The dramatic pushing and shoving match between Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane has been settled once and for all with a boxing bout at the club's training base, but all is not what it seems. The pair came to blows and Gueye was shown a straight red card during the Toffees' 1-0 win over Manchester United and have resorted to the old fight game to settle the score.
An active Test cricketer choosing T20 franchise over Ashes tour is unprecedented development
Matt Roller01-Sep-2025Has a single training session ever revealed so much about the state of English cricket? England’s preparation for Tuesday’s ODI against South Africa started at 9am in Leeds with one-third of their squad still in London after playing in the Hundred final. Then, two hours later, one of the few players present told the world he was quitting red-ball cricket indefinitely.Harry Brook said he was “a little bit shocked” to learn of Jamie Overton’s decision, barely two months before an Ashes series for which he would very likely have been picked. But a glance around Headingley would have confirmed that things are not what they used to be: cricket’s scheduling has never been perfect, but gaps between series have never been shorter.Brook’s own schedule has been packed enough. Since the start of England’s home summer on May 22, he has played six Tests, six white-ball internationals and nine Hundred games: the tournament itself began just 24 hours after Brook’s involvement in the epic fifth Test against India. His post-match media commitments finished late on Saturday night at The Oval after a washed-out Eliminator; his pre-match press conference for an ODI series barely 36 hours later.It is just another example of a fixture list that is fundamentally flawed, and gives players little chance of performing at their best. “In an ideal world, we’d have liked to meet up yesterday and train yesterday, [then] train today and go into the game as a group,” Brook said. “But nobody is short of cricket, that’s for sure.”South Africa’s own preparation has been slightly smoother, despite the dislocation of a long-haul flight from Cairns last week following their brief tour to Australia. “The first couple of days were about the guys recovering, getting over jetlag,” Temba Bavuma, their captain, said. “We’ve had our practice sessions – gym, on the field – and a bit of leisure for the boys.”Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum have much to ponder ahead of the white-ball series against South Africa•PA Photos/Getty ImagesEven still, there are other “distractions” – as Bavuma put it – lingering in the background. “Guys always have one eye on what is happening in the Hundred, with the final happening yesterday, there’s the auction [next Tuesday] with the SA20… That’s the life of an international cricketer. It’s just part of the package.”Bizarrely, in light of England’s last-minute preparation, South Africa did not consider David Miller for selection since he was playing alongside Brook at Northern Superchargers at the start of their preparation period, though he remains in their longer-term plans. After losing one key pillar of their middle order to the franchise circuit in Heinrich Klaasen, they cannot risk losing another.The ECB’s financial clout has staved off the same threat for a long while, but Overton’s announcement was a landmark moment. A handful of England players have skipped tours to maximise their franchise earnings in the past, but an active Test cricketer effectively opting out of an Ashes tour to play T20 instead is unprecedented.It took Rob Key, England’s managing director, by surprise: he described the news as “unexpected” and “sad to see” while effectively confirming that he would have been named in the squad to tour Australia. “He would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future… It serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in.”It is also further confirmation that Key’s grand plan to create a stable of all-format fast bowlers to emulate Australia’s ‘big three’ is a chimera: Mark Wood last played in February, Brydon Carse had to withdraw from the Hundred to manage his body, and Gus Atkinson’s stock as a white-ball bowler has fallen sharply. Remarkably, Jofra Archer has become England’s most durable quick across formats.Related
Olly Stone joins Middlesex on loan in bid to boost Ashes prospects
Sam Curran added to England T20I squads as Ben Duckett takes break
Sonny Baker set for England ODI debut against South Africa
Miller 'within the mix' in South Africa's ODI plans
Jamie Overton out of Ashes amid 'indefinite break' from red-ball cricket
Overton can hardly be blamed for his decision. He toiled hard against India at The Oval but his body struggled to cope, and he would likely have carried the drinks in Australia in any case. That would have meant sacrificing the majority of his lucrative Big Bash contract with Adelaide Strikers – and, had he played, risking an injury that could have ruled him out for some time.The pull of the Ashes will remain strong enough for the majority of England players but, at 31, Overton has decided that the potential benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks. He described it as “accepting reality” in a interview; that alone should prompt a minor rejig of England’s contract system, addressing the imbalance between annual retainers and tour fees.Brook is viewing this week’s series as a chance to “create an environment where we’re working towards something” in the same way that Eoin Morgan did before the 2019 World Cup, putting his focus on the same event in 2027. It is an admirable ambition, but the gradual erosion of the relevance of bilateral international series may soon wear them down entirely.It will be easy enough to ignore the warning signs on Tuesday, when two strong sides face off in front of a good crowd at Headingley and the cricket itself takes over. But if England learned anything at all from Monday morning’s thinly-attended training session, it is that they too are vulnerable to the same forces that have already reshaped the rest of the global game.
Real Madrid's iconic Bernabeu stadium is gearing up to host its first-ever NFL match as Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders are set to lock horns in the Spanish capital on Sunday. The event marks a major step in the NFL's expansion into Europe as the Bernabeu follows in the footsteps of Wembley Stadium, which first held an NFL encounter in 2007.
Real Madrid set to host NFL game after €1.6b makeover
The Bernabeu underwent a major transformation earlier this decade as the club spent a whopping €1.6 billion (£1.4b/$1.8b) to add new features to the venue, including a retractable roof, retractable pitch and lots of new commercial space, as well as VIP and hospitality facilities. Ahead of the NFL clash between Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders, Madrid shared a glimpse of the transformation.
AdvertisementWatch the clip
Why is Real Madrid hosting NFL match?
Following the massive spending to upgrade the venue, Madrid now plans to maximise their revenue from the new facilities. The club get paid for renting their stadium to the NFL, while they also get a small share of the ticket sales.
From the NFL's point of view, this is another step to increase the game's popularity internationally. This is the final NFL game that will be hosted outside the United States of America. Earlier NFL had hosted matches in Sao Paulo, Dublin, London (which hosted three games) and Berlin.
For the Dolphins, Miami has 66 percent Spanish-speaking residents and thus, culturally, it made sense to play a match at the Spanish capital. Dolphins' vice president of international development, Felipe Formiga told : "A fantastic opportunity to grow the sport and do so in a city that has so many similarities to Miami."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images SportNFL game sparked tensions between Real Madrid and Atletico
While Los Blancos hoped that the entire event would revolve around Bernabeu and the club, their city rivals, Atletico Madrid, silently struck a deal with the Dolphins to host them at their Metropolitano Stadium throughout the week, building up to the game. The NFL side reached Atletico's set-up earlier this week and then trained at their facilities, taking advantage of the international break. Several representatives of Atletico, including manager Diego Simeone, went to meet the Dolphins squad and the Argentine manager even gifted a jersey to the NFL coach.
Madrid chief Florentino Perez's camp made every effort to block the arrangement, but he strong relationship between Atletico and the Dolphins prevailed.
Gujarat’s wicketkeeper-batter has managed to be consistent while batting at a high tempo and has started the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a bang
Rajan Raj28-Nov-2025Aggressive batting is one of the most attractive features of modern cricket, and if a batter can be consistent at the same time, it is like a dream come true. Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel has consistently played such innings that have made him a household name in domestic cricket.Captaining Gujarat, Urvil smashed a 31-ball century against Services in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 and proved why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) gave him a chance after signing him as a replacement for IPL 2025.”It’s not that I try to play aggressive shots from ball one. They are backed by months of hard work, which gives me consistent confidence,” Urvil tells ESPNcricinfo. “Playing aggressive cricket may not be that difficult, but finding consistency in aggression is a little tricky. I know that if I keep working hard like this, I’ll be able to play even better cricket in the future.”Related
Ashok Sharma nearly gave up cricket, but one audition changed it all
Players who have a lot at stake at SMAT 2025
Urvil Patel smashes 31-ball ton; Rahane, Suryakumar star in Mumbai win
Urvil has previously scored a T20 century off 28 balls, the fastest by an Indian and the second-fastest in men’s T20s, during the 2024-25 SMAT. He also scored a hundred off just 36 balls against Uttarakhand last season. He has 1349 runs in T20s so far at an average of 28.70 and a strike rate of 179.62 with three centuries and four half-centuries. He also has a 41-ball century in List-A cricket, which is the second-fastest by an Indian after Yusuf Pathan.Playing for India is the ultimate goal for any cricketer but Urvil wants to pursue this dream a little differently. He believes that being part of CSK last year and his time with Gujarat Titans (GT) before that were two experiences that changed his thinking.
A century off just deliveries
The second-fastest by an Indian player in T20 cricketWATCH snippets of Urvil Patel's magnificent 119*(37) for Gujarat against Services on Day 1 of #SMAT 2025-26@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/frJpZy9oiq
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 26, 2025
“It’s an easy answer for any cricketer to say they want to play for their country,” he says. “I want to play too, but thinking about it every day can add extra pressure. After being part of two big teams in the IPL, I understood that there’s a process to follow to achieve something.”For example, I wanted to do well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. But I wasn’t putting any pressure on myself that I had to do well. To perform well at this stage, I’ve been working hard for the last two-three months. I’ve been working on each shot and identifying my mistakes. There have been times when I’ve worked on just one shot for days. That’s why, in every shot I play now, there’s confidence, apart from technique.”Given his form in the domestic competitions, Urvil was expected to find an IPL team at the last auction. But he went unsold and that left him dejected. However, during IPL 2025, Urvil received calls from both CSK and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) almost simultaneously, and he decided to join the former without hesitation as he had been a longtime CSK fan and considers MS Dhoni as his idol.Urvil scored a 11-ball 31 in his first game for CSK and ended the season with a strike rate of 212.50 in three games.”When you’re in CSK or Dhoni sir’s team, the definition of success and failure changes for you,” he says. “Just going out there and scoring runs isn’t success. If I’m putting in my best efforts honestly, that is also success. I learned to believe in myself while at CSK. It sounds simple, but now I truly trust every shot I play more than ever before.”
Northamptonshire coach Darren Lehmann has made a statement signing by luring Australia’s Nathan McSweeney to Wantage Road for the 2026 season. The deal covers all formats and the club expect McSweeney to be available “for the whole season” barring an international recall.Lehmann joined Northants last summer and took them to T20 Blast Finals Day for the first time since 2016, though they finished second-bottom of Division Two in the County Championship and won only once in the One-Day Cup. He signed an extension mid-season which means his contract now runs until the end of 2027, and has started to strengthen his squad for next year.Lehmann was an assistant coach when McSweeney captained Brisbane Heat to the BBL title in 2023-24, and presented him with his baggy green cap when he made his Test debut against India last year. McSweeney was harshly dropped after only three caps – four of his five dismissals were to an in-form Jasprit Bumrah – but has not featured for Australia since.McSweeney previously worked with Lehmann at Brisbane Heat•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
As a result, he should be available throughout the English summer. He will play alongside his South Australia team-mate Harry Conway for the first half of the Championship season, with Yuzvendra Chahal set to take over from Conway for the second half of the Championship and the One-Day Cup. Allrounder Louis Kimber has also joined from Leicestershire.”When the chance came up to sign with Northamptonshire, it was an easy decision,” McSweeney said. “The club has a strong culture and some quality players, and working with Boof again made it even more appealing. I’m eager to get over there, settle in, and help the team win games.”Lehmann said: “Nathan McSweeney is a brilliant player who has so much talent and potential. He’s a classy individual who will hopefully provide us with some stability in that top order. We can’t wait for him to arrive and hit the ground running.”
He capped the occasion with an unbeaten 44 that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award
Mohammad Isam28-Oct-2025Rovman Powell marked his 100th T20I in style, sticking to his “batting template” of a late surge to guide West Indies to a 16-run win over Bangladesh in the first T20I in Chattogram. On Monday, he became only the third West Indian to reach the milestone of 100 games, capping the occasion with an unbeaten 44 that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.Powell, however, didn’t make a great start to his innings against Bangladesh. He couldn’t time the ball properly, striking just one four as he made 18 runs off his first 22 balls. It was in the 19th over when Powell finally struck his first six – a mow across the line against Mustafizur Rahman.Then, when he got the strike in the final over, he hammered Tanzim Hasan for three sixes in a row, ending up unbeaten on 44 off 28 balls. He made 26 runs in his last six balls. The late momentum took West Indies to 165 for 3 in 20 overs, before their bowlers helped dismiss Bangladesh for 149.Related
Seales and Hosein boss powerplay as West Indies go 1-0 up
“I am very happy,” Powell said. “It is not always that someone gets to play 100 T20Is, especially for West Indies. It shows the hard work that I have done in the duration of my career. A lot of credit goes to my family and friends, and the players with whom I have played these 100 matches. It is very special to get Man-of-the-Match award in my 100th game.”I think it’s a batting template that I have used in the last year or two. I have had good success with it. I try to get a start and get into the last five overs when I try to hit as many sixes as possible.”Powell also noted that heavy dew affected the West Indies’ bowling effort. He added that they would have felt pressure had Bangladesh kept wickets in hand towards the end of the 166-run chase.”If one of the main Bangladeshi batters had stayed at the wicket for longer, we would have been under pressure,” he said. “It was very wet in the end. Having said that, a lot of the credit goes to our bowlers. They stuck to their plans and picked up wickets at critical times.”We had information about the ground but we didn’t know it would get this wet. Maybe that’s something that we keep in consideration.”Instead, Bangladesh lost four wickets in the powerplay and lost all their frontline batters by the 12th over. Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib top-scored for Bangladesh, making 33 runs.Tanzim said that Bangladesh could have done with a better powerplay and with specialist batters in the final overs.”Of course, when there was dew, the ball came on to the bat more easily,” Tanzim said. “If we had one set batsman at that stage, the game would’ve been much easier. In the last couple of overs, a settled batsman always keeps you in the game. We lost four wickets in the powerplay. Even if it had been two, the chase could still have been managed.”Powell, meanwhile, looked forward to a series win for West Indies on Wednesday. He said that they have the opportunity to get over their recent T20I record – they have lost their last seven T20I bilateral series – if they can win the second game against Bangladesh to clinch the series.”Whatever the stats say, it doesn’t leave a good taste in our mouth. Myself and the guys are eager to turn that around. Being 1-0 up against Bangladesh will provide the opportunity for us to turn it around. Bangladesh are a tough side at home. We will see if we can continue improving to win the series in the next game.”.
Thomas Tuchel has dropped a massive hint about his potential midfield pairing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be staged next summer. England continued their faultless march toward the 2026 World Cup with a measured and professional 2-0 victory over Serbia on Thursday, and the German manager wants his troops to tap into the winning mentality ahead of the global showpiece event.
Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is looking to follow in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps by steering the club clear of relegation in their first season back in the Premier League.
After a run of four straight losses, the Whites have picked up four points and scored six goals in two matches against Chelsea and Liverpool in the top-flight, which has pushed them out of the bottom three.
Farke has needed his players to step up in recent games to climb back out of the relegation zone, and several stars have shown that they have what it takes to deliver in the Premier League.
Ranking Leeds United's top performers this season
Joe Rodon, who has started all 15 games, has proven to be a reliable option at the heart of the defence, winning 69% of his ground duels in the top-flight, per Sofascore.
Gabriel Gudmundsson, signed from Lille in the summer, has also caught the eye at left-back, with 3.1 tackles and interceptions and 1.3 dribbles completed per game, per Sofascore, whilst exciting fans with his bombing runs down the left flank.
£17.4m signing Anton Stach has been one of the top three performers for the Whites, though, with his return of two goals and two assists as a box-to-box midfielder.
Leeds United’s top 5 performers this season
Rank
Player
1
Ethan Ampadu
2
Sean Longstaff
3
Anton Stach
4
Gabriel Gudmundsson
5
Joe Rodon
As you can see in the ranking above, we have placed Sean Longstaff in second place. He leads the team in ‘big chances’ created (six), but he has also only started ten of the 15 league games, per Sofascore.
That leaves the captain, Ethan Ampadu, in first place as Leeds United’s best Premier League performer since they sold Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City in 2022.
Why Ampadu is Leeds United's best Premier League player since Phillips
After Phillips was sold to City for £45m, after emerging as an England regular at Elland Road, the Whites were relegated from the top-flight in the 2022/23 campaign. No other player was able to step up and save them from trouble.
The English star was particularly impressive with Marcelo Bielsa, as shown in the graphic above, and he averaged 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game in midfield in his last Premier League season with Leeds.
Ampadu, now, is looking like the club’s best top-flight performer since Phillips departed. He was judged as an “indispensable” part of Leeds’ midfield in the words of scout Jacek Kulig when promotion was being eyed up, and since moving up a division, he has been a rock on the pitch in the middle of the park. It’s safe to say he could be the first player to lead the team to safety since the Man City midfielder was at the club.
Off the pitch, teammate Karl Darlow described him as a “brilliant” person who has “handled the pressure” of captaining Leeds in the Premier League, which speaks to the qualities that he provides as a leader within the group, and perhaps explains how the team pulled off the last two results despite such a poor run of form that preceded them.
On the pitch, his performances have been impressive. Ampadu lined up in the middle of the park in the games against Chelsea and Liverpool and caught the eye with his defensive nous.
Ethan Ampadu
Vs Chelsea
Vs Liverpool
Minutes
90
87
Pass accuracy
86%
87%
Tackle success rate
100%
100%
Duels won
6/11
3/6
Interceptions
2
1
Dribbled past
0x
0x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Wales international was perfect in his tackles and did not allow an opposition player to dribble past him a single time, which shows how combative and reliable he was in midfield.
Ampadu has started all 13 of his appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, and averaged an eye-catching 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, which is just shy of the 3.9 that Phillips averaged in his final season with the club.
The former Chelsea starlet offers a similar presence to the England international at the base of the midfield for Leeds, sitting in front of the back four and screening play, making vital defensive interventions to regain possession and start attacks for his side.
He has won 60% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial duels, per Sofascore, whilst only being dribbled past 0.6 times per match, which shows that Ampadu has been efficient and reliable in the middle of the park for Farke, as an ever-present when fit.
The new Rutter: Leeds open talks to sign £21m star in "the last few days"
Daniel Farke could win himself a new Georginio Rutter by securing this £21m star at Leeds United.
ByKelan Sarson 4 days ago
Overall, the Welshman may well be the club’s best Premier League player since Phillips, not just for the quality that he clearly provides as a holding midfielder, but also for his leadership skills and how he handles the pressure of leading a Premier League side.
India are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI, but West Indies might be tempted to bring in the left-arm pace of Jediah Blades
Sidharth Monga09-Oct-20253:13
Gill outlines the challenges of being an all-format player
The late Khushwant Singh, one of the more illustrious lovers and residents of Delhi, called October in the city the “pleasantest” of all the months in the northern hemisphere. Like with most things Khushwant, the statement sparks lively debate, especially with lovers of spring in late February and March.This is all relative now: with rampant urbanisation and climate change, it is now more about which months are less unpleasant and less harmful to your health. The BCCI has just about winged the most harmful time for elite athletes to undertake high-performance activity – not before being called out for it – and the early snowfall in the hills has cooled the temperatures to the usual October levels to tease those given to wistfulness for the Delhi of old.Related
The art of Jadeja: subtle genius hiding in plain sight
Sammy: 'We did not reap financial rewards' of our legacy
India trying to ready Reddy for greater challenges
Brian Lara asks West Indies players to 'find a way'
West Indies' Test-match batting a symptom of deeper issues
Those given to wistfulness also yearn for the West Indies of the old. Not the one that lasted just 89.2 overs in the first Test. More importantly, not the one that looked unthreatening with the ball in an effort of 5 for 448. Not the side whose coach Daren Sammy has to hope a player will “accept” the opportunity when he calls to inform them they have been selected for West Indies.There is not a lot West Indies can hope to change between the two Tests. Ahmedabad, with an early-season greenness on the pitch, was their best chance, but they were without the Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar. In Delhi, the onus will be more on the slower bowlers.It doesn’t help that India are somewhere close to their best after the blip against New Zealand last year. With the exception of Rishabh Pant, whose fractured foot hasn’t fully healed yet, they are at full strength. They are keen on making this a clean sweep, which will take their WTC points percentage to 61.9, still in third place.
India WWDLW
West Indies LLLLW1:33
Chopra: ‘West Indies batters need belief on better batting pitch’
Test cricket is not where you prepare players for the future, but like Hardik Pandya almost a decade ago, India want to give Nitish Kumar Reddy a proper workload in slightly lesser challenges so that he can be the seam-bowling allrounder India need not just in away Tests but also the ODI World Cup in South Africa in 2027. Ryan ten Doeschate, their assistant coach, said just that two days before this Test. In Ahmedabad, he got to bowl only four overs and didn’t get to bat at all. It remains to be seen if India go out of their way to involve him more in this Test.Jomel Warrican is the vice-captain of the side, their most experienced specialist spinner, and joint-most experienced bowler. But he averages 54.25 in four Tests against India, two each at home and away. He will want to do way better in Delhi than the 29-5-102-1 he returned in Ahmedabad.0:49
Chopra: ‘Sai Sudharsan needs runs or the pressure will mount’
India have no reason to change their XI. However, is B Sai Sudharsan feeling any heat, and is Devdutt Padikkal breathing down his neck?India (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajIt doesn’t make a lot of sense to change the batting on such a short trip. The one change West Indies might consider is bringing in Jediah Blades to give themselves a left-arm seam option.West Indies (possible): 1 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 2 John Campbell, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Brandon King, 5 Shai Hope (wk), 6 Roston Chase (capt), 7 Justin Greaves, 8 Jomel Warrican, 9 Khary Pierre, 10 Johann Layne/Jediah Blades, 11 Jayden Seales
Delhi is likely to be a typical Indian track, good for batting on the first two-and-a-bit days before bringing the spinners into the game. The drop in temperatures should make it difficult for the pitch to break up suddenly. The week in the lead-up to the Test has brought some rain, but the Test is not likely to be affected.3:31
Sammy: ‘Our problems are rooted deep into our system’
“We think it would be unfair on the guy [Reddy] if we only play him overseas. Because that doesn’t give him that many opportunities. In the next year and a half, we aren’t playing that many matches outside of India, so to be able to back a guy who can bowl 10-15 overs in a day and can bat as well – we sat his ability and potential in Australia – so we want to give him as much game time in India to help him.”
India captain Shubman Gill doesn’t feel Reddy is an option only for overseas Tests“If we complain about not having the best facilities, not having enough manpower like the other teams, not having the best technology, all these things which the other teams are superior to us [in], then why the hell are they still outworking us? The only way we could match up [and] compete at a consistent level is if we as the coaches and the players are prepared to outwork the opposition, and we’re not doing that.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Crystal Palace future is in doubt with an insider revealing the player and his agent are “testing the waters over a move”.
The 28-year-old has grown into such an important player for the Eagles, helping them win the FA Cup last season and already scoring six goals in 12 Premier League appearances this time around.
In fact, former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino has called the Frenchman Palace’s “most improved” player in the recent past, and in fact of all time, hailing his impact leading the line at Selhurst Park.
“Again, Mateta, in my opinion, is probably the most improved player I’ve ever watched, I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched Mateta two years ago and the one I’m witnessing now, completely different.”
Mateta’s rise has unsurprisingly seen him linked with a move away from Palace of late, and now a new update has shared some concern for the Eagles.
Insider Mick Brown reports that Mateta is “testing the waters” over leaving Palace, as he eyes a new challenge.
Palace must do all they can to convince Mateta that staying put is best for his career, with the Eagles certainly doing enough of late to suggest as much, not least sealing FA Cup glory last season.
That said, the France international may look at Eberechi Eze leaving for Arsenal in the summer, and Marc Guehi continually being linked with a move to Liverpool, and feel that now is the right time for him to move on.
Arsenal now eyeing another Crystal Palace star as contract talks in danger
He’d be an excellent addition.
By
Tom Cunningham
Nov 22, 2025
Palace supporters will desperately hope this isn’t the case, as will manager Oliver Glasner, but at 28, he will know that he has reached a key point in his career, in terms of sealing one big move before he passes his peak.