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Ashley Young has been tipped to be a "really good acquisition" by Stuart Pearce as the Premier League legend has hit free agency after ending his contract at Everton. The English defender finds himself on the lookout for a new club and Wrexham have been tipped as a potential destination, as he is not entertaining retirement just yet.

• Young is currently a free agent
• Wrexham could make move for full-back
• Could face competition from Watford

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Once known for his explosive pace and attacking flair as a winger, Young has gradually transitioned into a more defensive role over the years. His time at Manchester United and Aston Villa showcased his adaptability, and at Everton, he operated primarily as a full-back, often using his wealth of experience to good effect.

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  One of the clubs reportedly showing serious interest in the free agent is Wrexham. Backed by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Welsh side has been on a meteoric rise, achieving three straight promotions and are now preparing to compete in the Championship. With an ambitious project underway and a clear desire to bring top-flight experience into the fold, Wrexham could represent an attractive option for Young.

• WHAT PEARCE SAID

  Pearce was speaking to , who offer the latest football odds, and said: “I worked with Ashley Young at Under-21 level. I know how valued he was. I've been at Everton with David Moyes this year just to watch training and I know the value that Ash had within the ranks."

  The former England Under-21 coach also praised Young’s fitness, positional flexibility and football IQ.

  "He's physically fit. He plays the games. I think he'd be a really good acquisition for someone like Wrexham," he claimed. "I really do, because he's got the ability to play either full-back or further up the pitch. He's got the intelligence as well to maybe even play in a central midfield role. So I think he'd be a really good acquisition.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Young began his professional career at Watford and has reportedly caught the attention of his former club, who are now keen to bring him back to Vicarage Road. Despite his age, Watford are said to have no reservations about his ability to contribute, especially given his recent Premier League minutes. Talks are believed to be progressing between the two parties, with Young open to the possibility of closing out his illustrious career where it all began.

The two-tier system, of six franchise teams and 15 provincial affiliates, will remain in place with fewer matches

Firdose Moonda25-Mar-2020South African domestic cricket will face a slightly shorter 2020-21 season with a reduction of fixtures for the franchise competition as Cricket South Africa seeks to cut costs following a tough 12 months. The organisation is forecasting losses of millions of Rands after sponsor withdrawal, an inability to sell two editions’ worth of broadcast rights for the Mzansi Super League (MSL) and loss-making incoming tours in the 2018-19 summer and the pinch is being felt in the local game, which depends on CSA finances to operate.The two-tier system, of six franchise teams and 15 provincial affiliates, will remain in place with fewer matches and discussions on a possible restructure ahead of the 2021-22 season are ongoing while flagship T20 competition, the MSL is likely to continue, but may also see a curtailed fixture list.CSA, while still under suspended CEO Thabang Moroe, had initially planned to eliminate the franchise set-up for the 2020-21 season and create a domestic system of 12 teams. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) challenged that motion in court, claiming they were not consulted about the changes and that around 70 players would lose their jobs.The matter dragged on for several months during which time Moroe was temporarily succeeded by Dr Jacques Faul, who was able to re-engage SACA. On agreement that the domestic structure would be retained for the coming summer, SCA withdrew legal action against CSA and the two parties remain in discussions about the best way to structure domestic cricket.For the 2020-21 season, the status quo largely remains. The six franchise will play a four-day first-class and fifty-over competition while the provincial teams will play three-day cricket, which will also be classified as first-class for all teams apart from Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and a fifty-over one-day competition.However, instead of each franchise playing 10 first-class and 10 fifty-over matches per season (home and away games against each of the other five teams) as was the case in previous seasons, they will be divided into two groups of three and will play seven matches each. This will include home and away matches against each of the teams in their own group, for a total of four matches, and only one match against the three teams in the other group.Both competitions will be decided by a playoff match between the top two teams in each group to decide the title. Previously, the first-class competition trophy was awarded to the team at the top of the points’ table after all 10 rounds of competition, or eight in the case of this season, with the final two rounds suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The reduction of fixtures will enable CSA to save money on transport and accommodation costs, which is particularly important in the case of the first-class competition that has been without a sponsor for two seasons.The provincial teams remain divided into two groups of eight and seven teams and will play a single round of fixtures. They will also feature in a new 40-over knockout competition which will include the 15 provinces and the South African under-19 side. While there is no T20 competition at the provincial level, CSA will introduce a Super Club T20 competition which will be contested by the top six university teams and three teams from the community cup.South Africa’s domestic season is expected to start in September and squad and fixture lists are currently being planned. Although all cricket in the country was put on hold for 60 days last week as a response to Covid-19, CSA is hopeful that play will be possible when the summer starts, in about six months’ time. There have already been some significant player signings with Cobras’ quick Thando Ntini moving upcountry to the Titans and white-ball international Lutho Sipamla leaving the Warriors for the Lions. Final squads are expected to be released by the end of the month.

Former Barcelona and Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas has named his only team-mate that could match Lionel Messi in the aura stakes.

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• Spaniard spent time with Gunners & Blaugrana
• Worked alongside some legendary figures
• Admits that they made winning easier

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The World Cup-winning midfielder played alongside Argentine superstar Messi in the fabled La Masia academy system. He was then reunited with the South American when returning to Catalunya from north London in 2011 – winning the Liga title alongside the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

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  Prior to that, the ex-Spain international had worked with another world champion – French forward Thierry Henry – at Arsenal. Henry went on to enjoy his own spell with Messi at Barca – between 2007 and 2010 – and is considered to occupy the same talent pool when it comes to inspiring confidence in those around him.

• WHAT FABREGAS SAID

  Fabregas has told podcast of colleagues that made winning feel easy: “Thierry, I think, together with Lionel Messi are the two players who I felt much stronger when I was on a football pitch. It is like saying 'Okay, this could not be my day, the team could not play well' but you know you will always have Thierry Henry there to save the day.

  “There were games in the later part of my career, let's say the last 8-10 years, I didn't feel that any game was easy. Maybe when you are playing with Messi you can feel the confidence that he will make something special but always with Thierry. We were playing Everton at home and we were in the tunnel at Highbury before stepping onto the pitch and it is difficult to explain because I don't want it to sound weird or arrogant. But I just knew we were going to win. That was the power of having Thierry there. I only ever felt this with him and Leo.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Fabregas has remained a close friend of Messi and continues to follow his career closely, with the enigmatic forward now in MLS with Inter Miami. Fabregas, meanwhile, has moved into coaching since hanging up his boots at the age of 36 and guided Como to promotion into Serie A after becoming a boss for the first time.

Stats showed that on average, the ball was only in play for 55 minutes in games last season, and that led the Premier League to take action this term.

The new initiative – which involves referees timing interruptions before restarts after a goal, substitutions, injuries and set pieces – has seen stoppage times increase dramatically throughout the leagues, with some matches even entering the 100th minute and beyond.

Football FanCast has decided to look at this year's latest goals by listing every Premier League strike scored in or after the 95th minute this season.

35

Pedro Neto v Manchester United – 90+5 mins

1st February 2024: Wolves 3-4 Manchester United

Wolves thought they had snatched themselves a point at Molineux in what has proven to be one of the games of the season with Pedro Neto's late strike.

The Portuguese winger levelled the scoring after the Red Devils had seemingly wrapped up the game early on in the first half.

Neto continues to impress for Wolves having remained at Molineux following the conclusion of the January transfer window. But if this form continues, surely his time will come in the summer to move on to bigger and better things.

34

Edson Alvarez v Everton – 90+5 mins

2nd March 2024: Everton 1-3 West Ham United

Everton found themselves pushing for a late equaliser against West Ham at Goodison Park, but Edson Alvarez raced up the field to put the finishing touches on an impressive performance from the Hammers.

That's two really consistent performances now by Alvarez as he continues to make the defensive midfield position his own.

33

Lewis Dunk v Everton – 90+5 mins

24th February 2024: Brighton 1-1 Everton

It was a game in which Brighton dominated proceedings with 23 shots to Everton's six, but the Seagulls just couldn't find the target, and ended up paying for their lack of composure in the final third, as Jarrad Branthwaite made them pay.

Lewis Dunk left it late to snatch an equaliser against an Everton side who were desperate to pick up three points, as he headed the ball past a helpless Jordan Pickford.

The Englishman has taken his tally to four goals in all competitions, with three coming in the Premier League this season.

32

Cole Palmer v Manchester City – 90+5 mins

12th November 2023: Chelsea 4-4 Manchester City

Chelsea struck late to earn a dramatic point against the reigning Premier League champions in one of the most entertaining games this season.

Rúben Dias hauled down Armando Broja in the box, resulting in a penalty kick, which former City winger Cole Palmer cooly converted in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Palmer has impressed in West London since his £42.5m move in the summer and was awarded a first senior call-up to the England squad this month.

His 95th-minute penalty was his fourth league goal of the season.

31

Gabriel Martinelli v Crystal Palace – 90+5 mins

20th January 2024: Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace

After a difficult run of four games without a win, the Gunners put three points firmly on the board with an emphatic win over their fellow Londoners, Crystal Palace.

And it was a return to the scoresheet for Gabriel Martinelli who has had his own issues for Arsenal this season as he struggles to match the standards he set for himself last season.

Arsenal's title push has certainly taken a hit over the last few weeks, but the win against the Eagles kept them within arms length of the leaders Liverpool.

30

Luis Díaz v Luton Town – 90+5 mins

5th November 2023: Luton Town 1-1 Liverpool

Luton opened the scoring in the 80th minute of their clash with Liverpool after former Manchester United winger Tahith Chong completed a wonderfully worked counterattack with a sliding finish.

The Hatters seemed to be moments away from a monumental result in their history as fans geared up to celebrate a joyous victory against England's most trophy-laden club.

But Luis Díaz's 95th-minute leveller denied those celebrations, though most football fans would've been happy to see the Colombian on the scoresheet with the current circumstances surrounding his father.

A point for the visitors moved them above Arsenal into third whilst the hosts lifted themselves out of the drop zone.

29

Evan Ferguson v Luton Town – 90+5 mins

12th August 2023: Brighton and Hove Albion 4-1 Luton Town

Luton's first match back in the top flight after a 31-year absence ended in a heavy defeat to the high-flying Seagulls.

Solly March opened the scoring in the 36th minute before João Pedro and Simon Adingra added a second and third to seal the three points.

Though Albion weren't finished there, as Evan Ferguson netted a fourth goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The Republic of Ireland international turned in Pervis Estupiñán's cross to open up his Premier League account for the season.

It capped off a wonderful performance from Roberto De Zerbi's men, who will be eager to better last year's sixth-placed finish.

28

Lucas Paqueta v Chelsea – 90+5 mins

20th August 2023: West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea

Matchweek 2 saw another late stoppage-time goal as Lucas Paqueta scored West Ham's third in the fifth minute of added time.

The Brazilian netted a coolly-taken penalty to secure the victory against London rivals Chelsea as his side rose to sixth in the league table, whilst the Blues sunk to 15th without a win in their opening two games.

The fourth official indicated a minimum of six added minutes in this fixture.

27

Erling Haaland v Fulham – 90+5 mins

2nd September 2023: Manchester City 5-1 Fulham

The treble-winners demolished the travelling Cottagers before the international break, and yet again, another goal was scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time. It's almost becoming the norm!

The new initiative will be the catalyst for plenty of stoppage-time goals this term, and quite remarkably, a goal in the 95th minute may not be the last kick of the game nowadays as it has been in previous years.

This instance saw Erling Haaland score a very late goal to complete his second-half hat-trick and send his team back to the summit of the table, two points clear of their closest challengers.

26

Michael Olise v Manchester City – 90+5 mins

16th December 2023: Manchester City 2-2 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace pulled off an almighty comeback against the defending champions at the weekend, as they came from 2-0 down to level the tie at 2-2.

Jean-Philippe Mateta won a penalty in the dying embers of the game, which was slotted away calmly by Michael Olise after a rather nervy VAR check.

The Eagles currently sit in 15th position on 17 points, which seems them now eight points above the drop zone.

Tim Southee, the Player of the Match in Wellington, has moved up to No. 6 among bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2020Virat Kohli’s match aggregate of 21 runs in the Wellington Test against New Zealand, which went the way of the home team by 10 wickets, has allowed Steven Smith to reclaim the top spot in the Test rankings for batsmen, the Australian getting to No. 1 for the eighth time in his career.The top spot has changed hands between Smith and Kohli for the longest time, with only Kane Williamson occupying the position for a brief eight-day period in December 2015, and the New Zealand captain has returned to No. 3 on the table by jumping past Marnus Labuschagne after scoring 89 in his only innings at Basin Reserve.Among the Indian batsmen who were part of the action in Wellington, Ajinkya Rahane’s 46 and 29 have taken him up by a spot to No. 8 and Mayank Agarwal has gone up to No. 10 following scores of 34 and 58, but Cheteshwar Pujara has slipped two spots to ninth after identical scores of 11 in the two innings. From the New Zealand side, Ross Taylor, who was playing his 100th Test, has gone up three spots to No. 13 after scoring 44 the only time he got to bat.Over to the bowlers, and there were big gains for Tim Southee and Trent Boult, who picked up nine and five wickets in the match, respectively. Southee has moved up eight positions to sixth, his best since being No. 5 in June 2014, while Boult has moved up four spots to joint-13th with Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas. Neil Wagner, who missed the first Test against India because of the birth of his first child, remains the top-ranked New Zealand bowler at No. 2 behind Pat Cummins.The Bangladesh v Zimbabwe Test in Dhaka, meanwhile, was a great one for the home side, which won by an innings and 106 runs.Their stars were Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque with the bat and Nayeem Hasan and Abu Jayed with the ball, and they too gained in the rankings. Mushfiqur’s unbeaten 203 lifted him five places to No. 20, while Haque’s 132 helped him go up to No. 39, a rise of five spots. Hasan’s nine wickets for the match took him up 29 places to 38th, while Jayed, who picked up four wickets in the Zimbabwe first innings, got to No. 46, up by 11.Craig Ervine, the stand-in captain in Sean Williams’ absence, played his part for Zimbabwe with 107 and 43, the best for his team in either innings, and moved up 15 places to 40th place.

Victor Osimhen has seen a move to Chelsea break down on deadline day, according to reports.

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• Napoli & Chelsea discussed transfer
• Osimhen could now stay at Napoli
• Antonio Conte signed Lukaku

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Osimhen's proposed move to Chelsea has fallen through. The Nigeria international had been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge on deadline day but the parties were unable to reach an agreement, leaving the 25-year-old in limbo. Hawkins adds that Osimhen will stay in Naples unless the Serie A club receive a "huge" bid for him from Saudi Arabia before Monday.

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  According to , Osimhen was asking for a wage package worth over £300,000-a-week. Chelsea were reportedly ready to continue talks with the striker but their approach went unanswered, leaving the Blues to consider the deal off.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Deadline day continues to be a busy one for Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca's side involved in deals featuring Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho. Sterling, made an outcast by the Blues, was chased by title-chasers Arsenal.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  There must be a feeling of relief at Chelsea that the summer transfer window is finally over and Maresca can focus on the squad at his disposal. The Blues take on Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United’s excellent run of form continues, as they narrowly defeated Luton Town 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Erik ten Hag’s side raced to an early two-goal lead within the first ten minutes, but that was their best spell of the entire game.

A slightly fortunate Hatters goal saw the dominance turn, and from that point on, the hosts were the side pushing for another for the equaliser.

Missed chances summed up the second half for the Red Devils, who looked dangerous on the break, but the three points ultimately put them just five points behind Aston Villa in fourth.

Rasmus Hojlund’s performance in numbers

It was that man again putting the ball in the back of the net for Man United, with Rasmus Hojlund now scoring seven goals and providing two assists in his last six Premier League games.

The 21-year-old was phenomenal throughout today, and he took his two goals extremely well. For the opener, Hojlund showed excellent composure to round the keeper and finish into an open net after latching onto a mistake from Amari Bell.

His second arrived in the seventh minute after an Alejandro Garnacho miss-hit volley was flicked into the bottom corner off the Dane’s chest.

Over his 86 minutes on the field, he was a handful and displayed his ability to play with his back to goal, excellent decision-making, and creativity, as highlighted by his two key passes.

It was a pretty perfect performance by the number 11, who will be gutted that he didn’t take home the match ball.

That said, he wasn't the only player in white on Sunday who deserves his flowers.

Kobbie Mainoo's performance in numbers

Kobbie Mainoo. The academy graduate is simply unbelievable, and with each game, he seems to get better and better.

Today, the 18-year-old played with the class and confidence of a professional with ten years in the business at the most elite level, with even Ian Wright taking to X to say:

“Kobbie Mainoo has to be in the next England squad. Such maturity in chaotic conditions that we've not seen from a England player in a long time. Impressed every time I watch him.”

As you can see by the table above, Mainoo completed six of his seven dribble attempts against the Hatters, showing composure to wriggle his way out of trouble and retain the ball during difficult spells for United, which is what earned him an 8/10 rating courtesy of the Manchester Evening News. Football creator Liam Canning went so far as to say that he's an "absolute joke."

Those are apt words indeed from a young talent with the world at his feet, so much so he's now even emulating a certain Paul Pogba with his displays in the centre of the pitch.

The number 37 also always made the right decision when on the ball, whether it was to keep it simple, as shown by his 88% pass accuracy, or take more risks in the final third, as displayed by his two key passes.

When the rest of the team panicked, the youngest player on the field remained calm and showed real courage and leadership in a ground that has seen the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool struggle this season.

A huge three points, another two Hojlund goals, and a Mainoo masterclass. The perfect way to round off the weekend as a United fan.

Ivan Toney cut an awkward figure as he nodded along to Al-Ahli fans chanting his name following a £40 million ($53m) move from Brentford.

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• Toney leaves Brentford for Al-Ahli
• Striker greeted by Saudi side's fans
• Nods awkwardly to cringe-worthy chant

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Toney swapped Brentford for Al-Ahli late last month and has since been getting to grips with his new surroundings in Saudi Arabia. Now, a clip of the England international has surfaced, where the 28-year-old rather unenthusiastically reacts to supporters chanting his name during his first visit to an Al-Ahli club shop.

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  Toney was reportedly once valued at £100m by Brentford and was coveted by the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea. But as his form dropped off and his contract ticked down, the interest in the 28-year-old waned, before the ex-Peterborough United star made the switch to the Middle East. In a time that is likely to be his peak years of football, he has traded it in for a lucrative two-year deal in a division of a much lower quality.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Toney could make his Al-Ahli debut when they take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on September 13 in the Saudi Pro League. His new team currently sit eighth in the table following a win and a loss so far this season.

Batsman hopes injury will prove a ‘good thing’ in the long run and hopes to be fit for County Championship opener

George Dobell27-Feb-2020Rory Burns believes the injury that curtailed his winter with the Test team may prove “a good thing” for English cricket in the long term.Burns sustained serious ligament damage when playing football in warm-up the day before the second Test against South Africa. He subsequently underwent surgery and was ruled out of the remaining three Tests in that series and the two upcoming Tests in Sri Lanka. Having just established himself in the team – he had made two Test centuries since August and at least one half-century in four of his previous five Tests – it was a cruel blow both for Burns and for England.ALSO READ: Burns sidelined for four months after ankle surgeryBut the injury had further repercussions. As the latest in a saga of football-related injuries – Jonny Bairstow and Joe Denly were among the other members of the England squad to have sustained injuries in a similar manner – it led to the England management banning football in warm-ups. Several of the first-class counties are understood to have taken similar decisions ahead of the 2020 season.Now, as Burns contemplates his comeback, he admits he will not be playing football again. And he reflects that Ashley Giles, a long-term critic of the idea of playing football as a warm-up activity, was probably right all along. Giles is the director of England’s men’s teams.”Have I ruined it [playing football] for everyone?” Burns says with a smile. “I think I have ruined it for the county circuit. The majority of it, anyway, and certainly the England boys. But I don’t think there’s too many arguments from too many places.”While I am still a professional cricketer I probably won’t play football again. It’s taken four months out of a career and the stage I had got myself to where I was playing quite nicely.”It was an avoidable setback and when you get something that’s avoidable like that you probably re-evaluate whether you want to waste your time doing four months in a gym rehabbing or being on a plane to Sri Lanka.”Was Giles right all along? Potentially. It’s probably taken something like this to re-evaluate it; something like this to put it into perspective. It shows what the downsides of football are, I suppose. There are obviously a lot of plus points to football but I don’t think I will be playing it any time again soon.”It was a bit freakish. Most people roll their ankle on the outside; I did going over to the inside. I think my studs got caught in the floor. But if that’s the catalyst to put things right and maybe say you don’t need it and keep the boys on the park it’s probably a good thing in a weird way.”If none of those guys get injured moving forward because football has been moved out of it then I think that’s a positive thing for English cricket.”Rory Burns speaks at the PCA’s rookie camp•Barrington Coombs/Getty Images for PCA

The good news for Burns is that he looks on course to be fit for the start of the county season. While he hasn’t picked up a bat as yet, he will go on Surrey’s pre-season tour to the UAE from March 17 and is expected to return to their team for their opening Championship fixture against Somerset at The Oval starting on April 19. Barring a significant dip in form, it would be a surprise if he did not return to the Test team when England host West Indies from the start of June.As a player who has had his fair share of ups and downs in the game, Burns was a natural choice to address the 50 or so young players attending the PCA’s rookie camp earlier this week. Among other things, he spoke of the need for persistence – it took him five successive seasons of scoring 1,000 first-class runs to convince the selectors to pick him – and the dangers of social media.ALSO READ: Never a better time to be a professional cricket, but rookies learn perils are huge tooIn particular, he looks back to the aftermath of the Ireland Test – when he scored 6 in each innings – and the savaging he took from some sections of the media. Mark Waugh memorably said Burns “looked like a nightwatchman” and suggested: “don’t think he’ll be playing the Ashes.” Burns responded with a maiden Test century in the first Ashes Test a few days later.”The thing that annoyed me about the Ireland game was that people judge you very quickly – be it fans or whatever – on a snapshot of your career,” he says. “I’d had seven years of batting in first-class cricket that was overwritten in seven Tests.”In the County Championship you don’t get that level of speculation. I don’t avoid social media, but you have to taper it to the voices you want to listen to. I still had it open when I started my Test career and I didn’t read all of it but you can’t help it when it’s at the top of your mentions… Tom Noddy down the road has given his twopence.”The key is: you’re never as good as you think you are when you’re doing well, and you’re never as bad as you think you are when you’re not. You’re always somewhere in the middle and you just bounce along. It’s remembering that. Sticking to the fundamentals of what works for you.”

With Arsenal's need for a centre forward well documented, it appears that Edu Gaspar has now turned away from previous targets and is interested in one of Europe's most promising strikers.

Arsenal's search for a striker

Don't let the eighteen goals in their last four Premier League games fool you, Arsenal are still in dire need of a number nine. This season has seen Mikel Arteta opt to play without a traditional centre forward for much of the campaign, relying on goals to come from his wingers.

The Arsenal star who outshone Jorginho vs Newcastle

Arsenal were back to their best after defeat against Porto in midweek.

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Matt Dawson

Feb 25, 2024

Whilst Bukayo Saka's thirteen league goals are impressive and Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard have all chipped in, it still feels that the Gunners are missing the leading man to take them to the next level. Players initially signed to fulfill these duties have not gone to plan with Gabriel Jesus struggling with injury and the aforementioned Havertz adopting a deeper role.

Despite the clear need for a striker, Arteta made it clear such a move was not possible this January, telling beIN Sports that: "At the moment it doesn't look realistic. My job is to improve the players we have."

Whilst the Gunners' boss declines any interest in a new number nine, it hasn't stopped the rumour mill from turning. A strong return following his ban has seen Ivan Toney's name back in contention for the vacancy however, reports now suggest that Arsenal have an interest in a teenage talent who could be a better alternative to the Brentford man.

Edu eyes exciting Toney alternative

According to Football Insider, sources within the club have said that Brighton forward Evan Ferguson is on Arsenal's radar with Edu's talent spotters at the Emirates regarding him as a "huge talent" who will go on to become a world beater.

Making his debut for Brighton in early 2022, the 19-year-old has had a rapid rise on the South coast, scoring 12 Premier League goals in just 44 appearances. The most impressive of this catalogue was the Irishman's hat-trick against Newcastle that saw Ferguson tipped to go all the way by his current boss Roberto De Zerbi:

"He can become big, big, big. His qualities are enough to become a great player. He can become one of the best, the top scorer in Europe. He was born in 2004, he's 18. I don't know how many players are young, that score like him."

Eight years the junior of Toney, Ferguson would offer the kind of player better suited to the project Edu and Arteta are building in North London. Boasting the third-youngest squad in the league, it would be within their interests to go for the younger option.

Whilst Toney would deliver the short-term impact needed to deliver immediate success, a club as process driven as Arsenal would see the benefits that Ferguson would bring in the long run. Giving one of Europe's most promising talents the chance to develop would prove far more beneficial overall than signing a proven goalscorer who may have only a few seasons left in the tank.