Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reportedly moved to block Polish defender Jakub Kiwior from moving on loan to Sevilla during the summer transfer window.

The Spanish tactician seemed to have been key to Arsenal keeping hold of Kiwior for this season, as there was seemingly a surprise opportunity for him to leave the Emirates Stadium just a few months after he joined.

TVP Sport report on Sevilla being keen to take Kiwior on loan, with Arteta seemingly rejecting the interest and keeping hold of the 23-year-old, who has shown himself to be a reliable squad player since joining from Spezia last January.

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Arsenal may have done well to give Kiwior the chance to play more regularly and gain experience at a club like Sevilla, but it also seems likely that there’ll be room for him in Arteta’s first-team this season.

The Gunners don’t quite have the depth of their rivals Manchester City, but having someone like Kiwior ready to come in at either centre-back or left-back is sure to be a useful option over the course of a long season.

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La Liga side Sevilla are believed to be keen to activate the option to buy clause in Boubakary Soumare’s contract after the Leicester City loanee impressed against Arsenal on Tuesday night. 

The Spanish outfit lost 2-1 to the Gunners in their Champions League clash but the Frenchman was one of Sevilla’s standout stars on the night.

Soumare had a tricky start to life with the Andalusian club and didn’t feature much under Jose Luis Mendilibar but following his sacking, the 24-year-old has started two consecutive games under the new head coach Diego Alonso, staying on for the full 90 minutes in both matches.

Following Tuesday’s match, El Sevillista report the Spanish side are keen to sign the Leicester loanee permanently as they have the option to purchase Soumare for £13m as part of the current deal between the two clubs – Leicester signed Soumare from Lille for £17m in 2021.

The Frenchman is unlikely to have a future at the King Power next season, which is most likely going to be in the Premier League; therefore, the Foxes could bring in some money in order to fund new signings next summer.

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At present Burnley are struggling to get going in the 2023/24 Premier League season.

With just four points and one win from their nine games so far, Vincent Kompany will understand that his squad need to start getting points on the board quickly.

Their next game is against Bournemouth on Saturday in what could quite conceivably be seen as a relegation six-pointer even at this early stage of the season.

The Cherries find themselves in a slightly worse position than the Clarets, having not won any matches so far and just three draws to their name.

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Whilst any result isn’t likely to be season-defining, it will certainly inspire confidence in whichever team ends up victorious.

In the meantime, one of Burnley’s players could end up signing for a Champions League side.

?News Arijanet #Muric: The 24 y/o is focused on Burnley but he wants to play regularly ?? After a very good season last year he’s behind £19m signing Trafford at the moment.

?? Several clubs are rating him very highly (Union Berlin, FC Sevilla)
?? Ideas about a loan with an… pic.twitter.com/bcUGLzEZyD

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) October 23, 2023

According to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, 24-year-old goalkeeper Arijanet Muric is being looked at by both Union Berlin and La Liga outfit, Sevilla, both of whom are in this season’s premier European football competition.

It would appear that he’s not happy with the amount of playing time he’s receiving currently, with WhoScored noting that he’s only made two appearances in 2023/24, both of which have come in the Carabao Cup.

To that end, a loan move in the upcoming window may suit all parties.

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Sevilla have pulled a goal back against Arsenal in their Champions League match having fallen 2-0 behind.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put the Gunners in full control on either side of the half but Sevilla have now gained some of that back by halving the deficit.

The goal came from a corner as Arsenal failed to deal with Nemanja Gudelj as the Serbian star rose above everyone else to head the ball past David Raya in the Premier League side’s net.

GUDELJ SCORES FOR SEVILLA

WE DASH THEM ONE GOAL?

SEVILLA 1-2 ARSENAL #SEVARS #UCL

pic.twitter.com/roG6hOVxN1

— SAKA? (@SakaPR_) October 24, 2023

?GOAL | Sevilla 1-2 Arsenal | Gudelj

Follow our partner page @ocontextsoccerpic.twitter.com/WugoMUQkYT

— VAR Tático (@vartatico) October 24, 2023

Footage courtesy of beIN Sports and Eleven Sports. 

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The post Video: Sevilla pull one back against Arsenal with powerful header appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Gabriel Jesus is enjoying his night in the Champions League against Sevilla as the Brazil star followed up his World-class assist with a screamer in the second half. 

The Gunners took the lead in added time of the first half and that goal was courtesy of some magic from Jesus as his skill in the middle of the park allowed him to play Gabriel Martinelli through on goal to score.

The 26-year-old has now scored a goal of his own as the Arsenal forward scored a screamer early in the second half to double the Premier League side’s lead.

"Oh, that's special!" ?

Gabriel Jesus doubles Arsenal's lead with a spectacular finish ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/v6XxsO441u

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2023

GABRIEL JESUS BANGER. ?

He has now scored in all three #UCL matches for Arsenal this season. ? pic.twitter.com/QdMUVEGkR5

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 24, 2023

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The post Video: Gabriel Jesus follows up World-class assist with Champions League screamer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal go into the halftime break of their Champions League clash with Sevilla 1-0 ahead thanks to a wonderful Gabriel Martinelli goal.

The Brazilian winger had a great chance to give the Gunners the lead earlier in the half but missed the opportunity as Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.

However, during added time in the first half, Arsenal caught Sevilla on the counter.

Gabriel Jesus produced some magic in midfield before playing Martinelli through on goal and the winger made no mistake as he went around the goalkeeper before slotting the ball into the net.

A ????????? turn from Gabriel Jesus
An ????? ?????? finish from Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal go ahead just before half-time with a clinical counter attack against Sevilla ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/bISSldEg3n

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2023

Gabriel Martinelli strikes at the end of the half. ?

Arsenal’s counter-attack couldn’t have come at a better time. ? pic.twitter.com/Qx6ergkt4Z

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 24, 2023

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The post Video: Gabriel Jesus produces magic to help Martinelli give Arsenal Champions League lead appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Sunday People journalist Neil Moxley believes the signing of Marcos Acuna would be a mistake by Aston Villa given that Unai Emery already has two left-backs at the club. 

The World Cup winner was linked with a transfer to Villa Park over the summer amid the uncertain future of Lucas Digne but the move never materialised and in the meantime, the French full-back has stepped up for Emery.

It is uncertain if Aston Villa will make a move for Acuna again in January and Moxley believes that Emery already has two adequate options at left-back, so it is a transfer that wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

However, the journalist adds that if Digne was to eventually depart the club, then bringing in Acuna would be a smart move.

Moxley spoke to GIVEMESPORT about Villa’s left-back situation: “No, not really [can’t see Villa signing Acuna]. I think Lucas Digne, when he actually concentrates on his defensive duties, is a pretty good option for him. He did actually prefer Moreno, he obviously brought him in. So, you know, you would think that when Moreno is actually fit again, that he would be the first preferred choice.

“And I just think that the Argentinian at the age of 31 probably would be a little bit of an unnecessary signing. If Digne was to move on, and they were to get good money, possibly, but I just don’t see them bringing in a third player for that position without one of the two guys who are there already moving on.”

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The post Emery told he is about to make a transfer mistake in January appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Mikel Arteta has refused to rule out a possible start for Kai Havertz during Tuesday night’s Champions League group game against Seville.

The Gunners, who have travelled to Spain for tomorrow night’s blockbuster European showdown, will come into the match second in Group B, just one point behind leaders RC Lens.

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And although several of Arsenal’s players are nailed on to start, one name who is less than certain to feature from the first whistle is Kai Havertz.

Struggling to cement a place down in his manager’s midfield since joining from Chelsea in the summer, Havertz, 24, has endured a tricky start to his Arsenal career.

Refusing to give up on the German though, Arteta has hinted he could award the playmaker with his third Champions League start of the season on Tuesday night in Seville.

?? “It’s a player with tremendous quality.”

Mikel Arteta on Kai Havertz. ?? pic.twitter.com/cUSJWNgQsI

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 23, 2023

The post (Video) Mikel Arteta hints at Champions League start for 24-year-old Arsenal star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is on Sevilla’s radar as he nears the end of his current contract at Old Trafford, according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive Daily Briefing column.

Mejbri has shown some potential in his early days at Man Utd, though it remains to be seen if he’ll feel Old Trafford is the best place for him to play regularly and continue his development.

Romano says the Red Devils are happy with the 20-year-old, and that they plan to hold talks over a new contract for him soon, despite the lingering interest from La Liga.

Mejbri’s current deal also includes the option to trigger an extension for another year, so there’s no need for United fans to panic about his future, even if he technically only has a few months left on his current deal.

It will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the weeks and months ahead, but Mejbri increasingly looks a fine option for Erik ten Hag after making four first-team appearances so far this season.

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“There is no panic over Hannibal Mejbri’s situation. His contract expires at the end of the season but there is the option to extend it until 2025, so there’s no alert,” Romano said.

“As I mentioned in September, the club are planning to offer him a new long-term deal to be discussed soon. Sevilla have been monitoring him since July but United are very happy with him.”

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Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has thus far escaped the heat. However this week it was revealed that Laporta would be included in the bribery case levelled against the club and two former presidents for the payment of €7.3m to the former Vice-President of the Referees Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

And yet Laporta, through either political charisma or honest confidence, seems pretty relaxed. And that is exactly what he told Barcelona fans to do on Thursday, explaining that he expected the case to be archived, despite a court magistrate writing that ‘logically it could be presumed that Barcelona were getting the results they wanted from those payments’ from a ‘group of corrupt referees’. Only time will tell, but there are some questions Barcelona and Laporta have yet to answer.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid’s continue to spend their week drooling over Jude Bellingham, in one of the largest love-ins seen in the Spanish capital. They also think they have another future superstar in Arda Guler. The 18-year-old Turkish wonderkid could finally make his debut this weekend after injury, but has already been tagged with the ‘better than Messi’ line…

Meanwhile, both Barcelona and Real Madrid are looking to bring in one of Messi’s favourite teammates. Julian Alvarez of Manchester City has been linked with Barcelona in the past, and there has been various reports this week that both of the Clasico duo have been in contact with his agents over a move. Whether Manchester City are open to that or not, it generally means his agent feels he deserves a better contract, or one elsewhere.

Cometh the international break, cometh the sackings. Almeria are bottom and Vicente Moreno is no more, after Gaizka Garitano replaced him. Only Real Madrid spent more (net) this summer, so he will be hoping to turn it round for their talented young side. Sevilla are onto their fourth manager this campaign, with Europa League winner Jose Luis Mendilibar barely making it past six months in a bittersweet short time at the club. Former Uruguay and Inter Miami manager Diego Alonso has taken over, but he has a tough task on his hands too.

Finally, Spain will be hosting the World Cup with Morocco and Portugal in 2024. It appears the Santiago Bernabeu will host the final, amidst much Catalan sniffing, while Spain have also settled on eight of their ten or eleven venues for the competition.

The post Inside Spain: Barcelona President under investigation for bribery and the Premier League star Real Madrid want appeared first on CaughtOffside.