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£27m Arsenal man looks set to leave on loan, agreement reached with European club
Marseille have reached an agreement with Arsenal over a season-long loan deal for William Saliba, French publication L’Equipe reports. The centre-back arrived at the Gunners from Saint-Etienne in 2019, but he was immediately loaned back to the French side. He was anticipated to make his Gunners debut last term, but he failed to do so before he was loaned out to Nice at the turn of the year. Earlier yesterday, David Ornstein confirmed that Marseille are fancied to sign Saliba on loan, but they have yet to finalise a deal. It is now reported that Les Phoceens have secured an agreement. The 20-year-old is set to continue his development in the French top-flight. Sportslens view: Saliba has a good following among the Gunners faithful despite him yet to make his debut. His upcoming loan move ha...
Former Arsenal star fluffs his lines as £90 million man flops
The first two European Championship quarter-finals didn’t disappoint, with Spain and Italy progressing after two entertaining matches. Spain defeated Switzerland on penalties in the opening fixture, while Italy deservedly defeated over-hyped Belgium in the second game. Ahead of the remaining two quarter-finals, we take a look at a few Euro 2020 talking points from the last 24 hours. Keown fluffs his lines If you’ve been following this column during the tournament, you will know that we’ve not been overly enamoured with some of the co-commentators and pundits. Robbie Savage? Biased. Danny Murphy? Lousy. Jermaine Jenas? Terrible. After last night’s games, we have another addition to the list – Martin Keown. Keown” “its been the game of the tournament” LOL. and he gets paid for this? Best tea...
Burnley, Brenford keen on 25-year-old who won three aerial duels per game last season
Burnley and Brentford are leading the race to sign West Bromwich Albion right-back Darnell Furlong this summer, Football Insider reports. The 25-year-old was one of the Baggies’ consistent performers last term, and he could be heading for a return to the top-flight. He has two years left on his contract, and it is reported that the Midlands outfit could be prepared to sanction his departure. Burnley and newly-promoted Brentford are keen on Furlong, who started his playing career with Queens Park Rangers. Sportslens view: Furlong was a regular starter for the Baggies last season, missing just three top-flight games over the course of the campaign. The right-back impressed with his work rate and physical presence. He won more than three aerial duels per game alongside two clearances. He...
Arsenal star on his way out of the club, will finalise move on Monday
Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is reportedly closing in on a move to Marseille on a four-year deal. According to journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter, the 22-year-old will be in France on Monday to finalise the deal. Marseille will pay an initial €1 million to take Guendouzi on loan, with a further €11m to be paid when the transfer becomes permanent. SL View Guendouzi fell out of favour at Arsenal towards the end of the 2019/20 season after an on-field altercation during a game against Brighton & Hove Albion. He briefly grabbed Neal Maupay by the neck as he was angry with the striker’s involvement in Bernd Leno’s knee injury. Mikel Arteta was unimpressed with Guendouzi’s antics and axed him from his plans. The Frenchman spent most of last season on loan at Hertha Berlin, and his perfor...
Leeds allegedly now very close to attacking midfielder deal as Bielsa transfer assault continues
Leeds are closing in on the signing of Sean McGurk from Wigan Athletic, according to The Times journalist Paul Joyce. Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa seems determined to bolster his ranks at Elland Road this summer. A deal to sign Junior Firpo from Barcelona seems close (Leeds Live), and links with Cagliari ace Nahitan Nandez refuse to go away (La Nuova Sardegna). Now it seems as though the Yorkshire outfit are looking closer to home. Leeds closing in on McGurk The Times’ journalist Paul Joyce claims that the Wigan ace could be imminently set to move to Elland Road: Leeds United close to a deal for Wigan teenager Sean McGurk. Fee of around £175,000 has been discussed but transfer may yet be settled by tribunal. — paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) July 3, 2021 McGurk is incredibly talented. The...
Report: Aston Villa are eyeing £30m winger as Smith-Rowe alternative
Aston Villa are eyeing up a move to sign Burnley winger Dwight McNeil according to a report from The Athletic. Read also: Tammy Abraham update It is suggested that signing the 21-year-old Clarets ace is a backup plan for the Villans. That’s if they fail to land Arsenal ace Emile Smith-Rowe this summer. Dean Smith has already been active in the market but he clearly has further ambitious plans lined up. Emi Buendia arrived at Villa Park from Norwich City last month and it seems as though the West Midlands outfit are determined to continue their assault on the transfer market. Aston Villa are allegedly eyeing a move to sign Dwight McNeil. Editorial use only DataCo restrictions apply See www.football-dataco.com PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK , Copyright: xCraigxGallowayx PSI-12668-0056 Aston Vill...
Arsenal ‘very confident’ of signing £50m-rated star, deal could be finalised after Euros – report
Arsenal are very confident of signing Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White despite the late approach from Everton, Football Insider reports. The Gunners have identified the England international as their top defensive target, and they are in advanced negotiations with Brighton over a deal. It was recently reported that the Toffees could hijack their pursuit after a late bid, but the Gunners are confident of signing White after England’s Euro 2020 campaign. The club are likely to finalise a package of around £50 million including add-ons for the centre-back, who missed just two games in the Premier League last term. Sportslens view: Gunners boss Mikel Arteta wants a new right-footed centre-back in the squad after the recent departure of David Luiz. White looks set to fill the ...
Copa America: Brazil and Peru reach semi-finals
The knockout stages of the Copa America are underway, and they’ve begun with a bang. The first game of the evening came in Goiania, as Peru faced Paraguay. Then it was the big one, with holders and favourites Brazil coming up against 2015 and 2016 champions Chile. Here is how the games went. Peru 3-3 Paraguay (Peru win on penalties) Lapadula got himself a brace The first knockout tie of the competition brought us the highest scoring game, with Peru and Paraguay playing out an absolute cracker. Paraguay took the lead early on when captain Gustavo Gomez bundled in from a corner. But this lead lasted fewer than ten minutes, as Gianluca Lapadula tapped home an equaliser from Andre Carrillo’s cross. Things got a whole lot trickier for Paraguay in the lead up to half time. Lapadula notched his s...
Tactical Analysis: How Italy outclassed Belgium in the Euros
The 16th edition of the European Championships continued to deliver football and entertainment of the highest order as we entered the quarterfinal stage, and the biggest clash of the last-eight featured Belgium and Italy, who squared off in the Allianz Arena in Munich. Both sides had exited in the quarterfinals in Euro 2016, but one of their fates was set to change here. Belgium had a couple of key players including Eden Hazard out due to injury, while Italy were fit and firing as Roberto Mancini had a winning formula working brilliantly even before the group stage started. After a hard-fought 90 minutes, Italy emerged 2-1 winners thanks to a couple of very good finishes in the first half. In this analysis, we will take a look at how Roberto Mancini’s side were able to beat the Belgians, a...
‘Fans will be expecting quality’ – Player tipped to shine at Celtic if deal is agreed
Celtic sold Jeremie Frimpong to Bayer Leverkusen in January while Jonjoe Kenny has returned to Everton after a loan spell, so the Hoops are left with Anthony Ralston at right-back who made just one appearance last season. Ange Postecoglou is looking to strengthen in this position and the Sheffield Star say Sheffield United’s George Baldock is on their radar. The 28-year-old was a regular under Chris Wilder last season and Alex McLeish believes he’ll be a great acquisition for the Hoops. He told Football Insider: “Celtic fans will be looking for the big names. Ok, George has been a tried and tested Premier League player for the last couple of years with Sheffield United and got promotion the year before. “The Celtic fans will still be expecting really high levels of quality from George. If ...
‘Makes sense’, ‘Not serious’: Some Arsenal fans react to David Ornstein update on player
Some Arsenal fans have produced a mixed reaction on Twitter after learning that William Saliba could be loaned out to Marseille next season. The 20-year-old joined the club from Saint-Etienne for around £27 million, but he has yet to make a competitive appearance for them. He was anticipated to make his debut last term, but did not play under Mikel Arteta before he was loaned out to Nice at the turn of the year. The club are now prioritising a move for another centre-back. They are in advanced negotiations with Brighton & Hove Albion for Ben White. According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the Gunners are willing to loan out Saliba for another season to secure regular first-team football. A move to Marseille appears on the cards, but a loan fee remains to be negotiated. It is re...
‘What a player’: Some Chelsea fans praise ‘masterclass’ performance of €40m-rated star
A selection of Chelsea fans on Twitter heaped praise on midfielder Jorginho, who produced a sublime midfield display during Italy’s 2-1 win over Belgium at Euro 2020. The Azzurri booked their spot in the last four of the tournament with goals from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne. Romelu Lukaku scored from the spot for Belgium. Jorginho was one of the many standout performers for the Azzurri on the night. He was splendid with his distribution with 71 of his 72 attempted passes completed. The 29-year-old also won five ground duels, and lost possession on just three occasions. Some of the Blues supporters were delighted with his near flawless performance for the national team, and here are a few reactions on Twitter. The last time Jorginho lost a game with Italy was in 2018 vs Portugal. A ...
