All posts by h716a5.icu

A journalist has shared an update regarding a new contract for a current Arsenal player which will leave Mikel Arteta delighted.

What’s the news?

That’s according to Graeme Bailey from 90min, who states that Arsenal are preparing to offer William Saliba a new contract, he tweeted:

“Arsenal ready to tie down William Saliba to new contract.

“French star is now firmly part of Mikel Arteta’s plans and the club want him to extend his deal.”

This is great news for both the manager and Arsenal faithful, who can hope to see the youngster at the club for the foreseeable future.

A new deal is being prepared for Saliba

The 21-year-old spent last season out on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille, where he helped the club to an excellent second place finish and also won the Ligue 1 young player of the season award while also graduating to senior international level, winning his first cap for France.

Arteta named the Frenchman in his starting line-up for the club’s first Premier League match of the season against Crystal Palace which resulted in a 2-0 win. Saliba was outstanding against Palace, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.4, ranking him joint third amongst the Arsenal ranks, while also winning 80% of his total duels and making seven clearances.

These stats prove that he deserves a place in the Gunners’ first team for the foreseeable future. with 90min claiming that PSG, Real Madrid, and Barcelona were all linked with moves for the incredibly talented defender earlier on in the window, a new contract would allow him to settle at the London side.

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna lavished praise on his countryman, describing him as a “confident” defender, with Fabio Frasconi stating that “he reminds me of Raphaël Varane”.

These remarks will surely boost his confidence ahead of a season that is looking very likely to be his breakthrough campaign in England. If he continues as he did against Palace over the next nine months, then Arteta will be a very happy man and with Edu looking to tie him down for the long-term, it could be something of a dream deal for the north Londoners.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to strike an agreement for Blackburn Rovers sensation Ashley Phillips this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs keeping busy…

Despite the signings of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie, it is believed that Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici is keeping busy.

Links continue to surround the likes of Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo and other more obscure targets have emerged in the past week or so in north London.

After sealing a Premier League top four finish last season, Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte seemingly means business for his first full campaign in charge of the club.

The Latest: Lilywhites looking to seal Phillips move…

Indeed, as per a report in the last 48 hours, an encouraging update has come to light on Spurs’ pursuit of Blackburn starlet Phillips.

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The 17-year-old, whose non-professional contract expires at the end of this season, is thought to be ‘on the verge’ of a move to N17.

The Daily Mail claim Tottenham are ‘looking to strike a deal’ for Phillips and are ‘closing’ on the central defender, simply awaiting Paratici’s green-light.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Phillips, eyed by Chelsea and Man United also, would come to Hotspur Way with a glowing reputation.

The centre-back’s former boss Tony Mowbray waxed lyrical over his young talent late last year, calling him ‘phenomenal’ with ‘amazing’ attributes.

Meanwhile, Spurs pundit John Wenham did a background check on Phillips and was left blown away – calling him a ‘monster’ and urging Paratici to get a deal done ‘asap’ (Football Insider).

Seemingly little risk financially, Paratici and Co have little to lose when it comes to moving for the teenager and he could even be a future star.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge boost ahead of their Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest this weekend.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Argentinan journalist Gaston Edul, who recently revealed (via All About Argentina) that, despite missing Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend due to an adductor muscle injury picked up against Chelsea, the centre-back has now declared himself ready for the trip to Forest on Sunday.

Regarding the current condition of the 24-year-old, Edul said: “Cristian Romero has already made himself available, feels ready and wants to play against Nottingham Forest on this Sunday.”

Great news for Conte

Considering just how important a part of the Tottenham side Romero has proven himself to be since joining the club last summer, Edul’s claim that the defender has already made himself available for selection this weekend is sure to be great news for Antonio Conte.

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Indeed, over his 22 Premier League appearances last season, the £59m-rated centre-back was in imperious form for Spurs, helping his side keep five clean sheets and scoring one goal, as well as making an average of 2.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 3.3 clearances, 51.9 passes and winning 5.9 duels – at a success rate of 62% – per game.

These returns saw the £165k-per-week talent average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Conte’s sixth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 31st-best player in the English top flight as a whole last time out.

Furthermore, the 24-year-old has already impressed over his two league fixtures in the current campaign, making an average of 3.5 tackles, one interception, 3.5 clearances and winning 8.0 duels – at a success rate of 64% – per outing, with these returns seeing the Argentina international average a SofaScore match rating of 7.05.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of Romero this weekend would provide Tottenham’s chances of taking all three points home from The City Ground with a huge boost – a result that, with Spurs currently sitting pretty in fourth and boasting an unbeaten record after three games played, Conte will be undoubtedly be desperate for.

West Ham United have made deadline day contact to sign Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with the Red Devils already giving a reply.

The Lowdown: Hammers keeping busy…

Irons head coach David Moyes has been well and truly backed this summer, with eight major signings having already come through the door at Rush Green.

In looking to build upon their European qualification last season, the Premier League club sealed a head-turning deal recently for Brazil international Lucas Paqueta, a signal of real intent from the east Londoners.

Alongside the South American, Moyes has also seen Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri arrive at the club.

The Latest: West Ham make Wan-Bissaka contact…

According to reports, it appears that West Ham are on the case and have made contact for Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United.

The Old Trafford ace has been linked with an exit all summer, but according to talkSPORT, Erik ten Hag’s side are no longer interested in selling given their failure to sign a right-back.

As a result, they have rebuffed West Ham’s approach.

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The Verdict: Blow for Moyes?

Regardless of the criticism he has received, we believe that Wan-Bissaka could have come as a solid defensive right-back alternative to the likes of Ben Johnson and Vladimir Coufal.

According to WhoScored, the 24-year-old made more tackles per 90 (2.5) than any West Ham player over 2021/22, with only Declan Rice managing more interceptions than Wan-Bissaka’s 1.7 in that time.

It seems that he would’ve been a solid defensive asset for the Hammers, and it’s hardly a surprise that the east Londoners took an interest in the £22.5m-rated full-back.

With the 24-year-old having been called a ‘monster’ by some members of the media (Fernando Duarte) and boasting some impressive performance figures, Moyes may be disappointed to miss out on the Old Trafford defender.

West Ham United have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their trip to Aston Villa this afternoon.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to BBC Sport, who claim that, despite initial hopes that Craig Dawson could make a return to first-team football this weekend, the centre-back has once again been ruled out of contention for the visit to Villa Park. This will duly be the sixth game that the 32-year-old will have missed due to a thigh injury picked up in pre-season.

However, the BBC went on to state that the Hammers could be set to welcome Vladimir Coufal back into their 20-man squad today, as the right-back will have completed his spell out due to the concussion protocol, while new £13m signing Emerson Palmieri could also be in line for an immediate place in the squad to face Villa.

Big blow for West Ham

Considering how important Dawson has become to West Ham in recent years, and with the Irons currently having a record of no goals scored and five goals conceded over their three matches so far in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, the news that Dawson remains sidelined for this afternoon’s clash is sure to have left David Moyes gutted.

Indeed, so far this season, none of the Hammers’ central defensive options have particularly impressed, with Kurt Zouma averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.77, Ben Johnson 6.73 and summer signing Thilo Kehrer earning a hugely disappointing match rating of just 6.20 on his Premier League debut against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

In comparison, over Dawson’s 34 league appearances last season, the £2.7m-rated defender helped his team to keep five clean sheets, scored two goals and registered two assists, in addition to making 0.9 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 4.1 clearances and winning 4.1 duels (at a success rate of 56%) per game.

These metrics saw the £42.5k-per-week centre-back average an eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as West Ham’s joint seventh-best player in the league last time out.

As such, it is clear to see just how big of a blow the defender’s continued absence will be against Villa this afternoon, with Moyes undoubtedly hoping that his side can pick up their first points of the 2022/23 league campaign against Steven Gerrard’s side. That could be much harder without Dawson in the heart of the Hammers’ defence.

Aston Villa have made some transfer howlers over the years, and the past few years of financial mismanagement have culminated in the pressure faced by Steven Gerrard.

He too spent big during the summer, unloading a reported £63m on seven incomings.

However, one player who he decided almost instantly was surplus to requirements was an old transfer in Egypt international Trezeguet.

Having been signed back in 2019 by Dean Smith for a fee of £8.75m, the winger has struggled to acclimatise to Villa Park. His statistics have certainly suffered because of this.

Before moving to the Midlands he was coming off the back of a fine season for Kasimpasa in Turkey. He had scored nine and assisted another nine in just 34 league appearances, so the decision to sign him and hand him a (€60k-per-week) £52k-per-week contract looked like a calculated risk.

Six goals in his debut season in the Premier League again actually showed promise, and at this moment it did not seem like a deal that would go so dramatically south.

But, inevitably, it did.

Just two goals the season following, and a loan spell back to Turkey last season all but sealed his fate. He left the club to return to a league he knew he could dominate, having rinsed Villa of a total of £16.85m.

Having spent just 153 weeks at the club, he took what he could whilst offering little back on the pitch.

He was a particularly useless asset for Gerrard from the off, not only due to his form but his position.

As a left winger, his place in a tactical identity that prefers narrowness in the midfield and the width to be created by full-backs instantly poses a problem.

With Lucas Digne and Matty Cash immovable in their respective positions, and Philippe Coutinho reverting to a central role after years of playing off the left, there was never a future for Trezeguet once the 42-year-old was appointed.

This, combined with years of poor form sealed him as a terrible transfer all-around for NSWE and Villa.

Glasgow Rangers are not only one of the biggest clubs in the Premiership but also in Europe, with some of the world’s best-known celebrities supporting the Gers.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is currently in charge at Ibrox, reaching last season’s Europa League final and generally bringing a feel-good factor to the club as they look to wrestle back the league title from their arch-rivals.

Rangers have enjoyed extraordinary success throughout their history, winning a record total of 55 league crowns, among many other trophies along the way.

The size of the Gers as a club means that their appeal is worldwide, with famous personalities from all corners of the globe opting to support them, some of whom are huge fans.

The question is: how much do you know about celebrity Rangers fans? Test your knowledge in our quiz, as we pick out 10 celebs and ask you if they are Light Blues supporters or not.

Best of luck!

Leeds United duo Marc Roca and Mateusz Klich could have joined Luis Sinisterra in picking up a red card against Aston Villa, according to two journalists covering the match.

The lowdown

Leeds and Villa played out a fiery goalless draw on Sunday which featured more fouls than any other Premier League game this season.

Sinisterra was sent off for a second bookable offence shortly after half-time and will now serve a one-match suspension against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The latest

Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post says that Leeds substitute Klich, who only came on for Brenden Aaronson in the 79th minute, had committed three card-worthy fouls.

He tweeted: “94 – Klich with what I reckon is his third yellow card offence. Still no card.”

His colleague Joe Donnohue had earlier suggested in the first half that starting midfielder Roca could have seen red for a bad tackle.

He posted: “35′ Roca booked for a really strong challenge. Could have been a red so easily. Late, late, late.”

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The verdict

Leeds manager Jesse Marsch refused to comment on the performance of referee Stuart Atwell after the match but perhaps privately he will have been relieved to see Klich and Roca avoid joining Sinisterra in being shown red.

Indeed, he withdrew the Spaniard for Junior Firpo before the hour mark, and while there may have been a tactical reshuffle taking place following Sinisterra’s red card, maybe he was also looking to protect the 25-year-old from a dismissal.

There may be a slight problem with discipline in the Whites’ ranks, with Marsch’s side now ranking inside the league’s top six for total yellow cards (16), despite playing one match fewer than many of the teams around them.

Liverpool have had one of their worst starts to a Premier League campaign since Jurgen Klopp arrived in 2015, and the lack of signings in midfield over the summer could have been a huge contributor to the problems that they has faced.

Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones have all suffered from various injury problems since the season began in August, and the Reds have found themselves struggling to make their usual dominant presence known.

Liverpool are currently ninth in the league table and level with Brentford and Everton on points. That will be hugely disappointing for Klopp and the Reds’ supporters, and lessons must be learnt in terms of refreshing key areas of the squad when the club goes into the next transfer window.

However, the club could save millions on their next midfield prodigy next summer by giving a life-changing opportunity to a youth player, with Bobby Clark showing promising signs of being a player who could become the future of the Anfield club’s midfield.

The 17-year-old is the son of former Newcastle United idol Lee Clark. He was snapped up by the Reds from the Tyneside club in 2021 and has since blossomed in Liverpool’s youth teams.

Clark has scored 14 goals and delivered seven assists across the Reds’ under-18, under-19 and under-21 teams, with a goal contribution every 139 minutes so far, illustrating that he is already a very impressive player in the making.

Jurgen is a Red! Show how happy you are about it with this awesome t-shirt! Click here to buy…

It is clear that Klopp is already a huge admirer of the talented teenager, as he gave him his Premier League debut with a seven-minute appearance this season in the 9-0 victory over Bournemouth a few weeks ago.

Chronicle Live’s chief Newcastle United reporter Lee Ryder lavished praise on the youngster after he left the Tyneside club in 2021, saying (via Liverpool Echo): “Bobby was Newcastle’s most promising youngster.

“He is a really exciting player with bags of skill and talent. He is attacking and dynamic and has all the skills – he is going to be a presence in the final third.”

With that being said, the future is looking very bright for Clark as he is clearly on the radar of the Liverpool manager, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see more of the rising star in the squad over the coming months at Anfield.

If all goes to plan, he might even save FSG the need to invest in a big-name midfielder in future transfer windows.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has provided an update regarding the fitness of both Liel Abada and Jota following last night’s Champions League defeat at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

That 2-0 loss to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig – which subsequently ended the Hoops’ hopes of progression – saw Abada forced off just before the break with an injury issue, while teammate Jota missed the match entirely having been absent from training on Monday.

The title-winning coach has offered positive news regarding the pair, however, suggesting that those complaints are not likely to prove too disruptive, with both men still in with a chance of featuring against Hibernian at the weekend.

Speaking after Tuesday’s frustrating loss, as per the Scotsman, the 57-year-old stated: “Jota is still a bit sore today. He needs a bit of investigation. It’s nothing serious. It may still keep him out of the weekend but we will see how it goes.”

Before adding regarding the Israel international: “I think it’s nothing too serious. A dead leg, muscle injury. We have an extra day to recover before Saturday so he may still be involved.”

Big lift

Following the disappointment of that defeat to Marco Rose’s side, it will seemingly be a major lift to Celtic that the attacking duo are not set to face an extended period on the sidelines, with the Old Firm outfit having already been hampered by the loss of captain Callum McGregor and defender Carl Starfelt.

The return of Jota, in particular, would be a timely boost for the Scottish champions with the club having no doubt missed the Portuguese starlet’s creative flair and clinical nature in attack, as the hosts spurned a number of chances against their German opponents.

The 23-year-old had got himself on the scoresheet away in Saxony a week ago, with his total tally for the season now standing at ten goal contributions in all competitions, with that the best record of any player in the Bhoys squad.

The former Benfica man – who was snapped up on a permanent deal this summer – has emerged as a leading presence at Celtic Park over the past year or so, with pundit Frank McAvennie dubbing him “the best” player in Scotland when on form, as he “causes so many problems” for the opposition.

Abada too has shown his worth since his arrival a year ago, with the 21-year-old having scored six goals in just nine Scottish Premiership games already this season, after previously scoring 15 goals and registering 11 assists across all fronts last term.

Being able to welcome back the “wonderful” talent – as dubbed by McAvennie – as well as his fleet-footed teammate will be a notable boost for Postecoglou and co, with the club having little time to dwell on this fresh disappointment amid what is a hectic run of fixtures.