During yesterday’s press conference at the Fulvio Bernardini sports center in Trigoria, sporting director Tony D’Amico spoke about the Koné situation: “There was never an official offer for him...
Potential buys rejected for sporting or economic reasonsPreference was ‘best players’ not specific right-wingerAndoni Iraola has defended Liverpool’s summer transfer strategy and said the club’s priority was to sign quality over quantity.Liverpool had the highest net spend in the Premier League, with Bradley Barcola, signed for a potential £123m, added to a front line that includes the £125m Alexander Isak and £116m Florian Wirtz. Barcola could make his debut at Ipswich on Friday, despite not featuring for Paris Saint-Germain before his move on Monday. Continue reading...
Mikel Arteta was hesitant about letting Ethan Nwaneri join Borussia Dortmund on loan (Picture: Getty) Borussia Dortmund had to put in the hard yards to wrap up a deadline-day deal for Ethan Nwaneri, with Mikel Arteta reportedly unsure about allowing the Arsenal youngster to leave on loan. Nwaneri returned from a somewhat frustrating loan spell with Marseille at the start of the summer and the 19-year-old’s future remained uncertain right up until the end of the transfer window. But Dortmund intensified their interest in Nwaneri after new signing Giannis Konstantelias suffered a devastating knee injury in the side’s DFB-Pokal victory over Hamburg on Tuesday night. Nwaneri was given assurances that he would receive significant playing time in Niko Kovac’s starting XI and talks moved in a positive direction between the youngster’s camp and the Bundesliga outfit over the following hours. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. However, according to German newspaper Bild, a hesitant Arteta needed quite a bit of convincing before signing off on the attacking midfielder’s temporary departure. It’s claimed Arteta ‘deliberated for a long time about whether’ he would regret losing Nwaneri, especially with the Premier League champions failing to bring in a left winger to fill the void left by Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli on deadline day. The report adds that the move ‘hung in the balance’ before BVB eventually got their man, with the club’s sporting director Nils-Ole Book maintaining close contact with Arsenal chiefs ‘late into the night’ to get an agreement over the line for the England Under-21 international. Nwaneri has joined BVB until the end of the season (Picture: Borussia Dortmund) The teenager could make his BVB debut against Hoffenheim this weekend (Picture: Borussia Dortmund) ‘We were already looking for someone in that position – someone who can play one-on-one, who is fast, who is a strong dribbler,’ BVB head coach Kovac said after capturing the teenager, a product of Arsenal’s Hale End academy. ‘Nwaneri is a very talented player. He plays alongside Jobe Bellingham in the England U21 team. He is the youngest player ever to appear in the Premier League. ‘Before the World Cup, he was still training with the English national team. ‘We have signed a very good player for the year. We hope he can live up to the expectations we have for him. I am convinced he can.’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Arteta praises Arsenal's maturity in 1-0 win over Aston Villa","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/01\/1030376710448723935\/480x270_MP4_1030376710448723935.mp4","description":"Arteta also stressed the importance of squad depth after Konsa was substituted on for his debut for a Mosquera struggling with an injury.","duration":"T4M26S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/01\/07\/110968591-0-image-a-1_1788244180392.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-01T07:29:49+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); After signing on the dotted line with BVB, Nwaneri lifted the lid on why he was so keen to push through a move. ‘As soon as I heard about BVB’s interest and a meeting took place, everything developed ver
Cristiano Ronaldo could reportedly suffer a change of venue for the next game between Al Nassr and Al Hilal for the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League, moving the derby away from Al Awwal Park. Cristiano Ronaldo will once again see Al Hilal stand as his primary obstacle in pursuit of the Saudi Pro League title during the 2026-27 campaign. However, a sudden logistical shift is set to alter their upcoming showdown, as the Al Nassr captain reportedly faces a venue change that takes the marquee fixture away from Al Awwal Park. Al Nassr and Al Hilal currently sit atop the SPL table after winning all four of their opening fixtures, setting the stage for another head-to-head battle for the domestic crown. The first league derby between the two rivals was originally scheduled for Friday, December 11, with Al Nassr hosting at Al Awwal Park, but league organizers are preparing a major relocation. According to reporting from Saudi outlet Arriyadiyah, the Saudi Pro League is moving to relocate the capital derby between Al Nassr and Al Hilal to King Fahd Sports City Stadium. While the match remains in Riyadh, the venue change removes the contest from Al Nassr’s primary home ground. The initiative behind the move serves as an “operational test” for the facility ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. With the continental tournament hosted across Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027, King Fahd Sports City Stadium is scheduled to host four matches, including the tournament final. A general view of the King Fahd International Stadium. (Michael Regan/Getty Images) King Fahd Stadium, a favorable venue for Al Hilal While the venue change has not yet been officially finalized by the league, the Saudi Pro League is expected to contact Al Nassr to coordinate logistics while maintaining the club’s administrative home-team privileges. However, King Fahd Sports City Stadium represents a favorable venue not for the nominal hosts, but for visiting rivals Al Hilal. Since Ronaldo arrived in Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr and Al Hilal have met twice at King Fahd Sports City Stadium, with Al Hilal serving as the home team on both occasions. Their first encounter on Matchday 25 of the 2022-23 SPL season resulted in a 2-0 victory for Al Hilal, followed by a commanding 3-0 win for Al Hilal on Matchday 15 of the 2023-24 campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo during the SPL match vs. Al Hilal at King Fahd International Stadium on December 1, 2023. (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images) Al Nassr could lose a key home advantage King Fahd Sports City Stadium is reopening in late 2026 following a venue expansion that increases capacity from 58,398 to 70,200 seats, leaving Al Nassr to negotiate ticketing terms to ensure maximum home supporter allocation. Nevertheless, departing Al Awwal Park strips the squad of a distinct home-field edge based on recent domestic form. During the 2025-26 SPL season, where Ronaldo secured his first major silverware in Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr finished as the top home team in the league. Across 17 home fixtures at Al Awwal Park, the Riyadh side compiled 15 wins, one draw, and just one defeat to gather 46 points, surpassing Al Ahli’s 45-point home mark and establishing Al Awwal Park as a fortress for Ronaldo and company.
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