The Gunners were beaten 2-1 in the Camp Nou on Sunday after a poor defensive performance in the second half.

Photo by Josep Lago

And that’s that! After a summer that has taken Arsenal to the United States, France and now Spain – all eyes turn towards Newcastle.

The Gunners completed their pre-season campaign in Barcelona on Sunday night, with a last-minute goal from Luis Suarez condemning them to a 2-1 defeat at Barcelona.

Despite the loss, however, it’s been a positive summer on the whole for Arsenal, one that saw a number of youngsters catch the eye. But there have also been some promising signs from the senior players as well.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lit up the Camp Nou on Sunday with his goal in the first half, turning well on the edge of the box before thumping a finish into the top right-hand corner to give Arsenal lead.

But it was Mesut Ozil’s clever pass that split the Barcelona defence to find Aubameyang, and the German can be very satisfied with the work he has put in this summer.

Ozil’s problems last season were well documented. He struggled to adjust to life under Unai Emery and for the first time since moving to Arsenal in 2013 he found himself out of the team at times.

And he went into the summer knowing that Emery would ideally like to see him moved on, not least to free up £350,000 a week in wages which could be spent elsewhere.

But Ozil had no interest in leaving – something he admitted publicly towards the end of last season – and so he returned earlier in the summer to fight for his place.

And that is exactly what he has done since coming off the bench against Colorado Rapids in the opening game of the United States tour.

Ozil has looked sharp every time he has taken to the pitch during pre-season. He has demanded the ball, he has run with it with purpose and against Barcelona he showed he still has that quality to unlock a defence.

But arguably Ozil’s most impressive work this summer has been when he hasn’t had the ball. He has constantly got forward to support the attack and he has done his fair share of work defensively as well.

He looks energised and determined to show he can still be an important member of this Arsenal squad.

The arrival of Dani Ceballos this summer on loan from Madrid had many suggesting that Ozil would find himself being pushed further down the pecking order at the Emirates.

But with Emery seemingly preparing to go into the new season with a 4-2-3-1 formation, Ozil has the opportunity to flourish in his favoured No.10 role, with Ceballos playing in a deeper role just behind.

With the likes of Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and new £72 million signing Nicolas Pepe in front of such creative talents, it’s a mouthwatering proposition going forward for Emery. But the problem for the Spaniard still remains what happens at the back.

We saw that again on Sunday in the Camp Nou. Arsenal were comfortable at the break, leading Barcelona 1-0 thanks to Aubameyang’s wonderful goal five minutes before the interval.

But things unravelled in the second half, with Arsenal the masters of their own downfall.

Defensively they were poor and kept giving the ball away in dangerous areas, inviting pressure on themselves on a regular basis.

Eventually they conceded, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles comically rolling the ball past Leno into his own net. And then in the final minute one simple ball over the top saw Luis Suarez run through unmarked to volley home the winner, earning Barcelona the Joan Gamper trophy.

It was a game that encapsulated where Arsenal are right now. Impressive going forward, but poor at the back.

The transfer window shuts on Thursday, three days before Emery’s side take to the field at Newcastle to get the new Premier League season underway.

And you feel if Arsenal are going to take advantage of having such impressive options going forward, then they have to do some more business in the market before Thursday’s 5pm deadline.

The clock is ticking.

Source – Goal.com

The Leicester City boss has confirmed Friday’s news that the two clubs had reached an agreement over the transfer of the England centre-back.

Photo by Getty Images

Leicester City manager Brendan Rogers says a fee has been agreed with Manchester United for the sale of Harry Maguire, but the player has yet to negotiate personal terms with the Red Devils.

Rogers was speaking to reporters following his side’s pre-season friendly with Atalanta, and also claims the situation is expected to develop early next week.

“There has been contact between the two clubs, a fee has been agreed,” he said, “and then it’s a case of Harry having an opportunity to speak to them to see if he can find an agreement on personal terms.

“That’s something that is of interest to him. And, then, of course, a medical. Apart from that there is not a great deal more to say.

“Probably after the weekend we will know more. But it’s clear of course the two teams have been talking and a fee has been agreed.”

Earlier today news broke that United had agreed a sum of £80 million ($97m) for the 26-year-old.

The 20-time English champions have been chasing the centre-back for the entire summer window, having called off plans to bring him to the club 12 months earlier.

But the boyhood United fan indicated some weeks ago that he was flattered by the club’s interest in him.

If the deal goes ahead, the payment will represent a world-record fee for a defender which currently stands at £75m ($91m) – the amount that Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.

Maguire was left out of Rodgers’ squad for Friday night’s friendly, and would expect to make his United debut in their Premier League opener at home to Chelsea if the deal is completed next week.

“He’s a special player and not a player that we want to lose,” continued Rogers. “There’s still some work to do for it to go through.

“You always have to prepare for that ‘what if?’ and a club like ourselves needs to have that pipeline of players ready to be able to bring in. We have a number of options if Harry is to go, but that’s something that’s already been going on for a number of weeks.

“If it does happen, we will look at our options.”

When asked if Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake, Brighton’s Lewis Dunk or Burnley’s James Tarkowski were players that were potential replacements that had already been identified, Rodgers joked: “Plus the other 10.”

Source – Goal.com

The Argentine star will be absent from his national team until November for the outburst last month.

Photo by Getty Images

Lionel Messi has been suspended from Argentina‘s next three matches and given a $50,000 (£41,000) by CONMEBOL for his controversial comments made during the Copa America.

The Barcelona superstar accused South America’s football governing body of corruption following the red card he received in Argentina’s 2-1 third-place playoff win against Chile.

Messi will miss friendly matches against Chile (September 5), Mexico(September 10) and Germany (October 10) – in addition to the one-match World Cup qualifying ban for being sent off.

Argentina managed to earn a degree of revenge against Chile, after losing the previous two Copa America finals against them.

Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala scored but Messi saw red after just 37 minutes, after appearing to aim a headbutt at Gary Medel during an altercation with the Chile midfielder. Medel was also shown a straight red card.

It had seemed that the one-game suspension for the red would be all Messi was given, though CONMEBOL did release a statement describing his comments as “unacceptable” and representing “a lack of respect”.

Messi isn’t a player used to being suspended, having never been sent off in a competitive game for his club Barcelona.

He was actually sent off on his debut for Argentina. As an 18-year-old, he came off the bench against Hungary only to be shown red 90 seconds later for a perceived elbow as he attempted to hold of the challenge of a defender.

With their star man now 32, Argentina’s upcoming games will give manager Lionel Scaloni the opportunity to experiment with his tactics without being concerned about getting the best from Messi.

He has retired from international football in the past, but the next time is likely to be permanent.

For now, he will be focusing on the new season with Barcelona and building a rapport with new strike partner Antoine Griezmann.

Barca are looking to defend their La Liga crown, and will be hoping to banish some ghosts in Europe after two capitulations in the last two seasons in the Champions League knockout stages.

They have friendly games with Arsenal and Napoli to get through first, before starting the league season with a trip to Athletic club on August 16. They host Real Betis in their first home game of the campaign the following weekend.

Source – Goal.com

The Argentine was due to speak to Maurizio Sarri on Thursday although that didn’t happen, while the Belgian is stepping up his exit from Old Trafford.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Paulo Dybala will not take a routine medical at Juventus on Friday and has not returned to their Continassa training headquarters as talk of a move away from Turin gathers pace.

And the player that Juventus want to swap Dybala for, Manchester Unitedstriker Romelu Lukaku, has agreed terms with the Bianconeri in a deal that will be worth €9 million (£8m/$10m) a year, sources tell Goal.

Another part of the puzzle for the sensational swap deal is Dybala’s wages in Manchester, with the Argentina international desiring a significant pay increase from his current €7.5m-per-year deal in Italy.

Dybala returned early from his holiday after the Copa America and arrived in Turin on Thursday. He was expected to hold crunch talks with Juve boss Maurizio Sarri but that ultimately didn’t happen.

Instead, the Argentine has extended his vacation until August 5, three days before the English transfer window closes.

Sources have also told Goal that Mario Mandzukic was offered to United during sporting director Fabio Paratici’s visit to London for talks over the Dybala and Lukaku deal, with Juve keen to get the Croatian off their wage bill.

It remains unlikely at this stage that United would be keen on bringing the 33-year-old to Old Trafford, however, despite the Serie A champions’ willingness to offload him to the Red Devils.

Both Dybala and Lukaku, meanwhile, were somewhat frozen out at their clubs last season.

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at the Serie A giants meant Dybala had to play more of a rotational role, scoring just 10 goals in all competitions, with only five coming in the league as his club won their eighth straight Scudetto.

Lukaku was also out of favour at Old Trafford after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout.

The Norwegian preferred to play Marcus Rashford at centre-forward and the Belgium international’s confidence appeared to be affected when he did play.

Lukaku has previously claimed that it would be a “dream” to play in Serie A, with all the initial signs having pointed to him being close to a move to Inter.

Juve have since joined the race, however, and, with United and Dybala mulling over whether a move to Old Trafford is the right fit, the Belgian appears destined to head to Turin.

The Argentine has also been linked with a switch to United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham and it seems he doesn’t have a long-term future with the Serie A champions.

The 25-year-old’s absence from Juventus training and the lack of communication with his manager seem to spell the end for him with the Old Lady, but his salary demands may well prove a sticking point.

The Daily Mail reports that the former Palermo star will ask for around £350,000 per week if he does make the move to the Premier League, although with Lukaku agreeing terms with Juve, that may help move the potential swap deal along.

Source – Goal.com

Northern Irish referee Arnold Hunter was left badly shaken after being struck by an object from the crowd during a Europa League game in Romania.

Northern Irish referee Arnold Hunter was struck in the closing stages of the match in Romania

Arnold Hunter, who officiates in the Northern Ireland Football League, had to be treated on the pitch and was unable to finish the remaining few minutes of the match between Universitatea Craiova and Budapest Honved.

A flare thrown from the stands landed close to Hunter before he was struck by the object, reported to be a lighter. The incidents happened after a brawl between the players.

Hunter referees in the Northern Ireland Football League

An ambulance was driven across the pitch so paramedics could attend the referee.

The match was suspended for more than 30 minutes before the final stages of the 0-0 draw, and subsequent penalty shoot-out, were played with the fourth official in charge, with Universitatea Craiova winning 3-1 on penalties.

The website of visiting side Budapest Honved described the scenes as “unacceptable” and “scandalous,” and said the game should have been called off.

UEFA will wait for the referee report before deciding on the best course of action.

Source – Sky Sports

The veteran right-back has signed a contract with the Brazilian giants until December 2022 after leaving the French side.

Photo by Getty Images

Sao Paulo have confirmed the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain full-back and Brazil star Dani Alves.

Alves has signed a contract with the Brazilian giants until December 2022, it was announced on Thursday.

The 36-year-old – who first moved to Europe in 2002, joining Sevilla from Bahia – was a free agent following his PSG departure after two years with the Ligue 1champions.

Alves had been linked to former club Barcelona and the Premier League, however, the veteran has opted to return home to Brazil as he eyes the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“Daniel Alves is the embodiment of what this management envisions for Sao Paulo – one of the leading players in the world and recognised for his immense professionalism, his fierce determination and his endless thirst for titles and victories,” club president Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva said in a statement.

“He is also a socially engaged citizen and passionate about our country. Sao Paulo, therefore, wins on every possible front.

“One day I told Daniel that he would come to play at Sao Paulo, the club of his heart. Today I have the immense joy and pride to have kept that promise.”

Alves captained Brazil to Copa America glory on home soil in July – taking his career haul to 40 trophies.

The veteran’s transfer was announced in a video on Sao Paulo’s Twitter account, with the defender expressing his excitement to be back in his native country playing for the club he supported as a child.

“I could’ve picked any other team to play for,” Alves said. “But I chose to come back to Brazil, to my country, to my people. To the club I love.

“It’s unreal, but I’m here!”

Sao Paulo also posted on Twitter that Alves would wear the No. 10 jersey at his new club.

Last week, Alves took to Instagram in a tongue-in-cheek post, asking where he should send his CV as he looked for a new team.

But Alves has now landed back in his home country, where he will play at the club level for the first time in 17 years.

Source – Goal.com

Argentina have put Lionel Scaloni in permanent charge of the national team for the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers.

Lionel Scaloni was made interim head coach after Jorge Sampaoli was sacked

Scaloni, who was promoted from assistant to interim head coach after the sacking of Jorge Sampaoli following the 2018 Russia World Cup, led Argentina to a third-placed finish at this summer’s Copa America.

They lost in the semi-final to eventual champions – and hosts – Brazil 2-0.

The executive committee of Argentina’s soccer association announced Tuesday evening that the 41-year-old Scaloni will remain as coach but did not provide more details.

“The executive committee of the AFA decided to give continuity during the next qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that will begin next year, to the selection project headed by Lionel Scaloni,” an AFA statement said.

Scaloni, a former player for Argentina, had no previous experience as a coach before taking on the interim role. He was a member of the national team’s coaching staff for their disappointing World Cup campaign in Russia.

Argentina were eliminated by eventual champion France in the last 16 after poor performances in the group stages.

Source – Sky Sports

Ten players have been put forward for the prestigious prize, which is now in its fourth year.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk are among the 10 players nominated for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award.

The shortlist, which takes into accounts achievements from July 16, 2018 to July 19, 2019, was compiled by a panel of experts and also comprises of former Ajaxduo Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, Liverpool double act Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid‘s Eden Hazard and PSG ace Kylian Mbappe.

Between the 10 nominees, every major European trophy has been won, with the exception of the Premier League, and it is the Liverpool trio of Van Dijk, Salah and Mane, who narrowly missed out on that prize to Manchester City, who will be among the favourites for the gong given that they picked up the European Cup thanks to a 2-0 win over Tottenham in Madrid.

Meanwhile, five-time Ballon d’Or winners Messi, Europe’s Golden Boot winner, and Ronaldo are well used to nominations for such awards. They count La Liga and Serie A respectively among their prizes over the course of the last 12 months.

Three members of the shortlist have been on the move this summer, with Hazard trading Chelsea for Real Madrid and De Jong and De Ligt receiving recognition for their stellar Champions League displays at Ajax with big-money moves to Barcelona and Juventus respectively.

Fans have the opportunity to vote for their favourite three players, with the top pick receiving five points, the second choice three points and the third choice one point.

The result of this vote will then be combined with the votes of “other key members of the footballing community”, journalists and national team coaches and captains.

At that point, the shortlist will be whittled down further to just three names, who will be up for the gong at The Best FIFA Football Awards show, which will be staged in Milan on September 23.

This is the fourth edition of the prize, with the inaugural winner Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016. The Portugal star also claimed the honours in 2017 before Luka Modric became the second winner in 2018, edging out both Ronaldo and Salah.

The Croat, however, has missed out on a nomination this time around.

Source – Goal.com

The Argentine could be persuaded to head for Old Trafford and it is a deal in which United would be huge winners, regardless of the potential pitfalls.

Photo by Getty

Connoisseurs of Italian football are still shaking their heads in disbelief at the prospect of Juventus swapping Paulo Dybala for Romelu Lukaku. For Manchester United though, it would appear to be a no-brainer.

Lukaku has become a £75 million ($91m) makeweight at Old Trafford, with his 42 goals in two seasons not proving enough to persuade Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he should be favoured over Marcus Rashford in the number-nine position.

As a result, the Belgian has become desperate for a move.

And with United unconvinced by the proposals presented by an Inter side on a tight budget, the prospect of adding a player of Dybala’s quality is understandably tempting. Discussions remain at an early stage so far, but the Reds are surely the only winner if this deal makes it over the line.

Solskjaer’s 4-2-3-1 formation needs a more convincing number 10 than Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata or Andreas Pereira – the three players to have been employed there during pre-season so far – with many of their better chances on tour being created from wide positions and most of their more laboured and ponderous play coming in the centre of the attacking third.

As such, Dybala is a ready-made addition. His ability to evade tacklers and create play from in behind the front man has made him one of the most exciting forwards in the Italian game.

That is not to say he is a guarantee of success for United though, with a million different reasons why this is a move which might not pan out as desired.

Dybala had a promising but inconsistent three-year spell with Palermo after arriving in 2012, with his propensity to go through long slumps having become a concern for some followers of the Rosanero.

After he moved to Juve in 2015 he immediately fitted in as a senior player and revelled in becoming a key man following the exits that summer of Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal. However, there still remained that same tendency for him to go off the boil for lengthy periods in a season even before the 2018 arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo bumped him out of the picture somewhat.

Having switched to a 4-3-3 to suit Ronaldo it became impossible for Juve to get the best out of Dybala since the Argentine is not really suited to either wide position. Ultimately, the new reality resulted in a lack of game time for Dybala and the player has been a more irritable presence in Turin according to some close to the club.

It has been a similar story so far at international level, with his inability to play at his best when chosen in the same XI as Lionel Messi having developed into a huge issue. He has just 24 caps to his name and has scored only twice, with his appearances in major fixtures having been restricted due to his inability to adapt. For Ronaldo at Juventus, read Messi with Argentina.

United fans will understandably be wary of the story of an Argentine attacker becoming disgruntled at being phased out of his favoured role at a continental giant and arriving at Old Trafford to much pomp and circumstance. The same thing happened in 2014 with Angel Di Maria at Real Madrid and it was only a matter of months before that saga went south.

For Dybala to be a success at United, he will need to have the right attitude. He will need to buy in to the project Solskjaer is building and the work ethic which goes with it. United have been all about the high-energy press right from the front, and the 24-year-old cannot be a passenger in that regard.

He can be the man to unlock packed defences, but United will be just as keen that he doesn’t become the player who helps opponents to get through their press and set up counter-attacks.

There must be no sulking a la Di Maria, or such as his own past few months at the Allianz Stadium, even if a move from a serial Serie A champion and regular Champions League challenger to a slumped giant playing in the Europa League is a backward step rather than a forward one.

If Dybala treats this is as a chance to prove that Juventus are wrong for being so open to the idea of him leaving, then United should be on to a clear winner. Either way, having a somewhat inconsistent talent of the level of Dybala has to be a step up on Mata, Lingard or Pereira when it comes to options in the slot behind the front man.

Swapping a dispensable big-money Lukaku who has netted once in 20 United games against top-six opposition for a potential match-winner in Dybala? United should do everything they can to get this deal done.

Source – Goal.com

Police in Brazil probing rape allegations against Neymar have closed the case due to a lack of evidence, the Sao Paulo attorney general’s office said on Monday.

The police decision will be sent to prosecutors on Tuesday, which will have 15 days to evaluate the case, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said.

A final decision on the case will be made by a judge.

Police probing rape allegations against Neymar have closed the case due lack of evidence

Brazilian model Najila had accused the 27-year-old of raping her in a Paris hotel in May.

She came forward as the accuser last month and claimed that Neymar had arranged for her to travel to the French capital from Brazil after meeting through Instagram.

It was alleged that Neymar raped her at the Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe after he became aggressive and violent.

Neymar denied the accusation and insisted their relations were consensual.

The world’s most expensive footballer, who signed for Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee of £198million back in 2017, is currently on a pre-season tour with his side in Asia.

The incident was alleged to have occurred on May 15 at the Sofitel Paris Arc Du Triomphe

He is also under investigation by Rio de Janeiro police for publishing images of his accuser on social media without her authorisation.

Neymar published a video on Instagram insisting he was the victim of entrapment, and included intimate WhatsApp messages received from his accuser and photographs of her topless in a bed.

The move led to a police investigation into the publication of intimate information without permission. Such an offence carries a maximum five-year jail term.

On the field, speculation remains about whether the forward will remain at PSG.

Neymar has struggled to find his best form at the club and has found his two-year stay blighted by injury and under-performance, notably in the Champions League.

He has recently been linked with a move back to Barcelona, the club he left two years ago.

Source – Daily Mail