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Thierry Henry names Arsenal star who’s proven critics wrong and is now feared by opponents

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By:Mark Brus

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has given credit to the improved form of Viktor Gyokeres in recent games after a particularly strong display in last night’s Champions League semi-final.

The Sweden international scored twice in the win over Fulham at the weekend, and though he didn’t find the back of the net against Atletico Madrid, he worked tirelessly all night long and proved a real handful for Diego Simeone’s side.

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Henry admits he’s been critical of Gyokeres at times, but he now feels that the former Sporting Lisbon man is proving him and his other critics wrong by becoming more of a real number 9 that opponents fear.

Watch below for Henry’s analysis…

Thierry Henry gives the Arsenal team their flowers after they make their first #UCL final since he played for the club in 2006 ??? pic.twitter.com/dlZpHPO1tm

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 5, 2026

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Thierry Henry on Viktor Gyokeres

Discussing Gyokeres, Henry said: “You know, I’m old school, show me what you can do and I’ll say it.

“If you’re not playing well I’ll say you’re not playing well. For a very long time, for example, if I take the example of Gyokeres, the jury was out on him.

“It’s not a bad thing – embrace it, try to prove people wrong. Tonight he did, not only tonight but in the last month.

“I will give him his credit. He’s running, he looks solid, he looks a bit more like a number 9 you can be scared of.”

The Frenchman also praised Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the players for seeming to adapt better to Gyokeres by looking for him early and doing more to get the best out of his strengths.

Viktor Gyokeres’ first Arsenal season in numbers

Gyokeres stats Games Goals Assists
Arsenal 2025/26 51 21 3

Gyokeres hasn’t always looked that convincing in a red and white shirt, having been an absolute goal machine at former club Sporting.

Still, the 27-year-old has managed an impressive 21 goals in 51 games in all competitions, which isn’t bad considering it’s his first season with a new club in a new league.

Gyokeres has also managed five goals in the Champions League to help the Gunners reach only their second ever final.

The post Thierry Henry names Arsenal star who’s proven critics wrong and is now feared by opponents appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Report: Liverpool weighing up offer to hijack major Tottenham transfer deal

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By:Mark Brus

Liverpool are reportedly weighing up trying to hijack Tottenham’s move to sign Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi.

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The Argentine is set to be out of contract at Bournemouth this summer, and our understanding is that he has been in advanced talks over joining Spurs.

However, nothing has been fully agreed yet due to uncertainty over whether Tottenham can stay in the Premier League, which could lead to other clubs joining the race.

According to talkSPORT, Liverpool could be set to try to get in ahead of their rivals, with there still seemingly being no clarity on Ibrahima Konate staying and signing a new contract at Anfield.

Marcos Senesi transfer looks like a good opportunity for top clubs

Even if Senesi isn’t the biggest name in world football, he’s a quality player with Premier League experience who’s about to be available on a free transfer.

Tottenham could certainly do well to add someone like that to their squad for next season after flirting with relegation this term.

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Liverpool, meanwhile, have also had a disappointing season by their high standards, with Champions League qualification still not entirely guaranteed yet.

It seems clear the Reds would benefit from strengthening at the back after conceding 47 league goals – more than the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace, and 21 more than league leaders Arsenal.

Bournemouth to lose more star players?

Bournemouth saw Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez leave last summer, while Antoine Semenyo then joined Manchester City in January.

The Cherries now look set to lose Senesi for nothing, while there’ll likely be speculation over other star players such as Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott.

Meanwhile, manager Andoni Iraola is also leaving his position as he’ll also be out of contract this summer.

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Premier League Players Looking To Impress At The World Cup

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By:Mark Brus

The World Cup is the biggest stage in football, and a chance for the top players to prove their worth. There will be a whole host of stars from the Premier League heading to North America this summer, looking to do the business, and we’ve picked out some of those who could make the difference for their respective nations.

Elliot Anderson

For the last couple of seasons, Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson has established himself as one of the top-flight’s leading players in his position. This has allowed the Whitley Bay-born star to secure the role next to Declan Rice in England’s central midfield. The Three Lions start as one of the favourites to win the tournament according to the latest online World Cup betting, and if Anderson can transfer his league form to the competition, they have a great chance of success.

Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes is in the running to be named the Premier League’s player of the season due to his stellar form for Manchester United. The Portuguese number ten continues to excel, regardless of United’s form, and he also plays a key role for his country. The talk is often about Cristiano Ronaldo, but in Fernandes, Portugal have another genuine world-class talent who can make the difference on the pitch by scoring a goal or finding the right pass.

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Antoine Semenyo

Last season, Antoine Semenyo started to show what he’s truly capable of at the top level of the English game, and he continued that form into the current campaign. Even before he joined Manchester City in January, the Ghana star was doing the business with goals and assists. Since arriving in Manchester, he’s taken his game to another level, and the Black Stars will be relying on him to help them compete in and progress out of Group L, a group that also features England.

Igor Thiago

Rewind a season, and people would have scoffed at the mere suggestion that Brentford striker Igor Thiago could be on the plane to represent Brazil at the World Cup this summer. Serious injury halted Thiago’s start to life in the Premier League, but this season he’s delivered an impressive goals return of 21 in 33, and is only second to Erling Haaland in the goalscoring charts. The 24-year-old is brimming with confidence and will be looking to take that into the tournament.

Emiliano Martinez

Emiliano Martinez has been one of Argentina’s most important and dependable players in recent times, as proven by his displays at the 2022 World Cup. Argentina ran out winners of that tournament, with Martinez showing up in the big moments, and in the final especially. The Aston Villa keeper sets the tone for the rest of the team, and if La Albiceleste are to defend their crown, they will need Martinez to be that big presence he’s shown he can be once again.

Conclusion 

As anticipation builds ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a whole raft of Premier League players will be dreaming of what’s to come. The players mentioned above all have the ability to make a difference for their respective nations when it matters most. And, it’s players like these that can ultimately make the difference between progressing in a tournament or heading home.

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Casemiro ready to take pay cut for special reason as he decides next club after Man United

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By:Mark Brus

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has reportedly decided he’d be prepared to take a pay cut to get a summer transfer to Inter Miami.

The Brazil international is heading towards the end of his Man Utd contract and is keen to make a move to Miami his priority due to a desire to play with Lionel Messi.

Apparently, Casemiro would even be willing to accept a pay cut to get this dream move, with he and his family also keen on the move to the US, according to Sky Sports.

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Casemiro has performed well for United this season, with some fans perhaps even wondering if the club should make a quick U-turn on the 34-year-old’s deal as he edges closer to becoming a free agent.

Manchester United will surely miss Casemiro

Despite surely coming towards the end of his career, Casemiro has enjoyed a real renaissance this season, putting some of his past difficult MUFC form behind him.

It’s slightly surreal that it was two years ago we were seeing Jamie Carragher famously declaring that Casemiro should leave football before the football leaves him, with the former Real Madrid man now looking like someone the Red Devils are really going to miss…

It will be interesting to see how United end up replacing such an influential player, with Casemiro widely regarded as one of the top defensive midfielders of his generation.

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Even if we didn’t see Casemiro at his peak during his time at Old Trafford, he was world class for many years at Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles, three La Liga titles, and numerous other major honours.

United will surely have a tough job on their hands this summer trying to strengthen in midfield, with a signing needed to replace Casemiro, and also another probably required as an upgrade on the struggling Manuel Ugarte.

The post Casemiro ready to take pay cut for special reason as he decides next club after Man United appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Saka gets big reaction from Henry & Richards as he says he knows who he wants Arsenal to play in CL final

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By:Mark Brus

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka got a big reaction from the pundits in the CBS Sports studio as he discussed who he wants to play in the Champions League final.

The Gunners were in celebratory mood last night as they made it to the final of Europe’s biggest club competition for the first time in 20 years and only the second time in their history.

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Saka scored the winner for Arsenal as they beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium and 2-1 on aggregate, and he was asked about his preferred final opponent out of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain afterwards.

Watch below, however, as Saka insisted he couldn’t give an answer to that question from Micah Richards, though he dropped the cryptic line that “deep down” he knows who he wants to face…

Micah Richards asking Saka who he wants to face(Bayern/PSG) ? pic.twitter.com/dwKQcukJCu

— EMDG (@EmanDaGoon) May 5, 2026

Pictures from CBS Sports

This got a big reaction from the likes of Richards and Thierry Henry on the punditry team, and it’s interesting to think about what Saka could mean.

Who does Bukayo Saka want Arsenal to face in the Champions League final?

We will probably never know for sure which team Saka was talking about as Bayern prepare to host PSG at the Allianz Arena this evening for the second leg of their semi-final tie.

It may be that the England international has his eye on revenge on PSG for knocking them out in last season’s semi-final, which was a closer contest than the 3-1 aggregate score-line would suggest.

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Then again, perhaps Saka is thinking back to Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Bayern earlier this season in the league phase of the competition, with the player and the rest of his teammates perhaps fancying their chances against a side they already know they can beat.

We’ll find out later who will be Arsenal’s opponents, with the two finalists set to meet in Budapest on the 30th of May.

The post Saka gets big reaction from Henry & Richards as he says he knows who he wants Arsenal to play in CL final appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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Video: Arsenal chief has to be held back during bizarre row with Diego Simeone

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By:Mark Brus

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta could be seen having a major touchline row with Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone during last night’s Champions League semi-final.

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It’s not clear precisely what went on between the pair, but there’s clearly some bad blood after their time working together with the La Liga club.

See below for a video of the incident, though it possibly doesn’t capture the entire context of what went down, with additional footage and reporting from TNT Sports suggesting Simeone may have started it by pushing a member of Arsenal’s coaching staff…

Video footage shows Diego Simeone in a heated touchline confrontation with Andrea Berta late in the match. #ucl https://t.co/yqmySARrep pic.twitter.com/OZA68zqxsV

— Arsenal Radar (@ArsenalRadar) May 6, 2026

Tensions were clearly high towards the end of such a big game, with Arsenal eventually going through after a 1-0 victory on the night, and a 2-1 win over both legs of the tie.

Simeone is known for being a bit of a fiery character, so it’s possible that he didn’t show his best side here as he looked to get his team back into the game.

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Arsenal get past Atletico Madrid into Champions League final

In the end, Arsenal held on to their lead in a close and intriguing tie against Simeone’s side to make it to only their second ever Champions League final.

The Gunners have had to wait 20 years for this moment, with the club last reaching the final of this competition in 2006 when they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.

Mikel Arteta’s side are also top of the Premier League in what could still be a memorable season, though they will likely be underdogs in the Champions League final whether they end up facing Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain.

The post Video: Arsenal chief has to be held back during bizarre row with Diego Simeone appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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