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Questions surround some of the long-term futures of Arsenal’s stars, with Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta poised for tough decisions.

The Gunners are preparing for a relatively quiet January transfer window, as is usually the case for them, following their hefty £267 million summer spending spree, but a few notable first-team players could still depart the Emirates Stadium as Arteta continues refining his squad.

Gabriel Martinelli, who’s currently racing to be fit for Arsenal’s looming North London derby on Sunday, has emerged as the most high-profile potential departure.

The Brazilian winger has slipped down Arteta’s pecking order following the summer arrivals of Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, according to The Mail, with Arsenal apparently prepared to entertain significant offers for Martinelli.

Arsenal haven’t actively pushed for Martinelli’s departure, but there’s been little in the way of contract extension talks, suggesting the club are open to different options.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

His current deal runs until 2027 with an option for a further year, meaning Arsenal hold a strong negotiating position. Interest from Saudi Arabian clubs and Bayern Munich has been mooted, though Martinelli himself has shown little desire to leave the Emirates, and even stated back in 2022 that he’d stay his “whole life”.

Meanwhile, it is believed that Arsenal would be open to offers for Ben White, despite Arteta’s admiration of the right-back. The competition for places at full-back, combined with his fitness woes, has limited White to just one Premier League game all season.

Leandro Trossard penned new and improved terms at Arsenal recently, but this didn’t include an actual extension, so with his deal expiring in 2027, the BBC suggest that Arsenal could decide to sell the 30-year-old, despite him being one of their best attackers this season with four goals and four assists in all competitions.

Another player who could leave Arsenal in January is Ethan Nwaneri, though the club has zero intention of letting him go permanently.

The 18-year-old wonderkid has managed just 163 Premier League minutes this season despite his obvious talent, with Eze’s arrival limiting opportunities further. A temporary loan move could be sanctioned to accelerate his development, though Arsenal remain extremely high on his long-term potential following the five-year contract he signed last summer.

Then, there is the matter of Gabriel Jesus, who is out of contract in under two years.

Gabriel Jesus makes Palmeiras admission amid doubts over Arsenal future

Jesus is back in training and working his way back from an ACL injury he picked up against Man United at the start of 2025, and Arteta has expressed how he cannot wait to welcome their ‘unpredictable’ weapon back on the field.

However, the 28-year-old has also confirmed his interest in joining Palmeiras after his spell at Arsenal, with Jesus making another admission to Globo Esporte.

The Brazil international told the South American media outlet, via Standard Sport, that he’s informed Palmeiras players of his intentions to eventually join them.

Interestingly, The Mail reported recently that Arsenal could be open to bids for Jesus in the new year, so his return to Palmeiras may even come sooner than he’d expected if they can foot the bill.

The former Man City star is currently on £265,000-per-week in N5, so the Brazilian Serie A side would need him to take a dramatic pay decrease for this move to be possible.

If not, it is certainly one to watch for the future.

New Zealand have ramped up their prep for the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka with a two-week camp in spin-friendly conditions at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in Chennai.While a number of Black Caps, including Rachin Ravindra, have frequented the high-performance facility in the recent past, this is the White Ferns’ first specialised overseas camp and the timing of it has been “perfect,” according to head coach Ben Sawyer, who is overseeing ten New Zealand players in Chennai along with assistant coach Craig McMillan.”Yeah, 100% correct. It’s currently winter in New Zealand, there’s no cricket and we’re nearly two months out of the World Cup,” Sawyer told ESPNcricinfo. “So, to have that prep time in India, we’ve been able to bring seven contracted players and then three of our players of interest along. So, the girls that we think will play lots of cricket in India in the future as well. So yeah, it’s been an amazing experience so far.”Related

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Seam-bowling allrounder Jess Kerr, opening batter Georgia Plimmer and Brooke Halliday, who had scored 38 off 28 balls in the T20 World Cup final last year, which New Zealand won, are among the seven contracted players on tour while Izzy Sharp, Flora Devonshire and Emma McLeod have been included as emerging players.After the Chennai camp, New Zealand’s players and staff will return home and will likely head to Dubai to play one-dayers against England in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup, which will kick off on September 30. Sawyer believes that exposure to stifling conditions in Chennai and Dubai will tune up New Zealand’s players for similar conditions that may face during the ODI World Cup.”Yeah, it’s hugely beneficial and even more so this year because just with the FTP cycle, we’ve had no official matches since February,” Sawyer said. “So to get these three one-day games in Chennai, to get two or three games in Dubai against England, a really strong opposition, will be great and then we also get the two World Cup warm-up games. So that’s seven or eight games we’re going to get in similar conditions. Yeah, that’s just huge for us.”Jess Kerr runs in to bowl during New Zealand’s time at the Super Kings Academy•Super Kings Academy

New Zealand’s team management is also leaning on inputs from High Performance Sport New Zealand and Dr Kirsty Fairbairn, an experienced dietitian who has worked with both the White Ferns and Black Ferns (the women’s rugby team), to look after their players in subcontinent conditions.”We’ve actually tried to train really hard the last five days and I guess in a way not to recover, try to just do it naturally and let your bodies adapt to the conditions,” Sawyer said. “And now we’re playing the three games, we’ll try and recover really well.”But yeah, we’ve actually tried to expose ourselves as much to the heat as we can. So, we’ve had some really good help from High Performance Sport New Zealand and a guy that helped with the Tokyo Olympics and how they dealt with the heat. He’s basically told us that the week here and then the week in Dubai are probably perfect timings for the World Cup.”The presence of India internationals such as Asha Sobhana and D Hemalatha, Tamil Nadu’s teenage prodigy G Kamalini, who had won WPL 2025 with Mumbai Indians, and Swiss international Meghna Rajan has added a competitive edge to the camp. Asha castled Polly Inglis on Saturday and tested other New Zealand batters with her loopy legbreaks and wrong’uns on a sluggish surface.”Getting balls to face in New Zealand during the winter is really difficult,” Sawyer said. “We’ve had WPL players come down to bowl to us and Asha from RCB is with us here in the camp and it’s been great for our girls to chat to her and learn about these conditions.”Just a few days into the camp, Sawyer is impressed with the positive approach of the New Zealand batters against spin.”I think Izzy Sharp is a great example today,” Sawyer said. “She made 80. She played a lot off the back foot, but then was able to get really close into the pitch of the ball. And Sri (Sriram Krishnamurthy, former NZC pathway coach who is now CSK academy’s head coach) was great the other day, gave us a bit of a masterclass in playing spin.”And it was great to see Izzy use her feet today and get down the wicket really quickly. Maddy Green’s a great player. She did it her way [with sweeps and reverse-sweeps], she did it in a different way to Izzy, but both were successful and that’s what we’ve spoken about.”While this group is sweating it out in Chennai, Suzie Bates had posted a career-best 163 for Durham last month and Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr are currently playing in the Hundred. It’s still winter in New Zealand, but the team management has ensured that their players won’t rock up cold at the World Cup.”You can see we brought a lot of younger players because the likes of Sophie, Suzie and Lea Tahuhu have been here before and Sophie is at the Hundred,” Sawyer said. “Paul Wiseman is with our spinners in Lincoln and a few of our quicks are working with Graeme [Alridge] in various locations. So, everyone’s getting what they need. Some players are actually doing a few sessions in heat chambers back home. I think we’re doing as much as we can to prepare for the conditions [at the World Cup].”

A memorial service has taken place in Serbia to honour football manager Mladen Zizovic, who died aged 44 after collapsing on the touchline during a match. Radnicki 1923's coach was rushed to hospital as his side's match against Mladost was initially suspended and then restarted on Monday. But following news of his death, the game was abandoned, and now his team are mourning his passing.

Manager honoured by Serbian team

When all this was going on, some players broke down in tears on the pitch as the severity of the situation dawned on them. Now, according to Radnicki, the club held a memorial service for the Bosnian coach at the Kragujevac city assembly hall on Wednesday to pay their respects. Squad and staff members attended, including new Serbian national boss Veljko Paunovic. Flowers were placed around a photo of Zizovic, alongside a Radnicki team shirt, scarf, and tactics board. He only became their manager in late October but it seems he left quite the impression.

AdvertisementGetty'Rest in peace, young one'

The Serbian top-flight team wrote on social media that Zizovic was full of "nobility" and a man that "inspired many" with the examples he set. They added that he left a deep mark on the club and he will remain in their memories forever.

A club statement reads, "Today, in the assembly hall of the City of Kragujevac, a commemorative assembly was held regarding the death of our coach Mladen Zizovic. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Football Association of Serbia, clubs from the country, as well as friends, associates and admirers of the work and personality of Mladen Zizovic. In an atmosphere of silence and deep respect, the attendees recalled his professional path, his football passion, and the human nobility that adorned his every step. In the speeches that followed, it was pointed out that Mladen was more than a coach — a man who inspired by his example players, associates and everyone who had the opportunity to meet him. Although he spent a short time in Kragujevac, it was enough for us all to make sure that he was an exceptional sportsman, but above all about a man and coach who left a deep mark on our club. His calmness, dedication and love for football will remain in our memories forever. FC Radnicki 1923 once again expresses its gratitude to everyone who paid tribute to our deceased coach with their presence, words of support and sincere emotions. Rest in peace, Young one."

Zizovic felt unwell before game

Radnicki star Mehmed Cosic, who was on the pitch when the players were informed of Zizovic's sudden death, said that the coach had complained about feeling poorly not long before his heart attack. He added that the Bosnian, who was taking charge of just his third game for the club, complained about his fish and refused to eat any more of it at lunch that day.

Cosic said: "I didn't fall asleep until almost 3.30am. I have no words, we are stunned,' Cosic told Faktor as he opened up on the harrowing incident. I'm replaying the movie in my head. He was giving me instructions, turned around and at one point I saw that he was talking to the referee by the benches. Then he went towards our bench, turned to the others and said "I'm not feeling well, I'm not feeling well. He fell, you saw everything else. In the video that appeared on social networks, you can also hear screams. They say he complained about the fish, said he wouldn't eat it anymore. That's what he was talking about. There were no problems during the warm-up, the game started, everything was ok. We continued the game, hoping that the worst wouldn't happen and that he would be with us again. It was clear that that wasn't it, but we said that we were playing for him and that we wanted to reward him with a victory. We weren't focused, we were in disbelief, but we didn't want to disappoint him. We believed that he would come back and be with us again, and that we would celebrate the victory. Then there was complete shock. The referee suddenly stopped the game. Someone said 'he died'. Everything stopped in an instant."

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Getty Images SportFuneral arranged for Zizovic

The report adds that his funeral will take place on Thursday, November 6. Cosic also revealed that Radnicki's players and staff have been given the week off from training, with next weekend's clash against Cukaricki now postponed. 

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers has won the Scottish Premiership twice, and the League Cup and the SFA Cup once, since his return to the club in the summer of 2023.

The Northern Irish manager has yet to replicate the domestic treble that Ange Postecoglou ended his Hoops tenure with, though, and failed to qualify for the Champions League this season.

This means that the former Liverpool and Leicester City head coach, despite winning four trophies in two seasons so far, is not unquestionable at Parkhead.

One criticism that could be levelled at Rodgers is that he did not hand enough opportunities to academy graduates in his first two seasons back at Parkhead.

Academy graduates used

2

3

Academy graduate appearances

5

4

Academy graduate starts

0

0

Academy graduate minutes

90

25

As you can see in the table above, no academy graduate aged 21 or younger started a league game for Celtic in the 2023/24 or 2024/25 campaign.

However, 19-year-old full-back Colby Donovan has bucked the trend in the current season, having started in the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock in the Premiership last month.

Why Rodgers needs to give Donovan more minutes for Celtic

Injuries to Alistair Johnston and Anthony Ralston provided the academy graduate with an opportunity to start that game against Killie after the first international break of the season.

With both senior right-backs unavailable, Donovan also started the 4-0 win over Partick Thistle in the League Cup and the 1-1 draw with Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League last week.

However, the academy graduate was left as an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw with Hibernian in the Premiership last time out on Saturday, as Ralston returned from injury and played the full 90 minutes.

The more experienced Ralston, per Sofascore, won 25% (1/4) of his duels in the clash with Hibs, which comes after Donovan had shown good strength in his appearances against Kilmarnock and Red Star Belgrade.

Minutes

90

90

Clearances

7

0

Tackles made

1

3

Dribbled past

1x

0x

Duels won

5/9

6/11

Dribbles completed

1/2

2/3

As you can see in the table above, the teenage defender won the majority of his duels in both of those matches, whilst only being dribbled past once in 180 minutes of action.

Hopefully, Rodgers dropping him from the side to play Ralston on Saturday was more about rotation than it being a sign of things to come for the young full-back, because his performances for the first-team so far suggest that he deserves more opportunities to impress.

The Celtic manager’s record of providing young players with chances in the Premiership since his return to the club, as aforementioned, does not look great on paper, which may be a concern for Donovan moving forward.

Tying both the head coach’s reluctance to offer significant minutes to U21 players and academy graduates, along with Donovan’s rise to the first-team this season, there is a Celtic academy graduate whom the club may end up regretting letting go this summer.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

The 21-year-old left-back was released by the Scottish Premiership champions at the start of the summer, and made the move to Belgian side KV Kortrijk on a free transfer.

Why Celtic may regret releasing Matthew Anderson

Celtic may end up regretting releasing the Scottish talent because he has had a strong start to life at his new club and looks to be an even bigger full-back talent than Donovan.

Anderson did not play a single minute for the Hoops at first-team level, despite an impressive loan stint with Admira Wacker in Austria, and explained that he felt there was a better pathway for him abroad.

The young left-back said: “There’s a pathway of going abroad. Lennon’s [Miller] done it now as well. Max [Johnston] has been abroad. I think the success rate is probably more than staying in Scotland, for some reason, it just seems to work.”

That is in spite of Postecoglou claiming at the start of 2023 that there was a pathway for Anderson, in particular, as he predicted that the full-back would make an “impact” in the first-team by the summer of 2024.

Of course, Rodgers replaced the Australian head coach later that year, in the summer of 2023, and the Scottish defender never got his chance to shine in the first-team.

Instead, Anderson spent two seasons on loan in Austria with Admira Wacker, earning a place in the Team of the Season in the 2023/24 campaign, and racked up eight assists in 44 matches, per Transfermarkt.

The 21-year-old starlet, who was described as a “complete” player by Scottish-focused The Young Team on X, has delivered five assists in eight league games for Kortrijk this season, per Transfermarkt.

Appearances

8

2

Key passes per game

1.0

0.5

Big chances created

3

0

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.6

1.0

Ground duel success rate

59%

40%

Duels won per game

4.9

3.0

As you can see in the table above, the former Celtic whiz has produced more impressive performances than Donovan at league level so far this term, carrying a far greater threat at the top end of the pitch whilst also winning more duels and tackles per game.

Anderson also showed more promise as an attacking force from a full-back position than Donovan did at B team level for Celtic, with four goals and four assists in 25 matches compared to the right-back’s haul of three goals and one assist in 36 games, per Transfermarkt.

This means that the left-back was a bigger attacking talent at youth level. Now, his performances in Belgium suggest that he has translated that form to first-team football, whilst adding a defensive edge to his displays.

Therefore, Celtic may rue releasing Anderson this summer because his performances since moving on from the Hoops, and his displays at youth level, suggest that he may be an even bigger full-back talent than Donovan.

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“There was a bit of confidence in our group when they only got 200 [203], thinking we’ve dragged them back here,” Hopes said

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-20251:53

Moody: Shreyas identified key moments to go into the fifth gear

The Punjab Kings [PBKS] batting unit, led by Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 87 off 41 balls, will get all the plaudits after they topped Mumbai Indians’ [MI] 203 with an over to spare. But bowling coach James Hopes was also effusive in his praise of the PBKS bowling group, particularly the way they “just hung in there the whole night” on a belter of an Ahmedabad surface in Qualifier 2.Sent into bat, MI had raced to 65 for 1 inside the powerplay and regularly went at better than ten runs an over through the middle phase. But the PBKS bowlers struck at regular intervals to prevent the death-overs assault.”There was a stage where I reckon they [MI] were looking at 220, 225 and we just kept pegging them back at the right time,” Hopes said in a press conference after PBKS qualified for their first IPL final in 11 years. “We never went for that big over of 18, 19. We kept pegging them at 10, 11 knowing that we got Arshdeep [Singh] coming at the end and Azmatullah [Omarzai] bowled beautifully as well.Related

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“We gave them a few extra runs, yeah, but that’s why I was saying I thought they were going to get 220. There was a bit of confidence in our group when they only got 200 [203], thinking we’ve dragged them back here. You could even tell our first over batting the way the ball came off the bat, it was just skipping off the bat a little more and you could tell there was just a little bit of dew, a little bit of wetness out there, that was going to help us, and it did.”Chasing 204 against five-time champions MI, who had never before lost a game defending a score in excess of 200, was going to be a tough ask. Especially when the bowling group was led by Jasprit Bumrah, who was coming into the game with an economy rate of 6.36.But Josh Inglis was determined to not let Bumrah settle down, crashing him for two sixes and two fours in his opening over – the fifth of the innings – to give the chase the momentum it needed.”The way Josh Inglis attacked Boom [Bumrah] up front to get him off his game a little bit… if you’d told us we were chasing 200 at the start of the day and we were going to take 40 off Jasprit, we would have taken that every day of the week and liked our chances,” Hopes said. “Josh has got a pretty good record against him in short-form cricket. He plays him well.”I don’t think it was a conscious decision to go after [Bumrah in that] over. He just got some balls and he put them away, and on another day, those balls go to the fielder and he’s not taking what he did off that over. So doing that to him in the first over not only has a flow-on effect for his bowling but has a flow-on effect for the rest of their team as well.2:31

‘Such a big over’ – Aaron on Inglis taking 20 off Bumrah in the fifth

“We were having the chats at half-time that if Bumrah bowls four overs for 26, what do we need off the other 16 overs? So there’s just an expectation he’s going to be at a certain level every game, and even tonight he bowled well.”Varun Aaron and Tom Moody agreed that Inglis’ assault on Bumrah formed the base of PBKS’ successful chase. That they were all “cricketing shots” and Inglis was not “trying to just hit the cover of the ball” was the highlight.”Big over, such a big over,” Aaron said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out. “It was down to someone to take him [Bumrah] on tonight. These are those big games where somebody has to show up and be like, ‘you know what, I’m going to take the bull by the horns and I’m going to take down their biggest bowler’, and that’s Jasprit Bumrah, and he did that so well. Just played cricketing shots.”Moody pointed to Inglis’ technical acumen against Bumrah.”He [Inglis] has got a really good technique,” Moody said. “So when it comes to playing high-quality bowling, like Jasprit Bumrah, he’s got the ability to play proper cricketing shots that have penetration – whether that be the cover drives, the shot down the ground; the six he hit, it was the slower ball, he was technically in perfect position [to play it].Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings’ chase with a composed half-century•Associated Press

“So it’s not like he is trying to just hit the cover of the ball. Just identified it was an off-pace delivery and hit straight through it. And most batters when they are facing Bumrah, they are more in the defensive position. He is still engaged in the contest – ‘okay, you’re bowling it short, I am still comfortable because I back myself to get into that position; if you’re slightly fuller, I’ll take advantage and cover drive; slower ball, I’m hitting you over the top’.”‘Shreyas a sensational captain, a sensational player’While Inglis’ 21-ball 38 put PBKS’ chase in top gear, it was captain Iyer who formed the spine of the innings with a clinical knock. He measured his innings, rotated the strike well, before going on an all-out attack. Hopes, who has worked with Iyer previously at Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020, said that his calmness stood out.”He doesn’t get flustered very easily and he knows his match-ups,” Hopes said. “He knows what he has to do at certain times and he’s prepared to take that risk. When he was a younger player in Delhi, he was a little bit more explosive and gung-ho, but he scores at a high strike rate now strictly because he knows when a bowler comes on that that’s his match-up and he’s going to take it and with his captaincy.”Tonight we kept them to 200 when I reckon they could have got 220, 230 and just because the way he pulls the strings out there and manoeuvres bowlers around. We had [Vijaykumar] Vyshak with one over left. He took his gut call to bowl Azmat. He’s a sensational captain and he’s a sensational player.”

Rasmus Hojlund has enjoyed a impressive start to life with Napoli, scoring four goals in six outings, following his arrival on loan from Manchester United on deadline day. Denmark Brian Riemer has since aimed a dig at the Premier League side for their use of the young striker, who struggled for consistency at Old Trafford following his arrival from Atalanta in 2023.

• AFP
  

  Hojlund failed to make an impact in England

  Hojlund moved to United from Atalanta in 2023 and while he wasn't a prolific scorer in Italy, the Premier League side were convinced to spend big to secure his services two years ago. The Danish striker, though, was unable to strike up any sort of form in England and scored just four goals in 32 appearances for the English giants last season.

  The arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko pushed Hojlund further down the pecking order at United and the club were happy to see him leave for Napoli on loan with a £38m obligation to buy at the end of the 2025/26 season. However, like many who have departed United in recent years, Hojlund has gone on to enjoy an uptick in form.

  The 22-year-old has only scored four league goals in 2025, but two of those have come across four Serie A appearances for Antonio Conte's side with Napoli currently top of the table after the opening six games of the season.

Advertisement

• 'He is now on a well-functioning team'

  Denmark coach Brian Riemer has since aimed a dig at United ahead of Denmark's win at Belarus on Thursday, a game in which Hojlund bagged a first half brace, and is quoted by The Metro as saying: "I think Rasmus has the quality for both leagues, without discussion.

  "‘Does he fit in Italian football? Yes. There was no doubt about that, because he had already proven that. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fit in English football. On the contrary, I would almost say.

  "The fact that he is now on a well-functioning team and has players around him who take pride in doing good for others helps to make the outcome for a striker like Rasmus, who needs to be serviced. It is more important than which league you play in."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ‘I’ve played a lot and it’s been going really well'

  Hojlund, meanwhile, was asked about his return to his best form, to which he replied: "Not much has happened other than me getting into a good football team.

  "I’ve played a lot and it’s been going really well. I’ve felt fit and sharp. I’ve made sure I was ready and I did a lot of things off the pitch in my summer break to be ready for the upcoming season.

  "It’s of course great to be in such a period. In my position, I’m basically there to score goals. That’s my job. When I go onto the pitch, I have extra faith in things, and I’m of course happy about that."

  On the Danish striker, Napoli boss Conte said: "He’s a 22-year-old who was on the sidelines at Manchester United. He has significant room for improvement, he needs to work because he has the potential to become a star, and he’s proving it."

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• Hojlund latest in long line of ex-United stars thriving

  Hojlund isn't the first player to leave United recently and go on to thrive elsewhere. The Premier League side have endured a significant downturn in fortunes in recent years, becoming the butt of jokes among football fans.

  And players seem to enjoy a return to their best form once they leave United, with Hojlund's Napoli teammate Scott McTominay among those to shine away from Old Trafford. McTominay was superb as Napoli won the Scudetto last season, and was named Serie A MVP in the process.

  Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford caught the eye during a brief stint with Aston Villa, while Antony played a key role as Real Betis progressed to the UEFA Conference League final last season, eventually falling to a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in Poland.

  Napoli will look to maintain their title defence next weekend when they travel to Turin to face Torino on Saturday, 18th October, and capitalise upon Roma's meeting with Inter in Serie A's first round of games following the October international break.

دافع هانز فليك، مدرب نادي برشلونة، عن لامين يامال، بعد الانتقادات الأخيرة التي تلقاها مع البلوجرانا خلال هذا الموسم، موضحًا أن الجناح الشاب سيقدم أفضل ما لديه خلال الكلاسيكو المرتقب ضد ريال مدريد الأسبوع المقبل في الدوري الإسباني.

يامال تراجع مستواه بشكل ملحوظ رفقة نادي برشلونة خلال هذا الموسم، حيث دخل اللاعب في دوامة من الإصابات جعلته يغيب عن البارسا في عدد من المباريات.

وشارك يامال بشكل أساسي أمس الثلاثاء في انتصار برشلونة العريض على أولمبياكوس بستة أهداف مقابل هدف، في دوري أبطال أوروبا لحساب مرحلة الدوري الجولة الثالثة.

وقال فليك خلال مؤتمر صحفي نقلته “بي إن سبورتس”: “لا يعاني لامين من أي مشاكل، الفوز وتسجيل الأهداف أمر مهم للجميع بمن فيهم هو، عندما أعود بالذاكرة إلى العام الماضي، أجد أن لامين يقدم أداءًا رائعًا دائمًا في المباريات الكبيرة، لا أشك في أنه سيقدم أفضل ما لديه يوم الأحد ضد ريال مدريد”.

وأضاف: ”مباراة ريال مدريد وبرشلونة مهمة دائمًا، سنحتاج إلى أعلى مستويات الأداء من جميع اللاعبين وليس فقط لامين، ضد فريق رائع أظهر أدائًا رائعًا منذ بداية الموسم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مفاجأة | ألفاريز يفكر في الرحيل عن أتلتيكو مدريد.. ويحدد وجهته

ويرى فليك أن الفوز على أولمبياكوس يجب أن يمنح الثقة للاعبي برشلونة، حيث أوضح: ”نحن في وضع مختلف عن الموسم الماضي، لكنني دائمًا ما أفكر بإيجابية، لقد أثبتنا قدرتنا على الفوز في مدريد، لدينا فريق قوي وقد نستعيد لاعبين أساسيين”.

كما أشاد فليك بفيرمين لوبيز بعد الهاتريك في مرمى أولمبياكوس، حيث أردف: “قدم فيرمين مباراة رائعة وكان هدفه الأول حاسمًا في تعزيز ثقة الفريق، إنه لاعب ديناميكي وسريع، بارع في التعامل مع الكرة ويمنحنا السرعة التي نحتاجها”.

وعن ماركوس راشفورد: “إنه دائمًا ما يقدم كل ما لديه، يمكنه اللعب في مراكز مختلفة ويبدع في الربط مع زملائه وهو مهاجم رائع، من الرائع وجوده معنا”.

وأثنى فليك كذلك على درو فيرنانديز، موضحًا أن الأخير موهبة رائعة ويستحق الاعتماد عليه.

وتجنب فليك التعليق على مستوى التحكيم في لقاء الأمس، وذلك بعد غضب المدرب خوسيه لويس مينديليبار على الطرد الذي تعرض له لاعب فريقه، حيث اختتم: “أتفهم إحباطه، لكنني لا أحب الحديث عن الحكام”.

The EFL has confirmed that Blackburn Rovers' abandoned Championship clash with Ipswich Town will be replayed in full, despite the Lancashire club's frustration at losing their late advantage. The match was called off in the 79th minute with Blackburn leading 1-0 against ten-man Ipswich, but a majority EFL Board vote has ruled the fixture must restart.

• Blackburn-Ipswich abandoned; EFL wipe unfinished match

  Blackburn were leading Ipswich 1-0 at Ewood Park when torrential rain waterlogged the pitch and forced the referee to abandon play just ten minutes from time. The visitors had already been reduced to ten players after Jacob Greaves' dismissal, with Todd Cantwell's penalty putting Rovers ahead. Despite being in a strong position to have gone and win the game, the score-line has now been wiped away, as revealed by EFL's statement on Thursday.

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• Getty Images
  

  EFL Board reveal decision to restart game from scratch

  The EFL Board said: "The Sky Bet Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town should be replayed in full following its abandonment.

  "The Board comprehensively considered all options alongside representations made by both clubs and decided by a majority that the fixture should be replayed. This decision follows recent precedents relating to abandoned fixtures and upholds the integrity of the league."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Blackburn Rovers rage at EFL's decision

  Blackburn responded angrily to the announcement, saying they were denied a deserved win given their late advantage in the original fixture.

  In a lengthy statement, the club said: "At the time of the abandonment, Rovers were leading 1-0 and Ipswich Town had been reduced to 10 men…Rovers were on course to record a third Championship victory in four games. The club is extremely disappointed by the outcome, which fails to take into account the significant advantages Rovers held at the time of abandonment."

  The 1994-95 Premier League champions confirmed they are considering an appeal.

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• When will the match be replayed?

  A new date for the replay will be agreed between both clubs and the EFL in due course. Blackburn will now have to refocus on their upcoming league fixtures while deciding whether to pursue further action against the ruling.

  Ipswich, meanwhile, may benefit from the reset as they prepare to go again with a full squad.

Everton felt the excitement as they waved goodbye to Goodison Park and geared up for a new chapter at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, led once again by David Moyes.

But that excitement has been tempered by a frustrating summer transfer window, with the Premier League season now up and running and Everton still in need of a few more faces.

The Toffees were defeated at Leeds United in their season opener, and while the likes of off-the-bench debutants Jack Grealish and Thierno Barry illustrated the start of a new-look Everton, there’s no question that the performance was flat, and that it’s imperative that something is done before the closure of the transfer window.

Everton hunting more signings

Everton’s one-goal defeat at Elland Road left a lot to be desired, and it’s clear that the club need more sparkle going forward.

Grealish will be billed as one of the principal providers in that regard, but the Blues could do with a few more signings to assist the England international.

Though Everton need right-siders and perhaps another forward too, Moyes is considering a move that would bolster his central ranks, and he’s peering over the edge of the Premier League and into the Championship.

Well, according to Football Insider, Everton are now working on a deal for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, though they face stiff competition from Crystal Palace in the race for the 23-year-old.

A move to Ipswich Town has already fallen through for the English talent, with a £20m fee agreed between the clubs, but personal terms proving insurmountable at the negotiating table.

What Hayden Hackney would bring to Everton

Hackney has completed 116 appearances for Middlesbrough since graduating from the club’s youth academy, establishing himself as one of the maestros of England’s second tier.

An all-action player, Hackney is calm and composed when against the ball and sharp and intelligent when in possession, with his natural-born creativity allowing him to influence from the deeper fathoms of the midfield.

Last season, he started 43 times in the Championship, completing 85% of his passes and averaging 1.5 key passes and 6.5 ball recoveries per game, via Sofascore.

Such vast ground-covering performances would add much to Moyes’ Everton side, and the Boro star might even prove the perfect midfield partner to restore Grealish to his one-time level, having been untouchable during that final year at Aston Villa in 2020/21.

Jack Grealish – Prem Stats 20/21

Stats (* per game)

#

Matches (starts)

26 (24)

Goals

6

Assists

10

Shots (on target)*

1.9 (0.7)

Big chances missed

4

Pass completion

83%

Big chances created

14

Key passes*

3.2

Dribbles*

2.5

Tackles + interceptions*

1.7

Total duels (won)*

8.9 (61%)

Stats via Sofascore

It was a truly remarkable year from the Three Lions star, one that saw him earn his record-breaking move to Pep Guardiola’s brood. However, Grealish has lost his sparkle over the past few years in Manchester and could rekindle that flame on Merseyside.

Everton aren’t blessed with the same depth of technical quality as Man City, but the Birmingham-born forward should have greater freedom to roam and make things happen, and with Hackney playing in balls from behind, the chances of a fluent system are only increased.

As per data from FBref, Hackney ranked among the top 5% of midfielders in the Championship last season for passes attempted, the top 1% for progressive passes, the top 8% for shot-creating actions and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90.

There’s no question that he bears the range of passing and the athleticism to add a dimension to Everton’s midfield, thus providing the fleet-footed Grealish with a constant supply line from which he can work his magic in and around the penalty area.

Hailed by former Boro boss Michael Carrick for his “immense” performance against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup during the 2023/24 season, Hackney has spent plenty of time developing his skills in the Championship and is surely now ready to take the leap forward into the Premier League.

His long, calculated passing puts him in a different category from Everton’s current midfield crop, and he would be the perfect kind of deep-lying playmaker to restore Grealish’s X-factor and ensure the Toffees make it a successful and exciting season.

Related Their new Stones: TFG begin talks to sign "special" £26m star for Everton

Everton still hope to make a few signings before the end of the summer transfer window.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Aug 18, 2025

Rohit Sharma is set to join the India side in Australia on November 24, and will play the two-day pink-ball tour game from November 30 in Canberra, ahead of the day-night Test in Adelaide. The India Test captain was not available for the first Test in Perth as he stayed back in India for the birth of his second child.In the absence of Rohit, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team at the Optus Stadium. “I spoke with Rohit earlier,” Bumrah said at his press conference on the eve of the first Test in Perth. “But I got a little bit of clarity on leading the side after coming in here.”Rohit’s return is a boost to the India team, who will have to rely on some fringe players for the series opener in Perth. The two-day pink-ball fixture against the Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval could serve as valuable prep for Rohit and the Indians as the hosts are likely to include some international players and Test hopefuls.Related

• Bumrah and Cummins keen to stand out as fast-bowling captains

• Rohit Sharma to miss first Test in Perth

In the last two seasons the Prime Minister’s XI fixture has a four-day contest featuring West Indies in 2022 (which was also a day-night game) and Pakistan in 2023, having traditionally been a limited-overs match, but the India game has been trimmed to just two days.Rohit will be hoping to find some form, having managed only 91 runs in six innings at an average of 15.16 against New Zealand at home recently.India had last played a day-night Test, against Sri Lanka, in Bengaluru in March 2022, when they won by 238 runs. When India last played a day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval, they folded for 36 in their second innings but they bounced back spectacularly to win the series 2-1.