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The World Series opens Friday with an updated version of in play, the role of Roy Hobbs, the mysterious slugger-pitcher from somewhere in Middle America, being reprised by a muscular manchild from Japan. The mythic contours of the game—baseball as our spiritual sports obsession—have rarely been more in evidence than in the chimerical (one could almost say comical) versatility of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, who is scheduled to get at least one pitching start against the Toronto Blue Jays and expected to blast at least one seamed orb out of the confines of either Dodger Stadium or the Rogers Centre.

, from 1984, was just one of five baseball films—all successful and well-executed in their own ways—that emerged from the diamond-deep decade of the 1980s. Its mythic cousin is (1989), whose rewatches still have grown men weeping at the sight of long-dead ballplayers emerging from cornfields looking for a game of catch. (1988) and (1989) were somewhat polar opposites, the former a John Sayles-directed account (fairly accurate) of the World Series scandal of 1919, the latter a raucous comedy with a cover of the Troggs’ “Wild Thing” as its musical heartbeat and the voice of the immortal Bob Uecker intoning “Just a bit outside” after a pitch from Charlie Sheen’s character threatened to leave the zip code.

But , from 1988, was the best of the lot, smartly touching all the bases of the others—myth, low locker-room humor, superstition, baseball lore—and covering them with a layer of grit thanks to writer-director Ron Shelton, who lived the minor league life for five years, and, as a middle infielder for the Class A Stockton Ports, co-led the California League with 29 doubles in 1969. You can look it up.

And now has resurfaced as both a musical and a meta enterprise, trying to make it to The Show, in this case Broadway, just as Shelton’s protagonists were doing back in Durham, North Carolina. is in a one-month run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, N.J., a stop-off for shows that sometimes make it to the Great White Way. (The final performance is Nov. 2, a day after a scheduled Game 7 of the World Series.) The 80-year-old Shelton could be resting comfortably on the laurels (and royalties) of the movie version, as well as (1992) and (1996), among other films and shows he either wrote, directed or did both. But Shelton is no lollygagger. You can’t take the minor league ethos out of the man, the eternal battle to strive and succeed, to get to The Show, just as his fictional creations, Crash Davis and Eby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh, were doing in the movie version of .

”I never dreamed that 37 years after the movie, I’d be working on something related to ,” Shelton said by Zoom from an apartment near Los Angeles. (He and his wife, the actress Lolita Davidovich, lost their home in the Palisades Fire in January.) “But it’s an honor. There is something, of course, in the idea that baseball is at the heart of America, this collective Church of Baseball, [the title of both a song from the musical and a book Shelton wrote about getting to the screen] something that makes it timeless, mythic.”

Shelton has a perfect double-play partner in the person of Susan Werner, a multi-talented singer-songwriter (and guitar player and pianist) who wrote the music and lyrics. Werner’s fervid cult following does not come from baseball, but the producers reached out to her because she weaves a story with virtually every song she writes going back to her small-venue roots in the early 1990s. She is perfect for in that she’s a major league talent, who, in terms of general name recognition, still plays in the minors.

Plus, she has kind of background. Growing up on a farm in Iowa, “I was the girl throwing the tennis ball against the base of the barn,” says Werner. “I played softball with my cousins in the cornfield. It was about as wholesome as you could get, and when this opportunity came along it just felt to me like big, sloppy, honest American fun. It felt .”

From time to time Werner would reach out to Shelton for a brief outline she needed to complete a song. “I would ask Ron, ‘Hey, what would Nuke say in this situation,’ and I’d get back an email with language so specific that it was easy to transform it into lyrics,” says Werner. But much of the baseball namechecking came from her own knowledge of the game. “And by the end of the first week he’s giving in,” sings Annie Savoy, the Susan Sarandon character played charmingly in the musical by theater veteran Carmen (no relation to John) Cusack, “and by the end of September he’s Tony Gwynn.”

Several tweaks and updates keep the material fresh, such as Annie now embracing analytics and Bill James, along with Emily Dickinson, William Blake and in-season coitus. Still, making it to Broadway will be no base on balls in the park. The success of the movie ( made about $50 million on a budget of about $9 million) will help, of course, as will some of its still-familiar touchstones. (Alas, the bathtub scene between Annie and Crash is gone.) And if it won’t be an easy ride, well, Shelton is accustomed to bumpy ones, aside from those he took on buses as a minor league infielder trying to get promoted in an organization with players like Brooks Robinson, Davey Johnson, Mark Belanger and Bobby Grich in front of him. If there’s a villain in it’s The Organization, which strangles the dreams of players like Crash while wringing everything it can get out of them, but Shelton has mostly fond memories of the Orioles of the late 1960s. (“The best organization in baseball,” he says.) It took years off his life to get made and it never would’ve reached the screen, says Shelton, had Kevin Costner not been a smash in , which convinced Orion Studios that Costner, as Crash, could carry a movie. That’s Hollywood: A film about a Russian spy and a D.C. murder greenlights a film about minor league baseball.

The best thing that Durham has going for it is a certain timeless quality. If it ever leans toward sentimentality, there is Crash to say “Shut up” when the batboy tells him to get a hit. And if it ever gets too cynical, there is coach Larry Hockett visiting the mound to remind everyone that “Candlesticks always make a nice gift,” a moment preserved, needless to say, in the musical.

Back in the real world, the 2025 World Series may well be defined by the Ruthian presence of Ohtani, who need only tear the cover off a ball to reach the mythical status of Roy Hobbs. But we can also expect those other moments that tie us to the past. Photos and videos of 3-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr., now the Blue Jays starting first baseman, for example, playing ball with his Hall of Fame father. Or comparisons of Toronto’s DH/outfielder George Springer’s hitting heroics to those of Joe Carter Jr., who 32 Octobers past sent a pitch from Philadelphia’s Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams into the left field bleachers, a three-run walkoff dinger that gave the Blue Jays their second straight World Series title.

They haven’t been back since and now they’re here, staring into the smiling face and terrifying batting stance and pitching arm of Ohtani. We like the idea of baseball as a continuum, a preserver of our history, and here’s hoping that , with its pitch-perfect sense of the sublime and the ridiculous, can make it to The Show.

The Punjab Kings and Chhattisgarh batter talks about impressing Brian Lara, his rollercoaster career so far, and the season ahead

Ashish Pant09-Oct-2024Players showing up at the IPL out of near obscurity and leaving a mark isn’t new. You get a handful of such names almost every season, and you got them this year too. Think Mayank Yadav, who hit 156.7kph. Or Harshit Rana, who played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning run. Or Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s newest star.Another name made the rounds even before IPL 2024 got underway: Shashank Singh, who was picked by Punjab Kings in rather interesting circumstances at the auction, and went on to smash 61 not out off 29 against Gujarat Titans, 46 not out off 25 against SRH, and 68 not out off 28 against Kolkata Knight Riders – the last one in a record T20 run chase.That wasn’t Shashank’s first IPL rodeo. Nor was it the first time he had bittersweet feelings about the auction.Related

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Shashank's redemption: from toiling on Mumbai's maidans to turning heads at the IPL

December 23, 2022. He distinctly remembers the day of the IPL 2023 auction. He had just finished a Ranji Trophy game against Services in Delhi and was getting ready to catch a plane to Kerala, where his side, Chhattisgarh, were due to play their next match.After moving from Delhi Capitals (2017) to Rajasthan Royals (2019-21), Shashank finally made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022. He had to wait until his sixth game to get a bat, and in his first innings, against Gujarat Titans, he smashed Lockie Ferguson for three back-to-back sixes in the final over to finish on an unbeaten 25 off six balls, leaving social media abuzz. ” [Who is this Shashank?] read a tweet from Yuvraj Singh. Harbhajan Singh marvelled at the young man’s power-hitting, and so did several experts on social media.Shashank didn’t have another innings of note that season but he received positive feedback from the team management, which included Brian Lara, the SRH batting coach. He had reasons to be optimistic about his chances, but on auction day he found no bidders.”Even now, when I think about it, I get very uneasy,” Shashank says. “I still don’t know how I spent that night [after the auction]. I can’t explain how those two to three months of my life went. cricketing emotions ” [I had lost those cricketing emotions.]”After the SRH year [2022], I was expecting that things would be good for me. I was expecting too much from myself and IPL as well. But I was not picked. After that, I had a very lean patch. So many thoughts were coming into my mind. cricket [If there was something good happening, I didn’t react to it. Any which way, things weren’t exactly going right.]He was out hurt for the next IPL. He should have been there, he thought. He was good enough to be a part of a team, any team.”I always wanted to test myself in red-ball cricket – to find out where exactly I stand”•Saikat Das/BCCICut to a year later and Shashank became Kings’ crisis man, helping them eke out wins from almost unwinnable situations. The two contrasting years at the IPL were a microcosm of his career.

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Shashank was born in Bhilai in Chhattisgarh but played a lot of his early age-group cricket in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where his father, an officer in the Indian police, was posted. At 16 he moved to Mumbai for better opportunities. There he got a massive reality check.Coming from Bhopal, where cricketing infrastructure was not as developed, he was up against players of the calibre of Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur, and he realised he needed to level up quickly. He joined the DY Patil Academy under the tutelage of former India fast bowler Abey Kuruvilla, who became his mentor.”When I was in Bhopal playing school cricket, there weren’t a lot of inter-state matches. But when I went to Mumbai, I saw the competition,” Shashank says. “I was surprised by just how much talent the players had, compared to me. Be it fitness, cricketing skills, training, the struggle… that’s when I told myself that just this much work won’t do.”Then I joined DY Patil and Abey Kuruvilla sir, and obviously there my life completely changed. He gave me all the freedom. The initial days in Mumbai really made me tough. Even when I got settled in Mumbai, that competition was always there. The culture, that definitely got imbibed.”For the next ten years Shashank played every tournament that came his way: Kanga league, Times Shield, DY Patil league. It took him some time to get there, but he made his Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debuts for Mumbai in 2015. However, with competition for spots tight in Mumbai cricket, he failed to get into the red-ball side. Even in white-ball cricket, matches were few and far between. He played three List A games, all in 2015, while his last T20 game for Mumbai came in 2018.Shashank with Punjab Kings team-mate Shikhar Dhawan•Arjun Singh/BCCIThen came probably one of the toughest decisions of his career. At 27, Shashank decided to part ways with Mumbai to try and play first-class cricket elsewhere and prolong his professional career. He moved to Chhattisgarh, the state of his birth. Kuruvilla helped, by speaking to the secretary of the cricket association there, and soon enough Shashank made his Ranji Trophy debut for the state in the 2019-20 season.Did he feel the move was a step down?”Yes, 100%,” Shashank says. “I cried. I still remember that night when I went to Abey sir and told him that I don’t want to leave Mumbai cricket. I am very emotional towards that Mumbai cap. But sir was very honest to me.”He said, in red-ball cricket it would be very difficult because Abhishek Nayar is there, Shivam Dube is there. [In] white-ball, we were all playing. There you can accommodate allrounders. But in red-ball it gets difficult.”I always wanted to test myself in red-ball cricket – [to find out] where exactly I stand. When you start playing cricket, it is mostly about Test cricket. Obviously you want to challenge yourself at the toughest competition.”It was very difficult for me to accept that I won’t be playing for Mumbai, I won’t be wearing that Mumbai cap, I won’t be in their dressing room. It took me a few days to digest it. I made the decision to play for Chhattisgarh because I wanted to test myself in red-ball cricket.”Shashank has since been a regular in the Chhattisgarh side across formats. Starting in 2019, in 21 first-class games for the state he has scored 858 runs at an average of 31.77, and taken 12 wickets with his medium pace. In List A cricket, he has better numbers: 859 runs in 23 innings at 40.90 and 31 wickets, while in T20s he averages 18.75 with the bat. In the 2023-24 season, he became the first Indian to score 150-plus runs and take five wickets in the same List A game, a feat he achieved against Manipur.Shashank says his success in the IPL has given him more credibility with his team-mates•Saikat Das/BCCIIn a lot of ways, the 2023-24 season was a turning point in Shashank’s career. He was among the runs and wickets during the Vijay Hazare Trophy and had decent returns in the Mushtaq Ali tournament as well. He finished IPL 2024 as Kings’ highest run-getter with 354 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 164.65, and more recently scored back-to-back centuries for Chhattisgarh in the KSCA league in Bengaluru.Shashank’s new-found success in the IPL has helped him earn more respect from his Chhattisgarh team-mates.”The friendships, the bonding, how they used to pull my leg earlier, all that is there. But now they have started trusting me more with my batting abilities, now they have started respecting me more as a cricketer,” he says. “I am not the captain of the state but sometimes, when I give my opinions, the management as well as the players, they respect it. ‘Okay if Shashank is saying this, there must be some logic in it.'”Along with his growing reputation, there has also been an upsurge in his social media following, from a few hundreds it now numbers in the hundreds of thousands. The people who used to troll him earlier over the name confusion at the auction ended up praising him for his steely determination when, seemingly overnight, he became the centrepiece of Kings’ success.How did the sudden spotlight feel?”I felt happy – obviously, anybody will,” Shashank says. “You get out of the lift and all the people know you by your name.”When I came to the team hotel ahead of the IPL, they asked my name. I said, ‘Shashank Singh’, and they were like, ‘Right, yeah… which state do you play for?’ Oh, Chhattisgarh. After a month they were like, ‘Oh, here’s Shashank Singh.’ It felt nice, and who won’t like it?”I still remember, there was a huge Punjab Kings poster which had pictures of me, Arsh [Arshdeep Singh], Jitesh [Sharma], and I think Sam [Curran]. I sent that picture to my mother. It felt nice to open the [hotel] window in the morning and see my face. I won’t lie. You go shopping, you go out to eat, people ask for a selfie, autograph, recognise you… I feel blessed.”Shashank is a big AB de Villiers fan, but the cricketer he really looks up to is Lara. The former West Indies captain was SRH’s batting coach when Shashank was part of the team and he credits Lara with giving him the confidence and belief to succeed at the IPL.Shashank moved from Chhattisgarh, where he was born, to Bhopal, then to Mumbai, and now is playing for Chhattisgarh•Anupam Nath/Associated Press”I came into the IPL only because of Brian Lara. He literally changed my mindset, and the technical part as well,” he says. “He has changed my cricketing things – from being a normal cricketer to a good IPL cricketer. He has had a great impact on my cricketing journey.”I remember, the first time when I came to bat in front of him, I just tried to impress him. I was trying to hit every ball. One round of six bowlers finished, he called me and said, ‘Don’t try to impress me, just bat. I know you can bat well’.’ Then I calmed down, played according to the merit of the ball, and then he was impressed. He was the one who said, ‘Shashank, you are not a No. 6 batsman’, and gave me the confidence.”Ahead of a long season, Shashank says he has worked on a number of things. The first was to “stop being harsh on myself”. He didn’t have a great Ranji Trophy season last time around, managing just 232 runs in six games, which he believes was down to him being confused and overthinking his technique. But now, having played in the IPL, spoken to different coaches, he has developed clarity of thought.”Till last year I was extremely confused whether I should change my batting style in red-ball cricket,” he says. “But this year when I met Sanjay [Bangar] sir, and lately I met Wasim [Jaffer] as well in Mumbai. They just told me to play my normal game and not change just because the format is changed.”I have now started to react to the ball and have started backing myself, like I do in white-ball cricket, and I have stopped overthinking. Even if I score four zeroes in four innings, who cares? There is a chance I could score a century in the fifth.”And the other thing I worked on is my bowling and fitness. I was pretty sure as to what I needed to work on in my training. Before this, I wasn’t sure of the areas to work on. I was all over the place. Now I know where I am standing.”Shashank is not looking ahead to the IPL 2025 auction or thinking about retentions. For now, he wants to replicate his good form in the three major domestic tournaments, which begin with the Ranji Trophy on October 11. He wants to be an X-factor player for whichever team he plays for and is working hard towards it. The rest, he says, is destiny.

Lamine Yamal has reportedly made it clear to Barcelona bosses that he wants Robert Lewandowski to remain at the club beyond the end of the season. Despite fresh speculation regarding supposed interest in Erling Haaland and Harry Kane surfacing, teenage wonderkid Yamal is hoping to see a prolific Polish No.9 handed an extension to his expiring contract in Catalunya.

Lewandowski's role: Not always a starter but still prolific

Lewandowski, who is now 37 years of age, has not been a guaranteed starter for Barca this season – with Ferran Torres often being asked to lead the line. He did, however, net a hat-trick in his latest appearance, as Celta Vigo were swept aside 4-2, and found the target on 42 occasions across all competitions last term.

Yamal is said to be of the opinion that the presence of Lewandowski makes life easier for him, with opponents paying less attention to the obvious threat that he poses on the flanks. Rivals are aware of the need to try and contain one of the finest strikers of his generation, meaning that Yamal gets more time and space in which to do his thing.

AdvertisementGettyHow Lewandowski helps teenage wonderkid Yamal

Lewandowski helps to pin defences back, allowing Yamal to receive more passes and impact proceedings in the final third. According to the relationship between two players at opposing ends of their respective careers has “strengthened both on and off the field”. Yamal is said to view ex-Bayern Munich star Lewandowski as “a mentor”, with there a productive understanding between the pair as they look to pose problems to La Liga and Champions League opponents.

Yamal now wants to see Lewandowski remain in his current surroundings beyond the summer of 2027, when free agency is set to be reached. He is said to be of the opinion that there is nobody “better suited to continue fostering his development” while providing much-needed leadership.

Lewandowski believes he can star for Barcelona

Lewandowski believes that he still has more to offer at Barca, telling of his hopes for the immediate future: “It doesn't matter how many titles you have already won. The most important thing is how many titles you want to win. In my mind I know that I can improve again so many things.

“I love football, I love this team, I love this club. I still feel physically very well. I don't have any problem with this [age] because I don't feel it. I'm proud that I'm going to be 37 years old. But I still know that I can achieve my goals. I can help my team-mates because I'm still hungry for more.”

There has, however, been talk of Barcelona lining up moves for another No.9. Norwegian frontman Haaland, who is under contract at Manchester City until 2034, is a long-standing target. It has also been revealed that England captain Harry Kane has exit clauses in his contract at Bayern Munich that can be triggered at around £57 million ($75m) in 2026.

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Getty/GOALBarcelona options: Lewandowski, Kane or Haaland?

Ex-Bayern star Dietmar Hamann told GOAL recently when asked if Kane could become a stopgap for Barca as they wait on a window of opportunity in which to snap up Haaland: “Obviously they find it hard to register players, so I’m not sure they’d be able to register Haaland. But then again, this is probably a few years away.

“But Lewandowski went there, and I didn’t think he’d score the goals he did. I think the Bundesliga is the closest to the Premier League when it comes to physicality. Once you’re past 30, I reckon you probably find it a bit easier to score goals in Spain than you do in Germany or certainly in England. So that’s certainly something I can see.

“And if it were to be a stopgap, obviously it’s a good stopgap because we know the record of Harry Kane. And with all the financial issues they’ve got, they’ve got three or four years to sort that out if they want to try to get Haaland to Barcelona. So, it’s certainly something I can see, yes.”

It remains to be seen what approach Barca take when it comes to the focal point of their attack. Will they listen to Yamal and enter into contract extension talks with Lewandowski, or move in a different direction as another proven target man is approached?

While Sunderland stole many of the plaudits in the summer for their outrageous transfer activity, with £100m+ splashed out on new recruits, Leeds United were arguably a tad more methodical in their approach when winning themselves some gems from all around Europe.

Daniel Farke and Co. are already thanking their lucky stars that they gambled on acquiring both Anton Stach and Noah Okafor from Hoffenheim and AC Milan, respectively, with a combined four goal contributions already picked up by the promising midfield duo in Premier League action.

In defence, Gabriel Gudmundsson also already looks like a steal in the left-back spot, having only cost £10m to snap up from Lille, while Lucas Perri was agonisingly close to his first clean sheet in his new location up against West Ham United last time out.

But, away from all these names mentioned, Sean Longstaff rightly sticks out as the best bit of business Leeds signed off on over a bumper summer, with the Premier League-experienced 27-year-old very much allowing the Whites to tick so far this season from the middle of the park.

Why Longstaff is one of Leeds' best signings

Already, the £12m summer purchase feels as if he has been in and around Elland Road for some time.

Longstaff has played a part in all nine of Leeds’ league matches so far this season on their return to the daunting top-flight, and while there have been some nerves on display as they navigate the choppy waters of the top division, the Newcastle-born midfielder has cut a cool and composed figure throughout.

Having seen his career at his boyhood Magpies fizzle out, Longstaff clearly knew – from the get-go at his new employers – that he needed to prove himself, and he has certainly done that when looking at the table above.

Already, the brand-new number eight has chipped in with one goal and two assists from a central position on the pitch, but he has offered up far more than just a goal threat, with an average of five duels won per contest enabling Farke’s men to see out some tight contests.

Accumulating five big chances being created, too, has even led to some bold shouts that Longstaff is Leeds’ second coming of Pablo Hernandez, as Farke now potentially attempts to recreate the magic of this shrewd deal in January by landing another classy top-flight veteran when the transfer window swings back open.

Leeds considering another Longstaff-style signing

It has been some turnaround for Longstaff since ditching the home comforts of Tyneside, with zero goals or assists falling into his lap during his final campaign at Eddie Howe’s Toon.

Ross Barkley will hope he can similarly breathe life back into his waning playing days at Elland Road if rumours are to be believed, with a report from The Leeds Press revealing that the West Yorkshire outfit is considering a move for the reserve Aston Villa presence, who even once had a short-term loan stint at Leeds way back in 2013.

Now, he could be returning, again on loan, but this time as a far more experienced option, as Leeds reportedly weigh up a move for an attacking midfielder in the window, and while he has struggled to break into Emery’s first team picture as of late, he is certainly a classy operator on his day.

Indeed, this fiercely struck effort against Leicester City earlier in the year is just one of seven goals Barkley has put away for the Villans, meaning he definitely has a similar eye for a goal to that of Longstaff.

Games played

287

Goals scored

37

Assists

34

More importantly, too, the 31-year-old has also shone before in a team that is attempting to beat the drop in Luton Town – as seen in his weighty five goals and seven assists for the then troubled Hatters – and became a beloved fan favourite, subsequently, with one of his teammates in Andros Townsend at Kenilworth Road even hailing him as “unbelievable” to play alongside.

It could well be, much like Longstaff, that Barkley comes back into his own in West Yorkshire, with the well-travelled attacking midfielder also being dubbed as “exquisite” by his former Everton manager in Roberto Martinez, for his skilful approach on the pitch.

The £60k-per-week star is somewhat fading away at Villa Park, though, with just 30 minutes of action handed to him this season.

Yet, if he relocates to Leeds this coming January, he could end up rebuilding his career before it’s too late, just as Longstaff has already done this season.

Forget Longstaff: £10m star is now Leeds' best signing since Bielsa left

This Leeds United star could now be considered the best signing the Whites have made since Marcelo Bielsa left.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 28, 2025

Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will take the ball for the American League as the team's starter in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday in Atlanta. It's the first career All-Star start for Skubal, who seems to have received an assist from fellow AL All-Star and New York Yankees ace Max Fried.

Skubal told Tigers beat writer Evan Woodbery that Fried had called him recently with an admirable offer.

"He asked me if I wanted to start (the ASG)," Skubal said.

Skubal told Woodbery that he initially balked at Fried's offer, and extended the offer back to Fried, who had spent the first eight seasons of his career in Atlanta, where the All-Star Game will take place.

That's when Fried insisted.

"I think you deserve it," Fried insisted. "I was just wondering if you wanted to start it."

Skubal said he then received the call from AL manager Aaron Boone, who let him know he'd be the AL's starter. The Tigers ace, who ranks third in the AL in ERA and second in strikeouts, said he admired Fried for the remarkable gesture.

"It was actually a really cool conversation [with Fried]," Skubal said. "It’s a very professional thing to do, and I've got a ton of respect for guys that do stuff like that."

Fried on Friday opted out of the All-Star Game, likely due to the shorter turnaround from his start against the Chicago Cubs, an appearance in which he exited due to a blister on his left index finger.

The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Juventus are now reportedly keeping close tabs on Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto as they attempt to solve their defensive problems under new manager Luciano Spalletti.

Heading into the November international break, those at Stamford Bridge have reason to be optimistic. They bounced back from a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in style on Saturday, putting three past a managerless Wolverhampton Wanderers side. It was the Blues at their best, with Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto and unexpected goalscorer Gusto all getting on the scoresheet.

The dominant victory sets them up for the perfect return when they visit Burnley after the international break. It’s a game that Chelsea should win to commence an all-important week which then features games against Barcelona and Arsenal. Victory in those two would suddenly spark interesting questions about the Blues’ ambitions.

Burnley vs Chelsea

Premier League

22/11/2025

Chelsea vs Barcelona

Champions League

25/11/2025

Chelsea vs Arsenal

Premier League

30/11/2025

Leeds United vs Chelsea

Premier League

03/12/2025

Bournemouth vs Chelsea

Premier League

06/12/2025

As things stand, Enzo Maresca’s side are third in the Premier League and six points behind leaders Arsenal. If the Club World Cup winners are to be serious title challengers then victory over the Gunners is a must at Stamford Bridge.

The January transfer window is also worth keeping an eye on. Those in West London are rarely shy when it comes to splashing the cash and they’ve already been linked with moves for the likes of Crystal Palace star Daniel Munoz.

The right-back is one of the best in his position in the world and would instantly hand Reece James plenty to think about and hand Gusto quite the problem. The Chelsea man has already lost his place to James this season and rumours are now arriving about his own future.

Juventus now tracking Malo Gusto

Serie A giants Juventus are now tracking Malo Gusto, according to reports in Italy relayed by TuttoJuve. The Italian club are looking to solve their right-back problem and have identified both the Chelsea star and Atletico Madrid’s Nahuel Molina as 2026 targets.

La Liga star now dreams of Chelsea move as BlueCo gain advantage

He’s enjoying an impressive campaign.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 9, 2025

Gusto has started just six of Chelsea’s 11 Premier League games so far this season, but Maresca reiterated that he is one of his “main players” after he scored his first goal for the club against Wolves.

The versatility that Maresca praised has seen Gusto play both right and left-back as well as right-midfield throughout his career, and while that added depth is value from a player on £45,000-a-week, he’s been unable to make any of those positions his own at Stamford Bridge.

As James continues to keep the Frenchman out the side, it will be interesting to see whether he makes a decision about his Chelsea career if Juventus come calling. A move to the Italian giants, even amid their current struggles, wouldn’t exactly be a major downgrade for Gusto.

Chelsea launch move to re-sign Antonio Rudiger; he's made Real Madrid decision