Olivier Giroud says reports Arsenal are in the market for a new striker provide him with great motivation.
Arsenal have been persistently linked to a new attacker in the past two transfer windows, with Karim Benzema, Edinson Cavani and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all touted as targets.
With no strikers brought in, however, Giroud remains the spearhead of Arsene Wenger s forward line.
The France international, just four Premier League goals away from matching his best return of 16 in 2013-14, believes the opportunity to answer his critics is helping push him to a higher level.
Obviously it helps to motivate you because when you are in your comfort zone, I think you maybe don’t give your best, Giroud said in an interview with Arsenal Magazine.
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England midfielder Jordan Henderson believes the absence of Liverpool team-mate Adam Lallana has been felt by club and country.
Lallana has not started a game since March having injured his hamstring against Crystal Palace and though he made a couple of substitute appearances before the end of the campaign, he was not chosen to go to the World Cup with England.
The 30-year-old s last competitive appearance for England came in June 2017, before he suffered a thigh problem that kept him out of the first part of the 2017-18 season, and Henderson thinks Liverpool and England would benefit from having Lallana in their starting line-ups.
Lallana has 34 caps for England and was named the nation s player of the year for 2016, yet he had to withdraw from the internationa…
Crystal Palace battered Arsenal 3-0 on Monday to edge away from the Premier League s relegation zone and pile even more pressure on beleaguered Arsene Wenger.
Sam Allardyce had lost 15 times to Wenger in the league previously but the hosts resurgence under the former England manager continued with their fifth win in six games which now includes the scalp of Arsenal having also beaten league leaders Chelsea.
Palace opened the scoring with their first shot on target, Andros Townsend turning in a low cross from his fellow winger Wilfried Zaha after Arsenal failed to deal with a long ball.
Zaha and Townsend were both involved in Palace s second goal too, with the former picking out Yohan Cabaye for a brilliant finish, and Luka Milivojevic converted a penalty for his…
AC Milan star Rafael Leao has been heavily linked with a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain as one of the main candidates for the Ligue 1 champions to replace Kylian Mbappe in the summer. However, as he told Corriere della Sera, the Portuguese winger has no intention of leaving the Rossoneri for a while yet.
Rafael Leao downplays a Milan exit to . It’s my home. I like everything: shopping, fashion and the weather, which is similar to Portugal. My future s at Milan. I ve four years left. Milan helped me when I was in a very difficult spot. I won’t forget this. I m loyal.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen)
Players have been known to expressed loyalty to their current clubs and then still leave at the first opportunity in the past, but Leao appears quite dete…
Manuel Akanji claimed John Stones played like Diego Maradona after Manchester City won the Champions League and completed the treble.
Stones was a key figure as City capped a memorable season with a hard-fought but glorious 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Saturday’s European showcase final in Istanbul.
The England international has enjoyed a fine end to the season having been deployed in a new roving role by manager Pep Guardiola.
The centre-back retains his usual defensive duties when City are on the back foot but, given their tendency to dominate possession, he now has licence to step into midfield and dictate play more.
Defender Akanji said: “The way he dribbled, he played like Maradona. He just took the ball, went past three people, passed it some…
A karate-style lunge at a referee in Rwanda and a drubbing in Tunisia helped transform TP Mazembe from FIFA Club World Cup flops to finalists within one year.
The black and white-clad Crows based in southern Democratic Republic of Congo mining hub Lubumbashi stunned Internacional of Brazil 2-0 in the world championship semi-finals and face Inter Milan of Italy on Saturday for the title.
Mazembe, the only club to twice successfully defend the African Champions League, are the first team outside of Europe or South America to make the climax of the 10-year tournament.
Reaching the final marks a spectacular u-turn for the Congolese as they finished sixth of seven challengers in their first appearance last year with only Al-Ahly from host nation United Arab Emirates …
Burnley confirmed their promotion to the Premier League with a 2-0 Championship win over Wigan Athletic on Monday.
Sean Dyche s men knew victory at home to Wigan would secure a return to the top flight regardless of the result in third-placed Derby County s match with Barnsley.
First-half goals from Ashley Barnes and Michael Kightly proved enough to earn three points, keeping Burnley eight clear of Derby with two games of the season remaining.
Burnley last played in the Premier League in 2010 but are now assured of promotion alongside Leicester City, who will be crowned champions should they beat Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday.
A pitch invasion followed the full-time whistle in Burnley s clash with Wigan as home fans showed their appreciation and delight.
Derb…
There’s a new Sims rival on the way–InZoi, a new life simulator by Korean developer Krafton. InZoi puts you in the godlike position of controlling the daily life of a neighbourhood full of “ZOIs”, including managing their jobs, relationships, and the spaces they live and work in. Come from Sports betting site VPbet
Krafton has just released its first gameplay footage of the life sim, showing off character creation, building and decorating modes, character interactions and relationships, and heaps more, all in a gorgeous photorealistic style powered by Unreal Engine 5.
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Leeds United have announced Andrea Radrizzani has completed his takeover of the Championship club.
Radrizzani previously bought 50 per cent of the club in January and has now purchased the remaining shareholding from previous owner Massimo Cellino to take full control at Elland Road.
The new owner paid tribute to predecessor Cellino and stressed he sees his involvement at Leeds as a long-term commitment.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to become a custodian of this great football club, said Radrizzani, who becomes Leeds United s chairman with immediate effect.
The heritage and history of Leeds United attracted me to the club and having spent time at games and at [training ground] Thorp Arch, I can see that we are ready to move forward to the…
Karim Benzema faces time on the Real Madrid sidelines after the Ballon d Or winner was revealed to be suffering with muscular fatigue in his left leg.
With one month to go until France begin their World Cup campaign against Australia, the news of Benzema s exertions taking their toll may be of some concern to Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps.
For now, there is no suggestion Benzema will not be fit to play a full role in the Qatar 2022 tournament, but the injury announcement is a reminder all players are susceptible amid a packed fixture schedule for Europe s top clubs.
A Madrid club statement read: Following tests carried out today on Karim Benzema by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with muscular fatigue in the quadricep muscle of his left …