THE son of former Chelsea chief Michael Emenalo is the subject of a tug of war between England and the United States.

Landon Emenalo, 16, has received a call-up to the Three Lions U17 team, despite having played for the US youth setup in the past.

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The teenager is currently on the books at Chelsea‘s academy where he operates as a central midfielder.

Landon was born in Arizona and has a US national mother that allows him the option of who to represent at international level.

While dad Micheal is a 14-time Nigeria international from his playing days – meaning Landon can also represent the Super Eagles.

Micheal Emenalo played for clubs such as Notts County and San Jose Clash during his career before hanging up his boots to venture into coaching and board-level roles.

The 59-year-old worked as a scout and assistant manager for Chelsea 2007 and 2011, before taking the role as Chelsea’s technical director for six years.

During his time in SW6 he worked alongside managers such as Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, while he was also part of the team that brought in players such as Kevin De Bruyne, N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard.

Since then he has held the same position at AS Monaco and is now the president of the league association for the Saudi Pro League.

Landon, who was reportedly raised as a Chelsea fan, is highly thought of at Cobham.

And his abilities have clearly caught the eye if the national setup for both the US and England.

England U17 boss Neil Ryan has selected Landon for the team’s upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers later this month.

While the youngster represented the USA U17s this summer in a tournament in the Czech Republic.

It’s too soon for either of Mauricio Pochettino or Thomas Tuchel to be thinking of calling the rising star of the men’s teams, but Landon has already found himself caught in a battle for his services.

Landon has made four U18 Premier League appearances this season, scoring once.

Daniel Barez wants to test himself against one of the hottest names in the UFC’s flyweight division today.

The Spanish fighter is hoping to get booked against Mexico’s Ronaldo Rodriguez, better known as “Lazy Boy,” for his next trip to the octagon. Barez (17-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) thinks it is a fight that lends itself to be a fan-friendly affair and thinks it is a next step that makes sense for both parties.

“He’s a fighter that had to go through a lot to get in the UFC as well,” Barez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “He went to Contender Series, lost, and then came back – which is very similar to my path.

“He’s a warrior, he’s Mexican, and I train in Mexico as well, and he has a warrior’s spirit. I think it would be a really good fight. He has really good boxing and good wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He has two UFC fights like me, so I don’t think I’m asking for anything crazy. I hope I get it.”

Barez is coming off a unanimous decision over Victor Altamirano at a UFC Fight Night in Paris last month. Meanwhile, “Lazy Boy” also comes off a decision win, as he outpointed Ode Osbourne at UFC 306 at Sphere.

Although he was already on his radar, Barez liked what he saw from Rodriguez (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), which made him even more interested in calling him out.

“I thought it was a very tough fight, and yet he was able to pull off the comeback after getting knocked down by his opponent,” Barez said. “The truth is that that’s why I’d love to fight him. He’s a guy that fights till the very end, and I consider myself the same type of fighter. I fight till the end, and I don’t give up. That’s why I want to fight him.”

Barez was born and still lives in Spain, but he does a good chunk of his training camps at Entram Gym in Tijuana, Mexico. Throughout his years traveling to the Americas, Barez has picked up the world-famous Mexican boxing style – which he would like to put to the test against a native.

“He’s Mexican, and he trains his boxing with great pros,” Barez said. “I’m Spanish, but I’ve been training a long time in Mexico, so I’d love to box him. He boxes well, but so do I. I hit very hard and I can knock anyone out in the division, just like he can. So let’s see who has better Mexican boxing, let’s throw down.”

Francis Ngannou’s return to mixed martial arts is here.

After leaving the UFC, vacating the promotion’s heavyweight title, signing with the PFL, having two pro boxing matches against two of the biggest names in the sweet science, Ngannou faces knockout artist Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL’s Battle of the Giants on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

It’s no secret that Ngannou is dealing with a lot heading into this one, and while both fighters seemed respectful and Bull Durham-like in the build, things got heated up in the final faceoff — giving this fight an extra (and, frankly, well-needed) boost.

In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg battles Larissa Pacheco, while Johnny Eblen battles Fabian Edwards in a rematch. The other big main card highlight is a lightweight tilt between former Bellator champ A.J. McKee and Paul Hughes.

What: PFL Super Fights PPV: Battle of the Giants

Where: Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

When: Saturday, Oct. 19. The four-fight preliminary card begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S. and internationally on DAZN, followed by a five-fight main card at 4 p.m. ET also on ESPN+ in the U.S. and internationally on DAZN.

Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira

Francis Ngannou should win this fight, and I think he will, but there’s a reason a lot of people believe Renan Ferreira is a darling dog.

Momentum in combat sports is huge, and if we’re looking at this through a down-the-middle lens, Ferreira has it after obliterating Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader in seconds at PFL vs. Bellator. Ngannou has a lot of pressure heading into this fight, with the lineal heavyweight champ talk, the layoff, the two-fight trip into boxing, the PFL’s investment in him, not to mention what this fight means to him on a personal level.

Could the monster Ferreria find Ngannou’s chin with a big shot? Very, very possible. But when it comes to MMA, Ngannou is a sponge when it comes to game plans and execution. I actually see Ngannou getting a takedown or two in this fight, and eventually, landing some big shots on the floor in Round 2 to have a feel-good moment.

Question is: Does he return to the boxing ring after?

Pick: Francis Ngannou

Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco

This is a tremendous matchup on paper, but the road to it has been a weird one, hasn’t it?

It doesn’t seem like the transition from Bellator to PFLator for Cyborg has been all that pleasant if you’ve been following her on social media since the merger. She’s also only had two fights in MMA since April 2022, including a rematch with Arlene Blencowe that nobody asked for, and a straight destruction of Cat Zingano. But for the first time since she faced Amanda Nunes, Cyborg finds herself in a fight that seems it could go either way.

Pacheco has been outstanding — winning 10 fights in a row, a couple of $1 million checks, and is the only fighter on the planet to beat Kayla Harrison. While that’s a spectacular win on her résumé, I still don’t truly know how good Pacheco is, and while Cyborg doesn’t have her fastball anymore, she’s still a pretty damn good fist-fighter.

I’m not confident, most notably because Cyborg doesn’t seem all that thrilled to be a part of this fight week through my curious lens, but since I view this as a 50-50 fight, I’m leaning towards experience and accomplishment. Cyborg by decision is the pick and, what I predict, will be the first of multiple fights between the two.

Pick: Cris Cyborg

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards

In my opinion, this is a pivotal moment for Johnny Eblen, and you can make a real case that he has the most to prove on this entire card.

I know, it’s weird to say that about a guy who is undefeated, but there was a moment or two not that long ago where a lot of pundits claimed Eblen was the best middleweight in the world. While Eblen did finish Edwards in their first meeting, he had to work a lot harder than most expected to do so. Many believed it was not his best night in the office, and then he had the fight with Impa Kasanganay, who gave Eblen a run for his money at PFL vs. Bellator.

Now, we’re running this one back, and frankly, this fight is happening for one reason — Eblen just has nobody else to dance with. Edwards is a fine fighter and has some good wins, but in most cases, he would’ve needed another win, probably two, after beating Aaron Jeffrey in a fight nobody will go back and re-watch.

To me, a win is not enough for Eblen. He needs to look like he’s in a showcase fight, and he has the opportunity to do exactly that. The pick is Eblen via third-round stoppage in a fight that isn’t as close as the original.

Pick: Johnny Eblen

A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes

Kudos to both of these guys for building interest for this fight from Jump Street. I can’t wait for it, honestly.

A.J. McKee has always been a damn good fighter, but now that he’s at lightweight, he’s also fun as hell, and that makes him even more dangerous. Hughes is a 27-year-old stud that has an extremely bright future. The scary thing about the longtime Cage Warriors star is that he’s nowhere near a finished product. He’s two to three years away from his athletic prime. Unfortunately, he’s facing a guy in McKee who is in that prime, and has been in there with way better competition.

I think this fight delivers the goods, and if Hughes wins, he can put himself in a position to be one of the top headlines of the weekend in MMA. The pick is to have our cake and eat it too — McKee wins a decision, and Hughes proves he belongs in defeat.

Pick: A.J. McKee

Other bouts:

Husein Kadimagomaev def. Zafar Mohsen

Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno

Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders

Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos

Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail

Ipswich Town defender Axel Tuanzebe came “very close” to losing his thumb in a freak accident that will sideline him for “months”, says manager Kieran McKenna.

The former Manchester United centre-back sustained a deep cut to his thumb while he was washing dishes at his home in early October.

The 26-year-old DR Congo international, who had started all six of Ipswich’s Premier League matches until the injury kept him out of a 4-1 defeat by West Ham on 5 October, had surgery on his hand last week.

“It’s a household accident – very, very unfortunate and very, very serious,” McKenna said.

“He was very close to losing his thumb. He’s had surgery to repair the tendons in the thumb that was damaged; I think the recovery is going pretty well, but it’s a long-term injury.

“As much as it sounds a pretty innocuous body part regards the game of football, it’s a pretty important body part in human anatomy. He needs to let it recover.”

The Tractor Boys are without a win in their first seven Premier League fixtures since earning promotion back to the top flight.

Everton, who are one point and one place above Ipswich in 16th, visit Portman Road on Saturday (15:00 BST).

DR Congo qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations this month despite Tuanzebe’s absence from their Group H double-header against Tanzania.

ARNE SLOT has opened up on the remarkable story of the time he played against Virgil van Dijk back in 2013.

Liverpool boss Slot incredibly lined up against his now-club captain during a Dutch league game some 11 years ago.

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Slot, 46, has impressed massively since taking over at Anfield this summer, with the Reds top of the table having conceded just two league goals in seven games.

No small part of his success is thanks to the imperious Van Dijk who has long been one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League – if not the world.

But Slot once faced off against Van Dijk when the Netherlands international was rising through the ranks in his home country.

The pair came face-to-face in 2013 during a match between Slot’s FC Zwolle and Van Dijk’s Groningen in the Eredivisie – a clash that ended with Groningen winning 1-0.

Discussing that day with Men in Blazers, Slot joked: “Virgil was lucky that I only came on 10 minutes before the end. That’s why he could keep a clean sheet.”

Slot – who was a midfielder during his playing days – hung up his boots at the end of that season, while Van Dijk was just starting out his career and was only 22 at the time.

Even with his wealth of experience under his belt, Slot couldn’t have predicted that a young Van Dijk would one day be one of the best centre-backs around.

He added: “Everybody thought that Virgil was a very talented and good centre-back, but it was a bit strange that no top clubs came in for him.

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“He had to go to Celtic first and then to the Premier League to become such a star player for Liverpool.

“If you would have asked me back then ‘would you expect him to be the new centre-back at Liverpool?’, I probably would have said no.

“If you would have asked him ‘did you expect to play against your new manager?’, he would probably have said no as well”.

Slot will be hoping his star defender is on top form when his side welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Sunday.

The league leaders will need to be on top form to stop Enzo Maresca‘s transformed Blues.

Only Manchester City have scored more goals than Chelsea in the league this season with the Stamford Bridge outfit bouncing back from a lacklustre campaign last term.

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