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Arsenal handed Man City the advantage in the Premier League title race by drawing 3-3 with lowly Southampton on Friday

Advantage Manchester City! If Arsenal are going to win the Premier League title this season, they are now going to have to do it the hard way.

Mikel Arteta’s side may have shown good spirit to fight back with two late goals to salvage a 3-3 draw with Southampton on Friday night, but a draw against the Premier League’s bottom club simply won’t cut it at this stage of the season.

After dropping points against Liverpool and West Ham, Arsenal had to beat the Saints, especially with Wednesday night’s to Manchester City looming large.

But a chaotic display saw them needing goals from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in the last couple of minutes to avoid what would have been an embarrassing home defeat.

An awful error from Aaron Ramsdale gifted Carlos Alcaraz the opening goal inside 30 seconds and Theo Walcott made it 2-0 soon after. Gabriel Martinelli reduced the deficit, but a Duje Caleta-Car header midway through the second half restored Southampton’s two goal advantage.

Odegaard and Saka’s late strikes drew Arsenal level in the closing stages before Leandro Trossard struck the bar in stoppage time as the hosts went in search of what would have been a dramatic winner.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Emirates Stadium…

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  WINNER: Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli

  This has to be given jointly given what Arsenal’s two young wingers achieved against Southampton.

  When Saka got down the right and crossed for Martinelli to volley home in the first half, the duo became only the second pair of team-mates to hit 20+ goal involvements in a Premier League campaign.

  Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are the only pair to have done it previously, way back in the 2006/07 season.

  It’s a superb achievement from Arsenal’s two exceptional young wingers in a season that has seen both of them set new heights in terms of consistency and output in the final third.

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  LOSER: Fabio Vieira

  When Granit Xhaka fell ill while at the team hotel ahead of the game, Mikel Arteta had to decide how to replace the Switzerland international.

  He opted for Fabio Vieira, bringing the Portuguese playmaker in as his left-sided No.8 alongside Martin Odegaard.

  Arteta had other options, he could have gone for Leandro Trossard, although the Belgium star is far more suited to a more attacking role, or he could have gone with the lesser-used Emile Smith Rowe.

  But Vieira got the nod despite some disappointing recent showings and it was not a decision that paid off.

  The summer signing from Porto again just looked lightweight and was unable to make any real impact on the game before was replaced by Trossard after just 56 minutes.

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  WINNER: Romeo Lavia

  You can certainly see why so many clubs are keen on the 19-year-old midfielder.

  Amid all the chaos of this bizarre contest, Lavia was the one real calm head at times, especially in the first half when he was exceptional in the heart of the midfield.

  The Belgium international was composed on the ball, drove Southampton forward when he could and frustrated Arsenal with his ability to turn over possession.

  Most expected Lavia to move on this summer, whether the Saints survive or not. On this evidence you can see why.

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  LOSER: Thomas Partey

  These are the games where Arsenal need their star players to perform, but instead most of them were well off the pace – with Thomas Partey the worst of the lot.

  The midfielder, so often the driving force of this young team, had a shocking night, producing arguably his worst performance of the season.

  Granit Xhaka’s absence could have been a reason why as Partey was certainly left isolated in the heart of midfield at times.

  But a player of his experience and quality should have been able to cope far better than he did.

  His touch and decision making was poor all night, with his wild late shot from distance which flew into the crowd the perfect example of that.

  It was a night to forget for Partey and for Arsenal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a difficult decision over how he deals with Manchester United defender Phil Jones in the coming weeks and months – with the Red Devils reportedly open to selling him this summer.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, United could look to sell Jones on one condition, with Solskjaer seeking to bolster his defensive options before the start of the new season.

Jones has long been linked with the Old Trafford exit, and several clubs have looked at him closely, including Premier League strugglers West Brom, who wanted him to shore up their leaky defence during the winter window.

The former England international is just the latest player tipped to be on the move in the next summer market as Solskjaer has already started to clear out the deadwood by selling Timothy Fosu-Mensah to Bayer Leverkusen for a mere £1.8m fee.

Time’s up

With the emergence of academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe, Jones has been relegated to fourth choice this season.

The 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £5m via Transfermarkt, has not played for United since January 2020 after a string of injuries and has spent the entire time up until now working his way back to fitness.

He had attracted interest from several clubs across the country in the hope of a possible move in January earlier this year, but in the end, nothing materialised, and on £75k-per-week, it might be hard to offload him without forcing him to take a drastic pay cut.

However, fitness issues aside, it’s become increasingly apparent that Jones simply isn’t up to the standards required at Old Trafford.

Whilst it could be argued that injuries have meant he has never been able to reach his full potential, having been tipped for greatness by Sir Alex Ferguson himself.

In his last season alone, the versatile defender, who has played in the centre, in the midfield and on the right in his career so far, averaged just one tackle and one interception per 90 in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Tuanzebe is averaging 1.2 tackles per game in six top-flight appearances this season, suggesting that he is already a  significant upgrade on his injured teammate.

Solskjaer will also be well aware that Jones needs to be playing regularly to attract any potential suitors in the summer, which could prove to be a stumbling block unless he can make a full recovery from injury.

Should he recover from injury, there will be a dilemma over giving him any game time at all and whether that’s a good idea right now still remains to be seen with the Red Devils in hot pursuit of both domestic and European success.

There’s nothing to suggest that the unseen Englishman could bolster their current defensive issues.

AND in other news, Manchester United face stiff competition in pursuit of Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic…

How to watch England vs Ukraine in the Euro 2024 qualification stage from the US as well as kick-off time and team news.

England take on Ukraine in their second match of EURO 2024 qualification at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

⚽️ Where to watch England vs Ukraine

England kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on a high as they beat reigning European champions Italy 2-1, with Harry Kane and Declan Rice finding the back of the net.

Ukraine, on the other hand, will begin their qualifying campaign against the Three Lions. Having failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, this will be the team's first international match since Nations League clash against Scotland in September 2022.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier fixture England vs Ukraine, plus team news, recent form and more.

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  Kick-off time

  Date:	March 26, 2023
  Kick-off time:	12pm ET
  Venue:	Wembley Stadium

  The game is scheduled for March 26, 2023 at Wembley Stadium. It will kick off at 12 pm ET in the US.

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  How to watch England vs Ukraine online – TV channels & live streams

  TV channels & streaming options

  Country	TV channel	Live stream
  U.S.	Fox Sports	Fubo, VIX+

  In the U.S., the match can be streamed on Fuboand VIX+.

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  Team news & squads

  Ukraine team news

  For Ukraine, Bournemouth centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi will be unavailable for selection alongside midfielder Oleksandr Zubkov as they are both out injured.

  Former West Ham man Andriy Yarmolenko is also out with an injury.

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Andriy Lunin, Anatoly Trubin, Nikita Shevchenko
  Defenders:	Oleksandr Karavaev, Denys Popov, Mykola Matvienko, Vitaly Mykolenko, Eduard Sobol, Oleksandr Svatok, Eduard Sarapiy, Denis Miroshnichenko
  Midfielders:	Taras Stepanenko, Georgy Sudakov, Artem Bondarenko, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Vitaly Buyalskyi, Oleksandr Pikhalyonok, Krakow
  Forwards:	Roman Yaremchuk, Artem Dovbyk

  England team news

  Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope pulled out from the England camp due to injuries and will play no part against Ukraine.

  Luke Shaw was shown a red card in the game against Italy and will miss the game on Sunday while Reece James is ruled out of the clash due to an injury.

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale
  Defenders:	Ben Chilwell, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker
  Midfielders:	Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice
  Forwards:	Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney

  Head-to-head record

  Date	Result	Competition
  July 4, 2021	Ukraine 0-4 England	Euro 2020
  September 11, 2013	Ukraine 0-0 England	World Cup Qualifiers
  September 12, 2012	England 1-1 Ukraine	World Cup Qualifiers
  June 20, 2012	England 1-0 Ukraine	Euro 2012
  October 10, 2009	Ukraine 1-0 England	World Cup Qualifiers

  England are unbeaten against Ukraine in their last four meetings, which includes a 4-0 win in the quarter-final of Euro 2020. The last time Ukraine beat the Three Lions was back in 2009 in a World Cup qualifying game.

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  Useful links

  • Ukraine team page

  • England team page

  • Live soccer on TV in the U.S.

  • Where to watch England's EURO 2024 qualifiers

  • James withdraws from England squad

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who is a Newcastle United Hall of Famer, believes many fans are losing hope in their club because they can’t see any change on the horizon.

The Magpies had never been relegated from the Premier League until Mike Ashley took over the club and since then, they have experienced two relegations in 2009 and 2016.

After Rafa Benitez left Newcastle, the board appointed Steve Bruce as his replacement and the former Sunderland manager has failed to improve the side in two seasons, despite significant investment on the pitch.

He has bought the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton, the latter for a club-record fee of £40m, but that has not stopped Newcastle from finding themselves in a relegation tussle this term.

Speaking on why many fans are now falling out of love with Newcastle and what they want to see from their club, Lee told FFC:

“Fans are losing interest in Newcastle because they can’t see any change; they can’t see anything happening at the club.

“They can’t see any excitement coming, they can’t see anything in the future and I can’t see any hope of change, and you need hope in football.

“I don’t care if we change the manager or players because what we need is to change the owner.”

Newcastle have been involved in a legal battle with the Premier League regarding their failed takeover last summer, with it about to go through arbitration.

Former Norwich City star Jon Newsome has told The Transfer Tavern that the club will try to bring Tottenham Hotspur loanee Oliver Skipp back to the club next season.

The Canaries were the first Championship club this season to seal promotion to the Premier League, a feat that was confirmed at the weekend.

Skipp has been integral to that success, playing in all 42 of the club’s games in the second-tier this season.

A defensive midfielder, he has even chipped in with a goal and two assists as Norwich have swept all before them to confirm their return to the top-flight.

As it stands, Skipp is scheduled to return to Spurs at the end of the season but Newsome believes it is almost certain that Norwich will try to find a way to keep him at Carrow Road, so impressive has the 20-year-old been.

Speaking exclusively to TT, he said: “I would imagine as a management and recruitment team, they will be looking at him and saying, ‘well, we know he does a good job for us, we know he fits into our style of play, he’s good around the players, he’s happy here. We’ve got to try and secure him’.”

Skipp has experience of playing for Spurs, having made 23 senior appearances before his loan move.

Borussia Dortmund are extremely interested in landing Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard this summer.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a recruitment source that the Bundesliga big guns ‘are lining up a big money move’, seven words which could be music to the ears of new Hoops chief Dominic McKay.

The report suggests that Dortmund are in the market for a new forward due to major doubts over the future of Erling Haaland.

West Ham are thought to be in pole position for Edouard at this moment in time, but it seems as if Dortmund want to win the race for the 23-year-old’s signature – they would of course have plenty of cash to burn if Haaland is sold.

Transfer Tavern take

To us, this is perfect news for the Hoops. Edouard will have just 12 months remaining on his Celtic contract in the summer and a recent report suggested that the French forward could depart for just £8m over the coming months.

However, with Dortmund now ‘lining up a big money move’, that could play into Celtic’s favour, especially if he is seen as a replacement for Haaland, which could drive the price up.

Their interest could well start a bidding war between multiple interested parties, which, in the end, could see the Hoops receiving an impressive fee for a player who will have just one year left on his deal come this summer.

This would be a massive boost as it would allow McKay, along with whoever is appointed in the new Director of Football role, a head start in their rebuild with some extra funds to invest.

In other news: Celtic source shares major managerial update as boardroom U-turn emerges, find out more here. 

The Celtic managerial pendulum is swinging once again. A few weeks ago it looked as though the Bhoys would appoint Roy Keane but then it was Eddie Howe in their crosshairs.

However, they may now have to turn their attentions elsewhere after a major update emerged on Howe’s future.

What’s the word?

The former Bournemouth boss has been touted as Neil Lennon’s successor for over a week now but an immediate move for the 43-year-old has now been put in doubt.

News from Sky Sports late on Wednesday evening revealed word coming from Howe’s camp that he wouldn’t be arriving at Parkhead until at least the summer.

The manager’s rep said: “Talks of any deal being close are extremely premature.”

They added: “His plan remains to not return to management until the summer at the earliest.”

Howe left the Cherries by mutual consent last August after they were relegated from the Premier League but he is yet to find a new job.

Desmond seething

This is news that will have rocked Celtic considerably. They evidently had ideas of replacing John Kennedy as interim boss in the immediate future with talks taking place with both Keane and Howe over the last month.

However, the idea that they may have to soldier on with Kennedy at the helm until the summer is unlikely to be greeted too kindly by supporters and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

The businessman seemingly has his work cut out when it comes to finding a new manager for the playing squad and he may now have to look elsewhere again if Howe wants to wait until the summer before making an executive decision.

Last week it looked as though Howe was all but through the door after advanced talks had taken place.

There is nothing to play for in the league right now but finding a new manager to guide their Scottish Cup run could have been game-changing in providing them with some light relief after a difficult campaign.

This is their last remaining chance of winning a trophy this term but with Kennedy at the helm and Rangers to come in the next round, the opportunity of lifting silverware feels slim.

Though, with fresh ideas and a new manager like Howe arriving, it may have given the club some added impetus.

The fact that the Englishman won’t want to arrive until the summer at the earliest should leave Desmond particularly annoyed and frustrated.

AND in other news, Left for £0, now worth £63m: Celtic will rue rash call on “unbelievable” £100k-p/w gem…

According to a report by Claret & Hugh, West Ham United are now committed to bringing defender Craig Dawson onto the payroll permanently, with David Moyes deciding some time back that he wanted a permanent deal regardless of his obligation-to-buy clause.

West Ham committed to Dawson signing

Indeed, as per the Irons insiders, West Ham had already made the call over Dawson becoming a permanent player, with the 30-year-old having been a revelation since coming to the London Stadium on loan.

The defender, who has started 14 Premier League games this season (WhoScored), took a while to work his way into the side but has managed to usurp the likes of Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop over the course of the campaign.

He is currently a mainstay in Moyes’ backline, and the manager has apparently already made up his mind on a permanent deal for Dawson, with the club set to sign him for around £3m.

Transfer Tavern take

Claret & Hugh added that GSB are committed to this transfer regardless of whether Dawson hits the number of games needed to trigger his obligation-to-buy clause, which seems inevitable judging by Moyes’ recent admission that it was ‘very close’.

Given his form over this season, it seems obvious why Moyes made up his mind about the 30-year-old a while ago.

Bringing Dawson to east London permanently for just £3m has been described as a potentially ‘staggering’ deal by pundit Noel Whelan (Football Insider), and it’s hard to argue with his assessment.

In other news: West Ham have been dealt a potential Jesse Lingard blow, find out more here.

Many Everton fans have been left delighted at a potential position change for Ben Godfrey ahead of their FA Cup tie at home to Manchester City.
The Liverpool Echo have suggested that the former Norwich City man can play in midfield if needed, as Carlo Ancelotti admitted that he needs to be more creative following the long-term injury to Abdoulaye Doucoure, and he could well experiment with Godfrey in midfield against Pep Guardiola’s men.The 23-year-old has played in either a defensive or central midfield role for a combined total 0f 59 games over the course of his whole club career so far, and so is certainly more than capable of playing there if Ancelotti wanted to use that option.Whether Godfrey ends up playing in midfield against MCFC is another question – he hasn’t played there since arriving on Merseyside so it would certainly be a surprise – but it is seemingly a move that should not be ruled out.

Everton fan reaction to Godfrey in midfield

These Toffees supporters lauded the idea of Godfrey playing in midfield on Twitter:

“I like this solution do it”

Credit: @PhYozza72
“100%”

Credit: @heskeyefc
“No brainer. Play him and Allan in the centre of a four, with Richarlison on the right and James/Bernard on the left. With King and DCL up front in a two”

Credit: @ChrisPitchy
“I like that idea, Mina and Keane behind him Allan and Davies.”

Credit: @howardjamiee
“100% try this what do we have to lose!”

Credit: @TabbyEfc1991

“Said this the other day, it’s the only logical solution to fill the gap left by Doucoure”

Credit: @Owens_EFC
In other news, find out what early team news before City has left Blues fuming here!

Aston Villa were recently labelled as the ‘early favourites’ to sign Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge this summer.

The 23-year-old looks likely to seal a move away from Chris Wilder’s side, with relegation to the Championship looking inevitable for the Yorkshire outfit.

Arsenal and Tottenham keen

According to website Jeunes Footeux, via Sport Witness, Arsenal and Tottenham are both now interested in the Blades ace and are on alert over a potential transfer.

The report claims that Berge, who has been out of action since December through injury, will be allowed to leave Bramall Lane for €26m (£22.3m).

Transfer Tavern take

Securing Berge’s services could turn out to be a shrewd piece of business by Villa, but it looks as if they’ll need to make him the club’s third biggest-signing in their history at £22.3m.

The Norwegian is capable of playing as a holding or central midfielder, so could provide Dean Smith with another strong option in the middle of the park.

On the other hand, Smith already has the likes of Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Marvelous Nakamba, Jacob Ramsey and January arrival Morgan Sanson as central options, so Smith may feel he is well-stocked in that department.

In other news: Gregg Evans believes £27k-a-week Villa ace could leave this summer, find out more here.