Tag: Premier League

Viktor Gyokeres says he is eager to respond to manager Mikel Arteta’s call to take his goal-scoring momentum into the Premier League, after Tuesday’s impressive performance against Atletico Madrid.

Attacker Gyokeres ended a run of seven games without a goal by scoring twice in Arsenal’s 4-0 rout of Atletico in the Champions League at the Emirates Stadium.

It took the 27-year-old’s tally for the Gunners to five goals following his £58 million ($77 million) transfer from Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 97 times in 102 appearances.

Gunners boss Arteta challenged Gyokeres to keep the goals coming, with Arsenal back in domestic action against London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday.

“I’m more hungry now,” said Gyokeres. “You always want to contribute with work rate and other stuff, but when you score goals as well, it’s a bit special. So that’s something I always want to do.

“The group we have and the spirit is something different and something very special.

“When you win games and you do these performances, it builds confidence in the team. The belief has to always be there, but of course, this helps to boost it. We just want to keep going like this.”

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Arsenal have won their three games in Europe so far this season with as many clean sheets.

They have conceded just three goals this term, away to champions Liverpool and Newcastle and at home to Manchester City, with just one of those coming from open play, in their first 12 fixtures.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who has posted five consecutive shutouts, said: “I give clean sheets the same credit as goals.

“If we’re keeping clean sheets, it’s going to make games easier to win. It’s really, really important for the whole team, not giving away that many chances and being very, very solid.

“The depth of the squad is incredible. We have a lot of players who can play in two, three or four positions.

“(Mikel) Merino came on as a striker (against Atletico), but he can play as a number six, eight, or as a number 10, and that is the variety that the boss has and he is using it to our advantage.

“It gives us an extra level in training and in games, because if you are not at it, you can lose your spot, and everybody is on board with that.”

Premier League table-toppers Arsenal will head into this weekend’s round of fixtures with a three-point lead over second-placed Manchester City.

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Cole Palmer has been ruled out of action for six more weeks with a groin problem, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.

The England midfielder has not played since Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 20 — when he came off midway through the first half.

Maresca initially said he hoped Palmer, 23, would be back after this month’s international break.

“I was wrong. Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update,” he said.

The Italian, whose team travels to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday, said he was confident Palmer would not require surgery.

“We try just to protect Cole as much as we can, and the most important thing is that when he comes back, he’s fully recovered,” he added.

Maresca was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he was confident the extra rest would solve the issue.

“Yeah, but unfortunately, the medical staff are not magicians, you never know that,” he said.

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“Probably you need six weeks. We hope that six weeks will be enough, but it’s a problem that we need to see step by step, week after week. But for sure he’s going to be OK.”

Maresca said replacing “one of the best players in the Premier League” was difficult.

“For sure, we need to find a different solution, we need to find different skills, because we don’t have another player like Cole,” he said. “Because Cole is unique.”

Chelsea have also been beset by injury problems in defence, with the in-form Benoit Badiashile out “until December”.

“He was doing fantastic, he showed how good he is, he showed how we need him, and we’re going to wait for him,” said the Chelsea boss.

However, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, and Reece James have overcome issues to be in contention to face Forest.

Maresca will be suspended for the trip to Nottingham after being sent off for his wild celebrations following Estevao’s late winner against Liverpool on October 4.

“The first reason is because since I joined the club we never won a game at home in the last minute,” he said, explaining his reaction.

“The other reason is because we were playing against the champions of England, they won the last Premier League, so it was an important moment for sure.

“For me personally it was just a reaction, just a passionate moment, just a normal reaction.”

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Harry Kane is considering extending his stay at Bayern Munich after the England captain claimed his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled.

Kane has made a fast start to the season at Bayern, scoring 18 goals in 10 games to fuel the German champions’ Bundesliga title defence.

The 32-year-old, who has netted 103 goals in 106 appearances for Bayern, is under contract in Munich until 2027 and is “fully all in” ahead of possible negotiations over a new deal.

“In terms of staying longer, I could definitely see that,” said Kane, who has reported for England duty ahead of a friendly with Wales and a World Cup qualifier in Latvia.

“I spoke openly a couple of weeks ago that I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet, but if they were to arise, I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.

“Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes and what we achieve together. Right now, I would say we are in a fantastic moment, and I am not thinking about anything else.”

When Kane left Tottenham in 2023, it was expected the striker would return to England to try and break the Premier League goalscoring record.

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He needs 48 goals to eclipse Alan Shearer’s mark of 260.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank recently said he would love to have the club’s record goalscorer back in north London.

“In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know. If you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back,” added Kane, who is reported to have a £57 million ($66 million) release clause in his Bayern contract.

“Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.

“What I have learnt in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall in place. Going back to my first point with Bayern right now I am fully all in with Bayern.”

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund recently said his side are “probably witnessing the best version of Harry Kane there has ever been”.

Kane won the Bundesliga last season with Bayern, his long-awaited first major trophy, and that success has driven England’s record goalscorer to improve even further.

“When you win a title like I did last year, maybe it could be easy to go the other way and be like, ‘OK I’ve done what I wanted to achieve’,” Kane said.

“But it’s given me more motivation to do more and be better. I think I’ve shown that this year.

“I was interested in how I would feel after winning a trophy. Obviously, there’s still a lot more I want to achieve in terms of other trophies and bigger trophies for sure.”

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Mohammed Kudus’ first Tottenham goal lifted Spurs up to second in the Premier League by ending Leeds United long unbeaten home run with a 2-1 win on Saturday.

Noah Okafor cancelled out Mathys Tel’s opener for the visitors in a first half that raged from end to end.

Kudus grabbed the winner just before the hour mark, and Tottenham had to show their newfound defensive resolve under Thomas Frank to inflict Leeds’ first league defeat at Elland Road for 24 games.

Spurs close to within one point of leaders Liverpool, but Arsenal can go top later on Saturday when they host West Ham.

Tottenham needed late fightbacks to avoid defeat against bottom-of-the-table Wolves and Champions League debutants Bodo/Glimt over the past week.

Frank made six changes to the side that started in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday and was rewarded with a far more purposeful performance from the visitors.

But Leeds will rue their missed chances to avoid a first league defeat at Elland Road since losing to Burnley in September 2024.

Joe Rodon should have put the home side in front when he headed Sean Longstaff’s free-kick off the post on seven minutes.

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Tel was left out of Spurs’ Champions League squad after struggling to make an impression since making his move from Bayern Munich a permanent one in the transfer window.

The Frenchman was handed a rare chance to start in the middle of a front three and made it count with his first goal of the season.

Tel was played in by Kudus and his powerful shot deflected off Pascal Struijk to leave Karl Darlow helpless.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin blazed a glorious chance to level wide before Kudus did the same at the other end as a slick Spurs counter-attack cut Leeds open.

However, Daniel Farke’s men were well worthy of being at least level at the break.

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario should have done better as he could only parry Brenden Aaronson’s shot back into the path of Okafor, who tapped in to an empty net for his second Leeds goal.

Tel came close to his second with a looping header that hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.

The second half started in a similar end-to-end fashion as Vicario denied Calvert-Lewin with his feet.

Kudus then produced the match-winning moment with a surging run infield before unleashing another powerful shot that deceived Darlow via a deflection off Gabriel Gudmundsson.

Last season, Tottenham lost more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League on their way to finishing just above the relegation zone in 17th.

Frank has so far stamped out that habit as Spurs are yet to drop points after taking the lead in a match.

The visitors had to survive a scare deep into stoppage time when Vicario redeemed himself with a fine save low to his left from Joel Piroe.

Defeat leaves Leeds in 12th with eight points from their first seven games.

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Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Nottingham Forest early on Tuesday, becoming the first English Premier League manager this season to lose his job.

“The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era,” said a club statement released just after midnight.

The Portuguese had been in charge for 21 months at the City Ground, but two weeks ago, he said his relationship with the club’s owner, the Greek billionaire Evangelos Marinakis, had deteriorated.

“Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espirito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as head coach,” the club said.

The 51-year-old took charge in December 2023 after Steve Cooper was sacked and went on to save the club from relegation.

Last season the club finished seventh in the Premier League, their highest since 1994/95.

That secured a first European berth in 30 years, with a Europa League place handed to Forest instead of their initial Conference League spot, after Crystal Palace’s demotion for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

“The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024/25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club,” said the statement

“As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.”

Nottingham Forest sit 10th in the Premier League on four points after three games, but were soundly beaten 3-0 by struggling West Ham in Nuno’s last match in charge.

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British media reported that talks had begun to appoint a successor quickly, with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said to be among the candidates along with Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.

Cracks between the owner and head coach began to show in May last season, when Marinakis appeared to confront Nuno Espirito Santo on the pitch following a 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground.

Forest later said the owner was frustrated that striker Taiwo Awoniyi had continued to play following an 88th-minute injury but added there was “no confrontation” and to suggest otherwise was “fake news”.

Nuno, who also managed Tottenham in 2021, was publicly critical of Forest’s transfer activity since the end of last season, which reportedly did not go down well with Marinakis.

Forest brought in 13 players as new sporting director Edu Gaspar took a more hands-on role in signings, but they let several others go, including Anthony Elanga, Danilo and Wayne Hennessey, leaving Nuno to complain his side had become “unbalanced”.

“I always had a very good relationship with the owner. Last season we were very close and spoke on a daily basis. This season it is not so well,” Nuno said last month of his dealings with Marinakis.

“Our relationship has changed and we are not as close. Everybody at the club should be together but this is not the reality.”

Nuno later said he had spoken to Marinakis on the phone since and the two would meet during the international break to iron out their differences.

Sky Sports News reported that the meeting never materialised and Marinakis decided instead it was better to replace Nuno.

Edu and chief football officer Ross Wilson will oversee the appointment of a new head coach.

Forest’s next match is away to third-placed Arsenal on Saturday.

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Liverpool have reportedly agreed a British record fee of £125 million ($169 million) to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle, with the deal set to be completed on a frantic final day of the summer transfer window.

The Sweden striker is understood to have arrived at the club’s training ground on Monday, with a protracted saga nearing an end.

With the Premier League window due to shut at 1800 GMT, there are a number of big deals yet to be done as clubs scramble to boost their squads.

Sky Sports reported that Newcastle have agreed a deal to sign Brentford forward Yoane Wissa, while Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is set for a move to Manchester City after being told he was surplus to requirements at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Manchester United, meanwhile, have been heavily linked with Aston Villa’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as they seek a solution to their goalkeeping crisis.

But all eyes will be on the expected finalization of Isak’s move to Liverpool.

The Anfield club had a £110 million offer rejected last month, and since then, the 25-year-old has not trained with or played for Newcastle.

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He is set to become Liverpool’s eighth first-team signing of the summer window, marking the second time they have broken their own transfer record following the capture of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial fee of £100 million.

The club’s outlay now stands at an eye-watering figure of around £416 million, though there have also been significant departures, including Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Arne Slot’s side, who beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday to maintain their perfect Premier League record this season, are also reportedly chasing Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi.

Newcastle last week signed German international striker Nick Woltemade for a club-record fee, reportedly worth up to £69 million.

That paved the way for the potential departure of Isak, who scored 27 goals for Eddie Howe’s team in all competitions last season.

Wissa, who has already been the subject of bids from Newcastle, urged Brentford to “keep their word” and allow him to leave before the transfer deadline on Sunday.

Now it appears the DR Congo forward, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season, has his wish, giving Saudi-owned Newcastle extra firepower as they prepare for their Champions League campaign.

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Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is set to join Manchester City on transfer deadline day, with reports suggesting the Premier League champions have agreed a €35 million ($41m) deal with French side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The 26-year-old Italian international has been eyeing a new challenge since PSG deemed him surplus to requirements despite his pivotal role in last season’s Champions League triumph.

PSG’s summer signing of 23-year-old Lucas Chevalier from Lille confirmed coach Luis Enrique’s preference for the young Frenchman as his first-choice keeper.

Meanwhile, Ederson’s departure after eight trophy-laden years at the Etihad paved the way for Donnarumma’s arrival.

The Brazilian shot-stopper had initially attracted interest from Galatasaray, but their bid was rejected.

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Instead, Turkish rivals Fenerbahce stepped in, agreeing a deal worth around £12m to secure his signature.

With Ederson’s move sealed, Manchester City have shifted focus to finalising Donnarumma’s transfer.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Italy international is scheduled for his medical on Monday afternoon before signing a long-term contract at the Etihad.

The move comes just days after Donnarumma bid farewell to PSG fans. Following their 1-0 Ligue 1 win over Angers, the keeper, omitted from the match-day squad, took to the Parc des Princes pitch to wave an emotional goodbye to the supporters.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was previously linked with Manchester United, but City have acted swiftly on deadline day to land the Italian, ensuring continuity between the posts as the new season unfolds.

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Fabian Hurzeler’s strategic substitutions inspired a victory for his team on Sunday in Brighton vs Man City clash in the Premier League.

Manchester City blew the lead in a shock 2-1 defeat at Brighton that extended their troubled start to the Premier League season.

City striker Erling Haaland marked his 100th Premier League appearance with his 88th goal in the competition since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

But the 25-year-old’s third goal this season wasn’t enough to help Pep Guardiola’s side bounce back from last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat against Tottenham.

James Milner’s second-half penalty hauled Brighton level before Brajan Gruda’s late strike completed City’s collapse.

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Spain midfielder Rodri made his first league start for City since suffering a serious knee injury against Arsenal in September 2024.

But Ballon d’Or holder Rodri, who had also started a Club World Cup match in the summer, was unable to inspire City to their second win of the season.

Haaland should have given City an early lead after racing clean through, but he scuffed a tame shot straight at Bart Verbruggen.

He also lashed just wide from 18 yards after a flowing City move.

The Norway striker missed another chance with a weak header from Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross, allowing Verbruggen the chance to claw it to safety.

Haaland persevered and finally pierced the Brighton defence in the 34th minute, stabbing past Verbruggen from close range after Omar Marmoush prodded the ball into his path.

Haaland forced Verbruggen into a miscued clearance just before half-time, but Rodri blazed the chance over.

Matheus Nunes handed Brighton a lifeline in the 67th minute.

Lewis Dunk shrugged off Bernardo Silva’s attempt to mark him and blasted a shot that Nunes blocked with his arm away from his body.

Milner sent James Trafford the wrong way with a clinical penalty before copying Diogo Jota’s goal celebration in tribute to his former Liverpool team-mate, who died in a car crash in July.

It was the 39-year-old’s first Premier League goal since 2019, making him the second-oldest scorer in the competition’s history behind Teddy Sheringham, who was 40 when he set the record.

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City were in disarray and German youngster Gruda made them pay in the 89th minute, breaking into the area before delivering a composed finish to spark wild celebrations as Guardiola looked on in disbelief.

In Sunday’s other early game, West Ham eased the pressure on boss Graham Potter with a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

Potter had faced calls for his sacking after West Ham conceded eight goals in two successive top-flight defeats, then crashed out of the League Cup at Wolves.

Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Potter, who has only been in charge of West Ham since January, may have earned a stay of execution thanks to their late goal spree at the City Ground.

England forward Jarrod Bowen curled home from 18 yards in the 84th minute.

Lucas Paqueta converted an 88th-minute penalty after Crysencio Summerville was fouled by Ibrahim Sangare.

Callum Wilson sealed the Hammers’ first win this season with a 90th-minute header.

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Chelsea took advantage of VAR controversy to beat Fulham 2-0 as the visitors were left to rue a series of costly decisions awarded against them at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Enzo Maresca’s side were fortunate not to fall behind in the west London derby when Fulham were harshly denied a first half opener.

Josh King’s strike was ruled out after VAR deemed Rodrigo Muniz’s accidental collision with Trevoh Chalobah was worthy of a foul.

As if that wasn’t infuriating enough for Fulham boss Marco Silva, Joao Pedro put Chelsea ahead beyond the scheduled eight minutes of stoppage-time at the end of the first half.

Adding to Silva’s anger, Chelsea’s second goal was also VAR-influenced as Ryan Sessegnon was adjudged to have handled a cross, leading to Enzo Fernandez converting from the penalty spot.

After drawing with Crystal Palace and routing West Ham 5-1, Chelsea’s third successive Premier League clash with a London rival extended their unbeaten start to three games.

Alejandro Garnacho watched from the stands at Stamford Bridge after the Argentine winger travelled to Chelsea’s training ground on Friday to finalise his move from Manchester United.

Garnacho’s impending arrival comes with Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson set for a loan switch to Bayern Munich, while Christopher Nkunku signed for AC Milan on Saturday.

Liam Delap, leading Chelsea’s overhauled attack, lasted less than 15 minutes before he was forced off after appearing to pull his hamstring while chasing a long pass.

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The striker’s exit was another blow for Maresca after Blues forward Cole Palmer was sidelined by a groin injury that will keep him out of England’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

King thought he had broken the deadlock with his first professional goal in the 21st minute.

The 18-year-old forward had accelerated away from the Chelsea defence and slotted low past Robert Sanchez in composed fashion.

But, in the process of spinning away from Chalobah’s tackle on the halfway line to launch the attack, Muniz made contact with the Chelsea defender’s foot.

Chalobah crumpled to the turf but play initially continued, allowing King to score.

Told to consult the pitchside monitor to review the incident, referee Rob Jones disallowed the goal for a “careless challenge”.

Silva exploded at that explanation, berating the fourth official in a furious rant on the touchline.

Teenager Tyrique George, on for the injured Delap, almost made the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time with a close-range effort that Bernd Leno saved at his near post.

From the resulting corner, Chelsea took the lead in the ninth minute of what should have been eight minutes of stoppage-time.

Fernandez curled the set-piece towards Pedro and the Brazilian rose unchallenged to head home from close-range for his second goal this season.

Silva was seething again, this time over the costly additional seconds added on.

He tried in vain to confront Jones when the half-time whistle blew as Fulham’s fans chanted “1-0 to the referee”.

There was more VAR angst for Silva and Fulham in the 56th minute.

Sessegnon’s arm was away from his body when he blocked Chalobah’s cross in the area.

However, the penalty was only awarded after VAR ruled Pedro’s challenge on Joachim Anderson and a potential handball by the Brazilian in the build-up were not fouls.

Fernandez ignored the fuss to stroke home the spot-kick, leaving Silva fuming once more.

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Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in a deal worth just over £51 million.

The 22-year-old has agreed personal terms with Spurs and is understood to have already completed his medical.

The proposed contract is expected to run for five years with an option to extend for a further two, potentially tying Simons to North London for seven seasons.

Negotiations between Tottenham and Leipzig were described as smooth, with both clubs maintaining a strong working relationship.

Chelsea had also been in the race for Simons, but are set to miss out to their Premier League rivals.

The Blues have instead turned their attention to Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, agreeing on a £40m fee for the Argentine winger.

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According to Sky Germany, Simons was excused from training on Thursday and travelled to London to finalise his switch.

Spurs had been determined to secure a creative playmaker this summer, especially after missing out on Eberechi Eze, who opted for Arsenal.

Xavi Simons, a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, previously caught Chelsea’s eye before spells at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and RB Leipzig.

At Leipzig last season, he primarily operated as a left-sided No. 8 in a 4-3-3 system but also showed his versatility by playing off the striker and drifting in from wide attacking positions.

The deal, once finalised, would mark a significant statement of intent from Tottenham Hotspur as they look to add flair and creativity in the final third.

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