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Journalist Charles Watts has claimed that Arsenal could be set for an "unprecedented" summer if they can achieve all their transfer plans in terms of buying and selling players.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners haven't actually played Champions League football since the 2016/17 season but are guaranteed to finish at least second in the Premier League this time around.

This means they will have a greater need to splash the cash this summer as they will be hoping to be competitive in Europe as well as domestically, having fallen just short in the title race this term.

And with the improved revenue gained from finishing in the top four, the North London club can set their sites on some high-profile names – with West Ham United ace Declan Rice the name on everyone's lips right now.

While discussing all this on his YouTube channel, Watts suggested that this could be the club's busiest summer yet with major players set to come in and depart.

He said: (08:42): "I look at this one, I think it's truly going to be unprecedented at Arsenal.

"If they can sign the players they're looking to sign, they're going to spend, they'll have to spend a huge amount of money – again unprecedented really.

"Just if you want to sign Caicedo and Rice you're going to have to spend near enough £200m to get the pair of them. I don't know if they will or not, but if they want, if they try, that's the sort of money they're going to spend

“And on top of that you've also got to try and sign a fullback, a centre-back, right-sided player. You know, huge money.

"And then get loads of players out as well to bring a lot of that money back in.”

Who will Arsenal sell and buy this summer?

Granit Xhaka looks to be the man first out the door this summer, amid talk of a £13m to Bayer Leverkusen. On top of that, Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith Rowe, Charlie Patino, Nuno Tavares, Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson, Rob Holding, Folarin Balogun, Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari, Nicolas Pepe and more have all been named as potential departures too.

Those wages off the books – combined with transfer fees brought in by any sales – could really add to the club's finances as they look to improve the squad depth.

As mentioned before, Rice will be a prime target and midfielder Moises Caicedo could cost well over £70m as Arsenal bid that much for the player in January only for Brighton to turn it down.

Beyond those two, Watts also mentions the possible desire to sign a few defenders and an attacking player – with Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby rumoured recently in the Evening Standard.

All in all, it does sound as though Arsenal, Arteta, and director Edu Gaspar could be set for their busiest summer yet.

West Ham United will be hesitant to lose midfielder Tomas Soucek this summer as rumours continue to swirl surrounding his future, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Tomas Soucek?

As per Football Insider, West Ham United are fearful that they could lose Soucek this summer as the forthcoming transfer window draws closer.

The 28-year-old has been a key figure under David Moyes this season; however, he is coming into the final year of his £65k-a-week contract at the London Stadium and could seek a new challenge in the off-season. The same outlet details that the Hammers have the option to extend his contract by another 12 months, which they are pondering activating to 'protect his value'.

Soucek's teammate Declan Rice has also been extensively linked with an exit from West Ham and has attracted interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, according to The Daily Mail.

Rice has ambitions of competing in the Champions League and West Ham feel that sanctioning his departure could be 'inevitable', though they will only move to sell him for the right price.

In the case both Soucek and Rice leave West Ham, it could leave David Moyes with a restructuring job to do concerning his engine room heading into 2023/24.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that West Ham could look to keep hold of Soucek for longer to avoid the double blow of losing his services alongside Rice.

Jones told FFC: "Well, they hope not, they'd probably be looking to extend his time at the club rather than end his time at the club. That's definitely a situation they want to avoid. I think it would be a major problem for West Ham if they were to lose Rice and Soucek in the same transfer window."

Should West Ham United keep hold of Tomas Soucek this summer?

Soucek has been a regular fixture in the West Ham side this term and has featured 45 times in total, registering three goals and six assists, as per Transfermarkt.

The 28-year-old has also been the Hammers' third-most consistent performer behind teammate Rice and Lucas Paqueta this season, racking up an average rating of 6.82/10 for his exploits on the pitch, according to WhoScored.

Change looks likely to be in the air at West Ham come the end of 2022/23 and they could have a big hole to fill in the side if Rice is to leave the London Stadium.

Moyes won't want Soucek to follow him out of the door, given his experience, meaning it would make sense to keep the Czech international around for another year or two in east London.

Birmingham Bears maintained their strong pursuit of a third successive NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day appearance with an 18-run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2016
ScorecardLuke Ronchi’s half-century was the most fluent contribution on either side•Getty ImagesBirmingham Bears maintained their strong pursuit of a third successive NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day appearance with an 18-run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston.New Zealand star Luke Ronchi, whose stint as overseas player is to be truncated early next month by his call up to Black Caps duty, will leave Birmingham safe in the knowledge that he won at least one game for the club after his half-century underpinned their total of 144 for 9.Against disciplined Lancashire bowling, only Ronchi made much headway as paceman Nathan Buck, with a T20-best 4-0-26-4, and spinners Stephen Parry and Arron Lilley bowled skilfully. But the Lancashire batsmen found run-scoring no easier and when rain arrived after 6.3 overs of their reply they had faltered to 39 for 4, the loss of early wickets meaning they were well behind the DLS equation.Four days after the humiliation of a 242-run DLS Royal London Cup defeat to Yorkshire at Old Trafford, Lancashire started strongly with the ball. The second and third overs, from Jordan Clark and Buck, conceded just two runs apiece and brought the wicket of Sam Hain who edged Buck’s seventh ball.The paceman struck again with his 14th which Ian Bell, having advanced briskly to 18 off 10 balls, chopped to Martin Guptill at point. Stephen Parry added the wickets of William Porterfield, caught at extra cover, and Laurie Evans, who looked dangerous on 24 from 22 balls but was then stumped by Jos Buttler, who dropped the ball fortuitously on to the wicket.Chris Woakes drove Lilley to extra cover and Rikki Clarke was yorked, first ball, by George Edwards so it was left to Ronchi to give the Bears anything to bowl at. He lifted Buck into the crowd over midwicket to reach a 32-ball half-century before his defiance ended when he sent up a skier trying to repeat the feat.The batsmen’s toil continued when Lancashire went in. Guptill hoisted Olly Hannon-Dalby to mid-off, Clark spliced a return catch to Clarke and Karl Brown lifted Woakes to deep square leg.When Buttler, match-winner with the bat against the Bears in the Royal London Cup three weeks ago, offered Clarke another return catch, the Lightning were 38 for 4. Then the rain arrived and stayed to deny Lancashire a chance to fight their way back into the game. The holders’ grip on the NatWest T20 Blast trophy is looking less than secure.

Arsenal have enjoyed a season as one of the Premier League’s best, sitting at the top of the pile for the majority of the campaign.

April’s disappointing form saw the Gunners get chased down by Manchester City but hope does still remain in north London that Mikel Arteta’s side can still win their first league title since 2004.

With just three games remaining, Arsenal have reached new heights this season, guaranteeing Champions League football for the 2023/24 campaign and a top-two finish for the first time since 2016.

What’s most impressive about Arteta's side, is that they are the joint-youngest squad in the top flight, level with Southampton with an average age of just 24.4.

The club’s three highest goalscorers are under 25, with 24-year-old captain Martin Odegaard netting 15 goals this season, level with 21-year-old Gabriel Martinelli, and in third is Hale End graduate Bukayo Saka with 14 goals.

To see young players flourishing is one thing, but to see them lead and maintain the success of a team at the summit of the Premier League is an incentive for those in the club’s academy, as a glimpse of the opportunities that could open for them in the future.

Several academy names have featured in first-team training this season, the most recent addition being Portuguese midfielder Mauro Bandeira.

Who is Mauro Bandeira?

Since joining Arsenal’s academy at the age of 13, Bandeira has worked his way through the system and currently plays for the U21s in the Premier League 2’s division one.

The 19-year-old prodigy has scored three goals in the league this season, making 20 appearances.

The Loures-born player is versatile in his positioning and has featured four times this campaign at right-back when called upon.

Once described as a “lively” presence in the engine room by journalist Layth Yousif, the young midfielder signed his first professional deal last summer and took the number 41 in the senior team.

Most recently, the teenage talent made the trip to St James’ Park with the Arsenal first-team squad, showing how he is valued at the club by Arteta.

With talk surrounding Granit Xhaka’s potential departure in the summer getting louder as the season draws to a close, the Swiss international could leave a vacancy to be filled in the heart of the pitch.

The Gunners aren’t afraid to place talented young stars above big names, and Bandeira could be one for the future as he embodies the skill set imposed on the current squad by the 30-year-old.

In the Football League Trophy this season, Bandeira has averaged a Sofascore match rating of 6.83, as well as winning over half of his duels per game (56%) whilst maintaining a passing accuracy of 81% – showing his ability to function in both areas of the engine room.

While speculation grows around Arsenal’s desire to sign a defensively-minded midfielder in the transfer window, the club may have the chance to explore the academy next season, especially with even more fixtures inbound with European involvement.

Only time will tell if the young Hale End gem will follow in the footsteps of those before him, however, Arsenal is the club to be at for young players under Arteta’s management.

Mohammad Shahzad produced his fifth ODI fifty for Afghanistan, a typically belligerent knock, to set up a 78-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis method over Scotland at The Grange on Wednesday afternoon

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Edinburgh06-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:33

Rajput teaching us to handle pressure – Shahzad

Mohammad Shahzad produced his fifth ODI fifty for Afghanistan, a typically belligerent knock, to set up a 78-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis method over Scotland at The Grange on Wednesday afternoon. In another stop-start day of cricket, Afghanistan made the most of Shahzad’s excellent foundation and eventually sauntered home despite an audacious early reply from the hosts in pursuit of an adjusted DLS target of 211 in 36 overs.Shahzad reached his half-century off 55 balls and eventually finished with 84 off 91 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, to set up a total of 178 for 6 in 37.2 overs prior to a three-hour, ten-minute rain delay. Shahzad went after all the Scotland bowlers including Safyaan Sharif – who bowled a mostly tidy opening spell of 0 for 24 in eight overs, with two maidens – thrice striking him over midwicket for boundaries. In the 15th over, he launched Ruaidhri Smith’s full length over mid-on for both of his sixes.The opener offered one chance to Con de Lange, whose left-arm spin kept Afghanistan’s lineup harnessed throughout the middle overs after the loss of Noor Ali Zadran and Javed Ahmadi. Shahzad tried to break free of the pressure on 60 and skipped down the pitch to loft de Lange but Brad Wheal spilled a simple chance at long-on, denying de Lange a deserved wicket on a day he finished with 0 for 16 in six. Shahzad fell to Smith in the end, a slower ball fooling the batsman. Shahzad couldn’t keep his hands back long enough on the shot and a toe-edge was snapped up by Cross for the first of Wheal’s two wickets.Shahzad’s dismissal swelled Scotland’s momentum in the field, which had begun to build with the wicket of Monday’s centurion Rahmat Shah for 26, taken at mid-off by Craig Wallace off Sharif one over prior to the fall of Shahzad. Alasdair Evans, who had earlier claimed the wicket of Noor Ali, removed captain Asghar Stanikzai with a bouncer fended awkwardly to Richie Berrington at backward point. Najibullah Zadran then miscued a drive to mid-off for Wheal’s second wicket and Afghanistan had stumbled from 131 for 2 in the 29th over to 171 for 6 in the 37th. The rains came six balls later and the players sat for 190 minutes before play resumed with Scotland pursuing the adjusted target score.The first seven overs of the Scotland chase were a thrill a minute as Craig Wallace, batting for the first time in ODIs in his third match, fearlessly charged the Afghanistan attack. Undeterred by the second-ball dismissal of Kyle Coetzer, caught at slip, Wallace declared his intentions in the first over, going down on one knee to slog-sweep the 140kph pace of Dawlat Zadran over deep square leg for six. In Dawlat’s next over, he missed attempting the same shot and absorbed a nasty blow on the right shoulder but continued his crusade. In the fourth, Wallace hooked Shapoor Zadran for six and drove him to the cover rope to knock him out of the attack.Cross then set about doing the same to Dawlat, cracking him over backward point before a pulled six over midwicket took the score to 46 for 1 in five overs. Mohammad Nabi was brought on in the sixth and should have had Wallace first ball after a charge down the pitch went awry but Shahzad fluffed a simple stumping on 21. The next two balls were struck for four and six by Wallace before Nabi ended the furious stand at 58 runs, getting Cross caught on the midwicket boundary by Najibullah Zadran for 24.Legspinner Rashid Khan was then brought on from the Pavilion End and Wallace’s stay ended for 33 courtesy an athletic return catch to swing momentum Afghanistan’s way. Shapoor eventually returned in the 13th to claim captain Preston Mommsen, who hooked a bouncer straight to Rashid at long leg for 13. Mommsen’s wicket crucially put Afghanistan ahead on D/L calculations for the first time and with rain threatening to come back at any moment, that advantage was further cemented three balls after drinks when Richie Berrington was given leg before to Nabi for 19 after missing a sweep.Michael Leask was stumped for Nabi’s third wicket before Shapoor bowled Sharif with a full delivery to take his second. Ruaidhri Smith drove Dawlat to Rashid in the covers to make it 122 for 8 as the serious challenge Scotland gave Afghanistan through most of the day became obscured by the flurry of wickets. A trio of lbw shouts from Rashid in the 27th over finally bore fruit with Evans trapped on the back leg before de Lange holed out to mid-on off Mirwais Ashraf to end the match, Scotland all out for 132 in 27.1 overs.Afghanistan now head to Belfast to take on Ireland in the first of five ODIs starting July 10. Scotland’s next action comes against UAE in August with a four-day Intercontinental Cup match followed by two ODIs in Aberdeen.

Journalist Ciaran Kelly has noted that the entire Newcastle United home crowd booed referee Chris Kavanagh after the full-time whistle against Arsenal.

What's the latest on Arsenal and Newcastle United?

With both teams inside the top three coming into the encounter, it wasn't a surprise to see the Premier League game played with real intensity and competitiveness.

Indeed, the Magpies are still fighting to confirm Champions League qualification while the Gunners are working to keep their title hopes alive.

In the end, Arsenal managed to outclass Eddie Howe and co as they took their chances and won the game 2-0 thanks to a fine effort from Martin Odegaard and then an own goal from Fabian Schar.

Understandably, the St James' Park faithful weren't happy with the result, but it seems they were also left annoyed by Kavanagh's refereeing performance.

Indeed, reporting from the stadium, journalist Kelly wrote on Twitter: "Boos from all four corners as referee Chris Kavanagh makes his way off at full-time.

"Nufc just didn't take their chances in a niggly, feisty game. Stay in third and remain three points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand. Leeds away next.

How did Chris Kavanagh do against Newcastle?

Perhaps the most obvious contentious issue was when

VAR helped the referee to overturn a penalty early on in the game.

Kavanagh had actually pointed to the spot but replays showed that the possible handball by Jakub Kiwior had actually hit his thigh.

No doubt it would have annoyed fans to see this decision changed and with fans not able to get replays of the incident in the game this could explain the boos at full-time.

The home crowd were also likely angered by Arsenal's dark arts as well as the Gunners looked to waste time and hold on to the three points late on in the affair.

Football writer Henry Winter explained: "AFC time-wasting/game-management annoying #NUFC players and fans. Burn complaining to fourth official Taylor. Botman and Joelinton complaining to ref Kavanagh. Trippier's fuse burning."

It's interesting the perspectives different viewers can have on the same game of football, however, as journalist Charles Watts noted that Arsenal were "kicked" throughout the game.

Indeed, he said on Twitter: "That's a really, really fantastic win by Arsenal. That was a hell of a game. They were kicked all over the place and they stood up to it. Proper performance."

Newcastle fans can complain all the like but they shouldn't forget that they have won many points this season – including one at the Emirates – by employing the "dark arts" too.

And in the end, the away team just had more quality to pick up the win.

Ian Healy and Brad Haddin headed a group of former and current wicketkeepers conducting a week-long wicketkeeping camp at the Bupa National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2016Ian Healy and Brad Haddin headed a group of former and current wicketkeepers conducting a week-long wicketkeeping camp at the Bupa National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Brisbane.Eight young wicketkeepers – six men and two women – attended the camp, which also featured mentors such as Australia’s current Test wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, South Australia wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman and former South Australia coach Mark Sorell.Wicketkeepers camp participants

Josh Inglis, Sam Harper, Alex Reardon, Jake Doran, Lewin Maladay, Tom Healy, Beth Mooney, Megan Banting

Haddin, who retired from international cricket last year, had the chance to get a taste of coaching, having just completed his Level III coaching certificate at the NCC.”I’m just trying to help the guys understand the basics of wicketkeeping, and showing them drills that will help them get better but also explaining why you do this and that,” Haddin told .Haddin praised the youngsters at the camp for their attentiveness and emphasised the importance of smart training, as opposed to simply logging the hours. “What I like to see is they’re always training to get better,” he said. “I think sometimes [you can fall] into the trap of training for long periods of time rather than concentrating on training to get better.”All the training we do here is so that when we’re put under pressure in a game we don’t second-guess our techniques, and in those big moments we go back to basics and we’re confident we can get through.”Jake Doran, a promising young wicketkeeper from Tasmania and one of the participants in the camp, said the opportunity to pick the brains of accomplished wicketkeepers like Haddin and Nevill had been invaluable.”It has been good to have that experience there to get their knowledge and pick their brains,” Doran said. “The main thing they’ve reiterated to us is the importance of the basics – be really, really good at your basics and then, anything else that happens outside of that, your natural instincts will take over.”

Fans have reacted online after goalkeeper Ben Foster hinted that he could be keen to stay at Wrexham for two more seasons during the club’s promotion celebrations.

What’s the latest on Ben Foster’s future?

After a 15-year absence, the Red Dragons have finally managed to secure promotion back into the Football League after pipping rivals Notts County to the automatic promotion spot up into League Two.

Playing a pivotal role in that success, Foster agreed to come out of retirement for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, having initially hung up his boots at the end of the campaign prior with Watford.

Most notably, the 40-year-old saved a 97th-minute penalty in a 3-2 win against Notts County in one of the club’s biggest games under new owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

After that incident, Foster told the press (via 90min): “Rob kissed me fully on the lips and Ryan called me a double handsome b*****d. I’ll take that,” Foster revealed.

“They’re so happy, if you could order an absolute bob on, top of the class, top of the range owner, then you would just package them two up because they are as good as it gets.”

With all that in mind, the veteran shot-stopper had every right to enjoy the recent bus parade and judging from the footage it seems as though the celebrations have been pretty wild.

During all the joy, the Wrexham faithful could be heard shouting to Foster: “One more year, one more year!”. However, instead of agreeing to that, he raises two fingers, suggesting that he could be sticking around for another few seasons.

And while there has been plenty of talk about getting Gareth Bale to come out of retirement too, it sounds as though fans will be more than satisfied if their current goalkeeper decides to commit his future to the club.

Supporters showed their love for Foster on Twitter and here are some of the best reactions…

They certainly love him at Wrexham.

Sky Sports journalist Peter Smith​ has slammed Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro for his "pathetic" defending in the club's shocking loss.

What's the latest on Pedro Porro and Spurs?

Spurs suffered an absolutely humiliating defeat against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon as they lost 6-1 in the Premier League.

Coming up against a main rival in their hunt for Champions League football, Tottenham shipped five goals in 21 minutes away at St James' Park.

Indeed, a brace each from Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak with Joelinton also scoring put Newcastle out of sight before halftime. Harry Kane did pull one back in the second 45, but Callum Wilson then added the cherry on top to make it 6-1 at full-time.

Understandably, all the players came in for heavy criticism in the media but one moment when Porro failed to halt a Joe Willock run really seemed to irk Smith.

Indeed, he told Sky Sports: "That piece of 'defending' from Porro just now against Willock really sums up the attitude Spurs have taken into this game.

"A pathetic, half-hearted waft of a leg as Willock glides into the final third…"

How bad was Porro for Spurs?

It's not been a good time for the £85k-p/w defender of late and after last week's loss to Bournemouth, he sent out a defiant message online saying: " "You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only option you have left."

However, it's safe to say Porro didn't back up his talking with a performance on the pitch. That much is evident in the player ratings by journalist Alasdair Gold for football.london.

The right-back picked up a 2/10 for his efforts, with Gold writing: "Breezed past too easily by Joelinton in the opening moments and was nowhere near Wilson for Newcastle's sixth.

"Doesn't look like a natural full-back. Tried to get balls into the box at the other end and hit one shot into the side-netting."

When you look at his stats on SofaScore, it makes for ugly reading too. Indeed, the 5.8-rated Porro was terrible in possession, losing the ball 20 times (the most of any player on the pitch) and completed just 29/43 (67%) of his passes – only Ivan Perisic was worse in the Tottenham starting line-up.

What's more, he didn't defend well either as he was dribbled past twice, made two fouls, and win just 3/9 duels attempted.

All in all, another bad day at the office for the January signing who is fast becoming a bit of a flop.

Tottenham Hotspur have 'definitely' looked at appointing Brentford boss Thomas Frank as Spurs search for a new manager, according to Alasdair Gold.

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

All eyes are on chairman Daniel Levy and who he may appoint to succeed Antonio Conte, with it now being over three weeks since the Italian parted company.

Despite Spurs still being well in contention for a top-four Premier League finish, tension boiled over when Conte launched a scathing post-match rant after their recent 3-3 draw at Southampton, eventually spelling the end of his tenure.

Having left north London, Conte's exit has paved the way for a host of managers to be linked with the post.

While interim boss Cristian Stellini and assistant coach Ryan Mason take charge in the meantime, Levy may be working on Conte's replacement in the background.

Perhaps most notably, the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann stand out as the big three who have been linked with a move to Spurs – while Zinedine Zidane was also rumoured to be a target by Sky Sports.

In-work managers aren't completely ruled out either, as the likes of Arne Slot and Vincent Kompany reportedly entice Spurs.

Now, sharing an update on the Tottenham managerial search, reliable football.london correspondent Gold has made a claim on Bees boss Frank.

When asked how likely it is the 49-year-old could get the job, the reporter explained in a Q&A:

"Thomas Frank will definitely have been looked at. He's done a great job at Brentford but I wonder whether Spurs see him as enough of a name or trophy winner. They seem to have been drawn to those types in recent years."

What could Frank bring to Spurs?

While he may not arguably be as prestigious a candidate as Pochettino and Nagelsmann, we believe Frank could be a solid outside contender.

The former Brondby boss has turned Brentford into a very hard side to play against, with only Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United losing fewer league games than them this season.

Frank, who favours the 3-5-2 formation, has also been praised for his 'extraordinary' job at Brentford by members of the media, with journalist Ryan Taylor emphatic:

He explained:

"What Thomas Frank is doing with Brentford is simply extraordinary. Now regularly outcompeting & outperforming the Big Six with expressive, attractive football despite operating with the lowest budget in the Premier League. Incredible."

We couldn't have summed it up any better than Taylor, with it being little surprise Spurs are thought to be taking note.