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Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to make a splash in the January transfer market and could sign a Premier League ace who loves playing against the Old Gold.

Wolves’ defensive and attacking problems Edwards needs to fix

The task facing new Wolves manager Rob Edwards is a big one after his return to Molineux involved club chiefs paying Middlesbrough around £3m in compensation.

Edwards, a former Old Gold defender, will need to shore up the Wolves defence, with no other Premier League side conceding more than Wolves so far after 11 games (25).

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Edwards’ new side have also struggled to finish chances.

Still without a win and on two points from a possible 33, Wolves have scored just seven league goals, again a division low, and have failed to find the net in six of their 11 top-flight fixtures.

Fosun are looking to back Edwards in the January transfer market, and it appears as if Wolves are eyeing a new goalkeeper to rival both Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone.

Wolves and Edwards keen to sign "aggressive" £90,000-p/w Premier League flop

He’s cost £1m for every appearance made so far.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 14, 2025

A loan-to-buy bid for Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas is thought to be in the pipeline, whereas an offer is also in for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia.

Wolves eyeing move to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil

Now, according to reports from Football Insider, Wolves are also looking to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil when the winter market opens.

It is suggested that both loan and permanent offers will be explored for the Toffees ace, whereas Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is another target for Edwards and Wolves chiefs.

McNeil made the move to Everton from Burnley for £20m back in 2022, and during his Premier League career, has enjoyed playing against Wolves for both the Clarets and the Toffees.

Games

12

Wins

5

Draws

4

Losses

3

Goals

1

Assists

6

The left-footed winger has registered multiple assists against the Old Gold, and his ability from set pieces even saw him compared to Arsenal star Declan Rice by pundit Chris Sutton.

However, McNeil has fallen out of favour on Merseyside under David Moyes this season following the arrival of Jack Grealish, playing just 51 minutes of Premier League football in 2025/26.

Therefore, a move to the Midlands could make sense for all involved, and by the looks of things, it will be one to watch over the coming months.

£55m spent & Hackney signs: Dream Wolves XI Edwards can build in January

Aston Villa are now plotting a £18m bid for a “tremendous” defender, who is also being targeted by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez a big fan.

Villa keen on strengthening despite resurgent form

Villa have made major improvements over the past month or so, having won six of their last seven matches in the Premier League, which has propelled them to fourth in the table, and Unai Emery has been impressed by his side’s recent performances.

After the 2-1 victory away at Leeds United last time out, the manager said: “The second half (was) better, but overall, 90 minutes, I am so happy how we competed. Even the first half, we didn’t play brilliant, but we were always trying to set our gameplan on the field, and progressively we did it.”

The Villans went 1-0 down at Elland Road, with Martinez receiving criticism for his goalkeeping in the build-up to Lukas Nmecha’s opening goal.

However, a second-half Morgan Rogers brace turned the game on its head, with the goalkeeper’s blushes being spared, and Aston Villa have now joined the race for one of the Argentinian’s international teammates.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Villa are now plotting a €20m (£18m) opening offer for River Plate defender Lautaro Rivero, having tracked the centre-back for months, and Martinez has provided positive feedback on his compatriot.

The Villans believe the 33-year-old’s personal relationship with the River Plate star could give them the edge in the race for his signature, despite rival interest from Man City and Tottenham.

Although the Argentinian has a €100m (£88m) release clause in his contract, River Plate would be willing to sanction a departure for considerably less, and there is a belief he could make an instant impact at Villa Park.

"Tremendous" Rivero has earned big Premier League move

Hailed as “tremendous” by journalist Juan Patricio Balbi, the 22-year-old may now be ready to test himself in England, having performed very well over the past year, placing in the 93rd percentile for tackles per 90, compared to other centre-backs, courtesy of averaging 2.27.

Aston Villa make Emiliano Martinez sale decision amid Unai Emery comments

There has been a key update on Martinez’s future, following the goalkeeper pushing for a move during the summer.

ByDominic Lund Nov 19, 2025

Villa are arguably well-stocked at centre-back, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa forming a reliable partnership as of late, but Tyrone Mings has been unable to put his injury problems behind him, and is potentially in the latter stages of his career at 32-years-old.

Tyrone Mings’ injury record

Games missed

12/08/23 – 30/10/24

70

Remainder of 2024/25

7

2025-26

17

As such, Emery could do with bringing in a younger centre-back, and having recently received his first cap for Argentina, Rivero could be capable of pushing for a starting spot.

It would have been easy to miss amid all of the excitement generated during arguably the most dramatic international break of all time – but some very big transfer news broke earlier this week. According to the very reliable David Ornstein, Antoine Semenyo has a £65 million ($85m) release clause in his Bournemouth contract that can be triggered during the first two weeks of the winter window.

Given the Ghana international is arguably one of the most exciting wingers operating in Europe right now, the revelation has unsurprisingly sparked widespread speculation over Semenyo's immediate future, with the presumption being that a January move away from the Vitality Stadium is now inevitable.

The 25-year-old won't be short on offers, that's for sure. Indeed, Semenyo has been linked with every member of the Premier League's 'Big Six'. But which club would actually suit him best: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United or Tottenham? GOAL ranks Semenyo's options:

Getty6Chelsea

Chelsea love nothing better than signing wingers, so one can be sure that the decision-makers at Stamford Bridge have at least discussed signing Semenyo – particularly as he's available at such an attractive price. However, even accounting for the Blues' wild approach to squad-building, it's difficult to envisage them bringing in another wideman in January unless one leaves – and that appears highly unlikely as it stands.

Jamie Gittens may be struggling at Stamford Bridge but he only joined during the summer – just like fellow left winger Alejandro Garnacho, who has been showing signs of life in recent weeks. As for the right-wing options, Pedro Neto remains one of Enzo Maresca's more productive players, while Estevao is unquestionably a superstar-in-the-making – as he illustrated with his performances for Brazil during the international break.

Basically, Chelsea have no need for Semenyo, who would be wise to avoid getting caught up in the revolving-door approach to recruitment in west London. 

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport5Manchester United

Manchester United reportedly offered Bournemouth £50m for Semenyo last January  – and it was easy to understand why. As a strong, pacey, hard-running, two-footed attacker, he looked an ideal fit for one of the inside-forward positions in Ruben Amorim's precious 3-4-2-1 formation.

Semenyo still does, in fairness, but after getting a deal done for Matheus Cunha shortly after the summer transfer window opened, United also eventually managed to persuade Brentford to part company with Bryan Mbeumo, who's been one of their better players so far this season.

Of course, all three are multi-talented footballers capable of playing pretty much anywhere across the frontline, so Amorim could, at least in theory, move Cunha into the central striking role (where he's been used by Brazil) to make room for Semenyo. After all, it's not as if Benjamin Sesko is looking like the answer to United's long-running search for a world-class No.9.

However, times are tight at Old Trafford (though maybe not as tight as Sir Jim Ratcliffe likes to make out), meaning United are unlikely to spend a significant sum of money on a position that doesn't necessarily need strengthening.

Getty Images Sport4Arsenal

Who wouldn't want to play for Arsenal right now? The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League and have won all four of the games in the Champions League. Semenyo would probably jump at the chance to move to north London, too, given he's an Arsenal fan and even had a trial with the club as a teenager.

However, it would arguably be a case of the heart ruling the head, because, at 25 years of age, Semenyo wants to be playing first-team football for a top team – and there's no guarantee of regular game time at the Emirates these days.

Mikel Arteta is in possession of arguably the strongest squad in England and that's partly down to the fact that Arsenal brought in two more attackers during the summer in Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze. Arsenal have been reportedly tracking Semenyo for some time – he even scored against the Gunners last season – but they're hardly lacking in options on the left wing, while Bukayo Saka remains a certain starter on the right.

So, while this is definitely the most romantic option for Semenyo, it doesn't actually make much sense from a purely sporting perspective. 

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Getty Images Sport3Tottenham

Just like United, Spurs were heavily linked with Semenyo during the summer. And just like United, they ended looking elsewhere after he extended his contract with Bournemouth until 2030. 

However, while Mohammed Kudus was a smart signing for the right-hand side, Spurs are still lacking a penetrative force down the left flank because Netherlands attacking midfielder Xavi Simons is better suited to a central role and if anyone thinks that Richarlison is the answer, they've not understood the question. It would, thus, be a massive surprise if Spurs are not seriously considering at least speaking with Semenyo and his representatives to establish the full cost of any potential deal.

Of course, Spurs will be acutely aware that a buy-out close doesn't make a transfer a formality. They thought they had a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White wrapped up during the summer, only for Nottingham Forest to dig their heels in and convince the England international to sign a new deal at the City Ground.

However, Bournemouth have been very open about the fact that they will not stand in Semenyo's way if he wants to join a Champions League club, meaning a January exit is now looking very likely indeed. Whether Arsenal fan Semenyo would really want to join Spurs is a different story altogether, though – particularly as there will almost certainly be other, more exciting options available to him…

Ahead of the start of the second half of the baseball season, the Pittsburgh Pirates are set to trade veteran infielder Adam Frazier to the Kansas City Royals, according to a report from Robert Murray of

In return, the Pirates are receiving 28-year-old middle infielder Cam Devanney, who has been playing for Triple-A Omaha in Kansas City's organization. It's a one-for-one trade.

The 33-year-old Frazier was in his second stint with the Pirates, after beginning his career in Pittsburgh. He is batting .255 this season with three home runs, 21 RBI and seven stolen bases in 235 at-bats. Frazier, of course, played for the Royals a season ago, so it's a reunion between Kansas City and the longtime infielder.

Frazier hit just .202 last season in Kansas City, which was his only season with the team.

Chelsea have now entered negotiations over a deal to sign a rapid new centre-back, and an opening offer is set to be made within weeks.

Blues looking to sign new centre-back despite Cahill comments

With Levi Colwill suffering an ACL injury back in August, the Blues’ offer centre-back options have had to step up to the plate this season, and Gary Cahill has been very impressed with their performances, so much so that he believes his former club don’t need to sign a new defender.

Cahill said: “There has been a lot of noise around this for a long time, but I think the lads that are there are doing a very good job of proving that they don’t need to add to this position,”

“I’ve been very impressed with Wesley Fofana since he’s come back. Touch wood that he stays fit.

“Trevoh Chalobah: look at the job he’s been doing – he’s a bit of an unsung hero. Trevoh is probably the most underappreciated player at Chelsea.

However, while a senior centre-back may not be required, BlueCo are always keen to bring in exciting up-and-coming prospects, and they have now entered negotiations over a deal for Gremio defender Luis Eduardo.

That is according to a report from AS (via Sport Witness), which states Chelsea have now entered talks to sign Eduardo, alongside Premier League rivals Manchester United, with opening offers set to be made in the coming weeks.

The Blues are now trying to ‘accelerate’ their pursuit of the centre-back, given that scouts have been left impressed with his performances, with the 17-year-old well-known for his pace, having reached 38 km/h for Gremio earlier this year.

The speedster has a €60m (£53m) release clause included in his contract with the Brazilian club, although it is unclear whether BlueCo would be willing to shell out such a big fee on a very young player.

Chelsea now ready to trigger £44m release clause for "unstoppable" striker

The Blues are looking to sign a new centre-forward, who has been in fantastic form so far this season.

ByDominic Lund Nov 30, 2025 Luis Eduardo impressing at youth level

The teenager is yet to establish himself as a regular starter for Gremio, having made just one appearance for the senior team, but he has put in some eye-catching performances for both club and country at youth level.

Despite being a centre-back, the Corrente-born ace managed to score two goals in seven appearances for Gremio U20s in 2025, while he has also netted three goals in 13 appearances for Brazil U17s.

Eduardo could be one for the future, but Cahill is correct in his assessment that Chelsea don’t need to worry about bringing in a new centre-back anytime soon, given Chalobah’s recent form, most recently netting the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca also has Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile at his disposal as back-up options, and with Colwill still to return, the manager is well-stocked at centre-back.

In an instant blow for new manager Vitor Matos, “top clubs” are now reportedly making moves in an attempt to sign Swansea City’s Harlan Perry, who has been the academy’s Player of the Year for four consecutive seasons.

It’s the last thing that Matos needs, with the pressure on to arrive and turn things around in Wales. As things stand, the Jacks sit 20th and only four points above the Championship’s dropzone with the manager’s debut against Derby County up next.

Upon arriving, the former Liverpool coach shared how optimistic he is that Swansea can turn their season around – telling the club’s website: “Swansea, for me, have always had a style. Something that distinguished the club from all the others.

“Somehow we have got a bit far away from what is the DNA of the club. So it will take steps, it will take a bit of time, but I really believe we can take steps in the right direction.

“For that, we will need everyone, the whole club, all the fans and us all to have the same vision. That’s what I want. I see the fans are still behind and pushing the team, we will need them and I see players who want to change the momentum and we need to find the right idea and the right vision to do it.

“That’s the most important thing. It is clear we need to win games and points, but we need to focus on the process and I really believe if we can play to our best then the more chances we will have to win. That’s the direction we need to have.”

It’s a DNA built from the first-team to the academy, but one that Swansea’s best young player may yet miss as contract concerns continue to emerge.

"Top clubs" now moving to sign Harlan Perry

As reported by Rudy Galetti, “top clubs” are now moving to sign Perry from Swansea in what would be a free deal. The 17-year-old has been the academy’s Player of the Year in the last four seasons, but is yet to sign a professional contract – opening the door for a potential exit.

Vitor Matos decides to take Swansea City job as release clause cost revealed

A major boost for the Swans.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 20, 2025

The midfielder turns 18 this week – it’s then that clubs will be able to offer him a long-term contract to deal those in Wales a major blow.

Whilst Matos’ first priority should of course be turning results around, he must also ensure that Swansea keep hold of players with impressive potential like Perry, even if it means selling for a larger profit at a later date.

Instant blow for Matos as "one of Swansea's key players" could now leave

Neymar has revealed why he was "sad and very upset" despite his goalscoring display in Santos' crucial 3-1 win over Sport Recife. The build-up to the game had been dominated by whether or not the 33-year-old would play amid an issue with his knee. The former Barcelona star bagged a goal and an assist but after the match, he took a swipe at the media.

Neymar to the rescue for Santos

Despite a knee issue keeping him out of Santos' 1-1 draw with Internacional earlier this week, Neymar played through the pain in his side's vital victory on Friday night. The former Paris Saint-Germain ace, who has reportedly been advised to undergo an arthroscopy in order to repair a tear in the meniscus region of his left knee, received a standing ovation from his home fans as the Brazilian giants earned an important three points. The result took them up to 15th in the table, giving them a two-point cushion above the relegation zone, although 17th-placed Vitoria and 18th-positioned Fortaleza have a game in hand. While many celebrated the victory, Neymar was not best pleased.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'It was a joint decision'

The former Al-Hilal man appeared to take aim at how his injury has been reported in the press. The forward made it clear that he made the decision to play for Santos after being advised by the club's doctors, rather than defying them. 

"To be honest, it's not okay! People need to know that doctors and I know. These are the people who have to know what happened to make the right decisions. We will never harm my career, we will try to do the best for me. That's what I have to say. People invent many things. I'm sad! Very upset," he said in an interview with Sportv. "I am a human being and no being deserves to listen to the nonsense I heard. You, who report things, have to be very careful. It is very harmful to the mind of a player, who is a human being. I'm happy for today's game. For the goal, for Santos' victory. Seek the three points. About these decisions (to play or not), they are internal. I didn't go over the doctors, it was a joint decision. I was the one who had to take it."

Neymar optimistic about his injury

Neymar, who has had an injury-hit second stint at boyhood team Santos, was optimistic about his conditioning going into the final games of the season. It did not seem like he would sit out the rest of the campaign, with the veteran very much determined to keep Santos in the Brazilian top-flight. 

He added: "Physically I've been doing well, I'm feeling better and better, obviously with this injury now it's sad, it's annoying, but it's nothing that will stop me from doing something, that's why I keep playing. Now it's time to think about Santos and where Santos deserves to be, which is Serie A, and then we'll see what they do. We have been facing a very big difficulty in the fight against relegation, obviously we didn't want that, but now we depend on us. Obviously we know that goal difference is important, that's why I was always demanding the team to try to score goals, respecting the Sport team, but we really wanted this victory, we wanted a bigger balance, because we know that in the end it will be important. Now we have to keep going from here for the better."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Neymar's Santos?

Santos' final two games of the Brasileiro Serie A season involve a trip to 19th-placed Juventude, who are set to be relegated, on Wednesday, before hosting third-placed Cruzeiro four days later. 

When asked if he would be on the field in Santos' next match, Neymar replied: "Absolutely."

Indeed, Santos manager Juan Pablo previously said on the Brazilian icon: "He's a player we need for all three rounds, and he'll help us. He's our leader on the field. He'll be there."

Are Celtic poised to appoint a new manager?

According to widespread reports, Celtic have been given permission to speak to Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy, talks that have taken place over the weekend.

The Frenchman has won both MLS Cup and Leagues Cup in charge of the Black and Gold, very much now the front-runner to take over the reins from Martin O’Neill.

Should Nancy swap Ohio for Glasgow, he would have a big job on his hands to put together a cohesive team, considering the Celts’ current injury crisis and poorly constructed squad.

So, which player is in danger of becoming the new Luis Palma following an underwhelming start to their career in hoops?

Why Luis Palma failed at Celtic

Few players have made such a bright start to their Celtic career only to disappear into oblivion quite as quickly as Palma.

After arriving from Aris Thessaloniki in August 2023, the Honduran made an electrifying start to his time in Glasgow.

He scored four goals in his first eight Premiership appearances, bagging ten goals across his first season all told, including netting against both Atlético Madrid and Feyenoord in home Champions League matches, as well as heartbreakingly seeing a last-gasp winner against Lazio disallowed by VAR too.

However, last season, Palma very much found himself no longer in Brendan Rodgers’ plan, seeing a miserly 267 minutes of action before being loaned out to Olympiacos for the second half of the campaign.

After scoring just one goal in 12 appearances for the Greek giants, he joined Lech Poznań on loan this summer, and is seemingly loving life in Poland.

To date, Palma has scored six goals for the Railwayman, on target against both Rapid Wien and Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League, producing this rather iconic celebration after netting against Widzew Łódź during a 2-1 Ekstraklasa victory at Stadion Poznań in September.

Lech, who have won two of the last four Polish titles, have a €4m (around £3.5m) option to buy Palma at the end of the season, but this would shatter their current transfer record of €2.3m, paid to sign Yannick Agnero from Halmstad earlier this year.

Nevertheless, after a promising start to his Celtic career, Palma appears to have no future at Parkhead, but who could become the latest exciting attacking signing to depart as quickly as they arrived?

Celtic's next Luis Palma

Having left themselves woefully short in attacking areas, Celtic rather went on a trolley dash towards the end of the transfer window.

Benjamin Nygren, who joined back in June, has looked excellent so far, while both Sebastian Tounekti and Kelechi Iheanacho have shown promising signs, but the same cannot be said of Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

The winger had been on Celtic’s radar for a long time, his move to Glasgow delayed by 12 months due to injury, belatedly arriving from Royal Antwerp for a reported fee of £5m.

However, so far, the 24-year-old has not justified that price tag, as the table below documents.

Minutes

317

22nd

Appearances

12

14th

Goals

0

16th

Assists

2

5th

Big chances created

1

15th

Key passes per 90

0.4

13th

As the table highlights, Balikwisha has made very little impact so far, yet to score for the Celts, while registering two assists, these coming against Motherwell and Partick Thistle.

Of his 12 appearances, only two have come from the start, included in the lineup for his first two Premiership matches against Rangers and Kilmarnock, thereby not starting a game since 14 September.

Upon his arrival, then-manager Rodgers labelled him a “really talented, exciting player” who “loves to attack and can play both sides”, while scout António Mango was also impressed by his form at Antwerp, describing him as a “terrific talent”, albeit Celtic supporters have seen very little of this to date.

As well as changing clubs recently, Balikwisha has made a big decision regarding his international future, switching his allegiance from Belgium to DR Congo, a request approved by FIFA earlier this month.

He was thereby included in Sébastien Desabre’s squad for the first time ahead of this month’s fixtures, an unused substitute as the Leopards beat Cameroon 1-0 in their World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday night.

This means, alongside Tounekti of Tunisia, Balikwisha is set to be absent for Celtic during the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning he has seven matches in which to kick-start his career at Parkhead before that tournament commences in Morocco.

However, should Nancy arrive, this may be bad news considering that, across all 136 matches in charge of Columbus Crew, the Frenchman always deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation, a shape that does not contain any wingers, which is exactly what Balikwisha was signed to be.

Thus, similar to Palma, there is clearly a talented player in there, albeit the early signs are, despite a sizable transfer fee, Balikwisha is not going to fulfil his potential at Celtic.

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ByBen Gray Nov 13, 2025

The search for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ new manager goes on.

The Old Gold sacked Vitor Pereira last week after picking up just two points all season, as they look to salvage the campaign and avoid relegation to the Championship.

There have been a few names bandied about when it comes to who could replace Pereira in the hot seat at Molineux.

Former manager Gary O’Neill, who was only sacked last December, came under consideration, but pulled out of the race. There are also suggestions that Erik ten Hag and Michael Carrick are two options for the club.

However, a new contender has emerged in recent hours.

The latest manager to be linked with Wolves

It was clear that Wolves needed to bring in a new manager, with Pereira struggling to get the best out of his squad.

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However, his replacement is something they must get spot on, as they look to get their first win of the season.

Well, according to Football FanCast sources, the higher-ups at Molineux have sounded out a move for former Benfica boss Rui Vitoria.

The West Midlands outfit is said to be a job that the 55-year-old would be open to taking over.

Vitoria has not been out of a job long, having managed Panathinaikos most recently, who sacked him in September.

Why Vitoria would be a good appointment for Wolves

It is perhaps a bit of a red flag for Wolves fans that Pereira has struggled in his last three jobs. The Portuguese manager, who hails from just outside of Lisbon, has had three jobs in the last four years.

One of those was as head coach of the Egyptian national team. He coached them in 18 games and was sacked after crashing out of AFCON at the round of 16 stage. The role before that was at Spartak Moscow, where he lasted 26 games, and his latest job at Panathinaikos saw him manage 43 matches.

Yet, the 55-year-old has seen success at previous clubs. Said to favour an attacking 4-3-3 formation, his best spell came as Benfica boss, where he won four major honours. That included back-to-back Portuguese top-flight titles in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 campaigns.

One man who thought highly of Vitoria’s reign was Pep Guardiola, who said his team was “worthy of Arrigo Sacchi,” the legendary former AC Milan manager.

The pair met in the Champions League when Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich, and although Benfica were knocked out 3-2 on aggregate, Vitoria clearly left a strong impression.

Indeed, his record at Benfica was certainly impressive. He took charge of 183 games for the club and had an excellent win rate of 68%. That saw him lead his side to victory on 125 occasions.

Vitoria record as Benfica manager

Stat

Number

Games

183

Wins

125

Draws

27

Losses

31

Win rate

68%

Goals for

388

Goals against

161

Stats from Transfermarkt

It is easy to draw comparisons between the potential new Wolves boss and one of their best from the FOSUN era, Nuno Espirito Santo.

Now at West Ham United, the ex-Old Gold manager took charge of 199 games at Molineux and was a huge success story.

Nuno was adored by the Wolves faithful. Not only did he guide them back to the Premier League in 2017/18, but he even led them to the Europa League. He certainly brought happier times to Molineux during his time there.

Like Vitoria, the former Wolves manager learnt his craft in his native Portugal. He began at Rio Ave, and then managed FC Porto, with a spell at Valencia in between, before moving to Molineux and starting his dynasty.

Well, via a few more clubs, that is a similar route to what Vitoria will be taking if he gets the job at Molineux. Making a name for themselves in Portugal is something the two managers have in common, and Vitoria will be hoping he can earn the same level of adoration Nuno got at Wolves.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 5, 2025

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.

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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.

Lewis-Skelly’s game v Chelsea

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

All Stats via Sofascore

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.

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Posts ByMatt Dawson Dec 1, 2025