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Transfer Rumor Roundup: Arsenal to sign Saliba, and more

By Daniel KarellJul 17, 2019, 4:12 PM EDT
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The Premier League transfer window continues to ruble on, with new signings announced every day as some major dominoes get set to fall. Here’s some of the latest transfer rumors from around the Premier League.

[READ: Trippier completes transfer to Atletico Madrid]

Arsenal wins race to sign Saliba, could add more pieces soon

One of the top young defenders in France is reportedly heading to Arsenal, continuing a pipeline that was constant between France and the London club during the Arsene Wenger reign.

The BBC reports that Arsenal has beaten Tottenham for the signature of St. Etienne centerback William Saliba. The 18-year-old defender will join for a reported fee of $35.5 million, paid in installments. The report also states that Saliba won’t actually be in Arsenal’s first team until 2020, as he is to spend the next season in Ligue 1 back with St. Etienne.

After a year playing in the reserves, Saliba made his Ligue 1 debut this past season and went on to feature 16 times, including 13 starts. Saliba is currently in Washington D.C. as ASSE prepares to face Montpellier and then either Bordeaux or Marseille.

Also related to Arsenal, the BBC report states Arsenal is in the lead to sign Real Madrid and Spain Under-21 champion midfielder Dani Ceballos, who would be a replacement for Aaron Ramsey. Ceballos had an outstanding summer but despite his strong play, he’s not in Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s plans.

Rose expected to depart Tottenham

Tottenham is likely losing two of its fullbacks this summer, after Kieran Trippier completed a move to Atletico Madrid and Danny Rose was left off Tottenham’s traveling squad to East Asia for preseason training.

Tottenham announced in a statement on its website that Rose, along with Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, “have been granted additional time off in order to explore prospective opportunities with other clubs.”

Even though he’s 29-years old, Rose should still have a few good years left in the tank, and he should help another team at a key position, left back, where many clubs struggle. It’s unclear yet where Rose could go, but with two years left on his contract, it will take a decent transfer fee to convince Tottenham to let him depart.

Arsenal director Kroenke responds to supporter group letter

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By Kyle BonnJul 16, 2019, 11:51 AM EDT
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A unified group of 16 supporter groups sent Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke a letter urging the head man to show “better leadership” in helping rebuild the squad and return the Gunners to the Champions League in what will be a third successive season outside Europe’s top competition.

His son Josh, currently serving as a member of the Arsenal board, responded to the letter by saying he “respects” the fans’ passion but also noting that it “hurts” to have his own called into question.

“As Arsenal fans, we have watched with frustration as the team’s football performances have declined over the past decade,” the letter from the fans read. “When Stan Kroenke began buying Arsenal shares, the club had just ­competed in a first Champions League final. Twelve years on, Arsenal are about to play in the Europa League for the third year running.”

The letter also hit out at the “soulless atmosphere” at the Emirates and attacked the “lack of strategy” when it came to player recruitment and investment into the squad, noting that money spent is not the issue, but instead the execution of the team build.

The younger Kroenke responded to the coordinated message, saying he takes his position with the club seriously because he can feel the emotion behind the decisions made.

“Is it hard to take? Absolutely,” Josh Kroenke said of the letter. “But I’m not in this business to make friends, I’m in it to win. If anyone is ever going to question anything about our ownership – which I view as a custodianship, the supporters trust us to be a custodian of the values — that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win whilst also respecting the values and traditions of the club.”

“I was there in Baku [for the Europa League final] on behalf of KSE [Kroenke Sports & Entertainment], my father and family. I was down there on the sidelines, on the medal podium handing out second-place medals. I saw the look on our coach’s face, our players and all our staff. I felt and I saw what they felt. I felt the same way. The most important thing about being down on the pitch is understanding that there is a resolve there. There are some people who are also pretty pissed off that we had dropped that last match. That resolve should serve us well.”

Finally, Kroenke addressed the money available this summer, and highlighted the difficulties presented by the Europa League loss, which left Arsenal yet again on the outside looking in as Chelsea qualified for the Champions League. It wasn’t exactly an encouraging message for fans.

“If we’re going into the finer points I’d have to defer to these guys [managing director Vinai Venkatesham and head of football Raul Sanllehi]. I’ve always told them we need to be as aggressive as possible. It’s no secret that we have a Champions League wage bill on a Europa League budget right now. That’s a fact. And one that we’re figuring out how to face internally at the moment.”

Some of the best new 2019-20 kit releases so far

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By Kyle BonnJul 16, 2019, 8:48 AM EDT
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One of the most enjoyable parts of the run-up to the new season is following clubs slowly trickle out their new home and away kits for the upcoming campaign.

Kit releases are becoming a bigger and bigger deal as kit makers pour more and more money into lucrative contracts. As we slowly make our way towards the new 2019/20 season, here are a few of the best releases across Europe so far. Obviously, these are extremely subjective, so if you feel one has been left out or strongly dislike one on the list, let us know what you think!

Arsenal away kit

The Gunners have produced some iconic kits in the past, and also some horrific ones, preferring on many previous occasions to be bold and risk it all, to mixed results. This season, Arsenal’s away kit is yellow, and unlike a number of swings & misses with yellow in the past, this one is fresh. The club brought in NBA star James Harden to model the new away kit, and it rules. The yellow isn’t too bright and the background V pattern keeps it interesting but not eye-popping which can be the trouble with yellow at times.

AS Roma away kit

Speaking of bold, Roma did risk it all this season with their away kit, and we’re glad they did. The Italian club unveiled a white kit with a lightning bolt splashed in the club’s maroon, yellow, and orange colors. It’s an outstanding choice done well, and proves one of this season’s most intriguing looks.

FC Barcelona away kit

While the Spanish giants’ home kit is a checkerboard pattern that doesn’t necessarily jump off the page, the away kit is another successful use of yellow. Like Arsenal’s, the yellow isn’t a staggeringly bright shade, instead allowing the diagonal sash to smartly take center stage. Check out new signing Frenkie de Jong unveiling the kit.

Bayern Munich home & away kits

Bayern Munich produced a fresh double this season, with a new-age home kit that looks fantastic plus a clean white away kit that jumps off the page. The home kit, as you can see on Benjamin Pavard below, is the typical Bayern Munich red with a subtle background that helps the kit pop, while the away kit is plain white that just looks outstanding, with the bottom of the shirt sporting a small dot pattern that gives it some form of uniqueness, as David Alaba shows off.

Celtic home kit

Hoops and collars are both often a feast or famine type of design, and while plenty of hoop kits have failed miserably in the past, Celtic nails both this season. As you can see below, they stopped the hoops above the shoulder, and that helps the green collar jump off the design. Along with the plain white shorts and green socks, this kit is a standout product.

Chelsea home kit

Like Bayern Munich, Chelsea went for the background pattern behind the club’s well-known main color, but the Blues went for a much bolder pattern, choosing to sport a randomized criss-cross that really pops behind the dark blue hue. As you can see youth product Mason Mount show off while announcing his new contract, the various sized lines are interesting but also not distracting.

Inter home kit

I audibly gasped when I saw this kit for the first time. Inter, always a leader in the kit department with the famed Pirelli logo, has produced a fabulous home kit for the upcoming campaign. Unlike last season which was just straight vertical stripes, this year’s kit has the stripes that break behind the sponsor logo and return to normal underneath, and it looks amazing, as does that particular shade of blue.

Marseille home kit

Puma knocked it out of the park for the French side, scaling back the blue to a white kit with blue pinstripes and the blue logo. It’s an outstanding look, as you can see on midfielder Morgan Sanson below. Coincidentally, they have some absolutely fire training gear to go along with it as well.

Nottingham Forest away kit

How about a Championship club to add to the mix? Nottingham Forest released a smart looking away kit that splits the two sides of the shirt into dark blue and black, and it works to perfection. Working with an already clean-looking sponsor logo and the white outline of the club crest without the red, the two-sided look is a great one. A cool touch to include the ladies squad in the kit release as well.

Wolverhampton Wanderers home & away kit

Wolves has quietly been one of the consistently best English kit producers, and they got it right again this year on both counts. The home kit is a simple yellow-orange with a subtle lined pattern in the background that looks great with the three adidas lines under the arm, while the away kit is black with diagonal yellow pinstripes that jump. Well done.

Ajax

As a bonus for making it this far down the list, here’s a bold choice that flat out doesn’t work. Ajax released its new 2019/20 away kit fresh off its run to the Champions League semifinal, and the combination of a weird forest green and an eye-burning traffic cone orange makes for a face-melting combination. Sorry, Daley Blind, but this is a hard pass.

Ajax exec Overmars makes Ziyech sales pitch to Arsenal

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By Kyle BonnJul 15, 2019, 12:12 PM EDT
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Ajax technical director Marc Overmars has made a public pitch to Arsenal for winger Hakim Ziyech, who he believes would be high enough class to directly replace Mesut Ozil at a fraction of the cost.

The 46-year-old Dutchman, a former Gunner during his playing days when he spent three seasons at Highbury, made a bold and direct statement, calling out his old club to make a change in the attack that he believes will benefit them greatly. In fact, he insinuated that the two sides already spoke, but he was rebuffed, a surprising result to the Dutchman.

“I am a bit surprised that it is still so quiet around Hakim,” Overmars told Dutch publication Voetbal International. “I think he has played better every year and his statistics are exceptionally good. Many clubs are increasingly looking at that.”

It’s no surprise the technical director of a selling club is playing up one of his players, but it was only just beginning for Overmars, who specifically said Arsenal should rethink its strategy. “I think Hakim Ziyech is better than Mesut Ozil. I would say sell him and you will get Hakim for half [the price]. But they [Arsenal] didn’t listen to me. So it could just be that he stays with Ajax.”

It’s certainly quite a shock to see such a brazen public statement from an executive when most involved in transfer dealings are all too happy to keep the inside information out of view.

Ozil, who turns 31 in October, is a polarizing figure at Arsenal, where he has produced a host of brilliant and glittering moments but also gone missing for extended periods of a long season. He has failed to truly push Arsenal towards a genuine title challenge since arriving from Real Madrid in 2013, having secured just three FA Cup titles in his time at the Emirates, a relatively disappointing haul at a club that prides itself as one of the biggest in the English game.

The 26-year-old Ziyech is one of the stars of Ajax’s surprising Champions League run this season, helping the club reach the seemifinals and serving as an experienced presence in a squad bursting with young talent. He scored five goals and assisted four more in 17 Champions League matches and added another fantastic Eredivise haul to his wonderful season, scoring 16 league goals and assisting 17 more in 29 top-flight matches. Ziyech has 12 goals in 23 international matches for Morocco and started all four of their matches in this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations, failing to find the back of the net before the country was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Benin.

In the interview, Overmars also lauded David Neres for rejecting a move to China last winter, pointing out how well it worked out for both the club and player, with Ajax reaching far into the Champions League and Neres earning an international call-up.

Transfer Rumor Roundup: Dunk to Leicester City, Everton to Arsenal

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By Kyle BonnJul 14, 2019, 1:34 PM EDT
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The news that Manchester United has agreed with Leicester City on a world-record transfer fee for Harry Maguire has dominated the Sunday morning transfer talk, but there are a few more deals that are seeing movement this weekend.

[ MORE: Maguire nearing $100 million move ]

Directly connected to the Maguire deal is a rumor that Leicester City has already lined up his replacement, spending half the reported Manchester United payment on Brighton Hove & Albion defender Lewis Dunk. The Sun reports that Dunk, a Brighton youth product, will take over the Leicester City transfer record from newly acquired Youri Tielemans at a price tag of $56 million.

Brighton finished 17th last season, narrowly escaping relegation by a mere two points. Still, the defense was solid, conceding 60 goals in the campaign, fewer than any Premier League side in the bottom seven. Brighton gambled on Dunk on back in 2015 amid heavy interest in the player from Fulham, turning down a number of reported bids. The 27-year-old has repayed that faith, making 270 appearances for the club across all competitions and helping them earn promotion in 2017. Now, he will net the club an enormous payment should the move go through.

Brazilian winger Everton, who has been linked heavily with a move away from his current club Gremio, has added fuel to the fire by confirming he has a tabled offer and suggesting things are progressing rather quickly.

In quotes to Brazilian radio station Radio Grenal confirmed by The Mirror and Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio, Everton said, “At this moment I have an offer, but I can’t say the name of the club. Just like I can’t promise that on Thursday I’ll still be playing for Gremio [against Bahia], we’ll see.”

The 23-year-old winger burst onto the scene at the Copa America this summer, helping Brazil cope with the absence of Neymar by scoring three goals and assisting two across the six games en route to the title. He has been linked with Arsenal and AC Milan, with the Gunners reportedly holding talks with his representatives. With Arsenal’s pursuit of Wilfried Zaha looking unlikely due to Crystal Palace’s high price tag, Brazilian reports state new Arsenal technical director Edu is using his many contacts in Brazil to take a deeper look at Everton’s situation.

Two days ago, reports claimed Roma representatives were in London to discuss a possible transfer of Toby Alderweireld to the Serie A side. The Belgian defender has a clause in his contract that would let him leave for a seemingly cheap price of $31.4 million before July 25, but Roma apparently wanted an even cheaper price.

According to Italian publication Il Tempo, Daniel Levy isn’t moving a muscle on the release clause, sending Roma packing. Very few clubs have shown interest in Alderweireld despite the cheap price, with rumors stating the Belgian is asking for heavy wages, and at 30 years old is not a massively valuable asset long-term. Still, it’s odd that teams like Manchester United would rather spend an exorbitant amount of cash on a defender like Harry Maguire when Aldereweireld could be had for far cheaper.

Sky Sports reports that West Ham defender Reece Oxford could be on his way out of London Stadium, with the 20-year-old being traced by Championship clubs Swansea City and Fulham as well as German side Augsburg.

Oxford was not part of West Ham’s 23-man squad that departed for its preseason trip to China, and after making just eight top-flight appearances last season while on loan at Augsburg, Oxford’s future is in flux. A West Ham youth product, Oxford has spent time on loan at Reading and Borussia Monchengladbach before last year’s half-season spell at Augsburg, and while the German club has been rumored to be in for a permanent move all summer, Swansea and Fulham entering the fray is new news.