Thursday Night: Arsenal Official Transfer News and Updates

NaijacampusjamsSep 3, 2020Read original

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Arsenal have given up in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, according to Spanish outlet AS. As per the report, Los “Rojiblancos” are simply not willing to negotiate with the Gunners and are adamant that Partey will only be allowed to leave the club if his release clause is paid in full.

Arsenal had been hoping to sign the Ghana international in a player plus cash deal but have seen their offer, which involves Matteo Guendouzi, rejected by the Wanda Metropolitano outfit. Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone also considers Partey to be an essential player for the club and wants to do everything in his power to keep hold of his prized asset.

The 27 year old midfielder is inclined to test himself out in the Premier League and has so far declined to enter into contract negotiations with the Spanish side. Recently, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano had claimed that the Gunners were informed that Atletico Madrid would only allow Partey to leave if his release clause was paid in full. However, the London giants were seemingly hopeful of negotiating a transfer fee below his €50 million release clause.

Romano said:

“I am told that two or three weeks ago Arsenal told the Atletico Madrid board they are not going to pay the release clause.

“At the moment there is indication they will pay the release clause and they want to negotiate.

“They offered [Matteo] Guendouzi in the deal and Atletico said no. So at the moment there is no agreement but there is an opportunity to sign the player because Thomas wants to go to Premier League.

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho after Bayern Munich confirmed that the 28 year old will be returning to Spain following his season long loan spell with the German outfit. The Bundesliga giants had the option to sign the Brazilian on a permanent deal but decided against activating that clause.

Bayern Munich CEO “Karl-Heinz Rummenigge” thanked the midfielder for his contributions in the club’s treble winning season. He said:

“ We would like to thank Philippe Coutinho very much. With his creativity and excellent technique, he has invigorated our game during this treble winning season.

According to reports, the Gunners, like many other clubs have suffered financially because of the corona virus pandemic and need to sell considerably before they can make any more purchases. Emiliano Martinez, Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira and Sokratis “Papastathopoulos” are some of the players that the Gunners could offload in the coming days. The sale of these players will fund the signing of Aouar, who is valued at close to £50 million by Lyon.

Arsenal has added to that list and are also looking to offload high earner Mesut Ozil and French man Matteo Guendouzi, both of whom have fallen out of favour with the manager. The sale of the duo could help finance a move for Houssem Aouar, whose price tag has been quoted as being £54 million by Lyon.

The French under 21 international was the shining light for Lyon last season. Aouar contributed 4 goals and 3 assists for the club in Ligue 1 last season, completing 85.7% passes and 2.6 dribbles per match.

Houssem Aouar’s calmness and composure on the ball are the qualities that have attracted interest from the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City and Arsenal. The midfielder would be the perfect addition to Arsenal, where he can partner up with Ceballos and Xhaka to provide the team with creativity and depth.

Given the limited budget Mikel Arteta has to work with, the Spaniard must sell some players in order to finance a move that would greatly benefit his side. Paris Saint Germain are rumoured to be interested in a £30 million move for full back Hector Bellerin.

The Spaniard is one of the best players in the squad but given the depth that Arsenal have in the right back position and the Gunners’ lack of funds, Arteta may be forced to sanction his sale to finance a move for Houssem Aouar.

Frank Lampard already has a perfect strike partner for Timo Werner at Chelsea

FootballSep 4, 2020Read original

Frank Lampard has plenty to ponder when it comes to picking his Chelsea attack next season

Chelsea’s recruitment has turned plenty of heads over the past few months.

Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner , Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, and Malang Sarr have all arrived at Stamford Bridge , and there will be further business done before the window closes on October 5.

football.London understands a club-record deal for Kai Havertz , worth around £90 million, is close to being completed. A new goalkeeper may arrive, too.

While the arrival of world-class talent is exciting for Chelsea supporters, it raises interesting questions about the way in which Frank Lampard’s current squad will be used in the coming weeks and months.

A romantic return to Stamford Bridge saw Lampard take charge of a relatively inexperienced squad at Premier League level.

However, the club's summer transfer activity means several players, many of whom are academy graduates, face a battle to hold on to their starting places.

One player that has even been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge is Tammy Abraham .

The 22-year-old enjoyed a first full Premier League campaign with the Blues last term after loan spells at Aston Villa, Swansea City and Bristol City.

While there is notable room for improvement, a tally of 15 league goals stands as an impressive return from the England international.

However, Werner’s arrival from RB Leipzig means Abraham will be hard pushed to keep his place as Chelsea’s first-choice centre forward.

The German international has been one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers in recent seasons and Blues supporters are understandably excited about his arrival.

Nevertheless, it would be fair to say that Abraham still has plenty to offer Chelsea even with Werner arriving and Olivier Giroud set to play an important back-up role.

The issue of having three good options to choose from at centre forward is, in essence, a good thing for Lampard.

Having depth is one positive, but the range of different skills Chelsea's forwards have may prove invaluable over the course of the season.

In the case of Abraham, he offers a number of traits that provides a blend of Werner and Giroud.

Chelsea fans will be well aware of Giroud’s aerial ability and influence as a focal point. That can be effective in certain situations and it may be that the France international will be called upon no matter how well the other two perform this season.

Meanwhile, Werner's main strengths are his speed against defenders and his ability to get into key attacking areas.

Under Julian Naglesmann, the 24-year-old mainly operated on the left-hand side of a front two and tended to drift towards the touchline before moving further inside at rapid speed.

While there have been suggestions that Lampard will look to use Werner in a number nine role, the 2019/20 campaign showed how Abraham has the potential to be moulded into a well-rounded centre forward in a more traditional sense.

As shown in the graphic below, Abraham registered a high level of shot output inside the penalty area throughout the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.

Tammy Abraham’s 2019/20 shot map, Premier League only(Image: Twenty3.Sport)

What is noteworthy about the shot map is that Abraham missed a number of high-quality chances in central areas.

While that is a negative in the short-term, an improvement in finishing would mean his expert penalty-area involvement quickly results in more goals.

The ability to get into high-quality goal-scoring situations is a skill in itself, one that usually results in strikers registering a respectable tally of goals each season.

Therefore, the theory that Abraham will either be loaned out or receive very few minutes in 2020/21 requires some reflection.

He may not be an elite-level striker at this moment, but Abraham has shown signs of blossoming into a striker that Chelsea can rely on.

Of course, Werner and Giroud will have parts to play in the upcoming campaign, but Abraham has ticked all the right boxes under Lampard so far and will be hoping he gets a chance to do so next season.