Page 150 – The Pulse of Football

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Aston Villa

Aston Villa could well be one of the dark horses in the Premier League this season following an impressive revival under Unai Emery. With European football returning to Villa Park and a number of transformative signings already through the door, there’s a lot to be excited about as an Aston Villa supporter.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

Villa had a slow start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Steven Gerrard was at the helm for the opening 11 matches of the season and his side managed to win just two of those games, losing on six occasions. He was dismissed after a 3-0 defeat to Fulham.

Emery had turned down advances from a number of clubs while in charge of Villarreal but the project at Villa Park enticed him to return to England. When he was appointed, Villa sat 16th in the table.

They finished the season in seventh, claiming a Europa Conference League spot after a remarkable run of form under the former Arsenal tactician.

Following his arrival, Villa scored in 20 consecutive matches and were the first team in Premier League history to achieve such a feat under a new manager. They picked up wins over Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Newcastle United. At one stage, they were on a 10-match unbeaten run.

They finished the season with seven points from games against Spurs, Liverpool and Brighton to pip the former to a European place.

It was rather fitting that Ollie Wakins scored what turned out to be the winner in the final game of the campaign against the Seagulls. The forward found his groove again under Emery and finished the season with a Premier League career-high 15 goals.

The former Brentford man also chipped in with six assists, a figure only Jacob Ramsey (seven) could better. He was pivotal to Villa’s rise up the table, but it was very much a team effort. In fact, Douglas Luiz finished with the highest FotMob average (7.31) after a series of dominant performances in the middle of the park.

What has happened during the summer?

What is important to remember here is that it is Emery’s first pre-season with the club. He’s had time and opportunity to really work with the players so we should see a more refined version of this Villa team. That is pretty ominous for their rivals given how good they looked after the one-time PSG tactician arrived.

Furthermore, the Villans have strengthened.

Pau Torres reunited with Emery having played some of his best football under the 51-year-old when the pair were together at Villarreal. The Spain international had been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and even Manchester City during his time in LaLiga. There was even a time he was reportedly being targeted by Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Despite having the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos at his disposal, Emery decided to being the 6ft3 centre-back to Villa Park in a deal believed to be worth £32million.

Villa have also bolstered their attacking options. They parted with a club record fee – over £50million – to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen. The 24-year-old explosive winger, once courted by the Premier League’s traditional big six, will add an entirely new dynamic to the attack under Emery. He’s already amongst the goals in pre-season.

Finally, Youri Tielemans was added to the team. The 26-year-old midfielder was available on a free transfer following his departure from Leicester City and Villa snapped him up. He is another who was tipped for a big-money move to one of Europe’s elite clubs only a couple of years ago. His form tailed off in a disappointing Foxes side but the talent is still there. If Emery is able to get a tune out of him, Villa have bagged themselves a £50million-rated midfielder for free. He could turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer and he brings a lot of experience to the middle third.

What they should be aiming for next season?

Emery is a brilliant manager in knockout competitions. There is an expectation that they go far in the Europa Conference League and perhaps get to the latter stages of both domestic cup competitions.

In the league, they will fancy their chances of gatecrashing the top seven again. Who knows, if luck is on their side, a top-four push could well be on the cards given they have a manager who excels in tactical battles.

The big question heading into the new season is whether or not they have enough goals in their squad. Watkins is the only established centre-forward in the side right now.

Prediction

8th.

(Images from IMAGO)

Think you know better than our Premier League expert? Then play the FotMob Predictor Game and decide where your team will finish this season! Find the game in the More tab of the FotMob app, which you can download, for free, right here.

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: Arsenal

Arsenal head into the 2023/24 Premier League season as one of the favourites for the title. It shows just how far the Gunners have come under Mikel Arteta. A title push is now expected and the Emirates will be playing host to Champions League football once again.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

Arteta’s side flew out of the traps and as domestic football came to a pause for the World Cup, Arsenal held a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The Gunners had won 12 of their opening 14 matches, they had the joint-best defensive record in the league and their 2.64 points per game average would’ve seen them equal Manchester City’s centurions campaign had they been able to prolong it for the entire season.

Eventually, however, their lack of depth caught up to them and they finished the 2022/23 season in second place, five points behind Man City. While the season might’ve ended in disappointment having held the lead for so long, it was a significant campaign for the project under the Spanish tactician.

Players he put his faith and trust in all delivered. For example, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all caught the eye. All finished with 20 or more goal involvements in the English top flight but it was Saka who lead the way with 25. The England international was also the highest-rated player on the FotMob app with a season average of 7.68.

If the 21-year-old manages to build on that, Arsenal will be in the title picture once again.

What has happened during the summer?

The 2022/23 Premier League runners-up have been busy in the transfer window.

Declan Rice was signed for a British record fee believed to be £105million. The former West Ham United captain will no doubt anchor the midfield three in place of Thomas Partey, giving the Gunners a lot more power in that area of the pitch now.

Kai Havertz made the surprise switch from Chelsea. It had looked as though the Germany international would be returning to his homeland with Bayern Munich believed to be keen but they reportedly baulked at the £65million price tag whereas Arsenal did not. He’s been playing in midfield in pre-season but his versatility means he could well end up leading the line at some stage during the campaign. After all, Arteta loves a fluid system (Editor’s note: Check line-up from the Community Shield shown below!).

The club also bolstered their defensive options with the acquisition of Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman was linked with Liverpool and Manchester United but it was Arsenal who stumped up the money to pry him away from Amsterdam. Again, he is fairly versatile and this allows the team to line up in a few different ways.

Arteta now has that depth in most areas of the squad that he’s been wanting in order for him to compete.

What they should be aiming for next season?

Given Arteta has been backed in the market and this is now his team, they are going to have to be competing for the title. You can’t finish as runners-up, spend £200million on transfers and then not expect to be under pressure.

A good run in the Champions League will also be the bare minimum for this talented group of players, especially after so long outside of the competition. This is going to be Arteta’s most difficult season and how he handles it will perhaps shape how he’s viewed as a manager.

Their aim should be a top-three finish and a quarter-final appearance in the Champions League. But, ultimately, their biggest aim for the campaign will be to not disappoint. Every single Arsenal fan will have their own way to judge that.

Prediction

2nd.

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Premier League Predictions: AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth head into the 2023/24 campaign as a bit of an unknown. They stunned the masses last season to comfortably beat the drop in the end but, after an interesting summer, they could well, once again, be viewed as one of the favourites to be relegated.

By Sam McGuire

How the team did last season

The Cherries picked up a surprise 2-0 win over Aston Villa to kick off their 2022/23 season. They then lost their next three matches to Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool by an aggregate scoreline of 16-0.

Following the 9-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, manager Scott Parker claimed the team were unequipped to compete in the Premier League. A few days later, he was dismissed.

Gary O’Neil was appointed as the interim boss though there was also talk of Marcelo Bielsa returning to the Premier League. O’Neil was later given the job on a permanent basis. A lot of people thought he should’ve been given the Manager of the Year award after guiding Bournemouth to a 15th-placed finish.

He masterminded victories over Liverpool and Spurs while drawing both matches against Newcastle United.

Midfielder Philip Billing was the standout performer for the Cherries last term. He finished as the club’s top scorer with seven and this included the winner against Liverpool. He was also one of only three players in the Bournemouth team to finish the campaign with an average rating of above 7.0.

What has happened during the summer?

Quite a lot.

Bournemouth have made a bit of a habit out of surprising people and they were at it again when they sacked O’Neil. It made a little more sense when the Cherries announced Andoni Iraola as their new manager.

The 41-year-old Spanish tactician has a clear philosophy and his teams play with a clear identity. Winger Jaidon Anthony revealed as much recently, saying: “It’s the direction the club wanted to go in and, as players, we just follow.

“[Iraloa’s] is a real attacking style of play. He wants us to get up the pitch and create chaos. We’re enjoying it. We’re going to be a side that creates a lot of chances and, as an attacking player, that’s something you want to be a part of.”

Whether that is sustainable or not is another conversation entirely. The point is, the Bournmeouth owners wanted a clear style and they now have it.

They have lost some key players this summer though. Jefferson Lerma left on a free transfer to join Crystal Palace. The 28-year-old topped the Bournemouth charts for Expected Assists last season with 3.1 and he was second on a per 90 basis for interceptions.

Matias Vina’s loan move from Roma wasn’t made into a permanent one despite his impressive showings. In the 3-2 win over Spurs, the 25-year-old claimed an 8.4 FotMob rating.

Bournemouth have made some moves in the window though. Hamed Traorè joined on a permanent basis following his loan stint with the club. Milos Kerkez joined from AZ Alkmaar to replace the departing Vina, he will likely be Iraola’s starting left-back. The 19-year-old has had an intriguing career already having been signed by AC Milan in 2021. His playing time at San Siro was limited and he moved to the Eredivisie. Having caught the eye there, Benfica tried to lure him to Portugal but they weren’t willing to meet AZ’s demands. Now the highly-rated full-back will be playing his trade in the Premier League.

Romain Faivre joined from Lyon but was immediately loaned to FC Lorient. Justin Kluivert was signed from Roma following a successful loan at Valencia last season. Still only 24, the Dutchman could turn out to be one of the shrewdest summer signings given the expectations are no longer ridiculously high after a series of loan moves saw his career stall a little.

Ionuț Radu made the switch from Inter, joining on loan for the season, as competition to Neto between the sticks.

What they should be aiming for next season?

Survival, firstly.

The Bournemouth squad is still primarily made up of players who helped them get back into the Premier League. Iraola has been appointed to raise the level within the squad but there’s still a limit to what he can do. This will be a season of implementing his style and then he will start to upgrade parts of the team in the future. With that in mind though, the aim should be survival. Once that is assured, a mid-table finish should be on the agenda.

Obviously, an improvement on their 15th-placed finish would be nice but if Bournemouth are playing better football and scoring more goals on their way to a 16th-placed finish, I can’t see many people stating it has been a failed experiment, can you?

Prediction

14th.

(Images from IMAGO)

Aug

2023

Jürgen’s dilemma: Who will be Liverpool’s first-choice attacking trio?

Throughout Jürgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool, their success has been built around the output of one of the best attacking lines in world football.

One inherited, two signed: Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah became arguably the most-feared trio in football, scoring 338 goals over five years together combined.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

But in the space of 12 months, the long-standing front line at Anfield has been broken up and rebuilt, with Liverpool arguably now boasting even more wealth in their forward options.

Mané left for Bayern Munich last summer as Salah agreed a new three-year contract, while Firmino opted to depart on a free transfer in recognition of the new generation coming through.

Liverpool not only committed £54.6 million in wages over the course of Salah’s improved deal, but sanctioned a £217 million outlay on the signings of Diogo Jota from Wolves, Luis Díaz from Porto, Darwin Núñez from Benfica and Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.

Unlike their worryingly slack approach to the midfield rebuild, the rejuvenation of Klopp’s attack was deliberate and implemented over three years.

And unlike the iconic Salah-Mané-Firmino unit, it is now impossible to predict who stands as the manager’s first-choice trio.

So who should form Liverpool’s new-look attack for the campaign to come?

The guaranteed starter

As it stands, the only one of Liverpool’s five senior forwards who appears guaranteed to start the majority of games is Salah.

Of course, he is the only one of those five whose natural role is on the right – but suggesting that as why he keeps his place would be to undersell his importance to Liverpool.

Salah is a legendary figure in the history of the club, their current fifth-highest goalscorer of all time, and he is paid a record salary to reflect this.

But beyond his goals there is a creativity that is often overlooked, while his pace is essential to stretching defences, his durability allows him to play almost every game and he has stepped up as a leader in recent years.

Put simply, Salah is one of the first names on Klopp’s teamsheet and will remain that way.

The left side

Things become more complicated when considering the options on the opposite flank, particularly given all four of Jota, Díaz, Gakpo and Núñez are capable of performing there.

Liverpool’s preparations for the new campaign have hinted, however, that it will be a straight fight between Jota and Díaz for the starting spot on the left.

Therein lies a conundrum: Jota is a ridiculously proficient goalscorer, who is surprisingly effective out wide, but he lacks the pace and sheer unpredictability of Díaz as a natural winger.

Díaz spent much of his first full season at Liverpool recovering from a series of knee injuries, but his form throughout pre-season shows a player returning to peak sharpness and desperate to make up for lost time.

With Klopp starting Jota alongside Salah in both of Liverpool’s warmup friendlies in Singapore – meetings with Leicester and Bayern Munich which should, in theory, provide an indication of his plans for the trip to Chelsea on August 13 – it may be that the Portuguese is in favour as it stands.

The centre-forward

Just like with Jota and Díaz, Klopp boasts two wildly different options when it comes to his starting centre-forward – and personal preference will likely divide the fanbase.

A club-record signing from Benfica in 2022, Núñez was clearly brought in as the new marquee striker at Anfield, but a difficult six months then paved the way for Gakpo’s arrival from PSV Eindhoven.

While Núñez often looked at odds with Klopp’s system in his first season, Gakpo slotted in seamlessly from the off. More impressively, he did so as a career winger taking on Firmino’s mantle as all-consuming false nine – and, dare we say it, improving on it with even more physicality.

Pre-season has seen Núñez hit the ground running, with four goals in as many games at an average of one every 45 minutes, and the Uruguayan has shown signs of being more attuned to the demands up front.

But for the sake of Liverpool’s system and structural integrity, the starting spot looks to be Gakpo’s for now.

How Liverpool can thrive off unpredictability

Hurtling towards the Premier League opener at Chelsea, the smart money will be on Jota and Gakpo starting in attack alongside Salah.

But that there is a debate to be had can only be seen as a positive – and a marked change to fans and opponents alike knowing Salah, Mané and Firmino would start every game possible.

Now, Klopp can chop and change his attack to suit the tactical requirements of a specific game.

There could be a desire for more thrust in the No. 9 role as Núñez takes over from Gakpo; or the pace and skill to pin a full-back as Díaz assumes the left-sided spot; and there will also be times where Klopp deploys four forwards as Gakpo shifts into an advanced midfield role.

In certain games, the manager could even rely upon 17-year-old Ben Doak – an outstanding talent who has not looked out of place in pre-season – to dazzle on the right flank as an alternative to Salah.

This unpredictability can be key to Liverpool reviving their fortunes after a difficult spell – as it is hard to remember a time when the club had so much attacking quality in abundance.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.

Aug

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: The Community Shield, return of the EFL, and the Women’s World Cup knockouts

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🛡 Community Shield: Manchester City vs. Arsenal

We’re one weekend away from the return of the Premier League, and if you’ve been following English football for anything longer than a year, you’ll know that this Sunday – that means we get the Community Shield game, the traditional season opener, played at Wembley Stadium.

Unusually, with Manchester City winning both the League and FA Cup last season, that means this year’s opposition is provided by Arsenal, who were runners-up in the title race. Look away now if you don’t want a reminder of how the 2022/23 campaign ended.

We won’t delve too much further in to events at the tail end of last season, but needless to say, this game will act as an early indicator in to how each team is shaping up in response to that – City, looking to follow up their historic treble, and Arsenal building on all their improvements, with Mikel Arteta so active in the transfer market.

In pre-season, City have toured Asia, beating J-League champions Yokohama F. Marinos and Bayern München, but then losing to Atlético Madrid. Arsenal, meanwhile, have been jet-setting – they drew with Nürnberg in Germany before heading to the United States, where they lost to Manchester United, but beat Barcelona, and a MLS All-Stars team managed by Wayne Rooney. Most recently, they won their own Emirates Cup match, against Monaco, via a penalty shoot-out. Which was perhaps good practice for this weekend.

For a more in-depth look at this meeting between last season’s title protagonists, you can read a full preview – here.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Championship: Leicester City vs. Coventry City

Further down the English football pyramid, this weekend is cause for celebration, as all three of the EFL divisions, plus various lower leagues, all get their season underway. The action starts in the Championship, with Friday night’s meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and recently relegated Southampton. But we thought we’d focus on the game involving another of the relegated sides – Leicester City, who face fellow East Midlanders, Coventry City on Sunday, the side who lost out to Luton Town in the play-off final at the end of last season.

Leicester City, now under the management of Enzo Maresca and with a new look squad, will be looking to start strong. Maresca might be a relative rookie in this front-line role (at this level) but Leicester have maintained a solid core and in signing the likes of Conor Coady, Hamza Choudhury, and young Danish keeper, Mads Hermansen, they’ve bought talent that should succeed in England’s notoriously difficult second tier.

Coventry will also look a little different this season having sold star striker Viktor Gyökeres to Sporting, in Portugal, but coach Mark Robins appears to have used that money wisely and the club have brought in a host of new players. The aim must surely be to match last season’s top six finish.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 EFL League Two: Wrexham vs. MK Dons

In the fourth tier of English football, there’s the long awaited return of a Welsh club – Wrexham, who play their first league game in 15 years when they meet MK Dons on Saturday. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of those years that Wrexham have spent in non-league, you’ll know all about their promotion story, under the Hollywood ownership of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

The two have invested so much, along with the community, in this return to the EFL, that Saturday’s game will no doubt be a massive celebration for all involved. And with a side easily strong enough to compete in League Two, playing a side recently relegated to this level, we should have a decent game on our hands as well.

Sadly, we won’t get to watch the home side’s star man, with Paul Mullin having suffered a punctured lung in the recent pre-season game played against Manchester United in the States.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Premiership: Celtic vs. Ross County

Not to be outdone – the new league season also gets underway in Scotland. The country has already seen competitive football in the group stages of the League Cup and the various trials and tribulations faced by Hibs in the Europa Conference League. But this weekend, all Scottish sides will play league fixtures.

For two-time defending champions, Celtic, that comes in the guise of a home game against Ross County. Famously, Celtic have lost their title-winning coach, Ange Postecoglou, to Spurs but they do, of course, welcome back Brendan Rodgers for a second spell at the club. Fans will be hoping that their domestic dominance is maintained under the man who won seven out of a possible seven trophies during his first stint in Glasgow.

Ross County only clung on to their top flight status with an aggregate victory over Partick Thistle in June’s relegation/promotion play-off but they have started the new season reasonably well. They’ve qualified for the knockout stages of the League Cup having topped their group, winning three out of four games, and only losing the fourth on penalties, following a 3-3 draw with Kelty Hearts.

Elsewhere in the SPFL, Rangers begin their campaign with a trip to the newly promoted Kilmarnock.

🏆 Women’s World Cup: Sweden vs. United States

After Friday’s rest day, the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup kicks off on Saturday. And while there’s plenty of intrigue elsewhere (Switzerland vs. Spain, Japan vs. Norway), we’ve picked out Sunday’s game between the USWNT and unbeaten Sweden.

This is something of a surprise match-up, with the US supposed to have walked through Group E. Indeed, it looked like it was going that way when two goals from Sophia Smith inspired them to a 3-0 win over Vietnam in their opening game. Since then, the two-time defending champions have drawn with Netherlands (no disgrace) and Portugal (more surprising), to go through as group runners-up with five points and only four goals scored.

Sweden, on the other hand, have looked strong. And they easily won Group G as one of only three nations (along with Japan and England) to win all three of their fixtures. South Africa posed them more than a few problems in their opener – they needed a last minute winner from Amanda Ilestedt in that one, but since then, they’ve been ruthless – beating Italy 5-0 and Argentina 2-0.

This clash, between the sides ranked number one and number three in the world should be a showstopper.

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

This month, along with our friends at Copa90, we’ve supporting photographer Danny Last on The Tour: An interrail trip deep in to European fan culture. Danny’s journey started this week as he took in numerous games in Denmark and Sweden, and was present for FC København’s Champions League barnstormer against Breiðablik on Wednesday night.

Therefore, we’re asking you to follow Danny, and the clubs he visits via our social channels, but also by picking out a couple of games from his itinerary for this column, this weekend.

First up, on Friday night, he’ll be in Rotterdam for the Dutch Super Cup, or Johan Cruijff Shield between Eredivisie Champions Feyenoord, and the current KNVB Cup holders, PSV Eindhoven.

And on Sunday, he’ll be at the big Belgian Pro League clash between sleeping giants Anderlecht and reigning champions Royal Antwerp. It’s week two of the new season here and Antwerp’s title defence started with a 1-0 win over Cercle Brugge while Anderlecht went down 2-0 to Union St. Gilliose in the opening round.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Aug

2023

Transfer Roundup: Mahrez, Fabinho, Mané, and more

The Premier League campaign is now just around the corner and teams are scrambling to get deals sorted before the chaos that is the start of the new football season.

By Sam McGuire

Riyad Mahrez

Manchester City to Al-Ahli

Fee: £29million

Linked with a move away last summer, Mahrez stayed at the Etihad and played his part in Manchester City winning a historic treble. In his final campaign with the club, he finished with a FotMob average rating for the Premier League season of 7.3. The 32-year-old found the back of the net on five occasions and chipped in with 10 assists. He also created 51 chances despite appearing in fewer than 2,000 minutes.

City have done well to receive close to £30million for a player who turns 33 this season and wasn’t going to be a starter. They are going to have a task on their hands to replace the productive right-winger though.

Mauro Icardi

Paris Saint-Germain to Galatasaray

Fee: £8.6million

Galatasaray have pulled off a masterstroke to secure the signing of Icardi. The 30-year-old has a market value of £16million and having had a successful loan spell in Turkey last season, he moved for just £8.6million.

The Argentine forward made 24 appearances, of which 21 were starts, but scored 22 goals and assisted seven times. All of his goals arrived inside the penalty area and his finishes were varied; five were headers, 13 came via his right foot and four via his left. The former Inter menace finished his loan spell with a 7.79 FotMob rating. With Wilfried Zaha added as a teammate, he could be even more of a threat this season.

Calvin Bassey

Ajax to Fulham

Fee: £19million

Few would’ve expected to see the 23-year-old in the Premier League this summer. Bassey only moved to Ajax last summer having been brought in as a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Lisandro Martínez.

The versatile defender was expected to call Amsterdam his home for a couple of seasons before the Eredivisie giants cashed in for a profit on the £20million they paid for him. However, he struggled in the Netherlands and despite making 25 appearances he managed to log just 1,800 minutes of action. Brighton reportedly looked at him as an alternative to Levi Colwill but it was Fulham who made the move to sign the former Rangers man. Maybe the physicality of the Premier League might suit him better.

Allan Saint-Maximin

Newcastle United to Al-Ahli

Fee: £23million

Saint-Maximin is a player who puts fans on the edge of their seat whenever he’s on the pitch. Unfortunately, he wasn’t on the pitch that often for Newcastle United last season.

Injuries limited him to just 1,116 minutes and he made only 12 starts but did involve himself in six goals (five assists) as the Magpies claimed an unlikely fourth-place finish.

Eddie Howe needs someone a little more reliable and a mutual decision was seemingly made to part ways. The winger will be playing alongside Mahrez and Roberto Firmino in what has the potential to be one of the most fun forward lines in world football!

Fabinho

Liverpool to Al-Ittihad

Fee: £38million

Few would’ve believed Liverpool would cash in on Fabinho during the same summer they parted ways with Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita, but the offer was just too good to turn down.

He was a key man for the Reds last season, even though his form was a little erratic. He appeared in almost 2,700 Premier League minutes, made 31 starts and was involved in 36 of the 38 matches, finishing the season with a pass success rate of 89%. The 29-year-old anchored the team and replacing him is going to be difficult. In Saudi Arabia, he will be part of a midfield duo alongside N’Golo Kante.

Sadio Mané

Bayern Munich to Al-Nassr

Fee: £32million

Mané managed just one year as a Bayern Munich player following his move from Liverpool. The 31-year-old failed to really settle in Bavaria and seemed to clash with teammates and coaching staff, if reports are accurate.

This impacted his form too. For example, he underperformed his Expected Goals total (9.09) having scored on just seven occasions. He managed 18 starts in the German top-flight but did chip in with five assists as Bayern won their eleventh straight Bundesliga. He will now be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Al-Nassr in what is another interesting dynamic in that league.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Rennes to Chelsea

Fee: £23million

Chelsea have signed yet another player for the future. The 19-year-old impressed last season for Rennes and though he looks likely to go out on loan, he could end up being a smart signing by the Blues, in the long-term. Ugochukwu can play as part of a double-pivot or in more of a box-to-box role. He made 26 appearances last season and racked up 1,326 minutes in what was an under-the-radar season for the teen. Impressively, he completed 88% of his passes, completed 70% of his dribbles and won 53% of his tackles.

If developed properly, Chelsea could have a real gem on their hands.

Iliman Ndiaye

Sheffield United to Marseille

Fee: £15million

This was something of a shock move. The versatile attacker signed for his boyhood club in a deal worth £15million. He was expected to pen a new deal at Sheffield United, with the No.10 jersey reportedly on offer, but was tempted by a return to Marseille, the team he spent time with during his youth.

The 23-year-old was a star performer for the Blades last term, scoring 14 times and assisting on 10 occasions on his way to a 7.4 average rating. Even though they have been compensated for the loss of the mercurial attacker, replacing his influence on this team is going to be near impossible.

Mohammed Salisu

Southampton to AS Monaco

Fee: £13million

The 24-year-old failed to really live up to the hype following his move to Southampton. He had caught the eye while plying his trade in LaLiga for Valladolid and he was expected to be one of the next big centre-backs in world football. Granted, injuries played a part in his struggles, with the versatile defender managing to appear in just 22 matches last term as the Saints suffered relegation, his form has been patchy at best in an inconsistent team.

The move to Ligue 1 could help him rediscover his form after a difficult couple of years in England and the six-cap Ghana international could eventually fulfil the abundance of potential he possesses.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep track of all the latest deals, and even set alerts for transfers in your favourite leagues; head to the More tab in your app to find FotMob’s Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jul

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Women’s World Cup, and big pre-season friendlies

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🤝 Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

A pre-season edition of the Clásico, what a treat! And one we’re getting used to as the two pillars of Spanish football now regularly meet on their respective money-spinning pre-season tours of the globe.

For this summer showdown, Barça and Madrid will face each other at the AT&T Stadium, on Saturday, home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL side, in the United States. Both have been in the country for some time as they prepare for the upcoming season in LaLiga – Barcelona most recently losing a heated friendly, 5-3 against Arsenal, in a game that coach Xavi complained had the intensity of a Champions League knockout tie. While Real Madrid were 2-0 victors over Manchester United on the same night. A victory that included a first goal for big summer signing, Jude Bellingham.

There were five competitive Clásicos last season, one where Barcelona won the league and Madrid won the Copa del Rey. Most recently, Madrid beat their great rivals en route to the Copa final, a two legged tie that sandwiched a league meeting, won by Barça, at Camp Nou. Earlier in the campaign, Madrid won comfortably at the Bernabéu only for Barça to then triumph in the Super Copa by the same 3-1 scoreline.

🤝 Manchester City vs. Atlético Madrid

On Sunday, on the other side of the globe, two more European powerhouses meet each other for a friendly game. This one features the Champions League holders and the Spanish side who once again finished third last season, and pits two of the modern day great managers – Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone, against each other in the Korean capital of Seoul.

The two last met in the quarter-finals of the 2022/23 Champions League season, with City coming out victorious in a low-scoring, two legged-tie, settled by a single goal from Kevin De Bruyne.

In the build-up to this one, Atleti have played, and lost to an all-stars side put together to represent the K-League, and City have enjoyed wins over Bayern Munich and current Japanese champions, Yokohama F Marinos.

🤝 Manchester United vs. Borussia Dortmund

Not to be outdone – the other Premier League giant from Manchester also feature in another tour game we wanted to highlight here. On Sunday night, United will face Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.

This game marks the culmination of Eric Ten Hag’s tour of the States and he’ll be looking for a marked improvement on that midweek defeat to Madrid discussed above. A young United side also lost to lower league Wrexham during the week but both games were played with the kind of intensity that Ten Hag wants to instil in his side ahead of the new season. And they came off the back of a morale boasting victory over Arsenal, a side they would have been keen to measure themselves against.

For their part, Dortmund have started their summer preparations with three wins against domestic minnows and then, on arriving in the States, a thumping 6-0 win over Landon Donovan’s San Diego Loyal, a club who ply their trade in the second tier USL Championship.

🏆 Women’s World Cup: France vs. Brazil

The weekend’s headline game as the group stages continue at the Women’s World Cup is that between France and Brazil, being played in the Australian city of Brisbane, on Saturday.

Two solid outside bets to be there, or thereabouts, in the latter stages of the competition, the sides meet instead, on Matchday 2 in Group F. And they both had contrasting fortunes in their opening fixtures.

France were held to a goalless draw by Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, who claimed their first ever World Cup point, thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.

And Brazil looked untouchable in their one-sided 4-0 victory over Panama. Ary Borges scored a hat-trick on her tournament debut and provided a back-heel assist for Beatriz’s supremely well-worked team goal. In total, the Brazilians racked up 32 shots and maintained 73% of possession.

This should be one of the biggest game of the finals so far, perhaps only rivalled by the repeat of the 2019 Final, that saw the US and Netherlands play out a 1-1 draw on Thursday.

🇸🇪 Allsvenskan: Häcken vs. Elfsborg

In recent columns, we haven’t drawn much attention to games currently ongoing in Europe’s so-called summer leagues but this weekend, we’ll make an exception to that. On Saturday, there’s a top-of-the-table clash between the two (relatively) unfancied leaders in the Swedish Allsvenskan – Häcken vs. Elfsborg.

To be fair, Häcken are the defending champions but their 2022 triumph (the first in their history) was a big surprise after a 12th placed finish the year before. And the expected strength of Malmö, plus to a lesser extent, the Stockholm clubs, Djurgården, AIK, and Hammarby.

But, at present, it’s Elfsborg who have both a four point advantage, and a game in hand, at the top of the table. They’ve lost only once so far this season – on the opening day – so come in to this fixture on the back of a 15 game unbeaten run.

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

🇩🇪 2. Bundesliga: Hamburg vs. Schalke

The return of one of Europe’s most compelling leagues should be a cause for celebration and we will, of course, be following Friday night’s opening game between fallen/sleeping giants Hamburg and Schalke.

The two sides have a total of thirteen (Hamburg 6, Schalke 7) German titles between them but once again find themselves starting the new campaign in the country’s second tier. And both will still be smarting after the final day drama of last season.

Hamburg were on course for both the 2.Bundesliga title and automatic promotion thanks to a win at Sandhausen but not one, but two injury-time goals from Heidenheim, saw them come back to win their game and HSV dropped to third as a result. That meant Hamburg moved on to the promotion/relegation play-off against top tier Stuttgart, which they consequently lost 6-1, over two legs.

Schalke also saw their fate settled on the final day – a defeat to RB Leipzig consigning them to relegation just one season after being promoted back to the Bundesliga.

🇧🇪 Pro League: Union St. Gilloise vs. Anderlecht

Similarly, Belgian giants Anderlecht have much to prove as they kick-off the new season against Union on Friday night.

Under the tutelage of former Brentford assistant manager, Brian Riemer, who took over mid-season, Anderlecht finished the last campaign down in 11th – their lowest finish since 1937! The club has generally been on a downward spiral since the departure of Vincent Kompany who had done much to steady the ship and got them to a Cup final in 2022.

In contrast, Union have famously been on an upwards trajectory since their return to Belgium’s top flight in 2021. Consecutive second, and then third place, finishes have seen them qualify for European football, and become a happy hunting ground for overseas clubs looking to pick off their best talent – the departure of striker Victor Boniface, this week, to Bayer Leverkusen being the most recent example.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Jul

2023

Transfer Roundup: Diaby, Barnes, Henderson and more

With pre-season now well underway, most teams are wanting to get their business done as soon as possible. With this in mind, it has been a fairly busy week in the transfer window with some big moves finalised.

By Sam McGuire

Valentín Castellanos

New York FC to Lazio

Fee: £13million

The 24-year-old really caught the eye while on loan at Girona last season. The Argentine scored 13 goals in LaLiga and became the first player since 1947 to find the back of the net on four occasions in a game against Real Madrid.

A lot of clubs were interested in the on-loan NYFC centre-forward but it was Lazio who won the race to sign him, parting with £13million to secure his services. With the Serie A side back in the Champions League, Maurizio Sarri’s men need depth in attack so they aren’t overly reliant on Ciro Immobile and Taty Castellanos provides that.

Victor Boniface

Union St.Gilloise to Bayer Leverkusen

Fee: £17million

A little over 12 months ago, Boniface was turning out for Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt. He’s now potentially leading the line for Bayer Leverkusen after an impressive spell in Belgium.

The 22-year-old spent a season with Union St.Gilloise, scoring nine goals, before his £17million move to the BayArena. The 6ft2 centre-forward has all of the tools to succeed in the German top flight and if he’s able to deliver on his potential, he will soon be a full international for Nigeria.

Moussa Diaby

Bayer Leverkusen to Aston Villa

Fee: £47million

Diaby had previously been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool, with some even claiming he could be a successor to Mohamed Salah at Anfield.

After a strong season for Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso, a campaign in which he finished with a FotMob rating of 7.26, the 24-year-old has been signed by Premier League team Aston Villa for a fee believed to be close to £50million. It is a huge outlay but there is a huge upside to the Frenchman. He is adept at playing anywhere across the forward line and he finished last season with nine goals and eight assists in his 2,700 Bundesliga minutes. If he can replicate that in England, it will be money well spent.

And he has started well, linking up with his new teammates on their US tour, and scoring against Fulham in his first game.

Noah Okafor

Red Bull Salzburg to AC Milan

Fee: £12million

Another who was linked with a Premier League move during a hot streak in front of goal. The 23-year-old ended up with 10 goals across all competitions last season, including one against AC Milan in the Champions League. He will now be turning out for the Rossoneri following his £12million move. He’s had a few injury issues over the past 12 months but if he’s able to shake them off, the Serie A side have a talent on their hands who could lead their line for the next decade.

Arnaut Danjuma

Villarreal to Everton

Fee: Loan

This might be one of the more bizarre moves of the window. During the January transfer window, Danjuma was set for a loan move to Everton but he reneged on the deal at the last minute to join Spurs.

His loan with Tottenham didn’t really go to plan and he scored just two goals during his time with the club. The 26-year-old has now joined Everton on a season-long loan. If he can rediscover his 2021/22 form, the Toffees have a genuine game-changer on their hands. During his debut season with Villarreal, he was one of the best forwards in LaLiga and there was even talk of a £60million move to the Premier League as well as interest from Barcelona.

Harvey Barnes

Leicester City to Newcastle United

Fee: £37million

This move felt like a matter of when and not if it would happen. The 25-year-old was linked with Newcastle earlier in the year and a joint bid for him and James Maddison appeared to be on the cards for the Magpies.

Maddison ended up at Spurs but Newcastle were able to bring in Barnes. The versatile forward scored 13 times last time and performed well, despite Leicester’s relegation. He is primarily a left-sided attacker but can play on the right and it will be interesting to see how Eddie Howe gets both Barnes and Anthony Gordon into his XI on a weekly basis.

Marcel Sabitzer

Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund

Fee: £17million

Sabitzer is now the latest player to make the move from Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund to rekindle his career. It worked for Mats Hummels and, to an extent, Mario Götze. The 29-year-old spent the latter half of last season on loan with Manchester United but the Red Devils decided not to make it a permanent switch. The former RB Leipzig midfielder decided to call time on his Bayern career in a bid to get regular first-team football with last season’s Bundesliga runners-up.

Ismaïla Sarr

Watford to Marseille

Fee: £11million

Not so long ago, Sarr was viewed as a £50million player. Yet Marseille have managed to sign him for just £11million. It could turn out to be one of the signings of the summer if the 25-year-old is able to rediscover the form that convinced Watford to part with a reported £30million.

Sarr scored 10 times in England’s second tier last season and his departure now means the Hornets have lost two key attackers after João Pedro joined Brighton earlier in the summer. The Championship club are going to feel those losses.

Anthony Elanga

Manchester United to Nottingham Forest

Fee: £15million

The 21-year-old, linked with Everton earlier in the summer, is now a Nottingham Forest player following his £15million move. The Sweden international saw his minutes decrease under Erik Ten Hag having racked up 1,214 minutes during the 2021/22 campaign but managing just 422 minutes last season.

This move could rejuvenate his fledgling career and could form a decent attacking unit alongside the likes of Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Igor

Fiorentina to Brighton

Fee: £15million

Despite retaining an interest in Levi Colwill, Brighton have signed someone who could be viewed as an alternative to the Chelsea defender, in Igor. The 25-year-old left-footed centre-back is composed in possession, completing 88% of his passes in Serie A last term, and he’s also fairly dominant in duels, winning 67% of his tackles.

If reports are accurate, Brighton are still trying to sign Colwill but if they are unable to make it happen, the signing of Igor could prove to be a shrewd one, both in the short-term as well as in the long-term.

Jordan Henderson

Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq

Fee: £12million

The Liverpool captain finally completed his move to Saudi Arabia after a drawn-out process. The 33-year-old left the Reds after 12 years with the club having been told by manager Jürgen Klopp that his minutes would be reduced in the upcoming season following the midfield overhaul. Henderson will be playing under former teammate Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.

Samuel Chukwueze

Villarreal to AC Milan

Fee: £17million

This could be one of the signings of the summer. Milan already have a potent threat on their left flank in Rafael Leão, they now possess someone who can do similar things from their right hand side following the arrival of Samuel Chukwueze. The 24-year-old left footer involved himself in 11 goals for Villarreal last term, chipping in with six goals and five assists across 2,346 LaLiga minutes.

His performances earned him a FotMob rating of 7.16. If he hits the ground running, he could form a deadly partnership with Leão.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep track of all the latest deals, and even set alerts for transfers in your favourite leagues; head to the More tab in your app to find FotMob’s Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jul

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: Messi’s debut, Women’s World Cup, and big pre-season friendlies

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🏆 Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Cruz Azul

Friday night sees the start of Project Messi in Miami, aka the mission to rescue Inter Miami’s dire season. Rock bottom of MLS’s Eastern Conference and 29th out of 29 in the league-wide race for the Supporter’s Shield, the club will be glad of a break, with the regular campaign now on hold for the duration of the Leagues Cup.

In previous years this has been a short form tournament pitting the best performing sides from MLS against their counterparts from Mexico’s Liga MX but it has now been expanded to include all teams from both leagues and will be run as a full-blown international cup competition over the next month. For Inter Miami, it’s a great opportunity to start afresh, and bed in a new look squad – the international stars, Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, being joined by fresh talent such as young Paraguayan midfielder, Diego Gómez.

Their opening tie comes against Cruz Azul, who won a title in Liga MX as recently as 2021, and made the play-offs of the recently completed Clausura season, but have started the new campaign with three straight defeats.

Click the link in the heading above and make sure you follow along as Messi makes his debut in the US.

🏆 FIFA Women’s World Cup: USWNT vs. Vietnam

Saturday’s early kick-off on Day 3 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup tournament is no doubt timed for a Friday TV slot back in the home country of the favourites, and two-time defending champions, the United States.

The USWNT start as the overwhelming favourites for the game against World Cup debutants Vietnam, as you’d imagine (ranked 32nd in the world to their no.1 status.) And as such, we could see a similar dominant performance to that we got from Spain, who racked up over 40 efforts on goal in their 3-0 victory over Costa Rica on Friday. Or that time when the US put 13 past Thailand at the 2019 World Cup.

The US squad is an exciting one: A solid blend of household names from past wins – players such as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Lindsey Horan, mixed with tournament debutants such as the trio of young forwards, Sophia Smith (pictured above), Trinity Rodman, and Alyssa Thompson, from all of whom we’re expecting big things.

There is stiffer opposition to come for the reigning champions, Netherlands and Portugal are next up in the group, but this game should give us a good indication of just how strong this particular set of players is.

🏆 FIFA Women’s World Cup: England vs. Haiti

European Champions England also start their World Cup campaign on Saturday, with a late kick-off time more suited to morning TV viewers in the UK. And they too face a nation making their first appearance on the world stage. Haiti however, do boast some players who ply their trade in the biggest women’s leagues – Nérilia Mondésir and Melchie Dumornay, for example, both play in France.

That said, this is a game that Sarina Wiegman’s more experienced Lionesses side should win. Nine of our predicted line-up for this game featured in last year’s extra-time victory over Germany in the final of the Euros. And England have only lost once (to Australia) in the 12 games they’ve played since then, a run that includes a 2-1 win over the US when they last met, back in October 2022.

This will be England’s sixth World Cup finals appearance and Wiegman is determined to go one step further than she did in 2019 when she finished as a runner-up while coaching her native Netherlands.

🤝 Manchester United vs. Arsenal

The importance of pre-season friendlies, especially those played relatively early on in the summer, is negligible at best. But for those of you, and us, that do care, they do at least provide a first glimpse of your club’s new summer signings, that new kit that you’ll soon be wearing with pride, and perhaps even a new style of play if your coach is looking to stamp fresh authority on the side.

That is our justification for selecting the US tour match between Manchester United and Arsenal for this column. The game takes place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home to NFL sides New York Jets, and New York Giants.

Both United and Arsenal have already started their summer programme – Eric Ten Hag selecting a mixture of youth team and first team players for wins over Leeds United and most recently, Lyon, on Wednesday afternoon. Arsenal, on the other hand, drew with German outfit FC Nürnburg before heading over to the States to take part in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge and consequent exhibition match against an All-Stars side managed by DC United coach Wayne Rooney. That game ended in a comfortable 5-0 win for a strong Gunners line-up that featured goals from Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and perhaps most notably, new signing Kai Havertz.

Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana is expected to feature for United in this game despite only travelling to meet up with his new side on Thursday.

🤝 Barcelona vs. Juventus

Over on the west coast of America, also on Saturday night, there’s another match between European giants – this one pitting Xavi’s La Liga champions Barcelona against Juventus, who presumably, are still smarting from the saga surrounding the various points deductions enforced against them in Serie A last season.

As has been typical in recent windows, Barcelona have been heavily involved in the transfer market as they look to overhaul their squad and reduce a bloated wage bill. Without a game since their regular commercially driven end of season match against Japan’s Vissel Kobe at the start of June this will be a first opportunity for fans to watch new signings like İlkay Gündoğan and Iñigo Martínez.

Juve ended the last campaign in seventh, outside of the Champions League places, and therefore unlikely to face this calibre of opposition in their upcoming tilt at the Europa Conference League. But nevertheless, Maxi Allegri’s largely unchanged squad – bar the signing of US international Timothy Weah – should provide a worthy challenge for Barça, along with Milan, and Real Madrid, who they also face while on tour in America over the next week.

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

🇧🇪 Belgium Super Cup: Royal Antwerp vs. KV Mechelen

Last weekend, there were signs of life across European football as the winter leagues started in various countries. And this weekend, that smattering of games expands westwards to include this fixture taking place on Sunday – the traditional season opener in Belgium.

As covered extensively in this column, and on our various social channels, Royal Antwerp won their first league title in 66 years thanks to a last minute goal on the very last day of the season from local boy Toby Alderweireld. And they also lifted the Croky Cup after a 2-0 over KV Mechelen just a few weeks earlier.

This game therefore sees the double winners take on the side they defeated in the final. Nothing much has changed at either club in the interim with both still managed by the same coaches as last season – former Dutch international Mark van Bommel at Antwerp, and ex-Belgium midfielder Steven Defour in the dug-out for Mechelen.

🇩🇰 Danish Superliga: Lyngby vs. FC København

The new Danish season got underway on Friday evening with Midtjylland’s 1-0 home win over newly promoted side Hvidovre. And on Saturday, we’ll get a first look at how reigning champions FC København are shaping up for 2023/24.

The capital club don’t have far to travel, as they head to Lyngby, situated in the northern suburbs of the city. The Royal Blues only avoided relegation on goal difference back in May and they haven’t beaten Denmark’s biggest side since back in 2017.

København will need to start strong though as they also begin their Champions League campaign with a second round qualifying match at Icelandic side Breiðablik this coming Tuesday.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Jul

2023

Transfer Roundup: Rice, Onana, Kim, and more

We did say it was the calm before the storm last week and I think we’ve been proven right. The last seven days has seen a whirlwind of transfer activity, so here’s a look at some of the biggest movers.

By Sam McGuire

André Onana

Inter to Manchester United

Fee: £49million

Manchester United made the bold decision to part ways with David De Gea at the end of the season having opted not to renew his deal at Old Trafford.

Reports suggested Erik Ten Hag wanted a better ball-player between the sticks and so the Red Devils have brought in one of the best in the business in Onana. It doesn’t always work out for the 27-year-old but his style is much better suited to the way United want to play. The Premier League side paid a big fee to secure his services but if the 2022/23 Champions League finalist works out as expected, he’ll be worth every penny.

James Trafford

Manchester City to Burnley

Fee: £15million

Trafford was the hero for the England under-21 team in the European Championship final as he saved a penalty in added time against Spain to give Lee Carsley’s side the win. The 20-year-old didn’t concede a goal during the tournament.

It was a season to remember for the 6ft6 shot-stopper and he impressed enough while on loan with Bolton to get a big money move to Burnley. He will be Vincent Kompany’s first choice goalkeeper in what is his first campaign as a Premier League manager.

Xavi Simons

Paris Saint-Germain to RB Leipzig

Fee: Loan

It was a busy week for Simons. Paris Saint-Germain opted to bring him back to the club, making use of the clause inserted into the deal to take him to PSV last summer.

He was then immediately sent out on loan to RB Leipzig for the season. The German side have been busy in the market this summer bringing in Christoph Baumgartner, Fabio Carvalho and Benjamin Sesko, but the addition of Simons could be the best piece of business they’ll do. He scored 19 times in the Eredivisie last season and finished the campaign with a 7.91 FotMob rating.

Tijani Reijnders

AZ Alkmaar to Milan

Fee: £17million

Milan are spending the Sandro Tonali money. The Serie A side have replaced their former midfield general with 24-year-old Reijnders.

The versatile midfielder impressed last season, playing over 3,000 minutes in the Eredivisie and finishing the campaign with a pass success rate of 89%. He also created 62 chances in 34 appearances on his way to an average FotMob rating of 7.62. He has some big shoes to fill but the ability is there.

Zeki Amdouni

Basel to Burnley

Fee: £13million

Amdouni could prove to be a shrewd signing for Burnley. The 22-year-old is exceptionally versatile and starred in a number of roles last year. He appeared as a left winger, a left midfielder, an attacking midfielder and even as a centre forward on his way to 12 goals and four assists across his 2,193 minutes in the Swiss top-flight.

He is a varied finisher too with five of his goals coming via his right foot and four via his left foot. That level of unpredictability will cause Premier League defenders a problem or two.

Kim Min-Jae

Napoli to Bayern Munich

Fee: £43million

Bayern Munich have made their annual centre-back signing then. Last summer it was Matthijs de Ligt and the season before that it was Dayot Upamecano.

Kim comes in to fill the void left by Lucas Hernandez having had a season to remember with Napoli.

He made the switch last summer to replace Kalidou Koulibaly and he played a key role in their title success.

The 26-year-old was reportedly a target for Manchester United but it was the Bundesliga giants who made the first move, getting the powerhouse defender in early for Thomas Tuchel.

Seko Fofana

Lens to Al Nassr

Fee: £16million

After claiming the runner-up spot in Ligue 1 and qualifying for the Champions League, Lens have been raided. Star midfielder Fofana has joined the exodus of players to make the move to Saudi Arabia and he will be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo next season.

The 28-year-old played his part for Lens last term, chipping in with seven goals and five assists from midfield to make it the most productive season of his career.

Declan Rice

West Ham United to Arsenal

Fee: £101million

Declan Rice is now the most expensive British player in history. After weeks of negotiations and a number of rejected bids, Arsenal got their man.

It is going to be interesting to see how Rice copes with the pressure of having every movement scrutinised as is the case with every big transfer. The Gunners will be hopeful the 24-year-old can help them get over the line this season after a second place finish. For the sort of money paid, they will be expecting a game changer and a difference maker. He was exactly that for West Ham.

Jurrien Timber

Ajax to Arsenal

Fee: £34million

This one caught a lot of people off guard. Timber was previously linked with Manchester United and Liverpool but he’s now an Arsenal player.

The 22-year-old can play at centre-back and at right-back and his arrival gives Mikel Arteta a number of options going forward. Timber could fill in at fullback and this would allow Ben White to move back into the centre of the pitch, as a centre-back or even as a midfielder.

Arsenal now have even greater depth and this should ensure they don’t run out of steam again towards the end of the campaign. Another title challenge does appear to be on the cards.

Loïs Openda

Lens to RB Leipzig

Fee: £36million

Losing Fofana was a blow for Lens but losing Openda could well be disastrous for the Ligue 1 side.

The 23-year-old scored 21 goals meaning he was directly responsible for 30% of their 2022/23 tally. RB Leipzig needed to add goals to their team after the sale of Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea and his compatriot more than fits the bill.

All eyes will be on Marco Rose to see how he gets the best out of all of his new attacking talents.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep track of all the latest deals, and even set alerts for transfers in your favourite leagues; head to the More tab in your app to find FotMob’s Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.