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The Colorado Rapids have announced that head coach Chris Armas will leave the club after the two sides mutually agreed to part ways. The decision comes after the Rapids narrowly missed the playoffs on the final day of the season. Armas had a 33W-36L-13D record across all competitions during his time with the club.

Getty Images SportThe Armas era

Armas' tenure now concluded after two seasons, with the first proving highly successful. In that first season, he guided the club back to the MLS Cup playoffs as well as a third-place finish in the 2024 Leagues Cup, effectively turning around a club that had been struggling prior to his arrival. 

The Rapids confirmed that discussions over a potential contract extension took place, but both the club and Armas himself agreed to part ways following this season.

“We’re grateful to Chris for the professionalism and passion he brought to the club,” Colorado Rapids President Pádraig Smith said in a statement. “He helped our group take meaningful steps forward over the past two seasons and leaves behind a strong culture that will serve us well as we begin this next chapter.”   

Off the pitch, Armas was also elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame this year, largely based on his stellar MLS playing career. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportDisappointing end to 2025

The Rapids went into the final day of the season with a chance to make the playoffs, but Armas' side ultimately fell short. Tied 1-1 late with Los Angeles FC, the Rapids took the lead in the 87th minute on a goal from Darren Yapi, seemingly booking their postseason ticket. Just three minutes later, though, LAFC equalized, effectively dooming the Rapids' season.

With the defeat, the Rapids finished on 41 points, good for 11th place. They had the same point total as both the San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake, but it was Salt Lake that booked the postseason spot on the final day of the MLS season.

In the end, the Rapids missed out despite taking a big swing this summer to sign Paxten Aaronson, who was brought in to join fellow USMNT veterans like Zack Steffen, Reggie Cannon, and Sam Vines on the team. Additionally, the club added former Arsenal defender Rob Holding to the squad, although the centerback featured in just six games down the stretch.

IMGAN'Incredibly proud of the work we’ve done'

Armas issued a statement reflecting on the positives of his tenure: 

“I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done here and the progress the team has made,” said Armas. “I want to thank the Kroenke family, Kevin Demoff, and Pádraig [Smith], along with the players, staff, and the Rapids community, for their trust and support. This is a special club with passionate fans, and I’ll always be grateful for my time in Colorado.”

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ImagnCoaching search begins

The club says the process of identifying a new head coach has already begun, while conversations about the coaching staff as a whole are ongoing. Smith is set to meet with the media on Thursday to reflect on the season and discuss the club's offseason plans.

أعلن الدنماركي ييس توروب المدير الفني لفريق الأهلي، عن تشكيل لاعبيه أمام إيجل نوار البوروندي، ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

ويلتقي الأهلي مع نظيره إيجل نوار، في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب القاهرة، في إياب دور الـ32 من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

طالع.. لاعب الأهلي يتوج بجائزة أفضل هدف في الجولة 11 من الدوري

وكان الأهلي قد حقق الفوز في لقاء الذهاب، بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين يوم السبت الماضي.  تشكيل الأهلي اليوم أمام إيجل نوار في دوري أبطال إفريقيا 

في حراسة المرمى: مصطفى شوبير.

في خط الدفاع: عمر كمال عبد الواحد، أحمد بيكهام، ياسين مرعي، أحمد نبيل كوكا.

في خط الوسط: أليو ديانج، مروان عطية، محمد بن رمضان. 

في خط الهجوم: طاهر محمد طاهر، أحمد عبد القادر، جراديشار.

The performance of new-ball bowlers could have a big say in which direction this game goes

Ekanth11-Apr-20252:04

Battle of the two best top orders?

Big picture: a top-order collisionTwenty five games into IPL 2025, the top four run-scorers are from Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) top order. If that wasn’t unexpected enough, Shubman Gill isn’t on that list. It has allowed both teams to work around vulnerabilities in their batting.In a season where teams are looking to maximise their scoring throughout the innings despite the situation, GT follow an old-school T20 template. B Sai Sudharsan, who was the player of the match for his 82 in GT’s win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), said, “we try and keep a lot of wickets in hand and go full-on in the last five overs.”Their middle order has remained unburdened as at least one of Gill, Sai Sudharsan or Jos Buttler have scored a fifty in each of their five games so far. Not that that’s made them formulaic. In fact, after the last game GT’s assistant coach Parthiv Patel said, “there are no specific roles as such. As a team, we have a top three, but we keep shuffling the batting order. We react based on conditions and the situation.”Related

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That flexibility was on demonstrated by Washington Sundar being promoted to No. 4 in their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad – he made 49 off 29 balls – but then he was replaced with Shahrukh Khan, whose 20-ball 36 built on a well-set platform against RR.For LSG, the chance pairing of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh clicking has bolstered the impact of Nicholas Pooran’s onslaughts and nullified Rishabh Pant’s lack of runs.Form guideLucknow Super Giants WWL ()
Gujarat Titans WWW3:13

Will LSG’s explosive top order face their toughest test yet?

Team news and likely XIIsParthiv had said GT played four seamers against Royals because of the conditions in Ahmedabad. Lucknow is unlikely to be as seamer-friendly and Washington is likely to replace one of the quicks.Gujarat Titans (probable XII): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Arshad Khan/Kulwant KhejroliyaLucknow Super Giants are unlikely to change their XII from the last game. They have the option of bringing in left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth to challenge the two right-handers in GT’s top order.Lucknow Super Giants (probable XII): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Akash Deep, 11 Digvesh Rathi, 12 Ravi BishnoiThe big questionRashid has bowled only one over in the powerplay so far this season. Marsh, Markram and Pooran have sub-120 strike rates against him, Pooran has even been dismissed twice in 66 balls. Rashid has only started to rediscover his form after a poor start to this season, but should he be brought on to bowl earlier given the strength of LSG’s top order?In the spotlight – Digvesh Rathi and Prasidh KrishnaFive of Digvesh Rathi’s seven T20s have come in IPL 2025. His celebrations might have landed him in hot waters but his impact cannot be written off. His economy rate of 7.75 is easily the best of all of LSG’s bowlers so far this season. In LSG’s last game, against Kolkata Knight Riders where 472 runs runs were scored, his economy was 8.25. While Ravi Bishnoi remains the primary legspinner in the side, Rathi’s position is only rising.Digvesh Rathi celebrated in a new way – by writing on the ground•Associated Press

Prasidh Krishna’s pace and height have offered Titans a unique advantage in the middle overs. He has been able to hit the middle of the pitch and get extra bounce to challenge batters on the back foot. He is coming off five wickets in the last games and is a threat to LSG’s middle order.Pitch and conditionsThere are slight chances of rain in the evening but a large stoppage is unlikely. In terms of the pitch, 15 wickets have been taken by pacers so far in Lucknow and spinners only six. Lucknow did roll out a black-soil surface after Pant and LSG mentor Zaheer Khan had expressed disappointment over the lack of assistance for the spinners during their loss to Punjab Kings. But the spinners took only two of the ten wickets to fall in the 472-run game. They might have a better outing this time considering this is a day game.Stats and Trivia LSG and GT are also the only teams to have scored more than 500 runs in the middle-overs this season GT, in this phase have lost only 8 wickets, the joint-least with Delhi Capitals Rashid has dismissed Pant three times and conceded 114 runs in 103 balls across 15 innings. He has a great record against David Miller too, whom he has dismissed 4 times in 59 balls while conceding only 67 runsQuotes”The games that we have won, we’ve kind of found ways to win, been under pressure with our bowling and batting at certain stages and getting through that and still winning, so for me that’s the encouraging part for the team.”
“Ashish Nehra is a very compassionate about the players, and that’s why it seems like [he is animated] from the outside. He cares a lot for people around him. It is good to see the combination of Ashish Nehra and Shubman Gill – they work very well and it’s like hand in glove.”

They were found one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration, the ICC said

PTI20-Feb-2025The Pakistan players were fined 5% of their match fee on Thursday for maintaining a slow over-rate during their match against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener at the National Stadium in Karachi.The tournament hosts and defending champions lost to New Zealand by 60 runs on Wednesday, and were later found one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration, the ICC said.While on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula, third umpire Joel Wilson, and fourth umpire Alex Wharf levelled the charge, match referee Andy Pycroft imposed the sanction.Related

Pakistan penalised for slow over-rate for fourth time in five ODIs

Fakhar ruled out of Champions Trophy; Pakistan call up Imam

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan pleaded guilty to the offence with no formal hearing required thereafter.In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 5% of their match fee for every over if their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.Pakistan had suffered another blow on Thursday, with Fakhar Zaman ruled out of the rest of the tournament with injury. Imam-ul-Haq has been approved by the ICC as Fakhar’s replacement. They will next face India in Dubai on Sunday.

Chelsea were handed their first loss of the Premier League this season, as the Club World Cup holders slumped to a dismal 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. After the game, Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah was extremely critical of his team's performance, claiming that it was "the worst we've played all season."

Chelsea's winless streak at Old Trafford continues

Manchester United were the underdogs before they welcomed Chelsea at the Old Trafford, with Ruben Amorim's side aggregating a paltry figure of four points from their opening four Premier League games. However, United won 2-1 in a game which was marred by red cards, injuries and early substitutions. Saturday's defeat marked 13 games without a win at the Theatre of Dreams for Chelsea, the longest they have gone without a victory against any opposition on the road.

AdvertisementAFPChalobah urges team to 'raise our standards'

Chalobah reflected on the loss while speaking to and was critical of his team after he pulled one back for the visitors in the 80th minute. "It wasn't good enough from us as a club, the first 15 minutes was the worst we have played all season. We struggled in the first half," the defender said. 

On playing with 10 men, he added: "Always difficult going to 10 men down. United were up for it and they put us under pressure. We have played in the Premier League long enough now so we just have to learn from this and move forward. Whether it is 10 men each, it is always difficult from 2-0 down. We need to reflect over not starting well and we need to raise our standards as a collective."

Records tumble as Chelsea handed Palmer bad news

United and Chelsea have delivered a lot of classics in the Premier League era, and Saturday's clash was no different. In the fifth minute, Robert Sanchez was shown a straight red for a mistimed challenge on Bryan Mbeumo in the 18-yard box. Soon after, the hosts pulled ahead thanks to Bruno Fernandes' 100th goal in United colours, as Blues boss Enzo Maresca was forced to make three substitutions inside a record 21 minutes. One of those three players brought off was Cole Palmer, who suffered an injury relapse in what will be a huge blow to Chelsea. 

In the 37th minute, taking advantage of having an extra man, Amorim's side doubled their lead through a Casemiro header. However, the Brazilian received his second yellow card in the fifth minute of stoppage time, effectively leaving the second 45 minutes to be an even 10v10 contest. Consequently, the first half between United and Chelsea entered history books, as it was the first time a Premier League game saw at least two red cards, two goals, and two substitutions in the first half.

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AFPWho are Chelsea's next opponents?

After three games without a win, which saw them draw to Brentford last weekend and lose 3-1 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Chelsea will be eager to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Lincoln City in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

The mood around Arsenal at the moment could be described as jubilant.

Mikel Arteta’s side have looked impressive out in Singapore and Hong Kong, and on top of that, Andrea Berta has been hard at work securing signings.

As things stand, the most significant is undoubtedly Viktor Gyokeres, who finally completed his £63.5m move from Sporting CP last season, and, with his tally of 54 goals in 52 games last season, could be the missing piece in the Gunners’ attack.

However, with over a month left of the transfer window, there is plenty of time for the club to get some more attacking talent in the side, and while Eberechi Eze has been a name on a lot of fans’ wishlists, the North Londoners might be wise to go for another player entirely.

Arsenal's pursuit of Eze

Arsenal have been credited with an interest in Eze long before this summer, with several reports doing the rounds around this time last year.

Transfer Focus

However, it would be fair to say that the club’s interest in the player they released as a youngster has been far more significant this time around, with some reports going as far as to claim that he’s desperate to join his old side.

It’s not hard to see why the Gunners would be so keen to sign the Crystal Palace superstar, as he was nothing short of magnificent for the Eagles last season.

In 43 games, totalling 3303 minutes, the England international scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, which means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

Moreover, he spearheaded their FA Cup triumph, scoring in the quarter-final, semi-final and final as he led the South Londoners to their first major trophy ever.

However, while there is plenty to like about the 27-year-old, it is being reported that Palace want whoever signs him to pay his £67.5m release clause and that the first payment has to be a whopping £30m.

So, it might instead be wise for Arsenal to look at another player they’ve been linked with this summer: Xavi Simons.

Arsenal could sign Simons instead

Yes, he might not be as familiar to Premier League fans, but the player Arsenal could turn to in place of Eze this summer is Simons.

Now, the RB Leipzig ace is currently close to joining Chelsea, if reports are to be believed, but hijacking a transfer is nothing new in football, and given where the Gunners are in their project, we see no reason why they couldn’t get their man, especially since they were previously quite heavily linked with him.

Moreover, with reports claiming that the upper valuation of the Dutchman is around £56m, he’d also represent a potentially cheaper option for the North Londoners.

With that said, why would the former PSV Eindhoven ace make a great alternative, or even a better signing than the Englishman?

Well, firstly, his output in the league last season, which is every player’s bread and butter, was even better, as in just 25 appearances, totalling 2763 minutes, the dynamic “superstar,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored ten goals and provided seven assists.

That comes out to an outrageously impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.47 games, or one every 86.28 minutes.

In contrast, the Eagles ace managed to score eight goals and provide eight assists in 34 Premier League appearances, totalling 2603 minutes, which comes out to a still good but comparatively less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games, or every 162.68 minutes.

Away from their output, then, and another advantage the Amsterdam-born phenom has over the former QPR star is that he’s even more versatile.

For example, while he’s incredible in attacking midfield, so much so, in fact, that one analyst has dubbed him “one of the best 10s in the world,” he can also play on the left, like Eze, but also off the right and even at times up top, which is a level of flexability that would give Arteta so many tactical options.

Finally, and this is an important factor, the former Paris Saint-Germain prospect is five years younger than the Greenwich-born international, and based on research carried out by The Athletic, is still four years off his peak, whereas the former Hale Ender is technically one year past his.

Ultimately, both Eze and Simons are incredible players, but from his performances in the league to his positional versatility and age, there are several reasons the latter would be a better signing for Arsenal than the former.

Arsenal eye "fascinating" Eze alternative with £22.5m release clause

The Gunners are after another number 10.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 30, 2025

Germany bounced back from their disappointing World Cup qualifying loss to Slovakia by beating Northern Ireland 3-1, with Liverpool new boy Florian Wirtz grabbing the pick of the goals.

• Germany win 3-1 against Northern Ireland
• Wirtz scores brilliant free-kick to cap victory
• Rudiger struggles as Raum shows off genius

• Getty Images Sport
  

  TELL ME MORE

  Germany suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in their opening Group A game in Bratislava, but responded well to see off Northern Ireland on Sunday thanks to goals from Serge Gnabry, Nadiem Amiri and Wirtz.

  Julian Nagelsmann's side made a strong start to the game at RheinEnergieSTADION, with Serge Gnabry getting on the end of Nick Woltemade's through ball before chipping Bailey Peacock-Farrell to give the hosts an early lead. Germany continued to dominate the ball through the opening half hour, but Northern Ireland found a way back into the game after capitalising on Antonio Rudiger's sloppiness. Crystal Palace's Justin Devenny's corner kick found Isaac Price, who managed to get away from the Real Madrid defender and slot in a delightful equaliser on the volley to make it 1-1 heading into the half-time break.

  Germany continued to look out of sorts in the first 15 minutes of the second half, until Peacock-Farrell's misjudgement of a lovely David Raum's pass allowed Nadiem Amiri to nip in and score into an open net to put Nagelsmann's team back in front. Liverpool star Wirtz then rounded off a crucial victory for Germany with a perfectly struck free-kick from 20 yards out to give himself lift-off for the season and put his country back on track in World Cup qualifying.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE MVP

  Wirtz has had a slow start to life at Liverpool after his big-money summer move from Bayer Leverkusen. As such, a return to the German national team came at the right time for the midfielder, who showed that class is permanent with his superb free-kick against Northern Ireland. Raum was the standout player for Germany on the night, though, as he provided a constant creative outlet on the left flank. It was his technical mastery and vision that opened up the game just when it looked like Northern Ireland might steal a result.

• Getty
  

  THE BIG LOSER

  Rudiger has also been struggling with form at the start of the new season, but failed to show his quality in Cologne despite coming up against a Northern Ireland lacking quality upfront. The Real Madrid star's complacency gave the visitors a route back into the game, and he picked up an early yellow card that prevented him from sticking to his usual aggressive style of play.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Nagelsmann and Germany will still know that they have to work on their tactical setup when they return to action in October for their next set of World Cup qualifiers. Germany will face Luxembourg before travelling to Northern Ireland for a return fixture.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”، عن مشوار الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي بيراميدز، في كأس إنتركونتيننتال، حتى المباراة النهائية.

وسيشارك بيراميدز في بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، التي من المقرر إقامتها نهاية العام الحالي، بمشاركة الأندية أبطال القارات.

طالع| موعد مباراة بيراميدز وأوكلاند سيتي في كأس إنتركونتيننتال مشوار بيراميدز في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

وبحسب فيفا، تقام مباراة بيراميدز وأوكلاند سيتي في التاسعة مساء يوم 14 سبتمبر المقبل، بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية على استاد الدفاع الجوي بالقاهرة.

وتابع فيفا: “سيواجه الفائز منهما الأهلي السعودي في جدة بتاريخ 23 سبتمبر،  لتحديد بطل كأس إفريقيا-آسيا-المحيط الهادئ”.

وستقام المواجهة بمدينة جدة بتاريخ 23 سبتمبر 2025 في تمام الساعة التاسعة بتوقيت مكة والقاهرة، علماً أن الفائز سيُتوج بكأس إفريقيا-آسيا-المحيط الهادئ، كما سيحجز مقعده في الدور التالي.

وبعدها ستقام ثلاث مباريات أخرى، بما فيها نهائي كأس القارات للأندية 2025، خلال شهر ديسمبر 2025.

وتبدأ الثلاث مباريات بموقعة ديربي الأمريكتين، المقررة يوم الأربعاء 10 ديسمبر 2025، بين كروز أزول المكسيكي، الفائز بنسخة 2025 من مسابقة كأس أبطال أمريكا الشمالية والوسطى والكاريبي، وبطل أمريكا الجنوبية لهذا العام نادي فلامنجو البرازيلي. موعد مباراة نصف نهائي كأس إنتركونتيننتال 2025

ستقام يوم السبت 13 ديسمبر 2025 مواجهة بين الفائزين في المباراتين 2 و3 للتنافس على كأس التحدي وحجز بطاقة التأهل للنهائي. موعد نهائي كأس إنتركونتيننتال 2025

الفائز في المباراة 4، سيواجه نادي باريس سان جيرمان، الفائز بدوري أبطال أوروبا 2024-2025، يوم الأربعاء 17 ديسمبر 2025 في نهائي كأس القارات للأندية 2025، على أن يتم الإعلان عن مكان تنظيم المباريات 3 و4 و5 في وقت لاحق.

West Ham United are searching for reinforcements this summer and have now made contact over a bargain move for a striker with a proven track record who is available on a free transfer, according to reports.

West Ham United seek to recruit a goalscorer

Graham Potter hasn’t enjoyed the most fruitful spell since taking charge of West Ham. However, the Irons are set to be active on the market to address their fundamental issues.

Above all, the lack of a prolific striker at the London Stadium has led to a dependence on Jarrod Bowen, and it is fair to say the Irons are now moving in on targets to fill the vacancy available through the middle.

Reports suggest Rangers striker Hamza Igamane is being targeted by West Ham following a breakthrough season in Scotland. However, Brentford, Everton, Lens, RC Strasbourg, Lille, and Stade Rennais are among alternative interested parties.

Further back, Burnley’s Josh Brownhill could add goals from midfield for the Hammers as his Turf Moor future becomes increasingly uncertain with his contract set to expire.

Potter’s men endured an uninspiring campaign last term and require some inspiration, which has prompted Carlton Cole to urge West Ham land Jack Grealish ahead of their Premier League counterparts.

West Ham now racing to sign 24 G/A midfielder who's "out of this world"

The Hammers are now in a straight shoot-out with a rival Premier League club for the signature of a goal-scoring midfielder.

ByDominic Lund Jun 3, 2025

Circling the wagons, West Ham have now made contact to sign an alternative England international who is set to be a free agent this summer.

West Ham make contact to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin

According to Football Transfers, West Ham have made contact to sign Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and they are prepared to better his current £100,000 per week salary in order to secure his services.

Michail Antonio is on course to depart the London Stadium after failing to agree terms on a short-term extension, and Potter believes the Toffees forward would be an ideal addition to strengthen his forward line without paying a transfer fee.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s record at Everton

Appearances

273

Goals

71

Assists

22

Dubbed a “proper number nine” by David Moyes, Calvert-Lewin is viewed as a low-risk high reward signing and has previously been offered to the Hammers, albeit they passed on the chance last summer due to his injury history.

Niclas Fullkrug didn’t set the heather alight last year and Evan Ferguson’s short loan spell didn’t have the desired impact, which may explain why West Ham have plumped for Premier League experience as they close in on a new striker.

Super-agent Pini Zahavi is keen for one of his illustrious clients to join Arsenal after previous transfer talks, with there being a preference for him to make an Emirates Stadium move if he does choose a Premier League switch.

Arsenal set to seal Martin Zubimendi deal

On Saturday morning, some extremely significant news broke from the Emirates Stadium, courtesy of the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano.

Related World's "second-best" player expected to join Arsenal with groundwork done

He’d be quite the signing for Arteta.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 9, 2025

After months of advanced talks, which first came to light in January (The Mail), Romano has now confirmed that Arsenal are set to sign Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and will trigger his £51 million release clause – giving his signature ‘here we go’ to the deal.

Arsenal’s final Premier League games

Date

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Newcastle United (home)

May 18th

Southampton (away)

May 25th

The Spain international has pledged to sign a long-term contract in north London, one year after Zubimendi rejected a move to Liverpool, and he is now set to become Andrea Berta’s first signing as new sporting director.

Zubimendi’s capture is an undoubted boost for Mikel Arteta, and he will come in as a direct replacement for Jorginho after the Italy international agreed pre-contract terms on a summer move to Flamengo.

With Zubimendi’s arrival seemingly wrapped up, attention turns to who could follow the 26-year-old to N5.

Arsenal are considering the possibility of signing an alternative to Bukayo Saka on the right-hand side, and they remain linked with a move for Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané.

Pini Zahavi keen on Leroy Sané joining Arsenal

The £244,000-per-week forward recently switched agents, employing Zahavi, and that has apparently thrown a spanner in the works of a potential new contract at Bayern.

It has provided some hope Arsenal can strike a free deal for Sane, with Bundesliga insider Christian Falk suggesting Zahavi is keen for his client to end up there if they opt for a Premier League transfer.

Zahavi has a preference for Sane joining Arsenal over Newcastle, as per Falk, if fresh terms with Bayern cannot be agreed.

“Pini is on the prowl. Zahavi is checking out clubs in England and there are a few,” said Falk on the Bayern Insider podcast.

“The player’s previous management had already negotiated with Arsenal, but now there’s a club that actually had its eye on Kingsley Coman, but now a player who plays a similar position, and the club is in the north.

“So, Newcastle is among the candidates being checked out. Leroy Sané actually wants to play in the Champions League, that’s his goal, that’s his aspiration.

“Newcastle is being discounted a bit, they also have great potential, of course, always with the sponsors, but I’d say if things don’t work out at Bayern, the clear focus is on England. Preferably towards London, but Newcastle is also a good alternative.”