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Despite the Blaugrana doing all they can to get the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner back to Camp Nou, they still have financial obstacles to overcome

For months, Barcelona have been drawing up a viable financial plan to sign Lionel Messi. The club, which reportedly has to shed nearly €200 million (£176m/$220m) before they can make any financial moves this summer, has supposedly plugged away on a miracle solution to circumvent La Liga's strict financial rules, and bring their club legend back home.

The finest financial minds the club could assemble got together and decided, rather shrewdly, that they would simply agree to cut costs over a three-year period — gradually reducing salaries or engaging in other moves to raise the funds they need immediately. In return, the club told La Liga, they wanted to be able to sign Messi immediately.

The league, after a few weeks of negotiations, rejected Barcelona's master plan. But things have since changed. La Liga made a sensational U-Turn, accepting a plan in principle. It doesn't mean, though, that all is clear. Barcelona still have to sell players, and find cash elsewhere.

So, the Blaugrana are stuck once more. Last summer, club president Joan Laporta famously activated a series of economic levers to cut costs and free up financial flexibility. He auctioned off one set of TV rights, flogged another, sold nearly 50 percent of the club's merchandising rights and encouraged a number of senior players to either defer or forgo large chunks of their salary.

It just about worked — at least, enough for the club to first stay afloat and then bring in a host of summer signings. But now, they have their eyes on another one, a potential arrival that will require far more effort than the flimsy plan formed by Barcelona's brain trust.

And the conditions, pieced together, despite La Liga's sudden good wishes, make a Messi return to his boyhood club seem unlikely. Even though there is a mutual interest, and a glimmer of hope, financial barriers once again blocking the Argentine from a Catalan swansong.

Getty ImagesThe strict regulations

Right now, it's not looking good for Barcelona.

The Blaugrana did enough last summer to afford a number of big names, a host of newcomers that have helped Barca likely wrap up their first La Liga title in three years.

But Laporta's famous levers were short-term solutions. Although Barca aren't in any imminent danger as a club, their financial flexibility is more limited than ever, and league president Javier Tebas will not budge on his €200m demand.

The reason for the lofty figure is the Blaugrana's bloated salary and transfer expenditures this year. La Liga outlines how much a club can spend each year, a de-facto salary cap that runs in relation to how much the club itself makes.

In other words, if Barcelona make more cash through sporting success, matchday revenue, or player sales, they can spend more money. But if the two numbers are too far apart — if the club are vastly outspending what they raise — then the league can cap their financial activity.

Right now, under those regulations, there isn't any immediate room for movement. Meanwhile, the league have repeatedly insisted that they will not make any exceptions for Messi.

Barcelona, then, will have to play by the rules.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesThe current state of the club

This year, Barcelona are spending around €650m (£532m/$713m) on transfers and wages. La Liga rules stipulate the Blaugrana will need to trim that number down to roughly €450m (£399m/$493m) in order to spend this summer, according to

That, in footballing terms, doesn't have to be immensely difficult. Indeed, Barcelona could perhaps generate the cash from player sales, and if they clear some big salaries off the books, it's not an impossible number to reach.

However, before they can get into saving, there's more spending to be done. And that's somewhat underway.

The Blaugrana have finally registered Gavi, but will still need to sort out Ronald Araujo and Sergi Roberto. They have already agreed a deal to sign Athletic Club centre-back Inigo Martinez, who will also need registering. How much those moves would cost isn't exactly clear yet, either.

There are further complicating factors, with expected losses in the club's future. Camp Nou is undergoing a massive renovation next season, and the club will have to play at the nearby Olympic Stadium.

That ground is far smaller than Barcelona's usual home, and could impact the club's matchday revenues by up to a massive €90m (£79m/$99m), according to . Although the stadium still holds a respectable 55,000 spectators, recapturing all of that cash simply won't be as easy in a smaller, less attractive venue.

Messi, and the immense financial benefits that will come from his potential arrival, is surely something of a solution to expected woes. But Barcelona will have other issues to fix before they can turn to the Argentine.

Getty ImagesThe moves already made

Laporta's levers last summer were immensely successful, allowing the club to raise a whopping €738m (£648m/$810m) in a few short weeks.

A return, a sequel, Levers 2.0, isn't possible. That's due to a La Liga rule change from December 2022, which outlined that only 5% of asset sales can count towards salary limits. Simply put, raising money by those levers from last summer — TV rights, sponsorships, merchandising — can no longer seriously impact how much money a club can spend on player funds. Barcelona would have to raise billions in order to manage one big name in today's market.

Still, they have found some ways to cut costs. For one, they benefited from the sudden retirement of Gerard Pique, a few months after Xavi told the Barcelona legend that he would no longer be a first-team regular.

The centre-back had already deferred a handsome chunk of his salary, but by retiring 18 months before his contract ended, gave up even more. The permanent sale of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid also helped balance the books. Other players helped out, too. Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets both announced they will leave the club in the coming weeks, which will free up space.

The club has also cut costs elsewhere. In March week, it announced the surprising move to slash its in-house media outlet, Barca TV. Getting rid of the channel, which provided regular matchday content and exclusive programming, slashed €8m (£7.0m/$8.8m) from the budget. But it also saw Blaugrana make 150 employees redundant and removed a platform that is immensely popular among some of Barca's most devoted fans.

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beinsport.comThe moves they could make

Without the famous levers available, Barcelona's options are limited.

In all likelihood, then, it will come down to player salary reductions and sales. And the Blaugrana do indeed have some potential candidates in that sense. Clement Lenglet, Sergino Dest and Samuel Umtiti have all spent the season out on loan, and are all up for sale this summer.

The club have also reportedly discussed salary deductions with Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Frenkie de Jong, according to — but neither player has publicly expressed their desire to forgo any of their expected earnings as of yet.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to plotting a raid on one of the Premier League's recently relegated sides, amid claims that Leeds United's Jack Harrison is a potential target ahead of the summer transfer window.

What's the latest on Harrison to Tottenham?

According to Football Insider, the Lilywhites are believed to be keen to revive their interest in the Englishman ahead of next season, with Daniel Levy and co having previously been linked with the 26-year-old last summer.

As the report noted, the one-time New York City FC man is set to be available at a 'discounted price' following Leeds' drop into the Championship, with talkSPORT stating that the winger has a relegation clause in his contract which will allow him to leave on the cheap.

The former Manchester City asset – who only signed a new deal with the Elland Road outfit back in early April – was previously the subject of a £20m bid from Leicester City during the winter window.

Would Harrison be a good signing for Tottenham?

There may not be too much excitement among Spurs supporters at the prospect of Levy signing a player who has only just been relegated, although Harrison did at least enjoy a positive campaign on an individual note, bagging five goals and seven assists in 35 league games.

The £90k-per-week speedster notably scored what proved to be a mere consolation in Tottenham's 4-1 win over Sam Allardyce's side at the weekend, having looked 'bright' on an otherwise 'dark day' for the Whites, as per Leeds Live's Beren Cross.

That effort also ensures that Harrison now boasts a respectable tally of 36 goals and assists in 106 top-flight games since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, having initially joined Leeds on loan in the second tier back in 2018.

That record has seen the 5 foot 9 ace dubbed "one of the best wingers" that teammate Junior Firpo has ever worked with, while former New York City colleague Frank Lampard also described his compatriot as "one of the best wingers in the Premier League" earlier in the campaign.

Also hailed as a "revelation" by Lampard during their time together in the United States, Harrison is evidently a player of real talent, with the forward's arrival potentially set to prove a dream addition for current Spurs talisman, Harry Kane.

While the latter man can seemingly deliver the goods on his own having scored 30 league goals this season as part of a struggling side, the 29-year-old may benefit from the capture of a clinical and creative force such as Harrison.

The former England U21 international has proven himself able to provide quality service for his teammates after creating nine 'big chances' in the 2022/23 season, with that more than what both Heung-min Son (eight) and Dejan Kulusevski (seven) achieved for the Lilywhites.

That quality from the flanks was evident in the early season win over Chelsea for Leeds, with Harrison having teed up teammate Rodrigo to score with an "absolutely magnificent" set-piece delivery, as per Sky Sports pundit, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Such brilliance could well have Kane licking his lips at the prospect of being supplied even more frequently next season, with such a partnership potentially set to blossom at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Little more than two weeks ago, David Warner was all about patience and batting for long periods of time in Asia.”You’ve got to be patient enough,” he said before the first Test against Sri Lanka. “You’ve got to rotate the strike. Your patience comes with hitting your four-balls, your boundary balls. They’re the ones you’ve got to really wait on. That’s what we’re talking about with patience in this game, especially over here. You’ve got to bite the bullet.”A pair of Test-match thrashings later, and with another bone-dry pitch in prospect at Colombo’s SSC ground, Warner and the Australians have rather changed their tune. Now Warner is all about attack, as he demonstrated in a pair of shot-a-ball cameos on the sharply turning Galle surface. Waiting for the bad ball is not longer an option. He who hesitates is lost, or at least lbw Herath.”You have to think outside the box,” Warner said. “For me to come out of my crease personally it’s something I don’t normally do but you have to do it in these conditions. If you defend, one’s got your name on it, and one’s going to straighten, which happened the other day. For me it’s about thinking on my feet, using my feet when I’m out here and hopefully putting the bowler off some of his rhythm.”You’re sitting ducks when you’re facing six balls in a row – one of them is going to have your name on it. Especially when one turns and one doesn’t turn. It’s a hard game. People don’t realise that you’re going out here day one and day two and it’s turning square, where maybe five or six years ago probably day three, day four was probably when it was turning. So it’s hard from ball one and we really have to work hard and that starts in the nets.”The nets have seen almost as much change in Australian philosophy as Warner’s rhetoric. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc charged in at their batting compatriots in Pallekele training, but now they are sent to work separately on centre wickets with Allan Donald while the batsmen face an assortment of spinners – including the part-time leggies Warner and Steven Smith trying off breaks.At the team’s main training session on Thursday, Adam Voges warmed up separately from the group due to a tight hamstring, but then trained fully with the team, including his own stint at the bowling crease. The newly arrived apprentice batsman Travis Head whirred down his own offbreaks too, before batting in the canary yellow pads he will use when the ODI series begins after the third Test.As vice-captain, Warner is aware of how this tour may influence planning for the next Asian trip, to India next year. He noted the words of captain Smith about potentially needing to choose a squad even more tailored to the prevailing conditions than this one, with a rather different batting group taken to India. Regardless of what happens at the SSC, questions will need to be asked.”That’s probably the Moneyball theory isn’t it, you pick players for certain conditions,” Warner said. “End of the day we’re all professional athletes and you have to adapt to the conditions. If you don’t adapt to them, your head’s probably on the line. For us as cricketers we have to do the best we can in these conditions and adapt as well as we can.”If the selectors don’t think we fit that area of expertise, whether or not we can play in these conditions or play at home, that’s up to them if they want to go down that path and pick the team based on that. [India] is our next subcontinent tour so I think there will be a few assessments made. I think the selectors may have to reassess a few things and whatever they think is necessary, they’ll take the appropriate action I’m pretty sure.”

Fast bowler Sohail Tanvir and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed five wickets between them to help set up a seven-wicket victory for Guyana Amazon Warriors against Jamaica Tallawahs in a top-of-the-table clash at Providence on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFast bowler Sohail Tanvir and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed five wickets between them to set up a seven-wicket victory for Guyana Amazon Warriors against Jamaica Tallawahs in a top-of-the-table clash at Providence. After skittling Tallawahs for 100 in 18 overs, Amazon Warriors got to the target with 12 balls to spare on a typically slow surface. Guyana now have three wins in three matches, having already beaten St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders.Tanvir laid down the marker, having Chris Gayle, who smashed 108* in his previous match, lbw with an inswinger off the first ball he faced. Permaul then struck twice in two balls, in the fifth over, removing Kumar Sangakkara and Chadwick Walton. Tallawahs crawled to 29 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay, having scored only two boundaries during that period.Three boundaries then came in the space of eight balls as Rovman Powell and Shakib Al Hasan threatened a recovery. They lofted Australia legspinner Adam Zampa for sixes down the ground, after Powell had hit a four over Permaul’s head.But then Shakib holed out to deep midwicket off Permaul. Zampa also struck, undoing Nkrumah Bonner – who had come into the XI for Andre Russell – and Andre McCarthy for ducks to leave the visitors at 80 for 6. The lower order folded, and Powell was the ninth batsman to be dismissed, for 38. Barring Powell, only Shakib managed to pass 20.The chase wasn’t easy for Amazon Warriors. They fared worse in the Powerplay than Tallawahs, scoring 13 while losing captain Martin Guptill and Dwayne Smith to Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, who finished with figures of 2 for 6. Chris Lynn and Jason Mohammed, however, settled Amazon Warriors with a 42-run partnership for the third wicket in 9.2 overs. The stand ended when Mohammed was pinned lbw for 22 by Shakib. The wicket hardly dented the hosts though, with Lynn and Anthony Bramble teeing off for 48 in 4.4 overs to seal the chase.Permaul bagged the Man-of-the-Match award for his career-best T20 figures of 3 for 20. After the game, he said he had focused on bowling a tight line. The two wickets that I picked up earlier really set up Jamaica and we kept bowling consistently, picking up wickets at the crucial stages of the game,” he said. “It is important to bowl wicket-to-wicket [in Providence]; we know the conditions very well. It [The pitch] is a bit two-paced and keeps low.”Amazon Warriors have a day’s break before taking on Patriots at home on Saturday, and Knight Riders on Sunday. Tallawahs have three days to regroup before facing Barbados Tridents in Bridgetown on Monday.

Victoria’s coach David Saker has mounted an impassioned defence of the Sheffield Shield final, saying he would be “shattered” if CA excised the pinnacle of a domestic competition

Daniel Brettig24-Mar-2016

Victoria’s coach David Saker has mounted an impassioned defence of the Sheffield Shield final, saying he would be “shattered” if Cricket Australia excised the pinnacle of a domestic competition he rates comfortably ahead of the County Championship after his years as an assistant coach with England.The Bushrangers flew into Adelaide on Thursday ahead of a meeting with South Australia that reflects the increasingly marginalised state of the Shield decider – played at Glenelg rather than Adelaide Oval, clashing with the opening round of the AFL season and broadcast only through a streaming service by CA’s website.Saker, however, argued the Shield final should be cherished as an Australian strength relative to the English game, in that a leaner domestic tournament was taken to an even higher pitch of intensity and therefore learning by staging a play-off match.”It is very important to Australian cricket,” Saker told ESPNcricinfo. “If you take away the Sheffield Shield final you’re taking importance away from the game of Sheffield Shield cricket and if you ask any of the players what they think about it and what they strive to do it is to play in a Sheffield Shield final.”It’s as close to a Test match as some of them will ever get, and the day they scrap that would be a poor day for Australian cricket in my opinion. The people making those decisions are more qualified than me, but I’ve been in the first-class system for a long time and I’d be shattered if that was the case, if we lost the Shield final.”There is a sense of ambivalence at CA about the final, summed up by the former chairman Wally Edwards at last year’s AGM: “I don’t think it plays any real part in our season. When I played Shield cricket, we didn’t have a Shield final. The Shield final, over many years, has proved itself to be a bit of a non-event, to be honest.”The chief executive James Sutherland has said the final could make way for an expanded Big Bash League schedule. Neither Sutherland, nor Edwards’ successor David Peever, will be present for this year’s final, as they will be in India for meetings around the World Twenty20 tournament.More broadly, Saker judged the Shield to be the superior competition to the County Championship, pointing to the number of dead fixtures played out over the lengthy English season. The high volume of matches has been a valuable tool for many players learning their craft, but Saker said the greater intensity of Shield contests was his preference.”I still think the Shield system is as good as you get,” he said. “It’s so competitive and that’s been shown again this year in the last three or four weeks of the competition, so tight and so hard to compete. That’s the one thing we’ve got over the English system with so many dead games in the County system. Since it’s become first and second division it has got better, but the Sheffield Shield is still the pinnacle of first-class cricket in the world.”At the end of his first season back in Victoria after a largely successful stint as mentor to England’s pace bowlers, Saker reflected on a role that has occasionally brought him into conflict with CA. Most notably, he was rebuked by the national team coach Darren Lehmann for taking issue with the handling of James Pattinson at the start of the summer, an experience that left Saker somewhat chastened. He counselled the game’s custodians against hubris.”It has had some hiccups because obviously I’ve said some things in the press that maybe I shouldn’t have said,” Saker said. “Most of the time I’m just trying to support the players in my team and what I think is best for the Victorian team. Not at any stage have I said things to downgrade the Australian team or the system. I think it’s a good system, I think they still need to tinker with some things to a degree.”What you have to be aware of no matter what organisation you’re in, you should never think your organisation does it better than someone else. I think you should always be open-minded to how others do things, and that’s not just in cricket, that’s in life and business. You’ve got to be open-minded enough to take some ideas from other teams and countries and use them, and make sure you’re not blinkered.”A source of tension in recent times has been the introduction of a strategy for CA and the states called One Team, which takes the view that all should be moving in the same direction with the same goals. While Saker agreed with the overall concept, he argued that states should still be allowed to develop their own coaching philosophies and approaches in a truly competitive environment, rather than turning the Shield into a mere greenhouse for emerging talent.”I’m all for this One Team idea, but I also think we should be trying to have our own ideas from our states, so if we want to have our own coaching philosophies or ways of going about it that should be encouraged,” Saker said. “If you have six teams coached in the same way and trying to coach the same way, I can’t see that being a good thing.”One of the beauties of the Shield system is it is usually coaches having control of the team and coming up with their own ideas of how to coach and how to train. Sometimes in my brief time so far back in Australia we’re getting taught how to coach, instead of letting the coaches coach. Of course we want to come together and share our ideas, but in the Shield system and the way we’ve produced players across all the states, they should get a free rein on how they run their system.”I’m sure they [CA] understand that, and I think we’ll eventually get to that stage, but it’s just in its infancy at the moment with One Team so I’m sure it’ll get to that.”

Chelsea could accept a ban from UEFA competitions next season if they qualify for the Europa Conference League, according to a new report.

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• Chelsea could qualify for Conference League
• Would bring them under European Profit and Sustainability rules
• Chelsea may accept ban instead of playing

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per , Chelsea are only currently bound by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR), which allow for losses of up to £105m ($133m) over three years. They met that objective last season and have maintained they will again meet the threshold this year. However, if they were to qualify for the Europa Conference League by winning the Carabao Cup this weekend, they would then be bound by UEFA's PSR rules.

  Under those regulations, Chelsea can only lose up to £68.5m ($86m), a significant squeeze on their current obligations, and it has been speculated that the club could now look to avoid playing in Europe altogether next season.

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• THE EXPLANATION

  As Kieran Maguire, a financial expert, explained to , Chelsea could receive more financial freedom if they follow AC Milan's example. The Serie A club breached FFP three times, per UEFA, and the two parties reached a compromise that allowed the Italian side to sit out one year of Europa League football in 2019. Normally, clubs would be banned for two years for such an offence but Chelsea may find it productive to try to strike a similar deal with the European governing body if they beat Liverpool this weekend. The Conference League winners last season were West Ham and they were paid £16m for their win; Chelsea earned £82m by reaching the round of 16 of the Champions League last season.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT KIERAN MAGUIRE SAID

  Maguire said: “It could be in Chelsea’s interests to do the same as Milan. We’re moving into the realms of three-dimensional chess here, which some clubs are capable of playing.

  “By the time you pay the players’ bonuses for qualifying for the competition, transport, accommodation and other costs, you’re only making a small amount of money from the Conference League. You’ll struggle to get a decent number of fans to attend Stamford Bridge if the opposition is modest. That isn’t a criticism of them. It’s modern-day economics.

  “If they are exceeding the UEFA limits, the question becomes: ‘Do we want to go and play in the Conference League next season?’. Because they won’t make any money from it.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  If they beat Liverpool this weekend, the Blues will qualify for the Conference League play-offs. They are currently 10th and any chance of qualifying for Europe through the league appears remote.

Sevilla have issued a statement accusing Real Madrid TV of trying to influence referee Diaz de Mera before the two sides clash on Sunday.

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Real Madrid TV accused of trying to influence refereeSevilla and Real play on SundayStatement condemns actions of TV presentersWHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid TV, in the build-up to their clash with Sevilla, aired a segment in which they pointed out previous mistakes from the game's assigned referee, de Mera. They did similar with the assigned VAR, Gonzalez Fuertes, and Sevilla have now made a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

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Sevilla's statement reads: "We wish to underline in the strongest terms our condemnation against these orchestrated campaigns aimed at undermining refereeing integrity. "The club wishes to confirm through a written statement to the Competition Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), we have reported the campaign of persecution and harassment towards the referee Diaz de Mera and González Fuertes (VAR) for tomorrow evening's game against Real Madrid orchestrated by Real Madrid TV, the official club television channel of Real Madrid.

"We wish to formally report these events to the RFEF to see if these actions can be considered as a violation of competition rules or any other regulations. The club also wishes to reiterate its strongest condemnation of these orchestrated campaigns aimed at undermining the image of the refereeing body, causing serious harm to Spanish football and calling into question the integrity of the competition."

CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Real are currently top of La Liga with 62 points, six points clear of second-placed Girona and eight clear of third-placed Barcelona. Sevilla, by comparison, are mired in 15th, but they are unbeaten in their last four games.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

There will likely be an intense focus on refereeing decisions when Real face Sevilla on Sunday, especially with former Los Blancos enforcer Sergio Ramos making his return to Santiago Bernabeu. It remains to be seen if Real can extend their lead at the top of the table, with Girona due back in action a day later against Rayo Vallecano.

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared an important update on the future of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga amid his current loan spell at Real Madrid.

Who has left Chelsea?

Mauricio Pochettino perhaps oversaw one of the biggest transfer overhauls in the Premier League this summer, with a plethora of players both arriving and departing Stamford Bridge.

Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Robert Sanchez, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer all put pen to paper on moves to west London before September 1.

Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Arrizabalaga, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi all sealed moves the other way.

Chelsea are taking a bit of time to get going under Pochettino, though; winning just one top flight match and drawing another whilst suffering defeats at the hands of West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

Defender Ben Chilwell, speaking after his side's latest 1-0 defeat to Forest, said Chelsea have much to improve upon ahead of a long season.

"Very frustrating result and everyone is very disappointed in the changing room right now," explained Chilwell post-match.

"If you look at the stats we dominated the game, had the possession, but the most important stat is the goals. We lost in that department and lost the game, that is the black and white of it and we need to improve."

There is still work to be done to Bridge, but one player who won't be a part of the project is Arrizabalaga.

The Spaniard, currently on a temporary stint at La Liga giants Real Madrid, is apparently eyeing up a permanent move away from Chelsea next year.

Arrizabalaga has seemingly been replaced by summer signing Sanchez from Brighton, with renowned transfer source Romano sharing a fresh update latest on the former's future.

“Kepa mentioned that his dream is to continue at Real Madrid, and this is the reality," said Romano on his YouTube channel.

“From what I am told, Kepa’s priority is to find another opportunity in 2024. Real Madrid, or another club. He feels that, with Chelsea, something is now broken. This is why the expectation between Chelsea and Kepa is to part ways.”

What happened to Kepa Arrizabalaga?

The 28-year-old signed for Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, a transfer which broke the world record for most money spent on a goalkeeper.

Arrizabalaga arrived for £71.6 million, but fast-forward half a decade later, supporters will be looking back on his Chelsea career as a real mixed bag.

The shot-stopper has performed well in parts, though; even earning praise from Blues legend Petr Cech.

“I must touch on Kepa, too," wrote Cech in a column for Chelsea's official website last term (via The Standard).

"He had to fill those big boots while Edou has been away, and he has been brilliant in all those games under even more scrutiny than usual.

“You need a strong team and every person ready to help. The goalkeeping group work so hard together to make sure they are all ready for when the moment comes, so Kepa deserves credit too.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are heading into the international break off the back of a defeat after their 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

How did Wolves lose to Palace?

The home side took the lead in the 56th minute after a relatively quiet first half as Tyrick Mitchell's low cross into the front post area was prodded into the back of the net by French centre-forward Odsonne Edouard.

Hwang Hee-chan soon levelled the scores less than ten minutes later as Pedro Neto's corner was diverted into the far corner by the South Korea international.

However, Gary O'Neil's side failed to push on to go and win the match as Palace took control and made it 3-1 by the 84th minute thanks to two superb goals from Eberechi Eze and Edouard, who both found room within the box to slot the ball past Jose Sa.

A 96th-minute consolation goal from Matheus Cunha had no bearing on the match as it came far too late for the away side to mount a comeback in the closing stages.

How did Fabio Silva perform against Palace?

One player who should be in danger of losing their place in the starting line-up is Fabio Silva after his disappointing performance at the top end of the pitch.

The 21-year-old marksman struggled, once again, to prove that he is ready to lead the line and offer a goal threat for Wolves. As a result, he must be ditched from the starting team in favour of Hwang, who has proven he is able to chip in with goals at this level.

Silva played 74 minutes of the game and offered very little in and out of possession. His lack of presence through the middle was evident as he lost four of his six ground duels and his only aerial battles throughout the clash.

The youngster also failed to register a single effort on target and accumulated a woeful 0.04 xG and 0.07 xA, showing that the Portuguese striker did not get into strong goalscoring positions or provide his teammates with opportunities in front of goal.

The former Porto starlet has started three of Wolves' four Premier League matches so far this season and has so far contributed with zero goals and has also failed to create any big chances for teammates.

His lack of strength has been on display throughout the campaign so far as the former PSV loanee has lost 100% of his aerial duels and 55% of his battles in total, whilst he has been unable to make up for that with his play in possession having missed two 'big chances'.

This underwhelming start to the season comes after Silva managed four goals and one assist in 14 Eredivisie matches for PSV last term, in which time he lost 65% of his physical contests and spurned four 'big chances' for the Dutch outfit.

Consequently, O'Neil should drop the talent from the XI after the international break as they host Liverpool at the Molineux. Instead, Hwang should be unleashed from the start.

How good is Hwang Hee-chan?

The £30k-per-week hotshot is far from a prolific number nine but his form at the start of this season suggests that he has the quality to offer considerably more than Silva at the top end of the pitch.

Goals have been hard to come by for Wolves in recent times as they only hit the back of the net 31 times in 38 Premier League matches last term and they have only managed four in four so far during the 2023/24 campaign, with two of those coming from the South Korean.

Hwang has showcased his qualities off the bench with two goals and one 'big chance' created for a teammate in three substitute outings, alongside a start in the only league win so far against Everton.

He has averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.13 for the club with only two players – Jose Sa and Pedro Neto – having averaged higher ratings within the squad. It shows that the former RB Leipzig man has been one of the team's outstanding performers in spite of his limited time on the pitch.

The 27-year-old produced three goals and one assist in 12 top-flight starts during the 2022/23 campaign and five goals alongside one assist in 20 starts throughout the previous term. Again, hardly outstanding but there is untapped potential just waiting to be unleashed.

Over the last 365 days, Hwang ranks in the top 9% of his positional peers throughout Europe's top five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.41), showing that the talented frontman has been an efficient scorer compared to the minutes he has played against other strikers in Europe.

His superb level of production off the bench in recent weeks suggests that the versatile star, who can play on either flank or through the middle as a centre-forward, is able to offer far more than Silva, both as a scorer and a creator.

Hwang could also be a big upgrade on the young forward when it comes to putting in the hard yards for the team to do his defensive work against the ball.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the South Korean ranked within the top 11% or higher of his Premier League positional peers for tackles (1.59) and blocks (1.43) per 90, whilst he also made 0.40 interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

For context, Silva ranked within the bottom 38% or lower of his Eredivisie positional peers during his loan spell with PSV for tackles (0.44), blocks (0.59), and interceptions (0.15) per 90.

Evidently, the former RB Salzburg man offers far more than the 21-year-old striker out of possession to cut out opposition attacks at source. This is no doubt a valuable trait as it helps to prevent the other team from creating regular chances.

Therefore, O'Neil must unleash Hwang, who was once described as a "dangerous" forward by ex-Arsenal ace Kevin Campbell, from the start after the international break.

He'd certainly improve Wolves' attack to give them the best possible chance of scoring enough goals to pick up the points that they will ultimately need to beat the drop.

USMNT prospect Cade Cowell's hot start to life in Mexico continued Saturday with an emphatic cowboy celebration after a Chivas goal.

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• Chivas defeat Juarez 2-1
• Cowell celebrates goal with cowboy celebration
• Liga MX side in CCC action Tuesday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After Chivas went 2-0 up on Juarez, Cowell – who was substituted on the pitch in the 63rd minute – leapt onto the back of goalscorer Victor Guzman, celebrating rapidly. The 20-year-old was held up by his teammate as he threw his arms and hands in the air like a cowboy with a lasso on a horse.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Cowell's start to life in Mexico has been electric, with the ex-San Jose Earthquakes player seemingly adapting to play – and the lifestyle – quickly. He has yet to find the back of the net in Liga MX action, but scored two goals and added an assist in Leg 1 of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Forge FC last week.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR COWELL AND CHIVAS

  The Liga MX side are back in action Tuesday evening in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Canadian side Forge FC. It's Leg 2 of the meeting between the two clubs, with Cowell and co. holding a two-goal advantage via a 3-1 aggregate scoreline from last week's meeting.