OLIVER GLASNER FINDS THE SILVER LINING FOR ADAM WHARTON
Oliver Glasner on Adam Wharton's England snub, the latest on Will Hughes' injury, and a preview of the Premier League clash with Everton as the Eagles aim to extend their 19-game unbeaten streak.
Oliver Glasner, the manager of Crystal Palace, believes that Adam Wharton's exclusion from the England team may perhaps be a good thing.
Thomas Tuchel's 24-man squad for the forthcoming October internationals against Wales and Latvia did not include the 21-year-old midfielder.
Wharton was originally scheduled to play in last month's World Cup qualifying matches against Serbia and Andorra, but he was forced to withdraw due to an adductor injury.
Glasner, however, thinks the Eagles, who set a club record 19-match undefeated streak with a 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev in their Conference League opening on Thursday night in Lublin, will probably benefit from a little more recuperation time during the international break.
In an interview that was shown on Sky Sports News, Glasner stated, "I just heard his (Tuchel's) explanation."
He stated that he wants to continue with the team that did so well, particularly in Serbia, and that we must accept it as usual.
After that, we attempt our best, which will give Adam several days to relax, which is also beneficial to him.
"Let's see, we have a lot of games to play and a very strict schedule."
Following their thrilling victory against champions Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend, Palace will return to domestic play on Sunday against Everton.
After scoring a goal in stoppage time at Selhurst Park, Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to score a second-half goal against Dynamo that put the Ukrainians out of the running in the European match.
Nketiah insisted Glasner's FA Cup winners wouldn't be getting ahead of themselves. He had previously had a good finish disallowed just before his goal on the hour.
According to Nketiah on Palace TV, "We just go game by game."
It goes without saying that we have established a really positive atmosphere in the dressing room. Everyone wants to play, everyone wants to win, and everyone just wants to participate.
"We are just going to keep doing that because we are not really looking at the numbers; instead, we are looking at each game individually and trying to accumulate as many points as we can in both competitions."
Will Hughes, a midfielder, will be watched before the trip to Merseyside after being substituted out early in the second half due to a dead leg against Dynamo.
"Every player returned from Poland in good health. Glasner, who was quoted on the Palace website on Friday, stated, "There was just one little doubt mark over Will Hughes."
It's a little dubious since he suffered a knock to his quad, but he should be OK.
However, the excursion went exactly as planned, which is why we will work out in the afternoon. We're going to Liverpool tomorrow, so we'll be well-prepared.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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