Premier League
Man City clash will not determine Arsenal’s season, says Arteta
The much-anticipated top-of-the-table Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester City will be crucial for the north London club but it will not determine their season, manager Mikel Arteta said on Tuesday.
Arsenal have lost their grip on the title race after securing draws in their last three games, which has left them only five points above reigning champions City, having played two more games than Pep Guardiola’s side.
City, on the other hand, have been in solid form churning out victories as they aim for an elusive treble after booking their spot in the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-finals.
Arsenal travel to City on Wednesday, hoping to regain their control in the title race as they look for their first Premier League trophy since 2003-04.
“We knew from the beginning, City and Liverpool were the teams to beat,” Arteta told reporters. “(For) what they have done for the last six or seven years, they fully deserve credit.
“We wanted to close the gap as much as we possibly could, now we are toe-to-toe.
“We knew we had to go to Etihad and after that we are going to have five very difficult games. So that game (on Wednesday) is going to be really important. Is it going to define this season? The answer is no.”
Arsenal have lost their last seven meetings with City in all competitions and have not won at City in the league since 2015 but Arteta said he has “100%” belief in his team to put up a fight against them.
“I look at how the players reacted (after the last game), they defend each other in every moment. We really want it and we are again going to show it tomorrow night,” Arteta added.
“But you have to deliver in the right moment, the right performance. It has to be perfect because that is what is demanded at this time (in the season).”
Asked if the clash will be ‘winner-takes-all’, Arteta said: “No, if we win tomorrow we have not won the league. It will shift probably the percentage, but five games in this league is very tricky still.”
Arsenal are still waiting to hear about the fitness of William Saliba (lower back) while Granit Xhaka (illness) is also doubtful.
“No real improvement, we are still waiting, still hopeful, but another week gone by and he was not able to train with the team,” Arteta said.
Asked if defender Saliba would be available for Wednesday’s trip to the Etihad, Arteta added: “I’ll leave that to the doctors. We are preparing for this game without him, we have to go week by week.”
-Reuters
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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