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Cast your mind back to the summer of 2015 when Mark Warburton was a coach in great demand.

After securing his first managerial position at Brentford via the unconventional route of first being their sporting director (and the even more unusual claim of previously being a city trader) Warburton took the Bees up to the Championship in his first season in charge, then strengthened his burgeoning reputation further by guiding a team hardly furnished with stars into the playoffs.

A fundamental disagreement over the club’s future strategy regarding transfers was what led to his exit at Griffin Park but with his footballing credentials to that point only impressive and progressive it was inevitable that a queue of potential suitors would line up to offer this promising new face another hot seat to warm. When his decision was finally made it was to the hottest one around.

His short time at Ibrox was initially successful, as Warburton took a reformed and rejuvenated Rangers back into the Scottish top flight. That was until harsh realities set in, the expectation for the fierce competition with Celtic to immediately resume despite there being a gulf in class between the sides. Warburton has spoken of his frustration in Scotland, particularly the manner of his departure which he discovered by tuning into Sky Sports.

Watch Queens Park Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

So it was off to Nottingham Forest he went, another club that demanded the squaring of its past. His time at the City Ground was a tumultuous and difficult period for both Warburton and the club and he was sacked on New Year’s Eve a mere nine months after taking the reins.

Few would have blamed Warburton had he felt embittered at this juncture. After all, in his five seasons as a head coach he had presided over two promotions and an unanticipated playoff charge. Now here he was on the proverbial scrapheap. There was no longer a queue to his door.

Cast your mind back again to the summer of 2015. That May QPR had suffered relegation to the Championship but with a recent history of yo-yoing between the top two leagues and with a squad abundant with genuine quality they are considered likely to bounce straight back.

They don’t. Instead the Hoops see their better players depart, one after the other and each subsequent season has seen a battle to avoid the drop rather than any promotion charge. In the four years since they last graced the Premier League seven managers have been at the helm, six of them leaving deemed failures.

Find out a how a world-record-holding freestyler got on with the worst football in the world in the video below…

The seventh boss was Mark Warburton who was appointed in early May and presently the West London outfit reside in a playoff spot after stringing together six wins from their opening eleven games. These results include eye-catching away wins at Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday while their attacking partnership of Nahki Wells and Jordan Hugill has garnered 12 goals and promises much.

It may be early days so it seems like a club in need of restoration and a manager in need of redemption have found each other. And it might yet prove to be a match made in heaven.

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16-year-old Yunus Musah has joined Valencia from Arsenal. He is just the latest in a trend of English players moving abroad.

What’s the story?

Although the teenager already appeared to have moved to Spain earlier this summer, and had even played for the club’s youth team, it had not been confirmed that he would be making the switch to the La Liga outfit.

However, the player himself announced the transfer via his Instagram account on Tuesday, saying, “Delighted to join a club with such rich history and now I get to be a part of it! Can’t wait to get started.”

“They have the bigger mentality” – Spurs fans come to blows after the North London Derby in the video below…

Musah was born in New York but has been described as an England youth star and represented the Junior Lions seven times at U16 level and eight times at U17 level.

The latest in a growing trend

In the past, English footballers have rarely taken the plunge in moving to a foreign country to ply their trade. Between 2000 and 2016, there were just 16 players to appear in one of the other top five leagues in Europe. At the 2018 World Cup, England were the only nation to have no player playing outside of their own country.

However, that is beginning to change. In Europe’s major divisions this season, there will be 11 English representatives, and that is not even including Musah following his recent move, nor others like Chukwunonso Madueke at PSV and Jonathan Panzo at Cercle Brugge.

Youngsters are starting to realise there is a whole world out there, and that the Premier League is not the be-all and end-all. Ever since Jadon Sancho began to light up the Bundesliga after he made the switch to Borussia Dortmund, it has seemed that youngsters are now not afraid to leave their comfort zone in the quest for first-team football.

Even more established players are now starting to leave this island. Daniel Sturridge recently signed for Trabzonspor, whilst Kieran Trippier joined Atletico Madrid. Both have regularly appeared for England.

For the first time in years, Englishmen are ready to make their mark elsewhere, and it is a refreshing sight. One can only hope that it is a trend that continues in the future.

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Arsenal kicked off their season with a narrow but rewarding victory against Newcastle as they prevailed 1-0.

They will face Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in their next game, and Unai Emery has some decisions to make in regards to his starting line-up. Here, we try to predict the Gunners’ first XI for the game against the Clarets.

The goalkeeper’s position, once again, chooses itself. Bernd Leno will keep his place from the Newcastle game and start between the nets.

AFTV’s Robbie has his say on Arsenal’s owners in the video below…

Sead Kolasinac has had a difficult time recently following the terrifying incident that took place on July 25th. However, Emery has said that both the Bosnian and Mesut Ozil are “100% ready” to play this weekend. With Kieran Tierney still unavailable, the 26-year-old should play from the beginning.

Keeping a clean sheet in a potentially awkward opening fixture against the Toon was down, in part, to solid performances from Calum Chambers and Sokratis. The argument could be made that both deserve to keep their places, but with David Luiz having signed, that is unlikely to happen. It is unfortunate on Chambers, but he should be the one to drop out for the 32-year-old.

On the right side of the defence, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is the obvious choice. He had a fantastic game on Sunday and Hector Bellerin is yet to return from injury.

In midfield, Granit Xhaka is a doubt with a lower back and leg injury. That could mean a starting debut for Dani Ceballos. Alongside him in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Emery has a decision to make. Mateo Guendouzi played well last week, but Lucas Torreira may just get the nod.

Further forward, expect Nicolas Pepe to make his maiden start. He was on the bench and played just 19 minutes against Newcastle, but having cost £72m, surely Emery cannot afford to keep him out of the action.

Ozil has also had a few weeks to forget but, following his manager’s comments, he should come in. There is a difficult decision to make on the left but, in an effort to have both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the same team, the latter could play out on the left-wing.

Which would leave the France international to start up front. He now appears to have fully recovered from a knock and, as such, could be given the nod to lead the line.

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With the race for a top-two finish still wide open, PBKS are in control of their destiny

Hemant Brar23-May-20252:28

Moody: ‘Surprised Brar hasn’t played more games’

Big picture: Punjab’s uncrowned kings

Punjab Kings (PBKS) were 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when their match against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dharamsala was aborted on May 8, and IPL 2025 was suspended for a week. The two teams will replay that game on Saturday, but this time at a neutral venue Jaipur, where a victory for PBKS will take them to the top of the points table.PBKS had held a pre-season camp in Dharamsala to get acclimatised to their second home ground. But now they will play two crucial games at a third “home” venue. Their only advantage is that their previous game, against Rajasthan Royals, was also here, while DC are yet to play in Jaipur this season.While PBKS have qualified for the playoffs, the race for a top-two finish is still open and defeats for Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last two days have left them in a good position. If they win their remaining two games, they will finish No. 1.*This is the first time since 2014 that PBKS have qualified for the playoffs. And this revival has been led by their uncapped Indian batters. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have given them explosive starts, Nehal Wadhera has played impactful knocks in the middle order and Shashank Singh has finished well towards the end. Add captain Shreyas Iyer to it and you have five batters with over 250 runs at a strike rate of over 150. They are the first team in IPL history to have five such batters in a season.DC are now out of the race for the playoffs. They had started strongly, with five wins in six games. But then they had a reversal of fortunes and could win only one of their next seven. However, given how important this game is for PBKS, they will not take DC lightly.

Form guide

Punjab Kings WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Delhi Capitals LLLLWShreyas Iyer could once again play as Impact Player•BCCI

In the spotlight: Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul

Shreyas Iyer is the first captain to lead three IPL teams into the playoffs. He did it with DC in successive seasons, in 2019 and 2020, and led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year. Now he has done it with PBKS. With the bat, he has 435 runs at a strike rate of 174.69, which is almost 30 points higher than his strike rate last season. His strike rate of 182.19 in the non-powerplay overs is second only to Nicholas Pooran’s 211.51.Like Shreyas, KL Rahul too has been out of India’s T20I side for a while now. Like Shreyas, he too has upped his strike rate this season. Unlike Shreyas, not being the captain seems to have brought the best out of him. Leading Lucknow Super Giants last year, he scored 520 runs at 136.12. This year, he is on 504 at 148.67 with one game to go. Can he ensure DC finish on a positive note?

Team news and likely XIIs

Shreyas did not field in the last game because of a finger injury. If things have not improved, he may once again play as Impact Player. Meanwhile, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis and Kyle Jamieson have (re)joined the squad. Inglis and Jameison could be straight swaps for Mitchell Owen and Xavier Bartlett, but picking one between Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai might not be as simple.Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Marcus Stoinis/Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Harpreet Brar, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra ChahalAxar Patel did not train on the eve of the match as he is still recovering from the illness that forced him to miss the last game. If he remains unavailable, DC may give seam-bowling allrounder Madhav Tiwari another chance.Delhi Capitals (probable) 1 KL Rahul, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Abishek Porel (wk), 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Sameer Rizvi, 6 Ashutosh Sharma, 7 Axar Patel (capt)/Madhav Tiwari, 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Mustafizur Rahman, 12 Mukesh Kumar

The big question

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium this IPL has been 200. So expect a high-scoring game once again. During the daytime, there is a warning for excessive heat. While it will be cooler in the evening, the mercury will still hover around 36°C.

Key stats

• Axar has favourable match-ups against Prabhsimran and Inglis. Against Prabhsimran, he has conceded only 24 runs in 26 balls in the IPL while dismissing him once. And he has dismissed Inglis twice in 13 balls in all T20s while giving away just ten runs. So if he is fit to play, he could open the bowling.
• Shreyas has a strike rate of only 110.00 (33 runs in 30 balls, one dismissal) against Mustafizur Rahman in all T20 cricket.
• Rahul has struggled against Arshdeep Singh (31 runs off 25 balls, two dismissals) in the IPL but has a strike rate of 150.60 (125 off 83, one dismissal) against Yuzvendra Chahal.
• Chahal has had the upper hand against Faf du Plessis: 44 runs in 50 balls, three dismissals.

Quotes

“I’m not on the selection panel but I would expect that we’re going to pick our best team to win tomorrow. I think it’s important for us as a group to finish well and put ourselves in a position to win the match. I would have thought if it’s a lineball decision, that [trying new plyers] may happen, but generally speaking we’ll look at their team, look at the wicket today, which looks an absolute belter, and pick our best team to win the match and finish strongly, which is what all of our group wants.”
*Updated after the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad

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Lots of Everton fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was reported by L’Equipe that the club are set to sign Monaco right-back Djibril Sidibe ahead of West Ham and Crystal Palace, who were also keen.

The 18-cap France international will reportedly join on an initial one-year loan deal for a cost of €2.5m (£2.3m), and the Merseysiders will also have the option to make the deal permanent next summer for a sum of €14m (£12.9m).

Sidibe, 27, made 26 appearances for Monaco in Ligue 1 last term, recording two assists.

Marco Silva was said to be keen to sign a right-back to provide competition for Seamus Coleman before the deadline, and he looks set to get his wish in the shape of the 6 foot Frenchman – the right-back department had been weakened by Jonjoe Kenny’s departure for Schalke.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

Let’s see how the Everton fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

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Australia batter will cover for expected absences of Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith during May

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2025Surrey have signed Australia top-order batter Kurtis Patterson for a three-game spell in the County Championship.Patterson, who won two Test caps for Australia in 2019, comes in off the back of a successful Sheffield Shield season in which he scored 743 runs for New South Wales at an average of 57.15. He will be available for Surrey’s game against Warwickshire next week, as well as home fixtures against Yorkshire and Essex.”I’m looking forward to joining Surrey,” Patterson said. “I’ve always wanted to play county cricket, so I jumped at the chance to represent Surrey when the opportunity presented itself.Related

• Patterson resurgence continues with Australia A century

• Jordan Cox recalled to England Test squad for Zimbabwe

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“I’ve heard great things about the environment at Surrey and can’t wait to play in front of the fans at the Kia Oval.”Surrey are expected to lose Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson when England announce their squad to face Zimbabwe in a one-off Test starting on May 22. The trio would miss all three of Surrey’s fixtures in May as part of preparations for the first Test of the summer.Alec Stewart, Surrey’s high-performance advisor, said: “With the non-availability of our England players, I’m pleased to add Kurtis Patterson to the squad. He’s a top-quality cricketer who will add quality and depth to our batting line up for the next three games.”

Hampshire worthy of rewards as defending champs’ stutter carries into second round

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Apr-2025Hampshire 55 for 1 (Gubbins 23*, Worrall 1-14) trail Surrey 253 (Sibley 100*, Wheal 4-65) by 198 runsIt was just after 5pm at the Kia Oval, with Surrey nine down, having spent a gorgeous day at the Kia Oval scrapping against Hampshire, that the probable past and potential future of English Test cricket locked horns.Words were spoken. Bouncers bowled. Attempts to guide a boundary over third missed three times. Sonny Baker, just two weeks into his County Championship career, was fed up. He’d bowled well all day, each delivery at 85mph or above vindicating the ECB development contract handed to the 22-year-old in February. But with just one wicket to show for it, this was all a bit of a tease.Baker’s first wicket of this match was not Dom Sibley – a caught and bowled of Matthew Fisher instead – but it should have been. A brilliant three-over burst of short stuff had produced a rib-high fend from Sibley, on 54, which Toby Albert grassed at short leg. It would have given Albert a hand in four of the top six dismissals, having taken three smart grabs in the cordon.Two players bred in very different eras, with very different priorities, were now engaged in their own mini-session, with a Surrey innings there to finish off for good. And Sibley, the sole survivor, with a say on just how good.Related

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The 29-year old, 22 Test caps from a bygone age, has remained undimmed throughout his professional life. So it was no surprise that the sight of eight wickets falling at the other end elicited nothing other than the assumption of responsibility for what joy there was left to prise of Surrey’s homecoming in pursuit of a fourth straight County Championship title. And after engaging with Baker as the sun began setting towards Vauxhall, he set about his duty once more.A single was taken off the end of that over, digging out a well-guided yorker for a scampered single to midwicket. Baker took his cap in frustration, with little more he could have done. Sibley then smeared Brad Wheal over midwicket for six – the shorter side – before more diligent strike hogging to shield No.11 Dan Worrall. A loose wristy carve through backward point gave him a leg up to 97. Then more creeping before eventually pocketing the single that took him to a 23rd first-class century.The ovation was loud, those of the 5,639 through the gates on Friday that remained making themselves heard. Sibley skipped into a punch of the air, before removing his helmet and laying down his bat to face the dressing room and point one finger to the sky, and another to his temple.He need not have re-equipped himself. Just two deliveries later, Worrall was caught brilliantly at midwicket by Mark Stoneman to hand Wheal figures of 4 for 65 from 19.3 overs. Off Sibley went, 100* from 217 deliveries, the sixth time he has carried his bat in Championship cricket. Only Geoffrey Boycott (8) has done so more times since the Second World War.That it was the third against Hampshire – in 2017 and 2019 for Warwickshire – could have ramped up their disdain for him. But the bigger picture of dismissing the hosts for 253 inside 78 overs did them just fine.By stumps, Hampshire had chipped off 55, for the loss of just Fletcha Middleton. And beyond a few optimistic gasps, it was a relatively trouble free 16-over session. For all the positivity of a sun-soaked day in south London, not much of it belonged to those who call this home.That Wheal’s pace – allied with impressive command of length – and Kyle Abbott’s enduring class made a mess of Surrey’s international calibre top-half is nothing out of the ordinary. But Ollie Pope’s twitch outside off stump, Dan Lawrence’s cavalier driving and Ben Foakes’ misjudgement, playing on when focussing on consolidation, were familiar failings that put Surrey behind the game after the first session.Even Jamie Smith, the most productive outside of Sibley with 39, was found wanting, although his issue was being too respectful. Wheal’s short ball outside off deserved to be smoked, but Smith’s attempt to place rather than slap it into the stands at backward point counts as a misjudgement. Baker, lurking at deep backward point, pulled off a brilliant initial catch, before relaying to himself once he had confirmed his footing inside the boundary.It is easy and probably even a tad reductive to say these batters should have copied Sibley’s approach. By his own admission before the summer, Sibley’s tag as a blocker is not quite one he has to overcome. Rather, it is a “stigma” he is trying to break.The irony here is Sibley’s latest epic was a mix of speeds and shots – successful or otherwise. And even his own willingless to expand his game, which included a one-off appearance for Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League in January, is set against a constant assessment of the situation in front of him.His two sixes among the 11 boundaries illustrate this perfectly. The first, off Liam Dawson, was an attempt to to jolt the left-arm spinner out of a groove. The second, off Wheal, with the onus on quick runs in the final stand. As it happens, he struck more than Chennai Super Kings managed in their Friday IPL blowout against Kolkata Knight Riders.Having escaped with a draw from Chelmsford last week, Surrey find themselves second best once more, albeit with plenty of time to twist this game back around. As worthy as the Hampshire bowlers were for their rewards on day one, the defending champions will be a little alarmed that their stutter has carried into the second round.

Javagal Srinath discusses his time in the Indian team with Zaheer Khan, and his former team-mate’s natural flair for coaching

Javagal Srinath15-Oct-2015When I saw Zaheer Khan in 2000, I thought he was the best bowler around, in terms of hunger, in terms of wanting to do well. We played a match – he played for MRF – in one of the local tournaments in Bangalore, and I found him the best bowler. He looked better than me at that point of time, I would say.So, when it was very clear that I could not go to the Champions Trophy [ICC knockout], which was held in Kenya, I spoke to Chandu Borde [chairman of selectors] to pick him up straight away because he was that good. So that’s how Zaheer Khan came into the system.It was nice to see a good left-arm seamer bowl at 140 [kph]. He was rapid, which was good for international cricket. He had a good line, and more than anything else he had the ability to bring the ball back in. That’s what I saw in him.I always thought that the more fast bowlers you have in your side – Ashish [Nehra] was also up and coming then – then your longevity will also be better. I never thought that Zaheer was my competitor. I thought he always complemented me in many games.I think that was the time when we saw a lot of fast bowlers come in. Ashish had come earlier than Zaheer, but he was marred with a lot of injuries. Ajit [Agarkar] also came in around the same time. Others also started waking up to the possibility of fast bowlers coming in. In the ODIs and Tests played by India, we didn’t like going in with one symbolic fast bowler and going in with two fast bowlers made a lot of sense. I think One-Day [Internationals] gave birth to many fast bowlers then.The World Cup in 2003 was the first time as a bowling group we started to watch videos, we had technology at our disposal and started to strategise after looking at a batsman’s strength and weakness. Ashish, Zaheer and I worked on the batsmen for the first time and technology was completely used to enhance our efficiency. The three of us got together and that understanding made us a good combination. Especially in the World Cup we knew what we were doing up until the final.As far as Zaheer’s injuries go, I thought he should have managed it a little better. I certainly feel that injuries cost him a lot of wickets. I must say that the body is the biggest weapon you possess and you have got to take care of it. I believe if Zaheer had taken care of his body he would have had another 100 Test match wickets.I didn’t see a lot of the mentor in him because I retired in 2003 when he was still very young. But these are things you pick up over a point of time, and I think he is a good human being more importantly. So, these things come naturally to him.All cricketers have to fall back on cricket for something or the other. It all depends on where his interest lies. He is a successful businessman already. Mentoring and bowling coaching comes naturally to most of the bowlers. That is one aspect he will always do well in with his natural flair for coaching.As told to Arun Venugopal

Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard could inadvertently thwart the club's chances of signing a £60 million forward who the club really like.

Edu and Arteta planning to sign new attackers for Arsenal

The North Londoners, in their bid to win a first Premier League title in 20 years, have been imperious going forward, despite not having an out and out goalscorer leading the line.

£43 million star certain to move as Arsenal enter pole position for deal

The Gunners are “very impressed” by his ability.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 8, 2024

Indeed, no other team have racked up more goals in the top flight than Mikel Arteta's men so far this season, with strikes coming from all across the attacking areas courtesy of top scorers Saka (16), Kai Havertz (12) and Leandro Trossard (11).

However, it is still widely believed that Arsenal are planning to bring in an important new striker this summer, and reliable journalist Charles Watts has also claimed they could look to bring in yet another winger as well.

The Gunners are targeting number nines in big names like Napoli star Victor Osimhen and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres. The latter has been in scintillating form over 2023/2024, scoring 41 goals in all competitions, and it is believed Arsenal are in pole position to sign Gyokeres for Arteta.

In terms of wingers who Arsenal could have their eyes on, Crystal Palace star Michael Olise is thought to be one of them.

The France youth international, barring his injury absences, has been a star player for Oliver Glasner and his predecessor. Scoring nine goals and assisting four others over 17 league appearances, he's displayed real cutting edge, and this has alerted Arsenal chiefs.

Arsenal really like Olise but Odegaard and Saka could thwart deal

According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are big fans of Olise but Saka and Odegaard could actually thwart a deal. This is because the prospect of regular game time for the 22-year-old is diminished, thanks to the latter pair cementing their roles in similar positions to Olise.

The Eagles star wants to join a team playing Champions League football next term but also wants to start week in week out, with Aston Villa now confident they can beat both Arteta and Man United in the race for Olise – who is rumoured to command a £60 million price tag.

“In the first-half we didn’t get enough out of him, and we couldn’t bring him into the game as much as we wanted," said former Palace boss Roy Hodgson when discussing Olise's future after a terrific 5-1 win away to Leeds last season.

“In the first-half he was a figure on the right but he wasn’t creating chances or showing aggression in his play. In the second-half he got it all right in both defence and attack and he showed what a wonderful player he is.

“I have seen him for 10 days less than I have seen the others. What I make of him is that I think he is an enormous talent – he has got a great possibility to have a wonderful career and a wonderful future. We can only hope we at Crystal Palace can give him that platform.”

The players from Tottenham Hotspur’s iconic side of 2018/19, in which they reached the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino, are all slowly beginning to leave the club.

Talisman striker Harry Kane was one of the most recent players from that famous side to leave the club. The England captain joined Bayern Munich last summer, for a fee of £86.4m, where he has scored 43 goals in 43 games so far.

The likes of Christian Eriksen, now at Manchester United via Inter and Brentford, Dele Alli who is now an Everton player, and Kieran Trippier, who is now at Newcastle, have all left in recent years. Meanwhile, legendary centre-back duo Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghan now play at Royal Antwerp and Anderlecht respectively.

Just a couple of the members of that Spurs squad remain at the club today, including Son Heung-min. The legendary attacker has scored 161 goals and has 83 assists in 403 games for the Lilywhites.

However, the other player from that squad who still remains in the first team today, has struggled for minutes under Ange Postecoglou this season, and a tough performance against Arsenal in last weekend’s North London derby has led to people calling for him to be dropped.

Ben Davies' stats vs Arsenal

The player in question here is Welshman Ben Davies, who had a tough afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend against his side’s biggest rivals. There is no doubt Davies is a modern-day Spurs stalwart, having played 330 games for the club, scoring nine and assisting 23.

However, his opportunities this season have been few and far between. Davies has featured in just 19 games in all competitions for Postecoglou’s side, with 17 of those coming in the Premier League.

Davies is one of the highest earners at Spurs, who have a fairly low wage expenditure compared to the other ‘big 6’ sides. He is the tenth-highest earner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on £80k-per-week, according to Capology.

Against Arsenal, Davies was directly up against Bukayo Saka, and he had a tough afternoon, ultimately handed a poor 4/10 rating courtesy of FFC's player ratings.

As per Sofascore, the 31-year-old won just six out of his 11 ground duels, and one out of three aerial duels. Not only that, he lost possession ten times and was dribbled past on two occasions.

It was certainly not an easy game for Davies who let Saka cut in all too easily for Arsenal's second goal of the game. The Wales international slotted into the side to replace the injured Destiny Udogie, who will miss the rest of the season and the Euros.

Spurs 2-3 Arsenal: Player ratings & match recap

Arsenal took on Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

By
Matt Dawson

Apr 28, 2024

Who might replace Davies in the starting XI

Former Spurs player Jamie O’Hara believes that his former side need to “get rid” of Davies because “he’s not good enough”. Indeed, this is a harsh statement, given he has played 330 games for the club.

With that being said, wanting him dropped for the game against Chelsea on Thursday is justifiable, given he will be coming up against Cole Palmer, one of the best players in the Premier League this season. Palmer has 20 goals and nine assists in 29 games in the league. If he struggled with Saka then another left-footer of the Chelsea star's calibre won't end well.

Should Postecoglou decide to drop Davies from the starting lineup, there is one leading candidate to replace him; Emerson Royal. The Brazilian is normally a right-back, but five of his 21 appearances in all competitions this season have come from left-back, instead.

The 25-year-old has scored once this season and is yet to register an assist. He is a good defender, averaging 4.59 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes as per Fbref. That places him in the top 6%. Not only that, Emerson averages 6.56 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 5%.

An alternative option to Emerson could be to bring January signing Radu Dragusin into the side and push Mickey van de Ven out to left-back. The 23-year-old is naturally a centre-back but has played on that side 15 times in his career, although not since joining Spurs last summer.

Postecoglou certainly has some decisions to make this week regarding the starting left-back against Chelsea.

He may well decide to stick with Davies and show faith in the player, go with Emerson or even the less experienced choice of bringing Dragusin into the team and pushing Van de Ven out to left-back. Either way, the man tasked with the job will have a tough night ahead, against Palmer, one of the deadliest players in the top flight.

Spurs can ease Udogie blow by unleashing their “best academy defender”

This would be a shrewd move from Ange Postecoglou.

By
Angus Sinclair

Apr 23, 2024