Christian Pulisic excited after signing for Premier League side Chelsea
Chelsea’s new signing Christian Pulisic has admitted that he is really excited after committing his long-term future to the west London side. The United States international became the Blues’ first winter signing after joining them from Borussia Dortmund but he has since been loaned back to the club for the season.
Speaking at Dortmund’s training camp in Marbella, Pulisic acknowledged that he is excited by the new challenge next season, given he had dreamt of playing in the Premier League during his childhood days. However, he added that his commitment remain fully with Dortmund for the second half of the current campaign where the club are seeking to beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga crown.
He said: “It’s good now that it’s out and people know about my future but I’m really excited I have the chance to be here for the rest of the season. The only thing I can say is I hope people understand my decision and I also hope they understand that I am here 100 per cent and very focused to finish out the season with Dortmund. I am really excited. It’s been a dream of mine [to play in the Premier League] and I am really excited for this move and I feel like it was just the right time for me.”
The speculation linking Pulisic with Chelsea had first emerged during the month of December but Dortmund thereafter clarified that the American won’t be leaving the club at the halfway stage of the campaign. Despite this, the Blues have managed to push through a winter move for the attacker, though the German club seem to have won the battle after managing to retain the youngster’s services for the rest of the season. Dortmund are currently six points ahead of Bayern in their league standings and they have the opportunity to cease the latter’s seven-year dominance in the division.
Unai Emery reveals January transfer plans for Arsenal
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that the Gunners may spend during the forthcoming transfer window only if the current set of players struggle to perform with the consistency required. The Gunners have already witnessed Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck suffer season-ending injuries and this has recently triggered the speculation of them bolstering the squad next month.
However, speaking to Sky Sports, Emery has said that he would prefer to give opportunities to some of the young and fringe players first before deciding the need to add more competition for places, he told: “Only if we think the players can’t help us with a good performance. January is not a good transfer window for this reason, but we are going to look and the club is working for transfers in January, but also we are in a [good] way. We are making progress with young players and giving them chances, and when we need to give them more chances to play and show their progress we are going to do that.”
Arsenal suffered their first defeat after four months during the recent Premier League clash at Southampton where Emery was forced to play a makeshift central defence of Laurent Koscielny, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Granit Xhaka featured. However, the Spaniard should have some relief for the League Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur with both Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos returning from one-match domestic suspensions, though Hector Bellerin remains sidelined for the year after sustaining a minor injury during the first period of the weekend game.
The Gunners have fared impressively during their debut season under Emery but they are nevertheless playing catch up to the Champions League positions with three points the gap to fourth-placed Chelsea. Arsenal are scheduled to face Spurs once more during the midweek League Cup quarter-final and they will be hoping to replicate the performance from the 4-2 triumph earlier in the month.
John Gregory praises Jorge Costa
John Gregory is very impressed with the way Jorge Costa, the head coach of Mumbai City FC, has gone about his job in the on-going ISL season. Gregory reckons that Costa has managed Mumbai a little bit like how he managed Chennaiyin FC the previous season where they ended up lifting the silverware.
According to Gregory, Mumbai might not been playing the most attractive Football, but the fact of the matter is they are churning results and churning points and that’s what is the most important factor at the end of the day. read more …
Chelsea manager has no issues with misfiring Olivier Giroud
Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has indicated that he has no issues with Olivier Giroud despite the Frenchman’s failure to find the scoresheet for the club this season. The France international has got his chances to lead the line in every alternate game for the Blues but he has unfortunately not been able to break his goaldrought which has now extended to 10 matches.
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Riyad Mahrez’s reacts after his penalty miss against Liverpool
Manchester City attacker Riyad Mahrez has said that he won’t be affected despite missing a key penalty during the Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday. The clash was hyped as the one of the most important games of the campaign but ultimately, there was an anti-climax with the teams settling for a goalless stalemate after Mahrez booted his 87th-minute penalty kick over the bar.
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Chelsea Fighting to Keep Eden Hazard
After a great start to the season, Belgium and Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard, reportedly, will soon let Chelsea know if he will sign a new contract, but under one condition.
The 27 year old has been on fire having scored seven goals in his first eight premier league appearances and pushing the Blues towards top spot on the log where they are huddled together with Champions Manchester City as well as Liverpool. The Belgium international seems to be enjoying life under Maurizio Sarri. read more …
Harry Maguire refutes Manchester United transfer link
Leicester City defender Harry Maguire has indicated that he was never really close to joining Manchester United during the summer transfer window. The centre-back had a strong World Cup with England where they managed to reach the semi-final stage and he was thereafter associated with a potential move away from the King Power Stadium.
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Arsenal legend urges Mesut Ozil to expand his performance
Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Ian Wright has urged Mesut Ozil to ignore the criticism and put in strong performances on the playing field. The Germany international had a disappointing World Cup where the team were ousted before the round of 16 and he has since started with an average display for the Gunners in the season opener against Manchester City.
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Tony Mowbray Targets More Intensity from Blackburn in Upcoming Friendlies
Tony Mowbray says that he is hoping for a much better intensity from Blackburn going forward. Blackburn are preparing for the third pre-season friendly and this will be only the first time that they play at Ewood Park at the start of this campaign. After having getting promoted back to the Championship, Blackburn are hoping for a much better improvement in terms of fortunes. The team has been involved in draws against Port Vale and a win over Hibernian so far in the friendlies. There are still a couple of friendlies against the likes of Liverpool and Everton to look forward to for Mowbray and his team.
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Eden Hazard plays down rift with Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard has played down the talk of a rift between him and Romelu Lukaku. The Belgium captain had criticised Lukaku for ‘hiding away upfront’ following the 3-0 win over Panama at the World Cup but he has since explained the comment in a different way to avoid any misunderstanding.
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