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Arsenal
I’m a big fan of Mikel Arteta’s project at Arsenal, and look forward to seeing if they can continue their superb start to the season today. The Spaniard was highly rated when he was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City, and now he’s emerging as the main challenger to his old boss in this season’s title race!
For sure Guardiola has had a big influence on Arteta’s ideas and methods, and they have some similarities. I think Arteta is doing an excellent job on tactics, he’s improving a lot as manager; but I’m also told that his relationship with the players is now great and this is a key factor for Arsenal. The atmosphere at the club is really positive right now, and Arteta deserves huge credit, but also Edu for his work as technical director.
Aston Villa
Douglas Luiz has signed a new contract with Aston Villa, valid until June 2026. They’ve been in negotiations since Arsenal failed to sign him on Deadline Day. The Gunners had three bids rejected, because Villa always saw him as untouchable, and now his future has been secured.
Atletico Madrid
The situation is tense because Joao Felix wants to play more, while Diego Simeone is trusting other players in this moment. Atletico Madrid insist they have no intention to sell Joao, as there’s a €350m release clause.
I’m aware there was some speculation about Manchester United in the summer, but there was nothing advanced or concrete with United. Still, I think he’d be a fantastic signing for many European clubs because his potential is enormous, this has been obvious since his days as a youngster at Benfica, so I hope Atletico will keep and trust Joao for present and future.
Barcelona
Xavi: “I’m still positive and optimistic about our project. I will keep working and pushing — but I will never be a problem for Barcelona otherwise I’d go home. I want to be a solution for Barcelona so that’s why I’m here — never a problem.”
Barcelona president Joan Laporta: “The confidence in Xavi remains intact, of course. He knows the club, the system, he is an excellent person and a great coach. Xavi will give us a lot of success.”
Laporta on signings: “We’re working on January market. We’re discussing internally with the board, Xavi and his staff. We’ve the intention to improve our squad, as always.”
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich chief Oliver Kahn: “Sadio Mane only wanted to come to Bayern from Liverpool and not to any other club. He will do great things here. It was the same for Matthijs de Ligt – a player whom almost every top club in Europe wanted to sign, but only wanted to join us.”
Chelsea
Chelsea have released a statement on Reece James’ injury: “Following the knee injury, Reece James visited a specialist this weekend. After consultation, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks.”
I don’t currently have any information on team selection, so this is just an opinion, but I think Trent Alexander-Arnold is a fantastic right back, more than a right back… I agree with Jurgen Klopp on TAA – I think he deserves to have more space in the England team; but for sure, losing James is a big blow because despite England having many top right-backs, James has been the best Chelsea player in 2022, in my opinion. You want to see the best players at tournaments like the World Cup, so it’s a shame he now looks set to miss out.
Graham Potter on N’Golo Kante’s injury: “It’s a setback, it’s not good news. He’s due to see a consultant at the weekend. It’s not positive news… I can’t give you anymore.”
Juventus
Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved on the future of Massimiliano Allegri: “The President was very clear on Allegri’s future — he stated that the manager is staying. We know there’s a long road ahead, and it will take a while to get out of this situation.”
Lille
Jonathan David is now the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 9 goals this season. Arsenal and Tottenham have looked at him in the past, and I expect him to be one to watch again in the market in the near future, let’s see if something happens in January or next summer.
There’s still nothing advanced with any club, but Jonathan can be a big name on the market as he was already available in the summer for €35/40m. In my personal opinion, if any club signs him for that fee it could be fantastic business.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp: “Nobody can compete with Man City. You have the best team in the world and you put in the best striker on the market, no matter what he cost. We can’t act like them at Liverpool. It is not possible.”
Manchester City
He said: “It’s a dream come true. I have been a City fan all my life. I love this club, so to know I am going to be a part of it until 2027 feels amazing”.
Manchester United
Manchester United take on Newcastle today, and I thought I’d take this opportunity to put some rumours from the summer to bed.
It’s not true that any United players were close to joining Newcastle in the summer. Scott McTominay was never available on the market, Donny van de Beek was never in talks with Newcastle, and also Jesse Lingard was linked to many clubs but there was nothing serious with NUFC before he decided to move to Nottingham Forest.
David de Gea announces his intention to sign a new contract at Man Utd: “I’d like to stay here more years and make records of everything, to win trophies. This is my club and this is where I feel good. I’ve many more years to play. I feel confident.”
Mason Greenwood has been charged with “attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm”, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Full statement below:
Newcastle United
Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimaraes: “We desperately want Bruno to be happy here, to see a long-term vision here. As long as player sees ambition in the club and progression in the club we can fulfil his need”.
The plan is clear: Newcastle will offer the Brazilian midfielder a new deal.
Newcastle take on Man Utd today, but, as mentioned above, it is NOT true that they were close to signing any players from the Red Devils this summer – I recall Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek and Jesse Lingard being linked with moves to St James’ Park, but there was never anything serious with any of them.
PSG
As ever, there have been a lot of stories about Kylian Mbappe – it’s important for me to mention some colleagues who are doing brilliant work on this story. It is absolutely true, as others have said, that he is not happy with the current situation at Paris Saint-Germain. He has several issues, for instance, he wanted the club to sign a new striker this summer, but they didn’t get one. There are also internal problems and issues, and this is why he wants to leave as soon as possible.
Mbappe has made himself clear, he’s sending a strong message, with this decision coming just a few months after he signed a new contract at PSG. It’s not about the money, he was also offered huge money at Real Madrid but he chose PSG because of the project. Now, he’s not happy about the project, so he wants to find a solution as soon as possible.
It’s a really tense situation, so, what happens in January? I’m told PSG have no intention of selling Mbappe. There will be links with Real Madrid and Premier League clubs, but it’s important to say that at the moment there are no talks. I don’t expect anything for January, but after that, never say never. Things can move quickly, and the Mbappe situation can be a big problem for PSG later on.
Some fans have asked me, could top clubs be put off by this Mbappe saga? Honestly, for top stars like Mbappe, I don’t expect big concerns about his “behaviour”. All top clubs want Mbappe as he’s a fantastic football player and he will be a star for many, many years so there are no problems with his requests or ideas.
I also want to be clear that I’m not judging Mbappe as we have to know what’s really happening internally before giving an opinion.
PSV
Xavi Simons: “There’s a clause in my contract: if I want to go to PSG at the end of the season, I can do that for a certain amount. To be honest, it’s not in my head to leave PSV. I feel good here and I’ve just settled in. I think you can see that on the field.”