EPL

How Arsenal could benefit from Man City FFP sanctions

Published

1 month ago

February 9, 2023

A huge story broke in the world of football at the beginning of February and that is Manchester City being charged by the Premier League for over 100 different financial rule breaks, as well as not cooperating with the investigation.

No sort of punishment has been handed down to the Premier League champions yet, and nor will it be for a long time or even at all. The case is now in the hands of an independent commission that will determine whether the Premier League’s charges can be held.

This has led to much scepticism about how City could be punished, both presently and retrospectively. One club that could stand to gain from that is Arsenal.

Many Premier League clubs have decided they want to see Man City expelled from the league for what many consider to be financial doping, for all intents and purposes. The charges relate to the period between 2009 and 2018 and there is a range of possible punishments.

Expulsion from the league would be the most serious course of action to take and it is believed the English Football League (Championship, League One and League Two) will be no under no obligation to accept them into their tournament.

Retrospectively taking away City’s Premier League titles is another course of action that could be taken, although there is a belief that this will cause more issues than it is worth. A fine is possible, but that would have almost no effect on City considering the mass of wealth that they possess.

The main way in which this news can be a benefit to Arsenal is if Manchester City are handed a points deduction which applies to the current campaign. It is a long time since Arsenal were in a title race like this, so they are looking at the present.

Even just a small points deduction could be enough to hand the Gunners the Premier League title as they sit five points ahead with a game in hand. Manchester United and Newcastle United do not look consistent enough to catch them, meaning it could be a job done if the gap grows too wide.

Expulsion from the league for City would also have the same effect, but that is much less likely than a points deduction. Given how long these processes tend to take, though, there may not be a decision taken while this season is still being played.

There is a chance that everyone in the Premier League, and even possibly beyond, could benefit from City’s predicament. We are dealing in hypotheticals here, but say that they got a points deduction, which will boost a handful of teams closer to the various European spots.

If they were to be forcibly relegated, that could rescue one of the teams down the bottom of the table who are currently trying to fight against relegation.

If we look at it in a wider sense, how many players are going to think twice before making a move to City now, with such uncertainty hanging over the club? It might not be quite so easy for the club to attract major stars, meaning a major financial player in the transfer market is hindered.

Pep Guardiola said in May 2022 he would walk away from the club if he found out he had been lied to by the owners. If the charges are upheld, that has to mean that he has been lied to by the owners, and City could then lose arguably the best coach in world football. That would benefit both the club that gets him and City’s direct competitors.

It all remains to be seen what sort of punishment City receive, but Arsenal as well as many others stand to benefit greatly from the club’s alleged wrongdoing.

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EPL

Harry Maguire suggests he isn’t ‘properly appreciated’ at Man Utd

Published

2 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Sean Walsh

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has suggested that he is not as appreciated at club level as he is for England.

Maguire made the switch to the Red Devils for £80m back in 2019 and has since divided opinion after being named the skipper less than a year later. This season, he was quickly dropped by incoming United manager Erik ten Hag in favour of Raphael Varane and summer signing Lisandro Martinez.

At international level however, the centre-back has been one of England’s most dependable performers under Gareth Southgate, playing a major role in the Three Lions’ deep tournament runs over the last five years.

Maguire started for England in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Italy in Euro 2024 qualifying. He didn’t cover himself in glory for the Azzurri’s goal but stood tall late on to help grind out the victory.

Speaking to the media post-match, Maguire was asked if he feels ‘properly appreciated’.

“For England, yes, I do,” he replied. “Obviously, last season was difficult for the club, but, listen, I’ve proven myself to Gareth, who works with a wide range of centre backs. He has the choice of all the English centre-backs in the country and I play, every time I’m available, I’ve been in the team.

“I’m sure if you ask the rest of the lads they know what I bring to the team. I’m 30 years old but I shouldn’t really need to prove myself at this level. I’ve over 50 caps. I’m England’s top-scoring defender.

“I’ve played nearly 200 times for Manchester United, I’ve captained the club for three years now, but I do also understand that when you’re the captain of Manchester United you do come under the most amount of scrutiny. Last season at club level, my performance wasn’t good enough, alongside everybody else at club level, not just myself struggled. Everyone else struggled.”

Maguire recognises that he has not always been at his best while wearing a United shirt.

He was an easy scapegoat during their dreadful 2021/22 season in which they recorded their lowest ever points tally in the Premier League era.

That said, Maguire has also failed to kick on and if anything has taken several steps backwards after what was a promising first half to 2021, emerging as one of the league’s leading centre-backs and playing out of his skin while unfit in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.

His case hasn’t been helped by his outward need silence critics, notably scoring for England and sticking his fingers in his ears as a celebration amid his decline for United.

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EPL

Arsenal lead Rice race; Man Utd eye Ferguson

Published

2 hours ago

March 25, 2023

90min

90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world…

Arsenal remain ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Declan Rice from West Ham this summer. The midfielder’s preference is to stay in London amid previous links to Manchester City and Manchester United. (Football Insider)

New Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel will look to reunite with Chelsea duo Mateo Kovacic and Edouard Mendy when the summer window rolls around. (Calciomercato)

Manchester United are ready to send Amad Diallo back to Sassuolo as part of a bid to sign Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi. (CMW)

Another player on Manchester United‘s radar is Brighton striker Evan Ferguson. The 18-year-old scored on his debut for the Republic of Ireland earlier this week. (Football Insider)

Liverpool will look to strengthen their defensive ranks with the signing of Dutch defender Perr Schuurs, with current club Torino ready to sell for a fee of €50m. (Tuttosport)

Ilkay Gundogan is likely to leave Manchester City for Barcelona on a free transfer this summer. His contract expires at the end of the season. (The Athletic)

Real Madrid have joined Barcelona and Liverpool in the race to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. (Fabrizio Romano)

Meanwhile, Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga would prefer to join Real Madrid over the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United this summer. (Cadena SER)

After failing with a bid last summer, Chelsea are working on another offer to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton. (Football Insider)

Arsenal and Newcastle are monitoring Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojland, who grabbed a hat-trick on his international debut for Denmark this week. (Tutto Atalanta)

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EPL

Arsenal pre-season 2023/24: Fixtures and schedule

Published

13 hours ago

March 24, 2023

Euan Burns

Having reached new heights in the Premier League in 2022/23, Arsenal will soon be beginning their preparations for the new campaign with a pre-season tour to get ready for 2023/24.

Preparations for last season took place in Germany for Arsenal but with the Covid-19 pandemic a bit more of a distant memory for many, it is expected that more teams will be heading further afield again to either the United States of America or Asia.

Arsenal are yet to announce a full training camp location for their pre-season but they do have one fixture already confirmed which drops a big clue.

The Gunners are going to be coming up against an MLS All-Star team in Washington D.C. which will be coached by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney. That takes place on July 19 and it is hard to imagine that Arsenal will only play one game in America.

A semi-regular fixture of Arsenal’s pre-seasons in recent years has been the Emirates Cup, but there has not been any word on whether an edition of that will be taking place or not this summer. If there is, then Arsenal could be splitting their time between America and London.

All times BST.

As is the case for almost every big club in football now, all of Arsenal’s pre-season friendlies are expected to be televised live on Arsenal.com and their official app with a subscription.

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