Barcelona create new record in revenue from a single matchday from Sunday's thrilling El Clasico win over Real Madrid.
Barcelona create all-time record for revenue from single matchdayThey took a giant step towards their 28th La Liga titleBlaugrana complete a clean sweep over Real Madrid this seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to , Barcelona have set a new benchmark for matchday earnings, raking in a record-breaking €13.8 million ($15.3m/£11.6m) from their blockbuster El Clasico clash against Real Madrid on Sunday. Playing in a packed Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barca drew an attendance of 50,319. The team also sported American rapper Travis Scott’s ‘Cactus Jack’ logo on their jerseys for the high-voltage game.
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The Blaugrana completed a clean sweep over their arch-rivals as they took another step towards sealing their 28th La Liga title. The game began with Kylian Mbappe giving Real Madrid a two-goal lead within the first 15 minutes. However, in the 19th minute, Eric Garcia sparked a major comeback. A goal from Lamine Yamal and a brace from Brazilian winger Raphinha saw Barcelona lead 4-2 at half-time. Los Blancos pulled one back through Mbappe in the 70th minute, but the scoreline remained unchanged after that.
DID YOU KNOW?
With his hat-trick against Barcelona, Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe broke the record for the most goals scored in a debut season at Los Blancos. The France international has now recorded 39 goals across all competitions. The last record was held by Ivan Zamorano, who scored 37 goals in the 1992-93 campaign.
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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?
Barcelona will face Espanyol away from home in La Liga on Thursday and a victory willl see them secure the title. However, a Real Madrid defeat against Mallorca on Wednesday would see the Catalans secure the title before a ball is kicked against Espanyol.
Steven Smith will play for Sydney Sixers in the BBL this summer after the stand-off with Cricket Australia over his involvement was resolved.Under a deal struck between Smith and CA, he will be added to the Sixers squad as a replacement player once an international star heads back overseas in early January.Smith will then become available when the Test summer finishes on January 8, allowing him to play up to four regular-season matches.Ordinarily, the role of a replacement player attracts payments of $2200 per game, but Smith will now receive a greater salary as part of marketing expenditure.Related
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That offer from CA is similar to the one used to lure David Warner back to the BBL at the Sydney Thunder, but in this instance also includes a significant contribution from Cricket NSW.”Steve and his management recently confirmed he will be available to play in this summer’s Big Bash, after his international commitments have finished in January.” Sixers boss Jonathan Robinson-Lees said. “That is great news for the Sixers, the BBL and for fans.”We are really excited for the team and especially our fans, who will now get to see one of the world’s greatest players in magenta this summer.”Smith’s time at the club will include the Sydney Smash against Warner’s Thunder at the SCG on January 21. His return will mark the first time he has played in the BBL since 2019-20.The 33-year-old had attempted to play for the Sixers last summer, but was controversially precluded as he had not nominated for the player replacement pool.It had appeared as if he would suffer the same fate this summer, after the Sixers filled up their initial roster space believing Smith would not be available.However, CA bosses met Smith’s management during the Perth Test earlier this month in a bid to bring him back to the competition before it was eventually finalised.”Steve Smith is a Sixer. He has been part of this club from the start, and he will be part of this club for as long as he wants to be,” Sixers captain Moises Henriques said. “He has always known that the door is open to him playing with us again.”The outcome is a major win for CA on several fronts. Smith is a crowd-puller, and one the BBL needs given Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh have both been ruled out of the tournament through injury.It also comes after the organisation has been heavily criticised in recent weeks for a failure to make clear decisions, as highlighted by the Warner leadership saga.
Ben Stokes hailed the selflessness of his reinvigorated England team after an extraordinary performance in the first Test in Rawalpindi, in which they overcame a bout of pre-match sickness, an unforgiving pitch, and some stout last-day Pakistan resistance to seal what he described as “one of England’s greatest away Test wins”.In front of a rapt crowd at the Pindi stadium, Jack Leach claimed the final wicket of Naseem Shah with roughly eight minutes of daylight still remaining, as England – in their first Test in Pakistan for 17 years – recorded only their third win in the country in 25 attempts, and their first since another famous battle in the fading light in Karachi in December 2000.”It’s just incredible,” Stokes said in the post-match presentation. “We’re pretty lost for words in that dressing room. The hard work and toil that everyone’s put in over this five days is really hitting everyone. Jimmy Anderson was saying he felt a bit emotional, so having a bloke with near enough 180 Test matches [176] feeling like that at the end of this is proof that we’ve achieved something very special this week.”Related
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The scenes at the end of the Test were a far cry from the chaos beforehand, with England so stricken by illness on the eve of the game that officials from England and Pakistan even met to consider a 24-hour delay to the start. In the end, a decision was made on the morning of the game to carry on as planned, but not before Will Jacks had been drafted in for a debut moments before the toss, after Ben Foakes failed to recover in time.”There’s a few things that you can plan for, but some that you can’t, which is obviously what happened to the squad a few days before the Test match,” Stokes said. “It seems a long time ago, when we were running around, wondering if we were going to start the Test match on time, so I’ve got to give the group of players a serious lot of credit for turning up a little bit under the weather.”Jacks ended up being an unexpected star with the ball, claiming six first-innings wickets after a tour-ending injury to Liam Livingstone put a greater onus on his offspin, while Ollie Pope not only fronted up with a century at No. 3, but also put in an accomplished display as the stand-in wicketkeeper, with his seven catches including a crucial one-handed take down the leg side to prise out Zahid Mahmood in the tense closing stages.”You could go through this whole Test match and point out key individuals,” Stokes added. “But what we’ve had to deal with coming in makes this one a little bit better. We’ve got some broken bodies in that changing room, but having the lads run in like that today … as a captain, it’s amazing to see. I don’t think I’ve seen a group of players who want to put their bodies on the line as much for the other 10 guys on the field.”Stokes himself, however, was instrumental to the team ethic. He put his own body on the line in a critical 11-over spell of reverse-swing on the final afternoon, and committed to the attacking fields that ensured that England maintained their remarkable record of claiming ten wickets in each of the 15 innings they have bowled since he became full-time captain.However, the collective buy-in from England’s batters was perhaps the most ringing endorsement of Stokes’ leadership, as they bought into his unrelenting attacking approach that produced an unprecedented match haul of 921 runs from 821 balls across their two innings.”I’m not going to lie, I did look quite far ahead as to how this could play out,” Stokes told Sky Sports at the close. “From day one, we were going to have to score these runs quickly. It was going to be batting error that was going to get the batsman out on this wicket, because there wasn’t any swing, wasn’t any spin. So we had to really capitalise on that fact.”And then, as the Test match went on, it was all about somehow getting the game into a position on day five, where both teams were in a position to win the game, because I think dangling a little carrot there, with that declaration, played to our favour and gave them a little sniff.”No-one batter epitomised the buy-in better than Harry Brook, who not only scored an 80-ball hundred in the first innings of his second Test, but then sacrificed an opportunity to go even better than that in the second innings, when he was bowled for 87 from 65 balls while trying to set up the game on the fourth afternoon.”Those two innings were incredible to watch,” Stokes said. “He could have cruised himself to a hundred, but we had about half an hour left until the tea break. We just sent the message out, saying put your foot down now, because we’re going to declare at tea. There was no second-guessing ourselves on that, because that’s how we wanted to go into day five. We don’t want people turning the TV off, because it might be the inevitable draw.”The selflessness that he went out there and played with… the freedom, the way he expressed his talent, was absolutely incredible. He’s one for the future. It’s always one of those difficult things, you don’t want to start talking someone up too much, but Harry’s got everything, across all formats as well. I don’t think that too many players in their second Test match have quite shown the ability of what Harry has showed there.”Stokes and Brendon McCullum celebrate England’s win•Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
After eight Tests in charge since the start of last summer, Stokes and England’s head coach Brendon McCullum have now overseen seven victories and one defeat, and each of those wins have been achieved in a thrilling, enterprising fashion that has transformed the standing of an England team that had won just one of its previous 17 up until the end of the Caribbean tour last spring.”With myself and Brendan in charge, one thing that we do is focus on ourselves more than the opposition,” Stokes said. “We were always going to look to take the positive route, whether that be with bat or ball in hand, and try not to second-guess ourselves with what the opposition is going to offer.”We know we’re a very exciting team and we wanted to come here to Pakistan, and carry on with our mantra of exciting cricket, and give ourselves the best opportunity to win a Test match. I’ve got no interest in playing for a draw, the dressing-room has no interest in playing for the draw.”And as England left the field in the fading light, Stokes added that the acclaim of the Rawalpindi crowd, who had flocked to witness a thrilling finish, made all of their endeavours worthwhile.”The crowd here this week was amazing, and I’m not going to lie, the reception that we got walking off the field as winners in Pakistan was very special. I hope that everyone in Pakistan who turned out to watch this game, appreciated the cricket that was being played, obviously not just from us, but also from Pakistan.”
Nesta sexta-feira (1), a Chapecoense venceu, por 3 a 1, o Sampaio Corrêa. Os times se enfrentaram pela 16ª rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro. A partida aconteceu na Arena Condá. Com o resultado, a Chape chegou na 13ª colocação. Enquanto isso, o Sampaio ficou em 10º.
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+ Veja a tabela da Série B e os próximos jogos dos times
POUCA INSPIRAÇÃO!
O jogo não teve muitos movimentos de pressão. Os dois times esbarraram nos problemas de criação e não conseguiram assustar. A primeira chance partiu da Chapecoense. Em contra-ataque rápido, Orejuela chutou cruzado, mas Gabriel Batista salvou. Gabriel Poveda e Lucas Hipólito responderam pelo lado do Sampaio Corrêa.
Os visitantes dominaram o restante da partida e tiveram boas chegadas de perigo. Aos 15, Gabriel Poveda quase abriu o marcador. Aos 40, Wesley Pionteck mandou na trave direita. Três minutos depois, Matheus Bianqui respondeu com uma bomba, mas Gabriel Batista espalmou.
CHUVA DE GOLS!
O jogo voltou com tudo na segunda etapa. Em contra-ataque da Chape, Orejuela cruzou, e Lucas Hipólito desviou contra a própria meta e traiu Gabriel Batista. Depois disso, o Sampaio Corrêa começou a correr contra o tempo, chegando com perigo com Mateusinho.
Aos 19, a Chape teve grande chance com Matheus Bianqui e explodiu no travessão. Aos 34, os catarinenses ampliaram logo depois. Tiago Real mandou uma bomba e não deu chances para Gabriel Batista defender. Quatro minutos, o Sampaio diminuiu. Na jogada, Ygor Catatau aproveitou escanteio e mandou para o fundo do gol. No final, aos 49, Marcelo Santos deslocou o goleiro dos adversários e ampliou para a Chape.
FICHA TÉCNICA CHAPECOENSE 3 X 1 SAMPAIO CORRÊA
Local: Arena Condá, em Chapecó (SC) Data e hora: 01/07/2022 – 19h (de Brasília) Árbitro: Vinicius Gonçaves Dias Araujo (SP) Assistentes: Fabrini Bevilaqua Costa (SP) e Luiz Alberto Andrini Nogueira (SP) VAR: Adriano de Assis Miranda (SP) Cartões amarelos:Tiago Real (Chapecoense);Allan e Rafael Vila (Sampaio Corrêa) Cartões vermelhos: –
GOLS: Lucas Hipólito, aos 1’/2ºT) (1-0) (GC); Tiago Real, aos 34’/2ºT (2-0); Ygor Catatau, aos 38’/2ºT (2-1); Marcelo Santos, aos 49’/2ºT (3-1)
CHAPECOENSE (Técnico: Gilson Kleina)
Vagner; Frazan (Ronei, aos ‘/2°T), Léo, Victor Ramos e Fernando; Matheus Bianqui (Claudinho, aos 37’/2ºT), Marcelo Freitas, Lima e Tiago Real (Marcelo Santos, aos 37’/2ºT); Éderson e Orejuela.
SAMPAIO CORRÊA (Técnico: Léo Condé)
Gabriel Batista; Mateusinho (Renatinho, aos 37’/2ºT), Allan, Nilson Júnior e Lucas Hipólito (Pará, aos ‘/2°T); André Luiz, Ferreira (Eloir, aos 33’/2ºT) e Rafael Vila (Maurício, aos 33’/2ºT); Ygor Catatau, Gabriel Poveda e Wesley Pionteck (Rafael Costa, aos ‘/2°T).
Barcelona are open to negotiating Ferran Torres' exit despite the Spaniard's strong season, with the Catalans setting a fairly hefty price tag.
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Barcelona open to offers for Ferran Torres
Catalan club sets price tag of €50m
Spanish forward's contract runs until 2027
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The 25-year-old forward has consistently delivered for Barcelona this season, scoring several clutch goals off the bench. However, with Robert Lewandowski leading the line and plenty of attacking depth in the squad, Torres is unlikely to be a regular starter next season. As a result, Barcelona are open to letting him go and, according to Fichajes, the club has set a €50 million (£42m/$56m) price tag for the Spanish forward.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Barcelona are going through a difficult phase financially. Having already faced significant challenges in trying to sign Dani Olmo last season, the club is now looking to balance the books, and selling Torres is one option on the table. However, the final decision will also depend on the player, as his contract runs until 2027.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ferran Torres moved to Barcelona from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. After a few quiet seasons with the Blaugrana, the Spaniard enjoyed his best campaign in La Liga in 2024-25, scoring 19 goals and providing seven assists across 45 appearances. Notably, his goals-per-minute ratio this season is even better than Lewandowski’s, proving his growing efficiency in front of the goal.
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WHAT NEXT FOR FERRAN TORRES?
The former Manchester City forward is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing emergency surgery for appendicitis. With Barcelona having clinched the Liga title following their win over Espanyol, Torres may have already played his final match for the Catalan club ahead of a potential summer transfer.
Former Netherlands head coach takes over from James Franklin at Chester-le-Street
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2022
Ryan Campbell has been named as Durham’s new head coach•Sportsfile via Getty Images
Ryan Campbell, the former Australia wicketkeeper whose six-year stint with the Netherlands culminated in their impressive displays at last month’s T20 World Cup, has been named as the new head coach at Durham.As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Campbell, 50, will take over from James Franklin, whose contract was not renewed after Durham’s disappointing performances in the 2022 county season, in which they finished in the bottom three of the standings in the County Championship, Royal London Cup and T20 Blast.Durham’s squad does, however, contain a number of highly rated players, including Matt Potts, Brydon Carse and Alex Lees, all of whom have made England debuts in the past two years, and Campbell said he was looking forward to working with the squad.”I am extremely honoured to be appointed Durham’s Head Coach and I can’t wait to get started,” Campbell said. “I will be working with some of England’s best cricketers as well as a young squad full of talent and I hope to bring an attacking, no fear style of cricket to the club.”I also look forward to working with Marcus North to lead Durham to future success.”Campbell spent seven days in a coma in April after suffering a cardiac arrest, but returned to the Netherlands set-up as a consultant during the World Cup, where he bowed out on a high with a famous victory over South Africa in Adelaide that had huge ramifications for the tournament.After qualifying for the main draw with wins over UAE and Namibia, Netherlands went on beat Zimbabwe as well, to finish fourth in the Group 2 standings, their best performance at an ICC global event.”Beating South Africa in our last Super 12 game and qualifying automatically for the next T20 World Cup was an amazing finish to what has been a wonderful six years for me with Netherlands,” Campbell told the Emerging Cricket podcast. “I leave with a lot of smiles, good memories and a lot of great friendships.”He has signed a three-year deal at Durham, which will keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2025 season.North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “Following an extensive recruitment process, it became clear that Ryan was the best fit for Durham and the county.”Ryan comes to Durham with an excellent reputation following a successful period as the Netherlands head coach. I look forward to working with him and continue to build on the foundations laid during the past 4 years with this exciting group of players.”Durham Cricket, Chief Executive, Tim Bostock said: “We’re delighted that Ryan has agreed to become our new Head Coach and we are hugely excited to welcome him to Durham in the new year. He joins us with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and I believe he is the perfect fit for Durham.”Meanwhile, Mickey Arthur has signed a three-year contract extension with Derbyshire, after an impressive maiden season in 2022 which included a club-record nine wins in their Blast campaign.”I’ve always said that Derbyshire is a county close to my heart since working with the likes of Eddie Barlow and Fred Swarbrook, and my first season with the club has only made that feeling grow,” Arthur said.”Supporters have made me feel instantly welcome, we have a squad full of potential and I’m looking forward to developing it and challenging for silverware at the very top of county cricket.”
Al-Nassr were on top form against Al-Akhdoud and showed that they can perform without Cristiano Ronaldo as they grabbed a massive 9-0 win.
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Al-Nassr thrash Al-Akhdoud in 9-0 winMane scores four goals with first SPL hat-trickRonaldo misses out on goalfest as he remains benchedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE
Al-Nassr's battle to finish third in the Saudi Pro League this season to secure AFC Champions League football has continued, with Al Qadsiyah and Al-Ahli within two points. After suffering defeat to Al-Ittihad, Faris Najd knew that they were in for any easy outing on Monday evening as they went up against 17th-placed Al-Akhdoud. Stefano Pioli decided to leave five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo out of his squad, and Al-Nassr cruised to an easy victory against the relegation battlers.
Pioli's side had a comfortable start to the game as they rotated possession against the deep defensive line of Al-Akhdoud, however, the first quarter of the hour did not see them challenge Paulo Vitor's goal. When Ayman Yahya opened the scoring in the 16th minute for Al-Nassr, he opened the floodgates for the night as Jhon Duran and Marcelo Brozovic tripled their lead in just over 10 minutes. Mane then scored the fourth of the night from the penalty spot for Pioli's side after Nawaf Boushal was brought down inside the box just before the half-time whistle.
Al-Akhdoud's trouble then increased tenfold just minutes into the second half as Vitor was questionably sent off for a last-man challenge on Otavio as he charged through on a loose ball. Duran was ready to show that he can play centrally in the absence of Ronaldo, as he exhibited a perfect striker's finish to score his second goal of the night and Al-Nassr's fifth. As was the case in the first half, one goal brings two more as Mane completed his hat-trick with two goals in six minutes, to get Faris Najd's tally up to seven. The Senegalese then got his fourth of the night to give Pioli's side a massive 8-0 lead, before Mohammed Maran scored a penalty in injury time. The result marks Nassr's biggest win in their history.
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Mane turned back the years on Monday evening as he grabbed his first Saudi Pro League hat-trick, and finished the game with four goals to his name. The Senegalese has always been more of an afterthought at Al-Nassr since his move, as Ronaldo took the spotlight but he showed that he can spearhead the attack on his own when needed. The Liverpool legend brought his SPL goal tally up to 13 with his quadruple.
Getty Images SportTHE BIG LOSER
Ronaldo did not feature at all during Al-Nassr's massive win, and one must wonder what is going on inside the mind of the Portugal captain. Firstly, he missed out on a rout that could have helped him gain ground on his dream of scoring 1000 goals. Secondly, he may now be giving some thought to the idea that Nassr can perform capably without him, especially given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his contract situation.
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WHAT COMES NEXT?
Al-Nassr will now enter their last three Saudi Pro League games of the season knowing that they hold the cards to grab qualification to the AFC Champions League. Three wins would see them end the season in third place ahead of Al Qadsiyah and Al-Ahli.
كشف أحمد سيد زيزو المنضم حديثًا إلى صفوف الأهلي تفاصيل مفاوضاته مع الزمالك لتجديد عقده، موضحًا أنه عانى أثناء تلك المفاوضات.
وقال أحمد سيد زيزو في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر 2”: “المجلس قال لي لا نعرف شيئًا عن الكشف الطبي (يقصد في نيوم السعودي)، وأخبرتهم -إذا أردتم التجديد، فأنا مستعد لذلك- وعرض نادي نيوم كان يتضمن 5 ملايين دولار سنويًا كراتب شخصي، بالإضافة إلى 6.5 مليون دولار للزمالك، وأنا سبق أن رفضت عروضًا بمبالغ كبيرة، لأن شغفي كان تحقيق البطولات، وهو ما فعلته على مدار ست سنوات”.
هل كنت ستعود إلى الأهلي من خلال “كوبري” نيوم السعودي: “كان على الزمالك أن يفعل ما عليه أولًا، ويتخذ القرار الصحيح إما ببيعي أو التجديد لي”.
وواصل عن طلبه 100 مليون من الزمالك: “هذه قصة جميلة، خلال الجلسة مع إدارة الزمالك، قلت لهم (انظروا، إذا استطعتم دفع 30 أو 40% من عرض نيوم، يمكننا التفاوض)، ووالله العظيم، لا أنا ولا والدي طلبنا 100 مليون جنيه لتجديد عقدي مع الزمالك”.
واسترسل: “جاءت جملة (زيزو يريد 100 مليون) من خلال جلسة التجديد مع مجلس الإدارة، بناءً على حساباتهم استنادًا إلى كلامي، وقلت لمجلس إدارة الزمالك (لو أعطيتموني نصف المبلغ المعروض من نيوم السعودي)، لكنت وافقت على التجديد”.
وتابع: “أثبت ولائي لنادي الزمالك أكثر من مرة وليس بالكلام ولكن بالفعل، وأتعرض لحملات ممنهجة ضدي”.
زيزو بعد الانتقال إلى الأهلي: خسرت رهاني مع جماهير الزمالك.. ووالدي تعرض للإهانة
وبسؤاله لو أنت رئيس الزمالك وعندك لاعب اسمه زيزو وجاء له كل هذه العروض، ماذا ستفعل؟: “أقوم ببيعه، لاعب سيكون بعد 4 أشهر حرًا، وتلقي عرضًا بقيمة 5 ملايين دولار، وأنت ليس لديك قدرة مادية على التجديد”.
وزاد: “جلستي مع حسين لبيب في المغرب لم تكن مثمرة أو طيبة، وجلسنا في شهر أكتوبر الماضي وقرأنا الفاتحة وأنهينا واتفقنا على كل شيء بشأن التجديد مع الزمالك، والقيمة كانت بين 40 و50 مليون جنيه”
وأردف: “والدي اشترط في عقدي مع الزمالك عدم بيعي في أول موسم وهذا كان الشرط الوحيد، والدي كان يري أنه مجلس الزمالك كان مقرر مسبقًا بيعي بعدما أوافق على التجديد”.
وقال: “الزمالك لو كان صادقًا في حديثه معنا، لوافق على شرط والدي بعدم بيعي في أول موسم بعد التجديد”.
واسترسل: “كنت قد اتفقت على عقد جلسة أخرى مع مسؤولي الزمالك، لكن تم تأجيلها لأكثر من مرة، وكان يُقال لي إنهم يجهزون مقدم العقد”.
وأكد: “حسين لبيب سافر معي على الطائرة المتجهة إلى المغرب لحضور حفل أفضل لاعب، وتحدث معي وأبلغني أن المقدم غير متوفر، ورفض الإفصاح عن الرقم المالي”.
وتابع : “حسين لبيب قال لي (المقدم غير متوفر، ويمكننا أن نعطيك شيئًا آخر، رجل زملكاوي عرض عليك بيتًا يمكنك التصرف فيه خلال سنتين، والنصف الآخر ستحصل عليه نقدًا)، ووجدت أن الكلام تغير، واستغربت من أسلوب التفاوض وطريقته، وكل يوم تظهر أرقام لم أذكرها، وقلت لـ حسين لبيب (رتب أمورك، وعندما تكون جاهزًا، تواصل معي)”.
With plenty of work to do in the summer, Arsenal have already reportedly set their sights on signing a midfield reinforcement who could arrive instead of top choice Martin Zubimendi.
Arsenal transfer news
Just days after Mikel Arteta told reporters that Arsenal would not give up on the Premier League title over his dead body, a blunt 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest signalled the entrance of the grim reaper in the guise of what has been an unstoppable Liverpool side. Now 13 points behind Arne Slot’s side, the Gunners are all but down and out.
What Arsenal’s recent collapse has done, however, is expose just how much work there is to be done in the summer transfer window. Even before injuries to Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli, their frontline was faltering. All those injuries have done is increase the need for an extreme overhaul when the transfer window swings open.
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ByBrett Worthington Feb 27, 2025
The dream name at this stage seems to be Alexander Isak. Whether the Gunners have the spending power or profit and sustainability limit to match Newcastle United’s reported £150m valuation remains to be seen, however, and they may have to settle for their second choice. The same, meanwhile, can be said for their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi.
With Real Madrid lurking, those in North London have already turned their attention towards a potential alternative to the Real Sociedad star. According to The Boot Room, Arsenal are now plotting a summer move to sign Pablo Barrios from Atletico Madrid.
A rising star, the 21-year-old has played a key part in Diego Simeone’s side this season as they set their sights on pipping Barcelona and Real Madrid to another La Liga title.
That success could come with the consequence of losing Barrios though, especially if Arsenal come calling when the transfer window swings open.
"Magic" Barrios would ease Zubimendi blow
If it’s not to be Zubimendi, then Barrios wouldn’t exactly be a disappointing second choice. The Atletico Madrid man has emerged from his side’s academy to have a growing influence on Simeone’s side, earning the praise of Jacek Kulig in doing so in the last year or so. Dubbed “magic” by the football talent scout last season, the midfielder has only pushed on ever since.
A younger option than Zubimendi too, Arteta would have the chance to watch Barrios reach the peak of his powers at the heart of his Arsenal side next to Declan Rice, who has looked in possession without such a player next to him at times in recent months.
Starts
18
23
Progressive Passes
91
143
Key Passes
17
13
Ball Recoveries
85
105
Whilst it seems that Zubimendi remains Arsenal’s first choice this summer, Barrios should not be far behind given the potential that he has shown in La Liga this season when compared to his fellow Spaniard, making his name one to watch.
On Saturday, the Toffees appeared set to claim yet another victory, 2-0 up at home to Manchester United, thanks to goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucouré inside the first 33 minutes at Goodison.
Orel Mangala
However, Man United scored twice in eight minutes towards the end to salvage a draw, although the drama was not done there, with Ashley Young denied a penalty in injury time, following VAR intervention that Alan Shearer on Match of the Day believed was the wrong call, highlighting “two clear pulls on his shirt”.
Nevertheless, David Moyes’ men are now unbeaten in six Premier League matches, a record they’ll put on the line at Brentford on Wednesday.
Beto's amazing recent form at Everton
By opening the scoring at the weekend, Beto found the target in a fourth successive Premier League match, the first Everton player to achieve this since Richarlison in 2021.
Fair to say, this has come out of the blue, considering the Guinea-Bissau international striker had scored just five goals across his first 44 league outings for the Toffees, on target only once all season prior to this recent spree.
The 4-0 victory over Leicester City, the first game in this scoring sequence, Beto started simply because Moyes had no other striker at his disposal, given that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja are all out injured.
Alan Stubbs, who made 193 appearances for the Blues across two spells, believes Beto was really struggling for confidence, but now looks “a different player”, adding “he’s taken his goals really well”, making himself undroppable.
Beto
Breaking the Lines notes that Beto has ‘transformed into a pivotal’ player, adding he is ‘on the cusp of becoming the talismanic’ figure as Everton prepare to open their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Remarkably, however, he’s being outscored over the last few years by someone who didn’t exactly enjoy a fond time at Goodison.
Former Everton striker is now outscoring Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin
While, as noted by Matt Furniss of Opta’s the Analyst, Beto has become one of the most ‘in-form’ strikers in the Premier League, a former Evertonian front-man, now 35-years-old, is still banging in goals on another continent.
Salomón Rondón’s 31-game stint at Everton isn’t exactly fondly remembered, considering he scored just three goals, none of which came in the Premier League, with Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe describing him as “reckless” following a nasty tackle which rather summed up his time in blue.
Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly, Jonathan Wilson once infamously described Rondón as ‘the best player in the world’ but in the specific role of operating as a lone centre-forward 40 or 50 yards away from the rest of his teammates.
Despite this high praise, Evertonians did not shed a tear when the Venezuelan mutually ‘agreed to terminate his contract’ in December 2022, six months before it had been due to expire.
Nevertheless, now in the latter stages of his career, Rondón is still going strong, currently with Liga MX giants Pachuca, for whom he has eight goals this season, including a hat-trick against Necaxa in November, most recently on target at Cruz Azul earlier this month.
Tuzos have qualified for this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, by virtue of winning last year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, with Rondón scoring twice in the final victory over Columbus Crew, and have been drawn into Group H alongside Real Madrid, RB Salzburg and Al-Hilal.
Meantime, at international level, the veteran striker scored thrice at last summer’s Copa América, as well as four times in World Cup qualifying, taking his tally to 45 goals for Venezuela, extending his all-time record, as la Vinotinto seek to qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever.
So, let’s see how his statistics compare to Beto and Calvert-Lewin.
2023
10
8
4
2024
26
4
6
2025 (so far)
3
6
1
2023
3
0
0
2024
4
1
0
Prior to Beto’s scoring spree in recent weeks, Rondón had outscored both he and Calvert-Lewin since departing Merseyside, netting 26 club goals in 2024 at a pretty high level; Global Football Rankings believes Liga MX to be the 14th strongest league in the world.
This does not mean Everton were wrong to let the veteran depart, but it does prove you should never write a player off, regardless of age or apparent lack of form.
Bye-bye: £100k-p/w dud's Everton career looks totally finished under Moyes
This Everton star’s days could now be numbered at Goodison Park.