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It wasn’t easy, but Chelsea managed to get over the line against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night.

Enzo Maresca’s side managed to get themselves ahead of the Old Gold just five minutes into the game, and looked completely out of sight by half-time.

However, the West Londoners found themselves in a real scrap halfway through the second 45, and were it not for a wonder goal from Jamie Gittens, they might not still be in the League Cup.

However, while there were a few players who let themselves down in the second period, the biggest disappointment for the Blues was Liam Delap, and if he’s not careful, the Englishman could see himself replaced next season.

Delap's diabolical night

After spending the last two months out with a hamstring injury, Delap finally made his return to first-team action against Wolves.

Chalkboard

The former Ipswich Town star came on for Estevao in the 61st minute, and it would be fair to say he more than made his mark, just not in the way he would have wanted.

In the 79th minute, he received a yellow card for pushing a Wolves player and arguing with the referee, which at the time was a foolish thing to do.

However, just seven minutes later, the Englishman did something even stupider and elbowed Emmanuel Agbadou in the head, which unsurprisingly saw him receive a second yellow and get sent off.

It was a true horror show from the striker, as he wasn’t even able to have a single shot before being sent off.

Speaking after the match, Maresca didn’t hold back, describing the incident as “embarrassing” and “very stupid.”

Such a response might sound harsh, but given the state of the game and the nature of the cards, it is hard to disagree with the Italian.

Delap will surely be desperate to make amends when he returns, although he might have to do more than that, as come next season, Maresca will have another forward in the squad who could be a significant upgrade on the Englishman.

Chelsea's future Delap upgrade

With Nicolas Jackson at Bayern Munich and Joao Pedro playing better behind a striker, there aren’t too many options for replacing Delap this season.

However, that will not be the case next year, as Strasbourg star Emanuel Emegha will be making his way to Chelsea in the summer.

The Dutchman might not be a particularly well-known name in England at the moment, but he’s been playing well in France for a couple of years now and looks like he could make a real impact at Stamford Bridge.

For example, in his first season with the Ligue 1 outfit, the 22-year-old managed to rack up a tally of nine goals and two assists in 31 appearances, totalling 2226 minutes.

However, last season he did even better, ending the campaign with an impressive haul of 14 goals and three assists in 29 appearances, totalling just 2408 minutes.

In comparison, Delap managed to score 12 goals and provide two assists in 40 appearances, totalling 2670 minutes, for the Tractor Boys.

Unfortunately, the “simply phenomenal” centre-forward, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is currently injured. However, before his injury, he looked set for his best season to date, scoring four goals and providing two assists in just six appearances, totalling 384 minutes.

Ultimately, not only does Emegha have a better record than Delap, but he has also never received a red card; therefore, he could be a real upgrade for Chelsea next year.

Not Estevao: Chelsea star looks like Palmer 2.0 after Wolves "masterclass"

The exciting ace made all the difference for Maresca and Chelsea vs Wolves.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 30, 2025

The 2025 Home Run Derby is underway Monday night, eliciting plenty of excitement from MLB fans. What rubbed some fans the wrong way, however, was the fact that Pat McAfee was doing player introductions before the event in his signature, rowdy and occasionally crass style.

When it was Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh's turn to be introduced, McAfee may have taken Raleigh's "Big Dumper" nickname a little too far.

"Hailing from Cullowhee, North Carolina, a man who's doing something that no catch has ever done in the history of the sport, with the fattest ass in all of professional sports… Ladies and gentlemen, Big Dumper! Cal Raleigh!" McAfee said.

Just another day at the office for the ever-colorful color commentator.

Raleigh, who's the first catcher to start an All-Star game in Mariners history, entered the All-Star break with 38 homers and 82 RBIs in just 94 games and is still chasing MLB history—regardless of what anyone says about his behind.

The Sun Group’s first payments for the Northern Superchargers franchise will be made on Thursday after which Yorkshire will clear their debts

Matt Roller31-Jul-2025Yorkshire will start to clear debts of £25 million on Thursday when the first payments from the sale of Northern Superchargers are made by the Sun Group. Yorkshire were the only host county to sell the whole of their 51% interest in their Hundred team onto external investors due to the club’s perilous financial position, and the deal is one of six that has now been completed.The Sun Group, an Indian media conglomerate who also own Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20), bid just over £100 million to buy the Superchargers earlier this year. Their first payments, worth around £50m, will be made on Thursday, with the remainder due later this year once they have assumed operational control of the franchise.Yorkshire’s accounts state that the club received loans worth a combined £5.8m from “a group of committed individuals” – including chairman Colin Graves – in the last financial year, while loans worth a combined £14.9m from the Graves Trusts are due to be repaid by October. Sanjay Patel, the club chief executive, said that clearing those debts is Yorkshire’s “first priority”.Related

• The Hundred to introduce player auction for 2026 season

• Hundred squads face 2026 'reset' in bid for competitive balance

• Hundred's 'transition' year is relying on Test star Steven Smith as headline act

• Richard Gould: Hundred equity sale can future-proof county cricket for '20-25 years'

• Sun Group secures 100% stake in Northern Superchargers

“The deal puts the club in a strong financial position, which has been far from the case for many years here, and we can start looking towards a very bright future,” Patel said on Wednesday. “The first priority is clearing our debts. We will then be looking at how we can invest the surplus funds to not only safeguard the future, but enable us to flourish.”Yorkshire last month incorporated a new subsidiary called Headingley Investment Limited, which is intended to generate profits that will then be reinvested. Patel added: “Yorkshire Cricket now has an opportunity to thrive, from the recreational game all the way through to our professional teams, and we will be focused on planning the next chapter in the club’s long history over the coming months.”The Sun Group have already told the ECB that they intend to change the name of the franchise next year and ESPNcricinfo has learned that ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ and ‘Northern Super Sunrisers’ are being considered. Two other teams are also likely to be renamed, with Manchester Originals becoming ‘Manchester Super Giants’ and Oval Invincibles becoming either ‘MI Oval’ or ‘MI London’.Yorkshire will receive 80% of the money raised from their decision to sell their 51% stake in the franchise, with the rest shared between the other first-class counties (10%) and the recreational game (10%). They will also receive their share of the funds raised from the sale of the ECB’s minority stakes in the other seven franchises.Lancashire (21%) and Glamorgan (1%) also opted to sell part of their shares in their franchises – Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire respectively – and each county will receive around £400,000 on Thursday of “unfettered” funds linked to those sales. The ECB will control the way in which funds from the sale of their stakes are spent with “guardrails” designed to ensure “sustainability”.The ECB held a board meeting on Wednesday to clear the first payments to counties, and chief executive Richard Gould said that Yorkshire would receive a “very significant” sum this week. “Often when something is sold, the money gets taken and it’s put into a yacht that’s parked off the Bahamas,” Gould said. “Here, all of this – every single penny – is going back into the game.”Gould also attempted to dissuade non-host counties from expanding their stadiums specifically in the hope of hosting a franchise if the Hundred expands, saying that minimum capacity requirements would be around 7-8,000. “We’re not looking to see investment going into creating white elephants,” he said. “What we don’t want is a load of empty plastic seats.”Vikram Banerjee, the Hundred’s managing director, also revealed that there are still minor details to resolve in Surrey’s deal with Reliance Industries Limited for Oval Invincibles, though all parties are confident that it will be signed by early October. Nottinghamshire’s deal with Cain International and Ares Management is the other that is yet to be completed, but Banerjee said the deal is “fully there”.”We offered all the investors the opportunity to sign and close immediately, whenever the legals were all done… or close formally at the end of the season,” Banerjee said. “Those two chose that months ago.”Trent Rockets, they’re all there bar the singing (sic). The documents are all signed and all the rest of it is fully there. With the Oval Invincibles, there are, I think, three things left on their venue-hire stuff that they’re working through. They’re small things. It’ll be a matter of weeks, and that’ll get signed out.”Banerjee will lead a meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss the Hundred’s regulations around player recruitment for 2026, with some teams pushing for a shift to an auction rather than the existing draft. Rashid Khan and Steven Smith have already signed for teams where they have affiliations with incoming investors for the 2025 season, which starts on August 5.

Inter Miami star Luis Suarez has been suspended for Saturday's do-or-die playoff game against Nashville SC, robbing the Herons of their starting striker with their season on the line. The suspension comes following an Inter Miami appeal, but the decision was upheld, which means Miami will play Saturday's match without the Uruguayan star.

• Getty Images
  

  Cause for suspension

  The suspension is a result of an off-ball incident in the 71st minute of Inter Miami's 2-1 loss in Game 2 of their playoff series against Nashville. With just under 20 minutes left, Suarez kicked out at Nashville's Andy Najar and, while no foul was called on the play on the field, the league's disciplinary committee had handed Suarez a one-match ban for the incident.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  No stranger to suspensions

  Suarez is, of course, no stranger to suspensions, particularly from his career in Europe, which has seen him banned multiple times for biting incidents. He also picked up a hefty punishment this summer, too, as the Uruguayan was suspended for six Leagues Cup matches and three MLS matches after spitting on Seattle Sounders security director Gene Ramirez following the Leagues Cup finale.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Replacing the star striker

  Since returning from his suspension, the 38-year-old Suarez has played every minute for Miami despite the wear-and-tear he's built up over a long career. He's scored 14 goals while providing 15 assists this season, which means Miami face a tough task in replacing him at the top of their attack.

  When Suarez was suspended in September, Miami boss Javier Mascherano played Lionel Messi and Tadeo Allende in the attack. Miami got six points from those three matches, defeating D.C. United and the Seattle Sounders, while falling 3-0 to Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  What comes next?

  The Herons will play host to Nashville on Saturday with their season on the line. Messi and Co. were Supporters' Shield winners last season, but fell at the first hurdle in a three-game series loss to Atlanta United. They’ll aim to avoid the same fate on Saturday – and a trophyless end to the season.

It is the start of Arsenal’s biggest week of the season so far.

On Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s team take on Tottenham in the North London derby, seeking a fourth successive victory over Spurs for the first time since 1989.

After that, it is the small matter of Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, both currently boast 100% records in this season’s competition, before another blockbuster the following Sunday, facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in another fierce derby.

If the Gunners are going to maintain their unbeaten streak, currently standing at 14 games, they will need their “unpredictable” summer signing to come to the fore, currently going through a similar trajectory to that of his teammate.

Kai Havertz's roller coaster Arsenal career

Few players fluctuate in popularity at one particular club quite as dramatically and quickly as Kai Havertz has done since joining Arsenal in June 2023.

Costing £65m from hated rivals Chelsea, supporters were puzzled as to why Arteta had recruited the German, ostensibly signed to replace Granit Xhaka as the left-sided eight in midfield, but seemingly not suiting that role at all.

He scored just one goal in his first 12 Premier League appearances for the club, this is a pity penalty at Bournemouth, before flourishing in the second half of the 2023/24 season, once moved up front.

By the end of the campaign, as Arsenal won 16 of their final 18 Premier League matches, Havertz had 14 goals and eight assists to his name, netting nine times in 14 matches during that historic streak.

Last season, Havertz added 15 goals to his tally, despite suffering a season-ending hamstring injury against Newcastle in the EFL Cup semi-finals in February, meaning he has barely featured at all in 2025, seeing just half an hour of action this time round, suffering a knee injury on the opening day at Old Trafford and not seen since.

Two years ago, it would’ve felt fanciful to suggest that Arteta and Gooners everywhere are desperate to see Havertz return to fitness, considering the ambivalence and bewilderment his arrival and early appearances were met with, but he is undeniably a key figure that they’ve severely missed this season so far.

With that in mind, which of Arsenal’s summer signings is currently enduring a sticky start to life in North London, but could enjoy a Havertz-esque revival?

Arsenal's next Kai Havertz

In complete contrast to that of Havertz, Eberechi Eze’s £60m signing was the most exciting Gonners have been about any new arrival since the days of Mesut Özil’s deadline day switch from Real Madrid.

While there was an acceptance that some of the overseas summer signings, namely new striker Viktor Gyökeres, would take time to adapt to their teammates but also the level of the Premier League, there was hope that Eze would hit the ground running, which has not quite been the case, as the table below documents.

As the numbers highlight, Eze has certainly not been bad to commence his Arsenal career, but he has also not been the lights-out difference maker they were perhaps hoping for.

Rio Ferdinand, speaking on TNT Sports, labelled Eze an “elusive player” who is “unpredictable” when carrying the ball, which he describes as his greatest strength.

The England international has made massive contributions, scoring his first Premier League goal for the club against Crystal Palace, a thunderous volley to secure a 1-0 victory, while also producing this glorious assist to play in Gabriel Martinelli to rescue a draw in injury time against Manchester City.

Nevertheless, since Ødegaard suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee against West Ham in early-October, Eze has taken on the mantle as the central number ten, yet to consistently look excellent in that role, albeit there have been glimpses.

At Crystal Palace, he played as an inside-forward on the left of the front three, whereas now he’s being deployed as an attacking midfielder shaded towards the right, thereby tasked with learning a new role and position on the job, required to do so in double-quick time.

This is, as already outlined, reminiscent of when Havertz arrived two years ago, with Arteta attempting to mould the German into a central midfield, taking time to get to grips with what was being asked of him, with Eze seemingly going through something similar.

So, what is the solution for Eze?

Well, for now, he will continue to be deployed centrally but, whenever Ødegaard does come back, Eze could potentially return to the left-wing, usurping Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in the pecking order, which may suit his skillset better.

In 2023/24, Havertz scored crucial goals against Brentford, home and away, Chelsea and Spurs, which is when he really started to win supporters over.

Not that Eze needs to do that, but a goal in Sunday’s North London derby, against the side he famously turned down to join Arsenal instead, might just take the roof off, but could also be what he needs to ignite his career in red and white.

Arteta can fix Gabriel injury blow by unleashing Arsenal's £45m "beast"

After both Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori picked up injuries on international duty, Mikel Arteta must unleash Arsenal’s “physical” defender vs Spurs.

By
Ben Gray

Nov 16, 2025