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Celtic are reportedly closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window, which has been open for business for just over two weeks.

Sky Sports have claimed that Rapid Wien forward Nicolas Kuhn started his medical with the Scottish giants in London on Monday ahead of his move to the club.

The Hoops have agreed a £3m deal with the Austrian club to secure the impressive winger's services and he is set to put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

Appearances

16

Sofascore rating

7.22

Goals

Two

Assists

Five

Big chances created

11

Football Insider reported last month that Brendan Rodgers would like to sign a winger, a central midfielder, and a centre-forward during the January window, and Kuhn ticks off one of those positions.

The Northern Irish head coach could now turn his attention to landing a new number nine to compete with Kyogo Furuhashi and Hyeon-gyu Oh during the second half of the season.

Celtic's search for a striker

Journalist Graeme Bailey claimed, at the start of this month, that the Hoops are considering a swoop to sign Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland.

However, the likes of Southampton, Hull, Burnley, Everton, and Sheffield United, among others, are also interested in a possible move for the Scotland international.

Football Insider reported that the Jam Tarts are expected to demand a fee of at least £3m for their star marksman, who has attracted interest from Rangers. However, the Light Blues could be forced to wait until the summer as they do not have the funds to splash out £3m for the forward.

This shows that Celtic would need to pay a decent fee for the Scottish attacker and they could have to convince him to turn down Premier League and Championship interest to move to Parkhead.

Rodgers could, however, land a dream alternative to Shankland by swooping in for Bologna's Sydney van Hooijdonk, who is the son of former Hoops striker Pierre.

Italian outlet 1000 Cuori Rossoblu recently claimed that Celtic, and German side Werder Bremen, are interested in a deal for the Dutch centre-forward.

It has been reported that the 23-year-old whiz is due to leave Bologna, where he has struggled for consistent minutes on the pitch this season, and that could open the door for the Bhoys to snap him up.

He could be a fantastic alternative to splashing out £3m for Shankland, despite the Hearts captain being a very attractive option for the Hoops on paper.

Shankland's Premiership goal record

The 28-year-old striker has made 99 appearances in the Scottish Premiership throughout his career and plundered an impressive 41 goals and ten assists, along with three goals in five top-six split outings.

He joined Hearts at the start of the 2022/23 campaign and hit the ground running with an outstanding return of 28 goals and four assists in 47 appearances in all competitions.

Appearances

37

Goals

24

Big chances missed

16

Assists

Four

Sofascore rating

7.11

This season, Shankland has racked up 18 goals and three assists in 28 outings in all competitions for the Jam Tarts, which includes 13 goals in 21 Premiership matches.

He has scored seven goals in his last six top-flight appearances for Hearts and Celtic would be signing a player who is currently in-form and on fire in Scottish football.

These outstanding statistics suggest that the 28-year-old marksman would be able to hit the ground running at Parkhead to provide Rodgers with additional firepower at the top end of the pitch.

However, the downside is that he will turn 29 at the start of next season and, from a financial perspective, there is little future benefit from signing him.

At his age, it appears unlikely that Shankland is set to develop much more to become a sellable asset for Celtic to make a profit on further down the line; as was the case with the likes of Moussa Dembele, Gary Hooper, and Odsonne Edouard – to name a few – in his position in the past.

The Hoops could, instead, invest in another promising young striker who has the potential to develop and increase his value over time by swooping for van Hooijdonk as an alternative.

The stats that show why van Hooijdonk could be lethal for Celtic

He has struggled for minutes at Bologna this season but his form in the Netherlands and his impressive career at youth level suggests that the young gem could be an exciting addition for Rodgers.

Van Hooijdonk has only started two Serie A matches this term, with nine outings in total, and is yet to contribute with a goal or an assist for his side.

However, the 23-year-old whiz spent the previous 18 months on loan with Heerenveen in the Netherlands and produced 26 goals in 54 appearances in all competitions.

Appearances

33

Starts

30

Goals

16

Big chances missed

Ten

Assists

One

As you can see from the table above, averaged more than one goal every other start in the Eredivisie for the Dutch side during the 2022/23 campaign.

The "prolific" – as he was once described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – started his career with NAC Breda and showcased his scoring potential at youth and senior level.

Van Hooijdonk plundered an astonishing 35 goals and two assists in 41 games for their U19 side in the academy before a return of 23 goals in 70 first-team matches.

These statistics suggest that Celtic would be signing a player with the quality to be a reliable goalscorer if they provide him with the right services, as evidenced by his excellent form in the Eredivisie last season.

Meanwhile, they would also be signing a 23-year-old prospect who is five years younger than Shankland and has far more re-sale potential for the club to make a profit on him in the future.

This is an effective way for the Hoops to make money to then fund further signings further down the line, as has been the case so many times in the past with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, Edouard, and Kristoffer Ajer, among others.

Therefore, the £7.6k-per-week ace could be a dream alternative to Shankland to continue with the strategy of investing in young talent instead of going down the proven and experienced route with the Scotland native.

Newcastle United have reportedly been informed that they will need to smash a club's transfer record to complete the signing of their "wonderful" player.

Newcastle eyeing new midfielders

The Magpies have been hit hard in so many different areas of the pitch because of injuries this season, with key men missing in goal, defence and attack. Perhaps the biggest blow in some respect has been the 10-month suspension handed to midfielder Sandro Tonali, however, with Newcastle's summer signing banned after being found guilty of betting breaches during his time at AC Milan.

It is a huge setback, both for the player and the club, with Tonali making such a promising start to life at St James' Park, but now not available until next season.

The Italian's absence has heightened the need for Newcastle to bring in a new central midfielder during the January transfer window, with Manchester City and England man Kalvin Phillips seemingly emerging as a clear front-runner. He is surely desperate to move away in January, in order to play more, and he could be an ideal fit for Eddie Howe in the middle of the park.

Newcastle want Matt O'Riley

According to a new update from TEAMtalk however, Newcastle are interested in signing Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley. The player could be tempted by a big move to England, but the Magpies will have to break the Hoops' record sale of £25m to get a deal done.

"Newcastle United have scouted the 23-year-old on multiple occasions, including whilst he was playing senior international football for his country, Denmark. The Magpies are not alone in their admiration with Championship leaders Leicester City and Premier League mainstays West Ham United also monitoring O’Riley. Newcastle have been present at Celtic Park and are among a host of clubs around Europe who could move in the upcoming window for the talented midfielder."

O'Riley is an extremely highly-rated player at Celtic, with the 23-year-old such an influential player in central midfield, combining creativity with hard work. The Englishman is enjoying a fantastic season for the Scottish Premiership giants, scoring nine goals and chipping in with five assists in the league in 2023/24 to date.

Celtic likely won't want to lose him, with manager Brendan Rodgers clearly a big admirer of his midfielder, saying of him back in August: "I really like him, his build-up play is good, he takes the ball, and he needs to work on his pressing and intensity but he is a wonderful footballer and he is a good guy as well."

Appearances

16

Goals

9

Assists

5

Tackles per game

1.9

Aerial duel wins per game

1.1

While the step up to the Premier League from the Scottish Premiership is great, O'Riley could certainly be an interesting option for Newcastle, should Howe believe he can get the best out of him.

He is still young enough to improve a lot more as a player, but the ingredients are already there as he is showing week in, week out, and he is one of the first names on the team sheet for Scotland's biggest club.

Tottenham have reportedly "set their sights" on a "dominant" centre-back for next month, coming after his agent shared "almost weekly" talks with Spurs.

The centre-backs wanted by Spurs in January

Spurs are said to be prioritising the signing of a new left-sided centre-back in January, coming after an injury to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero's recent suspension exposed some real lack of depth in the position.

Backed by new sporting director Johan Lange, who is set to assist chairman Daniel Levy in identifying transfer targets, there have apparently been Spurs recruitment meetings behind-the-scenes over who they should target (The Mail).

Sky Sports say Tottenham really want "complete" defender likened to van de Ven

He’s been phenomenal this season.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 8, 2023

Uruguay defender Sebastian Caceres, Everton's Ben Godfrey, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, Genoa star Radu Dragusin, Union Saint-Gilloise's Koki Machida, Benfica ace Morato, Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio and English starlet Jarrad Branthwaite are all rumoured defender targets for Spurs from the last few months alone.

Dragusin in particular is a very intriguing option, as the Romanian has been in excellent form for Genoa this season. The player's agent, Florin Manea, also said in November that Dragusin could cost just £26 million.

Manea, speaking to Fanatik last month, shared that he's held "almost weekly" conversations with Spurs over Dragusin and even meetings in London – as well as other interested sides.

“The people from Genoa know (that he will soon leave),” Manea explained.

“I have been in London for some time and have almost weekly meetings with important teams. We are getting closer. I spoke with Newcastle, with Arsenal, with Tottenham. I also have the messages with them, conversations. There are teams that ask.

“I want to say that, 100 per cent by next summer, Radu will play for a very strong club. One in the top 10 in the world. He wants to be in the Premier League, but I know that Milan like him a lot. I talked to the people there.”

Tottenham "set their sights" on Dragusin

Now, according to Football Transfers, Tottenham have "set their sights" on Dragusin as one of their top January transfer targets for the centre-back area.

Spurs' scouting team are said to be impressed with the 21-year-old's commanding performances in Italy, so much so that they now have a very genuine interest, as backed by his agent.

Dragusin appears to have floated higher up Lange and Levy's list of preferred defensive additions, and it's hardly a surprise given his form this season.

According to WhoScored, the Romania international is an indispensable member of Alberto Gilardino's starting eleven. Both Dragusin and goalkeeper Morten Frendrup stand out as Genoa's most regularly-selected players, starting 15 matches this term and failing to miss a single Serie A encounter so far.

Tackles per game – 0.8

Interceptions per game – 1.1

Aerial duels won per game – 3

Passing accuracy – 83%

Clearances per game – 4.5

Imperious at the back, Dragusin has also made more clearances per 90 and won more aerial duels on average than any other Genoa player in Italy's top flight (WhoScored). He's also been called a "dominant" defender by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.

Inside the play-off positions by nine points and well on their way to getting the chance to eventually win promotion at Wembley come the end of the campaign, Southampton have found their feet and more under Russell Martin, who initially struggled at St Mary's. To sum up just how good the Saints have been as of late, they've avoided defeat in their last 14 games, last losing in the Championship back in September against Middlesbrough. And whilst they're still ten points adrift of the automatic promotion spot currently occupied by Ipswich Town, January could help close that gap.

Reports suggest that Southampton are readying an offer for a European gem who would certainly boost their promotion chances when the January window swings open in a couple of weeks.

Southampton transfer news

Southampton did well to keep hold of the majority of their stars in the summer transfer window, albeit whilst losing James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia, and could now look to add even more reinforcements next month.

Settled under Martin and on their way to the play-offs unless disaster strikes, whoever the Saints look to bring in must be an improvement on their current options. The January window can make or break a season, and for Southampton, they need to ensure any arrivals are legitimate upgrades to chase down the top two.

According to La Stampa via TuttoJuve, Southampton are ready to offer €30m (£26m) to sign Juventus winger Matias Soule in January. The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Frosinone, but Juventus are reportedly willing to cut his loan spell short and sanction a sale to add some much-needed funds for incomings of their own in the winter window. Having impressed whilst out on loan, Soule is certainly a player who could improve Martin's side, making next month all the more interesting at St Mary's.

"Superb" Soule is similar to some of world's best

It speaks volumes about just how good Soule is that he's been compared to some of the best players that world football has to offer, which should make him Southampton's number-one target. The Argentine, who can play as a right winger or attacking midfielder could quickly rise to stardom in the Championship, helping the Saints to promotion.

Soule's stats – six goals and one assist – show just how talented he is at just 20-years-old and he should only get even better. Here are some of the players that the young Argentine has already been compared to based on his statistical profile.

Players similar to Matias Soule (via FBref)

Current club

Jude Bellingham

Real Madrid

Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace

Jamal Musiala

Bayern Munich

Dominik Szoboszlai

Liverpool

Brahim Diaz

Real Madrid

Given how he's impressed in such a short time throughout his career, it's no real shock that Soule has earned plenty of praise. And this includes from Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who posted on X: "A very good counter-attack and a superb assist by Matías Soulé to kill the game against Real Madrid. I wonder what the future holds for the young Argentinian. Personally, I really liked the links with Bundesliga clubs."

Journalist Ben Jacobs has rued news of a "very worrying" and "demoralising" injury setback to one of Mikel Arteta's squad at Arsenal.

Arsenal suffer first Premier League defeat

After the latest round of Premier League fixtures, there are officially no unbeaten teams left in the division. Arsenal's famous invincibles of 2004 are safe for yet another year, but Arteta will take no solace in that fact after his side's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St. James' Park on Saturday.

Anthony Gordon's only goal of the game was a controversial one, as the strike could've been ruled out for three seperate offences in the build up – the ball going out, a foul by Joelinton and possible offside. Nonetheless, Eddie Howe's side escaped all three and their goal was allowed to stand.

Arteta, it's safe to say, was vocal in his anger over the officiating afterwards. However, the Spaniard has refused to apologise on his comments since then, explaining to the media that his verdict was more than justified.

“It is my duty to stand in front of you, to stand in front of the cameras, and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happened in the game," said Arteta on his Newcastle comments.

“And this is what I did, reflect very openly on how I felt that the team played and how the game was conditioned by this results with the decisions that were made. It is the duty.

“My duty is to be defending my players, supporting my players, supporting my club, defending my people in the best possibly way and this is what I am going to time after time. “I do it, not the way I feel, (but) with the evidence and being as clear as possible."

Arsenal must now pick themselves up after a disappointing afternoon in preparation for an all-important Champions League clash against Sevilla on Wednesday. The Gunners travel to Spain with the goal of putting their first league defeat behind them, but one player who won't be playing a part is Emile Smith Rowe.

Smith Rowe injury "worrying" at Arsenal

The Englishman had started his first league game of the season in a 5-0 win over Sheffield United, but didn't feature against West Ham in the EFL Cup soon afterwards. Following up, Arteta admitted he is concerned about Smith Rowe after the revelation it was due to a knee injury.

Commenting on the setback, CBS reporter Jacobs says Smith Rowe's injury is "worrying" and "demoralising".

"I think that, over the summer, a lot of clubs looked at Emile Smith Rowe and Arsenal wanted to keep the player," said Jacobs to GiveMeSport.

"He played for the first time as a starter since May and did pretty well against Sheffield United last weekend. He was maybe a little bit anonymous in the first half but, in the second half, he was stronger. He got an assist in the build-up to one of Eddie Nketiah's goals as well.

"But now he has got a knee injury, which is very worrying and demoralising for the player because the Carabao Cup game against West Ham was a chance for likely back-to-back starts and, therefore, an opportunity to impress the manager and get more minutes."

Smith Rowe's style of play
Likes to do lay-offs
Likes to play short passes
Does not dive into tackles

It is unclear when the midfielder, labelled as "special" by Jamie Carragher, could return to action, but there have been suggestions that Smith Rowe may be back in December.

Shabnim Ismail believes she and Marizanne Kapp form the best opening bowling partnership in the world.”I always say that me and Marizanne Kapp go hand-in-hand in the bowling,” Ismail said after the match. “I always told everyone that we are the best opening pair and accommodate each other very well, and the way we performed today displayed our talent out there.”Ismail picked up 3 for 10 in South Africa’s victory over Sri Lanka in the Women’s World T20 on Monday, while Kapp picked up 1 for 13. Together they held Sri Lanka to 16 for 2 in the Powerplay before Ismail returned to clean up the tail at the death.Ismail is one of the fastest bowlers in the women’s game, having reached speeds in the late 120kphs in international cricket. She joked that 130kph might be achievable, if she hits the gym to bulk up her slender frame. “Mignon’s [du Preez] husband always tells me that he wants me to reach the 130 mark,” Ismail said. “So I think I need to go to the gym and pump some iron so I can get up there.”While the bowling performance set up South Africa’s win, Ismail conceded that as a unit they could do better after giving up 24 extras, including 19 wides. “We always speak about the extras in T20s. It’s only 120 balls and we gave about 25 extras. We’re definitely going to work on that. If the rain holds up, maybe we can go to the nets and just work on the extras.”The rain in St Lucia has hampered South Africa’s preparations, while their batting has faltered in their warm-up matches ahead of the tournament. But Ismail said the win has given her team-mates a “positive mindset”.”Although the weather wasn’t on our side and we never had any practices – this was our first proper time out there in the middle – the way we displayed our talent and got the win out there was fantastic,” Ismail said. “There is a positive mindset within the camp now.”South Africa’s batting also came good when it really mattered in their World T20 opener, Kapp and captain Dane van Niekerk sharing a 67-run stand that sealed the match.”The four [warm-up] games we played, we lost. The batters always let us down, but the way we capitalised today showed a lot of character. Hopefully, we can keep backing the batters.”Although we lost two earlier wickets up front [today], there wasn’t any panic in the changing room, we just knew we were going to win this. The way Marizanne and Dane capitalised in the middle showed a lot of character that just made it easy for us to get the win.”

Fast bowler seeks sustained run of match fitness ahead of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2018

Mark Wood during training•Getty Images

Mark Wood hopes that a new lengthened run-up could be the secret to a sustained run of match fitness, as he prepares for the start of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Wood’s ability to generate sharp pace from a short and explosive run-up has been a key reason why he has been considered a point-of-difference bowler in recent seasons, but it has also contributed to a spate of injuries, not least in his troublesome left heel, on which he has undergone numerous bouts of surgery.And now, with the World Cup looming next year, and his fitness restored after another interrupted summer, Wood hopes that a longer, smoother run-up could lead to a longer and smoother run in the England team.”It’s something I’ve worked on in the second half of the season in England and brought it here,” Wood told . “It’s a trial, something I can go back to if I want to do the step-back run-up.”I spoke to Kevin Shine, the head bowling coach, and Chris Silverwood, who’s out here, and said that off my short run-up I felt I was having to force it all the time. That meant I was putting more stress on than I needed to, having to ramp it up to get my top speed.”So pushed my run-up back, so that it felt like I could cruise into it a little more and look for more rhythm, rather than trying to be at the top end all the time, and putting more stress on my body.”Wood hasn’t had much of a chance to put any stress on his body just yet, however. England have faced monsoonal conditions since their arrival in Sri Lanka, and their planned two days of practice in Colombo was reduced to a single contest against a Board XI. It did at least give the bowlers an inkling of how the pitches might behave come the start of the series.”We’ve had a lot of rain so far. Some days are red hot, sweaty humid conditions, and quite nice to bowl in and there are some days when it’s rained a lot and it’s coming from the ground up. It’s different conditions to deal with.”The pitch didn’t feel as subcontinental like as you might think,” he added. “It’s subtropical here in Sri Lanka, not like India or the UAE. It’s more humid and a lot greener than you might expect. The one-day wickets have had a bit of tennis-ball bounce and have swung a bit for England for three or four overs, so we have to use that to our advantage.”Thanks to their plethora of allrounders, England’s one-day squad is packed with seam-bowling options, which means that Wood envisages being used in short, sharp bursts to conserve energy and mix up the modes of attack.”It is ridiculously hot, so coming from a seam bowling point of view, it’ll be two or three overs, smash it as hard as you can, then get off. The spinners are the ones who are going to attack here, but that new ball is key for us. If we can get wickets up front when it’s doing a bit, that’ll be brilliant, but if not, we’ll sit in, try to dot up and make it hard, then let the spinners attack from the other end.”Reverse swing is a traditional factor in Asian conditions, but Wood said that England may need to adapt their methods to obtain the contrast between the rough and smooth sides of the ball to unlock that particular weapon.”Being quick through air will be key with reverse swing, but this ground at Dambulla looks lush and green, so I’m not sure how much reverse there’ll be. But the Sri Lankans tend to wet one side of the ball, and keep it smooth. They know better than anyone in their own conditions, so maybe we can take a leaf out of their book.”

A crucial 61 off 46 balls from Sompal Kami was followed by a game-changing spell of legspin by Sandeep Lamichhane as Nepal defeated Netherlands by a solitary run for their first ever win in ODIs

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Amsterdam03-Aug-2018This script is starting to get a bit too cliche for Nepal. At WCL Division Two last February in Namibia, they triumphed in a trio of edge of your seat nailbiters that went down to the final wicket or final ball, or both, with their batsmen in the middle. A slight rewrite to the screenplay needed to be made at the VRA Ground, with Nepal in the field defending two off the final ball and one Dutch wicket left.But in the end, the result remained the same. Paras Khadka’s Cardiac Kids pulled off another heartstopping win as the captain himself secured the victory by running to rip out the non-striker’s stumps with ball in hand in a dramatic run-out for Nepal’s first ever ODI victory in just their second match.When Sandeep Lamichhane foxed Shane Snater with a googly for his third wicket of the match, it left the final Netherlands pair of Fred Klaassen and Paul van Meekeren needing 32 off the final 39 balls to win. Nepal know all too well that victory was not a foregone conclusion having added 51 for the final wicket to win off the final ball against Canada six months earlier. After van Meekeren survived a few lbw shouts to end Lamichhane’s final over, he nearly pulled a Nepal with Klaassen by his side.The pair took the equation down to six off the final over as Khadka put the responsibility on his own shoulders by keeping the ball in his own hands. Having been a bystander for all three stunning finishes in Namibia, he played a starring role in this success having scored his maiden ODI fifty to underpin Nepal’s total of 216 before Sompal Kami followed Khadka’s exit with a brilliant counterattacking 61 off 46.Khadka took to bowling back-of-the-hand slower balls and legcutters for much of the final over, keeping the last pair off balance. A single by Klaassen to the leg side to start the 50th was followed by a firm drive to cover by van Meekeren for a dot. Khadka thought he’d won the match on the next ball, fooling van Meekeren with a slower ball that was lofted just short of long-on for a run. The fourth ball was guided behind point to the sweeper for two, leaving two off two balls for the Dutch to win.Nepal thought they had secured victory once more on the fifth ball when Klaassen’s attempted flick on a delivery down the leg side produced a big noise but umpire Sarika Prasad ruled it came off the pad and not the bat. Rather than draw out the moment, Khadka got straight back to his mark to charge in for the final ball. Klaassen middled a fullish delivery, but too well for the Dutch cause as his scorching straight drive ricocheted off the stumps and came back toward Khadka. The Nepal captain spun around in his follow-through to pick up the ball and beat Klaassen in a footrace to the non-striker’s end as he ripped a stump out – the bails were already dislodged by the shot – to complete the run-out that clinched another famous Nepal win.Kami dented the Dutch chase just two balls in when he bowled Stephan Myburgh with an inswinger for a duck. Fifteen-year-old debutant Rohit Paudel made his presence felt seven overs later when he tracked down Ben Cooper’s miscued drive skied over extra cover before laying out full-extension for a magnificent one-handed catch to give fellow ODI debutant Lalit Bhandari his maiden wicket.But the next 20 overs produced little joy for Nepal as Netherlands cruised in pursuit of the target at 114 for 2 behind a half-century from Wesley Barresi. It took Lamichhane striking twice in three balls in the 29th over to spark a dramatic collapse. Dan ter Braak was given lbw stuck on the crease as he played down the wrong line to a flipper while Bas de Leede’s charge down the crease two balls later went awry to leave him stumped.Khadka took a sharp catch at slip 15 balls later to remove Wednesday’s Man-of-the-Match Michael Rippon for 3 off the bowling of Basant Regmi. Having chosen an extra batsman in the starting XI today, with Paudel and Subash Khakurel both making their ODI debuts in place of the retiring Shakti Gauchan and the injured Sharad Vesawkar, Khadka turned to Dipendra Singh Airee’s part-time offspin and he responded by dislodging Barresi with a quicker ball that struck the Dutchman on the toe to be given lbw for 71 as Netherlands fell to 143 for 6.Scott Edwards fell to Bhandari leg before while Khadka got revenge for his first innings dismissal at the hands of Seelaar by having the Dutch captain caught by Malla at backward point to put Netherlands eight down. With his final two overs held back by Khadka, Lamichhane returned to bowl Snater and set up the dramatic finale.Nepal’s first innings total was almost a carbon copy of their win two years earlier at the VRA in the WCL Championship when they scored 217 in a 19-run win. On that day, Khadka was provided the backbone with 84 off 96 balls. He stepped up once again with the bat on this occasion after choosing to bat first at the toss.Khadka entered at 34 for 2 at the start of the ninth over and held firm in the face of a searing opening spell from Klaassen. The left-arm seamer had already claimed the first two wickets and followed it with a third when opening batsman Khakurel was beaten for pace and bowled for 19. Khadka saw off the rest of Klaassen’s initial seven-over burst before setting his sights on Seelaar, clocking him over long-on for a pair of sixes the latter of which brought up his half-century.Khadka was successful with the reverse sweep as well but when he tried the orthodox sweep on a rare occasion he wound up top-edging Seelaar to fine leg for an easy catch. At 135 for 6, Nepal’s innings didn’t appear to have much steam left but Kami’s fiery yet orthodox strokeplay catapulted them back into contention.When Aarif Sheikh and Regmi fell, Kami began turning down singles with No. 10 Lamichhane out in the middle, yet he still scored at a phenomenal rate. He had a close shave in the 40th over when a skied swipe off Seelaar just eluded Snater on the deep midwicket rope for six. Having carted a half-tracker from Rippon over the deep midwicket rope earlier, his third six brought up a half-century in just 38 balls when he lifted a length ball from Klaassen over long-on.Kami finally fell backing away too far to cut Rippon at the start of the 46th to make it 204 for 9, leaving Lamichhane with Bhandari to stretch the innings out. They added 12 more runs and it took every one of them to ensure Khadka could pen the final few words of a slightly-altered winning script.

Arsenal have seen an array of world-class talent make north London their home over the years, with some living up to expectation and some not so much.

The Gunners are in the process of showcasing their new wave of superstars, as Mikel Arteta continues to gun for glory and major silverware with his generation of heroes at the Emirates.

So many with legendary status have come and gone over the years at Arsenal, not helped by their assumed captain's curse, which has seen the best at the time leave soon after taking the armband.

From William Gallas to even Thierry Henry, many have fallen victim to the curse after being handed captaincy, with Arteta hoping that the feat of bad luck will end at Martin Odegaard, who was named skipper last summer.

In recent years, the theme has continued, with Odegaard being selected to take the role from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was ironically handed it from fellow cursed captain Granit Xhaka in 2019.

For whatever reason, there has been a narrative of poor captains at Arsenal, whether it be poor performance, attitude or desire to leave, being handed the armband hasn’t seemed to hold the honour that it does to some.

It would be difficult to discuss the Gunners’ captains of Arteta’s era without delving into the history of Aubameyang at the Emirates, with the striker arriving as royalty and leaving far from his throne.

When did Arsenal sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

In January 2018, Arsenal unveiled Aubameyang as their new addition, bringing joy to those associated with the club with reference to their lack of presence leading the line for years prior.

Captured for a club-record fee at the time of £60m, the former Borussia Dortmund hero arrived in north London with a stellar reputation due to his goal-scoring proficiency throughout his career, including bagging 141 goals in just 213 games in Germany.

The Gunners had only signed fellow striker Alexandre Lacazette in the summer of 2017, handing those at the Emirates a sense of belief in their squad as the goals looked as though they’d soon arrive.

What was the reaction when Arsenal signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

The stage was set for Aubameyang to eclipse those before him, as he took Thierry Henry’s number 14 shirt and scored on his debut in the fashion of a true poacher, resulting in Arsene Wenger expressing his delight with the Gabonese gem’s arrival at his former club.

As relayed by The Guardian, Wenger tipped the forward to follow in Henry’s footsteps, calling comparisons to the French wizard a “good example to follow”.

The undefeated manager of 2003/04 went on to dub the £60m man as “tremendous”, hyping up his calibre by saying, “you don’t score by coincidence for so many years”, which wasn’t the end of the high praise for the new arrival.

A few years down the line, Gary Neville formed another comparison to Henry when analysing a goal scored by Aubameyang, as relayed by the Daily Mail.

“This is Thierry Henry, everything about it. As he went through on goal you just imagined the great French striker sprinting down on goal, setting it out to that far post. It’s Aubameyang now, wonderful.”

All the signs were there that the striker could in some ways replicate the quality and impact of Arsenal’s record goal scorer, and for the majority of his time in red and white, he was adored in a similar sense to the World Cup winner.

How many goals did Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang score at Arsenal?

Aubameyang left Arsenal 136 goals shy of Henry’s record of 228, netting 92 goals in 163 games for the Gunners over his four-year stay.

At the end of his debut half-season, the Gabon international had scored ten league goals in only 13 appearances, which was a subtle sign of things to come as he claimed the golden boot in his first full campaign in 2018/19.

The forward scored 22 league goals that season, a tally that was replicated the campaign after as he scored another 22 in the 2019/20 term to cement himself as one of the top sharpshooters in the Premier League.

Things couldn’t get better for Arsenal and their striker in 2020 as he signed a new three-year deal, after being named as club captain in the winter of 2019 following Granit Xhaka’s stripping of the honour.

How much did Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cost Arsenal?

Prior to signing his new contract, Aubameyang was earning £180k-per-week, amounting to £9.3m-per-year in wages alone.

The sum increased when he penned his refreshed deal, taking his salary to a monstrous £13m-per-year, equalling a weekly wage of £250k.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's career earnings

Club

Year

Weekly Wage

Borussia Dortmund

2014-2015

£40,000

Borussia Dortmund

2015-2016

£55,316

Borussia Dortmund

2016-2017

£79,237

Arsenal

2017-2020

£180,000

Arsenal

2020-2022

£250,000

Barcelona

2022

£41,529

Chelsea

2022-2023

£160,000

All figures via Capology

When adding up his wages over his time in north London, the figure amounts to around £52m, which when you add his transfer fee of £60m, reveals that Arsenal made an expenditure of around £112m to maintain their star striker at the Emirates.

Was he worth it?

Everything was looking rosy for both club and player following his renewal, until it all went very bleak very quickly.

Just two years after he was handed the captaincy due to Xhaka having the privilege revoked, Arteta dealt Aubameyang the same blow, taking the armband away from him due to disciplinary breaches.

The antics between player and manager away from the pitch resulted in a dip in form on the field, as the forward scored just ten goals in the 2020/21 league campaign, followed by scoring four the season after.

There was a clear breakdown in the relationship between Arteta and Aubameyang, which had made fans turn against the striker who seemed to have carried his “crazy boy” image from Dortmund to London, as he described himself in his farewell post to his former club.

In the winter transfer window of 2022, Arsenal mutually agreed to terminate the former captain’s contract, seeing him join Barcelona on a free transfer.

On his departure, Arteta told the media that his former striker’s “trajectory at the club and the importance of his goals was unquestionable”, however, the time was right for him to leave.

Aubameyang gave the Gunners plenty of things to cheer about during his time at the Emirates, reinstating the goals and the thrill of having a capable striker to the fans, yet his exit left a sour taste, with matters made worse by his moves following his exit.

What is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doing now?

After leaving the club in January 2022, it wasn’t long before the 34-year-old returned to the capital, as he signed for Chelsea in September in a transfer that left followers of the Gunners stunned.

To the joy of those bewildered by his decision, the Gabon international left the Blues after 21 appearances and just three goals, with him now representing Marseille in Ligue 1 with a market value of just €5m (£4.3m) – according to CIES Football Observatory.

From a cherished captain likened to Henry, to a villain representing Arsenal’s London rivals, Aubameyang’s trajectory took a sudden turn at the Emirates, as he failed to live up to the expectations he was showered with when he first arrived on English soil.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após receber a notícia de mais três desfalques por COVID-19 nesta sexta-feira (13), Abel Ferreira fechou a preparação para o Palmeiras encarar o Fluminense, em partida marcada para a noite deste sábado (14), no Allianz Parque, válida pela 21ª rodada do Brasileirão 2020.

Com mais de 13 ausências ao todo, o técnico português realizou uma atividade tática por uma hora e meia na Academia de Futebol e escalou o provável Verdão para buscar a sua quarta vitória seguida na maior competição nacional.

Sem peças até para o banco de reservas, mais alguns jovens do Sub-20 apareceram no treinamento, e irão para o banco de reservas amanhã. Foram os casos dos atacantes Aníbal e Pedro Acácio. Marino Hinestroza e Quiñonez, outras duas joias da categoria juvenil, também podem aparecer no banco.

Outra surpresa do treino foi a presença de Breno Lopes, atacante que foi contratado nesta semana, e que pode já fazer a sua estreia no ataque alviverde diante do Fluminense.

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Ramires, multado por ter sido flagrado numa casa noturna,aguarda a contraprova do exame de COVID que realizou nesta sexta-feira e foi dispensado das atividades em grupo. No entanto, o volante pode ser relacionado para a partida, uma vez que o elenco palestrino só tem Patrick de Paula como opção na posição.

Zé Rafael ficou na parte interna do CT tratando o entorse sofrido no tornozelo na partida da última quarta-feira (11), contra o Ceará, enquanto Luiz Adriano deu voltas no campo.

O provável Palmeiras para encarar o tricolor carioca é: Jaílson, Marcos Rocha, Emerson Santos, Renan e Scarpa; Patrick de Paula, Ramires e Raphael Veiga; Gabriel Veron,Lucas Lima (Breno Lopes) eWillian.

Palmeiras e Fluminense se enfrentam neste sábado (14), no Allianz Parque, a partir das 21h30 (horário de Brasília), com transmissão somente do Premiere FC.