Lionel Messi was reportedly left feeling “deceived and betrayed” by Barcelona after seeing his dreams of making an emotional return to Camp Nou as a player cruelly dashed. The Argentine superstar was forced out of Catalunya in 2021, as he headed to Paris Saint-Germain, but saw an agreement lined up two years later that would have allowed professional steps to be retraced.
Plus, Alex Carey is a secret agent, and Bazball is a doomsday cult
Alan Gardner14-Jul-2023It was the bucket hats that should have warned us. England’s players rocked up for the start of the summer looking like they had just returned from a music festival, complete with the wide-eyed intensity that comes from having spent all night sitting in a muddy field discussing the healing power of, say, crystals or Test match scoring rates of 4.50 RPO and above.Bazball is many things – including golf and living your best life – but there’s always been a hint of rock’n’roll around its iconoclastic approach. While John Lennon famously declared the Beatles bigger than Jesus, Ben Stokes’ England are coming in more like the Stone Roses shortly after the release of their eponymous debut album. “I am the resurrection,” sang Ian Brown, to which England have simply tagged on “of Test cricket” and continued shuffling around and bopping their heads to the tunes on Brendon McCullum’s boom box.Brown, of course, was most recently in the news for spouting conspiracy theories around the Covid vaccine, which tells you a bit about the dangers for those of a messianic persuasion. And after a psychedelic couple of weeks for the Ashes, some might be beginning to worry about how much of a headache the inevitable post-Baz comedown is going to be for English cricket.Related
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Bazball is genius and wonderful. Also ridiculous, annoying, and bound to fail
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Why Baz is more of a cricket god than you think
The near-diplomatic incident at Lord’s over Jonny Bairstow’s stumping was another moment for those charting the journey from inspirational sportsters sportsing their hearts out to doomsday cult ready to barricade themselves in for the final firefight. As Stokes and McCullum spoke to their post-match interlocutors with glassy-eyed zeal about the spirit of cricket, the logical thought was: what level of proof is this spirit and did somebody mix it into the dressing-room Kool Aid?Meanwhile, down in the Long Room, some MCC members had started behaving like they’d just got back from whatever the shoes-and-slacks equivalent of a rave is, attempting to twist the melon of any passing Australian – thereby adding to the increasing number of legitimate reasons people have for wanting to knock the old ground down and replace it with a community outreach project.Alex Carey’s role in all this should not be underestimated. Carey is like one of those CIA agents sent undercover in the 1970s to infiltrate the counterculture movement, sowing confusion and discord at every turn (including, allegedly, on trips to the barbers). Perhaps Australia’s wicketkeeper succeeded in flipping his opposite number, with Bairstow wandering blindly out of his crease as a message to the authorities that he is ready to come in. Some might argue that pretty much his entire output during the series has been a cry for help.Either way, what goes up must come down – as anyone who has accidently set fire to their tent at Glastonbury and spent the rest of the night with their head between their ankles knows. And if the Bazball Ashes reduces the English game to rubble in the process, at least it would mean not having to watch the Hundred. Now that’s a suicide pact the Light Roller could sign up to!
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Meanwhile, more signs that woke nonsense has infiltrated Australia’s cricket culture. After defeat to England in the second T20I, at The Oval last week, Australia captain Alyssa Healy shockingly revealed: “We’re allowed to lose games of cricket.” As if that wasn’t enough baggy-green blasphemy for one evening, she added: “It’s the game of cricket. You win some, you lose some.” Rumours that none of the England players were invited to prepare for “broken f***ing arms”, and that some of Healy’s team-mates don’t even drink beer, are yet to be confirmed – but a CA-commissioned review can’t be far away.
****
July 5: Bangladesh lose first ODI against Afghanistan by 17 runs (DLS method).July 6: Tamim Iqbal makes tearful retirement announcement. “This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment.”July 7: Tamim reverses decision after meeting with Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. “The honourable prime minister invited me to her residence this afternoon. We had a long discussion after which she instructed me to return to cricket. I am withdrawing my retirement.”July 8: Bangladesh, led by Litton Das, lose second ODI by 142 runs.
Which is certainly an elaborate way to ensure that Afghanistan’s first bilateral ODI series win over Bangladesh doesn’t go against your captaincy record, but fair play to Tamim. That, people, is what they call 4D chess.
Eddie Howe has some problems to fix at Newcastle United. Ah, but he has solved issues before, smoothing out the creases in his system each year he has been on Tyneside.
Last season, Howe led Newcastle to the Carabao Cup title, their first major domestic honour since 1955. The Magpies have also flown back into the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League.
Important days are ahead. Newcastle currently sit 15th in the Premier League with one win from six attempts. The season, it’s worth underlining, has only just begun, and the Magpies took a time to click into gear during the 2024/25 campaign, mounting a phenomenal run of winter form that carried them through to the finish.
Howe is trusted to bring it all together, with the difficulties of the summer transfer window, defined by Alexander Isak’s deadline-day move to Liverpool for a record-breaking £125m fee, seeping into the season.
However, among the brightest sparks on Tyneside right now is Nick Woltemade, who replaced Isak in August and has kicked off his career in black and white strongly.
When Woltemade first touched down in Newcastle, he was stepping into big boots. Isak, after all, is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe, with his 27-goal haul last season a testament to that.
But the German, signed from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee, has shown promise across these early weeks. Scoring the winner on his debut against Wolves and again against Arsenal on Sunday.
An intelligent and technically gifted number nine, Woltemade has not the same snappy, electric athleticism as Isak, but he is deft on the ball and adept in link-up phases. He’s a towering presence besides, and a clean finisher of the ball.
With Yoane Wissa sidelined with a knee injury, the 23-year-old has pounced on the opportunity to lay down his claim for the starting spot at the front of the ship, even picking up Newcastle’s Player of the Month for September.
Newcastle’s four-goal tally across six Premier League appearances so far this season puts them right at the bottom of the pile, alongside Aston Villa and Wolves.
At the corresponding stage last year, they had scored eight goals, and the fact that that was a middling return in any case perhaps highlights the task Howe has in the final third.
|
Premier League 25/26 – Lowest xG Totals |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Position |
xG |
|
Leeds |
12th |
5.9 |
|
Wolves |
20th |
5.5 |
|
Newcastle |
15th |
5.2 |
|
Aston Villa |
16th |
4.8 |
|
Burnley |
18th |
4.5 |
|
Data via FBref |
||
Woltemade, regardless, has been a great signing. His ceiling is high. Moreover, Wissa has yet to touch grass in black and white.
Central defence was an area in need of shoring up as Newcastle stepped into the summer transfer window, but it wasn’t until August that Howe claimed his quarry, welcoming Malick Thiaw over from Italy.
Thiaw, 24, joined from AC Milan in a deal worth £35m, and while his technical quality and strong defensive skillset have long suggested there is a place for him in the Premier League, an injury record that leaves plenty to be desired came attached as a caveat.
But he’s looking well worth the money, so far. Thiaw, let’s not forget, has long been regarded as a top talent, and over the past year, he ranks among the top 7% of centre-backs across Europe for pass completion and the top 18% for progressive passes played per 90, as per FBref.
The last-minute defeat against Arsenal at the weekend stung, all right, but Thiaw’s performance was a positive, with the Chronicle Live awarding the German with an 8/10 match rating post-game.
Thiaw, after all, stood his ground against arguably the best team in the Premier League, with Sofascore recording that he made eight clearances and won five duels across the afternoon.
Alongside Sven Botman, Howe may well feel he has a new central defensive partnership to guide Newcastle through the next chapter, fit to last and with the capacity to challenge for the biggest prizes, against the biggest hitters that the Premier League and Europe can offer.
At a fee of just £35m, this may well prove to be a steal for Newcastle. Thiaw has always been among the most talented centre-halves of his age bracket, merely impeded across the past several years by regular trips to the infirmary.
Still, the early signs are promising in the Premier League. Thiaw has been hailed as a “monster in the air” by journalist Martino Puccio, and with Fabian Schar and Dan Burn and Jamal Lascelles all vying for starting berths of their own, Howe has the means to enforce healthy rotation across the season as Newcastle look to stay competitive across four fronts.
While Woltemade has started on the right track as he looks to smoothly replace Isak, it’s not outrageous to say that he is not, and that plenty of work over a number of years must be completed before the lanky goalscorer reaches the same level of fluency and snap as his predecessor at St. James’ Park.
However, it’s also fair to say that Thiaw boasts more completeness than Newcastle’s defensive crop, Botman notwithstanding, and that, for about half the price of the unpolished striker, he might prove to be the pick of the bunch when assessing Newcastle’s summer transfer window at a later date.
Newcastle's "true legend" looks like he's on borrowed time under Howe
Newcastle’s modern “legend” may well be phased out before too long.
By
Will Miller
Sep 29, 2025
SLC technical committee chairman Aravinda de Silva shares details of future plans
Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Apr-2021Sri Lanka is looking to revive inter-provincial cricket in the latest attempt to create a more competitive first-class structure. Although exact details of the new competition have not been announced, chairman of SLC’s technical committee Aravinda de Silva has hinted that the provincial system will become the premier multi-day competition in the country. The present club system will continue to exist with only minor alterations as well.Provincial cricket has been sporadically attempted in Sri Lanka, but such competitions have largely been short in duration, and have done little to connect with a fan base from the provinces each team is supposed to represent. De Silva suggested the existing first-class clubs (of which there are now 26), may be required to band together in clusters to administer each of these provincial teams. This is an idea that had first been floated in 2015, by Mahela Jayawardene, before a change of leadership at SLC did away with the plan for a cluster system.”We are trying to create another tier in domestic cricket through a provincial tournament,” de Silva said. “What we want to do is make that a stronger four-day competition. In that provincial competition, we will have an “A” tier as well, which will give players opportunities to qualify for development squads. But the main provincial competition will be the feeder for the national team.”We’re trying to create a pathway from the bottom to the top by clustering clubs so that we develop players leaving the school system right to the highest level.”De Silva was adamant that although the existing club system may be trimmed down to three-day matches (at present, clubs play a mixture of three and four-day encounters), and although the number of club matches may be reduced to make way for the provincial tournament, the club system would continue to be an integral part of Sri Lanka’s domestic structure. The club tournament also would not lose its first-class status.”The clubs provide the infrastructure for players who are just out of school, because they get facilities, support and opportunities, to give these players a foundation. Without that foundation – if we get rid of the clubs – it’s like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. The club system has been the foundation for us to develop our cricketers thus far. If we get rid of that system, it will be very difficult for us to bridge that gap. You need somewhere for the 3000-odd cricketers leaving the school system to continue playing.”SLC has made no official announcements on the exact nature of the new domestic structure yet. De Silva’s technical committee working closely with Tom Moody – Sri Lanka’s new director of cricket – to finalise tournament details.The clubs, however, may need to be won over by these new proposals. They have typically been resistant to accept additional first-class competitions that threaten the club structure’s status as the top domestic competition in the country.
Shohei Ohtani seems to always be making some sort of history, and he did it again on Sunday.
During the Los Angeles Dodgers' final game of the season, Ohtani blasted his 55th home run of the year. Not only is that a career-high for the two-way slugger, it's also a Dodgers record.
He accomplished the feat in the top of the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners when he took an 0-2 fastball from Gabe Speier and crushed it to center field. The ball came off his bat at 109.5 mph and traveled 412 feet.
The 31-year-old Ohtani had 54 home runs last season to set L.A.'s franchise record, and broke it this year. While his numbers are a bit down from his remarkable 2024 campaign, they're still incredible, and he's made 14 starts as a pitcher as well. He is a massive favorite to win his fourth MVP award and third in the last three years.
Ohtani and the Dodgers capped off the 2024 season by winning the World Series. They'll be looking to repeat this year, but it will be a much tougher road as they won't be getting a first-round bye. While they won the National League West again, they have the third-best record of the NL's division winners and will open the playoffs next week against the league's final wild-card entrant.
That won't be as easy as the path they blitzed through the 2024 postseason, but Ohtani is hitting his stride after yet another huge season.
As of this article, Ohtani is slashing .282/.392/.623, with 55 home runs, 109 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.015. He also has 20 stolen bases,, 25 doubles, and nine triples.
On the mound, Ohtani made 14 starts after not pitching since late in the 2023 campaign. He was 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts against nine walks in 47 innings. He got much better as the season went along. In September, he made three starts and posted a 0.00 ERA, while allowing only eight hits and two walks against 18 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
He enters the postseason on a roll.
Australia have shown an indication to bowl, while England, too, love a run chase. Could we be in for a bowl-first Ashes?
Andrew McGlashan12-Jun-20231:40
Test mace in the bag, Ashes up next
It did not look good for Rohit Sharma when Australia finished the opening day of the World Test Championship final on 327 for 3 having been put in to bat. But he had been badly let down by his bowlers, as Pat Cummins confirmed he would have done the same and bowled first.In fact, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald called The Oval surface “a clear bowl-first wicket” given the covering of grass and cloudy skies, although that had burned off by early after when Travis Head and Steven Smith took charge.There is a quote attributed to WG Grace about bowling first: “When you win the toss, bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague, then bat.”Clearly the game has moved on since Grace’s time, but by and large Test cricket has remained led by the bat-first mantra unless conditions are hugely persuasive the other way. One notable exception came at The Oval in 1998 when Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, knowing that Muthiah Muralidaran was his trump card and not wanting the prospect of the follow-on which wouldn’t have allowed Muralidaran a break, stuck England in. They made 445. Sri Lanka made 591 and Muralidaran bowled them to victory.Related
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McDonald: Moeen replacing Leach presents 'a challenge' for England
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On the flip side, a year earlier in 1997, Mark Taylor made what is regarded as one of his best calls at a toss when he batted first on a damp Old Trafford pitch knowing it would help Shane Warne later on. Steve Waugh made twin hundreds. Warne bowled Australia to victory.Waugh’s great side of the 1999-2001 era went through a period of bowling first reasonably regularly including four times in 2001 which all brought victories. Of course the game is littered with times it hasn’t worked. One of Australia’s most famous occasions when it went wrong was 2005 at Edgbaston, the venue for the first Test on Friday, when Ricky Ponting said “we’ll bowl” after Glenn McGrath rolled his ankle. England rollicked to 407 in 79 overs (there’s a word for that) and it changed the Ashes.To bring things back to the current time there is a chance we could be in for a bowl-first Ashes this year. Ben Stokes loves a run chase, already stating when the coin goes up that’s the way he wants to shape the game. Meanwhile, Australia have shown an inclination to bowl in recent times, doing it on three occasions in the last WTC cycle including in consecutive Tests last season against South Africa in Brisbane and Melbourne. Had the coin fallen Cummins’ way at The Oval, it would have been four.An area that Australia are better stocked than England for the Ashes, is the strength of their spinner•Getty Images”We’ve been more prepared to bowl in recent times and don’t think that is going to change,” McDonald said.Whereas Stokes might fancy a chase, McDonald said the key factor is wicket-taking. “Think you consider how difficult 10 wickets will be in the fourth innings verses what happens up front.”Cummins, a rare fast-bowling captain, believes the view around putting the opposition in has changed. “If there’s a bit in it on day one and you feel like you’re going to take 10 wickets, you just go for it,” he said. “I think the stigma around bowling first and not bowling them out [cheaply] has gone a bit as opposed to in the past.”However, something always in Australia’s mind, and an area they are clearly better stocked than England for the Ashes, is the strength of their spinner.”Is the wicket going to deteriorate, will reverse swing come into it, will spin come into? That’s the other thing to recognise,” McDonald said. “We’ve got an all-time great spinner in Nathan Lyon and the fourth innings is when he gets the work and conditions are in his favour.”Regardless, though, of what stage the Australians are bowling, they are prepared for England’s batters to come after them and that may require a shift in attitude.Who’s the No. 1 team in Test cricket currently? The ICC rankings might not quite say it, but Nathan Lyon knows the answer•Getty ImagesAgainst India, Australia conceded 3.97 runs per over across the game, equalling the rate Sri Lanka scored against them at Galle in the first Test last year as the most expensive they have been since 2016. It was a likely a taste of what is to come, although England will try to add a run-an-over to that.”We felt that both batting groups did an incredible job to prosper on the wicket that had enough in it for the bowling units,” McDonald said. “But every time you missed it was a boundary so one thing that we’ve got to factor into England is how we deny them those boundaries. There’s a couple of things that we can potentially tidy up and take from this game into the next one.”Most of our bowlers went at above what they’d usually go, and we’ve just got to get our heads around that the tempo will be slightly different. We’re a team that usually goes at that high two runs per over, here we’ve got to get our heads around the fact that we could go at four runs an over.”Another element that Australia have been putting a lot of work into is their field placements and it may be those, rather than specific bowling plans, where the most obvious changes are noticed in the Ashes.”Their batters hit balls in different areas so our planning and prep will take that into consideration,” McDonald said. “You saw even today [Sunday against India], some people may have been critiquing our sweepers out, [but] we wanted to control the tempo of the game. Think in England that’s something most teams do. Think England will employ similar tactics when wickets are flat, and we’ll do the same.”
Liverpool are reportedly “confident” of signing Marc Guehi on a free transfer next summer, and FSG also want to snap up an £87m-rated star.
The international break seems to have lasted a lifetime, but the Reds aren’t too far away from their return to Premier League action this weekend.
Arne Slot’s champions make the trip to Burnley on Sunday afternoon, looking to continue their 100% winning start to the season, and while the Clarets are a newly-promoted team with far less quality than Liverpool, Turf Moor can be a tricky place to visit.
Slot has some key decisions to make with his personnel, not least with Alexander Isak, as he weighs up whether to start the Reds’ new record signing or use him from the substitutes’ bench.
Meanwhile, both Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley could be in the mix to start at right-back, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s superb form in that role may mean that he keeps his place, having flourished in a role that is relatively alien to him.
According to a new update from Caught Offside, Liverpool and FSG are “confident” of completing the signing of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi next summer, with the 25-year-old out of contract at the end of this season. This is despite rumours of Real Madrid showing an interest in the centre-back.
He showcased his quality once again on Tuesday evening, scoring in England’s 5-0 win away to Serbia and producing an immaculate all-round performance.
Elsewhere, Guehi’s former Palace teammate Michael Olise is also a rumoured target for Liverpool, with the £87m-rated Bayern Munich winger being looked at as a potential long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah.
If Liverpool were able to sign both Guehi and Olise at the end of the current campaign, it would feel like another huge step in the right direction.
|
Michael Olise’s 2024/25 Bundesliga stats |
Total |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
34 |
|
Starts |
28 |
|
Minutes played |
2348 |
|
Goals |
12 |
|
Assists |
15 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.7 |
|
Shots per game |
2.5 |
|
Dribbles per game |
2.1 |
It is common knowledge that Guehi had all but sealed a move to Anfield on deadline day, only for Palace to pull the plug, but it is vital that their interest in him remains strong, with England manager Thomas Tuchel lauding him earlier this week.
“He looks absolutely fine and impressive on the field. He has had a good couple of weeks behind him on the performance side. He has continued like that in camp and he handles it [the transfer situation] with respect and with a brilliant attitude.”
As for the £87m-rated Olise, he feels like a perfect Salah replacement once the Egyptian’s world-class quality has waned, possessing his ability to cut inside from the right flank and wreak havoc.
Liverpool lead race for "breakout star" with £34m+ release clause in 2026
The Reds have positioned themselves nicely to land his signature.
By
Sean Markus Clifford
Sep 11, 2025
If Liverpool could sign both, and Palace youngster Adam Wharton, it would be another great summer transfer window, making this one to watch.
England's hopes of landing the World Cup could hang on a unique tactic borrowed from another international team, in a completely different sport. Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel has massive decisions to make regarding who makes the starting XI and who he keeps on the bench, but could copy the “Pom Squad” system favoured by England's rugby team for when he makes his substitutions.
Hasaranga, who picked up a hamstring niggle during the second ODI against Pakistan, is not yet ruled out of the tri-series
ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025Legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has been added to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the T20I tri-series in Pakistan as cover for allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who has a hamstring injury.Hasaranga has not been ruled out of the series yet. He picked up the hamstring niggle during the second game of the ODI series against Pakistan and subsequently missed the third ODI as Sri Lanka suffered a 3-0 defeat.Related
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Viyaskanth will join the team directly from Qatar, where he was playing for Sri Lanka A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. He has represented Sri Lanka just once in senior cricket, making his debut in the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023.Viyaskanth first rose to prominence in December 2020, when he became the youngest player at 18 years and 364 days to feature in the Lanka Premier League for Jaffna Stallions. In that tournament, he also became the first born-and-bred player from Jaffna to appear in an internationally televised game. Viyaskanth was also the second highest wicket-taker in the SLC T20 League in August 2025. Overall, in 59 T20 games, he has taken 67 wickets at 20.98 with an economy of 7.18.Sri Lanka are also missing their regular T20I captain Charith Asalanka for the tri-series. He flew home with an illness and Dasun Shanaka will fill in as captain. Sri Lanka play their first game of the tri-series on November 20 against Zimbabwe. The series starts on November 18 with each team playing the other twice before the final on November 29.
Let's cast our minds back to the conclusion of the summer transfer window last year. Arsenal had just spent a seismic sum of money, notably to bring Declan Rice to the Emirates Stadium.
For a brief moment, Rice became a British record transfer, signing on for a grand total of £105m. Also welcomed with open arms to north London was £65m Kai Havertz and David Raya on loan. Jurrien Timber arrived too, captured for £38m.
However, besides the ever-impressive Rice, Arsenal's summer signings suddenly looked like poor business after the opening months of the campaign.
Timber sustained a devastating ACL injury on the opening weekend of the Premier League season and hasn't been seen since. Raya's first few weeks after replacing Aaron Ramsdale looked nervy and it took until November for Havertz to find a goal from open play.
Yet, as has often been the case since he became Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta got it right.
Raya has stood out the more he plays and was the penalty hero in the Champions League against Porto while Havertz's fortunes have changed considerably.
£65m on Havertz, you say? Yeah, it's a pretty outrageous sum of money for a player who struggled to stand out for the right reasons at Chelsea.
There was that famous night when he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final but beyond that the German never really got going, scoring just 32 goals across 139 appearances for the Blues.
A move was required and Arsenal came calling. However, the opening few months were riddled with criticism. His only goal for the Gunners across the first 12 league outings was a penalty against Bournemouth.
Fortunately, he's now revived his fortunes and become one of the most important members of Arteta's side.
2024 has been the year of Havertz who has scored in each of his last four league matches, also providing two assists in that time. The £280k-per-week man – who takes home the highest salary of any Arsenal player – is emphatically proving his doubters wrong.
He's impressed many, including former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon who has been delighted with his recent appearances in the red and white.
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of BetVictor Casino Dixon swooned over the 24-year-old's displays in recent times, admitting that while he always believed there was a player in there at Chelsea, he was initially on the fence about his move across London.
"Firstly, yeah, he's done really well," Dixon began. "I was one of those – and it's easy to say after the event – but I was one of those who sat on the fence and said, ‘look let's give him a little chance’. You know, people will go ’why have you spent that money on him? He's rubbish.’
"Some of the commentators and people were set on their opinion and that's absolutely what they should do if that's what they believe, but I just thought, we've all seen stuff in him when he was at Chelsea and there is a player in there, it's just a case of finding a home and it looks like he's really comfortable now."
"I think when you've got a player who seems to be a confidence player – not everybody is – but we all like to play with confidence in the place where we think nothing's going to go wrong. Some players can play through that and he looks like that player."
Havertz has played in a number of roles since signing for Arsenal. Arteta initially thought the German could act as a replacement for Granit Xhaka in the no.8 role but his best displays have actually come as a false 9.
With Gabriel Jesus injured and Eddie Nketiah not preferred, the former Chelsea man has been entrusted as the focal point of the attack and delivered some truly impressive displays.
That's thanks to what Dixon thinks is an incredibly 'unique' profile. Discussing Havertz's best qualities and play style, the former England international commented: "He's showing that he feels at home and the positions that he's taken up and his ability to be dangerous around the box gives Arsenal just a little bit of an extra dynamic."
"So, instead of players looking at him going ‘oh, Kai Havertz? He's not going to cause much trouble’, now all of a sudden he is a problem. He changes how teams play against you. He’s got a very unique style to his play in that he is quite languid at times. And then other times he’s really athletic. So he's quite different to a lot of players that Arsenal have which is a good thing."
So, the mega-money signing has turned his career around at just the right time. Arsenal face a massive test in the title race when they face Manchester City on Sunday. They then have to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League. If they are to come through those ties with victories in hand, they will need Havertz at his best.
Lee Dixon delivers verdict on Ben White's England snub
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Lee Dixon delivered his verdict on Ben White.
By
Matt Dawson
Mar 26, 2024