Tag Futebol

Reliable journalist Charles Watts says it is inevitable that a £30 million Arsenal player will pack his bags and leave the Emirates this summer.

Arsenal squad set for mini overhaul

Many fringe members of Mikel Arteta's squad face being sold ahead of next season, where the Gunners will be looking to contend for another Premier League title after coming within a whisker of Man City.

£200,000-a-week Arsenal star holds pre-summer talks to join European club

There’s been a meeting behind-the-scenes.

ByEmilio Galantini May 22, 2024

Indeed, to bolster Edu's transfer kitty, it is believed Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah are up for sale at Arsenal, while doubts surround the futures of both Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey.

The latter two earn a combined £465,000-per-week at Hale End, with Jesus' role in the first team somewhat diminished by Kai Havertz's exceptional form lately. Partey also has just one year left on his contract, and following a season of fitness issues/general lack of involvement compared to previous years, the Ghanaian could well depart.

Bukayo Saka

7.67

Declan Rice

7.38

Martin Odegaard

7.37

Kai Havertz

7.16

Gabriel Magalhaes

6.99

Another player linked with the exit door is keeper Aaron Ramsdale, coming after a season on the bench and David Raya taking his number one spot. Signed for around £30 million from Bournemouth, the time for his departure may well be nearing.

Watts says Ramsdale is certain to leave Arsenal

Sharing news on the Englishman's future to CaughtOffside, Watts says Ramsdale is certain to leave Arsenal this summer, and it is a "matter of when". However, talk of a Newcastle agreement to sign Ramsdale is wide of the mark.

“The whispers around Aaron Ramsdale and Newcastle have been circling for some time now," said Watts, sharing a detailed update on Ramsdale's future.

"There has certainly been an expectation for the past couple of months that this is a move that could happen come the summer window, but I haven’t heard that anything has been agreed yet.

“Ramsdale was quick to rubbish talk of any agreement last week, but I do think he will be on the move at some point over the next couple of months. Obviously we have the Euros coming up and he will be away with England, so that could delay things and Arsenal also need to be confident that they can land a replacement before sanctioning any exit.

“But I do think both things will happen. It’s a matter of when Ramsdale leaves, not if.

“The key thing for Arsenal is getting value for money. I saw an initial fee of £15 million mentioned in reports last week and that is quite frankly ridiculous. Arsenal signed Ramsdale for nearly £30m two years ago and he has developed into a far better keeper since then.

“He’s still young, he’s homegrown, an established England international and has a long-term contract. Yes, interested clubs will know that Arsenal’s stance in any negotiations will be weakened somewhat given he is now clearly behind David Raya in the pecking order, but that shouldn’t mean the club should basically give him away. Ramsdale is a top class keeper and he’s shown that at Arsenal. When you look at what other keepers have moved for in the last couple of seasons, a bid of £15m shouldn’t even be one that Arsenal entertain.”

Leeds United face one of their biggest matches of the season so far as they prepare to travel away to play Norwich City at Carrow Road on Sunday.

The Whites come up against David Wagner's side in Norfolk in the first leg of the play-off semi-finals before welcoming them to Elland Road next Thursday.

Daniel Farke's men come into this double header in poor form after they missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League, finishing third in the Championship after four losses in their last six games.

They were beaten 2-1 by Southampton, who they could potentially face at Wembley in the final of the play-offs, at Elland Road on the final day of the league season last weekend.

The German head coach may now look to make changes to his starting XI from that game to give his side the best possible chance of securing a first leg victory against his former side.

1 Illan Meslier

Farke has backed Illan Meslier throughout the season, starting him in 44 of the 46 league matches, and it seems unlikely that he will now decide to switch him out for Karl Darlow.

The French goalkeeper has conceded 4.49 more goals than expected based on the xG (Expected Goals) against him, which suggests that he has let his team down with weak shot-stopping this term.

2 Connor Roberts

The first change to the starting XI could come at right-back as Burnley loanee Connor Roberts could slot into the back four in place of Sam Byram.

LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross claimed that he could wake the team up by starting on Sunday, as he "loves a scrap" and "cracks skulls" on the pitch.

He could inject the team with some fresh determination and drive to get the job done against the Canaries, whilst Byram could drop to the bench to offer depth at left-back and right-back.

3 Joe Rodon

Joe Rodon should keep his place at the heart of the defence and could have a good battle with Norwich centre-forward Josh Sargent, who has been in lethal form this season.

The USA international has plundered 16 goals in 24 Championship starts this term and the Welsh colossus could relish having a fight with the striker this weekend.

4 Ethan Ampadu

Alongside Rodon, Ethan Ampadu should continue on the left side of the defensive pairing as he continues to fill in away from his natural defensive midfield role.

Pascal Struijk has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a groin injury and this has left Ampadu as the main partner for his compatriot at the back.

5 Junior Firpo

Junior Firpo is the club's only left-footed option at left-back and should keep his place to offer a natural balance down the left flank, as he can open out onto his favoured foot.

The former Barcelona full-back could be up against the likes of Jonathan Rowe and Jack Stacey down Norwich's right-hand side, and will need to be switched on to avoid being caught too high up the pitch when the Canaries wide men bomb on.

6 Archie Gray

The second alternation to the starting XI could come in the middle of the park as Farke could ruthlessly drop Ilia Gruev from the team to unleash Archie Gray from the start.

FFC published an article after the 2-1 defeat to Southampton urging the manager to move the Bulgaria international to the bench due to his recent poor form.

Gruev has lost nine of his ten ground duels in his last two appearances and Gray, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed has "phenomenal" stamina, could be brought in to take his place in midfield for this clash in Norfolk.

7 Glen Kamara

Alongside the England U21 international, Glen Kamara could retain his position at the base of the midfield to provide a metronomic presence.

The Finnish maestro has completed 93% of his attempted passes in the Championship so far this season, which shows how efficient he is with the ball at his feet.

8 Wilfried Gnonto

On the right side of the attack, Wilfried Gnonto should keep his place and will hope to provide strength, pace, and attacking thrust down the flank.

It has been reported that Dan James may be fit enough to feature but will not be able to play the full 90, which could make him an ideal super substitute at this point, leaving the Italian whiz as the starter.

9 Joel Piroe

In the number ten role, Farke must ruthlessly drop Georginio Rutter from the starting XI and move Joel Piroe back into a deeper role, which he played in the first half of the campaign.

Rutter has failed to register a single goal or assist in his last eight league matches for Leeds and dropping him for this clash could motivate him to return to his best at Elland Road for the second leg.

10 Crysencio Summerville

There is little to no doubt that Crysencio Summerville will start on the left of the attack if he is fit enough to feature, given his sensational form this season.

The Dutch wizard has racked up 19 goals, nine assists, and 17 'big chances' created in 41 Championship starts for the Yorkshire-based outfit, which shows that he can make a big impact as both as scorer and a creator of goals.

Manchester United have finally broken their rule that saw them refuse to sign players from Bayern Munich.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ed Woodward previously refused to buy Bayern players
• Jose Mourinho denied Jerome Boateng when in charge
• Red Devils broke rule with De Ligt and Mazraoui signings

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward put a rule in place during his time at the club that meant no players would be purchased from Bayern Munich. This was due to the signings of Owen Hargreaves and Bastian Schweinsteiger failing to live up to expectations after the club spent hefty transfer fees on the midfielders.

  It was revealed by ESPN that ex-head coach Jose Mourinho wanted to sign defender Jerome Boateng in 2018 but was denied by Woodward, who at the time played a key role in squad planning. That rule has finally been broken after Erik ten Hag finalised the signings of Mattijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui this summer.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT WAS SAID?

  ESPN revealed how Mourinho was denied his dream signing six years ago. They said: "In the summer of 2018, Jose was keen to sign another centre-back. There was a warm-up match against Bayern. There were only a few journalists there. Jose took a few of us aside and said he wanted to sign Jerome Boateng from Bayern. A player who was getting on in years but was still a good player.

  "On deadline day that summer, there was a press conference at United. We were sitting in the small press room at Carrington and Ed Woodward came in. He told us that the club would not sign a new center back, not even the one Jose wanted. The reason he gave was that they had learned their lesson from signing players from Bayern."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It is a positive sign that Man Utd have moved away from their previous superstition surrounding Bayern Munich and will hope that both De Ligt and Mazraoui can repay their transfer fees swiftly.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Having utilised both De Ligt and Mazraoui in Man Utd's Premier League win against Fulham last week, Ten Hag will be keen to push on with his strengthened squad when they visit Brighton this weekend.

أعلن جوزيه جوميز، المدير الفني لفريق الزمالك، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة النصر الليبي بعد قليل، ضمن مهرجان اعتزال خالد حسين.

ويواجه الزمالك، نظيره النصر الليبي، ضمن مهرجان اعتزال خالد حسين، نجم الأخير.

طالع.. مدرب الزمالك: نشكر النصر الليبي على الاستقبال.. ونفتقد اللاعبين الدوليين

وكان النصر قد طلب من الزمالك خوض مباراة ودية في مباراة اعتزال خالد حسين نجم منتخب ليبيا وفريق النصر، ووافق الأبيض على خوض اللقاء.

ومن المقرر أن يبدأ اللقاء بمشاركة خالد حسين مع فريق النصر، على أن تتوقف المباراة في الدقيقة الثامنة، والتي تحمل نفس رقم قميص اللاعب، قبل أن تُستكمل بصورة طبيعية.

يذكر أن الزمالك افتتح موسمه الجاري بالتأهل إلى دور المجموعات ببطولة الكونفدرالية والفوز بالسوبر الإفريقي وخسارة السوبر المصري، وانتصر في أول جولتين من مسابقة الدوري المصري.

وكان من المقرر أن يبدأ أحمد عبد الرحيم إيشو، لكن الجهاز الفني قرر استبداله بـ شيكابالا، بعد طلب من خالد حسين، برغبته في اللعب مع شيكابالا خلال الوقت الذي سيشارك فيه باللقاء. تشكيل الزمالك اليوم أمام النصر الليبي

حراسة المرمى: محمد صبحي.

خط الدفاع: محمد عاطف – جيفرسون كوستا – أحمد رفاعي – أحمد محمود.

خط الوسط: زياد كمال – سيف فاروق جعفر – مهاب ياسر.

خط الهجوم: شيكابالا – حسام أشرف – كونراد ميشالاك.

Arsenal are flying this season, and it looks like they have just one thing on their mind: trophies.

Mikel Arteta's side are back atop the Premier League table and through to the Champions League quarter-finals to boot.

The Spaniard seems to be getting everything right at the moment, and his decision to sign Kai Havertz is looking better with every passing game.

Although, for as good as the German has been, a former academy gem who left for nothing has actually outperformed him over the last two years and is now worth a lot of money.

Kai Havertz performances for Arsenal

The Gunners completed the £65m signing of Havertz from Chelsea last July, and while Arteta was delighted, describing the German as "top quality," there were plenty of detractors in the media.

In fact, talkSPORT's Gabby Agbonlahor was still firing shots at the Spanish manager earlier this year, criticising him for "spending money very stupidly" and arguing that he had "cost Arsenal the title" by signing the former Bayer Leverkusen ace. However, the Arsenal boss has had the last laugh.

In the last four league matches, his £65m ace has scored four goals, including the winner against Brentford, and provided two assists to help the team reclaim top spot ahead of the international break.

So far, the 24-year-old has scored nine goals and provided three assists in 39 appearances this season, meaning he has averaged a goal involvement every 3.25 games. That isn't too bad for a player who's primarily played in midfield and was cast aside as a flop before he even had a chance to prove people wrong.

What's even more impressive is that the Aachen-born dynamo has already surpassed his tally of nine goals and one assist that he registered with Chelsea last season, and he still has at least 12 more games to add to his tally this season.

Kai Havertz recent record
Season	2022/23	2023/24
Appearances	47	39
Goals	9	9
Assists	1	3
Goal Involvements per Match	0.21	0.30
All Stats via Transfermarkt

While he hasn't been a world-beater, it would be hard to call Havertz's first season at the Emirates anything other than a success, although a former academy gem has outperformed him over the last two years. The player in question is Crystal Palace sensation Eberechi Eze.

Why Arsenal released Eberechi Eze

Eze played in Arsenal's academy between the ages of nine and 13 before being released. Why? Well, he was allegedly too small.

Opening up on such a cruel period in his development as a teen, the now Palace star once told the press: "It started at Arsenal. I was 13 [when I was released]. That was the worst one. I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it’s going to be OK but not being able to get over it."

This setback was followed by spells in Fulham and Millwall's youth setups before he finally found a more permanent place to settle at Queens Park Rangers.

The Greenwich-born gem spent four years with QPR, making 112 appearances across three and a half seasons, scoring 20 goals and providing 13 assists.

Eberechi Eze's transfer valuation in 2024

His impressive form and silky skills subsequently saw Palace spend £20m to sign him in August 2020.

In the seasons since, the twice-capped international has made 115 appearances for the Eagles, in which he's scored 21 goals and provided 14 assists.

However, 23 of those goal involvements have come since the start of the 2022/23 season, coincidentally just edging out Havertz's return of 22 in the same period.

Eberechi Eze's Crystal Palace Career
Season	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Appearances	36	17	40	22
Goals	4	1	10	6
Assists	6	1	4	3
Goal Involvements per Match	0.27	0.11	0.35	0.40
All Stats via Transfermarkt

This impressive form from the 5 foot 10 dynamo has understandably caught the attention of some of the biggest teams in the world, including Manchester United.

The Red Devils were reportedly interested in signing the Palace star in January, but it would have cost them around £77m, which might just make the person in charge of releasing him at Arsenal wince a little.

Ultimately, clubs release talented youngsters all the time in football, and while Arteta may wish he could call upon the mercurial brilliance of Eze at the Emirates, he seems happy enough with his new German goalscorer.

علّق رودري، نجم فريق مانشستر سيتي ومنتخب إسبانيا، على فوزه بجائزة الكرة الذهبية لأفضل لاعب في العالم لعام 2024، منذ قليل.

وشهد مسرح “دو شاتليه” في العاصمة الفرنسية باريس، مراسم حفل توزيع جوائز مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” بالتعاون مع الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، لأول مرة.

وحصل رودري على جائزة الكرة الذهبية، كأفضل لاعب في العالم لهذا العام، متفوقًا على فينيسيوس جونيور وجود بيلينجهام (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وقال رودري، في تصريحات نشرتها الصحف الإسبانية بعد التتويج: “إنها ليلة رائعة بالنسبة لي، يجب أن أشكر العديد من الأشخاص، مثل فرانس فوتبول والاتحاد الأوروبي، أشكر كل من صوت لي”.

وأضاف: “إنه يوم خاص جدًا لعائلتي وبلدي، أشكر صديقتي لورا، بدونك لم يكن هذا الطريق هو نفسه، أحاول التحسن كل يوم، وأحاول تعزيز مستوى أدائي”.

وعن تعافيه من إصابة الركبة الخطيرة، أضاف: “أحاول فقط الاعتناء بنفسي، الراحة، والاستمتاع بالوقت الحر مع عائلتي والعودة أقوى”.

وعندما سُئل عما إذا كان سيحتفظ بالكأس في السرير معه، اختتم حديثه قائلاً: “100٪”.

اقرأ أيضًا | الأول.. كامافينجا عن خسارة فينيسيوس لـ الكرة الذهبية: سياسة كرة القدم

وشدد: “أحاول التحسن كل يوم، كان عليًّ تغيير أسلوبي إذا أردت التحسن، يجب أن نكون مثل المهاجمين، وهذا سمح لي بأن أكون اللاعب الذي أنا عليه اليوم”.

واسترسل: “أنا رجل عادي، أحب مهنتي، وأحاول أن أكون قائدًا، وأحب أن أكون عاديًا، سأحتفل بذلك مع الأشخاص الذين يحبونني”.

وتابع: “شكرًا لعائلتي، لمساعدتي، لوكيل أعمالي، من كان ليخبرنا أننا سنكون هنا اليوم؟ لـ مانشستر سيتي، والجهاز الفني واللاعبين، بدونكم لما كنت هنا، إنه أفضل نادٍ في العالم”.

واستكمل: “كذلك إلى لويس دي لا فوينتي. أتذكر كارفاخال، فهو يستحق أن يكون هنا تمامًا، إلى لامين يامال، إنه انتصار ليس لي وحدي، إنه انتصار لكل كرة القدم الإسبانية وكل أولئك الذين لم يفوزوا بها (الكرة الذهبية)، تشافي، إنييستا، إيكر كاسياس، بوسيكيتس…”.

وأوضح: “عندما كنت في السابعة عشرة من عمري، حزمت حقائبي وذهبت إلى فياريال مع حلم اللعب في الدوري الإنجليزي، وفي أحد الأيام اتصلت بوالدي وأنا أبكي وأخبرته أن الأمر انتهى، أخبرني والدي ألا أستسلم، ومنذ ذلك اليوم تغيرت عقليتي، أنا فخور باختياري أفضل لاعب في العالم اليوم”.

ونظر رودري إلى زميله المتواجد في الحفل، لامين يامال، حيث قال: “ستفوز بإحدى هذه الجوائز يومًا ما يا صديقي، استمر في العمل الجاد”.

Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are under the impression an unseen teenager of theirs is a "star in the making".

Postecoglou wants Spurs academy improvement

The N17 academy has birthed some noteworthy talents in recent seasons. The likes of Troy Parrott, Dane Scarlett, Oliver Skipp and Jamie Donley stand out as just a few examples from the past two-three years, with the latter being handed his senior debut by Ange Postecoglou earlier this season.

Related Tottenham player out injured until mid-April after sustaining foot fracture

He won’t be available for the foreseeable.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Mar 14, 2024

Parrott is currently enjoying a productive loan spell at Excelsior in the Netherlands, while Skipp is sometimes called upon by Postecoglou as a solid back-up option for his Spurs matchday squad.

Scarlett has drawn comparisons with Man United star Marcus Rashford in past seasons as well, but Postecoglou has stated that Spurs' academy could still improve despite the production of some fine talent.

Tottenham's best-performing players per 90 in the league

Average match rating (via WhoScored)

James Maddison

7.45

Son Heung-min

7.44

Pedro Porro

7.19

Cristian Romero

7.11

Dejan Kulusevski

7.08

"We've still got a lot of work to do at academy level," said Postecoglou earlier this season. "We've got a great man there in Simon [Davies] who has worked at some of best academies going and he knows what’s needed. We've got some good coaches in there now. This year has been better but in terms of a production line of young players I think we’re still well behind other clubs.

"There was already a process in place before I came in and yeah like I said, some of it is around the methodology we use, but also a little bit of opportunity. I guess if young players don't feel there is an opportunity here maybe we don't get the best ones or maybe we don't provide the opportunities for the best ones, so my role in that is to make sure the good ones we have do get an opportunity.

"And secondly, other young good young players around the country, not just around the world, see this as a club where if you are talented, you will get an opportunity."

Spurs are making an effort to bring in some of Europe's most bright talents from elsewhere as well, with the club beating Barcelona to Djurgardens IF sensation Lucas Bergvall in the January window.

A highly-rated talent currently at N17, though, is young midfielder Callum Olusesi. Spurs recently agreed a new deal for Olusesi, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, with fellow journalist Pete O'Rourke now detailing how Spurs feel about the teenager.

Tottenham think Olusesi is a "star in the making"

Indeed, according to O'Rourke, writing for Football Insider, Tottenham chiefs think Olusesi is a "star in the making".

Spurs fended off interest from Man United to keep their talented youngster, and it is believed those within the club think he's going to be world-class. Olusesi, who's scored six goals and assisted four others in the Under-18 Premier League this season, also boasts seven England Under-17 caps.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na noite deste domingo, Botafogo e Nova Iguaçu empataram em 0 a 0, no estádio Nilton Santos, em partida válida pela semifinal da Taça Rio. Após o duelo, o meio-campo Pedro Castro, em entrevista à Cariocão TV, analisou o jogo. De acordo com ele, o Glorioso criou boas chances e foi superior no primeiro tempo. No entanto, o camisa 33 admitiu uma queda de rendimento na etapa final.

RelacionadasBotafogoSousa promete Botafogo muito empenhado no jogo de volta na Taça Rio: ‘Vamos com tudo’Botafogo02/05/2021BotafogoATUAÇÕES: Douglas Borges faz boa defesa e recebe a maior nota no empate do Botafogo contra o Nova IguaçuBotafogo02/05/2021BotafogoSem emoção: Botafogo e Nova Iguaçu empatam pela semifinal da Taça RioBotafogo02/05/2021

> Veja quem entrou em campo pelo Botafogo na temporada de 2021

– A gente já sabia da vantagem do Nova Iguaçu desde antes do jogo começar. Acredito que fizemos um bom primeiro tempo, criamos bastante chances de gol, mas infelizmente não entrou. No segundo tempo, deu uma caidinha, depois voltamos a criar chances. São dois jogos, e a gente vai estar pronto para o segundo jogo – comentou.

Agora, o Botafogo terá mais uma semana cheia para trabalhar. O Alvinegro volta a campo no próximo domingo contra o Nova Iguaçu pelo jogo da volta da semifinal da Taça Rio. O time da Baixada Fluminense terá a vantagem do empate.

Jack Leach’s maiden Test fifty took plenty by surprise. It came as an opener – he faced the final over on Wednesday evening as a nightwatchman – on a difficult batting pitch, and his slightly ungainly style coupled with a first-class average a shade below 11 going into this game did not suggest a man with much natural talent.When he was finally taken at slip off Tim Murtagh for 92, he had produced the second-highest score by an England opener since the retirement of Alastair Cook. Although he fell short of getting his name on the Lord’s honours board, Leach was roundly applauded from the pitch after helping to erase England’s 122-run deficit and give them a chance in the Test after being bowled out for 85 in the first innings.Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Leach was proud but crestfallen at getting so close to an extraordinary slice of Lord’s history. “I was telling myself not to think about it, which probably means I was thinking about it,” he said. “Yeah, it wasn’t to be but I tried my best and that was all I could do.”Despite spending most of his career as a tailender, Leach has worked hard on his batting over the past three years in particular, revealing in interviews with BBC Somerset that he had been focusing on improvement since becoming an England contender.”It was nice to be out there this morning, trying to eat up some balls and take the shine off the ball and make it easier for the batters coming in,” he said. “That’s what I was looking at, and then it was just about seeing how far you can take it. You just take it one ball at a time, one ball at a time.”Leach has one career hundred to his name in senior cricket, and unbeaten 123 off 178 balls against Nottinghamshire’s 2nd XI back in 2015. He has also scored a pair of first-class fifties, both against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2017 and 2018.On his Test debut in Christchurch in 2018, he scored 16 in a partnership of 48 with Jonny Bairstow to help his partner reach a hundred. In the second innings Joe Root declared with him unbeaten on 14.”I said I was on for my first Test hundred, and he declared on me!” Leach said shortly after that innings. “We can save that for another day. I want [my average] higher than 30.”Everyone’s been saying how good my batting was looking, and it’s an area I work really hard on. It was nice to form a partnership with Jonny and get him to his hundred, and just be annoying to New Zealand, so it’s an area I want to keep moving forward on, and it’s important that I keep contributing.”It shows I haven’t really scored the runs I should have done for Somerset, but I’m still learning.”In a previous interview at the start of the 2017, Leach revealed he had been working on his batting as a possible route into Somerset’s white-ball teams, after a difficult winter in which he had to remodel his bowling action.”It is something I’ve been working on over the winter,” he said. “I did quite a bit with [then Somerset coach] Matt Maynard on my power-hitting, because I feel like that’s a big area to improve on if I want to get myself into the white-ball teams for one-day cricket and T20 cricket, and that went quite well over the winter.”It is something I’m working on, and it’s a good feeling hitting it for six.”This was only his second innings opening the batting in first-class cricket, and the first had also come in a Test – against Sri Lanka in Pallekele last winter. Leach’s achievement at Lord’s was all the more remarkable having not reached double-figures in his 19 previous innings, going back to that Pallekele Test.As for the match situation, Leach’s own batting effort, as a regular No.11, suggests that Ireland are firmly in command, with a minimum of 182 to chase and one wicket left to claim. But he was confident that England’s fight was far from over – and cited a thriller against India last summer as evidence.”We talked about last summer against India where, at Edgbaston, the boys feel the wicket was better there than it is here,” he said. “They defended 180 [194], and they finished 30 short, so I think you always have to keep believing, and we will definitely be doing that tomorrow.”

The ex-Spurs str had a truly stunning season with Bayern Munich and could not be in a better position to lead his country to glory in Germany

Cast an eye over the list of winners of the European Golden Shoe award and you will come across some of the greatest strikers in football's history, from legends of the past whose mere mention will bring your grandfather to tears, to the modern greats.

The award, given to the highest scorer in European league football each season, was first won by Portugal and Benfica hero Eusebio, while the third edition was won by the legendary German striker Gerd Muller, whose shot was so lethal he was was known as 'the nation's Bomber'.

Thierry Henry, Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez have won the prestigious award twice, Cristiano Ronaldo lifted it four times, while Lionel Messi has a record six gongs. But the latest winner is a player who has long been knocking on the door of greatness and has finally been let in: Harry Kane.

Kane did not just win the award, he left his rivals in the dust, scoring a sensational 36 goals in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich, eight more than his closest rival Serhou Guirrassy and nine more in league football than Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. His timing could not have been better as he heads to the European Championship as the continent's top scorer and, by extension, will be the best striker at the tournament.

Yet there is still one thing that continues to haunt Kane: his failure to win a single trophy in his career. And it is a subject that will be discussed throughout the tournament and long after unless he can fire England to glory in Germany.

• Getty
  

  Breaking records for fun

  Kane had long been lauded in England for his heroics with Tottenham, but never quite got the same acclaim in Europe. But that has changed dramatically since moving to Bayern. Despite the challenge of moving away from the club he had been at for his entire life and moving abroad, facing cultural and language barriers, he has exceeded all expectations, sending all sorts of records tumbling.

  The striker scored on his Bundesliga debut, having set up a goal within his first four minutes on the pitch. After bagging a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Bochum in September, he had scored seven goals in his first five games and made the best start to a season in Bayern's history, surpassing Miroslav Klose, Mario Mandzukic and the legendary Muller. After 10 games, he had 15 Bundesliga goals, toppling the previous record held by Klaus Matischak which had stood for 60 years.

  After 11 matches, Kane had scored more goals than the previous season's top scorers in the Bundesliga, Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug. And after bagging back-to-back hat-tricks against Darmstadt and Borussia Dortmund plus a brace against Stuttgart, he became the fastest player ever to reach 20 Bundesliga goals in a season, toppling another 60-year record, this one held by Uwe Seeler.

  Kane bettered Erling Haaland by scoring 30 goals after 25 games, with the Norwegian needing 32 games to get to that milestone when he was at Borussia Dortmund. He finished with the fourth-highest goal tally in a season in Bundesliga history, only falling short of Muller's totals of 38 and 40 in 1969-70 and 1970-71, respectively, as well as Robert Lewandowski's record of 41 goals in the 2020-21 season.

  If it was any consolation, he at least holds the record for the greatest debut season in the league's history. And there is always next season.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  League of his own

  Kane will be battling other modern greats for the Golden Boot at Euro 2024, but he can comfortably claim to be the best striker at the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo is playing his 11th major tournament and has warmed up for it by scoring 35 goals for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, but his tally has to be caveated by the fact the league is ranked by as the 27th best in the world. The Bundesliga, by comparison, is second. Ronaldo is also nine years older than Kane, and whilst he would never admit it, he is well past the peak of his powers.

  Mbappe is his closest challenger and pound-for-pound a better footballer than Kane, but is mostly considered a wide forward rather than a centre-forward like the Englishman. And Kane contributed to more goals than the Frenchman both in the league and Champions League.

  Kane's like-for-like rivals at the tournament all had poor seasons compared to his remarkable campaign. Romelu Lukaku scored 13 times in Serie A, Alvaro Morata got 15 goals in La Liga, Fullkrug got 12 in the Bundesliga while Rasmus Hojlund finished with 10 Premier League goals.

  Aleksandar Mitrovic, who Kane will come up against in England's opener against Serbia, has had a prolific season, firing Al-Hilal to the Saudi Pro League title with 28 goals, but, as with Ronaldo, that tally is far less impressive than Kane's.

• Getty
  

  Missed opportunities

  But one thing Kane failed to do, in keeping with the theme of his career, was win a trophy. And while his lack of silverware could have been forgiven at Tottenham, it is most damning that he could not win anything at Bayern.

  The Bavarians had not failed to win a trophy since 2012, when Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund were in their pomp and swept to the double. They had won 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles since then, as well as five DFB-Pokals and two Champions Leagues.

  The fact Bayern could not win one competition after signing the England captain led to predictable talk that they had been struck by the Kane curse. As with most social media discussions, it has mostly been said with tongues firmly planted in cheeks. Dimitar Berbatov put it best when he said: "Harry Kane curse? F*ck off, that sounds stupid and it’s disrespectful! Football can be f*cking cruel."

  But jokes aside, the fate that befell Kane and Bayern this season was remarkable. He completed his £82 million ($104m) move from Spurs and signed his contract with Bayern on the same day they faced RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup, a competition the club had won six out of the previous seven occasions. But from the bench, Kane watched his side go 2-0 down, conceding a third goal minutes after he had come on to make his debut.

  More strange happenings occurred when Bayern played Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal. Kane was part of the squad that travelled to the third-division outfit as Thomas Tuchel heavily rotated his team and saw his side throw away the lead and lose to a stoppage-time goal.

  Bayern's 11-year grip on the Bundesliga, meanwhile, came to an emphatic end as Bayer Leverkusen stormed to their first-ever title while remaining unbeaten, hammering the Bavarians 3-0 in February to move five points clear. Xabi Alonso's side finished with a sensational 90 points, 18 more than Bayern, who ended up finishing third – behind Stuttgart – for the first time since 2012.

  The biggest disappointment, though, was the way Bayern exited the Champions League in the semi-finals, taking a 1-0 lead in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu and holding on to it until the 88th minute, when Real Madrid's voodoo in the competition set in and substitute Joselu stepped up to win the tie with two goals in four minutes.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• getty
  

  Not to blame

  But the idea that Kane was responsible for Bayern's failings is absurd. He was helpless to stop that disaster against Madrid as he had been taken off by Tuchel while his side were 1-0 up, while he played just 27 minutes against Leipzig in the Super Cup and didn't get on the pitch against Saarbrucken.

  Nor could he be blamed for Bayern surrendering the title. With 36 goals and eight assists, he certainly held up his part of the bargain. Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich underperformed in the Bundesliga, while the usually reliable Manuel Neuer was at fault in the Champions League, with a suspect offside call also playing a role in their exit. There is also a sense that Bayern were never the right fit for Tuchel.

  Kane's inability to win a trophy was also used against him when he was at Tottenham, although he undoubtedly left the club in a far better place than when he broke through from their academy in the 2013-14 season. Kane had been the talisman in Spurs' greatest era since the 1980s, having left a much bigger mark on the club than their previous trophy wins, the League Cups of 1999 and 2008.

  He was the main reason they qualified for the Champions League five times, reaching the final in 2019. He departed as Spurs' all-time top scorer after helping make them one of the most popular teams in the world.