XHAKA PARTNER: MATTEO GUENDOUZI KEY TO SUNDERLAND'S TOP-THREE PUSH
Sunderland are reportedly ahead of rivals Newcastle in the transfer race for Lazio's Matteo Guendouzi. Manager Regis Le Bris knows the midfielder well from Lorient.
Sunderland is reportedly in the lead to sign a midfield player that Regis Le Bris knows well, ahead of Newcastle United.
After a loss against Fulham, Le Bris's team definitely wants to bounce back against Bournemouth.
Le Bris said that they have always been able to respond to a loss, and he hopes that will be the case this time also. He says that they are on a new road, facing new opponents and situations, and they need these experiences to get better. He added that they don’t have experience right now, so it is a new lesson, especially when they are trying to figure out problems.
He also mentioned that rotation will happen in a natural way. When they play well, keeping the same starting lineup is important, and it was normal to do that because of the results they had.
If the other games go their way, three points could push the Black Cats up to third place. Those at the Stadium of Light are doing a similar job to what Bournemouth have been doing since they were promoted.
Le Bris said that he admires Bournemouth, stating that Bournemouth is a good example for them, and the way they have grown in the league over the past four seasons is interesting for them.
Sunderland could win their next Wilson Isidor by going after this player in January.
Sunderland might sign Matteo Guendouzi ahead of Newcastle in January.
Sunderland ahead of Newcastle in Guendouzi race
TeamTalk says Sunderland is now ahead of Newcastle in the race to sign Guendouzi in 2026, in a deal that could be worth up to £26m. Le Bris knows the Lazio midfielder from when they were together at Lorient and said that he was still in contact with him a few weeks ago.
It would be a big move if the Black Cats signed a transfer target ahead of their rivals. That's where they are after a great start to the Premier League season.
Sunderland is chasing a reunion between Le Bris and Guendouzi because the Frenchman has been compared to Granit Xhaka so far this season. The transfer report also says that the Black Cats see Guendouzi as the right midfield partner for Xhaka, adding experience to their midfield.
Guendouzi, who was called a great professional by Arne Friedrich, also has something to prove in the Premier League after leaving Arsenal in 2021 and could get a second chance at Sunderland.
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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