Ahead of the new Premier League season, there will be plenty of narratives for Arsenal to contend with. The primary one will focus on how well they can defend their title, but one player may have to deal with diving allegations.

That is at least the feelings of former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett. The retired referee has singled out one star in Mikel Arteta’s current group as a possible issue for officials to deal with in 2026/27.

The man in question is Viktor Gyokeres, who scored 21 times in total for the Gunners last term, leading the line as the north London outfit finally got their hands on the Premier League title after a 22-year wait. Despite that, his performances left many unconvinced, and Hackett has forecast more difficulties ahead for the Swede.

Mikel Arteta Told To ‘Have a Word’ With Arsenal ‘Diver’

In Arsenal’s latest pre-season friendly, Gyokeres started as the Gunners were beaten 3-2 by Borussia Dortmund at home in the Emirates Cup. The 28-year-old had a mixed outing, scoring from the penalty spot, but also missing a few other openings as he looked to build his match sharpness.

One moment in particular sparked a strong reaction from ex-PGMOL boss Hackett.

In the 40th minute, new signing Christos Tzolis clipped a clever ball down the channel for Gyokeres to run onto. It looked as though the centre-forward was in a good position to get a shot away, but instead threw himself to the floor under pressure from Joane Gadou.

The plea for a penalty was waved away by the referee, with Gyokeres left frustrated. Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett couldn’t understand why the Arsenal star went down. He then claimed that referees have now ‘clocked’ his poor diving skills, noting

Arsenal will begin the 2026/27 season with the curtain-raiser Community Shield match against Manchester City on 16 Augst. Although many view that game much like a glorified friendly, Gyokeres has insisted it means a lot to the players.

After the Dortmund game, when asked how seriously he will be taking it, he looked perplexed by the question, firing back: “I don’t know what other people think, but of course we want to win that game for sure. There is no question about that.”

After that, the Gunners kick off their title defence with their Premier League opener at the Emirates. against newly-promoted Coventry City on 21 August.

Tottenham are now being linked with a move for Villarreal striker Georges Mikautadze as Roberto De Zerbi turns his attention to his attacking line. Spurs have already amassed a record spend this summer, racking up a bill of more than £230million, and particular attention has been paid to the defence and midfield.

The likes of Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have been snapped up, and Spurs will now concentrate on adding competition out wide, and potentially up top. De Zerbi looks to be prioritising a winger signing, while a striker signing could depend on one of Richarlison or Dominic Solanke moving on. Mikautadze has emerged as an option, and here we get you up to speed on the LaLiga frontman.

Georges Mikautadze’s career so far

Mikautadze is a Georgian international, but he was born to Georgian parents in France, and he started his career with FC Gerland, but he was quickly snatched up by Olympique Lyon. We will see Lyon again in this story, but Mikautadze actually went on to make his breakthrough to first-team football with Metz, initially graduating to Metz B and going to become a first-teamer in 2019. He scored 25 goals in 42 league games for Metz, quickly gaining a reputation as a goalscorer as a youngster, but a frustrating move to Ajax followed. Mikautadze joined for €19million and only made five league appearances, but he hadn’t lost his scoring touch, scoring 13 in 20 league games during a loan spell back at Metz, and after Metz took up an option to buy, Lyon signed him almost immediately, paying around €23million plus agreeing a 15% sell-on fee.

Mikautadze had a superb Euro 2024 campaign, finishing as joint-top scorer of the tournament, and he went on to score 12 times in 36 league appearances for Lyon.

That’s when Villarreal came forward, agreeing a deal worth up to €36million, and in his first season with the Yellow Submarine, he had an almost identical scoring record, netting 13 times in 32 league games.

The inside view on Mikautadze

For context, I’m a Villarreal fan, based just down the road in Valencia, and I’ve followed the club for over 15 years. I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen plenty of Mikautadze. The striker has incredible technical talent, and he is able to produce some of the most satisfying finishes you are likely to see. With both feet, too.

He loves to chip the goalkeeper whenever it’s on, and he produces superbly-placed precision finishes from inside or outside of the box. Mikautadze is one of those players who just has that something special, that something unique in the way he controls and plays the ball. It makes him hard to defend and a nightmare for goalkeepers. The Georgian international has pace aplenty, and he will win most races in behind, while he also has the tricky with the ball at his feet to face up a man and beat him.

“Intelligent, mobile, instinctive and has excellent finishing with both feet.” – Former Villarreal boss Marcelino

Those are the positives. As for the drawbacks, as a smaller forward, there are times when he has gone missing in games, particularly games with a more direct style, and now former Villarreal boss Marcelino worked with him last season to make sure he can find ways to get into games. But there was progress on that front, with Marcelino saying in February: “He’s much more involved. He has better coordination with his teammates and now he’s fluid, he’s agile of mind, he’s happy.”

There is more to come from Mikautadze, who is still only 25 and adjusting to LaLiga, and if he stays, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to playing under new boss Iñigo Pérez, who has a very different style of play to that of Marcelino’s. Equally, if Tottenham do sign him, it will be interesting to see if Mikautadze can maintain his goalscorer reputation in the Premier League.

At this stage, it remains unclear what Mikautadze’s release clause it, but you can expect Villarreal to demand around £50million or move. The Yellow Submarine have said they will sell a player this summer, as is usually the way, but they do not want to sell their star striker, especially with Ayoze Perez and Gerard Moreno not getting any younger.

In one of the strangest news stories of the summer, a Turkish sports journalist has reportedly been arrested for his claims involving Jamal Musiala.

The summer transfer window is often referred to as the silly season for the many wild rumours that appear, linking players to clubs in unlikely moves that never happen. Although every now and then, an unexpected deal is completed with eye-watering amounts of money involved.

One interesting rumour, for example, has seen Bayern Munich star Musiala linked with Turkish club Galatasaray. However, claims made around that potential transfer have sparked some very real legal issues for one journalist.

Jamal Musiala Transfer Rumours Lead to Arrest

According to reports in Turkey, journalist Burhan Can Terzi has been detained after claiming that German midfielder Musiala would move this summer in a transfer from Bayern to Galatasaray. His arrest was made on alleged charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information.”

Terzi, who covers football as a reporter in İstanbul, is said to have been detained in an investigation launched by İstanbul’s Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. His legal issues came after Galatasaray denied the truth of his claims.

Despite the Turkish club rubbishing the report, Terzi refused to back down and reportedly responded: “I’m putting my life on the line [for this story].” It’s said that Galatasaray have not lodged any official complaint, but fans accused him of misleading the public, with the journalist continuing to make false statements.

After those complaints from football supporters, the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation. Eye-opening footage has now emerged online, as it appears to show Terzi being led away by local police enforcement.

Turkish Journalist Arrested as Galatasaray Statement Denies Transfer Claim

Terzi is said to have made the initial report on 26 July. Galatasaray then moved to deny the report five days later. Without directly naming any journalist, they completely dismissed any claims relating to a transfer between Musiala and Galatasaray as “an attempt to create a perception aimed at discrediting our club’s transfer operations.”

A statement from the Turkish giants read:

The case marks the first time the disinformation law has been applied to sports reporting.