Arsenal news and gossip is coming in thick and fast and Sportarena is on hand to bring you all the very latest from Emirates stadium.
Arsenal made move for Lille attacking midfielder Yusuf Yazici
Arsenal have reportedly reigning their interest in signing Lille attacking midfielder Yusuf Yazici as Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his midfield option with creative midfielder in second half of the season.
According to Daily Mail claims Yusuf Yazici, who started this season with huge impression has been identified as a potential target by Gunners’ chief.
Yazici, 23, has scored back-to-back hat tricks in the Europa League. His match-winning performance away to AC Milan was one of the best individual performances witnessed anywhere in Europe so far this season, with the midfielder putting the Serie A table-toppers to the sword in ruthless fashion.
He has averaged 0.8 key passes and 0.8 shots per game this season (as per Who Scored). It’s claimed the Gunners made a £14.5 million bid for Yazici back when he was at Trabzonspor.
Their interest in the player is seemingly long-standing and so it would be safe to assume there is a wealth of scouting information and data held on the 23-year-old at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners would surely have a good idea of what they are getting.
Versatility is one of Yusuf Yazici’s qualities, capable of playing on the right or left, but he is most comfortable playing in behind a central striker.
Jerome Boateng on a free transfer next summer
Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea will battle it out to sign Bayern Munich veteran defender Jerome Boateng on a free transfer next summer, according to reports in Germany.
The 32-year-old centre-back has entered the final year of his contract with the reigning European champions and has made it no secret that he would like to extend his stay at the Allianz Arena after nine years at the club.
However, according to Sport Bild, The Bavarian have decided not to renew the German’s deal and will instead let him leave on a free at the end of the season.
The news has sparked a three-way race between the Premier League trio, who are all reportedly interested in bringing him to London for 2020/21 campaign.
The report claims that Boateng was a transfer target for the Gunners this summer with Mikel Arteta still keen to strengthen his back-line while Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also keen in sign the 32-year-old.
Arsenal confirm Omari Hutchinson has signed professional terms
Arsenal have confirmed that wonderkid Omari Hutchinson has signed his first professional contract with the club.
Hutchinson, who recently turned 17, has been one of the standout performers for Arsenal at U18 level so far this term.
Usually deployed as an attacking midfielder but also capable of playing out wide or as a left-back, Hutchinson has created plenty of chances for Ken Gillard’s side.
The youngster, who has long been regarded as an exciting prospect, was recently added to Arsenal’s Europa League squad and could make his debut for the U23s this season.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami came under fire on Sunday over his comment on the October 20 shooting at the Lekki toll gate, Lagos.
The Nation had reported Malami said it was likely hoodlums wearing military fatigues, and not soldiers, shot the #EndSARS protesters.
But Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), described Malam’s statement as: “an unwarranted irritation and an aggressive form of insults and lack of respect for the innocent peaceful protesters in Lekki Toll Gates Lagos who were on 20th October 2020 despatched to the great World beyond by Men and officers of the military paid with taxpayers money to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria”.
HURIWA asked the Minister to apologise and resign now that: “it has become authoritatively unambiguous that Nigerian Army indeed were deployed to the LEKKI Toll Gates Lagos on October 20th 2020 because according to the Rights group, that attempt by the Federal Attorney General to use sophistry to seek to create confusion around the circumstances surrounding the massacre that characterized the deployment of armed soldiers on the ground of the peaceful protests in LEKKI Toll Gates Lagos in which undetermined number of Nigerians may have been killed in the ensuing gun shots unleashed allegedly by the soldiers on peaceful protesters in LEKKI Toll Gates Lagos”.
A statement by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said: “It was disingenuous that the minister of justice Abubakar Malami tried to spread confusion by suggesting the possibility that soldiers never got deployed to the LEKKI Toll Gates Lagos because according to Reuters, Malami told journalists on last Monday in Abuja that investigation is underway to ascertain what truly happened at the Lekki tollgate just as Malami said it was “pre-emptive” to conclude that there had even been shootings, adding that “hoodlums” may have been hired to create a scene.
“The Federal Attorney General and minister of justice Abubakar Malami then proceeded to assert thus: “You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums that set in to create a scene… could equally partake in the process,” the AGF reportedly said.
“HURIWA recalled that the Army has now made it unambiguous that indeed soldiers and not hoodlums as suggested by Abubakar Malami SAN indeed invaded the vicinity of the peaceful protests at the LEKKI Toll Gates Lagos just as the Army in its testimony before a judicial inquisition in Lagos maintained that there was no massacre at the Lekki toll gate as no live ammunition was used on the #EndSARS protesters. The army also denied taking dead bodies away”.
The 65 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, the formation said to have been involved in the October 20 Lekki shooting, has said soldiers only fired blank ammunitions at protesters.
Pop star, Davido, has revealed that the female #EndSARS protesters gave him the courage to join the campaign against police brutality.
The iconic singer, while speaking on Apple Radio’s Africa Now with DJ Cuppy, added that when he got to the protest ground, the protesters were angry at him for joining them late.
Davido said, “I got my courage from all the other youths that went out there before me. They had been protesting for days before I even went there. I would say those people gave me a lot of courage especially the females, the women that were there protesting.
“When I first got there they were attacking me and people were even angry at me that why am I just coming? Where have I been? I could see the pain on the faces of Nigerians. Especially with the background that I am from, I felt it would be very insensitive for me not to lend my voice. The next day, I went to see the Inspector General of Police and it was not really productive if you ask me. What I mean by productive is the fact that they did not act on our demands.”
The Fem singer commented on his viral picture where he was seen sitting on the ground with other protesters with his hands raised in the air. He explained that it was his way of signalling that he came in peace.
“In the picture of me that circulated around social media where I was sitting on the floor with my hands in the air, all I was trying to do was to inform them that I come in peace. I watch a lot of news and protests that are staged all over the world and that is what I see them do. That is why I asked everyone to sit on the floor. It was amazing to be part of that.
He continued, “Fem being the anthem for the protest was just a matter of timing. I recorded Fem since May. There is a post on my page where I put a 20 seconds snippet of Fem way back in June. I did not see this coming. When I released the song, I realized that three weeks later everybody was singing it at protest grounds. When I went to the National Assembly building they said that I went to record a song for them. I had to explain to them that I had recorded the song since June. I was happy that they used my song as a voice for a non-violent protest. They were really enjoying it.”
Edouard Mendy’s brilliant form for the club and country continued on Sunday as he made another excellent save to protect Senegal’s clean sheet in their qualifier of African Cup of Nations against Guinea Bissau.
Mendy, 28, has established himself as one of the key players for Frank Lampard’s side since arrived from Rennes in the summer transfer window.
The Senegal stopper, who signed in a £22million deal, having already equalling clean sheet record in the early stages of his Chelsea career.
Mendy has conceded just two goal in his first eight appearances in a Chelsea shirt. With Senegal international in-between the sticks, Frank Lampard’s side have kept five clean sheet in a row for the first time since 2010.
He also become the first Chelsea goalkeeper to kick off his Premier League career with three shutouts since club icon Petr Cech in 2004.
After conceded a goal in Blues 4-1 win over Sheffield United last weekend, Edouard Mendy has return to action with a big impression as he made a brilliant save in Senegal 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday night.
And once again, Mendy continued his brilliant form with another excellent save as Senegal defeat Guinea-Bissau at home with 1-0 through Liverpool’s Sadio Mane brilliant strike in 82 minutes of the game.
