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Right before the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs were set to start their first of two games in Tokyo to officially open the 2025 MLB season, the Dodgers scratched Freddie Freeman from the lineup.

Freeman experienced rib discomfort during batting practice on Tuesday, causing him to sit out for the game. He told reporters after the game, which the Dodgers won 4–1, that the pain is similar to what he dealt with during last season's playoff run. It was revealed after Los Angeles's World Series win that Freeman played through the postseason with broken cartilage in his ribcage.

The first baseman clarified that the pain he's experiencing now in his ribcage is "less severe" and there's a 75% chance he'll play in Wednesday's game in Tokyo, 's Jack Harris reported. He even wanted to play on Tuesday, but was held out for likely precautionary reasons.

Freeman explained that he received treatment after batting practice in hopes to play on Tuesday. He said as long as he doesn't feel any pain on Wednesday, he should be good to play.

While the ribs are a lingering issue, it doesn't sound like Dodgers fans need to worry about Freeman's ankle. He dealt with a sprain in the postseason, which caused him to miss Game 4 of the NLCS. He still battled through the injury, even winning World Series MVP thanks to his efforts. He underwent surgery on his ankle in the offseason.

Struggling Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo has been told that Arsenal is the perfect place for him to get his career back on track. Mainoo established himself as a regular starter at Old Trafford under former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, but he has fallen out of favour since the arrival of Ruben Amorim, and serious questions are being asked of his future.

AFPMainoo linked with January transfer

After clocking only 138 minutes on the pitch in the Premier League this season under Amorim, Mainoo has been strongly linked with a move away from United in the January transfer window. A loan exit has been mooted for Mainoo, which would provide him with an opportunity to impress Thomas Tuchel before the German coach picks his final England squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America. 

Several clubs have been linked with a move for the English midfielder, including Serie A champions Napoli and West Ham, however, no concrete offer has been made yet. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMainoo told to join Arsenal

Former Arsenal star Stefan Schwarz has advised Mainoo to join Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta deemed to be the ideal manager to bring the best out of him. Schwarz told : "Arsenal have the best conditions for young players. And they have a manager in Mikel Arteta that is not afraid to give responsibility to them and give them opportunities when he feels they are ready. It's just about preparing them in the best way and that's what Arsenal have done very well the last couple of years."

Getty Images Sport'Rice is a good leader'

One more aspect from the Arsenal transfer that could benefit Mainoo is playing alongside England team-mate Declan Rice in the Gunners' midfield. Rice is a natural leader and his experience and guidance could help Mainoo improve his form.

Lavishing praise on Rice, Schwarz added: "Declan Rice is a very good player. I like him a lot. He's a good leader. He can play in different positions, he's versatile and so solid. You know what you get from him every week. His delivery is unbelievable, and he has a great work rate and ethic. He is one of the leaders at Arsenal. He rarely gets injured, and he's a good character. He looks out for and takes care of his team-mates. He is also very good when talking to the media, which is very important and is an understated skill. He’s so important to Arsenal. If he was to get injured it would be a huge setback, they could cope in the short term thanks to the size of the squad but losing him for a couple of games wouldn't be a problem."

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Getty Images SportWhy isn't Mainoo getting enough game time?

United boss Amorim explained earlier this month why he has not been providing Mainoo with more game time, telling reporters: "We need to go to Europe because of everything. Our club needs to be in Europe, it’s hard to have a very, very good squad. Imagine for me to have Mainoo with that (many) minutes that he’s playing, he needs more games for me to make a rotation because, with one game (a week), it’s really hard. I have to take one of the guys that is playing to put another. When you have more games, you can divide, you can manage the group in a different way. We are trying to use the time that we have to train to be a better team, we need to be prepared in the future to have European games. But the target doesn’t change. We have to go to Europe. To be in the top four is really hard for our moment, but we never know, we just need to focus on winning the next one."

Mainoo will hope to feature when United take on Everton in the Premier League this weekend.

Southampton have been one of a number of teams with a managerial vacancy in the Championship during the international break, alongside Norwich, Middlesbrough, and Swansea.

Boro are set to appoint Kim Hellberg from Hammarby and Vitor Matos is in talks to take over at Swansea, but it is Norwich who have made the most eyebrow-raising appointment.

The Canaries have hired Belgian coach Philippe Clement, who has won four domestic cups in Belgium and Scotland and four Belgian top-flight titles in his career, per Transfermarkt, working for Club Brugge, Genk, Monaco, and Rangers.

Norwich are 23rd in the Championship table, with half as many points as Southampton, yet they have attracted a head coach who has won 170 of his 287 league games as a manager, averaging 2.00 points per game, per Transfermarkt.

The latest on Southampton's managerial search

According to Daily Echo reporter Alfie House, as relayed by SaintsExtra, Southampton are set to hand interim head coach Tonda Eckert the next three Championship matches before further assessing the situation.

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The Saints play Charlton, Leicester City, and Millwall in those three games, after Eckert beat QPR 2-1 and Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 in his first two matches in the dugout.

House’s update adds that Southampton have spoken with managerial targets and that they do not have a clear standout candidate at this moment in time, which is why Eckert will be given the next three games to stake his claim for the permanent job.

Instead of appointing the interim on a permanent basis, Sport Republic could hire their answer to Norwich’s ambitious Clement swoop by bringing reported target Brendan Rodgers to St. Mary’s.

Why Southampton should appoint Brendan Rodgers

If the Canaries are able to attract a manager like Clement, who has won eight trophies and managed some big European clubs, whilst second from bottom in the Championship, Southampton should make a statement of their own with a move for the former Celtic boss.

Described as “world-class” by Gabby Agbonlahor, like the new Norwich manager, Rodgers would come in with an incredible career behind him and a history of winning games and trophies on a consistent basis. In fact, he won the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership title with Celtic ahead of Clement’s Rangers side.

The Northern Irish boss, who was hailed as a “pillar of strength” by Hoops captain Callum McGregor, is an incredibly experienced tactician who has been there and done it in England and Scotland.

League games managed

597

287

League games won

322

170

League games drawn

122

63

League games lost

153

54

Points per league game

1.82

2.00

Trophies won

13

8

League titles won

4

4

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is even more experienced than Clement and has won five more trophies in his career, with 11 of those coming at Celtic, and the other two with Leicester.

The Saints target also has experience in getting out of the Championship. He won the play-offs in the 2010/11 campaign after a third-placed finish in the second tier with Swansea, which shows that he also has experience for what Southampton need this season.

Therefore, Rodgers could be a brilliant appointment for the club if they can convince him to make the drop down to the Championship, which is what Norwich were able to do with Clement.

Southampton can end Eckert experiment by hiring "insanely talented" manager

Southampton can replace Tonda Eckert by swooping to hire this experienced former Championship manager.

ByDan Emery Nov 18, 2025

Youngest leader keen to “see how I go under pressure” after latest show of faith from management

Matt Roller16-Sep-2025″I like it when things come at a fast pace,” Jacob Bethell said with a grin, as he prepared to become England’s youngest-ever captain on Wednesday. It is just as well.It was a year ago last week that Bethell made his England debut, feeling “very nervous” as he walked out for a T20 international against Australia in Southampton. Twelve months, 34 caps, nine half-centuries and a maiden hundred later, he will break a record that has stood since 1889 when he goes for the toss in Malahide to lead his country against Ireland at the age of 21.It is the latest show of faith in a young man who England’s management clearly view as a future superstar. Bethell’s captaincy experience is limited to “a bit at school”, seven games for England Under-19s and a handful more for Warwickshire’s second team, but he will lead a senior side featuring two double-World Cup winners in Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid this week.Related

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He has long been seen as a leader, dating back to his time in charge of England’s Under-19s. Bethell’s schooling, moving from Barbados to the UK to board at Rugby School, and his early entry into professional cricket have contributed to a sense that he is more mature than most of his peers, the direct result of his accelerated development.England’s logic for giving Bethell the role is simple enough. Harry Brook, their permanent white-ball captain, is among several multi-format linchpins rested for this series, and there is little point handing the reins back to Buttler for a three-match, end-of-season tour. Perhaps only Phil Salt, who led England against Australia last year, could feel hard done by to be overlooked.Bethell has not explicitly been told why he was chosen, but has his suspicions. “It’s maybe just a bit of trust,” he said on Tuesday, in his first captain’s press conference. “Another aspect might be, just chuck me in the deep end and see how I go. It will be nice to see how I go under pressure – I’m sure the guys that have made those decisions would like to see that as well.”He learned of his elevation from Brendon McCullum in a phone call last month. “When I found out, the first emotion was pride,” Bethell said. “The feeling is excitement [with] a few nerves kicking around, both from wanting to lead the boys well, and get a win under our belt.” Asked to describe what type of captain he will be, he joked: “A very young one.”That sense was accentuated on Tuesday when he posed with the series trophy alongside his opposite number, Paul Stirling, who at 35 is a veteran of more than 150 T20 international caps. They are well-acquainted from a season opening the batting for Warwickshire together in the T20 Blast three years ago, and Bethell clearly left an impression despite a lean campaign.”He was a superstar,” Stirling recalled. “You could see the talent there when he must’ve been 18 years old. His ball-striking was so noticeable that it was world-class already. To see where he’s got to already in his career is no surprise to me… I know how talented he is, and I’m not surprised at all that he’s here under a leadership capacity.”Bethell believes that his primary responsibility as a captain will be to “manage people” while working with stand-in head coach Marcus Trescothick. “Not every tactical decision you make is going to work,” he said. “It’s about managing the boys well so they feel you’re backing them. That’s something I’ll look to take forward in however many games I end up captaining in my career.”He has admired Ben Stokes’ leadership of England’s Test team – “he leads by example, with actions and performances” – and intends to follow suit. Bethell’s recent form – including a maiden hundred against South Africa nine days ago – has been timely, removing the simmering disquiet in some quarters around his hasty promotion to the captaincy.Bethell said that he has taken confidence from that innings of 110 off 82, even if he did not see it as a breakthrough moment. “It was a nice feeling, and almost one that feels quite addicting. Hopefully, I can get myself used to raising the bat. Once you do it once, you’ve got the confidence to go on and do it again and again, so I think it’s definitely given me that.”That innings came from No. 4 in England’s ODI team, and he was promoted to No. 3 in last week’s T20Is against South Africa. “It’s kind of moulding two positions into one: you’ve got the back-end of the powerplay, and then what I’m used to in the middle order,” he said, adding with another grin: “I think as high up the order as possible is pretty good.”Further success this week – albeit in a different format – will only prompt more speculation about the prospect of him forcing his way into England’s team for the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21. “My head’s firmly screwed on to this series,” he said. “The squad’s not even selected for that yet, so hopefully I’m going to be there.”There is little doubt that he will be – just as there are few who would predict that his first series as England’s captain will be his last.

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals in extra innings on Opening Day, 7-4. The game might not have made it to the 10th if it hadn't been for two truly bizarre base running decisions made by the home team in the bottom of the 8th.

Not to mention they both happened on the same play.

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th, the Royals first two batters got on base. Jonathan India then came up to the plate with two runners on and no outs to face Hunter Gaddis. Facing a 2-2 count, India hit a ball on the ground to third baseman Jose Ramirez. Ramirez fielded the ball and threw home to Bo Naylor who chased pinch runner Dairon Blanco back to third. Naylor tossed it back to Ramirez who was able to tag Blanco.

Then Ramirez turned and caught Kyle Isbel in between second and third. Ramirez fired a strike to Gabriel Arias a second. Isbel headed towards third, but shortstop Brayan Rocchio had already hustled over to cover the empty base. Rocchio ran down Isbel to complete the double play.

If you're scoring at home that's a 5-2-5-4-6 double play thanks to two textbook rundowns by the Guardians infielders on the same play. It is the kind of thing coaches absolutely love to see.

The Royals on the other hand ended up with one less runner on base than they started the at-bat with and had zero runs to show for it. Bobby Witt Jr. ended the inning with a strikeout four pitches later and the Royals dropped their home opener.

Southampton interim manager Tonda Eckert will be in the dugout for the next three Championship matches before a decision is made on his future at the club.

Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas added that the German tactician is bidding to land the role on a full-time basis, which makes these next three games an important audition for him.

He has already won his first two games in charge of the club, beating QPR 2-1 and Sheffield Wednesday 3-1, after stepping in because of Will Still’s departure.

Why Southampton need an upgrade on Will Still

The Saints need to find a manager who can be an upgrade on their previous head coach, as obvious as it sounds, because his track record before coming to St. Mary’s did not suggest that he was an obvious candidate.

Of course, finishing in midtable with two different Ligue 1 clubs as a 33-year-old head coach is impressive, given that it is one of the best leagues in Europe, but each manager has different skills that suit certain environments.

Southampton, from the outside looking in, appeared to need a leader who could galvanise the club after such a dismal relegation from the Premier League, whilst also having the coaching outlook required to mount a promotion push.

25/26 (Championship)

13

12 (21st)

24/25 (Ligue 1)

34

52 (8th)

23/24 (Ligue 1)

31

40 (11th)

22/23 (Ligue 1)

28

43 (11th)

20/21 (Pro League)

13

17 (9th)

17/18 (Challenger Pro League)

9

22 (3rd)

As you can see in the table above, Still, aside from nine games as an interim years before his first major job, had never been in an environment where he was expected to win consistently and be at the top of the table.

That lack of alignment between coaching and expectation may have been a contributing factor to Southampton ending up in 21st place in the table, with the benefit of hindsight.

Now, in what may be a controversial suggestion, Sport Republic could replace Eckert and find an upgrade on Still by returning to Russell Martin to hire him as their next manager.

Why Southampton should hire Russell Martin

It was reported earlier this month that the former Rangers boss still has admirers in the boardroom at St. Mary’s and it has been claimed that some first-team players and staff are open to his return, suggesting that he could be an option in their managerial search.

Like him or loathe him, Martin is a good communicator and can lead a group when there is buy-in and potential for positive momentum with results, which may not have worked out at Premier League level, or at Rangers.

The 39-year-old tactician’s style of play was described as “successful” and a “joy to watch” by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Whilst they may have been untrue in the Premier League, it was certainly the case in the Championship, which is where Southampton are now.

Pass accuracy

87.7%

1st

Passes into the penalty area

594

1st

Progressive passes

2556

1st

Shot-creating actions

1255

1st

xG

79.8

2nd

Points per game

1.89

4th

When the Saints were promoted under Martin in the 2023/24 campaign, his team were incredible offensively, as shown in the table, above, as they went on to win the play-offs.

This shows that the ex-Swansea boss has the relevant experience required to take on the job at hand, as Southampton look to get promoted back to the top-flight, because he has been there and done it, which was not the case for Still in the summer.

There are major question marks over his Premier League capabability, due to one win in 16 matches last season in the division, which is why it would be interesting to see if he would consider a deal until the end of the season.

Bringing Martin in on a short-term deal until the end of this season to see if he can spark a reaction out of the players and use his experience to guide the team towards the play-offs, before a longer-term appointment is made with the Premier League in mind, could be a shrewd way to go about it.

Southampton face 'complex' Tonda Eckert visa issues as permission granted

The Saints have been working behind-the-scenes.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 21, 2025

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has been filmed in an X-rated rant following his old side's 4-1 thrashing by PSV Eindhoven. The former Reds defender could not believe what was unfolding in front of his eyes at Anfield during their Champions League humiliation on Wednesday. And in the heat of the moment, the ex-England international explained why manager Arne Slot should be sacked for a certain decision.

Things go from bad to worse for Liverpool

Some Liverpool fans were calling for the sacking of Slot following his team's 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, and now those naysayers have come out in force after their 4-1 drubbing by PSV. The Merseyside outfit set some unwanted records with their ninth loss in 12 games in all competitions, and with their current form, it is difficult to see where the wins are going to come from. 

After the defeat, Slot said: "I think what has happened mainly with all the losses we had is that so many times if we have a good spell, we concede. And that moment changes the momentum. I think the thing we have to start doing is making sure that if we are in a better phase and we do create a chance, that we then also score the goals. That the scoreline is also positive. I think the mentality is great from these players as well. Apart from the quality, the mentality is also great. Otherwise, you can't go after three minutes, after losing on Saturday, three minutes down, 1-0 down, and then have a performance as we had the first half. That can only be possible. But their mentality, as they also reacted well after 2-1 down, because I think then we had our chances as well. So yeah, I don't think we are that far off, which sounds weird because the results tell us something different. But the games, the performances give me a different opinion about how we play than the scoreline does."

AdvertisementCarragher slams Liverpool star

After the encounter, a compilation video that captures Carragher's in-game reactions was posted on social media. In it, he criticises Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk for his handball that led to PSV's first goal, forward Cody Gakpo, and, in particular, defender Ibrahima Konate. For the latter, he said in his diatribe that Slot should be sacked for continuing to pick the Frenchman in his starting line-ups despite making a string of mistakes this season.

He said: "Honest to god, I've had enough of them. That Konate, I mean, that's a sackable offence for the manager for f******g keep picking him. He should be sacked for that."

Slot's position at Liverpool becoming 'untenable'?

When Carragher had some time to reflect after the game, he made it clear that he doesn't think Slot should be sacked yet but the Dutchman is on thin ice. He also stated that Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are not having good seasons, but the onus is on some of their less high-profile names to stand up and be counted during this barren run.

He said on CBS Sports: "Liverpool is not a sacking club, Liverpool, I think, are different from almost every club in European football where the manager is the king, you know, the managers get time. Liverpool have never sacked a manager who's won the league, never in the history. They've all, you know, after a few years they've gone, they've resigned. I couldn't believe over the weekend that people were talking about the manager's job when I spoke to Liverpool supporters after losing at home to Nottingham Forest. It's only going to amplify now and I've always been in the camp of you stick with the manager because I'm angry with the players if I'm being totally honest, I'm really angry with the players but it does get to a stage with any manager at any club where I always use this word untenable, where it almost feels like it can't go on any longer. 

"I'm not quite there yet personally in terms of the manager but I know a lot of supporters will be. But I've had a lot of time to think about it because I knew the game was over well before the final whistle. I think what you see now is Liverpool in 2018 under [Jurgen] Klopp starts this sort of journey being a great team and then Slot comes in and we're now, what are we, seven or eight years later. The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of that run was Alisson, Van Dijk, and Salah. Alisson's injured a lot now, so he doesn't play so much but you're watching Van Dijk now, not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone. I don't like criticising them and I think some of the criticism of them this season as players has been harsh. You're always looking for your leaders in your team to step up when things are not going well."

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AFPWhat comes next for Liverpool?

After this wretched run of form, this weekend's trip to West Ham now looks like a very daunting contest. Liverpool sit 12th in the table and desperately need a win to arrest this slide.

Incidentally, Carragher added that Liverpool have been "carried" by some of their greatest ever players in the past year or so and now that we are coming towards the end of the Salah, Van Dijk, and Alisson era, new heroes need to be made.

He added: "Now I've been critical of Mo Salah off the pitch, I want him to come out and do an interview tonight and speak to the Liverpool supporters about what the players are going to do, what's going on in the dressing room, giving the supporters hope that things are going to improve. But I don't like criticising them on the pitch because they're absolutely legendary what they've done and the legs have just gone, especially with Salah. Van Dijk now can't help other players. He needs help himself and that just means that he's a normal centre-back like I was at one stage, so maybe he's not superhuman right now. But they've been that good for the football club. 

"I look at some of the others, step up! Can you only play well when they play well or they carry you? Their seasons last season were off the scale and everybody else enjoyed that win in the league and they're all league champions, they've got it on their CV and great. But when they're not there, where are they? Where are the others? Where are the other players? So that's why I get angry about talking about the manager, but it's inevitable and something could happen. But in terms of the players and the way they're performing now, that is not acceptable for Liverpool Football Club. I actually think, and maybe I thought this a little bit last season, are some of them good enough for Liverpool if Liverpool want to win the biggest trophies? We saw them at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. We saw them against PSG away from home last season. I mean, woeful performances and they've been carried by some of the greatest players the club have ever had. This is maybe a snapshot of the future of Liverpool when Mo Salah moves on, Virgil van Dijk moves on and Alisson moves on."

She’s now the No. 1 allrounder, the No. 2 batter and No. 3 bowler in the ICC rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2025Ashleigh Gardner’s storming Women’s World Cup 2025 has put her at a level seldom, if ever, attained by any allrounder, of any gender, in any format, in the history of the sport. She sits, following the latest update to the ICC rankings, among the top three batters, bowlers and allrounders in Women’s ODIs.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

Click here for the full player rankings

Gardner has been one of the most important drivers of Australia’s unbeaten run in the tournament so far, scoring 265 runs at an average of 88.33 and a strike rate of 128.01, and taking seven wickets with her offspin at 30.00. Four visits to the crease have brought her two hundreds, both coming in tense situations.When she walked in against New Zealand, Australia were 113 for 4, which soon became 128 for 5. She smashed 115 off 83 balls to lead them to a total of 326.Then, in a chase of 245 against England, Gardner entered with Australia 86 for 4. She scored an unbeaten 104, off just 73 balls, and put on an unbroken 180 with Annabel Sutherland to clinch victory with a whopping 57 balls to spare.Those knocks have propelled Gardner up six slots, from No. 8 to No. 2, in the latest update of the ICC’s ODI rankings, with only India’s Smriti Mandhana above her. Gardner has, meanwhile, kept hold of her top spot among allrounders and the No. 3 spot among bowlers.England’s Sophie Ecclestone sits on top of the bowlers’ chart with Australia legspinner Alana King, who took a World-Cup-record 7 for 18 against South Africa, in a career-best second place, having shot up five spots.

The New York Mets lost to the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, 3-1, and Juan Soto's hustle is once again a talking point.

After the Mets dropped two of three in Soto's return to Yankee Stadium last weekend, the highly-paid superstar was criticized for not hustling to first base on a groundout. He followed that up with another failure to get out of the box on Monday, hitting a high fly ball to left field in Boston that he clearly thought would be a home run; it ended up banging off the Green Monster. Because Soto didn't run after hitting the ball he turned a potential double into a single.

After the game Soto defended himself and said he thinks he's been hustling "pretty hard." His manager does not agree.

Speaking to media following the loss Carlos Mendoza revealed the plan he has with the Mets to address the issue with Soto.

"We'll talk to him about it," Mendoza said. "In this ballpark, anywhere but in particular in this one with that wall right there, you've got to get out of the box. So, yeah. We'll discuss that."

It isn't a great look for the Mets or Soto that the simple concept of hustle has become a talking point less than two months into the 15-year, $765 million deal he signed in the offseason. On the other hand, it's a long season and it's best to address any problem areas as early as possible.

Despite it all, the Mets are one of the best teams in baseball in the young 2025 season, boasting a 29-19 record with another battle against the Red Sox at Fenway Park set for Tuesday night.

Arsenal have been given a clear advantage in the race for a Premier League star who’s also wanted by Tottenham, with a January move also on the cards.

Arsenal tipped for quiet January after major summer spend

Andrea Berta splashed nearly £270 million on eight major signings during his debut summer window in north London, and reports suggest that the Gunners could expect a more quiet winter window for the Italian.

Arsenal’s summer spending spree delivered eight significant arrivals, including Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

This remarkable depth across every department means January business appears quite unnecessary, provided unmissable opportunities don’t arise, that is.

UEFA’s Squad Coast regulations have reportedly influenced Arsenal’s cautious stance, with stricter squad amortization and wage controls demanding careful navigation (The Mirror).

The club is currently sailing perilously close to squad cost limits, making substantial additions virtually impossible without corresponding departures.

Standout attacker 'will soon sign' for Arsenal with talks in 'full swing'

He’s been in fine form this season.

ByEmilio Galantini 5 days ago

Gabriel Jesus could be one of Arsenal’s candidates for the exit door, should a significant offer come in. The Brazilian forward, who is on the verge of a return to action after 11 months out with an ACL injury, faces long-term uncertainty given the presence of Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino.

Jesus was an unused substitute against Chelsea and Brentford, but Arteta has now included the Brazil international in his Champions League squad to replace the injured Max Dowman.

Any Jesus sale would generate transfer funds, while compatriot Gabriel Martinelli remains another player Arsenal could consider selling if substantial bids arrive (BBC).

The Brazilian’s position has become increasingly precarious following Madueke and Eze’s arrivals, not to mention Leandro Trossard’s outstanding form, with his contract also expiring in 2027.

Martinelli’s exit would lead to the possibility of another winger coming in (BBC), with Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo available for £65 million early next month thanks to a release clause in his contract.

The Ghanaian’s exceptional form has attracted interest from N5, Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool heading into January, but while Arsenal may need to sell before they can realistically move, they still have a leg-up on Spurs.

Antoine Semenyo 'far more tempted' to join Arsenal than Tottenham

That is according to The Sun’s Tom Barclay, who reports that Semenyo is ‘far more tempted’ to join Arsenal over Tottenham should a January transfer materialize.

History could repeat itself here following last summer’s Eberechi Eze saga.

The 25-year-old’s release clause is activatable until January 10, making him available despite Tottenham’s intensifying interest. However, Semenyo apparently remains hesitant about moving to north London’s white half — the identical reservation that preceded Eze’s sensational late switch to Arsenal.

Tottenham had reached an agreement with Crystal Palace for Eze last August before Arsenal thundered in dramatically, securing the attacking midfielder’s signature in a £67.5 million deal.

Eze, a boyhood Arsenal supporter, chose his childhood club and subsequently rubbed salt into Tottenham’s wounds by scoring a magnificent hat-trick during Arsenal’s 4-1 derby demolition on November 23.

Semenyo has previously declared himself an Arsenal fan too, and when asked if joining them would be a dream come true, he suggested that it is the case.

This emotional connection could make the Emirates Stadium approach significantly more tempting than alternatives.

Barclay also reports that Arsenal could make a move for Semenyo in January, so if Berta can source the funds for a swoop, this may be one to watch.