Aston Villa suffered a horrendous defeat at Villa Park in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, as Everton rewrote their fortune in the Midlands this season with a 2-1 victory.

Unai Emery’s side were dealt their second cup defeat in the past six days, with their Europa Conference League opener ending in a similar fashion, as Legia Warsaw were 3-2 winners last Thursday.

A goal in the opening 15 minutes of play for the visitors seemed to set the tone of the match, as the hosts failed to cause Sean Dyche’s squad any problems, with their second goal coming just five minutes after the interval.

The Villans did get one back through Boubacar Kamara, however it wasn’t enough to get the win as the Midlands giants crashed out of the cup in the third round.

How did Aston Villa play against Everton?

In an opening 45 minutes of play that was described to be “calamitous” by Sky Sports commentator Gary Taphouse, Emery’s rotated side looked unrecognisable to the quality of the 11 that slayed Everton 4-0 just last month.

It was an evening of terrible individual performances for the hosts that accumulated a disastrous and disconnected team display, with the squad statistics telling a different story to what was seen on the pitch.

Villa held 68% of possession, which was inconclusive as the Blues recorded four big chances to the Villans’ zero, telling of just how dominant Everton were in the final third, and how anonymous the home side were, via Sofascore.

Changes were made to the usual XI, which naturally caused problems for the cohesion of the side, with the changes in midfield proving costly and reinforcing just how influential the presence of Douglas Luiz and Kamara is in the favoured lineup.

Leander Dendoncker and Youri Tielemans were added to the fold, and were ironically two of the poorest players on the pitch, as highlighted by Dendoncker’s Sofascore match rating of 6.4.

The former Wolves midfielder was dubbed an “unmitigated disaster” by members of the media during the game, as he failed to make an impact, leading to him being withdrawn at half-time.

The 28-year-old’s insignificant display was made to look better thanks to his countryman, as Tielemans was undeniably Villa’s worst performer on the night.

How did Youri Tielemans play against Everton?

Criticised for his “largely anonymous” career in the Midlands so far by podcaster Dan Rolinson, the former Leicester City whiz had an evening to forget against Everton, as he recorded an abysmal Sofascore match rating of 5.9.

The £150k-per-week dud was at fault for Everton’s second goal, misplacing a pass in midfield to allow Dominic Calvert-Lewin to race through the final third to finish, with such sequence of play branded as “sloppy” by journalist John Townley.

Aside from his match-defining error, the Belgian won just two out of his nine attempted ground duels and lost possession 11 times, leaving WhoScored’s Martin Lawrence “amazed” that he survived the half-time changes.

The 26-year-old has already hit out publicly at Emery for his “not pleasant” start to life at Villa due to limited game time, however after last night’s performance, the former Anderlecht sensation has not helped his cause.

أعلن ديديه ديشامب المدير الفني لمنتخب فرنسا تشكيل الفريق أمام النمسا في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما مساء اليوم الاثنين، بكأس الأمم الأوروبية.

ويلتقي منتخب فرنسا مع نظيره النمسا على ملعب “اسبرت آرينا” في مدينة دوسلروف بألمانيا.

وتأتي مباراة فرنسا والنمسا ضمن مباريات الجولة الأولى لدور المجموعات بكأس أمم أوروبا “يورو 2024”.

ويحمل مبابي شارة قيادة منتخب فرنسا، ويقود هجوم الفريق أمام النمسا في مباراة اليوم. تشكيل فرنسا أمام النمسا 

حراسة المرمى: مايك ماينان.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، أوباميكانو، ويليام ساليبا، ثيو هيرنانديز.

خط الوسط: أنطوان جريزمان، نجولو كانتي، أدريان رابيو.

خط الهجوم: عثمان ديمبلي، كيليان مبابي، تورام.

البدلاء: سامبا، أريولا، بافارد، ميندي، كامافينجا، تشواميني، جيرو، راندال كولو مواني، وارن زائير إيمري، فوفانا، كومان، كلاوس، كوناتي، باركولا.

يذكر أنه في مبارايات المجموعة ذاتها، حقق منتخب هولندا فوزًا أمام بولندا بهدفين مقابل هدف وحيد.

Rangers’ underwhelming season continues.

On Sunday, the Light Blues battled to a 3-1 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle, with Václav Černý on target in Edinburgh, while Jamie McCart scored not one but two unfortunate own goals.

That makes it five Premiership wins in a row for Philippe Clement’s team, who are unbeaten in nine league matches since Boxing Day, but this matters very little, considering they remain 13 points adrift Celtic, set for a trophyless campaign, having been ignominiously dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park.

So, all the Light Blues really have to play for is the Europa League, set to face one of Bodø/Glimt, Anderlercht, Fenerbahçe or Twente in the round of 16.

In recent times, Rangers supporters have loved their Europa League Thursdays, getting all the way to the final three seasons ago, and one of the stars of the run to Seville is impressing at another Scottish club, so will they rue letting him go for free?

Rangers' struggles in front of goal

Rangers have now failed to score on five occasions this season, most notably against Queen’s Park in that historic cup defeat, while, despite bagging three at Tynecastle this weekend, they’ve only netted 19 times in 13 Premiership away matches.

So, let’s compare Rangers’ goal-scoring issues to previous campaigns.

Statistics

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Premiership goals scored

80

93

87

54

Premiership away goals scored

40

43

36

19

Premiership matches scored nil

2

2

3

3

Premiership matches scoring 4+

6

8

6

3

Goals-per-game in Europe

1.4

0.8

1.3

1.7

Rangers are currently on course to score 78 goals in this season’s Premiership, their lowest tally for a completed campaign since 2017/18, while their current tally of 19 goals away from home means they’re projected to score just 28 times on the road, their fewest since returning to the top division.

Failure to score in any of their remaining 12 league fixtures would be record-breaking, while they’ve only scored four, or more, on three occasions in the league so far, down from six during the previous campaign.

On the flip side, the Gers have scored 16 goals in eight Europa League matches so far, netting at least once during all of their league phase fixtures, including putting four past both Steaua Bucharest and Nice.

Nevertheless, consistent goalscoring is a clear weakness for this team, so did they make a mistake letting a goalscoring midfielder depart for free?

Ex-Rangers midfielder flying back at former club

Scott Arfield will always go down in history as Steven Gerrard’s first-ever signing as Rangers manager, arriving on a free transfer from Burnley in 2018, and what an excellent edition this proved to be.

He made 233 appearances for the Light Blues, scoring 43 goals and providing 19 assists, winning the Premiership title and a Scottish Cup, also a key member of the side who reached the Europa League Final, featuring in 16 European fixtures that season.

Then manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst described the Canadian international as “really important”, before the midfielder departed to join Major League Soccer outfit Charlotte FC, following the expiration of his contract in 2023.

He spent 12 months in North Carolina, making 33 appearances and scoring three goals, before returning to British football with Bolton Wanderers in EFL League One, albeit he featured just 16 times for the Trotters.

Arfield was then on the move again, re-joining Scottish Championship side Falkirk in January, returning to the club he had departed 15 years earlier.

Where Are They Now

Well, fair to say he had an immediate impact, scoring less than 60 seconds into his second Bairns debut, bagging a hat-trick during a 5-2 victory over Partick Thistle, before scoring again during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Ayr.

This means, in just two appearances back in Scotland, Arfield has now scored twice as many league goals as Rangers’ Nedim Bajrami has managed all season. The pair both have four goals between them across all competitions this season, yet Bajrami has made double the number of appearances.

Falkirk, who won the League One title unbeaten last season, are currently top of the Championship, seeking a second successive promotion that would take them into the top-flight for the first time since 2010.

Some supporters may have noticed that, whatever club he has been at, Arfield always wears the number 37 shirt, but the heartbreaking story behind this has only recently come to light.

This is a tribute to his former teammate Craig Gowans who, at the age of just 17, was killed back in 2005 when a metal pole he was holding collided with an overhead electricity pylon.

As outlined by Andrew Slaven of the Scottish Football Show, Falkirk had previously retired the number 37 shirt, with Arfield phoning up Gowans’ father asking for permission to wear it, who replied “wear it with pride”, a gesture Slaven describes as ‘really special’.

As well as being classy off the park, Arfield has shown he still has plenty to offer on it, even if at Championship level, emphasising he might just be the exact type of goal-scoring midfielder – and Bajrami upgrade – that Rangers are missing.

Cantwell signed instead: Rangers missed out on star who's now worth £110m

Rangers missed out on signing a player who is now one of the best in the Premier League

ByRoss Kilvington Feb 17, 2025

Ollie Pope’s second century of the season deepened the belief that he is a young batsman to reckon with

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2018
ScorecardOllie Pope celebrates his century•Getty ImagesOllie Pope enhanced his reputation as one of the best young batsmen in the country by scoring his second Specsavers County Championship hundred of the season to lead Surrey’s fightback against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval.England captain Joe Root, leading Yorkshire for only the fourth time after Gary Ballance was struck down by illness, saw Surrey slump to 69 for 4 on a well-grassed pitch.But Pope, who is playing only his tenth first-class match, added an unbeaten 131 to his 145 against Hampshire last month as Surrey recovered to 366 for 7 at stumps on day one.The 20-year-old helped Dean Elgar (61) add 68 for the fifth wicket then counter-attacked with Rikki Clarke in a punishing stand of 129 in 28.2 overs for the seventh wicket as batting conditions improved.Pope played some eye-catching shots through the off side and picked off anything aimed at his pads when Yorkshire’s seamers tried a leg-stump line. He left well too and his only moment of alarm came when he took a single into the covers to reach 50 and would have been run out had Harry Brook’s throw at the non-striker’s end hit the stumps.His second 50 came off 67 balls while Clarke offered made the most of a life on 16 when he was put down at slip by Cheteshwar Pujara. His 71 off 91 balls included ten fours and two sixes, both swiped over mid-wicket off Josh Shaw, and he reached 10,000 first-class runs when he was on 26.The stand was broken when Adam Lyth held on at the second attempt at second slip in Jack Brooks’ first over with the second new ball but Pope and Jade Dernbach punished some wayward bowling before stumps, adding 72 in 11 overs. Pope has faced 194 balls and hit 22 fours.Rikki Clarke has reached 10,000 runs•ESPNcricinfo LtdIt was all in sharp contrast to a difficult morning for Surrey as the Yorkshire seamers shared four top-order wickets. England opener Mark Stoneman’s tough start to the domestic season – he has yet to pass 30 so far – continued when he was lbw half-forward to Tim Bresnan. Rory Burns became Brooks’ 400th first-class wicket, Scott Borthwick played a very loose shot outside off stump and Ben Foakes feathered a thin edge off Steve Patterson.Elgar stood firm though as he passed 50 for the first time since joining Surrey and it was a surprise when he lost his leg stump when Root came on after lunch to bowl his off-breaks. It was Root’s first Championship wicket for 13 months.When Patterson angled the ball across Sam Curran to pick up his second wicket Surrey were 162 for 6 but then Pope and Clarke changed the complexion of the day.

FA Registered Intermediary Paul O'Keefe has shared some very interesting news out of Tottenham Hotspur on Son Heung-min's future at the club.

Latest Tottenham news

New manager Ange Postecoglou's reign at Spurs has begun rather promisingly, with the north Londoners scoring 11 goals in their last four games whilst winning three out of a possible four.

Tottenham put an opening day draw away to Brentford behind them with impressive victories over the likes of Bournemouth, Man United and Burnley just prior to the international break.

Players like Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, previously outcasts under Antonio Conte, have thrived in Postecoglou's new-look, attacking Spurs system.

Summer signings like James Maddison have also performed unbelievably, with the England international bagging two goals and two assists in the Premier League already.

As a result, Postecoglou is proving a popular figure in north London and has been showered with praise for his exceptional start to life in the English capital.

Doubts had surrounded the 58-year-old's appointment given his lack of experience in elite European divisions, but he's so far put those concerns well and truly to bed.

Speaking to Sky Sports last month, Postecoglou explained his philosophy in detail and the need to play exciting football for the fans.

"That's the beauty of our game," Postecoglou said.

"The beauty of football is that there are so many ways you can have success, so many ways you can set up your team, so many ways you can counteract the opposition.

"I'm probably at one extreme and there are others at the other extreme and we can both have success in this game.

"I think especially with a football club like this, that has consistently looked for that in their teams, they've loved the entertainers, there's a connection there with that kind of football."

What's been said about Son Heung-min?

Another player who's seriously loving life under Postecoglou right now is Son, who recently bagged a sensational hat-trick during their 5-2 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.

The South Korea international endured a pretty tough campaign over 2022/2023, but after being given the captaincy to replace Harry Kane, he's now looking to replicate his 21/22 form.

Agent O'Keefe, taking to X on Friday night, has shared some news on Son's future at N17.

It is believed the 31-year-old, whose contract expires in 2025, could be rewarded with fresh terms as Spurs seek to tie him down with an extension.

"Tottenham are looking to extend captain Sonny’s contract with some informal talks already taken place." wrote O'Keefe

He later added that Son is a "commercial goldmine".

How good is Son Heung-min?

Scoring three goals in four matches so far this season, Son has been praised by Postecoglou as a member of his three core Tottenham leaders – which also includes Cristian Romero and James Maddison.

"Sonny, whether he’s playing central or wide, has got all the characteristics," said Postecoglou.

"He can play in any system, but the way we play, he’s ideal.

"Those three I’ve thrust into leadership positions and the way they’ve embraced that responsibility with not only words but actions, not just on game day but on a daily basis — that’s as encouraging for me as anything."

Despite losing two key bowlers to injury, Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to pull off the second-lowest successful defence in the IPL

The Report by Sreshth Shah24-Apr-20183:01

Faulkner: You’d chase 119 ten out of ten times

Defending 118 – their second-lowest total in IPL history – a depleted Sunrisers Hyderabad attack systematically dismantled Mumbai Indians for 87 at the Wankhede Stadium, handing the hosts their fifth loss in six games. Sunrisers’ win marked the second-lowest total successfully defended in the IPL, and only the third time across seasons that all 20 wickets had fallen in a match. Mumbai’s 87 was their lowest IPL score as well.Legspinner Rashid Khan’s 2 for 11 – a spell that included 16 dot balls, and a maiden in the 17th over – stifled Mumbai’s chase in the middle, after which their Indian fast bowlers – Siddarth Kaul and Basil Thampi – ran through the hosts’ lower order. Sunrisers’ bowling effort was all the more remarkable, given the absence of the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake.McClenaghan, Markande trip up Sunrisers
Sunrisers openers Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan lasted just nine deliveries together before Mitchell McClenaghan’s double-strike in the space of three deliveries rattled them. Manish Pandey, who looked stylish in a brief stay, slapped one to cover for a 11-ball 16, while a mix-up with Williamson sent Shakib Al Hasan back. Williamson, who struck five fours in his 21-ball 29, then inside-edged one to the keeper to leave Sunrisers 63 for 5.BCCI

Yusuf Pathan and Mohammad Nabi’s small partnership forced Rohit Sharma to introduce legspinner Mayank Markande, and he struck immediately. Nabi’s ungainly heave to a googly left the stumps rattled, before a legbreak went under Basil Thampi’s attempted cut. With Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman operating at the death, Sunrisers were bowled out for 118 in the 19th over.Mumbai’s slow, wobbly start
With the required rate under six, Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav had the liberty to go slow. But Sandeep Sharma, playing only his second game this season, triggered a collapse. He removed Lewis through an inswinger that drew a leading edge to cover. Ishan Kishan, who had a rough day behind the stumps, collected his second duck in three games when he stepped out and mistimed a loft to long-off. Then, Rohit Sharma struck an expansive drive that was superbly taken by Dhawan at slip. Mumbai finished the Powerplay at 22 for 3, the season’s slowest so far, but were still favourites because of their batting depth.Rashid breaks Mumbai’s back
Krunal Pandya’s 40-run fourth-wicket partnership with Suryakumar kept Mumbai in the hunt. It appeared as if the duo had repaired the damage. And then, Rashid arrived. He trapped Krunal with a slider that was overturned on review. Then, Kieron Pollard succumbed to Rashid’s dot-ball pressure. After biffing a huge six off Shakib Al Hasan, he fell to a tame guide into the hands of Dhawan at slip. Within two overs, Rashid had managed to break into the lower order. He completed his spell with a maiden; by then, Sunrisers had more than just a sniff.Basil Thampi, introduced in only the 15th over of the chase, struck with his fifth ball to remove Suryakumar. For the longest time, his 38-ball 34 seemed to be a match-winning performance, until a whip against a fullish ball found Rashid at the deep square leg boundary. Mumbai were six down, but with Hardik Pandya at the crease and five overs to go, they weren’t out yet.Siddarth Kaul then produced a fierce second spell in which he knocked over McClenaghan and Markande with pace, and followed that up with the wicket of Hardik, who sliced a catch for a painstaking 19-ball three. At 81 for 9, Mumbai were all but gone, and when Mustafizur mistimed a pull off Thampi in the 19th over, it was the final nail.

Malinga had earlier said he would not be returning to Sri Lanka until the end of the IPL, where he is serving as Mumbai Indians’ bowling mentor

Madushka Balasuriya 02-May-2018Lasith Malinga’s international future has been put in further doubt after SLC told the 34-year old fast bowler that the only way he could get back into the team was by playing domestic cricket.Malinga was up for selection in Sri Lanka’s domestic Inter-Provincial one-day tournament, which is set to begin on May 2. However, prior to the announcement of squads, he stated that he would not be returning to the island until the end of the IPL, where he is serving as Mumbai Indians’ bowling mentor.”The selectors wanted him back, and he has to play domestic cricket according to them,” SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala said. “We’re playing our white-ball tournament, and 50-over and T20. I’m sure before the next international engagement which is South Africa and then the Asia Cup and so forth, he needs to play T20 games and 50 overs. If Lasith is not playing a domestic tournament, the selectors will have to make a call.”Despite performing well in T20s domestically over the last few months, picking up 17 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 11.35, Malinga was overlooked for the Nidahas Trophy in March. In fact, he hasn’t played for Sri Lanka since last September, having returned from a lengthy injury layoff at the start of 2017.Since then, his ODI form – 10 wickets in 13 ODIs at an average of 62 – has been patchy. He has had a good run in T20s, picking up 12 wickets in six games at 16.50. Malinga believes this, along with his domestic form, warrants a return to the national team starting with Sri Lanka’s home series against South Africa in July.SLC CEO Ashley De Silva assured Malinga was still in the minds of selectors, but said that his future inclusion hinged on the fast bowler proving himself domestically.”He has made himself available for selection and selectors have also picked him to play in one of the provinces,” de Silva said. “He hasn’t given any indication that he would be retiring, neither have the selectors given him an indication that they would not be considering him. So therefore if he performs well domestically he will be considered.”

Tottenham Hotspur are now readying a fresh approach for a player Ange Postecoglou was keen on signing in the summer transfer window, according to a report.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

With Harry Kane departing to join Bayern Munich back in the summer, Tottenham could look at bringing in a new forward, and Celtic's Daizen Maeda has now been named as a potential option, alongside Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney.

Gent forward Gift Orban was of interest to Spurs in the previous window, and scouts were "convinced" the club should have signed the 21-year-old, but the €30m (£26m) asking price proved to be prohibitive, with Spurs being "scared off" at the end of the summer.

However, Orban remains keen on the move, and plans to prove he would justify a £26m outlay ahead of the January transfer window, at which point he is hoping he is able to leave the Belgian Pro League and join a top club.

As yet, it is unclear whether the Lilywhites would be willing to reignite their interest in the Gent star, but Football Insider report there is one summer target they are already considering a return for, with Conor Gallagher reemerging as an option.

Tottenham are long-term admirers of the midfielder, and are now readying a new approach, having seen their deadline day deal blocked by Chelsea, but the Blues could be willing to change their stance in the January transfer window.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are now well-stocked in central midfield, with Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu all heading to Stamford Bridge, meaning Gallagher's future at the club could be in doubt.

A potential exit for the Englishman will be dictated by the financial situation at Chelsea, who would consider a sale if the right offer were to arrive, as his departure would be recorded as pure profit for Financial Fair Play reasons.

How good is Conor Gallagher?

Former Spurs man Jermaine Jenas has made it clear he is a big fan of the Chelsea midfielder, saying: “I think he is a game-changer aswell Conor Gallagher. He’s the type of player that you bring on and he has an impact on the game.

“He presses, gets himself in the box and creates chances."

Not only is the England international a threat on the front foot, but he is also very much capable of pitching in defensively, ranking in the 94th percentile for blocks, and the 77th percentile for tackles and interceptions per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

The only concern over signing the central midfielder is that Chelsea are likely to hold out for a huge asking price, with talkSPORT revealing the Blues slapped a £50m price tag on him back in the summer, amid interest from West Ham United.

The 23-year-old is yet to justify that sort of outlay, having amassed just three goals and one assist in 35 Premier League games last season, but he could still be a good addition if Spurs were able to negotiate a lower fee with their rivals.

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has also confirmed that Lungi Ngidi, who had flown back to South Africa following the death of his father, has rejoined the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-20181:36

Deepak Chahar could be out for a couple of weeks – Fleming

Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Deepak Chahar could be out of action for at least two weeks with a hamstring strain sustained during Saturday’s match against Mumbai Indians in Pune.Chahar pulled up injured after bowling the first ball of his third over. He left the field after that delivery and did not return for rest of the match. Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the injury during his post-match press conference. “He (Chahar) has had hamstring injuries in the past, he has a pretty good idea when he is in trouble,” Fleming said. “Conservatively, it’s probably a couple of weeks, which is a bit of a blow.”Fleming also confirmed that Lungi Ngidi, who had flown back to South Africa following the death of his father, has rejoined the squad.Chahar has played in all seven Super Kings matches so far this season, and has picked six wickets at an average of 25.50, including a match-winning 3 for 15 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is also one of only two Super Kings bowlers with an economy rate of less than eight an over.

Southampton have developed a reputation for being a fantastic place for players to progress their careers and seal bigger moves elsewhere over the years.

Who are Southampton's record sales?

Many players have passed through the halls at St. Mary's on their way to some of the biggest clubs in Europe after being picked up by the Saints at the start of their respective careers.

Fees via Transfermarkt.

These are the top five biggest sales in the club's history to date and there have been a number of talents who have been sold for significant fees below that after honing their skills on the south coast.

One player whom Southampton hit the jackpot with was English winger Nathan Tella, who recently departed Russell Martin's side during the summer transfer window.

How much did Southampton sign Tella for?

The Saints snapped the talented wizard up on a free transfer from then-fellow Premier League side Arsenal after the top-six club opted against handing him a new contract.

He did not do enough to earn an extension with the Gunners ahead of the 2017/18 campaign which allowed Southampton to secure his services for £0.

Norwich City, who have also built a reputation for developing young talents like Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey Emi Buendia, and James Maddison, invited the 17-year-old prospect to train with the Norfolk-based side but he decided to make the move to the south coast instead.

Tella had only scored one goal in nine U18 league matches for Arsenal during the 2016/17 season but scored one goal in one game on trial with the Canaries before eventually ending up with Southampton.

The exciting forward went on to enjoy an impressive spell at U21 level with the Saints as he produced 12 goals and seven assists in 46 appearances.

His form for the academy side led to him making his Premier League debut against, ironically, Norwich during the 2019/20 campaign.

However, Tella found it difficult to deliver consistently impressive performances in the top flight over the following two seasons as Ralph Hasenhuttl offered him plenty of opportunities to impress.

He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.54 across 18 Premier League outings throughout the 2020/21 season as he contributed with just one goal and one assist from out wide.

The young prospect followed that up with an average Sofascore rating of 6.39 over 14 league matches the following campaign, which included ten starts, as the former Arsenal prodigy failed to deliver a single goal and produced one assist.

Tella ranked 25th out of 25 players in the Southampton squad with that dismal Sofascore rating, which shows that he was one of the team's worst performers that term, if not the worst.

How many goals did Tella score for Burnley?

His poor form at Premier League level for Hasenhuttl's side led to a season-long loan move to Burnley in the Championship in 2022, which is where the English hotshot was able to thrive.

Tella caught the eye with his goalscoring prowess for the Clarets as he ended the campaign with 17 league goals to his name, to go along with five assists and an average Sofascore rating of 6.82.

Vincent Kompany, who described the talented phenom as a "raw diamond", got the best out of the Saints loanee and helped him to become one of the best players in the division.

The 24-year-old's fantastic performances were recognised by his peers as he made it into the PFA Championship Team of the Year for the 2022/23 campaign. This means that the other players in the league voted him as one of the most impressive attackers at that level, illustrating how successful his time at Turf Moor was.

His sublime form for Burnley was also reflected in his market value. At the time of his move to Kompany's side, FootballTransfers rated his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at just €2.7m (£2.3m).

This soared to a whopping xTV of €10m (£8.6m) by May of this year due to his displays for the Championship title-winners, skyrocketing by a whopping 270% within the space of less than 12 months.

How much did Southampton sell Tella for?

The Saints opted to cash in on Tella whilst his stock was high as they decided to sell him to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £20m this summer.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed how much the total package could end up being worth to Southampton and added that they have a sell-on clause that could net the club another payday in the future if he moves on again.

This came after the 24-year-old whiz enjoyed a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign with Martin's side. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.30 across three Championship appearances as the talented maestro scored one goal and provided one assist from out wide.

The £20m-rated ace did initially think that his assist was a goal, as shown in the video above, as his strike from distance against Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day deflected in off his teammate Adam Armstrong's head.

Tella, who made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game for the Saints this term, currently holds the fourth-highest average Sofascore rating within the squad, although only five matches have been played so far.

He has only made one appearance for Bayer Leverkusen since making the switch to Germany, which came as a substitute in a 5-1 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt last week.

Southampton will now be hoping that the English forward is able to rip up the German top flight in the same way that he excelled for Burnley. Such an eventuality could ensure that he makes another big-money switch and earns them even more money thanks to their sell-on clause.

However, even if the former Arsenal prospect ends up being a flop for Leverkusen, there is no doubt that the Saints hit the jackpot by snapping him up for free in 2017.

The club turned a free agent academy signing into a £20m sale within the space of seven years and they deserve immense credit, as do Burnley and Kompany for their role in his development, for that outstanding piece of business.