Who is Freddy Bernal? Arsenal 'make move' for latest Chelsea academy star
He made his U18 debut in a 4-2 loss to Crystal Palace, stepping up from the U16s to join five other first-year Chelsea scholars in a rotated team, and had travelled with the squad occasionally as they lifted the Premier League South title last season. That team featured Josh Acheampong and Tyrique George, who are now first-team regulars under Enzo Maresca.
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Enzo Maresca told Chelsea have already signed their very own Lamine Yamal
Chelsea are set to welcome 18-year-old prospect Estevao Willian to Stamford Bridge this summer and a former Blues star has compared the youngster to Lamine Yamal Chelsea have been told they already have a player like Lamine Yamal, who has become one of the top stars in Europe after bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old in 2023. The Barcelona winger has already won two LaLiga titles and Euro 2024. However, former Chelsea star Willian has compared 18-year-old Estevao Willian to Yamal and believes the Brazilian can help the Blues "win many titles". Chelsea announced last year that Estevao would be joining the club this summer after he turned 18, having agreed a deal worth up to £49million with Palmeiras. And Willian is expecting big things from the youngster, stating: "Without a doubt, he has a lot of potential, a lot of quality. The player has the advantage of still being so young, but with great potential like Lamine Yamal, they have a similar style. "I hope that he can be very successful here in England playing for Chelsea, he can win many titles, score a lot of goals with the Chelsea jersey and he will help to win titles over the years. "My advice is that he dedicate himself to the fullest. In England, football is quite different to what he is used to. When he gets here I think he needs some extra work at the club. I'm sure he has a very good head. "There's no need to argue about his quality, he has more than enough quality to play for a big club like Chelsea. But I hope he can adapt as quickly as possible and get into the style of play here to be very successful." After his move to Chelsea was confirmed, Estevao mimicked Cole Palmer's celebration when he next scored for Palmeiras and received a message from the England international who vowed that the pair will "do a lot of great things together" at Stamford Bridge. "When I signed for Chelsea, the next day I scored a goal and celebrated like Palmer," Estevao told the Guardian. "His celebration was trend, very popular. "We talked on social media, I tagged him on Instagram, he called me a star, I said he's a star too. He said we're going to do a lot of great things together for Chelsea." Estevao has also been compared to Lionel Messi and when asked about being nicknamed 'Little Messi', he added: "I like Neymar a lot too, Cristiano Ronaldo. But my reference is Messi for everything he's done for football. "The way he plays and what he does off the pitch is a guy I always have to look up to. And, of course, for me being left-footed like him favours as well. Some people are born with talent, others have to work hard. Good examples are Messi and Ronaldo. "Messi has the talent, Ronaldo the effort. I look for both. Talent and dedication. Today in football you have to dedicate yourself, you have to keep to a schedule, train, travel, take care of yourself. You have to give up a lot. Without dedication you can't get anywhere." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Jorginho leaves Arsenal, signs for Flamengo before Club World Cup
June 7 (Reuters) - Italy midfielder Jorginho has joined Brazilian side Flamengo ahead of this month's Club World Cup, following a mutual termination of his contract with Arsenal, both clubs said. Jorginho, whose Arsenal deal was set to expire at the end of the month, has joined Flamengo on a contract until July 2028. The 33-year-old Brazil-born Italy international moved to North London from Chelsea in January 2023, making 78 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal. Arsenal finished second to champions Liverpool in the Premier League in the recently-concluded season. "We can confirm that we have reached a mutual agreement with Jorginho to end his contract with immediate effect to become a free agent," Arsenal said in a statement late on Friday. Having started his career at Italian side Hellas Verona before switching to Napoli in 2014, Jorginho won the Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup and Club World Cup titles during his time at Chelsea. Capped 57 times for Italy, he won the European Championship in 2020. "Jorginho's first assignment with Flamengo will be at the Club World Cup," the Brazilian Serie A club said. Flamengo will begin their Club World Cup campaign against Tunisian side ES Tunis on June 16 in Philadelphia. The expanded 32-team Club World Cup runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States with $1 billion in prize money at stake.
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad
Kasey McAteer marked his first start for the Irish by giving them the lead in the first half but Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr struck with nine minutes remaining as it finished honours even. Hallgrimsson, though, took heart from how his side carried out his vision to largely stifle a Senegal side who are now 21 matches unbeaten and ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings. A strong performance from the boys but tonight's friendly ends in a draw 🤝 — Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 6, 2025 That is 41 places higher than the Republic's current position, having been as high as 28th in October 2019, but Hallgrimsson senses this is a side on the up after making it three games without a defeat. 'There were times where we defended without the ball, we made them look quite average,' Hallgrimsson said. 'But I'm mostly happy that they didn't create a lot of goalscoring chances. 'Let's be honest, we're not one of the best teams in the world and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. 'We need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. In this area, confidence is growing. 'We will need to be patient, these steps are taken small steps at a time but this was really pleasing because if we wouldn't have done this as well as we did, we would have suffered against this team.' Kasey McAteer marked his first international start with a goal (Evan Treacy/PA) The Republic travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday in their final outing before beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, with Portugal, Hungry and Armenia their opponents. Hallgrimsson was especially pleased with the display of Leicester's McAteer, who scored his first goal for the Irish in the 21st minute when firing in the rebound after his initial header had been kept out. 'If you've watched Kasey, he got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his club progress and he brought that into the national team,' Hallgrimsson said. 'That's always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. 'It was a really good first start for him. He's a confident player on the ball, he has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him going one v one, that is his strength. Ismaila Sarr (centre) levelled for Senegal (Evan Treacy/PA) 'He's just a clever footballer with a good football brain; he knows where to pass the ball and not to pass the ball, etc.' A Senegal side without star names such as Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly levelled from close range through Sarr, with Hallgrimsson lamenting the absence of VAR as he felt the FA Cup winner was offside. 'VAR probably would have given it offside but we knew VAR was not in-house so we cannot complain,' the Icelander added. 'I think the referees did a good job, there was a really good flow in the game, so I was happy.'
