William Saliba has impressed at Nice(Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP) (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: VALERY HACHE Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says William Saliba’s loan spell at Nice is ‘good news’ for the Gunners as the club will have a ‘much better perception’ of how to use the defender next season.
The Frenchman agreed to join the club in a £30m deal in 2019 but spent a further season with Saint-Etienne before moving to the Emirates last summer.
However, while Saliba was held up as the answer to the club’s issues at centre-back, Arteta did not share the view of supporters and failed to give the 20-year-old a single start in the first team.
After a frustrating period with the U23s, Saliba requested to leave on loan in January and he joined Ligue 1 side Nice until the end of the campaign.
Saliba’s impressed back in France, playing ten times in all competitions.
Mavropanos joined Stuggart on loan . (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal loaned fellow youngster Konstantinos Mavropanos to Stuggart in a bid to get him first team football and Arteta says the pair’s loan spells are ‘good news’ for the Gunners moving forward.
‘We are having meetings very often to assess what they are doing,’ said Arteta when asked if he’s keeping tabs on the progress of Mavropanos and Saliba.
‘Obviously we are getting all the information and watching their games because I want to keep a very close eye on what they are doing
‘We are in contact with the players and let’s see. It’s good news that they’re playing and good news that they have the possibility to have a lot of minutes, because that’s going to give us a much better perception of where they are and how we can use them.’
Arsenal are set to offer David Luiz a 12-month contract extension as Arteta values the veteran’s experience.
Arteta has reintegrated Pablo Mari into his starting XI in recent weeks, with the Spaniard partnering Rob Holding or Gabriel in the heart of his defence.
A decision over Saliba’s future will be made at the end of the season, with Nice keen to keep the Frenchman for another season.
Lacazette on the score sheet against Leicester last weekend (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will open contract negotiations with Alexandre Lacazette soon but remains unsure over the striker’s long-term future at the club.
Lacazette has been tipped to leave The Emirates this summer with the Gunners reportedly happy to let him leave for the right price.
Atletico Madrid and Roma were among the clubs interested in the 29-year-old last summer but were unable to fund the move.
The Frenchman’s current contract with Arsenal expires in the summer of 2022 with Arteta hopeful he will follow in the footsteps of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in committing his future to the club.
‘He’s [Lacazette] got a contract with us,’ Arteta told a press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Burnley.
Arteta says the club will sit down with Lacazette soon (Picture: Getty)
‘He played really well the other week. It’s exactly what we demand him to do. I’m really happy with him and the discussions about his contract will happen soon and we will see what happens.
‘I’m hoping that a player under contract will continue with us. Every case is different and we’re going to assess that and we’ll make a decision in relation to that.’
Lacazette joined Arsenal from Lyon in the summer of 2016, arriving as the club’s biggest ever signing for a £46.5million fee before that record was shattered by Aubameyang’s arrival just six months later.
The forward has 11 goals in 30 appearances for the Gunners this season, including nine in 17 Premier League starting appearances.
Arteta is expecting a busy summer (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta is expecting Arsenal to be busy in the summer transfer window and says their business will be ‘unprecedented for a club of this stature’.
Arteta suggested there will be a lot of incomings and outgoings as he seeks to take Arsenal to the ‘next level’.
It’s been a disappointing first season in charge for the former Manchester City assistant manager.
Arsenal are currently 10th in the Premier League and eight points off the top four and their only realistic hope of silverware is the Europa League.
Despite their poor season, Arteta’s position is not thought to be under threat and he is already planning for the next transfer window.
And he admitted there will be a lot of transactions they ‘have to make’ in order to get back to the required level.
‘We will see. We are planning what’s going to happen in the summer,’ said Arteta.
Arteta plans to make significant changes (Picture: Getty)
[It will depend on where we finish, how we finish. I think what we have to do in the summer is unprecedented for a club of this stature.
‘To do the amount of transactions that we have to make it tells you as well where we are.
‘I think it was very much needed and you want to improve, you want to do that. It’s where you have things in the house and you believe that you can improve on it.
‘Externally acquiring players to go to the next level. Everything is planned and let’s see what the market can bring and what the last few months can bring to the club.’
Gerwyn Price knows there are plenty of players in contention at the UK Open (Picture: Getty Images)
Gerwyn Price has hailed Jonny Clayton as the ‘most in-form player on the circuit’ and feels the Ferret is the man to beat at the UK Open this weekend.
The UK Open is played from Friday to Sunday this weekend in Milton Keynes and the usual suspects of world champion Price, defending champion Michael van Gerwen and former champ Peter Wright are among the favourites.
Clayton is now not far behind that trio in the betting, though, after his shock win at the Masters was followed up with three finals in four days at the Super Series in February.
The Welshman won one of the quartet of events and was runner-up in two more, which has led to Price saying his World Cup teammate is in the hottest form of anyone in the game.
Two other winners of Super Series event, Raymond van Barneveld and Joe Cullen, also got a nod from the world champ, but Clayton has been pinned as the man to beat.
‘Fair play to Jonny (Clayton), he’s been in great form this year. To reach three finals over the weekend takes some doing,’ Price told Ladbrokes.
‘Wales is in such a good place at the moment for darts. Jonny is playing fantastically well, Nick Kenny is as well. Jon Worsley’s got his tour card back, and obviously Lewis Williams as well – he beat Michael van Gerwen last week. So there are five of us who are flying the flag at the moment for Wales.
‘But going back to Jonny, he’s flying at the moment. Hopefully if he comes up against me this weekend he loses some of that form!
‘Raymond van Barneveld is back and full of confidence after a year away so whoever he draws is going to be in for a tough time of things. He’s looking dangerous.
‘Joe Cullen is looking fantastic, too. He’s played some great darts this year, as is Jonny Clayton in terms of ones to watch this weekend. Jonny is the most in-form player on the circuit right now he’s the one to beat.’
Price himself is looking to win the UK Open for a first time after twice finishing as runner-up, most recently last year when he was beaten by Van Gerwen in the final.
Michael van Gerwen is the defending champion but not in the best form (Picture: LAWRENCE LUSTIG)
His own trip to the Super Series was disrupted by illness and is still not in peak condition, but is looking forward to a tournament he performs well in.
‘I had to pull out of the Super Series last weekend because of a problem I’ve had with my ear and to be honest it’s still not 100%,’ he said. ‘I’m on stronger antibiotics now though and I’ve got some spray so fingers crossed I’ll be in better shape by Friday.
‘I tend to do quite well in the UK Open as well; I got to the final last year and slipped up against Michael van Gerwen. I’m playing well though; obviously I wasn’t at my best in the Super Series but there’s reasons for that. Hopefully I’ll get back to 100% match fitness before Friday so I can have another good run.’
Clayton feels he has as good a chance as anyone this weekend after his sparkling form of late and he will be bounding into the Marshall Arena full of confidence.
‘My darts are going good. So why not? The Welsh Ferret is going to try his hardest there,’ he said after his Super Series triumph at the weekend.
Jonny Clayton reached the semi-finals at last year’s UK Open (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Things are going really well. I’m confident. I’m relaxed. So it’s going good. It’s confidence. I’m so relaxed. I’m enjoying it.
‘Sometimes I play and I think, “that didn’t feel good”. I look, and it’s 96 [average], and I’m thinking “I might be doing something right”. It’s a good feeling.
‘My consistency is starting to creep up. I know I’ve got the game. Just to keep that consistency going up. It’s a good start [to 2021].’
The Spanish coach is still confident his young striker will commit to a new deal (Pictures: Getty)
Mikel Arteta has rubbished suggestions Folarin Balogun is already starting to sever ties with Arsenal and remains optimistic the young forward will commit his future to the club.
The 19-year-old is out of contract with the Gunners this summer – when he is free to leave for nothing – and talks over a renewal have so far hit an impasse with the striker concerned by his lack of game time this season.
Balogun is believed to want assurances over his path to the first team, having not made a single appearance in the Premier League for the club, while he has plenty of suitors ready to snap him up this summer.
Balogun has made no secret of his desire for more first-team game time (Pictures: Getty)
Earlier this week he got Arsenal fans very worried that he has decided to leave the club when he deleted all his posts on Instagram, which were predominantly of him playing for the north London club, as well as removing his bio which included his allegiance to the Gunners.
But Arteta has allayed fears and says technical director Edu is in constant contact with Balogun’s agent and the club are doing everything possible to get him to sign a new deal.
Asked about Balogun’s future and if the youngster has begun distancing himself from the club, Arteta replied: ‘I wouldn’t say so.
Balogun removed all traces of Arsenal from his social media (Picture: Instagram)
‘I am pretty positive about it. Every time I spoke to him he mentioned the same thing, that he is determined to stay here.
‘He wants to stay here. We’ve had some really positive conversations with his agent as well, Edu is in charge of that.
‘He’s been expending a lot of time and energy trying to get that deal to happen because it’s important for us to keep our talent in the house.
‘And we can guarantee that we’re doing everything we can to keep him.’
Balogun netted twice in the Europa League against Molde and Dundalk (Picture: Getty)
Two Arsenal youngsters who have enjoyed far more prominent roles in the side are Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, though Arteta says he has yet to have any contact from England boss Gareth Southgate over their potential involvement in upcoming internationals.
Asked if he has spoken to the Three Lions manager about the duo, Arteta responded: ‘No, not directly him, but obviously we know the staff and we know how they are looking at them.
‘We are extremely happy and proud that they can be used with England because that means we can provide some talent that has come through our academy and I think there is nothing better for us than that.’
Kabak joined Liverpool during the January transfer window (Picture: Getty)
Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak has revealed advice from teammate Virgil van Dijk has helped him quickly settle in at Liverpool.
Van Dijk is expected to miss the rest of the season as a result of the anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered against Everton last October.
Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have since joined him on the sidelines with Liverpool forced to dip into the transfer market in January to bolster their meagre options at the back.
Kabak joined on an initial loan deal with the option to buy this summer from Schalke, starting four times for his new club with stand-in defender Jordan Henderson now also among Liverpool’s injured contingent.
The 20-year-old has endured a mixed start to life at the club but has helped his side keep clean sheets in recent wins over Sheffield United and RB Leipzig with van Dijk playing a role with some valuable advice behind the scenes.
van Dijk has resumed light training (Picture: Getty)
‘I have met with him,’ Kabak told Liverpool’s official website.
‘He is a really nice guy, a top person – like his talent! He gave me a lot of help and tips about football. Now he is in rehabilitation but I hope he will be back soon and he will help us on the pitch also.
‘I am looking forward to playing with him, of course, in the defence. He gave me some advice about how Liverpool plays in defence and how we have a high line, so he gave me some tips about how Liverpool play.
‘It’s little things but of course it helps when you play, when you defend. He is such an experienced guy and his words are very valuable for me.’
Gilmour has struggled for game time under Tuchel (Picture: AMA/Getty)
N’Golo Kante revealed he’s expecting big things from Chelsea academy graduate Billy Gilmour in the future.
Gilmour has struggled to make an impact in the early days of Thomas Tuchel’s reign, playing just one game in all competitions.
The Scottish midfielder didn’t even make Chelsea’s 20-man squad for the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
But despite struggling to break into the team under Tuchel, Gilmour has the backing of World Cup winner Kante, who predicts he will become a good player for the club.
‘We have trained together a long time now and we speak. I know what he likes, he knows what I like,’ Kante told the club’s official website when asked if he’d offered Gilmour any guidance.
‘I share sometimes my experience of what has happened in my national team or in previous teams.
Kante is a fan of Gilmour (Picture: Danehouse/Getty)
‘He is a good player with a good mentality. He is always ready to step up and do well, even when we call on him in training.
‘He has good potential for now and the future, and I’m sure he will do well for Chelsea and in his career.’
Tuchel insists that Gilmour has been excellent in training and it was a ‘hard decision’ to leave him out against United.
‘It was also a hard decision for Billy Gilmour, because Billy played very well in the Cup [vs Barnsley],’ said Tuchel.
‘He’s been very, very strong in training. He gets also the hard decision and it was about judging all the alternatives we have.
‘It’s a decision. We had this decision in the first game I think for Andreas Christensen, and we had it already for Emerson. This is the way it is.’
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes his side to south London (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester United head to London to take on Crystal Palace on Wednesday night as they look for revenge for defeat in their opening game of the season back in September.
The Eagles soared to a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford at the start of the campaign but history is not on their side as they have never won back-to-back games against the Red Devils.
Palace are 13th and in no serious danger of relegation, 10 points above the bottom three and 12 points away from the top four.
Manchester United are hoping to keep their distant title hopes alive and move back within 12 points of Manchester City.
Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will be showing the game live with subscribers able to stream the action on Sky Go or the Sky Sports app.
Non-subscribers will be able to watch through a Sky Sports Pass on Now TV.
Palace have a pretty hideous list of injuries, with Wilfried Zaha, James McArthur, Nathaniel Clyne, Tyrick Mitchell, Nathan Ferguson, James Tomkins, Mamadou Sakho and Wayne Hennessey all out, although Jeff Schlupp and Connor Wickham are available again.
Manchester United are without Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Phil Jones while Edinson Cavani is a doubt.
Crystal Palace vs Man Utd head-to-head in last five meetings
19 Sep 2020: Man Utd 1-3 Crystal Palace – Premier League
16 Jul 2020: Crystal Palace 0-2 Man Utd – Premier League
24 Aug 2019: Man Utd 1-2 Crystal Palace – Premier League
27 Feb 2019: Crystal Palace 1-3 Man Utd – Premier League
24 Nov 2018: Man Utd 0-0 Crystal Palace – Premier League
