Burnley striker Wout Weghorst is reportedly set to join Jordan Henderson at Ajax before the transfer window deadline on Friday.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
In two weeks the streets of north London could be engulfed in a sea of red as Arsenal celebrate a historic Premier League title, their first in 20 years.
However, it could equally all be doom and gloom should the might of Manchester City win their remaining three matches of the season.
The Gunners have come so far this term and if they beat Manchester United and Everton, will finish on 89 points. The fact that tally may not be enough to be crowned champions is rather ludicrous.
City are still the favourites and if they do win the league, it’ll be back to the drawing board for Mikel Arteta and Co during what could be a rather exciting summer transfer window.
Last year it was all about Declan Rice. Edu had been tracking the England midfielder for quite some time and in a desperate attempt to ward off the Citizens, a £105m bid was lodged and finally accepted by West Ham after some toing and froing.
The end result has been near perfect. That fee has looked like a bargain for a man now thought to be in with a chance of winning the PFA Player of the Season award following a career-best haul of seven goals and nine assists, as well as some sterling defensive displays.
He’s attracted praise right throughout the season, the latest of which has come from Ray Parlour.
What Ray Parlour said about Declan Rice
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting the former Arsenal midfield waxed lyrical over the club’s record signing.
He said: “Declan has been a top signing for Arsenal and it’s great he is still playing at such a high level when it matters most at the business end of the season. His energy is great, he plays every game, his goal against Bournemouth typifies his drive and energy during the game. He deserves to be up there for PFA Player of the Season. It was a big move for him and he’s settled immediately into this team.”
Asked whether any other Arsenal stars could be in the frame for the award at the season’s end, the Romford Pele commented: “Odegaard has been excellent as has Saka who both are in the mix for sure, but Rice for me takes it.
“One can’t forget both centre-backs who have been amazing and should both be in the team of the season. I think Arsenal will have many players in the team of the season for sure.”
So, what’s on the agenda for the forthcoming summer? Well, it could be about another Premier League star in Alexander Isak.
What Ray Parlour has said about Alexander Isak
Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Newcastle striker is high on Arsenal’s list of priorities for the summer. The trouble is that it could take a seismic fee to prise away a man who has found the net on 24 occasions in all competitions this term. For context, that’s four more than Arteta’s leading marksman this term. Bukayo Saka has 20.
Speaking to FFC about what the Swede could bring to the Emirates Stadium, Parlour stated: “Isak is a player I like a lot. If you look at the signing of Rice, he is exactly what the team needed when Xhaka left and he has taken the club to another level.”
The move to acquire Rice was certainly a landmark moment in Arsenal’s recent history, but so too could the signing of an exciting centre-forward. There is a sense, despite the club’s leading Premier League tally of 88 goals this term, that they still need a striker to go to the next level.
Isak, therefore, could be exactly that man. Parlour continued: “Isak is the type of player who can do well in this Arsenal team. He will suit Arsenal’s fluid style of play and can do well in this team with the likes of Saka, Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard and Odegaard supporting him. It’s important to have quality strikers as we had in our era with Wiltord, Kanu, Henry and Bergkamp.
“However, Newcastle will not want to lose their top striker. Fee wise, he will be similar to Rice’s fee, so if Newcastle are forced to sell, then yes he would take Arsenal forward.”
The former midfielder isn’t wrong. Reports have stated that the Sweden international may well cost £100m if the Magpies are to sanction a sale.
Arsenal eye "unstoppable" Isak alternative who'd be an upgrade on Havertz
The incredible striker has been in unbelievable form this season.
ByJack Salveson Holmes May 7, 2024
Whilst the Sheffield Wednesday fans packed into the Stadium of Light rejoiced at their team pulling off an unbelievable escape from relegation at the full-time whistle, most of the hardened Sunderland supporters had scurried home already after being subjected to a dismal final day loss.
Most of the stadium was empty come the end of the Championship clash in the home sections, with Danny Rohl's men strolling to a comfortable 2-0 victory in a clash that was meant to be far more nervy and tense for the travelling Owls.
Sunderland lacked any real drive to try and make Wednesday fight for a vital three points, with the Black Cats unable to make the home fans smile briefly to see out a shocking campaign by picking up a rare win with just three shots on target from 18 efforts.
There could now be a huge summer clear-out on Wearside to try and propel Sunderland into a far more positive era next campaign, which might even see this midfielder – who was touted for a major move up to the Premier League in January – just allowed to leave after underwhelming the last few torrid weeks.
Pierre Ekwah's performance vs Sheffield Wednesday
Previously being watched by the likes of Crystal Palace and Fulham ahead of a big move, those Premier League suitors might hold off on their interest in Pierre Ekwah now based on his uninterested showing against Wednesday on the final day.
Caught out ball-watching for the Owls' opener at the Stadium of Light, with Barry Bannan given far too much freedom on the ball by Ekwah to then pick out Liam Palmer to place home, Wednesday got so much joy against the Black Cats by just displaying more energy venturing forward through the middle of the park.
The former West Ham United youngster was way off the pace throughout against the buoyed-on visitors away just from this moment in isolation, however, with a meagre one shot attempted on James Beadle's goal from the 22-year-old alongside a weak two tackles being attempted to try and disrupt the flow of Rohl's men.
Hauled off in the 71st minute by interim boss Mike Dodds, who has presumably now bowed out of being Sunderland's next cursed manager with this defeat, it wasn't a shock to see Andy Tomlinson of the Roker Report hand out a disappointing 3/10 rating to Ekwah after the dust had settled from the 2-0 loss.
Ekwah's numbers vs Wednesday
Minutes played
71
Touches
53
Key passes
0
Shots on goal
1
Tackles
2
Dribbled past
1
Stats by Sofascore
With Tomlinson describing the 22-year-old's display as being "pretty anonymous", Ekwah's downfall in the senior ranks has been an intriguing one to watch unfold considering how promising of a gem he looked at the start of the season.
The 6 foot 2 midfielder looked like an absolute golden steal at the start of the campaign – having joined from West Ham United in January of 2023 – after a blistering performance against Southampton in September last year, bagging two strikes as the Black Cats tore the Saints to shreds in a comprehensive 5-0 victory.
Since then, the fortunes of both teams have significantly changed, as has Ekwah's standing in the Black Cats camp with the very real possibility that the Frenchman could be offloaded this coming summer if a top-flight party takes a punt on his services.
Pierre Ekwah's transfer value in 2024
Sunderland would still be able to demand a high fee for their up-and-down 22-year-old to depart, with this transfer valuation higher than that of first-team regular Dan Neil – according to Football Transfers – despite Neil being a consistent performer for the Black Cats this season throughout all of the mess.
Despite underperforming during Sunderland's terrible end to the season, Ekwah still finds himself being worth a high £4.6m, a figure the Mackems would surely only be too pleased to receive.
Neil, who has been largely everpresent this campaign and dependable with four goals and five assists from 44 total matches, surprisingly is worth £600k less than his inconsistent counterpart at £4m.
Sunderland's highest value assets – 2023/24
1. Anthony Patterson
£11m
2. Jack Clarke
£7.6m
3. Jobe Bellingham
£6.6m
4. Adil Aouchiche
£5.4m
5. Abdoullah Ba
£5.3m
Sourced by Football Transfers
Ekwah doesn't quite get into the top five highest valued assets at the Stadium of Light when scanning the table above, but the likes of Abdoullah Ba and Adil Aouchiche – who fit into the same bracket as Ekwah as raw and unreliable youngsters who have shown their inexperience – could also be moved on soon especially when you consider their equally hefty values.
Selling on the underperforming central midfielder could prove to be the smartest call of the three when you consider how much the 22-year-old's value has risen over the last few years despite struggling in patches.
Glancing back to 2022, when Ekwah was an unknown entity to Sunderland supporters in the Hammers youth system, Ekwah was worth just a paltry £51k – according to Football Transfers – with his value then skyrocketing all the way up to a superior £2.8m in 2023 after a move to the Stadium of Light went through.
This could make for a very interesting off-season saga in Wearside, therefore, regarding Ekwah's future with a massive temptation to cash in on the topsy-turvy midfielder now especially if a Premier League club gambles on the 22-year-old to come good making the step-up and bids a handsome amount.
There will be no such uncertainty over Neil's future, however, with the former academy product turned occasional Sunderland captain champing at the bit for the next campaign already to try and make his boyhood club promotion challengers once more.
With a new manager an absolute priority first and foremost before any incomings or outgoings are confirmed, this summer promises to be dramatic and hectic and one the powers that be at Sunderland must get spot on to make up for such a car crash of a campaign that's been finally put out of its misery.
Sunderland could hire O'Shea alternative who'd be perfect for Clarke
Sunderland could keep Jack Clarke around for longer with this managerial appointment.
ByKelan Sarson Apr 24, 2024
MatériaMais Notícias
O Corinthians teve um tempo maior de preparação na última semana antes de enfrentar o Atlético-MG e algumas mudanças eram cogitadas na equipe titular durante os treinamentos. No entanto apenas uma foi feita pelo técnico Sylvinho, que trocou Vitinho por Roni no meio-campo em uma opção tática.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians tem dia de descanso antes de maior ‘semana livre’ com SylvinhoCorinthians18/07/2021CorinthiansCorinthians de Sylvinho tem apenas uma vitória na Neo Química Arena; aproveitamento segue baixoCorinthians18/07/2021CorinthiansGiuliano chega para ajudar o Corinthians, mas está longe de resolver todos os problemasCorinthians18/07/2021
TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2021 clicando aqui
> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!
GALERIA
> Jemerson e Otero dão adeus! Veja quem já deixou o Corinthians em 2021
A torcida não curtiu a alteração, já que se tira um homem teoricamente mais avançado por um com características mais defensivas e foi exatamente o que o comandante buscou com a mexida. Isso porque Roni daria mais sustentação no meio-campo para enfrentar um adversário de qualidade como o Galo. No primeiro tempo deu certo, e o time foi para o intervalo vencendo por 1 a 0.
Além da questão tática, Sylvinho explicou que Vitinho vinha apresentando uma sobrecarga, que induz o treinador a buscar encaixes com outras peças, mas basicamente as mesmas, já que ainda não se pôde observar as demais.
-Entendemos que o Vitor vem de uma sobrecarga, independentemente de ser uma semana aberta. A volta do Roni para dar essa consistência que temos no meio. Temos alternado esses atletas e buscado alternativas na função. Estamos trabalhando, não temos uma grande amostra para colocar outros. Estamos chegando e buscando um encaixe. A volta do Roni foi para sustentar o meio.
Sylvinho fez questão de lembrar que alguns testes já foram feitos no setor buscando esse encaixe e também falou da juventude de jogadores como Roni e Vitinho com os quais a comissão técnica tem conversando constantemente.
-Tivemos uma construção de três meias pelo meio, porque o Cantillo sai jogando muito bem e dita o ritmo técnico do nosso time. Com dois meias na frente dele, bem protegidos, como era Roni e começamos com o Gabriel depois de quatro ou cinco jogos. Tivemos uma opção com o Vitinho, que também respondeu. São atletas jovens que estão maturando. Conversamos diariamente com esses atletas – concluiu o corintiano.
Neste domingo, o elenco do Corinthians tem um dia de descanso antes de iniciar uma semana inteira de treinos em preparação para enfrentar o Cuiabá, no dia 26 de julho, às 20h, fora de casa, pela 13ª rodada do Brasileirão-2021.
continua após a publicidade
Arun Dhumal, the BCCI treasurer, indicated that everything possible will be done to resume cricket
ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-20200:54
Virat Kohli: The magic of playing in front of a live audience will be missed
A senior BCCI official has said that India would be willing to undertake a two-week quarantine period in Australia later this year if it meant the tour could proceed.India are due to play four Tests and three ODIs in December and January, a visit that could cost Cricket Australia A$300 million (USD196 million approx.) if it doesn’t go ahead due to the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.However, talks are already underway between CA and the federal government about the protocols that would need to be in place to allow India to visit, and travel exemptions should borders remain restricted. Earlier this week sports minister Richard Colbeck sounded a positive note on the chances of international sport later in the year.One possible scenario is that the Indian players would be required to lock themselves down for two weeks before matches could start.”There is no choice – everyone will have to do that. You would want to resume the cricket,” Arun Singh Dhumal, the BCCI treasurer, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Two weeks is not that long a lockdown. That would be ideal for any sportsman because when you are in quarantine for such a long period, then going to another country and having a two-week lockdown it would be a good thing to do. We’ll have to see what the norms are post this lockdown.”There has also been a suggestion that the series could be extended to five Tests, something which was already being discussed for the next cycle of the Future Tours Programme but may yet be brought forward if India are able to get to Australia. However, Dhumal indicated that extra limited-overs matches could be staged instead because of the revenue they generate.”That discussion [on five Tests] took place before the lockdown,” he said. “If there is a window available it would be up to the boards to decide whether they wanted to go for a Test match or maybe two ODIs or maybe two T20s. Given the revenue loss they will have on account of lockdown, post-lockdown they will want to have revenue and revenue most likely will come from ODIs or T20s much more than a Test match.”For any board for that matter, there has been a lot of revenue loss on account of this lockdown and Covid-19, so they would need to think about that.”Professional sport in Australia is set to resume at the end of May with the NRL and includes the Warriors team from New Zealand which has been allowed to travel across the Tasman.The first indication of how international cricket will function under Covid-19 protocols could come with the English season which the ECB hopes can start in July with plans to host six Tests against West Indies and Pakistan at a small number of bio-secure grounds.
Glasgow Rangers got back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership with a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at St Mirren on Sunday afternoon.
An own goal from James Bolton and a second-half winner from Cyriel Dessers secured all three points for the Gers, who had failed to win any of their previous three outings in the league.
While Philippe Clement will be delighted with the victory and another step in the right direction as they battle it out with Celtic to secure the title, there were some worries to come from the match.
One player who may have just played himself out of the starting XI is winger Fabio Silva, who must finally be binned from the lineup after another unimpressive showing.
The Portuguese forward endured a rough afternoon on the left flank as he struggled in and out of possession throughout the game for the Gers.
Rabbi Matondo and Abdallah Sima were out injured but the manager did have Ross McCausland, who eventually replaced him, and Scott Wright on the bench as options to play out wide.
The Belgian boss kept faith in the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee but was not rewarded with an impressive performance on the pitch from the attacker.
|
Fabio Silva |
Vs St Mirren (28/04/24) |
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
56 |
|
Goals + assists |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
71% |
|
Dribbles completed |
0/2 |
|
Duels won |
1/7 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, Silva did not make a big contribution in the final third with one key pass, zero goals, zero assists, and zero 'big chances' created.
He also struggled to deal with the physicality of the match, losing 86% of his duels in 56 minutes, which meant that the opposition defenders, notably Alexander Gogic who stopped the forward from chopping past him in the box during the first half, were able to subdue him with ease.
The former Anderlecht loanee was handed a 4/10 match rating by Glasgow World writer Lewis Anderson, who stated that the lightweight 'offered little' and was 'unconvincing', which appears to be fair based on his lack of quality at both ends of the pitch.
Along with this most recent display, Silva must be dropped by Clement because his performances in recent weeks as a starter have not been good enough.
Speaking on the Open Goal Podcast earlier this month, as relayed by The National, former Gers man Derek Ferguson claimed that the attacker offers "absolutely nothing", and described him as "woeful" over the past five or six matches.
He has started the last five Premiership matches for Rangers but has not contributed with a single goal or assist for the Light Blues in that time, and the dud has not registered a goal contribution in any of his last seven league outings.
Since his move to Ibrox on loan at the start of January, the 21-year-old flop has scored two goals, registered zero assists, and created zero 'big chances' in 14 Premiership appearances, which includes nine starts.
Therefore, the Portuguese dud has offered very little in the final third, to go along with his weak play out of possession with a duel success rate of just 39%, and should now be ditched by Clement against Kilmarnock next weekend, and by Rangers when his loan comes to an end in the summer.
Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate dropped; David Delany misses out as he continues his recovery after an injury
Matt Roller10-Jul-2020Ireland have left Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate out while naming an expanded 21-man squad for a three-match ODI series against England this month, while David Delany is missing the trip as precaution following an injury.Ireland squad
Mark Adair, Andy Balbirnie (capt), Curtis Campher, Peter Chase, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Jonathan Garth, Tyrone Kane, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young
Curtis Campher, the South Africa-born allrounder who was awarded an emerging contract earlier this year, has been included in a senior squad for the first time after having represented Ireland A against Namibia in February, while there is another new face in legspinner Jonathan Garth – whose sister Kim quit Irish cricket to take up a contract with Cricket Victoria last month.Ireland will arrive in Southampton on a charter flight from Dublin on July 18, and play an intra-squad warm-up match and a fixture against England Lions before the group is separated into a 14-man squad and seven reserves. They will play three ODIs – the first game in the new ODI Super League – at the Ageas Bowl, before returning to Dublin on August 5.”The selectors were delighted to have been able to meet once more to select a squad for international action. We have lost so much cricket this year, so to have a series – let alone such a major series as this – to look forward to is a great relief for all,” Andrew White, the chair of national men’s selectors, said. “This lack of on-field action since March – and the short lead-in programme to the ODI series – influenced our thinking on the broader squad. However, the unique circumstances of the situation has allowed us to involve more players than we would normally bring on such a tour.”White also said that some players had been selected to “help our batters prepare for the type of opposition we’ll be facing”, which seemed like a nod to Garth’s inclusion. He is one of two legspinners in the wider party alongside allrounder Gareth Delany, while England have also named two in their 24-man training group in Adil Rashid and Matt Parkinson.
While a number of players like Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate are unfortunate to not to be travelling, the experience that will be gained on this trip by a number of the younger players will be invaluable in their developmentAndrew White
“The form shown by several players in the Caribbean in January, Wolves tour in February and the Afghan series in March really bolstered their case for selection,” White said. “We’re delighted that our top wicket-taker in 2019, Mark Adair, returns after recovering from ankle surgery, and feel we have the right squad balance for these important fixtures – keeping in mind that they are World Cup qualifiers.”Thompson and Getkate’s exclusions might come as a surprise, not least given that both have central contracts for 2020-21 and that both have been regulars in white-ball squads in recent years.”While a number of players like Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate are unfortunate to not to be travelling, the experience that will be gained on this trip by a number of the younger players will be invaluable in their development,” White said. “Additionally, David Delany was not considered for selection this time. As a result of his previous surgery, and the subsequent extended lockdown period, we were not fully confident that he has had the time to complete the necessary amount of preparation in order to safely play in these matches.”As well as the task at hand, several Ireland players will hope that strong performances in this series can provide them with a springboard towards contracts for the T20 Blast. Paul Stirling’s overseas deal at Northants is one of only a handful yet to be cancelled in the competition, and ESPNcricinfo understands that some names in this squad have been floated to counties in recent weeks as possible options to replace their bigger overseas names.
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali scored a century that guided his Team Green to a six-wicket victory in the first intra-squad match at the Incora County Ground in Derby.Azhar anchored a fourth-day run chase with a composed 120 from 225 balls after Team White, led by Babar Azam, had set a target of 353 in 89 overs.Fakhar Zaman provided the initial thrust by smashing six sixes in a 128-ball 99 and Azhar paced his innings shrewdly before retiring with the finishing line in sight.ALSO READ: Amir available to join squad in EnglandAsad Shafiq made 67 from 95 balls before he also retired leaving Iftikhar Ahmed and Sarfaraz Ahmed to complete victory in the evening sunshine with five balls to spare.Despite the relaxed conclusion, the first of two warm-up matches has been a worthwhile exercise for a number of key players ahead of the first Test against England in just over two weeks with Azhar’s innings particularly encouraging after his modest County Championship season with Somerset in 2019.Babar, another of the tourists’ key batsmen, also scored runs while Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled with pace and accuracy and Yasir Shah twirled away for 31 overs in the match.It was a memorable game for wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan who followed an unbeaten half-century in the first innings by completing a century before Team White declared to set up a competitive final day.ALSO READ: Khushdil, Abid face injury scaresRizwan looked assured in both innings and two boundaries off Faheem Ashraf eased him through the nineties before a tuck off his hip against Naseem took him to three figures and prompted Babar to declare.Team Green’s chase threatened to stall immediately when Mohammad Hafeez, in for Abid Ali who was struck on the head fielding at forward short leg on day three, was out to the third ball off the innings from Afridi which he edged to Rizwan.But that was the last wicket to fall for nearly 43 overs as Fakhar and Azhar first saw off the new ball and then eased through the gears with Fakhar moving into overdrive against the leg-spin of Shadab Khan.The left-hander plundered six sixes between long-on and long-off, one bouncing off the pavilion roof with another clearing the main stand at the City End of Derbyshire’s headquarters.He also hit 10 fours but Shadab denied him a century by grabbing a head-high catch at third slip from a sliced drive off Mohammad Musa.Azhar had been a spectator during the onslaught but with the exit of Fakhar, he took the initiative to reach his hundred off 199 balls while Shafiq drove the left-arm spin of Kashif Bhatti for six on his way to an 81-ball 50.Both made way to give Iftikhar and Sarfraz time in the middle. The tourists have one more intra-squad game at Derby starting on Friday before the real business begins at Emirates Old Trafford on August 5.
A pundit believes that Tottenham are "making it known" they want to sign an up and coming English defender for manager Ange Postecoglou this summer.
Postecoglou admits to wanting new centre-back at Spurs
Back in March, Postecoglou admitted that Spurs will be targeting a new centre-back, despite already bringing in Radu Dragusin to the tune of £25 million in January.
Bayern Munich eye third Spurs star after Kane and Dier as Ange seeks replacement
The Lilywhites boss is already on the look out of his successor.
ByEmilio Galantini May 21, 2024
Dragusin joins a defensive contingent of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven at the heart of Postecoglou's defence already, meaning another signing would take the number of star senior central defenders at Spurs to four.
Despite this, Postecoglou claimed that work has already begun on potentially bringing in another centre-back, as well as reinforcing other areas of the pitch.
"If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, Postecoglou on signing another defender.
Pedro Porro
7.04
Cristian Romero
7.03
Micky van de Ven
6.79
Destiny Udogie
6.71
Ben Davies
6.62
“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.
“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.”
In terms of the named targets, Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly has attracted Spurs interest, and it is believed Tottenham made an offer to Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo. This would make sense, as both would be cost-effective given their soon-to-be free agent status.
However, a much more marquee option to be sporadically mentioned comes in the form of Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite. After an exceptional season at Goodison Park, the Englishman has been named in Gareth Southgate's provisional squad for Euro 2024, with the Toffees valuing him at around £80 million.
Pundit says Tottenham are making it known they want Branthwaite
Speaking to Tottenham News, pundit John Wenham has shared his belief that Tottenham are "making it known" they want to sign Branthwaite – but admits that there are a few roadblocks in Spurs' way of a potential deal.
“Tottenham are clearly making it known that they are interested,” Wenham said.
“However, I can’t see that deal happening. Central defence is probably where we have our strongest options, whereas United are lacking quality in that position. It would make more sense for Branthwaite to go to Old Trafford, and with the figures that are being brandished, I think United are more likely to sign him.”
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti personally has his eyes on an £86 million Arsenal star who is absolutely crucial for Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal set for busy summer transfer window
Sporting director Edu looks set to oversee a busy summer transfer window at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners likely to overhaul a few key areas of Arteta's squad.
Arsenal table formal bid to sign £52 million man who's "perfect" for Arteta
The Gunners are moving quickly pre-summer.
ByEmilio Galantini May 15, 2024
The north Londoners' defence could look slightly different next season, as it is believed that Arsenal could replace goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale following his season relegated to the bench in favour of David Raya.
Standard Sport also state that Arsenal will look to bring in another defender. Ben White has shone at right-back under Arteta yet again this season, but it is believed they're keen to acquire a more natural full-back option on that side.
Arsenal's best-performing defenders in the league this season
Average match rating per 90 (via WhoScored)
Gabriel Magalhaes
7.01
Ben White
6.95
William Saliba
6.85
Oleksandr Zinchenko
6.83
Jakub Kiwior
6.58
Girona defender Yan Couto has been linked with Arsenal this week, alongside Turkey international Ferdi Kadioglu before him, and it hasn't been ruled out that they bring in a new centre-back as well. Sporting Lisbon starlet Ousmane Diomande is a rumoured target for Edu in that regard, but he'll find it very hard to play his way into the first team if he does join.
The Ivory Coast ace has both Gabriel and William Saliba ahead of him in the pecking order, with the Arsenal duo forming an excellent partnership since the beginning of 2022/2023. Spending the season prior out on loan at Marseille, few expected the Frenchman to come in and be quite this pivotal.
Saliba is now an indispensable member of Arteta's starting elevens, playing every single league game this term, and many pinpoint his injury at the end of last season as a key reason why Arsenal lost the title to Man City that year.
The 23-year-old's form hasn't gone unnoticed across Europe, and it is now believed Ancelotti has taken a personal interest.
Ancelotti eyeing Real Madrid move for Saliba
According to CaughtOffside, Ancelotti is personally an admirer of Saliba and Real Madrid are eyeing a move, but they'll be disappointed. Arsenal have no intention of selling their star defender, who they value at around £86 million, and even plan to extend his contract to tie him down further.
"His attitude, the way he came in and said I’m going to prove that I’m very good and I deserve to be here," said Arteta on Saliba's excellent form over the last two years.
“Without any looking back or being shy, he was doing it the right way and giving the right reasons to think that he was going to be really good for us. He had an immediate impact. The first two training sessions that we looked at home we went: There’s huge potential here.
“He took out every question mark that we could have with him and gave us all the reasons to play him. And I think he’s been exceptional since that day.”