Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  Arsenal should prioritise signing a new centre back over Declan Rice

  Arsenal see Declan Rice as their top target for the summer transfer window and aren’t waiting much time in getting a deal done for the midfielder. The Gunners have reportedly lodged multiple bids for Rice with West Ham holding out for a Premier League-record fee of over £100m.

• Sport

  Haaland and Odegaard must continue club form for Norway

  Two of the best players in the Premier League this season were Norwegian. Erling Haaland broke records as his goals fired Manchester City to a Treble while Martin Odegaard embraced the role of captain to become a driving force for Arsenal who pushed Pep Guardiola’s team all the way in the title race.

• Sport

  Could Southgate copy Guardiola by using Stones in midfield?

  Not so long ago, Pep Guardiola faced a bit of a head-scratcher as Manchester City’s season threatened to fall apart. Erling Haaland had given City a sharper cutting edge in front of goal, but he was too isolated in too many matches.

• Sport

  Nicolo Barella key to Inter’s Champions League final game plan

  Only Inter stand between Manchester City and an historic Treble. Pep Guardiola’s team have already clinched the Premier League title and swept aside Manchester United to win the FA Cup last weekend.

• Sport

  Kane a tailor-made replacement for Benzema

  Karim Benzema may have called time on his Real Madrid career earlier than most would have predicted, but the Frenchman achieved all he could in the Spanish capital. He bid farewell to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday as the club’s second-top all-time scorer and one of the most decorated players in Merengues history.

• Sport

  Garnacho key to Man Utd having a chance against City in the FA Cup final

  If one match encapsulated the improvements Manchester United made over the course of their first season under Erik Ten Hag, it was the derby victory over Manchester City in mid-January. Despite falling behind, the Old Trafford side found a way to impose their own game on the Premier League champions, ultimately winning 2-1.

• Sport

  Luton Town can learn from Brentford’s recent success and become a Premier League force

  Luton Town’s story is a compelling one. 31 years ago, they were a top-flight club, but suffered an almighty fall into non-league football. The Hatters were outside the EFL pyramid as recently as 2014, but three promotions in the time since then have pushed them into the Premier League, confirmed with victory over Coventry City in the Championship play-off final.

• Sport

  Gibbs-White should be on England’s radar for upcoming Euro qualifiers

  On the day Nottingham Forest secured their place in the Premier League for another season, Morgan Gibbs-White caught the eye more than any other player in red. He was the one who gave Arsenal the most to think about as Steve Cooper’s team claimed a 1-0 victory over the team that sat top of the table not so long ago.

• Sport

  Sterling can be the solution to Chelsea’s number nine crisis

  Amid the frustration of another disappointing result in what has been a calamitous season, there was something for Chelsea to take as a positive from their 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest. Indeed, the performance of Raheem Sterling reminded everyone at Stamford Bridge of why there was so much excitement around the 28-year-old’s signing last summer.

• Sport

  Brighton are the Premier League’s best-run club

  The headline of Brighton’s 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday concerned the impact it had on Arsenal and their dwindling Premier League title hopes, but the continued rise of the Seagulls is a sub-plot that has underpinned the entire 2022/23 season.

• Sport

  Thomas Frank continues to excel at Brentford

  Small clubs have made their mark on the top half of the Premier League table before. Burnley, for instance, finished 10th in the 2019/20 season and seventh in 2017/18. In 2016/17, Bournemouth made their place in the top half stick too.

More Posts