Arsenal continue to be linked with the Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan as speculation remains over his future with the Premier League champions.

Will Gundogan leave Man City?

The Gunners were frustratingly pipped to the Premier League title by City in a season that offered a lot of encouragement for Mikel Arteta's men.

Having missed out on their first league title in almost 20 years, this summer will offer Arteta and Edu Gaspar an exciting prospect to make a real statement.

Pep Guardiola's men ended up taking the title by just five points as they ended the campaign on 89 points.

Over their two games against the eventual champions, Arsenal conceded six points having lost both home and away to City.

With this in mind, the summer transfer window could be crucial if Arsenal are to turn the tide in the Premier League and dethrone City over the coming years.

And one player who has been linked with a potential move from the Etihad to the Emirates is Gundogan as his contract enters its final weeks.

Indeed, David Ornstein has suggested the Gunners are going to make an attempt to sign the German who has recently gotten his hands on the treble at City.

Speaking on The Football Terrace, presenter Terry Flewers has been left excited by the prospect of the 32-year-old potentially joining the Gunners:

"Yes, he's older. On Twitter, there is like an obsession with 'buy young'. It's not how real football works; you need that mix that, balance and that blend."

"This rumour of Arsenal is just not going away. Let's be honest. It's not going away."

"Arsenal are saying they're interested and they want to be kept informed. I believe that is Arsenal playing this down. They just don't want to be seen as losing out on targets.

"I believe Arsenal are going to offer him a big deal. I believe Arsenal are also going to try hard to sign this player. David Ornstein doesn't report on deals that don't really hold any order or any credence."

How much does Ilkay Gundogan earn?

It has been a season to remember for Gundogan who has not only captained City but played a huge role in some of the goals he has scored along the way to their historic treble.

The German has featured in a staggering 51 games for City this season where he has been able to return 11 goals and seven assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

His displays have seen him receive a lot of praise this season with The Guardian's Will Unwin labelling him a "genius" following their victory at Goodison Park.

Gundogan is currently believed to be earning in the region of £140k-per-week at City currently but reports would suggest the champions are looking to offer him a new deal.

Having seen Arsenal improve dramatically last season on the back of the signings of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, City will surely be keen to do everything they can to avoid potentially losing yet another star to the Gunners.

Especially after the season which Gundogan has enjoyed at City.

Watch more of The Football Terrace on YouTube now!

وجه مؤمن زكريا مساعد رئيس قطاع الناشئين في النادي الأهلي، رسالة إلى المدير الفني للقلعة الحمراء السويسري مارسيل كولر، بشأن لاعب الفريق محمود عبد المنعم “كهربا”.

كولر كان قد صرح أمس الجمعة بعد مباراة يانج أفريكانز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، بأن كهربا رقم 3 بالنسبة له في ترتيب المهاجمين.

طالع | كولر يوجه رسالة قوية لـ كهربا.. وطلب إلى كاف بعد التأهل في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وقال زكريا عبر حسابه على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إكس”: “طيب إزاي ياعم كولر الفولت رقم ٣”.

وكان محمود كهربا غاب عن الـ3 مباريات الأخيرة للأهلي أمام ميدياما الغاني ويانج أفريكانز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا بالإضافة إلى لقاء بلدية المحلة في الدوري المصري.

وجاء ذلك، بعد حضور محمود كهربا حفل زفاف شقيقته خلال الأيام الماضية وتحديدًا قبل مواجهة ميدياما.

ويستعد الأهلي في الوقت الحالي، لمواجهة الزمالك في نهائي كأس مصر للموسم الماضي 2022 -2023 الذي يقام يوم الجمعة 8 مارس في السعودية.

طيب ازى ياعم كولر الفولت رقم٣😏

— Mo'men Zakaria (@MoamenZakaria) March 2, 2024

Arsenal have the "upper hand" over all of their rivals in the race to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice, even despite Pep Guardiola personally speaking to the player.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

The north Londoners are being lead by sporting director Edu and co in their hunt for midfield upgrades, with Arsenal eyeing many different names to shore up the position.

Reports suggest they could even make multiple signings there, leading to serious interest in Rice, Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Man City captain Ilkay Gundogan.

Southampton's Romeo Lavia and Wolves star Ruben Neves have also been mentioned in parts, though Rice appears to be one of manager Mikel Arteta's top transfer targets.

As well as the midfield era, Arsenal want to sign new full-backs, with City's Joao Cancelo, Real Valladolid starlet Ivan Fresneda and Galatasary's Sacha Boey all being linked.

Going back to midfield and Rice in particular, The Guardian and journalist Jacob Steinberg have an update on Arsenal's pursuit of the 24-year-old.

The England international, who could win his first ever major trophy tonight as West Ham take on Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final, has suitors up and down the country.

However, the "smart money" is on Arsenal, who have the "upper hand" over the rivals when it comes to signing Rice. City boss Pep Guardiola has apparently even spoken to the midfielder personally, but the Premier League champions aren't seeking to replace Rodri.

Who is Declan Rice?

The Hammers captain and has been indispensable for David Moyes – standing out as their best-performing player in the top flight last season.

Rice made more interceptions per 90 than any other West Ham player in that time (WhoScored), with former England captain Stuart Pearce (talkSPORT via football.london) raving over his ability to drive past players.

"You see him pick the ball up and someone shuts him down and he drives past them as though they are not there," Pearce said.

"And these are Premier League players he is up against and he drives past them, you see people going to shut him down and that five yards of explosion it is as though those players don't get set and they are not ready for it, he moves that quickly over the ground."

Called "underrated" by sections of the media also, he would be a stellar addition for Arsenal, and it looks like they're certainly the clear favourites.

Parthiv Patel has made a scathing assessment of England’s spinners after India reached 146 for 1 on day two on a pitch that offered ample help for them. All 11 wickets on the first two days have fallen to spinners, with several balls turning sharply, but India made a confident start in reply to what looked like a daunting total of 400, given the conditions underfoot.After the first day’s play, R Ashwin had said he expected the pitch to become better for the batsmen on days two and three before disintegrating for good. Batting certainly seemed easier as M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara batted out the first wicketless session of the Test on the second evening, but Parthiv felt that was purely down to quality of the bowlers.”More than the surface, I think the quality of our bowling is far better,” Parthiv said. “Our bowlers get definitely more revolutions on the ball than what their spinners are doing. And obviously, we vary our pace very well. We have deceived a lot of players in the air, rather than just waiting for the help off the wicket. I think there’s definitely a lot of difference in the quality.”Asked what is it that the India spinners have done differently, Parthiv said the England spinners had been “exposed” in Mohali.”We have definitely tried to spin the ball more than what they have tried to do, for sure,” Parthiv said. “That’s what even I felt in the last game also. Last game, the way our bowlers bowled in Mohali, where there was no turn and you could see how they bowled in Mohali when we were batting second, where they actually got exposed because there was no help in it.Parthiv, left, believes England were outclassed by India’s spinners•AFP

“And we definitely have traditional bowlers who can vary their pace brilliantly. That’s what [R] Ashwin, Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] and Jayant [Yadav] have been doing. That’s why we have kept them quiet. As you know, on a red-soil wicket, it is very, very difficult to contain the scoring rate, and we did that in the second session [on day one] and that is the reason we got wickets in the third session.”England coach Trevor Bayliss had asked his players to bat positively coming into the Test, but to do so they had to take a few risks, which resulted in a collapse on the first evening. Parthiv felt India didn’t need to do so because a release ball was always around the corner with England’s spinners.”That is definitely one of the reasons,” Parthiv said, when asked if the India batsmen need not take risks because they can expect loose balls. “We don’t have to go over the top and try and play a sweep or a reverse sweep because we know that a bad ball is coming soon.”There is certainly some truth to what Parthiv said about the spinners of both sides – and there’s no doubt that Jake Ball, England’s No.10, rode his luck in helping Jos Buttler take England to 400 – but this press conference also seemed a conscious attempt at a psychological blow.Behind the babyface of Parthiv is a cheeky wicketkeeper, who as an 18-year-old got under the skin of Steve Waugh with his sledging. You could imagine he was doing the same when asked about his Mumbai Indians team-mate Buttler’s effort, full of restraint, that has kept England competing in the Test.”I think, honestly, he was very lucky yesterday,” Parthiv said. “There were a lot of balls when there were inside-edges, and [some] missed [the] stumps by a very little distance, but I thought he batted well today. When you don’t have any pressure, you tend to play well. Once wickets fell, he had to play with the tailenders and he played his game. I would love to see him defending a few in the second innings if it turns and bounces.”There was half a cheeky smile on his face as Parthiv said that.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has confirmed that cyclone Vardah, which swept through Chennai on Monday, did not unduly affect the pitch and outfield at the MA Chidambaram Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2016

The fifth Test between India and England is likely to go ahead as scheduled in spite of Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium having been placed on standby.The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association confirmed that cyclone Vardah, which swept through Chennai on Monday, damaged some stadium property but did not unduly affect the pitch and outfield at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.Both teams’ training schedules for Wednesday were, however, cancelled as the ground was unfit. The Test match is scheduled to begin on Friday.”Both teams have been informed about this and they have agreed,” Kasi Viswanathan, the secretary of the TNCA, told The Hindu.The pitch, the paper noted, was left dry as the covers, tied to iron poles stayed intact despite gusts of up to 100mph on Monday. Although there were wet patches across the outfield, Viswanathan was confident that the drainage system at the ground was capable of clearing the wet surface quickly.”There is a lot of work to be done, but we are taking it up on a war footing. We are confident the match will start on time,” Viswanathan said.”The assuring part is that the pitch and the outfield has not been affected by the cyclone,” he told . “But sightscreen has been damaged. The bulbs have blown off, air conditioners damaged.”There have been hundreds of tree trunks lying in the road leading up to the stadium. Our challenge is to set everything in order in the next two days. I am confident we will be able to set everything right.”Viswanathan also confirmed that the three stands of the stadium that have been locked by the Chennai Corporation for the last four years over a dispute with the TNCA would remain closed during the Test match.Both teams flew into Chennai on Tuesday, as per schedule, despite the airport having been closed until 9pm on Monday evening. They flew over miles of flooded agricultural land, and arrived in a city that was still experiencing power cuts and flooding in low-lying areas.

Liverpool are gathering information regarding what it would take to bring Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Sofyan Amrabat?

Amrabat is a defensive midfielder who currently plays his football at the Artemio Franchi Stadium having joined back in 2020 from Hellas Verona. With his contract set to expire at the end of next season, Vincenzo Italiano is now facing his final opportunity to cash in should he not want to lose his prized asset for free in 12 months.

The Morocco international was his nation’s most regular outfield player at the 2022 World Cup having played 660 minutes of football, and excelled to the point where they made it all the way to the semi-finals, and these displays for his country grabbed the attention of Jurgen Klopp back in January.

The Athletic’s James Pearce reported that the Reds were considering a swoop for the 26-year-old as an outside alternative compared to some of their more high-profile targets at the time, Jude Bellingham being an example, and despite them eventually deciding against a move, it sounds like they might have since had a change of heart.

Are Liverpool signing Amrabat?

According to Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are "attentive" to Amrabat's situation and have "sounded out" the midfielder about a potential summer switch to Anfield.

Fiorentina are believed to have set a price tag of €30m (£25m) plus objectives for the player, who wants to leave and start afresh elsewhere "as soon as possible", but it's not specified whether the fee is one that the board would be happy to pay.

Could Amrabat be a good addition for Klopp?

Liverpool will know that Amrabat is stronger in the natural defensive aspect of his game having only recorded one assist across all competitions last season, but with the protection that he could give to the backline, he would be a great acquisition for FSG.

The Huizen native ranked in the 95th percentile for pass completion so is calm and composed in possession, and loves to get stuck in after averaging 1.3 tackles per league game during the previous campaign, preventing the danger before it was too late.

Fiorentina’s “monster”, as dubbed by reporter Carlo Garganese, would also add wonderful versatility to Klopp’s squad with his ability to operate in eight various positions across the pitch, including everywhere in the centre and even in defence, making him a useful option to have available.

Finally, Amrabat shares the same agent, CAA Stellar, as Ibrahima Konate, Caoimhin Kelleher and Rhys Williams, so this existing connection that their representative has to the club could hand them a small advantage should they try and get a deal over the line this summer.

It might not be as straightforward now in Manchester United's pursuit of Kim Min-jae, with Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg reporting that Bayern Munich have entered the race for the player.

Is Kim Min-jae joining Manchester United?

The defender has really burst onto the scene this season thanks to an incredible year in Italy with Napoli that has seen the club claim the Serie A title. The 26-year-old played a key part in that success, featuring on 35 occasions in the league for the side and even bagging two goals and two assists along the way. It marks his first season in the country but he already looks right at home in the centre of that Napoli defence.

In addition, he's proven himself as having a superb ability to take the ball with his feet and to play out from the back with ease. With a 90.2% pass completion rate, he ranks amongst the top 10% of players in his position amongst the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues for example. It shows that not only is he a standout talent in his domestic league but is one of the best at doing so in Europe.

It's led to big interest in his services from Man United in the Premier League, who have been keen to get a deal done. It had looked like a move was all but completed too, with a report suggesting that he would link-up with Erik Ten Hag's side on July 1, with the Red Devils agreeing to pay his 60 million Euro (£51m) release clause and already agreeing personal terms.

However, according to a report from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, there is now competition for his signature. Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on the situation and could launch their own bid for the centre-back. The German giants are seemingly "aware" of United's eagerness to snap up Kim and the Red Devils are now "pushing" to get a deal over the line with this new twist in the race to sign the player.

How many games has Kim Min-jae played?

The Napoli man is an experienced head already, despite being only 26. As well as his 35 league showings for Napoli this campaign, he also featured heavily for Fenerbache in Turkey, playing 31 times for the title-chasing club. Prior to that, he also had three seaons with Beijing Guoan and two with Jeonbuk. It means that he has now accumulated 157 league games worth of action in his career already.

That has led to him becoming the player he is today, with the defender now earning the nickname of "monster" because of his performances. If United can get a deal done then, they would be getting a player who certainly appears capable of slotting straight into their backline.

The ECB hope that the All Stars Cricket scheme will inspire around 50,000 new cricket lovers in its first year

George Dobell10-Feb-2017The ECB are to launch an ambitious project designed to attract a new generation of supporters to the game.With evidence suggesting the sport has slipped to something approaching irrelevance in the eyes of children (research suggest pictures of wrestlers are more recognisable to children than England’s captains and that only 2 percent of children between the ages of 7 and 12 rate cricket as their favourite sport), the ECB hope that the All Stars Cricket scheme will inspire around 50,000 new cricket lovers in its first year.The nationwide initiative, which is based upon the Milo Cricket scheme pioneered in Australia, is aimed at children between the ages of five and eight. Parents will be required to pay £40 per child (the ECB are understood to be exploring the possibility of providing financial aid for families in need) for which the children will receive a rucksack full of kit and eight weeks of introductory sessions at a local cricket club starting in May. Clubs will receive £5 for every child that signs up and will be encouraged to run summer camps in the school holidays as part of ensuring a lifelong involvement in the game. The ECB hope around 1,500 clubs will sign up to All Stars in its first year with each club attracting at least 30 children.If all that sounds familiar – and many clubs do already run such admirable schemes – the emphasis of All Stars will be more towards enjoyment (“competition without exclusion,” as the ECB call it) than some comparable courses. There will be no hard ball or full-size pitches, for example, with bean bags used instead of balls for some, with progress badges awarded as skills such as ‘catching’ or ‘hitting’ are achieved. Instead of coaches, ‘activators’ will run the sessions and children will receive emails from England players congratulating them on their progress. As other commitments allow, there will also be personal appearances by England players as the ECB build on research underlining the value of “heroes” in inspiring a new generation of cricket lovers.But it’s the method that the ECB will use to reach this new generation of potential players and supporters that differentiates this programme. Determined to reach beyond cricket’s normal audience, the ECB plan to invest heavily in advertising – the scheme will, for example, be pushed on popular radio stations around the time of the school run – while they also hope to agree partnerships with various lifestyle publishers and websites such as Mumsnet. They are also expected to announce a celebrity ambassador – likely to be a woman with young children – in the coming weeks. Research has convinced the ECB that it is, in general, mothers who make most of the decisions over which hobbies children of such ages.The project is part of the ECB’s wider ‘Cricket Unleashed’ programme, which aims to re-establish the sport’s relevance to all sections of society. In the longer term, they hope their new-team T20 competition – which looks likely to be partially broadcast free to air – will play a leading role in the expansion, but with little cricket currently broadcast free to air (there are some clips and highlights on-line and on TV), they are investing heavily in the department run by Matt Dwyer, the ECB’s director of participation and growth, who now has around 80 development officers around the country. Dwyer was also heavily involved in the Milo programme that has run successfully in Australia.Dwyer’s team will aim to work closely with the County Boards in driving growth in four key areas: kids, clubs, communities and casual cricket. With staff based in regional locations as well as at Lord’s, the team will be backed by increased investment in marketing and digital support to strengthen connections with county cricket boards, clubs, leagues, volunteers, coaches and officials.The All Stars scheme is not without its critics. Some have expressed concern at the failure of a pay-as-you-go option (thereby reducing the impact of the one-off outlay for parents), some at the negative impact on clubs already running such projects, and others on the failure to deal with the substantial problem of teenagers dropping out of the game. There is an issue, too, with volunteer disillusionment and weariness. The ECB state that a few teething troubles are inevitable and the project can be tweaked as it develops. They also say they are working on plans to combat the drop-out issue.But whatever other faults may be levelled at the ECB, they have acknowledged the game has a serious problem in England and Wales and they are investing heavily in trying to find a solution. Whether that can be done without a serious realignment of the broadcasting landscape – a key factor in Australia’s success with the Big Bash – is debatable.Clubs or individuals who wish to be involved can sign up here

علّق بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي، على قرعة ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا لموسم 2023-2024، ومواجهة ريال مدريد الإسباني.

وأسفرت القرعة عن مباراة نارية تجمع بين حامل اللقب مانشستر سيتي، وريال مدريد صاحب الرقم القياسي في التتويج بالبطولة بواقع 14 لقبًا.

ويعد ذلك العام الثالث على التوالي الذي يلتقي فيه ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي بالأدوار الإقصائية لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وفي مؤتمر صحفي، قبل مباراة ربع نهائي كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي ضد نيوكاسل، قيّم بيب جوارديولا قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقال عن مواجهة ريال مدريد: “ليس لدينا خيار آخر، يبدو الأمر وكأنه تقليد صغير، أن نلعب ثلاث سنوات متتالية ضد ملوك المسابقة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ريال مدريد عن مواجهة مانشستر سيتي: نواجه الأبطال وسنرى من الأقوى

وأضاف: أتمنى أن نصل للمباراة في حالة جيدة، لا يمكنك التحكم في القرعة، إذا قال الناس إنها سهلة فذلك لأنك تقلل من شأن منافسك، مباراة الإياب على أرضنا هذا ما هو عليه الوضع”.

وتحدث جوارديولا أيضًا عن الحالة البدنية لـ كيفين دي بروين، الذي سيغيب أمام نيوكاسل، وأفاد: “إنه يشعر بحالة جيدة لكنه ليس جاهزًا، لقد لعب في آنفيلد وهو يعاني من بعض المشاكل، إنه يتحسن، وتحدثنا مع مسؤولي منتخب بلجيكا ونأمل أن يتعافى من أجل المشاركة في بقية الموسم”.

وعن جاك جريليش، أوضح جوارديولا: “”يتحسن أكثر فأكثر، وعاد إلى المجموعة”.

وأشاد بيب بحارس مرماه أورتيجا، الذي سيحل محل إيدرسون المصاب، قائلا: “منذ وصوله إلى مانشستر سيتي، قدم أداءً عالي الجودة، نحن سعداء بحراس المرمى الثلاثة، عندما جاء دوره في اللعب، قدم أداءً مذهلاً”.

Tottenham Hotspur's chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini is being monitored by a number of other clubs as he impresses at Spurs as he awaits Daniel Levy's director of football decision.

Who is Leonardo Gabbanini?

Certainly not a household name or familiar face, Gabbanini has been at Tottenham for just under a year. Arriving as the club's chief scout from Watford back in the summer of 2022, he was brought to north London by the now banned former Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici.

Despite Paratici's disgraced departure, Gabbanini has been thoroughly involved in building this summer's transfer plans. He has been in direct discussions with chairman Levy and new manager Ange Postecoglou ahead of a busy window.

However, Gabbanini is a "wanted man" and Spurs may have to fend off interest from other clubs in their 43-year-old talent spotter.

Journalist Alasdair Gold, speaking on his YouTube channel, stated: "From my understanding, there are a lot of clubs looking at Gabbanini. He is a wanted man because of his abilities and his network as well, and his scouts that he employs."

"So keep an eye on what happens there. If there is another director of football type brought in and Gabbanini kind of feels overlooked, or feels that he doesn't quite fit with the new director of football, it will not be long before someone comes in for him. I think Lazio were kind of sniffing around him recently as well."

While Spurs look for a new director of football, Gabbanini's responsibilities will increase this summer, with Gold even suggesting that the Italian could be considered for the job himself. However, his lack of experience in a similar role may put Spurs off appointing him.

Tottenham are already facing battles to keep some of their star players this summer, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min linked away, so losing a key member of the recruitment team would be disastrous at this stage of the window.

Gold describes Gabbanini has having a "great eye for talent" and as a "modern" scout that teams data analysis with the classic 'eye test'. Gold also claims that Spurs' chief scout will "quickly evaluate a player and deliver a firm opinion".

Who are Spurs looking to sign?

It promises to be a hectic summer for Gabbanini and his team who are already monitoring a wide variety of players ahead of Postecoglou's debut season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Lilywhites have already made Dejan Kulusevski's loan permanent and are closing in on the acquisition of Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for £17.2m.

Tottenham are reported frontrunners for Leicester City's James Maddison, while also taking an interest in Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba and a potential reunion between Postecoglou and Kyogo Furuhashi.

It is expected that Postecoglou will be given in excess of £100m to spend in the transfer window this summer as he tries to build this Spurs team in his image.