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Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar says it is time for him to experience a "new challenge" as he prepares to join Nottingham Forest.

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• Edu set to leave Arsenal
• Will join Nottingham Forest
• Says he wants a new challenge

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Sporting director Edu will be leaving his role after five years in north London. The Brazilian appears set to join Nottingham Forest's multi-club group to oversee their transfer business as they look to solidify their good start to the Premier League season. Edu's work at the Emirates has paid dividends in recent years, but the 46-year-old says it is time for a new challenge.

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  WHAT EDU SAID

  Speaking on the club website, Edu said: "This was an incredibly hard decision to make. Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history. It has been a special journey and I thank Stan, Josh, Tim and Lord Harris for the support they’ve given me.

  "I’ve loved working with so many great colleagues across our men’s, women’s and academy teams, especially Mikel, who has become a great friend. Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Edu's resignation from his role at Arsenal represents a big change for both the director and the club. The former midfielder was responsible for bringing Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to the Gunners and Forest fans will be hoping he can work his magic to elevate them into a strong Premier League team, similar to what Monchi has done to Aston Villa.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR EDU AND ARSENAL?

  Arsenal will be on the hunt for a new sporting director who can continue to provide Mikel Arteta with the tools to compete for the top-flight crown. Meanwhile, Edu has aspirations of becoming CEO at Forest and could land a role with Greek side Olympiacos and Portuguese club Rio Ave as part of the Marinakis group.

Despite coming into the summer transfer window off the back of winning four consecutive Premier League titles, Manchester City could suffer a shock exit to Saudi Arabia this summer.

Man City transfer news

It's shaping up to be a year of uncertainty at The Etihad with Pep Guardiola's contract coming to an end next summer and the verdict of their 115 charges set to finally be revealed in late 2024, according to reports.

Losing Guardiola at such a time would undoubtedly be a major blow for the Cityzens, who could find themselves facing significant punishment if they lose their battle against their 115 charges and in search of a new manager to replace the irreplaceable.

Man City gifted chance to sign "fantastic" £195k-p/w star who Haaland loves

He recently squared off against the Citizens.

2

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 28, 2024

The Spaniard may not be the only one heading for the exit door, however, with Kevin de Bruyne linked with a move to become the latest Premier League star to swap English football for Saudi Arabia. The Belgian, whilst not at the peak of his fitness throughout the last campaign, returned from injury at the perfect time to take City to glory. Yet, he alongside one other City star may not be able to resist the riches offered by Saudi Arabia.

According to Cesar Luis Merlo, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have offered Ederson £500k-a-week to complete a move this summer in a package worth a total €60m (£51m) over two years for the player.

The 30-year-old suffered three injuries last season in what is a concerning sign for those at The Etihad ahead of next season. And if those injuries were to persist, then cashing in may yet be the right choice.

Ederson, meanwhile, could accept the chance to play alongside Ronaldo and earn an eye-watering amount in the process, avoiding any potential off-pitch chaos that Manchester City could be about to endure come 2025. As the summer transfer window progresses, the goalkeeper is certainly one to watch.

Replacing "crazy" Ederson is no easy task

Whether it's this summer or when his current contract expires in 2026, replacing Ederson will feel like mission impossible for Manchester City. Since arriving, the shot-stopper has become one of the best that the Premier League has ever seen when the ball is in his possession, with his passing range one that many associate with a midfielder rather than a goalkeeper.

Guardiola's praise, therefore, comes as no surprise. The Spaniard said via Manchester Evening News in 2022: "He is crazy. This guy is crazy, sometimes I think he doesn’t feel or something! He concedes a goal, he is calm, makes a save, he is calm, so stable and as a keeper he is fantastic. Outside, he is completely different.

"At that moment I thought it could be that close and after I see the image, one inch to the goal and doesn’t matter but it is what it is and so good he is so stable doesn’t feel the pressure. The most important thing in football you have to forget the previous action and he forget immediately, he is ready for the next one."

Chelsea endured a frustrating season last term as they failed to win a single major trophy under Mauricio Pochettino during the 2023/24 campaign.

The Blues lost to Liverpool in the final of the League Cup, which was the closest they came to silverware, and finished sixth in the Premier League, which means that they do not have Champions League football to look forward to.

Todd Boehly and his team made the decision to part ways with Pochettino at the end of that season and Enzo Maresca has been brought in from Leicester City, after winning the Championship title last term.

The Italian coach is now tasked with returning Chelsea to the glory days and competing for a top four place next term, if not for the title with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have already been snapped up by the Blues in their attempts to bolster the squad to achieve their goals, but there could be more work to be done before the end of the transfer window.

Chelsea's pursuit of Bundesliga speedster

According to Caught Offside, the Premier League side are preparing an offer to sign Karim Adeyemi from German giants Borussia Dortmund.

The report claims that the London giants are set to bid €30m (£25m) to sign the Germany international to improve their options on the wings ahead of next season.

It states that Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United also have an interest in the forward, but Chelsea appear to be moving quickly to get in ahead of their rivals.

Caught Offside adds that they plan to offer Adeyemi a long-term contract that would see his future secured through until the end of the 2030/31 campaign.

However, the report does not reveal whether or not the planned £25m offer will be enough to tempt Dortmund into cashing in on the Bundesliga speedster, whose pace was on full display against Chelsea a couple of seasons ago.

Caught Offside does, though, suggest that the 22-year-old dynamo could be brought in as a replacement for Raheem Sterling, who has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli could make a move to tempt the former England international into ending his stay at Stamford Bridge and move away from the Premier League, but he is said to be settled in London at this moment in time.

Instead of being a replacement for Sterling, though, Chelsea could sign Adeyemi to help them forget about a move for Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams.

Chelsea's interest in Nico Williams

It has been reported that the Blues are one of a number of teams interested in signing the Spain international before the end of the summer window.

Barcelona, Arsenal, and Liverpool are also said to be keen on the impressive winger but it is said that there are question marks over whether or not any of them are willing to meet his £49m release clause.

Due to it being a release clause, rather than a negotiated price between clubs, any team wanting to sign Williams would have to stump up the full fee upfront, unless Athletic Bilbao are willing to negotiate a different structure.

Signing Adeyemi for £25m, possibly spread out over several payments and add-ons, could, therefore, be a fantastic alternative to the Spanish whiz.

Williams, who has produced one goal and one assist in four Euro 2024 matches, enjoyed an impressive season in LaLiga for Athletic Bilbao last term.

As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old left winger showcased his superb creativity with ten 'big chances' put on a plate for his teammates, and 11 assists, in 31 matches.

Williams, who is a right-footed and direct forward on the left flank, did struggle somewhat with his finishing, though, with five goals from 6.02 xG in the Spanish top-flight.

This shows that he is far from the finished article and would be coming in as a project player for Maresca, which would also be the case with Adeyemi – who is only one year older.

Why Chelsea should sign Karim Adeyemi

The signing of the Dortmund forward would help the Blues to forget all about Williams and his expensive £49m release clause as he is also an explosive, rapid, winger who operates down the left flank.

It would need a bit of patience and faith from Chelsea supporters, though, as Adeyemi is coming off the back of a poor season at Dortmund, in which he scored three goals and provided one assist in 21 Bundesliga outings.

Whilst that could be looked at from a negative perspective, it could be seen as a fantastic opportunity to sign him for a low fee – possibly the £25m quoted – and look to unearth his potential.

In the 2022/23 campaign, the German speedster produced six goals, from 5.05 xG, and created nine 'big chances' in just 20 Bundesliga starts for Dortmund.

These statistics show that he has the potential to be as creative as Williams, who provided ten 'big chances' in 31 league games last term, whilst possibly offering more quality as a finisher by overperforming his xG.

As you can see in the table above, the Chelsea target also showcased his goalscoring prowess in his final season in the Austrian Bundesliga with RB Salzburg prior to his move to Dortmund.

These statistics show that Adeyemi, who was described as a "nightmare" for defenders by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has previously proven his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals in Austria and in Germany.

His downturn in form during the 2023/24 campaign should be looked at as an opportunity for Chelsea to revive his career and get him back to his very best.

Imagine him & Caicedo: Chelsea have held talks to sign £60m PL star

This would be an ambitious signing from the Blues.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 9, 2024

That would then allow the club to forget all about Williams as they would have a left winger with the ability to cause constant problems for opposition defenders, for almost half as much money if they can bring him for £25m.

Tottenham have appealed Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-match ban after the Uruguayan was found guilty of making a racist remark about Son Heung-min.

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• Bentancur hit with lengthy ban
• Spurs' rivals shocked by punishment
• Midfielder has apologised to Son

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bentancur was punished by the Football Association after suggesting in an interview that Spurs team-mate Son looked indistinguishable from other South Koreans. The Uruguay international apologised for his comments, but he's deemed to have breached FA Rule E3 – acting in "an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute". He has received a seven-match ban, been fined £100,000, and been instructed to attend an educational course.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Spurs accept the guilty verdict, but have challenged the length of the FA's ban, according to . The governing body applies a minimum six-game ban for racist abuse, but as Bentancur's case was considered to be an "aggravated breach" he received an extra match. The believe it's unlikely the ban will be reduced to fewer than six games.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 's report also claims that Tottenham's Premier League rivals are shocked by the severity of the ban, as well as the decision-making process, and believe they have been made an example of. The FA didn't investigate comments made by Enzo Fernandez and Rodri while on international duty in the summer, while former Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani received a three-match ban for using the term "negrito" in a social media post in 2020.

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• TELL ME MORE

  Fernandez escaped an FA investigation despite being filmed chanting racist and homophobic slurs about the France team while away on international duty with Argentina. The FA believes the incident, which happened during the Copa America, falls under FIFA's jurisdiction, not their own.

Ben White is set to miss months of action after suffering a combination of injuries, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

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• White set for significant lay-off
• Underwent surgery in November
• Unclear when he will return

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  White was nursing a knee injury prior to his reported surgery in November, but has only missed four games thus far. Having played through the pain and gone under the knife, he was initially expected to miss eight weeks, but Arteta has now claimed his lay-off will last "months".

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Arsenal have had to deal with significant injury issues this season, with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney, Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu all joining White in the treatment room. With a number of players out, the Gunners have struggled for fluency and sit fourth in the Premier League table, nine points behind leaders Liverpool.

• WHAT ARTETA SAID

  Arteta told reporters: "Ben is going to be out for months. It's been different kinds of struggles. It's never been the same thing. We had to make a decision. It's not been improving in the last few weeks unfortunately. We know that Ben is going to push every boundary but it got to a point a where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery. He agreed with that and unfortunately that's going to keep him out for a few months."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal host Nottingham Forest this weekend in a big game for their title ambitions. The two clubs are actually level on points after Nuno Espirito Santo's side emerged as one of the most in-form teams in the league.

In their quest to finally beat Manchester City to the Premier League title next season, Arsenal look set to bolster Mikel Arteta's side with a number of new players this summer.

Gunners target fresh faces this summer

The latest news out of the Emirates has seen the saga around Riccardo Calafiori's future look as if it is finally drawing to a close. The Italian defender rose to prominence last season as a part of the Bologna side that qualified for the Champions League.

Arsenal's 7/10 hero v Man Utd can have Arteta forgetting about Williams

He produced an excellent display for the Gunners in the second half.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 28, 2024

Calafiori took his domestic form to this summer's EURO 2024 tournament where the 22-year-old stood out as one of the few bright spots in an Italy side that fell at the round of sixteen stage of the competition. The latest developments suggest that the defender's move to North London is close to completion with a report from last week suggesting that an agreement had been reached on a £42 million fee for the player.

Another long-term Arsenal target who appears to be edging closer to a move is Viktor Gyokeres. The Sporting CP talisman has been in Edu Gaspar's sights for some time with the most recent news claiming that the Gunners are insistent on getting the deal over the line.

With both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool sniffing around the deal, it may prove slightly more difficult than first thought to bring the Swedish striker to the Emirates this summer. Rounding off the names currently doing the rounds around North London is Mikel Merino. The Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder is said to have agreed personal terms with the Gunners ahead of a potential return to English football.

As the rumour mill continues to turn at the Emirates, it appears that Arsenal have made contact with the representatives of a highly-rated player as they plot a move to bring him to the club.

Arsenal eye a move for Argentina ace

As reported in the Argentine press and relayed by Football London, Arsenal are one of many clubs interested in a move for Boca Juniors midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez. The outlet claims that the 22-year-old has decided that he wants to play his football abroad despite his current contract keeping him in Argentina until 2028.

The Gunners are said to have informed Fernandez's entourage they are interested in bringing the player to North London, although Arteta's side are yet to submit a formal bid for the player.

This isn't the first instance of Fernandez having admirers in England with Liverpool midfieder Alexis Mac Allister recommending the player during his time with Brighton: “He is always prepared to receive the ball, he plays with both legs, he can play as a five, as an inside player…he is a player who has certain very good conditions and, if Brighton asked me, I would say his name.”

With the Gunners already making contact with Fernandez's representatives, this could be a deal that progresses quickly before the window slams shut at the end of next month.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have splashed the cash on 47 players since taking over Wrexham to fuel their incredible promotion run.

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• Hollywood duo have spent significantly on incomings
• Have climbed from National League to League One
• Mo Faal remains the record signing for £590,000

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham have undergone a stunning transformation since Reynolds and McElhenney purchased the club in February 2021. The Hollywood duo's financial backing has been instrumental in propelling the North Wales outfit from the National League to League One, with lofty ambitions of eventually competing in the Premier League.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to Wrexham's spending spree has seen the arrival of 47 players, with the duo spending nearly £6.2 million ($7.8m) on transfer fees. This represents an average outlay of £132,000 ($167,000) per player, spread across seven players per transfer window since the summer of 2021. While many of Wrexham's standout acquisitions, such as Paul Mullin, Elliot Lee, and Arthur Okonkwo, have been free transfers, the club's financial muscle has been flexed in recent big-money moves.

  The first significant splash came in January 2022, when striker Ollie Palmer joined Wrexham from AFC Wimbledon for a reported fee of £300,000. This record was short-lived, however, as the club pushed its spending limits further in subsequent windows. This summer, Wrexham shelled out an estimated £500,000 to sign midfielder Ollie Rathbone from Rotherham United, only for that record to be surpassed again by the £590,000 acquisition of Mo Faal from West Brom.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Parkinson, who took charge of the team during the Reynolds-McElhenney era, has overseen a remarkable ascent, guiding Wrexham to back-to-back promotions. The club is now eyeing an unprecedented third successive promotion to the Championship. ambitions received an additional boost with new investment from the Allyn family of New York. The £11.3 million share issue announced recently adds to the club's financial arsenal, ensuring that the Red Dragons are well-equipped to pursue further success.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham face a critical test next Tuesday with a home game against sixth-placed Barnsley. A positive result will help them keep the pressure on leaders Wycombe as they currently find themselves trailing by four points, having played a match more.

In yet another hectic transfer window, Chelsea are set to complete their seventh signing of the summer, with a player reportedly set to travel to complete his medical in the coming days.

Chelsea transfer news

After failing to qualify for the Champions League in another dismal campaign last time out, Chelsea parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino in his debut season before welcoming Enzo Maresca fresh from Championship promotion with Leicester City. The former Foxes boss is the latest manager tasked with steering a sinking ship back towards glory under Todd Boehly, and he's certainly been backed in pursuit of that this summer.

The Blues have so far welcomed six new players, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall following the Italian to Stamford Bridge alongside Omari Kellyman, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo.

Most recent signing Wiley is unlikely to be the last through the door, with just over a month left until the transfer window slams shut and a matter of weeks before the new Premier League campaign gets underway.

According to Esto Es Boca (via Ben Jacobs), Aaron Anselmino will travel to complete his Chelsea medical in the coming days to confirm a move worth around a reported £14m. All going well, those at Stamford Bridge will have a wait on their hands to see their new man in action, given that he is set to return to Boca Juniors for the remainder of their league campaign, which ends in December.

Imagine him & Palmer: Chelsea can land £152k-p/w ace who's like Bellingham

The star has caught the attention of multiple sides across Europe this summer.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 27, 2024

Still just 19 years old, Anselmino fits the trend of young South Americans in west London, joining the likes of Deivid Washington and Angelo, who completed similar moves last summer. Boehly will hope that it is this new-found contingent that eventually takes Chelsea back to the top of English and European football.

"Promising" Anselmino is one for the future

Chelsea have once again focused on the future when it comes to the majority of their incomings this summer, despite enduring another campaign to forget last time out. It seems as though Boehly is more than willing to sacrifice present-day results with an eye on years to come, and Anselmino is very much a part of that.

The teenager will only benefit from an extra few months at Boca Juniors before making a claim for a spot in Maresca's squad, perhaps in place of the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, who was left out of the Blues' tour of the USA as they look to show their academy graduate the door. Described as "highly promising" by South American football expert Nathan Joyes, Anselmino has a big future ahead.

A seventh signing of the summer, Chelsea have splashed the cash yet again in the hope of finally returning to the Champions League places this season.

Sacking the sporting director just five months after hiring him adds to the sense that the billionaire co-owner is taking the club backwards

Dan Ashworth spent about as much time on gardening leave as he did working for Manchester United. Let that sink in for a minute. The man who United believed was such a talented sporting director that they were prepared to wait five months for him to start work and paid up to £3 million ($3.8m) to prise him from Newcastle, was deemed not fit for purpose just five months into the role.

Ashworth is the latest high-profile name to drink from the poisoned chalice of working for Manchester United and see his impressive achievements at former clubs eaten up by his failure writ large at Old Trafford. Serial-winners such as Raphael Varane and Casemiro have been down this path, as have elite managers such as Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Erik ten Hag.

Now not even the executives are safe. And the highest ranking executive at the club comes out of this bizarre saga looking worst of all: Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

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  Making a mockery of 'recruitment' claim

  Long before Ratcliffe had even considered buying his stake in United, the billionaire took aim at the club's shoddy recruitment policy. As far back as 2019 he described the club he has supported since a child as "the dumb money". And when he took control of the club's football operation late last year, he said that the key to getting United back towards the elite was fixing the recruitment. He mentioned the word six times in a roundtable interview with journalists in February.

  He said: "Recruitment in the modern game is critical. Manchester United have clearly spent a lot of money but they haven’t done as well as some other clubs. So when I was talking about being best in class in all aspects of football, recruitment is clearly top of the list. I’m thinking about getting recruitment in a good place in the future. There’s not much I can do about what’s happened in the past. Our thinking is all about how we become first in class in recruitment going forward. Which means you need the right people."

  Yet after talking so much about the importance of getting the right people, it seems Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleague Sir Dave Brailsford have botched one of the biggest calls they could make, the sporting director. United had been playing catch-up with the top clubs in Europe for years by only deciding to appoint a sporting director in 2021 when they promoted John Murtough from within. Before him, chief executive Ed Woodward, whose background was in accounting and investment banking, did most of the work in this key area.

  Hiring Ashworth, who had played a big role in the success stories of England and Brighton, was seen as a step in the right direction at last. Ashworth's status seemed to justify the huge effort the club made to get him from Newcastle, which nearly landed them in trouble when it emerged they had approached him while he was still working for the Magpies. But not even one of the best operators in the sport was deemed good enough for Ratcliffe.

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  Treading on toes

  Sacking Ashworth, who was reportedly told about the decision soon after United's 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest, which he had brought his family to, was a massive shock. And yet, with hindsight, there was a small clue in an interview Ratcliffe had given to the fanzine The co-owner had talked up the recent appointments he had made within the last year, hailing Ruben Amorim as "a fantastic coach" and Omar Berrada as "a great chief executive". But there was no mention of Ashworth, who, back in that February interview, he had described as "clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world" and "a very capable person".

  It has been revealed that Ratcliffe was not impressed with Ashworth's approach to naming a successor to Erik ten Hag. The billionaire was said to be 'disappointed' that the sporting director would not look beyond candidates he had previously worked with such as Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate, meaning he ended up tasking Berrada with leading the search for the new boss. Amorim may prove to be an excellent appointment and only time will tell if Ratcliffe was right to dismiss Ashworth's suggestions.

  But it ultimately appears that he was not willing to trust Ashworth to do the job he was hired for. Ratcliffe clearly wanted his say in a process which Ashworth was supposed to lead. And that is not a good sign. Ratcliffe's background is in petrochemicals and sport is very much a hobby to him rather than his area of expertise. Treading on Ashworth's toes sets a worrying precedent.

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  Ten Hag call should fall on him

  Another intriguing aspect of the breakdown in Ratcliffe and Ashworth's relationship relates to the decision to keep Ten Hag last summer. Ratcliffe clearly harboured big doubts about the Dutchman's suitability for the job after the team finished eighth in the Premier League – their worst performance in 34 years – and in the build-up to the FA Cup final it emerged that the club had held talks with Kieran McKenna, while it was later revealed they also approached Thomas Tuchel and Thomas Frank.

  Ultimately, Ratcliffe decided to make a U-turn and not just keep Ten Hag in charge, but trigger the one-year extension in his contract. That decision, and the talks with other potential managers, took place before Ashworth had officially began work on July 1. In a September interview with journalists, Ashworth, like Berrada, was at pains to point out that he had not made the decision on Ten Hag as he was not working for the club at the time. And the remarks, according to the , were said to have 'gone down like a lead balloon' with Ratcliffe.

  It is a curious explanation for Ratcliffe taking against Ashworth though, not least because Berrada had also shirked responsibility for the decision to keep the faith with Ten Hag. Both men were not supposed to have been involved in that process and, had they admitted to doing so, could even have found themselves in legal difficulties due to the terms of their departures from Newcastle and Manchester City respectively. But more importantly, that decision should fall on Ratcliffe.

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  £25m in compensation fees

  The INEOS chief had five months to observe Ten Hag up close and determine whether he was the right man for the job or not. He was about to conclude that he wasn't, but the surprise win in the FA Cup final over City made it more politically difficult to sack Ten Hag. He ultimately backed away from making what would have been an unpopular decision at that time even though he knew it was the right one.

  And giving Ten Hag an extra year could not erase the fact that everyone knew Ratcliffe didn't truly believe in the coach. Ratcliffe effectively kicked the can down the road until the next season, increasing the cost of dismissing Ten Hag and his staff (£10.4m/$13m according to club accounts) and obliging United to pay around £11m ($14m) to free Amorim from his contract with Sporting CP. United have now spent approximately £70m ($89m) on hiring and firing managers in the 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. And almost a third of that has come on Ratcliffe's watch.

  The decision to fire Ashworth little more than a month after axing Ten Hag means that in the last year alone United have spent around £25m ($32m) in compensation fees on two roles, and they will now have to spend even more money to replace Ashworth with another 'best in class' sporting director.

Supporters might be grumbling about Liverpool's transfer business this summer (or lack thereof, to be more precise), but it's worth remembering that FSG's new structure speaks of stability and success.

Michael Edwards, demonstrably, is worth his salt, and his underling Richard Hughes is certainly not twiddling his thumbs as Liverpool continue to bide their time in the market, the only Premier League side yet to make a signing.

Virgil van Dijk is entering the final year of his contract, but FSG feel Liverpool's backline is sufficiently protected after Jarell Quansah's emergence. Similarly, a flanker has been desired by fan circles but Liverpool have a wealth of attacking talent.

Fans would call for a specialist No. 6 to be signed to anchor Arne Slot's midfield for the years ahead, with recent rumours suggesting that holding midfielder Wataru Endo is attracting significant interest.

Wataru Endo's future at Liverpool

The Athletic's James Pearce has recently revealed that Liverpool have rejected a €14m (roughly £12m) offer from Marseille over the channel for Endo, whose ball-playing quality (or lack, again, thereof) doesn't really align with Slot's elegant, uber-controlling brand of football.

The Japanese was a shrewd and successful stop-gap option last year, starting 20 matches in the Premier League and playing a crucial part in winning the Carabao Cup, but Liverpool must now enter a new phase.

He's indeed technically limited and failed his first audition under new guidance, struggling to perform as Liverpool started off their pre-season tour with a 1-0 victory over Real Betis, being branded with a 4/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo's Paul Gorst.

The correspondent wrote: 'Looked nervous in possession and gave it away in a couple of dangerous areas. One disinterested attempt at a pass caused Betis to bomb on with numbers before Nabil Fekir shot wide. Was later booked. Way off it but as the rest of the summer to sharpen up.'

It's also important to factor in Endo's overall performance level at Liverpool. In the Premier League last season, as per Sofascore, the £50k-per-week ace only won 41% of his contested ground duels, hardly speaking of the kind of steely authority needed under Slot's wing, to ensure the new tactics hit the ground running.

Market value is certainly not everything in identifying a player's ability by any stretch, but Endo, aged 31, is not going to fetch a price significantly above what Marseille presented.

Market value isn't everything, but it can be used in admiration of a club's finest stars, with one seemingly skyrocketing toward the most lucrative standing in Liverpool's squad.

The man in question is Harvey Elliott.

Harvey Elliott's market value in 2024

Under Klopp, Elliott bemoaned his lack of playing time, stating in January that he was not content with his role of 'super-sub', instead arguing that his lofty skillset deserves a regular starting berth.

This is not baseless. The 21-year-old was fantastic across the closing months of the 2023/24 campaign, chalking up a goal and four assists across the final six Premier League matches of the term.

His underlying metrics are all the more impressive. As per FBref, Elliott ranks among the top 1% of centre-midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive passes and the top 4% for progressive carries per 90.

Such statistics speak of an exciting rise to prominence that has arrived without Elliott establishing himself as one of Liverpool's mainstays. Undoubtedly, he is one of European football's most talented players of his age group, but there is a sense that under Slot's wing, he could explode into life.

Deservedly hailed as a "special talent" by Pearce, Elliott is on the fast track to becoming one of the Premier League's finest players, seeing his market value shoot skyward over the past few years, having been signed from Fulham for a later-decided £4m tribunal fee when he was a 16-year-old.

He's now played an important role for the Reds across the past two campaigns, finally starting to earn regular starting berths in the Premier League at the final phase of Klopp's illustrious tenure – also seeing his output rise in front of goal.

Perhaps Klopp says it best. At the end of his Liverpool tenure, the German actually revealed that his biggest "regret" is that he "did not play [Harvey] more", making a telling comment on the calibre of his skillset.

Let's corroborate this further. According to CIES Football Observatory's valuation model, Elliott currently has a market price of roughly £72m, placing him leagues above his experienced midfielder partner Endo, 500% more, in fact, if referencing that £12m Marseille bid.

Circumstances and age differ, of course, so naturally Endo is not going to offer the same kind of market value, but there's little to question surrounding Elliott's fast-rising value in Liverpool's squad.

Liverpool must ensure that their exciting midfielder is kept on the books for years to come and allowed to bloom into a top-class superstar. The fact that he is already so far above Endo simply tells the story of his exciting rise. The best is yet to come.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 29, 2024