With the Europa League just days away, Arsenal fans are preparing not just for the biggest game of their season, but also the most important transfer window in a while.

No matter the outcome in Baku, the Gunners are in desperate need of improvement this summer, with a leaky defence all but costing Unai Emery’s side Champions League football via a top-four spot in the Premier League and a lack of depth in certain positions resulting in the Spaniard having to adapt on the fly with what he has to work with.

Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of defenders from different teams with different playing styles already, and one name to jump out of late is Sampdoria centre-back Joachim Andersen.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport via the Metro, the Gunners have the Danish defender on their radar this summer after Andersen’s breakout season in Serie A with I Blucerchiati, starting 32 league games and attracting interest all over Europe, namely Tottenham.

The 22-year-old defender, who is valued at £18 million on Transfermarkt, would be a sensible signing for the Gunners. At such a young age and a full season of professional football already under his belt, Andersen is comfortable enough on the ball and in defence to make the leap from Italy to the Premier League.

Andersen is the latest defender to flourish at Sampdoria, the last one being Inter Milan star Milan Skriniar, and with a valuation that fits Arsenal’s budget restraints, the Danish international would be a smart acquisition for the Gunners that will make fans forget about the horror show that is Shkodran Mustafi.

Arsenal were inches away from a top-four finish this season, and in Andersen, the Gunners will be defensively more secure for next year and could all but secure Champions League football with the Dane in their team.

Arsenal fans, would Andersen be a good signing? Let us know!

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According to Mediotiempo, Wolves have entered discussions to sign Mexican centre-back Edson Alvarez.

What’s the word?

Alvarez is one of the best talents coming out of Mexican football at the moment, a nation which appears to be flourishing when it comes to football.

In recent years they’ve uncovered the likes of Hirving Lozano and Erick Gutierrez whilst Hector Herrera and Miguel Layun have also played their trade in Europe.

Wolves’ own Raul Jimenez is another to have thrived on the continent.

However, a further could now be making his move to England with Alvarez attracting the interest of Wolves, per Mediotiempo.

They claim that the Midlands club have already contacted the defender over a possible move which could end up costing them $10m (£7.88m) if they pay his termination clause.

The Mexican international has recently signed a new deal with Club America until 2022.

Worth the hassle?

The 21-year-old was a surprising pick by El Tri at the 2018 World Cup but turned out to be a complete flop after failing to impress. The fact he was named in WhoScored’s worst rated team of the tournament tells you all you need to know.

He came off the bench in their opening game against Germany but started their next three games. Featuring at right-back, he looked miles out of his depth, especially against Neymar when Mexico lost in the last 16 against Brazil.

Despite that, Wolves supporters shouldn’t dismiss his capabilities.

Boasting similar traits to former Barcelona man Rafael Marquez, he’s had a brilliant season for Club America, a team Jimenez also starred for before coming to Europe.

The defender has come on leaps and bounds since last summer and his versatility can particularly improve Wolves.

Is it unrealistic to expect another top half finish from Wolves next season? HRH discusses in the video below…

Their lack of depth is a major issue going into next season, but considering the number of positions he can play in, he’d be a player capable of covering multiple bases if Nuno Santo finds himself short.

As well as being able to play in central defence and as a full-back, the 6 ft 1 man is also an effective holding player.

With the Europa League looming, Alvarez would be a smart addition, especially at the low price he may be available for.

Where Tottenham once had seemingly endless options in central midfield, they looked rather desperate throughout the majority of last season. The decline in form for both Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama, alongside the January sale of Mousa Dembele, left the club significantly short of options.

So, as the rumours begin to circulate, we take a look at the potential midfield ahead of next season.

In a fairly familiar scenario for Tottenham fans, the club seem to be linked with every player under the sun. With that in mind, most prominently are Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele, both of whom have received concrete interest (as per Sky Sports).

Indeed, the North London giants reportedly placed a £53m bid for the Argentinian midfielder earlier in the window, while they have now opened talks with Ndombele. Their initial bid for Lo Celso was turned down, while Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio has reported a bid for the French midfielder has also been rejected. Essentially, if Tottenham are to land even just the one, it will cost them a pretty penny.

With the club failing to make a single signing in the previous two transfer windows, it appears questionable that Spurs will splash quite so much.

But would it be so ridiculous for Tottenham to sign both Lo Celso and Ndombele? According to @SwissRamble, Tottenham made £88m on their run to the Champions League final and, additionally, Spurs announced record profits of £113m for the 2017-18 financial year, despite the costs of the new stadium.

Put simply, if Levy is willing to spend the money, it is obviously there. Furthermore, according to the London Evening Standard back in April, Spurs could sell up to 12 players this summer, potentially raising funds.

The Mirror have already reported Tottenham are willing to smash their transfer record twice this summer, adding they have no intention of paying the full asking price for either player.

With the £88m brought in from the Champions League, the £113m record profit and the money brought in from potential outgoings, is it really impossible that Tottenham could start with both in their midfield next season?

It would certainly be unlike anything we’ve ever seen from the club. Still, Pochettino has talked of a new plan and the tools might be there for Tottenham to start spending like one of the biggest teams in Europe.

Tottenham fans, will Tottenham splash the cash this summer? Will you sign both Lo Celso and Ndombele? And do these transfers depend on significant outgoings? Comment below.

After another trophy-laden season, Celtic’s fans have an enjoyable summer to look forward to and can already be excited for what’s to come in the next campaign. With Neil Lennon once again at the helm, will it be just as a successful term as the one Rodgers set them on last August?

Of course, we always sit in awe at Celtic and how successful they are in the Scottish League, but is league dominance all the Celtic board want? I highly doubt it. With another crack at Champions League football to come next season, just how many players will we see perform consistently?

Here’s a couple of players we feel will struggle to perform next year under the reign of Lennon.

Youssouf Mulumbu 

A man that has graced even the heights of the Premier League, but he just isn’t what Celtic need anymore.

After returning from his not so outstanding loan spell with Kilmarnock, it seems fairly safe to say that the 32-year-old midfielder isn’t in Lennon’s plans come the start of next season.

With the likes of Olivier Ntcham and Eboue Kouassi coming in and impressing, Mulumbu may just need to bite the bullet and find himself a new club, or give Lennon the perfect scenario and become the experienced mentor in the Celtic dressing room, helping the younger players really grow into the world of football.

Jonny Hayes 

The 31-year-old right midfielder may just find himself struggling to feature next season, especially with the return of what seems to be a wonderkid in Marian Shved.

Hayes found himself having an in-and-out of the squad type of season, managing to bag just one assist in all of his league appearances. It is clear to see that if Celtic do truly want to compete in the Champions League once again, they need new blood down the right hand side.

Shved, who recently returned back from loan, managed to bag himself 11 goals and three assists in his time away from Celtic, which of course, isn’t great news for the Irishman.

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Many Newcastle United fans are expecting Ayoze Perez to follow head coach Rafael Benitez out of St James’ Park in this summer’s transfer window.

On Monday, Newcastle’s official website announced that Benitez would not be signing a new contract with the Magpies, meaning that he will depart the club at the end of this month.

Perez has been strongly linked with a move away from the English team in recent weeks, having recently suggested that he was ready to depart this summer.

The Spaniard scored 12 Premier League goals for the Magpies during the 2018-19 campaign and is said to have attracted Tottenham Hotspur.

The 25-year-old – also linked with Sevilla in recent days – posted a tweet in the aftermath of the Benitez announcement.

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And that led to a number of Newcastle fans either urging the attacker to leave or claiming that an exit was now sure to take place.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Liverpool have been linked with a move for breakout Lille star Nicolas Pepe.

According to Sunday Times reporter Duncan Castles, Pepe is a target for the Reds, as they look to build a squad capable of competing with Manchester City.

“From what I’ve been told, Liverpool have been in contact with Pepe’s agent to discuss a deal, his interest in coming and what it would cost to come. Lille are aware of this and are waiting for a bid,” Castles said on the The Transfer Window podcast.

Jurgen Klopp has been forced to rely on Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to play nearly every game in both domestic and European competition over the last two seasons, and Pepe would give him the ability to rotate his front men without a significant drop-off in quality.

The 24 year-old scored 22 goals and added 11 assists in Ligue 1 this season, so we’ve asked our writers at Football FanCast to give their verdict on a proposed move to Anfield…

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Matt Dawson

“Signing forward players isn’t exactly a priority for Liverpool but if they have a chance of signing Pepe then they must do absolutely everything in their power to bring him to Merseyside. The Lille man is one of the most sought after players in Europe and it would certainly be a statement of intent if Jurgen Klopp can beat others to his signature. At 24 years of age, he’s someone who could set Anfield alight for years.”

Harry Sherlock

“This is a bit of a strange one. Liverpool have all the talent in the world in their forward ranks but there isn’t a great deal of depth beyond Xherdan Shaqiri. Bringing in Pepe, then, would solve that problem at a stroke and allow Jurgen Klopp to bed him in slowly and bring him up to speed with the way the Reds play. He would surely cost a fortune but the 24-year-old has all the raw talent needed to become one of the best wingers Liverpool have had in recent years. Pay up and watch him thrive.”

Jack Saville

“Nicolas Pepe looks like a serious, serious talent in Ligue One and he’s the type of player who Jurgen Klopp could take to the next level. At 24-years-old his development has been a bit of a slow burner but he’s been a revelation for Lille this season. Considering he prefers to cut inside from the right onto his favoured left foot, his arrival would be massive for Mo Salah. The Egyptian may be forced to return to centre-forward once again or even be content with a place on the substitutes bench from time to time. Either way, this is a deal Liverpool simply must have at the forefront of their summer agenda.”

تواجد نجم فريق ليفربول محمد صلاح في التشكيل المثالي للجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، حسب شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية.

وشارك صلاح في هذه الجولة خلال مواجهة ولفرهامبتون يوم الأحد الماضي، والتي انتهت بفوز ليفربول بأربعة أهداف دون رد.

وقدم صلاح أداءً مميزًا في تلك المباراة حيث تمكن من تسجيل الهدف الأول وصناعة الثالث. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح أمام ولفرهامبتون

ونشرت شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية التشكيل المثالي للجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي وتواجد بها محمد صلاح.

كذلك تواجد حارس ليفربول كيليهر في هذا التشكيل بعد أن قدم أداءً رائعًا أمام الذئاب وتصدى للعديد من الهجمات الخطيرة للخصم. التشكيل المثالي للجولة الحادية عشر

حراسة المرمى: كيليهر (ليفربول).

خط الدفاع: أنهولت (كريستال بالاس)، ماتيب (ليفربول)، فيسترجارد (ساوثهامبتون)، بيساكا (مانشستر يونايتد).

خط الوسط: إيبيريشي إيز (كريستال بالاس)، ماسون مونت (تشيلسي)، دي بروين (مانشستر سيتي)، محمد صلاح (ليفربول).

خط الهجوم: زاها (كريستال بالاس)، بنتيكي (كريستال بالاس).

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West Ham have reconsidered their transfer targets and are now ready to bid £24m to bring Villarreal’s Spaniard, Pablo Fornals to the Premier League, The Guardian understands. This versatile and attacking-minded midfielder has been named as one of the players to lead the Hammers’ rebuild project and seemingly fits the profile wanted by Manuel Pellegrini who’s aiming to strengthen his midfield this summer, the same sources claim. If really true and West Ham manage to get this one over the line, it would definitely be a job well done. So with all of that being said, here are two main reasons why Fornals would be a great signing for West Ham.

Fornals brings quality for a (relatively) low price

It’s not easy to find available players who bring quality for a relatively low transfer price nowadays. Pablo Fornals is only 23 and has a lot of room for improvement, that’s for sure, but he also brings about a certain dose of experience and a fairly established skill set. This season alone, the midfielder has scored five goals and assisted a further six in all competitions for the Yellow Submarine, making him one of the more creative pieces at the Spanish club.

The £24m price tag West Ham have reportedly set out to bid for the player is roughly the same as his estimated market value and sounds like a fair amount for someone who’s already showing certain qualities but is by no means the finished product and should not be treated as such. If the Hammers can hammer this one home, it would definitely be business well conducted, leaving the English side deserving some plaudits.

He fits West Ham’s rebuild project plans

If Pellegrini is truly looking for someone to further bolster his midfield, Fornals sounds like a match made in heaven. Even though he is a bit more attack-minded than Stanislav Lobotka, who was West Ham’s previous reported target, this Spanish international is somewhat of a jack of all trades, so to speak. Just this season alone, Fornals has played in a total of six different positions in and around the midfield area, compensating for his teammates’ absences.

But what makes him even more attractive is his willingness to help the team at all costs, which goes hand in hand with the multiple position swaps mentioned above. Sure, his technical ability and work-rate cannot be called into question, but the main thing would be for Pellegrini to find a way to utilise him properly as one of the Hammers. This is where his versatility could play a crucial role as the coach can test him out on multiple positions, making necessary tweaks if needed, not worrying about Fornals potentially protesting about it. And at only 23 years of age, Fornals is a talent that is yet to fully grasp his own potential. In theory, this sounds like a perfect signing for West Ham.

“I will be keeping (number) 41 for this season.” In seven words and one number, Declan Rice allowed West Ham fans to breathe a massive sigh of relief.

Rumours of the England international departing east London this summer have been rife for the past few months as Manchester United have long been interested in the 20-year-old midfielder, with the Metro going as far as to say the Red Devils were in talks with West Ham over the transfer of Rice, but with the youngster tweeting that he will be retaining his kit number for next season, it seems to have all but confirmed his status as a Hammer for another year.

Rice excelled in the West Ham XI last season, making the second most recoveries out of any player in the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign according to Squawka and seeing his valuation on Transfermarkt jump from £9 million to £40.5 million, and with Rice now staying on at the London Stadium for another year, it is now up to Manuel Pellegrini to build the side around him.

As one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football, it is unlikely West Ham have a player as good as Rice in their academy presently, meaning they need to keep hold of him for as long as possible.

Favouring a 4-1-4-1 formation, Rice tends to operate at the base of the midfield and rarely ventures forward unless an opposition team allows him to do so, and the England international has made a solid reputation out of himself as a good anchorman in the West Ham XI, and this can be helped with good hardworking and creative midfielders ahead of him in the centre of the park.

Pellegrini has dreams of taking West Ham to Europe in the near future via football.london, and if the Irons boss opts to build the team around Rice, then that goal could become a reality.

West Ham fans, should Pellegrini build the team around Rice? Let us know!

ساند الإسباني، خافيير تيباس، رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”، الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”، ضد إقامة دوري السوبر الأوروبي، بعد اعتراض اتحادات القارات على إقامة البطولة التي ترغب الأندية الأوروبية في تنظيمها.

وتسعى العديد من الأندية مثل ريال مدريد ويوفنتوس وبرشلونة، لإقامة بطولة تُسمى بـ دوري السوبر الأوروبي أو الدوري الممتاز، بدلًا من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا الأكبر على مستوى الأندية في العالم.

فيفا إلى جانب الاتحادات القارية الستة (CAF، AFC، Concacaf، Conmebol، OFC، UEfa)؛ أصدروا بيانًا رسميًا، عصر اليوم الخميس، أعلنوا من خلاله رفضهم إقامة البطولة (طالع البيان).

اقرأ أيضًا.. شيفرين ينهي التكهنات بشأن دوري السوبر الأوروبي

وقال تيباس في تصريحات عبر وكالة الأنباء الإسبانية “EFE”: “فيفا يعرف الضرر الذي قد يلحقه مشروع السوبر الأوروبي بهذا النظام”.

وأضاف: “فيفا والاتحادات القارية يدركون ما يُمكن أن يحدث للنظام البيئي الحالي لكرة القدم، إنه مشروع غير قابل للتطبيق”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “إنه مشروع سري ولا يمكن التفاوض حول مشروع من خلف فيفا، كما قلت مشروع غير قابل للتطبيق على المدى المتوسط ​​والطويل للأندية نفسها التي ترغب في المشاركة من وجهة نظر اقتصادية، وسوف يلحق ضررًا كبيرًا بالنظام الأوروبي سواء للدوريات الأوربية الوطنية أو القارية”.