Arsenal 'looked a little flat'
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Metro
2 minutes ago
- Metro
Mikel Arteta drops hint over new Arsenal penalty taker this season
Attention Fantasy Premier League managers, Arsenal may well have a new penalty taker this season. Bukayo Saka has been the Gunners' go-to man from the spot since he assumed the responsibility just over three years ago. Excluding penalty shootouts, Saka has missed just two of the 14 penalties he has taken in club football, including last season's failed Panenka effort in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. Fortunately, on that occasion, the England international's overconfidence did not prove to be decisive as Mikel Arteta's side progressed serenely enough to the semi finals of the Champions League. Despite that excellent record, Arteta has hinted new signing Viktor Gyokeres will be the man to take Arsenal's penalties from now on. During an interview with ESPN Brazil, the Arsenal manager, who was pretty reliable from 12 yards himself during his playing days, was asked who his squad's best taker was. 'Gyokeres,' he replied without a moment's hesitation. Whether the Swede, who converted an astonishing 19 penalties last season, takes over from Saka remains to be seen but he certainly has the pedigree, as well as the backing of his new boss. The summer arrival from Sporting Lisbon endured a difficult Premier League debut against Manchester United last weekend. Gyokeres laboured up front on his own, failed to register a shot on goal and touched the ball on only four occasions inside United's 18-yard box. 'To be fair to him he didn't have much support at times,' Wayne Rooney said on his BBC podcast when asked about Gyokeres' first appearance in a competitive match for Arsenal. 'He was a bit isolated, he did show his strength, there was one time he ran into the channel and pushed [Matthijs] De Ligt off the ball. 'You don't become a bad player after one game. I actually played against him a couple of years ago when he was at Coventry and back then you could tell he was a good player. More Trending 'The one thing I would say is this league is completely different to where he's been and there's a lot more pressure. 'Arsenal have been in need of a striker and he's the one they've put the trust in and spent the money on so there is a lot of pressure on him. 'Now, the question I would have is can he handle that pressure? We've seen at Man United some players just can't do it, just can't handle the pressure of playing for a big club. 'I guess we're going to find out over the next few months.' MORE: Tottenham offered £60m player to beat Arsenal to Eberechi Eze transfer MORE: Chelsea legend hits out at Arsenal over Eberechi Eze transfer hijack MORE: Liverpool, Arsenal or Man City? Hasselbaink names his favourite for Premier League title Your guide to the week in football. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk – sign up, it's an open goal.
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Isak, Rodrygo, Simons? Ten Premier League transfers that could still happen before deadline day
Transfer deadline day is just around the corner, with clubs across Europe having until 1 September to wrap up the final deals of a busy summer window. The Premier League once again heads the spending across the continent, with multiple English clubs having spent over £100m this summer, from Sunderland's £140m spree to Liverpool's deal for Florian Wirtz, which alone could reach £116m. Several big deals are still close too, with Arsenal on the verge of signing Eberechi Eze for £67.5m, while Chelsea are completing a deal for Julio Enciso and Nottingham Forest are close to wrapping up a move for Douglas Luiz. And with just 11 days left until the window slams shut, there is plenty going on behind the scenes as clubs look to make their final additions ahead of the 2025/26 season starting in earnest. Here are 10 Premier League deals that could still be done before the deadline. Alexander Isak Alexander Isak has been the subject of the summer's most protracted transfer saga, with a move to Liverpool constantly being touted but so far failing to materialise. The Sweden striker was the subject of a £110m bid from Liverpool earlier in the window, but the swiftness of the rejection from Newcastle means the Reds have not returned with a second offer. Most recently, the 25-year-old took matters into his own hands with a social media statement accusing his club of 'broken promises' over his future, though so far it has only served to harden Newcastle's stance that he will not be moving this summer. Plenty could change ahead of the deadline – with the Magpies perhaps not wanting to keep an unhappy player – but with the club struggling to sign a replacement, this is a deal that will go to the wire either way. Alejandro Garnacho The story around Alejandro Garnacho's future is another one that has dragged through the summer, with little movement initially before Chelsea began to make official moves towards signing the Argentine. Garnacho was essentially kicked out of the Manchester United squad by Ruben Amorim, with the winger not joining the club on their US tour and not being part of the squad for the opening game against Arsenal. Recent reports suggest that he has told all parties that he will only accept a move to Chelsea and turned down an offer from Bayern Munich in recent days. He has agreed personal terms with the Blues ahead of a move. United value the Argentina international at £50m, with Chelsea valuing him closer to £30m. But the Old Trafford hierarchy are set on their valuation after seeing other deals of a similar nature this summer, such as Noni Madueke's £48m switch from Chelsea to Arsenal. Xavi Simons As ever, the end of the window promises to be a busy one for Chelsea, and Xavi Simons is the other key target for the club before deadline day. The Dutchman, who can play in several positions across the forward line, favours a move to Chelsea and has given the club the green light for a deal, though the Blues are working on sales before bringing in another signing. RB Leipzig would be happy to let Simons leave for around £60m, though this deal and the move for Garnacho will likely affect each other, with the Blues keen to not overpay for the Manchester United man in order to afford Simons. Tottenham are also interested in Simons, among a number of options, after losing out on Eze to Arsenal. Yoane Wissa Yoane Wissa has quietly become another one of the most drawn-out sagas of the summer window, with the Brentford man the subject of interest from clubs including Newcastle, Spurs and Nottingham Forest. However, it is the Magpies who lead the race, with the club seeing a recent £40m offer for Wissa turned down by Brentford. Much like Isak, Wissa has gone on a 'strike' of types, accusing the club of not honouring a promise that he could move this summer. The Congo international favours a move to Newcastle and believes it could happen after the Bees completed the signing of Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth. However, Brentford value their top scorer closer to the £50m, with Newcastle's latest bid falling well short of that. This is a story to follow for several reasons, as dominoes could fall across the market if this one goes through. Nicolas Jackson Nicolas Jackson's future has all of a sudden become the subject of plenty of intrigue, with the Senegal striker now finding himself down the pecking order at Chelsea after the arrival of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. Despite a 24/25 season in which he impressed at times, the 24-year-old is now free to leave Stamford Bridge, though Chelsea value him as high as £80m (however, reports also suggest a deal could be done closer to £60m depending on various factors). Plenty of Europe's top sides are interested, from AC Milan to Premier League clubs including Newcastle, but there is no serious progress so far and it could go to the deadline. Savinho Savinho recently emerged as a surprise target for Tottenham, with Thomas Frank's side now needing attacking reinforcements after the injury to James Maddison and the failure to capture Morgan Gibbs-White. City don't necessarily want to sell the Brazilian – with the club hierarchy currently blocking a move for the winger – and Spurs have already sent one proposal, which was worth around £51m and was rejected. It is thought City would sell for the right price, which would be a sum closer to £70m, though the move is not progressing at the time of writing. Rodrygo This is a potential deal that is interlinked with the future of Savinho, with City targeting Rodrygo if Savinho does leave. While the club hierarchy are blocking any deal for Savinho at the moment, it is understood that they would make a play for Rodrygo if their winger moved to Spurs. Madrid would want at least €100m (£87m) for Rodrygo, who is seemingly not in Xabi Alonso's plans after being left out of Madrid's opening game of the season against Osasuna last weekend. Marc Guehi In addition to Eze, Crystal Palace could be set to lose a second key player in the form of captain Marc Guehi. The England international has just one year left on his contract and though he is not pushing for a move, he is the subject of interest from clubs including Liverpool and Newcastle, who even placed a £60m bid for him last summer. Liverpool now seem the most concrete option for the centre-back, with the Reds light in defence if Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate were to get injured, but they are yet to agree a deal with Palace for the defender. As reported by The Independent, the Selhurst Park club have been open to selling Guehi this summer given his contract expires next year, but there has recently been a £10m difference in valuation between themselves and Liverpool. While the Anfield hierarchy are not budging from £35m, Palace are insistent on £45m. Chelsea have also been linked with a move after injuries to Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill, though it could be a little late for the Blues, while Newcastle and Spurs remain on the periphery. Gianluigi Donnarumma Donnarumma has emerged as one of the surprise exits of the summer after helping PSG to a treble last season, with the French club's signing of Lucas Chevalier seemingly relegating the Italy international to a supporting role if he were to stay. That has opened the door to a move away from the French capital, with the seasoned 'keeper attracting plenty of interest from around Europe. Though Manchester United were touted as a potential destination originally, it is Manchester City who have emerged as the most concrete option in recent weeks, despite the recent arrival of James Trafford. However, any deal for the Italian hinges on the future of Ederson, who is the subject of interest from Galatasaray. If the Brazilian completes the move, then Donnarumma could well move to the Etihad. PSG are said to want around £26m for the 26-year-old, with personal terms unlikely to be an issue if Ederson leaves. Maghnes Akliouche Tottenham have identified AS Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche as an alternative target to Savinho, as The Independent reported this week, with the Frenchman also being monitored by several of the continent's top clubs. Monaco would want £47.5m for the 23-year-old, who impressed for the Ligue 1 giants last term with seven goals in all competitions and scored last week in the club's opening win over Le Havre. With a deal for Savinho so far being blocked and his £70m asking price seen as steep, this could be a deal that accelerates quickly after the failed move for Eze.
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Spurs line up alternative transfer targets after Arsenal hijack Eze deal
Tottenham Hotspur are actively pursuing new attacking players after being outbid by Arsenal for their primary target, Eberechi Eze. The club is facing considerable supporter unrest and pressure due to recent transfer setbacks, i ncluding losing Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, alongside James Maddison 's injury. Spurs have made approaches for Maghnes Akliouche and Tyler Dibling, and are discussing a potential move for Xavi Simons as his transfer to Chelsea stalls. Nico Paz from Como is considered the most achievable transfer target, with progress anticipated imminently. Other players like Morgan Rogers and Savinho are being considered, but their high valuations pose a challenge for the club.
