Borussia Dortmund lifted the Emirates Cup after an impressive victory over Premier League champions Arsenal, drawing praise from Niko Kovac. The post ‘We played beautifully’ – Kovac sees Arsenal win as a sign of progress for Dortmund appeared first on SoccerNews.
Niko Kovac masterminded Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 win over Arsenal (Credits: Sportimage) Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac offered one struggling Arsenal star a surprising vote of confidence following Sunday’s 3-2 win. Mikel Arteta’s side slumped to a second consecutive pre-season defeat, this time in front of their own fans at Emirates Stadium. Although he got on the scoresheet with a second half penalty, it was another disappointing afternoon for Viktor Gyokeres. The Sweden international looked well off the pace against Real Betis last week in his first outing since his World Cup exploits against Sweden and was again the focus of much criticism in the aftermath of yesterday’s reversal. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. Despite another poor showing, Kovac singled out the former Sporting Lisbon star for surprise praise when asked if any Arsenal players caught his eye. He said: ‘There are a lot of top players when you see Gyokeres he is strong, he is quick, he is fast he is very direct. ‘We know him very well but I can mention all the players.’ Viktor Gyokeres struggled in Arsenal’s defeat against Borussia Dortmund (Credits: Alamy Live News.) Arteta, meanwhile, has backed ‘warrior’ Bruno Guimaraes to ‘ignite something different’ in the Premier League champions. Brazil midfielder Guimaraes was introduced to Gunners fans ahead of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat after completing his £75million move from Newcastle. The 28-year-old, who has signed a four-year deal, bolsters a star-studded midfield which already boasts the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze. Bruno Guimaraes was unveiled ahead of the game against Dortmund (Credits: Alamy Live News.) ‘You can see the immediate reaction,” Arteta told the club website after Guimaraes was given a warm reception by supporters. ‘I think he describes himself as a warrior. I think he’s a warrior with a tremendous quality as well and intuition and leadership and charisma that is going to help us, that is going to really ignite something different in the team. ‘I think he’s going to push everybody inside the team as well and that’s the type of player that we need.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Mikel Arteta is keen to bolster his Arsenal squad further (Picture: Getty) Arsenal have been backed to hijack Liverpool’s move for PSG winger Bradley Barcola after completing a £75m deal for Bruno Guimaraes. Brazilian midfielder Guimaraes was unveiled to Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday following his move from Newcastle United. Guimaraes became Mikel Arteta’s third signing of the summer following Greek winger Christos Tzolis and French goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Arsenal were also hoping to welcome Vinicius Junior to north London in one of the biggest transfers in Premier League history but the Brazil icon ended up signing a new contract with Real Madrid. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. Arteta remains interested in signing another winger, however, and have been linked with Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford since missing out on Vinicius. PSG and France forward Barcola is another possible transfer option and former Arsenal striker Perry Groves has given the Gunners real hope of beating Liverpool to a stunning deal. Liverpool have identified Barcola, 23, as their top target this summer and are reportedly ready to pay £100m for the Frenchman, although PSG are holding out for an offer closer to £150m. PSG and France superstar Bradley Barcola (Picture: Getty) Barcola, who has won two Champions League titles at PSG, is expected to leave the Ligue 1 champions after stalling over signing a new contract. Liverpool were thought to be leading the race to secure Barcola’s signature but Groves says he has been told that the winger would rather move to London. Asked whether Barcola would be better suited to Arsenal or Liverpool, Groves told talkSPORT: ‘I’ve got no dog in the fight, but I would say the Gooners because Liverpool are a team that are in transition. New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola (Picture: Getty) ‘Andoni Iraola going in there, imposing his own philosophy, his own style with all the new signings coming in. ‘If you were Barcola and you thought, what out of those two sides have got the most chance of winning the Premier League or Champions League, at the moment you’d say it was Arsenal. ‘So it’s whether Arsenal want to go in, if they go in for him, then there would have been advances being made to his people. https://www.instagram.com/p/Db0h7JeEszv/ ‘Because they don’t want to be seen losing out on Vinicius Junior being played like a little kitten with a ball of wool, but Arsenal have to be in for those sorts of players. That’s the level Arsenal are at now.’ Groves, who won two league titles at Arsenal, added: ‘I’ve got a source that says he [Barcola] wants to live in London. ‘I can’t tell you (who), I can’t divulge my sources. I’ve got a source. I’ve got a mole. Barcola wants to live in London.’ Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong wants Arteta to turn his attentions to Barcola after wrapping up a deal for Guimaraes. Arsenal tried to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid (Picture: Getty) ‘Mikel [Arteta] and the boys have finally got it over the line, which I’m very happy about,’ he told Ladbrokes. ‘But they shouldn’t just win it once and be satisfied with that. ‘They have to keep on winning it now and dominate just like how Man United and Man City have in the past. ‘We’ve got the players, we’ve got a deep squad and hopefully this summer, the board are going to strengthen further, because I still think we need a couple of wingers and a proper number eight. ‘I feel like Declan Rice is playing in a position which isn’t natural to him, so we need a proper number eight alongside him. ‘For me, when it comes to realistic signings this summer, with those positions in mind, I feel like Bruno Guimaraes is someone I’d love to see at Arsenal. ‘And also Bradley Barcola… I think he would be very good for Arsenal. Barcola and Bruno Guimaraes would
Fulham completed the signing of Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid on Monday, and Alvaro Arbeloa is a big fan of the striker. The post Arbeloa lauds Fulham’s Garcia as ‘one of the best strikers in the world’ appeared first on SoccerNews.
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