Author: Frank G. Barnes

Purveyor of footy since the 90s. Favor the Premier League and old school Serie A with a touch of Bundesliga. More than a touch. Professional writer for 20 years, covering every sport but now focused on the Premier League and world football. You won't be able to guess my favorite team.
Liverpool fans won’t like Andoni Iraola’s latest Dominik Szoboszlai injury news
11Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Liverpool fans won’t like Andoni Iraola’s latest Dominik Szoboszlai injury news

Liverpool star center midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai missed Sunday's blowout 3-0 loss to rivals Manchester City at Anfield with a hamstring overload injury he suffered during the international break for Hungary. After the loss, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola told reporters that Szobo has a tight hamstring and admitted that the club will have to wait in order to have the superstar midfielder back. Iraola said, "Another one coming from the international games. He came with an overload, he felt a tight hamstring. He's tried somehow, kind of pushing through training, but he was not feeling 100 per cent and we will have to wait for Dom, yes." Liverpool face LASK in the Champions League this Wednesday and Brentford in a huge top five stakes matchup in the Premier League this weekend. Th...
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Mikel Arteta had the same frustrating response for Viktor Gyokeres
10Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Mikel Arteta had the same frustrating response for Viktor Gyokeres

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres hasn't exactly been lighting up the goals since his big money transfer to the Emirates from the Portuguese top flight, but he has definitely been a better scorer than Kai Havertz and played a crucial role as a new anchoring point for the team in Arsenal finally winning the Premier League last season. But despite Havertz coming off an injury over the international break and Gyokeres scoring in all four of his UEFA Nations League matchups for the Swedish national team, the big No. 9 continues to be snubbed by manager Mikel Arteta. Arsenal won 2-1 against Leeds United but no thanks to Havertz, who did not score or assist as the starting No. 9. And many Arsenal fans were not happy to see the German international still starting despite the injury and poor f...
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Chelsea are mulling a move for the elite defender they should have signed years ago
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Chelsea are mulling a move for the elite defender they should have signed years ago

Chelsea had one of the worst defenses in the Premier League last season, and that held them back from making it into a Champions League place - and it also led to Enzo Maresca's tantrums and mid-season departure. The Blues signed Crystal Palace star Maxence Lacroix, but sitting in 10th place right now, it is hard to say that they are materially better, even with Levi Colwill healthy and Lacroix serving as a significant upgrade. Chelsea still need more help for Alonso's new look back three, and according to a report from Matteo Moretto, Chelsea are analyzing the numbers to see if a move for Jules Kounde is plausible. Kounde was actually supposed to join Chelsea years ago from Sevilla as their dream center back upgrade, but he ended up staying in La Liga with Barcelona at the last s...
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One of Martin Odegaard’s most important traits deserves more shine
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

One of Martin Odegaard’s most important traits deserves more shine

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been known as one of the best playmakers in European football for nearly a decade now since breaking out in the Dutch division before shining in the top five leagues with Real Sociedad. He is already off to another great start as a playmaker despite no assists, as he is averaging 2.4 key passes per game through five Premier League starts for Arsenal in 2026/27. But he is also leading the league in a less publicized stat. Per Gradient Sports, Odegaard is first in the Premier League in the number of times he opens his body while receiving a pass. While this seems like a nothing statistic, it is actually very important. See, Odegaard is not just a traditional attacking midfielder. He is like an 8 and a 10 rolled in one, as he is someone who not onl...
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Xabi Alonso has beautiful Moises Caicedo injury news for Chelsea fans
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Xabi Alonso has beautiful Moises Caicedo injury news for Chelsea fans

Purely from a defensive perspective, Chelsea star Moises Caicedo is the best defensive midfielder in the game, and with Enzo Fernandez now at Manchester City, his presence has been missed even more due to injury. Chelsea fans have been waiting on the edge of their seat for any injury updates regarding the Ecuadorian superstar midfielder, as Caicedo has been out since the end of August with a tricky calf injury. Caicedo was able to train and rest over the break, and with optimism that he would be able to return this weekend against Bournemouth as the Premier League returns, too, Xabi Alonso has finally confirmed the great news. Alonso told reporters before the Bournemouth match that his star No. 6 will be out there, "Yes, he’s finally ready to go”. Chelsea need to get back to wi...
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Mikel Arteta serves up brilliant Ben White, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera injury news
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Mikel Arteta serves up brilliant Ben White, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera injury news

Arsenal just lost Ezri Konsa to an injury over the September and October international break with the England national team, and while Mikel Arteta is giving him a chance to play in this huge matchup against underdogs Leeds United, who find themselves in the top five, he is a game time decision. The good news is that Arsenal do not have to push Konsa, because they can choose among a grab bag of four different defenders to start at center back, including Konsa, as three more key players are available. Arteta told reporters before facing the Peacocks that Ben White, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera are all back and available for selection on Matchday 6 against a team similar in underdog status to the side Arsenal lost 3-0 in Brighton. The Arsenal manager said of Hincapie and M...
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Transfermarkt isn’t making life easier for Florian Wirtz
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Transfermarkt isn’t making life easier for Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz is the latest young, stellar talent to suffer the wrath of a high price tag on the transfer market, as the Liverpool attacking midfielder is failing to help his team or show real end product since his 100 million pound signing from Bayer Leverkusen. A two time Bundesliga Player of the Season who went undefeated under Xabi Alonso, Wirtz's Liverpool was worse off last season and has not meaningfully recovered, with Wirtz failing to get enough goals or assists and barely creating more chances than an average No. 10 in English football. Transfermarkt recently updated their transfer valuations to start the 2026/27 season, and with Wirtz continuing to make little impact, he received the biggest dock of any player in the world in transfer value. Wirtz has lost 42 million po...
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Chelsea are eyeing the biggest dream replacement for Enzo Fernandez
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Chelsea are eyeing the biggest dream replacement for Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez this past summer transfer window to Manchester City after Real Madrid rejected him and the Argentinian international demanded to leave the club still. The Blues did not sign anyone to replace him, and they have been hurting in the midfield, currently 10th in the Premier League table with Xabi Alonso badly lacking that general. According to a report from Diario Sport in Catalunya, Chelsea are interested in signing Barcelona superstar center midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has remained in Barcelona despite years of transfer speculation. While De Jong is a multi time La Liga winner and one of the best metronomes in the world, after Barca signed Rodri and with young guns coming up like Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, perhaps the right offer could tempt Barca a...
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Gary Neville finally told the bitter truth about Cristiano Ronaldo’s second stint at Manchester United
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Gary Neville finally told the bitter truth about Cristiano Ronaldo’s second stint at Manchester United

Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world in his first stint at the club and made sure the Red Devils stayed on top, but his second stint as a veteran who had already conquered football was a disaster. Although Cris was amazing in the 2021/22 season as a goal-scorer, Man United almost seemed to go backwards as a team. And while he was right about a lot of the criticisms of Erik ten Hag and the club on his way out, his exit did not sit well with many fans, and neither did his lack of work rate on the pitch or his treatment of some of the young players. Speaking on The Overlap podcast, another Manchester United legend and Cristiano's former teammate Gary Neville spoke unkindly of Cris's second stint at the club, pointing out that he did not show the sa...
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Myles Lewis-Skelly said how every Arsenal fan feels about Mikel Merino
9Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Myles Lewis-Skelly said how every Arsenal fan feels about Mikel Merino

Young Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly is developing into quite the press resistant stud in the middle of the park, joining a stacked group of midfielders that includes Ballon d'Or candidate Declan Rice, new star Bruno Guimaraes, and the borderline world class Spanish duo of Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino. Of all those five great players, Merino is the one whose greatness tends to go the most underrated, even after winning the World Cup and Premier League with all the clutch goals, including two more clutch ones in a recent UEFA Nations League win over Croatia. Any chance we can get to hype up Merino, who was class in La Liga for Real Sociedad alongside Zubi before Mikel Arteta wisely snapped him (and then Zubi himself) up, we will take it. And it sounds like MLS is the same way...
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