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.
Ranking the 10 best players of the 2026/27 Premier League season heading into Matchday 6
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best players of the 2026/27 Premier League season heading into Matchday 6

Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 Premier League season is upon us after a lengthy international break. Let's take a reset and rank the top 10 players of the season so far. 10. Liverpool LW Cody Gakpo Cody Gakpo is having a phenomenal start to the season under Andoni Iraola, and hopefully the Liverpool forward does not miss much time with injury. He is one of the best creators in the league and can also finish off his chances. 9. Manchester United AM Bruno Fernandes The reigning Premier League Player of the Season can be too one-dimensional, but with 3 goals and 2.6 key passes per game, Bruno Fernandes is once again carrying a pretty subpar Man United team that is sitting in the bottom half of the table. 8.  Leeds CB Tarik Muharemovic Tarik Muharemovic looks even better than advertised at Sa...
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Jeremy Jacquet is already proving he is Liverpool’s heir to Virgil van Dijk is 1 key way
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Jeremy Jacquet is already proving he is Liverpool’s heir to Virgil van Dijk is 1 key way

New Liverpool center back Jeremy Jacquet has been taking the league by storm, and after last season's disappointing performance by the Reds defense, the Frenchman is giving the club real hope that this season they can be back in the mix again. Right now, it's hard to argue against the point that Jacquet has been the most impressive center back in the Premier League, and Gradient Sports actually have him graded as fifth best overall, which is a huge accomplishment for a 21 year old. Furthermore, Jacquet's one on one defending grade is apparently first in the Premier League and a full 12 points higher than the Liverpool star next to him, Virgil van Dijk. Now, that speaks to VVD no longer being in his absolute prime, but the Dutchman is still going strong as one of the best center ba...
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Micah Richards hit the Myles Lewis-Skelly problem on the head
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Micah Richards hit the Myles Lewis-Skelly problem on the head

Arsenal have one of the most stacked rosters in the Premier League, especially when looking at their defense and midfield. They can withstand any injury to those positions with the most enviable depth in European football, and the case of Myles Lewis-Skelly best exemplifies that. Mikel Arteta took one of the best left back prospects in the world and converted him to a midfielder with the staggering depth he has accrued on the left hand side of the defense, and right now, MLS has been one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League, showing an accuracy of passing, defensive quality, and press resistance that would put him up there with anyone in the Premier League. But of course, Lewis-Skelly's days as a starter are going to be numbered because new signing Bruno Guimaraes is r...
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Arsenal dominate Transfermarkt’s most valuable Premier League 11
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Arsenal dominate Transfermarkt’s most valuable Premier League 11

It's no surprise that Arsenal continue to rack up the plaudits after winning the Premier League title last season, and even though they are second in the league to start the 2026/27 season after a shock blowout loss to a roaring Brighton, most still see them as the No. 1 contenders in English football. Transfermarkt recently provided an updated most valuable 11 of Premier League players, and the Gunners were totally dominating the list with the most players in the 11, beating out Manchester City by 5 to 4. The other players to make the list were one from Chelsea and one from Liverpool in new signings and former Gunner transfer targets Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola, respectively. But Arsenal had almost the entire back line, obviously locking down the center back pairing of William...
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Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers of the 2026/27 Premier League season so far
8Oct By Frank G. BarnesNo Comments
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers of the 2026/27 Premier League season so far

The Premier League returns this weekend after an even longer international break than usual. So let's hype up the games being back by giving some love to the goalkeepers, using analytics to rank the best 10 keepers using only the first five games of the season. 10. Emiliano Martinez, Chelsea The save percentage does not fully capture how well Emiliano Martinez has been playing. He's not an elite Premier League goalkeeper anymore, but he is still excellent and a definite upgrade on Robert Sanchez for Chelsea. And honestly, his defense isn't making him look any better. 9. Bart Verbruggen, Brighton Bart Verbruggen needs to get more love as one of the world's top goalkeepers, and there's a reason why so many club have tried to steal him from Brighton. The Seagulls are getting a lot of pres...
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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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