Fulham have made contact to enquire about a deal to bring a new striker to the Premier League on loan, according to a fresh report.

Fulham's season so far

The Cottagers have made an extremely mixed start to the new campaign having won three, drawn three and lost six of their opening 12 games, meaning that they currently find themselves sitting 15th in the top-flight table.

Everton (1-0)

Arsenal (2-2)

Brentford (3-0)

Luton Town (1-0)

Crystal Palace (0-0)

Manchester City (5-1)

Sheffield United (3-1)

Brighton (1-1)

Chelsea (2-0)

Tottenham (2-0)

Manchester United (1-0)

Aston Villa (3-1)

Marco Silva’s side have struggled to find the back of the net and are the joint-lowest scorers with Burnley ahead of the clash with Wolves, so it’s clear that the manager will have to enter the market to find some prolific reinforcements should he want to change his fortunes in the final third.

The Portuguese boss has set his sights on Ajax centre-forward Chuba Akpom, who only put pen to paper over the summer from Championship side Middlesbrough, and it’s fair to say that he’s made an impressive start to his new life at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Fulham now "ready to spend" over £40 million to sign striker in January

The Whites want to back Marco Silva with a much-needed forward.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 14, 2023

England’s former youth international has firmly established himself as John Van’t Schip’s best-performing offensive player so far this season in the Eredivisie (WhoScored – Ajax statistics), and the 28-year-old’s impressive form has caught the eye of the hierarchy at Craven Cottage ahead of January.

Fulham showing interest in Chuba Akpom

According to TEAMtalk, Akpom is of interest to Fulham, alongside several other clubs who are also looking to secure his services at the start of next year.

“Crystal Palace and Fulham are amongst the clubs who have enquired about the availability of Ajax striker Chuba Akpom, TEAMtalk can reveal.

"Sources have now told TEAMtalk that Akpom is open to the idea of a move to the Premier League and with Ajax ready to consider a loan deal, there is interest.

"Crystal Palace and Fulham are both very keen on a possible deal for the 28-year-old, while Everton, Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United are also keeping tabs on the situation.”

Akpom could be a "remarkable" addition

During his time at Ajax, Akpom has so far scored five goals from 13 matches in total which shows how prolific he can be in the final third, but he’s capable of operating everywhere across the frontline and even as an attacking midfielder (Transfermarkt – Akpom statistics).

Sponsored by Nike, Schip’s talisman was named the 2022/23 Player of the Season in the Championship, so the fact that he’s received individual recognition for his performances in England shows that he’s capable of reaching the high standards required to succeed.

According to BBC reporter Oluwashina Okeleji, Akpom is a “remarkable” striker, and when you consider that he shares the same representative, Elite Project Group Ltd, as Alex Iwobi (Fulham agents), this existing connection that his management have to the club could give the board a small advantage should they try to get a deal over the line.

Manchester City are ready to hand an "important contract" to a record-breaking player after trying to sign him in the past, according to an eye-catching new report.

Man City transfer news

Pep Guardiola has an incredibly talented squad at his disposal currently, as has been the case for a number of years, with a plethora of elite options littered all over the pitch. City aren't necessarily in top gear at the moment, having only won three of their last seven Premier League games, but they remain the favourites to win yet another title, due in part to the incredible squad that they possess.

That doesn't mean that Guardiola won't look to make new signings in the January transfer window, however, in order to give his squad some extra freshness heading into the second half of the season.

City have been linked with a number of additions in recent times, with 16-year-old Palmeiras star Estevao Willian seen as a potential option for Guardiola's side, and an Etihad move for West Ham ace Lucas Paqueta possibly on the cards in January, having failed to snap him up during the summer.

Related Man City keen to re-sign "different class" player; he's been shortlisted

Manchester City could enact a surprise move in the January transfer window…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Nov 27, 2023 Man City plot contract offer for Francesco Camarda

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], Manchester City are looking to complete the signing of hugely exciting Italian starlet Francesca Camarda, having been linked with him a number of times already in recent days.

It is claimed that the reigning Premier League and Champions League winners are "ready to offer important contracts" to AC Milan for the 15-year-old, who became Serie A's youngest player in history on Saturday when he came on as a substitute in his side's 1-0 win at home to Fiorentina.

Milan are desperate to retain the services of one of their most prized assets, with the Italian giants aware that there is a "risk" of losing him, amid interest from various top clubs, including Arsenal, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, Calciomercato claim that City have "seriously tried" to sign Camarda already, and they are "ready to snatch him" from Milan's grasp.

While Guardiola no doubt wants to sign players for the present in January, in order to make his treble-winning squad even stronger than they already are, planning for the future long after the Spaniard has left as manager is also important.

For that reason, Camarda could be such an eye-catching addition for City, with his record-breaking exploits over the weekend truly astonishing, considering he still hasn't turned 16 years of age yet.

Francesco Camarda's key stats

Appearances

Goals

Italy Under-17s

6

4

Italy Under-16s

7

3

Italy Under-15s

9

6

AC Milan Under-19s

10

4

The young City target has already made such an impression as youth team level for Italy, scoring 13 goals in 22 caps for the Under-17s, Under-16s and Under-15s combined, and he has also netted four times in ten matches for Milan's Under-19s.

A striker with so much potential, Camarda could even be loaned out again straight away if he joins City, in order to keep maturing as a player elsewhere, before becoming a future star at the Etihad.

Although they face a massive deficit, Shepherd Makunura wanted his batsmen to learn from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque and fight back in Dhaka

Liam Brickhill12-Nov-2018Having watched Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque bat for close to two days after they had Bangladesh on the ropes at 26 for 3, Zimbabwe have been given a thorough lesson in how to apply themselves on a pitch that has occasionally offered something for the bowlers.”Our batters can learn a thing or two from him [Mushfiqur], from how he applied himself on that pitch,” said Shepherd Makunura, Zimbabwe’s fielding coach. “Earlier on, especially in the first session, the ball did quite a bit, but he batted quite well.”Mominul’s counterattacking ton and Mushfiqur’s watchful double allowed Bangladesh to seize control of the game after Zimbabwe’s early inroads. But Makunura presented a brave face when asked about what must have been a frustrating experience for the visitors.”That’s part of cricket,” he said. “Things like that will always happen. You do get a few wickets early on, but in Test cricket there’s bound to be partnerships along the way. The way the Bangladesh batters applied themselves, they set themselves up for the other batters coming in.”One of those other batters was Mehidy Hasan, who made an attacking, unbeaten 68 at No. 9 to extend Bangladesh to a total of 522. “Coming in to a set batter like Mushfiqur made it a little easier for him, and the stage was set for a good partnership,” Makunura said of Mehidy’s knock. “They did bat quite well, the two of them.”Helpful in Bangladesh’s recovery were Zimbabwe’s lapses in the field. They dropped Mominul three times during his 161, and also offered Mushfiqur a second life in the fourth over on Monday, when an inside edge ricocheted off his thigh and wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva put the chance down.”It’s always frustrating,” Makunura said of the drops, “But it’s part of the game. You catch some, you drop some, and it’s part of the game. We have to take it in our stride, and move on from there.”Zimbabwe were made to pay for their mistakes in the field, and their bowling attack struggled to maintain the consistency that had helped set up their win in Sylhet. Fast bowler Tendai Chatara was stretched off with a suspected Grade 2 tear on his left quadriceps muscle, and though Kyle Jarvis stuck to his lines to take 5 for 71 in his absence, he was given precious little support by Zimbabwe’s spin attack, who went wicketless.”I don’t think the guys were complacent,” Makunura said. “We spoke in our change rooms earlier on this was an opportunity for us to win an away Test series, which we haven’t done in a long time. I don’t think we bowled well enough, but I wouldn’t put that down to complacency. We didn’t bowl as well as we should have, but we also must give credit to the Bangladesh batters.”Makunura remained hopeful that Zimbabwe could learn from Mominul and Mushfiqur’s example and bat themselves back into the game, pointing to the first session of the third day as being crucial to their mission.”I think the game is still evenly poised, although Bangladesh batted quite well,” he said. “It’s all going to depend on how well we bat tomorrow, especially the first session. If we can negotiate the first session, we can make life a little easier for ourselves. It’s going to take a lot of batting for us.”

Manchester City are expected to wrap up a long-awaited deal to sign Lucas Paqueta from West Ham after agreeing personal terms with the midfielder.

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• City attempted to sign Paqueta last year
• Probe into betting activity ended pursuit
• Midfielder agrees to summer transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City have a personal agreement with the Brazilian in place over his wages as they prepare to sign him in the summer transfer window, reports. However, the reigning European and English champions are still to strike a deal with the Hammers over a transfer fee.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  City attempted to sign the midfielder from the east London team last summer, but they pulled out of the reported £85 million deal because an investigation into alleged betting breaches was opened up by the Football Association (FA).

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Paqueta, who has scored eight goals and registered seven assists in all competitions this season, recently opened up about the investigation into his alleged betting activity, saying: "It’s been seven months since it’s been happened and I’m co-operating, doing what’s in my power so that it can be resolved."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WEST HAM?

  Paqueta's current contract at West Ham runs until 2027, though there is an option to extend his stay for another year. West Ham, then, could hold out for a similar £85m ($108m) fee from City this year before they agree to let him go.

Arsenal's unbeaten start to the 2023/24 Premier League season came to an end on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United in the evening kick-off. The Gunners came out the wrong side of the result at St. James' Park as Anthony Gordon's second-half strike was enough to secure all three points for the home side.

However, the winning goal was shrouded in controversy after a lengthy VAR check on three possible infringements that eventually saw the goal awarded to Eddie Howe's team.

There was an initial check to see whether or not the ball had gone out of play before a possible foul on Gabriel, and then a possible offside against Gordon. However, none of those three situations could be fully substantiated into a claim to disallow the goal and Mikel Arteta was incensed after the match.

Arteta's comments after VAR controversy at Newcastle

The Spanish tactician described the incident as "embarrassing" and a "disgrace" before going on to say that he is wasting his time as results are in the hands of other people – referees. Arteta went as far as to say that he feels "embarrassed" and is "ashamed" to be part of how the Premier League is using VAR and the technology available to decide matches, in some instances, with their decisions.

Of course, emotions were running high after a tight match that ended in defeat for the London-based outfit, and the choice of words may have been influenced by that. However, Arsenal then released a statement in support of their manager and added that PGMOL must take action to improve the standard of refereeing, as they believe that the league deserves a higher quality of officiating than it is currently getting.

Stephen Warnock slams Arsenal and Arteta

Whilst speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch segment, pundit Stephen Warnock ripped into the Gunners and Arteta for their reaction to Newcastle's winning goal.

The former Liverpool defender started out by questioning why the Gunners boss did not feel "embarrassed" to be involved in the division after Luis Diaz's goal was wrongly disallowed for offside against the Reds earlier this season in their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. This point was also raised by The Mirror as they reported his previous comments about that VAR mistake that went against Jurgen Klopp's side.

The Gunners boss said that referees and VAR need to be given support and for people to understand that mistakes happen, which was a calmer and more reasoned response than the one he gave over the weekend after Gordon's goal. Warnock then went on to say that the club's subsequent statement was "distasteful" and that it should have been handled in a different way.

Whether or not any of this will lead to an improvement in refereeing or VAR standards remains to be seen, given that the Arsenal boss thinks that he is wasting his time, and it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the next major incident of controversy to take place.

A new update has now emerged from Manchester United regarding Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag’s future at Man Utd

The Red Devils haven’t had the best of starts to the season, in fact, after defeat to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup last week, it was the club’s worst start to a campaign since 1962-63. Since then, Ten Hag’s side have recorded a much-needed Premier League win, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a later winner against Fulham on Saturday lunchtime.

Despite this, reports have suggested that Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who looks likely to invest in the club and take control of sporting decisions, has already decided to sack Ten Hag and wants Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi to come in as his replacement.

However, in a new update on Ten Hag’s future at Man Utd, Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke has claimed the Dutchman isn’t under threat of losing his job, adding there is “no panic” at Old Trafford.

“Erik ten Hag’s position at Man United is not in immediate danger despite their poor recent form, sources have told Football Insider. A well-placed source has told Football Insider that there is “no panic” at Old Trafford over Ten Hag’s future.

“However, club chiefs are not happy with recent results – but Saturday’s (4 November) 1-0 win over Fulham has increased confidence somewhat.”

The reporter added: "The Red Devils will also clash with Luton and Everton in their next two Premier League games – which presents a good opportunity for the Dutchman to string together much-needed consecutive wins. But it is believed there will be no knee-jerk reaction resulting in the sacking of Ten Hag even if those results do not materialise."

Ten Hag hits 50 wins at Man Utd

Ten Hag seemingly has plenty of credit in the bank at Man Utd following a successful first season in charge, where he won the EFL Cup, made the final for the FA Cup and finished in the top four. The win on Saturday also saw him reach 50 wins as Man United manager, equalling a 118-year record set by Erik Mangnall – achieving the feat in just 79 games.

After the victory over Fulham, Ten Hag was asked about the record but already had his focus on the midweek trip to FC Copenhagen, saying: "We have to win every game. With this win, it's OK. We take it with us [for] 24 hours. Then we focus on the next game and it is an important game in Copenhagen."

For instance, Sir Alex Ferguson needed time to settle in at Old Trafford and took 105 games to reach 50 wins, so with Ten Hag doing that in 26 fewer games, you could argue that the Red Devils are doing the right thing by not making any knee-jerk decisions regarding his future.

Leeds United made an impressive managerial appointment over the summer as they swooped to bring in German tactician Daniel Farke, who had left Borussia Monchengladbach earlier this year.

The 47-year-old head coach arrived with an exceptional record at Championship level as he won the title twice during his spell with Norwich City; once in 2019 and then again in 2021.

Alongside his superb results in the second tier, the ex-Canaries boss also came in with a proven track record for developing and bringing through young players.

The likes of James Maddison, Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, Emiliano Buendia, and Jamal Lewis, among others, all hit their stride at first-team level under Farke's management.

Maddison (to Leicester for £24m) and Buendia (to Aston Villa for £38m) left Norwich for a combined £62m during the German's tenure in Norfolk, which illustrates his ability to get the best out of young players to increase their value.

He has already displayed this at Leeds by unearthing Archie Gray from the academy at the age of 17. The England U19 international has already had a valuation of £40m reportedly placed on his head amid interest from Liverpool.

Gray has already racked up 15 Championship appearances, including 13 starts, so far this season – as a central midfielder and right-back – despite only turning 17 in March.

Farke has placed his faith in the teenage Thorp Arch prospect and been rewarded as the English dynamo has earned himself a regular spot in the team this season.

Supporters may now have one eye on the academy to see who could be the next talented ace to follow in Gray's footsteps to make an impact at first-team level.

With this in mind, here are three young Leeds gems who could make the senior squad if they continue to develop at an impressive rate…

1 Luca Thomas

The versatile academy teen – Luca Thomas – has made an impressive start to life with the U21s after being promoted from the U18s for his phenomenal form at that age group.

He has played the majority of his matches as a centre-forward but has showcased his versatility by being able to play out wide on either flank as well as in a number ten position.

Thomas burst onto the scene with the U18s during the 2021/22 campaign as the exciting youngster plundered an eye-catching 15 goals and two assists in 17 U18 Premier League matches.

The Whites prodigy followed that up with eight goals and one assist in 14 games at that age group throughout the following season, which took him to a total of 23 goals in 32 outings.

He has been a regular for the U21 side so far this season, after his incredible exploits for the U18s, and has hit the ground running with three goals and one assist in six Premier League 2 appearances.

Having scored and assisted goals at a superb rate at academy level, the next step for Thomas is to impress Farke enough to earn a shot with the first-team.

2 Mateo Joseph

One player who is close to making his first-team breakthrough is U21s star Mateo Joseph, who has already been given a taste of senior action at Elland Road.

The 20-year-old prospect has made six appearances for Leeds, including three in the Premier League last season, and has been on the bench for two Championship matches this term.

Joseph has enjoyed a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign with two goals and one assist in two Premier League 2 outings, along with a goal and an assist in one Premier League International Cup clash.

The England U20 international came into this season off the back of a return of 17 goals and two assists in 24 U21 matches for the club last term.

This means that the Spanish-born dynamo has racked up 20 goals and four assists in his last 27 U21 appearances for the Whites since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

Joseph's phenomenal form for the academy has not gone unnoticed as Farke did include him on the bench twice earlier this season, which suggests that the young gem is on the German tactician's radar for a first-team inclusion.

It is now down to the Leeds game to prove to the ex-Norwich boss that he has what it takes to translate his outstanding goalscoring form over to the senior side in the coming months or years to follow in Gray's footsteps.

3 Sean McGurk

Finally, the third Thorp Arch academy prospect who could be the next young talent to burst onto the scene at Elland Road is 20-year-old winger Sean McGurk.

Signed from Wigan in 2021, the winger did not catch the eye with consistently impressive displays for the U21s across his first two seasons with the Whites.

Despite being described as a "whizz kid" by journalist Alan Nixon at the time of his move to Yorkshire, McGurk only managed three goals and one assist across 22 U21 matches for the club during the 2021/22 campaign.

The Liverpool-born wizard followed that up with a return of three goals and three assists in 18 U21 appearances throughout the 2022/23 season.

Appearances

Five

44

Goals

Three

Ten

Assists

One

Six

These statistics did not suggest that Leeds had a productive winger who could deliver goals and assists on a regular basis. However, his form this term has reflected his development in recent years.

McGurk has managed four goals and two assists in eight Premier League 2 matches, alongside four goals and two assists in five Premier League Cup and International Cup clashes.

This means that the 20-year-old magician has racked up eight goals and four assists in 13 U21 games so far this season for Leeds, whilst no first-team player has managed more than six league strikes so far.

He has finally hit his stride in the final third and is now thriving as an excellent winger who can chip in with goal contributions at an impressive rate, which suggests that a first-team promotion is not completely out of the question.

McGurk must now remain consistent and show Farke that he has the quality to deliver big moments at senior level for Leeds to become the latest gem to follow in Gray's footsteps under the German tactician.

At an event to rename the Daredevils, Parth Jindal indicated his franchise might not show much interest in English or Australian players, since they were set to leave early

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-20181:08

‘We wanted to give the team a new identity’ – Delhi Capitals co-owner

Availability of players, and not the venue, will be the key factor ahead of the forthcoming IPL auction, scheduled on December 18. That is is the opinion of Parth Jindal, co-owner of the Daredevils franchise which was renamed Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.IPL 2019 is likely to be advanced, keeping in mind that most international players will have to attend preparatory camps for the World Cup, which starts in England on May 30. The IPL had already informed franchises earlier this year that both CA and ECB would be restricting the participation of those in their World Cup squads till May 1 only. Moreover, the venue for IPL 2019 is still undecided, with the tournament being held at the same time as the general elections in India.Jindal confirmed that English and Australian players in particular, were likely to be less desirable at least for Delhi at the auction. “We’ll plan to target players more based on availability,” Jindal said. “Where the IPL is held is obviously relevant, but having players who are available throughout the season is very important. We know that the English players will leave after May 1, as will the Australians. Barring those two countries, as of now we are given to understand that most of the other countries’ players will be available.”Jindal also said that franchises were yet to get clarity on the availability of marquee Indian players, especially the fast bowlers, following media reports that Indian captain Virat Kohli had told the BCCI that the workload of certain key players should be managed in the IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup. The BCCI is likely to bring the IPL start date forward to March 23 as a part-solution to this, which would also help Indian players get a two-week break before they start their World Cup campaign. “There is talk that Virat Kohli wants some of the Indian fast bowlers to be rested,” Jindal said. “Luckily we don’t have anyone in our team who is in the Indian ODI squad. But as much of an unknown it is to us, it’s the same for the other seven teams. So everyone will go into the auction on an even playing field.”The Delhi Daredevils franchise was remaned Delhi Capitals•Delhi DaredevilsThe IPL 2019 auction will be held in Jaipur on December 18, and Delhi will have a purse of INR 25.50 crore, second only to Kings XI Punjab’s INR 36.20 crore. Jindal, who took charge of the franchise when JSW bought a 50% stake in the franchise in March 2018, said that since Delhi had deep pockets, they just needed to invest wisely.Jindal was also optimistic about bringing back Shikhar Dhawan, who was traded in from Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Shahbaz Nadeem, Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma. “I’m still wondering why Hyderabad released him. He was Man of the Series in Australia too,” Jindal said, adding that having the best set of frontline Indian batsmen gave him confidence Delhi could reach the play-offs next season. “We are banking on our Indian players. Our core is Indian. If you look at our top four of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, it’s very strong. You look at any IPL team, none of them have four Indian players who are so dynamic at the top of the order.”Dhawan had played for Delhi in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, and will be returning for the first time since then. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to play for Delhi again,” he said in a video message at the team’s renaming event. “I’m coming back after 11 years, and we are going to play with a lot of passion.”Without divulging the auction strategy, Jindal said Delhi wanted to strengthen their bowling reserves. “We need bowling – Indian and foreign. We need allrounders, though we have Chris Morris, we need one more. And we have a big purse for the auction, so we’ll spend from that.”

Rangers have been handed a financial boost after a significant update from the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers have had a fairly tumultuous year on the pitch, with Michael Beale's spell as manager a disappointing one, leading to his sacking earlier in the season. Philippe Clement has come in in his place, and the early signs have been positive, with Rangers seemingly firing in all competitions since the Belgian's timely arrival.

For the team to continue heading in the right direction, however, new signings could be required during the January transfer window, adding more quality and freshness to the squad, with Clement reportedly set to make as many as three new additions.

A host of players have been linked with a move to Ibrox, with Rangers keen on signing Everton defender Ben Godfrey, seeing him as a top target to come in and improve the defence. Meanwhile, Aberdeen ace Bojan Miovski has also been tipped to join the Gers.

While there is plenty of focus on the team, a key claim has now emerged regarding the club as a whole – one that will no doubt please supporters.

Rangers handed financial boost

According to a fresh update from Football Insider, the SPFL enjoyed record-breaking revenue in 2022/23, with the eye-watering figures revealed:

"Rangers are set for a financial injection from the SPFL after they posted record-breaking revenue in 2022/23, Football Insider can reveal. The Scottish Professional Football League posted their updated accounts via Companies House for the fiscal year up to 31 May with a turnover of £42.6million.

"It was a record-breaking turnover figure for the Scottish Professional Football League and marked a £3million increase from the year prior."

The money will be distributed out to all clubs in the top four tiers of Scottish football, and while the exact amount heading to Ibrox remains undisclosed, the report claims it will be a record setting sum. It means that a few extra funds should be available for Clement to spend on new signings in January.

Rangers' 10 most expensive signings of all time	Cost
1. Tore Andre Flo	£15.7m
2. Michael Ball	£8.5m
3. Mikel Arteta	£6.9m
4. Arthur Numan	£6.7m
5. Giovanni van Bronckhorst	£6.5m
6. Barry Ferguson	£6.35m
7. Bert Konterman	£6.35m
8. Ryan Kent	£6.31m
9. Michael Mols	£5.6m
10. Gaby Amato	£5.6m

What this also does is help persuade potential signings to come to the club, showing that the league is moving in a positive direction and should continue to be able to compete in European competitions, something players are typically drawn to.

Someone like Godfrey for example could jump at the opportunity to earn more regular playing time at Ibrox, and while there's still no chance of the Gers paying him the £76,000 per week he earns at Everton, every little helps.

After Arsenal’s captivating late 4-3 win over Luton which aptly, was as mad as a Hatter, the great goalkeeping debate of 2023/24 will rage on.

Since David Raya entered the club as competition for Aaron Ramsdale, it has perhaps been the only huge concern surrounding the club this term, not that Mikel Arteta would like to admit it’s an issue.

The fact of the matter, however, is that it is a problem. Quite a large one.

Ramsdale had his moments last term – notably in both outings against Southampton but he was also capable of the extraordinary.

Remember that double stop to deny Mo Salah and Ibrahima Konate at Anfield? Yeah, he’s a pretty good shot-stopper.

Arsenal's £280k-p/w star dropped a "monster performance" vs Luton

Declan Rice stole the show with a late winning goal but another Arsenal star deserves equal praise.

ByMatt Dawson Dec 6, 2023

The England man didn’t do a huge amount wrong to lose his place but since the first international break of the campaign, the Spaniard has been the no.1 ‘keeper, whether we all agree with it or not.

David Raya's performance vs Luton

It's safe to say this was the Spaniard's worst outing in an Arsenal shirt yet.

Since signing on loan from Brentford in the summer, the gloveman has had a topsy-turvy but ultimately relatively impressive stint between the posts.

Indeed, prior to the clash with Wolves last weekend, the 28-year-old had been streets ahead of Ramsdale in multiple areas of the game, notably passing from the back and claiming crosses.

Goals Against*

1.23

0.83

Save Percentage*

68.5%

80.81%

Clean Sheet Percentage*

30%

41.7%

Passes Completed* (Launched)

2.63

7.92

Goals Prevented

-1.72

1.32

Pass Success rate

71%

77%

Crosses Stopped*

0.60

1.44

Crosses Stopped* %

6.4%

10.5%

However, it was that ability to come for crosses that actually landed him in hot water on Tuesday night. Raya tried to come for a corner but got none of the ball as Elijah Adebayo was able to head home with ease.

It was his involvement in Ross Barkley's third goal, however, that proved most suspect. The former Chelsea man advanced beyond Ben White and then placed an effort goalbound that squeezed under Raya who ended up looking rather hapless.

It was unsurprising, therefore, to see the 'keeper jump immediately to thank Declan Rice for his astonishing last-gasp winner at Kenilworth Road when the full-time whistle blew.

That being said, Raya wasn't the only in Arsenal colours who underwhelmed vs Luton. A rare starter, Jakub Kiwior didn't have his finest night either.

Jakub Kiwior's game vs Luton in numbers

The Pole knows his role well. If an injury occurs to either Gabriel or William Saliba then he'll get a chance in the team. He's done that aptly since arriving last January for £20m, although out of position on Tuesday was far from his best.

With Takehiro Tomiyasu injured, the defender was trusted with playing at left-back ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko who was rested on the bench.

This wasn't the first time Arteta has played Kiwior in that position but on this occasion, he found life tough, with the Poland international's limitations going forward a hindrance to build up play down Gabriel Martinelli's left-hand channel.

That was evident in the fact that Kiwior failed to make a single key pass before he was subbed off in the 64th minute for Zinchenko. To put that into context, Arsenal's opposite full-back in Ben White played two key passes, including the assist for Gabriel Jesus' headed first-half goal.

Writing about his performance after the game, Football.London reporter Kaya Kaynak gave the former Spezia man a 5/10 match rating, saying: "Not the best of nights for the Polish defender. His lack of offensive contribution was laid bare at times and he struggled to lock down his flank. Not awful, but not at the standard he's set for himself."

Not awful, but pretty standard is just about right when it comes to describing the player's performance. Defensively the numbers portray this was a solid game – winning 75% of his duels – but ultimately he offered little offensively and struggled against Andros Townsend and Issa Kabore.

On this evidence, it wouldn't be a surprise if we saw him back on the bench for the clash with Aston Villa this forthcoming weekend.