■ The 6ft 4ins striker who completed more take-ons in La Liga than any striker other than Kylian Mbappe ■ The defender with the best ‘true’ tackle percentage in Serie A ■ The ball carrying winger who tormented Argentina at the World Cup ■ The veteran who has racked up double figures for goals and assists in nine seasons @ThomHarris_ on the data-driven transfers that crept under the radar. 🔗 bit.ly/4ctPyfo

Allan has joined Manchester City, becoming the latest Palmeiras winger to sign for a top European club. He follows in the footsteps of Estevao and Endrick, though his rise has been less dramatic. He is an attacker who "gallops like a horse" and plays with a tenacity reflective of the personal tragedies he has lived through, escaping a fire that killed 10 fellow players and losing his sister during Covid. Now he begins a new chapter in his life as he attempts to establish himself in England. 📝 @ThomHarris_ nyti.ms/4gs38ST

Omar Marmoush is set to swap Manchester City for Tottenham Hotspur - and a fresh start should suit everyone involved. So what will Spurs be getting? Especially effective on the counter-attack and also adept at shooting from distance, the Egypt international should add some unpredictability to Robert De Zerbi's attacking options... ✍️ @ThomHarris_ 🔗 nyti.ms/3SoY4FD

Liverpool fans may have been a little more excited by the prospect of signing Ronald Araujo in the not-so-distant past. But the last few seasons at Barcelona have not been too kind to the 27-year-old. He has gradually lost his place in the heart of defence amid persistent injury troubles, a managerial change, and the emergence of Pau Cubarsi, whose quality on the ball has kept Araujo out of the team. But there is a feeling Araujo has more to give in a system that does not leave him quite as exposed. Though not without his flaws, Araujo can reinforce an area of the pitch in which Liverpool are lacking, and brings characteristics that could help him adapt to Andoni Iraola’s style. @ThomHarris_ looks at the pros and cons of signing the defender on loan and how he will work under Andoni Iraola. nytimes.com/athletic/7503645…

🔴 Futsal and 3vs3 street games 📱 Juninho Pernambucano phonecall at Lyon 🔳 Standard-setter at Newcastle 🇳🇴 How he can click with Odegaard Bruno Guimaraes has joined Arsenal for £75m. This is where he came from, by those who helped make him who he is. 📝 @JackLang and @ThomHarris_ nyti.ms/4hIcLhp

Renewing Vinicius Junior amid interest from Arsenal underlined Real Madrid's power in the transfer market. But could it do them more harm than good? @ThomHarris_ explains why, despite boasting a star-studded frontline, this move does nothing to address Madrid's biggest tactical issue. nyti.ms/4hWEVFb

With the ball, Spain dictate the tempo, move the opposition from side-to-side, and force them deeper and deeper as they try to protect their goal. Without it, they snap straight into tackles to keep that pressure on. That is exactly how they penned Argentina in from minute one in New Jersey, defending from the front and keeping Lionel Messi and company far away from their goal. The defending champions went 116 minutes before they managed a shot. They had only two over two hours of football. Before extra time, Argentina managed 39 touches in the attacking third. Only on two occasions this summer have teams mustered fewer — Cape Verde against Spain in their opening game, and Qatar, who were reduced to nine men in a 6-0 defeat to Canada. Even Paraguay, much-maligned for their negative approach against France in the round of 16, were capable of one more. 📝 @ThomHarris_ bit.ly/3RObfiZ

On Sunday, Rodri will lead Spain out in the World Cup final against Argentina, having steadily improved throughout the tournament, to the point where we may now be witnessing a return to his very highest level. His contract at Manchester City expires next summer, and the club have been doing everything they can to get him to sign a new one. So far, they have not made much progress, but they plan to speak to him again after the World Cup. Rodri has been regularly linked with Real Madrid. He has long been open to playing at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the noises coming from various levels at the Spanish club could not be clearer: they have no intention of signing him. People close to Rodri have expressed surprise in the past that Madrid have not shown an interest in him. Madrid are not happy that Rodri’s name has been constantly linked to them this summer, but sources close to some senior players at Madrid have spoken about how good his signing would be. 📝 @SamLee, @ThomHarris_, @MarioCortegana & @GuillermoRai_ 🔗 nyti.ms/44xkUgL

When Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup in December 2022, it felt a fitting way for a glittering international career to end. On the losing side that day, a 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe had just scored a hat-trick. It was the perfect, metaphorical passing of the torch. But four years on, Messi has only doubled down on his legendary reputation at an age when many have already hung up their boots. He raced past Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup final goals, and soon become the first player to surpass 20 goals in tournament history. Remarkably, only six days later, Mbappe became the second. And like Messi, Mbappe has scored or assisted a goal in every game so far, and is now just one goal behind him in the historic standings despite almost 1,200 fewer minutes on the pitch. The narrative is tantalising as two era-defining players edge towards another cosmic tussle for a second World Cup crown on Sunday. ✍️ @ThomHarris_ and @MarkCarey93 🔗 nyti.ms/4w16Qbb