News Thread

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world with a decorated history. The final at Wembley culminates the league season and it’s one of the most treasured trophies in the game. The competition began in 1871 and an incredible 732 teams entered with dreams of reaching the first round proper and earning a glamour tie. The record for the most FA Cup titles belongs to Arsenal, with the North London side lifting the trophy on 14 occasions. Manchester United rank second with 12 titles, while three clubs - Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea - winning the FA Cup eight times. Some iconic managers have guided their side to glory in the famous competitions but which managers have won the FA Cup the most? 

RB Leipzig may not be the most established or even most celebrated club in German football, but few could doubt that the Red Bull outfit have quickly developed an almost unrivalled reputation for developing some of European football’s most impressive young players. In the last few years alone, the Bundesliga side have uncovered players like Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku. And now the Saxony outfit may have another young star on the cusp of taking the German top-flight by storm. 

Arsenal began the year 2024 under a lot of pressure. Two back-to-back Premier League defeats were followed by a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup. The Gunners had won just once in seven matches. It seemed every pundit was claiming Arsenal needed a new striker and questioning where the goals were coming from. Some were even criticising manager Mikel Arteta. But it’s been some response from Arsenal.

The most iconic moment in English Premier League history arrived courtesy of a winning goal in added time of the second half. On the final day of the 2011/12 season, Sergio Agüero sent Manchester City fans into raptures as he scored the dramatic goal, with 93 minutes on the clock, to secure their first title in over 40 years.

“Tsamina mina, eh, eh waka waka, eh, eh 60 million down the drain Kai Havertz scores again,” the chant has become commonplace wherever Arsenal have played in recent weeks. Whether at home at the Emirates or on the road, Havertz has been scoring goals for fun lately. The 24-year-old German has now scored in his last four Premier League games to become Arsenal’s second-best goalscorer in that competition this season behind Bukayo Saka.

Patrick Schulte could be the next Major League Soccer goalkeeper on the move to the Premier League. The Telegraph reported this week that Arsenal are keen on signing the 24-year-old Columbus Crew goalkeeper this summer. According to the report, Arsenal see Schulte as a potential addition if Aaron Ramsdale decides to leave the club in the summer. Ramsdale’s departure is possible as Mikel Arteta increasingly relies on new signing David Raya this season. 

The Premier League stands out as by far the most valuable football league in the world, and this Thursday the division received 128 new market values, increasing its total value by around €240 million to a staggering €11.09 billion. Nine Liverpool players went up in value, while numerous Chelsea players were downgraded. However, two of the biggest winners were two attacking players, both playing for title challengers; Manchester City’s Phil Foden (+€20m) and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (+€10m) both saw their market value reach €130m. 

This week Transfermarkt published the latest market value update for the Premier League and while it may have only been an interim update for the English top-flight it still made some profound changes to the division. No less than €240 million was added to the overall value of the league, with the combined squad value of each team in the division now amounting to a staggering €11.1 billion. In no uncertain terms, the Premier League is the most valuable league in world football and now leading by a comfortable margin. 

Viktor Gyökeres' attacking output is superior to any other player in Europe’s top ten leagues. The Swedish international is enjoying a phenomenal season with Sporting CP and his productivity has been off the scale. Gyökeres achievements are even more remarkable considering it’s his first season in Portugal after playing in the English Championship last season.

Supporters in England are renowned for their loyalty with various clubs outside of the top-flight regularly pulling in crowds in excess of 20,000. The Premier League is undoubtedly the most popular league on the planet as it’s broadcast around the world while supporters fill grounds up and down the country. During the international break, Transfermarkt has analysed the numbers to compile a list of the top 50 clubs with the highest average attendances in England during the 2023/24 season so far - you can view the gallery below. Manchester United remain the best supported club in the country with an average of 73,532 fans in attendance at Old Trafford on match days this season with West Ham ranking second, as they now boast the highest average of the London clubs (62,433).