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Arsenal have pulled a U-turn over an exit for one player in the January window, despite manager Mikel Arteta’s original green-light.

Arsenal face West Ham in the Premier League after 5-1 win over Sporting Lisbon

Arteta’s side travel to West Ham in the Premier League this weekend, following what has been an excellent few days for the Gunners.

Arsenal ready to attempt £80m offer for "Thierry Henry-esque" forward

He could be a hugely popular addition.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 28, 2024

Arsenal are fresh off the back of a 3-0 win over in-form Nottingham Forest and 5-1 demolition of Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, putting what was a torrid few weeks beforehand firmly to bed.

Their uptick in form, despite multiple injury absences, is a positive sign – and they’re favourites to seize all three points against a West Ham side who are struggling for consistency under Julen Lopetegui.

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Everton (home)

December 14

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

“For sure, especially against the opponent that we played in their home,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s win over Sporting.

“I don’t think they’ve lost a game in 18 months. They’ve been in top form, they did better than anyone they played here, so to play to the level, with the determination, the purpose, and the fluidity that we’ve done today, very pleased.

“The performance was there a few times and when we played big teams. When we played PSG, we were exceptional, again, when we played Bayern we were exceptional and some mistakes cost us. Now it’s Inter, now it’s this level, that’s the level we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, then that creates belief, then on the next one the players will be better prepared. We need that consistency because the ability to do it is there.”

Arsenal will be without injured defender Ben White for their clash against West Ham, and the nature of their luck with long-term injuries to key players this season could present opportunities for fringe players to stake their claim for a place in the starting eleven. One of those men could be Jakub Kiwior.

Arsenal U-turn over Jakub Kiwior loan after previous Arteta green-light

Reports in Italy originally claimed that Arteta gave the green-light for Arsenal to offload Kiwior on loan in January, considering the Poland international has played just 329 minutes across all competitions so far this season.

Only 98 of those have come in the top flight, leading to speculation over his future, but TUTTOmercatoWEB and journalist Andrea Losapio have now shared another update on the 24-year-old.

They write that Arsenal will no longer sanction a loan move for Kiwior, with the north Londoners seemingly pulling a U-turn over letting him leave mid-season, as Arteta views the centre-back as perfect cover for Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of his defence.

Called an “extraordinary” player by Robert Lewandowski, a player of the ex-Spezia starlet’s ability will be needed during the business phase of the campaign, especially considering the club’s injury problems so far this term.

Todd Boehly and the Chelsea ownership team are the subject of fan protests, but finding a buyer will be "very hard" following a mammoth investment.

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• Abramovich moved on in May 2022
• Huge investment but little return since then
• Fans growing tired of false promises

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Premier League heavyweights were the subject of a £4.25 billion ($5bn) takeover in May 2022, as Roman Abramovich saw his reign at Stamford Bridge come to close. Huge sums of money have been pumped into the club since then, including over £1bn ($1.3bn) on transfer fees, but little return has been seen.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  That has led to disgruntlement among the fanbase, with there now calls for Boehly and Co. to sell up and move on. It is, however, considered to be unlikely that another deal will be done in west London as the Blues’ current board overpaid initially and still have ambitious plans – which include a potential new stadium – up their sleeve.

• WHAT FOOTBALL FINANCE EXPERT SAID

  Football finance expert Stefan Borson has told when asked about the prospect of Chelsea coming back onto the market: “Boehly did a keynote on Thursday at the FT Business Summit. He was impressive actually. He spoke a lot of American. He spoke a lot about Netflix and how he believed that the Premier League content was as close to Netflix as you could get from a global perspective, just because football is a global sport almost uniquely.

  “He clearly sees the opportunities for the media perspective going forward. He paid a very rich price for Chelsea based on his experiences I think in American sport and, therefore, what the potential value of English clubs could be.

  “I think the chances of them selling are low and it would be very hard to find a buyer who would bail them out of what they’ve invested to date, which is probably close to £3.5 billion by now. They have also still got the stadium issue.

  “I think it’s been too expensive and that they overpaid. If they can do everything that they want to do with English football as leaders of that disruption in terms of changes to the game, changes to the way it monetises itself, then clearly, they can still make a return. But it’s been a very expensive project, so I think it’d be very hard to find somebody that would take them out completely.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Chelsea remain in the hunt for major silverware this season, having reached the last-16 of the Europa Conference League, but have found consistency hard to come by in domestic competition of late and face a fight to the finish in a congested bid to claim Champions League qualification spots.

Throughout his time as Aston Villa manager so far, Unai Emery has made some impressive signings. Perhaps the Spaniard’s best has been Jhon Duran, who joined from Chicago Fire. The centre-forward has already scored 16 times in 66 games for the club and has recently signed a new contract.

His most expensive purchase so far has been midfielder Amadou Onana. The Belgian cost the Villans £50m over the summer, making the move to Villa Park from Everton. He is one of four players who have cost more than £30m, along with Moussa Diaby, Ian Maatsen and Pau Torres.

One of the biggest success stories so far under Villa’s Spanish boss has been Morgan Rogers.

Rogers’ stats for Villa

22-year-old versatile attacker Rogers has risen to fame over the past 12 months or so, excelling for Middlesbrough in the Championship before joining Villa last February. The Midlands club paid £8m for the Englishman, with the deal potentially rising to £16m including add-ons.

He has been simply sensational for the Villans this season. He has played 15 times this term, scoring three times and registering three assists. In the Premier League, the England under-21 international has three goals and two assists in 11 games.

That included a well-taken goal away to newly-promoted Ipswich.

However, it is not just Rogers’ goals and assists that have meant he has been so good this season. Former Villans player Tony Cascarino praised his dribbling ability, a key feature of the Villa number 27’s game. Speaking on talkSPORT, he explained the attacker “seems to ride the tackles and not get phased”, likening him to Bayern Munich and Germany star Jamal Musiala.

With that in mind, it may be unsurprising that the exciting young talent has recently received his first England call-up. The attacker was brought into Lee Carsley’s final squad – before Thomas Tuchel takes over in the New Year – following several drop-outs through injury.

He will join a host of exciting youngsters in the squad, but will also link up with a former Villa player who is one of the most experienced members of the Three Lions squad.

The former Villa star in the England squad

The player in question here is Kyle Walker. The 34-year-old, who has 90 caps for his country, played for Villa on loan in the second half of the 2010/11 season, joining from Tottenham Hotspur.

It is a move many fans might well forget ever happened, given the success the right-back has had since moving to Manchester City from Spurs in 2017 for £45m up front, with a further £5m in add-ons.

His time at Villa Park was impressive, Walker played 18 times for the club and managed to score twice and grab three assists.

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.

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In the Premier League, the defender played 90 minutes in all but one of his games, 15 to be exact, scoring one goal and registering all three of his assists in that famous Claret and Blue shirt.

It was also during that stint, ironically, that the now veteran star received his first senior call-up for the Three Lions, during Gerard Houllier’s time at the helm.

It is fair to say that, since leaving both Villa Park and more recently, White Hart Lane, the defender has had great success. He has played 310 games for City, with 29 goals and assists to his name.

Walker has been a pivotal figure for Pep Guardiola, as the Spaniard has led City to complete domination throughout his tenure. He has won 17 major trophies, including the treble in the 2022/23 season, capped off by City’s first Champions League title. Following that historic campaign, football presenter Dougie Critchley described him as a “quality” player.

Walker games played for Man City in 2022/23

Competition

Games

Minutes

Trophy won

Premier League

27

1962

Yes

Champions League

5

282

Yes

FA Cup

5

393

Yes

Community Shield

1

90

No

Carabao Cup

1

46

No

Stats from Transfermarkt

Now, Villa fans could be days away from seeing their former loanee right-back lining up for England with their current superstar Rogers.

In many ways, it would be a full-circle moment, with Villans players past and present potentially representing the Three Lions together.

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The former Aston Villa starlet had hopes of being the next Jack Grealish.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Nov 12, 2024

Lewis Dunk has slammed "embarrassing" Brighton and admitted that they "let themselves down" after Nottingham Forest put seven past them.

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Ruthless Forest put Brighton to the swordChris Wood led the charge with a hat-trickDunk scored an own-goal in the matchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Seagulls endured a humiliating evening at the City Ground, with Dunk inadvertently turning the ball into his own net to hand Forest the opening goal. From there, the afternoon went from bad to worse for the Seagulls as the hosts, recorded their biggest-ever Premier League victory. Chris Wood led the charge with a clinical hat-trick, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams, and Jota Silva also found the net in a rampant display by Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT DUNK SAID

Speaking to after the game, Dunk delivered a scathing analysis of Brighton’s performance, admitting that the team had completely fallen apart.

"Everything [went wrong]. It was embarrassing," he stated. "We let ourselves down. We let the travelling fans down. We let the fans at home down. We have to take it on ourselves. It was us out there that performed like that. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and bounce back next week."
Dunk criticized the team's lack of effort and added: "I don't think we played with enough intensity or wanted it enough. It's not nice to say as a football player but we weren't good enough today. As a whole team, we didn't deserve [anything]. It could have been even more.

"We knew that we were coming here for a tough game. They are flying in the league and it is always a tough place to come. That tough? Probably not. And that is on ourselves. We have to work hard now and make sure we don't let ourselves or the fans down like that again.

"It is doing it on the training field. Working hard every day, wanting it every day. It starts on the training pitch. Three games ago we were on top of the world again weren't we after two wins in a row? Now we're rock bottom again."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

For Dunk, the night was even more painful on a personal level. His own goal was the seventh of his Premier League career, putting him behind only Richard Dunne (10) for the most own goals in the competition’s history.

"This season has been a rollercoaster," he said. "The manager speaks about consistency all the time and that is a prime example of not showing any. We have to work at it. There's a lot of work to do to get to where we want to get to. There wasn't much to say [for Fabian Hurzeler]. We let ourselves down, let the fans down, let him down. There was nothing to say."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Forest’s emphatic win was their biggest league victory since a 7-0 demolition of Chelsea in April 1991. Meanwhile, Brighton suffered their heaviest league defeat in more than six decades—their worst since a crushing 9-0 loss to Middlesbrough on the opening day of the 1958-59 season. Additionally, Brighton have now scored more own goals (19) than any other club since the 2017-18 Premier League season.

Inexperienced PNG will look to capitalise on Bangladesh’s lack of run-scoring in the powerplay and at the death

Mohammad Isam20-Oct-2021Big PictureThe last time the T20 World Cup qualifiers round needed to be settled on the last day, one of the greatest chases in the format took place in Sylhet. Netherlands chased down 190 in 13.5 overs against Ireland to vault over from No. 3 to No. 1 in the group. It was a game that, many believe, helped change the perception of T20s.Down to the final round of matches this time around, there are a lot of equations facing all four teams in Group B on Thursday. Even winless Papua New Guinea have a chance at a place in the Super 12s. If Sylhet in 2014 is anything to go by, expect fireworks in Muscat. Bangladesh remain in a must-win situation as they take on PNG in the afternoon game at the Al Amerat Ground. The proceedings of this game will have a knock-on effect in the evening match between Oman and Scotland.Bangladesh, though, have recovered from the Scotland shock by beating Oman. It was a hard-fought win that exposed some of the gaps in their system, but it has served its purpose. Shakib Al Hasan brought out his trademark Player-of-the-Match-winning performance, scoring 42 and taking three wickets. Mohammad Naim batted well with Shakib, getting 64, while offspinner Mahedi Hasan and seamer Mohammad Saifuddin stifled Oman at crucial stages. Mustafizur Rahman, despite a wayward first spell, finished with a four-wicket haul.Related

Group B scenarios – Scotland, Oman, Bangladesh eye net run rate calculations

Bangladesh did tick some of the boxes on Tuesday that they couldn’t against Scotland, but some problems still need solving. Their powerplay scoring remains low, which is mostly due to Liton Das’ indifferent form. They are also struggling with the bat at the death, a period in which Mahmudullah, Nurul Hasan and Afif Hossain have done well in the recent past.PNG will look to capitalise on all of these and cause an upset. They are short on confidence as well as on experience, but they have the makings of a potentially exciting T20 side in the near future. Assad Vala and Charles Amini batted well against Oman in their first game, while Kabua Morea and Norman Vanua performed against Scotland. But they need a team effort, with a few more contributors.6:54

Nafees: Whenever Bangladesh have needed Shakib, he has done it

Form guide(Last five completed matches)Bangladesh WLLWL
PNG LLLLLIn the spotlightPNG must do their homework on Mahedi Hasan. He started off with three wickets against Scotland, reducing them to 53 for 6 before Bangladesh let it slip. Against Oman when Bangladesh were in big trouble, Mahedi’s 1 for 14 from four overs bailed them out. His batting hasn’t fired, though.Kabua Morea was PNG’s first wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, and later went on to complete a four-wicket haul. Morea is a lively left-arm quick who showed accuracy against Scotland. PNG will, thus, hope that he can take advantage of Bangladesh’s powerplay struggles.Team newsBangladesh are likely to stick with the same XI that beat Oman.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Liton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanBatter Hiri Hiri, left-arm spinner Jason Kila and pace-bowling allrounder Gaudi Toka are yet to play, so PNG may consider giving them a chance.Papua New Guinea (probable): 1 Tony Ura, 2 Lega Siaka, 3 Assad Vala (capt), 4 Charles Amini, 5 Sese Bau, 6 Simon Atai, 7 Norman Vanua, 8 Kiplin Doriga (wk), 9 Chad Soper, 10, Nosaina Pokana, 11 Kabua MoreaStats and trivia PNG will be Bangladesh’s 21st opponent in international cricket. They have, however, played twice as Associate nations at a time when matches between such sides were not counted as internationals. While PNG beat Bangladesh in the ICC Trophy in 1982 in the third-place playoff, Bangladesh beat them once in the 1996 ACC Trophy.

Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the Championship season on Saturday to Burnley, and it is a result that may have put manager Daniel Farke under significant pressure.

The Yorkshire side were unbeaten in their opening four league games, winning two and drawing two, but the 1-0 defeat to the Clarets leaves Leeds on eight points, already five adrift of leaders West Brom.

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Leeds are unable to do any more business until January, so the focus will be on the football side of things and looking to pick up wins as they try to return to the Premier League.

However, the club will also be putting plans in place in the background, and according to Football Insider’s Pepe O’Rourke, Leeds will look to sign a striker in January. He states that owners the 49ers Enterprises are set to make the money available to bring in a new marksman.

Sunderland’s Eliezer Mayenda has emerged as a potential target for Leeds, but it appears a move for the striker is unlikely, as the Black Cats will be unwilling to strengthen a promotion rival. The Whites are said to be in need for a new centre-forward, and the club’s owners are willing to sign one in January, as they have put funds aside to bring in a new player.

The Yorkshire side have Patrick Bamford, Mateo Joseph, Joe Gelhardt, and Joel Piroe as their options for centre-forward, but it appears as though the club and Farke are keen to add to that area of the pitch in the new year after losing several key players during the summer. But while Farke may be keeping an eye on what could happen in January, his future at the club may not all be guaranteed as speculation emerges.

Graham Smyth makes claim on Daniel Farke's Leeds future

According to YEP reporter Graham Smyth, relayed by MOT Leeds News, Farke’s future at Leeds United no longer feels “as certain as it once did”. This comes as it’s been claimed that pressure was always going to have been on the German this season after failing to seal promotion to the top tier last term.

Smyth wrote for the Yorkshire Evening Post on 15 September that it is “unknown” how the manager’s bond with the 49ers will hold up if pressure starts to increase. Plus, Farke’s indications of dissatisfaction with the transfer window have hinted that the relationship between manager and board might not be all that well, with CEO Angus Kinnear even alluding to tension behind the scenes over the summer.

Smyth wrote on Farke’s future at Leeds: “And what about the right manager for where Leeds United are in a year’s time? The question naturally asked itself as Kinnear’s statement hung in the air.

Matches

61

Won

33

Drawn

13

Lost

15

“There is, of course, only one way that Farke will be at Leeds come September 2025, and that is if they are playing Premier League football.

“Even then, it does not feel as certain as it once did, because of the way the window played out, because of what he said, what Kinnear said, and what fans were left saying after the 1-0 defeat by Burnley.”

تحدث شادي محمد، نجم النادي الأهلي الأسبق، عن مواجهة الزمالك، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز، غدًا السبت.

وقال شادي محمد عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “جميع الحسابات تصب في مصلحة الأهلي، لكن لا ينبغي أن يدخل الفريق المباراة بنفس أسلوب مباراة السوبر الإفريقي”.

طالع.. محمود فتح الله: الزمالك يُخاطر قبل مواجهة الأهلي في قمة الدوري

وتابع: “ليس من المنطقي أن يبدأ أشرف بن شرقي في مباراة القمة، فالأهلي يمتلك لاعبين مميزين وتألقهم سبب حيرة لكولر”.

وأضاف: “إذا كان الفريق في أفضل حالاته، وعلى رأسهم إمام عاشور، فإنه سيفوز، إمام لاعب مميز يؤدي أدوارًا كبيرة في الفريق، بالإضافة إلى احتمالية مشاركة وسام أبو علي”.

وأتم: “الأهلي فريق قوي يسيطر على البطولات محليًا وإفريقيًا، وعندما يخسر بطولة، يدفعه جمهوره لتعويضها سريعًا”.

Another Sunderland player is set to miss his side’s Championship clash with Plymouth Argyle this weekend, according to manager Regis Le Bris.

Sunderland suffer Abdullahi injury blow

The Black Cats are looking to continue their pre-international break form on Saturday afternoon, as they make the trip to lowly Plymouth. Another win would make it five victories in a row for Le Bris’ side, which would further suggest that they are genuine promotion contenders this season.

Ahead of Sunderland’s long trip to the south west, they have been dealt a blow with the news that summer signing Ahmed Abdullahi will be out for the foreseeable future, potentially even missing as much as three months of action.

Le Bris himself has given an update on the situation, saying: “Ahmed is different because he will have surgery. He will probably have ten to 12 weeks off the pitch. It wasn’t so clear when we signed him. We need an expert to understand exactly what the problem was. Now, we know. The diagnosis is clear and it will be solved after this surgery.”

Sunderland will know the importance of keeping players fit throughout the season, with fitness woes having the potential to derail any campaign, and another individual is now also confirmed to be unavailable for the Plymouth game this weekend.

Sunderland also without Salis Abdul Samed vs Plymouth

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Thursday [via Sunderland AFC News], Le Bris said that new loan signing Salis Abdul Samed also won’t be available for selection for another week or 10 days, despite returning to training. “Salis is now training in the first part of the sessions, and he will be available for selection in eight or ten days.”

It makes sense for Le Bris not to rush Samed into the team too quickly, as he searches for full fitness in training, but it’s still a shame not to have him in contention to feature this weekend, even if it was from the substitutes’ bench.

The 24-year-old has the potential to be an important signing for Sunderland, coming in on a season-long loan deal from Lens, looking to give them an extra spark in midfield. He is a 19-cap Ghana international, which immediately stands out when assessing his pedigree, and he has also made 91 appearances in Ligue 1, showing that he can perform in one of Europe’s big five leagues, while Ghana manager Otto Addo has said of him:

“The way Abdul Salis was running and how he controlled the game was really, really impressive. But all the others did well too. To hold them with ten-men in their half and pin them was a massive thing. We had good possessions; we helped and supported each other in the right timing, especially Abdul Salis.”

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Hopefully, Samed’s debut won’t be too far away, perhaps coming at home to Middlesbrough next weekend (Saturday, 12.30pm), should he show enough progress in training in the coming days.

Worcestershire in trouble on 53 for 6 after home side race to 400 for 5 dec

ECB Reporters' Network22-May-2021

Ben Duckett helped Notts pile on the runs•Getty Images

An unbeaten 177 from Ben Duckett and five wickets for Luke Fletcher at last gave spectators something to cheer on day three of Nottinghamshire’s weather-hit LV= Insurance County Championship match against Worcestershire.Duckett, who earned four Test caps in 2016, shared partnerships of 205 with allrounder Lyndon James, who made 78, and 142 with skipper Steven Mullaney, who smashed four sixes in a 73-ball 88 as Nottinghamshire racked up maximum batting bonus points.They then added two bowling points, reducing their opponents to 46 for 6 in a frenzied 85 minutes before the close, Fletcher taking 5 for 20 including three in the same over.Duckett’s hundred was his fifth for Nottinghamshire, his first of the season and his biggest for the county in the Championship, an innings that mixed some impressive conventional strokeplay from the punchy left-hander with some characteristic improvisation.Nottinghamshire declared on 400 for 5, after which Worcestershire lost former Notts opener Jake Libby to a brilliant one-handed catch by Ben Slater at short square leg off Fletcher, Tom Fell gloved one off Stuart Broad and Fletcher, bowling full and straight, dismissed Daryl Mitchell, Brett D’Oliveira and Riki Wessels in the space of five balls, all leg before, Mitchell offering no stroke.Related

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Weather prevents Kent push in wake of Hurricane Stevens

He completed his third five-wicket haul in consecutive matches when Jack Haynes went the same way.Only 95 balls could be bowled in the opening two days, and showers cost another 16 overs on Saturday, yet a positive result remains possible, if unlikely.It was hard to recall that Worcestershire, still without a Group One win, had reduced their opponents to 51 for 3 by taking three wickets in 28 balls in tricky conditions on a fragmented first day. By contrast, after Friday’s complete washout, Nottinghamshire enjoyed chanceless progress through the first two sessions, adding 99 before lunch and 105 in the afternoon, with Worcestershire’s bowlers unable to create meaningful pressure.James and Duckett overtook the 157 set by James Taylor and Riki Wessels at New Road in 2015 as the highest fourth-wicket stand for Nottinghamshire against Worcestershire but the 21-year-old, whose 10 boundaries brought him the third half-century of his fledgling career, fell soon after tea when he miscued a pull off Mitchell’s medium pace and was caught at extra cover.Duckett, whose first fifty came at a run a ball, posted his 19th career hundred off 126 balls as he swept D’Oliveira’s legspin for his 11th four, celebrating with two more boundaries in the over from reverse sweeps. He reached 150 off 175 balls, the innings containing 19 fours all told.

Heading into the new Premier League season, Chelsea were seen as the 'banter' club once again.

Why? Well, unless you've been living under a rock, Todd Boehly has waved his big fat chequebook around again to bolster his squad further.

New bodies were needed under Enzo Maresca and they have actually completed some impressive business this summer. Pedro Neto has long been sought-after by clubs in the Premier League. Tosin Adarabioyo was smart on a free transfer and Joao Felix is a pretty handy player.

Yet, it's the way in which they've handled player exits that defies belief. Academy graduates Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah were alienated from the first-team squad and the same treatment has been dished out to high-earner Raheem Sterling.

So, when the Blues tasted defeat against Manchester City on the opening weekend you feared the worst once again.

Fortunately, they have bounced back well, producing their best performance in many a month to dispatch Wolves 6-2 at Molineux on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea's best player vs Wolves

There's no prize for guessing this one. Noni Madueke – who among the thrills and spills of this transfer window has been linked with an exit – scored a remarkable hat-trick during a frantic 14-minute period of football.

It was the first of his career and one that will likely now keep him at Stamford Bridge. Talk about timing. This Chelsea squad won't be easy to feature regularly in this season but the former PSV Eindhoven star has begun the season with some aplomb.

All three strikes were supplied by Cole Palmer, running Wolves ragged with a trio of goals that silenced a crowd who had been booing the winger due to comments on social media prior to the game.

His first may have been deflected beyond the goalkeeper by Rayan Ait-Nouri but there was no doubting the quality of the other two goals, firing beyond Jose Sa from very similar angles having been laid off by the inevitable Palmer.

That said, despite a rosy day for Chelsea, there was one notable underperformer in Blue.

Chelsea's worst player vs Wolves

Coming into this new campaign Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk was sporting a new head of hair. Gone were the luscious blonde locks. Instead, a skinhead had arrived back at Cobham, ready and raring to show something different on the pitch too.

Sadly, the mega-money signing during the winter of 2023 is still failing to produce the goods and is leaving fans to wonder why on earth they paid such a pretty penny to beat Arsenal to his signature.

Mudryk's lack of influence on the game was summed up by his withdrawal at the break. Maresca said after the game that he was "not happy" with his display in possession.

Why was that the case? Well, the stats do all of the heavy lifting for us. Inevitably producing fewer touches (13) than goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's 54, he left the pitch having mustered a tally of just five completed passes. From his low number of touches, he ceded possession on six occasions.

On that evidence, it's hardly a surprise the new manager was a bit fed up with the winger's performance.

Minutes played

45

Touches

13

Accurate passes

5/8 (63%)

Crosses

0/1

Key passes

0

Dribble attempts

1/2

Ground duels won

1/4

Aerial duels won

0/1

Possession lost

6x

Shots

0

To make matters worse he failed to carve out a single key pass on a day where Chelsea ran rampant. Mudryk also succeeded with just one of his two dribble attempts.

This was a particularly poor afternoon for the attacker who was given a hammering by the media post-game. Football.London's Bobby Vincent handed him a 5/10, lambasting his 'quiet' nature. GOAL were particularly scathing with reporter Mark Doyle suggesting it was a 0/10 display, writing that it was an 'embarrassingly ineffective display'. Tell us what you really think, eh?

So, with Neto champing at the bit for his first league start for Chelsea, Joao Felix recently signed and Christopher Nkunku also looking over his shoulder, it would not be a surprise to see Mudryk benched next time out.

Move over Madueke: 9/10 Chelsea ace was the real star for Maresca

Chelsea smashed Wolves 6-2 for Maresca’s first Premier League win.

ByConnor Holden Aug 25, 2024