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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’

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

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      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.
      READ MORE ON ARSENAL
      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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      Chelsea fans troll Real Madrid by asking ‘haven’t you learned from Eden Hazard?’ amid Reece James transfer talk

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      CHELSEA fans have trolled Real Madrid amid rumours they want to sign Reece James. The LaLiga side supposedly want to sign both Jude Bellingham and the Blues defender this summer.
      Reece James is reportedly wanted by Real MadridCredit: Alamy
      Fans have trolled Real Madrid, comparing Eden Hazard’s injury hit spell at the club to Reece James’ fitness troublesCredit: Reuters
      Outlet AS report that the two England stars are their top two transfer targets.
      Chelsea have a history of losing players to Real Madrid, with the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rudiger and Eden Hazard all switching West London for the Spanish capital.
      Hazard made the move in 2019 for a fee of £88million and has struggled with persistent injuries since.
      The Belgian has only played 73 times for the club, scoring just seven goals.
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      James has had similar regular injury troubles, missing 18 Chelsea matches this season and the World Cup.
      It has led to fans joking that Real Madrid risk making the same mistake by signing an injury prone Premier League star.
      One supporter said: “Madrid wants a taste of James’ injury record. I thought they’ve learnt from Hazard.”
      Another reacted: “Reece James would play like two games, get injured and then not be seen again until 2028.”
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      A third added: “Hazard all over again.”
      James penned a new deal at Stamford Bridge in September, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2028.
      The Blues are supposedly ready to offload a number of players at the end of the season to trim a bloated squad, yet the 23-year-old is not one up for sale. More

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      Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag gives go ahead for £88m Goncalo Ramos transfer… but move depends on who owner is

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are prepared to launch an £88million bid for Goncalo Ramos, reports suggest. However, the move will depend on who takes over the club.
      Goncalo Ramos could move to Manchester United in an £88million dealCredit: EPA
      The 21-year-old forward has been in electric form this season, scoring 24 goals and adding a further ten assists in all competitions.
      Ramos shot to fame outside of Portugal after replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal team and scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup last 16 against Switzerland.
      Spanish outlet AS report Erik Ten Hag has given the green light for United to sign him, although current club Benfica will not sell for any less than £88m.
      Such a large fee will require big financial muscles, something United could boast depending on the outcome of their ongoing takeover battle.
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      Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the two frontrunners in the process.
      But Sheikh Jassim’s group pack far more financial muscle than the Brit’s, already placing a world-record £5bn bid down to buy the club from current owners the Glazers.
      Ten Hag has already spoken about the need to bring in more firepower in the summer, with the likes of Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen also linked with a transfer.
      Regardless, he has called on five stars to score more goals to ease the burden on talisman Marcus Rashford, though omitted Weghorst from his list.
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      He said: “I think we have players like Bruno [Fernandes], like Jadon Sancho, like Anthony Martial, like Scott McTominay, like Antony dos Santos, we have enough players with the capabilities to score goals, definitely.
      “What I said previously, I work in the back on next season [for transfers] but we’re working now on this season, so first of all make sure everyone is available and keep improving the way of play and that’s the best chance of scoring more goals.”
      Other than Rashford, Fernandes is the only player in the United team to hit double figures this season.
      United have been handed a boost by the return of Martial, with Ten Hag saying he can be in the squad to play in Sunday’s clash against Newcastle. More

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      Chelsea owner Todd Boehly faces multi-million pound ‘divorce bill’ & could take huge hits on stars like Lukaku & Pulisic

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      TODD BOEHLY faces a multi-million pound ‘divorce bill’ this summer as he bids to offload a raft of Chelsea players.The club’s policy of paying some of the highest wages in football will make it difficult to persuade stars to move on if it means taking a pay cut.
      Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is facing an expensive ‘divorce bill’ in the summerCredit: Alamy
      Christian Pulisic has fallen down the pecking order at ChelseaCredit: AFP
      Callum Hudson-Odoi plays on loan at Bayer Leverkusen from ChelseaCredit: Reuters
      USA winger Christian Pulisic is tipped to go at the end of this season when he will have 12 months left on his £150,000-a-week deal.
      It is unlikely any interested clubs will match his £7.8million-a-year salary.
      That will pressure Blues chairman Boehly to pay Pulisic to go or take a lower transfer fee.
      It is the same situation with several other players. Callum Hudson-Odoi, on loan at Germans Bayer Leverkusen, has a year left on his contract and makes around £180,000 a week. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, on £150,000 a week, is also about to enter the final year of his deal.
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      Moroccan Hakim Ziyech is under contract until 2025 but is surplus to requirements, as are his £120,000-a-week wages.
      First-choice keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is another set to depart this summer and collects just under £200,000 a week.
      He has two years left on his deal and cost Chelsea a world-record fee for a goalkeeper at £71.6m.
      The biggest earner is striker Romelu Lukaku — on loan at Inter Milan — with two years left of a £325,000-a-week deal.
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      Those six unwanted players’ contracts add up to a staggering £58.5M a year in wages.
      Losses of £121m last year make it vital for Boehly to balance the books and keep the Financial Fair Play cops at bay.
      The huge wages are referred to as the “Chelsea premium” by club insiders.
      Chelsea have run up a bill  that could reach £606m, including add-ons and loan fees, on new players since Boehly led an American takeover last spring.
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      And boss Graham Potter now has a bloated 31-man squad, according to the club’s official website.
      Potter’s team resume domestic action against Aston Villa following the international break, with Reece James fit again after withdrawing from the England squad with hamstring issues.
      Midfielder Mason Mount is also ready but Raheem Sterling is being rested ahead of Tuesday’s game with Liverpool.
      Potter said: “It is a big squad, a deep squad, a squad with a lot, a lot of  players. It has been a challenge to manage them but it has not been a negative challenge from my perspective.”
      Chelsea will struggle to offload high earners like record transfer Romelu LukakuCredit: Getty
      Ruben Loftus-Cheek has struggled for minutes under Chelsea boss Graham PotterCredit: Alamy More

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

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      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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      Ex-Man Utd star names TEN flops Erik ten Hag must sell in huge summer transfer clearout including £85m buy Antony

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      MANCHESTER UNITED must sell TEN flops in a massive summer clearout, according to Paul Parker.And one of the main names on the chopping block is £85million new signing Antony.
      Erik ten Hag has been urged to sell ten playersCredit: PA
      Club-captain Harry Maguire and big-money signing Jadon Sancho are both at riskCredit: Getty
      Antony is another man who could be sold just a year after arrivingCredit: Getty
      Erik ten Hag has helped revitalise the sleeping giant since taking over in the summer.
      He ended the six-year wait for a trophy by leading United to the Carabao Cup and still has ambitions of FA Cup and Europa League glory, as well as qualifying for the Champions League.
      But despite nine arrivals – signed or loaned – and nine first-team players sold or released, Parker insists there is still plenty of work to be done in the transfer market.
      Parker said: “I would say that ten players from the current squad need to leave Manchester United this season.
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      “Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Elanga, Wout Weghorst, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and Antony all have to leave the club.
      “And then we can always talk about players like Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and so on who don’t have a future at the club but they are quite obvious.
      “Antony… I can see the reason why Erik ten Hag brought him in. He knew him very well and he knows that he works hard. He can trust him.
      “But I just don’t see him having the opportunity to make himself a regular player at United.
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      “There are a lot of better players out there that are way cheaper than him.
      “And I don´t believe that he can pay back in performance what Manchester United paid for him.”
      “I really don’t see him occupying that right-hand side.
      “United need a player that can perform consistently and I don’t think they will ever get that from him.”
      Antony arrived with much fanfare after a summer-long tussle with Ajax, before splashing out a mammoth fee for the Brazilian.
      But despite glimpses of quality, he is yet to close anywhere close to justifying his price tag, contributing seven goals and one assist in 30 appearances.
      He has not been involved in a Premier League goal since October 9, when he scored for the third game running against Everton.
      Dalot appears to be back behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order while Lindelof and Maguire are often overlooked for Luke Shaw to play at centre-back.
      ‘LINDELOF MADE A SCAPEGOAT’
      Casemiro improved the midfield and Ten Hag may think he can improve on McTominay and Van de Beek.
      While in attack, Marcus Rashford is the star man with Elanga, Martial, Weghort, Sancho and Antony unable to contribute effectively.
      Parker, though, thinks Lindelof has been given a bit of a hard time.
      He added to Bettors: “A lot of the names that I mentioned are obvious because they are not playing and the want to play regularly.
      “But I want to elaborate why I think that Victor Lindelof should leave, because I actually like him as a player
      “Lindelof is a great player and he deserves to play every week but it’s not going to be at United as Erik ten Hag doesn’t seem to fancy him.

      “He has been made the scapegoat by a lot of fans and the media as well. But he has a lot of qualities and he could play for a lot of good clubs.”
      “He will always perform at least a seven out of ten.
      “He never lets the manager down and he is the man to bring if you want a defender who you know you can trust.”
      Parker’s comments echo those of Gary Neville, who claimed the Red Devils have signed just six world-class players since Sir Alex Ferguson left way back in 2013.
      But the club have already drawn up a shortlist with their summer transfer targets.
      Top of the pile is England captain Harry Kane, with the board giving the manager the green light to make a move.
      Read More on The Sun
      Mason Mount, Kaoru Mitoma, Moises Caicedo and Randal Kolo Muani are also possible options.
      But in order to bring the new stars in, United will need to ship out a fair chunk of the deadwood to create space in the squad.
      Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek may be deemed surplus to requirementsCredit: PA
      Paul Parker wants to see big changes at Old TraffordCredit: Getty More

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      Arsenal great Ray Parlour explains why Mikel Arteta can win title and where transfer target Declan Rice needs to improve

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      ARSENAL legend Ray Parlour believes his former club will win the Premier League because Manchester City may focus on other competition.The Gunners are top of the table with eight points separating them from second-placed City, who have a game in hand.
      Arsenal can win the Premier League title, claims club legend Ray ParlourCredit: Getty
      Arsenal legend Parlour believes Manchester City prefer the Champions LeagueCredit: The Sun
      Parlour, who won three titles with the North Londoners, believes manager Mikel Arteta can lead his team all the way to the trophy.
      That is because the reigning Prem champions will be preoccupied with the FA Cup and the Champions League, which remains the only major honour that still evades them.
      The former England international loves how Arsenal are playing and advised them to enjoy the challenge as that will help them win more matches and apply more pressure on City.
      Parlour told SunSport: “Well, there certainly is a long way to go. And I’ve always tried to play it down a little bit because the pressure will build on Arsenal because that’s what happens when they’re six or seven games to go but all they can do – and I know it’s a cliche – just keep playing the way you are. Enjoy it.
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      “And again, it’s a young team, so they look a little bit fearless at times. I know Man City beat them at the Emirates and the [Manchester] United game wasn’t great, but even then they had a few chances in the first half.
      “So all I can say is Mikel Arteta has got it really going. What I like about their play now is when they lose the ball they’re trying to win it back quickly. A little bit like City do sometimes, so I think they could do it. I really do.
      “I mean, Man City are gonna have the FA Cup. They’re gonna have the Champions League, which I think deep down Pep Guardiola really wants that Champions League for the club.
      “So hopefully that takes their mind off it a little bit and they’ve got a tricky game against Bayern Munich now with [Thomas] Tuchel going in. So I think Arsenal have a big game at the weekend with Leeds United at home fighting to avoid relegation.
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      “So if you’re getting another three points, it starts putting a little bit more pressure on Manchester City and we know that game against [Crystal] Palace was a big one because Man City didn’t play and went into the international break with an eight-point gap. You know that sometimes mentally that’s really good for you.”
      Arsenal are focused on the Premier League title race, but are also keeping an eye on the summer transfer window with West Ham superstar Declan Rice a top target.
      Parlour insists Rice would be a perfect fit for Arteta’s midfield if the Gunners manage to win the bidding war against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
      However, the former midfielder insists the England international still needs to improve and has to learn to get forward “a little bit more”.
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      West Ham star Declan Rice will have to learn to get forward, claims ParlourCredit: Getty
      Parlour added: “Declan is a super player, we saw him play for England the other night [against Italy] and he was brilliant again as he scored a goal.
      “But yeah, sometimes you have to get forward a little bit more because I always think [when it comes to] holding midfielders there’ll be occasions in a game where you do get past your other midfielder and it’s just a bit of common sense for me that the other midfielder fills in for you.
      “That’s what I used to do when we played for Arsenal, because you know, not everybody’s got a set position at times, you’ll see yourself in a different part of the pitch.
      “And that’s where the other team-mates have got to say, ‘Right, he’s out of position there but we fill in for him and then there’s no problem’. So I think Declan Rice definitely can get forward a little bit more.
      “At any team he goes into he would make them stronger, so if Arsenal have got a chance to maybe buy Declan Rice, especially if they can win the league this year, that would be a fantastic signing.
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      “But I’m sure there’s a big queue of people waiting to see where he’s going in the summer.”
      Ray Parlour was speaking to The Sun on behalf of Fairplay. Fairplay is a peer to peer, free to use betting app which is revolutionising the way people wager, collect and distribute funds. More