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3 nil Zubimendi on a hat trick

Guardiola, Amorim and troubling times in the state of Manchester https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6620274/2025/09/12/manchester-derby-guardiola-amorim/ On the eve of his first Manchester derby in September 2016, it was put to Pep Guardiola that his rivalry with Jose Mourinho would elevate the fixture and the Premier League to new heights. It would be English football’s answer to Ali vs Frazier, or Borg vs McEnroe, or Prost vs Senna. For a time, it felt like that. Every clash was described as “box office”. It was Guardiola vs Mourinho on the touchline. It was Kevin De Bruyne vs Paul Pogba. It was Sergio Aguero vs Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There were fireworks on the pitch and off it, one thrilling clash in 2017 followed by a flare-up in the Old Trafford tunnel — pushing, shoving, milk cartons thrown, blood shed — after Mourinho and his players were riled by a triumphant Oasis singalong in the Manchester City dressing room. But City, under Guardiola, reached such great heights and tipped the scales so far that the rivalry became one-sided, the reverse of its previous imbalance. Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag all claimed notable victories over City without coming close to landing the biggest prizes. Mourinho and Solskjaer led United to second place in the Premier League in 2018 and 2021 respectively, but neither could seriously be described as a title challenge. City have been the Premier League’s dominant force for the past decade and United frequently its most captivating discussion point, but the oft-stated notion of Manchester as the centre of the football universe — “global capital of football in the rest of the 21st century”, as proposed by the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham, earlier this year — has never truly materialised. United’s loss of direction under the Glazer family’s miserable ownership has seen to that. Guardiola spoke about the gulf in class a couple of years ago, not long after he led City to their first Champions League title and their sixth Premier League title in seven seasons. “I know what we have done,” he said. “I don’t know what Man United have done because I am not (there). But I didn’t expect it, honestly, when I arrived here with Jose Mourinho, with Ibrahimovic (up front for United), with top, top players, (Romelu) Lukaku (who joined them in 2017).” He put the difference down to a clear, unified vision that was there from the moment City came calling for him at Bayern Munich, having hired two former Barcelona executives, Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, in part because they represented a pathway to signing him. Guardiola and Mourinho in 2018 (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) The contrast with their neighbours is so stark that one of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first moves, upon buying an initial 27.7 per cent stake in United last year, was to raid City to hire a chief executive, Omar Berrada, in the hope that some of that clarity and vision would rub off. So far, it has not done to any appreciable degree. There have been changes, the usual talk of cultural resets and refocusing, along with another purge of perceived trouble-makers, but to date, Ratcliffe-era United has largely been indistinguishable from what was there over the previous decade, which City dominated. There have been derby-day highlights: resounding City victories, interspersed by days (not least the 2024 FA Cup final) when the old empire has briefly struck back. But the intensity of that Mourinho vs Guardiola period — and before that the Sir Alex Ferguson vs Roberto Mancini period as City, under new ownership, fought their way out of United’s long, intimidating shadow — has not been sustained. It is an unpalatable truth for United’s fans that the most tumultuous matches in Manchester over recent seasons have come when Liverpool and, more recently, Arsenal have visited City. The last Manchester derby? You would do well to remember it. It was a non-event at Old Trafford last April, a 0-0 draw so dreary that the only post-match talking point on Sky Sports was the softly-softly nature of it all. Former United captain Gary Neville complained of a “love-in” between the two groups of players at the final whistle, saying they seemed so content after 90 minutes of gentle sparring that “they’re going to go for a roast dinner now”. The Manchester derby in April ended 0-0 (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images) To an extent, that reflects the modern Premier League, which can be too sanitised and too convivial for many. But City’s games against Arsenal over the past few seasons have been tumultuous. Their clashes against Liverpool, while less antagonistic, have at times been of the highest quality. Even when United snatched a dramatic 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium last December, early in Ruben Amorim’s tenure, the dust settled quickly. This season’s first Manchester derby, at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, has arrived with what feels like indecent haste. Whereas that September 2016 clash came after Guardiola and Mourinho had won each of their first three Premier League matches since taking charge, this one finds both teams trying to shrug off an early-season malaise: an all-too-familiar sensation for United, but one that City hoped to have left behind them after a slump last term. Not since 2004-05, when Kevin Keegan was their manager and Danny Mills and Ben Thatcher their big summer signings, have City begun a campaign by losing two of their first three Premier League games. Since sweeping Wolves aside so impressively on the opening weekend, Guardiola’s team have lost at home against Tottenham Hotspur and, from 1-0 up, away at Brighton & Hove Albion. “There’s something… missing,” former City defender Micah Richards said this week at an event to promote CBS’s Champions League coverage. “I had felt that the things they were missing last season had been fixed. But against Spurs, they got caught out. Against Brighton, it was too easy. I thought they’d fixed it, but they haven’t yet. It might take more time.” It is the first time since December 2020 that City have gone into a derby trailing their neighbours in the Premier League table — and it is not as if United, with four points from three games, have set off at a frightening pace. There have been encouraging aspects to United’s performances, with new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo bringing a much-needed spark to the forward line, but there are still so many questions about Amorim’s team; that humiliating Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby Town prompted dark mutterings from the coach, saying that the players’ performance “spoke really loud about what they want and what they don’t want”. There is no doubt what Amorim wants. His tactical vision has been set in stone from the moment he arrived in Manchester last November. To the believers, it is a sign of a coach’s strength and conviction. To the doubters, it is a sign of weakness, a slavish devotion to a system that has yielded just 31 points from 30 Premier League games. In both camps, there is bemusement that United’s £200million summer revamp in the transfer market did not even begin to address longstanding deficiencies — both with and without the ball — in central midfield. There are still questions around Amorim’s United (George Wood/Getty Images) If there is one coach who has demonstrated the value of persisting with a certain playing style in the Premier League and ignoring the naysayers, it is Guardiola. His first Manchester derby featured a debut in goal for Claudio Bravo, whose deposing of England’s No 1 Joe Hart, on account of his superior ability with the ball at his feet, earned him the wrath of almost the entire punditocracy back in 2016 — as did an insistence upon intricate, possession-based football in a league where a more attritional style was still en vogue. What You Should Read Next Pep Guardiola was supposed to compromise his principles, but he conquered the Premier League by staying true to them When Guardiola first came to the Premier League, even sages such as Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp thought he may struggle - he has thrived Guardiola’s faith in his philosophy has brought spectacular rewards for City in the years since. But is his vision still so clear in 2025? The coach who taught us that a goalkeeper cannot justify his position through shot-stopping alone has just signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had fallen out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain because, in coach Luis Enrique’s eyes, he is not adept enough with the ball at his feet. Donnarumma could make his debut against United and it says much of Guardiola’s influence on English football culture that the signing of the Italian, widely recognised as one of the outstanding goalkeepers in the world, has attracted almost as much debate as the replacement of Hart with Bravo — and, ultimately and far more successfully, Ederson — did. What You Should Read Next Manchester City and the long summer of goalkeepers The signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma completes an overhaul of City's goalkeeping department - and raises some tactical questions too In a news conference before that Brighton game, Guardiola responded sarcastically when it was put to him that something had changed in his tactical outlook. “Yeah, after winning 18 titles, I will change my plan — yeah, I’m pretty sure. After winning four Premier Leagues in a row, I’m going to change the way I believe my teams should play,” he said. “Never, ever, will I change my belief in the way we’re going to play.” But clearly something has shifted in Guardiola’s approach. In the past, a ball-playing goalkeeper and a multi-functional centre-forward were non-negotiables for the City manager, who even used to rebuke Aguero for “disappearing” during build-up play. Now he has a goalkeeper, Donnarumma, who is far removed from the Victor Valdes or Ederson archetype, and a centre-forward, Erling Haaland, who brings an extraordinary goalscoring prowess but can at times give the impression he thinks he will be penalised if he touches the ball outside the penalty area. There have been other shifts over recent seasons: playing central defenders at full-back and moving towards players who have appeared to lack certain qualities that were previously required of midfielders (Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes) and wide forwards (Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku) in a Guardiola team. Guardiola has talked of the need to adapt to new tactical trends in the Premier League — “today, modern football is not positional, you have to ride with the rhythm” — but the City team that has emerged over the past 12 months, after so many comings and goings, has struggled in that regard. In the second half on the south coast a fortnight ago, he and his team looked flummoxed once Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler had changed the rhythm of the game. Guardiola looks on during the defeat to Brighton (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images) No manager can remain at the highest level without evolving and adapting to new challenges, but it feels strange to reflect that PSG dominated Europe last season in a style that seemed to have more in common with Guardiola’s great Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City sides than Guardiola’s current team has. Then there is the question of energy. Guardiola extended his contract to June 2027 last year, but a degree of uncertainty surrounds his commitment beyond this season. Management at the highest level is exhausting, particularly when someone is as consumed by the job as Guardiola is. Fighting for the biggest prizes — high-intensity matches every week — can be energy-sapping, but struggling to find answers is even more so. Amorim would identify with that. Like Guardiola, he gives the impression of feeling tortured by every setback — and there have been an awful lot of those in his first 10 months in Manchester. Sunday offers both managers a welcome opportunity to build momentum. As challenging as the first few weeks of the campaign have been, victory on derby day would change the mood considerably. The other side of that equation is the threat of defeat and all the negativity that would come with it. By 6.30pm on Sunday, either City or United — or both if it ends up a draw — will be left with one win from the first four Premier League matches. And things could feasibly get worse, with stern tests to follow next weekend against Arsenal and Chelsea respectively. All of which brings a certain type of spotlight on the Manchester derby, a game where the stakes are raised precisely because the mood right now is so low. It is wearily familiar territory for United these days, but for those of a City persuasion — at least for those like Guardiola and for a young generation of supporters who have grown happily accustomed to success — these are strange, unsettling times.

A play-off shake-up would be good news for Wrexham, but bad for football https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6618958/2025/09/11/wrexham-play-off-efl/ Mention “the play-offs” to Wrexham supporters of any vintage and chances are their first response will be to shudder. Six times the club now owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have competed in the end-of-season promotion deciders and six times they’ve failed to go up, most recently in 2022 against Grimsby Town. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course. There’s an argument that the 5-4 semi-final loss, which served as the finale to series one of the Welcome to Wrexham TV show, actually did the club a favour, in that it introduced a US audience to the sense of jeopardy that exists in a sport featuring promotion and relegation. But, at the time, the devastation felt by supporters wearily used to coming up short in the play-offs — a tale of woe that stretches back to 1989 — was so deep that a straw poll at the final whistle against Grimsby would surely have voted in favour of boycotting all future attempts at going up via this route. Three or so years on, the landscape at the Racecourse Ground has changed significantly. Wrexham are a Championship club now and the Premier League is just one more promotion away. Surely, then, The Athletic’s exclusive story about plans to expand the number of teams involved in the play-offs at this level from four to six must be good news for Wrexham, even allowing for that dreadful record. Basic mathematics says lowering the qualification bar to eighth place certainly means an increased chance of getting a shot at realising their Hollywood owners’ much-stated ambition of reaching the top flight. Play-off changes could be good news for Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney (left) and Ryan Reynolds (Kya Banasko/Getty Images) And Wrexham would not be alone in welcoming such a change. The proposals — presented by Preston North End chief executive Peter Ridsdale to a meeting of Championship chief executives last week — received widespread backing, as clubs sensed the door to the Premier League’s promised land creaking open a little wider. But at what cost? The play-offs are one of English football’s greatest success stories. Introduced in 1986-87, they quickly became a highlight of the calendar by offering an intoxicating mix of drama and excitement that spread to the regular season by keeping even mid-table teams in the promotion mix until well into the spring. Thanks to the prize of reaching the Premier League being so big, the second-tier play-offs have taken on an aura all of their own, with the final long ago dubbed The Richest Game in World Football. None of this will change under this plan. There is, though, a very real danger of the quality being diluted sufficiently to damage the EFL brand. Bristol City, having finished sixth in last season’s Championship, stunk out the semi-finals, even before Rob Dickie’s red card on the stroke of half-time in their first leg defeat at home to Sheffield United. But what if Liam Manning’s side had instead hit a purple patch in May and gone on to clinch promotion? Chances are, one of the worst teams to qualify for the Championship play-offs would now be drowning in the league above. This season’s newly-promoted Premier League clubs may have made encouraging starts but Southampton’s derisory 12 points in 2024-25 and all six of the promoted teams going straight back down in the last two campaigns have raised questions over a competitive imbalance between the top two divisions. The Premier League has always been hostile to the notion of expanding the play-offs, which has been regularly touted for over 20 years, partly because of fears it would dilute the quality of its competition. How long before those at the top table start questioning the validity of three sides coming up every year? Sounds far-fetched? Perhaps. But there’s a huge gulf between the top two divisions right now that will not be bridged by promoting a team who could only finish eighth in the Championship. Be careful what you wish for, if you like. Especially as any extension to the play-offs would mean having to create space in an already congested calendar. Grimsby’s Tristan Abrahams celebrates beating Wrexham in the 2022 National League play-offs (Lewis Storey/Getty Images) This could be done by either squeezing the regular season even tighter with more midweek fixtures or putting the Wembley final back a week. The latter, though, would be a terrible option as play-off winners would have even less time to prepare for the Premier League than they do now. Those behind the shake-up have clearly looked to the National League — England’s fifth tier — for inspiration, judging by how the proposed eliminator stage looks very similar to the current format of the fourth-placed side playing seventh and fifth taking on sixth. But the decision to extend the National League play-offs from four to six teams in 2017-18 made sense, in part, thanks to the two-up, two-down agreement with the EFL. By increasing the participating teams by 50 per cent, more stayed involved in the promotion race for longer. However, if the National League ever gets the three-up, three-down set-up it craves, this argument feels more redundant. It’s also worth noting how the National League play-offs have panned out, both before and after those changes eight years ago. The lowest-placed team in the final table to win promotion is Grimsby in 2022, when, as the sixth-placed side, they followed that win over Wrexham by beating Solihull Moors. Otherwise, promotion via the play-offs has been pretty much the preserve of the teams finishing second or third, with the 2025 final the big outlier as fifth-placed Oldham Athletic defeated seventh-placed Southend United. Is it really worth not only adding to fixture congestion by extending the current Championship play-offs but also potentially risking the wrath of the Premier League for such little impact? Especially for a league so competitive already that, with just two games remaining last season, every one of the 24 teams in the second tier could either go up or down. If Wrexham, Preston or anyone else wants to go up, then do it via the current route. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Enzo Maresca: Chelsea squad not ‘worried’ about club’s 74 FA charges https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6622773/2025/09/12/enzo-maresca-Chelsea-charges/ Enzo Maresca says neither he or the Chelsea players are worried about the club facing 74 charges for alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022. Chelsea have until September 19 to respond to the Football Association (FA) with the potential punishments, if found guilty, ranging from a fine to a points deduction or transfer ban. The Athletic reported on Thursday that the club are expecting it to just be a fine, although an independent commission will be the ones to decide what happens. Maresca admits he is not too concerned about the situation. Speaking during Friday’s pre-match press conference, when asked if he had spoken to anyone in the hierarchy about the case, he replied: “I know from the club that they are satisfied about the situation, about the process. “Personally I don’t have anything to add, firstly because I don’t have any idea. If I say something I could be wrong or right. I just focus on the pitch side, something I can control. The rest is not in my hands.” When pressed if he will speak to the players to reassure them over the possible ramifications, he replied: “I don’t think the players are too worried about the situation.” What You Should Read Next Chelsea’s 74 FA charges explained: What are the allegations and how could they be punished? Breaking down what Chelsea are accused of by the FA and what the implications could be Chelsea face Brentford on Saturday and Maresca will make a late decision on whether to recall Cole Palmer to the squad after a groin problem. The 23-year-old has played just once this season, against Crystal Palace in the opening game. He was withdrawn from the starting XI against West Ham United the following week at the last moment having felt some discomfort during the warm-up. Maresca said: “Cole took part in the session for the first time yesterday. It was not for the whole session, we have one more session this afternoon and we will try with him. We will see if he is okay, otherwise he will be out of tomorrow’s game. “For sure the moment he is available we will probably have to think of managing him because of the amount of games.”

EXCL: What my sources are saying about Adam Wharton ahead of January interest from Liverpool, Chelsea & Man Utd Keep a close eye on this one... https://thedailybriefing.io/p/excl-what-my-sources-are-saying-about I’ve just had an interesting WhatsApp exchange with a very well-connected source who’s expecting strong interest in Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this January. As I recently reported for CaughtOffside here, Wharton had genuine and concrete chances of moving late on this summer, but Palace succeeded in frightening suitors off with a whopping £100m price tag. Needless to say, there was no appetite to let Wharton leave so late in the window when Eberechi Eze had already joined Arsenal and Marc Guehi looked set for a move to Liverpool. In the end, Eagles co-owner and chairman Steve Parish will have to view the transfer window as a relative success - Eze was the only major sale, with Wharton and Guehi staying put, while Oliver Glasner is also still in charge despite interest from Manchester United. Adam Wharton will be one to watch again in January However, this may all only be a temporary reprieve, with Guehi obviously out of contract at the end of the season. As reported yesterday, Liverpool remain confident that they’re in pole position to sign him on a free transfer despite “noise” about links with other clubs. Wharton is also going to be one to watch again in upcoming transfer windows, with my sources telling me that Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United could all push for him in January. Starting with United, we know they made a bid for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, and he’s still on their list, but that might not be the only midfield signing they make in the next twelve months, with Wharton also highly appreciated. My source this morning told me: “United see Wharton as the ideal replacement for Casemiro, who’s expected to leave at the end of the season. His ability to dictate play from deep fits perfectly into Ruben Amorim’s tactical setup. They made an approach in the summer, but Palace rejected it outright.” This source, who was also one of the first to confirm Arsenal had made a breakthrough on the Eze deal, also informed me that Wharton’s asking price for January would likely be more like £60m than the £100m they raised it to towards the end of the summer. World Cup could come into Adam Wharton’s thinking Why the change of heart? Well, although Wharton is not expected to push hard for a move away from Selhurst Park, there is next summer’s World Cup to think about. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images) The England international is likely to be part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad, but there’s a lot of competition for a starting spot. Clearly, this is a player who knows very well that he’s good enough to be in that XI, but playing for a bigger club and in the Champions League would undoubtedly do his chances no harm. My source confirmed this to me, saying: “Wharton is keen to play European football and cement his place in the national team - these factors could influence his next move.” This could mean Liverpool and Chelsea have an advantage over United for the time being, as they’re both in Europe, but it’s also the case that there’d be more competition in those squads. Arne Slot is a big admirer of Wharton as I understand it, but football is unpredictable and all sides will know there’s some uncertainty about whether the 21-year-old would immediately be able to shift other top midfield players like Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch or Dominik Szoboszlai out of the Liverpool starting line up. Similarly, Chelsea already have Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez as their clear first-choice midfield pairing. Wharton very much fits the profile of player this Blues ownership likes, but it’s not a move without its risks. Wharton is open to leaving Palace and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this in the weeks and months ahead, but a combination of regular playing time and European football will be crucial. Let’s see if anything emerges that ticks both of those boxes.

Nilson Angulo

Chelsea to sign Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha in 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6622905/2025/09/12/Chelsea-transfer-news-strasbourg-emegha/ Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Emanuel Emegha from BlueCo sister club RC Strasbourg. BlueCo, the company the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium created when buying Chelsea in 2022, owns both clubs involved in the deal, which will be formally processed in 2026. Last season, the 22-year-old scored 14 goals and provided three assists in 27 appearances in Ligue 1. Having started his career at Sparta Rotterdam, the Netherlands under-21 international went on to play for Royal Antwerp and Sturm Graz before joining Strasbourg in 2023. This summer, Chelsea completed the signings of strikers Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, while Nicolas Jackson joined Bayern Munich on a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy. Chelsea also recalled striker Marc Guiu from a previously agreed season-long loan deal at Sunderland following an injury to Delap, which is expected to rule out the striker for several months of the campaign. Enzo Maresca’s side, who have collected seven points from their opening three league games, travel to Brentford in a west London derby on Saturday. Why have Chelsea signed Emegha? Analysis from The Athletic’s Chelsea Correspondent Simon Johnson The summer window has been closed for under a fortnight and Chelsea have already made another signing for the future. The obvious question is why? Emegha has been under consideration at Chelsea for some time — it helps that they can keep a close eye on his progress at sister club Strasbourg. The multi club model worked in Chelsea’s favour here. Champions League clubs in England and abroad were beginning to show a lot of interest in the forward earlier this year but Strasbourg were able to keep hold of him this summer. Emegha was spoken to, assured that he’d be better off staying one more year and developing at Strasbourg before moving elsewhere. A sign of the trust and value placed in him was that he was also made captain for this season. At that point a move to Chelsea was not promised or guaranteed, but clearly given the relationship between the two clubs it could not be ruled out. What You Should Read Next Liam Delap, a hamstring tear and a frustrating start to life at Chelsea The summer signing from Ipswich made an impact at the Club World Cup but will have to wait to show the home supporters what he can do Emegha has increased in Chelsea’s thinking in recent weeks. For starters he is seen as a successor to Nicolas Jackson, who was granted his wish to leave Stamford Bridge last week and has joined Bayern Munich on loan. There is a contractual obligation included which can make that permanent if certain conditions are met, but even if that does not happen, the plan is for him to be sold permanently in 2026 regardless. Emegha is regarded as one of the fastest strikers in Ligue 1 and a player who likes to run in behind defences as well as down the channels – essentially what Jackson has been doing over the past two years but Chelsea feel his potential is greater. When Chelsea were assessing what to do following Liam Delap’s hamstring injury at the end of last month, which will rule him out until November, they deliberately decided not to add another striker in the last few days of window. They did not want to block the pathway of Marc Guiu, who they decided to recall from loan at Sunderland. Significantly the same reasoning was applied to Emegha as they stepped up thoughts of buying him with 2026 in mind. Chelsea felt it was too early for him to come now and that another year at Strasbourg will make him even more polished. The fact he will also get experience playing in European competition via the UEFA Conference League is seen as another positive. The club also feel there is a strong possibility of Emegha being part of the Netherlands squad for the World Cup should they qualify. That means getting a deal agreed in advance before facing possibly even more competition for his signature is so important. Chelsea want strength in depth for their attacking positions and with Joao Pedro able to play as a No 10 as well as up front, Emegha will provide another useful option leading the line along with Delap in 2026-27. What would Emegha bring to Chelsea? Analysis by Thom Harris Standing at 6ft 5in (195cm), and Europe’s fastest centre-forward per SkillCorner’s PSV-99 metric, Emegha instantly fits the physical, line-leading mould. The 22-year-old is another forward bought and sold by Austrian side Sturm Graz, along with Rasmus Hojlund and Monaco’s Mika Biereth, a sure-fire seal of approval regarding his athletic, goal-poacher profile. At the top of an exciting Strasbourg side, Emegha is often the man to stretch in behind and keep opposition centre-backs on their toes. His opening goal away at Marseille back in January was almost comical as he recalibrated his run three times to get in behind a slack defensive line. Emegha is more about bundling home from close-range and finishing his chances with finesse, but his shot map below illustrates just how much danger the Dutchman’s darting runs can generate, with almost 97 per cent of his league shots this season falling inside the penalty area. Only five Ligue 1 players scored more than his 14 goals. His expected goal (xG) value per shot of 0.28 was also the highest of any player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, pointing to a striker who consistently gets himself into threatening positions, even if his finishing can sometimes leave a little to be desired. Despite his more slender frame, Emegha can still hold his own and create something from nothing with combative channel runs. On occasion Emegha’s height can work against him — he can sometimes look clumsy in front of goal while he sorts out his feet — but his speed, strength, and magnetism to high-value shooting opportunities makes him an intriguing profile who will continue to cause damage as he sharpens his striking instincts.

Chelsea’s 74 FA charges explained: What are the allegations and how could they be punished? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6619592/2025/09/11/Chelsea-fa-charges-agents-explained/ A 94-word statement released by the English Football Association on Thursday has cast a cloud over Chelsea. The news that the club had been hit with 74 charges relating to alleged breaches of rules on agent payments did not come as a surprise to club executives, given the issue has been hanging over them since 2022, but it has sparked concern among supporters. Here, The Athletic explains why Chelsea have been charged and what the implications could be. What have Chelsea been charged with? The 74 charges are related to alleged breaches of FA rules regarding regulations on working with intermediaries and third-party investment in players. To be more specific, and if you have time on your hands to go through all the jargon in the FA manual, the governing body’s statement refers to “breaches of regulations J1 and C2 of the FA’s football agents regulations, regulations A2 and A3 of the FA’s regulations on working with intermediaries, and regulations A1 and B3 of the FA’s third-party investment in player regulations”. The alleged offences took place between 2009 and 2022, although the focus is on what took place from the 2010-11 to 2015-16 seasons. Chelsea say the offences are all related to the regime of the club’s previous owner, the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, although the FA declined to confirm that point when asked about it by The Athletic. Chelsea also say that they flagged the discrepancies to all the governing bodies — the FA, the Premier League and UEFA, which looks after European football — when the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium bought the club in May 2022. Significantly, at the time, the consortium withheld £100million ($135m) from the £2.5billion sale price of Chelsea due to concerns they could inherit “unforeseen liabilities” after examining the club’s finances. What do the charges relate to? Essentially, Chelsea are accused of making payments worth millions of pounds in relation to player signings that were not registered in the club’s accounts submitted to the FA, Premier League and UEFA. Some of the accounting that has come under scrutiny relates to Eden Hazard’s £32m move from Lille to Chelsea in 2012, plus Willian’s and Samuel Eto’o’s transfers from Anzhi Makhachkala a year later, for £32m and on a free transfer respectively. There is no suggestion that any of the players were guilty of wrongdoing. Willian’s transfer to Chelsea is one deal under scrutiny by the FA (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images) One of the reasons the accusations have to be taken so seriously is that they could be seen as Chelsea trying to get around profit and sustainability rules to secure a sporting advantage. However, in the process of looking into their figures, Chelsea say that they hired an independent accountancy firm and they found the club would have still passed the threshold even if all the payments were declared on the official books. Club sources speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships say this is more of a tax issue and that a financial settlement has already been reached with HMRC. Why did Chelsea report themselves to the authorities? The discrepancies came to light while the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium was doing its due diligence during the takeover process in 2022. These related to payments connected to transfers to offshore companies and players’ families and representatives, which is why the £100m deduction in the asking price was demanded. On completing the purchase, the new owners made their findings known to all the governing bodies. They wanted to be open and transparent, particularly given the strong possibility these claims would come out eventually and they would face potentially even tougher questions. Chelsea wanted to ensure there was a clean slate from the previous era. Chelsea gave the FA the files and historical data they had discovered that related to the payments. There has been regular dialogue ever since and the club say that whenever the FA has come back with more questions or requests for material, it has been provided. Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) How long could this take? Chelsea have until September 19 to respond to the FA’s official statement, although there is a recognition that, given the number of charges to examine, the club could be given an extension. Any sanction will be decided by an independent commission, which will be held as soon as possible. If Chelsea plead guilty to all 74 charges, the commission will then just have to decide the punishment. Should the club protest against half of them, for example, the commission will have to decide to uphold or dismiss the half Chelsea have protested against. The different possibilities mean there is no fixed date for when this will all be over but Chelsea are aiming for it to be resolved quickly. However, there is also the issue of an ongoing Premier League investigation into the same financial issues. “The FA and Premier League will likely be looking at why no one picked up the irregularities and how they were shown in the many reports and documents, compiled by those both inside and outside the club,” said Yasin Patel, a leading sports barrister at Church Court Chambers. How could they be punished if the charges are upheld? There is a range of sanctions — sporting and non-sporting — that could be applied, ranging from a fine to a Premier League points deduction and/or a transfer ban. Chelsea reporting themselves and not fighting the investigation at any point should aid their cause. A precedent was set when UEFA handed Chelsea a £8.6m fine in July 2023 for ‘incomplete financial reporting’ under the Abramovich regime. Chelsea are hopeful that the independent panel will reach a similar conclusion and that it will end with another financial penalty rather than a sporting sanction. There are examples of the FA just issuing clubs with fines for breaching football agent regulations although it should be pointed out that these were isolated cases on a different scale to the claims made about Chelsea. For example, Wigan had to pay a £40,000 fine in 2014 over the signing of Marc-Antoine Fortune; Brighton & Hove Albion were fined £90,000 by the Football Association in 2015 over the transfer of Dale Stephens a year earlier; and Reading were fined £200,000 last year over breaching intermediary regulations with Michael Olise’s agent in 2019. Why are Chelsea’s owners facing possible punishment rather than the Abramovich regime? Even though the vast majority of staff and players have changed since Abramovich left, it is still Chelsea Football Club that has been seen to flout the rules, so they are the ones that have to be held accountable for what has allegedly taken place. What have Chelsea and the FA said? The FA has said nothing other than the statement announcing the charges on Thursday morning. Chelsea responded soon after with a statement published on their website. It read: “Chelsea is pleased to confirm that its engagement with the FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion. “The club’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 2022. During a thorough due diligence process before the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules. Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA. “The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data. We will continue working collaboratively with the FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to the FA for their engagement with the Club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.”

Deinner Ordóñez Chelsea join Liverpool in race for Ecuadorian prodigy, 15, as Blues hold talks over £14m-rated defender https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-15088427/Chelsea-Liverpool-Ecuador-prodigy-15-14m-rated.html Chelsea have held talks over a move for Ecuador defensive prodigy Deinner Ordonez. The centre back is regarded as the next great talent to emerge from Independiente del Valle who have produced the likes of Moises Caicedo, Kendry Paez and Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie. Still only 15, Ordonez impressed playing above his age group at the South American U20 Championships earlier this year where he was the youngest player to appear there in over a decade. His performances have already caught the eye of Liverpool scouts and clubs from Spain and Germany. Already over 6ft tall, Ordonez is right-footed but is utilised as a left-sided centre back where he is fast earning plaudits for excellent use of the ball and his ability to build play from the back. He is also strong in the air though still to develop physically. Independiente are willing to strike a deal to sell the youngster, similar to the transfer structured previously for Paez who agreed to leave at 16 but was only eligible for transfer this summer in turning 18. Ordonez does not turn 18 until October 2027 but there is already talk of Independiente looking for around £14million including add on payments for the teenager. Chelsea have been determined in their pursuit of global up-and-coming talents and often ruthless in their willingness to beat the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid to their signatures.

If I see it, I will post it. I can only work with what I find.

EXCL: Chelsea set sights on U23 attacking trio after missing out on Xavi Simons Chelsea will make an attacking midfielder a priority for upcoming transfer windows. https://thedailybriefing.io/p/excl-Chelsea-set-sights-on-u23-attacking Chelsea are set to make an attacking midfielder a priority in the transfer market in the coming year after missing out on Xavi Simons in the summer. The Blues had a busy summer bringing in exciting talents such as Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jorrel Hato and Alejandro Garnacho, but their recruitment team continues to be busy assessing future targets. Sources with a close understanding of Chelsea's plans have informed CaughtOffside that the west London giants will now focus on Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers as one of their top targets for January or next summer, as well as two other top young talents aged 23 and under… Chelsea's interest in signing Rogers is no secret, with the England international having been on their radar during the summer, while other top clubs have also been impressed by his form for Villa. Chelsea exploring Morgan Rogers and other transfer targets Sources have also informed CaughtOffside that Juventus' Kenan Yildiz is on Chelsea's radar, along with Lyon's Malick Fofana. Although Tottenham ended up winning the race for Xavi Simons, Chelsea were also really keen on bringing him in as well as Garnacho late on in the window. In the end, only Garnacho was possible, but CFC will set aside funds for at least one more top attacking midfield player in the months ahead. Rogers is well liked by Chelsea's recruitment team, but Yildiz and Fofana are two other names to watch if a deal proves too expensive or complicated to get done. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) Villa are understandably keen to hold on to Rogers, but could also be in a strong position to invite a bidding war as other clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City could get involved. Chelsea missed out on Xavi Simons and Ethan Nwaneri Chelsea also notably had a genuine and concrete interest in Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri during the summer. In the end, Nwaneri ended up signing a new contract with the Gunners, but Charles Watts has previously told us about the Blues' interest. "Arsenal were always quite calm about Nwaneri’s situation, but with just a year remaining of his old deal it was an issue that needed resolving," Watts said of Chelsea's interest in Nwaneri. "Chelsea were interested, just as they were before Nwaneri signed his first professional contract with the club in March, 2024." He added: "While there may have been strong interest, Nwaneri’s preference was always to stay at Arsenal and the club were always confident he would stay."

Chelsea charged with 74 alleged breaches of FA regulations over 13-year period https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6618970/2025/09/11/Chelsea-charges-agents-fa/ The Football Association (FA) has charged Chelsea with 74 alleged breaches of its regulations between 2009 and 2022. The charges centre on a period of time when the club was under the ownership of Roman Abramovich and “primarily relate to events that occurred between the 2010-11 to 2015-16 playing seasons”, the FA said. Abramovich was disqualified as a director of Chelsea by the Premier League in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the previous month. That came after the UK government froze the Russian billionaire’s assets due to his “close ties with the Kremlin”. In May of that year, Chelsea’s current ownership of the investor consortium BlueCo led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club. The alleged breaches are in relation to the governing body’s agent regulations, regulations on working with intermediaries, and third party investment in players regulations. An FA statement on Thursday read: “The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of the FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of the FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of the FA Third Party Investment in Player Regulations. “In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. “The conduct that is the subject of the charges range from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events that occurred between the 2010-11 to 2015-16 playing seasons.” The club have until September 19 to respond with scope for that deadline to be extended given the extent of the charges. Chelsea insist the charges relate to the Abramovich era only. The FA refused to clarify when asked to do so by The Athletic. The club said on Thursday that they were “pleased” that the issue “self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion”. “During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the (current) ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules,” the statement continued. “Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including The FA.” Chelsea said they had “demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data”. The club added: “We will continue working collaboratively with the FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to the FA for their engagement with the club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.”

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Pat Nevin backs Chelsea's transfer strategy and says it's better than Liverpool's Nevin hasn't always been behind the new owners https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/pat-nevin-backs-chelseas-transfer Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has not always been supportive of the new ownership group and he has often been quite critical. But in recent months, his tone is changing. Nevin has come out with a huge opinion this week on Chelsea’s transfer strategy and has made some big calls on our business being better than Liverpool’s this summer. Nevin believes his former club enjoyed a more successful transfer window than Liverpool, despite the Reds' record-breaking summer spree. Liverpool dominated headlines by smashing the British transfer record twice in succession. Liverpool ultimately spent £446million this summer. Whilst Chelsea invested £284m in new players but ended up in the positive net spend due to some incredible player sales. Nevin argues that Chelsea's more measured recruitment strategy - targeting young talent with strong resale value - is the smarter long-term play, and one that could yield greater rewards than Liverpool's high-risk, high-reward spending. "Isak is someone I can see Chelsea potentially going for, but if you're spending £125m, you're not making a profit if you sell in four years," Nevin said. "Isak would do the job for you, but Chelsea don't look at it that way. "This is Chelsea's method. They won't buy players without a potential resale value. It's happened with plenty of clubs in the past where they've spent big on a player, and when it doesn't work out, there's no resale. Chelsea don't like that. That's not the model." Nevin, who spent five years as a player at Stamford Bridge, went on to suggest that Liverpool might have overpaid for their marquee summer signings - particularly when compared to the players Chelsea secured in the same positions. "The club have brought Joao Pedro in for half the price of Isak. Is Isak really twice the player that Joao Pedro is? I don't think so," the former Scotland international said. "He's a fabulous player, he's probably better than Joao Pedro at the moment, but if you're looking at smart money, then Chelsea have got the better deal. "Chelsea would have made back that Joao Pedro money from the sales they've made this summer and from the Club World Cup as well. The model looks alright to me. Don't get me wrong, Chelsea have spent a lot of money, but they've recouped that money as well. "Chelsea are right amongst the top when it comes to spending over the past few years, but they would say they've been sensible. They're back in the Champions League, they've won the Club World Cup, so actually, you can see the model is working. "Some of the players they've brought in are great value," Nevin, who also played for Everton, added. "Estevao might be the best value of the lot. He's only a kid, but he looks like a brilliant footballer. If he's this good now, you can only imagine how good he'll be if he keeps on improving. "So, the way Chelsea look at it is, do we go for this talented 18-year-old or go out and sign Florian Wirtz for £100m+? You'll only know in three or four years who was right, but I think it's a close call from what I've seen." We all have our opinion on a lot of what Nevin has said above. He’s made some big claims here. I completely get where he’s coming from and what he’s trying to say here, but I don’t agree with it all personally. I think Chelsea have done some smart business for sure, but my gripe has always been that it’s lacked balance and it still does really. But I also see the vision now and see it coming together. I don’t think you can say it’s been proven to work yet though, I think we have to see where we are at the end of the season first and see how we end it and what we achieve to truly judge the strategy. We will also need to see where Liverpool are to be able to compare the windows. But Chelsea’s selling has been incredible this summer and they are very much able to spin a profit on players who don’t make it here. But that comes with criticism and a down side as well - the human aspect of it all. I think we have a strong squad but still ignored two critical areas for me. I like the fact we have moved on to signing more proven players like Joao Pedro, which is what I’ve been asking for. But there are still some big question marks and I’m not getting carried away with anything just yet. I do rate what Nevin has said here though and in general I like his views, but he’s much braver than me to put all that on paper at this stage of the season! Let’s see how things go!

nil 2 Noni

England are missing around £1 billion total buy cost worth of players with these 10 Jude Bellingham Bukayo Saka Cole Palmer Phil Foden Trent Alexander-Arnold Ethan Nwaneri Levi Colwill Kobbie Mainoo Jarrad Branthwaite Adam Wharton

Chelsea Football Club has released the following update regarding Dario Essugo… https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/injury-update-dario-essugo Midfielder Dario Essugo has undergone successful surgery today on his thigh. The 20-year-old sustained the injury whilst on international duty for Portugal's Under-21s. Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action and Dario will now begin his recovery at Cobham, supported by the club's medical department.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap expected to return to training in November, no surgery required after hamstring injury https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6587974/2025/09/09/liam-delap-injury-update-Chelsea/ By David Ornstein and Simon Johnson Sept. 9, 2025 Chelsea striker Liam Delap is expected to begin training again in November, with his anticipated return to play coming shortly after ahead of the busy festive fixture schedule. No surgery is required on the hamstring injury Delap sustained against Fulham and his lay-off is estimated at approximately 10 weeks from the time of the injury. Delap pulled up during the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fulham on August 30 and was replaced by Tyrique George. After the game, head coach Enzo Maresca said he feared Delap would be out for up to eight weeks. The England Under-21 international’s injury caused Chelsea to recall Marc Guiu from his proposed season-long loan at Sunderland. That came after the club had informed Bayern Munich they would not be sanctioning the proposed loan of Nicolas Jackson to the German club, before a deal was ultimately struck on deadline day which includes a conditional obligation for the Bundesliga champions to make the move permanent. Delap is set to miss the beginning of Chelsea’s Champions League league phase campaign, which includes a trip to Bayern Munich on September 17, while Maresca’s side also play Premier League champions Liverpool on October 4 and travel to Tottenham Hotspur on November 1. Delap joined Chelsea for £30million from Ipswich Town at the start of summer. He featured in six games for his new side at the Club World Cup, scoring once, and had started two of Chelsea’s opening three Premier League games. As well as Delap, Chelsea also recruited Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of the Club World Cup. The Brazilian has so far featured as a No 10, a No 9 and on the left under Maresca. Chelsea return to action following the international break against Brentford on Saturday. ‘A blow for the player and Chelsea’ Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Simon Johnson Losing Delap for such a long period of time is a blow for the player and Chelsea. Delap may have been outshone by fellow new forward recruit Joao Pedro so far as the 5-1 goal ratio indicates. But the striker, bought from Ipswich Town for £30million in June, was providing the team with some much needed physicality and showing his importance. The schedule is now becoming much more intense with the start of the Champions League next week and head coach Enzo Maresca would have hoped to share the workload between both of his options. Chelsea have recalled Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland to fill the void after deciding not to stand in the way of Nicolas Jackson’s departure to Bayern Munich before the deadline. As The Athletic explained last week, Guiu is a player who is highly regarded by Maresca and club personnel. It is a great opportunity for him of course, but he does not have as many games at the highest level as Delap has managed. With Chelsea facing Tottenham Hotspur on November 1, that means Delap is surely going to miss a minimum of 11 fixtures and even after he is fit to feature again, will surely need a few weeks to get back to being 100 per cent. Delap has ambitions of making the England squad for the 2026 World Cup, but there is now a very strong possibility that he will not get a chance to impress head coach Thomas Tuchel until the March international break next year.

Ange Postecoglou appointed Nottingham Forest head coach after Nuno exit https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6425702/2025/09/09/ange-postecoglou-nottingham-forest-manager/ Ange Postecoglou has been appointed Nottingham Forest head coach after Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties. Postecoglou will be in the dugout for Forest’s visit to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday, with the Australian set to be joined by several of his former Tottenham Hotspur coaching staff. The 60-year-old emerged as a leading contender to replace Nuno at the City Ground, having parted company with Spurs in June — weeks after winning the Europa League title with the north London club. “We are bringing a coach to the club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies,” Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said upon the appointment. “His experience of coaching teams at the highest level, along with his desire to build something special with us at Forest, makes him a fantastic person to help us on our journey and achieve consistently all our ambitions. “After gaining promotion to the Premier League, then building consistently season after season to secure European football, we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies. Ange has the credentials and the track-record to do this, and we are excited he is joining us on our ambitious journey.” Postecoglou has been out of management since leaving Tottenham. He had contact from Al Ahli who considered him a candidate for a managerial change but it was not pursued, while he was contacted by Brentford, who appointed Keith Andrews, about replacing Thomas Frank this summer. Postecoglou’s dismissal came after leading the north London club to a first major trophy in 17 years with victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final. However, the club finished 17th in the top flight, and their total of 22 losses was the most of any team not to be relegated in a 38-game Premier League season. Postecoglou guided Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years in May (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Postecoglou spent two decades managing in Australia across multiple clubs and the nation’s youth sides, before coaching the Australia international side between 2013 and 2017. He went on to coach Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, with whom he won the J-League title in 2019, and winning five domestic trophies — including the Scottish league title in each season — across two seasons at Celtic. He guided Spurs to a fifth-place finish in his first season in charge in 2023-24, but the following campaign saw a notable drop in domestic form despite winning the Europa League title. What You Should Read Next Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest exit feels unnecessary, potentially damaging and all just pretty sad For a little while, on the surface at least, Nottingham Forest seemed like it was a relatively serene place to be. Not now Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis had recently praised Postecoglou, who has Greek heritage and previously managed Panachaiki in the nation’s lower divisions. “What I want to say about Ange is that he has spoken about Greece many times, he is proud to be Greek and in the great success he had with Tottenham by winning the Europa League, he spoke about Greece,” Marinakis said of Postecoglou when presenting the head coach with an award in Greece in July, as cited by Neos Kosmos. “A man who not only does not hide his origin but is also proud of it. What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years. In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece.” Nuno had led the club to a seventh-place finish last season, and qualified for the Europa League following Crystal Palace’s demotion to the Conference League — the first time Forest will play in Europe for 30 years. The Athletic reported on August 23 that a major fallout had occurred between Nuno and Forest’s new global head of football Edu , with their relationship in a potentially irreparable state. What You Should Read Next Revealed: Nuno’s row with Edu at the heart of his Nottingham Forest unhappiness A row between Nuno and Edu at Nottingham Forest has sparked recent discontent over the state of the club's squad The internal conflict had been ongoing for months, and in that time Nuno was outspoken in the media about his relationship with Forest owner Marinakis, saying ahead of his side’s match against Crystal Palace it had “changed” and that they were “not as close”. This was followed by Marinakis saying Nuno was the right person for the job a week later. Nuno had also spoken about his disappointment with the club’s summer transfer business, saying he was “very worried” about his squad on the eve of the new campaign. The club moved quickly in subsequent weeks to complete a club-record deal for Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town, while also signing James McAtee, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Douglas Luiz among their 13 summer incomings. Forest have picked up four points in their opening three Premier League matches, with Nuno’s final game in charge the 3-0 home defeat to West Ham United prior to the international break. Additional reporting from Guillermo Rai Will Forest get the dogmatic or pragmatic Postecoglou? Analysis by The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander The question for Nottingham Forest is which Ange Postecoglou are they going to get? Will it be the early Tottenham-era Ange, the high-line enthusiast who won the Premier League manager of the month award in his first three months at the club, who saw his team score two or more goals in each of his first seven games in charge and who made the best start after 10 games (winning eight, with two draws) of any manager in the competition’s history. Could it be the mid-era Ange, who saw a squad increasingly susceptible to injury, particularly in defence, and who recorded more defeats (22) than any other non-relegated side had ever done before in a 20-team season. The resulting 17th-place finish was Tottenham’s lowest since they were relegated from the English top-flight in 1977. Or are Forest banking on getting the (very) late-era Ange, the man who saw the opportunity of once again winning a trophy in his second season, and did so by getting Spurs to repeatedly shut up shop in the latter stages of the 2024-25 Europa League. His side had three shots in the final against Manchester United and scored with the only one that was directed on target. It was light years from his initial approach in 2023 but it showed a level of pragmatism and nous that Forest — now in the Europa League themselves — could certainly benefit from.

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Nottingham Forest part company with head coach Nuno Espírito Santo Nuno had led Forest to historic European qualification Head coach recently admitted tensions with owner https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/sep/09/nottingham-forest-part-company-with-head-coach-nuno-espirito-santo Nottingham Forest have parted company with their head coach, Nuno Espírito Santo, after a year and eight months, with Ange Postecoglou strongly linked to the vacant position. Nuno’s departure just three games into the season comes after the emergence of tensions with the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, over the past fortnight. “Nottingham Forest Football Club confirms that, following recent circumstances, Nuno Espírito Santo has today been relieved of his duties as head coach,” said a club statement in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “The club thanks Nuno for his contribution during a very successful era at the City Ground, in particular his role in the 2024-25 season, which will forever be remembered fondly in the history of the club. “As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.” Nuno confirmed before August’s Premier League match at Crystal Palace, that his relationship with Marinakis had deteriorated over the summer. “I cannot say that is the same, because it’s not the same,” Nuno said. “The reason behind it, I don’t know … I think everybody at the club should be together but it’s not the reality.” Nuno’s tenure at the City Ground was highly successful, the Portuguese steering Forest to safety in his first season after replacing Steve Cooper in December 2023. The following season, he led the team on an unexpected push for Champions League qualification, spending much of the campaign in the top four. Forest finished seventh, securing a Conference League spot which became a Europa League place when Crystal Palace were demoted by Uefa. The former Tottenham manager Postecoglou is reportedly a frontrunner to succeed Nuno. The Australian has been out of work since being sacked in June after overseeing a 17th-place finish in the Premier League last season, despite ending the club’s trophy drought with success in the Europa League. While Nuno’s relationship with Marinakis proved the Portuguese’s undoing, the Greek businessman has in the past expressed his admiration for Postecoglou, who is of Greek heritage. “What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years. In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece,” Marinakis said when presenting him with an award in Greece following his Europa League triumph. “We must thank him especially for this and we wish him well, although we are sure that he will do well as he has the ability. Wherever he goes, the successes will come.” Having led the club into Europe, Nuno departs the City Ground as the club’s most successful manager since Frank Clark, and they sit 10th in the Premier League table.

Axel Disasi agreed to return to Monaco from Chelsea on loan before a deal collapsed https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2025/axel-disasi-agreed-to-return-to-monaco-from-Chelsea-on-loan-before-a-deal-collapsed/ According to a report from Foot Mercato, Axel Disasi (27) agreed personal terms with Monaco ahead of a potential return to the principality club from Chelsea in the final days of the transfer window. The France international was set to return to the Ligue 1 club on a season long loan without an option to buy. Despite an agreement being reached between Les Monégasques and the former Aston Villa loanee, the deal ultimately collapsed due to the Premier League club’s loan quota becoming full. Ultimately, this led to the 27-year-old staying put in the English capital. Several clubs showed an interest in signing the former Monaco defender during the summer transfer window, but a move never materialised for the Frenchman. Despite the transfer window being closed in most leagues, it remains open in Turkey and the Middle East. However, no clubs are yet reported to be interested in making a move for Disasi. Get French Football News understands that Monaco did not pursue a move for the Chelsea defender. GFFN | Liam Wraith

Chelsea player turned down chance to join Juventus this summer A Chelsea player reportedly rejected a move to clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus this summer, and fans won’t be thrilled with it. https://theprideoflondon.com/Chelsea-player-turned-down-chance-join-juventus-summer Since the change in ownership, Chelsea have focused on bringing in youngsters and developing them into stars. As a result, in recent years, the Blues have reduced their spending on signing and giving high salaries to experienced players. And even when they have, it has often turned out to be a mistake. Out of those few brought in since, only one individual remains at Stamford Bridge as of now. We are talking about Raheem Sterling. Throughout the summer, Chelsea tried to find a solution for the player, but their efforts went in vain. And here they are, handing the Englishman a lucrative salary, reported to be in the region of £300,000 per week, for training at Cobham. Enzo Maresca has already made it clear that the player doesn’t feature in his plans for the future. Various clubs including Fulham, Crystal Palace, and West Ham had shown interest in the player. Now reports have confirmed that Sterling rejected a move to two more European giants, and fans won’t be thrilled to hear about it. According to BBC, Chelsea brought Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus to the table. Although Sterling was interested, his desire to remain close to his family took precedence. Raheem Sterling passed up on chance to leave Chelsea for Bayer Leverkusen or Juventus Chelsea signed Sterling from Manchester City in 2022 for a fee believed to be around €56.2 million. But his time at Stamford Bridge has never met expectations. Sterling, who was considered one of the best players in the Premier League not too long ago, has lost his form and with it a place in Chelsea’s squad. He isn’t expected to get any first-team minutes unless he finds a new destination. The English winger was sent on loan to Arsenal last season but failed to impress there as well. As a result, Mikel Arteta's side decided against permanently signing the player. Anyway, this example shouldn’t discourage Chelsea from further pursuing experienced players moving forward. Rather, it should serve as a reminder to think twice before handing out massive wages and transfer fees in future deals.