Nicolas Jackson has been left out from Chelsea's squad for their pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge, fuelling speculation over his future. The 24-year-old trained alone earlier on Friday, with Newcastle and Bayern Munich keen on a summer move. The striker has also now reportedly asked officially to leave the west London side.
Estevao Willian marked his Stamford Bridge debut in style, netting his first goal for Chelsea during their pre-season clash with Bayer Leverkusen. The 17-year-old Brazilian winger, signed with huge excitement earlier this summer, calmly finished a rebound before kissing the badge in front of a delighted home crowd.
The football community continues to mourn the loss of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, with AS Roma's Paulo Dybala, accompanied by veteran manager Claudio Ranieri and sporting director Frederic Massara, arrived at Anfield to lay a bouquet of flowers at the growing memorial dedicated to Jota. The Portuguese international and his younger brother, André Silva, tragically lost their lives in a car accident in Spain in early July.
Manchester United won on penalties but were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina in their final pre-season friendly as Bryan Mbeumo shone the brightest amid a lacklustre attacking unit.
Newcastle United have been dealt a major injury blow as Anthony Gordon picked up an injury during a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Gordon, who started as a No.9 in the absence of a main striker, limped off the field with a knock, leaving the fans sweating, although manager Eddie Howe later provided a positive update on the player's condition.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta heaped praise on new signing Viktor Gyokeres, who scored his first goal for the Gunners since his move to North London from Sporting CP this summer. The Premier League giants thrashed La Liga side Athletic Club 3-0 in their final pre-season friendly courtesy of goals from Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz.
Roberto De Zerbi has explained his touchline clash with Unai Emery following Marseille's fiery 3-1 friendly win over Aston Villa. The tension boiled over after Mason Greenwood's bust-up with Tyrone Mings, with the OM boss revealing he 'didn't like' Emery complaining about his players.
Manchester City made a huge blunder with Tijjani Reijnders' shirt which was noticed by fans as the new signing scored twice against Palermo in pre-season.
Marcus Rashford left Raphinha stunned as he missed the chance tap into an open goal during a friendly against Como. The 27-year-old forward, who arrived at the Nou Camp on loan from Manchester United this summer with an option for a permanent deal, was handed a golden chance to pad the scoreline. Instead, he somehow contrived to miss an empty net in front of a stunned crowd.
Argentine musician Nicki Nicole caused a stir as she turned up for Barcelona’s Joan Gamper Trophy clash with Como wearing Lamine Yamal’s No.10 shirt. The global celebrity, who has been romantically linked to the teenage wonderkid, was joined by friends also donning the winger’s name – fuelling further talk about their relationship.
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