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Nick Pope: Newcastle’s Guardian in Goal
At 31 years of age, Nick Pope has enjoyed a glamorous career in English football, playing a vital role in Newcastle’s return to the UEFA Champions League after a two-decade drought and earning call-ups to two World Cups for the Three Lions. He is nearing a return to full fitness after spending the past four…
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Antonio Rüdiger: Real Madrid’s Kaiser in Defense
Stamford Bridge’s modest 43,000 capacity was never going to be enough to entertain the histrionics of Antonio Rüdiger. Whilst the German defender will forever be grateful to Chelsea for giving him the platform to perform – finding his voice and producing a string of metronomic displays as the Blues marched towards an unprecedented Champions…
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Takefusa Kubo: Home at Last at Real Sociedad
Over the past few years, Japan has lurked in the shadows as one of the rising stars in international football. They’ve qualified for every World Cup since 1998, they’ve produced the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Maya Yoshida and Makoto Hasebe, and they’ve had their fair share of memorable performances on the world stage. Nevertheless, they…
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Teun Koopmeiners: Atalanta’s Versatile Cog in Midfield
At 26 years of age, Teun Koopmeiners has established himself as one of the Netherlands’ finest central midfielders and a vital cog in Gian Piero Gasperini’s system at Atalanta. His breakout campaign came in 2019/20, operating alongside fellow academy graduates like Myron Boadu, Calvin Stengs, and Owen Wijndal and excelling in the center of the…
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An Emirates Facelift: Surveying Arsenal’s Potential Center-Forward Recruitment Avenues
The 2023-24 season has been one of real excitement for English giants Arsenal and its global fanbase. With just a handful of matches remaining, Mikel Arteta’s young Gunners maintain a real chance of lifting their first Premier League trophy in two decades. Though many were disappointed with recently bowing out to Bavarian juggernaut Bayern Munich…
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James Tarkowski: Everton’s Veteran Leader in Defense
Two years after departing Burnley on a free transfer following their relegation, James Tarkowski finds himself in danger of dropping down to the second tier with Everton. The Toffees currently sit two points above the relegation zone with a game in hand on Nottingham Forest and Luton Town — the latter occupying the bottom three…
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Enzo Loiodice: Las Palmas’ French Technician in Midfield
At 23 years of age, Enzo Loiodice’s career has already seen more than a few peaks and valleys. He left boyhood club Dijon and made the move to Wolves’ U-23 side on loan with an option to buy, only to fail to make a single appearance after the season was cut short due to the…
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The Evolution of Darwin Núñez at Liverpool
After being the victim of fail compilations in his first season as a Liverpool player, Darwin Núñez has come into his own in 2023/24. He has achieved 30+ goal contributions in 2023/24, becoming just the fourth player under Jürgen Klopp to hit these heights. The other players? Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. …
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Lautaro Martínez: Inter’s Argentine Talisman in Attack
Since the introduction of the Italian top-flight in 1898, we’ve seen quite a few Argentine players come away with the top scorer award. Antonio Angelillo and Omar Sívori won it in back-to-back years to close out the ’50s, whilst Pedro Manfredini became the third shortly after. The Albiceleste would have to wait a quarter-century for…
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Raphinha: Challenging the Stereotypes of Brazilian Wingers at Barcelona
Since 2017, two La Liga players have managed at least 0.40 non-penalty expected goals and 0.40 expected assisted goals per 90 minutes in the same season. Lionel Messi has done it three times (‘17/18, ‘18/19, ‘19/20), and Raphinha has done it twice (‘22/23, ‘23/24) since swapping Leeds for Barcelona in the summer of 2022. …
