After Mohamed Salah finished fourth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed why he thinks France Football looked past the Egyptian’s incredible year.

2025 Ballon d'Or rankings cause controversy

As ever, the Ballon d’Or rankings caused plenty of debate. There wasn’t a place in the top 10 for either Virgil van Dijk or Harry Kane, whilst many have even disputed eventual winner, Ousmane Dembele. Truth be told, the award has lost some of its value ever since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo vacated their throne.

The most controversial placing was Salah’s. The Egyptian, who broke records as Liverpool sealed the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first season at the club, finished fourth and below Vitinha, Lamine Yamal and Dembele. Whilst there’s an argument to be had that he shouldn’t have won the award, it feels harsh that he missed out on a place in the top three altogether.

Games

52

53

Goals

34

35

Assists

23

16

If the award is based on individual performance, then it’s hard to find a more worthy winner than Liverpool’s star. He was involved in more goals than Dembele, Yamal and, of course, midfield star Vitinha, but failed to finish above all three.

It comes just one year on from missing out on a nomination entirely in 2024, as France Football continue to look beyond Anfield’s Egyptian King. At 33 years old, it seems unlikely that Salah will have a better opportunity to win the award than in 2025, either.

Many have had their say as to why the winger missed out on the award, including Liverpool legend Carragher, who recently put Salah’s snub down to one particular reason.

Carragher reveals why Ballon d'Or snubbed Salah

Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher revealed why he believes Salah missed out on the Ballon d’Or to Dembele. The former central defender looked back on Liverpool’s meeting with Paris Saint-Germain and claimed that the French side’s victory made all the difference.

There will be many who disagree with that verdict, but previous years have highlighted just how important the Champions League is in deciding these awards.

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With that, Salah’s snub arguably came down to two games against the European champions last season rather than the sensational campaign that he otherwise enjoyed.

Celtic forward Daizen Maeda could be on the move in the January transfer window after it was claimed that he is open to leaving the Scottish giants.

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported earlier this week that the Japan international is “ready to leave” the club, which comes after the Hoops blocked a potential transfer away from Parkhead in the summer.

It remains to be seen how much money the Scottish Premiership champions could rake in for him in January, but he is currently the most valuable member of the squad.

The most valuable players in the Celtic squad

Per Transfermarkt, Maeda is valued at £13m at this moment in time. That is at least £1m more than any other member of the squad, which speaks to how valuable he is to the team.

The Japanese forward scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists in 51 matches in all competitions (Transfermarkt) last term, hence why he is so highly valued and why losing him in January would be a big blow.

Daizen Maeda

£13m

Cameron Carter-Vickers

£12m

Reo Hatate

£11m

Arne Engels

£8.5m

Alistair Johnston

£8m

As you can see in the table above, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Arne Engels, and Alistair Johnston make up the rest of the top five most valuable players at the club.

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Celtic’s top goalscorer in all competitions, Benjamin Nygren, does not feature within the top five most valuable players, but he could break into that list if he keeps up his current form, as the Hoops already appear to have hit the jackpot with him.

Celtic have hit the jackpot with Benjamin Nygren

The Scottish giants signed the central midfielder from Nordsjaelland for a reported fee of £1.3m in the summer transfer window to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ options out wide and in midfield.

Celtic were able to agree a cut-price deal for the Sweden international because his contract with the Danish club was due to expire at the end of 2025, which means that they were able to take advantage of the situation to land a bargain.

The left-footed star, who was described as “fearless” by international teammate Alexander Isak, has produced quality performances on the pitch in the Premiership that prove that the Hoops hit the jackpot with this signing.

xG

2.82

Top 1%

xG on target

4.37

Top 1%

Goals

4

Top 1%

Shots on target

9

Top 1%

xA

2.36

Top 4%

Chances created

18

Top 1%

Assists

1

Top 33%

As you can see in the table above, Nygren has been one of the best midfielders in the division, if not the best, at scoring and creating goals this season.

The 24-year-old star, who is the club’s top scorer in all competitions with four goals (Transfermarkt), has scored four goals and created 2.6 chances per game across seven outings in the Premiership, per Sofascore.

Whilst these statistics show that Celtic have hit the jackpot on Nygren because of his outstanding performances on the pitch, the club have also struck gold with his market valuation.

Transfermarkt currently values the Sweden international at £5.2m. This is 300% more than the £1.3m fee that the Hoops reportedly paid for him in the summer, which suggests that they could make a significant profit on him if they decided to cash in.

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Therefore, Celtic have hit the jackpot with this signing because it has already worked out on the pitch, and the finances behind it make it all the more impressive.

West Bromwich Albion will want to break free of their promotion nearly-men title come the end of the current Championship campaign.

The Hawthorns hierarchy certainly went in a bold, fresh direction this summer in attempting to reinvigorate proceedings in the West Midlands, with the appointment of Ryan Mason taking many by surprise, considering Tony Mowbray – who is a tried and tested figure in the EFL – was the Baggies’ previous manager before the 34-year-old took on the reins.

The West Brom novice has shone in spurts since taking on the daunting gig, with four wins already collected from nine second-tier clashes, but a 3-0 loss suffered away at Millwall just before the international break has shoved his inconsistent side down to seventh spot in the early league standings.

Thankfully, Mason does have a lot of quality at his disposal as he tries to pick his team back off the floor after the international break, with both Josh Maja and Isaac Price clear bright sparks in attack.

Maja and Price's start the season

Despite being riddled with injuries most of 2025 to date, Maja is now up and running under Mason when he instinctively fired home this poacher’s effort against Norwich City at the start of the month.

With another 12 league strikes next to the ex-Sunderland centre-forward’s name at the Hawthorns already, it goes without saying really that if West Brom do want to finally break out of the EFL’s elite league, they will need their number nine to be – most importantly – fit, but also firing on all cylinders for the rest of the long campaign.

Price will also be keen to shine alongside the 26-year-old in attack, having already collected four goal contributions this season, with two whirlwind strikes from the number 21 against Wrexham towards the start of the season, clinching a big 3-1 win for the visitors to Wales.

He has since seen his goals and assists dry up, but Mason will believe he can get back to his best, with the Northern Ireland international perhaps picking up goal contributions aplenty again, partnered next to a lethal Maja.

Yet, despite the electric Baggies duo amassing four goals between them this season so far, there is one former West Brom attacker who is actually outscoring both the Nigerian striker and the ex-Everton man, who was allowed to exit the West Midlands giants last year for just £2.25m.

The "shining light" now outscoring Maja & Price

West Brom have had their fair share of promotion near misses in recent years, with the Baggies usually falling just short of what is required of them in the intense lottery of the playoffs.

With Carlos Corberan at the helm, West Brom finished in a respectable fifth position come the end of the gruelling 2023/24 campaign. Despite their best efforts, they would come unstuck in the semi-final stages to eventual playoff winners Southampton, with Brandon Thomas Asante left to rue his luck.

Come the end of that competitive season, Thomas Asante would stick out as West Brom’s top goalscorer, as seen in the left-footed menace bagging 11 goals from 39 outings.

However, there would have still been grumbles surrounding the Ghanaian’s wastefulness that same season, with a whopping 18 big chances also missed, on top of his goal conversion percentage only coming in at 15%.

Therefore, when West Brom were met with a £2.25m bid from Coventry last summer, the Baggies clearly felt they had got the maximum out of their former “shining example”, as he was once labelled by Steve Bruce during the early days of his 78-game stint at the Hawthorns.

Thomas Asante’s league numbers for Coventry

Stat

Thomas Asante

Games played

45

Minutes played

2312

Goals scored

9

Assists

6

Sourced by Transfermarkt

They were very much wrong, though, with the “outstanding” Sky Blues marksman – as his new manager Frank Lampard has labelled him – already up to a jaw-dropping eight goal contributions from eight second-tier contests this season, with five of those being clinical goals that have helped bump his side’s overall goal count number in the division to a remarkable 27 strikes.

Clearly, Lampard is the manager Thomas Asante has been dreaming of working with, with the ex-Derby County boss playing him down the wings, too, to devastating effect, as opposed to the isolated figure he sometimes cut at West Brom when lining up regularly as a lone centre-forward presence.

The proof will soon be in the pudding as to whether the red-hot 26-year-old can keep up this sterling form across the full 46-game campaign, as Thomas Asante continues to battle against his former club in the promotion hunt, and both Maja and Price in the goal charts.

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نجح الدولي الإسباني لامين يامال، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، في تسجيل الهدف الأول أمام إلتشي، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

ويخوض فريق برشلونة مباراة إلتشي، مساء اليوم الأحد، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2025-2026.

ويستقبل برشلونة نظيره إلتشي، ضمن منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”، على ملعب “مونتجويك”، في المباراة الجارية الآن.

وأحرز لامين يامال الهدف الأول بعد تمريرة ولا أروع من بالدي الذي اقتحم منطقة وسط الملعب ومرر إلى لامين الذي سدد الكرة ببراعة على يسار حارس المرمى، في الدقيقة 9.

وأضاف اللاعب فيران توريس الهدف الثاني لصالح برشلونة في الدقيقة 12 بعدما انطلق فيرمين لوبيز بالكرة إلى منطقة الجزاء وأرسل عرضية رائعة إلى فيران الذي وضعها بسهولة في المرمى.

Arne Slot defended his decision to field a severely inexperienced side on Wednesday night as Liverpool were soundly beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace to exit the Carabao Cup at the fourth-round stage. Only a handful of first-team regulars were involved and multiple played out of their natural position as Slot made 10 changes to his starting XI ahead of what the Dutchman called a "big week".

• Liverpool dumped out of cup but Slot defends controversial selection

  Speaking to Sky Sports at the full-time whistle, Slot claimed he had little choice but to give youth and fringe players an opportunity to start with a huge week on the horizon for his side. He said it would have been a "stupid choice" if a first-team regular had picked up an injury in the cup tie.

  The Reds face Aston Villa, Real Madrid – including potentially the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold – and Manchester City within the space of eight days as they look to get their season quickly back on track, but a sixth defeat in seven games will have done nothing to help the atmosphere around the club after the Eagles left Anfield with a comprehensive three-goal victory.

  Slot’s defensive selection was particularly striking, as third-choice Freddie Woodman made a debut in goal, Calvin Ramsay came in from the cold to start at right-back and both Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson started out of position in the centre of a back five alongside Joe Gomez. The fact that the underperforming Milos Kerkez was the only player to keep his place in the XI only raises further questions – though Palace boss Oliver Glasner claimed it would be "disrespectful" to claim Liverpool had fielded a weakened side.

  Three teenagers were also handed a start, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni earning a chance to impress while 18-year-old Kieran Morrison made his debut for the club. Several more young players came off the bench, including Amara Nallo – who was sent off to receive a second red card in two appearances and just 16 minutes for Liverpool’s senior side.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Slot responds to criticism and claims injury issues led to selection

  "Everybody can have [their] opinion about it but with the squad we have – maybe 15, 16 first-team players available – this is the choice I've made," Slot told Sky Sports.

  But he conceded: "It's not of Liverpool's standards to lose five out of six, or six out of seven.”

  "Last time we played Southampton here in the League Cup, Giovanni Leoni got injured, and we don't have such a big squad as people might tell, because there was so much focus on the amount of money we spent [in the summer].

  "People all of a sudden think we have 25 players available, but we mainly have 20 players then we have four injuries.

  "I only have one right full-back, Conor Bradley, as an example, and every time I had to play him twice in three days or three times in seven days [last season], it led to him… that I had to take him off with a hamstring injury or something else.

  "Are you willing to take that risk with such a big week coming up? Last time I played a player that wasn't fully prepared – we thought he was prepared but it was the first time – Alexander Isak, he got injured.”

• Slot cites Southampton match as situation to avoid

  "Last time we played Southampton Leoni was injured and it was a red card for Hugo Ekitike. Those are the things we can't use with a big week coming up," he added.

  "But there's always a choice. What if I had played Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate], for example, if one of them got injured people would have said, 'what a stupid choice'.

  "And also with them [the first-team players] it was very difficult for us, for our starters to beat Palace because it's not the first time we lose against them."

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• AFP
  

  Upcoming fixtures could justify Slot's selection

  With an important week coming up, Slot can be forgiven for making changes if his first-team stars return to winning ways quickly. It is with little doubt that the Dutchman’s selection will only have added to the increased pressure he could soon find himself under.

  Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: "It was the wrong team. Make no mistake. He picked a team today that made it really difficult for himself. You've not helped the young players because of the players that are around them. You've made 10 changes from Brentford.

  "You can't tell me that he's picked that team today and those subs thinking 'that will get me a result against a really good Crystal Palace'. You might hope you can. I didn't believe for one second they could beat them. He's made a mistake today.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense termina este sábado (16) com uma grande preocupação. O meia-atacante Arias, que saiu do gramado do Estádio Nilton Santos se queixando de dores no pé direito, teve uma entorse no tornozelo direito diagnosticada.

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O colombiano será submetido a exames mais detalhados neste domingo (17) para que o Tricolor das Laranjeiras saiba a gravidade da lesão. Após a derrota por 4 a 2 para o Vasco, o atleta deixou o estádio mancando.

+ Confira a classificação do Campeonato Brasileiro

O jogador saiu de campo ainda aos 38 minutos do primeiro tempo e deu lugar a Lima. O fato de Arias ter saído do estádio mancando, mas sem precisar de ajuda, foi visto como um alento internamente.

O Fluminense se mantém com 38 pontos no Brasileirão após o resultado da partida, válida pela vigésima-terceira rodada. A equipe volta a campo quarta-feira (20), às 21h30, para enfrentar o Cruzeiro.

South Africa’s batters were unable to convert starts which kept them to an under-par score at the Three Ws Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2025

Jannillea Glasgow congratulates Hayley Matthews on her half-century•CWI

Hayley Matthews’ unbeaten 63 and two wickets each from Afy Fletcher and Karishma Ramharack helped West Indies beat South Africa and level the series 1-1 ahead of the decider on Monday. Six of South Africa’s batters got to double figures but no one scored more than 21, which helped West Indies keep the score down to 113 before Matthews iced the chase at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados.Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits got South Africa off to a good start after being put into bat. Wolvaardt hit Jahzara Claxton and Shawnisha Hector for boundaries in a 30-run opening stand before being dismissed for 16. Matthews, who had opened the bowling, returned in the sixth over to knock over Marizanne Kapp for a duck.Fletcher, the pick of West Indies bowlers, bowled five dots in her first over and dismissed Brits for a 21-ball 14 in the seventh, as South Africa lost 3 for 10. She kept Nadine de Klerk quiet but the batter got the tempo up at the other end. De Klerk hit the only six in the innings off Aaliyah Alleyne and put on 29 off 26 balls for the fourth wicket with Karabo Meso, taking South Africa to 69 for 3 in the 13th over.Fletcher got de Klerk’s wicket in her final over, which caused another slump of 3 for 10 as Ramharack got wickets in successive overs. Annerie Dercksen joined Meso and they had an unbeaten 34-run stand which picked up pace gradually. Both boundaries in the stand came in the final two overs that went for 18, taking South Africa to 113 for 6.Qiana Joseph started the West Indies chase with two boundaries off Nonkululeko Mlaba. Matthews, with 9 off 17, was slow to start but saw off Kapp’s three-over opening spell. Ayabonga Khaka came on in the eighth to get Joseph for 17 and end the 41-run opening stand.Matthews was stable in the middle overs but her partners either got stuck or fell cheaply. Mlaba and Khaka contained Hector before she was dismissed by Masabata Klaas for 3 off 12 balls. Matthews hit three fours in the next six balls before Mlaba, the pick of South Africa’s bowlers, got Shemaine Campbelle (7) and Chinelle Henry (3) in successive overs to leave West Indies on 77 for 4, needing 37 off 35 balls.Jannillea Glasgow and Matthews kept West Indies ticking despite there being no boundary between overs 13 and 18. With 16 needed off 12, Matthews – fresh off a run-a-ball 50 – whacked Khaka for a six and a four. The 13-run over was the most expensive of the innings. Glasgow then hit the winning runs off de Klerk.

His three wickets in four balls extends tally in this year’s competition to 17

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jun-2025Ben Sanderson sealed an historic, unprecedented sixth straight Vitality Blast victory for Northamptonshire Steelbacks with three wickets in the penultimate over against Birmingham Bears at Wantage Road. Sanderson finished with figures of 3 for 31 as the hosts wrapped up a dramatic 10-run victory.With Moeen Ali well set on 31, the Bears needed 24 off the last two overs before Sanderson broke through, collecting three wickets in four balls, including the dangerous Moeen, to extend his tally in this year’s competition to 17.Justin Broad had smashed 60 off 35 balls to help propel Northamptonshire Steelbacks to 184 for 6. Matthew Breetzke also struck 53 off 36 balls, his first half-century of the season, during a partnership of 59 in six overs with skipper David Willey (34).Birmingham’s Pakistan international Hassan Ali finished with figures of 3 for 42 including two wickets off consecutive deliveries in the Steelbacks’ final over.Dan Mousley led the charge for the Bears with a brilliant 68 off 42 balls, with Tom Latham contributing 34. George Scrimshaw backed up career-best figures at Derby with 2 for 25, while Willey also claimed two.The Steelbacks reached 52 for 1 in the powerplay, losing Ricardo Vasconcelos early, bowled by Hassan before Breetzke went on the charge against George Garton, hitting consecutive boundaries and pulling square for a huge six.Breetzke reached his half-century by swinging Moeen for four and six off consecutive balls but skied another attempted pull off Moeen’s next delivery, Kai Smith running in from deep midwicket to take the catch.At first Willey and Broad found it difficult to force the ball away before Broad broke the shackles, sweeping Moeen for four before Willey swung high over deep midwicket for six. Broad then took three consecutive boundaries off Danny Briggs on both sides of the wicket.Garton finally accounted for Willey who was brilliantly caught by a tumbling Jake Lintott at fine- leg, but Broad continued to play shots before ramping Hassan to bring up his half-century.Saif Zaib (15) smashed a slower ball from Hassan down the ground for six but was caught and bowled by Mousley soon afterwards.Broad pummelled Hassan over deep midwicket but was bowled attempting another big shot. Lewis McManus top-edged Hassan’s next delivery, keeper Alex Davies taking the catch before Luke Procter sent the final ball to the boundary.Chasing, Birmingham lost Davies in the third over off a top-edge against Willey, Scrimshaw holding a diving catch at fine leg.Mousley used his feet well, coming down the wicket to hit boundaries off the seamers and continued to accumulate against the slower bowlers, reverse sweeping Lloyd Pope for six.Latham fell to a well-judged boundary catch by Zaib when he clipped a Scrimshaw delivery off his legs, before Sam Hain gloved the fast man through to the keeper as he backed away.Moeen hooked Scrimshaw high over fine leg for six, but the pacer responded brilliantly, conceding just three runs off his next over.Mousley garnered two boundaries off Procter and with the Bears needing just 53 off the last five, the momentum looked firmly in their favour. But Northamptonshire skipper Willey made the vital breakthrough when he had Mousley caught behind off an attempted hook.Broad was pulled over fine leg for six by Moeen, but he removed Barnard through a dazzling boundary catch from Willey running backwards at long-off.The ever-dependable Sanderson then bowled Garton, trapped Moeen lbw and had Hassan caught at long-on to all but seal victory.

Pat Cummins has indicated that Cameron Green will be given an extended run to cement the No. 3 role in Test cricket as Australia look to bed down a batting order ahead of the Ashes later in the year.Green has been encouraged not to look too deeply at his lean returns on his comeback to the side in the World Test Championship final against South Africa, where he was dismissed twice by Kagiso Rabada across five balls for just four runs. He had come into that match on the back of three centuries for Gloucestershire.There was an opening for Green to drop back down to No. 4 for the first Test against West Indies in Barbados due to Steven Smith’s injury – the position where he made 174 not out against New Zealand last year – but Josh Inglis will take that role as part of a fresh-looking top four that includes the recalled Sam Konstas.Related

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“I always like to not have too many moving parts,” Cummins said. “We see that [Green at No. 3] as a long-term option. I think going into last week he’s hitting the ball really well, he’s moving really well. He had a Test match where it obviously didn’t go to plan. Think he only faced three or four balls, so the message is not to look into that too much. We’re really happy with where his game’s placed and I dare say we’ll get a decent run of No. 3.”Barring injury, therefore, it leaves Marnus Labuschagne likely needing substantial runs at the start of the Sheffield Shield season to push for a recall to face England.”I think him at his best is a well and truly an international standard Test batter,” Cummins said. “If there’s an opening we could see him fighting his way back into the Test team at some point. Obviously the focus now is giving a couple of other guys a go. He’s had a pretty good run and obviously didn’t make the most of it as well as he would like, so [we are] offering that opportunity to the next couple of guys.”There remains hope that Smith will be available for the second Test in Grenada, which starts on July 3, as he continues his recovery from the compound dislocation of his right little finger he suffered at Lord’s. He is due to return from New York midway through the Barbados Test. “He’s got a few return-to-play kind of protocols he’s got to tick off,” Cummins said. “I know the medical team have got a bit of a program for him.”Pat Cummins and Roston Chase with the Frank Worrell Trophy•AFP/Getty Images

Only three of the top six played in the Gabba Test early last year which West Indies famously won (Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and Travis Head), but Shamar Joseph’s name has never been far from the build-up to this Test.When new captain Roston Chase, who himself wasn’t part of that Test, was asked whether there would be any lingering memories of that day in the Australia line-up, he responded with a smile and a hint of a chuckle.”I hope there are some scars,” he said. “I mean, if they’re still thinking about that going out there tomorrow, that would be very good for us. I think that that would be part of the job done for us. So, yeah, I hope they’re still hurting.”Cummins, who had spoken before Chase, said, “A couple of the West Indian guys, particularly Shamar, had a day out. I’m sure the batters [have] been talking about how to manage him and counter that.”

Are Aston Villa starting to build some serious momentum?

Having failed to win any of their first six matches this season, scoring only two goals, the Villans have since won four on the spin, beating Bologna and Feyenoord in the Europa League, as well as Fulham and Burnley at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, chance creation remains a concern for Unai Emery, considering his team sit second-bottom of the Premier League when it comes to expected goals, above only Burnley, while only Fulham, Sunderland and Burnley have mustered fewer shots on target.

Back in January, the Claret and Blue Army addressed this by signing both Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford on loan; the Spaniard scored eight goals and registered one assist, while the England international netted four times and notched six assists.

However, both moved on to pastures new over the summer, so who could be this season’s Asensio, and why will he help unlock Villa’s primary star attacker?

Ollie Watkins' struggles for confidence

As the graphic documents, ever since he arrived from Brentford, Ollie Watkins has been a reliable goalscorer in a claret and blue shirt.

However, this season, the England international is seemingly struggling for confidence, seeing a very tame penalty saved by Bologna’s Łukasz Skorupski, before, to great relief, getting off the mark three days later against Fulham.

Nevertheless, when compared to last season, pretty much all of his statistics are down, as the table below outlines.

Ollie Watkins PL statistics
Stats per 90	24/25	25/26
Goals	0.6	0.2
Shots	2.4	1.3
Shots on target	1.4	0.5
Shooting accuracy	59.7%	37.5%
Chances Created	0.9	0.7
Duels Contested	10	8.6
Touches	27.1	25.3
Touches in the box	6.3	4.5
Stats via Squawka

As documented, every available metric for Watkins this season has plateaued, with the decrease in his shooting statistics the most stark drop off.

Of course, seven matches into the Premier League season, it is only a small sample size, while the fact Watkins’ touches as well as touches in the opposition penalty area have both decreased suggests that it is as much a service issue as a Watkins problem.

Last season, Watkins and the aforementioned Asensio formed an effective partnership, the former setting up the latter to score his second goal against Cardiff City in an FA Cup tie in February, but who is most likely candidate to break into the Villa team now and add that much-needed creativity?

Aston Villa's forgotten summer signing

After a summer of very little activity, restricted by Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules, Aston Villa were certainly busy on deadline day.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Victor Lindelöf arrived as a free agent, Harvey Elliott joined from Liverpool, on loan with a £35m option to buy, so the move many missed was Jadon Sancho’s loan move, rescued from the Chelsea bomb squad at the 11th hour.

Still only 25 years old, it is now four years since the England international joined Manchester United for around £73m, and his career certainly has not panned out as hoped since.

Upon his arrival at Old Trafford, then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær praised his “tremendous pace, flair and creativity”, noting that he had “already achieved a great deal” for such a young player.

Well, after scoring only 12 goals in 83 appearances for the Red Devils, he has been loaned back to Borussia Dortmund and then Chelsea, spending last season at Stamford Bridge.

While he may not have been the world-beater he once was, Sancho was effective for the Blues, scoring five goals and accumulating ten assists across all competitions, including netting at Tottenham in the Premier League and then against Real Betis in the Conference League Final in Wrocław.

Given how little he has done since 2021, his most recent England cap coming against Andorra almost exactly four years ago, it is easy to forget just how exciting Sancho was when he first burst onto the scene at the Westfalenstadion.

Raj Chohan of BBC Sport praised his ‘incredibly mature decision-making’ in the final third, while Nick Wright of Sky Sports asserted that the ‘extraordinary talent’ was one of the very best young players in Europe.

During his best season in the Bundesliga, 2019/20, Sancho ranked third for goals, second for assists, first in terms of goals – xG, first for goal-creating actions, second for attempted take-ons and second when it came to carries into the final third.

Put succinctly, the Englishman was truly a phenomenon so, with Emery’s coaching, will Aston Villa get him back to that level?

Well, if they can, during that aforementioned 2019/20 Bundesliga season, Sancho created 19 big chances, thereby ranked behind only Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry.

For comparison, in the Premier League last season, the Villa players who created the most big chances were Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, both reaching 16.

Thus, getting Sancho back to his exhilarating best could be exactly what this team needs to unlock talisman Watkins. Like Asensio – and Rashford – before him, he could be the club’s new loan success story and revive his floundering career.

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Forget McGinn: Aston Villa's "jewel" looks like the modern day Gareth Barry

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