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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:35:02 GMT
(The Guardian) Martinelli signs new Arsenal contractPremier League-leading Arsenal have announced the news that Brazil forward Gabriel Martinelli has signed a new long-term contract. On the official club website, the head coach Mikel Arteta is quoted as follows: “We’re delighted Gabi has signed a new long-term contract. Our supporters see his quality and energy every single time he puts on the shirt and he’s the same every day in training, with his hard work and positive values. “Gabi is still very young, so we know there’s still much more to come from him and it’s great that we’ll be on this journey together. We’re now excited to continue to develop his huge talent and look forward to seeing him perform with Arsenal in the years to come.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:37:06 GMT
(The Guardian) The Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe, has been having a chat with the media soon after seeing his team progress to the Carabao Cup final by defeating Southampton earlier this week. The Magpies host West Ham in the 5.30pm Premier League kick-off tomorrow. “We’ve tried to refocus the players [after Tuesday],” Howe said, quoted on the club’s Twitter. “It is a very difficult game. If we’re off it in any way it’ll be even harder. There’s been a big push from me & the staff to make sure we’re ready for this game.” On Alexander Isak, who took a James Ward-Prowse free-kick in the face on Tuesday: “Alex made a vital contribution in that moment. He was able to jump and block the free-kick but took a blow to the side of the head and had very slight signs of concussion. We’ve followed all the protocols but whether he’ll be available, I’m not sure.” On the suspended Bruno Guimarães: “When you lose one player you have to readjust & there will be an opportunity for the team to regroup and find another way. The good thing for Bruno is that he’ll be available for the final, but we have three huge Premier League games he’ll miss.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:39:31 GMT
(The Guardian) Spurs board rejects fans' accusation on lack of investmentTottenham’s board has strongly rejected claims it has failed to invest significantly in its team in recent transfer windows in a letter to the supporters’ trust. Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust last month wrote to the board expressing its concerns over the direction of the club, with four key areas raised. These included the medium to long-term strategy of owners ENIC and plans for the January transfers. A response was provided by Tottenham’s board on Thursday night after the conclusion of a winter transfer window where Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro were signed for Antonio Conte’s side, while Bryan Gil, Djed Spence and Matt Doherty departed on either temporary or permanent deals. “Like everyone at the club, our head coach wants the team to compete for top honours,” a letter from Tottenham’s board to its supporters’ trust read in response to concerns over the length of Conte’s contract, which will expire on June 30 although Spurs hold the option to extend it by a further 12 months. “The club has invested heavily in the squad. This is a continual process with the aim of standing the club in good stead on the pitch for years to come. “Since opening the stadium in April 2019 we have spent more than £500m putting us in the top quartile of spending in the Premier League – and we have made significant investments in the Women’s team too. In addition to the summer investment of over £200m we have committed to a further £47m spend this January. “Despite this we consistently see references to our perceived lack of backing for head coaches and lack of spending. It’s important that we deal with facts – our spend levels quite clearly show that we have backed our football side. “There is always a fine line between long-term investment and short-termism – which is why our recruitment has to be first class. Mistakes at this level leave a financial and sporting impact for future seasons. We have felt the financial impact of supporting player purchases which have not worked out as hoped. We have taken steps to improve this area of operations and the recent windows reflect this.” (PA Media)
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:40:35 GMT
(The Guardian) Over on the official Brighton & Hove Albion official website, the defender Joël Veltman has given an interview. He said their aim is to become an established Premier League club, and also, they want rather than need to win: “Every game we’re going into we want the three points, even at Manchester City, that’s our goal. At my last club Ajax the goal was ‘we have to win’, but at Brighton its ‘we want to win’, that’s a nice feeling to have both before every game now.”
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Naouirou Ahamada arrived at Crystal Palace during the transfer window, from Arsenal and Stuttgart respectively, and are both in contention to feature when Patrick Vieira’s side to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United (3pm kick-off). The preview on Palace’s website states that extra options in midfield for Vieira may mean Eberechi Eze playing further forward. A dangerous customer, that’s for sure.
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:41:41 GMT
(The Guardian) The Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno is speaking to Sky Sports News before the Premier League derby date with Chelsea tonight (8pm kick-off). They are generally going very well under Marco Silva and are seventh. Can they qualify for Europe? “I think everyone at the club knows where we came from … also the players. We don’t speak about [qualifying for] the Europa League,” Leno replies with a straight bat. “We go game by game … we don’t say that – we really do that. You can trust us! I think we will do that until the end of the season. “I think we will play the same style [at Chelsea] … very brave … we were unlucky with the penalty [against Newcastle] … we try to defend as high as possible.”
“Here we go. Get ready to see Everton relaunch their season at Arsenal’s expense. It’s no coincidence that Everton have a better home record against Arsenal and Chelsea than they do against Watford or Norwich,” comments creasicle. “That is, for me, the root of the problem. Everton will go absolutely hell for leather tomorrow and the fans will be baying for blood to drag their players over the line. The atmosphere will be incredible. They will be aggressive, bordering on too aggressive but the fans will successfully cow the referee as they always do. “It’s the sort of thing you see and go ‘if they played like this more often they’d be nowhere near the relegation zone’ but time and time again they up their game for a visit of one of the big boys then revert to type straight after. Everton will win tomorrow and it will have no impact on their season. I’d bet my house on those two things happening.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:42:52 GMT
(The Guardian) Graham Potter’s been having a chinwag with Sky Sports and the task of bedding in those 1,087 new signing. “It’s been a challenge here from day one,” says the Chelsea manager. “The club’s gone through tremendous change, with the new ownership coming in, and there needs to be some stability, a bit of calm. I know that’s difficult with the signings we’ve made but once we bed in we should see progress.”
Talk of Chelsea’s mega-splurge is dominating all pressers today and the Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola can’t resists a veiled barb/brag, pointing out that despite everything City have only been in the top five or six net spenders in recent years yet have won 11 titles. “That’s what really really counts to us. What Chelsea have done, what the other clubs have done is not my business. (A few years ago] eight or nine teams sent a latter to the Premier League about our spending, wanting us banned, so definitely [people treat City different from others).” Turning to tomorrow’s match at Spurs, Guardiola sends the recuperating Antonio Conte his best wishes “Of course . Antonio’s an active person on the touchline, he guides his team really well but I think the team know their pattern, so I hope he gets well soon and can come back in his position.”
João Cancelo’s departure to Bayern Munich and the left-back position are inevitably raised: “I’m not going to say one bad word about him, his work ethic, his passion for football, but it happened one or two days before the transfer window. We didn’t think it worth getting a replacement. We could raid the market and pay huge amounts for a left-back but I trust that we can do fine without that. Rico [Lewis] can play there, Nathan [Aké] can play there – we have alternatives. We can handle the situation, I trust the players we have a lot.”
On the injury situation, he confirms that John Stones is out for three weeks to a month with his hamstring injury and that Phil Foden is available.
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:47:57 GMT
(The Guardian) And we zoom straight over to Anfield and the Liverpool manager. Jürgen Klopp says he was encouraged by the display at Brighton, despite their FA Cup defeat. “A win looked possible, unlike the Brighton game earlier in January, we made good steps in the right direction, so yeah there are things that we can use and show tomorrow. Klopp backs Mo Salah to recover his scoring touch going into his 200th league appearance for the club. “Strikers have to go through these [lean] periods, they all do, we’ve had to make changes and every striker benefits from things being settled. He might not be on a 100% confidence level but the desire to do it is there every hour, there is no problem with him.” Of Chelsea’s spending he joshes that “I can say nothing without my lawyer … no that’s a joke. It’s part of the business – what can you do about it? It’s a big number and the players they’ve brought in are all really good players so from that point of view, congratulations. I don’t understand how [that level of spending] is possible with all the rules and things around – perhaps you understand how it works. Graham [Potter] knows [he has to make it work], how quickly it will work I don’t know.”
Nathan Jones, the Southampton manager, is speaking to the media now before the Premier League meeting with Brentford tomorrow, and is talking about how the club strengthened in the January window. “I’m happy with who we brought in and I thank the board for backing me. “We’re always looking at the future … Carlos [Alcaraz] is a top midfielder for the future but one who will also contribute now … and we’ve added three who will add real potency [Mislav Orsic, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu] … we’ve really strengthened the squad, and I am really happy with that. My problem now is picking the team. “We’ve got a real balance … everywhere I’ve been, I’ve left the squad in a better state than I found it … that’s always the case. This squad is much more potent, much more athletic than it was at the beginning of January. “[Onuachu] has only been in the building for about an hour … We’d have liked to get him sooner and have a real good week with him. “Once you see new faces, it does give everyone a lift, and we hope on the pitch it does give us more potency.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:49:32 GMT
(The Guardian) The Leeds manager Jesse Marsch starts with an injury update: “Rodrigo will be out for 6-8 weeks … Archie [Gray] almost back in training … Sonny Perkins picked up a 10-day ankle injury against Accrington Stanley.” On the injury to Rodrigo: “We’re obviously disappointed … first, as a manager, I feel it’s our responsibility to take care of these guys … trying to manage their bodies so they are not risking harm … he has a small fracture in the bottom of his tibia, you can never protect the players all the way, you can’t treat them like porcelain. “The emphasis of getting him on [against Accrington Stanley] was getting him and Patrick [Bamford] playing together. “Pat [Bamford] is in a really good way … physically, this week he’s the best since I’ve been here … and we went out and got Georginio [Rutter, from Hoffenheim]. We have a really balanced squad, a strong squad, and we’re excited for the matches coming up.” Is he concerned about the relegation battle? “We can’t avoid the topic of the table, and it’s very tight, which makes the match against Nottingham very important … now it’s time to pick up some more results … if you go through out last seven games, we’ve only lost one … the key is to keep our foot on the gas, so we’re going to get to be the team we want to be.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:51:39 GMT
(The Guardian) Patrick Vieira is having a chat with the media before Crystal Palace’s trip to Old Trafford. As usual he is asked about Wilfried Zaha first, who is currently injured: “He is still on the treatment table … his injury will take a couple of weeks, so we have to do without him. Wilfried is some who recovers quite quickly … we let him work with the medical staff and try to get him back as soon as possible. “Nathan [Ferguson] and Macca [James McArthur] are progressing really well … they have trained with the first team in the last couple of weeks but they are not ready … Joachim [Andersen] is progressing slowly, but he is not ready for the game tomorrow.” Is he happy with the business in January, with Naouirou Ahamada and Albert Sambi Lokonga coming in? “You always have an idea about what you want to do … you always want to do big deals … I’m pleased with the players we managed to bring. It’s a different profile from what we have and that will give me different options. Both of them will be in the squad tomorrow. “Ahamada is really mobile, running in behind the opposition … his intensity is really good, I’m pleased we brought him in. Lokonga knows the Premier League … he’s got the technical ability to improve our play. His mobility and his strength will help us. “What’s important for him is to get more involved, to play more games, and we will give him that opportunity … of course he will have to work hard to get that space. We will work with him and try to improve him.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:51:45 GMT
(The Guardian) Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was asked about Varane’s retirement from international duty: “It’s good news … he achieved everything with his nation, it’s incredible … big respect. I’m happy he puts all his energy and experience into our team. “I didn’t discuss it with him, Raphaël is experienced, he made his own decision about that. “I can only express my deep respect for his career … still there’s a lot to come, he’s ambitious, he wants to win a lot with Manchester United.”
“I would like throw in my two-penneth on the Chelsea spending spree,” emails Shaun. “Understandably the focus has been on the amount of money spent and how compliant that is or isn’t with the regulations, but for me there is an aspect of this that worries me far more than the sums of money - the continued stockpiling of players by the (financially) elite clubs, Chelsea being the worst but not the only example. “For how many years now have they been chewing up and spitting out talented young footballers? More than FFP, I would love to see more done to combat this, whether it be limiting the size of squads, amount of transfers per window or limiting the number of loans a club can have per season, and (if legally possible) limiting the amount of times an individual player can be loaned out by the same club. Look at the attacking players that Chelsea have now and tell me they have any intention of playing them all. As a football fan rather than a fan of any particular (big) club, I am tired of seeing exciting young players come along that then lose the best years of their careers as a pawn for a Hollywood club when they could be shining every week somewhere else.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:52:52 GMT
(The Guardian) Is Unai Emery happy with his Aston Villa squad, post-January? “Completely happy. The squad at the end [of the window] is enough, of course. “The objective as a team, we have to remember where we were. Every team in the bottom [of the league] were signing a lot of players, to try and keep in the Premier League for the season. Our first objective is to keep the Premier League, it’s very important, we are not yet in the top 10. It’s very difficult to win matches … now, our target is to keep the Premier League, and to be in the top 10. “Tomorrow [at home against Leicester] the match is very important … if we win we have a possibility to be in the top 10. We are going to play 17 matches in the second half of the season, and the game against Leicester that was postponed … no Cups, not playing in Europe … we have the players to get our best performances, and to believe.” The Chelsea spending question arrives: “Was really, really a big impact … how they signed players, and the money they spent. They showed they are strong financially … for the PL of course it’s more difficut … but the Premier League is maybe now potentially the best league in the world. Financially they are showing it.”
Mikel Arteta hopes Gabriel Martinelli’s new contract opens the floodgates for other key Arsenal players, including Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, to commit their long-term futures to the club. Martinelli has signed a deal until 2027, rewarding an excellent season that has brought seven goals in 19 top-flight appearances for the Premier League leaders. It is hoped that Saka and Saliba, both of whose existing terms expire in 2024, will follow suit, with the former thought to be particularly close. Aaron Ramsdale is also discussing a fresh contract and Arteta confirmed there was the collective will to tie down first-team regulars.
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 19:55:17 GMT
(The Guardian)] Lickedy-dickedy fingers, it’s Steve Cooper of Nottingham Forest! “You really have to be together in how you play, how you behave, how you perform as a team,” says Cooper, before Sunday’s meeting against Leeds, regarding the fresh arrivals in the Forest squad. “What is good, is the players who’ve joined us through the window, is they’re joining a more joined-up dressing room. “This has been a fantastic atmosphere and a motivated culture all through the season … we’re all motivated and focused to do well … we’re all enjoying working together … “Here at the training ground, when the doors are closed, it’s a good place to be. We’re going to take that spirit into games, because we’re going to need it.”
The Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui is, you guessed it, asked about Chelsea’s recent spending spree: “I don’t have anything to say about the other teams … it depends on the economy of each team, of their needs, what they feel they need to improve. It’s not a question for me. “Obviously in the transfer market, each team has its needs and strategy … I don’t have anything to say about Chelsea. “We try to improve, to have more choices, we need to be more balanced now. Obviously we have more problems to make a squad list. “Each one [of our players] has to improve our team, and help to our achieve our aims.” Does Lopetegui have any team news before tomorrow’s meeting with Liverpool at Molineux (3pm kick-off)? “Nothing to highlight. We have had a good week of work. Now we are focusing to be able to compete with a fantastic team. Liverpool, we know them, they know us … this isn’t the first time we’ve played against them. I think the most important thing is to put the focus on the next match.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 20:00:19 GMT
(The Guardian) De Zerbi urges Brighton fans to get behind CaicedoIs there anyone in Britain who hasn’t been asked, or given their unsolicited opinion, on Chelsea’s transfer spree? I suspect there’ll be more where that came from before the day is out. Roberto De Zerbi, however, is talking about a deal that didn’t happen – namely Moisés Caicedo’s non-transfer from Brighton, and he affirms that the Ecuador midfielder will be in the squad for the home match with Bournemouth tomorrow. “I was always honest and clear with you,” said the Brighton manager. “I’m very happy Moisés stays with us until the end of the season. I want to speak to our fans because I want them to support him and I don’t want them to criticise him. “I love Moisés, the people who work inside of Brighton love him, he’s a good guy. I don’t know if he made a mistake or not [in seeking a move] but the transfer window is now closed. I take responsibility for him, and if I say something so clear about Moisés they have to believe in me. We need his performances and he’s a fantatsic guy so I don’t want to criticise.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 20:02:10 GMT
(The Guardian) A bit more from Leeds, and PA Media reporting on Jesse Marsch’s insistence that Jack Harrison is happy to stay at Elland Road despite a move to Leicester almost coming to fruition. Harrison travelled to Leicester for talks with their manager Brendan Rodgers after the Foxes had made a reported late bid of £20million, but the deal fell through.
Marsch said the 26-year-old midfielder, who has 18 months left on his contract at Elland Road, will now sign a new deal with the Yorkshire club. “In the 11th hour something came from Leicester,” Marsch said. “We’d been talking with Jack for quite a while about renegotiating his contract and it had gone well, but it had stalled at different moments.
“We’ve spent a lot of money in the last couple of transfer windows, I think very wisely, and we’ve invested very wisely.
“Before all the powers that be could get together from different angles, then in the 11th hour there’s some internal discussion in a lot of different ways on what’s best for everyone. But once it all came together it was clear that we wanted Jack to stay and Jack wanted to stay and that’s why he’s still here.”
“On Moisés Caicedo,” emails Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo. “I live in Ecuador, where Moisés is revered for his talent and discipline. He also comes from a poor background and is the youngest of ten siblings. He supports many people well beyond his immediate family, and he’s only 21. With Arsenal offering to pay him in a month what he makes in a year, it’s easy to understand his context. I hope the Brighton fans understand that his motivation is driven not by greed but by the responsibility he has to his family and his community.”
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Post by Webster on Feb 3, 2023 20:03:24 GMT
(The Guardian) You’ll never guess what they asked Brentford’s manager, Thomas Frank, about. He has some interesting thoughts, to be fair: “I don’t want to go down the American way with drafts and no relegation and salary caps but it disrupts the competition doing what Chelsea have done. It’s crazy, really a lot of money. Whether it could be([a rule that) you can only buy a certain number of players or have a certain amount in the squad, it would be good for football and for European football if you want a competitive Europa League and Champions League, I don’t know the solution but I’d love it to be a more even competition. It’s more prescient to me with the second lowest budget [in the Premier League] but if you have a good strategy and good people you can compete.” Frank went on to stress his admiration for Graham Potter as a coach. As for his own actual team, who host Southampton tomorrow, Pontus Jansson and Frank Onyeka are “very close” to a first-team return. “It’s still too soon, but they are very close,” Frank said. “Onyeka is training almost fully with the group; Pontus is slightly behind him.”
Chelsea’s women, unlike their men, did not wave wads about in the market last month. Emma Hayes has explained why: “We’ve bid for big names many times over the years and our decision not to add players this window was that we’ve always wanted to do our business in the summer – it’s easier for team-building. Asked what bids like Arsenal’s for Alessia Russo show about the status of the women’s game, Hayes deadpans: “That it’s a record bid, that the game is becoming more and more interesting for you guys to report – it gives you a couple of stories but as I said January is a notriously difficult window.”
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