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Success is yet to arrive, but Mikel Arteta has built a squad full to bursting with incredible talent at Arsenal.

The Spaniard has turned what was a fallen giant struggling in mid-table into a side that will surely get over the line in the Premier League sooner rather than later.

When it comes to the best player in the squad, it’s hard to look past the talismanic Bukayo Saka, and while he had a poor season last year, club captain Martin Odegaard was starting to look back to his best before his MCL injury.

There are other match winners all over the pitch, though, and Arteta even has one youngster who could be described as something of a hybrid between the Englishman and Norwegian.

What makes Saka & Odegaard so special

What is it about Saka and Odegaard that makes them so special, and two of the best players in Arsenal’s squad?

Chalkboard

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

Well, when it comes to the former, it really is multifaceted.

For example, his development at Hale End gives him a connection with the club and fans that few other players can match, and he marries that with an incredible willingness to improve and work rate.

On top of these brilliant foundations, the 24-year-old has also become a consistent scorer of goals and provider of assists over the last few years, so much so that he produced his 100th Premier League goal involvement on his 200th appearance in the competition last weekend.

Moreover, the Ealing-born monster has developed the ability to score all sorts of goals, from sensational far-post curlers to powerful drives off his weaker foot and even the odd tap-in off the back of a well-timed run.

The Emirates poster boy really is one of the most well-rounded attackers in the game and can be compared to any right-winger in Europe.

Odegaard, on the other hand, had an undeniably lacklustre campaign for the club last season, but with back-to-back Player of the Year awards in the two seasons before that, his ability cannot be denied.

The Norwegian is unlikely to ever be as prolific as Saka, but at his best, he is one of the most aesthetically pleasing midfielders to watch in world football.

He is someone who can collect the ball deep, beat an opposition player with a quick shimmy and then play the ball into space for his attackers to run onto and score.

This was what fans were seeing in his last two performances before, only for another knee injury to halt his momentum.

Overall, both Saka and Odegaard are sensational footballers, and it looks like Arsenal have someone who could develop into a hybrid of both.

Arsenal's Saka & Odegaard hybrid

While this description could fit Max Dowman in a year or so, given his age and the limited time he’s spent with the first team, it’s difficult to predict what kind of player he could become in the future.

This is less true for Ethan Nwaneri, who made his debut for the first team over three years ago and put his stamp on things last season.

When it comes to the young Englishman, it’s quite easy to see the ways in which he emulates both Saka and Odegaard.

For example, when in the team last season, he spent most of the time on the right, covering for the former, doing well in the process.

In fact, in his 37 appearances, totalling just 1378 minutes, the Enfield-born monster managed to score nine goals and provide two assists, which works out to a goal involvement every 3.36 games, or more crucially, one every 125.27 minutes.

Nwaneri in 24/25
Appearances	37
Minutes	1378′
Goals	9
Assists	2
Goal Involvements per Match	0.29
Minutes per Goal Involvement	125.27′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, a couple of the goals looked similar to Saka’s trademark far-post curlers.

The similarities to the club captain, on the other hand, are starting to show this season and will likely continue as the campaign progresses.

After all, while he did well on the wing, he is primarily a central player, and that is reportedly how the club view him.

On top of that, while the “phenomenal” prospect, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock, hasn’t quite got the same weight of pass as the Norwegian just yet, he is improving.

Ultimately, while Nwaneri isn’t on the level of Saka or Odegaard at the moment, it’s easy to see parts of them in his game, and with time, he could well get there.

Not Saka: Arsenal have future England hero who's "humiliating" PL stars

The incredible Arsenal gem will be a superstar for England in the future.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 10, 2025

It wasn’t perfect, but Manchester United secured three points at Molineux to return to winning ways in the Premier League and gear up for another charge toward Champions League contention.

Bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers crumbled away after the break, and the Red Devils made them pay, with Bruno Fernandes’ brace coming either side of second-half strikes from Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount.

The home side might be at the centre of a catastrophic failure this season, but take nothing away from United’s slick attacking play, creating a platform to build on after labouring to a draw against West Ham United at Old Trafford last week.

How Man Utd beat Wolves

Amorim’s Red Devils have rekindled the feel-good factor. There is work still to be done, and the Portuguese tactician’s system leaves something to be desired, but Manchester United are just one point behind fourth-placed Crystal Palace.

Amorim knew his side would dominate the ball, and dictate the flow of possession they did, but he would have drilled into his troops at half-time a lesson about wayward shooting. As per Sofascore, United chalked up an xG total of 4.01 across the match, with 3.06 of that total coming after the interval despite 14 of the 27 shots on the evening being lashed across the first half.

It’s also worth noting that five of United’s seven shots on target came during the first half. This may have smacked of desperation in other circumstances, but at Molineux illustrated a tactical tweak orienting toward greater variation, a ramping-up of the gas that outfoxed a Wolves backline that crumbled under pressure.

One way of looking at it would be that United toiled, to little avail, before the break, but we also saw tactical adaptation from a manager who has been criticised for his obstinacy.

Content creator Adam Joseph said that “tonight doesn’t solve any issues”, but he praised the victory all the same. Now, Amorim needs to go one step further and deepen the nuances of his system, surely ending one protracted experiment which might have seen the visitors come unstuck, had they been playing a higher calibre of opponent.

Amorim must boldly drop Man United talent

Amad Diallo is one of the most talented players in Manchester United’s squad, but he’s also been played out of position for the lion’s share of the Amorim era, and the contest at Molineux issued a reminder that he cannot continue in an unnatural wing-back berth forever.

Not only does it hinder the 23-year-old’s attacking play, but it also fails to offer United’s system the balance and fluency it requires down the right channel.

Amad Diallo vs Wolves

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

90′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

68

Accurate passes

39/44 (89%)

Chances created

4

Possession lost

9x

Crosses

1/3

Dribbles

2/4

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

1/1

Duels won

5/9

Data via Sofascore

This was by no means a, quote unquote, disasterclass, but Amad did leave something to be desired, lacking end product and culpable for a few defensive lapses. The Manchester Evening News recognised this, handing the Ivory Coast international a 6/10 match rating.

Amad, after all, was perhaps at fault for the Old Gold’s parity-restoring goal before the break, failing to close David Møller Wolfe as the wing-back cut back to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who scored.

There were flashes of quality, for sure, but we must remember that Amad is performing, dutifully, in a role that is not his own, and this was picked up by analyst Raj Chohan, who remarked that it has been “completely unserious squad planning” on Amorim’s part, shoehorning a fleet-footed forward into a position that he “does not suit playing” in.

This season, ten of Amad’s 15 appearances have come as United’s right-sided wing-back, with five outings made in an attacking role off the central striker.

There he plays his best stuff, and if Amorim is to succeed at the club and lead the squad for the long run, he will need to find a way to maximise this talented forward’s skills in a position that he can call his own.

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The Red Devils continued their rollercoaster form under Ruben Amorim on Sunday, following defeat against Everton with an extremely professional display to come from behind against a Crystal Palace side who had not tasted defeat in the Premier League since October.

After an abysmal display against the Toffees, the second half performance at Selhurst Park was a real show of what United are capable of, as they nullified Palace’s attacking threat and tested Dean Henderson on several occasions.

Not just Zirkzee: Man Utd star who was a "waste of time" is now undroppable

This Man Utd player starred in their 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace

1

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 30, 2025

Amorim revealed he had told his players the Eagles would struggle to maintain their first half intensity after their trip to France to face Strasbourg in Conference League on Thursday.

“I said to the players we need to be more alive and you could feel that. If you are more alive, you are in more places, near the ball more often and everyone did that, but we also need to understand that the opponent is tired,” the Portuguese said as United moved up into the top seven.

“If you see the last plays of the game, they were struggling so much to take the ball out of the box and you could feel it in the way they move that they were getting tired for the second half and we talked about that.

“And again, our pace and intensity in the first half, we cannot play like that in Premier League, so we increased that. I had the feeling and we had the feeling that if we scored one goal, this would change completely.”

Perhaps the only standout performance for the hosts was that of Adam Wharton, and reports after the game revealed United are confident of securing a deal for the Crystal Palace midfielder in the new year.

Gary Lineker heaps praise on Man Utd target Adam Wharton

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast on Monday morning, Gary Lineker and Micah Richards discussed the England international’s performance against United, as he set up the chance that led to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty with a stunning pass.

“I’ll tell you, Adam Wharton, oh my, boy, he can play,” said the former Match of the Day Host.

Adam Wharton’s performance vs Man Utd
Chances created	1
Accurate passes	23/28
XG + XA	0.18
Defensive contributions	13
Passes in the final third	9

Richards added: “I was doing all my analysis on Adam Wharton and then United go and score and you got to give United a little bit of credit.”

Wharton struggled with injuries last season, and was praised for putting in “world class” displays while awaiting surgery on a groin problem, but has proven his durability this season, starting 11 times in the league and twice in Europe.

Amorim believes the 21-year-old fits what he is looking for at Old Trafford, and despite links to fellow Premier League riser Elliot Anderson, INEOS are confident they can win the race for Wharton if they achieve their goal of European football.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and star second baseman Ketel Marte have agreed to a six-year extension through the 2030 season, which includes a player option for 2031, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the

Marte's deal includes a guarantee of $116.5 million, with salary escalators that could help him reach $149.5 million over the life of the agreement.

Marte's deal is the second extension of the day involving stars at the position. Earlier on Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox agreed to an eight-year extension with rookie Kristian Campbell.

The 31-year-old Marte has spent nine of his 11 seasons with the Diamondbacks, and is a career .280 hitter with 143 home runs and 515 RBIs. Marte is hitting .273 so far this season, and is coming off a year where he hit .292 with 36 home runs and 95 RBIs en route to being named to the National League All-Star Team.

Afghanistan will get plenty of practice, and scope to gather information on their Asia Cup opponents, when they play Pakistan and UAE in a T20I tournament starting in Sharjah on Friday. They’ve named virtually the same squad for both competitions, with only Naveen-ul-Haq missing from the tri-series.Abdollah Ahmadzai takes his place in the 17-member squad. The 22-year-old fast bowler, with 14 wickets from 10 T20s, is still waiting for his first international cap and has been named among the reserves for the Asia Cup. These games will be Afghanistan’s first white-ball matches since the Champions Trophy ended in February 2025.Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar is in line to make his T20I debut in the UAE tri-series, as he joins a strong spin unit comprising captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.Related

• Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE gear up for Asia Cup rehearsal

• No Babar, Rizwan in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup

• Afghanistan bring in Ghazanfar to strengthen spin department for Asia Cup

• Junaid Siddique comes back as UAE ring in the changes for T20 tri-series

• Afghanistan bring back former Ireland allrounder John Mooney as fielding coach

The tri-series will also mark the return of Ibrahim Zadran, with the opener not a part of Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in December 2024. From that squad, left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote has also been left out, although he is part of the reserves for the Asia Cup. Zadran returns having last played T20Is during the 2024 World Cup.The tri-series, which Afghanistan and Pakistan will kick off, has the three teams playing each other twice in round-robin format before the top two meet in the final on September 7. Should Afghanistan reach the final, they will only get a day’s rest before their first Asia Cup game, against Hong Kong, on September 9. UAE’s first game of the Asia Cup is on September 10 and Pakistan’s is on September 12.

Afghanistan squad for UAE tri-series

Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fast bowler keen to play both remaining Tests against India before touring with Ashes party

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2025

Jofra Archer made an impressive Test return at Lord’s•Getty Images

Jofra Archer has reiterated his desire to be involved in the winter’s Ashes after making a stirring return to Test cricket in England’s dramatic victory over India at Lord’s.Archer had not played a Test for more than four years due to a combination of elbow and back injuries, but finally made his return in whites after a carefully managed comeback. He took a wicket with his third ball and then produced key interventions in India’s fourth-innings chase, on the way to match figures of 5 for 105.Having got through 39.2 overs, while maintaining his speeds in the region of 90mph/145kph, Archer will now have a week to recover before the fourth Test, which starts at Old Trafford on July 23. He said he would be keen to play in both remaining matches against India, though England will likely closely manage his workloads.Related

Stokes on final-day bowling efforts: 'Nothing was stopping me'

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Six years on from World Cup glory, Stokes and Archer light up Lord's again

Archer said in a post-match interview with Sky Sports that his overs “are still marked out for me until December”, which hints at how meticulous England’s planning has been. But a successful return has whetted his appetite for featuring against Australia, more than six years on from his previous Ashes experience.”I can play the other two [against India] if they let me,” he said. “I don’t want to lose this series. I told Keysey [England men’s managing director, Rob Key] I wanted to play the Test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes. I think one tick is already there and I will do everything possible in my power to be on the plane in November.”Archer’s first outing under the captain-coach combination of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum could scarcely have gone better, with the bowler glad that the long periods in rehab had paid off.”Obviously it [Test cricket] would have been the format which would have taken the most time to come back to. So I played 50-over [and] T20 for the last year, year and a half, two years. And you always just wondered… the guys have played some really exciting cricket since Baz [McCullum] took over. I think the mentality of the team under Baz suits the way I like to play my cricket. So, you know, I just couldn’t wait to get back and actually do it without having to be prompted to do it.”His first wicket, Yashasvi Jaiswal caught at second slip, prompted an emotional celebration – although Archer was more analytical when assessing the moment after the game.”With the slope, that’s how I bowl to left-handers anyway. So, I guess it was just a matter of when, if I kept bowling like that. I can’t imagine many left-handers getting away with it.”He was also notably pumped up on day five, giving Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar send-offs as he and Stokes made the key breakthroughs to undermine India’s attempts to pull off a chase 193. Archer said afterwards that his comment to Pant “wasn’t a proud moment” but was part of a conscious team effort to be less “nice” as England sought to secure a 2-1 lead in the series.”I think everybody had a word today,” he said. “It was nice that everybody… we went together as a group, as a pack basically. And, you know, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t just the bowler, you had the whole slip cordon, you had cover, you had mid-off. You had everybody going in with you. It’s days like this that make Test cricket feel special.

Xabi Alonso has admitted that a "conversation" is forthcoming with Vinicius Junior after his angry reaction to being substituted in El Clasico on Sunday. Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Bernabeu courtesy of goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham to go five points clear at the top of the Liga table. Vinicius' reaction to his withdrawal, however, dominated part of Alonso's post-match press conference.

AFPVinicius erupts with rage after coming off

Vinicius couldn't believe his eyes when his number came up in the 72nd minute as Real Madrid pushed for a third against Barcelona. The Brazil international was furious as he trudged off the Bernabeu pitch, throwing his arms in the air and shaking his head.

The 25-year-old refused to acknowledge head coach Alonso when he came off for Rodrygo and rather than take his place on the bench, he instead headed straight down the tunnel. Vinicius did eventually come back out and sat on the bench for the final knockings of El Clasico.

The match ended on a sour note as tempers flared in the dying embers once Pedri was dismissed for a second yellow for a foul on Aurelien Tchouameni, and Vinicius was involved in a heated confrontation with Barcelona stars Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Advertisement'There are different personalities in any dressing room'

Vinicius had to be held back by a member of the Real Madrid backroom staff, while Alonso sought to defuse the situation after the full-time whistle. And while Alonso has admitted that he will have a "conversation" with Vinicius about his angry reaction to being substituted, he insists there is "no problem" between him and the Brazilian.

Alonso said: "Vini’s character? There are different personalities in any dressing room. Right now we will enjoy the win, then we’ll have a conversation, for sure."

Vinicius' status as a guaranteed starter has come under threat this season, with the attacker having been benched for Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Marseille and in La Liga fixtures against Getafe and Oviedo.

AFPVinicius reacted angrily to substitution against Espanyol

Vinicius also reacted poorly to his 77th-minute withdrawal in the 2-0 win over Espanyol last month. The Brazil international had provided the assist for Kylian Mbappe's second-half strike, yet threw a water bottle to the floor and waved his arms around in disbelief before Alonso pulled him to one side for a chat.

"The only thing Vinicius was missing was a goal," Alonso said of Vinicius' reactoon. "It’s true that he came off the pitch when he was feeling best and I could have waited a bit to replace him, but I understood that we needed fresh players to maintain control. Vinicius wanted to stay on because he was feeling good.

"Franco [Mastantuono] wanted to carry on playing too. He said to me, ‘Are you taking me off?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ Something similar happened with Vini. He wasn’t very happy, but neither was Franco. It happens to everyone, but I’m very happy with Vinicius’s performance. The schedule is demanding and we have to keep going."

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Real Madrid gear up for Valencia clash

Vinicius is expected to be presented with the chance to add to his five goals and four assists in 2025-26 when Real Madrid welcome Valencia to the Bernabeu for their third successive home game next weekend. Los Blancos have won all five home games this season after Sunday's heated Clasico win over Barcelona and have lost just once all season – a 5-2 defeat at local rivals Atletico Madrid last month.

Real Madrid lost their last home meeting with Valencia 2-1 last season. Vinicius Junior scored Real Madrid's only goal in that loss, and has a decent record against Valencia in the capital, having scored in each of Los Blancos' last four home league meetings with Carlos Corberan's side.

Valencia will make the trip to the capital on a five-match winless run following Saturday's disappointing 2-0 home loss to Villarreal.

After the hundred in the first match, Ishan Kishan had scored just 125 runs at a strike-rate of 106.83 in 10 innings coming into the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In Lucknow, though, he played a highly-efficient anchor role with 94 off 48 to make sure the high-intent Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) line-up didn’t run out of batters in the end. It took SRH to 231, the 42nd score of 200 or more in IPL 2025, the highest number of such scores in a season. The target of 232 was also more than any they have chased down successfully.Outside Kishan, though, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma all put the RCB bowling under extreme pressure. They expected the pitch to be tricky, but in an over they decided it was a belter and that they needed 230 to 240. Abhishek started the charge with 34 off 17, Head was more sedate with 17 off 10, Klaasen almost effortless in his 24 off 13 and Aniket actually hit good balls for sixes in 26 off 9.When RCB finally got rid of all four of them, they could get in four quiet overs: only 30 came from overs 13 to 16. Romario Shepherd, who turned RCB’s last game around in the final few overs around with the bat, threatened to do so with the ball here. Having been introduced only in the 15th over, he took the wickets of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abhinav Manohar in two overs for just 14.This is when Kishan’s innings was crucial. He scored 54 out of the 86 that came since the wicket of Aniket at 145 for 4 in the 12th over. He did so without taking the high risks that his partners had been taking. Kishan and Pat Cummins added an unbeaten 43 in the last three overs.

Opener’s stand of 143 with Toby Albert gave visitors a shot at their 377 target before bad light intervened

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Apr-2025

Gubbins batted into the final session for Hampshire•Getty Images

Hampshire 219 (Prest 44, Gubbins 43, Worrall 3-37) and 300 for 5 (Gubbins 117, Albert 78*, Clark 2-39) drew with Surrey 253 (Sibley 100*, Wheal 4-65) and 342 for 9 dec (Sibley 105, Smith 84, Pope 65) Nick Gubbins and Toby Albert were Hampshire’s heroes as they denied Surrey’s last day attempt to force a first victory of the new Rothesay County Championship season at the Kia Oval.Gubbins scored a five-hour 117 and Albert an equally defiant 78 not out as Hampshire, starting the day on 35 for 3 in their second innings in pursuit of a 377-run win target, finished on 300 for 5.Bad light actually had the final say, forcing the players from the field for what turned out to be the loss of four overs, when 10 overs were left and Hampshire were still 78 short of what would have been a remarkable triumph against the 2022, 2023 and 2024 champions.With just six overs left when the players returned, Jordan Clark sent down two balls – one of which was hit for a single by Albert – and then the players shook hands on the draw.In truth, however, and despite Tom Prest being unbeaten on 32 alongside Albert, it had seemed increasingly unlikely that Hampshire could have scored the remaining runs anyway against a testing Surrey seam attack in gloomy conditions and with the floodlights on.In 22.2 overs with the second new ball, Surrey had restricted Hampshire to 80 runs for the loss of Gubbins and run-scoring was difficult against a high-class pace quartet in which Matt Fisher and Clark were especially impressive.Earlier, it took Surrey almost an hour and a half to claim their only wicket of the morning session, Fletcha Middleton pinned leg-before by Matt Fisher after advancing steadily from his overnight 11 to 42.Middleton’s fourth wicket stand with Gubbins had been worth 74 and provided Hampshire with much-needed stability following the chaotic slide to 30 for 3 in the murk of the third evening, when Kemar Roach had removed opener Mark Stoneman and both nightwatchers, Brad Wheal and Sonny Baker, had fallen to Jordan Clark.Better was to come for Hampshire, with Albert – who had laboured through 27 balls for just one run before lunch, and was caught off a Roach no ball 17 deliveries in – joining Gubbins in a partnership that eventually realised 143 in 52 overs and which grew in authority during an afternoon session in which Surrey went wicketless.From 121 for 4 at lunch the fifth wicket pair combined watchfulness with sensible accumulation and the odd flash of aggression, such as when Gubbins went to 83 with a superb square cut four off Fisher and Albert reached 44 by reverse-sweeping Dan Lawrence’s off spin to the ropes.By tea Gubbins, three short of his hundred, and Albert, who had gone to his half-century from 111 balls, looked in total control as Hampshire contemplated the final session of the game at 216 for four, but with the second new ball due in two overs’ time.This was duly taken by Clark and Dan Worrall, although by then Gubbins had reached his 20th first-class century from 215 balls in what was a chanceless, superlative performance after coming in on a Clark hat-trick.Only 27 runs came from the first nine overs with the second new ball, with Clark particulary miserly, and then Fisher replacing Worrall at the Vauxhall End brought an almost immediate reward.Looking to whip a ball from around the wicket that appeared to keep a little lower than expected, Gubbins was trapped lbw after facing 247 balls and hitting 12 fours, perhaps the best of them a magnificent on drive off Worrall that took him to 114.

For the first time since March 2023, Tottenham Hotspur will be playing in the Champions League tonight and looking to kickstart their European campaign with a win.

The Lilywhites enter the clash against Villarreal in excellent form, winning three of the four Premier League games since Thomas Frank took the reins during the off-season.

He will be looking to build on the club’s recent impressive form in Europe, with the side currently on a 20-game unbeaten run at home – dating back to the 7-2 triumph over Maccabi Haifa in October 2020.

Frank’s men are taking on Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side, who, like the Lilywhites, have only lost once to date in 2025/26, with such a defeat coming in the recent clash with Atlético Madrid at the weekend.

However, if the Dane is to extend such an impressive European record against the Yellow Submarine, he may need to drop one player from his starting eleven tonight.

Why Frank may need to drop Kudus against Villarreal

Mohammed Kudus joined Spurs in a £55m transfer from West Ham United this summer, looking to add further quality to the first team’s attacking department.

The Ghanaian made an immediate impact for his new outfit on the opening day of the new campaign, registering two assists in the triumph over Burnley in North London.

However, in the three games since, the 25-year-old has failed to manage a single goal or assist, with the likes of Lucas Bergvall outperforming the right-winger.

Despite his lack of tangible success, he did manage to thrive against his former employers last weekend, notching the most chances created and dribbles completed of any player on the pitch.

It has been an impressive start to life for the Lilywhites for Kudus, but he may be dropped from the side ahead of the meeting with LaLiga side later this evening.

The Spurs player who could be their next Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale is a household name to many fans around Europe, which is understandable, given his impressive form for both Spurs and Real Madrid throughout his career.

The Welshman started out as a left-back in the early days of his career, but rapidly transitioned into a winger – especially after his display against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Back in 2010, Bale’s Lilywhites career catapulted into life after he netted a second-half hat-trick at the San Siro – a feat that catapulted him to huge stardom in North London.

His superb display made him a fan-favourite with the fanbase, allowing him to be a consistent figure within the first-team side after a stop-start first few years in the capital.

Such a situation could be repeated by his compatriot Brennan Johnson, with the winger having the ability to replicate his success in this year’s Champions League campaign.

The Welshman, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by one analyst, has already showcased his talents for the Lilywhites – netting 18 goals in all competitions last campaign, including the winner against Manchester United in the Europa League final.

The 24-year-old has also made an impressive start to the 2025/26 campaign, scoring twice in his first four outings and more than deserving of a start in the Champions League.

Despite his impressive record, he’s followed a similar route to success to his compatriot, struggling to make an immediate impact after his £47.5m transfer from Nottingham Forest.

Johnson was subject to huge abuse 12 months ago, leading to the attacker deactivating his social media accounts, but it’s safe to say he’s silenced his doubters.

Spurs’ top scorers in the PL (2024/25)

Player

Tally

1. Brennan Johnson

11

2. James Maddison

9

= Dominic Solanke

9

3. Dejan Kulusevski

7

= Heung-min Son

7

4. Richarlison

4

5. Pape Sarr

3

Stats via FotMob

However, adding a Champions League goal or two to his record could be the perfect platform to allow him to cement his place in the side and lead Frank’s men to new heights.

Whilst it would be a somewhat harsh decision to drop Kudus from the starting eleven, Johnson is more than deserving of a recall – especially considering his recent goalscoring tally in 2025/26.

If the 24-year-old can match Bale’s feat in Europe’s most competitive competition, he will certainly have the platform to build on and take his career to new heights in North London.

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