Arsenal are hoping to get some important deals over the line this summer, which includes a move for a Premier League playmaker this summer.

The Gunners are building from a position of strength in the summer transfer window, having secured the league title last season while narrowly missing out on the Champions League in the final.

While the team has impressed, Mikel Arteta knows there are places to improve and keep evolving, particularly in the forward options at his disposal.

Over recent seasons, Arsenal have been criticised for their lack of attacking threat, with question marks remaining over the players at the top end of the pitch.

That is set to lead the North London club into the market in search of fresh faces, with the left wing among the key areas of improvement this window.

Morgan Rogers is among those most heavily linked to play there, while he can also fill in as a number ten, and there has been an update on the club’s pursuit.

Arsenal Handed Morgan Rogers Boost

Arsenal seemingly want a move for Rogers this summer, after the Aston Villa star showed plenty of quality in both the Premier League and Europa League campaign for Unai Emery’s side.

While he has been valued at £100 million, sporting director Andrea Berta is pushing to get a deal over the line, as interest ramps up from rival clubs.

According to Arsenal insider HandofArsenal on social media, Rogers has outlined his preference to sign with Arsenal over the likes of Chelsea this summer.

It’s added that the 23-year-old has communicated his wish to leave Villa Park in a respectful way, as clubs circle a potential deal, while personal terms are not thought to be a problem.

Official contact is yet to be made from Arsenal to Aston Villa, with the final transfer fee claimed to be an important factor whether a move will be confirmed or not in the coming weeks and months.

It comes as a huge boost to the club’s chances of landing the playmaker, who could be a game-changing option in the near future.

Rogers Offers Arsenal Something Different

Arsenal making a move for Rogers makes sense when considering the fact that the Gunners need players who are going to break a game open.

There may be some questions surrounding how well the England international may do against so many mid-blocks if he moves to North London, but he brings an ability to score from nothing that is currently missing for the side.

Under Arteta, the team have a habit of winning games by small margins, which has made it tough to rotate properly when searching for late goals or holding onto late leads.

Rogers’ outstanding attribute is his ability to score long-range efforts, and if he can bring that to the table, then Arsenal may be able to break games open easier, and win them more comfortably.

His ability in transition is impressive, and something that could also make the team more clinical when games open up more for them.

It’s a deal that could prove expensive, but adds another dimension to Arteta’s team.

Alex Pereira has finally broken his silence two days after losing by knockout to Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight MMA debut during the marquee UFC Freedom 250 event that the market-leading combat sports promotion organized in conjunction with the federal government, as it held the show on the South Lawn of The White House, in front of the Trump family, including US President, Donald Trump.

The Brazilian carried an extraordinary resume into the Octagon considering he’s a highly decorated pound-for-pound great, but he was never competitive against Gane, landing just 11 strikes in the opening round, and one in the second. Gane, by contrast, landed 54 from 86 thrown, and finished Pereira early, thanks to punches to the head at range.

While Gane faced the press, alongside the UFC boss Dana White and other White House winners, and hinted at a unification fight versus Tom Aspinall in Paris, later in the year, Pereira has yet to speak publicly — until now.

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

Pereira dissected the fight, and defeat, in a vlog-style video on his official YouTube. “It was a lucky jab, and he took advantage… that was the opportunity of a lifetime for him,” said Pereira, before blasting Bon Gamin for his long history” of “dirty shots, punches to the back of the head.”

He continued: “I brought that up with [the referee, Herb Dean, ahead of time and asked him to keep an eye on it. If you watch the footage, man, multiple shots, multiple elbows [to the back of the head].”

Pereira said as much to the UFC immediately after the shocking loss.

Though Gane and Aspinall appear to be talking up a massive fight between them, for Pereira, there is a feeling his own fight with Gane has an element of unfinished business to it.

Revealing what he told the UFC, Pereria said: “I explained to them about the illegal shots … I said the right thing is an immediate rematch. They asked for some time to get an answer. I’m gonna wait a bit but very soon we will have an answer.”

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

Jones posted immediately on social media, wearing jewelry with a goat around his neck as if to reference he’s the greatest of all time in MMA.

This only confused Pereira further. “I saw the video, to be honest I was very surprised,” he said.

“If I was one of the guys that provoked him, then lose, then I’d understand, but I’ve never spoken bad about Jon Jones.”

Just days after winning their first World Cup match in 36 years, a petition has been launched to strip Scotland of their victory over Haiti.

Steve Clarke’s men got their Group C campaign off to the ideal start in Boston in the early hours of Sunday morning with a 1-0 win, thanks to a goal from Aston Villa’s John McGinn. The deflected strike was hardly a classic and the game itself was pretty scrappy, but none of that mattered to the Tartan Army.

Scotland’s fans celebrated their triumph long into the night, but not everyone was thrilled about the outcome. The game saw a number of controversial moments, including two penalty shouts for Haiti that were ignored by the referee.

Furious fans Demand Action Over Scotland’s Victory

Caean Couto (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Originally launched by a user in Paris, the change.org petition is demanding “an in-depth review” of the officiating in the match, which was overseen by Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal.

Those behind the campaign cite “several arbitary” decisions that “marred the match” and “profoundly influenced the course of the game and the final result.”

That result was a devastating one for Haiti, who badly needed to get something out of their meeting with Scotland, before they complete their Group C fixtures by facing Brazil and then Morocco.

Speaking after the match, Haiti captain Johny Placide was furious over the standard of officiating in the game. The veteran goalkeeper was especially troubled that his side’s two penalty appeals for Grant Hanley handballs were not overturned by VAR.

Placide declared: “We waited for VAR to intervene, we waited for explanations, but nothing came. “As players, we dedicate our lives to this competition, so naturally we want clarity.”

“Supporters Must Be Heard” States Viral Petition

Haiti and Scotland players via REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Apparently, the more than 150,000 fans to have signed the petition also want that same clarification. In stating their goals for the petition, organisers insisted that Ghorbal and his officiating team be stood down pending an investigation to avoid any other team having to deal with the same ‘situations’.

“We therefore ask FIFA to review the arbitration of this crucial match and to take appropriate measures to prevent such situations from recurring in the future. The voice of the supporters must be heard, because it embodies the hopes and passions of millions of people.”

FIFA have yet to make any official comment on the petition, which continues to attract support. However, it would be unprecedented if the Scots were to be stripped of their victory.

Scotland return to World Cup action on Friday evening, when they play Morocco in Boston. Haiti then play Brazil in Pittsburgh a few hours later.