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Jamie Carragher took aim at one Liverpool star, who was “really poor” against Sunderland, as Arne Slot’s side endured another mixed evening at Anfield.

Liverpool struggle at Anfield yet again

After victory over West Ham United last weekend, Liverpool looked to their game against Sunderland as an ideal chance to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League and stop the rot. The Black Cats had different ideas, however, and soon reminded the Reds why they find themselves in the position they’re in.

In many ways, Chemsdine Talbi’s deflected effort summed up Liverpool’s recent fortunes. With the Premier League champions entering the game off the back of two Anfield losses, the last thing they needed was for Virgil van Dijk’s block to find the back of Alisson Becker’s net.

Fabinho 2.0: Liverpool in pole position to sign £35m midfield "machine"

Liverpool look set to be making a move for one star during the upcoming January transfer window.

By
Ethan Lamb

Dec 3, 2025

One positive for Liverpool in recent weeks has been the form of Florian Wirtz, though, and at long last the German made his mark in the Premier League. His effort went down as a Nordi Mukiele own goal, but there’s no doubt that one of the summer’s most expensive signings stepped up to get his side level.

It was far from a vintage display from the champions, but they’ll at least be relieved to avoid another defeat. Following victory at West Ham, Slot’s side should see the Leeds United game this weekend as the opportunity to turn the narrative to two wins from three games in the same week.

That said, whether Alexander Isak plays a part this weekend remains to be seen. The Swede didn’t follow up from last weekend’s first Premier League goal for the club and had just 15 touches, much to Carragher’s frustration.

Jamie Carragher slams "really poor" Alexander Isak

Watching on from commentary, Carragher slammed Isak as “really poor” and said that the forward has no “excuses” for his disappointing form at this stage of the campaign.

After smashing their transfer record to welcome the £280,000-a-week star, Liverpool were in dreamland in the summer. Alas, that dream has quickly turned into a nightmare for all involved.

Isak has gone from strike to strike-less at times. Liverpool sit eighth and their attack has never seemed so toothless under Slot. With Hugo Ekitke also struggling to find the back of the net in recent weeks, there’s no doubt that the Reds have an attacking problem on their hands.

It doesn’t get any easier, either. On paper, a trip to a newly promoted side should be a routine affair, but Liverpool will be squaring off against a Leeds side who just defeated Chelsea.

Before then, Slot simply has to find a way to get Isak more involved. With just 15 touches, the Swede was always likely to struggle.

Liverpool open talks this week to sign "monster" Real Madrid target

Como winger Assane Diao is in line to be called up to the Senegal national team for the Africa Cup of Nations, but Cesc Fabregas wants him to stay at the Serie A side for the time being. The 20-year-old has been limited to just four appearances in the Italian top-flight this season, sparking the coach to claim his involvement at AFCON is "illogical".

Injury problems at the root of Fabregas' decision

Diao moved to Italy in January after spending a season and a half at La Liga side Real Betis and quickly established himself as a crucial member of Fabregas' squad, securing eight goals and an assist in 15 Serie A appearances last season. In April, however, he suffered a broken foot and missed out on their last five Serie A fixtures of the campaign as well as the initial stages of the 2025-26 season. Diao made a comeback in late October, where he played 45 minutes against Parma. The Senegalese winger was slowly reintegrating him back into the lineup, but was called up to the Senegal team this month. Despite having an adductor issue, he participated in two training sessions for the African side, only to get further injured and return to Italy.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFabregas finds Diao's national team call-up illogical

The 20-year-old has a hamstring injury, which will keep him out for a few games. Although Fabregas has mentioned his probable return date, he does not want the winger to return to the Senegal camp, with his major concern being the player's fitness ahead of the competition's December 21 kick off.  

"I don't want to send him to the African Cup of Nations? For me it's illogical," he said. "He's been out for seven months, he's played three games, now he's going to the national team, he'll get injured and be out again. Then maybe he'll go back to Senegal. In the player's mind, you have to do things right. For me, it doesn't make sense. They won't care, but we want what's best for the player. He shouldn't go. He went to training camp with Senegal with a minor adductor problem and did two training sessions. Then he got injured and came back here. We'll try to get him back with Inter, but it's more likely that we'll have him back with Roma."

Fabregas wants to face Torino with 'great attention'

Como sit eighth in the Serie A table after 11 games, having lost just one match so far. They are up against a Torino side sitting four points and places below them on Monday, and a win would see them leapfrog Juventus into sixth.

"You always have to approach every match at your best. If you think it's going to be difficult mentally, then it definitely will be," Fabregas said as his side prepare to take on a side on a six-game unbeaten run. "We have to win it with our own game, with what we have to offer. But we need to be more ambitious and get more points than we currently have. We had lots of chances to make it 2-0 against Cremonese, the penalty in Naples, and three or four chances to score in Cagliari. We need to manage it better, without losing our defensive stability. Torino are a team that play 5-3-2, with experienced defenders. [Kristjan] Asllani scored and comes from Inter, he's a great player. You know [Cesare] Casadei, he comes from Chelsea. Che Adams is an international player, [Cyril] Ngonge is a difference-maker for his team, he won the league with Napoli and I really like him. They are a well-organised team, and [Marco] Baroni is a great manager. The atmosphere, the stadium and the fans are also strong. We must go there with great enthusiasm, even if after the international break we must approach the match with great caution."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Como?

Como will have three crucial fixtures after the Torino game, which might also shape their objectives for the rest of the campaign. On November 28, they'll welcome Sassuolo, and will later travel to the San Siro to face Inter on December 6. Post that, they'll meet Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma in yet another away game on December 15. 

Jordi Alba has rubbished comparisons between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, claiming that Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer “has no rival”. Teenage wonderkid Yamal has been thrust into an obvious debate ever since he stepped out of the La Masia academy system. He has become a global superstar in his own right, but there will never be another Messi.

Messi vs Yamal: La Masia graduates always being compared

Alba, who spent many happy years alongside the iconic Argentine at Camp Nou and is now a club colleague of the all-time great at MLS side Inter Miami, has always considered Messi to be the best in the business.

Yamal, at 18 years of age, is showing signs that he could tread a similar path. Records have tumbled around the youngster on the back of making his senior debut at just 15. As a left-footed forward that glides past opponents and boasts an unerring eye for goal, he was always going to be likened to Messi.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALNobody like Messi! Alba steers clear of Yamal debate

Alba is, however, eager to steer clear of that discussion. He told when naming three other Barca stars that deserve the same amount of credit as Yamal: “I think he's a great player, but there are others at Barca, like Pedri, Gavi, [Frenkie] de Jong. And I'm leaving out many. I think comparing him to Leo… there's no comparison, but that's because Leo has no rival.”

Alba is preparing to sever professional ties with Messi. While the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has committed to a new three-year contract at Inter Miami, his close friend has decided to retire at the end of the 2025 MLS Cup play-offs.

Explaining that decision, 36-year-old full-back Alba said: "Honestly, physically I could have lasted another year or two. But because of how I've felt, especially at the beginning of the season, and because of the new projects that are coming up…

“It's a well-considered decision, and I'm very clear about it. I'll miss football, but I'm happy with what I've been able to achieve. I still enjoy the matches, but the day-to-day grind and traveling every week is harder. The enthusiasm you have at 20 years old fades. When you have a family, it shows.”

Retirement calls: Will Suarez follow Alba & Busquets?

Sergio Busquets is heading into the same direction, as he prepares to hang up his boots, with Alba adding on his fellow former Barcelona legend: “His retirement? Obviously, these decisions are very personal. We've talked about the situation we were in during the year. It's a decision for each of us. I'm lucky to share a team and a friendship with him; our families also get along very well. We live very close to each other in the same residential area.”

Luis Suarez is another ex-Barca star that is yet to decide what the immediate future holds for him. The Uruguayan striker has struggled with knee problems in recent times, but continues to score goals ahead of turning 39 in January.

Alba added on Suarez potentially playing on alongside Messi: “There he is, the guy. I don't know if he has a contract for years, but it's everyone's own decision. It's not just about changing teams anymore, it's about quitting football, what you've done your whole life. I'll be sad, but it hasn't been hard for me. I've accepted it and I'm taking it calmly.”

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Getty/GOALMSN reformed: Will Neymar reunite with Messi & Suarez?

It has been suggested that Messi and Suarez could see their fabled ‘MSN’ strike force with Neymar reformed in 2026. That is because the Brazilian superstar is running down his contract at Santos and heading towards free agency.

Any move to Florida would generate plenty of interest, with some headlines being stolen away from Yamal in Europe. The teenage wonderkid does, however, appear to be destined for greatness himself – with some suggesting that he could go on to eclipse Messi’s record-shattering haul of Ballons d’Or. Yamal finished second in the 2025 Golden Ball vote, behind Ousmane Dembele, but has time very much on his side – unlike Alba and Busquets.

Fifties for Ben Charlesworth, Miles Hammond and James Bracey cement strong position against weakened hosts

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay08-Sep-2025Runaway Division Two leaders Leicestershire edged closer to winning promotion for the first time in their history even though Gloucestershire had the better of things at the Uptonsteel County Ground, finishing day one of their Rothesay County Championship clash on 382 for 7.Needing 20 points from their final three fixtures to be sure of playing Division One cricket next season, they already have two of those. With third-placed Derbyshire able to claim only one batting point at Lord’s, they effectively need 16 more.They have work to do here, though, with Gloucestershire in a strong position, even after losing Graeme van Buuren for 101 from the penultimate ball of the day.The South African-born allrounder 14 fours and a six in a fine, 143-ball innings, supplemented by half-centuries from Ben Charlesworth, James Bracey and Miles Hammond after Gloucestershire’s interim skipper Bracey chose to bat first.Leicestershire veteran Chris Wright took 3 for 56 and left-arm quick Josh Hull 3 for 79, although the 21-year-old’s day ended somewhat ignominiously when a second full toss above waist height saw him ordered out of the attack for the remainder of the innings. Regularly called for overstepping too, Hull racked up 11 no-balls in total.Gloucestershire, themselves not mathematically out of the running for a promotion place, made two changes from their most recent Championship side. Cameron Bancroft and Todd Murphy have both returned to Australia.Leicestershire made five. Peter Handscomb, whose captaincy has been an important element of the county winning six matches so far, has also gone home for the Australian domestic season, giving the armband to Ian Holland, who had not previously led a team at senior level.The availability of Shan Masood, who is staying on after his white-ball stint, and the arrival from Middlesex of Steve Eskinazi, bolstered the batting but with Rehan Ahmed on England duty and Ben Green recalled from loan by parent club Somerset, injuries to Tom Scriven and Liam Trevaskis further weakened their bowling hand.They seemed to feel it in a morning session which, apart from 10 minutes or so during Hull’s opening burst of the day, belonged to the visitors, who were 129 for 2 at lunch after Charlesworth took advantage of too many easy scoring opportunities offered up by the home attack with 10 fours in reaching 52 from 75 balls.Hull’s two successes came as 21-year-old Joe Phillips, opening in regular captain Bancroft’s place, was bowled off an inside edge by a yorker-length delivery and Ben Cox took a diving catch behind the stumps to remove Ollie Price.Leicestershire stemmed the flow of boundaries in the afternoon, earning an important breakthrough when Wright, now well into the autumn of his career, produced a delivery from his heyday to hit the top of Charlesworth’s off stump.Another came when Hammond, becoming increasingly frustrated despite reaching fifty for the eighth time this season, was tempted into pulling a shorter delivery from Hull and was caught at deep backward square. The innings took him past 800 runs for this season but he is still without a century.From 230 for 4 at tea, however, Gloucestershire advanced to a position of strength by the close, Leicestershire’s cause not helped by some untidiness creeping back into their bowling.Apart from Hull’s waywardness and subsequent removal, Ben Mike struggled for rhythm, conceding four boundaries to Bracey in the same over as the the left-hander quickly built on a 92-ball half-century, although he did have the misfortune to see van Buuren caught off a no-ball on 55.Worryingly for the home side, Mike limped off before the close with what looked like another recurrence of his recent hamstring problems.Leicestershire had to wait until the second new ball became available to make another breakthrough but two wickets in the space of six overs gave them a second bowling bonus point, Bracey edging to second slip attempting to drive Holland before Wright found some extra bounce and the edge of Jack Taylor’s bat, then trapping van Buuren in front to close proceedings for the day.

Gio Reyna has been set a 2026 World Cup challenge. Former USMNT star Brad Friedel, during an exclusive interview with GOAL, has told the talented Borussia Monchengladbach playmaker what needs to happen in order to make Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for next summer’s tournament, with nobody – regardless of their ability – guaranteed a place in those plans.

• Form & fitness challenges for Reyna

  Reyna is unquestionably one of the most naturally gifted performers at the United States’ disposal. He has been tipped for the top since bursting onto the senior scene as a teenager, with a similar career path to fellow countryman Christian Pulisic being trodden when linking up with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

  Over 140 appearances were taken in for BVB, scoring 19 goals, but those numbers would have been considerably higher were it not for a string of unfortunate injuries. A fresh start is now being embraced with Gladbach – with more tests on form and fitness fronts being faced there.

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• Will Reyna make the USMNT squad for 2026 World Cup?

  Reyna did impress during his last international camp, registering goal number nine for his country in a friendly win over Paraguay, but questions continue to be asked of whether – having endured a tough time at the 2022 World Cup – he will be involved at another major tournament on home soil.

  Quizzed on whether the creative 23-year-old is in a position where a World Cup berth is his to lose, ex-USMNT goalkeeper Friedel – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “With Mauricio it is different, you have to go and impress and then you have to improve. There is no ‘you did well for me last month, you did well the month before’. That’s not how he goes about his business.

  “Once you impress, he will put a little higher bar on you and then you have to reach that bar. Then he will see if you can go again. The way that he performed, and I don’t know how he conducted himself in training, but let’s say it was positive, then they will watch him now with his club and see when he comes into camp again in March if he is lower. If so, he is already down in their minds again. If he comes in the same or higher, then he has impressed again.

  “That’s how they work. It’s the metrics, it’s building a squad of players that need to win – which is a better word than ‘want’ to win. What he has done right now is very good for him getting his foot back in the door. It’s not his to lose. Everyone goes on a level playing field, which is very different to what the US has been previously.”

  Getty Images

• Hot prospect: How Reyna can prove his worth

  Reyna knows that he faces fierce competition for places, and that he needs to steer clear of more spells on the treatment table in order to prove his worth. Friedel has previously told GOAL of how a hot prospect makes another global gathering: “With Gio, a lot of unfortunate stuff from the last World Cup, then injury after injury after injury. Talented, talented player. For Gio, he needs minutes and he needs not to be injured. Then we can see before the World Cup if he is ready. If he is, if he has a run of four or five months with no injuries, playing lots of minutes, he’s in the squad.

  “He’s a really talented player, one of the better ones we have. But he really does need to play. When I took the job at Besiktas, I was over at the Copa America and was watching. You could just tell there was something a little bit off. It’s not his ability, that is there. That’s not it. His body has unfortunately not cooperated with this sport.

  “Hopefully for him it goes well. He’s a really good kid and I hope he just stays fit, gets a run of games and then it will be down to Mauricio choosing him or not. I don’t like to see anybody get left out because of injury.”

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  2026 World Cup draw: When & where does it take place?

  Excitement levels in the USMNT camp are about to build even further, with their opponents for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup set to be revealed when that draws take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on December 5.

Fabrizio Romano says that Arsenal are eyeing up a potential “bargain” move for one player in a strikingly similar move to one of Mikel Arteta’s current stars.

Arsenal host Brentford in the Premier League after Chelsea draw

The Gunners’ remarkable unbeaten run in all competitions, which stretches all the way back to August, continued with a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Chelsea on Sunday.

Arsenal are now 17 games without a loss since tasting their only defeat of the campaign against Liverpool at Anfield, and given their plethora of attacking injuries already this season, it is testament to the north Londoners’ incredible solidity.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal recovered from conceding Trevoh Chalobah’s near-post header shortly after halftime, with Mikel Merino leveling proceedings just before the hour mark when he nodded home Bukayo Saka’s excellent delivery.

The Spanish midfielder, who’s excelled in a makeshift striker role, continues his very impressive calendar year and is now up to 20 goals in 2025.

However, despite playing almost an hour with ten men, Enzo Maresca’s Blues defended resolutely, limiting Arsenal to just eight shots – their lowest total in any Premier League fixture this season.

Arsenal were also without both of their first-choice centre-backs, William Saliba and Gabriel, for only the second time in their last 162 matches.

Saliba suffered a training ground injury in the build up to Chelsea, meaning Arteta was forced to partner summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie for the first time in west London.

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ByDominic Lund Dec 1, 2025

Unfortunately for Arteta, Saliba remains an injury doubt for their clash against Brentford on Wednesday, but the manager says he is just days away from returning in better news.

Arsenal are seeking to extend their perfect six-game winning streak across all competitions at the Emirates, against a Bees side who are seriously struggling for away form with just one win on the road all season.

Away from the pitch, sporting director Andrea Berta continues plans to bolster Arteta’s squad.

Arsenal eyeing 'bargain' move for Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza

Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, who’s already been compared to Sergio Busquets and Pedri, is seriously interesting Berta and co as a potential rising star in La Liga.

The 20-year-old is widely reported to be a target for Arsenal, and Romano has shared his own update on the matter — confirming their links.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano says that Berta is eyeing a ‘bargain’ Arsenal move for Mendoza, and it would represent a pretty similar deal to Mosquera.

The latter has justified every penny of his £13 million transfer fee from Valencia so far, with Mendoza coming as another potentially unmissable opportunity considering his £17.5 million release clause.

Mendoza helped Elche secure promotion back to La Liga last term and has impressed with 11 appearances and two goals in all competitions so far this term.

Arteta is believed to be personally keen on the player too, so this could be one to watch for 2026.

The work done by Glasgow Rangers during the summer transfer window has come under plenty of scrutiny after a fairly dismal start to the season for the Scottish giants.

One win in the first seven games of the Scottish Premiership campaign led to head coach Russell Martin losing his job, having only been appointed in the summer as the long-term successor to Philippe Clement.

Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox last month and has already delivered four wins from four matches in the Premiership, but he has also lost both of his Europa League games in the dugout.

The former Sheffield Wednesday tactician has won 100% of his league games in charge, most recently beating Livingston 2-1 at Ibrox thanks to goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mohamed Diomande.

Despite this upturn in results in the league, there will still be question marks over the summer recruitment due to poor form on the European stage from the Light Blues under both Martin and Rohl.

Who were the worst signings of the summer window by sporting director Kevin Thelwell before he was dismissed from his role on Monday? Here are our worst three…

3

Youssef Chermiti

It is almost impossible not to mention Youssef Chermiti as being among the worst signings made by Thelwell when you consider the context of the signing and the fee that was paid for him.

Firstly, Rangers had already signed proven Premiership goalscorer Bojan Miovski from Girona for a fee of up to £4.2m, which suggested that Martin already had his first-choice striker in the building.

Secondly, Chermiti cost a staggering £8m to sign him from Everton. That made him the most expensive Rangers signing in 25 years, since the £12m that was spent to land Tore Andre Flo in 2000.

Paying £8m to sign a 21-year-old striker who failed to score a single competitive goal in two years at Goodison Park is bad enough on paper, but even worse when you consider that Thelwell was the man behind the £15m deal to take him from Sporting to Everton in 2023.

The Toffees had to take a £7m hit on the striker without getting a single goal out of him because of Thelwell’s investment, and now Rangers look set to suffer a similar fate if his fortunes do not improve.

Chermiti has scored one goal and provided one assist in 13 outings in all competitions for the Light Blues this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has already offered more than he did for Everton, but it is still not enough to justify the huge outlay.

As you can see in the table above, he has particularly struggled in the Europa League this season, failing to offer quality in front of goal, in his general play, or physically, which is a big concern.

For the amount of money paid, the signing of Miovski made before his arrival, and how he failed when Thelwell signed him for Everton, he has to be among the ex-Gers man’s worst deals.

2

Joe Rothwell

Joe Rothwell also currently looks like one of the worst signings of the summer transfer window, in a move that was very different to the one that brought Chermiti to Ibrox.

Whilst the Portugal U21 international was signed for big money as a 21-year-old talent with room for improvement and potential to eventually hit, the English midfielder came in as an experienced 30-year-old operator who should have made an immediate impact.

Instead, the summer signing from Bournemouth has failed to hit the ground running at Ibrox and now looks to be out of favour under new head coach Rohl, after being brought in by Martin, whom he played for at Southampton in the 2023/24 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman has become a bit-part player for the Gers, failing to get on the pitch in the three league games that he has been available for under Rohl.

Given he was brought in as an experienced player for the here and now, it is hard to look past him as another one of Thelwell’s worst summer signings.

1

Thelo Aasgaard

Thelo Aasgaard looks to be another one of Thelwell’s worst pieces of business from the summer transfer window, as he has been as ineffective as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Rangers swooped to sign the Norway international from Luton Town for a fee of £3.5m to bolster their ranks in the attacking midfield positions, but he has been unable to provide a regular threat at the top end of the park.

Per Transfermarkt, Aasgaard has only produced one goal and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, whilst Chermiti has one goal and one assist to his name in 13 outings for the club.

What makes that return even less impressive is that his assist was the pass to Djeidi Gassama in the clip above, where the winger does the majority of the heavy lifting for the goal.

The English-born number ten has not shown enough quality in his performances to suggest that he can be a difference-maker, aside from his stunning solo goal against Dundee United, which currently looks like it was a flash in the pan.

Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described Aasgaard as “rotten” at the start of this month, and it is hard to disagree with that when he has many red cards as goals this season.

Aasgaard’s red card against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup is far from the only poor moment he has had in a Gers shirt, though, as the £3.5m signing was also hauled off at half-time against Livingston last weekend.

Rohl was clearly unhappy with his contributions in the opening 45 minutes, and it is hard to be happy with his contributions over the entire season so far, which is why he has been just as bad as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Antman upgrade: Rohl must unleash Rangers flop who Thelwell tried to replace

Danny Rohl should finally unleash this Rangers flop who Kevin Thelwell attempted to replace.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 25, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur are poised to be without a big name for their crucial North London derby clash against Arsenal on November 23, with the player’s return from injury up in the air.

Spurs take on Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title frontrunners in a mouth-watering clash at the Emirates Stadium following the conclusion of this latest international break, and the stakes are high for both sides.

Thomas Frank is attempting to guide the Lilywhites to a top four finish and build upon Ange Postecoglou’s final season in charge with another piece of major silverware, but concerns have surrounded their general creativity in open play and plethora of key absentees.

While Arsenal have also struggled to keep their star attackers fit this campaign, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres all racing to be fit for Tottenham, Frank’s extensive injury list is much longer.

Tottenham absentee list

Problem

Estimated return date (subject to change)

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Other

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are among the forwards who’ve been absent with serious injuries, and the latter is not expected to return until midway through 2026.

Summer signing Randal Kolo Muani was the latest to be sidelined after fracturing his jaw in their 2-2 draw with Man United last weekend. While the Frenchman, who only just returned to full fitness after a dead leg, won’t require surgery, it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out for or if he’ll be able to wear a mask and play against Arsenal.

Star winger Mohammed Kudus was ‘touch and go’ to face Man United and ultimately left out by Frank, with the 25-year-old also not selected for Ghana’s upcoming friendlies against Japan and South Korea.

There is every chance that Kudus, who’s stood out as their most in-form attacker this term, will recover from his knock in time to play against Arsenal, but the same cannot be said for striker Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham poised to be without Dominic Solanke for North London derby

The Englishman has yet to start a competitive game since Frank’s arrival at the club, playing just 49 minutes in total across all competitions, and his once minor ankle issue is taking a while to fully recover from.

Solanke was forced to undergo small surgery on his ankle problem and the initial prognosis was that he’d be back fairly soon. However, the 28-year-old still hasn’t played a single minute since Tottenham’s 2-0 win away to Man City right at the start of the season.

Recently, when asked if Solanke would be back on the field before the end of 2025, Frank’s response wasn’t that convincing at all.

Standard Sport have now reported that Solanke returning from injury to face Arsenal is looking “unlikely”, and they could even welcome back defender Radu Dragusin before him.

The Romanian is set to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break, which will be his first piece of action since rupturing his ACL back in January. Some reports suggest that Tottenham could even sell Solanke when the window reopens, with Frank viewing the forward as “expendable” amid repeated links to former Brentford star Ivan Toney.

Right now, Frank has just Mathys Tel, who can’t participate in the Champions League after being left out of their 22-man squad, and Richarlison to select from as their readily available striker options.

If injury were to befall Richarlison, like it did for large periods of last season, Frank would be in serious trouble.

Solanke finished 24/25 as the club’s second top scorer behind Brennan Johnson, and they’ve missed both his poacher’s instinct and general link-up play.

Celtic are on the lookout for a new manager this week after Brendan Rodgers officially resigned from his role with the Scottish Premiership champions on Monday night.

Martin O’Neill will take interim charge of the Hoops and will be in the dugout for their league clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Wednesday night.

Football Insider have already reported that the club are planning to make contact with out-of-work former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou about a potential return to the club.

However, the Hoops are now reportedly looking at another potential replacement for Brendan Rodgers who could be their next version of Postecoglou.

Celtic eyeing move for Championship manager

Following Rodgers’ resignation on Monday night, the board will be compiling a list of possible managers before finalising a shortlist and deciding who they want as their next head coach.

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According to The Scotsman, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is one of the people on the club’s list of potential targets to replace Rodgers in the coming days and weeks.

The report claims that the Hoops are considering a swoop to bring the Tractor Boys head coach to Parkhead, and that he is one of the early names under consideration at this moment in time.

It states that he has fans inside the boardroom at Celtic, hence the interest in his services, but it remains to be seen whether or not he would be interested in taking the job.

Why Kieran McKenna would be Celtic's next Ange Postecoglou

The Northern Irish coach, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, would be Postecoglou 2.0 for Celtic because he is another excellent coach whose teams play beautiful football.

Gary Neville described Postecoglou’s style of play as “breathtaking” in the Premier League, whilst Hoops supporters saw how exciting it was to watch as their team won five trophies in two seasons with him in charge, per Transfermarkt.

McKenna has earned similar praise for the way that his Ipswich team has played in recent years. Former Barnsley boss Danny Wilson claimed that the Tractor Boys play “sublime football” under the ex-Manchester United coach.

The goal in the clip above provides a taste of the kind of football McKenna’s team can play, with brilliant combination play and movement off the ball to create chances whilst playing through the opposition.

Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich career

Season (games managed)

Points

League finish

25/26 Championship (11)

16

TBC

24/25 Premier League (38)

22

19th

23/24 Championship (46)

96

2nd

22/23 Championship (46)

98

2nd

21/22 League One(23)

41

11th

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic target took Ipswich from midtable in the Championship all the way to the Premier League, and they are now in the Championship again with an opportunity to get promoted back to the top-flight.

He has improved the Tractor Boys, clearly, during his time there and has been incredibly unlucky not to win two league titles, with 98 and 96 points somehow not being enough for a single title over two seasons.

In the view of his former skipper, Sam Morsy, McKenna’s “one of the best managers around”.

Like Postecoglou, he has a demonstrable style of play that could be exciting for Celtic supporters to watch week-in-week-out, and it is one that has proven to be successful, given the incredible points returns in his two promotion-winning seasons.

Of course, the concern may be that he has not won a league title or done anything of note in a top-flight, but that was also true of Rodgers, who had been sacked by Liverpool, when they first appointed him.

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Therefore, McKenna could be an interesting appointment for the Scottish giants and one that could get fans excited at Parkhead because of his lovely style of play, as Postecoglou did during his time at the club.

And who is the Test centurion with the lowest batting average?

Steven Lynch07-Oct-2025I heard that Shivam Dube has played 36 T20Is without defeat. Is this a record? What are the equivalent records for ODIs and Tests? asked Nirmal Balaraman from the United States
India actually lost two of Shivam Dube’s first five T20 internationals (against Bangladesh and West Indies late in 2019), but since then he’s played 36 more without tasting defeat: that includes four tied games (all won by India in a super over), a no-result and one match which was abandoned after the toss was made. His 34 successive wins (ignoring no-results and abandonments, but including super-over victories) is easily a record for men’s T20Is: Pascal Murungi of Uganda has not lost any of his last 26 matches (his most recent was in December 2024), while Jasprit Bumrah is currently on a run of 23.There is a longer run in women’s one-day internationals, at least until Dube wins his next three games: the Australian pair of Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen won 36 and 35 completed matches respectively before a narrow loss to England in Bristol in July 2023. The record for women’s T20 internationals is a run of 23 successive wins by England’s Laura Marsh between January 2011 and October 2012.The record for men’s ODIs is 20 wins in a row, set by four team-mates whose run all came to an end when Australia lost to West Indies in Port-of-Spain in May 2003: Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting. (Hayden and Hogg missed that defeat, but returned for the next game, which they also lost.) The Test record is also an Australian preserve: McGrath, Justin Langer, Michael Slater and Mark Waugh all won 16 successive matches before March 2001, and that was matched by Hayden, Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey and Brett Lee up to January 2008. Both runs were ended by defeats by India, in Kolkata in 2001 and in Perth in 2008.Which bowler has dismissed most batters out stumped in Tests? asked Nijat Ahmed from India
There are no great surprises in the aggregate numbers: Muthiah Muralidaran, the top Test wicket-taker, leads the way with 47 stumping victims, with Shane Warne second on 36, one ahead of another Sri Lankan, Rangana Herath. The Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon currently has 28 stumping victims, as did Clarrie Grimmett.Grimmett only took 216 Test wickets, so 12.96% of his victims came via stumpings. That’s the most for anyone with over 100 wickets apart from the Indian legspinner Subhash “Fergie” Gupte, whose 149 included 20 stumpings (13.42%). Another Australian legspinner, Arthur Mailey, took 99 Test wickets, of which 18 (18.18%) were stumped.Nine West Indians reached double figures in a recent T20 international against Australia. Was this a record? asked Victor Persaud from Trinidad
The match you’re referring to was the fourth in the series in the Caribbean in July: West Indies made 205 for 9 against Australia in Basseterre, with nine batters reaching double figures. This was actually the third such instance in T20 internationals, and the second this year: Austria (223 for 8) did it against Slovenia in Latschach in May, which followed the first instance, by Tanzania (176) against Uganda in Kigali (Rwanda) in December 2022.The record for women’s T20Is is eight, by Australia (153 for 8) against England in Canberra in 2011.Jerome Taylor, with one hundred and one 50 in 73 Test innings, has the lowest batting average of anyone who has made a Test century – 12.96•Getty ImagesWhich non-wicketkeeper took over 100 Test catches but finished his career without taking a single Test wicket? asked Azweer from India
I think there are actually ten people who fit the bill here. New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming held on to 171 catches in the field, but never bowled in his 111 Tests, let alone took a wicket. He did not take any in first-class cricket either, although he did pick one up in an ODI (Marcel Schewe of the Netherlands during the 1996 World Cup in Vadodara).Brian Lara took 164 catches but no wickets, Matthew Hayden 128, Virat Kohli and Andrew Strauss 121, Colin Cowdrey 120, Hashim Amla 108, Mohammad Azharuddin and Graham Thorpe 105, and Ajinkya Rahane 102. Here’s the list of those with 100 or more catches in the field.Which player who has scored a Test century has the lowest average? And how about ODIs? asked David Collins from England
The lowest career average by a batter with a Test century is 12.96, by the West Indian fast bowler Jerome Taylor, whose 106 against New Zealand in Dunedin in 2008 – which remained his only century – was over 2.5 times his previous-highest first-class score, 40 for Leicestershire against Derbyshire in 2007.He was only the second man, after his namesake Bruce Taylor on debut for New Zealand against India in Calcutta in March 1965, to score his maiden century in a Test having never previously reached 50 in a first-class innings. They have since been joined by Curtis Campher, with 111 for Ireland against Sri Lanka in April 2023 (he still has no other first-class scores of 50 or more).The next-lowest career Test averages by centurions belong to the Pakistan pair of Yasir Shah (14.12) and Saqlain Mushtaq (14.48). Australia’s Jason Gillespie, with 18.73, has the lowest of anyone with a double-century.The lowest ODI average by a man with a century to his name is 16.44, by the big-hitting West Indian Carlos Brathwaite, who slammed a memorable 101 against New Zealand during the 2019 World Cup. He’s just ahead of another West Indian, Xavier Marshall (17.52), and Australia’s Trevor Chappell (17.61).For the record, the lowest in T20 internationals is 15.06, by Slovenia’s Izaz Ali, who scored 118 in one innings and a total of 123 in his 15 others to date.And there’s an update to one of last week’s questions, via Ivan Monaghan from Australia
In the answer to the question about the man with the most Test runs but the fewest nineties, I didn’t spot that Greg Chappell’s only score in the nineties was not out – an undefeated 98 against England in Sydney in January 1980. This means that Greg has the most Test runs without ever being out in the nineties – his 7110 just shades the 6996 of Don Bradman.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions