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Leeds United are set to be without winger Dan James for their clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the last Premier League match before the international break on Saturday.

The Wales international has suffered an ankle injury and is now set to be out of action for “weeks”, per reporter Graham Smyth, which is a blow for Daniel Farke.

James has yet to deliver a goal or an assist in the Premier League in four appearances so far this season, but he was a key player for the Whites in the Championship.

The 27-year-old speedster ended the 2024/25 campaign with an eye-catching return of 12 goals and nine assists in 36 appearances in the second tier, as Leeds racked up 100 points to win the title, per Sofascore.

His absence in the coming weeks means that Farke will need to find solutions in the right-wing position to make sure that Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have enough support at the top end of the pitch.

Brenden Aaronson has shown some promising signs this season as a right winger, but it is now time for the USA international to step up and prove his worth.

Why Brenden Aaronson needs to step up for Leeds

The American attacking midfielder has started the club’s last three matches in the Premier League on the right flank, and is yet to deliver a goal or an assist in the division this season.

Aaronson’s lack of quality in the final third is a cause for concern for the West Yorkshire outfit, because it was a big problem for him and Leeds in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

The Whites were relegated from the division that season after Jesse Marsch brought the American in from RB Salzburg, and his struggles in front of goal played a role in that failure.

xG

3.87

Top 37%

Goals

1

Bottom 21%

Assists

3

Top 36%

Dribble success rate

41.5%

Bottom 23%

Duel success rate

39.8%

Bottom 33%

Aerial duel success rate

17%

Bottom 12%

As you can see in the table above, Aaronson underperformed in front of goal as a finisher, scoring between two and three fewer than expected, whilst he was also a liability out of possession.

The 24-year-old lightweight, who has lost 67% of his aerial duels this season (Sofascore), needs to show that he can be relied upon physically and technically, because his Premier League career to date has been underwhelming.

Aaronson, who failed to provide a single goal contribution against the top six in the Championship last season, has created three ‘big chances’ in the top-flight this term, but he needs to add a greater goal threat and more reliability physically to his game.

With James out for weeks with an ankle injury, the USMNT star may get a few more opportunities to prove his worth from the start in the Premier League.

Chalkboard

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

Whilst Aaronson is looking to change his reputation at Elland Road, there is another player in the squad who is on the opposite path and is in danger of becoming the next version of the American.

Ao Tanaka was a certified star for Leeds in the Championship last season as part of Farke’s dominant possession-based side that stormed the league. The step up to the Premier League, however, has come as a bit of a culture shock to the central midfielder.

Why Ao Tanaka might become the new Brenden Aaronson

The Japan international won the Players’ Player of the Year award for Leeds in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows what his teammates thought of his exceptional performances in the second tier.

Tanaka, who was described as a “tiger” by Farke, won 55% of his duels across 43 appearances in the Championship. He was dominant in his physical battles, per Sofascore, whilst also providing quality at the top end of the pitch.

The 27-year-old midfield maestro scored five goals and provided two assists in the division for the Whites, to go along with his tigerish play out of possession.

However, the step up in physicality in the top-flight has left Tanaka struggling to break his way back into the team ahead of Sean Longstaff, Ethan Ampadu, and Anton Stach.

Journalist Graham Smyth recently raised concerns over the midfielder, saying: “My concern with Tanaka was physicality in the Premier League. He got run over a few times towards the end of the last season. I worried a little bit, against the most elite athletes in the Premier League.”

The central midfielder has played four times in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore, and he has struggled to deal with the ‘most elite athletes’ that he is now up against in the top-flight.

Tackles

1

Bottom 5%

Duels won

3

Bottom 3%

Duel success rate

16.7%

Bottom 3%

Ball recoveries

8

Bottom 28%

Dribbled past

6x

Bottom 5%

Fouls committed

2

Bottom 25%

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka ranks incredibly poorly among his positional peers in a host of defensive and physical metrics, which illustrates how difficult the adaptation to the league has been for him, winning just 17% of his duels.

Per Sofascore, the midfield star has not won a single aerial duel in 169 minutes of action in the Premier League, whilst he has also lost 80% of his duels on the ground in that time.

Tanaka lost four of his five duels in a ten-minute cameo against Bournemouth on Saturday, per Sofascore, which led Smyth to express his concerns over the midfielder’s struggles with the physicality of the Premier League.

Of course, he has only played four matches in the division, and there is still plenty of time left for him to adapt to the physical nature of the league, but his performances so far have been concerning.

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Therefore, Tanaka is in danger of becoming the next Aaronson at Elland Road, as the American lightweight has struggled with the physicality of the division throughout his career in West Yorkshire.

Arun Dhumal, the IPL chairman, expects Saudi Arabia to step up investment in its cricketing infrastructure but has insisted that the league has not received any concrete proposals about a ‘Grand Slam’ T20 circuit or direct investment into the IPL.The Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) has gradually grown ties with the IPL over the past three years. State-backed Saudi ventures including Aramco, Visit Saudi and Neom have signed sponsorship deals with either the IPL itself or its franchises, and the BCCI chose to stage November’s mega-auction in Jeddah, the country’s second-largest city.The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) are understood to be involved in talks regarding the creation of a global circuit of T20 tournaments, a concept which reportedly has backing from SURJ, the sports subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Other reports have previously linked PIF with a multi-billion-dollar direct investment into the IPL.Related

• ILT20 games in future seasons could be held in Saudi Arabia

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Dhumal, also the ex-BCCI treasurer, told ESPNcricinfo that he is yet to receive any concrete information around any Saudi plans to disrupt world cricket. “It can’t be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because there is no proposal to be discussed; it is just media speculation,” Dhumal said. “There’s nothing that we can do about media speculating.”While the SACF plans to build an international-standard stadium in Jeddah, there is minimal cricketing infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Dhumal said that the idea behind staging the mega-auction there was to encourage the Saudi regime to invest in cricket, and claimed that it reflected the BCCI’s commitment to growing the sport worldwide.”Saudi Cricket as such is part of ICC,” Dhumal said. “They’re wanting to make some investments in cricket so that cricket becomes more relevant in that part of the world, given the diaspora from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh… There’s a lot of aspirations and demands from those guys that more cricketing activity should happen there.”There has been a lot of speculation as to any talk between IPL and BCCI and Saudi Cricket with regard to their interest in IPL. I would want to categorically deny any of that. The idea was to give them a flavour of what IPL is all about. When you see the kind of numbers that happened there with regard to this mega-auction, everybody was startled as to how big this game is.”So it’ll give the confidence for the government there to invest more in the cricket infrastructure so that the players out there get more opportunity. We’ve seen how cricket has grown in UAE over the last few years with the kind of infrastructure they have created. They have started their own league. [Saudi Arabia] will have to create some infrastructure.”Our duty as the BCCI is to go to all these different places and give them the flavour of the sport… Going forward, in case cricket has to grow through the length and breadth of the whole globe, it is paramount that we take it to different landscapes, different territories and showcase what this game is all about. That was the intent.”Dhumal suggested that he was open to the idea of the IPL staging some exhibition matches overseas, but that the idea has not been actively discussed. “If that makes sense, for the purpose of growing cricket and giving them the flavour of the IPL, it can be thought of,” he said. “But [there is] no discussion as of now.”He is also open-minded about the possible return of the Champions League T20, which has been defunct since 2014. “It was done before the opportune time for that kind of event,” Dhumal said. “I would not say no to anything but everything depends on whether we have an availability of time… If it creates value for cricket at a global stage, definitely we can look at that.”Eight of the ten IPL franchises have interests in overseas leagues, with four owners in the process of finalising their investment in teams in the Hundred in England and Wales. Dhumal said that the IPL’s leadership is supportive of its franchises’ growth, but does not expect it to prompt a change in the BCCI’s policy on Indian men’s players playing in overseas leagues.”We are very happy with the contributions that our franchises, enterprises and companies have done to grow this game across the globe,” he said. “India being in this leadership position and cricket being a religion for Indians, it is our paramount duty to make sure that India’s contribution in terms of growing the game across the globe remains. We are very happy with that.On the prospect of Indian players featuring in other short-form leagues, Dhumal said: “IPL being a premium tournament, that exclusivity would definitely be there… There is nothing that has been discussed so far. Going forward, in case there’s scope, then before we arrive at some decision we have to take all of these considerations and then take a call on this.”

A Rangers player has dropped a pointed update regarding his Ibrox future during the international break, aiming a message at manager Russell Martin.

Martin says no issues with Rangers players

The Gers did at least manage to come away with a 0-0 draw away to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership before the international break, but it has still been a hugely disappointing start to the season.

One individual who played no part in proceedings at Parkhead was Nicolas Raskin, with former Rangers striker Kris Boyd left bemused by what he sees as chaos at the training ground.

That being said, Martin has played down any issues that may have arisen, saying the relationship he has with his players is healthy currently: “I’d describe my relationship with all the players, all the staff as honest and open.

“I don’t think you can have anything else apart from that. There’s not a breakdown in any relationships here. If it’s honest and open, there can’t be a breakdown in any relationships.”

Rangers ace gives key update on his future

Speaking to the media after representing Belgium on international duty, Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin provided a 12-word update on his Ibrox future, with a short but pointed message to Martin after the manager refuted rumours of a relationship breakdown.

“But it (my future) doesn’t just depend on me, it depends on the coach.”

It is disappointing to see Raskin up in the air about his Rangers future, and clearly not entirely happy at the club, considering what a talented player he is.

The 24-year-old possesses a great combination of quality and fight in the middle of the park, with former striker Rory Loy speaking of his admiration for him earlier this year.

“You’ve seen a side of him, and I’m not saying he never showed it under Philippe Clement, but the consistency he’s shown with it since Ferguson has come in has been quite something. So I do think he deserves credit in terms of the mental side of the game and then we already know he’s got ability. He’s shown that in abundance over the last three months.”

Hopefully, Raskin’s relationship with Martin improves enough for him to remain at Ibrox for the foreseeable future, but the situation doesn’t exactly feel too encouraging currently.

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To leave an international player out of the squad entirely in a huge game against Celtic shows that all is not well, and if things don’t improve, it is hard to see both Raskin and Martin being at Rangers come the end of the season, if not by the time the January transfer window arrives.

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs is fighting to claim money worth £135,000 as he filed legal action over financial losses. Giggs is set to pocket £14 million after the closure of his firm Ryan Giggs Limited – a company that he started more 30 years ago to manage his earnings related to football. The former Welsh winger has put the company into voluntary liquidation.

Giggs set to take legal action

According to , United icon Giggs is all set to file legal action over financial losses worth £135,000. He is already set to earn £14 million after he voluntarily shut down his company, Ryan Giggs Limited. The monetary transaction, however, cannot be completed until the legal process is sorted. The Old Trafford legend has consulted experts and he firmly believes that he is entitled to receive the amount. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLiquidators confirm Giggs' claim

Liquidators of Ryan Giggs Limited have confirmed to The Sun that the process for the submission of the claim is being reviewed, as they said: "Details in relation to a potential claim have been reviewed and the process for submitting a claim is currently being investigated."

Giggs' restaurant suffered massive losses

Earlier this year, Giggs was forced to close down his restaurant, George’s Dining Room and Bar, which was located in Worsley near Manchester. The establishment owed its 22 employees a combined total of £39,986 in wages and the restaurant also accumulated financial liabilities of £495,145.

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Getty Giggs wants to return to football manager

Giggs is no longer involved on a day-to-day basis with Salford City as he reportedly wants a return to first-team management. The 51-year-old's last role in management was the Wales national team job, with Giggs leading his country to Euro 2020. He stood down from his post in late 2020 after being arrested on suspicion of assault, but a retrial came to nothing in mid-2023.

Pep Guardiola has hailed Mikel Arteta as "extraordinary" and claimed that Arsenal are "one of the toughest opponents" to beat in Europe ahead of Manchester City's trip to the Emirates Stadium. Other than Liverpool, Arteta's Gunners have given Guardiola's City the toughest competition in the Premier League title race in the last decade and they are unbeaten in their last five head-to-head clashes.

Arteta bolstered Gunners squad with quality signings in summer

The last time City and Arsenal clashed in the Premier League was just seven months back in north London, where Arteta's side dominated and won the fixture 5-1. Ahead of the new season, Arteta spent heavily to bolster his squad, bringing in quality attacking options like Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze to the roster.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGuardiola hailed Arteta as "extraordinary"

Ahead of Sunday's fixture, Guardiola hailed his former assistant as "extraordinary". He also spoke highly of the Gunners squad, who, according to the Cityzens boss, are one of the most balanced and strongest teams in Europe.

"Arsenal is getting better"

Recalling the last meeting between the two clubs, Guardiola said: "The last 15-20 minutes were a disaster. We forgot to do what we have to do. After that, it was easy for Arsenal. Hopefully, it is an unbelievable squad, and this season we can make more of a challenge because Mikel is an extraordinary manager.

"They increase the squad in four or five transfer windows, it is an unbelievable squad and unbelievable team. It is one of the toughest opponents you can find right now in Europe. Step by step, window by window, Arsenal is getting better. Last season in Europe, they made an incredible step forward. For me, it is the most solid team; they don't make mistakes, it's an incredibly solid team. They have pace up front. They have set pieces with Nico [Jover], who was here, in every department we know. I know the quality they have."

He added: "We'll see what we have to do and how players are fit, are expected to play a role in deciding the winner, with Arsenal in a good place for one of those, and we try to complete and be a better team than last season, especially in the last 20, 25 minutes."

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AFPArsenal off to flying start

The Gunners have made a solid start to their 2025-26 campaign, having won four out of the five matches they have played thus far, including a Champions League fixture. They have conceded just one goal and have scored 11. They will hope to continue their stunning form and extend their unbeaten run against City on Sunday afternoon.

Having already welcomed Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen, Sunderland are now reportedly one of the frontrunners to sign another Bundesliga winner this summer.

Xhaka "proud" to be at Sunderland

It sums up Sunderland’s summer that they welcomed a player of Xhaka’s calibre this week. It is the ultimate statement from a newly-promoted side and the type that signals their intent to do more than just survive at the first time of asking.

The former Arsenal man, who won the Bundesliga unbeaten with Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023/24 season, joins the likes of Simon Adingra and Habib Diarra on the list of incomings at the Stadium of Light in an impressive summer of business.

After sealing his return to the Premier League for the first time since leaving Arsenal in 2023, Xhaka told Sunderland’s official website: “I’m very proud to be here.

“When I spoke to the Club, I was excited and I felt the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have. It’s exactly what I wanted, and I have a very good feeling.

“We are back to where this Club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history. I feel that I’m ready to help the team with my experience but with quality as well.

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“We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don’t think this will be a big problem. It’s been a long time to wait, but I’m here now and I’m looking forward to it.”

That said, one Bundesliga may not be enough to satisfy the Black Cats this summer. According to recent reports, they’re now also among the frontrunners to sign a player that Xhaka already knows well.

Sunderland frontrunners to sign Amine Adli

According to TeamTalk, Sunderland are now frontrunners to sign Amine Adli from Bayer Leverkusen alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ahead of West Ham United, both clubs are reportedly the most active in the race to sign the 25-year-old Bundesliga-winning winger ahead of next season.

Despite already welcoming Adingra and Chemsdine Talbi to boost their flanks, Sunderland have now set their sights on a more experienced option and one who could provide ample cover if both Adingra and Talbi are selected for AFCON duties midway through next season.

Minutes

766

1,097

Goals

2

2

Assists

0

2

Successful Take-ons per 90

1.76

1.72

Whilst Adli’s output undoubtedly needs improving, he stands out as the type of winger who could step in for Adingra when AFCON arrives. His take-on success particularly represents a player who is capable of creating something out of nothing, albeit without the end product as things stand.

Dubbed “extremely agile” by Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, the 25-year-old – at the right price – would be another impressive signing by the Black Cats. Whether they beat Wolves in the race for his signature remains to be seen, however.

What a hectic transfer window it has been so far for Newcastle United. The Magpies have been embroiled in a crazy transfer saga with Liverpool surrounding Alexander Isak and Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike, which is yet to come to a conclusion.

Indeed, the exact makeup of Eddie Howe’s squad next season is still not clear, and with a few players out of the door, which will soon include Leeds-bound Sean Longstaff, he may have to rely on youngsters if signings are not made soon.

This has previously not been an issue for the Englishman, with Lewis Miley rising through the ranks to become an important player.

The Magpies seem set to add another young talent to their squad in the coming days.

Newcastle’s pursuit of young talent

Signing an exciting young player and thinking ahead to the future is something the Magpies have done before. Young Australian winger Garang Kuol joined the club in 2023 and has since gained experience on various loan spells.

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Well, perhaps the North East giants are about to repeat the masterclass. They are said to have ‘won the race’ to sign South Korean talent Park Seung-soo, having agreed a deal for the youngster.

That is being reported by website Football Asian, who claim he will be in Newcastle this week to ‘complete a medical’ ahead of the move. What makes this acquisition so impressive for the Magpies is the fact that they beat off fierce competition to sign Park.

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, French side Marseille, as well as RB Salzburg and FC Midtjylland, were all interested, but Newcastle won what was described as a ‘year-long pursuit’ of the winger.

Why Park would be a good signing

Despite being just 18 years of age, Park has clearly made a huge impression playing for his club, Suwon Bluewings, where he has become an important player. Korean football expert Ross Davis described him as an “exciting” talent, which Newcastle seem to agree with.

The teenager, who is an international for South Korea at under-20 level, has played 28 times in professional football so far. He has one goal and three assists, all of which came last year in the K League 2 for Suwon, the club whose academy he graduated from.

One of the biggest benefits of Park’s game is the fact that he can play on both the left and right flanks. That certainly gives Howe options if he chooses to integrate him into the squad straight away. It also makes him an attractive prospect for sides looking to bring him in on loan, if that is the route Newcastle choose to take.

Howe would surely be hoping that Park can have an impact on the first team just like Miley did. The 19-year-old, who is a boyhood Geordie, has struggled with injuries in recent months, but has still made an impactful start to his Newcastle career.

Miley, who is from Stanley, just south of St James’ Park, has played 46 games for Newcastle so far, scoring three goals and grabbing four assists. One of his standout moments was this magical assist for Isak against Chelsea last season.

It is that sort of magic that Howe would surely want Park to recreate in the long run. In many ways, the Magpies boss might want him to become the second coming of Miley, in the sense of a young player stepping up in the first team.

Well, if his numbers via Sofascore from the 2024 K League 2 are anything to go by, he has the ability. Not only did he contribute to an average of 0.5 goals each game, but he averaged 2.2 key passes and 5.4 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.

Minutes played

586

41.9

Goals and assists

4

0.5

Key passes

14

2.2

Dribbles completed

35

5.4

Tackles and interceptions

5

0.8

Expected goal involvements

4.34xGI

0.67xGI

Described as a “lanky dribbler” by Davis, and standing at over six feet, the physical tools might well be there in the long run for Park to succeed in the Premier League. It certainly seems like he has the technical ability to do so.

Howe would surely love to have another exciting young talent stepping up in the same way Miley did, who can be a huge benefit for Newcastle in the short and long term. Park certainly has the tools to do that.

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Arsenal are reportedly about to win the race for another player, beating both Man City and Liverpool to the punch, with Mikel Arteta handed yet another transfer boost this summer after a plethora of major signings.

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The Premier League title hopefuls most recently sealed deals for both winger Noni Madueke, who joined the club in a £52 million transfer from Chelsea, and defender Cristhian Mosquera – after the Gunners shook hands with Valencia for the promising young defender.

They join Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard as Arsenal’s newest crop of players, with Mosquera boasting serious potential to keep both William Saliba and Gabriel on their toes next season, according to a former staff member at Valencia.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£140m

“He is a player who has shown great potential in a short period of time,” he told Sky Sports.

“He became a very important for us and contributed a lot despite his age.

“He needs to work on some key aspects, like his decision-making. He is intense and aggressive in the way he defends but sometimes he needs to choose the right moments and understand when it would be better to drop back or hold his position.

“For a league like the Premier League, his aerial play isn’t a big strength, but he is quick on the cover, in defensive one-vs-ones and when running back towards his own goal.”

Arsenal are also on the verge of signing Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres after reaching a full agreement, and his medical could take place this week as the north Londoners iron out some final details (Florian Plettenberg).

Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze also remains a target for Arteta following talks with his representatives over the last fortnight, but according to The Sun, Arsenal are about to sign another forward.

Arsenal win race to sign Salford City striker Will Wright

Journalist Charlie Wyett, in a detailed piece for the outlet, claims Arsenal look to have won the race for Salford City striker Will Wright – after making the biggest offer for his signature.

Liverpool tabled a £100,000 bid for the 17-year-old in an attempt to lure him to Anfield, but Arsenal now hope they’ve sealed the transfer by submitting an offer worth £250,000 – plus “major add-ons”.

Man City also held an interest in the teenager, who played against them in Salford’s 8-0 FA Cup loss to the Blues last season, but it appears Arteta’s side are now poised to sign Wright.

The Englishman has been on fire in pre-season, scoring four goals in three games so far, but they could potentially be his last minutes for Salford as he closes in on a move to the Premier League.

He would initially link up with Arsenal’s Under-21s and develop in the academy before Arteta makes any decisions on first-team action, but he’s very “highly-rated” behind-the-scenes.

Aston Villa have lofty ambitions for next season, despite missing out on the Champions League.

Unai Emery’s project is still very much ongoing, and the next step is for him to lead the club to their first major trophy in nearly 30 years.

The Europa League might be their best shot, especially as winning it will secure a spot in the 2026/27 Champions League.

In order to do this, he will have to sign a few high-profile players while also complying with PSR regulations in the process.

With this in mind, it looks as though the club are chasing a move for a current Barcelona player.

Aston Villa chasing swoop for Barcelona sensation

While it might be slightly more difficult to lure the type of players Emery wants at the club this summer, it isn’t stopping the Spaniard from trying.

Reports in Spain (as per Sport Witness) claim that Villa are battling it out with Chelsea and PSG to sign Barcelona starlet Fermin Lopez.

The report goes on to state that Villa and the French giants have made contact with Lopez and are showing the most interest.

Chelsea could be set to make an offer worth €75m (£63m) in the near future to secure his signature, meaning Emery will have to act swiftly to get his man.

Why Aston Villa must sign Lopez

There are so many talented players at the La Liga side now. Lopez joins a list which includes Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí and, of course, Lamine Yamal.

Well, of those players, it is Yamal he is most similar to. When compared with positionally similar players in LaLiga this term, FBref suggest that the generational wonderkid and Ballon d’Or contender is the fourth most similar player to Lopez.

While the latter might play a more central role compared to Yamal, who operates on the right wing, the duo have shared similar statistics in La Liga last season.

According to FBref, the duo recorded similar metrics, including shot-creating actions (4.10 vs 5.92) per 90, goal-creating actions (0.50 vs 0.91), successful take-on percentage (45.5% vs 50.9%) and shots on target percentage (36.6% vs 31.9%) per 90 in La Liga for Barcelona.

On that evidence, they are both creative players who love to get at their marker/

Fermin Lopez’s statistics last season for Barcelona
Metric	La Liga	Champions League
Goals	6	1
Assists	5	3
Big chances created	8	3
Shots per game	1.5	1.5
Key passes per game	1	0.5
Via Sofascore

His former manager at the Catalan club described Lopez as having the “whole package” and judging by his statistics and performances last term, this assessment is bang on the money.

Alongside his 11 goal contributions, Lopez also created eight big chances in the top flight, along with averaging one key pass per game.

Considering he started just 12 league games, averaging only 45 minutes per match, these are impressive statistics indeed.

Should he make the move to Villa, he would certainly secure more gametime in the starting XI than he was afforded under Hansi Flick last season.

Will he want to drop and play in the Europa League, however? Or is the long-term project at Villa enough to entice the youngster?

The next few weeks could be interesting indeed, and given he offered similar statistics to those of Yamal last season, he would make for an excellent signing.

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Chelsea’s signing of Liam Delap will likely be the first of many by Enzo Maresca this summer.

The Blues are getting ready to take part in the Club World Cup in the coming weeks and with the prize money for the winner standing at a reported $125m (£92m), then it is certainly within their interest to go far.

It would be an ideal time for the manager to get Delap settled into the squad, while also spending time making moves for other targets.

The Stamford Bridge side have enjoyed the talents of many a Spanish player over the previous two decades. The likes of Fernando Torres, Cesar Azpilicueta and Juan Mata were all Champions League-winning stars for the Blues.

Might they be set to bring in another Spaniard to the club this summer?

Chelsea lodge bids for two new signings

Delap cost the club £30m due to a release clause in his contract that came into play following Ipswich Town’s relegation from the Premier League, with that marking the first move of what could prove to be a hectic summer, not least amid their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens.

As widely reported on Saturday evening, the Blues have lodged an offer in the region of £30m for the young Englishman, with an agreement having already been reached with the 20-year-old.

That comes amid reports in Spain – via TEAMtalk, which suggest that Chelsea have also submitted another bid worth €75m (£63m) to try and sign Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez.

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With the La Liga side still enduring financial issues, they may be tempted to accept a bid of this nature, despite Lopez being one of the brightest talents.

Man United are also keen on securing a deal for the player, and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out.

Should the Blues succeed, Maresca might just be signing his very own Mata for the club.

Why Chelsea must sign Fermin Lopez

Mata arrived in London from LaLiga side Valencia aged just 23 – a year older than Lopez is – and he ended his association with the club by registering 86 goal contributions across 135 matches.

His creative ability and eye for goal made him a cult figure among the Chelsea support, and they haven’t quite replaced the quirkiness of the Spanish midfielder.

Lopez certainly has the same eye for goal. In 46 games for Barcelona last season, he scored eight times. Add in a further ten assists, and it is evident the youngster comes to life in the final third, having been hailed as the “whole package” by former boss Xavi Hernandez.

When compared to his peers in La Liga during 2024/25, Lopez ranked in the top 8% for total shots (2.95), top 6% for non-penalty goals (0.43) and in the top 4% for assists (0.36) per 90.

Goals

1

Assists

3

Big chances created

3

Key passes per game

0.5

Shots per game

1.5

Total duels won per game

2.1

Furthermore, the Spaniard also created eight big chances for Barcelona, while averaging one key pass per game in the Spanish top flight.

After helping his side win another La Liga title, Lopez was hailed for his contributions by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who described him as “an intelligent & hardworking midfielder” who has “proven to be a superb impact player for Barça”.

High praise indeed and with Chelsea partaking in the Champions League next term, bringing players like Lopez – and Gittens – to the club will be vital.

The last time the club signed a diminutive Spanish midfielder with an eye for goal from La Liga, they went on to win Europe’s premier club competition.

This time, Lopez could be Mata 2.0.

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