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The BCCI has challenged a Kerala High Court judgement from last month, which had ordered the board to lift its life ban on fast bowler Sreesanth. The BCCI had banned Sreesanth in 2013 for his alleged involvement in the Indian Premier League corruption scandal. Sreesanth was one of three Rajasthan Royals players – Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan being the others – to be handed a life ban by the BCCI for an alleged role in the scandal.In February this year, Sreesanth filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court challenging the ban, after the BCCI refused to issue a no-objection certificate for him to play league cricket in Scotland. A writ is an application filed in the court asking it to enforce some right against an authority or against an order against which there is no statutory remedy.In his petition, Sreesanth argued that in 2015 a trial court in Delhi had dropped charges filed by the Delhi Police against him, Chavan and Chandila. The three were among 42 individuals chargesheeted by the Delhi Police under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).In the absence of a specific criminal law to deal with spot-fixing in India, the cricketers were chargesheeted for offences under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the MCOCA. The court, however, said there was not enough evidence for charges to be framed under MCOCA, a special law passed by the Maharashtra state government to tackle organised crime syndicates and terrorism. The MCOCA contains much stricter provisions relating to bail and admissibility of confessions compared to the Indian Penal Code.In August, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court, accepted Sreesanth’s appeal and told the BCCI it had no “incriminating evidence” against the player and hence the ban should be “quashed”.On its part, the BCCI maintained the ban was handed after a one-man inquiry commission found Sreesanth guilty of various offences under the board’s anti-corruption code.The BCCI has now decided to challenge the order of Justice Mustaque. In an application filed in the Kerala High Court on Monday, the BCCI has pointed whether “interference” by a writ court was warranted”. The BCCI has also asked whether the writ court could “sit in appeal” and “alter the quantum of penalty imposed” against the findings of the board’s disciplinary committee.The BCCI said that its decision was in “accordance” with the principles of natural justice and it has now asked the court to decide whether Justice Mustaque’s order was “contrary to law and to principles of justice, equity and good conscience and ought to be set aside?”

Nottinghamshire have re-signed left-arm seam bowler Mark Footitt following his release from Surrey for family reasons midway through the season.Footitt, 31, has agreed a deal for the rest of the 2017 summer and the two seasons to follow. He has had a successful season for Surrey, taking 34 wickets at 26.85 in eight Championship matches, but one of his main reasons for heading to London was to achieve England honours and these have not been forthcoming.The closest he came was In 2015 when he netted with the full England squad ahead of the Ashes series without quite managing to claim an international debut. His England ambitions were almost realised when he was chosen for the 2015/16 tour of South Africa but again without England taking the plunge.Footitt admitted that he had never entirely settled in London – his family has never left the East Midlands. “When I signed for Surrey, I looked forward to a long and successful career at the Kia Oval. However, I’ve not been able to settle in London, away from my partner and my daughter.”We have really struggled being apart and my relocation to London has meant I have been away from family support. We have tried to solve these problems for a long time without success, and have therefore had to ask for my release from Surrey.”I am extremely grateful to Surrey, and Alec Stewart in particular, for their understanding of this situation which is not one I ever envisaged happening – and am hugely appreciative of their decision to allow me to leave and be back with my family.”Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said: “A great deal of time, thought and consideration has gone into this decision but when Mark made it clear he could no longer continue with the situation, we agreed that this would be the best course of action.”The decision, nevertheless, puts the success of their return season in Division One of the Championship at risk.Footitt is now returning to the city of his birth. He came through the ranks at Trent Bridge, making his first-class debut in 2005. He previously played in the Nottinghamshire Premier League as a teenager and had a successful spell at Derbyshire prior to his move to the Kia Oval.He is a potent acquisition for a county that has looked bound to gain promotion from the first game this season and re-establish itself in the first division of the Specsavers Championship. Notts also beat Surrey in the Royal London Cup final earlier this month, a match in which Footitt did not figure.Nevetherless, Nottinghamshsire do have pace bowling shortages that go far beyond the horrific injury to Luke Fletcher, who must miss the rest of the season on doctors’ orders after suffering a horrific head injury from a straight drive while bowling in a NatWest Blast tie against Warwickshire at Edgbaston last Friday. Rather than playing cricket, Fletcher is just feeling lucky to be alive.Australian quick James Pattinson has ended his stint with the county, Stuart Broad is now tied up with England’s Test series against South Africa and Jake Ball, another fast bowler on the fringe of England’s Test set-up has been injured – although he did have a bowl with England at Trent Bridge on Wednesday as they prepared for the second Investec Test.”We’ve lost a lot of the players who have got us to the top of the table,” said Notts’ director of cricket, Mick Newell, “although hopefully Jake will be back soon.”Mark wants to come back and play his cricket in the East Midlands, so we’re very pleased to have the opportunity to sign him and welcome him back to Trent Bridge. He’s obviously blossomed as a cricketer since he was last here, both at Derbyshire and Surrey, and we believe he can help us go where we want to go for the rest of this season and in the following two seasons at least.”Footitt will be available for all Notts’ cricket from next week, including the NatWest T20 Blast home matches with the Derbyshire Falcons and Northamptonshire Steelbacks this weekend.

Arsenal have "almost" completed a deal to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, in a move that could end up totalling €46m (£40m), according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now claimed that Arsenal are still interested in bringing in "another creative outlet" as a back-up for Bukayo Saka, however that is likely to wait until the end of the window, as they have more pressing matters to deal with.

Declan Rice is finally on the verge of agreeing a move to the Emirates Stadium, but Gunners insider Teamnewsandtix has suggested another midfielder could come in with a "slightly different profile", amid recent links to Aurelien Tchouameni.

Mikel Arteta is also keen to bring in a new centre-back, and with talks having progressed well over a deal to sign Timber, and the move finally appears to be close to completion.

In a new update on Twitter, Plettenberg has claimed that it is "almost a done deal", with the "last details" on the verge of being clarified, and a "total agreement" is expected within the next 48 hours.

A fee is agreed – the total package could amount to €46m (£40m) including bonus payments, in what is a "big deal for all parties".

What position does Jurrien Timber play?

The 22-year-old has made 166 appearances at centre-back throughout his career so far, however he is also capable of playing on the right of the defence, having featured in that area on 49 occasions, showcasing his versatility in a similar manner to current right-back Ben White.

That indicates the Ajax starlet could be a competent competition for the likes of both White and Takehiro Tomiyasu at right-back, with the latter still Arsenal's only natural option currently playing in the first team.

However, the Gunners' pursuit of Joao Cancelo hints that Timber is mainly being brought in to play at centre-back, and there are plenty of indications he could go on to be a top player there in the next few years.

Journalist Karan Tejwani has lauded the Dutchman as a "fine ball player and carrier", while also describing him as "underrated", and he has done a stellar job for Ajax over the past year.

Remarkably, the £50k-per-week defender ranks in the 99th percentile for a total of five different metrics, including his pass-completion rate, indicating he would be a fantastic fit in an Arteta system, with Arsenal making the fifth-highest number of passes in the Premier League last season.

Liverpool are reportedly closing on their second signing of the 2023 summer transfer window as negotiations with OGC Nice's Khephren Thuram continue.

What's the latest on Khephren Thuram to Liverpool?

That's following an update from transfer insider Rudy Galetti, who claims that the respective outfits are in active discussions over the transfer of the burgeoning France international.

He said on Twitter: "Talks between Liverpool and OGCNice for Khephren Thuram are progressing. The 2 clubs are working to reach an agreement for around €40/45m (£34/39m).

"No issues on personal terms."

Liverpool have already signed World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister this summer for £35m, but will hope to bolster the midfield further after James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's contractual conclusions.

How would Khephren Thuram perform at Liverpool?

Although Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven years after finishing fifth in the Premier League, there is reason for optimism given the moves being made on the market.

And with a late-season purple patch underscoring the lofty heights this outfit can return to – Liverpool won seven matches in succession before a succession of draws closed the play – the ambitious stratagems of the Reds' German manager could yet be realised once again.

Thuram would bring energy and exuberance to the Liverpool fold, evidenced by his relentless driving runs – as per FBref, the 22-year-old ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90.

Described as a "monster" by Sam McGuire, the £14k-per-week star could bring the best out of Darwin Núñez, who has endured an indifferent maiden year on English shores after joining Liverpool from Benfica for a club-record £85m transfer.

As evidenced by FBref, the £140k-per-week menace ranks among the top 1% of forwards for total shots and xG per 90 – with the latter metric meaning Nunez has squandered a higher rate of goalscoring opportunities than any other striker in Europe over the past year.

The Uruguayan did still plunder 15 goals across all competitions from just 26 starting displays, also ranking among the top 6% for progressive carries and the top 2% for touches in the attacking box per 90, and Thuram's involvement behind him could finally unlock a prodigious talent.

Indeed, the Nice ace is a "dangerous" midfielder – as praised by Aaron Ramsey – and could utilise his prowess as a central vehicle, pushing through the thirds, to provide Nunez with the support that he needs to flourish – Thuram also assisted eight goals last season.

Liverpool are 'progressing' with a deal, and must now ensure that they do not cede the chance to sign such a vibrant talent, it could just finally ignite the full scale of Nunez's capabilities.

The transfer window is officially open for Premier League clubs and Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters are anxious for their side to bring in new players.

Following a hugely disappointing first half to the 2022-23 season, in which they found themselves bottom of the division at Christmas, Julen Lopetegui was brought in and helped turn things around by guiding Wolves to a 13th-place finish.

Plenty of players have been moved on since the end of the campaign, while a big question mark remains over the future of Tottenham Hotspur-linked Adama Traore, with full-back Dion Sanderson potentially next to be offloaded.

According to BirminghamLive, Birmingham City are eager to bring in the defender permanently following his impressive spell on loan at St Andrew's last season. The Blues are set to face plenty of competition, though, with Stoke City and other Championship sides also showing an interest.

However, would Wolves be better off keeping hold of a player who has shone in the second tier but not been given a chance to prove himself in the Premier League?

Is Dion Sanderson good enough to play a part for Wolves?

Sanderson has spent five separate spells out on loan at Cardiff City, Birmingham (twice), Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland. Each of those clubs will no doubt have given Wolves positive feedback.

Labelled a "Rolls-Royce" of a defender by then-Sunderland boss Lee Johnson during his time at the Stadium of Light, and an "absolutely superb" defender by football reporter Josh Bunting, Sanderson clearly has something about him.

Indeed, Sanderson ranked fifth in the Championship last season for the percentage of dribblers tackled (76.7), which helps to highlight his defensive qualities, while he has also been hailed for his pace and passing ability.

The Englishman was equally comfortable playing in the centre of defence as he was in a more right-sided position last season. Given Wolves favour a 4-2-3-1 formation, that would put him in direct competition with either Nathan Collins or even Nelson Semedo.

Semedo is a player of far higher stature given his time at Barcelona, but he has been accused of lacking defensive qualities. Indeed, as put by football reporter Nathan Judah earlier this season, the Portuguese often looks "a liability" defensively.

Whereas Semedo only won 51.6% of his challenges against players dribbling against him last season, as per FBref, Sanderson boasted a 76.7% success rate, albeit in a division below.

Sanderson also came out on top for interceptions (1.23 per 90 compared to 0.99) and aerial duels won (51% v 44.8%), which did not come at the expense of a lack of attacking threat, as highlighted by his two goals and an assist, compared to just one assist for Semedo.

Fast approaching his 24th birthday, it really is now or never if Sanderson's Wolves career is to take off. If Lopetegui is willing to give him a chance, he could prove to be the archetypal new signing that breathes life into Wolves' back-line.

Arsenal are among the sides "leading the charge" to sign Brighton and Ecuador star Moises Caicedo this summer, according to reports.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

After failing to secure their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years, it's set to be a pivotal summer for Mikel Arteta and co, with the domestic transfer window now officially open for business.

Strengthening in centre-midfield is believed to be a major priority for the north Londoners, who have set their sights on West Ham star Declan Rice and are reported to be edging closer to a deal.

The England international isn't the only player who Arsenal could sign for the position, though, as reports suggest they retain a serious interest in Man City captain Ilkay Gundogan and Caicedo regardless.

The Gunners are also believed to be eyeing additions at full-back, with City's Joao Cancelo, Galtasary's Sacha Boey and Real Valladolid starlet Ivan Fresneda also heavily linked in recent weeks.

Going back to central midfield and Caicedo, there has been an update on their pursuit courtesy of Football Insider, who claim Arsenal are among the major favourites for his signing.

Indeed, despite interest from Liverpool and Man United, it is believed that Arsenal and Chelsea are "leading the charge" for Brighton's pivotal midfield man.

Arteta's side may have to act quickly, though, with the Blues making contact. In terms of asking price, Brighton are apparently demanding around £70 million plus a further £10m in add-ons to let him go this window.

Arsenal are long-term admirers of Caicedo, who clocked up 43 appearances across all competitions for the Seagulls last season.

Who is Moises Caicedo?

The 21-year-old has been sensational for Brighton at club level, averaging more tackles and interceptions per 90 than any player in their squad domestically over 2022/2023 (WhoScored).

Caicedo has also shone for Ecuador internationally, starting all three of their World Cup games in Qatar last year and even getting on the scoresheet in what was a pinnacle moment for him (WhoScored).

Journalist Roberto Rojas, writing on Twitter, called the defensive midfield enforcer a "star" for his nation with Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi holding him in equally high esteem.

"Caicedo for me could become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and in Europe," said De Zerbi last October.

“There are many players who are very good with the ball but without it in defensive spaces are not so good. With Caicedo, I don’t see anything not at the top level."

Though they won yet another Ligue 1 title, the French giants did not have it all their own way as some big names came under the microscope

This didn't exactly go to plan. Paris Saint-Germain were supposed to be contenders for every trophy going in 2022-23. With Lionel Messi revitalised, Neymar fit and Kylian Mbappe firing, as well as a new manager to sort everything else out, it was a season that promised plenty.

Things, though, went wrong very quickly — at least by their lofty standards. The Parisians didn't exactly dominate their Champions League group and turned in a litany of poor showings domestically. It got worse after the World Cup, as performances dipped across the board, while key players were hit by season-ending injuries. Their Champions League hopes faded in early March, and Ligue 1 was clinched by just a solitary point.

Now, everything is a bit of a mess. Manager Christophe Galtier seems certain to be sacked. Messi is leaving. Neymar could also, finally, follow him out the door.

And how to evaluate all of this? GOAL rates every PSG player from a dramatic season…

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  22Renato Sanches – 4/10

  Another season, another slate of injuries for the Portuguese. Of all of the midfielders signed by Galtier last summer, Sanches made the most sense. PSG needed some versatile hard workers in midfield, and Sanches is the very definition of that.

  But he was never fit enough to show his quality in the position, continuing a career defined by time spent on the sidelines.

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  21Pablo Sarabia – 5/10

  Sarabia enjoyed a successful season in Portugal last year, and earned an overdue shot at the PSG first team in 2022. But it never really worked out. More of an attacking midfielder or winger, Sarabia was asked to play in central midfield, a position he never really nailed down before joining Wolves in January.

  A quality player, but clearly the wrong fit.

• FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
  

  20Carlos Soler – 5/10

  A fee of €20m(£17m/$21m) isn't that much these days, but still seems like a heavy investment in a player who was never right for PSG.

  Soler was an interesting talent at Valencia, and a fine goalscorer in his early 20s — showing immense potential at a position of need. But he wasn't the right profile of player for the Parisians.Galtier needed a back-up No.9, not an attacking midfielder. He ended up, like Sarabia, being shoehorned into the wrong spot.

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  19Ismael Gharbi – 5/10

  Gharbi should probably have been sent out on loan. Galtier did give the youngster a few chances, and he made a mark in a few brief cameos. but at 18, he needs to play regular football. He didn't get that this year.

  He still has a lot to learn, and will hopefully develop elsewhere next season.

Celtic are monitoring Manchester City’s assistant manager Enzo Maresca as a potential replacement for Ange Postecoglou should he leave the Scottish Premiership, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

Who is Enzo Maresca?

Maresca is an Italian former professional midfielder turned coach who joined the Sky Blues last summer to become Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad Stadium, but he’s already got experience under his belt prior to linking up with the Premier League champions.

At the beginning of his career, the 43-year-old started out as assistant boss at Ascoli, Sevilla and West Ham United before going on to take the roles of City’s U23s main manager followed by Parma, as per Transfermarkt, and in the past few days, he’s rejected the chance to join Southampton having been approached over their vacancy.

Postecoglou is one of the names to have been heavily linked with the role at Tottenham Hotspur, and whilst he’s publicly reaffirmed his commitment during an interview with Sky Sports, the hierarchy are still sounding out possible successors should he be tempted to embark on a new challenge.

Are Celtic appointing Maresca?

According to Football Insider, Celtic are “keeping tabs” on Maresca in case of the event that Ange is “lured away” by the opportunity in N17. The Hoops “fear” that the Australian could leave at the end of the season and are therefore “assessing the market” to see who’s available.

Man City’s coach is one of those “well-regarded” behind the scenes at Parkhead, especially because recruitment chief Mark Lawwell came from the Etihad so will already know his managerial target, and it’s stated that the club are “aware” of the qualities that he possesses.

Pep Guardiola previously claimed that Maresca, who was wanted in Glasgow prior to Postecoglou's arrival, will go on to become an “extraordinary” manager, and one day that might well be the case, but at this stage, he’s not a candidate that Celtic should be pursuing if Postecoglou was to move onto new pastures.

The Pontecagnano Faiano native, whose preferred formation is a 3-4-1-2, was sacked after just 14 games at Parma, winning four, drawing five and losing five during his reign at the Ennio Tardini Stadium, averaging 1.21 points per match and taking 17 points out of a possible 42, via Transfermarkt.

Furthermore, Maresca’s only silverware that he’s ever won is this year’s top-flight title, so he doesn’t have any trophies off the back of his own work at the helm, making him way too much of a downgrade on the 57-year-old that’s already in the dugout in Glasgow.

Nepal inscribed another noteworthy entry in their cricketing history by winning on their first visit to Lord’s on Tuesday in front of several thousand delighted fans

Alan Gardner at Lord's 19-Jul-2016
ScorecardGyanendra Malla top-scored in Nepal’s triumph at Lord’s•Kaushal Adhikari

Nepal inscribed another noteworthy entry in their cricketing history by winning on their first visit to Lord’s on Tuesday in front of several thousand delighted fans. On a sweltering day in north London, a Nepal XI defeated MCC by 41 runs after which the Nepal captain, Paras Khadka, led his players around the outfield to pay tribute to their typically exuberant supporters.Having chosen to bat first, Nepal’s every run was cheered to the rafters by a crowd of around 5000 that spread itself out across the Mound, Tavern, Edrich and Allen stands. Boundaries and wickets brought even greater outbursts of adulation and chants of “Ne-pal! Ne-pal! Ne-pal!” echoed around the old ground as Sompal Kami and Basant Regmi cleaned up the tail to dismiss MCC for 176 in pursuit of 218 in 50 overs.The fixture was arranged as part of celebrations to mark the 200-year-old relationship between Britain and Nepal, with proceeds from the match going towards rebuilding work in Nepal after last year’s earthquake.MCC opener George Adair did his best to spoil the visitors’ party by scoring an even 100 but the left-hander was eighth man out, caught behind off Regmi, with the asking rate rising towards two runs a ball. Nepal’s main contributor was Gyanendra Malla with 39 but there were useful scores throughout the order as they built a match-winning total beneath clear blue skies, a Nepali flag above the pavilion fluttering in the occasional breeze.”Boys were excited, a little bit nervous as well – you can understand, playing at Lord’s just doesn’t happen everyday,” Khadka said. “I think we managed to hold ourselves pretty well.”Everybody contributed bits and pieces, overall it was very good. Batting, we were 20-30 runs short but the boys kept digging in, the wicket wasn’t that easy and the bowlers were very, very disciplined and that was one of the key factors for us to win today.”The result gave the majority of those who had paid £10 for a ticket the perfect summer’s day out – Nepal shirts were de rigueur, although those attempting to unfurl a flag in the stands received a gentle talking to from the stewards, as per Lord’s rules.MCC were captained by former Middlesex and Somerset allrounder Keith Dutch and included former Queensland batsman Clinton Perren and South Africa-born fast bowler Chad Barrett, who made his only first-class appearance for Northamptonshire two years ago.Dutch and Barrett picked up two wickets apiece and Nepal did well to get up to 217 for 8 in their 50 overs after slipping to 174 for 7. Khadka swept the only six of the innings as he and Malla took the score to 104 for 2 but the experienced pair fell in successive overs, as Dutch and left-arm spinner Marc Reingold established a stranglehold on the scoring.Kami and Regmi bolted together a resourceful 42-run stand for the eighth wicket and the Nepal bowlers then proved adept at defending a score. Sagar Pun picked up 3 for 35 with his offspin as only Adair, fellow MCC opener Steve Clark and No. 7 Richard Wilkinson managed to get into double-figures – and, in the case of Adair, a 28-year-old who plays for Hampstead, beyond. His well-paced century, from 122 balls, was warmly applauded by players on both sides.Pubudu Dassanayake, who stepped down as Nepal coach last year after being involved in some of their greatest moments of recent times, joined the celebrations in the dressing room afterwards. Dassanayake has been back working with the side recently as a consultant, arranged by the ICC, and his pride in their achievement was obvious.”These boys, the amount of work they put in, they deserve this, to come and play a game here,” Dassanayake said. “They make a lot of sacrifices and fight always.”

Mikel Arteta's talent ID is one of the best around, with Arsenal very much front and centre of the Premier League due to his ideologies.

Once upon a time, the Spaniard claimed in a press conference that his project would go 'bang' and indeed, it has truly exploded into life this term.

The Gunners are the runaway leaders in the top flight, besting Manchester City by eight points at present.

Arteta has changed the culture of this great club in order to do so, bringing in players who will flood the dressing room with a positive and vibrant attitude. Long gone are the days of toxicity, that's for sure.

The likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have brought a never-say-die mantra to north London, a belief and winner's mentality that has filtered down right throughout the squad.

That said, there is still some gutting left to do behind the scenes when the summer transfer window opens.

Remarkably, Arsenal have sent the most players out on loan of any club in world football this term (25), with France seemingly a temporary home for many. However, for all the success a certain Folarin Balogun has enjoyed in Ligue 1, scoring 18 times this term, there is a Nuno Tavares and Nicolas Pepe.

How is Nicolas Pepe doing on loan?

The duo were both exiled from the club's London Colney training base at the beginning of the campaign, with Tavares being sent to Marseille and Pepe to Nice.

The latter has enjoyed a fairly decent campaign as he seeks to rejuvenate his career after a record-breaking move of £72m failed to go according to plan.

Pepe has since found his feet a bit more since moving back across the channel, scoring eight goals in all competitions, two of which have come in the Europa Conference League.

A solitary assist he would surely like to improve on but these are steady, albeit far from sensational numbers.

That rather backs up the last few seasons the Ivorian has endured, showing flashes of brilliance during his stay at the Emirates Stadium, having racked up 27 goals and 21 assists for Arsenal.

It seems likely he'll finally be due a permanent exit in the summer, but Tavares arguably deserves one too.

How is Nuno Tavares doing on loan?

Pepe has seldom complained over the last few years, nor has he been a hindrance to the side's precious mental state.

Tavares, for all of his exciting play and youthful exuberance down the flanks, is the opposite of that, proving that he is perhaps worse than his parent club teammate in that regard.

Notably hauled off in the first half of an FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest last season after a shambolic showing, he angrily kicked a water bottle in response.

It seems as though that attitude hasn't disappeared on the continent.

Indeed, the Portuguese full-back has been dubbed "catastrophic" by the French-speaking Cherif Sadio while pundits on After Foot RMC suggested that "every time there were big games, his [Tavares'] shortcomings were glaring."

That will hardly surprise Arsenal fans, but it's damning that he seemingly isn't learning his lesson out on loan.

The surroundings aren't to blame either. After all, Marseille is the club where William Saliba took home Ligue 1's Young Player of the Season in 2021/22.

On the face of it, the 23-year-old's stats aren't bad this season. The marauding defender only has two fewer goals than Pepe in all competitions.

That said, for all of the modern clamour for an offensive full-back, defending should always be the chief priority.

See Trent Alexander Arnold as one case study. The Liverpool star is one of the finest creators in the game having supplied 65 goals for the Anfield outfit but his defensive shortcomings, as is the case with Tavares, are clear for all to see.

Earlier in the term, one French publication, Coeur Marseilleis, suggested that the former Benfica ace was simply 'getting worse and worse' while he 'frustrates both in his choices and his attitude'. That is hardly a glowing assessment and one Arteta will have to take stock of over the summer.

This was a golden opportunity for Tavares to prove himself, but with Arsenal possessing wonderful options in his position – Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney – while now having to batter away competition from the spritely Lino Sousa too, it would be a surprise if he was at the club next term.

Indeed, it feels an apt time for Arsenal to remove the £27k-per-week man from their books.