Lens defender Ismaelo Ganiou is attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Chelsea owners BlueCo and Manchester City's parent group after his Ligue 1 breakthrough. The highly rated youngster has drawn comparisons to former Bollaert-Delelis graduate Raphael Varane as European heavyweights track his rise.
Xabi Alonso has taken full responsibility for Chelsea’s narrow 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, choosing to focus on his team's lack of clinical edge rather than the officiating. Despite several contentious VAR decisions at the Stadium of Light, the Blues boss insisted that defensive lapses were the primary reason for their failure to secure a result.