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.
Viktor Gyokeres’s record is a message Mikel Arteta can’t ignore
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Viktor Gyokeres’s record is a message Mikel Arteta can’t ignore

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has not started a game this season, as German international Kai Havertz has been preferred for his better all-around game. But we can't forget that Arsenal spent so much to sign Gyokeres in the first place because they wanted a more traditional 9, and while the scoring has not been there for the Swedish international in an Arsenal shirt, that was not true for him in a Sweden shirt. This past international break, Gyokeres was on fire, and he scored four goals in four UEFA Nations League game to extend his record to seven straight games with a goal. That means no player in history has scored in more consecutive Nations League games than Gyokeres, and while he has not been perfect, he has been scoring and showing a bit of an all-around game, too. Arsen...
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Arsenal fans get reassuring Kai Havertz injury news
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Arsenal fans get reassuring Kai Havertz injury news

Kai Havertz suffered a muscular strain for the German national team over the break recently, putting his status in a bit of doubt for the upcoming game against Leeds United on Saturday when Arsenal return to Premier League action. There have been no clear updates from the Arsenal side, but Hand of Arsenal shared the latest on Havertz. They are reassuring fans that the Gunners are relieved regarding his injury and do not feel there is any long-term injury for the team to be worried about. That says nothing, of course, about the short term and if Havertz will be ready to play against Leeds, so that means Viktor Gyokeres, after four goals in four games for Sweden in the UEFA Nations League could be called upon. But honestly, Havertz's injury did not seem serious, so he should be in p...
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Dominik Szoboszlai quietly matched Jude Bellingham’s record
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Dominik Szoboszlai quietly matched Jude Bellingham’s record

Everyone knows Jude Bellingham is a special player, and after watching the World Cup, the Real Madrid man and England international is the undisputed greatest midfielder in the world right now. He had eight chances created in a single game against Croatia this past international break in UEFA Nations League action, but Liverpool star midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai actually matched his record with eight chances created against Georgia, making Jude and Szobo the joint top players in terms of chances created in a game. That record is actually important for Szoboszlai, because people need to put some respect on his name. Before it all fell apart for Liverpool last season, Szoboszlai was the best midfielder in the Premier League, and we can't forget how crucial he was to Arne Slot winning ...
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BBC Sport confirms the only possible Declan Rice outcome
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

BBC Sport confirms the only possible Declan Rice outcome

According to a report from Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport, Arsenal and Declan Rice are now close to agreeing to a new long-term contract extension that will pay him more than the current 240,000 pounds per week he earns. He will reportedly make around what Bukayo Saka does as Arsenal's highest paid player, raking in 350,000 pounds per week. It would be a well deserved extension for Rice, who was the team's best and most important player last season when the Gunners finally won the Premier League. And it's hard not to argue that Rice should be the highest paid player on the team, and he could honestly merit more than Saka, since he is more consistent despite not being the main attacking threat - as we all know attackers usually make the most money. But, of course, the paradigm is shifting m...
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Luis de la Fuente is spot on about the Mikel Merino issue
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Luis de la Fuente is spot on about the Mikel Merino issue

Arsenal star center midfielder Mikel Merino isn't even a starter for the Premier League champions, but everyone at the club understands his quality and how important he is. It's just a shame that so many around the world don't sing his praises more, but with two brilliant goals for Spain in their UEFA Nations League winner over Croatia, including a world-class winner in the final minutes, Merino put himself back in the spotlight and made sure people had to talk about him. The reigning World Cup winner has the full support of his Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente, who sung Merino's praises again after the victory and even stated that people in Spain don't appreciate the player enough either. De la Fuente said, via Daily AFC, "It's an honour to coach a player like that. He has clear...
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Viktor Gyokeres is quietly staking the claim Arsenal were waiting for
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Viktor Gyokeres is quietly staking the claim Arsenal were waiting for

Even though Viktor Gyokeres won the Premier League in his first season at Arsenal and played a useful role as an anchor for the team, his actual performances and goal-scoring record after banging home 38 in the Primeira Liga was far from impressive. Gyokeres doesn't look like he's worth the money after scoring just 14 goals in 36 appearances last season, and he hasn't even started a single game for the Gunners in the 2026/27 season, with Mikel Arteta preferring Kai Havertz. But Havertz scores less than even a middling Gyokeres. And since it's just his second season at the club, there is still just that little bit of hope from Arsenal that the Swedish international can bust out once he figures this league out. Well, Gyokeres hasn't lost his scoring touch in the Nations League. In f...
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Roy Keane made a point Arsenal fans hope Eberechi Eze takes to heart
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Roy Keane made a point Arsenal fans hope Eberechi Eze takes to heart

Although Eberechi Eze played a role in Arsenal winning the Premier League title in just his first season since joining from rivals Crystal Palace and made a name for himself in the North London Derby by embarrassing Tottenham Hotspur, the England international has yet to live up to his price tag. Eze has been a passenger in most games, and while there are moments of the sheer quality that made him a huge star for Palace, he has not shown the consistency and all-around game that merits a step up to a bigger team like the Gunners. After a couple of more disappointing displays for the Three Lions over the international break, Manchester United legend Roy Keane decided to take Eze to task, and while Arsenal fans generally don't care for what a Man United icon has to say about one of thei...
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Myles Lewis-Skelly is beyond what Mikel Arteta expected for Arsenal
7Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Myles Lewis-Skelly is beyond what Mikel Arteta expected for Arsenal

So many managers dream of taking a young fullback prospect and turning them into a midfield general. Liverpool tried to do that with Trent Alexander-Arnold bu failed, and not everyone can make the transition like Joshua Kimmich did for Bayern Munich. But against the odds, Myles Lewis-Skelly has fully transitioned this season from one of England's most promising left back prospects into a legitimate standout in center midfield. Honestly, MLS, with his grit and athleticism, looks 10 times the player in midfield than he did on the outside of the defense. The young England international looks like an ideal Mikel Arteta scrapper in the defensive midfield with a pass completion percentage beyond 93, no dribbles completed allowed, and nearly two fouls drawn per game. Arsenal love having mid...
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There is a clear problem with Arsenal selling Noni Madueke
6Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

There is a clear problem with Arsenal selling Noni Madueke

Noni Madueke is never, ever going to be a main starter for Arsenal, because the right wing job is locked down by Bukayo Saka, who, for all the haters want to say, is one of the best in the world in his position. But even though Madueke obviously hasn't started a game this season, the useful England international was quite useful indeed to Arsenal, too, last season, starting 16 games as they won the Premier League. There are, of course, big clubs around Europe interested in the former Chelsea man, as they want to bring the explosive right winger in to their teams as a new starter, since he'd be better than their options. Mike McGrath of The Telegraph has reported that European powers Atletico Madrid and Juventus have Noni high on their list, and there are other clubs expected to jo...
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Morgan Rogers just showed how he can explode even more for Chelsea
6Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Morgan Rogers just showed how he can explode even more for Chelsea

Listen, Chelsea definitely raised more than a few eyebrows when they splurged a record 117 million pounds on Aston Villa's big gem Morgan Rogers, but so far, I don't see anyone questioning the money spent or the player they bought. Because Chelsea felt good about their right wing, attacking midfield, and striker situations, but they needed that world-class left winger. So far, Rogers has been a smash hit, scoring three goals for Chelsea through five games, and you can make a case that he's been their best attacking player this season, even on the same team as two top players like Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro. Well, over the international break, Rogers continued to boost his stock, and he finished off the three weeks with an assist for Ballon d'Or favorite Harry Kane in England's 3-0 wi...
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