Arsenal have opened talks with Nice over a deal for midfielder Jean Michael Seri, according to The Sun.
What’s the story?
Now that the season is over for the Gunners, attention can switch to potential incomings this summer.
Arsene Wenger has bid his farewell as manager, but previous targets seem to have remerged.
The Sun claims that Arsenal’s head of football operations Raul Sanllehi has begun discussions with Nice regarding the possible signing of Seri.
The bigwig attempted to recruit the Ivory Coast international last summer while working for Barcelona, but he was unsuccessful.
The publication claims that Seri – valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt – has a £35m release clause that will be eligible to be met in the next few weeks.
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Would Seri improve Arsenal?
The North London outfit are certainly lacking a leader in the middle of the park, and Seri certainly has the ability to take control.
The 26-year-old has started 29 Ligue 1 appearances for Nice this season and has shown that he can also carry out defensive duties while slotted in a deeper role.
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Predominantly, though, Seri features in central midfield, where he can dictate play and set up various attacks for his teammates ahead of him.
The Ivorian is not the best tackler in the world, but he would provide a commanding presence in the middle of the park.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked to Seri, so if Arsenal can scoop him up, it would make a statement to their rivals.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Rangers are battling with Ligue 1 side Marseille for the signature of West Bromwich Albion prospect Tyler Roberts.
What’s the story?
Rangers have had a busy transfer window so far, signing the likes of Jamie Murphy and shipping out faltering summer signings such as Carlos Pena.
However, they’re also planning ahead to the summer and are eyeing a move for West Brom talent Tyler Roberts.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who say the Light Blues have been watching his progress closely this season and are planning to scout him again next weekend.
However, they face competition from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, who are also showing heavy interest in picking him up for a £300,000 compensation fee when his contract expires at the end of the season, say the paper.
Who is he?
Still just 18 years of age, Roberts already has over 50 professional appearances to his name after loan spells at League One sides Oxford United, Shrewsbury Town and currently Walsall.
This season he’s scored five goals in 15 league appearances for the Saddlers, also contributing four assists. That’s a fair record for a player so young and a potential that could be further enhanced with regular football at Ibrox.
With Kenny Miller injured, Eduardo Herrera flopping and Josh Windass not a natural striker, the Light Blues are lacking options and landing Roberts could give the squad a big boost.
It would also follow a similar signing model Celtic have employed in recent years, taking players like Moussa Dembele north of the border on compensation deals, only to see value rise to be sold on for a profit later on.
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It’s a model that could prove successful for Rangers too.
There’s a small contingent of German internationals at the Emirates and it’s easy to understand why.
German football’s stock is rapidly increasing, as the Bundesliga begins to take Europe by storm, potentially ushering in an era of German dominance on the continent, while the national team have quickly emerged among the favourites to clinch the World Cup in Brazil.
Being now a hotbed of young, exceptional talents, on lesser wages than the market rates in England, Premier League clubs are keen to get a bit of the action, and lure German stars over to our top flight.
Including Arsenal, who already have Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil in their ranks, and are expected to expand their small cast of former Bundesliga boys in the near future.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of SIX players from the German top flight Arsene Wenger should strongly consider snapping up.
CLICK ON MARC ANDRE TER STEGEN TO REVEAL THE SIX BUNDESLIGA SIGNINGS ARSENAL SHOULD CONSIDER
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Given his declaration that Manchester United can cope without a specialist defensive midfielder this season, there’s a sense that Sir Alex Ferguson is now eating his own words.
As the world awaited their first glimpse of Robin Van Persie in a United shirt on the first Monday Night Football of the season, the need for a new defensive shield became all the more evident on an eye opening night at Goodison Park.
Van Persie’s £24 million switch to Old Trafford has unquestionably captured the imagination of United fans desperate for their team to regain the supremacy relinquished to rivals Manchester City last season. But there are question marks over whether the money used to acquire the Holland striker should have been reinvested in impoverished areas of the squad considering the abundance of attacking talent already present at the club.
On the face of it, Ferguson’s decision to sign van Persie appears rash and a reaction to City’s last ditch Premier League title triumph in May. There’s a feeling that the 70-year-old has overlooked a paucity in midfield and impulsively splurged a chunk of his budget on a player he believes will re-establish them as the dominant force in English football
That notion is strengthened given the unexpected revamp of United’s shape. With football still in the midst of a tactical evolution, prompted by Barcelona’s tiki-taka philosophy, Ferguson acted in accordance adopting a fashionable 4-2-3-1 as opposed to the trusted 4-4-2 that has brought him unprecedented success during 25 years at the Old Trafford reins.
The result of that deviation left an imbalance in the United midfield that the Red Devils’ chief has struggled to correct given his limited options and eagerness to accommodate new signing Shinji Kagawa into the starting eleven. His desire to mimic Barca’s methodology came at a cost though as his midfield were ruthlessly crushed by a vibrant Everton performance led by the imperious Marouane Fellaini.
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If the alarm bells weren’t already ringing in Ferguson’s ears by the time the Belgian had headed the Toffees into a second half lead, they should have been blaring at the final whistle. Having found himself forced to partner Michael Carrick alongside Nemanja Vidic (who was returning from a nine-month injury lay-off) in central defence on account of a crippling injury crisis, you’d imagine the inclusion of an anchor man would be an obvious pre-requisite.
But without the means of installing a layer of protection in front of the back four, Carrick and Vidic were terrorised by David Moyes’ men, in particular Fellaini, as they exploited the space afforded to them in and around the penalty area to great effect. It was an oversight on Ferguson’s part not to recognise that danger and take the necessary measures in sheltering Carrick and Vidic from a Merseyside pummelling with subsequent games against Southampton and Fulham only serving to emphasise the need for a specialist defensive midfielder.
Much was said about Ferguson’s decision to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement in January to fill a creative void in the midfield following his failed pursuit of Wesley Sneijder last summer. It appears as if history has repeated itself this year only although it’s highly unlikely the United boss will be sending an urgent SOS to Roy Keane like he did Scholes. But in prioritising the signing of van Persie he has overlooked a fatal flaw in his team that could have grave long-term ramifications.
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In a 4-4-2 he could get away without deploying a defensive midfielder but the change to a Barca style 4-2-3-1 necessitates the implementation of an anchor. Yet Ferguson continues to turn a blind eye opting for his central trio to be geared towards a possessional based game working from the mantra of ‘why win the ball back when we can keep it?’ In a similar strategy to the one applied by the Catalan giants, that sees Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi collectively share the ball-winning duties, Carrick, Scholes and Cleverley function as deep lying playmakers with the focus on utilising their keen reading of the game and intelligent positional play.
Although it could be argued that La Liga is an entirely different environment to the robust setting of the Premier League, several of the Red Devils’ rival clubs, including City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham, operate with a comparable framework accommodating both a tough tackling anchor man and a player competent in retaining possession. Needless to say you can’t hold it against Ferguson for attempting to instil a flexibility to his side through the use of modern tactical concepts as the game continues to evolve. However, against stronger opponents he will endure a greater punishment for deliberately ignoring the kink in his side that could prove to be the deciding factor in the pursuit of their top-flight crown.
Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of appointing Mikel Arteta as their new manager – with former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso potentially arriving with him as a coach – and Gunners fans are excited to see what that could mean for Granit Xhaka, who earns £90,000-a-week according to The Sun.
The Switzerland international has been a regular in the north London outfit’s midfield under Arsene Wenger since he joined them in 2016, but he perhaps hasn’t made the big impact that some were expecting of him, with many of his own fans criticising his performances on Twitter at times this season.
However, there is no doubt that working alongside Arteta – and potentially Alonso – who were both brilliant midfielders at this level could certainly help the 25-year-old improve.
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Arsenal supporters, 71% of whom want to see Hector Bellerin replaced by a 26-year-old Frenchman at right-back next season, have been quick to have their say on the potential link-up between the trio via social media, and while one said “Xhaka will be truly world class under them”, another said “Xabi Alonso would help develop him”.
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It is funny how quickly things can change in football.
Luke Shaw looked certain to be leaving Manchester United in January earlier this season, but the left-back appears to have turned the corner in recent weeks.
Indeed, Antonio Valencia’s injury and Ashley Young’s recent suspension has seen Shaw enjoy his best run in the first team for some time.
The Englishman has now started each of United’s last three Premier League matches, and he has begun to show signs of his best form for the Red Devils.
Shaw, who is rated at £16.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, was again impressive in United’s 2-0 win at Everton on New Year’s Day.
Rampaging down the left, the defender caused Everton a host of problems when he linked with Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial in the final third of the field.
Shaw has always had the support of the United fans, and many were on hand to hail his performance in the win at Everton on Monday afternoon.
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A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be found below:
The sight of Manuel Pellegrini prowling the technical box, as opposed to Roberto Mancini in his blue and white scarf, will take a few games for City fans to get used to.
As usual at the Etihad though, the transfer window has seen a great deal of investment in the playing squad.
How Pellegrini gets the four new attackers integrated with the team he has inherited will be interesting to see.
If he gets it right, they could well be in title contention, and might even progress pass the group stages of the Champions League.
Players out: Wayne Bridge (Reading) Free, Jeremy Helan (Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed, Maicon (Roma) Undisclosed, Filippo Mancini (Released), Ryan McGivern (Hibernian) Free, Karim Rekik (PSV Eindhoven) Loan, Roque Santa Cruz (Malaga) Free, Carlos Tevez (Juventus) £12m, Kolo Toure (Liverpool) Free, Reece Wabara (Doncaster) Loan.
Player to watch: Edin Dzeko – Pellegrini has already stated he likes the forward Mancini preferred to use off the bench. And the Bosnian’s four goals in pre-season suggest he is raring to go in the Premier League, where there is no doubt he has the ability to score regularly.
Young player to watch: Stevan Jovetic – the 23-year-old was signed for £22million and was courted by a host of other European clubs before he decided to move to Manchester. He scored 13 goals in 34 games for Fiorentina last season, which is roughly a goal every three games. Should the Montenegrin find his feet in the Premier League he could certainly be starting games for City and he could certainly be causing problems for opponents.
Player needing to improve: Micah Richards – the powerful defender has undoubted ability. It is more his ability to stay injury-free that needs improving. If he can, he will provide great competition for Pablo Zabaleta and may even have the opportunity to move into the heart of City’s defence.
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With football’s silly season already in full swing and rumour abound that players and managers alike will be seeking pastures new, experienced fans are starting to see a familiar pattern emerging.
Overinflated transfers fees, shock bids for unknown quantities and Harry Redknapp denying links to every player under the sun are just some of the qualities fans await with anticipation, all while the Sky Sports News team has a heart attack providing 24 hour coverage to all and sundry.
The Premier League’s biannual centrepiece is as theatrical as it is uncompromising but amidst all the gossip and intrigue, there’s a sense of inevitability when awaiting the transfer window’s trademark features.
While it may provide a wonderful attraction to football lovers worldwide, every year supporters soon remember how predictable the whole process has become. Below is a gallery of scenes that fans can expect to witness before the window slams shut at the end of August.
Click on Jim White to unveil the 15 things we can expect from the transfer window
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The Champions League final is the most important fixture in the season for those involved, therefore injury problems are a club’s worst nightmare.
Liverpool have had a fair few fitness problems of late, and it seems that Emre Can will be unavailable for the showpiece against Real Madrid in Kiev on May 26.
Merseyside football reporter for The Telegraph, Chris Bascombe, has revealed that the midfielder is still nursing a back injury.
Can has not played for Liverpool since the club’s 5-0 rout over Watford on March 17.
Throughout his injury absence, there have ben rumblings about the midfielder’s future.
The 24-year-old, who has earned 20 caps for Germany, has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield due to the fact that he has not signed a new contract.
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Can’s current terms expire this summer, and it seems that a large number of fans have accepted that he is heading out the exit door.
Following the latest news about the midfielder’s injury problems, Liverpool fans have tweeted their thoughts.
Mesut Ozil is a mutant. Half man, half fly, he buzzes around and floats wistfully over the game. Now and then he comes into life and does something that no mere human could do.
Over the last two seasons, though, Ozil hasn’t sparked into life as much as people thought he might. For such a hefty £42.5m price tag, explosive and great things were expected of the German former Real Madrid man, but he hasn’t reached those heights yet. Alexis Sanchez’s first season at the Emirates showed exactly how you settle in a new country, and Ozil didn’t match that standard in his debut season.
But let’s be fair to Ozil. He came into the club with big expectations on his shoulders, not only was he the club’s record signing, but he was arguably Wenger’s only ‘big’ signing at Arsenal, at the time at least. And Ozil has had some fairly large personal issues to deal with in the meantime too, including being sued by his own father.
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And with all this on his shoulders, it’s not like he’s been bad. He’s just not been awesome. But I think that might change this season.
There’s a lot of optimism around the Emirates this summer, and Arsenal feel they have their best chance in years of challenging for the Premier League title. If Wenger can add another big signing, as he has done for the previous two summers, then optimism will rise again.
And Ozil should be optimistic too. He started to approach his best towards the end of last season when Arsenal themselves were in magnificent form on their way to lifting the FA Cup and nominally challenging Chelsea for the title. He’s played well in pre-season, too.
And with confidence high at Arsenal, Ozil will thrive. Everyone knows that forwards thrive on confidence, but confident forwards make confident runs. They run into positions they feel like they can score from, and if there’s one man in the Premier League who can pick out a runner, it’s the not-quite-human Ozil. With his fly-eyes he can see things on a different frequency to everyone else.
It must be wonderful for a forward like Giroud to know that if you make a clever run and outfox defenders, you won’t outfox your own teammate too. But seeing the run is one thing, getting the ball there is entirely another thing, and Ozil is pretty damn good at that too.
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So even if he hasn’t matched his price tag just yet, with personal problems behind him, a few seasons of Premier League football under his belt and a plethora of exciting and confident players playing around him, this could be the season for Ozil to really show everyone why Wenger paid so much money to bring him to London.
This could be the season that Ozil stops wistfully buzzing around the game and starts actually taking control of it. If he does, Arsenal could be a team to fear, even if they don’t manage any more signings this summer.