Unai Emery has revealed Arsenal tried to sign Fabinho before his transfer to Liverpool in 2018.
Brazil international Fabinho moved from Monaco to Anfield before the start of last season for a fee reportedly rising to more than £40million.
The defensive midfielder did not start a Premier League fixture until close to November but has now become an important member of Jurgen Klopp s starting XI.
Emery, who also chased Fabinho while in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, believes that level of patience is required for Arsenal s record signing Nicolas Pepe.
The 24-year-old Ivory Coast winger has scored once in his first 11 competitive appearances for the Gunners and squandered a crucial first-half chance in Monday s 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
Pepe…
Former Arsenal midfielder John Jensen believes Arsene Wenger should be considered of equal stature to ex-Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
The pair forged a fierce rivalry between Wenger s arrival in England in 1996 and Ferguson s retirement in 2013 as their respective clubs did battle on the domestic front.
Ferguson can claim to have had the better of the contest, finishing his career with 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.
Wenger, meanwhile, has lifted the Premier League on three occasions – the last of those following an unbeaten season in 2003-04 – and reached one Champions League final, where his side lost to Barcelona in 2006.
Ahead of the clubs league meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday, Arsenal sit two point…
Borussia Moenchengladbach defender Dante has dismissed reports rivals Bayern Munich have agreed a transfer deal for the 28-year-old.
A number of recent reports suggested that Bayern are ready to meet Dante s 4.6-million-euro buy-out clause, and have already agreed terms about a contract until the summer of 2016.
Dante, however, has dismissed rumours that a transfer has been agreed.
The people who claim that the transfer is a done deal obviously know more than I do. I have a contract with Gladbach and I m very happy here, Dante told TZ.
Of course, Bayern Munich are a top team, a world-class club. I m not the only one who says that, though, a lot of players do so. Bayern have some excellent players, and many dream of playing there one day.
Fact…
Steve Cherundolo stated his pride in Los Angeles FC s defence and hopes they can put in another big performance against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
LAFC have won their last three games in all competitions, starting with their US Open Cup win over Sporting KC before getting back on track in MLS.
They are second in the Western Conference with three games left, with their 1-0 win over St. Louis City, in which they did not concede a single shot on target, closing the gap to LA Galaxy.
Cherundolo lauded his defenders for that performance and is pleased to see their training sessions paying off.
It s great to see we re growing and learning in certain situations and putting all the pieces together, Cherundolo said.
The defensive side of the game …
Considering the situation Everton are in, sitting second bottom of the Premier League, Sean Dyche was the smartest appointment the board could have made. He has been in similar positions and knows how to successfully manage a relegation battle.
Everton have two points from their past eight matches and one victory in 12. Dyche has the tough task of facing the league leaders, Arsenal, at Goodison Park on Saturday in his first match, followed by the derby at Anfield. No pressure, Sean.
The important thing for Dyche will be to get Everton back to basics. We know from his time at Burnley that his preferred formation is 4-4-2 and I anticipate that is what he will implement. It is not as rigid as people might think because…
The Boston Bruins face a do-or-die situation as they take on the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The puck drops at 7:00 PM ET at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with the game televised on ESPN.
The Panthers hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after winning the past three games, including two in Boston. The Bruins enter the game as significant underdogs, with the Panthers heavily favored to close out the series on home ice.
We ve made our Bruins vs Panthers prediction for Game 5, plus identified a couple player props worth wagering on.
Bruins vs Panthers Prediction
After a strong start in Game 1, the Bruins have struggled to match the Panthers intensity and offensive …