Maresca short on Sterling sympathy, Arsenal make boardroom reshuffle: football - live

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Will Unwin

Lyon host Angers in Ligue 1 tonight and one player to watch for the hosts is young striker Enzo Molebe. The French youth international, who turned 18 yesterday, is open to leaving the club, having not featured this season. Head coach Paulo Fonseca could give him a domestic debut tonight after mentioning him in the pre-match press conference.

Molebe has been a regular scorer in the Lyon academy ranks and recently scored twice on his France U19 debut against the Republic of Ireland. He has attracted interest from across Europe but his first-team experience at Lyon amounts to eight minutes in a Europa League game at Qarabag.

Sevilla had originally agreed a deal to take him on loan to La Liga with a €12m option to sign him in the summer but Lyon pulled the plug on the transfer. Chelsea have an interest in the forward with the potential of sending him to Strasbourg on loan. Montpellier, relegated to Ligue 2 last season, are also keen.

Share

Thanks, Dom. Here’s more from Jamie Jackson on Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference, where the Manchester City manager was on spiky form, talking rest days, net spend and how to stay in the title race.

Share

Updated at 09.11 EDT

Right, time for me to hand the reins to Niall McVeigh, with lots more press conferences to get through this afternoon.

Share

Not great news for Manchester City. Rodri “did not feel good’ during their win over Napoli and asked to be taken off as he manages the recovery from that long-term knee injury. A third game in eight days for the midfielder may be too much to ask, Pep Guardiola has admitted.

Share

It’s worth keeping an eye on the Championship this weekend. The usual thrills and spills have already seen one manager, the beleaguered Ruben Selles, lose his job early in the season. Chris Wilder’s (third) Sheffield United debut comes at home to Charlton this weekend.

Might other coaches follow Selles into the void in the coming weeks? There are whispers over Phil Parkinson’s position at Wrexham and who knows what will happen at Sheffield Wednesday, with Henrik Pedersen (not that one) without a win in his first five.

Middlesbrough v West Brom tonight should be a cracker to kick things off.

Share

An email has landed from Jack Kirby-Lowe on the situations of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, frozen out by Enzo Maresca at Chelsea:

Personally, I think if Maresca can’t figure out a way to utilise the talents of these individuals – Sterling in particular, who’s been an elite player for much of his career – then it reflects much more poorly on his skills as a manager than it does on the players. I think players being excluded from their squads for reasons other than disciplinary is disgusting. I know comparisons between the footballing workplace and “real world” workplaces aren’t always apposite, but you couldn’t get away with treating people like that in any fair environment.

The players aren’t under any obligation to find new clubs, especially Sterling who doesn’t wish to uproot his young family. I think Maresca would be well-served to offer a little contrition on this. However hard his father worked has no bearing on the situation and comes across as asinine to me.

Share

Amorim was also asked about his meeting with the United hierarchy earlier this week, joking that Sir Jim Ratcliffe offered him a new contract.

He said: “It was just normal things to offer support. Normal times, I spoke with him, Omar and Jason. In this moment it’s normal for you to pay attention to that.”

Share

Manchester United duo available for Chelsea match

Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha will be fit enough to play a part in Manchester United’s matchday squad for the Chelsea game.

Diogo Dalot is still out, with Lisandro Martinez the only other unavailable player for United. We’ll bring you quotes from Amorim shortly.

Share

David Hytner poses an interesting point here.

Alejandro Garnacho has the chance to embarrass his former manager Ruben Amorim when Chelsea travel to Manchester United. After chucking the winger into his bomb squad, Amorim will be hoping Garnacho doesn’t come back to bite United on Saturday.

Share

A bit more from Pereira on Jørgen Strand Larsen and the striker’s new Wolves contract:

“Very important, very important if we want to increase our level, if we want to give another step up. To be another level we need this kind of player. Not only tactical and technical but his spirit and personality. It’s very important for us and it’s very good news.”

And could the Norwegian feature tomorrow against Leeds?

“He was training with the team yesterday [Thursday] and I hope tomorrow he can help up us, obviously not for 90 minutes. This is the information I have been given by the medical team.”

Share

Newcastle without Wissa for four weeks

Eddie Howe has confirmed new Newcastle signing Yoane Wissa will be sidelined for at least another four weeks after suffering a knee injury on international duty with DR Congo.

Signed for £55m from Brentford, Wissa was brought in to fill the attacking void left by Alexander Isak’s departure to Liverpool. But he now faces a race to return in time for Newcastle’s 18 October game away to Brighton & Hove Albion.

“Everyone wanted Yoane to be fit,” Howe said before Sunday’s game against Bournemouth. “There’s nothing personally I would have done differently.

“We did everything we did as a football club to try to look after Yoane. But it’s like with any footballer when they go away on international duty, you’re not in control of the minutes they play and, unfortunately, he gets injured and now we just have to deal the best we can with that situation.

“We think he’ll be out until after the next international break. He’s sort of got a race on to be fit for that Brighton game. Hopefully he can make it and then, of course, he’ll be such an important player for us.”

Share

Slot on Salah: “When you are a great player, you still attribute to the team if you don’t play well. So many players can attribute goals and assists when they play well but not a lot of them can attribute something to the team when they don’t play well.

“This is what stands out with Mo. It’s so difficult when you’re a winger to always be creative or always be the player he was against Atletico Madrid but if he is not, which is normal, then he still has goals and assists and I think that is why the fans love him so much and why he is so highly regarded and respected.

“A lot of players can play good when the team plays good, but not a lot can do special things when they aren’t at their best and that’s what he can do. That’s what makes him so special.

“I prefer to see him as he was against Atletico because he was very much involved and was very positive. We played so many balls to him and he was so involved.”

Share

Thanks Simon.

Going back to Arne Slot, it was interesting to hear the Liverpool manager address Mo Salah’s form. It seems a little silly to be worrying about the Egyptian given that he’s scored three in all competitions already, but such are the standards Salah has set that *some* are asking questions of him.

Share

And with that I’m going to hand over to Dominic Booth. Bye!

Share

Vitor Pereira is speaking now, the day after Wolverhampton Wanderers announced the coach’s contract had been extended for three more years, despite the West Midlands side sitting bottom of the Premier League after losing their first four matches of the season. Pereira has just confirmed that Jørgen Strand Larsen has signed a new, extended contract.

“The timing was the timing that we needed to realise that we want to move forwards, because they believe in our work and I believe in the project,” Pereira says. “Football is about trust, about hard work, day by day. It’s about work, about character, about commitment.”

Share

Women's Champions League draw lowdown

Here’s Tom Garry on the Women’s Champions League draw:

Manchester United were handed a tricky-looking set of opponents on their debut in the main draw of the Women’s Champions League, while Chelsea will host Barcelona in one of the most eye-catching ties of the new 18-team league phase.

United, who were in the lowest-seeded pot, have been pitted against the record eight-time champions OL Lyonnes, former winners Wolfsburg and Juventus among their six opponents. They also face a reunion with former goalkeeper Mary Earps when they host Paris Saint-Germain, arguably the toughest-available opponent in the second pot. Arsenal, the holders, will also host OL Lyonnes, as well as travelling to Bayern Munich. Chelsea also take on Wolfsburg.

Much more here:

Share

Updated at 07.41 EDT

The draw for the Women’s Champions League group stage has been made today, and here’s an update from the Associated Press:

Titleholder Arsenal will start its Women’s Champions League defence with games against record eight-time winner Lyon, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the new league-phase format.

The expanded 18-team draw, in the format used by the men’s Champions League, was made on Friday. Barcelona, who have reached the past five finals and won three, got a slate of six opponents including Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Champions League debutant Manchester United will have a tricky first campaign with Lyon, Wolfsburg, PSG and Juventus among its opponents. The 54-game league phase starts on 7 October and ends 17 December.

Bayern was drawn with both Arsenal and Barcelona from the pot of top-seeded teams and also got Paris Saint-Germain in one of the toughest six-game slates. Chelsea got Wolfsburg, a two-time champion and four-time beaten finalist, as well as Barcelona.

Teams that finish first to fourth in the standings advance directly to the quarterfinals. Those ranked between 5th and 12th go to a knockout playoffs round. The bottom six teams are eliminated.

The total prize money fund is €18.2m to be shared among the 18 teams. Each gets a basic €505,000 with bonuses for results and advancing to each knockout round.

Share

And here’s David Moyes on why Liverpool might be beatable:

As much as Liverpool have shown at different times where they have been very good ... other times they have shown some vulnerability when they have conceded goals. We will have to try and take advantage of those moments as well. We played them last year at Anfield and lost to an offside goal and we want to try and run them close again and maybe this time things will go in our favour.

Share

Here’s Slot on rivalries in English football:

What I like in England is no matter how much rivalry is between us and Everton, or Manchester United, or Newcastle with the Isak situation, the fans can just be together. That is impossible in Holland. That is something really special that you have over here and I hope you can keep this for many years to come. Yes there is rivalry but the fans respect each other as well. Because if Ajax play Feyenoord away fans are not allowed. And this makes it so much better.

Share

Arne Slot’s press conference has just started, with a question about whether Alexander Isak will start against Everton on Saturday:

No, no. No. And I don’t think I’d tell the media a lot the day before a game about how we’ll start the game. What I know is that Alex did feel his body more than ever before after the 60 minutes he played, so let’s see how he recovers today and then we’ll think about the lineup today and you will hear tomorrow.

Share

Apparently the central heating in Chelsea’s press conference room is broken, and cannot be turned off. So it’s boiling in there and everyone was sweaty and grumpy.

Share

Here’s PA Media on Enzo Maresca, and his treatment of unwanted stars Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling:

Enzo Maresca has defended his treatment of Chelsea cast-offs Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, claiming that being made to train alone is “not sad in life.”

It was reported on Thursday that the Professional Footballers’ Association had contacted the club over the conditions the pair are working under this season after they were made surplus to requirements and isolated from the first team. Neither was able to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge during the transfer window despite efforts being made to set up deals.

Maresca has not seen or spoken to either player this season and both have been kept entirely separate from the team, training and eating alone and at different times to the rest of the squad. Sterling, who had an unsuccessful loan at Arsenal last season, still has two years to run on the £325,000-per-week deal he signed in 2022, whilst Disasi is under contract until 2029. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.

“I’ve been in Raheem’s situation and Axel’s situation as a player,” said Maresca. “I know that it’s not the best feeling, because if you’re a player it means you want to train and play. But for different reasons, the situation is what it is in this moment. I know that the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way, and this is the only thing I can say.

“It’s not just Chelsea, it’s any club in the world, I can promise you. Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil, any country in the world. For any reason the player and the club doesn’t find a solution, if you are not involved in the squad you are not involved in the squad.”

Fifa has regulations regarding players who are isolated from squads in circumstances that could constitute abusive conduct by a club, which may entitle an individual to terminate their contract early. It is understood Chelsea attempted to facilitate moves for Sterling to Bayern Munich and Napoli during the summer but that the 30-year-old’s preference was to remain in England for family reasons.

“My father is 75 years old, and for 50 years he has been a fisherman working from two o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock in the morning,” said Maresca. “This is sad in life. Not the way [Sterling and Disasi] work.”

New signing Alejandro Garnacho is in line to make his full debut against his former side Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. “We are happy with the way he’s adapting to our style, what we want from our wingers,” said Maresca. “I think he’s ready to start tomorrow.”

Share

Updated at 07.18 EDT

You may now watch moving (as in not static, rather than emotionally powerful) images of Jose Mourinho at Benfica, right here:

Share

Maresca short on Sterling sympathy

David Hytner

News just in from Chelsea: Fair to say that Enzo Maresca is not hugely sympathetic to the plight of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi as they labour alone in the two-man bomb squad at Chelsea after failing to secure moves away from the club.

“My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working from two o’clock in the morning to 10 o’clock in the morning,” Maresca said. “This is a sad life – not a player and the way that they work.”

Share

Updated at 07.18 EDT

We interrupt this liveblog for a brief musical interlude. I’m always fond of a World Cup theme song, given their tendency to be either stirring and inspiring or hilarious and overblown, with rather more in one camp than the other. Anyway, here’s the song for the Women’s Cricket World Cup, which starts at the end of the month, and it’s quite good. Well, the choruses are quite good. “Performed by acclaimed Indian singer Shreya Ghoshal, the song is a high-energy blend of rhythm, melody and emotion, and aims to unite fans across the globe,” reads the ICC’s press release. “With catchy hooks like “Tarikita Tarikita Tarikita Dhom” and the heartbeat-inspired “Dhak Dhak, we bring it home”, the song encapsulates the fire and dreams of every woman cricketer stepping onto the world stage.” Enjoy!

Share

David Moyes has held his press conference looking ahead to Everton’s short trip to Anfield tomorrow. "We are up against it and we have to go there and fight for everything we can,” was the gist of it. Here are some highlights courtesy of PA Media:

David Moyes is not envious of Merseyside derby rivals Liverpool’s huge summer transfer business but pointed out they spent more on one player than Everton have invested in their squad in the last two seasons.

Alexander Isak’s £125m arrival from Newcastle on deadline day broke the British transfer record and took the outlay at Anfield this summer to £450m. By contrast, Everton spent about £63m.

“You have to earn the right to [spend money]. First of all you have to win and be in the big competitions which make the money,” said Moyes ahead of Saturday’s 247th Merseyside derby. “I found at West Ham three years in Europe allowed us to spend money and bring money in. From that point of view I think Liverpool are entitled to do it. I heard Arne [Liverpool boss Slot] defending himself saying he’s brought in a lot of money as well. But I still think they’ve spent more on one player than we have on the whole squad.”

Moyes was asked if he enjoyed derby matches. “I think I’d be lying if I said yes. It’s much easier if you are the team who have the strongest squad,” he said. “We are up against it and we have to go there and fight for everything we can. It’s having a realism of where the games are and where the clubs are. I need to try to shorten the gulf between the two clubs.

“At the moment Liverpool are champions, probably favourites or second favourites for the Champions League, and we are not. We are Everton, who have just come out of three or four difficult seasons and are trying to rebuild. Trying to bridge that gap is quite difficult to do.”

Share

I haven’t yet linked to Jonathan Wilson’s piece on Erling Haaland, who he has identified as a striker of some promise:

Everybody has a plan until Erling Haaland charges at them. Familiarity, perhaps, has dulled in Premier League minds just what a terrifying prospect he is, nearly 90kg of Norwegian muscle capable of moving at ferocious speeds yet blessed as well with a deft touch and a range of finishes. Manchester United couldn’t stop him, and neither could Napoli. Even when Haaland isn’t scoring he is spreading terror.

Much more here:

Share

Tom Garry has news from Liverpool, whose goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe is under investigation after teammates and staff reported an allegedly racist comment.

The Football Association has launched a racism investigation after the Liverpool goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe allegedly made reference to skin colour in a comment overheard by some staff and teammates.

The alleged incident is understood to have been heard while Liverpool were preparing to take a squad photograph, and the club are believed to have promptly looked into the matter internally.

The player’s representatives were contacted by the Guardian on Wednesday and no response has yet been received. However, Borggräfe is understood to have denied the allegations during the course of the ongoing proceedings.

More here:

Share

Updated at 05.18 EDT

Arsenal reveal boardroom reshuffle

Arsenal have announced this morning a significant boardroom reshuffle, with vice-chairman Tim Lewis surprisingly departing. Here’s PA Media:

Arsenal have announced the surprise departure of vice-chairman Tim Lewis following a major reshuffle of the club’s board.

Lewis, 62, has advised Arsenal’s owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) since 2007 and was the vice-chair for the past two-and-a-half years. Lewis joined the club’s board in 2020. He played a key role alongside manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta in the club’s £250million summer spending spree and was regarded as a significant figure within the north London club.

Managing director Richard Garlick takes up the role of chief executive officer, while KSE representatives’ Kelly Blaha, Otto Maly, and film producer and director Ben Winston - son of professor Robert Winston - join the club’s board as non-executive directors.

Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke said: “We would like to thank Tim for his continued dedication and commitment to Arsenal in a period of transformational change for the club. He has played a pivotal role and ensured we are in a great position to continue to deliver our strategy in our ambition to win major trophies.

“In keeping with our desire to always move forward, we will strengthen our board with some exciting additions who will bring vast experience to the club across a wide range of professions.

“The group know and love Arsenal, and will bring a different skillset and expertise while injecting fresh thinking and energy to support us all to achieve our ambitions. We are delighted to promote Rich to CEO after an incredibly successful period as managing director of Arsenal. Rich has made an enormous impact on all fronts as we continue to strive to win major trophies, be financially sustainable and put our supporters at the heart of everything.”

Share

Updated at 06.11 EDT

While obviously they’re not as good other sports do exist, and if you want to follow the World Athletics Championship we’ve got just the thing for you:

Share

Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler has held his Friday press conference, looking ahead to tomorrow’s home game against Spurs. More news from him in due course but his injury updates included confirmation that Jack Hinshelwood has injured an ankle ligament and will be out “for a long time”, while Maxim De Cuyper is slated for a late fitness test.

Unfortunately we had two injuries in the game against Bournemouth. Jack will be out for a long time. He has a ligament injury in his ankle, it happened in a very unlucky way, but that’s football. For Maxim it’s not so bad, so he might be available. It’s not a big injury so hopefully he will be back soon. Mats Wieffer is back and available.

Share

The Premier League managerial press conferences have already started – more news from them in due course – but meanwhile here’s some reaction from last night’s Champions League games, with Andy Brassell watching Marcus Rashford remind England, and specifically Newcastle, of his ability at St James’ Park:

It was the day that Uefa confirmed, as kick-off approached in Barcelona’s Champions League season, that La Liga’s champions would begin their home campaign in the competition against Paris Saint-Germain next month where they ended the last one, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. With their supporters getting ready to renew their journey up the slopes of Montjuic that few of them care for, their climb to potential glory mirrors the hopes of one of their new arrivals.

And how he has arrived. Flags do not get planted at the summit much more emphatically than this, and Marcus Rashford could not have picked his moment better to announce himself with Barcelona.

Much more here:

Share

Miguel Dantas has written this morning about José Mourinho’s return to Portugal after more than two decades.

Less than three weeks after being dismissed by Fenerbahce, José Mourinho is back in the dugout. The “Special One” has taken over at Benfica, marking his return to his home country more than two decades after his move from Porto to Chelsea. In an unusual twist he has signed a contract to June 2027 with a break clause next summer related to October’s club presidential election. Will this be a fresh start for Mourinho, or another step down in his career?

Hélder Postiga, a former Tottenham forward and one of Mourinho’s key players at Porto, regards the appointment as a win for an entire nation. Postiga, who scored five goals in Porto’s triumphant 2003-04 Uefa Cup campaign, believes the coach’s return will elevate Portuguese football. “It will be great for the game here,” he says. “Mourinho is more than a man – he’s a global brand.”

Much more here:

Share

Hello world!

As the sun sets on a busy week of European football, with three full nights of Champions League action throwing two different English clubs into continental competition on each of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, a hectic weekend dawns.

Tonight Middlesbrough, the current Championship leaders, play fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion, who could overtake them with a healthy win. Tomorrow the Premier League action starts with a lunchtimely Merseyside derby at Anfield and continues with a couple of meaty-looking encounters between sides currently struggling, with bottom club Wolves hosting Leeds, and a Burnley side unlucky to have only three points welcoming a Nottingham Forest team seemingly approaching full wheels-off mode. And while it’s way too early to pay much attention to any of the league tables and the WSL most of all, their season being just two games old, Sunday’s game between Manchester United and Arsenal, two of the teams with 100% records so far and last year’s second- and third-place finishers, is a guaranteed cracker.

So, I hear you ask, is there anything to look out for in the Premier League this weekend?

That, my friends, is a question I can answer.

Share

Click here to read article