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The life of a Premier League manager is a precious one; they seldom last as long as they should, with trigger-happy owners desperate to instigate the change their ailing clubs need to remain competitive, whether that’s through surviving the drop or simply staying relevant in the race for European football.

So with 20 bosses fighting for their jobs on a weekly basis, who could be next to leave? With the 2024/25 campaign in its final weeks, there could be clubs contemplating changes ahead of the summer.

Here, our ranking takes us through the managers we think are closest to being shown the exit door. As well as the threat of dismissal, we have also factored in managers wo may be tempted to jump ship, adding some uncertainty to their futures at their respective clubs.

This is how we think the Premier League’s managerial sack race stands at this late stage of the campaign, with our reasoning for each one below:

Rank

Manager

Club

Date appointed

Oliver Glasner

Crystal Palace

February 2024

Arne Slot

Liverpool

May 2025

David Moyes

Everton

January 2025

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal

December 2019

Vitor Pereira

Wolves

December 2024

Unai Emery

Aston Villa

November 2022

Andoni Iraola

Bournemouth

June 2023

Marco Silva

Fulham

July 2021

Thomas Frank

Brentford

October 2018

Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham

June 2023

Enzo Maresca

Chelsea

June 2024

Eddie Howe

Newcastle

November 2021

Pep Guardiola

Man City

July 2016

Nuno Espirito Santo

Nottingham Forest

December 2023

Fabian Hurzeler

Brighton

June 2024

Kieran McKenna

Ipswich

December 2021

Graham Potter

West Ham

January 2025

Ruben Amorim

Man Utd

November 2024

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Leicester

November 2024

Here’s a further look at our rankings in more detail…

1 Oliver Glasner Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner’s tenure at Crystal Palace could hardly have gone better. After comfortably staying up in the 2023/24 season, he picked the Eagles up from a slow start to the most recent campaign and survived with ease once again.

But the crowning glory came in the FA Cup final at Wembley, as Crystal Palace became cup winners for the first time with a historic 1-0 win over Manchester City to write their names into the record books. There is simply no one they’d swap the Austrian for right now.

2 Arne Slot Liverpool

There are few safer hot seats in Europe than the one occupied by Arne Slot at Liverpool. The Dutchman steered the Reds to a pretty comfortable Premier League triumph in his first season in charge as he replaced the great Jurgen Klopp.

Cynics will argue that the competition was nowhere near as fierce, but Liverpool’s status as a top side in English football and Europe looks assured under the former Feyenoord boss, who will look to emulate Jose Mourinho by securing two titles in his first two seasons.

Having not bought anyone of note in the summer (sorry, Federico Chiesa), his success is all the more impressive.

3 David Moyes Everton

It may be a slight stretch to call David Moyes a miracle worker, but even the Friedkin Group must be delighted with how things have gone in the past few months for Everton.

With the Scot drafted in to rescue his old club from relegation ahead of their move to Bramley-Moore Dock, Moyes not only made the Toffees more solid in the wake of Sean Dyche’s exit, but turned them into winners.

Seven wins and counting since January saw Everton coast to top-flight safety, and with only four league defeats since Moyes’ return, the Merseysiders were able to give Goodison Park the send-off it deserved without the threat of demotion hanging over them. There is no one more fitting to kickstart the new era.

4 Mikel Arteta Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has transformed the Gunners into a European powerhouse. Despite not adding to his FA Cup triumph in 2020, the north Londoners are undoubtedly one of the strongest sides in the league, if not on the continent.

That is a testament to the Spaniard’s work at the Emirates Stadium, with Arteta juggling injuries and suspensions galore in 2024/25 to steer Arsenal to just their third Champions League semi-final and what looks to be a third successive runners-up place in the Premier League.

With a big summer surely in the offing, you can bet Arteta will be backed to keep up the good work.

5 Vitor Pereira Wolves

Vitor Pereira was tasked with saving Wolves following his arrival in December 2024, with the Old Gold still in single figures in terms of points, and five from safety.

A superb run of form – including six straight wins between March and April – effectively secured their survival, even ahead of the likes of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Heading into his first full season, Fosun must be licking their lips over what the Portuguese coach can do with his squad over the long term.

6 Unai Emery Aston Villa

Aston Villa have had a superb time of it under Unai Emery, with Champions League qualification leading to some of Villa Park’s greatest nights.

They have all been made possible by Emery’s work since his appointment in November 2022, which has seen the Villans transformed from Premier League strugglers to Champions League quarter-finalists in less than three years.

With European qualification assured (and perhaps another CL berth), Emery will surely not be going anywhere anytime soon.

7 Andoni Iraola Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola is one of the Premier League’s brightest minds in the dugout. He has taken Bournemouth to the brink of Europe following a superb top-flight campaign that has delivered their highest points total at this level.

That consistency will leave him with plenty of credit in the bank, though a big test will be how he addresses the departure of Dean Huijsen in the summer.

The next step for the Spaniard will be European qualification, and having performed well against the bigger sides in the league, Iraola may yet set his sights on new heights down on the south coast.

8 Marco Silva Fulham

Marco Silva looks at home as Fulham boss, with the Portuguese coach delivering another impressive campaign. Indeed, the Cottagers have only just exited European contention at the back end of the season.

His record at Craven Cottage thus far suggests they will remain an awkward side to face, with cup success or European qualification surely only around the corner if they can keep progressing under his tutelage.

9 Thomas Frank Brentford

How Thomas Frank continues to get results out of Brentford is remarkably impressive. Not panicked by the exit of Ivan Toney in the summer, the Bees have shown they are arguably a better side without him, while the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have steadily improved, demonstrating Frank’s capabilities as a coach.

European qualification remains a slight possibility heading into the final game of the season, and it would be just rewards for a club that is one of the most stable in the Premier League, largely thanks to Frank’s prowess from the dugout.

You get the feeling that as long as Frank remains, Brentford are in good hands.

10 Ange Postecoglou Tottenham

Who knows what the future holds for Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur? Anyone with Spurs’ results record would surely have expected a dismissal at some point. But to give credit where it’s due, Daniel Levy’s decision to stick by his man delivered Tottenham that long-awaited trophy following Europa League glory in May.

However, one gets the impression that all is not rosy for the Australian in N17, with Postecoglou appearing to have a fractured relationship with the supporters during the past 10 months.

Whether a European trophy can build bridges and lead to a season more akin to his first in north London remains to be seen, so you do feel that Postecoglou’s future is still in the balance.

da aposte e ganhe： The season may be over, and the fans may still be basking in the glory of Europa League success, but there is still plenty of work for the Tottenham Hotspur board to do in the coming months.

da apostaganha： The summer transfer window is set to open in a matter of days, and with Champions League football now secure, Daniel Levy and Co must do everything they can to bring in the best players to support Ange Postecoglou and his squad.

However, it’s not all about incomings, as the club now have a golden opportunity to offload a number of players who simply aren’t good enough.

Specifically, Levy and Co should look to sell someone who’s in real danger of becoming the club’s new Tanguy Ndombele.

Ndombele's Spurs career

Back in the summer of 2019, Spurs were crying out for some midfield reinforcements, and so the club did something quite out of character and smashed their transfer record to bring in Ndombele for around £63m.

There was plenty of excitement around the move at the time, as the Frenchman was coming off a stellar campaign with Lyon, and several prominent journalists were even comparing him to the simply sensational Mousa Dembélé – yes, seriously.

Unfortunately, aside from the good performance here and there, the Longjumeau-born ace never got anywhere near the level that was expected of him, so much so that after just two and a half years, he was sent back to Lyon on a short-term loan.

Ndombele’s Spurs career

Appearances

91

Goals

10

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.20

All Stats via Transfermarkt

After that, he spent a season with Napoli and then another with Galatasary, finally leaving N17 after his contract was terminated by mutual consent, with 91 Tottenham appearances to his name, in which he scored ten goals and provided nine assists.

With his fee, lack of game time and poor performances all taken into account, it’s not hard to see why journalist Paul Brown described Ndombele as “one of the worst signings Spurs have ever made.”

Unfortunately, the club now have another midfielder who could be in a similar conversation, unless they sell him this summer, that is.

The Spurs player who must be sold

Now, while a number of squad members should be sold this summer, the player we are talking about is Yves Bissouma.

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Like Ndombele before him, there was quite a bit of excitement around the Mali international’s transfer to Spurs back in 2022, with content creator George Benson describing the deal as “an absolutely brilliant signing.”

However, instead of getting the unreal midfield destroyer who was sensational for Brighton & Hove Albion, the North Londoners ended up with a player who has had more questionable performances than good ones.

For example, while he was undeniably excellent in the Europa League final, he was terrible against his old club on Sunday, earning himself a 4/10 match rating from Alasdair Gold, who rather charitably described him as ‘clumsy.’

It was a similar story away to Fulham earlier in the season when Gold gave him 3/10 and wrote that ‘his use of the ball was dreadful.’

Go back another few months to December, and he put in such a poor display at home to Chelsea – in which he gave away a penalty – that Jamie Carragher slammed him for being “absolutely ridiculous.”

Finally, on top of being unable to string together a number of good performances, the 28-year-old has a sketchy fitness record at best, which has seen him miss 25 games for club and country since moving to N17.

Ultimately, it’s in Spurs’ best interest to say thanks for the performance in the final and sell Bissouma this summer before another season of dismal displays turns him into the modern Ndombele.

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Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes May 27, 2025

Since being left out of the ODI side last year, he warmed the bench for three Tests in SA and four in England, but didn’t wait to perform as soon as he returned to the 50-overs game

Shashank Kishore in Dubai21-Sep-20181:44

Dasgupta: Jadeja a ‘good headache’ for India

Much before he formally marked his ODI return after more than a year, Ravindra Jadeja was the first to enter the field before play on Friday. He walked up to the pitch, measured his run-up, bowled three imaginary balls, fielded a drive off his own bowling, fired an imaginary throw, looked back and even belted an imaginary appeal. Then he high-fived his team-mates, shared pleasantries with VVS Laxman, engaged in an animated discussion with L Sivaramakrishnan, and then joined the huddle. These were signs of clear delight that he was back, even though he exuded the body language of someone who never left.Only a week ago, Jadeja was in Jamnagar, tending to his two horses, spending time at Rann of Kutch – a barren desert of white sand – to promote Gujarat tourism. He lent finishing touches to his farmhouse titled ‘RJ’, spent time at his restaurant in Rajkot and trained for two days with his Saurashtra team at their pre-season camp in Delhi before the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s domestic 50-over competition.On Thursday morning, he was to prepare for Saurashtra’s match against Delhi at Feroz Shah Kotla. Instead, he was asked to board a flight to Dubai for the Asia Cup. He was to replace Axar Patel, who had injured his finger at training. Incidentally, Jadeja had replaced Axar last year too, during the home ODIs against Australia, after initially being told “he was rested.” At the time, Axar had picked up a freak injury while playing football, but Jadeja couldn’t break into the XI, and found himself out of the squad after the series.Time away from the ODI squad was spent soaking in life. He’s now a father, runs businesses in Rajkot, has become a training freak. He also likes to experiment with his facial hair, hairstyles and outfits. What he doesn’t like to experiment with, though, are his bowling methods that have yielded 368 international wickets.He bowls flat, fast and doesn’t give the batsmen any time between deliveries, bowling like a timed machine which is programmed to finish an over in 35 seconds. It’s this no-frills variety of left-arm spin that earned him four wickets upon returning to the side for the first time since the tour of the West Indies in July last year.Jadeja picked four wickets in five matches at an average of 62.25, while conceding 5.92 runs per over at last year’s Champions Trophy. In the West Indies series that followed, he couldn’t pick a wicket in two ODIs. The selectors then left him out, but insisted he was still part of their plans along with R Ashwin. But, when Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav turned into a formidable bowling partnership, Jadeja was jettisoned.Jadeja may have been hurt, but it didn’t show. He was still picking wickets at home in Tests, toured South Africa where he couldn’t get a game, featured in the IPL, played Afghanistan’s inaugural Test and warmed the bench for four Tests in England before returning to salvage a floundering first-innings in the fifth with 86 not out at The Oval. He also picked seven wickets. And so while he was away for a year from the ODI set-up, he was always on the periphery, waiting to jump in at the first available opportunity.Ravindra Jadeja appeals•Associated PressPrior to Friday, Jadeja, incidentally, had last picked an ODI wicket against Bangladesh at the Champions Trophy. That was of Shakib Al Hasan, and he dismissed Shakib again in his very first over on return, brought about by a superb on-field partnership between him, MS Dhoni and captain Rohit Sharma.Jadeja had just been swept by Shakib for a boundary behind square off a full and flat delivery. As Jadeja was about to run in for the next ball, Dhoni stopped him, chatted with Rohit, and Shikhar Dhawan was swiftly moved from midwicket to square leg. Jadeja nodded and slowed it down outside off, allowing the ball to grip and spin in from a length. Shakib wanted to clear the vacant midwicket region but was done in by the bounce and ended up dragging it to Dhawan at square leg. The move worked and Jadeja struck in his first over.The Bangladesh batsmen struggled to pick which deliveries were going to turn and those that were going straight. Loose balls were few and far in between. This was aided by swift work inside the ring. Now, the batsmen had to manufacture shots. Mohammad Mithun failed once looking to reverse paddle. Mushfiqur Rahim tried to teach him a lesson in execution, but the pressure of dot balls and a stalled run rate showed, and he spooned a simple catch to short third man. This was a typical Jadeja choke.A slow turning delivery and a full dart had brought him two wickets. Then he turned to bowl in the rough created by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s footmarks. His biggest threat on turners are those that skid straight through. Some batsmen try to play him off the pitch and are beaten by the fizz. Mithun learnt his lessons the hard way, prodding forward and playing outside the line for turn, only for the ball to fizz through to beat the inside edge and trap him plumb.From overs 16 to 30, Bangladesh scored just one boundary. Jadeja fired in five match-turning overs out of those, that built pressure and led to a downward spiral at the first sign of attack. This was the mastery of a man who has grown up bowling on (flat) wickets in Rajkot, where accuracy is king, where there’s little or no margin for error. ‘Sir’ Jadeja left a mark immediately upon return.

Celtic are all but confirmed Scottish Premiership champions after last weekend’s results, and Brendan Rodgers is already putting in work behind the scenes to bolster his squad for next campaign.

Celtic on the brink of being confirmed as champions

Brendan Rodgers’ changes worked a treat on home soil as Celtic saw off Kilmarnock in style to put the champagne on ice before the split.

Rangers may have clawed their way to an extended reprieve with a draw at Aberdeen the following day. Still, even the most optimistic of their supporters know it is only a matter of time before the Scottish Premiership crown heads to the east end of Glasgow.

Despite the popular misconception that both sides of the divide are competitors on an equal footing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Should Celtic obtain a point from their first post-split outing, they will have won 13 out of the last 14 available titles by next weekend.

Unsurprisingly, Rodgers is already making strides on the transfer front to build for the new campaign, with Mathias Kvistgaarden on the agenda at Parkhead following his excellent form at Brondby.

Furthermore, the Bhoys are reportedly keen on a surprise move for Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka. The Slovakia international may be available this summer, potentially creating movement between the sticks despite Viljami Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel’s presence at the club.

Ruthless Brendan Rodgers could now get rid of big Celtic names this summer

The Hoops manager isn’t messing around.

1 ByHenry Jackson Apr 13, 2025

Celtic’s involvement in Champions League qualifiers next term has placed time pressure on new arrivals. Rodgers won’t want any delays as his side look to bed in future contributors.

Now, the Bhoys are believed to have an exciting winger in their sights that could add a new dynamic to his squad once the transfer window opens.

Celtic eye summer move for EFL Championship star

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are eyeing a move for Stoke City star Million Manhoef as Rodgers views the Netherlands Under-21 cap as a potential squad signing for next season.

The 23-year-old was brought to the Potters for £3 million last summer, and it is likely that is the most he would cost with his current employers now at threat of relegation to the English third-tier.

Celtic’s depth out wide – do they need another winger?

Jota

Only joined in January, likely to be key going forward.

Nicolas Kuhn

Could be susceptible to departure if interest arises.

Daizen Maeda

May be permanently moved to centre-forward this summer.

James Forrest

Veteran who will see out his career at Celtic.

Hyunjun Yang

Likely to stay at Parkhead after recent improvement.

Luis Palma

On loan at Olympiacos and certain to depart.

Conclusion: Celtic need another winger to maintain adequate squad depth.

Labelled “tricky” by journalist Dean Jones, Manhoef has registered six goals and four assists in 35 appearances this campaign and was a former target for city rivals Rangers. Formerly of Vitesse Arnhem, he has also created 48 chances and completed 48 dribbles on league duty since moving to the bet365 Stadium.

Now, Celtic appear to be firmly in the mix for his signature, which will come as a relief to supporters who are keen to see another body in the wide areas to ensure adequate cover is available.

Parag, after enjoying a breakout IPL season, said his statement exuded belief in himself and not arrogance

PTI29-May-2024Riyan Parag is confident of representing India at some point in the future. The 22-year-old is coming off a superb season with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, where he struck 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike-rate of 149.21.”At some point, you’ll have to take me, right? So that is my belief, I’m going to play for India,” Parag was quoted as saying by . “I don’t really care when. [Even] when I was not scoring runs – I said this in an [earlier] interview as well that I am going to play for India.”That is me believing in myself. That is not me being arrogant. That is what my plan was with my dad [former Railways and Assam player Parag Das], when I started playing cricket when I was like 10-years old. We were going to play for India regardless of anything.”Related

• Riyan Parag: 'I wanted to know more about my game, because I've been lost inside those 22 yards too many times'

• Back in style – the stars who raised their game in IPL 2024

• IPL 2024: Kohli, Parag in ESPNcricinfo's team of the tournament

India will travel to Zimbabwe after their T20 World Cup campaign to play five T20Is, and Parag could be among the players to find a place in the side. His focus, currently, is on getting there.”Whether it’s the next tour, whether it’s a tour in six months, whether it’s a tour in one year… I don’t really put my thought behind when I should play,” Parag said. “That is the selector’s job, that is other people’s job.”Parag came into this IPL after failing to reach 200 runs in any of the five previous seasons. But his promotion from the lower-middle order to No.4, the spot in which he bats for his state, Assam, provided the point of familiarity from where he could lift off.”What you saw this year in the IPL is how I play domestic cricket,” Parag said. “I take the onus up to myself, I take the expectations, I take the burden upon myself to deliver and that is why I play the best.”I was not doing that in the IPL. I was taking way too much pressure, keeping my expectations way too high and not doing the basic things right. That is what I figured I had to do this year; of playing at my favourite position as well, No 4. I was like, okay, ‘I do this at domestic cricket, this is the same thing I’m going to do in IPL and let’s see how it goes’. It worked out perfectly.”I had a lot of rough seasons, more than nice ones and I feel having that constant belief in yourself, that you actually belong in this level, that you can actually do things that you [had] dreamt of, has been a constant and that will stay throughout.”RR won eight out of their first nine games this season but then lost four games in a row and finished their campaign with a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, one that Parag acknowledges was disappointing.”I’m still dealing with it. I got back home and I was super sad,” he said. “The night after the game, it didn’t really sink in. But then the day after the match and before the final, it was tough.”It’s tough, but then that’s how cricket goes. There are world-class sides that are playing the tournament, world-class players that are playing the tournament [and you can’t always win].”

It’s barely been three months since the end of Sri Lanka’s ill-fated World Cup campaign, but things are already looking up, according to head coach Chris Silverwood, who has been impressed by his side’s showings so far, particularly in the last two ODIs against Afghanistan.Sri Lanka won both games by 42 and 155 runs respectively, with the batters piling on the runs on pitches that have been flatter than the surfaces traditional seen in Sri Lanka. Silverwood, much like Charith Asalanka two days prior, was pleased that SLC had taken his suggestion to curate flatter wickets to heart.”If we just look at 50-over cricket for the moment, our game plan is better suited to good wickets,” Silverwood said on the eve of the third ODI against Afghanistan. “I asked for flat wickets and thankfully I got the support in that from the powers that be.””For how we want to play our cricket, the nature of how we want to play it, then we need good wickets to do that. And to also allow players the opportunity to galvanise that game plan through the fact that you can go out and do it time and time again. Slow, low wickets don’t suit us to do that.”For me the wickets have been excellent here [in Pallekele]. Yes, we’ve seen lots of runs, but that’s what we want. We need to be able to put up those big scores and then we need to be able to defend them.”Related

• Asalanka pitches for batting-friendly tracks in Sri Lanka

• Binura Fernando comes in for injured Chameera for Afghanistan T20Is

• Mujeeb out of SL T20Is due to injury

In terms of defending those big totals, in the first game, despite Sri Lanka piling on a mammoth 381, Afghanistan ran them close only falling at the final hurdle following a spirited chase. In the second game however, with 308 defend, Sri Lanka’s bowlers made life much tougher for Afghanistan, ultimately resulting in a monumental collapse where the visitors lost their final eight wickets for just 25 runs.For Silverwood, this outcome was especially satisfying as it had been a result of the players actively taking on board and implementing the feedback from the coaching staff.”After the first game I thought there was plenty of room for improvement,” Silverwood said. “So we sat the lads down – all of them, not just the bowlers – and we showed them using the Hawk-Eye data what we were talking about. The areas that we bowled, the lengths that we bowled, what was and wasn’t successful, and talked about how we were going to tighten that up. And they did it beautifully in the last game.”Other things that we use is first and sixth ball – can you start your over well and finish your over well? Can you push the pressure back on to the batsman, and make them play the big shot? Rather than giving runs either side of the over. And it’s the job of the next bowler to pick up where they left off. So you’re constantly trying to build that pressure on to the batsman. And I think you saw us do that, particularly in the last game. We saw that with the boundary count coming down.”Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling coach Craig Howard and Wanindu Hasaranga at a training session•AFP/Getty Images

While Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers in the second ODI, grabbing four wickets, another who was particularly impressive was Asitha Fernando. Playing his first ODI in over a year, he returned figures of 2 for 23 in six overs, but those wickets were crucial as they broke the only two significant partnerships of the Afghanistan innings.Silverwood, who has been working closely with the Sri Lankan seamers, was full of praise for Fernando, who up until then had been primarily categorised as a Test bowler.”He certainly put his best foot forward in the last game,” Silverwood said. “The way he turned up on short notice, and the way he performed was fantastic. The skills that he’s got – what he showed us during the Test match – lend themselves very well to one-day cricket as well. The way that he can hit length hard time and time again, the lines that he bowls are very tight, and he’s got a very accurate bouncer.”For me, we need to keep pushing him on, keep working on that slower ball so he has that variation, but as for the basic skillset required to be successful in 50-over white-ball cricket he certainly showed he’s got that in the last game.”Going forward, the plan unsurprisingly is to build towards stability so that Sri Lanka can have a far better showing at the next ODI World Cup in 2027.”We are in that building phase again now, we’re building for that World Cup, and we have to make sure that we put all the building blocks in place,” Silverwood said. “So when we do arrive there we’re in a good place, everybody’s got experience under their belt, everybody knows their roles, and everybody has had success along the way as well so they carry that confidence with them.”

Bangladesh Under-19s, who had beaten India Under-19s in the Asia Cup in December last year, threatened to cause another stir when left-arm seamer Maruf Mridha took five wickets in the Under-19 World Cup in Bloemfontein. Maruf’s strikes kept India to 251 for 7, but Saumy Pandey trumped Maruf with 4 for 24 and bowled his team to victory.Musheer Khan, the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan, pitched in with two wickets, including that of Mohammad Shihab James, who top-scored for Bangladesh with 54 off 77 balls. The rest of the batters collapsed around James as Bangladesh were bowled out for 167 in 45.5 overs. Musheer also effected a direct-hit to sink Bangladesh. Pandey was the most economical bowler on the day, conceding just 2.44 an over.Earlier in the day, India’s innings was built around half-centuries from opener Adarsh Singh (76 off 96) and captain Uday Saharan (64 off 94). Aravelly Avinash (23 off 17), who was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 auction, and Sachin Dhas (26 off 20) then gave the innings some late impetus.Shahzaib Khan almost batted through the innings, scoring 106 from 126 balls•ICC via Getty Images

Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Zeeshan, who has been part of Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL, took seven wickets between them to skittle Afghanistan Under-19s for 103 in their chase of 285 in East London.Opener batting Shahzaib Khan had laid the platform for Pakistan Under-19s’ 181-run victory with 106 off 126 balls. His knock contained ten fours and three sixes. He added 92 for the third wicket with Saad Baig, who hit 55 off 52 balls, to set Pakistan up for a big total. Khalil Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan, returning 4 for 51 in his ten overs.Pakistan’s total looked even bigger when Ubaid and Zeeshan ripped through Afghanistan’s top and middle orders. Wicketkeeper-batter Numan Shah was the only Afghanistan batter to pass 25 in the chase. Amir Hassan and Ahmed Hussain picked up a wicket each as Pakistan bundled Afghanistan out in 26.2 overs.Luc Benkenstein picked up key wickets in the middle overs•ICC via Getty Images

England Under-19s enjoyed a winning start to the Under-19 World Cup, easing past Scotland Under-19s in Potchefstroom.Luc Benkenstein, the son of former South Africa international Dale, sealed the victory with an unbeaten cameo after setting it up for England with a three-wicket haul. Farhan Ahmed, who is the brother of England international Rehan, also bagged a three-wicket haul to help England dismiss Scotland for 174.Captain Ben McKinney then hit 88 off 68 balls to rush his side to victory, with seven wickets and 142 balls to spare. He forged a 106-run partnership for the first wicket with Jaydn Denly, who made 40 off 50 balls.After Scotland were asked to bat first, they never got going and lost wickets in clusters. They didn’t even have a single half-century stand in their entire innings. Owen Gould top-scored for them with 48 off 61 balls, including five fours and a six. The other nine batters scored a combined five boundaries. Harry Armstrong was absent hurt for Scotland.

da pixbet： It was a night of conflicting emotions for Arsenal last night.

da premier bet： Mikel Arteta’s side finally returned to Premier League football after two weeks off for the international break, and while they looked a little rusty, they picked up all three points, winning 2-1.

However, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhães both came off injured and while the former didn’t look too bad, the latter appeared to be holding his hamstring, which could be terrible news ahead of next week’s Champions League game against Real Madrid.

Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore

Furthermore, while they ultimately won, the home side’s performances were mixed. Some players really stepped up, while others looked poor, including one Arteta signing who has to be dropped ahead of the next two games.

Arsenal's stand-out performers vs Fulham

So, before we get to the disappointing player in question, it’s worth looking at those who played well last night; the team did win, after all.

While Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have received much of the praise following last night, deservedly so, other starters stepped up to the plate, such as Declan Rice.

The former West Ham United captain had a good international break, starting both games for Thomas Tuchel, and carried that form back into the match against Fulham as he was seemingly here, there, and everywhere throughout the 90 minutes.

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Granted, he did miss a chance towards the end of the game, firing well over the bar, but in all, it was a composed and dominant performance, as fans have come to expect, and enough to earn a 7/10 match rating from football.london’s Tom Canton.

Two players who did one better than the Englishman were Timber and Merino who received 8/10 match ratings from the journalist.

Before coming off, the former put in a brilliant showing, getting forward to help out in attack and making several impressive defensive contributions, including a vital tackle on Antonee Robinson in the second half.

Merino scored yet another goal for his efforts, and while it was a little scrappy, he continues to deliver for his manager and teammates.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all great last night, as there was one Arsenal ace who underwhelmed and once again showed that the club should probably be looking to move him on as soon as possible.

The Arsenal star who must be axed after Fulham

It is a cruel irony that Arteta got Saka back from injury last night and then lost Timber and Gabriel. What makes it worse is that Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are also injured.

So, with few options, the manager turned to Jakub Kiwior to replace the Brazilian titan.

While he’s shown glimpses of quality in the past, this performance further reinforced the idea that Arsenal need another centre-back in the summer and that, as podcaster Phil Costa claims, he just “isn’t good enough” to regularly feature for the Gunners.

As he was against Fulham earlier in the season, the Polish international looked uneasy at the back, unconvincing on the ball and was a significant step down in quality on the man he replaced and the star he was playing alongside.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by Canton, who awarded him just a 6/10 on the night and laid part of the blame for the Cottagers’ goal at his feet for his ‘tussle’ with the rapid Adama Traore.

Interestingly, his statistics for the game are rather mixed, with the positive being the fact he won four of five ground duels, made five clearances and completed 93% of his passes.

Kiwior’s game in numbers

Minutes

74′

Clearances

5

Tackles

3

Dribbled past

1

Errors Leading to a Shot

1

Aerial Duels (Won)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (4)

Lost Possession

4

Passing Accuracy

41/44 (93%)

All Stats via Sofascore

However, on the other hand, he lost 100% of his aerial duels, made an error that led directly to a shot and was dribbled past, which, if it happens against Fulham, could be a serious problem against Real next week.

Therefore, if there is any chance that White, Timber, or even Rice can fill in at centre-back in the next two games, Arteta must drop Kiwior from the starting lineup, as he’s just not good enough to start for a team like Arsenal.

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Arsenal are now racing to sign an “exciting” £21m player in the summer transfer window, alongside a number of their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

Gunners gearing up for busy summer

As we approach the business end of the Premier League season, it is looking increasingly likely that Mikel Arteta’s side will finish in second place for the third season on the spin, with injury issues doing the manager absolutely no favours.

With that in mind, Arteta has set out to bring in more depth in the summer transfer window, and one position in which he is currently lacking options is striker, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres being targeted to fill the gap.

Bukayo Saka’s absence has also exposed the need to bring in new wide options, and the Gunners are now racing to sign Ademola Lookman, while Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Zubimendi are among the targets in central midfield.

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One position which may be viewed as less of a priority is goalkeeper, but with Neto set to return to AFC Bournemouth at the end of the campaign, Arteta may be tasked with bringing in a new back-up option between the sticks.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are now racing a number of their Premier League rivals for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Newcastle United also in the picture.

Lammens has caught the eye this season, given his impressive distribution of the ball and presence in the penalty area, with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also placing him on their shortlist.

Amid the widespread interest in the goalkeeper, Antwerp believe they can hold out for a fee of around €20m – €25m (£17m – £21m).

"Exciting" Lammens is one for the future

There is currently little reason to replace David Raya, who is in the prime of his career at 29-years-old, however there are signs the Antwerp goalkeeper could be capable of being a solid long-term replacement.

Freelance scout Ben Mattinson has spoken particularly highly of the Belgian, having been impressed by his ability to stop crosses and distribute the ball.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has also described the 6 foot 4 colossus as “exciting”, and that is definitely how you would describe his last-gasp goal for Club Brugge to progress against Real Madrid in the UEFA Youth League.

Signing a new goalkeeper shouldn’t be a priority for Arsenal this summer, given that any new signing is unlikely to displace Raya in the starting XI, but Lammens could definitely be one for the future.