The redevelopment of the place that has played host to so many of Jamaica’s track and field heroes, the National Stadium, is close to beginning as Jamaica’s Ministry of Sport has accepted a joint proposal from UK based entities Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon to oversee the project.

Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Hon. Olivia Grange made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday providing updates on the redevelopment project.

“We met with representatives from both Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon and they submitted a joint proposal to us for the renovation and redevelopment of facilities at Independence Park, particularly the National Stadium,” the Minister said on Tuesday.

She continued: “The document, in essence, proposes to, not only address the shortcomings of the existing stadium, but to identify, through qualitative and quantitative assessment, the full potential for this iconic stadium with enhancement as a major tournament venue, training centre and visitor attraction to promote Jamaica and Jamaican sport talent.”

Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon have worked together many times and have been involved in stadiums around the world such as Wembley, the Emirates Stadium, the 02 Arena, Stadio Olimpico and the San Siro.

“My Ministry, through its oversight committee and the executing agency, Independence Park Limited, is of the view that Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon can deliver on the proposal given the entities’ years in the business of building and redeveloping sports facilities worldwide,” Grange said.

The project will see the capacity of the National Stadium increase from 28,500 to 35,000 and will make the country able to bid to host major global events like the World Athletics Championships.

Dispensing with the bleachers, establishing modern facilities for anti-doping, new facilities for media, the establishment of a modern and iconic sports museum, new modern lighting, new seating options, new conference and meeting facilities, premium suites and lounges and new concession facilities among other upgrades were discussed by Grange’s team and the entities.

The next step in the re-development project of the National Stadium is a stadium assessment and feasibility study.

“The study includes a thorough economic and feasibility analysis to identify local and international market demand to ensure that use, and therefore design proposals are aligned to economic demand,” Grange said before stating that these studies will commence in a few weeks and be completed within eight months.

The results of those studies will inform phase two which is the project initiation, concept design and approval stage.

Phase three will involve the detailed design and appointment of a contractor in which a groundbreaking date of August 2025 is being targeted.

Phase four will involve construction and phase five is the operational readiness and handover.

Grange anticipates that the whole project will last about 30 months or two and a half years.

The football field and running track will be unaffected during the construction process according to Independence Park Limited General Manager, Major Desmon Brown, who noted that the only inconvenience caused will be a limited capacity of seats for the duration of the process.

The funding for this project came from a government to government framework for co-operation agreement signed by Jamaica’s Finance Minister, the Hon. Nigel Clarke, and CEO of UK Export Finance, Tim Reid earlier this year.

Clarke, as well as UK Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Baroness Jennifer Chapman, were both in attendance on Tuesday.

“UK Export Finance are delighted that this agreement will enable them to support Jamaica’s game changing national priority projects and is proud to back the implementation of high-quality UK solutions and innovations alongside UK Government funding,” said Chapman.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to get this deal over the finish line before the departure of Mr. Clarke for his next role at the IMF,” she added.

“When I met the head of the UK Export Finance at a function at the UK High Commission, light bulbs began to go off because there he was in Jamaica looking for business and engagement and I know have projects that we want to develop but where the technical capacity is not abundantly available in Jamaica, for obvious reasons,” Clarke said.

“Sparks began to fly about how we could use the format of a government to government co-operation with the UK Export entity to provide the framework through which the feasibility could be delivered and the construction to follow for the stadium,” he added.

Spain took a giant leap to securing Nations League quarter-final progression after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.

Luis de la Fuente's side will need just a point from their last two games in the competition next month after a routine win in Cordoba.

Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.

Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.

Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.

Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.

Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.

Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja

De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.

Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).

This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.

Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers revealed that she was shocked when she heard that head coach Jonas Eidevall had stepped down from his role at the club on Tuesday.

Slegers has been the assistant coach with the Gunners since September 2023, having previously taken over from Eidevall as head coach at Rosengard in Sweden.

After following him to north London, she will once again step into his role - albeit on a temporary basis - but she made it clear that it was a surprise to find that out, and has sympathy for him.

“I spoke to him yesterday afternoon and was shocked by the news,” she said in her first press conference in her new role ahead of their Champions League match at home to Valeranga on Wednesday.

“I was very sad because he has been a good leader for the staff and I worked with him before in Sweden and we worked really well together. I am very sad that it got to this point.”

Eidevall’s departure came after a poor start to the 2024-25 season, with Arsenal sixth in the WSL table having won just one of their opening four matches.

They were also beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich in their opening Champions League game of the campaign.

But despite their sticky start, Slegers was adamant that it should not define Eidevall's three-year stint at the club.

"I feel a lot of respect for him, he has been very resilient for a long time,” she said. “He has been working incredibly hard for a long time so all I feel is respect for him."

On taking over the job itself, the interim head coach said that she was happy to do it, but drew more attention to the games ahead than her chances of getting it full-time.

"When I got the question yesterday I felt that if this is how we need to go forward then I am happy to do it,” she said.

“I care about the team, I care about the players. I have been here for a year now and it’s a massive club, so I am happy to help.

"Right now I just need to focus on these next two games which are very important for us. The future, I am not so concerned about right now."

Harry Kane remains unaware of ongoing discussions for Thomas Tuchel to take over as England manager but lauded his "fantastic" former head coach.

The England captain enjoyed a record-breaking debut season for Bayern Munich under Tuchel last campaign, before the 51-year-old was dismissed and replaced by Vincent Kompany.

Kane could reunite with Tuchel soon, however, amid widespread reports on Tuesday that the former Chelsea and Bayern boss has agreed to become England's permanent manager.

Former Tottenham talisman Kane refused to delve too deep into the capabilities of Tuchel due to the ongoing discussions, but still spoke highly of his previous experience with him.

"Until it's announced obviously I can't really comment, but we have to wait and see," the striker told Sky Sports in Germany.

"Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. [He is a] fantastic coach, fantastic person. I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me, when they know more about it."

Kane scored 36 times in just 32 Bundesliga games last term under Tuchel, breaking the record for the most goals in a debut season in the competition.

However, that was not enough to keep the former Paris Saint-Germain boss in his role at Bayern, who parted ways with Tuchel after his side finished third behind Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.

Tuchel still maintained an impressive 60.7% winning record across all competitions for Bayern (winning 37 out of 61 matches), a mark he only bettered with Borussia Dortmund (62.6%) and PSG (74.8%).

It may be Tuchel's cup-competition expertise that has drawn England to his skills, though, leading PSG to their first Champions League final in 2020 and winning the same competition with Chelsea a year later.

Indeed, Tuchel has managed 40 Champions League wins in 67 games, with his 59.7% winning ratio more than all but one England manager at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros) – Alf Ramsey had 66.7%.

Time will tell if Tuchel, should he be appointed, can provide a similar winning formula at the 2026 World Cup, where Kane will be delighted to work with his former boss.

Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers admitted that she was shocked when she heard that head coach Jonas Eidevall had stepped down from his role at the club on Tuesday.

Slegers has been the assistant coach with the Gunners since September 2023, having previously taken over from Eidevall as head coach at Rosengard in Sweden.

After following him to north London, she will once again step into his role - albeit on a temporary basis - but she made it clear that it was a surprise to find that out, and has sympathy for him.

“I spoke to him yesterday afternoon and was shocked by the news,” she said in her first press conference in her new role ahead of their Champions League match at home to Valeranga on Wednesday.

“I was very sad because he has been a good leader for the staff and I worked with him before in Sweden and we worked really well together. I am very sad that it got to this point.”

Eidevall’s departure came after a poor start to the 2024-25 season, with Arsenal sixth in the WSL table having won just one of their opening four matches.

They were also beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich in their opening Champions League game of the campaign.

But despite their sticky start, Slegers was adamant that it should not define Eidevall’s three-year stint at the club.

"I feel a lot of respect for him, he has been very resilient for a long time,” she said. “He has been working incredibly hard for a long time so all I feel is respect for him."

On taking over the job itself, the interim head coach said that she was happy to do it, but drew more attention to the games ahead than her chances of getting it full-time.

"When I got the question yesterday I felt that if this is how we need to go forward then I am happy to do it,” she said.

“I care about the team, I care about the players. I have been here for a year now and it’s a massive club, so I am happy to help.

"Right now I just need to focus on these next two games which are very important for us. The future, I am not so concerned about right now."

Florian Wirtz is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a capsular injury to his right ankle while on international duty with Germany.

The midfielder suffered the injury during Germany's 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the Nations League on Monday, being replaced at half-time by Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Robert Andrich.

Leverkusen confirmed the 21-year-old underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday and is receiving treatment. However, the club also confirmed it is unclear when Wirtz will return to training.

He is a doubt for their return to Bundesliga action against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with a Champions League meeting with Brest following that next week.

Wirtz, who was named the Bundesliga Player of the Season last campaign, has been an influential figure once again for the champions this term. 

He is their joint-top scorer with four goals (along with Victor Boniface) in the Bundesliga and has created the joint-most chances (19, level with Alex Grimaldo). His 18 dribbles completed is also a team-high, boasting a 48.65% success rate (37 attempted).

Sadio Mane's last-gasp free-kick sent Senegal to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after edging out Malawi 1-0 on Tuesday. 

Despite dominating for large parts of the contest, Senegal were unable to break down Malawi's stern defence, with goalkeeper William Thole making a string of impressive saves. 

However, after Robert Saiz hauled Mane down just outside the area, the Al-Nassr forward stepped up and curled home the winner in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.

The 2021 winners of the competition joined Burkina Faso in qualifying for the tournament that takes place in Morocco next year, with both sides on 10 points in Group L. 

But in Group F, Ghana look set to miss the tournament for the first time since 2004 after slumping to a 2-0 defeat to Sudan at the Martyrs of February Stadium. 

Despite the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams in their ranks, two goals in three second-half minutes from Ahmed Al-Tash and Mohamed Abdel Rahman did the damage.

Ghana remain winless in their four qualifying games so far and sit five points adrift of the top two, knowing they must beat both group leaders Angola and then Niger next month to have any chance of reaching the finals.

It may not have been the most polished performance by the Reggae Boyz in their goalless Concacaf Nations League Group B stalemate against Honduras, but Reggae Boyz Head coach Steve McClaren and midfielder Joel Latibeaudiere were still full of praise for his team.

For McClaren, the result—though a disappointing one for many of the fans that turned out at the National Stadium on Monday night—held immense significance as it not only secured Jamaica’s place in the quarterfinals of the tournament but also guaranteed them a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The Boyz, who entered the contest needing only a point to progress, topped the League A group with eight points, with second-placed Honduras (seven points) also progressing.

Still, the Englishman, while praising his team’s determination, acknowledged that the performance wasn’t without its challenges.

“The vision was to finish top; we had a bad start to the group, and so I have to give credit to the team for the way they recovered with away wins at Honduras and Nicaragua. Everybody knew there were three teams going for the two top spots, and I think you could see that there was a little nervousness and a lack of willingness to really take the game to Honduras,” McClaren said in a post-game press conference.

“When you need a draw, the mentality can get in the way, and I think that did. But we said at half-time, we have to be resilient; we have to make sure that we get the result, and the key thing is the result. The key thing is we're top of the league because after the first game against Cuba, we were under pressure in Honduras and Nicaragua, and the Boyz delivered,” he added.

McClaren, who took over the reins of the team earlier this year, emphasized that while the Reggae Boyz didn’t light up the field with attacking flair and creativity, their resilience and discipline were commendable.

“It was more like we wanted to control the game, and so we didn't go forward with any tempo, any pace, and there was no speed in the game. But whatever the game was today (Monday), they delivered, and the result was probably more important than the actual performance,” McClaren declared.

“But we can play better. We made too many mistakes, but without the ball, the recovery and determination to keep a clean sheet was good. So credit to everybody for that. Eleven defend, eleven attack…they all did that. We got the result, we topped the league, and we look forward to the draw,” he noted.

McClaren was quick to underline the importance of this achievement, particularly as the team continues to develop under his leadership.

His team and Honduras now join Concacaf’s top-ranked teams, United States, Panama, Mexico, and Canada, in the knockout round, with the top two finishers in Group A—to be decided on Tuesday—set to meet them there.

“I wanted desperately to get into the knockout stage, so we've done it. Credit to the players, we've achieved that, and now we really look forward to the draw and who we get,” the tactician declared.

He continued: “But I'm just learning so much, and don't get me wrong, I'm making mistakes as well, but I'm learning and the more mistakes I make, the quicker I will learn and I believe we'll get better because we've got good players.

“Like everything, you're always aiming for consistency, so for me, I'm so pleased about that the players understand what we are trying to implement. We're not doing it fluidly at the present moment, but they understand it. But if you want to get to the World Cup, you're going to have to be able to want the ball, deal with the ball, and be brave on the ball, and that is the mentality that we're looking for."

Meanwhile, Latibeaudiere expressed cautious optimism about Jamaica’s potential in the competition, as he too stressed that there’s still work to be done.

The Boyz ended third in the last Concacaf Nations League edition after losing their semi-final contest to United States.

“I think we should be very confident going into the (quarterfinal) games. As a football player, these are the games that you want to play in; you want to play against the top dogs, you want to go and have that challenge and prove yourself, especially from last time. We were so unlucky not to get to the final, and it just shows what we can do as a group, so we should be very confident going into it,” Latibeaudiere reasoned.

“We need to go back to our clubs now. We need to stay fit and when we come back, we need to come with an open mind and we learn from these camps and we go into that one with that mentality that we're going to go and put our best foot forward. We deserve to be top of the group and so we now have to go over that mentality,” he noted.

After a dramatic and turbulent start to the season, Arsenal are now looking for a new head coach following the departure of Jonas Eidevall.

Eidevall resigned as the pressure mounted before reaching an untenable level this week. The Swedish coach has been with the club since 2021, winning two League Cups in his tenure.

Arsenal have had an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 campaign, to say the least, winning only one of four games in the Women's Super League. The Gunners were humiliated in Europe, losing 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their opening game of the Women's Champions League group stages.

However, the tale of Eidevall's demise reaches back further than just the poor start to this campaign, and there have been a number of factors that have led up to this poor run.

Arsenal fans would have been optimistic at the beginning of last season, off the back of a 2022-23 campaign that saw them narrowly defeated by Wolfsburg in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They also won the Women's League Cup for the sixth time in the club's history.

But that optimism turned sour with an early elimination in the qualifiers of the Champions League, with the Gunners going down to Paris FC. It left Eidevall only competing for domestic trophies last term. They did win a second consecutive League Cup under his guidance but failed to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester City in the league, trailing five points behind the top two.

Recruitment in Eidevall's time has also been a controversial topic, and the biggest controversy of them all came at the end of last season when the WSL's all-time leading goalscorer Vivianne Miedema, who plundered 125 goals for the Gunners in all competitions, left on a free transfer. And she joined would-be title rivals Man City.

Such a big decision meant Eidevall needed a strong start, or questions would naturally be asked. But instead, he is now out of a job.

Seven Days of Football Hell

Football is full of fine margins, and while Eidevall may have fallen victim to a poor run of results, the numbers suggest his side should have done much better.

Starting at home to Everton on October 6, when the Gunners could only muster a draw against the struggling, injury-ravaged Toffees

The story of Arsenal's season so far was highlighted in this game, as their inability to convert chances cost them. They racked up 21 shots. Frida Maanum attempted seven of them alone, the joint-highest total for a player in the WSL this season. Yet they could not break the deadlock.

Confident this was a blip, Arsenal headed into their midweek clash with Bayern Munich looking for a result to give them the uptick in confidence they needed.

On the face of it, a 5-2 defeat may have seemed a harsh outcome, given that Bayern only marginally edged the expected goals (xG), generating 1.89 to Arsenal's 1.57. Then again, Bayern only had 10 shots, and Manuela Zinsberger conceded from half of them.

But to truly tell the story of the game, we must look at the difference between the two halves. Arsenal took the lead and had full control of the opening period, limiting Bayern to three shots and an xG of just 0.17. Indeed, the Gunners would have been ahead at half-time had home goalkeeper Maria Grohs not made three fine saves. Bayern captain Glodis Viggosdottir struck two minutes before half-time from a superb Georgia Stanway assist. That strike had only an 8% chance of finding the net, but find the net it did.

It ultimately was a familiar tale for Eidevall's Arsenal. They create chances, but cannot take advantage, and the pressure really was on when Chelsea visited Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

A 2-1 defeat was ultimately the final nail in Eidevall's coffin.

Two early goals for Sonia Bompastor's team left Arsenal fighting an uphill battle, and while their spirit was admirable, it once again was not enough.

Caitlin Foord reduced the deficit before half-time, and it is fair to say Arsenal were unlucky not to score more against Chelsea. Their 2.62 xG is the highest total across their four league matches so far, ahead of the 2.24 they accumulated against Man City in September.

Arsenal had 20 shots, but only got four of them on target – Chelsea, on the flip side, hit the target with six of their 11 attempts.

The Gunners hit the woodwork and created four big chances, defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score, but they could not make the most of them and ultimately allowed three going the other way.

Eidevall's team had 46 touches in Chelsea's area, whereas the Blues had 19 in the Gunners' 18-yard box. Another tale of not being able to make the chances count.

Since the start of last season, only Man City (68) and Chelsea (81) have scored more WSL goals than Arsenal (57), while the Gunners' 62.5 xG ranks behind only the Blues' 64.9.

In fact, no team has had more shots in that time than Arsenal (503), though their 161 shots on target is tied for third with Tottenham, and way behind Chelsea's 200 and Man City's 206.

Arsenal have underperformed their xG by 5.5. Man City (+11.3), Chelsea (+16.1), and even outside title bets Manchester United (+8.5) and Liverpool (+10.4) have all outperformed their xG, showing a clinical level of finishing that the Gunners have lacked.

Finishing has been a problem, as evidenced by an 11.33% shot conversion rate, which ranks seventh out of the 13 teams to have competed in the league since the start of last term. Chelsea, in comparison, have converted 16.98% of their attempts.

Only Chelsea (96) have had more big chances than Arsenal (86), but the Gunners again drop down to joint-third when it comes to scoring them, putting away 31. That 36% big chance conversion rate ranks joint-second poorest, alongside Spurs, and ahead of only Everton (27.27%).

Eidevall by the Numbers

Eidevall was always going to have a tough act to follow, replacing Joe Montemurro, who lifted the WSL title in 2018-19, wrestling it away from the grasp of Chelsea and Emma Hayes, stopping their steamroller of success.

That feat was impressive at the time but has aged particularly well, as the Blues have gone on to lift the title every season since then.

Eidevall oversaw 120 matches in all competitions, winning 80 – that is more wins than any other manager in Arsenal's history.

His 66.67% win ratio in all competitions ranks second out of Arsenal's managers to have overseen at least five games, behind only Montemurro (75% - 78/104).

Eidevall, like his immediate predecessor, has managed 70 WSL games while at Arsenal, winning 49 of those – 70%. He has suffered just 11 defeats.

Meanwhile, of ever-present WSL teams since Eidevall took over, only Chelsea (45) have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (50), and the Blues are also the only side to lose fewer matches (seven, compared to the Gunners' 11 defeats).

So, it is fair to say, Eidevall had his team right up there. In fact, only six managers in the WSL's history (not including the Spring Series), have overseen more games during one spell at a single club than the 41-year-old – Emma Hayes (204 – Chelsea), Kelly Chambers (134 – Reading), Nick Cushing (96 – Man City), Gareth Taylor (92 – Man City), David Parker (86 – Birmingham City) and Hope Powell (85 – Brighton).

Meanwhile, Eidevall's 70% win ratio in the WSL is the sixth-best of any boss to oversee at least 10 games in the competition, after Montemurro (75.71% - 53/70), Taylor (73.91% - 68/92), Harvey (71.43% - 20/28), Kerr (71.43% - 10/4) and Hayes (71.08%).

It was fitting, perhaps, that a defeat to Chelsea marked the end for Eidevall. Across his seven WSL meetings with the Blues, he only managed one win, finishing on the losing side three times. He managed better against Man City – he beat Taylor's team on four occasions, and only suffered one defeat.

It was a similar story against London rivals Tottenham, with Arsenal coming out with a record of W4 D1 L1 from six WSL matches.

With career numbers such as these, he may feel slightly aggrieved to be in the position he finds himself now, but crucially those accomplishments were not enough to stem the tide of mounting pressure around his side's underperformance.

Only one team has won the WSL title after winning just one of their opening four matches, and that was Liverpool in 2014 (W1 D3), and their early-season dip has seen the odds stack against them in terms of a potential title charge.

Ahead of the season, Arsenal had a 16.1% chance of winning the title – that has now plummeted to just 1.4%.

Opta's supercomputer made third place the most likely position for Arsenal (37%) prior to the campaign. The model now forecasts Arsenal to finish fourth, with a 43.8% chance of doing so – it gives them an 11.9% chance of finishing second, while the likelihood of them coming third is still a relatively high 34.5%.

Arsenal's season is still salvageable, and even though Eidevall has officially resigned, the club's board may have had to act regardless sooner rather than later.

Out in the Cold

It has been a tale of underperformance of a team that has all the ability to challenge for trophies both domestically and in Europe. Arsenal's rich history of success and pioneering teams of the past leave fans and the clubs' expectations high.

After a decade of unprecedented success, Chelsea and Hayes have forced their rivals to perform at the top level and anything less than perfect has meant Arsenal playing the bridesmaid to the Blues in recent years.

Eidevall may have had more success in his time if the team had not been hit by significant injuries to key players such as Beth Mead, Miedema, captain Leah Williamson and others, who would have made the difference in games such as that painful Champions League semi-final defeat to Wolfsburg.

There has also been scrutiny over the transfer policy under Eidevall, and Miedema might have proved the final straw in that regard. The Dutchwoman swiftly came back to haunt her old club when she netted against them in the opening game of the season, extending her record tally to 81 WSL goals.

She has also been crucial in the Champions League, where her big game experience proved key in helping Man City secure a 2-0 defeat of current champions Barcelona, and set up City's first goal in that tie. Her composure and ability to create for her team-mates is certainly something Arsenal have been lacking.

Eidevall's team selections have also been a consistent sticking point. With such talent at his disposal as Mariona Caldentey, Stina Blackstenius, Alessia Russo, Mead and Maanum, Foord and Rosa Kafaji, he has been unable to get the balance right.

Big signings such as Russo have not met expectations, and she has struggled to spark this term. She is yet to score in the WSL from nine shots. Her xGoT drops to 0.4 from 1.3 xG, showing her finishing has been below par.

The new manager will need to find a way to get these players gelling in front of goal, while between the sticks Arsenal must commit to a number one they can truly trust.

Since the start of last season, Sabrina D'Angelo and Zinsberger have slightly underperformed when it comes to preventing goals, based on Opta's xGoT model.

D'Angelo, who has only played four WSL matches since the start of last season, has helped the Gunners keep two clean sheets, but in those two other games, she conceded three times (excluding own goals) from an xGoT conceded of 2.76.

Zinsberger has played 19 WSL games in that time and conceded 19 goals from 18.0 xGoT conceded.

However, Eidevall did make a positive move this summer to bring in Daphne van Domselaar, and she has overperformed so far, keeping out two goals more than would have been anticipated (two goals conceded from 4.0 xGoT conceded), albeit only across a small sample size of three games. Sticking with her may be the best option for Eidevall's replacement.

While some misfortune in the early weeks of this season may have hastened his exit, it has increasingly seemed like the time might be right for a change at Arsenal.

Eidevall will ultimately walk away from the Gunners with his head held high, but he will also be rueing what might have been as he hands over one of Europe's most talented squads at a time when there are more eyes on women's football than ever before.

Alphansus Davis High and Cedric Titus High both confirmed their spots in the Round of 32 of the ISSA/Wata DaCosta Cup as the first round of competition ended on Monday.

Alphansus Davis High made it past the first round for the first time since 2018 when they were still named Spalding High after they held on for a 2-2 draw against Bellefield High, completing their Zone G playoff game that had started last week. They finished with 16 points in the first round.

At the same time, Cedric Titus High took the lone ‘wild card’ spot available to the best third-place team.

They joined the 30 schools that had already booked their places up to Saturday for the Round of 32, which is set to get underway on Tuesday with one game, Port Antonio High against Dinthill Technical at Carder Park.

Christiana High won Zone G with 28 points, and Holmwood Technical won second with 22 points.

For their efforts, Alphansus Davis will play in Group 4 of the Round of 32 alongside Munro College, Maldon High, and Brown’s Town High,

Cedric Titus High was third in Zone D, behind Spot Valley High and William Knibb, and edged out Green Pond High for the best third-place team on goal difference after both had accumulated 19 points from 10 games.

Cedric Titus had a goal difference of 27 to Green Pond High’s five.

Also on Monday, Central High topped the Zone H table after playing out a 0-0 draw with defending champions Clarendon College.

Central finished with 20 points and will play in Group 6 in the second round while Clarendon College took second place with 19 points, edging Denbigh High, who beat Lennon High 4-1, on goal difference.

Clarendon College will play in Group 7, where they will meet Glenmuir High in a repeat of last season’s final, Paul Bogle High, and Titchfield High.

Denbigh High will contest Group 5 along with Belair High, Happy Grove High and Holmwood Technical.

Frome Technical topped Zone B with 26 points after a 4-0 win over Green Island thanks to a second consecutive hat trick from Stevaughn Spence.

The other goal came from Dwyane Watt for Frome Technical who will now take on Ocho Rios High, Black River High, and Cedric Titus in Group 2.

Rusea’s High took the runner-up spot after beating Knockalva Technical 5-1 in Lucea, with Michael Foga scoring a hat trick, and will play out of Group 1 against Cornwall College, Spot Valley High, and Kemps Hill High.

Sarina Wiegman believes that Paris Saint-German's Mary Earps will face competition from Chelsea's Hannah Hampton for the England number one shirt.

Earps has endured a difficult start to life in France since her move from Manchester United ahead of the new season.

She conceded five goals across their Women's Champions League qualifying defeat to Juventus and was subsequently dropped for the Parisiens' next two league matches. 

Hampton, meanwhile, has been in fine form for Chelsea in the Women's Super League, keeping two clean sheets as the Blues remain perfect under Sonia Bompastor. 

Only Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce (100%) has a higher save percentage than Hampton (90%) in the league this season. 

Earps earned her 50th Lioness cap in a 2-1 European Championship qualifier defeat to France in June, though Hampton has seen her tipped for a starting spot at the tournament where England will look to defend their crown.

"You bring this message as if she's not a starting player for PSG and I think she is," Wiegman said.

"She's the number one goalkeeper. There's competition there, too. She started this weekend. I think moving to France, of course, she's adapting to a new situation.

"Unfortunately, they didn't qualify for the group stage in the Champions League which is a disappointment for them, for Mary and for us too, because we want to see her in the Champions League.

"So that's not the start I think she had hoped for but still, we know what she brings for us and we also know there's a huge competition going on between her and Hannah, and Anna also coming in."

Wiegman announced her 25-player squad for their upcoming friendlies against Germany and South Africa in preparation for Euro 2025, which takes place in Switzerland.

Aston Villa's uncapped defender Lucy Parker was introduced into the ranks, while Lotte Wubben-Moy and Lauren James return after missing July's qualifiers. 

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse retains her place in the squad, and Aggie Beever-Jones and Jessica Naz also remain, having moved across from the Under-23 squad.

Manchester City's Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in the 2022 final, was also included despite falling out of favour under Gareth Taylor.

Full squad

Mary Earps (Paris Saint-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride); Mille Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Lucy Parker (Aston Villa), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal); Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona); Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Naz (Tottenham Hotspur), Alessia Russo (Arsenal).

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules, that it should be reflected in their punishment.

The independent hearing, which started last month, is anticipated to last approximately two months, although the verdict is not expected to be made public until early next year.

If found guilty, the sternest punishment is relegation, while points deductions and fines are also potential penalties.

City have been charged with breaking financial fair play (FFP) rules, with the breaches allegedly going back over a decade.

The Citizens were charged with 54 counts of failing to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 until 2017-18, while also failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009-10 to 2017-18 on 14 separate occasions.

City have been handed five charges related to their inability to comply with UEFA's rules, including FFP from 2013-14 to 2017-18, with another seven charges for breaching the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules from 2015-16 until 2017-18.

The final 35 charges are for failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 until February 2023.

City did, however, claim a victory in their recent legal challenge against the Premier League over Associated Party Transaction rules, though that is totally separate to the 115 charges. 

Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points last season for breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. 

However, Maguire believes that should City be found guilty on all 115 of their charges, then a possible points deduction should be fair in comparison to what was handed to both Everton and Forest. 

"I think the reason why I say that, and again, I've got no inside knowledge of any of this, is that if we take a look at the commission hearings in relation to Nottingham Forest and Everton, one of the revealing things was that one of the commissions had said, I think this was in the case of Forest, ultimately, this is a minor breach of the rules, and this has resulted in what was a four-point deduction," Maguire told Stats Perform.

"As far as Nottingham Forest are concerned, given that that was a minor breach of the rules which covered a narrow period of time and a very specific, narrow set of circumstances, what Manchester City are being accused of is effectively corporate fraud over a nine-year period – they've been lying to the Premier League in relation to their finances.

"Well, that's far more serious than a technical breach of an overspend. So, if it's a four-point deduction for a minor breach, and all 115 charges are upheld, then surely that's a major breach, and that has to be reflected in the deduction."

Since the Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover in 2008, City have spent approximately €2,5987 billion (£2,1649bn), spending the most money in the 2017-18 season (£245.7m) with the most notable signings including Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, and Ederson.

City's most expensive player during that time was Jack Grealish, who arrived from Aston Villa in a £100m deal - which at the time constituted the most expensive transfer of an English player ever. 

Maguire went on to say that should City only be found guilty of failing to cooperate with the Premier League, then a financial sanction seems more likely, as opposed to a points deduction or relegation.

"My one reservation on all of this is that if the only thing that Manchester City are found guilty of is not cooperating with the Premier League, then probably the appropriate punishment is a financial one because they've not had a sporting advantage," Maguire concluded.

"You can argue that bringing in more, artificially inflating the money coming in, and messing around with the wages, has allowed Manchester City to recruit these other players, and on the back of that, they've been successful on the pitch.

"So, we need an on-field punishment if it's just for non-cooperation with the Premier League, and given that the Premier League hasn't cooperated with Manchester City in terms of getting these deals through against this separate hearing, I don't think that a points deduction is appropriate."

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes if Manchester City are found guilty on all counts of their 115 charges, that it should be reflected in their punishment.

The independent hearing, which started last month, is anticipated to last approximately two months, although the verdict is not expected to be made public until early next year.

If found guilty, the sternest punishment is relegation, while points deductions and fines are also potential penalties.

City have been charged with breaking financial fair play (FFP) rules, which started in 2009 following the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover and went on until 2018.

The Citizens were charged with 54 counts of failing to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 until 2017-18, while also failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009-10 to 2017-18 on 14 separate occasions.

City have been handed five charges related to their inability to comply with UEFA's rules, including FFP from 2013-14 to 2017-18, with another seven charges for breaching the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules from 2015-16 until 2017-18.

The final 35 charges are for failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 until February 2023.

City did, however, win their recent legal challenge against the Premier League over Associated Party Transaction rules, though that is totally separate to the 115 charges. 

Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points last season for breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. 

The Toffees were deducted 10 points, reduced to six for the three-year period from 2021-22 for losses of £19.5million over the £105m permitted threshold. 

Meanwhile, Forest, who were initially docked six points, saw theirs brought down to four after breaching the permitted £61m threshold by £34.5m for the three-year period from 2022-23. Both clubs retained Premier League status last term despite this.

However, Maguire believes that should City be found guilty on all 115 of their charges, then a possible points deduction should be reflected on what was handed to both Everton and Forest. 

"I think the reason why I say that, and again, I've got no inside knowledge of any of this, is that if we take a look at the commission hearings in relation to Nottingham Forest and Everton, one of the revealing things was that one of the commissions had said, I think this was in the case of Forest, ultimately, this is a minor breach of the rules, and this has resulted in what was a four-point deduction," Maguire told Stats Perform.

"As far as Nottingham Forest are concerned, given that that was a minor breach of the rules which covered a narrow period of time and a very specific, narrow set of circumstances, what Manchester City are being accused of is effectively corporate fraud over a nine-year period – they've been lying to the Premier League in relation to their finances.

"Well, that's far more serious than a technical breach of an overspend. So, if it's a four-point deduction for a minor breach, and all 115 charges are upheld, then surely that's a major breach, and that has to be reflected in the deduction."

Since the Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover in 2008, City have spent approximately €2,5987 billion (£2,1649bn), spending the most money in the 2017-18 season (£245.7m) with the most notable signings including Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, and Ederson.

City's most expensive player during that time was Jack Grealish, who arrived from Aston Villa in a £100m deal - which at the time constituted the most expensive transfer of an English player ever. 

Maguire went on to say that should City only be found guilty of failing to cooperate with the Premier League, then a financial sanction seems more likely, as opposed to a points deduction or relegation.

"My one reservation on all of this is that if the only thing that Manchester City are found guilty of is not cooperating with the Premier League, then probably the appropriate punishment is a financial one because they've not had a sporting advantage," Maguire concluded.

"You can argue that bringing in more, artificially inflating the money coming in, and messing around with the wages, has allowed Manchester City to recruit these other players, and on the back of that, they've been successful on the pitch.

"So, we need an on-field punishment if it's just for non-cooperation with the Premier League, and given that the Premier League hasn't cooperated with Manchester City in terms of getting these deals through against this separate hearing, I don't think that a points deduction is appropriate."

Haiti extended their unbeaten run with a 5-3 win over Aruba, while Saint Martin stunned Saint Lucia 4-0 as both teams ended the October window on a high in their respective League B Concacaf Nations League groups on Monday.

Keelan Lebon (8th and 45th), Sacha Barakat (26^th) and Pierre-Bertrand Arne (62nd) did the damage for Saint Martin at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, as they secured their first win of the campaign. Despite the win, Saint Martin remain at the foot of Group B on three points and in danger of being relegated to League C.

Saint Lucia continue to lead the standings on nine points, followed by Curacao (seven points), who edged third-placed Grenada (four points) 1-0 courtesy of Juninho Bacuna’s 30th-minute strike in the curtain-raiser of the double header.

Haiti didn’t have things all their way in an eight-goal thriller against Aruba at the Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium in Oranjestad.

Five different scorers, Danley Jean Jacques (16th), Don Louicius (42nd), Duckens Nazon (66th), Fabrice Picault (76th), and Frantzdy Pierrot (89th), got on the scoresheet for Haiti, who have now netted 18 goals, the most of any team in the Nations League.

They continue to sit pretty atop Group C on maximum 12 points from four games, with a League A promotion well in sight. Aruba, who got their goals from Rovien Ostiana (14th and 20th) and Jayden Kruydenhof (78th), is on the cusp of relegation as they remain pointless.

Earlier, Puerto Rico, through goals from Gerald Diaz (45^th) and Ricardo Rivera (83rd), registered a 2-1 win over Sint Maarten in the curtain-raiser.

The win moved Puerto Rico into second on six points, with a slightly better goal-difference to Sint Maarten (six points), whose goal came from Quinton Christina (54th).

Lionel Scaloni believes Lautaro Martinez deserved the Ballon d'Or "more than anyone" after his stellar 2024.

The forward excelled for club and country this year, earning his place on the 30-man shortlist for this year's prize.

Martinez topped Serie A's goalscoring charts as Inter won their 20th Scudetto last season, netting 24 goals in 33 matches, eight more than his closest rival, Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.

His 0.81 goals per 90 minutes was the best of any player in the division, while he outperformed his expected goals (xG) of 17.64.

He carried that form into the Copa America, scoring five goals to win the Golden Boot despite playing just 221 minutes as Argentina won the competition for the second consecutive edition.

Martinez's tally was the joint-best by an Argentine in the Copa America since the turn of the century, equalling Lionel Messi in 2016 and Juan Roman Riquelme in 2007.

And Scaloni believes those feats should put the 27-year-old among the favourites.

"Lautaro deserves the Ballon d'Or more than anyone," Scaloni said at a press conference.

"He has had a spectacular year. [At the Copa America] he scored in the final, and he was top scorer. I hope it can be given to him."