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Tag: Premier League

  • Odegaard has taken Arsenal to another level – Merson

    Odegaard has taken Arsenal to another level – Merson

    Paul Merson admits he’s a fan of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and his impact on the team this season.

    Merson thinks Odegaard has taken Arsenal to ‘another level’ and he is the fifth-best midfielder in the Premier League today.

    “At the moment, I’ll put Martin Odegaard at #5 because he’s taken Arsenal to another level this season,” said Merson to Sportskeeda. “He’s got a swagger about the way he plays and moves, while he’s also added goals to his game.

    “Odegaard has been around for a while, so it’s easy to forget he’s only 23. The fact that he’s Arsenal’s captain at such a young age shows how highly Mikel Arteta rates him. I like Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Phil Foden, and the likes, but Odegaard is someone who has already made a massive impact this season.

    “He plays in a position where he has to make things happen and he’s done just that as Arsenal find themselves at the top of the Premier League table with 18 points from seven games.

    “Foden is an unreal talent too, but if he doesn’t play for Manchester City, they’ve got the likes of Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez to deputize for him.”

  • Two Premier League clubs wanted me – Richarlison

    Two Premier League clubs wanted me – Richarlison

    Richarlison admits choosing Tottenham over Chelsea and Arsenal when leaving Everton this summer.

    Things could have turned out differently for Richarlison, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea eyeing a move during the window.

    With that interest though, he has since spoken about what influenced his move in an interview with ourFourTwo, saying: “I was on holiday in Brazil when I heard that Tottenham had made Everton an offer.

    “I was happy, because they are a huge team. Then it was all about the clubs negotiating a deal, and fortunately everything went well. Antonio Conte called me during the negotiations and expressed how much he’d like to have me on board – that was vital for my decision.”

    When asked about the interest from London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, he added: “I know Chelsea made an offer, and I believe Arsenal also contacted Everton to ask about my situation, but Spurs came in and paid the fee, you know? It’s as simple as that.

    “Everton had to sell some players to avoid a Financial Fair Play problem, and the negotiations were very brief, to be honest. I signed the contract during my holiday in the Pantanal [a remote region of Brazil].”

  • Chelsea sack commercial director just month into job

    Chelsea sack commercial director just month into job

    Chelsea said they have terminated the employment of commercial director Damian Willoughby with immediate effect.

    The English Premier League side said Willoughby’s sacking came after receiving evidence he had sent “inappropriate messages” before his appointment.

    Willoughby began working at Chelsea earlier this month following the club’s take-over by an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

    “Evidence of inappropriate messages sent by Mr. Willoughby, prior to his appointment at Chelsea FC earlier this month, has recently been provided to and investigated by the club,” a club spokesperson told Reuters.

    “While they were sent prior to his employment at the club, such behaviour runs absolutely counter to the workplace environment and corporate culture being established by the club’s new ownership.”

    Willoughby has yet to reply to a request for comment from Reuters.

    It was reported in British media that Willoughby had been sending the messages to a football finance agent from last year.

    The report added that Willoughby’s lawyers had declined to comment.

  • Xhaka has proved me wrong this season – Ian Wright

    Xhaka has proved me wrong this season – Ian Wright

    Ian Wright has hailed Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka for his role in the club’s uptick in fortunes.

    The Swiss international has long been criticized by Wright and other pundits for his performances.

    However, he has established himself as a pivotal member of manager Mikel Arteta’s setup at the table-topping Gunners.

    “For me, Granit Xhaka is a player that we’re finally seeing playing like he does for Switzerland,” Wright said on Match of the Day.

    “He’s playing in a position that suits him, playing more offensively. He’s playing with real authority and confidence.

    “Lately he’s been able to find space and from there he can be really dangerous because, for me, he’s got easily one of the best left-foots in the Premier League.

    “It’s a great cross for the Jesus goal, it’s fantastic. He can also do the defensive stuff, he gets back and get his foot in there.

    “He set the tempo for Arsenal off the ball. I’m really pleased for him because I was one of his staunchest critics. But now we’re seeing the best of Granit Xhaka.”

  • RB Leipzig’s Mintzlaff shuns Chelsea job offer

    RB Leipzig’s Mintzlaff shuns Chelsea job offer

    Chelsea Football Club contacted RB Leipzig managing director Oliver Mintzlaff about joining the English Premier League side in a similar role but the German declined the offer.

    The 47-year-old was one of several candidates but after the transfer window closed, he told Chelsea he would stay with the German Cup winners, where he has a contract until 2026.

    New Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has expressed his interest in the Red Bull model, with effective farm teams in operation across the globe.

    According to reports, American Boehly is now close to appointing Red Bull Salzburg’s sporting director Christoph Freund as the key football man at Stamford Bridge.

    RB Leipzig are also hoping to appoint former Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl to the same role from January.

    This is to enable Mintzlaff concentrate on his original operations role, rather than detailed football analysis.

    The post has been vacant for over a year.

  • Nwaneri makes history as Arsenal cruise back to top of Premier League

    Nwaneri makes history as Arsenal cruise back to top of Premier League

    Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest ever Premier League player at 15 years and 181 days as the Gunners defeated Brentford to return to the top of the table.

    Mikel Arteta sent on the schoolboy midfielder in the closing moments with his side leading 3-0.

    Arsenal’s travelling fans greeted Nwaneri’s appearance by singing: “He’s going to school in the morning.”

    William Saliba set Arsenal on their way to a sixth win in seven top-flight games this season after the France defender climbed high to head Bukayo Saka’s corner in off the post.

    It was 2-0 inside the opening half an hour as Brazil forward Jesus, a £45m signing from Manchester City in July, headed Granit Xhaka’s measured chip past David Raya.

    Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira capped a dominant Arsenal display by marking his first Premier League start since joining from Porto with a goal from 25 yards.

    Brentford were unbeaten in their previous three games and could have climbed to fifth in the table with a win, but they rarely threatened as forward Ivan Toney, who has been called up by England for the first time, struggled for service.

    Arsenal had started the weekend top of the table but dropped to third after Manchester City and Tottenham won on Saturday.

    This win, however, put the Gunners on 18 points, one more than their nearest rivals before their next match against Spurs in the north London derby at Emirates Stadium on 1 October

    BBC

  • ​Ex-Arsenal owner reveals biggest transfer regret

    ​Ex-Arsenal owner reveals biggest transfer regret

    Former Arsenal co-owner and vice-chairman David Dein admits he has one major transfer regret.

    Dein’s time in charge at Arsenal is fondly remembered by fans as one of their most successful eras.

    With Arsene Wenger as manager, Dein helped to create a top quality team that challenged in the Premier League and Champions League.

    But one player who got away from them both was Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Manchester United from Sporting CP as a teenager.

    “I was asked by our chief scout if I would go with him to see a young boy playing for the Portugal under-18s and he was only 16,” Dein told Sky Sports.

    “You can probably imagine who that young player was. It was Cristiano Ronaldo.

    “The following day Manchester United came and blew us out of the water but these things happen.”

  • Xabi Alosno reveals influence on Alcantara Liverpool move

    Xabi Alosno reveals influence on Alcantara Liverpool move

    Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has revealed his influence on Thiago Alcantara’s move to the Merseyside club

    The Reds signed Thiago from Bayern Munich two years ago in a deal worth £25million. He has since gone on to win two major trophies and become a key player in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield.

    “We talked a lot that summer because he was thinking about the option,” Xabi, formerly of Liverpool and Bayern, told Liverpoolfc.com.

    “I said, ‘Thiago, you love football, you’re in a great club, you’re in Bayern and you’ve achieved great things, but Liverpool is pure football and you’re going to enjoy it as much as you have done. If you feel it’s the right moment for a new chapter, you won’t get better places than Liverpool’.”

    Reflecting on his time playing alongside Thiago, Xabi added: “You could see that he’s a different player.

    “He’s a different talent because he’s competitive but at the same time he has those magic Brazilian actions that are not that European.

    “He’s competitive but he can do different things. He was a great player at Bayern and he continues being consistent and being a great player at Liverpool.”

  • Kante culls new Chelsea deal

    Kante culls new Chelsea deal

    French professional footballer, N’Golo Kante, has rejected Chelsea’s new contract proposal, with the Frenchman unhappy at the length of the deal on offer.

     

    The Frenchman is out of contract in less than a year’s time, having failed to agree on new terms with the Blues.

     

    Thomas Tuchel spoke openly about the situation with Kante before his departure and suggested that the Frenchman has to compromise over any contract extension because of his injury problems.

     

    Kante has been sidelined regularly over the last two years but he remains the club’s highest-paid player.

     

    The former Leicester City star wants to stay at Stamford Bridge but the club are only offering him an initial two-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.

     

    The Blues gave Kalidou Koulibaly a four-year deal last month, despite the fact that he is the same age as Kante.

     

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also given a three-year deal, despite being two years older than Kante.

     

    The Athletic, therefore, claimed Kante has rejected the club’s proposal and he is holding out for a longer deal.

     

    It comes as two Premier League sides show interest in Kante, with the midfielder free to speak to other clubs from January 1st.

     

    Kante can sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs on January 1st, though English sides would have to wait.

     

    He plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the France national team.

     

    Considered by many to be one of the world’s best midfielders, Kanté is widely praised for his work rate and defensive acumen.

     

    Kanté made his senior professional debut with Boulogne in 2012, appearing as a substitute in one Ligue 2 match, and played an entire season in the third division the following year.

     

    After that, he joined Ligue 2 side Caen on a free transfer, finished third and won promotion to Ligue 1.

     

    He stayed with the club for one more year. In 2015, Kanté joined Leicester City for a fee worth £5.6 million.

     

    Kanté was an integral part of the Leicester City team that went on to become surprise Premier League champions in 2016.

     

    The following year, he joined Chelsea for a fee worth £32 million and again won the league, making him the first outfield player to win consecutive English league titles with different clubs since Eric Cantona in 1992 and 1993.

     

    With Chelsea he has won the FA Cup, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup.

     

    Individually, Kante has been awarded the Premier League Player of the Season, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, the UEFA Men’s Midfielder of the year and the Trophées UNFP for Best French Player Abroad twice.

     

    Kanté made his senior international debut for France in 2016 and was included in the squad that finished runners-up at the 2016 European Championship.

     

    In 2017 Kanté was named the French Player of the Year, a first for a player from the Premier League in seven years, and twelve months later was a key member of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning squad.

  • Premier League club sign Diego Costa

    Premier League club sign Diego Costa

    Premier League club, Wolves have signed former Chelsea striker Diego Costa on a free transfer until the end of the season.

    The 33-year-old has been without a club since leaving Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro in January.

    Costa completed his medical on Thursday last week as cover for new signing Sasa Kalajdzic, who suffered a cruciate injury on his debut.

    “Diego will bring something unique to our dressing room and on the pitch,” said Wolves chairman Jeff Shi.