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    Bukayo Saka OUT of Arsenal line-up for Leeds clash as Gabriel Jesus starts

    ARSENAL star Bukayo Saka is out of the starting XI to face Leeds as Gabriel Jesus starts.The England winger has started every Premier League game for the Gunners this season, but he is only fit enough for a place on the bench this afternoon.
    Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is out of the clash versus LeedsCredit: PA
    Gabriel Jesus starts for the first time in the league since the World CupCredit: Getty
    Saka’s benching ends his run of 485 days without being taken out of the league line-up by manager Mikel Arteta, last being amongst the subs in a 3-2 loss to Manchester United in 2021.
    It is a major blow for Spaniard as his side look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.
    However, the Gunners have been boosted by the return of Jesus, with the striker making his first Premier League start since returning from knee injury.
    Before kick-off, Arteta said: “He [Saka] wasn’t able to train yesterday as he wasn’t well but today he feels a little bit better, so we’ve put Jesus in.
    READ MORE ON ARSENAL
    “He brings a lot of energy, quality, movement & chaos. He’s a player we’ve been missing & it’s good to have him back.”
    Arsenal’s attack features Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazilian striker leading the line.
    Arsenal are also without centre-back William Saliba, who is out with a back problem.
    Therefore, Rob Holding partners Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the defence.
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    There were concerns over the fitness of midfielder Thomas Partey after he missed Ghana’s game versus Angola during the international break because of an injury.
    But the 29-year-old has recovered in time to be named in the line-up.
    Meanwhile, Leeds have their own problems with Wilfried Gnonto set for a spell on the sidelines with an ankle issue.
    Javi Gracia’s side top scorer Rodrigo is amongst the substitutes, having not started since late January due to fitness concerns. More

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    Arsenal outcast hints that Mikel Arteta will regret letting him go and says ‘I could have been important for this club’

    ARSENAL outcast Nicolas Pepe has hinted that Mikel Arteta will regret letting him go if he leaves the club permanently. The Ivorian was signed by the Gunners for a fee of £72million in 2019 from Lille.
    Mikel Arteta sent Nicolas Pepe out on loan to NiceCredit: AP
    Nicolas Pepe is unsure where he will be playing next seasonCredit: AFP
    After three seasons in North London, he was loaned out to French side Nice for the current campaign.
    Pepe is uncertain on where his future lies, telling France Bleu: “I’m very happy at Nice, there are still two important months for the club.
    “I want to focus on the last two months and then rest, I don’t know. There will be discussions.
    “I don’t know what Arsenal want to do. I still have a lot of friends there.
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    “I could have been important for this club, but it’s the manager’s choices.”
    Pepe has just a year remaining on his contract at the Emirates Stadium.
    He has played 25 times for Nice this season, scoring eight goals.
    The club, owned by potential Man Utd buyer Sir Jim Ratcliffe, sit seventh in Ligue 1 and are in the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
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    In an Arsenal shirt, Pepe has played 112 matches, scoring 27 goals.
    He also helped the club win the FA Cup in 2020.
    The emergence of Bukayo Saka led to Pepe’s place in the team being taken. More

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    Kieran Tierney transfer latest as ex-Celtic star has ‘genuine chance of leaving Arsenal this summer’

    KIERAN TIERNEY reportedly has a ‘genuine chance’ of leaving Arsenal in the summer.The former Celtic star has struggled for regular football this season after falling behind Oleksandr Zinchenko in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order.
    Kieran Tierney has only started four times for Arsenal in the Premier League this seasonCredit: PA
    Tierney left The Hoops and moved to London in 2019, initially being a key player in Arteta’s side.
    His fine form early on had sparked links to the likes of Manchester City – with hopeful Celtic fans looking out for a potential payday from the sell-on fee their side agreed at the time.
    The 25-year-old is now back fully fit again – but with Gunners boss Arteta continuing to prefer former City ace Zinchenko in his position – rumours of a move away from The Emirates have once again began to circulate.
    At the start of this month we told you how Tierney held crunch talks with his manager about the role he’s currently playing.

    And that was quickly followed up by reports he would be open to switching to Premier League rivals Newcastle United in search of regular game time.
    Now according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, there is a ‘genuine chance’ a deal to take the Scotland star elsewhere will take place in the near future.
    He reckons talks over the situation will resume at the end of the season while Arsenal in the meantime focus on their pursuit of the English top flight title.
    He told Caught Offside: “Kieran Tierney has a genuine chance to leave Arsenal in the summer.
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    “This is a possibility but Arsenal don’t want to negotiate now. They decided internally that there must be full focus on winning the Premier League; the big dream!
    “So there is no intention to distract the players including those who are not regular starters.
    “In the summer, Arsenal will discuss Tierney’s situation at the end of the season but the defender definitely has the opportunity to experience something new.”
    Despite his struggle for game time, Tierney still tops the English Premier League for one key stat alongside one of his former Parkhead team mates.
    He’s started just 13 of a possible 39 games this season in all competitions but has trumped all rivals in one specific measure of ability.

    Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page More

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    Arsenal given fresh hope as they line up THIRD transfer bid for Barcelona star Raphinha in the summer

    ARSENAL have been handed a new hope in their bid to land Raphinha, reports suggest. The Gunners tried to buy the winger last summer and in January, but saw Barcelona sign him before the Brazilian rejected a mid-season move.
    Barcelona have set Raphinha’s asking priceCredit: Rex
    However, with Barcelona still in an unenviable financial situation, Arsenal’s long-term pursuit has been handed a boost.
    According to Football Insider, Raphinha is one player who could be put up for sale in the summer.
    This comes with Barcelona looking to raise funds worth as much as £178million.
    And the report reveals Barcelona want to recoup at least as much as they paid to sign the 26-year-old.
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    The Spanish giants agreed a £55m transfer for Raphinha from Leeds.
    After an initial period where he struggled to adapt, Raphinha’s form has taken an upturn following the World Cup.
    Indeed, he has contributed to six goals in his last ten league games having previously contributed to four in 15.
    Raphinha is a Premier League-proven talent, having scored 17 goals and adding 12 assists during his two years at Elland Road.
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    On Barca’s financial issues, La Liga chief executive Javier Tebas explained: “We have strict economic controls. At the end of each window, we tell all the clubs in La Liga what they can spend.
    “In the case of Barcelona, they have to drop from spending on wages and transfers from 650m euros to 450m euros – so it’s a budget of minus 200m Euros.”
    However, any sale of Raphinha would come after Barca boss Xavi hailed him as “the future of Barcelona”. More

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    Premier League clubs spend record £318MILLION in agents’ fees with Man City splashing out more than double title rivals

    PREM clubs splashed a staggering £318,219,426 on agents’ fees in the last year.The spending spree – from February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023 – is a record amount in a 12-month period and is up £46m on last year.
    Here’s how much each Premier League club spent on agent fees
    Manchester City paid more on agency fees overal than they spent for Erling HaalandCredit: PA
    Chelsea rank behind Manchester City, who top the findingsCredit: Getty
    Champions Manchester City topped the charts with £51.6m – £200,000 more than they paid Borussia Dortmund for Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland last summer.
    Around £35m was paid to agents in the Haaland deal alone.
    Chelsea, who made 21 permanent signings under new American owner Todd Boehly, adding Denis Zakaria and Joao Felix on loan – were the next big spenders on £43.2m.
    Liverpool were third highest with £33.7m while Manchester United splashed out £24.7m.
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    Arsenal and Tottenham follow with £16.7m and £16.1m respectively.
    Nottingham Forest signed a whopping 30 players across both transfer windows but rank last as they spent £4.4m on agent fees.
    The figures, released by the FA today, include payments and transactions involving agents and intermediaries registered in England.
    It covers transfers and loans going in and out of the clubs as well updated contracts, new registrations and scholarship applications.
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    By comparison, the 24 Championship clubs spent just £36.3m – £8m down on the last accounts.
    Norwich were the leaders in the second tier with £4.4m, followed by Watford (£4.3m) and Burnley (£4.1m).
    In League One, the total amount was £5.7m, and £1.67m in League Two.
    Wrexham, who are owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, dwarfed every club in the National League with their fees of £163,737.
    Liverpool are third on the list after landing players like Darwin NunezCredit: Getty
    Manchester United rank fourth after signing stars like CasemiroCredit: Getty More

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    Arsenal DO now have the cojones to win the title but it’s not Arteta or the players who’ve impressed me most

    THERE is no doubt in my mind that Arsenal have the ‘cojones’ to win the Premier League title.Sure, Mikel Arteta’s players have shown balls of steel to open up  an eight-point lead at the top of the table.
    The Gunners not only have the collective spirit on the pitch, they possess the right stuff off it as they aim for their first title since 2004Credit: Getty
    Edu deserves huge praise, both for his work this season and also for backing Mikel Arteta when the manager was under pressure in 2020-21Credit: PA
    But it’s the actions of the club hierarchy which have impressed me more than anything.
    It’s well remembered — especially by Arsenal fans — that I once accused some of their players of lacking ‘cojones’ when my Watford team beat them during the latter part of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
    But when I look at Arsenal now I see a club which has been brave, which has had the courage of their own convictions  and are reaping the rewards.
    Two seasons ago, the Gunners looked as if they were heading into a relegation battle and most  people thought they were mad to stick with Arteta, and to keep believing in their long-term  projects.
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    Time and again, you hear about football clubs having ‘three-year plans’ and ‘five-year plans’.
    But time and again, they  suffer a bad six months and they rip up those plans and start from scratch.
    Not Arsenal under the ownership of the Kroenkes.
    Their sporting director Edu needs a huge amount of credit. He spoke out in Arteta’s favour in the club’s darkest hour during the 2020-21 season.
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    At Christmas, Arsenal were in the bottom six, having lost more than half of their matches and taken two points in seven games  — yet they stuck by their  manager, they believed in what he was working towards.
    Later that season,  there were mass protests against the Kroenkes, with former players signing up for rival consortiums attempting a takeover.
    It would have been easy for owner Stan Kroenke, and his son Josh, to walk away from the club. But they stuck at it.
    Arsenal have not spent obscene amounts on transfer fees and player contracts, either.
    They have cut the wage bill, getting rid of high earners such as Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, when plenty of supporters were opposed to those moves.
    And just this January, when they were about to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, and Chelsea gazumped them with a huge  £88million deal,  Arsenal didn’t lose their nerve.
    They stuck to their budget, they signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton instead  and the Belgian is proving to be an excellent addition.
     Plenty of Arsenal’s players have shown strong-mindedness, too. Most obviously, Bukayo Saka, who has excelled since his penalty miss in the Euros final of 2021.
    Saka is not just a brilliant player but a humble, selfless individual who loves playing football and seems to me to be the ultimate footballing role model.
    But a couple of lower-profile players have seriously impressed me, too.
    Granit Xhaka was pretty much a hate figure among Arsenal fans a couple of years ago.
    He could have left, or the club could have bombed him out — but club and player showed ‘cojones’ again.
    The Swiss midfielder has been excellent this season.
    You have to lose to learn how to win. And since they blew fourth place last season, that’s what Arteta’s exciting young team have done.
    Then there’s Ben White, signed from Brighton for £50m primarily as a centre-half, he has reinvented himself as a right-back and has made himself first choice in front of a very good specialist in Takehiro Tomiyasu.
    Now Arsenal are ten games from glory, their run-in starting with Leeds at home on Saturday  and that’s a game I expect them to win by three or four.
    In fact, I expect Arsenal to win nine of their last ten — every one except for the visit to their only title rivals, Manchester City, on April 26.
    That includes next weekend’s trip to Liverpool. I know Arsenal  haven’t won at Anfield in the league for more than a decade and been well beaten on their last six such visits.
    But that was a different Liverpool and a very different Arsenal. Arteta’s side will feel they can really get at Jurgen Klopp’s back four.
    If they win there, the last doubters will surely be  convinced  this is Arsenal’s year.
    After facing City, Arsenal then host Chelsea and Brighton, either side of a visit to Newcastle — and that sequence of ­fixtures looks like the crunch for them.
    But I think they can open up an even bigger lead before they head to the Etihad.
    City are a brilliant side but they also have the Champions League and FA Cup to juggle with.
    And I don’t see Pep Guardiola’s team going on one of their epic  winning streaks,   which is what they would need to pip the Gunners to the title.
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    You have to lose to learn how to win. And since they blew fourth place by losing to Tottenham and Newcastle last season, that’s exactly what Arteta’s exciting young team have done.
    From the dressing room to the boardroom, Arsenal are certainly not lacking ‘cojones’ now. More

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    Arsenal blow as Mikel Arteta refuses to rule out possibility of William Saliba being out for the SEASON amid title race

    MIKEL ARTETA has said he is “hopeful” William Saliba will be back before the end of the season – but did not guarantee his return.The Frenchman limped out of the Europa League clash with Sporting Lisbon earlier this month before Arsenal crashed out of the competition on penalties.
    Saliba has had an outstanding season in defence for ArsenalCredit: Getty
    Saliba had started every Premier League game until that point, forming a solid partnership with Gabriel.
    Their defensive foundation has provided the perfect launchpad for Arsenal’s stunning season with the Gunners sitting top of the league with eight games to go.
    But Saliba will now be missing for tomorrow’s home game against Leeds with a back issue, with his manager unable to confirm that he’ll be back before the end of the season.
    When asked if he will return this season, Arteta said: “Yeah I am very hopeful and he is as well. Back injuries are a bit tricky and how they evolve with the load that you put in certain areas.
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    “Let’s push it and see how he copes with that. He’s so willing to be back in the team.
    “Hopefully we get the right load for him, the right amount of rest that he needs while we’re keeping him active, and the pain starts to go away and we are more comfortable with the images we have of him that we can start to take him to the pitch and do certain activities with him. That’s it.”
    Rob Holding was impressive as he filled in for Saliba just before the international break in a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.
    Arteta may opt for the 27-year-old again with Holding having made just 8 Premier League appearances so far this campaign.
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    He is sure to be tested with difficult games ahead in the title run-in.
    The Gunners’ fixture list includes trips to Liverpool and Manchester City and a home game against Chelsea. More

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    Arsenal fans loving ‘naughty talk’ of TWO England midfielders joining in shock double summer transfer swoop

    ARSENAL fans are getting increasingly excited at the prospect of two England internationals joining their club in a double summer swoop. The Gunners are enjoying their best season in many years and sit in pole position to win the Premier League with 10 games remaining.
    Arsenal reportedly have their eye on exciting England midfielders Declan Rice (left) and Mason MountCredit: Getty
    They’ve also been having a good time of it off the pitch with signings such as Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko all proving to be a huge success.
    Reports continue to link the club with summer moves for England stars Mason Mount and Declan Rice.
    Mount’s position at Chelsea is increasingly uncertain with his contract running down and the club needing to offload stars to balance the books.
    While Rice has been linked repeatedly with an Emirates move and West Ham soon needing to make a decision about his future.
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    Gunners fans are loving the idea of Arsenal poaching two young homegrown talents from rival London clubs.
    Responding to a news story about Mount potentially making the switch, one supporter said excitedly on Twitter: “There’s some naughty talk of him and Rice joining The Arsenal…”
    Another fan said: “Rice linking up with Mount for Arsenal sounds hilarious.”
    While someone else claimed that they believed it was now a “formality” that Rice would arrive in north London.
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    Arsenal have reportedly grown in confidence at landing Rice, despite the fact the 24-year-old is attracting the attention of other big clubs.
    The club’s owners are believed to be ready to back manager Mikel Arteta in the transfer window with more funds.
    If either England star were to join, it would leave Arsenal’s midfield even more stacked with quality.
    The Gunners already have the likes of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard holding down the fort in the middle of the park. More