All posts by n8rngtd.top

A member of the West Ham United squad is now actively looking to quit the club, with technical director Tim Steidten and co also setting the required asking price for interested sides to strike a deal.

Players facing uncertain future at West Ham

A few players could be well into their final season at the London Stadium, including some pretty significant names.

£100,000-per-week West Ham ace unsettled and could now leave in January

The Hammers could sell in January.

2

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 16, 2024

Long-serving forward Michail Antonio, who was a pivotal part of David Moyes’ memorable tenure, is set to leave West Ham upon the expiry of his contract next summer as things stand – as is fellow faithful club servant Aaron Cresswell.

Vladimir Coufal was also a key member of the Moyes side which first clinched Europa League qualification in 2020/2021, surprising almost everybody in the process, but the writing appears on the wall for the Czech Republic international following Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival in the summer.

Danny Ings is also set to leave in 2025 as things stand, while goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski appears likely to draw the curtain on his Hammers career after six years at the club.

There are also decisions to make on the loan signing of Spain international Carlos Soler, who they brought in from PSG in the summer.

Some reports have claimed that West Ham are most likely to offload Soler and give the green light for his return to the Parc des Princes at the end of this season, while another summer signing Niclas Fullkrug could even be sold in January, according to some rumours.

Mohammed Kudus looking to quit West Ham

Now, as per Sky Sports, an update has come to light on the future of star winger Mohammed Kudus – who has also been regularly linked with the exit door.

There are reports that Liverpool are targeting Kudus, while others state that a move to Saudi Arabia is on the cards for West Ham’s £90,000-per-week forward.

Belgian reporter Sacha Tavolieri, writing in a column for Sky, says that Kudus is actively looking to leave West Ham, with both Arsenal and Liverpool monitoring his situation as they’re real admirers. However, the Premier League title contenders have also baulked at West Ham’s asking price, which is the player’s release clause of around £85 million.

The 24-year-old would be a very sore miss for Julen Lopetegui, if the Spaniard is indeed still West Ham’s manager by the time he leaves, but clubs will need to pay a premium for Kudus.

Sunderland might be sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table at this moment in time, but Regis Le Bris’ men are without a win in their last three in the unpredictable division.

Of course, they also haven’t lost, as a trio of draws have greeted the table-topping Black Cats, with the most recent 2-2 draw against Coventry City stinging somewhat considering Sunderland were two goals to the good up until the 62nd-minute mark.

Without more magic from sharpshooter Wilson Isidor in this score draw, however, Sunderland could have been tasting defeat, as the Frenchman continues to excite the Stadium of Light masses.

Isidor's performances this season

Le Bris has experimented in recent matches with who leads the line for his promotion-chasing outfit, with free transfer recruit Aaron Connolly placed up top versus Preston North End at the start of the month.

It was a sorry showing from the ex-Hull City man, as the new Sunderland number 24 only managed a shocking nine touches of the ball at Deepdale, with Isidor reinstated as the Black Cats’ main striker thereafter.

With stylish finishes like this one becoming customary from the 24-year-old, the Zenit St. Petersburg loanee is slowly but surely turning into a fan’s favourite on Wearside, with this stunning first-time strike against the managerless Sky Blues taking his Championship goal tally up to a promising five.

Sunderland will just hope he can keep up this electric form as the season wears on and games become far tenser in the midst of a promotion race, knowing that a former academy prodigy at the Stadium of Light is currently outperforming him in the same league.

The player who is outperforming Isidor

Stating recently that he still supports Sunderland, having never lost his boyhood connection to the Black Cats, Sam Greenwood is one talent that the Wearside outfit will lament never giving senior opportunities to when he was still at the club.

The Sunderland-born attacker would be poached by Arsenal at a young age in 2018, having picked up six goals and six assists from 15 Mackems appearances at U18 level.

He would only end up lasting a year in the Gunners academy set-up before Leeds snapped him up, where goals aplenty came his way in the U21 fold in West Yorkshire, which included a sublime free-kick taking aback Whites fans on social media in 2021.

22 goals in the U21 set-up hasn’t quite resulted in him making waves in the first team at Daniel Farke’s men, however, with only strike from 35 first-team clashes, leading to many loan moves taking him away from the second-tier giants.

On the books at Preston is where Greenwood is currently shining, with more goal contributions this campaign than Isidor has managed when pulling on a Sunderland strip, as Lilywhites supporters have a new hero in attack to latch onto.

The one-time Black Cats youngster has amassed five goals and one assist in all competitions for Paul Heckingbottom’s team this season, whilst his French counterpart is one goal contribution shy, with five strikes picked up but zero assists registered for his teammates.

Also starring with Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough last campaign, it’s clear that Greenwood would be able to offer Le Bris’ men something if he was back at his boyhood club today, with the 22-year-old capable of playing up top where Isidor is shining, or across many midfield spots if needs be.

The door hasn’t been slammed completely shut on his time at Leeds too, with Farke once stating that Greenwood has “unbelievable” skills up his sleeve, as Sunderland are left to ponder whether he could be starring next to fellow homegrown gems such as Chris Rigg and Daniel Neil in an alternate reality.

Sunderland have struck gold on star who could be sold for more than Clarke

Sunderland will hope they can keep a firm grip on this star in January.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 12, 2024

The former San Diego Wave FC coach voiced disappointment over Girma's departure, says NWSL faces challenges

• Naomi Girma signed for Chelsea in a record-breaking $1.1 million move
• Donovan questions the impact of high-profile departures on NWSL's stability
• Says league faces growing competition from European clubs for top talent

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Landon Donovan, USMNT legend and former coach of San Diego Wave FC, expressed his disappointment over Naomi Girma's recent record-breaking transfer to Chelsea. In January, Girma completed a $1.1 million move from San Diego to Chelsea, marking the first million-dollar transfer in women's soccer history.

  Donovan said that, while he understands why Girma left the NWSL for Europe, he is disappointed that the defender didn’t stay.

  “I have a lot of thoughts on all of this. Candidly for Naomi, I know she wanted to go but I don’t love it for NWSL as probably the best center-back in the world is leaving and wants to leave," he said on his podcast, Unfiltered with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard. "I understand all the reasons but in my opinion, having watched a lot of the games now and having coached in it, the NWSL, top to bottom, is the best league in the world.

  “Some of the top clubs in the world play in Europe but their leagues are not great. Chelsea can walk through four or five of those teams without breaking a sweat. So I get disappointed when a player of Naomi’s quality doesn’t want to stay here, but I get it.”

Advertisement

• WHAT DONOVAN SAID

  Donovan said his chief concern over the move is that it reveals an apparant instability in the league.

  “I think the No. 1 talking point, for me, for NWSL in the offseason is there’s so much change and the league’s still feels a little instable in that way," he said. "And what I mean is that very few players get signed to three, four or five-year deals. So most players, from year to year, have the freedom to move – and historically in the league players have crazy power. If they’re not happy, they can leave.

  “And it reminds me a little bit of MLS back in the early days – like if someone wasn’t happy with someone or whatever, you just call your agent and get me out of here. And that doesn’t happen in mature leagues around the world. So I do want to see that change.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The NWSL has undergone significant changes recently, with expansion teams, ownership changes, and increasing investment. However, these developments have also brought other changes, including coaching turnover and player movement.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The 2025 NWSL season kicks off on March 14. Girma’s former side San Diego will play their first game of the season against Angel City FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on March 15.

  Girma's next game for Chelsea is scheduled for March 15 when they face Manchester City, though Girma was recently injured and may not feature.

It’s been a brutally tough start to their first Premier League campaign in over two decades this season, but Ipswich Town are looking impressive.

Kieran McKenna’s side have already played Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, but with a win over the latter, they find themselves one point away from the relegation zone.

There will undoubtedly be plenty of ups and downs as the season progresses, but as things stand, the Tractor Boys look like a serious proposition, largely thanks to their summer signings.

Former Manchester City striker Liam Delap already has six goals and an assist to his name in 11 league appearances, and in recent games, Sammie Szmodics is starting to show exactly why Ipswich signed him, although he’s currently worth considerably less than a former loanee who flopped at Portman Road a few years ago.

Sammie Szmodics' form this season

Last season saw Szmodics go stratospheric with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, as he racked up a frankly ridiculous haul of 33 goals and four assists in 48 appearances across all competitions.

So, there was a hope, perhaps more than an expectation, that the Irishman would be able to carry over that form to this season with Ipswich.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and instead, the 29-year-old was a little underwhelming initially, as in his first eight appearances for the side, he scored just a single goal, which came in the team’s 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the champions.

However, in recent weeks, things have changed, and in his last three appearances, the Colchester-born dynamo has found the back of the net twice, meaning that across the campaign, he’s now averaging a goal every 3.66 games, which isn’t too bad, and may well improve as the weeks pass by.

In all, while he endured a slow start to the season, it would be fair to say that Szmodics is starting to justify his price of £11m including add-ons.

Yet, even at that sizeable fee, the former Blackburn star is worth notably less than a former loan flop who left in 2022.

The Ipswich loan flop worth more than Szmodics

Ipswich have signed more than their fair share of players on loan over the years, but in August 2021, the club signed Aston Villa’s highly-rated 18-year-old, Louie Barry.

The exciting attacker had rejoined the Villans from Barcelona’s La Masia the year before for around £880k, and while he scored a spectacular goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup Third Round in January 2021, it was clear he needed to earn more first-team experience away from the top-flight.

Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out for the Sutton Coldfield-born winger at Portman Road, and following just six appearances for the Blues, in which he failed to score or assist a goal, he was recalled back to Villa Park in January 2022.

The following year saw him spend mixed loan spells with Swindon Town, MK Dons and Salford before he was sent to League Two outfit Stockport County for the 23/24 season, where he finally found his feet, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 22 games.

Unsurprisingly, the now League One side wanted the 21-year-old to come back on loan for this season, and while there was an expectation that he’d be another useful provider of goals and assists for the team, nobody quite expected him to be as good as he has been.

For example, in just 17 appearances, the “incredible” talent, as dubbed by England international Declan Rice, has scored 12 goals and provided one assist, meaning that he is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.3 games.

Such an incredible start to the campaign from the young gem has seen clubs in the top flight take notice.

According to reports from earlier this week, Spurs and Leicester City are particularly keen on this. However, the same reports have also revealed that Barry is now valued at around £12.5m, a big jump on the fee Villa paid for him in 2020 and more than Ipswich paid for Szmodics in the summer.

Ultimately, McKenna’s side are starting to click, and the summer signings are a big part of that, but it’s always interesting to see how those who couldn’t make it at the club are getting on now.

Ipswich could axe Phillips with January move for "unbelievable" £15m star

The international veteran would add so much to Ipswich’s midfield.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 21, 2024

Al Hilal have plenty of stars, but will their overall roster composition be able to handle the group challenges?

The Saudi Pro League and its teams have spent more than a billion dollars to bring respectability and eyeballs to the Middle Eastern competition. If there was ever a moment to capitalize on it, it's this summer's Club World Cup, and the league's representative in the new format: Al Hilal.

No, it's not Cristiano Ronaldo's team, that's Al Nassr, but there are some notable players on this squad – especially for fans of the Premier League and Serie A. The team, which sits second in the SPL, is led by the explosive pair former Fulham frontman Aleksandar Mitrovic and rising young Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo – who have combined for 29 goals so far this season.

Former Wolves star Ruben Neves is the playmaker and he's got accompanying midfield steel in former Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who is also the team's third-leading scorer with nine goals. Let's not forget Pep Guardiola Manchester City castoff Joao Cancelo is here too. (We won't bring up Neymar's ill-fated spell here).

This is a roster brimming with foreign talent and has a legendary Portuguese manager in Jorge Jesus. While Real Madrid are Group H's clear favorites, in theory, Al Hilal should be second in a group that also features Pachuca and RB Salzburg, right?

It's not that simple. Questions remain about the overall balance of the squad, especially with its largely unproven (outside of Asia and the Middle East) homegrown talent. That's the beauty of the Club World Cup – answers will come in live fixtures. Al Hilal could be one of the tournament's biggest surprises, or one of its most expensive failures.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT.

Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field. Next up is Al Hilal, with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for the Saudi club ahead of this summer's tournament.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  The Basics

  DOMESTIC LEAGUE: Saudi Pro League

  CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: 2019, 2022, and 2023 – Al Hilal lost the 2023 final to Madrid 5-3

  GROUP: H (Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg)

  OPENING MATCH: Real Madrid – June 18, 3 p.m., Miami

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  How they got here

  Al Hilal qualified off of their 2021 Asian Champions League win over Pohang Steelers. The is Saudi Arabia's most successful club, with 19 titles including last year, and is one of four Asian Confederation clubs involved in this year's CWC.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  The player to watch

  The temptation is to go with Mitrovic, who has been prolific in Saudi Arabia, but let's go with his fellow Serbian in Milinkovic-Savic. A towering midfielder at 6-4, the former Lazio star was one of the most underrated talents in European football. He never quite got the big move many expected considering his size, midfield motor, and ability to score.

  It was reported Lazio turned down over £85 million for the midfielder from Serie A rivals AC Milan and Manchester United. Instead of holding out for a move to one of Europe's other giants, he opted for a big payday in the Middle East. He reportedly makes $500,000 a week at his current club.

  Milinkovic-Savic is a top-class box-to-box midfielder, who can use his size to impact both ends of the pitch. He'll remind fans in the U.S. of a slower version of Yaya Toure and similar to the Ivorian, he can provide late runs in the box and finish chances.

  He's scored 85 goals in 356 league appearances across Serbia, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, meaning he's someone teams have to account for. Outside of Real Madrid, do Salzburg or Pachuca have the size and quality to mark a player like him? If Al Hilal are to advance, they'll need the best of Milinkovic-Savic.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Realistic expectations

  Al Hilal aren't getting much buzz in the U.S. just yet, but they could very easily be the second-best team in the group after Real Madrid. Although they have a tough opener, facing Los Blancos in a rematch of the 2023 CWC Final, their previous experiences in the tournament should bode well. If they don't get embarrassed in their first match they will have winnable games against Pachuca and Salzburg.

  The only concern with this squad is its league. The Saudi Pro League is ranked lower than MLS in competitiveness and Al-Hilal are going up against teams who might be less talented in their Austrian and Mexican counterparts – but play in more difficult leagues and are more battle-tested.

  Still, the team is currently defending its SPL title and making a good run in the ACL. They could make some noise this summer.

Who's hot, who's not? INDIVISA ranks all 14 teams across the National Women's Soccer League

The second week of the 2025 NWSL season did not disappoint, as the Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current showed up unsurprisingly, and Seattle Reign FC rookie Jordyn Bugg made her case for goal of the year.

So, who's leading the pack, and who's falling short of expectations? INDIVISA presents the latest 2025 NWSL Power Rankings.

• Getty Images
  

  14Chicago Stars ↔️

  The Chicago Stars extended their losing streak in Week 2, falling to the Houston Dash. The Stars have most of the pieces to be successful, but need to find their chemistry though pockets of the pitch. Mallory Swanson is an obvious miss for the team up top.

Advertisement

• Imagn
  

  13Portland Thorns ↔️

  The Portland Thorns struggled to beat Angel City, despite Sophia Wilson cheering the team on. The Thorns are having a hard time finding attacking opportunities, especially without Sinclair and Wilson.

  One of the bright spots for the Thorns is Reilyn Turner, who was the difference maker for the very young team.

• Getty Images
  

  12Utah Royals ⬇️

  The Utah Royals crawled back against the San Diego Wave, however some early mistakes made it difficult. The Royals came back from down from 2-0 to eventually level the game, just moments before the Wave scored again.

  Defensively the Royals had a tough time keeping up with the Wave's speed, but with Ally Sentnor in the middle, the Royals should be able to climb up the rankings.

• Nike
  

  11Racing Louisville ⬇️

  Racing Louisville had a tough Week 2, falling 2-0. Despite Emma Sears and some other bright stars offensively, transitional plays hurt them in the 90 minutes.

Tottenham have now turned their attentions to a new signing in January as they look to fix a problem area for manager Ange Postecoglou in a bid to deliver silverware to north London.

Tottenham continue inconsistent start to the season

Following their 4-0 statement win over Manchester City, Spurs have been held to two draws in six days. Conceding in stoppage time to Roma, they were then held to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League by Fulham, who played the final minutes of the game with 10 men.

After the game, Postecoglou was quick to point out the problems that faced the Lilywhites as their mixed form continued, claiming that his second choice defenders would naturally see a drop off in performance.

“I’ve seen so much violin-playing over [other teams having] one centre-back out, but we’re just supposed to get on with it,” Postecoglou told reporters.

“Benny and Radu have been outstanding throughout this spell. I mean there aren’t too many teams in the league who have both their centre-backs out.

“I love the characters they’re showing. I love the fact that they’re not seeking excuses or wanting me to make allowances for it. But at some point, I need to also acknowledge the massive effort that all these guys are putting in. Radu and Ben were outstanding again today.”

It is not the first time that Spurs have found themselves in this position in Postecoglou’s reign, with both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven missing chunks of last season too but Spurs opting not to add another defender to their ranks over the summer.

Now just a point ahead of Manchester United, Spurs are turning their attentions to the January transfer window, and have reportedly identified a potential solution to their defensive issues.

Tottenham eyeing £25m signing

That comes according to reliable journalist Mike McGrath, who reports that Tottenham are one of as many as seven sides keeping tabs on Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov ahead of a potential January swoop.

The Uzbek defender, who joined Lens in 2023 for just €100,000, has quickly risen through the ranks to become a key man for Will Still’s side, and has drawn no shortage of praise in the process.

Tottenham keen on 56-Premier League goal player in potential free transfer

Ange Postecoglou is keen to bolster his attacking options.

3

By
Dominic Lund

Dec 2, 2024

Taking to X, Football Analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him an “absolute unit” and a “warrior” who “just loves to defend”, adding that he has been “really impressed” by his performances so far this season.

So have Tottenham, according to the report, with the Lilywhites and Newcastle United both “chasing” the 20-year-old, who is set to “fetch more than £25 million in the current market”, a fee that would put him among Lens’ biggest ever sales.

Spurs have made a point of signing younger talent in recent transfer windows, with both Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert being examples of that in the most recent summer window. In Khusanov, they could have found another future star to add to Postecoglou’s ranks, while he may well come in useful across the second half of the season thanks to his ability to play on either side of defence, which could allow the Spurs boss to rotate his first choice options more regularly.

West Ham United have made a £25 million bid to sign a striker who they once tried to capture for ex-boss David Moyes, with Julen Lopetegui’s side now receiving a reply to their latest offer.

Tim Steidten eyeing new striker for West Ham in January

Hammers technical director Tim Steidten is tasked with leading their pursuit of a fresh centre-forward option next month.

West Ham could attempt January deal for "tailor-made" £60m striker

The Hammers need a prolific alternative to Danny Ings and Niclas Fullkrug.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 19, 2024

Michail Antonio is set to be out for the foreseeable future after his horrific car crash near the start of December, while summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has bagged just one goal in all competitions so far, owing to his persistent achilles tendon problem which kept him sidelined for nearly three months.

Lopetegui’s lack of faith in Danny Ings means that he’s been forced to turn towards winger Jarrod Bowen as a makeshift striker option, with the England international scoring West Ham’s ‘El Sackico’ winner against Wolves and ultimately helping to save his manager’s job.

However, West Ham don’t plan on sticking with Bowen in that role, and reports suggest they’re firmly on the hunt for a new striker. The club have been tipped to bring in a fresh option in that area for quite some time, with West Ham’s former scout Mick Brown telling Football Insider that they were after a striker as far back as October.

“When you think about clubs that need a striker, there are a few of those in the Premier League, and he’d be a worthwhile contender,” said Brown on West Ham’s previous links with Greece star Vangelis Pavlidis.

“I know clubs have been having close looks since before he moved to Benfica.

“From what I know the likes of West Ham are looking for a striker, and have looked at him before. I’ve also heard that that interest could still be there, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see their name in the running if he is to move again.”

Brighton star Evan Ferguson is a rumoured striker target for West Ham also, and it is believed they’ve reignited their interest in Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto.

Corinthians reply as West Ham make £25 million bid for Yuri Alberto

The Brazilian has just secured his country’s Golden Boot award after a phenomenal 2024 campaign, where he bagged 31 goals in all competitions, and he’s a long-time target for West Ham.

Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves confirmed that he rejected a £13 million offer from the east London club last year when Moyes was in the dugout, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying their luck yet again.

According to South American journalist Neto, via Sport Witness and Soutimao, West Ham have made another offer to Corinthians for Alberto.

They’ve apparently tabled a £25 million bid for his services, but president Alves has yet again rejected their advances. As a result, a transfer away for the 23-year-old looks more likely to be in the summer rather than January.

“I had said that he (Yuri Alberto) would be sold for £25m to West Ham, but that will no longer happen, because he will stay until the July 2025 window,” said Neto.

“Corinthians received an offer of €30m, but did not want to sell Yuri Alberto at that moment.”

Premier League clubs are in talks to end the 2025 summer transfer window two days before the start of the season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Premier League clubs discuss closing transfer window early
• Could be shut two days before start of season
• Squads would be set on opening weekend

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The idea was formulated at a meeting of sporting directors from the league's 20 clubs in February, reports , where it was felt it would be better for managers to have their squads settled until January from the opening weekend.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  One issue with the idea is convincing other European leagues to fall in line. Should that not happen, Premier League clubs risk losing their players to other countries without the ability to replace them. The Saudi Pro League would also be able to tempt players after the Premier League window has closed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The summer window was shut early in 2018 and 2019 when clubs wanted to have squads confirmed before a ball was kicked, only for it to be decided that it caused disadvantages in the market. It is not yet clear why returning to that system would benefit them any further now.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

  A potential rule change could go to a vote should preliminary discussions between owners suggest the idea has legs. It would then require 14 of 20 clubs to agree to pass.

Enzo Maresca has provided an explanation after leaving Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson out of his Chelsea side to play Brentford.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Chelsea play Brentford on Sunday
• Palmer and Jackson dropped
• Enzo Maresca provides explanation

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The pair were absent from Maresca's side to start the west London derby, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Christopher Nkunku coming into the team, despite having both started Thursday's 1-0 victory over Tottenham.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE EXPLANATION

  Maresca explained that his selection has been guided by a specific tactical approach to the game, as well as the need to rotate his squad less than 72 hours after the Spurs victory. He said: "It's just the game plan. The ones that are going to start I think are going to be the right ones. Also because we have players back from injury. So two games in 48 to 72 hours is not the best thing to do after a long time [out] and we try to manage it a little bit."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Palmer has not scored in any of his last 11 matches, last netting against Bournemouth in January. Jackson is also nine games without a goal and missed two months with injury between February and his return on Thursday.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  After the Brentford match, Chelsea are next in action against Legia Warsaw in the Conference League quarter-final first leg on Thursday. They then host Ipswich next Sunday.