Chelsea and manager Mauricio Pochettino have been told to go and get a deal done for one "exceptional" Arsenal player who could upgrade them.

Will Chelsea sign anyone in January?

Despite spending north of £400 million on new signings in the summer transfer window, Chelsea transfer chiefs Todd Boehly, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are said to be weighing up further additions for 2024. As widely reported, a new striker is chief among the priorities at Stamford Bridge; leading to serious links with Brentford star Ivan Toney, Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

While Chelsea's fortunes in front of goal have improved of late, scoring six over their last two Premier League encounters, the rumours of a possible new attacker refuse to go away, and it's perhaps a long time coming. Speaking all the way back in April, pundit and former England star Michael Owen said it's a position Chelsea quite simply need to shore up with quality.

“The most incredible thing is that you can spend £500-something million or whatever they've spent in recent times and the most important position on the pitch they've not even touched,” Owen said.

“That they can get all these great players and spend a fortune and the one position really that you to be investing the most money in and making sure is an absolute perfect fit is a centre forward."

Chelsea did end up signing Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal to lead the line, although Pochettino has turned to the likes of Armando Broja for support. The west Londoners also opted to sign a new goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez from Brighton, but the Spaniard has again struggled in parts.

Aaron Ramsdale transfer update

Speaking of shot-stoppers, it's been a peculiar beginning to the season for long-serving Arsenal number one Aaron Ramsdale. The England international, who was once an untouchable member of Mikel Arteta's starting eleven, now finds himself watching from their bench as summer signing David Raya becomes the preferred option.

Ramsdale, if he carries on in this position, may want to consider his options. Pundit Robbie Earle, speaking on the Two Robbies Podcast this week, actually backed Chelsea as a possible landing spot for the former Bournemouth star; urging Pochettino and co to make a move.

“If I’m Chelsea, I’m phoning up and saying I’ll take Ramsdale, give me Ramsdale my friend if you’re not going to use him, because Ramsdale is at the level you’re talking about," said Earle (as transcribed by TEAMtalk).

Aaron Ramsdale strengths

Saving close range attempts

Shot-stopping reflexes

“Ramsdale’s talking about he’ll have to go and play somewhere if he’s going to be in the Euros. If he’s overlooked by Arteta – I don’t know why Arteta wants the two goalkeepers and all that, and we’ve heard all the reasons behind it – if I’m Chelsea right now, I’d go and put it amongst them. I’d take Ramsdale because he’s at the level you’re talking about that Chelsea need.”

Harry Kane is heading back to north London after Arsenal were drawn against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

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• Arsenal set to face Bundesliga giants
• Means a London homecoming for Kane
• Mixed reaction to draw on social media

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After scraping past FC Porto on penalties earlier this week, the Gunners discovered their last-eight opponents on Friday afternoon. Arsenal were the first ball drawn, with Mikel Arteta's side set to face Kane and co. over two legs next month – a game that will see the ex-Tottenham icon return to face his former rivals.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  Social media exploded when the tie was drawn, with some rival supporters predicting a Kane-orchestrated downfall for Arsenal in the quarter-finals. X user wrote: "Harry Kane knocking Arsenal out of the champions league… things you’d love to see."

  Some of the Gunners faithful had an equally gloomy outlook, with confessing: "Bayern Munich x Harry Kane, PTSD kicking in." Another supporter, commented: "Harry Kane soft penalty at the Emirates again!" while s take was that: "Harry Kane is definitely scoring against us."

  Not every Arsenal fan was as concerned about the England captain's talents, however. wrote: "Harry Kane welcome to the William Saliba detainment." Meanwhile, boasted that: "Arsenal gonna make sure Harry Kane stays trophyless".

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane has already returned to play in England once already since his blockbuster move to Bavaria, impressing in Bayern's 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League group stages at Old Trafford. With Die Roten out of the DFB-Pokal and trailing Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race by 10 points, continental glory is likely to be the only hope Kane has left of securing a trophy this season.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  The winner of the tie will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the semi-finals. On the other side of the draw, Atletico Madrid were paired with Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, while PSG will take on Barcelona.

The Reds have an undeniably hectic schedule, but a foolish team selection against Sparta Prague contributed to Sunday's loss at Old Trafford

Jurgen Klopp was visibly stunned as he stood on the touchline at a raucous Old Trafford. His Liverpool side had lost a game that they should have won – twice: first in normal time; and then again in extra time.

It was an utterly avoidable defeat against a struggling side. After a sluggish start that Manchester United exploited, Liverpool had recovered wonderfully well to turn their FA Cup quarter-final tie on its head with two quick goals before the break.

They had numerous chances to kill the game during a second half that they dominated until Antony's 87th-minute equaliser. From that moment on, Liverpool looked exhausted – unsurprisingly. Competing on four fronts was always going to take its toll on an injury-hit squad – which is why Klopp got annoyed when asked during a post-match interview why his side had lacked "intensity" in extra time. Klopp felt the answer was obvious: too many matches.

"Bit of a dumb question, I have to say… We have played I don't know how many games recently. I don't know how many games United exactly have played. That's sport," he said before taking another unnecessary and undignified shot at his interviewer. "Really disappointed about that question but you obviously thought it was good."

When the journalist asked a follow-up about "too many games", Klopp decided he'd had enough and stormed off in a huff. "You're obviously not in great shape," he sniped, "and I have no nerves for you."

Unacceptable reaction

For many, this was classic Klopp: all smiles after victories but nothing but bitter when games don't go his team's way.

He certainly doesn't do himself any favours with such pathetic displays of petulance, and while a degree of frustration was understandable in the context of the game, his reaction to a rather innocuous line of questioning was utterly unacceptable. Particularly when one considers that Klopp had contributed to Liverpool's lacklustre performance in extra-time.

AdvertisementGetty Liverpool's injury issues

Have the Reds been desperately unlucky with injuries this season? Absolutely, and Klopp deserves enormous credit for somehow keeping his team in Premier League title contention while reaching the last eight of both the FA Cup and the Europa League, after winning the Carabao Cup with kids.

Make no mistake about it: this season has been a stunning demonstration of Klopp's incredible coaching skills and amazing man-management. However, it was a little hard to listen to Klopp complaining about the effects of too many games at Old Trafford when he had fielded a ridiculously strong side against Sparta Prague just three days earlier.

Getty Images'They play all the time…'

Klopp said that he didn't know which players to replace during extra-time because so many of his key players were shattered. "We could have [taken off] Macca (Alexis Mac Allister)definitely, Wataru [Endo] definitely, Darwin [Nunez] definitely, Lucho [Diaz] we did then, Joey [Gomez]," he admitted to reporters afterwards. "They play all the time, the boys, and today, this extra-time."

And there's the rub: those players have been playing all the time – and Klopp is partly responsible in that regard.

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GettyInsane Sparta selection

With Liverpool 5-1 up from the first leg in Prague, there was absolutely no way Endo, Nunez and Gomez should have been anywhere near the starting line-up against Sparta – and the same goes for Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, too.

All of those players bar Gomez have recently recovered from injuries of varying degrees of severity in recent weeks, so why on earth were they utilised in the second leg of a tie that was already over?

Salah, Szoboszlai and Robertson ended up playing 90 minutes against Sparta – not one of them made it past the 77th minute at Old Trafford. Gomez was also replaced before the midway point of extra-time.

As for Nunez, he stayed on right until the end, but should have been hooked long before his loose pass – an undoubted by-product of the fatigue that Klopp acknowledged – allowed United to level the game through Marcus Rashford.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo tem definido o alvo para o último reforço da temporada. Trata-se de Jonas, volante de 29 anos que teve passagem pelo Flamengo entre 2015 e 2018 no futebol carioca. O jogador está sem clube e chegaria sem custos ao Alvinegro. A informação foi dada primeiramente pelo “Ge” e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

Jonas está livre no mercado desde o começo de outubro, quando deixou o Al-Ittihad, da Arábia Saudita, por problemas de pagamento e situações contratuais. Mesmo com a janela internacional fechada, o Alvinegro poderia inscrevê-lo, já que o volante não possui vínculo com nenhum clube.

O jogador tem em mãos a proposta do Botafogo e o negócio deve evoluir a partir desta semana. O nome foi aprovado por Ramón Díaz, com quem trabalhou com Jonas no próprio Al-Ittihad no ano passado.

Se confirmado, Jonas será o último reforço do Botafogo para a temporada. O Alvinegro só pode inscrever mais um nome no Campeonato Brasileiro e Ramón Díaz colocou que um primeiro volante é a prioridade máxima para a equipe. Pelo custo e o fato de estar livre, o volante ex-Flamengo foi uma opção viável.

Atualmente, o Botafogo tem José Welison para a posição de primeiro volante. Rafael Forster, zagueiro de origem, e Caio Alexandre, que atua em posição mais avançada do meio-campo, já exerceram essa função durante a temporada.

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Reece Topley is to undergo surgery on his back on Monday.Topley, who was diagnosed with a recurrence of a stress fracture earlier this month, will have a pin inserted in his lower back during the procedure at Wellington Hospital, just next to Lord’s. If his rehabilitation progresses well, he hopes to be fit to play not long after the start of the 2019 English domestic season.He faces an uncertain future, though. Not only is this the fifth stress fracture he has suffered in his lower back in six seasons as a professional cricketer, but he is out of contract at Hampshire at the end of this season and most unlikely to be offered a new deal. Any future county may require some persuasion before taking a chance on him in 2019.It is, however, the first time he has undergone surgery on his back. And while the procedure has been complicated a bit as the company that produced the screws preferred by surgeons in such situations has gone into receivership, it is thought he has a good chance of making a full recovery.While Topley has been plagued by back trouble throughout his career, he has represented England in 10 ODIs and six T20Is and remains highly-rated by the England management. Only a month ago, they considered recalling him as a replacement for the injured Tom Curran in the T20I squad facing India.

Gio Reyna has been praised for showcasing his “special” talent in a game-changing cameo for the USMNT that booked a Nations League final spot.

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• Playmaker struggling for minutes at Forest
• Continues to make a difference for his country
• More major silverware up for grabs vs Mexico

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 21-year-old playmaker has been struggling for game time at club level of late, with a loan move to Premier League relegation battlers Nottingham Forest not playing out as planned. He can, however, call upon the full support of his country.

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• WHAT DAVIES SAID ABOUT REYNA

  That faith was justified when stepping off the bench to deliver two assists in a CONCACAF Nations League semi-final showdown with Jamaica, with ex-USMNT star Charlie Davies telling of why Reyna still has an important role to play: “They know he’s special. After the last Nations League finals in Vegas, he put in an incredible performance before he was injured in the final. Again, comes on and changes the game. Yes, I think he knows that it’s a process. I think he has got over the toughest part, now it’s just staying healthy. He has got the special ability that not too many players have.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Those sentiments were echoed by USMNT legend Clint Dempsey, who added on a player that has helped to keep Gregg Berhalter in a job: “It’s never been a question of his ability, he has always been a player that had that quality, that potential to be a star. With the U.S. he shows that. You saw glimpses of that when he was with Dortmund. The thing is that England is a tough league to go in as an American and be successful. Whether or not that was the right move for him, we talked about it that maybe it could have been a Holland or a Spain, where he could maybe have transitioned a little better and got more minutes. To go into a dogfight, relegation battle team, it’s not easy to get minutes. But credit to him for keep fighting and showing Greg that ‘even though we had drama in the past, I saved you tonight’.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

  Reyna’s efforts against Jamaica helped the U.S. to a dramatic 3-1 win in extra-time – as in-form Coventry striker Haji Wright bagged a brace. They are now preparing to face arch-rivals Mexico on Sunday, with continental silverware once again up for grabs.

One Arsenal player has "already" told Mikel Arteta's side that he wants to leave in January, according to reports this week.

Arsenal plotting 2024 transfer moves

The Gunners could reportedly take to the transfer market yet again in 2024, coming after they spent over £200 million on a quartet of major signings in the summer window. Declan Rice, David Raya, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber put pen to paper on moves to Arsenal, with both Rice and Raya going to become star regulars at the Emirates Stadium.

The midfielder and shot-stopper have played key roles in their new side's promising start to the Premier League season, with Arsenal looking likely to challenge for the title again.

However, there are certain areas of the squad Arteta apparently wants to address in the new year in order to provide a boost. Arsenal are eyeing Brentford striker Ivan Toney as an option, while Wolves winger Pedro Neto is also of interest to the north Londoners. Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz has been linked as well, coming after his failed 2022 move.

Thomas Partey tells Arsenal he wants to leave

Their interest in a new midfielder comes as particularly intriguing, especially since they're already pretty well stocked with the likes of Rice and Thomas Partey.

However, according to reports this week, it is believed the former Atletico Madrid star may actually be eyeing up a mid-season exit. Indeed, as per TUTTOmercatoWEB, Partey has "already" told Arsenal that he wants to quit the club in January.

The 30-year-old has found his way onto the transfer target list of Juventus, but they're by no means clear favourites to sign him. TMW claim Partey is actually waiting on other proposals from the Premier League and La Liga before deciding where he wants to go. Juve directors Cristiano Giuntoli and Giovanni Manna were in London this week to set up appointments over for transfer summits, potentially including Partey, while they also have their eyes on Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The Ghanaian has suffered from various fitness issues this season but has been described as a "super important" player by Arteta when he's fit and available.

“Thomas Partey is a super important player for us and for me and we want him to be in the team,” said Arteta on Partey.

“They can play together [he and Rice]. That was in my plans – if you want to improve the squad and have more quality we need players who can play together and need players in the same positions who have to fight for their places. It’s something we haven’t had in the last few years.

“We want to improve that and that’s why we brought in Declan as well. Every time I spoke to him [Partey] and had a conversation with him he’s ready to stay with us.”

Thomas Partey strengths

Passing

Aerial duels

Long shots

Dribbling

Tackling

Concentration

If Partey can regain his fitness and fight his way back into the Arsenal team before January, it will only give Arteta a bigger dilemma over the player's future given he apparently intends to quit.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Midea, patrocinadora do Corinthians na temporada de 2020 do futebol brasileiro, lançou uma novidade para homenagear os 110 anos do clube paulista. Agora, a Fiel Torcida pode fazer um tour virtual pela Neo Química Arena. Além do estádio, os visitantes poderão conhecer espaços como o camarote e showroom Midea, áreas de aquecimento, vestiário, acesso ao campo e, ainda, o Átrio com os principais títulos alvinegros.

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TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

O Tour virtual ainda conta com informações sobre os momentos mais marcantes da história do clube e a descrição dos ambientes.

Para aproveitar o tour, o visitante deve utilizar seu login do Facebook para registrar o acesso ao site, que em período de pandemia e quarentena por conta do coronavírus, é uma nova maneira de aproximar o clube e seus admiradores.

– A Midea, se sente tão horada em fazer parte da história do time que continua comemorando os 110 anos do Corinthians e inovando nas ações. Neste momento, em especial, os torcedores poderão matar as saudades do estádio no tour virtual e aprender mais sobre a história de sua maior paixão, o Timão – afirmou Simone Camargo, diretora de marketing da Midea.

O torcedor pode acessar o tour virtual pela Neo Química Arena em: https://mideadobrasil.com.br/tour/

Cristiano Ronaldo showed off his newly acquired Ferrari Daytona SP3, worth a reported €2m, in Portugal before joining up with the national team.

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Ronaldo showed off his new FerrariAdded supercar to his impressive collectionRonaldo will be in action for Portugal on TuesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

The legendary player was spotted behind the wheel of his new Ferrari Daytona SP3 in the streets of Portugal as he visited his homeland for national team duty. Ronaldo recently added the new Ferrari model, which has been described as his "spaceship" by Instagram account Lisbon Cars, to his impressive fleet of supercars, which is reportedly worth over £18 million.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The new model comes with the most powerful combustion engine Ferrari have made to date, and delivers 840 horsepower and 697 Nm of torque. The car can reach 100km/h speed from 0 in 2.85 seconds and boasts a maximum speed of 340km/h.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

After missing Portugal's clash with Sweden last week to recharge his batteries on holiday in Saudi Arabia, the Al-Nassr star has returned to the national team setup and will be in action for Roberto Martinez's side on Tuesday against Slovenia.

Fulham have seemingly been given some hope over signing a "monster" player for manager Marco Silva, coming after a journalist's four-word message.

Silva signs new Fulham deal

Last month, the Whites were given a major boost as Silva committed his long-term future to the club by penning a new deal till 2026. The 46-year-old's old contract was set to expire next summer, but Fulham's breakthrough in talks has tied down one of Craven Cottage's most integral figureheads.

This is a sign that the west Londoners are by no means content on stalling, or simply surviving in the Premier League, as Silva recently suggested he is eyeing up trophies in an interview with TNT Sports.

"You can leave a legacy inside the club as well. A legacy can come from titles, positions in the table, [it] can be the way to play football, the way to develop the club and the players in all aspects," said Silva earlier this month.

"It's what I would like to leave one day when I leave the club, everyone is going to remember ourselves and our work. I would like to leave a legacy. With titles it's going to be much better, it's going to be perfect, but you know our reality, you know that we are Fulham, for us to fight for titles you have two chances, they are going to be the cups, you have to be realistic.

"And even the cups, you know that you have probably a big number of clubs more favourite than us to get that title. But to know that [we go] game-by-game and we have to look for it with full ambition, I think we have been doing that."

One of the ways Fulham can ensure Silva has as many resources as possible to challenge for major honours is by backing him in the transfer market.

They're still in with a shout of winning the EFL Cup as they gear up to face in the quarter-finals next month, and soon after that, the transfer window reopens for business.

Fulham given Andre transfer hope

One rumoured target is Fluminese star Andre, who has impressed in his native Brazil and turned the heads of Fulham transfer chiefs.

The 22-year-old has also attracted interest from Tottenham and Arsenal, clubs with a huge pull, but perhaps Fulham's advantage could be that they'll be able to hand Andre more chances to play.

Liverpool had also been linked with the player, but they've now ended their interest in the South American.

Journalist Bruno Andrade, taking to X this week, says this could offer a "free way to Fulham" as Silva is given some transfer hope over signing Andre.

He has been brilliant for Fluminese over the last few months, with journalist Fernando Campos even calling him the "best midfielder" in his country and a "monster" player.

"Pressure and playing with the confidence of someone who knows they are different. Get out of the way and make the team work. André Trindade is the best midfielder in the country and is a monster of a player."