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The late, great Bob Uecker remains the heart and soul of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ten months after his death in January at the age of 90, the Hall of Fame broadcaster was on everybody's mind at American Family Field following the Brewers' 3-1 series-clinching win over the rival Cubs in Game 5 of the NLDS.

While the Brewers celebrated on the field, a photo of Uecker with the text "For Ueck" was displayed on the jumbotron. Those among the sellout crowd of nearly 43,000 fans who stuck around to celebrate began to chant, "Ueeeeck."

"We love it for Ueck," Murphy said to reporter Lauren Jbara on the TNT broadcast after the game. "He's meant so much to this organization—the way he affected these players, especially last year. To win this for him is really, really special."

The players honored Uecker, too. While taking the celebratory team photo on the field, Brewers players laid out a blue flag featuring Uecker's signature in gold. It was placed on the grass, right in the middle of the photo.

Uecker's legacy lives on. And the Brewers are hoping there's a bit more Uecker magic left in the tank for their upcoming best-of-seven series against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Rob Edwards will be under no illusions about the size of the job ahead of him after his first Premier League match in the dugout for Wolverhampton Wanderers ended in a defeat last weekend.

The Old Gold were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace at the Molineux, thanks to goals from Daniel Munoz and Yeremy Pino, and that leaves them bottom of the table with two points after 12 matches.

Edwards needs to find a way to turn results around in the short term, no doubt, but he also has the upcoming January transfer window to make some changes to the squad. One player, of many, who should be replaced is central midfielder Marshall Munetsi.

Why Wolves need to replace Marshall Munetsi

He started in the middle of the park against Crystal Palace on Saturday and won three of his 14 duels in 66 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, which shows how lightweight the midfield flop was.

The 29-year-old dud has failed to impress in the Premier League since his move from Stade Reims in February, with poor form in the second half of last season and in the current campaign.

Munetsi lost 51% of his duels and only completed 74% of his passes in the 2024/25 campaign, and has lost 54% of his duels with a dismal 62% pass accuracy this season in the top-flight, per Sofascore.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

These statistics show that the £70k-per-week midfielder has not been reliable enough in or out of possession, which is why Edwards should replace him by swooping for one of his former Middlesbrough stars, Hayden Hackney.

Why Wolves need to sign Hayden Hackney

During Vitor Pereira’s time in charge during the summer transfer window, it was reported that Wolves were willing to pay a fee of around £30m to sign the Boro ace, but a move never materialised.

Now, Edwards must reignite that interest in the January transfer window because the England U21 international could arrive at the club as a big upgrade on Munetsi in the middle of the park, allowing the manager to finally ditch him.

Hackney, who was hailed as a “fearless” talent by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has caught the eye with his performances in the second tier this season and could arrive with a positive mentality that could inject some energy into the currently dull Wolves squad.

Appearances

12

16

Pass accuracy

62%

85%

Goals

1

3

xA

0.38

3.24

Assists

1

2

Completed dribbles per game

0.4

1.3

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.4

2.4

As you can see in the table above, the English talent has shown a lot of quality in possession in the middle of the park for Middlesbrough, whilst Munetsi has struggled to make much of an impact with the ball at his feet.

Whilst Hackney has played in the division below the Premier League, the Boro star’s statistics suggest that he does have the potential to come in as an upgrade on the former Ligue 1 midfielder.

The 23-year-old star, who scored five goals for Middlesbrough in the 2024/25 campaign, is also six years younger than Munetsi, 29, which means that he has far more time left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player.

Wolves fans may not want to read this, but Hackney would also be a signing who could be incredibly useful for the club if they do get relegated, because he is a proven Championship star, whilst Munetsi has never played at that level.

Before Gomes: Edwards must sell Wolves star who's made them a "worse side"

This Wolves player has been disappointing this season

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 24, 2025

Therefore, Edwards should push for a reunion with the English gem in January in order to finally ditch Munetsi from the starting line-up, hopefully improving the team in the process.

U.S. Soccer icons Tim Howard and Landon Donovan have each pointed to a clear shift in the USMNT's temperament – a willingness to scrap, defend one another, and press relentlessly – crediting Mauricio Pochettino’s influence for hardening the squad’s identity. Howard said that fighting edge first emerged during the Gold Cup and has since been reinforced by the return of key senior players.

Getty Images SportHoward identifies Gold Cup as turning point

Howard pointed to last summer's Gold Cup as the catalyst for the team's improved attitude. The former goalkeeper observed that despite missing several star players during that tournament, the squad demonstrated exceptional determination and work ethic that has since permeated throughout the entire player pool.

“I have no questions about this team, this group,” Howard said on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast. “And I say that because we say a lot of fight in the Gold Cup, so we’re like, okay, well that group will fight and scrap. The big boys came in, the Chris Richards and Pulisic and all these guys, they showed me a hell of a fight last camp, and then we see it again this camp.

“So I think this group as a whole is again humming and they’re clicking, and they’re together. And again, you and I have been brutally honest when we say like look, this is an educated guess or this is something we know.

Howard emphasized that the players who participated in the Gold Cup established a standard of competitiveness that impressed Pochettino, creating a foundation for the team's current identity.

“My educated guess is that the Gold Cup team set a standard that Poch liked and maybe he lit that fire,” Howard explained. “And I tend to think he probably, once he had everybody in, probably said, ‘Hey, this is what I want to see. I’ve seen this from these guys; I need to see it from you.' Again, that’s an educated guess on my part.”

AdvertisementDonovan credits Pochettino's psychological approach

Donovan, another former USMNT star, expressed admiration for how Pochettino has handled the psychological aspects of managing the national team. Donovan acknowledged that the summer period had been particularly challenging for the program, with criticism directed at players who opted out of the Gold Cup and questions about team commitment dominating headlines. The former attacker praised Pochettino's ability to navigate these difficulties and create a unified team culture.

“Let’s take a second to like, let’s really give a lot of credit now to Pochettino for just the mental side of how he’s played this whole thing,” Donovan said. “Cause it was ugly in the summer, Tim, there was some real stuff flying. And I think he’s masterfully put this together, pieced it together. Now, was it intentional? I have to assume yes but maybe he kind of lucked into some of it.

“But I think it was intentional, and now the team, it doesn’t matter who shows up and plays, dude. They get after it, pressing and running and fighting, and it’s fun to watch. I’m like, as a fan, I’m loving it.”

Team's transformation reflects Pochettino's success

The fighting spirit displayed in recent matches suggests Pochettino has successfully addressed one of the most persistent criticisms of the USMNT prior to his arrival. 

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Getty Images SportConsistent mentality creates foundation

With the 2026 World Cup now just months away, the establishment of a consistent competitive mentality provides Pochettino with a solid foundation to keep building momentum toward the summer tournament. 

The Tampa Bay Rays rallied back to beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-1, on Saturday night but their manager, Kevin Cash, wasn't around to see the team score their winning runs as he was tossed from the game in the eighth inning after yelling a profane message at the home plate umpire.

Tampa's Chandler Simpson thought he had drawn a key walk in the eighth inning when a 3-1 pitch by Jose Butto appeared to be a bit low. Simpson made a move to first, but had to quickly stop after home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called it a strike.

Cash didn't love that call at all and let Iassogna know about it.

"That's f—— down and you know it's down!," Cash yelled from the Rays' dugout. He was quickly ejected and ran out on the field to yell at Iassogna a little more before heading back to the locker room.

Here's how that played out:

Simpson would go on to hit a single in that at-bat and he later scored the Rays' winning run.

Cash must have loved seeing that while watching on TV from the Rays' clubhouse.

More than half the squad have played some competitive cricket over since the end of last season

Andrew McGlashan28-May-20252:00

Decoding Mitchell Starc’s wobble seam delivery

The Australia squad for the World Test Championship final convenes in the UK this week for a team-building camp before training ramps ahead of facing South Africa at Lord’s on June 11. Coach Andrew McDonald termed the recent period a “muddled mess” with a mixture of players at home, featuring in the IPL either side of its suspension and playing county cricket but was confident in how the side would be able to prepare once they are all together. Here’s a round-up of what those selected have been up to over the last couple of months.Usman KhawajaAfter the controversial end to the season amid the fallout with Queensland cricket boss Joe Dawes over Sheffield Shield availability it’s been a period at home for Khawaja as he enters what might be the final stretch of his international career. The end of the Ashes next season, which concludes at the SCG, could be the stepping off point. In the WTC final his experience will be vital given the uncertainty over who will partner him at the top of the order.Sam KonstasKonstas had been keen for a county deal to further his cricket education but an opening didn’t transpire so he, too, has prepared at home with sessions at Cricket Central in Sydney and at the Brisbane-based camps where McDonald revealed he had been working on some technical tweaks. It will be fascinating to watch how the next couple of months play out for Konstas after the high-octane start to his career against India. The reported that he had self-funded an extra session in Brisbane after being invited up by Nathan Lyon.Related

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Green has 'all bases covered' amid Australia's WTC final selection debates

Marnus LabuschagneThe key figure in Australia’s selection debate. Has time run out for Labuschagne after two lean years in Test cricket? His two-match stint with Glamorgan was unconvincing with scores of 0, 4 and 23. But in his favour is the experience he has of playing in England, although should he retain his place in the XI it looks increasingly likely he would be handed a new role as opener.Steven SmithSmith has spent time in New York, a favourite destination of his and somewhere he owns property, where he has regularly posted on social media of various runs around the city and gym sessions ahead of joining his team-mates in the UK. With over 10,000 Test runs the management are content to allow Smith to tailor his own preparation and he will no doubt switch on to some intense net sessions when the squad begins training. As ever with Smith there is intrigue around how much longer his career will go but his recent run-scoring suggests the hunger remains.Travis Head has had another season at the IPL•Associated PressTravis HeadHead has been among the contingent at the IPL and while he couldn’t match the highs of last season he still produced the occasional dazzling display as he made 374 runs with a strike-rate of 162.60. He signed off with 76 off 40 balls in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) massive 278 for 3, having overcome a bout of Covid, and now the transition begins to Test mode. Head played the decisive innings two years ago with a thrilling 163 off 174 balls against India at The Oval.Cameron GreenThings could hardly have gone much better for Green on his return from the back surgery that kept him out for the whole of the last home season. Three centuries in nine innings for Gloucestershire, including tons in his last two outings, has left him primed for a return to the Test side even though he won’t be a bowling option until the Ashes later in the year. Last time he played Tests, against New Zealand in early 2024, he batted at No. 4 where he made a superb unbeaten 174 in Wellington. Where he fits in this time is intriguing.Beau WebsterWebster, who impressed on his Test debut against India, has had a four-game spell with Warwickshire where he has chipped in without setting things alight. He made 85 in his first innings but did not pass fifty again while claiming 10 wickets at 27.80. Whether he retains his place at Lord’s appears likely to come down to conditions and how important the selectors view overs from a fifth bowler.Cameron Green will be one of Australia’s most in-form players heading into the final•Getty ImagesAlex CareyCarey finished last season in some of the best form of his life having made a century in Sri Lanka, runs at the Champions Trophy and two hundreds to end the Shield season, the second of them central to South Australia’s historic title victory. Since then he has been at home and has used the camps in Brisbane this month to tune up for the final.Josh InglisInglis has been with Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the IPL where he had to bide his time on the bench but has since played eight matches – making 197 runs at a strike-rate of 164.16 – either side of the tournament’s suspension with his latest innings being a superb 73 off 42 balls. He was a slightly late returnee but will be available for the playoffs meaning he will join the squad in the UK when PBKS’ campaign comes to an end. Despite a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka he will likely be carrying drinks at Lord’s.Pat CumminsCummins completed the entire season for SRH as they failed to make the playoffs. He finished as their joint-leading wicket-taker with 16 at 28.12 having not played since the final Test against India due to paternity leave and an ankle problem he had nursed through the summer. Behind the scenes he has been working on increasing his loads with an eye on a return to red-ball cricket at Lord’s and the next couple of weeks will be vital in ensuring he can peak against South Africa.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, along with Josh Hazlewood, have been involved in the IPL•Associated PressMitchell StarcStarc did not return to the IPL with Delhi Capitals meaning his tournament ended with 14 wickets at 26.14. His economy rate was high at 10.16 but he produced a couple of starring performances including a career-best 5 for 35. Having remained in Australia, Starc joined the home-based players in Brisbane last week which meant his focused WTC preparation started a little ahead of schedule.Nathan LyonAnother of those based at home, Lyon has been bowling at the training camps having recovered from a hip injury he carried for most of the home summer after initially picking it up early in the India series. It was a nastier injury than was initially indicated and a build-up of fluid needed draining to ensure he could get through the Sri Lanka tour, but feedback from the last few weeks is that he is in excellent shape heading to England.Josh HazlewoodAfter spending a period back in Australia rehabbing a shoulder niggle, Hazlewood has returned for the IPL playoffs with Royal Challengers Bengaluru aiming to cap what had been an outstanding season before the interruption. Hazlewood, who had an injury-hit home season, has so far taken 18 wickets at 17.27 with an economy of 8.44 and often found success with his Test-match length. Barring any further injury setbacks he will likely keep Scott Boland out of the XI at Lord’s.Scott Boland appears likely to miss out at Lord’s, but Australia know he will deliver if needed•Getty ImagesScott BolandSpeaking of Boland, he’s the ultimate super sub for Australia should anything happen to the big three. He managed a knee niggle through the closing stages of the season and opted against finding a small window for a county stint. Two years ago he was impressive against India in the final but may have to watch from the sidelines this time.Matt KuhnemannIt was a rollercoaster latter part to the season for Kuhnemann who starred in Sri Lanka and then had his action reported. He was cleared by ICC testing and after a period of the off-season at home has squeezed in a one-game outing for Glamorgan which proved very productive with a career-best 6 for 53. He won’t feature at Lord’s barring injury to Lyon but could play a role in the Caribbean.Brendan DoggettDoggett is the traveling reserve for the WTC final so will only be called into the 15 should injury strike. He has had a three-game stint with Durham which brought nine wickets at 33.44. An impressive home season has seen him leapfrog Sean Abbott in the pecking order.

Umpires’ lack of experience with DRS protocols has contributed to a slew of mis-steps

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2025

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana chats with the fourth umpire after Muneeba Ali’s run-out decision•Associated Press

Umpiring standards have come under scrutiny at the Women’s World Cup 2025, which has witnessed numerous contentious calls in its first two-and-a-half weeks. The most conspicuous of these mistakes have appeared around the use of the decision review system (DRS), which is only sporadically used in the women’s game. As such, the umpires’ experience with DRS protocols has come under the spotlight.One of the most notable mis-steps occurred in the match between England and Bangladesh, when Heather Knight got three reprieves, one of which was a low catch by Shorna Akter. On 13 at the time, with England chasing 179, Knight chipped legspinner Fahima Khatum to Shorna at cover.Knight was happy to walk off, but TV umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled otherwise based on “inconclusive” evidence. Earlier, there was also a caught-behind decision that was given out on the field, but overturned by the third umpire, who felt the ball hit Knight’s pad through to the wicketkeeper.”I did the presentation that evening and I put it to Heather Knight, and she did not sit on the fence at all,” Nasser Hussain, who is working as a broadcaster at the tournament, said on * pressroom. “She said, ‘well, I thought it was out, I was walking off’. There were other lbw reviews as well and Heather said, ‘I’ve never been out so many times in a cricket match.’ She then got 60 or 70 not out [79 not out] to win the game, and that really hurts you.”Related

'At first look, I thought it was out' – Knight on the catching reprieve

Muneeba Ali run-out in unusual circumstances against India

Another incident was Muneeba Ali’s run out during the match between India and Pakistan in Colombo. Muneeba, the Pakistan opener, was originally given not-out on the big screen by the TV umpire, before that decision was changed to “out”.On that occasion, TV umpire Kerrin Klaaste had not viewed all the available footage before first ruling it not-out lbw, and changed that decision after viewing further footage that showed there had been a run-out decision to make as well. The correct decision was eventually arrived at, but the process caused significant confusion, leading Muneeba and captain Fatima Sana to seek further clarification from the fourth umpire on the edge of the boundary.Then, during their game against South Africa, India reviewed a not-out lbw call against Sune Luus. The third umpire, Candace la Borde, adjudicated that a murmur on Ultra Edge was enough to indicate an under-edge onto the pad even though a side-on replay showed reasonable distance between the ball and bat at the time of the murmur. Luus remained not out.During the India-Australia game, the catch taken by Sneh Rana at point to dismiss Alyssa Healy was checked by third umpire Jacqueline Williams, who said, “I can see the ball touching the ground,” before she changed her line and ruled the catch clean.Shorna Akter’s low catch of Heather Knight was deemed not out due to ‘inconclusive evidence’•Getty Images”If you look at these replays enough, if you keep zooming in – I can’t remember where I was, I might have been watching on the telly actually – there was another one of those the fingers and the hands get under the ball,” Hussain said about the Healy dismissal. “The third umpire didn’t ask for 15 different replays or whatever. She just looked at it, sort of, a couple of times, gut feel, fingers were under the ball, that’s out. Which I always worry about when I am watching at home or in broadcast. If you keep looking, you will find things; you have to be meticulous.”Of the ten umpires who have performed TV duties through the course of this World Cup, only three have officiated as TV umpire in more than 20 matches with DRS available: Sue Redfern (42), Eloise Sheridan (25), and Kim Cotton (24).There are three umpires who had never previously been a TV umpire in an ODI that used DRS – la Borde, N Janani and Sarah Dambanenava. La Borde, in fact, had never been a third umpire in any international using DRS, while Janani and Dambanenava have had DRS experience in a limited number of T20Is. More significantly, five of the ten TV umpires had performed the role in fewer than five internationals with DRS available. In addition to the three mentioned, Venugopalan and Klaaste are also inexperienced with DRS.There has also been a greater percentage of on-field decisions overturned via the use of reviews than is often seen at major global competitions. In this World Cup, there have been 25 successful overturns of on-field decisions in 36 innings – a rate of 0.67 successful overturns per innings. In the last World Cup to be played in Asia – the men’s ODI World Cup in 2023 – the rate of successful overturns per innings was 0.46.The ICC declined to comment on the umpires’ relative inexperience with DRS, and did not reveal whether teams themselves had raised queries on umpiring missteps. The ICC’s umpire manager, Sean Easey, has been at some venues during this World Cup.

Leeds United made it three defeats in succession in the Premier League when they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites had the lead at half-time thanks to a goal from Lukas Nmecha, who bundled the ball in from close range after Anton Stach competed with Emi Martinez for a high ball.

Unfortunately, though, the away side struck twice in the second half, both goals coming from Morgan Rogers, and walked away from West Yorkshire with all three points.

Daniel Farke only made one change to his starting line-up from the side that lost 3-1 to Nottingham Forest before the break, and it backfired on the Leeds boss.

The Leeds change that backfired on Daniel Farke

The German head coach opted to take Jaka Bijol out of the team, after he won four of his six duels against Forest, and brought Pascal Struijk back into the side, possibly to have a natural left-footer in that position.

Whilst the Dutchman certainly opens up more passing angles as a left-footer on the left side of the defence, his defensive work left far too much to be desired against the Villans, and that is why the change backfired on the manager.

Per Sofascore, Struijk only won three of his eight duels, losing both of his ground duels, and did not complete a single tackle in the game, which shows that he struggled with the physicality of the match.

The one tackle that the former Ajax man did attempt was his late lunge on Ross Barkley, which resulted in the free-kick from which Rogers scored the winning goal.

Struijk was far from the only poor performer on the pitch, though, as Brenden Aaronson is another player who should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting line-up.

Why Leeds must drop Brenden Aaronson

The USA international had delivered a goal and an assist in the three Premier League matches prior to the international break, which made his inclusion in the side an understandable call from Farke.

However, the return to fitness of Dan James has thrown his place in the line-up into doubt, and their respective performances against Aston Villa on Sunday suggest that the Wales international deserves a chance from the start.

Aaronson, who was awarded a 4/10 player rating by LeedsUnitedNews, lower than Struijk’s 6/10 rating, failed to create a single chance for his teammates in 80 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, as he came inside and got crowded out all too often.

Minutes

80

19

Shots

3

3

xG on target

0.15

0.15

Crosses attempted

1

5

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Dribbles completed

1/5

1/1

Possession lost

12x

6x

As you can see in the table above, James offered more to the team on the right flank in 19 minutes than the American lightweight did in his 80-minute outing against the Villans.

The fact that the Welshman attempted five times as many crosses as Aaronson, in roughly an hour less on the pitch, speaks to the difference Leeds could make to their attack by bringing him into the starting XI.

Aaronson, for all his hard work, is not a natural winger who is going to hug the byline and test teams consistently with runs in behind and crosses into the box.

James, however, is that player and almost made an instant impact when his brilliant run and ball across the box led to Dominic Calvert-Lewin finding the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for a handball by the striker.

Raphinha repeat: 49ers keen on signing "generational" £79m star for Leeds

Leeds United are lining up a January swoop for a star who could be as exciting a signing as Raphinha once was.

ByDan Emery Nov 18, 2025

The Welshman deserved an assist for his play. Now, he deserves a place in the starting line-up because Aaronson was even worse than Struijk in the defeat to Villa, as he offered little to the team in or out of possession, whilst Struijk, at the very least, completed 95% of his passes and made five clearances, per Sofascore.

A significant update has emerged regarding one Rangers star’s Ibrox future, with the 49ers Enterprises tempted to sell and his potential price tag in the January transfer window revealed.

The Gers have found some much-needed form with Danny Rohl at the helm, with three wins in succession coming their way in the Scottish Premiership.

Numerous players have performed better under the German than they did with Russell Martin in charge, not least Nicolas Raskin, who was impressive in Sunday’s 3-0 win away to Dundee in the league, bossing the midfield battle for the visitors.

The Belgian fell out of favour under his previous manager, who publicly explained why he axed him from Rangers’ squad to face Hearts earlier this season.

“He won’t be in the squad tomorrow. We have a lot of conversations as we do with every player, but he’s back training with the squad which is a good step. Now, like every player, he has a duty to make sure he earns the trust of all his other team-mates, coaching staff and the staff in the building to help us win football matches.”

Rangers may sell Raskin for £20m in January

Now, according to a new update from TEAMtalk, Rangers and the 49ers could be willing to sell Raskin in January, potentially demanding as much as £20m for his signature, even though Rohl has “consistently praised” his influence and sees him in his long-term plans. Two unnamed Serie A sides are weighing up a New Year approach.

£20m “could be enough” to force the Gers’ hand midway through the season, with the Scottish side “aware of his growing market value -particularly after another impressive international break with Belgium, where he earned widespread plaudits for his composure and work rate.”

Opinion may be split over Rangers potentially letting Raskin leave the club in January, not least because he has shown the quality that he has in his locker in recent weeks, also being lauded by Derek Ferguson in the past: “Raskin, since he started looking after himself, has been phenomenal. It’s his drive, his ability on the ball.”

The 24-year-old is contracted at Ibrox until the summer of 2027, so a big decision does need to be made relatively soon, in order for the Gers not to miss out on receiving a hefty fee for him, and certainly not losing him on a free transfer at that point.

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1 ByDan Emery Nov 10, 2025

That said, waiting until the summer feels like a sensible choice, allowing Raskin to remain at the club for the rest of this season, helping Rohl’s side give themselves the best possible chance of success, both domestically and in Europe.

0 mins under Martin: Rohl must unleash Rangers' "left-footed Van Dijk"

Arsenal's Eberechi Eze has revealed the inner workings of his relationship with former Crystal Place team-mates Michael Olise and Jean-Phillippe Mateta on the latest episode of the Beast Mode On podcast. The 27-year-old spoke of the almost-immediate friendship he struck up with Olise, and the similarities he shares with the driven and determined Mateta.

Eze spills the beans on Mateta and Olise

Eze was speaking about the France internationals with former Wycombe Wanderers team-mate Adebayo Akinfenwa on the latest episode of GOAL’s Beast Mode On podcast. 

Eze, Mateta and Olise formed a lethal strike force for the Eagles during the 2023-24 season, scoring 37 Premier League goals combined. Their partnership, along with the hiring of Oliver Glasner, helped turn around a woeful start to that campaign. Palace would win six of their seven final games, eventually finishing 10th in the table. 

This potent attacking line was quickly broken up however, with Michael Olise departing for Bayern Munich in the summer for a fee of around £50 million ($65m). One year later, after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final, Eze would secure his own big money move, moving across the capital to join the club that released him as a boy, Arsenal. Only Mateta remains at Selhurst Park, but it's clear that Eze still enjoys a close relationship with the mates he made in south London, despite their separate paths. 

The 27-year-old spoke glowingly about Olise's talent, saying the winger impressed him from the first time he saw him play. When the prodigious winger made the switch to Selhurst Park from Reading a short time later, the pair almost instantly hit it off according to Eze. 

With regards to Mateta, the Arsenal man praised his improvement over the years, saying that both of them possess a force of will that helps them succeed at the top level. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportOlise's talent and their friendship

Asked if he knew he was on the same frequency as Olise immediately, Eze said: "I played with him maybe six months earlier [before he joined Crystal Palace] and I saw him, I spoke to him. I think he's maybe 17 [at this time].

"I saw him and I was like, ‘yo, you're mad’. That was the first time I saw him play. So then when he signed, he came into the treatment room, I was getting treatment, and I asked him: ‘why did you sign?’.

"At this time we weren’t boys, but we were cool enough. I just remember him speaking and I'm like, ‘yeah, man, this is going to be my guy’. I can tell. As time went on, you can see the relationship built and [we’re] very like minded in terms of the drive, trying to achieve something. You can see that he's got that."

Mateta's improvement and self-belief

Asked about Mateta and whether he thought he’d turn into the player he is now, Eze said: "[He’s] Scary. No. Every player you see has quality and everyone you see has strengths. You can see his ability. But for me, I look at him and I see a similar type of vibe in terms of what I feel about myself.

"I don't expect you to see what I see myself. He would have seen this, though, and you can tell by the conversations he's had INtraining ground and the things he would say about himself, he believes this. So for me, whenever someone speaks that way, you know that it’s possible and you believe that it’s possible.

"It's been beautiful to see it [Mateta’s progress] though, because that's another story of someone that's saying, ‘OK, I'm going to do this thing and you're going to see me… and whether people believe it or not, don’t matter. I’m going to do it’

"He's doing it now, so for me it's a beautiful thing to see. And when I speak to him, it's always a joy."

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Getty Images SportEze and Olise to square off in Champions League tie

All of their mutual admiration will be forgotten when Eze and Olise square off for the first time since they both left Selhurst Park, as Arsenal and Bayern Munich square off at the Emirates Stadium on November 26. That promises to be titanic clash at the top of the Champions League table, the Gunners and the Bavarian giants are two of the three clubs with a perfect record in this year's competition.

Fourth-wicket stand with Jake Libby keeps quarter-finals in sight as Asa Tribe’s unbeaten century goes in vain

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Aug-2025Worcestershire 298 for 5 (Jones 110*, Libby 77) beat Glamorgan 297 for 7 (Tribe 122*, Hurle 56) by five wicketsA career-best List A score of 110 not out from Rob Jones guided Worcestershire Rapids to an important five-wicket win over Glamorgan which keeps them on track for a quarter-final place in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.Asa Tribe had earlier batted through Glamorgan’s innings for 122 in his side’s impressive total of 297 and the visitors looked to be in control early in the reply as they reduced the hosts to 78 for 3.A staggering fourth-wicket partnership of 172 between Jake Libby (77) and Jones anchored the run chase for Worcestershire, as they swung the momentum back in their favour. Jones hit the winning runs in the 49th over.Glamorgan’s bright start in the sunshine was only blemished by the loss of Eddie Byrom for 41.Youngster Henry Hurle caught the eye with some expansive shots, scoring 14 off one Ethan Brookes over as the side bottom of Group A passed 100 in the 20th over.Hurle and Tribe took a liking to a lacklustre Rapids bowling seam attack, as the pair brought up their respective half-centuries in consecutive overs, with Tribe showing his particular disdain towards any short pitched bowling, thrashing the ball through midwicket with frequency.The second-wicket stand of 104 was ended by Brett D’Oliveira, who bowled Hurle for an impressive 56, as Worcestershire seized the initiative, taking three more wickets for just 26 runs.Kieran Carlson was the first in a cluster of three wickets to fall, as he succumbed to Ben Allison, before D’Oliveira (2 for 46) picked up his second wicket of an instrumental spell.Waite’s metronomical afternoon with the ball saw him rewarded when Billy Root feathered a full ball behind to Henry Cullen, as the medium-pacer ended his spell shortly after with outstanding figures of 10-2-23-1.Dan Douthwaite joined the not-out opener, and upped the ante from the get-go, taking Glamorgan beyond the 250 mark, before Tribe notched his maiden List A century with the final ball of the 46th over.Douthwaite’s cameo of 37 from 26 balls was cut short at the death, but Tribe was unbeaten on 122 to see his side finish on an above par 297 for 7.Despite losing D’Oliveira in the first over, the hosts made an otherwise positive start to the chase, largely due to a composed knock for 19-year-old Dan Lategan, that took Worcestershire past fifty without further damage.The 17th over of the proved costly however, as the home side lost both set batters – with Carlson taking a stunning one-handed catch at extra cover to remove Kashif for 22, before a catastrophic mix-up involving Jake Libby saw Lategan run-out four short of a maiden List A fifty.The onus fell on Libby and new man Jones to guide the home side out of their troubling position at 78 for 3, with Glamorgan looking to take advantage of their early wickets.Both batters shouldered the responsibility in fine style, with Jones returning to form and Libby making his way to a fourth fifty of the competition.Their 172-run partnership was ended when Andy Gorvin took a fine catch running back over his head to dismiss Libby for 77, with the departing skipper’s side still requiring 48 from the final six overs.Jones brought up a sensational 101-ball hundred with the chase nearing its climax, but even the departure of Ethan Brookes in the dying stages did not deter the home side, as Cullen batted through with Jones to see the Rapids to a crucial five-wicket victory.