• Angel Gomez has gone but Ethan Laird has been called in from the academy to replace Axel Tuanzebe, who has been ruled out with injury until September.
• Meanwhile Almiron’s agent, Daniel Campos, has annoyed Bruce by touting him for a switch to Atletico Madrid.
Image: /REUTERS
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is in a loving mood as he tries to persuade Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay with the Gunners when his contract runs out next year. Arteta said this week that the striker is ‘loved, respected and admired’ by his team-mates.
He said: “It’s the way I feel, the way I communicate with him, the conversations I have with him and the people around him and the energy I sense. It’s just my opinion but if you ask me how I feel about Auba’s future, in this moment, I feel like he wants to continue with us and keep developing and help us to be a better team.”
He continued: “Auba is very settled in London and also his family which is a huge thing for any player. He is loved and respected and that is why I think he will sign a new deal.”
Arteta is anxious that Raul Sanllehi, Arsenal’s Head of Football, presents a proposal to Aubameyang very soon so he can make a decision.
Solskjaer shows faith in de Gea
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has struggled to reproduce his best form this season but manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer still rates him as the best in the world. To prove his belief in the Spaniard, Solskjaer has re-arranged his coaching department and dedicated two coaches to work with De Gea.
Richard Hartis has recently re-joined United and Craig Mawson was brought in from Burnley after De Gea’s mentor Emilio Alvarez departed. Solskjaer said: “He had a tough ride early on with the physicality of football in England but he’s been the best goalkeeper in the world the last nine or ten years and he’s still keen to learn. He’s working very hard. Richard and Craig have reignited a little bit of spark in David and he’s doing very well in training.”
De Gea made his 399th appearance for United on Thursday night against Villa and overtook the legendary Peter Schmeichel who was between the posts for United from 1991-99.
Guendouzi situation worsens
Mikel Arteta was releasing his frustration with Matteo Guendouzi again this week when he said the situation has not changed. Guendouzi’s behavior is causing the Arsenal manager real problems.
He has been banned from first team training and instead works on his own with a personal fitness coach. Arteta and his technical director have again met with Guendouzi and have been less than impressed with the player’s attitude. He has now missed four of the Gunner’s recent games and Arteta is looking at the possibility of exchanging him in a loan deal at the end of the season.
Guendouzi has a lot of apologising to do if he wants to stay at Arsenal but he has told close friends that he sees his career elsewhere.
Step up for Laird at United
Manchester United manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer has increased his playing squad to 32. Angel Gomez has gone but Ethan Laird has been called in from the academy to replace Axel Tuanzebe, who has been ruled out with injury until September.
With Phil Jones also out injured, Under-18 captain Teden Mengi has been promoted and joined the senior players after impressing Solskjaer during training. United could play on until August 21 if they reach the Europa League final. Their final Premier League match is against Leicester on July 26 and the FA Cup final is on August 1.
United have agreed this week to extend their loans for Dean Henderson at Sheffield United, Chris Smalling at Roma and Alexis Sanchez at Inter Milan although he has been injury prone and the Italians are not keen to keep him permanently.
Lampard’s forward line dilemma
Frank Lampard has a strike force rich in talent and there is a fear within the club that this could cause him problems at the beginning of next season. Christian Pulisic is the in-form player who, despite Chelsea losing to West Ham last week, was at times unplayable as he ghosted past defenders with ease. He was again on form against Palace in mid-week.
Pulisic now has more goals since the restart than any other under-21 player and that includes, Mason Greenwood, Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Gabriel Martinelli, Pedro Neto and Alexander-Arnold. However, with both Pedro and Willian staying on until the end of this season and Callum-Hudson-Odoi available after injury it is difficult for Lampard to figure out who to leave on the bench.
At the start of next season Lampard will have new signings Werner and Ziyech arriving at the club and this could be a problem for Tammy Abraham. Word from the training ground is that Lampard could play Werner from the left with Abraham and Ziyech inside and centre but on his present form leaving out Pulisic isn’t an option.
Saint-Maximum is Toon star
I enjoy watching Newcastle at the moment. And I believe that Allan Saint-Maximin is the best value for money of all the signings during the past twelve months.
£16million for a player who can win games for you is rare indeed. I watched him ghost past players when Newcastle played West Ham on Sunday. His speed, skill and direction are awesome and defenders are often left standing as he goes past them. But Saint-Maximin isn’t the easiest player to handle as manager Steve Bruce has discovered during the last few months.
The Frenchman arrived from Nice with a reputation for being difficult and he soon lived up to the description. Bruce has had a few arguments with Saint-Maximin as he tries to keep him in line and has meted out several fines for behaviour.
Bruce said: “The great thing about Allan is that he’s always dribbling, against his mates in his garden or his dog or whatever, he’s got a genuine love for the game and enjoys every ball. He’s got great enthusiasm for football and that outweighs everything else. I don’t know how many times I have fined him for earrings and headbands and all sorts but he’s coming to terms with it with his performances.”
West Ham boss David Moyes paid tribute to Saint-Maximin, saying: “He’s given Newcastle a new dimension and they have won a lot of games because of his ability.”
Meanwhile Almiron’s agent, Daniel Campos, has annoyed Bruce by touting him for a switch to Atletico Madrid. However, Bruce is pleased with the way in which Saint-Maximin and Almiron have linked up in attack and is determined to keep both players at the club.
Heads up for Rashford
Before he was injured earlier in the year, prolific Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford rarely scored with his head. Although he stands 6ft tall he has scored 32 of his Premier League goals with his right foot, three with his left foot but only four headers. It is something that Ole Gunner Solskjaer intends to concentrate on in future training because he can see more goal opportunities for the England striker.
Levy needs to back Mourinho
Jose Mourinho needs help at Tottenham. Their supporters club and commentators have declared that a lack of investment is clear to see with Liverpool winning the title so convincingly this year.
From the Liverpool team that Jurgen Klopp took over in 2015 only James Milner, Adam Lallana and Divock Origi have played for the Reds this year. If you look at Tottenham’s team of 2015, Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertoghen, Dele Ali, Erik Lamela and Harry Kane all remain and make up the backbone of the first team squad.
Spurs are not short of money although COVID-19 has not helped the club’s finances but in 2010 they had income of £120million and this year it is up to £474million. It is unfortunate that the virus shut down their major investment which is the new state-of-art stadium as this would have swelled revenues with gate receipts.
When departed manager Mauricio Pochettino openly challenged chairman Daniel Levy about where Tottenham were heading, he was convinced enough to sign a new contract and then the club let him down and did not sign a single player for the next two transfer windows. During the same period Liverpool brought in goalkeeper Alisson, Naby Keita and Fabinho. The secret to Tottenham’s future is so simple.
Chairman Levy has to back his manager, show faith and spend money in the way the Fenway Sports Group has led the Liverpool revival. And there is no doubt that if Levy and Mourinho do not turn things around and make Spurs more competitive, they will lose their world class striker Harry Kane who is desperate to win trophies.
The supporters are putting together a petition to present to the chairman to encourage him to openly invest in new players to support Mourinho and rebuild a more competitive Spurs.
Milner’s thoughts turn towards management
When Liverpool’s James Milner came back to training after lockdown, he was jumping 10 centimetres higher than his previous training stats. At 34 years of age he is also running the same distances during a match and his speed also compares favourably to several years ago.
That is dedication! Following his impressive performances last season James was granted a two-year extension to his contract in December. He is not thinking of hanging up his boots just yet. However, he has expressed his desire to go into football management when he finally calls it a day.
He said: “Doing your coaching badges takes time but it is important that I don’t take my eye off the ball. The people I have worked with, the players I have played with and the knowledge I’ve been able to gain should be shared to help others. But it’s about getting the balance right.”
Those ‘people’ include coaches Jurgen Klopp, Sir Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and Roberto Mancini and you can’t better that distinguished group.