
<p>Fulham piled misery on <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> with a 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage Thursday night. It was only the club’s second ever <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> win against their west London rivals. Former Blue Willian and summer signing Carlos Vinicius scored the goals for the home side.</p>



<p>Fulham entered the match on a high. While they stubbled into the World Cup break, the Cottagers had won all four of their games since returning to action last month. Defense is certainly an area of improvement in recent weeks. In fact, Fulham had not allowed a goal from open play since November. The only goal scored on the west London club since the break was a glorious free kick strike from James Ward-Prowse.</p>



<p>Chelsea, on the other hand, desperately needed a result on Thursday. The Blues entered the derby three points behind Fulham in the standings. Graham Potter’s men are enduring their worst start a Premier League campaign in seven seasons. Chelsea had even lost six of their last nine total matches.</p>



<h2>Winger scores against old team again</h2>



<p>Willian started the scoring in the 25th minute of the match. The former Blue cut inside on his right foot and put in a shot towards goal. Defender Trevoh Chalobah attempted to block the shot, but ended up deflecting the ball passed Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the net. Willian opted not to celebrate against his former club.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Willian comes back to bite the hand that used to feed him!<br><br>He doesn&apos;t celebrate out of respect to his former club. 🤝<br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/peacock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peacock</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyPLMorning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyPLMorning</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FULCHE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FULCHE</a> <a href="https://t.co/zYPNsRkM2r">pic.twitter.com/zYPNsRkM2r</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1613634023590400027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Chelsea bounced back and leveled the scoreline less than two minutes into the second half. Kalidou Koulibaly pounced on a Mason Mount shot that struck the post from a free kick. The center back hit the ball straight at Bernd Leno, but the goalkeeper was inside his net.</p>



<h2>Felix sent off in Chelsea debut at Fulham</h2>



<p>Joao Felix’s Chelsea debut didn’t last very long. The loan player was sent off in the 58th minute for an awful challenge. A straight red card for dangerous play will mean that the forward will now also face a suspension. To make matters worse, Denis Zakaria had to be substituted just before the incident due to a lower body injury. The midfielder is now the 10th senior Chelsea player to be sidelined.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joao Felix sees RED in his Chelsea debut. 🔴<br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/peacock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peacock</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyPLMorning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyPLMorning</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FULCHE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FULCHE</a> <a href="https://t.co/xpI6mugqm7">pic.twitter.com/xpI6mugqm7</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1613646894206533632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Fulham took advantage of the extra man and went back ahead 15 minutes after the sending off. Midfielder Andreas Pereira sent a fantastic cross into the box and Carlos Vinicius headed the shot passed a diving Kepa. It was the striker’s first goal for the team. The Chelsea keeper was in no man’s land and couldn’t get anywhere near the ball.</p>



<p>Kai Havertz had a decent chance to share the points between the two sides in added time, but the German couldn’t convert from a good opportunity. Nevertheless, Fulham collected the three points to reach sixth in the standings. Chelsea now have just seven victories in 18 Premier League matches this season.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus</em></p>


Fulham beat Chelsea to move up to sixth in the Premier League standings. Joao Felix was also sent off in his debut for the Blues.

Fulham beat Chelsea as Felix sees red in debut

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
<p>It’s safe to say that Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s shopped and sold in the transfer market under a microscope.</p>
<p>Summer transfer windows always carry importance for ‘big’ clubs. However, Arsenal’s summer ventures took on a particular significance.</p>
<p>The Gunners had a simply terrible 2020/21 campaign. Arsenal finished the season eighth on the table. Consequently, they failed to qualify for European competition for the first time in 25 years.</p>
<h3>Mikel Arteta faced squad issues</h3>
<p>Arsenal entered the transfer window needing to spend big. In large part, that is due to the underperforming squad from the Emirates Stadium.</p>
<p>Prior to the previous campaign, the Gunners gave former Chelsea star Willian essentially a £30 million contract over three years (signing bonus included). Willian arrived at the north London club from Chelsea, where he excelled. The 32-year-old winger failed to maintain his level of play seen at Stamford Bridge.</p>
<div id="attachment_343372" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-343372" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-343372 size-full" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20210905_WST_344333_286a6bfabc1c7e91c53f696d99a64db26f4ba1d4.webp&amp;width=768&amp;height=512" alt="" width="768" height="512" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/286a6bfabc1c7e91c53f696d99a64db26f4ba1d4.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/286a6bfabc1c7e91c53f696d99a64db26f4ba1d4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/286a6bfabc1c7e91c53f696d99a64db26f4ba1d4-600x400.jpg 600w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/286a6bfabc1c7e91c53f696d99a64db26f4ba1d4-150x100.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-343372" class="wp-caption-text">Mikel Arteta managing Arsenal against Brentford (Photo credit: AFP)</p></div>
<p>Along with that bad contract, Arsenal also had to replace outgoing players such as David Luiz, Dani Ceballos, Maty Ryan, and Martin Odegaard. Luiz’s contract expired at the end of the 2020/21 season. As for the other three, they played last season on loan from various clubs. Another positional need that the team had to fill was bringing in another left back. After all, Kieran Tierney may need rest or could come down with an injury.</p>
<p>As <a title="This external link will open in a new window" href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/07/09/arsenal-could-bring-in-as-many-as-8-players-this-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mentioned</a> a couple of months ago, Arsenal had to bring in a minimum of five players. Additionally, they could sign up to eight depending on further outgoings in the squad.<br>
Fast forward to the transfer deadline, and the Gunners wound up bringing in six total players this summer. In short, Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu addressed needs with their roster. However, did they make the <i>right</i> moves? Let’s take a look.</p>
<h3>Addressing the needs</h3>
<p>Essentially, Mikel Arteta and company replaced Luiz, Ceballos, and Ryan with Ben White, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Aaron Ramsdale. In doing so, Arsenal spent a combined £90 million on just these three players. The oldest of the three newcomers is just 23. Generally, this strategy keeps the wage bill down and adds value to the squad for the future. Despite what some pundits have said about Arsenal’s transfer plans, these are three main issues the club has been trying to address.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/08/25/arsenal-fall-out-of-premier-league-contention-after-worst-start-in-118-years/"><em><strong>READ MORE:</strong></em></a><em> Arsenal’s fall out of Premier League contention.</em></p>
<p>White and Ramsdale have Premier League experience and can perform at high levels. In fact, both won Player of the Season for their respective clubs for the 2020-21 campaign. Although some have questioned the duo’s ability, which is valid, both players are obviously talented. Moreover, their talent and confidence should increase with age.</p>
<p>Growing pains are bound to happen with young players. Nevertheless, the club sees these two players as potential England international starters in the future.</p>
<p>Sambi, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild card. Many were unaware&nbsp;who the player was prior to his arrival to north London. However, the Belgian is highly rated in his home country. Moreover, he looks promising in the early stages of his Arsenal tenure.</p>
<p>Along with these three players, Arsenal also brought Odegaard back on a permanent contract. Signing an attacking midfielder was perhaps the most paramount move for the Gunners this summer.</p>
<p>Odegaard, 22, brings exactly what this Arsenal squad needs: creativity in front of goal. While it was a relatively small sample size, the Norwegian seemed to excel under Arteta. He finished last season ranked ninth in the Premier League in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes at 4.36. Also, he produced more key passes per 90 than Phil Foden, Sadio Mane and Rodrigo.</p>
<h3>Additional acquisitions</h3>
<p>Mikel Arteta and Arsenal also added Nuno Tavares and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Tavares will likely act as the backup left-back for Kieran Tierney. A vastly different decision to the previous Cedric Soares signing, Arsenal’s newest signing follows the youth theme. Tavares, 21, is an exciting talent with valuable experience with Benfica. The Portugal youth international appears to be a little raw with his defending. Yet, it’s worth noting, again, that he was brought in to progress as a backup for now.</p>
<div id="attachment_344114" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-344114" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-344114" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20210905_WST_344333_79a6f5517383ec18e9a9d317572a11b23db6da7d-300x200.webp&amp;width=300&amp;height=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/79a6f5517383ec18e9a9d317572a11b23db6da7d-300x200.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/79a6f5517383ec18e9a9d317572a11b23db6da7d-600x400.jpg 600w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/79a6f5517383ec18e9a9d317572a11b23db6da7d-150x100.jpg 150w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/79a6f5517383ec18e9a9d317572a11b23db6da7d.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-344114" class="wp-caption-text">Hector Bellerin playing for Arsenal (Photo credit: AFP)</p></div>
<p>Arsenal had to make a signing late in the window at the right back position due to Hector Bellerin’s loan-departure for Real Betis. Tomiyasu, 22, isn’t exactly a household name in the soccer world. Still, he drew interest from a number of clubs, including Arsenal’s cross-town rival, Tottenham. The versatile defender can play right back, center back, and even in defensive midfield.</p>
<p>Rather than opting for a marquee signing, Arsenal focused on their areas for improvement. Mikel Arteta helped six different positions rather than bolstering one or two. Arsenal fans have also been begging for their club to spend, and they did. The Gunners managed to have a <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.us/premier-league/einnahmenausgaben/wettbewerb/GB1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher net spend</a> than any other team in the Premier League.</p>
<h3>Higher transfer fees, lower wage bills</h3>
<p>Arsenal spent plenty of money on transfer fees, but they managed to actually lower the wage bill as well.</p>
<p>Willian’s contract termination certainly helped. The move helped save the Gunners nearly £20 million in total. Compared to last season, the club decreased their annual wages by about $12 million. They also got younger. All six new signings are aged 21-23.</p>
<p>Only time will tell whether these players pan out for the Gunners. Buying youngsters is obviously much more of a gamble than established, proven players.</p>
<p>However, Arsenal were happy to make this gamble. Arteta and company clearly had an objective to spend money on talented young players, lower the wage bill, and hopefully build a team for the long haul. This will undoubtedly be a make-or-break decision for the 39-year-old manager.</p>


Last season, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal flopped in a major way. Rather than going after established players through transfers, they took a different route.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Willian"

Chelsea

Fulham beat Chelsea as Felix sees red in debut

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's summer transfer gamble