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Arsenal’s main focus for now is securing Champions League qualification alongside their run in the latter stages of the competition, but Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta are already eyeing potential summer arrivals.

Arsenal's summer search for attacking reinforcements

Despite their best efforts, the Gunners look set to come up short in their hunt for a first Premier League title since 2004 after a frustrating campaign that hasn’t lived up to expectation.

Mikel Arteta has a right to bemoan Arsenal’s lengthy list of injury problems, which have left key men such as Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus sidelined for the last few months. This has led the Spaniard to cultivate makeshift solutions in certain positions, including Mikel Merino’s emergence as an auxiliary striker.

The former Real Sociedad man has had his moments through the middle. Still, attacking reinforcements across the front four positions are necesarry if the north Londoners are to become long-term title contenders moving forward.

Finding the right blend of youth and experience has to be the priority – Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane has become an Arsenal target to help bolster competition within the ranks come the summer.

Financially, they will also need to adhere to FFP regulations like everyone else. The Germany international could be available on a free transfer, though his track record will likely attract plenty of interest from other clubs should his contract at the Allianz Arena run down without renewal.

On a positive note, Ethan Nwaneri has become a shining light on the right-hand side. However, strength in depth is the aim for Arsenal to overcome their shortcomings, so it will come as no surprise that Arteta and company have set their sights on another winger.

Arsenal set sights on summer move for Lyon star Malick Fofana

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have set their sights on Lyon’s Malick Fofana as Arteta looks to spruce up the wide areas despite competition from Liverpool for the Belgium international, with scouts returning positive reports after watching him in action.

Reportedly open to taking on a new challenge, the report says ‘it’s hard to imagine him staying at Lyon for much longer’, but the Gunners may need to pay a fee in the region of £42 million to sanction his arrival. Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are also receptive to his form.

He's playing like Harry Kane: Arsenal must rue losing "goal machine" for £0

The incredible striker would solve Arsenal’s current problems.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 15, 2025

Labelled an “energetic dynamo” by French journalist Walid Acherchour, the 19-year-old has registered nine goals and five assists in 34 appearances this campaign.

Likely to be one for the future, Fofana’s engenuity has allowed for 18 successful dribbles and 12 crosses delivered across the season alongside his 74 touches in the opposition area.

Arsenal will have faith in their ability to nurture his talent, but will need to decide whether they want to spend a large chunk of their budget on an upcoming star as opposed to someone in their peak years.

أعلنت قناة مفتوحة عن إذاعة مباراة منتخب مصر الأول أمام بوركينا فاسو والتي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وتقام مباراة مصر ضد بوركينا فاسو، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثامنة من التصفيات المؤهلة إلى مونديال 2026، على أرضية استاد 4 أغسطس.

ويخوض منتخب مصر اللقاء تحت قيادة المدير الفني حسام حسن، الذي يأمل في قيادة الفريق للفوز على حساب بوركينا فاسو ومواصلة تصدر جدول ترتيب المجموعة، وحسم بطاقة التأهل إلى كأس العالم.

وتضم المجموعة الأولى كلًا من مصر، بوركينا فاسو، سيراليون، جيبوتي، إثيوبيا وغينيا بيساو، ويأمل الفراعنة في تعزيز صدارتهم والتأهل رسميًا إلى نهائيات كأس العالم.

طالع | حازم إمام يُدافع عن تريزيجيه: كان أفضل من محمد صلاح.. والهجوم ضده مبالغ فيه

ويتصدر منتخب مصر ترتيب المجموعة الأولى برصيد 19 نقطة من 7 مباريات، متفوقًا على بوركينا فاسو صاحب المركز الثاني بـ14 نقطة. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة مصر وبوركينا فاسو في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

ومن المقرر أن تذاع المباراة عبر قناة 2 mbc masr، وكذلك قناة ssc

ويسبق اللقاء بساعة استديو تحليلي موحّد على القناتين يقوم بإدارته: ابراهيم فايق، ويتواجد كل من: محمود عبدالرازق (شيكابالا) ومحمد بركات وأحمد عز ومحمود فايز. معلقو مباراة مصر وبوركينا فاسو في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

وسيعلق على المباراة كل من فارس عوض على  2 mbc masr وعصام عبده على ssc.

It was a massive win, with Maxwell scoring the fastest century in World Cups, and Bas de Leede delivering the most expensive over in men’s ODI history

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Oct-20233:11

Pujara: ‘Once Maxwell gets going nobody can stop him’

It was the most brutal of one-twos. First came David Warner with the jab, then Glenn Maxwell with the “lights out” uppercut. A 104 from the opener had the Netherlands weary, but it was Maxwell’s astonishing 106 from just 44 deliveries that administered the most devastating of knock-out blows. Australia posted 399 for 8, standing triumphantly at the halfway stage over floored opponents, who were unable to rise off the canvas, eventually succumbing to a chastening 309-run defeat – the largest in margin in men’s ODI World Cup history.Just 18 days after Aiden Markram had seized the record for the fastest century in ODI World Cups, against Sri Lanka at this very ground, Maxwell ripped it off him in nine fewer balls, needing just 40 to pass three figures. It was the culmination of an almighty assault on the Dutch bowlers, most notably Bas de Leede. The talented allrounder now has the ignominy of the most expensive figures in men’s ODIs, returning 2 for 115 – 43 of them coming in his last two (including 28 from the last), all courtesy Maxwell.Beyond saving the blushes of compatriots Mick Lewis and Adam Zampa – previous joint-holders of the most expensive figures in the format – Maxwell’s second World Cup century (and third overall) shifted the complexion of the match against a courageous Netherlands outfit. They had broadly kept Australia in check, even while Warner, coming off the back of 163 against Pakistan in the previous match, marched to a 22nd ODI hundred.ESPNcricinfo LtdWarner’s main allies were Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, the more dominant partners in stands of 132 and 84 for the second and third wicket, respectively. Had Max O’Dowd not botched a pick-up at midwicket, Warner might have been run-out on 32 when both he and Smith found themselves at the non-striker’s end. Roelof van der Merwe was then adjudged to have grounded a sharp chance at midwicket when Warner had 73, before completing an equally tough grab at backward point to see off Smith for 71.Labuschagne’s dismissal – de Leede’s first, caught mid-off – was the first of three to fall for just 23 runs, culminating in Warner’s dismissal, paddling Logan van Beek to fine leg, well-taken by Aryan Dutt, two balls after registering a sixth World Cup century off 91. With ten overs to go, Australia were 268 for 5.Maxwell had come in at the end of the 39th over – the latest an ODI centurion has arrived at the crease – but only faced his first ball midway through the 41st. In retrospect, the back-to-back fours off de Leede to get him off the mark were a sign of things to come.He was probably culpable for Cameron Green’s run-out, pushing for two only for the allrounder – drafted in for Marcus Stoinis, who had a sore calf – to be found short of his ground with a direct hit. After Teja Nidamanuru failed to get to a difficult chance running back from mid-off when Maxwell was on 24, the carnage began.Adam Zampa got himself a third successive four-for•AFP/Getty ImagesFrom 35 off 21 – already a brisk start – Maxwell got out his reverse sweep for the first time to get Paul van Meekeren away over point, before smashing the follow-up slower ball over square leg for the first of eight sixes. Another reverse over point – this time all the way – brought the fifty up in 27 deliveries, before going over third two balls later, both off de Leede.A brace of conventional sixes followed in the 48TH over, bowled by van Beek, carted over wide mid-on and then sliced over cover point, sandwiching a pull to midwicket by Pat Cummins, possessor of the best seat in the house. Then came de Leede’s chastening final set; bunted down the ground for fours to start, before being launched into the stands at wide mid-on, over square leg and then further behind square after bowling an above-waist full toss as Maxwell stormed through to three figures.From first six to last, the white-ball phenom struck 66 runs from just 19 deliveries. Maxwell celebrated with a baby-rocking celebration, a nod to his wife and first child, Logan, who was born last month, both of whom arrived in India earlier this week.The free-hit was uncharacteristically scuffed for a single, de Leede getting out of the over with a dot to Cummins. Though Maxwell was able to begin the final over with a fortuitous boundary off van Beek, his innings ended two balls later courtesy of an excellent catch by Sybrand Engelbrecht at long-off. Mitchell Starc came and went for a golden duck – van Beek’s fourth – leaving Cummins, who had contributed just eight to the seventh-wicket stand of 104, to close out the innings with just his second boundary, smeared through midwicket.ESPNcricinfo LtdWith 400 to get, Netherlands opener Vikramjit was never going to die wondering, racing to 21 from 13 courtesy five fours. And though he would survive a run-out opportunity after O’Dowd left him high and dry with a dodgy call, saved by Josh Hazlewood’s awry throw after fielding in his follow-through, he was less fortunate on 25. A well-timed back-foot punch to mid-off found Maxwell, who had started the chase off the field, and, well…. you know what happened next.By then, O’Dowd had chopped Starc on to his own stumps. Colin Ackermann then fell lbw to Halzewood, before de Leede’s grim day was compounded with an appeal against Cummins for a similar dismissal that Hawkeye suggested was trimming leg stump. Engelbrecht’s seemingly perfect pull shot off Mitchell Marsh’s second ball nestled into hands of a leaping Warner just in front of the square-leg sponge, leaving Netherlands 62 for 5 at the first drinks break.The pause on the wickets lasted just 27 deliveries. Nidamanuru was unfortunate enough to glove Marsh down the leg side, then Zampa snared two-in-two, as van Beek cut to Josh Inglis and van der Merwe was trapped in front by a googly. Dutt survived the hat-trick ball – another googly – with a thick inside edge.He had no such luck when struck in front while on the back foot in Zampa’s next over. The legspinner then secured a third four-wicket haul in a row when Inglis managed to shovel the ball back on to the stumps after van Meekeren’s back foot had crept in front of the line following an attempted sweep.With that, Netherlands were 90 all out, their final five batters falling for just six runs. All the while, skipper Scott Edwards cut a forlorn figure at the other end. He will know a defeat of this magnitude will not define his team, though they now occupy an unflattering spot on the wrong side of history.

Will a change of manager signal a change in fortune for Ibrox side Rangers?

On Sunday night, following the weekend home defeat at the hands of St Mirren, it was announced that Philippe Clement had been sacked as manager of the Gers, having been, as Findlay Marks of the Scottish Football Show put it, a “dead man walking” ever since the Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park.

The following morning, the club confirmed that former captain Barry Ferguson, who made 409 appearances for the Gers across two spells, would be in interim charge for the rest of the season, alongside Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor, all of whom are also ex-players.

The Ferguson-era begins at Rugby Park on Wednesday, a ground at which Rangers have lost six of 12 visits since December 2017, so they certainly cannot take Kilmarnock lightly, and the new caretaker boss’ first big decision should be to drop a stalwart of the starting lineup.

The Rangers star Ferguson must drop

Jack Butland joined Rangers in June 2023, simply looking to reinvigorate his career, having played just 17 matches across the previous three seasons, spending the second half of the previous campaign bench warming at Manchester United.

Fair to say he made an instant impression in Glasgow, pulling off a string of outstanding saves, instantaneously known colloquially as ‘Super Jack Butland’.

That is because, Christopher Jack of the Rangers Review believeds he ‘has been a huge figure between the sticks’, asserting that Butland is ‘the best keeper in Scotland by some distance’, while Stephen Halliday of the Times simply labelled his performances as ‘outstanding’.

Meantime, Ewan Murray of the Guardian notes the Englishman has been a ‘virtually an ever-present since joining’, while Archie Rhind-Tutt of ESPN & TNT Sports thought his ‘excellent form’ was going to earn him an England recall, having not featured for the Three Lions since September 2018, although this ultimately did not come to pass.

However, in more recent times, as Joshua Barrie of the Rangers Review puts it, ‘Butland’s form has suffered’.

Speaking on Sky Sports, new Rangers assistant manager Neil McCann described his performance at Motherwell in December as “unconvincing”, the goalkeeper’s ‘blushes spared’ by the fact the Steelmen had a late winner disallowed by VAR for rather soft foul by Tony Watt.

Butland has made a few high-profile mistakes, gifting Celtic the Scottish Cup back in May with former Rangers striker Ally McCoist describing his own goal at Old Trafford in January as a “howler”, leading to journalist Luke Hatfield labelling him ‘error-prone’.

This led to him being heavily criticised by supporters, so let’s analyse how Butland’s numbers compare this season to last.

As the table outlines, Butland’s statistics are unanimously worse this season than last, with his post-shot xG – goals allowed figure having nosedived from almost +2 to around -1.5, this the biggest indicator of his drop-off in form.

So, should new manager Ferguson unleash Butland’s deputy at Rugby Park on Wednesday night?

Jack Butland's back-up ready and waiting at Rangers

Back in early January Butland missed the New Year’s Old Firm due to internal bleeding, a match in which Rangers demolished fierce rivals Celtic 3-0, putting in, by far, their best performance under Clement.

Deputising for Butland that day was Liam Kelly, who was described as ‘reliable’ and ‘assured with the ball at his feet’, while Laura Brannan of the Scottish Football Show believes the 29-year-old to be a ‘fantastic’ goalkeeper.

As well as a clean sheet in the Glasgow derby, Kelly also enjoyed shutouts against Dundee and Aberdeen leading to, as noted by Aasif Rahman of Football Insider, supporters questioning why Clement has restored Butland after the understudy had ‘proven himself’ during the Englishman’s absence.

Since arriving from Motherwell in the summer, Kelly has made seven appearances in a Rangers jersey, keeping three clean sheet and conceding just six goals, making nine saves, which translates to a save percentage of 69.2%, higher than Butland’s aforementioned season figure of 63%.

Kelly himself stated “I’ve done alright”, adding he is “looking to go under the radar” by doing “whatever I need to do when called upon.”

Thus, with little left to play for in the Premiership, Ferguson should certainly give his backup goalkeeper opportunities to prove what he can do.

5 Rangers youngsters Barry Ferguson can now unleash at Ibrox

With Ferguson replacing Philippe Clement, he could turn to the club’s youth ranks as Rangers look to salvage what they can from their season.

By
Charlie Smith

Feb 26, 2025

سجل عمر الساعي، لاعب النادي المصري، هدف التعادل والثاني لفريقه أمام بيراميدز، في المباراة المقامة بينهما الآن، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

بيراميدز واجه المصري، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة من عمر مواجهات بطولة الدوري المصري، على ملعب استاد هئية قناة السويس.

طالع.. فيديو | إيفرتون داسيلفا يسجل هدف بيراميدز الأول أمام المصري

وسجل الساعي هدف المصري الثاني في الدقيقة 83 من عمر اللقاء، بعد تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، لتصبح نتيجة اللقاء 2-2. هدف المصري الثاني أمام بيراميدز.. عمر الساعي

وكان بيراميدز تقدم بهدف أول عن طريق البرازيلي إيفرتون داسيلفا، وتعادل للمصري عبد الرحيم دغموم، ثم تقدم لبيراميدز فيستون مايلي.

Australia 299 for 8 (Labuschagne 51, Marsh 51, Woakes 4-52, Broad 2-68) vs EnglandFor a cricketer so often shorn of the limelight, the opening day of this fourth Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford was one hell of a moment for Chris Woakes to set himself apart.Stuart Broad became only the second seamer to make it to 600 Test wickets, following James Anderson who returned to the XI for what could well be his last appearance on his home ground. But it was Woakes, with 4 for 52 to give England a foothold in this match, who stole the show. Australia’s 299 for 8 means neither team can say with any real confidence that they are in control– a recurring theme throughout this compelling series. But Woakes’ performance ensured Australia were never allowed to get too far ahead.Coming into this match on 598 career dismissals, Broad trapped Usman Khawaja lbw before bouncing out Travis Head five balls after tea to reach his milestone. His 18 dismissals this series have seen him emerge as the banker in a constantly tweaked attack – he is the only England bowler to have been selected in all four matches – covering for the fact that Anderson has struggled, with just three wickets so far. That the 40-year-old was without success today was merely down to luck, beating the bat numerous times, along with the odd inside edge that evaded stumps. Nevertheless, his current series average is an eye-watering 89.66.Related