Crystal Palace have submitted a bid worth £8.5 million to sign a 21-year-old rising star who wants to move to Selhurst Park, according to a recent report.
Crystal Palace chasing two new midfielders for Glasner
While the Eagles continue to wait for clarification on whether they will be playing in the Europa League or not next season, people behind the scenes are working hard on potential transfers, as Oliver Glasner and co. plan to improve many areas of the team regardless of how many fronts they are asked to compete on.
Crystal Palace make approach to bring in £20m midfielder along with Diomande
Crystal Palace already have their eyes on their next transfer target amid talks with Diomande.
ByBrett Worthington Jun 23, 2025
Midfield appears to be the priority for the South Londoners at this moment in time, as they work on not just one but two new midfield signings. Last week, it was reported by Alan Nixon, via TBR Football, that Palace had made an approach to RC Lens over signing Andy Diouf.
Despite potentially having European football, Palace are aware they could lose Adam Wharton in this transfer window and therefore want to have a replacement ready. It would cost the Premier League side just £20 million to get a deal wrapped up.
As Palace weigh where to go next with a deal for Diouf, reports also claim the Eagles have made contact with Brighton & Hove Albion player Igor Julio over a potential move to Selhurst Park. The South Londoners are not the only Premier League team chasing a deal, as Wolverhampton Wanderers are also interested in signing the midfielder, but he is said to be prioritising a move out of England at this moment in time.
Crystal Palace submit £8.5m striker bid
Despite the excellent form of Jean-Philippe Mateta last season, the Eagles are in the market for a new striker as well as new midfielders. According to Africa Foot, Crystal Palace have made a 10 million euros (£8.5m) bid to sign Oumar Diakité from Stade de Reims.
The report states that given Stade de Reims’ relegation to Ligue 2, Diakite is among the players attracting interest across Europe. But Palace are the ones who have made a concrete move to sign the young striker, and the Eagles are in a good position to complete a transfer, as Diakite is keen on the move to Selhurst Park.
As well as making a bid, Palace have also offered the player a five-year contract and are ready to pay him 3.5 million euros a year, which is roughly £2.9 million. The concern Palace do face is that Stade de Reims are not rushing to sell the player and are waiting for more ‘miraculous’ offers to arrive.
Apps
33
Goals
4
Assists
1
Palace’s interest in the 21-year-old is not new, as back in November it was reported that the Premier League side had identified Diakite as a long-term replacement for Mateta. The Ivory Coast international has shown in the last couple of seasons he knows where the back of the net is, but the hope will be for him to learn under the French star, not replace him.
Newcastle United have been a cut above the previous standard since Eddie Howe's arrival two years ago, having turned consistent relegation battles into a fight for European football and success on the continental scene.
The PIF takeover has, of course, been a crucial ingredient to their transformation, as the riches presented to the Englishman have allowed him to splash the cash in the transfer window.
While the likes of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak were brought in as a result of this influx of investment – and have formed the backbone of their success – much credit has to go to Howe for his transformation of several fringe players, who were at the club prior to his arrival.
One of those is energetic midfielder Sean Longstaff.
Sean Longstaff's career so far
A product of Newcastle's youth academy – after joining at the age of nine – Longstaff has been plying his trade in black and white for 17 years but it's only recently where his attributes have been allowed to flourish.
The 26-year-old's journey towards first-team stardom has been a tricky one, as the early years of his development were blighted by injuries and this curtailed his chances of becoming a regular fixture in the senior setup.
sean-longstaff-newcastle-opinion
From being loaned out to Kilmarnock and Blackpool between 2017 and 2018 to suffering multiple serious injuries that saw him miss 120 days of the 2018/19 campaign, Longstaff never managed to nail a place in the starting XI, but that all changed when Howe arrived at the club.
Now a crucial cog in Newcastle's side due to his boundless amounts of energy, who brings the best out of midfield partners Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes, Longstaff is an "unsung hero" as dubbed by pundit Paul Merson – who has popped up with some incredible moments for the Toon in recent times.
After scoring a brace in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Southampton last term to notching in the Champions League against PSG, it is clear to see why the term unsung hero is coined for the Englishman.
However, it's more than just his goals that have impressed the masses this term.
Sean Longstaff's current transfer value
Longstaff has appeared in all but one match for Newcastle this season, scoring three times and assisting once.
In addition to popping up with match-winning moments from midfield, the 26-year-old has demonstrated his ability to drive the attacking phases of play.
Sean Longstaff
He is particularly adept at providing dangerous progressive passes forward and this is a crucial attribute to have as a midfielder.
Dubbed as "outstanding" previously by journalist Henry Winter, Longstaff averages 5.32 progressive passes per game, 2.22 touches in the attacking penalty box and 3.55 progressive passes received, as per FBref.
Clearly able to dictate the tempo of a match with his exquisite passing range and composure, his main strength is covering ground and winning possession back for his team, having averaged 3.8 balls recovered, 1.3 tackles and 3.2 duels won this term.
As a result of his impressive displays that have caught the eye, Longstaff is now worth £26m (€30m), as per Football Observatory, which is a testament to how much he's improved in recent years.
Declan Rice became the most expensive West Ham United academy graduate in the history of the club when he completed his move away from the London Stadium this year.
The England international signed for Arsenal for a club-record £105m, which is a record between two English clubs and just shy of the British transfer record of £106.8m that was set by Enzo Fernandez' move to Chelsea from Benfica.
West Ham's current most valuable former academy players:
Declan Rice
£78m
Josh Cullen
£11.2m
Ben Johnson
£8.6m
Toni Martinez
£6m
Sorba Thomas
£5.2m
A number of talented players have come through the youth set-up for the Hammers over the years and the likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Rio Ferdinand paved the way for them when they became England stars after starting their careers in London.
Rice appears to be the next academy graduate who is set to enjoy a fantastic career now that he has moved to Champions League side Arsenal, but West Ham do not always make the best decisions over their young prospects.
One player whom David Moyes may now regret allowing to move on too early is central midfielder Pierre Ekwah, who departed the club in January to sign for Championship side Sunderland.
How many appearances did Ekwah make for West Ham?
The French battler did not make a single first-team appearance for the Hammers during his time at the London Stadium but did catch the eye with his performances at youth level.
He racked up nine goals and three assists in 39 U21 matches before his move to the Black Cats. However, that was not enough to convince Moyes to hand him an opportunity to impress at senior level.
Ekwah did showcase his quality against first-team opposition in the EFL Trophy for West Ham, though, during the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.
Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah.
The midfield ace averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 across three appearances against Walsall, MK Dons, and Cheltenham as he caught the eye on and off the ball.
His creativity was on full display with two key passes per game for his teammates to open up the opposition's defence at the top end of the pitch. Meanwhile, no Hammers player managed more than 1.4 key passes per match throughout the Premier League season last term.
He also made two tackles and interceptions combined per outing and won 54% of his individual duels, as per Sofascore, which showed that the young gem was ready to deal with the physicality of the professional game.
These displays for West Ham came after he started his career with Chelsea, where Ekwah scored five goals and provided two assists in 24 matches for their U18 side.
How much was Ekwah worth at West Ham?
At the time of his move to Sunderland in January 2023, FootballTransfers placed the central midfielder's Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at just €60k (£52k).
Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah.
He had yet to make the first senior appearance of his career and the Black Cats took a leap of faith to sign him from the London-based side as Tony Mowbray seemingly saw the potential there for Ekwah to be an excellent option for his team.
Whereas, Moyes never offered him the chance to shine in a West Ham shirt in a competitive setting and sanctioned a permanent exit for him in January, without seeing what he could do out on loan or in a match for his first-team.
How many games has Ekwah played for Sunderland?
Mowbray has made the France U20 international a key cog in his Black Cats side this season and he has made 25 appearances for the club in total this year.
However, Ekwah did not become an immediate success at the Stadium of Light as the second half of last season was a struggle at times.
He had not played any senior football before his move to Wearside and the end of the 2022/23 campaign was his introduction to the professional game.
The French gem averaged an unimpressive Sofascore rating of 6.57 across 14 Championship appearances for Sunderland, which was the 23rd-highest score within their squad. This shows that the midfield maestro struggled to adapt at first as he was not among the club's top performers.
Ekwah, who journalist Josh Bunting once hailed as "excellent", has now found his feet at senior level, though, and has emerged as an outstanding player for Mowbray at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
He has averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.27 across six Championship games so far this term, which is the fifth-highest score within the club, and caught the eye with his fantastic performances in midfield.
The former Chelsea prospect has been reliable in possession with 90% of his attempted passes being completed and showcased his defensive instincts with three tackles and interceptions per game, to go along with two goals, as per Sofascore.
How much is Ekwah worth now?
At the time of writing (29/09/2023), FootballTransfers has placed his xTV at €3.4m (£2.9m) and this shows that his market value has skyrocketed since leaving West Ham in January.
His xTV has soared by a staggering 5,566% from the initial €60k that he was valued at earlier this year, which shows that exposure to first-team football has helped him to thrive as a player.
Mowbray and Sunderland showed faith in the young dynamo's ability and they are now benefitting from it on the pitch with his sublime performances in the Championship this season.
Ekwah also has the time, at the age of 21, to develop and increase his value further at the Stadium of Light, which could be helped if they are able to secure promotion to the Premier League.
Therefore, Moyes had a mare with the sale of the former Chelsea academy prospect in January as his xTV has soared since his London Stadium exit and the Scottish head coach did not give him a chance to prove himself with the Hammers.
West Ham could also have sent him out on loan instead of sanctioning a permanent move in order to see how he would fare with regular first-team football.
This could have given the manager the evidence he needed to make a decision on the player's future, instead of doing so without knowing how he would cope with senior games.
The selectors have left out Barry McCarthy and Craig Young from the squad that took part in the recently concluded tri-series in Deventer
ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018
Joshua Little gets congratulated by Jacob Mulder and Craig Young after taking his maiden international wicket•Peter Della Penna
Joshua Little and Andy McBrine have been recalled to a 14-man Ireland squad that will take on India in two T20Is on June 27 and 29 in Malahide. Gary Wilson will continue to captain the side.Little, 18, is a left-arm fast bowler who has played only four T20s so far – two of them T20Is – and was part of the Ireland team in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January this year. McBrine, 25, is an offspinning allrounder who has already played 30 ODIs and 19 T20Is, though his last T20I was in March 2017.Ireland squad
Gary Wilson (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell , Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Stuart Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson IN: Josh Little, Andy McBrine OUT: Barry McCarthy, Craig Young
Ireland have played only one T20I against India, back in 2009 at Trent Bridge during the World T20 that year. India won that game by eight wickets with 4.3 overs to spare, thanks to Zaheer Khan’s 4 for 19.The Ireland selectors have left out Barry McCarthy and Craig Young from the squad that took part in the recently concluded tri-series in Deventer, where Ireland won one match, lost two and tied one game.Before the series against India, Ireland will play a T20 against Sussex Sharks at the Arundel Castle Cricket Ground on June 24, which will also be Ed Joyce’s testimonial match. Joyce announced his retirement after Ireland made their long-awaited Test debut.Andrew White, the chairman of selectors, said the squad for the India matches had been chosen with a view to giving exposure to players for the future as well as being competitive, and the game against Sussex would help finalise Ireland’s XI.”The selectors have chosen what we believe to be a strong, in-form squad for this format of the game that balances experience with youth,” White said. “Our deliberations were around finding a side that was competitive now, but with an eye on the future.”Many in the squad will be either travelling to Sussex this weekend for the Ed Joyce Testimonial match on Sunday, or will be re-joining the senior squad from their English County sides. We had a good look at a number of players on the recent tri-series in the Netherlands and this weekend’s match in Sussex will firm up the decisions made on the final playing eleven for the first fixture on Wednesday.”White identified building a good group of players for the World T20 qualifiers as one of the aims.”We will continue our approach of providing opportunities for a wider pool of players to gain experience in T20 cricket on the international stage,” he said. “With around 12 months to go to the World T20 Cup qualifiers, we are looking to build a competitive squad for that qualification stage and hopefully propel us into the main tournament in 2020.”
Teams in the Hundred are looking very different with players off to the CPL and international duty
Jake Lintott29-Aug-2022It’s been a bittersweet week. We had two really good wins, against Welsh Fire and in a difficult game against Trent Rockets, and it’s still special to win, even if you’re not really in the running for the knockout stages. You want to play for personal pride through to the end, and to trip other teams up if you can.It’d be great to finish with a win against Northern Superchargers on Wednesday, but we’re still disappointed with the position that we got ourselves into at the start of the season. It’d be great for us to finish on a real high by winning at Headingley. It’s crazy how tight the table is and if we win, we wouldn’t end up missing out on the knockout stages by many points at all.The atmosphere at our home games has been great and the fans have really got behind Southern Brave. That’s not been the case at every venue we’ve been to so we’re pretty lucky in that regard. It still feels like there’s a real hype around the Hundred and it feels like the standard has gone to the next level this year.Related
Alex Davies, Ross Whiteley script turnaround to keep Rockets waiting on play-off spot
Strauss review proposes smaller Championship top tier, 'revamped' 50-over competition
The Hundred play-off scenarios: Five men's teams in contention, Brave and Invincibles eye women's final
When you look through the squads, they’re much stronger than last season because of the number of top overseas players that have been involved. It’s been awesome to go up against some of the world’s best but some of the teams are looking very different in terms of personnel heading into the final stages with players leaving for international duty or other leagues like the CPL.There’s so much cricket being played at the moment, all around the world, and the schedules are carnage. I’d love competitions to try and work together a little bit more: when they go up against each other, you end up with worse availability in both, which obviously affects the standard.There’s been lots of chat about the schedule all summer and it has been interesting to hear about the high-performance review. I haven’t played much first-class cricket but I look at the guys who are playing four-day cricket week in, week out and it makes me tired just looking at them. There’s going to have to be some kind of compromise somewhere.Personally, I think you could have three groups of six in the Blast and play 10 group games each, rather than 14, and you could have a three-division County Championship too. That would make Division One really strong and we’d still have 10 first-class games in the season – the same number they play in Australia, for example.I don’t envy Andrew Strauss having to make decisions on it because it is so hard to please everyone involved in the game, but ultimately, I think they will have to cut things back a little bit. There’s just so much going on at the moment: if you play in the Hundred final this weekend, you might start a Championship game 36 hours later.You have to try and find a way of looking after players. People don’t always take travel into account and most of our training is geared towards preparation for the next game: finding time to do much technical work when you’re playing so often is really hard. Volume is a big concern from the players’ perspective.I made my List A debut while playing for England Lions earlier this year and I’m desperate to play more 50-over cricket. It should be a big part of the schedule, for me: if you have 50-over World Cups to prepare for, you have to be playing one-day cricket consistently. At the moment, because I don’t play much red-ball cricket for Warwickshire, I find myself training with them for most of the year, but I only play for them for about five weeks, in the Blast.There are some very good players who have missed out on Hundred contracts this year and in future, you could have more than one wildcard pick per team. I got wildcarded last year because Southern Brave needed a wristspinner and I had done well in the Blast. It would be great for other players to have the same opportunity after breakthrough seasons for their counties.We travel to Leeds on Monday and we have a team meal with our women’s team there. We’ve got a great relationship with them and do lots of stuff together. They’re a great team to watch and we always try to get there before we play to watch their games: it’s really impressive how Charlotte Edwards has got them playing.They’ve got all bases covered. Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt are a pretty formidable opening partnership and Amanda-Jade Wellington’s legspin has been huge for them. For me, they’re far and away the best team in that competition, so hopefully they’ll go all the way.
Manchester City have been alerted to the availability of an exciting star who could be available for nothing in the summer of 2024, according to a report.
Man City's rise under Sheikh Mansour
Undoubtedly, Manchester City fans will now claim that they deserve a seat at the top table of English football and it is hard to argue with considering their trophy haul from the 2010's onwards under Sheikh Mansour. No fewer than seven Premier League titles, three FA Cup triumphs, six EFL Cups and one Champions League trophy have made their way to the Etihad Stadium over the last twelve years or so and Citizens boss Pep Guardiola has signalled his intent to keep the good times rolling in the blue half of Manchester.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has shared some quotes from Guardiola regarding their domestic dominance and his desire to prolong their success on social media platform X, as he stated: Guardiola: "Now Man City are a reality, we want to stay at top level as long as possible. We won't stop". "Maybe it’s uncomfortable because we were not in the elite and now we are. Maybe it’s uncomfortable. But we were there, we're there, we want to be there in the future."
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva was a Barcelona transfer target alongside fielding further interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi Arabian clubs in the summer; however, the Portugal international chose to stay put at the Etihad Stadium by signing a new deal tying him to the club until 2026. Making more history at the Sky Blues has been revealed as a key motivation for his decision to remain at Manchester City, with the player saying:
"We heard that four titles in a row has never been done before so we want to try to do that. It is so tough every year, especially when you remember that two of the titles were just a difference of one point and won in the last games."
Man City could sign Toni Kroos on a free transfer
As per The Daily Star, Manchester City have been offered the chance to sign Toni Kroos on a free transfer when his contract at Real Madrid expires in the summer of 2024. The former Germany international would be keen to spend some time in England before finishing his illustrious playing career. He already has a pre-existing relationship with Guardiola, as the pair worked together at Bayern Munich.
Toni Kroos in action.
Labelled as a "spectacular player" by his former coach Zinedine Zidane, Kroos has gone on to rack up 430 appearances for La Liga superpower Real Madrid, notching 28 goals and 92 assists in the process (Toni Kroos stats – Transfermarkt).
Despite their habit of recruiting top young talent, acquiring experienced individuals who have been over the course many times is hardly an alien concept to Manchester City and bringing someone like Kroos to the Etihad Stadium on a free transfer could be an excellent piece of business.
Sam Robson. Remember him on the list of former England openers? He has just made his first century of the season
ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-20181:55
Yorkshire edge towards safety
ScorecardSam Robson’s first century of the season saw Middlesex get the better of the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match with Derbyshire at Lord’s.The former England opener ended a run drought with 134 – becoming Middlesex’s first century maker since May 6.Max Holden (96 not out) was also closing in on a first century in Middlesex colours as the hosts finished an enthralling day at 350 for 8, only the second time this season they have realised a fourth batting point.But late in the day veteran seamer Tony Palladino (4-66) bowled the visitors back into contention with a spell of 4- for 3 in 15 balls.Given Middlesex’s struggles with the bat this season it was no surprise to see them stuck in under cloudy skies for the sixth time in seven red-ball games at HQ this season.Understandably then it was a nervy start – 20 balls and the odd play and miss passed before the first run clicked up on the board.Robson broke the shackles with two fours in an over off Palladino – the second boundary appearing to lift a season-load of weight from his shoulders as thereafter he settled down to play with increasing assurance.At the other end, left-hander Nick Gubbins found life more of a struggle, a spate of cameos having left him short of confidence.Nevertheless, the pair compiled only their third half-century opening stand of the season, reaching 64 before Hardus Viljoen made the breakthrough trapping Gubbins lbw.Sam Robson eases one through the covers•Getty ImagesIt would be the visitors’ only wicket of the morning session as Robson moved smoothly to 50 off 83 balls with nine boundaries, ably supported by Stevie Eskinazi who had the honour of receiving his county cap at the start of the lunch interval.There would be no 50 to accompany the honour, the South African-born wicketkeeper/batsman falling for 35, lbw to spinner Matthew Critchley.Skipper Dawid Malan was next to go, a skittish innings of 16 ending when he aimed an ill-advised hook at Viljoen, the ball arrowing its way to the safe hands of Luis Reece at long-leg.His dismissal more often than not this season would have heralded a collapse, but youngster Holden came in and looked composed from his first ball and as a result he and Robson regained the initiative.Robson’s hundred arrived courtesy of a single to mid-on in the last over before tea, the applause from the Middlesex faithful seeing him raise his bat in delight and relief in equal measure.The pair played with increasing authority at the start of the final session, raising the 250 – a figure reached only once previously in the first innings by the Lord’s tenants this season.The century stand came at almost a run a minute and Holden’s 50 arrived shortly afterwards complete with six boundaries.The dizzy heights of 300 were in sight when Palladino new ball in hand changed the complexion of the day. A devastating spell began when he found the edge of Robson’s bat ending an otherwise chanceless innings and a stand of 132. Tail-up Palladino struck again with his next ball, new man Robbie White get a thinner edge to Gary Wilson at first slip.James Harris survived the hat-trick ball only to depart in Palladino’s next over, trapped on the back foot.The hosts had subsided from 298-3 to 304-6 but Palladino wasn’t finished yet, getting another lbw shout upheld to remove Martin Andersson.With the ball now doing plenty Holden was given a life when Wilson shelled a chance at first slip off Lockie Ferguson.That scare survived, Middlesex briefly steadied the ship until James Fuller, having just hit Ferguson for six top-edged the next ball down to Critchley at third man.Ethan Bamber though helped raise the 350 and kept alive hopes of a Holden century in the morning.
Kylian Mbappe tore the net with a bullet opener to extend Paris Saint-Germain's aggregate lead against Real Sociedad in the Champions League last-16.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Mbappe took just 15 minutes to score the opener
Found the net from an acute angle
The net got damaged as the ball went in
WHAT HAPPENED?
The French forward received the ball near the touchline and after showing quick feet to Igor Zubeldia he rifled away a shot towards goal from a tight angle. The ball flew in through the far post and such was the power behind it, that the net got damaged.
Advertisement
WATCH THE CLIP
THE BIGGER PICTURE
English referee Michael Oliver had to pause play for a while as he was informed on the radio that the ball had damaged the net. PSG had been excellent in the first half as they not only strangled the opposition with their incessant pressure in attack but also kept things tight at the back to completely stifle the hosts.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
WHAT NEXT?
PSG lead the tie by a three-goal margin and if Mbappe is allowed to play the full 90 minutes, then the margin could get only bigger. Of course, Luis Enrique attracted the forward's ire by substituting him during his side's last game against Monaco.
da casino： Chelsea continue to be extremely busy in the transfer market.
da esoccer bet： Just last week, both João Pedro and Jamie Gittens arrived, with the Brazilian thrown straight in for his debut off the bench against Palmeiras in Friday night’s Club World Cup quarter-finals.
Palmeiras' Weverton reacts as Chelsea'sJoaoPedrolooks on
That 2-1 victory in Philadelphia means Enzo Maresca’s team faced Fluminense in the semi-finals, and Pedro truly delivered, scoring twice as the Blues progressed through to Sunday’s final, where Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid will await at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Meantime, back at home, Chelsea’s recruitment staff continue to be the hardest-working people in football, so could the Blues snap up yet another highly-rated young talent?
Chelsea's search for more attacking talent
With all their arrivals, The Times are reporting that Chelsea ‘need to raise’ in excess of £60m through player sales to be compliant with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations.
With that in mind, reports suggest that Arsenal are ‘advancing their pursuit’ of Noni Madueke, who they believe is valued at around £50m, noting that personal terms have already been agreed.
If that deal goes through, will they be able to use that money to sign another English talent?
Well, Simon Johnson of The Athletic notes that the Blues are ‘big admirers’ of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, adding that Chelsea’s summer transfer activity is unlikely to be finished yet.
Morgan Rogers
One sticking point is likely to be the player’s price, with talkSPORT previously quoting that the England international is valued at something in the region of £100m.
How Morgan Rogers would improve Chelsea
Should this come to fruition, he would be yet another former Manchester City academy player, or indeed coach, to end up at Stamford Bridge.
Current Chelsea staff from Manchester City’s academy
Personnel
Years at City
Year joined Chelsea
Enzo Maresca
2022-23
2024
Cole Palmer
2010-23
2023
Liam Delap
2019-20
2025
Jamie Gittens
2018-20
2025
Roméo Lavia
2020-22
2023
Tosin Adarabioyo
2003-20
2024
Rogers featured for Manchester City in the UEFA Youth League, EFL Trophy, FA Youth Cup and PL2, without ever making a senior appearance, departing for Middlesbrough before exploding on the scene at Aston Villa.
Now though, could the 22-year-old swap the West Midlands for West London?
Rogers certainly impressed at Villa this season, registering 14 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, including a Champions League hat-trick against Celtic in January.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout asserted that he enjoyed a “magnificent campaign”, while former defender Jamie Carragher noted that he was truly “unstoppable” in the Premier League.
Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers
Another former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood, also an ex-Villa boss of course, believes Rogers is worth at least £80m, underlining his exponential improvement, having joined the Villans for up to £15m just 18 months ago.
But the question remains: is Rogers a bigger talent than the recently arrived Gittens, as well as the potentially departing Madueke? Let’s find out.
Rogers vs Madueke vs Gittens – 2024/25
Statistics
Rogers
Madueke
Gittens
Games
54
45
49
Minutes
4,496
2,625
2,803
Goals
14
11
12
Assists
15
5
5
Stats below: per-90 league & UCL only.
Shots
1.5
2.6
1.8
Shooting accuracy %
50.84%
56.14%
50.74%
Chances created
1.5
1.4
1.1
Take-on success %
50.3%
49.45%
49.53%
Touches
46
47
49
Touches in the box
4.6
8.8
6.2
Stats via Transfermarkt & Squawka.
As the table outlines, many of the attacking metrics included are generally comparable across all three players assessed.
Rogers scored more goals and registered significantly more assists than both Madueke and Gittens, albeit doing so in almost twice as many minutes on the pitch, albeit he also came out on top for chances created, on a per-90 basis, and take-on success percentage too.
That suggests that Rogers isn’t just a livewire in the final third but he’s also got the end product to boot.
Where he would fit in, and how much it would cost to get him out of Aston Villa, well, those would be the tough questions? Either way, coming off the back of an outstanding campaign, he would well be set to better Madueke and Gittens.
A better move than Nwaneri: Chelsea looking to land their own Rice for £51m
Chelsea are in the market for another defender or two this summer
da pixbet： Arsenal have enjoyed an encouraging start to the 2023/24 season, however there is plenty to be celebrated away from north London with reference to the future of the squad on show at the Emirates.
da pinup bet： Mikel Arteta will know first-hand just how successful loan spells for young players can prevail to be, with William Saliba’s time on loan in Ligue 1 fundamental to his development to make him the player he is today.
As well as loans being valuable to the squad, the Gunners made a profitable decision to send academy product Folarin Balogun to Reims last season on a temporary basis, with the striker's 21 goals in Ligue 1 warranting his £35m sale to Monaco in the summer.
Now, Arsenal could be harvesting the next star to progress from Hale End whilst away from Colney, with Charlie Patino making a name for himself in South Wales on loan at Swansea City.
Charlie Patino’s career so far
After joining the scene at Hale End at the age of 11 from Luton Town, Patino has progressed through the ranks in north London over the years, earning two senior appearances for his efforts at youth level.
Described as an 'elegant central midfielder' on Arsenal’s official site, the 20-year-old looks to be in for an exciting future in senior football, based on his progression from the U18’s and U21’s to playing in the English second-tier on a regular basis.
For the U18s, the Englishman netted one goal and recorded four assists in 25 appearances, before linking up with the U21 in which he netted two and assisted once in 22 appearances, via Transfermarkt.
Charlie Patino's career statistics so far
Club
Apps
Goals
Assists
Arsenal U18
25
1
4
Arsenal U21
22
2
1
Arsenal
2
1
0
Blackpool
37
3
4
Swansea City
12
1
4
Figures via Transfermarkt
As a result of his eye-capturing performances in the academy, Arteta handed Patino two appearances in the first team in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, with his quarterfinal cameo in the latter competition making the headlines as he netted his first senior goal.
The signs were all there for the Watford-born starlet to unlock the doors ahead of him at the Emirates, signalled by the next steps the club took in harvesting his talents, sending him on loan to Blackpool in the summer 2022.
During his time at Bloomfield Road, the 2003-born technician was lauded as “outstanding” by his former manager Michael Appleton at the age of only 18, telling of the joy he gave to the Seasiders.
In 37 appearances for the Championship outfit in the 2022/23 season, Patino scored three goals and recorded four assists, showcasing his skill at senior level with ease to the delight of those back at home in north London.
While the Arsenal starlet departed Blackpool as a hero, his plaudits came from beyond the Tangerines’ sphere, with one of his former opponents and Fulham academy gem Georgios Okkas telling London World of the 20-year-old’s innate talent.
Blackpool midfielderCharlie Patino
As relayed by Arsenal Core, Okkas described Patino’s quality as “out of this world”, dubbing him “technically, wow” when discussing the best players he’s faced during his own budding career so far.
On his return, the Gunners triggered the option to extend the Hale End product’s contract to 2025, before offloading him on another loan in the second tier to enhance his performances further and guarantee him valuable minutes.
Charlie Patino’s stats this season
In the summer, Swansea became the proud new owners of Patino on a temporary basis, signing the midfielder on a season-long loan to add to their quality in central midfield.
Once praised to be a “maestro” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Englishman has made a blistering start to life in South Wales, having secured 12 Championship appearances so far, where he has netted one goal and claimed four assists.
With the Swans, the Arsenal scholar is the club’s top creator so far, having averaged 1.5 key passes per game in the Championship, as well as providing the most assists in the team, via WhoScored.
Charlie Patino's 2023/24 Championship record
Big chances created
2
Key passes per game
1.5
Passing accuracy %
81%
Successful dribbles per game
1.1
Total duels won per game
4.1
Figures via Sofascore
As portrayed in the table above, the midfielder has enjoyed expressing his playmaking qualities in the Championship, with his favoured position being in the number eight role as a box-to-box type player.
The youngster covers a mass of areas on the pitch, as showcased in his heatmap below this term in the second flight, attributive to his tireless style and ability to travel distances to exploit his ability in the engine room.
Not only is the 20-year-old one of the Swans’ top performers, but he is also prevailing to be one of the shining lights in the Championship, with his average of 0.47 assists per 90 placing him at the top of the pile in comparison to other midfielders in the league, via FBref.
How Charlie Patino compares to Arsenal's stars
From his creative eye to his ability to carry the ball, Patino is in good stead to have a bright future at Arsenal and beyond, with his statistics this season so far showing that he is actually outperforming some of the best in north London at present.
Having secured four assists, the England U21 international has more assists in the league than any of the Gunners in the Premier League, as fellow Hale End graduate Bukayo Saka currently tops the charts with three so far.
The 20-year-old has more assists than both Gabriel Martinelli (2) and Martin Odegaard (1) combined, who are two of Arteta’s poster boys at the Emirates, suggesting just how much of a creative input the starlet could one day have at his boyhood club.
There’s a long way left to go this season, and a long way to go in Patino’s career, however the signs are already pointing at the youngster becoming one of the next big things to break out of the academy, with Odegaard among those who may need to watch out if his impressive rise continues in the coming years.
With Arteta already on side after handing him two senior appearances in the past, it will be interesting to follow the next stages of the Englishman’s journey, particularly if his stellar form in South Wales continues.