Category: 6. Sports

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca thinks Cole Palmer’s injury is “not random” and is concerned about the lingering effects of winning the Fifa Club World Cup.

The 23-year-old forward has been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Fulham.

Palmer’s injury has been linked to an unprecedented 12-month season where his team played 64 matches, including the expanded Club World Cup tournament in July.

After beating Paris St-Germain in New Jersey on July 13, and having less than two weeks to prepare for the current campaign, Chelsea had their shortest ever gap between seasons. This included the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, which were impacted by the Covid pandemic.

When asked about Palmer’s absence, Maresca said: “I don’t think that it is random that our three players with the most minutes last year were Levi [Colwill], Cole and Moi [Caicedo].

“Levi is injured, Cole too and Moi today only had his first training session since the West Ham game.

“It is not random, it is the amount of games. Look at [Manchester] City last year, they lost Rodri after two or three games. He was a player that had the most minutes for them.

“We are going to have problems this season for sure because of last season. But It’s about how we can adapt and get players to recover.”

England defender Colwill started 35 of Chelsea’s 38 league matches last season but is expected to be out for the majority of the season after knee surgery.

Meanwhile, Caicedo is now a doubt for the visit of Fulham, having been Chelsea’s only player to start every league match last season.

Palmer, who pulled out of last week’s win at West Ham with a niggle in the warm-up, was also a near ever-present in the previous campaign.

Maresca added: “I have said that with Cole we are much better with him than without him. But if he has some problems we need to give him the right time to recover.

“It doesn’t matter if Estevao [Willian] is there or not, we can’t tell Cole he can relax, we need Cole back at 100%.”

Maresca’s complaints occur within the wider context of global players’ union Fifpro’s legal actions against world football governing body Fifa.

Fifpro president Sergio Marchi claimed Fifa “chose to continue increasing its revenue at the expense of the players’ bodies and health” in July after Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over PSG to end the tournament in the United States.

That came in response to claims by Fifa president Gianni Infantino that he was running “the most successful club competition in the world”.

Mikel Arteta has backed Eberechi Eze to make an impression on his debut as Arsenal prepare to face Liverpool on Sunday without several key attacking players including Bukayo Saka. Arteta is, however, close to having a new defensive option in Piero Hincapié after loan terms were agreed with Bayer Leverkusen.

The England forward Saka will miss the trip to Anfield after picking up a hamstring injury against Leeds last Saturday, although Arteta was hopeful the winger could be back after the international break. The Arsenal manager also confirmed Kai Havertz had undergone surgery on a knee problem that will keep him out for several weeks. Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard are major doubts for the game against the champions.

Ødegaard was named in Norway’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers but has not trained since sustaining a shoulder injury in the 5-0 win over Leeds.

Arteta said there was a chance his captain could play against Liverpool but believes Eze, who scored winners for Crystal Palace at Anfield in April 2024 and in May’s FA Cup final against Manchester City, is eager to make an impact after his arrival for a fee worth up to £67.5m last weekend.

“I think he’s the type of player that loves those scenarios and those moments,” the manager said. “I think the moment he starts to play, we will see how the team will react and what connections will flourish from his interventions. I’m very confident that he’s played in the league for so many years.

“We have to put him in the positions and scenarios where he can deliver those moments which are the reason why we brought him here: to give us something different, something unexpected, and we will adapt to more what is necessary as we know the outcome of that is really big.”

Arsenal agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Hincapié on an initial loan, with an option to make the Ecuador defender’s move permanent next summer for €52m (£45m).

Hincapié, who is understood to have already agreed personal terms for his move to north London, is expected to complete his medical over the weekend before becoming Arsenal’s eighth signing of the summer. His impending arrival is likely to lead to the departure of Jakub Kiwior to Porto in a loan deal that includes an obligation for the Poland defender to make the move permanently next summer for up to €27m, with interest also building in Oleksandr Zinchenko

Arteta’s side have already spent more than £250m on new players in this transfer window and Arsenal had been looking to structure their move for Hincapié as an initial loan so they do not fall foul of Uefa’s regulations on financial fair play. They are believed to have discussed the deal with Leverkusen officials on Friday and reached an agreement over the 23-year-old, who had a release clause of €60m but expressed his wish to leave. Hincapié, who can play as a left-sided centre‑back or left-back, joined the Bundesliga club from the Argentinian side Talleres in 2021 and has 46 caps for his country.

Kiwior had interest from Crystal Palace but preferred to join Porto, who have agreed to pay around £2m to take the 25-year-old on loan for the season before he completes his permanent move. Arsenal did not want to sanction his departure until they had secured a replacement and are now stepping up their efforts to offload other fringe players before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Marseille have enquired about signing Zinchenko, although the Ukrainian’s wages could be a stumbling block. Fulham and Palace have both been in talks over Reiss Nelson, while Stuttgart are expected to step up their efforts to sign the Portugal midfielder Fábio Vieira before the end of the window.

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Ben White and Christian Nørgaard are also struggling to be available for the Liverpool game as Arsenal’s injury concerns have continued from last season, when they were without Saka, Ødegaard and Havertz for lengthy spells.

Arteta revealed that Arsenal had been looking into why they have been dealing with so many absences and said they were “continually monitoring and evolving the needs of the players and the schedule”.

He said Saka’s repeated problems were a big concern. The forward was out for more than three months after surgery on his right hamstring in December and has picked up the latest injury in his other leg.

“He does not need surgery,” said Arteta. “It’s not as bad as the previous one. He felt something, so he will be out for a couple of weeks. But it is obviously a concern, a big one, especially when we talk about a sprinter and a player that gets into that zone very often in a football match, who needs that burst, that change of rhythm of pace to be as threatening as possible.

“But we will learn again as to why it happened and make him stronger. Unfortunately injuries are part of a career. He hasn’t had that many, to be fair, with the amount of games that he has played at his age but it is something that we want to eradicate.”

After the confusion over Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause and bitter blow of being blindsided by Arsenal when it came to Eberechi Eze, Tottenham can finally celebrate an unlikely swoop of their own. They have moved quickly to land Xavi Simons, who has been touted as a certainty to join Chelsea for much of the past month, and must be relieved not to have fallen victim to yet another late hijack.

There were understandable nerves at Spurs as they raced to complete a £51.8m deal to sign Simons from RB Leipzig. Previous attempts to bolster Thomas Frank’s options in attacking midfield had not gone well. Where next after Eze and Gibbs-White? Spurs have made a hugely encouraging start under Frank, who has won his first two league games by an aggregate score of 5-0, but they needed something extra in the final third. Son Heung-min has gone; James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are out. Mohammed Kudus has impressed since joining from West Ham for £54.5m but he is at his best on the right. The arrival of extra creativity is highly welcome. The element of surprise around Simons has given Spurs fans rare joy.

Frank was still treading carefully at his press conference before Saturday afternoon’s home game against Bournemouth. He would not talk about Simons, even though the Netherlands international was clearly at the training ground. Frank smiled. Asked about a potential signing, he confirmed there was a new international in the building: Djed Spence, who has just received his first England call-up.

Smartly dodged. Frank was less evasive on other issues, saying that Spurs are unlikely to be in the market for another centre-back. He talked about the importance of having options in every position. Spurs, who must deal with the demands of the Champions League, had huge injury problems last season. Simons will give them vital depth.

Chelsea looked long and hard at him. There was constant talk about the 22-year-old waiting for the west London club to make their move. The suggestion was that Chelsea were waiting to sell Christopher Nkunku.

Yet Chelsea believed that strengthening at left-wing was a bigger priority. They have focused on securing a £40m agreement for the Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho. The situation with Simons was more relaxed. There was never a bid from Chelsea, who have caused surprise by opening talks to loan Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.

Spurs saw an opportunity. They advanced on Wednesday, contacting Leipzig. A bid was submitted on Thursday and Simons was brought to London. Was it really happening? The memory of Chelsea stealing in front of Spurs to sign Willian from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 lingered. Willian had already done his Spurs medical.

This time, though, Chelsea had no intention of spoiling the party. They will watch on with interest. The obvious question is whether Simons can adapt to English football. Leipzig do not seem especially bothered about losing him. There have been reports in the German media criticising Simons’ attitude, although that can be interpreted as the standard briefs against a player making no secret of his desire to leave. Frank was asked about his “No Dickheads” policy.

“I actually don’t think there are any people who are a dickhead,” he said. “You’re probably a psychopath if you are. Most people have not been guided well enough. A lot of them need to get guided. It’s human nature. We want to be part of a clan. Part of something. You feel you are accepted, you want to do more.”

The challenge with Simons is to mould him into a consistent performer. He has never quite found a home. He came through Barcelona’s academy but left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. Next came PSV, although not for long. The bouncing around continued, PSG re-signing Simons in 2023 and immediately loaning him to Leipzig, who eventually bought him permanently this year.

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In that context perhaps it is not a surprise there are suggestions that teams have struggled to work out how best to use Simons. It is said he is at his best in a 4-3-3. He had a variety of roles for Leipzig: sometimes a No 8, sometimes on the left, sometimes a cog in a box midfield. Frank can give him clarity.

The Spurs manager is flexible and adaptable. He used a solid 5-3-2 when Spurs faced PSG in the Super Cup and an open 4-3-3 when they beat Burnley at home on the opening day. In last weekend’s triumph at Manchester City Frank used a high press and a physical midfield of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and João Palhinha.

“I think when you see players perform their best, most likely they play in one position,” Frank said. “But that is not to say they can’t play across a front four or front three. Modern football is much more flexible now.”

Frank sees different ways to mould his midfield. It is interesting that Spurs have gone for an array of profiles in the final third. Gibbs-White, Eze and Simons have different strengths. Simons has to find his place. He has had a restless career, stability eluding him. Choosing the Spurs project gives him a chance to rediscover the level that meant he was feted as one of the best playmakers in Europe when he was striving for his breakthrough at Barça. It gives him a chance to be part of something.

RIGA (Latvia) – We were not left wanting after Friday’s action rolled out in Riga and Tampere at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. The superstars once again showed up and delivered with the likes of Lauri Markkanen, Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun producing some jaw-dropping performances.

But who did it best as Groups A and B saw their second day of play?

We leave that for you to decide by casting your vote in the fan poll below and letting us know who you think deserves to be named Player of the Day.

Alperen Sengun’s performance in Türkiye’s 92-78 success over Czechia was not be matched. The big man was an assist shy of a triple-double as he tallied 23 points and 12 rebounds. It would have been the fourth triple-double at the FIBA EuroBasket since 1995, but an efficiency of 40 and a win will have to suffice.

As Finland remained perfect after a 109-79 smooth sailing against Great Britain, Lauri Markkanen once again showed he’s maybe the hottest hand in Europe. The Finnisher dropped 43 points for another entry at the all-time scoring list, sinking seven three-pointers and stealing four possessions in the process.

Nikola Jokic showed up to play as Serbia had to dig deeper into the bag to hold off Portugal and win 80-69. The Joker shut down the paint and contained Neemias Queta while scoring 23 and grabbing 10 rebounds on the other end of the floor.

Lithuania was one of the teams to keep their record perfect as Rokas Jokubaitis left his mark in a 94-67 win over Montenegro. The floor general played his part with 21 points and a tournament-high 12 assists, the first double-digit performance of the event when it comes to passing the ball.

Dennis Schroder is shining as the leader of this Germany team which produced another 100-point outing and routed Sweden 105-83. The point guard led the world champs, scoring 23 points with 3 rebounds and 7 assists to add.

FIBA

Outclassed and outplayed, Emma Raducanu bowed out of the 2025 US Open on Friday (29 August), after a difficult third round outing against Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.

The 22-year-old British tennis star found herself on the back foot early, and never seemed to settle into the match between Grand Slam champions. In fact, she could only watch as the scoreline bent more and more in Rybakina’s favour, ultimately leading to 6-1, 6-2 straight sets defeat at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“I thought she did everything better today,” Raducanu said of Rybakina after the match. “She didn’t let me settle in every department. It was hard to really capitalize on the few moments that I had. Every ball was so difficult that I was receiving.”

Faltering at both the service line and the net, the 2021 US Open women’s singles champion looked like a husk of her former self on court, but that didn’t stop the crowd from throwing their support behind the beleaguered world No. 36.

And while there were bound to be a few highlights from Raducanu’s side of the net, those moments proved fleeting and hard to string together for the 22-year-old Brit, who failed to show the same level of dominance she displayed in her first two matches at Flushing Meadows this year.

Still, choosing to view the loss from an angle of growth, rather than bitter defeat, Raducanu highlighted the mental fortitude required to succeed at the top level of tennis.

“I’ve just got…to keep working to try and close the gap,” she asserted. “A match like that can easily kind of get you down if you let it. So I’m going to try not do that, and regroup, work hard, and get ready for Asia.“

While Raducanu will be left to examine what went wrong on Friday, Rybakina will advance to the fourth of the 2025 US Open, where she’ll face Czechia’s Markéta Vondroušová.

The match-up promises to be nothing short of intriguing, with the unseeded Czech player still flying high from her stunning upset over Italy’s seventh seeded Jasmine Paolini on Friday (29 August).

Martín Palermo didn’t just leave a mark with his goals; he also did so with a unique style that made him an iconic figure in Argentine football. His rebellious looks defined an era: from the classic bleached blonde mane during his glory days with Boca, to more eccentric cuts, buzzed heads, and highlighted hairstyles that broke with the sobriety of the time. That defiant and distinctive style matched his personality on the pitch, that of a striker who played with character, took risks, and wasn’t afraid to go against the grain. Even today, his image remains etched as that of a footballer who, beyond goals, set an unmistakable trend.