Everything you need to know about Omar Marmoush's salary at Manchester City

Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush has made an impressive impact in the Premier League since his arrival at Pep Guardiola's Manchester City during the January transfer window of the 2024/25 season. Marmoush had attracted strong interest from top English clubs including Arsenal and Tottenham during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, but it was City who secured his signature on a four-and-a-half-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.

Marmoush has been an important figure in what has otherwise been a relatively underwhelming season for City, contributing significantly in attack with clutch goals and dynamic forward play.

Alongside a contract that runs until June 2029, Marmoush is also well-compensated, currently ranking as one of the highest earners in the City squad.

So, exactly how much does he earn?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

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Omar Marmoush's wages at Man City in numbers

Omar Marmoush, under his current contract with the Premier League team, earns a weekly wage of £295,000 ($395,566), ranking as the fifth-highest paid player in the Manchester City squad. His annual salary totals £15.3 million ($20.5 million).

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Omar Marmoush

Egyptian

  £295,000

$395,566

£15,340,000

$20,569,447

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTop earners at Manchester City

Erling Haaland is Manchester City's top-paid player, with Kevin De Bruyne next. Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva share the third position, while Omar Marmoush is fifth among the club's highest earners.

Player

Nationality

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Erling Haaland

Norwegian

£525,000

$703,974

£27,300,000

$36,606,644

Kevin De Bruyne

Belgian

£400,000

$536,361

£20,800,000

$27,890,776

Jack Grealish

English

£300,000

$402,271

£15,600,000

$20,918,082

Bernardo Silva

Portuguese

£300,000

$402,271

£15,600,000

$20,918,082

Omar Marmoush

Egyptian

£295,000

$395,566

£15,340,000

$20,569,447

Top 5 earners in the Premier League

Erling Haaland is the highest-paid player at Manchester City and in the league, with a nine-year contract until 2034. Kevin De Bruyne follows, and Mohamed Salah is third. Casemiro is Manchester United's only entry at fourth, and Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk is fifth.

Player

Club

Weekly wages in GBP

Weekly wages in USD

Annual wages in GBP

Annual wages in USD

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

£525,000

$703,974

£27,300,000

$36,606,644

Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City

£400,000

$536,361

£20,800,000

$27,890,776

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

£400,000

$536,361

£20,800,000

$27,890,776

Casemiro

Manchester United

£350,000

$469,316

£18,200,000

$24,404,429

Virgil Van Dijk

Liverpool

£350,000

$469,316

£18,200,000

$24,404,429

Getty Images SportHighest paid players in the world

Although Premier League salaries are high, neither player is among the top earners in global football.

The highest earner is Cristiano Ronaldo, the top scorer in the Champions League, now with Al Nassr. He is followed by Karim Benzema, his former Real Madrid teammate.

Riyad Mahrez, formerly of Manchester City, is third, with Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly from Senegal in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Player

Club

Weekly wages GBP

Weekly wages USD

Annual wages GBP

Annual wages USD

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al Nassr

£3,270,519

$4,385,050

£170,066,890

$228,022,620

Karim Benzema

Al Ittihad

£1,635,259

$2,192,525

£85,033,490

$114,011,310

Riyad Mahrez

Al Ahli

£853,605

$1,144,498

£44,387,482

$59,513,904

Sadio Mane

Al Nassr

£654,104

$877,010

£34,013,396

$45,604,524

Kalidou Koulibaly

Al Hilal

£567,435

$760,806

£29,506,621

$39,561,925

علق آرني سلوت، مدرب ليفربول على التقارير التي أشارت لغياب محمد صلاح عن بعض المباريات في نهاية العام بسبب مشاركته في كأس الأمم الإفريقية.

وستقام كأس الأمم الإفريقية في المغرب للمرة الثانية ومن المقرر أن تلعب في الفترة بين 21 ديسمبر 2025 و18 يناير 2026.

أقرأ أيضاً.. سلوت قبل مباراة الدرع الخيرية: ثنائي ليفربول لديهما فرصة رائعة للعمل مع محمد صلاح

وكانت تقارير صحفية قد أفادت أن محمد صلاح سيغيب عن مباريات ليفربول، طوال فترة مشاركته في كأس الأمم الإفريقية.

وسئل سلوت في المؤتمر الصحفي عن التعاقد مع جيريمي فريمبونج وإمكانية غياب صلاح عن الفريق بسبب كأس أمم إفريقيا فأجاب: “لقد فكرنا بالتأكيد في كأس الأمم الإفريقية”.

وأضاف: “هذا أحد أسباب ضمنا لفريمبونج لأنه يجيد اللعب كجناح أيمن، سنلعب 6 مباريات كحد أقصى بدون محمد صلاح وهذا كثير في الدوري الإنجليزي، خاصة بعد أدائه الرائع الموسم الماضي”.

واسترسل: “كان التعاقد مع فريمبونج لأسباب عديدة، أحدها أنه يستطيع تعويض محمد صلاح في حال غيابه”.

وشدد: “هناك خيارات أخرى متاحة لي لتعويض محمد صلاح، ولكن جيريمي هو بالتأكيد أحدها”.

وحول جاهزية ألكسيس ماك أليستر لمواجهة الدرع الخيرية: “سيكون ضمن قائمة الفريق، غاب عنا لشهرين أو أكثر، تدرب معنا ولعب 30 دقيقة أو 45 دقيقة ومن الممكن أن يبدأ أساسياً ولكن ليس 90 دقيقة”.

وعن إمكانية الاعتماد على إندو وجرافينبيرش كقلوب دفاع: “يمكنهم اللعب هناك وكذلك جو جوميز الذي لديه إصابة طفيفة وتوجد العديد من الخيارات في هذا المركز”.

Myles Lewis-Skelly saw best friend Ethan Nwaneri immediately break his new Champions League records in Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Lewis-Skelly youngest Englishman to play in UCL semi
• Left-back also set the record for any Premier League player
• Nwaneri stole the accolade after 90th-minute sub

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lewis-Skelly set the record for both the youngest Englishman and youngest Premier League player to appear in a Champions League semi-final. At just 18 years and 215 days, you might expect the youngster to be cowed by the occasion, but Lewis-Skelly continued to show maturity beyond his years during an admirable performance against Les Parisiens. GOAL gave the wonderkid a 6/10 for his performance, on a night when some of Lewis-Skelly's more tenured team-mates failed to show up.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It didn't take long for those records to be broken, however. At the 90-minute mark, Nwaneri entered the fray. At 18 years and 39 days old, the winger added to his personal collection of records. Famously, Nwaneri played in the Premier League at just 15 years and 181 days old, making him the youngest player to ever appear in the English top flight.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  These records will be of little comfort to the two prodigies and best friends, who would have hoped to cap their breakthrough season with a Champions League final appearance. The Gunners fell behind in just the fourth minute to a smartly-taken Ousmane Dembele finish after a 27-pass move by the visitors. While Arsenal generated a few openings, they couldn't get past Gianluigi Donnrumma, except for a disallowed attempt by Mikel Merino. The Spaniard was judged to be in an offside position after a VAR consultation.

• WHAT NEXT FOR LEWIS-SKELLY AND NWANERI?

  Both men will be a week older when they face PSG at Parc des Princes for the return leg. While that's not really enough time to obtain much more experience, both youngsters will likely feel emboldened by their involvement in such a massive fixture at such a young age. Both will hope to play a pivotal role in what should be a watershed moment for this young Arsenal side.

da lvbet： Chelsea have been offered the chance to potentially sign a Barcelona player by intermediaries, who are actively contacting Premier League sides to gauge their interest in striking a transfer deal for him.

Enzo Maresca comments on Chelsea injury problems

da fezbet： The top-four chasers take on Aston Villa in the Premier League this evening off the back of a torrid run, and manager Enzo Maresca is currently having to deal with mounting injury problems.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Feb 22, 2025

Nicolas Jackson, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Roméo Lavia, Marc Guiu and Noni Madueke are all out and unavailable for Chelsea for today’s late clash at Villa Park, leaving Maresca short of attacking options in particular.

Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Aston Villa (away)

February 22nd

Southampton (home)

February 25th

Leicester City (home)

March 9th

Arsenal (away)

March 16th

Tottenham (home)

April 2nd

Luckily for Chelsea, Unai Emery’s side are on a similarly bad run coming into this game. They’re without a league win from their last five top-flight encounters, with their last set of three points coming away to Everton back in mid-January.

Nevertheless, Maresca recognises the tough task facing his side in the Midlands. “I think we spent almost the whole season in the top four,” said Maresca on Chelsea’s form and Aston Villa.

“Now we have just 13 games to go, so for sure now, the target for us now is to try and finish in the top four – to finish in the best way. We are going to try to do our best to achieve that, knowing that the difficult moment we have now is probably one of the reasons why, and the most important reason why, is because of the injury situation; we have five or six players, significant players, that are out.

“I was watching two days ago the first game against Villa, and unfortunately, we have five players in that game that are out. Wes, Noni, Nico, Romeo – so the team changed completely, and it’s something this season happens almost with many clubs. Arsenal have injuries, City have injuries, and we are going to try our best to win games even with the amount of injuries we have.”

Lavia’s injury prompted Chelsea to sign Mathis Amougou from Saint-Étienne in January, with the 19-year-old set to be a first-team player for the remainder of 2024/25 before heading out on loan to sister Strasbourg next campaign.

Chelsea offered Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong by intermediaries

Given Amougou won’t be at Stamford Bridge for 2025/26, reports have suggested that Chelsea could target Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo this summer after showing some interest in January.

Now, as per journalist Graeme Bailey and The Boot Room, £302,000-per-week Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong is an option for the Blues as well.

It is believed that Chelsea have been contacted by agents about signing De Jong, who are making suitors aware of his potential availability and testing the water to see which clubs could bite heading into the next transfer window.

The Dutchman has struggled with injuries and a lack of consistent opportunities under Hansi Flick this season, and De Jong’s contract expires in 2026, meaning he could leave for a relatively cheap fee if Chelsea were to pursue a move.

Arsenal’s hard-fought win over Leicester City on the weekend just about kept them in the Premier League title race for another week.

However, while two late goals are always great for morale, Mikel Arteta’s side remain comfortably behind Liverpool in first place.

Moreover, with a thread-bare attack, it certainly feels like it would take a minor miracle for the North Londoners to finally get their hands on the trophy this season.

Worse yet, an attacker they sold back in 2017 has just returned to the Premier League and is now worth millions more than what they sold him for.

Arsenal's notable 2017 transfers

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking back at a couple of signings made by Arsenal in 2017, starting with Sead Kolašinac, who joined on a free from FC Schalke in June that year.

He may have been moving to the Gunners for nothing, but there was a level of excitement over his arrival, as in the season prior, he scored three goals and provided nine assists for the Bundesliga side in just 36 games.

Unfortunately, despite producing nine goal involvements in his first season with the club, the Bosnian international never truly got to grips with English football, being labelled “naive” and “irresponsible” by Gary Neville in his very first game for the club, and after a few more mediocre seasons, he was sent back to Schalke on loan for the latter half of 20/21 and then released by mutual consent in summer 2022.

A more successful signing made in 2017 was that of Alexandre Lacazette, as while he probably didn’t score quite as many goals as fans would’ve liked for his then-club record fee of £46.5m, he was a useful member of the first team throughout his five-year stay in North London.

In all, the French centre-forward made 206 appearances for the Gunners, in which he won an FA Cup, scored 76 goals and provided 32 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, which is just the sort of attacker the club could do with at the moment.

Likewise, the player the club sold for pennies on the dollar that same summer is also someone Arteta could do with today, especially as he’s now worth millions more.

The Arsenal star sold too soon

There were a few notable sales from the first team in the summer of 2017, such as Wojciech Szczęsny and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but in this instance, the player was sold from the academy side.

Donyell Malen joined Arsenal as a child and had a reasonable record of 18 goals and nine assists in 57 games for the various youth sides, but was ultimately sold to PSV Eindhoven for around £200k in 2017.

Back in the Netherlands, the Wieringen-born star went from strength to strength and eventually ended up with a record of 55 goals and 24 assists in 116 first-team games for the club, which was enough to secure a £27m move to Borussia Dortmund in July 2021.

He was less prolific in front of goal in Germany but still effective.

Over the next three and a half seasons, the “sizzling” Dutchman, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, would still rack up a respectable haul of 39 goals and 20 assists in 132 games, which was once again enough to earn him another move to a top five league, only this time it was the Premier League.

Appearances

38

35

38

21

Minutes

2312′

2193′

2378′

957′

Goals

9

10

15

5

Assists

6

8

5

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.39

0.51

0.52

0.28

Minutes per Goal Involvement

154.1′

121.8′

118.9′

159.5′

Aston Villa were on the lookout for attacking reinforcements last month and set their sights on the former Hale Ender, who they eventually secured for around £21.5m, which is a massive £20.8m increase on the price the Gunners sold him for six and a half years ago.

In fact, the price paid by the Villans represents an incredible 10650% increase on the fee Arsenal received when they sold the attacker to PSV.

Ultimately, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but once he was out of the capital, it didn’t take long for Malen to show his stuff, and while he might not have been a regular starter for the Gunners, we reckon his presence in the team would make their current injury crisis a lot more manageable.

Arsenal struck gold on "beast" whose valued has soared by 1488% this season

The incredible talent has a bright future with Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 19, 2025

Liverpool have gone from strength to strength under Arne Slot, with the fight for the Premier League title beginning to look like a procession.

13 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, the Reds are no doubt loving life with the Dutchman at the helm, but this is a team assembled by Jurgen Klopp, and FSG need to get it right in the transfer market this summer to maintain their current level of dominance.

That’s not to say Slot is riding on his predecessor’s coattails; he’s an elite-minded tactician who has defied expectations in establishing Liverpool as Europe’s team to beat in 2024/25.

Alas, signings will be needed during the off-season, for Liverpool are expected to part with several first-team stars.

Liverpool's most expensive sales of all time

Some great players have departed Anfield for huge money.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 9, 2025 The players who might be leaving Liverpool

It’s March. Liverpool are flying high. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk still haven’t extended their contracts on Merseyside, and are out of a job in just four months.

Transfer guru David Ornstein revealed recently that the industry consensus is that Salah and Van Dijk will stay. However, Trent’s future is far more worrying given Real Madrid have a vested interest in bringing him to La Liga.

Other Redmen could be on the move. Most prominently among them is Darwin Nunez. The Uruguay striker simply isn’t kicking on. It’s a shame, he’s affable and entertaining, but 6 goals from 36 games this season isn’t good enough for an £85m club-record striker.

However, he’s not the only one, with Joe Gomez potentially on the move after a prospective switch to Newcastle United broke down last year.

While Gomez hasn’t enjoyed the most productive of seasons under Slot’s wing, his sale would make signing a new centre-back imperative this summer, for Jarell Quansah would be the only recognised option at the club outside of regular starters Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Elsewhere, Liverpool will need to figure out what to do with Luis Diaz, a valued and impactful member of the team but perhaps part of that crew of sellable stars.

Why Liverpool should sell Luis Diaz

Only Salah (30) and Cody Gakpo (16) have scored more goals for Liverpool this season than Diaz, who has equalled last season’s tally of 13 having played over 1,000 fewer minutes.

It’s a measure of Slot’s tactical brilliance, and how he has effectively insinuated himself and his teachings into this talented Liverpool squad.

Diaz, 28, has been at Liverpool since January 2022, leaving Porto for an initial £37m to join Klopp’s cause, and he’s had his ups and downs, but there’s no question he’s one of the most valuable members of the outfit, crucial as the title charge continues.

However, he’s about to step into the penultimate year of his £55k-per-week deal and it may be more practical to cash in while his stock is raised, especially since Barcelona retain a long-standing interest.

Were Liverpool to sell both of Diaz and Nunez, FSG would bank quite the pretty penny. For sure, both players would need replacing with first-class forwards, but Anfield has become one of the leading platforms for a player’s career growth over the past decade, and this is something transfer targets will consider with disc-like eyes upon receiving the call.

By the time Diaz’s current contract expires in 2027, he will be 30 years old. There’s no doubting his ability, having been hailed as “one of the best wingers in the world” by Liverpool U21 star Luca Stephenson.

But is he indispensable? For a forward of Diaz’s talent, his numbers leave something to be desired, especially from a creative standpoint. He’s a “livewire” – as dubbed by journalist Peter Hall – but there are yawning holes to his game.

2024/25

38 (28)

13

4

0.45

2023/24

51 (42)

13

5

0.35

2022/23

21 (15)

5

3

0.38

2021/22

19 (14)

4

4

0.42

As a reference point, Diaz’s ostensible predecessor, Sadio Mane, scored 120 goals and supplied 39 assists from 269 appearances for Liverpool, equating to a rate of 0.61 goal involvements per game.

His goals this season have been crucial to Liverpool’s success. Indeed, Diaz has selflessly played in an unconventional focal striker’s role for the good of Slot’s side, but now decisions must be made pertaining to his long-term future.

According to CIES Football Observatory, the world’s leading football statisticians, the Colombian is currently worth about £60m in the modern market – a figure that FSG would surely consider were it lodged during transfer season.

Should Barcelona be willing to act on their intrigue and bring him to Camp Nou, it would be Liverpool’s biggest sale since allowing Philippe Coutinho to head off for pastures new.

In fact, perhaps it could have a similar effect. After all, Liverpool would be selling a silky South American player to the Spanish giants for a hefty sum – with the banked funds then directed toward new impactful signings.

It’s unlikely Liverpool will claim the same sort of money as they did when La Blaugrana last came calling, with a £142m proposal presented to the Anfield side for their Brazilian playmaker, who left just as Klopp’s dynasty was taking off.

The money collected was redirected to Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, making a telling comment on Liverpool’s ability to recognise an opportunity and act on it.

Though Coutinho was the bright spark during that backwater period between the gripping 2013/14 campaign and Klopp’s arrival, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t expendable, for Liverpool went on to lift all the biggest honours with a complete and rounded team.

With 28-year-old Diaz heading into the penultimate year of his contract, some important conversations must be held.

Maybe Liverpool won’t want to sever too large a chunk from their frontline with Nunez seemingly headed for the exit, too. However, if the right opportunity comes along, this would be the perfect time to cash in for a lucrative figure, with Diaz then able to leave as a proud Premier League champion.

Sold for £15m: Klopp’s Liverpool star is playing like a £100m Salah heir

This former Liverpool star could have been a valuable asset in Arne Slot’s system.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 28, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da dobrowin： A polêmica da vez no mundo do futebol é entre Arrascaeta e Carlos Alberto. Os últimos dias vêm sendo de provocações desde que o meia do Flamengo deu uma caneta no ex-jogador. Hoje comentarista, o ex-atleta de Corinthians, Botafogo e Vasco, entre outros clubes, disse que “só respeita quem jogou em alto nível na Europa”. Pensando nisso, o LANCE! recorda, brevemente, a carreira de Carlos Alberto, passando pelas suas principais conquistas.

Revelado pelo Fluminense, o ex-meia ganhou destaque rapidamente e foi aproveitado no profissional do Tricolor em 2002 e 2003 até ter seus direitos adquiridos pelo Porto (POR). Foi no clube europeu que o atleta viveu o auge de sua carreira. Lá, ele conquistou uma Champions League, inclusive fazendo gol na decisão contra o Monaco, um Mundial de Clubes, um Campeonato Português e uma Supercopa de Portugal.

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da betway： Apesar do sucesso inicial com a camisa do Porto, Carlos Alberto perdeu espaço no elenco e voltou ao Brasil em 2005 para defender o Corinthians. Ao lado de Tévez, ajudou o Timão a conquistar o Campeonato Brasileiro daquele ano. Ele deixou o clube em 2006 após desentendimento com o então técnico Emerson Leão.

Carlos Alberto voltou ao Fluminense, por empréstimo, em 2007, quando teve uma rápida passagem, mas com a conquista de um título: a Copa do Brasil daquele ano. No meio da temporada foi vendido pelo Corinthians aoWerder Bremen por 7,8 milhões de euros, na época a contratação mais cara da história do clube alemão. Apesar da grande expectativa, a passagem do jogador pela Alemanha foi apagada.

O meia voltou ao Brasil em 2008 por empréstimo, quando foi cedido ao São Paulo. Ele teve uma passagem relâmpago com pouco destaque pelo clube, onde ficou cerca de cinco meses. Carlos Alberto migrou então para o Botafogo, onde teve boas atuações, mas novamente se envolveu em polêmicas internas e deixou o clube antes do término do contrato cobrando salários atrasados.

Em 2009, Carlos Alberto acertou com o Vasco para a disputa da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro. O meia teve boa passagem pelo Cruz-Maltino, onde foi protagonista na volta à elite do futebol brasileiro. Identificado com o clube, o meia criou boa relação com a torcida. No entanto, deixou o Vasco em 2011, por empréstimo, após polêmicas internas. Ele teve passagens curtas e apagadas por Grêmio e Bahia ainda naquele ano.

O meia voltou ao Vasco em 2012 e permaneceu no clube em 2013, mas muito distante do brilho da primeira passagem. Carlos Alberto acertou com o Goiás no início de 2014, mas teve uma passagem relâmpago pelo clube, com polêmicas, e teve o contrato rescindido pelo Esmeraldino. Naquele mesmo ano, ainda atuou novamente pelo Botafogo, mas não conseguiu ajudar o time na luta contra o rebaixamento para a Série B.

Por fim, Carlos Alberto teve passagens por Figueirense, entre 2015 e 2016, Athletico, em 2017, e Boavista-RJ, em 2019.

Principais títulos de Carlos Alberto:

– Campeonato Carioca 2002 (Fluminense)
– Campeonato Português 2003/2004 (Porto)
– Champions League 2003/2004 (Porto)
– Mundial de Clubes 2004 (Porto)
– Supercopa de Portugal 2004 (Portugal)
– Campeonato Brasileiro 2005 (Corinthians)
– Copa do Brasil 2007 (Fluminense)
– Campeonato Brasileiro Série B 2009 (Vasco)

da casino： Chelsea fell to defeat at Aston Villa last weekend but have the perfect chance to turn things around on Tuesday night as Enzo Maresca’s men host lowly Southampton in the Premier League.

da esport bet： Though the Blues started on the front foot against Unai Emery’s side and were rewarded for their initiative through Enzo Fernandez’s close-range finish – shout-out to Pedro Neto – the visitors failed to get a firm grip on the match and succumbed to second-half pressure.

Filip Jorgensen’s error in the dying embers allowed Marco Asensio to claim a brace after earlier finishing inside the area, but goalkeeping woes are not the extent of the issues Maresca is currently beset with.

Chelsea have shouldered a tonne of injuries in recent weeks but still need to restore some positive momentum with the business end of the campaign looming large. Indeed, the Blues are only four points off third-place Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea's latest injury news

Trevoh Chalobah was forced off in the early stages against Villa with an apparent back injury but Maresca has allayed fears of a long-term layoff – though Tosin Adarabioyo may have to deputise in his stead against the Saints.

However, the frontline is still going to be depleted for a while, with Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson not expected back until after the March international break and 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu also sidelined indefinitely.

Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile’s respective return dates are also unknown, but star centre-back Wesley Fofana still faces up to two months on the sidelines.

The most pressing concern is who Maresca will stick at number nine against Southampton. Chelsea simply have to get three points against the Premier League’s bottom-placed team at Stamford Bridge, but Christopher Nkunku isn’t cutting it.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse Who Maresca should start at centre-forward

With Jackson and Guiu both sidelined, Maresca has been forced into drafting Nkunku into the focal striking role. The France international is tactically versatile and prefers to play between the lines, feeding off the centre-forward.

Admittedly, Chelsea played him off the left flank against Villa, with Neto deputising in a dynamic middle role and achieving some measure of success, but Nkunku was branded with a 4/10 match rating by GOAL after the match all the same, criticised for his anonymous performance.

Indeed, while he attempted five dribbles (completing two) and made two key passes for his teammates, Nkunku only managed to fire one shot at Emi Martinez all evening, and Maresca may now want to turn toward a more naturally suited option at number nine, even if that means conceding some experience in the process.

Nkunku – Chelsea Stats by Competition (24/25)

Competition

Apps

Goals

Assists

Premier League

22

2

1

Conference League

5

5

3

UECL Qualifiers

2

2

0

FA Cup

2

1

0

Carabao Cup

2

3

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

He’s not been nearly clinical enough in the Premier League, and with that in mind, Maresca might want to turn to the youth to spark some inspiration back into his flagging frontline.

Shumaira Mheuka is only 17 years old but he’s proven himself to be an able goalscorer for the U18s and U21s this season, posting eight goals and two assists from 22 matches (14 starts).

Moreover, the 6 foot 1 prospect was handed his professional debut during Chelsea’s Conference League match against Astana in December, coming on for roughly 13 minutes during the 3-1 away victory in Guiu’s stead.

He didn’t have much time to assert himself but the teenager did showcase some exciting physical attributes and his eye for goal, unleashing one wayward shot while winning two of his three contested ground duels and also making two tackles, as per Sofascore.

With fixtures passing Nkunku by at the moment, Chelsea may well want to consider making this tweak. No Premier League side have conceded more goals than Southampton’s 61 this term, and Mheuka’s off-the-ball movements, his link-up play, could be exactly what the Stamford Bridge side have been lacking since Jackson picked up an injury.

It would be a bold move – but one which might just pay off given the circumstances. Southampton’s threat has been negligible under Ivan Juric and indeed they have fallen to defeat in eight of their past nine Premier League contests.

Mheuka is the cream of the crop within the west Londoners’ academy set-up at centre-forward, with talent scout Jacek Kulig even hailing the teenager as one of “Cobham’s finest” as he continues to press against the first-team squad.

Maresca is seemingly open to finding alternative means to combat the club’s current injury problems and Mheuka might just fit the bill – named in the matchday squad for the first time in the Premier League during the Villa clash after indeed making his debut in the Conference League.

The natural goalscorer wouldn’t be the first to emerge from the academy and forge a name for themselves at Chelsea, and the timing and opponent up ahead couldn’t be more apt for his manager to unleash him from the outset.

If Cole Palmer can return to his finest form and bounce off the likes of Neto and Fernandez, Mheuka could find himself supplied with plenty of quality as he provides a striker’s take and maybe even pops up with a significant contribution.

Beyond Southampton, Chelsea only face Leicester City and Arsenal in the top flight before next month’s international break passes into April.

If Chelsea can weather the current storm, they will be in a good position over the final stretch of the 2024/25 campaign. And if Mheuka is given a shot and takes it, the Blues fans might be filled with quite a bit of optimism for the future.

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Posts ByBen Gray Feb 23, 2025

Chelsea are in no danger of losing Cole Palmer this summer amid fears the attacking midfielder has a release clause in his contract.

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• Palmer contract reported to have release clause
• Chelsea in danger of missing out on Champions League
• Attacking midfielder went on 18-game goalless run

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Reports have suggested the England international's contract includes a clause that would allow him to leave for around £60 million ($80m) should the Blues fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. They currently occupy the last spot that would guarantee a place in next season's league phase.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, the reports there is no such clause in his deal that relates to the European competition. Palmer's slump of 18 games without a goal – although he registered two assists in that time – saw him heavily criticised before he ended that run in the 3-1 win against Liverpool at the weekend. Throughout that drought, the report says, coach Enzo Maresca had many discussions to reassure him that the spark would return.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Despite such a long spell without scoring, Palmer has managed 15 goals and eight assists in the league for the Stamford Bridge side, who have now won four games in a row in all competitions.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

  Palmer played the second 45 minutes of Chelsea's 4-1 win against Djurgaarden in the Conference League last Thursday and, with the London side holding such an advantage, he may be rested when they meet again this week.

Ballon d'Or winner and Barcelona star Aitana Bonmati has admitted she was "surprised" to see Arsenal reach the Women's Champions League final.

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Bonmati surprised to see Arsenal reach Champions League finalArsenal beat Lyon to reach the finalBarcelona have won three titles in last four seasonsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal stunned European giants Lyon to reach the final of the Women's Champions League for the first time since 2007. They overturned a 2-1 deficit to beat the French giants 4-1 in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final fixture to reach the final, where they will now face reigning champions Barcelona.

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While Renee Slegers' side did a commendable job to reach the final of the competition, they now face an uphill task as the Gunners are all set to take on a star-studded Barcelona side, who have won three Champions League titles in the last four seasons. Ahead of facing the Women's Super League giants, Blaugrana star Bonmati expressed her surprise at seeing Arsenal reach the final.

WHAT AITANA BONMATI SAID

Speaking to , Bonmati said: "For me, it was a surprise Arsenal reaching the final. They absolutely deserve it, because scoring four goals against Lyon in the second leg is not easy at all. I congratulate them for that because I think it was a big surprise, but a well-deserved one."

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Barcelona and Arsenal are all set to lock horns in the grand finale on Saturday in Lisbon.