Tag Futebol

Everton are interested in bolstering their attacking ranks with a struggling star following news of Demarai Gray's supposed departure to Saudi Arabia this month.

What's the latest on Callum Hudson-Odoi to Everton?

According to the Evening Standard, Sean Dyche's Everton could make a swoop for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi after Fulham's reluctance to meet the £8m transfer fee, with fellow top-flight rivals Nottingham Forest also interested.

Sky Sports report Dharmesh Sheth has since corroborated such claims by stating that the Cottagers' negotiations have indeed stalled, paving the way for the Toffees to hijack the deal.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

Everton have bolstered the attacking ranks with a wealth of acquisitions this summer, but yielding no points and no goals from their first two Premier League matches, it's understandable that Dyche seeks further firepower.

How good is Callum Hudson-Odoi?

Hudson-Odoi had the world at his feet.

The fleet-footed wideman had burst onto the scene at Stamford Bridge, hailed as "brilliant" and "the big one" by pundit Darren Bent after a scintillating performance against West Bromwich Albion back in 2020, but the three-cap England international has hit his nadir after a heavy fall from grace.

He was even the subject of £70m transfer attention from Bayern Munich in 2020, though Chelsea rejected the German Bundesliga champions' advances and now look to offload their struggling star for a paltry £8m.

The talent is unequivocal, however, and there is a reason that Hudson-Odoi was earning such lucrative attention in the formative phase of his career, described as "amazingly talented" by scout Jacek Kulig.

Despite an inauspicious loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen last season, where the ace posted just one goal and one assist from 21 outings, starting 13 times, the Cobham graduate boasts a wealth of qualities that could arrest the awe of the Everton masses once provided with a platform to truly grow into his skin.

As per FBref, Hudson-Odoi ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 18% for progressive passes and the top 15% for progressive carries per 90.

Effectively, this highlights both the crispness of his ball-playing skills and his aptitude as a box-crashing vessel, and while the fluidity in decisive moments has faded, he could yet restore his impetus.

It could be an especially prudent move to make given the likely departure of Gray at Everton, with the 27-year-old poised for a move to Saudi club Al Shabab after the Toffees reached an agreement on a fee, though first will look to secure a replacement.

Enter Hudson-Odoi.

The £180k-per-week gem – who the Evening Standard claim will take a 'significant' pay cut to get his career back on track – can play across both flanks and actually trumps his Jamaican counterpart in several key elements.

Indeed, Gray ranks among the bottom 22% of attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive passes, the bottom 1% for progressive passes, the bottom 23% for successful take-ons and the top 37% for progressive carries per 90.

The £25k-per-week attacker did manage to score six goals from 36 matches across all competitions last term, but his overall game does not cut the mustard considering the sustenance of Everton as a top-flight outfit.

Hudson Odoi – roughly five years younger – has had a tough time of late and is leagues below the expectation when this prodigious bundle of talent announced himself at Stamford Bridge several years ago, but he has maintained some of the core qualities requisite for success and Dyche would do well to discard Gray and provide the Chelsea star with the opportunity to tap into his potential on Merseyside.

As Australia arrived in Adelaide for the ODI on Friday, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said that more attention needed to be paid to the way bowlers transitioned between formats

Daniel Brettig24-Jan-2018It is often said by retired players that perspective can be easier to find from outside a cricket team than within it. From his out-of-favour vantage point as surplus to Australia’s ODI team, Glenn Maxwell has a simple answer to questions about what Steven Smith’s team are doing wrong with the bat – they are batting at a tempo the world’s more confident teams have long since deemed too slow.While Maxwell feels he has made the very evolution as a batsman that Smith, the coach Darren Lehmann and the national selectors seem to be asking for, he believes that the team he was once a part of has fallen behind England and others in terms of the cruising speed they employ with the bat.Where Australia had been happy to score around six an over for the first 10 overs and then throttle back to four or five until the closing overs, Maxwell said that England had shown it was better to be more aggressive and then “chill” at a run a ball. “They’re obviously playing the new brand of one-day cricket,” Maxwell said, “which is go as hard as you can for 15 or 16 overs, chill out at 10 but still go at six an over.”I think the Australian one-day team for a while our chill-out time has been four and a half to five an over of just making sure we conserve wickets. I think these days you just can’t afford to do that. You’ve got to be a little tougher and got to be a little more boundary-conscious.”Maxwell’s words provide further impetus to the search for a refreshed approach from the Australian ODI set-up, after the selection chairman Trevor Hohns conceded that a full review of the team’s personnel and tactical approach was required in order to be competitive at next year’s World Cup. In assessing his own development, Maxwell said he was disappointed he had not been given the chance to show his evolution after being shunted up and down the batting order prior to being dropped in India last year.”I feel like I’ve changed a little bit over the last period of time where I’m able to work my way through situations instead of just going ahead and blasting it,” he said. “Looking back at the Indian ODIs, I probably didn’t have the chance to show that. The first game turned into a T20 and I came out and we needed 13 an over, and I think the game before I got dropped I was sent in with six overs to go. So there wasn’t exactly time to rebuild and work through an innings.”As the Australian team, sans Maxwell, arrived in Adelaide ahead of the dead rubber Australia Day ODI on Friday, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said that more attention needed to be paid to the way bowlers transitioned between formats. While much work has been done around their physical preparation and workload management, Hazlewood said the different skill sets required in the shorter forms needed to be better addressed in the future.Getty Images”We haven’t quite transitioned from Test cricket to one-day cricket as well as we could have,” Hazlewood said. “England have two sets of bowlers in some regard, with only [Chris] Woakes and [Moeen] Ali backing up so they’re really one-day specialists, I guess you could say and they’ve showed us how to play. I think you still want your best bowlers playing…but you do need to work on skills from time to time. Maybe it’s a session here or there around Test cricket, you work on those skills with the white ball.”We can probably learn and do things a bit differently. I guess you have to outline some training sessions for the white-ball stuff and work on your variations even while you’re playing on a Test tour. My role in one-day cricket is a little bit similar to Test cricket, I bowl at the start a lot and a little bit through the middle. But for some guys like [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins, their one-day game is probably closer to a Twenty20 game where they bowl a lot of overs at the end when the [opposing] batters are going.”By contrast, England have been refreshed by the changeover, something Woakes said was as much a matter of mindset as of tactics. “It’s just a different game…different format, different ball,” he said. “It’s more of a mindset thing because you’re constantly trying to hit the ball in one-day cricket whereas, in Test cricket, you’re more wary. People who don’t know the game that well would probably think it’s a red, it’s a white ball – what changes? But it’s amazing how much it does change.”Winning is a habit so we’ll be trying to do that in the last two games to secure a 5-0 whitewash. It is a huge motivation. We’re obviously delighted to win the series…but we won’t be letting up. We’ll still be trying to go out there on a big day for them, Australia Day, and turn them over. You don’t come out to Australia and win too often so, once you’ve got your foot on the throat, you want to keep it down. If the roles were reversed, then Australia would be doing exactly the same thing to us.”

Jadon Sancho was seen asking Niclas Fullkrug to let him take a Borussia Dortmund penalty against FC Koln on Saturday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Sancho asked Fullkrug to let him take the penalty
• Won the penalty for Dortmund in the 56th minute
• Dortmund thrashed Koln 4-0

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Manchester United loanee, who has not scored a goal in a competitive match since May 2023, won a penalty for Borussia Dortmund in the 56th minute after FC Koln defender Rasmus Carstensen brought him down inside the box. The English winger was then seen begging Niclas Fullkrug to let him take the spot-kick but the German forward did not entertain his colleague's request and instead took the penalty himself to double the team's lead.

Advertisement

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  According to Sky Sports reporter , the England international was heard saying "Gimme the Ball! Gimme the Ball!" to Fullkrug but his request was turned down. Fullkrug has scored six goals this season, and this was his first since December's defeat to RB Leipzig.

• Imago Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite not getting a chance to score his first Dortmund since returning to the club earlier this month on loan, the 23-year-old had impressive outing and was even handed his first start by manager Edin Terzic. He has been impressive since his return to Germany and had even provided an assist for Marco Reus' goal against Darmstadt last week.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR SANCHO?

  The 4-0 win over Koln has helped Die Schwarzgelben to reduce their gap with league leaders Bayer Leverkusen to 12 points. Sancho will be next seen in action on January 28 when Dortmund face VFL Bochum in a Bundesliga clash.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has weighed in on the Kylian Mbappe exit rumours, revealing the pair have a "gentlemen's agreement".

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Mbappe out of contract in summer
• Free to talk with other clubs
• PSG president reveals "gentlemen's agreement"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The mercurial Frenchman is set to be the subject of yet another transfer saga after it was revealed his contract at the Parisian club expires in six months' time. Mbappe is now technically free to start negotiating deals with other clubs, with Real Madrid and Liverpool the frontrunners to land his signature. The possibility of him staying at PSG still exists, of course, something which president Al-Khelaifi alluded to in a recent interview.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT AL-KHELAIFI SAID

  The PSG chief told on Tuesday: "I'm not going to hide things. Of course I want Kylian to stay, that's for sure. He's the best player in the world, and the best club for Kylian is Paris. He's at the centre of everything. It's simple. I have a very good relationship with him. A great player and a great person. He spoke after the Champions Trophy match and said he had an agreement with me. He did. It is an agreement. More of a gentlemen's agreement than a signed one. There aren't too many negotiations at the moment.

  "Today, he's 25, he's still young. He can still win a lot of trophies with us and the French team. He has the best training centre in the world, and the best coach too. And every year, we play in the Champions League and we go very far. We're with the biggest clubs. Even the French league has come a long way. And with the new Champions League format, there will be more competitive matches against teams at our level. We've got a lot of important matches coming up. I'm asking everyone to leave us alone and leave Kylian alone. I have every confidence in him. He'll never do anything to harm the club. We're all part of the same family."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Khelaifi's reference to an "agreement" echoes the words of Mbappe himself, spoken after PSG's Trophee des Champions triumph over Toulouse a week ago. Those comments reportedly frustrated Real Madrid, who are looking to avoid a repeat of the failed saga of 2021 when the Frenchman rejected them at the 11th hour. Los Blancos are thought to have set a deadline of mid-January for Mbappe to make his decision this time around, although reports elsewhere suggest the 25-year-old will decide sometime in February, before the Champions League last 16.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

  Unlike in 2021, though, it looks like Real Madrid may face competition from Premier League giants Liverpool. Mbappe is thought to "admire" Jurgen Klopp's side, and it has been claimed the Frenchman was left unhappy with the January ultimatum set by Madrid. In any case, it could be a while before this saga reaches a definitive conclusion.

Manchester United are believed to be in the mix to sign Paris Saint-Germain sensation, Kylian Mbappe, with the in-demand ace facing an uncertain future at the Parc des Princes amid his expiring contract.

What's the latest on Mbappe to Man United?

As per The Telegraph, the Frenchman has been the subject of a mammoth £260m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, with the 24-year-old's current side seemingly open to a sale rather than seeing the forward depart for nothing next summer.

The report reveals that United – as well as the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – are among the clubs who have 'made contact' with the Ligue 1 powerhouse regarding an ambitious swoop, albeit with sources at Old Trafford having 'dismissed' the notion of making a bid.

That being said, Sky Sports have also suggested that the Red Devils are one of the interested parties in the race to prise the World Cup winner from Paris, with PSG open to 'any offer' for the contract rebel, with a loan exit for the upcoming campaign having even been mooted.

Will Mbappe join Man United?

With Erik ten Hag's side still yet to strengthen their centre-forward ranks, it would undoubtedly represent a sizeable coup if a deal for Mbappe could be agreed, with the former Monaco man likely to be the dream signing to lead the line moving forward.

At present, much of the talk is centred on the Red Devils' apparent interest in Atalanta hotshot, Rasmus Hojlund, with the 20-year-old having caught the eye after netting ten goals in all competitions during his debut season in Italy last time out.

Despite the Dane's desire to move to the Theatre of Dreams, a deal has thus far yet to be agreed due to the difference in valuation between the two parties, with Ten Hag and co reportedly unwilling to fork out more than £60m to sign the promising youngster.

While excitement has been building regarding the former Sturm Graz man due to his potential likeness to fellow Scandinavian star, Erling Haaland, that £60m fee does appear rather steep for a player who has netted just 27 club career goals to date at senior level.

With Hojlund evidently a player for the future, Mbappe, by contrast, is simply a "phenomenon" who could make an instant impact in the Premier League – as hailed by teammate, Neymar – having sparkled for both club and country over recent years.

Despite still being relatively young himself, the 5 foot 10 speedster already boasts a haul of 310 goals and assists in just 260 games for his current side, having also netted 40 goals in just 70 outings for his country – for whom he is now captain.

While young Hojlund was not even named as part of Denmark's squad for the recent World Cup, Mbappe simply sparkled yet again after netting eight goals in Qatar as Les Bleus reached the final, memorably netting a hat-trick in the showpiece thriller with Lionel Messi's Argentina.

Such exploits left former United man Rio Ferdinand to suggest that the Paris native is now "the best" in the world, with it hard to argue that Hojlund – who bagged just nine Serie A goals last term – is anywhere close to reaching such heights.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils have the financial muscle to be able to pull off such a mouthwatering deal, yet throwing money at Mbappe is likely to be worth every penny.

Arsenal's Thomas Partey is not close to a move to Saudi Arabia as his discussions with Saudi Pro League clubs are "not something advanced" at the moment, despite the genuine interest in him from sides in the Middle Eastern state, claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Thomas Partey leaving Arsenal?

It has been a frankly unbelievable start to the transfer window for Arsenal so far this summer, with the club splashing the cash in a major way on several new marque signings.

So far, the club have confirmed the £65m purchase of German international Kai Havertz from cross-city rivals Chelsea and the £34m signing of Netherlands international and Ajax star Jurrien Timber.

The Gunners have also smashed the British transfer record to sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice, despite the club yet to announce it officially.

With all of this spending, it's perhaps not surprising to hear that some players may be on their way out of the Emirates this summer, with one name consistently mentioned over the last few weeks being midfield general Partey.

American outlet CBS Sports revealed last month that the former Atletico Madrid man was on the radar of three clubs from the Saudi Pro League; Al Nassr, Al Ahli, and Al Khaleej.

It looks like things might've progressed further than interest in the last month, as Saudi journalist Nawaf Al-Aqeel reported earlier this week that Partey was now discussing personal terms with "a Saudi club."

However, Fabrizio Romano has since confirmed that these reports are untrue and that, at the moment, nothing has advanced regarding the interest from these few sides.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"At the moment, for Thomas Partey, it's still not something advanced with Saudi clubs.

"They want him, I told you, it was an exclusive news a few days ago, a few weeks ago, but at the moment, it's still not something advanced, so let's see what happens with Thomas Partey, and then we will understand on the midfield for Arsenal."

Should Arsenal sell Thomas Partey?

It's an interesting question, as had it been asked in January, the answer from almost all quarters would likely have been a resounding no, such was his importance to the Gunners' title charge last season.

That said, as the north London side's campaign fell apart in the latter stages of the season, the Ghanaian international was often one of the players to receive most of the criticism.

Telegraph reporter Sam Dean highlighted his surprising drop in form on the Arsenal Beat Podcast (via Fansided), saying:

"Thomas Partey has dropped off a cliff in the past few games. He's forgotten how to play football in the same way, and watching him against City on Wednesday was bizarre."

That said, the 31-year-old is still a brilliant player, and his underlying numbers bear that out.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Black Stars midfielder is in the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 6% for attempted passes, the top 15% for pass completion, the top 11% for successful take-ons and aerial duals won, and the top 23% for clearances, all per 90.

If the club are looking to challenge for the Premier League yet again next season, it might be wise to keep Partey in the side as he has shown, more often than not, that he can be one of the league's best midfielders.

It is fair to say that it has been a rather impressive start to the window for those at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta and co having first wrapped up a deal for Chelsea playmaker, Kai Havertz.

The signing of the German international now looks set to be followed by the additions of Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice, with the Gunners hoping to build on last season's encouraging, second-placed finish in the Premier League.

Whether that is the end of the club's business remains to be seen, however, with the north Londoners likely hoping to improve their strength in depth ahead of a return to the Champions League next season, following a six-year absence.

According to reports in France, the Emirates outfit are believed to be interested in signing PSV Eindhoven starlet, Xavi Simons, with the 20-year-old having enjoyed a sparkling debut campaign in the Netherlands last time out.

While Fabrizio Romano has indicated that the youngster's former club, Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to exercise their €6m (£5m) buy option to bring the playmaker back to the Parc des Princes, it remains to be seen if the young Dutchman is open to that return, hence ensuring that Arteta's side still have the opportunity to pounce.

Although it would be a real step up for Simons – who scored 19 goals and registered nine assists in just 34 Eredivisie games last season – to make the move to England, he could well follow in the footsteps of his compatriot, Robin van Persie and prove to be a real star for the Gunners in the years to come.

How good was Van Persie at Arsenal?

Although the now-retired striker somewhat soured his relations with Arsenal supporters after making a controversial move to rivals Manchester United in 2012, prior to that the elegant goal machine had been simply prolific under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger.

Like Simons, the 6 foot ace had come to wider attention as a result of his form in his native Holland for Feyenoord, notably registering 12 goal involvements in the league during the 2003/04 season, before joining the newly-crowned 'Invincibles' for the following season at the age of just 20.

That reported £3m deal ultimately proved particularly astute as Van Persie eventually blossomed into something of a talisman in his number nine berth, memorably hitting 30 league goals in his final campaign at the club during the 2011/12 season.

All in all, the Rotterdam native plundered 132 goals and 58 assists in just 278 games for the club in all competitions, with it fair to say that Arsenal more than got a return on their initial investment.

The hope will be that the Gunners can enjoy a repeat of that transfer masterclass with the addition of Simons, with the £51m-rated sensation – who can operate all across the forward line or in a number ten role – the kind of player who has that much-needed "X-Factor", according to journalist Antonio Mango.

Also described as "technically special" by Mango, Simons could well be another exciting addition in an already stellar window for Arteta, with the youngster having the pathway ahead of him to try and emulate Van Persie's success in north London.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be "looking for good value" in the summer transfer window as the club deal with their precarious financial situation, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer news – what's going on with Wolves financial situation?

It could be a lean summer in terms of incomings for Wolves this year as the club get to grips with financial problems caused, in part, by last season's massive spending that saw them fork out over £100m in player signings.

According to the Athletic, the Old Gold are not expected to breach the league's profit and sustainability rules at this moment in time, but another summer of spending big with little coming into the club would put them at serious risk.

The club have at least made some sales this year, with the biggest being club captain Ruben Neves who was the talk of the footballing world recently following his decision to join Saudi Pro-League side Al Hilal – a deal which netted wolves £47m.

The unfavourable financial situation in the Midlands also caused concern last month that manager Julen Lopetegui would leave after he told the press:

"It is one thing that I didn't know before we came here. It is not my issue, of course I hope the thing will improve and be better for us to be able to compete well next season."

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Wolverhampton Wanderer's summer transfer window?

Jones was blunt about the prospect of Wolves signing any high-value players in the summer, noting that instead, the team will likely have to be clever and find the best value in the market that they can.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "Wolves are just looking for good value, I can't see them spending more than 20 million pounds on a single player in this summer window. So this is going to be about unearthing a gem, or taking advantage of the free agencies or the loan deals that are available out there, but it's going to be a tricky one for wolves."

Who are Wolverhampton Wanderers' three most expensive signings ever?

With the club unlikely to spend big anytime soon, who are some players they have stumped the cash up for?

In third place is Raul Jimenez, a Mexican international and a cult hero for some at the club. Jimenez cost Wolves a tasty £34.2m when they signed him from Benfica on a permanent deal in the summer of 2019.

Since making his debut for the side, he has scored 57 goals and assisted 24 – which could have been much higher had he not had that horror injury against Arsenal in 2020.

In second place is Fabio Silva, who cost the club a reported £36m when he signed from Porto in 2020.

It's fair to say that it has yet to entirely go to plan for the youngster in the Midlands, making 64 appearances for the side and producing just ten goal involvements – he has since gone on loan to PSV Eindhoven and RSC Anderlecht.

The most expensive signing in Wolves' history is former Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes who cost the club £42.2m last summer.

It is still too early to cast judgment on his time with the Old Gold, but with just a single goal and assist from his 34 league games last year, he needs to up his output just a little bit to avoid some questions next year.

Jurgen Klopp has sought to explain why Wataru Endo has only played 91 minutes for Liverpool since completing his £19 million ($23m) transfer.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Midfielder snapped up from StuttgartFierce competition for placesSeeing limited game time as a resultWHAT HAPPENED?

The Japan international midfielder was a shock addition to the ranks at Anfield during the summer window. His arrival came out of the blue, with a deal wrapped up with Bundesliga side Stuttgart that few saw coming.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Endo faces fierce competition for places in the Liverpool engine room, resulting in him starting just two games across Premier League and Europa League action, and regular game time in the English top-flight is proving hard to come by.

WHAT THEY SAID

Klopp has suggested that the affable 30-year-old may have been too nice for his own good when arriving on Merseyside, with the German coach telling reporters when asked to assess the Japanese star’s start to life with the Reds: “He needs to get used to the things here. Wataru is a super guy, very calm and very polite and that cost him the first two weeks, maybe. That’s now getting there. He is not 30 or whatever and wants to get some people out of the way to get into the team, but he is improving every day.

"He will help us a lot, he will play games, he will start games and all these kinds of things. It’s all good, he had already three or four games now for us in a very short period. That is what counts, it is not a short-term project. Wataru is a super-important part of the squad and I am really happy to have him.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Endo did figure off the bench for Liverpool as they claimed a 3-1 win over West Ham in their latest outing, but he was introduced in the 88th minute and is struggling to dislodge the likes of Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister from Klopp’s plans.

Manchester United could be set for a major boost as one of their transfer targets looks like he wants a move to Old Trafford this summer in order to win trophies…

What’s the latest on Harry Kane to Manchester United?

According to Football Transfers, Tottenham striker Harry Kane appears to want a move to the Red Devils so he can start competing for trophies.

Journalist Graeme Bailey tweeted a few weeks ago that Kane is the “preferred option” when it comes to Erik ten Hag’s search for a new striker, however, it remains to be seen whether Spurs want to do business this summer.

The Englishman could cost a minimum of £100m if any potential transfer was to take place – and if any team could afford this fee, it’s United.

Could Harry Kane sign for Manchester United this summer?

Nothing can be ruled out, especially with Spurs’ 15-year trophy drought looking like it could continue judging by their performances last season, and with Kane fast approaching 30, he will surely be looking to add some silverware in order to complement his qualities as a player.

Ten Hag desperately needs a world-class forward that can take his side to the next level, with United scoring just 58 Premier League goals – only Aston Villa scored fewer out of the teams in the top half of the table last term. Anthony Martial netted just six times in the league (nine in all competitions) as United had to rely on Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes to score the majority of their goals, grabbing 30 and 14 respectively, and it’s clear they need an upgrade on the Frenchman.

Kane, lauded as “incredible” by Spurs coach Ryan Mason, is among one of the finest forwards on the continent, ranking in the top 10% across Europe’s top five leagues for goals, shot-creating actions and progressive passes over the past year, suggesting that not only does he pose a significant threat in front of goal, but he is willing to move the ball into key attacking areas as often as possible.

Compare this to Martial, who ranks in the top 23% for goals, top 37% for shot-creating actions and top 13% for progressive passes across Europe’s top five leagues over the same period, Kane would surely be a major upgrade with regard to these metrics.

Indeed, in their respective teams, the Englishman ranked as Spurs’ best player for overall rating, goals and assists and shots on target per game (as per Sofascore), while the United striker could only rank as the 17th-best player in the Red Devils squad, as well as placing fifth for goals & assists and fourth for shots on target per game, proving that Kane is vital for his side, whereas Martial isn’t quite as effective.

Signing Kane should be a no-brainer for Ten Hag this summer given his quality, and if they wish to push Manchester City and Arsenal properly next term, luring one of the most devastating strikers of his generation to Old Trafford would give them a wonderful chance of challenging for the title.