What the Ashes told us about Australia's Test team

They were rarely challenged by a woeful England side, but a number of new and younger players stood tall

Andrew McGlashan17-Jan-2022Warner’s opening partnerMarcus Harris was the player given the chance at the start of the series but he did not complete the five Tests, although that was as much to do with Usman Khawaja’s stunning return as his own failures. Harris did not grasp the opportunity with both hands, but his 76 in Melbourne was vital and in what was a tough series for openers – the lowest overall average for an Ashes in Australia since 1887-88 – he did not look out of place. Whether Khawaja, who had the misfortune of being asked to open in spicy Hobart conditions, will stay alongside David Warner remains to be seen. It might be the only spot available to him. Warner himself faded as the series went on, rounded off by his second pair in the Ashes in what may yet have been a final duel with Stuart Broad, but his two 90s in Brisbane and Adelaide, while owing something to luck, were agenda-setting. It’s largely up to him if he wants to make the 2023 Ashes.Related

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  • Travis Head moves up to career-best No. 5 in Test batters' rankings after Ashes heroics

  • Head clear-minded after Cummins' counsel

  • Nathan Lyon's watching brief highlights rise of Australia seam stocks

Head start (and finish)If you had been asked to pick a Player of the Series before a ball was bowled, it’s fair to say Travis Head’s name would not have been high up the list. It was a close call whether he or Khawaja would take the No. 5 position. However, he produced what should be a breakout performance, a fulfillment of talent and stroke play that many have recognised before but have waited to come to fruition. A thrilling century-in-a-session at the Gabba ensured there was no way back for England and, having missed the SCG Test due to Covid, he outdid himself in Hobart having walked in at 12 for 3 with the ball moving everywhere. His batting will often be a high wire act, and a few questions remain against the short ball, but he can be a gamechanger.Cameron Green found his batting form late in the series•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesGreen giantThe allrounder position was never a question of personnel coming into the series, but it was always going to be fascinating to watch Cameron Green’s development. And what a statement he made. Firstly it was with the ball as he claimed key wickets – including Joe Root twice in the first two Tests – with his bowling returning to something close to what it was before his back injuries. Then confidence was restored with the bat through hard work in the nets after England’s quicks had challenged his off-stump defence. He broke free in the second innings in Sydney and then played his best Test innings to date to turn the opening day in Hobart around. He was the first Australian player to score more than 200 runs and take at least 10 wickets in a men’s Ashes since Shane Warne in 2005 and before that it was Steve Waugh in 1986. There will inevitably be bumps along the road but the cricketing world is at Green’s feet.Carey for keeps?Elevated into the side only a week before the series after Tim Paine’s resignation and decision to step away from the game, the final day in Hobart was a timely confidence boost for Alex Carey. He rode his luck to make useful runs then grabbed a couple of superb catches – the one off Chris Woakes was a blinder – diving to his right where he had missed a few in earlier matches. It was not a debut series that said, without doubt, that he is the long-term option but it would be a huge surprise if he did not keep his place for the Pakistan tour. Carey is also admired for the leadership qualities and calmness he brings to the side.Scott Boland: the story of the series•Getty ImagesBeyond the big threeA lot of the pre-series talk had been about how Australia would use their quick bowlers. Through injury and Covid they were forced to delve into their much-vaunted depth and it stood up spectacularly. The story of the series was the performance of Scott Boland who took himself from a fringe candidate to someone who is difficult to leave out. Josh Hazlewood’s absence after Brisbane with a side strain was barely noticed while Pat Cummins’ late withdrawal in Adelaide due to being a close contact was handled with ease. Jhye Richardson came in and took a five-wicket haul, then did not play again in the series as he picked up a niggle and Boland stormed into the side. Mitchell Starc was the only frontline quick on either side to play all five Tests and was outstanding in the first three matches. Meanwhile, Cummins finished as the top wicket-taker to lead from the front in every sense.Captain CumminsAnd on that final point, it is a credit to Cummins (although also a reflection on the feeble opposition provided by England) how seamless the transition to his leadership has been. The new structure with Steven Smith worked well and was immediately called into action in Adelaide. If Cummins did make any missteps they came in Sydney and were fairly minor in the grander scheme of things. The fact England were blown away for under 200 in six of their 10 innings (and under 150 three times) meant there weren’t many long days in the field and those will come at some point. However, with a five-strong attack at his disposal there will always be a fresh bowler to call on. As Australia finally return to Test cricket overseas after more than two years, how he and his team evolve will be worth watching.

Dodgers' Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Make MLB Playoff History Not Seen in 15 Years

One of the biggest concerns about the Dodgers heading into the 2025 MLB postseason was the inconsistency and general lack of strength of their bullpen. So far in the NLCS against the Brewers, they've made any worries about their bullpen a moot point almost entirely.

Los Angeles jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the series, thanks to back-to-back superb performances from star pitchers Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The pair combined to pitch 17 innings over the last two games and surrendered just one run between the two.

GO DEEPER: How Yoshinobu Yamamoto Delivered the Best Pitched Playoff Game in Years

Snell pitched 8.0 innings on Monday night, and Yamamoto followed that up by going for a complete game in a 5–1 win on Tuesday.

The Dodgers' duo of starters joined some elite company in MLB history as a result of their stellar outings. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Snell and Yamamoto are the first teammates to pitch back-to-back starts of eight-plus innings in the same postseason series since Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner did it for the Giants in 2010. Lincecum and Bumgarner achieved the feat in Games 4 and 5 of the '10 World Series against the Rangers.

With two wins already under their belt, the Dodgers will turn the ball to Tyler Glasnow on Thursday for Game 3, and they'll have plenty of fresh arms available behind him, as the bullpen has pitched just one inning so far in the series. Shohei Ohtani is expected to be on the mound for Game 4.

'Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep' – Departing Monterrey star Sergio Ramos fires back at Toluca after Rayados’ playoff exit

Toluca stirred controversy after booking their place in the Apertura 2025 Final and knocking out Monterrey, aiming their celebration directly at Sergio Ramos. The Spaniard had earlier silenced the Nemesio Diez crowd after scoring Rayados’ lone goal in a 3-1 defeat. After the elimination, the Diablos turned his gesture against him – and Ramos didn’t hold back.

  • Getty Images Sport

    Toluca mocked Ramos on social media

    Ramos could not avoid the spotlight after Monterrey’s elimination, and his reaction quickly ignited social media. The veteran defender scored Rayados’ only goal in Toluca, and as soon as the ball hit the net, he brought a finger to his lips, signaling the Nemesio Díez crowd to be quiet -despite the fact Monterrey was still trailing 3-1 and already on its way out of the Apertura 2025.

    Toluca wasted no time firing back. Once the final whistle confirmed their place in the Liga MX Final, the club’s social media account mocked Ramos with the message: “Silence, the ‘Pandilla’ is already resting.” 

    The post immediately went viral and triggered a wave of reactions – including one from Ramos himself.

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    Ramos' response

    The Spaniard first replied by posting a screenshot comparing follower counts: Toluca’s roughly 600,000 against his more than 60 million. Minutes later, he doubled down by sharing another story, this time highlighting his extensive trophy collection alongside the jab: 

    “Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep," he wrote.

  • Getty Images Sport

    The semifinal marked Ramos’ final match in Liga MX

    While Ramos’ exchange with Toluca became one of the talking points of the weekend, it also marked the end of his short-lived chapter in Liga MX. The semifinal was his final match in a Rayados shirt – something that had been reported a week earlier and that the defender finally confirmed after the game. The Spaniard leaves Monterrey after 32 matches and seven goals, a notable haul for a central defender.

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  • AFP

    What comes next for Ramos?

    Ramos has not revealed his next destination, though reports suggest a possible return to European football.

Rabada: South Africa 'a young team that wants to do the dirty work'

Kagiso Rabada called the Rawalpindi win “one of the highlights” of his career

Firdose Moonda23-Oct-2025

Kagiso Rabada scored his maiden Test fifty in Rawalpindi•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa’s Test squad is leaving Pakistan with shared spoils and the satisfaction that they have turned the corner when it comes to playing in the subcontinent. The Rawalpindi Test win was their third in four matches in Asia, after they beat Bangladesh 2-0 a year ago, a series that has been described by several players as the turning point for their 2023-2025 WTC campaign.Before that series, South Africa had lost 10 out of 11 Tests in the subcontinent over a decade, across tours to India (2015 and 2019), Sri Lanka (2018) and Pakistan (2021). Now that they have ticked off a win against one of those opponents, it has given them the belief they have found a way to do it more regularly.”This victory is definitely one of the highlights in my career,” Kagiso Rabada, whose career-best 71 played a crucial role in the Pindi victory push, said at the post-match press conference. “Winning a Test match outside of Bangladesh in the subcontinent. I think that’s pretty awesome. It definitely gives the guys a lot of confidence. Also, it’s a pretty young team and a young team that wants to go out and do the dirty work.”Related

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Rabada operated almost as the solitary seamer across the two Tests, with Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen delivering 25 overs between them and the spinners doing the bulk of the work, and made his mark with his first Test half-century. His knock of 71 off 61 balls, which was part of a tenth-wicket stand of 98 with Senuran Muthusamy, came against the slow-scoring run of play and deflated Pakistan. It also earned Rabada a new bat, after a pact with David Bedingham.”We have a thing where if I score 30 runs, he’ll give me a bat because we are sponsored by the same batting company,” Rabada said. “He said he thought his money was safe after the way I batted in the first Test. So that was just one way to get one up on him.”Coming off a pair in Lahore, Rabada pulled off a series of powerful shots down the ground including a six off Shaheen Shah Afridi. No other batter played with such chutzpah though Rabada said it was always part of South Africa’s plan in tough conditions.”We wanted to be aggressive in the way that we played, because if you just sit around waiting for a bad ball, you’re probably going to get a good ball that gets you out,” he said. “It was important that the batting unit could establish the shots that they wanted to play to put the opposition under pressure and that they start putting fielders back and then you can start rotating the strike.”Kagiso Rabada bowled without much reward in Rawalpindi•Getty Images

That his bowling took a backseat despite excellent spells where he drew Abdullah Shafique’s edge, in particular, several times without success didn’t bother Rabada. “If you’re a fast bowler and nothing’s happening for you, it’s about keeping the game quiet or finding a wicket here and there and applying pressure by slowing the rate down. It’s about running and giving it your all,” he said. “You can still create pressure for the spinners, so they do their job much better. It doesn’t help if we are leaking everywhere and not necessarily bowling correctly. Not many rewards came my way, but I was more than happy to do the job that I did.”Rabada said the spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy was “world-class”. “We came here with brilliant spinners and you saw the way that they performed. That was a really massive tick,” Rabada said. “And the batters as well. Rickleton stepped up. He came into this Test series under pressure. Stubbs came into this Test series under pressure, played a crucial knock. Tony (de Zorzi) came into this series under pressure.”Rickelton had scores of 16 and 6 in the WTC final and only one half-century across 11 white-ball internationals in August and September. Stubbs had only got into double figures once in nine innings before his first-innings 76, and de Zorzi had lost his Test spot to Rickelton and is trying to find his way back. He was the only batter in the series to score a century.South Africa ensured they still have not lost a series since the 2-0 defeat with a makeshift side in New Zealand last February and have won 10 of their last 12 Tests. “You have to be doing a lot of things right to get results like that,” Rabada said. And South Africa will feel that they did.

Americans Abroad: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards aims to prove he's elite against Manchester United as concern rises over Christian Pulisic's AC Milan status

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including a big match for Chris Richards' Crystal Palace against Manchester United.

Another weekend, another batch of storylines to latch onto. Life for Americans playing abroad remains a chaotic, ever-shifting universe – but right now, the stars are shining.

This slate could bring more of the same. Chris Richards is the headliner as Crystal Palace take on Manchester United, while Christian Pulisic’s status looms over everything, with the American star potentially set to miss more time through injury. And then there are the others. Ricardo Pepi continues his hunt for minutes at PSV, and a cluster of No. 9s across Europe will look to make their case at a moment when Folarin Balogun has hit a rough patch in front of goal.

GOAL US previews the main storylines among Americans abroad this weekend… 

Getty Images SportChris Richards to have his moment

First, the big one. Playing Manchester United isn’t what it used to be. Ruben Amorim’s side has improved of late, but they remain toothless in attack. They struggle to score, and while Crystal Palace aren’t elite, there are few reasons to fear this United team. Even so, it’s a significant matchup for Richards.

It has been a curious few weeks for the USMNT center back. A month ago, he was earning deserved plaudits for his national team form and consistent performances for Palace. Since then, things have become a bit muddled. Oliver Glasner has taken a few public swipes at Mauricio Pochettino for calling Richards into the October camp despite a calf knock. The defender missed time as a result and went down late in Palace’s last Premier League game.

Still, he has been back in training and is expected to be ready for United. A win would push Palace into the top four – potentially as high as third if results fall their way. It’s a big opportunity.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesPulisic looks to build on a massive derby day

Pulisic’s status is suddenly uncertain again, with talk of a fresh knock casting doubt over his availability for Milan’s clash with Lazio. Max Allegri admitted Thursday that the American is questionable, and with the schedule tightening, it’s unclear whether Milan will risk him. It’s an all-too-familiar storyline for a player whose biggest obstacle has always been staying on the field.

And the timing couldn’t be more frustrating. Pulisic is coming off one of his best performances of the season – and arguably his most important – after bossing the Milan derby last week. He scored the only goal in the 1-0 win and controlled large stretches as a drifting second striker, a reminder of just how influential he can be when fully fit. With seven goal contributions already in Serie A, he has a legitimate claim as one of the league’s form players.

But that’s the challenge. For all the quality Pulisic brings, his ability to maintain that level has consistently been shaped by injuries arriving at exactly the wrong moments. This latest concern threatens to interrupt a run of form that had him looking like one of Serie A’s best.

AFPRicardo Pepi back to scoring goals

The USMNT suddenly have a few real questions at striker. Folarin Balogun has generally delivered in a national team shirt – even if his club form is uneven – and Haji Wright has pushed for minutes despite his recent dip in goals. But then there’s Pepi, who was Pochettino’s preferred No. 9 early on and was scoring freely for PSV just a year ago.

In truth, the former FC Dallas standout is still working his way back from a serious knee injury, even if he’s technically available every week. The sharpness isn’t fully there; he’s still a half-beat slow, still thinking before he shoots. Yet Wednesday’s Champions League cameo against Liverpool served as a reminder of why he remains such a valuable option. Pepi was disruptive off the bench, unsettled Virgil van Dijk, and gave PSV a presence up top – even without a goal.

Guus Til, naturally a No. 10, has been getting the starts in recent weeks, leaving Pepi to make his case in limited minutes. A weekend matchup with lowly Volendam should offer a clearer opportunity. For Pepi, who badly needs a confidence-restoring performance, it feels like an important chance to find his scoring touch again.

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AFPThings get trickier for Weston McKennie

Weston McKennie remains one of the trickiest USMNT players to evaluate. On one hand, he’s starting every week for Juventus and looks firmly back in the “indispensable” category after appearing close to a summer exit. On the other, new manager Luciano Spalletti- a recent Serie A title winner with Napoli – hasn’t exactly unlocked some bold new tactical identity. What he done is trust McKennie, who repaid that faith with a Champions League goal on Tuesday night.

The takeaway is simple: McKennie has a role, and a significant one. He has played nearly every minute under Spalletti and, even if he hasn’t been spectacular, has done enough to keep his place. The next step is finding a bit more end product. A weekend matchup with struggling Cagliari should give him the platform to show it.

2026 Men's T20 World Cup likely from February 7 to March 8

Sri Lanka last hosted the men’s T20 World Cup in 2012, India in 2016

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Sep-2025

India will attempt to defend their T20 World Cup title at home next year•ICC/Getty Images

The 2026 men’s T20 World Cup is likely to be played between February 7 and March 8. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and will comprise 20 teams.The matches will be played in at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka. The final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan is playing. India and Pakistan are not playing in each other’s countries due to strained political relations between the two governments at present.While the ICC is still finalising the schedule, ESPNcricinfo has learned that it has identified the window and informed the participating countries.Related

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Italy's long road to T20WC qualification

At present, 15 teams have been confirmed for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup: India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Italy, who have qualified for a World Cup for the first time. Of the remaining five teams, two will come from the Africa regional qualifier and three from the Asia and East Asia Pacific qualifier.The format will be the same as the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, where the 20 teams were divided into four groups of five each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the Super Eight round, where once again the eight teams were divided into two groups of four. The top two from each Super Eight group progressed to the semi-finals. India are the reigning champions, having beaten South Africa in the final in Barbados. The entire tournament comprised 55 matches.India are hosting several marquee events in the first four months of 2026 starting with the WPL, dates for which are yet to be finalised. The BCCI has earmarked a window between early January and early February for the five-team tournament. The WPL will be followed by the men’s T20 World Cup, after which the BCCI will host the IPL, with the tentative window being March 15 to May 31. India also host New Zealand for ODIs and T20Is from January 11 to 31.

No Carioca Sub-17, Vasco vira e goleia Flamengo pela semifinal

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco venceu o Flamengo por 5 a 1, pelo primeiro jogo das semifinais do Campeonato Carioca Sub-17, neste domingo, no Estádio Nivaldo Pereira. Apesar de sair atrás no placar, o cruzmaltino virou e goleou o rival para abrir vantagem no confronto.

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O Flamengo abriu o placar com Dougas Telles, aos 29 minutos do primeiro tempo. Mas nove minutos depois, o cruzmaltino empatou com Bruno Lopes, que também fez o gol da virada aos 43 minutos.

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Na etapa final, o Vasco liquidou o jogo de vez, ampliou o placar com Igor, aos 12, e Lukas Zuccarello, aos 14. Nos minutos finais, Alexandre marcou e fechou a conta. Final de jogo, 5 a 1 para o cruzmaltino.

Os times voltam a se enfrentar no sábado (11), às 11h (Brasília), na Gávea. Na outra semifinal, o Fluminense encara o Nova Iguaçu.

"Incredible" manager now frontrunner to replace Ange at Nottingham Forest

An “incredible” manager has now emerged as the leading candidate for the Nottingham Forest job, with Evangelos Marinakis considering sacking Ange Postecoglou.

Ange's future in doubt after terrible start

Ange has made an awful start to life as Forest manager, becoming the club’s first manager in 100 years to fail to win any of his first six games, and things may not improve anytime soon, with some very tricky fixtures on the horizon.

Consequently, it is no surprise the Australian’s future is now up in the air, with the Tricky Trees identifying a number of potential replacements, including Fulham’s Marco Silva, and Rafa Benitez, with the latter recently emerging as a leading candidate.

However, the ex-Liverpool boss is not the only major contender for the job, according to a report from The Telegraph, which states that Sean Dyche has now emerged as the frontrunner to replace Postecoglou in the dugout.

Marinakis is considering parting ways with the 60-year-old, as he is still yet to get a win on the board, and Dyche could be a safe pair of hands, given that he has experience guiding relegation-threatened teams to Premier League safety.

As previously mentioned, Silva has also been considered, alongside Brondby manager Steve Cooper, but with both currently employed, compensation would be an issue, so a move for an out-of-work manager could make more sense.

"Incredible" Dyche could be ideal appointment for Forest

It was always going to be a risk appointing Ange, given that the former Tottenham Hotspur boss is well-known for his attacking style of play, which is completely at odds with Nuno Espirito Santo’s more pragmatic, counter-attacking approach.

Trophy-laden manager open to Nottingham Forest talks after being spotted with Marinakis

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Emilio Galantini

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The appointment simply hasn’t worked out, and with some tough fixtures coming up, it would not be a surprise to see the 60-year-old face the sack soon, at which point Marinakis may be concerned about Forest being dragged into a relegation battle.

As such, it would be ideal to bring in a proven Premier League manager, who knows what it takes to avoid the drop, meaning Dyche could be perfect, having kept both Burnley and Everton in the top flight over the years.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has also lauded the 54-year-old, who utilises a 4-2-3-1 system, for the previous work he has done in the Premier League.

Long-term, Dyche may not be the answer, given that he was unable to turn Everton into contenders at the top end of the table, but on a short-term basis, the former Nottingham Forest trainee could make a real impact.

Final da Copa do Brasil no Maracanã! Veja os vídeos da festa da torcida do Flamengo

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo recebeu o time com grande festa no Maracanã para a final da Copa do Brasil, contra o São Paulo neste domingo (17). Nos últimos dias, a torcida arrecadou fundos para preparar a festa da partida. O Maracanã ficou lindo e totalmente rubro-negro.

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Arsenal's "world-class" striker left for £0, now he's outperforming Gyokeres

While it hasn’t been the perfect start to the season for Arsenal, it’s been a pretty good one.

Mikel Arteta’s side have had to play Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Newcastle United in the Premier League, and have come out with seven points out of a possible 12 from those specific games.

Add to that thumping wins over Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, and a good 2-0 win away to Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League, and it’s hard not to be optimistic about the campaign ahead.

However, there have still been a few problems here and there, whether it be mounting injuries or a perceived lack of threat, especially when it comes to the club’s new talisman, Viktor Gyokeres.

It’s been a mixed start to life in England for the Swede, which isn’t helped by a former Arsenal striker outperforming him on the continent.

Gyokeres' start to the season with Arsenal

Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, it’s worth stating that, despite what some would have you believe online, Gyokeres has not had a terrible start to his Arsenal career, far from it.

However, it’s equally true that, so far anyway, the former Sporting CP star has not been the monstrous goal machine some had thought or hoped he’d be. After all, this is a player who found the net on over 50 occasions last term in Portugal.

He is officially the best striker in the world, so the Ballon d’Or awards would have you believe, anyway, so this certainly wasn’t a poor use of funds over the summer.

However, while he scored a wonderful goal and a penalty against Leeds, and then got himself another against Forest, it would be fair to say that the 27-year-old has struggled somewhat in the big games.

Granted, a significant reason he hasn’t been able to find the back of the net in the big games is the lack of service he’s received from his teammates, but even then, the very best strikers in world football can create their own chances.

His performance against Newcastle was a bit of a mixed bag as well.

While he held up the ball well at times, made some good runs and even won a penalty, which was then overturned, he still failed to do the most crucial thing: score.

Moreover, there were more than a few moments in which he got his feet stuck under himself, or took a touch too many and lost the ball in an advantageous position.

Yet, with all that said, it’s still early in the season, and as his teammates get more and more comfortable with his style of play, there is every chance he becomes that goal machine so many thought he’d be.

However, as things stand, he is currently being outperformed by a former Arsenal star whom Arteta let leave for free.

The former Arsenal star outperforming Gyokeres

While there are probably a few Arsenal players who could fit this label at the moment, the star in question is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabonese striker joined the Gunners back in the 2018 winter window, and to say he justified his £56m price tag would be a massive understatement.

The former Borussia Dortmund star would go on to become the fastest player in the club’s history to score 50 goals; he’d play a crucial role in their 2020 FA Cup triumph and even wear the captain’s armband at points.

However, after the goals began to dry up, and he fell out with Arteta over discipline and his off-the-pitch behaviour, his contract was terminated by mutual agreement in January 2022, which allowed him to join Barcelona for free in the same month.

He’d only stay in Spain for half a season before spending a dreadful year back in London with Chelsea, after which he made his way to Marseille, and once again regained his out-of-this-world ability.

In a single campaign in the South of France, the former Arsenal star scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 51 appearances, but instead of staying on, he made a big-money move to the Saudi Pro League.

Unsurprisingly, the “world-class” striker, as dubbed by Behdad Eghbali, also performed brilliantly in the Middle Eastern state, racking up an impressive tally of 24 goal involvements in 36 games for Al-Qadsiah.

Fortunately, the Laval-born monster felt the urge to return to European football this season and rejoined Marseille in the summer.

Since his return to the French giants, the 36-year-old has once again shown his quality, scoring three goals and providing one assist in just six appearances, totalling 337 minutes.

Aubameyang vs Gyokeres in 25/26

Season

Aubameyang

Gyokeres

Appearances

6

8

Minutes

337′

572′

Goals

3

3

Assists

1

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.66

0.37

Minutes per Goal Involvement

84.25′

190.66′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In other words, he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.5 games, or every 84.25 minutes, which, unfortunately for Arteta and Co, means he’s currently outperforming Gyokeres, and by some margin.

For comparison’s sake, the Swede’s three goal involvements in eight appearances, totalling 572 minutes, come out to an average of one every 2.66 games, or every 190.66 minutes.

Ultimately, it would probably be untrue to claim that Aubameyang is currently a better striker than Gyokeres, but Arsenal fans will be hoping the former Sporting star can start putting the ball in the back of the net more regularly as the season goes on.

Arsenal have signed a "Fabregas-type" player and he's "near-perfect"

The international ace has been a monster for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 29, 2025

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