• Chelsea have offered star midfielder Willian a new two-year contract but Arsenal have complied with his wishes and are discussing a three-year contract with his agent which would take him up to the age of 35.
• Several groups of fans have made contact and said they think Williams would benefit for a season on loan at clubs like Sheffield United or Crystal Palace or possibly in Europe such as the Bundesliga in Germany.
Image: /REUTERS
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made it clear that the two players he most wants to build his new team around are Danni Ceballos and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.
He also wants to switch to a 4-3-3 system next season. Behind the scenes Arteta has been working long and hard on Aubameyang, persuading him that the good times are coming back for the Gunners and qualification for the Europa Cup next season, thanks to winning the FA Cup, is just the beginning. Aubameyang’s contract expires in 12 months and Arteta is convinced he can persuade the Gabon international to stay with the incentive of a new contract worth over £250k-a-week.
Meanwhile, negotiations have been taking place with Real Madrid to keep Ceballos for another loan period as they hold his registration. Chelsea have offered star midfielder Willian a new two-year contract but Arsenal have complied with his wishes and are discussing a three-year contract with his agent which would take him up to the age of 35. I can reveal to you that David Beckham’s Miami American MLS club offered Willian the most lucrative deal to move in the next few weeks but the Brazilian wants to stay in London. His family is settled and he enjoys London life. He has told close friends that he wants to leave Chelsea after seven seasons and play for Arsenal which looks likely to happen and my contacts at Arsenal say Mikel Arteta has already approved the move.
How Klopp could replace Lovren
Dejan Lovren, Liverpool’s self-proclaimed “one of the best defenders in football” has now officially left Anfield for Russian club Zenith St Petersburg.
Jurgen Klopp will replace him if he can find a suitable defender at the right price. But because of the shutdown money is not readily available.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly was one name in the frame but he would be expensive and therefore the Reds have decided to repeat their plan when they brought Joel Matip into the squad in 2016.
They need a player to work closely with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez but in all probability spend some time on the bench as second choice.
Matip accepted his place in the squad rotation and has remained loyal without making many starts. I have heard two other names on the grapevine.
Dan-Axel Zagadou, a French under-21 international has been impressive playing for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. The price would be around £25million although Dortmund are not looking to sell him at the moment. Another possible is Tanguy Kouassi who plays in the French Ligue 1 with
Paris St Germain. He is only 17 but has been highlighted because of his maturity and is already a national under-18 player. Both Barcelona and RB Leipzig are also interested but I have received a whisper that Klopp thinks Kouassi is a possible for the future to be moulded into the player supporting both Van Dijk and Gomez.
Chelsea want defence improvements
News from inside Chelsea’s Cobham training ground is Frank Lampard’s determination to improve his current defensive options and insert fresh talent. During the Cup final, it was clear to see that Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and even Reece James are often lacking against top opposition when Lampard expects them to play in defence but quickly convert into wing backs in attacking moves upfield. He has been in secret discussions about who to bring into Stamford Bridge but I can reveal that Chelsea are monitoring Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez and their interest in Leicester’s Ben Chilwell is well known. Their pursuit of West Ham’s Declan Rice has been strongly resisted by the Hammers.
Well done Fulham
Congratulations to Fulham on re-joining us next season in the Premier League after just 12 months in the Championship. Manager Scott Parker first became recognisable to football fans when, as a footballing child prodigy, he juggled a ball in a McDonalds advert on TV. He then had a distinguished playing career before going into management. Who would have thought that 25 years later he would lead proud Fulham back into the world’s top league in his first full season in charge. When Fulham were promoted last time they went out and blew over a hundred million pounds on a whole host of average players who did little to improve the club. This time, they intend to be more cautious when spending their hard-earned cash and I am told one or two players will arrive but there will be no huge fire and hire programme.
United playing cat and mouse
Despite what you might have read or heard, there is a cat and mouse contest going on between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund. The prize is Jadon Sancho. Whenever clubs sniff an interest from United the price of a player is immediately hiked upwards. An example is Eric Bailly who was signed in 2016 for £30million. Before United showed interest the price was rumoured to be around £20million. United have deliberately publicly cooled their interest in Sancho and say they might be interested at £85million. Dortmund, who have even bigger match attendances than United, have upped the price to £100million. Ole Gunner Solskjaer definitely wants Sancho to bolster his attack and it is likely to be a case of which of the two clubs cave in first and accepts the other’s price. On contacting Dortmund, I was told that no bid has been received as yet but the German club has given United until Monday to make an offer but I think United will ignore that.
“Please don’t leave Eddie”
Relegation is a bitter pill to swallow. For Bournemouth, the minnow club with the tiny ground but loyal family supporters, it was a tragedy which got worse when their beloved manager Eddie Howe threw in the towel and announced that he would not be leading the Cherries next season. In an emotional statement read out at Goodison Park, Eddie said his goodbyes. Back in Bournemouth fans put up signs outside the club which read “We love you Eddie, please don’t leave.” It was a painful break-up. Nathan Ake finally agreed to go to Manchester City, Josh King and Callum Wilson will follow him out of the door. Football can be a cruel world and Cherries fans are left to reflect on what a wonderful journey Howe took them on.
One person at Newcastle is pleased
Now the Saudi Arabia bid for Newcastle United has officially fallen through there are many people coming forward to say that the Football League should have backed the deal because the mega rich partners would have brought success to the club. If they had taken over Newcastle, a bid of £50million would have been made for Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, money would have been pumped into local charity foundations and grassroots football to encourage home talent. Manager Steve Bruce would have been replaced with either Mauricio Pochettino or Rafa Benitez. But it was not to be and the Saudi PIF group pulled out last week. So where are all the critics who were screaming that the Toon Army should not be owned by a financial group accused of links to illegal transmitting of Premier League games and run by a member of the Saudi ruling family allegedly linked to human rights abuse? The one person who is breathing a sigh of relief is manager Steve Bruce, who will probably keep his job and continue the splendid work he has done already.
Should Williams go out on loan?
It is rare to hear football fans say they think one of their best prospects should leave the club. However, that is the case with Brandon Williams at Manchester United. Several groups of fans have made contact and said they think Williams would benefit for a season on loan at clubs like Sheffield United or Crystal Palace or possibly in Europe such as the Bundesliga in Germany. Luke Shaw is now delivering the sort of quality that we all knew he was capable of and is the manager’s first choice when fully fit. Williams made his debut back in September as a substitute in the EFL Cup win against League 2 team Rochdale. It was a gentle introduction. He featured in the Europa League against AZ Alkmaar and was impressive in his Premier League debut against Brighton. Solskjaer has used Williams as a wing-back which has allowed him to play Luke Shaw as a central defender but since the restart, Williams has started just two games including the crucial match against Leicester on the final day of the season. He will get some further chances as Shaw is currently sporting an ankle injury but that will heal by the beginning of the new season. A loan could be the answer for Williams, the United academy graduate who is still only 19. He signed a new four-year deal this week.
Son says no to marriage!
A certain young lady asked me this week if Tottenham striker Son Heung-Min is married. I think she had stars in her eyes and passion in her heart. I was able to tell her that no, he is not married but she should forget any ideas of a romantic nature. Son has an understanding with his father who told him some years ago that to get married would mean his family would become number one in his life and football second. If he did that, explained his father, then he would not be a top-class footballer. Son agreed that he would not get married until he retires from football. He did, however, have a Korean girlfriend named Yoo So-Young who is a popular actress in their home country but that relationship has cooled.