A cut-price move for an “exceptional” Newcastle United target could be on the cards in the January transfer window, in a more marquee deal than the recent links to Wout Faes and Nikola Milenkovic.

Newcastle eyeing £75m double deal

Eddie Howe has found his centre-back options decimated in recent months, with serious injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles leaving him horribly lacking in that area of the pitch, especially with little business done there in the summer, barring the signing of the versatile Lloyd Kelly.

Key additions are required at the heart of Newcastle’s defence moving forward, and they have been linked with a sensational £75m double swoop for Faes and Milenkovic. The duo are currently plying their trade at Leicester City and Nottingham Forest respectively, but could relish the opportunity to move to a bigger club.

The Premier League pair are seen as potential long-term replacements for current Magpies defenders Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, both of whom are in their final year at St James’ Park. It remains to be seen if either will be handed extensions, but the fact that they are now 32 years of age suggests that could be unlikely.

Should neither Faes nor Milenkovic move to Newcastle, they will surely turn to other options instead, whether that be in January or next summer, and it looks as though they could now be set to revisit a former target.

Newcastle "considering" cut-price January signing

According to The Northern Echo‘s Wilson on X, Newcastle are “considering” going back in for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi in January, even eyeing him on the cheap, with his report saying a “cut-price deal” is the aim.

Guehi still feels like the most exciting centre-back option for the Magpies, especially if they now believe they can sign him for cheaper than what Palace were demanding in the summer. The 24-year-old impressed so much for England at Euro 2024, proving to be one of their standout players after filling in for the injured Harry Maguire throughout the tournament.

Former Three Lions star Joe Hart said of him: “Huge shoutout to Marc Guehi. I thought he was exceptional. He really stepped in and was really calm on the ball. I thought Guehi allowed John Stones to play his game. The more Marc plays, the better that [centre-back] partnership will get.”

Guehi certainly hasn’t expressed a willingness to now remain at Palace for years to come, suggesting that a move to Newcastle may still appeal to him, and given his age and profile, Paul Mitchell should do all he can to acquire the England international’s signature.

Newcastle eyeing £75m Premier League duo to possibly replace Schar and Burn

They are new targets for the Magpies.

By
Henry Jackson

Oct 14, 2024

Granted, the Eagles have struggled this season and the defender arguably hasn’t been at his absolute best, but he has discussed a “tough” summer without much of a pre-season, so there should be no concerns from Newcastle about him being a flash in the pan.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em jogo válido pela segunda rodada do Campeonato Paulista, Novorizontino e Mirassol empataram por 0 a 0, na noite deste domingo, no estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi, em Novo Horizonte. Com o resultado, a equipe da casa está na lanterna do Grupo B com apenas um ponto, enquanto os visitantes são os vice-líderes do Grupo C, com quatro pontos, atrás do Palmeiras, que tem sete e um jogo a mais.

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O JOGO

Na primeira etapa, o Novorizontino foi superior e poderia ter aberto o placar. Com avanços de Danielzinho, o Tigre pressionou os visitantes, mas foi ineficiente. Zeca, que havia feito dois gols na estreia do Mirassol contra o Red Bull Bragantino, foi quem mais ofereceu perigo do outro lado, quase abrindo o marcador aos 41 minutos.

Na segunda etapa, o jogo ficou morno, com poucas chances de lado a lado. A melhor oportunidade veio com o Novorizontino comDouglas Baggio, que definiu com força e esbarrou em Darley.

As duas equipes voltarão a campo no meio de semana, já pela terceira rodada do estadual. Ambas enfrentarão equipes de Campinas. Na quarta, o Novorizontino visita a Ponte Preta, no estádio Moisés Lucarelli, às 19h. No dia seguinte, o Mirassol recebe o Guarani também às 19h.

Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on a pair of German superstars as they look to catapult themselves back up towards the top of English football and challenge for the Premier League again.

Manchester United's summer business under scrutiny

Despite spending significant sums over the summer, Erik ten Hag is under massive pressure and Manchester United are 14th in the Premier League, having scored just five goals in their seven games so far. It comes in the wake of a summer in which the club once again backed the Dutch manager, shelling out £180m on five new players headlined by the arrivals of Manuel Ugarte from PSG and Leny Yoro from Lille.

Despite the heavy spending, United’s CEO Omar Berrada has suggested that the Red Devils won’t be able to challenge for the title until 2028.

“It’s not a 10-year plan. The fans would run out of patience if it was a 10-year plan. But it’s certainly a three-year plan to get there”, he revealed.

“To think that we’re going to be playing football as good as Manchester City played against Real Madrid last season by next year is not sensible. And if we give people false expectations, then they will get disappointed. So the key thing is our trajectory, so that people can see that we’re making progress.

“I think it’s the club’s 150-year anniversary in 2028… if our trajectory is leading to a very good place in that sort of timeframe then we’d be very happy with that.”

Despite the realistic rather than optimistic goal, the club will still be aiming to recruit the best talent in world football to Old Trafford, and now are reportedly monitoring a potentially massive double deal.

Manchester United plot De Ligt & Mazraoui repeat

That comes as Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has revealed that Manchester United are once again looking to snatch unwanted stars from Bayern Munich. This summer, the Red Devils shelled out around 60m euros to bring Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to Old Trafford from Bavaria, and are now looking to repeat the trick for two of their former title-winning teammates.

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1 ByBen Browning Oct 15, 2024

That comes in the shape of Leroy Sané, who is out of contract at the end of the season as things stand, as well as out-of-favour midfielder Leon Goretzka, who has featured just once in the Bundesliga under Vincent Kompany this season and was publicly dubbed unwanted over the summer.

The report claims that the club are “monitoring” the duo, and that Goretzka is an “interesting candidate” for a potential winter move, while former City winger Sané is free to enter negotiations over a free transfer in the same window.

It is added that both are keen to stay at Bayern as things stand, but with Goretzka unfavoured by Kompany and Sané likely to have to take a pay cut to do so, that could change quickly.

When fit, the Germany winger has been a key man for Bayern, with Jamal Musiala dubbing him “one of the best wingers in the world” earlier in the year. Even if both he and Goretzka were to come cheaply, their wages would be another stumbling block, with the pair taking home a combined £612k per week at the Allianz Arena.

With both earning around £300,000 a week, it would put them among Manchester United’s highest earners were they to be paid the same in the northwest.

Manchester United’s highest earners

Player

Wage per week

Casemiro

£350,000

Bruno Fernandes

£300,000

Marcus Rashford

£300,000

Mason Mount

£250,000

Antony

£200,000

There is the added complication of European football, with United not currently on course to be playing Conference League football next season, let alone the Champions League football that the pair have become accustomed to.

Pulling off a deal for either would be a major coup, but given the recent history of big signings at Old Trafford, it would be another suggestion that nothing new has been learned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co.

Tottenham Hotspur showed why, under Ange Postecoglou, that at their best they are a force to be reckoned with on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs have flattered to deceive at points this term, notably losing to a winless Crystal Palace a week ago, but since then have shown why teams should be scared of them, beating Manchester City in the cup and then smacking four past Aston Villa in a 4-1 victory.

No team in the Premier League up to this point have scored more than their 22 goals. They are full of life and can outscore pretty much any team they face.

Dominic Solanke – who scored twice at the weekend – will no doubt take the plaudits but another face was just as good, if not better, than the striker. It was a display that had shades of a certain Mousa Dembele.

Why Mousa Dembele was so loved at Spurs

“Dembele was probably the best player I’ve ever seen play football,” remarked Kyle Walker many moons ago. He was “a freak of nature” in the words of Eric Dier.

Gain such fine praise from your pears and it’s hardly a surprise that he was so loved at White Hart Lane.

Dembele had the poise and grace of the finest footballers in the game but he combined that with a steely physical nature. In essence, he had it all. He could score goals, he could tackle ruthlessly and he could pick a pass.

One of his finest campaigns on English shores came in 2015/16 and to give credence to the claims we’ve just offered, he was involved in four goals, registered 2.9 successful dribbles per game and won 3.6 tackles per match. Yeah, he was everywhere, he did it all.

So, when the Belgian decided to leave for China in 2019, it was a sad day for Spurs supporters. Arguably since that day, they have struggled to find a player with similar qualities. That’s perhaps until the win over Aston Villa.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse Tottenham's new Mousa Dembele

There were a number of key performers in that win over Unai Emery’s team on Sunday, not least Solanke who was the scorer of two goals.

However, Pape Matar Sarr deserves an equal amount of praise for a display that Football.London felt obliged to hand a 9/10 rating.

In the words of GOAL’s Mitch Fretton, the Senegalese was a “monster” in the middle of the park and although he perhaps didn’t show the same level of drive with the ball, failing to attempt a single dribble, he was very much Dembele-esque in a lot of the work he got through.

Sarr vs Aston Villa

Minutes played

90

Touches

80

Accurate passes

59/64 (92%)

Key passes

1

Shots

4

Ground duels won

2/7

Aerial duels won

1/2

Possession lost

7x

Clearances

3

Interceptions

2

Tackles

0

Stats via Sofascore.

In the process of winning three duels, completing a supremely impressive 92% of his passes and boasting more touches (80) than anyone on the field, his finest action came when helping Spurs score their third goal of the game.

If the fact he had more touches than anyone else didn’t give you Dembele vibes then the way he broke up the play for Solanke’s second of the day should.

Sarr pounced on Pau Torres’ loose ball before darting forward with his great lengthy strides and sending it through to Richarlison who laid it on a plate for the £65m signing to score from. It was one of two interceptions from the young 22-year-old who should now be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He drives his team forward, breaks up the play brilliantly and covers so much ground for his team. All of a sudden he is vital to the way Postecoglou wants his team to play.

Related Spurs thought they'd signed the new Mousa Dembele, then he left for free

The promising star couldn’t make it work at Spurs.

Posts 2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 2, 2024

England’s men will play two additional T20Is on their tour of Pakistan in September and October 2022, in compensation for the late cancellation of last month’s planned visit, following a meeting between ECB and PCB officials in Lahore on Tuesday.Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, flew to Pakistan this week with his deputy Martin Darlow, to hold talks with Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the PCB, who had hit out at what he termed cricket’s “western bloc” in the wake of England’s eleventh-hour cancellation of what would have been their first visit since 2005.The ECB were roundly condemned for their withdrawal, citing concerns about the bubble fatigue among the England players, even though the tour had been planned as a four-day detour en route to the T20 World Cup in the UAE.The decision followed swiftly on from New Zealand’s cancellation on the morning of their first ODI in Rawalpindi due to a security threat. That led Ramiz to warn that the PCB would be making contingency plans in the event of England cancelling their multi-format tour in 2022-23, which is also due to feature a three-Test series in November and December, in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup in Australia.Now, however, Harrison has pledged not only that those matches will go ahead as planned, but that the T20I leg will be extended from five matches to seven, in a gesture to thank Pakistan for their support of English cricket during the 2020 season, when they had agreed to a full tour in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.”Myself and ECB’s Senior Director Martin Darlow visited Lahore to talk face-to-face with the PCB around some of the things that have happened over the past few weeks, leading to the cancellation of our tour in October,” Harrison said in a statement.”We also wanted to discuss the future as the two boards have a historic relationship and want to move the agenda towards a forward-looking one as opposed to one looking back.Related

• Tom Harrison flies to Pakistan in bid to repair relations between ECB and PCB

• ECB chairman promises to 'do everything we can' to travel to Pakistan on schedule in 2022

• England players' body did not play a part in Pakistan tour abandonment

• England's withdrawal is a slap to Pakistan's face

“This is just to reaffirm our commitment to Pakistan cricket to getting England teams, men’s and women’s teams, eventually playing in Pakistan at home.”I don’t think there’s a cricketer in England who doesn’t want to test their abilities against the huge talent this country has and in the conditions they know best.”Ramiz added that the ECB had shown “large-heartedness” to make the trip, and welcomed England’s commitment to the tour, which follows Australia’s confirmation of their own tour in March, which will be their first visit since 1998.”We put in lot of efforts to make sure that all visiting teams are comfortable in Pakistan,” Ramiz said. “As such, it is a matter of pride for the Pakistan fans, who look forward to welcoming Australia and England in 2022.”England have got a great team and it’s mind-boggling how they’ve produced so many match-winners in a span of about five to seven years. They play very engaging and attractive cricket, which is fantastic for the fans and a big advertisement of the game.”England’s women had originally been scheduled to join last month’s tour for a pair of double-headers in Rawalpindi ahead of their own ODI series. Those fixtures have not yet been reallocated, although Ramiz added that proposals surrounding “pathway engagement” and the women’s game had also been discussed with the ECB.

"Egyptian King" Omar Marmoush was hailed as better than three Premier League rivals after his hat-trick against Newcastle on Saturday.

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• Marmoush scores hat-trick v Newcastle
• Beats Salah, Saka and Rashford to the feat
• Social media reacts to his goals

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Marmoush netted three goals in the first half at the Etihad Stadium. Netting a hat-trick in just his third Premier League appearance means he did so quicker than rivals Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  His display sent City fans crazy, with @EmbraceSane posting on X: "All Hail the Egyptian King, OMAR MARMOUSH!"

  @__oluwadarey posted: "Marmoush PL hattrick before Rashford".

  Marmoush also impressed @_owenpage, who wrote: "That half of football from Marmoush has shown exactly what Man City have missed this season. Someone else who is clinical in front of goal when teams try and mark Haaland out of the game. But it’s not just his hat trick, it’s his movement off of Haaland to find the space itself."

  @foot_y10FCB posted: "In a match where I turned in to watch the strikers, Marmoush has caught my eye. First time watching him, he acquires similar position like Raphinha. It was reported Raphinha will be targeted by City but idk why tho, with Marmoush it looks they've got their man. Proper baller."

  @arowolo_g said: "Marmoush first half hat trick is crazy."

  The forward also caught the eye of @ConnorHolden00 who posted: "The power of a direct and persistent runner. Omar Marmoush exactly what so many clubs need right now."

  @hangitinthelouv added: "Imagine scoring your first goal for your clerb at home and then making it a hatty in the same game within 32 minutes, Marmoush you rock my world."

  "Omar Marmoush has been in the premier league for a few weeks and got a PL hatrick before Bukayo Saka and Rashford," wrote @DxBruyne17.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Marmoush was part of a major January recruitment drive for City, arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt for €70 million (£59m/$73m). The striker had not netted in his first four appearances in all competitions for the club but has impressed with his performances, finally netting on Saturday.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MARMOUSH AND MAN CITY?

  City's 2024-25 title hopes may be over but Marmoush looks set to star for the club for several seasons to come. The forward is already in illustrious company in scoring a Premier League hat-trick so quickly and a strike partnership with Erling Haaland could prove to be the envy of the rest of the division.

The Brisbane Heat keeper-batter has had another impressive season

Andrew McGlashan22-Nov-2021

Georgia Redmayne has strengthened her case to play for Australia•Getty Images

Jess Jonassen believes her Brisbane Heat team-mate Georgia Redmayne should be in the Australia side after another prolific WBBL campaign where she has excelled in front and behind the stumps.Redmayne, who has yet to be capped at international level, made 436 runs at 36.33 in the regular season while claiming a tournament-leading 17 dismissals with the gloves to help Heat into the finals where they will face Adelaide Strikers in the Eliminator on Wednesday.She was part of the Australia squad for the multi-format series against India earlier in the season but could not break into the XI even when Rachael Haynes was ruled out with injury. She will again be pushing hard for inclusion when the selectors pick an Ashes squad in January.”Being a fellow Queenslander, she should be in that side,” Jonassen said. “She was part of the series against India and my opinion she is probably the form keeper-batter in the competition at this stage. It’s no surprise to anyone in the Brisbane Heat set-up with the amount of work she has put in.”Her leg-side stumping to remove Ella Hayward against Melbourne Renegades was one of the standout moments of the competition. Redmayne credited the work she had done with former England keeper Sarah Taylor while with Welsh Fire in the Hundred with Taylor noting her excitement at the piece of work on Twitter.”I was at mid-off and it was incredible. She’s tidied up a few of those balls down the leg side and that stumping was probably one of the quickest I’ve seen,” Jonassen said. “It’s really exciting for us that she’s producing the level of cricket that we know she’s capable of and it’s no surprise.”Heat and Strikers will have to take the long route if they want to claim the WBBL title. The winner of their match faces Melbourne Renegades in the Challenger final on Thursday to decide who takes on Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium on Wednesday. Of the four sides still in contention only the Heat are previous winners.Jonassen had no qualms about facing Strikers on their own patch despite finishing above them in the table. Renegades, who finished second, nominated Adelaide as their preferred venue for the Challenger final with border restrictions meaning Melbourne wasn’t an option.”It’s probably a good thing for us that we will be playing against the Strikers,” Jonassen said. “There will be a really good atmosphere. Sometimes you can use that to your advantage if you are the away side and use it to fuel the drive to come out on top.With South Australia’s borders opening to Victoria on Tuesday it means friends and family of players from the state should be able to travel for the Challenger.”Not being able to get to Victoria wasn’t ideal but with the borders opening, get some family over here and it will feel like home I think,” Renegades captain Sophie Molineux said. “A lot of us haven’t been home for a long time so just being able to see parents, sisters, brothers, partners, it’s a bit of a motivator for us. Will be really cool over the next few days to reengage with them and hopefully have them at the ground.”

Instantly attempting to make his mark, new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reportedly wants to show the door to as many as four players in a ruthless clearout in 2025.

Man Utd transfer news

Amorim will arrive on 11th November with plenty of work to do. The Red Devils currently sit in the bottom half of the Premier League following a disastrous end to Erik ten Hag’s tenure. Ruud van Nistelrooy has since taken Manchester United back to winning ways with a thumping 5-2 victory over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, but that doesn’t take away from the extent of the new manager’s task.

The first job on Amorim and INEOS’s list may well be to clear out any deadwood from Old Trafford. The likes of Casemiro and Antony – whose arrival almost sums up the failure of Ten Hag’s time at the club – look set to be heading for the exit door alongside Christian Eriksen in a ruthless but needed shake-up.

However, those three aren’t the only players reportedly heading for the exit door. According to reports in Spain, Amorim also wants to show the door to Victor Lindelof to clear out a total of four players within his new squad in January.

The Swede has been at the club since 2017 without ever really standing out in Manchester United’s backline and could finally lose his place eight years later when Amorim gets his chance to mould his squad.

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This would be the deal of the summer…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 2, 2024

With Leny Yoro working his way back to full fitness and Matthijs de Ligt also arriving in the summer, it would certainly make sense to sell Lindelof in the January transfer window and cash in before his current contract comes to an end next summer. Whether Casemiro, Eriksen and Antony suffer such an instant fate remains to be seen, however.

Right time for "great" Lindelof to move on

As the beginning of a new era arrives at Manchester United, it’s the right time for Lindelof to seek a fresh start of his own. The 30-year-old will leave an FA Cup and Carabao Cup winner in a period of his career not without its struggles, but with some impressive silverware along the way.

After almost eight years, he wouldn’t be leaving without having made some fans within the club either, with centre-back partner Harry Maguire among them. The former Manchester United captain told reporters after their win over Luton Town last season (via Football365): “Victor is technically brilliant. You’ve seen over the years that he’s a great footballer. I’m really pleased for him, he was brilliant today.”

If Amorim does show the central defender the door, Yoro could be handed his place to finally make his mark at Old Trafford. The young Frenchman suffered an ill-timed injury on arrival in pre-season and didn’t even get the chance to make a Premier League appearance under Ten Hag.

Now, with Amorim to impress, he’ll be desperate to get back to full fitness and earn his place at the heart of United’s backline.

Kai Havertz's season could be over after the Arsenal star reportedly suffered a torn hamstring in the club's Dubai training camp.

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Havertz tears hamstring in trainingRemains to be seen if he needs to undergo surgeryAims to return ahead of the 2025-26 seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to the 25-year-old forward is facing a lengthy recovery period, with assessments ongoing to determine whether he will require surgery on the torn hamstring. It is believed that the German has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and his main priority is to regain full fitness in time for the start of the 2025-26 season.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Havertz has been a crucial part of Mikel Arteta’s squad this season, featuring in 34 matches across all competitions. His contribution of 15 goals and five assists has been vital to Arsenal’s attacking output as they look to challenge for the top honours in England and Europe.

DID YOU KNOW?

Havertz’s injury further worsens Arsenal’s growing problems in attack, as several key players remain sidelined. Bukayo Saka, who underwent hamstring surgery in December, is not expected back until March. Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli is facing a month-long recovery after sustaining a similar injury against Newcastle United on February 5. Adding to Arsenal’s concerns, Gabriel Jesus is already out of action due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his left knee, leaving Arteta with limited attacking options. Arteta now has only three senior attacking players at his disposal – Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, and Raheem Sterling.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Arsenal were actively searching for reinforcements during the January transfer window but failed to broker a deal. The club had explored a deal for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, but negotiations did not progress, leading them to focus on long-term transfer targets for the summer instead. Their lack of activity could come back to haunt them, given the club’s deepening injury crisis, especially in the attacking department. Their next challenge is an away trip to Leicester City on Saturday, followed by a crucial home fixture against West Ham United on February 22.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared some much-needed “positive news” out of London Colney, following a regrettable last few days which saw the north Londoners lose influential director Edu Gaspar and fall behind in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal prepare for first game since Edu announcement

Arteta’s side travel to the San Siro this evening for a pivotal Champions League clash against Serie A champions Inter Milan, and a win would seriously lift the spirits of supporters right now.

Sky Sports: Arsenal set sights on signing "exciting" player after Edu exit

He’s got a growing reputation.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 6, 2024

A damning 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park handed Arsenal their second loss of the campaign and Eddie Howe’s first win since mid-September – a result which saw Liverpool gain a seven-point advantage over them at the top of the pile.

Even though it is still very early doors, this gap will still be difficult for Arteta’s side to overcome, especially considering Liverpool look near-unbeatable under new manager Arne Slot.

Chelsea (away)

November 10

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Arsenal were dealt more bad news on Monday when journalist Sami Mokbel revealed that Edu was set to leave his post as sporting director. The Brazilian brings an end to his five-year stay at the Emirates after playing a key role in Arsenal’s development, having worked in tandem with Arteta to transform the club back into an elite English side.

Edu oversaw the signings of key men like Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes to name a few, whilst also helping Arsenal in the managerial recruitment process to appoint Arteta as manager.

It is believed Edu is poised to link up with Greek tycoon Evangelos Marinakis, where he could take on a chief executive role in the day-to-day running of clubs under his ownership, like Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave in Portugal.

There are suggestions that Arsenal chief Jason Ayto is a real candidate to replace Edu, with The Mirror journalist John Cross calling him an “obvious choice” for the role. Whoever the Kroenkes decide upon, it needs to be the right decision, and could prove pivotal to Arsenal’s long-term future.

Arteta shares "positive news" out of Arsenal ahead of Inter Milan

In the wake of a fair bit of bad news recently, Arteta has now shared a “positive” Arsenal update on Odegaard’s fitness.

The Norway star has been sidelined with ankle ligament damage since September, but he’s now on the verge of a return and back in full training with the squad, which will come as much-needed relief for Arsenal who are now set to welcome their captain back to the field very soon.

“The positive news is it’s great to have Martin back,” said Arteta in his pre-match press conference.

“He’s trained with us for the first time, a full session today. He felt good, it’s a bit earlier than we expected, but he wanted to be with the team, so we’ll decide tomorrow whether we use him, but at least it’s a big step that he’s travelled with us and is part of the team.”

The 25-year-old’s presence will be key in the title race and Europe, with Arsenal seriously missing Odegaard’s creativity in his absence. A return against Inter would be a spectacular sight, but if not, his Premier League return surely isn’t too far away now.