Newcastle United bolstered their senior squad this summer as they prepare to tackle the Champions League head on but after neglecting their need for defensive reinforcements, the Magpies have seen their defence get picked apart by quality opposition, losing three successive matches against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton.

Despite shipping seven goals in their first four, the value of chances conceded would suggest their defensive solidity has remained, placing fifth in the league with an expected goal against (xGA) of 4.89, behind only Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

Eddie Howe has built a defensive dynasty since arriving at the club which has been accelerated by the blossoming partnership of Fabian Schar and Sven Botman, but it isn't only defensive solidity that the Englishman has guaranteed, he's also shown a key eye with his recruitment of future stars.

While 18-year-old Lewis Hall and 20-year-old Tino Livramento were both signed to compete for a place in the starting XI, that is the future aim of highly-rated 16-year-old arrival Trevan Sanusi, who was brought in from Birmingham City to bolster their U18 ranks.

Who is Trevan Sanusi?

An England U16 international, Sanusi is a talented left-winger who was on the radar of all the top Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham after thriving five years above his age group in Birmingham's U21s.

If that isn't a testament to his ability and mindset, then first-team manager John Eustace speaking highly of his ability, saying: "A really exciting young attacking player", perhaps is.

During the Blues' fight against relegation last season, Sanusi was named in Birmingham's squad for the trip to Blackpool and had he made his debut would have broken Jude Bellingham's record as the club's youngest-ever player.

While the former has gone on to propel himself into the world-beating realm since leaving his boyhood club, completing an initial £88.5m move to Real Madrid this summer where he's scored five goals in his opening four La Liga games, Sanusi will be aiming to carve a similar pathway to the top.

Can Sanusi follow in Bellingham's footsteps?

Despite being rewarded for his talents with a transfer to one of England's biggest clubs, Sanusi acknowledged his move in three simple words "hard work continues".

Although the teenager clearly possesses the natural talent having excelled against boys much older than him previously, it's this elite-level mindset that can see him leave his mark on Tyneside.

The journey from the underage groups to the first team is a long slog that can provide setbacks such as injuries, a drop-off in form that can see youngsters getting released or can have a positive impact, allowing players to unearth their talents while alerting the attention of the senior hierarchy.

This is the journey that Elliot Anderson has embarked on, seamlessly moving through the age groups, enjoying a productive loan spell at Bristol Rovers before working his way into Eddie Howe's plans, featuring on 22 occasions in the Premier League last season.

Following a successful breakthrough campaign at the club, former Newcastle manager John Carver has praised his development highly, saying: "As a player, what excites me is he’s so brave, he wants the ball, he finds himself in little pockets and wants to play."

That could quite aptly describe not only Bellingham but Sanusi too, who boasts a wide range of trickery from the flanks.

Blessed with pace, dynamism and ball skills to threaten any defender, the new Toon signing has a superb future in the game.

While the exciting teenager will want to become the latest world-class talent to come from Birmingham's youth setup – following Bellingham's rapid trajectory to the top – first he must showcase his qualities in the underage groups at Newcastle, using Anderson's sharp rise as inspiration.

Tottenham Hotspur are currently reaping the rewards of what proved to be a relatively smooth summer of business despite the sale of talisman Harry Kane, with Ange Postecoglou's new additions helping to contribute to an unbeaten start to the new Premier League season.

Such astute dealings in the transfer market – including arguably the "signing of the summer" in the form of James Maddison, as per TNT pundit Joe Cole – have not always been commonplace at N17 over the last decade or so, evidenced by the fact that two former club-record arrivals, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele, have both been shipped off to Turkish giants, Galatasaray.

The at-times scattergun approach of chairman Daniel Levy – which famously saw the 'magnificent seven' acquired following the sale of Gareth Bale – was also best illustrated with the signing and subsequent sale of polarising right-back, Serge Aurier.

How much did Tottenham pay for Aurier?

The Lilywhites had been searching for a new option at right-back following the departure of Kyle Walker to rivals Manchester City on a £50m deal, with Mauricio Pochettino seemingly keen to find a worthy competitor to Kieran Trippier in that defensive berth.

Amid that quest to find a Walker replacement, Levy and co looked the way of Aurier despite the string of misdemeanours that the Ivorian had carried out during his time at former club Paris Saint-Germain, notably insulting manager Laurent Blanc in March 2016, while also being convicted of elbowing a police officer just a few months later.

Despite that back catalogue of controversy, the north Londoners opted to splash out £23m in order to sign the full-back in the summer of 2017, having notably racked up 15 assists in just 81 games during his time at the Parc des Princes.

That deal quickly looked like something of a mistake for those of a Spurs persuasion, however, with the 5 foot 9 enigma proving rather "erratic" in truth, as described by pundit Teddy Sheringham following his club debut.

How much did Tottenham sell Aurier for?

Despite enjoying a solid record of eight goals and 17 assists in 110 appearances during his time in the capital, the former Toulouse man was something of a rash and reckless liability at times, notably earning two red cards while in a Tottenham jersey.

That 'erratic' nature was particularly evident during the 2021 Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, with Aurier giving away the free-kick that led to the game's decisive goal, following a needless foul on Raheem Sterling.

That incident – which saw his defending branded "criminal" by ex-Spurs man Michael Dawson – seemingly epitomised his time at the club as a whole, with Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher subsequently dubbing the one-time Lens asset as "one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football".

Following such a costly mistake, it was then no surprise that Aurier was moved on that summer amid the arrival of Emerson Royal, with Levy agreeing to terminate the player's contract a year early, thus seeing him walk away for nothing.

Where is Serge Aurier now?

Despite the criticism that the 30-year-old received during his four-year spell at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – with Carragher branding him the type of player who would "put you off management" due to his "crazy decisions" – it only took 12 months for the experienced figure to return to English football, having joined newly-promoted Nottingham Forest last year after spending just a solitary season at Villarreal.

Bizarrely, it does look as if the £50k-per-week talent has proven a solid performer for the Tricky Trees after having been hailed as "a fantastic player with great quality" by teammate Chris Wood, following his brace of assists against Sheffield United earlier this season.

Across the last 365 days, he also ranks in the top 2% for both aerial duels won and clearances made among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues, as well as in the top 11% for tackles made, illustrating that perhaps improvements have been made to his defensive game under Steve Cooper.

Those strong showings at the City Ground will not, however, take away from Aurier's wretched record in north London, with his 2017 signing having proved particularly costly both on the pitch and financially for Levy and co.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com salários atrasados, o time principal do São Caetano pretendeu dar W.O em jogo contra o Pelotas (RS), neste sábado, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro da Série D, mas o clube conseguiu mobilizar jogadores da base e entrou em campo. Porém, o Azulão foi massacrado e levou um impiedoso 9 a 0 em casa, no Estádio Anacleto Campanella.

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Na última sexta-feira, o site Gazeta Esportiva publicou que os jogadores do São Caetano tinham optado por dar W.0 diante do Pelotas, em protesto por conta de salários pendentes. Vale destacar que o Azulão foi campeão do Campeonato Paulista da Série A2 no último dia 12. Dias antes, por conta da classificação à decisão, o clube conseguiu acesso ao Paulistão 2021.

O drama deste sábado começou antes mesmo de a bola rolar. O São Caetano precisava de 16 jogadores para atuar e um atleta chegou ao Anacleto Campanella apenas dez minutos antes da bola rolar. No jogo, o Pelotas não economizou nos gols. A primeira etapa foi fechada em 6 a 0.

O Pelotas lidera o grupo 8 da Série D, com 15 pontos em 9 jogos. Já o São Caetano é o lanterna do grupo, que tem 8 clubes, com 5 pontos em 8 partidas.

O Azulão já foi campeão paulista em 2004, além de vice-campeão da Libertadores em 2002. O Azulão também foi vice no Brasileiro de 2000 e 2001.

Na sexta-feira, o Sindicato de Atletas Profissionais do Estado de São Paulo (Sapesp) declarou apoio ao elenco do São Caetano. Leia a nota na íntegra.

It has been an excellent start for two of Manchester City’s marquee January signings. Omar Marmoush was one of the blockbuster moves across Europe in the winter window, and he became a Citizens hero at the weekend against Newcastle United with a hattrick in the first half, helping his side to a 4-0 win.

It was also a brilliant performance from new midfielder Nico Gonzalez. Essentially signed as a replacement for injured midfielder Rodri, Pep Guardiola could not have been happier with the La Masia graduate’s performance. He described the Spaniard as a “mini Rodri”, which is high praise indeed.

City also signed two new defenders, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, who have been eased into action by Guardiola.

Khusanov and Reis’ City career so far

There is certainly an argument to be made that the two defensive signings by City in January were investments for the future as much as they are for the present. However, it was a baptism of fire for Khusanov on his City debut.

He played 54 minutes against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side, and was at fault for a goal just a couple of minutes into the game, misplacing a headed backpass to Ederson which Chelsea pounced on.

However, he has bounced back well, making a total of three appearances and even getting on the scoresheet in the FA Cup, although it was a slightly lucky goal, with Rico Lewis’ shot deflecting in off him.

In The Pipeline

It has been an easier start for Reis, who, at 19 years of age, is slightly less experienced than the 20-year-old Khusanov. He has made just one City appearance so far, which came against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, and he’s been an unused substitute in the Premier League.

Guardiola was very complimentary of the Brazilian, describing him as a “very exciting” player upon signing him from Palmeiras. They are certainly both signings with the future in mind, and an example of good planning from City.

However, perhaps they were not additions that were needed, given some of the talent in the City academy. In particular, there is an exciting defensive talent Guardiola could call upon.

The talented defender in City’s academy

One of the best up-and-coming prospects in City’s academy is centre-back Stephen Mfuni. The 17-year-old, who has made a real impression this season, is able to play both centre-back and left-back.

This has led to football analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as the “academy version [Josko] Gvardiol”. The Croatian star – who cost £77.6m back in the summer of 2023 – has been a shining light this season in both the centre of defence and at full-back, having chipped in with five goals in all competitions.

As for Mfuni, who was born in Wigan, not too far from Manchester, the teen starlet has played in several competitions across City’s academy this term, making a total of 18 appearances. In that time, he has even managed to further emulate Gvardiol by getting his name on the scoresheet twice.

One of the competitions in which Mfuni has really impressed is in the UEFA Youth League. The 17-year-old has been a key part of City’s side which has reached the Round of 16, starting all but one of their games, a 4-2 defeat to Italian side Inter.

Perhaps Mfuni’s best game in the UEFA Youth League came against Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia. He showcased his elite progression on the ball and his impressive ability without it.

As per Sofascore, the defender completed 86% of his passes and won seven from seven duels.

Stat

Number

Touches

98

Pass accuracy

86%

Passes completed

76/88

Ground duels won

6/6

Aerial duels won

1/1

Long balls completed

5/10

Dribbles completed

3/3

There is certainly lots of talent in the City academy, although Mfuni might be the best of the bunch when it comes to defenders. At only 17 years of age, he is also an investment for the future.

Perhaps Guardiola did not need to sign Khusanov and Reis, and instead could have backed the Wigan-born defender in the first team. Who knows, he could have the next Gvardiol on his hands.

Man City may have found their left-sided Walker in "highly-rated" teenager

Man City’s signings in January attracted a lot of attention, but the acquisition of one teenager went under the radar, even though he could be a star.

ByBen Gray Feb 14, 2025

علّق المدير الفني لمنتخب فرنسا، ديدييه ديشامب، على الإصابة التي تعرض لها النجم كيليان مبابي في مباراة الأمس ضد منتخب النمسا.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في خضم منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور مجموعات كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

ونجح منتخب فرنسا في تحقيق فوز صعب، بهدف دون رد، بفضل النيران الصديقة.

وشهدت المباراة تعرض النجم كيليان مبابي لإصابة قوية في الأنف، تسببت في نزيف الدماء، قبل استبداله في الدقيقة 90 والدفع بزميله أوليفيه جيرو.

وذكرت تقارير صحفية، منذ قليل، أن مبابي يعاني من كسر في الأنف (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا)، وهو ما أكده ديشامب.

وقال ديشامب في تصريحاته بعد المباراة: “كسر في أنف مبابي؟ على ما يبدو نعم، أنفه ليس جيدًا على الإطلاق، سنرى”.

وأضاف: “إنه الجانب السلبي لهذا المساء، حتى لو كان الأمر يتعلق فقط بالأنف، فهو مزعج للغاية بالنسبة لنا”.

وأكد: “هو ليس في حالة جيدة، لا أستطيع أن أقول المزيد لأنه كان لدي واجبات إعلامية، لكن أنفه ليس جيدًا، الأمر معقد، هذه هي العلامة السوداء من هذا المساء”.

ولم يؤكد ديشامب مسألة احتياج مبابي إلى الخضوع لعملية جراحية في الأنف.

South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada faces up to three months on the sidelines because of a lower-back stress reaction. He will not be able to play IPL 2018, as a result, for Delhi Daredevils who had bought him for INR 4.2 crores (USD 646,000) at the player auction in January.Rabada had complained of tightness and discomfort during the fourth and final Test in Johannesburg, and bowled only eight overs in Australia’s second innings. A subsequent scan revealed the injury, according to South Africa’s team manager Mohammad Moosajee. Rabada was adjudged Play of the Series for taking 23 wickets in four Tests.”Kagiso has been diagnosed with a lower-back stress reaction which will rule him out of cricket action for up to three months,” Moosajee said. “He will need a month’s break from all physical activity before commencing with a rehabilitation programme to get him ready for the series against Sri Lanka in July.”South Africa’s next international engagement is a tour of Sri Lanka in July to play two Tests, five ODIs and a T20I.

Glasgow Rangers parted company with manager Michael Beale on Sunday evening following yet another poor start to a season.

The Ibrox side already find themselves seven points behind Celtic in the Premiership while also failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

Along with having no clear identity or playing style, all these factors played a role in the 43-year-old being sacked, and the hunt is on for a new boss.

Steven Davis has been put in interim charge ahead of the tie against Cypriot side Aris Limassol on Thursday and there could be various changes to the starting XI that lost against Aberdeen last weekend.

What’s the Rangers team news vs Aris?

During the woeful defeat to Aberdeen, both Ridvan Yilmaz and Ryan Jack were substituted due to injury problems, and they become the eighth and nine players to join the growing list of players unavailable.

They join the likes of Todd Cantwell, Tom Lawrence and Danilo, who have all missed the last couple of games.

The £12k-per-week Scottish midfielder will be a notable absentee from the Europa League tie as he has been solid in the heart of the midfield recently alongside John Lundstram and Jose Cifuentes and this is a potential blow from which Davis will have to navigate.

Could he perhaps turn to a young player in order to step up and replace Jack in the starting XI? Youngster Bailey Rice could well be one candidate having already made a first team appearance this term.

Who is Bailey Rice?

The 16-year-old is one of the most promising talents in the Ibrox academy at this current moment in time and the player made history during the 2022/23 season for the club.

After joining from Motherwell in the summer of 2022, Rice went on to be impressive for the B team during his first full season at Ibrox, making 21 appearances while chipping in with three goal contributions – two goals and an assist – and this led Beale to name him on the bench for a match against Livingston earlier this year.

The teenage starlet joined the fray with just a few minutes to go, however, he became the youngest ever player to feature in a league match for the Gers, beating the previous record by 14 days, and it certainly showed just how much faith the management team had in Rice.

Although Beale may have departed, Davis will know all about his strengths having trained with him on numerous occasions and there is no doubt he could slot into the void left by Jack.

With 22 caps for the Scotland U17 side, he has plenty of experience on an international level and a tie in Europe could be the perfect place for him to shine and demonstrate his talents.

Lauded as a “prospect” by writer Mark Hendry in January 2022 as clubs were lining up to pinch him from the Steelmen, Rice has everything it takes to forge a way into the senior side and become an integral part of the first team setup over the coming years.

A new era will begin on Thursday, and this could see several youngsters get their chance to show exactly what they are capable of.

Glasgow Rangers secured their first win since 27 September at the weekend, claiming a 3-0 victory over St Mirren in the Premiership and it was a much-needed three points on the road.

Interim manager, Steven Davis – who was placed in charge following the sacking of Michael Beale – moved on from the horror show in Limassol last week to claim his first win as interim boss, and it ensures the Gers move into second place in the league table, albeit still seven points behind Celtic.

The title race appears to be over, and it isn’t even Halloween yet, and the Light Blues are looking for their third manager in just two years following the sackings of Beale and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Chief executive James Bisgrove is now looking to appoint just the 19th permanent manager of the club, and he has a massive decision to make over the next few days, no question about it.

Indeed, chairman John Bennett and Bisgrove travelled down to London on Monday in order to conduct more face-to-face talks with potential candidates, with the role looking likely to be filled by the end of the week.

With the club seemingly near the end of their hunt for a new manager, who will be the lucky man that arrives in Glasgow for arguably the biggest challenge of their managerial career?

Who will be the next Rangers manager?

According to Andy Devlin from the Scottish Sun, four names are currently in the running to take over the role. Scott Parker, Philippe Clement, Kevin Muscat and Pascal Jansen have all been noted, but a favourite is yet to be revealed.

Aside from Parker, these names have all enjoyed solid success in their respective careers to date and would be worthy appointments, but they face a major task in getting a tune out of some of the players.

Summer arrivals such as Kieran Dowell, Sam Lammers and Danilo haven’t really hit the ground running at Ibrox as yet while it is another forward – Cyriel Dessers – who has been subject to plenty of criticism during his brief spell in Rangers thus far.

If he hits a run of form and gains some confidence, the Nigerian could potentially light up Ibrox, but this ability has been missing so far and requires an excellent coach to come in and light a fire beneath him in the next few months.

How has Cyriel Dessers performed for Rangers?

Beale earmarked Dessers as one of his main targets during the summer transfer window after he had scored seven goals for Serie A side Cremonese during the 2022/23 season.

The 43-year-old finally got his man for a transfer fee in the region of £4.5m and it looked as though he had all the necessary attributes to lead the line and fill the void left by Antonio Colak and Alfredo Morelos.

It hasn’t quite gone to plan for the 28-year-old yet, however. He has found the back of the net only three times across 15 games for the Gers and his all-round statistics haven’t been much better.

Across the whole squad for league performances, Dessers ranks in a lowly 22nd spot for overall Sofascore rating (6.7) while also ranking first for big chances missed (six), 13th for big chances created (one) and eighth for successful dribbles per game (0.6), hardly the numbers that Beale was looking for.

FC Utrecht

56

19

KRC Genk

43

11

Feyenoord

41

20

NAC Breda

40

29

Lokeren

40

7

Cremonese

29

7

Heracles

29

18

Rangers

15

3

Stats via Transfermarkt

Although not endearing himself to the supporters with these performances, perhaps a change of manager may do him the world of good and managerial candidate Jansen could potentially bring out the best in the former Feyenoord striker, that’s for sure.

Will Pascal Jansen be the next Rangers manager?

The London-born coach has been in charge of AZ Alkmaar since December 2020 and has done a wonderful job trying to disrupt the hegemony of the big three of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord and his side currently sits second in the Eredivisie table following seven wins and just one draw from eight matches.

Journalist Graeme Bailey praised the manager before AZ took on West Ham United in the Europa Conference League semi-finals last season, saying: “Spoke with AZ manager Pascal Jansen this week ahead of their Europa Conference League semi-final second leg with West Ham.

“English-born, a truly fascinating and engaging character who would love chance to manage in the Premier League.”

The 50-year-old typically deploys a 4-3-3 formation which would certainly suit the players in the current Gers squad, especially Dessers, as he could be the focal point of the attack while being surrounded by creative-minded talents such as Todd Cantwell, Abdallah Sima or Rabbi Matondo.

Jansen will know all about the striker due to his season at Feyenoord during 2021/22 and the Nigerian even netted against AZ in a 1-0 win back in November 2021, giving the manager a closer view of his talents.

That season was one of Dessers’ finest as he scored 20 goals across 41 matches, including nine in the top flight and Jansen might just have a few methods which could bring out the best from the out-of-form striker.

During his stint managing AZ, Jansen has a wonderful 1.99 points per match average while his side has netted 306 goals during just 147 matches in charge and this works out at just over two goals per game which indicates that the Ibrox side could be set to see some attacking football on show.

He hasn’t won anything in his managerial career yet, but neither had Beale and taking the safe option yet again would set the Light Blues back even further.

A gamble is the only logical option for Bisgrove and co and Jansen is exactly that. He has proven he can mix it with the big guns in the Netherlands while developing his own players along with making sure the established professionals in the squad stay happy and perform on a consistent basis.

With knowledge of Dessers from a couple of seasons ago, the AZ coach could transform his fortunes and get him firing in a Rangers jersey.

If he does, there is no doubt he could add goals and the gap to Celtic, with some luck, may just shrink in the coming months.

After the famously stirring victory against England, Scotland were brought back down to earth by a ruthlessly professional performance from Pakistan, who took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series with a 48-run win in Edinburgh. After winning what looked like a crucial toss, Sarfraz Ahmed made the right decision this time, batting first on a pancake of a track. He was instrumental to the victory, top-scoring with an unbeaten 89 using all the craft and street-smartness that makes him such a compelling player to watch. Aided by the evergreen Shoaib Malik, who smashed five sixes in a 27-ball 53, Pakistan amassed their second-highest T20I score, reaching 204.The last five overs was absolute carnage. Eighty runs came off them with Scotland bowling in shoddy fashion. The decision to use debutant left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir when the Sarfraz-Shoaib partnership was at its most devastating phase was somewhat bizarre. Final figures of 4-0-57-0 suggest it didn’t quite work either.The game didn’t pass without shades of the Scottish side that so thrillingly upstaged the old enemy England a couple of days ago. After an ominously explosive start by Pakistan – chiefly Fakhar Zaman, who was given a reprieve after Michael Leask put down an easy chance, Scotland had the better of the middle overs. Leask, Mark Watt and Alasdair Evans – the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 23 – strangled Pakistan after the Powerplay. Hussain Talat never looked comfortable at the crease and Sarfraz was struggling for rhythm early, all of which contributed to the run-rate hovering around 8, well below par for a batting paradise.The start of the Scottish innings suggested they were well up for the chase. Coetzer was impressive, surgically picking out gaps in a Powerplay field before lofting Mohammad Amir for a six straight over his head. A remarkable reverse-swept six off Mohammad Nawaz from George Munsey in the first over was perhaps the shot of the match, and the causal impudence with which it was attempted signified the journey Scotland have been through to feel comfortable enough at this level. By the end of the fifth over, Scotland had reached fifty without loss, keeping on top of the run-rate and ahead of Pakistan at that stage.But it was around that point the game began to peter out as a contest, with Pakistan showing why they are such a potent side. The bowlers stepped up as they sniffed an opening. Coetzer had been deprived of the strike since Hasan Ali had removed Munsey in the sixth over and he fell trying to regain the lost momentum. The focus then switched to Calum MacLeod given his heroics against England the other day, and the mouth-watering match-up with Shadab Khan.It didn’t quite live up to expectations, however. The batsman did get off the mark with a superb sweep shot off the legspinner to whet the appetite, but was dismissed by a wrong’un in the following over. It wasn’t much of a delivery, a long hop that turned back in, but MacLeod missed the slog. The umpire deemed the ball to have hit the pad in line with the stumps.At 84 for 4 in the 12th over, Scotland were in danger of collapsing to a huge defeat, but the lower middle order hung around to prevent such embarrassment. Dylan Budge and Michael Leask added 43 runs in 3.3 overs to send a parting shot Pakistan’s way for the second game that begins on Wednesday.There were no two ways about it, though. Pakistan are the better team, and they showed it with a performance that outclassed their hosts in all three departments. However, it did take a full-strength side to do it, and Scotland had their moments. Knitting those together for a match-winning performance has been something that has eluded nearly all of Pakistan’s opponents in the last two years. Scotland may have become the latest victims, but with the way their week of cricket has gone, they will be feeling anything but that.

Sky pundit Kevin Campbell has heaped praise on an Arsenal star he's previously called "underrated", explaining how the player is "now" coming into his own.

Latest Arsenal news

It was a wonderful weekend for Mikel Arteta's title hopefuls, who watched a plethora of their rivals drop points as they sealed a comfortable 4-0 win away to Bournemouth on the south coast. Goals from Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, summer signing Kai Havertz and Ben White capped off an afternoon where we witnessed Arsenal back at their imperious attacking best.

Havertz' strike marked the end of a torrid run for the Germany international, who has now bagged his first ever goal contribution in a Gunners jersey, and hopefully the first of many. This much-needed result came amid losses for Man City and Liverpool, who could well end up challenging Arsenal for the Premier League crown.

"Very happy, very happy," an ecstatic Arteta said after his side's victory.

"The way we approached the game since yesterday, the team was ready to play we knew about the challenge we had ahead of us against a team that don’t have what they deserve in terms of the games they have played, they don’t give you any time, the ball is always under pressure, small ground, very difficult to get out of that but I think we read the game really well and earnt the right to win it. I am really happy for the win but even happier to be part of something, part of a team that shows the human qualities that they have shown today."

Next up, Arsenal take on RC Lens in the Champions League this evening, with Pep Guardiola's City then awaiting them at the weekend in what is a crunch, crunch week for the Arteta and co.

Arsenal player ratings

There were many star performers to pick out from Arsenal's 4-0 thumping of the Cherries, but Sky pundit Campbell, speaking to the broadcaster [01/10/2023], has reserved special praise for one man.

Indeed, he believes club captain Odegaard is "coming into his self now" and is "making a difference".

"This guy here, honestly, Martin Odegaard, the captain, he really, really is coming into his self now," said Campbell (as transcribed by HITC).

"He is making a difference. He worked it out with Saka to give Kai Havertz that opportunity to take the penalty. I think it’s good for the group that Kai Havertz got off the mark.”

The Norway international has been praised recently as an "underrated" player by Campbell also, who told the Highbury Squad YouTube channel that he's "maturing" in front of our eyes.

“He is a really top player Odegaard, I still think he’s underrated, I do,” Campbell said.

“Odegaard, He’s maturing in front of our very eyes as a captain. I believe he is maturing and the beautiful thing is we’ve not see the best of him yet. So many of these players are going to grow together, let’s just hope this Arsenal dynasty stay together. These guys are all going to be world-class together,”