Arriving at any big game should be filled with anticipation and excitement, but sometimes fear rears its ugly head. Turning up at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, I felt a bubbling undercurrent of anger and trepidation. Until recently, Everton were used to battling against relegation, but with the return of David Moyes and the move to a world-class stadium, those days were disappearing into the rear view mirror.
Arsenal are monitoring AIK teenager Kevin Filling as a potential “project signing”, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus also keeping close tabs on one of Sweden’s most exciting young attackers. The 17-year-old has already broken into senior football and is beginning to attract serious attention across Europe. Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred […] The post Sources: Arsenal target 1.85m tall attacker as “project signing” amid Chelsea interest appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino thinks the Blues got off lightly (Picture:Getty Images) Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea should be stripped of the 2016-17 Premier League title and it should be handed to Tottenham Hotspur. The Argentine, who went on to manage Chelsea, was in charge of Spurs at the time as they finished second, seven points adrift of Antonio Conte’s Blues. Conte’s side finished with 93 points, led by Diego Costa up front and a fabulous season from Eden Hazard behind him, while the likes of N’Golo Kante, Gary Cahill and David Luiz all made the PFA Team of the Year. However, it has since been tainted as Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, self-reported 74 breaches of FA rules related to secret payments to unregistered agents after they purchased the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. Chelsea admitted to making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and intermediaries between 2011 and 2018. Deals for the likes of Hazard, Luiz, Willian and Nemanja Matic were all found to have broken rules. After an initial punishment included a points deduction, on appeal Chelsea were fined £10 million and given a suspended two-window transfer ban by the Football Association over the summer. Pochettino left after one season in charge of Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images) Pochettino feels that the punishment should extend beyond this and Chelsea should not be considered champions in 2017 as they broke rules to win the Premier League. Instead, his Tottenham team should be awarded the title. ‘We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it,’ said Pochettino. ‘If that was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished, they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second. ‘We can say that they scored goals, they won games. OK. But it’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card. Maybe with the same rules, we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals.’ Eden Hazard was key to Chelsea’s success in 2016/17 (Picture: Getty Images) While the Blues had plenty of world class players at the time, it was suggested to Pochettino that Hazard made a particular difference. ‘Maybe yes,’ said the USA manager. ‘I have no doubt and I’m not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me. But if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I’d admit the same: “We don’t deserve the title because we broke the rules.” ‘It’s impossible if only some clubs play with offside and another plays with no offside. Or one plays with VAR and another plays with no VAR. For everyone it needs to be the same rules. And then you have the capacity to create the best team. ‘I don’t say that Chelsea didn’t play well, that Conte was not great. I don’t say that. I don’t want the message to be twisted. But if you broke the rules then ciao – you need to give it to another team. ‘I don’t know why that didn’t happen. What is being promoted and incentivised is to break the rules. If you don’t punish in the way that you need to punish, I say: “Yeah … I lost my job [at Spurs] because we didn’t win a title.”’ Pochettino was in charge of Spurs from May 2014-November 2019 and went on to manage Chelsea for one season in 2023/24. FA statement on Chelsea punishment An FA statement in July read: ‘A financial sanction of £10m and a suspended two-window registration ban have been imposed on Chelsea FC for breaches of the Football Association Football Agent Regulations, Regulations on Working with Intermediaries and Third Party Investment in Players Regulations. The FA charged Chelsea FC with 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2 after its current ownership self-reported misconduct upon its purchase of the club. The FA is continuing to inve
While including Raphinha and leaving Neymar and Casemiro out, head coach Carlo Ancelotti has dropped a total of 15 players from his 2026 World Cup squad for the upcoming international window. Carlo Ancelotti has initiated the blueprint for his second World Cup cycle following a disappointing round-of-16 exit against Norway. Omitting established stars like Neymar and Casemiro while recalling Barcelona winger Raphinha, the Italian manager released a transformed squad list that drops 15 players from the roster that featured in the 2026 World Cup across North America. Following a 2-1 defeat to Norway, Neymar confirmed his international retirement, signaling the end of his career with the national team. Midfielder Casemiro was similarly expected to step away from international duty after departing European football to sign with Inter Miami at age 34. However, Ancelotti expanded beyond those expected departures, executing a sweeping roster overhaul for the upcoming international window. Of the 26 players who traveled to North America for the World Cup, 15 were omitted, making way for eight first-time call-ups to the senior squad. Ancelotti’s new 26-player roster Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Pedro Morisco (Coritiba), and Otavio (Cruzeiro)Defenders: Arthur Dias (Athletico Paranaense), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Jair (Nottingham Forest), Marquinhos (PSG), Mateuzinho (Corinthians), Mauro Jr (PSV Eindhoven), Vitor Reis (Manchester City), and Wesley (AS Roma)Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Manchester City), Breno Bidon (Corinthians), Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal), Danilo (Botafogo), Douglas Luiz (Juventus), and Gabriel Bontempo (Santos)Forwards: Endrick (Real Madrid), Estevao (Chelsea), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Samuel Lino (Flamengo), and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) 26 CONVOCADOS! 🇧🇷A Seleção está pronta para novos desafios: dois jogos contra a Austrália e o primeiro confronto da história contra a Índia.25/09 | Austrália29/09 | Austrália03/10 | ÍndiaISSO É BRASIL! 🇧🇷#BateNoPeito pic.twitter.com/Yht5SuOHjr— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) September 9, 2026 Through these selections, Ancelotti reaffirmed his commitment to integrating a younger generation of talent into the national team setup while holding the base of huge names such as Raphinha and Vinicius Junior as preparations begin for the 2030 World Cup cycle. The transition represents an imperative structural pivot given the advanced age of the previous roster. During the 2026 World Cup, Brazil fielded the seventh-oldest squad in the tournament with an average age of 29.3 years, trailing only Iran, Panama, Colombia, Qatar, Cape Verde, and Scotland. Data from Transfermarkt indicates Ancelotti’s revised selection averages 24.9 years of age, reducing the roster’s collective age profile by nearly five full years. High-profile exclusions from the squad Marking an official roster transition, the full list of players omitted from Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad includes Alisson, Ederson, Weverton, Alex Sandro, Gleison Bremer, Leo Pereira, Roger Ibanez, Danilo, Fabinho, Casemiro, Luiz Henrique, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha, Igor Thiago, and Neymar. While absent from the upcoming autumn window, select players remain within Ancelotti’s long-term pool. While veterans like Neymar, Casemiro, Alex Sandro, and Danilo are unlikely to return, prime-age contributors such as Matheus Cunha (27), Gabriel Martinelli (25), and Igor Thiago (25) are expected to feature in future squad selections. Ancelotti’s roster overhaul drew public criticism from former defender Thiago Silva regarding the lack of veteran leadership, an issue the head coach directly addressed during Wednesday’s press conference: “For the objectives we have in these friendlies, it is a balanced list. Right now is a moment to prioritize the young players who have potential and could be there in the future. One thing is certain: a 34 or 35-year-old player won’t h
Cristian "Kily" Gonzalez's move to Inter Miami has been agreed for weeks, but a pending work permit is keeping him from officially taking over as head coach. Inter Miami fans hoping to see Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez patrolling the sideline have had to wait longer than expected, even though the Argentine coach’s arrival was announced weeks ago. The delay has left Guillermo Hoyos in charge of the team well beyond what many anticipated when the coaching change was first revealed. The holdup comes down to paperwork: Gonzalez has yet to receive the work permit required to legally coach in the United States, and Inter Miami has stated he will only officially assume his duties once that documentation clears. Until then, the move remains agreed upon but not yet formalized on the touchline. Inter Miami confirmed the agreement with Gonzalez in an official statement in late August, announcing that Hoyos would provisionally continue leading the first team until the new coach and his staff can arrive. With no fixed date yet for when Gonzalez’s visa process will conclude, Hoyos remains the man in charge for Inter Miami’s upcoming matches, continuing to oversee a squad dealing with its own injury concerns while the club awaits the paperwork that will finally hand the reins to its intended long-term coach. Kily González celebrates a goal while coaching Union de Santa Fe. (Getty Images) What’s next for Guillermo Hoyos? Hoyos, 63, has left his own future at the club open for now. Speaking to reporters after a training session, he addressed Gonzalez’s looming arrival directly: “When Kily arrives we will surely get together and talk,” he said, adding that he remains available to the club and the incoming coaching staff to help during the transition period. Inter Miami have not clarified what role, if any, Hoyos will have once Gonzalez takes over, but a club source told AFP that he continues to be held in “high regard” within the organization. Inter Miami’s current season While the coaching situation remains unresolved, Inter Miami’s on-field results have kept the club firmly in contention. The defending MLS Cup champions sit second in the Eastern Conference and third in the overall Supporters’ Shield standings, with a record of 12 wins, four losses and seven draws for 43 points. The attack has been prolific, with Lionel Messi’s 18 league goals leading an offense that has produced 58 goals through the season. The cup competitions have told a different story. Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup run ended in March at the Round of 16 stage after consecutive 1-1 draws, and the Leagues Cup campaign also finished early, with just one win in three league-phase matches. The one remaining chance at silverware outside MLS comes on September 16, when Inter Miami host Liga MX champion Cruz Azul at Nu Stadium in the Campeones Cup final.
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