I see Arsenal as favourites in the North London Derby even with the injuries they’ve suffered in the recent weeks. It’s gonna be an open game, and I’m sure Tottenham will compete very well, so it’s gonna be interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of Dom Solanke on his first big match for Spurs – it’s a big opportunity for him.
This summer there were clubs interested in Ben Chilwell, but the player wasn’t simply going to accept everything just because Chelsea wanted him to find a solution. He only wanted to accept important proposals and he’s prepared to fight to get back into Maresca’s thoughts as a concrete option for the starting XI as soon as possible. It’s something we should all respect. There are contracts in football and sometimes players are not willing to leave.
Guys, honestly, I don’t have confirmation on any problems between Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe at Newcastle. They surely need to align and discuss some points of the strategy, but I’d not be dramatic or negative on this. Let’s see how they get to know each other and how they work together in the future. Time is key in football and let’s not forget that Mitchell only joined Newcastle during the summer, in what was a busy moment for the club. Step by step…
Rio Ngumoha is the sensational new talent at Liverpool. They signed him on a free transfer from Chelsea and the youngster is considered to be superb, the club are in love with him. They obviously had been scouting him for a long time, and they believe that Rio is not just a player who will be part of the academy and ‘okay, we’ll see how he does in the future.’ Liverpool think that the potential is really insane for this boy. So obviously they had to pay an important compensation fee, but at the same time, Liverpool believed that they got one of the best deals around. They were really impressed with his first training sessions at the club in the recent days, very happy with his attitude and happy with his quality. This boy is going to be really, really special.
We’ve had new statements in the last 24 hours from two sides on the story of Nico Williams. Deco, the director of Barcelona, didn’t deny the interest in the player, that’s absolutely clear. Barça wanted Nico Williams, but Deco also confirmed that at one point in the market, they understood that their priority was to go for a different kind of player like Dani Olmo. Then Javier Tevas, the president of La Liga, said “yes, Barcelona wanted Nico Williams, but we are still happy to see that he’s staying at Athletic Bilbao. It’s big news for the league, because to see a player like Nico staying at the club is also helping the competitiveness of La Liga.” So what’s the situation with Nico Williams? Guys, we know what happened in the summer; Nico was on the list of several clubs but he decided to stay at Athletic Bilbao. They have a new contract ready for him so the situation is quite clear, but in the last interview he did, Nico Williams mentioned he wanted to stay (with Athletic) one more year. What does it mean? It means that next summer, the possibility of clubs returning for him is strong. Nico considering his options is something that we have to follow, because Barcelona’s interest is still there. Chelsea have had the player on their list since 2023 – even before the fantastic Euros he had with Spain – and also Arsenal really appreciate him. We will see what happens but, for sure, the new situation next summer could be an interesting one.
Sticking with Barcelona, I’ve zero information on the rumours in Spanish media that Robert Lewandowski is a disruptive presence in the dressing room. To be honest, I don’t know where this is coming from but it’s absolutely fake news. Lewandowski is super popular in the dressing room, he’s a super professional, never had any fights with his team-mates, never creating problems with the staff… Lewandowski has a very good relationship with everyone at the club.
There are still no concrete updates yet on Adrien Rabiot, guys. He rejected the approaches from Galatasaray and also I’m told he has no interest in going to Saudi. He’s still waiting for a big European club, so let’s see if he will find a good opportunity. So far, nothing decided yet.
Every time there’s an international break, the story that Milan and Inter don’t want the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza comes up again and again in the Italian media! Then, nothing happens. It’s been like this for 10 years with the same story, rumours, different things… so it’s pointless to have any opinion on something that’s not happening. Better to wait until something concrete occurs.
