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The international break is finally coming to an end this weekend, and Arsenal can continue their Premier League title charge.

Mikel Arteta’s side are four points clear at the top, and play host to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

However, as seems to be the case every gameweek this season, a fresh injury has just made the Gunners’ job all the more difficult.

On top of being without most of their attacking players, Arsenal will have to make do without Gabriel Magalhães in the derby, although Arteta might have an ideal replacement.

The latest on Gabriel's injury

Plenty of Arsenal fans turned up at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon hoping to see Gabriel earn another senior cap for Brazil against Senegal, which he did.

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However, instead of seeing one of their best players put on a defensive clinic, they saw him being taken off the pitch holding his groin in the 64th minute.

After the game, Carlo Ancelotti didn’t sound optimistic, telling reporters that he and the staff were “really sorry for this” and that things didn’t look good for the defender.

Unfortunately, he has since been proven right, as The Athletic’s David Ornstein later reported that, following initial tests by the club, the 27-year-old is expected to miss up to two months of action.

While every injury poses a problem for the club, the absence of the former LOSC Lille gem is a huge one, as he has been in incredible form this season and has arguably been the best player.

For example, he’s been vital to the Gunners’ superb defensive record, but has also been a clutch player in the opposition’s penalty area, racking up a tally of two goals and three assists in just 17 games so far.

However, while the impact of Gabriel’s absence from the side that take on Spurs at the weekend will be massive, Arteta does have someone in the side who might be the ideal replacement.

Arsenal's ideal Gabriel replacement

The main reason Arsenal fans should still feel confident heading into Sunday’s game is that Arteta has other quality defenders he can start in Gabriel’s place, like Cristhian Mosquera.

Now, some fans might argue for Riccardo Calafiori to be moved into the back two, or for Piero Hincapie to start in place of the Brazilian.

However, the Italian has been unreal at left-back, and while the Ecuadorian could be a great backup, the only game he’s started this season was the League Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion, so it’s unclear how he’d react to a heated derby.

Furthermore, while he’s young, the former Valencia gem has already proven that he can step in and thrive in the most intense of atmospheres for the club.

Minutes

85′

Tackles Won

2

Clearances

3

Ball Recoveries

3

Blocked Shots

2

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (4)

Passing Accuracy

47/51 (92%)

Touches

62

For example, when William Saliba had to come off just five minutes into the game against Liverpool, Arteta turned to the young Spaniard during his 85-odd minutes, you’d have been forgiven for thinking the Frenchman was still on the pitch.

Then, instead of going with someone else, the manager stuck with the Alicante-born monster and was rewarded with an incredibly dominant display against Nottingham Forest.

Moreover, despite being 21 years old, the 6 foot 3 titan already had plenty of top-flight experience before his move to North London.

Between his debut for Valencia in the 21/22 season and his exit in the summer, the intimidating centre-back made 90 first-team appearances, totalling 7399 minutes, which helps explain why last year one analyst argued that “he is on his way to becoming one of the best centre-backs in the world.”

Finally, while the right-footed ace has the silky passing ability of Saliba, he also has that fiery old-school passion that Gabriel has and, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson, “thrives in ground duels.”

Ultimately, losing Gabriel to injury is far from ideal, but Mosquera’s defensive ability and passion could help minimise the damage for Arsenal.

A Saka & Madueke hybrid: £70m "monster" wants to sign for Arsenal in 2026

The Champions League speedster would be an excellent addition to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 19, 2025

Newcastle squandered a wonderful opportunity to all-but seal their place in the Champions League knockout rounds after a late equaliser from Bayer Leverkusen meant the points were shared in an entertaining 2-2 draw at the BayArena. Anthony Gordon levelled the match from the penalty spot for Eddie Howe's side and substitute Lewis Miley headed them in front, but a late strike from Alejandro Grimaldi landed a point for the hosts.

Newcastle found themselves behind in the 13th minute after Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich’s header hit Bruno Guimaraes' backside and deflected past stranded goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, and there was a real scare just a few moments later after Malick Thiaw hauled down Bayer captain Patrik Schick on the edge of the area. Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk initially pointed to the spot, but VAR informed him it was just outside the box and Thiaw will consider himself fortunate to only receive a yellow card in what was poor first-half from Howe’s side. 

There was a huge shift of momentum in the second-half, as Newcastle hounded and pressed the hosts, which paid dividends when Nick Woltemade – playing his first game back on home soil following his summer move to St James’ Park – caused Bayer keeper Mark Flekken to panic and haul down the striker to concede a penalty, which Gordon swept home with aplomb. That strike means Gordon is just the second Newcastle player to score five or more goals in a single season in the Champions League, alongside Alan Shearer in 2002-03. 

Joelinton hobbled off in the 60th minute, to be replaced by Lewis Miley, who provided Newcastle’s second goal just 14 minutes after coming on after he bravely leapt high above the Leverkusen defence to nod home a fantastic cross from Gordon. Howe’s side pressed for a third and both Jacob Murphy and Gordon saw shots hit the post. The Magpies were left to rue those missed chances, though, as Leverkusen struck with two minutes remaining, a neat one-two on the edge of the box allowing Grimaldo to fire low past Ramsdale. 

The draw leaves Howe's side 12th in the table and hopeful of qualifying for the Champions League knockouts with PSV at home and Paris Saint-Germain away to come in the New Year.

GOAL rates Newcastle's players from the BayArena…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Aaron Ramsdale (8/10):

  Was called into action regularly all evening and did well to block the vast majority of the shots which came his way. Nothing he could do about Leverkusen's goal, the deflection completely flat-footed him. Will be disappointed the second goal managed to squirm underneath his body. 

  Lewis Hall (7/10):

  An excellent evening, was kept on his toes all evening and threw his body on the line towards the end of the match. 

  Malick Thiaw (6/10):

  Very lucky not to be shown a red card and concede a penalty midway through the first half, but his grab on Schick was just outside the box. 

  Dan Burn (7/10):

  A towering presence at the back, covered the miles and was called on to put in a some lung-busting runs to cover his defence when exposed. 

  Tino Livramento (7/10):

  A decent evening, didn't put a foot wrong. Steady, if not inspiring performance. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Bruno Guimaraes (7/10):

  Awarded the own goal which came in the 13th minute, but he knew nothing about it as the ball ricocheted off his backside and past Ramsdale. Was full of running all evening. 

  Sandro Tonali (6/10):

  A subdued evening for the Italian, whose slip on the edge of the opposition box almost led to a second for Leverkusen. Was generally a composed presence in midfield. 

  Joelinton (6/10):

  Like many of his team-mates, he endured a quiet first-half, but looked keen to get on the ball after the break. But picked up a knock and was taken off on the hour. 

• AFP
  

  Attack

  Anthony Gordon (9/10):

  Fired home the penalty will real confidence, calm in a clutch moment for his side. Andso unlucky to give his side the lead, but saw his low drive in cannon off the post. 

  Harvey Barnes (7/10):

  A bundle of energy all evening and looked determined to provide the moment of quality Newcastle were searching for. Hooked off in the 78th minute. 

  Nick Woltemade (8/10):

  Endured a difficult first-half, but it was his pressing early in the second which earned Newcastle their penalty. Had chances to score himself, but it wasn't his night. 

• AFP
  

  Subs & Manager

  Lewis Miley (8/10):

  Brought on in the 60th minute, to replace Joelinton and was excellent in his work, covering acres in midfield and providing cover for defence. Huge beam spread across his face after heading home a superb cross from Gordon. 

  Jacob Murphy (6/10):

  Enjoyed plenty of the ball when he came on to replace Barnes in the 78th minute. 

  Jacob Ramsey (N/A):

  Brought on to replace Gordon in the dying seconds of the match. 

  Yoane Wissa (N/A):

  Was brought on in time added on, not enough time to influence the match. 

  Eddie Howe (7/10):

  Will be pleased with the way his team improved in the second-half, but frustrated they didn't kill off the match when they had the opportunities. 

Manchester City are firmly in the Premier League title race and could bring a high-profile star to the Etihad Stadium in January after Pep Guardiola hatched a plan to land his signature.

Manchester City move on after seeing off Leeds United

Truthfully, Manchester City didn’t put on their best display against Leeds United. However, they will be delighted by the end result as Phil Foden’s classy winner prevented back-to-back defeats after losing out at Newcastle United.

Title races are never straightforward and always require steel in the face of uncertainty, albeit Guardiola reserved special praise for the scorer of the Citizens’ crowning strike as they kept on track in pursuit of the top-flight crown.

“It’s not the first time we saw that. A thousand, thousand, million times he’s done it. The quality, shooting, strong. Like his goal against West Ham to win the Premier League. Phil has to be around the box. Shoot or pass. His finishing is so quick. Phil is doing a really good season.”

Back-to-back blanks in front of goal for Erling Haaland may be a sign that more needs to be done in the way of recruiting someone to plug the gaps at the top end of the field. Still, Omar Marmoush is likely to be given more opportunities as the season continues to unfold.

Keeping pace at the top will require investment in January, especially given the Citizens’ rivals are likely to strengthen after a bruising festive period, which is set to stretch everyone’s squad to the limit.

Finding solutions when certain sources of goals dry up will be the challenge for all title contenders, not just Manchester City, but they could be the ones set to benefit early on in the January window if the Sky Blues can wrap up an exciting deal.

Elliot Anderson is one of their main targets but there are other irons in the fire.

Man City keen to activate Antoine Semenyo's release clause

According to The Times, Manchester City are exploring a move for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

They are considering activating the winger’s £65m release clause on New Year’s Day, potentially beating other suitors to sign the Ghana international.

Although not set in stone, there is a feeling at the club that bringing in the Cherries attacker could be the difference in their hunt for the Premier League title, an opinion that many will share after his flying start to the campaign.

Semenyo’s 2025/26 record – all competitions

Appearances

13

Goals

6

Assists

1

Dubbed “talented” by Jamie Redknapp, Semenyo has also created 15 chances and completed 21 dribbles on Premier League duty, per Fotmob, showcasing his appeal to suitors keen to tempt him away from the South Coast.

Now, it will be over to City officials as they aim to convince Semenyo that moving to Manchester is the best course of action for his career. On the face of it, playing a part in a title chase could be an appealing prospect.

Alongside Anderson: Man City open talks to sign "top-drawer" £70m star

The Citizens are in the market for attacking reinforcements and have now identified a Premier League star.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 30, 2025

In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.

Salah only signed a new two-year contract in April, but the "hurt" forward is now being heavily linked with a January switch to the Saudi Pro League, with Slot having suggested that he will not be reintegrated into the first team unless he apologises. Liverpool were already in the midst of a crisis after a disastrous start to their title defence, with Salah among those who have allowed their standards to dip significantly, but the noise around Anfield is near deafening now, and it remains to be seen if a harmonious resolution can be reached that helps the Reds salvage their campaign.

It has to be said, though, that dressing room bust-ups like this are nothing new. Below, GOAL goes through the most infamous rows between managers and players in modern football…

• Getty/GOAL composite
  

  Sir Alex Ferguson vs David Beckham

  Perhaps the most infamous manager-player feud of all time. With Manchester United trailing 2-0 at half-time in a 2003 FA Cup tie against bitter rivals Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson dished out a few angry words during the interval.

  At one point, he singled out David Beckham, who the United boss believed had been taking his foot off the pedal as he closed in on a move to Real Madrid. As Ferguson approached the player, he kicked a boot into his face, with the resulting cut requiring several stitches.

  The next day, photos of Beckham's wound was all over the newspapers. Ferguson revealed in his autobiography that the incident convinced him he was losing control of the dressing room and he implored the board to sell the midfielder as soon as possible. They duly obliged, with Beckham moving to Santiago Bernabeu that summer.

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• Getty/GOAL composite
  

  Jose Mourinho vs Paul Pogba

  In the immediate months following Paul Pogba's big-money return to Old Trafford, his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho was all sunshines and rainbows. However, during the 2017-18 season, the mask began to slip.

  At the beginning of the following season, Mourinho took the vice-captaincy off the player. The decision came after months of reports that the pair's relationship had become irrevocably damaged, with the duo clashing on the training ground in a video captured in September 2018.

  Mourinho was sacked soon after, but that was not the end of the feud. In April 2021, after the Portuguese had taken over at Tottenham, Pogba launched a scathing attack on his former manager, telling : "Once I had a great relationship with Mourinho. Everybody saw that and the next day you don’t know what happened. That’s the strange thing I had with Mourinho and I cannot explain to you because even I don’t know."

  Mourinho did not accept Pogba's version of events, though, replying: "I would like to say that I couldn't care less with what he says. I am not interested at all."

• Getty
  

  Pep Guardiola vs Zlatan Ibrahimovic

  The biggest personality clash in the history of the game? It could well be.

  In theory, Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have made Pep Guardiola's brilliant Barcelona side even better when he joined the treble-winners from Inter in 2009, and the early signs were promising. Guardiola has even acknowledged himself that the towering and technically gifted forward was "excellent" for the first half of the season. The problem was that their relationship completely collapsed during the second half of the campaign.

  Ibrahimovic had never felt quite at home in what he perceived as a school-like set-up at Barca in which everyone obeyed the man he sarcastically referred to as ‘The Philosopher’, and the outspoken Swede began to throw tantrums after effectively losing his starting spot to Lionel Messi, whom Guardiola decided to deploy as a 'false nine'. Ibrahimovic even accused the Catalan coach of having "no balls" and "sh*tting himself" in front of Jose Mourinho when Barca faced Inter in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

  While Guardiola has since refused to throw any more fuel on the fire, Ibrahimovic has never shied away from blaming the former Blaugrana boss for him spending just one season at Camp Nou before returning to San Siro – only this time to play for AC Milan.

  "The problem wasn’t with me, it was with him, and he never came to terms with it," Ibrahimovic subsequently stated. "I don’t know what his problem was with me."

• Getty Images
  

  Roberto Mancini vs Mario Balotelli

  "I can understand [if some players are frustrated]. I told [Mario Balotelli] that if you played with me 10 years ago I give to you every day maybe one punch in your head. But there are different ways to help guys like Mario."

  That was how Roberto Mancini summed up working with Balotelli at Manchester City, with the pair colliding on more than one occasion. Even if the manager did keep faith in the centre-forward through a lot of the chaos, with his favouritism even frustrating some members of the squad, this was certainly a love-hate relationship.

  During a pre-season friendly against LA Galaxy in 2011, the Italian coach dragged the striker off after he bizarrely attempted – and missed – an audacious backheel, instead of tapping the ball into an empty net. In January 2013, the odd couple even came to blows on the training ground after the striker put in a crunching tackle on team-mate Gael Clichy.

  Then, in 2023 when Mancini was Italy manager, and ignored the good form of Balotelli to call up uncapped, Argentina-born striker Mateo Retegui, the then-FC Sion striker appeared to aim a jibe at his ex-City boss on Instagram. There's clearly no love lost between the pair.

New Zealand’s bowling spearhead Matt Henry (calf strain), seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith (side strain) and spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner (groin injury) have all been ruled out of the rest of the home Test series against West Indies.Glenn Phillips, who joined the squad in Christchurch early as a substitute fielder, has officially been added to the Test squad for the remainder of the series, New Zealand Cricket confirmed. This after he proved his match fitness in the Plunket Shield before joining the squad for the first Test, and he could be in contention to be selected in the XI for the second Test.In another bit of good news for New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell, who put in a long shift as a substitute fielder in the first Test, is set to be available for the second and slot back in as their middle-order mainstay.Related

• Plunket Shield: Glenn Phillips impresses on return from injury

• Michael Rae called up to bolster injury-hit New Zealand attack

• Blundell, Smith, Henry sustain injuries in Christchurch

Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell had already been sidelined from the second Test in Wellington after suffering a hamstring injury while batting on day one in Christchurch. Mitchell Hay has been added to the squad and could make his Test debut.Also, a day after uncapped seamer Michael Rae was called up to the Test squad, Kristian Clarke, a seam-bowling allrounder from Northern Districts, was added to it. With Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke managing “return to play” protocols, New Zealand were left scrambling for last-minute replacements, with the Wellington Test set to begin on November 10.Both Rae and Clarke were pulled out of the third round of the Plunket Shield. Clarke didn’t bowl for ND in the final innings against Otago in Hamilton, with rookie James Naylor stepping in as his replacement.Clarke, 24, is uncapped in Test cricket, but was recently part of the ODI series against England as a replacement player after Henry had suffered a separate calf injury. He has now earned his maiden Test call-up as a like-for-like replacement for Smith.Kristian Clarke could be in line for a Test debut•Getty Images

“On the cricket field, I’m a bowling allrounder, you know, and I pride myself on trying to offer as much as I can in the game,” Clarke said in October after breaking into the ODI side. “I just want to be a good person around the group also and just offer as much as I can.”Clarke has played 27 first-class games so far, taking 77 wickets at an average of 33 and scoring 893 runs at an average of 23.50. He was also part of a New Zealand A tour to Bangladesh during the winter. Though bowling is his primary skill, Kristian is also a capable batter and had notched up his maiden century in senior cricket, against Central Districts in the one-day Ford Trophy, in October.Clarke hails from Te Awamutu, a small town in the Waikato region and played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup before rising up the ranks in New Zealand cricket. His brother Matti Clarke has also played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup.Daryl Mitchell could be back in action in the second Test against West Indies•Getty Images

“Yeah, so [I was] born and raised in Te Awamutu, [and I] still live in Te Awamutu, still at home,” Clarke said. “I hold Te Amuru very dear to my heart – it’s a cool little town and yeah, quiet little place. Just sort of grew up through the cricket system there and then yeah, sort of just went from there.”While Blair Tickner, who was the reserve seamer at Hagley Oval, comes into the selection frame for Wellington, there might be a toss-up between Rae and Clarke for a potential Test debut at Basin Reserve.The first Test was drawn after West Indies, faced with a 530-run deficit in the fourth innings, held on for 163.3 overs to pull off a draw, with Justin Greaves (202 not out) and Shai Hope (140) their main men with the bat

New Zealand squad for second Test vs West Indies

Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Michael Rae, Kristian Clarke

Bumrah and Hardik went full-tilt at the nets, while Suryakumar eased himself back into post-surgery rhythm

Shashank Kishore05-Sep-202513:47

Runorder: What is India’s best XI for the Asia Cup?

“Stiff legs,” Shubman Gill teased, as Jasprit Bumrah darted around the ICC Academy Oval in Dubai – sprinting, diving and cutting off angles, much to the delight of fielding coach T Dilip. Bumrah jokingly waved Gill away as he continued his drills.Watching and clapping from afar was Sanju Samson, meditatively cross-legged after 30 minutes of batting in shirt-soaking humidity. It was well past 7pm, but the temperature was still hovering around 38 degrees Celsius.Samson was one of many India batters who had multiple stints at the nets. And much to the curiosity of those gathered, his stints came alongside those of Jitesh Sharma, with whom he will likely compete for a spot during India’s playing XI in the Asia Cup 2025. Jitesh, for what it’s worth, also got through a proper keeping workout – catches, drills, footwork – while Samson watched on.Related

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Perhaps Jitesh was making up for lost time. His most recent bout of competitive cricket was in June, at the Vidarbha Pro T20, soon after a memorable IPL-winning campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Maybe Samson was saving his legs after playing four games back-to-back only last week at the Kerala Cricket League. Either way, Friday’s vibe was more first day of school than selection day.Long before they got to the nets, the team got through warm-up stretches, shuttle runs, high knees and soft throws, with trainer Adrian Le Roux often reminding them: “75% intensity!” (though Bumrah seemed to ignore that memo when he steamed in, full throttle, to Gill in the nets a little later).File photo: Jasprit Bumrah steamed in full throttle to Shubman Gill in the nets•Getty ImagesAfter the fitness drills, all the batters (and Varun Chakravarthy) spent extensive time – upwards of 30 minutes – alternating between nets. A ball after being smashed through the covers off a half-volley, Bumrah bowled the perfect nip-backer to beat Gill. The cat-and-mouse game between the two was just getting started.Gill batted alongside Suryakumar Yadav, who was searching for his rhythm following a spell away recuperating from sports hernia surgery, and Jitesh. Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma had come out before them, armed with several bats, each seemingly meatier than the other, and went hammer and tongs.Alongside Bumrah, there was Hardik Pandya, – hair coloured blonde – who bowled 20 minutes non-stop at high pace. Also noticeable from afar was the attention India gave to Shivam Dube and Abhishek, the bowlers.While Abhishek bowled a mixture of traditional left-arm spin, wrist spin and his backspinner, bowling coach Morne Morkel kept a close eye on Dube’s action and delivery stride.

Indian team arrives for their first training session at the ICC Academy. pic.twitter.com/ZRsEOsvZ8Q

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) September 5, 2025