Celtic are reportedly closing in on their seventh addition of the summer transfer window after they agreed a deal to sign Luis Palma from Greek side Aris.

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

According to The Scottish Sun, the Hoops are finalising a £3.5m deal to bring the Honduras international to Parkhead to replace Jota, who joined Al-Ittihad earlier this summer.

The report claims that the talented winger will put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the club; joining Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Hyun-jun Yang, Maik Nawrocki, Marco Tilio, Gustaf Lagerbielke, and Odin Thiago Holm in joining the Scottish giants.

It states that Brendan Rodgers could make up to five new additions before the deadline passes on Friday and that a left-back is one of the positions targeted by the Northern Irish head coach.

The Hoops have been linked with an interest in signing Nantes full-back Quentin Merlin, who could be available for a fee within the region of €8m (£6.8m).

How good is Quentin Merlin?

Rodgers could secure an instant partner for the incoming Palma by sealing a swoop to snap up the France U21 international as he has the quality to form a fantastic link-up with the £3.5m talent.

The Nantes star, who was once described as a "complete" left-back with a potential of 9/10 by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is an attack-minded defender who has the ability to burst forward to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.

Merlin created seven 'big chances' and produced 1.5 key passes per match for his teammates across 24 Ligue 1 appearances during the 2022/23 campaign as he showcased his creativity on a regular basis.

Celtic's current first-choice left-back Greg Taylor, meanwhile, provided 1.3 key passes per game and created two 'big chances' for the club across 31 Scottish Premiership outings.

These statistics suggest that the French dynamo has the potential to offer more quality as a creator from that position due to his superior chance creation in a major European league.

Merlin could, therefore, be a dream partner for Palma as his ability to split open the opposition's defence could help the Honduras international to thrive in the final third.

Firstly, the Aris hotshot is a clinical finisher who could add to his goal tally by getting himself onto the end of the left-footed ace's passes as he racked up 11 goals and only missed one 'big chance' in 29 league games last season.

This shows that Palma rarely passes up presentable opportunities in front of goal and Merlin has proven himself to be capable of creating big chances from left-back, which could result in a profitable link-up for the Hoops down the left flank if they are deployed alongside each other.

Merlin's presence at left-back could also create more space for the 23-year-old winger if opposition defenders are forced to pay close attention to the French gem due to his exceptional ability in possession. He could draw players to him and, therefore, open up room for Palma to work his magic out wide.

Therefore, the pair could be an exciting duo for Celtic in the final third if the Hoops are able to secure deals for both of them before Friday's deadline passes.

Something has to give and Trevor Bayliss is happy for it to be him. Building on his argument that T20 internationals should be jettisoned from an unsustainably hectic schedule, the England coach has endorsed his deputy Paul Farbrace to take over from him in the shortest form of the game ahead of the timeline he has set for his departure at the end of the 2019 summer.”I am the same as everyone else,” he said in the aftermath of his side’s exit from the tri-series. “It is the way it is heading. Eventually, you will have specialist coaches.”Bayliss can see the shift to multiple coaches coming at the end of his tenure but appreciates that it might make sense to bring it on now. He wouldn’t lose any sleep if it did. “That will obviously be a discussion with higher levels, with Andrew Strauss and people like that,” he said. “If that was what they thought was the way to go ahead, I’d be all for it. If not, I am more than happy to keep going and work with these guys towards that next T20 World Cup.”Of Farbrace, the man who oversaw England on a temporary basis in 2015 after Peter Moores’ sacking, Bayliss said he would do a “grand job” in charge. “I don’t think it would be too much of a problem at all,” he said. “He’s very well respected among the group of players, he knows the England system very well and he’s a very personable guy. He has a good relationship with the players and a good coach. He has experience around the world.”That Bayliss was only able to spend two nights in his Australian home throughout the duration of England’s four-month tour of the country helped reinforced to him that there is just too much going on. “From the start of May last year I think we have 21 months of cricket out of 23 and we’re halfway through that,” he said. “When you add the practice and travelling on top of it, it’s tough. That’s what we’re paid for and we love doing it but it doesn’t make it any easier.”More to the point, Bayliss believes this squeeze is why top-flight cricket is reaching a stage where players are “forced into” having to drop a format entirely if they plan to excel at the other two. “If boards don’t make a decision like that and we continue to play international T20s,” he said, “then I’ll fully expect guys to pull out of one or the other.”Citing Adil Rashid’s announcement last week that he would be doing just that by exiting four-day cricket with Yorkshire, Bayliss continued: “If you play every form of the game – we have a few guys who do that – there is no way you can play every game. Your career would be three or four years long and that would be it. Something has got to give.”Bayliss stressed that this new world order wouldn’t necessarily create a lesser global game, especially considering that T20 internationals are routinely played by teams well short of full strength. “Is it fair on the fans,” he asked, “if you are not playing your full team?”He also supported players in their efforts to earn as much money as they can while they can by maximising their exposure to the T20 leagues as white-ball aficionados. “There’s no denying you’re in the game because you love it but it’s also a living for the players as well and they’ve got to make a decision based on what’s best for them over a long period of time. Their careers are usually over by the time they are 35.”

The bowlers also contributed greatly to fashion a 97-run win for Ireland in their first game of the World Cup Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2018Andy Balbirnie in action at the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe•Getty ImagesIreland opened their World Cup qualifiers campaign with a 93-run win against Netherlands in a rain-affected game in Harare. After a fifty from Andy Balbirnie – who anchored the full 50-over innings despite being struck on the helmet by Ryan ten Doeschate – Netherlands fell nearly nine overs short of batting 41 overs in their hunt for a revised target of 243. Seamers Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin were Ireland’s most effective bowlers.Balbirnie said he was struck fairly early in his innings – “I must have been on 30” – but continued batting and finished with 68 off 75 balls. But once he returned to the change room, things started to go wrong. “I didn’t field. I obviously got hit in the head while I was batting. Didn’t feel it that much batting. Came off. Sat down. Had a break, and then got a bit dizzy and a bit of blurred vision. So saw the doctor, did a concussion test, it was okay, but he wanted me to get a scan. Scan was clear so it’s gradually got better as the day’s gone on.”Ireland began with a series of contributions from their top order, most notably a 101-run stand for the fourth wicket between Balbirnie and Niall O’Brien. Their partnership followed stands of 59, 35 and 24 respectively for the first three wickets before Netherlands staged a comeback in the slog overs, picking up 4 for 49 in the last 7.2 overs.Netherlands, meanwhile, did not find partnerships from their top order. Inside 16 overs, they’d lost five wickets and any chance of recovery was regularly thwarted by Ireland’s bowlers. Timm van der Gugten’s 33 off 25 at No. 9 was their most significant contribution as they folded for 149.

Journalist Dean Jones has made a "very strange" Tanguy Ndombele claim after the midfielder completed his loan move to Galatasaray; sharing what he's been "told" in an update out of Tottenham.

Who has left Tottenham 2023?

Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou are absolutely loving life at the moment, having begun this new Premier League season in rip-roaring fashion.

The north London side, after impressive victories against the likes of Man United, Bournemouth and Burnley most recently, currently sit second in the top flight – just behind last season's imperious treble-winners Man City.

Postecoglou has steered the Tottenham ship superbly thus far; reshaping the squad in his own image whilst implementing an open, attack-minded and exciting brand of football.

Spurs have also managed to rid themselves of players deemed surplus, with Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Harry Winks, Alfie Devine, Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett all leaving either on loan or permanently over the summer transfer window.

While star striker Harry Kane was the only real casualty after his blockbuster move to Bayern Munich, bar the England international, all of Spurs' other departures clear deadwood and free up space in Postecoglou's squad.

Colombian defender Davinson Sanchez and midfielder Ndombele also managed to complete transfers to Galatasaray outside of the British transfer window, as Turkey's doesn't shut until September 15.

The latter player is only there on loan and technically remains a Tottenham player, at least for now, but chairman Daniel Levy will be happy to shave Ndombele's reported £200,000-per-week wages off the club's accounts.

Shedding some light on the Frenchman, reporter Jones has been "told" some interesting information on the former Lyon star; lifting the lid on what has been a "very strange" situation.

Indeed, he says Tottenham were absolutely "desperate" to get him out the door in the end, as the player was given yet another chance to impress but ultimately failed.

"The Ndombele situation has been very strange," Jones told GiveMeSport this week.

"He should be one of the Premier League's top midfielders, but he's never managed to grasp the opportunities. In the end, I am told that Tottenham were desperate to get him out the door.

"He was given another fresh opportunity this summer by Ange Postecoglou to prove his worth and show he could have a future at the club but he didn’t impress and they just didn't have room for passengers, so he had to be moved on."

How good is Tanguy Ndombele?

The ex-Napoli loanee possesses an abundance of talent on his day; showcasing a low centre of gravity, close ball control and a silky style of play when at his very best.

Unfortunately, those flashes of brilliance have come very rarely, and it is best for all parties for Ndombele to grab an opportunity elsewhere – hopefully on a permanent move elsewhere in the future.

Arsenal star Declan Rice was effusive in his praise for the 26-year-old last year, calling Ndombele one of the toughest opponents he's ever faced.

“The perception of him, it shouldn’t be what it is because I tell you now, he is one of the toughest I have played against," said Rice.

“He is top. Just a street footballer on the pitch. He takes the ball anywhere, little flicks and tricks. Like he doesn’t care. He does everything so confidently."

Kagiso Rabada turned the match around for South Africa in the space of two overs, ripping through Australia with the use of reverse swing

The Report by Brydon Coverdale09-Mar-20184:02

Holding: Rabada needs to control himself a little bit

Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt’ll do a bit early. Bit of grass, bit of moisture, big first hour.That about summed up the sentiments of Steven Smith and Faf du Plessis at the toss in Port Elizabeth, where Smith chose to bat and du Plessis didn’t mind one little bit. It was not surprising, then, that Kagiso Rabada took 5 for 13 in the space of 18 balls on this first day’s play. It was surprising that his spell that defined the day came either side of the tea break, when Australia had done all the hard work.In fact, there could hardly have been any less action in the first hour. The ball did nip around, and there were plenty of plays and misses, but Australia’s openers reached drinks on a yawning total of 23 for 0. That was a win for Australia. So were the 61 bonus runs that came from the ninth- and tenth-wicket partnerships between Tim Paine and Nathan Lyon, and then Paine and Josh Hazlewood. From 170 for 6, South Africa let Australia get away just a little bit.Still, Rabada’s efforts, plus contributions from Lungi Ngidi and Vernon Philander kept the total to 243, Australia’s lowest win-the-toss-and-bat-first score of the Smith captaincy era. South Africa should go to bed happy with their day, despite losing Aiden Markram during a challenging little batting period they faced as evening approached. Markram was trapped lbw for 11 by the first ball that Pat Cummins bowled in the innings, but it was Australia’s only breakthrough.Associated Press

At the close of play, South Africa were on 39 for 1 with Dean Elgar on 11 and Rabada, the nightwatchman, on 17 from 14 balls. It capped off an eventful day for Rabada, who will also spend the rest of the Test wondering if it will be his last match of the series. His dismissal of Smith sparked Australia’s mini-collapse, but also resulted in Rabada brushing his shoulder against Smith as the batsman walked off. With five demerit points already to his name, Rabada is perilously close to a two-Test suspension.It was understandable that Rabada would at least be exuberant after dismissing Smith, who spent much of the second session building a steady little partnership with Shaun Marsh. Rabada angled one in to Smith and rapped him on the pad to have him lbw for 25, the review requested by Australia’s captain only confirming how very out he was.In Rabada’s next over, the final one before tea, he had Shaun Marsh lbw for 24 to a delivery that curled in to the left-hander, and then had Mitchell Marsh caught behind off a thin inside edge behind as he tried to drive what should have been the penultimate ball of the session. Rabada returned after the break to have Pat Cummins caught behind first ball, and although Mitchell Starc survived the hat-trick delivery, he was bowled by Rabada soon after for 8.It was a chaotic period for Australia, but Paine displayed a cool head and set about working with the tail to lift Australia’s total up past 200, and close to 250. He put on 30 for the ninth wicket with Lyon and then 31 for the final wicket with Hazlewood. Both Lyon (17) and Paine (36) were bowled by Ngidi, who finished with 3 for 51 and justified his inclusion ahead of the veteran Morne Morkel, who was dropped for this Test.The morning had started with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft looking set to make it through the opening session unscathed, but their 98-run stand ended on the stroke of lunch when Bancroft edged an outswinger behind off Philander for 38. Warner had been so careful early that at the drinks break he was on 8 from 36 deliveries, but a change in approach resulted in him scoring 42 off 33 in the second half of the session.He brought up his half-century from his 69th delivery, showing no signs of distraction after three days of being in the spotlight following his stairwell altercation with Quinton de Kock in Durban. But despite his strong start, Warner could not capitalise and was bowled by Ngidi for 63 in the second session.By then, Philander had also had Usman Khawaja caught behind for 4. Philander was superb in helpful conditions, taking 2 for 25 from 18 overs. The Australians had to work hard to get through his probing new-ball spell. But much more probing was to come.

To say that Rangers have got off to a poor start to the season would be an understatement. The Gers have lost two of their first four Scottish Premiership games, and were dumped out of Champions League qualifying after being smashed by PSV Eindhoven.

Their form has put manager Michael Beale under incredible pressure to turn things around, and save his job in the process, with those at Ibrox already looking at potential replacements, according to reports.

Having already reportedly been rejected by former Chelsea manager Graham Potter, however, the Scottish giants have now been told by journalist Alex Dicken what it would take to land a different managerial target, should they pull the plug on Beale's tenure.

What has Alex Dicken said?

Beale has been in the job just under a year and has struggled almost throughout, with Celtic now looking to make it a third consecutive Scottish Premiership title win. Already four points clear of Rangers, too, the Hoops look well on course for glory once more this season.

The Gers will be keen to prevent that four-point gap from becoming even greater, perhaps by relieving Beale of his duties, leading to the appointment of another manager very soon.

That may not come in the form of Birmingham City's John Eustace, however, after Dicken wrote on BirminghamLive: "Eustace is apparently of interest to Rangers. Rangers have started the Scottish season quite poorly – two wins and two defeats – and apparently Eustace is one of the names in the frame if they decide to get rid of Michael Beale.

"I think it would take something irresistible for Eustace to leave this project now, I know he’s very settled in the area and has been for virtually his entire career. He has a group of players now that are genuinely challenging at the right end of the Championship and he keeps talking about growing with them.

“I know he has some links with Rangers from the past. When Mark Warburton was manager he almost signed for them and spent some time coaching there when he was coming towards the end of his playing career. I personally would like to see him stay at Blues and finish the job, because with this group of players I think they can actually do quite well.”

Should Rangers appoint John Eustace?

Keeping Birmingham up last season, Eustace has since proven himself even more this season, with his side as high as fourth after five games in the Championship campaign. It is the type of improvement that represents a manager who is more than capable of making his next move up the managerial ladder.

For now, he remains the Birmingham manager, but Rangers would be doing themselves no harm by hiring Eustace if they opt to cut short Beale's time at the club in the coming weeks.

Eustace has earned plenty of praise in the Midlands, including from journalist Josh Bunting, who previously Tweeted: "John Eustace is an excellent coach, I did think Birmingham would struggle this season but two games in and look solid. Scott Hogan will get them goals If he can stay injury free and I like the style of play that Eustace plays."

تحدثت وسائل إعلامية إسبانية عن تلقي قائد ليفربول والمنتخب الهولندي، فيرجيل فان دايك، عرضاً ضخماً من نادي النصر السعودي.

وسينتهي عقد المدافع الهولندي فان دايك مع ناديه ليفربول في الموسم المقبل 2025.

اقرأ ايضاً.. رومانو: اتحاد جدة يقترب من حسم أولى صفقاته الصيفية من ريال مدريد

وأكدت صحيفة ماركا الإسبانية أن المدير الرياضي بنادي النصر السعودي التقى بممثلي المدافع الهولندي فان دايك رغبةً في التوقيع معه في الفترة المقبلة.

وتابعت الصحيفة الإسبانية أن إدارة النصر قد طرحت على الطاولة عقداً ضخماً لـ فان دايك، لجعله المدافع الأعلى أجراً في العالم.

المدافع الهولندي فان دايك ليس الهدف الوحيد للنادي السعودي، حيث يجري النصر مفاوضات مع حارس يوفنتوس، فوتشيك تشيزني، من أجل تعويض رحيل ديفيد أوسبينا.

وتخطط إدارة النصر إلى إجراء تعاقدات قوية في الموسم الجديد في محاولة بناء جيل أكثر تنافسية، وذلك عقب خسارته لقبي دوري روشن السعودي وكأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين لصالح الهلال.

وانضم فان دايك إلى نادي ليفربول قادماً من فريق ساوثهامبتون الإنجليزي في شتاء 2018.

وشارك الدولي الهولندي هذا العام في 48 مباراة مع ليفربول في جميع المسابقات، حيث أحرز 4 أهداف وقام بصناعة هدفين طوال الموسم.

It looks as if Tottenham Hotspur are set to be heavily involved in the late transfer window scramble, amid reports that the Lilywhites are planning to raid one of their Premier League rivals for a marquee midfield addition…

Who will Tottenham sign on Deadline Day?

According to journalist Jacob Steinberg, writing on Twitter, the north Londoners are seemingly plotting a move for Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, albeit with the England international also attracting interest from German giants Bayern Munich.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

In his piece for The Guardian, Steinberg revealed that Spurs have been monitoring the 23-year-old throughout the summer, with it seemingly not of the question that the Blues would sell the player if they were to receive a suitable offer – with a £50m price tag suggested.

As per the piece, any concrete approach for the former Crystal Palace loanee could well depend on whether Ange Postecoglou and co are able to move on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with the Denmark international having been deemed surplus to requirements by the club.

Should Tottenham sign Conor Gallagher?

With Harry Kane out the door – and with Richarlison having scored just a solitary league goal since joining Spurs last season – it may be that Postecoglou should be looking to strengthen his centre-forward ranks as a matter of urgency, rather than splashing the cash on bolstering his midfield options.

That being said, however, the signing of Gallagher would not be without merit as the seven-cap machine has showcased his proven Premier League quality in recent years, notably scoring eight goals and providing three assists while on loan at Palace during the 2021/22 campaign.

While last season was a difficult one for most at Stamford Bridge as the Blues finished in 12th place, the one-time West Bromwich Albion loanee has made a strong start to the new campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, having started all three league games thus far.

Such a high-profile addition for Postecoglou could well be terrible news for a player who is currently bang in form – Pape Matar Sarr – with the Senegalese starlet likely to see his place in the side threatened, despite having notably scored in the win over Manchester United.

With James Maddison operating in an advanced midfield role and with Yves Bissouma holding the fort at the base of the midfield, it is likely to be Sarr who is forced to give way if Gallagher is to arrive, despite having been praised for his "quality" by his manager.

While the 20-year-old is a player who "disrupts the opposition" and has "real energy" about him – as per Postecoglou – Gallagher also has those traits in abundance, having been hailed for his box-to-box nature by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who likened the Englishman to N'Golo Kante previously, while also stating:

"He can get into the 18-yard box and ten seconds later he can make a tackle in his own 18-yard box."

That has been evident so far this term as the Epsom-born ace has averaged 5.4 tackles and interceptions per game as a marker of his ball-winning quality, while his Spurs counterpart, by contrast, has averaged just 1.3 in that regard in the opening weeks of the season.

With Sarr also yet to be truly tested across an entire campaign in English football, it may prove less of a gamble for Postecoglou to turn to a "leader" such as Gallagher – as described by Chelsea legend Ashley Cole – to be a starting option in his midfield three.

Not that the current Tottenham man deserves to be ousted from the side – with a goal and an assist to his name already this season – yet he could find himself resigned to the bench if the Lilywhites do opt to splash the cash to snap up Gallagher.

David Warner’s leadership role as Australia’s vice-captain has been emphatically endorsed by the coach and selector Darren Lehmann, ahead of the Cricket Australia board meeting on Friday where the events of the Durban Test match and the image they projected are sure to be discussed.As both Australia and South Africa wait to hear whether Warner and Quinton de Kock will be charged under the ICC code of conduct after their ugly confrontation in the stairwell between the two dressing rooms at Kingsmead on day four of the Test, Lehmann took the opportunity to defend Warner in the strongest terms, while also indicating he wanted the two captains and coaches to sit down together before the start of the second Test in Port Elizabeth to discuss player behaviour.Having only recently led the Australian Twenty20 side to a triangular series victory over New Zealand and England – sacrificing much of his preparation time for the South Africa Tests in the process – Warner remains highly regarded as a leader in the national team, admired for the aggressive way in which he pursues opponents with the bat and in the field.”No, he’s vice-captain of the Australian cricket team,” Lehmann said when asked whether Warner’s post as deputy to Steven Smith was under question. “We’re certainly supporting David. We want to play a way that gets us success and for us we’ve just got to make sure we don’t cross the line, that’s the key.””There are things that cross the line and evoke emotion and you’ve got to deal with that behind closed doors and get better at that. Everyone has their own opinion. We’ll just wait and see what happens moving forward, how both teams want to play it. For us, we’re here to win the series. It’s going to be a bloody tough series as we’ve seen over the five days here. We’re looking forward to PE from our point of view.”The two sides are in open dispute as to what fuelled the stairwell encounter, captured on Kingsmead’s CCTV and leaked to the media before the fifth and final day of the match, which Australia won by 118 runs. Lehmann said he wanted to meet with his opposite number Ottis Gibson, and also encouraged Smith and Faf du Plessis to do likewise.”I’m sure the captains will chat and the coaches will chat and we’ll get away to play the game,” Lehmann said. “Both sides are going to push the boundaries. That’s part and parcel of Test match cricket. It’s a bloody tough game out there and you’re representing your country. Very proud countries, both sides. The way they want to play is fiercely competitive on the ground. As long as it doesn’t get personal, that’s probably the key.”It’s hard, especially when you want to talk about a great game of cricket it takes away a bit. From our point of view, the cricket is the most important. It was a really good game of cricket. We played well, there were ups and downs in the game. It’s going to be a tight series this one, there’s no doubt about that. It’s going to be played very hard on the field by both sides, it looks like.”Ever since Lehmann replaced Mickey Arthur as coach in mid-2013, the Australian side has been given full backing by the CA board and the chief executive James Sutherland to play the way they believe will gain the best results. This was in contrast to earlier episodes in which CA either sought to improve the team’s on-field behaviour, as happened after the Glenn McGrath/Ramnaresh Sarwan bust-up in the West Indies in 2003, or put bilateral relations with India ahead of backing Andrew Symonds against Harbhajan Singh in 2008.In 2015, Ricky Ponting pointed out that the hostile way in which the Australians played was intrinsic to their success, and to try to change that would only hurt results. “If you keep toning us down, toning us down, you’ll make us the same as everybody else,” Ponting had said. Warner has gone through several phases as an on-field presence, from the “attack dog” persona of 2013-14, to “the reverend” from 2015 to 2017 and the more recent return to his former aggressive ways.There is precedent for the board stripping players of the vice-captaincy for behavioural issues. In 1997 Ian Healy was removed from the post in favour of Steve Waugh after he was fined for showing dissent to an umpire’s decision in a Test match against South Africa at Centurion, though the move was also thought to be about the board’s preferred candidate to replace Mark Taylor if his run of poor batting form continued. Then, in 2000, Shane Warne lost the role as Waugh’s deputy to Adam Gilchrist, following a string of bad off-field headlines that had little to do with cricket.Warne stated on Tuesday that verbal exchanges had long been a part of Australia’s bouts with South Africa, but that personal taunts were out of bounds. “Chat, banter, sledging has always been apart of any series between SA & Oz,” he wrote on Twitter. “Both sides always give it out. Respect is the key & I hope nothing personal was said to any player towards anyone from either side. Have a beer together afterwards & get on with it – stop the whinging!”Lehmann, meanwhile, pointed out how Nathan Lyon had taken his medicine from the ICC for dropping the ball on AB de Villiers after his run out and also apologised to the Proteas batsman. “It was probably a bit cheeky,” Lehmann said. “The great thing about it, he apologised to AB straight away. He sent him a text, spoke to him today and it’s dealt with. That’s how it should be as grown men.”

Arsenal are back in action this afternoon, as the Gunners travel to Merseyside to battle Everton for three points at Goodison Park.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his team can rewrite recent history with today’s visit, as the north Londoners are five games without a win at Goodison, with last season’s 1-0 loss being one of the north London outfit's few poor performances in 2022/23.

Despite having the international break since their last match, Arteta’s side may still be catching their breath after the late dramatics against Manchester United at the Emirates.

At 1-1 heading towards the 90th minute, it looked as though Alejandro Garnacho had won it with one minute to go, however his goal was ruled out by VAR for an extremely tight offside decision.

It quickly went from scenes of jubilation to despair in the away end, as Declan Rice gave Arsenal the lead in the 96th minute, followed by Gabriel Jesus adding the hosts third in the 101st minute of play.

It was a memorable win for the Gunners, but all attention will now be on Everton as they bid to turn their fortunes around at Goodison.

What is the latest Arsenal team news?

During the international break, there was some concern over Bukayo Saka’s fitness, with Gareth Southgate revealing that he didn’t feature against Scotland due to pain in his achilles.

Arteta denied that Saka will be out for the trip to Merseyside, adding that every player has trained as normal following their international duties.

One injury update comes with reference to Thomas Partey, who Arteta revealed is a “few weeks away” with a muscle injury.

Eddie Nketiah led the line once again as Jesus got back to full fitness, however the Englishman could face a battle to start after the Brazilian’s goal and performance last time out.

The 26-year-old isn’t the only one who could challenge the Englishman for a spot this afternoon, with another forward displaying emphatic form of late.

Should Leandro Trossard start against Everton?

One player that shone on international break was January signing Leandro Trossard, who scored a mesmerising goal during Belgium’s win over Estonia in the European Qualifiers.

The 28-year-old has made just two appearances for the Gunners this season, adding to the 20 he made in his debut Premier League season with his new club, in which he scored once and registered 10 assists.

Previously lauded as “clinical” by football analyst Tactics Journal (Kyle Boas), Trossard’s display during the break could have him in contention to start against the Toffees.

The £90k-per-week Belgian has an advantage due to his versatility, where he could be on the cards to usurp either Nketiah or more likely Kai Havertz, who has been poor since moving from west to north London this summer.

Trossard has the play-making ability to play behind the striker where the German has been roaming so far this season, as well as being an accomplished finisher to play more advanced, with him guaranteed to bring a threat regardless of his position.

Considering Everton’s winless campaign so far and Arsenal’s need to win at Goodison, introducing the former Brighton whiz to the fold at this point could be the statement needed to build on the spectacular win against United.