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Chelsea supporters were no doubt pleased to see an attacking swagger return to Stamford Bridge prior to the international break.

With the embarrassment of attacking riches at Mauricio Pochettino's disposal, it was only a matter of time before the Blues were going to flourish in the final third and recent results suggest the Argentine has the weapons at his disposal to blow teams away.

Those weapons were certainly unleashed from the shackles against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City as Chelsea delivered consecutive four-goal hauls against two of the league's best sides.

Across those two matches, Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson were a potent trio in the final third and had a hand in all but one of their eight goals scored.

Despite rediscovering their attacking impetus, Pochettino is still looking to add further attacking muscle to his squad in January, as links continue to be drawn towards Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to replace Mykhailo Mudryk.

Chelsea transfer news – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

According to ESPN, Chelsea are one of several big clubs, including Newcastle United, Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid, who are interested in capturing the 22-year-old.

As detailed by the report, Napoli could demand in excess of €100m (£87m) to prise their explosive wideman away from Naples in January and although the Blues would not be put off that in theory, they have minimal headroom within Uefa's Financial Fair Play rules.

If Chelsea do decide to make a move for the Georgian superstar, he does align towards their strategy of acquiring youngsters who have big potential.

Kvaratskhelia has already established himself as one of the most destructive wingers on the planet and would be a huge upgrade on their current misfiring prodigy, Mudryk, who arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5m in January this year.

The stats that show Kvaratskhelia is better than Mykhailo Mudryk

Napoli's precocious talent has made a sharp rise towards the summit of world football in the past year having shot to first-team stardom last term.

After being captured from the Georgian first-division side, Dinamo Batumi, in the summer of 2022, few could have envisaged the staggering impact he would go on to make since arriving in Italy.

In his debut season at the club, Kvaratskhelia's eye-watering 12 goals and 13 assists helped Napoli win their first Serie A title since 1990 earlier this year.

Dubbed by Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti as a "special player", the 22-year-old's sensational wide play has caught the eye, terrorising defences with his pace and demonstrating his devastating finishing in front of goal.

The above, in particular, was the expectations Chelsea set Mudryk when he arrived in West London, however, his time at the club has transpired into a nightmare so far and the Ukraine star has only showcased a glimmer of his precocious talents.

As the above table delineates, Mudryk has struggled since arriving at Stamford Bridge and considering the whopping fee that Chelsea shelled out for the 22-year-old, they would have been better off paying a similar amount for Kvaratskhelia.

A crucial piece of the Napoli attack, it isn't just in the scoring department where the Georgian has outperformed Mudryk and his impressive all-round performances have led to jaw-dropping praise, with Serie A expert Matteo Bonetti lavishing him as "world-class".

Not only does Kvaratskhelia eclipse his wing compatriot across every attacking statistic, but he also places in the top 10% of wingers across Europe's top five leagues for the majority of those metrics, perhaps paying an ode to the world-class comment.

Given how Mudryk has performed in a Chelsea shirt so far, supporters will be desperate for the Blues hierarchy to lure Kvaratskhelia to Stamford Bridge in January.

Everton face an uphill battle ahead of the second half of the campaign, having been dragged down to 19th place in the Premier League for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations. This misery was piled on by a 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United on Sunday which has left the side five points adrift of safety.

However, Sean Dyche and his recruitment team have been hard at work identifying players that could be brought to Goodison Park to help in the club's pursuit of top-flight survival.

The Toffees have been linked with one player, in particular, this week who could do an excellent job in the middle of the park.

Everton transfer news – Leander Dendoncker

According to Football Insider, Everton will dip into the January transfer market for a defensive-minded player and have set their sights on signing Aston Villa's out-of-favour midfield general Leander Dendoncker.

The 28-year-old's services are no longer required at Villa Park and the Midlands club were reportedly set to sanction a last-minute sale of the player to Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce before the transfer deadline, but a move fell through in the end.

The Belgian hasn't started a single Premier League game for Villa under Unai Emery this season, playing just seven minutes of top-flight football, but could be handed a career lifeline by Dyche and Everton sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who signed him during his time in charge at Wolves.

How Leander Dendoncker compares to Idrissa Gueye

Despite picking up £90k-per-week for his troubles, Dendoncker has played merely 119 minutes in total in all competitions this term, earning himself two starts. In the two games Dendoncker was named in the first XI, he was replaced at half-time against Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League and Everton, ironically, in the EFL Cup.

The Belgium international moved to Villa at the start of the 2022/23 campaign for £12.9m when Steven Gerrard was in charge of the team. However, the midfielder struggled to have any real impact at all, featuring just 21 times for the Villans in all competitions, 13 of which were substitute appearances.

In one of Dendoncker's rare starts for Villa, which came in a 1-1 draw away at Brentford, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans hailed the Belgian as "superb", but these opportunities have come few and far between for the player.

However, Dendoncker was a key player at Molineux with Wolves under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Bruno Lage. In fact, his stats in his final season with the Old Gold were better than Everton's energetic, 34-year-old midfielder Idrissa Gueye this term.

As shown above, Dendoncker's attacking stats aren't much better than Gueye but they are still a slight improvement, although it is defensively where the Belgian particularly shines. Additionally, the Villa want-away is six years younger than his counterpart and could essentially be the Senegal international's long-term replacement in the team.

The Villa "goal machine" – as once described by journalist Tim Spiers – may even be available for as little as £3m, as per CIES Football Observatory.

The former Wolves man is also quite a versatile player which could suit Dyche as he is able to cover at centre-back, having played in this position 65 times in his career so far, including 27 in the Premier League. This would benefit Everton if any injuries arose to the likes of James Tarkowski and Jarrard Branthwaite.

Dendoncker may be a little rusty at first, given his lack of game-time over the past two seasons, but if Dyche can reignite his form at Wolves, there is certainly a good player in there.

Antony has posted a defiant message after opening his Premier League account for the 2023-24 season in Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Burnley.

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• Antony's message after scoring maiden league goal
• Found the back of the net against Burnley
• Last scored in the Premier League in April 2023

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Brazilian opened the scoring against Burnley at Old Trafford last week after latching on to a loose ball from Sander Berge and firing into the bottom corner. However, the visitors soon restored parity and eventually snatched a crucial point from the Premier League giants. It was a moment of redemption for Antony, nonetheless, who had last scored a league goal against Nottingham Forest on April 16, 2023.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After finding the back of the net, the former Ajax star ran towards the camera and displayed a Sonic the Hedgehog toy to the Old Trafford crowd, while also putting the ball under his shirt. He later explained that the celebration was a tribute to his family. He revealed that his son loves the Sonic cartoons while his girlfriend is pregnant with their unborn daughter.

• WHAT ANTONY SAID

  On Wednesday, the 24-year-old took to Instagram to fire a defiant message after finally scoring a league for his team this season as he wrote: "Overcoming exhaustion Overcoming challenges Believe it is always possible to do more."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONY?

  The attacker will be next seen in action for Erik ten Hag's side on Monday as they travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace in a league clash.

Arsenal are monitoring a promising teenage talent as they consider bringing him to the Premier League in 2024, according to a fresh report.

Edu and Arteta building around young players

The Gunners have five squad members in the building as it stands who are aged 22 and under, with four of those in question being regular features of the first-team set-up, in the form of Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli, all of whom are expected to be in north London for the long haul.

Mikel Arteta isn’t afraid to hand a chance to up-and-coming talents no matter their date of birth should they deserve the opportunity to prove what they are capable of, so that should encourage their transfer targets when they are thinking about joining.

Arsenal keen to sign player with "huge developmental potential" in January

He’s been on fire this season…

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Dec 10, 2023

Reading attacking midfielder Caylan Vickers has worked his way up through his club’s various youth ranks to get promoted to their first-team, where he’s so far made a total of 18 senior appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Vickers statistics).

The 18-year-old has caught the eye of several elite managers with his impressive performances since stepping up to League One level, and if the following update is to be believed, Edu has been keeping tabs on the prodigy ahead of January.

Arsenal tracking Vickers ahead of January transfer window

According to The Sun, Arsenal are interested in Vickers, even though right now Real Madrid are the club who are in pole position to secure his services in the new year.

“Arsenal have been keeping track of Vickers after he scored and impressed in a 5-2 win over the Gunners' Under-21 team in the Football League Trophy in November.

"However, in a shock move, Real Madrid have moved ahead of Arsenal after opening talks with Reading this week about a January swoop for their talented teenager. Cash-strapped Reading want £1million plus a percentage of any future sell-on deal.”

Vickers is a top prospect for the future

While Arsenal aren’t leading the race to sign Vickers, Arteta will know that he has bags of potential to offer and he’s already been showing that this season at Reading, so the boss and sporting director should fight to try and hijack this deal in the coming weeks.

Ruben Selles’ starlet has posted 19 contributions (ten assists and nine goals) in 53 appearances since the start of his career, which shows the positive impact that he can make in the final third, but he’s also comfortable playing in several areas of the pitch.

The English teenager is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven different positions following his arrival on the professional scene, including everywhere across the frontline and three roles in the midfield, which is an impressive feat for someone so young.

For all of the fantastic qualities that he possesses for someone still with so much room to grow, Vickers would undoubtedly be a wonderful purchase for the long-term future of the club, so it would be a huge coup if he was to have a change of heart regarding the destination of his new home.

A clinical attacking display gave Mauricio Pochettino's side a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Seagulls and edged them closer to Europe

Chelsea may ultimately be the most confusing team in the Premier League this season, but Wednesday evening's 2-1 victory over Brighton was a showing of confidence and composure for the most part – and a glimpse of what Mauricio Pochettino's squad looks like at near-full strength.

Cole Palmer continued his ridiculously impressive debut campaign for the Blues, opening the scoring in the first half with a lovely flicked header. The assist, provided by ex-Brighton man Marc Cucurella, was just as good, as the Spaniard had one of his best performances of the season.

Substitute Christopher Nkunku didn't take long to truly announce his return from injury. The France international netted the eventual winner, sweeping home a controlled finish after a pinpoint cross from fellow countryman Malo Gusto.

In the 86th minute, though, chaos descended. Chelsea captain Reece James was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Joao Pedro after a lengthy VAR check. With 10 minutes of stoppage time added, Brighton went on an attacking tear – with Danny Welbeck finding the back of the net in the 97th minute.

Chelsea did hold on for another crucial win, though, despite the recklessness from James putting them in an uncomfortable and dangerous spot to close out the match. Due to their superior goal difference, the Blues are all-but guaranteed European football next season.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from American Express Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Djordje Petrovic (7/10):

  Big save in first-half stoppage time, was immense in goal when called upon.

  Malo Gusto (8/10):

  Locked down a menacing Adingra with a really solid performance and capped it off with a truly sensational assist for Nkunku's goal.

  Trevoh Chalobah (7/10):

  Has really stepped it up of late for Chelsea, and put in another composed performance in defence.

  Benoit Badiashile (7/10):

  Marked Joao Pedro well, but had a few nervy moments. Regardless, another solid showing without a true hiccup.

  Marc Cucurella (8/10):

  Haunted his former club with this display; a brilliant assist for Palmer's opener and was defensively composed all evening.

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  Midfield

  Conor Gallagher (6/10):

  Not his most influential game for Chelsea, but he played his role well. Wasn't allowed to get forward as much as he'd hope, but was solid with Caicedo.

  Moises Caicedo (7/10):

  Ran the midfield against his former club despite the boos raining down with some precision passing and good physical play.

  Cole Palmer (8/10):

  Chelsea's starboy continues to shine, this time with a cute header. Another top performance.

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  Attack

  Noni Madueke (5/10):

  Continues to be lively in moments, but struggles with selfishness in the final third. Not his best day.

  Nicolas Jackson (6/10):

  Scored a header that was called back for a foul in first-half stoppage time and spurned a glorious opportunity to create a goal for Nkunku. Never stopped running, though.
  Mykhalo Mudryk (5/10):

  Incredibly lively during his first-half cameo, but was taken off after taking a shoulder to the head. Baffling as to how VAR deemed the challenge "inconclusive" after the intent from Tariq Lamptey.

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  Subs & Manager

  Reece James (4/10):

  Notched another 20 minutes under his belt, replacing Gusto, as he continues his return from injury. However, he was sent off for violent conduct with a straight red card with minutes to spare. Needless.

  Christopher Nkunku (8/10):

  A brilliant cameo off the bench, he was electric on the wing and capped it off with a winning goal.

  Raheem Sterling (6/10):

  Subbed on with 20 minutes to go and put in a shift defensively.

  Thiago Silva (NA):

  Subbed on after James' needless red.

  Cesare Casadei (NA):

  Brought on with two minutes to spare after Brighton bagged a late goal.

  Lesley Ugochukwu (NA):

  Same as Casadei.

  Mauricio Pochettino (8/10):

  Chelsea boss Pochettino got his XI right, and surely was pleased with the performance. He was unlucky to lose Mudryk early, but adjusted well tactically and got the rest of his subs right.

Chelsea will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League victories as they face Luton Town this afternoon.

The Blues defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 in midweek and Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to secure another three points as he aims to propel his team into the European spots.

With the games coming thick and fast, the Argentinian will surely make some changes to his starting XI and, thankfully, he does have a couple of key players coming back from suspension – Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer.

The duo will return to the teamsheet against Luton, and they could cause some chaos to the Hatters' defence without a shadow of a doubt.

Raheem Sterling’s season in numbers

The winger should be unleashed by Pochettino simply due to the fact he scored twice against Luton back in August and his pace could cause plenty of issues for Rob Edwards' side.

Player Profile: Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling is one of the best wingers in the Premier League.

By
James Jones

Sep 18, 2023

This season, the former Manchester City star has scored only four goals since then, but there is no doubting his attacking prowess and, having enjoyed a night off in midweek, he will return to the team fresh.

Sterling ranks third in the squad for goals and assists in the league this term, while also ranking fourth for big chances created (five) and fifth for key passes per game (1.2), proving that he has been influential across a range of metrics this term.

The winger will come into the starting XI on the left wing and Palmer will also return, being deployed on the opposite flank as Pochettino looks to terrorise Luton.

Cole Palmer’s statistics this season

The youngster arrived from City for a transfer fee in the region of £40m during the summer transfer window and the move is already proving to be a shrewd investment.

Such is his talent, Pep Guardiola waxed lyrical about the 21-year-old during his spell at City, saying:

“Cole has a special quality in front of the box, a talent that is difficult to find. When he has the ball there, most of the time it ends up in the net. It’s difficult to find that.”

Since arriving in London, the 6 foot 2 attacking midfielder has continued to demonstrate the vast promise he first displayed in Manchester, scoring six goals and grabbing five assists in 19 matches, and he is swiftly emerging as one of Pochettino’s key players.

Palmer even ranks first in the squad for key passes per game (1.6) while also ranking first for goals and assists (nine) in the Premier League and for big chances created (seven), indicating that he has settled in at Stamford Bridge fairly well.

The Blues still managed to win without Sterling and Palmer in midweek, yet being able to call on the two of them against Luton – who have won their previous two league ties – could be crucial.

Another win for Chelsea will give them some much-needed confidence heading into 2024 and if they can go on a decent run of form in the coming weeks, they may just sneak into the continental places if results go their way.

Chelsea have placed Kieran McKenna high on their shortlist of potential replacements for Mauricio Pochettino after Ipswich Town's promotion.

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• Chelsea consider appointing McKenna
• Pochettino's future still unclear
• Ipswich won promotion to Premier League

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chelsea, per , are considering appointing McKenna if they decide to sack Pochettino. The Argentine has yet to undergo his end-of-season review, and there are understood to be a divide on whether he should keep his job.

  As a result, the Blues are drawing up contingency plans in case they do decide to swing the axe.

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  McKenna guided Ipswich to automatic promotion from the Championship this season, as they lost just six games all season, taking 96 points and finishing second only to Leicester. The Tractor Boys' manager is in demand; he is also being monitored by Manchester United and Brighton would like to hire him as a replacement for Roberto De Zerbi, whose departure was announced on Saturday.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ipswich were playing in League One last season and McKenna has masterminded back-to-back promotions, although it remains to be seen if he would be willing to make such a huge jump to Stamford Bridge. Pochettino only signed a two-year contract upon his arrival and has hinted he could leave.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Chelsea play Bournemouth on the final day of the Premier League season and could still seal a sixth-placed finish, provided Tottenham fail to beat Sheffield United.

Sir Alex Ferguson was famous for his ‘hairdryer treatment’ as a manager, with Ella Toone explaining how she was once told off by the legendary Scot.

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• Iconic reign at Old Trafford
• Still regularly attends games
• Lioness has crossed his path

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils icon delivered 13 Premier League titles and a couple of Champions League crowns during his reign at Old Trafford, before heading into retirement back in 2013. Since then, Ferguson can often be seen filling a seat in the stands.

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  He has mellowed slightly since walking away from the dugout, but will always be a demanding character that expects those around him to toe the line. Toone – who is now a talismanic presence for England and United’s women’s team – has found that out to her cost in the past.

• WHAT TOONE SAID

  Toone, who is a passionate United supporter, has told of her interactions with a childhood hero: “I’ve met Alex Ferguson now a few times. Every time I speak to him, I’m just in awe. I grew up watching his Manchester United team. He won everything and was just what made my fall in love with Manchester United as a club. To now have times where I’ve sat next to him at games, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and I’m just like ‘wow, you are an amazing man’. He actually came in and spoke to us before we played Arsenal at the Emirates. We were all sat there like this (mouth open). Then I went to one of the games and actually was sat in front of him. He was talking to me and then I came back out for the second-half and I was a couple of minutes late and he was like ‘you’re late Mrs Toone!’ I was like ‘I’m sorry!’ He’s such a nice person and someone who every time he speaks, you just want to listen to every word that he has to say.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Toone, who previously turned out for United’s arch-rivals Manchester City, now has a major honour to her name with the Red Devils after opening the scoring in spectacular style during the Red Devils’ 2024 FA Cup final win over Tottenham.

The January transfer window is officially open for business and Manchester United could use this month to bolster their squad after a worrying start to the campaign.

They have already lost nine of their opening 20 Premier League matches and have been knocked out of Europe after they finished bottom of their Champions League group.

It was recently reported by AS that United and Liverpool are both interested in a possible swoop to sign Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich.

His contract with the German giants is due to expire at the end of next season and the uncertainty around his future in Bavaria has led to interest from a host of European clubs.

Erik ten Hag must now push to complete a deal for Kimmich, whether that is this month or in the summer, as he would be a big upgrade on current number six Sofyan Amrabat.

Amrabat's season in numbers

United signed the Morocco international on loan from Serie A side Fiorentina during the summer transfer window and he has failed to hit the ground running in England.

The 27-year-old enforcer has made ten Premier League appearances for the Red Devils so far this term and averaged 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined and four ball recoveries per match.

He has not contributed with a single goal or assist and is currently averaging 0.4 key passes per match for his side, which shows that the midfielder does not produce much quality in possession to help United's attack.

However, Amrabat does rank within the top 13% of top-flight midfielders for progressive passes (7.34) per 90 and this means that he is not completely ineffective on the ball as the summer signing is able to break lines to find teammates further up the pitch.

The statistics that show why Kimmich would be an upgrade on Amrabat

Kimmich, however, is an exceptional progressive passer who can also provide more quality in the final third whilst also being a reliable defensive presence in front of the back four.

The £322k-per-week ace, who was once hailed as "phenomenal" by Jose Mourinho, has started 11 Bundesliga matches for Bayern so far this season.

In that time, the 28-year-old star has made 2.8 tackles and interceptions combined and 6.3 ball recoveries per game to win possession back for his team.

He has also scored one goal, provided one assist, and made an eye-catching 2.7 key passes per game. These statistics show that Kimmich has the quality to make a greater impact than Amrabat with his quality in and out of possession – by winning the ball back more often and creating 2.3 more chances per game for his teammates.

The Bayern magician currently ranks within the top 3% of Bundesliga midfielders for progressive passes (10.51) per 90 this season, whilst he also ranks within the top 3% for shot-creating actions (5.78) per 90.

This shows that Kimmich can offer more than Amrabat defensively, offensively, and as a progressive passer from a number six position, which is why he would be a big upgrade on the Morocco international.

Mary Earps has been forced to withdraw from the England squad ahead of the Lionesses' second clash with France.

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• Earps went down injured in 2-1 defeat
• Man Utd goalkeeper forced to withdraw
• England face France again on Tuesday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Earps had to be substituted after just seven minutes in the first game of the double-header against France in the 2025 European Championship qualifiers. The goalkeeper dropped to the floor holding her hip in the first minute of the game and tried to continue. However moments later, Earps was holding the affected area again and left the field in tears, before being replaced by Chelsea's Hannah Hampton. England boss Sarina Wiegman will be sweating on Earps' long-term fitness and they are taking no risks with the Man Utd No.1 withdrawing from the squad.

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  WHAT ENGLAND SAID

  England confirmed the squad news, saying: "Mary Earps has withdrawn from the England senior women’s squad with a minor hip injury sustained during Friday’s narrow defeat by France.

  "Birmingham City’s Lucy Thomas has moved to the 23-player squad from standby for Tuesday evening’s return fixture against Les Bleues in Saint-Etienne."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earps has become a leader in the Lioness squad and one of England's most reliable players. Hampton will expect to start against Les Bleus in the return fixture on Tuesday, but she will have big boots, and gloves, to fill.

  It is unlikely Lucy Thomas – still behind Hampton, Khiara Keating and Kayla Rendell in the pecking order – will get a chance to impress but will be keen to make an impression on Wiegman and the squad.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  England face France on Tuesday in Saint-Etienne looking to avenge Friday's 2-1 defeat at St James' Park. Georgia Stanway has already quashed fears that England will suffer in Earps' absence but headaches remain at the other end of the pitch, with Arsenal's Alessia Russo the only recognised striker in the squad.