While it’s not quite panic stations just yet, it would be fair to say that the shine has been taken off of Arsenal’s pre-season preparations over the last week or so.

It started with an underwhelming defeat to Tottenham Hotspur out in Hong Kong, and then the mood around the club got even worse following the 3-2 loss at home to Villarreal on Wednesday.

It wasn’t just the losses that shook confidence in some supporters, but also the nature of them, the lack of genuine cutting-edge, and specifically, Viktor Gyokeres’ ineffectiveness in the latter match.

However, the good news is that, based on reports, it looks like Arsenal are targeting someone who’d be able to get the Swede firing in no time at all.

Arsenal target perfect teammate for Gyokeres

While the last two games have certainly dented the excitement that some fans were feeling ahead of the new Premier League season, it should be said that this summer has still been a largely positive one, especially when it comes to transfers.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, in addition to Gyokeres, Andrea Berta and his team have made five first-team additions to Mikel Arteta’s squad, with the likes of Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard looking like excellent depth options and Martin Zubimendi the perfect long-term six.

Yet, things could still get better as the club are still looking to bring in at least one more player, someone who could help the former Sporting CP star explode next season.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Sebastian Vidal, who has reaffirmed that Arsenal are very interested in signing Eberechi Eze this summer.

The journalist has revealed that even though talks have somewhat stalled, the Englishman remains a key target and that a player sale may make it easier to secure his services.

It’ll likely be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Eze has more than proven his ability and would be more than worth the effort it takes to get him, especially as he could get Gyokeres firing right away.

Why Eze would get Gyokeres firing

Okay, so while there is every chance that things will naturally improve the more games he plays in the team, it was obvious that the biggest problem for Gyokeres against Villarreal was the lack of opportunities being created for him.

Unlike Kai Havertz, who likes to drop back into midfield whenever he can, the Swedish superstar is very much your archetypal centre-forward, someone who spends most of his time in and around the penalty area, and rarely takes his shots from outside the area.

In this case, it’s clear that Arsenal need someone who can get the ball to him with relative ease, either through brilliant ball-carrying or passing, and fortunately, it looks like Eze would be excellent at the former.

For example, FBref ranked him in the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for successful take-ons per 90.

In other words, the Palace “magician,” as dubbed by Micah Richards, is elite at getting past opposition defenders and driving into dangerous areas before firing off a shot or laying the ball off for a teammate.

Another reason to believe the £100k-per-week gem could be the one to help the former Sporting star explode next season is the output he managed in a mid-table side last season.

In 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes, the 27-year-old game-changer managed to find the back of the net 14 times and provide 11 assists for good measure.

Appearances

36

43

Minutes

2285′

3303′

Goals

11

14

Assists

6

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.47

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

134.41′

132.12′

That means he maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes, which is the sort of output that could seriously boost Gyokeres’ own goal and assist tally.

Ultimately, Arsenal need to add another attacking dimension to the team before the end of the summer, and not only would Eze do that, but he’d also get the most out of Gyokeres.

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Afternoon and evening sessions belonged to Sri Lanka with their top four producing best collective effort

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Dec-2024Kyle Verreynne’s manic sprint to a third Test century lit up the second morning and sent South Africa speeding to a total of 358. But the afternoon and evening sessions belonged to Sri Lanka. Their top four produced their best collective effort in the series so far, with Pathum Nissanka hitting 89 off 157 balls, forging a 109-run second wicket stand with Dinesh Chandimal.With Angelo Mathews not out on 40 at stumps, and Kamindu Mendis unbeaten on 30, Sri Lanka have seven wickets in hand, and are well-placed to take a lead in the first innings. They have for the first time in the series, put serious pressure on a South Africa attack that seemed short of options on a flattening Gqeberha deck.Kagiso Rabada was the most menacing of their bowlers, conceding only 40 and taking the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne for the third time in the series, in his 15 overs. He’d also had Nissanka dropped by David Bedingham at second slip, on 22. Sri Lanka negotiated Marco Jansen with much more confidence than they had in the first Test, in which he’d claimed 11 wickets. By stumps, Jansen had given away 75 off his 18 overs, and was the only frontline bowler without a wicket.Though there were occasional plays and misses against Rabada in particular, Nissanka was largely watchful, scoring only eight runs off his first 50 deliveries. He eventually began to attack the shorter deliveries, and it was the pull shot that he favoured through the remainder of the innings, taking to Jansen’s shorter balls in particular. Most of his run-scoring came square of the wicket, and he raised his batting tempo in Chandimal’s company, settling into accumulation mode against the spin of Keshav Maharaj in particular.That he got out to Maharaj, whom he had early clubbed for six over deep midwicket, will particularly rankle, especially as he was nearing a century. He merely ran at the bowler, attempted a cross-batted shot to a ball that was full, and essentially yorked himself, the ball going on to clatter into leg stump.Pathum Nissanka brought up his ninth 50+ score in Tests•AFP/Getty ImagesStill, the stand between him and Chandimal had provided Sri Lanka a platform. Chandimal was looser with his strokeplay than either opener had been, and collected edged fours behind the wicket early on. He nevertheless stuck at it alongside Nissanka, until a tentative prod against Dane Paterson ended with him being snaffled behind the stumps.Mathews was also somewhat tetchy at the beginning of his innings, but found some boundaries down the ground, and settled into a rhythm later. Kamindu Mendis appeared assured from the outset. The two put on 43 runs together before stumps.The morning, however, had been reigned by Verreynne. Having lost Keshav Maharaj without South Africa adding to their overnight score, Verreynne put on 66 with Rabada, as Sri Lanka turned almost solely to bouncers and short deliveries to blast the final two wickets out. Verreynne crashed three boundaries between deep backward square leg and deep midwicket in one Asitha Fernando over to really get his engine roaring, before venturing even bigger hits when Rabada was bowled by Asitha, and he was left with the No. 11 for company.With 19 runs still to get for his hundred, Verreynne yanked the throttle with even more intensity, first smashing Prabath Jayasuriya over cow corner for six, before mowing Asitha into the banks to get within one strike of a 100. He reached triple figures with another mighty pull in that same over, sending the ball sailing over fine leg’s head.The milestone sparked wild celebrations, a bow from Verreynne to the dressing room, and a bear-hug from Paterson. Verreynne himself likely did not anticipate that a century would be on the cards when the morning’s play began, but finished unbeaten on 105 off 133 balls, having reaped 58 off 50 balls on day two.Lahiru Kumara claimed the last South Africa wicket, and ended with 4 for 79. Asitha and Vishwa Fernando shared five wickets between them.

As has become customary in Glasgow on a Champions League night, the world-famous anthem is greeted with defending cheers.

However, within a matter of minutes, all those in Govan and Glasgow’s surrounding areas could hear was a cacophony of boos.

The night could hardly have started any worse for Russell Martin’s side, conceding after three minutes and then again from a corner four minutes later, before Club Brugge added a third on the 20 minute mark, this the fastest Rangers have ever found themselves 3-0 down in a home European tie in their 69 years of continental history.

At that stage, the Belgian side appeared set to completely put the tie to bed, although it didn’t entirely turn out that way.

Straight after the break, teenaged debutant Jayden Meghoma’s low cross was tapped home by Danilo before, with 12 minutes to play, Djeidi Gassama thought he’d reduced the arrears further, but his goal was disallowed because referee François Letexier deemed that goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had two hands on the ball; a controversial VAR decision.

Thus, 1-3 it finished at Ibrox, leaving Rangers with a mountain to climb at Jan Breydelstadion next Wednesday, and a couple of Martin’s summer recruits in particular did not impress.

Nasser Djiga's calamitous night

Since joining on loan from Wolves this summer, Nasser Djiga has now started all eight matches this season, forming a centre-back partnership with John Souttar.

The Burkina Faso international arrived in Glasgow with plenty of Champions League experience, starting all ten of Crvena zvezda’s qualifiers and league phase fixtures last season, although you wouldn’t have known it three minutes in to this one.

Brugge’s opener, scored by Romeo Vermant, came about in bizarre circumstances.

Danilo had a shot blocked at one end, before Christos Tzolis’ hopeful ball forward was inexplicably just left by Djiga, running in the complete opposite direction, allowing Vermant to delicately lob the ball over a bemused and confused Jack Butland.

Graeme McGarry of the Herald labelled this the “worst defending I’ve ever seen” while, speaking on Sky Sports News, former Rangers striker Kris Boyd described this as “calamitous”, adding “Rangers just come up with new ways to concede goals…. Champions League football… forget it”.

This is such a concern because, as already alluded to, Martin appeared to have his centre-back partnership in Djiga and Souttar set in stone, albeit, after the former was sent off against Dundee ten days ago, this was not his first costly error.

Nevertheless, he is not one of Martin’s summer recruits coming under the most scrutiny following this damaging defeat.

Rangers' new signing could be dropped

James Tavernier has been a stalwart since joining Rangers a decade ago, making 521 appearances for the club, only ten men can boast more, among the first names on the team sheet throughout this period – until now that is.

The club captain was left on the bench for the first leg against Viktoria Plzeň in the previous round, with the same true again on Tuesday, with Max Aarons starting at right-back instead, very much a permanent fixture in Martin’s team, but could that be about to change?

Well, the 25-year-old did not impress against Brugge, as the table below documents.

Errors leading to shot

1

1st

Defensive actions

3

16th

Clearances

2

12th

Tackles

1

14th

Dribbles past

1

1st

Possession lost

7

11th

Duels contested

11

2nd

Duels won

4

10th

Fouls

2

1st

Touches

68

5th

Sofascore rating

6.7

20th

As the table highlights, only four players, namely the aforementioned Souttar and Djiga, as well as Brugge duo Brandon Mechele and Jorne Spileers, accumulated more touches than Aarons, despite the fact he was hooked with 20 minutes remaining, but he did little good with all this time spent in possession.

The full-back was dribbled past once, this when Tzolis came close to adding a fourth in first-half stoppage time, losing possession on seven occasions, while also winning just four of his 11 ground duels, which pretty much sums up his and Rangers’ night.

Journalist Scott Bradley asserted that Aarons “looks like he hasn’t kicked a ball before”, adding that he remains “absolutely baffled” as to why the “best right-back in the league”, namely Tavernier, is once again left watching from the dugout by under-fire Martin.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

All in all, a disastrous night for Rangers, leaving their Champions League dreams hanging by a thread, requiring a miracle when they visit West Flanders next mid-week.

Before then, already four points adrift of Premiership leaders Hearts and Celtic after just two fixtures, Martin can ill-afford yet more dropped points at St Mirren on Sunday, so it would be no surprise if captain Tavernier is restored to the team in Paisley.

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ByBen Gray Aug 19, 2025

Robert Sanchez made unwanted history with a disastrous early red card against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. The Blues’ goalkeeper endured a shaky start, fumbling simple touches, but matters escalated catastrophically when Bryan Mbeumo surged through on goal.

Sanchez given his marching orders

Benjamin Sesko’s flick-on sent Mbeumo behind Chelsea’s defence, and Sanchez made a split-second decision to charge from his line. The moment backfired spectacularly. Mbeumo toyed with the Spanish stopper, rolling the ball around him before Sánchez’s outstretched leg brought him crashing down. The referee’s whistle followed immediately – red card. It became Chelsea’s earliest in the Premier League era and ranks as the third-fastest goalkeeper sending-off in the history of the competition.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMaresca makes a couple of brave calls

Enzo Maresca could do little but watch as his goalkeeper trudged off, gloves in hand, the early dismissal leaving the Blues with 10 men in the first quarter of the match. Backup keeper Filip Jorgensen was hurried onto the pitch, replacing Estevao, while Maresca, refusing to let the chaos settle, made a bold tactical tweak. Pedro Neto was sacrificed, making way for centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo. The Blues switched to a five-man defence, packing the backline with Tosin alongside Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah, flanked by Reece James and Marc Cucurella.

United pounce as blues struggle

Playing with a man down so early, Chelsea struggled to keep their shape. United wasted no time exploiting the numerical advantage. Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro found the net before the half-time whistle, putting the visitors in command with a 2-0 lead. Chalobah pulled one back, giving the Blues a glimmer of hope, but the deficit proved too large to bridge.

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Getty Images SportMidweek focus shifts to cup duties

Chelsea will now look to regroup ahead of their midweek assignment against Lincoln City in the third round of the EFL Cup. The fixture provides an opportunity to restore confidence before they host Brighton next weekend at Stamford Bridge.

Leeds United kick off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign in ten days as they prepare to welcome Everton to Elland Road for their opening game.

The Whites may have a new-look defence in place when the Toffees come to town, as Lucas Perri, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and Gabriel Gudmundsson will all be hoping to start, whilst Jaka Bijol is suspended.

Daniel Farke has only had one new attacker added to his squad during the summer transfer window so far, though, as Lukas Nmecha joined on a free transfer from Wolfsburg.

The German head coach needs more recruits at the top end of the pitch to improve his attacking options, especially in the number ten position, where Brenden Aaronson plays.

As you can see in the table above, the USA international struggled badly against the top teams in the Championship, which does not suggest that he is likely to fare well against Premier League teams.

Leeds reportedly looked at a loan swoop for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia earlier in the window, but that particular rumour has gone cold.

Why Leeds may not want to sign Emiliano Buendia

A link to the Argentina international was always going to pop up during the summer transfer window, whether there was genuine interest or not, because of his relationship with Farke.

The Leeds boss signed Buendia for Norwich in the summer of 2018 and coached him for three seasons in Norfolk, winning two Championship titles in the process. During that time, the playmaker scored 24 goals and provided 41 assists in 121 appearances for the Canaries.

This shows why Farke may want to work with the Argentine magician again, as he delivered goals and assists on a regular basis for him in East Anglia.

However, Buendia turns 29 in December and he has yet to prove that he can deliver consistent quality at the top end of the pitch at Premier League level.

Leeds, if he is not available on loan, may be reluctant to spend big money on an ageing player who has not fully proven himself as an attacking threat at the top level, with no more than five goals in any of his four seasons in the Premier League.

This may be why the West Yorkshire outfit are reportedly looking at alternative options to come in and bolster their options in the number ten position before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Leeds target is keen on Elland Road move

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post newsletter, as relayed by Leeds United News, Leicester City attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss is very interested in a move to Elland Road this summer.

The report claims that the player’s camp have confirmed that he is interested in signing for the Championship champions before the end of the window, and that a meeting has already been held to discuss a possible move.

Transfer Focus

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

It adds that the Whites have also made an enquiry to Leicester about a potential deal to sign the Morocco international, who reportedly has a release clause of £22m in his contract.

Tottenham Hotspur, who will be in the Champions League in the 2025/26 campaign, have also been linked with an interest in the 21-year-old talent this month.

This latest update on El Khannouss’ eagerness to sign for Leeds will, therefore, come as a big boost to the Whites, who will be hoping to beat off competition from other teams to land his signature.

Why Leeds should sign Bilal El Khannouss

The West Yorkshire outfit should be pushing to get this deal over the line as quickly as possible, now that they know that the player is keen to make it happen, because he could be Farke’s new version of Buendia.

Unlike the Aston Villa attacker, the Leicester youngster is at the start of his career, at the age of 21, and Leeds would be signing a player who is on his way up in the game.

El Khannouss, who has been hailed as“exceptional” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve after his debut season in England, whilst Buendia is closer to the latter stages of his career and still searching for consistency.

The £22m-rated starlet showed flashes of quality in the Premier League with the Foxes, who were relegated, as he created eight ‘big chances’ in 27 starts.

As you can see in the table above, El Khannouss ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of passing and creative metrics for Leicester.

He was unfortunate to only register three assists from his eight ‘big chances created’ and 0.19 xAG per 90, as his teammates failed to make the most of the high-quality opportunities that were created for them.

These statistics suggest that the Leicester dynamo has the potential to be an incredibly creative force in the number ten position for Leeds, as he was able to shine as a creator in his first year in England as a young player in a team that got relegated.

The Whites will be hoping to put up more of a fight than the Foxes did in the Premier League, which may mean that El Khannouss has even more opportunities to showcase his creativity in what will, hopefully, be a more successful team on the pitch.

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Overall, the Morocco international could be Farke’s next Buendia as an impressive creative threat in the number ten position, and signing him over the former Norwich man may make more sense due to their respective ages and potential for growth in the years to come.

We are just one week into the Premier League season, and Arsenal already have a significant injury setback.

News broke yesterday afternoon that, after only just recovering from his hamstring injury that ruled him out of half of last season, Kai Havertz is out with a knee problem.

It’s not clear what the specific injury is, but it looks like the German will be out of action for some time, which is not what Mikel Arteta needs with a trip to Liverpool coming up.

However, there is some good news for the Arsenal faithful, as the club are being linked with an international star who could be the manager’s next Havertz.

Arsenal target their next Havertz

It has been an interesting summer for Arsenal so far this year, as just a few weeks ago, following Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival, spirits were high.

Transfer Focus

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

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However, the sentiment in the fanbase took a nosedive this morning, mainly down to the news that Eberechi Eze looked almost certain to be heading to rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Unsurprisingly, this mood was not helped by the Havertz update, although Arsenal have acted quickly to give supporters something to look forward to with the Gunners incredibly hijacking Spurs’ bid to sign Eze, now agreeing a move themselves.

Eze hasn’t been the only Premier League attacker on the club’s radar. According to a recent report from the Sun, which has claimed Arsenal are still very interested in Morgan Rogers.

The report has revealed that the Gunners are now ‘weighing up a dramatic swoop’ for the Aston Villa star, who is valued at around £80m.

It goes on to claim that while the North Londoners were already keeping tabs on the Englishman, the injury to Havertz has only ‘increased the likelihood’ that the club will go back into the market.

It’s a lot of money to spend on one player, but Rogers is an outrageously talented player and would be more than worth it, especially as he could be Arteta’s new Havertz.

How Rogers would be Arteta's new Havertz

So, the first thing to say is that, yes, Rogers and Havertz have not played in the same position over the last couple of seasons.

However, while that is not the primary basis of this comparison, there are a few other similarities that suggest the Englishman could be Arteta’s new version of the German.

For example, while we are on the topic of positions, they both share the trait of being versatile and playing where their managers want them to.

In the case of the Villa star, he’s spent much of his time at the club moving between attacking midfield and both wings and has even spent a little bit of time up top, which might come in handy at the moment.

The former Chelsea ace, on the other hand, has primarily spent time leading the line, but was originally a left eight when he arrived in North London, and even spent some time on the right last season.

The other key similarity is that, if this transfer goes through at the price reported, it would be another massive signing from a fellow Premier League side, and one that is challenging the European places.

Finally, both players are now full internationals, and while the former Bayer Leverkusen player has far more senior caps to his name, that would be expected given the age gap.

With all that said, there is another massive reason why Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the former Middlesbrough gem: his output.

For example, in his 54 appearances across all competitions last season, totalling 4496 minutes, the Halesowen-born “machine,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob, scored 14 goals and provided 16 assists.

Rogers’ 24/25

Appearances

54

Minutes

4496′

Goals

14

Assists

16

Goal Involvements per Match

0.55

Minutes per Goal Involvement

149.86′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

That means the often “unstoppable” midfielder, as dubbed by former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher, was able to average a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 149.86 minutes.

Having that sort of output in this team could be the difference between another second-place finish and glory.

Ultimately, even before the injury to Havertz, Arsenal should have gone all out to sign Rogers, but now we know the German will be out for some time, the club should be solely focused on bringing the Villa star to the Emirates.

Related Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal could move for "interesting" target in £43m star

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Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini Aug 20, 2025

Bernardo Silva has claimed that Arsenal had an "unfair advantage" over Manchester City during their Premier League clash at the Emirates on Sunday. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after Gabriel Martinelli's dramatic 93rd-minute equaliser cancelled out Erling Haaland's early goal in the first half, with the Gunners extending their unbeaten run against City to six matches.

• Martinelli spoiled Man City's party with late equaliser

  City were just minutes away from securing a crucial win against Arsenal on Sunday but Martinelli spoiled Pep Guardiola's party as the Brazilian winger came off the bench to score a dramatic 93rd-minute equaliser. The result ensured the Gunners stay second in the Premier League table while City are down in ninth.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Silva bemoans lack of recovery time

  Arsenal went into the key Premier League fixture after playing Athletic Club last Tuesday in the Champions League, while City took on Napoli two days later.

  Speaking to the Manchester Evening News after the match, Silva bemoaned the lack of recovery time for City, saying: "I am saying this because we didn’t lose. If we lost, I wouldn’t say this. But the reality is, we cannot come to one of the most important games in the season with such a disadvantage, in terms of rest. It is not fair to play one of these games like this. It is just not right. They had five days, and we had two-and-a-half days. In one of the most important games, this cannot happen.

  "I wasn’t feeling in a perfect condition to play like this, and people who have not played at the highest level don’t know how it feels to play a game like this. You need to be at your best condition. We saw [Abdukodir] Khusanov getting injured because these games demand a lot. I feel it is just frustrating that we couldn’t be at our best level simply because of the decision of someone that thinks it is fair to come away after two-and-a-half less days than Arsenal. But in the end we did well in terms of fighting, resilience and sticking together and sticking to the plan. It is just frustrating we conceded very late in the game."

  He added: "I felt the difference in the first half. If you play at the highest level you know that two days playing against one of the best teams in the league, away, with the travel, you need at least one more day to recover. It doesn’t matter if Arsenal had four, five or six days [to recover], just give us one more day, and that gives us three-and-a-half days. Then you make it an even game. Two-and-a-half days is not enough to recover our bodies and to perform at the highest level. It is just not enough."

• Calls for 'common sense' to prevail

  The Portugal international once again hit out at the congested fixture schedule, which is taking a toll on the fitness levels of players across Europe. "We have tried, they don’t listen to us. It is what it is. We would like to change something, but it never changes," Silva said. "It does not really matter, but for the fans, for the respect of the clubs, and for the fairness of the competition, I don’t think what happened today [on Sunday] was good. Look, the schedule is the schedule and I understand you have different competitions and UEFA, the Premier League, and the broadcasters want to make their money and I understand all those sorts of things.

  "What we ask is that we don’t mind playing every three or four days, and we don’t mind playing 60 games because we are used to that. But what we ask for is common sense because this is one of the biggest games of the season. And it is not because of us. I don’t think that they are trying to make us lose a game. It could happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months. But when you are playing an Arsenal vs City or a City vs Liverpool or Liverpool vs Arsenal, you need to have a bit of common sense, and understanding of these situations and in such an important game, the players need to be in the same physical conditions otherwise, I don’t think it is fair. I know it might have happened to other teams in the past. It did not feel like we were in the same physical condition as them."

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  Up next for City: Huddersfield then Burnley

  Guardiola will be expected to rotate his starting lineup heavily for City's Carabao Cup third-round fixture against Huddersfield Town on Wednesday. City are due to host Burnley in their next Premier League fixture three days later.

MatériaMais Notícias

Visto como uma das grandes promessas da base santista, Miguelito estava recebendo algumas oportunidades de Odair Hellmann no começo da temporada. Inclusive, ele chegou a ser relacionado para o duelo contra o Audax Italiano, pela Copa Sul-Americana, que aconteceu no Chile.

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Mas, mesmo sendo visto como uma joia, o jovem boliviano nunca chegou a se consolidar de fato no profissional do Peixe. No entanto, existe uma explicação por trás disso: o meia voltou para o Sub-20 para se manter ativo.

Neste sábado (3), inclusive, Miguelito chamou a atenção entre os Meninos da Vila. Contra a Portuguesa Santista, pelo Campeonato Paulista Sub-20, ele marcou um dos seis gols na vitória da equipe, ajudando assim a classificar o time para a próxima fase da competição.

ATUAÇÕES: Lucas Lima se destaca em empate do Santos com o Internacional pelo Brasileirão

A volta de Miguelito para a base santista teria sido uma decisão do próprio Odair Hellmann, que recentemente chegou a se manifestar sobre o assunto.

Uma das explicações seria o ‘excesso de meias’ no elenco. Além de Miguelito, que ainda apresenta pouca experiência no profissional, o elenco conta com nomes como Lucas Lima, Ed Carlos, Ivonei e Daniel Ruiz para a posição. E nesta lista, alguns são mais consolidados.

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

+ Clique aqui e veja como apostar no Brasileirão

+ Confira os jogos e classificação resultados do Brasileirão-23 na tabela do LANCE!

Em entrevista para o portal ‘De Olho no Peixe’, Odair chegou a explicar os critérios utilizados para escolher quem joga ou não. Para o técnico, é preciso observar uma série de fatores, citando ‘treinamento, oportunidade e comportamento’.

– Primeiro, que nós no grupo, contamos com cinco ou seis meias. Estamos usando hoje um por inicial e quando o Daniel Ruiz inicia, usamos os dois. Ainda levo um e as vezes dois para o banco e vai ficar dois ou três fora. É escolha, tem que fazer a escolha, independente de qualquer coisa – disse.

– A outra questão é visualização de treinamento, oportunidade, comportamento. Esses fatores são importantes para que a gente possa ir dando sequência. Estou oportunizando o Ed Carlos em determinados jogos, o Ivonei vai e em outros não, e com o Miguelito é a mesmo coisa – completou.

Assim, para Miguelito não perder o ritmo e ficar ‘encostado’ no banco, voltou para as categorias de base para conseguir se manter na atividade, e de certa forma, também ganhar mais experiência. Inclusive, este é outro argumento utilizado pelo treinador para explicar como ‘gerencia’ questões como esta. A intenção também é desenvolver mais ainda o físico do jogador.

Para Odair, quando um jogador não está treinando com o time profissional, a ideia é mantê-lo em movimento no Sub-20, pensando também em ‘aumentar sua performance’. Essa justificativa também foi utilizada há alguns meses para explicar o ‘sumiço’ de Ivonei.

– Quando o jogador não está treinando com o profissional, nós estamos fazendo o movimento dele continuar fazendo os jogos pelo Sub-20, pois é importante para um jogador dessa idade que não está sendo utilizado pelo profissional tá jogando para melhorar e aumentar performance – disse sobre Miguelito.

– O cara que só viaja e não entra no jogo, ele ‘destreina’. Temos que ter essa capacidade de gerenciamento. Miguelito e Ed Carlos, neste momento, estão fazendo bons treinamentos e estão merecendo receber uma oportunidade de vir para a lista. Quem sabe até de entrar nas partidas – afirmou sobre Ivonei em abril.

Começo de ano complicado

Mesmo sendo visto como um jogador com potencial, o início do ano não foi nada fácil para o jovem boliviano de apenas 19 anos. Em janeiro, ele sofreu com a perda súbita de sua mãe. Na época, o Santos o liberou para retornar ao seu país natal e acompanhar o velório. Além disso, Miguelito estava se recuperando de problemas no joelho e se preparando para retornar aos gramados. Devido à sua idade, o futuro do meia na equipe causava preocupação no Peixe, que sempre deixou claro que daria todo o tempo necessário para o jogador se recuperar do luto.

Depois de quase quatro meses sem jogar, Miguelito voltou a atuar em março, pelo Brasileiro Sub-20. Em um clássico disputado contra o São Paulo, ele marcou o gol decisivo na vitória por 3 a 2.

Birmingham City have found their return to Championship life to be comfortable so far.

Unlike fellow promoted new side Wrexham, who have already been made well aware of the jump-up in quality, Chris Davies’ Blues look ready for the challenge ahead of the 46-game marathon, having recently fought back dramatically to win 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers.

Having also just been acknowledged at the PFA Awards with seven members of the Birmingham first team squad in League One Team of the Year, everything appears to be rosy currently at St. Andrew’s.

That’s the case even after rumours linking the Blues to an audacious move for Aleksandar Mitrovic were rubbished, with the temporary thought of Mitrovic leading the line for another Championship side a terrifying prospect.

Birmingham's rumoured interest in Mitrovic

There may well have been some weight behind Birmingham plotting a stunning move for the ex-Fulham attacker, considering they have forked out a notable £10m on Kyogo Furuhashi’s services in recent times.

However, landing the Serbian would have undoubtedly been the signing of the summer from the Blues’ perspective – away from the former Celtic man’s arrival on to the scene – when you assess his unbelievable goalscoring exploits in the EFL’s elite division previously.

In total, Mitrovic has managed to bag an insane 83 strikes from just 126 career appearances in the competitive league, with 43 of those coming during just one Championship season.

Of course, it wasn’t just Birmingham taking a look at Mitrovic in isolation, unfortunately, with Leeds United and Sunderland also named as other parties keen on snapping up the imposing centre-forward.

The Al-Hilal attacker wouldn’t be joining the Blues camp on a cheap deal, either, with reports suggesting that he had a £26m price-tag above his head, before you even factor in his wild £414k-per-week salary in the Saudi Pro League, as per Capology.

Therefore, it’s safe to assume – despite Journalist Alex Crook hinting on talkSPORT (17:55, 17th August) that it could have been a possibility – that Mitrovic leaving the luxuries of the Middle East behind for St. Andrew’s was always going to be far-fetched to pull off.

Transfer Focus

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

However, going back in for this former target does seem more realistic and a perfect way to get over this ambitious switch not happening.

Birmingham can forget Mitrovic by signing £13m star

For half of Mitrovic’s extortionate valuation, Birmingham could set their sights on this alternative figure up top instead, with Che Adams – who is worth £13m according to Football Transfers – tipped for a return to St Andrew’s.

As was reported earlier this month, the Championship newcomers still hold some interest in bringing their former striker back to the West Midlands, having been in the race for his signature earlier in the transfer window.

While he might not boast a 43-goal season at the unforgiving level, the Scotsman certainly knows how to find the back of the net with some venom in the EFL’s top league to be seen as an adequate move to go after, instead of landing a more expensive Mitrovic.

Indeed, Adams has managed to register a healthy 49 Championship strikes across his well-travelled career to date, with his last season at the punishing level seeing him bag a career-best 17 goals as his then employers Southampton soared up to the Premier League.

Southampton

191

48 + 21

Birmingham

123

38 + 13

Sheffield United

55

15 + 5

Torino

39

10 + 4

This will surely pique Birmingham’s interest as they try to make the best possible moves to ensure back-to-back promotions occur, with the 29-year-old proving himself to be a reliable goal machine wherever he’s been across his playing days so far. Indeed, ex-Torino manager Paolo Vanoli hailed him as “perfect” for the Serie A side’s system when powering home ten strikes from 39 clashes in Italy.

Rather than Mitrovic ditching the Saudi Pro League for a chance back in England, therefore, it could soon be Adams tempted by a second chance at glory with his ex-side.

In an ideal world, Birmingham might well have shown more purpose as they attempted to bring Mitrovic into the building on a statement deal.

But, any potential lost move for the ex-Championship menace irking Birmingham will be swept under the carpet if Adams joins Davies’ camp last minute, especially if he powers home more crucial second-tier strikes to add another promotion up to the Premier League on his resume.

Birmingham eyeing "great player" with 44 Premier League goal contributions

What a signing this could be.

ByHenry Jackson Aug 19, 2025

تحدث بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي عقب فوز فريقه أمام برينتفورد ببطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”، وعلّق على رقمه القياسي، حديثه مع إيرلينج هالاند، وإصابة رودري.

وتغلب مانشستر سيتي على برينتفورد بهدف دون مقابل، سجله هالاند، في إطار مباريات الجولة السابعة للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وقال جوارديولا متحدثًا لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس”: “لقد كان أداءً جيدًا، سنحت لهم فرصة واحدة في الشوط الأول، والتحام واحد خسرناه، لكن بخلاف ذلك حصلوا على مزيد من الركلات الركنية، ورميات التماس، وبعض المواقف الخطرة، وهذا أمر معتاد في الدوري الإنجليزي”.

وأضاف: “لقد قدمنا شوطًا أول مميزًا وقريبًا للغاية من أفضل مستوياتنا في كثير من الأمور، المشكلة أننا لم نسجل الأهداف، والفرص التي حصلنا عليها تألق كيلهير في التصدي لها، وفي الدوري الإنجليزي دائمًا يكون الأمر أكثر صعوبة في الشوط الثاني، كنا متقدمين 1-0 وهذا يحدث”.

وتابع جوارديولا: “بشكل عام أنا راضٍ جدًا عن هذا الشهر، فمنذ مباراة مانشستر يونايتد تطورنا كثيرًا في جوانب عديدة، وآمل أن يعود اللاعبون من فترة التوقف الدولي بصحة جيدة”.

وعن سبب معاناة فريقه بعد الهدف، أجاب: “لأن هناك عشرة لاعبين خلف الكرة، أليس كذلك؟ العملية كانت جيدة للغاية، ومن خبرتي فإننا عندما نفوز يكون ذلك لأننا لعبنا جيدًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | هالاند: هذا أفضل هدف بالنسبة لي.. وأوجه التحية إلى ابني

وبشأن إيرلينج هالاند، وما قاله له جوارديولا، أوضح: “قلت له في نهاية المباراة أن يستمر، لقد كان مرهقًا لكنه مطالب بالاستمرار، لقد كان مهمًا جدًا بالنسبة لنا هذا الموسم، نحن بحاجة إلى مزيد من الأهداف من بقية اللاعبين، الأجنحة عليهم أن يسجلوا أكثر، في مواقف واحد ضد واحد أو اثنين ضد واحد يجب أن ينهوها بشكل أفضل، لكن خطوة بخطوة سنفعل ذلك، الفريق بدا أكثر صلابة، وسنكون بخير”.

وحول إصابة رودري، أشار: “كنت محقًا، أليس كذلك؟ في بداية المباراة عندما سألتني لماذا لا أشركه طوال 90 دقيقة، يسألني الصحفيون دائمًا لماذا أستبدله؟ آمل ألا تكون إصابته خطيرة، كنت أتمنى أن أملك رودري كل ثلاثة أيام، لكن بعد عام كامل من اللعب المستمر يحدث ذلك دائمًا، الأمر مرهق للغاية، لهذا حاولنا التعامل معه بحذر، أن يلعب 60 أو 65 دقيقة فقط، لكن لم يكن ممكنًا أكثر من ذلك”.

وأستطرد: “إنها إصابة عضلية، لذا سيغيب أسبوعين أو ثلاثة أسابيع، بالطبع لا أريد أن أخسره حتى لفترة قصيرة، إنه أمر مؤسف لأنه لاعب مهم جدًا بالنسبة لنا، حاولنا أن نعتني به، لكن هذا هو الوضع”.

وبشأن الوصول إلى 250 فوزًا في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أسرع من أي مدرب آخر، أفاد: “سأدعوهم جميعًا (المدربين الذين حطم رقمهم القياسي) لتناول العشاء، أعتقد أنه لشرف لي الجلوس معهم على الطاولة، لذا فالأمر ليس سيئًا، إنها عشرة مواسم، و250 فوزًا عدد كبير، بدأنا لسبب واحد، وهو أننا حققنا الكثير من الانتصارات”.