Newcastle United’s search for a new midfield leader has suffered another setback, with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg turning down the chance to return to the Premier League at St James’ Park. The 31-year-old had emerged as one of Newcastle’s preferred options following an extraordinary summer of change. Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source […] The post Newcastle United suffer major transfer blow as midfielder rejects Magpies move appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Manchester United are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Louis Page this summer. According to Danyal Khan from Sky Sports, the 17-year-old midfielder is keen on joining Manchester United this summer. We have previously covered reports claiming that Arsenal are interested in the talented young midfielder as well. The fact that he wants to join […] The post Manchester United target keen on Old Trafford move after fresh development appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Enzo Maresca is preparing for his first campaign as Manchester City boss (Picture: Getty Images) Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says Jeremy Monga made the right choice in turning down Arsenal and moving to the Etihad from Leicester City instead. The 17-year-old has already got 37 first team appearances to his name for the Foxes, seven of which came in the Premier League. The winger was being pursued by both Arsenal and Manchester City this summer and revealed that he was very close to choosing north London as his next home. Speaking of interest from the Gunners in him, Monga told the BBC: ‘It was very strong because it was very close to me going there, very close.’ 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. On why he opted for Manchester City, he explained: ‘The main decision was probably the pathway and the club itself. ‘They’ve been so successful that it was a no-brainer when City call. It’s every child’s dream to win trophies and be at the top with the best. ‘Once I get the opportunity I just need to show myself, and once I do that, everything will take care of itself. I feel like, to me personally, I see myself at City more. I see myself in blue.’ Jeremy Monga had some very attractive options in front of him (Picture: REUTERS) City snapped up the teenager for £10m and he is hoping that the pathway is as clear as he believed it to be and he can make an impression on the first team this season. Monga has featured in pre-season, coming off the bench against a K-League XI last week, but was an unused substitute as City beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Sunday. Maresca feels the youngster made the right choice in choosing his summer move and feels Manchester City’s accumulation of silverware over the last 10 years makes them a more attractive prospect than their rivals. Monga appeared for Manchester City in Seoul last week (Picture: Getty Images) ‘Absolutely yes,’ he said of City being an extremely attractive proposition for young players. ‘What the club and this organisation has made in the last 10-15 years is unbelievable. ‘So it’s also for the young generation, for the young players, it’s a good reason why to join this club and I think Jeremy did the right choice.’ The new manager added of the teenager: ‘Jeremy is doing well. The important thing is they work without pressure. Just enjoy, work hard and then with spending days together, for sure they’re going to be better.’ England star Elliot Anderson has arrived at Manchester City (Picture: Getty Images) Monga will need some time to work his way into the first team, while another new signing, Elliot Anderson, is likely to go straight into the side after his big-money move from Nottingham Forest. Speaking of his new £116m midfielder, Maresca said: ‘When we make a decision it’s not just about how they are as a player – which is important – but we also look at the behaviour, the person, the human. ‘Elliot has all these kind of things. He’s a fantastic player, a very nice guy, humble, polite and it will be a pleasure for me to work with him.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
In a mailbag edition of his newsletter, Jonathan Wilson answers questions about Michael Carrick, VAR and the Premier League’s new teamsSign up for our free newsletter hereManchester United finally seem to have something that resembles stability in the dressing room under Michael Carrick. I feel with quality signings in defence and midfield, they could mount a decent challenge for the Premier League next season. How do you feel they will fare? – Sterling.There’s an odd sense that Michael Carrick’s level of achievement last season was at precisely the most awkward level for the board. United didn’t produce indisputably brilliant football under him but equally 12 wins and three draws in 17 games was good enough that they pretty much had to give him the job. But it’s one thing to turn out those kinds of results when the pressure’s off, you’re already out of both cup competitions and you don’t have any European football; it’s quite another to do it in the heat of a full season. United don’t have to have an especially amazing season to play 15 more games this season than they did in 2025-26.This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here. Continue reading...
Arsenal were ‘used’ by Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, says John Obi Mikel (Picture: The Obi One Podcast) Chelsea hero John Obi Mikel has trolled Arsenal supporters after the club missed out on signing Vinicius Junior, asking the fanbase ‘what they were smoking’ to convince them a deal was possible. Vinicius emerged as a surprise transfer target for Arsenal on the back of the club’s title triumph last season, with Mikel Arteta said to be ‘absolutely smitten’ with the idea of capturing the Brazilian. A proposed move had been approved ‘at all levels’ at the Emirates and the Gunners were reportedly ready to make the 26-year-old the highest-paid player in Premier League history. But Vinicius would go on to commit his future to Real Madrid, putting pen to paper on a six-year contract extension at the Bernabeu, forcing the English champions to consider alternatives elsewhere. 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. It’s understood PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz remain on Arsenal’s radar with three weeks remaining of the transfer window, but it would likely take an earth-shattering offer to coax either club into a deal before the deadline. Prior to Vinicius signing his extension, Obi Mikel told Arsenal fans to ‘forget’ about the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up, insisting the attacker was simply ‘using’ the Gunners to get a better deal. And in the latest episode of The Obi One Podcast, the former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder couldn’t resist reminding supporters of his previous remarks. Vinicius ignored interest from Arsenal to sign a new six-year deal in Madrid (Picture: Getty) Arsenal had reportedly been prepared to make Vinicius the highest-paid player in Premier League history (Picture: Getty) Asked if signing a new deal had perhaps been Vinicius’ plan all along, Obi Mikel replied: ‘Of course, mate. F***inghell. I don’t know what the Arsenal fans were expecting. ‘You win the league after 22 years and then you all of a sudden think: that’s it, you’ve arrived, you’re one of the big boys again. No, you’re not. ‘They’ve just been humbled because I said it: there’s no way Vinicius Junior is leaving Real Madrid to go to Arsenal, a club that’s won one title in 22 years. ‘This guy wins titles, he’s won lots of titles at Real Madrid. He wants to win titles season after season, the Champions League, La Liga, competing year after year and winning those titles. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Martin Odegaard heads ball directly into police officer during Arsenal parade","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/06\/01\/188721103218914644\/480x270_MP4_188721103218914644.mp4","description":"Whoops!","duration":"T8S","height":480,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/06\/01\/12\/109008017-0-image-a-36_1780314932393.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-06-01T12:52:23+0100","width":270} 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'); } }); ‘He’s tasted what it feels like winning the Champions League, Arsenal have never won the Champions League. Zero. ‘You expect a player who has won the Champions League with Real Madrid to leave that, everything that he’s built at Real Madrid, and the squad that Jose Mourinho
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
