the title.

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell has been questioned by some supporters for the work that was done during the summer transfer, with signings and the appointment of Russell Martin.

It is hard to describe the former Southampton manager’s tenure at Ibrox as anything other than disastrous after he won five matches in all competitions before being sacked last month.

The ex-Rangers centre-back did not have much joy in the dugout during his second stint at the club, as a manager rather than as a player, with 24 goals conceded in 17 matches.

On top of the clearly poor decision to bring Martin to Ibrox, Thelwell’s signings during the summer transfer window have come under some scrutiny, after the new owners provided him with plenty of money to spend.

The appointment of Martin and the work done in the summer window led to a start of one win in the first eight matches of the Scottish Premiership season for the Light Blues, which has put them on the back foot in the title race.

Danny Rohl has come in and won all four of his Premiership games in charge, to his credit, but there are still several summer signings who are yet to prove their worth.

Picking out the worst summer signings for Rangers

It would be hard to look past the most expensive signing of the summer when talking about the worst signings, as Youssef Chermiti was signed for £8m from Everton. That is the most money Rangers have paid for a player since they paid £12m to sign Tore Andre Flo in 2000.

Since that mega-money move to Ibrox, the Portugal U21 international has scored one goal in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues this season, and that goal came via some rather questionable goalkeeping, as shown in the clip below.

Chermiti is not the only centre-forward signing who has struggled this season, though, as Rangers signed Bojan Miovski for a fee of up to £4.2m and he has delivered two goals in 16 outings in all competitions, per Sofascore.

Further back on the pitch, central midfielder Joe Rothwell has been a disappointment since his permanent move from Bournemouth. The 30-year-old talent was brought in to offer experience and quality in the middle of the park, but he has failed to make a positive impact.

Tackles

7

Bottom 27%

Interceptions

8

Top 29%

Duels won

16

Bottom 26%

Duel success rate

47%

Bottom 39%

Aerial duels won

4

Bottom 25%

Possession won in the final third

1

Bottom 19%

Ball recoveries

22

Bottom 36%

As you can see in the table above, the English flop ranks poorly among his positional peers in the Premiership in a host of key defensive metrics, whilst playing as a number six for the Light Blues.

Thelo Aasgaard, who was signed from Luton Town, is another summer signing who has failed to deliver, with one goal and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore, which shows that the attacking midfielder has been ineffective at the top end of the pitch.

Chalkboard

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

Whilst there are understandable question marks over all of the summer signings mentioned so far, there is a player signed by Thelwell who impressed against Livingston, and may be on his way to becoming the new Calvin Bassey at Ibrox.

After signing from Leicester in 2020, the Nigeria international only played eight Premiership games in his first season. In the 2021/22 campaign, the versatile defender featured in just three of the first nine league games under Steven Gerrard, per Transfermarkt.

The left-footed star then became a regular in the side when Giovanni van Bronckhorst took over in October and went on to play 50 games in all competitions before sealing a £19.6m move to Ajax in the summer of 2021.

Now, central defender Emmanuel Fernandez could follow a similar path to success at Ibrox after he produced an impressive display against Livingston on Saturday.

Why Emmanuel Fernandez may be the next Calvin Bassey for Rangers

As was the case with Bassey under Gerrard, the summer signing from Peterborough rarely got an opportunity to showcase what he could do on the pitch during Martin’s time at the club.

Per Transfermarkt, Fernandez featured in one of Martin’s seven league matches in charge of the Light Blues and was an unused substitute in all six of the Champions League qualifiers.

The 24-year-old centre-back only started in a 1-1 draw with St Mirren in the Premiership and a 4-2 win over Alloa Athletic in the League Cup, scoring his first goal for the club in the latter appearance.

Fernandez finally got his first start in the league of the Rohl era against Livingston on Saturday and did not disappoint. On top of scoring the opening goal in the match, making it two goals in three starts for the club, he won eight of his 13 duels and was not dribbled past a single time, per Sofascore.

After the win over Livingston, one Rangers podcaster described him as a “massive” player who “makes a difference” at both ends of the pitch because of his imposing physique.

Tackles made

0.99

Bottom 26%

Duels won

10.44

Top 1%

Duel success rate

72.4%

Top 5%

Aerial duels won

6.96

Top 1%

Aerial duel success rate

87.5%

Top 1%

Interceptions

2.49

Top 5%

Shots blocked

0.99

Top 31%

As you can see in the table above, Fernandez is one of the most dominant and impressive central defenders in the Premiership if you compare his two starts in the league to his positional peers on a per 90 basis.

These statistics suggest that the English defender deserves more chances to start and showcase his quality, which he may well get with John Souttar and Derek Cornelius both missing through injury at the moment.

If he continues to start and produce the level of performance that he has in his first two outings in the division, Fernandez could go on to be a defensive monster for Rohl and anchor the team for the foreseeable future.

Like Bassey, Rangers may look back in the future and wonder why he did not play more regularly earlier in the season, because the towering star looks like he has been a hidden gem at Ibrox.

Fewer touches than Butland: Rohl must bin "missing" Rangers flop after Livi

Rangers did claim another league win over Livingston on Saturday, but one player went “missing” at Ibrox, registering fewer touches than Jack Butland.

ByBen Gray Nov 23, 2025

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has again defended divisive attacker Brenden Aaronson, who has been the subject of more abuse from his own fans, albeit while admitting that the USMNT star is an "annoying" player. It comes as Leeds are struggling to tread water on their return to the Premier League, sitting just inside the relegation zone on goal difference, with the pressure also mounting on Farke himself.

Aaronson criticism 'more than unfair'

With the second most goal-shy attack in the Premier League through 12 games, Leeds aren't scoring enough to get the points they need to be higher up the table. Aaronson has featured in all of those fixtures, starting nine of them, supposedly as a chief source of creativity from the right.

The American has contributed one goal and one assist and is frustrating fans, many of whom have openly let him know about it. Even Farke admitted he understood it because of inconsistencies in performances, but is also keen to point out that the criticism is "more than unfair".

He said after Leeds' 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday: "I have to say Brenden is a player who polarizes and can be annoying even for me. Sometimes he’s not clear enough and can be a bit hectic. But I have to say what we're doing in criticizing this young man – then we don't have to do all these mental health awareness days.

"He represents so many skills we want to stand for as Leeds United. He works his socks off, gives everything, is relentless and leaves his heart on the pitch. It's more than unfair at the moment. In the last three performances he was always there covering 13 kilometers per game. Why we're looking so solid on our right side – with all respect to Jayden [Bogle] – Brenden is so crucial to protect him."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFarke concerned about impact of negative comments

Farke went on to address concerns about the kind of impact that persistent criticism and abuse could ultimately have on Aaronson.

"I'm just worried how we are as a society, with social media stuff, how we are as human beings," he said. "You just see the negative comments. If you see 5,000 negative comments about yourself as a 25-year-old guy, you think the whole world is on your shoulders.

"I could make my life easy and also slam him and then everyone would say, 'Yes, Daniel, tell him, great, we don’t like him anyway.’ But I protect human beings. This is what I do. I work with human beings, I don't work with robots. I also see what this lad is doing. And he is always a fantastic team-mate. He works his socks off.

"We feel better if we can put our anger just on other human beings. I don't like it. And when everyone is on his back, for such a young lad, is it really like how we want to treat human beings in our society? At least I don't want to treat them [like that].

"So we can criticize them, and we can think, 'Okay, you should not play football games' – whatever. But also, come on, watch, judge his performances, be at least a little bit fair. And if you don't want to do this in terms of relationship, come on, be a bit respectful with a young lad of 25-years-old. And then, otherwise, we don't have to have all this mental health awareness days, and we can put it into the bin."

Farke defended Aaronson in September

Farke also staunchly defended Aaronson back in September. "It's important to not put too much weight on his shoulders. Sometimes the feeling with Brenden is that we are a bit over-critical in public,” the Leeds manager said at the time. "We know Brenden has challenges in his offensive game in terms of decision-making, being a bit clearer and more straightforward. This is something we speak a lot about.It's not like I press a button and do my magic and he's a completely different player. In training we bring him more into positions where he has to take decisions. It's not like he is not willing to score or not highly motivated. Sometimes because he is so on it he is perhaps losing a bit of his calmness. But it's not helpful if everyone is always criticizing him."

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Getty Images SportLeeds needs points fast

It's more promising for Aaronson that his two Premier League goal contributions so far this season have both come within the last four games. Sadly for an already struggling Leeds, things aren't about to get any easier, with Manchester City away on Saturday, followed by visits of Chelsea and Liverpool.

To avoid another relegation back to the Championship, they need to start picking up points fast.

UAE were knocked out after they folded for 105 in their chase of 147

Danyal Rasool17-Sep-2025
On a day of remarkable drama in the Asia Cup, Pakistan did just about enough to keep their focus and secure the win that guarantees them safe passage to the Super Four. But they had to weather a spirited bowling performance from UAE who gave them a mini-scare. However, an all-round performance from Shaheen Shah Afridi and a team effort from the Pakistan bowlers ultimately sealed a 41-run victory.After the game started an hour late as the PCB threatened brinksmanship over the status of match referee Andy Pycroft, Pakistan appeared to have left all their fire and fury off the field. They scratched and poked timidly in the first four overs, limping to 17 for 2, and it wouldn’t get much better for most of the innings. Junaid Siddique took wickets at top and tail while Simranjeet Singh punctured Pakistan with three in the middle. It was only Fakhar Zaman who was left holding the innings together, but even his 36-ball 50 barely got Pakistan’s run rate above a run a ball.Related

• The arrival of Shaheen Afridi, lower-order basher

• The Pakcroft drama: everything, everywhere, all at once

• PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

Afridi’s unbeaten 29 off 14 balls at the end gave his side some breathing room, but after a third successive below-par game with the bat, it was Pakistan’s bowlers left to bail them out. Afridi enjoyed his best bowling display of the tournament, crucially breaking through with Alishan Sharafu’s wicket, while Haris Rauf, playing his first match of the Asia Cup, took the wicket of Dhruv Parashar to break a 48-run fourth wicket stand whose menace had slowly been increasing.Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub were operating in conditions conducive to their skillset, and they kept their end of the deal, their eight overs combining for 3 for 31 as the UAE’s innings ran out of steam. With six overs to go – they needed 62 runs with six wickets in the bag – the game still in the balance. However, as the pressure piled on, the Associates would crumple in a heap, the last seven wickets falling for 20 runs in 23 balls.

Junaid Siddique doubles up

In a tournament dominated by spin bowling, UAE fast bowler Junaid Siddique has become the top wicket-taker. Not for nothing has he amassed 105 T20I wickets, four of which came in a masterful spell of bowling against Pakistan on Wednesday.Following on from his 4 for 23 against Oman earlier in the tournament, Siddique drew Saim Ayub into a lash outside off for his third successive duck of the tournament. Varying his pace and lengths beautifully, he went the other way for Sahibzada Farhan, denying him room to induce a feeble chip into the infield.It meant Pakistan started off painfully – they were 9 for 2 in the third over – and Waseem squirelled away Siddique’s remaining two overs for the death. There, Siddique delivered like a charm once more, Pakistan’s lower-middle order finding him as difficult to put away as well. He struck once more in each of his two overs, outfoxing Mohammad Haris as he tried to paddle him, before signing off with a slower delivery that had Mohammad Nawaz holing out to leave Pakistan eight down.1:49

Jaffer: Junaid Siddique was ‘spot on’ in a must-win game

Shaheen injects batting momentum

It was fast bowler Afridi whose last-gasp cameo with the bat against India established some competitiveness to Pakistan’s total, and he came to the rescue in similar circumstances against UAE. With Pakistan 110 for 7 in the 17th over, Afridi almost single-handedly got Pakistan up to and beyond par. He found a way to fetch a pair of boundaries off Siddique, but the bulk of the runs came in a thrilling final over.Freeing his arms to get that windmill of a swing going, he began by slapping Muhammad Rohid over mid-off for six before whipping him over square leg for six more. Eighteen would come off that over, and of the 28 that came off the final two, with Afridi scoring 27 in 10 deliveries. It pushed Pakistan up to 146, placing a level of scoreboard pressure on the hosts that ultimately weighed them down throughout the chase.

When the moment slipped away

The game was going perfectly to plan for UAE. A superb bowling performance was being followed by a brisk start with the bat. Alishan Sharafu caressed the first ball of the innings from Afridi for four, and the first two overs produced 19 for 0.But there were signs that Afridi would back up his batting cameo with the ball when he coaxed Sharafu into dragging on. UAE’s captain Waseem then tried to keep the innings going. Five wides from Haris Rauf helped the run rate, and Waseem thwacked him for a boundary in the same over. By the end of the fourth, UAE were 35 for 1.The final two overs of the powerplay, though, damaged their chase. Salman Agha turned to Abrar whose carrom ball deceived Waseem. Mohammad Nawaz threw in a dive to take a stunning low catch to deal a hammer blow to their chances of an upset. In the next over, Saim Ayub cleaned up Muhammad Zohaib to leave UAE tottering at 38 for 3. As the asking rate rose into the ether, it took UAE’s hopes with it.

The globetrotter has a remarkable record with KKR, TKR and against Rohit Sharma

Namooh Shah04-Dec-2025Best economy and 100-plus wickets for two teamsAcross 568 T20 matches, Narine has maintained an economy rate of 6.16, the best among 117 bowlers with a minimum of 200 wickets in the format.Narine is one of only five bowlers in T20 history to take 100 or more wickets for two teams alongside Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan.One-franchise IPL career with KKRNarine is one of three players to play for a single IPL franchise alongside Virat Kohli and Kieron Pollard (minimum 150 matches). He has played all his IPL cricket for Kolkata Knight Riders, featuring in 189 matches, joint-most by an overseas player in the league with Pollard.With 192 wickets, he is the leading overseas wicket-taker in IPL history. Overall, 210 of his 600 T20 wickets have come for KKR, the most by any player for a single franchise, ahead of Lasith Malinga (195 for Mumbai Indians).ESPNcricinfo LtdThe ruler of Punjab KingsNarine’s only T20 five-wicket haul came in the 2012 IPL against Kings XI Punjab [now Punjab Kings], making him the first overseas spinner in IPL history to take a five-for. Since then, only Adam Zampa (2017) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2022) have achieved the feat as overseas spinners.In 2013, Narine also took his only T20 hat-trick, again against Punjab Kings, against whom he has the most dismissals in the format (36).Dominance against Rohit Sharma and at Eden GardensNarine has dismissed Rohit Sharma ten times in T20 cricket, the joint-most dismissals of a batter by a bowler, alongside Dwayne Bravo, who has dismissed Pollard ten times.Narine also has 72 wickets at Eden Gardens, the most by any bowler in Kolkata in T20s. His next best venue is the Shere Bangla Stadium, Mirpur, where he has 38 wickets.CPL’s leading wicket-takerNarine is currently the leading wicket-taker in the Caribbean Premier League, with 133 wickets, ahead of Imran Tahir (130). Out of the 133 wickets, 102 have come for Trinbago Knight Riders, making him one of the only three bowlers to take 100-plus wickets for a team in CPL.

Leeds United are already pursuing some January transfer targets in a bid to turn around their declining season in the Premier League.

At the start of the campaign, there looked to be promising green shoots for Daniel Farke’s men in their attempts to instantly clinch survival, with two victories picked up from their opening five fixtures back in the gruelling division.

However, since a 2-2 draw was picked up versus AFC Bournemouth at the tail-end of September, the wheels have started to fall off alarmingly, with four defeats from their last five Premier League games certainly highlighting why Leeds need some game-changing purchases this January.

Rumours have already begun to circulate that AZ Alkmaar goal machine Troy Parrott is on their agenda, with just one goal scored across their last two away-day defeats, really bringing into focus why they need such a deadly finisher in their ranks.

It would take an alleged £25m bid or even more to tempt AZ into getting rid of their 30-goal hero from last season, with Leeds not always coming out the other side of an expensive capture full of glee, which might see them err on the side of caution over a statement deal.

Still, if the Whites are serious about survival, they might well have to put their money where their mouth is and land the potent Irishman.

After all, the West Yorkshire giants have forked out similar wads of cash in January before when landing Georginio Rutter back in early 2023, with the £35.5m splashed out on the skilful Frenchman proving to be somewhat worthwhile, as he went on to score eight goals and pick up 18 assists as a memorable entertainer under Farke’s wing.

Sold for £40m to Brighton and Hove Albion, as well, it’s fair to say Leeds’ most expensive capture goes down as a hit.

The same cannot be said, however, for the likes of Jean-Kevin Augustin, who Leeds wanted to return to RB Leipzig after an unsuccessful loan stint in 2020.

Yet, Leeds would still have to pay up £18.4m for the Paris-born flop two years later, after failing to make the loan permanent, which had been previously agreed. In short, it was labelled as an “absolute disaster” of a transfer by journalist James Marshment.

Still, while Illan Meslier certainly did a great deal more in Leeds colours than Augustin, he has also been something of a disaster.

Why Illan Meslier was such a disaster at Leeds

Arguably, in the here and now, the £5m deal to secure Meslier could also be viewed as a blunder with hindsight on side, even if he was also a recipient of some glowing comments when Marcelo Bielsa still occupied the helm.

It does feel like an awfully long time ago, now, since Meslier was being heralded as a ‘keeper that “transmits security” by Bielsa, and would also come up trumps with top saves, with 72 Leeds clean sheets in his back pocket.

Unfortunately, in more recent times, he could be viewed as a waste of money with the amount of errors that seeped into his game last season as Leeds went for the glory of automatic promotion, which saw Meslier make three errors in total that directly led to an opposition goal.

To make matters worse for Meslier’s long-term future, Karl Darlow – who cost just £400k – would come up trumps in his place with an important tally of four clean sheets from his seven stand-in second-tier appearances, helping to make their promotion dreams a reality.

The reliable Welshman has since lined up for five Premier League games this campaign, while his £5m counterpart now routinely sits on the substitutes bench, presumably planning an exit route out of the club he has made 214 appearances for.

Yet, while Farke has been cutthroat with his former number one by also buying Lucas Perri, he still sticks by this other underperformer week in, week out, who is a far bigger waste of cash than the error-prone stopper.

Leeds flop is a bigger waste than Meslier

Meslier did – at one point – hold down the number one goalkeeper position rather comfortably.

Indeed, during Leeds’ first season back in the big time under Bielsa, the 6-foot-6 ‘keeper would help himself to a weighty 11 clean sheets from 32 top-flight outings, before things started to unravel. In the case of Brenden Aaronson, though, he has never been able to fully settle under the intense spotlight of the top division.

Thankfully, for Aaronson’s sake, he did turn on the style on occasion last season as the Championship title was lifted, with nine goals and two assists collected, which included this wonderfully constructed team goal away at Derby County being finished off by the up-and-down American.

Meslier also chipped in with 21 clean sheets, in all fairness, before it was deemed necessary for a change in between the sticks.

But, he still leaves a lot to be desired with his mediocre Premier League output, with the aforementioned Marshment’s comments about the ex-Union Berlin playmaker falling victim to “anonymous” displays very much ringing true this season, and throughout his playing days in the elite league to date.

Aaronson’s PL numbers

Stat

Aaronson

Games played

47

Minutes played

3098 mins

Goals scored

2

Assists

4

Goal conversion %

9%

Big chances missed

3

Big chances created

8

Sourced by Transfermarkt

For £28.5m, which remains Leeds’ second most expensive capture of all time, you would have anticipated a lot more than what Aaronson has offered up over 47 games in the intense division, with a measly six goal contributions amassed from those 47 games, very much strengthening arguments that he can go missing in crunch moments.

At least when it comes to the other high-profile signings, such as Rodrigo, he came away from his disappointing spell with the club with 28 strikes next to his name, despite costing £2.5m less.

Even Meslier has more to write home about from his Premier League adventures in West Yorkshire, with Aaronson’s output this season of just one goal and one assist from 11 games not exactly encouraging Leeds fans that he can change his ongoing Elland Road tale for the better.

There were faint glimmers of hope when he scored against West Ham United to close out October, with one Leeds-based content creator even dubbing it his “best game in a Leeds shirt”, off the back of Aaronson completing all 100% of his dribbles and winning eight duels to be a livewire throughout.

Yet, that was then followed up by two unmemorable displays on the bounce, as the “lightweight” version of Aaronson – as he was once branded by ex-Leeds player Jon Newsome – reared its ugly head once more.

These inconsistent performances would likely be more excusable if he didn’t cost such a bomb at the £28.5m mark, with it being very clear now that he is a far bigger waste of money than Meslier, and – arguably – one of the club’s poorest pursuits in recent Premier League history.

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Long gone are the days when Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah would tear the Premier League to shreds at Liverpool.

Staggeringly, from 197 games together at Anfield, the long-feared trio would combine for a devastating 338 goals, with Virgil Van Dijk once describing them together in action as a “scary” prospect to defend against.

Now, it’s very much a work in progress in attack for Arne Slot’s men, with both Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz remaining goalless in Premier League action since joining.

On top of that, fellow summer recruit Hugo Ekitike has largely blown hot and cold on Merseyside, with no league strikes next to his name from his last five clashes.

Last summer also saw a lot of change in attack in outgoings, with the wasteful Darwin Nunez finally put out of his Anfield misery. But, away from the heavily scapegoated South American, the Reds also waved goodbye to loyal servant Luis Diaz, who is now excelling at Bayern Munich, to Liverpool’s ongoing distaste.

Diaz's electric form at Bayern

Next to the memorable frustrations regularly served up by Nunez, Diaz’s starring role at Liverpool when he was still there could be viewed as slipping under the radar, somewhat.

Yet, Diaz was still labelled as a “very special” talent at Anfield by Jurgen Klopp for good reason, with the one-time Premier League title winner collecting a standout 41 goals and 23 assists from 148 appearances at Anfield.

Before he was moved on to the Bundesliga, he also chipped in with his most fruitful top-flight season in England, tallying up 13 goals.

That same clinical edge has clearly followed him to Bavaria, with Diaz already up to a bumper 11 goals and five assists in his new shade of red from just 17 clashes.

Worryingly, Isak, Wirtz, and Ekitike only have 11 goal contributions between them back in England, with the Colombian winger proving to be a stroke of genius signing for Vincent Kompany’s men at the £65.5m range.

To add insult to injury, all three of those Liverpool underperformers mentioned cost far more to obtain, with the 28-year-old already being hailed as a star who “delivers week in, week out” by his new manager.

Thankfully, Slot and Co could be brewing a homegrown iteration of their former attacker.

Liverpool's homegrown Luis Diaz

One of Diaz’s strong points when still situated at Anfield was his ability to line up all along the forward positions, with the malleable Colombian managing to bag eight strikes from 16 appearances as an out-and-out centre-forward, away from regularly completing his duties as a left winger.

The Reds have plenty of exciting young stars in their academy right now, chiefly fellow winger Rio Ngumoha but he’s not the focus this time around.

Indeed, another teenager by the name of Keyrol Figueroa is now beginning to make a strong impression on the youth staff.

Like Diaz, he has interchanged between wing and striker duties for Liverpool U21s this season effortlessly, with his “instinctive” nature in front of goal – as it was described by Liverpool academy reporter Lewis Bower – also seeing him score goals and pick up assists aplenty.

Figueroa’s numbers at Liverpool

Position

Games

Goals + Assists

CF

20

8 + 3

RW

6

3 + 2

LW

2

1 + 0

RM

1

0

Sourced by Transfermarkt

While he has predominantly found most of his joy on youth pitches comes from leading the line, with a clinical eight goals powered home from 20 games in that role, Figueroa has also not looked out of place whatsoever on either flank, much like Diaz in his Anfield prime. To put those numbers into perspective, it’s more goals than Ngumoha has bagged at the same level, having beaten the goalkeeper on just two occasions in nine U21 fixtures.

He will also want to give a disappointing Isak a run for his money down the line, with a deadly hat-trick bagged against Everton U21s last month no doubt making him an even more popular figure in youth circles in the red half of Merseyside, away from being an adaptable figure.

It would be wild to throw Figueroa into the first team imminently, considering he is just 19 years of age and is only used to the comforts of youth football.

But, if he continues as he is now, it will surely only be a matter of time before he is unleashed, having also been described as a “ruthless” finisher of chances by his U21 boss in Rob Page.

Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp also hailed Diaz as having a similarly impressive “eye for goal” during his Liverpool playing days, as Slot and Co now hope Figueroa can be as lively in the first team picture as the Colombian down the line.

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