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Underrated Premier League Players: From Arsenal to Liverpool

From left to right: Chelsea’s Mikel John Obi; Brighton’s Glenn Murray and Steve Finnan at Liverpool. Composite: Reuters/Getty/PA
From left to right: Chelsea’s Mikel John Obi; Brighton’s Glenn Murray and Steve Finnan at Liverpool. Composite: Reuters/Getty/PA
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Underrated Premier League Players: From Arsenal to Liverpool

From left to right: Chelsea’s Mikel John Obi; Brighton’s Glenn Murray and Steve Finnan at Liverpool. Composite: Reuters/Getty/PA
From left to right: Chelsea’s Mikel John Obi; Brighton’s Glenn Murray and Steve Finnan at Liverpool. Composite: Reuters/Getty/PA

Arsenal: Olivier Giroud
Position Centre-forward Time at club 2012-2018 League apps/goals 180/73

Karim Benzema might take issue with the idea, but Giroud has always been more than a chugging go-kart. Perhaps his misfortune was that, for most of his time at Arsenal, there was someone else to take the limelight. Arriving in the wake of Robin van Persie’s departure made for unenviable timing, while he pitched up just as Theo Walcott produced his most spectacular season and, later on, was overshadowed by Alexis Sánchez and Alexandre Lacazette. But Giroud was far more than a bridesmaid: his goal tally hit the late-teens in five of six seasons, while moments such as the “scorpion” strike against Crystal Palace and the chip that set up Aaron Ramsey’s 2017 FA Cup final winner – one of three won on Giroud’s watch – were ample proof of his diverse gifts. Nick Ames

Aston Villa: Wilfred Bouma
Position Left-back Time at club 2005-2010 League apps/goals 83/1

The Dutchman is seldom recalled as a top Premier League import but for two seasons he was one of its most satisfying performers. It took him time to adapt after being signed by David O’Leary and he did not flourish until Martin O’Neill made him first choice. Then he bossed Villa’s left flank, powerfully shutting down opponents and joining in attacks. An ankle injury in a 2008 Intertoto match sabotaged his Villa career. The club have yet to find a left-back of the same caliber. Paul Doyle

Bournemouth: Yann Kermorgant
Position Striker Time at club 2014-2016 League apps/goals 61/24

The Frenchman was 32 when Eddie Howe signed him from Charlton but Kermorgant proved a big hit, providing a touch of class and the perfect foil for Lewis Grabban and then Callum Wilson en route to the Premier League. Reaching the top was supposed to be impossible – at 14 he was told he would struggle to walk after being diagnosed with leukemia – but Kermorgant carved out a career and his partnership with Wilson proved particularly fruitful, clever interplay allowing his strike-partner to flourish. Kermorgant’s stay was brief but, from the moment he scored a hat-trick on his full debut against Doncaster, he made a lasting impression. He retired this week. Ben Fisher

Brighton: Glenn Murray
Position Striker Time at club 2008-2011, 2016- League apps/goals 255/103

Two separate spells across three divisions, more than 100 goals and a mountain of memories, the evergreen Murray has excelled everywhere from Oldham to Old Trafford in the blue and white stripes since first joining from Carlisle for £300,000 in January 2008. Murray’s achievements are not to be sniffed at and, at 36, there is an argument he remains Brighton’s most lethal weapon. After signing a new contract in February, Murray is well placed to eclipse Tommy Cook’s 123-goal haul and become the club’s record scorer. BF

Burnley: Ashley Westwood
Position Midfield Time at club 2017- League apps/goals 88/4

Lots of Burnley players have been underrated, clubs punching above their weight tend not to get the recognition they deserve. Beavering away inconspicuously in midfield of late has been Ashley Westwood, an unflashy yet effective performer who rarely hits the headlines but whose contribution is missed when he is absent. The former Crewe and Aston Villa player will tell you he likes to keep things simple and just retain possession before moving the ball on to a teammate, though he does more than that. His anticipation is excellent, some of his through balls are inspired, and his set piece delivery is so good he has even started scoring direct from corners. A £5m bargain buy, even by Burnley’s frugal standards. Paul Wilson

Chelsea: Mikel John Obi
Position Midfielder Time at club 2006-2017 League apps/goals 249/1

It was always hard to believe that the midfielder played in an advanced creative role for Nigeria. He rarely showed many incisive qualities in Chelsea’s colors – his only goal for the club was a close-range effort against Fulham in September 2013 – and there were times when he struggled to convince critics of his worth. However Mikel’s managers respected his positional intelligence and he was outstanding in Chelsea’s greatest triumph, the victory over Bayern in the 2012 Champions League final. Jacob Steinberg

Crystal Palace: James McArthur
Position Midfielder Time at club 2014- League apps/goals 188/17

Having helped Wigan win the FA Cup 12 months earlier, McArthur was initially meant to join Leicester in 2014 but ended up at Selhurst after Nigel Pearson opted to sign Esteban Cambiasso instead. The versatile Scot has since established himself as an integral part of the SE25 furniture, with only Wilfried Zaha having made more than his 188 Premier League appearances of the current squad. McArthur has been deployed in most midfield positions over the past six years and even stood in at left-back during one injury crisis. His reunification with his former Hamilton and Wigan teammate and near namesake James McCarthy also appears to have given the 32-year-old Glaswegian a new lease of life as he approaches 500 career league appearances. Ed Aarons

Everton: Leon Osman
Position Midfield Time at club 2003-2016 League apps/goals 352/43

His statistics and longevity reflect a fine career yet there is no question the academy graduate’s talent often went unrecognized outside, and sometimes inside, Goodison Park. The midfielder’s superb technical ability marked him out as potential first-team material when Everton won the FA Youth Cup in 1998 only for a serious knee injury to delay his development. Osman eventually established himself under David Moyes and, while his versatility came at the expense of a settled position, he produced many exquisite moments, not least a stunning goal against Larissa in the 2007-08 Uefa Cup. Recognition at senior England level finally arrived at 31. Andy Hunter

Leicester City: Marc Albrighton
Position Midfield Time at club 2014- League apps/goals 164/10

Like Muzzy Izzet before him, Albrighton is loved by Leicester fans but not fully appreciated outside the club. His performances since joining on a free from Aston Villa put him close to Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté in the rankings of great Premier League bargains. He has also been one of the division’s best crossers, but that is merely the most eye-catching quality of a clever, dynamic, and versatile player. He was key to the title-winning team, shone in the Champions League and, somehow, never got called up by England. PD

Liverpool: Steve Finnan
Position Right-back Time at club 2003-08 League apps/goals 145/1

There was only one Champions League winner who could not be tracked down for the 10-year anniversary celebration of Istanbul in 2015. It was no surprise, and highly appropriate, that it was Steve Finnan. Unfussy summed up his approach on and off the pitch, but for the bulk of his Anfield career the Republic of Ireland international was a highly effective solution to a right-back problem that preceded and followed him. In Istanbul he was injured and replaced at half-time by the game-changing Dietmar Hamann. When the 10-year anniversary arrived he was managing a property business in London. He retired only two years after leaving Liverpool, having fallen foul of Rafael Benítez’s fixation with changing right-backs, but his rise from non-league football was uncharacteristically spectacular. AH

(The Guardian)

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Sports

From Rocafonda to the World Cup: Lamine Yamal’s Meteoric Rise

Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)
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From Rocafonda to the World Cup: Lamine Yamal’s Meteoric Rise

Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will play at a record sixth World Cup in 2026, but years from now the tournament may instead be remembered as Lamine Yamal's first.

From the concrete square in Mataro the Spanish 18-year-old used to play in, to the biggest stages in world football, his rise has been dazzling.

His uncle Abdul Nasraoui used to keep a small replica World Cup trophy in his bakery in the humble neighborhood of Rocafonda, a 20-mile (32-kilometer) crawl up the Catalan coast from Barcelona, telling people it was for when his nephew wins it.

Abdul had the trophy before Yamal even debuted for Spain, because he knew something special was coming. Many claim they did, in Rocafonda, but importantly for Barca it was Jordi Roura who got there first.

Alerted to Yamal by a scout, Barcelona's then youth football chief Roura and close colleague Aureli Altimira pounced. In the chaos of a trial match, Lamine stood out.

"We were there with Aureli and at the beginning we saw him and he looked a bit odd, kind of scrawny, he moved a bit strangely, and we said, 'hmm let's see...'," Roura tells AFP.

"Then once they start playing, it's difficult, right? Because imagine 20 kids of seven, eight years old, all chasing the ball.

"Even so, Lamine would sometimes do something where you'd go, 'Damn!'. Instead of just running after the ball, sometimes he would find space, wait, look for his left foot, execute really quickly."

One attribute, honed on the square where if your feet aren't fast enough to swerve defenders you can end up on the concrete, marked out little Lamine.

"Dribbling might be the most innate technical action, right?" says Roura. "It's hard to train a dribbler. He had that. He would feint, do things which made you say 'wow'.

"We thought this kid had something special, even if he looked a bit slight, and decided to sign him."

Negotiations were quick with Lamine's father Mounir Nasraoui from Morocco, and his mother Sheila Ebana, from Equatorial Guinea.

He was a quiet, even shy child, who loved to play football and spent a lot of time with his paternal grandmother, Fatima.

She was the first of the family to move to Spain, arriving on a ferry from Tangier in 1990 and slowly bringing across her children in the following years.

Fatima settled in Rocafonda and remains there, although Mounir, after being stabbed during an altercation in 2024, has since relocated to the upmarket Barcelona neighborhood of Sarria.

After Lamine's parents split up when he was three, he also lived with his mother in Roca del Valles, north of Mataro, but Rocafonda was always home.

It is represented in his goal celebration, using his hands to show the numbers 304, the last digits of the neighborhood's postcode.

Now even in the more well-to-do parts of Mataro the number appears.

Rocafonda is north-east of the elegant center, a neighborhood with a negative reputation for crime and poverty, although now it is famous for being where Lamine came from.

Glance down the right street and you can catch a narrow glimpse of sweet Mediterranean blue.

The winger and his father are spotted less frequently there now, but the games go on, with players duking it out in front of a mural of Lamine, painted in 2025.

"With all these great players... they're capable of doing the same, or more than they did when they were children, and that's very difficult, very rare, and that's why they're the chosen ones," said Roura.

"(Lamine) enjoys playing, and I think that even when he was very little, when the challenge was greater, when a game was harder, that's when he liked it the most, you know?"

- 'No limits' -

Not everyone has the accuracy of the neighborhood's "idol" and an "example" as youngsters sitting and waiting for a chance to play describe him.

The ball is lashed high over the fence that divides the concrete pitch from the road, to howls of frustration.

The kids call to a passer-by, before one player zips past on an electric scooter to retrieve it.

But for the interception, it may have rolled down the road and past the bar run by Lamine's uncle, "Familia LY 304", since he gave up his bakery.

Over the past three years Abdul has answered plenty of questions about Lamine, but with concerns over the winger's fitness heading into the World Cup, he doesn't feel like speaking for now.

On a shelf behind the bar, sits his replica trophy. Abdul's dream, just three years after Lamine made his professional debut aged just 15, could come true remarkably quickly.

"When you see the resume he already has at 18, it's scary, so what this kid can achieve has no limits," added Roura.

Yamal was still studying for his exams during Spain's run to Euro 2024 glory, where he captured the world's attention with a sensational strike against France.

That moment is memorialized on one wall of the bar, along with others from the winger's short yet glittering career for club and country, along with two framed shirts.

Nearly three decades after arriving from Morocco, Abdul is still happy working. He sits and eats a few mouthfuls of vegetables before a shout comes from the kitchen and he is on his feet again, bringing dishes, olive oil and bread to customers.

"Ojala -- I hope -- ojala," he says on the prospect of Lamine bringing the real thing back to Rocafonda. "If we win the World Cup, then I'll talk."

Sports

AI Unearths Football Talent Beyond Scouts’ Radar

Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)
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AI Unearths Football Talent Beyond Scouts’ Radar

Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)

Brazilian teenager Leo Veiga had almost given up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer when artificial intelligence helped him secure a spot in the youth ranks of an Italian club.

Tech companies promising to "democratize" football are launching apps that allow young players to upload videos recorded on their phone of them showcasing their ball skills.

AI is then used to analyze and score their performance, which is sent to scouts and clubs.

The 18-year-old Veiga was stuck playing for a small club in his home state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil when he discovered one of these apps, from Swiss company Footbao.

A YouTube video offered the highest-scoring users to train for a few days with the Italian club Lecce. Veiga was selected and caught the eye of a scout, who decided to take a chance on him.

"AI opened a new door," he told AFP from Italy, where he is now under contract with the youth academy of the club Spezia, which plays in Italy's second division.

"I thought, 'I'm going to download the app and give it a try. If nothing happens, it doesn't matter because nothing else is working out for me. But what if something does happen?'" he said.

Footbao works with videos from matches and training sessions, while another tech company in the field, German firm CUJU, uses videos of drills suggested to users through the app.

- Untapped potential -

Around 120,000 players have used the Footbao app, most of them in Brazil, the world's largest exporter of football talent.

"There are probably between 14,000 and 15,000 players with the potential to join clubs or academies," chief executive Nick Rappolt told AFP.

The company, founded in 2023, also operates in Colombia and Argentina and plans to expand into other South American countries.

According to Rappolt, AI can "democratize" football by helping identify talent that lies outside the radar of major development centers.

CUJU's app, meanwhile, was launched last year and has been downloaded around 160,000 times.

"Professional clubs have huge databases, but they mostly contain players who have already been scouted. There is no reliable data on talent at the earliest stages," Sven Muller, CUJU's marketing director, told AFP.

The goal, he said, is to turn "simple videos recorded on a phone" into "reliable performance data."

- Boost to women's football -

In Sao Paulo, Marcela Geremias de Lima repeatedly kicks a ball against a wall, one of the exercises proposed by CUJU, which focuses on technical skills such as ball control and speed.

After using the app, Marcela was invited to youth tournaments organized by the company in front of scouts.

She eventually earned a place in the Under-15 side of Corinthians, a powerhouse of South American women's football with six Copa Libertadores titles.

The exercises "help you improve" and mean "you can be seen from anywhere in the world," she said.

Brazil will host the 2027 Women's World Cup, an event that could help drive the recruitment of young female players.

The Brazilian club Santos, associated with star players like Pele and Neymar, in December announced a deal with Footbao to help identify young prospects.

It is a way to "expand our search for athletes," club president Marcelo Teixeira said.

Top prospects are usually recruited from a very young age, but AI can give a boost to players who might otherwise go unnoticed, according to Joao Paulo Sampaio, head of youth development at Palmeiras, where international talents such as Endrick and Estevao came through the ranks.

"I receive between 30 and 40 videos every day," Sampaio told AFP, adding that tech companies that carry out "a first round of pre-selection" represent "a new tool," although the Sao Paulo club does not currently work with these firms.

Sports

For Roland Garros Youth, Quarter-Final Moment of Truth

Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
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For Roland Garros Youth, Quarter-Final Moment of Truth

Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)

The young kings of tennis have been deposed and as the French Open reaches its quarter-finals on Tuesday, the sport's even younger princes will be strutting on the clay.

Between them 24-year-old Jannik Sinner, and 23-year-old Carlos Alcaraz have won the last nine majors. But the Spaniard is injured and Sinner could not stand the Paris heat and lost in the second round.

In their place are three striplings playing a first Grand Slam quarter-final.

The next in the line of Spanish clay monsters, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, faces the top remaining man, Alexander Zverev.

The honor of ending the first day when all the main-draw matches can be fitted onto Court Philippe Chatrier, has been handed to 20-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik and the phenomenon of the tournament, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca.

The third 19-year-old in quarter-final action on Tuesday is, by comparison, a grizzled veteran of Grand Slam late rounds.

Eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva will be playing her third straight Roland Garros quarter-final when she faces Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

Of all the majors, the French Open most favors young men. Of the five youngest men to have won majors in the Open era, Michael Chang, Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg all did it at Roland Garros.

Of 16 women who have won majors in their teens, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Iga Swiatek, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong all did so in Paris.

Chang and Wilander were at Roland Garros on Monday for an annual reunion of former champions.

The American, who won aged 17 in 1989 and now coaches rising American Learner Tien, said youth gave advantages.

"I think it can be easier on some aspects if you're not dwelling too much on it," he said before adding that for some the spotlight was already bright.

"I think there's also a lot of pressure for some of these young guys because there are expectations. That doesn't necessarily give them freedom to go out there and play.

"When I was 17, nobody expected me to win. So I had the freedom to be the underdog... in the second week."

Wilander, who won the first of his three French Open crowns at 17 in 1982, was clear the youngsters had a mental edge.

"You find me a 19-year-old that does have the fear. None of them do," the Swede said.

"No pressure, no nerves. I don't think, I know."

"They don't have any history of losing," the Swede said. "So you're losing the quarter-finals? It's not gonna hurt, and then they realize that it hurts to lose. And then suddenly things change."

Wilander is a fan of Fonseca who is "going to be a great player".

Fonseca came from two sets down to beat first Dino Prizmic and then tennis titan Novak Djokovic, before conquering Casper Ruud.

"It's great to have new generations," the Brazilian declared after beating Djokovic.

"The next generation is doing pretty well. Not only Jodar and Mensik and me, but also Learner, (Alex) Michelsen. There is (Martin) Landaluce... It's good to have them around, pushing me for sure, doing some great battles."

- 'Margin of development huge' -

Chang has been impressed by Jodar.

"On the clay, he just took off," said Chang.

"He's just he's just riding a wave of great tennis right now. I don't think he's thinking a whole lot. He's going out there and playing some great tennis."

Jodar is full of confidence.

"I am trying to develop that game," he said after reaching the last eight. "But, overall, I think I still have a margin of development huge, you know?"

The other match of the day changes the focus as 31-year-old Elina Svitolina takes on 23-year-old compatriot Marta Kostyuk.

Svitolina said that she believed two Ukrainians had never met so late in a Slam.

Kostyuk said the older player had a lot to do with that happening.

"She's a legend of Ukrainian tennis... she's paved the way."