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Wolves' home ground Molineux was half-empty during the first half of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Monday. Wolves have made a nightmare start to their 2025-26 campaign as they are yet to win a match in the Premier League after 15 games and are placed at rock bottom on the league table with only three points, as they stare at possible relegation.

Wolves fans turned up late for Man Utd clash

Wolves' famous fan group the Old Gold Pack (OGP) organised a protest where they encouraged fellow supporters not to enter Molineux for the first 15 minutes of their Premier League fixture against United on Monday evening. Some fans stayed outside the ground at kick-off as empty seats were spotted in the South Bank and parts of the North Bank. The protest was aimed at owners Fosun and club chairman Jeff Shi as the club struggle at the bottom of the Premier League table, with the possibility of relegation from the top flight growing more real every week.

AdvertisementAFPWolves fans protest explained

Speaking to , Kieran Newey from the OGP said: "We’ve arranged the 15-minute boycott because we care deeply about Wolves and feel the club’s leadership is ignoring key issues raised by fans. By missing the first 15 minutes, we’re sending a clear, peaceful message that fans want better for Wolves and won’t accept this continuing trend. It shows that supporters are united together and serious about wanting change. An empty stadium or empty seats, even for a short time, is a powerful visual that says we’re not being listened to, and we won’t just sit back and watch the club drift away any further than it already has. 

"We hope this makes the owners realise how much fans care, and sparks real dialogue. A lot of supporters don’t feel confident that Jeff Shi is the person to take this club forward. Our aim is for the owners and club to reconnect with the wider group of supporters, listen to our concerns, and restore the ambition and pride Wolves deserve."

He added: "It’s heartbreaking. Wolves means everything to us, and it hurts to have to do this just to feel like we’re being heard. We’re doing this because we care, and because we want to see our club competing, with a solid plan and leadership model for everyone who loves it."

Protest gaining traction

While the initial plan to protest came through OGP on social media, it was quickly backed by other Wolves supporters' groups like the Wolves 1877 Trust, Talking Wolves, Wolves Fancast, The Wolves Report, Wolves 77 Club, Always Wolves, Punjabi Wolves and The Wolfpack, who all released a joint statement, encouraging fans to take part.

The fan groups, however, conducted a peaceful protest and urged the masses gathered to remain respectful of those fans who wished to watch the game from kick-off.

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Getty Images SportMan Utd eye full points

After a heartbreaking result against West Ham last weekend which saw United drop crucial two points after Soungoutou Magassa equalised for the Hammers in the 83rd minute. Ruben Amorim will now hope that his team walks away with all three points against the struggling Wolves side and move up in the league table.

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As redes sociais não perdoaram a atuação de Rafael Santos Borré no confronto entre Palmeiras e Internacional, nesta quarta-feira (17). O jogo vale pela segunda rodada do Brasileirão.

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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

➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

O atacante desperdiçou algumas oportunidades e isolou uma cobrança de pênalti, que poderia fazer com que o Colorado abrisse o placar fora de casa, na Arena Barueri.

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Contudo, depois, Borré se redimiu e deu assistência para Wesley marcar para o Internacional contra o Palmeiras. Ele tomou a bola no ataque, arrancou e ajeitou para o ponta aplicar a lei do ex e balançar as redes contra seu antigo time.

Borré foi contratado pelo Colorado nesta temporada, como um dos reforços mais badalados do futebol brasileiro. A transação garantiu uma aquisição dos direitos federativos e de 80% dos direitos econômicos do atleta, em vínculo com duração até o fim de 2028. Ele está em sua terceira partida com a camisa do time gaúcho.

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CONFIRA AS REAÇÕES NA WEB SOBRE OS ALTOS E BAIXOS DE BORRÉ NO JOGO ENTRE PALMEIRAS E INTERNACIONAL

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MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das principais revelações do Palmeiras nas últimas temporadas, o meia-atacante Estêvão entrou na mira do Chelsea, da Inglaterra, que deseja a contratação da joia de 17 anos.

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➡️ Chelsea sinaliza com proposta de até R$ 300 milhões por Estêvão

O clube inglês, que tem como proprietário o empresário Todd Boehly, estaria disposto a pagar até R$ 300 milhões pelo jogador, incluindo despesas fixas e variáveis.

Formado nas categorias de base do Verdão, Estêvão estreou no profissional em 2023, sob comando de Abel Ferreira. Ao todo, o jogador acumula 11 partidas na equipe profissional, onde contribuiu com um gol, na vitória sobre o Liverpool-URU, pela Libertadores, e uma assistência.

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Confira no vídeo acima a trajetória do jogador no Palmeiras e alguns lances de destaque de Estêvão – na base e no profissional.

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Will Arsenal’s winning streak continue?

On Tuesday night, the Gunners swatted aside Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Champions League, with Bukayo Saka breaking the deadlock from the penalty spot in the Czech capital, before makeshift centre-forward Mikel Merino scored twice to rubber stamp the points.

That made it ten successive victories for Mikel Arteta, as well as being an eighth consecutive clean sheet, equaling Arsenal’s club record set in 1903, a sequence ended by Glossop North End all those years ago.

Only once before has a top-flight English club won eight games in a row all without conceding, this achieved by Liverpool in February 1920, a record the Gunners can break with victory at the Stadium of Light when they take on Sunderland on Saturday evening.

However, if they’re going to leave Wearside victorious, they will need to silence a familiar foe.

Granit Xhaka's roller coaster Arsenal career

Few players in football history have ever enjoyed quite the character arc at one club experienced by Granit Xhaka during his seven seasons at Arsenal.

The Swiss international was a key figure in the team that won the FA Cup under Arsène Wenger in his first season, but was then part of a team in decline, which ultimately led to Wenger’s departure and Unai Emery’s, at best, mixed reign.

This came to a head in October 2019 when Xhaka was infamously jeered off against Crystal Palace but, as someone who was in attendance that afternoon, it was all a massive misunderstanding.

Arsenal had raced into a 2-0 lead inside nine minutes only to, in trademark fashion under Emery, sit back, allowing Palace to grow into the game and equalise shortly after half time.

Thus, Emery decided to introduce a teenager by the name of Bukayo Saka, whatever happened to him?, and as fourth official Tim Robinson raises his board with a red number 34 on it, Xhaka trudged off the pitch at the speed of a naughty schoolboy sent to the head teacher’s office.

Having seen their side relinquish a two goal advantage, at first, supporters began shouting “get off”, meaning get off the pitch so we can resume this match and beat Crystal Palace, but Xhaka interpreted this as a personal attack, thereby emphatically cupping his ear and removing his shirt before angrily storming down the tunnel.

At this point, it appeared as though the midfielder would never play for the club again, but Emery was sacked later that month and everything changed following the appointment of Arteta.

Xhaka would go on to make 297 appearances for the club, only 12 men have made more for Arsenal in the Premier League, departing a hero, having been a key figure in the 2022/23 side that unexpectedly came so close to winning the title, laying the foundations for where the team is now.

After helping Bayer Leverkusen claim a first-ever Meisterschale, winning the unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, Xhaka surprisingly returned to English football this summer, joining newly-promoted Sunderland, playing every minute of every game with the Black Cats flying high, sat fourth in the Premier League table, scoring his first goal for the club against Everton on Monday night.

Barry Glendenning of the Guardian asserts that the Swiss international has been the ‘most influential’ member of Régis Le Bris’ team so far this season, meaning stopping Xhaka will surely be key to Arteta’s game plan, so which current member of the Arsenal team is best equipped to do just that?

Arsenal's "aggressive" star who can silence Granit Xhaka

A concern for Gooners is their growing injury list, given that Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus will all miss this weekend’s trip to Wearside due to injury.

Others, such as Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurriën Timber and Declan Rice are having to take on a high workload while, in contrast, it has been a quiet week for Martín Zubimendi, so he will be raring to go at the Stadium of Light.

Having been booked in each of the first three Champions League matches, the Spaniard did not travel to Prague due to suspension, with Christian Nørgaard deputising at the base of midfield.

Largely because it was finalised right at the start of the window, Zubimendi’s arrival in North London was not met with the fanfare it deserved, but he has pretty inarguably been the Gunners’ most impressive summer recruit so far, with the table below supporting this assertion.

Zubimendi Arsenal stats
Stats	Zubimendi	Arsenal rank
Minutes	1,099	4th
Goals	2	6th
Completed passes	721	3rd
Pass completion %	88.5%	3rd*
Key passes	11	5th
Passes into final 3rd	59	2nd
Progressive passes	79	2nd
Shot-creating actions	30	4th
Tackles	21	2nd
Interceptions	13	1st
Distance covered per 90	11kms	6th
Touches	917	3rd
Average rating	7.31	4th
*minimum 300 passes completed.
Stats via FBref & SofaScore

As the numbers highlight, Zubimendi ranks highly for pretty much every metric this season, most notably when it comes to passing, defending, distance covered and touches.

The Spaniard opened his account against Nottingham Forest in September, actually scoring twice that afternoon, this jaw-dropping strike named the Premier League’s goal of the month.

His performances have led to Football Transfers believing his estimated market valuation has increased to around £48m.

Meantime, Adam Keys notes that Zubimendi both “positions himself perfectly for second balls” while also orchestrating play when in possession, while Hand of Arsenal adds that he is a “sublime” player who is “deceptively aggressive” and “knows how to control the tempo and when to break lines and progress”

All of this is going to be needed if the Gunners are going to beat Sunderland on Saturday, thereby moving nine points clear of Manchester City, for 23 hours at least.

With the Black Cats likely to set up in a low block to start, while also posing a threat, often through their midfield general Xhaka, Zubimendi’s overall quality will be vital, with Tuesday acting as a timely reminder, without wanting to denigrate Nørgaard, of how important the Spaniard is, this crystallised in his absence.

Forget Rice & Gabriel: Arsenal "monster" deserves to win PL Player of the Year

The outrageous international has been even better than Rice and Gabriel for Arsenal this season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 6, 2025

Glasgow Rangers decided to splash the cash in the summer transfer window to sign Youssef Chermiti from Everton for a fee of £8m, their most expensive signing since Tore Andre Flo for £12m in 2000.

The Portugal U21 international has scored one goal, which was aided by some fairly dismal goalkeeping, in 11 appearances in all competitions for the Gers so far, per Sofascore.

Michael Stewart criticised his “poor” finishing in the League Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic on Sunday, as he spurned two great chances, whilst Ally McCoist said that he was “showing nothing” up front against Brann in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Hearts, who are top of the Scottish Premiership, reportedly paid a fee of around £400k to sign Claudio Braga, who has been far more impressive.

Why Rangers need to find their own Claudio Braga

Instead of splashing huge money on project players, like Chermiti, Rangers should be looking at bargain options to bolster their squad, because you can find some real gems.

Hearts paid less than a million pounds to sign Braga from the second division of Norwegian football, and he has been a huge success for the Jam Tarts.

The Portuguese attacker has delivered nine goals and one assist in 16 appearances in all competitions for Hearts, per Sofascore, this season, which shows that he has provided far more quality than Chermiti has since his £8m move to Ibrox.

Whilst Rangers can learn from the Jam Tarts to utilise different markets for cheaper prices in future transfer windows, Danny Rohl may have his own version of Braga, from a stylistic perspective, in the building.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

Expand Collapse Rangers can unearth their own Claudio Braga with this forgotten star

Before Rohl’s arrival at Ibrox, Brazilian centre-forward Danilo appeared to be forgotten about by Martin as a genuine first-team option for the Scottish manager.

The striker only made one appearance for the first-team under Martin in September and October, which was an 11-minute cameo off the bench against Sturm Graz.

Danilo’s last 10 matchday squad appearances

Opposition

Manager

Minutes played

Celtic

Danny Rohl

45

Hibernian

Danny Rohl

45

Kilmarnock

Danny Rohl

69

Brann

Danny Rohl

14

Sturm Graz

Russell Martin

11

Genk

Russell Martin

0

Hibernian

Russell Martin

0

Hearts

Russell Martin

0

Celtic

Russell Martin

0

Club Brugge

Russell Martin

59

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, he was an unused substitute on several occasions, when he even made the matchday squad, before Martin’s exit in October.

Rohl came in last month and immediately made the Brazilian striker an option, as he has played in all four of the manager’s games so far, and scored two goals.

Like Braga, Danilo is not a towering and physical striker who can bully opposition defenders. He is dynamic and looks to use his control and movement to create chances and score goals, as he did brilliantly against Hibernian.

For Hearts, Braga has struck up a partnership with Lawrence Shankland, who is a physical presence, and Rohl can unearth his own version of that partnership by continuing to play Danilo off another striker, whether that is Chermiti or Bojan Miovski.

Danilo, who ex-teammate Ofir Marciano claimed “has the quality to be a big player for Rangers”, scoring two goals in two Premiership matches under Rohl shows that he can be effective in the final third.

However, it is now down to the manager to find the right blend alongside him to ensure that his skillset is used to its fullest potential, as Hearts have done with Braga by playing him alongside Shankland.

Related Martin claimed Rangers star was a "huge asset", now he looks "rotten"

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Once forgotten by Martin at Ibrox, the former Feyenoord centre-forward looks like he might have a bright future under the German head coach.

Leeds United are “keeping tabs” on two first team reinforcements for the January transfer window, including a midfield target who’s been likened to Sergio Busquets.

Farke "very, very pleased" with impressive Leeds win

The Whites picked up three vital points in the Premier League on Friday night, winning 2-0 at home to West Ham after racing into an early lead. Leeds manager Daniel Farke was delighted with what he saw from his team at Elland Road, as their encouraging start to life back in the top flight continues.

“We started very aggressively, very bravely, with passion. We wanted to win this game. Very spirited, deserved to be in the lead for 2-0. But also there, you could feel a little bit that it was a bit wild sometimes against the ball and with the ball. I think we had games where we had a way better structure and way more control and way more dominance during the season.

“But it was just the reason, it was just this difficult training week for us. Yes, in the second half, I think we started way better in terms of control and our organisation against the ball. Had much control, missed a bit to score the third goal and the last 20 minutes you could then really see again what a difficult week we had.

“Of course, a nervous last four minutes to bring it over the line this time but nevertheless, the prize is three points.“It is always like you have to dig in to win the momentum back. This is what we did today and for that, I am very, very pleased.”

The Whites look like they will be in a comfortable albeit not totally secure position come January, allowing the 49ers and Farke to plan for the furture with two long-term additions to the squad in mind.

Leeds eyeing two signings including Europa League midfielder

Speaking to Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed that Leeds are “keeping tabs” on Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissokho ahead of a possible move in Januay, and they will also look to bring in an exciting addition to their forward ranks by signing a new winger.

“It’s an interesting link this one, I don’t think there’s a lot that know about Sissokho really. He’s been playing in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He’s played in Champions League qualifiers, the Europa League as well. So he’s got a decent European pedigree.

“I think obviously, like you’ve said, maybe people are surprised that Leeds are in the market for midfielders because I think their midfielder has been okay this season. They’ve got [Ethan] Ampadu in there, and summer signing Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff who have definitely made a big impact in that midfield.

“Maybe Sissokho is an option that’s come up to Leeds and could be good value for money in that respect. He’s got 18 months left on his contract. As I said, Leeds are obviously keeping tabs on him. So let’s see if they follow up and firm up their interest.”

Sissokho could be a shrewd addition for Leeds midway through the season, despite not being a household name fans will know.

Better than Rodon: Leeds star who won 100% tackles is already undroppable

This Leeds United star should be undroppable after outshining Joe Rodon against West Ham.

1 ByDan Emery Oct 25, 2025

The 23-year-old has an incredible 96.2% pass completion rate in the Europa League this season, showing his brilliance on the ball, and he has also averaged 2.3 tackles per game, highlighting his effectiveness out of possession, too.

Sissokho has even been compared to Busquets in the way he reads game and gets his team on the front foot, which is about as big a compliment as any midfielder can be paid, and Leeds should be looking at him as an excellent option to bring in.

O’Rourke suggests the arrival of a winger will also be “key to their chances of Premier League survival”, with Daniel James suffering a stop-start campaign so far due to injuries.

Chelsea are prepared to make another move for a “fantastic” BlueCo target after already seeing an offer rejected, according to a new report.

Chelsea enjoy big spending summer but still lack in key areas

Last summer, Enzo Maresca’s side marked themselves out as the Premier League’s second-biggest spenders behind champions Liverpool — splashing north of £280 million on new recruits.

Chelsea balanced out this major squad investment by agreeing a plethora of player sales over the course of the window, so much so that they actually a registered a negative net spend and made a small profit.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

From a purely business perspective, the summer was an undoubted success, and Maresca watched the likes of teenage sensation Estevao – who just scored a winner against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge – Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho all come in to bolster his attacking options.

However, bar the signing of young defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, Chelsea finished the window short of new options for their backline.

After Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out for most of 2025/2026, Maresca was clear that he wanted another centre-back and publicly urged the club to sign one before deadline day on September 1.

This wasn’t to be, leaving the west Londoners pretty short of quality in a key area, while Chelsea’s attempts to sign another goalkeeper also faltered.

Maresca is believed to be unhappy with his current Chelsea squad (Simon Phillips), but reports suggest that they’re set to try and back the Italian with a proven defender in January (Pete O’Rourke).

Meanwhile, given Delap will take a while to get back up to speed once he returns from injury, Chelsea are also looking at new striker options for the winter market — who’d come in for a cheap fee, on loan or are possibly already owned by BlueCo (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea could even choose to bring in another winger, specifically Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz.

Chelsea to make second Kenan Yildz approach after rejected £61m offer

Fabrizio Romano has already confirmed that Chelsea are “very interested” in Yildiz, and now a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has shed more light on the situation.

According to their information, Chelsea had a £61m million bid rejected for the Turkey international rejected last summer, but Maresca’s side aren’t resigned to giving up on his signing just yet.

It is believed that Chelsea will make a second approach for Yildiz, with the Old Lady running into some delay regarding his new contract and the Stamford Bridge side sensing an opportunity to take him from Turin.

The 20-year-old was Juve’s star forward last season, racking up 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions, totalling 21 contributions, and he averaged the highest Serie A match rating out of all of his teammates with more than 15 starts (WhoScored).

He’s started this campaign in equally imperious fashion, averaging more shots and key passes per 90 than any other Juve player in the top flight (WhoScored), but Romano says that the Premier League isn’t that tempting for him right now amid renewal talks.

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O Palmeiras conquistou uma vaga na Libertadores ao eliminar o Deportivo Pereira-COL, na quarta-feira (30), e poucas horas depois já soube quem será o adversário na decisão: o Boca Juniors-ARG, que deixou para trás o Racing-ARG, nos pênaltis. A partida será um reencontro de uma das maiores rivalidades continentais desde o fim dos anos 90. E há quem diga que se trata de uma “final antecipada”, como foi o caso de Piquerez, em coletiva após o duelo de volta das quartas de final. O uruguaio também quer sentir o que é jogar na Bombonera. Veja o que o lateral disse no vídeo acima:

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+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

+ Merentiel pode enfrentar o Palmeiras na semi da Libertadores?

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O Palmeiras enfrenta o Cruzeiro, nesta segunda-feira (14), às 19h, no Allianz Parque, pela 19ª rodada do Brasileirão. Seria apenas mais uma jornada do campeonato nacional, não fosse o fato de as equipes se reencontrarem pela primeira vez após quatro anos. E como era de se esperar, muita coisa mudou desde o último embate entre esses rivais históricos na arena alviverde. Para se ter noção, o técnico do Verdão era Mano Menezes e o da Raposa era Rogério Ceni.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

No dia 14 de setembro de 2019, Palmeiras e Cruzeiro entraram em campo também pela 19ª rodada do Brasileirão. O Alviverde era o terceiro colocado na tabela, enquanto o time mineiro era o primeiro fora da zona da degola, já dando sinais do que viria pela frente no campeonato. Lembrando que a Raposa caiu naquele ano e voltou apenas em 2023 para a Série A, por isso a demora para esse reencontro.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

A formação palmeirense escalada por Mano Menezes era: Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez, Vitor Hugo e Diogo Barbosa; Felipe Melo, Bruno Henrique e Gustavo Scarpa; Dudu, Willian Bigode e Luiz Adriano. Zé Rafael, Lucas Lima e Borja entraram durante a partida. Ou seja, uma equipe bastante diferente da que temos hoje, mas com algumas figuras ainda presentes.

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Weverton, Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez e Dudu seguem no clube e participaram de toda essa fase gloriosa dos últimos anos. Zé Rafael, que entrou durante o jogo é outro personagem essencial para esta atual era de títulos. No banco, Luan estava entre os relacionados, mas não foi a campo, lembrando que naquela época apenas três substituições eram permitidas. Assim, apenas seis atletas são remanescentes daquele dia.

+ Palmeiras x Cruzeiro: onde assistir, desfalques e prováveis escalações do jogo pelo Brasileirão

O autor do gol alviverde foi o volante Bruno Henrique, ainda no primeiro tempo. O volante deixou o Verdão em 2020 rumo ao futebol da Arábia Saudita e em 2023 retornou ao Brasil para defender o Internacional. Pelo lado cruzeirense, nenhum jogador relacionado para aquela partida segue no clube até hoje. Uma curiosidade é que no banco de reservas estava Rogério Ceni, que fez contra o Palmeiras uma de seus oito duelos como técnico da Raposa.

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Ainda falando em técnicos, vale destacar que Abel Ferreira nunca enfrentou o Cruzeiro, nem no Allianz Parque, nem em Minas Gerais. O português está desde novembro de 2020 no Verdão e em todo esse tempo a Raposa estava na Série B do Brasileirão. É o único dos considerados grandes que o treinador alviverde ainda não enfrentou em sua passagem pelo Brasil.

+ Palmeiras reencontra o Cruzeiro quase quatro anos depois de ‘rebaixar’ o adversário; relembre o que mudou

Invicto contra o Cruzeiro há quatro jogos (a última derrota foi em 2018), o Palmeiras venceu os últimos três duelos e pode igualar a maior série de vitórias da história do clássico, atingido pelo Verdão entre 2008 e 2009 e pela Raposa entre 2003 e 2005. Retrospecto palmeiras no confronto no Allianz Parque é de seis jogos, duas vitórias, três empates, uma derrota, nove gols marcados e oito gols sofridos.

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Leeds United have had a busy summer in the transfer market as they look to avoid the pattern of newly promoted teams being relegated from the Premier League.

Daniel Farke’s side have spent over £70 million this summer, but one of their most notable signings was Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer from Everton.

After completing his transfer, Calvert-Lewin spoke about how Farke convinced him Leeds was the right destination for him: “I also spoke with the manager prior to this and we had a really good conversation, and he was a centre-forward himself. So, he was just explaining how the life of a centre forward is, and he gave me a feeling of a lot of understanding, and it made me really excited to work with him as well.”

Calvert-Lewin has adapted his game as he has got older in a way that he contributes to the team in ways other than goals, and he expressed that he is looking forward to “continuing the things that I am good at but also bringing new aspects and new facets to my game”.

With multiple players through the door, one of the club’s biggest figures in recent years could be on his way out.

Meslier receiving interest from "boyhood club"

Leeds United’s keeper Illan Meslier could be returning to his “boyhood club”, FC Lorient, according to Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

Meslier was born in Lorient and joined their youth team when he was nine years old. He rose through the ranks of the academy and eventually made 30 first-team appearances before being loaned out to Leeds, who subsequently bought him on a permanent transfer.

The French keeper has fallen out of favour at Leeds, and Lorient have now “made contact with #LUFC to inquire about the possible conditions of a transfer”.

The French side have already signed a goalkeeper this summer with Bingourou Kamara on a free. Kamara, alongside 36-year-old Benjamin Leroy, are the club’s only keepers, meaning that they’ll likely have to strengthen their depth in this area again this summer. If the next keeper they sign is Meslier, then he would likely be an immediate starter.

Meslier's Leeds decline

Meslier’s career at Leeds looked likely to be over even before the interest from Lorient. During pre-season, Meslier was starting behind 34-year-old Karl Darlow, and he fell even further down the pecking order when the club signed Lucas Perri.

The signing of a new goalkeeper felt inevitable after last season’s Championship campaign, where Meslier’s performance left a lot to be desired. He underperformed his xG faced by 2.73 goals, putting him in the bottom 20% of goalkeepers despite his team’s promotion.

He was also in the bottom 3% of players for errors that led to a goal, with his mistakes being punished on three separate occasions. Going forward, he wasn’t much better, and his long ball distribution only had a 27.3% success rate, which put him in the worst 15% of goalkeepers.

Perri is not the perfect goalkeeper, but he does improve upon £30,000-a-week Meslier in several key areas. Chief among these is his save rate compared to his xG faced as Perri was expected to concede 48.95 goals but only ended up conceding 44 league goals last season. This means that where Meslier concedes chances that he should be saving, Perri often pulls off unlikely saves.

It seems a near-impossible task for Meslier to re-establish himself as Leeds’ first-choice goalkeeper, so a move to his boyhood club might be the best outcome for all parties.