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فشل منتخب مصر في حصد المركز الثالث ببطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للشباب، بعد الخسارة أمام نيجيريا، بركلات الترجيح، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الأحد.

والتقى منتخب مصر مع نيجيريا، في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع لمنافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للشباب التي تقام في مصر خلال الفترة الحالية.

وكان منتخب مصر، تقدم عن طريق اللاعب عمر أسامة، بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة الثالثة من عمر الشوط الأول للمباراة.

طالع | عمر أسامة يسجل هدف منتخب مصر الأول أمام نيجيريا هدف مصر الأول أمام نيجيريا في كأس أمم إفريقيا للشباب

وتعادل لـ منتخب نيجيريا مع بداية الشوط الثاني، لاعبه بيديمي أمولي، في الدقيقة 47 من زمن المباراة، ليلجأ المنتخبان إلى ركلات الترجيح.

وفي ركلات الترجيح، استطاع منتخب نيجيريا أن يحسم اللقاء لصالحه بالفوز بنتيجة 4-1، حيث أهدر لاعبو منتخب مصر ركلتي جزاء.

منتخب مصر كان قد خسر في دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا أمام المغرب، بهدف دون رد، بينما منتخب نيجيريا خسر أمام جنوب إفريقيا.

واصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي إنتر ميامي الترنح بتعادل إيجابي جديد في بطولة الدوري الأمريكي أمام سان خوسيه إيرثكويكس بنتيجة 3-3 في إطار الجولة الثالثة عشرة.

وأقيمت مباراة إنتر ميامي صباح اليوم، الخميس، في تمام الساعة الخامسة والنصف بتوقيت “القاهرة”، على ملعب “باي بال بارك” في مدينة “سان خوسيه”.

اقرأ أيضًا | منافس الأهلي.. بوسكيتس يعترف: إنتر ميامي ليس بمستوى كأس العالم للاندية

وشارك في المباراة الثلاثي ليونيل ميسي، جوردي ألبا وسيرجيو بوسكيتس أساسيين، لكن لويس سواريز غاب لأسباب شخصية.

وبدأ إنتر ميامي التسجيل عن طريق اللاعب، ماكسيماليانو فالكون بالدقيقة الأول، قبل أن يرد المنافس بعد دقيقتين فقط من خلال اللاعب، كريستيان أرانجو. شاهد أهداف مباراة إنتر ميامي وسان خوسيه في الدوري الأمريكي

وتقدم سان خوسيه من خلال اللاعب بو ليرو في الدقيقة 37، لكن بالدقيقة 44 تعادل تاديو أليندي لصالح إنتر ميامي.

ورغم ذلك بالدقيقة الرابعة من الوقت بدل الضائع من الشوط الأول، استطاع إيان هاركيس أن يتقدم لسان خوسيه من جديد قبل صافرة الحكم.

في الشوط الثاني، أدرك تاديو أليندي التعادل من أجل إنتر ميامي في الدقيقة 52 واستمرت المباراة بتلك النتيجة حتى صافرة النهاية ويفقد إنتر ميامي نقطتين جديدتين.

هذه هي المباراة الثانية على التوالي التي لا يحقق فيها إنتر ميامي الفوز في الدوري الأمريكي، قبل شهر واحد فقط على انطلاق كأس العالم للأندية ومباراة الأهلي في الافتتاح.

ويحتل إنتر ميامي المركز الخامس في ترتيب بطولة الدوري الأمريكي بالمجموعة الشرقية برصيد 22 نقطة وبفارق 6 نقاط عن سينسيناتي المتصدر، لكن بمباراة أقل.

It’s 10 years since New Zealand have played an ODI in West Indies but they could, depending on final selection, field five players who were part of that team in St Kitts in July 2012.Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Tim Southee and Trent Boult are back as part of this tour – a mark of their longevity and success as international cricketers – as the side gears up for next year’s ODI World Cup which, for some, might be their last global tournament.For Boult there is even a question mark over that after his recent decision to step away from his central contract. Beyond this tour (and the upcoming T20 World Cup which he appears set to play) the criteria around his future selection remains to be decided.Related

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• Ben Sears replaces injured Matt Henry in squad for West Indies ODIs

• Stead hails 'pretty special' Phillips and power-packed middle order

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Boult’s previous ODIs came in March 2021 – they have been a scarce format for New Zealand until recently which has left them a lot of catch-up series to play over the next few months – but for some, it’s even longer since an appearance in the format.Southee is no longer a first-choice pick in ODIs, but it is still remarkable to think that his last appearance was before the pandemic was a reality – against India in February 2020.Williamson’s most recent outing came just a month later, in the first behind-closed-doors game at the SCG just as sport around the world was being shut down. That is one of just two matches he has played since the 2019 World Cup final owing to injury and rotation.Kane Williamson has not played an ODI since March 2020•Getty Images

Barring Matt Henry’s injury which has ended his tour, New Zealand are at full strength for the series having explored their depth on the recent tour of Europe and over the last couple of years. A number of players have emerged during that time and some find themselves on this tour: opening batter Finn Allen, allrounder Michael Bracewell who produced some stunning performances in Europe, and pace bowler Ben Sears who has replaced Henry.”Sears [has] that bit of extra pace which is always nice to have in your side. Finn who has done really well in the Super Smash and over in Europe he played really well,” Latham said. “Both those guys are youthful and play an exciting brand of cricket.”With spin expected to play a significant part, there may only be room for two frontline quicks in New Zealand’s XI.”It will be interesting to see what the surfaces are like,” Latham said. “Looking at some of the scores in recent times here in one-day cricket they do vary a little bit so sure spin will play a part but we also have a bit of pace in our squad as well.”Having played just three of their World Cup Super League series, New Zealand have more ODI cricket than most between now and next March. After this series they head to Cairns in northern Australia in early September and after the T20 World Cup host India before heading to Pakistan. They wrap up their home season against Sri Lanka.”With the big picture of the World Cup not too far away so for us it’s about getting used to different conditions,” Latham said. “Somewhere here like West Indies, it might be similar to what we are faced with in India.”Any time you get the opportunity to play on different surfaces to home it’s important you take all the learnings and try to adapt the best you can. That’s something our squad has done really well of late, we’ve played over in Europe and here with the T20s so it’s all about trying to adapt as quickly as you can.”New Zealand ODI squad Kane Williamson, Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

New Zealand set daunting 296 thanks to Mitchell, Blundell, but still face 3-0 series scoreline

Andrew Miller26-Jun-2022Close England 360 and 183 for 2 (Pope 81*, Root 55*) need another 113 runs to beat New Zealand 329 and 326 (Blundell 88, Latham 76, Mitchell 65, Leach 5-66) Jack Leach justified the faith placed in him by his captain Ben Stokes with the first ten-wicket haul of his Test career, before Ollie Pope rode that same feelgood factor with the second significant score of his new role at No.3, as England emulated their exploits at Lord’s and Trent Bridge with yet another emphatic assault on what might once have been considered a daunting victory target of 296.By the close of the fourth day, England had whittled that requirement down to a further 113 with eight wickets standing, with Pope leading the line with a forceful 81, and the ubiquitous Joe Root once again offering the sort of stone-cold presence that can make the impossible seem mundane. Root brought up his own fifty with a pull for four off Michael Bracewell in the final over of the day, then followed that up with four more for good measure, as New Zealand’s spinner was battered for a total of 70 runs in 11 inconsistent overs, a return that served only to highlight the excellence of Leach’s earlier efforts.If successful, England’s chase would be the seventh-highest by any team in 140 years of Test cricket in this country (and curiously, the fifth-highest at Headingley), and yet, it would only be the second-highest of England’s three 250-plus chases this month alone. And though the fans will once again be welcomed in for free for Monday’s fifth day, only an improbable New Zealand fightback will now be able to produce the same I-was-there experience that Jonny Bairstow served up in that 299-run victory romp in Nottingham last week.Related

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For much of the fourth evening, England’s progress seemed measured by their recent standards, and yet their innings still rattled along at an insatiable rate of 4.69 per over. And, for the umpteenth time in this most peculiar campaign, it emphatically upstaged the relentless consistency of New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. Earlier in the day, their fourth century stand of the series had carried their total partnership runs to a formidable haul of 724, and in reviving New Zealand from a sickly 168 for 5 in a wicketless morning session, it seemed that, this time, they might finally be setting their side up for a consolation victory too.The fact that they probably now won’t was thanks to Leach’s best – and not coincidentally, his most confident – display in an England shirt. As in the first innings, when he gunned down New Zealand’s tail with three wickets in five balls, Leach this time rounded up their last four in five overs as Blundell was left high and dry on 88 not out, but the rewards were due on both occasions for his ceaseless efforts across a total of 70.5 overs, including 32.2 in the second dig at a tick over two runs per over. “I’ve not seen it or felt it this good,” Leach said at the close about the faith that had been invested in him. “It’s special.”It was far from a solo effort from Leach, however. England needed to stay composed throughout an arduous morning session, as Mitchell and Blundell batted through to lunch with barely a flicker of alarm – save an lbw decision for Leach against Mitchell that was successfully overturned on review. And when, in the first half-hour after lunch, Blundell also got a reprieve on 52 against Matt Potts’ inswinger – an identical delivery, in fact, to the one that had controversially removed him in the first innings – less bullish teams might have allowed their heads to drop.Potts, however, is made – as Stokes said before his Lord’s debut – of precisely the sort of stuff he wants to see from all his players. In the very same over, he landed arguably an even bigger fish. No New Zealand batter has ever scored more runs in a series than Mitchell’s final tally of 538 at 107.60, but on 56, he walked too far across his stumps to another pinpoint inswinger, and once again umpire Richard Kettleborough raised the finger. This one was shown by Hawk-Eye to be crashing into leg.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhen the breakthrough came, at 274 for 6, New Zealand’s lead had already swollen to 243. But England sensed they had their opening. Bracewell, aka “The Beast”, emerged with a clear intent to fight England’s fiery attitude with some punches of his own, but after launching Leach for one big six over long-on, he was undone two balls later by some more canny captaincy from Stokes, who tempted him to take on the leg-side boundary once again with men set in from the fence at mid-on and deep midwicket. Sure enough, Bracewell picked out the latter with a scuff across the line to depart for 9.The rest came fairly meekly, though not without Blundell at the other end raising his own intensity to build New Zealand’s lead with a series of smeared boundaries – including four in his last eight balls – to rush towards his second century of the series. But Tim Southee prodded limply at Leach to be bowled for 2 before Neil Wagner was caught behind for a duck – a thin snick off Leach somehow wedging between Billings’ thighs as Ben Foakes’ Covid replacement stooped to conquer behind the stumps.There was just time for Trent Boult to smack one more boundary through midwicket before he too was bowled by Leach to complete his second five-for of the match, and the first ten-for of his Test career. Three years after his starring role in the 2019 Ashes Test at Headingley, Leach had reaffirmed his honorary Yorkshireman status in no uncertain terms, and as he joked after the close about being padded up on the balcony as England’s “night-pinch-hitter”, it was clear that he wasn’t about to shy away from further heroics if needed.Even so, a target of 296 was not one to be sniffed at, least of all given the one glaring void in England’s force-field of positivity. Zak Crawley’s confidence is currently running on fumes – quite literally so when, after latching onto his first emphatic drive of another listless innings, he sold his partner Alex Lees a horrendous dummy in an auto-pilot run to cover. Kane Williamson slid and released in an instant, for Boult to flick off the bails in a fluid running motion, and Lees was gone with an angry glare at his partner for 9.Joe Root punches gloves with Ollie Pope on the way to a century stand•Getty ImagesCrawley’s response was admirable, if ultimately doomed. Having begun his innings with a stilted determination to keep out Boult’s inswinger that had done him in in the first innings, he decided instead to free his arms and hang the consequences. A blaze of four boundaries in a single Boult over ensued, but then just when he seemed he was quelling his inner turmoil, he scuffed the spin of Bracewell into the covers and traipsed off for 25 from 33.At 51 for 2, England had at least taken some lumps out of their target, as well as battered some of the elaborate lateral movement out of a ball that New Zealand were quickly seeking to change. And, having kept his own counsel while all the focus was on Crawley, Pope realised the time was nigh to take the attack back to Bracewell. Five fours poured off his bat in Bracewell’s next five overs – one of them, admittedly, perilously close to slip – and suddenly he was up and running. He brought up his fifty inelegantly with an inside-edge through fine leg, but the jitters that have been a feature of his early innings had been banished. So too any real doubt that England will romp to victory, maybe even by lunch on day five.As for Root, he just offered presence and security in equal measure – the promise of permanence allied to the threat of acceleration, a trait that doubtless helped persuade New Zealand to burn two reviews in consecutive deliveries to hopelessly optimistic lbw shouts from Southee. Aside from that, his unbeaten 55 from 80 balls was most notable for his use of the reverse sweep – most particularly one extraordinary ramped six over third man off Wagner, as he briefly got bored of the big quick’s attempts to hide the ball with booming outswingers outside off, and so reversed his stance to help it emphatically to its destination. Wagner could offer only a shrug that somehow telegraphed disbelief and acceptance in the same expression. It’s becoming a default reaction for this New Zealand team.

The BCB has granted leave to Mushfiqur Rahim for Bangladesh’s upcoming tour of West Indies, so that he can perform Hajj in July. This year’s Islamic pilgrimage is in July, for which Mushfiqur is likely to travel to Saudi Arabia on June 22.”He informed us before the Sri Lanka series that he wants to perform Hajj this year,” Jalal Yunus, BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said. “When he got confirmation, he gave us a letter that he wanted leave. We have granted him the time. We had an initial thought that he might be available for part of the tour but he is off for the whole tour.”Bangladesh are likely to travel to the West Indies on June 5. ESPNcricinfo understands that they will play the two Tests against West Indies, in Antigua and St Lucia, from June 16. The T20Is are from July 2 to 6 while the ODIs are from July 10 to 16. Only the Test series is part of the World Test Championship; the ODIs are not part of the Super League.Mushfiqur, Bangladesh’s most capped Test cricketer, became the first from the team to reach 5,000 runs in the format in the Chattogram Test last week. Bangladesh therefore will miss the batter who was in their last three West Indies tours.The team are already without four key bowlers, all out with injuries. Taskin Ahmed is still rehabilitating a shoulder injury while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam and Nayeem Hasan all have hand injuries.The Bangladesh selectors haven’t yet named any of the three squads, but it is very likely that they have their hands full to replace at least these five cricketers. Mushfiqur these days is a middle-order batter who only keeps wickets in the white-ball format, but it will be tough for them to find his replacement in any of the three formats.

The last few years have seen Arsenal rise from a side stuck in mid-table purgatory to one now in their third Premier League title race in as many seasons.

Mikel Arteta has utterly rejuvenated the club, and while much of that is down to his tactics and philosophy, recruitment and the promotion of youth have been just as important.

For example, the likes of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and even Kai Havertz have become incredibly important to the first team, while Bukayo Saka has become the poster boy for the whole project.

However, had the club not sold another youngster eight years ago, the Spaniard would have another world-beater in his side, a talent who’s been compared to Saka and even Jamal Musiala.

Arsenal's notable exits in 2016

Now, before we get to the talent in question, there was another notable player who left Arsenal in the summer of 2016, Arteta himself.

Yes, the Gunners’ current, potentially era-defining, manager finally hung up his boots at the end of the 15/16 season, following five successful years as a player for London’s premier club.

In those six seasons, the San Sebastian-born leader made 150 appearances for the first team, scoring 16 goals, providing eight assists, and winning two FA Cups and two Community Shields.

Appearances

150

Starts

131

Points per Game

2.06

Goals

16

Assists

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.16

FA Cups

2

Community Shields

2

However, perhaps the most significant indicator of his future career path was the fact that Arsène Wenger named him the club’s permanent captain in the summer of 2014, just a couple of months after he led the team to FA Cup glory against Hull City, which also ended their eight-year trophy drought.

Playing primarily in central and defensive midfield during his time, the 42-year-old was never the flashiest of players.

However, just like today, his commitment was never up for debate, and occasionally, he was still capable of the extraordinary, as exemplified by his goal against Manchester City in April 2012.

In all, Arteta was a well-liked and respected servant when he finally hung up his boots eight years ago, and as such, he was one of the most notable exits from the club at the time – after he scored another screamer, of course.

However, another sale went a little more under the radar at the time, a sale the club must now regret making, as the player in question has since thrived and won comparisons to attacking stars like Saka and Musiala.

The sale Arsenal must regret

So, while a few other players left the Emirates that summer, including Wellington Silva, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere, on loan, the one that Arsenal must regret to this very day is surely Serge Gnabry.

Yes, before he was tearing it up for Bayern Munich, and after a dreadful loan spell with West Bromwich Albion, in which Tony Pulis deemed him not good enough, the German winger was sold to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the summer of 2016 for a fee said to be as low as just £5m.

Since then, the player talent scout Jacek Kulig, once dubbed a “future legend”, has produced 13 goal involvements in 27 games for Bremen, 17 in 26 for TSG Hoffenheim, 145 in 255 for Bayern and 31 in 49 games for the German national team.

Team

Bremen

Hoffenheim

Bayern

Appearances

27

26

255

Goals

11

10

88

Assists

2

7

57

Goal Involvements per Match

0.48

0.65

0.56

In short, the former Gooner has gone on to become one of the most dangerous attackers in world football and has, at various points in his career, more than justified the “world-class” tag given to him by former Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand.

On top of his incredible career being reason enough to regret selling him all those years ago, the 29-year-old has also recently won comparisons to the sensationally gifted Saka and Musiala.

The comparisons stem from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the German is the seventh most similar forward to his compatriot over the last 365 days, while the Englishman is the ninth most similar.

We can see how this conclusion was reached by examining the underlying metrics in which the trio rank closely, which for all three of them seem to be non-penalty expected goals plus assists and shots per goal, both per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.84

0.70

0.73

Goals per Shot

0.11

0.10

0.16

Goals

0.36

0.42

0.69

Shots

3.46

3.38

4.23

Successful Take-On %

42.1%

41.4%

51.6%

Passing Accuracy

81.9%

75.5%

83.3%

Live Passes

50.4

32.2

46.9

However, the Bayern ace also ranks closely with the Gunners’ number seven in metrics like goals, shots and successful take-on percentage, and his own teammate in metrics like passing accuracy and live passes, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it’s notoriously difficult to predict the trajectory of a young footballer, it’s clear that Arsenal got it very wrong when they sold Gnabry for such a small fee in 2016, and while they now have a team bursting with talent, he’d still be an incredible squad player.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers will be hoping to remain outside of the bottom three in the Premier League as they prepare to take on Bournemouth at the Molineux on Saturday.

Gary O’Neil’s side are above 18th-placed Ipswich Town on goal difference and are one point above Crystal Palace in 19th, which means that they could end the weekend in 19th place if results do not go their way.

A win against the Cherries would almost guarantee their place outside of the relegation zone, though, unless Ipswich and other teams muster up big wins, and that should be the aim on Saturday.

The Old Gold secured their second win of the Premier League season last time out, beating Fulham 4-1 at Craven Cottage, and have to follow that up with another positive performance and result.

Goals from Matheus Cunha (x2), Joao Gomes, and Goncalo Guedes sealed all three points for Wolves against Marco Silva’s side, as Cunha starred once again for the club this season.

The Brazilian magician has enjoyed a terrific start to the 2024/25 campaign and has emerged as a huge talent and asset for O’Neil in the midlands.

Matheus Cunha's form this season

The 25-year-old forward has showcased his ability as both a scorer and a creator of goals on a regular basis in the Premier League so far this term, to become a shining light in a disappointing team that has only won two matches.

As a goalscorer, Cunha has found the back of the net seven times from an xG of just 3.13 and he has only missed one ‘big chance’. This shows that the attacker has been incredibly ruthless in front of goal as he has not wasted many opportunities to score.

The Brazil international scored 12 goals from 9.49 xG across 32 appearances in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign, and is now on course to better his tally in the current term.

Matheus Cunha (Premier League)

23/24

24/25

Appearances

32

12

xG

9.49

3.13

Goals

12

7

Big chances created

7

9

Assists

7

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Cunha’s current form would mean that he would end the season with more goals, more ‘big chances’ created, and more assists than he managed in the previous campaign.

He has, quite simply, been electric for Wolves and his quality in the final third will be crucial to their chances of avoiding relegation down to the Championship. The Brazilian ace, in fact, scored two and provided one assist in the 4-1 win over Fulham to lift the team out of the bottom three last weekend.

Whilst Cunha thrived at Craven Cottage, one player who could be dropped from the starting XI after an underwhelming display is attacking midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.

Why Jean-Ricner Bellegarde should be dropped

The French gem started as one of the two number tens behind Jorgen Strand Larsen, alongside Cunha, but was unable to produce a quality performance with his work in or out of possession for the Old Gold.

It was his first start since the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in September and he did not do enough to suggest that O’Neil should select him from the start for a second match in succession.

Bellegarde has managed one goal and one assist in 11 appearances and seven starts in the Premier League so far this season, after he was unable to add to his tally of goals or assists in the convincing win over the Cottagers.

Vs Fulham

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

Minutes

87

Shots

0

Key passes

0

Dribbles completed

1/2

Duels won

3/7

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder had very little impact on the game as he ended his appearance with zero shots and zero chances created for his teammates.

The former Strasbourg star also failed to offer much out of possession for his side, with three of his seven duels won and one tackle completed, whilst being dribbled past once.

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O’Neil must, now, ruthlessly ditch the former Ligue 1 ace from the starting XI for this home clash with Bournemouth, as Goncalo Guedes could come in as a superior option at the top end of the pitch.

Why Goncalo Guedes should be unleashed

The Portuguese whiz returned to Molineux in the summer after spells with Benfica and Villarreal on loan during the 2023/24 campaign and is now fighting for a regular spot in the team under O’Neil.

Guedes scored one goal in 13 Premier League matches during the 2022/23 season, after his move from Valencia, but seemed to find his form again in Spain last term.

In nine starts in LaLiga during the second half of last season, the 28-year-old whiz produced three goals from 2.3 xG and two assists from four ‘big chances’ created.

Guedes, who was once hailed as a “great talent” by ex-PSG icon Pauleta, has since shown plenty of promise in limited minutes with Wolves in the current campaign.

The experienced forward came off the bench against Fulham last weekend to score the fourth goal in the game, getting on the end of Larsen’s pass to rifle an accurate shot into the bottom corner.

24/25 EFL Cup

Goncalo Guedes

Appearances

2

Starts

2

Goals

3

Big chances missed

0

Big chances created

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Guedes also caught the eye with his performances in the League Cup earlier this term, with three goals and one ‘big chance’ created in starts against Burnley and Brighton.

This means that the Portuguese winger has produced four goals, one assist, and two ‘big chances’ created in 11 appearances and two starts in all competitions for Wolves this season.

The former Valencia star’s goalscoring form for Villarreal and Wolves in 2024 suggests that he could be perfect alongside Cunha as a second attacking midfielder, as the Brazilian has only been rewarded with three assists from nine ‘big chances’ created in the league.

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Guedes is a player with the finishing quality to make the most of Cunha’s creativity and that is why Bellegarde should be dropped from the XI for the 28-year-old against Bournemouth.

Nottingham Forest have not been shy about spending big money since they returned to the Premier League three seasons ago. After two campaigns battling against relegation back to the Championship, they have flown out of the traps this term.

Impressively, the Midlands club sit third in the Premier League table, one point ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea, their nearest challengers for a top-four spot. They have been superb defensively, conceding just seven times, the second-fewest in the top flight, behind only Liverpool.

So far, the men in Garibaldi Red have had a superb season. They are no doubt desperate to maintain this form and have been linked with a player who could add great strength to the squad in January.

Nottingham Forest transfer news

The player in question here is Bayern Munich and French under-21 international attacker Mathys Tel. The 19-year-old has struggled for game time at the German giants, and could well depart the club in the 2025 winter transfer window.

According to a report from Florian Plettenberg, the Midlands club are “interested” in signing the French winger, and “have already made contact” with Bayern over a potential deal. They will not be alone in their hunt for his signature, however, with German outfit Werder Bremen also chasing him.

Any potential deal would reportedly just be a loan rather than a permanent move at this stage, There could, however, be a crucial stumbling block to signing Tel this winter, with Plettenberg reporting that he “has no plans to leave” Bavaria on a temporary deal.

Why Tel would be a good signing

It would be a fantastic statement of intent to sign such a hot prospect this winter from the Midlands outfit. Interestingly, he is a player whom Edu reportedly wanted to sign at Arsenal. The Brazilian will join Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis in an unspecified boardroom role following a shock resignation from Arsenal. There is certainly a link between Tel and Edu.

It has been a tough start to the season for the young Frenchman. Under new boss Vincent Kompany, his minutes have not really increased, playing 224 minutes across seven games so far, two of which include starts. The dynamic winger has yet to find the back of the net, either.

With that being said, the teenage sensation, described as a “jewel” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has a good record for the Bavarian side. He has played 76 times so far scoring 16 goals and grabbing six assists in just 2230 minutes, equivalent to 24 full 90 minutes.

Should the Midlands outfit bring in the attacker, who is valued at £33.5m by Transfermarkt, he could be an upgrade on Callum Hudson-Odoi. The Chelsea academy graduate has been an important player for the Midlands side this term, scoring two goals in ten Premier League games, but statistically, Tel edges him in many metrics.

When looking at the pair’s stats from last season, there is a clear difference between each. It is worth considering that one played for a high-possession, attacking side in Bayern, whereas Forest were scrapping against relegation. However, in some metrics, there is still a clear gap.

As per FBref, Bayern’s starlet averaged more passes into the final third, with 1.97 each game, and more passes into the penalty area, with 1.62. In contrast, the English winger played 0.97 passes into the final third and 1.55 passes into the penalty area.

The Frenchman also had more success in take-ons last term than the Forest number 14. He completed 3.16 per game, with a 55.2% completion rate, compared to just 2.09 for Hudson-Odoi, who completed 53.8%.

Tel vs Hudson-Odoi (2023/24 season)
Stat (per 90)	Tel	Hudson-Odoi
Goals	0.6	0.39
Expected goals	0.32	0.13
Passes into final third	1.97	0.97
Passes into penalty box	1.62	1.55
Take-ons completed	3.16	2.09
Take-on success rate	55.2%	53.8%
Carries into penalty area	2.65	1.89
Stats from FBref

It would certainly be a statement of intent from Forest – and the incoming Edu – to bring Tel in. Not only could he challenge and potentially upgrade Hudson-Odoi, but they would be adding a highly-rated youngster who can play right across the forward line.

In terms of signing a young, hungry player who would continue to fuel a shock European charge, there are perhaps few better.

Edu and Nottingham Forest make contact to sign "machine" versatile attacker

Evangelos Marinakis is set to triple Edu’s salary.

By
Charlie Smith

Nov 5, 2024

The Danish striker has made an impressive start to life at the Stade Louis II, raising questions over why his former club let him go so cheaply

"Signing for Arsenal was a good memory," Mika Biereth said in his first sit-down interview with Monaco's official website earlier this month. "Having the opportunity to be on the bench for the first team on several occasions was great, even if the fact of never having had the chance to come in was a bit frustrating. But that’s part of football, and it still allows you to gain experience, and to be the player I am today."

That is an impressively mature outlook from a 22-year-old with only one full season of senior football under his belt. It goes some way to explaining why Biereth has made an immediate impact at Monaco, who signed the Danish frontman from Sturm Graz for £13 million ($16m) in the winter transfer window.

Biereth has scored seven goals – including two hat-tricks – in his first seven appearances across all competitions for Monaco, emerging as one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe, and Arsenal fans across north London must be scratching their heads as to why the club let him go for a measly £4m fee last summer. Oh, how the Gunners could use a man of Biereth's unique talents right now, with Mikel Arteta facing an injury nightmare upfront that is threatening to derail their latest bid for Premier League glory.

The "frustrating experience" Biereth endured at Arsenal would have broken a lot of young players, but he's used it as fuel to reach the next level, proving his former club wrong in the process. The question is: what makes Biereth such a special prospect? GOAL is on hand with everything you need to know below…

• Where it all began

  Biereth was born in London on February 8, 2003, and was raised by a German-Danish father and a Bosnian mother. He showed promise as a budding young footballer and eventually caught the eye of Fulham, who drafted him into their youth ranks in 2017.

  The talented centre-forward made his debut for Fulham's Under-18s just days before his 15th birthday, stepping off the bench in a 4-0 win over Reading, and went on to sign a two-year scholarship deal with the Cottagers in July 2019. Biereth also joined up with the U18s squad permanently, and didn't take long to repay Fulham's faith.

  Biereth started to attract attention from top clubs across England with his performances in the 2020-21 season as Fulham stormed to their second-successive Premier League South title. He contributed 21 goals and 13 assists to their cause, registering stunning hat-tricks in comprehensive wins over Tottenham and Leicester.

  Naturally, Fulham tried to tie Biereth down to his first professional contract, but their plans were scuppered when Arsenal came calling. Biereth chose to reject Fulham, officially signing for the Gunners in July 2021, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

  "It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn’t really turn it down," he said at his unveiling. "I think now with the recent track record of youth going into the first team, I thought it was a great project to try and be a part of."

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• The big break

  Biereth was thrown straight into the Arsenal U23s line up, and recorded five goal contributions in his first five Premier League 2 games, including a treble in a 6-1 win over Chelsea at Kingsmeadow. The pick of those goals was set up by now-United States star Folarin Balogun, who found Biereth with a brilliant long-range pass into the box, which his team-mate dispatched brilliantly on the volley after ghosting in at the back post.

  Arsenal's head youth coach, Kevin Betsy, was blown away, as he told : "The recruitment team did a terrific job in bringing him to the club and he’s a boy who has a fantastic character and attitude. His willingness to work for the team is excellent, his movement to get into space behind is also very prominent in his game and he can finish. He’s a really good finisher."

  That bright start led to Denmark calling Biereth up to their U19s squad for the first time, and he would go on to finish the campaign with 11 goals in 21 Premier League 2 appearances, while also making it onto Arteta's bench for four senior matches. Incredibly, though, Biereth would never make his first-team debut for the Gunners.

  His progression stalled after an injury-ravaged loan spell at RKC Waalwijk in 2022-23, where he only managed 300 minutes for the Dutch club, scoring twice, and was loaned to Motherwell the following season.

  The move to Scotland helped Biereth rediscover his confidence, and when Arsenal recalled the youngster in January 2024, Biereth had six goals and five assists to his name from 14 Scottish Premiership appearances, along with some Denmark U21 caps. He was then loaned out again, this time to Austrian outfit Sturm Graz.

• Getty Images
  

  How it's going

  Biereth kept a positive mindset despite once again despite being denied a senior chance at Arsenal, and played a key role in Sturm Graz's run to their first Austrian Bundesliga title in over a decade. He racked up eight goal contributions in the league, and found the net three times in the Conference League, leaving his new club in no doubt about signing him on a permanent deal.

  Arsenal accepted a £4m bid, happy to make pure profit on an academy graduate whose path to the first-team line up was blocked by the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. “We are so proud of the progress Mika has made since joining us," Gunners sporting director Edu said after confirmation of the sale. "This new opportunity with Sturm Graz is great for Mika, and it’s a good example of what a strong loan development plan produces. Mika will be playing Champions League football when the season starts again, which he deserves due to his mentality and performances in recent seasons."

  Since then, Biereth has done everything within his power to make Arsenal regret that decision. Graz built their team around the Danish starlet and he delivered as their first-choice number nine with 14 goals in the first half of the 2024-25 season, as two of those efforts came in the Champions League.

  The opportunity to reunite with Balogun in one of Europe's big five leagues then cropped up in January, which proved to be too good to turn down. Biereth signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Monaco, and the Ligue 1 giants have seen an instant return on their investment.

  Biereth has already hit a pair of hat-tricks against Auxerre and Nantes, along with a crucial goal in a 3-2 win over Rennes, making him only the second player to score seven goals in his first five Ligue 1 appearances this century, after former Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Next up, Monaco will head to Portugal to face Benfica in the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie, and if Biereth is in the mood again, Adi Hutter's side have a real shot at overturning a 1-0 aggregate deficit.

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  Biggest strengths

  "I’d say I’m a worse hybrid of (Harry) Kane and (Erling) Haaland," Biereth told last year. "I like to run in behind like Haaland and try to do what Kane does in the way he combines with his team-mates." That was a shrewd self-assessment from the Denmark U21 international, who is already an accomplished poacher and link-man.

  Biereth's intelligent off-the-ball movement makes him a nightmare for defenders, and he's remarkably composed in front of goal. He's a clinical finisher who is equally deadly with both feet and he possesses a brilliant first touch, giving Monaco the perfect outlet when they turn over possession.

  Indeed, Hutter's 4-2-3-1 system appears to be tailor-made for Biereth. The former Arsenal prospect stretches defences and creates space for the likes of Takumi Minamino, Maghnes Akilouche and Eliesse Ben Seghir to wreak havoc, while his natural instincts in and around the box have added a new dimension to this Monaco team with Balogun still out of the picture as he continues to recover from a serious shoulder injury.