The Englishman’s contract expires at the end of next season but the Frenchman has no intention of selling the forward, and says he will be deployed as a striker

Arsene Wenger says he is keen to guide Theo Walcott through a “golden age”, as speculation persists that the forward could leave Arsenal this summer.

Walcott has been limited to just 21 appearances since the start of last season due to a string of injury problems and, with the England international’s contract expiring at the end of next season, reports suggest that he may be forced to leave the Emirates Stadium if he cannot reclaim his place in Wenger’s starting XI.

However, the Arsenal manager has again rebuffed any suggestion that he could sell the England international, insisting that he is determined to help Walcott reach the peak of his powers, and says that he intends to deploy the 26-year-old as a centre-forward.

“I bought him at Southampton when he was 17 because I believe in his qualities as a good finisher and the timing of his runs are very intelligent,” Wenger told reporters.

“He’s at the best age now. Being 26 to 32 as a striker is the best age as a striker and I wouldn’t like to miss that golden age.

“I think his position will be striker. I work with him in both situations, as a striker and as a wide player. But the quality of the runs is so fantastic with the pace he has. When he was younger he was rushing his finishing but he is a good finisher now.

“He can be transformed. He is naturally gifted to play in this position but he has different qualities.

“Olivier Giroud has a physical presence, back to goal, can head the ball. Theo is more a guy who is a runner, who goes behind.”

Wenger also believes that Walcott will choose to remain at Arsenal, because he has grown to “love the club”.

“I think he wants to stay. Of the whole squad he is the player who has played the most games for us,” he added.

“Nobody has played more for us than Theo. He has played 202 [Premier League] games and that means he is part of us.”

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The Red Devils have already agreed a deal to sign Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven and the Dutchman expects to acquire further reinforcements in the summer transfer window

Louis van Gaal expects to make more additions to his Manchester United squad this summer after Memphis Depay’s arrival, but warned of increased competition for places next season.

United struck a deal to sign the Netherlands winger earlier this week, but Michael Carrick was later ruled out for the remainder of the season with a calf injury.

Van Gaal has thus outlined his desire to recruit a midfielder this summer, with the club heavily linked with a potential move for Borussia Dortmund star Ilkay Gundogan.

“Manchester United shall always react when it is necessary in our eyes,” Van Gaal told reporters. “He shall not play any more this season.

“We have only one right-sided holding midfielder. Our selection is not balanced, and I want to restore that in the next transfer period.

“The life is not ending at 34, but for a professional football player, it’s close by. That’s why I have to handle again in that position.”

Van Gaal admits that acquiring more players will only serve to increase competition amongst his squad, and claims that some players may wilt under such pressure.

“For some players it’s not like that – it’s too much pressure and they cannot cope sometimes. It’s always effects them. It’s not always very good,” he said.

“It is not always good for every player because they have to cope with the pressure of not playing, to accept it and to train very hard in spite of that.”

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As well as musing on his own future, the Blues manager said no-one could have followed in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says the club and its fans need not worry about him losing interest at Stamford Bridge and says he will not be leaving as long as Roman Abramovich wants him.

The Blues boss is reportedly set for a new contract after securing the Premier League title earlier this month, gaining trophy momentum in his second spell in charge of the club.

But while Mourinho is happy to stay in London for as long as he is wanted, he is unsure of how the Russian will think of him in the future.

He told reporters: “I didn’t stay at Inter because I didn’t want to. I didn’t stay at Real Madrid because I didn’t want to. I want to stay here but I am in Mr Abramovich’s hands.

“He has no pressure. He doesn’t need to give me a contract tomorrow, he doesn’t need to give me more money. He doesn’t need to be worried that some club is knocking on my door, he doesn’t have to be worried with anything.

“When he wants me, I am staying. When he doesn’t want me, I am going. So simple for him, so simple for me.

“It is impossible in modern football,” he added when asked if he could emulate the lengthy managerial spells of the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, whose team Mourinho faces on Monday, has faced some supporter unrest this season, having recently seen a plane flying over Anfield demanding his removal, and the Portuguese joked when asked what he would do if he had the same happen to him.

He declared: “If one plane comes to Stamford Bridge saying ‘Jose Out’, I will send a drone!”

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Becamex Binh Duong has reaped their first triumph at the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, defeating Kashiwa Reysol of Japan 1-0 on Wednesday in Vietnam’s Binh Duong Province.

Before the Group E game against Kashiwa Reysol, Becamex Binh Duong had made no wins, so already been disqualified for the Round of 16. After the triumph over the Japanese team on Wednesday evening, Becamex Binh Duong, which is regarded as Chelsea Vietnam, left the AFC Champions League, with players holding their heads up.
Kashiwa Reysol brought many young players to Vietnam in the second-leg match. Therefore, they failed to press Becamex Binh Duong players like they did in the first leg. The two teams played a tug-of-war in the first half, making few dangerous toward the goal line of each other.
Eleven minutes after the break, Vietnamese striker Le Cong Vinh broke the deadlock, scoring the first and only goal of the game. Specifically, striker Nguyen Anh Duc delivered a pass, a Kashima Reysol defender drove the ball right to Le Cong Vinh who blasted home from close range.
After being taken lead 1-0, Kashima Reysol players frequently launched vigorous attacks to seek an equalizer, but their efforts did not pay off. Their most dangerous attack was a shoot in the 65th minute by Otsu Yuki who delivered the ball to the crossbar.
After six matches, Becamex Binh Duong has reaped only four points, standing in the bottom of Group E, while Kashima Reysol has gained 11 points, securing berths to the knock-out stage along with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea.
A total of 32 teams from Asia’s strongest national leagues are divided into eight groups at the 2015 AFC Champions League. The annual tournament’s winner will be qualified for the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.

The Frenchman will miss Manchester City’s final three games after suffering a groin problem against Tottenham, but club captain Vincent Kompany is ready to return

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri will be sidelined for the rest of the season through injury.

The Frenchman was forced off with a groin problem during last weekend’s 1-0 Premier League win at Tottenham, leaving the field shortly after being introduced as a 73rd-minute substitute.

“We have the complete squad working except for Nasri, who has a muscle injury,” City boss Manuel Pellegrini told reporters on Friday. “He will be out from now to the end of the season.”

City could, though, welcome back captain Vincent Kompany, who has been absent since last month’s Manchester derby with a thigh issue.

“Vincent is always an important player for us,” added Pellegrini. “He is coming back from a muscle injury.

“It is important for him to recover his normal performance. We will see what will happen from now until the end of the season.”

City host QPR on Sunday as they continue their bid to claim second behind champions Chelsea.

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The Serie A club, along with nine other European sides, have agreed to sanctions for failing to adhere to economic guidelines

Inter have been fined €6 million for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations and could pay a further €14m dependant on their adherence to a list of financial conditions.

The Serie A club, along with nine other teams, were under investigation over their non-compliance with break-even rules enforced by the governing body and now face a list of sanctions.

Should they qualify for Europe this season, Inter will only be allowed to register 21 players for the 2015-16 campaign, rather than the usual maximum 25-man squad, with that number rising to 22 the season after.

The limit will be lifted in 2017-18 if the Nerazzurri comply with regulations, which include reporting a break-even deficit of €30m for the financial year ending 2016.

Also facing punishment are another Italian club, Roma, who will pay a €2m fine, and potentially an additional €4m if they flout guidelines again over the next three seasons.

Like Inter, the Giallorossi’s European squad will also be trimmed, with their A-list restricted to 22 players next season, though that restriction will be lifted in 2016-17 if their finances are brought in line.

The number of new registrations allowed on the club’s A-list is capped as well, dependant on their net transfer position in each window.

Ligue 1 side Monaco could pay a total fine of up to €13m, €3m of which will be paid in full , with the remaining €10m conditional depending on if they adhere to economic measures.

Like Rudi Garcia’s Roma, Leonardo Jardim will only have 22 players to choose from in Europe in 2015-16, with that enforcement being lifted providing they stay in line with the governing body’s financial rules.

Monaco have also agreed to report a maximum break-even deficit of €15m for the financial years ending in 2015 and 2016 and no break-even deficit for the financial year ending in 2017.

Seven other clubs – Sporting Lisbon, Besiktas, Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Krasnodar, FC Rostov, Kardemir Karabukspor and CSKA Sofia – have been punished with varying degrees of severity.

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