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Chelsea are now “crazy” about signing RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouedraogo, but they will have to do battle for his signature with one of their Premier League rivals.

Courtesy of a 2-0 victory against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, the Blues have now moved up to second in the Premier League table, but Gary Neville believes they are still some way off being genuine contenders for the title.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “They’ve got a lot of young players, spent a fortune, it’s probably not happening as quickly as they want,(and) I don’t think they’re anywhere near a team that can win the league to be honest. When I look at them, they look well short in a number of areas.”

As pointed out by Neville, the Blues have relied on youngsters a lot in the BlueCo era, breaking the record for the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League last season.

However, the west Londoners are yet to alter their recruitment policy, and they have now joined the race for another young midfielder.

Chelsea "crazy" about signing Assan Ouedraogo

In a new update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, it has been revealed that Chelsea are one of the Premier League clubs “crazy” about signing RB Leipzig midfielder Ouedraogo, alongside Man United.

Both English sides are now scouting the 19-year-old, who remains under contract at the Bundesliga club until 2029, and his main ambition is to secure a place in Germany’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The central midfielder remains under contract until 2029, and there is no release clause, meaning it is unclear how much the Blues will have to pay for the youngster, who is being targeted for next summer.

The German starlet may stand a chance of going to the World Cup next year, considering he impressed on his debut for his country, scoring in a 6-0 victory against Slovakia in the recent international break.

Not only that, but the Leipzig star would be a versatile option for Julian Nagelsmann, given that he is capable of playing in five positions, namely on both wings, central midfield, attacking midfield and even centre-forward.

The former Schalke man is off to an impressive start to the season in the Bundesliga, chipping in with three goals and three assists in 11 outings, and he has performed very well on some key attacking metrics over the past year.

As such, Ouedraogo could be an excellent addition for Chelsea next summer, and they should continue to monitor his development between now and the end of the season.

Chelsea also targeting one of the Premier League's "best" midfielders

The new Caicedo: Chelsea want to sign "one of the best CMs in the league"

Chelsea are reportedly interested in a deal to sign a Premier League star who is valued at up to £120m.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 17, 2025

The Baltimore Orioles have designated veteran starter Kyle Gibson for assignment after a brutal start to the 2025 campaign, according to a report from Bob Nightengale of

Gibson signed a one-year deal worth $5.25 million this spring, but after four starts amassed an 0-3 record with 23 earned runs across 12.1 innings (16.78 ERA).

The 37-year-old Gibson is one of several Orioles starters who have struggled to get going this season, and his release is the latest in a series of moves for Baltimore this weekend, with the headliner being the firing of manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday after six-plus seasons leading the franchise.

Entering Sunday, the Orioles are 15-29 on the season, and sit in last place in the American League East, 10 and 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Yankees.

Liverpool haven’t been at their best this season, though there is an expectation and anticipation across the red Merseyside streets that Arne Slot has what it takes to turn things around.

The Dutch coach won the Premier League in his first year at the helm, after all, and he achieved this having spent very little last summer, welcoming Federico Chiesa from Juventus for a cut-price £12.5m fee and then using the Italian sparingly across the campaign.

It didn’t matter, though. Liverpool were spearheaded by Mohamed Salah’s jaw-dropping season, the Egyptian breaking any number of records as he claimed his second Premier League title. He won a gamut of individual accolades too.

But Salah is 33 years old, and it was clear to Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes that the Reds needed sweeping changes across the final third, with no guarantees that Salah would replicate such a one-of-a-kind campaign.

It was clear, indeed, that Darwin Nunez needed to be sold after three seasons on Merseyside that left plenty to be desired.

Why Liverpool sold Darwin Nunez

Liverpool signed Nunez from Benfica for an initial £64m fee in 2022. That figure would have risen to a club-record £85m mark, but for the Uruguayan’s struggles across his three years in England, that meant targets were left unhit.

Across three seasons, he only scored 25 times in the Premier League. This statistic is aggravated by Sofascore data revealing that the 25-year-old missed 53 big chances during that timeframe.

Nunez’s plight at number nine, first across two years in Jurgen Klopp’s system and then under Slot’s wing, was played out against the backdrop of a trophy-rich period at Anfield, and he did depart this summer as a Premier League champion.

But Nunez, now plying his trade with Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, never failed to shake off the wasteful tag that chased him through his English career.

It was crucial that he was replaced, and replaced he was this summer.

Liverpool first wrapped up a £69m move for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, and the French forward already looks levels above Nunez at the Liverpool spearhead.

However, another Redman has been criticised for offering less than Nunez did last season, with the South American posting seven goals and seven assists across 47 matches in Slot’s system.

Liverpool forward is 'offering less than Nunez'

Liverpool ‘won’ the transfer window. So many exciting signings were welcomed down Anfield Road, but the club have found it tough across the opening months of the season, and club-record signing Alexander Isak is the perfect example of that.

Isak, 26, is one of the finest goalscorers in world football, and Liverpool ended a highly-charged transfer saga this summer by completing the British-record £125m addition of Newcastle United’s talisman.

However, Isak went on strike in the build-up to his big move, and this has left him scrambling for form across his opening matches, lacking match fitness and fluency.

More is expected at this stage, and Liverpool correspondent David Lynch has even gone as far as to suggest that the 6 foot 3 striker is “offering Liverpool less than Darwin Nunez did” at the moment, with just one goal and one assist across eight appearances this term.

Isak gave his new club a flavour of his skill when netting against Southampton in the Carabao Cup at the start of October, but it’s been a transitional period for him, to be sure.

And Lynch is right. Nunez had offered Liverpool more at this stage last season, but that does not mean that Isak will continue to struggle.

This is all to be taken with a pinch of salt, of course. Only in January did pundit Jamie Carragher hail Isak as “the best striker in the Premier League”.

Last season, the Sweden star ranked among the top 3% of Premier League forwards for goal involvements, the top 12% for goal-creating actions and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref. He scored 27 goals across all competitions, including the decisive strike against Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

His all-encompassing attacking style has even seen comparisons drawn with former Liverpool superstar Luis Suarez, who was as prolific as they come in England and played his football was such gusto and personality.

Suarez was a one-of-a-kind centre-forward, but then so is Isak. Liverpool just haven’t been treated to his finest skills yet. However, it is on Isak to get himself up to speed and prove he is anything but Nunez-esque.

Whereas Nunez fell by the wayside after completing his big-money move from overseas, Isak has proven himself and then some on English shores since joining Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m in 2022. His time on Tyneside was no joke, and Liverpool would bear testament to their record-signing’s might after his string of brilliant performances against the Anfield side in the past.

Now that autumn is deepening, Liverpool must ensure that Isak is nursed toward full health, though Slot will be cautious after the £280k-per-week superstar was kept on the fringe across the recent international break by Sweden boss Graham Potter.

Ekitike has proved he is every bit the elite rival to thrive at number nine when Isak is injured or merely rested, but Liverpool will expect their British-record addition to start proving they have received bang for their buck soon, especially given the need to ease the weight of the club’s current crisis.

For a respected reporter to be observing that Isak is currently pulling less weight than Nunez was, a highly polarising former Red, that is evidence that it hasn’t been good enough, and needs to be quickly changed.

Better signing than Semenyo: Liverpool enter race for £100m "superstar"

Liverpool are weighing up a 2026 bid for one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 21, 2025

Stoppage-time goals from Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson helped secure Bayern Munich a 3-1 comeback win against a dogged St. Pauli side. Andreas Hountondji stunned the home fans into silence with a well-taken strike early on before Raphael Guerreiro restored parity just before the break. It looked like Vincent Kompany's side would have to settle for a point but Diaz and Jackson had other ideas.

• Late, late show for Bayern

  Bayern's efforts to make a strong start following their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in midweek did not go well when Hountondji slotted the ball past Manuel Neuer in the sixth minute after Joshua Kimmich and Konrad Laimer were caught in possession. Not long after the goalscorer limped off injured, Lennart Karl's curling effort struck the outside of the post and then Harry Kane scuffed a shot wide when in a good position. Tom Bischof was the next player to see his effort come back off the woodwork from his 20-yard deflected strike as the hosts searched for an equaliser. But the pressure told a minute before the break when Diaz somehow managed to flick the ball to Guerreiro, despite falling to the ground, and the Portugal international fired in from eight yards out. Bayern brought on Michael Olise, Josip Stanisic, Serge Gnabry, and Leon Goretzka in the second half but for all their dominance, they couldn't find a way through the stubborn visitors. Top scorer Kane was inches away from giving Bayern the lead when his toe-poked shot found its way through a crowd of bodies but the post denied Bayern again. Just when it looked like St. Pauli would earn a hard-fought point, summer signing Diaz popped up in the 93rd minute with a brilliantly timed header following a delightful cross from Kimmich. To rub more salt into the away team's wound, substitute Jackson hit the visitors on the counter in the 97th minute as Bayern extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

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  The MVP

  While St. Pauli's defence worked their socks off and put their bodies on the line to get something from the game, Diaz proved to be the difference maker. He showed great tenacity and quick thinking for his assist and then he was in the right place at the right time to head home a stoppage-time winner.

• The big loser

  Who else but St.Pauli? The German minnows defended so well for so long but in the end, Bayern's quality proved too much for them. While they are still in the relegation zone, this result should give them belief that they can hang tough and grind out points when up against the ropes.

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  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The baseball world knew that Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh could play before 2025—let's get that out of the way. Extrapolated to 162 games, he averaged about 4.0 bWAR in his first four seasons—very-good-starter-to-lesser-All-Star stuff.

His performance this year, however, has been something else entirely. Raleigh is slashing .260/.379/.595—MVP-type numbers that put his '25 in conversation with the best catching seasons in history.

On Friday against the Minnesota Twins, the "Big Dumper" slammed his 20th home run of the season. With that blast, per the Mariners, Raleigh became the first catcher in history to hit 20 home runs before the end of May.

The record for most home runs by a primary catcher is 48—set by the Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez in 2021. Raleigh is currently on pace to hit 57, which would obliterate that mark (in fact, Seattle's franchise record is 56, set twice by center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. in the 1990s).

As if he weren't showing off enough, he also has six stolen bases to his name this season. He's on pace for 17, which would be the most in the American League by a catcher since Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers swiped 25 in 1999.

They haven’t won every game, but this season is shaping up to be a truly special one for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta has got his side playing some sensational football at times while simultaneously ensuring they remain the best defensive team in the Premier League.

It seems like every player, new and old, is all pulling in the exact same direction and helping each other reach new levels.

One of the team’s best players in recent weeks has been summer signing Eberechi Eze, and so fans should be excited about recent reports linking Arsenal with someone who could be another version of the Englishman.

Arsenal target another Eze

There was tremendous excitement from the Arsenal fan base when it was announced that the club had signed Eze, and understandably so.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

After all, here was a player who many considered to be one of the most exciting in the Premier League, and had just spearheaded Crystal Palace to FA Cup glory.

Fortunately, while it took him a few games to get up to speed, the 27-year-old has more than delivered so far this season, racking up a tally of nine goal involvements in 19 games for the club and scoring that North London Derby hat-trick.

So, with all that in mind, it’s not all that surprising to hear that the Gunners may be after another player who has the potential to be another Eze in Kenan Yıldız.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the Turkish wonderkid.

In fact, the report has revealed that the North Londoners are going all out to sign him and have been in contact with his representatives.

However, Juventus are understandably keen to keep hold of the incredible youngster and, according to other reports from earlier this month, would need a fee of at least £88m to consider selling him.

Therefore, it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s ability and potential, it’s one worth pursuing, especially as he could be another Eze.

Why Yıldız would be another Eze

Now, there are obviously some key differences between Yıldız and Eze, such as their age, but there are also more than a few similarities between them.

For example, like the Englishman, the young Turkish superstar is an attacker who can and does play in a multitude of positions.

Since making his first team debut for Juventus, the 20-year-old monster has played as a second-striker, on the left and right wings, in attacking midfield and even up top a few times.

The second similarity is that, like the former Palace star, he is a dual threat, someone who is as happy scoring a goal as he is assisting one.

For example, in 52 appearances last season, totalling 3520 minutes, he scored 12 goals and provided nine assists, which comes out to a goal involvement on average every 2.47 games, or every 167.61 minutes.

Then this season, he has become even more dangerous, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 18 appearances, totalling 1457 minutes, which is a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 145.7 minutes.

Finally, and this is related to his output, the 26-capped international is, in the words of content creator Alex Moneypenny, “capable of the spectacular.”

He doesn’t just score tap-ins; he already has quite the impressive catalogue of goals, ranging from long-distance strikes to ones stemming from brilliant close control.

It is also this ability to create magic on the football pitch that likely led European football writer Danny Corcoran to describe the youngster as having “Mbappe-like ability.”

Ultimately, it won’t be an easy transfer to get done, but Arsenal should be going all out to sign Yıldız in 2026, as he could be another Eze.

A Saka & Olise hybrid: Arsenal in contact over signing £70m "superstar"

The incredible talent would be as game-changing for Arsenal as Bukayo Saka has been over the years.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Dec 5, 2025

Television presenter Laura Woods is due to return to screens following her dramatic collapse live on air ahead of the Lionesses' friendly win over Ghana at the start of December. Woods subsequently issued a positive update, allaying fears over her health and thanking all those who had helped her at St Mary's Stadium. The popular star is now heading back to work and is set to be part of this week's Champions League coverage.

• Woods to return after scare

  Good wishes were quick to flood in after Woods collapsed on live television and was caught by co-presenters Ian Wright and Anita Asante. ITV promptly cut to an advertising break, with Katie Shanahan taking over hosting duties and telling viewers: "As you may all be aware, Laura Woods fell ill at the start of the programme. We want to reassure you that she's doing OK. We all send her our love."

  Woods subsequently offered an update of her own on social media, allaying fears over her health. She posted on Instagram: "Gosh that was a bit weird. Sorry to worry everyone, I'm OK, the wonderful paramedics at Saints have said its probably a virus, just need a bit of rest and hydration. I'm really embarrassed that happened on TV, but a big thank you to my colleagues at ITV who have really looked after me tonight. And to Wright and Neets for catching me and sorry again x."

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  Blockbuster clash up next for Woods

  Woods is now set to return to screens on Wednesday in time for Manchester City's huge Champions League tie with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, according to . The popular presenter will front the live coverage for TNT Sports and is set to be joined by pundits Steven Gerrard, Joleon Lescott and Steve McManaman for the crunch fixture in Madrid. Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist are set to provide the commentary as the two European heavyweights clash once again. 

• Wright and Keane make light of collapse

  Wright and fellow pundits Roy Kane, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jill Scott have been talking about Woods' collapse on podcast. The panel said that Woods "would want" them to make light of the incident and proceeded to do exactly that.

  The former Arsenal star said: "She’s fine. I got a message from her this morning. It was worrying at the time but she’s fine. People have been really nice about it. I’m glad she’s okay." Scott added: "She said that she thinks she’s got a virus but it must have been horrible for that to happen, on live TV as well.”

  Meanwhile, Keane couldn't resist poking fun at the ex-Arsenal man. He joked: "I’m guessing she’s not the first woman to fall into your arms Ian. That’s just your knack. She’s okay and that’s all that matters, that’s the most important thing, obviously. You’ll get a knighthood or an award for that, Wrighty."

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  Dramatic night expected in Madrid

  A dramatic night of action is expected in Madrid as the two teams meet for the fifth straight season in the Champions League. The hosts come into the game fresh from a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in La Liga that also saw two red cards for the Spanish giants. The loss leaves Los Blancos now four points behind Barcelona in the title race and with serious questions being asked of manager Xabi Alonso. Another defeat would pile more pressure on Alonso, and the Real Madrid coach heads into the game after seeing Eder Militao ruled out for several months with a torn hamstring and star striker Kylian Mbappe a doubt for the game due to a leg injury.

Australia threw two legspinners at Virat Kohli and he scored off both with ease to control India’s chase

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Mar-20251:55

Kumble: Kohli always in control during chases

When you have lived the kind of made-for-television existence that Virat Kohli has for the past 15 years, how much mystique, and how much freshness, does the spotlight leave for you? Kohli has invited much of the attention. There is arguably no cricketer in history that has revelled in this glow so much as Kohli, the broadcaster’s Kohlicam a self-perpetuating highlights package waiting to be cut to quicken the pulse of hundreds of millions.But human beings are complex. And though it feels like there are few dark corners waiting to be revealed about Kohli the person, and certainly no mysteries to Kohli the batter, there are some moments that he wants to keep to himself.On the eve of the Pakistan vs India match of this Champions Trophy, for instance, Kohli showed up to the nets of the ICC’s academy hours before he was scheduled to be there, and had a big throwdowns session, with one or two net bowlers in attendance. This was long before the media believed he would arrive, so it is difficult to figure what exactly he worked on. But when word spread that Kohli had landed, fans showed up and were kept outside the gates, from where they could catch only the barest of glimpses.Related

• Agar: An in-form Kohli can leave bowlers massively frustrated

• Kumble: There is always undue pressure on Rahul

• Kohli's 84 sends India into Champions Trophy final

• Rahul: I'm quite used to going up and down the order

• 'Grow up' – Gambhir takes aim at 'perpetual cribbers'

This is Kohli’s life. Many would show up just to watch him sneeze, and then replay the video of the sneeze with friends, then discuss at length what could possibly have caused it, and whether he looked like he was suppressing any more sneezes, and at what velocity exactly the air was coming out of his nose. Were there any hints of snot? No, surely. The vegan diet. The punishing exercise regimen. In this body? No way. There is no excess mucus there.Kohli, the batter, has had recent trials against legspin. With other players you might not even notice. Wristspin anyway rocks the world on South Asian tracks right now. Also the ODI sample size is tiny.And because it is Kohli, and this career is under the electron microscope, facts that you would not discover about others, you do discover about Kohli. Since the start of 2024, Kohli had been out five times to legspin in the six ODI innings he had faced legspin in. His batting strike rate against legspinners was 48.64.This is a very specific kind of bowling, in a currently unfavoured format, so the data can only reveal so much. But how you have tended to get out in your last few innings is the thing that opposition bowlers tend to prey on. This is the blood in the water that the great white sharks – which Australia tend to embody in big tournaments – are drawn to.

“When you play 300 games, you will end up getting out to some of the spinners – so that’s okay. He’s got a hundred in this competition [against Pakistan], he’s got a [84] in this competition, and when you’ve got runs in this competition, you will eventually get out to some kind of a bowler”Gautam Gambhir

But although great whites generally rule the oceans, they are not the apex predator in this particular food chain. Kohli is an orca. On Tuesday, he stunned the sharks, and ate them up. Australia bowled 96 balls of legspin in this game, bringing in Tanveer Sangha to complement Adam Zampa. Only 14 of those 96 balls came when Kohli was not in the middle.Against Zampa, one of the best white-ball bowlers going, Kohli made 23 off 24 balls. Against Sangha, he hit 12 off 9. All up, that’s 35 off 33 balls against a type of bowling he is supposed to be struggling against. He even deployed the sweep against Sangha’s bowling – not one of his favoured shots. He got him away through fine leg for four.Kohli would eventually get out to Zampa, holing out to long-on on 84. Zampa bowled a googly that Kohli picked, but he wanted to crash it high over that long-on boundary anyway. Maybe in the very back of Kohli’s brain, right near the section neuroscience professors might label “impulse centre”, there was a thought that if he sent this ball high and long into the night, there would be no more doubts about him and legspin. Whether this is Kohli being intensely attuned to what people might be saying about him, or Kohli being intensely attuned to his own cricketing reality, it is hard to tell.Virat Kohli might have a problem against legspin, but there was little evidence of it on Tuesday night•ICC/Getty ImagesBut it is worth noting that this shot came only when India’s victory was all but assured. They needed 40 off 45 when he played that shot, with KL Rahul already batting well, and Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to come. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that winning matches for India is not important to Kohli.”When you play 300 games, you will end up getting out to some of the spinners – so that’s okay,” coach Gautam Gambhir said after the match when asked about Kohli’s recent brushes with legspin. “He’s got a hundred in this competition [against Pakistan], he’s got a [84] in this competition, and when you’ve got runs in this competition, you will eventually get out to some kind of a bowler. So rather than dissecting and bisecting that he’s got out to legspin and then… when you’ve played 300 ODIs you will eventually get out to certain kind of bowlers.”The end of Kohli’s innings in this particular match revealed something brand new about a player it was thought there was no more to be known. He could have cruised his way to a 52nd ODI hundred, extending his lead at the top of a leaderboard that he will likely rule forever. But there was some part of him that also needed to crash a top-quality legspinner over long-on. And who could possibly deny the fun, the freshness, and the mystique in that?

The Atlanta Braves will host the 2025 MLB All-Star game at Truist Park in Cumberland, Ga. next week, but the game is far from the only thing happening as the baseball world gathers for the Midsummer Classic.

There will be events in and around the park all weekend through the game. You can watch celebrities play softball, see future MLB All-Stars either get drafted or participate in the Futures Game and even judge the outfit every player wears to the park ahead of the game on Tuesday night.

Here's the full schedule of events and where you can watch them.

Saturday, July 12th

All-Star Futures Game

What Time: 4 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: MLB Network and MLB.com

Future All-Stars will be on display as the top players in minor league baseball get together for their own game. Current All-Stars like Ronald Acuña Jr., and Fernando Tatís Jr. are among the star players who've appeared in the game in the past. This year's coaching staffs are made up of Atlanta Braves greats like Chipper Jones, Marquisse Grissom and Fred McGriff. You can see the full rosters here.

All-Star Celebrity Softball Game

What Time: After Futures Game
Where to Watch: MLB.com

A very random mix of local and national celebrities will get together for five innings of softball. Athletes like Jennie Finch, CC Sabathia, Harry Douglas, Jordan Chiles, Natasha Watley and Terrell Owens will be joined by a number of actors, musicians and influencers as well as the "Capital One Bank Guy." Jermaine Dupri and Javy Lopez will act as the team managers.

Sunday, July 13th

MLB Draft

When: 6 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: ESPN, MLB Network, MLB.com

While the entire league is gathered baseball will hold its annual amateur draft, which begins on Sunday with the first three rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive selections and continues with rounds four through 20 on Monday. Picks will be made at the Coca-Cola Roxy which is located adjacent to the Braves' home stadium, Truist Park. The Colorado Rockies hold the top pick in the draft.

Monday, July 14th

Home Run Derby

When: 8 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: ESPN

Eight of baseball's best home run hitters will compete for a fancy chain. All eight players will hit at least once with the top four hitters then advancing to one-on-one semifinals. Winner of those matchups move on to the final. You can see the full list of the 2025 Home Run Derby participants here as well as a complete list of past winner here.

Tuesday, July 15th

All-Star Red Carpet Show

When: 2 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: MLB Network, MLB.com

All-Stars will arrive at the game via The Battery, the shopping center at Truist Park. One MLB All-Star will win "best-dressed."

MLB All-Star Game

When: Broadcast starts at 7 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: Fox

The Midsummer Classic will air on Fox with Joe Davis and John Smoltz on the call. The first All-Star game took place in 1933 and the American League enters this year's game with a 48-44-2 lead in the series and have won 10 of the last 11 All-Star games.

There may be a sense that the only thing stopping Arsenal from claiming the Premier League title is themselves, with the Gunners now boasting a remarkable squad depth that has left them perfectly poised to pounce on Liverpool’s woes.

After three second-place finishes in succession, Mikel Arteta is gearing up to go one better this time around, with his in-form side notably conceding just three goals in their first seven league games of the season – a mark of champions?

If anything is to derail this early positivity, however, it could well be injury, with even that aforementioned depth likely to be continually tested if the early-season signs are anything to go by.

Having seen Kai Havertz sidelined before the campaign had even kicked off, following knee surgery, the north Londoners were dealt a further setback as Noni Madueke’s bright start to life at the club was halted by his own issue late last month.

With the likes of Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Jesus currently out of action, perhaps the biggest concern has rested with struggling skipper, Martin Odegaard, with the Norwegian’s latest blow likely to see him ruled for what could be as many as nine games.

While the 26-year-old’s influence has faded over the last 12 months or so – as we’ll come on to – his absence will still have left Arteta plenty to ponder ahead of this weekend’s return to club action.

Why Odegaard has lost his crown as Arsenal’s most creative player

Losing a player of Odegaard’s quality is hardly ideal, with it not too long ago that the ex-Real Madrid man was even being recognised as the best player in the Premier League, as noted by the likes of Luke Shaw.

Across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns, for instance, the Arsenal captain registered 40 goals and assists in the top-flight alone, while creating 31 ‘big chances’ in that time, as per Sofascore.

Unfortunately for the £30m man, however, such influence has notably faded since then, not just due to injury, with last term seeing the Gunners’ former creative hub register just 11 goals and assists in the league.

While he did still conjure up 13 ‘big chances’, the creative mantle appears to have passed on to teammate, Bukayo Saka, with the Englishman ranking first in the division in 2024/25 for both shot-creating actions per 90 and goal-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

Saka isn’t alone in having stolen Odegaard’s thunder in that regard either, with new man Eberechi Eze already looking ready to usurp his skipper in that number ten berth, with two assists already to his name in 2025/26.

That included the ex-Crystal Palace man’s stunning lofted pass for Gabriel Martinelli to clinch a point against Manchester City, having also picked out Viktor Gyokeres to tap home against Nottingham Forest, putting the ball on a plate for the Swedish striker to convert.

With Declan Rice also in the equation, not least for his set-piece prowess, with two assists of his own, the burden and reliance on Odegaard appears to have been extinguished, with his absence unlikely to be felt quite so heavily as in previous years.

That being said, a replacement will still need to be found in the midfield ranks – might young Myles Lewis-Skelly be the solution?

Arsenal's perfect Martin Odegaard replacement

As already noted, Eze could comfortably slot into a more central role, although there might be a preference to utilise the England star off the left, flanked by the marauding presence of Riccardo Calafiori.

The rise of the resurgent Italian has had a knock-on effect on that man Lewis-Skelly, with last season’s golden boy limited to just 83 minutes of league action all season for the Gunners, having been ousted from that left-back berth.

Such reduced involvement looks like it could come at a cost for his hopes at international level too, with Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel suggesting that a lack of regular minutes may “become a problem” in this vital World Cup year.

Thankfully for the teenage sensation, he is no one-trick pony, with the promotion of Calafiori potentially set to prove a blessing in disguise, should it allow Lewis-Skelly to solidify a central midfield berth instead.

That change to what would be a permanent new role at first-team level would be a welcome one, with the 19-year-old previously flourishing as a left-sided number eight in the academy ranks.

Even in the senior ranks, he has often been utilised as an inverted full-back, popping up for his first goal for the club against City in an advanced position in that left channel, ensuring the transition should be a relatively easy one.

Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson has outlined that in the “long-term” the Hale End graduate “is a midfielder”, despite his arrival onto the scene at left-back, ensuring he could slot in alongside Rice and Martin Zubimendi in the weeks to come.

While Mikel Merino is also in the equation, the Spaniard can remain an emergency option at centre-forward, in the absence of Havertz and Jesus, with it likely to be far more exciting to witness Lewis-Skelly being handed a consistent run of games in the centre of the park instead.

Already looking like a “£100m footballer”, as noted by The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid following the home win over Real Madrid last season, the homegrown superstar is simply far too good not be playing.

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By
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Oct 14, 2025