Chelsea’s scouts have now reportedly been spotted keeping close tabs on a Premier League star ahead of making a potential move in 2026.

Chelsea's January transfer plans

Enzo Maresca is gradually beginning to discover the best formula for success at Stamford Bridge. Without the injured Cole Palmer, the likes of Moises Caicedo and summer signing Joao Pedro have all stepped up – replacing one of the best players in the Premier League in the process. But, there is still something missing before the Blues can become serious title contenders.

As impressive as they are in midfield and going forward at times, Chelsea’s backline still needs work. Amid a number of suspensions and ill-timed injuries, their lack of quality at centre-back has been particularly exposed.

Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill all represent solid options, but it’s difficult to pick a leader out of any of those four players. That must change in 2026. Instead of setting their sights on yet another offensive addition, BlueCo should look to land a major defensive upgrade.

On that front, a number of players have already been linked with moves to West London. Among them is Ronald Araujo, whose Barcelona future continues to be thrown into doubt.

Chelsea offered "world-class" Barcelona player on loan in "fascinating" development

The west Londoners have a chance to bolster a key area.

ByEmilio Galantini Oct 25, 2025

If the Blues are looking for a defensive standout then signing of La Liga’s finest certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea. Araujo would offer fresh experience to Maresca’s backline whilst still performing at the peak of his powers at 26 years old.

He’s not the only name mentioned in recent reports, however. The West London club have also been linked with a Premier League option, who shares an agent as Liam Delap.

Chelsea scouts spotted watching Ezri Konsa

As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Chelsea scouts have now been spotted watching Ezri Konsa, who has attracted interest from across the Premier League thanks to his performances at Aston Villa.

The England international is one of a number of players who could yet leave to ease Villa’s PSR problems and, if that does prove to be the case, Chelsea could be lying in wait.

Minutes

3,149

2,936

Progressive Passes

131

90

Tackles Won

34

18

Successful Aerial Duels

121

97

Questions must be asked as to whether Konsa would solve Chelsea’s problems, however. When compared to Colwill last season, it is the Blues’ current star who stands out both in possession and out of it. The last thing that Maresca needs is simply a like-for-like player rather than an upgrade.

That said, the Villa defender has still earned plenty of praise over the years, including from former Manchester City star Micah Richards.

The Sky Sports pundit had nothing but positives after Konsa’s England performance against Switzerland at Euro 2024, saying: “Can you control your nerves? Can you do the basics very well?

“And he has done all of these things. I just think his overall game has been fantastic. He has been excellent, he really has.”

اتخذ فريق سموحة المنافس في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس السوبر المصري لكرة اليد، للموسم الحالي 2025، أمام النادي الأهلي، قرارًا صارمًا قد يهدد إقامة اللقاء.

وكان من المقرر أن تقام المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس السوبر المصري، يوم الأربعاء 12 نوفمبر في الإمارات، لكن تم تأجيلها إلى يوم الخميس 13 نوفمبر، بسبب أزمة سفر عدد من لاعبي فريق سموحة.

طالع.. خاص | لظروف طارئة.. تأجيل مباراة الأهلي وسموحة في نهائي السوبر المصري لكرة اليد

وقال مصدر لـ بطولات، :”أزمة جديدة تهدد السوبر المصري لكرة اليد بين الاهلي وسموحة، حيث أن الفريق السكندري يتمسك بإقامة مباراة السوبر يوم الجمعة المقبل 14 نوفمبر، ويرفض تأجيلها 24 ساعة فقط”.

وأضاف: “فريق سموحة، يتواجد الآن في المركز الأولمبي بالمعادي وأبلغ مسؤولي اتحاد كرة اليد أنه لن يخوض مواجهة السوبر يوم الخميس ويريد تأجيلها إلى يوم الجمعة من أجل تكافؤ الفرص”.

وكان النادي الأهلي حسم تأهله إلى نهائي كأس السوبر المصري لكرة اليد، بالفوز على سبورتنج بنتيجة 29-22.

بينما على الجانب الآخر، جاء تأهل فريق سموحة  على حساب نادي الزمالك بنتيجة 29-28 في نصف النهائي.

The squad is missing some key names, forcing Mauricio Pochettino to shuffle the deck ahead of final two matches of 2025

The November U.S. men's national team camp was supposed to be a glorious return. It was meant to be a big test, one designed more around building rather than experimenting. Parguay and Uruguay, the two upcoming opponents, were supposed to be measuring sticks for a full-strength USMNT.

Instead, this camp serves as something of a reminder that, at this level, not everything goes as planned. Players come and go, injuries take their toll and tough decisions have to be made. This camp, then, is now defined once again by a team at less than full strength.

That's not to say this November camp lacks purpose. These games are still vital tests, but will be played with a different roster than anticipated.

"We want to win and, for sure, we are going to give the possibility to different players and the chances to perform, and maybe to present the possibility for them to be called in the future," USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters on Thursday after revealing the roster. "We want to give the opportunity in international duty to give experiences to some players, because you never know what can happen before we announce to the world the roster for the World Cup."

This, ultimately, is what can happen before – and during – a World Cup. Injuries can take away players such as Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson. Poor form can impact players such as Yunus Musah. Wear and tear can get to someone such as Chris Richards, who has been so ever-present.

How, then, will those players in camp respond? 

GOAL looks at key takeaways from Pochettino's roster release.

• Getty
  

  Reyna's return

  The prescription for Reyna has been obvious for some time now: he needs to play. It's why he hasn't kicked on with the USMNT in recent years. It's also why he had to move clubs in Germany this summer. So far, he hasn't played nearly as much at Borussia Monchengladbach as many would have liked.

  Yet, for the first time since the Nations League collapse in March, he's been called back into the USMNT. What he makes of that is up to him.

  "We already know the potential of Gio, and the talent," Pochettino said. "He is an enormous talent and it's true that he's not playing too much. But I think it's a good opportunity in November because, until March, we're not going to be able to be together again. There are not too many possibilities to see him again, and try to share time or to perform on the pitch. It's about being with him, to share time, and get to know him better. 

  "He's a special player. He's a very talented player. That is why we need to be open and to provide – even if he's not playing too much – because he's suffered and was injured. Now, he's started to be fit again, and it can be a boost of motivation for him to be with us. That is important for us."

  This isn't necessarily Reyna's last chance to make the World Cup roster, but it is getting late. He's featured just once under Pochettino and did little to impress. Now, handed another lifeline, can Reyna deliver?

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  'Milan or Palace, they are not right to complain'

  Per usual, there are a variety of reasons for absences. Several players, such as Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah and Cameron Carter-Vickers, are out injured. Others, such as Pulisic, Johnny Cardoso and Malik Tillman are just getting back from injury.

  Others were more surprising. Weston McKennie, Pochettino says, will stay with Juventus to adjust to life under Luciano Spaletti, his newest coach on the club level. Perhaps the most notable absence, though, is Chris Richards, who was left out of the squad days after Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner took aim at the USMNT for playing the centerback last month despite an ongoing calf issue.

  Glasner, it should be noted, proceeded to play Richards 90 minutes the very next day. Pochettino, meanwhile, was left frustrated by the coach's comments, particularly as a coach who – with experience at Tottenham, PSG and Chelseas – used to be in his shoes on the club level.

  Palace weren't the only club that expressed frustrations, though, as Milan also reportedly reached out to US Soccer about Pulisic's status following his hamstring injury last camp. Pulisic, who was the subject of much controversy over the summer when he decided to skip the Gold Cup, has reportedly resumed training and is expected to return to Milan’s squad for Saturday’s Serie A trip to Parma.

  "This is to provide him the possibility to recover 100-percent and be full and be ready to play after international duty with his team," Pochettino said of the decision to allow Pulisic to stay with Milan. "That is common sense. We never risk players. He played against Australia because he felt really good and because all of the assessment from our doctors and medical staff were right – and the player agreed with us.

  "He didn't play the first game against Ecuador because he came into the game with a problem that he made, again, with his club in Italy. That is why. We care about him. But that can happen when you play game. There is always a risk when you play."

  Regarding the protests from Crystal Palace and Milan over conflicts between club and county responsibilities, Pochettino has a clear point of view, saying, "they are not right to complain."

  "People say, 'It's a friendly game', but no, that is wrong," Pochettino said. "We are not playing friendly games. We are playing games that prepare our journey to the World Cup. If not, we'd just play the Under-20s, because why play games? It's something that makes me very, very sad because I think sometimes people don't understand, or maybe they don't think about what it means to have the responsibility to represent a country or a national team, in this case, the USA.

  "I was in different clubs for more than 15 years working and I was always respectful of the national team, accepting the rules. I think the players are the most important. And the players know how we act, and how we respect, and they respect that because we are clear in our communication. I think in these situations, Milan or Palace, they are not right to complain. Because I think as a coaching staff we care about the player. We are the first to care, and we've never made a player play with some doubt. Never. Never."

• Getty Images
  

  The star strikers

  Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are all in camp together. That hasn't happened since the Copa America in 2024, largely due to extended injury absences by Balogun and Pepi. Now fit, all three are scoring at the club level. It's a great time for all three to be in camp.

  Realistically, if the World Cup were to start today, this would likely be the striker group. There's an argument to be made to include someone such as Patrick Agyemang or Josh Sargent, but if you're selecting three, these are clear choices. They all check the boxes for the striker position, including the most important one: goals.

  Balogun has built momentum with the USMNT and Monaco by scoring multiple goals recently, Wright is running rampant through the Championship, and, now healthy, Pepi is still finding ways to score despite not starting for PSV.

  "This type of player is a very talented player," Pochettino said of Pepi. "We were talking about Gio, but it's the same with Ricardo, and the aim is to provide a big boost or motivation to them to keep pushing and keep improving. They need to have that motivation and to know that we care about them. When players are good in the mind, it's important to improve their legs and physical condition. They need to know that they are in the race for a place on the roster for the World Cup, and that is the most important thing.

  "Then they can play, more or less. But the thing is that they need to give their best to try and arrive in the best shape, to be animals, to be really strong and arrive for a competition that is going to be the most important in the history of the national team."

  While there are few questions about the top three spots on the striker depth chart, there are still questions about the first one. Who starts in this camp? Who starts when the World Cup begins? We may finally get some answers to those questions now that everyone is healthy, scoring and, finally, in camp together.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  No room for Turner among goalkeepers

  Since the start of the Gold Cup, Matt Freese has been the starter in goal. By and large, Turner has been his backup. However, even following news that Turner is training with Crystal Palace to stay fit, he was not included in this squad. That seems as clear of a message as any as to where he stands in the goalkeeping group.

  The belief, by and large, has been that Freese is in pole position, but nothing is decided. Turner, the former USMNT starter now back in MLS with the New England Revolution, would be waiting for his chance to prove why he should be the guy in goal for a second consecutive World Cup. He won't get that chance this camp, though, as he was left off in favor of Patrick Schulte, Jonathan Klinsmann and Roman Celentano.

  There are now questions about Turner's pathway back, particularly given the fact that there's just one more international break before the World Cup. All eyes will be on him to start the next MLS season, then, as he now fights to earn his place on the team.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em momentos opostos na tabela, Athletico-PR e América-MG se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (25), às 19h, na Ligga Arena, pela 29ª rodada do Brasileirão.

RelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras x São Paulo: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pelo BrasileirãoPalmeiras24/10/2023DicasVasco x Internacional: odds, estatísticas e informações do jogo pela 29ª rodada do BrasileirãoDicas24/10/2023CorinthiansCuiabá x Corinthians: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pelo BrasileirãoCorinthians24/10/2023

+ Acompanhe o dia dos atletas brasileiros no Pan-Americano de Santiago

5° colocado na tabela com 45 pontos, o Furacão pode entrar com uma vitória e tropeço do Palmeiras no Dérbi. O técnico Wesley Carvalho terá o retorno do atacante Canobbio, que cumpriu suspensão no empate com o líder Botafogo.

O Coelho saiu da última rodada com sabor amargo, pois levou o empate do Corinthians no último lance da partida. O América não vence há sete jogos e amarga a lanterna do Brasileirão, com 19 pontos.

+ Veja tabela e simule os resultados do Brasileirão

ATHLETICO-PR X AMÉRICA-MG
29ª RODADA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Local: Ligga Arena, Curitiba (PR)
Data e hora: quarta-feira, 25 de outubro de 2023, às 19h (horário de Brasília)
Árbitro: Anderson Daronco (FIFA-RS)
Assistentes: Rafael da Silva Alves (FIFA-RS) e Lucio Beiersdorf Flor (RS)
Árbitro de vídeo: Diego Pombo Lopez (BA)
Onde assistir: Rede Furacão e no tempo real do Lance!

ATHLETICO-PR

Bento; Cacá, Thiago Heleno e Lucas Esquivel; Canobbio, Fernandinho, Erick, Bruno Zapelli, Vitor Bueno e Cuello; Pablo. Técnico: Wesley Carvalho

Desfalques: Pedro Henrique, Madson, Fernando, Vidal e Vitor Roque (lesionados)

Pendurados: Léo Linck, Kaique Rocha, Zé Ivaldo, Cacá, Lucas Esquivel, Erick, Alex Santana e Cuello

AMÉRICA-MG

Jori; Rodriguinho, Éder, Iago Maidana, Danilo Avelar e Marlon; Emmanuel Martínez, Juninho e Benítez; Felipe Azevedo e Gonzalo Mastriani Técnico: Fábian Bustos

Desfalques: Ricardo Silva (suspenso) e Adyson (lesionado)

Pendurados: Iago Maidana, Javier Méndez, Paulinho Bóia e Renato Marques

Karun Nair has been granted the NOC to return to the side he played most of his domestic cricket for

Shashank Kishore22-Jul-2025

Karun Nair has looked good while he has been out there in England, but hasn’t managed to score big runs•Getty Images

Karun Nair, currently with the India team playing Test cricket in England, is set to return to Karnataka three seasons after his last appearance for the team. Nair, who was with Vidarbha the past two seasons, received a no-objection-certificate (NOC) from the Vidarbha Cricket Association on Monday evening, allowing him to turn out for his original state team.”I’d like to thank VCA for everything they’ve done for me in the last two years,” Nair said in a statement. “Whatever I’ve achieved in the last two years is credit to how they managed me and took care of me like I was their own. Grateful to the VCA, and all the players and support staff.”As a team, we achieved special things. The atmosphere was so positive. The opportunity to lead such an amazing bunch during the Vijay Hazare and achieving success in the Ranji Trophy is something I’ll look back on very fondly.”Nair’s return to Karnataka comes at a time when his stocks have risen considerably from the time he had left. Having been a central figure in Vidarbha’s run to their third Ranji Trophy title earlier this year, Nair earned a recall to India’s Test squad after more than eight years on the back of his 863 runs in 16 innings with four centuries at 53.93. This included a match-winning century in the final against Kerala – Kerala, interestingly, had been keen on signing Nair around the time he was left out of the Karnataka squad in 2021-22.Nair also had a record-breaking run in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he captained Vidarbha to a runners-up finish. He made a chart-topping 779 runs in eight innings, with five consecutive hundreds, while striking at 124.01. During the tournament, he set a new List A record of scoring the most runs (542) without being dismissed.Related

Nair takes his long-awaited chance to light up big stage again

He hasn’t produced anything near the same volume of runs on tour in England so far. Having warmed up for the series with a double-century for India A against England Lions in Beckenham, Nair has so far produced scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 in the three Tests; his four most recent knocks coming at No. 3.Nair returns to a Karnataka set-up teeming with talented batters. R Smaran, KL Shrijith and KV Aneesh all had breakout seasons in 2024-25. Smaran topped the runs tally for Karnataka, hitting 516 runs in ten innings during the Ranji season, while Shrijith hit a century on first-class debut. With Mayank Agarwal likely to continue as captain and Devdutt Padikkal a definite starter, there could be a healthy selection dilemma for the team management. There might also a slight deviation from the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s stance of looking to the future, something the departure of senior players K Gowtham and Manish Pandey were examples of.Meanwhile, seamer V Koushik has obtained an NOC from Karnataka to shift to Goa for the upcoming season. A late bloomer who gave up a corporate job to make his Ranji debut in 2019-20 at 27, Koushik emerged as one of the key members of Karnataka’s pace attack following the retirements of R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind. Koushik was Karnataka’s leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy; his 23 wickets across seven matches came at 18.73. This included two five-wicket hauls.

The PCB said it had made the changes in the hopes of “increased competitiveness”

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2025The PCB has overhauled its domestic structure yet again, featuring a slimmed down Quaid-e-Azam trophy (QeA) with just eight regional teams in it, and culling the much-trumpeted Champions Cup tournaments from the calendar after just one season. Separate tournaments – the President’s Trophy and Cup – remain for departmental sides, long a feature of the Pakistan domestic circuit.One of the biggest potential consequences of cutting down the QeA Trophy from a bloated 18 teams last season to just eight this coming one is that it might not ultimately feature a team from Karachi – the country’s biggest city and economic capital – in the country’s premier first-class event. Both Karachi Blues and Karachi Whites will play in the non-first class Hanif Mohammad Trophy – one rung below the QeA – based on their finishing positions in last year’s QeA Trophy.At that stage, however, none of the teams were aware that the tournament would be revamped in such a manner whereby, effectively, 12 teams would stand relegated. That tournament will start the domestic season from 15 August and the top-two sides will qualify to play in the QeA Trophy, which would be the route available to a Karachi side to make it through.Though the status has changed somewhat in recent decades, Karachi has long been a domestic powerhouse, both in terms of trophies won and as a provider of talent. It will not be a change that goes down well with the city’s cricket fraternity.The PCB said it had made the changes in the hopes of “increased competitiveness”. The tournament will now be played on a single-league basis, with 29 matches from September 22 to November 7. All the matches will be played at four venues across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, though the PCB did not say why it had restricted the event to the twin cities.In keeping with the spirt of paring back the calendar, the board has also quietly dropped the Champions Cup series of events. Introduced last season with much publicity and considerable cost, it was pitched as a premier event in each of the game’s three formats, featuring five teams and, in theory, the country’s best players. A 50-over version was held, as was a T20 event, but the first-class tournament never took place. The tournaments were supposed to bridge the gap between domestic cricket and international cricket, identified by the board as a problem. Those events are now gone, not even finding a mention in the press release.A 10-team National T20 Cup remains on the calendar, but it comes with a qualifying stage – “to further enhance competitiveness” according to the board – preceding it, with another 10 teams involved. The top two will go through to the Super 10 stage, which will be played in Faisalabad in from March 1 to 12, 2026.”We are pleased to unveil a domestic structure that places merit, opportunity and competitiveness at its core,” PCB’s chief operating officer Sumair Ahmed Syed said in a statement. “The 2025-26 season has been designed to provide a clear pathway for teams and players to progress based on performance, not reputation.”Introducing a qualifier for both the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the National T20 ensures that every match in our domestic calendar carries significant weight. This not only raises the standard of competition but also fosters a high-performance culture across all formats.”The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now feature the most in-form and deserving teams, while the Hanif Mohammad Trophy gives 12 regions a meaningful chance to stake their claim. Similarly, the Super 10 format of the National T20 is a step towards creating more high-intensity, quality cricket.”Domestic cricket in Pakistan has undergone structural or format changes nearly every season since the QeA Trophy was first played in 1953-54.

Deepti Sharma clinched London Spirit’s maiden Hundred title with a straight six in the final at Lord’s last year but has pulled out of the 2025 season to manage her workload.Deepti, the Indian allrounder, is in England for India’s ongoing tour and has had a busy recent schedule, balancing international commitments and franchise leagues. With a 50-over World Cup on home soil looming later this year, she has opted to withdraw from her £36,000 contract in order to give herself a short break.She has been replaced by Charli Knott, the Australian allrounder, and Spirit’s squad will look significantly different this year. Charlie Dean will deputise as captain for the injured Heather Knight, while Meg Lanning has been replaced by Grace Harris and Chris Liddle has taken over from Ashley Noffke as head coach.Deepti’s withdrawal means that there are no Indian players under contract in the Hundred this year. The BCCI does not grant active men’s players No-Objection Certificates to play in overseas leagues, while the women’s players who have previously been involved either went undrafted or were unavailable due to workload concerns.Elsewhere, Trent Rockets have confirmed that Ash Gardner will captain them this season. ESPNcricinfo revealed last month that Nat Sciver-Brunt had stepped down from the role to ease her own workload after taking on the England captaincy, and Gardner said it was “an honour” to take over from her.Related

• Hundred sale explainer: Who has bought what and for how much?

• ECB consider 'de-coupling' Women's Hundred in bid for standalone sell-outs

• Wyatt-Hodge 65 tops Knott 74* as Surrey win on last ball

• Eoin Morgan appointed to London Spirit board of directors

• Sciver-Brunt stands down as Trent Rockets captain

In the men’s Hundred, David Willey will take over from Lewis Gregory as Rockets captain, after Gregory was released and signed by Manchester Originals. Willey has spent the last two years playing for Welsh Fire but was a £200,000 signing at the draft and has short-form captaincy experience with Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Northern Superchargers.Each Hundred team will add four ‘wildcard’ players – two men’s, two women’s – to their squad next week, making signings based on performances in the T20 Blast. Birmingham Phoenix have secured an injury replacement ahead of the wildcard draft, with Nottinghamshire’s Freddie McCann replacing Derbyshire seamer Harry Moore, who has a back stress fracture.The Hundred will run from August 5-31 and is being viewed as a transitional season before the ECB hands operational responsibility for the eight teams over to their host counties and new private investors ahead of the 2026 edition.

Leeds United are back in action in the Premier League for the final time before the international break when they face Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road this afternoon.

The Whites welcome Thomas Frank’s team to West Yorkshire in the early kick-off in the top-flight, as they look to head into the break off the back of another positive result.

Daniel Farke’s side have made a respectable start to life in the Premier League after they won the Championship title with a club-record 100-point haul in the 2024/25 campaign.

Leeds have eight points on the board after six matches and were seconds away from having another two points to their name in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, as they conceded in stoppage time.

The Championship champions have scored five goals in their last two matches in the Premier League, having beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 in the game before that draw with the Cherries.

Despite that impressive goal return in the last two outings in the top-flight, finishing chances has been an issue for Farke’s side throughout the season so far.

Why Leeds need more from their attackers

Leeds need to get more out of their attackers at the top end of the pitch because some of them have missed too many big chances, and others have not gotten into dangerous enough positions in front of goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who arrived on a free transfer from Everton in the summer, scored his first goal for the club with an excellent header against Wolves last month.

However, the former England international has lacked a ruthless edge in front of goal with his performances for the club so far, which is a slight cause for concern moving forward.

Tottenham have only conceded four goals in six games in the Premier League under Frank, which suggests that chances will be few and far between and that Leeds will need to be clinical with what they are able to create.

Calvert-Lewin (25/26)	League Cup	Premier League
Appearances	1	4
Goals	0	1
Minutes per goal	N/A	267
Big chances missed	4	4
Conversion rate	0%	14%
Big chances created	0	0
Assists	0	0
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin has missed eight ‘big chances’ and scored one goal in five appearances for the Whites so far, which shows that he has been incredibly wasteful in front of goal.

His hold-up play, winning 5.3 duels per game (Sofascore), will be important against the Europa League champions to alleviate pressure, though, which is why he should keep his place in the team.

It is, therefore, Brenden Aaronson who should be taken out of the starting line-up for this clash with Spurs because he lacks the clinical edge that the Whites will need given how strong their opponents are at the defensive side of the game.

The USA international has failed to score in six league games so far this season and scored one goal from 3.86 xG in 36 appearances in the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign, per Sofascore.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

This means that Aaronson cannot be relied upon to finish a chance if it comes his way against the Lilywhites, which is why he should be ruthlessly dropped from the starting line-up to provide another player with an opportunity to shine.

In his place, Farke could add the clinical edge that his team will need against Spurs by unleashing Joel Piroe in a brand-new role on the right flank this afternoon at Elland Road.

Why Joel Piroe should be unleashed against Spurs

The Dutchman has fallen down the pecking order in the number nine position in West Yorkshire this season, as evidenced by the fact that he has been an unused substitute in his last three appearances in the matchday squad.

It has been a disappointing start to life in the Premier League for last season’s Championship top scorer, who caught the eye of fans and pundits with his clinical finishing.

In fact, former Spurs star Chris Waddle compared him to Harry Kane, saying: “He reminds me of how Harry Kane plays. He comes off and drags the centre halves out, which is great for Dan James and their other wingers. If you have got wingers with a bit of pace, they can exploit the space that has been created for him and I think that works very well.”

Piroe scored 19 goals in the Championship to fire Leeds to promotion and win the Golden Boot, which earned him that comparison to the Tottenham icon, who now plays for Bayern Munich.

However, instead of unleashing him as their own version of Kane, who scored 280 goals for Spurs as a number nine, Farke should look to unleash the left-footed star in a brand-new role on the right.

All 78 of his starts for Leeds have come in central positions, as a striker or as an attacking midfielder, but he has scored 13 goals in 28 matches as a right-winger for the other clubs in his career combined, per Transfermarkt.

This suggests that he does have the potential to be effective in that position, even if his lack of mobility and natural physicality mean that he does not look like a natural pick in that area of the pitch.

Joel Piroe (Championship)	23/24	24/25
Appearances	45	46
xG	12.74	17.17
Goals	13	19
Big chances missed	8	13
Big chances created	3	8
Assists	3	7
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Piroe was undoubtedly an immense finisher for the Whites in his two seasons in the Championship with the club, outperforming his xG in both campaigns.

That is why it was not a surprise to read that Beren Cross quoted Farke as saying that the Dutch striker is “the best finisher he has ever worked with” in his pre-match press conference for the Spurs match.

Given that the German head coach has worked with players like Teemu Pukki, Mario Gotze, and Marcus Thuram, that is incredibly high praise from the manager.

Aaronson, as aforementioned, has not offered enough of a threat as a goalscorer throughout his Premier League career and Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto are both injured, which is why unleashing Piroe on the right flank could be an inventive solution to the team’s lack of ruthless finishing.

Leeds had the original Gudmundsson & they let him leave for just £1m

Leeds must regret cashing in on this star who was the original Gabriel Gudmundsson at Elland Road.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 2, 2025

The Whites would then have Calvert-Lewin as the number nine to provide physicality and hold-up play, Noah Okafor on the left to provide pace and dynamism down the left, and Piroe on the right to offer a clinical edge in front of goal.

One of the main issues Leeds United have faced this season is how leaky their defence has been. It is something that Daniel Farke needs to fix soon, because the number of goals they’re letting in could end up costing them further down the line.

As per Understat, the Whites have conceded the fourth most goals in the Premier League so far this season, with 13, an average of 1.6 per game. They have been far worse than they should have, according to their expected goals against tally. That sits at 8.68xGA, which is an underperformance by 4.32.

Farke might wish for more from one of his most experienced centre-backs, Pascal Struijk.

Struijk’s start to the season

For Leeds defender Struijk, it has been a tricky start to the 2025/26 campaign. He’s been a key man at the back this season, playing 90 minutes in all eight of their Premier League games so far.

He’s operated alongside Welsh international Joe Rodon, with the duo forming Farke’s first-choice centre-back pairing. Like Struijk, the former Tottenham Hotspur star has played every minute in the top flight this season.

However, there has certainly been more criticism coming Struijk’s way for some disappointing defensive performances from Leeds. Jake Winderman, who works for CBS Sports, accused him of “just ball-watching” when Wolverhampton Wanderers scored against the Whites earlier in the season.

That was an error which didn’t cost Leeds in the end, given they went on to win the game 3-1. However, in Sours’ 2-1 win at Elland Road at the start of the month, both Lilywhites’ goals came via a deflection from Struijk.

That can be unlucky, of course, but for Mohammed Kudus’ goal, he arguably could have closed him down sooner.

This Friday night, Leeds have a huge game against West Ham United. It may well be the case that Farke makes the bold call to drop Struijk, with someone waiting in the wings.

Leeds’ perfect Struijk alternative

It is clear that Farke has been married to the Struijk and Rodon pairing at the heart of the Leeds defence this season, even if they have been leaking goals.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

There are alternatives, with summer signing Sebastiaan Bornauw an option.

However, it does seem strange that the impressive Jaka Bijol is yet to play a single minute in the Premier League. The Slovenian star was another summer addition, with Leeds paying Serie A side Udinese £15m to acquire his services.

However, life in West Yorkshire has not been easy for the six-foot-three-inch defender. He played 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, but has been an unused sub in the Premier League so far.

That is not for a lack of credentials. Bijol is a highly rated defender, particularly impressing at Euro 2024 with Slovenia. In fact, off the back of those performances, analyst Ben Mattinson described him as a “monstrous” centre-back.

His defensive numbers from that competition really stand out. Per 90 minutes, he won 1.38 tackles and made an impressive 8.77 clearances.

They ranked him in the top 11% and 3% of centre-backs from the competition.

Tackles won

1.38

89th

Interceptions

1.38

82nd

Blocks

2.31

89th

Clearances

8.77

97th

Aerial duels won

2.08

68th

It would be a bold call from Farke if he were to drop Struijk in favour of Bijol, given it would break up his first-choice defensive pairing. Yet, there is no doubt that the Slovenian star would bring excellent box defending to the Whites’ side.

Whilst he is not as much of a natural ball player, the 26-year-old reads the game well and puts his body on the line. Perhaps what Leeds need is a fresh face at the back to help try and make things more watertight.

The West Yorkshire outfit need three points at Elland Road against their relegation rivals, and starting Bijol could make a huge difference.

Farke upgrade: Leeds could hire "one of the best coaches of the next 20 years"

Leeds are struggling this season and Daniel Farke could come under pressure again.

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 22, 2025

One of the most significant managerial decisions of the 2024 World Series was made by Dave Roberts late into Game 5 when he opted to keep Blake Treinen on the mound in the eighth inning during a one-run game.

Roberts admitted he received some unspoken help from Freddie Freeman when it came to making that decision.

Roberts visited the mound to gauge how Treinen was doing after the veteran surrendered a double to Aaron Judge and walked Jazz Chisholm. With Giancarlo Stanton due up in the batting order, the right-handed reliever unsurprisingly bargained to remain in the game.

Treinen induced a softly-hit fly out from Stanton, and Roberts had planned to pull him after that at-bat, before catching a glance from Freeman out of his peripheral vision.

"I give Freddie credit," Roberts said, via ESPN. "Freddie was waving me off. He kind of subtly kind of said, 'Hey, let him stay in.' So then I trusted the players, and Blake made a pitch."

Roberts left Treinen on the mound to face Anthony Rizzo, despite approaching 40 pitches at that point and throwing into a less favorable matchup in terms of handedness. He struck him out on four pitches, paving the way for Walker Buehler to take the ninth inning and shut the door on the Yankees.

Had Roberts not caught the glance from Freeman out of the corner of his eye, he may have opted for a pitching change, which could have drastically altered how the remainder of the game played out.