SUNDERLAND MUST SNATCH FISAYO DELE-BASHIRU NOW, CAN HE DITCH LAZIO FAST
Sunderland is targeting a January move for Lazio's Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. The Nigerian midfielder, formerly of Man City and Sheffield Wednesday, has seen his playing time in Serie A decrease, making a transfer to the Black Cats a likely outcome.
According to a recent report from La Repubblica (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Sunderland is watching Fisayo Dele-Bashiru closely. While Regis Le Bris wants to reunite with Matteo Guendouzi, it seems Dele-Bashiru, Guendouzi’s Lazio teammate, is now the Black Cats’ target for the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old Nigerian player developed in Manchester City’s academy before joining Sheffield Wednesday to play regularly. He played for them in both the Championship and League One. In the summer of 2023, he left the Owls for Hatayspor in Turkey.
Dele-Bashiru’s skills earned him a move to Serie A when Lazio bought him on loan for a season. Lazio paid €5.4m to make the deal permanent earlier this year. But his playing time has decreased under Maurizio Sarri, partly because of a hamstring injury in September.
Even though he was ready to play against Lecce last weekend, Sarri’s decision not to include him has caused speculation. Some say his poor performance early in the season is the reason. Someone at Football Italia thinks he is being rested for the upcoming AFCON.
Why Sunderland Should Take a Chance
Sunderland has been doing great since their return to the Premier League. The club has supported Le Bris with some good signings, and the coach has managed to balance youth and experience on the field. The midfield is in good shape, with Granit Xhaka playing very well with Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki, who were signed this summer.
Enzo Le Fee, Chris Rigg, and Dan Neil have been important since they came up from the Championship. But Rigg and Neil have less playing time since Xhaka, Diarra, and Sadiki arrived. Even though Le Fee has been playing on the left, his ability to play different positions has allowed Le Bris to make changes to the team. Dele-Bashiru should also do well at the Stadium of Light, since he can play in different midfield positions.
Although he has played on the wings at times, the Lazio player is known for his dribbling, runs through the middle, box-to-box movement, energy, and creativity. He needs to improve his defence and physical play, but what he offers could make him a worthwhile signing in January.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.