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There were heroes aplenty as the U.S. booked a spot in the Paris Gold Medal match with a 1-0 win over Germany

Just 12 days and five games since this all began, here we are. The U.S. women's national team has been redefined in less than two weeks. A new era has begun and, in truth, it's looked a lot like the old one – the GOOD old one, not the recent years.

Narratives have been written and rewritten as a team facing a rebuild already looks as good – better? – than ever before.

All of that in 12 days, but there is still one game remaining. On Saturday, the USWNT will know exactly where they stand, taking the pitch in the 2024 Olympics Gold Medal match against Brazil, which upset Spain in Tuesday's other semifinal. They'll know if once again, against all odds, they are back among the elite teams in the world.

The USWNT took one step closer to the summit on Tuesday, beating Germany 1-0 in extra time in the Paris Games semifinals. The win booked their spot in the Gold Medal game for the first time since London 2012 – and they'll have a chance to show the world what many are starting to believe: the U.S. is back.

The USWNT has the most Olympic gold and most total medals in the history of the competition, winning four golds, one silver and one bronze. But after being shut out of the medal round in 2016 and taking bronze at the 2021 Games, this is their first chance to claim gold in 12 years, thanks to back-to-back 120-minute matches and 1-0 extra-time victories over Japan and Germany.

It hasn't been easy. On Tuesday, they survived another grueling extra time, emerging only thanks to a Sophia Smith goal. It was similar to the quarterfinal against Japan, which required extra time heroics from Trinity Rodman for the victory.

“All I kept thinking as the game’s getting harder was `Dig harder. Suffer a little bit longer,’” U.S. coach Emma Hayes told reporters. “Listen, this is top level, you’re only going to get one shot. You can’t play the same team twice and have it be the same game. So I’m really proud of our ability to just hang in even though it was tough.”

This team is flush with heroes, and Smith is far from the only one who made their mark on this memorable win. GOAL takes a look at the winners and the losers from the USWNT's semifinal victory over Germany, which will play Spain for the bronze medal on Friday at Lyon.

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  WINNER: Sophia Smith

  Let's be honest: Smith probably could have scored two or three against Germany. It's OK, though. She got the one that mattered.

  With the U.S. needing a hero, Smith stepped up in the 95th minute. It was a lovely finish, too. Played in by Mal Swanson, Smith placed the ball exactly where it needed to go to send the USWNT exactly where they want to be.

  “I saw like a little opening of net and I was just like, `I’ve got to put it there. Just put it there,’” Smith told reporters after the match. “It was a good feeling. I know I had a few other chances this game that I should have put away. But sometimes one is all it takes.”

  Smith's extra-time goal wasn't her easiest chance of the night. She had a few one-on-ones after the fact, although those were pushed away. Knowing her mentality, those will bother her, but she'll be fine considering the importance of the one she did bury.

  Rodman and Smith either scored or assisted in all of the U.S. group stage games, the first time U.S. teammates had done so in an Olympic group stage since Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach at London 2012. Rodman then added the USWNT’s lone goal against Japan in the quarterfinals, and Smith did the same against Germany in the semifinals.

  One of the magic things about this team is how someone new steps up every time. Last game, it was Rodman and, this time, it was Smith – who will be the hero in the Gold Medal game?

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  LOSER: The midfield

  So many things went right for the USWNT on Tuesday. The midfield wasn't one of them.

  For several stretches of the match, the U.S. struggled mightily in the center of the field. Sam Coffey, the lone No. 6 in the XI, was fighting for her life as Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle struggled to provide the cover she needed.

  Horan has struggled a bit lately, although she is ofter unfairly criticized on social media. Her passing could be crisper and, at times, she struggled with the pace of the game defensively. Lavelle, too, had a few good moments, but those didn't cancel out the ones where Germany cut through the midfield with ease.

  It was fitting, then, that, when given a chance from a free kick, Horan drilled her shot right into Lavelle. The two just weren't quite on the same page but, for players of that talent level, there's little reason for concern going forward.

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  WINNER: Naomi Girma

  She's just so good that you almost overlook it. It's so easy to take her for granted, but we won't today. Not after this performance.

  Girma is the best defender in the world and, if you don't believe it, just watch these Olympics. Realistically, you could just watch her masterpiece against Germany. That's how good she was.

  Defensively, there's no one better. She cleaned up mess after mess, despite playing next to two different centerback partners in the match. It's hard to see at times because she makes it look so easy, but what she does is hard as can be.

  Girma's magic really comes when she's on the ball. She completed an absolutely absurd 125 of her 132 passes. No one else had more than 86. Those were passes with purpose, too, as she created two chances while playing her part in the sequence that led to the winner.

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  LOSER: Tierna Davidson

  After missing out on the last game, Davidson was back in the XI. She was solid, too. Unfortunately, though, she isn't quite 100 percent.

  Davidson lasted just 45 minutes before being replaced by Emily Sonnett, who replaced her in the starting XI against Japan. Sonnett was good throughout her time on the field, which stretched through 120 minutes, but all eyes will be on Davidson heading into the final.

  She was seen walking around post-match, which is a good sign. There are also four days to recover for the Gold game as opposed to the three on the schedule if the U.S. had fallen to the Bronze. Will Davidson be ready? Will she be 90 minutes fit? TBD.

Manchester City have reportedly set a deadline for Pep Guardiola to make a decision about his future at the Etihad Stadium.

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• Man City set Christmas deadline for Pep
• Manager's current contract expires next summer
• Club want to sign a suitable replacement if Pep decides to leave

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Catalan manager's current contract with the Cityzens expires in the summer of 2025, and he is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal. His biographer, Marti Perarnau, recently pointed out two reasons why Guardiola could quit the club, however, he did not specify if the manager would leave at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Now Sky Sports reports that the English champions will set a deadline for the manager to make up his mind. They will reportedly request that Guardiola informs the club of his decision by Christmas so that City can look for a suitable replacement for the former Barcelona coach, in the case decides against signing a new deal. The Manchester club have grown leaps and bounds under the 53-year-old's tutelage in the last eight years and therefore want to find a proven successor for the legendary coach so that their transition can happen smoothly in the post-Guardiola era.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Earlier this summer, the City boss had hinted that he could leave the club soon as he clearly stated that he was closer to leaving Etihad than staying. However, a final decision on his future has not been communicated.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  The reigning champions kicked off the new season last weekend as they beat Manchester United to win the Community Shield. On Sunday, they will begin their 2024-25 Premier League journey against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Glasgow Rangers battled back hard in a crucial clash in the race for the Scottish Premiership title with a 3-3 draw against their fierce rivals at Ibrox on Sunday.

Philippe Clement's side found themselves 2-0 down at half-time, thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Matt O'Riley, but brought it back during the second-half through James Tavernier's penalty and a deflected strike from Abdallah Sima.

Adam Idah then put the away side in front almost instantly after Sima's goal but a stoppage-time wonder strike from Rabbi Matondo secured a point for Rangers.

The Gers did not step up to make the most of the big occasion and will now be chasing Celtic for the rest of the 2023/24 campaign to win the title.

There were a number of underwhelming performances across the park for Rangers at Ibrox. One star, however, who must now be boldly ditched ahead of the clash with Dundee on Wednesday night is captain James Tavernier, which would be a bold call by the manager.

James Tavernier's performance against Celtic

The Light Blues skipper got off to the worst possible start and set the tone for the rest of his teammates with a telling mistake inside the opening 30 seconds.

He appeared to have plenty of time to collect and clear the ball, whether that was back to Jack Butland or out of play for a throw-in, but took far too long and allowed Maeda to nip in and make the block that deflected the ball into the back of the net to give the away side the lead.

Tavernier was then caught sleeping on the ball, by Maeda again, in the build-up to the chance that Celtic won a corner from, which led to the handball from Connor Goldson for the penalty from O'Riley.

As you can see in the table above, the experienced defender was also incredibly wasteful in possession as he gave possession back to Celtic a staggering 28 times without creating a single 'big chance' for his teammates.

RangersReview journalist Jonny McFarlane handed him a match rating of 5/10 for his performance and described the first-half display from the Englishman as 'shocking', which seems fair given his poor work in and out of possession from open play.

The captain, of course, did score from the spot himself, with a terrific strike into the top corner, but that did not make up for the rest of his showing.

Clement must make a big call and boldly drop Tavernier to the bench to show that no player can escape criticism or get away with, as McFarlane put it, shocking performances.

Dujon Sterling, who won ten of his 12 ground duels at Ibrox, could move over to his more natural position at right-back to replace the skipper, which would then open up space for Borna Barisic, or Ridvan Yilmaz if he is available, to slot in on the left.

It would be an eye-catching decision from the manager, given that the English defender has started all 31 league matches this term, but it could set the standard and strike fear into other regular starters to ensure that they do not allow their standards to slip in the title run-in, as Tavernier did in his Old Firm shocker.

Mikel Arteta has explained why Jurrien Timber was substituted against Brighton amid fears the defender sustained another injury.

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• Timber seen holding hamstring in Arsenal's draw
• Dutchman missed most of last season through injury
• Defender had to be replaced by Zinchenko

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Timber was substituted in the 80th minute of the 1-1 Premier League draw at the Emirates, with the defender appearing to hold his hamstring. After missing the majority of last season through injury, Timber's withdrawal sparked fears he may have picked up another one.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A serious anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up in his second league game ruled him out for almost all of last season. It didn't seem like there was any discomfort in his knee against Brighton, where he went up against the menacing Yankuba Minteh, and Arteta was quick to squash any injury rumours.

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  WHAT ARTETA SAID

  The Arsenal manager said when asked if it was an injury: "I don't think so."

  He added: "He was cramping. He got a kick in the first half and then was cramping so we had to take him off."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR TIMBER AND ARSENAL?

  Artetta and Timber will be relieved that the Netherlands international appears to have nothing to worry about. The player will join the Netherlands national team for the upcoming international fixtures before returning to prepare for the North London Derby against Tottenham on September 15.

Wolverhampton Wanderers drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League over the weekend, damaging their chances of securing a top-half finish.

Since the end of the international break, the Old Gold have failed to win a top-flight match, losing two and drawing two of their four games, which has dropped them to 11th place in the table.

With clashes against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool to come between now and the end of the season, Gary O’Neil will have to lift his men if he aims to lead them to a top-half finish.

Wolves did show some resilience by coming back from 2-1 down to secure a share of the spoils, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice in what was his first start since early February.

It was a former Wolves' starlet who opened the scoring for Forest during the encounter, however, as Morgan Gibbs-White continues to impress since making the move in the summer of 2022.

Although O’Neil has improved the mood around Molineux this term after their struggles during 2022/23, was selling the Englishman a mistake by former manager Bruno Lage?

Morgan Gibbs-White’s statistics vs Wolves

Gibbs-White was deployed in his favoured number ten role against his former employers and shone, showing exactly what they were missing.

Not only did he score Forest’s equaliser, but he also succeeded with three of his six dribbles, proving he was more than happy to take on a Wolves backline who had conceded 49 goals prior to the match.

Along with creating plenty of havoc for the opposition defence, Gibbs-White stood firm during his one one-on-one battles in the match, winning ten of his 17 contested duels, indicating he wasn’t easily bullied off the ball.

Overall, it was an excellent performance and continues his wonderful run of form this term. Since the start of the season, the 24-year-old has scored six goals and registered seven assists in all competitions.

In the same time period, no Wolves midfielder has registered as many goal contributions, while only four of their squad in total have eclipsed the 13 that Gibbs-White has chipped in with this term.

Despite the likes of Cunha, Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-Chan all contributing effectively, the Old Gold lack an attacking midfielder who can really add some dynamism to their squad, along with a fair share of goals and assists.

Why Wolves sold Gibbs-White

Following an impressive stint at Sheffield United in 2021/22, scoring 12 times while grabbing ten assists, it was clear he wasn’t quite in Lage’s plans for the forthcoming campaign.

When an offer of an initial £35m for the midfielder came towards the end of the summer transfer window, it was evident Lage was going to accept and, on the surface, it looked like a wonderful piece of business.

The total fee had the potential to rise to £42.5m due to add-ons, making it even more lucrative for the Old Gold if he was successful.

While the finances were a boost to the club, nearly two years on, it looks as though they could regret letting him leave, especially considering his performances this season for Forest.

Despite his impact, may Wolves have made an even bigger mistake by selling former captain and talisman Ruben Neves last summer? Coincidentally, he has registered even more goal contributions than Gibbs-White so far during 2023/24.

Ruben Neves’ statistics at Wolves

The Portuguese midfielder joined the club ahead of 2017/18 from FC Porto and wasted no time in settling in, scoring six times in 42 Championship appearances as the team won the second tier to gain promotion to the top flight.

Across the following five seasons, Neves made 177 Premier League appearances, finding the back of the net 21 times while registering nine assists, but his contribution stretched far beyond goals.

His most impressive feat came last season. Despite the Old Gold suffering their joint-worst finish in the top flight since promotion, if it weren’t for Neves, they may well have suffered relegation.

Not only did the former Porto gem rank as the best outfield player in the squad with regard to overall Sofascore rating (7.23), he also ranked first for goals and assists (seven), accurate passes per game (48.8) and fourth for key passes per game (0.9), showcasing his worth to the club.

The 27-year-old joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal last summer for a fee of £47m, which is a club record. During his time in the Middle East, Neves has lived up to his price tag and has proved he is a bigger loss to Wolves than Gibbs-White.

How Neves is playing in Saudi Arabia

With the large volume of players moving to the Middle East, Neves’ move perhaps went fairly unnoticed, but his performances certainly have not.

Across 38 matches, Neves has registered 15 goal contributions – five goals and ten assists – which is two more than Gibbs-White.

In the Saudi Pro League, the former Wolves captain has taken his game to new levels, ranking first yet again among his teammates for accurate passes per game (68), along with ranking second for key passes per game (two), second for big chances created (13) and first for tackles per game (2.7).

In comparison, Gibbs-White has averaged 25.1 accurate passes, 1.9 key passes and 1.1 tackles per game while creating 12 big chances.

There isn’t much of a difference, but it is clear who comes out on top and the majority of the Old Gold faithful would surely have Neves back in the heart of their midfield if given the chance.

Hugo Bueno previously dubbed Neves “incredible” during his final season in the Midlands, and he was arguably the main reason as to how the club retained their Premier League status.

Aged just 27, he is coming into his peak years, yet his talents deserve a far bigger stage than the Saudi Pro League, that’s for sure.

Gibbs-White is starring for a Forest side battling relegation, yet Neves is the jewel in the crown of a team strolling their way to a league title.

Manchester United’s dreadful recent form continued on a dreary Monday night, losing 4-0 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. It was an incredibly frustrating evening for the Red Devils, who were well beaten by Oliver Glasner’s excellent Palace side, as they secured the league double over their opponents for the first time.

Rumoured United target Michael Olise scored two wonderful goals, which came either side of strikes from Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell. United are heavily linked with the France U21 international this summer, who would cost between £50m and £60m as per ESPN.

Mateta has been one of the stars of the show for Palace, as well as Olise and Ebere Eze. The 26-year-old has scored an incredible eight goals in his first six home games under new boss Glasner.

United’s bleak season continued with their poor performance against Crystal Palace. It was such a poor performance, that Jamie Carragher highlighted on Sky Sports post-match that Erik ten Hag’s side are “one of the most poorly coached teams in the Premier League”, before saying “that’s a fact” rather than his personal opinion.

The Red Devils now find themselves in eigth in the Premier League on 54 points. They are currently level on points with sventh place Chelsea and two points behind Newcastle who are sixth, and visit Old Trafford next week.

Even more shocking is that United are 14th according to Undertstat’s expected points table, and should be on just 42 points. Indeed, only Aston Villa are overachieving more on points than United this season, who have 11.51 points than they should have.

It was, by all accounts, a shocking performance from United, with their players putting in disappointing displays across the board, with two players in particular proving to be very frustrating.

Casemiro's stats vs Crystal Palace

One of the worst performances came from the captain for the night, Casemiro. The Brazilian looked a shadow of his former self once again, and whilst he was playing at centre-back, a less familiar position, he did not impose himself on the game at all.

In fact, according to football statistician Statman Dave, the eight times Casemiro was dribbled past is the most by any player in the Premier League so far this season. It was surprising to see how little he used his experience, and constantly dived into challenges only to be caught out of position and get dribbled past, which happened for Olise’s first goal.

According to Sofascore, the Brazilian also lost possession 17 times, including misplacing nine long passes, and lost nine of the 16 ground duels he contested. He also made one error leading to a goal, which was the moment he was bypassed by Olise in the first half.

Casemiro’s poor performance led to a 2/10 post-match rating from the Manchester Evening News Manchester United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst. He described Casemiro as “rash and impetuous”, and explained how Olise “turned with alarming ease”.

It was certainly a poor performance from Casemiro, however, he was arguably not United’s worst player on the night, with a fellow defender putting in an equally frustrating performance at Selhurst Park.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka's stats vs Crystal Palace

The player in question here is former Crystal Palace right-back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who once again filled in at left-back. After switching back to his familiar side last weekend against Burnley, he played left-back once more against the Eagles, presumably to try and do a job defensively on Olise.

However, it did not work out that way, and Wan-Bissaka also received a 2/10 rating post-match from Luckhurst. For Olise’s first goal, Luckhurst explained how United’s number 29 was “nowhere near” the France U21 international for his first strike.

Indeed, Wan-Bissaka’s stats from the clash at Selhurst Park certainly reflected his tough night. The 26-year-old lost one of his three duels, completed just one cross and did not attempt a tackle. However, the most shocking thing was the fact he lost possession 22 times, an average of once every four minutes.

There is no doubt the defender's showing last night was not good enough. He is a player who could well leave Old Trafford this summer, not just because of last night, but following a number of average displays in a United jersey. The right-back is linked with a move away, according to some reports, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong might be the man to replace him.

Ten Hag's men now face title challengers Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with three points crucial to their battle for a European spot, which seems like it could well be slipping out of the reach of ten Hag and his side.

Ten Hag must immediately bench Man Utd ace after 1/10 Palace display

Man United slumped to a horrendous defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

By
Matt Dawson

May 7, 2024

Burnley co-owner J.J. Watt has left Hull City fans 'speechless after donating £5,000 to a charity fundraiser

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• Hull fan running a marathon for charity
• Receives £5,000 from generous benefactor
• Turns out to be Burnley minority owner J.J. Watt

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hull City fan, @Thehullboy1, has been raising funds for mind and mental health charities for some time now, with the social media personality most recently setting his sights on running a marathon. He revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that someone had donated £5,000 ($6.5k) towards his fundraising efforts, and later shared that J.J. Watt was the mystery backer.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  This donation has taken his fundraising to just under £20,000 ($26K) – an amount he was blown away by.

  He tweeted: "APPARENTLY ITS @JJWatt ???? Honestly in utter disbelief, thank you JJ- you are an absolute inspiration ❤️."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Former National Football League star Watt and his wife, Kealia Watt, became minority owners at Burnley in May 2023 and since then they have endeared themselves to many Clarets fans and football supporters alike. This donation is the latest classy act from the 34-year-old.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Watt's Burnley side return to Championship action on Saturday, September 14, when Scott Parker's men travel to fellow promotion hopefuls Leeds United, followed by a home clash a week later against newly-promoted Portsmouth.

Premier League referee Chris Kavanagh said he had no choice but to send Declan Rice off against Brighton in newly-released audio.

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• Rice dismissed in Arsenal's draw to Brighton
• Given second yellow for delay of play
• Kavanagh says he had no choice in audio

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Arsenal midfielder was given a second caution in the 1-1 draw with Brighton before the international break for knocking the ball away as the Seagulls went to take a quick free-kick. It was a controversial topic on social media and now audio has been released allowing fans to hear the entire process behind Rice's dismissal.

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  WHAT KAVANAGH SAID

  Communicating with his assistants and VAR at Stockley Park, Kavanagh said: "Ball clearly in. Possible defensive foul, given. I think he's gone to play the ball. He's gone to play the ball for me. Declan Rice has kicked the ball away. Going to have no choice mate. Second yellow for me. I had no choice, he knocks the ball away. As he's about to kick it, he knocks the ball away. Dec, you need to go. You need to go. I don't like it, but he's knocked the ball away, he's kicked the ball. Dec you need to go I'm afraid."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kavanagh was heavily criticised by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after the game for being inconsistent with his decision-making. The Spaniard first suggested that Rice had not seen Joel Veltman trying to play the ball and later berated the official for failing to book Joao Pedro for a similar incident in the first half. It is not so much the incident with Rice itself that caused outrage from Gunners fans, but Kavanagh's failure to give the same punishment to the visitors.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RICE?

  Rice missed Arsenal's 1-0 win over Tottenham last weekend but will return for their Champions League bow against Atalanta on Thursday night. He will also be in line to start a massive game away to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Sources close to a £30 million player claim he's already now close to joining Arsenal in the summer transfer window.

Edu planning to reinforce Arsenal backline this summer

Sporting director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta, who work in tandem on the club's transfer plans each window, are apparently planning to reinforce the Gunners backline this summer.

Arsenal table formal bid to sign £52 million man who's "perfect" for Arteta

The Gunners are moving quickly pre-summer.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 15, 2024

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is set to leave Arsenal this summer, according to widespread reports, so it is believed that the north Londoners will look to bring in a new backup to current number one David Raya (Fabrizio Romano) – who will make his loan from Brentford permanent.

Ramsdale has an agreement he can depart when the transfer window reopens, as per Football Insider, with former Arsenal shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny targeted by club chiefs as a possible option to succeed the Englishman.

It looks near-certain that there will be a shake-up between the sticks, as reliable Evening Standard journalist Simon Collings also backs that Arsenal are looking to bring in a new goalkeeper.

Elsewhere in the team, it is believed that Arsenal are eyeing up central defensive reinforcements. Both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes remain ever-presents and crucial mainstays at the heart of Arteta's backline, but the Spaniard could benefit from a capable alternative if either of the duo become unavailable.

Saliba's injury at the end of last season is seen by many as a key reason why Arsenal eventually lost out on the Premier League title to treble-winning Man City, with Arsenal targeting Ajax starlet Jorrel Hato as one name to provide more alternative options.

Arteta is unlikely to slot Ben White back into his natural central defensive role right now, mainly because Arsenal have precious few natural right-backs at his disposal, and the former Brighton star has performed exceptionally further wide since the emergence of Saliba in 2022/2023.

However, White has also admitted to his own limitations.

"I know I'm not going to stop everyone and I know I'm not the best one-v-one defender," said White on his Arsenal right-back role this season.

"But I know I can do things to help the team in game situations against their winger. Every game, normally the winger is the best player so it's always a challenge and I have to do my homework and try and stop him. There's all sorts [happening at set-pieces], standing on your feet, elbows. It's OK. I just have to stand in the way and see what happens."

Arsenal are targeting natural full-back options who could serve as alternatives to White, and a versatile ace who could slot in perfectly is £30 million Fenerbache ace Ferdi Kadioglu.

Ferdi Kadioglou now "close" to joining Arsenal

The 24-year-old Turkey international, who's been one of Fenerbache's star players this season, is capable of playing at both right-back and left-back – as well as further up field on the wings.

This could be pretty enticing from Arteta's perspective, as his signing would plug many holes in the Arsenal squad. Now, journalist Sacha Tavolieri has emphatically claimed that "sources close" to Kadioglu say he's "close" to joining Arsenal.

While formal talks with Fenerbache are yet to begin, this comes as potentially good news for supporters, with there still being a whole month to go until the transfer window officially opens.

Leeds United are waiting to snap up a 24-year-old free agent, as he rejects another new offer to stay at his club this summer.

Leeds preparing for crucial Championship play-off semi-final

Unfortunately for Daniel Farke, after a very tense three-horse race to finish in the top two, both Leicester City and Ipswich Town ended up nicking the automatic Championship promotion spots – meaning Leeds have to do it the hard way.

Leeds United’s 10 best managers of all time ranked by win percentage

The Whites are going for promotion back to the Premier League once again under Daniel Farke, but where does he rank among the best Leeds managers?

By
Charlie Smith

Jan 4, 2025

The Whites only have themselves to blame in truth, winning just once in their final five league matches, which included a dismal 4-0 loss to QPR and 2-1 defeat to fellow play-off contenders Southampton on the final day.

However, given they accumulated an impressive 90 points over the course of the campaign, a section of supporters will still feel pretty hard done by. Their side are now preparing to take on Norwich City in a crunch first leg semi-final clash at Carrow Road tomorrow at noon, and Farke has full faith in his team despite a slumping end to the season.

"I trust my players. Not about me. Not about playing chess with the opponent's manager. In such a crunch game it's the players who decide things," said Farke on his Leeds team ahead of Norwich.

"Managers are there to support them and back them. Prepare them in the best possible way/. This game will not be won or lost by great decisions on the touchline. Totally up to the players.

"We are not experienced, but I would not change one player. The winning mentality we have. When there is a special occasion, spotlight games, two times Leicester and Ipswich, won four times. More consistency on other days in the office would have done us better. In spotlight games, this team is spot on."

It's also set to be a crucial summer transfer window for the Yorkshire giants, regardless of whether they win promotion or not. Leeds are targeting a new defender for Farke, among a variety of other positions, and a lot of his squad seem destined to make way as well.

One player they've been linked with is West Ham right-back Ben Johnson, as his contract expires in June and he could be available for free.

Leeds "waiting" to snap up Johnson as he rejects another West Ham offer

According to TEAMtalk this week, Johnson is set to reject another new deal offer as Leeds wait to snap him up. The £20,000-per-week ace would be a steal for nothing, having many years ahead of him and a good degree of top flight experience.

Called "absolutely brilliant" by pundit Paul Robinson, many other sides have the same idea of stealing Johnson from the London Stadium, including Everton, Wolves, Southampton and Rangers.

Capable of playing full-back on either flank, whether it be in a traditional back four or further afield as a wing-back, it's no surprise to see so many suitors queueing up for one of the bargains of the summer, who would add key depth in several positions while not breaking the bank.