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      Arsenal ‘want Florian Wirtz as they join transfer battle with Real Madrid and Man City for Leverkusen superstar’

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      ARSENAL are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, according to reports.The midfielder has attracted plenty of suitors and he is on the radar of Real Madrid and Manchester City.Arsenal want to sign Florian WirtzCredit: GettyWirtz was a key part of Bayer Leverkusen’s success last season as they won the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history.Xabi Alonso’s side did not even lose a single game and almost went all the way in Europe too, reaching the Europa League final.Wirtz caught the eye with 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions, and followed that up with two goals at the Euros, including an equaliser in Germany’s defeat to Spain.He has started this season on fire too with six goals in seven games, sparking interest from Arsenal.READ MORE ON ARSENALAccording transfer guru Christian Falk Arsenal want to sign Wirtz, who reportedly wants to leave Leverkusen next summer.However the Gunners may have to spend big to land the 21-year-old as he has a price tag of £125million.And with several big hitters interested he could cost even more, with City and Real Madrid not afraid to spend heavily to get the targets they want.Wirtz could also be enticed by another German side, Bayern Munich, who are also linked to the attacking midfielder.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSWirtz was a stand-out player in the Bundesliga last seasonLast season former Arsenal youngster Jermaine Pennant suggested Wirtz would be perfect for the Gunners, highlighting his football IQ.Pennant said: “I think Arsenal should have gone for Wirtz, his footballing IQ is off the charts.Mikel Arteta insists Ethan Nwaneri will get more chances for Arsenal this season “He’s not a speed merchant but he’s clever on the ball and he seems to always pick the right pass.“His assists are great, he has an eye for goal and I think he’d be a fantastic addition to Arsenal, he’d fit in perfectly there.” More

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      Referee ‘banned’ from officiating Liverpool games for an entire year to make return in Wolves clash on Saturday

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      A REFEREE who was effectively banned from officiating Liverpool games for an entire year will return for their match at Wolves on Saturday.Arne Slot’s men have made a flying start to the season, winning four of their five matches and conceding just one goal.Liverpool will be reunited with a familiar face against Wolves on SaturdayCredit: AlamySpirits are high following Jurgen Klopp’s departure.And Anfield fans are quietly hopeful of putting in a strong title challenge should Liverpool’s form continue.The league’s second-place team visit basement boys Wolves this weekend.Gary O’Neil’s men are yet to win a game and have taken just one point while shipping 24 goals.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHowever, Liverpool are set for an awkward reunion with a referee who hasn’t laid eyes on them in 12 months.Darren England will take charge of Saturday’s clash at Molineux.And it will see him officiate a Liverpool match for the first time since last October’s infamous VAR error in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat to Tottenham.Referee’s body PGMOL admitted there had been a “significant” human error after Luis Diaz had a goal ruled out for offside when he was clearly onside.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSEngland was on VAR duty and had been tasked with drawing up the lines.But he accidentally gave a “check complete” to back up the original decision after forgetting what it was.Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Bold £84m Bid for NantesDarren England will be the fourth official after last season’s VAR blunderCredit: AlamyHe wrongly disallowed Luis Diaz’s goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at SpursCredit: GettyReplays showed Diaz was clearly onside after England drew up the VAR linesAnd by the time England realised his error, the game had already continued — meaning the match could not be brought back for Diaz’s goal to stand.It took seven months from that game before England was given another VAR role, despite him being back on referee duties just weeks after the incident.And he will now take part in a Liverpool match for the first time in a year after being named as the fourth official against Wolves.Anthony Taylor will be the referee for the game.While Michael Salisbury is in charge of VAR in a move which is sure to put Liverpool fans at ease.After England’s mistake last year, ref chiefs issued a grovelling apology to the Reds.A statement said: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool.”The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.”This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.READ MORE SUN STORIES”PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”PGMOL will immediately be contacting Liverpool at the conclusion of the fixture to acknowledge the error.” More

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      Bukayo Saka on track to break never-before-seen Premier League record in Arsenal clash against Leicester

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      BUKAYO SAKA could set a new Premier League record when Arsenal face Leicester City on Saturday.The 23-year-old has enjoyed a great season so far with the Gunners, providing six goal contributions in five league games.Bukayo Saka could set a new Premier League record this weekendCredit: GettyThe winger matched a record set by Thierry Henry last weekend by assisting five goals in the first five Prem games of the seasonCredit: GettyHe became just the second player in Prem history to register five assists in the first five games of a campaign last weekend against Manchester City, with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry the only other player to achieve the feat.But he could go one better this weekend by becoming the first person to manage six assists in the first six games.The Gunners face Leicester at home on Saturday, so Saka could fancy his chances – especially given Arsenal have not lost to the Foxes in four years.Speaking ahead of the match, Leicester boss Steve Cooper admitted Arsenal will provide the “toughest” test for his team so far.Read More in FootballHe said: “They’re an incredible team who have been in great form for a number of years. They’ve been challenging for trophies.”We’re coming up against a really tough opponent. It’s these games that you have to embrace and not fear failure.”That’s what we want to do, to back ourselves. We want to go for it.”Leicester are yet to win a Premier League match this season.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe Foxes currently sit 15th in the table with three points from five games.Meanwhile, Arsenal are yet to taste defeat.Man Utd legend Roy Keane blasts Arsenal as ‘small team with small mentality’ in furious rant at Ian WrightThe Gunners are fourth with 11 points from three wins and two draws.They also progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with a 5-1 win over Bolton.Arsenal player ratings vs BoltonETHAN NWANERI will remember this night for the rest of his life after scoring twice on his full Arsenal debut.The Gunners eased to a 5-1 victory over Bolton in the Carabao Cup third round.See how their players, young and old, rated at the Emirates.Jack Porter – 6He may be 16 years old but he did not show it tonight. Had one scare when his pass was blocked by Aaron Collins and the ball flew over but other than that he did not put a foot wrong.Josh Nichols – 6Encouraging signs from the right-back although he was not really tested in a defensive capacity.Jakub Kiwior – 6Dealt with Bolton’s many crosses into the box but was far too high up the pitch, along with Calafiori, which allowed the visitors to break and score.Riccardo Calafiori – 7A Rolls-Royce defender who carries himself a bit like David Luiz, minus the erratic decision-making. Defended well and went close with a long shot.Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7Looked very comfortable in possession and saw plenty of the ball. Excellent composure for a young head and linked with Sterling well.Jorginho – 6Kept things ticking over but in truth it was quite an easy night for the Italian.Declan Rice – 7Took his goal very well and everything Arsenal did went through him.Ethan Nwaneri – 9A night to remember for the 17-year-old as he capped his first start for the club with his first goals. Showed great poaching instincts.Bukayo Saka – 9Typical Saka performance and he was a constant threat with his delivery, whether in open play or from corners.Raheem Sterling – 9A threat throughout and he is back playing with a smile on his face, which is great to see. Worked hard and got his deserved goal when he poked in from two yards out.Gabriel Jesus – 5Plenty of energy and panache up front but without the finishing to match – a familiar tale of his Arsenal career.See how the Arsenal subs rated here More

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      Former Arsenal star, 29, brutally snubbed from Crystal Palace team photo and banished to youth team in mystery fallout

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      A FORMER Arsenal star was brutally snubbed from Crystal Palace’s team photo and banished to the youth side in mysterious circumstances.Oliver Glasner appears to be taking no prisoners as the Eagles lined up for their annual squad snap.Crystal Palace left a former Arsenal star out of their new team photoIn a brilliant shot, players from both the men’s and women’s team lined up together for the special moment.Palace made seven first-team signings this summer.And each one was included in the bonding session this week.Goalie Matt Turner and defenders Trevoh Chalobah, Maxence Lacroix and Chadi Riad are all hoping to make an impact.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWhile further up the field, Palace have reinforced with Daichi Kamada, Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah.The latter arrived in an initial £25million move from Arsenal.But Nketiah has been unable to link up with a former Gunners teammate, who was not in the team photo after being dropped to the youth side.Defender Rob Holding, 29, was a £4m signing from north London last summer.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe two-time FA Cup winner was seen as a bit of a coup for ex-Palace boss Roy Hodgson.But Holding failed to make one single league appearance for his new side.Marc Guehi shows off his skills in training with Crystal Palace Rob Holding has failed to make a single league appearance since last year’s transferCredit: GettyAnd his only game came in the Carabao Cup.However, Holding has failed to impress Glasner too.And after being demoted to the U23s, who he’s already turned out for in the EFL Trophy, Holding no longer has a future at Selhurst Park.Glasner reportedly informed the defender to find a new club during the summer, with Holding receiving no offers.And last month, Palace’s boss confirmed that Holding is not in his future plans.Glasner said: “He knows the reason. But it is something that stays between Rob and me. Nothing public.” More

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      Gary Neville tells Eddie Howe clear reason why he should QUIT Newcastle for ‘next step up’ in his career

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      GARY NEVILLE claims Eddie Howe should leave Newcastle to better himself.And the Manchester United legend warned the Toon chief he might “lose” out – if he doesn’t depart soon.Gary Neville has strong views on Eddie Howe’s futureCredit: YouTube/ The OverlapEddie Howe is rated one of the favourites for the England job, in the unlikely event that interim chief Lee Carsley isn’t handed the job permanentlyCredit: GettyTalk of “friction” between Howe and Newcastle’s new sporting director Paul Mitchell has soared this week.And Neville explains why he believes a swift exit is the easiest way for the former Bournemouth boss to make the “next step up”.Howe has been linked with the England job since Gareth Southgate’s departure over the summer.And although interim chief Lee Carsley is now strong favourite for the permanent job, it’s Howe, along with Pep Guardiola and Graham Potter, who comes next in the betting odds.READ MORE TOP STORIESNeville reckons it’s time for the 46-year-old, who has ben in charge of Newcastle since 2021, to put himself first.The ex-England defender told The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast: “If I was Eddie Howe, I would go and look after myself“You’ve had a great Premier League career, you’ve done a brilliant job. “You’ve been fantastic at Newcastle. You’ve almost closed that chapter of their development.”Most read in SportFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSNev added: “England are in a great position with players. You’re going to be working with amazing players. “The next step up in Eddie’s career would be England. Man Utd title winner looks unrecognisable as he rejoins former club at 35 “It’s difficult to get a Chelsea job, or Man United or Liverpool. He’ll know that. “He might get Tottenham at some point in the future.“My point is for Eddie, it’s difficult… to win with England, you’d have a chance of getting one of those top jobs. “I think it’s his next step up, and I think he would take that job. “He’s got to be proactive and not wait for other people to determine his outcome.”Neville also suggested it might all go wrong for Howe unless he acts within the next few months – because of reported wrangling within St. James Park.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe Sky Sports pundit argued: “I think he’ll lose if this drags on until January or February.”It ends for him but (by then) the England job has been given to someone else – and he’s lost both.” More

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      Premier League admit state of the art new technology may not be ready until NEXT YEAR after series of concerns

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      PREM chiefs have admitted the new state of the art offside technology system may now not be ready until after CHRISTMAS.Club bosses voted to approve the use of Semi Automated Offside Technology – with special computer-aided tracking to pinpoint the exact position of players – at their summer meeting, with a promise that it would be ready by the end of the November international break.The new system is being extensively trialledSemi-automated offside technology was used at the 2022 World CupCredit: FIFAThe new system is designed to end the issues caused by PGMOL operators at Stockley Park drawing the offside “lines”.Last week, Leicester manager Steve Cooper accused Stockley Park of an “an awful human error” after a VAR intervention saw an offside call against Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta overturned.Cooper claimed the lines had been drawn from the wrong TV frame – emphatically denied by PGMOL in a meeting with the club.Mateta was ruled onside because of the agreed 5cm “tolerance” zone for close decisions and it is likely that, with no such margin of error when SAOT is used, the on-field ruling would have been confirmed.READ MORE TOP STORIESBut at their first “shareholders” meeting of the season yesterday, the 20 clubs were told by Prem chief football officer Tony Scholes that they should “manage their expectations” over when the new technology would be ready.The Prem opted against using long-term tech partners HawkEye in favour of US-based Genius Sports but that has meant extensive trials being required.In his presentation to the clubs, which also saw Scholes make a strong defence of referees and their decisions this season and question the behaviour of players and managers, he said League bosses were willing to wait until they had proof the system was foolproof before recommending its introduction.At this stage, despite lengthy trials, there are still some concerns that need to be addressed and it was suggested that deploying the technology might have to be delayed until the “winter”, potentially after the turn of the year.Most read in FootballThe Prem only want the system to come in when it’s foolproofFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSScholes, though, did push home the message that PGMOL HAS upped its game so far this season.Despite a series of moans from clubs, Scholes confirmed that only one incorrect Key Match Incident decision which was subject to VAR oversight had been awarded – Bournemouth’s wrongly chalked off “winner” against Newcastle.Gary Lineker makes bold prediction on Match of the Day that his ‘good idea’ to fix VAR will eventually come inBut he did point out that “participant behaviour” – including dissent from players and managers – was an issue that has not helped the situation.New time-keeping rules have reduced the average amount of added time per match by around 100 seconds while the average VAR check is now down from 44 seconds to 25 seconds. More

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      Anthony Gordon set to make Newcastle transfer U-turn after telling England team-mates at Euro 2024 he was leaving

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      NEWCASTLE are on the verge of tieing down Anthony Gordon to a new long-term contract – despite the star telling England team-mates at Euro 2024 he was heading to Liverpool.The 23-year-old moved to St. James’ Park in a £45m deal from Everton in January 2022 and has become a key man in Eddie Howe’s side.Liverpool and Arsenal eyed Anthony Gordon but he is set to stay putCredit: RexHowever, with his contract due to expire in 2026, pressure was mounting on Toon’s sporting director Paul Mitchell to sort out the winger’s future.The chief’s relationship with Howe has been the subject of much speculation since he failed to land any top transfer targets this summer.But the head coach will be delighted to discover that Gordon and the club are close to agreeing terms on an extension.Talks have intensified over recent weeks and Sun Sport understands that the final few details of the package will be completed shortly.READ MORE TOP STORIESIt comes after Gordon’s head was turned while on England duty at the Euros as he nearly returned to Merseyside to join Liverpool – the club he supported as a boy.The Magpies were desperate to meet PSR regulations at the end of June and there were talks over a potential £100m move to Anfield.Newcastle eventually sold Yankuba Minteh to Brighton instead but that was only after sources informed us he had told a number of people in the Three Lions camp that he was heading to the Reds.But the North East club want to reward him for his performances and secure his future, especially with Arsenal also interested in him.Most read in FootballThe Magpies aim to sort out a new Gordon deal to end speculationCredit: GettyFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSAnd Gordon himself is keen to put pen to paper and focus all of his efforts on trying to get Newcastle back into Europe.Howe stressed the importance of Mitchell sorting out Gordon’s contract last week, saying: “I think having your players secure in their futures is key to their performances. Newcastle star reveals gruesome scars after horror injury as he’s pictured back at work“You don’t want the transfer speculation or the contracts potentially running into shorter terms because I think that it distracts and rarely benefits the player or the club.“So, my wish is that players are always focussed on their performances and that the outside distraction is minimal.“Our best way to do that is to get them secure and happy but of course there is a balance because with wage structures and PSR we can’t be reckless with what we do either.“So we have to get those calls right but, of course, getting those players to play at their best levels will have a dramatic effect on our season.“I think that if there are issues with either player, or any player, then of course communication and resolving any issues is really important.” More

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      ‘I’m not at my level,’ claims £54m Chelsea star as he says ‘no one can sleep’ over competition under Enzo Maresca

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      CHELSEA stars are losing sleep over the competition in Enzo Maresca squad.The new Blues boss spent £220million after taking over in the summer following Mauricio Pochettino’s exit.Pedro Neto during a Chelsea training sessionCredit: GettyWinger Pedro Neto was a £54million addition from Wolves and has been competing to get a regular spot out wide. Neto – who took the No7 jersey from Arsenal loanee Raheem Sterling – scored his first Chelsea goal in the 5-0 League Cup drubbing of Barrow. And he admitted Maresca’s squeezed squad are only just getting used to the rotating line ups. He said: “When you arrive at a big club, it’s a new adaptation. Maybe in Wolverhampton, I was going to play maybe 90 per cent of the games.READ MORE ON football“Here, I have to work even more or maybe I’ll not play because the coach will rotate the players. “It makes you play even better because you know that you have to work.“With the amount of quality that we have here, no one can sleep. As the coach has said: ‘Everyone will not play every game’.“We have to work hard and make for ourselves and continue to to do it every weekend, every training session, every game. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”It’s the mentality that I hope can take us to the top.”Neto, 24, has made seven appearances so far this season operating on both the left and right in competition with Noni Madueke, 22. Chelsea Player Ratings vs Crystal Palace SocialBut Neto admitted: “At the moment, I’m not at my level, but I’m getting there. I know that I will arrive at my top form and I will enjoy it.“I continue to work. I continue to work on my confidence, on my football, on the adaptation, and I hope to be [at full fitness] as soon as as I can.” More