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“If we’re talking in two hours and they still haven’t scored, I’ll be absolutely amazed,” stated Jamie Redknapp in his pre-match punditry ahead of Tottenham vs Everton.

He was practically begging for a Curb Your Enthusiasm theme with that one.

It sounded a particularly bold claim, when, only a couple of minutes later Sky Sports flashed up a graphic showing that no player in Tottenham’s starting XI – including their £350million-plus worth of summer signings – scored more than four league goals last season.

And the only player with four was centre-back Micky van de Ven. The only player in the Spurs squad who scored more last season was Richarlison, reportedly considering legal action, and watching on from the stands after being omitted from Roberto De Zerbi’s Premier League squad.

Redknapp’s optimism, he reasoned, was that this was finally something close to De Zerbi’s first-choice XI, summer additions bedded in and starting – and that there’s simply too much attacking quality for the drought to continue.

After all, Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne are probably the two standout Premier League players of the last decade. Look at Cole Palmer now. All of them were once spare parts at big six clubs. All of them shone when given faith and opportunities. Maybe that’ll be Savio and Omar Marmoush…

Or maybe not. But you sensed Redknapp might’ve actually been on to something when the hosts made a bright start, the crowd sounding up for it, with Savio looking particularly lively.

That lasted all of 10 minutes, and it failed to result in any major chances of note. Everton grew into the game, had a spell on top, and reached the break without facing a shot on target. Classic David Moyes.

Jordan Pickford’s first save, from a tame long-range Mateus Fernandes effort in the 46th minute, was met with ironic cheers from the home fans. Vibe check: Not great.

After an erratic start to the season from De Zerbi – Archie Gray their youngest-ever captain one week, an unused sub the next – this line-up at least made sense on paper. A solid defence, a combative midfield and an attack that theoretically had the tools to hurt the opposition.

But all three of Rodrigo Bentancur, Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes recalled Jose Mourinho’s infamous ‘trivote’ of Pepe, Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira at Real Madrid. A lot of graft, very little guile. It was no wonder they struggled to create, and as the second half wore on, you were just waiting for De Zerbi to fix it.

James Maddison looked the most obvious solution, but he had to wait as the Tottenham manager opted for Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall in place of Bentancur and Fernandes just past the hour mark. Mathys Tel replaced an isolated, ineffective Dominic Solanke. Something different, at least.

Yet it was Everton that looked the likelier to score. It was Jack Grealish who looked the most impactful substitute. Maddison was eventually introduced in the 77th minute, but while De Zerbi’s side made inroads in terms of territory, Pickford’s goal remained untroubled.

It was only in the dying minutes, when Maddison cut out an errant goal kick and Bergvall struck sweetly from range, that they ever looked close.

Somehow, this was the first-ever Premier League goalless draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. On this evidence – whereby Spurs were organised and competent while completely anaemic in the final third – there’ll be a whole lot more in the weeks and months to come.

If newly-promoted Coventry City score against Brighton tomorrow, Spurs will be the only remaining club in the top five tiers of English football yet to score a league goal this season.

And if Hamburg, who have only played twice, find the net against RB Leipzig, the same will be true across Europe’s five major leagues.

That’s 192 clubs in total. You don’t want to be the odd one out there.

The relationship between Spurs and Tottenham striker Richarlison “looks completely broken”, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Richarlison has had several options to leave north London in a rollercoaster few weeks for the Brazilian but none of them have materialised

The Tottenham striker was used in a part-exchange deal to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Everton but that deal fell through as Richarlison could not agree terms with the Toffees.

Spurs agreed a loan deal for Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk instead with Ndiaye eventually moving to Manchester City before the transfer deadline.

Super Lig side Trabzonspor were interested in signing Richarlison but that move didn’t happen and now Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama are trying to sign him.

A report on BBC Sport revealed on Friday that any transfer is still a challenge as Richarlison is ‘in dispute over the remaining nine months of his contract’ at Tottenham.

READ: Paul Merson makes Tottenham claim ahead of Everton match – ‘you would start really, really worrying’

Richarlison is ‘keen to be released from his deal’ but Tottenham are currently against that, with the report adding: ‘Talks between the club and player’s representatives are ongoing to find a resolution but it is believed the matter has escalated in recent days.

‘While Richarlison is eager to reach an agreement with Tottenham which would allow him to walk away from the club for nothing, Spurs are not considering that option as realistic. To complicate matters, Spurs have a 12-month option to extend Richarlison’s contract until the end of next season. Spurs are unwilling to negotiate a settlement with Richarlison over the rest of his deal.’

Giving his own update on Richarlison’s future, Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Guys, at this stage, I’m not aware of anything close between Richarlison and Vasco da Gama.

“I know there were many questions. Richarlison was close to joining Trabzonspor, but Tottenham rejected all the proposals sent by Trabzonspor. Richarlison agreed terms with Trabzonspor, not with Vasco da Gama.

READ: Tottenham star makes U-turn on his future with new deal completed as he reveals reason for decision

“Now we will see what happens with his future, because at the moment the relationship with Tottenham looks completely broken.”

Harry Kane new deal: ‘It’s not imminent today or tomorrow’

Tottenham legend Harry Kane is also attempting to sort out his own future as negotiations continue over signing a new contract at Bayern Munich.

Giving an update on talks, Romano added: “Harry Kane keeps negotiating a new contract at Bayern. He has confirmed that it’s going to take some time. It’s not imminent today or tomorrow, but the negotiations are going well.

“And I can confirm that for Bayern, this is an absolute priority. Bayern consider the new contract for Kane and then Michael Olise. But first, Harry Kane, the absolute priority.

“The conversations are taking place. I think it’s going to take some time, but Bayern are on it. Bayern are prepared to offer Harry Kane something really important in terms of the contract. So this is going to be an important topic.”

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has dramatically suggested that Tottenham Hotspur’s season could be on the line this weekend against Everton.

There has been a lot of change at Tottenham since they avoided relegation from the Premier League, with Roberto De Zerbi backed more than any other Spurs manager.

In this summer’s transfer window, Spurs invested over £300m on signings to rebuild their squad, with Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke among their additions.

Despite this, Tottenham have made a slow start to this season, with De Zerbi’s side only picking up a single point from their first three Premier League games.

The north London side have still been without a few key players, but Merson thinks Saturday’s home match against Everton is a “cup final” for Spurs.

“Spurs have to beat Everton this weekend. It’s a cup final for them – I’d go as far as to say this is their season on the line,” Merson told Sky Sports.

READ: Spurs will succumb to 13-year all-time Premier League table low soon – but might Liverpool drop too?

“Here we go again…”

“If they lose to Everton, then you starting thinking: this is going to be another grind of a season. Here we go again. You would start really, really worrying as a Tottenham fan.

“But if they go and beat Everton, you start going two games without a defeat, they’ll be on four points. Then all of a sudden you can build from there.”

He continued: “It’s not as big as the Spurs vs Everton game on the final day of last season. If they lost that game, they were going to Lincoln. But, at the moment, I just don’t see this team putting five or six wins on the trot together. So this is a big football match.

“The start Spurs have had is Brentford away, Newcastle at home and Nottingham Forest away. If they lose to Everton and have one point from four games, you start to worry.

“If they beat Everton, then they’ve got every chance of beating Aston Villa at home next week. If they don’t beat Everton, they’re not beating Villa. That’s how it works. It’s a snowball effect.

“When you win football matches, you expect to win the one after. But if you don’t, the confidence goes.”

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall has gone from looking close to leaving to signing a new long-term contract with Spurs.

There has been a major squad overhaul at Spurs after they came close to suffering relegation from the Premier League last season.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi was backed more than any other Tottenham manager, with over £300m spent on summer signings.

Most of Tottenham’s spend went on rebuilding their midfield with the signings of Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes, and this fuelled reports linking Bergvall with an exit.

In the summer, Bergvall reportedly expressed a desire to leave amid interest from Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, but a deal did not happen as the interested clubs did not match Tottenham’s asking price.

“We’re building something great here…”

Now, Tottenham have announced that Bergvall has signed a new contract to commit himself to the north London outfit, and he has stated that he is staying because the club is “building something great”.

“I think we’re building something great here. It’s an exciting time for the Club and that’s why I’m happy to extend my contract,” Bergvall said in an interview for Tottenham’s website.

READ: Spurs will succumb to 13-year all-time Premier League table low soon – but might Liverpool drop too?

“I’m always trying to achieve as much as possible, to be the best version of myself both on and off the pitch and I know this is the right place to do that.

“Personally, my goal is to produce more for the team – performances, goals and assists – to help as much as I can.

“I’m getting better every day in training and I’m looking forward to what will be a really good season ahead.”

Spurs boss De Zerbi, meanwhile, has lauded Bergvall’s attitude and quality with his “best football still ahead of him”.

De Zerbi said: “Every day in training you can see Lucas’ desire to learn, improve and push himself to the highest level.

“Lucas is brave, he wants responsibility and has the personality to play in big moments. He also understands that development is a process and he has shown a fantastic attitude towards working on the areas of his game where he can become even better.

“I believe his best football is still ahead of him and we want to give Lucas the platform to reach his full potential.”

Sporting Director Johan Lange added: “Lucas is an outstanding young player with enormous potential and we are delighted that he has committed his future to the Club.

“From the moment he arrived, he has demonstrated not only his technical ability and intelligence on the pitch, but also the character we expect from our players.

“Lucas has a fantastic attitude to his work, he is eager to learn and improve every day, and he has become an important part of the group.

“This new contract is a reflection of our belief in Lucas and the role we see him playing both now and in the future of the Club.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur have decided against releasing Richarlison as he pushes to join Brazilian side Vasco Da Gama.

Richarlison has had a rollercoaster couple of weeks, with the forward having several options to leave Tottenham.

The north London side tried to offload Richarlison as part of a swap deal with Iliman Ndiaye in the final days of the summer transfer window in England, but this deal ultimately fell through because the Spurs star could not agree on terms with Everton.

This prevented Tottenham from signing Ndiaye, who joined Manchester City instead, while Roberto De Zerbi’s side recruited Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk as an alternative on loan with an option to buy.

Since then, Richarlison has missed out on a move to Super Lig side Trabzonspor, and he is now pursuing a move to Vasco Da Gama.

READ: Spurs will succumb to 13-year all-time Premier League table low soon – but might Liverpool drop too?

On Thursday, there were reports that the 29-year-old has already agreed terms with Vasco, while it’s been claimed that he is trying to have his contract cancelled to make an exit smoother.

Regardless, Richarlison is running out of time to secure a move to Vasco because the summer transfer window in Brazil closes on Friday night.

And BBC Sport reported on Thursday evening that there are still issues to overcome, with Richarlison and Tottenham ‘in dispute over the remaining nine months of his contract’.

Tottenham rule out releasing Richarlison

The report confirms that the forward is ‘exploring his options’ and is ‘keen to be released from his deal’, but Tottenham are currently ruling this out.

The report explains:

‘Talks between the club and player’s representatives are ongoing to find a resolution but it is believed the matter has escalated in recent days.

‘While Richarlison is eager to reach an agreement with Tottenham which would allow him to walk away from the club for nothing, Spurs are not considering that option as realistic. To complicate matters, Spurs have a 12-month option to extend Richarlison’s contract until the end of next season. Spurs are unwilling to negotiate a settlement with Richarlison over the rest of his deal.’

De Zerbi has recently shed light on a private conversation he had with Richarlison during pre-season.

“At the beginning of pre-season I spoke to Richarlison and asked him if he wanted to extend his contract because I was happy to keep him with us,” De Zerbi said.

“He didn’t want to. So, Richarlison is a good player, yes. He was important last season, yes, very important. He’s a good guy, yes. But in the end, I had to stop myself putting pressure on the players if the players show me they want to leave.

“I’m sorry for him, but we have to go to another page and work with Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush.”

There will almost certainly be one shift in the historic Big Six hierarchy this season, but Chelsea and Liverpool might well swap places too.

It’s time to look at the all-time Premier League table and see where there might be some changes this season.

Manchester City (6th, 1967 points) to overtake Spurs (5th, 1993 points)

When the Abu Dhabi takeover of Manchester City was completed in September 2008, they were 14th in the all-time Premier League table, wedged between Southampton and Bolton.

With at least 64 more points collected than any other team during his reign – and Liverpool make that comparison look far less dominant than it absolutely is – the Spaniard left Manchester City as the imminent usurpers in an eternal Big Six.

Their relentless excellence has dovetailed neatly with Tottenham’s equally inexorable awfulness to close that gap in double-quick time, to the extent that it will probably only take Enzo Maresca – and Roberto De Zerbi – ten more games to complete the turnaround.

Spurs have been fifth since 2012/13, but not for much longer.

It is more of a chasm to the top four.

Chelsea (4th, 2372 points) to overtake Liverpool (3rd, 2407 points)

Since the end of the Treble season, Manchester United and Arsenal have comprised the top two of an all-time Premier League table at the close of each campaign.

Chelsea have come within a couple of results of breaking that duopoly, but an era of sustained incompetence has had them fall well off that pace and behind Liverpool.

The Blues and Reds have traded places relatively frequently in the hierarchy as the nearest challengers since that Manchester United and Arsenal stranglehold was established, but Liverpool have had a commanding lead for a few seasons.

Another shift in the power dynamic might be incoming; Chelsea have certainly looked the better side so far this season on an admittedly limited sample size. Perhaps not to the tune of 35 points, but then as many appear to have forgotten, they do have Moises Caicedo.

Brighton (23rd, 437 points) to overtake Stoke (22nd, 457 points) and West Brom (21st, 490 points)

As one of only eight current Premier League clubs never to be relegated from it, Brighton have steadily ascended the all-time ladder to reel in such luminaries as Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon.

The Seagulls will have been in the Premier League for precisely as long as Stoke by the end of the season, and should comfortably surpass the Potters’ points total within that timeframe.

A loftier but still eminently achievable scalp would be that of West Brom, who accrued close to a point a game across 13 top-flight seasons.

In this, Brighton’s 10th Premier League campaign, a 58-point total would send them above the Baggies. Fabian Hurzeler beat that in his first season and is no longer a literal child, so it looks doable.

Bournemouth (25th, 413 points) and Nottingham Forest (24th, 420 points) to overtake Stoke (22nd, 457 points)

It could be a difficult season for Stoke, tracking for an 11th consecutive bottom-half finish across different divisions, and even being unseated on a historic level by two distinctly disparate Barclays outfits.

Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have spent an equal number of seasons in the Premier League, despite only being in it simultaneously since their respective promotions in 2022. Both have subsequently flirted with relegation and qualified for European competition, and will expect to catch Stoke’s ten-campaign points total come what March, April or May.

Brentford (39th, 258 points) to overtake six clubs, including Swansea (33rd, 312 points)

Derby (274 points) are clinging on, much like Watford (285) and Portsmouth (293). But if, as expected, this Brentford form continues unabated, all of Birmingham (301), QPR (308) and Swansea are in trouble.

It might even be foolish to rule out Wigan (331) being caught at this juncture. And Charlton (361) are technically within reach – if Brentford win each of their remaining 35 games this season.

You know what to do, Keith Andrews.

Hull (42nd, 178 points) to overtake Sheffield United (41st, 225 points)

It’s what John Egan would’ve wanted.

According to reports, Richarlison has made a U-turn on trying to cancel his Tottenham Hotspur contract amid interest from Vasco da Gama.

Richarlison’s future at Tottenham is incredibly uncertain as he tries to secure a move elsewhere.

Before the English transfer window closed in the summer, Richarlison prevented Tottenham from signing Iliman Ndiaye because Everton failed to reach terms on a swap deal.

The experienced forward has since pushed for a move to Super Lig side Trabzonspor, but this did not progress before the Turkish transfer window closed.

Now, Richarlison is pushing for a move to Brazilian outfit Vasco, but all parties are running out of time to finalise a deal. This is because the transfer window in Brazil closes on Friday.

READ: Spurs win Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool win Doubles as Poch fantasy taken to only logical conclusion

There was a dramatic twist in this saga on Thursday morning, with Brazilian journalist Raisa Simplico claiming he is trying to cancel his Tottenham contract.

Simplico said on X: ‘I just spoke with a member of Richarlison’s staff who confirmed to me that the player notified Tottenham about filing a request for unilateral termination with FIFA.

‘As I brought to you all yesterday, the English club demoted the player to play with the under-21s, in addition to not registering him in the Premier League. The case is similar to that of Renan Lodi, who left Al Hilal in this way and signed with Atlético-MG.’

Richarlison makes U-turn on Tottenham contract

Now, though, Brazilian outlet O Globo claims Richarlison has decided that he will not pursue a contract termination at this stage, partly because it risked derailing negotiations between Tottenham and Vasco.

However, there is still work to do for an agreement to be reached, with it also noted that Tottenham have rejected Vasco’s €10m offer for Richarlison because they are holding out for €20m.

The report later notes that Vasco are prepared to ‘stretch’ their offer, but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to get a deal over the line, as there is still a significant valuation gap.

Still, Vasco president Admar Lopes has told Globo Esporte that they have been in talks with Tottenham over signing Richarlison.

“We understand that Richarlison would change Vasco’s offensive level. We studied all the possibilities. At this moment, we are talking with the English club and there is viability in having Richarlison in this transfer window,” he said.

“Legally, if there is a termination of the contract between the player and Tottenham, it has nothing to do with Vasco. Legally, we are not involved. You have to ask the player and his representatives.”

Motivation takes many forms, but few methods are as fast-acting or hard-hitting as the Tottenham Hotspur Effect.

Cody Gakpo is the latest player to benefit from the uptick in form that inevitably follows a summer spent stewing over the prospect of being packed off to Spurs.

Things at Liverpool looked bleak for the Netherlands winger. The Reds were willing to sell him – just not to a club they consider a genuine threat.

Liverpool were also clear in their intent to replace Gakpo; they signed two wingers for a possible combined total of £158million and would have liked another.

The writing was on the Anfield wall for Gakpo. But rather than sulk, the 27-year-old has knuckled down to prove his worth.

Not only has Gakpo been Liverpool’s best player this season, he’s been one of the Premier League’s most-impressive performers.

Granted, the season is only three games old and a wider body of work is required to show how long-lasting the Tottenham Hotspur Effect can be. But Gakpo’s form, so far, vindicates Liverpool’s reluctance to move decisively for another winger to follow Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz through the door while the window was closing.

“I had no doubt with Cody. He has been very, very good,” said Andoni Iraola after the win over Ipswich. We’re not swallowing the first sentence but no one can argue with the second.

The Reds boss continued: “All pre-season, and he has started very well this season, producing numbers.”

Indeed. The simplest, most important being one goal and three assists in three games.

Gakpo’s start is even more impressive given the numbers and the context offered by our friends at Gradient Sports. They rank the forward as Liverpool’s best player this season and third-best among the 362 players to have played in the Premier League this term.

Let us explain: Gradient’s dynamic player rankings combine two key indicators: Overall Grade and Impact Score. Overall Grade indicates how well a player executes the skills most important to their position; Impact Score tells us how frequently a player delivers the outcomes most important to their position.

So while Virgil van Dijk is graded slightly above Gakpo, the forward’s impact score puts him ahead of the captain on the Liverpool list.

Liverpool player rankings – Premier League 2026/27

Overall Grade: 82.7 Impact Score: 8.6 Premier League ranking: 3/362

Overall Grade: 83.0 Impact Score: 7.2 Premier League ranking: 25/362

Overall Grade: 71.2 Impact Score: 7.9 Premier League ranking: 29/362

Overall Grade: 62.3 Impact Score: 8.1 Premier League ranking: 58/362

Overall Grade: 73.9 Impact Score: 7.3 Premier League ranking: 83/362

Gakpo’s Impact Score of 8.6 is not only the best at Liverpool – it is the highest across the Premier League.

Jack Hinselwood, Bruno Fernandes and Florian Wirtz are in a three-way tie for second narrowly behind Gakpo on 8.5, with Martin Odegaard, Erling Haaland and Morgan Rogers just trail them on 8.4.

Gakpo’s Premier League-high of three assists will be a major factor in the forward’s Impact Score.

Looking at his grades for how Gakpo has executed the skills most important to his position, the forward is in the Premier League top 10 for crossing (fifth among forwards overall), ball carrying (second overall) and shooting (10th overall).

The close attention that comes from playing on Liverpool’s flank doesn’t concern Gakpo. Among Premier League forwards, he ranks top for pressured crossing and sixth for pressured shooting.

Gakpo misses out on the top 10 forwards for passing and 50/50 duels – but only just. He ranks 11th for both.

The overall Premier League rankings highlight the key performers in the strong starts made by Manchester City and Arsenal…

Premier League player rankings – top 10: 2026/27

Overall Grade: 84.3 (7th overall in PL) Impact Score: 8.5 (3rd overall in PL)

Overall Grade: 88.9 (2nd) Impact Score: 8.2 (8th)

Overall Grade: 87.1 (4th) Impact Score: 8.1 (10th)

Overall Grade: 88.8 (3rd) Impact Score: 7.8 (28th)

Overall Grade: 82.5 (14th) Impact Score: 8.3 (6th)

Overall Grade: 81.1 (22nd) Impact Score: 8.3 (7th)

Overall Grade: 85.1 (6th) Impact Score: 7.9 (22nd)

Overall Grade: 91.0 (1st) Impact Score: 7.4 (outside top 50)

Some of today’s maddest-looking headlines are in fact absolutely legit due to Mauricio Pochettino doing a madness.

But there’s also a hypothetical crisis gripping Arsenal and putting everything they’re aiming to achieve in grave peril, as long as you ignore the fact it hasn’t actually happened.

There’s also news of a Marinakis sacking at this early stage of proceedings and a supercomputer already in the mud at this early stage of proceedings.

Title deeds

While it can be good fun for us all when someone in football says something ridiculous, we do wish people were more willing to stop and consider that it can be extremely distressing for Mediawatch. What are we supposed to do when all the big football sites have top stories with insane headlines that are an entirely fair and accurate reflection of the actual words someone has said?

For f*ck sake, Poch.

We can’t do anything with any of these. Not this one from The Sun, for whom top spot on their football homepage is normally reserved for proper major football news like Erling Haaland’s caravan or Freddie Flintoff’s house.

TITLE BLUES: Mauricio Pochettino sensationally demands Chelsea are STRIPPED of 2017 Premier League title and Spurs given it instead

Or this Mirror effort:

“THEY BROKE THE RULES!” Pochettino demands Chelsea are STRIPPED of title over transfer breaches – and says Spurs should be champions

We suppose we could have a little chortle about the Daily Mail and their endless fondness for headline pith…

Chelsea should be STRIPPED of their last Premier League title – with Tottenham crowned instead, says Mauricio Pochettino… as he reveals Spurs DID contact him earlier this year and he WOULD have gone back even if they’d been relegated

…but really what’s the point?

Even the Daily Star have decided Poch’s pronouncements are big enough to knock their staple ‘jaw-dropping WAG’ content out of top spot.

Arsenal in CRISIS

But while here at F365 we’ve been very busy mucking about with stuff that hasn’t happened thanks to Mauricio Pochettino, let it never be said we’re the only ones to over-indulge in hypothetical nonsense.

Take, for instance, this sky-falling-in panic attack from football.london prompted by Arsenal winning their opening Champions League game of the season to maintain a 100 per cent start to the season in all competitions.

New Arsenal injury fear emerges with Premier League and Champions League hopes in peril

Yes, peril and fear definitely seem like the correct emotions to be feeling right now about the defending Premier League champions and last season’s Champions League runners-up who have, and we can’t stress this enough, won all of their matches so far this season, including games against a top-four team from last season, a local rival widely regarded as major title challengers this season, and a team that has two Serie A titles and a runner-up finish in the last four seasons.

After another Martin Odegaard masterclass, we wouldn’t quite say Tom Canton’s glass is half-empty. It’s just that what it’s half-full of is warm p*ss.

He most definitely is now fit, but the concern that this game throws up is the question of what if he or others are not.

Then Arsenal would be slightly less good, as is the case for all teams when their best players are not available. And remember; the headline describes this ‘What if the best players get injured, though?!!!?’ as a new fear.

But I cannot help but fear if any of Odegaard, Havertz, Saka or Tzolis are to suffer an injury, even just one, just how much of a drop would be experienced.

If one of those players is injured, then Arsenal would have no choice but to call upon the striker they spent £60m on just over a year ago. Or the winger they spent £50m on just over a year ago. Or the number 10 they spent £60m on just over a year ago. Or… well, you get the idea with that.

This might be the most first-world problem in first-world-problem history. Mediawatch also cannot sleep at night for worrying about what might become of Arsenal if they have to use some of their £60m substitutes for some games as a result of an injury crisis that – and we simply cannot stress this enough – hasn’t actually happened.

There’s a sensational pay-off, though, to a piece that has spent almost its entire time sh*tting bricks about a crisis that hasn’t happened.

Sunderland comes next, another team, like Aston Villa, the Gunners failed to beat last season away from home. This time however, the vibe has shifted and the optimism has grown.

A shifted vibe? A grown optimism? But what about the fear, man? What about the peril?

Olympic meddle

Artfully done by The Sun, this. Although we’re not sure you can really ALL-CAP an ordinal suffix, even when the number is undeniably absurd.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sacks his 25TH manager in 16 years just seven games into club’s season

Even Mediawatch was briefly intrigued before remembering Nottingham Forest are not the only club where Mr Marinakis indulges his Main Character Energy. He’s also head honcho at Rio Ave and Olympiacos, and it is at the Greek club where he has satisfied his thirst for manager sackings.

Jose Luis Mendilibar has paid a heavy, heavy price for only winning two of the first three league games of the season on the back of a domestic treble last year as well as being the last manager of a non-English club to win one of the Thursday Euro pots back in 2024.

To be fair, it was long overdue. It had been two-and-a-half years since he’d canned an Olympiacos manager, and that is so not Marinakis rhythms.

What’s really interesting, though, is whether this is good news or bad news for Forest and Oliver Glasner. Having fed on a manager, while Marinakis now rest awhile? Or will he have a renewed taste for it?

Gala pie

Remember the supercomputer that came up with an outlandish final order for the Champions League league phase? Yeah? With un unbeaten Galatasaray taking second place behind Real Madrid and four of England’s five teams heading into the play-off round?

Are we above noting that Galatasaray’s hopes of an unbeaten run through the league games is already over after matchday one? No, we are not.

Sabah ranks

Sniffy stuff from Samuel Luckhurst in The Sun ahead of Manchester United’s return to the Champions League for the first time in over 1000 days against Sabah tonight.

In a piece largely spent lamenting United’s wretched record in the competition since reaching three finals in four years between 2008 and 2011, Luckhurst nonetheless notes:

This campaign marks United’s first foray into the Champions League since the format change in 2024, but they have been saddled with a tie that resembles the Europa League or Conference League.

There are two teams (and, in fairness, a day of the week) giving this fixture all the Europa vibes, fella.

Richarlison has reportedly asked FIFA to step in to grant him a Tottenham exit after the striker was excluded from their Premier League squad for this season.

The Brazilian striker was expected to leave the club in the summer and came close to joining former club Everton as part of a deal that would have seen Iliman Ndiaye move to Spurs.

Ndiaye ended up at Manchester City while Richarlison failed to agree terms with the Toffees, and interest from Turkish side Trabzonspor also came to nothing.

Asked about his exclusion from Tottenham’s 25-man squad and his demotion to train with the Under-21s, manager Roberto De Zerbi insisted last week that it was not his call.

“It was not my decision. It is the normal decision,” said De Zerbi.

“I think Richarlison, he decided everything alone. He spoke with me at the beginning of pre-season. He told me his idea, his desire was to leave.

“In the end, we went to bring another striker, and like I said at the start of pre-season, I want to keep only the players who want to stay with pride and the right passion to stay here. Then, for other problems, it’s not my business. It’s the job of the club.

“I can’t say nothing, because I didn’t decide anything. The message of Richarlison from the beginning of pre-season has been very clear, and I accepted that.”

Now Richarlison has reportedly agreed terms with Vasco da Gama, who made the striker their top target when it became clear he wasn’t part of Spurs’ plans this term.

The Brazilian side don’t have the means to sign him on a permanent deal and a loan isn’t possible as Tottenham can’t sanction another international loan because they have reached FIFA’s limit.

Pape Matar Sarr and Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), Radu Dragusin (Fiorentina), Souza (Porto), Kota Takai (Sint-Truiden) and Min-hyeok Yang (Westerlo) have effectively blocked his exit.

Even if Vasco could stump up the cash for his transfer, time is very much against them with the Brazilian transfer window closing on Friday.

Richarlison asks FIFA to step in

And so, Richarlison has taken matters into his own hands, according to Brazilian journalist Raisa Simplico, who’s revealed on X that the 29-year-old has asked FIFA to step in to allow him to terminate his contract.

She wrote: ‘I just spoke with a member of Richarlison’s staff who confirmed to me that the player notified Tottenham about filing a request for unilateral termination with FIFA.

‘As I brought to you all yesterday, the English club demoted the player to play with the under-21s, in addition to not registering him in the Premier League. The case is similar to that of Renan Lodi, who left Al Hilal in this way and signed with Atlético-MG.’