Arteta impressed by Man Utd attacking options

Mikel Arteta is confident he has the respect of the Arsenal dressing room and appreciated the way his former team-mates made the move to coaching really, really easy .

Arteta is on a high after one of his best wins so far as Gunners manager, having triumphed 1-0 at Manchester United on Sunday.

But after that victory, a television interview with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang prompted concern from ex-United captain Roy Keane.

Keane, on punditry duty for Sky Sports, said he did not like the way Aubameyang referred to his manager by his first name.

Arteta was asked about the comments but had no such issues, explaining: I was told that Roy mentioned that. I don t know. It s something that is very particular.

I give them the choice for whatever they are co…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports News, Manchester United are in talks with Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon over their pursuit of Bruno Fernandes – although the two clubs are said to be quite some distance off in terms of their valuation of him. 

This comes hot on the heels of the news that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn’t all too willing to discuss the potential transfer, whereas in Portugal, it has been reported that Sporting would quite like to see defender Marcos Rojo being featured in any potential deal. 

The Red Devils are willing to allow Rojo to leave the club during the January transfer window, but Sporting are open to the idea of looking at other players within United’s ranks. 

The tussle for Fernandes has been well documented as of…

Christian Pulisic has accepted being his best self is all the United States want from him after spending years obsessing about being the team s talisman.

The Chelsea forward is set to play a big part when the USA launch their Qatar World Cup campaign against Wales on Monday.

Gregg Berhalter s team later face games against England and Iran, and their presence at the finals comes as a huge relief after the team surprisingly missed out four years ago.

The US missed out on the Russia 2018 finals after losing 2-1 against Trinidad and Tobago in their final qualifier, described by Pulisic as a freak game .

All the results that had to go against the Americans did just that, and they were left despondent and distant from the action that unfolded.

Pulisic s…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic apologised for the red card that cost Milan dearly in their Coppa Italia exit to rivals Inter, coach Stefano Pioli has revealed.

Ibrahimovic, who had scored his 499th club career goal to give Milan the lead, was sent off for a second bookable offence as he felled Aleksandar Kolarov just before the hour-mark.

Romelu Lukaku equalised from the penalty spot soon after and Christian Eriksen s stoppage-time free-kick settled a controversial Derby della Madonnina encounter.

Ibrahimovic had earned his first yellow card in a confrontation with former Manchester United team-mate Lukaku.

The two forwards went head-to-head in a heated exchange that saw Ibrahimovic aim offensive language in the direction of his opponent.

It was a major misst…

Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and now Manchester United are all reportedly chasing Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Days out from his 22nd birthday, Donnarumma has reportedly closed a deal with the Red Devils.

Is David de Gea s future in doubt?

TOP STORY – RED DEVILS SWOOP FOR RECORD-BREAKER

Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has agreed to a provisional deal with Manchester United, according to Todo Fichajes.

The report claims the deal would make the Italy star the best paid goalkeeper ever in world football.

United have had goalkeeping issues this season, with number one keeper David de Gea making a number of errors, while understudy Dean Henderson has made a handful of appearances.

Donnaru…

Manchester United are interested in signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Zirkzee has a release clause of €40 million in his contract at Bologna, and that Premier League giants United could trigger it.

The report has noted two potential problems that United face in their quest to sign Zirkzee. Firstly, there are Financial Fair Play (FPF) issues that could stop the Red Devils from investing in Zirkzee in the January transfer window. Secondly, Zirkzee s previous club, Bayern Munich, have a 50% sell-on clause and could decide to sign the 22-year-old in the January transfer window for €20 million and then sell him for a profit.

Zirkzee has been on the books of Bologna since 2022 and is one of the b…

Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a loan deal for Atletico Madrid club-record signing Joao Felix in January.

Felix, 23, was signed in 2019 for €126million after winning the European Golden Boy award with Benfica, shattering Atletico s previous transfer record of Thomas Lemar by over €50m.

However, despite netting 33 goals for his new club, Felix has struggled to consistently earn a spot in their starting XI, with seven of his 12 LaLiga appearances this season coming as a substitute.

Having made such a substantial investment, Atletico are not willing to sell him at a massive loss just yet, and while they have made him available for transfer, a loan move to rehabilitate his value appears far more likely.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA LOOK TO LOAN DEAL TO ADD…

For 15 minutes or so the farmers were making hay at Estadio Jose Alvalade, granted plenty of open field to harvest by their well-heeled opponents.

As they did in their stunning 3-1 quarter-final victory over Manchester City, Lyon made a mockery of the derisory labels attached to Ligue 1 as they repeatedly scooted past Bayern Munich s high wire high line.

Pep Guardiola s uncharacteristic caution against Lyon has been rightly castigated, but how that game might have looked had City just gone for it was illustrated by an uncomfortable opening for Hansi Flick s in-form Bundesliga champions.

For all the enviable attacking gifts of Bayern s wide defenders Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies, it was Lyon s more unheralded wing-backs Leo Dubois and Maxwel Cornet roving in…

The huge spending of the Saudi Pro League has served as an extra motivation for players plying their trade in the Gulf state, says Fabio Martins.

Four Saudi clubs – Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli – made huge moves over the course of the transfer window.

Karim Benzema, Neymar, N Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Marcelo Brozovic, Riyad Mahrez, Franck Kessie and Ruben Neves were among the big names to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the Thinking Football Summit, Martins, a Portuguese winger who first played in Saudi Arabia in 2020 and now plays for Al Khaleej, believes the eyes of the world are now on the Saudi Pro League, and that is only an extra motivation for players who are able to go up against superstar nam…

Fabinho believes Liverpool are well-placed to benefit from the World Cup break as Jurgen Klopp s team look to chase down their Premier League rivals.

Having fallen narrowly short of winning a second title of the Premier League era when amassing 92 points last season, Liverpool now sit sixth in the top flight, seven points adrift of a top-four place.

Jurgen Klopp s side did improve before the Premier League paused in November, and they could win three consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

With France s Ibrahima Konate the only Liverpool player to remain involved beyond the quarter-finals at the World Cup, Fabinho believes the break has benefited the Reds.

It can be good, he told the club s website. I h…