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Almost every single player in the Tottenham Hotspur squad has had a role to play this season, with Ange Postecoglou putting trust in each individual to perform.

When looking at the current Spurs side, almost all of the players will stay with the Australian as the club begins their new era, which just shows how impressive their start to the rebuild has been.

All of the summer incomings have adapted instantly, while the seasoned squad members have also stepped up, helping the side be in a brilliant position to achieve Champions League football.

But there’s one player in particular who deserves a lot of credit for his start to life in England, with his performances causing his market value to explode.

What Spurs paid for Destiny Udogie

During the 2021/22 Serie A campaign, Destiny Udogie announced himself to Italy as one of the most talented prospects in the country.

Playing as a left-wing back with the freedom to express himself, the confident teenager starred in his first real campaign, showcasing his ability to affect the game in the final third with five goals and three assists in 35 matches.

After his breakthrough season, plenty of clubs across Europe were interested in signing the Italian, even Manchester City, but it was Spurs who eventually got the deal done, spending £15m on Udogie in the summer of 2022.

However, he didn’t join the Lilywhites instantly, instead returning to Udinese on a season-long loan, where he continued to impress, but he’s only gone to another level under Postecoglou this season.

Tottenham eyeing "brilliant" star with more assists than Udogie this season

He’s a wanted man.

ByTom Cunningham Mar 4, 2024 What Udogie is worth in 2024

Going into the campaign, the “quality” defender, as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, was always going to be the first-choice left back.

Udogie had proven to be more than capable of performing amongst the very best in Italy, and despite being just 21 years of age, he was definitely more than ready to be handed an opportunity to shine.

Luckily, the defender has taken it with both hands, becoming one of Spurs’ most reliable and consistent players across his 27 Premier League starts.

Over these matches, Udogie has impressed at both ends of the field, picking up five goal contributions and making 2.5 tackles per game, with his well-rounded profile making his value increase dramatically.

Destiny Udogie

£68m

Dejan Kulusevski

£68m

Pedro Porro

£51m

Cristian Romero

£51m

Brennan Johnson

£51m

Udogie is now the joint-highest valued player in the entire Spurs squad alongside Dejan Kulusevski, with an estimated worth of £68m.

This also makes him the most valuable left back in the entire Premier League and the joint-highest valued across all of Europe’s top five leagues, as per CIES' Football Observatory.

Incredibly, his value is even greater than both James Maddison’s (£34m) and Heung-min Son’s (£26m) combined, who have 11 and 24 league goal contributions between them, respectively, this campaign, which just further highlights how special Udogie truly is.

Spurs certainly hit the jackpot by signing Udogie for such a cheap fee, but what’s arguably just as impressive is their management of the youngster, with last season’s loan at Udinese playing a vital role in his progress this season.

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O Ceará encerrou a segunda fase do Campeonato Cearense com uma goleada e show do meia Jorginho. O Vozão goleou o Atlético-CE por 5 a 2, na tarde desta segunda-feira (17), no Estádio Carlos de Alencar Pinto, foi aos 13 pontos e terminou na terceira posição.

Os gols da equipe de Guto Ferreira foram anotados por Jorginho e Fernando Sobral – ambos marcaram dois tentos cada – e Cléber. Olavio e Valdo Bacabal marcaram para os visitantes.

O destaque do Vozão na partida ficou por conta do meia Jorginho, que fez dois golaços, deu uma assistência e foi o responsável por “provocar” o pênalti que abriu o placar para o Ceará.

Primeiro tempo:

Aos três minutos, Ricky conseguiu o cruzamento pela esquerda e achou Saulo Mineiro, que finalizou de primeira para excelente defesa do goleiro do Atlético.

Incisivo no ataque, o Vozão chegou ao primeiro gol da partida aos cinco minutos. Em jogada pela direita de Jorginho, Alisson Henrique desarmou o ataque com um toque de mão dentro da área. Na cobrança, Fernando Sobral chutou forte rasteiro no canto direito. O goleiro Carlão até acertou o canto, mas não chegou na bola.

Sem tempo para lamentar, o Atlético igualou o placar logo aos seis minutos. Em boa troca de passes, Tiago Cunha lançou Olavio, que invadiu a área e chutou cruzado com força sem chances de defesa para o arqueiro João Ricardo.

O empate não apagou o fogo dos times e aos 11 minutos o Vozão voltou a comandar a partida. Em jogada bem trabalhada, Jorginho recebeu na entrada da área e chutou colocado, com curva, no ângulo direito do goleiro do Atlético. Uma pintura do camisa 16 comandado por Guto Ferreira.

Aos 30 minutos o Ceará balançou as redes do Atlético novamente. Em ótima jogada individual, Fernando Sobral tabelou com Jorginho, invadiu a área e chutou forte rasteiro no canto direito, sem chances para o goleiro Carlão.

Dono do jogo, o Vozão transformou o jogo em goleada logo aos 35 minutos do primeiro tempo com uma pintura. Em ótima jogada pela direita, Jorginho invadiu a área com um drible da vaca no zagueiro Edgar e deu um toque sensacional por cobertura na saída de Carlão. Segunda pintura do meia no primeiro tempo da última rodada do Campeonato Cearense.

Segundo tempo:

A etapa complementar foi menos intensa que a primeira, mas ainda assim as equipes criaram boas chances de gol. Contudo, as redes se mexeram apenas aos 36 minutos com o Vozão.

Cléber aproveitou uma bobeada da defesa do Atlético, roubou a bola, invadiu a área e, com tranquilidade, apenas deslocou o goleiro Geferson para aumentar ainda mais a goleada do Vozão quando o placar batia os 36 minutos da etapa complementar,

Aos 40 minutos o Atlético descontou o placar. Em boa jogada pela esquerda, Alisson Henrique deixou a marcação para trás e cruzou para o Valdo Bacabal, que apenas cumprimentou para o fundo das redes do Vozão.

Próximos jogos:

O resultado confirmou o Ferroviário como o adversário da equipe de Guto Ferreira na semifinal do estadual.

Mais do que classificado no estadual, o Ceará também mantém suas atenções para a próxima quinta-feira (20), quando vai receber o Bolívar-BOL, pela 5ª rodada da Copa Sul-Americana. Uma vitória pode fazer o Vozão precisar apenas de um empate no último jogo da fase de grupos da competição internacional.

Apesar da goleada, o Atlético segue no estadual e vai enfrentar o Fortaleza na semifinal. A classificação para o mata-mata veio graças ao Ferroviário, que derrotou o Pacajus por 2 a 1. O resultado manteve a Águia da Precabura com 11 pontos contra nove do Pacajus.

Ficha técnica Ceará x Atlético-CE:

Local: Estádio Carlos de Alencar Pinto, Porangabuçu (CE)
Data-Horário: 17/05/2021 – 15h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Luciano Miranda (CE)
Auxiliares: Jailson Albano da Silva (CE) e Fernando da Silva Sousa (CE)
Cartões amarelos: Jorginho, Klaus (CEA); Hércules, Iago Araújo (ATL)
Gols: Fernando Sobral (5’/1ºT), Olavio (6’/1ºT), Jorginho (11’/1ºT), Fernando Sobral (30’/1ºT), Jorginho (35’/1ºT), Cléber (36’/2ºT)

Ceará: João Ricardo; Buiú, Gabriel Lacerda, Klaus (Alan, aos 18/2ºT) e Kelvyn; Pedro Naressi, Fernando Sobral (Geovani, aos 15/2ºT) e Jorginho; Saulo Mineiro (Cléber, aos 15/2ºT), Rick (Marquinhos Brazion, aos 31/2ºT) e Yony González (Marthã, aos 31/2ºT). Técnico: Guto Ferreira.

Atlético-CE: Carlão (Geferson, aos 0/2ºT); Gustavo Silva, Edgar, Waldson e Alisson Henrique; Daniel (Iago Araújo, aos 0/2ºT), Tiago Cunha (Clismann, aos 27/1ºT), Hércules e Wandson (Eric Pulga, aos 0/2ºT); Olavio (Wanderson do Carmo, aos 31/2ºT) e Valdo Bacabal. Técnico: Raimundo Wágner.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalConglomerado varejista se torna patrocinador master de Ceará e FortalezaFutebol Nacional15/05/2021CearáZagueira do Ceará comemora 20 anos no futebol feminino e relata trajetóriaCeará13/05/2021

Kevin De Bruyne warned he is prepared to again order his Belgium team-mates to turn their backs on the team's fans if booing persists at Euro 2024.

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• De Bruyne not scared of controversy
• Would blank Belgium fans again
• Supporter behaviour "unacceptable"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  De Bruyne hasn't shied away from controversy in a bid to protect the squad from "unacceptable" behaviour he witnessed in the stands after Belgium faced Ukraine in their final Euro 2024 group fixture last week. Despite concerns that feuding with fans could taint his Belgium legacy, he would still tell his team to walk away were the same thing to happen in future games.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Belgium fans were left underwhelmed by the team's group stage performances, which only yielded four points and second place and forced them into a tough last 16 tie against France. They let their feelings be heard with loud boos and even some middle finger gestures after the Ukraine game, leading captain De Bruyne to call the players away from acknowledging and applauding the fans instead of standing there taking the abuse.

• WHAT DE BRUYNE SAID

  De Bruyne said: "No [it's not personal]. I was simply surprised. The atmosphere beforehand [against Ukraine] was good. Apparently there were boos at a corner, but I didn't hear them at that moment. I only realised that something was wrong when Jan [Vertonghen]. I wanted to greet the supporters. Look, I can only guarantee that we want to win every time. That's our job, we will always try. That's the minimum, but at the same time also the maximum. You can't ask for more."

  He added: "Yes, [I'd do it again]. That's my honest opinion. I've seen things that I can't agree with. So I've reacted. Some people might think I was wrong. Other people might agree with me. That's okay. You can't do right by everyone. I've thought about the group.

  "I have no problem with criticism. We can deal with that. It could also be better. But those [middle finger] gestures were not acceptable. If I do that on the street, it is not appreciated either."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DE BRUYNE?

  With Euro 2024 perhaps the 33-year-old's last chance for international success, his club career has also come under the spotlight as he now enters the final season of his Manchester City contract. De Bruyne appears committed to City for the time being, but admitted that "silly" money might tempt him in the future to help financially set up his family for life.

Glasgow Rangers recorded a solid 3-0 away win over St Johnstone last weekend as they ascended to the top of the Premiership table for the first time since 2022.

Under previous managers, the Ibrox side would have wilted under the pressure last week, but in Philippe Clement, they have a boss who has totally transformed the mentality of the side in just five months.

They now find themselves leading Celtic by two points in the league table, and a win over Hearts tomorrow afternoon could see the gap being stretched to five points, showing how quickly things can change.

The Europa League last 16 draw has seen the Light Blues handed a tricky clash against Benfica, with the first leg on March 7 and this means Clement will be preparing his squad for the hectic schedule which is set to follow.

This could mean there are a couple of changes to face the Jambos at Ibrox tomorrow and with this in mind, here's a look at who could make the starting XI for the key league clash…

1 GK – Jack Butland

Arguably the most important signing the club made last summer. Butland has been in wonderful form since swapping the Premier League for Scotland and if he maintains this until the end of the season, an England call-up to the Euro 2024 squad would not be a surprise.

The former Crystal Palace shot-stopper has kept an impressive 13 clean sheets in 26 league ties and this has been imperative in the Gers' chase for glory.

Another shutout tomorrow could be crucial, that’s for sure.

2 RB – James Tavernier

The number one spot and right-back area pretty much pick themselves and Tavernier will be hoping to continue his wonderful run of form against Hearts this season.

In three previous meetings since the start of the campaign, the defender has scored against the Gorgie outfit three times while grabbing two assists too, and another goal involvement or two tomorrow could give the Gers another win.

3 CB – Connor Goldson

While Butland has been excellent in between the posts, Connor Goldson has been a rock at the heart of the defence.

The Englishman has missed only three matches this term, signifying his importance to the team, and while he is prone to the odd error – notably against Aberdeen when he was caught out with a long ball over the top – his performances have been excellent.

4 CB – John Souttar

Retaining his place alongside Goldson is the Scottish centre-back, who has formed a wonderful partnership next to his older colleague.

Indeed, he has started six of the previous seven Premiership matches next to Goldson, in which the Gers have conceded just three times.

5 LB – Ridvan Yilmaz

With squad rotation being key of late, Borna Barisic was brought into the starting XI for the clash against St Johnstone, but tomorrow, it will be Yilmaz who is unleashed.

His resurgence under Clement has been a joy to watch as he has been able to produce some of his finest performances since arriving in Glasgow in 2022.

The £5m signing was hailed as a “high quality” player by former sporting director Ross Wilson and this term, he has scored twice and grabbed an assist, while looking like he could be the heir to Barisic’s throne.

6 CM – John Lundstram

The Englishman is out of contract in a couple of months, but his recent performances under the 49-year-old coach indicate that he should be offered a new deal.

He has missed only one game thus far under the new regime and this was due to injury, proving that he is the first name on the team sheet, and he will start against Hearts.

7 CM – Mohamed Diomande

The January arrival opened the scoring last week with an excellent long-range effort which nestled in the St Johnstone net, and it was the goal which certainly eased the nerves.

He deserves another start tomorrow and, along with Lundstram, the duo could pull the strings in the heart of the midfield against the Tynecastle outfit.

8 RW – Ross McCausland

Former Aberdeen winger Scott Wright was given a rare start against the Saints last Sunday – only his seventh of the season – but he failed to take his opportunity.

The Scot took just 21 touches, completed only eight passes and lost possession nine times in what was a performance lacking any sort of willingness to make something happen.

Ross McCausland will therefore come into the starting XI to replace him, and he has been a much bigger threat in front of goal this term.

The 20-year-old has scored twice and provided three assists for the senior side since October, and he will only get better with age.

9 AM – Todd Cantwell

Another player who has seen his performances improve under Clement, especially domestically.

The English midfielder has scored five goals in his previous nine league matches and he is flourishing in the number ten role of late, showcasing his attacking qualities.

Another excellent display against Hearts could maybe even see him score yet again in the top flight.

10 LW – Oscar Cortes

Abdallah Sima is not yet ready to return to the first team yet, while Rabbi Matondo missed the clash against the Saints and this could mean Cortes starts for the second week in a row.

He has yet to score for the Ibrox side but is not without trying. Indeed, across his four league appearances, the 20-year-old has created a big chance and averaged 1.5 key passes per game, decent statistics considering he has averaged only 44 minutes per game.

Losing two sessions to rain did not help the Taunton match gain momentum while neither side put the foot down with the bat

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2019

The conclusion of the Women’s Ashes Test in Taunton has raised the question whether the format should be played across five days, after a combination of rain and stodgy scoring rates stymied the contest.Australia batted out the final day of the one-off match, securing the draw they needed to retain the multi-format Ashes, with the coach Matthew Mott saying they had considered ways of making a match of it but weren’t going to donate England a chance of victory.Australia had dominated the Test from the start. And once they batted for the first four sessions and rain wiped out the rest of day two, England’s chances were all but gone of fighting back for a win even before they took a defensive approach with the bat late on the third day. England did declare after saving the follow-on and made a couple of early inroads in Australia’s second innings, but the visitors were never in danger.”Maybe it’s an advertisement for five-day Test in women’s cricket,” Mott said. “With four [days] and you take half a day out, it certainly wasn’t enough. It would have been an awesome [fifth] day if we’d had the extra day.”We’re not a charity, we don’t give up a result that easily. We’ve won the first three ODIs and we deserve the opportunity to bat it out. We weren’t prepared to roll that dice and give England a chance when they didn’t really earn the right to it.”There were 100 overs scheduled for each day of the Test. So, without weather interruptions, there would have been 400 overs available in the game compared to 450 across a five-day Test consisting of 90-over days.”[A fifth day] would’ve helped get a result,” Meg Lanning, Australia’s captain, said. “It probably wouldn’t have been a drab day if we had a day five but we both knew it was four days coming in. It’s not a decision for us to make but I guess it’s something to look at.”However, England coach Mark Robinson suggested that the first priority for the Test format in the women’s game was to get more matches played before thinking about extending the length of them. This decade there have been just eight Tests with six of them being England-Australia matches.”You’ve got to try and get more Tests, and more countries playing Test match cricket,” Robinson said. “I think we all would agree it would help the development of the players.”The young Aussie [Tayla Vlaeminck] what a promising quick, but at the moment she hasn’t got control – if that’s a 50-over game she has wides – but the beauty of this is it allows her to run in, how exciting is that? Games allow quicks to run in, it allows batters to bat time, build innings, be tactically better.”It would help not just our team, but all teams around the world, the development of their players before we get to saying we should be playing five days in England-Australia [Tests].”

With the halfway point of the 2023/24 season now firmly in the rearview mirror, it would be fair to describe Arsenal's Premier League campaign as mixed thus far.

The Gunners are flying in the Champions League but currently find themselves five points behind Liverpool on the domestic front despite sitting atop the table just a few weeks ago. While there are several reasons for this dropoff, one of the most significant is the poor form of their frontline.

Mikel Arteta has seen his side score just 37 goals this season, which is the lowest out of the current top five and 11 fewer than Manchester City, so with this in mind, fans should be delighted with the latest player touted for a move to N5 as he could be the perfect Gabriel Jesus upgrade.

Arsenal's striker search

According to a report from Football Insider last week, Arsenal are on the lookout for a new striker in 2024 and are among a number of clubs 'considering' a swoop for Feyenoord's Mexican number nine, Santiago Gimenez.

The report revealed that, alongside the Gunners, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham are all interested in the incredibly exciting forward this year, meaning a bidding war could break out between the London clubs.

While the interest from their city rivals is far from ideal for the north Londoners, report states that it could take an offer of between £30m-£40m to secure Gimenez's signature is undoubtedly good news.

This would still represent a significant investment from the Gunners, and beating their fellow London clubs to his signature will surely require an awful lot of work. Still, it would be worth the effort for a striker who scored 15 goals last season and is well on his way to doubling that total this year.

How Santiago Gimenez compares to Gabriel Jesus

Now, it could be seen as unfair to single out Jesus for criticism when speaking about Arsenal's lacklustre frontline this season, as, after all, the former City man has three league goals so far, whereas Gabriel Martinelli has just two.

However, the 22-year-old is there to do more than just score goals, although when he is in goalscoring form, he can be a real threat, as he ended last season with 15 league goals to his name.

So, with a new number nine being at the top of Arteta's wishlist this year, who better than one who has already netted 19 league goals and two Champions League goals in 21 appearances this season?

Dubbed "the most prolific striker in Europe" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Feyenoord's Gimenez has been like a man possessed this year, and while the step-up to the Premier League would almost certainly reduce his goalscoring rate somewhat, it would still likely be a massive upgrade on Jesus' lethality in front of goal.

With that in mind, how do the pair's underlying numbers compare? Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, given the polar opposite veins of form the pair are in, the "Mexican machine", as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, dominates in the majority of relevant statistics.

For example, the "insane" 22-year-old, as described by Mango, produces almost double the non-penalty expected goals and assists figure as Jesus, scores more than four times as many goals, provides more assists, takes more shots on target, scores from fewer shots on target and even wins more aerial duels per 90 than the Brazilian.

While it is quite a one-sided comparison, Jesus does come out on top in progressive passes and carries per 90, suggesting that he makes a more holistic contribution to the team, but with Arsenal so desperately requiring a clinical finisher, that could be an area of his game that other players can cover.

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Arsenal could sign their next Santi Cazorla by making a mega-money move in 2024.

By
Matt Dawson

Jan 16, 2024

Ultimately, Jesus is a very talented player, but he is not a clinical striker, and as such, with the title race still ongoing, the Gunners should be going after Gimenez.

Offspinner’s 12-wicket haul sees Essex to an innings win and up to third in the table

David Hopps at Chelmsford17-Jun-2019The debate over whether Simon Harmer is the finest spin bowler in Essex’s history has sounded premature for a player contesting only his third Championship season, but the evidence is growing at a rapid rate. Twelve more wickets, at a cost of only 61 runs, dispensed of Hampshire before tea on the second day at Chelmsford. Harmer was irrepressible, but in considerable part that was because Hampshire were dire.No county can host a result within five sessions and feel entirely comfortable about the outcome and a post-match conversation between the Essex groundstaff and the ECB’s cricket liaison officer, Stuart Cummings, a former Rugby League referee, was inevitable, but there was no sense whatsoever that they saw anything too untoward about a surface that had also been used for a women’s ODI between England and the West Indies last Thursday.During that match, a West Indies player was reportedly sick on the pitch. Presumably on a length. For a spin bowler operating from the River End.Hampshire’s two innings spanned only 63.5 overs as Harmer rushed Essex towards victory as inexorably as a river flows to the sea. He is now the leading Championship wicket-taker with 42 and the Chelmsford pitches do encourage him, as did the rough created by Hampshire’s left-arm seamer Keith Barker.But as well as he bowled, Hampshire’s supposed Championship challenge – they began the round in second place – should surely be categorised under Fake News. They met Harmer with an air of defeatism disguised as counterattack. Even Harmer felt obliged to politely chastise them, saying: “There was turn and bounce with the new ball. They needed to be more patient before taking me on. When it flattened out it would have been easier.”Joe Weatherley, showing the circumspection Harmer advocated, batted through the second innings for 29 from 80 balls. The India international Ajinkya Rahane made a pair and lasted only three balls in the match, twice edging Jamie Porter to the wicketkeeper; decisive breakthroughs because he might have had the wherewithal to play Harmer with aplomb. As for Rilee Rossouw, he succumbed to two of the wildest slogs imaginable.Adi Birrell, Hampshire’s coach, summed things up fairly enough. “Harmer bowled fairly well but the ball wasn’t turning square, it wasn’t impossible to bat,” he said. “Joe Weatherley batted through. He applied himself and needed someone to bat through with him.”It is a painful and hurtful result. Hopefully it is a defeat in isolation. We can’t afford to let this affect us. It was a very bad two days.”Essex had begun the day on 147 for 3 but were themselves bowled out before lunch, as they lost seven wickets for 67 runs, seven to lbw decisions with Kyle Abbott the main recipient as he jagged the ball back sharply.Observe Harmer from behind the arm and he flows into the crease. Watch him from side-on, however, and he is a more unprepossessing sight. Dare it be suggested, his run is little more than a gentle waddle, but the snap of his fingers fills his action with energy.He was on by the fourth over, initially because pace bowler Sam Cook had limped from the field. In the time needed to sneak off for a cheap haircut close to the ground, Hampshire’s second innings had been snipped back. When Harmer is bowling, do not attempt this if you have a luxuriant head of hair.Facing a first-innings deficit of 96, Hampshire lost seven wickets for 32 in only 13.5 overs before finally coming to grief 15 minutes before tea. They were in danger of registering their lowest score against Essex – they made 54 at Southampton in 1931 – but at least that ignominy was avoided.Harmer began by having Sam Northeast stumped; advancing down the pitch he contrived to let the ball squeeze between bat and pad and his ponderous efforts to regain his ground allowed Adam Wheater enough time to stretch to his right to gather and complete the stumping.In the same over, Rossouw paddled his first ball for four then tried to slog over long-on and edged a simple catch into the off side. Aneurin Donald slog-swept a non-turning delivery to midwicket before Harmer took two wickets in his seventh over, having James Fuller lbw, leaving a ball that turned out of the footholds, and finding gentle turn as Barker, reaching forward, edged to first slip.Harmer rounded off the victory as Mason Crane was caught in circus-trick style with the edge running down Adam Wheater’s chest at which point he expertly volleyed it, left-footed, to forward short leg. Never criticise all those pre-match football kickabouts ever again.This was Harmer’s third 10-wicket haul for the county, and fourth of his first-class career. He has taken four five-wicket hauls in his six innings bowling at Chelmsford this year. Essex, who have comfortably won all three of their Specsavers County Championship at home, have moved within seven points of Hampshire, and boast a game in hand.If they beat the leaders Somerset at Chelmsford next week, they will begin to believe a repeat of their title triumph of 2017 is not beyond them. When Harmer has the ball in his hand, anything is possible, but surely Somerset will play him better than this.

Arthur Okonkwo’s brutal jaw injury features on Welcome to Wrexham, with the on-loan goalkeeper suffering a huge bone crack under his mouth.

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Goalkeeper involved in heavy collisionReturned to action in protective braceHelped Red Dragons to promotionGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 22-year-old, who joined the Red Dragons from Premier League giants Arsenal, took a heavy blow to his face during a League Two clash with Harrogate on November 28. He was forced back to north London for treatment and missed almost a month of action.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Okonkwo returned to Wrexham with a protective brace in place, allowing him to rejoin a promotion bid that ultimately delivered a runners-up finish. He joined the party in Las Vegas since then, which was funded by Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

DID YOU KNOW?

He is fully recovered from the knock that threatened to derail a promising campaign, with the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series showing how serious his injury was. X-rays taken at the time picked up a giant crack that ran from Okonkwo’s bottom row of teeth and underneath his jaw.

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WHAT NEXT?

Wrexham had been hoping that a deal could be done that kept Okonkwo on their books for 2024-25 – as they step up into League One. He may prove to be out of reach for Phil Parkinson’s side, with interest building as he prepares to sever ties with Arsenal as a free agent.

Last January, Chelsea broke the Premier League transfer record to sign midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a fee of around £107m (Sky Sports). Fernandez had only been playing in Europe for half a season, having just left River Plate in his homeland, but in December 2022, he'd become a world champion with Argentina.

Speaking last summer, Fernandez revealed that he'd be in touch with another member of Lionel Scaloni's squad – forward Paulo Dybala – over the possibility of joining him at Stamford Bridge. And while no move materialised last summer, with Dybala staying put at Roma instead, it looks like it could be back on the agenda in this month's transfer window.

Chelsea could bid before Dybala deadline

According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Chelsea are keen on signing Dybala in January (translated by Sport Witness). Mauricio Pochettino wants to strengthen his attack this month and has identified his fellow countryman as an ideal candidate.

As such, Dybala is prominent in Chelsea's thoughts and they could make their interest concrete in the coming days. Significantly, the 30-year-old's contract includes a release clause of €12m (£10.3m) for clubs outside Italy, but it's only valid until January 15th.

Aware of the deadline, Chelsea plan to "lunge" for the forward in the coming days, with an "important week" ahead. Roma, for their part, will do their best to tie him down and ward off the interest from London. In effect, former Blues boss Jose Mourinho is trying to deny his old club the player they want.

How bad is Dybala's injury record?

When assessing Dybala, the first note of caution is that his injury record is extensive. We've only just passed the halfway point of the 2023/24 season, but already he's been sidelined by three separate problems, keeping him out for a combined ten games. This, regrettably, forms part of a long-running trend – since 2015, Dybala has racked up a whopping 106 absences (Transfermarkt).

On the fip side, when he is fit, his numbers have been excellent. Dybala joined Roma on a free transfer in 2022 after seven years at Juventus, and he's been a big hit for Mourinho with 48 direct goal contributions (24 scored, 14 assisted) in his 55 appearances so far. This year, he's netted six times and set-up six more in 17 appearances, maintaining his strong output (Transfermarkt).

There's certainly no disputing his pedigree either. In addition to being a World Cup winner, Dybala has made the Serie A team of the year four times, won the competition's MVP award in 2019/20 (Football Italia) and made the Europa League team of the season in 2022/23 after firing Roma to the final (UEFA). One of his predecessors in the Italian capital, Francesco Totti, has called him a "phenomenon" (Football Italia)

Chelsea have only scored 34 goals in their first 20 Premier League matches this season, an average of 1.7 per game. That puts them on course for between 64 and 65 at the end of the season, but things could improve if they add a proven goalscorer and creator to Pochettino's frontline.

Leeds United will hope they can make up some more ground on the automatic promotion spots in the Championship when they travel to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, a win at Ewood Park would put Daniel Farke's men within four points of Ipswich Town if Kieran McKenna's side succumb to a loss away at Middlesbrough.

Confidence will be high in the Whites camp after their 3-2 win last match over Ipswich's next opponents, Leeds surviving a scare at Elland Road to beat Michael Carrick's Boro – the Whites nearly slipping up in the game after racing into a confident 3-1 lead.

Leeds' teenage starlet Archie Gray stood out at the back for Farke's promotion-chasing team, the 17-year-old winning seven of his 11 duels in the contest to shore up his anxious defence, as per Sofascore.

Where Gray shined, however, Leeds' usually reliable centre-back and captain Pascal Strujik struggled.

The Dutch defender was bailed out time after time by his more switched-on defensive teammates to ensure Boro didn't snatch a share of the points, the 24-year-old's cemented spot in the first team at Elland Road potentially under threat after this below-par day at the office.

Pascal Struijk's game vs Middlesbrough in numbers

Struijk was way off the pace compared to his usual standards, only winning two of his six duels on the night.

In stark contrast, when Leeds upset the odds and won 1-0 away at Leicester City in early November, the 6 foot 3 defender won 80% of his duels against sterner opposition.

His dire 90 minutes would lead to Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross giving Struijk a sub-standard 5/10 rating in his player rating article after the Boro game was over, describing his individual display as 'hardly rock solid', especially in a shaky second half.

The Antwerp-born brute also uncharacteristically gave possession away 12 times in the game, unsuccessfully playing the role of a calm defender when his side needed him to be just that.

Farke could well look to bring back an experienced option ahead of his underperforming Dutchman for the game against the Riversiders consequently, Liam Cooper deserving of a chance in the first-team again ahead of the unconvincing number 21 for the trip to Lancashire.

Liam Cooper's season in numbers

The Scottish defender is a loyal Elland Road servant, nearly a Whites player for a decade now after joining from Chesterfield in 2014 – going on to make 275 appearances to date for the West Yorkshire giants.

His powers have diminished in recent seasons however as he begins to see out his career, finding his minutes cut this campaign with Farke preferring to start the likes of Struijk over the 32-year-old.

Yet, Cooper has been dependable for the Whites when called into action this season.

Labelled as "Mr Reliable" by former Leeds United player and current football pundit Michael Bridges for his useful role in the team still, the £25k per week man – as per Capology – could slot in to replace Struijk at Ewood Park and fill in competently against Jon Dahl Tomasson's men.

The experienced asset notably impressed when Leeds had to settle for a draw at Rotherham United in their last away match, winning eight duels in total during the game at the New York Stadium.

Moreover, the physically dominant defender was also composed on the ball against the relegation-threatened Millers – accurate with 108 of his passes in the game.

Farke could start Cooper to show to Struijk that his spot isn't set in stone in the starting eleven, demanding that all of his players step their performance levels up in a bid to win promotion or face the chop.