Championship bosses are being urged to snap up free agent Dele Alli and make him the "main man" in their plans. Ex-Premier League star Clinton Morrison, who was briefly at MK Dons during the same time as Dele, has told GOAL why the former Tottenham midfielder should be prepared to take a step back into the EFL after enduring a disastrous stint in Italy with Como.

• Free agent: Dele released by Everton & Como

  Having struggled on and off the field during a stint at Everton, Dele was released by the Toffees when his contract on Merseyside came to an end. He continued to train with the Premier League outfit until Como – who are managed by ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas – came calling late in 2024.

  Dele took in just one substitute appearance for the Serie A outfit, which lasted less than 10 minutes after he collected a red card against AC Milan. He saw his deal terminated in September 2025 and has been without a club ever since.

  Dele has continued to work on an individual training programme, with the 37-cap England international still of the opinion that he can make a decisive contribution somewhere. He may, however, find it difficult to drum up interest after gracing one game since February 2023 and enduring long-running issues on the fitness front.

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  Elegant footballer: No doubting Dele's ability

  Morrison – who was on loan at MK Dons when Dele was still in their academy system – hopes that the ex-Spurs star can find a new home. Speaking in association with Freebets.com, the home of best casino sites, Morrison told GOAL: "I think he’s a fantastic footballer. He has got so much ability, such an elegant footballer. He’s brilliant. You probably would say it is last chance saloon for him now. He needs to find a football club and just be happy and be the Dele Alli that we all know with the natural ability that he has got.

  "It’s down to Dele Alli now what he wants to do. Does he want to continue and find another club? Where does he want to play his football? But there is no doubt about Dele Alli, he has got some major talent – unbelievable. I remember the goal he scored at Palace – flicked over the defender’s head and wellied it first time. He’s a top, top player.

  "He’s had a very good career but injuries and other stuff have kind of stopped him. I still think he’s a top talent. I wish him well and hopefully he can get back to his best because talent like that we don’t see a lot. He’s a super player."

• EFL opportunity: Where next for Dele?

  Dele is still only 29 years of age, so should be far from finished. The likes of Birmingham and Swansea – who count Tom Brady, Luka Modric and Snoop Dogg among their investors – have seen approaches mooted.

  No deal has been done, but Morrison added on Dele finding a new landing spot somewhere in the Football League: "That’s when you hit the peak of your game, at 29. If I’m a Championship manager or chairman, I’m looking to sign Dele Alli. I’m giving him the love that he needs, arm around the shoulder and say ‘you’re going to be the main man here, we’ll give you the game time’. You have got to get fit and earn the right, but when he is fit and flying there aren’t many players that are as good as Dele Alli in the Championship.

  "I do believe that he doesn’t need to think about the Premier League and maybe take a step back to the Championship and play football there. Go and enjoy yourself. That’s what you want, Dele Alli enjoying himself and playing with a smile on his face and showcasing his ability. We know he has got loads of ability and that’s what you want from him."

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  Premier League appearances & trophies: Dele's record

  Dele is a two-time PFA Young Player of the Year who graced the Champions League final with Tottenham in 2019. He has made close to 200 Premier League appearances, scoring 51 goals, and needs to find a club that will provide the backing he needs in order to rekindle a lost spark.

Gabriel Jesus will reportedly not be registered in Arsenal's Champions League squad for the league phase of the competition as Cristhian Mosquera's injury is worse than originally feared. The Brazilian is coming back from a serious knee injury that has kept him out since the start of the year but just as he nears a first-team return, it seems the forward has been dealt a new blow.

Long road to recovery for Jesus

The former Manchester City man sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee back in January and he has not played for Mikel Arteta's team since. The 28-year-old featured in a behind-closed-doors match late last month, prompting manager Mikel Arteta to deliver an optimistic view on his condition.

"Very good. He's doing everything with the team at the moment for the last almost two weeks. We're going to give him some exposure as well internally with some games, so he gets that fitness. But he looks really good in training, and he's going to be a big addition to the team," he said.

Then, last week, he played for the Gunners' under-21s as he steps up his comeback. It is not yet certain when he will play for Arsenal's first team again but it is likely to be in the coming weeks. However, it appears he won't be involved with their Champions League campaign for the time being.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesMosquera's injury setback

During Arsenal's 2-0 win over Brentford last week, centre-back Mosquera picked up an ankle injury, meaning he joins fellow defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba on the sidelines. 

After that game, Arteta said on the summer signing: "He’s going to be out for weeks. Unfortunately, it’s much more than what we expected, the way he was feeling. So, he’s going to be out for weeks."

He was absent for Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, with right-back Jurrien Timber partnering Piero Hincapie at the heart of the Gunners' defence. Now, according to Football London journalist Tom Canton, Mosquera's injury is worse than first hoped. As a result, Jesus will not be registered for the league phase of the Champions League but he could feature if they make it to the knockout rounds. Canton previously noted that a UEFA rule change allowed clubs to submit a temporary replacement of an outfield player who is ruled out for an extended period of time with a long-term injury or illness, but this is only applicable up until the sixth matchday, which was Arsenal's trip to Club Brugge on Wednesday. But it appears Arsenal have opted against registering Jesus for this upcoming fixture.

Arsenal setbacks continue

On top of Arsenal's mounting injury list, particularly in defence, Arteta's side suffered an agonising stoppage-time loss to Villa on Saturday. Naturally, the Spaniard admitted this defeat was hard to take.

He told BBC Match of the Day: "Very painful, especially after all the effort in the match. It was an open game. Congratulations to Aston Villa, they are a really good side. We conceded a big chance in the first half with Matty Cash's goal. We had some dominance in the second half. I had the feeling we were going to win the game, so to lose it in the manner we did is painful. Eighteen games unbeaten, you lose a game and that's what it is – this is football. It is what it is. We had a big chance when Declan [Rice] put the ball across for Noni [Madueke], they then won a throw-in at the other end and got the goal. That's football and the quality of this league."

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AFPWhat comes next for Arsenal?

The north London team, who are top of the table in Europe's elite competition, face Club Brugge, Inter Milan and Kairat in their remaining Champions League group phase games. Sandwiched in between those fixtures are Premier League matches against Wolves, Everton, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Villa, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

Ahead of the next contest, Arteta added: "The level of consistency the boys have shown in this period is incredible, so I only have thoughts to think we can do it again."

Tarik Skubal was dealing on Sunday and he joined some lofty company with his outing.

The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner was on the mound against the Cleveland Guardians and pitched seven innings and allowed no runs on three hits, with no walks and 10 strikeouts. In doing so, the Detroit Tigers lefty reached a milestone only three other southpaw pitchers have.

With that start, Skubal became the fourth lefty in MLB history to have at least three starts in a single season featuring no runs allowed, no walks allowed, and 10 or more strikeouts. The others? Sandy Koufax in 1965, Randy Johnson in 2004, and Clayton Kershaw in 2015. That's some pretty special company. Two are Hall of Famers and Kershaw will undoubtedly be headed there when he retires.

Skubal is having a remarkable season again in 2025. So far, he's 10–2 with a 2.02 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP and 148 strikeouts in 116 innings. He also leads all MLB pitchers with 4.3 fWAR.

He looks like the favorite to win the AL Cy Young again this season.

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O Palmeiras, atual bicampeão brasileiro, ainda não demonstrou toda sua força neste início de Brasileirão. É verdade que o time comandado por Abel Ferreira já encarou “pedreiras” nas primeiras rodadas, mas agora, diante do Cuiabá neste domingo (5), às 18h30, na Arena Pantanal, tem a chance de fazer valer seu bom retrospecto no local para começar a embalar na busca pelo tri.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

+ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Os números do Verdão na casa do adversário são favoráveis, assim como o momento em que vive o Dourado no Nacional. O Cuiabá é o lanterna e ainda não pontuou no campeonato. Além disso, em três confrontos na Arena Pantanal, o time paulista venceu dois e empatou um, ou seja, está invicto. Foram também seis gols marcados e apenas dois sofridos.

+ Acredita que o Verdão vai fazer mais de 2,5 gols no Cuiabá? Se liga na odd para apostar: 2.49!

O lateral-esquerdo Caio Paulista acredita que o Palmeiras tem grandes chances de buscar a vitória após dois empates consecutivos no Brasileirão.

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– São muitos jogos, mas a virada de chave é necessária. Temos de buscar os três pontos fora de casa. Sabemos que jogar lá contra o Cuiabá é muito difícil, até pelo clima, e é uma grande equipe. Mas nós estamos bem preparados e capacitados para chegar lá, fazer um grande jogo e conseguir os três pontos.

O duelo entre as equipes aconteceu apenas seis vezes até o momento, todos pelo Brasileirão, e os números são favoráveis ao Palmeiras. O Verdão venceu quatro jogos, perdeu um e empatou outro. Na última vez em que os times se enfrentaram, no Nacional do ano passado, vitória do time paulista por 2 a 0, fora de casa.

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O Palmeiras não faz um grande início de Brasileirão. Em 12º lugar na tabela, o atual bicampeão da competição tem uma vitória, uma derrota e dois empates, e precisa voltar a vencer para saltar na pontuação, já que tem apenas cinco pontos.

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Arena PantanalBrasileirãoFutebol NacionalPalmeiras

The San Francisco Giants will never forget their 51st victory of the 2025 MLB season as it came in the most dramatic of ways courtesy of Patrick Bailey's three-run inside-the-park walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning at Oracle Park.

With one out and runners at first and third, Bailey pouned a ball to right field that hit the brick wall and then bounced right past Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh. Bailey was able to circle the bases and made it home with ease to score the winning run and send the home crowd and his teammates into hysterics.

Giants announcer Duane Kuiper had an excellent call of the thrilling play, yelling "Bailey's on the move!" a few times as it became clear that was happening. His voice seemed to give out as Bailey crossed the plate, leading to a great quip from Kuiper as he said his voice didn't see this wild play coming.

Here's his call:

What a way to win a game.

A rain-hit 50-overs match on a club ground might bear little resemblance to a T20 at the Kia Oval but The Blaze will draw some confidence from a 47-run victory over Warwickshire Women in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup as a dress rehearsal of sorts for Sunday’s Vitality Blast semi-final.After Marie Kelly’s List A career-best 66 and opening partner Georgia Boyce’s 46 had laid the foundations for a total of 218 for 6 after opting to bat first in a match reduced to 39 overs-a-side, The Blaze dismissed Warwickshire for 171, despite a determined effort by Abbey Freeborn (56 off 73 balls) and Nat Wraith (75 off 71) to give the visitors a chance after being reduced to 13 for 4.Kathryn Bryce (3-18), Georgia Elwiss (3-26) and Grace Ballinger (3-26) shared the bowling honours for The Blaze, for whom Sarah Bryce had made an unbeaten 32, with two wickets each for Warwickshire’s Georgia Davis and Amu Surenkumar.Winning the toss and electing to bat in a match reduced to 39 overs per side after morning rain at the Lindum Sports Club Ground in Lincoln, The Blaze established a strong foundation as Kelly and Boyce shared an opening stand of 106, Kelly hitting eight fours and a six.Kelly, making her first List A appearance of the season, pulled Surenkumar for her maximum early in the innings, generally driving and pulling strongly. She found the boundary three times in the same over off Davis, completing a 47-ball half-century against her former county when she swept Millie Taylor for her seventh four.Taylor, making her List A debut for Warwickshire and unique in the English county women’s game as a left-arm wrist spinner, broke the stand when she turned one past Kelly’s bat for a stumping. Boyce, back with The Blaze after playing for Yorkshire in the Women’s Vitality Blast, was in sight of a fifty of her own when she miscued to mid-off.Kathryn Bryce – reprieved when given out leg before on 13 on the grounds of being distracted by bowler Hannah Baker’s cap dropping out of her pocket – added another 10 before she was stumped.Elwiss, Heather Graham and Ella Claridge all fell cheaply, but Sarah Bryce (32 off 19) and Sarah Glenn added 37 off the last 18 balls of the innings – 26 at the expense of England seamer Issy Wong.Needing to chase at 5.6 an over, Warwickshire suffered a disastrous start, slumping to 13 for four inside five overs.After Bethan Ellis had been caught at square leg off the next, Ballinger took wickets with the last ball of her second over and the first of her third as Lucy Higham took a fine catch at backward point to remove Davina Perrin and Sarah Bryce an easy one as Sterre Kalis skied a top edge, Kathryn Bryce holding a return catch as Surenkumar departed.An inswinging delivery from Bryce accounted for Katie George, leaving Warwickshire 28 for 5 after 10 overs.Freeborn and Wraith rebuilt well, the former clocking up her third half-century off 60 balls, Wraith her second of the campaign off 50, with three boundaries each and some enterprising running between the stumps, their partnership passing 100 in the 28th over.Yet once the breakthrough came, breaking the stand at 112, the home side made it count. Freeborn, who had survived a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Kirstie Gordon on 52, fell shortly afterwards, leg before attempting to ramp Elwiss. Wong then came and went quickly, top edging Elwiss into the off side, before catcher Glenn combined with Elwiss again to run out Taylor off the next ball.Ballinger returned to have Davis caught on the legside boundary before Wraith departed as the last wicket to fall, caught at wide mid-off off Elwiss.

India batted 143 overs in the third innings to save the Test, with Gill, Rahul, Washington and Jadeja all contributing

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-20252:09

Manjrekar: ‘Warriors’ keep sprouting for India when needed

India captain Shubman Gill has hailed his team’s fighting effort to secure a draw heading into the final Test at The Oval with the visitors still in with a chance of sharing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.Gill was at the forefront of India’s fight, putting together 188 for the third wicket with KL Rahul. More importantly, the duo batted for nearly 70 overs after India had lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and B Sai Sudharsan in the very first over, with India trailing by 311.”From 0 for 2, then the partnership KL and I had, I think that ignited [the spark] yes, we can achieve this task”, Gill told . “Extremely happy. To be able to get a draw from the position we were in yesterday is extremely satisfying. This innings of mine was the most pleasing to me.”Related

Stats – Gill level with Gavaskar and Bradman; Jadeja in elite list

Gill on the dramatic end: Jadeja and Washington 'deserved a century there'

India's grit outlasts England's endurance to make 2-2 a possibility

Gill brought up his fourth century of the series, drawing level with Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar for most centuries in a series in England. It took Gill’s series aggregate to 722, which is 52 short of Gavaskar’s all-time record for most runs in a series by an Indian.Rahul, meanwhile, took his series tall to 511 – the first time he’s passed 500 runs or more in a series – en route a typically stodgy 90, his fourth score of fifty or more so far this series.Gill was equally effusive in his praise for the calmness Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar showed, after he fell for 103 in the second session while wafting at a Jofra Archer delivery. At 222 for 4, with both set batters dismissed, India were still 91 behind with Shardul Thakur, three lower-order batters and an injured Rishabh Pant still to come.2:34

Has Washington nailed his spot in India’s Test XI?

Jadeja fought his way through to score his fifth score of fifty or more in six innings. His fifth Test century, which he raised with a six during the last hour after England were keen to shake hands for the draw, was full of pluck. Having been dropped first ball at first slip by Joe Root off Archer, Jadeja batted through without any further alarms to remain unbeaten on 107.Washington, whose previous best was 96 against England in 2021, also brought up his century, his first in Test cricket. Washington, who began the series at No. 8, earned a promotion to No. 5 in Pant’s absence. The partnership between the two was worth an unbroken 203 for the fifth wicket when both teams eventually shook hands for the draw.”When Jaddu and Washy were batting, it wasn’t easy,” Gill observed. “The ball was doing something, but the way they calmly batted and got Test centuries from there tells you how big of an achievement it is.”Explaining their thought process as they began the prospect of salvaging a draw early on day four, Gill said: “To be able to have the same mindset for 140 [143] overs is very difficult. That’s what is the difference between a good team from a great team. We showed today why we’re a great team.”

Chelsea are now ready to make an opening offer for Palmeiras forward Allan, but there could be competition for his signature from two of the world’s biggest clubs.

The Blues have already added one young Brazilian forward to their ranks in recent times, with Estevao emerging as a first-team regular this season, and the 18-year-old got off the mark in front of goal in the 2-1 victory against Liverpool last month.

With the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens also on the books, Enzo Maresca already has plenty of exciting youngsters at his disposal in attacking areas, and the west Londoners have now started running the rule over forwards with more top-level experience.

Maresca’s side are now ready to launch a January move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, amid tensions with manager Xabi Alonso, although a deal could be on the expensive side, considering he is regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.

Chelsea ready to bid for Palmeiras forward Allan

Vinicius is not the only Brazilian forward Chelsea are looking to sign, however, with a report from Spain revealing BlueCo are also ready to bid for Palmeiras’ Allan, but there could be competition for his signature from Manchester United and Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old is protected by a release clause of nearly €100m (£88m), and with the Brazilian club determined to receive a large fee, akin to the money raised by selling Estevao and Vitor Reis, so a deal may need to break the bank.

With Palmeiras extending the youngster’s contract until 2029, however, they remain in a strong negotiating position for the time being.

The starlet has impressed at times for Palmeiras, being described as their “standout” player by journalist Leandro Boudakian earlier this year, and he is extremely versatile, having featured in central midfield, on both wings, and in attacking midfield for the Brazilian club.

Not only that, but the Florianopolis-born attacker has regularly displayed his dribbling and creative talents over the past year, ranking in a very high percentile on both metrics, when compared to his positional peers.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Successful take-ons

2.93 (99th percentile)

Progressive carries

2.93 (98th percentile)

Assists

0.42 (99th percentile)

That said, the Palmeiras academy graduate didn’t exactly set the world alight in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A, chipping in with just one goal and two assists in 21 appearances, which suggests he may be some way off first-team level at a club like Chelsea.

Allan is still very young, but the Blues have already signed a plethora of youngsters in recent times, including Gittens, Garnacho and Estevao, so it would not be the end of the world if they missed out on another.

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Posts ByDominic Lund Nov 2, 2025

Everton very much need a victory away at Sunderland this coming Monday night after a pretty disastrous October to date.

The month did open with the Toffees battling it out at home to Crystal Palace and picking up a hard-fought 2-1 win, but since then, it’s been two Premier League defeats on the spin, with the most recent loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur – with Thomas Frank’s men running out emphatic 3-0 victors – exposing Everton’s clear weaknesses from set-pieces.

Moyes will have also left those two defeats frustrated by what Beto is offering his side up top, with a few missed chances here and there from the goal-shy number nine, leaving him rooted on just one goal for the season so far.

Even more frustratingly, Everton have been blessed with some top attacking talent this campaign – excluding the ex-Udinese striker from the conversation – despite things often falling apart at the final decisive moment.

Everton's best attackers this season

This late winner against the Eagles very much sums up the Merseyside giants this season, with Beto missing a glorious chance, before someone else – thankfully – mops up the next opportunity.

In that case against Oliver Glasner’s tricky visitors, it was Jack Grealish who managed to be in the right place, at the right time, to fire home, handing himself his first Premier League goal since 2023 in the process.

Away from breaking his goalscoring duck, though, the Manchester City loanee has been a “revelation” in Everton blue so far – as pundit Chris Sutton recently put it – with the disenchanted playmaker at the Etihad now a focal point of many a Toffees attack, as seen in him creating a Premier League-best 19 chances from open play.

Next to him in attack, who has also turned around his playing days after a failed big move, is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, with the 27-year-old able to quickly move on from his Chelsea disappointment under Moyes’ wing.

The brand-new number 22 has also created four big chances, himself, with 4.6 duels won on average across his eight league outings, as per Sofascore, also displaying a tenacious number ten option.

Yet, it’s neither Grealish nor Dewsbury-Hall that could now be considered one of Everton’s biggest talents since the golden days of Romelu Lukaku, with suggestions even emerging that the star in question is one of the best in his position in such a daunting league.

Everton's biggest talent since Lukaku

Everton would love to have a striker of Lukaku’s clinical edge on their side at the moment, with the Belgian a firm fan favourite throughout his 166-game spell on Merseyside.

Indeed, the intimidating centre-forward would hammer home a weighty 87 goals in total for the Toffees, leading to one of his ex-managers in Ronald Koeman, heralding him as a “world-class” finisher.

In the here and now, Iliman Ndiaye is also being lauded week in week out for his standout showings in attack, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher – despite his Liverpool connections – going out of his way to label the ex-Sheffield United man as a “superstar” earlier in the year for his electric ability to bamboozle any defender in his path.

He certainly showed off why he’s been considered a maverick since leaving Marseille behind for Everton against Manchester City, with Ndiaye constantly bombing down the right wing at the Etihad to harass the home side’s defence, much like Lukaku would consistently terrorise defenders during his Toffees pomp.

Journalist Patrick Boyland, after the 2-0 loss, even hailed Ndiaye as being “one of the best in the league in his position” after he proved to be a major thorn in the side of Pep Guardiola’s hosts all afternoon.

Indeed, Boyland also noted that his “mesmeric” nature against City has further been matched with plenty of grit and fight this season for Moyes and Co.

Games played

9

Goals scored

3

Assists

1

Expected assists

2.16

Ball recoveries*

6.4

Ground duels won*

6.6

Total duels won*

7.0

His first Premier League season in Everton blue saw him tally up a whopping nine league goals in total, but he wasn’t always the most creative talent, away from cutting a lethal presence in front of goal.

Now, he looks to be a far more well-rounded talent, worthy of being in the conversations Boyland has started, with the Senegal international leading the way overall with his expected assists numbers this campaign, on top of also beating out the likes of Bukayo Saka down the right by winning a high seven duels on average, next to the Arsenal forward’s 6.4.

He does need to fine-tune certain aspects of his game, but Ndiaye is undoubtedly in these conversations now, as a talent capable of “standing out a mile” with his genius, as ex-Toffees player Mark Pembridge noted last season.

While true superstars have been few and far between in recent times, Ndiaye certainly stands aloft as arguably the club’s biggest talent since £75m man, Lukaku – a fact only further enhanced by his soaring £49m market value, as per CIES.

Like the Belgian, he has that knack for tearing through a defence and winning games on his own for Moyes and co, seemingly relishing that talismanic status.

Long may he continue to dazzle at the Hill Dickinson.

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ByTom Cunningham Oct 30, 2025

With Arsenal flying high in the Premier League and looking imperious in the Champions League, the narrative from rival fans has been that the North Londoners are boring to watch.

Now, it’s undoubtedly true that set-pieces have been an essential source of goals for Mikel Arteta’s side so far, but the suggestions that the Gunners are unusually dull fall apart when properly scrutinised.

For example, according to FBref, they take the second most shots in the league, play the second most passes into the penalty area, play the most through balls, and take the most touches in the opposition’s penalty area, all per 90 minutes.

Moreover, while Arteta has his fair share of physical monsters in the side, he also has an abundance of brilliant technicians, including one player who’s showing shades of Santi Cazorla in his game.

Why Arsenal fans love Santi Cazorla

Being the massive club they are, Arsenal have had plenty of brilliant midfielders play for them over the years, many who went on to win far more at the club than Cazorla did.

So, why is the Spaniard still one of the most beloved to wear red and white?

Well, there was that free-kick that started the side’s fightback in the 2014 FA Cup final.

There is also the fact that he played for the side during a rather barren spell, and so fans were desperate to see some genuine quality in the team.

However, while both of these factors certainly contribute to the high esteem in which the fans hold him, they remain secondary to the primary reason: his style of play.

The former Malaga gem was the epitome of an Arsene Wenger-type player, someone who was brilliantly effective yet also a crowd pleaser and a genuine magician on the ball.

The 40-year-old was seemingly able to do it all with a ball at his feet.

Ping a ball from one side of the pitch to the other? He could do it. Carry the ball through the middle of the park, beating four players in the process? Easy. Play the perfect defence-splitting pass to set up his striker with a one-on-one? Piece of cake.

Cazorla might not get the respect he deserves from rivals, but Arsenal fans correctly hold him up as one of the most entertaining players to grace the Emirates.

So it’s undoubtedly exciting to see one of Arteta’s signings begin to show shades of the Spaniard in his game this season.

The Arsenal star with shades of Cazorla

When considering who in the current Arsenal squad could be compared to Cazorla, most might look to Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi, or perhaps even Eberechi Eze.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, while there are certainly arguments to be made for those three sharing some traits with the Spaniard, it’s Riccardo Calafiori who is showing shades of him in his game this season.

Now, the Italian obviously plays a totally different position to the former Gunners ace, but he still shares several similarities with him.

For example, and this is a negative one, the former Bologna star has had terrible luck with injuries since his move last summer.

In fact, he ended up dealing with six injuries last season, which resulted in him spending 175 days on the sideline and missing 30 games for both club and country.

Fortunately, the 23-year-old also shares a couple of extremely positive characteristics with the 40-year-old, including the freedom he is allowed on the football pitch and the incredible entertainment he brings.

While Arteta can often be quite regimented in his tactics and instructions with the rest of the team, it has become increasingly clear that he wants and allows the Italian to maraud all over and cause as much chaos for the opposition as possible.

This has become obvious from simply watching him play, but it’s even more evident when examining his heatmap from this season, which shows him popping up all over the place.

Crucially, though, the Rome-born “wild horse,” as dubbed by the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, is making excellent use of this freedom, helping out attacks by stretching the opposition’s backline, popping up in the box and interchanging with his own attackers.

Amazingly, the £120k-per-week maverick has taken the second most shots in the league for the Gunners this season, and his underlying numbers only further show his attacking prowess.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of full-backs in the league for shots, the top 4% for expected goals, the top 7% for goal-creating actions, the top 12% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, this combination of freedom to express himself and the ability to make the most of it is why journalist James Benge described Calafiori as “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” and why he’s the most Cazorla-esque player in Arteta’s squad.

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