Peter Della Penna

WCL Division Four hosts Malaysia avenged a thumping defeat 11 months ago at Division Three, with a dramatic last over run-out to clinch a nine-run win over Uganda at the Kinrara Oval. However, the finish was shrouded in controversy, with Uganda questioning the validity of the run-out, as Suhan Alagaratnam’s underarm throw from cover never actually hit the stumps at the striker’s end. Video evidence viewed afterward by ESPNcricinfo supported their claim.Chasing 209, Uganda needed 16 off 24 balls with two wickets in hand. But Malaysia’s spinners built up the pressure with a tight infield ring that cut off runs. It resulted in Bilal Hassan forcing a pull off a good length ball from Muhammad Syahadat, and dragging it onto his stumps for 10.With 10 needed off the final over, and the set Deusdedit Muhumuza off strike, Henry Ssenyondo nudged a good length ball from left-arm spinner Virandeep Singh into the covers. Alagaratnam swooped in and threw underarm into the ground, the ball bouncing five times before skidding toward the stumps. However, video replays showed that the ball never deviated after crossing the stumps, and instead carried on along its path towards fine leg, whereas a natural deflection off the stumps should have taken it to midwicket.Square-leg umpire Isaac Oyieko of Kenya upheld Malaysia’s appeal and ruled Muhumuza out, prompting the batsman to hurl his bat across the pitch. The implication from the video replay is that Malaysia’s wicketkeeper Shafiq Sharif may have inadvertently knocked a bail off when making contact with the stumps. Sharif was credited for the run-out by the official scorers, though he never came in contact with the ball, further clouding the picture.The ending marred what was a thrilling chase that Uganda arguably gave away with some poor shots on a flat surface. Man-of-the-Match Syahadat struck the telling blow, when he pinned Fred Achelam, playing around his pads for 36, ending a 54-run stand with Muhumuza. Syahadat then burrowed through the tail, ending with figures of 4 for 21.Earlier, Alagaratnam and Ahmed Faiz had set up Malaysia for a defendable total with a pair of half-centuries, after Malaysia chose to bat under clear skies.

West Ham United and Manchester City have quite an extensive history with one another, facing off 120 times in the years since their initial meeting on St George's Day 1924. Football FanCast has everything you need to know as the two teams prepare to meet again in the Premier League.

While it's still early in the new season, the four games played by both sides can give us some insight into their form going into the game and how they might approach it.

To nobody's surprise, the visitors have started the season off like a house on fire, claiming all 12 points on offer before the international break and doing so without breaking a sweat. So far, they have scored 11 league goals and conceded just two, making them the clear favourites going into the game on Saturday.

That said, the Hammers have also started their league campaign with some brilliant performances and equally brilliant results. In fact, David Moyes' men are currently unbeaten after their first four games and occupy fourth spot in the table, level on points with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal.

Whilst there might have been an element of good fortune with their win over Brighton & Hove Albion – they took less than half as many shots and finished the game with 22% possession – their wins against Chelsea and Luton Town were both thoroughly convincing and suggest that the Hammers could well be the real deal this year.

However, for as good as the East Londoners have looked so far, Pep Guardiola's side are European Champions for a reason, and so they will be going into this game as firm favourites, especially with their Norwegian goal machine already finding the back of the net at an inhuman consistency.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their head-to-head record?

West Ham and City have faced off against one another fairly regularly since their initial meeting 99 years ago. Their 120 games mean that they have averaged 1.2 matches a year since that first meeting.

Despite the reasonably even nature of this fixture for the first 80 years of its existence – with periods of dominance for either side – the last decade-plus has, unsurprisingly, come to be dominated by the incredibly wealthy Man City.

In total, the Sky Blues have come away victors from this game on 63 occasions, whereas the Hammers have only been able to beat their Northern opponents 37 times and claim a single point 19 times.

City's sheer dominance can be seen in the fact that they have only lost two games against the Irons in their last 20 meetings in all competitions.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their Premier League record?

Well, with everything we just explained about the recent nature of this fixture, it should come as no surprise to anyone that City has well and truly dominated in the Premier League era.

In total, the Cityzens have won 27 of their 44 league clashes since the league's creation – a 61.3% win rate. West Ham, on the other hand, have claimed all three points on just nine occasions – with the last time coming back in 2015, pre-Guardiola.

The points have been shared eight times, with the most recent draw coming just last year.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their record at West Ham?

This might actually come as a surprise to some, given their overall record, but when they're playing host, it's West Ham that have come out with all three points more often than not.

In the 58 games held in East London over the years, the Hammers have come away as victors on 25 occasions, giving them a pretty respectable win rate of 43.1%.

City, on the other hand, have won just 20 games in the East End.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their record at Man City?

West Ham's home record might've made for pleasant reading for their fans, but their record in Manchester certainly doesn't. In fact, when the teams clash in the northwest, it's hardly even a competition.

In total, Man City have won 41 of the 59 games held in the city, giving them an outlandishly good win rate of 69.4%.

For their part, the Irons have managed to leave Manchester as winners just 12 times – 20.3% – and with a share of the spoils six times – 10.1%.

West Ham vs Man City: Which team has the most goals?

Well, the answer to this probably shouldn't surprise people, considering how this fixture has gone over the years. Yes, Man City have scored more goals than their East London opponents over the years.

Although, with City winning almost twice as many games as the Hammers, the fact that they have scored just 59 more goals than them is actually somewhat surprising.

In all, the treble winners have scored 214 goals in 120 games – giving them a ratio of 1.7 goals per game – whereas the Hammers have scored 155 goals – giving them a ratio of 1.2 goals per game.

West Ham vs Man City: What happened in last season's fixtures?

City and West Ham played their 119th and 120th games against one another last season, meeting only in the Premier League. Unfortunately for Moyes' men, both games were one-sided affairs won with relative ease by Guardiola's side as they chased down a third successive Premier League title.

Their first meeting in the league came in the opening weekend and saw Erling Haaland open his City account with a goal in both halves to hand the defending champions all three points.

The reverse fixture came in May and saw Haaland joined on the scoresheet by Nathan Ake and Phil Foden as the hosts ran away 3-0 winners – despite West Ham going in level at the break.

West Ham vs Man City: What is West Ham's biggest win?

West Ham registered their biggest win over the blue half of Manchester twice in the same year. In the 1962/63 season, the Hammers beat City 6-1 home and away in the old First Division.

The first instance came in September when the East Londoners travelled to Maine Road and came away with maximum points thanks to a brace from Malcolm Musgrove and goals from Johnny Byrne, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, and Tony Scott.

The reverse fixture at Upton Park went just as well, with braces coming from Hurst and Alan Sealey, whilst Ronnie Boyce and Peter Brabrook added another two goals to West Ham's tally.

West Ham vs Man City: What is Man City's biggest win?

Man City's biggest win over the Hammers came in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final in January 2014, when they put six goals past Adrian in the Iron's goal to no return.

Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo scored a hat-trick that day, whilst Edin Dzeko scored a brace, and Yaya Toure rounded off the scoring with one of his own. City would beat the Hammers 3-0 at Upton Park in the second leg to well and truly demolish their opponents.

City would beat Sunderland 3-1 in the final to claim the trophy.

West Ham vs Man City: What are the recent results?

The last five games between these two sides have seen 12 goals scored – including one penalty and one own goal – and a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw in the League Cup. Unsurprisingly, City have come away the more successful side.

Still, with just three wins out of five, an argument could be made that they have slightly underperformed, given their utter dominance of English football in that period.

West Ham can take some encouragement from the 2-2 draw last May and their League Cup win going into the game this weekend.

West Ham vs Man City: When is it?

West Ham host Man City on Saturday 16th September at 3pm British Summer Time. Whilst this fixture hasn't traditionally been one with high stakes in the Premier League or one that has even been all that competitive following City's takeover in 2008, the teams' positions in the table and recent form have given this upcoming game some much-needed jeopardy.

Both teams will be going into the contest with high morale and their own goals in mind.

City will want to continue their dominant start to the season and keep their winning run going for as long as possible, especially after Arsenal managed to find a last-minute winner against Manchester United just before the international break.

On the other hand, West Ham will want to keep adding points to their tally early on in the season to avoid another relegation scrap come the new year. And with how his new signings are performing, we wouldn't put it past Moyes being able to use the positive atmosphere at the London Stadium to pull what would be the surprise of the weekend and come away with a point, if not more.

Overall, this should be an exhilarating game to watch on Saturday, with a lot on the line for both sides and a stadium that should be rocking before a ball is even kicked.

Australia’s new Test captain said that talk of changing the team’s on-field approach had started when Steven Smith was still in charge

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2018Australia will tone down their sledging under new Test captain Tim Paine as the team try to repair their damaged reputation following the ball-tampering controversy in South Africa which led to three players being handed significant bans.Paine was named the new Test captain when Steven Smith was suspended for the final Test in Johannesburg and Smith was subsequently handed a 12-month ban along with David Warner while Cameron Bancroft was given a nine-month penalty.Paine’s first proper chance to build a new-look side, both in terms of personnel and style, will come against Pakistan later this year but he is already thinking about the direction he wants to take the team. Cricket Australia have instigated a culture review following the recent events, but discussions about toning down on-field behaviour which had brought significant criticism before the Cape Town controversy had started when Smith was in charge.”I think there’s always a time and a place to talk to your opposition, but I think what’s said and how it’s said will be very different going forward,” Paine said. “A lot of this stuff we were actually starting to speak about under Steve already. A lot of the players had their head around the fact we needed to change the way we play. Some of those conversations were already being had.”I’m really looking forward to playing that role and winning back the trust and respect of our fans and the Australian public first and foremost. That’s a really exciting thing for our playing group.”Dean Elgar, who was part of the South Africa side throughout the series, admitted it was an odd atmosphere during the final Test of the series as a flat Australia were crushed by 492 runs and he hoped that Paine would be able to put his stamp on the captaincy.”Joburg was very strange, my first encounter against Australia that I wasn’t told my future,” Elgar said. “But saying that it’s part of the game, they’d been through so much leading up to the game, and it was sad to see what they were going through. No side needs to go through what they experienced, and knowing the characters in that changing room, I’m sure they can bounce back”I’d like to believe that’s the way they want to play their cricket, and if that’s their challenge that they have to deal with then we’ve got to respect what their new captain wants. I know Tim, I’ve played a lot of cricket against him, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to try to implement those kind of phases that they need to start off a new slate.”Another part of the fallout to the affair was Darren Lehmann stepping down as coach. Justin Langer has been tipped as favourite to take over but Cricket Australia have said the process will be started following a forthcoming board meeting. There will also be the need for new one-day and T20 captains in time for the tours of England and Zimbabwe which start in June with Paine only taking on the Test role.”We’ll have a new coach going forward, we’re going to have some time off where guys can take stock and think about the way they want to play,” Paine said. “Certainly, playing international cricket you’ve got to be as competitive as you can be. But we’ve got to look at different ways of doing that and more respectful ways of putting opposition teams under the pump.”Part of what we spoke about a lot is playing on skill, not emotion. I think in the last couple of years at times we’ve been a touch too emotional and got carried away on that side of the game. That’s a small thing we can improve on.”Paine also said he has kept in contact with Smith since he was banned and will continue to do so during his time out of the side.”I have a role to play of winning the back the trust and faith of our fans and the Australian public. I have spoken to him on the phone and via text. He’s someone who I certainly will be speaking quite closely to on how we go about it and keeping him in the loop. All three of them are going through a tough time and our thoughts are with those guys and we would love them back in the team.”However, in the longer term Paine believed the Australian game could recover from the controversy without lasting damage as he looked ahead to a home season that would include visits by India and Sri Lanka.”I don’t think it’s as disastrous as it’s been made out,” he said. “We’ve had this incident which has brought everything to a head. During the Ashes there wasn’t a lot said about our culture and looking back it’s just a few little things we can tweak and do a little bit better as a team.”If we do that then I think the Australian public will jump back on board pretty quickly. That’s one of our main aims for this coming summer.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O treinador interino do Palmeiras, Andrey Lopes, concedeu uma entrevista coletiva após a derrota, por dois a zero, para o Fortaleza e explicou a escalação inicial da equipe, que contava com cinco meio-campistas e nenhum ponta:

– A estratégia inicial era criar uma situação pelo meio. O Rogério trabalha com lateral e ponta abertos, então tentei criar superioridade numérica pelo meio. Sobre a entrada do Wesley e Veron, se era pra buscar o resultado ou porque não deu certo, as duas coisas são as mesmas. A gente perdeu o primeiro tempo por 2 a 0 e eu tive que mudar a estratégia inicial. Acrescentei eles pelo lado de campo pra dobrar com os laterais e foi isso. A estratégia, assim como ano passado, quando fiquei como interino, foi uma estratégia diferente, como contra o Goiás, quando fiquei sem um centroavante, povoando mais o meio… era essa a estratégia que deu pra montar.

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Vanderlei Luxemburgo. O nome de Miguel Ángel Ramírez é a prioridade da alta cúpula alviverde e o espanhol foi convencido pelo projeto apresentado pelo diretor de futebol Anderson Barros. Sendo assim, há a expectativa de um acerto já nesta semana.

O maior campeão nacional entra em campo novamente na próxima quarta-feira (21) às 21h30 (horário de Brasília), enfrentando o Tigre, no Allianz Parque, pela última rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores.

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has recently entered talks regarding a new long-term contract, and a reliable journalist has now revealed the time frame in which it’s likely to be signed.

How old is Alexander-Arnold and how many matches has he played?

Alexander-Arnold is now 24 years of age and has been at the club ever since his childhood days having graduated from the academy in 2016 to become a regular feature of the first-team, where he’s so far made a total of 277 senior appearances to date.

The England international has recently been rewarded for his service by being named vice-captain by Jurgen Klopp, and his leadership qualities alongside his high standard of performances have seen him attracting interest from high-profile clubs overseas.

According to 90min, Barcelona and Real Madrid are admirers of the right-back, and it’s this outside attention that has forced FSG into taking the necessary steps to secure his long-term future on Merseyside which is exactly what they have done.

Football Insider have claimed that the two parties have reached an agreement in principle for their homegrown talent to extend his stay in the Premier League, and a club correspondent has now delivered an update as to when supporters could see the deal getting finalised.

Is Trent Alexander-Arnold signing a new contract at Liverpool?

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside’s Daily Briefing, Liverpool reporter Neil Jones confirmed that Liverpool are aiming to announce Alexander-Arnold's new contract by the end of December. He said:

“I would expect Liverpool to get Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation sorted by the end of the year. He is into the final two years of his current deal, and there is absolutely no doubting his importance to Liverpool’s long-term plans.

“I don’t expect any hiccups in negotiations. Alexander-Arnold wants to stay and Liverpool want to keep him. There will be a lot of clubs hoping something goes wrong, but I don’t see it. Trent’s future lies at Anfield.”

How many assists does Alexander-Arnold have?

During his 277 senior appearances for Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold has posted 89 goal contributions (73 assists and 16 goals), showing how much he loves using his pace to burst down the flank, dribble past his marker and create chances for himself and his teammates in the final third.

The PLG client, who already earns £180k-per-week, has carried that impressive form into this season as he’s so far whipped a total of 16 crosses into the opposition’s box, which is the third-highest total throughout the squad, behind Andrew Robertson who is top on 38 and Dominik Szoboszlai in second on 17, via FBRef.

Klopp’s “genius”, as hailed by Jones himself, has also played a huge part in the club’s success over the years having helped to secure seven trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League, so Alexander-Arnold signing an improved deal would be nothing less than he deserves.

أعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم يويفا، عن رجل مباراة اليوم بين منتخبي إسبانيا وكرواتيا في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

وفاز منتخب إسبانيا على نظيره كرواتيا بنتيجة 3/0 ،في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات بكأس أمم أوروبا، على الملعب الأولمبي بمدينة برلين. (لمتابعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وبهذا الفوز، يعتلي منتخب إسبانيا صدارة ترتيب المجموعة الثانية برصيد 3 نقاط، بينما يتواجد المنتخب الكرواتي في المركز الأخير دون نقاط.

وحسبما أعلن عبر الموقع الرسمي لـ الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم يويفا، حصل لاعب منتخب إسبانيا، فابيان رويز، على لقب رجل مباراة اليوم ضد كرواتيا.

وتمكن رويز من تسجيل هدف إسبانيا الثاني في مرمى الضيوف بطريقة رائعة، وقدم اللاعب ذاته التمريرة الحاسمة في الهدف الأول لمنتخب لاروخا، للمهاجم ألفارو موراتا.

وحصل رويز على تقييم 8.8/10 في مباراة اليوم أمام كرواتيا، بحسب ما جاء في شبكة “فوت موب”.

Virdi, a 19-year-old offspinner, claimed Hashim Amla and James Vince in one over as Surrey pressed for victory at The Oval

Paul Edwards at Kia Oval22-Apr-20182:57

Defending champions Essex off the mark

ScorecardOn the first day of this game few things looked as unlikely as a declaration. Yet at 2.51pm on the third afternoon Surrey skipper Rory Burns beckoned Matt Dunn back to the pavilion thereby setting Hampshire 472 to win in something like 140 overs. Burns’ decision was prompted by the dismissal of 20-year-old Ollie Pope, whose 145 might have been the spectators’ chief memory of this day had not Amar Virdi, an even younger Surrey cricketer, complemented his achievement.As Pope walked off the Oval outfield he was given a warm ovation and the applause punctuated the sirenned air. By the close, however, Surrey supporters were also acclaiming Virdi, a 19-year-old offspinner from Chiswick, who had trapped both Hashim Amla and James Vince leg before in his fourth over. Those wickets have done much to ensure the likelihood of a Surrey victory; Hampshire were 116 for 4 when bad light trimmed 9.1 overs off the day. Moreover, Virdi’s success was engagingly celebrated by a joyous bowler who plainly respected the stature of his victims. Instead of crude send-offs, there was boyish delight. Thank you.There was nothing terribly fortuitous about the spinner’s success: Virdi bowls with a brave loop, a high arm and he spins the ball. The delivery which dismissed Amla kept low but that which removed Vince turned appreciably. The significance of the wickets was increased by the fact that both Hampshire batsmen were playing well. Vince, as ever, had produced cover drives to placate his sternest angels; Amla was settling in for the long haul and had already hit Virdi over mid-on, albeit not by much. But the spinner trusted his gifts and his gifts did not betray him. His wickets completed a fine Sunday for Surrey supporters whose team contains seven Academy graduates.Yet as early as the first session one did not need to look very hard to see the beauties of this London morning and Surrey’s batsmen enjoyed themselves on a pitch whose venoms had been drawn by three warm days. No one relished the conditions more than Pope, who reached his second first-class century just before lunch with a cover drive off Chris Wood, a bowler he had earlier cut backward of square and straight-driven to the boundary.Had they desired, members sitting on the top tier of the Oval’s mighty pavilion could have considered the city’s many traps for tourists or the sleeping palaces of profit which lie just outside this most urban of grounds. But most preferred to watch Pope moving confidently onto the front foot as he took the measure of Hampshire’s attack. Before long the sight of him scoring hundreds for Surrey may become as familiar as the London Eye.Wickets fell but they became little more than the acceptable costs of Surrey’s acceleration. True, Ben Foakes will have wanted to begin his season a century but he was bowled for 81 by Fidel Edwards’ first delivery with the new ball, an outswinger reminiscent of this game’s first two days. Edwards was to dismiss both Rikki Clarke and Jade Dernbach in the afternoon session, the latter with a savage bouncer, but the lack of celebration with which this normally effervescent bowler greeted his wickets indicated their significance. The heart of the game was elsewhere and Edwards knew it.Pope ploughed on and his desire to do so will surely have been noted by the Surrey coaches. He scored his maiden first-class century against Hampshire last year but that was at the Ageas Bowl and he made only 100 not out. On his home ground and at the beginning of a season still in its pram, he was allowed to do something even more substantial and he grabbed the chance. He had hit 18 fours and a six when a top-edged sweep gave Rilee Rossouw a catch and Liam Dawson his second wicket of the innings.

Nottingham Forest are preparing for their first campaign back in European competition since 1996, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side marking themselves out as last season’s surprise Premier League package.

Nottingham Forest now rivalling Chelsea to sign "complete" £25m midfielder

He’s a wanted man…

ByTom Cunningham Jun 20, 2025

Forest were serious contenders to qualify for the Champions League for a large portion of 2024/2025, but they fell just short on a dramatic final day which eventually saw Newcastle United and Chelsea pip them to a place in the top five.

Aston Villa took the final Europa League spot in sixth, meaning Forest ultimately had to settle for a place in the Conference League, and the far less lucrative prize pool.

In any case, Forest certainly weren’t initially tipped to qualify for Europe and end their near-two-decade-long wait to compete outside English shores, so we can safely call last term an undoubted success for Nuno.

It is now the task of Evangelos Marinakis and the Forest board to build upon their excellent campaign in the transfer market, with Forest also under less PSR pressure than this time last year after earning an extra £32.4 million in Premier League prize money.

Their seventh-placed finish and place in Europe means Forest could “fall a decent way short” of the £85 million they’re permitted to lose this financial year without breaching PSR (The Athletic), meaning Nuno’s side have more wiggle room to spend on summer recruitment.

Forest could still be forced to sell star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, considering the England international has just two years remaining on his contract, and he’s shown zero indication that he’s willing to pen an extension at the City Ground (The Mail).

Gibbs-White’s potential sale, combined with both their league and European earnings, looks likely to fund Forest’s summer transfer window as they gear up for a crucial 2025/2026 campaign.

“Nottingham Forest will look to strengthen,” said ex-Premier League chief scout Mick Brown to Football Insider this week.

“Their recruitment has been excellent recently, and they’re able to bring players into an environment where they all work together for the club.”

Forest are targeting new forwards to complement Nuno’s squad and back the Portuguese with more firepower, as they look to compete on multiple fronts, with Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović a serious option for them.

Nottingham Forest hold talks with Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović

The Serbia international is out of contract next summer as things stand, and if the Old Lady cannot agree to extend their talisman’s deal, he could be allowed to leave for as little as £26 million.

That is according to journalist Rudy Galetti, who also told TEAMtalk this week that Forest have contacted Vlahovic’s representatives for discussions in an effort to tempt the centre-forward with a Premier League switch.

The Tricky Trees are described as favourites to sign Vlahovic, who is very keen on a move to England. Despite interest from Serie A heavyweights AC Milan, Forest stands out as the most “concrete” option for him.

Called a “superstar” striker by members of the Italian media, Vlahovic has hit double figures in every single season since 2020/2021, across spells at both Juve and Fiorentina.

The 25-year-old, who won Serbia’s Footballer of the Year award in 2024, would be a bold statement of intent from Forest, but his reported £200,000-per-week wage demands prove a major obstacle.

Over the last two years, Arsenal have been close to perfect both on and off the pitch. Off the pitch, they've made some shrewd transfer decisions, which has benefitted them on the pitch, returning to Europe's elite club competition.

It hasn't just been incomings that they've got right, either. The Gunners have also done well to keep hold of their star players, extending the contracts of the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, securing their futures in the process.

They don't look likely to slow down anytime soon, given that they've started the season with three wins from four games, which included a dramatic 3-1 victory over Manchester United last time out. And, now, they are reportedly set to continue talks to extend the contract of one of their most important players under Mikel Arteta.

What's the latest Arsenal news?

The Gunners welcomed the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz during the summer transfer window, with the former a particularly big piece of business. But, after such a successful season last time out, securing their return to the Champions League by finishing a comfortable second place, it has been their ability to keep hold of star players that has been crucial.

That trend may only continue, too. According to reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are set to continue talks with Martin Odegaard over the extension of his Arsenal contract, which could see the midfielder sign a long-term deal in North London. Romano said:

"Arsenal are planning to continue talks with Martin Odegaard over new long term deal in the next weeks/months — discussions ongoing. Odegaard could be next top player to sign new deal after Saliba, Gabriel, Saka, Ramsdale, Martinelli and Nelson."

By securing the futures of several stars, Arsenal could be ensuring that their seat at Europe's top table remains firmly in place for years to come, avoiding another disastrous spell outside of the Champions League.

How has Martin Odegaard performed this season?

As far as performances go, Odegaard has picked up where he left off in the previous campaign so far this season, with two goals in five games placing the midfielder on course to record similar numbers to the 23 goal involvements that he managed last season.

The Arsenal captain has earned high praise for his performances in the Premier League, too, including from Norway teammate and Manchester City star Erling Haaland, who said, via The Mirror when asked who he rates highly:

"Odegaard, my good friend. He's amazing and he's been taking so many good steps at Arsenal with [Mikel] Arteta ever since he came there and now he's the captain."

Haaland will, of course, be hoping that his countryman isn't too amazing this season, given the fact that City are aiming to become the first side in Premier League history to win four titles in a row.

Standing in the way of the treble winners may well be Arsenal once again. Odegaard, perhaps after putting pen to paper on a new deal at the club in the near future, will be looking to spearhead his side to silverware.

There is plenty happening on the pitch at Chelsea at the moment, but a big off-field development has also now emerged in their quest to confirm a long-term shirt sponsor.

Will Pochettino get sacked?

The Blues had a dreadful 2022/23 season, finishing 12th in the Premier League, and the hope was that it was a one-off, with the new campaign bringing more positives.

Mauricio Pochettino was appointed as manager during the summer, but the Argentine has endured a difficult start to life as Blues boss in his first few months in charge. Only one win has come Chelsea's way in their opening six league games, which came at home to newly-promoted Luton Town, and performances and results have both been severely lacking too often.

It is too early to be calling for Pochettino to lose his job despite the Blues' struggles this season to date, and while there is no question that he is under a fair amount of pressure, Todd Boehly is reportedly happy to leave things be in the hopes of a turnaround.

Away from the on-field action, a key update has emerged – one that could be beneficial for the west Londoners moving forward.

What's the latest on a new shirt sponsor?

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are in talks over a new long-term shirt deal ahead of the 2024/25 season:

"Chelsea are already in talks with potential partners over a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal starting in 2024/25, Football Insider has been told. The Blues announced a sponsorship deal with Infinite Athlete this week after waiting weeks for Premier League approval.

'The London club started their 2022/23 campaign without a sponsor after seeing a number of deals collapse. Chelsea held talks with Paramount Plus, Allianz and Stake over potential sponsorship deals, but all negotiations collapsed."

This has to be seen as a positive for Chelsea, with a new kit deal generating more funds moving forward, in terms of making new signings and allowing Pochettino to build a more formidable squad – one that can complete for the big honours like they used to.

The fact that the Blues had no sponsor at the beginning of last season is arguably indicative of how the club is being run, but this update hopefully suggests that improvements are being made in that area.

In order for Chelsea to have the possible sponsor, it is vital that things continue to improve on the pitch, making the Blues an enticing proposition for potential suitors, so the hope is that things go up a level drastically under Pochettino.

They remain a huge club, so it shouldn't be too difficult for good sponsors to chance their luck and take a punt with them, and the hope is that an agreement is reached as soon as possible, allowing the Todd Boehly era to find another gear.