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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has welcomed the official announcement of William Saliba’s new deal, but he’s since been given another “massive boost”, according to a former club chief.

William Saliba commits future to Arsenal after rejecting Real Madrid

News first emerged last week that Saliba agreed to pen a contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2030, with new sporting director Andrea Berta described as key to the move.

The Italian took a “firm grasp” of negotiations to tie Saliba down since replacing Edu Gaspar in March (Charles Watts), and somehow found time to regularly speak with his representatives amid an extremely busy first summer window at the Emirates.

William Saliba’s defensive numbers for Arsenal in the Premier League — 2025/2026	Stats
Appearances	5
Minutes played	319
Clean sheets	2
Tackles made	8
Interceptions	3
Ground duels won	24/34
Aerial duels won	12
Clearances	20
via Footy Stats

Saliba’s terms were due to expire in 2027, which was a major worry for Arsenal as Real Madrid lingered in the background.

The former Saint-Étienne sensation’s partnership with Gabriel has been imperative to Arsenal’s title challenges since the beginning of 2022/2023, and they’re widely considered to be Europe’s best centre-back pairing.

Arsenal have conceded the fewest Premier League goals of any top flight side in each of the last two campaigns, and that is largely down to Arteta’s star defensive duo.

It is believed that Saliba and Gabriel made a summer pact to remain at Arsenal and challenge for major silverware, with reliable club insider ‘HandOfArsenal’ detailing that the former sent a clear message to Real at that time.

When Los Blancos approached him, Saliba was “direct” in telling Xabi Alonso’s side that he wanted to stay in North London, and the France international has now put his money where his mouth is.

With Saliba now secured, Berta’s next big task is agreeing a new contract with star winger Bukayo Saka.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Saka’s potential extension is Arsenal’s next priority after Saliba, and the club are increasingly optimistic about getting it over the line soon.

Other reports claim that the England international stands to earn around £250,000-per-week from his fresh terms, maybe more, and they could reach a full agreement by Christmas if all goes to plan (Football Transfers).

Arsenal gifted "massive boost" alongside Saliba deal after Bukayo Saka update

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected in the beautiful game, has shared what he’s heard about Saka and the prospect of a new Arsenal deal — claiming that the Gunners have been handed a big piece of encouragement.

Brown says that Saka is happy to sign an extension and is delighted with life at Arsenal, with there being no concerns about his long-term future.

Reaching a quick agreement with Saka right after Saliba would come as a serious statement of intent by Berta, with Arteta under pressure to deliver trophies after many ‘close but no cigar’ seasons at N5.

Arsenal must secure Bukayo Saka deal as non-negotiable

The 24-year-old, valued at a staggering £131 million by Transfermarkt, is truly priceless.

However, if his contract is allowed to tick down towards expiry in 2027, Berta would be faced with his toughest decision yet.

His 71 goals and 71 assists in 268 appearances for Arsenal tell just half the story, with Saka’s world-class attacking intent in one-v-one situations, close control, pace and creativity seen as crucial to the way Arteta wants to play.

Arsenal will be ever-reliant on Saka on the right-hand side, especially with summer signing Noni Madueke out for several weeks, but Arteta will be mindful of the player’s fitness considering he’s only just back from a hamstring injury.

Saka also showed off a bloodied sock after their 2-1 win over Newcastle, courtesy of some rough treatment from the Magpies — which perfectly emphasises just how feared he is throughout the Premier League.

After Mohamed Salah finished fourth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed why he thinks France Football looked past the Egyptian’s incredible year.

2025 Ballon d'Or rankings cause controversy

As ever, the Ballon d’Or rankings caused plenty of debate. There wasn’t a place in the top 10 for either Virgil van Dijk or Harry Kane, whilst many have even disputed eventual winner, Ousmane Dembele. Truth be told, the award has lost some of its value ever since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo vacated their throne.

The most controversial placing was Salah’s. The Egyptian, who broke records as Liverpool sealed the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first season at the club, finished fourth and below Vitinha, Lamine Yamal and Dembele. Whilst there’s an argument to be had that he shouldn’t have won the award, it feels harsh that he missed out on a place in the top three altogether.

Games

52

53

Goals

34

35

Assists

23

16

If the award is based on individual performance, then it’s hard to find a more worthy winner than Liverpool’s star. He was involved in more goals than Dembele, Yamal and, of course, midfield star Vitinha, but failed to finish above all three.

It comes just one year on from missing out on a nomination entirely in 2024, as France Football continue to look beyond Anfield’s Egyptian King. At 33 years old, it seems unlikely that Salah will have a better opportunity to win the award than in 2025, either.

Many have had their say as to why the winger missed out on the award, including Liverpool legend Carragher, who recently put Salah’s snub down to one particular reason.

Carragher reveals why Ballon d'Or snubbed Salah

Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher revealed why he believes Salah missed out on the Ballon d’Or to Dembele. The former central defender looked back on Liverpool’s meeting with Paris Saint-Germain and claimed that the French side’s victory made all the difference.

There will be many who disagree with that verdict, but previous years have highlighted just how important the Champions League is in deciding these awards.

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With that, Salah’s snub arguably came down to two games against the European champions last season rather than the sensational campaign that he otherwise enjoyed.

“We did get a little bit of swing [against GT] but that came at the expense of getting a dry ball, which probably affected Yuzi a little bit,” PBKS assistant coach Hopes said

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2025To continue with the same ball to try to get some reverse swing or opt for a drier ball to ensure spinners can grip the ball better? Punjab Kings (PBKS) will weigh up the options before making a decision, their assistant coach James Hopes said ahead of their IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).Before the start of the season, the IPL decided to revoke the ban on the use of saliva on the ball and allowed one ball change on demand by the fielding team after the tenth over of the second innings in evening games.”Arshdeep [Singh] enjoyed it [against Gujarat Titans (GT)],” Hopes said. “He was worked on the ball properly with saliva, and we did get a little bit of swing in that last game at the end. But, to be fair, that came at the expense of getting a dry ball as well because we didn’t change our ball, and that probably affected Yuzi [Yuzvendra Chahal] a little bit as well because he wasn’t bowling with the dry ball for that game.Related

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“So we have to weigh up what we’re going to need the most: whether we’re going to need to try and get a little bit of tail with the older ball or whether we’re going to need to give our world-class spinner a dry ball to make an impact within the last ten overs of the innings.”Tuesday’s match will be played on a red-soil pitch, which has plenty of grass covering. Hopes said he expected a “spin-heavy night out” at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.”I think it’s fine to have a home-ground advantage,” he said. “If that home-ground advantage is [that] you have a spin-heavy attack and you can play on a spinning wicket, that’s fine. At the end of the day, if you’re playing there – like you only play one game there – you’ve just got to prepare accordingly and try to combat that. It’s fine in a competition that in the last two years has got very batting-centric – like the scores are starting to get large. Teams can play with a little bit of home-ground advantage. I haven’t seen a pitch that’s unplayable by any means.”‘Bowlers raving about Shreyas Iyer’At PBKS, Hopes has been reunited with Shreyas Iyer – the pair had previously worked together at Delhi Capitals (DC). Iyer, who is leading PBKS after taking Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title last season, entered the IPL after being India’s highest run-getter at the Champions Trophy. Hopes talked up Iyer’s calmness on the field, especially in high-pressure situations.”His batting is world-class, and has got to a point in the last seven weeks – with what he’s done at the Champions Trophy and the rest of it – that he’s now considered one of the better short-format players in the world,” Hopes said. “From a captaincy viewpoint, he keeps everything calm on the field. The bowlers were raving about it after the first game (against GT) that how clear he is with his communication, how calm he is when the ball’s flying around, [and] when the game gets on the line.”

Tottenham Hotspur have been given a late-summer transfer boost as Daniel Levy and the Lilywhites recruitment team scramble for reinforcements.

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Spurs want to sign a centre-back, playmaker and a new winger (Sky Sports), but bringing in all three is perhaps unlikely at this stage of the window and with such little time remaining.

The north Londoners have found it notoriously difficult already, having seen high-profile blockbuster deals for the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze fail in dramatic fashion.

After weeks of talks, Spurs have also got nowhere with their bid for Savinho, as Man City make it crystal clear that the Brazil international is not for sale.

It remains to be seen who they target as an alternative to the 21-year-old, but it is evident who has become their top playmaker target during this final stretch.

According to numerous sources, RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons is in London right now, with both Chelsea and Tottenham pursuing a deal for the highly-rated Netherlands international.

The 22-year-old is valued at around £60 million, which is a similar price that Spurs were once prepared to pay for Eze and Gibbs-White. With there being precious few available playmakers who could truly make a difference for Thomas Frank, Simons has emerged as their potential saving grace.

He racked up 11 goals and eight assists over 33 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig last term, and Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes that Simons is an “unbelievable” player.

Tottenham have now submitted a near-£60m bid for Simons, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, with journalist Graeme Bailey also sharing the player’s stance on joining Frank’s side.

Xavi Simons ready to join Tottenham after talks with his camp

As per the reporter, it is believed that Simons is ready to join Tottenham, who’ve held talks with his representatives, after Chelsea began stalling their deal – with the attacking midfielder growing impatient.

The west Londoners have been in talks for weeks, but there are complications with player sales.

They also haven’t found a full agreement with Leipzig in all of that time, and that has allowed Spurs to move in to hijack their negotiations. Right now, Simons is happy to stop pausing on a move and sign for Tottenham instead, despite already agreeing personal terms with Chelsea.

This flurry of promising developments, including Levy’s offer, means that they could be on the verge of finally signing their desired number 10. However, as we’ve seen with Tottenham, no supporter should celebrate until the ink is dry.

“I think he’s going to have a really good career at the highest level,” said Bayern Munich sporting director, Christoph Freund.

“He has everything, mentality, character and is just an exceptional player.”

Jasprit Bumrah has attained the joint-highest rating points ever for an Indian bowler on the rankings chart after his 9 for 94 in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane.The Indian spearhead, who already heads the rankings list for bowlers, further consolidated his position at the top by adding 14 points to his tally taking it to 904 rating points, 48 clear of second-placed Kagiso Rabada (856). The only other Indian bowler to achieve this tally is the recently-retired R Ashwin who got there after the fourth Test against England in Mumbai in December 2016.Bumrah, who is currently the highest wicket-taker in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Series with 21 scalps in six innings at 10.90, now has a chance to break Ashwin’s record when the two teams meet in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test with the series locked 1-1.

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Meanwhile, Travis Head’s 152 in the first innings of the Brisbane Test on the back of a century in Adelaide has seen him overtake Yashasvi Jaiswal and move to fourth on the batters’ list which is led by Joe Root. Steven Smith also made his way into the top ten of the charts after his 101 in Brisbane, entering at the tenth position, while Rishabh Pant has moved out of the top ten.On the ODI front, Heinrich Klaasen’s three back-to-back fifties against Pakistan have seen him rise eight spots – from 13th to fifth on the batting table. Opener Saim Ayub, who had a breakthrough series against South Africa, with scores of 109, 25 and 101 as Pakistan clean swept the series 3-0, advanced 57 slots to a career-best 23rd position.Babar Azam continues to lead the ODI batting list, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in second and third place, respectively.

There’s never a quiet day in the Newcastle United recruitment department is there?

It was reported on Tuesday morning that Alexander Isak has no intention of playing for the Magpies again, even if the transfer window closes and he has not been sold.

This is certainly a saga that will seemingly rumble on and on, possibly even beyond the 1 September transfer deadline.

In the meantime, with or without Isak, Eddie Howe is looking to bolster his squad ahead of a return to the Champions League, so could a “quality” talent soon move to the North East?

Newcastle's busy transfer activity

So far, Anthony Elanga and Aaron Ramsdale are Newcastle’s only two additions, but a fair few more could soon follow.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Indeed, an enquiry has been made for Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, while it has also been claimed that the Magpies are set to make a bid for Brentford’s wantaway marksman, Yoane Wissa.

Meantime, could Newcastle snap up a bargain by bringing in a young talent reminiscent of Hatem Ben Arfa?

Well, John Percy of the Telegraph reports that Newcastle are set to accelerate their interest in signing Bilal El Khannouss from Leicester City.

They add that the Moroccan international’s contract contains a release clause, following the Foxes’ relegation to the EFL Championship, with the Magpies willing to pay up to £30m to secure his signature.

El Khannouss did complete 90 minutes during Leicester’s league opener against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, but is seemingly set for a return to the Premier League, with Leeds and Tottenham also interested, so could he end up on Tyneside?

Why Bilal El Khannouss should excite Newcastle supporters

Fair to say, Leicester City endured a miserable campaign last time round, winning just six Premier League matches all season, failing to score in nine consecutive home games, losing all of them, between 22 December and Easter Sunday, a new unwanted top division record.

However, amid all the dross, El Khannouss did manage to impress, scoring three goals during his debut season in England, most notably bagging the winner at Tottenham in January.

As a result, analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as “one of the best prospects in the world”, while scout Antonio Mango has lauded him as a “genius”.

The 21-year-old’s composure on the ball and exceptional dribbling ability rank among his key strengths, having notably averaged 1.1 successful dribbles per game in the top-flight last season, as per Sofascore. That certainly sounds like former Newcastle favourite Ben Afra, doesn’t it?

During his time on Tyneside, between 2010 and 2014, the French international became renowned for his skill, dribbling prowess and attacking flair, all of which was encapsulated by this astonishing solo strike against Bolton at St James’ Park in April 2012.

So, let’s analyse El Khannouss’ statistics and Leicester last season to underline the comparison.

Goals

2

5th

Assists

3

3rd

Expected assists

4.6

1st

Shots

30

4th

Big chances created

8

1st

Progressive carries

73

2nd

Progressive passes

128

1st

Key passes

42

1st

Passes into the box

31

1st

Shot-creating actions

78

1st

Successful take-ons

34

2nd

Touches in the attacking 3rd

445

1st

Average SofaScore rating

6.91

3rd

As the table documents, in a generally dismal Leicester City side, El Khannouss was without a doubt the primary creative force, ranked first when it came to expected assists, big chances created, key passes, progressive passes and many, many other attacking metrics.

He has a similar talismanic quality that Ben Arfa possessed during the majority of his time at Newcastle, taking on the attacking burden and often making things happen all by himself.

Thus, in a significantly better side, El Khannouss could become a star of the Premier League, and the Magpies could provide him with the platform to do that.

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The 19-year-old NSW opener has been the talk of the season so far and will feature for Australia A next week

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-202411:45

‘Bold move to pick two youngsters in Reddy and Harshit’

Sam Konstas’ mentor Shane Watson believes circumstances have thrown up a “perfect storm” for the teen prodigy to make his Test debut in the home series against India.Konstas announced himself as a Test bolter with twin Sheffield Shield centuries for NSW earlier this month and will feature for Australia A next week alongside the out-of-form Cameron Bancroft and another previous Test opener in Marcus Harris as the selectors narrow down their options.Related

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Matthew Renshaw is another with past Test experience while momentum is building behind the uncapped Nathan McSweeney and Josh Inglis is an out-of-the-box option, but with only six first-class games to his name, 19-year-old Konstas has also been considered as a bold option to partner Usman Khawaja at the top.Watson said selectors need only look to the player Konstas would replace for proof rare talents must be given early chances at Test cricket. Injured allrounder Cameron Green made his Test debut at 21 on India’s last tour of Australia, having been earmarked as a prodigy playing Sheffield Shield for Western Australia.Watson felt the age of the current playing group was further evidence of the need to inject young blood; there is no player younger than 30 who both played in Australia’s last Test match in March and is fit for the summer.”The whole situation is, in my mind, a perfect storm to be able to give him an opportunity to be able to play Test cricket,” Watson told AAP. “For me, this is an opportune time, knowing that the bowlers are aging, there’s Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja as a starting point who are aging.”They’ve still obviously got a lot of great cricket in front of them. But the one thing Australian cricket always did incredibly well was see someone who is different from all the younger stars coming through and get them into the Australian set-up, as early as they can within reason, to be able to help them learn.”Sam Konstas was presented his NSW cap by Shane Watson last season•Getty Images

Current captain Pat Cummins memorably became the second-youngest Australian debutant in Test history when the then-18-year-old earned a first baggy green on the 2011 tour of South Africa, while Konstas’ batting predecessors Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh were both given the nod at 20.Watson himself can vouch for the benefits of earning international experience early, having first played ODI cricket as a 20-year-old.”There’s no doubt that my one-day cricket would never have evolved to the heights that it did without me being around the Aussie team [at a younger age],” said Watson, who went on to play in Australia’s 2007 and 2015 World Cup triumphs.Watson has been working with Konstas for the best part of four years, having first come across him as a student at Cranbrook – the Sydney school attended by Watson’s son.He named Konstas’ single-minded dedication to his craft as his most striking attribute.”From the first moment that I met Sam, the thing that jumped out at me the most was his desperate desire to be the best that he possibly could be,” Watson said. “The first time I had a net session with him as a 16-year-old, he hits the ball differently; the shot options that he has available to him and his defence.”But then knowing how diligently he has been working on his mental game as well, it absolutely does not surprise me to see what he’s able to do.”The mental side of cricket has been of particular interest to Watson towards the end of his career and into retirement, with his book recently adapted into an online skills course through SafetyCulture.

تحدث المهاجم السويدي فيكتور جيوكيريس، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي آرسنال عن احتفال القناع الشهير خلال حواره مع صحيفة “سكاي سبورتس” البريطانية.

وانضم جيوكيريس إلى آرسنال من صفوف سبورتينج لشبونة في صفقة بلغت قيمتها 64 مليون جنيه إسترليني، وأصبح جاهزا للعب مع ناديه الجديد بعد تسجيل هدف في مباراة ودية ضد اتلتيك بلباو.

وقال جيوكيريس: “يبدو الأمر منطقيًا بعض الشيء بالنظر إلى ما آلت إليه الأمور، بعد أن بدأتُ بذلك الاحتفال، بدأتُ أسجل المزيد من الأهداف، وهذا ما دفعني إلى ارتداء القناع أكثر”.

وأكمل: “كنت في السويد في وقت مبكر جدًا، خُضنا بعض المباريات في المنطقة ولم ألعب جيدًا، وظنّوا أنني لم أبدو منزعجًا من عدم أدائي في تلك المباراة تحديدًا”.

وأردف: “إنني لا أمتلك القوة الذهنية اللازمة للنجاح في كرة القدم، هذه الجملة لا تزال عالقة في ذهني وما زلت أذكرها حتى اليوم”.

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عن بدايته في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز: “كانت مباريات مختلفة، بعض المباريات كانت أصعب حيث لم أستطع تقديم الأداء الذي أريده، ربما يعتمد ذلك على أداء المباراة لكنني خضت مباريات شعرت فيها بحال جيدة جدًا”.

واستكمل: “لقد كانت الأمور متقلبة لكن بشكل عام، تمكنت من تسجيل بعض الأهداف، وفزنا في معظم المباريات، لذلك كانت بداية جيدة لكن كان من الممكن أن تكون أفضل”.

وعن الانتقادات التي يتلقاها: “عليك أن تُبدع، وأن تتكيف مع بيئة عملك، عليك أن تؤمن بنفسك وتستمر في التقدم مهما حدث سواء داخل الملعب أو خارجه، لا أعتقد أنه عليك أن تتقبل ما يقوله كل من حولك، ليس عليك أن تستمع إلى كل ما يقال”.

وعندما سُئل عما إذا كان التركيز في إنجلترا أكبر منه في مراحل أخرى من مسيرته، أجاب مهاجم آرسنال: “ربما، عندما لعبت في البرتغال كان هناك الكثير من ذلك أيضًا، إنهم يعيشون من أجل كرة القدم هناك أيضًا، الأمر مشابه بعض الشيء لكن هنا أكبر بكثير، إنهم يحللون كل ما تفعله لكن هكذا هي الأمور، لا عيب في ذلك”.

وأتبع: “ربما ليس من أولوياتي قراءة كل ما يُقال أو ما يكتبه الناس، الأمر ببساطة هو التفكير في الأمور التي يُمكنك التحكم بها والقيام بها على النحو الصحيح”.

وعن مواجهة مانشستر سيتي اليوم: “هناك فرق كبيرة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز حيث يتعين عليك تقديم أداء جيد في هذه المباريات، نحن نتطلع إلى هذه المباريات ونريد الفوز بها”.

He played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India between 1975 and 1987, before becoming a selector, and later, the coach of the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2024

Aunshuman Gaekwad was head coach of India in two separate stints between 1997 and 2000•Getty Images

Aunshuman Gaekwad, the former India batter and national head coach, has died aged 71, following a long battle with blood cancer. Gaekwad, who was in London till last month, died in Baroda after a brief time in the ICU due to various health complications.Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India between 1975 and 1987, before becoming a selector, and later, the coach of the national team.As a batter, Gaekwad scored 1985 runs from 70 Test innings, with a highest score of 201 against Pakistan in 1982-83, where he patiently batted for 671 minutes – then the slowest ever double-century in first-class cricket.