All posts by z3u9t.icu

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.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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.

Appearances

39

12

Starts

26

4

Minutes

2306′

463′

Goals

1

0

Assists

2

3

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.

After Dowman: Hale End has given Arsenal a future star who's "like Vieira"

The incredible prospect could be another Max Dowman-style star for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 12, 2025

Celtic are in the process of finding their long-term successor to former head coach Brendan Rodgers, who resigned from the role last month after a 3-1 loss to Hearts.

The Northern Irish manager returned to Parkhead in the summer of 2023, replacing Ange Postecoglou in the dugout, and won the Scottish Premiership title in both of his full seasons in charge.

Celtic are now looking for a manager to come in and build on that success in the months and seasons to come, and Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy appears to be closing in on the job.

The latest on Wilfried Nancy to Celtic

According to Sky Sports, the Premiership champions have been granted permission by Columbus Crew to hold discussions with the French tactician this weekend.

The report claims that Nancy is open to making the move from the MLS to Scotland to replace Rodgers in the dugout, after the 2025 MLS came to an end for his side this month.

It adds that the Hoops want to have a new manager in place for their league clash with St Mirren next weekend, and that they will need to discuss compensation with Columbus Crew if they agree terms with Nancy.

If the French boss does take over the job in the coming days, one player who could benefit from his arrival at Parkhead is central midfielder Arne Engels.

Why Arne Engels could explode under Wilfried Nancy

Just as Matt O’Riley did when Rodgers took over from Postecoglou, Engels could explode with the change in manager from Rodgers to Nancy this season.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Belgian star could be O’Riley 2.0 with the potential that he has to be an exciting attacking force as one of the two number 10s behind the striker in his 3-4-2-1 system.

Appearances

38

37

Goals

3

18

Minutes per goal

843

181

Big chances created

16

14

Key passes per game

2.2

2.5

Assists

12

13

As you can see in the table above, the Denmark international, who now plays for Marseille, scored 15 more goals and provided one more assist in the league under Rodgers than he did under Postecoglou.

Engels could benefit in a similar way with this change in manager, as he has mainly played as a central midfielder in a 4-3-3 system for Rodgers, but he could play further forward under Nancy.

The Belgium international, whose set-piece delivery was hailed as “world-class” by Rodgers, produced nine goals and six assists in the Scottish Premiership last season, but has only managed one goal and one assist in ten games this term, with both of those goal contributions coming against Kilmarnock for Martin O’Neill.

Engels has created four ‘big chances’ in four appearances in the Europa League this season, being rewarded with one assist, per Sofascore, which is a testament to his technical and creative quality.

The midfield star is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, over a year on from his £11m move from Augsburg, which suggests that the Hoops need to find a way to get more out of him, to ensure that their £11m investment does not turn out to be a poor one.

Playing further up the pitch, as a number ten, as part of Nancy’s preferred tactical set-up would put him in more positions to show off his brilliant technical ability, rather than often being too far from goal as a central midfielder or as a number six under Rodgers.

Celtic now "granted permission" to take biggest step yet in push to hire Wilfried Nancy

The Bhoys are set to make their move…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 15, 2025

Therefore, the Columbus Crew tactician could help Engels to explode and follow in O’Riley’s footsteps if Celtic hire him and he goes through with the 3-4-2-1 system used in the MLS.

Manchester United could sell Kobbie Mainoo to Chelsea in order to fund a move for an exciting new midfielder in 2026.

Man United squad in need of new signings

The Red Devils are preparing to face Bournemouth on Monday amid several availability concerns for Ruben Amorim.

Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain absent for the Cherries’ trip to Old Trafford, but striker Benjamin Sesko could feature after a foot injury.

There remain doubts over whether Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo can feature before jetting off to the Africa Cup of Nations, but Amorim is hopeful United can cope without them.

Mason Mount is among those the Portuguese is sure to lean on, especially after putting in a man-of-the-match display at Molineux on Monday.

“He’s a very, very smart player,” Amorim said. “He’s really technical because sometimes to be a technical player is not just having fun with the ball – it’s the quality of the pass, the reception, how to receive the ball. In these things he’s really smart.

“He can balance our team quite well so he’s a very good player.”

INEOS want to strengthen the manager’s squad in the upcoming transfer windows while maintaing financial stability, and are now eyeing one of the Premier League’s rising stars.

Mainoo sale set to fund move for Wharton

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider he’s heard United are lining up a one in, one out swap of two England internationals.

The Guardian have also confirmed United’s interest in Wharton, alongside Liverpool and Real Madrid, with Crystal Palace set to demand “more than £80m”.

Wharton’s camp have made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football, with agent James Featherstone telling talkSPORT last week: “We’ve got a plan. It doesn’t have to be achieved right at this moment.

“He’s got his in-game and in-season goals, so he’s got to do his bit, and the rest will take care of itself in a very structured and calm way to ultimately maximise his talent.”

Man Utd can replace Amad & Mbeumo by signing "best winger in the country"

Manchester United have the opportunity to soften the blow of Amad Diallo & Bryan Mbeumo’s absence.

ByEthan Lamb 2 days ago

Celtic suffered another damaging defeat in the Scottish Premiership against Heart of Midlothian and Chris Sutton didn’t hold back when assessing their performance at Tynecastle.

Celtic fall eight points behind in Scottish Premiership title race

Continuing a run of poor domestic performances, Celtic endured a second-half collapse in Sunday’s pivotal top-two clash to slip eight points behind Heart of Midlothian in the title race.

After falling behind courtesy of a Dane Murray own goal, Callum McGregor’s equaliser proved to be of scant consolation to a travelling support who were left frustrated as Alexandros Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland put the seal on a deserved three points for the hosts.

Brendan Rodgers found himself under pressure before kick-off in the capital, and his side succumbed to a second-half collapse that will do little to appease the masses as the Bhoys continued an uncharacteristic start to the campaign, where they have looked out of sorts.

Cameron Carter-Vickers led a lengthy list of Celtic injuries that didn’t help their case at Tynecastle. However, his replacement, Murray, didn’t have a day to remember and may well now be a candidate to come out of the team before Wednesday’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead.

Ultimately, Hearts sought control in the second 45 minutes and left the reigning champions with no answers, confirming back-to-back league defeats for the first time in almost two years.

Consistency levels at Celtic are usually sky high. Nevertheless, this term has been one of stark contrast, and fan fury at the hierarchy following a dismal summer transfer window will continue to make headlines.

Celtic’s next five fixtures under Brendan Rodgers

Falkirk (H)

Scottish Premiership

Rangers (N)

Premier Sports Cup

Midtjylland (A)

Europa League

Kilmarnock (H)

Scottish Premiership

St Mirren (A)

Scottish Premiership

Collectively, the Bhoys are falling way below expectation at the moment, and Sutton has now pointed out some of the key duties he believes they are simply failing to carry out.

Chris Sutton reacts to Celtic loss at Hearts

Taking to social media platform X after the final whistle, Sutton made clear that Hearts were far more streetwise, organised, and were far more productive in the forward areas, something he believes has been symptomatic of the clubs’ respective seasons.

The former Hoops striker believes that the team need to improve in those three aspects if they want to turn their season around to beat Hearts to the league title.

Making reference to the Irishman’s comments last week after Celtic fell to the hands of Dundee, all is not well at the Scottish champions and being eight points behind at this stage would’ve been unthinkable months ago, though Hearts have taken full advantage of their plight.

Undoubtedly, Derek McInnes and his side were all things that the Bhoys failed to produce at Tynecastle and have continued to generate momentum in an unbeaten start to the league season.

Rodgers could unearth his new Daizen Maeda in Celtic's rarely-seen "animal"

With Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Ịheanachọ injured for Sunday’s top of the table clash with Hearts, Brendan Rodgers should unleash Celtic’s “animal”.

Oct 25, 2025

Celtic need to react swiftly against Falkirk and start to chalk up results on a regular basis. If they don’t, scrutiny on the manager and the boardroom will reach new heights.

It would be fair to say that, on paper anyway, last week was Arsenal’s toughest so far this season.

Therefore, Mikel Arteta’s side should be pretty happy with seven points from nine in games against Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

However, while the North Londoners were exceptional in the first two encounters, they were uncharacteristically poor away to the Blues, and that has understandably taken the shine off somewhat.

Moreover, while there were underwhelming performances across the pitch for Arsenal, one player in particular was really disappointing and currently looks miles off what fans saw last season.

Arsenal's underwhelming starters vs Chelsea

Starting at the back, and while he has arguably been one of Arsenal’s players of the season so far this year, Ricarrdo Calafiori looked way off the pace on Sunday evening.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Aside from a well-timed last-man tackle on Estevao in the first ten minutes, the Italian looked far shakier defensively than he has all year, losing two of the three tackles he made and getting a silly yellow card when he lost Reece James.

It wasn’t much better going forward either, as the former Bologna man failed to deliver a single cross for the attackers to get onto, and was understandably hooked at the interval.

Things didn’t go much better for Eberechi Eze, as following his hat-trick last weekend and assist against Bayern, the former Crystal Palace star was utterly ineffective at Stamford Bridge.

In fact, while it sounds harsh, it would be a fair assessment to describe him as anonymous on Sunday, as was Gabriel Martinelli, whose most significant contribution was a shot from outside the penalty area in the first half.

Finally, while they were not terrible, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie were clear downgrades on the Gunners’ usual partnership.

Moreover, on top of being less defensively solid, it was clear that they were less confident starting together, which massively impacted the team’s build-up.

With all that said, there was another Arsenal star on Sunday who looked way off the pace, and unfortunately has done all season.

The Arsenal star who has taken a step back

Unfortunately for Arteta, the poor performances on Sunday evening were not limited to the starters, as Myles Lewis-Skelly’s cameo off the bench was one to forget.

The Hale Ender was sent on to replace Calafiori after the Italian picked up his silly yellow card, but just nine minutes into the second half, he got one himself.

That moment sort of summarised the teenager’s display, as while there were a few moments of quality, like a run through the middle of the pitch towards the end, he largely struggled.

He offered little going forward and looked less than secure defensively and in possession, so much so that there were more than a few occasions when you could see Rice getting frustrated with him, notably when under no pressure at all, the youngster played the ball straight to a Chelsea player on the left-hand side of the pitch.

Unsurprisingly, the watching press were not hugely impressed with the youngster, with Arsenal writer Charles Watts awarding him just a 5/10 match rating at full-time.

Minutes

45′

Expected Assists

0.01

Interceptions

1

Ground Duels (Won)

4 (2)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (0)

Fouls

1

Key Passes

0

Dribbles

0

Shots

0

That might sound harsh, but his statistics justify it; in his 45 minutes, the 19-year-old produced an expected assists figure of just 0.02, lost 50% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels, didn’t play a single key pass or cross and committed one foul.

The worrying thing is that Sunday was not the full-back’s first poor performance of the season, as he also looked the weakest of the club’s starters against Bayern.

With that said, it would be unfair to blame this entirely on the youngster, club insider Hand of Arsenal, dubbed a “future captain,” as he’s just not been given enough game time.

One of the things that allowed him to play as well as he did last year was that Arteta picked him time and time again, in turn building his sharpness and understanding of the team’s rhythm.

Therefore, while it’s true that Lewis-Skelly has taken a step back this season, fans shouldn’t worry too much, as more games on the horizon should give him more opportunities to play and rebuild that sharpness.

Arteta must drop 4/10 Arsenal star who lost every single duel vs Chelsea

Arsenal were not at their free-flowing best as they drew with Chelsea.

ByMatt Dawson Dec 1, 2025

Long gone are the days when Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah would tear the Premier League to shreds at Liverpool.

Staggeringly, from 197 games together at Anfield, the long-feared trio would combine for a devastating 338 goals, with Virgil Van Dijk once describing them together in action as a “scary” prospect to defend against.

Now, it’s very much a work in progress in attack for Arne Slot’s men, with both Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz remaining goalless in Premier League action since joining.

On top of that, fellow summer recruit Hugo Ekitike has largely blown hot and cold on Merseyside, with no league strikes next to his name from his last five clashes.

Last summer also saw a lot of change in attack in outgoings, with the wasteful Darwin Nunez finally put out of his Anfield misery. But, away from the heavily scapegoated South American, the Reds also waved goodbye to loyal servant Luis Diaz, who is now excelling at Bayern Munich, to Liverpool’s ongoing distaste.

Diaz's electric form at Bayern

Next to the memorable frustrations regularly served up by Nunez, Diaz’s starring role at Liverpool when he was still there could be viewed as slipping under the radar, somewhat.

Yet, Diaz was still labelled as a “very special” talent at Anfield by Jurgen Klopp for good reason, with the one-time Premier League title winner collecting a standout 41 goals and 23 assists from 148 appearances at Anfield.

Before he was moved on to the Bundesliga, he also chipped in with his most fruitful top-flight season in England, tallying up 13 goals.

That same clinical edge has clearly followed him to Bavaria, with Diaz already up to a bumper 11 goals and five assists in his new shade of red from just 17 clashes.

Worryingly, Isak, Wirtz, and Ekitike only have 11 goal contributions between them back in England, with the Colombian winger proving to be a stroke of genius signing for Vincent Kompany’s men at the £65.5m range.

To add insult to injury, all three of those Liverpool underperformers mentioned cost far more to obtain, with the 28-year-old already being hailed as a star who “delivers week in, week out” by his new manager.

Thankfully, Slot and Co could be brewing a homegrown iteration of their former attacker.

Liverpool's homegrown Luis Diaz

One of Diaz’s strong points when still situated at Anfield was his ability to line up all along the forward positions, with the malleable Colombian managing to bag eight strikes from 16 appearances as an out-and-out centre-forward, away from regularly completing his duties as a left winger.

The Reds have plenty of exciting young stars in their academy right now, chiefly fellow winger Rio Ngumoha but he’s not the focus this time around.

Indeed, another teenager by the name of Keyrol Figueroa is now beginning to make a strong impression on the youth staff.

Like Diaz, he has interchanged between wing and striker duties for Liverpool U21s this season effortlessly, with his “instinctive” nature in front of goal – as it was described by Liverpool academy reporter Lewis Bower – also seeing him score goals and pick up assists aplenty.

CF

20

8 + 3

RW

6

3 + 2

LW

2

1 + 0

RM

1

0

While he has predominantly found most of his joy on youth pitches comes from leading the line, with a clinical eight goals powered home from 20 games in that role, Figueroa has also not looked out of place whatsoever on either flank, much like Diaz in his Anfield prime. To put those numbers into perspective, it’s more goals than Ngumoha has bagged at the same level, having beaten the goalkeeper on just two occasions in nine U21 fixtures.

He will also want to give a disappointing Isak a run for his money down the line, with a deadly hat-trick bagged against Everton U21s last month no doubt making him an even more popular figure in youth circles in the red half of Merseyside, away from being an adaptable figure.

It would be wild to throw Figueroa into the first team imminently, considering he is just 19 years of age and is only used to the comforts of youth football.

But, if he continues as he is now, it will surely only be a matter of time before he is unleashed, having also been described as a “ruthless” finisher of chances by his U21 boss in Rob Page.

Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp also hailed Diaz as having a similarly impressive “eye for goal” during his Liverpool playing days, as Slot and Co now hope Figueroa can be as lively in the first team picture as the Colombian down the line.

New Trent: Liverpool star is "one of the most underrated players in England"

Slot could find a shrewd solution to Liverpool’s problems in this talent.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 17, 2025

After his public spat with Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly ready to accelerate their move to sign Ademola Lookman in 2026.

It comes as no surprise that those in North London have identified an attacking target. Thomas Frank’s side have lacked conviction at times this season, with their striker problem recently made worse by Randal Kolo Muani’s injury. Despite initial news indicating that his injury is not serious, reports are now claiming that the Frenchman has suffered a fractured jaw.

The injury comes at a frustrating time for the forward, who is yet to score a goal for Tottenham in a difficult run of form. Even in the middle of that form, however, Frank could do with having Kolo Muani available.

With Dominic Solanke still sidelined, the Dane has just Richarlison and academy graduate Dane Scarlett to call on against Arsenal in his first official North London derby in charge of Tottenham.

It’s an attacking problem that Spurs know they must address and club chiefs have already reportedly set their sights on Rodrygo to do exactly that. The Real Madrid star has an uncertain future in Spain after falling out of favour under Xabi Alonso and Spurs are reportedly willing to spend as much as £70m to secure his signature as a result.

There’s no doubt that the Brazilian would be a statement signing as one of the best wingers in the world, but he may not be the only one that the Lilywhites pursue in 2026.

In an attacking overhaul, those in North London have also set their sights on Lookman and are reportedly ready to step things up in the race for his arrival.

Tottenham ready to accelerate Lookman move

As reported by TuttoJuve, Tottenham are now ready to accelerate their move to sign Lookman in 2026 with the talented forward desperate to move on from the Italian club.

Spurs must sell £22m dud who's one of "the worst players at a big six club"

Tottenham need to make some changes in 2026.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 10, 2025

The former Fulham ace was denied a move away in the summer, despite handing in a transfer request, and has since fallen out with manager Juric and removed Atalanta from his Twitter bio. Ever since he was denied a summer switch, an exit has simply looked inevitable.

As the saga continues, it’s Spurs who are attempting to take full advantage to welcome the Nigerian back to the Premier League. Although the Lilywhites won’t be the only club in the race, the fact that Lookman is represented by the same agency as Mohammed Kudus could provide them with an unexpected advantage in any negotiations.

It’s certainly a transfer race that would be worth winning, too. Before their recent disagreement, Juric went as far as to describe Lookman as “spectacular” and there’s little doubt that he’s still Atalanta’s most important player.

Forget Spence: Frank has a future superstar who can end Porro's Spurs career

Manchester United’s topsy-turvy campaign continued on Monday night but fortunately, it was all smiles in the end as they demolished a dreadful Wolves side 4-1 at Molineux.

Bruno Fernandes was in supreme form, scoring twice and registering an assist but he wasn’t the only player on the away side who stood out.

Bryan Mbeumo ended his run of games without finding the net while Mason Mount continued his impressive form as one of the leading men in Amorim’s attack.

Amorim speaks out after Wolves win

There has been a lot of debate surrounding the position of Fernandes this season. The club captain is an attacking midfielder by trade but has been used as a deeper-lying figure under Ruben Amorim.

That said, he’s still impacting things and arguably had one of his finest games under the young Portuguese manager to date when they travelled to Wolverhampton.

Speaking after the game, Amorim was delighted with the performance, although he was critical of the opening 45 minutes.

He told the press: “I think, once again, after we scored a goal we were a little bit sloppy on the ball and that gave a little bit of hope to the opponent.”

Amorim continued: “But, we created a lot of chances in the first half also. We should have finished that half in a different way and then at half-time they understood that we have everything to win the game, to win three points. And they did that.

“I think the pace, the quality that we showed in the second half, understanding that the moment of Wolves is really hard as a team, as a club, so we took advantage of that.”

Mount receives the acclaim from Amorim

This has been a season of rejuvenation for Mount whose time at Old Trafford has been a difficult one to date, largely due to injury.

However, after scoring against Wolves, it means the England international has now scored three goals in his last seven outings for United. Not jaw-dropping numbers sure, but it’s a return to some sort of prominence for a man who’s been on the periphery for so long.

Amorim was seemingly ecstatic with Mount post-game, telling reporters: “He can defend, he can attack, the quality when he touches the ball is really good, so it’s not a surprise for me,” Amorim said.

The manager continued: “He’s a different type of leader. It’s not like Licha (Lisandro Martinez), for example. It’s a guy that leads by example.”

Amorim concluded by summarising how the former Chelsea man is around the training ground: “It doesn’t matter the situation, Mason Mount is always the same thing – training, talking, dealing with people around Carrington. That is not easy, so he’s a very, very good player.”

While Mount has played as a striker on the odd occasion this term, he featured in an attacking midfield role with Matheus Cunha leading the line instead against Wolves. It seemed to work a treat for United on Monday evening.

100% pass success & 100% duels won: Man Utd star is as undroppable as Bruno

Manchester United have unearthed another star after yesterday’s win over Wolves at Molineux.

ByEthan Lamb 3 days ago