Premier League
ARTETA DISMISSES AUBAMEYANG’S EXIT RUMOR FROM ARSENAL
Arsenal star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be staying with the club despite speculation he wanted a move said Gunners manager Mikel Arteta yesterday.
The 30-year-old France-born Gabonese international, reports suggest, is reluctant to commit himself any longer than the 18 months remaining on his contract due to Arsenal struggling to qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal are nine points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea after Wednesday’s matches.
Aubameyang – who captained Arsenal in their impressive 2-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday – told French station RMC he is “100 per cent here” without adding if he would extend his stay.
Arteta, though, was adamant at his press conference on Thursday that the former Borussia Dortmund striker was integral to his plans.
“I don’t even think about the possibility with Auba (leaving),” said Arteta.
“I want him here.”
Arteta, whose first few games in charge has seen an improvement in Arsenal than the disjointed team under his compatriot and predecessor Unai Emery, reiterated how much he wanted fiery Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka to stay despite his falling out with the fans.
Xhaka – who was stripped of the captaincy by Emery after his angry reaction when fans booed him – has been linked with a loan move to Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin.
However, Arteta revealed he had also asked the Arsenal players to try and change Xhaka’s mind.
“I wanted his teammates to get his back and help him to change his mind because we need him,” said Arteta.
“I believe that if we were able to do that the fans would respond in a positive way.
“I’ve seen him act every day, how he trains, how he lives his profession and the quality of the player. He could be a really important player for the club.”
One player he will definitely have to find a replacement for in the January transfer window is defender Calum Chambers.
The 24-year-old will be out for between six to nine months the club said on Thursday after undergoing surgery on a cruciate ligament injury he suffered in the league defeat by Chelsea last weekend.
“That we will try to be in the market to see options that can strengthen the team, that’s for sure and our obligation,” said Arteta.
“My obligation is to give my opinion on the things we can improve.
“Obviously we have a bad injury with Calum a few days ago that will change our plans at the back.
“I’m more concerned about getting players back from injury and try to improve the players I have here.”
Arteta’s next challenge is an intriguing FA Cup third round home tie with Championship leaders Leeds United on Monday.
The 37-year-old former Manchester City assistant coach is full of respect for Leeds’s manager Marcelo Bielsa and expects them to be in the Premier League next season.
“How he (Bielsa) makes them fight and run and challenge and compete and never give up in any game under any circumstances,” said Arteta.
“The way they play, the manner they behave. I followed their coach for a long time and I know how tough it will be.”
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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