Mikel Arteta has dropped the strongest hint yet that he will sign a new contract at Arsenal by insisting he doesn’t “predict any issues happening” when talks take place.

The 42-year-old’s existing deal expires in the summer of 2025 and it was initially expected that negotiations would be held at the end of last season.

However, all parties have prioritised planning for the next campaign instead and Arteta has assembled nine players not involved in either Euro 2024 or the Copa América for a summer training camp in Marbella.

Speaking to ESPN from the Spanish city in an exclusive interview, Arteta said: “There is no update [on his contract] at the moment. The thing that hasn’t changed is how happy I am and how valued I feel here and how much I love representing this club.

“Things happen in a natural way and our relationship is that good that I don’t predict any issues happening. But things have to develop in the right way and it will happen.”

Pushed on whether clarity over his future would help demonstrate stability for future signings, Arteta continued: “I understand that but the focus now is ‘OK, how we can improve things around the team, how we can improve now the things in the transfer window that we have.’ We have time to sit down and discuss that.”

Arsenal are monitoring Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori, sources have told ESPN, but are yet to make any fresh moves in the market..

Super Falcons star, Halimat Ayinde is optimistic she will emerge stronger from her latest injury setback.

Ayinde was forced to pull out of Nigeria’s squad for the 2024 Olympic Games after sustaining an injury in training at her Swedish club, Rosengard.

The 29-year-old has struggled to stay on her feet in recent times missing crucial games for club and country.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the defensive midfielder vowed to bounce back from the injury.

Ayinde also eulogised her club and teammates for their unwavering support.

“With a heavy heart, I announce I won’t be part of the Super Falcons for the Olympics.

“I’m deeply grateful to FC Rosengård and my teammates for their support and love. Best of luck to my fellow Super Falcons.

“I’ll be cheering for you and will return stronger. Go Super Falcons,” Ayinde wrote on her X account.

Super Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum is expected to name a replacement for the player in his squad for the games.

Novak Djokovic came through a testing Wimbledon workout to stay on course for a record-equalling eighth men’s title yesterday.

Seven-time champion Djokovic did not have it all his own way against British wild card Jacob Fearnley but came through 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 in a second-round match lasting three hours.

It appeared to be business as usual for the Serbian as he coasted into a two-set lead on Centre Court but the 277th-ranked Fearnley broke his illustrious opponent twice in the third set to reduce the deficit.
Fearnley, playing in his first Grand Slam, carved out two break points in the sixth game of the fourth set but missed his chance and Djokovic broke in the 11th game before serving out for the win.

“I didn’t have a chance to see him play,” said Djokovic, 37. “Actually two days ago, I saw him for the first time

“Obviously there’s always an element of surprise and with him having nothing to lose.”

“Most of the British players grow up being exposed to grass courts, quick surfaces, so they know exactly how to play. It’s a very windy day, very challenging conditions and I thought he served very well.”

Djokovic, who is playing with protection after a recent knee operation, is seeking to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon men’s titles and is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam title.

Bayelsa United have confirmed the departure of forward, Ekeson Okorie to Nigeria Premier Football League champions, Rangers.

Okorie joined the Flying Antelopes after spending two years with Bayelsa United.

He turned down the chance to extend his stay with the Prosperity Boys by linking up with Rangers.

Bayelsa United announced Okorie’s departure on their account.

“We can confirm the departure of winger Ekeson Okorie to Nigeria Premier Football League champions, Enugu Rangers after two season loan spell with us from Cynosure FC of Abakaliki,” the club stated.

“Okorie joined the Prosperity Boys in 2022 on loan but decided not to renew the loan deal with Bayelsa United at the end of the season.

“We have earlier approached Okorie Ekeson to stay in the club but he opted to leave.

“We enjoyed your time here with us, your dedication and commitment to the club is worth emulating by players.

“Our prayer is for you to excel in your new club as well as wearing the national team jersey.”

Super Eagles star striker, Victor Osimhen, is expected to start the pre-season with Serie A side Napoli next week as no club has yet made concrete offers for him.

New Napoli coach Antonio Conte could meet Osimhen in Castel Volturno next week as no European club has yet made a formal offer to secure the reigning African best footballer’s services.
Osimhen has a €130m clause included in his contract with the Partenopei but despite rumours linking Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United with the 25-year-old, there are still no official bids on Napoli’s table.

No club seems willing to pay €130m for Osimhen, and it may be difficult to find suitable candidates even if club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis lowers the price to €100m.
Now Football Italia is reporting that Conte is prepared to part company with the Osimhen, but if no club steps up over the next few days, he will have to start the pre-season with Napoli on Thursday, July 11, 2024.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal prefer Viktor Gyökeres to Osimhen even if they also consider the Sporting striker’s €100m clause too high.
However, Gyökeres has a lower salary than Osimhen, so the Gunners are focused on him currently.

On their part, Chelsea have changed their transfer targets after the appointment of the Italian Enzo Maresca, while Manchester United have set their sights on Joshua Zirkzee and will continue relying on ex-Atalanta ace Rasmus Hojlund, especially after Erik ten Hag was confirmed in charge at Old Trafford.

Osimhen dreams of playing in the Premier League, but PSG have also been monitoring the Nigerian ace.
PSG, however, seem more interested in Osimhen’s teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and have already held talks with the winger’s agent, which didn’t go down well with Napoli.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn into Group D for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers alongside Benin Republic, Rwanda, and Libya.

The draw conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, provided early opportunity for the three time African champions to avenge their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan last month.

While their 2026 World Cup qualifying rematch is not until the final day of the qualification series (October 6-14, 2025), Nigeria and the Benin Republic will face off earlier as they compete for one of the 24 spots in the 2024 AFCON, scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

The draw included 48 countries divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from eleven groups qualifying directly for the finals.

The preliminaries will be played between September and November this year meaning the teams who are in form for those three months will have the best chance of reaching Morocco 2025.
Qualifying Groups For AFCON 2025

GROUP A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, The Gambia
GROUP B: Morocco, Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho
GROUP C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana
GROUP D: Nigeria, Benin Republic, Libya, Rwanda
GROUP E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia
GROUP F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger Republic
GROUP G: Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad
GROUP H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia
GROUP I: Mali, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eswatini
GROUP J: Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe
GROUP K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo, South Sudan
GROUP L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi

Chelsea maintain Victor Osimhen is too expensive, even after Napoli reduced their asking price.

The Serie A club are willing to let Osimhen leave this summer.

The Super Eagle striker has a €130m (£110.8m) clause in his current contract.

Although Osimhen has been linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, none of them have indicated readiness to meet Napoli’s demand.

That has left the Italian club in a predicament, as they are relying on Osimhen’s transfer fee to fund their summer spending, which includes a deal for Romelu Lukaku.

Napoli have opened talks with Chelsea over a deal for Lukaku, but the Premier League club are holding out for a team to meet the Belgium international’s £38m release clause.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Lukaku wants to be reunited with Conte at Napoli and Chelsea would now be prepared to accept a lower fee for the 31-year-old in the region of €25m (£21.1m) in order for the deal to go through.

The report claims that during their discussions, Napoli made it known they could reduce their valuation of Osimhen to €100m (£84.6m).

However, that figure is still regarded as too high by Chelsea, who had agreed a £42m fee with Aston Villa for their Colombian striker Jhon Duran last month.

One of the leading African sports facilities experts, Ebi Egbe, would this month grace Africa football business summit in Kenya as guest speaker.

Egbe, a certified grounds man and FIFA licensed agent is being invited to speak based on his pedigree which is being acknowledged globally.

The letter of invitation from the organizers of the football summit said Egbe’s invitation as a guest speaker was to share his knowledge on the importance of sustainable sports facilities in developing African football, innovations in hybrid synthetic football pitch construction, saying his presence and expertise would greatly enrich the discussions at the Africa Football Business Summit.

“Your extensive experience and significant contributions to the football industry, both as a former football agent and now as the Managing Director of Monimichelle Sports Facilities Construction Ltd, make you an ideal speaker for our Summit. Your expertise in turnkey sustainable sports facilities construction and hybrid synthetic football pitch construction would be invaluable to our audience in light of the ongoing investments in sports infrastructure developments.

“We are particularly interested in having you share your knowledge on the importance of sustainable sports facilities in developing African football, innovations in hybrid synthetic football pitch construction and the role of quality infrastructure in enhancing player performance and fan experience.

“Your presence and expertise would greatly enrich the discussions at the Africa Football Business Summit 2024 and provide valuable perspectives on the importance of sports infrastructure in football development. We are confident that your participation will inspire and inform our attendees, contributing significantly to the event’s success,” letter read in part.”

Reacting to the invitation yesterday, Egbe said he would be in Nairobi for the all important summit which he noted falls in line with the vision of his company to eradicate bad pitches in Africa.

“It is a big honor to be recognized by the organizers. I will be there to share my experience with other attendees at the summit. And I am happy people are watching and acknowledging the good work we are doing at Monimichelle,” Egbe said.

Egbe’s outfit, it would be noted, constructed the pitches at Enyimba stadium, Aba, Remo Stadium Ikenne, Kakanda Stadium, Katsina and the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos the venue that last weekend hosted Nigeria’s President Federation Cup final.

England defender, Luke Shaw, is set to be fit ahead of the Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Switzerland on Saturday.

But according to Mail Sport, there are concerns over if Shaw will be able to start the game.

The Manchester United left-back has not played a single minute of the tournament so far.

Shaw was included in the final squad by Gareth Southgate despite having not fully recovered from a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing since February.

But the 28-year-old is able to play a part on Saturday, although Southgate faces a clear dilemma as to whether Shaw can start the game given the risks involved following his six month absence.

Host Germany take on fellow title contenders Spain in their mouth-watering Euro 2024 quarterfinal clash this evening, hoping to end a winless run at tournaments against them that stretches back to 1988.

The Germans are enjoying their best international tournament in eight years with home fans desperate for their first title in a decade but their match against the Spaniards is also seen as a premature final between two of the hottest teams in the competition.

Spain cruised through their group with wingers Lamine Yamal, who is the youngest player to feature at a Euros at 16, and Nico Williams quickly establishing a superb partnership that has terrorised opposing defences with their speed and creative play.

With Fabian Ruiz directing their game, often called “possession with a purpose”, there is a constant drive forward instead of merely holding onto the ball.

Their 4-1 victory over Georgia in the round of 16 confirmed their good form with their fourth win in four matches as they look for a record fourth European title.

The Germans, who have also won the tournament three times, had to dig deep to top their group with a stoppage-time equaliser against Switzerland before their 2-0 knockout stage win over Denmark.
But it is how their defensive organisation copes with Spain’s lethal attacking football that is likely to decide the outcome.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has a tough decision to make for the left back position, with attack-minded David Raum and Maximilian Mittelstaedt having occupied it in recent games.
Supersport reports that he could potentially opt for a more defensive option in Benjamin Henrichs.
“We should not be hiding against Spain,” said captain Ilkay Gundogan. “As a team we can more than keep up with them. We also have extreme qualities.

“I think the Spaniards have more respect for us than they tend to admit in public.”
The Germans are also up against a 36-year winless run at tournaments against Spain with their last victory dating back to Euro 1988.

They lost the 2010 World Cup semifinal to them as well as the 2008 Euro final while also suffering a 6-0 demolition in the Nations League four years ago.

“I don’t want to offend anyone but we have the best team at this tournament,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. “We are going to fight for it and we know what we have ahead of us, which is Germany.
“It is a well-known German machine. It will be a very close match, but we are very confident of our game.”