Arsenal fans have completely torn into one ace for their performance in the Gunners‘ 3-1 pre-season loss to Real Betis, with many believing he should be sold before this summer’s transfer window closes.

The Premier League champions played – and lost – their second pre-season match on Wednesday night, with Piero Hincapie’s goal the only softening blow in an otherwise unproductive affair in Spain. Among those to feature in the match were Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, and Christo Tzolis, who impressed in his debut last time out.

Of course, the main purpose of the fixture was to help players build fitness after the World Cup break, but the criticism aimed towards one player in particular suggests their days at the Emirates Stadium are numbered, regardless of what happens from here on in.

Mikel Arteta’s recruitment team have had a busy summer so far, with Bruno Guimaraes now the latest through the door. But after selling the likes of Leandro Trossard a few weeks back, it would be astounding if the club doesn’t move on more deadwood before September arrives.

Arsenal Fans Want Ace Gone After Pre-Season Loss vs Real Betis

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Wednesday night’s opportunity seems to have brought an unceremonious end to Kepa Arrizabalaga’s hopes of being anything mroe than a benchwarmer with the north Londoners. In the first-half, he conceded every shot he faced on target, with Arsenal fans quick to put a target on his back online following his mistakes. One X user wrote:

A second labelled his performance “so bad”, while another continued: “Is our recruitment team just playing Russian roulette with our GK depth or something? One [David] Raya injury and we have to pick between Kepa Error-Prone Arrizabalaga or Can’t-Start-For-Leeds Meslier.”

Elsewhere, a fourth wrote: “Kepa is the funniest keeper of all time I swear,” as a fifth concluded: “Sell Kepa now! The transfer window is still open, Raya and Meslier are okay.”

More to follow…

Six new signings have arrived at Tottenham Hotspur so far this summer, and the higher-ups are busy working behind the scenes to further strengthen Roberto De Zerbi’s squad.

Spurs have shown they mean business, forking out a staggering £237 million thus far and breaking their club transfer record in the process. Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle United for £100 million, and the transfer chiefs aren’t done there as they are reportedly looking to swoop for Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Manchester City’s Savinho.

De Zerbi’s defence has been a major focus, and Jan Paul van Hecke may well have replaced Cristian Romero, who looks to be on his way to Inter Milan. The Dutchman reunited with his former manager when he made a £52m switch from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Tottenham Close to Agreeing Van de Ven Contract

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Van Hecke will be battling it out with fellow new signing Marcos Senesi for a starting berth in De Zerbi’s defence. They are unlikely to displace Micky van de Ven, who remains one of the Lilywhites’ most important players.

Spurs appear to acknowledge Van de Ven’s importance and they are reportedly pressing ahead with efforts to get him tied down to a new deal. A top club insider reports that the Dutch centre-back is “close to agreeing a new long-term contract.”

Van de Ven’s future had been the subject of speculation heading into the summer transfer window following last season’s relegation battle. He has three years remaining on his contract but links with Liverpool and Manchester United pointed towards a potential big-money exit.

The 25-year-old, sitting on a purported £90,000 per week, has earned plaudits throughout his time in North London, having arrived from Wolfsburg for around £43m in August 2023. He now looks set to extend his stay with the Lilywhites as De Zerbi bids to take the club back to European qualification next season.

Massive Boost For De Zerbi

Van de Ven is one of the Premier League’s best defenders and despite a frustrating past season for the club and himself, he will be a key man for De Zerbi. Getting his future sorted out before the new campaign begins is just as important as the new signings made.

The Dutchman, dubbed “world-class” by Jamie O’Hara, proved effective in front of goal last season, managing seven goals in 45 games across competitions. At the back, he perhaps wasn’t at his usual best, but that came amid Spurs’ disastrous campaign as a collective.

De Zerbi may have been a factor in the decision to extend his stay, given the Italian coach has a clear plan for his team moving forward. He’ll be hoping the Netherlands international reclaims his status as an elite-level centre-back who can handle any attacker on his day.

FIFA have been forced to release a statement this week after another World Cup accusation was made against Gianni Infantino. The Swiss millionaire’s walls are closing in this week after a failed attempt to sell stakes in the major tournament sparked fierce backlash.

Infantino’s biggest opponents throughout the saga have been UEFA and CONMEBOL, European and South American football’s governing bodies. Aleksander Ceferin’s series of statements – which have read more like written attacks – has prompted England and several other nations to withdraw their support for the 56-year-old, while it appears increasingly likely that Infantino will either resign or lose power at March’s election.

That was once seen as unthinkable. Having held the position since 2016, Sepp Blatter’s successor had no serious challengers for the role and enjoyed the written backing of 200 nations following the hugely profitable 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

But the mood has changed dramatically. More and more countries have come out against him, and desperate times often call for desperate measures. With his grip on power appearing to slip away, Infantino has now reportedly made an offer to Morocco in the hope that it will throw its support behind him and help him keep his job, though his colleagues deny that.

Claim That Gianni Infantino Made An Eye-Opening Offer to Nation in Exchange for Support

REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

As many as five nations have come out in support of Infantino while the majority of others have shot down his money-grabbing schemes, and while close friend Donald Trump is reported to be ready to do ‘everything in his power’ to help the FIFA chief cling on to his position, he was alleged to have turned to 2030 World Cup hosts Morocco for even more backing.

The Mirror reported that the 56-year-old had offered Morocco the chance to host the World Cup final in 2030 in exchange for the nation’s support. It had previously been suggested that Real Madrid’s Bernabeu was going to be the stage, but multiple outlets alleged otherwise.

Morocco have been one of Infantino’s biggest supporters over the course of his decade in charge of FIFA, and the city of Rabat was chosen as the destination for Wednesday’s World Cup crisis meeting amid the pressure Infantino is finding himself currently suffocated by.

The new 115,000-seat Hassan II stadium in Casablanca (as seen above), which will be the largest football stadium in the world when it is built, wants to host the next final, but a new statement by FIFA suggests no contact was made between Infantino and Morocco to suggest a deal out of desperation was made.

FIFA Issue Fresh Statement After Claims Of Infantino’s Morocco Plea

REUTERS/John Sibley via Action Images

However, FIFA officials have now released a statement denying any such deal from taking place, with the final location not yet being determined. As per Ben Jacobs, it read:

That said, multiple Royal Moroccan Football Federation sources have confirmed to talkSPORT that talks with Infantino over staging the World Cup final in Casablanca have taken place.

Spain hope to stage the final, as initially suggested they would, while Portugal are yet to make a public comment on their role in discussions as the third host.