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David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and Nicolas Pepe were the big-name arrivals at the Emirates Stadium during this summer’s transfer window. As such, the signing of Gabriel Martinelli went slightly under the radar.

The Brazilian is just 18 years of age, but he was signed for a fee in the region of £6m from Ituano.

The teenager has already featured for the Gunners, coming on for six minutes in the Emirates outfit’s first game of the Premier League season against Newcastle United on Sunday with Unai Emery’s team already ahead in the match.

He is being tipped for a big future, including by compatriot and fellow new arrival Luiz. The 32-year-old said of the forward, “Everyone is excited because they know he has the potential to become a fantastic player soon and in the future.”

The comment was shared on Arsenal’s official Twitter page, and it has clearly pleased the Arsenal fans. They have taken to the social media platform to share their excitement surrounding the player. You can see some of the best comments below.

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Lots of Newcastle fans have been discussing a selection dilemma facing Steve Bruce, and it seems the Toon Army favour Javier Manquillo over DeAndre Yedlin.

Reports in France claim the Magpies are close to snapping up Sweden international right-back Emil Krafth as their fourth summer signing, but until that happens Yedlin and Manquillo are the only options in the position.

Yedlin offers excellent pace and athleticism, and perhaps boasts the higher ceiling as well, but Manquillo is a sturdier presence in the back line.

Last term, the American started 28 Premier League games, scoring once and assisting twice, while averaging 1.9 tackles, 1 interception and 2.4 clearances per game.

Manquillo meanwhile only started 12 league fixtures, with six substitute appearances skewing his stats in the wrong direction, but he did rack up three assists nonetheless, averaging 1.5 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 2.7 clearances each game.

And while Yedlin is certainly the ‘sexier’ pick, fans are leaning towards Manquillo, favouring the Spaniard’s defensive solidity over Yedlin, who can be reckless at times.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko has hailed new teammate Tanguy Ndombele and backed him to shine this season.

What did he say?

In a game where Spurs were trailing 1-0 to newly-promoted Aston Villa, Ndombele stepped up to the plate on his Premier League debut with a sumptuous equaliser.

The Frenchman enjoyed an impressive start for the club, and Sissoko has now claimed he will add something unique to Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “For Tanguy I think it was an amazing afternoon last Saturday. We won the first game, he played well, he scored, so everything was great. He played with a lot of quality. I think he showed it when he was in France and then he showed it for his first game.

“And now everyday he has more confidence and I think that will be good for him and for us. He came here to add something to the team and I’m sure he will do it during the season.

Moment of magic

Make no mistake about it, after Villa took a shock lead, it felt like one of those days where nothing would come off for Spurs. Harry Kane missed a couple of chances he might normally have buried, whilst things didn’t quite seem to fall in the right places for players.

But Ndombele’s moment of magic kick-started the comeback, and from then on, there was only ever going to be one winner. Much of the criticism surrounding Pochettino’s men in recent seasons has been their reliance on Kane to fire the team to victory. Whilst Spurs’ new summer signing isn’t a striker, his willingness to take responsibility when it mattered can only be of major benefit to the side.

The former Lyon star also managed one key pass and three tackles in the game, and it highlighted the kind of all-round performance the 22-year-old is capable of delivering. If his top-flight debut is anything to go by, then Spurs really have nabbed a gem.

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Having conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last season, it’s been no surprise to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer look far and wide for some defensive reinforcements to his creaking Manchester United back-line.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested the Red Devils are intent on pushing through a mammoth deal for Leicester’s Harry Maguire, but one man within the club who has seemingly flown under the radar has been Axel Tuanzebe.

The 21-year-old centre-back spent last season on loan at Aston Villa in the Championship and it had been claimed that Dean Smith’s side were very much interested in bringing him back to Villa Park.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, an update from The Daily Mail has now revealed United boss Solskjaer is keen on giving Tuanzebe the chance to shine at Old Trafford and will be handed a fresh new deal.

After hearing the news, fans of the Manchester side took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the decision and many were understandably excited.

United supporters revealed that they were relieved Tuanzebe was finally going to be given the opportunity to prove his worth and declared that they were even happier at hearing how he would be taken on the club’s pre-season tour.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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According to Sky Sports, West Ham have had a £29m bid accepted by Celta Vigo for their powerful centre-forward Maxi Gomez, whilst Valencia have made the same offer which has also been accepted.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Hammers were keen on the Uruguayan back in January but did not want to meet his huge £43.3m release clause, which saw Gomez stay in La Liga for the rest of the season.

The 22-year-old hit 13 goals and recorded five assists for Celta Vigo last term, impressing in Spain’s top flight once again after hitting 18 goals the year before.

West Ham ruined Arsenal’s unbeaten record at the Emirates in 2007 and history repeated itself at the weekend. Spurs fans don’t take it well in the video below…

The east Londoners are showing real intent with their transfer moves this summer, already swooping to sign Villarreal forward Pablo Fornals in a £24m deal, whilst they have also launched a £13m offer for Eibar midfielder Joan Jordan – it may turn out to be another busy summer for the Irons.

West Ham face an uphill battle to land Gomez

Gomez is quite obviously on the Hammers’ radar after extensive talks were held over him back in January, but they face a real battle to land a player they clearly want at the London Stadium and surely Valencia are the favourites at this point.

Valencia have submitted a similar £29m offer with add-ons, and they also have the pull factor of Champions League football to offer Gomez as well as a chance to stay in La Liga and closer to familiar surroundings.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side don’t even have Europa League football to offer the Uruguay international for next term, so it could prove to be a difficult deal to negotiate in terms of convincing Gomez to choose them over Valencia.

The ambition on show from West Ham is admirable and will definitely get the fans excited this summer, but they may have ventured too far this time in getting involved with Champions League clubs for multi-million pound signings.

[ad_pod ]If you were asked to name one model professional in the modern footballing era, surely the name James Milner springs to mind.The 33-year-old is still an ever-present figure at the top level of the game, managing to stay injury-free throughout the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign apart from a 12-day absence in October due to a hamstring strain.Milner is perhaps one of the most durable, energetic players in Jurgen Klopp’s entire squad, whilst his vast professionalism enables him to cover competently at both full-back positions.But just how durable is the former England international?How did Mane score THAT goal against Bayern last week? Did he dazzle them with Firmino’s teeth? 442oons speculate in the video below…Well, one stat that cropped up on Twitter speaks volumes about how well Milner has looked after himself, as well as emphasising how effective he has been since the early days of his career.

Back in 2002, a then 16-year-old Milner netted his second goal in three days during the festive period with a well-taken strike against Chelsea, which handed his boyhood club Leeds a 2-0 win over the Blues – the strike came just days after he netted against Sunderland on Boxing Day.

In that 2-0 win, Milner came up against World Cup winner Marcel Desailly, who was part of the 1998 tournament with France.

Fast forward 17 years, and the Leeds academy graduate is still doing the business against one of France’s latest World Cup winners, Kylian Mbappe.

Milner scored home and away against Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain side in the Champions League this season, a competition that he has since gone on to win as Liverpool recorded a 2-0 win over Tottenham in the final.

Remarkably, Mbappe was born 30 years after Desailly, showing just how long Milner has been competing at the top level of football as well as being an instrumental player in games too.

Intriguingly, he is showing no signs of slowing down either with Liverpool set to offer him a new contract.

A real engine of the game.

In the past few days, transfer news has been aplenty surrounding around Portsmouth, yet not much of it has made for pleasant reading for supporters.

Portsmouth News reported that the club have pulled out of a move for Plymouth Argyle striker Freddie Ladapo due to high wage demands as well as reveal that the club are miles away from agreeing on a fee for Peterborough United attacker Matt Godden.

Couple that with the news from Football Insider that Oldham Athletic defender George Edmundson has snubbed Pompey for a move to north of the border to Rangers, and you have a fairly clear idea in your head that the south coast side aren’t exactly doing well with transfers this summer.

Sure, the news of Scottish winger Gary Mackay-Steven being close to joining Portsmouth according to Aberdeen Evening Express is a promising sign that the club are building upon their sole signing so far this summer in James Bolton from Shrewsbury Town, but for a side that are aiming for a return to the Championship, Pompey can’t keep stalling over deals if they are to build a squad to go one better than what they did last season.

Indeed, as the League One fixture list was announced earlier today and with pre-season starting in just under three weeks’ time, Portsmouth need to see this as a sign that the new season isn’t too far away and that Kenny Jackett needs to ensure the majority of his transfer targets are signed and with the squad come the 10th July.

Portsmouth fans, who do you expect the club to sign this summer? Let us know!

أشارت تقارير مغربية عن احتمالية إدانة كونستانت سليماني عوماري نائب رئيس الاتحاد الإفريقي، أحمد أحمد، بعد إيقاف الأخير بسبب توجيه تهم الفساد المالي له.

وأدانت الغرفة القضائية للجنة الأخلاقيات بالاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، رئيس الاتحاد الإفريقي، أحمد أحمد، ونائب رئيس “فيفا”، بخرق المواد على مدار فترته الرئاسية الحالية والتي بدأت عام 2017. طالع التفاصيل

وأعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي تولي الكونغولي كونستانت سليماني عوماري تولي رئاسة كاف بشكل مؤقت بعد إيقاف أحمد أحمد. طالع التفاصيل

وأوضح موقع “البطولة” المغربي أنه من المنتظر صدور “عقوبات إضافية” من الاتحاد الدولي (فيفا)، ضد رئيس الاتحاد الإفريقي “الموقوف”، أحمد أحمد، ونائبه الأول، كونستانت عوماري، قبل منتصف شهر يناير المقبل، حين تحسم لجنة الأخلاقيات في قضايا فساد موجّهة لمسؤولين كبار داخل الـ”كاف”، منها ما يُعرف بـ قضية البث التلفزيوني وشركة لاغادير.

وأشار التقرير إلى استعداد الاتحاد الدولي (فيفا) لإيقاف الكونغولي، كونستانت سليماني عوماري، الرئيس المؤقت للجهاز الكروي في القارة السمراء، إذ يتصدر اسمه قائمة المتّهمين في قضايا مختلفة مرتبطة بـ سوء السلوك المالي، ومن المرجح ألا يستمر لأكثر من شهرين في منصبه الحالي، ترقبًا لإبعاده أيضًا عن التسيير.

وأفاد الموقع في تقريره، أنه بدأت التكهنات حول مصير الكرسي الرئاسي داخل الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم، مع اقتراب صدور عقوبات إضافية من (فيفا) في حق أحمد أحمد وكونستانت عوماري وآخرين. وفي حال تأكد أيضًا إيقاف المسؤول الكونغولي، سيكون المغربي فوزي لقجع، النائب الثاني لرئيس الـ”كاف”، أمام مهمة قيادة الجهاز الكروي حتى إجراء الانتخابات يوم 12 مارس 2021 بالمغرب.

يذكر أن ترشح أحمد أحمد لولاية ثانية على رأس الاتحاد الإفريقي أصبح ملغيًا بعد إيقافه من طرف الـ”فيفا”، ولن يكون قادرًا على منافسة بقية المرشحين (الموريتاني أحمد ولد يحيى، الإيفواري جاك آنوما، الجنوب إفريقي باتريس موتسيبي والسنغالي أوغستين سنغور.

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Former Arsenal star Charlie Nicholas has backed Tottenham Hotspur to beat Ajax in their Champions League semi-final, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

Spurs progressed to the last four after beating Manchester City over two legs, with the second leg perhaps the most controversial tie in the Champions League this season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men lost 4-3 on the night but their third goal was vital, Fernando Llorente diverting the ball past Ederson with a combination of his hip and his elbow. The referee, Cuneyt Cakir, awarded the goal but ruled out Raheem Sterling’s last-gasp winner due to an offside in the build-up. With Spurs having won the first leg 1-0, they advanced on away goals.

Ajax, meanwhile, defeated Juventus 3-2 on aggregate, having thumped Real Madrid 5-3 in the Round of 16.

And Nicholas believes that the English club have the talent required to best their Dutch counterparts in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.

He said: “Tottenham are hitting this awkward spell at the moment. Are they the favourites? They have never been here before. Ajax, as players, have never been there before but their side have on some occasions.

“This young side do not have any fear, they have five or six super young players who know how to get the job done. Dusan Tadic didn’t have the consistency at Southampton but he and Daley Blind have been great.

“Tottenham, on their day, with the pace of Lucas Moura, alongside the skill of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, are guaranteed to score. I feel Ajax will play and open up the game, Spurs could afford to let Manchester City come onto them, but they will see more possession here.

“I see Tottenham securing the first-leg advantage ahead of next week’s return in Amsterdam.”

Surprise prediction

As an ex-Arsenal man, this is something of a shocking prediction from Nicholas.

Indeed, this is a really difficult tie to predict for anyone who has followed both clubs in Europe.

Ajax have beaten two European giants already this season, eliminating both Juve and Real from the competition, and it would not be a surprise if they were to dump Spurs out too.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men, though, ran rampant against Borussia Dortmund – winning 4-0 on aggregate – and also earned a draw with Barcelona in the Camp Nou in the group stages.

The semi-final, then, could go either way and it is a surprise that Nicholas has come off the fence with a prediction that Arsenal fans are sure to disagree with!

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Wolverhampton Wanderers face a dilemma when it comes to getting the best out of Adama Traore, who arrived at Molineux from Middlesbrough last summer.

The Chalkboard

It was not too much of a surprise when Traore left Boro ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. Wolves were the team who paid the attacker’s £18m release clause, which made him the club’s record signing at the time.

A speedy winger, Traore showed plenty of promise for Barcelona B, but struggled at Aston Villa before making the move to the Riverside Stadium.

Now with Wolves, it was supposed to be a big campaign for the 23-year-old, but it has just not happened.

Indeed, he has started just eight Premier League matches this term, whilst he has contributed just one goal and one assist in 26 top-flight games for Wolves.

Even against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday when Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were struggling, Traore was only introduced in the 84th minute.

Why has Traore struggled?

Well, he has been unable to hold down one position.

Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, Traore has played right midfield, right wing, centre-forward, left wing, as a second striker and at wing-back this term.

The former Spain Under-21 international just cannot be trusted to operate as a striker due to his wayward finishing, whilst Wolves’ preferred 3-5-2 formation makes it difficult for him to start as a wide player.

Traore’s physical attributes make him, on paper, a decent choice for one of the wing-back spots, but he is not anywhere near good enough defensively to play that role on a regular basis at the top level.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Boasting blistering speed and incredible power, Traore would worry any defender at any club in world football.

The attacker is yet to really find himself as a player, though, and Wolves really need to have a long think about his future at the end of the current season.