Mikel Merino, a “win now” signing for Arsenal. Story of the deal with Mario Cortegana & Guillermo Rai for The Athletic | Football 🔴⚪️🇪🇸⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/57204…

An article on the relationship between atmosphere and football style in English football. More so than elsewhere, I think English atmospheres primarily depend on on-pitch events, and patient possession play doesn’t always work well with that. ⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/57263…

Deadline day signings are either ones that have been chased since the beginning of the summer, opportunities that arise on the day or a final-hour scramble. A couple of them turned out to have a tactical impact on their new Premier League clubs.⬇️⬇️⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/57261…

If you're looking for a nice precis of what is happening on transfer deadline day, why not come and join us over The Athletic | Football YouTube channel at 5pm UK for a live stream?

📝 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒍𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒕: 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆 📝 Get your questions in and join David Ornstein and Adam Leventhal for the latest #DeadlineDay news in our live stream here ⬇️ x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

■ Paying less than 50% of Raheem Sterling wages ■ Frustration around goalkeeper situation ■ Focus on improving squad and selling part of strategy This is the inside story of Arsenal’s summer transfer window. 📝 gunnerblog and James Horncastle

What happens when the world's best striker gets even better? Like Pep Guardiola desires, Erling Haaland is sprinting, pressing — and scoring. Lots. We might be in the process of finding out the answer to that question. 📝 Sam Lee 🔗 nyti.ms/475xrsh

Erling Haaland's eight (yes, eight) hat-tricks in the Premier League mapped out. Only two of those 24 goals came outside the penalty area. This and more in today's column for The Athletic | Football nytimes.com/athletic/57383…

A look at Mohamed Salah’s creative game and how it’s evolved over the years - fewer dribbles, more right-footed crosses. nytimes.com/athletic/57391…

Felt that Joelinton's performance and tactical role in Newcastle's scrappy 2-1 victory against Tottenham summed up the game perfectly ⬇️⬇️⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/57391…

The football analytics world has grown hugely in recent years, but there has rarely been an objective, statistically-led depiction of the data ecosystems in clubs in English football. I linked up with Traits Insights to dig deeper 👇 The Athletic | Football nytimes.com/athletic/56976…

There’s art in Erling Haaland’s finishing — it just comes out when he needs it ⬇️⬇️⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/57411…

With 97 goals in 102 appearances for Manchester City, many see Erling Haaland as not a footballer but a towering Norwegian goal machine. But look past the clinical finishes and you will see a rich seam of technique and artistry in Haaland’s finishing. ✍️ Ahmed Walid 🔗

“I guess I’m like Voldemort — he who shall not be named. But a good version.” In Turkey, it is like Hakan Sukur does not exist. One of the country's greatest ever footballers tells his story — of Erdogan, exile to the U.S. and Uber... 📝 Nick Miller

SAN MARINO WON.

They had gone 140 matches & 7,436 days. Cristiano Ronaldo had scored 131 goals for Portugal in that time, while they had managed 22. But the wait is over. After 20 years, San Marino have won a game — their first competitive victory. This had actually been coming. Tim Spiers