Further news on those players left on the cutting-room floor will follow later here but that’s this week’s Friday blog closed. Plenty more to come over the weekend.
Chelsea’s squad is finalised, with it confirmed Ben Chilwell is in the squad, and will wear the No 21 shirt. Marc Cucurella wears No 3. But that was previously the case. Further down the list is Deivid Washington who was linked with the move to Strasbourg that got pulled in the final day of the transfer window.
Our 2024/25 squad numbers are locked in. 🔒
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 13, 2024
Important piece from Ben Fisher on the unhappiness brought to bear after Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League.
News from Luton Town, and for those of us with a fondness for Kenilworth Road, a sad end is in sight. Home since 1905, to be replaced by a new stadium that’s actually quite near the centre and the railway station.
Today, our development company, 2020 Developments, formally submitted a detailed application for a new 25,000-capacity stadium at its Power Court site in the heart of Luton town centre 🧡
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) September 13, 2024
Read more! 👇
Gary Sweet, chief executive of Luton and the club’s development company, 2020 Developments, said: “This important announcement is a pivotal moment for all supporters, residents and businesses of Luton. Once our lives changed 16 months ago with promotion at Wembley, concurrent to the gargantuan task of getting Kenilworth Road Premier League ready - which naturally dominated our workload for most of last year - we decided to reassemble a design team to take a fresh look at the whole Power Court project from foundations upwards. All in light of the new ambition, we wanted to embrace for our club going forwards, demonstrated by the proposal to build to a 25,000 stadium capacity in one phase.”
Happy birthday to a legend north of the border. Talking of the 1990s, he has a cameo role in the Trainspotting book, along with Gordon “Jukebox” Durie.
Hibs legends don't come any bigger.
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) September 13, 2024
Happy 80th birthday, Pat Stanton 💚 pic.twitter.com/NCtmkx8jqe
Noel McPherson gets in touch: “Surely Oxford could call on their close relationship/geography with former Premiership Swindon Town?! And if only the Thames Valley Royals had become a thing before the idea and proponent were thrown overboard...”
Fond memories of Captain Bob there. I am so old I attended the University of Sheffield when Wednesday were in the top division. Blades had just been relegated and had a three-sided Bramall Lane.
Saturday 8pm and it’s Bournemouth v Chelsea, where Evanilsson, Bournemouth’s summer signing, could be given a first start. Andoni Iraola on the purchase from Porto, who didn’t travel to South America for the international break.
It’s been very good for him because we could spend more time with him individually, analysing things that we will ask from him, to understand better collectively what we will try to do.
It’s been a very good time for him also personally, to settle in, to find his house and the school for his daughter and he’s probably more relaxed now. He has been very good. I think he played very well against Newcastle and West Ham, probably not against Everton.
But he has played about 120 Premier League minutes and we all want him to score straight away, but for me I’m happy with the performances he has had. I’m not focusing on whether he is going to score or not. I want him to help us and that’s what we’ll ask him (against Chelsea).
David Beckham joined mourners at the funeral of former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in his home town of Torsby in Sweden to hear tributes to a “genuinely kind” man who “loved good food and drink and travelling first class”.
Video: Pep Guardiola on those 115 charges.
Chilwell named in Chelsea 25-man squad
Ben Chilwell has been included in Chelsea’s 25-man Premier League squad after failing to secure a transfer. The left-back has trained away from the first team since being told he has no future under Enzo Maresca, who said last month that players on the fringes would not get any minutes under him.
Chilwell has not been involved in any matchday squads and finds himself in limbo after Chelsea ran out of time in efforts to sell him to a foreign club. Chelsea were prepared to loan the 27-year-old to Turkey, where the transfer window remained open until this week, but will have to wait until January to revisit the issue.
It remains to be seen whether Maresca sticks to his plans not to use Chilwell, who has struggled to stay fit since a serious knee injury in November 2021. The England international was surprised not to be included in Chelsea’s Europa Conference League squad and there is a high probability of him not playing at all before the transfer window reopens.
The problem for Chilwell is that Maresca does not play with a conventional left-back and does not believe the former Leicester player can fit into his system. But Chilwell has been given some hope after being named in the final squad that Chelsea submitted to the Premier League on Friday, a development that is expected to see him return to the first-team fold.
“We will sit with him and find solutions,” Maresca said. “He is probably going to be back with us. We will see. At the moment, he is not training with us. The reason why he was training apart, is because the idea was for him to leave.”
Chelsea’s other options at left-back are Marc Cucurella and Renato Veiga, a summer signing from FC Basel.
Updated
“I asked if he’d been to one of the great universities: Oxford, Cambridge, Hull… You failed to spot that only two of those are great universities!”
Only one of them has had an actual Premier League team.
Ben Butler gets in touch: “I support West Brom, everyone’s favourite Barclaysmen generator. It’d have to be a film that hints at the glorious 1970s, with an underdog tale of mostly failure tinged with glorious bittersweet victories. The Holdovers makes sense to me. Or any of the Carry On films.”
Ah, Derek MacInnes and Zoltan Gera. Carry On lost one of its finest this week, Kenneth Cope.
Farewell, Vic Spanner. pic.twitter.com/iCaP4VXRQb
— John Brewin (@JohnBrewin_) September 12, 2024
Spellcheck hell: Robert the Liar?
Red faces all round at the FAI. Not just because Heimir Hallgrímsson is using Wyscout rather than actually going to matches to watch players but because of some over-zealous use of spellcheck during an Under-21 match with Latvia this week.
Ireland U21 vs Latvia U21, featuring such rising 🇱🇻 stars as:
— Latvian Football Podcast 🇱🇻 (@lvfootball_show) September 10, 2024
Dario SHIT (Šits)
Robert THE LIAR (Meļķis)
Rudolf REINGOLZ (Reingolcs)
Bruno THE BLACK (Melnis)
Gleb LIKED IT (Patika)
… and a whole host of other randomly renamed players.
Nice one @FAIreland 👏👏👏 https://t.co/iZtKofIU9k
An FAI Spokesperson said: “We are aware of a translation error that was published in the match programme for the Under-21s match on Tuesday. The programme was immediately pulled from sale, and our Latvian visitors were contacted and made aware of the situation for which we apologised, and which was accepted. We have already begun a review of our programme production process to ensure it will not happen again.”
In a statement, the Latvian FA added: “We have received explanations about the representation of the names and surnames of the players of the Latvian U-21 national team in the official game programme of Tuesday’s match, as well as an apology from the creators of the program. We accept explanations and apologies and understand there was no intention to harm.”
All reminds of a fabled 2006 match between Bury and Barnet where Shakers manager Chris Casper became “Cries Cusped” and Torquay became “Torture”. Jake Speight? Cake Spigot. Someone on a now-closed tabloid paper hit the spellcheck hard and then sent it to the printers.
Updated
Simon, movie buff and Leicester fan gets in touch: “As it’s probably the only mention we’ll get before kick off can I suggest Leicester City “When we were Kings”?”
Catch A Falling Star perhaps?
Jamie Jackson heard Pep Guardiola speak earlier this lunchtime.
I’m looking forward to the decision.
On Rodrigo Bentancur and Son Heung-min, Postecoglou has this to say.
In terms of Sonny and Rodri, they had their discussions about the whole incident and both players understand and respect each others position. Rodri has already apologised for what he said and Sonny has accepted that. And accepted the fact that one of his team-mates and a person he is close to has made a mistake.
If we’re talking about having a society that is understanding and tolerant of everything, we must also show that to people who make mistakes as Rodri has made in this time. We also know him very well. A lot better than most because we spend every day with him and we understand the kind of person he is.
We understand that even though he is a great guy and a fantastic team-mate, he has made a big error this time and he has to take the punishment, but also that we give him the opportunity to atone for it and learn from it. Hopefully others learn from it as well.
Background to those words here.
North London derby team news. Unlike Arteta, Ange is pulling few punches.
On Micky van der Ven: “Micky’s good, he’s trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he’s ready to go,”
On Dom Solanke: “Dom’s improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training OK and are available.”
On Yves Bissouma: “He’s got a bit of an issue, but we’ll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles.”
That is all from me today! John Brewin is here to take you through the rest of the day’s news.
Updated
A response to the movie suggestions (see entry at 2.20pm BST) from Ronan:
Sorry but current Man United as Dead Poets Society is an even more romantic idea than a film about a bunch of preppy teenagers discovering their true selves through verse. Some better suggestions: The History Boys, Hard Eight, Missing, The Crying Game, Lost In Translation, Sideways, etc …
It is transfer deadline day in the Women’s Super League, and of course, all the last minute moves are in the works. The window closes at 11pm BST.
Tom Garry’s exclusive is that Brighton are in talks to sign England forward Nikita Parris, who is currently at Manchester United. The player has turned down a number of offers from other clubs and Brighton are now the favourites to secure her signature.
If a deal is completed it would be another sign of Brighton’s ambition, coming towards the end of a summer transfer window in which they have already signed the England international Fran Kirby and her former Chelsea teammate Jelena Cankovic of Serbia.
Earlier today, Brighton confirmed the signing of Michelle Agyemang on a season-long loan from Arsenal.
Ready to go in 💙 and 🤍! pic.twitter.com/Odfc7jVBBH
— Brighton & Hove Albion Women (@BHAFCWomen) September 13, 2024
Keep up to date with every deal in the WSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Division 1 Féminine and Serie A Femminile as well as a club-by-club guide with our women’s transfer interactive.
An email has come in from Krishna, who earlier had a go at creating an EPL guide for dummies (see entry at 10.34am BST). Now it is time for the movie buffs:
If teams were movies:
Arsenal – Once Upon a Time in the West
Manchester City – The Terminator
Manchester United – Dead Poets Society
Liverpool – A Few Good Men
Tottenham – As Good As It Gets
Chelsea – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Aston Villa – Good Will Hunting
A few classics in there … a few controversial picks too. I like it.
Carlo Ancelotti is unconcerned about Vinícius Júnior’s current form for Real Madrid and fully expects him to bounce back quickly.
Ancelotti acknowledged that Vinícius was not at his best and stressed that the player needs support after lacklustre performances for Brazil in a narrow win over Ecuador and a shock loss at Paraguay during the international break.
He’s not at his best, but he’s still very important for us. We’re in no hurry because the team has managed to score and he has been important … and the last concern for me is Vinícius’ condition, but we have to take good care of him.
He always works well and it’s a matter of just time for him to reach his best level. I can’t fool myself thinking that I’ll have all players at 100% at all times.
I don’t want to go into his problems in Brazil but what I see is a more general issue because they are not managing to bring out their best version as a group. Here we are delighted with Vinícius because although he is not at his best right now, no one can forget that with Vini we have been able to win two Champions League titles … We have to be very fond of him at Madrid.
Here is more from Mikel Arteta on team news ahead of the north London derby:
Gabriel Jesus was out of training. He has got another session tomorrow. If everything goes well he will be ready to be selected in the squad, which is great news for us. Riccardo Calafiori is another one that we have to wait for another day or so.
On Raheem Sterling:
He looks great. First of all because he has a big smile on his face, a lot of energy. He’s at it and he wants to prove a point. When someone has got that in his belly you sense it straight away. Obviously, I don’t need to discover anything about his quality and what he can bring to the team.
His commitment and the level of energy that he is bringing into the team and the quality is a big boost. You can feel it in the players when he comes walking in the door that we are better with him. I think he is going to make us better.
I knew straight away after 10 seconds that we had to bring him because he really wanted it. After 10 seconds I knew that we had to bring him here.
Arteta refuses to rule out Ødegaard for north London derby
Martin Ødegaard has not been fully ruled out of Arsenal’s north London derby against Tottenham on Sunday. Ødegaard suffered an ankle injury while on duty for Norway during the international break.
Norway’s team doctor, Ola Sand, revealed that while the initial MRI scan had indicated no fracture, the player was still likely to be sidelined for at least the rest of September and would miss Arsenal’s opening Champions League game against Atalanta and the visit to City three days later.
However, just now Mikel Arteta said that Arsenal were still doing some tests with Ødegaard:
We need some more tests so let’s see what happens in the next day or so, this afternoon probably, and see what happens with the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back.
He is super positive about everything, we know Martin, he wants to be there every single day, but we have to wait and see.
With 48 hours until the game, players could always become available. Let’s see what happens.
Updated
Enzo Maresca is “focused” on Chelsea’s match against Bournemouth rather than the civil war at board level at the club.
In his press conference, when asked about Todd Boehly’s broken relationship with Clearlake Capital, the US private equity firm that owns a majority shareholding in the club, the manager said:
I said many times, we started two months ago, so we need to know each other. If I spend my energy on something different [the owners], it’s not worth it. My focus is just on tomorrow’s game, to be honest. In the last week, I have focused on the game, preparing in the best way. Focus in the way we want to prepare for the game in the best way. The other things are things I cannot control.
I spoke with Todd when we played City, I spoke with Beghdad [Eghbali] a few days ago. I am speaking with both. There are no problems at all. I just focus on what is on the pitch because that is all I can control.
On Ben Chilwell:
Ben is still here so we’ll sit with him and find a solution. At the moment he’s not training with us.
The reason why he’s training apart as the idea was for him to leave but because we didn’t find a solution he’s probably going to start training with us - we need to decide that. If we decide that, he’ll be one of our players. I think he’s good. I saw him this morning – he’s OK.
On Chelsea’s future transfer windows:
At the moment we have 24 players, it’s a normal squad. Even at the beginning we was working with 25-26 players. I really liked the squad before I joined. In January and next summer we’ll do something more. Then we’ll have exactly the squad we want to have in the future.
Updated
Eddie Howe has not spoken to Paul Mitchell in the nine days since Newcastle’s director of football claimed he had inherited an unclear transfer strategy.
Tensions between Howe and Mitchell have been simmering since the latter’s appointment in early July and although they appear to have reached a truce it seems fragile. “I’ve had no contact from Paul,” said Newcastle’s manager, who maintains he is “very, very proud” of every player he helped sign between January 2022 and Mitchell’s arrival. “But I don’t think that’s unusual – we’ve got different jobs.”
Mitchell claimed last week he and Howe were “over-communicating” and sharing hour-long nightly telephone chats but Howe said such conversations had happened only during a transfer window blighted by Newcastle’s failed pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi.
Read more from Louise Taylor below.
Here is more from Guardiola on if he has discussed City’s hearing with his players:
I am not a lawyer. Erling is not a lawyer, no. There are many lawyers in this country and in Spain, but I will wait and see.
"I am not a lawyer... we are not lawyers... Erling is not a lawyer!" ⚖
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 13, 2024
Pep Guardiola's stubborn response after being asked about the hearing beginning into Manchester City's 115 alleged charges 🗣 pic.twitter.com/UwpJ8m0xmf
And on their opponents this weekend, Brentford:
I admire Thomas Frank unbelievably. Always has been tough [to play them] here and there and this is no exception.
They’ve changed their shape a little bit. They have fast and strong players up front and have a really good process in the build-up. So aggressive, man-to-man and defend well so it is a complete team.
I don’t remember an easy game against Brentford. It’s always been tough. Ivan Toney was maybe more direct but they have a real good process.
The last time we lost was Brentford? You should have avoided that! That means how well we have done it, more than two years.
Updated
Guardiola 'happy' City’s hearing for alleged breaches will begin
Manchester City’s charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules will begin on Monday.
It is alleged the club breached the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. Manchester City were charged and referred to an independent commission in February last year. The club deny any wrongdoing.
Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, said he was pleased the hearing was imminent.
I am happy that it starts on Monday … I know what people are looking for because I have read it for many years but I’ve said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven.
Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, has claimed several Premier League clubs have told him Manchester City should be punished for alleged breaches of top-flight financial rules. Tebas, a longstanding critic of City, was quoted by Mundo Deportivo: “I have spoken with many Premier League clubs and most of them understand that City should be sanctioned.”
Updated
Thank you Daniel, sterling shift as always. Hello all, let’s see what Pep Guardiola has to say ahead of Manchester City’s match against Brentford this weekend …
As Pep gets going I’m going to get out of here.
Yara will be taking over to steer you through the next few hours.
Thanks for keeping me company (and sharing your own Fantasy howlers).
Enjoy the footy this weekend. How good is it having the Premier League back?
Nathan Ake is out "until the next international break"
That’s the bad news shared by Pep Guardiola just now.
That’ll be October 12th.
Ake was stretchered off with what looked like a hamstring strain in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw at home to Germany.
Guardiola said: “We are unlucky with Nathan - every time he goes there [to play for Netherlands] he comes back injured.”
Nicolas Jackson stays on at Chelsea for a further NINE years!
Nine!? That’s insane.
Well, that’s how long Nicolas Jackson will remain a Blue if he so desires. The Senegalese international has signed a contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2033.
“I’m very happy,” the Blues’ manager, Enzo Maresca, said after the team’s most recent draw with Crystal Palace. “Nicolas is doing a fantastic job with us, on and off the ball. He scored already two goals [this season]. He scored again today. He had another two chances but we are happy with him.”
Speaking on the club’s official website, Jackson said: “It feels great the club has confidence in me. I am working very hard. I am very happy to extend my contract and stay here for many years.”
Updated
Keira Walsh is going nowhere
According to our women’s football writer, Tom Garry, Keira Walsh’s wish to return to the WSL will not be granted:
Barcelona are unwilling to sell the England midfielder Keira Walsh in this summer’s women’s transfer window, which closes for English clubs at 11pm BST on Friday.
Arsenal are among the clubs with a longstanding interest in Walsh but the reigning European champions’ stance is that the former Manchester City player is not for sale.
That is despite the 27-year-old entering the final year of her contract. It is understood Walsh has advised the Catalan club she is unlikely to extend her stay because she is missing home and would prefer to return to England. Barcelona’s stance raises the distinct possibility that Walsh could move on a free transfer next summer.
Walsh joined Barcelona from Manchester City in 2022 for a then world record fee. In two seasons there, Walsh has helped them win back-to-back Champions League titles.
Updated
Southampton defender Jan Bednarek signs three-year extension.
“I’m really happy,” he said. “I think it’s the right choice for me, for my family. We all are happy here. I think we found our happy place in life, and we just want to keep going, keep growing as a family, as a football player, as a football club, so I think this is the right place for me right now.
“I think I’m in the right place, with the right manager, with the right fans. I think we created something special and I think this was the only one decision I could make to extend the contract and stay here.”
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler wins manager of the month
The Seagulls are flying. I know it’s a cliche, but they really are.
Third on the table with a win over Man United and a draw with Arsenal, it’s no wonder their new boss has won a gong in his first month in charge.
And in case you’re feeling cocky this sunny Friday, just a reminder that he’s 31-years-old. I know, right?
More Haaland doubters are coming out of the woodwork.
Thankfully for Ian Fuchs, he learned his lesson a while ago:
“I made this mistake in his debut season, sticking stubbornly by my longstanding ‘avoid players at new clubs’ and ‘fear the bald fraud roulette’ heuristics while he bagged hattricks. I had him by the time he eviscerated Man United, but my rank was already fubared. Never again.”
Just pick the guy who scores a million goals. It shouldn’t be that hard. And yet…
Glad to know I’m not the only one.
Don’t be shy. I know there are more like-minded fools out there.
“I too have omitted Haaland from my fantasy football team,” admits Peter Allan. “Is it bad I was hoping an over zealous Kazakh to have crocked him last week?”
My fear is that I bite the bullet, use my wildcard, select Haaland this week and he tears a hamstring.
It’s my first Fantasy season for a decade and I’m already hating it three weeks in.
Sean Dyche watches Everton defeat '47 times'
No, the Toffees boss hasn’t been locked in purgatory, nor has he made his way to a circle of Hell not covered in Dante’s Inferno.
Instead Dyche subjected himself to what must have felt like torture in pursuit of an answer to his club’s woes.
Dyche, rejecting the idea that his substitutions were to blame for the collapse that saw a 2-0 on 86 minutes become a 3-2 defeat, said, “I don’t personally put that down to why we lost to Bournemouth as I’ve watched it back about 47 times. Opinions are always about substitutions, when they work: hero. When they don’t: zero.”
Now I’m no football manager (obviously) but I can’t see how Dyche couldn’t put his finger on the fault after the 30th viewing. Then again, what do I know?
For his sake I hope he managed to locate the issue. Everton are rock bottom with three defeats from thee games and have shipped 10 goals in the process.
Erling Haaland wins Premier League player of the month
Also, water is wet.
That’s right. The goal-machine who has already bagged two hat-tricks in just three games has won the league’s first individual gong.
He’s averaging a goal every 38 minutes. Which is frankly ridiculous.
On a personal note, I made the utterly daft decision not to include him in my Fantasy team and I’ve still not done so. I’m reluctant to use my wildcard so early in the campaign but if he goes well again this weekend I’ll have no choice but to succumb. Anyone else regretting their foolishness?
Ivan Toney will make his Al-Ahli debut tonight.
That’s according to the BBC and, from a personal point of view, is upsetting news.
I don’t begrudge any player earning silly money, nor am I a cultural snob. But the thought of a 28-year-old striker in the prime of his career moving to a weak league in a country with an abhorrent human rights record just feels like a sad situation overall.
Toney, who signed from Brentford in the summer for £40m, will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
It’s North London Derby weekend! Anythything could happen. But Lars Bøgegaard reckons he knows EXACTLY what will happen:
“A thought from Copenhagen regarding the NLD: I have absolutely no doubt about what will happen on Sunday: Spurs will come hard against an injury- and suspension-hit opponent - and will get punished on the break. Probably by Saka.”
No doubt Ange Postecoglou will pin this on the Spurs dressing room wall.
Ipswich must be “brave” as they go in search of first Premier League win in 22 years.
That’s according to the club’s manager, Kieran McKenna, who has called on his players to show a bit of dash and daring away at Brighton this weekend.
“They’ve had a good start and they’re a really good side, no doubt about it,” Ipswich boss McKenna told Town TV.
“They’ve got some really good habits and traits over the last couple of managers. They are comfortable in possession and build really well through the pitch.
“They’ve got some fantastic talent and individual quality, both starters and on the bench.
“The new manager’s come in and he’s putting his own style on it and improving them in certain areas and probably making them an even more well-rounded threat.
“So we know they’re a really good side and it’s a good challenge for us. But it’s another one to really look forward to, to go and impose ourselves, be brave and go with the belief that we can get a result.”
Town can welcome back Wes Burns after a hamstring injury and George Hirst, who has yet to feature this season due to a knee problem.
Omari Hutchinson is also fit after shaking off the hamstring niggle he picked up against Fulham.
What might have been for Leicester.
Manager Steve Cooper has revealed that the club’s summer transfer spree could have turned out differently, if only the result of their successful appeal against the Premier League over an alleged spending rule breach case had come out earlier.
The promoted club avoided a possible points deduction when their appeal, on the basis that an independent commission ruling on the case did not have jurisdiction, was upheld earlier this month.
“It’s obviously a positive thing,” Cooper told reporters on Thursday.
“It adds a little bit of frustration as things could have been different in the (summer transfer window) if we had found out earlier. I’ll have to get over that but I’m really happy with the squad.”
Among the reported targets include Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson, who went on load to Fulham, and Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, who instead signed for Brighton.
Leicester brought in several players during the summer window, including midfielder Oliver Skipp from Tottenham Hotspur and centre back Caleb Okoli from Serie A side Atalanta.
Cooper, however, welcomed the decision for bringing clarity to the club.
“It is good that the supporters have clarity and so does the game. We were ready as a group of players and staff to stand up and fight for the club if it was a negative decision,” the 44-year-old said.
“We’ve still got to make sure we are still together as a club and we show how strong we are. That all adds to the challenge but it is one we’re ready for.”
Updated
Fraser Mann is my knight in shining armour, riding to my defence:
“Hello Daniel
“Sorry to put in place a counter-pedant, but there are plenty of ties on in the second qualifying round of the FA cup this weekend.
“A cursory glance at the fixtures reveals a seaside epic between Bognor Regis and Margate.”
My personal favourite is Lordswood v Sittingbourne tomorrow at 12:30. As someone not from this country, this tie just delights me as it involves two of the most English sounding names I could imagine.
Howe says he “admired” Wolves boss Gary O’Neil as a player.
O’Neil had a handy career, playing 489 senior games and bagging 35 goals from midfield. He spent most of his time at Portsmouth and Middlesbrough, but had stints at seven other clubs. He also played for England youth teams.
However, he’s having a tough old time now. Wolves are winless from their first three games and languish (is it too early to languish?) in the relegation zone with just one point and a goal difference of -6 thanks a 2-6 spanking by Chelsea at home.
Howe, ever the diplomatic (when avoiding one particular subject that is), had this to say about his opposite number:
“A very tough start for Wolves. They played very well in their last game against Nottingham Forest. Always tough opponents Wolves, I have a lot of respect for Gary O’Neil and the job he has done, having knowing him personally.
“He’s done a good job. I admired him as a player, he was a technical player. He’s a real thinker of the game. He is very tactically astute, so we will be prepared for a difficult challenge.”
“I ran on to the field like an Australian wallaby.”
I just love this line from David Pleat who was in fine form in an interview with Ed Aarons (also in great nick throughout the piece).
It’s a lovely chat with a man who quite clearly adores footy.
I highly recommend this. It’ll whack a smile on your face, guaranteed.
More from Eddie Howe who has been at loggerheads with his sporting director Paul Mitchell.
The beef started after the club failed to sign England Marc Guéhi. Though who knows, perhaps it started before:
“I think it’s really important there is transparency from the club and the financial situation that we have is not only discussed by me because I’m not a numbers and figures guy. I think it’s good that we have different people communicating about those areas.”
Diplomatic, but this hardly quells tensions. This’ll be a story that runs and runs.
Updated
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s coffin is being carried out of Fryksande church in his home town of Torsby in Sweden.
A guard of honour formed by members of the local sports club formed a guard of honour outside the church.
The hearse will make its way to Kollsbergs rural community museum for eulogies and tributes.
Flicking over to Spain now (see what I did there?) Sid Lowe heaps praise on Barca’s new boss who “has not put a foot wrong” so far.
As Sid says, “Barcelona, it turns out, are … well, good.” Is that all down to Hansi Flick?
Updated
I’m sure this will offend some passionate supporters out there, but I liked this little thing from regular correspondent Krishna Moorthy:
Hello Daniel
With EPL resuming this weekend here is my quick guide to
“EPL for dummies”
I have two players - I won’t play them- Man Utd
I have two players, I will play them out of their position - Tottenham
I have two players, I will play them till they drop dead - Man City
I have two players, I will play them all the time, make them cry for their contract renewal- Liverpool
I have two players, I will buy 10 more, give away 14 for free, pay their wages and change my manager - Chelsea.
I have two players, I will sell one, still qualify for Big Cup - Aston Villa
I have two players, I am happy to finish 2nd - Arsenal
In case you missed it, Mikel Arteta signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2027.
The Arsenal boss had entered the last 12 months of his previous/current contract.
Callum Wilson still "behind" for Newcastle as Eddie Howe calls for unity
Newcastle’s manager, Eddie Howe, could do with a boost.
After failing to sign England defender Marc Guéhi, and being heavily linked with the England manager post, the Magpies boss has called for cohesion at the club.
““It is about unity,” he said. “And it is about coming together now and making sure we focus on this moment. For me, it is all about the games and trying to get results.”
Howe added that there were “no discussions yet towards [any new signings in January]. No further discussions on anything.”
As for other team news, Howe gave updates on Bruno Guimaraes, who was substituted at half-time while playing in Brazil’s 1-0 defeat away to Paraguay in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday: “We hope Bruno is ok. Joe [Willock] is improving, he has been training with the group this week, albeit not full training. Positive signs for him.
“Callum [Wilson] is a little bit behind where we want him to be. We envisaged he might be training for the games coming up, but he is not there yet. Emil [Krafth] has been nursing a problem, we have seen him in training, he’s joined in the last couple of days so we are hoping he will be fine.”
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Aston Villa secure record signing
Gabi Nunes is a Villan!
The forward with 22 caps for Brazil has just been nabbed by Aston Villa for a club record fee of £250,000.
Nunes was part of the Brazil side that won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.
She joins on a two-year deal from Levante with the option for a further year.
She joins seven other new players at Villa with the club investing heavily in a new-look squad after the recent arrival of manager Robert de Pauw.
Speaking to the club’s official website, de Pauw said, “Gabi is a player who knows how to play in tight areas as well as arriving into the box and getting on the end of crosses.
“She can play in several attacking positions and will contribute towards our continued development.
“We are very pleased to welcome her to our team.”
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Pedant alert! Sound the klaxon we’ve got a pedant alert!
You know what, fair enough. Richard Hirst has called me out and I’m man enough to admit that he’s right. That’s all changed now thanks to this:
“Hi Daniel. It’s never too early in the day for a bit of pedantry. Surely ‘ties’ is reserved for cup encounters; league encounters are either games or matches. So no cracking ties this weekend, thank you.”
Cristiano Ronaldo said a thing!
Yawn.
Forgive my cynicism but why is everything that walking bag of ego and hair gel given so much airtime? I mean, I know he’s arguably the greatest player of all time, but still.
Anyway, Erik ten Hag was asked about some recent comments from CR7 concerning Manchester United’s ambitions and prospects and the Red Decils boss “hit back”. Ouch!
It’s transfer deadline line at the WSL and there could be a major move before the clock runs out.
As told in an exclusive report by Tom Garry, Brighton are in advanced talks with Manchester United to sign England forward Nikita Parris.
Parris was previously linked with Newcastle but Brighton have taken the lead on what would be a major coup for a club with great ambitions.
Despite Newcastle’s flying start – they’ve won two and drawn one for a points-tally of seven, placing them fifth on the table – there is no getting away from the noise surrounding their manager.
Louise Taylor delves into the “war” between Eddie Howe and the club’s sporting director, Paul Mitchell:
Eddie Howe is up next.
The Newcastle manager has been heavily linked with the England job and there have been rumours of discontent emanating from the north east.
Will he stay or will he go?
Well, he’s staying for now at least and this is what he had to say ahead of a tricky game away to Wolves on Sunday:
On the international break:
It [the international break] has been productive for us, some good training, I have been pleased. We gave the lads a rest and then started our preparation towards Wolves.
On Newcastle’s start to the season, which has been pretty handy all things considered. They’ve got seven points and are undefeated from three games:
Very good results, really pleased with the start we have made in what is a difficult league. Performance wise, we haven’t hit top gear. We have done well in different passages of play but not consistently throughout the game. We are going into a spell where we have difficult games away from home now so we will look to improve.
On Lewis Hall’s involvement with the England u21s as well as Sandro Tonali’s return to the Italy squad (the headline is that he was pleased with both):
I am really pleased with [Hall’s] development since he has been with us, he is growing in confidence all the time. Very happy that he has gone away and had his first start for England Under-21s. Lewis is building in confidence all the time, you can see that from his early displays this season. He is playing with that confidence.
I was pleased to see [Tonali] play, he has performed well, those games would have done him the world of good. It is still the first few steps for him, but we are delighted he is available for us. Sandro has that flair and ability to make the difference, he is a player we absolutely love.
It is Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral today, taking place in his native Sweden.
The former England manager, who was the first non-British person to lead the team, died at the age of 76 on 26 August.
He led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and 2004 Euros.
Former captain David Beckham, as well as former manager Roy Hodgson, are among the mourners at the side the Fryksande church in the Swedish town of Torsby.
We’ll have more updates on proceedings throughout the day.
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Liverpool's Elliott out with broken foot
Arne Slot is the first manager at the top table this morning and had some bad news to share ahead of his team’s game against Nottingham Forrest tomorrow at 3pm.
Our man Will Unwin was there to hear him:
Arne Slot has expressed his disappointment after Harvey Elliott suffered a fractured foot while away on England under-21s duty. The midfielder is expected to be out for a sustained period.
“Harvey is of course a big disappointment for him but also for us,” Slot said. “He didn’t play that much in the first three games but played in pre-season and showed himself really well. If he had stayed fit he would have had a lot of playing time so now it gives a chance to someone else. A blow for him but also for us. He will work as hard as always to come back.”
There is better news regarding new signing Federico Chiesa who could make his debut against Nottingham Forest tomorrow. “Federico has trained with the team three or four times so we will see today and then we have a decision as we have more than 20 players.”
Meanwhile, Slot was pleased to see the ambition of backup goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher, who said he might have to leave Liverpool to fulfil his ambition to be a No 1.
“I will be really worried if a player comes out and says I don’t care about playing first team football, I like it so much on the bench I want to stay there the rest of my life but it is also normal a club like this that wants to compete for trophies has more than 11 players that can play,” Slot said. “Caioimhin has shown many times that he is every time ready when we need him. It is a good thing he wants to play and who knows maybe he plays for us in the future. At this moment, it is quite clear Alisson is the No 1.”
Apart from Elliot’s injury, Slot was pleased with the way several of his players performed over the international break while getting much-needed minutes in their legs.
“In some situations, I was really happy with the fact they played 90: Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas. Cody played a lot of minutes. We were just discussing that in the first three games I played mostly the same players. Conor Bradley played two times 90 so it was - for now - a present I got from most of the national team coaches. Maybe in the future I will sometimes love it to be a bit different but it is a positive thing that we are in such a good place we have 10 players that can play every minute for their national teams. It says a lot about the quality we have.”
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Football Weekly podcast
Speaking of Max Rushden, him and Barry Glendenning, along with John Brewin and Jonatha Fadugba, preview the North London derby on Sunday in the latest episode.
Do take a listen:
I know I said we’d be focussing on the Premier League – and we will – but let’s get this out of the way first.
I don’t like the new Champions League format. There, I said it. Hardly a hot take or a moment of unwavering bravery on my part. I know a few people don’t fancy it themselves. But are we being too hasty?
Yes, says Max Rushden, who is appealing to us all to open our minds and not judge the hodgepodge 36-team tournament too harshly.
I’m personally not sold, but I always enjoy Max’s writing and I think you will too. Maybe you’ll even change your mind.
Premier League talking points
To get things going on this sunny Friday morning (at least in north London), take a dive into these talking points as chosen by our writers.
The weekend’s fixtures are as follows:
Saturday:
Southampton v Man United (12:30)
Man City v Brentford (15:00)
Liverpool v Nott Forest (15:00)
Crystal Palace v Leicester (15:00)
Fulham v West Ham (15:00)
Brighton v Ipswich (15:00)
Aston Villa v Everton (17:30)
Bournemouth v Chelsea (20:00)
Sunday:
Tottenham v Arsenal (14:00)
Wolves v Newcastle (16:30)
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Preamble
The international break is over and the Premier League is back! My apologies to anyone who just loves the high octane thrill of the Nations League, but I’m chuffed to bits that English domestic footy is back.
We’ve got some cracking games and plenty to chat about so let’s get stuck in.
If you’ve got anything you’d like to share with the group, or want to pick up on anything that’s discussed here, don’t be shy and drop me a mail.
Happy Friday ya’ll and merry Premier League return for all those who celebrate!
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