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NWSL champion shares news as she prepares for new chapter ahead of the start of the 2025 season

• Wilson reveals pregnancy in Instagram post
• Portland Thorns FC and USWNT teammates offer congratulations
• 2025 NWSL season kicks off on March 14

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith) announced that she is pregnant. The star player shared a post featuring herself and her husband, NFL player Michael Wilson, holding an ultrasound image.

  The couple announced on Instagram with the caption: "Life just keeps getting sweeter." The pair were married in January after several years of dating, from the time they met at Stanford University.

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• WHAT SOPHIA WILSON POSTED

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wilson's 2024 season with Portland Thorns FC was a continuation of her impressive career trajectory. Known for being an all-around attacker, Wilson finished the league season with 12 goals and 6 assists, as per the NWSL, as the Portland Thorns FC struggled to perform in the league, finishing sixth.

  That was their joint lowest-ever finish in the league and they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Gotham FC.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  As Wilson prepares for motherhood, Portland Thorns FC gears up for the 2025 NWSL season. The regular season kicks off on March 14 with all 14 teams in action. The Thorns will be facing KC Current on the road in their NWSL opener before returning to Providence Park for back-to-back home games against Angel City SC and North Carolina Courage.

Antonio Conte has admitted his Napoli players were "too worried and fearful" during their damaging 1-0 defeat to Udinese on Sunday. The Italian manager urged his squad to develop more "malice" and learn the dark arts of time-wasting to manage difficult moments, warning that their lack of character away from home is threatening to derail their Serie A title defence.

• A damaging defeat in Udine

  Napoli's hopes of retaining their Serie A crown suffered a significant setback on Sunday afternoon as they fell to a solitary goal defeat against Udinese at the Stadio Friuli. In a tightly contested affair that saw the champions struggle to impose their authority, the result has left them vulnerable in the race for the Scudetto, allowing rivals Inter to move into first place in the table.

  For Conte, the result was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly given the manner in which his side crumbled in the second half. Napoli had appeared relatively comfortable in the opening 45 minutes, denying the hosts any clear sights of goal. However, the game turned on its head after the interval, with Napoli retreating into their shell and inviting pressure onto themselves. It exposed a psychological fragility that their manager was quick to highlight in his post-match assessment.

  "The approach was there," Conte said. "Udinese never had a shot on goal [in the first half], we created a couple of chances that we could have exploited better.

  "The second half started with this long throw-in, there were some approximate clearances and we risked conceding a goal. From then on there was a bit of fear, you could see it because in the first 20 minutes of the second half two goals were disallowed, they hit the crossbar, we were a little bit too worried and fearful.

  "We will certainly have to work a lot from this point of view. I always tell the boys: we must be good especially in negative moments, when on the pitch you have to take a breath, use a bit of experience and craft, manage situations in which we must improve."

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  Calling for 'malice' and dark arts

  The defeat highlighted a recurring theme for Napoli this season: a lack of "street smarts" when the momentum shifts against them. Conte, a manager renowned for building teams that relish the physical and mental grind of winning, expressed his frustration that his current crop of players are too naive when under the cosh.

  The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss suggested his players need to embrace the darker side of the game to break up the opponent's rhythm, adding: "I told the guys too, we have to be good at managing these moments, because they [the opponents] manage them. With a bit of experience, a bit of malice, wasting time on the pitch too.

  "After that, [you must] not lose courage, not get overwhelmed by the fear of conceding a goal. Because then if the attitude is this, you call the goal upon yourself and we called it upon ourselves. There is work to be done in this aspect."

  Conte was careful not to absolve his players of blame but emphasised that character traits are harder to coach than tactical systems. He pointed to a lack of vocal leadership on the pitch as a critical flaw, noting that in difficult away environments, personality is often more valuable than technical ability.

  "I have nothing to reproach these guys for, who are giving everything in an emergency," he continued. "It is inevitable that if I go to analyse some situations, especially away from home, we have to be better at managing it, talking more, bringing out character. Because there, beyond the footballer, the person must make themselves heard.

  "Perhaps it is the most difficult aspect to work on: on a psychological level you try to work and find the right way, but many times there are footballers who have charisma and personality and we from this point of view must grow and can grow. They are excellent guys, I would like to help them grow from this point of view too because the whole team would benefit from it."

• Alarm bells ringing for the champions

  The loss to Udinese was not an isolated incident but rather the continuation of a worrying trend. During his post-match address, Conte pointed to a grim statistic to underline the scale of their struggles, lamenting that his side have now lost seven matches away from home across all competitions.

  "The alarm bell I gave even when we won, because these are situations that in the long run… There is little to say," Conte remarked. "At the beginning of the year anyway, when you play many competitions, you worry about making a squad up to par. If then for external reasons this squad is reduced anyway you can hold up, but in the end you have to pay for something, otherwise we would all be phenomena, the guys, me.

  "You have to pay something, but precisely by virtue of this we must continue to do what we are doing. Unity, compactness, we must not lose enthusiasm and motivation."

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  Facing the wind

  Despite the gloom surrounding the result, Conte remained defiant about the path forward. He acknowledged that the current season was always going to be a struggle and called for unity from everyone associated with the club. However, he refused to hide from the reality that conceding control for 20-minute spells – as they did against Udinese – is a habit that must be broken immediately if they are to salvage their season.

  "Anyway for us this year will not be a simple year," Conte concluded. "But the important thing is to always want to be united, compact and face difficulties trying to improve. Then some things are objective and under everyone's eyes, but I don't want to highlight or say some situations.

  "We must go forward in our work, knowing that the whole environment must be close to the team because it will not be a very simple year for us. We all know it, we want to work and fight knowing we have lost seven away games: there is little to say… When the wind goes the opposite way we must improve because we must know how to travel even with the wind against us."

Over the past few summers, Wolverhampton Wanderers have become a very smart selling club. They have made plenty of profit selling several key players, and although that has arguably had a detrimental effect on their form, the Old Gold have still developed a reputation as an intelligent club in the market.

The four prominent sales over the past two summers include former club captain Ruben Neves and his Portugal teammate Matheus Nunes in 2023. Last summer, they sold another club captain, Max Kilman, and winger Pedro Neto.

It remains to be seen who Wolves’ next major sale will be, but Rayan Ait-Nouri is one player who has impressed during his time at the club.

Ait-Nouri’s Wolves career

Algerian left wing-back Ait-Nouri has been a revelation for Gary O’Neil’s side this season. He joined the club on an initial loan deal from French side Angers in 2020, making the move permanent the following summer.

It is fair to say that Ait-Nouri has been really impressive since making the move to the Midlands. In 129 games for the club so far, he has ten goals and ten assists but has performed particularly well the past two seasons.

In 2023/24, the former Angers defender scored three goals and grabbed two assists in 38 games in all competitions. He has been even better this season and has already equalled that tally in the Premier League, with 12 appearances under his belt; it will be incredibly surprising if he doesn’t exceed it.

Ait-Nouri’s standout performances for the Old Gold have led him to be linked with some of England’s biggest clubs. One recent report states that he is “high on the wishlist” of Ruben Amorim, as he looks to strengthen his new Manchester United squad.

If Wolves do lose one of their star players once again in January or the summer, they may wish they had kept hold of a ready-made replacement, Ruben Vingare, instead of selling him a few years ago.

Vinagre’s Wolves career

Portuguese left-back Vingare did not have a smooth ride at Molineux. He joined the club on a permanent deal in 2018, following a loan spell, just as Ait-Nouri did a few years later. He made the move from French side Monaco.

The former Portugal uner-21 international managed just 70 appearances for the Old Gold, spread out over the course of several seasons. He scored three times and grabbed two assists in that time, but never became a permanent fixture in the side.

He went on several loan spells throughout his time contracted to the club, including a move to Greek side Olympiakos in 2020. Interestingly, that coincided with the loan move of Ait-Nouri, and The Athletic’s Tim Spiers confirmed the two transfers were related.

Spiers explained on X at the time that the Algerian was signed “to replace Vinagre in the squad”, a like-for-like swap.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

After leaving Molineux permanently in 2022 under then-boss Bruno Lage, and moving back to his native country to join Sporting, it was still not easy for Vinagre to settle at a particular club. He returned on loan to England twice, joining Everton and Hull City.

His deal at the Tigers ended in January 2024, and he spent the second half of last season playing for Hellas Verona.

Finally, this season, the left-back seems to have discovered his best form. Now playing for Polish side Legia Warsaw, he has nine assists in 24 games in all competitions, including two in just three Conference League outings.

It is somewhat ironic that the man loaned out to make room for Ait-Nouri is now outperforming him from an assists point of view this term, with that tally of nine better than any every member of the Wolves squad in 2024/25. Equally, only Matheus Cunha (ten goals and assists) boasts more total goal involvements among those at Molineux than Vinagre so far this season.

Environment is everything for a footballer, and Vinagre is clearly playing for a club where he can flourish. Wolves fans may well look back at his time at Molineux and wish it had panned out differently. They could have had a perfect Ait-Nouri replacement right under their noses all along.

Their next Ait-Nouri: Wolves want to sign "highly rated" £9m star

Wolves have enjoyed success recruiting from Ligue 1

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By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 26, 2024

Rangers are eyeing a £5m move for a player backed by legendary manager Jose Mourinho in the January transfer window, a new transfer rumour has claimed.

Latest Rangers news

Philippe Clement took some much-needed pressure off his shoulders on Sunday afternoon, with his Gers side sealing a comfortable 3-0 win away to Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

It was a must-win game for Rangers in the title race, with the victory keeping them 11 points behind Celtic, but they are only now two adrift of Aberdeen with a game in hand. Clement’s job is still far from safe, though, with further improvements needed.

The future of James Tavernier continues to be a major talking point, with the captain far from his best at times this season and also out of contract at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. Should the Englishman depart, a top-quality replacement at right-back will be needed, although Neraysho Kasanwirjo could be considered the best option, with the defender on loan from Feyenoord at Ibrox this season.

Meanwhile, Leeds United attacker Joe Gelhardt has been linked with a January move to Rangers, with former scout Mick Brown claiming he wants to move there, saying: “From what I’m told, he’d be interested in a move. As far as Rangers are concerned, that’s the type of player they have to be looking at. If Leeds let him go in January, even if it’s only on loan, they will be ready to swoop.”

Rangers keen on £5m signing in January

According to Le Courier Europeen [via Rangers News], Rangers are keen on signing Fenerbahce winger Oguz Aydin in the January transfer window. The 24-year-old only joined the Turkish side earlier this year, arriving for £5m, but it is now thought that he could depart for the same amount midway through the season.

Aydin could be just what Rangers are looking for in January, giving their attacking options a boost at a time when a formidable run of form is needed in the league.

The Turkey international has caught the eye of Jose Mourinho during their time together at Fenerbahce this season: “He is a good player physically and tactically and very intelligent. With all due respect to (Vincenzo) Montella (Turkey manager), he should be happy. I suppose the team that did not sign him will be unhappy. We brought him in at the last minute. I asked him to give me time. He was not ready, but, after 4-5 months, he has reached an optimal level. I am very happy for him.”

The fact that Aydin is wanted by some other top clubs suggests that he is a top-quality player, with the likes of Arsenal, Lille and Lazio all thought to be eyeing him up.

Better than Igamane: Rangers star who didn't even score was the real hero

The Glasgow Rangers titan was a monster in the Premiership clash with Ross County.

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By
Dan Emery

Dec 8, 2024

A versatile winger capable of playing on either flank, the Fenerbahce ace has four goal contributions (three goals and one assists) in three Turkish Super Lig starts this season, highlighting the end product he could provide Clement with.

Bayern Munich star Michael Olise scored a stunning free-kick as he inspired France's Nations League comeback win over Croatia on penalties.

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• Olise scored a world-class free-kick
• Provided assist for Dembele's goal
• France beat Croatia to progress to the Nations League semis

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Les Bleus headed into their Nations League second-leg fixture against Croatia needing to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first instalment. After a goalless first half, Olise broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute as he scored with a brilliant left-footed free-kick from the edge of the box. The ball flew over the Croatian wall and into the back of the net, leaving goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic a mere spectator.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Olise then provided the assist for Ousmane Dembele's 80th-minute goal which helped France draw level on aggregate and eventually take the game to penalties, where France edged the shootout 5-4. The Bayern star had a phenomenal outing throughout the 105 minutes he was on the pitch. The forward scored a goal, provided an assist, played five key passes and also had 102 touches.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MICHAEL OLISE?

  Olise will be back in action for his club on March 29 as Vincent Kompany's side face St. Pauli in the Bundesliga.

GOAL looks at the tiers of teams in the 2025 Club World Cup, asking who might win it all and who is just happy to be here?

What to make of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup? Certainly, the big name teams are here. Real Madrid, Man City, PSG and Bayern Munich all stand out from a fine crop of European clubs. But the tournament goes so much deeper. Legendary South American clubs such as Boca Juniors, River Plate and Palmeiras will all be playing in the U.S. this summer. A duo of sides will represent Liga MX with aplomb. A third, Leon, has been removed due to violations of multi-club ownership rules – but could re-enter after appeal, or be replaced.

And while they may not garner the kind of attention as their European counterparts, a litany of African and Asian teams are also set to get their moment in the spotlight. In that sense, this is a wonderful thing that highlights the best of world football.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT. Leading up to kickoff, GOAL is providing scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field.

So who's here to win it? Who's here for the money? Who's here for holiday? Who's in the spotlight? Who's going to bring the fun? GOAL US breaks it all down in the 2025 Club World Cup Tier Rankings.

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  Tier: Clear favorites

  Real Madrid – Surprise, surprise. Madrid are team to beat in pretty much every competition they enter, and there's little evidence to suggest that will change here. With Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, they have found form after a slow start to the season, and appear well positioned to win both La Liga and the Champions League.

  Inter – A trendy pick for this all. Inter, remember, came close to Champions League glory in 2023, and have daylight in the Serie A title race, too. A Champions League quarterfinal with Bayern Munich will surely test their mettle.

  Paris Saint-Germain– Luis Enrique has the Parisians playing football. After years of relying on star power, this is now a fun, young team with a point to prove. Their win over Liverpool in the European Cup only reinforces that.

  Bayern Munich – After shockingly failing to win the Bundesliga last year, the Bavarians are back. Top of the German league and humming in Europe – with Harry Kane banging in the goals for fun – they can beat anyone on their day.

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  Tier: Outside looking in … for now

  Manchester City – One thing is certain about Man City: they will be back. For now, though, Erling Haaland and City are Premier League strugglers who are a bit off the pace. City's owners will spend big to help a rebuild this summer, but that will likely come too soon for the competition.

  Atletico Madrid – Who wants to play against Atleti? You will find very few clubs eager for this fixture. Diego Simeone's side are a bit more attacking than usual, with Julian Alvarez showing why he is so much more than a backup to Erling Haaland. Their knockout football credentials can be questioned, though.

  Chelsea – It depends on which Chelsea team shows up. The billion-pound side of world class individuals might win the whole thing. The slumping side with an out-of-form Cole Palmer could crash out early.

  Benfica – The trendy club. Well in the title race and paced by a solid spine plus the ageless Angel Di Maria, Benfica will simply be an unpleasant matchup. Winning the whole thing would be a miracle, but they will be mightily hard to beat.

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  Tier: Here for the money

  Seattle Sounders – Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer told GOAL the Club World Cup could be an exercise in smart transfer business for the Sounders, one of two MLS sides in the tournament, along with Inter Miami. The Sounders must navigate the Group of Death. "If we can pull out a result," Schmetzer said, "that makes a statement that MLS is not so far behind some of the other teams in the world."

  Fluminense – No longer the team they once were, Fluminense are struggling massively for a club of their pedigree. Marcelo has gone, and the talent factory has rather dried up. On name brand alone, this will be a valuable excursion.

  RB Salzburg – It's not like Salzburg are strapped for cash or talent, buoyed by the immensely lucrative Red Bull network. But they could really do with a boost after squeaking into the Austrian Bundesliga playoff. If they keep promising talents such as Bobby Clark and Oscar Gloukh around, then who knows?

  Porto – A Europa League exit was something of an embarrassment for a club that really belongs in the Champions League. A kind group could help them out, but should Porto lose to Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, they could be in trouble.

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  Tier: Much to lose, not much to win

  Juventus – Juve are a mess. They fired their head coach most of the way into the season, and have brought in a new manager who plays a different style of football. A poor showing could look bad on Americans Tim Weah and Weston McKennie.

  Al Hilal – They may no longer have Neymar in their ranks, but Al Hilal will still fly the flag for the Saudi Pro League. A glut of former European stars will complement a string of locals, and serve as a real barometer to where the emerging league is at.

  Inter Miami – It's simple, really. If Miami lose with Lionel Messi, the storyline will be that MLS is rubbish and Messi is old. If Miami win with Messi, it will be, well, of course they won with Messi.

  Borussia Dortmund – Another side with American pedigree that has a lot to lose here. Gio Reyna will likely be a Dortmund player come June. And if he watches from the bench while the storied club continue to underwhelm, then nothing really good can come of it all.

Arsenal have now had two opportunities to close the gap to league leaders Liverpool and failed.

A week ago Arne Slot’s side had no fixture due to the adverse weather which meant the Gunners could have narrowed the bridge between the two teams to four points.

Sadly for Mikel Arteta’s men, they ruined that opportunity, drawing 1-1 with an impressive Fulham side at Craven Cottage.

Having then beaten Monaco in the Champions League they welcomed Everton to the Emirates Stadium but once again struggled to create goalscoring opportunities from open play.

In fact, Arsenal were so underwhelming that they only created two big chances during the course of the match.

Believe it or not, there were some positives…

Arsenal’s best players against Everton

It won’t come as a surprise to many to learn that despite drawing 0-0 on Saturday, it was the effervescent Bukayo Saka who stood out the most in red and white.

The England international has taken himself to the next level this season, notably scoring five goals and assisting ten in the league thus far.

Despite not finding a goal involvement against the Toffees he was without a doubt the best player on the pitch and was unfortunate not to find the net.

Perhaps Arsenal’s biggest chance in the second half fell to Saka who hammered a volley towards the front post only for international colleague Jordan Pickford to sprawl to his left-hand side to make a fine save.

A constant livewire on the right, it was a shame he didn’t get much help from his colleagues in the final third.

Still, at least assistance was forthcoming from a stern defence with the likes of Gabriel and William Saliba shining at the back. To sum up their influence and Arsenal’s dominance, no two players had more touches on the field than their 118 and 117 respectively.

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

That trio aside, not too many covered themselves in glory.

Arsenal’s big underperformers against Everton

One of Arsenal’s biggest underperformers at the Emirates was skipper Martin Odegaard, something that was summed up by his withdrawal in the 62nd minute.

It is unusual for the Norwegian not to create much but that was exactly what happened on Saturday as he left the field with 0 key passes to his name.

Once again, Gabriel Martinelli also faltered on the left-hand side, with his performance against 39-year-old Ashley Young really unconvincing.

The Brazilian won just one of eight duels during the game while Young walked away from north London having completed more tackles (7) than any player on the pitch.

Martinelli’s afternoon wasn’t helped by Mikel Merino, a player who was brought in to improve the club’s dynamics on the left-hand side of the pitch. Sadly, the Spaniard has been inconsistent since signing from Real Sociedad over the summer.

He didn’t offer much at all during his 69 minute outing against Sean Dyche’s side with his performance summed up by the fact that his pass count of 19 was fewer than even goalkeeper David Raya (22) managed.

Truth be told, Merino offered so little in possession that it was alarming with just two key passes and a single shot. He also lost the ball nine times in a game where he looked restricted in his ability to evade the press and keep the team ticking over. It was hardly a surprise, therefore, to see him earn a rather average 6/10 match rating from Football.London come full-time.

A look at his heat map also tells you that he needed to do more. The Spain international wasn’t required much inside his own half but also didn’t show a great deal on the edge of his own area, failing to offer the much-desired qualities Arsenal have been after since Granit Xhaka’s departure.

As a result, it would not be a surprise if Arteta dropped his summer signing back to the bench for their clash with Crystal Palace next week.

While on paper a trio of Declan Rice, Merino and Odegaard should work, a more tried and tested configuration that involves Jorginho or Thomas Partey might be wiser.

Arsenal were let down by "uninspiring" 5/10 star who lost 88% duels

Arsenal dropped points for the third time at the Emirates Stadium this season.

5

By
Matt Dawson

Dec 14, 2024

The ESPN analyst and former USMNT star sounded alarms over the Mexican forward’s future at the San Siro

• Gomez on Giménez's difficulty translating club form to national team
• Questions the pressure on the young striker's shoulders
• Raises concerns about Giménez's long-term prospects

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  ESPN analyst and former USWNT star Herculez Gomez sounded alarms over Santiago Giménez's status for both club and country, questioning the striker's recent form and his struggles to make an impact for both AC Milan and the Mexican national team.

  The 23-year-old’s recent form saw him dropped by Milan, who ended with a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina on Saturday. Giménez came on as a late sub.

  “It’s beyond alarming,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. “For the longest time you had all these questions about Santi’s level – Santi’s level, like where should he go? And then he says no to Nottingham Forest because he didn’t think it was going to be a big enough place for him. Look what Forest are doing right now in the Premier League.

  "And then AC Milan happens and it’s very difficult to say no to Milan. it’s very difficult. And he comes out flying out of the gates, and yet, I still had my reservations before he came out flying out of the gates as I didn’t think it would be a good situation for him."

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• WHAT HERCULEZ GOMEZ SAID

  The ESPN analyst added that Gimenez has added pressure, which he is not handling well.

  "He is translating that bad mental form, and I want to say mental form," Gomez said. "Because I think with him, it’s a mental situation where he’s mentally blocked on the national team. And you can’t convince me that he can score goals at the Eredivisie level, at the Europa League level, at the Champions League level, and he can’t score goals in CONCACAF? There’s something going on there.

  “Now he’s got that pressure, he’s got that weight on his shoulders at a place like Milan – which is a place where you don’t want that weight on your shoulders because the fans will eat you up. That Curva Sud will eat you up. And it seems like right now there’s too much pressure on Santi and everybody is joining in on the party. I think this is alarming.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After two excellent seasons at Feyenoord where he scored 38 league goals, there was a lot of interest in Gimenez in the summer of 2024. However, while the Mexican forward rejected a move, he continued his excellent form for the club, netting 16 goals in the first half of the 2024-25 season.

  That earned him a move to AC Milan in January 2025, where he started superbly, netting thrice in his opening four games for the club. However, his form has since dropped off, as the 23-year-old hasn’t scored since his second Serie A goal on Feb. 15.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  AC Milan were in the race for a European place for next season, but their recent form has seen them drop off the pack to ninth place. They face Udinese next on the road on April 11. Following that, the Rossoneri face Atalanta BC at the San Siro in the Serie A on April 20.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is starting change his mind about capturing a new forward in January, following two injury blows to Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, which have left the Spaniard much shorter of options out wide.

Mikel Arteta refuses to rule out January deals at Arsenal

Both Saka and Sterling are set to be out for weeks after picking up fresh Arsenal injuries, dealing a real worry to Arteta, who must now contend without the two England internationals in crucial Premier League fixtures.

"Extraordinary" player "top" Arsenal target to replace £200k-per-week star

The Gunners are putting plans in motion.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 24, 2024

Arsenal take on Ipswich Town, Brentford and Brighton over the next two weeks, with Newcastle, Man United and a North London derby against Tottenham coming thick and fast right after the turn of the year.

Arteta will have to be clever in plugging the gaps left by Saka and Sterling, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both able to play out wide in their stead.

The Spaniard will also need both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli on top form, with highly-rated youngster Ethan Nwaneri now potentially set for another regular run in the team.

However, the January transfer window also represents a significant opportunity to bring in fresh faces as another solution.

Saka’s last injury, which he picked up in England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley in October, keeping him out for multiple games, prompted reports that Arsenal could look to sign a new winger as an alternative – and we’re beginning to see similar rumours come to light once again.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s looming festive clash with Ipswich, Arteta refused to rule out the possibility of his side making a mid-season signing.

“Yes, the preparation is done. We are ready if something happens,” said Arteta on Arsenal signing a player in January.

“Obviously we didn’t predict the situation with Bukayo and Raheem at the same time. We predicted more if something has happened, for example, in the defensive line. But the job is done. Then, okay, if something has to happen we will be open. But the main focus is now how we should strive to distil the potential that there is in this squad.”

Mikel Arteta begins to pull "major U-turn" over signing attacker for Arsenal

According to GiveMeSport, it appears both Arteta and the club’s board weren’t planning on bringing in a new wide-player next month, but that is starting to change in light of Saka and Sterling’s absences.

Indeed, it is believed Arteta is beginning to pull a “major U-turn” over signing a “versatile” attacker for Arsenal in January, with the Gunners boss now forced to re-think his initial plans and potentially bring in a new wide-forward next month.

The boss’ stance was that he’d only green-light a swoop if there was an opportunity too good to pass up. However, Arsenal’s latest string of blows has pushed Arteta and “influential figures behind the scenes” into altering their ideas.

Of the targets linked with moves to N5, there are a few interesting options. Other media sources have previously claimed that Arsenal are considering a January move for Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo, while it is also reported that Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo is on Arteta’s list of potential targets.

Leeds United moved to the top of the Championship table on goal difference on Boxing Day with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win at Stoke away from home.

The Whites secured the three points thanks to a double from Joel Piroe, who scored either side of half time, and are now in control of their future, as the lead at the top of the division is now for them to lose.

Daniel Farke will surely be pleased that his team put in a solid performance, keeping a clean sheet, whilst also providing a strong threat offensively.

The balance of his midfield set-up played a big role in the side’s overall display, and Joe Rothwell starred for the Whites with his showing in the middle of the park.

Joe Rothwell's performance against Stoke

The Bournemouth loanee was selected to play ahead of Japan international Ao Tanaka and justified his selection alongside Ethan Ampadu with a terrific performance.

Rothwell displayed his quality in and out of possession to prevent Stoke from building attacks, as well as being able to dictate play to develop plays for his team.

The English midfielder won four of his five duels, made three tackles, and was not dribbled past a single time, which shows that he got the better of the Stoke players more often than not in defensive situations, to keep Illan Meslier quiet.

In possession, the experienced maestro also completed 94% (78/83) of his attempted passes and created two chances, showing that he offered reliability and creativity on the ball.

Performance in Numbers

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Rothwell was, therefore, outstanding as a box-to-box midfielder, but his display may have taken attention away from central defender Pascal Struijk, who was the unsung hero for the Whites.

Pascal Struijk's performance against Stoke

Can he do it on a cold Thursday night in Stoke? Yes. It was not an easy evening for defenders, with a thick fog limiting the visibility on the pitch, but the Dutch titan put in an excellent display.

Narcis Pelach’s side only had 25% possession, despite playing at home, on the night and this meant that they were often looking for the longer pass in an attempt to alleviate the pressure that Leeds were putting on them with their dominant play.

Farke, therefore, needed a player to step up and win the aerial duels to prevent Stoke from being able to win flick-ons and second balls to get themselves back into the game, and that is what Struijk did.

As you can see in the table above, the academy graduate was the main man from a defensive perspective for Leeds on Boxing Day, whilst his centre-back partner failed to win a single aerial duel or make a clearance on the night.

These statistics illustrate Struijk’s dominance at the heart of the defence and show that he kept his team on top by winning the majority of those crucial aerial battles and preventing the home side from getting back into the contest.

Therefore, the left-footed colossus was an unsung hero for the Whites on the night because he did the dirty work that may have gone unnoticed.

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By
Dan Emery

Dec 26, 2024