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Aston Villa are looking to strike a deal to bring Barcelona star Franck Kessie to the Premier League ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, according to fresh reports.

Who is Franck Kessie?

Kessie is naturally a central midfielder who has plied his trade at Camp Nou since joining on a free transfer from AC Milan last summer, but his debut season with Xavi’s side didn’t go as well as hoped having failed to receive a consistent run of game time.

In La Liga last term, the 26-year-old made just seven starts and was reduced to being brought on as a substitute on 21 occasions, as per WhoScored, highlighting just how out of favour he is, and he may now have to look elsewhere should he want to get more minutes under his belt moving forward.

The Blaugrana have reportedly been placed under pressure to sell quickly in order to help ease their financial worries and the Ivory Coast international is likely to be one of the players placed in the shop window having been deemed surplus to requirements during his time so far in Spain.

The Midlands outfit have recently announced that Morgan Sanson has joined Ligue 1 outfit Nice on a season-long loan so Unai Emery will need to enter the market to find a suitable replacement, and it sounds like the Ivory Coast talisman has been highlighted as a potential candidate.

Are Aston Villa signing Franck Kessie?

According to reports in Spain (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa are “showing a keen interest” in Kessie and he is indeed a player that Barcelona are “looking to move on” before the end of the transfer window. The Catalans feel that they can demand a “significant amount of money” for the midfielder who has reportedly “already agreed to make a move to England” should he move onto new pastures.

NSWE’s excellent financial backing of their boss so far means that they are definitely “in the mix” to land their target, though it’s not specifically stated how much he would cost.

Aston Villa will know that Kessie wasn’t given a fair chance to prove what he was capable of last season, but having made a hugely positive impact when handed the rare opportunity to showcase his talents, Emery would be acquiring a promising player should he put pen to paper.

The Africa Cup of Nations star, who earns £149k-per-week, posted six goal contributions (three goals and the same number of assists) during his debut campaign at Barcelona, not to mention he also ranked in the 88th percentile for number of attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area, highlighting his desire to get involved with the action in the final third.

Kessie, who has been dubbed a “warrior” for his mindset and attitude towards the beautiful game by talent scout Jacek Kulig, furthermore has the flexibility to operate in four various roles across the centre of the park and even at centre-back, so he would provide the boss with plenty of versatility and be an all-round exciting midfielder to have in and around the building.

Mason Crane marked his maiden England Test call-up with three wickets as Hampshire closed the gap on Glamorgan at the top of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2017Hampshire 119 for 2 beat Glamorgan 118 for 6 by eight wicketsMason Crane marked his maiden England Test call-up with three wickets as Hampshire closed the gap on Glamorgan at the top of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group.Legspinner Crane was picked for the Test squad to face the West Indies later this month before leaving Glamorgan in a twist. James Vince then completed the thrashing with his 21st T20 fifty to ease Hampshire to an eight-wicket victory.Glamorgan won the toss and chose to bat on a slow pitch which had seen the Western Storm struggled to 70 in their Kia Super League defeat to Southern Vipers earlier in the day.Liam Dawson put aside his disappointment of failing to return to the England fold by bowling Aneurin Donald third ball of the match. And the left-arm spinner bagged the huge wicket of danger man Colin Ingram, who had smacked Gareth Berg over the fence, in the following over as Chris Wood held on at long-on.The visitors were struggling as they only reached 34 in the Powerplay and it was only going to get worse as Crane then came into the attack and proved why he has been called upon by the England selectors.The 20-year-old showed off his incredible googly to bowl opener Nicholas Selman to further pin Glamorgan.Crane then dragged Chris Cooke down the track to sky a top-edge to Gareth Berg at cover before snatching a third scalp a ball later on his dream day by having former South Africa Test star Jacques Rudolph stumped.The home grown leg-spinner ending with figures of 3 for 21, to boast a combined analysis of 5 for 36 with spin twin Dawson. Another Hampshire academy graduate, keeper Calvin Dickinson, again impressed with his quick hands on debut to stump Craig Meschede off the wily Shahid Afridi – leaving the visitors 65 for 6.Pakistan legend Afridi chalked up returns of 1 for 16 – although a dropped caught-and-bowled tainted his evening slightly.The Welsh side were heading for a sub-100 total before Andrew Salter crashed his highest T20 score of 37 – which included a huge six over long on – to help his side score 16 from the final over and set Hampshire 119 to win.Isle of Wight-raised Dickinson opened on his first professional appearance but departed in the first over as he was lbw to Ingram, while attempting a hoicked sweep.But from there Vince and Tom Alsop looked in fantastic nick pummelling the ball to all angles of the Ageas Bowl in a 68-run stand for the second wicket.Alsop in particular punched back-to-back powerful on-drives straight down the track.But after reaching 28 he picked out Marchant de Lange off Ingram on the long-on boundary to end an entertaining knock.At the other end, skipper Vince was caressing the ball through holes in the field with pure guile and appeared unstoppable as he reached a 32-ball fifty – eventually reaching an unbeaten 60.At the half way point Hampshire only required 26 – and they reached the target with 37 balls to spare to go second and within a point of Glamorgan.

Recklessness was the charge laid against England after their double collapse at Trent Bridge, but rarely, if ever, has such an accusation been levelled against Alastair Cook

The Report by David Hopps27-Jul-2017Recklessness was the charge laid against England after their double collapse at Trent Bridge invited South Africa back into the series, but rarely, if ever, has such an accusation been levelled against Alastair Cook. England presented him as the chief witness for the defence at the start of the third Test at The Oval – and defence is what he diligently delivered.On a crabby day frequently taunted by heavy showers, England finished four down, 171 to the good. Two of their three debutants perished as did a third batsman, Keaton Jennings, who at this level – in fact, at all levels – also remains comparatively wet behind the ears.At such times, Cook’s calming presence has often offered England succour – nigh on 12,000 Test runs amassed without excess, and as if oblivious to the tribulations around him. He just about held South Africa at bay, a workmanlike 82 not out fashioned by the time players left the field for the final time around six o’clock.South of the Thames, life is supposedly relaxed and informal, especially with a 100th Test for The Oval to celebrate, but not for England, who knew that restraint was expected of them, but who struggled to prosper after Joe Root’s marginal decision to bat.An unbroken stand of 51 between Cook and Ben Stokes as the rain became more frequent brought a different complexion after they had slipped to 120 for 4. Stokes, who had taken offence at the questioning of England’s dedication after their Trent Bridge defeat, again playing with utmost deliberation. It was perhaps safest not to mention it.England’s task to put Nottingham behind them was far from straightforward. There was swing and, surprisingly at The Oval, some seam movement on offer for South Africa’s attack on a green-tinged pitch. England had cause to be grateful that Vernon Philander had to retreat from the fray for periods of the day with a stomach upset. Once again, he was excellent throughout.The shot that got Cook to fifty – a rare wide one from Philander which he flashed through gully – was uncharacteristic of a patient innings in which he left well and prospered off his pads. It was his first Test fifty in the first innings for more than a year. His focus, though, will be forward – and the potential for a 31st Test hundred.He was grateful, on 28, to survive an lbw appeal from Chris Morris, the ball angling in towards leg stump but Ultra Edge spotting a nick on to his pad after South Africa reviewed.South Africa followed up the wicket of Jennings in the fourth over of the day with three more in the afternoon. Tom Westley looked comfortable enough in making 24 by lunch, but he fell four balls after the resumption, edging an outswinger from Chris Morris to second slip. As with any international newcomer, analysis will immediately begin – and with Westley it will doubtless emphasise his penchant for the leg side – but it was a decent delivery.John Crawley at Lord’s in 1994 was the last time England fielded a debutant No. 3 at home and there were similarities in Westley’s game, notably in a fluent manner and a strong leg-side game. A first-class average below 38 was hardly eye-catching, but he had a dapper air at the crease and, at 28, many believe him to be a late developer. England certainly need one.Dawid Malan couldn’t keep out Kagiso Rabada’s fantastic delivery•Getty ImagesPhilander, who had been limited to four overs with the new ball before lunch, returned in mid-afternoon and removed Joe Root during his second over back. Root was drawn into a work to leg by a slightly back-of-a-length delivery of impeccable line, it left him a fraction and Quinton de Kock changed direction in time to take a fine, one-handed catch to his right.Dawid Malan, on debut at five, is no stodge: selections like this further underline that England are not about to block out the rest of the summer. He was preferred to Liam Dawson as England sought refuge in an extra batsman, but managed only a single before his 17th delivery proved to be his last, a high-class yorker from Kagiso Rabada, which swung late to hit middle and leg and which left the left-handed Malan falling to the floor as it did so, evidence of a closed-off stance.The sum of England’s morning was 62 in 22.1 overs for the loss of Jennings, who made a duck and who is looking increasingly unlikely to survive his first Test summer. Influential figures, Andy Flower among them, like his character, but increasingly England will be disturbed by his batting average.In three Tests, Jennings’ technique has been well and truly filleted. South Africa are experts at it, especially against someone who they regard as one of their own. He has looked increasingly statuesque; as if afraid every move might be his last. Three debutants at The Oval might not preclude a fourth in Manchester.Not for the first time this series, he was skilfully worked over by Philander, his footwork tentative and bat searching blindly as if unsure which way the ball was moving. He deflected a delivery into his pads, not too far short of square leg, and then pushed blindly at the next. Philander then got him at third slip as he dangled his bat without conviction.Jennings’ departure paved the way for an Essex alliance between Cook and Westley, Westley heartened no doubt, in his first Test innings, to have the presence at the crease of a county colleague he holds in such high regard.The Oval is traditionally the ground for England debutants, but that owes much to its regular place in the English calendar as the last Test of the summer. To find three of them, all a little squeamish with nerves, searching for dressing room pegs in only the third Test of the summer, was a sign of England’s problems.Three debutants a few months before the start of an Ashes series is hardly ideal for England. Consolation, though, is easy to find because South Africa caused the same fallout in the last Australian summer. Tough and uncompromising, they are adept at uncovering weaknesses. Westley’s first four scoring shots in Test cricket were all boundaries, the first of them a signature shot as he whipped Morne Morkel to the square leg boundary.He was fortunate to get a thin edge on an lbw appeal from Morkel before taking two more boundaries off the first over from Keshav Maharaj, the left-arm spinner. An aerial drive was too close to short extra cover for comfort; a further boundary off his pads possessed more aplomb.Neither Morkel nor Rabada were at the top of their game before lunch. Morkel was too short, going for 28 in his first six, while Rabada, despite putting himself through a heavy workload in the nets during his one-Test suspension under the totting up procedure, took a while to slip into gear.Both stepped it up after lunch. Morkel was particularly impressive during a demanding afternoon spell of fuller length. Cook and Root were forced to tough it out. The former captain survived; his replacement didn’t. Root slumped back in a dressing room chair, disconsolate and, like many before him, watched Cook dig England out of a hole.

It was undoubtedly a positive first season at the helm for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, with the Dutchman helping to bring to an end the club's six-year trophy drought while also securing a return to the promised land that is the Champions League.

A key feature in the 53-year-old's success last term was his ability to help transform some of United's previously floundering players, with Marcus Rashford, in particular, having been given a new lease of life after netting 30 goals in all competitions in 2022/23 – 25 more than the previous season.

Another beneficiary of the former Ajax man's appointment has seemingly been Luke Shaw, with the Englishman hailed as a "leader" and a "great player" by his manager after regaining his place following a tough start to the campaign.

The former Southampton man notably impressed after taking on a new role as a centre-back at times last season, with the 28-year-old having arguably been "unbelievable" in that starting berth, according to former United man, Wes Brown.

With Ten Hag clearly a fan of the defender's versatility, he could potentially snap up another Shaw-esque talent this summer in the form of Real Madrid machine, David Alaba, with the Austrian ace also adept at featuring at full-back or in the centre of defence.

What's the latest on Alaba to Man United?

According to recent reports in Spain, the Old Trafford outfit are showing a 'serious' interest in the 31-year-old, with the suggestion being that the Premier League side may already have a 'pre-agreement' with the former Bayern Munich man.

The belief is that Ten Hag is 'obsessed' with signing the experienced asset, with Alaba potentially set to follow in the footsteps of Casemiro and Raphael Varane by trading the Spanish capital for Manchester.

Should Man United sign Alaba?

While the Vienna native may prove to be something of a short-term solution due to his age, the £372k-per-week ace could slot in nicely as part of an already impressive defensive unit that includes the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Varane and of course, Shaw.

With ex-captain Harry Maguire potentially set to be on his way, the signing of Alaba could help to provide extra cover and competition for Martinez as a natural fit at left centre-back, with Ten Hag believed to favour a left-footer in that role, stating earlier this season:

"Because the left-footed are better orientated on the left side, in possession you then have better angles."

That is seemingly why Shaw was shifted in that central role last term, although the Madrid star could also take on that berth if required, having been lauded as "one of the best in the world at centre-back", according to former Bayern teammate, Joshua Kimmich.

Also, much like Shaw – who has been described as the "best left full-back in the UK" by his manager – Alaba is also an "outstanding" option at left-back, in the words of Kimmich, having notably registered 88 goals and assists in 431 games during his previous stint in Germany.

While the duo would seemingly be rivals for a starting berth in either position, for Ten Hag to be able to call upon such experienced and quality options in those two roles is a real dream scenario, with that signing only set to heighten the strength in depth next season.

With Shaw already blossoming at the Theatre of Dreams under the Dutch tactician, snapping up a possible clone in the form of Alaba should also prove just as fruitful.

Former India batsman Mohinder Amarnath has quit the steering committee tasked with the responsibility of forming the players’ association

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2017Former India batsman Mohinder Amarnath has quit the steering committee tasked with the responsibility of forming the players’ association.Amarnath is understood to have left because of his commentary assignments. “He wants to do [those assignments]. He can’t do both,” a member of the Committee of Administrators told ESPNcricinfo.With two other members of the steering committee – Diana Edulji and Anil Kumble – already having recused themselves, the committee is now down to one; only its chairman, former union home secretary GK Pillai, remains. While Edulji opted out because of her role as a member of the CoA, Kumble withdrew after he had taken over as India coach.The CoA will now approach the Supreme Court for direction. “There is no steering committee as such as of today. We will be approaching the court to see what needs to be done,” the official said. “We will mention this in our status report that will be submitted to the court. Whether another sub-committee is created or the CoA is entrusted with the task, it is up to the Supreme Court to decide”.The steering committee was established in early 2016 to oversee the formation of the players’ association in accordance with the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. It was asked to “identify and invite all eligible ex-cricketers to be members, to open bank accounts, receive funds from the BCCI, conduct the first elections for office bearers, communicate the names of BCCI-player nominees to the board”.The Lodha Committee felt it was important to give the players “a voice” to express their concerns but barred them from forming a “trade union of any sort”. The committee also recommended the need to advance the welfare of players, including insurance, medical and other commercial benefits. While there was strident opposition to the recommendation initially from the BCCI, the board later “unanimously” accepted it at its special general meeting on October 1.The official said the CoA had also established a sub-committee to look into the registration and regulation of player agents. The Maharashtra Cricket Association’s Abhay Apte and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri are understood to be in the sub-committee, which has three members at the moment. Two more members will be added on later, comprising representatives of the players’ association. “The sub-committee of three members will carry out the duties till the players’ association is formed,” the official said. “Once the players’ association is formed two of its members will be drafted into this panel”.

Pre-season is an interesting time for summer signings, especially the more expensive ones, as their performances are put under the microscope for the first time, with fans eagerly anticipating a first mistake to jump onto.

What pre-season should not be is a run of games for new arrivals to be ruled out as flops. So, you can imagine the confusion when some rival fans were quick to write off Arsenal’s £65m signing Kai Havertz after he failed to perform in a skills challenge.

That’s right, the German was brandished a flop by some after a fairly embarrassing attempt at the MLS volley challenge, in which he failed to score a single effort. One day later, however, and when it mattered slightly more, the former Chelsea man had no problem in front of goal, silencing criticism.

Proving people wrong, Havertz couldn’t resist taking to Twitter to take a dig at the doubters.

Kai Havertz responds to criticism

Havertz wasted no time in mounting a response to those who initially criticised him after the skills challenge, with a cold two-word Tweet saying “Hav that” – a pun on his own name – while adding a target and a yawn emoji, no doubt referring to the online backlash he’d faced after his struggles in the skills challenge.

He then sent a more serious message, which said: “But in all seriousness.. Really nice feeling to get my first Arsenal goal!

“Thank you to the fans for the amazing support this week!”

With the Premier League season fast approaching, it will be somewhat of a relief for both Havertz and Mikel Arteta that the forward is off the mark in an Arsenal shirt.

The German will be hoping to hit the heights that many believed he’d reach at Chelsea, before struggling for form, and never really getting going at Stamford Bridge as he failed to reach double figures in the league in any of his three seasons with the Blues.

How will Arsenal line up with Kai Havertz?

Havertz is a difficult one to predict, with even Arteta stuggling to find his best role, saying, via 90min, after the Gunners’ 5-0 pre-season friendly win against MLS All-Stars: “He gives us something very different with his quality and size as well, when you have to beat the press for example and use him as a target man.”

“So, we will see – for now, he’s playing in the attacking midfield position, but I’m sure throughout the season and throughout games as well, we’re going to have the options to play him in different positions.”

It’ll certainly be an interesting one to keep an eye on. We could see the German link-up with Martin Odegaard to form a dangerous midfield duo. Or, he could find himself paired with Gabriel Jesus as a striker.

Either way, Arteta has got himself a versatile player capable of producing for his side. And, although there may have been a few initial concerns, Havertz proved against MLS All-Stars that he is more than ready to perform for the North London side.

As they prepare for the forthcoming Premier League season, Arsenal will be dreaming of going one better than the last campaign by winning the title.

Indeed, having lost out to Manchester City last season, the Gunners will look to go again, causing more shocks along the way.

They will also have an eye on the Champions League amid their return to European action, where they will finally go head-to-head against the best teams in the world once more.

The BCB President said that after Pakistan turned down the tour of Bangladesh in July 2017, Bangladesh’s High Performance and U-19 teams will not be touring Pakistan later this year

Mohammad Isam27-May-2017Bangladesh will not consider or discuss tours to Pakistan, as relations between the two sides continue to remain cold.There had been talks – in April – of sending Bangladesh’s the High Performance or Under-19 team to Pakistan but those plans have been put to bed with the BCB making arrangements for them to play teams from New Zealand and England.”We haven’t spoken about going to Pakistan since we heard their decision from the media,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said. “The national team [touring Pakistan] is out of the question. Our HP or U-19 [teams] might have gone there but when they made this announcement [of postponing the Bangladesh tour] we are no longer in talks. After this, there is no question of talking about the HP tour.”They will go elsewhere. We have confirmed programmes with New Zealand and England. We are in talks with two more countries. Within a couple of months, we will be releasing the specific schedules. Many of these series will be held at home.”Rather than forcing the Pakistan tour in July this year, the BCB want the Bangladesh players rest so they can be ready for the home Tests against Australia in August-September, the tour of South Africa in September-October and the Bangladesh Premier League T20 tournament in November-December.”I think we can rest our players during that time,” Hassan said. “Our boys are playing a lot these days. From Champions Trophy they’ll come home, play against Australia and then head off to South Africa. From there, they will come home and start with the BPL, and then they have more cricket.”I am not too keen about the Pakistan tour. But if we need to play [in that time], we have four or five countries lined up to play against Bangladesh. It won’t be hard to arrange matches, but right now we are not really keen on filling that gap either.”However, the only caveat is the ICC deadline for automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup, which is on September 30 this year. Hassan said on Saturday, as he did couple of times last year, that the BCB are in touch with the ICC to find out what they have to do to make the cut for the World Cup.

Glasgow Rangers have signed seven players so far this summer as Michael Beale looks to rejuvenate a squad that finished 2022/23 empty-handed.

With the majority of his business done, the onus will be on the 42-year-old to move on a few players to free up the wage budget and raise some funds, however one such move may turn into a serious blunder…

Is Robby McCrorie leaving Rangers?

According to The Scottish Sun, McCrorie looks set to leave Ibrox this summer after having talks with Beale over his future.

The manager now appears to be resigned to losing the 25-year-old as he is looking to secure first-team football elsewhere and despite Beale admiring his ability, it now seems like he won't stand in his way regarding a potential exit.

The Gers signed former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland during the summer and with the nine-cap England international set to begin the season as the number one choice between the posts, McCrorie isn’t prepared to revert to a backup option having featured regularly for the club during the final part of the 2022/23 season.

Who is leaving Rangers?

Antonio Colak appears to be leaving the Light Blues after only one season, moving to Parma in a £2.5m deal while Fashion Sakala is also close to a move, with an unnamed Saudi club interested in signing him for a fee believed to be around £4m as Beale aims to recoup some cash for further signings.

Despite their obvious quality in front of goal, scoring 30 goals between them last term, the arrivals of Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers should be more than enough to offset their departures.

It could be a blunder to let McCrorie leave on the other hand, and it could turn out to be a similar situation to that of Cedric Itten, who has gone on to impress elsewhere following an exit from Ibrox.

The Swiss international struggled during his two seasons at the Gers, netting just eight times across 49 matches and was sold by Giovanni van Bronckhorst last summer to BSC Young Boys for £1.5m which was seen as good business at the time.

He has since shown Gers supporters exactly what they missed, however, scoring 23 goals and grabbing 12 assists as the Swiss outfit won the domestic double last term, and although he wouldn’t have been a regular starter under Beale, there is no doubt he could have contributed with a few goals.

McCrorie could be another who leaves Ibrox and shines elsewhere, especially if his performances for the Light Blues are anything to go by. The Scot has made only six starts for Rangers during his time at the club, yet he has kept five clean sheets during those matches, conceding just one goal.

The £5.7k-per-week ace was the only ‘keeper for the Gers to keep a clean sheet against Celtic last term, in their 3-0 victory at Ibrox in May and looked to have a chance at taking the number one jersey from the departing Allan McGregor ahead of 2023/24.

Steven Gerrard dubbed the departing gem and his brother Ross as “model professionals” back in 2020 and although it would be a shame to see him leave the club, he is far too good to be warming the bench for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully, the decision doesn’t come back to haunt Beale – as it perhaps has with regard to Itten.

There are a number of reasons why Arsenal are back to their exhilarating best, but every one of those reasons points back to one man. And that’s Mikel Arteta. The former Manchester City assistant has transformed the Gunners.There were some initial doubts about his ability to take Arsenal back into the Premier League’s top four. Those doubts were understandable, however, given his inexperience and the number of miserable years fans at The Emirates had been forced to sit through.Even in the season prior to the last, as the North London side missed out on a Champions League place yet again, some may have been left wondering whether Arteta really was the man for the job.One year later on though, and it’s clear that Arsenal have arguably got themselves one of the most exciting young managers in Europe.The Spaniard expects nothing less than the high standards he sets for his players, too, as shown in recent training footage.

Mikel Arteta’s standards shown in recent training footage

As seen in a clip shared via Twitter, when warming up with club captain Martin Odegaard, they’re playing a little game, keeping the ball up in the air.

One of the club captain’s volleys falls just short of Arteta who, instead of reaching to try and save it, lets the imperfect pass hit the ground and then penalises the tiny error.

Odegaard laughs in joke disbelief but his manager simply retorts “This is Arsenal” emphasising the high standards he holds at the club.

The midfielder, in particular, has reached a new level under Arteta, leading by example for the rest of his teammates, who will be looking to make their mark in the Champions League next season.

In the last campaign, Odegaard had a year to remember, scoring 15 goals, and assisting a further eight in the Premier League. The fact is, the former Real Madrid man has quickly emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League.

What is Martin Odegaard’s market value?

Signed by Arsenal for a reported £30m, Odegaard has turned out to be quite the bargain. If the Gunners were to sell their star man now, which is extremely unlikely – so you can take a sigh of relief, Arsenal fans – they would potentially receive €90m (£76.83m), according to Transfermarkt.

At 24, that number is only likely to go up and up, too, given the sheer potential that Odegaard has, combined with the level that he is currently operating at.

Arsenal, in general, are on the up. Reportedly on the verge of welcoming Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber this summer, we may see Arteta’s side go one step further next season, and seal the ultimate glory of a Premier League title win.

Manchester City will have something to say about that, of course, following their sensational treble win last season. Meanwhile, Liverpool have fixed some of their midfield issues by welcoming both Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, so Jurgen Klopp’s side may well return to their dominant best come August.

One certainty is that Arteta is keen to ensure that the standards do not slip for one single second at Arsenal. He will want to make sure that last season was no fluke, but instead the start of a successful era in North London. They’re certainly due silverware, that’s for sure.

Arsenal fans reacted to the training footage, some of which you can see below:

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jordan Clark are two deeply contrasting cricketers, but on a gloomy day at Kia Oval they forged a wonderful alliance to change the complexion of the opening day

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval14-Apr-2017
ScorecardShivnarine Chanderpaul and Jordan Clark are two deeply contrasting cricketers, but on a gloomy day at Kia Oval they forged a wonderful alliance to change the complexion of the opening day. While Chanderpaul neared his 74th first-class hundred, Clark scored a long-awaited maiden ton, brought up with a towering hook for six off Mark Footitt: a shot in keeping with the spirit of élan that infused this innings.In a cricketing world in flux, the sight of Chanderpaul furiously knocking a bail with his bat to take guard has a reassuring familiarity. Some were underwhelmed at his recruitment for a summer in which he will turn 43. This, though, was the sort of crisis for which he was signed, after Lancashire lost half their side before lunch.Chanderpaul’s response was to do as Chanderpaul does: playing the ball late and with great care and, above all, knowing when not to play it, dangling his bat inside the line as if to tease the bowler. With Clark, who gallivanted to his century by advancing from 82 to his hundred in the space of five balls from Footitt, he forged a match-turning alliance.Where the left-hander Chanderpaul batted in his own gilded cage, inoculated from the changing face of the sport, right-hander Clark bristled with intent, breezily overtaking his partner in spite of giving him a 62-ball head start. Where Chanderpaul favoured precise late cuts, glides and flick, Clark preferred to sweep against spin or thunder drives or hooks against pace.Where Chanderpaul resolved to keep the ball on the ground, save for one clip over mid-on, Clark is not the sort to be perturbed by the presence of fielders, and harrumphed two straight sixes against spin before the hook over square leg off Footitt that led to his moment of delight.”It’s pretty hard to describe right now,” he said, elated, after play. “If I try and survive it’s not one of my strengths. If I come out and play with intent, but don’t play rashly, it’s going to work better for me.”The only pressure that comes with batting with Chanderpaul is you’ve got such an experienced bloke at the other end it makes you work harder because you can’t throw your wicket away – you’ve seen him bat for days. You’ve got to put your foot down and bat with him in partnership.”Here was a reminder that this is a game for all sorts. And in adding an unbroken 172 to lift Lancashire from the debris of 122 for 6, Clark and Chanderpaul let Lancashire lay claim to shading the opening day.Four years ago, Clark hit six sixes in an over in a Roses 2nd XI match. Broad-shouldered and lacking neither shots or the confidence to play them, he is a cricketer ideally suited to Twenty20; indeed, he had to wait four years between his T20 debut and his first-class bow.Surrey, though, are well-aware that Clark is determined to be viewed as more than just a limited-overs cricketer. For the third season in a row he scored a half-century at The Oval – three of his five first-class scores of 50 or more have come here. Some of his shots – a square drive off Tom Curran, an imperious short-arm jab through mid-on off Sam Curran, and the disdain with which he hooked Footitt in the last throes of the day – hinted at talent too great to be batting at No. 8. On the first day for 18 years on which all first-class counties played Championship cricket simultaneously, it was Clark who made the solitary century in the land.What gratitude Liam Livingstone must feel. Captaining Lancashire for the first time, he had opted against inserting Surrey, and, undeterred by an overcast morning and Surrey’s potent pace attack, decided to bat first.The conditions demanded Haseeb Hameed’s adhesiveness; instead, he wafted at his second delivery to be caught behind off Sam Curran. Bowling an immaculate line, elder brother Tom soon elicited Luke Procter to poke to second slip too.Six days on from dismantling Warwickshire with 6 for 14 at this ground, there was anticipation and fascination in seeing Footitt bowl again. He was indeed utterly compelling throughout. Three wickets came in a first spell that interspersed balls sprayed around with those of great peril, embodied by four byes down the leg side coming the ball before Alex Davies was lbw, playing across his pad to an inswinger that jagged late.Livingstone shaped to counterpunch in response to the early wickets; a scampered single to mid-on would have run out Chanderpaul with a direct hit. Two balls after flicking Footitt for four, Livingstone clipped a delivery straight to square leg, so disgusted with himself that he started walking off as soon as he hit the shot.It was the sort of shot one could never imagine Chanderpaul playing. Here he erred only in edging Tom Curran to second slip on 47, where Scott Borthwick, whose pyrotechnics in the position last week had gone viral, shelled the chance. As Footitt toiled under floodlights at the end of this truncated but intriguing day, Surrey had even more reason to rue their moment of generosity.