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Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has called on forward Luis Diaz to step up for the club’s upcoming match against Freiburg, with the Colombian winger set to miss the midweek clash against Arsenal. Diaz was shown a red card in Bayern’s 2-1 win over Paris Saint Germain and will now serve his suspension in the Champions League fixture against the Gunners.

• Diaz's impressive start to the season

  Diaz joined Bayern in the summer for €75 million (£65m/$84m) from Liverpool and has quickly become one of the team’s standout performers. The Colombian winger has scored 11 goals in 17 games this season, thriving on the left flank in Kompany’s 4-2-3-1 system. Diaz’s impressive goal against Union Berlin has drawn widespread praise, particularly from former World Cup–winning captain Lothar Matthaus. However, Diaz was sent off in Bayern’s match against PSG for a reckless two-footed tackle on Achraf Hakimi, which left the Moroccan full-back getting stretchered off. As a result of the red card, Diaz will now miss Bayern’s upcoming mid week Champions League clash against Arsenal.

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  Kompany's challenge to Diaz

  Bayern return to domestic action looking to bounce back from last week's draw against Union Berlin, which brought an end to their perfect record in all competitions so far this season. Kompany is hoping his side get the job done this weekend and feels Diaz has no reason to hold back.

  Speaking at a press conference, Kompany urged Diaz to give his all in Bayern's clash against Freiburg, especially with him missing the midweek fixture. He said: "In his [Diaz] case, there's no question of managing his workload. He has to go full throttle tomorrow and help us. On Wednesday against Arsenal, it will be up to the others. 

  "The match against Arsenal won't have much influence on Freiburg anyway. The lads are going into the Freiburg match full of energy. We want to win the match and aren't thinking about Arsenal yet."

  UEFA is yet to officially confirm the length of Diaz’s suspension, but Kompany revealed his understanding of the situation, saying: "My information is one match. I don't know when it will be communicated, but I would be disappointed if my information is not correct."

• Kompany's assessment of the season

  Bayern's 2-2 draw against Berlin meant Kompany couldn't equal the record Kompany equal his mentor Pep Guardiola’s record of 10 consecutive victories in his first 10 Bundesliga matches of a campaign, a milestone the former Barcelona boss set during the 2015-16 season. Bayern have launched their season in stunning form, stitching together a 17-match unbeaten streak spanning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup and Champions League. The run looks even more remarkable when you factor in the squad changes: the departures of key attackers such as Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Thomas Muller, along with unsuccessful attempts to sign players like Nick Woltemade and Rafael Leao.

  Yet Kompany has turned those challenges into clarity. He has established a well-defined, tightly coordinated system built on persistence, collective movement and fluid attacking rotations. The structure has brought out the best in Harry Kane, who is operating at an extraordinary scoring rate of 23 in just 17 matches.

  "We didn't win the last game against Union, I haven't forgotten that," Kompany said. "It doesn't feel like the perfect season. Above all, you have to be strong at the end, otherwise you won't get anything. Our great start is just a bonus for now. Our goal is to be even stronger at the end of the season than we are now."

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  Bayern's challenge against Freiburg

  During the international break, Kompany would have taken the opportunity to reassess his squad and explore tactical variations to ensure Bayern maintain their intensity across the entire campaign. He will also hope that Díaz returns with the hunger to make amends for his suspension and play a decisive role when Bayern face Freiburg on Saturday.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes burst onto the scene in 2024, quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in baseball upon his midseason call up to the big leagues from the minors.

Skenes, who was widely regarded as a can't-miss prospect, proved to be every bit of the pltcher the scouts were imagining he would be when he arrived to Pittsburgh's big league club. Skenes won National League Rookie of the Year, started the MLB All-Star Game for the National League and was named a finalist for the Cy Young Award after posting an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 133.0 innings pitched.

Skenes also became a bit of a meme on social media thanks to his deadpan reaction to news that he was the National League Rookie of the Year. Skenes, who was staring dead into the camera, didn't have much of a reaction while his girlfriend Livvy Dunne reacted with excitement.

Skenes cleared up the viral moment in an appearance on

"Yeah I think people mistook the facial expressions and all that for indifference. I would say it was composure for sure," Skenes said with a smile.

Skenes will be on the cover of when the video game hits stores in March, and is certainly in for a big second season as he enters 2025 as one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is only worried about arresting his side’s worrying slump amid reports of him signing a new contract.

The Dutchman is facing the first real test of his Anfield reign as the Premier League champions have suffered four successive defeats as part of a wider run of six losses in seven games in all competitions.

Despite that, reports suggest Slot is in talks over a new deal, but that is not where his focus is.

Slot shocked at Liverpool question before Aston Villa

Asked about a possible new contract, he said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Aston Villa:

Serious questions are being asked of Liverpool and the cause of their severe drop off from the side that coasted to the title last season and won their opening seven competitive games this term.

Slot, who was keen to steer away from “excuses” for his side’s poor run but did cite injuries and a packed schedule, is confident his side have the quality to end their alarming slide.

“The thing that gives me the most confidence is the quality of the players,” he added.

“We have to address certain other things, but if I’m speaking about what we have to improve, people then tell me I’m using excuses.

“So maybe it’s better now just to say we need to address certain things. But there are a lot of positives to go into this week as well.

“We miss nothing. I am completely happy with the team and with all the quality that we have and I am also completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have.

Arne Slot sends message about Anfield atmosphere after Liverpool fans spotted leaving early

“But that makes the issue – if you call it an issue – is not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured.

“When three or four are injured you go back to 16 players. I am a firm believer that 20 or 21 players is enough but you have to keep them fit as we did last season.

“It has been more difficult than last season to keep them all available and if a few of them are not available, it comes down a lot to the same players.

“Maybe last season we were more lucky and now we are more unlucky.

“But, no excuses for our results before people say this. We have had to play a lot of away games with only two days rest in-between and that would have been difficult for our players last season and players that have been fit all pre-season but that has not been our situation.

“It is nothing to do with the squad depth, it is how we’ve gone throughout the season in terms of injuries and availability.”

Alexander Isak and Allison Becker will again be missing for the Reds against Villa while Ryan Gravenberch will be assessed ahead of the match having returned to training.

Aitor Karanka, sporting director of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), assured that there were no tensions between the organisation and Barcelona following Lamine Yamal's shock exit from the Spain squad on Tuesday. Karanka quashed any speculation suggesting further bad blood between the two entities, claiming that the communication with the Catalans is "fantastic."

• Spain and Luis de la Fuente shocked by Yamal exit

  The Spanish national team and head coach Luis de la Fuente, were handed a hammer blow on Tuesday morning following the release of Yamal from the Spain squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey on November 15 and 18. The Barcelona superstar underwent invasive radiofrequency therapy to battle with his ongoing struggles due to pubalgia. He is set to be out for the next seven to 10 days. 

  The medical procedure Yamal underwent left the Spanish football federation (RFEF) "surprised", claiming in their official statement that the "procedure was performed without prior notification to the national team's medical staff, who only became aware of the details through a report received at 10:40 p.m. last night."

  On Tuesday, De la Fuente shared his thoughts and was perplexed because of the situation. “There are procedures that take place outside the Federation's control," he told . "That's what happens, we have to accept it. I've never experienced a situation like this before. I don't think it's very normal. It has surprised us all. You don't have any news, you don't know any details, and on top of that, it's a health issue, so you're left surprised.”

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  Spanish FA director confirms there's no anger over Yamal's release

  Karanka, who serves as the sporting director of the RFEF, downplayed the noise surrounding Yamal's shock withdrawal from the Spain squad. He assured that the communication between the federation and all the clubs was top-notch, adding that it was in Yamal's best interests to focus on his recovery.

  “Discomfort? That’s no longer my concern, it’s a matter for the doctors," he said. "I’ve always said, even yesterday, that communication with all the clubs has been fantastic. I was in contact with Deco until this morning, when the decision was made. And it was done for the boy’s benefit, so that he recovers as soon as possible. The better he is at his club, the better he’ll be for the national team. The national team coach was with him last night and this morning, before he was dropped from the squad.”

  “We were happy because Lamine was getting back to his best; he played a great game against Club Brugge and scored in Vigo the other day. We were eager to see him again, but he has these niggles and what we want, both the national team and Barça, is for him to return to being the player who dazzled us not long ago.”

• Karanka addresses Hansi Flick's words

  Flick was infuriated after Yamal suffered a knock in the September international break and publicly voiced his frustrations over the national team and De la Fuente's handling of the player. "Lamine Yamal will not be available. He went with the national team in pain and did not train," Flick said at the time. "They gave him painkillers to play. They had at least a three-goal lead in every match, and he played 73 minutes and 79, and between matches he couldn't train. That is not taking care of the player. I am very sad about this."

  Later, in October, he defended his comments from earlier, adding: "I want to protect my player, support him, this is what it is. A lot of things happened. This is, for me, done. I have no bad things about this situation. I know it from the other side. It's not easy for me. It's not easy for [De la Fuente]. I must protect my player; this is the reason I made it a little louder than normally I want to do it. I don't regret this. Now, the important thing is managing this together. The players, the clubs and the Spanish Federation [RFEF]. We have to manage it together."

  Karanka, however, was not too keen on adding fuel to the fire, opting to be diplomatic instead. When asked to address Flick's statements, the former Real Madrid defender said: “That's already happened. Today's situation demonstrates that the national team takes care not only of Lamine, but of all its players. When a medical report indicates a potential risk of injury, the player is sent back to his club.”

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  When is Yamal expected to play again?

  The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up will dedicate the international break to recovery work, as persistent pubalgia threatens to prolong his battle for full fitness. However, it is likely that he will be available for the league clash against Athletic Club on November 22.

There's only one game on the slate today after the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals punched their tickets yesterday in two-game sweeps. 

The New YorkMets-Milwaukee Brewers matchup has been so much fun, and I can't wait to see this one play out today.

Let's follow the trend of backing the underdog!

If you had bet the underdog in every MLB playoff game so far, you would be 5-3, and your bankroll would be growing nicely. 

We're also going to follow the trend of this series going over.   Most playoff games tend to be low-scoring, but both games in this series have gone over, and with the season on the line, I trust these bats more. 

MLB Best Bets Today for Mets vs. Brewers Game 3

• Mets ML +114
• Over 7.5 +104

The Mets will start Jose Quintana tonight, who has an ERA of 3.75 this season, though his xERA is 4.49, according to Statcast. In two games vs. the Brewers this season, Quintana has allowed 11 hits, a .314 batting average, and four runs with an ERA of 4.00.

Quintana's 3.33 walks per nine could get him into some trouble with the Brewers' 9.7% regular-season walk rate, the second-best mark in the league. 

Tobias Myers starts for the Brewers. Myers has an ERA of 3.00 this season with an xERA of 4.11.  In his single outing vs. the Mets, he faced 14 batters and allowed only one hit and no earned runs.  

That's why we are getting another low game total, and the Brewers are favored.

Both bullpens have an ERA of 4.50 in this series. Managers will quickly make moves with their starters with the season on the line, but I don't have extreme faith in either team's relievers.

In just two playoff games, the Mets have hit .389 with a .958 OPS and 11 RBI with runners in scoring position. The Brewers have hit .250 with five RBI. That stat has me backing the Mets and the over in Game 3. 

The Mets have also scored the most runs and had an 11.5% walk rate with one stolen base. The Brewers have an uncharacteristic 2.9% walk rate over the last two.

Let's root for the bats today, with the underdogs coming out on top. 

Former Oakland Athletics reliever Trevor May didn't hold back Monday after he read owner John Fisher's letter to the fan base ahead of the franchise's final series at the Oakland Coliseum.

In the letter sent via email Monday, he apologized to A's fans for moving the franchise out of Oakland and saying that the ownership "tried" to work something out in the East Bay. Starting next season, the A's will play their games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento as a temporary home as the franchise aims to relocate to Las Vegas by 2028.

"With all due respect, which is more than you likely deserve, save it," May wrote on social media. "Be an adult. Get in front of a camera and say it with your chest. Releasing a letter, clearly written by someone else, and including a bunch of names you DEFINITELY do not know, is just disrespectful to those that love the team.

"'We tried.' lol. The fact that you STILL think that anyone cares about that at this point shows, once again, your lack of understanding of WHY people love the game. You love owning stuff, just not your actions. Either stand up with pride or keep hiding. Pick one, we're tired."

May signed a one-year contract with the A's ahead of the 2023 MLB season. In 49 games (46 2/3 innings) for Oakland, May registered a 3.28 ERA and a team-high 21 saves in 24 opportunities. He officially retired from baseball in October 2023, wrapping up a career that spanned 10 years with the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, and A's.

Since his retirement, May has spoken out against Fisher attempting to relocate the A's.

“Sell the team, dude," May said of Fisher last October on a Twitch stream. "Sell it, man. Let someone who actually, like, takes pride in the things they own, own something. There’s actually people who give a s— about the game. Let them do it. Take mommy and daddy’s money somewhere else, dork."

Fisher, 63, purchased the A's in 2005 along with minority partner Lewis Wolff. Last summer, Fisher secured $380 million in Nevada taxpayer money to build a $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas he hopes will open in 2028, but construction still has yet to begin in Southern Nevada.

Arsenal are facing an anxious wait to discover how much time summer signing Viktor Gyokeres will miss after suffering a muscle injury. The striker was ruled out of the Gunners' Champions League clash with Slavia Prague due to the problem and is set to undergo further tests to discover the severity of his injury. Gyokeres is also expected to sit out Saturday's Premier League clash with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

• Arteta worried about Gyokeres injury

  Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed his concern at losing Gyokeres to injury ahead of the Gunners' Champions League encounter. The Sweden international sustained the problem during Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley at Turf Moor, leaving the Arsenal manager fearful that he may be out for an extended period of time. "I am concerned because he hasn't had many muscular issues and he needed to leave the pitch and he was feeling something," he told reporters. "That's obviously never a good sign, especially for a player that is very, very explosive. So we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of the injury and we'll announce the moment we know."

  Gyokeres had opened the scoring in the match for Arsenal, before Declan Rice's goal sealed the win for the visitors, but was taken off at half-time after feeling some discomfort. The Gunners are hoping that the decision to substitute him after 45 minutes may have prevented the striker from suffering a more serious problem.

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  How long will Gyokeres be out for?

  Gyokeres will undergo further tests this week as Arsenal fear he may have suffered a hamstring injury, according to . The club's initial thinking is that he will be out for two weeks, meaning he will not play against Sunderland and will also be unavailable for international duty. New Sweden manager Graham Potter is set to name his squad for World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Slovenia but may well have to do without Gyokeres for the two upcoming fixtures. The striker's absence will be a blow for club and country. Gyokeres has six goals this season in all competitions for Arsenal following his big-money move from Sporting, while Sweden have endured a poor start to their World Cup qualifying campaign which has resulted in Jon Dahl Tomasson being sacked and replaced by Potter.

• Arsenal hope Gyokeres will be fit for Spurs clash

  Arsenal's first game after the international break is the small matter of a north London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates on November 23 and the hope is that Gyokeres will be fit for the crunch clash, per . Gyokeres may not be the only injury victim set to return in time for the match against Thomas Frank's side. The Gunners are also hoping Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard could be available to take on Spurs after injury in what would be a huge boost for Arteta.

  The Arsenal manager spoke about his injured players before his team's win over Burnley, saying: "I would say weeks, and some of them pretty soon, hopefully, if they keep evolving the way they are doing. Difficult to put a game – we have an international break, and after that, I think we'll have some back. I don't know if it's going to be all of them, some of them, but we'll be quite close by then."

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  Arsenal going from strength to strengh

  Arsenal have coped well without Gyokeres against Slavia Prague. Arteta's side cruised to a 3-0 win thanks to a Bukayo Saka penalty and two goals from Mikel Merino. The Gunners still have a perfect record in the Champions League this season ahead of their next fixture in the competition against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich at the Emirates.

  Arteta's side are also now six points clear of nearest challengers Manchester City in the Premier League. Another victory against Sunderland on Saturday will see Arsenal head into the international break in great shape and buoyed by the possibility of welcoming some key players back to action once domestic competition resumes.

Chelsea would have been expecting a tricky contest against Arne Slot’s Liverpool, but would have remained hopeful of a positive result off the back of the Reds potentially dropping the ball after being crowned Premier League champions a week ago.

The Dutchman would make considerable alterations – seen in the likes of Jarell Quansah starting at the back ahead of Ibrahima Konate – yet the manner in which Enzo Maresca’s Blues brushed aside the Reds 3-1 was still impressive, considering that was only Liverpool’s third loss of the season to date.

Now, Chelsea are only four points off Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in second spot, away from their pursuit of a Champions League position.

To clinch a top-five place though, Maresca will know he needs Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez performing at the same unbelievable levels they managed against Liverpool for the rest of the campaign to come.

Fernandez & Palmer's importance to Chelsea

Before exploring Fernandez’s superb day at the office further, Palmer would end up clinching the three points right at the death for Chelsea, meaning he’s now in an illustrious list of past Blues goalscorers.

It was a top-drawer showing from the former Manchester City attacker throughout, with Palmer notching up four key passes as a constantly creative menace, on top of beating Alisson from the penalty spot with an ice-cold finish.

Whilst it’s expected that Palmer will be able to bury chances considering he’s up to 15 Premier League strikes now, Fernandez’s composure was a joy to behold too during the 3-1 win, with this perfect touch and finish after just three minutes setting the tone for Chelsea to collect all three points.

Much like his electric teammate, however, the South American is a team player for the Blues cause, with four duels won, displaying the ugly side of his game, away from nearly adding to this seven assists in the league when collecting two key passes.

Both players are stalwarts under Maresca and for good reason, but there’s another standout performer who is equally as paramount to Chelsea right now, away from this spectacular duo.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

The Chelsea star who is as important as Fernandez & Palmer

The West Londoners really do seem to be entering their stride at the best possible time, considering the Blues have now won their last three Premier League clashes on the trot, even with Slot’s intimidating Liverpool in their way.

These victories are made to look even more impressive when you take into account Moises Caicedo – who usually lines up in the centre of the park – has had to be drafted into the right-back position as of late, but the £115m star’s versatile nature has just managed to shine through regardless.

The expensive 23-year-old is beginning to prove his worth as a full package, with Caicedo exiting the field of play after the 3-1 win with only two misplaced passes next to his name, leading to a 94% pass accuracy being calculated.

But, he also battled well – much like Palmer and Fernandez – when necessary, with a high seven duels won across the course of his stellar 90 minutes, away from winning the hosts that late decisive spot-kick when moved back into the midfield areas.

Handed out an 8/10 post-match rating by London Evening Standard journalist Malik Ouzia, it looks as if Maresca will continue to pick Caicedo alongside Palmer and Fernandez for the foreseeable, knowing full well this trio are ready for the potential Champions League challenge that awaits.

Before anything is set in stone, however, Chelsea will just need to keep picking up the wins, with a very tough fixture away at Newcastle United up next, one that will show off the character of Maresca’s camp.

Their own Isak: Chelsea make approach to sign "tremendous" £60m talisman

Chelsea could be about to land a star who could be their own version of Alexander Isak.

By
Ethan Lamb

May 3, 2025

Fulham are now looking at signing an ex-Tottenham player, and one who could end up being a serious bargain this summer.

Fulham make transfer plans as Marco Silva chases Europe

It could be a fairytale end to the season for Marco Silva, who is attempting to seal European qualification at Craven Cottage amid a hotly-contested race.

£15m player set for summer chance to join Fulham after failed January talks

He was on the cusp of signing earlier this year.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 16, 2025

Fulham have endured a mixed run of form in recent weeks, beating the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham whilst also suffering damaging defeats to Bournemouth and Arsenal, but Silva’s side are still very much in with an outside shout of European football next season.

However, they simply must beat west London rivals Chelsea this weekend, in a derby that could be seen as their most crucial clash of the season to date.

A host of tough encounters await Fulham, amid reports that popular head coach Silva is emerging as a favourite for the Tottenham job, so there is everything still to play for as we enter the business end of 2024/2025.

If Silva is still at Fulham beyond this campaign, the Khan family will be eager to show him that they’re a club capable of competing at the top level, and one way of displaying their ambition is an attack on the summer transfer market.

Silva reportedly wants to strengthen Fulham’s wide options as a key aim, leading to recent links with Deportivo La Coruna sensation Yeremay Hernandez (TEAMtalk), especially as Andreas Pereira is tipped to leave for Brazil this summer.

Defensively, Fulham have been targeting Elfsborg defender Terry Yegbe, who would cost around £6 million, while a new full-back isn’t off the agenda either.

Fulham looking at signing Kyle Walker-Peters on free transfer

According to CaughtOffside, former Spurs right-back and Southampton star Kyle Walker-Peters is emerging as a Fulham target.

The Englishman, despite being part of a dismal Saints side, has enjoyed a solid campaign personally – standing out as one of their most-used and key players.

Five years after he completed a £12 million move to St Mary’s, the 28-year-old is also set to be available for free past June 30th, with his Southampton contract expiring.

This has alerted a host of clubs, including Silva’s side, with Fulham now looking at signing Walker-Peters this summer alongside West Ham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and his ex-club Tottenham.

He could be one of the bargains of the window, but Fulham face stiff competition in pursuit of his signature.

“I wonder how important he’s become,” said ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin last season, who also called him a “beautiful footballer”.

“You look at what happened in the summer [rumoured transfer interest] and you just wonder by the end of the season how important keeping him will have been.

“He’s such an integral part of what they’re doing. It’s almost like the team is built around him to get the most out of him.”

Since joining Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has overseen plenty of changes at the club.

He’s instilled a new style of play, a level of expectation that was missing for so many years, and most crucially, he’s completely overhauled the squad.

Now, not every signing the Spaniard has made has been a success, but he’s had a pretty decent track record thus far, with the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber all massively improving the team.

However, when it comes to his most underrated acquisition, it has to be Ben White, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to another star whose signing could be a repeat of White’s.

Arsenal's transfer targets

It’s going to be a massive summer of business for Arsenal, and one of the areas they look most intent on improving is left-wing, with Nico Williams one of their top targets.

Transfer Focus

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

The Spaniard is said to have a release clause worth around £52m in his current contract, which could prove to be value for money considering he’s scored 17 goals and provided 25 assists in 77 appearances since the start of last season.

Another youngster the North Londoners are supposedly interested in signing this summer is Real Madrid’s Arda Güler.

The 20-year-old could be available for just £26m, and as he’s managed to rack up ten goal involvements in just 1170 minutes this season, that could be an incredible deal.

However, there is another, even younger prospect worth even more money that the Gunners are being heavily linked with: Dean Huijsen.

Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal are very interested in the Bournemouth star.

In fact, Ornstein has revealed that alongside Liverpool and Chelsea, the Gunners are a leading contender for the Spaniard, while Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have also made contact.

However, on top of beating out the competition, the North Londoners will also have to stump up a significant amount of cash to get their man, as he has a release clause worth £50m in his contract.

In all, it would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Huijsen’s immense ability and potential, it’s one well worth fighting for, especially as he could be a White repeat.

Why signing Huijsen would be a White repeat

So, should Arsenal be able to get ahead of the chasing pack and get their hands on Huijsen this summer, what would make the deal so similar to White’s in 2021?

Well, the first and perhaps most surface-level similarity is that when the Gunners signed the Englishman, he also cost £50m and moved to the Emirates from an upwardly mobile midtable Premier League side in Brighton & Hove Albion, which is how you could describe Bournemouth.

On top of that, the Poole-born star had just made his way into the England set-up ahead of his move, and the Cherries gem won his first senior cap for La Roja last month.

However, the most significant similarity between the players is that even though the Gunners’ number four has now moved to right-back, he was initially signed as a centre-back, which is where the “extremely dominant” Spaniard, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would play should he move to the Emirates.

With all that said, there are obviously other reasons the North Londoners should be looking to sign the defender on top of the mirroring of his potential move to White’s, such as his sensational underlying numbers.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions, the top 2% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 4% for clearances, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive carries and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, signing another defender might not be high on the list of priorities this summer.

However, Huijsen looks to be an incredibly special player, so Arteta and Co should do what they can to secure his services, as he could become as important a player as White in the future.

Fabregas 2.0: Real Madrid make Arsenal's £86m "monster" a priority signing

Losing the “phenomenal” talent would be devastating for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 11, 2025