Jadon Sancho revealed that he looked up to Chelsea legends Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard as "idols" while growing up in London.
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Sancho made a deadline day switch to ChelseaIdolised Lampard & Drogba in his youthMaresca played a key role in convincing himWHAT HAPPENED?
The 24-year-old winger, who has been loaned to Chelsea for the remainder of the season with a future obligation to buy, expressed his delight at fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing for the Blues. The permanent move will be executed for a fee between £20-£25 million, depending on the club's league finish.
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Growing up in London, Sancho was an ardent fan of Chelsea, with club legends Drogba and Lampard serving as his primary footballing inspirations. Together, they scored an impressive 375 goals and provided 212 assists in 1,029 appearances for the club, secured multiple Premier League titles and European honours in the process.
WHAT SANCHO SAID
In an interview with the , Sancho said: "London is where I grew up and I’m happy to be back. Chelsea is iconic. My idols growing up were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard and now I have the opportunity to play for this club like them. It’s a great feeling."
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DID YOU KNOW?
While Sancho's admiration for Chelsea heroes and a boyhood love for the club played a significant role in his decision to join the Blues, the influence of head coach Enzo Maresca was equally crucial.
"I think it’s the manager who really drew me to the project," Sancho explained. "I knew him from his time with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He spoke to me on the phone about this project and what he was building here, and for a young player like myself, it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to get started.
"They’re signing me for a reason, and to contribute to the team, and I’m ready to do that. I enjoy his style of play. The wingers, when they get on the ball, he loves them to go one versus one and be direct. We play a lot of one-twos with the 10s and the striker combination plays. It’s very attractive, and it’s a style that I play."
One of the places in the England team – or any team, like Arsenal, for that matter – that is the hardest to break into is in goal. For the entire duration of Gareth Southgate’s managerial reign, Jordan Pickford has been England’s number one.
The Everton man has 60 caps for his country, all coming under Southgate. He made his debut on 10 November 2017, in a friendly against Germany, and has since gone on to keep 28 clean sheets across his 60 caps.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford
Over the years, there have been some challengers to Pickford, with the hopes of displacing him from his number one spot. Nick Pope, Newcastle United’s first-choice goalkeeper, has excellent credentials. He has ten caps for the Three Lions, and last played on the 26th of September 2022.
Sam Johnstone of Crystal Palace is another goalkeeper who has been in and around the England squad in recent years. However, the former Manchester United man has just four caps for the Three Lions. Frustratingly for Johnstone, he is currently sidelined with an elbow injury and will miss Euro 2024.
There is one goalkeeper who, last season, many people believed should be England’s number one ahead of Pickford. However, the 2023/24 season has been a tough one for forgotten Gunners man, Aaron Ramsdale, and he could well be set to leave his current club in the summer.
Aaron Ramsdale's transfer value at Arsenal in 2024
The 25-year-old was Mikel Arteta’s first-choice goalkeeper last season but with the arrival of David Raya on loan, opportunities have been limited for Rasmdale, who currently has four England caps to his name.
The Gunners bought Ramsdale from relegated Sheffield United in 2021, for a fee of £24m, although that was a sum that could rise to £30m with add-ons. Now, with Raya set to stay at the Emirates Stadium permanently, the England international could depart the Gunners this summer.
According to Team Talk, Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea are the side thought to be most interested in signing Ramsdale, although clubs such as Inter Milan are linked with him too.
A fee of around £60m is enough to tempt Arsenal into a deal, according to the report. This is a fee slightly above Ramsdale’s market value, however. Football Observatory value the 25-year-old at £42.8m, almost double what the Gunners spent on him in 2021. They certainly seem to be in line to make plenty of profit on Ramsdale if they sell him this summer.
How Ramsdale and Raya compare
The 2023/24 season has been incredibly frustrating for Ramsdale, who has made just 11 appearances in all competitions so far. He has conceded 12 goals in that time, keeping just three clean sheets.
The 6 foot 2 stopper's most recent appearance came on 9 March, when he started at home against Brentford, a game Raya could not play because it was against his parent club. Prior to that, Ramsdale’s last Premier League appearance was on the 25th of November, also against the Bees.
Last season, however, the one-time Bournemouth star was a key man for Arsenal, playing in all 38 of their Premier League games, keeping 14 clean sheets. That ranked him joint-second in the league, and was bettered only by David de Gea’s 17 for Manchester United.
With that being said, Raya is outperforming Ramsdale’s numbers from the 2022/23 season, statistically speaking. Aside from having an equal amount of clean sheets than the Englishman having played less games, Raya is also beating Ramsdale’s post-shot expected goals, where a lower number is better, and cross-claiming numbers.
According to Fbref, Raya stops an average of 12.2% crosses, and has a post shot xG of 0.64. That ranks him in the top 8% and the top 5% respectively amongst Premier League goalkeepers this season.
In contrast, as per Fbref, Ramsdale last season stopped an average of 5.8% crosses and has a post shot xG of 1.05. This places the 25-year-old in the 36th percentile and the top 16% amongst Premier League goalkeepers last season.
With that in mind, it can certainly be argued that Arsenal have upgraded their goalkeeper by signing Raya. If they can get £60m for Ramsdale, at a £36m profit, it certainly seems like a logical deal for the north London side to do, and works out well for the player himself because he gets regular first-team minutes as he looks to challenge Pickford for his England spot.
Amid those aforementioned rumours that a variety of teams are eyeing the Gunners' understudy this summer – and with the club still in the hunt for the Premier League title – there is a case to be made that Ramsdale won't play for Arteta's side again.
Arsenal hit gold selling a star who'd be worth more than Rice in 2024 money
Glasgow Rangers travel away from Ibrox to face Dundee at Dens Park this evening as they look to quickly bounce back from their defeat at the weekend.
The Light Blues suffered a bitterly disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of Ross County away from home on Sunday, despite leading the game 1-0 at half-time.
Philippe Clement's side chucked the game away and now find themselves in a position where even a win against Dundee tonight leaves them second in the table and behind rivals Celtic, on the same number of games played.
This means that the Gers may need to pick up all three points at Parkhead in their final league meeting with the Hoops, if they want to win the Scottish Premiership title.
Firstly, though, Rangers need to secure the win at Dens Park tonight, in a fixture that has already been postponed twice due to a waterlogged pitch, and the manager could make some changes from the team that lined up on Sunday.
Clement must brutally ditch Kieran Dowell, who struggled at the weekend, from the starting XI and finally unleash Nicolas Raskin in his place.
Kieran Dowell's performance against Ross County in numbers
The central midfielder, signed on a free transfer from Norwich City last summer, was selected to play in the middle of the park alongside John Lundstram and behind Todd Cantwell.
Unfortunately, Dowell did not make the most of his opportunity to show the manager that he deserves to be starting week-in-week-out during the title run-in.
Instead, he gave the Belgian boss a reason to brutally ditch him from the lineup for this clash with Dundee tonight, due to his struggles on and off the ball.
Minutes played
63
Sofascore rating
6.5
Key passes
0
Shots
0
Dribbled past
2x
Tackles won
2
As you can see in the table above, Dowell was dribbled past as many times as he completed tackles to win the ball back for Rangers, which illustrates how inconsistent the midfielder was out of possession.
On the ball, the left-footed dud did cause Ross County any problems as the former Canaries star failed to register a single shot or key pass throughout his 63 minutes on the pitch.
In fact, the 26-year-old Gers man has only averaged 0.3 key passes per game, with zero 'big chances' created, and scored two goals in nine league appearances for the club so far this season.
Rangers midfielder Kieran Dowell.
This is surprising when you consider that Dowell scored five goals, created six 'big chances', and grabbed three assists in just 14 Championship starts for Norwich during the 2022/23 campaign.
His impressive attacking work down south has not translated over to his time in Scotland, thus far, and his dismal performance against Ross County was just the latest in a line of dull displays.
Why Nicolas Raskin should start over Kieran Dowell
Raskin must finally be unleashed from the start, for the first time since the 2nd of March against Motherwell, after being an unused substitute on Sunday.
The former Belgium U21 international, who was not fit enough for the bench against Celtic, enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and fitness issues have prevented him from carrying it into the second half of the season.
However, a start against Dundee tonight could help him to kick on and return to his best form, which is why Clement should choose him to replace Dowell in the starting XI.
Appearances
9
14
Goals + assists
2
2
Key passes per game
0.3
0.8
Pass accuracy
78%
86%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.5
2.6
Duel success rate
49%
55%
As you can see in the table above, Raskin has been more effective in and out of possession in comparison to the English midfielder this season.
He has produced over twice as many key passes per game whilst also completing a significantly higher percentage of his attempted passes, which shows that his work on the ball has been considerably more efficient.
The former Standard Liege star has also made more tackles and interceptions per game whilst winning a higher percentage of his duels in the middle of the park.
Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin
These statistics show that the £19k-per-week star, who was once hailed as "different class" by journalist Josh Bunting, is a well-rounded midfielder who is effective on and off the ball at his best.
This is why Clement should finally bring Raskin back into the starting XI as Rangers would have a terrific box-to-box midfield operator in the team if the Belgian whiz can rediscover his early-season form during the title run-in.
However, it is also worth noting that the Gers head coach does have a plethora of options to select from in the midfield positions for this clash.
The alternatives to Nicolas Raskin
Mohammed Diomande was absent for the defeat to Ross County with a thumb injury and has not recovered in time to return to action this evening.
The winter signing has scored two goals and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game across eight Premiership appearances for the club since his loan move to Glasgow.
Tom Lawrence, who came off the bench to replace Dowell on Sunday, is also an option to play alongside Lundstram in the middle of the park as a creative presence.
Tom Lawrence
The Wales international has assisted three goals and created four 'big chances' in ten league starts for the Scottish giants, has the quality to be a difference-maker in the final third on his day.
Clement also has the option of moving Dujon Sterling back into a midfield position, where he has been deployed at times this season, to provide a more combative and athletic option.
However, Dundee have conceded 54 goals in 32 league matches this season and Rangers should be looking to put them to the sword with a fluent attacking performance, and Sterling – who is a full-back by trade – does not offer much in the way of quality in the final third.
It will be down to whoever starts, whether that is Raskin, Sterling, Dowell, or Lawrence, to put in a strong performance and ensure that they help the team to pick up all three points.
تمكن النجم الأحمر من تسجيل هدف التعادل في مباراته المقامة حاليًا على ملعبه في بلجراد بـ صربيا، أمام برشلونة الإسباني، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
النجم الأحمر يستضيف برشلونة ضمن الجولة الرابعة من مرحلة الدوري ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2024-2025.
طالع أيضًا | فيديو | إينييجو مارتينيز يسجل هدف برشلونة الأول أمام النجم الأحمر
وكان برشلونة متقدمًا في النتيجة، قبل أن يعادل سيلاس في الدقيقة 27 لأصحاب الأرض، بعدما كانوا قد سجلوا هدفًا وألغاه الحكم بداعي التسلل.
الهدف الذي سجله سيلاس، جاء بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من كرونيتش، لينجح اللاعب في وضع الكرة بطريقة رائعة من فوق حارس مرمى برشلونة بينيا.
جدير بالذكر أن قبل المباراة برشلونة كان يحتل المركز التاسع برصيد 7 نقاط، بينما النجم الأحمر في المركز الـ31 بدون رصيد من النقاط. هدف النجم الأحمر في مرمى برشلونة بدوري أبطال أوروبا
Monaco's Youssouf Fofana has reportedly become the latest midfielder to join Manchester United's summer transfer shortlist.
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Fofana put on Man Utd shortlist
Also targeting Ugarte and/or Zubimendi
McTominay could leave the club this summer
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Devils have been undergoing a minor overhaul of their dressing room with new co-owners INEOS leading the charge after a poor 2023-24 season. One of the players who could be on the way out is Scott McTominay and, despite Erik ten Hag's demands for him to stay, the Scotland international could be sold for an acceptable fee. As such, United are adding players to their replacement shortlist.
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United have already opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain's Manuel Ugarte as they look to sign a defensive midfielder. Although they have reportedly held talks with the Uruguayan, the deal is far from being closed as United and PSG have yet to reach an agreement on a fee. They have therefore added Fofana to their list of potential targets, per .
DID YOU KNOW?
The Red Devils have Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi on their radar too but are yet to begin any sort of talks with the Spaniard. The club is also mulling over making last season's loan for Sofyan Amrabat permanent, although that seems unlikely at the moment.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?
With pre-season having already started for the Red Devils, they will be trying their best to sign a midfielder so the new arrival has enough time to work with the team before the side begin the new campaign.
خسر فريق الوكرة أمام منافسه السد، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري القطري.
وتواجه فريقا الوكرة والسد على أرضية ملعب الأول، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثامنة من عمر مباريات الدوري القطري للموسم الحالي.
وسجل هدف السد الأول، اللاعب الإسباني رافا موخيكا في الدقيقة 24 من تسديدة متقنة من على حدود منطقة الجزاء سكنت الشباك.
وأضاف النجم القطري أكرم عفيف الهدف الثاني لـ السد، في الدقيقة 59، بشكل رائع حيث وضع الكرة أعلى حارس الوكرة بعدما تلقي تمريرة رائعة من زميله جونزاليس بيريز.
طالع.. فيديو | مشادة وطرد في مواجهة مصرية.. فوز قاتل لـ قطر على الوكرة بمشاركة عبد القادر وحمدي فتحي
واختتم ثلاثية فريق السد، رافا موخيكا مسجلًا هدفه الثاني في المباراة، وذلك في الدقيقة 86 من عمر المباراة.
وشارك الدولي المصري حمدي فتحي المحترف ضمن صفوف فريق الوكرة، في المباراة بشكل كامل، حصل على تقييم 7.2 ووفقًا لموقع سوفا سكور المتخصص في الإحصائيات.
وبتلك النتيجة، يحتل فريق السد المركز الثاني في ترتيب الدوري القطري، برصيد 15 نقطة، بينما الوكرة يتواجد في المركز السادس برصيد 11 نقطة، ذلك بعد مرور 8 جولات. أهداف مباراة السد والوكرة اليوم في الدوري القطري 3-0
A goleada por 4 a 0 sobre o Macaé, no último domingo, marcou o último jogo do Botafogo na Taça Guanabara de 2021. O Alvinegro ficou na sétima colocação da competição, com 15 pontos conquistados. No total, foram três vitórias, seis empates e duas derrotas. Com o encerramento da competição, oLANCE! preparou um raio-x para mostrar quem mais se destacou em cada estatística pelo Glorioso.
>Veja quem entrou em campo pelo Botafogo na temporada 2021
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Sem tempo para pré-temporada, o Campeonato Carioca também serviu como um laboratório para que o técnico Marcelo Chamusca testasse jogadores e buscasse a melhor formação do Botafogo. Dessa maneira, em fase de reestruturação, novos jogadores foram contratados e outros da base ganharam mais minutos dentro de campo.
Um dos destaques vai para as duas laterais do Alvinegro. Se no ano passado foram dor de cabeça para a torcida, nesta temporada, os números são animadores. Jonathan lidera o time em desarmes (20) e é o terceiro em dribles certos (cinco). Enquanto isso, PV é o segundo do Botafogo em desarmes (15) e o primeiro em dribles certos (sete). Abaixo, confira todas as estáticas separadas pelo L!.
PASSES CERTOS
1) Kanu – 452 passes;
2) Jonathan – 435 passes;
3) Matheus Frizzo – 372 passes.
FINALIZAÇÕES CERTAS
1) Matheus Babi – oito finalizações;
2) Felipe Ferreira – seis finalizações;
3) Marco Antônio e Rafael Navarro – quatro finalizações.
GOLS
1) Matheus Babi – três gols;
2) Felipe Ferreira – dois gols;
3) Matheus Nascimento, Warley, Pedro Castro, Rickson, Marco Antônio, Rafael Navarro, David Sousa e Ênio – um gol.
ASSISTÊNCIAS
1) Paulo Victor, Marco Antônio e Bruno Nazário – duas assistências;
2) Matheus Frizzo, Ronald, Kanu, Marcinho, Rafael Navarro e Ênio – uma assistência.
3) Ninguém.
ASSISTÊNCIAS PARA FINALIZAÇÃO
1) Marcinho – 13 passes;
2) Felipe Ferreira – 11 passes;
3) Warley – nove passes
DESARMES CERTOS
1) Jonathan – 20 desarmes;
2) Paulo Victor – 15 desarmes;
3) Rickson – oito desarmes.
INTERCEPTAÇÕES CERTAS
1) José Welison e Kanu – quatro interceptações;
2) Jonathan – trêsinterceptações;
3) Warley, Matheus Frizzo e Matheus Babi – duasinterceptações
DRIBLES CERTOS
1) Paulo Victor e Marco Antônio – sete dribles;
2) Marcinho – seis dribles;
3) Jonathan – cinco dribles.
FALTAS RECEBIDAS
1) Matheus Babi – 25 faltas;
2) Warley – 20 faltas;
3) Marco Antônio – 18 faltas.
FALTAS COMETIDAS
1) Jonathan – 19 faltas;
2) Kanu e Matheus Babi – 17 faltas;
3) Paulo Victor – 15 faltas.
PERDAS DE POSSE DE BOLA
1) Marcinho – 33 perdas;
2) Matheus Babi – 26 perdas;
3) Paulo Victor – 22 perdas.
IMPEDIMENTOS
1) Ênio – seis impedimentos;
2) Matheus Babi – três impedimentos;
3) Gilvan, Paulo Victor, Felipe Ferreira, Ronald, Pedro Castro e Marco Antônio – dois impedimentos.
A poucos minutos de entrar em campo, o Flamengo divulgou a escalação da equipe que irá enfrentar o Volta Redonda, a partir das19h, no Maracanã, em duelo que necessita apenas de uma vitória simples para conquistar a 23ª Taça Guanabara de sua história. E Rogério Ceni promoveu mudanças, inclusive com Gabigol e Pedro juntos no ataque – algo inédito para iniciar em sua passagem.
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A equipe está escalada com: Diego Alves, Matheuzinho, Gustavo Henrique, Bruno Viana e Renê; Arão, Gerson, Vitinho e Michael; Gabigol e Pedro.
+ Fla tem 8 jogadores com vínculo perto do fim; veja a duração dos contratos
Para o jogo de hoje, a ideia de Ceni é poupar alguns titulares de olho na partida contra o Unión La Calera, na terça-feira, pela segunda rodada da Libertadores, no Maracanã.
Além de mais um troféu para a coleção na Gávea, a partida vale a manutenção da “era de títulos” recente e ainda pode beneficiar o Rubro-Negro em outros fatores, entre eles a ampliação da hegemonia histórica (leia mais aqui).
+ Confira a tabela completa do Campeonato Carioca
O LANCE! transmite o jogo em Tempo Real. O vencedor do duelo leva a Taça Guanabara. Caso haja empate, o Voltaço, atual líder, precisa torcer para o Fluminense não vencer o Madureira neste domingo para chegar às semi do Carioca com o simbólico título desta fase.
Managing director of England men’s cricket believes added responsibility will help all-rounder’s rise
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2019
Ben Stokes celebrates his breakthrough•Getty Images
Ashley Giles believes Ben Stokes’ reinstatement as England vice-captain ahead of the Ashes is the logical next step in his development as a Test allrounder.In announcing their 14-man squad for the first Test against Australia starting at Edgbaston August 1, the ECB also revealed chairman Colin Graves had approved Stokes’ re-appointment on the recommendation of Ashley Giles and chief executive Tom Harrison.Stokes had been stripped of the role during investigations into the fight outside a Bristol night club in 2017, over which he was ultimately found not guilty of affray. Stokes subsequently faced an ECB disciplinary hearing, which resulted in him being fined and banned for eight international matches in December 2018, a punishment that he had already served in missing five months of cricket, including the 2017-18 Ashes.Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, said Stokes was highly respected within the team environment.”He is a natural leader and has a great understanding of the game,” Giles said. “He will offer tremendous support to Joe Root as part of the senior playing group.”Over the past 18 months, he has come a long way and has shown a great degree of maturity on and off the field.”I have no doubts that the added responsibility will also help him to continue his rise as a world class all-rounder in the Test arena.”Stokes will take over the vice-captaincy from Jos Buttler.Stokes scored in the 70s and 80s four times in his last five innings at the World Cup and was Player of the Match in the final at Lord’s after guiding England’s run-chase with an unbeaten 84 from 98 balls, as well as adding a crucial 8 from 3 in the decisive Super Over.Jofra Archer, who is in line to make his Test debut after also being named in England’s Ashes squad, credited Stokes with offering some calming words when he was chosen to bowl to New Zealand in their Super Over, with Stokes having been through a similar experience – although with a different outcome – when charged with bowling the final over of the 2016 T20 World Cup final against West Indies in Kolkata.”If we had lost today, I don’t know what I would have done tomorrow,” Archer said at the time. “But Ben Stokes told me even before the over: ‘Win or lose, today does not define you. Everyone believes in you.’ He came to talk to me because of Kolkata. He probably went through the same emotions but was on the losing side.”
The January transfer window might have swung its doors open over three weeks ago but Arsenal have not been very busy at all, with rumours scudding around the Emirates Stadium but nothing concrete materialising as of yet.
Mikel Arteta has created an exciting squad capable of competing for the Premier League title and for the second season running the Gunners find themselves in the thick of the race for silverware, also having returned to the Champions League after six seasons away, awaiting FC Porto in the last 16.
The three strikers Arsenal could sign to replace Gabriel Jesus
Mikel Arteta is on the lookout for a new number nine this month.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 24, 2024
A winter blip has stifled a tremendous campaign and illuminated the need for a first-class centre-forward; Gabriel Jesus is elegant and creative, Eddie Nketiah hard-working, but neither offer that fear-inducing goal threat that Arsenal need to go one step further.
However, despite speculation, Arteta may shelve this pursuit until the summer, with options limited in the winter window, though the midfield is also of some concern in north London and news has emerged that an exciting talent could be available to galvanise the club before the end of the month.
Arsenal eyeing late move
According to Italian publication Tutto Juve, Arsenal are rivalling Serie A giants Juventus for the signing of Al-Hilal midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, with the Gunners' facility to present a superior offer giving them the edge in the budding saga.
Al-Hilal signed Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio for around €40m (£34m) last summer but the Serbia international has been reported to have expressed regret with the transfer to former teammates.
Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The Saudi Pro League side may not wish to sell their asset but Jordan Henderson's recent transfer away from Saudi Arabia after a matter of months suggests that Arsenal could find success in their pursuit of the 28-year-old as Arteta reportedly lines up a bid for his services in a battle with Juventus.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's style of play
Many were surprised when Milinkovic-Savic chose to head for Saudi Arabia at the height of his game, having been a talismanic force for years in Rome and attracted interest from top clubs – including Arsenal – last summer.
Now, supposedly disconcerted with Al-Hilal, Milinkovic-Savic could finally try his hand on English soil, having been described as a "monster" midfielder by journalist Carlo Garganese.
Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
He's hardly been poor this season, it must be said, posting nine goals and five assists across 22 appearances and averaging 1.8 key passes, 1.9 tackles, 5.3 ball recoveries, and 1.5 dribbles per game in the league, as per Sofascore.
And after chalking up 341 appearances for I Biancocelesti, scoring 69 goals, supplying 59 assists and winning the Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana trophies, he stands proud as one of the club's finest players in a generation.
Speaking of the player's quality in the past, former Lazio manager Mauricio Sarri said: "I’ve coached great midfielders, like Zielinski and Hamsik, and he’s one of the best. He really is a complete player with great quality."
As per FBref, Milinkovic-Savic ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues and European competitions over the past year for goals, the top 6% for shots taken, the top 19% for successful take-ons, the top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 2% for aerial battles won per 90.
Silky and endowed with remarkable strength, the 6 foot 3 titan is factory-built for life in the Premier League and, given that Arsenal are willing to make the move happen, will surely be considering the prospect of playing under the brilliant Emirates lights.
Very Strong
Strong
Key passes
Passing
Aerial duels
Concentration
Source: WhoScored
Should Arsenal succeed in this transfer endeavour, Milinkovic-Savic would augment an engine room fuelled by some high-class figures: the relentlessness of Declan Rice, the genius of Martin Odegaard.
And while Kai Havertz was signed from Chelsea for £65m last summer, a talented and itinerant figure on the pitch, drifting from position to position without really finding a permanent home, the German has not quite evoked confidence that he is deserving of an unwavering starting berth.
Milinkovic-Savic would be an upgrade on Kai Havertz
Havertz has long been regarded as a talented player and indeed scored Chelsea's winning goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City back in 2020 to etch his name into Stamford Bridge folklore.
But principally considered a forward during his time in England, Havertz's return of 32 goals from 139 appearances for the Blues left him criticised regularly.
A transfer to Arsenal has proved to be a clean slate and he has enjoyed some impressive games under Arteta's wing, largely deployed in the centre of the park and popping up with some big goals, scoring five times thus far.
The 42-cap Germany star ranks among the top 17% of midfielders for goals scored, the top 3% for shots taken, the top 1% for touches in the attacking box, and the top 5% for aerial wins per 90, such metrics indicating that Milinkovic-Savic could mirror his presence, similar in multiple areas.
Also earning £280k per week, the 24-year-old is not producing performances to reflect this expensive remuneration, averaging just 0.8 key passes, 1.1 tackles, 3.3 ball recoveries, and 0.4 clearances and dribbles per Premier League match, winning just 47% of his contested duels.
A towering presence himself at 6 foot 4, Havertz is industrious, committed, and cultured but Milinkovic-Savic offers a similar profile and is comparatively superior across many metrics, and Arteta must seriously consider forging ahead with a swoop to bring some much-needed extra mettle to his midfield.
Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz.
The Al-Hilal machine has also been praised for his "magic" ability on the ball by erstwhile Lazio teammate Ciro Immobile, and given the Italian's prolific partnership with the player, perhaps Arsenal would be sealing a signature to enhance the likely centre-forward arrival in the summer.
While Arsenal have been quiet on the transfer front this month there is a tacit understanding that improvements are needed and Milinkovic-Savic could be the answer, bringing a complete skill set to surpass the ability of Havertz.
The Germany international has not provided a consistent stream of goals and assists in the final third to make himself an influential figure in midfield, which is in stark contrast to the Serbian whiz's contributions for Al-Hilal and Lazio in recent years.
He could come in and offer far more in the final third and give Arteta another potential match-winner in the middle of the park ahead of the second half of the campaign.