Whale.io 🐳 | ⚽ English Premier League Season: 2025/2026

[tokeweed]

RESULTS:

Bournemouth 1-1 Newcastle United
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-6 Chelsea

Bournemouth were leading at half-time but Newcastle United managed an equaliser. It was always going to be tough for Howe to return to Bournemouth and take anything more than a point.

I was expecting Wolves to win the game but Chelsea scored six goals away and they surprised a lot of people. Full credit to Madueke for scoring three but the role Palmer played in the goals was essential. As for Felix, the way he finished the sixth and final goal was brilliant. Chelsea  

The second half just started at Anfield and Liverpool are 1-0 up at home to Brentford.

I watched the first half of the Wolves vs Chelsea match and some of the second half...  And all I can say is Chelsea attacks pretty well but their defense sucks.  Like really sucks.  Lol.  Reminds me of when Guardiola first came to the EPL and how Man City were almost always open to the counter.  But Chelsea looks worse.

I think against mid table clubs and lower it makes for exciting matches but against the likes of the top squads and even the likes of West Ham and Aston Villa, they could lose if their defense stays the same.

[JollyGood]

RESULT:

Liverpool 2-0 Brentford

I did not update the score for the final game that took place that day. It was at Anfield and Liverpool had good periods where they dominated but seem in need of having a marquee signing as a necessity. They effectively fielded the same players that Klopp used therefore new faces are needed at the club if they want to mount a serious challenge to win the Premier League. Brentford had some attacks and counter-attacks, even though they lost the game they seem balanced enough to avoid getting caught in the relegation battle.

Regarding Chelsea, they needed that win in emphatic fashion because people are now guessing what they will do in their next game. They need to work on all aspects of their game (including defence) but it is just the second game in charge by the new manager, he will need time to work with the players.

I watched the first half of the Wolves vs Chelsea match and some of the second half...  And all I can say is Chelsea attacks pretty well but their defense sucks.  Like really sucks.  Lol.  Reminds me of when Guardiola first came to the EPL and how Man City were almost always open to the counter.  But Chelsea looks worse.

I think against mid table clubs and lower it makes for exciting matches but against the likes of the top squads and even the likes of West Ham and Aston Villa, they could lose if their defense stays the same.

[tokeweed]

^  Sure...  And they'll prolly do it again in the next couple of matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.  The the fixture after that tho is West Ham away...  Now there's a perfect match up for them.  I think the genius Moyes will outfox Chelsea's new manager and show him what's up.  It's gonna be something like 1 - 0 with West Ham getting a goal in on the counter around the 80th minute.

But dunno tho...  I'm just talking out of my ass again.    But yeah, for decent odds the bet is West Ham if I'm gonna bet.

Edit:  Typos.

[Distraction]

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1828338230883729473

Ugarte signs for Manchester United, here we go.    First the sides were said to be close to a loan agreement. But all of a sudden we find out that it is a permanent deal. 50m euros + 10m euros bonuses.

I think it is a great deal. Maybe some will find this sum too much. But I think it is okay considering how much they spent on Leny Yoro transfer. Ugarte is a talented defensive midfielder.

They are making many moves for strengthening the defense. I hope this bring results in the short term. They are still lacking in defense as you can see from the recent results also. 

[JollyGood]

I think the genius Moyes will outfox Chelsea's new manager and show him what's up.  

Moyes left his post as manager of West Ham United at the end of last season (their new manager is Julen Lopetegui) but that should make no difference to the intensity of the game and I do expect it to be a difficult match for both West Ham United and Chelsea when they meet next month. Twenty days before that game, West Ham United will face another tough game hosting Manchester City.

I think it is a great deal. Maybe some will find this sum too much. But
I think it is okay considering how much they spent on Leny Yoro transfer. Ugarte is a talented defensive midfielder.

Many commentators feel Ugarte plays very to similar to the way Kante used to play when he was at Leicester City and Chelsea, just all round brilliant when tracking back to defend and at the same time going forward with pace when attacking from midfield. The amount of times he intercepted the ball from the attacking team as his team played well cannot be understated whether for Leicester City, Chelsea or the France national team.



Now that another deal has been completed to bring a player in, it makes sense for the deal for McTominay to go ahead. Manchester United have agreed a £25 million fee with Napoli even though he was at their academy from the age of six. At the moment Napoli and McTominay are negotiating personal terms but Conte wants him in the midfield and that could mean Osimhen is closer to leaving Napoli and heading for Chelsea.

[tokeweed]

I think the genius Moyes will outfox Chelsea's new manager and show him what's up.  

Moyes left his post as manager of West Ham United at the end of last season (their new manager is Julen Lopetegui) but that should make no difference to the intensity of the game and I do expect it to be a difficult match for both West Ham United and Chelsea when they meet next month. Twenty days before that game, West Ham United will face another tough game hosting Manchester City.

Oh...  I didn't know.  That's sad.  Hoped to see more of him to show these younger managers what's what.    As for Lopetegui, he was decent once upon a time before he took the Real Madrid job.  So seeing him taking the West Ham job tells me he's still not out of the rut. 

But yeah, you prolly get what I'm saying...  Against the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and even Tottenham, Chelsea might not fare so well.

[JollyGood]

But yeah, you prolly get what I'm saying...  Against the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and even Tottenham, Chelsea might not fare so well.

It is a long season, we will have many highs and lows as well as unexpected results and major upsets. Let us see how this looks at the end of the season 

---------------

These are the next Premier League games taking place on Saturday 31st August:

Arsenal vs Brighton and Hove Albion
Brentford vs Southampton
Everton vs Bournemouth
Ipswich Town vs Fulham
Leicester City vs Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham United vs Manchester City

[igebotz]

Now that another deal has been completed to bring a player in, it makes sense for the deal for McTominay to go ahead. Manchester United have agreed a £25 million fee with Napoli even though he was at their academy from the age of six. At the moment Napoli and McTominay are negotiating personal terms but Conte wants him in the midfield and that could mean Osimhen is closer to leaving Napoli and heading for Chelsea.

Bro is heading to Saudi, these guys are offering roughly £600k/week while Chelsea are negotiating a pay cut and presenting a 150-200k/week. We can't compete at the moment except he chooses to stay in Europe which is unlikely.

Saudi representative are already on their way to Italy to finalize the deal. We lost home.

[tokeweed]

But yeah, you prolly get what I'm saying...  Against the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and even Tottenham, Chelsea might not fare so well.

It is a long season, we will have many highs and lows as well as unexpected results and major upsets. Let us see how this looks at the end of the season  

Maybe..  But as how it's looking like right now, it's not looking good bruv, it's not looking good.  

I wouldn't really be surprised if they're gonna be in the market for a DM and a CB at the winter transfer window.  And if they aren't in the top 6, they'll be desperate enough to splash the cash on a couple of mediocre players.  I mean we've seen these things happen before...  It's almost like it's scripted or something.

Anyway how good is Ipswitch really?  The books are giving some value towards Fulham me thinks.

[Distraction]

Bro is heading to Saudi, these guys are offering roughly £600k/week while Chelsea are negotiating a pay cut and presenting a 150-200k/week. We can't compete at the moment except he chooses to stay in Europe which is unlikely.

Saudi representative are already on their way to Italy to finalize the deal. We lost home.

Here is the latest update on Osimhen.



https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1829130510796226783

Chelsea thinks of a loan but I don't think Napoli would prefer that formula. While Al-Ahli is ready to buy him immediately, that would seem more reasonable for them. Besides there is no way Chelsea is intending to offer a similar salary to him. It must be just Osimhen to prefer Chelsea over Al-Ahli otherwise it is over. 

I would really like to see him in the PL instead. Such a young aged striker but going to Saudi Arabia so early...

[igebotz]

Chelsea thinks of a loan but I don't think Napoli would prefer that formula. While Al-Ahli is ready to buy him immediately, that would seem more reasonable for them. Besides there is no way Chelsea is intending to offer a similar salary to him. It must be just Osimhen to prefer Chelsea over Al-Ahli otherwise it is over. 

I would really like to see him in the PL instead. Such a young aged striker but going to Saudi Arabia so early...

Napoli wanted a loan and an obligation to buy, not a loan and an option to buy, which Chelsea initially offered, but I read that we're going to offer an obligation to buy, the only issue now being salary. Osimhen wants to come to Chelsea, and the only reason he's still waiting is for Chelsea to match his current salary at Napoli, but Chelsea is still offering less.

 With the huge salary AL-Ahli is offering, if he wanted money, he would have gone to Saudi Arabia instead of waiting for Chelsea as he has for days. If we're able to pay £250-300k Osimhen will gladly accept it.

[JollyGood]

Saudi representative are already on their way to Italy to finalize the deal. We lost home.

The latest is update regarding Osimhen is that there is no update. He is a brilliant player, he really should not be thinking of leaving any of the top European leagues but now that a huge offer from the Middle East has come in, he has to be tempted by the phenomenal amounts of money he could earn. Chelsea will be kicking themselves now, they should have completed the deal a week ago long before other clubs showed any interest.

Anyway how good is Ipswitch really?  The books are giving some value towards Fulham me thinks.

Ipswich will get their good form going, they are an excellent side for the Championship but the Premier League is a different matter altogether. If they failed to stay up, they will not be the only team that made the jump in to the big league just to be relegated a season later but I think they should be safe regardless of the Fulham result.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

With the huge salary AL-Ahli is offering, if he wanted money, he would have gone to Saudi Arabia instead of waiting for Chelsea as he has for days. If we're able to pay £250-300k Osimhen will gladly accept it.

Chelsea made the mistake of going for just option to buy from the get go. They should have offered an obligation to buy and the deal would had been sealed. Osimhen is a big fan of Chelsea and he has said it numerously that his childhood good friends are mostly Chelsea fans which I can believe because Chelsea has a higher presence in Nigeria (my home country). We should just do something to get him because with the kind of money he's been offered, I'll advice him to go for the bag. He's still young and can play over there and still return to England or other top europe league to compete.

These are the next Premier League games taking place on Saturday 31st August:
Arsenal vs Brighton and Hove Albion

This is my game of Interest, I want to see how Arsenal play against this brilliant Brighton side which has already two won games from the start of the season. Arsenal has a clean sweep too but I want to see if Brighton can score against arsenal and also push them to the final minutes of the game. Brighton winning can't be taken out of the picture because they are looking interesting already but I would still think he game will favour Arsenal for the win.

[JollyGood]

At some stage during the season you would expect teams such as Manchester City and Arsenal to scrape though by a goal in very difficult games but while all teams are fresh and full of energy at the beginning of the season it would not surprise people if so-called smaller teams ended up with a win against the bigger teams. Brighton could make this a very awkward game for Arsenal.

These are the next Premier League games taking place on Saturday 31st August:
Arsenal vs Brighton and Hove Albion

This is my game of Interest, I want to see how Arsenal play against this brilliant Brighton side which has already two won games from the start of the season. Arsenal has a clean sweep too but I want to see if Brighton can score against arsenal and also push them to the final minutes of the game. Brighton winning can't be taken out of the picture because they are looking interesting already but I would still think he game will favour Arsenal for the win.

[_BlackStar]

At some stage during the season you would expect teams such as Manchester City and Arsenal to scrape though by a goal in very difficult games but while all teams are fresh and full of energy at the beginning of the season it would not surprise people if so-called smaller teams ended up with a win against the bigger teams. Brighton could make this a very awkward game for Arsenal.

I consider Brighton a strong team and I am not underestimating them at all against Arsenal. They have done well in their last two games - they have also been prolific in scoring goals. So I don't think Arsenal will underestimate Brighton - while I am sure Arsenal will try to concentrate on finding a way to beat them.

Brighton is not a small team in the Premier League in my opinion - but I agree that Brighton is still lower rated than Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and some others. It's still early in the season and all the players are still eager to reach their full potential.

[JollyGood]

Brighton have surprised me with their start to the season and probably have surprised their competitors too therefore there is no chance Arteta will take them lightly. It was a fantastic effort by Brighton last season to end in 6th place with De Zerbi as their manager. For them to start this season strong (with a new manager after De Zerbi left) sends out a strong message.

If Brighton took a point they would probably settle for that but Arsenal would probably feel they can win every game they play.

I consider Brighton a strong team and I am not underestimating them at all against Arsenal. They have done well in their last two games - they have also been prolific in scoring goals. So I don't think Arsenal will underestimate Brighton - while I am sure Arsenal will try to concentrate on finding a way to beat them.

Brighton is not a small team in the Premier League in my opinion - but I agree that Brighton is still lower rated than Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and some others. It's still early in the season and all the players are still eager to reach their full potential.

[tokeweed]

I consider Brighton a strong team and I am not underestimating them at all against Arsenal. They have done well in their last two games - they have also been prolific in scoring goals. So I don't think Arsenal will underestimate Brighton - while I am sure Arsenal will try to concentrate on finding a way to beat them.

Brighton is not a small team in the Premier League in my opinion - but I agree that Brighton is still lower rated than Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and some others. It's still early in the season and all the players are still eager to reach their full potential.

Against a club that's still kinda 'lost' like United or Chelsea and if Brighton's at home, sure Brighton is a good spot as an underdog.  They were a 4 to 1 underdog vs United at home last week.  But if playing vs a club that has established itself as one of the top clubs in the EPL and playing against them away, dunno...  It's gonna be sketchy.  I do think Brighton could get one in tho.  But it's gonna be something like 2 - 1, 3 - 1 for Arsenal imho.

But yeah, big match this weekend and this early in the season...  Man United vs Liverpool.    This one is gonna be hilarious.

[punk.zink]

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1828338230883729473

Ugarte signs for Manchester United, here we go.    First the sides were said to be close to a loan agreement. But all of a sudden we find out that it is a permanent deal. 50m euros + 10m euros bonuses.

I think it is a great deal. Maybe some will find this sum too much. But I think it is okay considering how much they spent on Leny Yoro transfer. Ugarte is a talented defensive midfielder.

They are making many moves for strengthening the defense. I hope this bring results in the short term. They are still lacking in defense as you can see from the recent results also. 

In the end, Man United could get their final piece of the pie, even though it had to go through a very long process and negotiations. Now it remains to be seen if he could bring a new color to the midfield and make Man United even stronger. It might not be easy, considering Man United are still without their full squad due to injuries to Hojlund and Leny Yoro but with his presence it is hoped that he can make a difference (it's quite unfortunate that he couldn't play in the match against Liverpool).

[JollyGood]

RESULT:

Arsenal 1-1 Brighton and Hove Albion














If Brighton can play that bad against Arsenal in the first half and only be a goal down at half-time, then end the game with a draw at full-time then it means Brighton should have an excellent season. Rice deserved the first and second yellow cards therefore deserved being sent-off and when that happened it allowed Brighton to get back in to the game.

The are the other games that will place later today:

Brentford vs Southampton
Everton vs Bournemouth
Ipswich Town vs Fulham
Leicester City vs Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham United vs Manchester City

[Distraction]

Stealing a point from the 2nd most favoured title contender? I think it is a wonderful job by Brighton!    Of course the red card was an important help also. But they were still playing against a very strong competitor.

I don't know why Rice was sent off there by the way.    It doesn't look like a foul deserving a second yellow card there, what do you think?

If it doesn't get deleted on X, I'm leaving the incident link here: https://x.com/Rory_Talks_Ball/status/1829862801697124499

Veltman doesn't even get a yellow for that kick to the foot. Referees can still be really awkward with their decisions in the PL...  If Rice wasn't sent off there I think Arsenal would win this match.