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Arsenal ‘reach agreement in principle’ for Mikel Merino to become third summer signing

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Mikel Merino is set to join Arsenal

After reaching a deal with Real Sociedad about Mikel Merino’s cost, the Gunners are expected to make their third summer acquisition in the following days. Mikel Merino won the Euro 2024 championship.

Real Sociedad and Arsenal are rumoured to have struck a principled understanding on Mikel Merino.

Since the Gunners completed the acquisition of Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori, Merino has emerged as their primary target. David Raya, the custodian, has also joined on a permanent basis following a productive loan stint in the summer.

Arsenal and Merino have finally reached an agreement after many days of talks, according to Radio Marca Donostia via Sport Witness. The Gunners are likely to conclude the deal this weekend, and they will pay a fee of £29.8 million for the winner of Euro 2024.

Merino will not be in Sociedad’s squad for this weekend’s La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano, but he is still practicing with the team while his future is being determined. The midfield player is in the last year of his San Sebastian contract, and as a result, Arsenal seems to be able to work out a deal that falls well short of his release clause.

Spain’s international player had expressed his desire to move on, and Edu, the sporting director of Arsenal, had flown out to hold discussions. After six years with Sociedad, he was the 2020 Copa del Rey winner.

Roberto Olabe, the sports director of Sociedad, expressed his desire for Merino to stay with the team earlier this summer. However, he acknowledged that if he chose to move on, they would not be able to stop him.

“We would love for him to continue with us,” Olabe remarked. It has nothing to do with money. Life is what matters, and that’s where everything matters. I told you it’s impossible if that were the case [that it was about money].

“I don’t believe Mikel considered walking away. “I want to leave” is not the basis for that wait. At such point, we might decide that we value performance more than money. There are multiple desires involved.

The club does not intend to sell. However, we are a club where speculating is a part of this performance game. And that gives us more strength when we enter the market.

“Over the summer, events occur that are independent of you. Players have departed the team over time; at that point, it’s a matter of who stays and how we handle it. Who knows who might show up? In the interim, we work hard to instill in each of our children the idea that La Real wants to develop and that there are still many goals to be met.

If a deal is finalised this weekend, Merino might arrive in time for Arsenal’s opening game of the season against Wolves on Saturday. Aston Villa is the team’s opponent a week from now.

 

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What Thierry Henry did to Mo Salah instantly after penalty defeat will break every Liverpool fan’s heart

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Thierry Henry has passed over Mohammed Salah as his top choice for the Ballon d’Or, preferring a LaLiga star.

Salah is a top contender for the annual award after a remarkable season with Liverpool. The Egyptian forward is having the finest season of his career, with 32 goals and 22 assists in all competitions for the Reds. Salah’s outstanding performance has helped Liverpool take a 15-point lead over closest rivals Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. The 32-year-old is seven points ahead of Erling Haaland in the battle for the Premier League golden boot, having scored 27 goals, while he is three short of Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s joint assist record of 20.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward believes Raphinha is now ahead of Salah in the race. Raphinha, who joined Barcelona from Leeds in 2022, has 27 goals and 19 assists this season. The Brazilian attacker leads this season’s Champions League with 11 goals, while Salah has three. Henry cited Raphinha’s success in Europe, with Barcelona reaching to the quarter-finals, as well as Salah and Harry Kane’s goal totals, which have been enhanced by penalties. Salah has 11 penalty goals this season, compared to Raphinha’s one in all competitions.

Raphinha, when people talk about being a complete striker, they mean knowing how to put pressure on opponents, defend, and assist your full back. And he has everything.’ While Salah and Liverpool were eliminated from the last 16 on penalties by PSG on Tuesday night, Raphinha scored twice to help Barcelona defeat Benfica 4-1 on aggregate and advance to the last eight. Barcelona now awaits the victors of the last-16 match between Borussia Dortmund and Lille. Salah will attempt to help Liverpool recover from their Champions League exit when they meet Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

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Liverpool’s ‘lucky’ night came down to a Italian referee and a Brazilian keeper

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Manager Arne Slot admitted hisThe “lucky” night for Liverpool was decided by a Brazilian goalie Alisson side were lucky to beat Paris Saint-Germain after the French side dominated the game

Supporters of Paris Saint-Germain were in disbelief. They were leaving the Parc des Princes defeated 1-0 after 27 shots, mothan 70% of the possession, and only one shot on goal given up.

After a strong PSG team failed to convert their dominance into Champions League last-16 goals, Harvey Elliott’s late goal gave Liverpool the most improbable lead to bring back to Anfield. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal in the first half was disallowed for offside, and the French champions felt Ibrahima Konate ought to have been sent off for shoving Bradley Barcola.

However, PSG was held at bay and prevented from scoring at home for the first time this season thanks to Alisson Becker’s “performance of my life.”

 

 

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BREAKING NEWS: Premier League release the final decision on Amad Diallo’s disallowed goal after a thorough review

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During their match against Fulham on Sunday, the Premier League issued a statement to explain why the video assistant referee (VAR) did not enable Manchester United to score a late goal.

Amad Diallo believed that he had scored the game-winning goal for Ruben Amorim’s team in the 94th minute, while they were leading 1-0 courtesy to Lisandro Martinez’s deflected attempt when the goal was scored.

After playing a wonderful one-two with Joshua Zirkzee, the Ivorian player then sent a low strike beneath Bernd Leno in the final minute of stoppage time.

Nevertheless, after observing an incident in the buildup to the goal at Stockley Park, the video assistant referee, Jarred Gillett, and the video assistant referee, Darren Cann, reviewed the goal.

After that, the goal was disallowed by the referee, Anthony Taylor, and United was able to maintain their grasp on the ball in order to clinch a crucial three points at Craven Cottage.

The Premier League has also stated that Amad’s goal against the 23-year-old was disallowed because of offside. Replays have shown that Amad’s shoulder was slightly ahead of Timothy Castagne, which led to the goal being disallowed.

The following message was sent on their official Match Centre account on X (which was then known as Twitter): “Amad’s goal was initially awarded on the pitch to him.” After conducting an investigation, the video assistant referee (VAR) determined that Amad was in an offside position during the buildup, and he suggested that the goal be disallowed.

During his post-match interview, Amorim did not discuss the goal that was disallowed; rather, he concentrated on commenting on the performance of his side in west London.

Following the cancellation of Amad’s late goal and the goal-line clearing made by Toby Collyer, Amorim expressed his satisfaction with his team’s tenacity in achieving just their third victory away from home this season.

Having this sensation when away from home is something that is quite significant. Very strong support from our fans who are away. According to the Portuguese player, “It was not a great game, and there were no great chances.”

We made an effort to play our game, but we have a lot of room for improvement. We are in possession of the final outcome, and we have already won the game; it is of the utmost importance to win at this point.

In addition, he stated that the clean sheet was “really important because it is obvious that you are getting closer to winning games, and it gives you confidence.” Today, we did not experience a great deal of suffering, which is a positive indicator. We put in a goal, and now we are moving on to the next game.

In the meanwhile, Amad was unable to score his tenth goal of the season, Rasmus Hojlund was unable to add to his two goals, and Joshua Zirkzee did not do much during his cameo appearance off the bench.

Amorim, who will turn 40 tomorrow, was not under any illusions about the areas in which his team has to improve. He continued by saying, “Even in the second half, we changed things, and we lack some pace and power in front, but it is what it is.”

If we want to have more opportunities, we need to have more ball. We have a lot of trouble with these particulars. We are able to make significant progress when we are successful.

Following that, on Thursday, United will travel to Romania to compete against FCSB in the Europa League. On February 1, they will then play host to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

 

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