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Previous winners of the award include Alisson Becker and Thibaut Courtois, but who will claim this year's prize at the ceremony on October 30?

Only one goalkeeper has ever won the Ballon d'Or: Lev Yashin, in 1963. So, in a bid to ensure more shot-stoppers were recognised at their annual ceremonies in Paris, introduced the Yashin Trophy in 2019 to recognise the best goalkeeper from the previous season.

Voted for by past Ballon d'Or winners, previous recipients of the award include Alisson Becker, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Thibaut Courtois, and it is sure to be hotly-contested in 2023.

We will have to wait until the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday, October 30 to find out the winner, but for now, here is the shortlist of nominees:

GettyYassine Bounou (Al-Hilal)

Morocco made history at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, becoming the first-ever African nation to reach the semi-finals of the competition. The knockout penalty saves of their star goalkeeper Yassine Bounou contributed massively to that journey, and the 32-year-old also had a great season domestically, winning the Europa League with Sevilla and being named Player of the Match in the final against Roma.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)

Thibaut Courtois' stellar 2022-23 season with Real Madrid made him the recipient of last year's Yashin Trophy, and he's amongst the contenders again this time round. While Los Blancos missed out on La Liga or Champions League glory in 2023, he still had an impressive campaign and was integral in helping them win the Copa del Rey.

GettyMike Maignan (AC Milan)

French international Mike Maignan's recent performances for AC Milan led to GOAL labelling him the world's best goalkeeper earlier this year. His logic-defying shot-stopping has attracted the attention of fans all over the world, and he'll be one of the favourites to get his hands on the 2023 Yashin Trophy.

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Getty ImagesMarc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona)

For years, Ter Stegen has been considered one of the greatest keepers on the planet. In 2022-23, he only strengthened that reputation, keeping a remarkable 26 clean sheets in 38 La Liga games and conceding just 18 league goals all season as Barcelona strode to a first title under club legend Xavi.

Player of the Tournament at the 2022 Copa America Femenina, the 18-year-old forward will be one of the best young players in Australia and New Zealand

Linda Caicedo might only be 18 years old, but she’s already racked up a list of milestones that some players don’t even hit across an entire career. She’s twice lifted a league title, won a Golden Boot award, played a youth World Cup final, reached the same stage at a home Copa America and signed for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid. This summer, with Colombia, she’ll add her first senior World Cup to that glowing CV, too.

In and amongst it all, she also overcame an experience that no one would ever want to endure, one that almost ended her career before it had barely begun. Aged 15, having already had her breakthrough in the Colombian top-flight, Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“At the time, I didn't think I could play professionally again because of all the treatments and surgeries I had to go through,” the forward told . “Mentally, it was a very difficult moment in my life. I'm forever grateful that it happened when I was very young. I was able to recover, I also had my family's support, and I feel very good now. What happened made me grow. I feel thankful and happy to be here.”

Caicedo’s mature reflection on such an experience shows what a wise head she has on such young shoulders. It’s a trait that shows on the pitch, too, whether it results in her wearing the captain’s armband, making smart decisions with the ball or working hard to fulfil responsibilities that benefit the whole team.

Alongside her extraordinary talent, it’s another reason why she is one of the most highly-rated young players on this planet. Let GOAL introduce you to a player set for superstardom…

• Deportivo Cali
  

  Where it began

  Despite no one in her family playing the sport, Caicedo took up football at the age of five, first in a boys’ team and later with girls. When she was 11 years old, the forward joined Atlas, the sports school of former Colombia national team player Carolina Pineda. It was there that Melissa Ortiz, who went to the 2012 Olympic Games with Colombia, first saw her play.

  “She was like 14 years old,” Ortiz tells GOAL. “I even told her now-agent, 'You need to sign her!' and he eventually did. I just remember thinking, 'She's going to be the next big thing'.”

  Caicedo's next steps would see her represent her region in tournaments, then the youth national teams, before a move to America de Cali aged 14. In her first season with the club, she won the Golden Boot and inspired them to a first-ever league title, earning herself a senior national team debut as a result.

  Although too young to play in the Copa Libertadores after helping America qualify, she would debut in the competition two years later for the club’s rivals, Deportivo Cali. Caicedo made the switch in early 2020 and would have another league title to her name in her second season.

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• Getty
  

  The big break

  The hype around Caicedo had been building steadily for some time – but 2022 was her big year. Colombia hosted Copa America and it was a tournament that their teenage forward took by storm.

  Caicedo scored the only goal in the semi-final against Argentina and was then named the Most Valuable Player of the final, though her country were defeated 1-0 by Brazil. In the end, she also scooped up the Player of the Tournament award, having fully asserted herself on the senior stage during the month of July.

  A month later, she scored twice as Colombia reached the knockout stages of the U20 Women's World Cup for just the second time, topping a group that Germany crashed out of. In October, she bettered that, making history as part of the first Colombia team ever to reach a World Cup final as she captained the U17s to the showpiece match in India. Spain beat them by the finest of margins in a 1-0 result, as Caicedo collected the Silver Ball and Bronze Boot awards to go with her runners-up medal.

  Time after time she was asked to deliver and, time after time, she did. It was the year that really put Caicedo’s name in lights.

• Getty
  

  How it's going

  Things have only got better in the months since, with Caicedo signing for Real Madrid in February, just a few days after celebrating her 18th birthday. She’s already making her mark with Las Blancas, scoring a huge extra-time goal against Villarreal as part of the team’s run to the Copa de la Reina final.

  While gaining huge experience in Spain, she’s continued to be a key figure for country and is now heading to her first senior World Cup – her third at any level in 12 months.

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  Biggest strengths

  Capable of playing out wide or more centrally, Caicedo’s lightning pace, goalscoring instincts and confidence in taking players on are all big strengths of her game that make her such a dangerous proposition for opposing defences.

  When she does get into those good areas, the teenager can finish well because of her ability to use both feet, too. Throw in her desire to work hard for her team, either in tracking back or pressing high, and she is an asset on both sides of the ball.

  Caicedo’s character is another part of what makes her a great footballer. For one, she is a great leader, often wearing the captain’s armband for Colombia’s youth teams and proving to be a motivating presence for her team-mates.

  She’s also a player who speaks often about enjoying herself on the pitch and has an incredibly humble attitude, previously describing her humility and joyfulness as her strengths. There’s no doubt those qualities have helped her thrive despite so much hype and pressure from the outside.

  “I still have a long way to go,” she told GOAL last year. “I am only 17 years old. I haven't won anything in the national team yet. I don't have a historical record, so I want to improve in that.

  “I am very young and I have a lot of tournaments ahead of me, so that is what I am doing, I am believing and I hope people will know me for that, for my joy, for the way I lived soccer, and that is how I always want to be known everywhere.”

Feyenoord are very worried Tottenham Hotspur managerial target Arne Slot could join the north Londoners, according to reports.

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

The Lilywhites and chairman Daniel Levy have commenced their search for Antonio Conte's replacement, but over a month after his departure, they're still yet to make an official announcement on who will come in.

In the meantime, it has been a turbulent time at Tottenham, with Spurs seeing two interim managers take charge.

Former temporary head coach Cristian Stellini, after a dismal 6-1 battering away to Newcastle United, was relieved of his duties after that result severely dampened Spurs' hopes of a top four Premier League finish.

Tottenham are now outside contenders for a Champions League place at best, with Man United possessing two games in hand on them whilst sitting nine points clear of Spurs in fourth.

The club are without a win in their last four league games with current interim boss Ryan Mason now more realistically fighting for a Europa League place.

Tottenham must also look ahead to next campaign and consider which manager is the best option to take them forward, with reports suggesting that former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is a prime contender for the job.

As well as Nagelsmann, it is believed that Slot, who is leading the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, is well and truly in Tottenham's thinking.

Now, journalists Etienne Verhoeff and Johan Inan have discussed the topic of Slot to Spurs (via Feyenoord Pings and Sport Witness).

There is a belief Feyenoord are 'holding their breath' and waiting for Tottenham to make a move for the tactician, with Inan getting the feeling for some time that Slot feels ready for another challenge – especially if an English club come calling.

What could Slot bring to Spurs?

The former AZ Alkmaar boss has been praised for both his attacking style and 'maniac' approach to games, witb Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan claiming just this to talkSPORT.

"He is very similar to Pep Guardiola, his ideas are very similar, he is a massive fan of Pep and he plays the same time.

“He goes ultra-attacking, he is almost like a maniac. Not on the touchline but it is fantastic to see how he has turned an average side into a wonderful attacking machine."

Van der Kraan, speaking to the same outlet, has also called Slot the 'most exciting' manager he's seen in the last 10 years.

He is arguably unlucky to not have more silverware in his locker, with Feyenoord reaching the Europa Conference League Final last season to unluckily lose to Jose Mourinho's Roma.

Aston Villa have sent scouts to watch RC Lens defender Kevin Danso, according to 90min.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news involving Danso?

It looks set to be a busy summer at Villa Park ahead of Unai Emery’s first season in charge, with NSWE ready to back the manager with a “huge” spending spree.

There has been speculation this month that Villa are planning an ambitious double swoop for attackers Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres. However, defensive reinforcements also appear to be on the agenda, with rumours now linking the club with a move for Danso in the last 48 hours.

90min reporters Graeme Bailey and Jack Gallagher shared transfer updates on three Lens players on Tuesday evening, one of which was Danso. They stated that Aston Villa sent scouts to watch Lens’ 2-1 win over Marseille on Saturday, with Danso attracting particular interest from Villa officials.

Should Villa sign Danso?

Danso is primarily a centre-back who can also turn out at right-back or left-back and appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €16m Transfermarkt valuation.

The 24-year-old has been labelled as “big” and “powerful” by Adam Leitch and has 13 senior caps for Austria. He even has previous Premier League experience following a loan spell with Southampton, making 10 appearances for the Saints back in 2019/20.

90min say how “Danso has been the main man in a defence which has conceded a Ligue 1 low of just 26 goals in 34 games”, and his recent display should have impressed Villa officials. As per SofaScore, Danso was the best-rated defender from either side, making five clearances, two tackles and blocking two shots. He even contributed going forward by registering a key pass, ending with a 78% pass completion rate.

This season, Danso has outperformed every Villa player when it comes to match rating and has averaged more passes than any Villa player, as per WhoScored, showing that he could be a shrewd signing by Villa due to his impressive form and versatility.

Villa have made their first move by scouting the player, so it’ll be interesting to see if they launch a bid for the defender over the coming months, making this one to watch.

Joe Root has admitted he should already have up to double his nine Test centuries and can’t quite work out why he does not convert into three figures more consistently

Andrew McGlashan07-Jun-2016Joe Root has admitted he should already have up to double his nine Test centuries and can’t quite work out why he does not convert into three figures more consistently.Since the beginning of 2015, Root has scored four centuries in 19 Tests but has been dismissed between 50 and 98 on a further 13 occasions, the most recent being in the first innings at Chester-le-Street when he got into a tangle against Nuwan Pradeep and spooned a catch to cover, having move serenely to 80 – a shot he termed as a “car crash”.He is not letting the issue weigh too heavily on his mind – “I feel I am contributing consistently” – but knows that the best Test batsmen in the world he is jostling with to be ranked No. 1 are judged on their century output.”You are always striving to get better, and it’s an area that over the last few months has been very frustrating for me because I am playing well, but you don’t win games with 70s and 80s. You want to make sure you cash in,” Root said.”There have been a few decent deliveries in there but mainly it’s been batsman error so it’s an area that needs to be addressed in practice – and it has been – and the only thing I can really do is make sure I don’t make the same mistake twice.”You look at the dismissal [in Durham] and it was a car crash, really. It was awful. It’s hard to put your finger on it. I don’t think I change my approach or the way I play when I get to a certain score. I’d like to think it was a bit of a coincidence and it’s all happened together.”I feel my game is in a good place, I’m moving well. If anything maybe I get slightly complacent for the odd ball, sometimes you get away with it and it goes unnoticed and sometimes it catches up with you and you are made to look very silly. I don’t think that’s the case, but it may come across that way. I’m working really hard and it’s something I want to address.”Root stressed how he is not a player too fussed about personal landmarks and suggested that, on occasion, he may get caught up in the natural free-scoring pace that he operates at and that encapsulates this England side.”Complacent is probably the wrong word, maybe concentrating is a better way to put it. Maybe you are caught in the flow of the game, scoring at a certain rate and you try to score against deliveries that don’t allow you to,” he said. “It’s not something that’s really concerning me to be honest, but it’s an annoyance that I want to put right. If I’ve been got out, fair play, but I don’t want to throw it away.”Joe Root passed 50 without going on to score a hundred once again in Chester-le-Street•AFPDespite the issue of reaching three figures on fewer occasions than he would have liked, Root’s game has developed enormously over the last two years – since his recall against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 2014 when he scored a double-century following omission at the end of 2013-14 Ashes whitewash – to make him one of the most complete batsmen in the world. But in his determination to further improve, he watches his contemporaries closely.”As a kid growing up I would look at the best players and think there’s a reason they are at the top, they are doing something that sets them apart,” he said. “These days, AB [de Villiers], Virat [Kohli] in the shorter formats, then Steve [Smith] and Kane [Williamson], it would be silly not to look at the way they play and try to add bits to my game. If you can take any little nugget hopefully you will benefit from it.”Although Root remains a delightful touch player – his innings in the World T20 against South Africa where his 83 off 44 balls marshalled England’s huge chase was a stand-out example – his boundary-hitting has been one of the areas that has developed most significantly since the early days of his international career when a slight, scrawny 21-year-old made 73 off 229 balls against India in Nagpur.”It’s a slow process when it comes to the gym side of it, a long-term improvement I’m looking for,” he said. “If you don’t practice hitting it for six you won’t do it, either. It’s an area I want to keep developing and it’s good to see it going in the same direction.”With boundary-hitting in mind – and his flamboyant whip over deep midwicket in the recent Roses T20 against Lancashire was the latest example of what he is now capable of – Root joked that he would like bats to get bigger, rather than smaller as the ICC cricket committee has recently suggested, but he remains sanguine about any potential changes to the tools of his trade.”If they feel it’s making an unfair advantage then fair enough, as a batter you have to be skilful and strong enough to find different ways of scoring if restrictions will be put in place,” he said. “There’s no less skill in being able to hit it out of the park to being able to flick it as long as it goes for six. If players are good enough they will find ways of doing it.”Root is clearly good enough to adapt to whatever shape (or size) the game takes. He would just like a few more hundreds to show for it.Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec private banking, visit investec.co.uk/banking

Match facts

Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Start time 1800 local (1600GMT)1:47

‘My goal to have a century in each format’ – De Kock

Big picture

For the second time this summer, a limited-overs series enters the final match with the sides locked all-square. This one will cap off a blockbuster season of international cricket that has captured the imagination of the country’s cricket-lovers. Australia’s visit follows England’s and while some might think hosting two of the big three in the same season may serve to remind South Africa if their status in the small seven, in shorter formats it has done quite the opposite.South Africa built confidence with five successive wins over England and kept on that roll in the first match against Australia. Now, as CSA posted on their Twitter account, “it all comes down to 1.”Victory for South Africa in the final T20 will give them a boost ahead of the World T20. Defeat will have the reverse effect and highlight the few lingering issues, especially around the middle-order and how JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien fit in. A delicate issue was resolved for them, at least in the short-term, when Aaron Phangiso’s action was clear on the eve of the game but it has been decided that he will sit out this T20 and spend further time fine-tuning his action ahead of the World T20.Whereas South Africa’s has steadily built with recent results – notwithstanding the defeat in Johannesburg – Australia are still trying to formulate their T20 gameplan having had precious few games in the format over the last two years. The success of David Warner in the middle order suggests they are finding one solution – alongside Glenn Maxwell it backs for a dynamic pairing – but they will want a more all-round performance before they head to India.

Form guide

(last five completed games most recent first)
South AfricaLWWWW
Australia WLLLL

In the spotlight

South Africa’s highest T20 run-scorer JP Duminy is under pressure to prove his worth despite his numbers because of his recent, unremarkable form. Duminy has not scored an international fifty since October last year – 20 innings ago – and has miscued to midwicket twice in this series. Despite strong support from the coach, Russell Domingo, the pressure is growing on Duminy to deliver especially as his bowling is playing far less of a role.In a similar position is Shane Watson who was not tasked with bowling during the second match in an Australian attack with plenty of options. Watson’s job is to push one of Usman Khawaja or Aaron Finch out of the XI by getting Australia off to a quick start. Watson has only just recovered from an abdominal injury which ruled him out of the PSL but he was in fine touch before that, with the second highest score in T20I history, and will want to get back into that form ahead of the World T20.

Team news

South Africa have opted not to draft in Phangiso for a game ahead of the World T20 after his action was clearedm but they may tweak the top order to give Hashim Amla a game. Dale Steyn could continue to keep Kyle Abbott out unless Kagiso Rabada is rested.South Africa: (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 AB de Villiers (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Chris Morris, 8 David Wiese, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran TahirAustralia found a winning combination in the last match which vindicated their decision to keep David Warner out of the opening berth. Having already tried the Usman Khawaya/Aaron Finch and Shane Watson/Aaron Finch combination the only one left for them to try is Khawaja/Watson, which could see Finch sit out. Nathan Coulter-Nile could find his way back into the XI and Adam Zampa may be preferred over Ashton Agar in the spin department.Australia: (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 David Warner, 4 Steve Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Nevill (wk), 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 John Hastings/Nathan Coulter-Nile 11, Adam Zampa

Pitch and conditions

After the thin air on the Highveld, the teams return to the coast where, as was the case during the England series last month, scores are expected to be lower. The Newlands pitch will be more subcontinental in nature and may even take some turn will which aid in preparation for the World T20. The weather, though, will be entirely different. It is expected to be mild and breezy with evening temperatures touching 20 degrees.

Stats and Trivia

• Faf du Plessis needs nine more runs to become the third South African after JP Duminy and AB de Villiers to reach 1,000 T20I runs.
• Australia have won the last two T20 series against South Africa, which has included the only three-match rubber between the two sides. Then, in November 2014, South Africa went one up but squandered the lead.

Quotes

“There is a bit of importance. But if we were playing the series in India it would be more important; the fact that it’s here in SA means the wickets are different. We know series wins against Australia don’t come easily. But there’s a bigger picture. When we get to India and we play against them in different conditions there, we’ll see what happens.”

Legspinner Eddie Leie ended up conceding the second-most runs in a single over in List A cricket history

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2018JP Duminy broke the South African List A record for most runs scored in a single over when he hit Eddie Leie for 37 runs in a Momentum one-day cup match on Wednesday.It happened when the Cape Cobras were comfortably placed at 208 for 2 in the 36th over of a chase of 240 against the Knights. But Duminy, batting on 34 off 30 balls, sensed the opportunity to steal a bonus point. And it helped that the man he was facing was a legspinner, turning the ball into his hitting arc.The carnage began with a slog sweep. It continued with a biff straight down the ground. Then came a couple of heaves into the grass banks on the leg side. Four balls. Four sixes. Two more and he would match Herschelle Gibbs’ feat in the 2007 World Cup.Duminy took strike again as excitement built around Newlands. But Leie doused it all by making sure his fifth delivery cost only two runs. There was only one ball left in the over and it seemed like the record wouldn’t be broken.Except Leie coughed up a no-ball, and Duminy hit it for four through extra cover. That took the tally to 31 runs off the over and it was game on again.Duminy took his stance. Leie ran in. A split second later the ball was soaring away for six. Duminy had not only won the match but secured his place in history as the batsman to hit the second-most runs in an over of List A cricket. In October 2013, Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura had played a big hand in ransacking 39 runs against Bangladesh’s Alauddin Babu in the Dhaka Premier League.”It is not every day you get the opportunity, so of course I was trying to go for the six sixes in an over,” Duminy said after finishing unbeaten on 70 off just 37 balls. “I initially thought it was all about the bonus point. I looked up at the scoreboard and we needed 35 with four overs still to go to get the bonus point, so I just decided to take Eddie on. I was striking the ball really cleanly, and when the first two went for six, I figured I might as well give it a full go now because regardless whether I get out we would still have secured the bonus point. It was enjoyable.”

BCB

Dhaka Dynamites went to the top of the points with a crushing 68-run win over Rajshahi Kings in Mirpur. Evin Lewis was adjudged Player of the Match for setting up their big score but there were also meaningful contributions from Kieron Pollard, Shahid Afridi and Abu Hider.Dhaka racked up 201 for 7 in 20 overs after being put in to bat, the first 200-plus score in the Dhaka-leg of the tournament this year. Rajshahi in reply were bowled out for 133 runs in 18.2 overs, sinking to fifth place following their fourth loss in six outings.Lewis quickly off the blocks
The first wicket partnership lasted just 4.1 overs but Afridi and Lewis added 53 runs in that short time. Afridi made 15 off eight balls and then Jahurul Islam, promoted to No. 3 after his heroics in the previous match, struck a four and a six in his six-ball 13. But it was Lewis who kept up the scoring rate soaring with his 38-ball 65 that had ten fours and a six. He fell in the tenth over and at 99 for 3, Dhaka were set for a big score.Pollard finishes in style
Rajshahi took some wickets in the middle but their fielding let them down. They dropped four catches in total, Nadif Chowdhury and Pollard being the beneficiary twice each. While Nadif didn’t capitalise, Pollard did, big time. Two of his sixes went high over long-on and the third over midwicket, which gave him his 500th six in T20s. He also struck five fours in his 25-ball 52 and shared a crucial 62-run sixth wicket stand with Kumar Sangakkara, who contributed 28 off 22 balls.Afridi and Hider trip up Rajshahi
There was no respite for Rajshahi even when they batted. Left-arm pacer Hider removed Rony Talukdar and Samit Patel early, and while Zakir Hasan and Mominul Haque looked to get the chase back on track, Afridi stepped in; he ended a 49-run third-wicket stand for his first scalp of the afternoon – Mominul. Zakir, who top scored with 36 off 23 balls, was Afridi’s second wicket before he also added Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to his haul to complete his second four-for in the tournament in three games. Shakib Al Hasan took two wickets and Mohammad Saddam had one before Hider came back to finish off Rajshahi.

Arsenal seem to have shifted their transfer focus onto the future now, seeking to usher in the next generation of stars to help prolong their expected presence atop English football.

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

With Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber bolstering the present and their future, already Mikel Arteta's is a squad much improved on last season's title disappointment.

The Gunners now have far more depth across the board and versatility that will allow them to maintain a charge for longer, pushing Manchester City even closer to the edge.

However, fresh reports are now suggesting that, despite their spending surpassing around £200m for the window, they still maintain the funds to continue battling for young gems. One such name is Josip Sutalo, who has starred in his homeland of late for Dinamo Zagreb.

It is noted by Italian outlet Firenze Viola that, whilst the north London outfit are waiting in the background, they do remain interested in his services. The Croatian side will seek to command a €25m (£21m) fee to sanction his exit.

Who is Josip Sutalo?

Despite being just 23 years old, the youngster already has 83 appearances for his current club and a further eight for his national team.

As a powerful, young, athletic defender, it is hard not to draw comparisons with his compatriot and possibly soon-to-be Cityzens star Josko Gvardiol.

The 21-year-old sensation has shot to stardom with his efforts for RB Leipzig, spurring Pep Guardiola to unload a world-record £86m fee for a defender. Last term in the Bundesliga he showcased his starring assets succinctly, as an outstanding left-footed ball-playing titan.

Maintaining a 6.96 average rating, his 89% pass accuracy fed into 1.1 interceptions and 2.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic even suggested he is the "best central defender in the world," explaining why: “He is so strong, confident and elegant at the same time, and does everything with incredible ease."

Funnily enough, these are traits that scout Jacek Kulig picked out when detailing Sutalo, as he described him as a: "complete & elegant CB".

Whilst in a far weaker league, the youngster still shone with key attributes that liken him to the man set to star for their Etihad rivals next campaign.

During a SuperSport HNL season where his side would claim the title, he recorded a 7.10 average rating, buoyed by his 93% pass accuracy, two interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

That rating would have made him Arsenal's fifth-best player last term in the Premier League, with his ease in possession likely to excite the possession-focused Arteta.

Also, whilst he would only feature once in the recent World Cup, his exemplary defensive display against Japan suggested a pedigree that could help him translate his fine form in his homeland to the English game.

With five clearances and a 94% pass accuracy in that clash, it could be argued his levels even increased despite the tougher opposition faced.

Given he also stands at 6 foot 3, his physical assets support such a notion further.

With RB Leipzig reportedly also keen on signing Sutalo this summer, it seems that his similarities with Gvardiol are emphasised, as the German outfit view him as the direct replacement for their likely outgoing star.

Perhaps he could instead opt for an Emirates switch, to represent Arteta's alternative to Guardiola's new phenom, for a fraction of the price.