Luis Enrique's side have secured domestic honours while resting their superstar forward, but they need a replacement to compete in Europe

Paris Saint-Germain haven't lifted the Ligue 1 trophy yet, but after Monaco dropped points against Lyon on Sunday, the Parisians clinched their third-straight French title. Zoom out, and they have now won 10 out of 13, dominating the era since the high-profile, nation-state-backed Qatari Sports Investors took over the club.

This should be of little surprise. The Parisians are richer than everyone else in France, and constantly bring in the kind of star players that the rest of the league will simply never attract.

But this year, their customary title run has looked slightly different. Kylian Mbappe's indication that he will leave the club halfway through the season brought about change in the way the Parisians set up in the league. First-year manager Luis Enrique, a notoriously stern disciplinarian, has shown little hesitation in benching his star player for domestic duties – and the Parisians have walked the league all the same.

European glory, though, might not be so simple. Champions League success – the sole gap in this project – tends to require star power, and Mbappe's departure will leave a massive hole to fill. So, while this Parisian team has proved it can compete for the biggest domestic trophies without a virtuosic presence, they will still undoubtedly need a talisman for the biggest European nights.

GettyAnother title win

The Parisians are expected, if not obligated, to lift Ligue 1 every year. It has been, in fact, cataclysmic for a litany of highly-rated managers if they don't. A poor run of form in the league at the end of 2020 – one the French side never truly recovered from – saw Thomas Tuchel leave his job. Unai Emery was almost removed from his post, too, after just one year following a second-placed finish.

This season, though, there was no such mishaps. The Parisians endured a shaky result or two (draws to lowly-Clermont Foot and Le Havre as Luis Enrique rotated his side have surprised). Still, this has been a mostly smooth campaign – especially given its difficult circumstances.

The Parisians have secured the title with three games to spare, and have lost just once in the league thus far. They have scored the most goals in Ligue 1, have the best goal difference by a hefty margin, and introduced a number of promising young talents into the fold. The obligatory success has been checked off the list.

AdvertisementGettyNot all Mbappe

This has all come in the shadow of one of the highest-profile transfer sagas in recent footballing history. Mbappe has been on a collision course with Real Madrid for years now. It is, in fact, remarkable that he has taken so long to finally move to the Spanish capital. The uncertainty around Mbappe's future dominated headlines for months, and the confirmation of his departure, if anything, has calmed the madness of the news cycle.

And for Luis Enrique, it has served as an opportunity. No longer shackled by the obligation of having to deploy his star player – for fear of him bolting elsewhere – the manager has enjoyed the freedom to experiment with his side. Mbappe has been benched for long stretches, with Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola all given chances to impress. It has left room for tinkering further back on the pitch, too, as the manager has shifted between a 4-3-3, 4-2-2-2 and 4-2-4 at will.

Luis Enrique himself summed it up, saying in March: "The project is a bit new for the club, different from previous coaches, with a lot of young players. The idea is to see that our supporters follow us and think that we play well. I have a good time in personal terms, as a coach and that's how it is that we must carry out a football project."

Getty ImagesStepping up

More broadly, it has allowed space for others to grow. Homegrown wonderkid Warren Zaire-Emery has developed admirably in his first full season as a starter, while Barcola has justified his last-minute move from Lyon back in September. Meanwhile Ramos, after a tepid start in Paris, is rounding into form.

More recently, January newcomer Lucas Beralado has settled into the defence, while Vitinha – once set for a move away from the club – has become an essential cog in midfield.

This isn't a perfect team. Achraf Hakimi hasn't hit his best, while there are still concerns about Dembele's finishing ability – or lack thereof. The ageing and injury-prone Marquinhos could also present problems going forward. Still, the Parisians look a far more balanced unit than in years past, meaning they don't have to rely on a star name to bail them out every week.

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GettyLuis Enrique effect

Luis Enrique has been central to the Parisians' improvements. The Spaniard was supposedly the club's third-choice for the job, with Tuchel the preferred replacement when it became clear that Christophe Galtier was on his way out. But since his arrival, Luis Enrique has wrestled control at the helm, and pieced together an impressive campaign.

The club backed him heavily with 12 new faces arriving, while Lionel Messi, Neymar and Marco Verratti all departed. Luis Enrique has dealt with the turnover with aplomb and constructed a well-oiled team.

He has also handled Mbappe's impending departure effectively while controlling the media circus around the Parisian club. This is not an easy job, but the ex-Barcelona coach has managed to make it look so.

Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi summed it up two weeks ago: "We have a really great manager, the best in the world."

“Oh my god! What actually just happened!” Well, what happened was that Kirby Short had just led Brisbane Heat to the Women’s Big Bash League 2018-19 title. An outstanding achievement in itself, equally significant because it was the first instance of a team without “Sydney” in its name holding the trophy aloft.Sydney Sixers pushed hard, almost till the end, but the Heat rode on a heroic half-century from an indisposed Beth Mooney to pull off a three-wicket win with four balls in hand. For them, it was a matter of having a plan and sticking to it. On the day, it worked well enough.”Quality batters can choose which parts of the ground to hit it to, so our job as a bowling group was to take those areas away. Giving width to a lot of those girls hurts you. We were able to bowl more tight lines, more in to the wicket rather than full,” Short explained – that prevented the likes of Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry from getting under the ball and hitting it high and long.ALSO READ: How Beth Mooney beat the heat to win it for Brisbane HeatThat kept the Sixers to 7 for 131, Grace Harris doing the most damage with 3 for 23. Then it was over to Mooney. Two wickets fell early, but Mooney and Short added 84 for the third wicket. And when Mooney was dismissed for 65, after having done her duty with the help of ice, water, an inhaler and anti-nausea meds – “It could have got a bit messy,” Short joked later – the Heat were within striking distance, and got to the mark despite a clutch of wickets.”I plonked myself in the ice bath and was a bit nervous towards the end, I couldn’t really watch,” Mooney said afterwards. “They were pretty oppressive conditions out there and I haven’t been well the last couple of weeks, but I had a job to do.The Drummoyne Oval was packed for the final•Getty Images

“I was pretty hot and pretty cooked and the outfield wasn’t conducive to hitting boundaries, which wasn’t ideal, but even when the run rate got to 7.9 I thought really good cricket shots were going to win this game.”Mooney and Short kept the chase going, and even with Mooney down on her haunches a lot of time, they kept their focus on the job at hand.”The calm (Short) brings to the group and to help with my batting, we complement each other nicely,” Mooney said. “We talked about getting the run rate down as quick as we could, so that took my mind off how I was feeling… we managed to sneak a few twos towards the end there without my legs giving way.”For Short – “a person of words” by her own admission – the result left her at a bit of a loss, a little overwhelmed.”I needed a couple of minutes to compose myself, because it’s a feeling of so much happening around you but not feeling sure of what actually just happened,” she said.As for the bigger picture, Short said, “It’s really healthy for a competition when there are multiple franchises winning because it means there’s a lot of quality in a lot of places.”On the subject of the WBBL, and women’s cricket on the whole, being in better health now than before, Ellyse Perry, the losing captain, said, “Looking at that hill all day, the number of people that came, the interest in it, the way that it was covered throughout the week in the lead up, the fact that I am standing here in front of a pretty big group of people talking about it, shows how far we have come.”Ellyse Perry felt she didn’t take enough responsibility in the final•Getty Images

But on the field, Perry was left “bitterly disappointed”.”We just came up short with the bat, unfortunately, by about 15-20 runs. But the way we stayed in it till the end was superb and I’m glad we were able to give the crowd something to cheer about. I can’t take anything away from the way Brisbane played. They bowled really well, and then Beth’s innings, coupled with the partnerships she had, were just too good for us.”They had really clear plans and they executed them. We didn’t get a lot of bad balls to put away and we hit a lot to the field as well. There were a lot of overs where we got the ones but missed out on the boundaries. That cost us momentum. When we tried to put the hammer down – me particularly, I didn’t take a whole lot of responsibility today – I couldn’t pick it up when I needed to.”Perry had a fantastic tournament with the bat, hitting a tournament record 777 runs in 16 innings at an average of 86.33 and a strike rate of 121.21. In the final, though, she could only score 33 from 37, which meant she couldn’t “have one of those champion hats and the trophy again this year”. “We’ve got used to winning, so it sucks when you don’t,” she said.They are national team colleagues, and Perry was quick to laud Mooney for her innings on the big stage, calling it a blueprint for what her own batting unit required.”Her innings was a blueprint of what we needed to do, someone to strike it around 120 and being there for a long period of time. When we got her out, I felt we gave ourselves a bit of a chance. But at that point we were probably too far gone,” Perry said.”She’s incredibly good at finding pockets in the field, better than anyone else in the world at that, and she did that really well on a ground that had some shorter angles and boundaries.”

Despite not necessarily being at their free-flowing best yet, Arsenal are once again enjoying a fantastic season this year, and following their thrilling last-second win against Luton Town during the week, will remain atop the Premier League table going into the weekend's fixtures.

Mikel Arteta's men have found a way to grind out results this year and, in the process, have put together one of the best defensive units in the country.

However, just like every other team in the league, they too are susceptible to injuries and, unfortunately, are set to be without Takehiro Tomiyasu for up to two months following a calf injury he suffered against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.

The Japanese international will be a big miss for the Gunners as they look to maintain and grow their lead atop the table, so it's a good thing they have been linked to one of the most exciting up-and-coming full-backs on the continent in his place: Jeremie Frimpong.

Arsenal transfer news – Jeremie Frimpong

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (via CaughtOffside), the Gunners have been scouting the young Dutchman and consider the right-back position to be one of the priority areas heading into 2024.

The 22-year-old spent his youth career with Manchester City before signing for Scottish giants Celtic in 2019, where he would make 51 appearances in all competitions before joining current side Bayer Leverkusen in January 2019 on an £11.5m deal.

Any transfer in 2024 will likely cost Arsenal an awful lot more than that, with reports that he has a release clause of around £34m in his contract that becomes active in the summer.

Now, that is certainly a lot of money, but for a player who has been described as "breathtaking" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, due to his "speed & acceleration", it still sounds like a good deal for the north Londoners.

The stats to show Jeremie Frimpong would improve Arsenal

The Gunners are relatively stacked when it comes to right-back talent. Besides Tomiyasu, they can rely on Ben White, Jurrien Timber when he is back and even Cedric Soares, who is somehow still at the club – no, we aren't sure either.

That said, neither Tomiyasu, White, nor Timber are natural out-and-out right-backs like Frimpong is. So, his arrival would allow those players to fill in across the backline and provide even more competition on that right-hand side.

But how does the former Celtic spped machine stack up to White and Tomiyasu this season?

Well, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the "brilliant" young Leverkusen ace, as described by former Hoops boss Neil Lennon, actually comes out on top in the majority of statistics when compared to the Gunners' primary right-backs this season.

His attacking output is leaps and bounds above anything the Arsenal pair have produced so far this season, and you can only imagine the terrifying threat he and Bukayo Saka would create on that right flank.

However, he does seem to struggle somewhat with his passing in comparison, and while he wins more tackles than his Japanese competition, White leads the way in that area.

Fundamentally, there is a slight risk in signing a young prospect from the Bundesliga, but based on his performances this season, it looks like a gamble that would be well worth taking as even if the injury to Tomiyasu isn't too severe, Frimpong offers so much going forward and he could genuinely add that extra firepower the Gunners have been missing this year.

Fifties from du Plessis and Hendricks was backed up by four catches and two run-outs from Miller as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series

The Report by Danyal Rasool01-Feb-2019

192 for 6 (Du Plessis 78, Hendricks 74, Shinwari 3-31) bear Pakistan 186 for 9 (Malik 49, Shamsi 2-33)Where Pakistan play with a stand-in captain and the bizarre arrangement of the PCB announcing captains will be appointed on a “series-by-series” basis, their South African counterpart – captain of all formats and all foreseeable series to come – demonstrated the benefits of having a rock in that position. Faf du Plessis thwacked 78 off 45 in a partnership with Reeza Hendricks that added a colossal 131 at almost eleven per over through the middle overs, helping South Africa post a ground record 192 in the first innings at Newlands. Hendricks played his own part in full measure, adding 74 off 41. Job done, Du Plessis came out to the press conference and announced that he would rest for the remaining two games of the series.For a Pakistan side that had put South Africa in after winning the toss, this was just a few too many. There was no partnership to even remotely be considered a challenger to that Hendricks-du Plessis onslaught. All South Africa’s bowlers needed to do was keep it straightforward, and watch Pakistan crumble under the pressure of a ballooning asking rate. They were more than up for it, and rewarded with a six-run victory, pulling ahead in the three-match T20I series.This might just be the start of the year, but you could be sure the partnership between Hendricks and his captain will rank among the elite by the time 2019 is out. Du Plessis has come in enjoying steely runs in the Test series and solid ones in the ODIs, and here he showed he could do sizzling runs too. From the moment he spanked Shadab Khan – the unfortunate whipping boy among a number of contenders in the Pakistan line-up today – through the offside for four, the gloves were fully off. Eighty-nine runs were scored in the seven overs beginning with that one, Hendricks just as much a participant in the carnage.15,13,12,14,15. Those were the respective fates of the bowlers tasked with sending down overs 11-15, Shadab, Hussain Talat, Usman Shinwari and Faheem Ashraf all unable to stem the flow of runs. The quicker bowlers were a shade predictable in their approach, both in terms of the pace and length they delivered at, allowing two settled batsman to take full advantage with almost consummate ease. Reeza Hendricks eyed Shinwari for the most severe punishment, a six over midwicket from around the wicket to Pakistan’s fastest bowler indicative of the confidence flowing through his veins following a brilliant ODI series.South Africa were so far ahead of par by the 15 over mark – 157 for 1 – they could afford a poor last five and still post a challenging total. Pakistan came back brilliantly with a Shinwari over that removed both du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen, conceding just one run. Ashraf nailed his yorkers in the dying overs as the runs began to dry up, and where the top order had once eyed 220, the lower order could only manage 192.Pakistan began poorly, Fakhar Zaman edging to slip off just the third ball. The sort of innings they have come to take for granted from the ever-dependable Babar Azam did arrive, and for a period, he and 22-year old Hussain Talat built up a launchpad partnership. The trouble was Talat wasn’t nearly as capable of keeping up with the required rate as Babar, and with the asking rate rising, someone had to take responsibility. 81 was added in 57 balls by the two, meaning around the halfway mark, Pakistan were just three short of South Africa’s equivalent tally.It was there that South Africa’s innings had really taken off, but the same overs in the Pakistan innings saw their challenge fade. Talat went looking for successive big hits, but it was the run out of Babar that twisted the knife into Pakistan. David Miller, who found himself all over the field in the final ten overs, directed a brilliant hit at one stump to catch Babar out. It would be one of a staggering six dismissals he effected, with four catches to complement two run-outs. From there on, Pakistan’s chase took on a manic, even unsophisticated air.Make no mistake, they were in it till the final few balls, but with the class of Babar removed, it was Malik at one end and rudimentary slogs at the other. The hosts were far more effective with the ball in the middle overs; Andile Phehlukwayo was the pick. The pace was varied effectively and the batsmen were routinely out-thought as slogs and misses became the norm, mistimed hits carrying to the deep fielders the expected outcome. Ashraf struck a six and got out, ditto Hasan Ali, and with skipper Malik the anchor from the other end, a bizarre game Pakistan were supposedly out of went to the final over.Here, Chris Morris, coming back into the side after an extended lay-off, showed the utility of his skillset. The yorkers were immaculate off the first two deliveries, forcing Malik to feel the pressure and hole out with three deliveries to spare. Shadab took it deeper still to make it ten off two, but in a game where South Africa always appeared to be just one step ahead, Morris made sure they came away with a six-run win to reflect that fact.

After weeks of build-up, the PSL’s most successful franchise Islamabad United named 37-year old Mohammad Sami as captain for the fourth edition of the tournament. The defending champions and the winners of two of the three tournaments held thus far had earlier appointed 20-year old Shadab Khan as vice captain.Sami has not played for Pakistan since March 2016, with international consistency proving elusive throughout his career. In the PSL, however, Sami has found a rich vein wicket-takerrforming outstandingly all three seasons. He is the second highest wickettaker across the Pakistan Super League with 37 wickets in 27 matches, behind only Wahab Riaz. He averages 17.43 – again only bettered by Wahab in the top 20, with his economy rate of 6.55 unmatched among the top ten fast bowlers.Upon announcement of the captain, Islamabad United owner Ali Naqvi said: “Sami has always served the franchise with utmost respect and honour. He has always conducted himself in way that defines us and has been one of the stars for the team over the past three years, winning multiple matches on his own. Furthermore, he has years of captaincy experience – he has captained various Karachi teams, on and off, for almost a decade now, and has been successful in that role.”In turn, Mohammad Sami expressed his own delight at being appointed captain, declaring himself “honoured and privileged” to be allowed the opportunity.”It’s an honour for me that Islamabad United and Ali Naqvi have selected me to lead the franchise. I have always aimed to give my all to the team, to repay the faith that they have vested in him, and I hope that I will be able to rise to this challenge too. I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity and I hope that I will continue Islamabad United’s tradition of success.”Islamabad United kick off the PSL on February 14, with the first game of the tournament to be played in Dubai against Lahore Qalandars.

Brighton and Hove Albion could be set to lose one of their first-team stars next year, with a fresh report revealing that he’s wanted by a high-profile club in the summer.

Brighton's recent departures

The Seagulls sanctioned the sales of 21 players during the previous window on either a permanent or loan basis, with some of the biggest names to leave for good being the likes of Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez, but there could soon be more following in their footsteps.

Roberto De Zerbi has Danny Welbeck, James Milner and Adam Lallana who will have all reached the expiration of their deals at the end of the current season (Brighton contracts), so they are likely to be heading for the exit door should they not be offered the chance to extend their stay.

At The Amex, Kaoru Mitoma first joined the club back in 2021 and he’s since gone on to make a total of 60 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Mitoma statistics), and the left-winger was recently rewarded for his efforts by putting pen to paper on fresh terms.

Back in October, Japan’s international signed an improved contract which means he is set to stay at the club until at least 2027, as per the above outlet, but despite him committing his long-term future just two months ago, that hasn’t stopped the 26-year-old from emerging as a target for an admirer in the Premier League.

Man City interested in Kaoru Mitoma

According to Spanish reports (via The Hard Tackle), Mitoma is of interest to Man City ahead of 2024. The Sky Blues are keen to strike a deal for the forward upon the conclusion of the campaign, with Pep Guardiola being a huge admirer of his target.

Brighton have set a price tag of €70-80m (£59-68m) in order to sanction the sale of their prized asset, so it’ll be interesting to see whether this is a deal that comes to fruition.

Brighton need to keep "beautiful talent" in Mitoma

In the Premier League this season, Mitoma has racked up seven contributions (four assists and three goals) in 13 appearances, so considering his excellent current form alongside the positive influence he has on the side, Brighton need to do everything that they possibly can to retain his services.

The Kawasaki native, who is sponsored by Puma, has recorded 23 shots over the course of the term which is more than any other of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Brighton statistics), highlighting how he stands out in the final third compared to his peers.

De Zerbi’s “beautiful talent”, as hailed by journalist Josh Bunting, is even a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions over the grass since the start of his career, including three roles across the frontline and two in the midfield, so it’s a no-brainer of a decision to keep him in the building beyond next summer.

انطلق اليوم الأربعاء معسكر منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم بقيادة حسام حسن المدير الفني، في إطار الاستعداد لمباراتي الرأس الأخضر وبوتسوانا ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.

وكانت قرعة تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا التي أقيمت في جنوب إفريقيا، 4 يوليو الماضي، أسفرت عن تواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة، بجوار منتخبات بوتسوانا والرأس الأخضر وموريتانيا.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي منتخب مصر أمام الرأس الأخضر يوم 6 سبتمبر المقبل، بينما يواجه بوتسوانا في الجولة الثانية يوم 10 من الشهر ذاته.

وشهد معسكر منتخب مصر، انتظام 6 لاعبين، بعد انطلاقه ظهر اليوم بأحد فنادق القاهرة، وهم: “حمدي فتحي والمهدي سليمان ومحمد الشامي وأحمد رمضان بيكهام وخالد صبحي وأسامة فيصل”.

طالع | قائمة منتخب مصر لمباراتي الرأس الأخضر وبوتسوانا في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025

وكان اتحاد الكرة قد أخطر جميع الأندية بموعد انطلاق معسكر المنتخب يوم 28 أغسطس من الشهر الجاري.

Ashley Young shared his opinion on Jose Mourinho's "disappointing" Manchester United tenure and admitted that certain players didn't give their all.

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Young trained under Mourinho from 2016 to 2018Was not happy with the style of playRevealed that players held back under MourinhoWHAT HAPPENED?

Young, who was a guest on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, reflected on Mourinho's time at Old Trafford, spanning from the summer of 2016 to December 2018. The full-back admitted that despite the initial anticipation surrounding Mourinho's appointment, the reality fell short of expectations, especially the Portuguese manager's brand of football.

AdvertisementGetty THE BIGGER PICTURE

Young remarked that the playing style under Mourinho did not align with the traditional ethos of Manchester United, a sentiment echoed by many fans and pundits during his tenure. However, he did admit that the players could have taken more initiative in adapting to Mourinho's methods and exerting themselves more on the pitch.

WHAT YOUNG SAID

"I think everyone was really excited about Jose coming in," Young said. "When you see what he did in his career you thought this is an appointment that could have happened years prior to when it did. I say a little disappointing, as to what was to come.

"You knew Jose from the Chelsea days and then he went to Real and then he's come back and you see the style of football that's being played. I don't think it was a style of football that suited the Manchester United way."

When asked if the players chatted among themselves about Mourinho's tactics, Young said: "Yeah of course players always talk and even then us as players we could have taken it on a bit more. I think there was too much surrounding the club and at times there were players who had been brought under the boss (Ferguson) it was sink or swim. And it was difficult times where I don't think players gave as much as they could."

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT?

Mourinho's departure from Manchester United in December 2018 followed a string of disappointing results and reported rifts within the squad. However, he did win the Carabao Cup and Europa League and went on to claim that finishing second in the Premier League in the 2017-18 season was the best result in his managerial career. His subsequent stints at Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma yielded mixed results, with the Portuguese tactician failing to replicate the success he enjoyed earlier in his career. Nonetheless, he is reportedly eager for a second coming at Old Trafford to replace the under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.

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O Internacional está pronto para encarar o Sport. No treino realizado no CT Parque Gigante, o comandante Abel Braga ajustou os últimos detalhes da equipe.

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A principal novidade é a volta de Caio Vidal. O jovem ficou com o lugar de Marcos Guilherme, que não agradou diante do Athletico.

As outras mudanças acontecem no meio-campo e lateral. Suspenso, Lindoso deixa o seu espaço para Rodrigo Dourado. Moisés, também suspenso pelo terceiro amarelo, cede lugar a Uendel.

Confira abaixo a provável escalação do Internacional: Marcelo Lomba; Rodinei, Lucas Ribeiro, Víctor Cuesta e Uendel; Rodrigo Dourado, Edenilson, Patrick, Praxedes e Caio Vidal; Yuri Alberto.

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Mikel Arteta will be pleased with how his Arsenal side hasn’t let the disappointment from last season negatively affect this campaign.

The north Londoners are currently second in the Premier League, yet they have the opportunity to return to the top against West Ham United on Thursday.

The Gunners already have a young squad, but the boss wants to add another exciting prospect to his side this January.

Arsenal transfers latest – Kenan Yildiz

According to Italian outlet, TuttoMercatoWeb, Arsenal are interested in signing 18-year-old Kenan Yildiz from Juventus.

The Italian side is willing to cash in on the youngster if the right offer arrives, as they need to raise funds.

However, it would take a fee of £34m to sign the Turkish attacker this January, and Juve will only accept a permanent move with a loan off the cards.

Kenan Yildiz’s style of play

It is no surprise that at 18 years old, Yildiz is extremely inexperienced, but he has featured for his country twice and had seven cameos for Juventus this season. Despite averaging very few minutes per game, he has already scored for both his club and country.

The Turkey prospect made his first start for the Old Lady last time out, and within 12 minutes, he had already scored his first goal for the club after skipping past three players in the box with one chop and firing a low, composed finish to the near post. A goal that was described as “wonderful” by Fabrizio Romano.

Yildiz is a skilful number ten by trade, with incredible vision and chance creation ability, which has earned him comparisons to Mesut Ozil. The ex-Bayern Academy star is also dynamic and thrives when receiving the ball on the half turn and driving at the opposition backline, where he stays composed and usually makes the right decision.

The 6 foot attacking midfielder is extremely agile and elegant for his height, and he has the ability to evade the press with ease. Yildiz is also extremely comfortable with both feet, which makes him far less predictable in and around the box. In short, he is simply a defender's nightmare, as they cannot get too tight or stand off him. Although he is a number ten, he tends to drift all over the field to find pockets of space, but he thrives on the left.

Despite having enough quality to be given minutes at the Gunners, it is safe to presume that he wouldn’t feature heavily under Arteta. Therefore, game time will be limited for the Turkish ace, who is simply desperate to play and develop alongside the very best.

The hope at Arsenal is that Yildiz could replicate what Ozil did at the club during his 184 Premier League matches, where he scored 33 goals and registered 59 assists. If the Juve attacker was able to live up to the standard of the World Cup winner, the move would be a success, but spending £34m in January on an inexperienced 18-year-old goes one of two ways: a masterstroke or a disaster.