Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal have been linked with a centre-back and inside-forward this summer, but what seems to be ignored is how much they need a central midfielder.
The Gunners seemingly have strength in depth in this area given the personnel in the squad, but all isn’t as it seems at the Emirates. And the sooner they can strengthen the engine room the better. Here’s why….
Santi Cazorla can’t be trusted to make a full recovery
Arsenal are somewhat gambling on Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla to return to action next season despite not knowing when he will be back in full training.
The 32-year-old has suffered setbacks in his recovery and admitted himself that he couldn’t put a date for when he’d be on the pitch again, so w…
Arsenal are getting better value with Alexandre Lacazette than Manchester United will for Alvaro Morata, according to Gerard Houllier.
Lacazette s impending move to the Gunners will reportedly cost a club-record £52million, but Houllier, former boss of Lyon, Liverpool and France, believes that represents a good deal.
He compared the fee to United s big-money 2015 signing of Anthony Martial and current pursuit of Real Madrid forward Morata, likening the soon-to-be Arsenal striker to club legend Ian Wright.
If you compare his statistics to the other strikers, this season he scored 37 goals, Houllier told talkSPORT about Lacazette.
When you think Anthony Martial cost €80million Morata is about to cost €90m, Morata hasn t scored as many goals as Lacaz…
Francisco Trincao will join Barcelona on July 1 after the club confirmed they had agreed a €31million deal with Braga to sign the Portuguese forward.
Trincao will sign a five-year contract at Camp Nou and his release clause has been set at an eye-watering €500m.
The 20-year-old was the joint top-scorer at the 2018 European Under-19 Championships as Portugal claimed victory.
He has featured in 21 games across all competitions for Braga this season, contributing three goals and six assists, after making his first-team debut for the club in December 2018.
Francisco Trincão
Agreement with for Trincão transfer; he ll join FC Barcelona on 1 July 2020.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
A versatile player capable of operating across the f…
Reports about a potential transfer of Paul Pogba from Manchester United to Juventus are picking up pace, especially since agent Mino Raiola declared Italy as the midfielder s second home a few days ago. Now, Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport are saying that the talks about the move have already begun.
Raiola is apparently doing his best to encourage the Serie A champions to make their move, but he has also warned them that everything has to be done in a way that ensures Manchester United are respected, without any kind of forcing. Meanwhile, Juventus are aware that bringing the 26-year-old back to Turin won t be cheap, and if he follows the 2018 World Cup with this year s European title with France, the price will climb even further.
United are also worried about wha…
Kylian Mbappe conceded Paris Saint-Germain did not do enough to top their Champions League group, which Benfica topped in dramatic circumstances on Wednesday.
Goals from Mbappe and Nuno Mendes at Juventus, either side of Leonardo Bonucci s equaliser, seemed to have Christophe Galtier s side on course to top Group H courtesy of a 2-1 triumph.
However, Benfica scored five unanswered second-half goals at Maccabi to win 6-1, the latter of which from Joao Mario in the 92nd minute snatched top spot on away goals scored.
For the first instance in Champions League history, PSG and Benfica could not be separated by their head-to-head record, goals scored or conceded, though Mbappe suggested his side should have done more.
During the match, we did not know, but in…
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Looking to make an immediate return to winning ways this weekend, Napoli will make the trip to the Gewiss Stadium on Saturday evening when they meet Atalanta.
Atalanta
Starting with the hosts, while Atalanta might have been frustrated after missing out on a European spot last season, La Dea appear to have put those issues behind them. Despite suffering a downbeat 2-0 loss at home against Lazio on October 23rd, Gian Piero Gasperini s side managed to make an immediate return to winning ways. Last seen picking up a deserved 2-0 victory away at Empoli, the Bergamo-based outfit find themselves sat second in the table and with their sights firmly set on clinching a Champions League return. Losing just a single Serie A defeat since opening th…
Stuttgart s sporting director Fredi Bobic has cooled speculation linking former Germany international Kevin Kuranyi with a return to the club.
The experienced striker, currently with Dynamo Moscow, enjoyed four years with Stuttgart before moving on to Bundesliga rivals Schalke.
Kuranyi has scored regularly for the Russian club since his switch there in 2010 and spoke this week of a potential return to the Mercedes-Benz Arena during the German top-flight s mid-season break.
I ll decide in the coming months as to where I proceed. VfB is and remains a special club for me, he told Stuttgarter Zeitung on Friday.
Despite boasting an impressive goalscoring record for Stuttgart, Bobic dismissed speculation linking 32-year-old Kuranyi with a return to the club.…
Borussia Dortmund have announced that both coach Juergen Klopp and sporting director Michael Zorc have signed contract extensions with the club.
The pair s previous deals were both set to expire in June 2014 but they have now signed on for a further two seasons, keeping them at the Signal Iduna Park until the end of the 2015/16 campaign.
We are very pleased that we could extend the contracts with both at such an early stage, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told the club s official website.
Both have done a great job in recent years.
In our talks with both Juergen Klopp and Michael Zorc we had the impression that both feel a tremendous desire to help shape the future of Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp, 44, arrived at Dortmund from Mainz in 2008 an…
Stoke City seek a swift response to a 4-1 rout at the hands of Manchester City as they visit Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round.
Asmir Begovic believes Saturday s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Blackburn Rovers offers the perfect opportunity for Stoke City to move on from the disappointing 4-1 midweek defeat to Manchester City.
Mark Hughes, who played for and managed Blackburn, saw his Stoke side match the Premier League champions for periods of Wednesday s encounter at the Britannia Stadium, but City showed their ruthless edge to record a comprehensive victory.
That halted a promising run of form for Stoke, who had gone four games without losing in all competitions.
Goalkeeper Begovic, though, is remaining upbeat and is sure 2011 finalists Stoke wil…
Marcelino Garcia Toral will be out to prove a point when Villarreal take on their coach s former employers Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The 49-year-old managed Sevilla during the 2011-12 campaign, though he failed to see out the season before returning to football with Villarreal in 2013.
Marcelino acknowledged that his sacking hurt, but with the two Spanish sides separated by just a point in La Liga set to clash in the Europa League last 16, he has the chance to prove a point to those who doubted him at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
I am very grateful to the Sevilla for giving me the opportunity to coach this great club, he said.
Sometimes things don t go as you d like, as with everything in life. You can suffer, but you always need t…