Author: Cody Aceveda

Cody Aceveda is a freelance writer based in Porto, Portugal. He has written for The Trivela Effect since February 2023. Cody is a fan of the Brighton, Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns, and Rayo Vallecano. He is also an experienced iGaming writer with over two years experience writing about sports betting and the sports betting industry for a variety of outlets.
2025/26 Premier League Power Rankings after Matchday 5
22Sep By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Rankings

2025/26 Premier League Power Rankings after Matchday 5

Premier League Matchday 5 featured a full slate of games, including Manchester United’s 2-1 crazy upset victory against Chelsea and Arsenal’s hard-fought 1-1 draw against Manchester City.  With those results in the books, let’s take a look at our updated PL power rankings and see where each club stands ahead of Matchday 6.  20. West Ham (–1) West Ham aren’t bottom of the table, but they really should be. They only lost by one goal to Crystal Palace at the weekend. It could’ve been much worse. Palace created 2.31 xG from 18 shots to the Hammers’ 0.66 xG from 8 shots.  Graham Potter’s side have lost five of their six competitive matches this season, including three London derbies. I’m frankly stunned he still has a job. If recent reports are true, he might not have one for much longe...
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Premier League Power Rankings: The 5 most likely teams to be relegated in 2025/26
30Aug By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

Premier League Power Rankings: The 5 most likely teams to be relegated in 2025/26

We’re two weeks into the 2025-26 Premier League season, and it’s already looking like it will be one of the most competitive in recent history. There are three teams fighting for the title and at least eight who could challenge for the top four. Let’s look at the other side of the table, though. Here are the five teams most likely to be relegated this season.  Wolves Wolves have been tipped to go down for at least a couple seasons now. They’ve managed to avoid the drop, and I think they’ll do the same this season. That said, this is set to be their toughest Premier League campaign in some time.  Matheus Cunha scored or assisted nearly 40% of Wolves’ league goals last season and Rayan Aït-Nouri is one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League. Losing them will be difficult...
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Premier League Predictions: The 5 most likely managers to be fired before 2026 begins
26Aug By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

Premier League Predictions: The 5 most likely managers to be fired before 2026 begins

The 2025-26 Premier League season has kicked off, and several managers are already on the hot seat. Some of them won’t be around for much longer. Here are the five managers most likely to be fired before 2026 begins. 5. Ruben Amorim (Manchester United) Since Sir Alex Ferguson, every new Manchester United manager has been told he’ll be given time to build. Yet, not a single one has lasted more than 30 months in charge. A third of them didn’t even make it more than a year.  Ruben Amorim has been given the same assurances from new Man Utd owner INEOS, but, based on how his team has performed so far, it’s not hard to imagine him as the next Red Devils’ boss whose project is cut short.  The former Sporting CP boss somehow made Man Utd worse than they were under Erik ten Hag.  United los...
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Premier League Predictions: The biggest question for each Big 6 club in 2025/26
25Aug By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

Premier League Predictions: The biggest question for each Big 6 club in 2025/26

The Premier League is underway, but there’s still enough time to interrogate the league’s top teams. Here is one question for each Big 6 club that could decide their seasons.  Manchester United: Who plays in midfield? Ruben Amorim’s first half-season at Manchester United was plagued by every problem imaginable. As David Moyes once said, Man Utd “must improve in a number of areas, including passing, creating chances and defending.” The Red Devils addressed some of those issues in attack by spending €225m to sign Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha. The defense was already in decent shape and should remain so this season (provided key players stay healthy). Goalkeeper is another issue, but Andre Onana is at least serviceable. That just leaves the midfield.  So far, Amorim...
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Ranking the 5 Best Premier League squads for the 2025/26 season
19Aug By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Rankings

Ranking the 5 Best Premier League squads for the 2025/26 season

The 2025 summer transfer window has been one of the busiest in history. Premier League clubs have spent £2.2 billion on players to reinforce their squads for this season. With that in mind, let’s look at where things stand now and the five best Premier League squads heading into the 2025-26 season.  5. Brighton The top four Premier League squads pretty much speak for themselves. The order is the only real thing up for debate. Number five, though, is tough. I’ve gone with Brighton because I think their squad is talented and also unique compared to other top-flight clubs.  For one, the Seagulls are incredibly young. Even with James Milner (39), Danny Welbeck (34), and Lewis Dunk (33) in the side, Brighton were the second-youngest team in the league last season, with an average age of 23...
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Ranking the 5 best strikers still available on the 2025 summer transfer market
14Aug By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Rankings, Transfer News

Ranking the 5 best strikers still available on the 2025 summer transfer market

This year’s transfer window has been the summer of striker signings. Premier League clubs alone have spent over €600m on No. 9’s this transfer window, and they’re not even close to being finished. With that in mind, let’s look at the top five strikers still available on the transfer market. 5. Yoane Wissa If Yoane Wissa were a few years younger, I could’ve easily put him second or third on this list. “But didn’t you put 29-year-old Ollie Watkins higher than Wissa?” you might ask. Yes, I did, but that’s because Watkins has reached higher highs than Wissa more consistently. I also have questions about how Wissa will perform without Bryan Mbeumo by his side.  With all this being said, Wissa is a proven goalscorer, and those are hard to come by.  Wissa netted 20 goals in all competitio...
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Every Premier League Club’s Best Bargain Signing Of All-Time
22Jul By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
All-Time Lists

Every Premier League Club’s Best Bargain Signing Of All-Time

The 2025 summer transfer window is fully underway. While everyone is focusing on the players with massive fees like Florian Wirtz and Martin Zubimendi to Arsenal, I wanted to focus on bargain signings and underrated players. It’s too early to say who will be the bargains of this transfer window, but there have been tons of great examples in recent history. Let’s dive into the best bargain signings in Premier League history for every club. Arsenal – Kolo Touré Of all the Premier League clubs on this list, Arsenal might be the hardest to choose a top bargain signing for. And it’s not because there aren’t a lot of options to choose from —it’s because there are so many. The Gunners bought exceptionally well during both George Graham and Arsene Wenger’s eras at the club. Pretty much every ...
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Boavista: The Rise And Fall Of Portugal’s Last Champion Outside The Big Three
22Jun By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

Boavista: The Rise And Fall Of Portugal’s Last Champion Outside The Big Three

Boavista Futebol Clube, once crowned champions of Portugal, now teeter on the edge of extinction. Relegated from the Primeira Liga at the end of the 2024-25 season, the storied club faces an uncertain future marred by financial ruin, mismanagement, and scandal. From training without electricity to sabotaged transfer deals and unpaid wages, Boavista’s downfall is a case study in how bad ownership can destroy a historic institution. This is the tragic, cautionary tale of how one of Portugal’s oldest clubs fell from grace—and why its very survival now hangs in the balance. Boavista's Luck Has Finally Run Out The Panthers’ 4-1 loss to Arouca on the final day of the 2024-25 season confirmed their relegation from the Primeira Liga. Next year will be their first season playing outside of Port...
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EPL Predictions: Tottenham take care of West Ham, Brighton threaten Newcastle, Liverpool dominate Chelsea
19Oct By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

EPL Predictions: Tottenham take care of West Ham, Brighton threaten Newcastle, Liverpool dominate Chelsea

Tottenham vs. West Ham Tottenham’s devastating 3-2 loss to Brighton was the worst result for any Premier League team on Matchday 7 before the international break. The North London club blew a 2-0 lead to the Seagulls in the second half.  Manager Ange Postecoglou looked despondent after the match, and stressed that what he saw from his side was unacceptable. Admittedly, it’s a bit silly to say, but I can’t see this Tottenham side losing again after such an embarrassing loss. I don’t think ‘Big Ange’ will let them. It’s not just that though.  Son Heung-min is back from injury. Having their club captain back makes Spurs a totally different team on both sides of the ball. Tottenham’s opponents are another reason I’m confident about the Lilywhites’ chances this weekend.  West Ham have...
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Grading All Brighton’s 2024 Summer Transfers: Rutter dazzles, Yalcouye surprises
13Oct By Cody AcevedaNo Comments
Analysis

Grading All Brighton’s 2024 Summer Transfers: Rutter dazzles, Yalcouye surprises

Brighton were one of the biggest spenders in all of world football this summer. The Seagulls spent nearly £200m on some of the most in demand players in Europe. Now that we’ve actually seen most of these players in action, let’s rank all of Brighton’s summer transfers. Georginio Rutter: A Fabian Hürzeler took his time bedding in Georginio Rutter after Brighton signed him for a club record fee of £40m from Leeds. It’s still early, but now that we’ve seen what the Frenchman can do, it’s looking like he's worth every penny. Rutter’s technical ability, work rate, versatility has been essential to making Brighton’s attack work while João Pedro has been injured. We saw all three aspects of his game on full display against Tottenham, where he scored a goal and later fought free from three Sp...
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