Arsenal have been head and shoulders above the rest of ’em this season, but Mikel Arteta knows that the season is still young, and there are many gruelling months ahead before the Gunners might end their two-decade-long wait for the Premier League title.

Runners-up for three successive years, Arsenal have worked toward dynamising and strengthening across the park, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze all adding flavour to an outfit already refined and complete.

It’s just silverware that is missing. And while the Emirates side have all the tools to go the distance this term, they will need someone of Gabriel Magalhaes’ character and quality to have avoided a long-term injury while away on international duty with Brazil.

The latest on Gabriel's muscle injury

Gabriel has played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign this season, but with a north London clash against Tottenham Hotspur looming on the horizon, a muscular injury sustained out with his nation could put a spanner in the works there.

Gabriel pulled up mid-sprint during Brazil’s recent win over Senegal. It has since been revealed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein that there is a worry that he faces an extended spell on the sidelines, more than a month and thus out of action until the new year.

It cannot be understated how integral Gabriel has become. As per FBref, the £150k-per-week talent ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for goal involvements and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90. That aside, he has incredibly won 78% of his ground duels, keeping clean sheets in seven separate matches.

In Gabriel and William Saliba, Arsenal have two defenders looking to take their place among the pantheon of great Premier League centre-back partnerships, and if Arteta does lift that elusive trophy at the end of the season, he and his wider squad will be indebted to the composed and flawlessly organised duo at the back.

The likes of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are able replacements, but this could be a big blow, and it’s got us thinking about the 27-year-old’s long-term successor in north London.

There is one Hale End star who might just have what it takes to complete that step up in the future.

The Hale Ender who could replace Gabriel

Under Arteta’s guidance, Arsenal have a feared outfit once again. This is a team capable of tackling and overcoming any opponent across the globe, as last season’s spectacular two-legged win over Real Madrid will tell you.

But this also needs to be a lasting project, and it’s clear that there is an emphasis on this, with Bukayo Saka the talisman and exciting prospects such as Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman filtering through to the first team.

And on the other side of the field, Callan Hamill could find himself succeeding Gabriel when the time comes, with the 16-year-old having made quite the impression at Hale End since joining from St. Johnstone in Scotland this summer.

The Scotland U19 international has swiftly established himself as the captain of Arsenal’s U18 squad, racking up 11 appearances and scoring one goal.

With such impressive performances, he has even been handed a string of outings with the U21s, and during his sole effort in the Premier League 2, Hamill kept a clean sheet across 90 minutes of action.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has remarked that the teenager has “all the tools to become a quality backline leader for club and country”, and while he’s not there yet, Arteta’s decision to throw the youngster into first-team training and guide him toward the fore suggests that it’s only a matter of time before this star emulates the better-known names in front of him and cements a place under Arteta’s wing.

Who knows, given his leadership skills, strong reading of the game and dynamism, Hamill might even have what it takes to succeed Gabriel, when the fateful day of the Brazilian’s departure comes.

A new Saka: Arsenal chasing "one of the best wingers in the world" for £88m

The game-changing winger could be a Saka-like addition to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

In 15 games this season, RCB have had nine different Player-of-the-Match winners. Here’s how each of them has helped the team’s cause

Shashank Kishore02-Jun-20252:24

Aaron: Different players have stepped up for RCB

Krunal PandyaBefore joining RCB, Krunal’s best haul in a season was 12 (both in 2018 and 2019). This season, he has picked up 11 alone in RCB’s flawless away run of seven wins, and 15 overall. Krunal has largely held his own against left-hand batters by making the most of his different lengths, trajectory, and a mean bouncer, the last most notably against MI, when he outsmarted Mitchell Santner and sealed victory with a triple-wicket final over in which he had to defend 18. Krunal’s first IPL fifty since 2016 came in a crucial away win against Delhi Capitals (DC).Rajat PatidarPatidar’s twin half-centuries early in his maiden season as captain powered RCB to landmark wins: their first over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk since 2008 and over MI at Wankhede since 2015. In both matches, he forced opposing captains to hold back spin. Against MI, he also targeted Hardik Pandya to avoid the pressure of having to take down Jasprit Bumrah at the death, finishing with 64 off 32 in RCB’s 221 for 5 – his season’s best yet.2:10

Cricinformed: Virat Kohli – RCB’s backbone

Virat KohliHis eight half-centuries, all in wins this season, is a record. His strike rate this season isn’t far off the 152.03 he recorded during his iconic, chart-topping 973-run campaign in 2016. Kohli has been less an anchor and more a storm at the top, in many ways a continuation of his avatar from the second half of 2024, where RCB recorded six wins on the bounce to make a dash into the playoffs. He averages an impressive 88.50 in chases this season.Tim DavidRCB’s plan for David has been clear: minimum time, maximum impact. His only fifty came in a shortened match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), where a 26-ball 50 not out helped lift RCB out of trouble. While it wasn’t enough for a win, it showcased RCB’s batting depth and made it a rare instance of the Player-of-the-Match award going to a player from a losing team. Heading into the final, only Shreyas Iyer has hit more sixes than David in the death overs this season.1:39

How Josh Hazlewood has become a death overs expert

Josh HazlewoodHis shoulder niggle had fans anxiously researching rotator cuffs, but in his first game back after over three weeks, Hazlewood dismantled PBKS in the powerplay with the key wickets of Josh Inglis and Shreyas Iyer, to set RCB on the road to the final. His mastery at the death has been just as vital, never more so than against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Tasked with defending 17 off 12, he gave away just one run and took two wickets, including that of the in-form Dhruv Jurel, who had just smashed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 21 in the 18th over. That spell helped overturn RCB’s three-match losing streak at home.Phil SaltSalt has stepped into Faf du Plessis’ shoes seamlessly to play a high-impact role in the powerplay. His early salvo, like when he took Mitchell Starc for 24 runs in a 30-run over, has taken a lot of the pressure off Kohli. The pair is within touching distance of being the second-most prolific opening pair this season, behind B Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill. Among those playing in the final, Salt is joint-second with Priyansh Arya (14) for most sixes in the powerplay this IPL. His four half-centuries are second-most behind Kohli’s eight for RCB this season.2:04

Moody: ‘Jitesh’s innings was wow!’

Jitesh SharmaJitesh’s lone half-century of the season may have been his most important one yet – it came in a must-win game to secure a top-two finish. His unbeaten 85 off just 33 balls against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is the third-highest IPL score from No. 6 or lower and it powered RCB to their highest successful chase. Earlier in the season, his impactful 40* off 19 against MI stood out for the assault on Bumrah and Trent Boult at the death. He also briefly stepped in as captain when Patidar was sidelined with a finger injury.Suyash SharmaAfter nearly two years playing through a hernia problem, Suyash wasn’t a starter this season as he recovered from surgery in London that was sponsored by RCB. He returned lighter, fitter, and has delivered key performances despite a modest tally of eight wickets. He turned games with spells like his six-run 18th over against CSK while defending 34 off 18, and his season-best 3 for 17 in Qualifier 1, where a flurry of wrong’uns ripped through PBKS’ lower order. His spin combine with Krunal isn’t the most formidable on paper, but they have punched above their weight this season.Romario ShepherdInitially overlooked in favour of Liam Livingstone, Shepherd seized his chance in a crucial home game against CSK. Coming in during the 18th over, he smashed 10 of his 14 balls to the boundary to record the second-fastest IPL fifty. His knock gave RCB vital momentum in a tight win that took them closer to the playoffs spot. RCB’s 54 runs – Shepherd made 53 of those – in the last two overs remain their most in the final 12 balls, with 32 of those coming in a single over off Khaleel Ahmed.

England have not savoured World Cup glory since 1966, but Wes Brown has exclusively told GOAL – ahead of the group stage draw for the 2026 event – that “nobody will want to play” the Three Lions when chasing down a global crown. Thomas Tuchel’s side will head to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer sat among the favourites to go all the way.

Faultless Three Lions: England qualified in style

They made serene progress through qualification, with maximum points being taken from eight fixtures. England scored 22 goals across those outings, while conceding none. A winning formula has clearly been found, with the promise of more to come.

Tuchel has made it clear that he will not be bowing to pressure when it comes to big selection calls, with the former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss prepared to make unpopular decisions if required.

He has enough talent at his disposal to suggest that whoever earns seats on the plane, they will be there or thereabouts when the most prestigious of prizes is handed out. The Three Lions have made back-to-back European Championship finals – coming unstuck against Italy and Spain – while reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

AdvertisementFear factor: England should have rivals running scared

Sir Gareth Southgate oversaw an era of near misses, with thenhot seat now being filled by no-nonsense German tactician Tuchel. He has won Ligue 1, the Champions League and Club World Cup as a coach.

With the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Marcus Rashford raring to go, there is every reason to believe that Tuchel can be the man to bring 60 years of hurt to a close.

Quizzed on whether England should fear nobody, ex-Three Lions defender Brown – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “I think we are one of the teams to fear. The only thing I would say is, we have been so close now that it’s like, we know we can but we just get to that end bit… Regardless of how we get there, we know we can. People say ‘look who we played’ or ‘these are much better’, but that’s not the point because we still got there, getting the wins in.

“You look at the quality of the squad, it doesn’t matter about age now, these are established players that have no fear. They know what they need to do, they know what the set-up is. We know we can do it because we have been there before, we have nearly done it, it’s just that extra step. Regardless of the manager changing, I still feel like there is that bond in the squad which is excellent. You can see a nice buzz going around.

“The variation of different personnel is up there. You might need somebody to come on and change something in a certain way. Have we got that? I think we have. Take all that away, I think the experience they have as a group, the majority of them, they will understand that they can do it. It just takes that little bit more when we get to that next stage, when you get to the point where ‘this is it’. Can we? A lot of the players have done that, experienced it, and now you have got to believe and stay together and try to get it done. It’s going to be hard again – look at all the teams and the quality in there – but believe me, nobody will want to play England.”

Getty Images

Underdogs tag: Tuchel tries to calm expectations

Tuchel has been doing his best to calm expectations, saying of England’s current standing: “We will arrive as underdogs in the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades, and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time, so we need to arrive as a team otherwise we have no chance.

“If you've never won Wimbledon, you may be one of the favourites but you are not the favourite. You can go and if you come close, OK, you are within the pool, but you are not the favourite. It is just how it is. There is Brazil, there is Argentina, Spain, France and they just did it recently. It doesn't mean we have no chance and we know very well.”

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Getty ImagesWorld Cup draw: When & where does it take place?

England, along with their fellow World Cup hopefuls, will discover who they are set to face in the group stage when the draw for that part of the competition is made on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

Quinton de Kock’s ODI retirement U-turn has South Africa captain Temba Bavuma excited, but he said that the wicketkeeper-batter might not get an “easy pass” into the XI, with the team loaded with in-form batters who have helped them win ODI series in Australia and England over the last few months.”I’m a little bit biased when it comes to Quinton. I grew up playing with Quinton from school cricket. So the fact that he is back, I’m as excited as a lot of fans out there,” Bavuma said on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday. “I think there’s quite a lot of batters, young batters especially, who have put up their names. So he is obviously going to have to do what he needs to do from a run-scoring point of view.”I don’t think he is oblivious to that. It’s not the case that he is getting an easy pass into the team. But I think it’s a case of, from where he has been in the abyss, per se, watching into the team, he wants to be a part of what has been created within the team.”Related

• Bavuma out of Test series against Pakistan with calf strain

• De Kock reverses ODI retirement

• De Kock is back on his own with 'no strings attached'

Bavuma also revealed that de Kock had started hinting at wanting to reverse his ODI retirement as early as January. In de Kock’s absence, two left-hand wicketkeeper-batters – in Ryan Rickelton and Lhuan-dre Pretorius – have staked their claim for spots in South Africa’s XI. Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis have also been impressive, in addition to the more seasoned batters like Bavuma himself and Aiden Markram.”I chatted to him earlier this year, in January, just before we were going to the Champions Trophy. And there he started kind of throwing out the fact that he would like to be available. Before he went and spoke to Shukri [Conrad, South Africa head coach], he spoke to me. He made it clear that that’s what he would like to do. And we will support him.”Quinton is one of the good guys within the system, a super-talented player. So if it’s the Quinton who batted in the 2023 50-over World Cup, I don’t think anyone would say no to that.”South Africa will begin their World Test Championship defence in Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

At the 2023 World Cup, de Kock scored 594 runs from ten innings, at a strike rate of 107.02, and finished as the third-highest run-scorer, helping South Africa reach the semi-finals.Apart from South Africa’s lead-up to a home ODI World Cup in 2027, Bavuma will also have to oversee their defence of the World Test Championship title, beginning with a two-Test series in Pakistan starting October 12. Bavuma will not be part of that series as he is recovering from a calf strain but he sounded positive about South Africa’s chances.”Pakistan selected five spinners into their squad, so that really shows you what type of conditions the guys will be faced with there,” Bavuma said. “Guys are back home now, busy with their preparation. So we’ll leave no stone unturned. We’ve been to Pakistan before. The Champions Trophy – yes, those were good wickets. But we are familiar with the place.”After that will be India. There’s Sri Lanka as well. So there’s a lot more of the subcontinent tours that we’re going to have to overcome the challenge. And then something a little bit more familiar back home with Australia and England. But then again, those are strong teams.”South Africa faced criticism from some quarters about getting favourable fixtures in the previous cycle, but Bavuma was adamant that they didn’t want to shy away from playing the best teams.”I know in the previous cycle, there was criticism around our route into the final, supposedly playing the weaker nations,” Bavuma said. “That’s not the case now. I think for us as players, we look at it with a lot of optimism. Firstly, as a competitor, as an international player, you can test yourself against the best players. And obviously from a team point of view, we keep going and achieving what we want to achieve.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A transferência de Felipe Anderson ao Palmeiras, anunciada na segunda-feira (15), segue sendo assunto quente na Lazio. Em entrevista coletiva, o diretor esportivo do clube italiano, Angelo Fabiani, revelou detalhes da negoicação pela renovação do brasileiro, em tentativa frustada de manter o brasileiro na Itália.

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➡️ Quem é que sobe?! Com R$200 no Lance! Betting, você garante R$398 se Palmeiras x Internacional terminar com nove escanteios ou menos

– Ele foi para o Palmeiras e perdeu dinheiro em relação ao que a Lazio lhe ofereceu. Oferecemos cinco anos e um salário significativo, o segundo ou terceiro mais alto do elenco. Felipe Anderson se comportou como homem e com incrível dignidade e profissionalismo – afirmou o diretor da Lazio.

– Fizemos tudo para mantê-lo, mas quando ele se depara com escolhas familiares e territoriais não há nada que possamos fazer. Ele colocou a família no centro do projeto, recentemente teve um filho. Tiramos o chapéu para Anderson, ele é uma pessoa incrível. Ele nunca levantou problemas nem na Lazio nem em outros clubes. Ele é o filho que todos gostariam – completou Fabiani.

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Além das propostas de Palmeiras e Lazio, Felipe Anderson também negociava com a Juventus, maior campeã nacional da Itália. Mesmo assim, o meio-campista preferiu retornar ao Brasil e defender o Verdão, que irá registrá-lo na abertura da próxima janela de transferências, em julho deste ano.

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Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left his team's game Monday against the Pirates after he made an incredible stretch to get an out at first base.

Shortstop Bo Bichette made an off-balanced throw to first on a ground ball that forced Guerrero to stretch as far as he could to capture the ball before Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo could touch the bag. Guerrero did the splits as he caught the ball and kept his back foot on the base to record a miraculous final out to the third inning:

He may have gotten slightly injured on the play, however, as the Blue Jays pinch hit Ty France for Guerrero in the fifth inning, removing the star first baseman from the game. The team provided an official update that he was removed from the game with left hamstring tightness. He did come up a bit gingerly after the acrobatic play, but ran back to the dugout following the out. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Guerrero leads the Blue Jays with 21 home runs this season. He's slashing .300/.398/.500 and has added 68 RBIs in his seventh season with the team. He made a similar play last week to get an out.

أثنت صحيفة موندو ديبورتيفو المقربة من نادي برشلونة على لاعب الفريق، وذلك في انتصار الفريق الكتالوني أمس الثلاثاء على أتلتيكو مدريد بالدوري الإسباني.

وحسم برشلونة قمة الجولة الـ15 من الدوري الإسباني، وذلك بعدما حقق الانتصار على أتلتيكو مدريد بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف على ملعب كامب نو.

وشارك بيدري جونزاليس لأول مرة مع برشلونة بشكل أساسي منذ عودته من الإصابة، والتي كان يعاني منها وأبعدته عن صفوف البارسا لمدة تجاوزت الشهر.

بيدري لعب كبديل خلال مباراة برشلونة أمام ديبورتيفو ألافيس يوم السبت الماضي، والتي انتهت بفوز برشلونة 3-1، قبل أن يلعب بشكل أساسي أمس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بالدي بعد فوز برشلونة على أتلتيكو مدريد: نشعر بـ”قلة تقدير”

وأشادت موندو بمستوى بيدري في مباراة أتلتيكو مدريد، حيث صنع اللاعب الشاب هدف برشلونة الأول والذي جاء عن طريق رافينها.

وأشارت الصحيفة، إلى أن عودة بيدري إلى تشكيلة برشلونة الأساسية أتت تأثيرها سريعًا مع البلوجرانا، حيث كان الفريق الكتالوني يفتقد إلى قوته وقدرته على السيطرة على الخصوم وخلق الفرص.

وخشى مدرب برشلونة، هانز فليك، على بيدري من الإصابة ليقوم باستبداله في آخر 20 دقيقة من المباراة ضد أتلتيكو مدريد ليحل محله مارك كاسادو.

وأبرزت موندو أرقام بيدري في المباراة، والذي أكمل 60 تمريرة صحيحة من أصل 64 تمريرة ولمس الكرة 70 مرة، كما قام بالربط مع زملائه في برشلونة في الثلث الأخير من الملعب 14 مرة، في حين أكمل ثلاث مراوغات ناجحة من أصل ثلاث محاولات.

ولم يكتفي بيدري بتأثيره الهجومي فقط ضد أتلتيكو مدريد، حيث تحدثت موندو عن دور اللاعب الدفاعي والذي استعاد الكرة أمس 8 مرات كثاني أكثر لاعب في الملعب يستعيد الكرة بعد زميله في برشلونة، لامين يامال برصيد 9 مرات.

وينتظر برشلونة مباراة صعبة الأسبوع المقبل ضد ريال بيتيس، وذلك لحساب منافسات الجولة ال16 من الدوري الإسباني في لقاء صعب لرفاق بيدري.

While most batters have struggled in Australia over the last four summers, Head has thrived saying he enjoys the greener pitches more than flatter ones

Alex Malcolm24-Oct-2025Travis Head is hoping for seam-friendly pitches in the Ashes and says he enjoys batting on such surfaces more so than flatter ones believing that it presents more opportunities to score.The pitches that will be presented in the Ashes is a major talking point with the Test surfaces in Australia over the past four summers trending heavily in favour of the seam bowlers compared to decades past.Head was the player of the series in the 2021-22 Ashes following stunning centuries on challenging pitches in Brisbane and Hobart. He is hoping for more of the same this summer.Related

• Will Australia's pitches be juicy for the Ashes?

• Boland: 'I've got my own internal motivations'

• 'Takes me two hits' – Smith already feels in the Ashes groove as captaincy looms

• Australia's top order: What are the selectors' options?

“I probably enjoy batting on those sort of wickets,” Head told ESPNcricinfo. “The flatter wickets, with the grind, that more so challenge technique, I think, over longer periods of time [trying] to eke out runs has never probably come as natural to me with being a stroke player and wanting to get on with it. And the slower, flat wickets probably don’t tend to that. But fast-paced pitches that nip, you can maybe get away with a few things.”And then obviously the way I want to play is if they present opportunities to score, you score. So when they’re greener, they pitch up a little bit more and a bit fuller, and the style that I play, if they miss a little bit, I’m able to hopefully score and get busy.”It’s a run based game. You see some of the great players, like Steve Smith, Joe Root, you blink and they’re on 30 or 40. And that’s something that I’ve always appreciated, and definitely [on] these wickets, you know that you potentially have got one with your name on it. You can still play well. You can still get runs. Sometimes you’ve got that go about it in different ways. But ultimately, it’s a game where you go try and score as many as you can.”Since the start of the 2021-22 Ashes, top seven batters have averaged just 30.22 per dismissal in Test matches in Australia and combined for 24 centuries across 20 Test matches. In the four summers before that, from the start of 2017-18 Ashes to the end of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series, top seven batters averaged 38.14 across 20 Tests with 34 centuries scored.