Mohamed Salah faces brutal criticism from ex-Arsenal and Man City star
I've already had to deal with Troy Deeney claiming that Salah is somehow "not world-class", an assessment he seems to be basing on little more than "trust me, bro". And now, for the second time in a matter of days, a former player has decided to take a swipe at the Premier League's top scorer.
And top assister. And top big chance creator, and top just about anything else you can think of — it is genuinely unfathomable that anyone should be using this international break to take shots at him.
The criticism seems to be based on the last three games, where Salah has been some way short of his glittering best in crucial meetings with PSG and Newcastle. But while Arne Slot would have loved to see more from his talisman, those games constitute three of just 11 all season where the Egyptian has featured — in any capacity, in all competitions — and not scored or assisted.
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Regardless, Bacary Sagna has become the latest to gleefully seize on the first vaguely plausible chance to put Salah down. The former Man City and Arsenal man has shared his brutal verdict on the Liverpool star.
"Mo Salah is an amazing player, but people will question his ability to show up when it matters," Sagna told Paddy Power. "He's still a great player, but he can't do everything on his own.
"I rate him as good as any other top striker and winger, but if you're not competitive when it matters, like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr or Cristiano Ronaldo can do, people will question whether he can perform against the big clubs or best players. It's not surprising to see people questioning his ability to do it, because the data isn't kind to him."
The data? Seriously?
At least Deeney tried to justify himself by basing his verdict on an impossible-to-pin-down "feeling". If Sagna wants to talk about the data, then Salah can show him a whole host of records he has broken or is on the way to breaking.
Salah has 44 league goal contributions this season. Of the players Sagna mentioned, Vinicius Jr has 17, Mbappe has 23, and Ronaldo (in the Saudi Pro League) has 22.
But maybe Sagna is talking about the "big game" data specifically. Okay, let's have a look at that.
Salah's three favorite opponents in terms of career goals scored are Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City. Arsenal also features in the top five — that's four of the so-called "big six".
By comparison, Ronaldo's three favorite opponents are Sevilla, Atletico and Getafe. Yet apparently it is Salah who is not the big-game player.
And in any case, Salah should not have to come out on top of a comparison with Ronaldo in order to be considered elite. The Portugal star is widely considered to be the second-best player of a generation.
Salah should be getting celebrated right now, with this international break a chance to take stock of the enormity of what he has achieved up to this point in the season. And yet in another sign of an increasingly toxic environment, a couple of bad games have attracted the vultures — although when I see them, I will do my best to shoo them away.
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New York Times
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- New York Times
Dan Ndoye: Nottingham Forest forward with gifts for fans, who ‘took stairs' to top of game
If you see Dan Ndoye driving around Nottingham, he might have a gift for you. When the Swiss winger was at Bologna, he would often keep a few club shirts, with his name and number on the back, in the glove box of his car as a potential keepsake for any fans he encountered. He would, naturally, have a pen handy for autographs, too. Advertisement A confident young man, then. But one thing that came up with every person The Athletic spoke to about Nottingham Forest's record signing is his friendly personality, so the stashing of ready-to-go merch reflects his effusive nature, rather than any sort of presumptive arrogance. The deal taking Ndoye to Forest was complicated by competition from Napoli and Juventus, and Bologna driving a tough bargain for their star winger, who eventually cost £35million ($47.5m). Eventually crawling over the line in the last week of July, the move had been in the ether for a year. Ndoye was offered to Forest in 2024 for around £25million, but they were not in a financial position to make the move. He had only been with Bologna for one season, scoring a single goal, but after some breakout performances at Euro 2024 with Switzerland and a Serie A campaign in which he found the net nine times, including the winner in the Coppa Italia final, he is a much more rounded player. From his perspective, too, last summer might not have been the right time to make the move. He has always been cautious about planning his career, looking for the next level but recognising it is better to take relatively small steps and play regularly to develop and improve, rather than go for bigger leaps and get lost in the shuffle. That partly informed the 24-year-old's decision to choose Forest: he could have gone to the reigning Serie A champions in Napoli, or Italian giants Juventus, where he would have played in the Champions League, but he has always wanted to play in the Premier League. Ndoye views Forest as the perfect size: big enough to be competitive, but not so established that his development could be stunted. He could have been in England much earlier than this. Arsenal, Manchester City and Southampton were among the clubs who looked at Ndoye when he was in the youth system of his first club, Lausanne-Sport, who competed in Switzerland's second-tier Challenge League. Interestingly, Forest's current chief football officer, Ross Wilson, was Southampton's director of football operations at the time. Advertisement Ndoye's game improved significantly at Bologna under Thiago Motta and, last season, Vincenzo Italiano, who made him a much more clinical finisher. 'Last year (with Thiago Motta) I rarely went looking for goal,' he told Gazzetta Dello Sport in May. 'Motta asked me to stay out wide more. Italiano granted me more freedom, the chance to score and to attack the box more.' Earlier in his career, one of the most influential figures was Sebastien Bichard, who coached him as a youngster at Lausanne. 'I remember very well this young, frail 12-year-old boy,' Bichard tells The Athletic, when asked about his memories of the first time he saw Ndoye play. 'He was already a very good dribbler and a fast one. What was already magnificent about him was his passion for the game, for the ball, for football. I immediately noticed his ability to play with his body, to outwit the opponent with the ball at his feet. There was something rare about him.' Bichard was particularly influential during a strange period in 2020 — for all of us, but Ndoye in particular. He had agreed a move from Lausanne to Nice (two clubs owned by Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS), but remained in Switzerland on loan for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, the plan being to move that summer. Then Covid-19 hit, and there was no football in the Swiss second tier for four months: not ideal for anyone, but particularly not for a player who had a new club to impress. Ndoye had to stay sharp somehow, and that's where Bichard came in. 'We met very early in the morning to do individualised training sessions on a very difficult village pitch, hidden from view, to prepare for his future move to Nice.' That move to Nice didn't go to plan. There was a gap of just three weeks between the fragmented season in Switzerland and the start of the new one in France. He began with some promise, but only started three games in Ligue 1. He was only 21 but already in danger of stagnating. Advertisement The following summer, he moved on loan to Swiss Super League side Basel, where his career was reinvigorated. He worked with Patrick Rahmen, who would later coach him for the Switzerland Under-21s, and his job was to restore Ndoye's confidence. 'That was key to his development under me and his subsequent coaches,' Rahmen tells The Athletic. 'When he felt that we were counting on him, he could develop game by game and find his confidence.' At Basel, he became a key part of the team quickly, and after a season on loan, the move was made permanent. 'He realised that he could be a difference-maker at a higher level,' says Rahmen, 'but his performances weren't consistent at first. Accordingly, it was a process for him to develop as a player at a club where he received a lot of trust from me and the coaching staff. He then put this into practice, both at the club and with the national team.' His progress wasn't linear. Rahmen remembers a conversation they had before a game against Spain's under-21s in 2023. Ndoye's confidence had dipped again after a long spell without a goal or assist. 'We had a long personal conversation where we talked about pressure and how to deal with his own expectations,' says Rahmen. 'We discussed it in detail and broke it down so that he could forget all the pressure for this game and simply look forward to the game and play without worry. He implemented this brilliantly and played an outstanding game, scoring a goal.' Ndoye's progression was bumpy at times, perhaps explaining his self-critical side. He analyses his performances independently of the work his clubs have done and replays matches on the same day. He looks for mistakes and areas of improvement. He has spoken about not getting much sleep some nights after studying a game particularly closely. 'It's also important to know that Dan had an atypical career path,' says Bichard. 'He wasn't always recognised for his true worth — he earned his first Swiss youth cap at the under-18 level. Advertisement 'He has a great capacity for work, is a good listener, and is ready to never give up. He now performs at a high level, as he did when he was younger, but with much more consistency and effectiveness today.' Or, as his father, Saliou, put it, speaking to Swiss outlet 24 Heures: 'Some people take the elevator and everything falls into their hands very quickly, they are propelled to the top while still very young. Dan, on the other hand, took the stairs. He is where he is because of his work.' Ndoye is extremely family-oriented. 'A career has its ups and downs,' Ndoye told 24 Heures. 'A player's mental state accounts for 70 per cent or 80 per cent of their performance. I have a mental coach who helped me a lot when I was younger with concentration issues. But nothing replaces family. It's a necessity.' Saliou is from Senegal and was a decent amateur player in his day (as a smooth attacking midfielder, he picked up the nickname 'Platini'), and now splits his time between Switzerland and a real estate business in his homeland. His mother, Virginie, is Swiss and he has two younger siblings: a brother, Issa, and a sister named Eva. Issa is a photographer and videographer who made a glossy social media clip charting Ndoye's journey to Nottingham, while Eva studied at university in America last year. Virginie missed the start of Euro 2024, where Ndoye played for Switzerland, to attend her graduation. Both were with him as he completed the formalities of his move to Forest. A post shared by Dan Ndoye 🦁 (@danndoye10) Throughout his career, some combination of his immediate family members have usually lived with or near him, moving to Nice then Basel then Bologna. While they won't be moving en masse to Nottingham, they always try to ensure a couple of them are close by at any one time. 'They provide the balance Dan needs,' says Bichard. One family member who will be joining Ndoye more permanently in Nottingham is Alpha, the husky that Eva persuaded him to get a few years ago. 'A life without Alpha is unimaginable for me,' Ndoye told Blick this year. 'She gives me a lot of love and takes my mind off things when I'm out walking or lying on the couch, which helps me enormously, especially after games.' Advertisement As for slightly less furry friends, he is still close to former Bologna team-mates Joshua Zirkzee — the Manchester United forward with whom he plays Call of Duty online — and Riccardo Calafiori, now of Arsenal. Bologna's scouts went to watch Ndoye play for Basel, and while there, were also impressed by Calafiori (who they also already knew about), signing them both in 2023. Nottingham Ndoye also asked Remo Freuler, Bologna's Swiss midfielder who played for Forest, about the move to Nottingham, and was told only good things about the club. His signature goal celebration — showing his 'claws' and growling like a big cat — stems from his family and his childhood. 'Since I was a child, my parents have compared me to a lion,' he said last year. 'They often say that the Senegalese players are the Lions of Teranga. So it was just a little reference to my second nationality.' Ndoye has big boots to fill, having been signed shortly after the sale of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United. But if Forest fans keep seeing that celebration, there will be plenty of takers for one of those shirts, signed and fresh from the glove box.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League: The players to avoid selecting for Gameweek One
A new season of Fantasy Premier League is upon us, with players new to the Premier League and those who have moved clubs among the hottest properties. However, for every prime FPL target, there is also a long list of possible signings who should be avoided — either because they are unlikely starters for their clubs or offer little in fantasy points terms. Which of the hundreds of available assets should be nowhere near your Gameweek One squad? The Athletic has got you covered! Each season, I run a single FPL team where, each gameweek, a panel vote on the transfer and captaincy decisions. It used to be run by 50 managers but now a group of 100 people contribute. This pre-season, I've collated their first drafts for a series on my YouTube channel, comparing player ownership within that pool to ownership across the millions worldwide who play FPL, and have created a shortlist of those options who are in over 10 per cent of the experts' teams. Advertisement There were several highly-owned players in the game overall who had little to no representation among their squads. The headline name here is Newcastle striker Alexander Isak (£10.5m), who is owned by around one-third of managers overall but was a differential among my panel. As we all know, the Swedish striker wants to leave Newcastle, with Liverpool bidding for him, and his situation has a chance of lingering on until the opening weekend of the season, from August 15 to 18, when the transfer window will still have more than two weeks to run. Add into the mix a tough run of opening fixtures for Eddie Howe and company and it's ultimately best to avoid Isak, despite his 29 goal involvements in 2024-25. Meanwhile, Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) of West Ham, formerly a midfielder in the game, has been reclassified as a forward for this season, which seemingly hasn't dented his appeal, with the England international racking up an ownership of nearly 20 per cent of FPL managers as things stand. But Bowen will receive fewer points for each goal he scores this season in his new position, which could hinder his output, despite West Ham starting their season with a trip to one of the promoted sides, Sunderland. As one of the most supported clubs globally, any new faces at Manchester United are generally heavily backed in FPL, with this summer's midfield arrivals Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) and Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) no exceptions at 17% and 11% ownership respectively. However, none of my 100 experts selected this duo in their Gameweek One squads following an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign for United, despite a change of position for Cunha from forward to midfielder. There's plenty of competition for places in the United attack and it's not exactly clear the role each player will be given by coach Ruben Amorim, with both having been talismans for Brentford and Wolves respectively last season. We can't expect the same level of returns from them at a new team and in a different system, and with captain Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) set to hog set-piece duties, including penalties, the routes to points for both Mbeumo and Cunha will be more limited. Advertisement Fernandes is also an avoid at the start of the season due to a price hike and a deeper-lying position in United's new-look midfield almost guaranteed. Then there's the fact they play Arsenal and Manchester City during the first four gameweeks. New Liverpool right-back Jeremie Frimpong (£6.0m) is the second-most-owned defender in the game at the time of writing, having been acquired by almost 27 per cent of managers. However, he faces stiff competition for minutes from Conor Bradley (£5.0m), so his starting position is far from guaranteed. I definitely prefer their defensive team-mate Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) at the same price point as Frimpong, and the expert managers agree with me. Arsenal's new signing Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) has been hot property since his addition to the game, with 24 per cent of managers snapping him up. However, there are no guarantees he starts over Kai Havertz (£7.5m) up front when Mikel Arteta's team travel to Old Trafford in Gameweek One. Gyokeres is certainly one to keep an eye on for potential addition from Gameweek Two onwards, especially with promoted Leeds visiting the Emirates Stadium in that round. He may be on Arsenal's penalties, too. Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) has been a popular acquisition in early drafts, mine included. The impending departure of Son Heung-min (£8.5m) could see Solanke on penalties this season but he missed both games of Spurs' Asian tour with an ankle injury. Plenty of FPL managers will be keeping an eye on his availability across the remainder of pre-season, with an opener at home against promoted Burnley kicking off a favourable run of early fixtures. Indeed, Spurs' start to the season has helped entice 26 per cent of managers to select their new midfield recruit Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m), who looks to be great value at first glance. However, I'm yet to be convinced to invest in him, given he managed just nine goal involvements in 31 starts last time around for West Ham. Better-value picks should emerge around that price point. Advertisement Up at Manchester City, Omar Marmoush (£8.5m) is among their most-owned attacking players for Gameweek One, alongside newcomer and fellow midfielder Rayan Cherki (£6.5m). However, with strength and depth once again in forward areas for the deposed four-in-a-row champions, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what minutes their assets will see because of manager Pep Guardiola's infamous rotation. It's thought that Phil Foden (£8.0m) is fully fit and set to capitalise on the summer departure of Kevin De Bruyne from City's midfield, but I'd stick with forward Erling Haaland (£14.0m) if you are intent on a City attacking player for Gameweek One. Speaking of rotation and new signings at City, Rayan Ait-Nouri (£6.0m) has been selected by around a quarter of managers since joining from Wolves, but again this is a risky pick. Clean sheets could be hard to come by for City in the opening three gameweeks, with trips to Wolves and Brighton either side of a home game against a bolstered Spurs now under Thomas Frank's management. The theme continues when it comes to picking a City goalkeeper, with new arrival James Trafford (£5.0m) providing competition for Ederson (£5.5m). It's certainly enticing that we could have a top six goalkeeper for £5m in the game, but we would need clarity from Guardiola over who is his number one before investing in Trafford. One player who made my first draft despite being a massive rotation risk is Everton forward Beto (£5.5m), thanks to an enticing price point. Everton have solid opening fixtures, plus that new stadium to entertain their fans in, which means the stars could align for Beto early on. There's hope he plays in a front two alongside new signing Thierno Barry (£6.0m), but they could well share minutes under David Moyes. With plenty of managers eyeing up a Gameweek One Bench Boost, any starting forwards with good fixtures around this price could be hard to ignore. Will the punt be worth it? (Top photo of Alexander Isak;)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thomas Partey: Ex-Arsenal player charged with rape to appear in court today
Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is due to appear in court today, charged with raping two women. The 32-year-old, who was charged four days after leaving the north London club when his contract expired back in June, faces five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts against another. The sexual assault allegation relates to a third woman, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022. The Metropolitan Police said it first received reports of an allegation of rape in February 2022. Partey's lawyer Jenny Wiltshire has previously said the Ghanaian "denies all the charges against him" - and looks forward to the chance to "finally clear his name". Read more from Sky News:Permission granted for UK rocket launch Partey joined Arsenal from Spanish side Atletico Madrid in 2020 and became a regular for manager Mikel Arteta, who last month said he was "100% sure" the club followed the correct protocols. An Arsenal spokesperson previously said: "The player's contract ended on 30 June. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the club is unable to comment on the case." Partey made 35 appearances for the Gunners last season, scoring four goals. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
