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Leandro Trossard celebrated his 30th birthday in raucous fashion after Arsenal's 2-0 win over Manchester United.

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• Trossard celebrates 30th birthday
• Arsenal man enjoys raucous night out
• Wife shares footage from big bash

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , after the Gunners put United to the sword on Wednesday the Belgian international enjoyed a night out with his friends – and wife Laura captured some of it on Instagram. In the clip, a giant birthday cake was placed on the table, huge balloons spelled out "30", and there were cardboard cut-outs of the forward's face, too. Trossard's mates began chanting his name as the celebrations went up a notch.

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  Although Trossard came off the bench for the final 20 minutes against United, he played his part in Arsenal claiming a vital three points and going second in the Premier League table. And despite not being a regular starter for the Gunners, the ex-Brighton player could play an important role for the club this season.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Trossard and Laura first reportedly got together in 2014 when he was a Genk player. The pair got married five years later and have two sons, one called Thiago and the other Amadeo.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Trossard, who has scored four goals in 19 appearances for Arsenal this season, will hope to feature in his team's trip to London neighbours Fulham on Sunday in the Premier League.

The Senegal forward is a raw talent, but he is finally showing the world the player he can be if he fulfils his potential at Stamford Bridge

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Whenever a Chelsea match is being shown live in a London pub nowadays, there's often a certain phrase that echoes in a round when Nicolas Jackson first appears on screen: "Nicolassss…Jacksonnnnn."

It's meant to mimic the Senegalese's pronunciation of his own name during the Premier League's video guide to player phonetics released prior to the start of the 2024-25 season. Jackson's confident and charismatic take went viral, while marrying up neatly with the perception about him after a year in England.

A difficult 2023-24 campaign saw Chelsea overcome a tricky start to finish sixth, with their new centre-forward scoring 14 goals in 35 matches along the way. The Blues were a work in progress, and so was he at the age of 22.

Jackson was, nevertheless, derided for his wastefulness in front of goal and an innate ability to make the simple seem tough. Now, he's reversed that perception and is the best striker in all of London.

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  'Sliding Doors' switch

  Chelsea weren't actually the first English club to try and sign Jackson. Six months before his slated arrival at Stamford Bridge, Bournemouth reached a €23 million agreement with Villarreal and the deal was all set to go through – it even had Fabrizio Romano's 'here we go' seal of approval.

  Alas, Jackson failed his medical and was sent back to Spain for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign. The Cherries, at that point not certain of Premier League safety, weren't sure exactly when he would be able to return from a hamstring strain and moved for Bristol City's Antoine Semenyo instead (which, as far as contingency plans go, wasn't actually the worst thing in the world).

  That summer, with Jackson fit again and having ripped off a run of nine goals in the final eight La Liga games of the season, Chelsea took the plunge and agreed a fee in excess of his €35m release clause. In hindsight, perhaps the west Londoners should have received a bit more credit for not caving to media pressure and going all-in on another hugely expensive striker, given their long and strange run of high-profile No.9s flopping for them. That same pressure wouldn't be placed on Jackson's shoulders.

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  Initial struggles

  Jackson's first few months at Chelsea didn't go according to plan, however. He scored only two goals in his first nine Premier League games, with both coming against teams – Luton Town and Burnley – who would be relegated come the end of the season.

  Frustration over the misfiring striker reached a boiling point during a 2-0 defeat at home to Brentford in October 2023, with a fan sat in the lower tier of Stamford Bridge, right next to the dugout, hurling abuse at Jackson. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino quickly sought to diffuse the situation and retorted: "Support the players!"

  In his post-match press conference, Pochettino said: "It was a moment we all feel frustrated because after 40 minutes playing well and creating chances in that moment the energy of the stadium was a bit down. Because it was really calm [we could hear that] one fan said: 'Oh, wake up' and abuse a little bit. Nicolas was losing a bit of a focus and I was saying: 'Hey, come on, be focused here'.

  "I repeat again, we need support and to stay behind the team and that’s it. I was very respectful and the fan was respectful… and the player took it in a bad way. It’s normal because the player wanted to score and do a good thing. Nothing more."

  After that loss to the Bees, Chelsea found themselves 12th in the Premier League table. A trip to table-topping, undefeated Tottenham was up next.

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  Hat-trick of infamy

  That trip across London to Spurs proved to be one of the strangest games in Premier League history. So much of the build-up was focused on Pochettino's emotional return to the club he had rebuilt in the modern day, how both sides of the divorce were trying to move on with their lives, and how Tottenham could actually announce themselves as title contenders under Ange Postecoglou while edging the Argentine closer to an early firing.

  What followed was astonishing. Tottenham went a goal up early on through a deflected Dejan Kulusevski strike, and the slightest of offsides saw a second from Son Heung-min ruled out, with Chelsea on the verge of total collapse. Then it all changed.

  A VAR check saw the visitors awarded a penalty and Cristian Romero sent off. Cole Palmer scored from 12 yards before Destiny Udogie also received his marching orders. Postecoglou's rebuttal was to order his makeshift defence to play an offside trap on the halfway line and squeeze the game as much as physically possible.

  Predictably, this led to several Chelsea breaks, some of which were curtailed by late offside flags, but plenty of which were legitimate. Jackson missed again and again and again, thwarted on many occasions by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Eventually, Spurs' resistance was broken and Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners, with Jackson grabbing three goals of his own. Yet it was regarded by some as an embarrassing hat-trick given he could have scored nearly double his final total.

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  Disciplinary issues

  Obviously, the main concern you would have about a striker is when they aren't scoring enough goals. Jackson, though, had another crease to his game that needed ironing out and is still semi-prevalent to this day.

  Across his first six Premier League appearances, he accumulated the five bookings needed to incur a one-game suspension. All of these cautions were for dissent.

  Pochettino had a stern warning for Jackson and his youthful team-mates: "We need to grow up like a team. A player like Nico is so young and is feeling the Premier League and is learning. He made the mistake. We feel disappointed because we are paying for too many situations like this."

  Jackson ended the season with 10 bookings in total, managing to at least slow the rate at which he picked up his yellow cards. However, ill-discipline is still at the top of his list of weaknesses, having already picked up four so far this season.

Crystal Palace have only made two huge sales in the past, one being academy graduate Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United for around £47m, and the other being this summer's sale of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, for around £45.5m.

Their next biggest sale was Yannick Bolasie to Everton for around £25m, whilst other star players in the past, such as Wilfried Zaha, were sold for far cheaper fees, as the Ivorian left Palace for Manchester United in 2013 for around £10m.

But Palace could be about to make their record sale, even after their already huge sale of Olise, bringing around the discussion of Palace's recent recruitment, and the profitable business they have carried out in recent years.

The latest on Marc Guehi's future

According to reports from The Telegraph, Newcastle are getting closer to acquiring Palace defender, Marc Guehi. The England defender is valued at £60m by the Eagles and has two years remaining on his current deal.

This news comes after Eddie Howe prioritised the right central defender position, having been in discussions with Guehi for some time now. It is also reported the centre-back has other admirers, but those clubs are not named in the report.

Guehi is valued at £32.5m by Transfermarkt, but as mentioned above, Palace are asking for nearly double that fee in order to prise away one of their key players. The 24-year-old made 29 appearances for the Eagles last season, providing one assist, and contributing to eight clean sheets.

That said, one Palace player is worth even more.

Adam Wharton's transfer value in 2024

Wharton made 16 appearances for Palace last season after securing a January move from Blackburn Rovers for a fee worth around £18m.

Already since that move, the 20-year-old midfielder's value has risen at an exponential rate, so much so that some reports claim the Londoners now value him at an enormous £100m.

The young midfielder excels in so many metrics, completing 3.33 tackles per 90, ranking in the top 5% of midfielders in the top five European leagues for this metric, and also completes 5.48 progressive passes, ranking in the top 32% of midfielders for that metric.

He was even described as "outstanding" by Alan Shearer, referring to his performance at Anfield where Palace beat Liverpool 1-0, Wharton producing one key pass, 2/2 long balls, and winning 8/10 ground duels in that game.

Wharton earned his first England senior call-up just before the Euros, before also being named in the Euro 2024 squad, after his impressive second half of the season since joining Palace.

Ranking so highly in defensive metrics, averaging 4.72 tackles + interceptions per 90, and then having the comfortability on the ball, to look up and pick a progressive pass through the lines, is expected to be very valuable in the near future.

With some big clubs lining up and taking notice of the midfield star, Palace could be in line for multiple record sales in back-to-back years, with Wharton already being earmarked as the next after Guehi departs.

He's Haaland-esque: Crystal Palace can land dream £59m Mateta replacement

Crystal Palace eye interesting Mateta replacement

By
Connor Holden

Aug 4, 2024

GOAL takes a look at which of MLS' brightest stars could move to Europe in the January window

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami were one of the first clubs in MLS to feel the impact of the January's incoming transfer window this offseason. Diego Gomez, one of the team's young rising players and a Paraguay international, is joining Brighton in the English Premier League for a reported $18 million next month. The move is well-earned, with the 21-year-old having a breakout season. Now, the question that follows is: Who's next?

Gomez's move follows a growing pathway in the league, where MLS is becoming a stepping stone for young talent before they make the next jump in their career, whether that be to Europe or the top-tiers of South America. On top of Gomez, in 2024, we saw U.S. youth international Caleb Wiley move to Chelsea in England, 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Thiago Almada make the leap from Atlanta to Botafogo – where he became a Copa Libertadores champion recently. Then, there's domestic talent like Cavan Sullivan, who signed the largest Homegrown deal in MLS history with the Philadelphia Union, but within the contract, signed a clause to move to Manchester City at age 18.

MLS has become a league where young players, if given the right tools and access, can flourish – 2024 proved that.

However, there are still gems of players that have yet to make the leap, despite rumors circling that they could. GOAL takes a look at five potential candidates within the league that could be set for their next big move this Winter.

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  Adilson Malanda, Charlotte FC

  Malanda had one of the most impressive seasons among all defenders in MLS in 2024. The 22-year-old center back broke out under manager Dean Smith, helping lead Charlotte FC to the second-best defensive record in all of MLS. As a result of his performances, he now has eyes from all over Europe on him.

  In July, CLT inked him to a new contract through 2026 with a club option through 2027, but in this world, money talks — and he could bring in a substantial amount on a transfer fee.

  Originally signed from Rodez AF in Ligue 2, Malanda was brought into MLS with only 36 senior matches under his belt as a professional. However, he has blossomed into one of the brightest talents across the league.

  General Manager Zoran Krneta announced in the summer that the club had received offers in the summer from Europe's top five leagues for the Frenchman, but they declined the pursuit, instead handing him a new deal and building their defense around him.

  In 2024, Malanda made 32 appearances for CLT, while winning 58.1 percent of his aerial duels, recording 81 defensive clearances and scoring one goal during the regular season. It's level of performance that could have teams from abroad looking his way once again.

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  John Tolkin, New York Red Bulls

  Tolkin has been touted for a move to Europe for the past two seasons, but a January transfer now seems inevitable.

  The 22-year-old U.S. international recently led the New York Red Bulls to their first MLS Cup appearance since 2008, with the left back recording the game-winning assist in the Conference Semifinals, as well. Over the summer, he represented the USMNT at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making four appearances – all of which were starts – as the U.S. progressed to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

  He's evolved into one of the best set-piece takers in MLS, while growing into a versatile fullback who excels in the attack in transition. Across four seasons as a professional, the 22-year-old has amassed seven goals and 15 assists — the second-most assists by a defender in club history.

  RBNY Head of Sport Jochen Schneider recently admitted that it's only a matter of time before Tolkin departs for Europe — bringing a January move closer to reality than not.

  “This is not a secret,” Schneider said. “We had the exit interviews with the players… and without asking John Tolkin for permission, I can tell you what we’ve spoken with him about [it]. I said, ‘Listen, I want you to retire here at Red Bull Arena, and we put No. 47 [to the rafters].’ But I know that is not going to happen with your quality, with your ambitions," he told amNY.

  “I know you will play in Europe. When the day will come, I do not know. It has to be the right club, it has to be the right proposal, it has to be a fit for every party. But it’s clear that you will one day go to Europe. If it will be in January, if it will be on July 25, if it will be after he played the World Cup for the US Men’s National Team, I don’t know. But the time will come. The most important thing is that he’s focused on his game here and then it will be, without a question, that he will go to Europe.”

  AmNY reported an unnamed Bundesliga side has been tracking Tolkin for the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see if the left back ends up in Germany or elsewhere at the close of the winter transfer window.

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  Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake

  Winner of MLS' 2024 Young Player of the Year award, Luna is widely-regarded as one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in American soccer. A U.S. youth international, he's a creative winger who can invert into the attacking positions of the midfield in transition.

  Aged 21, Luna had a breakout 2024 season where he scored eight goals and recorded 12 assists across 31 regular season appearances for Real Salt Lake. In transition, he was fouled 32 times, while in the attack, he registered 55 total scoring attempts.

  As a result of his on-pitch brilliance, he's become a hot commodity in the transfer market.

  English Championship side Leeds United, who have U.S. international Brenden Aaronson on their roster, have reportedly "explored conditions of a transfer" according to The Mirror this January, but concrete offers have yet to arrive for the 21-year-old.

  Regardless, though, he is one of the best young attacking prospects within MLS and should be a name on a lot of club's radar over the Winter transfer window. In addition, he's a name to watch for Mauricio Pochettino's January camp roster — as he's not yet capped by the USMNT, and still has dual-national eligibility with Mexico, too.

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  Gabriel Pec, LA Galaxy

  Winner of 2024 MLS Cup, Pec was MLS' Newcomer of the Year in 2024 — and he arrived with a bang.

  Recording 16 goals and 14 assists across the regular season, and another five goal-contributions en-route to lifting the league's championship trophy with the LA Galaxy for the first time in a decade, the 23-year-old Brazilian was absolutely outstanding in his debut season. Brought in from Vasco Da Gama as a Young Designated Player, Pec signed a five-year contract with LA through 2028 after joining ahead of the 2024 campaign.

  Reportedly signed for a fee of $10m, he was a cub-record transfer, surpassing the $9.4m they paid for Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez to La Liga side Sevilla in 2020. Now, after just one year stateside, he could be on his way to the biggest stage in Europe.

  Speaking to GOAL through a translator prior to lifting MLS Cup, Pec expressed gratitude to LA for taking a chance on him — while manager Greg Vanney admitted there are realities around the transfer market, and if a fee were to arrive for the Brazilian, there would be contemplation.

  “I know that LA Galaxy has a very rich history as one of the biggest clubs in MLS in terms of titles,” Pec said. “A lot of great players – [Zlatan] Ibrahimović, Chicharito, and David Beckham – have come here. This is a great pathway for me to continue growing in my career.”

  “These players, if they do move on from us, [they potentially] go for big transfer fees that help reinvest back in the team, the academy, and the things that move our club and league forward,” Vanney added.

  The manager was adamant though, that LA will fight to keep its core together.

  “I think it’s important that we do everything we can to keep this group together,” Vanney told GOAL on Sunday. “It’s one of the reasons Will [Kuntz] and I targeted younger players – to build continuity and allow them to grow as a unit. That’s certainly a priority for us moving forward.”

Liverpool supporters are venting their frustrations as the summer transfer window trundles into the final few weeks, with not a signing in sight to strengthen Arne Slot's newly-shaped system.

Replacing Jurgen Klopp is a task comparable to scaling Anfield with your bare hands, but the easygoing Dutchman has the wits and the tactical wherewithal to enjoy a fruitful tenure on Merseyside.

Only, he's yet to see a player welcomed to the first-team fold. Up until recent events, trepidation around this matter was somewhat undue – Liverpool were biding their time throughout June and July as Slot familiarised himself with his new outfit and determined the key point of concern.

Last month, Richard Hughes spoke of an August "crescendo" that has yet to materialise, with Liverpool's new sporting director left hot under the collar after Martin Zubimendi rejected the Premier League team's advances despite leaning toward leaving Real Sociedad initially.

This has placed the Reds in a disquieting position, with Wataru Endo seemingly not suited to Slot's ball-playing, progressive system.

Liverpool's rejection response

Slot has underlined concerns around the base of his Anfield engine room and will be hoping to see someone fitting walk through the door.

Zubimendi has earned much acclaim for his performances in La Liga, with Spanish football expert Sid Lowe claiming that "he is just about as good a deep-lying midfielder there is in Europe, apart from maybe Rodri".

Spain's Euro 2024-winning manager Luis de la Fuente has also called him "one of the best midfielders in the world", so perhaps it's somewhat justifiable that Hughes and co are being circumspect in moving for an alternative.

The Athletic's David Ornstein has confirmed that Liverpool "are not expecting to sign" an alternative No. 6, but with the overriding consensus suggesting that this would be a fatal mistake, that could surely change in the weeks to come.

If not, Liverpool will have to make do with Endo, who signed from Stuttgart for £16m in a surprise move one year ago after efforts to sign Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo were foiled by Chelsea.

That said, there is another man who has proved himself in the sitting midfield role: Alexis Mac Allister.

Where Alexis Mac Allister could play this season

Liverpool signed Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £35m deal last summer, kickstarting a much-needed midfield rebuild ahead of Jurgen Klopp's final term at the helm.

Arriving with a World Cup gold medal under his belt and a talismanic role in Brighton's rise in the Premier League, clinching Europa League football in 2022/23.

The £150k-per-week ace completed 33 matches for Liverpool in the Premier League last term, as per Sofascore, posting five goals and five assists, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.4 key passes, 3.4 tackles, 5.9 successful duels and 5.9 ball recoveries per game.

He might prefer to play in a looser midfield role, having been hailed as a "superstar" by pundit Joe Cole for his technical quality, even claiming that he "can play anywhere". One needs only take a look at his frightening striking power and ability to carve open the steeliest of defences.

His defensive quality is equally as admirable but performances across the 2023/24 campaign illustrated the gains to be made from playing him alongside one tasked with a more defensive-minded partner.

Still, 3.4 tackles per game and an athletic strength that surpasses the lion's share of midfielders across Europe led Klopp to play him at the base last year, something that hardly dented his mark as one of the finest in the business.

Alexis Mac Allister's transfer value in 2024

Mac Allister wasn't crowned Liverpool's Player of the Season for 2023/24 (that honour went to the evergreen Mohamed Salah) but he couldn't have done much more across a string-pulling, metronomic campaign.

It's remarkable, in hindsight, that he was purchased for an astute £35m – Fabrizio Romano hailed the transfer a "bargain" – and his present market value reflects that.

According to Transfermarkt's market-price-evaluating model, the Argentina international is worth €75m (£64m), which marks him as one of Liverpool's most valuable players.

Dominik Szbosozlai, for example, joined the Anfield side from RB Leipzig last summer after his £60m release clause was met, while Transfermarkt consider him to be at the same value as his South American counterpart: €75m (£64m).

What about Zubimendi? Liverpool were willing to spend €60m (£51m) on the Euro 2024 champion – the equivalent of the 25-year-old's release clause – but he has opted to remain with his boyhood club following fierce Sociedad efforts to keep him at the club.

Should an alternative to Zubimendi not be welcomed before September, Liverpool will have failed to sign a new deep-lying midfielder for three successive seasons, something that could prove to be a catastrophic failure at the dawn of an exciting new era.

Mac Allister could fill that hole once again, sure, but while he's regarded as the creme de la creme, and while he's deservedly valued beyond that of Zubimendi, he might actually rise to a new level altogether if partnered with a specialist No. 6.

Contact made: Liverpool offered "genius" £576k-p/w Zubimendi upgrade

This would be a shock move indeed…

By
Angus Sinclair

Aug 15, 2024

Carlo Ancelotti has become Real Madrid's most successful manager ever, after he led the club to victory in the Intercontinental Cup.

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• Madrid wins Intercontinental Cup
• Ancelotti's 15th major trophy for club
• Breaks managerial record

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A 3-0 victory over Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final secured Ancelotti's record-breaking 15th trophy for Real Madrid. In total, he has now won three Champions League trophies, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, two Spanish Supercopas, three UEFA Super Cups, two Club World Cups and the Intercontinental Cup, over the course of two spells at the decorated Spanish giants (2013-15 and 2021-present).

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  In recent years, Ancelotti has played a key role in cementing Madrid's status as an unstoppable force in European football's highest-level competition, the Champions League. His three wins in that prestigious competition contributed to him surpassing the late, great Miguel Munoz, who managed the club in 1959 and then from 1960 to 1974 and won 14 trophies during that time including nine league titles and two European Cups.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Madrid aren't the only club to have benefited from Ancelotti's tactical nous and renowned man-management skills over the years. As well as lifting the Champions League three times with Los Blancos, the Italian has also seized the trophy twice with AC Milan and those five wins mean he is recognised as the most successful manager in the competition's history.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

  Madrid have a few days to recover from their Intercontinental Cup triumph over Pachuca and prepare for a tricky fixture on Sunday against Sevilla. Three points at home could see them top La Liga at Christmas if results go their way.

Nottingham Forest defender Murillo has become a fan-favourite during his first 12 months at the City Ground, exceeding all expectations after his move last summer.

The 22-year-old arrived in the East Midlands in a £15m deal from Brazilian side Corinthians, having to bide his time under then-boss Steve Cooper before making an impact on the first-team.

Up to now, the centre-back has started 33 Premier League games in a row, highlighting his importance to the club, attracting interest from other English sides during the current transfer window.

Chelsea have been the side most recently linked with a move for the Brazilian, but Forest’s £70m valuation of the youngster has seen interest subside in recent weeks.

The defender is just one example of the excellent recruitment conducted behind the scenes on Trentside – with another deal potentially edging closer to completion in the coming days.

Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of a new striker

Despite Chris Wood registering 14 Premier League goals last season and scoring in the season opener against Bournemouth last weekend, the club have been targeting a new centre-forward in recent weeks.

Santiago Gimenez is just one player on the Reds’ shortlist, with the Mexican subject to two separate bids from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, but it looks like they have moved on to other targets.

Eddie Nketiah has become the man who looks most likely to move to the City Ground, with journalist David Ornstein confirming that the striker has agreed personal terms with the Reds, with Forest edging closer to agreeing a fee with Arsenal for his services.

However, Gunners' boss Mikel Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference earlier this week that the striker trained as normal and that there was no update on his future, but would be open to letting him leave if the right deal was offered.

He would be an excellent addition to Nuno’s side, potentially striking a partnership with another player who could make a move to Trentside before the deadline next Friday.

Forest could make move for £17m talent

After rumours about new signing Jota Silva potentially joining sister club Olympiacos on loan, the club may look to make another attacking addition to provide added depth in the final third.

Brazilian forward Wesley Gassova is one talent who has previously been subject to interest from Forest, with the hope that the Reds could potentially reignite interest in the 19-year-old over the next few days.

Given the club’s recent success with signing players from Corinthians, it could allow them to repeat a deal for Murillo, signing an impressive youngster who would be perfect for potential new addition Nketiah.

Wesley, who has a €20m (£17m) price tag, has excelled in Brazil, registering 4.9 progressive carries and 3.8 successful take-ons per 90 in Serie A this season – showcasing his excellent dribbling ability.

He’s also averaged 1.8 key passes and 1.5 passes into the penalty area per 90 – potentially handing Nketiah added ammunition to find the back of the net, giving him the best chance of being a success at the City Ground.

Whilst a move for the attacker could all hinge on a potential move for Silva, he would be another excellent addition, potentially being the next in a long line of Brazilians who have caught the eye at Forest.

Their previous success with young talents from Corinthians could provide the club with another reason to make a move for Wesley, with the 19-year-old having the attacking attributes to be a huge success in the Premier League.

He could also form an excellent partnership with Nketiah, with the Brazilian forward having all the attributes to help the Englishman find his goalscoring boots at the City Ground.

Perfect for Sosa: Nottingham Forest could land their own Foden in £35m ace

The Reds have already had a proposal rejected for the talent this summer.

By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 17, 2024

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has shared an update on rumours of a potential surprise Arsenal bid to sign one Premier League striker before the deadline strikes tonight at 11pm this evening.

Arsenal linked with "last minute" move to sign forward

Having already confirmed deals for David Raya on a permanent from Brentford, Riccardo Calafiori in a move from Bologna and midfielder Mikel Merino for £32 million from Real Sociedad, it is believed Edu Gaspar and the Arsenal recruitment team may not be finished.

Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal looking at "last-minute" chance to sign forward

The Gunners are not done after Mikel Merino.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 29, 2024

Fabrizio Romano is among the media sources to claim Arsenal are looking at "last-minute" opportunities to sign a new forward and one who can perhaps be an alternative to star winger Bukayo Saka out wide.

Their latest official signing in Merino has already excited both Edu and manager Mikel Arteta, who are under the impression that his arrival seriously strengthens Arsenal and heightens their chances of beating Man City to the Premier League title.

“We are so happy to have completed the transfer of Mikel Merino," said Edu to Arsenal's official website.

"This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer.

“Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season. With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead. We welcome Mikel and his family to the club, and look forward to seeing him play in the Arsenal shirt.”

Following Merino's arrival, and their attempts to sign second-choice keeper Joan Garcia to replace the departed Aaron Ramsdale (BBC), a very surprising claim emerged from Spain this week about a possible pursuit of Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.

Indeed, one report claimed Arsenal could table a "significant" offer for Nunez, who would cost over £73 million, but reporter Crook has quickly moved to pour cold water over this rumour.

Update on potential Arsenal bid for Darwin Nunez

Taking to X, via GiveMeSport, the talkSPORT correspondent claims news of a potential Arsenal bid to sign Nunez before the deadline is "wide of the mark" – which will hardly come as surprising for supporters.

Nunez, who has played just 18 league minutes so far this season, has been subject to speculation over his future at Anfield recently, but it looks like he won't be heading down south to London.

Since joining the Reds from Benfica for an initial £64 million in 2022, the £140,000-per-week attacker has gone on to make 97 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring 33 goals and bagging a further 17 assists.

The Gunners are entering the fifth year of a trophy drought despite clearly coming on leaps and bounds under the Spaniard's stewardship

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With the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool now at six points and having already played a game more than the Reds, Arsenal have one hell of a mountain to climb if they're to topple Arne Slot's men and secure their first title in 21 years.

The downfall of Manchester City has given the world the impression this is a missed opportunity for the Gunners, but that is not necessarily the case. Though they have had more than their fair share of injury luck in recent years, that debt has come to be collected this time around, with Martin Odegaard already missing around two months and Bukayo Saka potentially out for a further three.

Not much else has gone Arsenal's way in this title race so far. You need to be good and you need to be lucky, yet unfortunately they haven't had enough in either department to keep appropriate pace.

Nevertheless, this is far from the time to call this season a write-off, even if their main goal seems a tad out of reach at this stage. Arteta's long-term plan can still benefit from creating winning habits in the three cup competitions Arsenal are fighting for.

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  One trophy, not three

  First things first, let's address the elephant in the room. Well, the two of them, actually. Arsenal won a trophy with Arteta in the dugout, taking home the 2020 FA Cup behind closed doors against Frank Lampard's Chelsea, brilliantly and unexpectedly eliminating Manchester City along the way.

  The problem is that was a completely different era for the club. That Arsenal is not the Arsenal of now, and Arteta as a coach has come a long way since hoisting that trophy aloft. The only starter remaining from that team is the outgoing Kieran Tierney, with unused substitute Saka – still only 18 at the time – the sole other member of both the 2019-20 and 2024-25 squads.

  And, despite Arteta's assertions, the Community Shield – which Arsenal have lifted twice under the Spaniard – is not a major, competitive trophy. It isn't. Stop trying to convince yourself it is. We scoffed at Jose Mourinho for thinking that way, the same principle should apply for Arteta.

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  'Like watching Netflix'

  Amid Arsenal's slide earlier this season, Manchester United legend Patrice Evra made a snide comment which went viral on social media. "Watching Arsenal is like watching Netflix, you always wait for the next season," he proclaimed. "And trust me, every season is going to be like that."

  We're not here to say that Gooners should take this criticism at valid, particularly at a time where anyone associated with United should be making sure their own house is on order first. To date, Arteta's Arsenal have had more than enough reason to believe they're on the right track, and their priority has understandably not lied in the fate of their cup exploits.

  That doesn't excuse such a fruitless run of underachievement in that regard though, despite the development of the team and the club in general.

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  No tournament pedigree

  This current iteration of Arsenal, the one which has been rebuilt brick by brick since the summer of 2021, has not only failed to deliver silverware when expectations are weighing heavy on them, but they've seldom come close either. They've reached two semi-finals – the 2020-21 Europa League versus Villarreal and 2021-22 Carabao Cup against Liverpool – across 11 cup runs in the four-and-a-half years since that Wembley triumph, and on both occasions were meekly eliminated with a whimper. What's more, Arsenal have failed to even advance beyond round four of the FA Cup in the four campaigns after taking the trophy back to north London.

  The European picture isn't much brighter, despite Arteta leading the Gunners to their first Champions League quarter-final in 14 years last season. That was, to their credit, a huge step forward to restoring their lost footprint on the continent, though they remain without a marquee victory in Europe and have largely scraped through any knockout battle with sides even remotely close to their reputation.

  Given how many fallen giants occupy spots in this season's Champions League and a new format mixing up how the knockout rounds could play out, Arsenal should still rank among the top five or six favourites for the European Cup, but this notable lack of nous is what's preventing them from breaking into the upper tier of that select list.

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  Progress made regardless

  Make no mistake, Arteta has completely transformed Arsenal back into a competitive club, one better than anyone had could have conceivably imagined when he first took the job. At times he's turned water into wine, and the fact we're even having these debates about the Gunners is proof of their intangible success. We only demand this much more from teams worth caring about.

  Losing out to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in back-to-back title races is nothing to be ashamed of in big-picture context, particularly last year having been within a Son Heung-min shot of finishing first. Their two-season rolling average of 86.5 points is their joint-highest by a considerable margin since wins started counting for three points, level with the 2003-04 Invincibles and following 2004-05 sides. Again, cup competitions aren't the only measure of success, and if anything league success is a better barometer of how consistently excellent a team is.

  This is now an Arsenal era in complete contrast to the very end of legendary manager Arsene Wenger's tenure, a time where they won three FA Cups in four years but their Premier League form floundered and they lost their everlasting grip on Champions League qualification, despite getting over the hurdles set by stadium debt repayments. Arteta's charges are much, much better than those outfits.

Robbie Fowler says it is "fairly obvious" that Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will stay at Liverpool, but predicts Trent Alexander-Arnold will go.

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• Liverpool stars could leave in summer
• Fowler expects two to sign new deals
• Says Alexander-Arnold likely to leave

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool are in danger of seeing all three stars leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season. The Reds hope to convince the trio to sign contract extensions in the coming months, but Salah recently said he is in his "last six months" with the club and Alexander-Arnold is the subject of interest from Real Madrid.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite the uncertainty, former Liverpool striker Fowler is confident that Salah and Van Dijk will commit to new deals. However, he believes the England right-back has his heart set on a switch to the Spanish capital.

• WHAT FOWLER SAID

  "My own personal point of view and it's certainly not inside information, I just think two of them will stay one of them will go and it's up to the people at home to come to their own conclusions on that," he said on

  "I think it's fairly obvious, I think obviously Mo will stay and I think Virgil will stay. I love Trent as a player, I think he's probably one of the best in the world at what he does and of course I'd love him to stay but we'll see."

  He later said: "He's won everything, he wants to maybe try something else. I want him to remain a Liverpool player. He's a world class player. Who knows what will happen."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  Liverpool are said to have offered a long-term contract worth a whopping £78 million ($97m) to Alexander-Arnold, though Madrid are reportedly considering a new bid to sign him in January. It remains unclear whether the club will be able to persuade him to snub the Spanish giants, or commit Salah and Van Dijk to new deals.