Latest news with #Salah
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Forget the Best XI - These Were the Most Disappointing Players of the Season
Forget the Best XI - These Were the Most Disappointing Players of the Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It's at this time of the year that journalists roll out their "Team of the Season" picks, with Salah, Palmer, Isak etc leading the way. But just as disappointed in the Premier League in 2024/25? Advertisement It would be tempting to simply pick the entire Southampton team, with a few Ipswich and Leicester players thrown in for good measure. But here at Athlon Sports, we're not interested in the relegation duds upon whom nothing was expected (and who over-delivered on that metric). Instead, here's our list of "good" players who one might have expected to shine but instead spectacularly failed to live up to their price tag or previous form. Note, a player had to have played at least 10 games to make the cut. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (Chelsea) - A close second was Manchester United's André Onana, a man capable of the the spectacularly bad. But Chelsea have spent nearly $200m on goalkeepers in the last six years, only to end up with Sanchez who has made five errors leading to goals and has built an unfortunate reputation for flapping at crosses and giving away possession. Defenders Kyle Walker (Manchester City) - Once the best right back in the country and an England regular, time has simply caught up with Walker and at 34 his blistering pace is no more. His stock fell so far that City loaned him out to AC Milan and replaced him with the inexperienced youngster Rico Lewis. Advertisement Andy Robertson (Liverpool) - This is harsh given that Liverpool won the league, but there's a reason Arne Slot is rumored to be in the market for Bournemouth's left back Milos Kerkez. Robertson has previously been a reliable provider of assists and even chipped in with goals in previous seasons. In 24/25 he had none of either. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) - After a promising start to life at Arsenal last year, he's struggled defensively this season and has failed to hold down a regular place in the team. The good led to the emergence of the talented 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly. Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United) - Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, the $50m signing managed just 14 starts and has faced criticism for inconsistent form, fitness and physique. Midfield Phil Foden (Manchester City) - In 2023/24, Foden was named the PFA Player of the Year. But the 2024/25 season will be one he wants to forget. He's suffered with both physical injuries and mental issues away from the pitch and City (and England) will be praying he regains his dazzling form. Advertisement Jadon Sancho (Chelsea) - Things didn't work out at Man Utd who loaned him out to things didn't work out either. The permanent deal he craved at Chelsea now looks unlikely. He probably should have stayed in Dortmund where he thrived. Jack Grealish (Manchester City) - Perhaps the effects of that infamous title celebration have lingered longer than expected. One goal in 19 games would suggest so and he's dropped down the pecking order in Pep's team selection. Son Heung-min (Spurs) - Another who's suffered from injury and a dramatic loss in form, going from 17 goals in 23/24 to seven this season. He's been symbolic of Spurs decline and they will need him back firing on all cylinders to have any hope of surviving in the Champions League next year. Forwards Rasmus Højland & Joshua Zirkzee (Manchester United) - No need to look much further than Man Utd's frontline here. Both players have just three goals from 28 and 32 appearances respectively. A dismal return for players who cost a combined $146m. You can't win soccer games if you don't score goals. Manchester United have not been winning many soccer games. Substitutes Dominic Solanke (Spurs); Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea); Raheem Stirling (Arsenal on loan from Chelsea); João Félix (Chelsea); Niclas Fűllkrug (West Ham); Jacob Ramsay (Aston Villa). Manager Ruben Amorim (Manchester United) - This was a coin flip between Spurs' Ange Postecoglou and Amorim with both managers leading two of the supposed biggest clubs in England to near the foot of the table. But Ange got the last laugh in the Europa League Final, so the "award" has to go to the Man Utd man. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
FPL Scout: Season review and Brentford's top six performers
Brentford teamed up with Fantasy Football Scout to help bring you hints, tips and advice during the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season. Scout used their expertise to provide info, advice and Gameweek tips to help you in your mini-leagues. Advertisement Following the conclusion of the campaign, they have reviewed the year's best performers, including record-breaking Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, as well as highlighting the Bees' top six point scorers this term. FPL Season round-up So that's another FPL campaign done and dusted. One that was dominated by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£13.6m) who, by Gameweek 28, had already set a new all-time FPL record for points in a season. The Egyptian's final-day strike took his tally to 344, thanks in no small part to 47 goal contributions. Furthermore, none of the previous three seasons saw a player exceed 11 double-digit scores. Salah achieved 12 of these in his first 18 outings, reaching 17 before Gameweek 29. Advertisement In fact, by doing so in both Double Gameweek 24 encounters, he allowed one million Triple Captain users to receive a huge 87 points from the chip. And nobody hit the woodwork more frequently, either. Elsewhere, Newcastle United's Alexander Isak (£9.4m) started and ended slowly, but there were 18 outings between Gameweeks 9 and 26 where he netted an incredible 18 times and contributed four assists. Nottingham Forest often married a watertight defence with Chris Wood's (£7.2m) goals, while late Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m) form for West Ham almost saw him become the sixth player to reach 200 points. Best of the Bees As for Brentford, some excellent home displays provided seven wins and a draw from the first eight at Gtech Community Stadium. Advertisement Then, early January's 5-0 victory at Southampton changed fortunes on the road, with it being the first of five successive away wins. 23 points were collected from the Bees' subsequent 10 trips. Joint-fifth for goals (66) and seventh for big chances (109), Thomas Frank's players brought in 1,619 of this FPL season's overall 31,291 points, the joint-eighth most. Unsurprisingly, champions Liverpool contributed the most (2,066). So let's pick out some of this FPL campaign's most memorable Bees individuals... Bryan Mbeumo (£8.3m) - 236 points Deemed by most managers as an essential pick in later months, no player saw a bigger price rise over the year, having begun at £7.0m. Advertisement Mbeumo's final-day goal took him to a nice, round 20, as only Salah secured more FPL points than his 236. There were several reasons for this. No midfielder or forward was on the pitch as long (3,412 minutes), with the Cameroon international also having multiple routes to points. Not just a penalty taker, Mbeumo took many set-pieces and crossed more than anyone else (202). This helped him rank joint-fourth for big chances created (17). Yoane Wissa (£6.9m) - 185 points Meanwhile, his partner in crime also finished among the league's top-eight point scorers (185). It would've been even more had October's second strike against Ipswich been credited to him quicker. Advertisement Originally seen as Wissa assisting an own goal, the Gameweek had already ended when this was corrected days later. The centre-forward joins Mbeumo on six double-digit hauls, beating him for attempts (90 v 85) and big chances (34 v 20), all for a cheaper price. He's fifth overall for the latter, alongside being sixth best for shots on target (41). Mark Flekken (£4.5m) - 138 points Time to briefly credit the backline. Flekken is ahead of all other goalkeepers in Europe's top five divisions for saves (156), leading the way for FPL save points (39). He secured three clean sheets in Brentford's final eight matches, with a combination of conceding the second-most shots (647) over the season but allowing the seventh-fewest big chances (80). Advertisement Not content with defensive returns, Flekken even added two assists to his name. Nathan Collins (£4.6m) - 127 points Frank likes consistent line-ups: seven of his players started at least 34 times. Yet Collins was the only Premier League outfielder to play every single minute of 2024/25. He made use of that time, winning the division's third-most aerial duels (117) and blocking the highest number of shots (57) throughout all positions. But Collins' attacking threat was often underrated. After all, the 24-year-old delivered two goals and seven FPL assists - Fulham's Antonee Robinson (£4.7m) was the only defender to set up more. Advertisement Indeed, he's sixth best at the back for both big chances (six) and penalty area touches (72). Kevin Schade (£4.6m) - 149 points Listed as an FPL midfielder, Kevin Schade recorded 2024/25's second-biggest score from a single match. In Gameweek 13, he scored his first career hat-trick and added an assist in a 4-1 win against Leicester City, with bonuses taking him to 23 points. A constant starter from Gameweek 23 onwards, the German spent quite a while priced at just £5.1m. His 160 box touches wasn't far behind Wissa and Mbeumo, finishing the campaign by netting four goals in the closing five fixtures. Mikkel Damsgaard (£4.9m) - 131 points Finally, playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard joins Mbeumo inside the league's top eight players for chances created (63). These led to an impressive 10 assists. What undoubtedly helped was starting 34 of the most recent 36 occasions, ensuring the 24-year-old experienced his first season of significant Brentford game time.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The new Diogo Jota is wanted by Liverpool in €100m deal
Hugo Ekitike should be an exciting link. He isn't because of two reasons. Firstly, people see him as a project player and have PTSD from the signing of Darwin Nunez. Secondly, there's a bit of a misunderstanding when it comes to Expected Goals. WhoScored posted a stat recently, revealing that his 15 league goals this season from an Expected Goals haul of 22.55 was the biggest xG under-performance in the Bundesliga. In other words, he's a poor finisher. Advertisement Having watched Darwin for three seasons, there's a fear that signing a centre-forward who is an underwhelming finisher is a big mistake. So, in their eyes, there's no getting away from it. The former PSG man is going to be a dud. An underperformance isn't a bad thing though, not if the numbers still appear to be sustainable. Ultimately, you want attackers who can generate high-quality shots on a regular basis. Finishing can be erratic. But being an elite chance-getter is what is highly sought after in the world of data analysis. Ian Graham said it in his book. 'A scout or a coach would say, 'Why do we like this forward?' His analytics team would respond, 'He takes loads of really good shots.' The scout or coach would counter, 'Yeah, but does he drive inside enough? Does he bring his teammates into play enough?' 'But we're playing them up front,' Graham said. 'He takes loads of good quality shots. There is literally nothing else to say. All other arguments, they're second-order effects compared to this. But people love to mystify and bring more and more factors into play. A use of the data is just to say: This is the important thing and we might be wrong about it — we sometimes are wrong — but you have to come up with some really good arguments against this one really important thing.'' Advertisement 'He takes loads of good quality shots. There is literally nothing else to say.' This is why I have Darwin the benefit of the doubt during his first two seasons at Anfield. Yes, he was missing big chances. And yes, he was making some questionable decisions at times. But he was a centre-forward who created opportunities and got into good positions. He was doing what you want your striker to do. Across his two full seasons with the Reds, he had an Expected Goals total of 28. That is quite remarkable when you consider a few things. He was adapting to a new country, a new league and a new system. He was also shifted about the pitch with Jurgen Klopp trying different things on multiple occasions. Advertisement Yet he still managed an xG of 28 across 3,750 minutes. Without taking penalties. He was taking high quality shots on a regular basis. Mohamed Salah, for example, had a Non-Penalty xG of 34.1 across this period, having appeared in 5,8000 minutes. So, in a nutshell, 6.1 more xG in an extra 2,050 minutes. This isn't a stat to show Darwin is better than Salah - he isn't. It isn't a stat to say Darwin is as good as Salah - again, he isn't. But it highlights how impactful Darwin was in the final third as a goal threat. You pay insane money for that. Liverpool did just that. You also ignore the misses because, generally speaking, things balance themselves out. In this instance, it didn't and Darwin scored just 20 times. He was judged on his actual output rather than his threat. Advertisement The Nerds in charge at Liverpool will look at the threat though. Usually, you can scale the threat in a better team. It happened with Diogo Jota. He had an Expected Goals per 90 of 0.45 in his final season with Wolves but averaged just 0.28 goals. People looked at his return of seven goals and laughed at Liverpool's decision to spend £40million. The Reds no doubt looked at his xG total of 20 across two seasons in the Premier League with Wolves and thought they were grabbing themselves a bargain. That turned out to be the case, didn't it? The same thing happened with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. You don't mind an underperformance if the other metrics are all positive. Advertisement If anything, you'd prefer that over an overperformance. This is why I didn't want Darwin initially. He had a Non-Penalty Expected Goals total of 14 for Benfica but scored 22 non-penalty goals. Liverpool were paying for his output rather than his underlying numbers. He was running stupidly hot and it didn't seem sustainable at that rate. Turns out it wasn't. Liverpool managed to scale his threat but the one-off season for Benfica of insane overperformance turned out to be an outlier rather than the norm. So, back to Ekitike. I'm not entirely sure why people are against his signing. He's 22, he's well-rounded in attack and a dual threat, with a Non-Penalty xG Involvement of 0.91 this term on a per 90 basis in the Bundesliga. Of course, Bundesliga tax needs to be applied to this. But for something like £65million, it doesn't appear that outrageous. Not if Liverpool feel they can scale his threat, or at least sustain it. Advertisement Though German media report a fee of €100million would be needed, the likelihood is the Bundesliga side will accept less. He has a Non-Penalty goals per 90 average of 0.49, per FBref, but has a NPxG90 average of 0.68 from 4.01 shots. Good shot volume, good xG per shot (0.19) average and a huge xG average. Exactly what you want to see from a striker. His misses don't appear to impact his confidence either. For a bit of context here, Darwin was averaging one non-penalty goal per 90 for Benfica during his final season from a NPxG of 0.6 and four shots.
CairoScene
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Exclusive: The Egyptian Designer Behind Mo Salah's Adidas Boots
Exclusive: The Egyptian Designer Behind Mo Salah's Adidas Boots Mo Salah's Custom Boots weren't made for walking. They were made for history. And they were made by an Egyptian. Remember those custom boots Mohamed Salah wore for his final game with Liverpool? The ones Adidas gave him to mark the end of an era at Anfield: gold-striped, hand-sketched, and never-for-sale? Well, turns out they weren't just made for a game. They were made for history. And they were made by another Egyptian. Enter Abdu Galal. A designer born in Cairo, now based in Nürnberg, and maybe the most important name you haven't heard yet. Because when the Egyptian King stepped onto the pitch on May 25, it wasn't just his name that was going down in Premier League lore, it was Galal's too. And we've got the exclusive first look at the original sketches that brought Salah's final-match boots to life. When he sat down to design the final boots of his favourite footballer, he wasn't designing for a client, nor even for a person, he was designing for a myth. 'I thought I'd be overwhelmed,' he wrote on Instagram. 'I've followed every match, every goal, every celebration. So how do you separate being a fan…from being a designer?' You don't. That's the point. These boots were designed for Salah's feet, yes, but also for every Egyptian watching from afar. These boots may never sit on a store shelf, or behind auction glass; they represent something more than commercial value. They mark a moment of connection: from one Egyptian legend to another in the making. 'This wasn't a product launch,' Galal explains . 'It was a love letter. From one Egyptian to another. From fan to hero. From story to legacy.' And then came the moment. Final game. Final goal. Final boots. Salah equalised in the 84th minute, a record-matching 29th goal of the season. One last magic trick from the magician. And at the centre of it all? At the source of the legacy-consolidating feat? Galal's boots. The designer's own story is its own kind of odyssey. A graduate of Miami Ad School Europe, Galal has brought his hybrid eye to projects with Facebook, IKEA, and now Adidas, where he's been full-time since 2022. His work has been recognised by everyone from The One Show to the Webby Awards. Yet, this task felt less professional, and entirely personal. In the hand-sketched fuzziness of the sketches, this love shines through. "There was something different about this project," Galal wrote. "It wasn't just a boot. It was a thank you. A visual celebration of his records, his roots, and his bond with the fans."
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- Sport
- See - Sada Elbalad
Salah Discusses Retirement, Saudi Move in Latest Interview
Rana Atef On Tuesday, Mohamed Salah said that he can play until he is 40 years old and is still in talks about a possible future move to the Saudi Pro League. Speaking to ON Sports, Salah said: "I will stop playing when I have that feeling. "If you ask me for my opinion, I think I can play until the age of 39 or 40 but if I felt before that I wanted to stop, I would quit. I have achieved a lot of things. "My contract was up at Liverpool and I would have gone to Saudi but we finalized the deal with Liverpool." Salah wins Premier League player of season award due to his impressive performance with the Reds leading them to the English Premier League title. He scored 186 Premier League goals for Liverpool and Chelsea and sits fifth on the all-time list - one goal behind former Newcastle and Manchester United striker Andrew Cole. The Egypt international has indicated he could still play in the Middle East after his contract with Liverpool expires in 2027. "I still have a good relationship with them and I always stay in contact with them. Yes, we were talking to each other," he added, with reference to clubs in Saudi. "I don't know what is going to happen but I am happy here in Liverpool and I am staying here for the next two years. Then I will see what I will do next." read more Japan Stun Spain 2-1 to Qualify for World Cup Last 16 World Cup 2022: Get to Know Confirmed Line-ups of Japan and Spain Group E Decider Saudi Arabia Bid Farewell to World Cup after 2-1 Loss to Mexico Tunisia Achieve Historic Win over France but Fail to Qualify Tunisia to Clash against France in World Cup Sports Get to Know Squad of Group D Teams in World Cup Sports Al Ahly Gift EGP 70,000 to Players After Claiming Egyptian Super Cup Title Sports Bencharki Hits First 2 Goals with Al Jazira Since Leaving Zamalek Sports Arsenal Possible Line-up for Nottingham Forest News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies
