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Rômulo é jogador do Palmeiras e está devidamente apresentado. Novo camisa 20 da equipe treinada por Abel Ferreira, o meia enfrentou o Verdão já estando comprado pelo clube, na semifinal do Paulistão.

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Na ocasião, o atleta defendia o Novorizontino. Porém, Rômulo estava negociado e até oficialmente anunciado pelo Palmeiras. Ele revelou que essa situação foi difícil de lidar.

– Foi um momento um pouco difícil, defender o Novorizontino e estar comprado pelo Palmeiras. Eu estava vestindo a camisa do Novorizontino e tinha que defender eles. Aconteceu o que tinha que acontecer e acho que fiz meu trabalho bem feito e fui profissional com o Novorizontino e Palmeiras. Fiquei feliz. – contou, em entrevista de apresentação nesta terça-feira (9).

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O meia também compartilhou uma história de superação. Rômulo teve cerca de 30 recusas ao tentar testes em clubes de futebol e, inclusive, recebeu um “não” do próprio Palmeiras.

– Esse processo foi bastante árduo por tudo que passei, pelos “nãos” que levei. Não sei ao certo, mas acho que quase 30 recusas. Mas minha família ajudou bastante, continuamos firmes. Já tinha feito avaliação no Palmeiras e talvez não era o momento. Mas continuei trabalhando e hoje chego no Palmeiras para fazer um grande trabalho – disse.

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Rômulo ainda não estreou pelo Palmeiras, mas está à disposição de Abel para jogar na quinta-feira (11). A equipe enfrenta o Liverpool, do Uruguai, pela segunda rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores.

Aos 22 anos, o meia somou 13 partidas, três gols e duas assistência pelo Novorizontino no Paulistão. Ele foi um dos destaques do torneio e apareceu na seleção oficial da competição.

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Futebol NacionalPalmeirasRômulo

While they are still some way from being the finished article, Chelsea have built a squad full of incredible players over the last few years.

The likes of Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, and probably even Enzo Fernández would be able to get into most Premier League teams.

However, at the same time, West Londoners also have more than a few players who are arguably holding them back, with Tosin Adarabioyo perhaps the most obvious example over the last few weeks.

The former Fulham star has been at the centre of more than a few dire defensive performances for Chelsea, so it’s not all that surprising to see reports linking them to someone who’d be a dream upgrade.

Chelsea target Tosin upgrade

While talk of a title race might be a tad premature for Chelsea this season, they are most certainly in a race for the Champions League place.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

With that in mind, it’s unsurprising to see them linked with a plethora of talented players ahead of the transfer window reopening next month.

For example, the Blues are among several Premier League sides who have shown real interest in RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and have also been linked with Juventus’ Kenan Yıldız.

However, while hugely talented, neither of those exciting wingers would help solve the West Londoners’ defensive problems, nor send Tosin packing, unlike Castello Lukeba.

Yes, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Chelsea have maintained their intense interest in the French centre-back.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that the Blues are now ready to submit a bid of up to £52m for the player in the coming weeks.

Interestingly, while the 22-year-old has a release clause worth around €80million in his contract, which is £70m, the report claims that Leipzig may be willing to cash in on the player for that £52m fee in January.

However, it might not be all that straightforward, as the story also states that Bayern Munich are keen to make a mid-season move for the highly rated defender.

In all, it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Lukeba’s ability and potential, one Chelsea should be pursuing, especially as he could send Tosin packing.

How Lukeba compares to Tosin

Now, when it comes to midfielders, forwards and wingers, it can be relatively straightforward to compare players, as more often than not, their goals and assists are going to be what matters most.

However, when it comes to defenders, and centre-backs in particular, it can be a little trickier, and as a result, you have to go into more detail, you have to take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

Unfortunately for Tosin, doing so demonstrates just how far ahead of him Lukeba is.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.10

0.02

Progressive Passes

4.17

2.90

Progressive Carries

0.83

0.48

Key Passes

0.33

0.00

Shot-Creating Actions

1.25

0.48

Goal-Creating Actions

0.17

0.00

Blocks

1.92

0.65

Interceptions

1.58

0.97

Clearances

5.67

6.77

Successful Take-Ons

1.00

0.00

Ball Recoveries

5.67

2.58

For example, according to FBref, the Frenchman comes out on top in the vast majority of relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, blocks, interceptions, and ball recoveries, all per 90.

In other words, as analyst-turned-scout Ben Mattinson puts it, the Frenchman is a “defensively exceptional” centre-back.

However, his advantages over Tosin extend to more than just his ability off the ball.

For example, the “outstanding” titan, per Mattinson, also comes out on top in metrics like progressive passes and carries, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Essentially, the Leipzig star is someone who can snuff out an opposition attack and then, either through his carrying ability or range of passing, kickstart one for his own side.

Ultimately, from every conceivable angle, it’s clear that Lukeba would be a massive upgrade on Tosin and, therefore, Chelsea should do all they can to sign him in January.

Gittens upgrade: BlueCo convinced they must sign £87m star for Chelsea

The sensational superstar in the making would be an incredible signing for Chelsea, but bad news for Gittens.

ByJack Salveson Holmes 4 days ago

Harmer ran through Pakistan on the fourth morning before South Africa made short work of the chase

Danyal Rasool23-Oct-2025

Ultimately, Pakistan’s overnight hope was built on a bed of straw. South Africa did not even need to huff or puff particularly hard to blow the house down. It took them five balls to dismiss an ostensibly back-to-form Babar Azam, nine runs to take four wickets that put the conclusion beyond doubt, and one session to dispatch the paltry 68 they had been set for victory. Along the way, Simon Harmer took six wickets to take his tally to exactly 1000 first-class wickets, becoming the fourth South African to do so.It took South Africa to a thumping eight-wicket series-levelling win, their first in their defence of the World Test Championship title. For Pakistan, it is their first home defeat after winning the toss since they resorted to spin-friendly tracks at home, their recent third innings malaise coming back to haunt them in its full splendour. Babar’s little tickle into the onside off the day’s second ball got him to a first home Test half-century since 2022, but what should have been the bedrock of his innings was instead its culmination point. Three balls later, he stepped back into his crease off a similar, gentle off spinner, but this one kept slightly low, and rapped him just below the knee roll to begin Pakistan’s slide.A superb Harmer kept the pressure on, but there was assistance aplenty from a Pakistan side that immediately began to go to pieces. Harmer gave Rizwan generous flight, who stretched out well beyond his crease try and get to the pitch to defend. Instead, he got an inside edge onto the pad, which looped up to Tony de Zorzi at short leg, and Harmer went to 999.Related

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Deja Vu for Masood as SA's tail wags and Pakistan's plans unravel

The four-figure dismissal was all about Harmer, though, and a microcosm of what has made him so successful for so long. He went around the wicket to Noman Ali, flighting it well and landing on a sixpence into some of the footmarks the left-arm bowlers have created. It spat up and away from Noman, kissing the outside edge on its way into Kyle Verreynne’s hands. Harmer threw his head up into the sky and let out a roar to rouse any part of Pindi that might still have been asleep.But Pakistan kept hoisting themselves by their own petard. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Salman Agha worked themselves up into calling for a run, taking on Ryan Rickelton who dived forward to effect a direct hit that sent Shaheen on his way, and Pakistan had gone from 105 for 5 to 105 for 8 – yet another middle and lower order collapse in a series they have been sprinkled like confetti.Ryan Rickelton collided with Shaheen Shah Afridi while running him out•AFP/Getty Images

At the other end stood Agha, not so much like a rock of resistance as a young oak waiting to be felled. Maharaj duly did the honours in his first over, the arm ball cutting Agha in half as he chopped back on. Sajid Khan tried to take him on the following over, only to find himself well adrift of his crease for Verreynne to do the honours.Pakistan turned immediately to spin, but there was no intimidating South Africa with a target this shallow. They were off and away with an Aiden Markram mow across the line for four, and Rickelton began to get his kicks in shortly after. Pakistan kept recycling through some combination of their three finger spinners, and South Africa kept putting them away for four, speeding towards the target as lunch approached.Noman got Pakistan the dubious consolation prize of a late couple of wickets when South Africa’s target was in single digits. Markram was trapped in front as he went for another one of his productive sweeps that had fetched him six of his eight fours in the innings, and found Tristan Stubbs’ outside edge for a duck three balls later. But Rickelton made the ignominy official with a whack over long-off for six in the following over.After the previous Test, Pakistan captain Shan Masood had talked about how Pakistan would look to play if they lost the toss to try and stay competitive. South Africa showed they had been listening carefully, and across these four days, executed that plan to perfection.

Also picked is batter Karima Gore, who has represented USA in eight T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025West Indies have named five uncapped players in a 15-member squad to face Nepal in three T20Is in Sharjah later this month. With several first-choice names, including regular captain Shai Hope, rested, West Indies will be led by left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.The five uncapped players are top-order batter Ackeem Auguste, batting allrounder Navin Bidaisee, legpsinner Zishan Motara, left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds, and wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo. Also picked is batter Karima Gore, who has represented USA in eight T20Is, but is yet to play for West Indies.Gore impressed for his franchise Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the ongoing CPL 2025, where he scored 219 runs in 11 matches.Apart from Hosein, the experienced members of the squad include Fabian Allen, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers. Hosein, who has played the most T20Is among the squad members, will be leading West Indies for the first time across formats.In April 2024, West Indies A had toured Nepal for five T20s. Although the hosts lost the series, they still beat the visitors in two matches.The first T20I between West Indies and Nepal begins on September 27, with the next two matches on September 29 and 30.West Indies squad for Nepal T20IsAkeal Hosein (capt), Fabian Allen, Jewel Andrew, Ackeem Auguste, Navin Bidaisse, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Karima Gore, Jason Holder, Amir Jangoo, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Zishan Motara, Ramon Simmonds and Shamar Springer

Manchester City continue their impressive start to this Champions League campaign.

On Tuesday night, Pep Guardiola’s team comfortably swatted aside Villarreal, prevailing 2-0 at Estadio de la Cerámica, with Erling Braut Håland, who else, breaking the deadlock, before Bernardo Silva’s close-range header on the cusp of half time made the points secure.

This takes the Citizens’ points tally to seven, having beaten ten-man Napoli 2-0 on opening night, before that frustrating 2-2 draw with Monaco in the Principality.

Well, considering the Sky Blues finished 22nd in last year’s league phase, only enjoying victories over Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague and Club Brugge, they’re in a much better place this time round, with back-to-back home games against Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen up next.

While the goalbot himself will once again earn all the headlines, another Man City star showcased what he can offer at el Madrigal, putting in a fine display reminiscent of a club great from the not too distant past.

Erling Haaland's ridiculous Champions League record

Håland’s opener on Tuesday was his 15th goal of the season already; having also bagged both during the weekend win over Everton, the Norwegian has now been responsible for 65% of all goals his team have scored in the Premier League or Champions League this season.

His record in UEFA’s top-tier competition is also mind-boggling, only getting better and better.

In 51 Champions League appearances, he has now scored 53 goals, thereby averaging a goal every 78 minutes.

Adding Villarreal to the list, Håland has now scored against 20 different opponents in the competition, very much hoping Bayer Leverkusen, Bodø/Glimt and Galatasaray will join his list of victims come the end of the league phase.

Overall, only eight men in history have scored more Champions League goals than the 25-year-old, just three behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and only four adrift of Thomas Müller.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record of 140 goals in 183 matches may seem a long way off at the moment, but it is very much in his sights.

If Manchester City as a team are going to win the Premier League and Champions League this season, they are going to need their other attacking players to come to the fore, so Guardiola will be encouraged that one certainly did just that in Eastern Spain this week.

Manchester City's Sane-esque star

Arguably, when Manchester City were at their best under Pep Guardiola, during the 100-point season, was back when they had Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sané as their wingers.

The German scored 39 goals and registered 44 assists in 135 appearances in sky blue, reaching double figures for both in back-to-back Premier League seasons, at which point Guardiola described him as “intelligent” and a “fantastic player”, also adding “he’s so fast”.

Well, one could argue Man City have not had wingers of that calibre since then, but is Savinho growing into that role?

Since arriving from within the City Football Group for £31m in the summer of 2024, the Brazilian international has scored just four goals for the club, but shone against Villarreal, as the table below documents.

As the table documents, Savinho ranks first for the vast majority of attacking metrics, registering five key passes, creating three big chances and completing all five dribbles he attempted, while only Håland mustered more shots on target on the night, which is par for the course in any match.

Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News asserted that this was ‘one of his best games’ for the club, awarding him an 8/10 rating, while Richard Martin of Goal noted that his ‘trickery… tormented Villarreal’ all night.

When he joined the club last summer, Umir Irfan of BBC Sport outlined how Savinho was “Sane-esque”, praising his pressing and pace, as well as the Brazilian’s ball-carrying ability and goal threat.

Well, all of this was on show and more at Estadio de la Cerámica on Tuesday, with Savinho putting in a sparkling display, reminiscent of Sané at his peak in Manchester, both an electrifying winger while also offering genuine end product.

This was actually only his fifth start of the season, one of which came in the Carabao Cup, very much part of Guardiola’s rotation in attacking areas, alongside Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and others.

However, he has started each of the last three Premier League games, thereby very much expected to be in the lineup that walks out at Villa Park on Sunday, and will continue to be a key figure in Man City’s push for silverware.

Not just Haaland: 110-touch Man City star is in the best form of his life

Man City made it nine games unbeaten with a win over Villarreal in the Champions League.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 22, 2025

Premier League teams have been urged to exploit a weak link in Thomas Frank’s starting eleven at Tottenham.

Tottenham edge out Leeds United in 2-1 win

The Lilywhites, once again, were forced to display real grit as Spurs battled their way to a 2-1 win away at Leeds United in today’s early kick-off.

Goals from Mathys Tel, who was given the starting nod over Richarlison, and summer signing Mohammed Kudus edged Leeds out, despite Daniel Farke’s side battling to the last second on a very rainy afternoon at Elland Road.

Noah Okafor did make the game level before half-time, but Kudus’ deflected first ever goal for Tottenham gifted Frank’s side a hard-fought three points.

The Ghanaian’s Man of the Match display helped Spurs become the first team to beat Leeds on home turf in a league game for over a year — putting their disappointing draw against Bodo/Glimt in the Arctic Circle firmly behind them.

An ever-present in Spurs’ team ever since his £17 million move from Empoli in 2023, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, also made crucial saves in Yorkshire.

Vicario thwarted Dominic Calvert-Lewin from making it 2-1 just after half-time with a left-footed stop before denying Leeds again in the very last minutes, but the shot-stopper was left in no-mans-land when ex-Spurs defender Joe Rodon missed a gaping chance early in the first half.

The Italy international started his Lilywhites career impressively under Ange Postecoglou, putting in some excellent performances and pulling off match-winning saves since then, but Vicario has attracted criticism for his handling of crosses into the box.

Premier League rivals urged to expose Guglielmo Vicario at Tottenham

Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose, speaking to talkSPORT earlier this week, is convinced that Vicario has been “found out” because of this and has urged Premier League rivals to take advantage.

There were flashes of this issue from Vicario against Leeds, especially with Rodon’s opportunity as a result of the 28-year-old’s failure to deal with an incoming ball.

However, Tottenham’s goalkeeping coaches can always work on the keeper’s lack of confidence right now when it comes to claims.

The former Serie A keeper is still quite young in goalkeeping terms, and while there is still room for improvement, ex-teammate Fraser Forster piled praise on Vicario’s work ethic to get better behind-the-scenes.

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany heaped praise on Lennart Karl on Tuesday, explaining his diminutive stature makes it difficult for defenders to get close to him. Kompany also acknowledged Karl's "relaxed attitude" as one of the keys to his dramatic rise. The 17-year-old has made 10 appearances for the Bavarian giants this season and has scored in back-to-back games, setting up a few records.

Karl's stocks rising after Bayern breakthrough

Karl has made rapid strides at Bayern Munich ever since he joined the club's youth academy as a promising 14-year-old in 2022. Last season, he made 26 appearances in all for Bayern's Under-17 and U19 outfits, scoring 32 goals and delivering 10 assists. His exquisite displays earned him a place in Bayern's squad for the Club World Cup over the summer, where he made his debut against Auckland City. 

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he was promoted to the first team and has made 10 appearances in total already, making three starts and aggregating 291 minutes of action – evidence that Kompany counts on the youngster to become an important piece of the rotational puzzle amid a demanding schedule. He became the youngest Bayern goal scorer in Champions League history last week, backing it up with his second-ever goal in the 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach to become the third-youngest goal scorer in club history in the Bundesliga. 

Although his contract was renewed until 2028 earlier this summer, Bayern are set to reward the talented teenager with an automatic extension until 2029 on his 18th birthday on February 22, 2026. Per reports, he will also start earning a higher salary.

AdvertisementAFPKompany explains why Karl is so unique

"Lennart Karl, as a young player, brought that magic with him: his relaxed attitude and his goals. That's all good for us," Kompany said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of Bayern's second round clash against Koln in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

Asked what makes the teenager, who stands at 1.69m tall, so strong, Kompany said: "Shorter players often have a lot of power in their turns. It's tough for a defender to get close. They don't need a lot of space to cause danger. The key thing is how quickly they can get a shot away. I don't know if it's about size, but Lenni is able to get shots away quickly. Every good player in the Champions League is able to shoot half a second quicker than the others. I believe that makes the difference, not body size."

Karl receiving praise from former Bayern legends

Former Bayern Munich winger and club legend Arjen Robben has been tracking Karl's exploits, claiming that the young German is worthy of all the praise he is being lavished with. "Lennart Karl deserves the praise he received, he was superb," Robben told Bayern Munich's official website. "The lad should also enjoy it. The most important thing at that age is to keep focusing on the next game. You have to work on yourself every day and you can't think: 'I've played a great game now, everything's great'. You have to keep pushing yourself in training and not be satisfied with yourself. That's the difference in the really good players staying at the top for a long time. Getting to that point is one thing, but staying at the top is something else."

Another Bayern legend monitoring Karl's progress at Sabener Street is Lothar Matthaus. In a recent column for , he wrote: "Can Karl follow the path Jamal Musiala took before him? The possibilities are always there; it's up to the player himself, and he needs a coach who trusts him. I think Kompany trusts him based on his recent performances and isn't worried about benching or substituting a seasoned player for him. And I believe Karl will get regular playing time because he's delivered when he's been on the pitch.

"Karl will be deployed regularly. Vincent Kompany has slowly introduced Karl to the team, with brief appearances in the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup, and last week, his first full 90 minutes in the Champions League. Karl caused a sensation with his goals against Brugge and Gladbach, but he still needs to show up in training every day. He's ambitious and wants to develop – those are the basic requirements.

"This presents a great opportunity for FC Bayern to integrate another player from the campus into the first team, after [Aleksandar] Pavlovic and [Josip] Stanisic, as Uli Hoeness has always wanted. I believe Karl can become an important player for Kompany, who just extended his contract until 2029."

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Getty Images SportChelsea, Man City, and Arsenal keeping an eye on Karl

Karl’s steady rise into the first team has not gone unnoticed, with several Premier League giants reportedly taking interest. According to , scouts from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City have been tracking the teenage prodigy’s progress. Adding another layer of intrigue is his agent Michael Ballack’s connection to Chelsea, where he starred between 2006 and 2010.

For the remainder of the season, the priority will be ensuring Karl’s continued development through consistent minutes off the bench and occasional starts. His versatility gives Kompany valuable rotation options, given his ability to play on both wings in the attack and also as an attacking midfielder in the No.10 role. Should his progress persist, a call-up to Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for next year’s World Cup in the Americas may not be out of reach.

“He’s a fantastic player. He’s not afraid to dribble. He just has to keep working hard, and he’ll have a great future ahead of him,” Kane told this past weekend. “Who knows? If he plays a bit more from now on and plays like he did [against Club Brugge], then he has a chance [of making it to Germany's squad for the 2026 World Cup]."

Mikel Arteta hailed "phenomenal" Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres after seeing the Swede end his goal drought during Tuesday night's 4-0 Champions League rout of Atletico Madrid. After weeks of waiting, Gyokeres roared back to form, striking twice in 14 second-half minutes as Arsenal dismantled Diego Simeone’s side, who are usually known to keep things tight at the back.

• Gyokeres shines in Champions League masterclass

  The Gunners ran riot after the interval, with Gabriel Magalhaes heading the opener just before the hour mark. Moments later, Gabriel Martinelli doubled the lead with a blistering finish before Gyokeres stepped up to silence his critics with a ruthless brace. The former Sporting CP star had previously gone nine matches for club and country without scoring, but looked back to his best on Europe's biggest stage. Atletico were left shell-shocked as their famed resilience was torn apart by a clinical Arsenal side that looked every inch a European powerhouse, ready to challenge for the title. 

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Arteta lavished praise on his forward

  For weeks, the conversation around Arsenal’s new No.9 had been about everything but goals. His pressing, his link-up play, his work rate, everything was praised. However, the question lingered, when would he deliver in front of goal? On Tuesday night, Gyokeres answered emphatically. Arteta had defended him on several occasions in front of the press, and after a stunning performance from the striker, the manager said: "I think we've become much more unpredictable. He's so physical, open, his face is for everybody. The way he presses the ball, holds the ball, that's phenomenal. And then there's the icing on the cake and the biggest thing that we're going to debate about him is goals. He's scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals."

  After the final whistle, Gyokeres was beaming as he paid homage to Arsenal legend Henry, the man whose famous No.14 shirt he now wears. Speaking to CBS, with Henry himself working as an analyst, Gyokeres said: "It feels great, to be honest. There's a lot of goals in this shirt. It feels amazing. To be honest, there weren't many shirt numbers available but when 14 was available, it was a big honour. We want to win trophies, that's our desire and that's the most important thing and of course I want to contribute and score goals.

  "To score four and keep a clean sheet again is very good. We always keep going. We do the things right when we defend and when we get the chances we are extremely strong in taking those. Both my goals were great. I try to do my best all the time and work hard, contribute with different stuff and the goals would have come sooner or later."

  Gyokeres admitted that the brace is a huge morale booster, and he is gunning for more after putting in a clinical performance against Atletico.

  "I’m more hungry now," he warned. "You always want to contribute with work rate and other stuff, but when you score goals as well, it’s a bit special. So that’s something I always want to do. The group we have and the spirit is something different and something very special. When you win games and you do these performances, it builds confidence in the team. The belief has to always be there, but of course this helps to boost it. We just want to keep going like this."

• Shearer’s half-time comments backfire spectacularly

  Ironically, Gyokeres’ breakout performance came almost instantly after Alan Shearer had questioned Arsenal’s use of him. Working on Amazon's Champions League television broadcast at half-time, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer remarked: "I'd like to see them involving Gyokeres more. He only had nine touches in the first half and none in the box. That is pretty alarming for any centre forward at any level. They need to get him into the game. They need to find him that little bit earlier. No problem with his work-rate, he's closing down and he's doing his defensive duties. But they haven't paid that money for him to work hard and to do defensive duties. They've paid that money for him to score goals – and they need to feed him more. That then gives a bit more space for those midfielders in there, rather than [Mikel] Merino coming in short. He hasn't scored the goals he would have liked."

  The former Newcastle striker then said after the game: "He wasn’t a goal threat in the first half but the fans appreciated his hark work and defensive duties. He’s going to get judged on goals so for him to get two in the second half will do his confidence the world of good."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Arsenal’s relentless form continues

  The victory meant Arsenal extended their perfect start in the Champions League; three wins from three with not a single goal conceded. It also continued a blistering overall run as they now have ten wins from twelve matches across all competitions. They are sitting top of the Premier League on 19 points, three ahead of second-placed Man City. Perhaps even more impressively, Arsenal have conceded just three goals in all competitions. This is their best defensive record at this stage of a season in their 138-year history. For Arteta, that’s a foundation worth celebrating as he seems more determined than ever to bring the Premier League trophy back to north London after more than two decades. 

Rain ruined any chance of a positive result on the final day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire at Derby.The players arrived at the County Ground to find the hover cover already in place and the rain got steadier throughout the morning.Going into the fourth day, the state of the game was that Derbyshire were nine runs ahead with seven second innings wickets in hand but the pitch was playing well and the loss of the first session made it difficult for either side to push for a win.With the rain set in and no prospect of an immediate improvement in the weather, the umpires took the decision to abandon the game following a post lunch inspection.Looking back over the contest, Derbyshire head of cricket Mickey Arthur said: “It was disappointing. It wasn’t the standards we’ve delivered over the course of the season so far.”We’ve got away with this one and certainly our skills weren’t at the level that we all expect. There were some good performances and you can never fault the effort but I thought we were just off it in terms of our skills.”I thought day one we were exceptional and then from day two we started playing catch up and that was disappointing. We are a team that wants to play on the front foot and we were playing on the back foot from lunchtime on day two and that’s not where we want to be.”Northamptonshire head coach Darren Lehmann said: “It hasn’t gone our way with the weather, Derbyshire played well yesterday and I thought it was an excellent game.”The pleasing thing is we are playing a really good team-based game. I was pleased with the batters yesterday that they scored so quickly to take the game on and give us more overs.”From a bowling point of view I thought we were probably a little bit down in the first innings when Derbyshire got 300 and it was a 220 wicket I reckon so we were just a little bit short there but we caught everything and gave ourselves a chance to win the game which is all we can do and ask for.”

After a pretty miserable couple of weeks in which West Ham United lost games against Sunderland, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, there is finally reason to be optimistic about this season.

Yes, after weeks of stories about offers being made and rejected, Graham Potter has finally been handed his new midfield star in Mateus Fernandes.

The former Southampton ace cost the club in excess of £40m, but considering how well he played in his first Premier League season last year, that’s not bad value at all.

Moreover, if reports are to be believed, the Hammers are now keen to add another signing to the squad, someone Fernandes would love to play with.

West Ham target perfect teammate for Fernandes

While things aren’t looking great on the pitch at the moment, West Ham’s summer is starting to look like a decent one, at least from an incomings perspective.

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For example, in addition to Fernandes, the club have signed the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, El Hadji Malick Diouf, and Soungoutou Magassa, who is should be announced before the team play Nottingham Forest tomorrow afternoon.

Moreover, the East Londoners appear keen to make further additions to the squad and are eyeing a move for someone who’d be a brilliant teammate for Fernandes.

At least that is according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, who has claimed West Ham are interested in Quinten Timber.

The German journalist has revealed that the Hammers are now “exploring” a deal to sign the Netherlands international, who Feyenoord value at £25m, per reports from earlier this summer.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given his quality, Timber would be more than worth it, especially as he’d be a great teammate for Fernandes.

Why Timber would be a great teammate for Fernandes

So, the first, and arguably one of the most important reasons Fernandes will love playing with Timber is his surprisingly decent level of output.

We say surprisingly decent for the simple fact that the Dutchman is primarily a central midfielder, but as his numbers from last season show, he is more than capable of producing goals and assists.

For example, in his 26 appearances last season, totalling 2054 minutes, the “extraordinary” midfielder, as dubbed by Mikel Arteta, scored six goals and provided one assist, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.71 games, or every 293.42 minutes.

While those aren’t ground-breaking numbers, it will be reassuring for the Hammers’ new Portuguese manager to know that the responsibility of producing goal involvements won’t fall solely on his shoulders.

The next reason the Dutchman would be such a brilliant teammate for the Irons’ new ace is his experience and leadership.

Despite still being just 24 years old, the former Ajax prospect has made 105 appearances for Feyenoord and 33 for Utrecht, and has won five senior caps for the Netherlands.

Moreover, he’s also the captain of De Stadionclub, so, in addition to knowing he can contribute with goals and assists, the former Saints gem will be able to rely on the “superb” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, for guidance and leadership.

Ultimately, Timber would be an excellent signing on his own, but by playing him alongside Fernandes, West Ham could maximise the potential of both.

Their new Rice: West Ham now exploring move for £17m star after Magassa

The combative star would be an excellent signing for Graham Potter and West Ham.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 28, 2025