English Premier League
‘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...
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...
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...
Newcastle reportedly one of several clubs tracking forward scouted by PL big guns
Newcastle United are one of several clubs tracking the progress of Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo, according to TEAMtalk. The 21-year-old has impressed in the Championship this season, scoring two goals and assisting five. Semenyo has also scored a further three goals and assisted two across the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. According to a report from TEAMtalk, those performances piqued the interest of several teams across the Premier League and Championship. Their report claims that Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton, West Ham United, Sheffield United, Norwich City and Watford have been tracking the player this season. However, Crystal Palace are supposedly leading the race to sign Semenyo. Sporting director Dougie Freedman is a ‘huge fan’ of the Eng...
‘What a player’, ‘Baller’: Some Arsenal fans react to the club’s social media update
A selection of Arsenal fans on Twitter have expressed their delight after learning that Martin Odegaard was voted the club’s Player of the Month for March. The Norwegian joined the Gunners on a short-term loan from Real Madrid in January, and he stepped up with his performances before the international break. Odegaard scored his maiden goal for the club with a stunning long-range strike against Olympiacos, and he followed up with a goal in the north London derby triumph. Prior to the internationals, he produced his best performance of his Gunners career as he proved the catalyst for the club’s 3-3 draw at West Ham United from three goals down. Odegaard played in the build-up of all three goals at the London Stadium with his clever distribution. He has now become a firm favourite among the ...
Gary Lineker shares his four-word reaction to West Ham star’s performance for England
England recorded a 2-1 win over Poland in the World Cup qualifiers last night, and midfielder Declan Rice produced an outstanding display for the Three Lions. The West Ham United star has been in red hot form for club and country during the current campaign, and he picked up the man of the match award at the end of the game. An honour to win this award again! 3 wins out of 3 from the boys! Let’s keep pushing❤️🏴 pic.twitter.com/fsZGfhAwxk — Declan Rice (@_DeclanRice) March 31, 2021 Former England international and popular pundit Gary Lineker shared his reaction on Twitter to Rice’s display against Poland. He’s seriously good is @_DeclanRice 👍🏻 https://t.co/yaaBC4ZqNW — Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLi...
