Sunderland midfielder Sebastian Larsson has stated that Arsenal have lost some of their fear factor, but knows that his side are in for a tough test at the Emirates on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger’s men have been beaten in four of their first seven games in a slow start to the campaign, whilst Sunderland have also had a poor season, winning only one game so far.
The Swedish midfielder spent six years in North London as a youth player, and is looking forward to facing his old employers.
“Even though they have not had a good start to the season, it is still a tough place to go. I am sure the fear factor has gone out of them a little,” he told Mirror Football.
“Since my time there, I have always followed them. I had a great time there and will always be thankful for what they did for me. I always want to see them do well.
“Arsenal in the bottom three?! Well, for this one game I will be more than happy to make that happen.
“Beating Arsenal at Wembley was an unbelievable moment for me, it’s the only title I have won. What made it even sweeter was that it came against a top team. I am still an Arsenal fan. I like to see them do well except when I am up against them.
“Of course, they have had a disappointing start, they can’t get away from that, but a club like Arsenal will always be wanting to be at the top and I hope they can turn it around… after they play us,” he concluded.
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Both sides are in desperate need of three points, as pressure builds on both under-fire managers.
As per Cadena SER, there has been a big transfer update out of Manchester City involving heavily-linked Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Braut Haaland.
The Lowdown: Sky Blues chase striker signing…
Following their failed attempts to sign Spurs’ Harry Kane last summer, Pep Guardiola’s side have had to make do without a world-class natural centre-forward option again this season.
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In what has become a narrow title race, with City now just three points ahead of nearest rivals Liverpool, eyes are on whether the Sky Blues can retain their English crown without a star striker.
Guardiola has utilised City’s array of attacking midfield talent to great effect in his false-nine system, but according to reliable reports, a marquee centre-forward is on the agenda later in the year.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein says that Haaland in particular is a top target as news now emerges from Spain regarding the Premier League champions’ pursuit of the 21-year-old.
The Latest: Man City in pole position for Haaland…
According to Cadena SER, there are ‘five offers on the table’ for Haaland ahead of this summer, including one from Man City.
Indeed, the report claimed that Guardiola’s side are apparently ‘first in the list’ as they enter pole position to sign the Norway star.
The Verdict: Great news…
As the Citizens become favourites to secure one of world football’s most in-demand sensations, this can only come as great news, especially given that Real Madrid looked like they were winning the race at one point.
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The £126,000-per-week forward, lauded for his ‘genius’ by CNN International Sports Anchor Alex Thomas, has bagged a sensational 23 goals and six assists over just 20 appearances in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).
Highlighting his clinical presence in front of goal, Haaland’s physicality at 6 foot 4 also marks him out as a player who is tailor-made for the Premier League, and something City that are arguably missing in attack.
In other news: Man City also eyeing £200,000-per-week ‘monster’ who Guardiola said ‘does everything’, according to ESPN! Find out more here.
Wolves defender Nelson Semedo could potentially miss up to two months of action with a hamstring injury, reports the reliable John Percy.
The Lowdown: Semedo a key man for Wolves
The Portuguese ace has enjoyed a good season for a flourishing Wanderers defence, making 23 starts in the Premier League in total.
Semedo has been predominantly used in a right wing-back role by Bruno Lage, chipping in with one assist and providing pace and width down the right flank.
As Wolves prepare to host Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, however, a big injury blow has emerged.
The Latest: Defender suffers injury blow
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Percy confirmed that Semedo would be out of action for between four and eight weeks with a hamstring issue:
“Wolves defender Nelson Semedo set to be out for 4-8 weeks with a hamstring injury. Earliest return could be in April after the international break, following scans this week. Portugal international has started 23 of Wolves’ 26 PL games this season. Big blow for Bruno Lage.”
[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]
The Verdict: Chance for Hoever to shine?
This is a major blow for Lage in his side’s quest to finish in the European places this season, with Semedo’s quality and experience an important part of Wolves’ success since August.
It means youngster Ki-Jana Hoever could now be trusted with filling the void left by his teammate, having made three league starts to date in 2021/22 and fan favourite Jonny Otto not quite fit enough to be a regular fixture in the team yet.
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At 20, the Dutchman’s lack of experience could be a problem, but he arrived as a prodigiously gifted signing from Liverpool, having been described as ‘sensational’ by Jurgen Klopp, so this is a wonderful chance for him to finally prove his worth to the fans.
In other news, Tim Spiers has reacted to a key Wolves update regarding one player. Read more here.
Leeds United have shown since getting promoted back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence that they are capable of splashing the cash in the transfer window to bring new players to the club in the hope that they can improve the team and keep them as a regular top-flight side.
However, as is the case with most clubs that are particularly active in the transfer market, not every deal ends up being a particularly successful one in terms of value for money.
For example, one player that the Whites had to pay a lot to sign is Spanish attacker Rodrigo, who joined in the 2020 summer transfer window from Valencia in a deal worth a reported fee of £26m.
Since making the move to Elland Road, the 31-year-old has made 51 appearances across all competitions but has only managed to find the back of the net on ten occasions, meaning he has cost them a startling £2.6m per strike.
Meanwhile, he’s provided just three assists along the way as well, which is undeniably less than what the club would have been hoping for based on the hefty fee they shelled out for him.
In October 2020, just a few months after becoming a Leeds player, Transfermarkt rated Rodrigo’s market value at £27m, whereas it now stands at just £13.5m, highlighting a significant drop of 50%, possibly as a result of his lack of consistent goal contributions.
Even though only Raphinha and Dan James have taken more shots at goal in the Premier League than the former Valencia star this term, his percentage of shots on target stands at just 32.4%, which is lower than the likes of Mateusz Klich, Tyler Roberts, Joe Gelhardt, Jack Harrison, Adam Forshaw and Diego Llorente.
This shows that in the absence of Patrick Bamford for the majority of the campaign through injury, the 31-year-old has not been able to provide much of a real goal threat for his side.
As a result, it’s hardly a surprise that former striker and pundit Kevin Phillips dubbed him “non-existent” for his efforts.
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Taking all of this into account, it could be said that Andrea Radrizzani made the wrong choice in choosing which player he was going to break the bank and spend a big sum of money on.
Moving forward, the best way Rodrigo can repay his transfer fee now would be to fire his team to safety with some goals that can result in them picking up enough points to avoid getting relegated back to the Championship.
In other news: Orta can seal dream move after Leeds plot bid for £20m gem, he’s a “new Luis Suarez” – opinion
Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter and transfer ‘insider’ Dean Jones has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans involving Middlesbrough forward Isaiah Jones.
The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Boro raid?
Spurs, and by extension manager Antonio Conte, have reportedly been eyeing a few promising players from the Championship outfit in recent months.
One man supporters will be familiar with is right-wing-back Djed Spence, currently dazzling on loan at Nottingham Forest, who managing director Fabio Paratici reportedly tried to sign for Tottenham in the January transfer window.
ESPN reported that winter bids had been lodged for the defender, all of which were knocked back, while Goal insist that Tottenham are still very much interested and are even favourites for his summer signature.
Spence, however, isn’t the only player from Boro on Spurs’ radar.
The Latest: Jones transfer claim emerges…
Indeed, Tottenham officials have apparently been sent to run the rule over Chris Wilder’s bright young forward Jones with the Lilywhites scouting him at Boro.
Speaking to GMS, reporter Jones has claimed:
“From what I understand, they’ve been scouting Isaiah Jones, too, and they think that he could be the guy they turn to.”
The Verdict: Hugely promising talent…
As Lilywhites officials are dispatched to the Riverside Stadium to watch Jones, they simply must be impressed by what they’ve witnessed.
Wilder, speaking to the press recently, heaped praise on his ‘outstanding’ and ‘exciting’ winger with WhoScored also going into detail on the 22-year-old’s statistical contributions.
Jones ranks in Boro’s top four performers going by average match rating (6.94) and has also completed the joint-second most key passes per 90 (1.2) out of Wilder’s squad in England’s second tier.
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If that wasn’t enough, the Englishman averages more successful take-ons (1.5) every game than any Boro player – highlighting his obvious threat in the final third.
If Tottenham do ‘turn to’ Jones, they could be opting to sign one of the country’s most brilliant attacking talents.
In other news: Conte may lose Spurs player tipped to be ‘really important’, he’s now eyeing an exit…find out more here.
Taking to Twitter, Spanish reporter Carles Domènech – as also backed by Sport – has now dropped a big Sergio Reguilon exit hint for Tottenham supporters.
The Lowdown: Reguilon worries?
Despite being called ‘one of the best left-backs in the world’ by former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson at one point, Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte started to fancy an alternative to Reguilon in fellow left-back Ryan Sessegnon before the latter’s most recent injury.
Since being unceremoniously taken off after 28 minutes in a 2-0 home defeat to Wolves last month, the Englishman went on to impress with some head-turning displays in Conte’s wing-back formation. This could’ve been a slight worry for Reguilon who may now have some competition in that position for Spurs.
His former club Real Madrid have a £34m buyback clause in the deal which took him to Tottenham in 2020, so there is a way out of north London for the 25-year-old.
However, the Galacticos aren’t the only club interested, with Domènech now dropping a major Twitter hint involving their El Clasico rivals Barcelona.
The Latest: Journalist drops Reguilon hint…
Taking to social media, the Spanish source said to ‘get ready’, as there are ‘many possibilities’ for Reguilon to share Barcelona’s left-flank with defender Jordi Alba.
Domènech explained: “Can you imagine Jordi Alba and Sergio Reguilón sharing the left wing? So get ready because there are so many possibilities.”
The Verdict: Big claim…
The Spaniard joining his old La Liga rivals would certainly come as a shock, with Domenech’s claim apparently causing a stir on social media.
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From Tottenham’s perspective, they arguably cannot afford to lose Reguilon despite possessing an alternative in Sessegnon. The latter appears to be far too injury-prone to rely upon without a rotation option, bringing attention to Conte’s reliance on the Spain international.
Facing both Barcelona’s interest and Real Madrid’s possession of a buyback clause, this could be a very interesting summer when it comes to the defender’s future at Tottenham.
In other news: Tottenham launch pre-summer bid to sign ‘phenomenal’ £168,000-per-week man, club likely to accept! Find out more here
Ange Postecoglou has been dealt a big injury blow regarding Celtic centre-forward Johnny Kenny.
What’s the latest?
According to a report by The Scottish Sun, the 18-year-old was taken off on a stretcher after colliding with Matthew Cox in the 35th minute of England U19’s 3-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland U19s on Wednesday evening.
The report goes on to state that the striker had only recently returned to Celtic training after recovering from a previous knock, however, after his latest setback while on international duty, the Irishman now appears set for another spell on the sidelines.
Postecoglou will be fuming
Despite Kenny being yet to make a single appearance for Celtic since his £125k arrival at Parkhead in the January transfer window, the teenager sustaining yet another injury will nevertheless have left Ange Postecoglou fuming.
Indeed, shortly after the centre-forward’s signing, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss appeared to be extremely excited at the prospect of working with the youngster, stating:
“Johnny is one that we’ve been tracking for a while through our scouts over in Ireland. It was one that was put to us, and put to me in the summer window.
“We’ve been tracking his progress. We like what we’ve seen in terms of his development so far. He’s already had a year of senior football and he has some really good attributes.
“We thought it was a good opportunity to bring him in during this window, with the League of Ireland finishing over there. We took advantage of that, and after the discussions with him, he was keen to come across.
“He’s one that our scouting department has been tracking for quite a while. But he’s only 18, and we’re trying to bring in players who we feel we need right now.
“But we’re also not discounting the fact that we need to look a bit further ahead. Once he settles, he’ll start training with us and then he’ll settle in. Hopefully he can make an impact over the next year or so.”
As such, the fact that the 18-year-old has picked up yet another injury will undoubtedly disrupt the young striker’s development at Parkhead, something that will only lengthen the amount of time it takes before Kenny is ready to feature regularly for the Hoops first-team.
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It’s safe to say the Australian has not had the greatest of luck when it comes to offensive players this term with Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis spending plenty of time on the treatment table too.
Furthermore, considering the sheer amount of potential the player who bagged 11 goals over 32 League of Ireland appearances last season clearly possesses, this latest setback is something that will certainly come as a great annoyance to Postecoglou.
AND in other news: Celtic handed huge boost as starlet now set to reject PL move, Ange will be buzzing
Sunderland are still in with a shot of ending their four-year stay in the third tier of English football this season as they attempt to win promotion.
The Black Cats have been stuck in League One since 2018 and are currently seventh in the table as it stands, two points behind the play-off places.
Scottish striker Ross Stewart has been crucial to the club’s promotion charge, regularly firing in goals throughout the campaign. Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley dubbed him “the best forward in the division” and his tally of 22 goals suggests that he is certainly right up there with the best finishers in the league.
However, the Wearsiders may face a tricky situation with him in the summer…
Shocker
Premier League side Norwich have been linked with a swoop for the Scotland international at the end of the season and this should set the alarm bells ringing at the Stadium of Light.
Whilst the Canaries are bottom of the top flight and facing relegation to the Championship, they should still be in a good position in the second tier next term. They have the likes of Max Aarons, Teemu Pukki and Tim Krul in their squad and can offer Stewart the chance to fight for promotion back to the top tier.
Meanwhile, Sunderland will only be able to offer him League One football or a starring role in a newly-promoted team in the Championship. This suggests that a move to Norwich could be tempting for the centre-forward, and the Wearside club may not be able to command a significant fee for him as he will only have one year left on his contract.
Kristjaan Speakman is therefore facing a transfer shocker heading into the summer. The Black Cats supremo must do everything in his power to extend the 25-year-old’s deal so that the club are not in a terrible negotiating position if Norwich come calling.
They may not be able to reject a bid from the Canaries in the knowledge that he would be able to depart from the Stadium of Light for nothing in 2023, whereas pinning him down to fresh terms will allow them to hold their own and demand a big fee for him.
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This means that they would either deter clubs from attempting to snap up Stewart or they would land a significant payday and be able to use that money to source a replacement. Speakman must now get to work on agreeing an extension with the £2.7k-per-week gem in order to prevent a summer shocker.
AND in other news, Sold at £9m, now worth £720k: Sunderland played a blinder with “unit” whose career has flopped…
Angelo Ogbonna’s potential early return from a serious knee injury is a ‘massive boost’ for West Ham, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
The Lowdown: Ogbonna could return early
The Italian was enjoying a superb start to the season back in the early months of 2021/22, only for his campaign to be cruelly cut short by injury.
Ogbonna suffered cruciate ligament damage in the memorable 3-2 win at home to Liverpool back in November and it was generally thought that he wouldn’t feature again this season, potentially even playing his last game for the club.
It has recently emerged that the centre-back looks likely to feature again before the summer, however, in a positive update for both West Ham and the player himself.
The Latest: Journalist reacts to news
Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke discussed the update, admitting it is an undoubted boost:
“It would be a massive boost to get Angelo Ogbonna back, who was in really good form for West Ham prior to the cruciate ligament injury he picked up against Liverpool.”
The Verdict: Enormous boost for Hammers
From a purely human perspective, it is heartwarming that Ogbonna looks likely to wear the Hammers shirt again, with the general assumption that he had donned it for the last time, as his contract expires this summer.
The veteran has been a great servant for West Ham and it is only right that he is able to receive a proper send-off at the end of the season, and although we won’t see him in action immediately, this could be a timely boost to morale around the camp ahead of Sunday’s clash with Everton.
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That being said, David Moyes must be ruthless when it comes to using Ogbonna, only playing him if he feels he is truly ready, with European football on the line at the London Stadium, both in terms of the Premier League and Europa League.
In other news, an exciting West Ham transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.
It was brilliant, and then it wasn’t. It was breathtaking, and then it wasn’t. Quite how do you make sense of another remarkable mixed bag from this Manchester United team?
It wasn’t quite the chaos of Lyon last season, although Monday night’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth certainly ran it close, with Ruben Amorim’s chaotic bunch looking slick and fluid at one end, while also proving creaky and exposed at the other.
Indeed, had it not been for two vital interventions from new man Senne Lammens late on, the Red Devils would have been walking away from nothing, albeit while having still now dropped seven points from their last three home Premier League games.
Perhaps, after a 15th-placed finish last time out, such turbulence is merely to be expected, with the Old Trafford side now sitting in sixth, in what is becoming an increasingly congested middle order.
Such a standing shows – as was also evident on Monday – that improvements are gradually being made in 2025/26, although, having shipped four on their own pitch, the continued concerns also reared their ugly head again.
Man Utd's worst performers vs Bournemouth
Like against West Ham earlier this month, there was a real inability to kill the game off as far as United are concerned, having raced into a deserved 1-0 lead that should well have been extended, with both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo going close in the first half.
In the case of the latter man, it was arguably the worst of a poor run of performances from the AFCON-bound winger of late, with the left-footer squandering chance after chance, including his volleyed, first-half effort.
The 26-year-old was as guilty of failing to put the game to bed as the long-serving Luke Shaw was in failing to lead the youthful, makeshift backline, with the Englishman going walkabout as January target Antoine Semenyo raced clear to level things up on the 40-minute mark.
The experienced defender notably lost the ball 14 times amid that erratic performance in United’s left channel, as per Sofascore, with such a showing further highlighting the need for the returning Lisandro Martinez to slot in from the start in the coming weeks.
Equally, too, Amorim will surely be applying pressure on those at Carrington to get both Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire back fit and firing again, with centre-back options having been so depleted against the Cherries.
Two of the visitors’ three goals came from simple passes right through the Red Devils’ defence line, with all the good work in attack having been undone so cheaply, particularly for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser to make it 4-4.
While Amorim may point to the need for his side to sharpen up collectively in a defensive sense, such a showing has only highlighted the increasing concerns over his supposedly promising talent.
Man Utd's 'new Hojlund' needs to be benched
The INEOS regime will likely look back on the signings made prior to their arrival with real frustration, with the club having notably forked out an initial £64m fee on 20-year-old, Rasmus Hojlund, in the summer of 2023.
Despite taking until Boxing Day to score a first league goal in English football, the Dane did at least show flashes during a fine run at the start of 2024, alongside his stellar Champions League group stage performances, which yielded six goals.
The top scorer for the club in all competitions in that debut campaign, the ex-Atalanta man’s form sadly nosedived in a real case of second-season syndrome, scoring just four league goals before being sent packing to Naples over the summer.
Patience was afforded the youngster during 2023/24, although he simply regressed too much last season. Could the same be happening again with INEOS’ own costly investment, Leny Yoro?
Signed for £52m from Lille back in 2024, the teenage Frenchman recovered from an injury-hit start to life in Manchester to ultimately prove a key figure in last season’s Europa League run, regularly driving United up the pitch with confident, gliding dribbles from deep.
Tipped to be the ‘new Rio Ferdinand’, Yoro showed more than enough to be encouraged by in that first season, although in the present, he is in danger of drifting into Hojlund territory, as another rough diamond who is failing to shine.
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Indeed, it was not too long ago that he was hooked early in the second half following a shaky showing away at Selhurst Park, having again been off the pace in the meeting with Andoni Iraola’s side.
Yoro – 25/26 PL stats
Stat
Record
Games
16
Starts
10
Pass accuracy*
87%
Key passes*
0.2
Ground duels won*
50%
Aerial duels won*
66%
Possession lost*
5.6
Dribbled past*
0.3
Clean sheets
0
Stats via Sofascore
Operating on the right of the back three, before his withdrawal on the 69-minute mark, the France U21 international lost the ball nine times from just 47 touches, while failing to successfully complete a single key pass, dribble or cross from what should be a progressive position.
Also winning just 50% of his duels, it was telling that Amorim opted to withdraw the £52m man, rather than £1m teammate Ayden Heaven, not least with another left-footer in Martinez entering the fray.
A weak link defensively, and hardly an asset in a forward-thinking sense, Yoro is not having a happy time of things in this turbulent second season, having yet to prove he is the long-term solution in any of the three backline roles.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
At just 19, he won’t be written off just yet, although, as was seen in the case of Hojlund, it could be a case of two seasons and out if improvements don’t drastically improve before the campaign is over.
As bad as Shaw: Man Utd star had his worst game for the club vs Bournemouth
Manchester United drew again at Old Trafford in a frantic 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.