Our daily round-up of the latest news from clubs and players across the Premier League
Here is your daily briefing for the latest Premier League stories on Tuesday 21 April.
Stats show City’s title charge can survive Rodri absence
Pep Guardiola has revealed that Rodri is out of Manchester City‘s crucial Premier League game against Burnley – but how big a blow will losing the Ballon d’Or winner be?
Rodri has been one of the game’s leading defensive midfielders during his seven years at the Etihad Stadium and his influence on Guardiola’s team is clear in the numbers.
According to Opta, Man City have won 140 of the 195 games he has played — a win rate of 71.8 per cent. In the 65 games he has missed, they have won 39, dropping the win percentage to 60.
With Rodri in the side, they score slightly more goals — averaging 2.4 per game compared to 2.1 — and concede slightly fewer: 0.8 versus 1.1.
Man City are in a groove right now, winning three straight games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal with an unchanged starting outfield 10.
You might then expect Rodri’s influence this season to follow the same pattern. But the statistics tell a different story.
Rodri has played 20 league games this season and City have won only half of them. During his two-month injury absence between November and January, they won 10 of 12 league matches – an impressive 83.3 per cent.
They have conceded the same average goals per game — 0.9 — but have scored more than one goal per game more without him in the side.
Guardiola did not rule out Rodri returning for the remainder of The Run In. “We’ll see for the next games — the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton [on Saturday] or 12 days later for the Premier League game at Everton,” he said.
Wenger makes Arsenal title prediction
If anyone understands Arsenal and winning Premier League titles, it is Arsene Wenger.
The former manager won the trophy three times with Arsenal, including the club’s most recent triumph in 2004.
He has now backed his former club to get over the line this season as they enter the final stages of a tense title race with Man City.
Arsenal were nine points clear less than two weeks ago, but after Man City’s win at the Etihad on Sunday, Guardiola’s side have the chance to go top on goal difference with a win against Burnley on Wednesday evening.
Man City’s remaining fixtures are, on paper, tougher than Arsenal’s as four of their five games after they face Burnley are against top-half opponents.
“I believe that Arsenal will win the league,” Wenger said at an Abbey Road Studios fundraiser for The Twinning Project.
“I deeply believe. It looks, to me, like common sense. I like Eze, Odegaard, Havertz and Madueke’s attacking [intent at the Etihad]. Manchester City will not make the perfect run-in.”
The BBC’s Monday Night Club radio programme also posed an interesting debate: whether Arsenal’s final run-in mirrors Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters playoff win against Justin Rose.
When McIlroy lost a four-stroke lead and it went to a playoff, his caddie Harry Diamond said: “We would have taken this on Monday morning.”
Would Arsenal have taken being level on points with Man City with five games to play at the start of the season?
Bournemouth’s new Rose
AFC Bournemouth‘s outgoing manager Andoni Iraola believes the club “will be in very good hands” when Marco Rose replaces him in the summer.
Bournemouth confirmed on Monday the German coach will join when Iraola steps down at the end of the season.
Iraola will be a hard act to follow, but Rose shares many of his traits. He is credited with helping develop Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund and Dominik Szoboszlai at RB Leipzig.
Rose also guided Borussia Monchengladbach to Champions League qualification on a limited budget.
“He’s a great manager,” Iraola said. “I praised him a few years ago, I always liked his teams and I hope he continues that.
“They should be happy because he’s someone who can definitely improve the team. I’m sure the players are happy they know what’s happening.”
Iraola can leave his successor the gift of European football if Bournemouth maintain their current form. They are on the Premier League’s longest unbeaten run this season after winning or drawing their last 13 matches.
A draw or win against Leeds United on Wednesday will move them into sixth place.
However, Iraola cautioned: “It’s going to be so difficult for us because we are competing [for a European place] against not one or two but a lot of teams.”
‘Best couple of weeks’ ever for Leeds
Daniel Farke has described the current period as “one of the best couple of weeks in Leeds’ modern history”.
Leeds had been sliding towards the relegation battle involving Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
But back-to-back victories against Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have eased them away from the bottom three. Victory against Bournemouth would take them to 42 points and all but guarantee safety.
Following that, Leeds face Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
While Farke is enjoying the moment, he will not allow his players to ease off.
“We have achieved a lot but nothing is done yet,” the Leeds manager said. “We want and need more points, so we will stay with the foot on the gas.
“It’s one battle after the other. We concentrate always on the next game and we have five opportunities to win more points. That’s the mindset we go with and we are highly motivated to win as many points as possible in a difficult away game against Bournemouth.”
Wolves fans ‘deserve better’
Relegation had been looming for Wolves for several months, but this made it no less painful when their fate was confirmed by West Ham’s draw with Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Nathan Shi has been Wolves’ interim executive chairman since December and, with relegation likely then, started planning for life outside the Premier League.
“You deserve better, and giving you a club you can genuinely be proud of is what drives everything we do from this point forward,” Shi told the club’s website.
Wolves were last relegated from the Premier League in the 2011/12 season. Demotion to League One came the following year, but they came straight back up from that division as champions with 103 points. Four seasons in the Championship later, they returned to the top flight.
They have since enjoyed eight consecutive seasons in the Premier League, including two seventh-placed finishes.
“Confirmation of our relegation is a difficult moment for everyone connected to Wolves,” Shi said. “While this is a deeply disappointing outcome, work has been under way since my arrival in December to ensure we are ready to respond with clarity and conviction.
“We are clear on what needs to improve, and our focus is now on strengthening the club, building momentum, and creating a team our supporters can believe in. We know what is required and will approach the months ahead with purpose.”