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Arsenal thrash Newcastle – but questions remain over Ramsdale and Howe
It was another big win for Arsenal against Newcastle last night, with the Gunners bouncing back from their defeat at Porto to thrash the Magpies 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium, making it six wins in a row in the Premier League.
As well as that, we continue to have transfer speculation away from the pitch, with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale again being linked with Chelsea. Still, despite more Ramsdale to Chelsea stories, there is nothing to report at this point, to be honest.
In January when we had rumours on Ramsdale and Chelsea I was told: no interest. We will see what happens in the summer but Chelsea are not working on Ramsdale or any other goalkeeper deal right now.
As for Newcastle, the feeling at the club is that they’ve had a really unlucky season. Things were moving in a very positive direction last term, but now they’ve had many injuries, and it was not possible to bring in new players in January due to Financial Fair Play issues.
For sure it’s not going well, but I’m not aware of contacts with other managers in this moment. They know it’s been a complicated season for all parties involved, not only for the manager.
Mbappe saga entering final stages, but was he ever on Man Utd’s list of striker targets?
We are at the final stages of the Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid story – the player’s mother, his camp, his lawyers are all working on final small important points and then it will be time to sign.
According to sources close to the situation, Mbappe’s signing-on fee with Real Madrid is going to be more than €100m – it will not be paid in one go, Real Madrid will have the option to pay it as an extra to his salary over the next five years. Mbappe’s salary will be in the range of other stars like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, but for sure the signing fee will be huge, more than €100m. This is one of the final details they are discussing before entering into the signing stage.
Many English clubs have been linked with Mbappe down the years, including Manchester United, but they were never working on that one. However, next summer Man United will bring in a new striker, the plan looks very clear. For now Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing by building a new structure and looking to make key appointments to the board, but a striker is a part of the plan as well.
Manchester United have not decided who to go for next, but they want one more to come in alongside Rasmus Hojlund. We’ll have to see if it’s a young striker like Mathys Tel or Joshua Zirkzee, or a more experienced player to complement the young Hojlund. The new director will be a crucial step for this project, but a striker is likely to be a priority. Internal discussions will take place, and we could have a decision on who they’ll pursue by around April or May.
On Mason Greenwood, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said that they’ve not decided and they will take time, internal discussions and then decide… that is the reality. No decision in February or March, it’s one for the next months with new board and all people at Man United deciding together. This is the answer also from sources close to the player, it’s up to United and they’re not deciding yet.
In other news…
Kevin De Bruyne – Saudi interest in Kevin De Bruyne has been there since last summer, it was before the Champions League final and De Bruyne said no; same as Man City. We will see this summer what’s going to happen, but at the moment I’m told nothing concrete is taking place yet. Man City want De Bruyne to focus on present, on this crucial part of the season and then around May the situation will be clear.
Marco Silva – Having guided Fulham to a hugely impressive win away to Manchester United yesterday, it’s worth remembering that Marco Silva was targeted by Saudi clubs in recent times. Still, his preference has always been Europe, and this is why he decided to stay at Fulham. He’s doing a fantastic job but there are no fresh approaches from Saudi right now, we will see in the summer. But Europe has always been his priority, and his job at Fulham has been great.
Nicolo Zaniolo – It’s not yet clear what will happen with Nicolo Zaniolo’s future, despite reports. Aston Villa will have an internal meeting around April to discuss multiple topics for the summer including Zaniolo’s future, then we will see but at the moment I’m told it’s not 100% sure whether or not they will take up their option on the player.