Mikel Arteta has hailed Gabriel Martinelli after the Brazilian left Arsenal in a £60m move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, after the winger failed to mention his manager in an emotional goodbye post on social media.
The WSL season kicks off tonight and the Guardian’s women’s football writer Suzanne Wrack is here now answering your questions – from what to expect from London City Lionesses after their signing spree to whether Manchester City can go back to back.Ask a question: log in or sign up here.FrankfurtView asks: The BBC have removed their Women’s football show from linear television. Already it was being shown in a broom cupboard, later than Match of the Day … Have BBC gone backwards in women’s football coverage?Suzanne: Their approach to coverage is changing across sport more widely. There seems to be a drive towards social platforms, as shown by the launch of their women’s football Youtube channel and expansion of their content on their TikTok account. Whether that strategy will drive audiences will show over time.The loss of the Women’s Football Show is a big one, in my view. It needed a better slot and greater investment but it provided fans with the most accessible week-by-week analysis with clips and highlights and it will be interesting to see whether the new 15-minute Women’s Football Fallout will be able to deliver enough depth for fans wanting game-by-game analysis.Suzanne: Interestingly, I did a profile of new manager Eva Olid when Hearts, the team she left in the summer after leading the Scottish side to the SWPL title, had five games of the season remaining. Having known nothing about her I got an incredible impression from the various interviews I read with her about her coaching philosophy and her time coaching boys in Spain and managing in the women’s game. My fear is that United won’t give her the resources required to punch as high above their financial weight as they will need to be doing to be competitive in the WSL. Yes, she worked wonders at Hearts, having arrived with the team having finished at the bottom of the league (only avoiding relegation thanks to the expansion of the SWPL), but Hearts did increase their support for the women’s team alongside her shrewd coaching and player development during her five years.Arguably, their transfer window was one of the most disappointing of all the WSL teams this season. Their four signings are promising, but they see some high-level WSL experience leave in their seven outgoing players. They will benefit from no Champions League football, but I don’t think they have the squad to be able to ‘do a Man City’ and take advantage of that significantly in the league, not when so many mid-table teams have looked to have strengthened really well. I hope I’m wrong, I would love to see United do well and Olid be really successful there, but without a greater commitment from the club from the top down, not just financially, I struggle to see much to be excited about. The League Cup is a great opportunity for silverware though, with no City, Arsenal or Chelsea involved, but others will be sensing that opportunity too. Continue reading...
Caicedo was forced off against Brighton (Picture: Getty) Moises Caicedo is a doubt for Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday. The Ecuador international missed the opening game of the season against Fulham with an injury, returning to the squad last time out against Brighton. With the Seagulls launching a second-half fight-back, Caicedo was called from the bench against his former club but lasted just 11 minutes with injury striking again. The midfielder looked visibly upset as he left the pitch but Alonso calmed fears over a major injury after the game. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to the Emirates, the Chelsea boss said his player will undergo a late fitness test after a final training session on Saturday. ‘We will check tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last session for the squad on Sunday,’ Alonso said. More to follow Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Arsenal had one of the deepest squads last season, which carried them to the Premier League title and Champions League final. It looks like that summer transfer window didn’t change that, until the same names began to appear twice. Eberechi Eze covers the left wing and Martin Ødegaard. Noni Madueke covers Bukayo Saka and Christos […] The post Arsenal’s transfer window has left question marks for the fans appeared first on SoccerNews.
Al-Hilal signed Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal earlier this week (Photo: Al-Hilal/Twitter) Arsenal have been told they should have beaten Manchester City to the signing of a £65million on deadline day, who would have ‘hit the ground running’ at the Emirates. It was known from the start of the summer that Mikel Arteta was looking to improve his options on the left-flank but his side are now arguably even weaker in that position. Christos Tzolis was signed to replace Leandro Trossard but the Gunners failed to bring in another forward before deadline day and have since allowed Gabriel Martinelli to join Al-Hilal for £60million. That’s despite the Premier League champions pursuing deals for several huge stars over the summer, namely Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. One sticking point for those three players was their price tags. All three would have set Arsenal back nine-figures, with Rogers joining rivals Chelsea for £117m. But former Arsenal academy star and England international Jay Bothroyd believes a relatively cheaper option would have been the perfect signing – but the player has now joined the Citizens. Arsenal should have gone for [Iliman] Ndiaye early doors,’ the former Premier League striker said on Sky Sports News. Arsenal were linked with Iliman Ndiaye but the Everton star joined Man City on deadline day (Photo: Getty) ‘Yes, we went for Vinicius Junior who’s arguably the best left-winger in the world, but when you look at the value for money for Ndiaye, I feel like £65million is an absolute steal. ‘Man City, for me, had the best window. They got in top, top players straight away that can come in, hit the ground running. And they’ve got depth now. ‘You got [Jeremy] Doku and Ndiaye on that left-hand side. You got Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo on the right. You got Rayan Cherki [in attacking midfield], Foden can play in that role as well. Christos Tzolis is now the only natural left-winger at Arsenal (Photo: Getty) ‘They’ve got so much depth going forward now. It was a great signing.’ Ndiaye had been tenuously linked with Arsenal over the summer following two strong seasons at Everton, but in the final week of the transfer window, it seemed Tottenham had won the race for his signature. That moved collapsed however and Enzo Maresca quickly swooped in to lure the Senegal international to the Etihad, with Jack Grealish moving in the opposite direction. Eberechi Eze is expected to feature more on the left this season (Photo: Getty) ‘As an Arsenal fan, we didn’t improve that left-hand side and I feel like that’s one place we definitely needed to,’ Bothroyd added. ‘We got Tzolis there. Yes, he’s started well, but he’s a young, inexperienced player that doesn’t know the Premier League. ‘Having Ndiaye… He would be first choice. He would hit the ground running and it would bring real balance to that Arsenal side.’ Tzolis, a £34m arrival from Club Brugge, recorded three assists in his first two Arsenal games but was hooked at half-time against Aston Villa last Monday following a very poor performance. While not their preferred position, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke can operate on the left-wing and it will be interesting to see who Arteta picks on Sunday when they face Chelsea at the Emirates. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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