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Arsenal have seen a second bid rejected for Douglas Luiz…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports, who broke the news in the last few hours.

“Breaking news. Aston Villa have rejected Arsenal’s improved £23million bid for midfielder Douglas Luiz,” an update read on their ‘Transfer Centre’ and since then, journalist Kaveh Solhekol has provided further comments on the situation.

“If Aston Villa don’t sell him today, Luiz can speak to other clubs from January and leave for free next summer,” he said.

“Villa have said he is not for sale but the player wants to join Arsenal. However, he would like to leave the club on good terms.”

Deadline day disaster

Failure to secure a new central midfielder before tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline would be something of a disaster from technical director Edu Gaspar, who has certainly left it late to complete the Gunners’ business this summer.

Of course, their plans have somewhat changed in the last few days after Mohamed Elneny suffered what was described as a “significant injury” by The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

He was filling in for Thomas Partey, who too is injured, in Arsenal’s engine room, so it leaves manager Mikel Arteta hugely light on options heading into the next few weeks and that could put their 100% win record in the top-flight in grave danger.

Particularly because they face a resurgent Manchester United side on Sunday afternoon.

Luiz would have been an ideal signing for the north London giants, given his experience in England so far and he’s also a player that the Spaniard knows well from his time at Manchester City, where he was assistant manager to Pep Guardiola, who once dubbed the Brazil international as “important” and “clever.”

He would also need little time to adapt to life at the Emirates Stadium as there is already a Brazilian contingent at the club and the fact that he’s racked up 107 Premier League appearances is a bonus too, that included a goalscoring showing in Arsenal’s win over Villa on Wednesday night, too.

As Arteta desperately needs further midfielders, failure to bring Luiz to the club could be a disastrous end to what has been a pretty solid window otherwise.

Some reports suggest that £30m would do it, which is only a £7m increase on their previous offer, so Edu and co would be foolish to give up now.

AND in other news, Late Arsenal move for £30m ace is “one to keep an eye on”, he’s better than Martinelli…

Arsene Wenger’s long tenure at Arsenal started and ended at two different ends of the spectrum.

The early days were by no means plain sailing, particularly as he was a fairly unknown name that had to be bought out from J-League outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight, but he clinched the league and cup double in his first full campaign at the helm.

One Premier League and two FA Cups later, he guided the Gunners to an unbeaten season in 2003/04 – the first and only team to do it in the modern era, still to this day.

Another FA Cup followed the season after but then a nine-year drought ensued and in that time, the French veteran may have made one of his biggest-ever mistakes in charge of the north London giants.

During the Invincible season, Wenger handed a debut to Cesc Fabregas, who became the club’s youngest-ever player at 16 years and 177 days, featuring against Rotherham United in the League Cup.

That was something that was unheard of back then and would only put a target on the Frenchman’s back, should it go wrong. But it didn’t. The young Spanish maestro would go on to become the club captain and amass over 300 appearances in all competitions.

There were some remarkable seasons from Fabregas, ranging from his 20 assists in 2007/08 to his 30 total goal contributions from only 27 appearances in 2009/10.

A few seasons later, the Gunners rejected a bid from FC Barcelona for their talismanic midfielder, thought to be in the region of €35m (£31.2m). A pretty hefty amount in those days.

Barca’s then vice-president Rafael Yuste warned that they “won’t stop” in the attempts to sign him and one summer later, in August 2011, it all came to fruition as Fabregas made the switch to the Nou Camp for around £35m with £25.4m of that coming upfront.

In the five years prior to his departure, the Spain international was one of the most creative players in the entire world, having created 466 chances, which was more than what even Andrea Iniesta (214) and Xavi (455) had managed in the same timeframe for the Blaugrana.

Fabregas’ total of 57 goals and 97 assists for Arsenal has been sorely missed ever since as they are yet to win the Premier League again and only three times in the 11 years since have the Gunners finished third or better.

Perhaps it comes as little surprise to have seen the former captain lauded as a “driving creative force” and a “difference-maker” in the past.

If the 5 foot 10 magician stayed for a few more years, perhaps Wenger could have clinched another title or two but instead, the now 35-year-old would go on to play for arch-rivals Chelsea, where he would win the Premier League two more times, only compounding the Gunners’ woes.

Fabregas’ departure was easily one of – if not the – biggest failure of the Frenchman’s tumultuous 22-year reign.

AND in other news, Arteta could unearth the new Ian Wright in Arsenal’s £7m-rated “goalscoring sensation”…

West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh have shared a behind-the-scenes update as manager David Moyes hatches a plan to tie down Craig Dawson.

The Lowdown: Dawson homesick?

Reliable reports near the end of the latest transfer window indicated that the veteran defender was eyeing a move away from east London.

Indeed, Dawson allegedly wishes to move further north in order to be closer to his family, with the 32-year-old making that crystal clear to West Ham, who remained desperate to keep the centre-half.

He ended up staying at Rush Green, however, even despite late internal talks with both personal issues and a reported offer from Wolves nearly resulting in an exit.

Losing Dawson would have been a blow for the Premier League side given their recent injury woes in defence, but now reports suggest Moyes could now attempt to tie down his man.

The Latest: Moyes hatches contract plan…

Club insider Claret & Hugh claim the Scotsman is personally ‘ready to try tempting’ the former West Brom star into signing a new deal at West Ham with his current contract expiring in 2023.

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Moyes is apparently determined not to lose Dawson, who was in great form last season and has just recovered from a thigh injury this campaign.

The Irons head coach is allegedly planning to offer the defender a year’s extension with an attached 12-month option with a C&H source telling the outlet it is a ‘more than probable likelihood come January’.

The Verdict: Get it done…

If Moyes and West Ham chiefs can convince Dawson to remain and sign a new deal, it would be a brilliant move.

The Englishman was an ever-present in the Irons starting eleven last year, playing the seventh-most top flight minutes out of any West Ham player whilst starting 30 games (WhoScored).

Dawson can also be a real threat when it comes to set pieces and Tomas Soucek is the only West Ham player to win more aerial duels per 90 out of their squad.

A no-nonsense centre-back, he made more blocks per 90 than any of his teammates over 2021/2022 and fell only behind partner Kurt Zouma in terms of clearances (WhoScored).

The numbers back why Moyes is keen to tie down Dawson and we believe it would be a major boost for West Ham.

Sunderland are currently experiencing somewhat of an injury crisis in their forward line as Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms are both out of action, and it now looks like it’s having an effect on the side’s results.

The Black Cats have picked up consecutive draws in the Championship which won’t be good enough over the season ahead in a very tight and competitive league to secure a spot in the playoffs, now dropping into seventh in the league table after their draw with Preston North End.

Tony Mowbray will be keen to find a solution and fast as Sunderland take on Blackpool at the Stadium of Light tomorrow night, and securing all three points from the game is essential to make sure they don’t create a bigger gap between themselves and the promotion positions.

The newly-appointed manager confirmed that Stewart will be out for around “six to eight weeks” at the beginning of September and the latest update on Simms is that Everton may want to scan their player’s toe injury so will need to wait for a definite time frame.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and Kristjaan Speakman could be regretting the decision not to reunite with Everton centre-forward Nathan Broadhead who was so integral to the club’s promotion success from League One last season.

Indeed, with a failed Elliot Embleton experiment at the weekend, the Mackems may well have not only been longing for Simms and Stewart, but also their former loanee.

The talented striker who was dubbed “fantastic” by former Sunderland manager Lee Johnson, scored 13 goals for the North-East club last season and five of those came at the most crucial part of the campaign in the last seven games during their competitive fight for a spot in the playoffs.

Broadhead is now at Wigan Athletic, scoring one goal in his first eight appearances for his new club, but there is no doubt that with his experience in the team and winning mentality, Mowbray could’ve got the best out of him.

He already knows the surroundings at the Stadium of Light and under a manager who extracted 22 goals from a certain Ben Brereton Diaz last term, the future would have bode well for Broadhead.

With that being said, nobody could have predicted that Simms and Stewart would both be out at the same time but it would have taken a lot of pressure off their return if they had a player like Broadhead who already has a connection with the players around him and a clear record for performing in the team.

Fabio Paratici has had a great deal of success in the transfer market since arriving at Tottenham.

The Italian has thrived in his new role and alongside Antonio Conte, Daniel Levy has formed a super team that looks like threatening the elite of the Premier League.

While it might be a step too far to suggest Spurs could challenge for the title this term, they do look like one of the most likely teams to threaten Manchester City in 2022/23, something that has been brought about by Paratici and Conte.

The Italian duo have carved out a more bullish style in recent months with Harry Kane spearheading a team that currently look nailed on for a top-four place.

Tottenham perhaps haven’t been at their best this season but it feels only a matter of time before they truly kick into gear.

Last season they snatched Champions League football away from their arch-rivals, Arsenal, largely thanks to Paratici’s first few additions in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski. The latter, in particular, has been a breath of fresh air with six goals and 11 assists in 29 outings for the Lilywhites.

His loan move is set to become a permanent deal in the near future, a decision that will lock down the right-hand side of Tottenham’s team for many a year. Yet, there is a player who Paratici has brought to north London that has rather gone under the radar.

The player in question is Destiny Udogie, someone who could lock down the left-hand side of the Spurs side.

The talented 19-year-old joined in the summer for an initial fee of £15m, potentially rising to £20m, before he was loaned back to Udinese in Serie A.

He has been a rampant force in Italy, producing performances that bear similarities to a certain Gareth Bale.

Indeed, that’s because Udogie has been playing at left wing-back, demonstrating qualities that a young and rampant Bale once did at Tottenham.

The Welshman initially broke through at left-back before becoming an electrifying forward and one of the most expensive footballers ever.

Playing as a full-back in 2009/10, the flying Wales international only scored three times but registered an eye-catching 11 assists before truly exploding the following campaign, scoring 11 times and supplying ten assists in a more offensive position on the left flank.

It’s a career progression that rather mirrors that of the young Udogie, with the Italian finding the net on five occasions last season while racking up three assists from a combination of left-back and left midfield.

In his eight appearances to date in 2022/23, he has been “on fire” in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig, with the teenager playing slightly further forward and scoring twice so far. Those numbers aren’t jaw-dropping by any stretch of the imagination but his ability to influence play from the left-hand side is scarily similar to Bale.

That can be rubberstamped courtesy of some eye-catching statistics, with the Spurs loanee ranking in the best 7% of players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for shots on target per 90 minutes.

Udogie also ranks in the top 14% for goal-creating actions over the last 365 days, while also ranking in the best 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area. He is also in the best 9% of players for carries into the opposition’s 18-yard box and to wrap things up, sits in the top 17% for dribbles attempted.

Those numbers are seriously impressive and only go to illustrate the Bale-like qualities that the teen possesses.

Just whether he’ll go on to become an £85m player remains to be seen but the “tenacious” talent – as dubbed by Kulig – certainly has the world at his feet.

Everton are reportedly fighting Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to sign Udinese central defender Rodrigo Becao in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Summer talks

It was reported in the summer that the Goodison Park outfit were in talks to sign Becao, but a transfer fee could not be agreed with Udinese.

Instead, they brought in James Tarkowski on a free transfer from Burnley, and Conor Coady on loan from Wolves.

The Latest: January move?

As per Tutto Udinese, the Merseyside club are still interested in Becao ahead of January, in fact they are the ‘most interested’ team, fighting interest from Spurs.

Juventus are also mentioned as being in the mix, so it could be a three-way fight for the Brazilian once the window opens.

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The Verdict: Mina replacement?

After signing Tarkowski and Coady, it seems strange that Frank Lampard’s side would go for another centre-back in January, but perhaps one could be on his way out of the door.

Inter Milan have recently been linked with a move for Yerry Mina in January, so Becao looks like a tailor-made replacement.

The six-foot-three colossus is certainly impressing this season, ranking in the 97th percentile for tackles amongst centre-halves in Europe’s top five leagues, while he also ranks highly for touches on the ball, showing he has two sides to his game (FBRef).

If Mina or another centre-back is allowed to leave, then Becao could be a smart signing for the Toffees.

West Ham United take on newly-promoted Bournemouth at the London Stadium this evening, with David Moyes’ side looking to build upon their encouraging display despite defeat against Liverpool in midweek.

That clash at Anfield ultimately saw the Hammers fall short as Darwin Nunez’s first-half strike proved the difference on the night, with the visitors notably left to rue Jarrod Bowen’s failed spot-kick attempt, as well as Tomas Soucek’s squandered chance late on.

That late opportunity for the latter man may well have been expertly denied by the ever-reliable James Milner, although such a moment seemingly epitomised the Czech Republic international’s struggles at present, with his place in the side seemingly “at risk” – according to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas – amid Flynn Downes’ growing status.

The 6 foot 4 colossus is not the only Irons asset under fire at present, however, with fellow midfielder Pablo Fornals also coming in for criticism as a result of his limited impact of late, having been on the periphery during the loss to Jurgen Klopp’s side last time out.

The playmaking Spaniard had looked to bolster his impressive record against the Reds heading into the match – with three goals in just meetings against the Merseyside outfit prior to Wednesday’s encounter – although the 26-year-old once again came up short in attack.

The former Villarreal gem – who arrived in east London back in 2019 – has scored only once and provided just one assist in all competitions this season, with that solitary strike having come against Aston Villa back in August.

With there now seemingly intense competition for places in the midfield and forward ranks, the £65k-per-week menace has seemingly not done enough to warrant a continued place in the side against the Cherries, as he’s “not offering much” at present, according to writer Luke Turner.

The six-cap sensation was notably hooked on the hour mark during that clash with Klopp’s men, having lost possession eight times from his 38 touches, while also failing to register a single key pass on the night.

Such an anonymous outing may well have left Moyes with an easy decision to make regarding his team selection this evening, with Fornals likely to have few complaints if he is ruthlessly axed from the starting lineup.

Scottish Premiership champions Celtic may have already seen their Champions League hopes dashed, but the Old Firm outfit still have plenty to play for tonight as they prepare to take on Shakhtar Donetsk at Parkhead.

Title-winning coach Ange Postecoglou has stated heading into the match that it is simply a “must-win” game for his side, with the Hoops still having an outside chance of securing a place in the Europa League in the New Year.

With four points separating the Glasgow giants and their upcoming opponents, it is now win or bust for the hosts tonight, with anything other than three points seeing them finish bottom of the group.

The omens are arguably against the Bhoys, though, having lost each of their last seven home games in the competition, as they look to avoid becoming the first team in the tournament’s history to lose eight in a row on their own patch.

Ahead of that vital meeting, here’s how Football FanCast predicts that the home side will line up…

Postecoglou has revealed that he will once again be without Carl Starfelt and Jota due to injury, despite the pair edging closer to a return, although midfielder David Turnbull is seemingly back in contention.

With that in mind, we predict that there will be four changes from the side which edged past Hearts at the weekend, with one notable alteration set to see Saturday’s match-winning hero Greg Taylor slot in ahead of Alexandro Bernabei, with the latter having struggled at Tynecastle.

On the other flank, Josip Juranovic will likely reclaim his place ahead of Anthony Ralston, while the continued absence of the aforementioned Starfelt should see Moritz Jenz partner Cameron Carter-Vickers at centre-back, despite the pair having both given away penalties against the Jambos.

The midfield trio will likely stay the same as skipper Callum McGregor remains on the treatment table, while in-form hero James Forrest – who has four goals in his last two league games – should keep his place on the right flank.

Further tactical tweaks could well be made in the forward line. Usual starter Kyogo Furuhashi is set to replace Giorgos Giakoumakis through the middle despite the Greece international having netted four goals in his last three top-flight outings, while summer signing Sead Haksabanovic could also return on the left flank.

The “dangerous” asset, as described by journalist Sean Martin, had impressed with his cameo appearance when the two teams met in Warsaw last month, having looked “very lively” according to journalist Josh Bunting.

أعلن تشابي ألونسو رحيله رسميًا عن تدريب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي باير ليفركوزن، خلال المؤتمر الصحفي لمباراة بروسيا دورتموند في الدوري الألماني.

واقترب ألونسو أكثر من أي وقت مضى من تدريب ريال مدريد بعدما كشفت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية كافة تفاصيل الاتفاق الذي تم بين الطرفين.

وقال ألونسو: “اتفقنا أنا والنادي على أن هاتين المباراتين ستكونان الأخيرتين لي كمدرب لفريق باير ليفركوزن”.

وحقق ألونسو إنجازات كبيرة مع باير ليفركوزن خلال 138 مباراة خاضها مع الفريق على مدار موسمين ونصف.

في 138 مباراة خاضها حتى الآن، تمكن من تحقيق 89 فوزًا و31 تعادلًا و18 خسارة فقط، وفاز بلقب الدوري الألماني وكأس ألمانيا في موسم 2023-2024، والسوبر الألماني وحل وصيفًا لبطولة الدوري الأوروبي بعد الخسارة أمام أتلانتا.

After what has been a torrid run of form for West Bromwich Albion, they finally managed to secure a win last night as they sealed a late winner to help push them off the foot of the Championship.

Still two points adrift from safety, before this win the Baggies had worryingly won just one in 12 league games.

Having been brought in to turn this tide, Carlos Corberan made a huge step forward as he welcomed some new faces into his line-up.

Returning to a flat back four, the Spaniard returned Okay Yokuslu to the midfield in an attempt to add some steel to a position that has seemed otherwise lacking.

It marked a huge opportunity for the Turkish stalwart to stake a claim over the likes of Jake Livermore and Jayson Molumby, but his contribution was likely far more important than even his manager could have predicted.

Having once again dominated the ball, forcing the opposition to not have a single shot on target, it seemed like they were heading for yet another game without a winning goal.

Having scored just 21 goals in 18 games, it would not have been a surprise to see them once again held to a stalemate.

However, Yokuslu stepped up to make himself the most unlikely hero in the 85th minute.

Making just his second start in their last five games, it seemed like he might have been falling out of favour at the Hawthorns.

But this display, where he earned the best SofaScore rating (7.9) of anyone on the pitch, will surely have halted that process.

Having his wonderful defensive display topped off with a goal, he certainly passed Corberan’s test.

From the 28-year-old’s 79 touches, he made two tackles, two clearances and one interception throughout a game where he also won seven of his 11 duels.

He was everywhere and had he not won them the game his performance would still have been worth meriting.

Yokuslu epitomised everything West Brom had been lacking in midfield, adding the qualities that Steve Madeley had warned fans about: “Strong in tackles, interceptions and aerial duels.”

It was a win so desperately needed and could now kickstart the new regime into action.

One thing is for sure: Yokuslu will likely play a big role in the foreseeable future following last night’s display.