All posts by h716a5.icu

They might have dropped points last time out, but Arsenal are flying this season.

They sit four points clear atop the Premier League table and second in the Champions League, with four wins and four clean sheets in as many games.

One of the stars of the Gunners’ impressive campaign so far has been Declan Rice, who has been as crucial going forward as he has been in keeping those clean sheets.

Therefore, fans should be delighted about reports linking them with another top-quality international who’d be a Rice-type signing.

Arsenal target Rice-Type signing

The transfer window is still over a month away, but Arsenal are starting to be linked with some exciting players again.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, stories are once again touting Real Madrid’s Rodrygo for a move to the Emirates following a disappointing start to the season.

A cheaper, lesser-known, but nonetheless exciting wide option the Gunners have been linked with is Lyon’s Malick Fofana, who has been catching the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However, while either attacker would be an exciting addition to the team, neither could be described as particularly Rice-esque, unlike Elliot Anderson.

Yes, according to reports from Spain, Arsenal are one of several clubs interested in the Nottingham Forest star.

In fact, the report has revealed that North Londoners are set to enter the bidding war for the England international, who has a price tag of between £100m and £120m.

It could therefore be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Anderson’s immense ability, it’s one worth pursuing, especially as it would be a Rice-type signing.

Why Elliot Anderson would be a Rice repeat for Arsenal

Now, there are obviously some differences between Rice and Anderson, from their playstyles to career paths, but were the latter to join Arsenal, there would be many parallels with the former’s move as well.

For example, it would be another example of the Gunners going out and spending north of £100m on a top-quality central midfielder from a non ‘big six’ Premier League team.

Moreover, like the former West Ham United captain was at the time of his move, the Forest ace is now an established and vitally important player for England.

In fact, ahead of his side’s win over Serbia, Thomas Tuchel described the 23-year-old as a “key player” for the Three Lions and “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.”

The fact that he is such an incredible central midfielder is another obvious trait he shares with the Gunners’ number 41, as is his versatility.

For example, since moving to the City Ground, the former Newcastle United gem has made 25 appearances in central midfield, 20 in defensive midfield, five in left midfield and three in attacking midfield.

In other words, like the former Hammers star, the “world-class” ace, as dubbed by one commentator, could play wherever Arteta wanted him to in the middle of the park, and as a result, form relationships with a host of Arsenal players.

Finally, on top of also taking corners, the Whitley Bay-born “powerhouse,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has some incredible underlying numbers to his name, proving that the comparisons to Rice are fully justified.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for ball recoveries, the top 3% for tackles in the defensive third, the top 4% for carries into the penalty area, the top 7% for successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ball Recoveries

7.42

Top 1%

Dribbles Challenged

3.32

Top 2%

SCA (Defensive Action)

0.16

Top 3%

Tackles (Def 3rd)

1.61

Top 3%

Carries into Penalty Area

0.70

Top 4%

Fouls Drawn

2.14

Top 6%

Outswinging Corner Kicks

1.18

Top 7%

Successful Take-Ons

1.21

Top 7%

Penalty Kicks Made

0.03

Top 9%

GCA (Defensive Action)

0.03

Top 10%

Tackles

2.89

Top 11%

SCA (Take-On)

0.16

Top 12%

Corner Kicks

1.96

Top 13%

SCA (Fouls Drawn)

0.16

Top 13%

Tackles Won

1.61

Top 13%

Dribblers Tackled

1.39

Top 13%

Crosses

3.35

Top 14%

SCA (Dead-ball Pass)

0.64

Top 14%

Penalty Kicks Won

0.03

Top 15%

Ultimately, while it would cost a king’s ransom, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Anderson, as he’s an excellent player and could have a Rice-type impact on the team.

Arsenal lost 'one of the world's best', now he's outperforming Saka & Eze

The incredible international is now playing better than Arsenal’s Eze and Saka.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 14, 2025

Thomas Frank has enjoyed an impressive start to his tenure at Tottenham Hotspur, only losing three of his first 14 competitive games in charge of the club.

However, many fans still aren’t convinced by the Dane, especially after the defeat against Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

The 51-year-old only made four changes to his starting eleven, but one of which proved to be a huge mistake – with Mohammed Kudus dropping down to the substitutes bench.

The Ghanaian has been the Lilywhites’ shining light in 2025/26, as seen by his tally of one goal and four assists within his first nine Premier League outings.

Such creativity was hugely lacking against the Magpies, with the £55m leaving the responsibility down to one of the other big-money names to move to North London this summer.

Xavi Simons’ best game in a Tottenham shirt

After spending £52m on the signature of attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, huge excitement was generated within the Spurs fanbase – but it’s safe to say he’s failed to live up to such expectations.

The Dutch international has registered just one assist and failed to score a single goal in any of his 11 outings, further backing up his lack of impact in North London.

However, his showing against Newcastle was arguably one of his best for the club, with Frank finally starting to utilise the 22-year-old in his natural attacking midfield role.

Simons featured for the entirety of the defeat, subsequently creating three chances for his teammates – but none of which resulted in a goal for Frank’s men.

Richarlison was often the man on the end of his chances, but the Brazilian’s wasteful nature was highlighted in his own tally of two big chances missed.

There’s no doubt he’s been unlucky during his opening few months in England, but the manager can certainly solve such an issue during the next couple of matches.

The Spurs player who can finally get Simons firing

In Spurs’ nine Premier League matches throughout 2025/26, the side have already netted 17 goals – subsequently averaging nearly two goals per game in England’s top-flight.

The goals have been spread around the first-team squad, as seen by centre-back Micky Van de Ven’s tally of three goals, which puts him joint-top of the goalscoring charts.

Richarlison has also netted the same number of goals, but has been called into question over the last few weeks for his inability to find the back of the net.

The Brazilian has failed to score in any of his last eight outings for the Lilywhites, often being wasteful within the final third – as seen by his misses against the Magpies.

Dominic Solanke has been unavailable over recent months due to an ankle issue, with Frank needing to hand fellow centre-forward Randal Kolo Muani the chance to impress.

The Frenchman joined on a season-long loan from PSG on deadline day, but has only started one game to date as he builds up match fitness after a stop-start pre-season.

However, despite his minutes off the substitutes bench, the 26-year-old has still demonstrated glimpses of his quality, which could see him handed a needed run of games as a regular starter.

He was even brought on with 25 minutes remaining at St James’ Park earlier this week, making an immediate impact with his direct run through the midfield, halted by referee Chris Kavanagh.

Kolo Muani, who’s been dubbed “phenomenal” by one analyst, may have failed to score for the Lilywhites to date, but his temporary spells elsewhere have showcased his clinical nature.

Games played

22

Goals scored

10

Shot on target accuracy

55%

Goals per shot on target

0.4

Key passes made

1.4

Take-ons completed

1.5

Carries into opposition box

1.2

Aerials won

1.2

He scored 10 goals in just 22 appearances with Juventus last campaign, even managing to put 55% of the shots he took on target – highlighting his accuracy in front of goal.

Such numbers would allow Simons to increase his own tallies in North London, with his incredible defence splitting passes falling into the path of a clinical talisman.

Creativity has been the Dutchman’s strong point prior to his move to England, but it’s been massively neglected given Richarlison’s inability to find the back of the net.

However, that could all be about to change if Frank decides to start Kolo Muani, with the pair having the talent to make the 2025/26 campaign one to remember for the Lilywhites.

Forget Kudus: Spurs star is rapidly becoming one of the "best in the world"

Tottenham Hotspur now have a world-class talent on their books under Thomas Frank.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 29, 2025

The T20 World Cup win was the highlight, but right through the year, India set new benchmarks in T20I batting

Sampath Bandarupalli16-Nov-2024India ended their 11-year ICC trophy drought in 2024 with the T20 World Cup win – their second, after winning the inaugural one in 2007. It came in a year in which India found immense success in the format, wherever they played.They won all five bilateral T20I series they played this year, and lost only two matches – one of them played a week after their World Cup win with a fairly depleted line-up in Harare.Overall, India won 22 of the 26 completed T20Is they played in 2024 outright. They also won the two matches they tied via Super Over. And they lost only two, including the second match of the latest series in South Africa.