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This season is shaping up to be one of Arsenal’s best in a very, very long time.

Now, there is still a lot of football to be played, but going into the third international break of the campaign, Mikel Arteta has his side top of the Premier League and with four wins from four in the Champions League.

What makes it all the more impressive is the fact that, aside from the defence, there is a real sense that the team aren’t even operating at their best.

Moreover, the club have a significant number of injured players set to return in the coming weeks, which will massively bolster the squad, although it might also make it clear that a certain player appreciated by Thierry Henry needs to be moved on.

Arsenal's injury crisis

Now, Arsenal supporters will be the first to admit that the team just weren’t good enough to win the league last season.

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However, a significant reason why the side was lacklustre on the domestic front was the absurd number of injuries Arteta has to deal with.

Understandably, the club sought to avoid a similar situation this year by signing eight first-team quality players in the summer, rather than spending record sums on individual players.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea

Eberechi Eze

Palace

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting

Piero Hincapie

Leverkusen

Noni Madueke

Chelsea

Cristhian Mosquera

Valencia

Christian Norgaard

Brentford

Martin Zubimendi

Sociedad

It’s an approach that has already paid off multiple times this season, as even though it hasn’t been discussed as much, the squad has once again dealt with a barrage of injuries this season.

Noni Madueke was able to cover for Bukayo Saka; Cristhian Mosquera covered for Gabriel Mahgaelese; Eberechi Eze stood in for Martin Odegaard, and Viktor Gyokeres was thrown into the deep end in place of the injured Kai Havertz.

However, the dam can only hold out for so long, and over the last few weeks, the injury list has grown too significant, with Mikel Merino once again starting up top for two matches in a row.

In all, Arsenal were without six first-team players for the draw against Sunderland, and all six of them were attacking players, which helps explain why the bench looked so short on options and why the manager brought on only Mosquera.

The good news is that most of them will be back in contention after the international break, and all should be available to play by the new year.

However, that means the squad could become quite bloated in attack, and so it might be time to sell someone Henry was once very complimentary about.

The Arsenal star who should be sold

With Gyokeres and Madueke being summer signings and Havertz clearly a firm favourite of Arteta, it feels like, of all the injured players, it’s £45m man, Gabriel Jesus, who should be moved on.

Now, that is no indictment of the player himself, as at his best, the former Manchester City star was almost unplayable and capable of things that no other Arsenal attacker could even think of doing.

That’s not hyperbole either, as following a particularly impressive showing against Seville, the legendary Henry said he “would have loved to play with him” due to his close control and ability to create for others.

However, that was over two years ago, and it’s been over three years since he was at his utterly incredible best.

Since then, there have been flashes of that sensational ability, but every time he seems to build up any steam, he goes down with another injury.

Since the start of his Arsenal career in the 22/23 season, the Brazilian international has been injured seven times, which has seen him spend a grand total of 559 days on the sidelines and miss 90 games for club and country.

It doesn’t really matter how talented a player is; if they are that unreliable, then they are not an asset to a club.

24/25

370 days

56

23/24

89 days

17

22/23

100 days

17

20/21

60 days

14

19/20

34 days

5

18/19

26 days

6

17/18

76 days

13

16/17

68 days

15

Moreover, it’s not like the 28-year-old is on a modest wage; he’s currently earning a whopping £265k-per-week, which makes him the second-highest earner at the club.

Ultimately, Jesus is undeniably an excellent footballer, but he’s just never available when the club need him and considering he has such an enormous wage, it might be time to sell him in the winter, or at the end of the season.

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Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips will also miss the T20I series against Australia while captain Mitchell Santner faces a fitness race

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2025New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke faces at least three months on the sidelines after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back. Finn Allen also faces a lengthy spell out while Glenn Phillips will miss the T20Is against Australia and captain Mitchell Santner is doubtful.O’Rourke, who reported back stiffness on the third day of the opening Test against Zimbabwe, will miss the white-ball series against Australia, England and West Indies at a minimum and could also be a doubt for the three Tests against West Indies which follow in December. He will undergo a three-month strength and conditioning block before a firmer timeline is put in place for a return with coach Rob Walter hopeful it won’t develop into an injury that needs surgery.”We’re really feeling for Will at the moment and wishing him speedy recovery,” Walter said in an NZC release. “He’s had such an impressive start to his career and so naturally it is disappointing when an injury like this comes along, but he’s a resilient guy and determined to put the work in and come back stronger.”Related

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“We’re very hopeful for that [three month time frame]. Stress fractures are obviously almost part and parcel of the craft, really, but never nice when it does happen. At this stage, we will reassess after that three month mark, hopefully the healing process has gone really well and we can get into that return to play.”Allrounder Phillips, who was ruled out of the recent Zimbabwe tour with a groin injury, will miss the matches against Australia which take place on October 1, 3 and 4 in Mount Maunganui. Meanwhile, Allen has had surgery on a stress fracture in his right foot which will require three months recovery.However, Santner will be given every chance to feature against Australia after returning from the Hundred with groin pain which will require abdominal surgery.”Mitch is a world class player and a crucial part of our T20 side from a skills and leadership point of view,” Walter said. “With that in mind we expect to name him in our squad when we announce it in a couple of weeks’ time, and from there we can assess how his rest and rehabilitation progresses following surgery, before making a call on the eve of the series.”It’s disappointing to lose the services of Glenn and Finn who have played important batting roles in our T20 set up in recent times. Like in Zimbabwe, their unavailability will present opportunities for others to put their hands up in what’s going to be a hugely exciting and important series against Australia.”Fast bowler Ben Sears has recovered from the side strain that kept him out of the Zimbabwe tour and is expected to be available to face Australia.

Aston Villa scouts are being put through their paces ahead of the January window and may now have found a player worth pursuing in PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ismael Saibari.

The Villans struggled for goals in the early part of the campaign, and it is fair to say that their efforts to hit the target need to improve, given they are one of the lowest-scoring sides in the Premier League table.

Yet to hit double figures on that front, at the time of writing, much has been made of Ollie Watkins’ poor form at Aston Villa this season. The England international has hit the target in just one of 13 this campaign, failing to repeat the stellar form he showed in 2024/25.

Undoubtedly, January will be a time where finding potency will be prioritised. Hoffenheim striker Fisnik Asllani is on the Villans’ radar and may be pursued, with Unai Emery set on achieving even loftier goals than the accomplishments he has met during his three years in the West Midlands.

He said before the clash with Liverpool: “Still work to do, still objectives to set and work hard to achieve those objectives – collectively and myself as well, individually.

“One of them is some titles, but of course the title only is winning one, Premier League, the cups in England, and Europe, is the target we can set through to achieve some titles, and we are in this way.”

PSR may force Aston Villa’s hand as Liverpool plot a move for Ezri Konsa. Even then, there will be room to recruit more additions to offer Emery a greater sense of potency in his side’s hunt for continental qualification, something he may now find in his latest target.

Aston Villa scouts blown away by Ismael Saibari

According to TBR in conversation with Graeme Bailey, Aston Villa scouts were blown away by PSV midfielder Ismael Saibari after watching him in action against Feyenoord last weekend, where he scored a hat-trick.

Bailey said: “Saibari is attracting a lot of attention and his treble last week was special. He is one to keep an eye on for January, getting goals in January is something Premier League clubs especially are looking for and he could offer that.”

With ten goals and an assist to his name this term, the engine room operator is also wanted by Leeds United, West Ham United, Everton, Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Aston Villa eyeing Joshua Zirkzee to fill attacking void

Versatility is a key part of his game, something that could potentially signal several arrivals are imminent, given Saibari can feature as a ten, in central midfield or in a role shielding the back four.

Nevertheless, PSV hold the cards in negotiations due to having the Morocco international under contract until 2029. Aston Villa may need to shell out a premium to land his services, though could now be tempted by the prospect of a January bid.

KL Rahul says he has learned the lesson of not linking preparation with results

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-20253:12

Rahul: ‘I’ve forgotten what my batting position actually is’

Not many will know better than KL Rahul that outcomes in cricket – Test batting in particular – are not always proportional to your skill, preparation, fitness and application.Rahul has had an anomalous Test career to back it up. He came into this Test having scored hundreds in some of the most difficult conditions during his career – seven out of eight away from home – but never having become the dominant Test batter his game suggests he should be. He averaged 33.57 before Headingley, which is quite underwhelming for a player of so many great innings.”The sooner you learn that there is no connection [of your game, preparation, etc] with the outcome and the results that you get, the calmer you can be,” Rahul said after scoring 137 in an India third innings that threatened to go off the rails in the morning session of the final day. “And I feel like that’s the only thing that gives you the best chance to play at this level for a long period of time. And that’s something that I’ve consciously done as well.Related

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“Having learned this from the seniors that I looked up to, it’s something that I’ve understood and try and do, not just in Test cricket, but in cricket overall. Just all you can do is your best in terms of preparation and giving yourself the best chance to succeed. But again, there’s no guarantees. When you have a good day, you are happy. When you have a bad day, you’re still happy that you had the opportunity. That’s how I look at the game.”The latest in Rahul’s career was the Australia tour where he was called upon to open in Rohit Sharma’s absence and scored 26 and 77 in Perth followed by 84 in Brisbane. At the end of the series, though, his average read 30.66. It left him bitterly disappointed.”It’s always disappointing for a batter when you get starts and don’t convert it and get a big score for the team,” Rahul said. “I was happy with the way I was batting in Australia, but very disappointed at the end of the series that I couldn’t convert. I think I had opportunities in every game, I got starts in every game, and in an ideal world, I would’ve wanted to convert all of those innings into big knocks.”But, unfortunately, I couldn’t do that. And that’s how the game goes sometimes. Sometimes you get a good ball, sometimes you play a bad shot. It’s part of the game, so you learn from the mistakes, and that’s something that I learned from that series, just to make sure that once I get a start, try and make it count and transfer as many runs as I can.”1:32

Draw off the table? – Tongue and Rahul on day five possibilties

This has been a trend in Rahul’s career. He has never had a series in which he has scored 400 runs. That is part of the reason why he has never nailed a position in the batting order.On his last tour of England, he got to play only because of an injury in the nets to his good friend Mayank Agarwal. Then he got the opportunity to open in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy because Rohit was on paternity leave for the first Test.Rahul has taken batting in different positions in his stride. “The last couple of years I’ve forgotten what my position is and what I’m comfortable doing,” Rahul said. “I’m happy to be given different responsibilities and different roles. Makes the game exciting and makes me want to challenge myself and train that much harder and work on my game a little bit more. So I’ve quite enjoyed doing that.”And the last couple of series, my role has been to open the batting, and I’ve enjoyed doing that as well. Yeah, I mean that’s something that I did growing up and all my early years as a cricketer was me opening the batting. So yeah, I’m happy that I’m back doing that, and I’m happy that I’m doing the job for the team.”

Daniel Farke said Leeds United were “blessed” to have Sean Longstaff after the midfielder’s man-of-the-match display in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.

Longstaff, on £80,000-a-week, volleyed in off a post to put Leeds in front early in the second half at Elland Road after Joe Rodon’s header before the interval had cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s free-kick for the visitors.

Farke hails Longstaff after Leeds draw vs Bournemouth

The £12million summer signing from Newcastle’s first Leeds goal – he also provided the corner for Rodon’s equaliser – looked to have sealed it for Farke’s side before Bournemouth’s teenage substitute Eli Kroupi struck at the far post in the third minute of stoppage time.

Farke said of Longstaff’s display:

Leeds sit mid-table in the Premier League after taking eight points from their first six games following promotion, while Bournemouth remain in the top six, three points better off.

Cherries skipper Ryan Christie admitted his side were pleased to leave Elland Road with a point, having trailed in time added on, and hailed their resilience. Christie told AFCB TV: “The way it went, we are probably happy with a point to be honest.

“The game went as we thought it would in terms of their physicality and in a high-energy stadium, they feed off that.

“But with this squad, even though you’re away from home, you never feel like you’re out of the game

“There is a resilience throughout the whole squad, which is a credit to the boys, especially when we have had the turnaround of players we’ve had this summer.

“I think everyone is feeding into this mindset of pulling together, the whole squad as one.

“It’s not just the starters and the bench and that’s it – there’s a real togetherness.”

Next up for Leeds is another home game against Tottenham in a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, while Bournemouth face Fulham on Friday night at the Vitality Stadium.

RCB were reduced to 42 for 7 in the ninth over at one stage, but David smoked an unbeaten 26-ball 50

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2025Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had to wait close to two hours for the weather to clear in Bengaluru, but when it did, they were caught in a Punjab Kings (PBKS) storm.At one stage, it seemed the hosts would get bowled out for their lowest total, but Tim David ensured that they nearly doubled 49 and weren’t all-out in an innings shortened to 14 overs by rain.For PBKS, the dream evening started with Shreyas Iyer winning the toss and electing to bowl. Arshdeep came into the game with two powerplay wickets in the season and he doubled that tally, dismissing both RCB openers on the pull.Phil Salt went after a length ball and top-edged it towards square leg; Josh Inglis ran across to take the catch. Virat Kohli walked down to Arshdeep, who pulled his length short, to induce a splice to Marco Jansen over mid-on.Rajat Patidar whipped Arshdeep and Xavier Bartlett for a four and a six over the leg side. Liam Livingstone tried to end the four-over powerplay on a high. He charged Bartlett and tried to slap a length ball over point, but skied it to Priyansh Arya just past the in-field.RCB’s batters continued to miscue big shots. Jitesh Sharma swung at Marco Jansen but was beaten both times. In the following over, Patidar top-edged a pull off Yuzvendra Chahal, which fell safely around the midwicket region. Jitesh was less lucky next ball as he found deep-backward square with a slog sweep.Two balls later, Krunal Pandya was the third batter out on the pull. He couldn’t extend his arms fully and feathered a shortish ball from Jansen onto his helmet and it popped right up. PBKS used a DRS to reduce RCB to 33 for 5.Chahal, who was back to slowing his speeds and teasing the batter, struck again by looping the ball wide of Patidar’s off stump and having him caught at long-off. RCB’s ploy to send in Manoj Bhandage as the Impact Player didn’t work as he was beaten on the flick by Jansen and dismissed lbw.Bhuvneshwar Kumar and David stitched a 21-run stand, which took RCB past fifty. Harpreet Brar dismissed Bhuvneshwar and Yash Dayal off successive balls, and the hosts were nine down in 11.5 overs, with the score on 63. David managed to find the boundary regularly though, first off Bartlett and then off Brar to reach fifty and lift RCB to 95 for 9.

The biggest story of the transfer window was undoubtedly Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool, but West Ham United had their own saga going on.

For a moment in time, it looked like Lucas Paqueta might have been leaving the club, with Aston Villa reportedly keen to sign him.

However, to the delight of the fans, the Brazilian maestro made it abundantly clear in his celebration against Nottingham Forest that he had no intention of leaving.

The former Lyon ace has been a brilliant player for the Hammers, although they did once come close to signing an upgrade who is now worth more than Isak.

Paqueta's West Ham career

It would be fair to say that since joining the club for around £51m in the summer of 2022, Paqueta hasn’t always had the easiest time of it at West Ham.

However, when you discount the off-pitch issues, it’s impossible to deny that he’s been more than worth the investment the Hammers initially made in him.

For example, despite playing under several different managers and in various systems, the 28-year-old has amassed an impressive tally of 21 goals and 14 assists in 124 games.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.54 games, and, crucially, he produced five goal involvements in the club’s historic Conference League winning campaign.

In all, Paqueta remains one of the most talented players in West Ham’s squad, and someone who could make all the difference for them in what could still be a tough season.

Yet, things could have been very different, as just a couple of years ago, the club came close to signing someone who would have been a significant upgrade, someone now worth more than Isak.

The Paqueta upgrade West Ham almost signed

All clubs have their own list of star players they’ve missed out on over the years, and West Ham is obviously no different.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.

However, there are some players who are worse to miss out on than others, and that is certainly the case for Cole Palmer.

Yes, according to David Moyes, the Hammers were very “close” to getting the former Manchester City gem before his move to Chelsea, but the deal broke down, in part because Paqueta’s potential move to City fell apart.

It would have been an utterly sensational signing for the East Londoners, for good as the Brazilian is, the Englishman would be an upgrade.

For example, since moving to Stamford Bridge, the “world-class” superstar, as dubbed by Pat Nevin, has scored 43 goals and provided 29 assists in 98 appearances, totalling 7950 minutes.

Appearances

98

124

Minutes

7950′

9340′

Goals

43

21

Assists

29

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.73

0.28

Minutes per Goal Involvement

110.41′

266.85′

That means he’s averaged a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 110.41 minutes, with the West Londoners, which is an outrageous rate of return.

Unsurprisingly, his out-of-this-world ability has seen his valuation skyrocket over the last couple of years, and according to the CIES Football Observatory, he is now worth up to 164m, which is about £142m, or £18m more than Liverpool paid for Isak.

Ultimately, there is no point crying over spilt milk, but we can’t help but think West Ham would be in a better position today had they secured a deal for Palmer two years ago.

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