Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has claimed that he does not have to defend himself amid rumours of his sacking as Blues boss. The Premier League giants have lost three out of their last five matches across all competitions, including back-to-back defeats in the league against Manchester United and Brighton. Chelsea players were booed at Stamford Bridge after their latest loss against the Seagulls.
FIFA is redrafting its regulations concerning domestic league games played in foreign countries and seeking legal advice on potentially banning them outright, after UEFA reluctantly approved LaLiga and Serie A matches to be played overseas. The games to be played are Villarreal v Barcelona in Miami and AC Milan v Como in Perth.
After a summer of chaos at St James’ Park, it has now emerged that Newcastle United actually outbid Liverpool to sign a towering defender before he made his transfer decision.
With Champions League football secured and PIF ready to spend, it looked as though Newcastle were about to enjoy their best summer yet under the Saudi owners. Eddie Howe also revealed his desire to get any business done early. By the time that pre-season got underway, he wanted to have his squad ready to go.
That proved to be far from the case, however. Whilst it wasn’t for the want of trying, the Magpies managed to welcome just Anthony Elanga by the time their pre-season tour arrived and were also handed the news that Alexander Isak wanted out for the first time. The Swede’s supposed injury quickly turned into a transfer saga and one that he eventually emerged victorious.
Newcastle, meanwhile, were left to turn towards the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko only to be faced with more bad news. Handed rejection after rejection, their plan to have any deals done by pre-season quickly turned into a deadline day panic as Isak left for Liverpool and Yoane Wissa finally arrived to join Nick Woltemade in the Magpies’ fresh frontline.
It just about summed things up that Wissa’s move very nearly collapsed in the dying embers thanks to an admin error, but Newcastle just about managed to avoid a humiliating scenario.
It’s also now emerged that it wasn’t just Ekitike that Newcastle and Liverpool were fighting over during a frantic summer rivalry away from the pitch.
As revealed by Parma CEO Federico Cherubini, relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle actually outbid Liverpool for Giovanni Leoni before he chose to move to Anfield.
The Magpies’ offer was more “advantageous” than Liverpool’s, but the Italian only wanted the Merseyside club in a verdict that Newcastle fell victim to all summer long.
In the end, Malick Thiaw solved Newcastle’s need for a defender, but there’s no doubt that Leoni would have been an impressive signing. The towering 6’4 defender was described as “complete” by scout Jacek Kulig and is now seen by many as the future of Liverpool’s backline following his summer move.
It would be fair to say that Chelsea have not had the best of starts to the season.
Enzo Maresca’s side picked up seven of nine points in the Premier League prior to the international break, but dropped two against Brentford on Saturday.
Now, it was a heavily rotated side, but there was enough talent in the starting lineup to collect three.
One of the worst performers was summer signing Jamie Gittens, and while it might sound harsh, he should be dropped ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Now, to be clear, there were several Chelsea players who really let themselves down on Saturday, but when it comes to the most disappointing display, it’s hard to look past Gittens.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The club paid Borussia Dortmund around £48m for him in the summer in the hope he’d be able to come into the team and make the left-hand side more direct and more dangerous.
Unfortunately, he flattered to deceive in his appearances before the international break and, against Brentford, he looked somewhat out of his depth.
It might sound overly harsh, but we aren’t the only ones who were left unimpressed, as the Express’ Charlie Malam awarded him just 4/10 on the day, writing that he ‘faded out’ after the first 20 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, while it may sound harsh, such an appraisal of the 20-year-old is more than justified by his statistics.
In 56 minutes of underwhelming action, the Reading-born ace amassed a combined expected goals plus assists figure of just 0.04, took just 17 touches, played a single key pass, had one shot, didn’t attempt a single dribble and was offside twice.
In all, it was a terrible showing from Gittens, and considering how much of a step-up in quality Bayern will be, Maresca has to drop him for another of Chelsea’s young wingers tomorrow night.
While some might view it as being too soon, Maresca should look to start £40m man Alejandro Garnacho against Bayern.
Now it’s undoubtedly the case that the young Argentine should have tracked Fabio Carvalho for the equaliser on Saturday, but when it came to the offensive side of the game, he offered so much more than Gittens in such a short amount of time.
For example, while he didn’t get the assist, it was his driving run and ball into the penalty area that directly led to Moises Caicedo’s thunderous strike in the second half.
Moreover, while there are certainly questions over this temperament that may well be answered this season, the 21-year-old’s footballing ability is undeniable.
For example, despite being just 20 years old at the start of last season and playing for a historically terrible Manchester United side, the Madrid-born gem was able to score 11 goals and provide ten assists in 58 appearances, totalling 3568 minutes.
|
Garnacho in 24/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
58 |
|
Minutes |
3568′ |
|
Goals |
11 |
|
Assists |
10 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.36 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvements |
169.90′ |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
That means the “superstar” in the making, as dubbed by journalist Liam Canning, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or 169.90 minutes.
Moreover, with a goal in the 2024 FA Cup final, against Manchester City, the dynamic attacker has proven he can handle the biggest of stages.
Ultimately, Gittens may well come good for Chelsea, but he has flattered to deceive thus far, and with Garnacho making an impact in just 11 minutes of action, he should get the start against Bayern tomorrow night.
Offer made: Chelsea submit proposal to sign "exceptional" Tottenham player
The Blues have come forward to sign a player from one of their major rivals.
By
Dominic Lund
Sep 15, 2025
Gianluigi Donnarumma highlighted the major difference between the style of play in Serie A and Premier League. Having spent six years in the Italian top-flight with AC Milan, the Italy national team captain made a summer switch to Manchester City, taking his goalkeeping talents to the English first division. Donnarumma firmly believes that Italian football is "no less than the others."
After finding life rather tricky in the Basque Country two weeks ago, winning 2-0 against Athletic Club, Arsenal once again were made to work hard for their win in the Champions League.
Welcoming Olympiacos to the Emirates Stadium, meeting the Greek champions for the 13th time in 15 years, they were a difficult side to get the better of, but like they did in Bilbao, Mikel Arteta’s men got the job done, 2-0 victors again.
While the Gunners struggled to create clear-cut opportunities to score from in the second half, in truth, it was a game they could have won by four or five goals.
In the opening 45 minutes the Londoners were electric, scoring early through Gabriel Martinelli before substitute Bukayo Saka rounded things off late on.
While not on the scoresheet, the biggest positive from the night was undoubtedly the performance of skipper Martin Odegaard.
After suffering an ankle injury on international duty just over a year ago, the Norwegian has looked a little lost for form but was back to his best in Europe on Wednesday, putting in a masterclass performance from the middle of the park.
It was Odegaard who supplied Saka’s goal and it was the club captain who played the ball in behind in the build-up to the opener.
To see him in full flow again is a joy, and he will be vital now as Arteta’s side aim to go deep in this year’s competition. So far they have six points from six, but trickier ties await, notably Atletico Madrid in match week three.
Speaking of Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres will have no doubt been delighted he was back in the side.
In all honesty, this has been a difficult start to life for the hulking Swede in north London.
At Sporting CP last season, he showcased his credentials by scoring 54 goals, three of which came against Manchester City in this very competition.
Yet, in Arsenal colours, he’s not been able to demonstrate the same level of clinicalness inside the penalty area.
Gyokeres has scored three times, two coming in one game against Leeds United, but there is a sense that he needs to work on his final action.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
He had six shots against Newcastle on Sunday but none of them felt too clean. The truth is that he’s taking too much time to get his efforts away.
That said, the summer arrival is improving. The very fact he was so threatening last weekend is evidence of that.
Against Olympiacos, the 27-year-old perhaps put in his best non-scoring display for Arsenal yet. Finally afforded space in behind, he was unlucky not to score on a few occasions.
His forward play for the first goal was sublime. Odegaard fed the ball in behind and Gyokeres bulldozed his way forward, crashing past two defenders and then getting a shot away that came off the post.
Fortunately, Martinelli was ready and waiting to tap the rebound into an empty net.
Gyokeres was a willing runner for much of the game and was found with great regularity by an in-form Odegaard. You can tell the chemistry between Arsenal’s chief creators and their new striker is indeed improving.
It’s hard to judge him too much so far. Visits to Old Trafford, Anfield and St James Park’ have historically been tricky and with easier fixtures to come, the Swedish superstar looks like he’s growing in confidence at just the right time.
Whether he goes on to replicate some of Arsenal’s great strikers of the past remains to be seen. He bears the number 14, famously worn by Thierry Henry and later, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
No Gunners striker has lifted the Premier League since the days of Henry, not even the likes of Robin van Persie or Auba. Perhaps now will be the year they finally do so.
To stand any chance of that, not only will they need Odegaard and Gyokeres in top form, but they will also need to find a way to get more out of their future Van Persie.
The scorer of 30-plus goals in a single campaign during the Arsene Wenger era, Van Persie was a menacing centre-forward and Gyokeres will no doubt hope to emulate him.
However, one player who already looks ready to emulate the great Dutchman is Martinelli.
The Brazilian has endured a sticky few years. In 2022/23, he ended the term as the club’s joint-top scorer alongside Saka and Odegaard, but he has not replicated that since.
While he still looks a tad timid in 2025/26, he is finding his feet once more, even with limited game time.
Martinelli’s start on Wednesday evening was just his fourth of the season to date but he more than made it count, scoring the first goal of the game.
The 24-year-old is certainly a man in form having scored three in his last four, the most important of which came against Manchester City, delicately lobbing Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Citizens’ net with barely minutes remaining.
All of his goals this season have so far come from central areas and that’s where the Brazilian could become a force in the years to come.
For years, Martinelli has been a wide forward. Those 15 goals in 2022/23 came from the left flank, but there is a striker waiting to be unleashed. His record as an out-and-out centre-forward is better than in any other position, albeit that is from a small sample size.
|
Martinelli career by position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Left wing |
186 |
40 |
26 |
|
Right wing |
18 |
3 |
3 |
|
Striker |
16 |
9 |
0 |
|
Total |
220 |
52 |
29 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt. |
|||
Having netted nine goals in 16 matches, the proof is there. He’s a very threatening striker. He’s got pace and he’s got the ability to run in behind. The goal in Bilbao a few weeks ago showed no defender is quick enough to keep up with him and that goal against City came courtesy of another run in behind the defence from a central position.
Interestingly, it was as a central attacker where Unai Emery got a lot of joy from Martinelli, too. During his debut year in England, 2019/20, he found the net on seven occasions in nine matches as a centre forward.
So, why the comparison to Van Persie? Well, when the Netherlands icon first signed for Arsenal, he did so as a wide player. Like Martinelli, he was traditionally a left winger.
That said, the plan for Wenger was always to transform him into a striker and he did just that, to great success too.
While Van Persie may not have had the pace of Martinelli, his finishing ability was remarkable. At Arsenal, the Flying Dutchman registered 132 goals in 278 matches, cementing himself as one of the finest players to don the famous shirt. It was a great success story for Wenger.
Now, in 2025, Arteta must take a leaf out of the Frenchman’s book. The Brazil international may well have been fielded on the wing on Wednesday night, but he looks more at home centrally, just as Van Persie did.
After the arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke this summer, Arsenal’s number 11 was always going to find it tricky to get regular starts, but with Kai Havertz out and Gyokeres still getting up to speed, perhaps the forward could revive his career by permanently moving to the striker role.
Arsenal sold "one of the best passers in Europe"; now he's like Rice & Zubi
The former Arsenal star is having a brilliant season in the Premier League.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Sep 30, 2025
A disappointed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca gave a brutal verdict after the Blues' last-gasp defeat at the hands of Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday. Alejandro Garnacho scored his maiden goal for Chelsea to give them an early lead but Sunderland bounced back, riding on Wilson Isidor's equaliser and Chemsdine Talbi's last-minute winner.
Aston Villa’s start to the Premier League season has been anything but smooth.
Off-the-field uncertainty dominated their summer, and the hangover has been felt on the pitch.
The club only recorded their first league win of the season against Fulham on Sunday, lifting them out of the bottom three and into 16th place.
Their negative goal difference reflects a side still finding its rhythm, and the early results suggest that pressure is quickly building on Unai Emery’s squad.
The turbulence began with financial concerns. Villa’s transfer activity was clouded by PSR restrictions, which made it unclear whether they could reinforce without significant sales.
Star goalkeeper Emi Martínez came close to leaving for Manchester United, while Ollie Watkins also attracted interest from other top-flight clubs.
Somehow, Villa kept hold of both – as well as their brightest talent, Morgan Rogers – but the distractions were evident.
Rogers himself did little to dampen speculation, hinting in one interview that a move could be on the horizon.
Late in the window, Villa scrambled to bring in reinforcements, completing deals for Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho on deadline day.
It was a clear attempt to steady the ship and add creativity ahead of a campaign that will also see them compete in the Europa League.
A sixth-place finish last season raised expectations, but early form suggests off-field issues have seeped into the squad’s performances.
No player better symbolises Villa’s current struggles than Rogers.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder enjoyed a breakthrough last season, making 54 appearances across all competitions, including 37 in the Premier League, where he produced eight goals and 11 assists.
That form subseuqently saw him win the PFA Premier League Young Player of the Year award.
His European contribution was also vital: four goals and three assists helped Villa reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
That productivity feels like a distant memory this term. Rogers has looked short on confidence and, crucially, short on decisiveness in possession.
In the defeat to Bologna, he played the full 90 minutes but registered 50 touches, completed just ten of 24 passes, and failed to record a shot on target. He attempted two dribbles and succeeded with neither, while losing possession a staggering 29 times.
For a player once celebrated for his dynamism and flair, those numbers are the starkest evidence yet of his current malaise.
The sense among supporters is that Rogers has become too predictable. Opponents now know his threat and actively look to smother him.
Some Villa fans have called for him to be dropped, suggesting that a spell out of the spotlight might help him rediscover his spark.
His recent form for England, where he registered an assist against Serbia, shows the talent is still there, but he has not been able to translate that into club form.
Waiting in the wings is Jadon Sancho.
The 25-year-old winger arrived on loan from Manchester United on deadline day, carrying a market value of around £25m.
This is a long way from the £125m peak valuation that this “crazy talent” – in the words of scout Jacek Kulig – held in 2020.
|
Jadon Sancho – 2020/21 |
|
|---|---|
|
Matches Played |
26 |
|
Goals |
8 |
|
Assists |
11 |
|
Progressive Carries |
114 |
|
Progressive Passes |
178 |
|
Source: FBref |
|
His fall from grace has been steep.
At Chelsea last season, his loan spell ended so unconvincingly that the club even paid United to release them from the obligation to make the move permanent.
Now at Villa Park, Sancho has featured three times, though he was an unused substitute in the win against Fulham.
This loan could represent the last chance for him in English football.
He will hope to reignite his career under Emery, with the Europa League providing additional opportunities for minutes and form.
His past record shows what he is capable of: a £73m transfer to Manchester United in 2021 was fuelled by dazzling performances at Borussia Dortmund, where his creativity and ball-carrying made him one of Europe’s hottest properties.
Internationally, Sancho still harbours ambitions of returning to the England setup, having already been capped 23 times.
With Thomas Tuchel putting together his squad for the World Cup, a run of form at Villa could put him back in contention.
More immediately, his arrival puts direct pressure on Rogers. If Emery decides to rotate, Sancho could step straight into the starting XI, offering pace, invention, and – if he can recapture even some of his Dortmund-era form – a cutting edge Villa desperately lack.
For now, Emery has been cautious, perhaps waiting for Sancho to fully adjust.
But the contrast between Rogers’ wastefulness and Sancho’s potential upside is difficult to ignore.
In many ways, Sancho embodies Villa’s gamble: if he thrives, he could spark their attack into life; if he fails, it could be another symbol of a club whose questionable off-field decisions continue to cloud their season.
Aston Villa heading for Benteke repeat over "top talent" & it's not Watkins
Aston Villa face echoes of the past as one of Unai Emery’s crop hints at an exit
By
Will Miller
Sep 22, 2025
Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson has leapt to the defence of his new team-mate Florian Wirtz, who has come under increasing scrutiny after struggling to make a significant impact since his £116 million ($154.4m) switch from Bayer Leverkusen. Robertson has pointed to a number of key impacts made by Wirtz and made a bold prediction about the remainder of the season.
Mary Earps says she never meant to “intentionally hurt” anyone as she hit back at Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor’s claims that she showed a lack of “respect” to Hannah Hampton following her comments about the goalkeeper. The former England shot-stopper took to social media to defend herself after she was also accused of disrespecting Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman.