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Everton appear to be closing in on their first summer signing from the Spanish league, and no it’s not James Rodriguez just yet…

What’s the word?

According to AS (via Sport Witness), the Toffees are set to complete a deal for Atletico Madrid right-back Santiago Arias who is almost certain to leave the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this off-season.

It’s claimed that Diego Simeone needs to sell the 28-year-old in order to raise funds to bring in new additions and Arias is at the front of the queue to be sold.

He’s expected to cost Everton around €15m (£13.5m) with Marcel Brands the driving force behind the deal.

Bargain move

This could actually be quite the bargain for the Merseysiders this summer as Carlo Ancelotti is in need of genuine competition for Seamus Coleman.

Everton would have had to pay the same fee to make Djibril Sidibe’s loan move permanent, but the Frenchman didn’t really impress during his 25 Premier League appearances.

And when you see Chelsea paying £50m for Ben Chilwell, who plays in a similar position, then it only emphasises this deal as a potential steal.

The Atletico ace is a regular at international level for Colombia and has been a dependable defensive asset this term, averaging 2.6 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and 0.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Arias is also a player Brands knows very well having signed him for PSV Eindhoven in 2013 and later claimed the right-back was “the perfect model of the modern defender: pacy, powerful and attack-minded. There are not many players with such qualities.”

It seems like Everton have a very reliable option on their hands, one that could provide genuine competition to the skipper, so Brands must be lauded for this move if it does indeed happen.

AND in other news, Darren Bent tips Marco Silva target to finally join the Toffees…

An Inside Arabia journalist has revealed what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has said about his attempt to take over Newcastle United.

As per the writer, MBS is looking for an affordable deal in a time of economic downturn following the global pandemic outbreak, as his Public Investment Fund (PIF) have already agreed a £300 million price with Mike Ashley.

He has also apparently looked at the opportunity to buy Manchester United, but has decided that the Magpies are the club that he would like to purchase, as he thinks that the takeover of the Tyneside club would be more feasible and easier to push through.

However, the bid has been delayed by various obstacles in recent weeks that has meant that the whole process has been delayed, complicated further by Project Restart.

The Premier League are yet to decide as to whether they will approve of the prospective takeover, as they have insisted that the buying side must pass their Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) in order to have any chance of approving the bid.

Yet they have arguably been too busy making sure that the top flight has been resuming smoothly and so have not been able to deal with the takeover, partly causing the delay.

There have also been various oppositions to the bid, but the members of the Toon faithful will be hoping that they are brushed aside.

Nevertheless, MBS seems to believe that a deal could be pushed through, but only time will tell.

Geordies, will MBS be the new owner of NUFC? Comment below!

Tottenham’s sophomore season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has come to a close and it has arguably been one of the most chaotic campaigns in the club’s recent history.

Spurs summed up their season with a disappointing 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, although Jose Mourinho’s side still qualified for the Europa League in the process as Wolves lost 2-0 at Chelsea.

Mourinho has now turned his attention to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign and will want to make amends in the transfer window. Questions still remain over whether Daniel Levy will back his manager in the market, or if Spurs will be able to push on from promising foundations.

Despite their struggles, the Lilywhites still clinched a sixth-place finish, although Mourinho will surely not settle for anything other than silverware next season.

According to Alasdair Gold via football.london, Spurs are ready to raid Norwich City for Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell in the summer.

Tottenham have been monitoring Aarons for a while and Gold claims they will now test the waters with Norwich to see if they can strike a deal. Meanwhile, his teammate Cantwell remains firmly on their radar, and he understands they will look at several other players as well.

The ‘Dereham Deco’, who is affectionately nicknamed after the former Portugal star in recognition of his creativity and passing ability, has been a consistent performer for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

Although the Canaries hit rock bottom, Cantwell scored six goals and supplied two assists in 37 games in the Premier League, taking 1.1 shots per game, completing 2.3 dribbles, and winning 1.4 tackles on average (via WhoScored).

Bayern Munich have emerged as shock contenders to sign Aarons this summer, so Spurs should focus their efforts on Cantwell instead, as it is unlikely they will be able to compete with the Bundesliga champions, who have so much more to offer at the moment.

The 22-year-old has only won one England under-21 cap so far but could be considered unlucky to find himself in a generation stacked with midfield talents like James Maddison, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Phil Foden.

Liverpool had expressed their interest in him earlier this season, although this has somewhat cooled, which presents Spurs with the perfect opportunity to steal a march on their fierce rivals. Cantwell, who is currently valued at £18m via Transfermarkt, is under contract at Carrow Road until 2021.

While some in Norfolk will hope that the local lad will stay to help the Canaries fight their way out of the Championship, the club find themselves in a precarious position, as he will likely want to remain in the Premier League next season.

Norwich are confident that they can keep a hold of their prized assets but are braced for offers which may be too tempting to ignore.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Cantwell and Aarons in the summer? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

By Scottish football standards, even now, Glasgow Rangers spending £21.29m during the 2008/09 season was eye-catching.

The Gers, of course, had just reached the UEFA Cup final and had won both domestic cup competitions – clearly, they were looking to build on that. As such, they splashed seven figures on no less than seven different players, with the likes of Kyle Lafferty and Kenny Miller being added to the forward line.

Lithuania international Andrius Velicka was also added to the Ibrox outfit’s squad, with the Gers spending £1.26m on his services. He had already played in Scotland, scoring a respectable 17 goals in 44 matches for Hearts, and it was hoped that he would be able to score on a regular basis for the 54-time Scottish champions as well.

In the nine games he did eventually play for the Gers, he was far from disappointing, scoring four goals. However, he was unable to break into the side on a regular basis, and was loaned out to Bristol City for the 2009/10 campaign. In a cruel blow, he managed just one game before rupturing his cruciate ligament, and that was to be the beginning of the end for him with the Gers.

In fact, he never played for them again. After one further loan spell, with Aberdeen, he left on a free transfer and returned to his homeland. After just nine games, the Gers made a 100% loss on his signature, with each goal scored costing the club £315,000. It is a switch the blue side of Glasgow will likely want to forget.

Let us know what you think below!

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Newcastle United fell to another demoralising defeat on Saturday, as they were beaten 2-0 by Watford in the FA Cup fourth round.

The Magpies are 17th in the Premier League and now have no chance of lifting silverware this season, while they have also yet to invest in the January transfer market.

On the chalkboard

Benitez picked a rotated XI against the Hornets, naming Joselu as his lone striker.

The 28-year-old has scored three goals this season, the last of which came in the FA Cup third round victory over Blackburn Rovers. His other two came in August, in defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Perhaps he was picked on the back of his display against Rovers, but there is little about Joselu that marks him out as a first-choice centre-forward.

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

Salomon Rondon is first-choice at St James’ Park, and he has netted six times already this season. Indeed, he did not play in the FA Cup and now will not get the chance.

Benitez could well be politicking, choosing to play games as he attempts to convince Mike Ashley, the club’s tight-fisted owner, to finally dip into the transfer market this month.

The Magpies have roundly failed to add to their squad and The Telegraph has reported that the former Liverpool boss will leave if Ashley does not sign two players before the deadline.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

If Benitez really did play politics with the FA Cup, supporters are sure to be furious.

Joselu is not, and has never been, a first-choice striker in English football.

During his spell with Stoke City, he scored just four goals in 27 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Never has a stronger message been sent to a boardroom; playing the player so ill-suited to a role that Benitez may well have sent ten men out to face Watford.

And, yet again, Newcastle will not be winning any silverware this season.

It is not Joselu’s fault, of course; he has been told to do a job and continues to try to do his best, but he finds himself at the centre of an apparent power play.

It remains to be seen if that will pay off and whether we will see any new faces arrive at St James’ Park in the next few days.

Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard, who is now a free agent, is reportedly mulling over retirement after snubbing advances from MLS and Ligue 1.

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Belgian released by La Liga giantsStruggled badly in SpainWon't rush into decision on future

WHAT HAPPENED?

The 32-year-old Belgian forward saw a forgettable four-year stint at Santiago Bernabeu brought to a close at the end of the 2022-23 campaign when he was released from the final year of his contract. Hazard has been without a club ever since, despite attracting plenty of interest.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Teams from Saudi Arabia and America, who were keen on Hazard prior to seeing him become a free agent, have reportedly asked questions of his availability. Three sides from France – Nice, Marseille and Lille – are also keen, while there have been approaches from leading outfits in Turkey.

AND WHAT'S MORE

Hazard has knocked all of that interest back, with claiming that he may decide to hang up his boots for good. As he is enjoying time with his family, there is no desire on the Belgian’s part to rush into a decision regarding his future.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Hazard was considered to be one of the best players on the planet when leaving Premier League giants Chelsea for Madrid in 2019, but he struggled for form and fitness throughout his time in Spain and severed ties with Real after recording just seven goals through 76 appearances.

Weston McKennie and Tim Weah left San Siro with three points as Juventus took down Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan.

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Juve win 1-0Four USMNT stars startWeah the standout American

It was a big day for Americans in Italy as all four U.S. men's national team stars started in a clash of two Scudetto hopefuls. The contest was, however, slightly derailed by a first half red card that led to one of those Americans, Pulisic, being taken off of the field as Milan boss Stefano Pioli reshuffled his lineup.

In the end, though, Weah, McKennie and Juventus got the last laugh against their USMNT teammates as Juve earned a 1-0 win that opened up the Serie a title picture in a big way.

GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

With Milan on the front foot, the match was turned on its head just five minutes before halftime. Juventus forward Moise Kean got through on goal and was hacked down by Malick Thiaw, giving the referee no choice but to send the Milan centerback off.

Needing to reshape his team, Stefano Pioli opted to take Christian Pulisic off, and the American winger looked extremely frustrated as he marched toward the bench.

Up a man going forward, Juve finally got their goal in the 63rd minute as midfielder Manuel Locatelli fired a shot that deflected off Rade Krunic and into the back of the net. Weah was credited with the assist on Locatelli's goal, while the American star also played the pass that led to Thiaw's red card.

In the end, Juventus held on to the win, leaving them in third with 20 points. Milan, with the loss, sit second on 21, one point behind their eternal rivals Inter, who have held on to the top spot in Serie A.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

We only got the promised matchup for the first half, with Pulisic's removal robbing fans of the chance to see all of the USMNT stars go head-to-head. However, Musah and McKennie did face off for large stretches, with both starting in midfield.

Musah, at one point, put in strong tackle on Weah, who he pushed off the field in pursuit of the ball, while he and McKennie did meet up at several points in the center of the park.

Overall, with the four starting, the U.S. was the second-most represented country on the field, behind only Italy, on what felt like a historic day for American soccer.

GettyUSMNT IMPACT

Gregg Berhalter was in the house for Sunday's match, and for good reason. For Berhalter, and many Americans, it felt like a landmark moment for the American game.

"It's a special moment for U.S. Soccer," Berhalter told . "To think about these two traditional clubs and now to have four U.S. players with the opportunity com compete in a game like this, we've come a long way. For me to be here is an honor, but mostly it's about supporting the guys because it's a great group of guys."

The occasion, of course, was ruined a bit by Pulisic's early substitution, but it doesn't diminish from the moment too much. Two of the biggest clubs in the world began a match with two Americans each in a match with real stakes.

There will be another match between these two sides in April, and all involved will hope for a cleaner match that allows all four to stay on the field and compete.

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GettyGOAL'S RATINGS

Weston McKennie (7/10):

Sent one really good chance into the highest levels of the San Siro but, other than that, was solid for Juve. Was good defensively, although it helped Milan were up a man, and was solid enough in the attack, that missed shot aside.

Yunus Musah (6/10):

Was just a bit too quiet, although part of that will be due to the fact that his side was down a man. Didn't contribute enough and, in one of Milan's few real chances, he was unable to really control a cross from Rafael Leao.

Christian Pulisic (6/10):

A very incomplete game from the American, although he wasn't doing too much even prior to Milan's red card. He did, nearly, get a chance on goal after Olivier Giroud's shot was saved, but Wojciech Szczesny's parry went just past the American.

Tim Weah (8/10):

Of the four Americans, Weah was far an away the best on the field and it could be argued that he was the standout player of the entire game. Will be credited with the assist on the goal, although that was a bit lucky. It was deserved, though, as Weah routinely got forward and created danger with several dangerous crosses.

Chelsea remain unafraid of splashing the cash, despite making some expensive errors

Chelsea's considerable success in the last 20 years or so can be partly attributed to the significant amount of money they have spent in the transfer market. Indeed, the Blues have never had any issue splashing the cash on talented players, especially after Roman Abramovich took control of the club in 2003.

While there have been some notable flops, many new signings played a pivotal role in an unprecedented era of success for the club featuring Premier League triumphs, two Champions League wins and five FA Cup successes.

Abramovich may now be gone but Chelsea's new owners, a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly, have already demonstrated their willingness to continue spending big, as underlined by the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk, who was brought in from Shakhtar Donetsk to fortify their attack in a deal worth around £89 million ($109m). Mudryk's is no longer even the most expensive transfer in the Boehly era, though, as they smashed their transfer record on deadline to make Enzo Fernandez their most expensive signing of all time at £106.8m.

Here, GOAL takes a look at the 15 most expensive signings in the Blues' history…

Chelsea top 15 most expensive transfers

Getty Images15Ben Chilwell | £45.2m | Leicester City | 2020

Having established himself as one of the best left-backs in England, it was not a surprise to see Chelsea spend big on the Leicester City youth product in the summer of 2020.

He had a great first season at Chelsea, making 42 appearances in all competitions. He played the entire 90 minutes as Chelsea beat Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final.

Though a cruciate ligament injury curtailed his 2021-22 season campaign, Chilwell is already back in Thomas Tuchel's starting line-up and will be battling out with new signing Marc Cucurella for a starting spot this term.

AdvertisementGetty Images14Timo Werner | £47.7m | RB Leipzig | 2020

Signed for big money on the back of a prolific season for RB Leipzig, Timo Werner's move to Chelsea has not gone well, with the Germany international now tipped to return to his former club.

Werner cut a frustrated figure right from the off, his confidence clearly affected by a succession of glaring misses. He slowly fell out of favour, as Chelsea desperately searched for more dependable attacking outlets.

In fact, there was a marked decrease in his game-time in the 2021-22 season and has long been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Getty Images13Raheem Sterling | £50.6m | Manchester City | 2022

The former Manchester City winger has only just arrived at the Bridge and is expected to add a cutting edge to an attacking unit that struggled for goals a bit last season.

Despite falling out of favour a tad during the final year of his time at the Etihad, Sterling's quality cannot be questioned.

He won four titles at City, scoring 131 goals in all competitions, and also played a pivotal role in England's run to the final of Euro 2020.

Given he's still only 27, Sterling could well prove one of Chelsea's best-ever buys.

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(C)Getty Images12Jorginho | £51.3m | Napoli | 2018

Despite being wanted by Pep Guardiola at Man City, Jorginho ended up joining his former Napoli boss, Maurizio Sarri, in West London.

However, while Chelsea won the Europa League in his first season, the cultured midfielder did not have a great first season, as the team struggled under Sarri.

Jorginho, however, did start to live up to his billing in the following seasons, under Frank Lampard and then Thomas Tuchel.

He is a trusted member of the team now, as reliable as his famous 'Hop, skip and jump' penalty technique.

Tottenham have a bit of a reputation of being tight with their money, but they have spent plenty of cash this century

Tottenham Hotspur have done a fine job in becoming one of the Premier League's so-called big six over the course of the last decade or so after languishing in mid-table team at the start of the century.

Much of that upward trend is down to some strong decision making at board level and having a clear philosophy as to what they represent.

Their resurgence has not been cheap, though, as they have have been spending freely to get to where they are now.

Although Spurs have only surpassed the £50 million mark on two occasions, with both Tanguy Ndombele and Richarlison costing £50m+, they have not held back when it comes to quantity.

And it's fair to say that approach hasn't always paid off!

Luka Modric was a phenomenal signing at just over £20m, but they paid a similar amount for Vincent Janssen, Serge Aurier, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil to name just a few examples.

So, let's take a look at their 21st-century transfer dealings and their most expensive arrivals of the last 22 years!

Tottenham Hotspur most expensive signings by season

Season

Most expensive signing

Fee

Total spending

2023/24

James Maddison

£40.00M

£122.00M

2022/23

Richarlison

£52.20M

£152.91M

2021/22

Bryan Gil

£22.50M

£86.31M

2020/21

Giovani Lo Celso

£28.80M

£59.45M

2019/20

Tanguy Ndombele

£54M

£133.65M

2018/19

None

–

–

2017/18

Davinson Sanchez

£37.80M

£111.15M

2016/17

Moussa Sissoko

£31.50M

£75.15M

2015/16

Heung-min Son

£27M

£63.90M

2014/15

Ben Davies

£11.39M

£43.63M

2013/14

Erik Lamela

£27M

£110.30M

2012/13

Mousa Dembele

£17.10M

£65.93M

2011/12

Scott Parker

£5.18M

£8.10M

2010/11

Rafael van der Vaart

£9.45M

£23.94M

2009/10

Peter Crouch

£9.45M

£36.27M

2008/09

Luka Modric

£20.25M

£129.56M

2007/08

Darren Bent

£22.28M

£84.74M

2006/07

Dimitar Berbatov

£14.13M

£54.90M

2005/06

Jermaine Jenas

£13.50M

£32.86M

2004/05

Andy Reid

£7.20M

£42.41M

2003/04

Jermaine Defoe

£9.45M

£26.78M

2002/03

Robbie Keane

£9.45M

£9.45M

2001/02

Dean Richards

£10.94M

£25.25M

2000/01

Sergiy Rebrov

£16.20M

£23.17M

TOTAL

£1.52B

*All figures are taken from Transfermarkt.

Tottenham Hotspur top 10 most expensive player signingsGetty Images10Roberto Soldado | £27 million | Valencia | 2013

Tottenham signed Soldado in the summer of 2013 for a then club record fee of £27 million.

The Spanish striker scored on his debut in Tottenham's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and then four days later scored a brace in a 5-0 win in their Europa League match against Dinamo Tbilisi.

However, he eventually scored just six goals in his debut season and was quickly labelled a flop by Spurs fans.

Soldado left Tottenham in the summer of 2015 and joined Villarreal for a reported £10m.

AdvertisementGetty Images9Steven Bergwijn | £27 million | PSV | 2020

Steven Bergwijn arrived in North London from PSV for £27 million in January 2020.

He signed a five-year contract and scored his first goal for the club on his Premier League debut in a 2-0 win over Manchester City.

After the Premier League halt by Covid-19, Bergwijn scored in the first game against Manchester United in a 1-6 win at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman made 60 appearances for Spurs, scoring seven goals before joining Ajax in the summer of 2022.

Getty Images8Giovani Lo Celso | £28.80 million | Real Betis | 2020

Tottenham signed Giovani Lo Celso from La Liga side Real Betis in August 2019 on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

Lo Celso made his debut for Spurs against Manchester City and they triggered the option to sign him permanently in January 2020 for £28.80 million.

After two decent years at Tottenham, Lo Celso was loaned to Villarreal in January 2022 and has been there since then.

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Getty Images7Moussa Sissoko | £31.50 million | Newcastle | 2016

After a much-publicized move from Newcastle United in 2016, Moussa Sissoko went on to make 202 appearances for Tottenham across all competitions.

Spurs paid a premium of £31.50 million to acquire his services, but it is probably fair to say that the move didn't work out for either party.

He spent five years at the club before deciding to join Watford in the summer of 2021 and got relegated with them in the 2021-22 season.

The Gunners are top of the Premier League after 14 games, so who have been their main men – and where do they still need to improve?

It’s been a record-breaking start to the season for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have entered the break for the World Cup sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League table having won 12 of their first 14 games.

It’s the best start to a league season in the club’s history and has fans wondering whether the Gunners could now go on to end their 18-year wait for a Premier League title.

But who has been the stand out player so far? What has been the best performance and where could improvements be made?

Below, GOAL dissects Arsenal’s remarkable season so far…

Getty ImagesBest player

Given the way Arsenal have played so far this season, it’s incredibly difficult to pick just one player.

Gabriel Jesus has been a revelation, even though his goals have dried up, while Ben White has barely put a foot wrong at right-back and Gabriel Martinelli has been electric.

Thomas Partey has been sensational during the past two months and William Saliba continues to produce monstrous performances week after week.

But Granit Xhaka has been truly outstanding and gets the nod for this one.

Xhaka’s redemption story at Arsenal has been the theme of the season and his consistency levels have been unwavering.

He has been transformed under Arteta and is clearly loving the more advanced midfield role he is now operating in.

Three goals and three assists in 14 starts is a fine return and he deserves every bit of praise that has come his way so far this season.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesBest performance

The win at Chelsea was superb in many ways.

It may have only been 1-0, but it was a performance of near total domination from Arteta’s men.

They went to the home of one of the big six and controlled the game from start to finish, playing with personality and style.

There have been plenty of other fine displays, including the North London derby success against Spurs and the home win over Liverpool.

But the victory at Stamford Bridge, and the manner of it, showed exactly what this new Arsenal team is about.

Getty Images.Best goal

There are plenty to choose from here.

William Saliba’s superb strike at Bournemouth was a serious contender, as was Thomas Partey’s spectacular effort against Tottenham.

There have also been plenty of excellent team goals, but Partey’s curler against Nottingham Forest just edges this one.

The replay of the goal from behind Partey really demonstrated how good a strike it was.

He whipped it around two defenders and bent it perfectly into the top corner from just outside the box. It was a wonderful finish.

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Getty ImagesBest new signing

His goals may have dried up recently, but Gabriel Jesus has still been hugely influential in Arsenal’s success.

They simply wouldn’t be where they are in the Premier League without the summer addition from Manchester City.

Jesus’ role in the win at Chelsea was a prime example of just how vital he is to the team, even if he is not scoring goals.

He should have scored at Stamford Bridge when he sent a header wide in the first half following a sensational Arsenal move.

But he didn’t let his head drop and his relentless work rate and determination to play for his team-mates drove his side on to get the win.

It was his desire that won the ball back off Thiago Silva that led to the corner which Arsenal scored their winning goal from in the second half.

Jesus does need to get back amongst the goals after the World Cup break; that is clear. 

But his recent barren run shouldn’t take away from just how impressive he has been so far during his debut season in North London.