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The 19-year-old has shown himself to be an exciting prospect at Arsenal, but he didn’t play as much in the first half of this season as he did for much of last term.
According to Matt Spiro, citing French newspaper L’Equipe, there may be signs emerging of Nwaneri not having the best attitude, leading to OM boss Habib Beye to leave him out…
Ethan Nwaneri’s loan fee is tied to minutes: the more he plays, the less Marseille pay #Arsenal, L’Equipe reports.
Despite this, under Habib Beye, he hasn’t started a single game in two months – with the newspaper citing a “persistent impression of nonchalance.” ? pic.twitter.com/m2UaQsuLMz
Spiro posted on X: “Ethan Nwaneri’s loan fee is tied to minutes: the more he plays, the less Marseille pay #Arsenal, L’Equipe reports. Despite this, under Habib Beye, he hasn’t started a single game in two months – with the newspaper citing a ‘persistent impression of nonchalance.'”
Can Ethan Nwaneri turn his career around?
Nwaneri clearly has tremendous ability and enormous potential, having been in and around the Arsenal first-team since he was a teenager.
This seems to be a crucial stage of his career, however, with Nwaneri needing more playing time to develop his game and show he truly belongs at this level.
It’s also important, however, for players to show the right attitude and work ethic, both on the pitch and on the training ground.
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For one reason or another, it seems Nwaneri isn’t quite making that impression on his managers so far, with Arteta neglecting to use him much this season, and Beye now also freezing him out at Marseille.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the England Under-21 international when he returns to the Emirates Stadium this summer, as he’ll surely want to play more often, but might require another loan spell to do so.
Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has suggested Manchester City have the edge in the Premier League title race at the moment.
The Frenchman, who won four Premier League titles during his time at Manchester United, and who also spent two seasons at Arsenal, admits he’d rather be in the Man City dressing room right now.
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It seems clear that City are in better form, so it’s perhaps not too surprising to see Silvestre sensing that the pressure is now on the Gunners ahead of their showdown at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Ex-Gunner on Arsenal vs City title race
“This weekend was a big twist in the title race, for sure. I didn’t expect Arsenal to lose, and then for Man City to go and win so convincingly… I wouldn’t say it’s wide-open again but City are definitely back in the frame,” Silvestre told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction.
“I think I’d rather be in City’s dressing room right now, over Arsenal’s, as a player. You’d rather be chasing, because all of the pressure is on Arsenal right now, and if you, as City can just keep doing what you’re doing, and blocking out the noise, you might end up on top. City have gained a massive advantage this weekend, but Arsenal are still in a position where it’s theirs to lose.”
Arsenal recently lost to City in the Carabao Cup final, and they don’t have a good record at the Etihad Stadium, having failed to win there since all the way back in 2015.
Silvestre added that these next few games could define Mikel Arteta’s future at Arsenal, suggesting the Spanish tactician could have a decision to make soon.
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“I don’t think you can judge Mikel purely on this season, because he’s been with the club for six years now, and he’s got them to a position where they’re competing for trophies again,” the Frenchman said.
“You know, they’re still in the Champions League and in the race for the title, so we will have to wait and see what happens in both of those competitions. His, and Arsenal’s season, will be defined in the next few weeks, and from there Mikel will make his own decision on what happens next.”
Arsenal have had a lot of critics this season, and Sporting Lisbon midfielder Morten Hjulmand is the latest to suggest that their games can be boring.
Speaking after last night’s 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium, which saw Arsenal go through 1-0 on aggregate, it’s clear Hjulmand didn’t particularly enjoy the game.
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The Denmark international didn’t specifically criticise Mikel Arteta’s tactics, but still made it clear that it’s not the kind of game he prefers to be involved in due to the lack of quality on display, and the frequent stoppages.
Arsenal were clearly not at their best and part of that will have been due to missing key attacking players like Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, but you’d perhaps still also expect them to show a bit more quality and ambition in a home game.
At the end of the day it’s the result that matters, though, and Hjulmand also admitted that he and his Sporting teammates didn’t create enough.
Morten Hjulmand on Sporting’s defeat to Arsenal
“I think it was an even game today the impact of the first game that we lost made it more difficult to go to the Emirates and win, especially when don’t often lose at home we knew it would be difficult here,” the 26-year-old said, as quoted by the Metro.
“But the game had low intensity and no rhythm, zero goal and I would say boring.
“I think a lot stops during the game so we couldn’t get the rhythm that we wanted to. A little bit boring.
“If I was a viewer from outside 0-0, also the first game 1-0 it’s not the way Sporting wants to show itself. We want to score goals, create chances and we didn’t do it today.
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“During the game I felt a lot of stops, especially during set-pieces and it takes a lot of time out of the game.
“When we did get the rhythm we did create a lot of chances, especially in the first half. But at the end we didn’t create enough to win the game to be honest.”
Anthony Gordon is reportedly open to leaving Newcastle United this summer and has interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich.
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The England international could likely cost around £80m, and Liverpool fans may be interested to know that he comes from a Reds-supporting family, according to the Telegraph.
This looks like putting Liverpool in a strong position after they almost signed Gordon before, while our recent information was that the Merseyside giants were the frontrunners for the former Everton youngster.
The Telegraph also report that Arsenal are long-time admirers of Gordon, while Bayern could also be one to watch in the race for the 25-year-old.
Liverpool and Arsenal both need Anthony Gordon
With Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool at the end of this season, a top class goal-scoring winger like Gordon looks like exactly what Arne Slot needs in his squad.
Arsenal also have issues in that department, with Gordon perhaps an ideal upgrade on the ageing Leandro Trossard and the inconsistent Gabriel Martinelli.
Still, NUFC won’t want to lose another star name after the departure of Alexander Isak last year, so this surely won’t be a deal that comes without paying a big price.
The Telegraph suggest this fee could be £80m, with Newcastle not currently informed directly by Gordon that he wants to leave, even if they are seemingly aware of interest in the player.
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“It’s the same old, same old. I haven’t heard anything, they might want to tell me before they tell you (the media). I have gone through enough transfer stuff now to know that it is all a load of rubbish,” Gordon said, as quoted by Goal.
“I am focused on me and focused on the team, I am focused on right now. You look too far in the future and you start to underperform. And believe me I have done that (before) and I am not going to do that now.”
Liverpool reportedly look to be leading the race to sign Marcos Senesi on a free transfer this summer, with Chelsea and Manchester United not planning moves.
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The 28-year-old is nearing the end of his contract at Bournemouth, and Liverpool are eyeing him up as an option to strengthen at the back, according to iNews.
The Reds certainly look like they need more options in defence as the ageing Virgil van Dijk hasn’t quite been at his best in recent times, while Ibrahima Konate’s form has also dipped this term.
Konate’s future is also uncertain as he’s yet to sign a new contract and is also poised to become a free agent this summer.
There have, however, been more positive updates on Konate’s future recently, with RMC Sport claiming an agreement on a new LFC deal was close.
Senesi has shone for Bournemouth and looks like a tempting market opportunity this summer due to being out of contract.
The Argentine would surely strengthen Liverpool and it’s also a bit of a surprise that iNews claim Chelsea and Man Utd are no longer pursuing this deal.
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Our recent information was that Senesi to Chelsea could be a genuine possibility, though some sources indicated that a move to La Liga to either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid could be more likely.
Chelsea could do with more experience in their youthful squad, while Man Utd might also do well to strengthen due to the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez being pretty injury-prone.
Still, perhaps these clubs have other targets in mind for this summer, with Senesi admittedly not the youngest, so not the most long-term acquisition.
Tottenham are facing an increasingly real threat of relegation this season and that’s inevitably started to lead to serious behind-the-scenes conversations about players who could be snapped up by bigger clubs this summer.
While there are clearly a lot of players in this squad that have under-performed, there is also some appreciation for a few of their younger talents who could still go on to improve a lot in the right conditions, so that creates the potential for one or two major summer transfer sagas in the months ahead.
One name being mentioned a lot is Pape Matar Sarr, with several of my sources in the industry telling me that Spurs are aware of growing interest in the 23-year-old from some of Europe’s elite clubs.
“Spurs insist Sarr is not for sale, but privately they know that big clubs are going to come calling, and some may already have done so,” one source said.
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“Sarr’s value is growing and there’s a real possibility of him moving on this summer whether they go down or not. Real Madrid, PSG, and Bayern Munich are all big fans of the player, and offers of around £50m would probably be enough,” another added.
Sarr looked an elite prospect at former club Metz and he’s continued to develop well at Tottenham, where he has a contract until 2030.
The Senegal international is not currently understood to be pushing for a move away, with everyone at the club fully focused on getting out of the Premier League bottom three, but agents and intermediaries will likely be starting to at least have informal discussions soon.
Pape Matar Sarr to seal major transfer?
For now, that does not mean the likes of Real, PSG, or Bayern have started any negotiations, and it may even be that Sarr will not end up being the top target for any of those teams.
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But the interest is genuine and it likely means there’ll be other names in the mix before too long, though I don’t have those for you at the moment.
What’s clear, though, is that Spurs know they face a fight to keep a lot of this squad together, and while much of the speculation so far may be about the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, it’s also very likely that Sarr is someone they’ll also struggle to keep hold of this summer.
Ekitike has suffered a suspected Achilles injury, which could likely put him out of action for the next nine months, with Deschamps admitting it’s a “huge blow” for both the player and his team.
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The 23-year-old has shone since joining Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, scoring 17 goals in all competitions for the Reds.
Ekitike would probably have been in contention for the France squad at this summer’s World Cup, with Deschamps releasing a statement to express his sadness at the news and his support for the player.
Didier Deschamps on Hugo Ekitike missing the World Cup
“Hugo suffered a serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG. The severity of his injury will unfortunately prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and participating in the World Cup,” the Les Bleus boss said in a statement, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“Hugo is one of the dozen young players who have made their debuts with the national team in recent months. He had perfectly integrated into the group, both on the pitch and off it. This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team.
“His disappointment is immense. Hugo will regain his top form, I’m convinced of it. But I wanted to express all my support to him, as well as that of the entire staff. We know he’ll be fully behind the France team, and we’re all thinking of him very strongly.”
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Hugo Ekitike injury a blow for Liverpool and France
Liverpool really could have done without more bad news after such a disappointing season, with the Ekitike injury coming during the Reds’ Champions League exit this week.
Arne Slot’s side have also had other major injury concerns throughout the campaign, with Alexander Isak barely playing due to fitness issues, while Conor Bradley has also missed a lot of football in recent months.
France, meanwhile, have a lot of other world class attacking options in their squad, though Ekitike could undoubtedly have been another fine option at the World Cup.
The former PSG youngster offers something a bit different from the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, so surely would have had a role to play in Deschamps’ side this summer.
LFC have concerns beyond the summer, though, as the seriousness of Ekitike’s injury means he surely won’t be playing again until midway through next season.
It’s no secret that focusing on just one competition can be beneficial to a team when it comes to the cut-throat run-in to any given season. That’s simply common sense. Fewer games mean star players can sit out games of lesser importance in order to be in tip-top condition for those that matter. Never has that been more noticeable than at Atletico Madrid in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Unlike in recent campaigns when Diego Simeone’s men have been competing alongside both Barcelona and Real Madrid in a quest to win La Liga, this season, Los Rojiblancos are well off the pace and are simply settling for a spot in the top four. But while that may be somewhat of a pessimistic approach, it is also a smart one. Atleti have already secured a spot in the Copa Del Rey final by beating Barca across two legs in the semifinals, and now, they look poised and ready to dump the Blaugrana out of the Champions League as well.
Atletico Madrid Stun Barcelona
The Spanish capital’s perceived “second club” headed to Catalonia for the first leg of their quarterfinal in the Camp Nou with the betting odds stacked against them. Some outlets listed them as long as 5/1 to secure the victory against the current runaway La Liga leaders, as well as 25/1 outsiders to win the Champions League outright. But Simeone’s side has never been one to shy away from their underdog status.
With ‘El Cholo’ heavily rotating his squad domestically in the weeks leading up to the contest, Atletico were fresh and ready for the fight. Barcelona, meanwhile, looked jaded and in need of a rest. And when their highly rated teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off on the stroke of half-time with the game finely poised at 0-0, Simeone and Atleti took full advantage. Julian Alvarez slammed home the resulting free kick to give the visitors the lead, before Alexander Sørloth bundled home to double the lead in the second half.
Atletico now have a 2-0 lead to defend in the second leg, and they will do so with a fully rested squad, and with history on their side. Los Rojiblancos haven’t lost when hosting the second leg of a Champions League tie in 29 years, let alone by two clear goals. As such, it’s safe to say that those aforementioned betting odds have now swung in their favour.
Websites allowing soccer betting with Bitcoin now give Atletico a 10/1 shot to win the Champions League this season, less than half of the 25/1 they were ahead of the first leg. As they continue to rest players in La Liga to focus on their continental adventure, those odds will surely shorten further should they make it through to the semifinals.
Atletico aren’t the first team to see their European efforts benefit from not being involved in a domestic title fight. Here are two other teams that have also followed the same blueprint.
Chelsea
When Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in the summer of 2004, the one trophy he valued above all others was the Champions League. The Blues would reach the semifinals of the competition five times in their first six seasons in charge, even reaching the final for the first time in 2008. Unfortunately for the Russian owner, his West London side lost all of them, with their Premier League fortunes — the club won three league titles throughout the same time frame — costing them dearly on the continental stage.
By 2012, the club was in disarray domestically. Out of league contention by the new year, interim manager Roberto Di Matteo — appointed following the disastrous tenure of Andre Villas-Boas — immediately prioritised the Champions League above all other competitions. The decision paid dividends.
While Chelsea finished fifth in the Premier League, they would go on to lift the famous big-eared trophy for the first time, beating both Barcelona in the semi-finals and Bayern Munich — on their home turf — in the final in fairytale fashion. And nine years later, history would repeat itself, as Thomas Tuchel led a Blues team that finished fourth in the Premier League to a second-ever Champions League crown.
AC Milan
Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan were arguably the Champions League’s dominant force throughout the 2000s. They reached three finals in five seasons between 2003 and 2007, winning two of them. On none of those runs to European football’s showpiece fixture, however, did they win Serie A. In fact, they barely even competed for the Scudetto.
In the 2002/03 season, the Rossoneri finished third in the Italian top flight, a whopping 11 points behind Juventus. However, the Bianconeri were forced to continually play stars such as Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet week after week as they looked to pip Inter to the title. Don Carlo, meanwhile, was able to rest his key men, and that was the crucial difference maker as his side beat Juve in the Old Trafford final.
Two years later, Milan would reach the final once again, and once again, they were never truly in Scudetto contention, finishing seven points behind Juve. Still, the likes of Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko — who were well-rested — powered them to the Champions League final, and it looked as though they would once again lift the trophy when they raced into a 3-0 halftime lead against Liverpool in Istanbul. Unfortunately for them, they would fall victim to one of football’s greatest ever miracles as the Reds mounted a comeback for the ages. But still, the blueprint of prioritising Europe over domestic matters shone through.
In 2007, the agony of that Istanbul collapse would end as Milan met Liverpool once again in the final, this time in Athens. This time around, the Rossoneri finished a whopping 36 points behind cross-city rivals Inter as they finished fourth in Serie A. But their domestic woes were irrelevant when Filippo Inzaghi’s brilliant brace downed the Reds in the Greek capital to claim the European Cup yet again. Nearly two decades on, Atletico Madrid look to follow in those illustrious footsteps.
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