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A journalist has shared an update regarding a new contract for a current Arsenal player which will leave Mikel Arteta delighted.

What’s the news?

That’s according to Graeme Bailey from 90min, who states that Arsenal are preparing to offer William Saliba a new contract, he tweeted:

“Arsenal ready to tie down William Saliba to new contract.

“French star is now firmly part of Mikel Arteta’s plans and the club want him to extend his deal.”

This is great news for both the manager and Arsenal faithful, who can hope to see the youngster at the club for the foreseeable future.

A new deal is being prepared for Saliba

The 21-year-old spent last season out on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille, where he helped the club to an excellent second place finish and also won the Ligue 1 young player of the season award while also graduating to senior international level, winning his first cap for France.

Arteta named the Frenchman in his starting line-up for the club’s first Premier League match of the season against Crystal Palace which resulted in a 2-0 win. Saliba was outstanding against Palace, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.4, ranking him joint third amongst the Arsenal ranks, while also winning 80% of his total duels and making seven clearances.

These stats prove that he deserves a place in the Gunners’ first team for the foreseeable future. with 90min claiming that PSG, Real Madrid, and Barcelona were all linked with moves for the incredibly talented defender earlier on in the window, a new contract would allow him to settle at the London side.

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna lavished praise on his countryman, describing him as a “confident” defender, with Fabio Frasconi stating that “he reminds me of Raphaël Varane”.

These remarks will surely boost his confidence ahead of a season that is looking very likely to be his breakthrough campaign in England. If he continues as he did against Palace over the next nine months, then Arteta will be a very happy man and with Edu looking to tie him down for the long-term, it could be something of a dream deal for the north Londoners.

Newcastle United are believed to be interested in signing Chelsea striker Armando Broja this summer, with a new centre-forward still seemingly a top priority for manager Eddie Howe.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Albania international is one of four Blues players that the Magpies are tracking at present, with Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi all having been mentioned as potential targets.

While the latter three men are all on the Tynesiders’ loan ‘wish list’, in the case of Broja it said that the northeast side are willing to secure a permanent deal if a temporary move is not on the cards, having already made an ‘enquiry’ about the 20-year-old.

The 14-cap menace – who has also been the subject of interest from Everton this summer – could reportedly cost in the region of £50m, however, with West Ham United seeing a £30m bid rejected earlier in the window.

Devastating

Such clamour for his signature has no doubt been justified following what was a real breakthrough campaign last time out, the highly-rated prospect netting nine times in all competitions while on loan at Southampton.

Dubbed “devastating” by national team assistant, Sergio Porrini, the £19.8m-rated gem dazzled with his impressive speed and strength in leading the line, causing real problems for defences across the division as a result.

The former Vitesse Arnhem loanee – who scored 11 times while in Holland during the 2020/21 season – has since returned to the fold at his parent club, featuring off the bench for Thomas Tuchel’s side in the opening two games of the season.

The hope will be, however, that the youngster can still be swayed into making the move to Newcastle before the September deadline, with the “dangerous” asset – as dubbed by Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl – likely to be able to light up St James’ Park.

Although the player potentially has concerns at playing second fiddle to first-team regular, Callum Wilson, the latter man’s injury woes have seen him become an unreliable presence in recent times, with an able deputy no doubt needed both to slot in in his absence as well as contend for a starting berth.

Not just a goal threat, the Slough-born starlet also possesses excellent ball-carrying ability as he ranks in the top 15% for dribbles completed among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, while he also averages 4.29 aerial duels won per game, showcasing the use of his impressive, 6 foot 3 frame.

Wilson for instance ranks in just the top 43% for dribbles completed and only averages 1.83 aerial duels won per 90, with Broja likely to offer a different option to that of the Englishman when leading the line.

Still so young, the Chelsea academy graduate still has more room to develop in the coming years, with it an exciting thought as to just how devastating he could be both this season and beyond.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may be about to drop Harry Maguire for Monday night’s Premier League game against Liverpool, according to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic.

The lowdown

The Red Devils host their arch-rivals in their third game of the season and will go in search of their first points of the new campaign after defeats against Brighton and Brentford.

The £190,000-per-week Maguire has started both of those matches in a back four alongside summer signing Lisandro Martinez.

That has seen Raphael Varane, who joined from Real Madrid last summer in a £42m deal, beginning from the substitutes’ bench on both occasions, being introduced at half-time against the Bees nine days ago.

However, one report has perhaps hinted at a possible changed in Erik ten Hag’s back four tonight.

The latest

Whitwell writes for The Athletic that Varane has been training alongside Martinez in team shape sessions ahead of the match against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

That seems to indicate that Ten Hag is very much ‘weighing up a change’ for the visit of Liverpool.

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The verdict

This would be a brave call from Ten Hag. After all, Maguire is the club captain and actually has the best WhoScored rating of any United player so far this term, and this is surely one of the team’s biggest games of the season.

In the eyes of some journalists, though, this may be seen as the right call.

For instance, Josh Bunting has said that it ‘baffles’ him that Varane, who he dubbed ‘the best defender Manchester United have by a long way’ and a better ‘leader’ than Maguire, has been benched recently, believing that the Frenchman ‘should be starting all day long’.

Meanwhile, Samuel Luckhurst noted that, ‘to most outside MUFC’, ‘Martinez and Maguire did not look remotely like the winnings of a long-term partnership’.

Judging by Whitwell’s report from Carrington, that partnership could be parked tonight, with Varane seemingly set for a recall at Maguire’s expense.

Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in a deal to bring Adama Traore to north London this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider stating in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, having been heavily linked with a move for the Wolves forward ever since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last November, Fabio Paratici is once again exploring a £10m move for the 26-year-old this summer.

Regarding Spurs’ interest in the Spain international, Jones said: “I think Spurs is definitely one that is being explored. The way that he could be used in Conte’s system is very interesting. I know that they have gone back to the table and they obviously looked at Traore a while back.”

Conte would love him

Considering just how often Spurs have been credited with an interest in Traore during Conte’s tenure in north London, coupled with the winger’s skillset looking to make him a perfect candidate to be deployed at right wing-back in the 52-year-old’s tactical setup, it is not difficult to see why the Italian would be keen to add the forward to his squad prior to the transfer deadline.

While it is true that the £18m-rated Spaniard does somewhat lack end product – scoring just one goal and registering no assists in the Premier League last season – the 26-year-old nevertheless impressed in a number of other metrics.

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Indeed, over his 20 top-flight outings – only 10 of which came as starts – in 2021/22, the £43k-per-week talent created three big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 1.1 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing an enormous 4.2 dribbles – the second-most in the league – per game.

The eight-cap international also fared relatively well in a defensive capacity, making 0.4 tackles, winning possession 0.4 times and winning 6.6 duels (at a success rate of 66%) per match.

These returns saw the 26-year-old average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Bruno Lage’s second-best performing outfielder in the top flight last season.

As such, with Traore evidently being a player who is exceptional in his progression of the ball, brilliant in one-v-one situations and capable of creating goalscoring opportunities for his team-mates, it is clear to see that the former Barcelona winger would very much appear to be an ideal candidate for Conte to transform into a wing-back.

That leads us to believe that the 52-year-old would love to see Paratici seal a £10m deal for the Spaniard in the coming days.

Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to not sign Kim Min-jae is looking like a big mistake.

The South Korean sensation was linked with a move to north London back in the summer of 2020 and it’s a rumour that just didn’t go away, as those reports surfaced again some 18 months later.

But after just a season at Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce, Serie A side Napoli took the punt on the 25-year-old colossus, signing him in a £15.5m deal as a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who swapped Naples for Chelsea in July.

On Wednesday night, Premier League giants Liverpool got a taste of exactly what Kim is capable of – the Korean star earned a 7.4 rating from SofaScore as he made six clearances, put in a match-high three blocks and landed three tackles.

The 6 foot 3 titan also won 100% of his duels up against a tricky front line of Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.

A pretty remarkable showing on what was his Champions League debut but truth be told, he has been playing out of his skin for quite some time and it leads to questions about Spurs not signing him.

After all, he’d have needed little time to settle in, given his international teammate Heung-min Son is a popular figure around N17.

Once dubbed as “the monster” due to his physical presence, Kim could have been a frightening partner for Cristian Romero in Antonio Conte’s backline for many years to come considering they are both in the 24-25 age bracket.

So far in the Italian top-flight this campaign, the former Beijing Guoan star ranks inside the top 5% of all Serie A centre-backs for interceptions (2.4 per 90), as well as the 1% for aerial duels won (89.5% per 90), completed passes (55.4 per 90) and goals scored (0.40 per 90), via FBref.

That would make him an aggressive threat in both boxes and a centre-back equally adept with the ball at his feet, very much in the same ilk as Romero.

Perhaps in another world, Conte would have one of the most powerful-looking backlines in England, so surely he regrets Spurs’ failure to sign him in recent windows.

AND in other news, Paratici could seal post-window masterclass if Spurs strike dream deal with “monster”…

Manchester United’s signing of Donny van de Beek has sadly proven to be a disaster and Erik ten Hag should ditch the Netherlands international at the next opportunity.

The former Ajax man joined United in a deal worth £35m in 2020 but has struggled for regular game time at Old Trafford ever since, making just 53 appearances since then, contributing two goals and two assists.

This works out at a price of £8.75m per goal contribution, which represents a significant outlay by the Glazers and they will no doubt be keen to move on from this transfer mistake and see Van de Beek move away from Old Trafford at the next opportunity.

The 25-year-old enjoyed his best form under Ten Hag at Ajax, contributing 32 goals and 29 assists under the Dutch manager during his spell with the Eredivisie side, and there was perhaps hope that his arrival at Old Trafford would see Van de Beek rediscover the form that made United sign him.

However, he has featured in just 19 minutes of action so far this season, while the summer arrivals of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro are only going to limit his opportunities further, so it seems clear that he has no future at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek’s confidence must be extremely low, as he managed just 68 minutes of Premier League game time for United in the whole of last season, while he only featured seven times in a loan spell at struggling Everton.

In his 19 appearances for United in the 2020/21 Premier League season, of which 15 came from the bench, he averaged a poor 6.35 rating from WhoScored for those performances.

While this suggests that he has never really been given a chance to shine in the top flight, football is a ruthless business and it seems clear that he will never become a first-team regular at United.

Considering he is currently being paid £120k-per-week to sit on the bench at United, you would hope that Ten Hag would look to move him on in the January transfer window, as he simply isn’t good enough and is burning a wage at the club.

Crystal Palace’s signing of Vicente Guaita has proven to be a masterclass as the Spaniard is still a key player in Patrick Vieira’s side at 35.

The Spanish shot-stopper would join the Eagles on a free transfer from Getafe in 2018 and has gone on to make 132 appearances for the Selhurst Park outfit, in which he has conceded 174 goals and kept 41 clean sheets.

Even with the summer addition of England international Sam Johnstone from West Brom, Guaita has maintained his place in Vieira’s squad and looks set to be number one for the foreseeable future.

The Spaniard’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season but considering how important he has become to the Eagles, it seems unlikely that they will let him leave on a free transfer, even if Vieira sees his future as back-up to Johnstone.

Considering Palace icon Julian Speroni was still playing in the Premier League for Palace in his 40s, there seems no reason why Guaita can’t attain a similar status at Selhurst Park should he extend his stay with the club.

Fellow Palace stalwart Joel Ward was full of praise for the veteran ‘keeper after he produced some incredible saves to keep a clean sheet against Newcastle United earlier in the campaign, saying:

“Look at the first half, the one-on-one, and the second half where he tips it onto the post. V, we know his quality, know what he can do and how quick he is. His reactions are second to none. Some games, some days, you need your ‘keepers to pull out those worldie saves and today he did that for us.”

WhoScored ranks Guaita as the sixth-best performer in Vieira’s side so far this term, so there seems little chance of him losing his place in the side anytime soon.

Therefore, director of football Dougie Freedman deserves an immense amount of credit for spotting Guaita’s talent and bringing him in on a free transfer four years ago.

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson is worried by rumours which claim that Juventus are interested in Spurs manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Conte interest

The Lilywhites boss has entered the final 12 months of his contract in north London, which is set to expire at the end of the season.

Perhaps surprisingly, Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia has reported in recent days the 53-year-old will not renew his contract with Tottenham. He claims that Conte is keen on making a return to Serie A with Juventus amid concerns over Massimiliano Allegri’s position at the Turin club.

The Latest: Robinson’s claim

Robinson has been left worried by those reports, voicing his concern that Tottenham are set to lose out on one of their best managers in years.

Speaking with Football Insider, the former Spurs shot-stopper claimed: “It is always a worry with Conte because he is a world-class manager.

“So long as Spurs are without a trophy or a serious challenge in the Premier League or Champions League he will be linked with other jobs. He is a top-class manager and other teams are going to want him.

“It is very important that he feels as if he is getting the necessary support from the club. He is building something at Tottenham. I feel like they are on the verge of something special.

“You would expect that after a year he is emotionally attached. Hopefully that is enough to keep him there because massive clubs are going to one knocking.

“Right now you cannot put Spurs in the same bracket as Juventus.”

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The Verdict: Levy must convince him to stay

Since arriving at Hotspur Way last November, Tottenham have certainly improved under Conte’s watchful eye.

During his tenure in N17, the Italian has averaged 1.96 points per match with Spurs, better than Jose Mourinho’s 1.77 and Nuno Espirito Santo’s 1.65. He also took them back into the Champions League and currently has them just one point off the top of the Premier League table.

However, considering the 53-year-old’s illustrious history with Juventus as a player and manager, it could be difficult for Conte to resist the Bianconeri’s overtures if they seek him out as Allegri’s successor.

Therefore, Daniel Levy should do that all he can to convince his manager to sign a new deal with the north London outfit.

Newcastle United scouts reportedly watched Celtic central midfielder Matt O’Riley on international duty for Denmark’s U21 side ahead of the January window.

The Lowdown: Impressive performance

Scouts from St. James’ Park watched O’Riley play for Denmark U21s in their 2-1 loss away at Croatia U21s in a qualifying match for the next Euros last Friday evening.

Despite his team’s defeat, O’Riley managed to get himself on the scoresheet, and also recorded a player-high three key passes in the game, as well as making two interceptions and one tackle (SofaScore).

The Latest: Newcastle scouts watch

As per Football Scotland, the Magpies are continuing to monitor O’Riley, after reportedly weighing up a bid for him in the summer.

While there were many other clubs in attendance during his qualifying game, the North East outfit kept a close eye on him in particular, suggesting that they could make a move in January if he became available for the right price.

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The Verdict: Midfielder needed

With the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Jonjo Shelvey suffering from injury problems this campaign, Eddie Howe’s side could really do with an extra body in the middle of the park.

Lauded as a ‘classy’ and ‘silky’ footballer by Scottish football pundit Michael Stewart, O’Riley would certainly add some guile into the midfield, and at 21 years of age, his ceiling is still very high.

A title-winner with Celtic last term, he joined them last January from MK Dons and made an instant impact, scoring four goals and supplying two assists in 20 appearances (Transfermarkt), and so O’Riley could make the same kind of impact again if he were to join the Toon.

Newcastle United have reportedly moved ahead of Juventus in the race to sign FC Barcelona striker Memphis Depay.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Depay is out of contract at the Camp Nou in the summer, meaning that he can leave on a free transfer at the end of this season.

It also means that he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in the January transfer window, or even be signed for a cut price during the winter window.

The Latest: Newcastle move ahead

As per Tutto Juve, there is a big cost involved for the St. James’ Park outfit to potentially sign Depay in January, as even though they could sign him for a cut price, they would also have to cover his whopping €200,000-per-week (£175,000-per-week) wages.

A move to rival suitors Juventus now seems to be ‘cut off’ due to the salary though, meaning that the North East club have moved ahead in the race for his signature.

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The Verdict: Sign on pre-contract?

Given the arrival of Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, the Tynesiders do not desperately need to bring in another striker this season, with Callum Wilson and Chris Wood also in the squad.

However, if they could secure a pre-contract agreement with Depay in January, thus signing him for free next summer, then it would be a smart piece of business.

Gone are the days when he struggled at Manchester United in his first spell in English football, where he managed just seven goals in two years at Old Trafford.

Hailed as a ‘different beast’ now by Red Devils journalist Samuel Luckhurst, Depay has scored an impressive 189 senior goals in total for club and country combined by the age of 28, and Barca inserted a mammoth €400m (£350m) release clause when they signed him from Lyon, showing how highly they rated him.

Now, with the arrivals of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, the Netherlands international has struggled for game time this season, and so a door could be opened for the Magpies to swoop in for his services.