Patrick Ssekatawa, Kafulu.

How Arsenal beat Barcelona to win their second Women’s Champions League title

Patrick Ssekatawa
May 25, 2025 1:34 am
Arsenal Women are champions of Europe

Eighteen years after becoming the first English side to win the Champions League, they are now the first team to go all the way through the qualifying rounds to lift the trophy.

In a rollercoaster season that began with high-profile player departures, on-pitch frustrations and managerial changes, Renee Slegers leading Arsenal to the European summit feels nearly impossible. They beat perennial Champions League winners Barcelona 1-0 after despatching record-holders Olympique Lyonnais in the semi-finals.

But, hey, this is the year of the underdog, isn’t it?

When Arsenal’s Champions League campaign began in September, with a 6-0 qualification win over Rangers, Slegers was still part of then-head coach Jonas Eidevall’s backroom staff. She was an academy player at Arsenal when they last won the Champions League, and Eidevall brought her back to work as an individual development coach.

Slegers’ focus was on the micro, on getting more out of each player in their own right, but that soon turned to the macro of forming a competitive squad that could win on the big stage.

She has succeeded where others had previously failed and became the first Dutch coach to win the Women’s Champions League

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has agreed a deal worth 1.3bn to buy a 25% stake in Manchester United. The deal will see him take change of daily operations of the club on and off the pitch.

It not yet known where this leaves manager Erik Ten Hag who is struggling badly to conjure results on the pitch. It is said Ratcliffe has already spoken to Graham Potter. He believes the Englishman is better suited to the development strategy he hopes to implement once his deal is ratified by the Premier League

Arsenal are interested in signing Everton's Amadou Onana in January after being priced out of a move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz

Community Shield winners ❤️

Arsenal bag first piece of silverware beating Man City 4-1 on penalties after it ended 1-1 in the 90

More to follow......

Statbomb! Fabio Vieira v Other Midfielders at Arsenal

Goals
Bukayo Saka – 11
Emile Smith Rowe – 10
Martin Odegaard – 7
Fabio Vieira – 6
Thomas Partey – 2
Grant Xhaka – 1
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 0
Assists
Fabio Vieira – 14
Bukayo Saka – 7
Martin Odegaard – 4
Emile Smith Rowe – 2
Grant Xhaka – 2
Thomas Partey – 1
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 0

Minutes per goal or assist
Fabio Vieira – 66.4
Emile Smith Rowe – 160.1
Bukayo Saka – 166.4
Martin Odegaard – 253.9
Grant Xhaka – 777
Thomas Partey – 677.3
Albert Sambi Lokonga – N/A
Chances created per 90 minutes
Martin Odegaard – 2.5
Fabio Vieira – 2.3
Bukayo Saka – 2.0
Emile Smith Rowe – 1.4
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 1.4
Grant Xhaka – 1.2
Thomas Partey – 0.8
Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Thomas Partey – 1.6 (80%)
Emile Smith Rowe – 1.5 (60%)
Fabio Vieira – 1.4 (46.6%)
Bukayo Saka – 1.3 (41.9%)
Martin Odegaard – 0.8 (53.3%)
Grant Xhaka – 0.7 (70%)
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 0.2 (66.6%)
Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 65.0 (88.4%)
Grant Xhaka – 59.6 (86.8%)
Thomas Partey – 53.4 (85.6%)
Martin Odegaard – 50.2 (86%)
Fabio Vieira – 47.9 (82.9%)
Emile Smith Rowe – 35.9 (87.4%)
Bukayo Saka – 31.9 (79.5%)

Successful tackles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Thomas Partey – 1.9 (61.2%)
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 1.7 (89.4%)
Martin Odegaard – 1.6 (55.1%)
Fabio Vieira – 1.3 (65%)
Bukayo Saka – 1.2 (60%)
Grant Xhaka – 1.2 (54.5%)
Emile Smith Rowe – 0.7 (50%)
Interceptions per 90 minutes
Albert Sambi Lokonga – 1.0
Thomas Partey – 1.0
Grant Xhaka – 0.8
Bukayo Saka – 0.7
Fabio Vieira – 0.7
Emile Smith Rowe – 0.7
Martin Odegaard – 0.4
Shots per 90 minutes (inside penalty area)
Fabio Vieira – 3.1 (1.1)
Bukayo Saka – 2.9 (2.2)
Emile Smith Rowe – 1.9 (1.4)
Thomas Partey – 1.9 (0.6)
Martin Odegaard – 1.7 (0.7)
Albert Sambi Lokonga –

Who is Darwin Nunez? The Benfica hitman to complete Arsenal's attack

By Patrick Ssekatawa

Arsenal are aware that a new striker is high on the priority list in the summer. The departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Barcelona in January, coupled with the expiring deals of both Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette, though the latter may yet extend his stay in north London, means the Gunners run the risk of a return to European football without a top quality forward on the books.

They sought to rectify this issue at the turn of the year as they outlined their intention to secure the services of Dusan Vlahovic, only to be left frustrated in their pursuit of the Serb who elected to swap Fiorentina for rivals Juventus, much to the rage of the Viola. Between now and the end of the season, Arsenal have just Lacazette and Nketiah to rely upon to lead the charge, while Gabriel Martinelli can play the role if need be.

Yet Arsenal are expected to delve into the market once the window opens with Benfica's Darwin Nunez rumoured to be high on the club's wishlist. The Uruguayan may not have the same star name power as Vlahovic or Erling Haaland, but that shouldn't mean Arsenal fans look down upon the striker's exploits.

The 22-year-old currently leads the Liga Bwin goalscoring charts with 20 goals to his name, at least five more than any other player in the division. Of those 20, 17 have been from open play, with the other three coming from the spot. For an Arsenal side that ranks fourth for key passes from open play (287) in the Premier League this season, it could prove a match made in heaven for both player and club.

"He puts the ball in the net, that’s priority number one," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said when asked what he wants from his main striker earlier this month. Of the 20 league goals Nunez has scored this season, 15 have been deemed clear-cut. Create the chances, and the goals will come.

Martin Odegaard: The Norwegian Maestro Doing His Magic at Arsenal

By Patrick Ssekatawa

When Mikel Arteta signed Martin Odegaard permanently from Real Madrid last summer, there were a number of critics who groaned, chief of whom was Arsenal legend Paul Merson. In his column for the Daily Star, Merson ranted, "What are doing signing Odegaard? He was at Arsenal last season and he didn't pull down any trees, did he? I think it's a lazy decision.....a mistake!"

Not just Merson, Tony Adams said the same, pointing out the fact that Arsenal had Smith-Rowe already in the squad and therefore, the money spent on the Norwegian would be better spent in strengthening elsewhere in the squad. How wrong they were!
Looking at Odegaard play today and reflecting back on the stick he received from respected pundits and former players, I would say they owe him an apology.
Odegaard is everything good that happens to Arsenal. All play goes through him. He creates chances for fun, holds Arteta's midfield together with carefully knit passes, delicate backheels. He controls the tempo of the game, knows when to pass and when to hold the ball, works hardest in that midfield and makes others around him good with his beautiful play. Taking the Arsenal v Wolves game for example, it was the Norway captain's pass that opened up a stubborn Wolves defence to set up Eddie Nketiah who squared it Nicolas Pepe to slot past José Sa and level the scores at 1-1.

Odegaard had a had in Arsenal's winner too, giving a lofted perfectly weighted ball to Nicolas Pepe who slid Lacazette through to force an own goal by the Wolves custodian enabling The Gunners to go away with all three points!
In the Watford game, his beautiful exchanges with Bukayo Saka were a thing of beauty. The Saka/Odegaard combination resulted in the Norwegian scoring the Arsenal equaliser in a man-of-the-match performance
He seems to be improving every passing day and at only 23, the sky seems to be the limit for the outrageously talented Odegaard.

The Odegaard episode should teach football fans to not be very quick to pass judgement on players

What's Wrong With Arsenal Skippers?

By Patrick Ssekatawa, Kafulu

For close to two decades, there has been something wrong with Arsenal captains. For some reason, whereas other teams have had consistency and longevity as regards skippers, at Arsenal that hasn't been the case.
Skippers have either ended up being sold or stripped of captaincy. Patrick Vieira,Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Robinvan Persie, were all captains at the times they got sold to Juventus, Barcelona, Barcelona and Man United respectively. William Gallas, Granit Xhaka and now Pierre-Emerrick Aubameyang have been stripped of captaincy, while Laurent Koscielny left unceremoniously for his homeland after refusing to travel to the team's training camp in the US.
I've seen some pathetic fans blaming Aubameyang's plight on Mikel Arteta, but perhaps their memories are too short to remember that apart from the current saga, all the others have happened with other managers including the legendary Arsene Wenger. So, could Arteta have been the cause of all that? Definitely not!
The truth is that there has been some sort of a leadership crisis at Arsenal over the past decade or so that the current manager needs to address now.

Of the current so-called leadership group, only Xhaka's future is relatively certain having penned a new deal a few months ago, while Lacazette doesn't seem to have a future at Arsenal beyond the summer and the same can be said of Rob Holding. One would point at Tierney, but he's been in and out of the team of late with the manager preferring Nuno Tavares at left back.
Who then would be the ideal captain of Arsenal Football Club? Perhaps Martin Odegaard who despite his young age, skippers his national team.
It however remains a real challenge for Mikel Arteta to sort out the leadership issue if Arsenal are to continue their upward trajectory that he seems to have fostered as Arsenal manager

Arsenal Move for Serbian Hitman

By Patrick Ssekatawa, Kafulu

Arsenal reportedly have an initial understanding with Fiorentina over the €80m signing of Dusan Vlahovic, but no agreement with the player.

Sky Italia journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio report that Fiorentina met with Arsenal in recent days to talk about Dusan Vlahovic. The Gunners would be keen to bring the striker in during the January window, and they’re even willing to meet Fiorentina’s €80m asking price (when you include bonuses).

The two clubs have reportedly reached an initial understanding, but without any agreement with the player himself. There’s a suggestion he might want to wait for other offers in the summer.

Fiorentina would prefer to settle Vlahovic’s situation quickly, so they can cash in and find a replacement. They know his contract expires in 2023 and he doesn’t plan to get it renewed.

Vlahovic has scored 10 goals for Fiorentina this season and four for Serbia, in 17 games for club and country. He scored a hat-trick for the Serie A side over the weekend. Though it’s worth mentioning that five of those 14 goals were penalties.

The left-footed striker is strong in the air, standing at 6’3″, so he certainly offers something different to Arsenal’s current options.

There’s a fair concern at the fact he doesn’t seem to score a huge number of goals from open play, particularly if he’s going for €80m. But at 21, and with his physical attributes, he certainly looks to have the potential to improve as he gets into his prime.

Arsenal will have watched Vlahovic a few times this season as a result of Lucas Torreira’s loan to Fiorentina. One potential bonus of Vlahovic’s sale is Fiorentina would have the money to take up their option to buy Torreira, avoiding another summer of speculation.

Newcastle 'considering transfer raid on Arsenal' for Lacazette

Newcastle United are planning a busy winter transfer window following the conclusion of their £305million takeover

08:31, 12 Oct 2021

Newcastle United are preparing to make Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette one of their first signings of the new era under their Saudi-based owners following the completion of their takeover.

Mike Ashley finally sold the club in a £305million deal, which was completed on Thursday, to the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The deal has automatically propelled Newcastle to the top of football’s rich list, with their new owners boasting a combined wealth of £320bn.

Director Amanda Staveley, the financier played a key role in negotiations, has promised the fans that Newcastle invest heavily in player recruitment.

And according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Lacazette could be one of the first names through the doors as the owners want to sign a “star” name to kickstart their Toon revolution.

Newcastle director Amanda Staveley has promised new arrivals in the January transfer window
Mauro Icardi, Jesse Lingard and Philippe Coutinho are just some of dozens of names whom have been linked with a move to St James’ Park over the past five days.

But Lacazette’s contractual situation puts the Magpies in a good position to bring the 30-year-old in for a cut-price fee.

The striker, who arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Lyon in 2017 for a then-club record £52m fee, has only eight months left to run on his current deal.

Donny van de Beek's agent 'contacted' over Man Utd exit in January transfer window

Man Utd call Jesse Lingard's bluff amid contract stand-off ahead of transfer window
The Frenchman was Arsenal ’s top goalscorer in the Premier League last season with 13 goals