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The final participant in this year's Home Run Derby was announced Thursday evening, and the New York Yankees will officially have a player partaking in the event.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was revealed Thursday night as the eighth participant in the derby, officially setting the stage for Monday's showdown at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.

Chisholm may not be revered as one of the league's biggest sluggers, but he's had some quality power numbers at the plate. This season, he's slugging .530 with 17 home runs in 61 games. That would put him on a 162-game pace for 45 home runs, which should shatter his career-high of 24. Since joining the Yankees at last year's trade deadline, Chisholm has 28 home runs in 107 games.

He joins a derby pool already consisting of Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood, Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and Athletics DH Brent Rooker.

There are no past winners in this year's crop of derby contestants, so a new winner will be crowned in 2025. This will be Chisholm's first time in the derby, and the first time a Yankee has participated since Aaron Judge did in 2017.

The Atlanta Braves have placed outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. on the10-day injured list after he was removed from Tuesday night's loss vs. Kansas City with tightness in his Achilles tendon, the team said Wednesday.

Speaking after the game, Acuna didn't sound optimistic about the discomfort he was experiencing.

"It's an injury; I'm worried," he said, per a write-up from . "It's more pain, but it feels kind of, I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it."

The outfielder noted that he first felt the pain when running the bases on Monday night.

"It happened when I scored from first to home on that play," he added, via an interpreter. "They are going to examine me tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes."

In their post on Wednesday, the Braves diagnosed Acuna's ailment as "right Achilles tendon inflammation." Though that's better than a tear, any missed time is surely a blow for the 2023 NL MVP, who missed the majority of his 2024 season with a torn ACL.

"It's an Achilles thing, it's going to take a while," team manager Brian Snitker added Tuesday. "He'll go on the IL, and hopefully in 10 days or so it'll clear up."

For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers bowled poorer lengths than England’s. But they regrouped quickly to script a turnaround

Sidharth Monga01-Aug-2025

Prasidh Krishna returned his best figures in Test cricket•Getty Images

“Have you ever felt nothing good was ever gonna happen to you?”At lunch on day two at The Oval, some of the younger players in the India team would have felt the way Chris Moltisanti did when he uttered this immortal line in . Chris is easily frustrated by circumstances, impatient to move up in the North Jersey mafia hierarchy, and even tries his hand at writing a movie script.This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been an incredible learning curve for this young India team, a tour where they have had reason to believe that they haven’t been rewarded proportionately for their efforts. The situation at lunch on day two was India 2-1 behind in the series, 224 plays 109 for 1 in 16 overs, and yet another selection looking to blow in their face with just three fast bowlers in the side.Related

• 'That was the plan' – Prasidh on verbal duel with Root

• Siraj, Jaiswal and Prasidh put India in front on 15-wicket day

• Stats – The breathtaking Crawley-Duckett opening salvo

For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers had bowled poorer lengths than England’s, hit off the good areas by the sensational and skilful opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. One more session of it, and the series would have been gone. India badly needed a Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri to say, as he did in response to the aforementioned question: “Yeah. So what?”Paulie is one of the most ruthless and trusted henchmen of the mob boss Tony Soprano. He is as psychopathic as the other wise guys but he is not given to feeling pity for himself. He is one of the more stoic wise guys. At The Oval, it had to be one or all of the India fast bowlers to step up and say “so what”. We will get up again and do the work. We will do the right things again. So what if the results haven’t gone our way?Mohammed Siraj is a good fit as Paulie. Never to be Tony Soprano, not even of the fast-bowling group, but happy to do the hard work and step up when needed. Sometimes Siraj even reckons he is proud of being given the responsibility and does better when he is, but he knows he is not quite his “Jassi “. He didn’t start off well, bowling ordinary lines with the new ball, conceding 31 in his first four overs, which is why he had to watch Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna start off this crucial session.3:42

‘A workhorse, a man to have in the team’

Akash Deep had not had a great start himself. He had troubled Duckett, was all over him, hit him in the box, and nearly had him three times in his second over, but a reverse-pull for a six from Duckett completely rattled him. The next time Duckett charged at him, Akash Deep lost his length completely and was dismissively cut away. Duckett was almost telling him – twice in one over – that he was not quick enough. That he could leave the crease early and still have time to cut him if he changed the length.This was Bazball at its best, and India were on the back foot. The height difference between Crawley and Duckett meant India were getting cut and driven from the same lengths, which weren’t necessarily big errors. Prasidh looked the best of the three, but never forget that he was coming off the ignominy of having to sit out at Old Trafford for a bowler straight off the flight.It was this beleaguered trio that needed to say “so what” and get on with it. A session of 6 for 106 was as emphatic a “so what” as any. Being the wise guys, they needed to wise up a little first, which they did among themselves. Take your pick on who Silvio and Bobby – two of Soprano’s other lieutenants – are but this was a chat they needed to have to lift each other up. Prasidh said the three got into a corner and decided what had happened had happened. He said they needed to reassure each other, help each other when they veered off lines and lengths, and also “show some body language”.Mohammed Siraj celebrates after dismissing Ollie Pope•Getty ImagesThey knew they had – as a human reaction – started to bowl hard lengths as if in the middle overs of an ODI, but that was not going to help them. Immediately, they started bowling better lengths for this pitch: one with appreciable seam movement available. India have generally stayed on 6-8m for most of the series, but here they started hitting 5-6m more often: 13.4% of the times as opposed to 7.2% in the first session. So even when they pulled it back in reaction to aggression, they were still on the good length.As a result, they not only kept the edges and the stumps in play – thanks to the seam movement – but also gave the ball a chance to swing. Even though high-seam deliveries went down, their average swing went up, which created the combination India needed. Results were not instant, Crawley resumed just as merrily, but even though he didn’t start bowling, Siraj at mid-on was always reassuring his bowlers they were on the right track.Prasidh said it was challenging to keep bowling good balls when the batters played as well as Duckett and Crawley did, but they needed reassurance from each other that if they bowled well, “it was a matter of time”.1:45

Prasidh: I’ve been picked to do a job

Time, though, was not on their side. There were just three of them on a pitch that needed fast bowling the most. Bringing spin on would ease all the pressure. This is where Akash Deep, who took just one wicket, played a big role. He started the session with a five-over spell, had time off for just three overs, and then pitched in with a six-over spell from the other end. All the while clutching his shoulder and stretching it because of a niggle. These were not just any spells; they were 5-0-16-0 and 6-0-18-0 with plenty of questions asked.At the other end, the only fast bowler left standing after playing all Tests, Siraj pulled in a shift: 8-0-35-3. He pulled out the lethal combination of outswing and wobble-seam. He dragged Joe Root across with outswing before bowling the lbw ball with the wobble seam. As a true disciple of Jasprit Bumrah, in his first 12 overs, Siraj bowled only one ball fuller than 5m: the near-yorker to get Jacob Bethell out.It was then time for Prasidh to take over from Akash Deep and show off his wobble-seam ball. He has been bowling it for a while now, increasing the frequency of it as his trust in it had grown, but he also perhaps produced his first wicket with the way the wobble-seam ball is intended: to nip back in and trap the batter in front, Jamie Overton in this case.Good things now started to happen to the wise guys. The rain break came at just the right time to allow them to stay fresh and limit the damage Harry Brook could cause in the company of the tail. If you are just watching from the outside and thought the series was over at lunch, you are probably reacting like Silvio, a nod to if ever there was one: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is being backed to grace a seventh World Cup, with FIFA’s flagship event heading to Portugal – as one of several co-hosts – in 2030. If the all-time great were to make that event, then more history would be made. Nuno Gomes can see that prospect appealing to CR7, with a contract extension having already been signed at club level with Al-Nassr.

• Evergreen Ronaldo: CR7 still going strong at the age of 40

  Those terms are only through to 2027, with it yet to be determined what Ronaldo will do beyond that point. He has starred in the Saudi Pro League, with remarkable individual standards being maintained at 40 years of age.

  He continues to make himself available at international level, with 226 caps being earned while scoring 143 goals. Ronaldo continues to chase down 1,000 career strikes – with the record books being rewritten.

  Ronaldo has stated that next summer’s World Cup will be his last, but anything is considered possible where the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar is concerned. He has kept himself in the best possible shape and made no secret of the fact that he wants to continue for as long as possible.

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  Home World Cup: Ronaldo backed to make 2030 finals

  Portugal will stage games at the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Morocco – with group stage matches also heading to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. On Ronaldo bowing out on home soil, former team-mate Nuno Gomes told : “It's a difficult question. I think only him, or maybe not even him, knows the answer because I think he is doing year by year at this age.

  “I think he's still fit to play. He's a really professional player and one of the players that we can point him as an example to follow? For the young generations. But of course he has his age and his capacity is reduced in some qualities, in speed for example. He's not the same Cristiano when he was 18 or 20, but he's still capable to score goals, and in football, it's the most important thing, to score goals and he's still scoring.

  “Of course I think it also depends on the coach. Right now we have Roberto Martinez and I think he adapts the team, having him in the first 11 or not. So I think it will depend on his will, to play more or not. But probably I could tell that it could be his last World Cup. Even though we know that in four years we are hosting some games. And maybe it could be an opportunity to say goodbye at home.”

• Euro 2028 and beyond: When will Ronaldo retire?

  Ronaldo’s former United colleague Wes Brown told GOAL recently when asked if CR7 will play on to Euro 2028: “If he can bring something to the squad, why not pick him? Does that mean he has to play every game? Look at the last competition, everyone was saying he shouldn’t play but he did ok. He knows the press are going to give him stick anyway as soon as he doesn’t score or give an assist. At the same time, he is still there for his younger team-mates and wants them to do well.

  “In his mind he won’t be finished yet and he can still contribute to the team. I don’t think he will retire from international football until he has retired completely. He’s still got the energy, that same belief, and can still do it. There are not many people that can say that at that level.”

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  Another record for Ronaldo? Oldest player to grace a World Cup

  If Ronaldo were to play towards another major tournament beyond the next European Championship, then he would head into his mid-40s. He will be 41 when representing his country at next summer’s event in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

  The oldest player to make an appearance at the World Cup finals is ex-Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who faced Saudi Arabia in 2018 aged 45 years and 161 days. Ronaldo would be 45 years and 166 days old by the time the 2030 competition comes to a close.

Manchester City moved to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, until they play on Wednesday night, with a thrilling 5-4 win over Fulham.

Supporters of their title rivals may have turned off the game when Phil Foden made it 3-0 before half-time, expecting a simple victory for Pep Guardiola’s side, but the Cityzens made hard work of their three points in the end.

Some questionable game management and defensive work from City almost led to them drawing the match, and there are several players who may not be too pleased with their own contributions to the result.

Ranking Man City's worst performers against Fulham

Whilst the likes of Erling Haaland, Tiijani Rijnders, and Phil Foden shone at Craven Cottage, some of Guardiola’s players failed to deliver quality displays on Tuesday night.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was one of those players. The Italy number one conceded four goals from five shots on target against him, letting in 1.95 more goals than expected, per Sofascore.

Full-back Matheus Nunes also failed to put in a convincing performance. The Portuguese defender was dribbled past twice, per Sofascore, and found defending the likes of Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kevin a bit too difficult at times.

The same was true of Nico O’Reilly, who lost ten of his 15 duels and was dribbled past once, on the other flank, whilst at the other end of the pitch, Savinho struggled off the bench, wasting several chances to counter and put the game to bed late on.

It was Bernardo Silva, though, who was arguably the worst performer on the night for the Cityzens, which is why Guardiola should ruthlessly drop him from the side.

Why Pep Guardiola should drop Bernardo Silva

The Portuguese central midfielder should be put on the bench for the clash with Sunderland at The Etihad on Saturday after an underwhelming display against Fulham.

Chalkboard

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

Commentating for Sky Sports, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton described Bernardo’s flicked clearance that fell for Samuel Chukwueze to score his first goal of the game as “careless”.

A few minutes after that comment, Sutton added that he could not understand why the Portugal international was still on the pitch because he “doesn’t have the legs” that he once did, and that Fulham had “run around” him.

Those comments from the Premier League title winner are backed up by the fact that Bernardo failed to complete three of his four attempted tackles on the night, per Sofascore, which shows that he was a yard off the pace when attempting to challenge Fulham players.

Bernardo also struggled to get up the pitch to influence matters in the final third, with no key passes or ‘big chances’ created from 69 touches of the ball, albeit that was not as important on a night where City scored five goals by the 54th minute.

As you can see in the table above, the experienced midfielder was even worse than Nunes, who won more tackles, more duels, and made more ball recoveries, whilst also making more key passes.

Bernardo did well in moments towards the end of the match with his ability to retain possession and calm the play down, but it was partially down to his struggles out of possession and defensively that City were in a position where they had to manage the game in the final minutes.

The left-footed star is, of course, still an important player for Guardiola, having started nine league games this season, but the clash with the Black Cats is one that he should be dropped for after this disappointing showing.

Guardiola could provide Rico Lewis with a chance to play in the middle of the park or play Lewis at right-back and bring Nunes back into his natural role in midfield to see if he can improve on his own underwhelming performance.

Man City now favourites to sign "incredible" £88m star, Pep's captivated by him

City have taken the lead in the race for a Premier League star, with Pep Guardiola a big fan.

By
Dominic Lund

Dec 2, 2025

A game on the bench for Bernardo could, also, keep him fresh ahead of the big match against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, which is another reason why this could be a good move by the Spanish head coach at the weekend.

The Reds entered the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday night locked in a tight battle with the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Fortunately, Cincinnati had the powers of Elly De La Cruz to lean on.

With the Reds up 2-1, the Pirates got a man on first, and Nick Gonzales came up to bat with one out. On a 2-2 count, he absolutely mashed a liner— right at De La Cruz, playing deep at the shortstop position. Without wasting even a second, EDLC then rifled a one-hop throw to first for the force-out that ended the game.

It was a very cool play that required remarkable reaction time and De La Cruz was all too happy to show off his.

That is a hard throw to make it to first on a bounce before the runner does. De La Cruz has done it again.

The win marks the Reds' 61st of the season, and it was arguably the most exciting ending yet.

Paul Scholes believes Arsenal’s title bid will falter once again unless Mikel Arteta finds a way to improve his team's record in the Premier League’s biggest fixtures. The former Manchester United midfielder issued a pointed critique after Arsenal were beaten in agonising fashion by Aston Villa on Saturday, leaving their position at the top of the table looking increasingly fragile.

• Arsenal's lead cut after late collapse at Villa Park

  Arsenal remain two points clear at the summit, but the mood around the club noticeably turned sour after Emiliano Buendía struck deep into stoppage time to hand Villa a 2-1 win. Leandro Trossard had earlier cancelled out Matty Cash’s opener, and for long stretches Arsenal appeared destined to escape with an unconvincing draw. Instead, they left Birmingham empty-handed and with renewed doubts hanging over their title ambitions. Those doubts were amplified hours later when Manchester City dispatched Sunderland 3-0, a result that tightened the title race. 

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  Scholes believes Arsenal will falter again

  Speaking on podcast, Scholes was unequivocal. Arsenal, he argued, will not end their 22-year wait for a league title unless they begin winning the defining matches of the season.

  "Man City have a great chance now, don’t they?" the United legend asked. "I still don’t think they’re quite right but they always get better in the second-half of the season and the thing with Arsenal is they can’t win a big game."

  Scholes cited defeats to Liverpool and Villa, as well as draws against Manchester City and Chelsea, as evidence of Arsenal’s limitations.

  "Until they start winning big games they’ve got no chance of winning the league," he said. "They lost to Liverpool, they couldn’t beat Man City at home when they were struggling. Aston Villa are a good team, don’t get me wrong, but Arsenal just can’t win big games. They couldn’t beat Chelsea after they went down to ten men. If you’re going to win the league you’ve got to start winning some big games, you’ve got to beat your rivals, and they can’t do it. Historically Man City always get better after January. They were in the Club World Cup so they didn’t really have a pre-season."

  Scholes’ former team-mate Nicky Butt echoed those sentiments, predicting that Pep Guardiola’s side are building towards yet another late-season surge.

  "I did say I fancied Man City for the title about a month ago," Butt said. "They’re suddenly clicking. The reason I think Man City will win the league is Pep [Guardiola]. He’s got the experience. I can see him winning the league this year and then leaving."

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  Gvardiol fuels title talk

  City have overturned Arsenal’s advantage twice in the past three seasons. In 2022-23, Arsenal spent 248 days at the summit and were eight points clear in April, only to unravel in the final weeks. City thrashed Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad during the run-in and ultimately finished five points ahead. In the next season, things were closer, but the ending was familiar as City again found a higher gear, sealing the title with two points to spare. 

  However, Josko Gvardiol warned that the pressure will intensify for both teams as they approach the halfway point of the season.

  "I remember in my first season we were on the top and fighting for the Premier League and you go Fulham away, all the games, you need to win. If you lose or drop points that's it," the City defender told reporters. "First of all they have a good team. It's not just them, it's Aston Villa, Chelsea is good. Sunderland two weeks ago were there at the top. It won't be easy and the season is long. We're not even at the halfway stage. Still a lot of games to play. Two points behind so we are getting closer. We need to build it up like we have for the last two or three months. We will see at the end. Every game is important and we need to win every game."

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• Arsenal look to regroup ahead of Wolves test

  Arteta has consistently insisted that his team are evolving and learning from narrow defeats, but the narrative of his side falling short in high-stakes clashes is becoming harder to ignore. However, Saturday’s home match against bottom-placed Wolves presents Arteta with an opportunity to steady the ship and reassert authority at the top of the table. 

One Tottenham Hotspur star is attracting very serious interest from a Premier League rival, who are also set to open talks over his signing “in the coming weeks”.

Tottenham face Bodo/Glimt in crunch Europa League semi-final

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou’s sole focus right now is on the club’s potentially fruitful Europa League campaign.

Manager who's open to joining Tottenham has now turned down new contract

He’s becoming a more solid contender to replace Ange Postecoglou.

2

By
Emilio Galantini

May 8, 2025

The north Londoners travel to Bodo/Glimt knowing they’re just 90 minutes away from their first European final since Mauricio Pochettino took them to the brink of Champions League glory in 2019, and if they avoid an embarrassing defeat against the Norwegian minnows, Spurs’ spot will be confirmed.

Winning the Europa League would be a perfect end to an otherwise dismal campaign for Postecoglou, who has led the Lilywhites to 19 Premier League defeats as Tottenham languish 16th in the table.

Not only would it mean lifting their first piece of major silverware since 2008, but Spurs also have a golden opportunity to book a place in next season’s Champions League draw, so quite a lot is on the line tonight as Postecoglou seeks to rescue the season in dramatic fashion.

“I think the fact it is a semi-final and such a big game irrespective it is always going to be a bit tight and tense throughout the whole game,” said Postecoglou on the challenge of Bodo/Glimt.

“I think it is just the nature of the competition you’re in and being in a semi-final, whether it was at our place first or at our place second, it would have been the same kind of scenario of two teams who know there is a big prize at the end of getting to a final. Yeah, we’ll have to perform.”

Everton set to open talks for Richarlison

Their success in the competition may also determine Tottenham’s transfer plans for the summer, with recent reports suggesting they’re set for a ‘sell to buy’ summer window as things stand (The Telegraph).

One of the men who could be sacrificed to make room for new signings is £60 million striker Richarlison, who hasn’t featured as often as he would’ve liked this term due to a 24/25 campaign blighted by injuries.

The Brazil forward also faces losing his spot in the national team, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who also told The Boot Room that Everton are set to open talks for Richarlison “in the coming weeks”.

The Merseysiders could offer Tottenham’s “underrated” attacker a route out in pursuit of more minutes, and it is believed Richarlison views the brand-new Everton Stadium as an ideal landing spot.

“I’m told that he has been made aware that he needs to be playing next season,” said Bailey.

“Brazil have a host of options competing with him – Real Madrid’s Endrick but also a host of Premier League rivals – Joao Pedro, Rodrigo Muniz and Evanilson – and they will all be starting for their respective clubs.

“Richarlison needs to be playing, he knows this and that is just why Everton are in such a strong position. They can offer him that chance of first-team football.

“Everton want him back, as we revealed earlier this year, and I believe there is confidence from their side, but also a belief from Richarlison and Spurs’ end that this is likely the best option.

“As it stands a permanent deal will be tough, but that is what the talks in the coming weeks will be aimed to work out.”

Richarlison is also believed to be attracting interest from Brazilian Serie A sides, and it will be intriguing to see where his future lies.

The 27-year-old has been a real mixed bag since making the move to London, enduring spells of bad form and unavailability whilst also going through real purple patches, like the one midway through 2023/2024, when he was seemingly scoring goals for fun.

They may have a season-defining game to come in the Champions League tomorrow night and a second-place finish in the Premier League to secure, but Arsenal seem to be looking ahead to the summer transfer window.

While it’s not been quite as catastrophic as some might have you believe, this year hasn’t gone entirely to plan for Mikel Arteta’s side, so the determination to add some real quality to the squad in the coming months makes perfect sense.

One of the most prominent links, and a player who was touted for a move to the club as far back as last summer, is Nico Williams.

The Spanish international is one of the most exciting wingers on the continent, but if recent reports are to be believed, the club could now have identified an alternative target: someone who shares the same agent as Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal's winger search

Given Arsenal’s need for more goals next season, it’s not been a surprise to see them linked to a plethora of dangerous wingers in recent weeks, such as Rayan Cherki and Kingsley Coman.

Transfer Focus

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

The former is reportedly available for just £30m, which might end up being one of the bargains of the summer, as in just 42 appearances for Lyon this year, the Frenchman has scored 12 goals and provided a whopping 19 assists.

Coman, on the other hand, might be a little less exciting in the eyes of the fans, as while he’s managed to rack up a reasonable enough tally of seven goals and four assists in 39 appearances this year, he has an awful injury record, will be 29 at the start of next season, and would cost around £34m.

So, while he’s had a sensational career, it wouldn’t be accurate to describe him as being a potential upgrade on Williams, unlike the tremendously exciting Jamie Gittens.

Yes, according to a recent report from German publication Ruhr Nachrichten, Arsenal are incredibly interested in the Borussia Dortmund star, who has reportedly told his teammates he will be leaving in the summer and is part of the same agency as Saka.

In fact, while Chelsea are also keen on the young Englishman, the report has revealed that it’s the Gunners who are leading the race for his signature, partly down the clearer pathway to game time and the more stable nature of the club.

It wouldn’t be a cheap transfer to get over the line, with the report claiming that Dortmund will want up to €60m for the player, which is about £51m, but given his ability and potential, that may be a price worth paying, especially as he could be an upgrade on Williams.

How Gittens compares to Williams

Okay, so while Gittens can play off the right – and has even played up top at points – his preferred position is undoubtedly left-wing, which in turn makes it unlikely that Arsenal would sign him and Williams.

So, with that in mind, who comes out on top when we compare them?

Well, when it comes down to their raw output, even though it is a little complicated, the Dortmund star does come out on top.

For example, in 46 appearances this season, totalling just 2783 minutes, the 20-year-old “wonderkid,” as dubbed by Statman Dave, has scored 12 goals and provided five assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.70 games, or far more consequently, every 163.70 minutes.

In contrast, the Athletic Bilbao star has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 44 appearances, totalling 3050, so while he has an average of a goal involvement every 2.44 games, his minutes per goal involvement of 169.44 is marginally worse than his potential rival.

Moreover, when we take a look under the hood, at their underlying numbers, it’s once again a closely run competition in which the Englishman just about comes ahead.

For example, he comes out ahead for a slight majority of relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, expected assists, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy, progressive carries, successful take-ons, carries into the penalty area, tackles won and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, regardless of which winger they do eventually sign, Arsenal will be getting someone who can contribute in the here and now and continue to develop into an even more exciting attacker as time goes on.

However, when it comes down to it, Gittens just about comes out ahead of Williams for output and underlying numbers, so if the North Londoners can only get one, they should go for the Englishman.

Trossard upgrade: Arsenal making move for one of the "best in the world"

Arsenal are on the hunt for a Leandro Trossard upgrade this summer.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

May 6, 2025

Arsenal hold a serious belief that they’ve now signed a “world-class” player for Mikel Arteta ahead of next season, and they’re behaving like it is a done deal behind-the-scenes.

Arsenal's main transfer plans for this summer

Buoyed by the arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta, Arteta has already admitted that Arsenal are set for a “big” summer transfer window after the Italian’s appointment.

Arsenal demand major Thomas Partey concession in talks over new deal

The Ghanaian has arguably enjoyed his best campaign at Arsenal.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 25, 2025

A host of incomings across multiple areas of the squad are anticipated ahead of what is expected to be a busy debut window for Berta, with GiveMeSport recently reporting that £300 million could be spent on seven major signings.

As per GMS, Arsenal are believed to be prioritising a new second-choice goalkeeper to replace Neto, a full-back, new midfielder, left-winger, right-winger and striker. Kieran Tierney is off to Celtic, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to be sold after falling down Arteta’s pecking order.

While Thomas Partey is in talks to extend his Arsenal contract, Jorginho remains likely to depart when his contract expires, meaning the addition of a centre-midfielder is still pretty imperative before 2025/2026.

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard’s long-term future is uncertain, as his contract expires in 2026, with Arsenal arguably in need of another winger who can provide Arteta with a quality alternative to the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz’s long-term injuries have also emphasised the need for Arsenal to finally sign a prolific striker, so there is plenty to do for Berta. Indeed, Arteta confirmed last week that he wants Arsenal to bring more strength and depth into the squad, sending a subtle message to his director.

“Squad quality and availability. Without those two, we cannot compete in four competitions,” said Arteta on his Arsenal transfer wish.

“At this level, especially in this country, it’s impossible. The higher the quality, the higher the availability, the more chances, probability you have. After you have to do it. But the probability goes high.”

Arsenal "internally" behaving like Martin Zubimendi deal is "done"

One top target for Arsenal, as per multiple reports, is Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

They’ve been in negotiations over the Spain international’s acquisition for quite some time, with The Mail first reporting advanced pre-summer talks in January. Since then, the consensus has been that Arsenal are confident they can sign Zubimendi before June, while Marca journalist Juan Castro reported this week that an agreement appears to be struck already.

Now, the reliable David Ornstein has somewhat backed up Castro’s claim, stating that Arsenal are “internally” behaving like Zubimendi is a “done deal”.

This interesting update from a very credible source should fill supporters with confidence, as the feeling within N5 appears to be that it is inevitable the 26-year-old will finally make his long-awaited move to England, just a year after he publicly rejected Liverpool’s advances.

Called a “world-class” player by Tierney, during their time together at Sociedad, Zubimendi has been likened to Balon d’Or winner Rodri and played a key role for Spain in their Euro 2024 final triumph against England.

The La Liga mainstay is indispensable for his boyhood club, but it appears he’ll soon be waving goodbye if all goes to plan.