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Under Roman Abramovich and now Todd Boehly, Chelsea have spent big over the last 20 years on a number of new signings, but how have the Blues fared when it comes to departures?

Those at Stamford Bridge have cashed in on a number of stars, with a plethora of players moving to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Here’s a look at Chelsea’s most expensive sales in their history, as per news reports and Transfermarkt, with a detailed look at the top 10.

1

Eden Hazard

£89m

Real Madrid

2019

2

Kai Havertz

£65m

Arsenal

2023

3

Oscar

£60m

Shanghai SIPG

2017

4

Alvaro Morata

£58.3m

Atletico Madrid

2020

5

Diego Costa

£57m

Atletico Madrid

2017

6

Mason Mount

£55m

Man Utd

2023

7

David Luiz

£50m

PSG

2014

8

Noni Madueke

£48.5m

Arsenal

2025

9

Nemanja Matic

£40m

Man Utd

2017

10

Juan Mata

£37.1m

Man Utd

2014

=11

Ian Maatsen

£35m

Aston Villa

2024

=11

Thibaut Courtois

£35m

Real Madrid

2018

13

Tammy Abraham

£34m

Roma

2021

14

Conor Gallagher

£33m

Atletico Madrid

2024

15

Romelu Lukaku

£30m

Napoli

2024

16

Kurt Zouma

£29.8m

West Ham

2021

=17

Lewis Hall

£28m

Newcastle

2024

=17

Romelu Lukaku

£28m

Napoli

2024

19

Joao Felix

£26.2m

Al Nassr

2025

20

Timo Werner

£25.3m

RB Leipzig

2022

Here’s a detailed look at Chelsea’s 10 most expensive sales… 10 Juan Mata £37.1m to Man Utd, 2014

Like Nemanja Matic, attacking midfielder Juan Mata also swapped Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford, but did so three years prior in 2014.

The Spaniard joined Chelsea from Valencia in 2011 and starred in the Premier League, but Jose Mourinho who had recently returned for a second stint at the club, was happy to cash in midway through the 2013/14 campaign, bringing in just over £37m.

9 Nemanja Matic £40m to Man Utd, 2017

Matic had two spells at Chelsea, returning to Stamford Bridge in 2014 from Benfica in a deal worth £21m.

The Serbian was a regular over the next three years and the Blues went on to make a tidy profit when selling him to Manchester United and Jose Mourinho in 2017, with their former boss shelling out £40m to prise him from the champions.

8 Noni Madueke £48.5m to Arsenal, 2025

Noni Madueke spent two-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge after arriving from PSV Eindhoven in 2023, with the Blues making a profit when selling him to rivals Arsenal in 2025.

It looked to be a reasonable decision from Chelsea chiefs, however, Madueke’s start to life at the Emirates shows it could actually prove to be a call the club live to regret.

7 David Luiz £50m to PSG, 2014

Brazilian centre-back David Luiz made an immediate impact after joining Chelsea from Benfica for £21.3m in 2011 and was a regular for the next two and a half years.

Luiz was then sold to Paris Saint-Germain for big money in 2014 as the French giants swooped for a mind-boggling £50m, but two years on, Chelsea would buy the defender back, with Luiz picking up Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League titles during his second stint.

6 Mason Mount £55m to Man Utd, 2023

Chelsea chiefs did brilliantly to bring in an initial £55m for Mason Mount back in 2023, as the midfielder was heading into the final 12 months of his Stamford Bridge contract.

Manchester United were happy to splash the cash on the Englishman, but his first year at Old Trafford was hampered by injury, making the cash brought in for his services a shrewd decision by the Blues.

5 Diego Costa £57m to Atletico Madrid, 2017

Arguably Chelsea’s best striker since Didier Drogba, Diego Costa was signed from and sold to Atletico Madrid in 2014 and 2017 respectively.

During his time in west London, Costa shone with his power and finishing ability, scoring 59 goals in 120 appearances and winning two Premier League titles.

Upon his departure following a reported falling-out with manager Antonio Conte, Chelsea managed to recoup some £57m as Atleti came calling for their former forward.

4 Alvaro Morata £58.3m to Atletico Madrid, 2020

Chelsea received the extremely handsome sum of £58.3m when selling Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid back in 2020. The Blues sold him on loan at the start of the 2019/20 season, with the La Liga giants obligated to buy the Spaniard in the following summer.

It meant that Chelsea almost broke even having bought the striker in the summer of 2017 for around £60m from Atleti’s city rivals, Real Madrid.

Considering things didn’t quite work out for Morata at Stamford Bridge, it was a pretty impressive deal from a financial point of view.

Todd Boehly's worst transfers at Chelsea… so far

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2 ByStephan Georgiou Aug 23, 2024 3 Oscar £60m to Shanghai SIPG

Oscar was one of several Brazilians sold for big money by Chelsea, with the midfielder spending five years at Stamford Bridge from 2012 before a £60m switch at the height of the Chinese Super League boom.

He won four major honours with the Blues and made more than 200 appearances before moving to China with Shanghai SIPG. Oscar recently sealed a move back to his native Brazil with a January switch to former club Sao Paulo.

2 Kai Havertz £65m to Arsenal, 2023

Scorer of the winner in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City, Kai Havertz was sold to London rivals Arsenal in 2023.

Three years prior, the German forward was signed from Bayer Leverkusen, but struggled to find a starring role at Chelsea, resulting in him joining Mikel Arteta’s side, where he has impressed since his £65m move.

1 Eden Hazard £89m to Real Madrid, 2019

Top of the charts is winger Eden Hazard, who starred for Chelsea between 2012 and 2019, resulting in Real Madrid swooping in a record deal.

The Belgian made more than 350 appearances for the Blues, scoring 110 times, providing 85 assists and winning six major honours. Those at the Bernabeu made Hazard a Galactico, but things didn’t go to plan for him in Madrid, with injuries limiting him to just seven goals in 76 appearances.

Reports stated that his transfer fee could have topped £150m, but Chelsea had to settle for a €100m (£89m) windfall following his departure.

Ranking Eden Hazard's 10 best career performances & moments

The former Chelsea and Belgium star enjoyed a fabulous career before retiring at the age of 32.

ByFreddie Taylor Oct 13, 2023

Minto, the 17-year-old nightwatcher, became the county’s youngest ever half-centurion

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-May-2025James Minto, Alex Lees and Emilio Gay starred with the bat as Durham fought back on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire.It was well and truly Durham’s morning as Minto, who came in as nightwatcher to see out one over at the end of day one, became the county’s youngest ever half-centurion at the age of 17 years and 172 days. He played beautifully along with his skipper Lees to take the hosts to lunch without loss.Nottinghamshire hit back in the afternoon, picking up three wickets including Minto for an excellent 67 and Lees for a gritty 82, but Gay remained calm and composed in the evening to pass fifty and get his side to 320 for four at close, still trailing by 87.Minto, who had only scored 40 runs in his four previous first class matches, looked the part with the bat as he dominated the Nottinghamshire bowling attack in the morning session with some lovely strokes and the left-arm bowler, who opens in club cricket, demonstrated skills that could see him develop into a genuine all-rounder.Resuming on two without loss, Minto and Lees kicked things off in the morning. The former got the first boundary of the day with a lovely cover drive for four off the bowling of Brett Hutton.The teenager frustrated the experienced bowling pair of Mohammad Abbas and Hutton as he played some nice shots including a delightful cut shot for four. He then played two more glorious strokes on the offside from the bowling of Abbas.Lees was happy to be a foil to Minto’s aggression, but he picked up his first boundary of the day as he guided one past third for four.Minto brought up his first career half-century from 61 deliveries with his eighth boundary of the day, but Nottinghamshire restricted Durham before lunch with Rob Lord and Freddie McCann keeping things tight.Nottinghamshire got the breakthrough soon after lunch with Hutton getting Minto for a fantastic 67 as he went for one shot too many, pulling one straight to Haseeb Hameed at square leg.Lees went to his fifty soon after, with the milestone coming from 96 deliveries and he was joined in the middle by England Lions man Ben McKinney, who looked good in the early stages of his innings.McKinney continued to underline his attacking intentions as he plundered a McCann ball straight down the ground to the boundary, but shortly after he edged an Abbas ball to Kyle Verreynne to depart for 28.Lees continued to tick along nicely with Gay joining him in the middle and the ex-Northamptonshire man helped Durham steer the ship in the face of some tight bowling from the visitors.Lees then picked up a rare boundary as he pulled a Lord delivery to the rope to relieve a bit of pressure and Gay followed that up with a nice shot through the covers.Gay got a second life just before tea, after he edged a Lyndon James ball towards Joe Clarke at first slip but he couldn’t take the chance with the Durham man on 30. However, they did get a big breakthrough in the next over as Lees was caught behind for 82 with Liam Patterson-White the one to get the Durham skipper.Nottinghamshire’s economic bowling continued into the evening session as Gay and new batsman Colin Ackermann struggled to find the boundary, but the latter broke the shackles as he drove a Patterson-White ball down the ground for four.Gay was making the league leaders pay for the drop as he became the third Durham player to pass fifty in the innings, with his coming from a more attritional 113 balls.The second new ball came for Nottinghamshire and runs started to flow for Ackermann who played a delightful shot off Abbas for four, but he then departed for 37 as he edged a beauty from Abbas to Verreynne behind the stumps to give the visitors a much-needed breakthrough.Ollie Robinson joined Gay at the crease and played a lovely shot through the covers to take Durham to the 300 mark and the pair took Durham to stumps without further loss.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had an eventful few years off the pitch, cashing in on a number of star players in the transfer window.

Despite several high-profile departures, Wolves’ total annual payroll for their players stands at £72,400,000, with the average first-team player collecting more than £2.25m per season. Here is a look at what those at Molineux are paying their players individually, as per Capology.

Disclaimer – only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.

1

Joao Gomes

£105,000

£5,460,000

2

Jorgen Strand Larsen

£95,000

£4,940,000

3

Emmanuel Agbadou

£85,000

£4,420,000

4

Toti Gomes

£80,000

£4,160,000

=5

Tolu Arokodare

£75,000

£3,900,000

=5

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

£75,000

£3,900,000

=7

Hee-chan Hwang

£70,000

£3,640,000

=7

Marshall Munetsi

£70,000

£3,640,000

=9

Jhon Arias

£65,000

£3,380,000

=9

Jackson Tchatchoua

£65,000

£3,380,000

=11

Jose Sa

£60,000

£3,120,000

=11

Andre Trindade

£60,000

£3,120,000

13

Boubacar Traore

£55,000

£2,860,000

=14

Matt Doherty

£50,000

£2,600,000

=14

Sam Johnstone

£50,000

£2,600,000

16

Ladislav Krejci

£45,000

£2,340,000

=17

Ki-Jana Hoever

£40,000

£2,080,000

=17

Santiago Bueno

£40,000

£2,080,000

=19

David Moller Wolfer

£30,000

£1,560,000

=19

Yerson Mosquera

£30,000

£1,560,000

21

Boubacar Traore

£27,500

£1,430,000

=22

Rodrigo Gomes

£25,000

£1,300,000

=22

Hugo Bueno

£25,000

£1,300,000

=22

Fer Lopez

£25,000

£1,300,000

=25

Sasa Kalajdzic

£20,000

£1,040,000

=25

Daniel Bentley

£20,000

£1,040,000

27

Enso Gonzalez

£15,000

£780,000

=28

Tawanda Chirewa

£10,000

£520,000

=28

Nathan Fraser

£10,000

£520,000

=30

Nigel Lonwijk

£8,000

£416,000

=30

Matheus Mane

£8,000

£416,000

=30

Dexter Limbikisa

£8,000

£416,000

Here's a detailed look at Wolverhampton Wanderers' top 10 earners… 10 Jackson Tchatchoua £65,000 per week

Defender Jackson Tchatchoua made the move to Wolves from Hellas Verona for just over £10m in 2025.

Known as the fastest player in Serie A prior to his move to the Midlands, Tchatchoua is on £65,000 per week.

9 Jhon Arias £65,000 per week

Also on £3.38m per season is another new signing from 2025 in forward Jhon Arias.

Those at Molineux paid £15m to sign the Colombia international from Fluminense, and he is under contract until 2029.

8 Marshall Munetsi £70,000 per week

Marshall Munetsi joined Wolves at the beginning of 2025 from French side Reims in a deal worth around £15m.

That figure was a record for a Zimbabwean, and the midfielder is set to pick up £3.64m per year until 2028.

7 Hee-chan Hwang £70,000 per week

After turning out in the Red Bull Group with RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig, Wolves signed forward Hee-chan Hwang in 2021, with a move becoming permanent a year later.

The South Korea international has proven to be a versatile and reliable final third option at Molineux and could stay until 2028.

6 Jean-Ricner Bellegarde £75,000 per week

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde arrived at Wolves from French side Strasbourg in 2023 and now picks up £75,000 per week at Molineux.

The versatile midfielder has been a regular since arriving at the club and is under contract until 2028.

5 Tolu Arokodare £75,000 per week

Tolu Arokodare was Wolves’ most expensive signing during the 2025 summer transfer window, costing £24m from Genk.

The Nigerian striker penned a four-year contract on just under £4m per season.

4 Toti Gomes £80,000 per week

Defender Toti Gomes joined Wolves back in 2020 and, in recent years, has become a regular in the first-team at Molineux.

His displays were rewarded with an improved contract in 2024, which saw his wage dramatically increase to £4.16m per season.

3 Emmanuel Agbadou £85,000 per week

On slightly more than Gomes is another defender in Emmanuel Agbadou.

Signed from Reims at the beginning of 2025, the Ivory Coast international is under contract in the Midlands until 2029.

2 Jorgen Strand Larsen £95,000 per week

Jorgen Strand Larsen’s loan move became permanent in 2025 from Celta Vigo, however, the striker’s stay at Molineux was nearly short-lived amid interest from Newcastle United.

Instead, Strand Larsen signed a new deal with the Old Gold on just under £5m per season until 2030.

1 Joao Gomes £105,000 per week

Wolves’ top earner is midfielder Joao Gomes, who has enjoyed a brilliant rise following his move from Flamengo in 2023.

Now a Brazil international, Gomes is the only Wolves player on more than £100,000 per week.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Bruno Lage lidará com uma das situações mais desafiadoras desde seu início de trajetória à frente do Botafogo. Após a confirmação de que Tiquinho Soares ficará longe dos gramados por até cinco semanas, o Glorioso não contará com seu jogador mais decisivo na temporada. São 13 gols e quatro passes em 17 jogos no Campeonato Brasileiro.

No entanto, a saga da equipe neste ano vem evidenciando um traço para deixar o torcedor otimista. Mesmo em jogos nos quais os botafoguenses não contaram com o seu artilheiro, o grupo manteve um rendimento bem satisfatório.

+ Sem ele… Veja em quais partidas Tiquinho Soares deve ser baixa para o Botafogo

O jogador de 32 anos não atuou em dez partidas disputadas até o momento. Em boa parte delas, o Alvinegro soube se desvencilhar da marcação e sair de campo com a vitória (veja abaixo).

Das dez partidas, o Glorioso venceu cinco, enquanto obteve três empates e saiu de campo derrotado em dois jogos. O aproveitamento em 2023 em jogos sem o artilheiro é de 60%.

O rendimento alvinegro em jogos sem o camisa 9 refletiu a luta do Botafogo até o momento. Após o início oscilante que marcou o Campeonato Carioca, o elenco teve uma arrancada para fazer campanha em alto nível. O momento mais evidente do crescimento foi o mata-mata contra o Patronato, da Argentina, quando os botafoguenses levaram a melhor mesmo sem o atacante nos dois jogos.

No entanto, as disputas tendem a ser mais intensas nas próximas semanas. Além de ter o jogo decisivo das oitavas de final com o Guaraní, o Botafogo medirá forças com adversários mais fortes na luta pela liderança. Um dos jogos pelo caminho inclui o clássico diante do Flamengo.

Ainda em busca do melhor caminho para o Botafogo, o técnico Bruno Lage aponta como agirá até encontrar uma cartada ideal.

–  As coisas têm que ser feitas de uma forma equilibrada. Tenho aproveitado os últimos dias para treinar. Já teve um jogo que o Tiquinho não jogou e fomos muito bem. Vamos escolher o melhor onze e vencer jogos. Esse é o nosso objetivo – disse.

O Alvinegro encara o Guaraní, do Paraguai, no Defensores del Chaco, na quarta-feira (9).

WA, currently bottom of the Shield table, gave themselves a chance of a vital win

AAP18-Feb-2025Spinner Corey Rocchiccioli bagged his best first-class figures as Western Australia dominated Queensland on day one of their Sheffield Shield game.Rocchiccioli snared 7 for 52 as Queensland were bowled out for 147 at the Gabba in Brisbane. WA cruised to 112 for 1 in reply, with Sam Whiteman making 67.Related

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WA (24.91 points) are in last place, with Queensland (27.75) third on a table topped by South Australia (36.93). But with three games including this fixture remaining, Rocchiccioli’s feats have given WA a superb opportunity to jump up the ladder.The 27-year-old had never previously taken five wickets in a first-class innings but spun his way to a career-best day. He captured seven of the last nine wickets to fall as the Queensland batsmen struggled.Ben McDermott top-scored with 37 from 112 balls. Next best were No.10 Mitchell Swepson (20 not out) and No. 8 Xavier Bartlett (20).Matthew Renshaw, Jimmy Peirson and Michael Neser were among those to fall cheaply against Rocchiccioli and paceman Cameron Gannon.Neser fell to a superb one-handed catch from Rocchiccioli, diving to his right from his own bowling. He also took a smart, diving return catch to dismiss Renshaw.WA’s openers Whiteman and Sam Fanning then cashed in for the visitors with their unbroken partnership. Whiteman set an aggressive tone, smacking seven fours and three sixes in his 88-ball innings before being bowled by Tom Whitney about 25 minutes before stumps. Fanning was more circumspect, striking two fours from his 107 deliveries.

MatériaMais Notícias

Puerto Cabello e São Paulo se enfrentam nesta terça-feira (22), às 21h30 (de Brasília), pela quarta rodada válida pela fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana. A partida acontecerá na Venezuela, na cidade de Valência, no estádio Misael Delgado.

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Após uma longa viagem, o Tricolor chegou ao palco da partida na tarde desta segunda-feira (22). A equipe chega para o jogo sem ter tido tempo de treinar, vindo de uma vitória recente no sábado (20), contra o Vasco, por 4 a 2. O duelo foi válido pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

Arboleda e Rodrigo Nestor não viajaram com o elenco. Os dois jogadores serão poupados para o confronto. A ideia é que Dorival Júnior opte por uma equipe mista.

ATUAÇÕES: “Crias de Cotia”, Beraldo e Juan garantem vitória do São Paulo diante do Vasco pelo Brasileirão

Já o Puerto Cabello vem de uma vitória por 3 a 1 contra o Zamora FC, pelo Campeonato Venezuelano. Na tabela da Copa Sul-Americana, ainda não somou nenhum ponto e está na lanterna do grupo B. Enquanto isso, o São Paulo está em primeiro, com sete pontos. No primeiro encontro das duas equipes, no Morumbi, o Tricolor venceu por 2 a 0 – com gols de Marcos Paulo e Michel Araujo.

+ Clique aqui e veja como apostar no Brasileirão

+ Confira os jogos e classificação resultados da Copa Sul-Americana 2023 na tabela do LANCE!

FICHA TÉCNICA
A. PUERTO CABELLO x SÃO PAULO
COPA SUL-AMERICANA – FASE DE GRUPOS – QUARTA RODADA

Data e hora: 23/5/2023 (sábado), às 21h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Estádio Misel Delgado, em Valencia (Venezuela)
Árbitro: Bryan Loayza (EQU)
VAR: Roberto Sánchez (EQU)
Onde assistir: SBT, ESPN, Star Plus e em tempo real pelo LANCE!

PUERTO CABELLO
Romero; De la Hoz, Rivero, Peraza e Granados (Diego Osio); Cedeño e Zuma; Guerrero, Lugo e Pérez; Hernández.
Desfalques: –

SÃO PAULO
 Rafael; Rafinha (Nathan), Diego Costa, Alan Franco (Beraldo) e Caio (Patryck); Luan, Gabriel Neves (Negrucci), Michel Araujo e Wellington Rato; Luciano e Calleri.
Desfalques: Ferraresi (cirurgia no joelho direito), Talles Costa (sutura no menisco do joelho direito), Moreira (transição após cirurgia no joelho esquerdo), Igor Vinícius (transição após cirurgia no púbis), Welington (cirurgia no tornozelo esquerdo), Galoppo (cirurgia no joelho esquerdo), Jandrei (fratura no quinto dedo da mão esquerda), David (transição após trauma no joelho direito), Erison (transição após estiramento em fibrose da coxa esquerda), Méndez (dores no pé). Arboleda e Nestor (poupados).

Newcastle United might not be able to count on Alexander Isak for much longer as the player seeks a move away from St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe will now need to sign a striker or two in order to have his squad ready for the Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

Benjamin Sesko is a reported target for the club, and Newcastle would be willing to break their club-record transfer fee to sign him.

Could Howe perhaps chase another young striker instead, however? One who is even more prolific than Sesko…

Newcastle’s search for a striker

The likes of Julian Alvarez and Yoane Wissa have been earmarked as targets by Howe to bolster the club’s attacking options of late.

Both would be excellent signings, but Howe could go down a different route by making a move for Porto starlet Samu Aghehowa this summer.

That is according to the Guardian, who relay information that Newcastle might see Aghehowa as a potential alternative to Sesko.

One sticking point may be the price, as he has a release clause of €100m (£87m), although it remains to be seen whether Howe can negotiate a potential deal.

Aged just 21, he could be an ideal long-term Isak heir and, dare I say it, even better than Sesko.

Why Newcastle want to sign Samu Aghehowa

Across his senior career thus far, Sesko has scored 90 goals across 210 games, which works out as a goal every 2.3 matches.

In comparison, Aghehowa has netted 54 goals in 117 matches during his embryonic senior career thus far, averaging a goal every 2.1 matches.

On this basis, the young Spaniard is even more prolific than Sesko, and there is no doubt that he will get even better over the next few years.

He burst into life during his maiden season with Porto. Aside from registering 30 goal contributions in all competitions, Aghehowa also finished the season with a 23% goal conversion percentage, created five big chances and scored every 119 minutes in the Portuguese top flight.

Samu Aghehowa’s league stats last season
Stats (* per game)	#
Matches (starts)	30 (23)
Goals	19
Assists	3
Shots (on target)*	2.7 (1.1)
Big chances missed	18
Pass completion	79%
Big chances created	5
Key passes*	0.6
Dribbles*	0.4
Duels won*	3.3
Stats via Sofascore

It was no wonder that talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed the youngster as a “monster in the making” and for having “such a complete profile” after just a few months at Porto.

His debut campaign was a successful one indeed from a personal point of view, and it is no surprise he is being linked with moves to the Premier League.

When compared to his peers across men’s next 14 competitions, the 21-year-old ranks in the top 4% for goals (0.76) per 90.

Furthermore, the striker ranks in the top 14% for touches in the opposition penalty area (5.45) per 90 and in the top 16% for total shots per 90 (3.1).

These statistics show just how prolific the player is in front of goal, and if Howe was serious about making a move for the youngster, Aghehowa could be a wonderful signing.

Much will depend on how far they are willing to take their interest in Sesko. But if the Magpies are looking for someone even more prolific, Aghehowa should be at the top of their list.

PIF set sights on signing 13-goal star for Newcastle after Isak bombshell

The Magpies have instantly turned towards potential replacements.

By
Tom Cunningham

Jul 25, 2025

It’s hard to think of another summer quite like this one for Arsenal.

Preseason hasn’t even started yet, and the club has already signed four players, including Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke, for a combined £112m.

Moreover, talented centre-back Christian Mosquera is set to have a medical today, Viktor Gyokeres looks likely to have his on Friday, and Eberechi Eze continues to be linked.

As if that wasn’t enough, rumours concerning a £80m move for Rodrygo keep popping up, although to complete a deal to sign him on top of everyone else, the Gunners will surely have to make some sales, and it looks like they will.

Why Arsenal want to sign Rodrygo

Even though it would require a massive financial commitment, and he’d become their second most expensive signing of all time, it’s really not hard to understand why Arsenal would want to bring in Rodrygo.

Firstly, he may be a natural left-winger, but as the last couple of seasons have shown us, he can still be incredibly effective off the right and even up, which could help massively if the Gunners endure another torrid year with injuries.

More importantly, though, is the fact that the Brazilian has remained incredibly effective even out of position over the last few years.

Rodrygo’s recent record
Season	23/24	24/25
Appearances	51	54
Minutes	3707′	3452′
Goals	17	14
Assists	9	11
Goal Involvements per Match	0.50	0.46
Minutes per Goal Involvement	142.57′	138.08′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, since the start of the 23/24 season, the “special” talent, as dubbed by former manager Carlo Ancelotti, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is undoubtedly impressive.

Finally, with two La Liga titles and two Champions League titles among an array of other trophies under his belt, the 24-year-old dynamo would bring a real know-how to the Emirates, which is something the team have been lacking in recent years.

However, to afford Rodrygo’s wages and transfer fee, Arsenal will surely have to offload a few players this summer, and based on reports, it looks like one out-of-favour ace could be nearing the exit.

The Arsenal star who could be sold

With the signings already made, those set to be completed soon, and the additional links to players like Rodrygo, it’s no surprise to see speculation arise around the possible sale of certain players.

Transfer Focus

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

At first, there were reports about a possible move for Gabriel Martinelli by Al-Nassr, reports that were quickly rubbished.

Since then, Leandro Trossard has been linked with several moves, including a potential transfer to Bayern Munich, and Jakub Kiwior is also reportedly no longer in the manager’s plans.

However, there is now another player being linked with an official exit from the club this summer, someone who wasn’t even part of the squad last season: Fabio Vieira.

Yes, according to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, the player’s representatives are currently working on getting him to a new team this summer, and have even been in talks with several interested clubs from ‘Turkey and Germany’s top divisions.’

Interestingly, the report reveals that an unnamed Serie A side would be willing to pay €18m for the Portuguese ace in a deal structured like Nuno Tavares’ to Lazio, but as Arteta and Co paid £34m for the player just three years ago, that is not a price they would entertain.

Whatever the final fee ends up being, it is probably time to move the 25-year-old on, as after two underwhelming campaigns in England in which he amassed 13 goal involvements in 49 games, he enjoyed a decent enough spell with Porto last year.

Vieira’s recent seasons
Season	21/22	22/23	23/24	24/25
Appearances	39	33	16	42
Goals	7	2	1	5
Assists	16	6	3	6
Goal Involvements per Match	0.58	0.24	0.25	0.26
All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, the “exceptional” midfielder, as talent scout Jacek Kulig once dubbed him, produced 11 goal involvements in 42 games, but eight of those came in just 26 league clashes.

In other words, this summer may well be the last time Berta and Co will be able to get decent money for the Santa Maria da Feira-born ace.

Ultimately, Vieira is not a bad player, but it just has not worked out for him in an Arsenal shirt, and if selling him this summer frees up space to sign Rodrygo, then that is a no-brainer.

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By
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Zaheer Khan has joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their mentor, filling the vacancy left by Gautam Gambhir’s exit after IPL 2023. Gambhir had taken up the mentor role at Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2024 and has since become head coach of the India men’s team.Zaheer will also take on bowling coach duties, after Morne Morkel left the franchise to join Gambhir’s coaching staff with the Indian team. During a media interaction after his unveiling, Zaheer did not specify that he would be bowling coach, but said with a smile: “If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?”From 2018 to 2022, Zaheer was involved with the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise, first as director of cricket and then head of global development. Prior to that, he was part of three IPL teams as a player – MI, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Daredevils. In all, he featured in 100 games for the three teams across ten seasons, picking up 102 wickets at an economy of 7.58. He last played in the tournament in 2017, when he led Daredevils, before retiring from all forms of cricket.As reported earlier by ESPNcricinfo, apart from the role of mentor, LSG are keen on giving Zaheer a wider profile that will mean involvement with the scouting and player-development programmes during the off season.Related

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LSG’s coaching set-up is currently headed by Justin Langer, who will continue in the role after having replaced Andy Flower as head coach ahead of IPL 2024, with Lance Klusener and Adam Voges as his assistants. After securing playoff berths in their first two seasons, the KL Rahul-led side was pipped on net run rate for a spot in the top four in 2024.Zaheer’s return to the IPL fold comes at a time when teams are preparing for a mega auction. The IPL is likely to announce the retention rules by early September.

To describe Tottenham Hotspur’s campaign this year as a rollercoaster would be a massive understatement.

For most of the Premier League season, Ange Postecoglou’s side were nothing short of terrible – which would explain the club’s decision to sack him.

However, even with injuries severely hampering them on the domestic front, the North Londoners were brilliant in the Europa League, and with most of their squad back for the climax of the campaign, they ended up winning it all in Bilbao.

One of the team’s stars in the semi-finals and final was Cristian Romero, yet there is a distinct possibility that he could leave this summer, although based on the latest player touted for a move to the Lilywhites, that might not be such a problem.

Tottenham transfer news

While he’ll likely go down as a Spurs legend for his efforts in the Europa League this season, it is now starting to feel like Romero could be at a different club entirely by the end of the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

A few months ago, stories came out linking him with a move to Real Madrid, but since then, the most prominent links have been to their city rivals, Atlético Madrid.

In fact, in April, reports were suggesting that the Argentine had already spoken to his compatriot, Diego Simeone, and as recently as late last month, more stories emerged claiming that the player had informed the Lilywhites that he wanted to join the Spanish giants.

While losing the World Cup winner would be far from ideal, there is a chance he could fetch the club a fee of around £60m, and that could help them sign a replacement or even upgrade, like Wilfried Singo.

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, the Europa League winners are among several teams interested in signing the AS Monaco star this summer.

Alongside Tottenham, the report claims that Arsenal, Atlético, Newcastle United and Napoli are all keen on the player, who’s set to cost around €35m – £29m – and talks are expected to progress soon.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Singo’s ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could actually be an upgrade on Romero.

How Singo compares to Romero

Now, unlike with strikers, wingers and even some midfielders, where you can just look at their goals and assists, it can be rather difficult to cast any significant judgment over a defender without watching them for quite some time.

However, there are some ways in which we can still gauge how Singo stacks up against Romero, and the best is to take a deep dive into their statistics and compare their underlying numbers.

Interestingly, when we do this, it becomes clear that not only would the 6 foot 3 “monster,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, be a good replacement for the possibly departing Argentine, but he could even end up being something of an upgrade.

Non-Penalty G+As

0.13

0.06

Progressive Passes

5.06

4.52

Progressive Passes Received

1.16

0.19

Progressive Carries

1.50

0.76

Key Passes

86.2%

89.5%

Shot-Creating Actions

0.82

1.27

Tackles

1.59

2.23

Shots Blocked

0.39

0.19

Interceptions

1.85

1.34

Clearances

4.72

3.63

Errors Leading to a Shot

0.09

0.13

Successful Take-Ons

0.26

0.06

Ball Recoveries

5.92

5.73

Aerial Duels Won %

63.8%

60.3%

For example, per FBref, the Ivorian international comes out ahead in the majority of relevant metrics, be that the attacking ones, like progressive passes and carries, or the defensive ones, like interceptions, clearances, blocked shots or percentage of aerial duels won, all per 90.

Moreover, the 24-year-old has another trick up his sleeve: positional versatility.

While he is primarily a centre-back, the Moncao gem can and has played at full-back and even right-midfield before, meaning he could provide the next Spurs boss with so many more tactical options.

Ultimately, Romero is an unreal player, but if he does leave, then Singo could be the perfect replacement and maybe even an upgrade.

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