Olivier Giroud insists Serge Gnabry was not mature enough at Arsenal

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Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has said that Bayern Munich Serge Gnabry was not mature enough at former side Arsenal. The Germany international has transformed into an exceptional attacker since his breakthrough season with Bayern last term and he has already contributed 30 goals in all competitions for the club.

Out of those, he has bagged 17 goals during the course of the current campaign and he has also impressed with his distribution in the final third with 10 assists. Gnabry recently starred against Chelsea in the Champions League by scoring a brace and speaking after that game, Giroud appreciated the progress made by the former Gunners graduate.

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Solskjaer says forward’s injury comeback will improve Manchester United

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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident that the Red Devils will improve on their attacking displays in the coming weeks with Anthony Martial making his injury comeback. The Frenchman has recently returned to action after a two-month absence with a thigh injury and he found the net during the 1-0 win over Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League.

Speaking ahead of the Norwich City game, Solskjaer acknowledged that the Red Devils have lacked the necessary penetration in the final third of the field but the same should improve with the presence of Martial upfront, he told: “We’ve not created as many as we like, we’ve not scored as many as we’d like. But now Anthony’s back, got a goal today and I’m sure you’ll see us improve as a team with Anthony in the team because he does give us something different.”

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Frank Lampard speaks on Tammy Abraham’s progress this season

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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is pleased with the form of Tammy Abraham this season but won’t comment on the international future of the marksman. The 22-year-old has been the Blues leading scorer this term with seven goals across all competitions and reports have recently emerged that he could be handed with an England call-up after two years.

Speaking in a press conference, he said: “He has been out on loan a lot more scoring goals in the Championship. He has been given his chance this year and has taken it really well, scoring goals. He’s infectious in how he trains around the group with a great personality, giving defenders problems, even against Brighton at the weekend when he didn’t score. His performance was great. He also has more to do. On their international futures it is not my place to tell them what to decide. I never would do with a player.”

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Jermaine Jenas optimistic about Arsenal’s top four prospects

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TalkSPORT pundit Jermaine Jenas has said that he is optimistic about Arsenal’s prospects of making the top four of the Premier League next season. The Gunners have been deemed to be working on a limited budget for the summer but they have still made quality purchases including the club-record signing of Nicolas Pepe from Lille.

In a report covered by The Mirror, Jenas acknowledged that he is surprised by the club’s transfer business, particularly with no reinforcements at the heart of the backline. However, he believes the north London side could still experience a decent campaign, given they are bound to score more goals with the presence of Pepe in their ranks.

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Rio Ferdinand predicts the top four of the Premier League campaign

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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has predicted his top four of the 2019/2020 Premier League season. Manchester City and Liverpool were ahead of the rest in the pursuit of the Premier League title last term and Ferdinand believes the North-West duo will continue to dominate the proceedings at the top of the standings.

Speaking on BT Sport, Ferdinand said that the Citizens and Reds are by far the best teams in the divisions and they should continue the tussle for the league title. He added that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United may take up the remaining positions by a far distance, he said: “Man City, Liverpool – but by a bigger gap than last season – Spurs, Man United.”

“I think Man Utd will be a better team this year than they were last year. It hurts man, it hurts. I’ve got to speak about Liverpool and Man City winning things and being better than Man United at the moment. But as a pundit you’ve got to be honest, you’ve got to say it as you see it and those two teams are by far the better teams in the league at the moment.”

Pep Guardiola’s side managed to win the league title for the second season on the bounce last term but they did not have the easy route with the Reds finishing just one point behind them. As such, they are bound to contest for the English crown once more with the quality difference between them and the rest, and it remains to be seen whether Liverpool can end the wait for a maiden Premier League title.

Elsewhere, Spurs have been fancied to have another solid season after a good summer transfer window but the other top four spot could be up for grabs with Chelsea undoubtedly weakened by the departure of Eden Hazard. The Blues could not bolster their squad due to a transfer ban and they could come under pressure from both United and London rivals Arsenal in the quest for the final Champions League place. 

Chelsea boss surprised with Hazard’s omission from PFA Team of the Year

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Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted that he has been surprised with Eden Hazard’s omission from the PFA Team of the Year. The Belgian has been the club’s standout performer this term with 16 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League, but that was not sufficient to make the list ahead of a host of Manchester City, Liverpool players and Paul Pogba.

Speaking in a press conference, Sarri acknowledged that he was surprised by the snub and said that the decision was probably influenced by the position of the teams on the table, he quipped: “I think Eden deserved to be in the top 11 of the Premier League. I think also at the moment the table is clear, City and Liverpool and then the other teams. I think the vote was influenced by the table.”
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Rafael Benitez confirms contract talks have opened with Newcastle United

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Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has acknowledged that the contract talks have opened between him and managing director Lee Charnley. The Spanish tactician currently has a contract with the Magpies until the end of the season and he has previously refused to provide any update on his future with the club.

However, speaking to Sky Sports News, he has now indicated that contract talks are underway with the Tyneside outfit and there has been no contact from any other side. He added that he is more concerned about the club’s bid to beat the drop before deciding on his future, he told: “No contact from other clubs. At the moment I can read like you what is going on in the press, but the situation is exactly the same. My priority is to keep talking with Newcastle United and see where we are, and that’s it. I’m not considering anything until we progress and know where we are. Have I started talks with Newcastle? I had some contact with Lee Charnley but at the moment it is too early. We have to concentrate on the games.”
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek speaks on Chelsea’s top-four prospects

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Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has stressed that the Blues are still in the running for the top four despite suffering a setback at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. The Blues were widely fancied to get the better of the Wolves at Stamford Bridge but that was not the case with the west Midlands side securing a hard-fought draw in the end.

As such, the Blues failed to pick up two additional points which would have enhanced their top four ambitions but Loftus-Cheek has stressed that the club have nothing to worry about as long as they return to winning ways, he told the Blues’ official website: “It’s still all to play for. It’s been up and down for us but we will keep going, keep working hard in training. The points gap is not too big, so we keep going and try to get these wins.We knew Wolves would come here and set up like that. It shows teams are threatened by our creativity and want to sit back and get us on the counter. We switched off and conceded.”
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Henry Onyekuru Happy with Life at Galatasaray

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Henry Onyekuru has claimed that he is feeling extremely happy with life in Turkish club Galatasaray. The 21-year-old, who is on the books of Everton, moved to the Turk Telekom Stadium on a loan deal till the end of the campaign. He has failed to remain at Anderlecht even though the Belgian team did have an option of extending his stay beyond the 2017-18 campaign. The forward has been unable to get his football up and running after failing to a serious knee injury just before the World Cup. This injury kept him out of action for almost 5 months and it was a major factor behind the 21-year-old missing out on a place in the World Cup.

The 21-year-old has been quite impressive since making the Moto Galatasaray and he has come up with nine goals in just 18 league matches. A hat-trick againstAnkaragucu only recently helped him get his first career hat trick underaway. Onyekuru has admitted that he still desires to be part of the Premier League but is not concentrating on future prospects right now. Due to the issue about a work permit, it is still unclear ifOnyekuruwill be able to represent Everton in the near future. For the time being, he is extremely happy with life at the Galatasaray and he has even opened the possibility of staying at Galatasaray beyond the summer.
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Mauricio Pochettino remains upbeat despite the injury crisis

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remains optimistic about the club’s progress over the forthcoming months despite the recent injury crisis. The north London side recently witnessed an injury setback for Harry Kane and the concern has been added up with Dele Alli joining him on the sidelines while Heung-min Son is on international duty.

Both players are now unlikely to return to action until mid-March at the least but Pochettino has refused to delve into the troubles and concentrate with the options at hand, he said: “More problems, more positives, more optimism. In football, you cannot be affected by the things that happen. When the game finishes you can be disappointed and all the emotion arrives, but during the game the most important thing is that the team isn’t affected by that situation.”
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