Arsenal's route map to Real Madrid star Rodrygo Goes revealed
Since starting the first game at the Club World Cup, Rodrygo has played just 23 minutes under Alonso, and those outings were his first since being subbed off during the Copa del Rey final at half-time. Despite Alonso's positive messaging on Rodrygo, a move seems increasingly likely.
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Arsenal plan for Rodrygo Goes
Arsenal have been the side most heavily linked with Rodrygo, with some reports saying the Gunners will bid €70m to begin with, while Diario AS claim a deal could be struck for over €90m. Fabrizio Romano explains that Rodrygo and Real Madrid are set to discuss his future after the Club World Cup, and come to a decision.
Meanwhile Arsenal are in no hurry to make the deal happen. Ben Jacobs explains on GMS Sport that Gabriel Martinelli and/or Leandro Trossard must first leave before Arsenal will make a move for Rodrygo. They do not expect to open talks with Real Madrid until August, feeling it is a deal better left towards the end of the transfer window.
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All the right noises from Real Madrid
Over in the Spanish capital, the news continues to be that Real Madrid are open to Rodrygo leaving for the right price. Alonso and the club have agreed that the exit door is open should he want to walk through it, bearing in mind their significant firepower, and the arrival of Franco Mastantuono.
Image via Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images
Rodrygo not in starting XI
Rodrygo has largely been warming the bench during the Club World Cup, despite the fact that Endrick Felipe and Kylian Mbappe have been out with injury and illness. In the two forward positions, there seems little place for Rodrygo if Alonso continues with a back three. Certainly if they wanted to nudge him towards an exit, his current situation is not hurting.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Real Madrid are using Valverde to protect Alexander-Arnold – how will that go against PSG?
As Xabi Alonso imposes his tactical ideas on Real Madrid, there have been compelling, subtle tweaks across the tournament. That continued as Madrid defeated Dortmund 3-2 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with a fluid, adaptable shape that shifted when Alonso's side were in and out of possession. Given their difficulties with ball progression against Juventus, Alonso returned to a back-four system in possession, with Aurelien Tchouameni starting in his familiar midfield position rather than the central defender in a back three. Advertisement This meant that Madrid were able to shift the ball laterally and vertically to threaten Dortmund's shape. While Arda Guler would occasionally drop between Madrid's centre-backs or into a left-back position to allow Fran Garcia to stay high and wide, the below example was a typical structure from which they built. How Madrid looked out of possession is where things looked interesting. New signings Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen have assimilated well into the back line, and Alonso has expressed his satisfaction of the team's chemistry within the early weeks. Madrid are the only side not to have fallen behind in a game across all Club World Cup teams. With Alexander-Arnold not particularly known for his one-v-one defending, Alonso has put structural tweaks in place to mitigate against any vulnerabilities, via Federico Valverde. The Uruguay international has deputised at right-back on many occasions for Madrid, but his discipline to protect Alexander-Arnold on Madrid's right was a notable theme of the game against Dortmund. As ever, Valverde was everywhere — bringing safety on the ball, pushing forward, and catalysing Madrid's attack when needed. Off the ball, he was often playing as a wing-back. With Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi drifting towards the touchline, Alonso was acutely aware of the threat that the pacy 23-year-old could offer — particularly when supported by wing-back Daniel Svensson. Valverde was tasked with dropping in and forming a back five out of possession. Sometimes this would mean Alexander-Arnold taking a narrow position — almost as the right centre-back — across Madrid's back line… …but on other occasions, the England international returned to his wider position to track Adeyemi, with Valverde tucking in to close any gaps Dortmund could exploit and stay goalside of any runners in behind. Such was the tactical intelligence from Alonso's players, that the back five would be retained even if the configuration of players themselves were different. After 23 minutes, when Antonio Rudiger was pulled into a wide position, Alexander-Arnold tucked in, Huijsen shuffled across, and Tchouameni was the one to drop into the defensive line to ensure that those gaps remained filled. There were countless other examples, but another benefit of this situational back five is that it allows centre-backs Huijsen and Rudiger — both of whom are front-footed in their defensive style — to jump out and snuff attacks at source, knowing they have the protection of their team-mates to shuffle across. When he is not deputising as a right-back, Valverde has been known for supporting Dani Carvajal defensively under Carlo Ancelotti — but the extent to which Valverde was dropping into the back line has been notable under Alonso. A perfect example of Alexander-Arnold and Valverde dovetailing is shown in the second half. As Alexander-Arnold steps forward to engage with left wing-back Svensson, Valverde steps back to cover the space and shut out Felix Nmecha's underlapping run. A pulley system that will please Alonso as much as their finishing and shot-stopping. 'It has been a tactical tweak that we wanted,' Alonso told The Athletic after the Dortmund game. 'He had to decide when he was dropping and when he was pressing a little bit higher, but we know with Fede that he is such a complete player that he gives you whatever you need, and we use him in different tasks. So when Trent was tired, we used him as a right-back. I'm really happy to train him, and he is a top player for us.' Advertisement So, why is this so relevant? Well, Alexander-Arnold and Valverde have the unenviable task of shutting down Europe's most threatening left-sided attacks on Wednesday against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final. 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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Viktor Gyokeres is a battering ram of a striker with an absurd scoring record. Is he what Arsenal need?
At last, Arsenal are closing in on their No 9. As reported by The Athletic on Sunday, Mikel Arteta's side are in advanced talks with Sporting CP over a deal to sign Viktor Gyokeres. Discussions continue over the transfer fee but the situation is progressing towards a conclusion, with personal terms in place on a proposed five-year contract. Advertisement To say that Gyokeres' stint at Sporting has been a resounding success would be an understatement. Two seasons have passed in a blur of stomping channel runs and emphatic finishes, with the 27-year-old racking up 97 goals in just over 8,400 minutes — the equivalent of 93 full games. But with two league titles and two Silver Ball top-scorer awards safely wrapped up in his suitcase, the Sweden international is in search of a new challenge. Arsenal have emerged as the most likely destination, their lack of goals from a recognised centre-forward well documented as they chase an elusive Premier League crown. The numbers look sensational — his frightening physical profile and an unerring ability to thump a football immensely satisfying on the eye — but there are still burning questions. How does his all-or-nothing game translate to the Premier League? And if it does, can he be the kind of striker that Arsenal need? The Athletic analyses his time at Sporting to find out… Gyokeres' quality in front of goal is clear, but much of what he has been able to achieve in Portugal stems from relentless work without the ball. His approach to the No 9 role is uncompromising, centred on repeated intensity and power that most defenders simply can't match. Tracking data from SkillCorner can help us to quantify that movement, comparing the frequency with which he makes specific off-ball runs with strikers across Europe's top seven leagues. As we can see, Gyokeres does most of his work moving forward, rarely dropping deep to connect the play, instead looking to be direct and destructive whenever his team-mates have the ball. He also loves to target wide areas, more than you'd expect for such a prolific centre-forward. But Gyokeres thrives in open space, able to drive his team down the flanks and create danger all by himself. It's not just that Gyokeres is desperate to attack the space, it's the speed, and the often drastic nature of his movement that makes him so difficult to stop. According to SkillCorner, he made 85 sprints in behind the opposition defensive line last season, runs at an average pace of 25km/h or more. That's more than double any other striker in the division — Porto's Samu Aghehowa is closest with 41 — and 24 more than the Premier League leader in that metric, Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson. Advertisement In the below example against Boavista, we can see just how active he is across the front line, often taking it upon himself to charge into the space if team-mates aren't prepared. After a quick turnover in possession, Sporting move the ball out to the left. Gyokeres sets off without hesitation, hitting full speed to offer himself for the pass down the line. Even if defenders could keep up, such extreme movement forces them to pass him along — centre-backs don't really want to follow strikers across the width of the pitch and lose their position completely. It's in those moments of uncertainty that Gyokeres pounces, stealing the extra yard in the milliseconds it takes for his new marker to react to the oncoming train. Gyokeres reaches the pass and finds himself in his favourite position; bearing down on a sole defender from the left flank. He can go either way in this situation, but chooses to chop onto his right with Ibrahima Camara closing off the outside. His touch is slightly heavy, but Gyokeres contorts his body to make sure he gets over the shot, beaming the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. It's one of the secrets to his success, hidden away in the biomechanics — a strong, powerful frame to barge into goalscoring positions, but springy and elastic when he needs to be, able to wrap his body around shots to consistently ensure the best connection all across the box. Just as above, Gyokeres will often drift over to the left with his team on the ball, something that could appeal to Arsenal. Last season, just 32.9 per cent of their attacking touches came in the left third, the lowest proportion of any Premier League team. They were unable to progress the ball with the same efficiency as they have managed with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White on the opposite side. The Swede probably won't inspire intricate football and touch-tight triangles, but his work rate and forward momentum will certainly give Mikel Arteta's side more of a presence down that side should they need to shake things up. Here's a fine example of his one-man channel running against Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Champions League, after another high-intensity, in-to-out run to ensure he provides the out-ball option. Gyokeres receives the pass from Zeno Debast, before rolling his man and driving inside, dodging the recovery runs of three defenders as he shimmies around the goalkeeper and scores. A goal from nothing, without a team-mate in sight. In similarly devastating fashion, Gyokeres is quickly on the move as Morten Hjulmand nicks the ball back in midfield against RB Leipzig. Gyokeres isn't fussy about where he likes his through balls, which allows Daniel Braganca to spin and release quickly after he receives the ball in frame two. This time, defender Willi Orban blocks the striker from cutting inside and shows him onto his left, but Gyokeres is still able to finish confidently on his weaker side at the near post, just seven seconds after his team-mate regained possession inside their own half. While he may not find as much open space to run into in the Premier League, up against the kind of deeper blocks that Arsenal routinely face, he can certainly help them to maximise transitional moments after a quick recovery in midfield. Only Bournemouth, Newcastle and Liverpool won the ball more often outside their own defensive third than Arteta's side last season, but as the graph below illustrates, only 6.7 per cent of those resulted in a shot within 10 seconds, the third-lowest rate in the division. Gyokeres at least gives them the option to speed things up and break quickly — able to chase down a long pass and barge his way into dangerous areas unlike any player that Arsenal currently possess. It's not just coordinated counter-attacks: Gyokeres' battling spirit keeps defenders on their toes, moving his team up the pitch by hook or by crook. Here he is underneath a booted clearance against AVS, for example, holding off his marker before chesting it across for Francisco Trincao to bring it forward. Having dragged a centre-back into midfield, he is then typically quick to target the space in behind, picking up the return pass on the edge of the box and side-footing into the corner. Against Benfica, Gyokeres creates a goal for team-mate Geny Catamo after ambling out to the flanks to receive a throw in. Arsenal often like to target the byline with their throw-ins, and seeing Gyokeres shield the defender, surge into the box and pick out a cross will have set-piece coach Nicolas Jover rubbing his hands together with glee. If Gyokeres is to succeed at the top of a possession-dominant, Premier League side, he'll likely need to be more than just a runner. Not only will he face some of the stingiest defenders in world football — some of whom are capable of matching him stride for stride — but there will be days that the opposition frustrate Arsenal, sitting deep and blocking out the spaces he likes to attack with his pace. Advertisement This is where his physicality and movement in the box comes in, having already shown in the Championship that he can mix it with the big defenders and create spaces to strike the ball cleanly. Here he is making a nuisance of himself against Chaves, grappling with 6ft 2in (187cm) centre-back Ygor Nogueira while a neat move unfolds down the right. Full-back Ricardo Esgaio makes a dart into the box, and pulls a cross behind Gyokeres, but the Swede has managed to pin his centre-back by the time the ball comes in. Again, he can go either way here, but lets it roll across his body and finishes with his left on the swivel, showing he can provide that presence in the box that Arsenal sometimes miss. In the Premier League last season, only four teams attempted more crosses from open play than Arsenal. Just one side — Leicester City — converted a lower proportion of those into chances (Arsenal's was 10.2 per cent, Leicester's was 10 per cent). Despite his flying runs across the final third, nearly a quarter of Gyokeres' touches last season fell inside the penalty area, his energy and anticipation to sniff out the chances allowing him to be the all-action runner and close-range poacher all at once. He can score the scrappy goals, with acceleration in tight spaces getting him into promising areas to bundle home from close range. Look how quickly he is able to escape from his defender in the clip below, punishing any lapses of concentration with sharp movement towards goal. One area where Gyokeres isn't prolific is in the air. He didn't score a single header in league action last season — unexpected given his imposing frame — although only around 12.5 per cent of his shots came with his head. It's not a glaring weakness — Gyokeres has seen some commendable efforts saved — but a few high-profile chances have flashed past the post, including this late opportunity to win it against Arouca. As with all high-volume strikers, Gyokeres isn't immune to an off day in front of goal, but there is a clear ability with both feet to find the corners with precision from all angles. This finish on international duty against Azerbaijan is the kind of goal that drives his healthy over-performance relative to his expected-goals numbers, invaluable if he can dig something like this out in a scrappy, congested game. Again, the off-ball movement is sharp to get in front of his man, but more impressive is how Gyokeres is able to find the corner with a crisp, low finish into the far corner on his weaker side. The elephant in the room, of course, is the quality of opposition. While the Primeira Liga was ranked as the eighth-strongest league in the world in the most recent update of Opta's Power Rankings, 11 of the 18 teams involved ranked outside the top 300 last season. Relegated Boavista, who Gyokeres put four past in April to practically seal the title, are down at 786. There's a comparative case study to be made with Erling Haaland, similarly emphatic in his final season at Borussia Dortmund, when he crashed home 22 Bundesliga goals with a similar mix of brute force and power finishing. The Norwegian is clearly operating with reduced space in English football — it's been a while since we saw his signature, breakaway goal — but Haaland has still been able to use his freakish physicality to outmuscle and outmanoeuvre defenders close to goal, maintaining an incredibly healthy goalscoring rate for a more controlled, pass-heavy side. Advertisement Gyokeres' success likely depends on his ability to scrap with defenders and find those yards of space in the box. Encouragingly, a two-year spell with Coventry showed that he has what to takes against tough centre-backs, scoring some breathtaking goals — such as this strike against Millwall below — after holding off a defender, shifting the ball and finding the corners. Gyokeres is a stampede of a centre-forward, full-throttle his only gear. He would give Arsenal something different, and if they are to finally end a 20-year wait for a title, a little variety can't hurt. (Bernardo)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Liverpool are a club in mourning. How can they think about football again?
Virgil van Dijk led the way, as he always does. Liverpool's captain walked slowly, head slightly bowed, his hands clasping a wreath of red flowers in the shape of a football shirt. The figure 20, Diogo Jota's shirt number at Anfield, was picked out in white blooms. Alongside him was Andrew Robertson. Just two weeks ago, the Scot had attended Jota's wedding to his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, at the 18th-century Igreja da Lapa church in Porto, and was pictured beaming alongside his team-mate and his bride. On Saturday, he was carrying his own wreath, also in the shape of a football shirt. This was one bore the No 30, in honour of Andre Silva, Jota's younger brother who died alongside him in Thursday's car crash in a remote corner of north-west Spain. Advertisement Almost all the Liverpool squad had travelled to Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, for the brothers' funeral. They had arrived late on Friday night to attend the wake, to respectful applause from locals gathered outside the San Cosme chapel, but there was none of the joshing and joking that traditionally provides a soundtrack whenever footballers gather together. All looked haunted. Arne Slot was also in Gondomar. He walked between Joe Gomez and Alexis Mac Allister, hands clasped in front of him, looking lost in his thoughts. It is only two months since Slot became a title-winner in his first season in English football, although that feels like an age ago. He must have felt well-equipped to face down most challenges that can beset a football manager. But nothing would have prepared him for this — the death of a beloved first-team player, and in such arbitrary, cruel circumstances. The notion of any return to normality feels abhorrent just now — a crass, unwelcome intrusion into private grief. Yet the painful fact remains that, with 35 days until the Community Shield at Wembley, Slot and his staff must at some point confront the question of when Liverpool's players should think about football again. A small group of players had been due to return for pre-season testing on Friday. That, understandably, was cancelled but a phased return to training is scheduled to begin today. Ordinarily, the first day of pre-season is one of the more convivial dates in a footballer's calendar — a day to reacquaint with old friends and swap summer holiday stories. Over the years, Liverpool's social media team have made a point of capturing the happy, first-day-back-at-school vibes. This year will be very different. Liverpool — the city and the club — has been smothered by sorrow since Jota's death, Anfield serving as a makeshift shrine for the thousands of mourners who came to pay their respects with floral bouquets, No 20 balloons, a heartfelt note or just by standing in quiet reflection. It is hard to believe any of Slot's squad are relishing the prospect of returning. Kirkby will feel a strange place — the unexpected empty space in the dressing room; the absence of a familiar voice amid the buzz of the canteen. For many, the new sad reality will take a lot of getting used to. Things will never feel quite the same. Advertisement Football is, by its nature, a transient industry. Players are accustomed to seeing friends depart abruptly via a transfer, the end of a contract or retirement. But in many cases they will be reacquainted soon enough, either as opponents the following season or as friends away from the pitch. Liverpool's players did not get the chance to say goodbye to Jota. Instead, all they could do was offer farewells through heartfelt posts on their social media accounts. Mohamed Salah's words in his tribute on Instagram summed it up well: 'Team-mates come and go, but not like this.' It is likely each player in the squad will have experienced loss in their lives, whether that be a grandparent, parent, sibling, family member or friend, and the effects that come with it. But this is a collective grief. Everybody will be there for each other while experiencing and dealing with their own pain. And that grief is unpredictable. It can hit people when they least expect it, or retreat when emotions should be feverish. Each individual will deal with it in their own way, and some will need more time than others. It makes the return to training a difficult situation to manage. For some players, football will be cathartic — a release from dark thoughts. They will want to get back on the pitch to honour Jota and to distract themselves from their feelings and ease the pain. Many will probably already be visualising paying tribute to him when they score their first goal. Others will be the opposite. The common theme of the tributes paid by his team-mates was conveying that they did not want to believe it — Salah even admitted he was 'frightened' by the idea of returning to Liverpool to find that Jota was really gone. He will not be the only one. Footballers, because of their status, are unfairly viewed either as superheroes or robots, who think nothing of shrugging off everyday concerns when they strap on some shinpads and cross a white line. It is too easy to forget they are regular human beings who may be gifted at kicking a ball, but hurt just as much as everyone else. Advertisement Another trait often ascribed to footballers is courage — the kind that enables them to put their head into a frenzy of flying boots, or take a decisive penalty when thousands are willing them to fail. But what awaits Liverpool's players in the coming weeks and months requires a very different sort of bravery, and one that cannot be verified by an action on a football pitch. Some will grow, some may shrink; both responses require empathy. The first days and weeks will be the hardest, full of raw emotion. Liverpool have offered full support to players and staff to help them through this period and at least we are now living in an era when mental health support is seen as just as essential a part of player care as physiotherapy. Before Thursday, Slot's biggest task for the start this week was integrating three new exciting signings — Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez — and beginning work on systems and tactics without creative lynchpin Trent Alexander-Arnold. There was also the challenge of working with a reshaped coaching staff, including Giovanni van Bronckhorst, as they aim to retain the Premier League title. That all feels irrelevant now. Slot's great challenge is providing support for his players who have seen their team-mate and friend taken away from them so suddenly and cruelly, while also managing his own grief. It is an onerous burden. It feels almost grotesque to say it, but Liverpool actually have a football match to play on Sunday, a friendly against Championship club Preston North End. That game has been circled in the calendar with supporters excited to see club-record signing Wirtz, in particular, for the first time. Now, it will be another opportunity to reflect, remember and commemorate the brilliance of Liverpool's No 20. His song will doubtless echo around Deepdale from the 5,656 Liverpool fans expected to travel. Jota helped take Liverpool to victory and, eventually, his team-mates will feel ready to win again for him. It may just take some time.
