Arsenal are firmly in the driving seat to secure a mouthwatering £105m deal for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice after Manchester City pulled out of the race for the Englishman. After months of groundwork and input behind the scenes to secure Rice, Mikel Arteta looks like he might just have got his man despite…

When he was a kid, he admired and kept a close eye on mythical Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon. As he grew older, it’s Manuel Neuer who became his role model. He marvels at the diligence and professionalism of Cristiano Ronaldo. Although he also admits that he’s not among the Portugese’s die-hard fans, his mentality…

Club: Portimonense Nationality: Portugal Position(s): CB, LB, LWB Preferred Foot: Left Height: 6’4”/192cm Age: 23 Strengths: interceptions, defensive understanding, aerial duels, passing range, line-breaking passing, versatility, concentration Development Areas: ball-carrying frequency, weak-foot ability    From Bruno Tabata (Sporting) to Beto (Udinese), from Samuel Portugal (Porto) to Fali Candé (Metz), Portimonense has made a number of…

From Rayan Cherki to Castello Lukeba, from Malo Gusto to Maxence Caqueret, we’ve seen quite a few Lyon academy products establish themselves as key figures in the first team recently, and the latest talent to make the step up for Les Gones is 20-year-old winger Bradley Barcola. Born in Villeurbanne to Togolese parents, Barcola joined…

Dani Carvajal’s impudent panenka clinched the UEFA Nations League. It was Spain’s first international title in 11 years and yet another landmark for Rodri. The midfielder completed a gruelling 120 minutes in his last encounter of a record-breaking season before he coolly dispatched his spot-kick to afford La Furia Roja the fateful victory.    Alongside this,…

From being released by Chelsea’s academy to captaining West Ham on their journey to their first trophy in 50 years (a first off English soil barring the 1966 World Cup, of course), Declan Rice has become of the most coveted commodities on the market. At 24, the Englishman is at a pivotal crossroad as he…

Club: RB Leipzig Nationality: Hungary Position(s): AM, LW, RW, CM Preferred Foot: Right Height: 6’1”/186cm Age: 22 Strengths: ball-striking, first touch, pace, set-pieces, technique Development Areas: defensive output, shot volume   At 22 years of age, Dominik Szoboszlai is a monster waiting to be unleashed. He is one of, if not the best ball-strikers in world…

Club: Benfica Nationality: Turkey Position(s): CM, AM Preferred Foot: Both Height: 5’9”/175cm Age: 22 Strengths: ambidexterity, passing, creativity, experience, set-pieces, leadership Development Areas: defensive ability, speed   Five months after selling Enzo Fernández to Chelsea for €121 million, Benfica have followed up their first league title in four years by signing Feyenoord captain Orkun Kökçü…

Club: PSV Nationality: Netherlands Position(s): AM, CF, LW, RW Preferred Foot: Right Height: 5’10”/179cm Age: 20 Strengths: dribbling, vision, speed, composure, finishing, versatility, work rate Development Areas: use of weak foot   A child prodigy at La Masia, Xavi Simons left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 after a nine-year spell in Catalunya, making just…

The Champions League Final was a tale of two keepers unafraid to take responsibility in possession. Ederson and André Onana have a case for being the two strongest goalkeepers in Europe with the ball at their feet. But one man who’s hoping to stake a claim for this position by securing a move to an…