Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhães is nearing a return from injury after the Brazil defender was spotted “flying off the handle” during a friendly football match in South London this week.
Arsenal injury latest
The Gunners centre-back is just one of several injuries for manager Mikel Arteta to contend with heading into the busiest part of the season.
The Spaniard was typically coy this week when asked if any of Declan Rice, William Saliba, Leandro Trossard and Jurrien Timber would be available to face Wolves.
Saliba has been absent for the past four fixtures with an ankle injury, and Arteta said of the France defender: “It was something quite small because it came from an ankle injury that he had, and then he started to modify the way he was running, and he started to overload an area, which is something common.
“But at some point, it became uncomfortable to continue training and playing and we had to stop.
“He hasn’t trained with us yet. We have an extra day. Let’s see if he can be available (to face Wolves) or not.”
Arteta has been missing his first-choice centre-back pairing since Gabriel picked up a thigh injury during the November international break, but onlookers believe the 27 year-old is close to a return after he was filmed in an intense incident in London this week.
A friendly match between supporters of Brazilian side Botafogo was called off after the controversial tackle, and although the £150,000-a-week Arsenal star did not play in the match, a witness told The Sun he looked he “didn’t look injured”.
Arteta typically keeps his cards close to his chest when it comes to injuries, but his number six may well have just raised more questions for his next press conference.
Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting young talent into the first team.
Mikel Arteta has carried that tradition on during his time, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and now Max Dowman all getting chances under him.
However, when it comes to the most successful Hale End product under the Spaniard’s stewardship, it’s hard to ignore Bukayo Saka, who has become a world-class superstar in recent years.
So, fans should be very excited about another young prospect making his way through the academy, who has been likened to a young version of the England international.
Saka's academy journey
Saka joined Hale End as a seven-year-old, with him later revealing that it was his father who pushed for him to join the club over others.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
The Ealing-born gem made his debut for the club’s U18 against Fulham in August 2017, a game the Gunners would lose 4-1.
The youngster would end that season with a respectable haul of eight goals and four assists in 22 games.
The following year, he made just six appearances for the U18S and 24 for the U23S, scoring six goals and providing nine assists for the latter.
However, that was also the season in which he made his first-team debut, away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League group stage, under Unai Emery.
At this point, the exciting prospect was still very much seen as a left-sided attacker and had made just a single appearance on the right across both campaigns.
The 19/20 season brought the end of Saka’s time in the academy setup, as he made just one appearance for the U23s in a Premier League 2 game against Everton, which they drew.
Saka’s youth record
Team
U18s
U23s
Appearances
28
25
Goals
16
6
Assists
6
9
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In all, the now 24-year-old made 28 appearances for Arsenal’s U18s, in which he produced 22 goal involvements and 25 appearances for the U23s, in which he produced 15.
Everyone now knows how the rest of the story goes, and so fans should be excited that there is another Hale End talent currently being compared to Saka.
Arsenal's next Saka
With the likes of Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and now Dowman, it feels like Hale End can’t stop producing incredible talents, and the next one off the line might just be Brando Bailey-Joseph.
The 17-year-old has been so impressive in recent months that, despite only signing scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, he has already put pen to paper on a professional deal.
Moreover, according to one analyst, he is currently looking “very reminiscent of a young Saka.”
The argument he puts forward is that, like the Gunners’ talisman, there has been a lot more talk around other youngsters in the academy over him, and he is just quietly plugging away in the background.
Bailey-Joseph’s 25/26
Appearances
16
Minutes
1098′
Goals
4
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.5
Minutes per Goal Involvement
137.25′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, in 16 appearances this term, totalling 1098 minutes, he has scored four goals and provided four assists.
That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 137.25 minutes, which would be pretty good for a striker, let alone a winger who has been moved between both sides over and over again.
In addition to the output, the analyst also points out that, like Arteta’s mercurial number seven, he has shown an “incredible technical” ability in the academy.
This is an opinion shared by Hale End expert Will Balsam, who claims that the youngster’s “fire feet, chopping into the grass constantly, make it impossible for defenders to know what’s coming.”
Ultimately, while it’s so early in his journey, Bailey-Joseph looks like he could be the next Hale End star to make it in the first team and follow in Saka’s footsteps on the wing.
Rice was fuming with him: Arsenal's "future captain" has regressed big time
It has been a season to forget for the Arsenal star so far this year.
Manchester City and Arsenal are reportedly monitoring the progress of Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, who is often compared to Barcelona's Pedri for his style in the middle of the park. La Liga giants Real Madrid are also keen on the 20-year-old, with a transfer battle expected to heat up for the Spaniard heading into the winter and summer windows.
Europe’s elite circle eye rising midfield gem
According to City are the latest outfit to intensify their interest, with their Spanish scouting department quietly tracking Mendoza for the last two seasons. Arsenal, meanwhile, have been following his progress closely for months, viewing him as a potential long-term investment for a midfield undergoing gradual evolution under Mikel Arteta. Whereas Real Madrid, who are never shy about stockpiling elite young Spanish talent, are also keen on Mendoza. Despite signing a fresh contract with Elche in August, one meant to protect his value and extend his stay until 2028, Mendoza remains attainable due to a modest release clause of £17.5 million ($23m). In today’s inflated transfer market, where teenagers routinely command higher sums even before proving themselves in one of Europe's top-five leagues, that figure is widely seen as a bargain value.
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A steady emergence through Elche’s ranks
Mendoza’s progress has been nothing short of impressive. After debuting in 2022’s Copa del Rey, a relegation to the Segunda Division gave him a platform to develop. He responded with 26 appearances in 2023/24 and 24 more the following season, helping Elche secure promotion back to La Liga. Now back in the top flight, he has made ten appearances this term and scored twice. He also featured in every minute of Spain’s Under-20 World Cup campaign in Chile, which ended in the quarter-finals after a 3-2 defeat to Colombia.
His rise hasn’t gone unnoticed by clubs outside the traditional elite. The Red Bull network reportedly attempted to bring him to Paris FC, while Saudi Pro League sides have quietly inquired. Como, under the guidance of Cesc Fsbregas, were also intrigued, hoping to lure him into their growing Spanish talent pool. But with Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus all engaged at various degrees, the likelihood of Mendoza opting for a smaller project seems slim.
Pedri-like profile, but still a work in progress
Mendoza’s playing style has drawn natural comparisons to Barcelona star Pedri. He is not yet at that level, but the raw materials are unmistakable. His elite technical poise and spatial awareness has helped him become the beating heart of Elche’s midfield. For Arsenal, the tactical picture is enticing. He is a teammate of summer signing Cristhian Mosquera at the Spain Under-21 level, adding familiarity to the equation.
Interest from Arsenal comes at a time when the club’s trajectory under Mikel Arteta continues its steep upward climb. The Gunners’ emphatic 3-1 win over Bayern Munich this week in the Champions League only reinforced their status as one of Europe’s most complete sides. Arteta could barely hide his pride after the match, praising his team’s "presence, authority and belief" against what he considers the best team in Europe. It marked the club’s first win against Bayern in ten years and extended their perfect Champions League record to five wins in five games.
"Well, I'm extremely proud to what I've seen tonight," he said. "I think, we've seen a team that, in my opinion, playing against the best team in Europe has behaved with a real presence, authority, determination, and belief, and that's what I wanted. You need some huge performance individually. We certainly had that. We took our moments, and I think overall, we just have to win the game."
Although Arsenal are being linked with Mendoza, Arteta insisted that he is "happy" with the current squad depth.
"Yes. I mean, everybody's ready. Whether it's a starter and a finisher, the impact that the boys are having is tremendous because we have dealt with a lot of injuries, this season already," he said. "But, the fact that everybody's raising the level is hiding a lot of those issues, and I'm very pleased because, everybody's important. We're gonna need them, and I'm happy that the ones that even given the chance, they're constantly taking it."
Asked whether Arsenal should now be considered favourites for the competition, Arteta was cautious but firm: "What I'm really pleased with my players is that we do what we have to do, which is try to be better every single day, perform at the highest level consistently, and win a lot of games, and we need to continue to that."
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A talent too promising to ignore
With a release clause that will attract opportunists and a rapid upward curve that shows no signs of slowing, Mendoza is poised to be one of next summer’s most sought-after young midfielders. He will be looking to impress when Elche travel to Getafe for a La Liga encounter on Friday evening.
Justin Verlander is headed to The Bay for his 20th season in MLB, having agreed to a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. He's yet to make his final decision regarding what jersey number he'll wear, though it seems his usual No. 35 is still on the table despite a franchise great having worn it throughout much of their career.
Verlander told reporters that Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey reached out to the team's former longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford regarding the availability of the No. 35 uniform, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports. Crawford gave Verlander his blessing to wear the digits, should he so desire, though he's ultimately yet to decide whether he intends to wear the number or not.
Crawford, who retired after the 2024 season, spent 13 of his 14 years in MLB in San Francisco. He was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time World Series champion. He wore the No. 35 throughout his time with the Giants, and also wore it during his one-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Verlander has also worn No. 35 throughout his career with the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets and Houston Astros. Whether he intends to continue wearing it in San Francisco remains to be seen, though Crawford classily gave the veteran right-hander his blessing to do so.
The Minnesota Twins reportedly are moving on from a 2024 draft pick after just a few months in their organization.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan reported Thursday that the Twins released minor league catcher Derek Bender after he told opposing batters the type of pitch that was coming to the plate during a game that eliminated his team from Florida State League contention.
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Twins' Low-A affiliate, were battling the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Sept. 6 in the second game of a doubleheader when Bender told multiple opposing hitters the exact pitch that was coming. The Flying Tigers scored four runs in the second inning and won the game 6–0 to eliminate the Mighty Mussels from playoff contention.
Fort Myers coaches were informed of Bender's self-inflicting pitch tipping by Lakeland coaches after the game.
ESPN also reported that Bender "had told teammates he wanted the season to be over."
Bender, selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (No. 188) out of Coastal Carolina, batted .200/.273/.333 in 19 games for Fort Myers this season. He hit .320/.422/.520 with 11 homers and 63 RBIs in 60 games for the Chanticleers in his final collegiate season.
All Pakistan’s games, including the semi-final and final (if they get there), will be played at neutral Colombo
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2025
Bengaluru will host India’s games against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh•ACC
The women’s ODI World Cup is set to kick off on September 30, with India taking on Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India’s high-profile fixture against Pakistan, at the neutral venue of R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, is set for October 5, while their match against Bangladesh is on October 26 in Bengaluru.Defending champions Australia are set to start their campaign on October 1 at Indore’s Holkar Stadium against New Zealand. The marquee clash against England – a rematch of the previous edition’s final – is set to be played on October 22 in Indore. India take on the holders on October 12 in Visakhapatnam.Pakistan, who will play all their games in Colombo in accordance with the hybrid agreement arrived at between the BCCI and the PCB, will also face Bangladesh (Oct 2), Australia (Oct 8), England (Oct 15), New Zealand (Oct 18), South Africa (Oct 21) and Sri Lanka (Oct 24).ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Other key fixtures for England in the league stage include South Africa in Bengaluru (Oct 3), India in Indore (Oct 19), and New Zealand (Oct 26) in Guwahati.Bangladesh, apart from playing Pakistan to start their campaign, are set to play three more matches at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Stadium while also taking on Sri Lanka in Colombo (Oct 20). South Africa, meanwhile, have games against New Zealand (Oct 6) and Australia (Oct 25) in Indore.The need for Pakistan’s World Cup games to be played at a neutral venue arose due to strained relations between India and Pakistan, and India playing their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Dubai instead of in the host country, Pakistan. The PCB, in turn, said Pakistan would not travel to India for tournaments in the foreseeable future.The tournament will feature 28 league games followed by three knockouts, with matches spread across Bengaluru, Indore, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Colombo. The last of these – a double-header Sunday featuring England vs New Zealand and India vs Bangladesh – is on October 26. The first semi-final is slated for either Guwahati or Colombo – depending on Pakistan’s progression – on October 29 while the second semi-final will be in Bengaluru on October 30. The final, on November 2, will be held in either Bengaluru or Colombo.India are hosting the women’s ODI World Cup for the first time since 2013. The format for the 2025 tournament will be the same as in 2022, with each of the eight teams playing the other in a round-robin format, with the top four making the semi-finals.Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, apart from hosts India, qualified directly for the tournament. The last two spots were taken by Pakistan and Bangladesh at the qualifiers in Lahore earlier this year. The tournament will not feature West Indies, who missed out to Bangladesh on net run-rate at the qualifier.
Manchester United had to make some difficult decisions during the summer window and could now be set to part ways with another star on a permanent basis in the near future.
Manchester United seek to build on Premier League momentum
Admittedly, the Red Devils are going to need more consistency to trouble sides near the top of the Premier League table, but a deserved victory over Chelsea has given Ruben Amorim space to breathe.
Now, back-to-back fixtures against Brentford and Sunderland offer an opportunity for the Portuguese boss to generate some much-needed momentum at Old Trafford, especially after he held face-to-face talks about Manchester United’s trajectory with Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Bruno Fernandes has been a leading light for the Red Devils, and there is an argument to say his side needs to find a level of self-sufficiency without relying on their awe-inspiring captain every week, though seeing off Enzo Maresca’s outfit has shown they can win when the pressure is on.
Amorim also needs to be applauded for his ruthless approach in the transfer market. Rasmus Hojlund, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho were among summer departures, indicating that the man in charge isn’t afraid to wield the axe when fresh ideas are needed across the squad.
Of course, some of their dealings during the window were enforced. Garnacho has experienced a taste of why the grass isn’t always greener. Still the main aim at Manchester United is building a squad capable of challenging for silverware.
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Financially, that may prove tricky as the club tries to navigate PSR legislation. Sales will be necessary, and another high-profile departure could now be on the cards at Old Trafford.
Romano: Andre Onana's time is up at Old Trafford
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has delivered some telling insight on Andre Onana’s career at Manchester United after he was loaned to Trabzonspor.
Addressing his future, the renowned transfer specialist has confirmed that the Cameroon star now appears to be permanently out of the picture at Old Trafford, and there is no way back after Senne Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp.
He stated: “My understanding is that both sides – Man Utd and Andre Onana himself – see this Man Utd chapter as almost closed. So it’s very difficult to imagine Onana staying at Man Utd beyond (next summer).
“Man Utd believe that Senne Lammens is going to be the goalkeeper for present and future, so unless something extraordinary happens, (Onana’s agreement) is a straight loan, and he might go somewhere else in the future, but it’s over between Man Utd and Onana, probably.”
Enjoying a solid start to life at Trabzonspor, the 29-year-old has featured against Fenerbahce and Gaziantep, even claiming an assist against the latter in a 1-1 draw.
Retaining a save percentage of 80% in the Super Lig, per Fotmob, it remains to be seen whether the Turkish outfit will look to deal him in permanently or whether alternative suitors will look to land the £120,000 per week earner.
Panchal finished as Gujarat’s second-highest run-scorer in first-class cricket
Shashank Kishore26-May-2025
Priyank Panchal scored 29 centuries in his 127 first-class games•PTI
Priyank Panchal, a Ranji Trophy winner with Gujarat, has called time on a professional career that spanned over 17 years.The 35-year-old finishes as Gujarat’s second-highest run-getter in first-class cricket, 19 short of Parthiv Patel’s tally of 7011 runs. The 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season was his last, in which he made two centuries. The 148 he made against Kerala in the semi-final turned out to be his last innings.Panchal finishes with 23 centuries, the most by a Gujarat player, during the course of his first-class career that spanned 127 matches in which he made 8856 runs in all. He also featured in 97 List A games and 59 T20s.”Playing for India was the ultimate dream, but I realised that chance may have bypassed me,” Panchal told ESPNcricinfo. “Once that clarity was there, it didn’t make sense carrying on.”I could’ve played for another season or two, but what would I achieve doing that? It wasn’t a sudden call, I’d been thinking about it for a while and felt this was a good time to officially announce.”Having broken through in 2007-08, Panchal played a significant role, along with Parthiv, in transforming Gujarat from a middling team to champions across formats. He eaves with the distinction of being part of the winning squads of all domestic tournaments – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (2014-15), Vijay Hazare Trophy (2015-16) and Ranji Trophy (2016-17).
Panchal’s career high was his tally of 1310 runs, including a career-best 314 against Punjab, during the course of that title-winning season with Gujarat. At the time, this tally was second-best to VVS Laxman’s tally of 1415 runs, the most in a single Ranji season.That season helped Panchal break into the India A squads, which he captained. He remained in the conversations for the Test squad for a number of years – the closest he got to being part of it was in 2021-22 when he was named as Rohit Sharma’s replacement for the South Africa tour.
Segundo maior artilheiro estrangeiro da história do São Paulo, com 57 gols marcados, Jonathan Calleri está muito próximo de se tornar também um dos dez principais goleadores do Campeonato Brasileiro nascidos fora do país. Ao marcar duas vezes contra o Santos, na goleada por 4 a 1 neste fim de semana, o argentino chegou a 32 tentos anotados em quatro edições de Série A disputadas.
O camisa 9 do Morumbi agora é o 13º no ranking de artilheiros estrangeiros do Brasileirão, tendo deixado para trás o ex-lateral paraguaio Arce, ex-Palmeiras e Grêmio, e o atacante argentino Herrera, ex-Corinthians, Botafogo e Vasco. Calleri está a apenas dois gols de entrar no top 10, igualando com o boliviano Marcelo Moreno, ex-Cruzeiro, e seu compatriota Doval, que brilhou pela dupla Fla-Flu nos anos 70.
O atacante terá a chance de entrar neste seleto grupo no próximo sábado, quando o Tricolor voltar a campo pelo Brasileirão enfrentando o Cuiabá, às 18h30, na Arena Pantanal. Com 25 pontos, o São ocupa neste momento a 4ª colocação no campeonato.
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West Ham United were planning to sign an “outrageous” player, before he ended up signing for Aston Villa in a deadline-busting move.
West Ham miss out on "outrageous" star to Aston Villa
Ultimately, West Ham did what they needed to do on deadline day, bringing in Igor Julio on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion to provide cover in defence, but there are question marks over whether it was a successful window on the whole.
Former player Dean Ashton has been left unconvinced by the recruitment team’s summer transfer strategy, saying: “The recruitment’s been so shoddy, especially when you change managers and style of football.
“You have to be so aligned at board level to make sure that recruitment is absolutely spot-on for the manager that you’ve got in place.”
Things picked up in the latter stages of the window, bringing in 21-year-old midfielder Soungouto Magassa from AS Monaco, while Mateus Fernandes also arrived from Southampton.
However, there are arguably some doubts over the signing of Fernandes, given that the attacking midfielder is yet to really prove himself at Premier League level, having been part of the Southampton side that picked up just 12 points last season.
Instead, West Ham may have been better off signing a more established Premier League midfielder, and that is exactly what they tried to do, having planned to push for the signing of Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott in August.
However, Elliott ultimately ended up completing a deadline-busting move to Aston Villa, with the 22-year-old joining on a loan deal for the remainder of the season, which includes an obligation to buy for £35m.
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ByDominic Lund Aug 31, 2025 Elliott could have been "outrageous" signing for West Ham
It is perhaps unsurprising the Hammers missed out on the England U21 international, given that the option to join a club competing in the Europa League was on the table, but it is still disappointing they were unable to get a deal done.
The former Fulham man has been lauded as “outrageous” by scout Jacek Kulig in the past, and he is much more established than Fernandes at the top level, most notably scoring a late winner against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last season.
That’s not to say Fernandes isn’t a strong addition to Potter’s squad, however, with the Portuguese youngster impressing after being thrown straight in on the left-wing against Nottingham Forest last time out.
The starlet won six duels, the joint-second highest number of any West Ham player on the pitch, while he has also received high praise for his attitude from former Saints man Jo Tessem in the past, who said: “Every week he plays his heart out, he is by far the best player on the football pitch from a Saints perspective.”