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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said he is “concerned” by the muscle injury Viktor Gyokeres sustained during the 2-0 win at Burnley.

Gyokeres, who signed for Arsenal in a £64m transfer in the summer, scored the opening goal on Saturday before being withdrawn at half-time.

The 27-year-old striker has scored four goals in the Premier League this season but has not trained since the Burnley game and is unavailable for Tuesday’s Champions League tie at Slavia Prague (17:45 GMT).

“No, he’s definitely not available,” said Arteta when asked by BBC Sport if Gyokeres was in the squad.

“He hasn’t trained today. We need to do some more tests and scans in the next few days to understand the extent of the injury. But he’s not available.”

Arteta was then asked if it was a short-term issue for the Sweden forward but did not give a positive update.

“No, I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he needed to leave the pitch and he was feeling something,” he said.

“That’s obviously never a good sign, especially for a player that is very, very explosive.

“So we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of the injury and we’ll announce the moment we know.”

Arteta said “seven” Arsenal players are currently ruled out through injury, including forwards Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus.

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CM Punk shared a special artwork on the occasion of a female WWE star’s birthday.

Punk decided to do something creative for Lyra Valkyria’s birthday on October 23. The Best in the World posted a drawing he made of the Irish wrestler on his Instagram account to mark her 29th birthday. The post immediately went viral, with many appreciating the thoughtful gesture by Punk. His drawing showed he put effort into creating something personal for the WWE star who competes on Monday Night RAW alongside him.

However, since Punk is not an artist and is primarily a wrestler, the drawings weren’t that great; in fact, they barely resembled Valkyria. And the reference image that Punk used was also not her best shot, so this was just a way of him trolling along with wishing her. In the caption, Punk wrote,

@wwe Heard it was your birthday, @real_valkyria so I drew you…I hope you like it! I will always be a @real_valkyria fan!!! 💪ðŸ½ðŸ‘ðŸ¼

Valkyria responded positively to the birthday gift, showing her humor and appreciation for what Punk had done for her on her birthday. She wrote,

I have never looked better.”

Lyra Valkyria's comment on CM Punk's Instagram postLyra Valkyria’s comment on CM Punk’s Instagram post

There’s an interesting backstory to this moment, as when Valkyria was 18 years old, she was a huge Punk fan. She actually loved him so much that she painted a picture of him, writing, ‘I will always be a CM Punk fan.’

Years later, both of them are working for WWE, with Punk creating artwork for her birthday. It’s kind of a full-circle moment for Valkyria in a way.

CM Punk Nearing Another World Title Opportunity

On the October 13 episode of WWE RAW, Punk beat LA Knight and Jey Uso in a triple-threat match to become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, just two days after Seth Rollins became the 2025 Crown Jewel Champion. But due to his shoulder injury, which he suffered while delivering the coast-to-coast headbutt to Cody Rhodes, the Visionary had to relinquish the title, leaving Punk without an opponent.

On the October 20 episode of WWE RAW, Uso controversially won a 20-man Battle Royal to challenge Punk on Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1. If Punk emerges victorious, he can finally have a long title run in the company after over a decade, as Rollins, who vowed not to let Punk become the champion, is out of action. It would still be interesting to see how the Brons, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, react to the result of the match, or whether they interfere during the match.

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According to a new report, there is concern in WWE that Seth Rollins may need surgery.

Rollins is believed to have suffered a shoulder injury during his match against Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia on Saturday. The belief is the injury occurred on the coast-to-coast headbutt spot he did during the bout.

PWInsider is reporting that some in WWE are worried Rollins may require either shoulder or rotator cuff surgery. However, others within the company are said to be taking a “wait and see†approach, given the faked knee injury angle Rollins was involved in earlier this year.

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the injury on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Both believe the injury is legitimate, though Meltzer noted that some in WWE remain skeptical due to the prior storyline.

Meltzer said:

“Seth Rollins was tentatively scheduled to wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. I donâ€t know this, but I have been told enough things to where I expected that there would be a turn on Seth Rollins at some point because the whole thing with this faction was not about Seth Rollins, it was about Bron Breakker, and about making Bron Breakker into the next Roman Reigns. Now, how they would do that, I wasnâ€t told that.â€

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The question caused Lakers coach JJ Redick to say he was “not being combative” with his answer.

Asked if the Lakers are missing opportunities to practice more and build on-court chemistry because of their busy six-game preseason slate, Redick was quick to wonder why reporters were so concerned about the situation.

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“You guys are really harping on this,†Redick responded.

So, Redick was asked, is it a thing or is it not a thing?

“And Iâ€m not being combative right now,†Redick said. “I just want to acknowledge that you guys, like the last four days, like itâ€s becoming a little bit obsessive with all these questions about opportunities lost. So, I will answer it again. These are the cards that we were dealt. I sure would like everybody to be healthy.â€

Making the most out of the situation, the Lakers held off the Golden State Warriors 126-116 Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena despite not playing with LeBron James (sciatica), Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart (achilles tendinopathy).

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The Lakers have three more preseason games, Tuesday at Phoenix, Wednesday at Las Vegas against the Dallas Mavericks and Friday against the visiting Sacramento Kings — four games over a six-day span.

Redick was reminded that the Lakers as an organization have chosen to play six preseason games — the maximum allowed by the NBA.

“Itâ€s something to be discussed I think going forward,†Redick said. “I think itâ€s awesome. I really do because we got to play in Palm Springs and I think itâ€s awesome that we get to play in Vegas and I recognize that thereâ€s Lakers fans all over the world that maybe donâ€t get the chance to see us play.

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“You hope that we can find some sort of balance in the future to get more practice time, less travel time. Iâ€m sure at some point weâ€ll be one of the teams going overseas, so then that adds another scenario.”

Lakers coach JJ Redick talks to guard Austin Reaves during the first half against Golden State on Sunday night.

Lakers coach JJ Redick talks to guard Austin Reaves during the first half against Golden State on Sunday night. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Redick did say for training camp purposes, practice tends to be more helpful in team building than preseason games.

“I think more practices would be beneficial,” Redick said. “I do think the exposure to a game situation and playing against an opponent is very beneficial. You donâ€t have a lot of days anymore and to try to cram six games in there [and] four games in six nights, itâ€s significantly difficult.â€

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In game three of the preseason for the Lakers, Austin Reaves (21 points), Dalton Knecht (16), Rui Hachimura (16) and Deandre Ayton (14 points, eight rebounds, five assists) were on top of their games.

Note: Redick said the plan is for Smart to “get two games [in] this week.â€

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Las Vegas Raiders veteran quarterback Geno Smith’s early struggles this season are reportedly starting to raise questions about his effectiveness as a starter.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that he feels the Raiders are “mildly concerned” about Smith’s performance amid their 1-4 start to the season. However, Fowler noted that it’s unlikely that Las Vegas will make a change anytime soon.

“The Raiders know Smith has to play better — and soon — but there’s no sentiment that Smith is a broken quarterback,” Fowler stated. “So I’m not expecting him to get benched or anything this week. Scouts I’ve talked to believe Smith has been too late with the ball this season and is relying on arm talent to force throws into tight windows.”

Smith threw for 228 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in a demoralizing 40-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday. Through five games, he’s thrown for 1,176 yards, six touchdowns and a league-high nine interceptions.

Still, Fowler gave Smith the benefit of the doubt and said that his two picks against the Colts “weren’t blatantly bad decisions.” ESPN’s Dan Graziano added that while there’s a chance the Raiders consider making the switch to backup quarterback Kenny Pickett at some point this season, the team’s struggles aren’t solely because of Smith.

“What I’m hearing from a lot from people around the league is that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme isn’t creating enough advantages to overcome the Raiders’ personnel deficiencies, and there’s no margin for error if Smith keeps turning the ball over as much as he has,” Graziano stated.

Smith and the Raiders will try to end their four-game losing streak when they meet the Tennessee Titans (1-4) in Week 6.

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A recent ratings development made WWE think twice about its future plans.

Last fall, Nielsen Media Research launched the Big Data + Panel methodology, which means a combination of granular datasets (or big data) with a smaller demographic panel. This was done to create a more comprehensive measurement of TV and cross-platform audience. With the new methodology, Nielsen is measuring the minutes of viewing across streaming applications, set-top boxes, and smart TVs across 45 million households and 75 million devices. The move will have an immediate impact on wrestling shows, since the ratings measurements are based on how many people are watching the show, specifically the key demographic. Meanwhile, TNA President Carlos Silva has since stated that his company is gunning for a new television deal, but the recent move from Nielsen could change everything for the Nashville-based promotion.

In a new report from Fightful Select, a WWE production source claimed that the new Nielsen TV ratings measurement system might not work in TNA’s favor. However, Silva made it clear that the development hasn’t been brought up as they will have an upcoming important call which centers around the new TV deal negotiations. WWE production sources have also reportedly expressed concern about the matter.

Carlos Silva also stated that they have an important call this week for an upcoming TV deal.

TNA star Joe Hendry Competed At A WWE NXT Event Ahead Of ShowDown

NXT had a non-televised event last Saturday in Gainesville, Florida, as their Showdown in TNA is just a week away. Joe Hendry was the lone representative of TNA in the aforementioned show.

In the main event, Hendry defeated DarkState’s Cutler James.

The Prestigious One is currently not a member of Team TNA in the men’s team, as he wasn’t selected by team captain Mike Santana. He will be appearing on the show in a special new role.

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TNA is currently eyeing a $10 million media deal for a weekly live show and negotiations are still underway. However, it seems WWE is concerned that the new Nielsen ratings might negatively impact the negotiations.

According to Fightful Select, a WWE production source shared concern that the recent Nielsen TV ratings changes could end up being used against TNA during their efforts to secure a new television deal.

However, TNAâ€s Carlos Silva clarified that this issue hasnâ€t come up in their talks so far. He added that the company has an important call scheduled this week to keep progress moving on a potential new deal.

“One WWE production source expressed concern that the new numbers and data from the Nielsen TV ratings changes could be used to negotiate against TNA as they try to land a new television deal.

TNAâ€s Carlos Silva said that such a thing hasnâ€t even been brought up to TNA during negotiations and that they have an important call this week to keep wheels on their possible upcoming deal is going.â€

This comes after Carlos Silva already noted that there have been major discussions in recent months that have helped move things forward when it comes to a TNA television deal.

Despite concerns about how the Nielsen rating changes might affect wrestling shows overall, Carlos Silvaâ€s remarks makes it clear that TNA remains confident in its standing and expects to secure a strong and stable TV deal as it moves toward 2026. So weâ€ll have to see where TNA ends up eventually.

What do you think about WWEâ€s concern over the Nielsen ratings changes? Do you believe this could truly impact TNAâ€s chances at a major television deal, or is the company strong enough to overcome it? Sound off in the comments.

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When it comes to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, the Golden State Warriors “remain concerned about his fit when the full core is healthy,” according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

Slater pointed out how the final stretch of the 2024-25 season underscored the dilemma with the 22-year-old.

Kuminga missed the final game of the regular season and suited up just twice in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets. Stephen Curry’s hamstring injury necessitated his inclusion back in the lineup, and he averaged 24.3 points on 55.4 percent shooting in Golden State’s last four contests with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.

Kuminga will understandably point to that sample as evidence of what he can do with a larger role. The Warriors, for their part, will argue they didn’t win any of those four games and that playing well without Curry doesn’t prove much when the two-time MVP is such a huge component of their offense.

The two sides remain deadlocked, though a resolution could come soon. Kuminga has until Oct. 1 to sign the one-year qualifying offer, and signing that would set him up for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Should the 6’8″ forward want more financial security, the saga will drag on indeterminately.

Slater and ESPN colleague Shams Charania reported on Sept. 15 that Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. presented Kuminga’s reps with a three-year, $75.2 million offer. The Warriors want a team option in Year 3, which is a sticking point in negotiations.

In terms of a full guaranteed deal, Golden State is only prepared to give him $54 million over three years.

The lack of tangible progress speaks for itself and the longer this goes on the harder it is to picture Kuminga having a long-term future in the Bay Area.

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