All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal staff have been taken aback by summer signing Noni Madueke behind-the-scenes, with a twist now coming to light on the forward’s injury return timeline.

Mikel Arteta is now without star defender William Saliba once again, not to mention winger Gabriel Martinelli.

Delivering a pre-match injury update ahead of the Gunners’ Carabao Cup fourth round clash at home to Brighton on Wednesday evening, Arteta didn’t delve into too much detail on the extent of their problems, but the duo have now joined their injury list.

Saliba and Martinelli are accompanied by Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Madueke, who are all unavailable for selection right now due to various issues.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Jesus has been sidelined since the turn of the year after rupturing his ACL in an FA Cup defeat to Man United, and reports have suggested that the Brazilian may not be back in action until 2026.

Odegaard, meanwhile, is suffering real bad luck with injuries right now.

The Arsenal captain had only just returned from a shoulder problem when he set up Gabriel Magalhaes’ winner away to Newcastle, but it didn’t take long for Odegaard to be sidelined once again.

The £240,000-per-week playmaker picked up a medial collateral ligament injury in the 2-0 win over West Ham just prior to the last international break, and that is expected to keep him out until mid-November.

Luckily for Arteta, the north Londoners could soon welcome Havertz back.

The Germany international has apparently been blowing away Arsenal rehab staff with his recovery and is fighting to be fully match fit ahead of schedule, according to insider HandOfArsenal.

Now, as per GiveMeSport, nearly the exact same can be said of Madueke too.

Arsenal staff taken aback as Noni Madueke nears faster injury return

According to their information, Arsenal staff have been left impressed by Madueke’s attitude during recovery, and the England international winger is now set to return to training earlier than anticipated.

Madueke is said to be making “faster-than-expected” progress in his comeback from a knee injury which has kept him out since Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Man City.

The former PSV Eindhoven star, known for his pace, dribbling, and creativity, has been a bright prospect since joining Arsenal, and his return is expected to inject more flair and unpredictability into their front line.

Madueke’s ability to wreak havoc on defenders in one-on-one situations offers a new dimension, but also takes some pressure off Arsenal’s key forwards, with Arteta pretty light in that area right now.

His form right after joining Arsenal in the summer, despite early protests over his arrival, resulted in Madueke being considered as Andrea Berta’s arguable best signing of the window thus far.

Arsenal’s plan is for the 23-year-old to complete several controlled sessions before resuming full contact training, and he’s apparently used the time to work on other aspects of his game, like strength and conditioning.

His response to the setback has been nothing short of incredible, according to GMS, and Arteta will certainly be impressed behind-closed-doors.

Southampton return to action in the Championship this weekend as they prepare to travel to Charlton on Saturday, and they appear no closer to appointing a permanent successor to Will Still.

TalkSPORT recently claimed that Sport Republic are ‘seriously considering’ appointing current interim manager Tonda Eckert on a permanent basis, after his first two matches in the dugout.

The 32-year-old head coach is set to lead the team out for a third game against Charlton this weekend, and another win would do his chances of landing the role no harm.

Why Southampton should not appoint Tonda Eckert

Eckert deserves credit for providing the team with an instant boost after Still’s departure, as he masterminded a 2-1 win over QPR and a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

However, it may not be the right time to appoint him as the permanent head coach because of his lack of experience in first-team management in his career so far.

Eckert had only ever been an assistant manager before his move to join the U21s as their head coach this summer, and he managed nine Premier League 2 matches before his two senior games as the current interim, per Transfermarkt.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

This means that Southampton have no evidence available to judge what an Eckert team will look like in 15, 20, or 30 games, or if he has the first-team coaching ability to lead a promotion push.

Earlier this month, Michael Carrick was named as a reported contender for the job, and hiring the former Middlesbrough boss could end the Eckert experiment at St. Mary’s.

Why Southampton should hire Michael Carrick

Unlike the German interim, Carrick would arrive on the south coast with bundles of Championship experience as a manager, which may be what the Saints need right now.

The former Manchester United midfielder, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, has been out of work since moving on from Middlesbrough at the end of last season.

Carrick also has the specific experience of taking over a team in a similar position to the one that Southampton are in now and leading them to a play-off finish, as that is what he did with Boro in the 2022/23 campaign.

Matches

16

30

Wins

4

18

Draws

5

4

Losses

7

8

Points

17

58

Points per game

1.06

1.93

League position

18th

4th

As you can see in the table above, the 4-2-3-1 tactician took over with Middlesbrough after they had a dismal start to the season, in 18th place, and led them to fourth and the play-offs.

Southampton are currently 17th after 15 matches, with 18 points on the board, which means that Carrick would arrive in an incredibly similar situation at St. Mary’s. This could make him the ideal candidate for the job, as he has very specific experience for the job that is required.

Some supporters may see that he finished 10th and eighth in his last two seasons with Boro, but the underlying numbers behind those two campaigns suggest that he was let down by his squad.

League finish

8th

10th

xPTS (Expected league finish)

73 (5th)

71 (6th)

xG

69.5

67.4

xGA

55.0

56.4

xGD

+14.5

+11.3

As you can see in the table above, Boro ranked inside the top six for xPTS in both of those seasons, suggesting that their performances were of a play-off calibre, but the players did not make the most of those performances to pick up the results needed.

This is why Southampton should not be put off by Carrick’s ‘failure’ to get Boro in the play-offs in the last two seasons, and is further evidence that he could be a major upgrade on the inexperienced Eckert.

Southampton can land Still upgrade by hiring manager who's won 13 trophies

Southampton could land an upgrade on Will Still by hiring this 4-3-3 manager.

ByDan Emery Nov 12, 2025

Therefore, the out-of-work English manager could be the perfect hire for Southampton for the position that they currently find themselves in, as he has the coaching ability and experience to drive the team back up the table to fight for the play-offs.