Let's cast our minds back to the conclusion of the summer transfer window last year. Arsenal had just spent a seismic sum of money, notably to bring Declan Rice to the Emirates Stadium.

For a brief moment, Rice became a British record transfer, signing on for a grand total of £105m. Also welcomed with open arms to north London was £65m Kai Havertz and David Raya on loan. Jurrien Timber arrived too, captured for £38m.

However, besides the ever-impressive Rice, Arsenal's summer signings suddenly looked like poor business after the opening months of the campaign.

Timber sustained a devastating ACL injury on the opening weekend of the Premier League season and hasn't been seen since. Raya's first few weeks after replacing Aaron Ramsdale looked nervy and it took until November for Havertz to find a goal from open play.

Yet, as has often been the case since he became Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta got it right.

Raya has stood out the more he plays and was the penalty hero in the Champions League against Porto while Havertz's fortunes have changed considerably.

Kai Havertz's season in numbers

£65m on Havertz, you say? Yeah, it's a pretty outrageous sum of money for a player who struggled to stand out for the right reasons at Chelsea.

There was that famous night when he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final but beyond that the German never really got going, scoring just 32 goals across 139 appearances for the Blues.

A move was required and Arsenal came calling. However, the opening few months were riddled with criticism. His only goal for the Gunners across the first 12 league outings was a penalty against Bournemouth.

Fortunately, he's now revived his fortunes and become one of the most important members of Arteta's side.

2024 has been the year of Havertz who has scored in each of his last four league matches, also providing two assists in that time. The £280k-per-week man – who takes home the highest salary of any Arsenal player – is emphatically proving his doubters wrong.

He's impressed many, including former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon who has been delighted with his recent appearances in the red and white.

What Lee Dixon has said about Kai Havertz

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of BetVictor Casino Dixon swooned over the 24-year-old's displays in recent times, admitting that while he always believed there was a player in there at Chelsea, he was initially on the fence about his move across London.

"Firstly, yeah, he's done really well," Dixon began. "I was one of those – and it's easy to say after the event – but I was one of those who sat on the fence and said, ‘look let's give him a little chance’. You know, people will go ’why have you spent that money on him? He's rubbish.’

"I think when you've got a player who seems to be a confidence player – not everybody is – but we all like to play with confidence in the place where we think nothing's going to go wrong. Some players can play through that and he looks like that player."

Havertz has played in a number of roles since signing for Arsenal. Arteta initially thought the German could act as a replacement for Granit Xhaka in the no.8 role but his best displays have actually come as a false 9.

With Gabriel Jesus injured and Eddie Nketiah not preferred, the former Chelsea man has been entrusted as the focal point of the attack and delivered some truly impressive displays.

That's thanks to what Dixon thinks is an incredibly 'unique' profile. Discussing Havertz's best qualities and play style, the former England international commented: "He's showing that he feels at home and the positions that he's taken up and his ability to be dangerous around the box gives Arsenal just a little bit of an extra dynamic."

"So, instead of players looking at him going ‘oh, Kai Havertz? He's not going to cause much trouble’, now all of a sudden he is a problem. He changes how teams play against you. He’s got a very unique style to his play in that he is quite languid at times. And then other times he’s really athletic. So he's quite different to a lot of players that Arsenal have which is a good thing."

So, the mega-money signing has turned his career around at just the right time. Arsenal face a massive test in the title race when they face Manchester City on Sunday. They then have to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League. If they are to come through those ties with victories in hand, they will need Havertz at his best.

Lee Dixon delivers verdict on Ben White's England snub

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Lee Dixon delivered his verdict on Ben White.

ByMatt Dawson Mar 26, 2024

أحرز لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، داني أولمو، هدف فريقه الأول في شباك إسبانيول بمنافسات الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم “لاليجا”.

ويواجه برشلونة نظيره إسبانيول ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية عشر من الدوري الإسباني على ملعب “مونتجويك الأولمبي”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. فيديو | أتلتيكو مدريد يتخطى لاس بالماس بثنائية نظيفة في الدوري الإسباني

ونجح داني أولمو في تسجيل هدف برشلونة الأول عند الدقيقة 12 من عمر الشوط الأول.

الهدف جاء من خلال تمريرة ساحرة من لامين يامال بوجه القدم، لتصل إلى أولمو داخل منطقة الجزاء، حيث سدد الكرة واصطدمت بالقائم وهزت الشباك معلناً تقدم أصحاب الأرض في النتيجة.

وفي حال فوز برشلونة اليوم سيرتفع رصيد الفريق إلى النقطة 33 في صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإسباني “لاليجا”.

ويقدم بطولات تغطية مباشرة لأحداث مباراة برشلونة وإسبانيول في الدوري الإسباني من خلال الرابط. هدف داني اولمو في مرمي اسبانيول بالدوري الاسباني

One Celtic star is still expected to be called up for international duty this month, despite having picked up a knock just days before he is due to be in action for his national team, it has emerged.

Celtic labour to cup win

Struggling by their own standards in the Scottish Premiership, the Scottish Cup was a welcome distraction for Brendan Rodgers and co. But while they eventually made it through to the next round courtesy of a 4-2 win, it was far from a vintage performance from the Scottish champions and will have done little to reassure fans that they will be able to pip bitter rivals Rangers to the domestic crown come the end of the campaign.

The battle for the SPL crown

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

GD

Points

Rangers

29

23

1

5

48

70

Celtic

29

21

5

3

46

68

The two face each other at Ibrox next month, and Celtic know that a win will be vital in their bid to retain their title, but they are sweating on the fitness of one key man.

Carter-Vickers picks up knock

Now, Celtic are reeling from another injury issue as it has emerged that Carter-Vickers was absent in the weekend win after picking up a knock 'in the back of his leg' during training. The 26-year-old has already missed a large chunk of the season through injury, and now could be sidelined further, though the fact that he was able to complete the training sessions lends hope to the idea that he may not be on the treatment table for too long.

“We were just going through something very light on Saturday and he felt something in the back of his leg," Rodgers explained.

“He was okay to continue training but we just didn’t want to take any risk whatsoever with him. As much as he wants to play every game and be there, we had this earlier in the season when he said he was okay, but we ended up losing him for a number of matches.

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The club’s stance seems fairly firm.

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“Hopefully it’s nothing too serious. We just have to wait and see. If players are fit and available then we can’t stop him going, that’s internationals. He’ll obviously be called up for the USA I’m sure, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the scan result says.”

The USMNT face Jamaica later this month in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final, and a win would pit them against either Panama or Mexico in the final. Carter-Vickers has been named among the provisional roster for his country, and started both quarter-final legs in their nervy win over Trinidad.

But injury could put pay to his involvement should it turn out to be more serious than first feared. He was not the only absentee as Celtic made it into the last four of the Scottish Cup over the weekend, with Callum McGregor also absent through injury. Rodgers hopes to have his midfield general back after the international break though.

"There will be other players who can come in, but the level that he brings the game to is beyond what a lot of our players can do. Fingers crossed again we can get to the bottom of that and he’ll be available after the international break.”

Chelsea have announced the signing of USMNT left-back Caleb Wiley from MLS side Atlanta United.

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Wiley joins from Atlanta UnitedTransfer worth £8.5mDefender signs six-year dealWHAT HAPPENED?

Wiley has joined Chelsea in an £8.5 million ($11m) deal, signing a long-term contract until 2030, with the option of a further season. The 19-year-old had been with Atlanta since the age of 11 and made his MLS debut in 2022.

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Wiley stands to provide left-back depth in Enzo Maresca's new look Chelsea squad. Marc Cucurella is likely to be the starter after a cracking Euro 2024, but it could be a problem for vice-captain Ben Chilwell, whose injury record has limited him to 106 Chelsea appearances in four years at the club.

WHAT ATLANTA SAID

"Caleb epitomises the pathway that we envisioned when we started this club," Atlanta Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said, via the team's website. "Born and raised in Atlanta, he joined our Academy at 11 years old, played for ATL UTD 2 and went on to earn every step in his path up to signing as a Homegrown. Over that time, he debuted for the U.S. Men's National Team and was chosen to represent our country at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now he can continue his career at a top club in Europe. We wish Caleb the best in this next challenge of his career and look forward to following his journey. For our club moving forward, we're continuing our efforts to immediately reinvest in the team during the Summer Transfer Window."

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR WILEY

Before he gets going in Chelsea colours, Wiley will spend up to the next three weeks in France with the United States' Under-23 squad, having been selected for the Olympics. The American team kicks off on July 24 against the hosts, before further group games against New Zealand and Guinea on July 27 and 30 respectively.

Bob Willis, the former England captain and fast bowler who will be forever synonymous with England’s 1981 Ashes victory, has died at the age of 70 after a short battle with cancer.Willis claimed 325 wickets in a 90-Test career that began on the Ashes tour in 1970-71, when he was called up as a 21-year-old as a late replacement for the injured Alan Ward and played a full role in a famous 2-0 series win.Nicknamed “Goose” for his unconventionally loose-limbed approach to the crease, Willis was capable of extreme hostility with the ball, making him England’s one true answer to the West Indian and Australian pace batteries that dominated the 1970s and early 1980s.His finest hour came at Headingley in 1981, when – in the wake of Ian Botham’s counter-attacking 149 not out – he tore into Australia’s second innings in a frenzied display, pounding down the hill from the Kirkstall Lane end to deliver an incredible 18-run win with figures of 8 for 43.Botham would go on to describe Willis as a “tremendous trier, a great team-man and an inspiration – the only world-class fast bowler in my time as an England player”.Willis went on to lead England on 18 occasions in Test cricket, including the 1982-83 Ashes tour, where England were defeated 2-1 though not before pulling off a remarkable three-run win in the fourth Test at Melbourne.Replacing Keith Fletcher in the wake of the 1981-82 tour of India and Sri Lanka, Willis inherited a weakened team, shorn of a number of key players including Graham Gooch and Geoff Boycott who had signed for that year’s rebel tour of South Africa. But he went on to claim nine wickets in his first match in charge, against India at Lord’s, and would lead the side through to the visit of West Indies in 1984.Willis retired after the first Test of that summer as England’s leading wicket-taker, and second in the world overall, behind Australia’s Dennis Lillee. His national tally was subsequently overhauled by his long-term team-mate Botham (383), and more recently James Anderson (575) and Stuart Broad (471).He also captained England at the 1983 World Cup, where England were defeated by India, the eventual winners, in the semi-final at Old Trafford. He claimed 80 wickets at 24.60 in 60 ODIs overall, and was a member of the team that lost the 1979 World Cup final against West Indies at Lord’s.The fact that Willis endured as long as he did made him something of a medical miracle, as he had to overcame surgery on both knees in 1975 before going on to claim 899 first-class wickets at 24.99 in 308 appearances, the majority of them in a 12-year career with Warwickshire.After retirement, Willis went on to forge a career in the media, and was most recently an acerbic and popular pundit on Sky Sports’ post-match show, The Verdict. His off-the-cuff criticisms of England’s players were frequently robust but delivered with an undertone of humour, such as in the wake of England’s 2015 Ashes victory, when Joe Root mimicked his style while wearing a mask in a live TV interview.Willis’ family said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly.”Tributes poured in in the wake of the news, with David Gower, Willis’s friend and former England team-mate, telling BBC Radio Five Live: “I toured with him as a captain and I took over the captaincy from him and then had him as what was called in those days as an assistant manager. He was a very loyal friend and a loyal supporter. Without going into too much unseemly detail, it was an era where you were allowed to have more fun than you are possibly today. Various tours Down Under were colourful, let’s put it that way.””Bob Willis was my first England captain and a legend of England cricket,” wrote the former England allrounder Derek Pringle, on Twitter. “Headingley 1981 was as much his triumph as Beefy Botham’s – RIP Big Bob…”The ECB, who last year named Willis in an all-time England XI, also paid tribute to “a legend of English cricket” and “a perceptive and respected voice at the microphone”, adding that “cricket has lost a dear friend”.He is survived by his wife Lauren, daughter Katie, brother David and sister Ann.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Avaí está em céu de brigadeiro. Após segurar o empate com a Chapecoense na última quarta-feira, o Leão faturou o seu 18º título estadual.

+ Veja os clubes do Brasileirão 2021 com mais seguidores nas redes sociais

A campanha consolidou o início de temporada positivo do time comandado por Claudinei Oliveira, que elevou o nível da equipe.

Apesar de não ter feito a melhor campanha na fase de classificação, o Avaí mostrou regularidade e solidez em momentos de ‘pressão’.

No mata-mata, o Leão terminou de maneira invicta, já que venceu quatro partidas e obteve dois empates, um deles sacramentou a taça.

Confira os números do Avaí na campanha do título:

17 jogos
10 vitórias
5 empates
2 derrotas
17 gols marcados
8 gols sofridos

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The case reportedly revolves around an unsuccessful attempt by Morris to procure a loan

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2019Robin Morris, the former Mumbai first-class cricketer, has been arrested along with four others in Mumbai over an alleged kidnapping, the reported. The case revolves around an unsuccessful attempt by Morris to obtain a loan, as per the newspaper’s report.The quoted a police officer from the Mumbai suburb of Kurla as saying: “Morris wanted a loan of Rs 3 crore [USD 410,000 approx] a few years ago. He got in touch with the complainant [a loan agent] through a mutual friend.” As things unfolded, the newspaper reported, “the complainant took a commission but failed to provide Rs 3 crore loan sanction to Morris”. Subsequently, “Morris along with his four accomplices decided to call him to a restaurant in Kurla and forcefully took him to [Morris’ residence in] Versova”, before calling the loan agent’s family members and demanding the remainder of the commission be returned. “The family instead approached us and we registered a case.”Morris was in the news last year after being named by news channel Al Jazeera, following the channel’s alleged sting operation into fixing in cricket. Former Pakistan batsman Hasan Raza was filmed on camera by Al Jazeera, sitting adjacent to Morris as Morris speaks to an undercover reporter about facilitating spot-fixing in T20 tournaments. Morris denied any wrongdoing, saying that the channel invited him “to audition for, and act in, a commercial movie for public entertainment”.Morris, who played 42 first-class matches and 51 List A games in a career running from 1995 to 2007, was part of the now-defunct Indian Cricket League, where he played for Mumbai Champs. He was offered amnesty by the BCCI in 2009, along with several others who were part of the unsanctioned T20 league.

West Ham are preparing for a big name club to seal the signing of a "wonderful" Irons "talent" for around £12.3 million this summer, according to reports this week.

West Ham exits expected this summer

Alongside manager David Moyes as thing stand, with his contract looking set to expire at the end of this season, there are other figures at West Ham who could also depart east London.

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Both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma have been regularly linked with moves away to Saudi Arabia, while star midfielder Lucas Paqueta is rumoured to be back on Man City's radar ahead of a potential summer swoop.

There is also the small matter of expiring player contracts alongside Moyes, with a fair few currently heading into their final months as a West Ham player.

West Ham contracts expiring in 2024 (via Transfermarkt)

Vladimir Coufal (option for a further year)

Michail Antonio (option for a further year)

Divin Mubama (option for a further year)

Ben Johnson

Aaron Cresswell

Joseph Anang

Angelo Ogbonna

The likes of Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell appear set to bid farewell to the Hammers soon, while young defender Ben Johnson is apparently nearing a Bosman move to Crystal Palace.

“Talks with Johnson have proven unsuccessful,” stated ExWHUemployee on The West Ham Way Podcast last week.

“He’s been linked now with an exit and Crystal Palace are leading the way. Ledley King though, who is a relative of Johnson’s, is trying to engineer a move to Spurs.

“At this stage though it appears an agreement between the player and the south London club is at quite an advanced stage, which could sadly see Johnson head south of the river this summer, after 17 years at West Ham.”

Another player who is firmly up for an exit nominee is winger Said Benrahma. The Algerian ace is currently out on loan at Ligue 1 giants Lyon, after a real bit of January deadline day drama over his move to France.

West Ham expecting Lyon to seal £12.3 million Benrahma deal

According to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, West Ham fully expect Lyon to sign Benrahma permanently for £12.3 million – as is the buy-option clause in his contract.

The 28-year-old is enjoying his time at Lyon and is settled after returning to France, with "sources" telling FI that Moyes' side are preparing for Lyon to trigger his buy-option after a promising start to life across the channel.

Benrahma has attracted mixed opinion during his time at West Ham, as the tricky forward could turn it on in flashes but arguably wasn't given consistent enough opportunities by Moyes. However, the former Brentford star did earn a few real admirers at Rush Green.

“At the time I thought it was stupid because there was a young player everyone was raving about in the exact same position, and they sold him and brought in Benrahma and I’m thinking really," said Frank McAvennie to West Ham Zone last October.

“But he proved me wrong, he’s a great talent, a wonderful, wonderful talent. So it just shows you David Moyes knows what he’s doing.”

Spinner taken unwell while performing 12th man duties on second day

George Dobell30-Nov-2019

Jack Leach’s tour of New Zealand has reached an unhappy ending after he was admitted to hospital suffering from gastroenteritis.Leach, who was left out of the side for the second Test after England decided to field an extra seamer, reported feeling unwell after the first session of play on the second day in Hamilton. After initial observation from the medical team, it was decided to take him to hospital. He was admitted and is expected to stay there on Saturday night.Leach’s condition may be complicated a little by the fact he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease – an inflammatory bowel disorder – as a teenager. He admitted “it’s something I’m always battling a bit” in an interview with the BBC a few months ago.”If I was having a bad day with the ball, it would be nice to be able to blame it on the Crohn’s,” he said, “but I’ve never done that. If there’s a day when I’m struggling, I know how to fight through.”If I was in the middle of a big flare-up, I would feel at a physical disadvantage compared to other players, but I haven’t had one of those since I was about 16.”It’s something I’m always battling with a little bit, even if I am very lucky to not be affected as badly as some people can be.”

Manchester United's latest signing Leny Yoro has gotten straight to work following his move to the Premier League club.

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• Leny Yoro makes the move to Man Utd
• Takes part in first session at Carrington
• Set to travel with Ten Hag's side to the US

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester United announced the signing of Yoro from Lille earlier this week in a deal that cost the Red Devils around £52 million ($68m). Yoro completed all his media commitments on Thursday following his deal's announcement and the Frenchman has already started training under Erik ten Hag.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  On the back of a very successful season with Lille, Yoro had received heavy interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool. However, the 18-year-old prodigy prioritised a move to Old Trafford instead and has now signed a five-year deal with the Red Devils.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR YORO?

  The Frenchman will be on the plane to the United States as United prepare for their pre-season tour, with friendlies against Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool.