Rahul Lakhani

31st January 2023

Goalkeeper.com | Who Will Be Spain's Number One?

As La Roja enter a new goalkeeping era, Rahul Lakhani looks at Spain between the sticks now and then…

As soon as Andres Iniesta’s shot found the back of the Netherlands’ net in Johannesburg with just four minutes of the 2010 World Cup final remaining, Spain had cemented themselves at the pinnacle of world football. The winners of Euro 2008 had found success on the biggest stage, and wrote their names into the history books with an era of dominance over global football which would continue until

31st January 2023

Goalkeeper.com | Andriy Lunin: The First El Clasico

How impactful was Lunin's performance in the most recent Real Madrid/Barcelona clash?

When it was announced that recent Yashin trophy winner Thibaut Courtois was set to miss a short period of matches with sciatica, Andriy Lunin probably didn’t consider that the period would include the highly anticipated El Clasico match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Only when Carlo Ancelotti that the Belgian would not be fit in time for the top-of-the-table clash could reality set in. After five years of

28th September 2022

Why Do Teams Change Their Goalkeeper Following Promotion To The Premier League?

Out of 15 promoted sides in the last five years, nine changed their first-choice goalkeeper upon arrival to the Premier League…

Achieving promotion to the Premier League is the end-goal for teams in the Championship and the joy of reaching the holy grail, either automatically or through Wembley glory in the playoffs, is doubled when considering the significant financial boost clubs receive upon promotion.

The jackpot for winning the 2021/22 Play-Off Final was estimated to be between £100-£135

Villarreal USA • 21st September 2022

Villarreal’s season so far assessed as Emery makes Jackson admission

Heading into the first international break of the season, Villarreal find themselves sixth in La Liga, with three wins and just one loss in the opening six matches, while they are also top of their group with a 100% record in the Europa Conference League..

The previous two league games, a 1-1 draw at home to Sevilla after a 1-0 loss away to Real Betis, both showcased the areas of strength and weakness in Unai Emery’s side.

With just two goals conceded in La Liga, the defence has been astonishi

Planet Football • 19th May 2022

Greatest goals never scored: Giroud's 2013 scorcher that typified Arsenal

The latter stages of 2013 were enjoyable at Arsenal. Mesut Ozil had just joined for a club-record fee, Aaron Ramsey was in the form of his life and the Gunners were flying at the top of the league.

When an impressive Everton side under Roberto Martinez boasting the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley came to the Emirates, Arsenal had a chance to go seven points clear at the top and really lay down a marker in the title race.

What followed next was 90 minutes of dramatic chaos. Chances fell

Planet Football • 6th May 2022

Arsenal's Reiss Nelson has become a goal & assist machine at Feyenoord

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson has become a goal & assist machine at Feyenoord

Arsenal’s academy has churned out some remarkable talents in the last few years, but before Bukayo Saka, there was another prodigy that looked destined for the top.

When the winger made his breakthrough into the Arsenal first team he was regarded as one of the biggest talents to ever come out of Hale End, and by the end of the 2017-18 season he had appeared in the league and in Europe, as well as winning the Premier League

Planet Football • 28th April 2022

Mo Salah's evolved to his final form & TWO nutmegs in 11 seconds proved it

Mo Salah’s evolved to his final form & TWO nutmegs in 11 seconds proved it

Mohamed Salah has been sensational from day one at Liverpool, rapidly becoming one of the best goalscorers in the world while simultaneously giving the finger to Chelsea after they previously rejected him.

Five years and 155 goals since his arrival, he’s now clearly the main man on Merseyside and has been constantly evolving from the Roma winger whose £35million signing was strongly questioned.

The Egyptian has always

Planet Football • 21st April 2022

With one icy nutmeg, Granit Xhaka brought calm to Arsenal's sh*tstorm

With one icy nutmeg, Granit Xhaka brought calm to Arsenal’s sh*tstorm

Nutmegging a player is one of the most satisfying things you can do on a football pitch, and even more so when it leads to a goal.

The best way to humiliate your opponent? Stick it through their legs and leave them wishing they’d chosen a different career path.

As Arsenal headed to Stamford Bridge, they knew they needed a moment of inspiration to lift them out of the rot of three straight defeats and to spark this young sid

Planet Football • 15th April 2022

Guendouzi's chaos-assist was pure syrup of a talent Arsenal didn't tame

When the Tasmanian Devil goes on a rampage, he spins around destroying everything in sight, leaving a wake of chaos behind him.

When Matteo Guendouzi picks up the ball in midfield, there is often a similar outcome.

He gets caught in the moment, bursting forward on his own to cause carnage for both teams on the pitch.

A lot of Arsenal fans eventually grew sick of his style, as the mess left behind him was often the opposition launching a counter whilst he was out of position. However, when it

Planet Football • 7th April 2022

No wonder Liverpool want Danjuma - he made Bayern look like Barnsley

No wonder Liverpool want Danjuma – he made Bayern look like Barnsley

Bayern Munich usually strike fear into everyone they face from Barcelona to Bremen, but when they visited Villarreal in the Champions League quarter-final, they were dismantled and defensively out-thought as Unai Emery orchestrated a tactical masterclass.

Villarreal won 1-0 but it could have so easily been more, and one of the stars of the show was one of La Liga’s signings of the season: Arnaut Danjuma.

The 25-year-old join

Planet Football • 28th February 2022

Away Days: A rare Levante win, sh*t goal music and serenading Soldado

For the last few weeks, I’ve been touring football grounds in the Valencian region. On a fairly chilly February Friday night, my voyage led me to Estadio Ciutat Di Valencia to watch Levante take on Elche in La Liga.

Having been to three 0-0 draws in the last month, I was desperate for goals. But I was resigned to the idea that I would leave the ground with all my limbs in perfect working order, with no chance of injuring myself in any celebration.

Going into the game, Levante had won just two

Planet Football • 25th February 2022

Odegaard is dictating & dummying: he's Arsenal captain material

As the scenes at the Emirates during Arsenal’s win over Wolves nearly caused an earthquake in north London, the name on everyone’s lips was neither the scorer nor assister of either goal.

Late, late goals from Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette (but given as an own goal from Jose Sa) gave the Gunners a big boost in the race for a top-four finish, and completed a great comeback after Hwang Hee-chan had given Wolves the lead.

Despite taking a while to score, Arsenal were completely dominant, a

Planet Football • 15th February 2022

Marcus Edwards: Spurs' mini-Messi is delivering on the hype in Portugal

Marcus Edwards: Spurs’ mini-Messi is delivering on the hype in Portugal

“His qualities … it’s only looks – his body and the way that he plays – remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi.”

In 2016, those emerged from the mouth of Mauricio Pochettino. His subject? Marcus Edwards, a graduate of the Tottenham Hotspur academy who was yet to make his senior debut.

It’s common that over-excited managers will liken one of their youth products to the Argentine superstar after a 15-minute cameo

Planet Football • 11th February 2022

Saka is learning Thierry's arrogance, this nutmeg shows he's an assassin

Saka is learning Henry’s arrogance: this nutmeg shows he’s an assassin

It takes a lot to become a Premier League defender.

Years of training, determination and bags of ability are all fundamental to becoming a member of a defence in the most-watched league in the world, and Fernando Marcal did exactly that to force his way into a starting spot at Wolves, on the left in a back five.

In a career spanning over 13 years, Marcal has played for eight different clubs, ranging from lower league footb

Planet Football • 14th January 2022

Forget Ben White's defending, this ace pass is why Arsenal paid £50m

Forget Ben White’s defending, this ace pass is why Arsenal paid £50m

Ben White put in an imperious performance as 10-man Arsenal impressively held on to a 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday night.

Granit Xhaka’s red card in the 24th minute meant that the visitors had to play with a man down for over an hour, an unenviable task at a ground where the Gunners have been hammered repeatedly in recent years.

Having already fielded a depleted side, it see

Planet Football • 21st December 2021

'The best kid I've ever seen': Arsenal's Charlie Patino & a superb solo goal

Arsenal have been churning out top quality youngsters in recent years, with Emile Smith Rowe receiving a deserved England call up yesterday, Bukayo Saka becoming the star of the team and the likes of Ainsley-Maitland Niles, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock receiving plaudits.

The success of Saka and Smith Rowe has shown there is a clear path to the Arsenal first team for academy players, which has inspired youngsters such as Folarin Balogun to sign a long-term contract and patiently wait for his o

Planet Football • 10th December 2021

Remembering Pato at Milan: one of the greatest 'wonderkids' ever

Remembering Pato at Milan: one of the greatest wonderkids ever

His career may not have panned out as expected, but Alexandre Pato was one of the most entertaining footballers of his generation.

What other 18 year old could join an AC Milan squad containing Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Fillipo Inzaghi and Clarence Seedorf and immediately become the name on everyone’s lips?

Alexandre Rodrigues Da Silva, known as ‘Pato’, meaning ‘The Duck’, arrived at Milan in 2007 for a £24million fee, a massive figure

Planet Football • 25th November 2021

Misused talent or costly flop: Is there room for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal?

Misused talent or costly flop: Is there room for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal?

When Arsenal agreed a deal to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille for £72million in the summer of 2019, there was considerable excitement.

Landing the Ivorian winger was seen as something of a coup, given his record in Ligue 1 and the apparent interest shown towards him from Liverpool, Napoli, Bayern Munich and others across Europe.

Under Unai Emery, the Gunners finished fifth and were humiliated in the 2019 Europa League fina

Planet Football • 10th November 2021

Aaron Ramsey at Juve: Where did it all go wrong for the Arsenal hero?

Aaron Ramsey at Juve: Where did it all go wrong for the Arsenal hero?

When Aaron Ramsey traded North London for Turin in the summer of 2019, he left expecting a fresh start and a regular role at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

Juventus continued their trend of high-profile free transfers, as the Welshman followed the likes of Emre Can, Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba in joining the Old Lady after his Arsenal contract expired.

In doing so, they made Ramsey one of the highest earners at the club,

Planet Football • 29th October 2021

An ode to the great Villarreal of the 2000s: Riquelme, Rossi & heartbreak

An ode to the great Villarreal of the 2000s: Riquelme, Rossi & heartbreak

Villarreal have earned their fair share of admirers throughout their spell in Spain’s top-flight, as they consistently punch above their weight to compete with La Liga’s elite.

Based in the Castellon province just north of Valencia, with a population of 50,000, the ‘Yellow Submarine’ were relative newcomers to La Liga, first winning promotion in 1998 before going straight back down.

Following this initial setback, Villa

Planet Football • 28th October 2021

William Saliba at Marseille: From Arsenal outcast to Ligue 1 superstar

William Saliba at Marseille: From Arsenal outcast to Ligue 1 superstar

William Saliba signed for Arsenal over two years ago as an 18-year-old for a fee of around £27million, a considerable sum for a teenager with one season of football under his belt.

Since then, he has already become one of the biggest causes for debate amongst Arsenal fans, despite never playing a senior minute for the club.

Initially sent back on loan to boyhood club Saint-Etienne as part of the original transfer, controve

BeticoNews • 22nd September 2021

Héctor Bellerín: The Boyhood Betis Fan Who Needed A Fresh Start

Héctor Bellerín made a deadline day loan move from Arsenal to Real Betis after months of speculation linking him with the likes of Barcelona and Inter Milan.

The 26-year-old defender was one of the English side’s longest serving players, having made his full debut in September 2014, in a 2-0 away loss to Borussia Dortmund. 239 appearances, 9 goals, 28 assists and 3 FA cup wins later, both he and the club decided it was time for a fresh challenge. He joins on a dry loan, with no option or obliga