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Viktor Gyokeres knows exactly what Arsenal need to do in order to get their season back on track. The Gunners lost ground in the title race as they fell to just their second Premier League defeat of the season at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. Combined with Manchester City's win over Sunderland, Arsenal's lead at the top of the table has been cut to just two points.

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  Arsenal crashed to second league defeat of the season

  Villa went ahead with 10 minutes of the first half to play at Villa Park in Saturday's lunchtime kick off as Matty Cash rifled past David Raya from close range. Arsenal were level shortly after the restart as Leandro Trossard scored his fourth league goal of the season having been introduced at the break in the Midlands.

  However, the Villans threw a spanner in Arsenal's title pursuit as Emiliano Buendia scored a last-gasp winner for Unai Emery's side to condemn Arsenal to just their second league defeat of the season.

  The result means Arsenal have now won just two of their last five league matches, and the dip in form has seen their lead at the top of the Premier League table cut to just two points, with Manchester City hot on their heels. Star striker Gyokeres, meanwhile, has issued his demands to his teammates after Saturday's Midlands reverse.

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• Arsenal 'disappointed' with Villa defeat, claims Gyokeres

  After the game, Gyokeres delivered his verdict on the game and admitted that the dressing room was downbeat following the loss at Villa. "We are of course disappointed with the result," the Swede said after Saturday's defeat.

  "It’s not a great feeling right now, but it’s only December and there are a lot of games to play. You can always find some positives, but it’s still a very difficult way to lose a football game. It’s tough right now, but we’ll look forward to the next one soon."

  Gyokeres, who has endured a spell on the sidelines recently owing to a hamstring injury, has netted just four league goals following his arrival from Portuguese giants Sporting CP over the summer.

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  'We have to keep creating chances'

  The 27-year-old last scored in Arsenal's 2-0 win at Burnley last month, but insists that if the Gunners continue to create chances then the goals will flow.

  "We have to keep creating chances and get shots on goal because then you’ll eventually score more goals. So yes, that’s of course a positive and we just need to do things in between also a bit better," Gyokeres added after the Villa reverse.

  "It’s football. If you score in the last few seconds or minutes, that is an unbelievable feeling, so it goes both ways. Today, unfortunately, it was the other way. It’s tough, but you learn from it. If we focus on what we can control and do in our favour and focus on the next game, we’ll be better, I think."

  Arsenal now turn their attention to the Champions League as they take on Belgian side Club Brugge in midweek before they face winless Wolves at Molineux next weekend as the Gunners seek to get their title push back on track.

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• 'That's the league'

  Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, spoke about the impact of the defeat at Villa on Saturday, which combined with City's 3-0 win over Sunderland means the north London side sit just two points clear at the top of the table. "That's the league," Arteta started following the 2-1 defeat.

  "You go to Old Trafford, you go to St James Park, you go to Chelsea, you come here – we've been in a lot of difficult grounds and today the result could have been different.

  "The reality is not, and that's the step that we have to make. We've been 18 games unbeaten and still we are there, very close to each other. That's the level of the league and we know that.

  "That's the opportunity that we have ahead of us and that's it. Now it's time to bounce back. They have given me all the right reasons to think that we're going to continue to perform at the same level, because what the boys tried to do today, again, with the schedule that we had, it was amazing. So, [we] move on."

Suspended Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is in line for a surprise return to action next month after not featuring for over a year, according to reports.

Mykhailo Mudryk banned for positive drugs test

Mudryk’s absence from Chelsea’s first-team setup has now exceeded twelve months, with the Ukrainian international last appearing competitively on November 28 last year before his career ground to a dramatic halt.

The 24-year-old tested positive for meldonium, a performance-enhancing substance prohibited under anti-doping regulations.

Following confirmation of his B sample analysis in June, the FA formally charged Mudryk, leaving him facing a potential ban ranging between two and four years if found guilty.

Throughout the ordeal, Mudryk has maintained complete innocence, and even voluntarily undertook a lie detector test which supported his version of events.

Ukrainian sports journalists have theorised that contaminated stem cell treatment administered during international duty may explain the adverse finding, suggesting the injection originated from cattle previously exposed to meldonium.

Chelsea sanctioned the record £88.5 million transfer from Shakhtar in January 2023, initially viewing him as a transformative attacking signing after hijacking Arsenal’s deal.

However, his Stamford Bridge career proved underwhelming even before the suspension materialised, with inconsistent performances failing to justify the enormous investment.

The club reassigned his prestigious number ten shirt to Cole Palmer following Mudryk’s suspension, signalling their acceptance of a prolonged absence.

Chelsea also reinforced their attacking options by striking deals for Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens in the summer, further blocking any potential pathway back into Enzo Maresca’s plans.

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Chelsea could pick up their next Estevao.

By
Kelan Sarson

Dec 8, 2025

Reports have suggested that, once Mudryk is eligible to play again, Chelsea could allow the forward to join sister club Strasbourg on loan in a bid to reignite his career.

Mykhailo Mudryk in line for January return as Sevilla eye Chelsea loan deal

Now, according to journalist JM Villalba and Canal Sur Radio, that eligibility could be as early as next month.

Speaking to the Spanish broadcaster, Villalba has reported that Mudryk will be able to play again after January 17, and this has piqued interest from La Liga side Sevilla.

The club are considering a deal for Mudryk once he comes back midway through next month, which is a surprise when factoring in how very little we’ve heard about the winger’s return timeline.

If Mudryk is indeed eligible for a January renaissance, BlueCo should certainly green-light a temporary move away for him.

He quite simply needs game time and renewed confidence following the lengthy layoff, controversy and serious drop down Maresca’s pecking order, with the Spanish top flight potentially providing that needed reintroduction to competitive action.

That being said, it should be a dry loan with no option or obligation to buy, with Chelsea poised to make a key decision about Mudryk’s long-term future.

He still has six years remaining on his current contract, giving the Blues plenty of time to do so.

The American and National League's Rookie of the Year awards are—even by MLB award standards—difficult to handicap.

It's May 19—deep enough into the MLB season to see trends emerging—and it's not entirely certain that the potential winners are both in the majors. In 2013, Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Wil Myers won the AL award after debuting on June 18. In 2019, Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez won after a June 9 debut.

Nevertheless, now seems like a good time to start taking stock of the rookie crop. We’ll be doing this roughly every two weeks throughout the season, assessing the bodies of work of rookies currently at the game's top level. To come up with the top three first-year players in each league so far, we asked how are players faring in traditional metrics? What about OPS and FIP? WAR? Win probability added?

The result are the rankings you see before you, which don't necessarily reflect the hype afforded certain rookies. Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell has shown flashes—but –0.1 bWAR sticks out like a sore thumb (his 0.2 fWAR isn’t much better). So it goes for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki with an unsightly 4.72 ERA.

Let's dive in. All stats are updated entering Monday’s games.

American League

1. Jacob Wilson, shortstop, Athletics

What a start for the Athletics' 2023 first-round pick—suddenly the face of the team's much-maligned Sacramento sojourn. Last Tuesday, Wilson clubbed two home runs as his team romped 11–1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's slashing an otherworldly .337/.369/.478 with five homers, marrying old-school and new-school sensibilities as he leads the AL in singles and ranks fifth in offensive WAR. If the Sacramento team stays over .500, he'll remain in the spotlight.

2. Carlos Narváez, catcher, Boston Red Sox

He was already one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. Now he's starting to hit—far more so than co-catcher Connor Wong, the owner of a .156 batting average. Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora “continues to insist that catchers Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong are in a timeshare behind that plate." With Narváez slashing .382/.462/.529 in May, how much longer can that charade continue?

3. Jake Mangum, right fielder, Tampa Bay Rays

Mangum isn’t on most people’s radar for this award, and there’s good reason for that. He hasn't played since April 23 due to a groin strain, and in a quintessentially Raysian twist, he's 29 and has long been off prospect watchers' radars. However, his numbers are undeniably intriguing—0.8 bWAR in just 21 games, .338/.384/.397 slash line, eight steals, solid defense—and he’s set to begin a rehab assignment in the minors on Tuesday. Advanced metrics liked his start; let's see if healthier rookies pass him in the coming weeks.

Honorable Mention

Jasson Dominguez, LF, New York Yankees; Shane Smith, SP, Chicago White Sox; Grant Holman, RP, Athletics; Chandler Simpson, OF, Rays

National League

Mohamed Salah cannot tackle Liverpool’s crisis “head on” because he is not the same type of “leader” as former captain Steven Gerrard, according to ex-Reds striker Emile Heskey. The Egypt star has received criticism for not speaking to the media during a difficult run of form which has seen Arne Slot's men win just one of their last five games in all competitions.

• Liverpool have won just four of last 10 following Sunderland draw

  Hoping last Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win over West Ham could represent a new dawn, Liverpool were stopped in their tracks once again in a disappointing 1-1 draw with high-flying Sunderland on Wednesday.

  Regis Le Bris’ visitors took the lead thanks to winger Chemsdine Talbi’s 67th-minute strike, before Slot’s side rescued a point late on when Reds midfielder Florian Wirtz saw his strike deflect in off Black Cats defender Nordi Mukiele.

  The result means Liverpool have now won just four of their last 10 games in all competitions, with the Merseysiders currently sitting eighth in the Premier League table and 13th in the Champions League standings.

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  Star forward Salah questioned for lack of post-match interviews

  Looking to find the right balance to resurrect his side’s fortunes, manager Slot has started Salah on the bench for the last two league games against West Ham and Sunderland.

  While Liverpool have collectively dropped off in what has been alarming 2025-26 campaign so far, Salah has been a shadow of the player who sparkled in the previous season, inspiring the club to a 20th league title after scoring 29 goals and recording 18 assists in 38 glittering appearances.

  And while Salah’s uncharacteristic performances have raised eyebrows, the 33-year-old’s leadership has also been questioned in recent weeks. 

  Having sought out the media to express his disappointment at not initially being offered a new contract by Liverpool last season, Salah is yet to address supporters amid the club’s sharp decline this term, with captain Virgil van Dijk handling the majority of post-match interviews.

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  Reds legend Carragher criticises Salah's silence amid poor form

  And that is something which has not gone down well with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who told in November: "I think Virgil van Dijk, after the game, has come out again and spoke, as he should do as a captain, he's called Liverpool a mess. 

  “I must say, on the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out. And as I said, the captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room coming out and speaking for the club. A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn't shy in coming out and speaking about his own situation, about the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match, or he needs a new contract. 

  “I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, as one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. It shouldn't always be the captain.

  “But, obviously, the manager is the one in the firing line. Any manager with results like that, as you said, if they were part of the bottom four or a promoted team, they would be under pressure. So there's no doubt the manager is under pressure now with results like that, on the back of being champions, but also on the fact of what Liverpool spent in the summer.”

  Carragher – who made 737 appearances for Liverpool, winning 11 trophies – called Salah "selfish" for publicly voicing his frustration over his contract saga last season. He subsequently went on to sign a new two-year deal in April.

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  Ex-Liverpool striker says Salah is not cut from same cloth as Gerrard

  However, one man who doesn’t quite agree with Carragher is his former Liverpool team-mate Heskey, who represented the club between 2000 and 2004. 

  While acknowledging that Salah should “stand up and face the criticism”, Heskey says he expects the former Chelsea and Roma forward to do so on the pitch, insisting he is not cut from the same cloth as Van Dijk and Gerrard, who captained the club from 2003 to 2015.

  Speaking to sports betting site Heskey said: “Liverpool are preparing for life after Mohamed Salah. I’d be surprised if they haven't been preparing for that since the beginning of the season. Because he’s probably got just under two years left in his contract and he’s well into his thirties.

  “It will be a big change for Liverpool when Salah no longer features on a regular basis. Arne Slot will be looking at different formations and styles once he’s phased out of the starting XI.

  “On the criticism he’s received recently about not coming forward to the media about the poor run of form, you’ve got to remember he’s not the same type of leader as perhaps Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard were. 

  “The likes of Virgil van Dijk or even Curtis Jones will come out and speak and tackle the situation head on – that’s not Salah. Even when he was flying, I don’t think he spoke much. But as senior player, it’s his role to stand up and face the criticism.”

There has been a major update on the future of Nottingham Forest’s Arnaud Kalimuendo, with three clubs now keen on securing his signature in the January transfer window.

The forward has featured just twice since the arrival of Sean Dyche, being brought on as a late substitute in the 2-0 Premier League defeat at AFC Bournemouth at the end of October, before going to start in the 0-0 draw against Sturm Graz in the Europa League.

It would be fair to say the 23-year-old struggled to make an impact against the Austrian side, however, recording an xG of just 0.16 and touching the ball 22 times, the lowest of any Forest player that started the match.

The summer signing was also uninvolved in the statement 3-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, failing to make it off the bench as the Tricky Trees romped home to an easy win, and there has now been a new update on his future at the City Ground…

Update on Arnaud Kalimuendo's future at Nottingham Forest

According to a report from France (via Sport Witness), Kalimuendo’s time at Nottingham Forest is now coming to an ‘abrupt end’, with an ‘abrupt’ exit on the cards, amid interest from the likes of Paris FC, Stuttgart and AS Roma.

The three clubs from across Europe are queuing up for the striker’s signature, with his lack of game time sparking widespread interest from elsewhere, having not yet started a single game in the Premier League so far this season.

The Frenchman may be set to receive even fewer minutes going forward, given that Dyche recently offered a promising update on when a fellow striker could return from injury, saying: “Chris Wood is getting re-scanned, so we are checking up on that. But it is good news so far. Being re-scanned is just part of the process,

“There is nothing untoward about it — it is just a check-up.”

The Forest boss will no doubt be hoping the New Zealand international is able to make a comeback soon, given that Igor Jesus hasn’t exactly set the world alight as of late, having failed to score in his opening 11 Premier League matches this season.

Ultimately, Kalimuendo’s move to the City Ground hasn’t worked out, with Nuno, Ange Postecoglou and now Dyche deciding against giving the centre-forward a run in the side, which suggests he hasn’t been doing enough in training to merit a start.

As such, it may be a wise move to cash-in on the £60k-a-week forward in the January transfer window, in order to reinvest the money into other areas of the squad, with Forest still not out of the woods in the relegation battle, despite moving up to 16th place with the victory over Liverpool.

Sean Dyche personally requests January signing of "fantastic" colossus

Sean Dyche now requests Nottingham Forest sign "fantastic" colossus in January

The Forest manager has specifically asked the board to bring in a new defender, who could be his first signing.

By
Dominic Lund

Nov 20, 2025

Max Scherzer managed just 45 pitches before being pulled from his first start with the Toronto Blue Jays, and now the veteran right-hander is set for a stint on the injured list.

The Blue Jays announced they have placed Scherzer on the 15-day IL with what the team described as right thumb inflammation. Toronto promoted left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Scherzer threw just three innings on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles and surrendered two home runs in the opening frame. He struck out one batter and gave up three hits without a walk.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that Scherzer will see a specialist for a closer look at the issue with his hand. It's not immediately clear if the 40-year-old will be ready to return from IL after 15 days.

The three-time Cy Young winner signed with Toronto during the offseason after spending the 2024 season with the Texas Rangers. Injuries have plagued him throughout the last few seasons, limiting him to just 19 starts in 2023 and nine starts in '24. Now, after one appearance in '25, Scherzer already finds himself shelved with a hand ailment.

Former Netherlands and Real Madrid star Wesley Sneijder has claimed it's "possible" that Lamine Yamal will surpass Lionel Messi, while predicting that the Barcelona wonderkid will stay at the club until at least 2035. At just 18, Yamal has already established himself as one of the top players in the world, finishing second to Ousmane Dembele in the race for the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

• Yamal's injury struggles after stellar 2024-25 season

  After a terrific 2024-25 campaign, where Yamal helped Barcelona win a domestic treble and reach the Champions League semi-finals, the teenage sensation has been plagued by injury issues in the first half of the new season. In September and October, Yamal missed four La Liga games due to a groin problem, which was later diagnosed as pubalgia – a chronic groin injury stemming from a tear in the surrounding soft tissue. 

  Just when it seemed that Yamal was slowly recovering from the setback, he was forced to withdraw from the latest Spain squad. He is, however, expected to make a full recovery in time for Barcelona's hectic festive schedule. Despite the fitness woes, Yamal has racked up 11 goal contributions in 11 appearances across all competitions so far this term.

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  Sneijder backs Yamal to surpass Messi

  Yamal has long been billed as the successor to Messi's throne at Barcelona, and Dutch legend Sneijder believes the Spaniard could even eclipse the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. The former Ajax midfielder also thinks Yamal will resist any transfer temptation for at least the next decade.

  Speaking to , Sneijder said: "We speak about whether Lamine Yamal can be Messi one day, well Lamine Yamal at Barcelona is the new Messi. They will never let him go and I think, I believe, that the kid would never want to leave. He’s been there since he was a youngster and he’s already achieved so much as a first team player. He’s earned a lot of money. He’s a big star of the team. Why would you consider going to England or Germany or wherever else? It doesn’t make any sense. 

  "Maybe he will leave later like Messi did to go and try some new experiences but it is 2025. If we speak again in 10 years time, Lamine Yamal will still be at Barcelona. Can Yamal reach Messi’s level or even go beyond him to become a better player? It’s possible. Players improve every year and he is already at such a high level."

• Yamal excited to play at Camp Nou

  Barcelona are gearing up to return to Camp Nou for the first time since its closure in 2023, with an extensive refurbishment almost complete. Yamal expressed his excitement about playing at the newly renovated ground in a social media post. He said, "Special nights are coming," before zooming in on Camp Nou with his phone camera.

  Messi, meanwhile, caused a stir when making a secret visit to the ground at the start of the November international break.

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  Next up for Yamal: Athletic Club & blockbuster Chelsea clash

  After staying away from Camp Nou for two years, Barcelona could return to their iconic venue this Saturday when they face Athletic Club in La Liga with a reduced capacity of around 30,000. Barca hope to have the entire stadium open at full 62,000 capacity by the end of the year. 

  Yamal is expected to be fit for the clash with Athletic Club, which Barca must win to keep pace with arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table. After their latest domestic outing, Hansi Flick's side will start preparing for a blockbuster Champions League encounter against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

He might not have the big trophies just yet, but Mikel Arteta has already achieved a lot at Arsenal.

He has taken a club that was spiralling into competitive irrelevance and turned them into serious contenders for the Premier League and Champions League.

Furthermore, on several occasions, he has helped revitalise the careers of players most considered to be done at the very highest level.

He has done the same this year, with someone who only last year received some particularly scathing criticism.

The best career revivals at Arsenal

When it comes to redemption stories at Arsenal, the one everyone will think of first, and rightly so, is Granit Xhaka’s.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

The Swiss international famously fell foul of the Emirates faithful in late 2019 when, as he was being jeered, he threw the armband and his shirt to the floor while swearing at the supporters.

At the time, it looked like his time in N5 was up, and were it not for the Spaniard, it probably would have been.

The midfielder would later tell the press that “my suitcases were packed, but I had a meeting with Mikel when he came” and that “he [Arteta] is the reason why I’m still at this football club.”

Over the next few years, the passionate international would slowly win the fans back onside, and by the time his final game came at the end of the 22/23 season, the entire Emirates was singing his name, and seemed desperate for him to stay.

Another player whose career has been revived in N5 is Kai Havertz.

The German wasn’t taken particularly seriously when he made his surprise move to the club in 2023, and the fact that he struggled to have an impact in the first half of that season certainly didn’t help.

In fact, just a month into the campaign, former professional Gabby Agbonlahor described the former Bayer Leverkusen man as a “joke.”

However, a move up front completely changed the game for the struggling player, and in 18 starts as a centre-forward, the “magnificent” ace, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored eight goals and provided seven assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.20 games.

Then last season, despite being ruled out halfway through, he still managed to score 15 goals and provide five assists in 36 games.

In all, Havertz might not be Arsenal’s best player, but his revival under Arteta is undeniably impressive, and now another player previously written off is starting to show his best form again this season.

The Arsenal star who is now undroppable

The good news for Arsenal is that there are more than a handful of players who are currently undroppable, although few would have expected Leandro Trossard to be among them at the start of the season.

Now, the £90k-per-week Belgian is an undeniably talented player, but it would be fair to say that he underwhelmed last season.

While it took him just 46 games to produce 20 goal involvements the previous year, it took 56 games to produce the same number last season.

Moreover, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star was simply having less of an impact on games, unless, of course, you include the red card he picked up against Manchester City, for which Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville blasted him. The latter notably labelled the situation as “ridiculous.”

The 30-year-old was such a disappointment that by the end of the season, fans seemed alright with moving him on to sign someone more dynamic, and based on reports, it looked like that might have been the club’s plan.

However, such a move never transpired, and fans should be delighted about that, as so far this season, he has been utterly superb.

For example, in just 14 appearances, totalling 832 minutes, the Waterschei-born “little magician,” as dubbed by Arteta, has scored four goals and provided four assists.

In other words, he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.75 games, or every 104 minutes, which is a rate of return not even Bukay Saka can match at the moment.

It’s not just his raw numbers that have improved, though; he is also having far more of an influence in games.

For example, while his thunderous effort against Sunderland caught everyone’s attention, he played brilliantly throughout.

Ultimately, it’s early in the season, but as things stand, Trossard is utterly undroppable and looks like another player Arteta has revived.

Arsenal dealt Martin Odegaard injury blow after three-word Norway update

The Gunners captain was reported to be eyeing a return against Tottenham.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 13, 2025

Justin Verlander is set to return to MLB for a 20th season in the bigs, only it won't be with the Houston Astros.

The three-time Cy Young winner has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal is worth $15 million, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

Verlander turns 42 in February, but he's not quite ready to call it a career just yet. An All-Star as recently as 2022, Verlander is determined to prove he's still got enough left in the tank for another run at a World Series title, and the future Hall of Famer intends to do so in San Francisco.

Last season, Verlander made 17 starts for the Astros, recording a 5.48 ERA while striking out 74 batters across 90 1/3 innings. It was the worst statistical season of his career and the only time he's recorded a negative WAR throughout his 19 seasons as a pro.

He figures to slot in to the back end of the Giants' rotation, which also consists of Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. Verlander brings plenty of pedigree to the Bay. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he's registered 262 wins and appeared in 526 games in his esteemed career.

The Giants are the fourth franchise he'll have played for in MLB, having previously spent time with the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets and Astros.

Newcastle United struck victory late on against Fulham to escape from the lower levels of the Premier League and build on the Champions League victory over Benfica, which reminded fans of their attacking quality.

Though injury-hit Fulham proved pests at St. James’ Park on Saturday, nearly escaping with the spoils shared before Bruno Guimaraes’ late goal, slotted smoothly into the net after fine work from substitute William Osula, Benfica were outclassed, and Eddie Howe is beginning to get a tune out of his side.

The Magpies are all about evolution, and the rise of Sandro Tonali and Lewis Miley’s newfound confidence have seen the midfield refashioned, a glimpse of things to come shown over these past few weeks.

But evolution may come at some players’ expense, and Joelinton’s place in the Tyneside engine room is not quite so nailed-on as it once was.

Joelinton's Newcastle future

Joelinton’s is one of the most rousing success stories in the Premier League. Written off after his first couple of seasons in Newcastle as the club’s record signing, the wasteful striker has been repurposed as a physical beast of a midfielder, combining strength and smartness to bulldoze through to the final third.

But the 29-year-old has lacked clarity this season, and Miley’s form at number six and Jacob Murphy’s hints of promise in a dynamic midfield berth suggest the Brazil international may not be quite as indispensable as he once was.

Indeed, United blogger Thomas Hammond has even gone as far as to suggest that Joelinton might have reached “the start of the end”, still as crafty and physical as ever, but undoubtedly the weakest link in a midfield also comprised of Guimaraes and Tonali.

Joelinton has played 11 matches in all competitions this season, and he has only scored twice, both strikes coming against Bradford City in the Carabao Cup.

This is a natural part of any footballer’s career. Joelinton has plied his trade for the club for five years, and he has been an instrumental part of the rise.

But he’s not the only one who might be on borrowed time. In fact, there’s a mainstay who’s been on Tyneside for even longer, and he too is in danger of being replaced.

The Newcastle "legend" on borrowed time

Newcastle have signed some corkers over the past four years, but Howe’s brilliance can be found in the rebirth of several existing stars.

Joelinton is one, while Jacob Murphy is a marvel in polishing his skillset and becoming a purposeful player in a European squad. But Fabian Schar’s rise is just as impressive.

Once hailed as a “walking mistake” by journalist John Gibson, the 33-year-old arrived on a three-year deal from Deportivo La Coruna in 2018 for a nominal fee and ebbed and flowed through those first years on Tyneside.

But he kept working and won Howe over when the English tactician was appointed, not only with 237 total appearances in black and white to his name, but with 21 goals and ten assists and only Guimaraes above him on the outing tally since Howe’s arrival.

But for all this experience, Newcastle’s newbies are starting to shine. Take Malick Thiaw, who arrived from AC Milan in a £34m deal this summer and has won Tyneside over with strong and dynamic defensive performances. The 24-year-old exudes composure and style on the ball.

A continuation of these five-star displays may make Schar’s berth in the team somewhat redundant. The Swiss international, after all, had sat through three of his past four available fixtures on the bench before being used as a second-half substitute during the weekend win over Fulham.

For Schar and Dan Burn to have forged such a steely alliance at the back is quite the thing. Below you see the partnership listed among the division’s greatest, and that duo have worked wonders in spite of injuries to the likes of Sven Botman.

As things stand, Schar, hailed as a “true legend of the club” by one Newcastle content creator, is among the list of ageing Newcastle players who face the end of their Toon careers come the close of the campaign.

Howe has rooted his project in the experience and intelligence of his mature squad, but with the likes of Guimaraes and Tonali and Botman all younger but cultured members of the squad, it may be that veterans such as Schar could depart having given so much to the city, and leaving at the right time at that.

Whether the defender pens another extension on his current deal remains to be seen, but there’s no question that his significance in Howe’s squad is diminishing after many years of tireless service.

He is less than two months away from his 34th birthday, and while there’s a sense he could still play a part in Newcastle’s journey, Schar may grow warm to the prospect of trying his hand somewhere new before the autumn years of his career.

like Joelinton, Schar might be on borrowed time, with signs that he is falling from a once-untouchable position in Howe’s line-up. But, as with Joelinton, the Switzerland native has worked so hard over the past several years, and if he is approaching the final stretch, he would leave with his head held high and with silverware in tow.

Newcastle's “outstanding” talent can help Woltemade reach Shearer levels

Eddie Howe has an outstanding star at his disposal at Newcastle United who can help Nick Woltemade reach Alan Shearer levels.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 28, 2025