Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Alexis Sanchez will return to the Arsenal squad to face Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.
Sanchez has missed the opening two games of the season as he builds up his fitness since picking up a muscle injury.
But having been without their 28-year-old talisman, Wenger has revealed that Sanchez will travel with the squad to Merseyside.
The Frenchman said at his pre-match press conference: ‘The early team news is that [Laurent] Koscielny is back for selection and Sanchez has worked very hard to be back again and he is available as well.
‘He is working hard, is focused and is giving everything. It’s always difficult to stop him. He looks ready, he’s not played for a long time.
I have to decide what to do with him, but he’s ready to play.
‘We have to make that decision [on whether to start Sanchez]. It’s Thursday today, that match is on Sunday.
He’s worked very hard and he looks in good shape.’
Alexis Sanchez
Image: Getty
While Sanchez’s return will undoubtedly boost the North London club, the subject of his future was again raised with the Chilean’s contract expiring at the end of the season.
But Wenger has played down the current predicament, reiterating his desire for the former Barcelona forward to become a focal point of his side.
‘I want Alexis to stay at the club and be one of the big players of this future. We want to build the team around him.
‘Personally, I want him to commit to the club and for him to be one of the carriers of our team.
‘He’s not too much disturbed by the noises. Players of his level are used to it now.
I’m sure he’s not too bothered by that. He’s always focused, very happy.
‘Just because he goes into the last year of his contract doesn’t mean we don’t have the chance to extend it.
‘We don’t like to look at the individual contracts of everybody. I know every bid we have, of course, but I think the best for us is to focus on Sunday’s game.’
Arsenal head to Merseyside having not won at Anfield since a 2-0 victory in September 2012, and Wenger still made a rueful remark at having dropped points at Stoke last weekend despite ’77 percent possession and a huge number of chances’.
It depends how many players will go.
‘We are on alert in the last few days. Phones ring a bit more often. Sometimes you have to share the work in the last few days.
The last two days are always hectic.
‘I’m happy with the strength of the squad, but I’ve said before we have too many players who have no chance to compete for places, and it is important to give young players the chance who deserve it.
‘If you have too many players already in a confirmed status, they have no chance to play.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has explained why he is willing to gamble on taking a financial hit over the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as they look to make free transfers away from the club next summer.
The Nigeria Basketball Federation has warned all clubs invited for the final 6 play-off of the Premier Basketball League slated to hold between 14th and 19th August, 2017 to disregard any invitation from anybody or group of people parading as the NBBF members.
Alexis Sanchez has been ruled out of Arsenal’s 2017/18 curtain raiser with Leicester City after he suffered an abdominal strain in training.
Paris saint-Germain are still in the race to sign Alexis Sanchez this summer and, despite knowing his first preference is Manchester City, feel they can test that position as well as the resolve of Arsenal by putting forward the type of financial package that proves too good to turn down.
The French club have already stunned football by prising Neymar from Barcelona in a world-record £200m deal and sources close to the situation say that only marks the start of what is over the next few years set to be the most ambitious spending spree seen in football by pulling the strings to get Alexis Sanchez.
PSG still want another striker and, while they are also still pursuing Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe, have not given up Sanchez.
The Chilean has so far shown no willingness to sign Arsenal’s new contract offer – believed to involve wages of over £250,000 a week – and the Independent understands City would not even need to go so high, such is the 28-year-old’s desire to join up with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.
As it stands, Arsenal would reject any offer, meaning Sanchez would have to wait until the end of the season to move on a free.
PSG would however be willing to offer him up to £400,000 a week in a bid to turn the player’s head, and also feel they could tempt Arsenal into a sale this summer with a suitable offer. Even if that takes over £80m, PSG believe they can get him.
Sources close to the player say he is increasingly resigning himself to the idea of staying at Arsenal for another season, while Guardiola is understood to also be prepared to be patient, as he believes the forward would still be able to easily slot into his team from the summer of 2018.
Source: Independent.co.uk
Neymar will earn 865,000 euros (£775,477) a week when the Brazil forward completes his world record move from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain.
Nigerian born English footballer, Dele Ali has made a stunning transition from League One to the top of the game, and is rated as the second most valuable player in world football and valued at a staggering £136.1million by Swiss number-crunchers.
It is real numbers, rather than fantasy ones, that count, however.
Dele Ali’s 32 goals in his first two seasons at Tottenham are the unquestionable proof of the impact he has made under Mauricio Pochettino since his £5m switch from MK Dons.
Yet the 21-year-old was seemingly destined for the wrong side of the law as he grew up in the Buckinghamsire new town.
Dele Ali confessed: “I got into trouble a few times when I was younger. I hung around with the wrong people.
“With the older boys, I tried to do what they did. We weren’t in a very good area. Football gave me the opportunity to actually put my energy into something else than hanging out on the street at 12 years old until 2am.”
Crime’s loss was, quite clearly, football’s gain.
And if Spurs and England are to realise their respective ambitions over the next 12 months, there is no doubting that Dele Ali will be central to the plans of both Pochettino and Gareth Southgate.
Pochettino and his Tottenham side will have to get used to the new surroundings of Wembley very quickly — starting with this weekend’s International Champions Cup clash with Juventus.
But the Argentine will want more of the same from one of his key links.
Spurs may not have been busy in the transfer market so far this summer, although Poch is determined to make some signings by the time the window shuts.
Dele told September’s issue of GQ magazine that last term’s near-miss has only fuelled Tottenham’s determination.
Dele Ali was featured in September’s GQ magazine to be out on thursday
Photo: gq.co.uk
He said: “I think we’re inches away from winning the Premier League. Maybe another player or two players is all we need.”
As for his own contribution, Dele conceded it was as much about instinct as work on the training ground.
Fitness plays a factor, of course, with Pochettino’s tough drills breeding a staying power that sustained Tottenham through that end of season run of 11 wins from 12 games that pushed Chelsea all the way and saw Spurs tot up a club record Premier league tally of 86 points.
But it is intuition and that priceless ability to see a situation developing and strike with a cobra’s deadly intent that has elevated Dele Ali into the stratosphere.
He added: “I think a lot of my goals come from anticipating play.
Dele Ali celebrates after scoring for spurs
Photography: PA
“It’s about just constantly thinking and trying to predict what’s going to happen.
“When you’re in the box, it’s all quick-quick-quick.
“So you’ve got to sort of guess what’s going to happen next. Where the ball might fall, so you can get that extra yard on the defender.”
After the goals, the celebrations. Rival fans might have mocked the bizarre rituals dreamed up by Dele Ali, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane but the trio love the fun of the moment.
According to Dele Ali, it is all down to the Korean.
He said: “Son has one of those handshakes for everyone. And he insists on doing each of them every morning when he comes into training. It takes ages!”
And it was a celebration picture of him and Son that represents Dele Ali’s abiding and final memory of the last game at White Hart Lane, which was demolished after Spurs beat Manchester United to seal second place in May.
The blown-up shot of the pair wheeling away from goal was hanging on inside the old Spurs dressing room — before Dele Ali yanked it off and took it away.
He added: “It’s still at the training ground. It won’t fit in my car. I haven’t figured out how I’m going to get it home yet.”
That’s one of the few things Dele Ali has not worked out yet. Luckily for Spurs, he has sorted most of the other stuff. Most importantly, of course, himself.
On resuming back to the Emirates yesterday, Alexis Sanchez has been informed he would not be joining Chelsea or Manchester City this summer, according to reports.
The Chilean returned back for training on tuesday after his return from holiday.
The 28-year-old was initially supposed to return earlier, but was granted an extended leave while he recovered from sickness.
When asked whether he felt Sanchez’s illness is a convenient excuse to prolong his absence from the club, Wenger said: “Your job is to be suspicious and is built on mistrust and my job is built on trust! That’s why I prefer my side [of the story].”
Sanchez is scheduled to be at the Arsenal members open training session at the Emirates on Thursday.
Pictures from Sanchez’s session at Arsenal’s London Colney training base showed last season’s top scorer as all smiles, however he was given news he didn’t want to hear.
Alexis Sanchez in training gear
Photograph: Mirror
The Times report that Wenger held a meeting with Sanchez in which they discusses the Chile international’s future.
With the 28-year-old having just 12 months remaining on his contract there has been much speculation that he will leave this summer.
However Wenger has told Sanchez that he will not sanction his sale to a Premier League rival, which rules out a move to Chelsea or Manchester City.
Sanchez is understood to have made the latter of those interested clubs his favoured choice with the opportunity of linking up with Pep Guardiola the lure.
The report though suggests that Wenger hasn’t totally ruled out selling Sanchez, who could yet command a fee in the region of £50m, but only to a club abroad.
Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain have been linked, although the former has baulked at his wage demands and the latter is focused on signing Neymar. It could result in Sanchez seeing out his contract at Arsenal
The 2016-2017 season of the Premier League proved to be another exciting one, although Chelsea’s march towards the title couldn’t quite match Leicester’s shock win of the season before for drama.
Photo credit: Skysports
At the other end of the premier league table, Sunderland’s regular relegation battle finally ended in defeat, with Hull City and Middlesbrough making the drop alongside them. This article will take a look at the expectations from the newly promoted and top teams that have spent heavily on recruitments.
The premier league’s three newly promoted teams are Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town with the first of these facing the highest expectations.
Under Rafael Benitez, Newcastle are expected to survive comfortably having a massive premier league as a manager and have started bringing in players already. Christian Atsu was first through the door, but the club has expected is following this up with further signings.
They should have enough to compete, but for Brighton and Huddersfield – the latter playing in the top flight for the first time ever. It will be a battle to stay in the premier league division. Each of these teams have been Securing experienced players who can help them survive in the top flight though.
Elsewhere, Manchester United will be expected to make a serious title challenge this season, having secured the services of Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and most recently, Nemanja Matic. Although the two trophies secured last year put a gloss on a disappointing premier league campaign.
Pep Guardiola will also be under pressure across the city, after Manchester City finished an underwhelming third and failed to win any trophies last season.
The citizens have been really busy over the transfer window anyways, bringing in new faces and top lads to further strengthen the team’s depth.
Champions Chelsea
Photo credit: Premierleague.com
Whether the Manchester clubs can mount a real challenge for the EPL title this incoming premier league season could determine whether managers Jose Mourinho and Guardiola remain in place.
Both managers seems to be in top form all through the ongoing pre-season tour. Being two of the top spenders during the transfer window.
The pressure unarguably will be mounted keenly on top teams who’s management has broken the bank to bring in players during the transfer window, Such teams will be expected to justify the funds that were spent on players recruitment.
The premier league resumes actions on friday 11th August, with Arsenal taking on Leicester city at the Emirates Stadium.