Latest news with #Arteta
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
UEFA bow to Arsenal criticism and make another Champions League rule change
The Champions League has concluded for the 2024/25 season, with Paris Saint-Germain victorious, and UEFA have already decided to change the rules for next season UEFA are set to make a tweak to the Champions League next season, just one year after introducing an entirely new format. The Champions League came to its conclusion in Munich on Saturday night as Paris Saint-Germain deservedly claimed their first trophy in the competition by thrashing Inter Milan. The match brought to an end the first season of the new league table format, which appeared to be a success for UEFA. While the final was one-sided, the organisers of European football still managed to combine the expanded 36-team format with plenty of dramatic matches. But it seems that they are not entirely pleased with their creation, in which 36 teams compete in a league table phase to decide which sides make it into the knockouts. In the current format, a team's ranking in the league phase determines their seeding for the play-off round. It means the top eight teams get a bye to the round of 16, where they take on a play-off winner and enjoy home advantage in the second leg. However, home advantage is decided by random draw after the round of 16 due to UEFA's preference for an 'open draw', so teams who performed better in the group stage could find themselves forced to play the home leg first at the quarter-final or semi-final stage. That is exactly what happened to Arsenal this season. The Gunners were extremely impressive in the league phase, finishing third, ahead of Real Madrid in 11th and PSG in 15th, yet they were still handed away draws for both the quarter-final and semi-final second legs. Although they smashed Real 5-1 on aggregate, Mikel Arteta 's side reportedly voiced their displeasure over the situation, having felt aggrieved that their consistency in the league phase wasn't rewarded in the knockouts. Their complaints haven't fallen on deaf ears, with German newspaper Bild reporting that UEFA have all-but decided to change the way they draw the knockout ties. The UEFA Club Competitions Committee met on Friday and reportedly agreed on the proposed change before the Champions League final – and final approval is now 'considered a formality.' Other changes were also considered, including proceeding directly to penalty shoot-outs instead of extra time and preventing two clubs from the same nation from facing off until the competition's later stages. No consensus was reached on those ideas, though. Arsenal weren't the only club to fall foul of the 'open' draw system: Barcelona at home for the first leg of their quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, despite finishing second in the league phase. HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of the proposed changes? Comment below. The Gunners were knocked out by eventual winners PSG in the semi-finals, but Arteta refused to accept the French side were the dominant side. '100 per cent I don't think there's been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out,' he said. "This competition is about the boxes and in both boxes are the strikers and the goalkeepers and theirs was the best in both games."
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Tottenham icon gets into Mikel Arteta's office and grabs two beers from his fridge after charity match at Emirates
Bentley was joined by two BGT legends at the North London charity game FRIDGE TOO FAR Tottenham icon gets into Mikel Arteta's office and grabs two beers from his fridge after charity match at Emirates FORMER Tottenham star David Bentley gave himself a tour of Mikel Arteta's office - and even helped himself to a beer. The ex-Spurs midfielder snuck into Arteta's Emirates base after a recent charity match. 4 Former Tottenham midfielder David Bentley has appeared to sneak into Mikel Arteta's office Credit: 4 The ex-Spurs star was playing in a charity game at the Emirates Credit: 4 A now deleted video sees Bentley grab beers from a fridge Credit: 4 Bentley then toasts Spurs' Europa League success Credit: Bentley began his career with the Gunners, playing just one senior game despite being dubbed the "next David Beckham". He joined Tottenham in 2008, but suffered from persistent injuries before hanging up his boots five years later. Bentley starred in a Sellebrity Soccer charity match at the Emirates on Thursday. He played alongside internet duo Woody and Kleiny, who later filmed the midfielder rooting around behind the scenes at the Emirates. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL NOT SPURS Spurs confirm 5 exits including Champions League winner and Man Utd flop The clip - which was taken down on Friday night - was posted by the former Britain's Got Talent duo across their Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages. It showed Bentley decked out in a Tottenham shirt with "Winners 2025" written in black pen across the back, referencing the recent Europa League final. Bentley enters what appears to be Arteta's office, with the Spaniard's name on a plaque alongside the door. Entering the room, a laughing Bentley said: "I love this man." BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He then headed straight over to a mini fridge alongside Arteta's tactics board. Taking out two bottles of lager, he joked: "You know what he's done for me? He's only gone and left us a beer." Moment bold Arsenal fan bombarded with X-rated chant from Spurs supporters after strolling around Bilbao in Gunners kit Woody and Kleiny confirmed they had been asked to remove the footage from their social pages on Friday night. Addressing their 5 million Instagram fans, the duo wrote: "Many have been asking where the post of Bentley raiding Arteta's fridge has gone... "Unfortunately we were asked to remove the video." The clip has since been widely shared across social media, with fans from both teams reacting to Bentley's brazen prank. But it appeared to be Bentley's grammar which grated Arsenal's fanbase the most. One wrote: "This is the most David Bentley content imaginable from the theft for bantz down to writing the word winners with an apostrophe on an 08/09 Spurs kit". Another groaned: "Unnecessary apostrophe there Mr Bentley." While a third deadpanned: "He could have at least shut the fridge door." SunSport has contacted Arsenal for comment.
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Benjamin Sesko's Arsenal transfer latest after he 'said yes' to joining club
Arsenal's search for an out-and-out goalscorer could come to an end this summer, and 21-year-old Benjamin Sesko is one name that has long been on the Gunners' radar It was reported that RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko favoured a move to Arsenal last year, but the Gunners may need to part with an eye-watering sum to secure his services now. Mikel Arteta's side endured a tumultuous 2024/25 season, which once again ended without silverware or a major final. They were forced to settle for second place in the Premier League for the third year in a row, and a Champions League run ended in disappointment at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the semis. One notable statistic that arose from a season filled with injury was that, for the first time in 1924, no Arsenal player reached the 10 league goals tally. For some time, recruiting a striker has been on the north London club's agenda, and Slovenian prodigy Sesko is one name that has constantly seen himself linked with a move to the Emirates. In May 2024, Mirror Football reported that the 21-year-old preferred Arteta's outfit over any other likely suitors, though now, the path to completing his transfer has allegedly become all the more costly. Amid reports linking Sesko to the Premier League 12 months ago, it was revealed that, out of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United, he would rather end up with the Gunners. This revelation was followed in January by the claim that a £60million gentleman's agreement had been reached between the player and his German employers, meaning he would be able to leave this summer for that amount. A substantial January offer was rumoured to have been enough for Leipzig to part ways with Sesko then, and while Barcelona's eye was caught alongside the interested Gunners, such an offer never arrived. Fast-forward to the here and now and new reports suggest that £60m would not be enough for suitors Arsenal to secure Sesko's services. Instead, the Telegraph now reports that a price tag of £92m has been slapped on the marksman. Sesko mustered 21 goals in 45 matches for Leipzig during the campaign gone by, though with his club missing out on European football, it is likely that finances will need to be raised. Arsenal have reportedly been discussing internally whether to push ahead and attempt to strike a deal with Leipzig, with Chelsea also interested, or aim efforts at signing Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres. When asked in April about what may happen this summer, Sesko replied: "We'll see what happens. It's open, anything can happen." Arteta, too, has stayed coy on Arsenal's plans for this upcoming window, but did hint that while an initial budget and plan have been put in place, the option to break the bank under sporting director Andrea Berta is there. "The thing is that the budget is like when you have your wedding, you plan your wedding with your wife and you give her a budget and never less, it's always more," admitted Arteta. "When you build a house, it's always more. Normally, this happens. You prepare for different scenarios. Then, unfortunate things happen. Sometimes we want a player, and suddenly we have an injury, or that player gets injured. "There are so many variables that can happen, but there is a budget. There is always an idea of what we can do, what we can improve, what the priorities are going to be, and then let's see if we can do it." It remains to be seen where Arsenal's attacking attention will primarily turn, but with the window briefly opening from Sunday until June 10 due to the Club World Cup, Berta and Co may be wise to move quick and finally resolve Arteta's glaring issue once and for all.
Sinar Daily
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
Defiant Arteta says Arsenal were best team in Champions League despite painful exit
It was a painful loss for the Gunners, who created numerous chances in the early stages, only to be denied by a series of superb saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma. 08 May 2025 08:57am Arsenal's Spanish coach Mikel Arteta looks on during the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) PARIS - Mikel Arteta defiantly insisted Arsenal were the best team in the Champions League this season despite their semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Arteta's side crashed to a 3-1 aggregate defeat after losing 2-1 in the second leg at the Parc des Princes. Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder #08 Martin Odegaard reacts after Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP) It was a painful loss for the Gunners, who created numerous chances in the early stages, only to be denied by a series of superb saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put PSG in control and although Bukayo Saka reduced the deficit, it was too late to spark a sensational fightback. PSG will meet Inter Milan in the final, while Arsenal face up to a trophy drought that has now extended to five years. Arteta responded to the loss in combative fashion, claiming Arsenal were as good as PSG and were unlucky not to have beaten the French champions. "When you look at the two games their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper, he has been the difference for them in the tie," Arteta said. "I'm very proud of the players. 100 percent I don't think there's been a better team in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out. "We were very close, much closer than the result showed but unfortunately we are out. "After 20 minutes it should have been 3-0. We were very close and for long periods of both games we were much better than them but we are not in the final and that has to hurt." Not for the first time this season, Arsenal paid the price for a lack of cutting edge and untimely defensive mistakes. And even Arteta had to concede the north Londoners were punished for their failings in both penalty areas. "If we want to win this competition we have to realise that. There are certain things that are on us. You shouldn't just be understanding we are out. That is not the way I look at it," he said. "This competition is about the boxes and in both boxes are the strikers and the goalkeepers and theirs was the best in both games." Team in 'worst state' Having failed in their bid to win the Champions League for the first time, the Gunners are still waiting for their first silverware since the 2020 FA Cup. Injuries to key players played a major role in their failure to push Liverpool in the Premier League title race. And Arteta insisted his wounded side's gallant display against PSG -- who had already knocked Liverpool and Aston Villa out of the Champions League this season -- gave him hope for the future. "The players deserve a lot of credit for what they are doing in the context of the situation and the amount of injuries, probably the worst state you could arrive here as a team," he said. "You have to arrive in the competition at this stage with a full squad in the best condition, and we haven't got that. "To come here with a different context and still do that, it gives me a lot of positives for the future but tonight I am very upset, so annoyed that we didn't manage to do it." While Arteta saluted his players' efforts, he struck a more equivocal tone when asked if Arsenal have the quality to eventually succeed in their quest to land a major prize. "It depends. This squad, two years ago, nobody believed that we could probably even qualify for the Champions League. Not even think that we could compete for the league," he said. "Or have the amount of points that we had that in any other year you are a champion. Or have the run and the performances that we had in the Champions League. "But the reality at the end is you need something to lift that trophy and the disappointment is that it's not going to happen." Now Arsenal have to find a way to recover from their heartache and Arteta said: "If you want to be competing and be very close to all the trophies, you better be able to deal with that." - AFP More Like This
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Mystery over Martin Zubimendi's Arsenal transfer as £51m target appears to deny medical claims in Instagram post
MARTIN ZUBIMENDI appears to have denied claims he is undergoing a medical at Arsenal. Arsenal triggered a £51million release clause in his contract in January. 3 3 3 The transfer has been at an advanced stage ever since and the final details are expected to be completed shortly. That includes a medical, with reports this week claiming he was set to undergo a check-up in London in the coming days. Zubimendi, 26, appeared to react to those claims with his latest Instagram post. The midfielder shared a couple of snaps from the beach including one of himself in a wetsuit, surfboard in hand. Spanish outlet Cope report that Zubimendi is still in San Sebastian. Despite that, senior Arsenal figures expect the deal to be completed swiftly. Personal terms and the relevant documents have already been signed and agreed, as well as the payment structure around the Spaniard's release clause. So all that is left is a medical - once that is complete he will be announced as a Gunners player. He will provide depth to a midfield that has already lost veteran Jorginho, who is heading to Brazilian outfit Flamengo on a free transfer with his Emirates deal expiring next month. Zubimendi is highly rated by Arteta, who convinced the Euro 2024 winner of the North London project after he turned down a switch to Arne Slot's Liverpool last summer. It is the start of a huge summer of incomings for Arsenal as they prepare to splash around £200m on new talent to fire them to Premier League glory next term.
