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Celtic showed during the previous summer and winter transfer windows that they are not averse to signing players from England’s top four divisions.

One of their most recent ventures south of the border saw the Hoops secure a four-and-a-half-year deal for midfielder Matt O’Riley from MK Dons worth a reported £1.5m in January.

After just one year with the League One club, O’Riley scored 10 goals and delivered eight assists in 54 appearances before taking the next step in his career.

After arriving at Parkhead, the 21-year-old – who has represented England and Denmark at youth international level – went on to make 20 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions. In that time, the winter recruit chipped in with four goals and two assists, all of which came in the Premiership.

While it’s still early days in his Celtic career, the midfielder ended the season as the fifth-highest rated player still in Ange Postecoglou’s squad according to WhoScored, with a performance rating of 7.2/10.

Now that the summer transfer window is around the corner, this could give Celtic the chance to potentially replicate a similar sort of coup that they pulled off with O’Riley, this time for another young player with connections to the Buckinghamshire club.

Celtic interested in Sorinola

Last month, it was mentioned in an article from Wales Online that Celtic are keeping tabs on former MK Dons full-back Matthew Sorinola.

After working his way through the club’s youth ranks and making 46 senior appearances for them, during which he scored two goals and supplied six assists, the defender joined Belgian outfit Royale Union Saint Gilloise last summer.

However, despite making 14 league appearances for his new club, the 21-year-old didn’t start a single top-flight game.

Last season saw the left-back rack up the joint-highest number of crosses (106) at his previous club in League One alongside O’Riley, highlighting the danger that he can pose on the pitch.

Described as a player who is “technically right up there with anyone” at his former club, according to former MK Dons manager Russell Martin, Sorinola could have the chance to put a rather disappointing season in Belgium behind him and start a new chapter at Celtic, just as his former team-mate did in January.

If the Hoops see an opportunity to negotiate a deal for the youngster this summer, this is something they should definitely pounce upon, as he could be an impressive and exciting long-term figure in Postecoglou’s squad for the foreseeable future.

In other news: Celtic eyeing swoop for £810k-rated “thing of beauty”, it could be bye-bye Soro

Finance expert Kieran Maguire has now revealed some significant news involving Everton.

The Lowdown: Leeds and Burnley compensation

As shared by iNews, both Leeds United and Burnley are now seeking £200m in compensation in order to try and offset the advantage that the Goodison Park outfit have received through alleged overspending.

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It is understood that representatives from the two clubs have formally requested that the Premier League order them not to delete any relevant information with regards to their accounts.

The Latest: Maguire shares latest

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire has revealed that both Leeds and Burnley have decided to pursue a compensation claim regardless of which team were to get relegated to the Championship:

“There are some precedents which need to be considered.

“There was the Carlos Tevez case in 2005. West Ham agreed an out-of-court settlement with Sheffield United. That was nothing to do with FFP because it didn’t exist then.

“But we have recently had a settlement between the owners of Derby County and Middlesbrough with regards to FFP breaches.

“You can understand why Burnley and Leeds are doing this. My understanding is that they have decided to pursue this regardless of who got relegated.”

The Verdict: Significant

The fact that Leeds and Burnley are pursuing this, despite the Clarets going down and Leeds and the Toffees staying up, is significant.

The claim could have easily been thought of in bitter taste, but it looks as if the Blues could still have a potential problem on their hands given Leeds’ involvement even after staying up.

If the claim is successful, then this may alter their transfer plans significantly for the summer, and they will not want to be restricted spending-wise again, after only spending a mere £1.7m last summer.

Nonetheless, the Merseyside club will still be confident that they have not broken any rules, and will continue with their plans as normal for now.

In other news, find out which ‘reckless’ flop EFC could now sell this summer here!

According to The Times, there has been another Manchester City transfer update involving Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips as the Sky Blues press for Fernandinho’s heir.

The Lowdown: Champions again

Pep Guardiola’s men performed what many City supporters thought was impossible on Sunday, a near-carbon copy of Sergio Aguero’s 93:20 title-winning drama 10 years on.

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The Premier League champions emerged from the depths of despair to total euphoria, coming back from 2-0 down at home to Aston Villa on the final day with three goals in five minutes. An inspired Ilkay Gundogan grabbed the first and last goal of the stunning comeback as colossal defensive midfielder Rodri also got in on the act with a composed long-range equaliser for 2-2.

Following the Sky Blues’ title parade through Manchester’s grateful streets, attention now turns to the summer transfer market, with City making a good start and already sealing a deal for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.

However, as club legend and faithful servant Fernandinho departs after a near-decade long spell, sporting director Txiki Begiristain and Guardiola have allegedly set their sights on a replacement.

The Daily Mail’s Jack Gaughan claimed that City are ‘ready to pursue a deal’ for Leeds star Phillips, as another credible source in The Times now share their own update.

The Latest: Ballus makes Phillips claim…

Indeed, their journalist Pol Ballus has said that the Whites midfielder is indeed top of Guardiola’s list when it comes to Fernandinho’s replacement. The English champions are also ‘considering making a bid’ for Phillips and ‘will press ahead’ with their effort to sign an heir to City’s long-serving South American.

However, Leeds avoiding relegation could make matters complicated, as they’re now in a stronger position to keep hold of their pivotal midfield anchor.

Also, City aren’t alone in their interest, with arch-rivals Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal and Aston Villa all in the picture.

The Verdict: Standout candidate?

According to The Mirror, Phillips would cost Begiristain and City Football Group around £50m – a third of what fellow target Declan Rice would reportedly cost from West Ham (£150m). Another target in Monaco starlet Aurélien Tchouaméni is apparently rated at around £60m, so economically Phillips certainly seems like the best option.

In terms of quality, we believe that the 26-year-old’s reputation speaks for itself, with no shortage of plaudits for him in recent times.

Leeds defender Liam Cooper even called Phillips ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’ last year, whilst former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has raved over the ‘special player’ and top-flight ‘sensation’ (Football Insider).

If Guardiola wishes to add a world-class rotational partner for Rodri at a fairly reasonable cost, Leeds’ big name may well be the answer.

In other news: ‘Most attractive’ – Man City now the ‘dream’ destination for ‘complete’ and ‘dominant’ player, find out more here.

Celtic not only secured the Premiership title this season and brought their arch-rivals’ reign as Scottish champions to an end, they also did it in style.

With 92 goals scored and only 22 conceded, Ange Postecoglou’s team boast the best attacking and defensive record in the division for 2021/22.

One man who has contributed a lot for the team from an attacking point of view is Kyogo Furuhashi.

Signed from Japanese club Vissel Kobe alongside a raft of other players during Celtic’s very busy 2021 summer transfer window, the attacker took to Scottish football like a duck to water.

With 33 appearances across all competitions this season, the 27-year-old found the net 20 times and delivered five assists in the process.

In the league, despite only making 20 appearances as a hamstring injury kept him out of action for a large chunk of the campaign, the Japan international still managed to score 12 goals.

To further highlight the summer recruit’s deadliness in front of goal, no other Celtic player who had more than one shot at goal racked up a higher percentage for shots on target than Furuhashi’s 52.2%.

Last June, shortly before he made his move to Parkhead, Transfermarkt had Furuhashi’s market value listed as £1.8m, whereas it now stands at £4.95m.

This highlight a significant increase of 175%, presumably as a result of his impressive goalscoring efforts for Celtic which have helped them to secure the league title.

Labelled “a hell of a player” by Postecoglou, who also said that the 27-year-old has “that little bit of magic about him”, it’s safe to say that the Hoops struck gold when they secured the attacker’s signature last summer.

It’s also safe to suggest that, had the Japan forward not been struck down with his hamstring issue, he could have scored even more goals than he did.

If the £18k-per-week star can replicate the same sort of goalscoring form from this season next time out and manages to stay fit, he could give Celtic a great chance of not only retaining the league title but also potentially getting their hands on even more silverware.

In other news – “From what I’m told..”: Journalist drops big Lennoxtown claim that Celtic supporters will love

But, spin under the scanner? These and other takeaways for South Africa from their 2-1 ODI series win against England

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2023South Africa took two steps closer to automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup with a 2-1 win over England in their penultimate series of the ODI Super League. They will play two matches against Netherlands on March 31 and April 2, and must win them both and hope that New Zealand earn at least one victory over Sri Lanka in their home ODI series that will be played around the same time. For the neutral fan, this means what would otherwise have been random matches, played at around the same time as the IPL begins, become the some of the most context-laden of the current Super League cycle.By the time those games come around, South Africa will have a new white-ball coach in Rob Walter, a new support staff and some fresh ideas. Even without Walter’s presence in this England series, where Test coach Shukri Conrad took over in a care-taker role, South Africa already seemed to be showing glimpses of a much-needed evolution in their game and have plenty of positives to take into the new era. They may need to be wary of slow over-rate offences though. It cost them a point in Kimberley.

South Africa can still bat

Phew! After the last six months no one was sure they could. In the second half of 2022, South Africa racked up seven consecutive sub-200 Test scores across matches in England and Australia and failed to chase 159 against Netherlands at the T20 World Cup. There are still significant issues around the batting in the longest and shortest format but as far as the middle-child goes, South Africa seem to have finally stepped up.Related

• 'Temba and I are a good fit' – Conrad explains why Bavuma replaced Elgar as Test captain

• Report – Buttler, Malan tons and Archer six-for snap England losing streak

• Temba Bavuma stays the course to deliver his definitive century

• Bavuma will captain SA for as long as team-mates, management want

They scored over 300 or in the vicinity repeatedly (the latter was enough to win the opening game) and achieved their best run-rate in an ODI series in four-and-a-half years – since August 2018 when they beat Sri Lanka. It’s also only the fourth time in that period that South Africa have achieved a series run-rate of more than six runs an over, a standard that England have made the norm since after the 2015 World Cup.ESPNcricinfo LtdSouth Africa had four batters in the series’ top six and none of them was Quinton de Kock, which suggests the responsibility is being shared around and the previous over-reliance on a few standout stars is decreasing. Best of all for the home side, the leading run-scorer was…

Temba Bavuma

If redemption were a cricketer, it would look like the South Africa captain in the last six days. Temba Bavuma has gone from being under the microscope for his poor scoring rate in T20Is to facing questions around his overall suitability to play white-ball cricket, not least captain the national side. He answered some of these questions with a high-quality innings in the series-winning second match, where he scored his third ODI century in emphatic style. His other contributions of 36 and 35 also came at more than a run-a-ball for an overall strike rate of 114.64, and he enjoyed his best ODI series to date.Add to that his clever captaincy, especially in defending 299 in the first match and what this series has shown us is that ODI cricket is Bavuma’s format and he should be the player to take South Africa to the 2023 World Cup. It also shows us the importance of not conflating performance, or under-performance, in one format with another – so this doesn’t mean South Africa don’t have to think about their T20 strategy, but in fifty-over cricket, Bavuma’s got it.

Heinrich Klaasen could be an asset for the World Cup

David Miller is established as South Africa’s finisher but Heinrich Klaasen’s contributions should not be overlooked, especially given where the World Cup is being held (India). Klaasen has shown himself to be strong against spin and especially in hitting boundaries off spinners. His display in the third ODI, when he kept South Africa in the game until the 40th over chasing 347, included big hits off Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.Heinrich Klaasen kept going at England even in the face of a massive target•AFPKlaasen appears to have mastered the ability to stay deep in the crease and built the confidence to make room to play his shots. He has had an impressive ODI run in general – since the start of 2022, Klaasen averages 45.71 in this format.

Fast bowler rotation will be key

With the volume of cricket showing no sign of slowing down, both South Africa and England had to manage their quicks’ workload through the series. South Africa changed a successful combination, which included Kagiso Rabada and Sisanda Magala, from the first ODI to the second. They won the second with Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen coming in. Anrich Nortje was rested for the third game, while Wayne Parnell played in all three matches.It is understood that South Africa’s new coaching regime plans to have a rotation policy in place for the quicks, which will see those who play in all formats, such as Rabada, Nortje and Ngidi, rested more often. That only means that they need an equally impressive second set of players as stand-ins. Magala proved what he can do in the first match, Parnell has developed into a reliable allrounder and Jansen has already been labelled a superstar by team-mates like Miller, but there’s opportunity for players on the domestic circuit to put themselves in contention too. Six white-ball matches against West Indies in the second half of March (including ODIs that are not part of the Super League) will be the first chance for South Africa to test their bench bowling strength, so expect to see some new names there.

Spin concerns

On fairly flat tracks it may seem harsh to criticise the bowlers who were most likely to be targeted but South Africa’s spinners were disappointingly ineffective in this series. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi took one wicket apiece and delivered South Africa’s worst spin economy in an ODI series – 7.85. Their performances may be the result of a combination of England’s batting strength and placid conditions (though it did turn in Kimberley) but there are also genuine worries about the pair.Shamsi seems down on confidence, and Maharaj appears to be bowling flatter as he spends more time in the white-ball game. With that in mind, it could cause South Africa’s selectors to cast the net wider. The point about different formats notwithstanding, the SA20, where Bjorn Fortuin is the joint-second-highest wicket-taker at the time of writing, could be an ideal catchment area.

Germany's new star forward Nick Woltemade finally broke his silence on the 'idiots' Newcastle claim made by Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after the Bundesliga champions lost the transfer race to sign the striker from Stuttgart for £65m. After selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool on deadline day, the Magpies brought Woltemade as the Swede's replacement.

• Rummenigge called Newcastle 'idiots' after losing Woltemade race

  After missing out on one of their key transfer target for the summer, Bayern board member Rummenigge branded the Magpies 'idiots' for spending a massive transfer fee and even sarcastically congratulated Stuttgart for cashing in. The Bundesliga champions made several attempts to bring the German striker to the club over the summer, with their final bid reportedly touching €60m (£52m/$70m). Stuttgart, however, refused to let the player leave below their asking price of €75m (£65m/$87m).Ultimately, a desperate Newcastle made a club-record £69m bid and got the deal done.

  Speaking to , Rummenigge said: "I can only congratulate them in Stuttgart for finding, so to speak, an idiot who would pay that much money, because we certainly wouldn't have done that. I said: We're coming in on a scale that I no longer find acceptable. We shouldn't meet all of their demands. 

  "The players and their agents must also be careful not to trap themselves. The money has to come from somewhere, and that comes from expanding competitions or creating new ones."

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  Woltemade reacts to Rummenigge's comments

  The Magpies star has now finally reacted to Rummenigge's comments as he told : "My team-mates commented on it, I didn't. I think that was the right thing to do. A lot was made of my name, Bayern, and transfer fee during the summer; that was the story of the summer. To answer your question: the headlines everywhere said 'idiots.' But I read Mr Rummenigge's entire statement – it was certainly somewhat unfortunate, but not quite so dramatic.

  "When I arrived at the national team, everyone congratulated me. Bayern players also congratulated me. When they see a player taking a step forward, you get congratulations. That was the case for me too. There were no negative comments, especially since my circumstances were special."

• Ex-Newcastle star hit back at Rummenigge

  Reacting to the Bayern chief's harsh comments, former Newcastle winger Chris Waddle told : "They probably thought they had him at a lower price. Newcastle have obviously looked for a centre-forward after the saga with Isak. They've looked around and thought who's available? They've looked at Woltemade because he's a good player. He's a tall guy. He's quite mobile. Technically he's all right. 

  "Bayern Munich thought, 'he’s a player we can snap up who could replace Harry Kane in a couple of years.' They probably thought they had a deal done. But Newcastle came in and I think it's a little bit of sour grapes. I think Newcastle's offered a better contract, better wages, better everything. Bayern Munich would probably think they would get him at the price that they think he's worth. They think Newcastle's paid over the top. Time will tell on that."

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  How is it going for Woltemade?

  Woltemade has made an instant impact since moving to the Premier League from the Bundesliga in the summer. He has appeared in 14 matches for the Magpies thus far across all competitions and scored seven goals, including four in eight league appearances. 

  He has also performed consistently for his national team and he recently starred with a brace in Germany's close win over Luxembourg, which kept their hopes alive of securing a direct berth at the World Cup next year. The 23-year-old will be back in action for Germany on Monday as the four-time world champions face Slovakia.

Plenty of analysts predicted a New York vs. Los Angeles meeting in the MLB postseason, but few projected it to happen sooner than the World Series.

Thanks to a surprising late-season push from the New York Mets and continued success in the postseason, New York has announced itself as a legitimate postseason threat. After defeating the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the next team in their way. They also pose the biggest threat yet to their hopes of pulling off true "Miracle Mets" status.

On the flip side, for the Dodgers, making it to the NLCS is an achievement, but by no means would exiting at this stage in the postseason be viewed as a good result for the year. After going out and spending this offseason on key free agents like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (adding to their already strong core that features the likes of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman), they expect to be one of the two teams left fighting for the World Series trophy.

This is how the schedule is laid out, with possible changes due to weather a possibility:

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Dodgers vs. Mets Record 2024

The two coastal teams met six times across two series during the regular season. In the first one, the Mets took two of three games, with the Dodgers sweeping the second three-game series and taking the overall season series 4-2.

The Dodgers outscored the Mets 36-20 in those six games, with the Mets scoring two or fewer runs in three of the games (shut out twice).

Here's a look at how the two teams stacked up in various stats throughout the year.

Dodgers vs. Mets Stats in 2024

Batting Stats

Pitching Stats

Starters

Relievers

Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved why he remains football’s ultimate clutch performer, dragging Al-Nassr from the brink of frustration to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Al-Feiha on Saturday night. After being knocked out by Al-Ettihad from the King's Cup, their weekend could have been spoiled, but their Portuguese talisman decided otherwise. They are now leading the domestic standings after getting off to a perfect start with seven wins from seven matches, and on Saturday evening, the men in yellow once again showed why they are more determined than ever to be crowned as Saudi champions during their comeback victory.

• Nassr's comeback

  The hosts were dominating proceedings right from the first whistle, and Joao Felix came close to opening the scoring in the sixth minute but saw his effort tipped over the crossbar. However, almost against the run of play, Al-Feiha drew first blood after Jason was put through on goal. The goal came from a tactical misfire. Jorge Jesus’ high defensive line, designed to suffocate space, backfired horribly. Jason latched onto a simple long ball, broke free of the sluggish backline, and slotted calmly past Nawaf Alaqidi. It was a sucker punch that left the hosts stunned and briefly scrambling for rhythm.

  Despite going behind, Al-Nassr refused to panic. With Ronaldo barking instructions and Sadio Mane buzzing around the left flank, the home side resumed their onslaught. The equaliser appeared imminent when Mane squared for Kingsley Coman, who smashed the ball home, only for VAR to intervene. After a painstaking review, the goal was chalked off. Mane had strayed offside by a matter of inches when Ronaldo released him down the wing. The decision left Ronaldo visibly fuming, throwing his arms in the air in disbelief.

  A frustrated Ronaldo rallied his teammates again, and in the 37th minute, the Portuguese icon produced the goods to bring his side back on level terms. It was a perfect team goal, which was started off by Felix as he played a cheeky through ball to Coman. The French star split Al-Feiha's defence, and Ronaldo kept his calm to finish the move with a clinical finish. 

  As the second half unfolded, Ronaldo led the charge for a breakthrough. He saw two efforts fly agonisingly wide, while Felix’s long-range strike was parried brilliantly by Mosquera. With every passing minute, it felt as though time was slipping away. Al-Feiha’s players began to sense they could escape with a draw, until fate intervened deep in stoppage time. Fortune smiled on the hosts, and after a lengthy VAR check, a penalty was awarded to Al-Nassr.

  Up stepped Ronaldo, calm and collected. As the whistle blew, he took his familiar stance, stuttered in his run-up, and smashed the ball into the net. He wheeled away in celebration, pounding his chest as the crowd erupted. Three more points!

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  The MVP

  Ronaldo popped up at the right time, at the right place, to once again save Al-Nassr's blushes. His numbers this season have been mind-boggling. The winner was his eighth league goal and number 36 in the calendar year. He is currently 48 goals away from the 1000-milestone, and the forward will back him to create more history after signing a two-year deal in the summer, which will keep him at the club until 2027. 

• The big loser

  While his side walked away with all three points, Jesus’s tactics left much to be desired. His defensive strategy gifted Al-Feiha their goal, and his inability to chalk up a Plan B could have cost them a perfect start to the season. If not for Ronaldo’s late intervention, this could easily have been the night Al-Nassr’s flawless run ended.

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  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐

It was not an easy game, but Arsenal picked up another three points in the first Premier League game back after the international break.

The Gunners overcame Fulham at Craven Cottage in a game where their London rivals made it tough to earn all three points.

Facing off against a well-drilled Marco Silva side, it took Arsenal until midway through the second half before they were able to break the deadlock. Riccardo Calafiori did have the ball in the back of the net in the first 45 minutes, but the flag was up for offside, a decision VAR confirmed.

Finally, the Gunners were able to take the lead. Once again, it came from a corner, with Gabriel flicking a header on towards the back post.

Waiting there unmarked was Leandro Trossard, who converted the flick-on via his knee.

There was more drama to come, though. Moments after Fulham’s summer signing, Kevin, came onto the pitch, he brought down Bukayo Saka in the penalty box. However, it was overturned by VAR, after it was deemed that the Brazilian had played the ball.

Despite the win for Mikel Arteta’s side, it wasn’t an easy day at the office. One player who struggled once again was Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres’ stats vs. Fulham

Life at Arsenal started fairly well for Sweden international Gyokeres. However, he failed to score once again at Craven Cottage, meaning he has now gone nine games without a goal for club and country.

Chalkboard

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

That was not for a lack of trying, though. The former Sporting CP attacker had a tough day against a defensively diligent Fulham side. He did get close once in the first half, although his shot from a narrow angle was comfortably saved by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

In the second half, he fired over from close range, squandering an excellent chance.

The stats after the game show that it was a tough night for Arsenal’s number 14. In 89 minutes, he had just 20 touches and managed two shots on target. He only completed five out of nine passes attempted, although he was more of a nuisance without the ball, winning three out of four ground duels.

One person who was critical of his performance was Goal journalist Charles Watts. He gave the Swede a 6/10 for his efforts, describing it as ‘another hard working display’ but did note there was ‘little to show for it’.

Gyokeres was not the only Arsenal player who struggled to make a real impact at Craven Cottage.

The other Arsenal star who struggled vs. Fulham

The trip to Craven Cottage was never going to be easy for Arteta’s men. The Cottagers are renowned for being tough to break down, and they certainly made life tough for Arsenal, as Gyokeres experienced first-hand.

It was also a tough evening for another Arsenal summer signing, Eberechi Eze. The England international played in Martin Odegaard’s usual role on the right-hand side of midfield, but struggled to get a real grip on the game.

That is certainly reflected in the stats. The former Crystal Palace star had 37 touches of the ball, and completed 24 out of 27 passes.

However, he only created one chance and completed one dribble from two attempted.

Watts also noted that it wasn’t the easiest game for Eze. Like Gyokeres, he gave the Gunners number 10 a 6/10 for his performance in West London. The journalist said he was ‘sloppy at times’ but did acknowledge the fact that ‘it was very hard for him to find any space’ in a busy midfield.

It will be interesting to see whether Arteta keeps Eze in the side for the Gunners’ next game, a Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid. They face the La Liga outfit at the Emirates Stadium, and it could be another tough game.

Diego Simeone’s side are renowned for being tough to break down, and again, it could get congested in midfield. The Gunners’ Spanish boss might well decide to rotate Eze out of the team for that game, after struggling in similar circumstances.

If that is the case, he could bring Christian Norgaard or Mikel Merino into the fold. Both players came on against Fulham on Saturday night, with the latter replacing Arsenal’s number 10 just past the hour mark. There are certainly options if Arteta chooses to rest Eze.

Imagine him & Dowman: Arsenal have Rice 2.0 brewing in Hale End sensation

The talented youngster could be another Declan Rice-type player for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 17, 2025

Chelsea returned to winning ways on Wednesday, but they made hard work of their victory at Wolves. Goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens saw the Blues claim a narrow 4-3 win in the Midlands to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Enzo Maresca named a much-changed side for the game at Molineux with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James starting from the bench, but the visitors raced into a three-goal lead in he first half, though they also benefited from some poor defending by the home side.

Tosin Arokodare and David Moller Wolfe (twice) netted for Wolves after the restart while Liam Delap was sent off to set up a nervy finish, but it was too little, too late for Vitor Pereira's side as they fell to a third successive defeat to amp up the pressure on the Portuguese boss.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Molineux…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Filip Jorgensen (5/10):

  Saw little action in the first half but conceded three of the four shots he faced.

  Malo Gusto (7/10):

  Got forward well down the right, but was out of position for Wolves' first goal before coming off after an hour.

  Josh Acheampong (4/10):

  After a solid first half, was caught ball watching for Arokodare's strike just minutes after the restart.

  Tosin Adarabioyo (5/10):

  Hardly the most convincing performance from Chelsea's most experienced player.

  Jorrel Hato (6/10):

  Shifted to centre-back on the hour mark. Largely unfazed despite sustained second half pressure by Wolves.

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  Midfield

  Romeo Lavia (5/10):

  At fault for Arokodare's goal and was withdrawn on the hour mark.

  Andrey Santos (8/10):

  Settled some early Chelsea nerves with the opening goal. Pressed Lopez brilliantly to set up Estevao's first-half goal, too.

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  Attack

  Estevao Willian (7/10):

  Carded midway through the first half but made amends with a fine dink over Jose Sa shortly before the break. Taken off after an hour.

  Facundo Buonanotte (6/10):

  While the Chelsea attack clicked, Buonanotte struggled to gain a foothold.

  Jamie Gittens (9/10):

  Provided the assist for Santos' early opener and added a second having turned provider for George 10 minutes later. Scored Chelsea's fourth with a stunning strike to seal victory.

  Tyrique George (7/10):

  Doubled Chelsea's advantage in the 15th minute having been picked out by Gittens. Should have added a second minutes later.

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  Subs & Manager

  Marc Cucurella (6/10):

  Made a couple of crucial clearances late on after Chelsea had been reduced to 10 men.

  Enzo Fernandez (5/10):

  Introduced to settled nerves but struggled to get a foothold in the game.

  Liam Delap (2/10):

  Made his first appearance since August. Failed to track Wolfe's run for Wolves' second before receiving his marching orders.

  Pedro Neto (5/10):

  Did little of note at his old stomping ground.

  Moises Caicedo (N/A):

  Brought on with five minutes to play.

  Enzo Maresca (5/10):

  He called for consistency after the Sunderland defeat, and while he isn't helped by an inexperienced squad, the Italian struggled with his game management.