It has been a breakthrough 2021 for Dušan Vlahović. After a middling start to the 2020/21 campaign, the Serbian striker caught fire in December 2020 with three consecutive goals against Sassuolo, Hellas Verona and Juventus and carried that form into the new year, registering 21 goals and 2 assists in 37 Serie A appearances for…

It only feels like yesterday when Dele Alli had the whole of the world at his feet; the Milton Keynes-raised midfielder joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 with a lot of hype that was justified immediately. He was a key catalyst to the rise of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham, putting up impressive returns for someone who was merely…

​​The signing of Aaron Ramsdale for £24m was heavily scrutinised by Arsenal fans. The concern was situated in the Stoke-born goalkeeper suffering consecutive relegations with Bournemouth and Sheffield United, conceding 128 goals in two seasons. Despite the angst around the signing, Mikel Arteta was determined to secure his signature. So far, that determination has been…

Manchester United have a culture of promoting the youth to the first team. Earlier many of their academy graduates have left a big impact on the footballing world. Sir Bobby Charlton is distinguished for his legendary status at the club and the impact he had on English football.   Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville,…

Udinese, like many other clubs from Italy, has a great admiration for Argentinian players and it has recruited its share over the decades. Luis Pentrelli was the first to play for the Zebrette from 1957 until 1962 while many others joined from the 1980s onwards.   Roberto Néstor Sensini and Abel Balbo starred for the…

The Regista is perhaps the most difficult role a player can fill on a football pitch. When a team plays with a regista, they are often offering a perfect pressing target to the opposition. This is the reason that most teams don’t play with a regista nowadays unless they regularly play with three centre backs.…

Whether it’s a model central defender setting the example, a masterful midfielder to match or an expert strike partner to emulate, the growth of young players is almost always accelerated when said player is nurtured by an elder associate, with every minute on the pitch alongside such seasoned pros a different lesson in how to…

Scotland’s ability to produce world-class full backs in recent years has rightfully been well commended with Kieran Tierney and Andrew Robertson becoming two of the best in Europe. However, that has not translated to the right back position where Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell has tended to be the number one choice in recent years.   But…

Franck Kessié left his native Ivory Coast when he was 18 years old. He had already made appearances for his country at senior level before he made the move to Italy in 2015. Despite some struggles adapting to Italian football, the 24-year-old has become one of the best midfielders in the league.   Kessié came…

The 2021/22 summer transfer window has just closed and amongst the high-profile dealings of PSG and Manchester United, the £100 million deals made by Manchester City and Chelsea and the shambles at Barcelona, a lot of smart business was conducted by teams with much shallower pockets.   One such deal was made by AC Milan,…