Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Bob Uecker, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, died on Thursday at the age of 90 after a battle with small cell lung cancer.
The loss of Uecker is a massive one for the baseball community (and for sports broadcasting as a while) as the legendary voice called Brewers games for over five decades. Uecker retired as the voice of the Brewers last season, over twenty years after he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Uecker would not have had as long of a career as he did without some legendary quotes. And these quotes go beyond just real-life baseball, they extend to the film industry as well. Here are some of the best quotes of Uecker over the years as we give an ode to the baseball legend:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to take on the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series and the calendar suggests they get some reinforcements for the pitching staff. Superstar Shohei Ohtani, who spent this season as a designated hitter following his second Tommy John surgery, has reached the point in his recovery timeline where he could theoretically pitch again.
This became a talking point earlier in the season when Ohtani was seen throwing batting practice pitches in August, but the Dodgers insisted back then that the plan was to keep Ohtani off the mound until next year. That plan probably hasn't changed, but the Japanese All-Star is two months further along in his recovery and everything is now on the line, with only four wins standing between Ohtani and his first-ever title. If there was ever a time where the ends justified the means, it's now.
Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson appeared on Thursday's episode of to discuss all things baseball ahead of the Fall Classic and touched upon this topic. The Big Unit was firm in his stance that Ohtani should not return to the mound.
"If I were ownership or management or whatever with the Dodgers I would just let him continue to be the offensive force that he's been for the Dodgers. Then I would go into spring training and see where he's at. Hopefully he can be a big part of the rotation next year," Johnson said.
It's a reasonable take. From an outside view there feels to be far more risk than reward with Ohtani pitching at this stage, even with the World Series within reach. It's not like he won't be affecting the game in other ways.
First pitch for Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET Friday.
O Palmeiras vive um momento bastante delicado na temporada. Com a derrota por 2 a 0 para o Atlético-MG na quinta-feira (19), o Verdão emplacou o seu quarto resultado negativo consecutivo no Campeonato Brasileiro e viu as chances matemáticas de estar na próxima Libertadores caírem de forma considerável.
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+ Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro-2023 clicando aqui
Com problemas dentro e fora de campo, a equipe de Abel Ferreira liga o alerta na reta final do Brasileirão em busca do que se tornou seu objetivo: uma vaga na próxima edição da Libertadores. O Alviverde conquistou a classificação para a competição nas últimas oito temporadas, sendo o clube brasileiro com mais participações seguidas no torneio continental.
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Diante da fase ruim, os rumos da temporada do Palmeiras mudaram drasticamente. O time que perseguia o líder Botafogo rodada a rodada em busca do título, agora quer apenas se garantir nas quatro primeiras colocações. No momento, o Verdão é o quinto colocado com 44 pontos, dois a menos que o Fluminense, nono colocado. Portanto, na próxima rodada, o Palmeiras corre risco de cair quatro posições e ficar fora até mesmo do G6.
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Vale ressaltar que o Tricolor Carioca e o Fortaleza estão nas finais da Libertadores e Sul-Americana, e caso sejam campeões terminando a competição nas seis primeiras posições, o sétimo e oitavo colocados se classificariam à Pré-Libertadores. Se terminarem no G4, o quinto e o sexto iriam direto para a fase de grupos.
Há mais de um mês sem vencer – incluindo os dois empates com o Boca Juniors-ARG -, o Alviverde agora terá três adversários que brigam na parte de baixo tabela e buscará retomar o caminho das vitórias.
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A equipe de Abel Ferreira enfrentará, respectivamente, Coritiba (fora), São Paulo (casa) e Bahia (casa), e apesar do Choque-Rei no meio da semana, terá uma boa oportunidade antes do clássico contra o penúltimo colocado da tabela. Caso vença o Coxa, o Palmeiras poderá retomar, no máximo, a terceira posição.
+ Rony e Raphael Veiga discutiram: Palmeiras tem ‘rachas’ inéditos na ‘Era Abel Ferreira’
De acordo com a Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Verdão tem 0,4% de probabilidade de ser campeão brasileiro. O que não incomoda o Botafogo, que segue confortável na liderança com 90,5% de chances de título. O alerta do Palmeiras deve estar mais ligado que nunca no que diz respeito à classificação para a Libertadores, já que, segundo a UFMG, o clube alviverde tem 58,6% de chances de garantir vaga na próxima edição do torneio mais importante do continente através do Brasileirão.
Paris Saint-Germain are moving swiftly to extend the contract of club prodigy Senny Mayulu. The 19-year-old midfielder who scored in the 2025 Champions League final is being monitored by Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea as his current contract expires in 2027. However, the French champions are finalising a contract extension that could secure the future of one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.
PSG move to protect their homegrown star
The Parisian club are quietly working to secure their long-term future and that means keeping Mayulu, the French prodigy who exploded onto the scene last season. Having risen through the club’s academy since 2018, Mayulu became a symbol of PSG’s renewed focus on developing local talent rather than losing them early, as seen with past departures like Kingsley Coman and Moussa Diaby.
At just 19 years old, Mayulu has already earned his place in coach Luis Enrique’s rotation, impressing with his creativity, ambidexterity, and ability to handle pressure. The midfielder’s technique and tactical maturity have drawn comparisons to Warren Zaire-Emery, another PSG academy success. With Mayulu's contract extension, PSG not only wants to secure the talent they have but also intent to retain Parisian roots in a superstar-filled squad.
AdvertisementAFPMan City, Chelsea and Tottenham eye Mayulu signing
According to transfer specialist Nicolo Schira, PSG are now finalising a new three-year contract extension for Mayulu amid persistent interest from City, Chelsea and Tottenham. Scouts from all three English clubs have reportedly monitored his progress since late last season, viewing him as one of France’s most complete young midfielders, who is equally capable of dictating tempo or breaking lines.
However, Mayulu’s priority remains clear. He wants to continue growing in Paris, surrounded by mentors like Enrique and Marquinhos, and within the environment that shaped him. “Paris is home,” a source close to the player told , emphasising his desire to repay the club that trusted him.
Mayulu's rise from academy to Champions League history
Mayulu’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. After debuting professionally in January 2024, he made 39 appearances in the 2024-25 season, scoring six goals and registering three assists across all competitions. His defining moment came in the 2025 Champions League final, when he came off the bench to score PSG’s fifth goal in a 5-0 rout over Inter, becoming the youngest French player ever to score in a Champions League final at just 19 years and 14 days old.
That goal not only rounded off PSG’s capture of a first European title but also announced Mayulu as a top prospect. By the end of the campaign, he had also lifted his second Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles, contributing key goals in each tournament. Across his senior PSG career so far, Mayulu has 54 appearances, nine goals, and five assists to his tally.
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Getty Images SportThe future of PSG’s midfield
With his current deal running until June 2027, PSG’s push for an extension is more about protection than urgency. The club want to ensure Mayulu remains untouchable amid Premier League interest, mirroring their approach with Zaire-Emery. Enrique, a long-time admirer of technically gifted and disciplined players, reportedly sees Mayulu as a cornerstone for the next phase of PSG’s evolution.
Internationally, Mayulu continues to rise through France’s youth ranks, already a key figure for the U20 national team after success with the U18s. If his trajectory continues, a senior call-up seems inevitable.
Leeds United have made a positive beginning to the Premier League campaign and one of their players has been making a huge impact behind the scenes at Thorp Arch.
Leeds winger Daniel James ruled out due to injury
Unfortunately, Daniel Farke has confirmed that Leeds United winger Daniel James has been ruled out due to injury and is expected to be out for four to six weeks, leaving the Whites searching for an alternative out wide.
He said: “Daniel James will be out for a few weeks, he’s rolled his ankle sadly in training. The doctors say he’s likely out four to six weeks so realistically we expect him back just after the November international break. If he would be back before it would be a bonus and a surprise. It’s not great news.”
Joel Piroe may well come back into Farke’s thinking following his exploits last season. Either way, the German coach has shown he can compete with the Premier League elite on a tactical level this term, and he will be keen to build on a draw against Newcastle United that could’ve easily yielded three points.
Wilfried Gnonto and Harry Gray are also on the sidelines until after the international break, compounding Leeds United’s bad luck with absentees since returning to the top-flight.
As it stands, a return of eight points from their opening six league games has bred optimism that a positive season could be on the cards. That may well be the case, though Farke’s ability to make adjustments could determine how many results his side pick up across their coming run of fixtures.
While injuries continue to complicate matters, one of the Whites’ summer signings has been given credit for the impact he has made since arriving at Elland Road.
Speaking to TBR, Graeme Bailey has talked up Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s impact at Leeds United behind the scenes, claiming his teammates have been impressed with how his arrival has raised standards alongside his general contribution on the field thus far.
He said: “Leeds are really happy with how he’s settling in. When you bring in good-quality players, they rub off on each other, and that benefits the rest of the team. Okafor and Calvert-Lewin, coming up from the Championship, are a massive step up in quality for Leeds.
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He has been touted to be Leeds’ “breakout player” of the season.
ByCallum Kemp Oct 3, 2025
“They’re both international-calibre players, and their presence raises standards across the squad. Jack Harrison still has a role to play for Leeds. Calvert-Lewin may not be scoring as much as fans would like, but unless someone is hitting 40 goals a season, most forwards will face that criticism.
“Overall, they’re very happy with what they’ve seen so far. These players are influencing each other and the team positively, and they’ve been pretty impressive.”
One goal from five appearances for Calvert-Lewin probably doesn’t tell the full story. His enthusiasm, work rate and desire to lead the line efficiently has been an asset to Farke and has helped the Whites to pick up points over the last few weeks.
The England international looks somewhat revitalised after his spell at Everton came to and end, and supporters will hope he can start scoring regularly to offer the impact his general play deserves to yield.
Heading into today’s Premier League showdown with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United found themselves winless from their opening three league fixtures.
Thankfully, that early-season curse has now been lifted as Eddie Howe’s Magpies just about got the better of the travelling Old Gold courtesy of a debut strike from £69m buy Nick Woltemade, who was thrust straight into action by the Toon boss.
Woltemade’s game-winning strike fell at the perfect time for the Tyneside hosts after Wolves had threatened with some early first-half efforts. Thankfully, while Vitor Pereira’s away side were wasteful, the home side were more clinical, with the ex-Stuttgart man heading home a teasing Jacob Murphy cross to break the deadlock.
Woltemade wasn’t the only inspired inclusion in Howe’s XI, however, as the 47-year-old reintroduced Joelinton back into the first team fold, who worked excellently alongside the duo of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali during the 1-0 victory.
Guimaraes and Tonali's relationship
Both Guimaraes and Tonali are solid first-team faces at this point, with both players in question starting every possible league game they can so far this season.
The Magpies’ number 39 wasn’t quite at his accurate best centrally with the ball at his feet, as seen in him relinquishing possession a near costly 19 times, but the forceful Newcastle captain did still make his presence known with six ground duels won during the tight win.
While Guimaraes wasn’t quite at his confident best roaming forward, his Italian counterpart was certainly lively in this capacity, with the energetic number eight even hitting the woodwork with one of his three efforts in a bid to make the victory more comprehensive.
With Joelinton also thrown back in the mix after injury, it must be rather easy for Howe to pick his midfield personnel when everyone is fit and firing, knowing he will get consistent greatness out of those at his disposal.
Other partnerships across the pitch will equally make Howe beam from ear to ear, with one duo, in particular, standing out once more against Wolves to now stake a claim at being even more important than the aforementioned duo of Guimaraes and Tonali.
Trippier & Murphy are looking like Howe's "best" pairing
Woltemade will hope, in time, that he can form a partnership that is held in high regard at St James’ Park, with Alexander Isak once bouncing off the likes of Anthony Gordon for fun, before he exited the building for Liverpool.
Newcastle’s right-hand side clearly boasts a healthy working relationship based on the 1-0 win, as both Kieran Trippier and Murphy worked together in harmony throughout to guide Howe’s men to a much-needed three points.
Minutes played
90
89
Goals scored
0
0
Assists
0
1
Touches
96
51
Shots
0
4
Accurate passes
53/68 (78%)
17/26 (65%)
Key passes
5
1
Successful dribbles
0/0
2/3
Total duels won
4/6
3/5
Between them down the right-hand side, both Trippier and Murphy would amass a whopping six key passes from their combined 147 touches of the ball, with the right winger ultimately picking up the assist that saw Woltemade break his Magpies duck to hand Howe’s men a win.
But, away from their constant creativity, both the hard-working number two and the number 23 also won their fair share of duels to keep Wolves at bay, with a combined duels won count of seven come the full-time whistle.
This split-second ability to create, but also fight for their team’s cause, certainly puts them on the same pedestal as Guimaraes and Tonali, with journalist Craig Hope stating during the match that they make a “big difference” when together on the pitch, as the pair have the “best” understanding as a partnership.
This is high praise, indeed, with Murphy hopeful he can remain a part of Howe’s first team plans, even with Anthony Elanga breathing down his neck as a new £55m recruit.
Trippier, despite being 34 years of age, will also hope he has plenty more first-team minutes heading his direction, as Newcastle tries to build on these three points against Pereira’s visitors, with a Champions League humdinger against Barcelona next on the menu.
Newcastle can get Woltemade hitting Isak levels by unleashing "unsung hero"
Newcastle United take on Wolves at St. James’ Park as they look to get their season up and running.
At first glance, it’s hard to believe that Gujarat Titans (GT) have been more explosive than Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025. GT have thrived on consistent contributions from B Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, who has seamlessly slotted in at No. 3. In contrast, SRH have continued to struggle in the powerplay, unlike last year when they were the trendsetters.Travishek haven’t made the same impact, and the in-form Ishan Kishan has failed to build on an excellent initiation with his new franchise, having begun with a century. This has put too much pressure on the middle order of Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and young Aniket Verma. Abhishek Sharma has struggled to replicate his explosive batting that saw him make his T20I debut for India. The real test is now to see if they can continue to keep up with the methods that brought them rich rewards last year. SRH have five 50-plus partnerships so far but they only average 21.68 per partnership, which is the lowest among all teams this season.Their troubles aren’t just restricted to batting. Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins haven’t been incisive and have conceded runs at an economy of 10 and 12.30 respectively and picked up three wickets apiece. They have tried different overseas options in Adam Zampa and Wiaan Mulder but neither of them has managed to impress. SRH average under five wickets per game and have the highest economy rate among all teams this season. They have an economy rate over ten per over in each phase, and are especially bad in the last four overs, where they concede at close to 17 per over.Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill have given Gujarat Titans a strong start•BCCI
In comparison, GT’s top order has been leading them to robust starts. It has meant their undercooked middle order hasn’t had to step in yet. They are coming off two back-to-back wins, the last one against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in particular was dominating from their batting standpoint. They also nearly chased down 244 in their season opener and scored 196 on a slower home surface against Mumbai Indians.
Form guide
Sunrisers Hyderabad LLL Gujarat Titans WWL
New loyalties
Shami, the purple cap holder when he played for GT in 2023, is now part of SRH’s pace attack, as is Abhinav Manohar, who was previously part of GT’s lower-middle order. GT’s bench has two former SRH players – allrounders Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar, both of whom are yet to play.2:36
A case for GT to play Phillips vs SRH?
Team news and likely XII
Simarjeet Singh has an economy rate of 13.44 across the nine overs he has bowled in three games so far. Jaydev Unadkat could probably get a look-in for his first game this season. Zeeshan Ansari’s impressive performances could mean he continues as the Impact Player.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Nitish Reddy, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Aniket Verma, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Simarjeet Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Zeeshan AnsariKagiso Rabada missed the game against RCB and has since flown home for personal reasons. This could possibly mean a debut for Phillips although GT played only three overseas players in their last outing.Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 Sai Sudharsan, 2 Shubman Gill (capt), 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Glenn Phillips/Arshad Khan, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Ishant Sharma
In the spotlight: Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill
Abhishek Sharma made a seamless transition from the IPL to the Indian team after an outstanding run in IPL 2024, where he set the tone alongside Travis Head. However, he has struggled this season with three single-digit scores in four games. Will this challenging start alter his approach as he looks to bounce back?Abhishek Sharma has had a tough start to IPL 2025•Associated Press
Shubman Gill, Abhishek’s closest friend, has slipped down India’s pecking order in T20Is. Unlike Abhishek, Gill has been in sparkling form but hasn’t yet converted his starts into big scores. Hyderabad must elicit happy memories for Gill, who hit an ODI double-century here against New Zealand.
Pitch and conditions
Pitches in Hyderabad have been a belter since IPL 2024. The average first-innings score is 213. This is just the third game in Uppal this season, with pitches still fresh. SRH would welcome a return to home climes, where they hit 286 in their first outing.
Stats and trivia
SRH have lost ten wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2025, the most by a team.
SRH’s death-overs economy rate of 16.89 is the worst this season.
Mohammed Siraj is two short of 100 wickets in the IPL; Unadkat needs one more.
Quotes
“Three losses in a row, I know everyone’s affected by it, but that doesn’t take anything away from how good a team we are. We’ve still got to keep believing that our style will come off, and we’ll get that win and we’ll get on a roll.” “Sometimes we expect and ask a lot of young cricketers, and somebody that has achieved as much as Siraj has, sometimes we are very quick to judge one or two performances. He is exceptional since he joined us.”
Mesmo em meio às notícias de que Luís Castro aceitou a proposta do Al-Nassr e estará nesta quinta-feira (29) em seu provável último jogo pelo Botafogo, o clube alvinegro divulgou no fim da tarde uma nota rechaçando a saída do comandante português. De acordo com o Glorioso, a diretoria “não recebeu qualquer comunicado de saída por parte do técnico ou qualquer documento de outra agremiação até o momento”.
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O Alvinegro frisou ainda que o treinador “possui contrato ativo até março de 2024” com a equipe alvinegra.
O Lance! apurou que o treinador comunicou sua saída `à cúpula da SAF. O gestor John Textor volta suas atenções para buscar um novo comandante, e o português Bruno Lage surge como o mais cotado para seu lugar.
Na nota, o Botafogo também destacou o fato de a equipe ter um jogo importante pela Copa Sul-Americana logo mais.
Com relação às notícias que estão sendo veiculadas na imprensa referente ao técnico Luis Castro, o Botafogo informa que o treinador possui contrato ativo até março de 2024. O Clube não recebeu qualquer comunicado de saída por parte do técnico ou qualquer documento de outra… pic.twitter.com/X1LjR4JctZ
— Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) June 29, 2023
“Com relação às notícias que estão sendo veiculadas na imprensa referente ao técnico Luis Castro, o Botafogo informa que o treinador possui contrato ativo até março de 2024. O Clube não recebeu qualquer comunicado de saída por parte do técnico ou qualquer documento de outra agremiação até o momento. O Glorioso terá uma partida importante nesta quinta-feira (29), contra o Magallanes, pela Conmebol Sul-Americana. Vale a classificação no primeiro lugar do grupo para a próxima fase e é especial para Joel Carli, que terá uma noite de despedidas. Todos estão totalmente focados na partida de logo mais”.
O Botafogo precisa da vitória para se garantir sem sustos na liderança do Grupo A. Em caso de tropeço e vitória da LDU, a equipe fica em segundo lugar e disputará os playoffs das oitavas.
Matt Short made the one half century for the day and late wickets for Victoria left the game in the balance
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2024Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw both picked up low scores against the pink ball at the Gabba as Mitchell Swepson took four wickets on an even, ball-dominated opening dayHarris made only 2 as Victoria were bowled out for 186 on Sunday, with Queensland tottering on 94 for 5 at stumps.Related
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Swepson claimed 4 for 31 while paceman Mark Steketee and Liam Guthrie also proved a handful for Victoria’s batsmen in the day-night encounter.Harris, overlooked for the opening slot for the first Test against India, had a horror dismissal. The left-hander attempted a glance to a wide leg-side Guthrie delivery but got an edge and wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson completed a smart catch diving to his right.Harris’s dismissal in the fourth over followed his opening partner Campbell Kellaway falling for a duck two overs earlier, leaving the visitors 5 for 2.Victoria struggled to recover with Mat Short the only batter to capitalise on a promising start. Short top-scored with 54 and struck seven boundaries from 70 balls but fellow top-order batters Sam Harper, Peter Handscomb and Tom Rogers were all dismissed when appearing set.Short was Swepson’s first victim and the legspinner then took the next three wickets as the Victorians slid from 143 for 5 to all out 186.Queensland openers Renshaw and Bryce Street both fell cheaply to Elliott – Street another caught down the leg side – and Jack Clayton made 22 before two late strikes from Victoria’s Xavier Crone left the game in the balance.
It would be fair to say that some of the shine has been taken off Arsenal’s summer over the last seven days.
The atmosphere around the club was excellent going into the game against Tottenham Hotspur last Thursday, only for the team to fall to a dull 1-0 defeat.
Then, instead of wiping the slate clean with an entertaining win over Villarreal on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta’s side fell to yet another defeat.
Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the club have made several brilliant signings so far, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi the clear standouts.
Moreover, Andrea Berta looks ready to make yet more additions, with Eberechi Eze’s name refusing to go away, and reports suggesting he could pull off the signing of another international ace, someone who’d surely represent his best deal yet.
Berta targets a better signing than Eze
Despite already adding six players to the squad this summer, Arsenal are clearly on the hunt for more first-team additions, and Eze has been someone consistently touted for a move to the club this summer.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The Crystal Palace star has a £67.5m release clause in his current deal that expires on August 15th, and based on stories from the last week or so, it does seem like the Gunners will be making a move for him once that clause is gone.
However, in exciting news, the Englishman isn’t the only attacker Berta and Co are supposedly after, as it now looks like they’ve got their eye on someone who’d undoubtedly be his best signing of the window.
At least that’s according to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, who has reaffirmed the fact that Arsenal are very interested in Rodrygo.
Bailey has revealed that, alongside North London rivals Spurs, the Gunners are now just “waiting for a signal” from the Brazilian before they make their move.
Interestingly, stories from earlier this summer made it clear that if the winger were to leave, it’d likely require a fee of around £86m, but then more recent reports have stated that a season-long loan with an obligation to buy at the end could be his route out of Spain.
It remains to be seen how Arsenal could eventually sign Rodrygo, but if they have any chance of doing so, they should, as he’d instantly become the best deal under Berta’s watch.
Why Rodrygo would be Berta's best deal
So, when it comes to the deals Berta has already completed this summer, the only two players who would be in with a shout of being his best are Gyokeres and Zubimendi, but we still think Rodrygo would land above both.
The reason he’d do so in the case of the Spaniard is the simple fact that the club do already have several genuinely great options for that role in the shape of Declan Rice, who was initially signed as a six, Christian Norgaard, who has impressed in pre-season, and Mikel Merino.
Moreover, it’s simply the nature of the sport that those who operate in deeper areas of the pitch are viewed as less game-changing than someone who’s up top, banging in goals or creating chances for his teammates.
However, in that case, why wouldn’t the former Sporting CP star be the better deal, as he racked up 67 goal involvements in 52 games last season?
Well, in this instance, it comes down to the fact that, while still outstanding, those numbers were achieved primarily in the Portuguese league, which, according to Opta Analyst, is just the eighth toughest in the world, coming in behind the Championship and Belgian top-flight.
Liverpool'sDarwinNunezreacts
While there is every chance that the Swedish international is a lean, mean goalscoring machine for the Gunners as well, there is still an element of the unknown about how he’ll adapt, especially when strikers like Darwin Núñez have struggled to do so in the past.
In contrast, we’ve got plenty of evidence that the Real Madrid star can more than handle himself in a top-five league.
Appearances
51
54
Minutes
3707′
3452′
Goals
17
14
Assists
9
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
0.46
Minutes per Goal Involvement
142.57′
138.08′
For example, across the last two seasons, the Brazilian “superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.
That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is only made all the more impressive when you take into account the fact he had to play out of his preferred position on the left for most of those games.
Finally, like all top-tier players, the Osasco-born ace has an incredible record in the Champions League.
In his 64 appearances in the competition, totalling 3883 minutes, the 24-year-old has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 99.56 minutes.
Ultimately, when you take everything into account, from his record to the fact that there are plenty of other top sides looking to sign him, it’s easy to see why Rodrygo would represent Berta’s best deal since joining Arsenal.
He'd solve Arteta's Martinelli problem: £68m ace has "heart set on Arsenal"
The Premier League star would be an exceptional addition to Arsenal’s squad.