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Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool future is back up in the air after the Italy international was left out of the squad against Bournemouth, as Napoli are still seeking a winger.
According to The Athletic , the decision by coach Arne Slot was a technical one and not connected to any injury or illness.
It comes just days after Chiesa completed the first 90-minute match of his time in the Liverpool jersey, in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven.
Chiesa struggling to play at Liverpool
The 27-year-old has struggled with fitness issues ever since the move from Juventus over the summer for €12m plus up to €3m in add-ons.
He managed nine competitive appearances, with one goal and two assists, despite spending just 280 minutes of football on the pitch.
The Italy international has been repeatedly linked with a return to Serie A on loan in the winter transfer window, including to Napoli, Milan and Roma.
Considering the transfer deadline is on Monday night, there could still be time to get an agreement over the line and find Chiesa more regular playing time.
Of all the candidates, Napoli would seem the most likely as a replacement following Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s switch to Paris Saint-Germain.
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'Mad' Chelsea who people laughed at 'might have turned a corner' says former Man U keeper
The friendlies are played and it’s time for the real thing – the Premier League kicks off this weekend. Former goalkeeper and now Youtube star Ben Foster has been making his predictions for the season, and we were interested to hear what he had to say about Chelsea. Foster on “mad” Chelsea spending and transfer strategy paying off His take was that we would really be contenders this year – and that was in part because of our grand project coming together he said he was “buzzing to see Chelsea this year.” “The way they’ve done it is completely mad, right? Even a couple years ago, we’re all laughing and going, why are you spending so much money on these young players,” the ex Manchester United goalkeeper commented. “In fairness, they’re selling them for just as much as what they’re buying them for. So he’s doing well so far, but the way that they did at the Club World Cup, I’m thinking maybe they might have just turned a corner.” That does seem to be the general feeling around both fans of Chelsea and pundits – the weight of evidence from the Club World Cup and these friendlies, makes everyone feel like we’ve gone up a level. We find out on Sunday against Crystal Palace. You can see Foster’s full predictions in the clip embedded here: Chelsea’s next shining talent ready to step out As well as just being generally keen to see Chelsea in action, Foster had a particular keenness to see young Estevao Willian in action: “I did watch a little bit of highlights of Estevão playing against Leverkusen the other day,” he said. “And that’s friendly by the way. And that Estevão, that young Brazilian, yeah, that’s serious. I think he’s only 18 or something. But just unbelievable, unreal, unreal talent.” Chelsea fans have been waiting a long time to see the teenage talent in competitive action – and that should come around this Sunday.
Tottenham send clear message with latest decision, player’s fate looks sealed amid exit links
Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL to ensure that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after some offensive emails that he sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
Jets QB Justin Fields had 'alarming' practice against Giants
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields found out he has a long way to go following his performance at Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants. Per Connor Hughes of SNY TV, Fields started hot at the practice before struggling during the move-the-ball period. "Very interesting practice for #Jets QB Justin Fields," Hughes posted on X. "He finished 7 of 12 with a TD. 5 of 5 to start practice. Then 0 for 4. Finished 2 of 3 with the really impressive TD to Jeremy Ruckert in red zone (starter 18 yard line). "The offensive performance was a bit alarming in move-the-ball period of practice. Fields Co. had three attempts to get down field. They didn’t gain a first down. Only gained yards twice (two short Breece Hall runs). Three sacks. That needs to be fixed. #Giants defense toyed with NYJ during that period." Some Jets fans online thought Hughes was using hyperbole to characterize the practice, but he doubled down on his judgment of the offense. Fields looked strong on his first and only drive in the Jets' 30-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. He went 3-of-4 passing for 42 yards and rushed two times for 14 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants defense at the joint practice is a much better unit than the short-handed one the Packers trotted out for the first preseason game. Fields' issues seen with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, with holding the ball too long and not being able to pass consistently downfield, were a factor against the Giants. Following Saturday's game, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Fields was getting better but had a lot to improve on. Tuesday's practice was a humbling reminder that Fields needs to become a consistent passer if the Jets are going to move the ball on good defenses in the regular season.
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
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