Ian Wright hailed Arsenal Women after their Champions League victory over Barcelona as he believes the triumph "saved the club from embarrassment".
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Arsenal crowned European championsEdged out Barcelona 1-0Wright wants a victory parade in North LondonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Arsenal etched their name into European football history once again as they secured the Women’s Champions League title in Lisbon, defeating Barcelona 1-0 in a tightly contested final. This marks the North London side’s first continental triumph since 2007, ending an 18-year wait and reviving the club’s glory days in women's football.
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Swedish forward Stina Blackstenius, introduced from the bench, netted the game’s only goal to stun a Barcelona team that had dominated the tournament in recent years. With three Champions League titles in the past four seasons, the Catalan giants entered the final as firm favourites, but Arsenal defied the odds.
WHAT WRIGHT SAID
Arsenal legend Wright, who was present at the Estadio José Alvalade for the final, didn’t hold back in his praise for the women’s team. Speaking to after the match, Wright emphasized the importance of the victory not only in sporting terms but also for the broader morale of the club.
“Saved the club from the embarrassment of getting nothing this season when we played so well in the season with the men," he said.
“The ladies have saved the club, we have got something to celebrate. Of course they need a parade, they have beaten Barcelona in the Champions League [final], no one gave them a chance. Even I was saying it was going to be tough because they average four goals a game!
“So we needed to score goals to make sure that we beat them, in the end it was only one but everybody wrote them off. They deserve everything they are getting, all the accolades because this is a magnificent achievement. Look how far it’s come, I remember the Champions League being at Boreham Wood, look where we are and Arsenal winning it, it’s amazing!”
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Arsenal’s return to the final after nearly two decades had all the makings of a fairytale, especially against a Barcelona side many assumed would dominate. Yet, under the guidance of head coach Renee Slegers, the Gunners displayed tactical discipline and unwavering belief. And with that, the Gunners can celebrate not only a historic win but the pride of a club that refused to be overlooked.
Everything you need to know about Wout Weghorst's salary details playing for Ajax
Dutch striker Wout Weghorst joined Ajax in the summer of 2024 after a rather disappointing spell in England with Burnley. During his two years at Turf Moor, Weghorst was loaned out to Besiktas, Manchester United, and Hoffenheim in Germany.
Now back in his home country and playing for a major club like Ajax, Weghorst appears to have rediscovered his form, scoring consistently for the Eredivisie side since his arrival.
His current contract with Ajax runs until 2026, and he is well-compensated for his contributions with a high salary.
Exactly how much does he earn at the Johan Cruyff Arena?
GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!
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Wout Weghorst's wages at Ajax in numbers
Wout Weghorst's current contract with Ajax provides him a weekly wage of €48,077, ranking him as the joint fifth-highest paid player at the club. His salary is comparable to Josip Sutalo and Bertrand Traore, with an annual income of about €2.5 million.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in Euros
Annual wages in Euros
Wout Weghorst
Dutch
€48,077
€2,500,000
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Top earners at Ajax
Jordan Henderson, previously with Liverpool, is the top earner at Ajax. Daniele Rugani, an Italian center-back on loan from Juventus, follows. Brian Brobbey is third, ahead of Steven Berghuis in fourth.
Croatian defender Josip Sutalo and Weghorst sit joint fifth.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in Euros
Annual wages in Euros
Jordan Henderson
English
€90,000
€4,680,000
Daniele Rugani
Italian
€75,385
€3,920,000
Brian Brobbey
Dutch
€57,692
€3,000,000
Steven Berghuis
Dutch
€56,731
€2,950,000
Josip Sutalo
Croatian
€48,077
€2,500,000
Wout Weghorst
Dutch
€48,077
€2,500,000
Top earners in Eredivisie
Jordan Henderson is the top earner at Ajax and in the Eredivisie, with Sergino Dest from PSV next. Daniele Rugani is third, while Brian Brobbey and Steven Berghuis are fourth and fifth.
Player
Club
Weekly wages in Euros
Annual wages in Euros
Jordan Henderson
Ajax
€90,000
€4,680,000
Sergino Dest
PSV
€75,385
€3,920,000
Daniele Rugani
Ajax
€75,385
€3,920,000
Brian Brobbey
Ajax
€57,692
€3,000,000
Steven Berghuis
Ajax
€56,731
€2,950,000
AFP
Highest paid players in the world
Eredivisie player salaries are notable but lower than those of top global footballers, with none in the highest ranks.
The top five earners are in the Saudi Pro League, led by Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr with the highest salary.
Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, followed by Riyad Mahrez, previously with Manchester City and now at Al-Ahli, in third.
Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
Marcus Rashford's agent was spotted in the directors' box at Etihad Stadium during Aston Villa's late defeat to Manchester City.
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Rashford's agent spotted in City's directors' box
Could snub Villa permanent transfer
Man Utd loanee yet to decide on future
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Rashford regained his long-lost form after he made a loan switch from Manchester United to Aston Villa in the January transfer window. Now that the 2024-25 campaign has reached its business end, there has been speculation over the English forward's long-term future. While the Villans have a £40m ($49.5m/€48.8m) buy option in the loan deal, reports have emerged that the 27-year-old is likely to snub Unai Emery's side for a permanent move as he wants to play in the Champions League.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Amid rumours over his next destination, Rashford's brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, was spotted in the directors' box at Etihad Stadium during Villa's Premier League clash against Manchester City last week, according to the . Maynard sat near City's current director of football, Txiki Begiristain and his replacement, Hugo Viana.
DID YOU KNOW?
It now remains to be seen if Rashford, who has spent all his working life on the books at United and is a boyhood fan of the Red Devils, would consider joining their rivals in the summer or even if City hold any formal interest in making that happen.
AFP
WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?
Unai Emery's side, who are pushing for a Champions League slot, will be next seen in action on Saturday as they take on Fulham in a crucial Premier League clash at home. Rashford could miss the rest of the season through injury.
أصبح ريال مدريد يستهدف التعاقد مع أحد لاعبي باريس سان جيرمان، الذين برزوا خلال الموسم الماضي وساهموا في التتويج بعدة ألقاب أهمهم دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وبحسب صحيفة “الماركا” فإن ريال مدريد يراقب فيتينها لاعب خط وسط باريس سان جيرمان والذي تألق في صفوف الفريق.
أقرأ أيضاً.. ريال مدريد يسحق ليجانيس برباعية استعداداً للموسم الجديد
ويتمسك ريال مدريد بتعزيز خط وسطه بلاعب يقدم الإبداع ويتحكم في العمق بشكل جيد وهي صفات يمتلكها جواو فيتينها بشكل رائع.
وقدم اللاعب صاحب الـ25 عاماً موسمًا رائعًا مع باريس سان جيرمان تحت قيادة لويس إنريكي، حيث لعب دورًا حيويًا في الفوز بالثلاثية كما أثار الإعجاب مع المنتخب البرتغالي في فوزه بدوري الأمم الأوروبية.
ويتميز صاحب الـ25 عاماً بذكائه في التعامل مع الكرة وتمريراته المتقنة وهدوئه تحت الضغط، وبرز كواحد من أكثر لاعبي خط الوسط ثباتاً وتكاملاً في أوروبا.
ويعتقد مجلس إدارة ريال مدريد أن فيتينها لاعب خط وسط باريس سان جيرمان هو لاعب خط الوسط الذي سيكمل كل من جود بيلينجهام وفيدي فالفيردي.
ويعتبر ريال مدريد أن فيتينها سيكون قائدًا على المدى الطويل في وسط الملعب، وسيكون خليفة لكل من توني كروس ولوكا مودريتش ويرونه الخيار الأمثل.
Master of self-improvement and reinvention, Broad was a great survivor
Matt Roller31-Jul-20232:24
Stokes ‘proud’ of England team and ‘inspiring’ Stuart Broad
It might not have ended like this. There was the mutinous interview in an Ageas Bowl portacabin. The calf injury that ruled him out of the India series two years ago. The exasperation of the Ashes series he voided, and a blind-siding omission from the squad that toured the Caribbean.But Stuart Broad has often been confronted with his temporality as a Test cricketer across the course of a 16-year career, and has usually responded in the same way. Broad was the master of self-improvement, a man who constantly reinvented himself. It was the only way to survive, and Broad was a great survivor.This was a fitting finale. Broad was predominantly a showman, a great entertainer who played to the gallery, and his bail-switch that immediately preceded his dismissal of Todd Murphy was another moment of pantomime that only he could pull off in the midst of a tense final-day run chase.And yet there was another side to Broad, one that was harder to detect from the public persona who geed up the crowd, wearing a bandana out of superstition and a masterful comedian as well as cricketer.Related
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Behind closed doors, he was a meticulous thinker about the game, described by his Nottinghamshire and ex-England coach Peter Moores as “the best tactician that I’ve been lucky enough to coach”. It was no coincidence that, with two left-handers frustrating England, Ben Stokes threw the ball to Broad.”You’ve seen the way he bowls at them,” Stokes said. It was not always that way: Broad took 71 wickets at 41.11 against left-handers before 2015. But extensive research ahead of that summer’s Ashes series prompted him to change his default angle from over the wicket to around; since 2015, he has dismissed 122 left-handers at 24.85.”That’s part of my personality,” Broad explained. “I’ve never been an amazing trainer. I need to have something to aim for in training all the time, that spurs me on. I need to have a new skill to be working on, otherwise I could float through training a little bit.”Returning after tea, Broad bowled exclusively from around the wicket, inducing regular plays-and-misses; two in a row from Murphy prompted his bail-switch in an attempt to change his luck. “I just kept saying, ‘Keep bowling the same ball over and over again,'” Stokes said.After Murphy edged behind, Broad created two final chances. Carey nicked him to second slip where Zak Crawley spilled a tough low catch, before edging through to Bairstow in Broad’s following over. Both balls were textbook late Broad: angling in before nipping away off the seam to take the edge.Stuart Broad celebrates taking the wicket of Alex Carey and victory•Getty Images
Another feature of Broad’s self-improvement has been his desire to lower his “leave percentage” – a statistic that is rarely referenced publicly by anyone other than him. Four years ago, Moores told Broad that Kunal Manek, the Nottinghamshire analyst, had noticed an uptick in the proportion of his deliveries that batters left alone.”I judge myself now on how much I make a batsman play in a day,” Broad said during the 2019 Ashes. “If I am bowling badly, my leave percentage will be 30 percent – I am getting left 30 percent of the time. If I am bowling brilliantly, it will be 16 percent or 17 percent.”On his final day as a Test cricketer, it was down at eight percent: Australia’s batters left only seven of the 88 balls that he bowled. Broad will not be aware of that statistic as he basks in the glow of his farewell on Monday night, but there is one that makes him prouder than any other: his tally of 153 wickets against Australia, the most by an Englishman and a record that may never be broken.In the build-up to this series, Broad played down his chances of playing anything more than a bit-part role. Instead, he was the only England bowler to feature in all five Tests, finished the summer as their leading wicket-taker, and took centre-stage as six weeks of drama came to a head in the final moments of the series.If there is such a thing as destiny in sport, Stuart Broad was destined not to bow out quietly. “I am not too emotional, to be honest,” he reflected, speaking moments after clinching England’s win. “Taking those last two wickets proved to me that I still loved taking wickets because I just ran around like a headless chicken. I still have that emotion and love for winning Test matches.”To take a wicket to win an Ashes Test match being my final ball was something that will make me smile for the rest of my life,” he added. “When the dust has settled it will sink in. It still doesn’t feel massively real. When I told the guys I couldn’t remember what I said. I didn’t feel like I was in my own body; I feel a little bit like that now.”Broad made an admission on Saturday night that is rare to hear from an elite athlete: “I know I am not the most skilful player that’s played,” he said. But if his eventual Test bowling average, 27.68, does not secure him a place among the game’s greatest fast bowlers, his longevity will – a longevity secured by his self-professed addiction to the sport.
Last summer, Arsenal needed to sign a new centre-forward. Benjamin Sesko was in their crosshairs but he ultimately ended up signing a new contract with current employers, RB Leipzig.
In the end, the Gunners went without. The only signing to bolster the forward line was Raheem Sterling.
The Chelsea loanee promised we’d see the best of him. That did not happen.
In January, Mikel Arteta was crying out for a striker again but it wasn’t forthcoming. What happened next? Kai Havertz sustained a nasty hamstring injury during a warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
Arsenal’s Premier League form suffered drastically and it ultimately tripped them up in Paris when they exited the Champions League at the semi-final stages.
Arsenal's KaiHavertzwith manager MikelArtetaafter being substituted
So, a year on from when a new centre-forward first should have arrived, Arteta and Co are back at square one, chasing Sesko again.
Arsenal moving closer to signing a new centre forward
When you end the campaign with Mikel Merino up top, you know something has gone drastically wrong.
In all fairness, Merino was fine. Fine being the key word. He wasn’t exceptional, he wasn’t the spearhead you need to win a Premier League or continental title but he did score six goals in 12 outings as a striker.
That’s not bad at all, but it’s not the 54-goal tally Viktor Gyokeres scored. It’s not the 27 goals Alexander Isak scored. It’s not the 21 goals Sesko scored either.
All three of those players would be excellent signings, but it’s Sesko who looks the most likely to arrive at the moment.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
That’s according to German publication BILD, via Sport Witness. They report on Wednesday that a deal is beginning to move on the player side.
Indeed, BILD states that Arsenal have ‘reached an agreement’ on personal terms between them and the striker.
RB Leipzig's BenjaminSeskocelebrates
While that doesn’t mean anything is wrapped up with Leipzig, the report does note that Arsenal have signalled to the Bundesliga club that they are set to made a bid that will not fall below their expectations financially.
It’s likely to take an offer between £68m-£85m to convince them to sell.
How Sesko could replicate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal
It’s safe to say that since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Arsenal behind, Arteta has lacked a real potent centre-forward.
That’s not to say it was a mistake to let him go. After all, the Gabonese striker departed in controversial circumstances, stripped of the captaincy (video below) and then flying out to Barcelona on a trip that wasn’t sanctioned by the club.
Despite his flaws, Aubameyang was a mighty fine player for the club and was a key reason behind Arteta’s only trophy as a manager so far, the FA Cup in 2019/20.
Given Arsenal’s recent progress, it’s remarkable that they’re currently in the middle of a five-year trophy drought, but it’s perhaps no coincidence that they’re yet to win any major honours since Auba departed.
His record with the Gunners was exceptional, scoring 92 goals in 163 outings, most notably winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018/19.
He was one of the meanest forwards in the whole of English football during his time at the Emirates Stadium and even deservedly found his way into the PFA Team of the Year for 2019/20.
Aubameyang was relentless, netting 31 goals in 51 games throughout 2018/19 and then the following term, he bagged 29 in 44 matches.
Well, if Sesko did arrive then he’d certainly have a lot to live up to but there are similarities in the way they play the game.
Described as “the new Haaland” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Slovenian possesses a tall frame, standing at 6 foot 5. In contrast, the former Arsenal forward stands at 6 foot 2.
There is a slight difference there but what their height allows is for a longer and more powerful stride pattern. They can burst beyond the last line of the defence and surge towards goal in a similarly explosive fashion.
Rather than relying on intricate build-up play, they’re also very clever with their movement and rely on their instinctive finishing ability. In essence, they’re both mighty fine poachers. More often than not, they’re always in the right place at the right time.
Similarities between Sesko & Auba
Stat (per 90 mins)
Sesko (24/25)
Auba (19/20)
Shots
2.50
2.61
Shot on target %
43.9%
44%
Average shot distance
17.5 yards
15.5 yards
Expected goals (xG)
0.38
0.42
Shot-creating actions
1.93
1.98
Touches
34.1
35.4
Carries
16.8
20.9
Completed passes
15.7
17.6
Key passes
0.72
0.75
Pass completion %
67.6%
67.3%
Stats via FBRef.
Comparing one of Aubameyang’s best seasons at Arsenal with Sesko’s latest campaign, we can see see alike the pair are.
They took a near identical number of touches and completed a near identical rate of successful passes per 90 minutes, suggesting their actions in the build-up are very similar.
Likewise, they come out very closely for key passes and shot-creating actions, underlining how often they make something happen in the final third of the pitch.
Aged just 22, Sesko clearly has a lot of development left to do but if Arteta could extract that in north London, the Spaniard may well have the next Aubameyang on his hands, just without the excess baggage. That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
He's shades of Nwaneri: Berta holds talks to sign £40m star for Arsenal
Arsenal are looking at signing one of Europe’s best young prospects this summer.
A day on from his silky hundred against Bangladesh, the India allrounder explains how he approaches batting and bowling differently
Alagappan Muthu20-Sep-20241:15
Ashwin: ‘Jadeja and I enjoying each other’s success more than ever before’
Allrounders often tend to draw from doing well in one discipline to do well in the other but there is perhaps a chance that R Ashwin’s primary skill might have held back his secondary one.”Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game,” Ashwin said after the second day of the Chennai Test between India and Bangladesh. “One is done consciously. The other one is done subconsciously. So, for me, to compartmentalise both has taken its own due.”He scored 113 off 133 balls that helped the hosts post 376 in the first innings. The bowlers then ran through Bangladesh, knocking them over for 149 and taking almost complete control of the proceedings.Related
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Indian bowling attack's signature skill
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In all conditions, Ashwin + Chepauk = magic
Ashwin walked in at 144 for 6 and immediately put what he has learned over a long career into practice: that with the bat in hand, he needs to be an entirely different person from the one who has gone on to become one of the greatest spinners in history.”At this stage, I am able to sequence that and split both of them and see as a cricketer. So, when I walked there [to bat] the only thing I wanted to do was to settle down my game. The mind can play tricks because I am a bowler who plays on 12, 18, 24 balls ahead when I am sequencing it. As a batter, I shouldn’t do that. I just use my experience when I get in. So, now it’s more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it.”This was Ashwin’s second successive century at his home ground, Chepauk, following on from a 106 against England in similar circumstances in 2021. He wasn’t quite able to pick which one he liked better.”I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game”•BCCI”Both. [The England Test] had so much riding on it. We lost the first one and came to the second. Last time when I played at Chennai, I felt like I was making sort of a comeback in more than one way. I was a little here and there. I went to Australia and came back here. That was different and I enjoyed it. I think my batting has come along a lot better since that particular game. I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game. I worked on how I can play fast bowling and all that sort of stuff. I’m glad it’s coming out nicely.”Ashwin does this – pushing himself even at 38 with 500 wickets already in the bag – for a very simple reason.”Happiness. You want to be good. You excel. You feel happy at the end of the day. It drives me towards that. Every time I do well, it leaves me in a good, happy state of mind. That’s what you get on this journey for. You want to do well. You want to excel on the global stage. People are watching you and you feel happy about it.”There was a time, though, when Ashwin couldn’t find a way to play his cricket with this kind of freedom. “I was critical of myself earlier but not much now because I have already put so much pressure on myself. Not only did I put myself under pressure, but there was pressure from outside too. I used to find happiness in answering my critics with my performance, or in the press conference. But that’s not the case now. The most important thing for me these days is to enjoy my game, by staying in the moment, by playing my cricket with a smile on my face. Four-five years ago, I made a promise to myself, with great difficulty, that I would not respond to anyone from then on and would play for my own happiness. And I have maintained that to date.”As is often the case with his bowling, Ashwin had Jadeja as his partner for the course of a match-turning 199-run seventh-wicket stand.”You don’t plan for such things. Jaddu is one cricketer who has evolved so nicely. I always envy him. I have made that amply clear. So gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximise his potential. Keeps it really simple. He can repeat it day in and day out. I wish I could be him but I am glad I am myself. He is an exceptionally good cricketer. I am happy for him. Likewise, in so many ways, watching him bat over the last couple of years has given me insight into how [much] better I can be. Both of us have grown together. Both of us have done some special things. We really value one another at this stage. Both of us are enjoying each other’s success more than ever before.”
Newcastle United supporters are starting to get excited ahead of next season.
On Friday, Anthony Elanga was unveiled as the Magpies’ first summer signing, arriving from Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £55m.
Now, will Eddie Howe add more attacking firepower to his front line?
Newcastle's search for a new striker
Elanga’s arrival makes him the second-most expensive signing in Newcastle United history, behind only compatriot Alexander Isak.
Alexander Isak
2022
Real Sociedad
£63m
Anthony Elanga
2025
Nottingham Forest
£55m
Sandro Tonali
2023
AC Milan
£55m
Anthony Gordon
2023
Everton
£45m
Joelinton
2019
Hoffenheim
£40m
Harvey Banres
2023
Leicester City
£38m
Sven Botman
2022
LOSC Lille
£35m
Bruno Guimarães
2022
Olympique Lyonnais
£33.5m
Tino Livramento
2023
Southampton
£32m
Now though, the Toon Army could be about to spend big again because, as reported by Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, Newcastle are exploring a move to sign Brentford striker Yoane Wissa.
The DR Congo international is also reportedly a target for Tottenham, with Sam Tabuteau and Dom Smith of the Evening Standard noting that the Bees value him at around £50m.
The other striker on the Magpies’ list is Hugo Ekitiké but, as documented by Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, Eintracht Frankfurt are only prepared to sell the Frenchman for his £86m release clause, so could Wissa become Newcastle’s primary target?
Why Yoane Wissa would improve Newcastle
Wissa joined Brentford from Lorient in the summer of 2021, following the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League, for a reported fee of £8.5m and, fair to say, this has proved to be money well spent.
He has scored 49 goals in 149 appearances for the West London-based club, bagging 19 in the Premier League last season, a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah, Isak, Erling Haaland, Chris Wood and teammate Bryan Mbeumo.
Then-Brentford manager Thomas Frank described Wissa as a “super player”, adding “he’s got that nose for goals”.
Meantime, Mark Bruce of Breaking the Lines believes he is the most underrated forward in the Premier League, outlining his threat as a penalty box poacher.
So, let’s take a deeper dive into his statistics.
Minutes
2,919
53rd
Goals
19
6th
Non-penalty goals
19
=2nd
Expected goals
18.5
4th
Shots
90
10th
Shots on target
41
5th
Touches in the box
163
14th
As the table outlines, Wissa is a top-level penalty-box striker, ranked joint-second in the Premier League for non-penalty goals last season, despite being down in tenth in terms of shots, underlining his clinical edge.
Yoane Wissa scores late on for Brentford vs Crystal Palace.
This would make him a dream signing for new man Elanga, given his proficiency when it comes to chance-creation, as documented in the table below.
Assists
11
3rd
Completed crosses
8
52nd
Shot-creating actions
102
30th
Goal-creating actions
18
6th
Big chances created
9
38th
Progressive carries
102
25th
As emphasised by the numbers, only two players, namely Salah and new teammate Jacob Murphy, registered more assists than Elanga in the Premier League last season, while the Swede also ranked very highly when it comes to chances created and progressive carries.
He formed an exceptional partnership with a former Magpie, the aforementioned Wood, firing Nottingham Forest into Europe, so he could do the same with Wissa in the North East.
Thus, should Newcastle get a deal over the line to sign the DR Congo international striker, he and fellow new recruit Elanga could form an unstoppable partnership.
Agent of £70m+ striker contacts Newcastle, scored 50+ more goals than Ekitike
Aston Villa only have a limited time to raise funds in their battle to avoid PSR sanctions, with the footballing financial deadline for 2024/2025 looming on June 30.
£120k-a-week Aston Villa outfielder has now opened talks to join elite club
He could leave with Emiliano Martinez.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 21, 2025
Unai Emery’s side can only register a loss of around £15 million for the year just gone, according to a recent report by The Athletic, with Premier League clubs only permitted losses of around £105m over a rolling three-year period.
Villa are forecast to be over this limit as things stand, prompting NSWE to explore the possibility of selling their women’s team in a bid to comply with PSR and swerve breaches.
Emery falling just short of qualifying for the Champions League at the end of 24/25 cost them dearly both on and off the field, and there is every possibility that Villa could look to secure a big-name exit in the next two days to raise funds.
Their marquee sales of Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby to Saudi Arabia have really helped in this regard, but they could require at least one more as the PSR deadline looms.
Atletico Madrid held talks with Lucas Digne over a switch to La Liga recently, according to Football Insider, and the 52-cap Frenchman, with just one year remaining on his £120,000-per-week contract, could be a prime contender for the exit door.
Lucas Digne against Man City for Aston Villa.
Emiliano Martínez, Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana are other players named as potential candidates to leave, while clubs are expressing a serious interest in Villa sensation Morgan Rogers as well.
The clock is ticking for Villa to agree a significant departure, and they could be handed a chance to make some money off Kosta Nedeljkovic’s talks to join RB Leipzig permanently (Sky Germany).
However, according to journalist Wayne Veysey, Villa have also alerted representatives to their stance over selling star striker Ollie Watkins.
Aston Villa tell agents they're ready to sell Ollie Watkins
Emery’s side rejected a low-ball £40 million bid from Arsenal for Watkins in January, but the Gunners haven’t followed that up with any formal approach so far this summer.
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins in action with Club Brugge's JoelOrdonez
Writing for Football Insider, Veysey states Villa have told “senior agents” that they’re ready to sell Watkins by Monday, but they’re yet to find a buyer for the talismanic forward, who bagged 17 goals and 14 assists in all competitions last term.
The 29-year-old, who’ll turn 30 in December, also became the club’s all-time top Premier League goalscorer at the back end of 24/25, surpassing Gabriel Agbonlahor, but Villa have apparently made it clear they’re willing to do a deal.
Emery may not be a fan of this decision, or supporters for that matter, considering they already let Duran go earlier this year – and it would be an almighty task to replace Watkins’ influence up front.
“He deserves it completely because he is a hard worker,” said Emery about Watkins, after the ex-Brentford star broke Agbonlahor’s Premier League goalscoring record for Villa.
“He is committed with Aston Villa. His courage has been fantastic and to achieve it is very fantastic. I am so, so grateful to have a player like him.”