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Metro
12 minutes ago
- Metro
Arsenal eye big move after Gyokeres and Mosquera deals
Arsenal's summer spending is set to crash through the £200million mark but Mikel Arteta is not finished yet. Having already confirmed the arrivals of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi, the Gunners are set to announce three more deals this week. Noni Madueke has undergone a medical ahead of his £50m move from Chelsea, while Cristhian Mosquera has said his goodbyes to Valencia with the finishing touches to his move set to be completed in the next 48 hours. And, while there are several complications still to be ironed out, it appears almost certain that Arsenal's search for a new centre forward will conclude with Viktor Gyokeres getting his dream move. According to The Athletic, however, Arsenal could yet make one more X Factor signing with Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo both on their radar. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. In order to finance either of those deals it is likely that a number of players will depart to raise funds. Leandro Trossard is one of those who could depart, although it is unlikely that the north London club would be able to generate much of a profit on the £27m they spent to sign the Belgium international from Brighton two-and-a-half years ago. Gabriel Martinelli's future has also been the subject of speculation in recent weeks with a move to Saudi Arabia touted. Bayern Munich have also reportedly expressed an interest in the 24-year-old, but the German giants appear to have turned their attention to prising Luis Diaz from Liverpool instead. The imminent arrival of Mosquera is likely to prompt the departure of another defender with Jakub Kiwior the most likely candidate. You certainly can't accuse Arsenal of being inactive in the window this summer but whether the new signings and potential new recruits will be enough to power the Gunners to the title remains to be seen. The naysayers will point to Liverpool's already impressive summer which has seen Arne Slot add two top class full-backs and smash the British transfer record to snare Floriant Wirtz. Building from a position of strength, the best are getting even better even without the arrival of a new centre forward, an issue that looks likely to be addressed imminently. Arsenal, however, can only look after themselves and while it might have been tempting to enter the race to sign Alexander Isak, plugging the gaping holes in their squad, exposed by last season's injury crisis, represents a far smarter use of the considerable funds that have again been made available to Mikel Arteta. Of the new additions, Martin Zubimendi's is perhaps the most intriguing. Will the addition of a genuine deep-lying playmaker, one in the prime of his career, prompt a more expansive style of play? If the Spaniard's addition shifts Arsenal back to a side somewhere between the buccaneering nearly-men of two years ago and the overcautious, safety first side that lost their way last term then there is no reason to suggest they cannot last the distance. The rest of the signings represent gambles, while even Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo, although level raisers, would come with no guarantees given it is not clear where the Crystal Palace playmaker would fit in, while there have been plenty of Real Madrid cast offs who have failed to shine in the Premier League. That said, this is a top class Arsenal side whose consistency over the last three years is often overlooked as a consequence of their lack of silverware. The new signings may only need to contribute the extra 10% required to get the Gunners over the line given the quality that Arteta already has at his disposal. If you're looking for a positive omen, look back to the summer of 2001 when Arsenal brought in Richard Wright, Francis Jeffers, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Sol Campbell at significant cost, while Edu was effectively a new signing given he hardly played following his arrival in January. Of that group, only Campbell could have been considered a genuine level raiser, but that group all made valuable contributions across a campaign which saw Arsenal end a run of three second place finishes to complete a Premier League and FA Cup double under Arsene Wenger. James Goldman | Metro Sports Editor. Although the 25-year-old impressed when he filled in for the injured Gabriel at the end of last season, he is almost certain to drop down the pecking order if he remains. Crystal Palace have looked at the former Spezia defender as a potential replacement for Marc Guehi, should he leave this summer, while Kiwior has also been linked with a return to Italy. Arsenal, meanwhile, have already done much of the groundwork ahead of one final assault on the transfer market. Eze, who is also emerging as a Bayern Munich target, is keen to join Arsenal even if he would face intense competition for a role in his favoured No.10 position. More Trending Captain Martin Odegaard has had that role nailed down since usurping Emile Smith Rowe, while during negotiations over a new contract Ethan Nwaneri has been promised more game time in a central position. Real Madrid's Rodrygo is the other high-profile name being carefully monitored by Arsenal. The Brazil international was used sparingly by Xabi Alonso during his new side's Club World Cup campaign and reports in Spain suggest he has been deemed surplus to requirements. It would still take a significant sum in the region of £80m to sign Rodrygo while he would commanded a salary that would render him the club's top earner.
BBC News
43 minutes ago
- BBC News
Max, 13, designs new home kit for Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town is set to adopt a new home kit for next season which has been designed by a 13-year-old Stags held a competition to design a new home shirt, which was won by season ticket holder, Max, said he saw the competition while staying with his grandmother last summer and had "completely forgotten I entered".His design combines Mansfield's traditional amber yellow with blue striped detail and Max said seeing the team wearing it was "crazy". He said: "There was one day when both my parents were working and I went to my grandma's house and we are both big fans of the Stags."We decided to enter the competition and I put a lot of thought into it and combined a few ideas I had in my head."Then just days ago I got a random call from my grandmother and I said 'Why are you calling me?'"And she said 'Remember than competition to design the Stags shirt? Well you've won'."Max and his grandmother are both season ticket holders at Field Mill, but as the full season has not yet started, he has not yet seen players wearing the shirt during a competitive said: "I saw the pictures and it's a bit crazy because there is the shirt I designed."I've never been great at stuff like that, but I just pulled it together from what was in my head."Max's father Adam said he was "so proud" and "absolutely buzzing".In a video message, Mansfield full-back Aaron Lewis said: "We all love the stripes and think it looks really cool"A spokesman for the club said: "We've seen a superb reaction among our fans to Max's design and are delighted to see his concept finally brought to life."The judging panel - our board of directors - were very impressed with Max's design and it was the fresh and modern style we were looking for."
BBC News
43 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tottenham women's green belt training ground given green light
Tottenham Hotspur have been given the go-ahead to build a new training ground by City Hall, despite calls by campaigners seeking to save a park. The football club plans to fence off a section of Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, north London, and build a new women's academy, with 11 pitches and a new clubhouse.A City Hall spokesperson said "while the proposal represents inappropriate development on the green belt, very special circumstances have been demonstrated".Campaigners aiming to save the park said they were disappointed in the decision. Enfield Council approved the plans in February despite 296 objections, many of which were related to the loss of green space and impact on local decision was referred to the mayor because the proposed site falls into green belt land. It did not give Sir Sadiq Khan, or his deputy, powers to act as the planning authority and options were limited to either allowing Enfield Council's draft decision to grant permission to proceed unchanged, or directing Enfield Council to refuse the main reason given for not blocking the development was that special circumstances had been demonstrated, and a package of public benefits had been factors were deemed to outweigh any harm caused by the development. The academy's location, adjacent to the existing men's facility, would allow for approximately 11,000 sq m (2.7 acres) of facilities to be shared, reducing new building work and carbon emissions compared to isolated benefits include a community engagement plan for local football training for around 36,700 people annually, and free transport to community training for schools. The Guardians of Whitewebbs, a local ecology group which opposed the Spurs development, called the public benefits "paltry" and that the decision "flies in the face of common sense".It argued the development represented a loss of public and biodiverse green space - specifically the loss of about 40 acres of re-wilded grassland and the felling of 207 trees."Football pitches can in no way make up for the permanent loss and degradation of green space." The leader of Enfield Council, Ergin Erbil, said he was pleased to see the "exciting vision" for Whitewebbs Park move Guardians of Whitewebbs said they remain resolute and "are determined to explore all avenues for safeguarding the park for all".
