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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is facing a potentially defining week in his career at the club ahead of Premier League clashes with Chelsea and Liverpool at Elland Road.

The Guardian reported on Monday that Farke’s job may be on the line in these next two matches, because senior figures at the club believe that two losses could lead to his dismissal.

It added that his position in West Yorkshire could be ‘untenable’ if he does not pick up at least one point, as the report states that his job hangs ‘in the balance’.

The Guardian, though, also revealed that some sources have expressed sympathy for the German manager because the results have not been as positive as the performances have been.

Leeds exploring move for English head coach

Whilst a final decision has not been made on the former Norwich City head coach’s future at the club, a fresh report has named one of the managers already in the frame to take his place.

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According to Football Insider, Leeds United are exploring the possibility of a move to appoint former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil as Farke’s replacement at Elland Road.

The report claims that the English tactician is ‘firmly’ in the running to be the next Whites manager if they decide to part ways with the German this week.

It adds that Farke will be in the dugout for the clash with Chelsea on Wednesday night, as the earlier report from The Guardian backs up, but his future beyond these next two games remains in doubt.

However, the 49ers should change their mind and avoid a deal to appoint O’Neil as their next manager if they opt to move on from Farke, because he could be a Javi Gracia repeat for the club.

Why Gary O'Neil could be a Javi Gracia repeat for Leeds

The Whites appointed Gracia to replace Jesse Marsch in February 2022 in an attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League, and it seemed to be a shrewd move on paper.

Prior to joining Leeds, the Spaniard had finished 14th and 11th in the Premier League with Watford in his first two seasons with the Hornets, per Transfermarkt, before losing his job after three defeats in four games at the start of his third campaign.

He, therefore, arrived as a ‘proven’ Premier League manager, but that did not stop him from losing six of his 11 games in charge before being sacked by the Whites, who then brought in Sam Allardyce.

O’Neil would arrive at Elland Road with a similar reputation because he finished 15th and 14th with Bournemouth and Wolves in his first two seasons in the division, before being sacked after a run of 11 losses in 16 games in his third top-flight campaign, per Transfermarkt.

The English boss, who typically deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation, per Transfermarkt, lost his job with the Old Gold for a run of form that was even worse than Farke’s current performance at Leeds.

Games managed

13

16

Wins

3

2

Draws

2

3

Losses

8

11

Points

11

9

Points per game

0.85

0.56

League position

18th

19th

As you can see in the table above, Farke would still have a better record than O’Neil did last season if he loses these next two games against Chelsea and Liverpool.

These statistics suggest that there is no guarantee that the ex-Wolves manager would be an upgrade on the German in the dugout, as Gracia wasn’t, despite his Premier League experience, when they sacked Marsch in 2022.

With this in mind, the 49ers should avoid moving for the out-of-work head coach if they decide to sack Farke, because it could be a repeat of the mistake that former sporting director Victor Orta once made with Gracia.

Instead, they should look to appoint a manager who is a clear upgrade on the German boss, whether they have Premier League experience or not, to help them in their battle against relegation.

Leeds lining up January spending spree for "phenomenal" Farke replacement

Daniel Farke will reportedly be sacked if Leeds lose their next two matches.

ByBen Goodwin Dec 1, 2025

Of course, it would be remiss of us to ignore the possibility that Farke can turn things around in these next two games to save his job, which would alleviate any need for the board to step in and make a decision on a replacement for him in the coming weeks.

The Boston Red Sox have dealt with a slew of injuries over the last month that have added some unnecessary drama to an already underwhelming start to their 2025 season. The latest is to third baseman Alex Bregman, who left Friday night's contest at Fenway Park with a right quad injury.

To combat said attrition, the team made a substantial move on Saturday afternoon. As first reported by MassLive's Katie Morrison O'Day, Boston is calling up their top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer from AAA Worcester. ESPN's Jeff Passan since confirmed the news.

Mayer was drafted by the Red Sox with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 MLB draft and has quickly made his way through the team's minor league ranks. The 22-year-old is hitting .271/.347/.471 with the Worcester Red Sox this season while hitting nine home runs and knocking in 43 RBI.

Boston is set to finish the second leg of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night, with first pitch from Fenway scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EST. Mayer is expected to make his major league debut.

Following rain on day one, Somerset made hay in better weather to grind relegation-threatened Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Sep-2025Tom Abell’s meticulous 19th first class century put Somerset in a strong position on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One game with Yorkshire at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.The 31-year-old former club captain batted for more than five hours to score 130, off 227 balls, with 16 fours, sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 143 with Lewis Goldsworthy, who made 65, as the home side advanced their first innings score from an overnight 155 for 3 to 391 for 6 before bad light ended play 13.3 overs early.With the pitch showing signs of taking spin, Somerset look to have a challenging total. But showers are forecast throughout the final two days and a draw looks the most likely outcome.Yorkshire’s only success of the morning session came as early as the third ball, which saw James Rew edge Jack White through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow without having added to his overnight score of 54.The visiting seamers gave little away, bowling straight and full to force a watchful approach from Abell and Goldsworthy, who were initially content to defend anything on the stumps.Only 25 runs were scored off the first 15 overs, eight of them coming from two sweetly-timed cover driven boundaries from Goldsworthy in successive overs off first George Hill and then Jordan Thompson.Yorkshire skipper Bairstow elected to switch to spin, introducing Dan Moriarty from the River End. The left-armer was quickly able to extract turn from the dry surface, but that didn’t stop Abell breaking loose by hitting two boundaries in an over.Goldsworthy raised 200 by pulling a short ball from Matthew Revis to the deep square boundary. The score was 217 for four when former Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess was brought on at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.By then Abell and Goldsworthy were well set, still taking few risks as they advanced the total to 235 for 4 at lunch, with Abell three short of a half-century and his partner unbeaten on 34. A morning session of 34 overs had produced 80 runs.With the skies darkening after the interval, Abell went to his fifty with an edged three to third man off Moriarty. He had faced 118 balls and hit five fours, looking rock solid against spin and seam alike.Goldsworthy had a moment of fortune when top-edging a sweep off Moriarty over the head of wicketkeeper Bairstow. The following over, the 82nd of the innings, saw Yorkshire take the second new ball with the scoreboard reading 247 for 4. Abell earned a first batting point with a single to leg off Hill.White took the new ball at the other end and his first with it brought two narrow escapes for Abell, who appeared to survive a sharp chance to backward point and then what must have been a close lbw appeal. The century partnership with Goldsworthy was raised off 246 balls.The next landmark was Goldsworthy’s fifty, reached with a single off Thompson having faced 146 balls and hit six fours. The floodlights had just been turned on and the rain, which had been forecast, arrived at 2.06pm.Tea was taken before play restarted at 3.20pm with the lights on and 14 overs initially knocked off the 104 scheduled to be bowled in the day. Moriarty had bowled without luck and was left holding his head when a ball grazed Abell’s off stump having come off his glove.Moriarty was finally rewarded with the wicket of Goldsworthy, lbw attempting to sweep with the total on 298, having battled away for 185 balls. Abell earned a second batting point with a single off the same bowler and a third was secured thanks to a half-century stand with Kasey Aldridge.It remained for Abell to reach three figures, which he did with a reverse swept four off Bess, his 11th boundary in facing 202 balls. An identical shot with the same outcome took Somerset past 350 and after 110 overs Yorkshire had to settle for a single bowling point.Abell finally departed to former team-mate Bess, lofting a catch to deep mid-wicket shortly before stumps were drawn.

حصد ليونيل ميسي أسطورة نادي برشلونة ومنتخب الأرجنتين، جائزة أكثر لاعب محبوب في تاريخ برشلونة والتي تمنح من صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية.

وقد تأثر ليونيل ميسي بشدة وهو يشاهد مقطع الفيديو الذي أظهر فيه مشجعو برشلونة حباً لا يزال قوياً للاعب الأرجنتيني، رغم مرور السنوات.

وقال ميسي في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية :”الحقيقة هي أنه مررنا بالكثير معاً، لحظات جيدة ولحظات سيئة وهذا أمر طبيعي في مسيرة طويلة”.

وأضاف: “ليس كل شئ مثالياً ونمر بأوقات عصيبة، لكن حسناً إنه بيتي ومكاني وشعبي، كنت أتمنى أن أقضي مسيرتي كلها هناك دون الحاجة للانتقال لناد آخر، وحسناً أن ألعب هناك فقط في أوروبا”.

اقرأ أيضاً. بسبب يامال.. لابورتا يلمح لانحياز الإعلام إلى ريال مدريد ويكشف مصير تمثال ميسي

وعلق ميسي حول اضطراره للرحيل عن برشلونة بسبب عدم قدرة خوان لابورتا رئيس النادي على تجديد عقده: “للأسف سارت الأمور بشكل مختلف، لكن ستظل لدي دائماً ذكريات مدى الحياة عن جميع اللحظات التي شاركناها”.

وواصل الأرجنتيني عن وقته مع برشلونة: “أنا ممتن لهذه اللحظات، لقد مر وقت طويل منذ أن كنت في برشلونة، منذ أن ذهبت للملعب، اضطررت للرحيل من النادي بدون جماهير بسبب الوباء في هذه الفترة لذلك كان عام غير عادي أيضاً”.

وأكمل: “حسناً، العديد من الذكريات الجميلة، لذا، شكرًا جزيلًا لجميع الناس في برشلونة، من الواضح أنني أيضًا لدي عاطفة خاصة جدًا للجميع”.

وسئل ميسي عن إمكانية عودته لبرشلونة: “بالتأكيد، سأعود، سأكون في الملعب كأي مشجع آخر، أتابع الفريق والنادي وأكون مجرد مشجع عادي، حاليًا ربما سأبقى في ميامي لبضع سنوات أخرى، لكننا سنعود لبرشلونة، هذا مكاني وبيتي ونفتقده كثيرًا، لذا سنعود”.

حسم التعادل السلبي مباراة منتخب قطر تحت 17 عامًا أمام نظيره بوليفيا، التي أقيمت اليوم الأحد، في بطولة كأس العالم للناشئين.

والتقى منتخب قطر أمام بوليفيا اليوم الأحد، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات في بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا.

وودع منتخب قطر البطولة المقامة على أرضه من دور المجموعات، بعد فشله في تحقيق الفوز اليوم على بوليفيا.

طالع.. فيديو | المغرب يكتسح كاليدونيا 16-0 في كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا

واحتل العنابي، المركز الثالث في المجموعة، برصيد نقطتين، ليودع البطولة بعدما خسر آماله في الصعود ضمن أفضل ثوالث.

وتصدر منتخب إيطاليا المجموعة برصيد 9 نقاط، بينما جنوب إفريقيا في المركز الثاني برصيد 4 نقاط.

Tottenham Hotspur have established themselves as one of the country’s ‘big six’ clubs over the last decade and finally ended their trophy drought by lifting the Europa League in 2025.

They remain one of the league’s biggest sides, and they do have the wage bill to put them at the top end of the league. Although it may not quite be as astronomical as some of their competitors, Spurs do still fork out a whopping £132,860,000 per year to their players.

Now, with the 2025/26 season underway, we have taken a look into which players at Tottenham are now earning the most in what is a new-look Spurs. All earnings are based on reports via Capology.

Disclaimer: Only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.

=1

Xavi Simons

£195,000

£10,140,000

=1

Cristian Romero

£195,000

£10,140,000

3

James Maddison

£170,000

£8,840,000

=4

Mohammed Kudus

£150,000

£7,800,000

=4

Randal Kolo Muani

£150,000

£7,800,000

6

Dominic Solanke

£140,000

£7,280,000

7

Joao Palhinha

£135,000

£7,020,000

8

Dejan Kulusevski

£110,000

£5,720,000

9

Brennan Johnson

£100,000

£5,200,000

=10

Richarlison

£90,000

£4,680,000

=10

Micky van de Ven

£90,000

£4,680,000

=12

Pedro Porro

£85,000

£4,420,000

=12

Radu Dragusin

£85,000

£4,420,000

13

Ben Davies

£80,000

£4,160,000

=14

Guglielmo Vicario

£75,000

£3,900,000

=14

Rodrigo Bentancur

£75,000

£3,900,000

=14

Destiny Udogie

£75,000

£3,900,000

=14

Archie Gray

£75,000

£3,900,000

18

Pape Sarr

£70,000

£3,640,000

19

Kevin Danso

£65,000

£3,380,000

20

Lucas Bergvall

£60,000

£3,120,000

=21

Yves Bissouma

£55,000

£2,860,000

=21

Mathys Tel

£55,000

£2,860,000

=23

Djed Spence

£40,000

£2,080,000

=23

Wilson Odobert

£40,000

£2,080,000

25

Antonin Kinsky

£30,000

£1,560,000

=26

Brandon Austin

£15,000

£780,000

=26

Dane Scarlett

£15,000

£780,000

Here's a look at the top 10 highest earners at Tottenham: 10 Richarlison £90,000 per week

Tottenham’s once club-record signing, Richarlison comes in with a fairly modest weekly wage – considering the £60m needed to sign him. However, he remains another player who has struggled to live up to the huge cost of bringing him to north London.

His current deal expires in 2027.

9 Brennan Johnson £100,000 per week

Brennan Johnson was the Europa League hero after his goal against Manchester United in the final, and his contract is worth £5.2m per season.

The Welshman’s deal expires in 2028.

8 Dejan Kulusevski £110,000 per week

Dejan Kulusevski’s stay in north London was made permanent following an 18-month loan deal from Juventus. His £110,000 per week wage, however, suggests he is a key member of the first-team squad.

His contract runs until 2028.

7 Joao Palhinha £135,000 per week

Joao Palhinha was one of many who made the move to Tottenham following the arrival of Thomas Frank.

The former Fulham midfielder returned to the Premier League with Spurs on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, and there is the option to make a move permanent in 2026.

6 Dominic Solanke £140,000 per week

Spurs won the race to sign Dominic Solanke in 2024, with the striker signing from Bournemouth in a club record deal worth up to £65m.

Under contract until 2030, Solanke picks up £7.28m per season in north London.

5 Randal Kolo Muani £150,000 per week

Arriving in 2025 to provide competition to Solanke was Randal Kolo Muani. The Frenchman made the move to England on a season-long loan from Champions League winners PSG after impressing in a temporary move with Juventus.

Kolo Muani is in line to collect just under £8m in wages with Spurs.

4 Mohammed Kudus £150,000 per week

Also on £150,000 per week is Mohammed Kudus, however, the winger is a permanent Spurs player after his controvesial transfer from rivals.

Costing £55m, Kudus signed a six-year deal until 2031.

3 James Maddison £170,000 per week

James Maddison joined Spurs from Leicester City in 2023 and instantly became a top earner at the club.

Unfortunately for the Englishman, he has had his injury issues in north London, but still picks up just under £9m per season.

2 Cristian Romero £195,000 per week

Tottenham will feel they spent their money wisely when bringing in Cristian Romero, and after helping Spurs lift the Europa League, the Argentine signed a new improved deal.

He was being linked with a move to Real Madrid, however, Romero instead extended his stay in north London until 2029.

1 Xavi Simons £195,000 per week

As well as Romero, Xavi Simons also collects £195,000 per week following his big-money move from RB Leipzig.

The Dutch attacking midfielder cost more than £50m, with Tottenham hijacking Chelsea’s move for Simons after having their move for Eberechi Eze hijacked by Arsenal.

PSV Eindhoven delivered a stunning performance in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, dismantling Napoli 6-2 at Philips Stadion with American forward Ricardo Pepi making a significant impact off the bench. The 22-year-old striker needed just two minutes after entering the match to find the net and later provided an assist as PSV secured their first Champions League win of the season.

• Supersub

  Both U.S. internationals Pepi and Sergino Dest entered the match in the 84th minute with PSV already leading 4-1 against 10-man Napoli. Their introduction proved immediately impactful as Napoli briefly reduced the deficit when Scott McTominay headed home in the 85th minute, only for Pepi to restore PSV's three-goal advantage just one minute later.

  The former FC Dallas academy product showed his predatory instincts by tapping in from close range after fellow substitute Couhaib Driouech created the opportunity. Pepi then returned the favor two minutes later by feeding Driouech for PSV’s sixth and final goal of the night.

Advertisement

• Pepi's goal

• AFP
  

  Dutch side overcomes early deficit

  The comprehensive victory didn't come without early challenges for PSV. Napoli had taken the lead in the 31st minute through McTominay's headed goal from a Leonardo Spinazzola cross. However, PSV responded quickly with an Alessandro Buongiorno own goal in the 35th minute, leveling the score.

  The Dutch side then seized control when Ismael Saibari put them ahead in the 38th minute with a clinical finish after a swift counter-attack. Dennis Man extended PSV's advantage in the 54th minute, tapping in at the near post from Mauro Junior's cutback, before Napoli's situation deteriorated further when Lorenzo Lucca received a straight red card in the 76th minute for dissent after pointing to his head following a foul decision.

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• AFP
  

  Gaining momentum

  The impressive performances from both Pepi and Dest, albeit in limited minutes, will boost their confidence as PSV prepares for upcoming fixtures. Pepi's goal and assist in just six minutes of play could potentially earn him more substantial playing time as the Dutch side looks to build on this momentum in both the Champions League and Eredivisie. The Dutch side will face Feyenoord next in the Eredivisie on Oct. 25 before hosting Fortuna Sittard on Oct. 31.

Newcastle United booked their place in the next round of the League Cup with a 4-1 win against Bradford at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night.

The Magpies are, of course, the defending champions of the competition after they beat Liverpool to lift the trophy at Wembley earlier this year.

Eddie Howe’s side were already 3-0 up by the time that the away side grabbed their consolation goal, which meant that the result was never in any serious doubt at any point.

Despite the convincing and comfortable nature of the overall team performance and result, some players did not showcase the best of themselves. Lewis Miley was one of those players.

Why Lewis Miley will be disappointed with his performance

It was a frustrating night for the academy graduate. Not because he was awful from start to finish, but because he let himself down with a few silly errors mixed into an impressive all-round showing.

Miley won six of his nine duels, completed 92% of his attempted passes, and created three chances for his teammates, per Sofascore. This shows that he was strong in his physical contests and creative with the ball at his feet.

However, the England U19 international produced two too many sloppy moments with the ball in his own defensive third, with two errors that led to shots for Bradford, one of which led to a goal.

As you can see in the clip above, Miley tried a risky lofted pass on the edge of his own penalty area and gave the ball away cheaply for Andy Cook’s goal, which was a stunning strike.

The 19-year-old central midfielder was not the worst player on the pitch for the Magpies, though, as it is Emil Krafth who must be ruthlessly ditched by Howe.

Why Newcastle must drop Emil Krafth

The Sweden international was handed a rare chance to impress by the head coach, having not played a single minute of football this season heading into the clash with Bradford.

Krafth, who played 18 times in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, did not take that opportunity to show that he deserves more minutes in the first team.

Instead, the rarely-seen 31-year-old defender showed supporters and Howe why he has not had much game time with the Magpies in the last 18 months with an incredibly underwhelming performance against the League One outfit.

Minutes

61

Tackles

0

Interceptions

0

Blocks

0

Ground duels won

0/3

Aerial duels won

0/0

Error led to shot

1

As you can see in the table above, Krafth offered very little to the team out of possession, failing to win a a single duel, and made an error that led to a shot for the opposition.

Playing against a lower league side, in a 4-1 win, at St. James’ Park should have freed up Krafth to push forward and offer a threat as an attacking force, but he ended his time on the pitch without any ‘big chances’ created and only one key pass.

Because of his error that led to a shot for the opposition, the experienced defender created as many chances for Bradford as he did for Newcastle (one) in his 61 minutes on the pitch.

He was even worse than Miley against Bradford because the midfielder, at least, created a ‘big chance’ and won the majority of his duels, which meant that the youngster had good and bad moments. Krafth, meanwhile, did not do enough on or off the ball in the game.

PIF now serious about cut-price signing after Howe tells them what he's missing

They could land a bargain deal…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 24, 2025

Therefore, Howe must ruthlessly ditch the Swedish flop from the starting XI in order to bring Kieran Trippier or Tino Livramento back into the side to face Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

Having already commenced talks to sign Tolu Arokodare, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly eyeing a late swoop to sign another impressive striker.

Latest on Wolves' Arokodare move

With Fabio Silva set to join Borussia Dortmund, Wolves have instantly shifted their focus towards Arokodare. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Midlands club have commenced talks to sign the KRC Genk forward, who could hand Vitor Pereira’s frontline the added depth in quality that it’s been lacking since Matheus Cunha’s departure earlier this summer.

After scoring 23 goals in all competitions last season, the Nigerian forward could be the perfect partner to Jorgen Strand Larsen this season instead of becoming the Norwegian’s replacement.

Whilst Newcastle United have submitted two bids to sign the Wolves forward, both have been rejected and fresh reports have indicated that Strand Larsen will not be allowed to leave Molineux this summer.

The line from Wolves so far has been that Arokodare would simply be replacing Silva rather than anything else. Pereira also recently had his say on Strand Larsen’s future after he scored two goals in a dramatic Carabao Cup win against West Ham United.

Romano: £26m star now set for medical with deal sealed ahead of Wolves move

The Old Gold are set to land their man…

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Aug 26, 2025

He told reporters: “If it’s my decision, of course [Strand-Larsen stays]. Of course. Because he’s a very important player. It’s not only about the technical and tactical, it’s about the character. He’s a player with character.”

However, the manager did also admit that every player has a price and recent rumours that Wolves have set their sights on a second striker alongside Arokodare would suggest that this saga is far from over.

Wolves now eyeing late Alberto swoop

According to Molineux News, Wolves are now eyeing a late swoop to sign Yuri Alberto, who Pereira is a huge admirer of. The pair worked together during Pereira’s time at Corinthians and could now reunite as those in the Midlands set their sights on a late move alongside Arokodare.

The talented striker struck 31 goals in all competitions for Corinthians last season and would be more than capable of firing Wolves to safety. But the rumours of his potential arrival should spark some concern about Strand Larsen’s future.

Whilst Arokodare is a target to replace Silva, a move for a second striker would indicate that Strand Larsen could be heading for the exit door with Alberto lined up as his immediate replacement. Of course, there’s still plenty of dominoes to fall for this to be the case, but Wolves will be bracing themselves for a frantic few days.

Dubbed “superb” by South American football expert Nathan Joyes last November, Alberto would at least be the calibre of forward good enough to replace a talent of Strand Larsen’s level.

Chelsea have now held talks to sign a “1v1 specialist” forward, and they are tempted to trigger the €40m (£35m) release clause in his contract.

Maresca keen on new attacker after Simons blow

After missing out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham Hotspur, the Blues have now been forced to move on to alternative options in attacking midfield, and Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez is rapidly emerging as a major target.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that contact has now been made with the La Liga club over a deal, with an opening offer already being submitted.

However, reports from elsewhere have detailed that Lopez is unlikely to be sold unless the Spaniard makes it clear he wants to leave Barcelona this summer, so it could be difficult for the west Londoners to get a deal over the line.

That said, Enzo Marezca clearly remains keen on adding another forward to his ranks before the transfer deadline, with talks now being held over a deal for SC Braga star Roger Fernandes.

That is according to a report from A Bola, which states Chelsea have now initiated contact over a deal, with the Premier League club now weighing up whether to trigger the €40m (£35m) release clause in Fernandes’ Braga contract.

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ByEthan Lamb Aug 31, 2025

Braga would not be willing to settle for anything less, with the Blues planning to sign the 19-year-old now, before immediately loaning him out to sister club Strasbourg, where game time would perhaps be more of a guarantee.

"1v1 specialist" Fernandes is one for the future

Scout Ben Mattinson lauded the youngster when he first burst onto the scene, saying: “Roger Fernandes is another player I love at Braga. 1v1 specialist with great whipped cross on him. A creative, unselfish winger. Also his maturity for only 17 is crazy, you can tell why he’s played so much already.”

Despite still being a teenager, the Braga starlet has amassed an impressive number of goals and assists in his opening two full Liga Portugal campaigns.

Season

Liga Portugal appearances

Goal contributions

2023-24

14

9

2024-25

28

7

That said, the right-winger is still very young, and Chelsea are already well-stocked out wide, most recently confirming the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.

As such, while Fernandes could be a fantastic long-term addition to Maresca’s squad, the main focus should be to bring in a new attacking midfielder to provide competition for Cole Palmer, while a new striker may also be needed to replace Nicolas Jackson and the injured Liam Delap.