Frida Maanum has signed a new Arsenal contract after playing an important role in the club's Women's Champions League final run.
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Maanum signed a new Arsenal contract
Played vital role in club reaching Champions League final
Gunners take on Barcelona on Saturday in Lisbon
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Maanum, who joined Arsenal from Swedish club Linkoping in 2021, has made 150 appearances for the north London side to date, scoring 40 goals. The 25-year-old has now signed a new contract extension, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
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WHAT FRIDA MAANUM SAID
After penning a new deal, the midfielder said: "I love playing for this club, everything about it – the supporters, the community, playing at Emirates Stadium. Seeing how the club has developed over the last few years only makes me more excited to continue my journey here.
"We've had such special moments this season, and getting to share those with our supporters has been amazing. I'm looking forward to continuing to celebrate with them and giving everything for this team."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The Norwegian played a key role in the Gunners reaching the Women's Champions League final this year for the first time since 2007. They beat European giants Lyon in the last-four stage. In the 2024-25 campaign, the Arsenal star has played in 40 matches across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists.
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WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
Renee Slegers' side will next face reigning European champions Barcelona in the final of the Women's Champions League on Saturday in Lisbon.
da fazobetai： With England completing their latest Nations League campaign back in November – sealing promotion back to League A in the process – their next game will see them get their World Cup journey underway under the guidance of new boss Thomas Tuchel.
da luck： Thoughts will now turn to the qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, which are set to begin in March 2025. It is now less than 18 months before the next edition of the quadrennial tournament, yet some confederations are already midway through their qualification process.
Following December’s qualifying phase draw, teams can start to navigate a path to attending North American World Cup since 1994.
10 England players who can shine under Thomas Tuchel
The German will be planning for the 2026 World Cup.
ByCharlie Smith Oct 16, 2024 UEFA World Cup qualifying draw info Teams have been drawn into 12 groups of four or five teams, playing each other home and away. Teams drawn in one of the four five-team groups will start qualifying in March, while teams drawn in one of the six four-team groups will start their campaigns in September. All groups conclude in November 2025.
England have been drawn into Group K, with Thomas Tuchel’s first assignments as England boss being home clashes against Albania and Latvia.
The 12 group winners will secure a place at the 2026 World Cup, with the four remaining UEFA spots claimed by the winners of the play-offs involving the 12 runners-up.
UEFA World Cup qualifying groups (A-F)
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Germany or Italy
Switzerland
Portugal or Denmark
France or Croatia
Spain or Netherlands
Portugal or Denmark
Slovakia
Sweden
Greece
Ukraine
Turkey
Hungary
Northern Ireland
Slovenia
Scotland
Iceland
Georgia
Republic of Ireland
Luxembourg
Kosovo
Belarus
Azerbaijan
Bulgaria
Armenia
UEFA World Cup qualifying groups (G-L)
Group G
Group H
Group I
Group J
Group K
Group L
Spain or Netherlands
Austria
Germany or Italy
Belgium
England
France or Croatia
Poland
Romania
Norway
Wales
Serbia
Czech Republic
Finland
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Israel
North Macedonia
Albania
Montenegro
Lithuania
Cyprus
Estonia
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Faroe Islands
Malta
San Marino
Moldova
Liechtenstein
Andorra
Gibraltar
UEFA World Cup qualifying play-offs
The runners-up from each of the 12 qualifying groups will secure a spot in the play-offs, along with the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 Nations League that did not finish either first or second in their qualifying group.
These 16 teams will be drawn into four play-off paths, with four teams in each route. The semi-finals will be played over a single leg, followed by a single-leg final during the same international window in March 2026, just months before the start of the World Cup.
UEFA World Cup qualifying fixture dates
The group stages of the qualifiers will run between March and November 2025. The play-off fixtures will take place between 26th and 31st March 2026. As for the tournament itself, it will begin on 11th June, with the final taking place on 19th July 2026.
Thomas Tuchel’s confirmed England fixture list
Date
Opposition
H/A
Competition
Fri 21st Mar
Albania
H
World Cup qualifier
Mon 24th Mar
Latvia
H
World Cup qualifier
Sat 7th Jun
Andorra
A
World Cup qualifier
Tue 10th Jun
Senegal
H
Friendly
Sat 6th Sep
Andorra
H
World Cup qualifier
Tue 9th Sep
Serbia
A
World Cup qualifier
Thu 9th Oct
Wales
H
Friendly
Tue 14th Oct
Latvia
A
World Cup qualifier
Thu 13th Nov
Serbia
H
World Cup qualifier
Sun 16th Nov
Albania
A
World Cup qualifier
World Cup 2026 format
After seven successive tournaments with 32 participants, from 2026 onwards, there will be a total of 48 countries battling it out to take home the World Cup trophy.
This means each confederation gets more places at the final tournament. UEFA now gets 16 spots, CAF now gets nine spots (up from five) and AFC nations get eight spots rather than the 4.5 they enjoyed previously.
Elsewhere, CONCACAF teams will have six spots, with three going to the hosts USA, Canada and Mexico. CONMEBOL now has six spots, (up from 4.5), while OFC now has a guaranteed spot, rather than the 0.5 they previously had on offer.
With an expanded competition comes a slight change in format. 48 teams will be split into 12 groups of four teams.
The top two in each group will qualify for the knockout stages, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, thus creating a round of 32.
From then on, there will be a straight knockout tournament to see who will be crowned the winner at the MetLife Stadium, which is situated just west of New York City.
The full list of venues and their capacity can be found in the table below, with the tournament returning to North America for the first time since 1994.
Host venues for the 2026 World Cup
Stadium
Capacity
MetLife Stadium, New York
82,500
AT&T Stadium, Dallas
80,000
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
76,416
NRG Stadium, Houston
72,220
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
71,000
SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
70,240
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
69,796
Lumen Field, Seattle
69,000
Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco
68,500
Gillette Stadium, Boston
65,878
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
64,767
BC Place, Vancouver
54,500
BMO Field, Toronto
45,000
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
87,523
Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
53,500
Via Sports Illustrated
The 1994 World Cup in the United States was the final World Cup that featured 24 teams, while the next one in the US will be the debut of a 48-team competition.
Before all that, however, the UEFA qualifiers will see who from Europe will make it across the pond in 18 months.
What the England squad could look like at the 2026 World Cup
England’s squad is still young enough to compete well at the next World Cup.
da cassino online： Neste sábado, no Morumbi, Palmeiras e Santos fazem clássico pelo Paulistão-2023. Marcado para começar às 18h30, o duelo traz clubes que são reverenciados pelo trabalho que fazem em suas bases, que são duas das melhores do Brasil. No entanto, quando o assunto é a política de utilização dos jovens no profissional, as semelhanças acabam. Enquanto o Verdão consegue colocar suas joias aos poucos no elenco principal, o Peixe promove suas promessas como uma necessidade.
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2023 clicando aqui
Para o clássico da sexta rodada da fase de grupos do estadual, é o time da Baixada que deve contar com mais jogadores da base no time titular: João Paulo, Sandry, Ângelo e Marcos Leonardo tendem a estar entre os 11 escolhidos por Odair Hellmann. Enquanto isso, Abel Ferreira deverá ter somente Gabriel Menino e Endrick na formação de início do Alviverde, além de nomes no banco de reservas.
RelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras empresta Merentiel ao Boca Juniors por uma temporadaPalmeiras02/02/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras x Santos: quase 16 mil ingressos vendidos para o clássicoPalmeiras02/02/2023PalmeirasFederação Paulista de Futebol declara apoio a Abel Ferreira após manifestação de entidadePalmeiras02/02/2023
da 888： Palmeiras trabalha jovens para reforçar elenco e não para serem solução de problemas
O Verdão “varreu” os títulos da base no ano de 2022 e começou 2023 levando a Copinha. O trabalho e o investimento nas categorias inferiores traz resultados esportivos e financeiros, bem como peças que foram responsáveis diretas pela conquista dos últimos títulos no profissional. Podemos citar Danilo, Patrick de Paula, Gabriel Veron, Wesley, Gabriel Menino e Endrick. O único que ainda não foi negociado é Menino, que por sua vez decidiu uma taça no último sábado, contra o Flamengo.
>Federação Paulista de Futebol declara apoio a Abel Ferreira após manifestação de entidade
Tais jovens, quando promovidos ao profissional, tiveram a missão de reforçar o elenco, ou seja, eram parte do grupo, mas sem a necessidade de cobrir buracos. Com tantos resultados e investimentos na base, nada mais justo do que introduzi-los aos poucos e dar as devidas oportunidades. Mas os talentos eram tão grandes, que eles passaram a protagonizar as conquistas, especialmente com a chegada de Abel Ferreira, depois da competente visão de Luxemburgo.
E outras gerações foram surgindo, como a de agora, capitaneada por Endrick, mas que ainda conta com Giovani, Jhon Jhon, Garcia, Vanderlan, Naves e Fabinho, todos parte do grupo principal. Vanderlan, por exemplo, é o reserva imediato da posição e ganhou o status ainda em 2022, quando era a terceira opção e superou Jorge, que acabou negociado com o Fluminense para 2023.
Neste ano, tanto o técnico Abel Ferreira quanto a presidente Leila Pereira trataram esses jovens como reforços para a temporada, somando forças aos principais jogadores que formam a espinha dorsal do time. Ou seja, sem a responsabilidade de resolverem qualquer problema, mas sim de agregar valor a um consistente grupo, que já conquistou seu primeiro troféu em 2023.
Santos segue com DNA revelador, mas situação financeira obriga a queimar etapas
Conhecida por revelar craques do futebol mundial — vide Pelé, Coutinho, Pepe, Neymar, Rodrygo e outros — a base do Santos tem sido utilizada no time profissional para ‘tapar buracos’. Com arrecadação reduzida, crise financeira no clube e punições administrativas, os Meninos da Vila preenchem lacunas em um elenco com dificuldades de ser reforçado com contratações.
>Santos tenta quebrar tabu de mais de três anos em clássico com o Palmeiras
Os exemplos mais recentes são os atacantes Marcos Leonardo (19) e Ângelo (18). Destaques na base, ambos foram lançados na equipe de cima muito jovens para suprir carências do plantel: o centroavante estreou no profissional aos 17 anos, enquanto o ponta fez sua primeira partida com apenas 15 anos.
Além de preencherem as carências do time muito cedo, o Peixe conta com a venda de jovens para compor seu orçamento. Em 2022, o Conselho Deliberativo previu um superávit de R$ 20 milhões, que só seria alcançado se o clube arrecadasse R$ 76 milhões em negociações. O Peixe se aproximou da meta, impulsionado pela saída do zagueiro Kaiky — de 19 anos e formado no Alvinegro — para o Almería (ESP), por R$ 37,5 milhões.
O Santos foi o clube brasileiro que mais lucrou com vendas de jogadores na última década, de acordo com levantamento do site Transfermarkt, e grande parte foram atletas da base. Entre os 30 integrantes do atual elenco santista, 15 são formados no clube, exatamente metade.
Andre Onana is reportedly ready to fight for his Manchester United future despite the club considering a move for a Serie A goalkeeper.
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Onana fighting for Man Utd future
Wants to stay and compete for his spot
Red Devils linked with Serie A stopper
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Sun claims that the 29-year-old wants to knuckle down, keep his spot in the starting XI and get United 'back to where they should be' at the top of the game. The report adds, however, that the Red Devils are also keeping tabs on Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, not to mention that Altay Bayindir wants to usurp Onana as the club's number one.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Onana has made nine mistakes leading to a goal in all competitions since his £44 million ($58m) move from Inter Milan in 2023, and those costly errors have raised questions about his future at United. If they do sign another keeper, such as Milinkovic-Savic, this summer, the writing may be on the wall for the Cameroon international.
DID YOU KNOW?
Milinkovic-Savic, 28, began his career at United aged 17 but ended up leaving due to work-permit problems. He has since developed an impressive reputation in Serie A with Torino.
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WHAT NEXT?
Onana will have a few more chances to impress head coach Ruben Amorim this season, starting with United's home clash against fellow strugglers West Ham on Sunday.
Water under covers forces hasty abandonment with England eyeing batting records in Bristol
Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Sep-2023
Ben Duckett notched his maiden ODI hundred before heavy rain set in•Getty Images
England 280 for 4 (Duckett 107*, Salt 61, Crawley 51) vs Ireland – Match abandonedEngland claimed a 1-0 ODI series win against Ireland in farcical circumstances after the third ODI at Bristol was abandoned 31 overs into the first innings due to rain, with water also getting onto the pitch.England had reached 280 for 4, with Ben Duckett striking a maiden ODI to build on a fast start by Phil Salt, who blitzed 61 off 28 at the top of the order, before the rain arrived during the drinks break at 2.48pm. After a brief pause to see if it would pass, the umpires decided to call on the groundstaff.There was a further issue when the covers were caught in the wind leaving the pitch exposed, before the three mobile covers came on from Ashley Down Road End. The tractor dragging the covers ended up driving down what would have been just outside off stump for a right-hander batting from the Pavilion End. There was also a delay in closing the gaps between the covers allowing the rain to get onto the playing surface.Members of the groundstaff then had to squeeze under the covers where they were passed mats to towel down the damaged areas at both ends. Standing umpire Paul Reiffel and third umpire Rod Tucker emerged with reserve umpire David Millns at around 3.15pm to survey the damage. After looking under the covers, and assessing the standing water on the square, the decision was made to call off the match at 3.21pm. The rain relented five minutes later.An overnight deluge had saturated the outfield, but although play did get underway on time at 12.30pm, fears the ground could not take any more rain were eventually realised.”It caught everyone by surprise,” Zak Crawley, England’s captain for this series, said. “The ground was already a bit wet this morning after the rain that happened last night, so it didn’t need a lot more rain to get abandoned like that. And obviously a lot of rain fell in not a long space of time.”I went on the outfield just now and it was soaking wet as well. I think it was all unfit.”Ireland skipper Paul Stirling echoed those sentiments, having initially hoped the delay would allow his side to turn their fortunes around after a chastening start in the field.”I think we were all pretty happy when the rain came, but we weren’t quite expecting it to end the game,” he said. “We thought we might get a bit of a break or a bit of a rest and try and regroup and come out there and change it up a little bit. But no, we weren’t expecting the game to be called off.Heavy rain forced an abrupt abandonment•Getty Images
“We were having a bit of a joke up there [in the dressing room], I think we’re more used to it in Ireland because there is more rain probably. We haven’t really come across that in England where it was so sudden. We wanted to get out there.”This was the fourth consecutive men’s ODI abandoned at Bristol, following a 2021 no-result against Sri Lanka and two of their three 2019 World Cup matches (Pakistan versus Sri Lanka and Bangladesh versus Sri Lanka) washed out without a ball being bowled. Gloucestershire chief executive Will Brown lamented what he regarded as an unavoidable situation given the volume of rain in the last 24 hours.”We always had the sense that if we had something similar to last night, 20-30 minutes of rain could be what killed it off. You can see all along the bottom of the square the water is running off in big puddles.”It is just gutting. We’ve had our fair share of rain offs such as in World Cups and you wonder if we give it a bit longer maybe it can dry out, but it is what it is. The umpires and the match ref know what they are doing, the groundstaff are working their backsides off to get it right.”Brown defended the response from the groundstaff, who struggled to fully cover the pitch and surrounding areas in challenging conditions.”It was hard conditions for them. You could see by how the covers were moving that it was pretty tough for them. It is one thing getting the covers on speedily, but in those conditions it is a different ball game altogether. They were certainly heavy and wet from this morning.”No one wants to see a match end in that way and we are just collectively gutted for a season-ender for English cricket like that and a season-ender for Gloucestershire in Bristol.”The conditions last night were shocking. The covers were heavy and wet, and they were trying to move them in tough conditions. It was blowing a hooley, which makes it a lot harder to move. I think they did and admirable job in difficult circumstances.”In what play was possible, England had been given a bumper start by Salt on his way to his country’s fourth-fastest half-century in the format, from 22 deliveries. He crashed three fours and a six off Mark Adair in the first four balls of the match, with 19 off the first over and, thanks to his 87-run stand with Will Jacks, 100 up after eight overs – both England records in this format.Duckett had brought up three figures with a six over wide long-off from his 72nd delivery, the penultimate ball of the 30th over. And though Sam Hain fell to Craig Young – the most impressive Irish bowler on show with 3 for 31 – at the end of the next over, Duckett had a shot at becoming England’s first double-centurion and, in turn, the team an outside chance of beating their world-record ODI score of 498 for 8, made against Netherlands last year. Neither got the chance to play out.It was a tough debut for Ireland’s left-arm spinner Theo van Woerkom, who conceded 47 runs in his four overs. That included having his last four balls hit for 16 by Duckett to bring up England’s 250 after 27 overs. Van Woerkom did at least emerge from the wreckage with a maiden wicket when Crawley scythed a wide delivery to third after bringing up his maiden ODI fifty.However, for the second time in the series the rain curtailed any prospects of a result. With more than 30 overs of play achieved, spectators were not entitled to a refund.”It worries me greatly that this is a sign of things to come,” Brown said, looking ahead to next summer with Bristol due to host an ODI between England and Australia on September 29.”We’ve got a lot of cricket being played in September next year and with climate change we’ve seen heavy rain in June and July, and I think the game needs to be thinking innovatively about how we get games on or prepare pitches and surfaces using different things to get cricket away.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will “always score goals”, says Luis Figo, with the evergreen Portuguese forward being backed to play on until he is 42.
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Showing no sign of slowing down at 40
Talismanic presence for Portugal & Al-Nassr
Intends to reach 1,000 career goals
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has passed his 40th birthday. He is showing no sign of slowing down at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, with the 30-goal mark being passed again this season.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
CR7 has also reached 219 caps and 136 goals for his country, with there no plans to slip into international retirement any time soon. Ronaldo is, as captain of Portugal, expected to grace the World Cup finals in 2026.
WHAT LUIS FIGO SAID
Figo can see the all-time great extending his career beyond that point, saying at an event in Madrid of his fellow countryman: “He could be a starter [at the World Cup]. Decisive… we have to wait and see. But Cristiano is an example for the whole world in terms of availability, professionalism, talent.
“And he will always score goals, I think even at 40, even at 42, he will always score goals. Now, whether they are decisive goals, I don’t know, we have to wait and see. For us Portuguese, let’s hope they are always decisive.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
If Portugal secure qualification and Ronaldo remains part of their plans, then he will make history by becoming the first player to grace a sixth World Cup finals. There is every reason to believe that more records will be broken before illustrious boots are hung up.
Glamorgan have brought in Cam Fletcher, the New Zealand A wicketkeeper-batter, as short-term cover for Colin Ingram, as they bid to reach the knockout stages of the T20 Blast for the first time since 2017.Ingram injured his Achilles in their defeat to Essex at Chelmsford last week and Fletcher, who has been playing club cricket for New Farnley in Yorkshire, will join the squad ahead of their fixture against Surrey at The Oval on Tuesday.Fletcher, 30, generally bats in the middle order for Canterbury in domestic T20 cricket in New Zealand and has an impressive record in the format, averaging 35.10 with a strike rate of 131.80.Related
Cam Fletcher: 'It took me a long time to figure out the kind of player I wanted to be'
He was named in New Zealand’s Test squads to play South Africa and England earlier this year but remains uncapped at international level, despite a number of appearances for New Zealand A over the past five years.Ingram is a significant loss for Glamorgan. He has scored 329 runs at 54.83 in the Blast this year, striking at 166.16, and is their all-time leading run-scorer in T20 cricket. He is expected to return later in the group stage, with Fletcher provisionally signed for the next week.Glamorgan have suffered a number of injuries in the Blast this year, with David Lloyd, Eddie Byrom and Dan Douthwaite all missing their most recent fixtures. They are also missing Michael Neser, who is with Australia’s Test squad for the Ashes.But they have still made a strong start to the Blast season under new white-ball coach Mark Alleyne, with five wins and four defeats. They sit fifth in the South Group, two points behind fourth-placed Hampshire with a game in hand.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are beginning to motor in the transfer market and could be about to sink a large chunk of their budget into a star with proven Premier League credentials, according to a report.
Wolverhampton Wanderers begin to build for the new season
Contrary to expectations, Wolves and Nelson Semedo have yet to come to a decision on his future and former Old Gold star Dave Edwards is still holding out hope the experienced star will put pen to paper on a new contract.
He explained: “I wrote in my columns at the end of the season that I was convinced he would leave Molineux. I was gutted about that, but I knew Wolves had done everything in terms of a contract offer to try and keep him.
Liverpool'sLuisDiazin action with Wolverhampton Wanderers' Nelson Semedo
“It is a lucrative offer that must be very appealing for the wing-back. It is just a bit of a strange situation because you usually think the fans would be a bit more angry.”
Ultimately, Vitor Pereira can only influence things fully in his control, and it appears the Wolves boss is doing everything in his power to ensure new talent arrives with pre-season underway.
Making their presence felt on the market, Wolves have put forward an approach for Atalanta striker El Bilal Toure after his return from Stuttgart, even if seven other clubs are also circling for his signature.
Wolves ready to step up interest and make move for "elegant" £12m colossus
The Old Gold are racing their Premier League rivals to the signature of a defender.
ByDominic Lund Jul 3, 2025
Continuing that theme, Flamengo forward Wallace Yan could also end up at Molineux, though it remains to be seen if the Old Gold will commit to his £34 million release clause.
Putting that to one side, Pereira now reportedly has his eyes on a midfielder who has already shown he has the mettle to handle the cut and thrust of the Premier League.
Wolves eyeing surprise move for Conor Gallagher
According to reports in Spain, Wolves are in the mix to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher and would be willing to pay close to £43 million to bring the England international back to British shores.
Everton are also believed to be attentive to his situation and Diego Simeone could look to offload the former Chelsea man providing an agreement were to bring significant financial strength to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Conor Gallagher’s impressive 2024/25 campaign for Atletico Madrid
Appearances
50
Goals
4
Assists
6
Dubbed “priceless” by former boss Mauricio Pochettino after scoring a double against Crystal Palace in 2023, he also won 110 duels and 32 tackles in La Liga last term.
Famed for his high oxygen levels in the engine room, Gallagher could be pushed further down the pecking order under Simeone due to the arrivals of Alez Baena and Johnny Cardoso in the Spanish capital.
Wolves would have to put forward a convincing proposal to get him on board, though Pereira’s role in their recent resurgence could be enticing for the 25-year-old as he veers towards the prime of his career.
Arsenal are going to sign a forward or two this summer, going by numerous reports over the last few months, and it is vital that new sporting director Andrea Berta gets these transfers right as the club look to win their first Premier League title in decades.
Arsenal targeting new striker and winger this summer
A lot of headlines recently have centered on RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, with Arsenal appearing to settle on the Slovenian as their priority striker target as things stand.
Fabrizio Romano says "deal is agreed" for "perfect" player to join Arsenal
Everything is in place for a move to be finalised.
1
By
Emilio Galantini
Jun 10, 2025
It was believed that Arsenal had been working on deals for both Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres, before deciding which move would be better suited to the club (BBC), but it appears the former is now their preferred striker signing.
Fabrizio Romano shared news late last week that the north Londoners began advancing in talks for Sesko, with discussions underway between all parties.
RB Leipzig are said to be holding out for at least £70 million to sell Sesko, and Arsenal are expected to make their first official offer this week.
“I have a very good feeling on Sesko moving to Arsenal. Meetings have already taken place,” said Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg over the weekend.
Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)
Money on new signings
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
“RB Leipzig are expecting the first offer from Arsenal for Benjamin Sesko next week. I am totally convinced Sesko will play for Arsenal next season.”
Alongside their pursuit of a new striker, Berta is believed to be targeting a new winger. Bukayo Saka’s long-term absence midway through 2024/2025 seriously hampered Arsenal last season, while uncertainty surrounds Leandro Trossard’s long-term future as he enters the final year of his contract.
Leroy Sane wants to join Arsenal after talks with Mikel Arteta
According to recent reports, £242,000-per-week Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane is a genuine target for Mikel Arteta.
The Germany international was rumoured to be closing in on a new deal at Bayern, but despite reportedly agreeing terms, Sane hired a new representative in the form of super-agent Pini Zahavi to help negotiate an even better extension.
This has majorly stalled Sane’s agreement over fresh terms, allowing Premier League sides to swoop in and tempt the former Man City star with a return to England.
Christian Falk reported last week that Arsenal have held talks with Sane’s camp over a move to the Emirates, where’d be reunited with Arteta, and now CaughtOffside have provided a further update on the situation.
They now report that Sane wants to sign for Arsenal after holding talks with Arteta, and it is also believed that the 29-year-old has a “written offer” to join them on the table.
Leroy Sane for Bayern Munich
However, Galatasaray, Fenerbache and Bayern have all presented larger salary offers, so while Sane has a preference for N5, Arteta’s side will need to up their proposal.
“He (Sane) currently has four written offers,” said the unnamed CaughtOffside source.
“The highest is from Fenerbahce, followed by Bayern Munich contract extension, and then Galatasaray, and lastly Arsenal.
“His preference is Arsenal, but he wants them to offer more in wages. His first wish in making his decision is Champions League football, and that’s why he has not told Fenerbahce yes, because they play Champions League qualifiers.”
Questions were raised about his lean patch, and he answered them in his trademark style, with a career-best 115-ball 143
Deivarayan Muthu in Mohali10-Mar-20193:39
Dhawan on dealing with scrutiny: I cut down on my negative thoughts
Shikhar Dhawan is a West Delhi boy who lives in Melbourne with his wife and kids. But he’s a proper Punjabi at heart, who can’t resist dancing to the .Dhawan and Virat Kohli – another West Delhi and Punjabi boy – showed off their moves during a tour match against Essex in Chelmsford last year, with men playing the geeing them up further.Punjab’s favourite son Yuvraj Singh once poked fun at Dhawan for wearing flip-flops during a team photo shoot. However, Dhawan replied saying he can turn on the style with slippers too.Questions have been raised about Dhawan’s prolonged lean patch since the Asia Cup, and he answered them in similar style: a career-best 115-ball 143 against Australia in Mohali. His Test career had taken off at this very venue in 2013, when he broke Australia and records.The celebration was back again in Mohali, and so was the smile for Dhawan. Since the Asia Cup, he had managed 377 runs in 16 innings at an average of 25.13 and strike rate of 80.04 until Sunday. Time was running out for him: India had just two ODIs before the World Cup and KL Rahul was breathing down his neck.Dhawan, though, turned it around in signature style. Ninety off his 143 runs (63%) came via boundaries. When the show ended, Dhawan drew a standing ovation from a lively Sunday crowd and a pat on the chest from his incoming captain. The Bharat Army sent him off with chants of “Gabbar! Gabbar! Gabbar!”However, in the early exchanges, Dhawan had struggled against the left-arm angle and swing of Jason Benhrendorff. He scored just one run off the first 10 balls from the left-arm quick, but then laid into the other bowlers after riding out that spell.Whenever Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson overpitched it, Dhawan leant into punchy drives and pierced the packed off-side infield. Aaron Finch had deployed his men at backward point, cover-point, extra-cover, and mid-off, but Dhawan still found the gaps. That he shuffled from middle stump – as opposed to leg stump – allowed him to reach the pitch of the ball.Shikhar Dhawan acknowledges the applause of the crowd•Getty ImagesAfter seeing the full balls being dispatched to the boundary, Australia’s bowlers pulled their lengths back, but Dhawan was ready with the hook. That the short balls came fairly slow off the pitch and sat up to be hit also worked in his favour.And Australia were missing Nathan Coulter-Nile – the one bowler who could have pounded the deck and extracted something out of this pitch. Coulter-Nile had returned home on the eve of the Ranchi ODI for the birth of his second child.Dhawan motored to his fifty off 44 balls with a front-foot punch down the ground off Richardson. His partner Rohit Sharma started slowly – he was on 8 off 22 balls at one point – but soon settled into his shot-making stride with a majestic lofted straight drive for six off Behrendorff."Both of us couldn’t convert [the starts] in a few matches,” Dhawan told during the innings break. “Today we were communicating a lot, I told him [Rohit] ‘take your time, no worries, we can cover up for the scoring rate later.’ If you saw, both of us were in the 90s at the same time.”Rohit gradually shifted gears and even outscored Dhawan as the opening stand swelled beyond 150. Before the fourth ODI, India’s opening stand had averaged well below 40 in 2019; in the past five years they had averaged more than 40. Rohit and Dhawan remedied that stat and India’s recent top-order wobbles with a stand of 193.”He’s a class batsman,” Dhawan further said of Rohit. “It’s about saying the right things at the right moment. It’s good to see another 150 partnership at the top of the order. That’s been our strength for the past few years. [We] would like to keep it going.”While Rohit missed out on a hundred, holing out in the deep for 95 off 92 balls, Dhawan pressed on to bring up his 16th ODI century – and his first since the Asia Cup last year. After reaching the landmark, Dhawan went berserk, muscling six fours and two sixes within the space of 12 balls, including 14 runs off three consecutive balls off Behrendorff in the 37th over.In the previous ODI at this venue in 2017, Rohit had shellacked a double-century against Sri Lanka. Could Dhawan emulate his opening partner? Nope, he lost his shape while going for a heave and was bowled by Cummins.But a welcome return to form in the lead-up to a global tournament, where Dhawan elevates his game to a different plane, has put (some of) the doubts to rest.