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Everything you need to know about Angel Di Maria's salary details playing for Benfica

Angel Di Maria is a true legend of the game. Having started his career at Rosario Central, Di Maria began his European journey with Portuguese side Benfica, where he made headlines as a talented prospect. It did not take long before Real Madrid came calling, where he played a key role in Madrid's historic La Decima campaign during the 2013–14 season.

Later, the Argentina legend went on to play for major clubs such as Manchester United, PSG, and Juventus, before returning to Benfica once again in 2023, signing a one-year deal. He extended his contract in 2024 for another season and currently ranks as one of the highest-paid players in the squad.

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology to find out exactly how much he earns in Lisbon!

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• Angel Di Maria's wages at Benfica in numbers

  The Argentine player earns a significant amount at Benfica. Di Maria's current contract provides him with £62,957 weekly, totaling £3.2 million ($4.3m) annually, ranking him as the third-highest paid in the team.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in Pounds	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in Pounds	Annual wages in USD
  Angel Di Maria	Argentine	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435

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  Top earners at Benfica

  Renato Sanches, a Portuguese midfielder, is the club's highest-paid player.

  Anatoli Trubin, Angel Di Maria, and Arthur Cabral are next, all earning the same salary.

  Orkun Kokcu, a Turkish international, completes the top five.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in Pounds	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in Pounds	Annual wages in USD
  Renato Sanches	Portuguese	£113,610	$151,723	£5,884,318	$7,889,583
  Anatoli Trubin	Ukrainian	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435
  Angel Di Maria	Argentine	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435
  Arthur Cabral	Brazilian	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435
  Orkun Kokcu	Turkish	£49,058	$65,776	£2,551,005	$3,420,339

• Top earners in Liga Portugal

  Four of the top five highest-paid players in Liga Portugal are from Benfica.

  Renato Sanches is the highest-paid, followed by Francisco Trincao from Sporting CP in second place.

  Anatoli Trubin, Angel Di Maria, and Arthur Cabral are in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages in Pounds	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in Pounds	Annual wages in USD
  Renato Sanches	Benfica	£113,610	$151,723	£5,884,318	$7,889,583
  Francisco Trincao	Sporting CP	£63,775	$85,508	£3,316,306	$4,446,441
  Anatoli Trubin	Benfica	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435
  Angel Di Maria	Benfica	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435
  Arthur Cabral	Benfica	£62,957	$84,412	£3,273,789	$4,389,435

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  Highest paid players in the world

  No players from Liga Portugal rank among the top five highest-paid globally, despite high earnings.

  The top five are all from the Saudi Pro League, with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr earning the most.

  Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, and Riyad Mahrez, now with Al-Ahli, is third.

  Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are fourth and fifth, respectively.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	£3,216,155	$4,210,425	£167,250,468	$218,942,120
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	£1,608,178	$2,105,213	£83,625,234	$109,471,060
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	£839,469	$1,098,921	£45,652,372	$57,43,893
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	£643,271	$842,085	£33,450,094	$43,788,424
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	£558,038	$730,509	£29,017,956	$37,986,458

In recent times, Celtic have been renowned for their business model at Parkhead of buying young players and selling them on for profit, a strategy that chief executive Michael Nicholson described as “successful on and off the field”.

This leads to plenty of players passing through the club, often for a very short period, sometimes making a ginormous impact, and other times leaving having made very little impression at all.

The latter is certainly true of a highly-rated youngster, once labelled “the Scottish Gareth Bale”, whose stint at Parkhead was, at best, unmemorable, and has certainly not lived up to his potential.

Celtic's best and worst loanees

According to Transfermarkt, since 2017, Celtic have taken 16 senior players on loan, not including players such as Daizen Maeda, Jota, Paulo Bernardo, Adam Idah nor Cameron Carter-Vickers, who initially arrived on loan, before making the move permanent.

So, here they all are in all their glory. We bet there are some names on this list you’d completely forgotten about…

Fair to say, looking at this list, it’s a real mixed bag, with Mohamed Elyounoussi and Patrick Roberts, almost unquestionably, the two best, both in terms of longevity and output.

On the flip side, the trio that arrived during the behind-closed-doors 2020/21 season, namely Shane Duffy, Jonjoe Kenny and Diego Laxalt, were not great were they, making it very little surprise that campaign was such a catastrophe.

Where Are They Now

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

One player on that list, who made fewer than 20 appearances in hoops, managed by both Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon during his brief time at the club, had massive potential, but never fulfilled that hype.

Celtic once had the 'Scottish Gareth Bale'

Oliver Burke was once described, as noted by analyst Kai Watson, as the ‘Scottish Gareth Bale’, with sky-high expectations placed upon his shoulders, hence why RB Leipzig paid a reported £13m for his services, signing him from Nottingham Forest in 2016 when he was still a teenager.

However, as outlined by Mark Walker of the Herald, Burke has had a ‘peculiar career’ since then, viewed as an ‘unpolished diamond’ when he first broke into Forest’s first team, with Steve Madeley of the Athletic describing him as ‘rampaging’ and ‘speedy’.

However, his manager at Leipzig, Ralf Rangnick, essentially intimated that Burke was unable to take on tactical instructions, so his time in Saxony did not go as planned.

The Scotland international, still only 27-years-old, was sold to West Bromwich Albion for £15m in 2017, but made just 24 appearances for the Baggies, loaned out to Celtic, for whom he scored four goals, including this brace against St Mirren.

Since departing Parkhead, Burke has represented Depotivo Alavés, Sheffield United, Millwall twice and Birmingham City, with Joseph Chapman of Birmingham Live describing his loan spell at St Andrew’s as ‘miserable’.

So, where is he in 2025 and how is he doing? Well, the Scot is back in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, joining die Grün-Weißen in 2022, but making only 36 appearances for them so far, albeit he was on target during Tuesday’s DFB-Pokal defeat at the hands of 3.Liga side Arminia Bielefeld.

At this peak, Burke was bought for £15m, but is now valued at less than £1m by Transfermarkt, merely a footnote in Celtic’s treble success of 2018/19.

Celtic's best striker since Larsson is now playing in Australia's 3rd-tier

Celtic have had plenty of top-class strikers in the 20 years since Henrik Larsson’s departure, but one is now plying his trade in the wilderness.

By
Ben Gray

Feb 25, 2025

Darwin Nunez has been tempted by an offer from the Saudi Pro League, though the Liverpool striker is also open to joining Napoli this summer.

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• Nunez expected to leave Liverpool this summer
• Uruguay international wanted by Napoli and Atletico Madrid
• Saudi Pro League teams also eager to snap him up

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Uruguayan forward has been linked with a summer transfer, with Serie A title hopefuls Napoli and La Liga club Atletico Madrid interested in signing him. Saudi sides are also eager to snap him up, as recently reported that Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all candidates.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to , the prospect of accepting a lucrative contract in the Middle East is a tempting one for Nunez, but claims that he is fascinated by the possibility of joining Napoli and will give a response to their offer in the coming days.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 25-year-old is expected to be sold this summer following a disappointing campaign. He has made 45 appearances for Liverpool this season but only 17 of those have been from the start.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DARWIN NUNEZ?

  The ex-Benfica star came off the bench in Liverpool's last three league games and will hope to make another appearance when they face Brighton in their penultimate match of the 2024-25 campaign before the Reds end the season with a home game against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal have now submitted a £50m offer for an “outstanding” player who Tottenham Hotspur made a bid for during the January transfer window, according to a report.

Mikel Arteta looking to strengthen in multiple areas

One of the Gunners’ main priorities for the summer transfer window is to bring in a new striker, having opted not to bring in a new option in January, and a number of exciting options have been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium.

Contact has now been made over a deal for Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui, while the north Londoners are also prepared to make a huge offer to ensure they win the race for RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko.

However, it is not just the striker position which Mikel Arteta is keen on strengthening, with Martin Zubimendi being targeted in midfield, while there is also a feeling a new centre-back could be brought in, with AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen said to be of interest.

Arsenal now make contact for "composed" £50m striker with 20 league goals

The Gunners have made the first move to sign a striker who is the top scorer in his league this season.

By
Dominic Lund

Feb 16, 2025

Huijsen is not the only Premier League defender Arteta has his eye on, however, with a report from Spain revealing Arsenal have made a €60m (£50m) offer for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, but they are not the only English club to have done so.

The report states a similar offer is on the table from Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham, with the latter club also submitting a £70m bid during the January transfer window, highlighting just how keen they are on getting a deal over the line.

It seems likely Guehi will seal a move away from Crystal Palace this summer, given the interest from a number of the Premier League’s top clubs, and his contract is set to expire in 2026, meaning the next window is Palace’s last chance to cash-in for a large fee.

"Outstanding" Guehi impressing for club and country

It is no wonder the England international is attracting so much interest, given that he has put in some top-quality performances for club and country in recent times, being lauded as “outstanding” by members of the media for his displays at Euro 2024.

Since then, the 24-year-old has continued to be a key player for Palace, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.17 in the Premier League this season, the second-highest figure of anyone to have appeared in at least 50% of the games.

The centre-back has also proven himself to be a real threat at the opposite end of the pitch, bagging three league goals this season, and being nominated for goal of the month in January.

Guehi is clearly a top defender, who has earned a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but Arsenal already have a rock-solid centre-back partnership in Gabriel and William Saliba, so there are some doubts over whether the Englishman would be a necessary signing.

Pressure on Javier Mascherano and his men to perform after draw against East-leading Philadelphia

An 86th-minute free kick golazo from Lionel Messi helped spark a late comeback for Inter Miami as they earned a point on the road against the Philadelphia Union in a 3-3 draw Saturday night.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner stepped up with the trailing by two goals with four minutes to spare, drilling home a brilliant left-footed strike from the top of the box for his sixth goal of the MLS campaign. With a boost of momentum, the South Beach side, in the last minute of stoppage-time, found an equalizer on a goal by Telasco Segovia.

From the edge of the box, Segovia curled home an effort into the top corner of the net to make it 3-3 in the dying seconds of the match – completing the riveting comeback and earning Miami a point on the road.

With the result, though, Miami are still winless in seven of their last eight matches. It was a dominant performance from the Union all match long, but a bit of Messi magic went a long way to ensure Miami didn't leave empty handed.

Quinn Sullivan, U.S. men's national team call-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup training camp, opened the scoring for Philly as the 20-year-old nailed a belter of a curling effort just seven minutes in off a short corner kick.

MLS Golden Boot leader Tai Baribo then doubled the Union's lead minutes before halftime, furthering their advantage ahead of the break. Miami earned a goal back in the 60th minute off a lovely header from winger Tadeo Allende – the beginning of their eventual comeback.

Baribo, however, responded with his second of the game to make it 3-1 with 16 minutes to spare, thinking he'd bagged the dagger that earned his club all three points. That was until Messi stepped up.

His brilliant free kick brought the South Beach club back into the mix as the final whistle neared. It wasn't a pretty game for the by any means. Their defense was exploited all match long, and Philly outshot them 18 to 10.

With just one win in their last eight across all competitions, though, a point might be viewed as successful for Miami.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Subaru Park.

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• Goalkeeper & Defense

  Oscar Ustari (6/10):

  A few nice reaction saves, but his struggles showed. Not much he could do on the opening two goals, and on the third, his defense let him down.

  Noah Allen (5/10):

  Appeared to miss his mark on Sullivan's goal for Philly's opener, but hard to pin it on him alone. Miami's best defender of the night, that mishap aside.

  Tomas Aviles (4/10):

  Surprisingly inserted into the XI for the first time in five weeks, and was outclassed all match. Caught out multiple times, he couldn't handle the pressure from the Union attack.

  Gonzalo Lujan (4/10):

  Slow and unaware all night long. On Miami's second goal, he was beat to the ball despite having two steps on the attacker – just a poor performance overall.

  Ian Fray (5/10):

  Didn't excel, but wasn't particularly poor, either. A fine performance, but against the Union, fine isn't good enough.

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  Midfield

  Jordi Alba (5/10):

  Played out of position further up the pitch, he brought nothing additional to the attack – which was the intention of the switch. Not his fault, as a defender.

  Sergio Busquets (6/10):

  Strong centrally, per usual – but with few creators surrounding him, he struggled to find outlets with which to pass to.

  Yannick Bright (N/A):

  Subbed off at 38 minutes in due to injury.

  Tadeo Allende (6/10):

  Really nice header, perfect run. However, he was poor in the final-third throughout the match – struggled in build up and transition, but came up big with his goal, sparking the eventual comeback.

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  Attack

  Lionel Messi (7/10):

  Played frustrated all evening until that magical free kick. He was at his best for eight minutes of the game, and it earned them a point – would it have been three if he played like that longer?

  Luis Suarez (3/10):

  Invisible the entire game. A few pieces of hold-up play, but just completely ineffective otherwise.

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  Subs & Manager

  Federico Redondo (6/10):

  Replaced Bright and held his own well for 60-plus minutes. Tucked in alongside Busquets, he had a rather solid second half.

  Fafa Picault (N/A):

  Brought on late to try and secure a result, but wasn't able to make a lasting impact.

  Marcelo Weigandt (2/10):

  Just so poor. Came into the game and committed multiple fouls and then found himself out of position on Philadelphia's third goal. Should be thankful Messi rescued him from his own cameo.

  Telasco Segovia (9/10):

  Scored a goal that was flagged for offsides, and then bagged the game-tying strike with a lovely finish. He did exactly what he was asked of, and you could not ask for more. Well done.

  Javier Mascherano (3/10):

  Got everything wrong from his XI to the tactics. Jordi Alba deployed higher up the pitch left his defense without a leader, while slowing down the counter-attack during regulation. Miami offered few ideas going forward or defensively. Eight minutes of Messi magic should not redeem how poor this club was set up throughout the match.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim was hired to make tough decisions at Old Trafford, and he now looks to have made up his mind on one key position ahead of the summer window.

Manchester United's problems laid bare under Amorim

Expectedly, United are never a club who find themselves too far away from the headlines when it comes to transfer stories, on-field analysis and everything in between at Old Trafford.

Despite a mixed run of fortunes since stepping into the hotseat, Ruben Amorim won’t be judged too harshly in comparison to his managerial competitors until reinforcements arrive at the Red Devils this summer to fit his vision.

Individual mistakes have hindered his side in their mission to push forward in the Premier League standings. In midweek, a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town offered some brief respite for the Portuguese boss. Still, United’s performance was littered with errors that could well have proved costly on another day.

Patrick Dorgu saw red for a high challenge on Omari Hutchinson following a VAR intervention, while Andre Onana’s two mistakes allowed Jaden Philogene to fire the visitors into the lead twice before the first-half was out.

The Cameroon international has been under scrutiny this term due to a string of inconsistent performances. In recent days, Espanyol stopper Joan Garcia has been identified as a target for the Red Devils as Amorim looks to add competition between the sticks.

Financially, it remains to be seen how much business Manchester United will be able to conduct once the summer window opens as supporters wait to see if continental qualification can be secured via the Europa League or FA Cup. Nevertheless, the Red Devils are now said to be eyeing a statement move, according to recent reports.

Manchester United look to bring high-profile Onana replacement

Per reports in Spain, Manchester United hope to convince AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to join the club and Amorim is believed to have sought out the France international as his preferred replacement for Onana.

Born in Cayenne, the 29-year-old would be open to trying his luck in the Premier League and the thought of a move to Old Trafford could tempt the stopper to seek a new challenge. However, the Red Devils would have to convince him that a potential switch would be the correct course of action during his peak years.

Man Utd now set to make £33m offer plus Hojlund to sign "fantastic" star

Ruben Amorim isn’t messing about at Old Trafford.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Feb 28, 2025

Strengthening on the goalkeeper front has become a priority for United’s coaching staff. Maignan may be the ideal candidate to fit the bill following 11 clean sheets in 39 appearances across all competitions through 2024/25.

Labelled “incredible” by former Ireland boss Stephen Kenny, the former Lille number one has saved 68.5% of 89 shots on target faced in Serie A across the campaign. In the Champions League, he has prevented 77.5% of 49 efforts bound for goal, which suggests he could be an upgrade on Onana based on current form.

Difficult decisions need to be made at Old Trafford as Amorim plots a route to bring long-term stability to Old Trafford. Could Maignan be the answer? His arrival would certainly ignite excitement among supporters.

Bayer Leverkusen star, Jeremie Frimpong, has already touched down in England before completing his transfer to Liverpool.

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• Frimpong set to sign for Liverpool
• The Reds have activated his release clause
• Has already undergone a successful medical

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool have activated the €35 million (£30m/$40m) buyout clause in Frimpong's contract with Leverkusen. And following a successful medical, the 24-year-old arrived via private jet on Tuesday to join the Merseyside club.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Frimpong’s imminent arrival coincides with the departure of long-serving right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose exit over the weekend leaves a significant void on Liverpool’s right flank. His move to Anfield also adds to an increasingly Dutch flavour in Liverpool’s squad. The Reds already boast Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo among their ranks, with new manager Arne Slot, who took over from Jurgen Klopp, also hailing from the Netherlands.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR FRIMPONG?

  Shortly after Liverpool’s final Premier League match of the season, Frimpong ‘liked’ an Instagram post from the club that featured fellow Dutch internationals Van Dijk, Gravenberch, and Gakpo lifting the league trophy at Anfield. However, Frimpong may not be the only arrival from Leverkusen this summer. Liverpool are also reportedly closing in on another high-profile signing: German sensation Florian Wirtz. The attacking midfielder played a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten league season, and Liverpool appear to have edged out Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in pursuit of his signature.

With the summer transfer window approaching, Barcelona chief Deco is now reportedly preparing the club’s wage bill in order to afford a move to sign a Liverpool attacker worth £63m.

Barcelona already preparing Liverpool blow

In quite the contrast to last time out, Liverpool could be in for a fairly busy summer transfer window this year.

As things stand, the Reds are set to lose Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold on free deals with their contracts coming to an end once the season has concluded.

Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s own reported push to mark his own stamp on his side is likely to swing the exit door open for others at Anfield.

Suarez 2.0: Liverpool line up move for "the most complete CF in the world"

This free-scoring centre-forward would be an even bigger deal than Darwin Nunez at Liverpool.

By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 16, 2025

Names such as Harvey Elliott and Diogo Jota are reportedly at threat of losing their Liverpool place on a permanent basis in what would be a ruthless move by Slot in his second summer in charge of the Reds.

One player the Dutchman does not want to lose, however, is van Dijk, having had his say on his captain’s contract situation and reiterating his desire to keep hold of the centre-back this summer.

It’s not just Van Dijk that Slot should be worrying about though. According to Football Espana, Barcelona are now clearing their wage bill to make room for signing Luis Diaz, who Liverpool reportedly value at around €75m (£63m) this summer.

The interest of the Spanish giants is far from new, given their push to sign Diaz last summer which eventually ended in failure. Following another mixed campaign for the winger, however, they’re set to go again in pursuit of his signature in what could yet prove to be successful at last.

Why Liverpool should cash-in on Diaz

There’s not been many clear issues in Slot’s side this season. After all, they are about to lift the Premier League title. Alas, it’s become more and more difficult to ignore their striker problem throughout the current campaign. Whether it’s been Diaz, Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota, the Reds have lacked ruthlessness if it’s not been Salah or Cody Gakpo stepping up.

An attacking overhaul is arguably needed even in the face of their Premier League crowning. And that should see the Reds cash-in on Diaz if Barcelona come calling this summer. Having once been among Jurgen Klopp’s favourites, with the German dubbing the winger “special” in 2022, Diaz is now among those who could be shown the door under Slot.

What his exit could pave the way for is a move for the likes of Alexander Isak. The Newcastle United star is a man in demand and is undoubtedly a player who would complete Liverpool’s attack once and for all.

The Reds have sold to buy to such success in the past and may now repeat their transfer genius by cashing in on Diaz before chasing Isak’s arrival this summer.

Aston Villa have been warned off parting with Manchester United-linked Emi Martinez as he is worth "10 points" to them over the course of a season.

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• Villans need to sell in order to comply with PSR
• World Cup winner linked with a move elsewhere
• Talismanic figure is crucial to Unai Emery's cause

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Serious questions are being asked of whether World Cup-winning goalkeeper Martinez will still be at Villa Park in the 2025-26 campaign. That is despite the Argentina international being tied to a contract through to 2029.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With no Champions League football on the agenda for next season, the Villans will reportedly have to sanction sales this summer in order to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

  It has been suggested that Martinez could depart, as one of the club’s most saleable assets, and the 32-year-old has seen moves to Old Trafford or the Saudi Pro League speculated on – with a surprisingly low £16 million ($22m) price tag being mooted. Villa are, however, being advised to do all they can to retain the South American shot-stopper.

• WHAT EMILE HESKEY SAID

  Former Villa striker Emile Heskey told when asked about the prospect of Martinez moving on: “Huge, huge blow. He’s been a mainstay and an outstanding servant for Villa.

  “I think there were some pundits that said he’s a great goalkeeper. It could be as much as 10 points. He's probably been more than that. You know, he's been fantastic.

  “An interesting character, which most goalkeepers are, but yeah, flamboyant and someone who's demanding and commanding in his area. You need that, you need that within a goalkeeper. Someone who's commanding in that area, and he definitely is that.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  While urging Villa to keep Martinez on board, Heskey is not convinced that efforts should be made to bring Jack Grealish back to his native West Midlands from Manchester City – four years on from the England playmaker leaving in a record-breaking £100 million ($135m) transfer.

Under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, nearly everything has changed at Arsenal.

The Spaniard took charge of a midtable side stuck going nowhere and turned them into a brilliant team who were in a Premier League title race for the third campaign on the bounce this season.

On top of that, the club are now seemingly more willing to splash the cash on marquee signings than they were in the past, which is likely something we will see again in the summer.

Moreover, last summer was the first time in a long time that the club were one of the best selling sides in a transfer window, although it should be said that a few months before he got the job, the club hit the jackpot by selling an academy graduate he for an enormous profit, and more than Emile Smith Rowe went for last season.

Arteta's best sales

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at a couple of Arteta’s best sales as Arsenal manager, starting with someone who netted the club a significant profit: Folarin Balogun.

There was a time when the American forward was looked upon as the Gunners’ next great centre-forward, so much so, in fact, that Martin Keown compared him to Ian Wright and Andy Cole in 2020.

That belief was further bolstered when the New York-born striker scored 22 goals and provided three assists in 39 first-team appearances while on loan with Ligue 1 side Stade Reims in the 22/23 season.

However, instead of integrating him into his team the following campaign, the manager opted to move him to AS Monaco for a massive fee of around £34m, and considering he’s scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 42 appearances since, it would be fair to say it was the right decision.

A sale that is perhaps a little more contentious among the Gunners faithful today is that of Smith Rowe.

The Hale End product was a firm fan favourite at the Emirates due to the way he and Bukayo Saka came to prominence and arguably helped keep Arteta in the job early on in his tenure.

However, a string of injuries and the signing of Martin Odegaard eventually saw him relegated to a bit part role at best.

With it clear he wouldn’t get much in the way of significant game time this season, the club agreed to sell him to Fulham for a fee that could reach £34m.

Now, while that’s a good price, the combination of injuries in Arteta’s squad and the fact that he’s racked up a tally of seven goal involvements this term has led some to question whether he should have been let go.

Interestingly, the same things have not been said about one of the Englishman’s teammates at Craven Cottage, who was sold by the Gunners for even more money back in 2019.

The Arsenal star sold for more than Smith Rowe

So, when it comes to impressive sales before Arteta took over as Arsenal manager, you can’t look past Alex Iwobi.

The Fulham star joined the Gunners as a youngster and, under the management of the great Arsène Wenger and Unai Emery, would go on to make 149 first-team appearances, in which he scored 15 goals and provided 24 assists.

The Nigerian international was reliable, if a little unspectacular, during his time in North London, so when Everton made an offer of £35m to sign him in the summer of 2019, it seemed like a no-brainer to thank him for his service and send him to Goodison.

What made the sale even more incredible was that, due to him being an academy player, the entire fee was profit, making it undoubtedly one of the best sales in the club’s history.

Since leaving the Gunners, the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by Wenger, has carved out a great career for himself in the Premier League, making 140 appearances for the Toffees and then, since his £22m move to Craven Cottage, he has made 67 appearances for the West Londoners, in which he’s scored 13 goals and provided six assists.

He’s become an integral player for Marco Silva over the years, and it was no surprise to hear Arteta describe him as a “tremendous talent” and a “very special” player ahead of his side’s game against Fulham in December, a game the former Gunners’ ace started and which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Ultimately, while Iwobi has gone on to have a great top-flight career and would certainly be a useful squad player for Arteta and Co, Arsenal made the right decision to sell him when they did, as even now, the money Everton offered would be too good to turn down.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Mar 21, 2025