To say that Mykhailo Mudryk didn’t exactly have the best start to life in a Chelsea shirt last season would be quite the understatement.Arriving for a reported £88.5m, whilst still a young player, he was expected to turn the Blues’ fortunes around. Instead, however, nothing changed, apart from the lower amount left in the transfer budget at Stamford Bridge as he failed to score a goal in his first 17 outings.In truth, though, it was always going to be difficult for Mudryk to hit the ground running mid-season in a dressing room overfilled and under-motivated under Graham Potter, and then Frank Lampard.With Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival, the Blues have at least made space in the dressing room, waving goodbye to a total of 16 players so far this summer, and welcoming just four new signings.As the chaos is slowly but surely organised, Mudryk has the chance to get a good pre-season under his belt, and, as a result, find his best form. If Chelsea’s friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion is anything to go by, too, he is nearing his best with every game.

Mykhailo Mudryk impresses against Brighton

Taking on Roberto de Zerbi’s Brighton side, Chelsea came out on top, winning 4-3 in a back-and-forth affair.

Initially taking the lead through Danny Welbeck, the Seagulls were soon hit with a four-goal reply, as Christopher Nkunku found the back of the net, before Mudryk scored his first goal for the club, and strikes from Conor Gallagher and summer arrival Nicolas Jackson followed.

Brighton threatened to complete a comeback when Joao Pedro scored from the spot, before Deniz Undav slotted past Kepa Arrizablaga, but it wasn’t enough as Chelsea secured the win.

One particularly impressive moment from Mudryk came with his incredible show of pace – as shown in the footage above. The winger looked to have knocked the ball too far down the line at first, before somehow turning on the afterburners, and catching the ball with relative ease. The change of pace led to his teammate, Angelo Gabriel, labelling him “Naruto” and “very fast” on his Instagram story.

Whilst we haven’t seen his pace very often in the Premier League, it should not come as any surprise, considering the fact that Mudryk was one of the Champions League’s fastest players last season, coming in at second in the competition (only behind Alphonso Davies) with a speed of 36.6 KM/H.

Mudryk’s goal was also impressive, too, as he struck on the volley from range.

What is the market value of Mykhailo Mudryk?

Arriving at Stamford Bridge for a reported £88.5m in January, Mudryk’s struggle for form has seen his transfer value decrease in the last seven months. According to Transfermarkt, the Ukraine international is now worth €50m (£43.20m), which is less than half the amount that Chelsea initially paid for his signature back in January.

Pochettino will be hoping to see the Ukrainian finally live up to that price tag next season, however, as he looks to take the London club back into the Premier League’s top four at the first time of asking.

Even though it was only a pre-season game, defeating Brighton would have handed Chelsea quite the boost ahead of the season. It’s the type of confidence they can take into their opening-day clash against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

If they can defeat Jurgen Klopp’s side in their first game, too, then they may just enjoy an unexpectedly quick start to the new campaign.

Arsenal forward Beth Mead spoke about her ACL injury recovery process alongside her team-mate and partner Vivianne Miedema.

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Mead opens up on featuring in Arsenal documentary

Opens up on ACL injury and recovery process

Women's football plagued with ACL injuries WHAT HAPPENED?

The Arsenal duo recently battled their way back to fitness after sustaining ACL tears last year. They recently featured in a documentary released by the Gunners where the players share anecdotes from their experiences of suffering such a serious injury and how they recovered from the setback.

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Speaking to , Mead revealed that they felt important to spread awareness regarding ACL injuries, which is quite prevalent among women footballers.

The striker, sitting alongside her partner said, "We felt important to kind of share our journey, make everyone a little bit more aware of what that journey looks like. If we could kind of figure out a little more as to why it's happening or the factors that go towards it happening or is there anything that we can do within the game to present it? At least minimise the risk of ACL injuries.

"There's been quite a pandemic of this specific injury so we owed it to the next generation to try and figure out a better solution, a better plan that could minimise the risk of this nasty injury."

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According to a report from , women footballers are six times more likely to sustain ACL injuries compared to men. Female footballers are also 25 per cent less likely to fully recover and return from such injuries.

In recent times, women's football has been plagued with ACL injuries with several big names being ruled out of action due to knee problems.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BETH MEAD?

Since her return to action, the 28-year-old has made seven Women's Super League appearances where he scored thrice for her club. She will be next seen in action after the winter break when Arsenal face Watford in a FA WSL Cup clash on January 14.

Pep Guardiola revealed that Jack Grealish's family was inside during the burglary at Cheshire home but nobody was harmed.

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• Jewellery worth £1million was stolen
• The family was not harmed
• Pressed the panic button to alert police

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The incident occurred while Grealish was away playing in Manchester City's 3-1 victory against Everton on Wednesday night. During the raid, £1 million ($1.3m) worth of jewellery was stolen. Grealish's fiancee Sasha Attwood, along with other family members, which included Grealish's parents, two sisters, and brother, were watching the match when they heard barking dogs and noises upstairs which prompted them to activate the panic buttons to alert the police before seeking refuge inside the recently-acquired £5.6 million ($7.1m) mansion.

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• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  Speaking to reporters, Guardiola said: "The family was inside, it is what it is today, modern days, with many things happening. It was a bad moment for him and his family but fortunately, the family was not damaged [harmed]."

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  After the final whistle, City's head of player support and protocol, Manel Estiarte, informed Grealish about the incident, which visibly impacted the player as he rushed to the dressing room.

  A source told "The family are really shaken. The gang took a lot of watches and jewellery. They executed their raid when Manchester City were playing live on TV and all his family had gathered downstairs to cheer him on. No one was injured but there was a lot of panic. Everyone was terrified as they were all so vulnerable.

  "It's an enormous property, so it is understandable why no one heard anything at first. It was also the first time the family had visited so they were unfamiliar with the property. When the dogs went mad, and they could hear people creeping about, they pressed the security panic alarm

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Cheshire Police will continue their investigation on the case as Grealish will look to brush aside the setback and focus on City's next encounter against Sheffield United on Saturday.

Manchester United have been handed a blow in their efforts to land Sofyan Amrabat this summer, with journalist Santi Aouna reporting the player doesn't want to move to Old Trafford.

Is Sofyan Amrabat good?

The 26-year-old has spent the last three seasons plying his trade for Fiorentina and has continued to impress in Italy for La Viola this campaign. He played on 29 occasions for the club in the 2022/23 season, with 24 starts, and bagged one assist along the way.

It shows that the Morocco man has become a regular and reliable member of the squad and he also had a key part to play in their run to the Europa Conference League final, with a 13 further games in that competition. The midfielder was also a feature for Morocco in the World Cup last year, as they reached a historic fourth-place.

He's still in the middle of his twenties but already has 117 Serie A outings to his name, with a further 63 in the Eredivisie. Amrabat is closing in then on the big 200 game milestone already – proving his experience at a high level – and could hit that number over the course of the next campaign.

He likely will feature heavily again for whoever he plays for when you consider how durable and consistent he has performed in recent years, and his impact is proven by some of his stats over the last league season. With 158 passes into the final third for example, he ranked eighth of anyone in the entire Serie A in that category. He also had a progressive carrying distance of 4827 yards (ranked ninth in the league). Amrabat then is a midfielder who loves to not only carry the ball forward but can get it there through his passing and vision too.

Are Manchester United signing Sofyan Amrabat?

Now, having proven his ability to cut it with the best players in the league and on some of the biggest stages football has to offer, he is a wanted man. Man United in the Premier League have been heavily linked with a move for the midfielder and there are a host of other clubs all tracking his signature. It seemed as though the Red Devils had been leading the way for the Fiorentina man, with a recent report even stating they would be the side making a "decisive" bid for his services this weekend.

Now though, according to journalist Santi Aouna, Amrabat may not be heading to Old Trafford after all because "he is not interested".

The reporter states that whilst the 26-year-old will consider leaving Fiorentina for a big club, he doesn't fancy a move to the Red Devils and is instead holding out for a potential switch to La Liga, which is a dream of his. It means that even though a bid is on the table, it doesn't matter because Amrabat himself doesn't fancy a transfer switch.

It would be a blow for Erik ten Hag if this deal doesn't get done. Amrabat has been praised highly by some of the biggest names in football, with Luis Enrique stating that the midfielder "impressed him" more than any other player at the World Cup tournament in Qatar while members of the media have called his European performances "outstanding".

Newcastle United are reportedly considering a move for Monaco centre-back Axel Disasi this summer as they prepare for a return to the Champions League.

After enjoying a remarkable 22/23 campaign, finishing fourth in the Premier League and reaching the Carabao Cup final, Eddie Howe's side are strengthening the various sections of the field to consolidate their return to European competition.

Midfielder Sandro Tonali has already been signed from AC Milan for £55m, but further work must be forged across the defensive and attacking thirds.

Could Newcastle sign Axel Disasi?

According to Caught Offside, Disasi's name remains on the list at St. James's Park after reports of the club's interest have surfaced over the past several weeks, with Manchester United also eyeing a deal.

The Ligue 1 giants would reportedly want around €40m (£34m), for the 25-year-old defender, which could be an affordable price for a talented ace – who is also out of contract in just two years' time.

Speaking to Caught Offside in a separate report, French football expert Jonathan Johnson has confirmed that the Frenchman is "strongly linked" to the Toon side, saying that he would "boost their Champions League aspirations."

How good is Axel Disasi?

While Newcastle did complete the 22/23 Premier League campaign with a joint-division strongest defence – alongside Manchester City (both 33 goals conceded) – Howe will know of the importance of bolstering the ranks to ensure the commendable progress made over the past several years does not stagnate.

And Disasi could be viewed as the perfect titan to enter the fray and cement a starting berth, having played an instrumental role for the Rouges et blancs over the past few seasons, forging 129 displays and being hailed as "complete & dominant" and a "hidden gem" by scout Jacek Kulig.

The four-cap France international – who made his debut at the 2022 World Cup – certainly seems to fit the mould of a top-class modern defender, with FBref ranking him among the top 7% of centre-backs for goals, the top 5% for assists, the top 4% for progressive passes and progressive carries, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 14% for interceptions per 90.

Effectively, what this suggests is that the £12k-per-week gem can contribute with a direct goal threat and can provide superlative support from deep with his ball-playing skills.

Intriguingly, Marseille's Chancel Mbemba is considered the 6 foot 3 mountain's most comparable player on FBref, which could tee Howe up to expunge the demons of the Magpies' failed signing of the Congolese star, who signed for £8m from Belgian team Anderlecht in 2015 and made 59 appearances on Tyneside before departing for Porto in 2018 for £7m.

The lion's share of Mbemba's outings in black and white came in the first of his three terms on English shores, where he played 33 league matches but failed to prevent United from suffering relegation from the top-flight – from that point on, a peripheral role was all the 28-year-old could muster.

The 69-cap international now ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for goals, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, indeed cut from the cloth as Disasi.

While Mbemba's Newcastle career concluded long before Howe's arrival as manager, he could finally avenge the wayward signing by signing a new and improved version of what once seemed an astute buy for a prodigious talent.

Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the ECB, has given the clearest indication yet that Ben Stokes could be back in England’s Ashes squad sooner rather than later

Andrew Miller07-Nov-2017Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the ECB, has given the clearest indication yet that Ben Stokes could be back in England’s plans sooner rather than later, after admitting that the board was keen to “rehabilitate reputations on the field” in the wake of Stokes’ arrest in Bristol in September.With just over a fortnight to go until the first Test at Brisbane on November 23, Harrison conceded that the ECB had been forced into a “holding pattern” as it awaits news as to whether Stokes will be charged by Avon and Somerset Police for his alleged actions outside Mbargo nightclub on September 25.And though a board spokesman sought to downplay rumours, emanating from the Australian media, that a police update could come as soon as Wednesday, it seems increasingly clear that England are refusing to discount a recall for their star allrounder, who was made unavailable for selection after appearing to be caught on camera throwing punches at two men in a street brawl.”What happened was wrong, there’s no question about that,” said Harrison, speaking at the Deltatre Sport Industry Breakfast Club in London. “You don’t want to see your sport in that position and there are consequences of that. We’re in a holding pattern at the minute.”There’s a process with the police and then a disciplinary process. As you’ll appreciate, these things take time and that’s the pattern we’re in at the moment.”The question of Stokes’ availability has been made ever more pressing for England’s tour party following confirmation that his designated replacement, Steven Finn, has been ruled out of the rest of the tour after sustaining a knee injury.Finn suffered a tear to his left knee cartilage while batting on the first day of middle practice, and was unable to recover despite an injection. England have called up Tom Curran as a replacement but, along with the impending arrival of the England Lions squad to shadow the senior squad, there is still a need for clarity as they formulate their Ashes plans.With an internal ECB disciplinary process underway, but taking its lead from the police investigation, further reports suggest that – should Stokes escape police charges – he could be facing a two-Test suspension, which would make him available for the third Test at Perth, starting on December 14. However, Harrison refused to be drawn on any timeframes.”It’s complicated,” Harrison said. “We can’t go into any kind of detail about police matters, but there are serious issues that the game has to face and we have to get it right.”We have to get that balance between censure and support absolutely right. I think cricket’s response to this will show the value of the game in the best light.”Having been through a difficult moment, I think we’ll see the very best of cricket come out. We are blessed with a group of outstanding characters in the men and women’s game. They are great ambassadors for the game and this is very much an isolated incident and an aberration.”I think we will quickly recover to a place where the game is seen as doing its best to rehabilitate reputations on the field, and try to get Ben and Alex [Hales] back to a place where fans are really behind them, trying to do what they do best.”

Erik ten Hag doesn't want other players to be discouraged by Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho's Manchester United experience.

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• Ten Hag says it's easier to play for other clubs
• Talks about Van De Beek's struggles at club
• Dutch midfielder now on loan at Frankfurt

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  As United prepare for their FA Cup match against Wigan on Monday – which happens to be their only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season – Ten Hag was asked if Van de Beek's troubles and Sancho's inability to perform would deter players from joining the Red Devils. The former Ajax manager admitted that playing for United is harder than playing for any other club, as the pair of Sancho and Van de Beek would attest.

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• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  "That is always on those players and how much confidence you have in your capabilities," Ten Hag said [via BBC]. "But I can tell you one thing – the Premier League is tough. Man United, that is tough to play there because it's more easy to play in almost any other team than Man United because the pressure is that high always.

  "You have to deal with that. But if you have confidence in yourself, this is the best challenge and this is definitely the best club you want to be at as a player. It depends on player to player, and it depends especially on the character of the player, their personality."

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  Van de Beek joined the Premier League giants in 2020 after a scintillating season for Ajax as they won both domestic titles and made it to the Champions League semi-finals. However, life after the move did not turn out to be as fruitful as he had hoped. The Dutch midfielder has now moved on loan to German side Eintracht Frankfurt as he looks to resurrect his career.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  With the new year already underway, Ten Hag will be looking to leave their terrible year behind and begin afresh, starting with a trip to Wigan Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have appointed former Australia batsman Dean Jones as interim head coach for Afghanistan’s Intercontinental Cup fixture in Hong Kong. Afghanistan have been without a coach since August after the board chose not to renew Lalchand Rajput’s contract following a year-long stint with the side. Jones, 56, recently covered the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s premier T20 competition, in Kabul as a commentator, his style of commentary making him popular with the Afghanistan fans.”Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones has appointed as interim head coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team for the upcoming tour of Hong Kong for the Intercontinental Cup fixture,” the ACB announced in a statement. “Both sides will consider a long-term coaching agreement after the tour of Hong Kong.”Afghanistan have struggled for consistency in the coaching department, having changed five coaches over the past five years. Before Rajput, former Pakistan internationals Inzamam-ul Haq, Rashid Latif and Kabir Khan all had spells as Afghanistan head coach.Afghanistan are set to play a first-class game in the ICC Intercontinental Cup on October 20 at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong. Afghanistan are presently unbeaten, in second place with 81 points behind Ireland, who lead the table with 89 points from six games. They won the Intercontinental Cup in 2010, beating Scotland in the final, after bursting onto international cricket’s collective consciousness in 2009 when they gained ODI status with a sixth-place finish at that year’s World Cup Qualifier in South Africa.

Newcastle United are now interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, but they will have to battle the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal for his signature, according to recent reports from Denmark.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

There have been suggestions that Newcastle have made contact with Galatasaray over a move for Nicolo Zaniolo, as a result of the "excellent impact" he made for the Turkish club after arriving in January, but they have no interest in selling him this summer.

That has not deterred the Magpies, however, as they are expected to make an official offer this week, with Zaniolo emerging as one of their key midfield targets, but they do have a few other options in mind, including Flamengo youngster Victor Hugo.

Eddie Howe's side have "decided" to make a bid of around €24m (£21m) for the 19-year-old, having closely monitored him for some time now, and the Brazilian club will have to be prepared for an "astronomical proposal" this summer.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

There are no other clubs named as potential suitors for Hugo, but Newcastle are set to face a lot of competition in their pursuit of Lindstrom, with Ekstra Bladet, via Sport Witness, recently detailing that a whole host of clubs are vying for the Frankfurt star's signature.

Alongside the Magpies, Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig, Inter Milan and Napoli are all interested in the 23-year-old, who could be on the move this summer, with his current club said to be planning for a sale.

Frankfurt would find it hard to say no to a good offer, and if an auction breaks out, the fee could rise as high as €55m (£47m), although he is valued at around €35m – €40m (£30m – £34m). At the moment, Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus are the clubs that have taken the most concrete steps, having "already been in contact" with the Bundesliga club to discuss a deal.

How good is Jesper Lindstrom?

Football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor has praised the attacking midfielder on a number of occasions, describing him as "fun to watch", before recently adding:

"Jesper Lindstrom is a fascinating player. Really talented and unusual, but also hard to define."

Having arrived in the Bundesliga from Brondby ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, it was always going to take the Dane some time to adapt, but teammate Kevin Trapp believes he has already come on leaps and bounds since his arrival:

"Jesper is very young and came from a different league. The Bundesliga is a tougher league than the Danish league, you have to get used to it. It’s normal, and everyone in the club and the team knows that. Jesper has already made significant steps forward… you can see that he's an outstanding footballer and has very good technique."

Of course, a move to the Premier League would be another step up for the maestro, but he has proven he may be up to the task, having scored seven league goals last season, the third-highest amount in the squad. If Newcastle are able to sign Lindstrom for a fee close to his valuation of around £30m, he could be a quality addition, but it may be difficult to win the race for his signature, given the level of interest.

Burnley have not given up hope of landing Sunderland winger Jack Clarke this summer, with reliable journalist Alan Nixon stating that it "isn't over yet" for the Clarets in their pursuit of the youngster.

How many goals has Jack Clarke scored for Sunderland?

The 22-year-old was on fire last season in the Championship for Sunderland and had, statistically, the best campaign of his career to date. He ran rampant with the Black Cats in the second tier, bagging himself nine goals in 45 games and, even more impressively, notching 11 assists along the way.

It meant that his goal contribution rate stood at 20 in total and gave him an average of 0.48 goals or assists per 90 – almost one or the other every second game he played, as per FBref. Considering he also featured in nearly every single second-tier game throughout the previous campaign, it shows how vital he was to the club's cause.

Prior to this breakout year with Sunderland, Clarke had struggled to hit the back of the net too frequently. In League One, he had managed only one strike with the Black Cats and his two stints with Stoke and QPR had led to no goals whatsoever. The early promise he had shown with Leeds, when he had struck two goals in four league starts, had seemed to dwindle and go off course due to a lack of action. Now a regular again, he is finding his feet once more and topped the Championship leaderboard for assists in 2022/23.

Are Burnley signing Jack Clarke?

These showings have now led to a potential Premier League return this summer. Burnley have been keen to seal a deal for the winger but, with the 22-year-old proving to be so vital to his current club, they have turned down all bids from the Clarets so far.

However, that has seemingly not deterred the top-flight side in their efforts to bring him to Turf Moor. According to reliable journalist Nixon, Burnley remain keen to try and snap up Clarke and Vincent Kompany remains a big fan of the player – so they are not out of the running for his signature yet and there is nothing to say they won't launch yet another offer for his services.

"Burnley have a few targets that they are still haggling over… the fact they are still in suggests that one isn’t over yet… and the manager still wants him."

Having worked with Tony Mowbray last season during Sunderland's run to the play-offs, not many know Clarke like the manager does. Watching the winger in action and working with the youngster has clearly left the former Blackburn boss in awe, as he stated that the forward was a "wonderful" player and added that "nobody can deny" the talent that he possesses.

He's clearly seen in high regard at the Stadium of Light then, and it is no wonder that they don't want to let him leave this summer if they can help it. Burnley, though, look as if they will continue to try and tempt him away from the EFL side – and if they did manage to add him to their own ranks, it would be another shrewd signing for the Clarets.