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Eberechi Eze will NOT play for Crystal Palace tonight in Conference League clash with move to Arsenal on brink

Eberechi Eze will NOT play for Crystal Palace tonight in Conference League clash with move to Arsenal on brink

The Irish Sun6 hours ago
He could complete his move before the weekend
NEVER EZE Eberechi Eze will NOT play for Crystal Palace tonight in Conference League clash with move to Arsenal on brink
EBERECHI EZE will NOT be playing for Crystal Palace tonight in the Europa Conference League, SunSport can exclusively reveal.
The Gunners have agreed a deal with both Palace and the player over a £67.5million switch to the Emirates.
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Eberechi Eze will NOT play for Crystal Palace tonight
Credit: Reuters
Eze had hoped to feature for the Eagles — but with his move to Arsenal now imminent, he won't be taking any risks.
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The Gunners swooped in to agree a deal to sign the talisman from under the noses of their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs believed that they had wrapped up a deal for Eze until last night when Arsenal made their hijack move.
Oliver Glasner will now be without his star man for the Conference League clash with Norwegian outfit Fredrikstad FK.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
ISAK'S BACK! Glum Alexander Isak seen training alone at Newcastle as transfer row goes on
The match is the Eagles' first in European competition in their history and they will host it at Selhurst Park.
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The tie is the first leg of the playoff round in order to qualify for the league phase.
Palace had originally been hoping to play in the Europa League this season but were relegated due to multi-club ownership rules by Uefa.
But SunSport understands he will not have any participation in the game.
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Fitzpatrick one shot off pace at British Masters
Fitzpatrick one shot off pace at British Masters

Irish Examiner

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Fitzpatrick one shot off pace at British Masters

Home favourite Matt Fitzpatrick sat one shot off the lead after the first round of the Betfred British Masters, behind a quartet of players out in front on six under par. Englishman Fitzpatrick carded seven birdies and two bogeys at The Belfry on Thursday to sign for an opening 67. The 30-year-old, who claimed the first of his nine DP World Tour titles at this event in 2015, can no longer qualify automatically for next month's Ryder Cup but will be hoping to show European captain Luke Donald that he deserves to be one of his picks, and got his week off to a strong start. He told the DP World Tour website: "This week is another opportunity to play well. "That is why I am here. To get off to a good start is always nice and hopefully I'll kick on. "It means the world to be a part of it. Outside of winning a major, it is normally the first thing on a goal sheet at the start of a Ryder Cup year. "We have got a great opportunity to do something we have not done in a while and obviously to be a part of that would be special." Marcel Siem, Matthias Schwab, Thomas Aiken and Haotong Li shared the lead after firing opening 66s in Sutton Coldfield. Fitzpatrick was alongside Keita Nakajima on five under, one shot ahead of Scot Ewen Ferguson and Englishman Matt Wallace. Rasmus Hojgaard during day one of the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry. Picture: David Davies/PA Ryder Cup hopeful Rasmus Hojgaard, who needs to finish in a tie for 29th with one other player or better this week to overtake Shane Lowry and earn a debut for Team Europe next month, got his quest off to a good start, with a three under par round of 69 earning him a tie for 12th after round one. Conor Purcell shot a one-over 73 in his opening round.

The battle for Eberechi Eze was a fight with Arsenal that Spurs knew they wouldn't win
The battle for Eberechi Eze was a fight with Arsenal that Spurs knew they wouldn't win

Irish Times

time44 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

The battle for Eberechi Eze was a fight with Arsenal that Spurs knew they wouldn't win

It was towards the end of June when it became clear that Tottenham were considering a move for Eberechi Eze, one to install him as the centrepiece of their new project under Thomas Frank. Or, at least, when it became public knowledge. And it was the prompt for two things to happen. Firstly, it would be reported a few days later that Arsenal were also on the case. The club's new sporting director, Andrea Berta, had put the feelers out for the Crystal Palace forward. Call it a declaration of interest, albeit Berta was having a lot of conversations about a lot of potential targets at the time. His idea was to have plenty of options on the boil before deciding which to prioritise. Then, there was a subtle change to the mood music at Spurs, a kind of step back into a holding pattern. Agent talk, was the word inside the club. Eze was more likely to stay at Palace. It would be wrong to get too far ahead of anything on this one. But it was impossible to ignore the alternative reading: Spurs did not want to be drawn into a battle with their rivals over one of the most exciting talents on the market. Spurs were fearful of that, and for good reason. They had to know that, given the choice, Eze would go for Arsenal over them. There were the emotional reasons. He had supported Arsenal as a kid and played in their academy until his release as a 13-year-old; the line about how he cried for a week after is a well-known part of his story. Yet it would not only be about dreams and unfinished business. Eze would surely look at the Premier League table from last season. At which club would he stand the better chance of winning the title? READ MORE At this point it is worth introducing Mikel Arteta, who let it be known just how highly he rated Eze and how perfectly he would fit into his team. Eze's head was turned. So Spurs entered territory in which the reward was tantalising, almost irresistible, but the risk was extreme. It was as if they were shadow boxing with Arsenal, their every move over Eze likely to come right back at them. Arsenal were a devil on their shoulder; watching, waiting. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Photograph: Peter Powell/AFP via Getty Images Spurs would pivot to Morgan Gibbs-White in July only to run into the immovable object that is Evangelos Marinakis. No deal, the Nottingham Forest owner said. There would be a new one for Gibbs-White at Forest and, sadly for Spurs, egg on their face after they believed they would be able to exploit a £60 million release clause in his old contract. The Gibbs-White episode has been a climate-shaper in Spurs's summer and then there was the moment when James Maddison ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the preseason game against Newcastle on August 3rd; a shattering blow for him and his team. Dejan Kulusevski, the club's other key central attacking midfielder, underwent knee surgery in May and is out until around the turn of the year, so the need to act in the market was obvious and urgent. Why not move straight away for Eze; give him and Palace a decision to make by meeting the £68 million release clause in his deal, which was in place until August 15th? Spurs's hesitation was to do with the fact they considered the number to be too high for a 27-year-old with 12 England caps and no experience of European football at club level. It is not the only detail in terms of optics that has hurt them as Arsenal prepare to pay pretty much that amount to take Eze to the Emirates, with Spurs themselves having ended up ready to do likewise. There has been the idea that Spurs had a clear run at Eze because Arsenal, after spending around £200 million on six other signings, would need to raise money via sales before they could make a bid. Well, they have sold nobody and still pushed the button. Unless Arsenal have a sale or two lined up, could it be that they have more financial headroom than they have let on? Eberechi Eze. Photograph: John Walton/PA It is easy to pick over the curiosities. Eze is represented by CAA Base, the influential firm of agents who have close links to Spurs. Should that have given Spurs an edge? It must be said that Base will always put the wishes of their players first. And why did it seemingly take Kai Havertz feeling a knee injury after Sunday's win at Manchester United for Arsenal to move on Eze? There are similarities in the profile of both players but there is a fundamental difference: Havertz can play as a number 9, Eze cannot. With Gabriel Jesus a long-term injury casualty, the loss of Havertz ought to have seen Arsenal look for a number 9 to provide support for the new signing, Viktor Gyökeres. Not take Eze. The reality is that Spurs were never going to win this fight. We will never know what would have happened if they had offered to pay Eze's release clause. But it feels fair to assume that it would have led Arsenal into following suit. Spurs eventually reached an agreement with Palace on Wednesday and they believed they had one with Eze, too. If Arsenal were not an option, Eze would have joined Spurs. At this stage of his career, after giving everything for Palace across five seasons, he is ready for a change; the chance to play in the Champions League . But Arsenal were an option; they never went away. It took them a matter of hours to slide in for the steal. The bad news for Spurs is that the very thing they feared has come to pass. The memes are out, an Eze mural has appeared in the tunnel outside the Emirates and the time is tighter to provide Frank with a new number 10. Have Spurs built on the momentum of their Europa League triumph from last season? They have added João Paulinha and Mohammed Kudus for the starting XI, while it was a tonic to tie the new captain, Cristian Romero, to a long-term contract. But when their supporters look around, they see that Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal have spent £200 million or significantly upwards on signings. Manchester City, meanwhile, have invested £150 million. The mood at Tottenham is back to being edgy. Arsenal have made a statement of intent. – Guardian

Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?
Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Man Utd's new front three of Mbeumo, Cunha & Sesko showed flashes against Arsenal – but will £200m revamp really work?

MANCHESTER UNITED may have lost their opening game of the new Premier League season to title-chasing Arsenal. But there were flashes of brilliance from their new-look front three, which will be a significant upgrade for Ruben Amorim this season. 16 It was not the opening result Ruben Amorim was hoping for, but there were positives Credit: AP Amorim's men looked more like a collective team than they did last season. United came into the match following a busy off-season, having revitalised their attacking options at a cost of a whopping £200MILLION. Two new attackers, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, started the match, while new star striker Benjamin Sesko was on the bench - although he did feature in the final 30 minutes. At the start of the game, it seemed that Cunha would be playing as the central striker, with Mason Mount and Mbeumo playing as the narrow attacking No. 10s behind him. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL SESK APPEAL Inside Benjamin Sesko's life including glam older Wag & controversial car The positioning and role of Cunha, however, was more versatile than that – until the introduction of Sesko in the second half. The game was just a taste of what United's three new attacking players can bring over the coming weeks and months. So with that in mind, SunSport's Tactics Exposed team is on hand to take an in-depth look at each of United's new attacking options and break down what fans can expect to see from them this season. Bryan Mbeumo When United secured the signing of Mbeumo from Brentford for a £71m fee, it was off the back of a strong season in which he finished with 20 goals and nine assists in all competitions. He appears to ideally suit the 3-4-2-1 system that is favoured by United's Portuguese head coach Amorim. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 16 16 It is likely – and this was supported against Arsenal – that Mbeumo will start for United as the right-sided No.10 behind the main striker. From this position on the right, one of the biggest threats from Mbeumo comes from his off-the-ball movement. During his time at Brentford, he looked to make attacking runs in the channel, starting from deeper positions. Mbeumo can then accelerate to attack the space between the opposition's fullback and central defenders. Against Arsenal, we saw early signs of these runs and the danger that they'll bring. Glamorous Man Utd fan rocks up at Old Trafford in nothing but bodypaint but is 'not allowed into Arsenal game' 16 Bryan Mbeumo showed promising signs against Arsenal Credit: Getty 16 Mbeumo catches the Arsenal defence on their heels as he makes the run to receive Mount's pass Here, we see the kind of movement that we can expect this season from Mbeumo. As Cunha and Mount work to collect a loose ball, Mbeumo starts a run to attack the space through the channel The positioning and movement of Mbeumo throughout this match were interesting. He showed a clear tendency in the build-up phase, and when the ball came into the middle third, to come out wide to receive and support the attack. Mbeumo dropped back to goal to receive the ball and showed his touch and technical ability when receiving and linking up with teammates behind him. Also, he looked comfortable when getting the ball on the turn and looking to attack forward with aggression. As the play progressed into the middle third he narrowed off as he likes to play closer to the area and to goal. This was supported by the longer overlapping runs from Diogo Dalot from the right wingback position, and then the higher attacking positions from Amad Diallo when he came into that role. Mbeumo was difficult to play against for the opposition defenders as he varied his approach. At points, he released the ball to play in the wingback when he moved from deep to support. And at other points, he took the ball and drove inside towards the area. In this example, Mbeumo is in possession of the ball as United are on the attack. 16 Mbeumo creates confusion as he could go either way, with Dalot adding the option with a run on the outside The defender is isolated and cannot commit as he does not know which way Mbeumo will go. This time, he uses the overlap and plays the ball for Dalot to carry forward. The movement and attacking intelligence that Mbeumo showed throughout the match against Arsenal should excite United fans. Matheus Cunha United moved very quickly at the end of last season to trigger the release clause of the Brazil star Cunha to take him from Wolves for £62.5m. Similar to Mbeumo, United made the move for Cunha on the back of a strong season in which he scored 17 goals and had six assists. 16 16 While we think as the season goes on that Cunha will end up playing as the left-sided No.10 behind the main striker, he actually started against Arsenal as the main striker. Cunha was, however, still very versatile with his attacking positioning and movement as he moved and dropped deep to get on the ball. He would then either turn and driving in possession of the ball or link the play with teammates and move into advanced areas with his off the ball movement. Cunha consistently got into positions in which he could take the ball and then look to hurt the Arsenal backline. 16 Matheus Cunha was signed from Wolves for £62.5m Credit: Getty 16 Here, Cunha drops deep to act as a playmaker with seven United players more advanced up the pitch There were moments when Cunha dropped very deep, even as the central striker, and was deeper in the United half to help progress the ball. We see an example of this here as Cunha has dropped very deep and taken possession before turning and driving forward. It was interesting to see how effective Cunha was in the final third in terms of giving United a platform to attack from. He played as the main striker until the final 30 minutes, when Sesko was introduced for Mount, before dropping back to play as the 10. During the match, however, he completed all 11 passes that he attempted in the final third as he linked the play. He was consistently willing to take possession of the ball under pressure in advanced areas and to link the play with teammates moving to support the play. The Brazilian is also a threat in these situations, however, to take the ball on the turn and drive to goal in order to get a shot away. 16 Matheus Cunha is happy taking the ball in tight situations, with his back to goal Here, Cunha takes possession of the ball from a short forward pass from Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. He holds off the pressure from the defender and plays the ball back into the path of Bruno as he moves forward to attack the edge of the area. The positional versatility that we see from Cunha combined with his ability on the ball to combine with teammates and drive through space in the final third will help United to break down opposition teams. Benjamin Sesko The final new attacking player is Slovenian international striker Sesko, who was recruited from RB Leipzig for £74m. While he was not quite ready to start the first game of the season, we did see him come off the bench for the final 30 minutes. 16 16 And in that time, we saw what the striker will bring to the squad. Sesko likes to run at defences. He is far less effective when playing back to goal and receiving into his feet. This means he provides a very different option to Cunha as the No.9 in this game. The willingness of Sesko to make these runs and stretch the game provides a threat, but it also creates space underneath that the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo could take advantage of. 16 Benjamin Sesko made his debut against Arsenal Credit: Getty 16 Sesko has a knack of timing his runs perfectly to receive the ball from the defence As United are in possession in their own half with the man in possession under no pressure, Sesko times his run to break beyond the last line and allow the ball to be played over the top and into space. Sesko is a very physical and is 6' 5' tall, with the ability to routinely threaten space for his team. His off-the-ball movement is similar to that of Rasmus Hojlund, who is still in the United squad. But Sesko should provide more consistent threat through his ball striking and ability to maintain that pace when in possession of the ball. 16 Sesko makes clever runs, this time making a diagonal burst to free up space for Cunha Here, we see a clear example of Sesko making a diagonal run to force the opposition defensive line backwards and create space for teammates underneath. Cunha has taken possession of the ball and turned his man before driving towards the opposition half. As Sesko makes a darting diagonal run the entire defensive line for Arsenal is pushed backwards. A striker like Sesko, when compared to the profiles and positional tendencies of the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo, will create a lot of threat across the season for United. Man Utd's transfer deals IN Bryan Mbeumo - from Brentford - £71m Matheus Cunha - from Wolves - £62.5m Diego Leon - from Cerro Porteno - £7m Benjamin Sesko - from RB Leipzig - £74m TOTAL - £214.5m OUT Victor Lindelof - released Christian Eriksen - released TOTAL - £0m MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE Conclusion We have gone through the three new attacking players for United and not even mentioned their best attacking threat from last season in Bruno Fernandes. The United captain will likely find himself moving deeper to play a more deep midfielder as opposed to one of the No10's. But his passing ability and aggressive nature from this role will be very strong for United. As the season progresses we are likely to see Sesko established as the main striker with Cunha and Mbeumo as the No.10's behind him. This will be the strongest attacking setup for Amorin and his United squad and a vast improvement on last season's attacking options.

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