Alex Connor

Freelance Football Journalist

Long Reads

Explore a featured selection of my favourite topics within football

Goalkeeper.com •

Save Well For Less: Goalkeeper Bargain Buys

What does history tell us about the clubs who've bought well in the transfer market?

With a longer life span in their careers and perhaps more of a reluctance of clubs to change their shot-stopper, it is the perfect opportunity for positional longevity. Yet, there is an underlying reluctance for the transfer budget to be splashed on a goalkeeper: but why?

Of course, there is an ignorance attached to the position. Not from goalkeepers themselves but the outsiders. Goalkeepers are inherently und
Goalkeeper.com •

How A Transfer Can Make Or Break A Goalkeeper's Career

They may not always make the headlines, but history shows transfers may hold that extra bit of weight for goalkeepers.

Every summer, big money moves revolve around the titanic centre-back, the technically gifted full-back who can invert into midfield, the boundlessly energetic and creative box-to-box demon, the tantalizingly talented playmaker, and the lethal goal-addicted marksman.

Rarely do goalkeepers monopolise the headlines in such an intoxicating and frenzied manner. Nevertheless, like a
Goalkeeper.com •

When Goalkeepers Go Up For Corners...

An abandonment of all tactical nous or an important emergency maneuver?

A glance over at the bench. The reluctant nod of the manager. The eager anticipation of every onlooking fan. The sight of a goalkeeper marauding forward for a corner kick in search of a late equaliser or winner is a glorious storyline.

This desperation, intertwined with the unexpected nature of a goal, is a rare and beautiful utopia in football. This tactic is perhaps the ultimate abandonment of all tactics; last-ditch and
Goalkeeper.com •

Why Are Goalkeepers Often Passed Up For Awards?

Those between the sticks rarely find their names inscribed on the trophies of football's greatest individual awards…

1963 was an anomaly year for the goalkeeper.

In a rare moment of clarity and recognition, Lev Yashin received the Ballon d’Or. Yashin, who was notoriously nicknamed the ‘Black Spider’, pipped the likes of Jimmy Greaves and Eusebio in the rankings, and remains the only goalkeeper to have scooped the award. For a split-second, the goalkeeper had superseded all other positions as t
Breaking The Lines •

Billy Gilmour: Brighton’s Slick Scotsman Is on the Right Track

It was so clear at the beginning. In 2020 – days before the nation dived into lockdown and with Frank Lampard in his first spell as Chelsea manager – Billy Gilmour announced himself at Stamford Bridge.

In an FA Cup match against Liverpool, the 18-year-old played with blinding maturity and elegance. At the time, Gilmour had managed just six outings and 281 minutes for the Blues. Nevertheless, he was undeterred by facing Fabinho. He strutted around, spraying the ball with purpose and bravely crun
Goalkeeper.com •

Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail: The Penalty Shootout

The penalty kick is one of the many fine margins underpinning football's perilous and changeable nature.

Former Brighton man Mat Ryan has labelled the prospect of a penalty save as something that “motivates” and “excites” goalkeepers. It is their uninterrupted shot at glory. The taker is at their most vulnerable and the shot-stopper is at their most punishing.

The Athletic’s John Muller adamantly believes that penalties are “too generous a reward”, due to the perceived advantages for the taker
Breaking The Lines •

Joao Pedro: Brighton’s Latest Masterstroke in Recruitment

If there’s one thing that Brighton Hove & Albion have become renowned for since ending a 35-year absence from the top-flight in 2017, it’s their ability to pinpoint hidden gems worldwide and develop them into technically efficient, productive, and eye-catching forces. It is a tactic that has generated wonderful free-flowing football and inexplicable profit.

Others have attempted to replicate Brighton’s diligent mastery of building from scratch. When Todd Boehly assumed Roman Abramovich’s cut-th
Medium •

Premier League season ticket prices hit new highs

Football was once renowned for its simplicity and accessibility. Often described as the ‘working man’s game’, it was cheap and popular entertainment. In recent years, our beloved sport has been inevitably sucked into the vacuum of consumerism and has veered away from its defiant traditions. This is partly due to the cost of season tickets, which since 2012, has considerably increased, with the majority of change taking place in the last six or seven years. How much has the price of season ticket
Goalkeeper.com •

The Best Goalkeeper Kits Of All Time

Football's 'maverick' position sustains its reputation in its fashion choices…

In the conversation of the game’s most iconic kits, goalkeeper jerseys are criminally overlooked.

In recent years, goalkeeper kits have largely lost their identity. Lent to mundanity and mainstream design, they have become unexciting and unsurprising, especially when based on templated designs.

But there was a time where goalkeeper kits were just as unique as the men and women who wear them. With kit design in prof
Football Paradise •

Irresistible: Thank You, Eden Hazard

Football lacks entertainers. The wonderful ability of an individual to captivate and tantalise stadiums with an uncoachable skill, distinguishing them from everyone else, is fading. Eden Hazard’s retirement is a poignant reminder of a player who achieved this unreachable feat.

While Hazard’s dream move to Real Madrid in 2019 materialised into disaster, his legacy extends beyond the realm of numbers and statistics. Hazard brought something different. The low centre of gravity, close control, inc
Breaking The Lines •

Jude Bellingham’s Ascension into Real Madrid’s Kingdom

The world is at his feet. Jude Bellingham is just 20 years old and has already amassed over 180 senior appearances, establishing himself as one of the globe’s most mesmeric and daunting talents. Bellingham’s journey began at his boyhood club Birmingham City, but it was at Borussia Dortmund where his development skyrocketed at an incomprehensible level. A tremendous three seasons with Die Schwarzgelben earned the Englishman an £88.5m move to Real Madrid earlier this summer.

In his short time on
Breaking The Lines •

Rodri: The Unsung Hero of City’s Unassailable Dominance

Dani Carvajal’s impudent panenka clinched the UEFA Nations League. It was Spain’s first international title in 11 years and yet another landmark for Rodri. The midfielder completed a gruelling 120 minutes in his last encounter of a record-breaking season before he coolly dispatched his spot-kick to afford La Furia Roja the fateful victory.

Alongside this, he is also the unwavering metronome of Pep Guardiola’s blue-blooded juggernaut. The former Atletico Madrid man played a starring role within
Breaking The Lines •

The Glorious Resurgence of Willian at Fulham

Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge was tumultuous and depressing as the club succumbed to another eighth-place finish. The Brazilian departed Arsenal as a villain – an agent of the Gunners’ cross-city West London rivals. The winger was scapegoated, accused of taking advantage of Arsenal’s generous three-year deal, rewarding the club with nothing but inconsistency, invisibility, and criminally little productivity.

In the summer of 2021, just twelve months into his new adventure, Willian
Football Paradise •

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: Naples’ Immortalised Son

Napoli’s first Serie A title in over three decades was won in spectacular fashion, with the Partenopei dominating rivals all over the pitch. One player, the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, has managed to grab headlines for his dazzling attacking contributions. He looks at home on a football pitch, writes Alex Connor, blissfully playing the game at his pace.

Depart at the Napoli Piazza Cavour station, and make your way down the Via Foria, which merges onto the Corso Amedeo di Savoia to the Via T
Football Bloody Hell •

Gianfranco Zola: The technician who married artistry and experimental genius

Zola was the footballer who married artistry and experimental genius. He possessed a stupidly brilliant technique and ability, whilst oozing a dazzling flair.

Thanks to his inherent gift and his marvellous odyssey across Italy, English football became blessed with a new, exciting, and irresistibly talented profile of an attacker.

Nicknamed the ‘magic box’, Zola’s catalogue of goals is ridiculous and the happiness he’s bought is everlasting. The story of a player who endeared himself to the hea
Football Bloody Hell •

Diego Forlán: The unplayable Uruguayan and his mastery of the Jabulani

The infamous sky blue jersey of La Celeste is decorated by the captain’s armband. Number 10 draped across his shirt and long dirty blonde hair pushed by a band. Jet black Adidas F50’s, outlined with a luminous yellow finish. This was Diego Forlán – the most threatening and dominant force of the 2010 World Cup. Forlán finished as the joint top scorer with five goals, including the goal of the tournament, and won the Golden Ball as the best player. The secret of Forlán’s devastating success in Sou
Football Bloody Hell •

Petr Čech: the uplifting renaissance from the brink

Sammy Davis, Jr, the famous American singer, actor, dancer and comedian, who before his glitzy entrance into Hollywood stardom, was drafted into military service during World War Two. The African-American was relentlessly abused in the army. White Southern soldiers targeted Davis, who received a torrent of racist abuse. Upon return to his nation, he became an overnight sensation in 1951, thanks to his intoxicating stage presence and unique singing talent. Less than 7 years earlier, life seemed c
Breaking The Lines •

Stefan Bajčetić: Liverpool’s Technically Astute and Commanding Midfield Presence

Stefan Bajčetić received a standing ovation from the Anfield terraces as he was substituted against Everton on February 13. The teenager was named as man of the match in his first ever Merseyside derby. He emanated maturity way beyond his years: a pillar of calmness, technique and dynamism that dictated proceedings from the middle of the park.

The 18-year-old covered 11.14km of the Anfield pitch – more than any other player. In a pulsating, feverish and pressured city clash, the midfielder prod
Football Bloody Hell •

Cesc Fàbregas: the embodiment of the beautiful game

Rodolf Borrel, coach of FC Barcelona Alevin, the club’s under-11s side, recalled the time he first witnessed Cesc Fàbregas.

Borrel would frequently make the trip up through northern Catalonia along the C-31 and C-32 via Badalona and Vilassar de Mar to CE Mataró, in an attempt to recruit Spain’s most raw talent.

Borrel was under the impression that this was the first time he had come across the Spanish prodigy, but Mataró coach, Senor Blai, admitted that they hid Fàbregas in the dressing room t
Football Paradise •

Marcus Rashford is Back to His Devastating and Effervescent Best

“In this mood and this spirit, I think he is unstoppable.”

Erik ten Hag eulogised over the growing influence of Marcus Rashford, who picked up the ball in his own half at the City Ground in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Nine seconds later the net was rippling. The winger weaved in between the desperate attempts of Remo Freuler and Joe Worrall to halt his relentless running, before he executed a classy finish with his weaker left foot past a helpless Wayne Hennessey. It was anot
Football Bloody Hell •

Francisco Franco: his unrelenting grip on El Clásico

13 June 1943. The second leg of the Copa del Generalisimo semi-final between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Catalans had dispatched Los Blancos with a seemingly unassailable 3-0 victory at Les Corts in the first leg.

But, unbeknownst to the crowd of 15,000 at the Estadio Chamartín, they were about to witness a piece of unprecedented history that still stands tall today – the heaviest and most emphatic defeat in El Clásico memory.

The home side raced into an 8-0 lead before half-time and eventu
Breaking The Lines •

Levi Colwill: The ball-spraying Chelsea Loanee who has formed a formidable reputation

Levi Colwill found himself in the directors’ box alongside Mykhailo Mudryk and Todd Boehly during Chelsea’s tense victory over Crystal Palace – an encouraging sign for a player that the Blues should be desperate to keep after his time at Brighton finishes, due to a formidable recent upturn in form.

His loan on the south coast started slowly, during the crossover between Graham Potter’s departure for Chelsea and Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment, Colwill failed to nail down a regular starting spot
Football Bloody Hell •

Didier Drogba: the inevitable marksman and political messiah

A striker who had an intense and unbridled love for his homeland. After spending the majority of his youth in Europe, Didier Drogba had a passport for both France and Ivory Coast, but described the idea of playing for his birth country as an “undeniable pull.” So when his nation was on its knees, he conjured up an eloquent and powerful message of change, and most importantly, peace, that poetically resonated with Ivorian society.

October 2005. Ivory Coast had just dispatched Sudan with a comfor
Football Bloody Hell •

Eric Cantona: The untameable and magisterial playmaker

Paul Ince remembered when Eric Cantona entered the fray at the Manchester United training ground in 1992.

He endeared himself into Premier League culture with his impudent vision, ball control and touch to direct a trophy-laden period of domination whilst at Old Trafford.

The centre-forward also imprinted an unforgettable personality upon his illustrious six-year stint in England, nearly robbed himself and his adoring fans of this journey when he announced his retirement in 1991.

Cantona grew
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