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The 2001 FA Cup final was one of the main reasons Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or, but one Arsenal player was so good in that game he left Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard stunned.

Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 in 2001 FA Cup final

Liverpool won an iconic treble in the 2000-01 season, as they were crowned League Cup champions, won the UEFA Cup (renamed UEFA Europa League) and overcame Arsenal in the FA Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The victory over the Gunners is mainly remembered for the performance of Owen, who was crowned the best player in the world later that year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Michael Owen’s Ballon d’Or winning season

Liverpool and England

Appearances

55

Goals

31

Assists

8

Trophies

FA Cup, UEFA Cup, League Cup

The Gunners largely dominated the match however, mainly thanks to their midfield of Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Gilles Grimandi and Freddie Ljungberg. Ljungberg eventually broke the deadlock about 20 minutes from full time, and the legendary Thierry Henry even missed a chance to make it 2-0 shortly after, which he would soon come to regret.

With less than ten minutes to go, Owen pounced on a poor clearance to equalise. Five minutes later the comeback was complete, as the striker raced past Tony Adams and Lee Dixon before firing a brilliant finish beyond David Seaman.

Owen was unsurprisingly named Man of the Match, but Jamie Carragher has since revealed that such was Arsenal’s dominance, the performance of Vieira left a young Gerrard shocked, so much so he still talked about it for years afterwards.

Vieira was "as good as anything we have seen"

Speaking in 2014, Carragher namede Vieira in his XI of best foreign players in Premier League history, and revealed the Liverpool squad were stunned by how good he was at the Millennium Stadium.

Vieira made 405 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals and winning seven major trophies, including three Premier League titles.

Gerrard later confirmed his admiration for Gunners legend, saying ahead of their meeting as the managers of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively: “He’s a man I have a lot of admiration and respect for, first and foremost as a player.

Patrick Vieira in pictures

“I had many battles against Patrick, some highs, some lows. He was certainly a player you could really go and compete against. You could kick him, fight him, compete against him and he’d shake your hand after the game.

“He was a top, top footballer and one of the toughest battles I ever faced in terms of being a player, and I expect the same to be the case from the side. I know he’s a winner.”

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Posts ByCharlie Smith May 8, 2025

And the Liverpool star obviously learned a thing or two from their encounter in the final, as he actually boasts a positive head to head record in matches against Vieira, winning seven, drawing three and losing five.

There is no doubt that the pair were the heartbeat of their clubs and two of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.

West Ham United have made contact over a summer deal for an “incredible” £20m defender, who has now been identified as a key target, according to a report.

Important summer on the horizion for West Ham

West Ham are set to part ways with a number of long-serving players in the summer, with Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings all confirmed to be leaving upon the expiration of their contracts.

As such, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has insisted the Hammers will need to be busy in the summer transfer window, at which point Graham Potter will have the chance to bring in some players more suited to his style of play.

Potter is well-known for his possession-based style of play, which means it could be wise to bring in a new centre-back who is capable of playing out from the back, and the Irons have now made contact over a deal for a defender.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, West Ham United are now serious about signing Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and they have enquired about his potential availability this summer.

Harwood-Bellis has been identified as a key target for the Hammers, and an approach has now been made, with the Saints likely to lose the centre-back, who they originally signed for £20m.

Despite being a part of a struggling side this season, the 23-year-old has impressed West Ham’s scouts this season, and the Englishman’s age means his best years could still be ahead of him.

Harwood-Bellis could be "incredible" signing for West Ham

The 2024-25 campaign was far from ideal for the Saints, but there are some signs the centre-back could be a solid signing for the Irons this summer, having received high praise from Pep Guardiola in the past.

The Manchester City manager said: “I’m happy that he’s settling in the Premier League. He’s an incredible threat for Southampton from set pieces and a composer when they have the ball because the manager insists the way they have to play, they have to be close, to move differently.”

The England international’s attacking quality was also on display during his Three Lions debut, scoring on his debut in the 5-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland back in November.

Having impressed for both club and country at times last season, there are signs that Harwood-Bellis could flourish in a better side, so it is promising news that West Ham are stepping up their pursuit of the former Manchester City man.

With the Premier League title now wrapped up, alongside the relegated sides sinking without a trace, the only real point of drama in England’s elite division rests on the race to finish inside the top five positions.

Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all find themselves closely bunched together in the thrilling division heading into the final games of the season, with Sunday’s early kick-off between the Magpies and Enzo Maresca’s Blues a potential humdinger in terms of who clinches a coveted European spot.

Obviously, Eddie Howe’s men will be hoping Champions League football returns to St James’ Park over any other destination, knowing full well that landing targets such as Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo will be dependent on whether they’re able to make these European dreams a reality.

Newcastle's ongoing Mbeumo pursuit

Adding in Mbeumo would make Newcastle’s already frightening attack even more of a mouth-watering watch, but the Magpies aren’t alone in wanting the Bees’ star-man.

Recent reports suggest that Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all also keen on snapping up the entertaining forward, with this frenzied interest coming about off the back of Brentford allegedly being ready to listen to offers for their £60m-rated ace.

After all, Howe’s men know all about the 25-year-old’s exceptional firepower, considering he rifled home this stunning effort back in December versus the Toon.

Up to 18 league goals now for the season, he would undoubtedly boost Newcastle’s forward positions which already boast the likes of Alexander Isak.

But, St James’ Park might already be the home of a talent very similar to the in-demand Cameroonian, with many a shout forming now that this enthralling attacker should start in the crunch clash later today versus Chelsea.

Newcastle's own version of Mbeumo

Newcastle fans watching on will pray that their side are at their free-flowing best against the Blues, with only Liverpool and Manchester City scoring more this season in league action than the Magpies’ impressive 66-goal haul.

Isak has chipped in with a sizeable 23 of those strikes, but faces such as Anthony Gordon have also been a joy to watch in this regard, with nine goals and six assists from the ex-Everton man in league action enabling that goal total to steadily increase.

Further, adding Gordon back into the main XI for the tricky challenge of Chelsea could prove to be an inspired alteration when you realise he bagged this sweet strike versus the Blues just last season, away from impressing recently off the substitutes’ bench.

With Jacob Murphy suffering from a crisis in confidence as of late too – with just one weak effort registered against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out – Gordon could even be pushed out to the right flank for the Toon to replace the ex-Norwich City man, with the usually left-sided winger equally capable of making an impact here in what is Mbeumo’s preferred spot on the pitch.

Gordon’s FBref numbers over the last year vs Mbeumo’s

Stat – per 90 mins

Gordon

Mbeumo

Shots

2.27

2.00

Shot-creating actions

4.36

3.82

Attempted passes

37.60

34.60

Pass completion %

72.7%

66.4%

Progressive passes

3.88

3.68

Progressive carries

4.58

3.38

Successful take-ons

1.60

1.33

Touches in attacking penalty area

5.14

4.28

Progressive passes received

8.05

9.07

Stats by FBref

The table above further illuminates their similarities – as noted by FBref – as fast-paced attackers more content with peppering opposition goalkeepers than linking play up, but Gordon does amazingly better his £60m counterpart when taking in many of the numbers, despite Mbeumo being way ahead of the 24-year-old’s goal count.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Newcastle will splash the cash on attempting to land Mbeumo after all, knowing they already have their own “nightmare” – as Gordon once confidently labelled himself – attacker in a similar vein to the Bees star.

The former Toffees winger will hope he can live up to his own hype if he is handed a start versus Chelsea, with the Toon needing to be on their A-game from minute one to blow away Maresca’s challengers.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair May 8, 2025

Birmingham City are now keen on signing a £15k-per-week Premier League player to fuel next season’s promotion charge, according to a report.

Blues eyeing back-to-back promotions

Birmingham were always expected to return to the Championship this season, but they managed to do so in emphatic fashion, sealing the League One title by amassing 111 points, which is a new EFL record.

However, the third-tier title triumph is just the first step of the journey under the helm of chairman Tom Wagner, who has made it clear the Blues will not be resting on their laurels in the summer transfer window, saying: “We won’t rest until we’re at the very, very top – that’s the objective,”

“I can assure you that this summer we will be working harder than we did last summer.”

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The Blues are not messing around…

Posts ByTom Cunningham May 1, 2025

Jay Stansfield finished the season with 19 League One goals, but there are signs that a striker with more experience at Championship level could be brought in this summer, with Torino’s Che Adams believed to be of interest.

Not only that, but Birmingham are also looking to bolster their options at the opposite end of the pitch, with a report from EFL Analysis revealing they are now plotting a move for AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers.

The Blues are looking to assemble a squad capable of winning another promotion next season, and Travers is on their wishlist, with the goalkeeper unlikely to remain at the Vitality Stadium beyond the end of the season.

The 25-year-old joined Middlesbrough on loan in the January transfer window, where he seemingly caught the eye, with a number of other unnamed clubs said to be queuing up for his signature.

"Brilliant" Travers could be coup for Birmingham

The 6 foot 3 colossus has impressed Michael Carrick during his time at the Riverside Stadium, with reporter Craig Johms describing him as the “big positive” from Boro’s January transfer window.

Having impressed for a play-off-chasing Championship side in the second half of the campaign, there are clear signs the £15k-a-week goalkeeper could fit the bill for Birmingham, given that they have aspirations of a Premier League return.

Scott Parker was left impressed by the Irishman’s performances for Bournemouth in their promotion-winning 2021-22 campaign, saying: “It’s a sign of a top ‘keeper that in big moments makes big saves.

“Saves you think ‘wow he should not have saved that, he’s kept us in the game there’. Over the past three or four months, Travs is coming into the realms of making big saves at big moments and Saturday was a massive save. That’s not just Saturday. That’s happened over the course of it.

“I’m very pleased with Travs, he’s done brilliant, he’s developed brilliantly.”

Having also impressed at Premier League level prior to joining Middlesbrough on loan, Travers is exactly the calibre of player Birmingham need to sign to fuel their promotion push, and there is every indication he could be Chris Davies’ first-choice keeper on a long-term basis.

It’s fair to say West Bromwich Albion’s season hasn’t gone to plan in the Championship with Tony Mowbray axed after just 17 clashes back at the Hawthorns helm.

Losing the steady presence of Carlos Corberan abruptly has ultimately derailed the Baggies’ promotion push, leaving Mowbray with the tough task of picking up the pieces after the Spaniard walked away for a chance at Valencia.

Unfortunately, the 61-year-old would only pick up a meagre five victories from those 17 games, with the failed promotion chasers now after another new manager to freshen up the stale environment.

Marti Cifuentes has been the main name getting all the buzz, but the second-tier underperformers could now opt to appoint this left-field name instead of landing the Queens Park Rangers boss.

West Brom keen admirers of Cifuentes' alternative

Indeed, reports in recent days have suggested that talks have been held between the Baggies and the Hoops over a deal for Cifuentes, with West Brom clearly a fan of what the 42-year-old has managed to achieve to date at Loftus Road.

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But, he isn’t the only face being considered for the vacant job post, with journalist Darren Witcoop taking to X recently to confirm that the Championship side are also ‘admirers’ of current FC St. Pauli head coach Alexander Blessin.

Blessin took over the reins at the German giants from Fabian Hurzeler, with the 51-year-old perhaps following Hurzeler’s career path even more if he too takes the leap to relocate to England.

After all, when glancing at Blessin’s career achievements so far as a manager, he could actually be viewed as an upgrade on Cifuentes, meaning he might well become the main desired target if QPR aren’t willing to sanction a move.

Why Blessin could be an upgrade on Cifuentes

Before looking more in-depth at Blessin’s varied CV as a manager, there are a multitude of reasons as to why West Brom have cherry-picked Cifuentes as a candidate to replace Mowbray.

Last season saw the ex-Hammarby boss transform QPR’s fortunes on the pitch, with relegation looking nailed on at one point under the previous tenure of Gareth Ainsworth, only for Cifuentes to lift the once downtrodden Hoops all the way up to 18th and six points clear of the dreaded drop-zone.

But, the Spaniard has struggled at points this season to kick on, with a sobering 5-0 loss to an already promoted Burnley side more than kicking his side in the teeth last match.

Whilst Blessin has equally had to navigate choppy waters this campaign in the German top-flight (six points above the relegation zone), his overall resume as a manager to date does look slightly more impressive than his counterpart’s.

Most notably, the Stuttgart-born coach was an overwhelming success in Belgium with Royal Union Saint-Gilloise before the Bundesliga beckoned.

Blessin’s career record as a manager by club

Club

Games

Wins

Draws

Losses

FC St. Pauli

33

9

7

17

Union Saint-Gilloise

58

36

12

10

Genoa

33

11

12

10

KV Oostende

65

26

11

28

RB Leipzig (U17s/U19s)

87

56

6

25

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Away from some hiccups at his current employers, Blessin has largely been a success wherever he’s been managing all across Europe, with his celebrated 58-game stay at Union SG even seeing him lift the Belgian Cup.

Overall, the West Brom target has steered all of his teams to an impressive 138 victories from 276 career games. To add context, Cifuentes has a lesser 130 from a heftier 321 clashes.

With his expansive 3-5-2 set-up also potentially suiting the likes of wide man Tom Fellows, this might well be a match made in heaven if a move is signed off on, with the Baggies hopeful they can pick up their next Corberan-style figure shortly to put Mowbray’s dismal return firmly in the past.

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Posts ByDan Emery Apr 24, 2025

Rangers and the 49ers Enterprises could sell an Ibrox star for a huge profit after receiving enquiries, according to a new update.

Rangers preparing for Athletic Club second leg after Aberdeen draw

The Gers and Barry Ferguson are preparing to head to Spain to take on Athletic Club in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final this week. The first leg at Ibrox was a stalemate as 10-man Rangers held the La Liga side, with Liam Kelly saving a penalty late on.

It is all to play for on Thursday, and Ferguson’s side go into the game off the back of a 2-2 Scottish Premiership draw with Aberdeen, where they once again played large parts with 10 men.

Ross McCausland received two yellow cards in the first half at Pittodrie, however, second half goals from Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi ensured the points were shared.

Talking after the draw with Aberdeen, Ferguson said: “After going down to 10 men and 2-0 down, you’ve got to be pretty happy with coming back into the game and getting a point. [Character] is one thing I’ve tried to drill into them. They’ll dig deep for me. They never give in. They kept going until the end. But we don’t help ourselves.”

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Posts ByBrett Worthington Apr 14, 2025

Igamane starred over the weekend and looks set to play a big role for Rangers against Athletic Club, however, a worrying transfer update has emerged on the 22-year-old.

Rangers could sell Igamane for £20m as Marseille make serious move

According to a new transfer report from TEAMtalk, a number of clubs have been making enquires to sign Rangers star Igamane.

Ligue 1 side Marseille, under Roberto De Zerbi, have made ‘serious moves’ to sign Igamane, whereas Everton, Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen, Nice and Rennes, are also credited with an interest.

It is added that Rangers want £20m to sell the forward, a fee which would represent a 700% profit on the £2.5m they paid for Igamane last summer.

Igamane’s stats at Rangers

Games

41

Goals

15

Assists

3

Minutes played

2,373

The Morocco international has enjoyed a brilliant first season in Scotland, with five of his 18 goal contributions coming in the Europa League.

Back in December, Derek Ferguson, brother of Barry, hailed the attacker, saying: “Igamane is a real breath of fresh air, the young man. The manager said he was trying to get him up to speed, but in the last few games he has been nothing short of brilliant. He is off the cuff and he had three or four nutmegs this afternoon – and took his goal brilliantly. I don’t know if you remember Ted McMinn, but Igamane’s got that unpredictability.”

Manchester City are thought to have made an offer for a “crazy” young talent, also receiving a reply, according to a fresh transfer claim.

Man City's Champions League hopes boosted with win over Crystal Palace

There is no question that this has been a season to forget for Pep Guardiola’s side, following a meek defence of their Premier League title, with age catching up with certain players and injuries to key figures not helping, especially the ACL damage suffered by Rodri.

That’s not to say that the campaign is dead in the water, however, with an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Nottingham Forest on the horizon and Champions League qualification still more than possible in the league, with the top five getting a place in Europe’s top club competition.

On Saturday afternoon, Guardiola’s men secured an important and impressive 5-2 victory at home to Crystal Palace, having initially gone 2-0 down in the first half. That result, coupled with Forest losing 1-0 to Everton at the City Ground, means City are now only two points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-place team.

When the summer window arrives, the Citizens are expecting to bring in a host of new signings, in order to add some freshness to a squad that feels tired. While current stars will be required to be an instant hit at the Etihad, young players also need to be looked at, and an update has dropped regarding one talented starlet.

Man City table offer for "crazy" young player

According to The Star and reliable reporter Sheffield Wednesday reporter Joe Crann, Manchester City have seen an offer for Owls teenage attacker Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri turned down by the Championship club.

The 15-year-old is a top talent with a bright future in the game, with the Premier League champions seeing him as an exciting option to snap up. The bid in question is claimed to be a “seven-figure sum”, summing up his potential, however, it has been rejected.

Not many City fans will know much about Cadamarteri, which is understandable given his age, but he is a bright prospect who could develop further at the club’s elite academy that has spawned the likes of Phil Foden and Rico Lewis.

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He could be one of many to leave.

Posts 1 ByTom Cunningham Apr 13, 2025

The young Wednesday striker, dubbed “crazy” for his recent rapid rise, has won two caps for England’s Under-16s and his self-confidence is outlined by the social media post from him below, having scored five goals in the same game for the Owls at youth team level over the weekend:

For now, City will have to weigh up whether they should improve their offer for Cadamarteri or not, but the Owls have made it perfectly clear how much they value him by turning down a hefty bid in the first place.

Whilst there’s finally been a reported breakthrough in contract talks with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, rumours are now emerging that clubs in the Saudi Pro League are still interested in signing another Liverpool player.

Update on Salah and Van Dijk's Liverpool future

All season long, no matter how successful Arne Slot’s side have been, a contract cloud has threatened to rain down on their campaign. After a frustratingly long saga, however, it looks as though the Reds are finally set to tie both Van Dijk and Salah down to fresh Anfield deals, having reached a breakthrough at long last.

Whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pending departure to Real Madrid will undoubtedly deal Liverpool a major blow, it’s fair to say that things could have been so much worse. For far too long, the threat of losing the so-called big three without making any profit was certainly realistic until recent updates eased that concern around Anfield.

That said, Liverpool could still be in for a summer of change under Slot. They may sit top of the Premier League, but there’s no doubt that the Dutchman’s side have their weaknesses at both left-back and within their frontline – weaknesses which must be solved in the coming months.

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The Reds aren’t messing around…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Apr 10, 2025

Amid links to the likes of Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez and Newcastle United star Alexander Isak, the Reds will be among the sides to watch when the transfer window swings open – especially if Saudi still come calling for one particular player.

Saudi still eyeing Luis Diaz after Salah setback

Having been handed a consistent rejection by Salah and Van Dijk, clubs in the Saudi Pro League have seemingly shifted their focus towards another Anfield star. According to Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo, clubs in Saudi Arabia now have concrete interest in signing Luis Diaz this summer, whose Liverpool future is far from guaranteed amid a potential attacking overhaul.

As things stand, the 28-year-old has just two years left on his current deal which will see him hit 30 around the time of expiration. Given his inconsistencies at times this season and links to the likes of Isak, it remains up for debate whether Liverpool will hand Diaz a new deal or let him walk out the door this summer or when his current £55k-a-week contract expires.

Of course, when Diaz first arrived, he was seen as a player capable of replacing Sadio Mane and keeping Liverpool’s attack at a certain level. Former manager Jurgen Klopp even went as far as to describe him as “really really special”. Fast-forward three years, however, and injuries combined with inconsistency have created a frustrating spell at times.

As Slot goes in search of marking his stamp on his Liverpool side at long last, Diaz could yet find himself heading for the exit door.

If any side has it in them to gift bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers a much-needed Premier League win, it might well have been Ruben Amorim’s all too often charitable Manchester United outfit.

Indeed, heading into this Monday night clash at Molineux, the Red Devils had previously handed relegation-threatened West Ham United a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

However, the visitors from Manchester were far more ruthless on this occasion, as Wolves’ abject season shows no signs of stopping off the back of United running out convincing 4-1 winners.

Sitting on just two points, you likely could pick flaws all night long in the woeful home performance, with the die-hard Old Gold faithful clearly at their wits’ end with the ownership at their lowly club, having staged a fan protest before yet another defeat was tallied up.

What went wrong for Wolves on Monday

Championship football already looks destined to be returning to the West Midlands very soon, with the fresh appointment of Rob Edwards to replace Vitor Pereira doing very little to save the sinking ship.

Edwards just can’t account for some silly errors that plagued Wolves’ game all evening, though, with Andre in the first half – who has been on United’s transfer radar – dilly dallying on the ball for far too long, before Bruno Fernandes then scrappily gave the fortuitous away side a 1-0 lead. As journalist Liam Keen put it, the defending for this opening strike was ” totally shambolic.”

The likes of Yersen Mosquera in the heart of the ropey Wolves defence didn’t fare any better, either, with the shaky number 15 handing Fernandes his second of the one-sided affair late on, after a handball decision went against him for the penalty.

Mason Mount also had all the time in the world to put away United’s third when both Mosquera and Emmanuel Agbadou left him in acres of space to fire home, with the abysmal defending on show typical of a side that has surrendered a seriously worrying 33 goals already this season.

All over the pitch, there were very few positives to latch onto, with a lacklustre attacker now needing to be dropped by Edwards, after he put in another no-show against the rampant Red Devils.

Wolves flop must now be dropped after Man Utd

Apart from Jean Ricner Bellegarde scoring Wolves’ first league goal since October, there would be little to smile about from an attacking point of view at Molineux for the hosts, especially when it came to Jorgen Strand Larsen’s idle showing.

Long gone now are the days when Larsen was being tipped for a £50m switch to Newcastle United after bagging 14 league strikes during his debut season, with the out-of-sorts Norwegian instead now on the receiving end of some sarcastic cheers when he was substituted off after an uneventful 69-minute spell against Amorim’s men.

As per the aforementioned Keen, Larsen even had to be calmed down by his manager after looking “furious” with the jeers directed at him.

But, when looking at the table below, it’s hardly a shock that the hardened Molineux masses decided to voice their frustrations in such a gallows humour way, with the goal-shy number 29 coming off after registering zero shots and just five accurate passes.

Larsen’s performance in numbers

Stat

Larsen

Minutes played

69

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

19

Shots

0

Accurate passes

5/9 (56%)

Total duels won

2/12

Stats by Sofascore

Moreover, Larsen only mustering up a sorry 19 touches of the ball in total means even Johnstone in between the sticks for the relegation-doomed side had more touches of the ball, coming in at a far heftier 42.

The Newcastle-linked striker’s notable drop off has impacted the Old Gold so much this season that former Premier League scout Mick Brown, when speaking to Football Insider earlier in the campaign, stated that his presence up top now makes the basement outfit a “worse side.”

This is a far cry from analyst Ben Mattinson’s previous comments that he was a “proper number 9” when scoring goals for fun, meaning Edwards must seriously consider axing him soon, even as his other striker option in Tolu Arokodare, prepares to head to the African Cup of Nations.

Desperate times could call for desperate measures, with Hwang Hee-Chan perhaps the answer in from the cold up top, considering he does have 23 top-flight goals for the Old Gold, one of which came this season, lining up as the sole centre-forward.

Whatever changes do occur, Wolves need to start doing the basics correctly if they stand any chance of turning around their likely insurmountable points gap, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher stating that they have “no fight” at the moment.

Larsen could fall victim to Edwards shuffling his pack, with Wolves surely left with plenty of regret now that they handed the out-of-form number nine a new, bumper five-year deal in September, instead of cashing in.

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Rob Edwards’ side need inspiration from somewhere.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini 6 days ago

The international break is something of a blessing and a curse for Arsenal.

On the one hand, it gives the club respite from their current injury crisis, but on the other, they have to wait two weeks to make amends for the draw away to Sunderland.

However, even though they saw their lead cut on Sunday evening, Mikel Arteta’s side are in a great spot in the Premier League.

Moreover, despite injuries, the side is full to bursting with talent, including one player who’s starting to look like another Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The latest on Lewis-Skelly's future at Arsenal

It would be fair to say that, aside from their run in the Champions League, last season was something of a disappointment for Arsenal.

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However, there were at least a couple of positives to come from it, such as the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

The latter was more of a surprise to most, and yet over the course of the campaign, he became a far more significant part of the side, effectively becoming Arteta’s first-choice left-back.

In fact, by the end of the season, the 19-year-old had made 39 first-team appearances, totalling 2306 minutes, and even made his full debut for England, during which he scored.

However, so far this season has been a totally different story for the youngster, as while he has still made 12 appearances, only four of those have been starts, and overall, he has played just 463 minutes of action.

During the last international break, Thomas Tuchel said that this lack of game time could result in him not picking the Islington-born ace.

Unfortunately, that’s what’s happened this international break.

Lewis-Skelly’s Arsenal record

Season

24/25

25/26

Appearances

39

12

Starts

26

4

Minutes

2306′

463′

Goals

1

0

Assists

2

3

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Unsurprisingly, this has led to reports that other Premier League clubs are now interested in signing the youngster in the winter transfer window.

However, the same reports make it clear that Arteta and Co are keen to keep the Hale Ender at the club, and that they expect him to play more minutes as the season progresses.

With that said, if Arsenal do decide to cash in, they do have another youngster in the side who is showing shades of Lewis-Skelly in his game.

Arsenal's new Lewis-Skelly

Even though Riccardo Calafiori and Pieiro Hincapie are his competition at left-back, the Arsenal player who is showing shades of Lewis-Skelly in his game this season is Cristhian Mosquera.

Now, that might sound like a leap to begin with, but “similarly to Lewis-Skelly,” per analyst Ben Mattinson, the Spaniard has shown an immense level of “physical maturity for his age.”

More than that, though, the 21-year-old has also shown a remarkable mental maturity, which was on full display when he came on and played almost the whole game away to Liverpool, and then started the club’s opening Champions League game against Athletic Bilbao.

While he may have been described as a “monster” by Gunners insider Hand of Arsenal, where most young defenders would need their hand held by a senior teammate or go crashing into ridiculous challenges, the former Valencia gem is thoughtful about when he goes in for a tackle or block.

However, that’s not to say he is adverse to the more physical side of the game, as, just like Lewis-Skelly, he is someone who “loves to battle with physical attackers,” according to Mattinson.

Moreover, while most fans and pundits alike expected the exciting youngster to play a minor role this season, the Valencia-born titan is following in the Hale Ender’s footsteps from last season and playing a far more significant role than most predicted.

For example, he has already made 12 appearances, five of which have been starts, totalling 597 minutes.

Finally, like the Englishman, he is not solely limited to playing a single position, as in addition to playing at centre-back, he can do a job at right-back.

Ultimately, there are some differences between them, but in terms of mentality, raw ability, and attitude, there are plenty of similarities between Mosquera and Lewis-Skelly.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 12, 2025