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It’s been an unfortunate start to the season for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who’s been sidelined multiple times through injury already and is now racing to recover from an MCL problem.

The North London derby on November 23rd takes on added significance for Arsenal as they await Odegaard’s potential return from a frustrating spell on the sidelines.

The Norwegian playmaker has become synonymous with Arsenal’s attacking fluency, and his absence has been an unwanted headache for Mikel Arteta.

Amid their pursuit of a first Premier League title in 22 years, the Gunners have done very well to cope through a torrid period of injuries to key attacking players at the Emirates. Odegaard’s latest setback came during their 2-0 win over West Ham in early October, when a collision with winger Crysencio Summerville resulted in a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee.

The incident forced him off after just 30 minutes and made unwanted history. Odegaard actually became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive starts, and what makes this injury particularly cruel is the timing.

The 26-year-old had only just returned from a persistent shoulder problem that had already disrupted his campaign. That shoulder issue saw him withdrawn after 38 minutes of Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds United at the very start of 25/26, before an aggravation of the same injury forced him off after just 18 minutes against Nottingham Forest.

Odegaard has completed a full 90 minutes only twice this season, and Arsenal rehab specialists have resorted to pretty unique methods to speed up his recovery.

The former Real Madrid midfielder has been using anti-gravity treadmills at Arsenal’s London Colney training centre to accelerate his comeback, a technique that reduces gravitational load while restoring muscle strength and mobility.

His return would provide a massive boost heading into one of the season’s most important fixtures against Spurs right after the international break, but Arsenal have now been dealt a pretty concerning update.

Credible reports had claimed that Odegaard is battling to be in contention for Tottenham alongside Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres, with Gabriel Jesus the only forward definitively ruled out (Simon Collings).

However, Norway boss Stale Solbakken has now made a suggestion that even the derby may be too soon for him.

Arsenal star Martin Odegaard "some distance away" from injury return

Speaking in a press conference this week, Solbakken stated that Odegaard is actually “some distance away” from his injury return — which makes for a pretty concerning admission ahead of Tottenham’s visit to the Emirates in just 10 days time.

Despite still being sidelined, Odegaard has travelled with the Norway squad to be a presence for morale ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Italy.

Arteta will be keeping a very close eye on his players during this international break, which always poses the threat of unwanted injury problems, and defender Riccardo Calafiori gave Arsenal a scare earlier this week after it was revealed the left-back is training alone with a hip issue.

Luckily for the Azzurri and Arteta, Italian medical officials believe that Calafiori will be fit to face Norway on November 16, with the individual training programme most likely a precaution and nothing too serious.

Immediately after their clash against Tottenham, the north Londoners take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Chelsea just four days later, with Arteta hoping he has most of his attacking contingent back and ready to contribute in these vital face-offs.

Crystal Palace are now genuine contenders to sign Nathan Ake, with an eye-catching raid of Manchester City now being planned.

Palace’s interest in a new centre-back stems from Marc Guehi’s contract situation, with the England international now poised to leave on a free transfer upon the expiration of his current deal next summer, and there are plenty of clubs waiting in the wings.

Liverpool remain keen on the 25-year-old, having come close to getting a deal done on deadline day in the summer, but Arne Slot’s side may now be set to face competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Steve Parish will, of course, be disappointed to have missed out on a transfer fee for the defender, unless he chooses to cash-in in January, although doing so could harm the Eagles in their quest to compete on all fronts, with the maiden European campaign likely to be of key importance.

Oliver Glasner’s side may not have to worry about bringing in a Guehi replacement until next summer, but they have already started identifying potential options, and Ake has now emerged as a target for the end of the season.

Crystal Palace genuine contenders to sign Ake

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which reveals Crystal Palace are now genuine contenders to sign the Man City defender, with their Premier League rivals giving serious consideration to cashing-in.

As such, the door could be open for Palace to get a deal done, with an eye-catching raid to sign the Dutchman being considered once again, having identified him as a target during the summer transfer window.

The Eagles are making sure they are prepared for Guehi’s departure, as it is considered almost a foregone conclusion that he will move on in the summer, with Bayern Munich named as one of the top clubs chasing the Englishman’s signature.

Once lauded as “incredible” by Man City manager Pep Guardiola, the centre-back has found game time hard to come by in the Premier League this season, often being benched or utilised as a substitute.

Crucially, the former AFC Bournemouth man is vastly experienced in the Premier League, having amassed 240 appearances in the competition, and he certainly knows what it takes to win, lifting 14 major honours in what has been a hugely successful career.

At 30-years-old, the City ace is likely to want to play regular first-team football, so it could make sense to seek pastures new in the summer, and there are signs he could be a solid replacement for Guehi.

The only negative is the fact the Netherlands international is over five years older than Guehi and set to turn 31 in February, which means he is unlikely to be a long-term replacement, although he should certainly have a few more years at the top level.

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Palace are looking to sign a new centre-back, with Marc Guehi heading for the exit door.

Posts ByDominic Lund Oct 16, 2025

Unicorns are still on top of the table, but Freedom now have the same points as them and are only behind on net-run rate

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2025San Francisco Unicorns are not unbeaten in MLC 2025 anymore, and though they are still right up there on the points table, it’s only on net run-rate now, after Mitchell Owen’s five-for helped Washington Freedom hand them a 12-run defeat in Dallas on Saturday.Matthew Short, the captain, had another good day with the bat as Unicorns started their chase of 170, a smallish target looking at the way the games have gone so far. But he had to go it alone at the start, with Unicorns getting to 52 for 1 in the powerplay despite Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk contributing very little.In Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Short found a slightly more enterprising partner, but when Short became the third man out in the 11th over, he had scored 67 of the 97 on the scoreboard. But with just 73 to get, Short hadn’t left his middle-order batters with a lot to do.That’s when Owen the bowler came to the fore. Short was his first wicket, in his first over, and Owen sent back Hassan Khan and Romario Shepherd off consecutive balls in his next. And in no time, with Jack Edwards and Ian Holland chipping in with wickets, Unicorns were 113 for 7 in the 16th over.Xavier Bartlett ran through the Washington Freedom top order•Sportzpics for MLCOwen wasn’t done. Returning for the 19th, he sent back tailenders Haris Rauf and Brody Couch too, to finish with 5 for 17, leaving Unicorns with 27 to get from the last over. Despite Jahmar Hamilton’s unbeaten 18-ball 31, Saurabh Netravalkar closed the game out, conceding 14 from his six balls.When Freedom opted to bat, they wouldn’t have expected to be down at 13 for 3 by the end of the third over, all thanks to Xavier Bartlett, who ran through the top three of Owen (a first-ball duck), Rachin Ravindra and Andries Gous.Glenn Maxwell didn’t last long either, but the resistance came from Edwards and Glenn Phillips, who added 71 for the fifth wicket, even though they took 64 balls to do it. Phillips hadn’t really changed gears till that point, but did immediately after as he and Obus Pienaar added 31 in 12 balls, and, after Phillips fell for 58 in 39 balls, Pienaar added 37 in 16 balls in his unbroken seventh-wicket stand with Mukhtar Ahmed.Both teams now have six wins from seven games, but Unicorns still have a big advantage on NRR: 2.016 to 0.603.

Steven Smith will take charge of Rangers against Dundee United on Saturday while the club look to confirm their new permanent boss.

Former Rangers player Kevin Muscat remains the frontrunner for the post vacated by Russell Martin following the 1-1 draw at Falkirk before the international break.

Rangers full coaching staff to face Dundee United confirmed

Rangers Under-19 coach Smith, 40, who had two spells as a player at Ibrox, is currently overseeing first-team training on an interim basis along with B team coach Brian Gilmour, goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo and head of performance Rhys Owen.

With such an important game on the return to domestic football, and negotiations ongoing and reaching the final stages, Rangers are looking for some certainty for the weekend.

Muscat established himself as the outright favourite for the post on Wednesday when former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl took himself out of the running after reportedly impressing the Ibrox hierarchy in talks over the past week.

The former Australia international has guided Shanghai Port to top spot in the Chinese Super League, where they are two points clear with four games left. Their domestic season ends on November 22 and the Light Blues may have to wait for his services.

Steven Gerrard, who won the 2021 William Hill Premiership title with Rangers, had been an early bookmakers’ favourite but had also ruled himself out of a return to Ibrox.

Martin departed the club after securing just five wins in 17 fixtures and having to get a police escort out of the Falkirk stadium as fans attempted to block the team bus from leaving.

Ahead of the visit of the Tannadice side, Rangers sit eighth in the Premiership, 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine behind Celtic.

Manchester United are now readying a £70m bid for a “world-class” midfielder, who could join as part of a Kobbie Mainoo swap deal.

Mainoo fails to force his way into Amorim's plans

It is clear that Ruben Amorim isn’t the biggest fan of Kobbie Mainoo, who is still yet to start a Premier League game this season, despite Man United making an awful start, with their most recent setback coming in a 3-1 defeat against Brentford.

With Casemiro suspended, Manuel Ugarte came into central midfield, alongside Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo once again had to settle for being a substitute, with the 20-year-old being brought on for the final 25 minutes of the game.

Having been unable to force his way into Amorim’s plans, there have been suggestions the Englishman could be ready to move to a new club this winter, and rivals Manchester City have even been named as surprise potential suitors.

That said, with Amorim now under significant pressure, receiving criticism from club legend Wayne Rooney, the midfielder may soon have a new manager, who is more willing to give him consistent game time.

For now, however, INEOS are persisting with the 40-year-old, and Mainoo’s future remains up in the air, with a report from Spain revealing the youngster could be used as part of a swap deal for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.

Man United are said to be preparing an offer of around €80m (£70m) for Valverde, but they may be willing to use their youth product as a makeweight in negotiations, in order to reduce the cost of the operation.

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However, Real Madrid are currently showing little interest in sanctioning a departure, with the midfielder emerging as one of their most ‘trusted’ players, so it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible.

"World-class" Valverde could take Man Utd's midfield to next level

Let’s make it clear — Man United definitely shouldn’t consider letting Mainoo leave, given that the England international has previously shown he has what it takes to perform at the top level, excelling in the 2024 FA Cup Final.

That said, signing the Real Madrid star for straight cash should still be a very attractive proposition, having proven himself over a number of years in La Liga and the Champions League, with Jurgen Klopp once dubbing the maestro “world-class”.

Casemiro has made it clear he is unreliable, with the Brazilian naively getting himself sent off in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea, and at 33-years-old, United are in need of a long-term replacement in the middle of the park.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Pass completion %

89.5% (89th percentile)

Assists

0.20 (89th percentile)

Interceptions

1.48 (86th percentile)

Over the past year, Valverde has shown that he is a well-rounded midfielder, capable of making an impact at both ends of the pitch, and the Uruguayan would undoubtedly be an exciting signing for the Red Devils.

Xabi Alonso has provided a positive update on Endrick as the Brazilian striker has return from injury. The teenager was sidelined since September with a hamstring problem and faces fierce competition for minutes at Real Madrid. After missing the Club World Cup and the early season, his comeback offers hope of adding depth to Madrid’s forward line.

Endrick’s road back after injury setback

The Brazilian forward has been working his way back after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the Club World Cup and the start of the new season. Despite being fit enough to make the squad for recent matches, Alonso has been cautious with his reintroduction, stressing the importance of finding the right moment for his return.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesAlonso confident Endrick’s chance will come

Alonso admitted Endrick has trained well for weeks and confirmed that he could feature imminently. Alonso acknowledged the competition for attacking spots but insisted the 19-year-old will get his chance, describing his return as a matter of timing rather than readiness.

“He has a chance to be a starter. He’s coming off a slightly longer injury, but he’s been training well for a few weeks now and it’s just a matter of finding the right context in the game for him to come on," said the Spaniard ahead of the match against Villarreal.

He added: “He has a goal-scoring instinct, a brutal finish. There’s just a lot of competition, but his time will come.”

Rising competition in Madrid’s crowded attack

With Gonzalo Garcia shining in the Club World Cup and established names like Kylian Mbappe already leading the line, Endrick faces a tough battle for regular minutes. His patience will be tested, especially as Los Blancos look to balance domestic duties with European commitments. The teenager turned down loan options to fight for his place, showing his determination to prove himself at the Bernabeu.

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AFPNext challenge looms with Villarreal clash on horizon

After their heavy 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid, Los Blancos responded with a convincing 5-0 win over Kairat Almaty in the Champions League. Villarreal await in La Liga, and Alonso will hope to integrate Endrick gradually into a squad regaining rhythm. Madrid see his development as a long-term project, with this season viewed as a stepping stone in his growth.

Neymar has taken a clear swipe at France Football while raging over Raphinha's final Ballon d'Or position. The Brazil and Barcelona winger finished fifth in the final vote, while Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele scooped the main prize ahead of second placed Lamine Yamal. Raphinha played a key role for Barca alongside Yamal as they won three domestic titles last season.

• Raphinha was among frontrunners to win Ballon d'Or

  Raphinha was among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this year, but when the results finally came out, the former Leeds United attacker finished fifth in the list. Dembele bagged the Golden Ball for the first time in his career ahead of Yamal, with Vitinha and Mohamed Salah completing the top five.

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• AFP
  

  Neymar takes swipe at France Football

  As per , Raphinha's finish outside the top three enraged his Brazil national team colleague Neymar, who, in reply to an Instagram post, wrote: "Raphinha in 5th is too much of a joke."

• Raphinha beat Messi's Champions League record

  During the 2024-25 Champions League campaign, Raphinha registered 12 goals and eight assists as he surpassed Lionel Messi's club record goal contributions tally of 19, which the Barca legend achieved in the 2011-12 season. The Brazilian also scored 18 league goals as the Catalan side won the La Liga title. 

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  Barcelona vs PSG looming large on horizon

  Barcelona will close out the month with La Liga games against Real Oviedo and Real Sociedad before their attention turns back to the Champions League. Raphinha will come up against Dembele when Barca host reigning European champions PSG in a blockbuster clash on October 1.

Birmingham City would surely jot down this summer transfer window as a resounding success.

Chris Davies’ Blues have continued to flex their muscles after emphatically securing promotion out of League One, as seen in 11 brand new signings joining the building so far, with £10m solely splashed out on the potent services of ex-Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi.

Splashing this excessive amount on Kyogo to join hasn’t stopped them from adding in more lethal attackers, however, as Marvin Ducksch now attempts to make a name for himself in England, after becoming well-known as a goalscoring menace with Werder Bremen.

Ducksch's reputation at Bremen

With Jay Stansfield also at their disposal, Birmingham have quite the attacking arsenal as they prepare to be in and around the promotion spots in the Championship come next May.

This unbelievable attacking firepower was on full show last time out in the second-tier, as both the aforementioned Stansfield – and reserve figure Lyndon Dykes – scored late on to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory on the road at Blackburn Rovers.

Ducksch is quite the steal too – even if he was nowhere to be found at Ewood Park – when you weigh up his blistering exploits in the Bundesliga and beyond, with a ridiculous 220 goals coming his way from 459 appearances up and down the various German leagues.

With 110 assists also next to his name, it’s clear that the Dortmund-born star will be a team player for the cause, with Davies hopeful his new number 33 will soon be fit and firing, despite a delayed start to injury.

Of course, there will be a worry in the air about whether their new £1.7m recruit will be able to show off this same clinical edge in the hustle and bustle of the Championship, with Ducksch only ever plying his trade in his native Germany, before this daring next step.

To lessen that worry, perhaps, Davies and Co. could still be prepared to explore a move for this EFL-ready marksman before deadline day comes around.

Why Che Adams would be an upgrade in Ducksch

Birmingham fans are always kept on their toes when it comes to who their side is looking to bring in.

Ducksch signing for the club was only ever made public knowledge after the Blues lost out on the coveted signature of Chuba Akpom, meaning there must surely be other transfer targets tucked up the second-tier side’s sleeve.

Che Adams might well be one name they have at their back of their head, still, with Football League World revealing earlier this week that Birmingham still held an interest in their former attacker, right up until Ducksch putting pen to paper on a move.

He likely wouldn’t come cheap, considering his £13m market valuation, as per Football Transfers, but if Davies wants a last-minute roll of the dice that enables him to win a Championship-calibre attacker, going back in for the ex-Southampton forward could be an ingenious late move.

Games

36

32

Goals

9

8

xG

8.92

10.11

Goal frequency

295min

304min

Goals per game

0.3

0.3

Big chances missed

13

11

Goal conversion

14%

11%

After all, if Adams is capable of picking up from where he last left off in the second tier with Birmingham, he would surely be more of an immediate rip-roaring success than Ducksch, with a deadly 22 league strikes registered across his final Blues season.

Even last term, as indicated in the table above, he shone in his debut campaign for Torino, having outscored his German counterpart concerning league goals, while totalling 14 goals and assists in all competitions.

The Scotland international also dazzled during his last campaign at Championship level, too, with the “terrific” – as he was once labelled by Scottish legend Ally McCoist – forward’s electric 15 strikes helping the South Coast side clinch promotion.

With the upward trajectory Birmingham look to be on, Adams might well feel he can secure another promotion if he returns to St. Andrew’s imminently, as his goalscoring magic potentially rips up the Championship once more.

Ducksch will also likely chip in with the goals to try and make back-to-back promotions an unbelievable reality, but he could be unfortunately moved to the background if the ex-Blues youngster does return home to be Davies’ leading man up top.

Further lauded as being “amazing” by former Saints boss Russell Martin to work with, landing the services of Adams would really show the rest of the division how serious Birmingham believes they can jump up to the Premier League.

It does feel like a tall order to pull off so deep into the window, but never rule out the audacious from happening at St. Andrew’s.

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Tottenham have had a worryingly quiet summer transfer window so far, and Thomas Frank quite simply must strengthen before the start of his debut campaign in the north London dugout.

While the likes of Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea spend hundreds of millions on reinforcing their squads, ahead of what is expected to be a very competitive Premier League season, Spurs boast just three major first-team signings.

Tottenham’s first five Premier League fixtures of the season

Date

Burnley (home)

August 16

Man City (away)

August 23

Bournemouth (home)

August 30

West Ham (away)

September 13

Brighton (away)

September 20

Mohammed Kudus arrived in a £55 million deal from West Ham, and chairman Daniel Levy managed to negotiate a cut-price £30 million deal for Mathys Tel with Joao Palhinha also arriving on loan – but that is the sum of their activity.

Technically, Tottenham have spent £116 million this summer, if you count Kevin Danso’s obligation to buy deal, which was agreed in January, but Levy’s spending still doesn’t even come close to their arch rivals.

We’re less than a week away from the start of the new Premier League season and a meagre few days from Spurs’ UEFA Super Cup clash against PSG, but Frank’s new-look squad is somehow weaker than Ange Postecoglou’s.

Son Heung-min’s emotional goodbye to LAFC and James Maddison’s crippling ACL rupture, adding to Dejan Kulusevski’s long-term absence with a knee injury, leaves Frank desperately short of options.

Reinforcing the squad with quality is an absolute non-negotiable if Levy is serious about transforming Spurs into genuine trophy contenders.

They’re set to be among the big boys in next season’s Champions League draw too – making new signings all the more important before the transfer deadline in under a month.

Fabrizio Romano has suggested that striker Richarlison could leave Tottenham as well, and if that were to be the case, Spurs could become genuine contenders for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson with contact made.

There was another striker on their radar earlier this summer, Brentford star Yoane Wissa – a player Frank knows well from his many years at the Gtech.

Likelihood of Tottenham signing Brentford striker Yoane Wissa

Spurs were in talks for Wissa around the time of their failed move to sign playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, but precious little has been reported about their interest since then. Now, journalist Graeme Bailey has provided an update to TBR Football.

Bailey reports that Frank “specifically identified” Wissa as a target for Tottenham, and the club held talks with him, but the likelihood of Spurs doing a deal for the 29-year-old is now very unlikely as Newcastle United close in on the £40 million forward.

“Spurs did open talks with Yoane Wissa when Frank first came in,” said Bailey. “That was a player Frank specifically identified. But it looks like Wissa’s nailed on for Newcastle now. Frank made it clear from day one that he told Wissa exactly how he wanted to use him, centrally.

“I think Frank also understands the reality. Do you really pay £40 million for a 29-year-old with one year left on his deal? Tottenham are never going to do that. Newcastle look like they will, but there are other reasons behind that move.”

The Congolese bagged 20 goals in all competitions last season, with 19 of them coming in the Premier League, but that £40m could be reinvested into the signing of a proven playmaker – which Frank desperately needs.

You can see why they’ve backed out, and amid reports Jackson could leave Chelsea on loan, they do have other, cheaper options to target up front.

Leeds United have now opened talks over a deal for an “elite” striker, who is also being targeted by West Ham United, according to a report.

Leeds eyeing new striker amid Bamford and Joseph uncertainty

Leeds have already made one addition at centre-forward this summer, securing the signing of former Wolfsburg man Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer, but it is looking increasingly likely they will have to bring in at least one more striker.

That is because there are major doubts over the futures of Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph, with the former admitting he would be open to a move to the MLS, saying: “I think it’s something that, obviously over time I’ve spoke to Michaela [his wife] about it, in terms of playing abroad, and America being one of the options.

“It was something that when I was younger I always wanted to do at some point in my career, to kind of experience it, experience a new country, the living the lifestyle there and also trying myself in a new league.”

Joseph, on the other hand, has a more pressing desire to leave, having decided not to take part in the Whites’ pre-season training camp, with Daniel Farke adding: “He came to me, and to us, and said he wants a new challenge and would like to have a move.”

With two strikers potentially heading for the exit door, Leeds have now set their sights on a replacement, and a report from Italy (via Leeds United News) has revealed they have opened talks over a deal for AS Roma’s Artem Dovbyk.

Despite being a regular source of goals for Roma last season, the Italian club are not overly convinced by the 28-year-old, and they could sanction a departure this summer, should a potential suitor be willing to fork out £30m.

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West Ham are also in the race for Dovbyk, having submitted an enquiry alongside the Whites, so Farke’s side may have to fend off competition from their Premier League rivals.

"Elite" Dovbyk could be upgrade on Bamford and Joseph

In many ways, it is a surprise that Roma don’t have too many qualms about selling the centre-forward this summer, given that he enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in Italy, amassing a combined 21 goals and assists in all competitions.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Serie A

32

12

3

Europa League

11

2

1

Italian Cup

2

3

0

Bamford, on the other hand, has been unable to put his injury problems in the rear-view mirror, while Joseph found the back of the net just three times in the Championship last season, indicating the Ukrainian striker could be a real upgrade.

Having also been lauded as a “fantastic finisher” and “elite target man” by journalist Zach Lowy, there are clear signs that Dovbyk could be capable of firing Leeds to safety next season, so they should undoubtedly pursue a deal if Roma are willing to sell.