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The Juventus chief Cristiano Giuntoli recently admitted that the quality player Riccardo Calafiori’s decision to leave the Serie A, snubbing Juventus in favour of a move to the Premier League with Arsenal, was a big loss for the Italian League. Some must have thought he was exaggerating, but can you argue about that after the Italian’s performance against Leicester?
Calafiori made his first Arsenal start last weekend, playing and scoring in the famous 2-2 draw with Manchester City. The fact that Arteta was willing to take a chance by starting him in a high-stakes game like the one against City should have demonstrated how much he values him. It was excellent that he repaid that trust with a goal.
To capitalise on his promising start, the Italian defender started at left-back again this weekend when Leicester visited the Emirates Stadium. Arteta trusted Ricci to bring out the best in the left flank, and he achieved just that. Despite his left-back position, the Italian dominated Arsenal’s left wing, holding the ball at LCM or, at times, overlapping Gabriel Martinelli.
He appeared to be playing a free role, yet the Arsenal defence remained unscathed. Arteta’s system is tight, but Calafiori is a player who can spark an explosion at any stage of the game due to his skill and technical abilities.
Riccardo Calafiori stats vs Leicester
1 clearance
1 blocked shot
3 tackles
61/69 passes (88%)
2 key passes
3/4 long balls
12/19 duels
1x fouled
3 shots on target
2/3 dribble attempts
The 22-year-old is gradually establishing himself as Arsenal’s left back; if anyone is certain to start against PSG on October 1st, he will be one of the first names on Arteta’s team sheet.
Watching Calafiori play, one can’t help but wonder if he’s a new signing. He’s exactly what Arsenal needed to win the league last season. His inversions or overlaps, as well as his ball control, are unquestionably a plus for Arsenal’s title chances.
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Why AC Milan links will go nowhere for Chelsea man who can still be a key player
After two years with just one senior option up front, Chelsea are in a much better position now after some important business. They’ve added two more strikers to their collection, giving depth and options to the attacking line. There is one downside to having 3 players for one place though – there will now inevitably be constant transfer rumours about the third man wanting to leave. Nicolas Jackson the odd man out at Chelsea right now Right now that third man is Nicolas Jackson. The striker has had some great moments at Chelsea, but is the only player in his position who hasn’t just arrived this summer, so it’s inevitable that he will be the focus of the rumours for at least 6 months. The latest team to be linked is AC MIlan. We can well see them being interested, and we can see Jackson going there to be a star player, despite his recent denials that he had would consider leaving. The problem, as ever with Serie A clubs, is that they just don’t have the money to make it worth our while. We would be more likely to get the money we want from the likes of Manchester United or Aston Villa even than the legendary Italian club. Jackson likely to stick it out for a year at least For at least 6 months, and probably until next summer, we think Jackson stays. Chelsea can use all 3 attacking options in the 4 competitions they’re playing in, especially with Jackson and Joao Pedro able to play out wide. Next summer, the odd one out may go. But for now, we just can’t see it. It’s going to be a long, gruelling season and we need all the firepower we can get up top.
Brewers issue update on Jackson Chourio rehab timeline
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was tearing it up in July before he strained his hamstring legging out a triple. He was placed on the injured list, and it only got worse from there. Less than 24 hours later, manager Pat Murphy said Chourio would be out beyond the 10-day minimum and possibly at least a month. On Saturday, beat reporter Curt Hogg shed another tidbit of light on the slugger’s timetable. It’s not necessarily worse news, but Hogg’s update probably does not illuminate much. Fans already knew Chourio was going to be out a while after Friday’s report, so this latest info isn’t surprising. It isn’t all that encouraging, either. It certainly suggests no expedited return schedule. Not to make assumptions, but the emphasis on the location of the damage versus evaluating its severity seems to indicate the Brewers are just hoping Chourio avoided a worse-case scenario. In that case, caution would indeed be first in the order of operations. Only after ascertaining clarity would it make sense to seriously estimate a recovery timetable. That he won’t be ready to immediately resume baseball workouts further points to a slow, methodical recovery process. For however long he remains out, the lineup will miss him badly. Chourio’s 17 home runs rank second on the team behind Christian Yelich, as do his 67 RBI. His .786 OPS leads the offense among qualified hitters. In 90 at-bats in July, he hit .367/.408/.600. The Brewers are resilient everywhere, but without one of their few genuine power threats and hottest bats, plus an everyday outfielder, they are courting a potential offensive slump. The most fans can hope for from Chourio is that he returns fully healthy by the first week of September. Until then, Blake Perkins and trade pickup Brandon Lockridge should see plenty of playing time while Yelich takes more reps in the outfield after getting most of his at-bats this season as the designated hitter.
Triple H provides statement on Seth Rollins' SummerSlam appearance
Night one of SummerSlam 2026 ended with a bang. Seth Rollins came back from what now appears to have been a fake injury, cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase against CM Punk. The WWE fanbase had long postulated the idea of Rollins returning at SummerSlam. His return felt like low-hanging fruit. Yet, despite the expectations, both Punk and Rollins played the situation perfectly. Now, as we head into night two of SummerSlam, there is a new World Heavyweight Champion in town. When speaking at the SummerSlam post-show, Paul "Triple H" Levesque admitted, albeit in kayfabe, that he wasn't pleased with Rollins falsifying injury reports to get the upper hand on Punk. "Seth Rollins is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers," Levesque said. "And he comes out, goes through none of it and takes the World Heavyweight Championship. My hats off to Seth Rollins. That’s a smart way to do business. Not thrilled about bogus medical reports, but we’ll deal with that down the line." Not everyone will be happy with Rollins becoming the new champion. They will feel like Punk was robbed. Or that WWE creative took the easiest route possible. And in truth, they're probably right. However, sometimes the best way to progress a story is to go with the most obvious segue. The fact is, everyone came away from the SummerSlam main event with some form of emotion. The story being told worked; it made people feel. And now, the storyline moves on to how Punk and Rollins — two heated rivals — will move forward. A future title match is all but guaranteed, yet it's the story, week after week, month after month, that will captivate people. WWE used SummerSlam as a jumping-off point, and now, we could see the very best of CM Punk, likely culminating in a main-event title match at WrestleMania 42. So, yes, Rollins' win was a deflating moment for many, but what comes from that moment will keep wrestling fans talking for the next six to 12 months, and that was likely the whole point.
White Sox rebuild already showing significant progress
The Chicago White Sox won only 41 games in 2024, setting a major league record for the most losses in a season. This season has already been better in Chicago. Although the White Sox remain in the AL Central basement, they won their 41st game of the season on Friday, a 6-3 victory over the Angels. The beginnings of the future core have started to take shape. Catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel have performed admirably with the bat, giving the White Sox the potential for impressive depth behind the plate. Infielder Chase Meidroth has continued to put together strong at-bats and get on base. Third baseman Miguel Vargas has cooled down from a torrid May, but is still showing signs that he could be a building block. Fellow infielder Colson Montgomery had six homers in 23 games entering Saturday. The pitching staff needs more work but there are some building blocks at the major league level. Starters Shane Smith and Davis Martin look like solid back-of-the-rotation arms. Mike Vasil has been one of the more underrated relievers in the game. More pieces are coming through the pipeline. Top prospect Noah Schultz is expected to debut this season and could be a future ace. Pitcher Hagen Smith and outfielder Braden Montgomery should debut sometime in 2026. The White Sox may have reached rock bottom in 2024, but the future is bright. That future is coming sooner than one would expect. Yes, the White Sox have the second-worst record in the majors, but progress is being made. Those improvements can be seen in their record as the White Sox have already matched their win total from 2024.
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