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Metro
12 minutes ago
- Metro
Paul Merson 'cannot believe' Chelsea aren't trying to sign £60m star this summer
Paul Merson says Chelsea's attack are 'predictable' in their current guise and he 'cannot believe' the club have not been in the race for Eberechi Eze this summer. Chelsea got their season off to a disappointing start as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace, despite spending in excess of £230million on new signings in the transfer market. It could have been worse for the Blues after Eze fired home a superb 13th-minute free-kick at Stamford Bridge, only for the strike to be disallowed by VAR. Eze has been courted by several top teams throughout the course of the transfer window and the latest reports suggest Tottenham have reached a £60m agreement for the versatile 27-year-old. Arsenal have also been credited with a strong interest in Eze, but the Gunners are thought to have dropped their pursuit of Palace's FA Cup hero after Ethan Nwaneri decided to put pen to paper on a new contract. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. While Chelsea are not known to have held serious discussions for Eze, Merson feels the England international would be an ideal signing for the Club World Cup winners to help ease the pressure on Cole Palmer. 'I cannot believe Chelsea aren't going for Eberechi Eze. I really don't know what I am missing,' Merson – a lifelong Chelsea supporter – wrote in his Sky Sports column following the weekend's Premier League action. 'They buy winger after winger, but they need guile. They need more than Palmer. 'If you get Eze, you then have two players who can break teams down. 'They are predictable for me. They play with two quick wingers with Palmer trying to feed them.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Merson believes there were several 'worrying' signs in Chelsea's stalemate with Palace and Palmer needs far greater 'support' if the club are to challenge at the top of the table. 'Chelsea were not good against Crystal Palace. The draw was worrying,' the ex-Arsenal, Aston Villa and England man added. 'If Cole Palmer isn't going to break a team down, I'm not sure who is for Chelsea. 'Palmer is now the talk of the town in team talks up against Chelsea. Teams are trying to stop him because they think stop him, stop Chelsea. 'Stop Cole Palmer will be the message for West Ham on Friday. That's just how it is. 'He needs some support. If opposition teams pick him up and mark him well, I'm not sure what threat Chelsea have. Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens have pace, but they struggled to beat their defenders on Sunday.' According to Merson, it should not always be down to Palmer to make the breakthrough and Enzo Maresca will have to 'come up with solutions' ahead of Chelsea's trip to West Ham on Friday night. More Trending 'It's hard for Palmer. You've got have runners around when you get the ball and for me, he hasn't got those,' he continued. 'It's not just all on Palmer because Enzo Maresca has to come up with solutions too. 'He has to work out a way to get him the ball in areas where he can hurt teams. But for Palmer, patience is key. He has to wait for the ball a bit more instead of dropping deep to come and get it. 'You cannot hurt anybody on the halfway line. He needs the ball in and around the box where he's special.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Man Utd lead race to sign former Arsenal target in £26m transfer MORE: Chelsea send message to Alejandro Garnacho over Manchester United transfer delay MORE: Tottenham turn to French winger as Savinho chase proves difficult
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
More than 4,000 bets get paid out a combined six figures for Erling Haaland to score a hat-trick against Wolves - which came off thanks to Sky Bet's Super Sub offering
More than 4,000 bets and a six-figure sum was paid out on a selection with Sky Bet in Manchester City's 4-0 thumping of Wolves at Molineux Stadium over the weekend. The bet required Manchester City's superstar striker Erling Haaland to score a hat-trick. Haaland got on the scoresheet with the first goal of the match - with the Norwegian tapping in a pinpoint cross from Rico Lewis in the 34th minute. Haaland then netted his second goal less than half an hour later with a brilliant left-footed finish from just inside the box. Although he left the pitch after 73 minutes with two goals to his name - Sky Bet paid out the bet that needed Haaland to score a hat-trick thanks to their Super Sub offering. With Super Sub, place a bet on a qualifying player-based outcome, and your bet will carry over to the player coming on. Haaland's replacement in their win over Wolves was highly-touted prospect Rayan Cherki, who scored City's fourth and final goal of the game from outside the area. Given it was Haaland's replacement who found the back of the net - punters who parlayed a stake for the No. 9 to score three or more goals were paid out for the bet. For those anticipating Haaland and/or his replacement to get on the scoresheet again this weekend - the 25-year-old is the best-backed to score anytime at 4/6 and is a wider 11/4 to bag the game's opener. Haaland boasts a strong goalscoring record against Tottenham across his career to date - scoring four goals in six appearances. Additionally, he bagged a brace in the Sky Blues' 2-0 victory against Spurs in north London in 2023-24. It is also worth noting that Haaland has scored first in two of his six appearances against Tottenham. Meanwhile, if you're tipping the Norwegian star to score multiple goals - Haaland is 10/3 to score two or more, and 14/1 to net a hat-trick. Lastly, his likely replacement Cherki is 2/1 to score anytime, 14/1 to score 2+ goals, and an eye-catching 66/1 to bag a hat-trick. Sky Bet odds in Goalscorers market for Manchester City vs Tottenham: Erling Haaland to score anytime 4/6 Earling Haaland to score first 11/4 Erling Haaland to score 2+ goals 10/3 Erling Haaland to score 3+ goals 14/1 Rayan Cherki to score anytime 2/1 Rayan Cherki to score 2+ goals 14/1 Rayan Cherki to score 3+ goals 66/1
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mark Clattenburg explains why the Premier League's handball rule 'can never be fixed' - and how VAR made everything worse
'Nothing can be done' to improve the Premier League 's handball rules, Mark Clattenburg has revealed. Speaking on the latest episode of the Mail's Whistleblowers podcast, the former Champions League final referee explained why handball rules can never be consistently applied and how the introduction of VAR has made everything worse. Just two weeks into the new season, a string of controversial handball calls has already marred otherwise engaging matches. During Friday's season opener between Liverpool and Bournemouth, Arne Slot and his bench were left fuming when play immediately resumed after defender Marcos Senesi appeared to deliberately punch the ball away from striker Hugo Ekitike. Merseyside was up in arms again on Monday when a match-winning penalty was awarded to Leeds for a handball by James Tarkowski, despite the defender pulling his arms away and the ball ricocheting off the back of teammate Kieran Dewsbury-Hall. 'I am not sure the handball rule can ever be fixed', Clattenburg told podcast co-hosts Ian Ladyman and Gordon Smart. 'It's one of those laws in football that will always be subjective and English football keeps changing; handballs are being penalised less and less. 'It used to be that handballs had to be deliberate. For years, referees used to argue, how do we know whether it was deliberate? 'So, the rules were changed – they've now tried to perfect this concept, arm was in an unnatural position. 'But what looks unnatural to you, could be different to me. So again, it leaves that subjectivity.' Adding to the confusion is the different ways handball rules are applied depending on the competition, with the Champions League being less stringent than the Premier League. Clattenburg said referees struggle when forced to apply different handball interpretations across competitions in the same week. He explained: 'You have all this different criteria. In the Champions League, if the ball touches the arm and their arms slightly away from the body, the referee is expected to give it. Football's most original new podcast: Whistleblowers Hosted by Gordon Smart, with ex-referee Mark Clattenburg and Mail journalist Ian Ladyman, this isn't another safe roundtable of punditry. It's football told differently - with insight, authority, and plenty of laughs. Listen wherever you get your podcasts now. 'There's so many differences and it confuses a lot of people. Why is the same handball treated differently for an attacking or defending player, for example? 'A Chelsea fan once said to me on the train: just give a penalty kick every time a ball touches a player's arm in the box. 'But then of course, you get players deliberately trying to hit a defender's arm from a cross. 'With all that in mind, I can never see a solution being found.' Daily Mail Football Editor Ian Ladyman attacked Clattenburg's explanation, arguing it's the 'job' of a referee to make subjective calls. He called on officials to 'get back to basics' and stop overcomplicating simple rules like handball. Clattenburg agreed that the current state of handball decisions is a 'mess', with the addition of VAR making the situation worse and more indecipherable to fans. 'What's making it harder is the micromanaging', the former referee said. 'The use of VAR, with the slow motion, can make any handball look ten times worse… slow motion isn't always reality. 'I believe Ian's right. From my experience as a top-level referee, there's been many occasions over the last few seasons where I don't believe a handball should have been given. 'I sit there thinking, he never meant that, but the expectation is that it should be awarded.'
