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The true significance of this win might lie with those who orchestrated it, not the opponents who were defeated

Alex Malcolm26-Oct-20221:22

Fleming draws parallels between NZ cricket and Ireland

Most Irishmen come to Australia to escape the rain.

But the rain falling from the leaden Melbourne skies brought overwhelming joy to Ireland’s men’s cricket team as it confirmed their greatest-ever T20 triumph, beating England in a T20 World Cup.”I’ve seen a lot of rain in my time playing cricket, and I’ve never been happier to see that rain come down when it did,” Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie said in the post-match press conference.To suggest that rain was the key factor in the result is to diminish an outstanding achievement in Irish sport. England captain Jos Buttler said his side were thoroughly outplayed.Ireland richly deserved their victory. As their players got soaked while celebrating with the small pockets of Irish fans who were singing in the rain in the MCG stands, the achievement was not lost on Balbirnie.Ireland had completed yet another great World Cup triumph to sit alongside Kingston 2007 and Bengaluru 2011. This is the third time they have beaten England in international cricket, including Southampton 2020.But this might be the greatest triumph of all, on one of the world’s great cricket stages. Ireland had never played at the MCG before. Such is the magic and mystique of the place; the Irish players toured the Australian Sports Museum that is housed in the Members stand on Tuesday night and took special note of a particular Irish MCG sporting triumph before adding another just 24 hours later.George Dockrell and Lorcan Tucker get big hugs from the crowd•ICC via Getty Images”It will always be a special place because of tonight,” Balbirnie said. “Ronnie Delany [1500m, 1956] won a gold medal here in the Melbourne Olympics, and you see his name etched in the history of Irish sport forever.”I hope we’ve done something similar. I’ve always said cricket isn’t a big game in Ireland. We’re the flag bearers, and we want to make it as big as possible. But it’s certainly an absolute pleasure to play here, to lead the first Irish team to ever play here.”The true significance of this win might not be in who they beat, or the stage they won on. It might lie with those who orchestrated it.In Melbourne, there were just two members present from the side that won in Bengaluru and neither Paul Stirling nor George Dockrell were significant contributors.There were also four significant changes from the Ireland side that did not progress to the second phase of last year’s T20 World Cup, with two of the new faces, Lorcan Tucker and Fionn Hand playing a major part in the win. Tucker’s 34 off 27 was vital alongside Balbirnie’s half-century, as the pair put together a rollicking 82-run stand in the face of a blistering spell from Mark Wood.Fionn Hand and Josh Little celebrate after the former bowls Ben Stokes•Getty ImagesHand later delivered one of the balls of the tournament, hooping back through the gate of Ben Stokes, to leave England reeling at 29 for 3 in the powerplay. In combination with Josh Little, Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy, Ireland’s attack was the key reason for their success against England as they had been against West Indies.Balbirnie believed his young group is stepping out of the shadows of Ireland’s golden generation that had been led by Kevin O’Brien.”He’s one of the best cricketers we’ve ever produced, but we knew we needed to kind of move on from players like that,” Balbirnie said. “What he contributed was amazing, and I probably didn’t get the opportunity to say that at the time when he retired.”The guys who have come in have shown it’s not just that generation that are a golden generation. This generation, with Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Josh Little, they’re a special group of cricketers, Mark Adair, there’s so many of them. Fionn Hand showed today: he came in for his third T20 and showed that he can have an impact on the game with the ball.”That generation laid the platform for us to be professional cricketers. We wouldn’t be here without them, and we have to acknowledge that. But we also have a duty to take the game as far forward as we can with a group of players.”There is an acknowledgment that this current generation has had to do it slightly differently. For all the positivity around Ireland’s promotion to becoming a full member of the ICC, there was a negative flow on effect. The price of being able to play Test cricket was that Ireland’s best players could no longer cut their teeth in England’s county system as locals before progressing to international level. They’ve had to do it a different way.Related

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Ireland stun England in rainy Melbourne

Ireland show better rain-smarts than England to stay ahead for just long enough

Buttler laments 'really disappointing day' for England: 'We should let it hurt'

“I did genuinely believe that not playing county cricket would tarnish the way that our youngsters progressed,” Balbirnie said. “I think my opinion’s changed a bit, the way that I’ve seen our youngsters play. It’s always been a bit of a sink-or-swim situation for a lot of our young guys. You have to see how they go at the highest level, and you have the names I mentioned earlier that have stood out and been key members of this squad.”That’s the hand we were dealt. We got the Test status, and we have to produce our own cricketers, and we’re starting to do that.”Tucker believes the different path to Ireland’s golden generation has its own benefits. “We don’t have the opportunities that those lads had,” Tucker said. “But we’ve got so much more international cricket. I think that’s our finishing school now. I’ve played quite a few international games and I think most of it was learning.”The proof is in the results. A more aggressive, fearless mindset under Balbirnie and coach Heinrich Malan has yielded wins over West Indies and England in the space of a week.”The knock-on effect is wins like tonight will hopefully trigger a bit of an interest back home,” Balbirnie said. “Well, I hope so. If it doesn’t, then I give up. We want to see those kids playing the game. It’s a great game, and it’s given me a lot of pleasure. Hopefully, nights like tonight can ignite a future generation of Irish cricketers.”Ireland are no longer troublemakers raining on the big boys’ parade. There’s a belief and a sense of belonging building after a famous day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia learned lessons when they lost their first game of the T20 World Cup, while India’s best chances will be to repeat more of the same

Alex Malcolm07-Mar-2020Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana versus Megan SchuttSchutt started the year as the No.1 T20I bowler but has since slipped to No.2 while Verma has climbed to No.1 in the batting rankings after mauling Schutt at every opportunity.”They’ve got the wood on me,” Schutt said. “Smriti and Verma, they’ve got me covered. There are some plans we’re going to revisit as bowlers. Clearly, I don’t think I’m the best match-up to those two in the powerplay, they find me easy to play.”Verma has scored 33 runs in 14 balls off Schutt this year without being dismissed, including four boundaries in an over in the tournament opener. But despite her own doubts, Schutt is a good match-up for Mandhana having dismissed her four times for 55 runs in 44 balls since 2016. If it’s not Schutt bowling in the powerplay Australia have precious few other options. Ellyse Perry and Tayla Vlaeminck are the perfect match-ups for the India pair but both are unavailable due to injury.Verma has had trouble against extra pace bounce but has dominated everything else. Australia doesn’t have extra pace. The only other pace options they have from the semi-final side is Nicola Carey and Delissa Kimmince, but both bowl at well under 110kph. They tried the offspin of Molly Strano in Sydney without success after she had dismissed Verma five times in seven innings for Australia A and the Governor-General’s.ESPNcricinfo LtdHarmanpreet Kaur versus Jess JonassenKaur has had a tough tour of Australia. Since her outstanding 42 not out against England in the tri-series in Canberra she has only reached 20 twice in nine innings and has three single-figure scores in the World Cup. Jonassen has her measure. The left-arm spinner has claimed her three times in her career and Kaur has scored just 16 runs in 21 balls against her since 2016. Australia have a couple of good match-ups for India’s middle order. Kimmince has knocked over Jemimah Rodrigues three times for just 17 runs in 17 balls. The worry for Australia is Deepti Sharma who played a valuable innings in Sydney making 49 from 46. The left-handed Sharma has trouble scoring freely against Schutt and Kimmince, but if those two are forced to bowl a lot upfront, it could be left to two left-arm orthodox and a legspinner later in the innings if Australia pick the same side from the semi-final. Sharma can find the boundary hitting with the spin as she proved twice against Jonassen in the opening match of the World Cup. Molineux has a poor record against all of India’s players and Georgia Wareham has strategically not been selected against them.Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney versus Deepti SharmaSharma and Shikha Pandey are the match-ups in the powerplay for Australia’s key pair. Like India, if Australia’s openers get away the game can disappear quickly. Sharma has been phenomenal against Australia’s dynamic duo getting Healy twice and Mooney three times and conceding well under a run-a-ball. India cannot turn to Rajeshwari Gayakwad or Radha Yadav against Healy and Mooney as both have feasted on the left-arm orthodox. It is strange for Healy, a right-hander, to prefer the ball spinning away but the way she uses her feet and her hand path and bat swing means she is much more comfortable creating room and going inside-out over the offside. Sharma can bowl wide of the crease and angle in which cramps Healy. Mooney oddly doesn’t sweep Sharma very often despite the fact she bowls over the wicket pitching the ball outside leg stump. Pandey is a gamble. Mooney has scored 49 off 32 against her for one dismissal but Pandey has caused Healy some concern. Poonam Yadav has got Healy twice but she is unlikely in the powerplay with only two fielders out.Poonam Yadav celebrates•Getty ImagesMeg Lanning or Ash Gardner at No.3 versus India’s spinnersThis is an interesting debate for Australia. Lanning has taken control at No.3 in the last two games against New Zealand and South Africa, going against Australia’s previous plan of sending Gardner out at No.3 if Healy falls first. But Lanning’s career strike-rate drops from 117 to 103 against India and she’s never made a half-century, while Gardner’s record against India and at No.3 overall is outstanding compared to her career numbers. Both of Gardner’s career half-centuries have come at No.3 including 93 against India in the tri-series. She also averages 26.23 at No.3 and strikes at 133.13 compared to her career rates of 21.50 and 127.97. Against India, she averages 32.42 and strikes at 135.11. Lanning has fallen to Radha and Gayakwad twice each and Sharma once. There is a case to be made for Australia to get Gardner to bat as high as possible for this game. That will be weighed up against Lanning’s current form, her experience, her leadership, and her record in big finals. But Gardner was Player of the Match in the last World Cup final against England in the West Indies in 2018 where set batted No. 3Australia versus Poonam YadavThe fear is real for Australia after Yadav ripped through them taking 4 for 19 in the opening game. “We will talk about Poonam Yadav,” Lanning said. “There’s a lot of learnings from that first game that we feel like we can implement. We’ll do all our research over the next few days, have a look at them, but also how we can play. I’ve got no doubt we’ll be able to adapt.”The MCG is a vastly different surface to the Sydney Showground with much more grass and less turn. Poonam has taken just one wicket in each of the past two games partly because of the lessons other sides have learned. Australia tried to play Poonam’s slower than normal legspin off the front foot and all four of Poonam’s victims fell either advancing down the track or lunging forward and not reading the spin correctly. A back-foot blueprint was provided by New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr who sat deep in her crease and moved outside off stump to pull her twice over backward square. But it’s one thing knowing what to do, it’s quite another being able to execute under pressure in a World Cup final.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his torrid postseason on Sunday night as the Blue Jays fought off the Mariners to force a winner-take-all Game 7 against the Mariners. Guerrero's sixth-inning home run was his sixth of the playoffs and he carries a .462/.532/1.000 slash line into Monday night's action.

He had seemingly done it all for the Blue Jays in October when he stepped into the batters' box in the eighth inning so he had to get extremely creative to create something new. A broken-bat single on which his bat made contact with the ball three times certainly qualifies.

Here's the slow-motion replay of the oddity, which proves that when things are going well at the dish, everything seems to work.

For as rare as such an occurrence is, there is some late-October precedent. The Giants' Hunter Pence parlayed the trick into some wicked spin and a two-run single during Game 7 of the NLCS back in 2012.

What will Guerrero do for his next trick as he steps on to the biggest stage of his young career? That depends on how willing the Mariners are to pitch to him.

Few things in baseball—actually, few things in all of sports—are more exciting than an inside-the-park home run. It's almost impossible for a player to get one without something unusual happening, whether it be a catastrophic miscalculation from a fielder or the ball taking a zany bounce. Point is, if someone tells you that there was an inside-the-park homer, you're going to want to see it.

Tuesday night brought two of those strange round-trippers to Major League Baseball. First, Lawrence Butler of the Athletics casually cruised 360 feet to lead off the game against the Atlanta Braves.

Later, the San Francisco Giants' Patrick Bailey ran very fast to walk off the Philadelphia Phillies after his shot to right-center decided to explore the space far away from any fielder.

They've been playing baseball for a long, long time. So it's a bit surprising to learn that this was the first time in Major League Baseball history that a leadoff inside-the-parker and a walk-off inside-the-parker occurred on the same day.

Considering the fact that baseball teams used to play in bizarrely-shaped playing surfaces back in the day with cavernous power alleys, one would think something like this would have happened before. But considering Butler's scamper was the Athletic's first leadoff inside-the-parker since 1943 and Bailey's was the first walk-off of the variety across all baseball in the last decade … yeah, definitely a rare night.

When South Africa began the World Cup by being blown away for 69 by England, it was natural to wonder whether they really were serious contenders for the title. But, since that catastrophic start, they have put on one hell of a campaign. They have now won five games in a row – four of those comfortably, only one match going into the final over.In the rain-affected match against Pakistan on Tuesday, South Africa’s batters put on their highest World Cup score ever, hitting 312 for 9. What’s more, they only had 40 overs in which to make those runs. The 312 is also the highest total at the Khettarama this World Cup by 54 runs.Senior allrounder Marizanne Kapp, who hit 68 not out off 43 balls, said afterwards that a host of players had stepped their game up to make this turnaround happen. “We were very disappointed with that performance against England,” she said. “Luckily, we turned it around very quickly. I think that’s down to the goals we’ve had and the hard work we’ve been putting in.Related

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• Kapp-powered SA knock Pakistan out in wet Colombo

“The beauty of this team is that we’ve not relied on one person. More people are starting to click and put in performances.”And so it was on Tuesday, that to reach their highest World Cup total, South Africa had a range of important contributions. Captain Laura Wolvaardt led off with a 90 off 82 balls. Sune Luus made 61 off 59. Kapp hit three sixes and six fours in her innings. And, at the death, Nadine de Klerk thumped a staggering 41 off 16 balls. De Klerk had hit only two fifties from 43 previous innings before she bludgeoned a match-turning 84 not out off 54 balls in the game against India. She had then hit 37 not out off 29 against Bangladesh, before this explosive innings in Colombo.”We’ve always known Nadine’s very talented,” said Kapp. “I’ve always rated her. I’ve always said she’s a very good batting allrounder. In the last few years, I think it’s been about the bowling, but this year her batting is really clicking.”South Africa had booked a place in the semi-finals even before this game and are now certain to finish at least third on the table. They have one match in this stage to play – against the feared Australia side.Despite that embarrassing start, Kapp thinks the bowlers have more work to do than the batters to get South Africa in perfect shape for the knockouts.”The batters have been very proactive. The intent is there, as well as the scoring shots,” she said. “I think we can tighten up a little bit on the bowling side of things. Even though we’ve done well, we’ve bowled some loose deliveries.”But in general we’re happy with where we are at the moment.”

تحدث الدولي الفرنسي عثمان ديمبلي، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي باريس سان جيرمان عن تتويجه بـ الكرة الذهبية وشعوره خلال حفل توزيع الجائزة.

وفاز الفرنسي عثمان ديمبلي بالمركز الأول في سباق البالون دور، بعدما توج مع باريس سان جيرمان ببطولات كثيرة وكان عاملًا مؤثرًا فيها جميعًا.

وخاض ديمبلي 53 مباراة مع باريس سان جيرمان في موسم 2024-2025 بجميع المسابقات، سجل 35 هدفًا وساهم بـ16 تمريرة حاسمة.

وقال خلال حوار أجراه مع مجلة “جي كيو”: “أعرف مسبقًا تتويجي بالكرة الذهبية؟ لم أفكر في الأمر إطلاقًا ولم أقلق لأنني كنت متأكدًا من أنني سأفوز بها”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشكيل برشلونة المتوقع أمام تشيلسي اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وأضاف عن شعوره في تلك الليلة: “في البداية، كنت في السيارة مع جواو نيفيز وديزيريه دويه، وبصراحة شعرتُ بهدوء شديد”.

وأكمل: “كنا نشاهد مباراة باريس سان جيرمان ضد أولمبيك مارسيليا التي كانت تُقام في نفس الوقت، لذلك كنا في غاية التركيز، حتى على السجادة الحمراء حافظت على هدوئي ولم أشعر إلا بقليل من الضغط مع بدء الحفل، كنت متوترًا بعض الشيء”.

وأتم عن الخطاب الذي ألقاه بعد الفوز بالجائزة: “لقد حدث الأمر هكذا ولم أقم بتحضير أي شيء بطريقة خاصة، فعلته بشكل طبيعي والأفضل من ذلك أنه أثر في الجميع، لقد سمعت الكثير عنه حتى من أشخاص لم أتخيل أبدًا أنهم سيشاهدون التلفاز في تلك اللحظة”.

“Three years ago, I couldn’t get out of bed and now I am doing what I love, and that’s representing Zimbabwe,” he said on the first day of the second Test

Firdose Moonda07-Aug-2025Brendan Taylor has described making his comeback to international cricket as “a debut-like feeling,” ahead of Zimbabwe’s second Test against New Zealand in Bulawayo.Taylor, who spoke to ESPNcricinfo in May about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, his sanction and his plans for the future, returned to Zimbabwe’s XI after serving a three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code with a new lease on life.”How good is it that three years ago, I couldn’t get out of bed and now I am here doing what I love, and that’s representing Zimbabwe?” Taylor told the broadcaster in an emotional interview before the first day’s play. “Dealing with the sanction, dealing with my own internal chaos – there was not a specific day, there were multiple days of trauma.Related

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How Brendan Taylor got into a fix

“I was in the dark depths in the abyss and trying to just get through this total and incomprehensible demoralisation of life. It was incredibly difficult.”In 2021, Taylor abruptly retired from international cricket in Belfast and seven months later revealed that he had been approached by fixers, who threatened him with exposing his use of cocaine unless he acted on their instruction. He refused to do that, retired, and then checked himself into rehab when his ban was announced in early 2022. Taylor, who could not be involved in any official cricketing structures due to the conditions of his sanction, then set up a coaching facility in his home, as he hoped to move into coaching on his return. However, Zimbabwe’s Cricket MD Givemore Makoni convinced Taylor to return to playing with the 2027 World Cup in mind and he is ready to give it his all after years of introspection.”There’s always that shame and guilt of letting down your family. That’s a tough thing to deal with. But the way my family rallied and supported me was overwhelming. It’s almost a regret why I didn’t lean on them earlier.”Taylor’s wife, Kelly-Anne, found out about his drug problem with the rest of the world and initially did not believe him when he left their home for rehab. “I felt it was something I got myself into and I needed to fix it myself. I thought the dream had gone and I was content with it,” Taylor said.His time at the centre in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe changed his perspective on life and also thanked his family, friends, team-mates and those in ZC for supporting him.”Then came the joys and promises of recovery, something that is very dear to me,” he said. “Getting my life back on track is the reason why I am able to be here. If I had not made that life changing decision, none of this would have been possible.”There have been some very important people in my corner, showing me a new way to live and I am eternally grateful for that. There are a few people in Zimbabwe Cricket that I have to thank, especially the chairman and the MD, who have been absolutely pivotal in their support to having me back.”Taylor opened alongside Brian Bennett in the second Test•Zimbabwe CricketThe moment of being handed his 36th Test cap, “meant the world to me. It was a moment of pure gratitude and real emotion to be welcomed back with open arms,” Taylor said. “It was not the reaction I was expecting. But it’s certainly a moment of reflection and real gratitude. It’s so rewarding to see the amount of cricket Zimbabwe Cricket is putting out there. I have trained harder than I have ever trained in my life to get back there. If performances happen, that’s great but there’s a much bigger picture here for me to play. It’s an honour to play again. It’s a debut-like feeling.”With Zimbabwe on a six-match losing streak and batting a particular problem for them, Taylor was installed at the top of the order instead of his usual No.4 role. Early on, he left well and scored his first runs as he tried to duck against a Jacob Duffy short ball which he edged over the wicket-keeper for four.Taylor will not keep wicket in this Test but said he believes he is in better shape than ever before, almost 20 kilograms lighter than he was through most of his international career and “living good, clean and healthy.”

Well, that was about as perfect a weekend as Mikel Arteta and Arsenal could have hoped for.

Granted, Manchester City picked up another win, but Liverpool lost their fourth game on the bounce, and their first at home to Manchester United in nine years.

On top of that, the Gunners did their job, beating Fulham 1-0 away from home to extend their lead over the Reds to four points and put themselves in the driving seat for the Premier League title.

1

Arsenal

12

19

2

Man City

11

16

3

Bournemouth

3

15

4

Liverpool

3

15

5

Chelsea

7

14

6

Spurs

7

14

7

Sunderland

3

14

Moreover, while it wasn’t a vintage performance from Arsenal, they were ultimately comfortable against the West Londoners, and it was another stellar showing from Bukayo Saka, and another starter who’s starting to become a Saka-type star.

Saka's performance vs Fulham

Even though Arsenal were not at their best against Fulham, they never looked in any real danger of losing the game.

In fact, what should terrify their title rivals is that, for the second time in as many games, Arteta’s side managed to prevent their opposition from taking a single shot on target.

The last time the Gunners were able to do that was back in the 03/04 season, when they went on to win the league undefeated and on 90 points.

With that said, while Viktor Gyokeres continued to struggle up top, and Leandro Trossard didn’t do an awful lot aside from scoring, it was another strong showing from Saka on the right.

The Hale End legend was lively from the first minute, and while he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, he was far and away the Gunners’ most dangerous forward.

For example, in his 99 minutes of action, he amassed an expected assists figure of 0.55, took two shots, took 86 touches, completed six of seven dribbles, created one big chance, recovered the ball nine times and even won 13 of 20 ground duels.

It was an excellent showing from the stand-in captain, and one that once again showed that, when fit, he is the biggest and most important star in Arteta’s side.

Minutes

99′

Expected Assists

0.55

Total Shots

2

Key Passes

7

Dribbles (Successful)

7 (6)

Big Chances Created

1

Touches

86

Fouls Won

5

Ball Recoveries

9

Ground Duels (Won)

20 (13)

However, there were a few other starters who stood out, including one who is starting to become something of a Saka-type player.

Arsenal's new Saka-type star

It almost goes without saying at this point that William Saliba, David Raya, Declan Rice and Gabriel Magaehelse were once again excellent for Arsenal on the weekend.

Chalkboard

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

However, when it comes to someone starting to become something of a Saka-type player, they do not fall into that category.

Riccardo Calafiori, on the other hand, could.

Now, this comparison is obviously not based on their starting positions or output, as while the Italian has a goal and an assist in him, he is never going to match the numbers of the Englishman – few players can.

Instead, it’s primarily based on the fact that, as one analyst puts it, he ends up “everywhere” on the pitch and adds “pure chaos” to a system many labelled boring at points last season.

For example, the former Bologna star may well start games at left-back, but he spends much of his time roaming around the pitch, picking up space here and there, dragging opponents out of their positions and freeing up areas for his teammates to operate in.

This is the key reason he could be seen as a Saka-type player in the making, as opposition defenders and midfielders are starting to realise that he cannot be left alone to roam, as he will punish them.

This was on full display on Saturday, as not only was he marginally offside for his wonderful strike in the first half, but he was also consistently all over the place, popping up at right-wing, in the middle of the park, and up top.

As one analyst put it in the summer, “his positional IQ, carrying and overall technical quality are literally game-breaking.”

Finally, while this maverick approach to games helps create space for his teammates, it also makes matches more entertaining for fans, with journalist James Benge going as far as calling the Italian “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” on Saturday night.

Ultimately, they have their clear differences, but Calafiori’s mercurial ability to roam, pull opponents out of position and entertain the fans makes it rather easy to describe him as a Saka-type star.

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Arsenal had a Bukayo Saka regen in Hale End that Edu allowed to leave.

ByBen Gray Oct 20, 2025

Chelsea have already turned their attention to recruitment matters ahead of 2026, and could be set to change their transfer strategy to complete an intriguing move.

Chelsea look to Cole Palmer alternatives after injury confirmation

Enzo Maresca and Chelsea will be relieved to see Premier League football return after the international break.

However, it isn’t all good news, with Maresca confirming that Cole Palmer faces six more weeks on the sidelines. The forward’s niggling groin injury has limited his ability to make an impact this term, and he now won’t be back until around December.

Addressing his situation, the Italian boss made it clear that despite the nature of his issue, surgery will remain off the table for now as he aims to recover before the festive period.

Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Pedro Neto also suffered fitness issues in the build up to their clash with Nottingham Forest earlier today, continuing a theme of injury concerns at Stamford Bridge that will force Maresca to shuffle his pack amid a busy fixture schedule.

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While not on their immediate radar, incoming transfers will become an important part of their long-term planning over the coming weeks, albeit it remains to be seen where Maresca feels his squad needs reinforcements most.

Reports suggest Chelsea are prioritising a centre-back in January, coming after Maresca publicly requested one in the summer window, and links continue to surround a potential new goalkeeper as well.

Interestingly, a new midfielder could be on the agenda too, and Chelsea could now be set to deviate from their transfer philosophy in an attempt to sign an experienced playmaker.

Dean Jones on Chelsea's potential move for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Previously, FootballFanCast relayed news from Italy that Chelsea are pushing to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Al-Hilal in what could be a deviation from their usual transfer strategy of recruiting young players with potential.

Deemed to be earning around £418,000 per week in the Middle East, the Serbia international has regularly been linked with Premier League clubs over the last decade, and he may be available to return to Europe on a free transfer next summer.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s record at Al-Hilal

Appearances

102

Goals

30

Assists

26

Contract expires

30/06/2026

Delivering some clarity on his situation, Dean Jones suggests Chelsea could value Milinkovic-Savic’s leadership qualities, and this may lead the West Londoners to pursuing a deal that would be classed as out of the ordinary compared with their usual transfer activity.

Chelsea are renowned for going for players below a certain age, but Jones says more senior options “will be considered” moving forward.

Successful Chelsea teams of the past have been littered with experienced professionals capable of conjuring important moments, and it appears Maresca wants to lean into that long-held tradition should he get the chance next summer, which could be beneficial for everyone.

The trophies haven’t necessarily flowed, but Arsenal have made some unreal signings in the 20 or so years since they moved to the Emirates.

Players like Alexis Sanchez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Santi Cazorla all more than made their mark after joining under the legendary manager Arsène Wenger.

The good signings didn’t stop when the Frenchman left the dugout, though, as Mikel Arteta has made his fair share as well.

Moreover, he looks like he may have done it again, with a certain player looking like he could be the best signing of the Emirates era since Declan Rice.

Best Emirates era signings made under Arteta

So when talking about some of the best signings made under Arteta, it’s hard not to start with Rice.

The Englishman joined Arsenal for a club-record £105m in the summer of 2023, and to say he’s been a success in red and white would be quite the understatement.

So far, the former West Ham United captain has made 108 appearances for the Gunners, seen his position shift from six to eight and racked up a tally of 38 goal involvements while being a lean, mean ball-winning machine in the middle of the park.

Another Arteta signing who has helped to make the team far tougher to play against is Gabriel Magahelese, who joined the team for around £23m in the summer of 2020.

It’s easy to forget that some saw the Brazilian as accident-prone during the first couple of seasons at the club because, over the last three years or so, he has become one of the very best and most dependable centre-backs in world football and has even captained the side on multiple occasions, including last night.

Appearances

215

Starts

206

Minutes

18485′

Goals

20

Assists

5

Points per Game

1.98

Last but not least, David Raya, who joined a loan in the summer of 2023 before joining permanently the year after, has to be considered as another of the manager’s best signings.

The Spanish shot-stopper has now made 101 appearances for the North Londoners, in which he has conceded 82 times and managed to keep a staggering 43 clean sheets, which has seen him win the Premier League Golden Glove award in the last two seasons.

In short, while he has made his fair share of dud signings, Arteta has made plenty of incredible ones, and from what we have seen so far this season, he may have just made his best since Rice.

Arteta's best signing since Rice

When it comes to working things like who might be the best signing since someone like Rice, several factors come into it from the price the club paid, the performances the player has put in and the potential they have.

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When factoring in all three, it’s hard to look past the incredibly gifted Cristhian Mosquera.

The Spanish centre-back joined the club for just £13m in the summer from Valencia, and at the time, most fans and pundits alike saw him as someone who’d get some game time here and there, but generally not feature too much.

Instead, there is now genuine discussion among some sections of the fan base about him potentially retaining his place in the starting lineup for the game against Manchester City on Sunday.

Such talk would have been utterly preposterous only a month or so ago, but since coming into the team in the Frenchman’s absence, the youngster has massively impressed.

For example, he was forced into playing 85 minutes of football away to Liverpool in just his second Premier League appearance, and instead of wilting under the pressure, he looked like a seasoned veteran, making three clearances, blocking two shots, making four tackles and completing 47 of 51 passes.

Then at home to Nottingham Forest, in his first league start, the Alicante-born titan was even better, winning 100% of his ground duels, taking 92 touches, completing 75 passes and helping to keep a clean sheet.

With back-to-back performances like these, it wasn’t even really a surprise when the “insane” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, put in another brilliant showing away to Athletic Bilbao last night.

The 21-year-old “monster,” as dubbed by one analyst, was a rock at the back, making six clearances and one tackle, taking 93 touches, completing a staggering 75 of 79 passes and winning five of eight aerial duels.

It was the display of a seasoned pro and one that makes Mattinson’s claim of him being a “10/10 signing” increasingly hard to dispute.

Ultimately, it might still be a little early, but Mosquera looks like he’s going to go down as one of the best purchases made by Arteta and is a player who could well become a superstar at Arsenal.

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6 ByMatt Dawson Sep 17, 2025