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West Ham United scored a much-needed statement win under Julen Lopetegui, reminding the Premier League that they boast one of the finest squads in the division and are capable of poking their way into European contention.

Lopetegui, indeed, inherited a talented squad from David Moyes, but is it so curious that his teachings would take more than a moment to sink into the system?

There’s no denying it was a poor start to the season, but West Ham now have a platform as we step into the October international break, and there will be hope that players such as Mohammed Kudus have hit a vein of form that could now be sustained.

Mohammed Kudus' performance vs Ipswich

Fleet-footed and electric-paced, Kudus showcased many of his usual traits over the opening weeks of the term, but there’s no denying his lack of potency in the final third was weighing him down and adding to the struggles.

He opened his account for the campaign against Ipswich Town at the London Stadium on Saturday, having blanked for goal contributions across the first six fixtures.

The Ghana winger leapt into the air to convert from a rebound and double the Hammers’ lead before the break, proving crucial in the grand scheme given that the Tractor Boys had missed a spate of chances themselves.

Minutes played

86′

Goals

1

Assists

0

Touches

55

Shots (on target)

5 (4)

Accurate passes

28/30 (93%)

Key passes

1

Dribbles (completed)

4 (1)

Total duels (won)

11 (3)

He wasn’t at his barnstorming best, but Kudus could now feel a weight lifted as he bags for the first time under Lopetegui’s wing. Claret & Hugh were certainly coloured impressed, awarding the 24-year-old with an 8/10 match rating and writing: ‘Great anticipation for his goal and generally looked considerably better as did most of the team. Forced a world-class save to deny him a second.’

Now, West Ham need to maintain that revived fluency from Kudus and to do so, Lopetegui might be wise to unleash Carlos Soler from the outset to charge the wide forward up.

Chalkboard

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

How Carlos Soler can help revive Kudus

West Ham signed Soler on a season-long loan move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer after offloading James Ward-Prowse and Nayef Aguerd. The deal does not include a buy clause.

So far, he’s yet to receive a starting berth in the Premier League, though has entered the fray in the second half across each of the club’s past four fixtures, as well as starting against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Described as an “incredible player” by former coach Raul Martinez, Soler is a talented midfielder with a complete skill set, but his natural-born playmaking does suggest that he could add the impetus and drive for Kudus to reap rewards from.

Kudus has still been a menacing figure, averaging 3.3 dribbles and winning 6.3 duels per game in the English top flight, as per Sofascore. He offers something unique, singular – after all, no Premier League rival even came close to his dribbling success in the Premier League last term.

1.

Mohammed Kudus

West Ham

124

2.

Jeremy Doku

Man City

87

3.

Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle

72

4.

Ebere Eze

Crystal Palace

69

5.

Luis Diaz

Liverpool

67

The 27-year-old recruit completed 67% of his long balls in Ligue 1 last term – at a rate of 1.2 per game – and this could be something that enhances the overall progression and consequent success of the Ghanaian.

Soler’s ball-playing quality could truly be the key to harnessing the full flight of Kudus’ dribbling prowess – especially with Lucas Paqueta performing below his expected level, averaging only 1.1 key passes per game and losing 63% of his duels.

Therefore, Lopetegui might want to try something new and unleash Soler from the outset after the international break. The Spaniard hasn’t been called up and thus can work under his countryman to fine-tune his qualities ahead of the next phase of Premier League action.

West Ham nearly signed £38m star to partner Bowen but got Kudus instead

West Ham nearly signed an “efficient” partner for Bowen, but ended up with Kudus

ByConnor Holden Oct 6, 2024

In what would be a surprise move, Amanda Staveley could look to replace Ange Postecoglou with one particular manager at Tottenham Hotspur if she’s successful in her investment in the North London club.

Staveley plotting to buy Tottenham stake

After leaving Newcastle United in the summer, Staveley is reportedly keen to buy a stake in North London giants Spurs in what would see her take a minority percentage of the club. Seemingly backed by serious money, Staveley’s investment would likely be quite the positive for Spurs, who will be desperate to match their Premier League rivals on a financial basis in search of finally ending their search for silverware.

Real Madrid could now make "strong offer" to sign £35m Tottenham star

The Galacticos are very keen on him.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Oct 12, 2024

Under Daniel Levy, of course, Spurs have been incredibly limited at times. It was only during the summer that they managed to welcome a replacement for Harry Kane one year on from his departure for Bayern Munich. Splashing out a reported £65m to sign Dominic Solanke, the forward has since started to reward their investment with goals on both the European and Premier League stage.

As Staveley’s potential investment arrives, however, it may not be Postecoglou who reaps the rewards. According to The Sun, Staveley may now target Eddie Howe to replace Postecoglou in a surprise move if she successfully buys a stake in the Lilywhites and the Australian’s current struggles escalate.

So far this season, it’s been one step forward and two steps back for Postecoglou’s side, who brushed Manchester United aside only to capitulate when two goals to the good to eventually suffer a 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion just one week later.

Dubbed “brilliant” by Gary Neville, meanwhile, Howe has continued to impress at Newcastle even after the Magpies failed to hand their manager significant reinforcements during the summer window. A fan of the former Bournemouth boss, Staveley’s Spurs arrival may commence quite the managerial merry-go-round.

Tottenham must trust Postecoglou

Although results remain inconsistent, Postecoglou needs Tottenham’s trust and patience if they want things to work out under the Australian. Those in North London have seen just how good things can be when Postecoglou’s side are firing on all cylinders against the likes of Manchester United. Now, it’s just about handing him the tools to turn that form consistent.

Hiring serial winners in Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho proved to be the wrong move for the Lilywhites in the past, but turning to a manager who will oversee a project that takes time in the form of Postecoglou was a step in the right direction. To now scrap that project could be taking the North London club back to square one.

Instead, Staveley’s investment should centre around completing that project and building on arrivals such as Solanke and Archie Gray. Howe would no doubt be an interesting option, but maintaining faith in a manager who is only into the second season of his tenure should be the route that Levy, and potentially Staveley, head towards.

The last few seasons have seen Arsenal go from fighting for a place in the Champions League to fighting for the Premier League title.

It’s true that Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t been able to get over the final hurdle just yet, but aside from an injury-induced mini-crisis at present, it would be hard to deny that the team have steadily improved over the last few years.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have become some of the best centre-backs in Europe, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are sensational in the midfield, and Bukayo Saka continues to lead the attack with an ever-improving Kai Havertz down the middle.

However, while most of the team are playing better than they did two years ago, some players have struggled to kick on, such as Gabriel Martinelli, and based on recent reports, the Brazilian’s place in the team could soon be under threat from an exceptional winger on the continent.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are one of several clubs keen on Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The report claims that the Gunners are set to battle fellow Premier League side Liverpool for the Georgian international next year, as were he to leave Italy for England, his preference would be a move to the Emirates or Anfield, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

While the winger’s desire to join the North Londoners over some of their rivals is undoubtedly a positive development, there is still the small matter of the potential transfer fee needed to get him out of Naples, which Bailey claims would stand at a whopping £100m if he were to agree to a new deal this season.

It would be an exceptionally costly transfer to get over the line, but given Kvaratskhelia’s incredible ability, it is one well worth pursuing, even if it could spell real trouble for Martinelli’s place in the starting lineup.

Transfer Focus

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

How Kvaratskhelia compares to Martinelli

Now, while Kvaratskhelia has played in a few positions across his career, the vast majority of his games have come out on the left.

So, if he was to join Arsenal at some point next year, his biggest competitor for a long-term place in the starting lineup would be Martinelli, so how do the pair stack up against one another?

Well, when it comes to the most important metric of all for an attacking winger, their raw output, there is no competition, as even with his brilliant form in the 22/23 season, the Gunners’ number 11 doesn’t come close to the Georgian over the last few years.

For example, in his 102 games since the start of that campaign, the former Ituano gem has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, equating to a goal involvement once every 2.61 games.

Appearances

46

43

Goals

15

14

Assists

6

17

Goal Involvements per Match

0.46

0.72

Appearances

44

45

Goals

8

11

Assists

5

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.29

0.44

Appearances

12

10

Goals

2

4

Assists

3

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.41

0.60

In contrast, the “unstoppable” Napoli star, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 29 goals and provided 28 assists in 98 games, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.71 games, which is made all the more impressive considering how poorly the team performed as a whole last season.

Ultimately, Martinelli is an undeniably talented winger and has shown signs of getting back to his best in recent weeks, but Kvaratskhelia has been exemplary for a few seasons now and looks like he could become one of the best attackers in world football, so if Arsenal have the chance to sign him next year, they should take it.

Contact made: Arsenal keen on signing amazing £75m Trossard upgrade

Arsenal could take their attack to the next level with the sensational forward.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2024

They might not have the trophies to show for it, but Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with some extraordinarily talented players over the last decade or so.

The names that probably jump out to most would be Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who created one of the best goalscoring partnerships in Premier League history.

However, both of them get the plaudits they deserve from the wider footballing public, which cannot always be said for another sensational star of the 2010s: Mousa Dembélé.

Interestingly, one of the club’s biggest flops in recent history was compared to the brilliant Belgian before things went terribly wrong for him.

Dembélé's Spurs career

After making a name for himself in the Premier League with West London outfit Fulham, Dembélé secured his big £15m move to Spurs in August 2012 at 25 years old.

The Antwerpen-born star scored on his debut for the club in a 1-1 draw with Norwich City and would go on to make 42 appearances in all competitions that year, firmly establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.

The next few seasons would see the former AZ Alkmaar gem further entrench himself as one of the most talented players at the club, and when Mauricio Pochettino was appointed manager in May 2014, he got even better.

The Argentine’s appreciation for the midfielder was evident, and in April 2017 he dubbed the then-29-year-old a “genius” before going on to compare him to greats such as Diego Maradona, Jay-Jay Okocha and Ronaldinho.

If that wasn’t enough, the former Southampton boss also boldly claimed that had he signed “him at 18 or 19 years old, he would have become one of the best players in the world.”

Unfortunately, Dembélé was also rather injury-prone, and after a couple of years of constant setbacks, he was finally sold to Chinese side Guangzhou R&F for around £11m in January 2019.

In all, he made 249 appearances for the club, scoring ten goals and providing ten assists, and some suggested that one of their targets that summer would be his replacement, only for said player to become one of the biggest flops in recent history.

Tanguy Ndombele's Spurs career

Yes, the former Spurs flop who was compared to the incredible Dembélé was Tanguy Ndombele, and no, the comparison didn’t come from us.

Instead, it was a reasonably common one made in the summer of 2019, with articles from the Metro and the Guardian as just a few examples that told fans the former Lyon star would replicate the tough yet technical style of play the Belgian could regularly produce for them in years prior.

Unfortunately, we know that didn’t happen, and instead, the club essentially wasted £63m as the then-22-year-old couldn’t get to grips with life in North London.

Over the next five years, he would make just 91 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists while also going out on several loans.

He spent the second half of the 21/22 season back with Lyon, the whole of 22/23 with Napoli – where he didn’t even play – and the whole of 23/24 in Turkey with Galatasaray.

Appearances

91

Goals

10

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.20

Loan Moves

3

However, perhaps worst of all, Daniel Levy and Co weren’t even able to recuperate any money from his failed stint with the club as he moved to OGC Nice for free this summer following the expiration of his contract.

Ultimately, while Ndombele was unlucky at points, he has to go down as one of the worst flops in Spurs’ recent history, which makes the comparisons to a player as incredible as Dembélé look even more ridiculous in retrospect.

Ange must end Richarlison's Spurs nightmare with "world-class" free signing

The sensational goalscorer would make Spurs far more dangerous.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 31, 2024

Nottingham Forest have already identified their no.1 target for the January transfer window, it has been revealed, as they look to kick on after a strong start to the Premier League season.

Chris Wood spearheading Nottingham Forest success

A resurgence of New Zealand striker Chris Wood has helped Nottingham Forest enjoy an excellent start to their 2024/25 Premier League campaign. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have lost just once in their opening nine games, and currently sit seventh in the Premier League, a place and three points above his former Tottenham Hotspur side.

Much of that success has been down to Wood. The 32-year-old raised plenty of eyebrows when he was signed from Newcastle United, but has proved all of his doubters wrong with a run of form that has seen him behind only Erling Haaland in goals scored in the Premier League across the calendar year.

Seven of those have come this season, as the veteran has powered Forest up the table, with his goals rescuing a mammoth ten points for Forest across six games.

Premier League top goalscorers

Player

Club

Goals

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

11

Bryan Mbeumo

Brentford

8

Chris Wood

Nottingham Forest

7

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

7

Mo Salah

Liverpool

6

Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

6

Danny Welbeck

Brighton

6

Forest will be hoping that his form will help them continue to pull well clear of the relegation zone, having only narrowly avoided the drop last season following a points deduction. And they are set to be active in January to try and ensure that they avoid a repeat performance.

Forest eye up priority signing in January

That is according to reliable Nottingham Forest reporter John Percy, who outlines that a new striker is the club’s priority for the upcoming window.

Liverpool and Chelsea seriously monitoring £30k-p/w Nottingham Forest star

Forest have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one of Nuno’s top stars. 

ByBrett Worthington Oct 28, 2024

Beyond the seemingly evergreen Wood, Forest only have injury-prone Taiwo Awoniyi, and that is clearly not enough to satisfy Nuno despite the fans’ affection for the former Liverpool talent.

Forest looked at signing another striker in the summer, but were unsuccessful in their pursuits of both Eddie Nketiah and Santiago Gimenez despite bidding for both. And Percy claims that a new focal point remains their priority.

“I think a striker has got to be the priority. They obviously looked in the summer and sort of rained back a bit and thought, let’s just wait, which we’ve all said at the time was another sign of the evolution of the club and maturity. But I think that’s going to be the number one priority”, he explained.

It comes amid links to Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto, who Forest are reportedly eyeing up in January as they look to repeat their success with Murillo, albeit with this deal being agreed on an initial loan move should it happen.

Should they be able to find capable backup for Chris Wood, Forest will be confident of finishing the season in a strong position and well clear of any potential relegation threat.

Still searching to fill their managerial vacancy, Coventry City owner Doug King has confirmed the reports that he has a former Premier League manager who won countless trophies as a player on his shortlist of candidates.

Coventry's managerial candidates

The Sky Blues shocked the rest of the Championship when they sacked Mark Robins, who was one VAR decision away from taking his side to the FA Cup final and defeating Manchester United last season. After seven years in charge, the manager was dismissed with Coventry in an unexpected relegation scrap in the early stages of the campaign.

Coventry close in on "exceptional" manager who's a dream for Wright

Coventry City could appoint this Mark Robins successor very soon who would be a dream for Haji Wright.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 11, 2024

To their credit, even without a permanent manager and left with interim boss Rhys Carr to take charge, Coventry managed to get the post-Robins era underway in impressive fashion, having rescued an unlikely point against Championship leaders Sunderland last time out.

With the international break now underway, however, Carr may not be in charge for much longer as Coventry look to officially get a new era underway. The likes of Lincoln City’s Michael Skubala have already been linked with a move to take the vacant, but Coventry owner Doug King confirmed that one particular name is on his shortlist.

As confirmed by King, Frank Lampard is among the candidates to replace Robins with the owner now assessing his options. He told Sky Sports, as relayed by BBC Sport: “We’ve received a huge amount of CVs from high quality people, of which Frank is one. We’ve done nothing on that process.

“Clearly we’re in the international break. We’ll be assessing everything. We’ll work out who’s going to make the shortlist and we’ll go from there.”

Out of a job since leaving Chelsea at the 2022/23 campaign, Lampard may finally get the chance to restore some credit to his managerial career.

"Tremendous" Lampard isn't without risks

To go from the experience of Robins – a man who was the heart and soul of Coventry at times – to a manager who has always fallen just shy of truly impressing as a coach would be the ultimate risk for the Sky Blues.

Birmingham City should be the first example that they look at in this current moment in time. They decided to controversially part ways with John Eustace in favour of appointing Wayne Rooney, only to drop from the top half to relegation into League One as a result.

Currently sat 17th and just one point adrift of the bottom three, Coventry cannot afford to make a similar mistake so close to the busy festive period, which can make or break a season. In a vital two-week period, King must get his next appointment right even if that means denying Lampard a chance to step back into management.

Former Premier League manager and current Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho is among those to have praised Lampard in the past – dubbing his ex-midfielder a “tremendous professional” – but he may be forced to wait for his return to the technical area despite Coventry’s opening.

Centre-backs at full-back, VAR lines, newly promoted teams attempting to play out from the back.

There are several modern tropes that often get the more traditional football fan brandishing their fists in pure anger, and the redesign of club badges have not been exempt from that over the years – looking at you, Leeds United. But occasionally, new designs are rightly welcomed with open arms.

With that said, we’ve taken a look at the redesigns that have gone rather well following the news that Tottenham Hotspur have undergone a change of their own by simply removing the words from underneath their badge.

10 West Ham United (2016)

Now, this one may be a controversial shout – hence its place at number 10 – but West Ham United are one of few clubs to have done simplicity well. They moved on from Upton Park and into the modern London Stadium, which receives mixed reviews in its own right – and took a new badge with them, introducing the change in 2016.

Ditching the crest’s shape and the castle, the Hammers replaced their old badge with a new shape based on the bow of HMS Warrior – the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warship built and launched at Thames Ironworks in 1860. For all the modern touches, it remains a badge decorated with history.

9 Bristol City (2019)

Replacing the heraldic crest with a simple robin in 2019, which showcases their red home shirt, Bristol City stepped into the modern world through simplicity in what was a successful badge change. The new design was chosen to reflect the club’s progressive attitude and to create an identity that the fans could be proud of.

A robin, meanwhile, was picked because of its symbol of hope and rebirth, as well as its place in the club’s history. Modern, simple and effective, City’s redesign was much-needed in 2019. However, whether the Robins are one day reborn in the Premier League remains to be seen.

8 Fiorentina (2022)

Unveiling a club manifesto alongside a new badge in 2022, Fiorentina had the task of redesigning a historic pillar of the Florence community. In the end, like many others, not much change was needed. The Italian club simply changed the size and shape of the badge whilst staying true to the violet colour and removing the gold outline.

Perhaps the gold outline will return one day if Fiorentina find themselves at the top of Italian football, but for now, their redesign remains simpler and more in line with the club’s main colours.

7 Chelsea (2005)

Chelsea’s badge from the early 2000s will be unrecognisable to some. After all, the Blues’ decision to redesign their crest was the beginning of their Premier League success, meaning that many will associate their current badge with the majority of their history, which is certainly ideal for the designers.

A new badge was the right choice, it must be said. Chelsea’s old crest was pretty dated, with a yellow and blue lion in between the CFC letters, creating a very ‘old First Division’ look rather than that of the Premier League’s prestige.

Stepping into the Premier League title race just as the cameras could take a look at their new badge, Chelsea’s crest, which is a modern take on their badge from their previous 50s heyday, is now one of the most recognisable in English football.

6 Arsenal (2002)

Before Chelsea, Arsenal paved the way for the modern badge by swapping their old design, which featured gold, red and the famous cannon that we are all familiar with these days. For over two decades, the Gunners have had the modern design, which kept the gold cannon but changed the main colours to red with a hint of blue.

In the last year, we’ve even seen the cannon alone featured on club kits in what would be the ultimate change. The former crest has plenty of history and remains a favourite, but the current logo has become iconic in its own right.

5 Inter (2021)

There would have been plenty of nerves surrounding Inter’s redesign in 2021 after Juventus had gone too far the other way towards minimalism whilst binning a historic look. But those at the San Siro did not make the same mistake. Rather than ditching the ideas in their previous crest, it seems as though Inter simply updated them into a modern look.

Where Juventus failed, Inter enjoyed success, and that change has ironically been reflected on the pitch ever since, with the former struggling to take back their Serie A crown in a frustrating few years.

4 Deportivo Alaves (2020)

Deportivo Alaves completed the task that several top clubs failed to achieve when they redesigned their badge to such success in 2020. Simplifying the appearance, the sky blue colour was ditched in favour of a blue and white design, whilst the flag now slots straight into the new crest shape.

A badge worthy of a La Liga place, Alaves will now be looking to maintain their status as a top-flight club in style for a third consecutive campaign to represent a new era.

3 Brentford (2016)

Speaking of clubs taking new badges into a new era with them, Brentford redesigned theirs for the first time in 23 years back in 2016 and have not looked back since. Swapping the rather chaotic and classic English design, Brentford decided to focus on the bee alongside the red and white colours to create a far more modern badge now well-recognised in the division.

It’s fitting that those in west London eventually took their new badge into the Premier League rather than their old design, which now represents an era outside of England’s top tier.

2 Man City (2016)

At the time, ditching the classic eagle didn’t seem like a good idea for Manchester City. Many were unsure about their new badge, but time is a great healer and their redesign now has a place among the best we’ve seen in football. A design now associated with such success, Man City took a step back in history to redesign their 1974 look to create the badge that we see today.

As far as redesigns go in the Premier League, not many have done it better than Manchester City, which is proving to be the case for many other achievements.

1 Ajax (2025)

Recency bias can be argued here, but as things stand, Ajax’s redesign is refreshingly classy. A throwback to the crest that they used between 1928 and 1990, Ajax are celebrating their 125th anniversary next year in style. Ditching the red outline, the Dutch giants are set to return to the vintage and bolder look, perhaps in an attempt to return to their best on and off the pitch.

Club CEO Menno Geelen explained the decision, telling reporters (as relayed by FourFourTwo): “Ajax will celebrate its 125th anniversary on March 18. The celebrations will include the announcement of the return of the classic logo.

“We know that the majority of our fans have cherished this wish for years, and we felt that our 125th anniversary was the perfect moment to give back the classic logo to our fans and ourselves.”

Well, who’d have thought it, eh? A change of manager and Manchester United look like a potent force again.

Erik ten Hag’s contract has been torn up and Ruben Amorim, widely thought to be one of the game’s most exciting young coaches now patrols the Old Trafford dugout.

He’s not had a bad start to life as the manager of the Red Devils either. Amorim has taken charge of three games and across those matches they are unbeaten.

There will, of course, be greater tests than relegation-threatened Ipswich Town and Everton, but after two league games and a Europa League fixture, the Portuguese is unbeaten so far.

The 4-0 win over the Toffees on Sunday was an exceptional performance, one that has breathed fresh life into what was a downbeat side prior to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim stint as manager.

Man United's best performers against Everton

With Amorim now through the door, it was always going to be interesting to see how his renowned tactical shape would work out at Man United.

The answer? Brilliantly so far. They’ve only had two weeks to get to grips with a shape that involves three defenders and two wing-backs but we are seeing it prove game-changing for some players at Old Trafford.

Chief among them is Marcus Rashford who is quickly showing signs of why he’s earned 60 England caps.

The forward started as the central striker against Ipswich last weekend and within minutes of the game kicking off, he had found the net.

On this occasion, Rashford played behind Joshua Zirkzee and shone, scoring twice for the hosts. He was given strong assistance from United target Jarrad Branthwaite for the first, however.

Bruno Fernandes’ corner picked out Rashford and his goalbound effort was deflected into the back of the net. His second only needed the assistance of Amad Diallo who swiftly attacked the right-hand side before sliding in the England international.

Most touches

Lisandro Martinez (100)

Most passes

Martinez (86)

Most key passes

Amad (3)

Expected goals

Marcus Rashford (0.44 xG)

Successful dribbles

Iliman Ndiaye (5)

Defensive actions

James Tarkowski (10)

Total tackles

Amad & Tarkowski (4)

Interceptions

Martinez (2)

Ground duels won

Amad (11)

The other scorer was Joshua Zirkzee who bagged a brace of his own. The Dutchman has found life tough since arriving in the summer but was full of life on Sunday.

Speaking of Amorim’s system, it’s also proven game-changing for one player who didn’t earn too many opportunities under the previous regime; Amad.

Performance in Numbers

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

Amad Diallo's performance in numbers

Last season it took the Ivorian the best part of four months for Ten Hag to finally give him a start. This term, chances were forthcoming on a more regular basis but he wasn’t one of the first names on the team sheet.

Well, under Amorim, he looks absolutely perfect in a wing-back role, notably shining against Everton on Sunday.

A week ago the winger was the provider for Rashford and on this occasion, he was once again the main supply line outside of captain Fernandes.

It was Amad who charged away to register two assists from the right flank, first breaking away to tee up Rashford before he raced away from the Everton backline on 64 minutes to find Zirkzee in acres of space.

Minutes played

90

Touches

71

Accurate passes

42/49 (86%)

Key passes

3

Assists

2

Shots

2

Successful dribbles

4/4

Ground duels won

11/14

Aerial duels won

1/3

Fouled

3x

Really, it was a Man of the Match performance, one in which he “tore Everton to shreds” in the words of MEN’s Samuel Luckhurst. Deservedly given a 9/10 rating by Sofascore, the 22-year-old was near flawless, playing three key passes, winning a mammoth 12 duels and completing all four of his dribble attempts.

United fans will tell you that the young forward’s form since Amorim arrived has been no surprise. The talent has always been there but they’ve now got a manager capable of extracting it.

You only need to look at 17-year-old Geovany Quenda, the new manager’s right-back at Sporting this season to understand how important that role in the team is. A similar profile to Amad, the teenager had amassed four goal involvements in 2024/25 prior to Amorim’s departure.

It only feels like United’s no.16 will now go from strength to strength at United. Judged to be a similar player to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, via FBRef, a man worth over £100m according to Transfermarkt, it proves where his career could be destined to head.

Like Amad, Saka was a flying wing-back in the Arsenal side, breaking through under Unai Emery before becoming one of the best players in the Premier League as a forward.

For the 22-year-old United star, there is a blueprint there to follow. After such a strong run of form, supplying four assists in his last four games, he very much has the world at his feet.

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Arsenal have held talks with a prolific striker’s representatives ahead of the looming January transfer window, and it is believed a winter deal could well be on the cards for him, as manager Mikel Arteta searches for an adept Kai Havertz alternative.

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The Gunners had failed to score from open play since late November in the build up to their Champions League clash with Monaco on Wednesday, but their reliance on set-plays was finally put to bed as Arsenal ran out 3-0 victors over the Ligue 1 side in north London.

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Bukayo Saka’s brace and a late flick at the near post from Havertz sealed an all-important three points for Arsenal, who are firmly in contention to automatically qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds, with Arsenal creating many opportunities in the final third.

In truth, the Gunners could have racked up many more goals on the night, and while Arteta was thrilled by his side’s overall display, the Spaniard admitted in his post-match press conference that Arsenal should’ve bagged a few more.

Everton (home)

December 14

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

Ipswich Town (home)

December 27

Brentford (away)

January 1

Brighton (away)

January 4

“Yeah, we should have obviously scored four or five in the first half,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s win over Monaco.

“This wasn’t the case and this is the Champions League. The level of opposition is really high. The way they play, they create quite a chaos, because there are so many players inside and the moment that you are not very well organised or neat in possession, the first two, three passes, you’re gonna struggle against them, but we will work on that situation. We scored the second one, after the game was in our control. I think the subs helped us as well in the right moments, so overall very positive.”

Unfortunately for Gabriel Jesus, despite his assist for Saka’s opening goal, Monaco was another stark reminder that the £265,000-per-week striker isn’t an answer for Arteta in terms of goalscoring.

Jesus missed two gaping chances running in on goal during the first-half, with Monaco keeper Radoslaw Majecki denying him through point-blank saves on both occasions as the former Man City star held his head in his hands.

Arsenal hold talks with Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic's agents ahead of January

A lot of pressure is on Havertz to deliver the goods amid Jesus’ mis-firing form, prompting Arsenal to look at potential new striker options in the build up to January.

Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic, who helped his side bury Man City in the Champions League last night with their opening goal against Pep Guardiola’s side in Turin, is a rumoured target for Arteta.

Arsenal believe Vlahovic would be an “ideal” striker to fit Arteta’s mould, something echoed by journalist Rudy Galetti, who shared his own update on their interest in the Serbia international in an article for TEAMtalk.

It is believed Arsenal have held talks with Vlahovic’s agents ahead of January, and the prospect of him transferring clubs next month is entirely possible, with the 24-year-old out of contract in 2026.

Juve won’t let him go on the cheap, though, considering he’s been the Old Lady’s star player with 10 goals in 18 appearances this term. It is believed they’re asking for around £58 million, regardless of his contract situation, so interim Arsenal transfer chief Jason Ayto and managing director Richard Garlick will have to dig deep into the Arsenal coffers.

“I’ve been saying it for a long time,” said former Juventus forward Roberto Boninsegna in praise of Vlahovic.

“He’s strong, massive, he fills up front, he’s a reference, he’s a ‘left-footer’ full of courage. A good centre-forward.”

It’s safe to say that Tottenham’s season has been a turbulent mess, more specifically in the last few months.

Ange Postecoglou has been facing more questions as Spurs boss and it looked as though fans had run out of patience following the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth earlier in the month.

Since then they blew a lead against Chelsea and could only draw 1-1 with Rangers in the Europa League.

So, a 5-0 win over Southampton that saw them 4-0 up within 25 minutes was just what the doctor ordered. It was about as comprehensive as you’re going to get in a Premier League game and has relieved the pressure significantly on the squad.

Yes, the Saints have been shocking for the most part this term but it’s not as though Spurs haven’t already dropped points against the likes of Crystal Palace and Ipswich already.

So, who starred on the away team at St Mary’s on Sunday?

Tottenham's best performers against Southampton

There were some bold selection calls from Postecoglou heading into this game and there needed to be following the draw against Rangers.

Timo Werner was unsurprisingly on the bench a few days on from the manager’s public outburst, slamming the forward in his post-match press conference at Ibrox.

The biggest surprise, however, saw Pedro Porro have to settle for a place among the substitutes, although he was forced to come on for the injured Destiny Udogie early in the first period.

While the Spurs defence kept a rare clean sheet, it was the forward players and midfielders who captured the eye the most.

The two key men were Heung-min Son and James Maddison. The latter opened the scoring and found the net once more while Son was more of the creator, setting up two goals but also finding the net himself on the south coast.

The other goal scorers were midfielder Dejan Kulusevski who maintained his fine run of form this term and Senegalese star Pape Sarr who made it four with only a quarter of the game done.

The attack will get their flowers but we want to send some praise in the direction of an 18-year-old; Archie Gray.

Performance in Numbers

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Archie Gray's performance in numbers vs Southampton

It’s safe to say that when Gray arrived from Leeds United in a £30m deal back in the summer he was not expected to play as a centre-back in a four-man defence.

The teenager had played most of last term at Elland Road as a right-back but he is a central midfielder by trade and has begun his Spurs career by featuring in both roles after moving to north London.

However, Tottenham’s defensive injury crisis has meant the youngster has been forced to play as a centre-half now on three occasions.

Now, doing so against a Southampton side who are so turgid in the final third was never going to be the most arduous of nights for young Gray but he performed admirably all the same, earning an 8/10 match rating from Football.London’s Alasdair Gold who was keen to note his ‘important late goal-saving tackle’.

Minutes played

90

Touches

101

Accurate passes

90/93 (97%)

Accurate long balls

2/4

Possession lost

4x

Duels won

2/2

Blocked shots

2

Interceptions

1

Tackles

1

It was certainly a competent display from the English talent who was so composed and so confident on the ball, showcasing those midfield qualities that have earned him rave reviews over the last few years.

In total, Gray had 101 touches of the ball, the most of any player on the field. Meanwhile, his 90 accurate passes were the highest number on the pitch as well, 12 more than the next best in Radu Dragusin.

Perhaps more impressive was his ability to win duels, coming away from the contest with a win rate of 100% from two battles.

Based on this performance and the composed nature of previous displays in a Spurs shirt, he is set to make a real name for himself as a Lilywhite in the forthcoming years.

Judging by his ability to play in a multitude of positions, the club may well have unearthed their next Eric Dier too.

Like Gray, the England international arrived at White Hart Lane as somebody who could play in midfield and full-back but swiftly transitioned into an out and out central defender.

Although some may bemoan some error-stricken performances at Tottenham, Dier was ultimately a fine servant, featuring on 365 occasions and never receiving a red card.

In Gray, they have a player of equally fine versatility and perhaps even someone with a higher ceiling than they ever had in the current Bayern Munich star.

Last night was very much all about the attack but let’s not forget those behind them.

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