The Sun Newspaper

WHEN Dinamo Zagreb came in for Robbie Burton in February last year, the Arsenal kid did not hesitate.
The Croatian giants, who blooded stars like Luka Modric, Davor Suker and Robert Prosinecki, hoped to get in on the wave of young British players swapping the Premier League for a challenge abroad.

Ex-Arsenal ace Robbie Burton, 21, quit boyhood side Arsenal for Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Getty

And having failed to break into boss Mikel Arteta’s first team, the former Under-23 skipper opted to leave the Emirates after 14 years for an £800,000 fee.
Since cementing his place in the team, the Gravesend-born player has helped Dinamo to the top of the Croatian top flight.
And tomorrow he has an old rival in his sights as they play Tottenham in the Europa League.
Burton, 21, told SunSport: “It was a risk to move here. I felt I was ready for first-team football and I’d got to an age where I needed that experience.

“The history of Dinamo bringing through top, young, players like Modric has always been excellent.
“The way they brought through world-class midfielders attracted me. So many Croatia internationals came through here.
“It’s a great place to be as a young player.”
Burton, who has been capped by Wales at U21 level, impressed in Freddie Ljungberg’s U23 team’s run to the 2018 FA Youth Cup final, where they were beaten by Chelsea.

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Burton came close to making his competitive Gunners bow when Unai Emery named him on the bench for a League Cup tie against Nottingham Forest in 2019.
But after finding his way to Arteta’s senior squad blocked, he put seeking regular first-team football in front of pursuing his boyhood dream.
He added: “When the offer came from Dinamo, it was very hard to turn down. I don’t have any regrets about leaving Arsenal.
“I supported them as a kid and I had 14 years there, so I always wanted to play for the first team. I was disappointed that I never got a competitive game for them.
“Getting this chance has helped me as a footballer and as a person.
“I could have stayed in England and not come out of my comfort zone. I could have stayed at Arsenal for another year.

“Taking this step was a leap into the unknown. I’m glad I did it.
“The pitches here aren’t as good as in England, but the football and the players are very technical.
“They manipulate the ball very well. The players’ attitude is excellent.
“I’ve had to adapt. We have a lot of the ball at Dinamo most games, which is something I’m used to from Arsenal.
“We’ve got the quality to beat Spurs, but we don’t look too far ahead. Spurs is next and beyond that, we’ll see what happens.”
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Despite the disappointment of giving up on Arsenal, Burton does not rule out a return to North London — but NOT at Tottenham!
He added: “No, I really don’t think I could do it.  My heart is with Arsenal.
“It was my dream to play for the Arsenal first team, so to have not quite been able to accomplish that is probably the biggest thing that I hold on to. Maybe one day? Who knows?”

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SAUDI ARABIA’S Public Investment Fund have switched their attention from Newcastle to Inter Milan.
The sovereign wealth fund withdrew their £340million Magpies bid last July after rejecting the Premier League’s offer of arbitration to determine who would own the club.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is looking at an Inter Milan takeoverCredit: Getty

As Newcastle owner Mike Ashley fights the league in the courts over the collapsed takeover, the Toon Army hope there could still be a resolution.
But SunSport understands PIF are in talks with the Italian giants, who are valued at around £850m.
Inter are owned by China’s Suning Holdings and have been desperate to sell since the end of last year.
The Serie A leaders’ finances are a mess, with debt totalling £650m and industry insiders insisting they are close to going bust.

And a source said: “The Saudis made an approach for Inter Milan a week or so ago.
“You can’t buy two clubs at the same time and they look to have given up on Newcastle.
“They have plenty of muscle to take over Inter’s debts.
“Inter are top of Serie A and are in the new Champions League – they tick all the boxes.”

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Last week, Ashley said he is fighting “tooth and nail” with the Prem to sell to the consortium headed by PIF, which also includes Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers.
The sticking point for the league was whether PIF – whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – and the Saudi state are separate entities.
The Prem contend that PIF is controlled by the Saudi state but Newcastle disagree and are seeking to overturn the ruling via arbitration.

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KAI HAVERTZ is finally ready to deliver for Chelsea and silence those who questioned his £62MILLION price tag.
The German winger has been boosted in particular by his part in Monday’s 2-0 win over Everton which locked his team into the Premier League top four.

Kai Havertz is finally hoping to get his Chelsea career going after a tough startCredit: Getty

Havertz had to overcome coronavirus and adapt to English football but now feels more settled.
He said: “It wasn’t easy to come here. Everything was new. Seven months ago I came. Now it’s time to perform. I know that.
“I know many people have doubts about me. I just try to keep working. A performance like this will give me confidence.
“The first seven months were not easy for me but you have to keep working and I did that.

“I think it was a good performance from me, but you cannot say this after one performance.
“You have to be strong in the next few matches as well and that’s my goal. I will try to improve.”
Ex-Bayer Leverkusen starlet Havertz, 21, has struggled to find a natural place in the team but as a makeshift centre-forward he put pressure on the Toffees and played a part in both goals.
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He said: “I played like a false nine and that’s good for me. I like to have freedom on the pitch.
“I think we can do a lot better — our goal is the Champions League, and I think there will be some tough matches coming.
“I think 11 games without a loss is very strong — but we can keep on going.”
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The Blues have four days to recover before going to Leeds but captain Cesar Azpilicueta, 31, reckons they have cracked the punishing routine of playing twice a week.
He said: “From the striker to the goalkeeper the team is working very hard. Everyone is doing their dirty job.
“I’m happy because you need that effort in the Premier League.”

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HARRY MAGUIRE reckons people are misguided if they think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is too much of a Mr Nice Guy.
There is a perception among some outside the club that boss Solskjaer does not have the tough edge to drive Manchester United back to the top.

Harry Maguire has revealed Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can be toughCredit: Getty

But captain Maguire claims that is simply not the case.
The England centre-back, 28, said: “I feel he’s done brilliantly — he’s very cool and calm.
“But he’s also got the side of him where he can turn when he needs to and when the players need a little telling-off.”
Solskjaer made Maguire captain in January last year after Ashley Young’s departure to Inter Milan and the pair have a good relationship as they plot a course for United to get back to winning trophies.

Maguire explained: “We’re close. We speak a lot before training and before games.
“I give my ideas to him on how I feel the group is and the mentality of the team.
“Also what we can improve on and where we can go as a club — and he’s exactly the same.
“I’m doing everything I can to be a successful captain.

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“Obviously the main thing is to start lifting trophies and start winning football matches on a more continuous, consistent basis. I really demand a lot.”
The Three Lions defender’s tough mentality comes from when he was a youngster playing football with his two brothers.
He said: “We had a very competitive childhood in the garden, kicking each other all the time — and digging up my dad’s turf!
“My mum wasn’t too happy. But my dad was a footballer himself, who played in non-league and he just loves his football.
“The football was always on the TV and we grew up with it.
“Everything we did was so competitive, whether it was football or without it.

“Losing hurts. It hurts a lot now, it hurt when I was a kid as well. It’s hard to bounce back from losing but you also get that with more experience.”
That losing feeling is not something United have had of late.
They have been defeated in just one of their last 17 games and ended Manchester City’s incredible 21-match winning run on Sunday with a 2-0 derby victory at the Etihad.
Next up it is AC Milan tomorrow at Old Trafford in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie.
Maguire was thrilled when the draw matched his team against another of the great names in European football.
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He added: “When I was growing up, AC Milan were a massive club.
“The San Siro is an iconic stadium, so when we got drawn and people told us about who we got, it was an exciting tie.
“It’s going to be a great match to be involved in and a great tie to play in.”

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CHRISTIAN PULISIC will look to quit Chelsea this summer unless he gets proper game time.
The American attacker has yet to start a single Premier League game under Thomas Tuchel, his former Borussia Dortmund boss.

Christian Pulisic will look to quit Chelsea if Thomas Tuchel doesn’t give him more actionCredit: Reuters

And Manchester United are among a host of clubs who are watching unsettled Pulisic’s situation closely.
He only played a minute of Monday’s 2-0 win over Everton and has come off the bench six more times.
His only start came in the Blues’ 1-0 FA Cup win against Barnsley a month ago — and he was subbed off in that.
Now the £58million signing from Dortmund is growing increasingly impatient.

And 22-year-old Pulisic is even now prepared to take a pay cut on his £150,000-a-week wages to secure regular first-team action.
Pulisic was one of Frank Lampard’s stars after football came out of lockdown last season, scoring 11 goals in what was his debut campaign.
But he has since struggled with a string of injuries and managed only two goals before Tuchel replaced axed Lampard.
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Tuchel has not started Pulisic in a Prem game since taking over at ChelseaCredit: AP:Associated Press

Asked about Pulisic this week, German Tuchel said: “I can say nothing but good things about him.
“Maybe his biggest problem is I know him from Dortmund and he started only in cup games.
“But I know what impact he can have in the last 20 or 30 minutes.
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“He was a bit unlucky in the last few games. It isn’t a lack of trust or quality — it is just he will have to be patient.”
Yet Pulisic does not want to be a back-up player under Tuchel.
And he has told his advisors that he is keen to leave if his situation does not improve.

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ASTON VILLA’S Ezri Konsa could be 90 minutes away from a dramatic England World Cup call-up.
Gareth Southgate or one of his leading scouts will be at St James’ Park to take a final check on the central defender against Newcastle on Friday.

Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa is in-line for an England call-up this monthCredit: Getty

The 23-year-old is set to be fast-tracked into the squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
Southgate will name his squad a week tomorrow, going into those three key clashes.
The England manager has been impressed by Konsa after watching him star against Leicester and Leeds recently.
The Londoner was a World Cup winner with England’s Under-20s in 2017 and has won seven caps at Under-21 level.

But the £12million bargain buy from Brentford also qualifies for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola through his parents.
He could even play for Portugal as he qualifies for citizenship and play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Liverpool and Spurs have both been linked with Konsa but Villa will be determined to hang on to their emerging star.
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Meanwhile, crocked pals Jack Grealish and James Maddison face a huge challenge to prove their fitness to Southgate, with the pair both battling to make their team’s games this weekend.
Grealish has missed Villa’s last four games with a leg injury, while Maddison’s troublesome hip injury has sidelined him for the same amount of games.
SunSport understands the pair are sweating to make their respective fixtures against Newcastle and Sheffield United as they frantically try to convince Southgate of their match readiness.

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ARSENAL are set to fight with Fifa at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
We can reveal the North London club have appealed against a ruling by the governing body which saw them handed a £33,000 fine — and the case will be heard next Tuesday.

Arsenal are set to fight Fifa over the sales of Joel Campbell and Chuba AkpomCredit: Getty

It relates to sell-on clauses they agreed when selling players.
Obviously, it is not the fine bothering Arsenal, but the principle.
In 2018, they sold Chuba Akpom to Greek side PAOK and Joel Campbell to Frosinone in Italy.
Sell-on clauses were inserted into both deals stating PAOK would give the Gunners 30 per cent of any future fee for Akpom — but 40 per cent if he was transferred to a British club.

With Campbell it was 20 per cent to another side, but 30 per cent if sold back to Britain.
Akpom subsequently joined Middlesbrough last summer for £2.75million while Campbell is now playing in Mexico for Leon.
The FA and Premier League said no rules were broken but Fifa ruled the clause was illegal.
They claimed it amounted to third party ownership because it gave Arsenal power to influence transfer deals at another team.

One reason Arsenal may be appealing is a fear impending cast-offs will be sold back to Premier League rivals at a profit.
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AFTER a few technical issues earlier in the season, the EFL’s iFollow streaming service is becoming increasingly popular.

Nearly 6,000 Ipswich fans, a League One away record, paid to watch the loss at Gillingham, Paul Cook’s first game in charge.
And 4,000 Bolton fans bought £10 passes for the draw at Bradford.

LIVERPOOL legend Steven Gerrard has helped Rangers end their ten-year wait for a title.
And it’s ironic that a former EVERTON manager Walter Smith played a major role by becoming a mentor to Gerrard.
Smith, 73, won the Scottish title ten times along with 11 domestic cups in two spells at Ibrox.
And Gerrard has taken mental notes each time the pair have spoken after Premiership matches.
It seems certain that Gerrard will lead Rangers into the Champions League next season but after then, he will return south at the first opportunity.
And probably towards the Merseyside area.
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BRENTFORD are advertising on their website for a non-executive director to join the club’s board.
The Championship side want to become the UK’s most inclusive club and are encouraging applications from under-represented groups.
The big issue now is what division they are in next season.
If the Bees are promoted, they will happily give Peterborough an extra £1million, on top of the £6.5m they paid for Ivan Toney last year.

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