Latest news with #BukayoSaka
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal duo named in PFA Young Player of the Year shortlist
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have both been nominated for the 2024–25 PFA Young Player of the Year award. Photo via The two teenagers were among six players shortlisted for the award, with the winner to be announced at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, 19 August. Advertisement Nwaneri, still only 18, featured 37 times across all competitions for Arsenal last season, scoring nine goals and becoming an increasingly prominent figure in Mikel Arteta's squad. His performances have drawn comparisons with Bukayo Saka, who won the same award in 2022–23 and was shortlisted three other times. Lewis-Skelly, a defensive midfielder-turned-left-back who turns 19 in September, also enjoyed a breakout campaign. He impressed with his composure and tactical awareness in a position often unforgiving to young players, and capped his rise with a goal on his England debut against Albania earlier this year. The pair are joined on the shortlist by Liam Delap, who scored 12 goals in a difficult campaign for Ipswich Town before completing a £30 million move to Chelsea this summer, and Morgan Rogers, who contributed 14 goals and 15 assists as Aston Villa narrowly missed out on a Champions League place.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Nwaneri shows where route to Arsenal first XI could come
Ethan Nwaneri is fresh from his breakthrough season at Arsenal and is now representing England at the European Under-21 Championship in made an impressive substitute appearance in the Young Lions' opening game against Slovakia, immediately putting the ball through the legs of a defender and starting an England coach Lee Carsley and the England set-up have been careful with how they have used Nwaneri so far during the tournament. That is because the 18-year-old, who played a lot of football at the beginning and mid-point of the season, featured less as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard returned to full fitness. However, Nwaneri still made 37 appearances for the Gunners, scoring nine handed Nwaneri a start for the second group match against Slovenia, but started the midfielder on the left of his 4-2-2-2 formation, with Harvey Elliott on the right and James McAtee and Jonathan Rowe as natural position is more central, but he has excelled for Arsenal on the right, filling in for Saka when he was grew into the game against Slovenia but his best moments came in the second half when he did shift to the right side and linked well with Elliott. Nwaneri did manage to beat a player and get into his 'trademark' position - where he curls the ball from the edge of the box with his left foot into the far corner - but this time his effort flew over the is Arsenal's key player and Odegaard the captain, so next season, if he is able to play from the left, that could be a route for Nwaneri to continue his progression and get significant minutes for Mikel Arteta's side.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What is Ethan Nwaneri's best position?
Ethan Nwaneri is a supreme talent with one question hanging over him: where is he best deployed? The 18-year-old played 37 games for Arsenal last season, starting with cameos as a right-sided attacking midfielder before regular starts on the right wing in the absence of an injured Bukayo Saka. His minutes dropped when Saka and captain Martin Odegaard regained fitness, with attention focusing on how he can fit into Mikel Arteta's starting line-ups more often next season. Advertisement Now with Lee Carsley's England under-21 squad at the European Championships in Slovakia, Nwaneri has another role. Carsley played in midfield with Arteta at Everton, but as a coach he is different in the way he sets his teams up. So far this summer, he has played a 4-2-2-2 consisting of two holding midfielders, two attacking midfielders and two forwards. Nwaneri came off the bench to impress off the right in England's opening victory over the Czech Republic, but on Sunday night against Slovenia he started as the left-sided attacking midfielder, with Liverpool's Harvey Elliott on the right. The sight of Nwaneri on the left was a surprise. He had played in those areas before for club and country, but the past 12 months have seen him perched on the right much more often. England needed to wrestle control of the game away from Slovenia, who had a strong start, but once they had, Nwaneri grew into the game. Around the time momentum was shifting, he made a quick dart out wide before stopping in place to lose a marker and then play a one-two with Newcastle United's Tino Livramento to get up the left touchline. Shortly after, he was coming more central to receive the ball and evading markers with sharp shoulder drops before keeping the ball moving. The teenager's moment seemed to come after Jonathan Rowe skinned his marker on the byline and squared the ball to him in the six-yard box, but Nwaneri mistimed his finish. Instead of being a lift-off moment, it was one that characterised the night as the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Asked post-match what he was looking for from Nwaneri on the left, Carsley said: 'Just the balance of receiving the ball in the pocket and giving us width. I thought he did that really well. We all know he can play really effectively on the right hand side, and it's just another string to his bow if he can play two or three different positions. Advertisement 'If you look at the pitch, it probably doesn't suit dribblers because it was a little bit long and dry. But I thought he was a threat. I love watching him play. Players like that really get you excited when they get the ball because you feel something is going to happen. It just would have been nice if he took that chance for his work rate and the positions he gets in, to finish it off would have been great for him.' Carsley's point about the pitch was fair, although the conditions were probably due more to the 30-degree heat rather than a lack of preparation from those at the ground. Even so, starting Nwaneri on the left provided pictures that those who follow Arsenal have not seen in almost a year. The first real glimpses of Nwaneri starting for Arsenal came on the 2024 US tour, where he played as a left-sided attacking midfielder against Manchester United. That afternoon, he proved he can shine on that side with intelligent play resulting in an assist for Gabriel Jesus at the back post. Not quite finding the moment to take the Slovenia game to another level, he switched in the second half and played closer to Elliott on the right. His performance was mixed, with some crosses and shots going astray after cutting in. But he did create a good chance for Elliott which was also fluffed. 'Ethan's one of many in this squad who can create something out of nothing,' Elliott said afterwards. 'I thought he played very well today, especially the way he was positive. He created many chances for us and on another day we could have been two, three or four goals up and it's a different story.' Before travelling to Slovakia, Nwaneri said no matter where he plays, his intention is to 'play forward' and 'be positive'. He also spoke of his experience across all attacking positions, an aspect of his game that former Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott believes sets him apart. 'The amount of players that play in his position like Saka, Madueke or even Cole Palmer, he's very different because he can operate in any position across the left, centrally or on the right,' Walcott said. 'This will be an interesting dynamic of how he feels next season will go. He's going to want to play more football, but he's going to be competing with Saka and Odegaard. He just needs to remember to do the right things.' Arteta has previously spoken about potentially developing the youngster into a centre-forward because of his finishing ability, but that plan seemed to be one for beyond this upcoming season. Advertisement The chance he missed against Slovenia will not be career-defining, even if England now need at least a draw against Germany on Wednesday to qualify for the knockout stage. With a better connection, the mood could be completely different, which is why it is important not to draw conclusions on results alone. Instead, looking at the positions he picked up could provide a timely reminder of what else he can offer both Arsenal and England moving forward. Rather than viewing Nwaneri through one lens and one lens only, he can give coaches the option of being more creative in the way they set up. At Arsenal, with a new shirt number, that could be alongside Odegaard and Saka, rather than instead of them.
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Rodrygo, Nico Williams, Anthony Gordon: Analysing Arsenal's wide attacker options
Arsenal's attack needs refreshing. Much of the focus regarding their summer transfer window has understandably been on the centre-forward position, but there is also a clear need to improve manager Mikel Arteta's options in wide areas if the club are to mount a serious challenge for silverware next season. Advertisement Bukayo Saka is Arsenal's star player out wide, but has been relied upon for years. This was highlighted by The Athletic as early as the 2020-21 season, when at 19, he was the club's third-most-used outfield player behind Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin. It was on his 250th Arsenal appearance in December that Saka suffered his first major setback, a three-month hamstring injury — a fate subsequently replicated by fellow forwards Kai Havertz and, to a lesser extent, Gabriel Martinelli. At the start of last season, they would have been Arteta's ideal starting trio up front. Looking ahead to when the games begin again in August, Saka's place in the team may be the only one of the three to be considered safe as Arsenal look to significantly enhance their options. The Athletic has reported their interest in Rodrygo and Nico Williams, as well as Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon. Here, we assess what each of those players could offer Arteta's side and how they compare to the attackers already at his disposal. Arsenal were also strong contenders for Leroy Sane, but on Wednesday, we reported the Germany forward is looking for a new challenge at Galatasaray in Turkey once his Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of this month. With over 250 Real Madrid appearances to his name, Rodrygo is the most high profile of these three prospective signings. Arteta and his coaching staff are fans of the player, who has three years left on his existing contract. The Brazil international is still yet to speak to new Madrid manager Xabi Alonso about his situation, but, per sources who wish to remain anonymous to protect relationships, he wants to feel important wherever he plays. Just six months older than Martinelli, the 24-year-old has scored 13 and assisted nine goals in all competitions so far in Madrid's season. In the Spanish league, he scored six and assisted five. He registered 10 La Liga goals in 2023-24, but his best league campaign for goal involvements was a year earlier, when he scored nine and assisted eight. Rodrygo has played across Madrid's front line in their current campaign, but is most comfortable playing on the left or more centrally rather than on the right. That preference for the left side can be seen in that it's where he tends to create the most, with the left half-space a particularly productive area. Of the three players we are looking at in this article, Rodrygo ranks highest in chances created with 2.40 per 90 minutes, followed by Gordon on 1.99 and then Williams on 1.80. The high quality of his team-mates is an important factor in that, but the variation in the types of opportunities he produces for others will be viewed as a bonus. Advertisement Rodrygo has managed to combine with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior with shorter passes in congested areas, like the left half-space, which, based on much of the 2024-25 season, would benefit Arsenal hugely. As they often face mid or low blocks in the Premier League, a player with more invention in tight spaces would help unlock tricky defences with more ease, as seen here: The Brazilian is also able to provide crosses from wider areas and create chances for himself by running with the ball, albeit less often than both Williams and Gordon. Now into his mid-twenties, Rodrygo has hit an age range Arteta has liked when recruiting key signings in the past. Havertz and Declan Rice were also 24 when they signed for Arsenal in 2023, while Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were both 25 when they moved to the Emirates the previous summer. As a two-time Champions League winner, Rodrygo would represent a similar ceiling-raising shift for Arsenal as Jesus and Zinchenko were when they joined from then Premier League champions Manchester City. Arsenal have a longstanding interest in Williams. His most recent contract extension at La Liga's Athletic Club came in December 2023 and runs until June 2027. Barcelona failed in a pursuit of the Spain international winger last summer, while Aston Villa showed interest back in January 2023. Williams has since played a vital role in Spain's European Championship triumph last July, scoring against England in the final, and helped his Bilbao-based boyhood club reach this year's Europa League semi-finals. He scored 11 goals and assisted seven in all competitions in 2024-25, with five of each coming in La Liga. His most fruitful top-flight season was a year earlier, when he scored five and assisted 11. Where a player who turns 23 on July 12 stands out compared to other wingers is in his willingness to dribble. While Rodrygo attempts a similar amount of take-ons to Saka per 90, only Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Jeremy Doku of Manchester City had more than Williams in their domestic leagues last season. Despite having a lower success rate than those players, his style would bring a different dynamic to the way Arsenal attack on the wings. Primarily playing off the left, he would provide an interesting contrast to both Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, who each attempt at least half as many take-ons as he does. The sheer volume of dribbles in comparison to Rodrygo can be seen in how often Williams carries the ball five metres or more before either creating a chance or shooting, as evidenced by his 2023-24 numbers: As is the case with his dribble success rate, there is clear room for improvement in converting those chances and shots into goals. Nonetheless, Williams causes major issues for opposition defences, and here are two examples of how he does that when running with the ball. The first is from a second leg win over Roma in the Europa League round of 16 in March, when Athletic came back from a 2-1 first leg defeat in Italy to advance. Initially, Williams pops a smart pass into midfield to keep play moving before receiving the ball again inside the box. The defender is expecting him to go around the outside, but he shifts the ball inside with his left foot, touches it past another opponent and dinks a finish over the goalkeeper. That was his second goal of the game. For the first, he arrived at the back post to apply a finishing touch, which is a theme of his wing play and which has helped him score important goals for both club and country — the Euro 2024 final included. For a more blatant example of Williams' dribbling prowess, however, below is one of his goals in a 7-1 win over Real Valladolid in February. Advertisement Here, he receives the ball on the touchline and immediately drives at his full-back. He takes a touch inside and bursts in between four defenders (two at a time), leaving one on the floor. Instead of swiping at the ball as soon as he is past them, he takes another touch around the final defender before reversing his finish past Arsenal loanee Karl Hein. While these examples show him cutting inside, many of the chances Williams created last season came from cutbacks after driving to the byline. One reason why the Roma defender mentioned earlier may have expected him to take the ball on the outside is because that is how most of his dribbles in 2024-25 panned out. Even so, the ability to go both ways at pace is something Arsenal could use. Trossard has a nice change of direction in close quarters but lacks pace, whereas Martinelli is quick but can sometimes be caught before finding a pass. Williams has been reluctant to entertain the notion of leaving Athletic over the years, but The Athletic reported last summer that his release clause is in the region of €55million ($59m; £47m). Compared to Rodrygo, he would represent a different type of signing. He is also slightly younger than the Brazilian and previous Arsenal summer transfers. That would suggest an element of adaptation, but he would also represent a clear gear shift in their wide attacking style. Nico Williams with an absolute beauty 🤩 He has been brilliant this tournament so far 🌟#Euro2024 | #ESPGEO — ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024 Gordon has repeatedly punished Arsenal since signing for Newcastle United two and a half years ago. The winger scored a controversial winner in a 1-0 victory at St James' Park in November 2023, assisted an Alexander Isak winner in a match that ended with the same scoreline in October last year and scored in both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-finals meeting in January. Overall, the 2024-25 season was not his strongest. Gordon contributed nine goals and six assists in all competitions, with six goals and five assists in the league. Compare that to his 2023-24 campaign, where he scored 11 and assisted 10 in the Premier League alone — and that in a side who struggled to cope with the demands of balancing Premier League and Champions League football. Hailing from Merseyside, the former Everton man was unsettled when a potential move to Liverpool collapsed last summer, but in October signed a new contract until 2029. Even so, his and Harvey Barnes' futures at Newcastle are uncertain, and even with Champions League qualification for next season, potential sales could help Newcastle from the perspective of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Like Rodrygo and Williams, Gordon brings his own set of skills to the table that set him apart as a left-winger. He likes to create from the left half-space and inside the box, but his threat comes more from runs in behind. Like Williams, Gordon represents a stylistic shift to the type of off-ball runs that Arsenal currently deploy. While they already have players who make a fair amount of overlapping runs and runs to receive crosses, in 2024-25, Arteta's side did not have as many running in behind or ahead of the ball. While Rodrygo's short passing and quick feet could disrupt mid or low blocks, runs in behind from Gordon could see Arsenal break before teams settle into a defensive shape. That would make Arsenal more direct than they have been in recent years, but having more than one way of playing would surely be beneficial in a title race. Rodrygo, Williams and Gordon all have distinctive qualities that could be of use to Arsenal, but landing on which style suits them best may not be an obvious choice. Could the decision they take regarding a new striker impact the type of winger needed to best complement that player? Possibly. Either way, high-quality wide options do seem to be emerging as the summer transfer market gathers pace. (Top photos: Getty Images)
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Tuchel's England is meant to be fun – but this is a joy-free zone
There were a few comments from England players as they arrived at the opulent XLR Executive Jet Centre in Birmingham. With an unbranded private plane waiting to take them to the Spanish Grand Prix, the gist of the remarks was that this was an early start. Who exactly relishes an early-morning flight anyway? At XLR, they pride themselves on being the ultimate in private, luxury travel, where 'every detail, request, and preference is meticulously anticipated in advance'. But it is still a journey at the crack of dawn. Other footballers were flying away with their families after a gruelling Premier League campaign but there was one final end-of-season camp for Thomas Tuchel's players. They were dressed in civvies – Kyle Walker in an eye-catching tank top – as they headed to Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, before the start of warm-weather training. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa were allowed to skip the Formula One as they were attending Jarrod Bowen's wedding, but the rest of the squad took selfies with pit crews and posed with shirts. Bukayo Saka seemingly did not get the memo about the unwritten grid-walk rule about giving interviews to Martin Brundle, but all-in-all it was described as 'good team-bonding' by one player. As much as players enjoyed the F1, this was still Tuchel's first taste of keeping the squad engaged during the summertime away from home. It has always been an issue for an England manager, never more apparent than during the Fabio Capello days when players were bored and isolated in their hotel rooms. Gareth Southgate set up a basketball court and chipping green at St George's Park during Euro 2020, then last summer there were padel courts at their base in Blankenhain, Germany. This was only a mini-break – and at the end of a long season – but it was worrying to hear that Tuchel saw no joy on the faces of his squad when they crossed the white line and played with the Three Lions on their chest during this international break. He will have to find a way to make it fun to go away with England. Of course, winning matches with conviction will help. His message when he first met the squad was that he wanted to put another star on the England shirt – the eternal legacy of a World Cup triumph. This meant every match counted, even if a qualifier was against lowly Andorra. Or a friendly against Senegal some 10 months after the season started. The German coach even counted up the sessions he would have before next year's tournament: 24 training days in total. There were six international breaks before the end of next season, and, with two already down, it has been a baptism of fire: jeered off after two worrying performances, questions over players' attitudes and confusing selection calls. Changes to the Southgate set-up It was always going to be a different dynamic to the previous era. Reporting on Gareth Southgate's team over eight years, it became apparent there was a bigger picture to winning football matches and reaching tournament finals. Over time, players matured and the culture of the squad changed. By coming with the sole aim of winning the World Cup, Tuchel's reign will only be defined by whether he is lifting the trophy in New Jersey next July. There have been changes from the Southgate era in the past two camps, even if they are small. There is an 'optional' squad breakfast between 9am and 11am, later in the morning in a move away from the strict timings under previous managers. Southgate used to start training sessions in the morning, which offered players an opportunity to sleep at some point in the afternoon. Under Tuchel, training starts in the afternoon. It is part of Tuchel's plan to build a 'brotherhood' spirit among his squad. The coach also embraced each player when they arrived in the lobby of their St George's Park base back in March when they met up for the first time. There have been new voices on the training pitches, with the accent of French-born Nicolas Mayer heard during sessions. Anthony Barry, a Liverpudlian, also takes drills. For the warm-weather training at the Camiral Golf and Wellness resort, in Girona, players strapped heart-rate monitors on their chests and applied sun cream before being put through their paces. The team selection for the two matches pointed to where players stood in the pecking order. Jordan Henderson, 35 next week, was given his first start since November 2023 and Tuchel wants him in the squad as he raises the standards of his team-mates. Tuchel also wanted to use an inverted right-back to move into midfield against an Andorra team not interested in attacking. Rather than Trent Alexander-Arnold who played there all season for Liverpool, Tuchel picked Curtis Jones, who started there three times in the title-winning team. Ivan Toney was said to have trained well all camp and there was a degree of surprise from some team-mates that he only got the final three minutes plus stoppage-time against Senegal, when England were chasing the game and on the brink of a first defeat by an African nation. There were theories that Tuchel called up Toney to look at him in person, rather than watching him in the Saudi Pro League in a lower standard of football. But taking off Harry Kane for the final half an hour and leaving Toney on the bench hinted at what Tuchel thinks of the Al-Ahli striker. At the final whistle there were jeers and the odd call of 'Tuchel out' as fans headed to the exits. One of Tuchel's messages to players is the importance of body language. He wants them to high-five like basketball players in the NBA, so the way players look like the enjoyment has been zapped out of them was the biggest concern. Contrast that to the Senegalese players signing and dancing in their dressing room, with manager Pape Thiaw banging on tables like he was beating a drum. It was like they had won the World Cup, which feels a long way from where England are.
