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      Declan Rice reveals hilarious item Mikel Arteta made him wear when he was ‘nervous’ on his first day at Arsenal

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      DECLAN RICE has revealed how Mikel Arteta welcomed him to Arsenal on his first day at the club.The midfielder joined the Gunners in a record-breaking £105million transfer from West Ham in July.
      Rice has revealed that Arteta made his wear a sticker when he arrived at ArsenalCredit: Getty
      The midfielder has developed a close relationship with Arteta since joining ArsenalCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      He quickly settled into the squad and has since made four Premier League appearances, scoring once and earning two Player of the Match awards.
      Rice has been full of praise for Arteta, admitting he was “blown away” by the Spaniard when he made the switch to the Emirates Stadium.
      And he recently revealed that the Arsenal boss broke the ice in a hilarious way on his first day at London Colney.
      Speaking on the Tubes and Ange Golf Life YouTube channel, the midfielder said: “I was a bit nervous. The first day I was down there on the Sunday, the lads weren’t in but I come out of the physio room and Arteta, just like little things he does, he put like a sticker on me saying ‘hello I’m the new person’.
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      “He just walked in and put it on my chest. All the 18s and 21s in the canteen and I’m walking through trying to hide my chest! Just little things like that.”
      Rice scored his first goal for Arsenal during the club’s 3-1 win over Manchester United last week.
      With the score locked at 1-1, the midfielder controlled the ball in the box before firing it past Andre Onana and into the back of the net.
      Gabriel Jesus then sealed the three points with a sensational solo goal.
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      After the match, Rice said: “To score and feel the stadium erupt with the sigh of relief that we got the three points from such a massive fixture, it’s incredible and what we play football for.
      “To bounce back and show that fight and spirit and hunger with such a young team, you can see the mentality in the squad that we’ll never give up. Mindset, mentality, energy.
      “We’re creating the chances but just not finishing them off at the moment. It will come and the manager is on us to keep improving every day.
      “We’re eager and hungry to learn and this squad is capable of doing good things.” More

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      How £72m Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe is STILL costing Gunners money despite joining Trabzonspor after contract ripped up

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      NICOLAS PEPE is still set to cost Arsenal a further £10million, despite joining Trabzonspor earlier this week.The Gunners agreed a deal to fork out a then club-record £72m for Pepe in 2019.
      Nicolas Pepe played 112 times for ArsenalCredit: Reuters
      To do the deal, Arsenal pledged to pay the transfer fee in instalments.
      Mikel Arteta’s side are understood to still owe Lille the final £10m of the fee – with Pepe’s absence not changing the structure of the initial deal.
      Right winger Pepe fell down the pecking order at the Emirates soon after the emergence of Bukayo Saka in the same position.
      The Ivorian hasn’t played for the Gunners since May 2022, scoring 27 goals in 122 appearances in total.
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      After being left as an unused sub in their first two matches of last season, Pepe was sent out on loan to Nice.
      He played 28 times for the Ligue 1 side, scoring eight times.
      Arsenal boss Arteta refused to re-integrate Pepe into his first team squad during pre-season, despite no suitors emerging.
      After failing to secure a transfer fee for their former record signing, the Gunners agreed to terminate his contract in order to let him join Trabzonspor for free.
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      Pepe, 28, has signed a one-year contract with the Turkish side.
      He has become the latest Arsenal outcast to have their contract terminated during Arteta’s reign.
      The winger follows in the footsteps of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Willian and Hector Bellerin.
      Arsenal spent over £200million on new signings this summer, including a club-record for £115m for Declan Rice.
      They only managed to recoup around £57m, however, with Folarin Balogun joining Monaco and Granit Xhaka moving to Bayer Leverkusen.
      Pepe, 28, spent last season on loan at LilleCredit: Getty More

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      I’m a former Premier League star with £7.6m in career earnings – now I’m unemployed aged 26

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      FORMER Premier League star Josh Onomah is unemployed at 26-years-old.The attacking midfielder was once one of England’s hottest prospects, having been part of the winning Three Lions team at the Under-20s World Cup in 2017.
      Josh Onomah is currently a free agentCredit: Alamy
      Onomah came through the ranks at Tottenham and made his first-team debut in 2015.
      He was handed the chance by then manager Mauricio Pochettino and eventually established himself as part of the Spurs squad.
      Onomah made 32 appearances for the North Londoners before being loaned out to Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.
      He then left Tottenham permanently to join Fulham as part of the deal that saw Spurs sign Ryan Sessegnon for £25million.
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      Onomah spent four seasons at the Cottagers, helping them win promotion to the Premier League twice.
      He played 76 times for the club and netted five goals.
      But after struggling with injury and falling down the pecking order, his contract was mutually terminated in January this year.
      Onomah was then snapped up on a free by Preston and he penned a short-term deal until the end of last season.
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      But he failed to land a longer contract at Deepdale and he remains without a club.
      Onomah doesn’t have to rush back into football as he has already pocketed a whopping £7.6million in his career, according to Capology.
      However, he has been training with Stoke to maintain his fitness and he could reportedly be handed a contract by the club. More

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      Man Utd target says it’s ‘great’ to hear of transfer interest but Red Devils face competition from Barcelona

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      VANDERSON has revealed that he would love to play in the Premier League amid “cool” links with Manchester United.The 22-year-old right back is one of the most sought-after young players in Europe.
      Vanderson admits it’s ‘cool’ to be linked with ‘big clubs’Credit: Getty
      Vanderson joined Monaco in a £9.5million transfer from Brazilian side Gremio last year, but he is already being monitored by both Man Utd and Barcelona.
      And although he has four years remaining on his current contract with the Red and Whites, the Brazilian has started looking to the future.
      Speaking to Trivela while on international duty earlier this week, Vanderson said: “It’s cool. Knowing that even if it’s nothing definitive, knowing that the work is recognised, even if it’s not so official, but it’s cool.
      “The biggest clubs in the world, everyone knows. It’s great to know that your name is mentioned in big clubs.”
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      And when asked if he would like to play in the Premier League one day, the Brazilian added: “Yeah. It’s a great league. Everybody knows.
      “I have goals of maybe after a great career here at Monaco, a change too.”
      Vanderson – who is said to be valued at £52million – was heavily linked with a move to Man Utd throughout the summer transfer window, but a deal failed to materialise.
      The Red Devils signed seven players before the window slammed shut last week.
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      Mason Mount was the first to make the switch to Old Trafford after completing a £60m move from Chelsea.
      Andre Onana followed from Inter Milan before Rasmus Hojlund joined in a £72m move from Atalanta.
      United then finalised last-minute deals for Altay Bayindir, Sergio Reguilon, Sofyan Amrabat and Jonny Evans on deadline day. More

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      Connor Roberts is set to win his 50th Wales cap after long journey to get to the top

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      CONNOR ROBERTS ‘hated’ his life at Middlesbrough six years ago.But the determined Burnley defender, 27, bounced back from those dark days to play in the Premier League and is set to win his 50th Wales cap against Latvia on Monday.
      Roberts had doubts over his football career but has played at a Euros and World Cup for WalesCredit: Getty
      The 27-year-old is now a Premier League regular at Vincent Kompany’s BurnleyCredit: PA
      Before his Dragons debut, Roberts felt his career was going nowhere at Boro where he only played one EFL game before his season-long loan deal from Swansea was terminated in January 2018.
      Roberts said: “There were many times at Middlesbrough where I laid on my bed on my own, miles away from family and thought, ‘Maybe I’m not good enough to be a footballer’.
      “I wasn’t playing and I was absolutely hating my life.
      “Then a few months later I got called up by Wales, went to China and got on against Uruguay. It was surreal.
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      “Now I sit here with nearly 50 caps for my country and no-one can ever take that away from me.
      “When I was a young boy, I never thought I’d ever be a professional footballer, let alone play 50 times for my country.
      “So I’m proud of myself and I hope my friends and family are proud of me too.  
      “The more times I can play and the more little triumphs I can have, the better it is.”
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      Roberts still excitedly messages wife Georgina as well as his parents to tell them about call-ups.
      Since then, the versatile Clarets star has represented his country at Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup in Qatar – Wales’ first global finals since 1958.
      But Roberts, nicknamed the ‘Crynant Cafu’ for the energy he offers from full-back, insists he has more to give.
      He added: “Every time I text my mum, dad and wife, and say, ‘I got called up again.’ They say, well, did you expect not to? But it’s still a proud moment.  
      “It’s still brilliant. When I started playing for Wales, since my second, third, fourth cap, I always wondered, ‘Imagine how incredible it would be to get 50 caps.’
      “Now I’m here. I cherish every moment and I’ve had some unbelievable experiences – I’ve played at a World Cup, a Euros, scored a couple of goals and had a load of happy times in the Wales jersey. 
      “And, hopefully, that can continue for a couple of years, at least.  I’ve experienced a lot in a short space of time.”
      Wales must win in Latvia to keep their Euro 2024 dreams alive and ease the pressure on under-fire boss Robert Page. 
      The Dragons drew 0-0 with South Korea on Thursday night to extend their miserable run of form to one win in their 13 internationals.
      They lost both qualifiers in June and Roberts said: “Monday is the big game as we all know June wasn’t good enough.
      “We were dreadful. We only have ourselves to blame for the poor results and performances.
      “It was definitely one of the lowest periods in a Wales shirt. Against Armenia, we scored early and thought we’d cracked it. And we hadn’t. There was a bit of naivety in us.
      “We should have performed a lot better. The only way to make it good enough and put things right is to play well and win games.
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      “There’s a determination to not feel like we did after those previous two games.
      “Now we must stand by our principles and never give up. I’ll go out on Monday and give absolutely everything.” More

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      Fans baffled at Chelsea legends match as player who retired after just 5 matches stars – and he now plays in League One

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      FANS were left baffled by one shock name in the Chelsea Legends squad – especially as the player in question only appeared FIVE TIMES for the club.The Blues organised the game against their Bayern Munich counterparts tonight at Stamford Bridge.
      There was a shock inclusion in the squad for Chelsea’s Legend team to face Bayern Munich tonightCredit: AFP
      Sam Hutchinson currently plays in League One for ReadingCredit: Rex
      The match was organised in tribute to Gianluca Vialli, the former striker who passed away earlier this year, with all proceeds going to the Chelsea Foundation and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, who looked after the late Italian before his death.
      A host of blockbuster names were on display, with arguably Chelsea’s greatest-ever goalkeeper Petr Cech the latest to get involved.
      Joining him in action for the Legends team, which is being managed by Roberto Di Matteo, is the likes of John Terry, Gianfranco Zola, Michael Essien, Claude Makelele, Carlo Cudicini, Tore Andre Flo, Frank Leboeuf, Salomon Kalou, Florent Malouda, Gary Cahill, Jody Morris and Ryan Bertrand.
      However, the inclusion of 34-year-old Sam Hutchinson in the Blues squad left many completely baffled.
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      The defender is still playing professionally for League One side Reading.
      He came through the youth system at Stamford Bridge after joining aged nine but after just two appearances he retired in 2010 due to a recurring knee injury.
      Amazingly, just 15 months later, Hutchinson came out of retirement and rejoined Chelsea on a one-and-a-half year deal.
      But just three more Premier League outings came before he left the West London giants for Sheffield Wednesday following several loans away in 2014.
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      However, even though he barely featured for the Blues, he has still made the cut for tonight’s Legends clash, but supporters could not resist mocking his inclusion on social media.
      One asked: “Chelsea legend Sam Hutchinson?”
      Another wrote: “I have 5 appearances less for Chelsea than Chelsea legend Sam Hutchinson.”
      Hutchinson left Wednesday for Cyprus for a brief stint with Pafos in 2020 but headed back to Hillsborough the following summer.
      He spent the 2021/22 campaign there before joining Reading 13 months ago. 
      Sam Hutchinson only played FIVE TIMES for Chelsea during his two spells thereCredit: PA:Empics Sport More

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      John Terry makes emotional tribute to Gianluca Vialli as Chelsea legends remember Blues icon in Bayern charity match

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      CHELSEA fans unfurled a giant tifo in honour of Gianluca Vialli at a Legends match against Bayern Munich on Saturday night – while John Terry dedicated a surprise goal to the much-loved Italian great.The game was being played in tribute of the former player-manager, who sadly died at the start of the year, and to raise funds for the Chelsea Foundation and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

      Chelsea fans unveiled a giant banner in honour of Gianluca Vialli at a Legends match in his honourCredit: Reuters
      John Terry paid tribute to his former manager, pointing to the sky after he scoredCredit: AFP
      Vialli’s daughters, Olivia and Sofia, and wife Cathryn (right) were also at the gameCredit: AFP
      The likes of John Terry, Gianfranco Zola, Michael Essien and Claude Makelele were playing for Chelsea, with Vialli’s former team-mate – and Champions League winning manager – Roberto Di Matteo in the dugout.
      A packed Stamford Bridge made their affection towards the Italian known before kick-off, as they unveiled a giant banner in his honour.
      With the Italian flag in the background and a huge image of the striker, it read: “When his goals light the sky, there’s a tear in my eye.”
      Chants of “Vialli, Vialli” also rang around the ground throughout the match, while it appeared Zola and Di Matteo were struggling to hold back tears as a tribute video played on the big screens.
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      John Terry and other legends held a minute’s applause for VialliCredit: Reuters
      Terry (centre) was congratulated by team-mates including Gary Cahill, Michael Essien and RamiresCredit: Reuters

      Vialli’s family – wife Cathryn and daughters Olivia and Sofia – were at the ground, with the Stamford Bridge crowd breaking out into a minute’s applause after Nessun Dorma blared around the ground.
      Comedian Omid Djalili, a huge Chelsea fan, captured the applause at Stamford Bridge and posted it to social media.
      With the ceremonies over, John Terry made an emotional gesture for the manager that handed him his Chelsea debut, after scoring a surprise goal.
      Captain for the night, Terry burst forward played the ball into fellow Champions League winner Florent Malouda and slid to poke home – with the goal aptly coming in the 26th minute, Terry’s shirt number.
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      Terry pointed two fingers to the sky in honour of Chelsea legend Vialli, who won three trophies in west London – the 1997 FA Cup as a player and the 1998 League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup as a player-manager.
      Earlier this year, in another tribute to the Italian – Terry revealed he used to run a bath and fetch coffee for Vialli when they played together. More

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      Micah Richards reveals ‘angriest I’ve ever been in my life’ after manager decision as he’s mocked by Lineker and Shearer

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      MICAH RICHARDS left Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer in stitches as he revealed why one of Manchester City’s greatest days left him “the angriest” he has ever been.The trio all enjoyed great success on the football pitch and now regularly work alongside each other on BBC.
      Micah Richards had Gary Lineker in stitches as he revealed the ‘angriest I’ve ever been in my life’Credit: BBC
      He was also mocked by Alan Shearer as he recalled his agony from 2012Credit: BBC
      They have also recently embarked on a brand new football podcast named “The Rest Is Football”.
      And it was during an episode of their latest venture that Richards was mocked by his colleagues as he recounted Man City’s iconic last-ditch Premier League title victory in 2012.
      Trailing QPR on the final day of the season 2-1 going into additional time, Edin Dzecko came off the bench to equalise.
      And then Sergio Aguero earned himself legendary status as he fired in a dramatic winner to earn Roberto Mancini’s side the title.
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      However, despite being part of that dramatic afternoon as an unused sub, former City defender Richards still counts the day as a painful one after being dropped in favour of Pablo Zabaleta at right-back.
      And the 35-year-old had his former England striking colleagues crying with laughter as he recalled the agony of not only being dropped for the Argentina ace – but then having to sit there and watch him open the scoring.
      Richards said: “We’re going to the room where he is writing the team and I’m always a second player if I’m going to get picked because when you write on the board it’s always the goalkeeper and then you start with the right-back.
      “He [Mancini] has wrote in Joe Hart and I’ve never watched someone so closely to see what letter he is going to write… If he starts on the left then it means that he is going to write ‘Z’ and go straight across.
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      “If he starts in the middle or at the end and goes down first then he is going to write an ‘R’ for Richards. And what does he do? He goes across like that… Za… Zabaleta.
      “I just thought f*** this! I didn’t do the warm-up properly. But Mancini, the thing is, he wouldn’t even make eye contact with me because he knew what he’d done.”
      As Shearer and Lineker struggled to hold back their laughter, Richards continued: “And what happens in the game? Zabaleta scored the first goal.”
      The chuckling Lineker then asks: “Did you cheer and jump up off the bench?”
      To which Richards bluntly replied: “Did I cheer? I’ve never been so angry in all my life.”
      However, despite his personal anguish, Richards said all of that washed away as he willed his team on from the dug-out during the closing stages.
      Although he still had time to get mocked one more time by Shearer and Lineker as they burst into laughter as he added: “I was in paradise. It was like everything was in slow motion. It was jubilation, it was disappointment.
      “But you know what p***es me off more than anything… ‘Oh, what was it like to play in that QPR game?’ I’ve never got over it.”
      Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring for Man City as Richards watched onCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd More