
After Colwill's injury, Chelsea eye new central defender, Enzo Maresca confirms
The West London club have been active in the transfer market, adding Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, and Estevao Willian, among others. They are looking to build on their achievements from last season, which included a fourth-place Premier League finish and a Club World Cup triumph over Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in July.Maresca, who is entering his second season in charge, remains confident in his squad's overall strength. "We have a fantastic squad. We are happy with the squad we have, no doubt. When the transfer window is open, anything can happen," he said. "We are a better team compared to one year ago because we worked together every day for one season."The Italian manager is cautious about facing Palace, who produced shock wins over Manchester City in the FA Cup final and Liverpool in the Community Shield earlier this summer."Very difficult," Maresca admitted. "They beat in two finals, probably the two best teams in England over the last 10 or 15 years."With Colwill's absence forcing Chelsea to weigh up both market options and internal solutions, Maresca's side will be eager to start the season strongly while navigating an early defensive setback.- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tennis-Sabalenka stunned by Rybakina in Cincinnati, Alcaraz into semis
-Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was dismantled 6-1 6-4 on Friday by Elena Rybakina who powered into her first Cincinnati Open semi-final with a display of clinical serving. Tennis-Sabalenka stunned by Rybakina in Cincinnati, Alcaraz into semis The Kazakh ninth seed delivered a brilliant performance to secure her seventh career win over a top-ranked player and set up a blockbuster clash with Poland's Iga Swiatek in a showdown of Wimbledon champions. Rybakina fired 11 aces throughout the match, earning an impressive 81% of points on her first serve, while saving all five break points she faced as she secured her fifth win over Sabalenka in 12 meetings. "I'm happy with the serve. It was the key," former world number three Rybakina said. "We're both big hitters. Today I served really well. If Aryna serves well, it's completely different. Hopefully I continue like this." Earlier, third seed Swiatek advanced to her first WTA 1000 semi-final in 15 months, beating Russia's Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4. Kalinskaya, who had defeated Swiatek in their only previous meeting, put up a spirited fight by saving four match points, before the six-times Grand Slam winner converted her fifth opportunity on serve to seal the victory. "I just played my game," Swiatek said. "For sure, it wasn't easy. Just happy I was solid and had the intensity to apply pressure." Veronika Kudermetova breezed past Varvara Gracheva 6-1 6-2 to reach her first Cincinnati semi-final. The Russian seems to be back to the form that once carried her into the Top 10, earning her first WTA 1000 last-four spot since 2023. She will next face either second seed Coco Gauff or seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini in the semis. In the men's draw, second seed Carlos Alcaraz survived a three-set battle against Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev, claiming a 6-3 4-6 7-5 win to reach the last four. The Spaniard was far from his best, committing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, but capitalising on his lone match point, courtesy of a Rublev double fault, to secure his 15th consecutive Masters 1000 win. "Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or the match. I just stayed strong mentally and that's what I'm most proud of," Alcaraz said. "It's just accepting the moment, accepting that I am playing a third set, that it's going to be a really tough battle, and I love that," he added after setting up a showdown with either third seed Alex Zverev or American fifth seed Ben Shelton. Five-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, winner of 37 of his last 39 matches, advanced to his 12th Masters 1000 semi, equalling the mark of Italian top seed Jannik Sinner, who faces Frenchman Terence Atmane in the other last-four clash. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Premier League 2025-26: Why was play stopped during Liverpool vs Bournemouth?
The opening fixture of the 2025-26 Premier League season between Liverpool and Bournemouth was briefly paused due to an incident of racist abuse from the crowd. Play was paused around the 30th minute of the match as referee Anthony Taylor was seen approaching the dugouts. Taylor was then seen in discussion with the fourth official, as well as Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. Tonight's match between Liverpool Football Club and AFC Bournemouth was temporarily paused during the first half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo. This is in line with the Premier League's on-field… — Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) August 15, 2025 It was later confirmed that the stoppage in play was due an incident of racist abuse from a member of the crowd directed at Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo. Taylor informed both team captains and managers before restarting the game. Related Topics Bournemouth / Liverpool


Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Liverpool beat Bournemouth in Premier League opener as Ekitike, Gakpo, Chiesa and Salah shine
Liverpool launched their Premier League title defense with a dominating 4-2 win against AFC Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday (August 15). The defending champions showcased their attacking talent, with new signings Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, alongside star players Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, and Mohamed Salah, delivering standout performances. Hugo Ekitike, who was signed by the club in the summer, made an immediate impact by opening the scoring in the 37th minute. The young French striker calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner after a slick interplay with Florian Wirtz. Liverpool were leading 1-0 at halftime. Cody Gakpo doubled Liverpool's lead just three minutes after the start of the second half. Linking up brilliantly with Ekitike, Gakpo cut inside and placed a precise shot into the bottom corner, igniting the Anfield crowd. Bournemouth bounced back, leveling the score at 2-2 with goals that exposed some vulnerabilities in Liverpool's defense. Antoine Semenyo scored both goals for his team in the 64th minute and the 76th minute. However, Federico Chiesa, another summer addition, restored Liverpool's lead in the 88th minute with a close-range finish, marking his first Premier League goal. On the other hand, Mohamed Salah scored his tenth goal in season openers by finishing inside the box with his right foot. Arne Slot's team, Liverpool blended new and established stars, with Alisson in goal, a back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Milos Kerkez, and Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai anchoring the midfield. The attacking quartet of Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, and Ekitike overwhelmed Bournemouth's defense, which featured debutants Bafode Diakite and Adrien Truffert. Despite Bournemouth's resilience, Liverpool's attacking depth under Slot proved decisive. This win has laid a strong foundation for the defending champions, Liverpool, with their new signings integrating seamlessly and Salah continuing to lead by example. Bournemouth, despite the defeat, showed promise, building on their ninth-place finish last season under Andoni Iraola. Liverpool will now face Newcastle United on August 25. On the other hand, Bournemouth AFC have their next game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 23.