It’s been an impressive summer for Arsenal. Without really lifting a finger, the Gunners look to have assembled an impressive squad for the 2026/27 campaign.

The North London outfit spent £35 million on Club Brugge star Christos Tzolis and it didn’t take too much pushing for Newcastle United to open the door for star man Bruno Guimaraes to make the switch to the capital.

Ezri Konsa looks to be on his way from Aston Villa to provide some welcome back-up in defence and last weekend’s 3-0 romp over Manchester City points to a side in fine fettle. However, there is one man who could be the cherry on the cake for Arsenal.

Aston Villa star is boyhood Arsenal fan

It’s not a new name to be linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium either. Ollie Watkins has been floated as a potential option for years, largely due to his boyhood love of the club, with the club making a bid for his services in January 2025.

All the way back in 2020, when first making an impression at Aston Villa following his £28 million move from Brentford, Watkins admitted: “That’s the dream to play for Arsenal one day, but you know, it’s a longshot.”

That season, Watkins bagged a brace for the Villans at the Emirates Stadium and admitted that his grandfather and uncle wouldn’t be ‘too happy’ about his performance. He added: “They are Arsenal fans and I am an Arsenal fan myself – but I’m buzzing. I am sure they will love it really. I am over the moon.”

Those words are of significance this week, with Watkins linked with an exit from Villa Park. There is fierce competition to lead the line under Unai Emery, with Tammy Abraham and Brian Madjo also options.

The England international was rumoured to be keen on a new venture last summer, but stuck around in the Midlands and ended up with a Europa League winners medal. This summer, it could be a different story.

Arsenal must consider Ollie Watkins hijack

Saudi bankrollers Al Hilal are reported to have seen a £38.5 million bid for Watkins rejected from Aston Villa this week. However, with the player reportedly keen on a move to the Middle East, more offers are expected.

It’s food for thought for Arsenal. The Gunners have been linked with forwards Vinicius Jr and Morgan Rogers this window, but have not landed those targets. Arteta seems to be in the market for an extra attacking reinforcement.

For a fee of around £40 million, Watkins would be a steal. The talisman is proven in the Premier League and offers something different to Arsenal. Where Viktor Gyokeres is a bullish poacher and Kai Havertz a wily midfielder-turned-striker, Watkins is pacey and direct.

It’s clear that the Aston Villa man would not say no to Arsenal and the club should be heavily considering a Saudi transfer hijack.

An English athletics coach and former gold medalist who was thought to be missing is reportedly in prison after sexually assaulting a minor.

Three months ago, Leon Baptiste vanished, and UK Athletics and the sprinters he had been coaching had lost contact with him. This came after he sent a group of athletes a short message saying he wouldn’t be training them ‘for a while,’ and there had been no further communication since.

A brief email was sent to those individuals on behalf of Baptiste on Tuesday informing them that he had resigned from his position due to an unspecified health issue. This came after the media reported he was ‘missing’ and had disappeared in Morocco.

Leon Baptiste Jailed in Morocco as Details Emerge

Action Images / John Sibley

An update on Baptiste has since emerged, and BBC Sport have revealed that the consultant sprinting coach is serving jail time in Morocco. They claim that a source at the Moroccan Ministry of Justice has confirmed that he was arrested in Marrakech back in May.

Baptiste was convicted and has been serving a custodial sentence in Al-Oudaya prison. He was originally sentenced to 10 months, but this was later reduced to eight months on appeal.

The source is quoted as saying: “In relation to the reports concerning the alleged ‘disappearance of Leon Baptiste’ – an English athletics coach reportedly missing in Morocco for more than two months under questionable circumstances – please note that the information published in this regard is inaccurate and does not reflect the facts of the case.”

“The foreign national concerned had not lost contact with his surroundings and was not subject to any disappearance or unexplained absence. He is currently being held at the local prison in Marrakech, where he is serving a custodial sentence following his conviction by the competent judicial authorities in connection with a misdemeanour case.”

In response to concerns over his health following his email, they claimed that the 41-year-old is “in good health.” Delving further into the reasoning behind his arrest and prison sentence, a spokesperson for the Morocco Public Prosecution Office explained:

“The British national is currently being held at the local prison in Marrakech, where he is serving a custodial sentence following a court judgment against him in connection with his involvement in a criminal case.”

In Morocco, misdemeanors are classified as medium-level offenses and carry sentences of around one to five years. A minor is deemed to be 18 in the northwest African country in which Baptiste is alleged to have carried out his crime.

At the height of his career, Baptiste won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Olympian Beth Dobbin is among the list of sprinters he has coached since retiring at the age of 28 due to a long-term knee injury.

UK Foreign Office on Baptiste Imprisonment

Action Images / Steven Paston

The UK Foreign Office have since responded to the confirmation of Baptiste’s whereabouts and a spokesperson has stated: “We are supporting a British national who is detained in Morocco and are in contact with the authorities.”

Baptiste is believed to have traveled to Maarkech with three former British athletes, and they have since returned to the UK. None of them have replied to the BBC for comment on the situation while his family are aware of his imprisonment.

Olympic bronze medalist Charlie Dobson and Paralympic silver medalist Zac Shaw were left without a designated coach before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this summer and the European Championships in Birmingham, which concluded just three days ago.

Baptiste had been coaching the pair, but his absence meant that Adam Gemili and Martyn Rooney provided support to the affected athletes. His abrupt departure caused huge disruption for sprinters, with many ‘ill-prepared’ and ‘frustrated.’

BBC Sport claims that after speaking with individuals from British athletics, Baptiste’s confidants, the UK Foreign Office, and Moroccan authorities, they learned his whereabouts were known but being withheld. It was when they spoke to the Moroccan Public Prosecution Office that they were given details of the case.

Marcus Rashford has sent a message to his critics with a response to Jamie Carragher as he looks to get his Manchester United career back on track.

The English forward spent last season on loan at Barcelona, winning the La Liga title with the Catalans and impressing under Hansi Flick. His tally of 14 goals and 15 assists in 49 games wasn’t enough to secure a permanent move to Camp Nou, though, as the Spanish giants opted not to trigger a £26 million buy option.

United’s stance appeared to be that there was no future for Rashford at Old Trafford after an unceremonious departure back in the winter of 2024. He headed to Aston Villa on loan for the second half of that campaign after falling out with former head coach Ruben Amorim.

‘Stop it’ Carragher Hits Out at Neville Over Rashford

Rashford has been given a second chance by Michael Carrick who replaced Amorim in January and knows the player well. They were teammates in the latter stages of the United boss’ playing career and he coached him as an assistant to Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Carrick’s appointment caused a U-turn and Rashford is now back ready for a new Premier League campaign with his boyhood club. That hasn’t stopped the media, pundits and fans from debating whether it’s the right move from both the player and the club to make amends.

Gary Neville brought Rashford’s name up during the latest episode of The Overlap’s Stick to Football. The former United captain asked his colleagues what they made of his return, but this riled up Carragher, who wasn’t interested in discussing it:

After Neville responded, ‘No’ Carragher told him to ‘stop it’ and pointed out that each episode of their podcast seemed to include a segment on Rashford or Trent Alexander-Arnold. The English right-back made a controversial move from Liverpool to Real Madrid last summer.

Their exchange continued when Neville highlighted that Rashford had just returned to United. Carragher said:

Rashford has been a hot topic of discussion in football media throughout the years especially when he clashed with Carrick’s predecessor Amorim. His star power has led to constant scrutiny including within the United fanbase as some have reservations over his reunion with the Red Devils.

Rashford Responds to Carragher and Neville’s Argument

Marty Jean-Louis/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Carragher’s defence of Rashford didn’t go unnoticed by the United star who thanked the former Liverpool defender for not wanting to delve into the situation regarding his return. He posted a telling message on X:

Rashford broke through United’s youth system before debuting at the age of 18 with a brace against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League in February 2016. He has since appeared 426 times for the club, scoring 138 goals and winning the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Carrick is delighted to have the England international back and in his squad for the new season and is thought to have played an important role in his return. He will be competing with Matheus Cunha at left-wing while could provide backup to Benjamin Sesko up front.