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An update has emerged on Arsenal and their interest in a swoop to sign Southampton ace Romeo Lavia ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Arsenal?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are progressing in their pursuit of a deal to sign the central midfielder this summer.

The reporter tweeted: "Understand Arsenal are advancing in talks to sign Roméo Lavia. Negotiations ongoing with Southampton and player’s camp, still no official bid. Southampton hope for their record fee for U21 player. Man Utd interested but priority is Mount; Chelsea, keeping close eye."

He then added that Premier League champions Manchester City have a buy-back clause that would enable them to snap the Belgian talent up for £40m before the summer of 2024, although it remains to be seen if they are willing to activate it.

Southampton's current club-record U21 sale came in 2014 when they sold Luke Shaw, who was 18 at the time, to Manchester United for a fee of £27m, that could rise to £31m, which means that £40m would meet their requirements for a deal.

This comes alongside a report from Sky Sports that has claimed the club are set to make a £90m bid to snap up West Ham United captain Declan Rice, with Romano confirming that the club's interest in the pair is not related. Indeed, it seems Mikel Arteta and the club are progressing on more deals in the background of the heavily reported Rice saga.

How did Romeo Lavia perform last season?

Southampton signed Lavia from Manchester City in a £14m package ahead of the 2022/23 campaign and the teenager enjoyed a strong first season in senior football in spite of his team's relegation to the Championship.

The Belgium international, who was hailed as a “monster” by journalist Benjy Nurick, had just two first-team appearances to his name prior to moving to the south coast and still only has 32 total games in senior football after 26 Premier League starts for the Saints.

However, he made 3.6 tackles plus interceptions per game and completed 86% of his attempted passes in the division, and his qualities in and out of possession are what made him so highly rated during his time at The Etihad.

Lavia particularly excelled at putting his body on the line for Southampton last term as the 19-year-old enforcer currently ranks in the top 4% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for blocks made per 90 (1.90).

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously claimed that the teenage maestro had the ability to break into City's senior squad. He wrote:

"It is very clear why Pep Guardiola wants Romeo Lavia to be part of the Manchester City first team. He is an intelligent and aggressive presser of the ball in defense, a comfortable dribbler, adept passer of the ball, and physically strong. These traits are enormously important in the Pep Guardiola system, and Romeo Lavia possesses all the talent to break into Manchester City’s first team one day."

This suggests that the potential is there for him to make it at the top level and his experience at St. Mary's could be an important step on his way to success as the exciting youngster now has a good amount of Premier League matches under his belt.

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has said that revamping the team’s middle-order batting is a key area of focus in the squad’s preparation for ICC World Cricket League Division Three, which begins May 23 in Uganda

Peter Della Penna23-Mar-20171:25

‘Very confident we’ll get through Division Three’ – Dassanayake

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has said that revamping the team’s middle-order batting is a key area of focus in the squad’s preparation for ICC World Cricket League Division Three, which begins May 23 in Uganda. Dassanayake indicated that several former first-class players who came into the team’s recent four-day camp in Houston, Texas – Ibrahim Khaleel, Camilus Alexander and Roy Silva – have strong chances of filling those roles.”We need to get the middle-order batting right,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “We struggled in Division Four and that cannot go on. Batting 50 overs, it’s a different art.”These players are used to playing T20 cricket a lot and struggle sometimes to spend time in the longer version. There are lots of good new faces in the last four days and I’m pretty sure a few of these new players will cover those spots.”We’re confident how we are going to go about in Division Three. Some of the gaps that I had to fill, I think it’s kind of a clear thing we’re going to get some good players to cover those spots. We had three experienced players here – Camilus Alexander, Roy Silva and Ibrahim Khaleel. All three of them are top-class players who have played a lot of cricket. Still we haven’t decided anything but I think that experience, we need it to build our middle order.”One other player who stood out during the camp in Texas was Nosthush Kenjige. The left-arm spinner was the leading wicket-taker in the camp with eight in three trial matches. Among his victims were USA captain Steven Taylor twice, Khaleel, Silva, and USA batsmen Nicholas Standford and Akeem Dodson, who was recently taken by Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League draft.Kenjige, 26, was born in Alabama but his family moved to India in his youth. He played most of his developmental cricket in the Karnataka system but returned to the USA in 2015, settling in New York. He was ineligible to play for USA at WCL Division Four last year, despite being an American citizen, due to additional residency criteria the ICC mandates for WCL tournaments. Kenjige has since fulfilled the criteria.In preparation for Division Three, Kenjige travelled to South Africa earlier this year to spend a month training with the Knights first-class franchise and playing club cricket on the weekends. During his time there he was able to work with coach Nicky Boje to sharpen his skills and Dassanayake says he is expecting the spinner to play a significant role for USA going forward.”When I speak about Nosh, I’m very happy about him because he’s one of the guys who has really put work under him in the last three months,” Dassanayake said. “He was one of the guys who followed the fitness programme really well and he has been tremendous improvement in fitness in the last three months, so that has helped him get his fielding right. Skill-wise, he has been going around the world and playing cricket and I see a lot of improvement in his bowling as well.”Overall if I had to analyse the whole team and where the USA team wants to go, I’m looking to build the cricketing culture, a good unit playing together knowing their roles and working hard to improve every day and I would say Nosh is one of the guys who is going to help that system. He’s a different character, really committed to the team and his game. It was very impressive what he has done in the last four days and I think there is so much room for him to improve as well. I’m 100% sure the way he’s going forward and looking at his work ethic, he’s going to be a big asset in the future.”Another squad camp is planned to be held in Houston from April 6 to 9 with the squad trimmed from the 45 players who attended the most recent camp down to 18 before the final 14 are selected to tour South Africa and Uganda in May.Dassanayake said he will focus considerable time on improving the team’s fitness, which was one area that some members of the squad fell behind in during the camp.”Mainly, from Division Four, I was looking to build up the middle order and also the fielding and fitness,” Dassananyake said. “The fitness part, actually the whole group was working for the last three months and I saw lots of improvements with everybody. Fielding, unfortunately some of these players don’t have that opportunity to field on faster outfields on quality grounds, but all the top players have got the idea of the level we are thinking of playing.”There are lots of improvements and also a lot of weak areas. We have two and a half months to work on those things to get ready for Division Three.

Tottenham Hotspur are now looking forward to a new era under incoming boss, Ange Postecoglou, with the 57-year-old set to take charge at N17 after catching the eye following his impressive work at Old Firm giants, Celtic in recent seasons.

Having won five trophies during a glittering two-year spell at Parkhead, the experienced coach has been tasked with the job of trying to revive the fortunes of the north London outfit next term and beyond, with the Lilywhites still reeling from a disappointing 2022/23 campaign that ended with a dismal, eighth-place finish.

Amid that search for improvement in his new home, recent reports have suggested that Postecoglou could be ready to spark something of a mass clearout at the club over the coming weeks, with the veteran duo of Ivan Perisic and Hugo Lloris leading the list of those who could depart.

Among those who may also be shown the door is long-serving defender, Ben Davies, with the Wales international – who signed from Swansea City back in 2014 – potentially set to be moved on if bids are to arrive this summer.

This follows a recent report that suggested Daniel Levy and co were willing to sanction the 30-year-old's exit for a fee of around £15m, with the 77-cap dud having formed part of a backline that shipped 63 Premier League goals this season – the sixth-worst record in the division.

As pundit Gabby Agbonlahor suggested, a departure for Davies could well be in the best interests of the club, with the versatile full-back having been "struggling to put in top performances", as he simply "just isn’t good enough any more."

With Postecoglou likely to need to find an "upgrade" – as per Agbonlahor – or a more youthful replacement for the £80k-per-week man, then the Greek-Aussie should look no further than reported target, Thierry Small.

Who is Thierry Small?

According to Football Insider, Spurs are set to make a fresh approach for the Southampton teenager ahead of next season, having previously seen an offer of around £800k rejected by the Saints back in January.

The piece adds that the newly-relegated side had been looking for closer to £1.2m at the time, with Levy and co now seemingly ready to make a 'new offer' in order to prise the 18-year-old from St Mary's.

The signing of the England youth international could well be the long-term solution at left-back that Spurs are in need of, with the "quality" gem – as previously hailed by ex-Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti – able to take Davies' place moving forward.

The former Toffees ace – who made the move to the south coast back in 2021 – showed his defensive prowess while on loan at St Mirren in the second half of the campaign after averaging 1.3 tackles per game, with that a superior record to what Davies averaged in the Premier League (0.9).

Equally, it is young Small who also appears to offer more in attack, with the 5 foot 10 starlet having averaged one key pass per game as a marker of his creative talent, while Davies averaged just 0.6 key passes in that time.

That would suggest that despite his inexperience, the youngster has the makings to be a real star of the future in the game, hence just why it would be wise for Postecoglou to push for a move.

As such, after 311 games for the club, it could be time for Davies to seek out pastures new…

The FA confirmed Jurgen Klopp will be banned from the touchline for two Liverpool matches and assessed a fine.

The FA confirmed in a statement that Klopp had received the suspension and been fined £75,000 after comments he made in the media about referee Paul Tierney following Liverpool's dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham in April.

In a newly released letter, the German manager apologised to Tierney for "questioning his integrity" and also for his behaviour towards fourth official John Brooks after Diogo Jota's late goal.

Klopp's initial comments – which were to say "I really don’t know what he has against us" – have been adjudged to have implied bias from Tierney towards Liverpool, an allegation refuted by refereeing body PGMOL and the FA – and since retracted by Klopp in his apology.

GOAL breaks down the key parts of the report and Klopp's apology letter below…

GettyHow did the FA punish Klopp?

Klopp has been fined £75,000 and issued with a touchline ban. The first match of the manager’s touchline ban is "effective immediately" – meaning he will watch from the stands as Liverpool take on Aston Villa at Anfield this Saturday. The second match of the ban will be assessed at the end of the 2023-24 season, provided Klopp doesn't incur any further FA bans or fines.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALKlopp's apology letter in full

The German head coach sent a personal letter to the FA that the organisation re-printed in its official report announcing his punishment. In it, Klopp fully retracted his comments about Tierney and Brooks, admitting what he said in post-match media interviews constituted improper conduct as they implied bias, questioned the integrity of the referee, were personal and/or offensive and brought the game into disrepute.

Here is his letter in full, dated May 3:

Getty ImagesFA's details of 'unwarranted attack'

The FA attached an appendix to its official statement entitled 'the FA v Jurgen Klopp', which detailed what PGMOL called an "unwarranted attack" from the Liverpool boss towards the officials at Anfield during the Spurs game on April 30:

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(C)Getty ImagesFA acceptance of his apology

Klopp may have escaped further penalties because of his whole-hearted apology, which has been accepted by the FA. There has been a significant effort made by the Liverpool boss to clear any allegations of bias, although the FA and PGMOL are working to stamp out such comments, which may damage referees' reputations in the media.

This is what the FA said in response to Klopp's letter:

Manchester United return to Premier League action tonight, but face an arduous task as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur.

Whilst many would expect another comfortable victory over Ryan Mason's woeful outfit, there almost has to be a reaction from the Lilywhites after their recent 6-1 hammering, especially in front of their home support.

Not to mention that Erik ten Hag's side remain ravaged by injuries, and are fresh off the back of a rough 120-minute FA Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

A win for either side could be crucial in turning the tide as they enter the run-in, with the Red Devils vying to secure Champions League football once again at Old Trafford, as Spurs seek to displace them. It should therefore make for an enthralling encounter, although the same was expected of their league last clash.

With those aforementioned stumbling blocks sure to prohibit the visitors from boasting their strongest lineup, it will be interesting to see how the Dutchman attacks this all-important fixture.

How will Manchester United line up against Tottenham Hotspur?

Ten Hag could make just three changes from the side that scraped past the Seagulls at Wembley, seeking to retain the core that led them to their second cup final of the season.

David De Gea will remain in goal, having kept Roberto De Zerbi's side largely quiet throughout their last game. He will sit behind a back four only slightly altered, as Harry Maguire comes back in as the sole change.

Although the £190k-per-week dud is often criticised, having been branded a "liability" by journalist Zach Lowy in the past, he remains one of few central defenders left fit and available.

This will see Luke Shaw return to full-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as their penalty shootout hero Victor Lindelof starts again at the heart of defence, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane absent through injury.

Given Bruno Fernandes was forced off before that shootout, where he would have been keen to showcase his expertise, the Portuguese maestro remains a doubt for tonight's clash too.

This could hand Marcel Sabitzer another chance to impress, as the Austrian likely seeks to prove why Ten Hag should make his move a permanent one in the summer. He will sit just in front of the ever-present Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

Anthony Martial's fitness woes in the past also present a concern, so the Frenchman would be a surprise inclusion to start two games in just five days, Therefore, Wout Weghorst may return to spearhead United's attack.

His size and pressing impetus could prove vital in affording space for Marcus Rashford and Antony, who will flank the Dutchman.

Predicted Man Utd XI (4-3-3): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro, Sabitzer; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.

ScorecardAdam Wheater made his maiden first-class double-hundred (file photo)•PA Photos

For someone who does not see himself as a specialist batsman, Adam Wheater managed a fairly convincing impression of a cricketer with a considerable future in the role as Hampshire amassed their largest total in a Championship match in almost three years.Dropped by Hampshire at the end of May when first-team coach Dale Benkenstein decided he wanted 21-year-old Lewis McManus to take over as wicketkeeper, Wheater marked his second appearance since being recalled only as a batsman with a maiden double-hundred that showcased qualities he perhaps doubted he had.Naturally an aggressive hitter, strong on both sides of the wicket, Wheater turned his overnight 89 into a 147-ball century inside the first half hour, following a slightly delayed start, before taking advantage of an overworked Warwickshire attack to advance to 200 in just 79 deliveries more.He gathered 27 fours and hit three sixes, two of them off Keith Barker, who with Rikki Clarke willingly shouldered the extra burden created by Boyd Rankin’s absence with back spasms but found himself flagging at times on a pitch that remained stubbornly unresponsive.Wheater passed his previous best when he moved on from 164, the score he made for Essex against Northamptonshire in 2011, and went to 200 by reverse sweeping Jeetan Patel, whose stamina was also heavily tested in a series of long spells that added up to 48 overs in total.Wheater, who left Essex in 2013 to further his ambitions with the gloves, has found himself relieved of his duties behind the stumps for the second time since making the move, having previously had to make way for Michael Bates.Benkenstein now wants McManus to have an extended run, feeling that he brings more energy to the role and at the same time considers Wheater should focus on developing as a specialist batsman.”I rate Wheats’ batting but I’ve given him a very long run as a keeper and don’t feel he’s improved in a few areas I think are very important,” Benkenstein said recently. “But as a batter he’s still very young with a huge career ahead of him. Our top order are quite short of runs and he’s got a real chance of making his way in this team as a batter.”Wheater begs to differ, insisting that he wants to contribute more than one discipline to the team effort and that he will fight to win back the gloves again.”I was disappointed [with the decision] and the hierarchy at Hampshire know I want to keep,” he said. “I didn’t see that I was doing much wrong. I see myself as a keeper-batsman. I can’t bowl and I don’t just want to just be fielding. But having said that, when they asked me to play as a batsman in the top six I was going to take that rather than playing in the seconds. I feel I have battled to get back to where I was a couple of years ago with my batting and I feel in a good place.”That’s my role now, to score runs and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to contribute as I have in this match. But things change quickly in cricket and as far as keeping is concerned all I can do is take any opportunity that comes along.”Wheater passed 5000 first-class runs during his partnership runs with Sean Ervine, who coincidentally reached the milestone of 10,000 during their 144-run stand for the sixth wicket.When Ervine chipped Patel straight to short extra cover to be out for 75, however, it precipitated an unforeseen flurry of wickets — five in the space of 20 deliveries with only nine more runs added — and reward for Patel and Josh Poysden, the young legspinner, who picked up the last three for career-best figures of 4 for 85.”Losing Boyd through injury was tough but we worked really hard as a unit,” Poysden said. “I thought we kept going and kept fighting and to get the last five wickets for nine runs was really nice as we finally got what we deserved.”On days one and two in first-class cricket you are not really expecting it to spin so I knew they were going to come quite hard at me when I bowled but that gives me a chance to get wickets so I never mind that.”Warwickshire’s reply got off to a stuttering start, Andrew Umeed leaving a ball from Gareth Andrew that came back and clipped off stump before Ian Bell played inside one from Gareth Berg, at which point 11 for 2 on the scoreboard would have been a considerable fillip for a makeshift Hampshire attack.Andrew claimed another success at the start of his second spell as Varun Chopra played down the wrong line but Jonathan Trott and Sam Hain added an unbroken 53 for the fourth wicket. Trott might have been out on 59 near the close, giving a chance off Berg that McManus might have taken had he been standing further back.

Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Headingley18-May-2016Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test.Both are young players who were picked on potential, despite modest first-class records. A former captain of Sri Lanka’s Under-19 team, and a Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, 21-year-old Kusal Mendis has been spoken of as a potential No. 3 for the series. He has now strengthened his claim on that role with two half-centuries in three warm-up innings.Mathews support for landslide victims

Angelo Mathews said his team extended “love and support” to the people affected by floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, following sustained torrential rains that have caused the Kelani river to burst its banks, leading to a feared death toll of 150.
“We’re so sad to hear about all the casualties and those who were affected by the landslides and floods. There are hundreds of thousands of people who were affected and we want to show our love and support. We will wear a black armband for all of them. Unfortunately we are here, but our thoughts and prayers will be with them. People have been really affected.”
The black armband will also be a show of support for bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake, whose brother has died of natural causes in the past few days. Ramanayake is expected to remain with the squad for the duration of the tour.

Lower down the order, 24-year-old Dasun Shanaka has made a push for the No. 7 batting position. Having made his name as a limited-overs hitter, Shanaka struck 112 from 132 balls against Leicestershire, to lift the visitors from 192 for 8 to 367 all out. His seam bowling may also be viewed as an asset – to be used when the frontliners have tired.”Dasun Shanaka was a standout for me, and so was Kusal Mendis,” Angelo Mathews said on the eve of the Headingley Test. “They are both still very young. Their first tour to England, and it’s never easy, but they’ve showed a lot of character in the first two practice games.”We’ve got lots of new players, but also 7 or 8 who were there in the 2014 tour. We’ve got a fearless set of players who are willing to take the English on.”Acclimatisation is one of the major pre-Test objectives for Sri Lanka sides touring England. Having had relatively good weather towards the south of England in the warm-up games, the forecast suggests they are in for a colder, wetter week at Headingley. Temperatures are not expected to climb further than the low teens, and rain is predicted to make an appearance during the weekend.”We all know that you can’t get comfortable in England straightaway,” Mathews said. “You’ve got to work your way through, so experience also counts. We’ve got so many guys who are touring England for the first time with the national team.”But no matter how long you spend in the cold you can never get used to it. We’ve had a few good days in Essex and also in Leicester, where the sun was out. Hopefully the nice weather will come back to us. Whether it’s the cold weather or the sunny weather, we do have to take on the challenge. The weather will be our main challenge.”Though no bowler in Sri Lanka’s seam attack has more than 80 wickets to his name, there is significant expectation on the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep to cause trouble for England’s top order, in helpful bowling conditions. Dhammika Prasad has been ruled out of the match with a shoulder complaint, however.”Prasad’s injury is a setback for us,” Mathews said. “He’s our premier fast bowler. He’s performed well against England here at the same venue. He’ll be a big loss. Hopefully he can be ready and fit for the second Test.”Mathews will see some familiar faces across the battlements during this tour. England coach Trevor Bayliss had been Sri Lanka’s coach from 2007 to 2011. England’s current assistant coach Paul Farbrace had been Bayliss’ assistant in Sri Lanka as well, before he took the top job himself for two months at the beginning of 2014.”Those coaches have played a massive part in my career,” Mathews said. “Trevor was the first coach of my international career. He didn’t fiddle with my batting or bowling abilities too much. He just wanted me to go and express myself, play with a lot of freedom. Farby was the same. They are great human beings and great coaches, whom I really enjoy working with. We’ve seen the impact that they’ve had in the past 12 months with England.”

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016
ScorecardJake Lehmann’s 148-ball 122 included 14 fours and a six•Getty Images

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour.Following Lehmann’s hundred, Joe Mennie was able to dismiss Ed Cowan cheaply before stumps were drawn. Cowan was returning to the team after he missed their draw against Western Australia in Perth due to the after-effects of a blow to the helmet inflicted by a Joel Paris bouncer in Lincoln.The match is being held on the NSW north coast in memory of the late Phillip Hughes, and Lehmann marked it with a swashbuckling left-hander’s century as part of a concerted Redbacks counterattack that followed the loss of three early wickets.SA’s selectors had been the subject of considerable debate in Adelaide after the decision to drop the experienced but underperforming Tom Cooper and Tim Ludeman.Their replacements Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey both made strong contributions. Opener Weatherald made a sprightly 58 while the gloveman added 105 with Lehmann after the visitors had slipped further to 5 for 123.Another youngster, the second-game seamer Cameron Valente, helped add further runs with Lehmann, allowing the Redbacks to reach the fringes of 300.Arjun Nair, the teenaged finger spinner who became the Blues’ 738th first-class cricketer and 11th youngest debutant, claimed a pair of tail-end wickets to help round up SA’s innings.

Chelsea went through quite the overhaul in the summer, with an incredible number of departures to make room for a similar number of reinforcements to build Mauricio Pochettino a squad capable of making a return to the Premier League's top four. And, after a rocky start, back-to-back victories show that the Argentine is starting to guide the Blues back into top form in England's top flight.

When the January transfer window swings open, the London giants will undoubtedly be front and centre once again when it comes to the biggest deals. But they may also have to keep an eye on outgoings, having been left fuming by an approach for one of Pochettino's players.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

The Blues were ruthless in the summer, bidding farewell to the likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Mateo Kovacic all to rival clubs in the Premier League top six, to make room for Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and others. With their squad now assembled, they would have hoped to have little need for reinforcements in January, but three wins in their first eight games proved that Chelsea are far from the finished article.

It must be said, however, that keeping hold of important players could be the key. The latest Conor Gallagher transfer news revealed that the midfielder has already been approached over a January move, reportedly leaving Pochettino and Chelsea fuming.

According to Football Transfers, Steven Gerrard, the manager of Saudi Pro League's Al-Ettifaq, recently contacted Gallagher about a January move, which the midfielder turned down. Pochettino has reportedly been left angered by Gerrard's attempts to turn the heads of his players.

Having seemingly rejected the move, Gallagher looks set to stay put at Stamford Bridge, where he'll hope to help his side turn a poor start into a resurgent run of form in the race for a Champions League place.

How has Conor Gallagher performed this season?

Gallagher has been a surprisingly important part of Pochettino's side this season, starting in all eight Premier League games, including in recent back-to-back victories over Fulham and Burnley. His performances have resulted in some deserved praise, including from Pochettino, himself, who said, via The Mirror:

"Conor is a player who can run a lot and this is massive. He is a great professional and he can play in different positions as a No8, No10 or a No6. He is box-to-box, he can run and can finish and assist, like he did for Raheem Sterling [against Burnley]. We are so happy with him."

Meanwhile, Gallagher's stats have even been better than his fellow Chelsea midfielders in some key areas, as per FBref.

The former Crystal Palace loanee will only hope to get better under Pochettino, too, having reportedly turned down the chance to join up with Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq. Proving his commitment to the Blues, Gallagher now has the chance to become a vital player at Stamford Bridge this season, and for many more.

Considering how much of a difference Mikel Arteta has made to the trajectory of Arsenal, it’s currently difficult to revise any negativity surrounding the Emirates over the years.

Since the Spaniard’s arrival as manager of the club in December 2019 following the dismissal of Unai Emery, he has gradually transformed the sense of togetherness on and off the pitch in north London, subsequently improving results.

The Gunners took Manchester City to the wire last season, finishing second after spending the majority of the Premier League season leading the pack. While it wasn’t meant to be for Arsenal to be crowned champions, they were restored to the Champions League.

As many associated with the club know too well, it hasn’t always been rosy at the Emirates for both Arteta and those before him, as the club were away from Europe's premier competition for seven years before their return this week.

It wasn’t long ago that players would leave Arsenal for bigger things and even more recently that the squad lacked cohesion, however Arteta has induced a change in demographic, with young stars locking down their futures in north London.

Along with extending the contracts of their top talents, the Spaniard and Edu had an impressive summer of business, welcoming Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and David Raya to the fold to bolster the side.

Gone are the days that the transfer windows were fuelled by anxiety of losing key players, although in hindsight, the Gunners allowed one player to leave far too soon in a talent that could have thrived under Arteta.

When did Serge Gnabry play for Arsenal?

In 2011, German youngster Serge Gnabry joined Arsenal’s academy from Stuttgart and spent five years associated with the north Londoners before ending his time in England to return to his homeland in 2016.

While he spent most of his time developing in the academy, the winger managed to secure 18 appearances for Arsene Wenger’s first team with his most notable performance coming against Tottenham in the FA Cup.

At 18 years old, Gnabry was influential against Spurs on a monumental occasion at the Emirates in 2014, seeing him lauded as “bright” and a player with a “good football brain” by Wenger in reaction to his display on the night.

The formidable French manager gushed over the teen, stating that he is a “strong believer” in his talents, as things looked as though they could blossom into something special for the youngster in north London.

The following year, things took a horrible turn for the winger, as he was left dejected after a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, where he was handed just one Premier League appearance by Tony Pulis.

Speaking of his time in the Midlands, Pulis claimed that Gnabry was “nowhere near it” with reference to his ability to be good enough to represent the Baggies.

Eight years later and the 43-cap German international has won the Champions League and five Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, where he has been deemed good enough to play, with talent scout Jacek Kulig once backing him to become a "future legend".

Why did Arsenal sell Serge Gnabry?

Looking at what Gnabry has achieved since his dreary spell at West Brom, it becomes more and more confusing as to why he was permitted to leave north London by Wenger.

In the summer of 2016, the winger was sold to Werder Bremen for a figure reported to be in the region of £5m, a move that allowed the youngster to gain consistent game time and show his worth in his homeland.

At the time, Gnabry was not considered to be on the cusp of senior football, certainly after his disastrous spell at West Brom that left him far from being ready to jump into the first team of the Premier League side.

A player of Arsenal’s academy and a forward that showed glimpses of his true potential, the German left the club on good terms to seek a new chapter in Bremen.

What is Serge Gnabry’s market value now?

Based on what the 18-year-old showcased against Spurs on that special night in his budding career, it should have been anticipated just how good the explosive talent would become, which he quickly demonstrated in the Bundesliga.

In the 2016/17 campaign, Gnabry contributed to 13 goals in the German top-flight for Bremen, scoring 11 and assisting two to announce himself as a player to watch.

After one season, the former Arsenal prodigy was snatched up by TSG Hoffenheim, where he took his form to the next stage in the 2017/18 campaign, scoring 10 goals and assisting seven in the league, which paved the way for him to be on the move again.

The summer of 2018 marked a pivotal moment in his career, as he signed for Bayern Munich for just €8m (£6.9m), where he has since become an integral member of the side having secured 159 Bundesliga appearances so far.

Revising his market value today tells a very different story to the figure he was sold by Arsenal for and the figure he was signed by Munich at, with CIES Football Observatory valuing him at €50m (£43m).

Why is he worth that much?

Along with cementing himself as a star in Bavaria, the 28-year-old has contributed to 94 goals – scoring 60 and assisting 34 in the league – which only tells half of the story of his success.

In the 2019/20 campaign, the German won the biggest domestic prize, claiming a Champions League winners medal in a tournament that he scored nine times in to assist in firing his side to the trophy.

Since leaving north London, the winger has returned to the capital on two notable occasions in the Champions League, showing his love for Arsenal by scoring a formidable four goals against Spurs in the group stages of that 2019/20 edition.

Gnabry tormented the Lilywhites after the showdown by tweeting “North London is RED”, however his time terrorising Premier League sides was far from over, as he advanced into the Round of 16 that term and scored two goals against Chelsea.

This year, normal service seems to be resumed in terms of his form against English sides, as he scored this week against Manchester United at the Allianz Arena.

It will be hoped that Arsenal don’t meet Bayern in the tournament this season, not just for their abysmal record against the German champions, but to avoid facing the same fate as the Premier League sides before them when up against Gnabry.

Wenger will look back in shock at the price he sold the winger for, with hindsight being a wonderful thing, particularly when it comes to business in football.