'He can turn into one of the continent's most important players'
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Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal sent clear Viktor Gyokeres transfer warning ahead of imminent arrival
Arsenal are expecting to announce the signing of Viktor Gyokeres in the coming days after finally agreeing a deal with Sporting Lisbon worth around £63m - with a medical set for the weekend Arsenal legend Sol Campbell has warned that Viktor Gyokeres might not be enough to help the Gunners win the Premier League title and believes they might need two top strikers to battle Liverpool. Gyokeres is on the verge of finally sealing his long-awaited move to the Emirates after talks with Sporting Lisbon dragged on for much of the summer. Arsenal have agreed to pay the Portuguese club around £54.8million, plus £8.7m in add-ons and the Sweden international is expected to undergo a medical this weekend ahead of joining his team-mates on their pre-season tour of Singapore. The Gunners will be hopeful Gyokeres can fire the team to silverware after five years without a trophy, having been blown away by Liverpool last season without a recognised No 9 up front for much of the campaign. But Campbell - who won two Premier League titles at Arsenal and three FA Cups - has insisted that two strikers are necessary in case Gyokeres becomes injured. Last season, Liverpool won the title with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, while Mohamed Salah scored the bulk of the goals from the wing. "You need two strikers to trouble other teams," he told the Sun via BetSelect. "You can't always rely on just one striker as if he gets injured, the team's performance drops. So it's important to have a main one and have another really good backup. Sometimes they can play together, sometimes one's on the bench and the other comes on. "It can be good to get a slightly older one who's been there, seen it, and done it, and can come on when you need something to happen for 20 minutes, but they're top, top quality. "If you pick the second striker properly, they can come on to make a difference. That's something you have to do. So if they do get two strikers, they could definitely become champions. "That's the type of player who has been missing, somebody who has scored 20-25 goals just in the league. It's okay to say, 'he's got all of these goals in all of these competitions,' but that's not good enough; that's not going to win you the Premier League. You need goals to get you over the line and make up point differences." Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting Lisbon last season and is seen as one of the best strikers in world football right now. He is set to become the club's sixth signing of the window after Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera. Arsenal, who have handed Gyokeres the iconic number 14 shirt once worn by Thierry Henry, are hoping to fly the player out to Asia soon as they prepare for games against Newcastle and Tottenham.
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd dealt huge problem by Alexander Isak transfer bombshell as 'contact made'
Alexander Isak's desire to look for a new club came as a huge shock for Newcastle United fans, but it may also have a rippling effect for Manchester United Alexander Isak's potential departure from Newcastle United could jeopardise Manchester United's pursuit of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. Despite securing the services of Matheus Cunha in early June and recently finalising the signing of Bryan Mbeumo, United are still on the hunt for attacking reinforcements. After Viktor Gyokeres rejected a reunion with Ruben Amorim to join Arsenal, the Red Devils' focus has reportedly shifted to Sesko. With the north Londoners close to sealing a deal for Gyokeres, United seemed to have had a clear path to the towering Slovenian forward. However, if Newcastle offload Isak, who has been linked with Liverpool and Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal after informing Eddie Howe's side that he would like to explore an exit from St James' Park, the Magpies will be expected to move for Sesko. This could spell trouble for United, who have already missed out on many striking targets this summer. According to The Athletic, Newcastle are considering a move for Sesko, who boasts a record of 27 goals and seven assists in 64 Bundesliga outings for Leipzig. The Daily Mail have also claimed that Newcastle have approached Leipzig about the possibility of signing Sesko, who could command a fee in the region of £60m to £70m. With Isak seemingly looking for an exit, Newcastle might decide to capitalise on what could potentially be a Premier League record transfer fee for a player. If this happens, they will likely speed up their chase for another prolific goal-scorer and Sesko seems to fit the bill. Given that the Magpies are competing in the Champions League this season, United may struggle to lure Sesko to Old Trafford. Furthermore, having already splashed out around £132.5m on Mbeumo and Cunha, United will probably need to offload players before they can make a serious offer, while Newcastle could have ample funds to spend if Isak's departure is accelerated. After netting only 44 goals in the Premier League last season, United are still in dire need of a lethal striker. Cunha and Mbeumo are both sharp finishers, with 35 goals and 14 assists between them for their respective clubs last year. Unfortunately for Amorim, neither are traditional centre forwards, which United have been searching for this summer. The Red Devils have already missed out on Delap, Gyokeres and, most recently, Hugo Ekitike, who secured a £79m move to Liverpool this week. United reportedly held discussions with the representatives of Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, who is now thought to carry an £80m price tag. It's now understood a bid for the Senegal international from the Red Devils is unexpected. French outlet Foot Mercato also reported that Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani, who spent last season on loan at Juventus, is another potential target for United. However, Sesko could be the preferred choice for United. German media suggests he carries a price tag of around £60m - £12m less than what United shelled out to Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund in 2023 - making the 22-year-old an attractive prospect. United still have Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in their squad, but neither have proven they can lead the attack. The loan move of Marcus Rashford to Barcelona has freed up space and about £12m in wages, but United will still need to generate funds first before they can entertain bidding for another forward. Resolving the futures of Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho, who the club are openly willing to sale, will likely be top of Amorim's agenda, especially now Newcastle are putting pressure on them in the race for Sesko.
South Wales Guardian
17 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Referees to announce pitchside monitor review calls in top flight next season
The move by the English top flight follows an initial trial at the 2023 Women's World Cup and further testing in last season's FA Cup, Carabao Cup and EFL play-off finals. The move is designed to provide further information to fans inside stadiums and to television viewers, with top-flight managers and clubs understood being informed about this and other law changes at ongoing meetings ahead of the new season. It is understood the Premier League approach will differ slightly from last season's domestic cup trials because factual onside and offside decisions will not be announced. Whenever a VAR recommends the on-field official should review the decision, an announcement will be made regardless of whether the referee sticks with the original decision, or chooses to overturn it. PA understands the announcements are set to begin with the words 'after review', before going on to provide explanation and ending with the final outcome. The two-way discussion between referees and VARs will still not be available, as the game's lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) does not permit this. However, the on-field announcements of final decisions are a further step towards transparency, a key goal of Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). The news comes after the total of VAR errors for last season was down to 18, from 31 the season before. Errors are defined as matters where, in the view of the independent Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, VARs overturned a correct on-field decision or failed to intervene to overturn an incorrect on-field decision. There were 35 such errors in the 2022-23 season. The average VAR delay per match last season was 39 seconds, down from 64 in the 2023-24 season. That figure could drop further with a full season of semi-automated offside technology in use. The Premier League has been approached for comment.
