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‘No, no, no’: Arsenal boss set to miss a trick after ruling out intriguing move
Mikel Arteta’s decision to rule Arsenal out of running to sign Sergio Aguero could be a huge blunder on his part. With doubts over the futures of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, the Gunners may need to strengthen their forward options this summer. However, in his press conference for Arsenal’s game against Liverpool this weekend, Arteta dismissed the idea that he could make a move for Aguero. “No, no, no – we will see what happens with him in the future,” he said. SL View Aguero has been hugely successful at Manchester City, firing 257 goals in 384 appearances for the club. City’s decision to allow him to leave on a free transfer this summer is undoubtedly surprising given what he has achieved there. Injuries and illness have limited the 32-year-old’s impact this season,...
‘I am very happy’: Mikel Arteta reacts to speculation over £182,000-a-week Arsenal star
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reacted to the recent speculation regarding the future of Alexandre Lacazette. The striker is currently in his fourth season with the Gunners and has been a quality signing with 61 goals and 28 assists from 161 appearances. He was in-and-out of the starting line-up during the first half of the season but has established himself as a regular in recent months. Before the international break, Lacazette was in fine form with three goals in four league outings, but speculation has continued over his future. His current contract expires in June next year, and it has been reported that Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Roma are keeping tabs on him. When asked about the transfer rumours, Arteta said that he is always happy when his players are linked and speculated abou...
Man United receive boost with 23-year-old star open to transfer, will cost over £35m
Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White is open to the idea of joining Manchester United in the next transfer window, Manchester Evening News reports. The Red Devils are likely to pursue a new centre-back this summer, and they have recently been linked with Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde. It is now reported that White is another player the club have been closely tracking, and the player would be open to a move to Old Trafford this summer. However, Brighton are reluctant to sell the 23-year-old, whose contract only expires in June 2024, and they could demand over £35 million to sanction his sale. Sportslens view: White impressed for Leeds United in the Championship last term, and that earned him his Premier League debut with the Seagulls this season. He has pl...
March International Break Round-Up – Manchester City
With the March international break reaching its conclusion, players only have a short amount of time before they’re expected to be back in action with their club sides over the Easter weekend. Manchester City visit Leicester City on Saturday, and we’re going to look at how the 15 internationals in Pep Guardiola’s squad fared during their respective national duties ahead of that game. ENGLAND Four of City’s squad were called up to Gareth Southgate’s national team squad for their World Cup qualifiers, and all four will be at least reasonably happy with their playing time across the three matches – all of which were victories. Centre-back John Stones was back in the national team setup for the first time since November 2019 and played the first half of a 5-0 victory over San Marino at Wembley...
“I had some difficulties…”: Everton star reveals how manager turned his fortunes around
Everton forward Richarlison has revealed the reason behind his upturn in form, citing a chat with Carlo Ancelotti as the defining factor. The Brazilian scored 13 goals in the Premier League last season but struggled to find any form during the first half of the current campaign. Richarlison only netted twice before the turn of the year but has now scored four goals in his last six games. The 23-year-old has now revealed that his upturn in form is largely down to Ancelotti. “I had some difficulties at the start of the season, so I went to speak to the boss and said I was doing a lot of marking, defending a lot – I was back there with Yerry Mina,” Richarlison explained to Everton’s official website. “I said I wanted to be closer to the opponents’ goal, closer to the box. “He changed my...
Troop arrests 23 ‘bandits’ in Plateau
The Operation Safe Haven also known as the Special Task Force (STF) has arrested 17 suspected kidnappers and five Armed robbers for attempted kidnapping and robbery in at Lishin village, in Pengana Chiefdom in Bassa and Lamingo in Jos North Local Government Areas of Plateau State. Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Dominic Onyemulu stated this while parading the suspects at the Command headquarters in Jos and vowed to make his area of operation uncomfortable for kidnappers and other criminal elements. “On the 16 of March, troops of Operation Safe Haven responded to a distress call on an attempted kidnap of one Alh. Gambo Yawurp from his residence at Lishin village in Pengana Chiefdom Bassa LGA. “Troops in collection with vigilante members and locals foiled the attempt kidnappin...
March International Break Round-Up – Manchester United
With the March international break reaching its conclusion, players only have a short amount of time before they’re expected to be back in action with their club sides over the Easter weekend. Ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, we’re going to take a look at how the 15 internationals in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad fared during their respective national duties. ENGLAND What started as four call-ups from Old Trafford to Gareth Southgate’s squad ended in four and a loanee as Marcus Rashford was forced to withdraw from international duty before a ball had been kicked, opting to focus on rehabilitation from an injury instead. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson joined the Three Lions squad but failed to make an appearance across the three World Cup qualification v...
Popular pundit reckons 29-cap Int’l ‘could be the ideal replacement’ for Celtic star
Celtic are expected to move for a new striker at the end of this season and popular pundit Paul Robinson believes that Divock Origi would be a good signing for them. Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson said: “It is time for Origi to step up. Could he replace Edouard at Celtic? He could be the ideal replacement if he can perform consistently. “Origi is a top talent and a top athlete. He has been known as a super sub and he has scored some incredible late goals. But he needs to go and play regularly now, that is the only way he will develop further. “He is capable of scoring goals, we have seen that. Can he do it consistently for a season though? An amazing player on his day but it remains to be seen as to whether he can do it game after game. “It would be a risk for Celtic to ...
Former Villa star reckons 24-yr-old England Int’l would be ‘perfect’ for Smith’s side
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli was heavily linked with a move away from the London club during the January transfer window. The 24-year-old England international has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs since the arrival of Jose Mourinho and he needs to play regular first-team football in order to recapture his form and confidence. According to the former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, the highly talented midfielder would be a superb signing for the West Midlands club. He said to Football Insider: “I just don’t see Spurs letting him go for that amount of money (rumoured asking price of £25m), to be honest. He’s still young. Daniel Levy will want more than that. “If that was the fee, I’d definitely expect Aston Villa to go for him. I think he’d be perfect for Aston Vill...
‘Could be a massive coup’ – Some Celtic fans react to club’s approach for 43-yr-old manager
Celtic have been linked with a move for the former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe in recent weeks and STV are reporting that the Scottish outfit have made an approach now. Being reported that @CelticFC have made contact with Eddie Howe over vacant manager’s job. — Jim White (@JimWhite) April 1, 2021 Howe is currently out of a job and it will be interesting to see if the Hoops can finalise his appointment over the next few weeks. Celtic parted ways with Neil Lennon midway through the season because of a series of poor performances in Europe and in the league. Former assistant manager John Kennedy is currently the interim boss at Parkhead. The Hoops need to bring in someone who can rebuild the side and add an exciting style of play. The fans were not too happy with the playing style under Le...
Everton face battle to keep starlet Thierry Small as Premier League clubs circle
Everton could lose starlet Thierry Small this summer, with the Express claiming he could snub a new deal in favour of first-team football elsewhere. Small first joined Everton aged 11, having spent time with West Bromwich Albion before that. He has earned rave reviews in the Everton youth system since then. Those performances saw the player handed a first-team opportunity, making his senior debut for Everton in the FA Cup clash with Sheffield Wednesday in January. That appearance also made Small the club’s youngest ever player, aged 16 years and 176 days on his debut. However, it has been somewhat difficult for the exciting left-back over the past few months. With Lucas Digne’s form impressive and Niels Nkounkou in reserve, first-team opportunities for Small have been hard to com...
Barcelona meet with Erling Haaland’s representatives to discuss summer transfer
Alf-Inge Haaland and Mino Raiola, father and agent of Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Braut Haaland, have touched down in Barcelona to discuss a possible transfer in the summer. Haaland has become one of the world’s most sought after players following his breakthrough at the beginning of last season. He has netted an astonishing 49 goals in 49 appearances for Borussia Dortmund since his transfer in January 2020. Haaland is a man in high demand This has led to widespread speculation about his future, with many of Europe’s biggest clubs chasing the Norwegian. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have all been named as his next possible destination. But it appears as if Barcelona are leading the race for his signature, after the pl...
