How Manchester City and Pep Guardiola got the 'fire in the belly' back: Erling Haaland's targets, the stars with most to prove, Hugo Viana's immediate impact and the truth about Gianluigi Donnarumma and Rodrygo
A seemingly never-ending day still had some embers left. He looked frazzled and the season, a season that could define the final acts of Guardiola's time in England, hadn't even started yet.
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Daily Record
a few seconds ago
- Daily Record
Djeidi Gassama to Rangers transfer was 'under value' as Ligue 1 club pounce on Sheffield Wednesday confusion
Former Hillsborough assistant Chris Powell reckons Gassama would have cost much more under normal circumstances Former Sheffield Wednesday coach Chris Powell insists Rangers got Djeidi Gassama for an absolute song thanks to the Owls' financial plight. Gassama made the move from Hillsborough to Ibrox this summer for just £2.2million. And he's already made a massive contribution which could see that fee repaid almost 20 times over. The 21-year-old has hit key goals in both of Gers' Champions League qualifiers so far against Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen respectively. Only Club Brugge stand between them and the league phase of the competition, which brings £40 million in prize money. Wednesday are i the grip of a financial crisis with fans desperate for owner Dejphon Chansiri to sell up and relieve the pressure. Players are being sold to pay the wages and as a result, Powell reckons Gassama went for much, much less than he would have under normal circumstances. 'They've sold a couple of players, under value," he told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast."Definitely a young boy has gone to Rangers, Gassama, exceptional player, sold to pay the wages. Another player went. "There's the young goalkeeper, Pierce Charles (also linked with Rangers), I think he is another asset who might go. They've had money from the Premier League, their share. So they've been able to just settle a few debts. But if it's not sold and he's not funding it, how do you carry on?" As for Charles, the Telegraph claims Rangers and West Ham walked away from a deal. The Ibrox club reportedly launched a £1million bid along with the Hammers, but bafflingly neither received a response so have moved on. And that could leave the path clear for Strasbourg, who are interested in doing a deal for the Northern Ireland international. Meanwhile, Robbie Fraser has opened up on his Ibrox exit. The defender has joined Neil Lennon's Dunfermline on a three-year deal after spending 16 years with Rangers. But he admitted a taste of first team football out on loan at Livingston made him want it every week rather than filling out Russell Martin's squad. He said: 'It's not easy leaving somewhere you've been for so long. Being there that long, it was my home for 16 years. That's a long, long time but I'm at a stage in my career where I've come out of that younger phase. I want to come out and get games, I want to show that I'm more than capable of holding my own. 'Getting that little taster for six months, it's made me real enthusiastic to come out and show who I am and what I can be. I'm at a great place now. Great club, great people in it. Glad to meet some of them so far and I can't wait to get on with the boys now and train on the pitch.'
Scottish Sun
a few seconds ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Factually incorrect… 2nd again' – Mikel Arteta brutally trolled for getting numbers wrong in awkward press conference
ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta has been trolled by fans on social media after messing up his numbers during a Premier League title claim. The Gunners start their season with a trip to Old Trafford against Manchester United on Sunday, where they will be hoping to avoid losing precious ground in the title race early on. 4 Mikel Arteta has been trolled by fans after fudging his numbers Credit: Getty 4 He claimed Arsenal had the most points over the last three seasons Credit: Getty 4 But Arsenal were actually second, with Man City being first Credit: Reuters Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! Following three seasons of finishing as the runner-up, twice to Manchester City and once to Liverpool, Arteta has backed his team's consistency as the key to finally winning that elusive title. Speaking to reporters, he said: "You keep digging, digging, digging and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there. "That's all the time. When I've been taught, when I've been educated, that's it." The 43-year-old continued: "For three seasons we've had more points than any other team in this league, which is incredible. That's how you have all the consistency. "Now we have to do it in a season to have one more point or the same amount of points and more goals different than any other team. That's the objective.' However, while Arteta is a tactical mastermind at the Emirates, his numbers were a little wide of the mark. Over the last three completed seasons, Arsenal have racked up an aggregate of 247 points: 84 in 2022/23, 89 in 2023/24 and 74 in 2024/25. And while those tallies are doubtless impressive on their own merits, it is still eclipsed by Arteta's former master, Pep Guardiola. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Arsenal's rise towards the top came halfway through City's unprecedented four-peat of titles between 2020/21 and 2023/24. In the latter half of that run, City put up 89 and 91 points to claim the title, before a dramatic dip off last year saw them finish third with 71 points. Mikel Arteta asked Arsenal stars to vote for club captain as he reveals winner 'by 100 miles' But despite the fall off, the Etihad outfit have a higher points total than Arsenal, with 251 points. Meanwhile, reigning champions Liverpool have a total of 233 in the last three seasons: 67 in 2022/23, 82 in 2023/24 and 84 in 2024/25. Yet it is easy to suspect Arne Slot and co won't care too much considering they got their hands on silverware while Arsenal didn't. Brainiac fans were quick to point this out in response, with one saying: "Factually incorrect - in the past 3 seasons it's City 251, Arsenal 247, Liverpool 233. 2nd again." A second said: "Three seasons we've had more points than other team in this league… where is the title please?" A third added: "They should stop digging and start playing football." Another said: "How does this make sense to him. The team with the highest points per season wins EPL not an accumulation of points over the years. Arsenal's transfer deals IN Viktor Gyökeres - from Sporting Lisbon - £72m Noni Madueke - from Chelsea - £52m Martin Zubimendi - from Real Sociedad - £51m Christian Norgaard - from Brentford - £15m Cristhian Mosquera - from Valencia - £13m Kepa Arrizabalaga - from Chelsea - £5m TOTAL - £208m OUT Nuno Taveres - to Lazio - £4.4m Marquinhos - to Cruzeiro - £2.6m Jorginho - to Flamengo - free Kieran Tierney - to Celtic - free Takehiro Tomiyasu - released Thomas Partey - released TOTAL - £7m ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE "It's high time Arsenal get rid of this man cause he has absolutely lost it." A fifth said: "Arteta out here sounding like he's giving a TED Talk for miners instead of a title race press conference." SunSport also took a look at how some of the other Premier League sides have fared with their points totals over the last three seasons. Completing the top four is Newcastle with 197 points, with Aston Villa closely behind on 195 claiming the final Champions League spot in this mini-league. Despite the historic lows of last season, Man Utd rank 6th in this criteria with 177 points. This is a single point more than Chelsea, who have spent over a billion pounds to become competitive again. Savvy recruiters Brighton had quite the dip off in Roberto de Zerbi's final season, but saw their average go back up under Fabian Hurzeler for the Seagulls to hit an impressive total of 171. Tottenham are behind them following their historically-poor league campaign last time out, with 164 points totted up - although if they had hit the 60 mark again, they would have been on over 180. Brentford also suffered a dip two seasons ago as they adjusted to losing big names like Ivan Toney, but still jotted up a total of 154 points. Premier League sides points totals over the last three seasons We have looked at Premier League clubs points totals since the 2022/23 season to 2024/25. Here's the top 10: Manchester City: 89 + 91 + 71 = 251 Arsenal: 84 + 89 + 74 = 247 Liverpool: 67 + 82 + 84 = 233 Newcastle: 71 + 60 + 66 = 197 Aston Villa: 61 + 68 + 66 = 195 Man Utd: 75 + 60 + 42 = 177 Chelsea: 44 + 63 + 69 = 176 Brighton: 62 + 48 + 61 = 171 Tottenham: 60 + 68 + 38 = 164 Brentford: 59 + 39 + 56 = 154
Daily Mirror
a minute ago
- Daily Mirror
Mikel Arteta on Max Dowman's 'unusual' behaviour behind the scenes at Arsenal
EXCLUSIVE: Max Dowman has emerged as the latest Arsenal wonderkid to break into the first team set-up as Mikel Arteta divulged the 15-year-old's two traits that make him such an exceptional talent Mikel Arteta has shed light on the 'unusual' traits Max Dowman has that make him so special. The Arsenal manager has become known for his eye for talent and his faith in young players in recent seasons. That same trust in academy starlets has served the Gunners well, with 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly breaking into the starting eleven last season while Ethan Nwaneri, also 18, scored nine goals in all competitions. If this pre-season was anything to go by, 15-year-old wonderkid Dowman will be the next Hale End teenager to become a hit this season under Arteta. The Spaniard was this week unveiled as American sportswear giant Under Armour's new global ambassador. The role will see him share his insights and understanding of the sport in areas such as brand development, talent identification and leadership, as well as developing the next generation of athletes with his role in Under Armour's Next Programme. Arteta has been fortunate enough to be supplied with a seemingly endless stream of talent by Arsenal academy manager and former team-mate Per Mertesacker. Despite his own managerial prowess, Arteta admitted as much during the announcement of his new Under Armour role this week, shedding light on just how special the aforementioned trio are. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, he pinpointed not only their attitude but their rare physical maturity to fit in seamlessly at the elite level, when even some of the brightest academy prospects need to be sent out on loan initially to find their feet in less challenging leagues. He began by saying: "There are two very important ones [qualities] at this level. One is attitude; a special attitude and feeling confident about the opportunity that you're going to be given. 'And then, the second is the physical part because without the physical part in this game, you have no chance and we're talking about kids who haven't had any loan periods. 'They haven't been to the Championship or been to Holland, they've just been playing under 16s and under 18s and go straight to playing in the Premier League and Champions League and that's a massive gap in every sense. 'But if you don't have that personality, that emotional education and emotional control, and the physical part and if you can't cope with that, you have no chance. Those two (Dowman and Lewis-Skelly), and Ethan [Nwaneri] as well, have had the ability to overcome that massive gap very quickly, which is very unusual.' Nwaneri made a mark on English football in his very first Premier League game, becoming the league's youngest ever player aged 15 back in 2022. The creative midfielder then spent several seasons bouncing between the Under-18s and first team. Despite playing just 1,378 minutes of football, he finished as one of the Gunners' top scorers last season, netting twice in the Champions League and once against Manchester City in the Premier League. His childhood friend Lewis-Skelly began to play regularly from December onwards and nonchalantly claimed the starting left-back position. He delivered memorable performances in the home wins against Tottenham and City before registering an assist in the quarter-final Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Dowman, who still hasn't finished his GCSEs, got his first taste of training with the senior squad at just 14. Despite Arteta's tendency to protect youngsters from the spotlight, the Spaniard saw enough potential to include him in the winter trip to Dubai. He was recently included in the pre-season training camp in Spain before gaining widespread attention for his displays during the team's tour of Asia, where he was one of the standout players. Those connected with Arsenal will be well aware of the extraordinary talent Dowman possesses, having monitored his development through the youth system. Despite his tender age, the left-footed attacking midfielder has been accelerated into the first team set-up. Statistics provide some insight into Dowman's immense potential. He was only 13 when he became the youngest player to play for Arsenal's Under-18s and was just 14 when he first featured for the Under-21s, again setting a new record. In September of the previous year, he made history as the youngest player to ever score in the UEFA Youth League. Dowman has also been a standout for England, playing and scoring for the Under-17s at just 14 years old. During this summer's Under-17 European Championship, he was the tournament's youngest participant but started all three of England's matches, netting an impressive solo goal against the Czech Republic. The FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Manchester United in February offered many Arsenal supporters their first glimpse of his talent. Playing at the Emirates Stadium for the Under-18s, Dowman was head and shoulders above the rest on the pitch. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
