Sport
Seven Days in Seven Points
Will Draxler end up in England?
It would seem that there is every chance, especially if it is true that the player has been fined £85,000 by current club Wolfsburg for trying to force a move to Arsenal. It seems that the 22-year-old is forever being linked with a switch to the Gunners, though nothing has ever managed to get beyond the rumour stage. It does, however, appear that things have been stepped up a notch this summer. Arsenal have a lot of money, and they appear willing to spend – the captures of Ozil and Sanchez in recent seasons highlight that – so there is no financial barrier stopping this deal from happening. If Arsenal manage to snare the young German, who already has 24 international caps to his name, then the Gunners will be a very serious threat this season, both on a European and domestic front.
Is the ‘Lukaku back to Chelsea’ saga coming to an end?
This is another of those rumours that has been doing the rounds ever since the season ended. Actually, you could probably make a case for saying the whispers started at the turn of the year. The 23-year-old was sold to Everton from Chelsea in 2014 for around £28m, and it now seems likely that the Blues will spend close to double that amount to get their former striker back. Everton, however, clearly do not want him to go, and the club’s newly secured financial clout means there is no pressing need to get him off the books, but when Chelsea come calling most players seem to want to go. I can see this deal happening, but I would bank on Ronald Koeman doing some very fine things with the incoming cash.
West Brom become the latest English moneybags side
If you have ever watched Frank Skinner’s Room 101, you’d know he often makes a joke about the idea of his beloved West Brom being bought out by a billionaire. Well, Guochuan Lai, the Chinese businessman worth over $1bn, has now made that dream a reality. West Brom are now the latest English team to have potentially unlimited transfer funds, which could result in the Midlands side being a force to be reckoned with in years to come. Money in football has gone mad lately, of that most people agree, and this the latest in a long line of examples highlighting that point.
Mahrez to stick with Leicester?
It was hardly surprising when the Premier League’s ‘bigger’ sides started sniffing around the Leicester squad, and three players in particular; Vardy, Kante and Mahrez. Vardy turned down a lucrative move to Arsenal, while Kante decided that the grass looked greener at Stamford Bridge. Mahrez is now the only one of the trio whose future remains in the balance. Speculation has been rife this summer, with Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG all supposedly interested in the 25-year-old, but there has yet to be a concrete bid for his signature. During Sunday’s Community Shield defeat against Manchester United he looked largely unenthusiastic and, to a certain extent, bored; however, it’s difficult to ascertain a player’s true feelings during a solitary game. With the transfer window now coming to a close, it seems Mahrez will indeed be a Foxes player for another campaign; whether he wants to be there, however, is a very different matter.
Martin Ødegaard set for a spell with Liverpool?
It’s fair to say Liverpool have had a topsy-turvy pre-season; they’ve managed to beat Barcelona 4-0, but they’ve also been defeated 4-0 by Mainz, while numerous touted transfers have failed to materialise. Sadio Mane should prove to be a decent capture, while Joel Matip has to potential to be a very good player. However, numerous publications are now claiming that the Reds could be closing on a deal for Real Madrid’s Martin Ødegaard, the 17-year-old wonderkid who just 12 months ago seemed to have the world at his feet. Labelled by some as the ‘Justin Bieber of football’, he seems to have struggled with the huge amount of expectation being heaped upon him, so a loan move could be exactly what he needs. At Liverpool Klopp would certainly give him the opportunity to shine, and he has all of the technical attributes required to shine in England.
Does anybody actually care about football at the Olympics?
No, seems to be the simple answer. As much as we love football – and love it we surely do – there’s comes a point where we need to have a little break. You can have too much of a good thing, after all. Perhaps if we hadn’t just been forced to endure the most boring of international football competitions enthusiasm would be greater, but as it is, this particular event is doing nothing but taking up valuable time when we could be watching Pointless or To Buy or Not To Buy.
This is what £27m gets you
Manchester City have just gone and spent £27m acquiring the services of Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Jesus. Now, I know very little about this lad, but I do know that he should be capable of scoring from 3 yards out. Unfortunately, in Brazil’s Olympics opener against South Africa, he managed to hit the post when it seemed harder to miss. Check it out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk4jfGNFHTI
| Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus rings one off post in scoreless draw
Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus misses a golden opportunity, ringing a close shot off the post in Brazil’s 0-0 tie with South Africa. |
