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On Sunday, Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 1-0, and after the game, with it being their final home match of 2024/25, it gave the supporters a chance to say farewell to some players who are unlikely to be seen again in red and white.

Kieran Tierney will bow out of the Emirates Stadium, set to head back to Celtic, after a haul of 143 appearances for the north Londoners.

Jorginho, too, will depart at the end of his contract. While he perhaps won’t be remembered as fondly as Tierney, his ultimate professionalism across the two years he’s been at Arsenal has been a joy to behold.

It will be sad to see them go, but it certainly wasn’t as emotional as some farewells we’ve given in the modern era.

Arsene Wenger’s exit in 2018 will go down in history, while it’s hard to forget the tears a certain Aaron Ramsey shed when leaving under Unai Emery in 2019.

Since his exit, Arsenal haven’t had too many goalscoring midfielders. That said, they may well have found one now.

What made Aaron Ramsey so special

A winner of three FA Cups, a scorer of two cup final goals at Wembley, Ramsey will forever be remembered in these parts as a big game player, an icon who overcame so much adversity.

The way he entered the club rather set the tone for his dramatic time in the English capital. Manchester United had announced he was set to sign for them on their official website, only for the Welshman to pen terms with Arsenal instead.

Signed from Cardiff, it didn’t take Ramsey long to make an impression, but that horrific leg break against Stoke in February 2010 was a colossal setback.

After several months out, the Wales international fortunately went on to have a wonderful career in the game.

Who can forget that remarkable season in 2013/14? Ramsey scored the winner in extra time of the FA Cup final against Hull City, one of 16 goals in just 34 outings throughout the campaign.

A true box-to-box star, the Wales international became a master of arriving late in the penalty area and scoring from midfield.

Since then, however, Arsenal haven’t had too many players capable of finding the net from similar zones, ghosting into the area.

Perhaps the last was Granit Xhaka. In the Swiss’ final year with the Gunners, he scored on nine occasions and registered a further seven assists in 47 matches.

So, how have Arsenal gone about replacing the dynamic duo?

Arsenal's new Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey

The form of Martin Odegaard a few years ago certainly suggested he could replace the pair. Indeed, during 2022/23, no midfielder scored more than the Norwegian’s 15 in the Premier League.

That being said, he isn’t a box-to-box midfielder. He presses hard, but he doesn’t do the dirty work further back in the field.

Instead, Mikel Arteta’s modern-day answer to Ramsey and Xhaka is a certain Declan Rice. Oh, where would the Gunners be without him this season?

Of course, you’ve got those two remarkable free-kicks against Real Madrid, but he’s also come up with some vital moments elsewhere.

He’s not just a master of free-kicks, but his corner delivery has been one of the best in Europe this season. We salute Nicolas Jover for putting the former West Ham man on set-pieces towards the back end of last season.

Funnily enough, Rice initially signed as a defensive midfielder but throughout 2024/25, he’s been largely selected as the left-sided 8 and it’s a position he’s made his own.

2021/22

50

5

4

2022/23

50

5

4

2023/24

51

7

10

2024/25

51

9

10

The difference was felt in the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final tie with PSG. The £240k-per-week earner had destroyed Madrid across both legs from a more advanced role in midfield but due to Thomas Partey’s suspension, he had to play further back.

While Rice is certainly excellent at sitting in front of the defence, Arsenal couldn’t get up the pitch as quickly and they also lost one of their goal threats. That perhaps explains why the club reportedly want to bring in Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi this summer. More of a Jorginho type, the Spaniard would give Rice the keys to make that no.8 spot his permanent position in the team.

Chalkboard

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

So, why has he thrived so much? Well, like Xhaka, he’s got a terrific engine and his technique is first-class.

Meanwhile, like Ramsey, he’s becoming rather good at arriving late in the area or on the edge of the box to score a goal. In the words of Arsenal writer Connor Humm, he is a true “monster.”

We saw that first-hand against Newcastle on Sunday. Odegaard found the ball on the right-hand side and laid it into the path of Rice, who was ready and waiting on the edge of the penalty area to fizz the ball past Nick Pope.

That was the £105m signing’s ninth strike of the campaign, one that equalled Xhaka’s haul of two years ago. It also marked Rice’s best-ever goalscoring return in a single season. Not bad at all.

When Arsenal’s Player of the Season is announced in the forthcoming weeks, there are surely only two candidates: Gabriel and Rice. For that magical night against Madrid alone, Rice is our man.

Their own Isak: The "best finisher in the world" wants to sign for Arsenal

Arsenal may not sign Alexander Isak this summer, but they could still sign their own version.

ByMatt Dawson May 19, 2025

Manchester United have a huge task this summer to change their fortunes and avoid a repeat of the 2024/25 Premier League season, which currently sees them occupy a place in the bottom half.

Ruben Amorim’s appointment back in November was seen as a decision to save their campaign, but he’s been unable to transform the situation with just five games remaining.

It’s evident that new additions and first-team sales are needed to hand the manager the best chance of making amends and potentially taking them closer to the top four once again.

With the summer window around the corner, it would be a surprise to no one that the foundations are already being laid ahead of a crucial off-season that could define the 40-year-old’s period in charge.

One position is in desperate need of attention, given the lack of quality in such a department, with moves already being explored for numerous targets.

The latest on United’s pursuit of a new striker

Whilst Matheus Cunha is the player on everyone’s lips after expressing his desire to move to Old Trafford this summer, he’s not the only target linked with a move.

Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen has also emerged on their shortlist in recent days, with the 26-year-old expected to depart Napoli after spending the year on loan at Galatasaray.

However, David Ornstein confirmed yesterday that he’s now off the club’s radar ahead of the summer, with Amorim and the board pursuing other potential targets.

Such a decision could lead to a move for Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui, who’s set Serie A alight this season, registering 23 league goals in his 31 appearances to date.

According to TuttoAtalanta, the Red Devils have already made concrete steps to start talks over a potential move for his signature during the summer window.

Indeed, contact has been established between the Red Devils and the player’s agents to ascertain whether a move would be possible this summer.

It won’t be too costly a move either, with previous reports suggesting Atalanta have set an asking price of around £50m.

Why United’s latest target would be better than Osimhen

There’s no denying that United need reinforcements at the top end of the pitch ahead of 2025/26, with the options currently at the club simply not at the level required to succeed.

Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have often shared the responsibility as the side’s focal point, but have only registered a combined tally of six league goals between them this campaign.

The latter even went 21 games without a goal in all competitions during the winter months, highlighting the need for investment over the summer – with Retegui certainly a better option than Osimhen for the Red Devils.

When comparing the Italian’s stats with those of the Nigerian, he’s massively outperformed him in numerous key areas, finally offering the club that clinical box striker they’ve greatly craved in recent months.

Retegui, who is said to possess a “thunderous strike” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has managed to outscore Osimhen in their respective leagues, whilst also achieving a higher goal per 90 rate – showcasing his clinical nature within the final third.

Games played

31

25

Goals scored

23

21

Goals per 90

1.05

0.90

Goals per shot on target

0.7

0.3

Pass accuracy

78%

66%

Chances created

1.4

1.2

Times caught offside

0.2

1.3

He’s also completed more of the passes he’s attempted to date, creating more chances per 90 – having the ability to provide opportunities for those around him, making him the perfect all-round number nine in Amorim’s system.

He may not be the glamorous name that the supporters were expecting this summer, but from the stats produced, it’s evident that the 25-year-old has all the tools to be a hit in Manchester should he move.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for Retegui would set the hierarchy back, it’s a move that would hand the manager the ammunition he’s desperately craved since his arrival in November.

If the side are to progress and make the huge jump back towards the summit of the division in 2025/26, a new talisman simply has to be on the agenda, with the Atalanta star needing to be their main target ahead of the upcoming window.

Best signing since Bruno: Man Utd pushing to land "best ST on the market"

Man Utd are in desperate need of a new centre-forward this summer

ByRobbie Walls Apr 24, 2025

Though Australia have made day-night Tests work, conditions, dew and the pink ball’s inconsistent movement continue to limit the format’s wider appeal

Andrew McGlashan02-Dec-20257:36

Are England prepared for Brisbane pink-ball challenge?

Ten years ago last week, Martin Guptill faced up against Mitchell Starc at Adelaide Oval for the first ball in day-night Test. What played out was a gripping, low-scoring encounter, including a dose controversy, which Australia won by three wickets. The crowds flocked in, and TV ratings were huge.Seen as a way to boost attendance and attractive to broadcasters, day-night Tests had been an evolution talked about since the early 2000s. There had been a plan to stage a 2010 Test between England and Bangladesh under lights at Lord’s but it would take another five years of negotiations and domestic trials for it to come to fruition. An AU$1 million bonus helped sweeten the deal when Australia and New Zealand took the field.James Sutherland, the former Cricket Australia CEO, had been one of the catalysts behind bringing day-night Tests to life. When India declined a pink-ball Test on the 2018-19 tour, citing the fact they had yet to play any, he said: “It’s the way of the future and India may or may not come around to that idea for this tour but I still believe it’s the way of the future. I think everyone in world cricket knows that.”Related

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India have since played five, including two in Adelaide, but the upcoming pink-ball Test at the Gabba will be just the 24th in the men’s game overall, of which more than half (13) have been staged in Australia. While Brisbane is the venue this week, Adelaide Oval has become the ‘home’ of the pink-ball Test. It remains a central part of the Australian cricket calendar, but the format hasn’t changed the game globally the way that may have first been envisaged.”In Australia, why it works is we have great weather at this time of year in the summer, with world-class stadiums and facilities and excellent flood lighting,” Joel Morrison, Executive General Manager, Events & Operations at Cricket Australia told ESPNcricinfo. “And ultimately there’s been significant investment over a long period of time in optimising the pink ball and the wickets to best support the day-night format in Australian conditions.”I think the fact that it is now a staple of the Australian summer means that people know there is always a day-night Test match being played, so they can rely upon that when we’re playing at home. Then just the unique nature of Test cricket under lights, there’s something quite special about seeing players in whites under lights with big crowds and the pink ball. It really just gives a great point of difference to the game and is a great example of how the game of Test cricket over its history has continued to evolve and it’s quite a unique spectacle.””So those elements coming together mean we’ve got a recipe that works very effectively in Australian conditions. We see big crowds turning up to because they’re more accessible, and it is also validated by a strong viewership for those games, which helps promote Test cricket.”Why day-night Tests haven’t workedWhat has become clear over the years is that you need a particular set of conditions to come together to make for an ideal day-night scenario: limited impact from dew, a pitch that helps the pink ball – which has been an ongoing challenge to perfect – retain a degree of hardness for longer, but does not combine to make conditions unplayable, and a climate that provides reasonable assurance of warm evenings.England staged one game in 2017 against West Indies at Edgbaston where the night sessions were cold (a British summer doesn’t guarantee warmth) and the crowd had thinned out by the end. Writing in his column, Alastair Cook, who made 243 in that match, also said the longer twilight in the UK, with the sun setting late on summer nights, extended the period where the ball dominated.Alastair Cook drives in the evening sunlight at Edgbaston during the pink-ball Test•Getty ImagesSouth Africa tried one in 2017 against Zimbabwe which ended in two days. For a period after that the country’s challenging power situation – which often involved load-shedding – made it impractical. It’s uncertain if they will revisit it.In India, the dew was an issue, and concerns over the ball. Sri Lanka’s three main Test grounds – SSC, P Sara and Galle – don’t have lights (although the SSC soon will) and Pallekele is too wet for parts of the year. Pakistan were keen on them in the UAE but have not explored it since bringing international cricket back home.Having been part of the first, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) were initially keen but have only hosted two, the first of which saw England bowled out for 58 inside the first session. Not all their boutique venues have lights. In West Indies, which had initially been thought of as a prime market, the pink Dukes ball has swayed things too far in the way of the bowlers.Former England captain Michael Atherton sat on the MCC World Cricket Committee when the day-night format was initially being discussed. “The whole point was to play them in places where the crowds are struggling somewhere like, say Bridgetown where Test crowds have not been great, but it goes dark early, it’s warm and it’s obvious you can play and get people in after work,” he said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. “This Ashes Test at the Gabba would be sold out anyway and the notion that they are going to play that 150th Test anniversary Test [between Australia and England] in 2027 under lights is complete nonsense.”

“This Ashes Test at the Gabba would be sold out anyway and the notion that they are going to play that 150th Test anniversary Test [between Australia and England] in 2027 under lights is a complete nonsense.”Atherton

The point about whether the Ashes series a day-night Test was brought up by Joe Root this week. For Australia’s players, even those who hold some reservations, it has just become part of the summer. Having a match every season has naturally meant they have been able to adjust.”I mean, would I prefer to play red ball over pink ball? Probably,” Marnus Labuschagne, the leading run-scorer in pink-ball Test cricket, said. “Just because you play it more, you’re used to the colour of the ball. There’s a few intricate things about the pink ball that make it a bit of a different game. But I think as with anything when it first came along everyone was like, no we just want red ball, [but] it’s become something that traditionally Australia have been very good at.”A bowlers’ game, but not alwaysLeading into this Test in Brisbane, Stuart Broad, who played in seven day-night Tests was concerned it could become a “lottery.” There has not been a single draw in day-night Test cricket. The average length of a match has been approximately 264 overs. For comparison, the average length of a result red-ball Test in the last ten years has been approximately 300 overs, so the difference isn’t vast. In Australia it narrows even more: 287 overs vs 309.There have been some Tests on the extreme shorter end of the scale: India beat England in two days in Ahmedabad when the spinners proved unstoppable. Root claimed 5 for 8 and Axar Patel skidded the ball through the visitors. As previously mentioned, South Africa dismantled Zimbabwe in quick time in Gqeberha. More recently, West Indies were rolled for 27 by Starc and Scott Boland in Jamaica, a match that used the pink Dukes ball, perhaps for the final time.But for all the focus on the ball in day-night Tests, which now has a black seam rather than a white one, the pitch plays a decisive role and runs have been possible: David Warner and Azhar Ali have scored triple centuries. Naturally, the individual statistics are heavily weighted towards Australians. Labuschagne has made 958 runs at 63.86 with four centuries.Mitchell Starc has 81 wickets with the pink ball at 17.08•Getty Images”I don’t really know why my record has been good against a pink ball, but it’s something that I have enjoyed,” he said. “It’s obviously got its challenges because it provides so much opportunity at different times. You have to change your game, you have to adapt and there’s certain times where there’s a bit of [a lull] and then there’s certain times where the game speeds up.”Starc is the king of the format with the ball having claimed 81 wickets at 17.08 including 6 for 9 in his last outing in Jamaica. There is some irony to that given Starc was strongly opposed to the format when it began, although he has mellowed somewhat these days. “It’s good for the record,” he joked at Sabina Park.”You don’t want to overdo what it is,” he added after the extraordinary haul in his 100th Test. “I think it’s a great product in Adelaide. I think there’s a spot for it. You just look at how it’s been picked up by Adelaide and the public there. It’s certainly a fantastic week to be a part of there when it’s a pink-ball test. It’s not this year. I’m still a traditionalist, so I still very much love the red-ball game. I’ve grown to see a place for it in the calendar.”Alongside the format’s inaugural outing in Adelaide, two of the closest Tests have come at the Gabba. In 2016-17, Pakistan were within touching distance of chasing down a world-record 490 thanks to a magnificent fourth-innings century from Asad Shafiq and a surface that knocked the life out of the ball. Then two seasons ago, West Indies pulled off an eight-run heist when Shamar Joseph tore through Australia.Whether this week’s match can produce a finish to match either of those remains to be seen but, while a decade on Australia remains a bastion for the format, it feels like the prospects of the day-night game being revolutionary for the Test cricket have passed.

A batter renowned for his attacking prowess, taking on a bowler revered for his ability to hoop the ball around. Did we expect anything less than a blockbuster?

Alagappan Muthu02-Feb-20241:47

Manjrekar – Jaiswal showed signs of maturity

Yashasvi Jaiswal is winding up. Except, it looks like the ball doesn’t want to suffer what he has in mind. It’s fuller than he wants it to be. Had he gone through with the shot – a lash through cover – he might well have yorked himself, like he did in Hyderabad, digging out a return catch on 80 to start the second day’s proceedings.””It looked like Jaiswal had got a bit carried away in the first Test; as if he saw no sense in trying to hold back.””Some batters are able to magically be in a position to hit the ball wherever they like and it is only upon seeing replays that we realise what’s gone on. What we try to break down frame by frame is simply a celebration of their instinct. In some ways, Jaiswal would have found it harder not to hit the six that took him from 63 to 69.Related

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And perhaps it was to commemorate the effort as much as the landmark that he was ultra-animated as he brought up his first Test match century at home. First, there was the simple raise of the bat and helmet. Then the stare up into the heavens. Then two or three pumps of both his hands after he’d spread them out wide on either side (Joe Root did that after he dismissed KL Rahul in Hyderabad). On and on it went.This wasn’t a typical Jaiswal innings. It began with a loose shot but then quickly became something else. A precise, almost pain-staking occupation of the crease. 179 runs. 257 balls. 93 overs.James Anderson was so mean. He kept trying to take candy from the babies. India’s young batters rarely get the chance to frolic on such pitches – Visakhapatnam was featherbed-adjacent – and yet here they were, caught on the crease, pushing away from their bodies, being beaten on both edges and in Shubman Gill’s case, made to feel a tiny bit inconsequential. He averages 7.8 against Anderson now.Jaiswal was lucky to survive England’s fast bowling stalwart. The morning session was a tense little affair. A whodunnit except it was more who’s gonna do it? India were missing one all-time great, one who bails them out by batting anywhere in the middle order (and keeping wicket when need be), and one allrounder who’s, lately, been averaging more than the aforementioned all-time great. Just the perfect time, then, to also lose your captain for 14.””Of the 36 trips Jaiswal has made to the crease in first-class cricket, only five have been a longer, more satisfying stay. He was immensely selective with his shots. Anything on a good length and in line with the stumps was treated with an excess of caution. Anything that afforded him the freedom of his hands was treated with joyous disdain.James Anderson drew the outside edge off Shubman Gill’s bat•BCCIWhich brings us back to the six that took him from 63 to 69. It is only the fourth time that Jaiswal hits the ball in the air. But to do so, he leans ever so slightly back, searching for leverage. That cannot have been a conscious decision. There was no time to make one. It was just his training, his instinct, his genius kicking in and positioning him where he needed to be.Jaiswal is a shot-making savant. He showed as much in an IPL match in 2023 where he made 124 off 62 deliveries with 16 fours and eight sixes. The next highest score was 18 off 19. The bowling – and the jeopardy – here was much more pronounced. Late in the day, when India lost a very solid looking Rajat Patidar on debut in unfortunate circumstances, and England were trying to capitalise on that with Anderson coming back and generating reverse swing, the grizzled old vet was being kept out by a kid with 0.03 times his Test match experience.Jaiswal vs Anderson was the beating heart of the day’s play. A batter who is renowned for his attacking prowess understood that 8 off 47 in this head-to-head was a win. And a bowler who is revered/reviled for his ability to hoop the ball around corners in friendly conditions showing he has always been way more than that. There was even a moment in the 71st over that captured this battle that was forever on a simmer. Anderson got the ball to skirt past the outside edge and for once it looked like Jaiswal had followed the away movement. Immediately he stepped aside and practiced the leave.Visakhapatnam will soon start to become inhospitable for batting. There was already evidence of variable bounce on the first day. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid went up to the pitch at both intervals, having a close look at the footmarks that have emerged, with the curator in tow. Bat once, bat big seemed like their strategy for this Test and it is (just barely) working right now only because their most extravagant strokemaker has done what was asked. Harness his instincts.

A statistical look at the all the records the Mumbai batter has scaled in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season

Sampath Bandarupalli23-Jun-20222 – Number of players to score 900-plus runs in two different editions of Ranji Trophy, before Sarfaraz Khan. He is the first player to achieve this feat in successive tournaments. Sarfaraz scored 928 runs in the 2019-20 edition of Ranji Trophy and has recorded 937 runs so far in the ongoing edition. Ajay Sharma and Wasim Jaffer are the other players to have breached the 900-run mark in a Ranji Trophy season on two occasions.ESPNcricinfo Ltd82.83 – Sarfaraz’s batting average in first-class cricket. It is the second-highest for any batter with 2000-plus runs in the format. The only batter with a better average is Donald Bradman, who has 28067 runs to his name at an average of 95.14.ESPNcricinfo Ltd82.76 – Sarfaraz’s batting average in Ranji Trophy across 23 matches – the third-highest for any player who has scored 2000-plus runs. Only Vijay Merchant (98.35) and Sachin Tendulkar (87.37) average more than Sarfaraz across the 87 editions of the competition.ESPNcricinfo Ltd133.85 – Sarfaraz’s average so far in the 2021-22 edition of Ranji Trophy. It is the fourth-highest for any batter in a Ranji Trophy season, where they have recorded 900-plus runs. His own average of 154.66 during the 2019-20 season is second on this list, while Rusi Modi’s 201.6 in the 1944-45 season is the highest.