Newcastle United haven’t quite got going in the summer transfer window, but Eddie Howe has a plan and is beginning to put it into action.
Despite missing out on a host of top targets, the Tynesiders will be confident that they can make something meaningful out of a transfer window that is preceded by the Magpies’ success in winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the Champions League.
They will need to recover from the slew of setbacks which has seen them miss out on Dean Huijsen, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro.
Mbeumo
And things are gathering pace on that front.
Newcastle looking to kickstart transfer window
Newcastle have reportedly launched a fresh attempt worth £50m + to sign Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga and their pursuit of new talent isn’t going to stop there.
Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is also anticipated to be on the verge of joining the St. James’ Park ranks, having been hailed for his “world-class” level by manager Scott Parker earlier in 2025.
With a goalkeeper and a new winger potentially ticked off, it’s over to the midfield. While it isn’t regarded as the highest priority by Howe and Co, the opportunity to sign Matteo Guendouzi might be too good to resist.
As per reports in Italy, translated by Sport Witness, Newcastle have joined Aston Villa and rivals Sunderland in preparing a bid for the Lazio midfielder, who is valued at €50m (£43m).
Guendouzi, 26, is a valued member of Maurizio Sarri’s squad, but financial concerns may force them to cash in.
Why Newcastle want Matteo Guendouzi
France international and former Arsenal star Guendouzi never hit his finest form when cutting his teeth as a Gunner, however, he was always regarded as a “monster in the making” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
He completed 66 fixtures under Unai Emery’s wing before moving back to his homeland. A stint with Marseille led to rehousing in the Serie A with Lazio, where he has now performed for the past two campaigns, featuring prominently.
His combative and progressive mix of qualities, hardened by his time in Italy, suggests he could be Howe’s next version of Sandro Tonali, who served as an inimitable maestro for Newcastle last season.
Guendouzi, indeed, ranked among the top 10% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 19% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
Press-resistant and confident in their roles, Guendouzi would add competition for the Italian, who was so instrumental for Newcastle’s incredible resurgence last term.
Indeed, with Sean Longstaff potentially being sold, the need for such a signing is underscored.
Matches (starts)
36 (28)
37 (37)
Goals
4
1
Assists
2
3
Touches*
53.4
68.3
Pass completion
86%
91%
Big chances created
4
3
Key passes*
0.8
1.2
Dribbles (success)*
0.6 (59%)
0.4 (60%)
Ball recoveries*
4.9
4.7
Tackles + interceptions*
2.3
1.9
Duels won*
3.7 (54%)
2.8 (50%)
Both players operate so fluidly in the middle of the park, and Guendouzi could add the perfect bit of depth to ensure Newcastle pull their weight across domestic and continental competitions in 2025/26.
Newcastle have already hit the jackpot with one midfield signing brought over from the Italian scene; might they strike gold once again?
Next Ben Arfa: Newcastle set to bid £50m for "electric" Elanga alternative
As Newcastle chase Anthony Elanga, should they instead go for an “electric” winger, one who is reminiscent of former fan’s favourite Hatem Ben Arfa?
Chelsea are planning to overhaul a key area of Enzo Maresca’s squad this summer, with BlueCo looking to sell two players and potentially open new talks for an elite-level star.
Chelsea continue transfer planning after botched CWC deals
In high-profile fashion, Chelsea missed out on a couple of anticipated deals before the pre-Club World Cup transfer deadline at 7pm on Tuesday.
Chelsea are in ongoing talks with Neymar-like forward – Sky journalist
The west Londoners are still working beyond the Club World Cup transfer deadline.
ByEmilio Galantini Jun 11, 2025
While Chelsea do have the arrival of Liam Delap to celebrate, with the English sensation set to bolster Maresca’s forward options for the CWC, the Blues couldn’t quite get Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens or AC Milan’s Mike Maignan over the line.
The former was a top target for Maresca in the wide area, and Chelsea did their utmost to make it happen – lodging three different offers in the build up to Tuesday’s deadline, only for Dortmund to reject them all and demand more money (Florian Plettenberg).
Cole Palmer
7.33
Moises Caicedo
7.02
Enzo Fernández
6.95
Nicolas Jackson
6.88
Noni Madueke
6.82
via WhoScored
Chelsea went as high as £47 million in their bid to sign Gittens, but it was no use, with the west Londoners deciding to walk away from talks once it was clear a deal could not be done in time.
Their attempts to sign Maignan were equally frustrating.
Milan wanted around £25 million to sell the France international, who’s about to enter the final year of his contract and won’t sign a new one, but Chelsea were only willing to pay up to £13 million, meaning no agreement could be found (The Athletic).
AC Milan's MikeMaignanreacts
Given the 29-year-old’s pedigree as, arguably, one of the world’s finest keepers and France’s undisputed number one, there is frustration among Chelsea supporters that they didn’t stump up the cash for a player who would’ve undoubtedly been an upgrade on their current crop.
Maignan was also known to be very keen on a move to Chelsea, and for just £25m, the shot-stopper could’ve been a serious bargain.
However, their transfer plans are continuing into the summer, with reliable journalist Simon Phillips suggesting that a move for Maignan certainly isn’t off the cards.
Chelsea could hold new Mike Maignan talks next week
The Blues want to sell both Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic, with Chelsea reportedly valuing the latter at around £21 million. Sanchez joined the club for around £25 million from Brighton, and you’d Chelsea would want to recuperate a large portion of that fee.
With the £46 million duo up for sale, one source has told Phillips that Chelsea could even reopen talks for Maignan as early as next week.
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
“They held talks with Milan, Maignan wants the move, and Chelsea actually believed they were about to sign him with a fee agreement close,” said Phillips, via his Substack.
“AC Milan moved the goalposts on the fee in the final stages and that was enough for Chelsea to back out, for now.
“However, they are likely to go back for Maignan. I know initially we heard yesterday that they wouldn’t be going back for him at all. But after further digging by our sources last night, we’ve heard that Chelsea are now likely to revisit this deal later in the summer window. One source even suggests they could go back in for talks as soon as next week.
“Chelsea don’t want to be pushed over in negotiations so some of this is about sending messages as well as not appearing desperate to land a new goalkeeper.
“And that is because they want to sell both Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez this summer. Obviously this needs suitors and those suitors to pay the valuations to make this happen, but this is their intentions.”
Called “one of the best” keepers in world football by Alisson, the Liverpool star also heralded Maignan’s “quick” burst of pace off the line, and a truly quality number one could be one of the final missing pieces of Maresca’s jigsaw.
The season may be over, and the fans may still be basking in the glory of Europa League success, but there is still plenty of work for the Tottenham Hotspur board to do in the coming months.
The summer transfer window is set to open in a matter of days, and with Champions League football now secure, Daniel Levy and Co must do everything they can to bring in the best players to support Ange Postecoglou and his squad.
However, it’s not all about incomings, as the club now have a golden opportunity to offload a number of players who simply aren’t good enough.
Specifically, Levy and Co should look to sell someone who’s in real danger of becoming the club’s new Tanguy Ndombele.
Ndombele's Spurs career
Back in the summer of 2019, Spurs were crying out for some midfield reinforcements, and so the club did something quite out of character and smashed their transfer record to bring in Ndombele for around £63m.
Tanguy Ndombele
There was plenty of excitement around the move at the time, as the Frenchman was coming off a stellar campaign with Lyon, and several prominent journalists were even comparing him to the simply sensational Mousa Dembélé – yes, seriously.
Unfortunately, aside from the good performance here and there, the Longjumeau-born ace never got anywhere near the level that was expected of him, so much so that after just two and a half years, he was sent back to Lyon on a short-term loan.
Ndombele’s Spurs career
Appearances
91
Goals
10
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.20
All Stats via Transfermarkt
After that, he spent a season with Napoli and then another with Galatasary, finally leaving N17 after his contract was terminated by mutual consent, with 91 Tottenham appearances to his name, in which he scored ten goals and provided nine assists.
With his fee, lack of game time and poor performances all taken into account, it’s not hard to see why journalist Paul Brown described Ndombele as “one of the worst signings Spurs have ever made.”
Unfortunately, the club now have another midfielder who could be in a similar conversation, unless they sell him this summer, that is.
The Spurs player who must be sold
Now, while a number of squad members should be sold this summer, the player we are talking about is Yves Bissouma.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Like Ndombele before him, there was quite a bit of excitement around the Mali international’s transfer to Spurs back in 2022, with content creator George Benson describing the deal as “an absolutely brilliant signing.”
However, instead of getting the unreal midfield destroyer who was sensational for Brighton & Hove Albion, the North Londoners ended up with a player who has had more questionable performances than good ones.
Tottenham Hotspur's YvesBissoumaarrives before the match
For example, while he was undeniably excellent in the Europa League final, he was terrible against his old club on Sunday, earning himself a 4/10 match rating from Alasdair Gold, who rather charitably described him as ‘clumsy.’
It was a similar story away to Fulham earlier in the season when Gold gave him 3/10 and wrote that ‘his use of the ball was dreadful.’
Go back another few months to December, and he put in such a poor display at home to Chelsea – in which he gave away a penalty – that Jamie Carragher slammed him for being “absolutely ridiculous.”
Finally, on top of being unable to string together a number of good performances, the 28-year-old has a sketchy fitness record at best, which has seen him miss 25 games for club and country since moving to N17.
Tottenham Hotspur's YvesBissoumareacts after being substituted
Ultimately, it’s in Spurs’ best interest to say thanks for the performance in the final and sell Bissouma this summer before another season of dismal displays turns him into the modern Ndombele.
Massive Tel upgrade: Spurs ready £38m offer to sign "unstoppable" star
Spurs could sign an upgrade on Tel for £38m this summer.
Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal are extremely keen on signing a £50 million player, following other reliable reports that talks have already been held with his representatives ahead of the summer transfer window.
Arsenal set for summer rebuild under Andrea Berta
The season is by no means over for Mikel Arteta and co, who have a golden opportunity to make history and win the club’s first ever Champions League title after sensationally knocking out Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Their new Ian Wright: Arsenal want to sign "one of the best CFs in Europe"
Arsenal are looking at signing a striker who could be their next Ian Wright in north London.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Apr 22, 2025
Ligue 1 champions PSG await the Gunners in a mouthwatering semi-final clash, and it is truly a tie which will make or break Arsenal’s campaign.
However, another hot topic at the Emirates Stadium right now is new sporting director Andrea Berta’s looming summer rebuild ahead of next season. There are suggestions that Arsenal are looking to strengthen all areas of the squad, including between the sticks, in defence, midfield and further forward.
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games
Date
Crystal Palace (home)
Tonight
Bournemouth (home)
May 3rd
Liverpool (away)
May 11th
Newcastle United (home)
May 18th
Southampton (away)
May 25th
£300 million could even be spent doing so, according to GiveMeSport, amid Berta’s “insatiable” desire to build winning teams.
“Anyone who knows football knows Andrea is an impressive figure,” said co-chairman Josh Kroenke after Berta’s appointment.
“He has vast knowledge of the game, a great track record, a strong network and an insatiable desire to build winning teams. Andrea will be a great addition to our club. He understands our values and what we stand for, and we have no doubt he will help us push on and take the next steps in our bid to win major trophies.
“We undertook a thorough recruitment process, and we were hugely impressed with the level of all the other candidates, but it was Andrea’s experience and the success he has enjoyed that stood out.”
Defensively, it is believed Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen is emerging as a top target for Berta.
The reliable David Ornstein recently reported that Arsenal have held talks with Huijsen’s representatives, alongside the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham, with elite clubs taking note of the Spaniard’s £50 million release clause.
Arsenal "really" interested in signing Dean Huijsen
Following this development, another credible and trusted media source in Romano has shared another update on Berta’s pursuit of the former Juventus defender.
Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen
He reports to GiveMeSport that Arsenal are “really” interested in signing Huijsen this summer after his excellent debut campaign in the Premier League, but the competition remains fierce.
“From what I’m hearing, Arsenal are also interested. Newcastle dream of him, but I think for Newcastle, it is going to be very difficult to get the deal done now with Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal. These three clubs are really interested, so I think he’s going to stay in the Premier League.”
Huijsen recently expressed his excitement over being linked with a move to Real Madrid, but right now, it is unclear whether Los Blancos view the “sensational” centre-back as a priority target.
Chelsea are believed to be in discussions over signing a “very mature” England international ahead of 2026, which interestingly comes amid Romeo Lavia’s injury nightmare.
Lavia was hauled off after just eight minutes during Chelsea’s 2-2 midweek draw with Azerbaijani minnows Qarabag in the Champions League, which could slap the Belgian with yet another lengthy lay off.
Estevao
8.2
Alejandro Garnacho
7.5
Leandro Andrade
7.4
Matheus Silva
7.0
Marko Jankovic
7.0
via WhoScored
Enzo Maresca didn’t provide a definitive update on the ex-Man City gem’s condition in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wolves, but admitted the situation is a “painful” one.
Lavia launched a water bottle in frustration after being taken off against Qarabağ, and it’s hard to blame him.
Since joining Chelsea in a near-£60 million deal over two years ago, Lavia has failed to complete a single 90 minutes — missing a total of 87 matches and being sidelined for 568 days.
Chelsea have been tipped to sign a new midfielder since Lavia was sidelined once again, but journalist Graeme Bailey says it is something they’ve been considering for a long while as Maresca’s side look to bring in more competition for Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo.
Dario Essugo is also out for a “long time” after undergoing surgery on his thigh, with Maresca suggesting he could remain out until January.
In light of this, Chelsea are believed to be weighing up their options, and they apparently hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace sensation Adam Wharton.
The 21-year-old’s excellent 23/24 campaign earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros, but injuries have somewhat stifled his development since then, even if he’s still considered to be one of the country’s brightest up-and-coming talents in the engine room.
Chelsea "actively in talks" with Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton
The Blues are expected to be in the race for Wharton next year, and journalist Aaron Ramiro now claims that they’ve gone a step further already.
According to his information, Chelsea are “actively in talks” with Palace over a deal for the ex-Blackburn Rovers starlet, and the Eagles are talking about the possibility of Trevoh Chalobah going back to Selhurst Park as a makeweight in negotiations.
The England international is very highly-rated by his peers, and Palace have apparently slapped a £100 million price tag on his head to ward off suitors.
How Wharton plays this season will greatly determine whether Chelsea would be willing to get anywhere near that valuation, but former Palace teammate Eberechi Eze is convinced that he’s set for a bright future and already “very mature” for his age.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh shook his head at the improbability. He was talking about the absurd truth that his 61st home run of the year was caught in a crowd of 41,525 people by a Mariners fan wearing a homemade “Dump 61 Here” shirt. A fan who grew up in Washington rooting for the Mariners and now works at—wait for it—a Las Vegas casino. A fan sitting 391 feet away in the opposite field, a distance the other way Raleigh had reached only three times all year.
“That,” Raleigh said, “is crazy.”
Raleigh might well have wondered “What are the odds” that Seattle, the only franchise never to make the World Series, is one win away from playing for a spot in the Fall Classic. (To be specific, at the start of the year the odds of such a thing happening were +1,100, worse than at +900 in 2024 and 2023, when they failed to make the playoffs.)
And what were the odds Raleigh would join Yankee sluggers Aaron Judge, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth as the only players to homer in the postseason after hitting 60 homers in the regular season?
And what were the odds the Mariners would win three games in one year against All-Planet pitcher Tarik Skubal, including a pivotal American League division series Game 2 on Sunday?
Mariners’ secret sauce is the oldest formula for success
It turns out, all the good karma around the Mariners these days has little to do with long odds and everything to do with one of the oldest, surest tenets of winning baseball: pitching. In a game gone crazy over spin and pitch shapes, Mariners pitchers throw more strikes (65.3%), more fastballs (55.5%) and more pitches when ahead in the count (31.2%) than any staff in the American League.
They are flat-out dominating a Detroit Tigers team that doesn’t have nearly the lineup depth or bat-to-ball skills to take on the fury of Seattle’s here-it-is-try-to-hit-it pitchers.
Seattle Game 3 starter Logan Gilbert took the baton from Luis Castillo, who took the baton from George Kirby. In an 8-4 win made close only in garbage time, Gilbert struck out seven batters over six solid innings, tying a Mariners postseason record for most strikeouts without a walk, joining Castillo and Randy Johnson.
In three games the Mariners have held the Tigers to a .165 batting average while striking out 35 batters in 29 innings. Ever since Kerry Carpenter homered in the fifth inning of Game 1, the Tigers have gone homerless in 95 consecutive plate appearances, getting outhomered 5–0. All that with the Mariners’ best starter this year, Bryan Woo, not even on the roster because of injury.
“The most impressive thing about this staff is how crazy-a– tight they are,” said Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez. “I mean, they share information together, they eat together, they train together, they do everything together. Listen, they’ve got good [stuff]. Start there. But the way they compete every day and push each other is what helps them to be great.”
Said Raleigh, “I know every team talks about being aggressive and controlling counts. But these guys take it to another level. It makes my job a lot easier.”
Luis Castillo, right, was one of five Mariners pitchers who held the Tigers to just three hits and two runs in Game 2. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Gilbert threw only 22 fastballs, his third fewest of the year, but bamboozled Detroit hitters with a magic show of sliders and splitters so impressive you thought at any moment he would pull a quarter out of the ear of some wide-eyed Tigers hitter. He threw 20 splitters. The Tigers put none of them in play. They swung six times at his menacing butterfly and missed it five times, managing one measly foul ball.
This is a staff with the best pure stuff this side of the Dodgers. Gilbert’s splitter is the hardest single pitch to hit in baseball among starters (.115 opponents’ batting average) and has the lowest spin rate among all splitters (727 rpm). He has the longest extension in baseball (7.5 feet in front of the rubber, matching Tyler Glasnow and Jake Misiorowski).
Castillo throws the second highest percentage of fastballs in MLB (68.2%) while living up to his nickname, (The Rock), given to him years ago by an impressed Reds teammate who watched him throw one bullpen and said, “Man, you are throwing rocks!”
Woo is number one at chucking fastballs (72.8%). Kirby has the greatest strikeout-to-walk rate in history for any starter four years into their career (6.88). Closer Andres Muñoz has the single toughest pitch to hit in the sport, his slider (.103 opponents’ BA). Matt Brash throws more sliders than all but two pitchers (60.6%).
On and on it goes. The Mariners are a pure stuff factory, a staff of outliers. But everything works from a country hardball, old school perspective. No team in baseball throws more first-pitch fastballs than Seattle.
What are the odds? The Mariners are true believers in the 94% Theory: when a pitcher throws an 0–0 pitch in the strike zone, 94% of the time the batter gets out or the pitch is a strike. Get ahead, then go after chase swings. It’s a formula that the Tigers are poorly equipped to defeat with all their swing-and-miss. It’s a team that pinch-hits for its No. 3 hitter.
Raleigh’s first 2025 postseason homer lands with a friendly face
The Tigers also just don’t have the depth of elite arms that the Mariners possess. That was apparent in Game 3 when Seattle just kept tacking on runs, including the homer by Raleigh with a runner at second in the ninth.
“Honestly, I was just trying to get the guy over and I was able to get extended a little more through it,” he said.
The ball bounced in the Seattle bullpen and into the hands of Jameson Turner, a supervisor at the Fontainebleau Casino in Vegas who only the day before bought a ticket for Game 3 and flew here. He had the day off Tuesday and asked for Wednesday off as well.
Turner made his teal “Dump 61 Here” shirt himself, ironing on the vinyl graphics. He made the shirt for the last series of the regular season, when he bought a ticket in the right field seats in Seattle hoping to see Raleigh add to his 60 homers.
He brought the shirt with him here but could only find a seat in left field.
“I’m like, ‘Okay, well maybe he'll just knock a miracle one back there,’” Turner said. “And I guess that's what happened … When he came up, maybe he saw me and hit it right to me. It was Babe Ruth there.”
When Turner caught the homer, the Mariners relievers laughed themselves upon seeing his shirt.
“Yeah, they were loving it,” Turner said. “They were just all giving me thumbs up, like they couldn't believe it either.”
The kicker: once Turner caught No. 61, he peeled off his shirt to reveal a like one underneath, only this one read, “Dump 62 Here.” After the game, Turner got to meet his modern Babe Ruth in a hallway outside the Mariners’ clubhouse. Raleigh, clad in shorts and a T-shirt, autographed his shirt.
Major league baseball has been played in Seattle for 50 years, starting with the Pilots in 1969 and the Mariners in 1977. Never has the city seen the World Series. It is the longest drought for a city in baseball. The Mariners have not reached even the league championship series since 2001. But on nights like this, when godwinks happen like Raleigh’s 61st home run landing in the mitts of a Mariners fan wearing 61 in a sea of Tigers fans, it becomes easy for any fan of the team, not just a Vegas casino worker, to believe the odds are not so crazy.
“Well, I grew up in Washington,” Turner said. “I went to games in the Kingdome when I was a little guy and I've been following them more and more as they've been winning more and more. So, it’s been 24 years since we got to [the ALCS], so now it's pretty exciting.”
The story of No. 61 reads like a fable or a cute bedtime story. But to understand why the Mariners are one win away from playing for the pennant requires baseball boilerplate material: to borrow from Castillo, they throw rocks.
Veteran Thomas Muller, who joined Major League Soccer outfit Vancouver Whitecaps just months ago, has given a clear indication of where his future lies, with his contract expiring at the end of this year. The legendary former Bayern Munich attacking midfielder has made a great start to life in North America and is determined to bring unprecedented success at the BC Place.
Muller enjoying sensational start to life with Vancouver Whitecaps
After his contract with Bayern Munich expired following their quarter-final exit at the Club World Cup, Muller decided to join Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Vancouver Whitecaps on a deal until December 31, 2025. The contract includes an option to extend for the entirety of 2026.
Less than two months after arriving from Bavaria, Muller landed his hands on the Canadian Championship, with the Whitecaps beating local rivals Vancouver FC 4-2 in the final. In the process, he became the most decorated German footballer of all-time with 35 trophies to his name, overtaking former Bayern team-mate and Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos.
Muller has been in pristine form as far as his individual performances are concerned; in 10 games, the 2014 World Cup winner has scored nine goals and delivered four assists.
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Muller set to extend Vancouver Whitecaps stay
"Yes – full attack", the German enthusiastically replied when asked him if he'd be staying in Vancouver beyond 2025.
The Whitecaps will be facing rivals Los Angeles FC in the MLS Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference semi-finals this weekend. "In the current context, it would mean a great deal; it's my here and now," Muller conceded when asked about the importance of winning more titles. "Above all, I've moved to a new league and a new country and would then have experienced an extraordinary team performance within a short period of time.
"Consequently, I can say that I am very happy here and am having a lot of fun. But it is of course much more relaxed than in Munich or the rest of Germany."
He also noted that he didn't join the Whitecaps for "vacation", asserting that he is not taking his stint in the MLS for granted. "It was very easy to jump in, they put me in good positions,” he said. “They won a penalty for me in every game. For sure you have to be ready for the competition but I was not coming here for vacation, I wanted to do a serious job and that was always my goal when I came here that I wanted to perform.
“But you never know in a different country, a new league and a new team how long this process will last till you’re a real part of the team. In the end I’ve always been able to adapt to a situation really quickly, I've adjusted my playing style in tiny ways so often. It’s nothing special.”
Bayern president wants Muller to return in operation role
Earlier this month, Bayern president Herbert Hainer confirmed that he held talks with Muller regarding a potential operational role at the club in the future after his exit was finalised. "After his departure was confirmed, Thomas Muller came to my office. I advised him in a personal conversation that if he later wanted a job in sports, he should move to MLS," he told
"He can work operationally for us. He can become a brand ambassador. He could even succeed me one day. It is the wish of the fans and the club that former players take on a leadership role at Bayern Munich."
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Muller confident of beating LAFC in MLS Conference Semi-Finals
This Sunday, Vancouver Whitecaps will lock horns against Son Heung-min's LAFC in the Conference semi-finals. However, Muller was quick to remind fans that Son has never been able to get the better of him.
"The problem is Sonny was a very good player in Hamburg and Leverkusen, but the teams weren't on the same level," he jokingly explained. "It’s maybe not really fair to judge or compare the situation now. We’re in two very good teams and he’s a big player there and I’m a big player there so it’s a little bit different.
“When he was in Hamburg, whenever we came with Bayern at that time we crushed them every time, I think we had 8-2s or 9-1s, but he was still a very good, talented young player at this time, so it’s not the right discussion to look too far back.
“If you go into the details for sure we know how good this team can be. But if you look back at the last few weeks they’re very reliant on [Denis] Bouanga and Son so if they’re not scoring they don’t score. It’s very tough to keep these two quiet, but if we get it done we have a good chance. For me, it's just my first conference semi-final. We’re gonna beat them – that's what I think about this game."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been handed another injury doubt ahead of their looming derby clash at home to Tottenham, following the now-confirmed news that star defender Gabriel Magalhaes is set for weeks on the sidelines.
The Gunners welcome Spurs to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday brimming with confidence, as Arteta’s side look to extend their remarkable recent dominance over their fiercest rivals and strengthen their grip atop the Premier League summit.
Arsenal enter the 198th North London derby in commanding form despite a late setback at Sunderland ending their 10-match winning streak. They sit four points clear at the top of the table, and history suggests they’re well-positioned to maintain that advantage.
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Arsenal have won five of their last six Premier League encounters with Spurs, including three consecutive victories – their longest winning run against Tottenham since the late 80s (The Analyst).
Home advantage has proven decisive in this fixture. Indeed, Arsenal have lost just one of their last 32 home Premier League derbies against Tottenham, winning 19 and drawing 12, with that solitary defeat coming in November 2010 (The Analyst).
The Emirates has become a fortress against their arch rivals, with Arsenal having scored in each of their last 26 home league games against Spurs, netting at least twice in the previous eight meetings.
However, Arsenal have had numerous injury doubts to contend with, as they have for most of this season.
Gabriel is now reportedly set for at least a month on the sidelines after injuring his thigh on international duty with Brazil, with Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus have all been missing recently.
Riccardo Calafiori could miss Tottenham as Arsenal dealt another injury doubt
As well as this, star left-back Riccardo Calafiori, who’s been one of Arsenal’s players of the season so far according to Ray Parlour, was nursing a hip problem on international duty with Italy.
After checks this week, Fabrizio Romano stated that Calafiori is ready to play with no injuries, just ‘overload’, so Arteta’s latest update actually comes as quite a surprising twist.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, via football.london, Arteta says that Calafiori has been unavailable, and they’ll have to wait and see if he can take part against Spurs, pending another Saturday training session.
With Gabriel already ruled out, losing Calafiori would strip Arsenal of their two most versatile defensive options in one fell swoop.
If the former Bologna star is ruled out, Myles Lewis-Skelly is poised to return at left-back, with one of Cristhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapie replacing Gabriel. Calafiori’s been in exceptional form this term, so much so that Lewis-Skelly, one of Hale End’s latest rising stars, has barely got a look-in despite his excellent end to 24/25.
The 23-year-old would be a sore miss for Arteta, who is now facing a real selection headache ahead of one of Arsenal’s biggest games of the year.
Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez was thrust into the spotlight thanks to a bizarre exchange he had with catcher César Salazar during the club's 7–1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night. Valdez, facing Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham in the top of the fifth inning, was on the mound preparing to deliver a pitch when Salazar waved his hand, seemingly gesturing for the Astros southpaw to step off the mound in order to sort out an apparent difference in pitch preference. But Valdez delivered the offering anyway, a 95-mph sinker that Grisham drove over the left field fence for a grand slam.
A miscommunciation between the two again popped up on the next at-bat, as Salazar set up inside for what he thought was an off-speed pitch, but what actually ended up being a 92-mph sinker that the Astros catcher took right to the chest protector. There was some speculation on social media that ther cross-up between Valdez and his catcher was intentional—in other words, that the left-hander hit Salazar on purpose.
Valdez's agent Ulises Cabrera, citing the lefty's skill on the mound and standing in the hierarchy of Houston's pitching staff, vehemently denied that allegation while speaking to on Wednesday.
"The idea that he’s intentionally trying to injure one of his teammates is preposterous," Cabrera said. "It’s a complete lack of respect for who he is as a person and who he is as a player. And his body of work demonstrates that. Anything to the contrary is just completely misguided and it’s not right."
It's not particularly surprising that Valdez's agent would come to the pitcher's defense in such a strong manner, given that the free-agent-to-be, who ranks among MLB's top 25 starters in ERA, innings pitched and quality starts, is in line for a hefty pay day this winter. It's Cabrera's job to make sure that the only conversation surrounding Valdez is about how well he's pitching—and not moments like what occurred Tuesday night.
To that end, both Valdez and Salazar, each of whom reportedly spoke with Astros manager Joe Espada after Tuesday night's game, denied there was any intent in the cross-up on the pitcher's part.
"What happened with us, we just got crossed up," Valdez said in Spanish through an interpreter after the game. "I called for that pitch, I threw it and we got crossed up. We went down to the dugout and I excused myself with him and I said sorry to him and I take full responsibility for that."
Salazar, citing crowd noise, said he had pressed the wrong button on PitchCom and was expecting a different pitch than the one he received.
The Astros will hope that any miscommunications have been sorted out, as the club is clinging to a three-game lead over the Mariners in the American League West and clearly has bigger fish to fry.