Premier League

CHELSEA fans reckon Noni Madueke is “better than Bukayo Saka.”That’s after the Chelsea winger scored a screamer in England U21s’ defeat to Ukraine.
Noni Madueke was hailed by Chelsea fans after scoring a stunner for England’s U21sCredit: Getty
Blues fans reckon Madueke is better than Bukayo Saka ahead of Saturday’s game against ArsenalCredit: Getty
Lee Carsley’s Young Lions slipped to their first qualifier defeat on the road for 12 years with a 3-2 defeat on Monday.
The England U21s boss has urged his fresh-faced stars to lick their wounds and come back stronger – sooner rather than later.
But Madueke left Chelsea fans smiling as he netted another top-level goal ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash against Arsenal.
In front of around 3,000 fans in Kosice, Slovakia, the Ukrainians took a shock 2-0 half-time lead against the reigning U21 Euros champions through Nazar Voloshyn and Oleh Ocheretko.
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Madueke grabbed one back in the 67th minute before Leeds defender Charlie Cresswell nodded in an 89th minute equaliser – briefly salvaging a point.
And Chelsea supporters hailed Madueke on Twitter, with one saying: “This guy is better than Saka and it’s not an unpopular opinion.”
Another declared: “Saka this, Martinelli that, we have Madueke fully fit for Saturday.”
After grabbing their second, Carlsey’s men poured forward looking for a winner, only to be done on the counter in the fourth minute of stoppage time thanks to Ilya Kvasnytsya’s curling strike.
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The Young Lions slipped to a 3-2 defeat against UkraineCredit: Getty
Lee Carlsey has backed his side to bounce backCredit: Getty
It was a goal that sent Ukraine to the top of Group F after three games – three points clear of second-placed England, who saw an eight-game winning streak come to an end.
The last time England’s U21s lost away from home in a qualifying match was in 2011 under Stuart Pearce, with Jordan Henderson featuring in that 2-1 setback in Belgium.
Carsley, 49, said: “This could potentially be a really good lesson for us to help the group over the next couple of years.
“We have spoken about how you respond when you lose. The way they responded in the second half was very good. You could see they wanted to score again to win the game.
“But, we ended up losing. That’s frustrating but I want the team to attack. I felt like we could have got a winning goal.
“I’d rather us try and win the game. I am now looking forward to our next camp. It gave some of the players a good idea of what football at this level looks like.”
Up next for Carsley’s side next month is a trip to Serbia’s U21s – having beaten them 9-1 at the City Ground last week – before hosting Northern Ireland’s U21s at Goodison Park.
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CHELSEA star Romeo Lavia reportedly faces more injury woe, having still not made a single appearance for his new club.The £58million midfielder only joined the Blues from Southampton over the summer.
Romeo Lavia has suffered more woe in his comeback from injuryCredit: Getty
Todd Boehly fought off competition from Liverpool to bring Lavia to Stamford Bridge.
But the Belgian’s start to life at Cobham got off to a bad start.
He quickly tore a muscle after being put on a gruelling fitness regime.
And just days after recovering, Lavia then damaged ligaments in his ankle.
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The ex-Man City youngster was hoping to feature for Mauricio Pochettino by the end of October.
But the Mail claims Lavia’s wait for a debut won’t be coming until November at the earliest.
It’s reckoned his ankle is still some way off full repair, despite taking a recovery boot off last week.
Lavia has been doing rehab work in Chelsea’s specialised swimming pool to build up strength.
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Yet it will be “some time yet” before he is deemed fit enough to go out on the pitch, dealing another blow to Lavia and his manager.
The news is also sure to irritate Chelsea fans, who are desperate to see their new man in action.
The Blues have so far relied on Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher to boss the middle of the park.
Youngster Lesley Ugochukwu has also impressed with several appearances.
And Chelsea will be desperate not to aggravate Lavia’s injury any further by rushing him back quicker than required. More

ALAN SHEARER has hit back at Virgil Van Dijk’s claims that footballers are being forced to play too many games.The Dutch captain said ahead of his side’s qualifiers against France and Greece: “In England we believe the schedules are too busy. The players are getting paid well but it should never come at the cost of our health.
Virgil Van Dijk has criticised the amount of games players have to play in modern day footballCredit: Rex
But Alan Shearer hit back, saying squads are now large enough to deal with the workloadCredit: Youtube – the rest is football podcast
“We keep having to play more and more games. We as players should start saying something about it, contribute to a solution.”
The centre-back was then asked by Dutch media whether he would be willing to give up 10% of his salary if he were to play less games and responded: “No.”
When pressed on the issue he said: “I don’t think having to play less games depends on my salary?”
The defender was criticised how new competitions such as The Nations League and an expanded Club World Cup is putting too much demand on players and causing additional injury.
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He has been joined in the calls for players to play less by the likes of Manchester United defender Raphael Varane.
Shearer responded to Van Dijk’s comments on his podcast, The Rest is Football, which he appears on alongside Gary Lineker and Micah Richards.
The former Newcastle striker said: “Nonsense. Nonsense. Players are playing too much football? What? I mean come on.
“I know you should never mention the money, but you’ve got bigger squads than ever, more substitutes than ever, getting paid more money than ever, you’ve got the best physios, the best technology, the best of everything.
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“Do me a favour, playing too much football? F***ing hell.
“Didn’t he say it was England that play too much football? International football I get and understand.
“We all know why they’re doing it, they’re doing it for financial reasons. But here in England, you can tell I don’t really agree with that.”
Van Dijk has appeared in seven of Liverpool’s eight Premier League games this season, playing 90 minutes in six of them.
He was sent off after just 28 minutes in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle in August for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity and received a one game suspension.
He has also played three times for The Netherlands so far this campaign, and is likely to feature in their qualifier against Greece tonight.
After the Premier League’s return from the international break this weekend, there will be another break for international football in November.
The November break will come following the conclusion of game week 12 in the Premier League. More

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE is desperately trying to buy a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United.And if he does, he would become one of the richest owners in the Premier League.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is worth a staggering £29.7bnCredit: Reuters
Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim were in a battle to try and buy the Red Devils from the Glazer family.
But the Qatari wanted to purchase United outright then withdrew his £5billion bid because of the Glazers’ “outlandish” demands.
That has left Ratcliffe as the sole bidder – but he only wants a quarter of his beloved Old Trafford club for £1.4bn.
But should the partial takeover eventually get over the line, where would the British billionaire rank in the Premier League owners’ rich list?
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1. Newcastle United – Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund – £538bn
Far and away at the top of the pile is the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
The PIF invests on behalf of the country’s government and therefore has astronomical cash reserves, with a latest estimate of around £538bn.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fronts the Public Investment Fund and Newcastle’s ownershipCredit: AP
Mohammed bin Salman is the face of the organisation that has bankrolled Newcastle’s return to the Champions League.
The Reuben brothers, David and Simon, own ten per cent of the club and are worth a whopping £24bn – with David’s son Jamie on the board.
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Deal broker Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi help with the day-to-day running of the Magpies and are worth approximately £110million.
2. Manchester United – Sir Jim Ratcliffe – £29.7bn
Yes, that’s right. If Sir Jim successfully obtains 25 per cent of Manchester United, he would leap into second spot.
The lifelong supporter made his billions through his petrochemicals company Ineos, which has delved into sport to buy stakes in Ligue 1 side Nice, Lausanne in Switzerland and F1 team Mercedes.
According to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, Ratcliffe’s wealth bolstered a whopping £6bn from 2022 to take him up to £29.7bn.
The Glazers will remain the majority owners at Manchester UnitedCredit: AFP
He initially submitted a bid to buy Chelsea in 2022 before turning his attention to United.
Despite Ratcliffe’s mega wealth, the Glazers would still be the majority owners of United.
In 2015, Forbes estimated they were worth around £3.9bn.
3. Manchester City – Sheikh Mansour – £17bn
Sheikh Mansour purchased the club in September 2008 and has transformed them into a trophy-winning machine, culminating in the 2022-23 Treble.
Mansour comes from the royal family in the United Arab Emirates and is both vice president and deputy prime minister of the gulf state.
Manchester City are owned by Sheikh Mansour who is set to inherit a whopping £560bnCredit: PA
He is said to be worth around £17bn these days from his petrol company – although that figure could be a lot higher and will certainly skyrocket when he inherits the £560bn wealth of his Al Nahyan family.
His portfolio includes all 12 clubs in the City Football Group as well as a stake in various media and investment companies, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceship company, a superyacht, stakes in Ferrari and Leonardo Di Caprio as a friend.
4. Arsenal – Stan Kroenke – £12bn
Weighing in fourth is Arsenal boss Stan Kroenke at £12bn.
The Gunners chief made his money through real estate development, particularly shopping centres and apartment buildings.
He has since transitioned into sport and entertainment, owning the LA Rams, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids – as well as a staggering 535,000-acre ranch, the biggest in the USA.
Stan Kroenke is said to be worth around £12bnCredit: Getty
5. Fulham – Shahid Khan – £9.7bn
Like Kroenke, Shahid Khan has plenty of interest in American sports as the owner of NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars.
He also co-owns All Elite Wrestling with son Tony.
Much of Khan’s money was made through auto parts supplier company Flex-N-Gate and he is said to be the richest person of Pakistani origin.
6. Aston Villa – Nassef Sawiris – £5.8bn
Nassef Sawiris invested in Aston Villa in 2018 following their play-off defeat to Fulham.
He is the youngest of Egyptian billionaire Onsi Sawiris’ three sons – with his dad launching the Orascom engineering and construction conglomerate.
Sawiris Jr remains involved in the family business as well as owning a stake in adidas.
Wes Edens also owns part of Aston Villa as a private equity investor – as well as NBA side Milwaukee Bucks – and is reportedly worth £3.4bn.
7. Crystal Palace – Josh Harris – £5.7bn
Harris may only have 18 per cent of Crystal Palace but the American owner of Apollo Global Management is a big-time player.
He has teams in the NBA, NHL and NFL on top of his involvement in a motorsport racing side.
Steve Parish, David Blitzer and John Textor are also part of the ownership ground at Selhurst Park.
Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings Limited also has Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, Olympique Lyonnais, OL Reign and RWD Molenbeek in their portfolio.
8. Joe Lewis – Tottenham – £5bn
Joe Lewis first got into business through helping at his dad’s London catering company before selling it off and delving into currency trading.
Joe Lewis owns Tottenham with Daniel LevyCredit: Getty
He is now worth around £5bn as the key player in the Tavistock Group which has investments in more than 200 companies across 15 countries.
That includes the ENIC Group, co-owned by Daniel Levy who is worth £500m, that has full possession of Spurs.
9. Chelsea – Todd Boehly – £5bn
Boehly is the face of the new era at Stamford Bridge after fronting the £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea in May 2022.
The businessman and investor runs Eldridge Industries and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Boehly has overseen a staggering £1bn worth of spending in just three transfer windows in West London.
But it is not just Boehly providing the money muscle, with Behdad Eghbali (worth £3.1bn), Hansjoerg Wyss (£3.9bn) and Mark Walter (£4.7bn) also part of the Chelsea consortium.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have led a huge spending spree at ChelseaCredit: Getty
10. Liverpool – John Henry – £4.2bn
John W Henry heads up the Fenway Sports Group that runs Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox.
Henry grew up as the son of soya bean farmers and used that expertise to get into business and went on to become a multi-billionaire.
His portfolio also includes the Boston Globe newspaper while his business partner Tom Werner is worth £1.4bn.
Werner progressed through the ranks at ABC and made much of his money through the TV industry including launching The Cosby Show.
11. West Ham – Daniel Kretinsky – £4bn
Daniel Kretinsky bought his shares in West Ham in November 2021, acquiring 27 per cent of the Premier League side alongside colleague Pavel Horsky.
The Czech businessman is CEO of central Europe’s biggest energy company EPH, is the biggest shareholder in Royal Mail and second most in Sainsbury’s
The Sunday Times valued Kretinsky, who also owns Sparta Prague and is a qualified lawyer, at 47th on the 2023 Rich List at £4bn – citing energy, telecoms, media and football for his wealth.
David Sullivan is the biggest shareholder of the Hammers following David Gold’s death.
Ex-pornographer Sullivan is now worth £1.1bn.
12. Nottingham Forest – Evangelos Marinakis – £2.5bn
The Greek media mogul owns the Alter Ego Media company.
But he originally made his billions as boss of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp which boasted 100 ships in its fleet.
Now he is owner and chairman of both Forest and Greek side Olympiacos.
13. Wolves – Guo Guangchang – £2.4bn
Guangchang is executive director of Fosun, a Chinese multinational holding company.
The company bought Wolves from Steve Morgan for £45m in 2016, taking the club into the Premier League, an FA Cup semi-final and the Europa League.
Guangchang runs Wolves alongside fellow Fosun chiefs and billionaires Wang Qunbin and Liang Xinjun.

14. Everton – Farhad Moshiri – £1.6bn
Coming in 112th on the Sunday Times Rich List, Moshiri’s current net worth is around £1.6bn.
He is shareholder and chairman of USM, a Russian company that is involved in mining and telecoms.
Moshiri had a stake in Arsenal but sold it in February 2016 in order to fund his purchase of Everton.
15. Bournemouth – Bill Foley – £1.3bn
Foley runs the Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 company in the United States.
Bill Foley bought Bournemouth in 2022 and has enlisted help from Michael B JordanCredit: Reuters
The veteran businessman is also the boss of the Black Knight Sports & Entertainment group that owns the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team and bought Bournemouth from Maxim Demin in 2022.
Foley is joined by Nullah Sarker and Hollywood actor Michael B Jordan in Turquoise Bidco Limited, the official owners of the Cherries.
16. Brighton – Tony Bloom – £500m
Bloom earned his fortune through his successful career in betting and gambling, especially as a notorious poker player.
He has bolstered that net worth to its current standing at around £500m through property and private equity – as well as success as a racehorse owner.
Tony Bloom is a lifelong Brighton fan and overseen the recent successCredit: AFP
Lifelong Seagulls fan Bloom bought his beloved club in 2009 and has seen them rise through the leagues – all the way to the Premier League and even European football.
17. Brentford – Matthew Benham – £252m
Like Bloom, Benham is a big fan of the club he now owns.
And he also made his millions through gambling – namely as owner of Smartodds and the Matchbook betting exchange.
The Oxford physics graduate, who also worked in finance in London, took full control of Brentford in 2012 and led the club’s move to their new stadium.
Benham was also majority shareholder of Danish side FC Midtjylland but sold his shares in August 2023.
18. Sheffield United – Abdullah bin Musa’ed – £164m
Prince Abdullah from Saudi Arabia is said to be one of an estimated 1,000 grandchildren of Saudi’s founder and first king, Ibn Saud.
He made his millions by himself, though, wiping up with his paper company that produces toilet roll, tissues and kitchen roll across North Africa and the Middle East.
The firm is worth £225m – but he paid just £1 for his initial 50 per cent stake in Sheffield United in 2013.
19. Burnley – Alan Pace – £156m
Pace’s ALK Capital bought 84 per cent of the Turf Moor side in December 2020.
That saw the American businessman installed as the club’s new chairman.
Pace cut his teeth on Wall Street and has held various banking and finance jobs in the USA, including at New York-based Citi.
20. Luton Town – Supporter-owned – N/A
Lastly, Luton Town are actually owned by a supporters group – the aptly-named Luton Town Football Club 2020 Limited.
It means there is no standout shareholder bankrolling the Hatters.
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However, chairman David Wilkinson was voted in by his fellow directors while Gary Sweet in the CEO.
But their net worths are unknown.
Luton Town are owned by the supporters groupCredit: Alamy More