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      Title winner Kasper Schmeichel ‘open to Premier League transfer return and could join Liverpool legend’

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      KASPER SCHMEICHEL is reportedly open to making a Premier League return in January.The 37-year-old won the title with Leicester in 2016 and made 276 top-flight appearances for the club during his 11-year stay.
      Kasper Schmeichel is open to a Premier League return in JanuaryCredit: AFP
      However, Schmeichel left the Foxes for Nice last summer before moving to Belgian side Anderlecht in September.
      He has gone on to become the club’s starting goalkeeper but could now be on the move once again.
      According to talkSPORT, Schmeichel is open to a Premier League return when the transfer window re-opens.
      Bottom side Sheffield United are one of a number of clubs in the market for a new keeper, the report adds.
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      Chelsea and Newcastle could also be potential destinations after injuries to Robert Sanchez and Nick Pope, respectively.
      The Blades are currently seven points from safety after their Boxing Day defeat to Luton,
      Chris Wilder’s side have won just one of their last eight and just twice in the league all season.
      A move to Bramall Lane could also see Schmeichel join ex-Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.
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      The Brazilian has grown frustrated in Saudi Arabia just six months after leaving Anfield.
      Sheffield United are understood to be interested in Firmino, who has not started a league match since the end of October.
      Al-Ahli would reportedly be willing to sanction a loan move next month, although the Blades face competition from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
      Firmino scored 111 goals in 362 appearances for the Reds across an eight-year stay in England.
      He also won seven major trophies including the Champions League, Club World Cup and Premier League.
      Sheffield United are also interested in ex-Liverpool forward Roberto FirminoCredit: Getty More

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      Ian Wright names top level striker Arsenal ‘need to sign’ in transfer window after drawing a blank against West Ham

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      IAN WRIGHT has named the “top level” striker Arsenal need to sign in January following their 2-0 defeat to West Ham.The Gunners missed the opportunity to go back to the top of the Premier League table despite dominating and having 30 shots in goal during the match.
      Ian Wright has urged Arsenal to sign Victor OsimhenCredit: Getty
      He was the top scorer in the Serie A last seasonCredit: Rex
      The front three of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli misfired with the Gunners wasting opportunities before Tomas Soucek’s 13th minute opener.
      The Gunners rained shots down on West Ham’s goal in response, with Saka going closest by hitting the post.
      But overall, Alphonse Areola did not have to do much to keep the Gunners at bay.
      Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards that his side had been wasteful in front of goal and cited West Ham’s sharp finishing as the difference.
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      And Ian Wright says that if the Gunners are tow in the title this year, signing a striker is essential.
      He told Premier League productions after the game: “The calibre of player Arsenal need right now i somebody who hits the ground running, a top end striker, like the [Victor] Osimhens of this world… that level of striker.
      “If Arsenal want to do it now they’re going to need that level of goalscorer who will slot in straight away.
      “That’s what they probably need now. I don’t think any Arsenal fan will look at the game and not see that we need a killer in front of goal.”
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      Arteta was asked about potential reinforcements in January and said: “What we have is the players that we have, it’s the players that I love the most.
      “What we have to do is try to get better situations, and more training, put them there and raise their confidence and that’s it because they have done it.
      “‘If we don’t score goals in thirty shots, we have to do fifty or sixty to try to score, it’s the only thing.
      “I cannot imagine a game that you have more dominance, more touches in the box, less situations of the opponents against a really good West Ham side, but today wasn’t enough to win the game.”
      Arsenal have been linked extensively with the £100million Brentford striker Ivan Toney – who is set to return from his betting ban in January. More

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      Ex-Man Utd star Eric Bailly, 29, becomes unemployed six months after Red Devils release as Besiktas contract terminated

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      FORMER Manchester United star Eric Bailly has had his contract terminated by Turkish club Besiktas.The centre-back joined the Turkish giants in the summer after being released by Manchester United.
      Bailly has had his contract terminated by BesiktasCredit: Getty
      The club confirmed on Twitter that they had released the player in a short statement.
      The club tweeted: “The contract with Eric Bailly, the player of our first team, has been terminated by mutual agreement.
      “We wish Eric Bailly success in his career. Regards. Besiktas JK”
      Villarreal are reportedly close to signing the defender on a free, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
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      Bailly’s release comes amid highly controversial circumstances.
      He was one of five stars banished by the club owing to “poor performances” and “incompatibilities within the team”.
      Bailly’s agent said that the treatment had been unfair, given he was unable to contribute due to injury.
      He made eight appearances for Besiktas before being sidelined by the club.
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      His agent, Rafaela Pimenta, who also represents Erling Haaland, said when Bailly was first taken out of the squad: “We are shocked and it took us by surprise.
      “We are preparing our reaction since we know Eric has done nothing wrong.
      “The player’s rights are being violated and we will make sure to protect him.”
      Bailly, along with Vincent Aboubakar, Rachid Ghezzal, Jean Onana and Valentin Rosier, had all been made to train away from the first-team squad until a transfer or contract termination could be arranged.
      On the players’ exile, new Besiktas president Hasan Arat told the AFP news agency: “Our No1 priority is to build a better team – we will fill the holes in our squad during the [winter] break.”
      Bailly joined United from Villarreal in 2016 and played under former managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
      He won the League Cup and Europa League during his first season at Old Trafford but a number of injury problems hindered his progress in recent years.
      He was then shipped out on loan to Ligue 1 side Marseille last season after being deemed surplus to requirements by boss Erik ten Hag.
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      He still had 12 months remaining on his £80,000-a-week deal when he was made available for transfer by United in the summer.
      Bailly held talks to link up with former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr but that deal broke down before he headed to Turkey to try to resurrect his career as Besiktas announced his signing on a one-year contract. More

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      Chelsea ‘set to INCREASE ticket prices to fund Todd Boehly’s £1bn-plus transfer spree’ – despite lying tenth in table

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      CHELSEA are set to increase their ticket prices next season following Todd Boehly’s £1BILLION spending spree, according to reports.The Blues have splashed a remarkable amount of cash since the American, 50, took over from Roman Abramovich last year.
      Todd Boehly has spent more than £1billion on transfers since taking over last yearCredit: Rex
      But it has failed to amount to much on the pitch as they finished 12th in the Premier League last season, just 10 points above the relegation zone.
      And new manager Mauricio Pochettino has struggled since arriving in the summer, with Chelsea sitting 10th after just seven wins from 19 matches.
      Yet the on-field difficulties are not the only aspects of the club that will anger Blues fans.
      That is because The Standard are reporting the club are preparing to increase ticket prices ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
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      No “firm decisions” have been made, but talks in recent meetings with elected fans and club officials have left supporters expecting a price rise.
      It comes after Boehly and Clearlake froze ticket prices last season.
      Revenue streams such as matchday income need to be increased to ensure a sustainable business model following their seismic spending across the last three transfer windows.
      Inflation is another major reason why Chelsea need to raise ticket prices as the cost of maintaining and operating Stamford Bridge has increased by 31 per cent over the past five years.
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      The Blues have the lowest operating margin out of the tradition top six clubs in the Premier League.
      The club’s general admission tickets have not risen since the 2011/12 season.
      This means they have effectively reduced by 32 per cent over the past 11 years.
      Chelsea have the second-lowest ticket prices out of the top six after Manchester City.
      Just three of the 20 Premier League clubs did not choose to increase their ticket prices ahead of the new season.
      Earlier this month, a survey conducted by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust revealed most supporters would accept a four per cent increase in ticket prices.
      However, most also believe the existing prices to be fair, while the club has also been criticised by the CST after they opted to remove coach subsidies for away travel.
      And the Chelsea Women Supporters Group slammed the decision to raise ticket prices to watch the league champions. More

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      Two-cap former England star misses out on Afcon squad after switching from Three Lions to new country

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      TWO-CAP former England international Wilfried Zaha has not been called up to join the Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations squad in January.After switching from the Three Lions to the West African nation back in 2017 the Galatasary winger is still struggling to secure international football.
      Wilfried Zaha has not made it into the Ivory Coast’s Afcon squadCredit: Getty
      Zaha opted to change allegiance to Ivory Coast in the hope of picking up more international caps than he had done for England.
      But the move has seemingly soured as coach Jean-Louis Gasset did not name the 31-year-old in his 27-man Africa Cup of Nations squad on Thursday.
      Missing out on a spot in the squad may have been expected for the former Crystal Palace star as he has only played in two friendlies for the Ivory Coast this year.
      The winger then missed their Cup of Nations qualifiers and last month’s first round of World Cup qualifying.
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      However, the likes of Nottingham Forest’s Serge Aurier, Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly have been named in the squad by Senegal – who will host the competition.
      Sebastien Haller of Borussia Dortmund and RB Salzburg’s Karim Konate also feature and face Guinea-Bissau in the tournament’s opener on January 13.
      Zaha’s Ivory Coast career began five years ago as he made the switch from the England team ahead of the Afcon 2017.
      Born in the West African nation, Zaha grew up in England from age four.
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      He made his debut for the England national team in 2012 but only managed to secure an appearance in two friendlies.
      After a total of 18 years across four spells at Crystal Palace, Zaha rejected a new contract worth £200,000 a week last term.
      He then made a move across Europe to Turkish giants Galatasaray on an annual salary of £3.7million – roughly £70k per week.
      And the Ivory Coast outcast has made a decent start scoring six goals in 20 appearances.
      One of his strikes was against his former side Manchester United in a 3–2 win for Galatasaray at Old Trafford on his first start in the competition.
      Zaha will now focus on delivering a performance for his club as they face rivals Fenerbahce in a Turkish Super Cup fixture on Friday night. More

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      Bournemouth star Hamed Traore hospitalised with malaria as Iraola confirms midfielder will be ‘out for some time’

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      BOURNEMOUTH star Hamed Traore is recovering after being hospitalised with malaria.Manager Andoni Iraola confirmed the news and said the midfielder will be out for “some time” while he recovers.
      Andoni Iraola has confirmed midfielder Hamed Traore will be out for ‘quite some time’Credit: Reuters
      Iraola said: “Right now, he is recovering much better.
      “The past few weeks have been a tough situation for him personally and from a sporting perspective, he will be out for some time.”
      Bournemouth’s official X account joined Iraola in wishing the midfielder a speedy recovery.
      The club posted: “We’re wishing you a quick recovery, Junior.”
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      The 23-year-old initially joined the Cherries on loan at the beginning of 2023 from Serie A side Sassuolo before making the move permanent in May.
      The midfielder made seven appearances for Bournemouth last season but suffered a foot injury which ruled him out for long spells.
      He has struggled for game time this season due to form, but it is now clear that this was because he was dealing with the effects of the disease.
      Malaria is a disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
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      According to talkSPORT, the midfielder contracted the illness in November during the international break.
      He made two World Cup qualifying appearances for the Ivory Coast during that time, scoring two goals in a 9-0 win over Seychelles and featuring in their 2-0 victory against The Gambia.
      He has not been called up by the Ivory Coast for the African Cup of Nations due to struggling with the effects of the illness.
      The attacking midfielder has made six appearances this season, with three each coming in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
      His most recent appearance came at home in a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup prior to going on international duty.
      Traore’s most recent Premier League match was back in September when Bournemouth lost to Brighton 3-1. More

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      Brighton star becoming ‘new Ivan Toney’ as De Zerbi admits ‘it’ll be very tough to keep him for another year’

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      BRIGHTON’S Joao Pedro is on track to becoming the new Ivan Toney, according to fans.And the Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi fears he will not able to hold onto his star penalty taker for much longer.
      Joao Pedro has been likened to Ivan Toney by fansCredit: AFP
      Pedro’s superb penalty taking resembles Toney’s success rate from 12 yardsCredit: Reuters
      Brighton boss De Zerbi now fears he cannot hold onto to Pedro for much longerCredit: Getty
      Pedro, 22, was Brighton’s hero on Thursday night as he added another two spot-kicks to his tally for the season – helping to lead his side to a 4-2 win over Tottenham.
      This term alone, the Brazillian star has netted eight penalties across all competitions.
      His talent for hitting the back of the net from 12 yards has even been likened to Brentford’s Toney.
      As one fan said on Twitter: “Joao Pedro is the coolest penalty taker after Ivan Toney”.
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      Up until Toney’s suspension – which he will be serving until the new year – the Englishmen has scored 28 out 30 spot-kicks.
      With 11 successful penalty efforts across his senior career, Pedro could line up as one of the leagues greatest such as Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Frank Lampard in the future.
      And boss De Zerbi admitted he might not be able to keep the gifted forward for much longer.
      The Seagulls chief said: “I hope to work with Joao Pedro for another year but I think it will be very tough.
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      “He was the best player on the pitch. It was another incredible performance. He defended for 90 minutes like a centre-back”.
      The one-cap Brazil international joined Brighton for £30million at the start of the summer.
      The former Fluminense star impressed Brighton after his terrific form at Championship side Watford.
      Across his three years at the Hornets, Pedro scored 24 goals across 109 appearances. More

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      Mikel Arteta’s unsuccessful tactic notes revealed as Arsenal boss holds up instructions to attack West Ham’s ‘hotzone’

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      EAGLE-EYED fans spotted Mikel Arteta’s unsuccessful tactic as his notes were pictured during Arsenal’s shock 2-0 defeat to West Ham.The main focus of the Spaniard’s masterplan appears to be to attack West Ham’s so-called “hotzone”.
      Arteta’s notes revealed his tactical tweaksCredit: Getty
      The notes revealed a plan to attack West Ham’s ‘hot zone’Credit: Getty
      However, for all the Gunners tried, none of their 30 shots hit the back of the next against David Moyes’ side.
      Arteta chucked the kitchen sink at West Ham in the second half after Konstantinos Mavropanos’ header made it 2-0 and made a number of attacking changes.
      Eddie Nketiah, Reece Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe were all thrown on but failed to make a difference.
      Bukayo Saka went closest for the Gunners when he hit the post in the second half.
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      A zoomed in picture of the note showed that Arteta scribbled down a note telling his players to overload the West Ham box in the first half.
      The note also revealed tweaks to Arsenal’s 4-3-3 system depending on game state.
      After the match, Arteta admitted that his front three of Saka, Martinelli and Jesus were not effective enough.
      He said: “West Ham won the game but I think we deserved much more.
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      Credit: The Sun
      Konstantinos Mavropanos came back to haunt his former clubCredit: Reuters
      “We tried, and tried and tried but the difference was maybe in the boxes. You have to make the difference in the boxes.”
      He was also aggrieved by West Ham’s first goal, which saw the ball cross the line before Jarrod Bowen pulled the ball back for Thomas Soucek to finish.
      He said after the game that VAR technology is not up to the required standards: “If the technology we have at the moment is not good enough to give us that answer (of whether the ball went out), what we have to do is, without that, win the game.
      “I haven’t seen it. They’re saying it’s not conclusive. It’s a shame that with the technology we have, it’s not that clear so we can say whether it’s out or in. 
      “It’s done. It’s gone. There’s nothing we can do about it now.” More