FA Cup: Arsenal draws holders Man Utd in third round

Holders Manchester United face a trip to Arsenal in the third round of this season’s FA Cup as two of the favourites for the trophy lock horns early in the New Year. The real glamour ties see Tottenham Hotspur visit non-league Tamworth and Bromley, in their first season in the Football League and playing in the FA Cup third round for the first time in their history, heading to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United. Premier League leaders Liverpool, who beat Arsenal in the third round last season, face Accrington Stanley whilst Manchester City face Salford City in an intriguing between two sides in close proximity to each other. The third-round ties will be played over the over the weekend of January 10-13, with the FA to confirm the full schedule in due course. FA Cup third-round draw in full Southampton vs Swansea Arsenal vs Man Utd Exeter vs Oxford Leyton Orient vs Derby Reading vs Burnley Aston Villa vs West Ham Norwich vs Brighton Man City vs Salford Millwall vs Dagenham and Redbridge Liverpool vs Accrington Stanley Bristol City vs Wolves Preston vs Charlton Chelsea vs Morecambe Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Bournemouth vs West Brom Mansfield vs Wigan Tamworth vs Tottenham Hull vs Doncaster Sunderland vs Stoke Leicester vs QPR Brentford vs Plymouth Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday Newcastle vs Bromley Everton vs Peterborough Wycombe vs Portsmouth Birmingham vs Lincoln Leeds vs Harrogate Nottingham Forest vs Luton Sheffield United vs Cardiff Ipswich vs Bristol Rovers Fulham vs Watford Crystal Palace vs Stockport Quarter-final: Saturday March 29, 2025 Semi-final: Saturday April 26, 2025 Final: Saturday May 17, 2025

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Arsenal makes contact over €75m Osimhen

Arsenal have reportedly contacted Napoli regarding the potential signing of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, as they consider reinforcing their attacking options for the upcoming transfer window. The Gunners are reportedly among several clubs tracking the prolific forward, who is currently on loan at Galatasaray and impressing with his performances. “The figure is 75 million euros. We will sit at the table with the person who gives 25 of this in advance,” he received the answer Sabah . According to Turkish outlet, Sabah, Mario Branco, the sporting director of Fenerbahce, recently reached out to Giovanni Manna, Napoli’s sporting director, to understand the terms of a potential deal. During the conversation, Manna reportedly quoted a price of €75m (£64.5m) for Osimhen, stating, “We will sit at the table with the club that offers €25m (£21.5m) upfront.” This sets a high bar for any suitors looking to secure Osimhen’s services, and certainly knocks any Turkish side out of the running. Osimhen, who is on loan at Galatasaray until the end of the current season, has made nine appearances for the Turkish giants, scoring eight goals and registering four assists. While Fenerbahce has shown significant interest in Osimhen, Arsenal remain in the mix along with Newcastle United and Chelsea. Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia has also reportedly entered the race for the Nigerian international, adding further competition for the in-demand striker. Osimhen himself has previously indicated that he is content at Galatasaray and wishes to see out his loan spell, but Napoli are clearly open to discussions should their financial demands be met. Arsenal will have to act decisively if they wish to beat their rivals to one of Europe’s hottest striking prospects, with Napoli’s terms already set: a substantial upfront payment will be key to opening negotiations. Mikel Arteta is understood to be keen on adding more firepower to Arsenal’s front line, and Osimhen, with his blend of physicality, pace, and proven finishing ability, fits the profile of the striker they are seeking. However, any move would require significant financial commitment given Napoli’s stance on the deal.

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Saka: Arsenal should have won it

Bukayo Saka couldn’t hide his disappointment after we were twice pegged back to draw at home to Liverpool on Sunday. After missing our last two games with a hamstring injury, our No. 7 was back with a bang, smashing home at the near post to put us ahead. But despite Mikel Merino also finding the net in the first half, we could only take a point against high-flying Liverpool. After the game Saka said: “We’re disappointed. I feel like we didn’t show our best selves for 90 minutes and it cost us in the end. We believe we should have won it. “For sure, there’s definitely some positives – Liverpool are a top team, credit to them. But the overall feeling is that we didn’t show our best selves for the whole game, especially more in the second half, and it cost us in the end.” Saka’s goal was his 50th Premier League goal for the club, becoming the youngest player in our history to reach a half century. Another milestone for our 23 year old academy product. “Hopefully that can push us to some silverware as well,” he added. “I hate to miss games, so I was buzzing to be back. I had this game in mind to come back for and I was feeling good out there, and I was happy to get an early goal.”

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Nwaneri: I’m buzzing at Arsenal after 16 years 

Nigeria-British-born Ethan Nwaneri was over the moon to have marked his first senior start with two goals in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Bolton. The Hale End graduate netted brace to help send Arsenal through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. “I’m buzzing,” he said. “I’m so happy to have helped the team go through to the next round and just ready for whatever’s next.” Supporters at Emirates Stadium liked what they saw, so much so they began signing “Ethan Nwaneri, he’s one of our own.” “It’s a great feeling when the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with the fans are chanting that,” he said. “So yeah, it’s a good feeling. “It’s a surreal feeling. It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life so to actually feel it, it’s crazy… just want more of it. “All them players that I’ve played with since I’ve been like 9 and now we’re on the big pitch together, it’s a crazy feeling. You know, it’s good.” Nwaneri has been regularly involved with the first team in recent weeks, playing in the north London derby and travelling to the huge game against Manchester City. “It’s been tough,” he said. “It’s been intense, but I think it’s definitely helped me as a player, helped me to see what it’s like, how they prepare. I think I’ve added that to my game, so definitely it’s been good to be around them players.  “100% I think there’s a perfect balance for when they’re on me and kind of telling me what to do, but definitely I think they definitely put an arm around me as well so I think it’s a good balance.”

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Premier League player who grabbed Jesus’s bum ruled out for rest of season

The player who shocked fans by grabbing an opponent’s bum during a Premier League game has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury. Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera bizarrely grabbed Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus’ bum during their Premier League opener at the Emirates Stadium last month. Jesus, who was bending down to put his boot back on, was understandably surprised and annoyed by the act and reacted by pushing Mosquera to the ground before complaining to referee Jarred Gillett. But while Jesus was then shown a yellow card for the shove, Mosquera escaped punishment for the bizarre incident in the 2-0 home win. Mosquera has featured heavily for Wolves this season, starting all five of the club’s Premier League games after spending last year on loan at La Liga club Villarreal. But the 23-year-old is now set to miss the rest of the 2024-25 campaign after suffering a serious knee injury in Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa. Mosquera had to be carried off on a stretcher after twisting his knee following a challenge by Villa’s Morgan Rogers. Scans showed damage to his ‘medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament’, with an operation required that will sideline the player for many months. Wolves head of high performance Phil Hayward said: ‘Yerson has now had all of the various assessments and scans which unfortunately confirm injuries to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). ‘We will be visiting specialists in the coming days to finalise the plan for surgery; this will take place in the next two weeks. ‘Clearly there is a long recovery period ahead for Yerson, and the club will be providing all the support he needs to ensure a successful rehabilitation and a return to competition in due course. ‘Timescales are difficult to state prior to surgery but it is highly unlikely he will feature again this season.’ Wolves have endured a dismal start to the season, taking just one point from their first five matches to sit bottom of the Premier League at this early stage. The games do not get any easier for Gary O’Neil’s side, who face in-form Liverpool this weekend.

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I’m no longer interested in buying Arsenal -Dangote 

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has given up hope of buying Premier League football club Arsenal after its value shot up while he was building the continent’s largest oil refinery. The billionaire, an ardent fan of the London team, said in 2019 that he would consider buying Arsenal after completing his 650,000 barrel-a-day refinery outside Lagos, Nigeria. This year, the $20 billion plant has started producing diesel and jet fuel and refining gasoline. “I regret not buying it before but my money was needed in completing my project then,” the tycoon said in an interview on Bloomberg Television in New York on Monday. “I don’t have that kind of excess liquidity to go and buy a club for $4 billion,” which he suggested was about Arsenal’s current valuation, adding that he would have bought it for $2 billion a few years ago. Arsenal is owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, whose son Josh takes an active role in the club. There is no suggestion that Kroenke would sell the club. In 2021, Spotify founder Daniel Ek — also an Arsenal fan — said he had an offer rejected. Either way, Dangote believes completing the refinery was a good decision considering the value of the petroleum project to Nigeria — even if it affected his sporting ambition. The billionaire and the government have long said the project will finally wean Africa’s largest crude producer off imported fuel and help it end a subsidy that costs billions of dollars annually. Dangote believes the dollars saved from importing gasoline will boost supply and support the West African nation’s currency. The naira has come under pressure, losing about 70% of its value since reforms last year, intended to attract inflows, enabled it to trade freely. “I think the best decision was for us to go and complete our refinery,” Dangote said. “I will remain a major supporter of Arsenal.” The Gunners finished second behind Manchester City for the last two seasons, with manager Mikel Arteta vying to win its first Premier League title since 2004.

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