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The Dodgers are now one loss away from losing the World Series after falling to the Blue Jays, 6-1, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The series now shifts back to Toronto for Game 6 on Friday night where the Blue Jays will have a great chance to win their first title since 1993.

The Dodgers' bats have gone cold at the worst possible time as they were only able to score a combined three runs in Games 4 and 5. While Shohei Ohtani has carried this team on his back, Mookie Betts, an eight-time All-Star and former AL MVP, has been lost at the plate against the Blue Jays as he has just three hits in 23 at-bats with no RBIs.

After Game 5, in which he went 0-for-4, Betts had a brutally honest take on his struggles thus far.

"I don’t want to speak on anybody else but for me personally I’ve just been terrible," Betts said. "I’ve been terrible and I wish it was from lack of effort, I really do, but it’s not so I don’t have any answers."

David Ortiz, who was teammates with Betts for a few years in Boston, spoke about those comments on Fox's post-game show.

"He hurts. He hurts," Ortiz said. "I know Mookie very well. It hurts to see him answering the question that way because to me he still is one of the best players in the game but it seems like his confidence level is pretty low right now. And of course, I don’t blame him—when you don’t see results, Kevin, you start questioning yourself. When you have already shown superstar status everybody starts questioning you when things are not going well."

Ortiz then offered some simple advice for Betts.

"Now if I’m Mookie, I would put that all behind," he said. "You remember when we used to prepare for to go to play a Little League game? You wasn’t thinking about a scouting report, you wasn’t thinking about what people say, you wasn’t thinking about what I did yesterday. When you played in Little League all you wanted to do was see the ball and try to hit it and have fun. At the end of the day that’s what the game is all about, having fun."

Derek Jeter also weighed in Betts' comments.

"I appreciate what he said because it’s the truth," Jeter said. "We’ve all been there. We’ve all sat there in front of our locker and said that we’ve been terrible. The best thing about the postseason is who cares what has happened up to a particular point? He’s going to be up In Game 6 with an opportunity to do something special and if he does something special no one will talk about his postseason prior too, that’s the way you have to look at it."

Here's that complete conversation:

Betts has a day off before Game 6. It will be interesting to see how he responds because the Dodgers will need him to step up if they want to keep their championship hopes alive.

Smith and Brook went into trance mode and reintroduced a third result to the match when it seemed like England were out of it

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2025

Jamie Smith was at his attacking best•ECB via Getty Images

Bazball never sounds more like a cult than when Jeetan Patel speaks about it. The press pack half-expected him to say, “we have got them where we wanted” in the press conference at the end of day two. The scores were India 587 vs England 77 for 3.Jeetan is self-aware, give that to him. He acknowledged “you keep laughing at me”. One of the lines Jeetan said might as well be a mantra for a cult: “That was yesterday; today is today; tomorrow will be another day.”The problem with cults usually is that while they can offer light and solace to those needing something to hold on to, their experiments, so to speak, aren’t backed by independent evidence. They need certain, erm, conditions for the believers to find nirvana.Related

Smith's a keeper, as epic innings goes where England predecessors could not

Siraj six-for hands India huge lead despite Smith and Brook hundreds

Smith hails belief to 'do what you feel is right in the moment'

Bazball’s conditions are flat pitches and the recently quick-to-go-soft Dukes balls. Not just flat pitches, but ones that don’t deteriorate, ones that result in progressively increasing averages over the innings of Tests in the Bazball era in England. There is no moisture left because typically on moist pitches the hard Dukes balls leave indentations, which result in uneven bounce over the course of a Test.Even so, at 84 for 5, Mohammed Siraj on a hat-trick in the second over of the day, England 503 behind India, was the ultimate test of this mad belief. England have had their bad days in this era, but they have never been so far behind so early in the game. In comes Jamie Smith, a “made” wicketkeeper, playing ahead of accomplished ones, selected for Bazballing reasons, to face the hat-trick ball. And he smashes it for four through mid-off.In a sensational assault on India in the rest of the session, Smith and Harry Brook reintroduced the third result to the match when it had seemed England were out of it. The fans in the Hollies Stand sang Oasis and “Sweet Caroline”, but the cricket was in keeping with the land of the birth of heavy metal. By two guys who look like they have never contemplated long hair let alone anything as rebellious as heavy metal.To watch that session was to just continuously head-bang for two hours. It was just believers in a trance. They really seemed like they were in a trance. Brook said they didn’t discuss any plans or match state. They just watched ball and hit ball. Brook might have fumbled his lines a little, but Smith went at a strike rate of bazillions with a control percentage of 90-plus.0:59

Brook: Was definitely hungry to get a hundred today

India played their part. They banged on the drums. The ball had gone soft, and they were willing to buy a wicket. Prasidh Krishna was sacrificed for the plan. He bowled two good overs of line and length, drawing an edge that flew through the sparsely populated slips, drew a rare miss from Smith, and then all of a sudden, he started to bang the ball into the middle of the pitch.Two fielders on the hook, Smith went in front of square. Another man went out, and he went over them. Another fielder back, and he went in front of mid-on. Then over mid-on. Not long ago, Bazball was killing Test cricket with lifeless pitches, but now it was reviving it with sensational batting.India had so many runs in the bag they didn’t need to bowl for control, but what do you do with opponents that keep coming at you and don’t seem to care about the match situation or the result? That fear of getting out is the bedrock of batting; it is what makes risk management necessary. No matter the pitches, Bazball is disrupting that fear.In the lunch break, though, India decided to use that bank of runs to their advantage and go hunting only with the second new ball. ODI fields and possibly tiring batters resulted in a slower session following which India struck back just as gloriously with the second new ball, but that one session of mad belief did leave them shaken.Just as well that the new ball created enough jeopardy to restore some balance for those not in on the cult. It still doesn’t seem to matter to the believers, though. There is a second innings to come as well.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their recent struggles Tuesday night with an ugly 10-7 loss at home to the Minnesota Twins. It was their 11th loss in their last 14 games and one ugly play in the top of the seventh inning summed up how things have been going for them lately.

The Twins had the bases loaded with one out when Royce Lewis hit a slow grounder up the first base line. Dodgers reliever Edgardo Henriquez ran over and scooped up the ball and then turned a made a horrible throw to first.

MORE: Dodgers fan makes sweet catch on Ohtani's HR

How bad was it? The ball ended up bouncing off the wall in deep right field, which allowed three runs to score and sent Lewis all the way to third base.

This was something straight out of a Little League game:

The Dodgers are still in first place in the NL West with a 59-43 record but they haven't been able to get out of their own way lately.

“Tonight, it just wasn’t pretty,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game. “When you’re walking guys and the defense is spotty and things like that, it wasn’t a good one.”

It certainly wasn't.

Sergio Aguero has claimed Lionel Messi could return to Barcelona before the end of his playing career. A former teammate of the eight-time Ballon d'Or at international level, Aguero also said he hopes Messi could "play forever" and that he backs the GOAT to have an impact for defending champions Argentina at next summer's World Cup in North America.

• Messi's Barca chapter not over

  The Manchester City legend made the comments in an interview with Stake. 

  Aguero was asked on his thoughts of his former teammate returning to Barcelona, ahead of the re-opening of the Camp Nou. Messi returned to his adopted home city of more than 20 years with his wife, sparking a flurry of reports about the relationship between La Blaugrana and their greatest ever player. 

  Messi said he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the city, and that he and his wife Antonela are "constantly talking" about a return to Catalonia. Club president Joan Laporta responded to rumours of a loan deal for the Inter Miami player, while newly signed shot stopper Joan Garcia spoke of his desire to see Messi turn out for the club once again. Recently, a report suggesting Messi had reached a complete agreement to return to Barca after departing PSG, added even more fuel to the fire. There is mounting speculation that he will return to the club in some guise before hanging up his boots. Aguero would be more than happy to see that happen. 

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• AFP
  

  Aguero: Messi is the most important player in Barcelona history

  Aguero said: "Messi is the most important player Barcelona has had in its history. He’s a club and city legend. Messi is synonymous with Barcelona and I believe he enjoyed stepping on the Camp Nou pitch again. I think that chapter is not closed." 

  The 37-year-old is close personal friends with Messi, with the pair coming up through the ranks of the Argentinian youth teams at the same time. They played together for the senior national side 88 times, and briefly were on the books at Barcelona at the same time. However, just months after Aguero signed with the Spanish giants in the summer of 2021, Messi departed the club for PSG due to Barcelona's financial issues. 

• Aguero backs Messi to perform in 6th World Cup

  The City legend is backing his old pal to come through for the Alibceleste once again, as Messi prepares to take part in his sixth World Cup next summer. The diminutive Argentinian cemented his status as the GOAT with his heroic display in Qatar in 2022, scoring seven goals, including two in the final, to deliver Argentina's third World Cup trophy. Aguero missed out on that triumph, after he was forced into retirement earlier that summer, due to a cardiac arrhythmia.  

  Aguero shared his thoughts of Argentina's chances in north America next summer. On Messi's role at the tournament he said: "We all want Leo to play forever. Even though we all know that’s impossible. We have to enjoy him while he keeps playing, and he will know until when and where."

  On his nation's preparations, he added: "I see them very well. They maintain their playing style, the coaching staff is clear on what they want, and there have been very important additions that will help keep the team at a high level. It’s true they’ll lack match time because there will be few preparation games, although that will happen to almost all national teams. But Argentina has a solid system and whoever comes in adapts very well."

  On whether Argentina can defend their crown, he replied: "Why not? They keep their core, their playing style, and their hunger for glory. And Scaloni has found great players who are completing the squad after others ended their cycle. A World Cup is always difficult, but I think Argentina are always contenders, because of history and because of the present."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Can Messi write another dream chapter in his glittering career?

  The 2022 World Cup was supposed to be the crowning glory at the end of a storybook career, but now four years on, we have one of Messi's closest friends in the game backing him to perform on the biggest stage once again, and maybe making a sensational return to his spiritual home. A move back to Catalonia might seem farfetched, a 38-year-old star should not be able to drive his team to glory at the World Cup, but since when has Messi ever played down to our expectations? He always suprasses them. 

Everton boss David Moyes admitted he was stunned by Idrissa Gueye’s bizarre red card after the midfielder slapped team-mate Michael Keane during a dramatic 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Toffees were forced to dig deep with 10 men but still secured a famous victory, leaving Moyes balancing frustration at the dismissal with admiration for his side’s resilience.

Gueye sent off for slapping Keane — Everton dig in for the win

Everton’s trip to Old Trafford produced one of the most surreal moments of the Premier League season when Gueye was sent off just 13 minutes into the match for slapping his own team-mate, Keane, during an explosive on-field altercation. The two players clashed after a stray Gueye pass led to a Manchester United chance, and referee Tony Harrington immediately brandished a red card after the Senegal midfielder appeared to slap Keane.

Despite the chaos, Everton regrouped impressively as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall drove forward on the counter and fired home a superb strike to give the Toffees the lead before half-time. With Old Trafford expecting a second-half siege against 10 men, the Toffees instead dug in, defended with remarkable organisation, and frustrated United’s increasingly desperate attempts to equalise.

Everton’s resolve held firm as Manchester United squandered chances through Bruno Fernandes, Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo. Jordan Pickford produced multiple key saves, and the Toffees escaped with a historic victory; Moyes’ first Premier League win at Old Trafford as an away manager after 17 unsuccessful attempts with Everton, West Ham and Sunderland.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMoyes opens up on the bizarre Gueye-Keane incident

Moyes admitted he was taken aback by the dismissal and felt the referee acted too swiftly under the circumstances. “If nothing happened, I don’t think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised. I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I got told that the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.”

He explained that confrontation between team-mates does not automatically trouble him as a manager. “But there's another side to it: I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn't do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.”

The Everton boss also revealed that Gueye addressed the situation immediately after the match. “He’s apologised for the sending off. He’s praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised for what happened.”

Ten-man Everton dig in for famous Old Trafford win

The incident overshadowed a gritty Everton performance in a match that threatened to unravel early. Seamus Coleman had already been forced off injured just minutes into his first start in two months, and the combination of losing their captain and going down to 10 men appeared to put Everton in a vulnerable position. Yet the team responded with a collective sharpness, reorganising defensively and committing to a compact shape that United struggled to break down.

Moyes highlighted his team’s mentality in his broader post-match reflections, praising their structure and resilience. He acknowledged the significance of winning at Old Trafford, particularly under such challenging conditions, noting that Everton “showed the toughness behind the scenes” that had carried them through recent adversity. The performance embodied the “resilience and discipline” he expects from his squad, especially when facing an opponent in strong form.

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AFPWhen will Gueye return to the Everton squad?

For Everton, the focus now shifts to building momentum from a victory that could serve as a turning point in their campaign. After a mixed start to the Premier League season, the Toffees will look to maintain form when they take on Newcastle, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest before two tough clashes against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Gueye is likely to be suspended for the Newcastle and Bournemouth clashes. However, if Everton decide to hand him a further punishment, his return could be pushed into the festive period.

West Ham United look to be in absolute free fall at the moment.

Not even the new appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo has been able to stop the Premier League losses from piling up in East London, with the forlorn Hammers at least thankful to Wolverhampton Wanderers for picking up no wins to keep them off the very foot of the division.

Still, West Ham only have the one dire win from nine league matches themselves, as the ex-Nottingham Forest boss grows increasingly concerned that he is steering the ship straight down to the Championship.

Max Kilman has received plenty of pelters in recent weeks for his disastrous performances at the back, with the £40m recruit looking anything but a stable presence defensively in the daunting Premier League.

Kilman's woes at West Ham this season

With Kilman in the heart of defence this season, West Ham have leaked a shambolic 20 goals already in league action, which is the worst defensive record in the entire division.

He isn’t helped by his regular partner being Jean-Clair Todibo, who has just one clean sheet in claret and blue from 30 Premier League appearances, but the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man is very much on borrowed time when focussing in on the number 3’s woes, having been descrobed as “shocking” by one West Ham content creator during the 2-0 loss to Brentford last month.

Igor Thiago for the Bees completely bullied the weak 28-year-old all night long, with Kilman’s feebleness in the air, and when going in for duels one major concern. Indeed, he won only two of his eight duels against Keith Andrews’ visitors.

He did improve on this weak area against Leeds United last time out, with 100% of his aerial duels successfully won, but he still isn’t in the West Ham fans’ good books off the back of a debut season in East London that saw him collect just six clean sheets from 38 league outings.

His ex-Old Gold manager in Gary O’Neil has even opened up to state that one of Kilman’s biggest problems is his frustrating nature to “switch off” during games, with Nuno now potentially wanting to get rid having seen how shoddy the 6 foot 4 defender has been already during the early stages of his West Ham managerial career.

Thankfully, in the long term, West Ham could already have an in-house replacement for the £40m flop.

West Ham's "unreal" Kilman replacement

Nuno could look towards the next generation emerging up the ranks at West Ham to try and breathe life back into his side’s disastrous season, with Freddie Potts one face who could be deserving of a senior shot soon.

Alongside Potts, Kaelan Casey also looks ready for some first-team action imminently, having already been labelled as an “outstanding” asset to have at Swansea City by his short-term boss Alan Sheehan, after not looking fazed by the challenge of Manchester City in the EFL Cup.

Minutes played

90

Interceptions

0

Clearances

14

Blocked shots

2

Recoveries

3

Total duels won

5/5

Total tackles won

2/2

Last man tackles

1

Looking at his numbers above, Sheehan was right to shower the 21-year-old with praise, with Swansea in danger of being on the receiving end of a drubbing without Casey stepping up to the mark, as seen by the number 26 registering a mammoth 14 clearances all across the 3-1 defeat, on top of winning every single duel and tackle that came his way.

With a full EFL season soon to be under his belt, it’s clear that Casey could soon be fast-tracked to the first team picture back at the London Stadium, having already lined up for three senior games for his boyhood employers.

He also has 106 games next to his name for the Hammers U18s and U21s, with Declan Rice once even labelling Casey as an “unreal” talent off the back of him scoring 11 goals as a dependable defensive figure in youth football.

Kilman will know that he’s on borrowed time in East London, and if Casey returns with even more impressive showings to boast about – like his imperious night against City – he will soon surely be demoted down the pecking order for the 21-year-old to shine.

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The England winger is reportedly attracting interest from north London.

ByEmilio Galantini Oct 31, 2025

Are Arsenal now ready to bring the biggest trophies back to North London?

On Tuesday night, the Gunners sent out a serious statement by smashing Atlético Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League, all the goals coming during a 12-minute second-half scoring spree.

New striker Viktor Gyökeres scored twice, easing some of the pressure on his shoulders, while fellow summer signing Martín Zubimendi put in another eye-catching display.

Thus, the additions made this summer have elevated Mikel Arteta’s team to another level, but is balance one of the under-the-radar reasons why the Gunners have found red-hot form of late?

Arsenal's right-sided bias

During their previous title challenges, a high proportion of Arsenal’s attacks have come down their right flank.

The Gunners’ peak form under Arteta came during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, winning 16 of 18 Premier League matches, with the Benjamin White, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka attacking trident down the right-hand side, by some distance, their most dangerous outlet.

As documented by the Athletic, the most common combination would see White overlapping, thereby making space for Saka, with Ødegaard’s primary task to find one or the other, this functioning thanks to White’s ‘energetic and well-timed runs’ alongside Ødegaard’s ‘exquisite passing’ as well as Saka’s ‘dribbling ability [which] forces teams to double up on him’

Meantime, the Telegraph outlined that a whopping 45% of their attacks last season came down the right flank, up from 38% and 41% the previous two campaigns, making this a clear pattern across an elongated period of time, something they describe as an issue when the opposition are able to nullify this.

We could have included dozens of goals to demonstrate the threat Arsenal pose down their right-hand side, but Kai Havertz’s late winner against Brentford in March 2024 illustrates it nicely.

Now, recent acquisitions have made Arteta’s team significantly more balanced, no longer solely reliant on some Saka magic, while neither White nor Ødegaard have featured particularly much, for various reasons, so far this season.

Thus, Arteta has reshaped his left side, so has this become equally as effective?

Arsenal's new look creative left-side

Where once Oleksandr Zinchenko stood as Arsenal’s marauding left-back, Riccardo Calafiori is the current occupant of that position.

The Italian has started all eight Premier League games so far, paradoxically described as both ”defensively very solid’ and “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” following last weekend’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The table below documents Calaifori’s importance this season.

Stats

Calafiori

PL rank

Minutes

614

6th

Goals

1

5th

Assists

2

1st

Shots

16

2nd

Shot-creating actions

17

4th

Goal-creating actions

5

1st

Progressive carries

16

4th

Tackles

12

3rd

Clearances

20

3rd

Ball recoveries

30

2nd

As the table notes, amazingly, only Gyökeres has attempted more shots among Arsenal players in the Premier League this season, while the Italian is contributing across all areas of the pitch, including the fact he’s second only to Declan Rice in terms of ball recoveries.

However, as White can testify from the other flank, a full-back going forward is only as good as the players he has in front of him, so could Eberechi Eze be that man for Calafiori?

Right now, the England international is being deployed more towards the right, deputising for Ødegaard, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, both of whom have scored crucial goals this week, time-sharing on the left flank.

Chalkboard

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

Nevertheless, Eze’s natural tendency is to drift to the left, something he’s having to fight against at the moment.

Thus, analyst Ben Mattinson posited back in 2024 that the pair could be something of a “left-sided White and Saka”, noting that there are “a lot of similarities”, adding that Calafiori is a “better carrier” and Eze is “creative”, concluding that this could be enough to fire Arsenal to the Premier League title.

The man who arrived from Crystal Palace, too much excitement, in August notched his third assist for Arsenal on Tuesday, setting up the first of Gyökeres’ two goals, while he himself opened his Gunners account at Port Vale in the EFL Cup last month.

As Arteta searches for more central creativity, Eze has regularly been deployed through the middle so far, but has started on the left too.

The best example of what he is capable of from a wider position came against Nottingham Forest, bursting in behind to get on the end of a driven ball over the top by, you guessed it, Calafiori, before squaring it for Gyökeres to tap home.

This goal could prove to be just an amuse bouche of what this £110m pair are able to contribute this season so, if Arsenal’s left side becomes anywhere near as potent as their right, supporters have every reason to believe that this genuinely could be their year.

Gyokeres can help Arsenal's "unbelievable" star reach Mesut Ozil's level

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2025

Chelsea are prepared to make another move for a “fantastic” BlueCo target after already seeing an offer rejected, according to a new report.

Chelsea enjoy big spending summer but still lack in key areas

Last summer, Enzo Maresca’s side marked themselves out as the Premier League’s second-biggest spenders behind champions Liverpool — splashing north of £280 million on new recruits.

Chelsea balanced out this major squad investment by agreeing a plethora of player sales over the course of the window, so much so that they actually a registered a negative net spend and made a small profit.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

From a purely business perspective, the summer was an undoubted success, and Maresca watched the likes of teenage sensation Estevao – who just scored a winner against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge – Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho all come in to bolster his attacking options.

However, bar the signing of young defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, Chelsea finished the window short of new options for their backline.

After Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out for most of 2025/2026, Maresca was clear that he wanted another centre-back and publicly urged the club to sign one before deadline day on September 1.

This wasn’t to be, leaving the west Londoners pretty short of quality in a key area, while Chelsea’s attempts to sign another goalkeeper also faltered.

Maresca is believed to be unhappy with his current Chelsea squad (Simon Phillips), but reports suggest that they’re set to try and back the Italian with a proven defender in January (Pete O’Rourke).

Meanwhile, given Delap will take a while to get back up to speed once he returns from injury, Chelsea are also looking at new striker options for the winter market — who’d come in for a cheap fee, on loan or are possibly already owned by BlueCo (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea could even choose to bring in another winger, specifically Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz.

Chelsea to make second Kenan Yildz approach after rejected £61m offer

Fabrizio Romano has already confirmed that Chelsea are “very interested” in Yildiz, and now a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has shed more light on the situation.

According to their information, Chelsea had a £61m million bid rejected for the Turkey international rejected last summer, but Maresca’s side aren’t resigned to giving up on his signing just yet.

It is believed that Chelsea will make a second approach for Yildiz, with the Old Lady running into some delay regarding his new contract and the Stamford Bridge side sensing an opportunity to take him from Turin.

The 20-year-old was Juve’s star forward last season, racking up 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions, totalling 21 contributions, and he averaged the highest Serie A match rating out of all of his teammates with more than 15 starts (WhoScored).

He’s started this campaign in equally imperious fashion, averaging more shots and key passes per 90 than any other Juve player in the top flight (WhoScored), but Romano says that the Premier League isn’t that tempting for him right now amid renewal talks.

Manchester United’s poor start to the 2025/26 season has once again cranked up the pressure on manager Ruben Amorim, with uncertainty now emerging around his future.

The 40-year-old took the reins last November, but was unable to catapult the Red Devils up the Premier League table – subsequently ending the year in a record-low 15th place.

However, after £200m worth of new additions during the off-season, he’s been unable to transform the side, already losing 50% of their top-flight outings to date.

His side even got knocked out at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup, losing to League Two side Grimsby Town on penalties, something which has no doubt pushed him closer to the exit door.

Despite constant reports that no change of manager is expected in the immediate future, numerous managers are being lined up to potentially take the reins at Old Trafford.

Man Utd’s manager hunt to replace Amorim

Over the last couple of days, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been hugely linked with the role at United – understandably so given his recent form at Selhurst Park.

The Austrian has led the Eagles to an 18-game unbeaten run, beating Liverpool at the weekend and subsequently adding to their recent FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs.

However, he’s not the only boss currently in their sights at present, with the Red Devils hierarchy considering a move for Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola, according to The Sun.

Their report claims that the United board are hugely impressed with his work at the Vitality and could be tempted to make a move should Amorim be given his marching orders.

It also states that he’s part of the club’s current shortlist to replace the 40-year-old, currently sitting alongside Glasner, but it remains to be seen if they are set to pursue either of the aforementioned candidates.

Why United’s latest target would be their answer to Arteta

Whilst Arsenal are a club very few United fans are content with, many of the supporters must be feeling an ounce of jealously in the direction of the Gunners under Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard is nearing six years in charge at the Emirates, only winning one major trophy, but he’s transformed the side into consistent Premier League title contenders.

His side have finished as runners up in each of the last three years, but could go one further this time around, subsequently showing glimpses of a successful side – as seen by their late comeback against Newcastle United.

The 43-year-old has given the fanbase a reason to be proud of their club, something which Iraola has also done with the Cherries – but certainly on a different level to his compatriot.

He took charge of the South Coast outfit back in the summer of 2023, but has taken the club to new heights – achieving their best ever top-flight finish by ending the year in 9th last time around.

However, he’s certainly faced adversity in recent times, losing key players like Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi to many of Europe’s giants during the recent summer.

Despite the departures, he’s led the Cherries to 6th place after the first six outings, with their only defeat coming against Liverpool on the opening day at Anfield.

In the words of journalist James Horncastle – via John Brewin of the Libero podcast – he is the “best coach in the Premier League”.

Iraola, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by one journalist, has achieved a 40% win rate at the Vitality, winning 38 of his 94 matches in charge – subsequently doing so on a shoestring budget.

There’s no doubt he would have a huge amount of money to play with at United, which in turn could allow him to make the desired changes to try and battle with his compatriot, who’s in charge of the Gunners.

Andoni Iraola – PL stats

Statistics

Tally

Games managed

82

Wins

31

Draws

22

Losses

29

Goals scored

120

Goals conceded

120

Points won

115

Points per game

1.40

Win percentage

37.8%

Stats via Transfermarkt

The similarities to Arteta are there for all to see, with both being the same age and making a huge impact in England’s top-flight after their respective appointments.

Both also came from the Basque Country, with United having the chance to appoint an incredible manager should they decide to pursue a move for Iraola in the months ahead.

His stint at Bournemouth has made him one of the most talented young managers in Europe, but it’s unclear how much the Cherries would demand for his signature in the months ahead.

It remains to be seen if Iraola would be open to the job at Old Trafford, but if he can replicate such talents with the Red Devils – there’s no reason as to why they can’t rise up the table under his guidance in the future.

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O Palmeiras tem cinco atletas na convocação da Seleção Brasileira sub-17 divulgada na quarta-feira (9): o goleiro Cesar, o zagueiro Vitor Reis, os atacantes Estêvão e Riquelme Fillipi, e o meio-campista Figueiredo, que voltou a ser lembrado para o selecionado após viver um longo drama devido a uma lesão. O treinador Phelipe Leal convocou 23 jogadores para um período de treinos na Granja Comary, em Teresópolis.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Esse grupo convocado irá se apresentar no dia 22 de agosto e permanecerá com a Seleção até o dia 4 de setembro. Após a conquista do Sul-Americano Sub-17, esta é a segunda fase de preparação para a Copa do Mundo da categoria, que acontece em novembro, na Indonésia. O Palmeiras foi o clube com mais atletas convocados para o ciclo de treinamentos.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

A novidade em relação às outras listas deste ano é Figueiredo, que está totalmente recuperado da lesão ligamentar no joelho direito sofrida em setembro de 2022. Nesta temporada, o meio-campista fez sua estreia pelo sub-20 do Palestra e já soma oito partidas pela categoria. Ele celebrou o retorno para a Seleção Brasileira sub-17, com a qual conquistou o Torneio de Montaigu, também em 2022, ao lado de Endrick e Luis Guilherme.

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– Sem dúvidas tem sido uma volta abençoada. Esperei muito por esse tempo e estou aproveitando agora. Só tenho a agradecer por tudo que tem acontecido comigo nessas últimas semanas! É uma honra voltar a vestir essa camisa. É o objetivo máximo de qualquer jogador brasileiro e espero sempre estar à altura desse escudo – declarou o jovem meio-campista.

+ ‘Geração do bilhão’, técnica e Gómez como ‘espelho’: conheça Fellipe Jack, promessa da base do Palmeiras

Ao longo deste ano, o Verdão já teve 17 atletas convocados para as seleções brasileiras de base. Para o sub-15, foram chamados o goleiro Luiz Fernando, o zagueiro Enzo e os atacantes Juan e Lucas Henrique. No sub-17, os nomes foram o goleiro Cesar, os zagueiros Benedetti e Vitor Reis, o meio-campista Figueiredo e os atacantes Estêvão e Riquelme Fillipi. Por fim, o goleiro Kaique, o zagueiro Michel, os meio-campistas Pedro Lima e Luis Guilherme e os atacantes Giovani, Endrick e Kevin.

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O Palmeiras foi o clube que mais cedeu jogadores para seleções brasileiras de base nos últimos seis anos. Em 2022, foram 13 atletas palestrinos chamados para defender a Amarelinha.Confira abaixo o número de convocados por ano:

– 2017: 18 convocados
– 2018: 29 convocados
– 2019: 17 convocados
– 2020: 13 convocados
– 2021: 14 convocados
– 2022: 13 convocados