Arsenal news LIVE: Saliba new contract, Usmanov's homes raided by police – updates | The Sun
WILLIAM SALIBA is set to be offered a new five-year contract by Arsenal.
The defender is set to be offered fresh terms on a deal till 2027 after his impressive start to the season in North London.
Meanwhile, former director Alisher Usmanov has had his homes raided by German police after links to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
The oligarch is at the centre of a money laundering probe in the country.
Arsenal stars are set to feature for their countries with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney in action.
Stay up to date with all the latest from the Emirates…
- Sam Dymond
Gooners celebrate Arsene appointment anniversary
Today marks 26 years since Arsenal made arguably the most important appointment in their history.
On September 22, 1996, the North London club unveiled Arsene Wenger as their new manager.
The Frenchman, then 46-years-old, arrived from Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight, a decision initially met by scepticism by both football fans and the media.
However, 22 years later, Wenger finally said goodbye to the Gunners, having led them to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.
On top of that, he was instrumental in the club's move to the state-of-the-art Emirates Stadium, and, of course, will be remembered for the Invincibles season of 2003-04.
"[He] changed the game, absolute legend!" one fan wrote on Twitter.
Credit: @PatrickTimmons1 Twitter - Sam Dymond
Ramsey confused by Arsenal exit
Aaron Ramsey has admitted he is still struggling to deal with his Arsenal exit after revealing the club pulled his contract extension off the table.
The Welshman headed into the 2018-19 season with a year remaining on contract with the Gunners, and has claimed that he had verbally agreed on extending his 11-year stay at Arsenal.
But the midfielder has stated that the Gunners decided to withdraw their proposal, leading him to join Juventus on a free transfer in a £400,000-a-week deal.
Speaking to The Times, Ramsey said: "It all happened… I agreed to a contract they proposed. Things went quiet for a few weeks.
"I was telling my agent, ‘Let’s do it,’ then all of a sudden the contract was no longer there. So there was nothing to sign or agree.
"I have no bad words or bad feelings to Arsenal. They are still a massive part of my life and I still look out for them and I am really glad to see them doing so well.
"I always have love for Arsenal and that will never change."
- Sam Dymond
Centuries for Saka and Ramsdale
Gunners duo Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale have been presented with awards by the Premier League after completing 100 appearances in the competition.
All of Saka's 100 Premier League games have been in the red of Arsenal, having made his debut as a substitute against Fulham on New Year's Day in 2019.
That appearance made Saka the first player born in the 21st century to feature in the Premier League, and the England international reached his century of games in last month's 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
Ramsdale, meanwhile, reached the milestone after featuring for three clubs, having turned out for Bournemouth in 2019-20, and Sheffield United in 2020-21.
The goalkeeper kept 22 clean sheets in his first 100 Premier League fixture, 15 of which came since moving to the Emirates.
Credit: arsenal.com
- Sam Dymond
Gunners still stuck on Mud
Arsenal are expected to revive their interest in Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk in January – but his price tag remains the same.
The Gunners were told last month that they would have to fork out at least €50m for the 21-year-old forward, and, according to Fabrizio Romano, that situation is 'unchanged'.
Mudryk has showcased his talents in the Champions League group stage this season, scoring in the 1-1 draw against Celtic while also registering a goal and two assists versus RB Leipzig.
Arsenal representatives discussed a potential move with the forward's agents in the summer, but opted against making a formal bid.
- Sam Dymond
Odegaard on guard for derby
Martin Odegaard is expected to be fit to face Tottenham in the North London derby when domestic football resumes in October.
The Arsenal captain missed Sunday's 3-0 win at Brentford with a calf injury.
However, that knock was not enough to stop Norway boss Stale Solbakken from calling the midfielder up to his squad for the current run of Nations League games.
"We’ll certainly see him in Norway," Solbakken said. "Either as a player or a ‘fourth coach’. It means a lot to have him."
The Gunners face fierce rivals Spurs at home in the first game back after the international break.
- Sam Dymond
Tierney shines on international stage
Kieran Tierney continued his resurgence after injury with an impressive display as Scotland beat Ukraine 3-0 in the Nations League on Thursday night.
In the absence of captain Andy Robertson, the Arsenal man lined up in his favoured position on the left of a back four.
The 25-year-old put in an admirable shift for 86 minutes before being replaced late on by Greg Taylor.
Tierney has started four of the last five games for the Gunners, and was singled out for praise in Sunday's win at Brentford.
- Kealan Hughes
Good morning Arsenal fans
Arsenal may reignite their interest in Juventus ace Manuel Locatelli after failing to sign him last year.
Locatelli snubbed a move to the Emirates after Euro 2020 as he opted instead to link up with Juve from Sassuolo.
The midfielder linked up with the Bianconeri on an initial two-year loan deal, with the Serie A giants obligated to turn his temporary stay into a permanent transfer for £30million.
But the Italy international has struggled to live up to expectations in Turin, and it has been claimed that he could be facing an uncertain future.
According to Calciomercato, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has been left underwhelmed by the 24-year-old since his arrival.
And this has led to rumours over whether he could soon be departing the club, with Paul Pogba to replace him in the line-up once the ex-Manchester United superstar is fully fit.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have opened talks over a January transfer move for Eintracht Frankfurt star Jesper Lindstrom.
The Gunners’ manager Mikel Arteta is known to be in the market for a new midfielder having failed to bring in Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz on deadline day.
According to Bild, Lindstrom is on the North Londoners’ radar after starring in Germany for Eintracht.
The 22-year-old was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Year last season after impressing in his opening campaign following his move from Brondby.
The playmaker has continued his fine form this season having chipped in with three goals in 10 games across all competitions.
And Arsenal face competition from five other clubs in the race to sign Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk in January.
According to Calciomercato, Liverpool and Sevilla want to test the waters for Mudryk after the New Year.
Meanwhile CBS Sports' transfer guru Ben Jacobs has stated that as well as Arsenal and Sevilla, Newcastle, Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen are weighing up moves.
The Ukraine international has talked up a switch to the Emirates after insisting he "can't say no to Arsenal", but stressed the club has to reach an agreement with Shakhtar first.
Finally, Arsenal and four other Premier League clubs are eyeing Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby.
Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle are also said to have sent scouts to monitor the 23-year-old’s situation.
The France international has featured 134 times for the Bundesliga giants scoring 36 goals, 17 of which took place last year.
A fee of £50-£60million is believed to be enough to convince Leverkusen to sell their winger.
However, the fee could go even higher with so many other big clubs interested.
- Kostas Lianos
Hoddle hails Arsenal
Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle has backed Arsenal to be Premier League title contenders in a few years.
Hoddle said: "They are a group of youngsters that I think could be looking to challenge the league in two years’ time, let alone we all have to beat Manchester City.
“Perhaps not yet, their battle will be getting into the top four.
"But they have a team and squad that’s going to grow, which is a good sign for Arsenal”
- Kostas Lianos
Crooks talks Xhaka
Former Tottenham star Garth Crooks still isn't a fan of Arsenal ace Granit Xhaka.
Crooks wrote in his Team of the Week column: "I don’t like Granit Xhaka. I find him confrontational, overly aggressive and altogether irritating.
"Nevertheless, on his day he’s a very good player. He should have left Arsenal years ago.
"However, for some reason he has not only stayed at the club, but also occasionally wears the captain’s armband, such is his popularity these days.
"Against Brentford he looked very impressive and so did Arsenal.
"I would like to know why Brentford didn’t look up for this game, but the Gunners were so good I rather suspect that even if they had it wouldn’t have changed anything – Arsenal were that good. Most worrying"
- Kostas Lianos
Abramovich almost bought Arsenal
Roman Abramovich could have bought Arsenal instead of Chelsea but he was mistakenly warned off by Swiss bankers, reports SunSport’s Rob Maul.
The shocking revelations have been made in the book, The Club, penned by two Wall Street Journal writers.
The book claims in 2003, Abramovich hired Swiss bank UBS to examine the economics regarding English top-flight football.
One of their findings was that “Arsenal were categorically not for sale”.
Abramovich instead took over the Blues for £140million and went on to win five Prem titles and two Champions League crowns.
The book also says ex-Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein believed the club’s owners would have cashed in if the Russian oligarch had offered.
Credit: AFP - Kostas Lianos
Vieira talks Arsenal fans
Arsenal ace Fabio Vieira responded to the fans' positive reception after his debut goal.
Vieira told ESPN Brasil: “It’s a sign that the fans are liking me and what I am as a player. Feeling their support is fantastic.
“I need to improve my English and he helps me a lot with the language. Having Brazilians and Portuguese in the team helped me.
"It’s people that speak the same language. I don’t know much English, but I’m learning and with their help it’s getting easier”
- Kostas Lianos
Living the dream
Danny Murphy has slammed Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for handing Ethan Nwaneri a debut at the age of 15.
Murphy told TalkSport: “I’m not convinced it’s the best move for a young player, I’m really not. I have seen superstars come on the scene at a young age and thrive and go on and carry on.
“But there’s also been a lot who have fallen by the wayside. I think it was a little bit… he’s obviously a super talent, obviously doing well in training, impressing everybody.
“But surely they’ve got other 18, 19, 20-year-olds who are probably further ahead in their development who could have gone on the bench. I think it’s probably trying to keep a young superstar happy a little bit, which is what managers do, I get that.
“But I would be more concerned with sometimes what that can do, because you can elevate a 15, 16, 17-year-old sometimes to a position that becomes very difficult for them to cope with mentally, because they’re already becoming a superstar.
“I imagine his Insta went up by about 300,000 in a day and things like this. People might laugh at this and say stop being cynical and skeptical, but very few players at 17 – never mind 15 – burst onto the Premier League scene and do what Rooney and Michael Owen did”
- Kostas Lianos
Cup for it
Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United will be offered the chance to play one-off early FA Cup ties to avoid a New Year fixtures pile-up.
Wembley chiefs are set to agree to scrap some FA Cup third and fourth-round replays to ease this season’s match congestion.
But while the vast majority of ties will still have second matches if required, teams in the Champions League and Europa League will be offered the option of settling ties on the day.
FA bosses recognise that the issues of an already-congested campaign due to the six-week World Cup break have been exacerbated by the postponements caused by The Queen’s passing.
The seven teams in European competitions face nine matches next month compared to the six games scheduled for the other 13 sides.
This month’s 13 postponements mean Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Liverpool and United will head into the second half of the campaign two Prem matches behind schedule and facing potentially playing 42 matches between Boxing Day and the end of the season.
That potential backlog will see FA chiefs agree to giving them dispensation to settle some ties on the day rather than face extra matches
- Kostas Lianos
More from Toney
Brentford star Ivan Toney, with five goals in seven games this campaign, reckons he could score even more playing for a club such as Arsenal or Manchester City.
Toney added: “It is easy to say if I was in their team I would score goals but when you play teams like them they dominate possession.
"So in theory you are more likely to score goals and have a lot more opportunities.
“But you still have to put it in the back of the net so until I am there, who knows?
“Hopefully one day I will be in their shoes and have that opportunity to score goals like Erling Haaland and Gabriel Jesus”
Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun - Kostas Lianos
Toney responds to Arsenal
Brentford star Ivan Toney branded Arsenal “cringey” for their Twitter jibes.
Toney enraged the Gunners by posting “Nice kickabout with the boys” after his team beat them 2-0 last season.
That tweet was repeated by Alexandre Lacazette when the North Londoners beat the Bees at the Emirates last term — and again by Gabriel Magalhaes when his team won 3-0 at Brentford on Sunday.
But Toney — called up by England for the first time before Friday’s clash with Italy — said: “Once was funny but the second time was a bit cringey.
“I bit my tongue, I wanted to reply, I wanted to nibble. But fair play to them, they played very well. They are a different Arsenal side to what we played before. They are doing well”
- Kostas Lianos
Gunning for ya
Sky Sports journalist Geoff Shreeves opened up in his new book, Cheers, Geoff! Tales from the Touchline, a brush with Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger, who wanted to hit him in 2011.
Shreeves wrote: "I first interviewed Arsene Wenger when he joined Arsenal in 1996. We’d speak 30 times a season, over the 21 years he was in charge.
"I know what makes him tick, he knows how I work but there are still moments when the relationship spills over into antagonism.
"After Arsenal had been beaten 8-2 by Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2011, there was no room for soft-soap questions — Wenger had to face an inquisition.
"I asked if he would resign and if he thought the board would back him. Brutal questions.
"I could see the anger building in his eyes and afterwards Arsenal’s head of media, Mark Gonnella said: “The boss has just told me he wanted to hit you during that interview, he was so angry.”
"Years later, Arsene told me: “Geoff, I wanted to hit you that day, it’s true. But you were not the only one — there were many others”
- Kostas Lianos
Tony Adams opens up
Arsenal legend Tony Adams, who is set to competes on Strictly, has opened up about his battle with drink and drugs – and how he had a breakdown at 49.
Adams told Sun Online: "I'm 26 years without drinking or drugs and I want to bring some mental health and addiction awareness around life and what I do today.
"I run a business, I run a couple of charities and dance is all part of the process. We use dance therapy at the rehab, and it's good for the mind."
Adams continued: "I thought well go for it, you know? I had a mental breakdown when I was 49 and I was working too hard. My new addiction was working too hard and the stress…I had a heart condition. And I went 'well, that's it, I'm going to take things a bit easier….after Strictly'.
"You can do anything when you're free of drink and drugs, I'm 26 years without drinking or drugs, you can do anything, that's my message."
He added with a laugh: "Make yourself look an absolute idiot!"
- Kostas Lianos
Willian talks Arsenal stint
Former Arsenal flop Willian cites the lack of connection with the club – with his time there coinciding with playing behind closed doors – as a possible reason for his struggles at the Emirates.
The Fulham star told The Athletic: “I have to feel good, to feel motivated to go to training.
"I wasn’t having that there so I decided to leave. I didn’t see Arsenal fans.
"Maybe I needed to feel the buzz of the crowd, it was something I missed”
- Kostas Lianos
Balogun talks Arteta message
Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun is learning the true meaning of manager Mikel Arteta’s cryptic advice before he left on loan for Reims in the summer.
Arteta simply told Balogun he wanted the whizkid to “develop as a man” during his temporary spell in France – and left it to the young striker to work out how to do it.
Balogun said: “Before I moved, Mikel just wanted me to develop as a man. It was kind of like an open answer and it was for me to interpret what he meant.
"He is a very direct person if he wants to get a message to you in the moment, but I also think he thinks long term. I feel like that is his plan.
“By moving abroad, I’m starting to learn what he meant.
“It doesn’t just mean on the pitch but also off the pitch. I think by the time I go back I’ll be in a better place to compete than I was before I left”
- Kostas Lianos
Arsenal to target Locatelli
Arsenal could reignite their interest in Juventus ace Manuel Locatelli after failing to sign him last year.
Locatelli snubbed a switch to the Emirates after the delayed Euro 2020 as he opted instead to link up with Juve from Sassuolo.
The midfielder linked up with the Bianconeri on an initial two-year loan, with the Serie A giants obligated to turn his temporary stay into a permanent transfer for £30million.
But the Italy international has struggled to live up to his billing in Turin, and it has been claimed that he could be facing an uncertain future.
According to Calciomercato, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has been left underwhelmed by the player since his arrival.
And this has led to speculation over whether he could soon be departing the club, with Paul Pogba to replace him in the line-up once the ex-Manchester United superstar is fully fit
- Kostas Lianos
Arsenal eye Diaby
Arsenal and four other Premier League clubs are eyeing Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby.
Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle are also said to have sent scouts to monitor the 23-year-old this season.
The France international has featured 134 times for Leverkusen scoring 36 goals, 17 of which took place last year.
A fee of £50-£60million is believed to be enough to convince the Bundesliga giants to sell their winger.
However, the fee could go even higher with so many big names interested
Credit: Getty
- Kostas Lianos
Taking the Myk
Arsenal face competition from five other clubs in the race to sign Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk in January.
According to Calciomercato, Liverpool and Sevilla are set to test the waters for Mudryk after the New Year.
Meanwhile CBS Sports' transfer expert Ben Jacobs has stated that as well as Arsenal and Sevilla, Newcastle, Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen are weighing up moves.
The Ukraine international has even talked up a switch to the Emirates after insisting he "can't say no to Arsenal", but stressed the club have to reach an agreement with Shakhtar first
- Kostas Lianos
Jes the ticket
Arsenal have opened talks over a January transfer move for Eintracht Frankfurt star Jesper Lindstrom.
The Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta is known to be in the market for a new midfielder having failed to bring in Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz on deadline day.
According to Bild, Lindstrom is on the North Londoners’ radar after starring in Germany.
The 22-year-old was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Year last season after impressing in his opening campaign at Frankfurt following his move from Brondby.
The attacking midfielder has continued his fine form this season having chipped in with three goals in 10 games across all competitions
- Kostas Lianos
Ramsey agreed to Arsenal stay
Ex-Arsenal ace Aaron Ramsey has revealed he agreed to stay at the club in 2019 before his free transfer exit to Juventus.
Ramsey says there was a contract put on the table that he was happy to sign, only for the Premier League club to withdraw it.
The Nice star told The Times: "It all happened… I agreed to a contract they proposed.
“Things went quiet for a few weeks. I was telling my agent, ‘Let’s do it,’ then all of a sudden the contract was no longer there. So there was nothing to sign or agree.
“It was a difficult start for a few months with Unai [Emery]. As the season was going on, I was playing more and playing really well.
"Then January came and I had to make a decision whether I carried on and saw what happened or whether I agreed somewhere”
- Alex Cole
More on Locatelli
Locatelli linked up with Juve on an initial two-year loan, with the Serie A giants obligated to turn his temporary stay into a permanent transfer for £30million.
But he has struggled to live up to his billing in Turin, and it has been claimed that he could be facing an uncertain future at the Allianz Stadium.
According to Calciomercato, Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri has been left underwhelmed by the player since his arrival.
The news outlet stated that should he fail to convince Allegri and the board in the next few months, Juventus wouldn't stand in his way of departing.
And they have said that Arsenal could be willing to return to the table for Locatelli where they would be prepared to take a gamble on him.
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