Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says winning today’s Heads Up FA Cup final to secure European football next season may persuade captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay at the club. Gabon striker Aubameyang, 31, has one year left on his contract. “I don’t have that feeling,” said Arteta when asked if the game against Chelsea would be Aubameyang’s last.
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil will not feature in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea after travelling to Turkey. Ozil was left out of Arsenal’s squad for the match and his future looks increasingly uncertain after he was given permission by the club to leave the UK.
Rangers got the Scottish Premiership season under way with a surprisingly comfortable 1-0 win over Aberdeen thanks to Ryan Kent’s strike at Pittodrie. There was little evidence of the much-discussed intense rivalry between the sides until home defender Andrew Considine was sent off late on. The hosts looked particularly subdued by the requirement for empty stands.
Arsenal are demanding at least £8m for Brentford target Folarin Balogun. The Gunners’ price is considered high for a 19-year-old striker who has never played a first-team game and can leave for free next summer.
Swansea City boss Steve Cooper is to discuss the future with Andre Ayew after admitting the forward is too good for the Championship. Ayew, 30, starred for Swansea City in 2019-20 after returning to Wales following a loan spell at Fenerbahce. Ayew has a year to run on his sizeable contract, but may move on after Swansea missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
Sheffield Wednesday have been deducted 12 points by an independent disciplinary panel for the 2020-21 season for breaking spending rules. They breached rules by including the sale of their Hillsborough Stadium home in their 2017-18 accounts despite the ground being sold a year later. But they were cleared of “breaching its duty of utmost good faith to the EFL by deliberately concealing information”.
Paris St-Germain beat Lyon on penalties in the French League Cup final to seal a fourth domestic treble in six years. It was the final French League Cup final, with the decision made last September to cancel the tournament after this season, and ended 0-0.
Italian Serie A side Napoli have confirmed the signing of young Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen from French club Lille. Napoli’s website gave very few details of the deal simply sayini: “SSC Napoli are delighted to announce the signing of Victor Osimhen from Lille on a permanent transfer.”
Former Cameroon captain Stephen Tataw has died at the age of 57. He was most famous for leading the Indomitable Lions to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
Puma always make nice kits but the design down the black stripes of AC Milan’s new threads makes this one of our absolute favourites of the coming football season. “Emirates Fly Better” might be all over the gaff these days but, in fairness, it’s a pretty sleek looking sponsor and doesn’t spoil this gorgeous red and black creation one bit.
Nigeria’s Chidozie Awaziem has become a father for the first time as he posted a photo of his newborn baby girl on social media.
Nigerian defender, Osinachi Ohale has joined Italian side, AS Roma from Spanish club, Real Madrid. Ohale, 28, has featured for the Super Falcons at three World Cups and is the third signing for the Italian team as they prepare for the 2020-2021 season.
Trabzonspor will miss out on the Champions League next season after the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday rejected their appeal against a one-year ban from European competition for Financial Fair Play violations.
Swiss prosecutors have launched legal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. It is in relation to an alleged secret meeting the head of world football’s governing body held with the Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber. Lauber last week offered to resign after a court said he covered up the meeting and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding FIFA.
World number one Ashleigh Barty has pulled out of the US Open because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The first Grand Slam since tennis resumed is due to begin on 31 August at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Juventus have appointed legendary former midfielder Andrea Pirlo as their new Under-23 manager. The 41-year-old, regarded as one of the finest players of his generation, has been out of the game since retiring as a player in 2017.
A Saudi Arabian-backed consortium has ended its bid to buy Newcastle United. The group, which included Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers, had agreed a £300m deal to buy the club from Mike Ashley in April.
Bournemouth have accepted a £40m bid from Manchester City for defender Nathan Ake. It is understood there is an additional £1m in add-ons as part of the deal. Netherlands international Ake, 25, joined Bournemouth in 2017 for a club record fee and has made 121 appearances for the Cherries.
Brighton have completed the signing of defender Joel Veltman from Ajax. The Seagulls signed Veltman by triggering a release clause in his contract, paying Ajax just over £900,000. The 28-year-old Netherlands international, who can play in central defence or as a right-back, has joined the club on a three-year contract.
Former Guinea-Bissau football federation president Manuel Irenio Nascimento will await the full grounds for his 10-year FIFA ban from football before deciding whether to appeal the decision. Nascimento, who had led his federation since 2012, was banned and fined $100,000 on Friday for what FIFA called ‘an incident of mob justice’.
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