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An injury setback has ruled England captain Leah Williamson out of Arsenal's huge Women's Super League clash with Manchester United on Saturday.

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• Williamson ruled out of Man Utd clash
• Arsenal star suffered 'minor' hamstring injury
• Ilestedt also absent due to illness

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Williamson recently returned from nine months out after rupturing her ACL, making her comeback in a cup fixture with Reading in January. However, despite starting for Arsenal in their FA Cup defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, she wasn't fit for the massive meeting with Man Utd on Saturday, ruled out because of a hamstring problem.

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• WHAT EIDEVALL SAID

  Speaking to Sky Sports before the game, Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall said of Williamson: "[It's a] minor injury, really unfortunate, but it keeps her away from this fixture here."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Williamson wasn't the only absentee for Arsenal, with fellow centre-back Amanda Ilestedt also ruled out of the game due to illness. It meant that Laia Codina was named to the starting XI for just the third time in the WSL this season, alongside England international Lotte Wubben-Moy.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Williamson was one of four players to suffer a devastating ACL injury at Arsenal last season, along with Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Laura Wienroither. After making her initial comeback before Christmas, Miedema returned to the Gunners' matchday squad for Saturday's game following a knee irritation.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has insisted he is happy at the club despite reports linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.

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• Fernandes focussed on United and Portugal
• PIF wants Reds captain
• United have made poor start to season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United captain Fernandes is reportedly wanted by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), owners of four Saudi Pro League sides. Despite being United captain, the midfielder's performances and attitude have attracted criticism over the past year. However, the 29-year-old has poured water on rumours he could leave Old Trafford.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January, several big names have joined the Saudi project. Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez and Neymar all left top European clubs, while younger stars like Ruben Neves and Gabri Veiga took the plunge too. Fernandes and United have endured a poor start to the season, but for the time being he remains committed to Erik ten Hag's project.

• WHAT BRUNO FERNANDES SAID

  Speaking to Sport TV, Fernandes said: "I’m focusing on the national team and United. I’m happy where I am. In the national team, we had some very good times, at Manchester United we didn’t start the way we wanted. I don’t look at rumours. I don’t pay attention to them. Today, it’s very easy to spread rumours in the press. I prefer to concentrate on my goals."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BRUNO FERNANDES?

  Only time will tell how strong Fernandes' commitment to United is. His contract expires in 2026, by which time he will be 31. If United continue to struggle to keep up with the top teams in Europe, then the Portuguese star may decide to cut his losses and join the Saudi project.

It took Deportivo Alaves just 17 seconds to break the deadlock against Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday.

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• Alaves took the lead against Barcelona after 17 seconds
• Samu Omorodion broke the deadlock
• Barcelona seven points behind Real Madrid

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona conceded just 17 seconds after kick-off as Alaves forward Samu Omorodion broke the deadlock. Ilkay Gundogan gave away possession cheaply to Jon Guridi, who initiated a run from his own half before finding Javi Lopez with a pass. Lopez then squared the ball for an unmarked Omorodion, and he casually pushed the ball into the net.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Omorodion could have doubled his team's lead in the 31st minute when he found himself one-on-one with Marc-Andre ter Stegen after he received a pass from Guridi, but the striker blasted the ball over the crossbar.

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  WHAT'S NEXT?

  The Catalan giants bounced back with a brace from Robert Lewandowski to turn the match around in the second half. Barca will be back in action against Rayo Vallecano after the international break.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts believes that Mauricio Pochettino did well to manoeuvre himself so he earned a new contract from PSG amid interest from the north London club.

Spurs opened talks with the Argentine over a potentially sensational return to the club, just 18 months after sacking him and replacing him with Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho was sacked by Spurs in April and the club have been searching for a new boss ever since.

PSG showed no signs of allowing Pochettino to leave and they actually triggered a clause in his contract, tying him to the club for another year.

Roberts thinks that may well have been the plan for Pochettino all along, and he was impressed with the tactics shown by the former Spurs and Southampton boss.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Roberts said: “I think Pochettino was very clever with what he did, getting another year extension on his contract in Paris. In them big clubs, if you don’t win the Champions League or win the league that you’re in, you usually get sacked after a year or 18 months.

“So he’s got another two years now, they’d have to pay him if he leaves there so he’s done very, very well to get that one. I suppose I am saying that it worked in his favour.”

Tottenham’s search for a new manager has turned into a right mess. After coming close to appointing Paulo Fonseca and then Gennaro Gattuso, the north London club have ended up with neither.

JJ Watt has joked about making a cheeky bid to take Lionel Messi to Burnley, with the NFL legend “waiting to hear back” from the Argentine icon.

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• Argentine icon in the United States
• Season about to come to a close
• Winter loan move speculated on

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A return to European football is being speculated on for Messi as Inter Miami are destined to miss out on a place in the 2023 MLS play-offs. His season in America will come to an end on October 21 – with it possible that he has already played his last minutes of the campaign at club level.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona have been heavily linked with a move to return Messi to Camp Nou on a short-term loan – which would allow the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to get competitive minutes during the MLS off season – but a deal there appears unlikely at this stage.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Watt has suggested that he is ready to join the clamour for Messi’s signature, with the former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star – who is now an investor at Burnley – telling the on ESPN when it was put to him that he should “get Messi, Dr Ryan Reynolds knows how to do it”: “Yeah I gave him a call. Still waiting to hear back…”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Burnley are in need of inspiration from somewhere after picking up just one win and four points through eight games this season, but Watt believes they will emerge victorious next time out against Brentford on October 21 – with the 34-year-old ready to fly out for the game. He added when asked where Burnley’s next win is coming from: “Next week, on Saturday, is what we're looking at, man. I'm considering flying over just for the game and then flying back. I have an itch to get out there, man.”

Wrexham will be hoping to take advantage of the turmoil at Bradford and Gillingham, with fellow League Two promotion hopefuls sacking their managers.

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• Bradford part company with Hughes
• Gillingham bid farewell to Harris
• Dragons favour stability

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester United legend Mark Hughes has been relieved of his duties at Valley Parade, while Neil Harris is no longer calling the shots at Priestfield. Both bosses have paid the price for failing to live up to pre-season expectations.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gillingham are two points better off than Wrexham – sitting just outside the fourth tier play-off places in eighth – but have taken just one point from their last three games. The Gills claim that they are looking to move in a “different direction” – leaving Harris out of a job after 20 months in their dugout.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Hughes, meanwhile, has been ushered out of the exits at Bradford after seeing the Bantams slip to 18th in the League Two standings. They have won just three of their 11 games this season, despite making the play-offs last season and being tipped by many to complete with the likes of Wrexham for promotion into League One in 2023-24.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continue to show complete faith in Phil Parkinson, after seeing him guide the Dragons to a record-breaking promotion back into the Football League, and he is being backed to address issues that have seen the Welsh outfit concede 23 goals through 11 league games.

Writing on Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has made an eight-word West Ham transfer claim involving 2020/2021 loanee sensation Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: Lingard wows…

The Englishman, signing on a temporary deal from Manchester United for the second half of 2020/2021, set the world alight under manager David Moyes.

Over 16 Premier League appearances for the club, Lingard bagged a brilliant nine goals and four assists whilst averaging more efforts on goal than any West Ham man (WhoScored).

As a result, reports have heavily linked the 28-year-old with a permanent move to the London Stadium and West Ham are believed to have set it out as a goal for this summer.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee makes eight-word claim

Writing on social media, the club insider responded to a fan question asking if West Ham had dropped their interest in the Red Devils ace going by what he had read about them making an approach for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news/” title=”West Ham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Making an eight-word claim, Ex stated: “Nope Jesse is still the number one priority”.

The Verdict: Music to the ears of supporters…

Lauded as ‘absolutely phenomenal’ by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham during his exceptional spell at West Ham, it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

It is arguably crucial that the Hammers manage to complete a deal for Lingard and it would certainly be one of the best buys of the summer judging by his 2020/2021 campaign with the club.

ExWHUemployee’s claim that he is still a number one priority for West Ham should come as music to the ears of supporters.

In other news: West Ham in talks to finalise agreement for 24 y/o after extensive discussions, find out more here.

The Red Devils have not made a serious bid for the Premier League since 2013 but after a satisfying transfer window they have no excuses left

Last season was an uplifting campaign for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag led a dishevelled team out of the darkness of their worst ever Premier League season and towards a bright new future. The Dutchman immediately secured a return to the Champions League by leading United to third in the league, beating all their major rivals at least once.

He also delivered a first major trophy in six years by lifting the Carabao Cup and led his team to the FA Cup final. There was also an exciting Europa League campaign and a night to savour when they knocked out Barcelona. Ten Hag has certainly got United heading towards where they want to be.

They are not there yet, however, as demonstrated by a series of harrowing defeats last season to Sevilla, Manchester City, Brentford, and the 7-0 thrashing by Liverpool. Now, they need to take the next step, which means making a serious challenge for the Premier League title. United have not made a proper push for the league since they last won it in 2013 and last season their faint hopes of catching Arsenal and City ended in January.

Ten Hag has got all the targets he wanted after signing Mason Mount,Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana for £165 million ($209m). He has been given the authority to revamp the squad, urging the club to make a U-turn on David de Gea's contract and cutting their losses on Harry Maguire.

Now it's up to him to lead the club back to where they truly belong, which is winning the biggest trophies. The Carabao Cup will not suffice this season, and it's time for United to go all out to win a first Premier League title in 11 years and make a real statement in the Champions League.

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  Realistic expectations

  Ten Hag has played down talk of winning the title and does not want to raise expectations too much, despite another big summer of spending. Given City's recent hegemony and the transfer activities of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle, another top-four finish, while getting to another Cup final, would be seen as a good season on the domestic front.

  But it is also important how the season goes. Bowing out of any title race early on and then scraping fourth would not be enough. While overhauling City might be too much of an ask, United should at least push Guardiola's side as much as they can and remain in the race until March or April.

  The Red Devils should also be aiming to go deep in the Champions League. They have not reached the semi-finals since 2011 and only hurdled the last-16 stage twice since then. Getting into the last eight is a must.

  Turning to the players, even more will be expected of Marcus Rashford after scoring 30 goals last season. He might struggle to match that tally but there is hope that the new signings will ease the goalscoring burden on the England striker. It will also be a big season for Alejandro Garnacho, who had a stunning breakthrough last year.

  The Argentine was a superb impact substitute, scoring against Wolves, Fulham, Leeds and West Ham from the bench and almost finding an equaliser in the FA Cup final. Now the challenge is for him to be as effective when he starts games and to try and hold down a starting position.

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  Best-case scenario

  Whisper it quietly, but United could win the Premier League. Last year they were playing catch-up after a dreadful start but if they can get off on the right foot and build confidence early, then they have a chance.

  Pep Guardiola's side may be treble winners but they have lost two players who were crucial to that success, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, and it will be difficult to maintain the squad's hunger after winning practically everything.

  Ten Hag has had more than a year to assess his squad, has made big changes such as getting rid of David de Gea and Harry Maguire, and got the transfer targets he wanted. And previous signings such as Tyrell Malacia and Antony should improve in their second year with the team. Winning the title might not be likely, but it is possible.

  Winning the Champions League is likely to be a bridge too far, though, as United are not yet on the level of the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and would struggle in a two-legged tie with City. But getting to the quarter-finals, provided they get a kind draw, is more than doable.

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  Worst-case scenario

  Failing to finish in the top-four would be a disaster for United after the summer they have had and all the progress they made last season. But it is entirely possible.

  They are far from the only top team to have spent big over the summer. Liverpool have also made a big statement in the transfer market, landing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and the exciting Dominik Szoboszlai, while they are set to further bolster their midfield. They will be determined to return to the top four, as will Chelsea.

  Newcastle will want to prove they are here to stay after qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, while Arsenal look set to build on their thrilling last campaign after signing Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and David Raya, spending over £230m ($291m).

  Since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have only once managed to secure back-to-back top-four finishes. A promising campaign has often been followed by a disappointing one. It could well happen again.

  Failing to get out of the Champions League group stage would also be hard to swallow but also can't be ruled out, given that Ten Hag's side will not be seeded in the draw.

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  The MVP

  After having one of their worst years of his career and experiencing a serious drop in confidence after shoulder surgery, Marcus Rashford turned into the player he had always threatened to be last season. The striker scored 30 goals in a season for the first time and for much of the campaign carried the team on his back.

  Rashford has been well rewarded for turning his United career around and is now the the club's highest-paid player. That will bring extra scrutiny and pressure but he has proven before that he can cope with that.

  He had to play at centre-forward for several spells last season due to Anthony Martial's injuries and Wout Weghorst's ineffectiveness and although he is due to start the campaign in the role due to Rasmus Hojlund being injured, he will be able to return to his favoured position on the left of the attack when the Dane returns.

Lyon's players were given a brutal on-field dressing down by their own fans after a humbling 4-1 defeat to rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

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• Mbappe steals the show
• Home side bottom of Ligue 1
• Fans make feelings known

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  That setback, which came on home soil, has dropped the seven-time champions of French football to the foot of the Ligue 1 table. Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace against them on Sunday, with Achraf Hakimi and Marco Asensio also hitting the back of the net.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Corentin Tolisso’s second-half penalty proved to be little consolation for Lyon as they reflect on taking one point from a possible 12 at the start of the 2023-24 campaign. Lyon’s players stood in front of the famous Virage Nord at the Groupama Stadium after suffering another heavy loss, with the Bad Gones ultras group making their feelings clear to those that are underperforming on the field.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  One of the ultras leaders addressed the Lyon squad through a megaphone, saying: “To the Olympique Lyonnais 2023-2024 squad, this message is addressed to you. To those who assume the status of dressing-room leaders, the message is clear: If there are leaders in this dressing room, they no longer have the right to remain silent. You're wearing the Olympique Lyonnais jersey. You're the ones who wear the Olympique Lyon jersey. Others before you have worn it, glorified it. You don't have the right to tarnish it. Now that the transfer window is over, the squad is here. All we ask is to be by your side.

  “But to do that, you're going to have to earn it. We love and respect this shirt. There's only one other thing we ask: to sing your names. Sing them with love, not like we sang the names of the little *******. who have left our club in the last six months. We want to sing your names with respect, with love. Because we know you play with love. But we expect you guys to respect our jersey, and if we have to take our losses to do so with our heads held high. Go OL.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Lyon will be back in action next Sunday when playing host to Le Havre, with head coach Laurent Blanc – who has won just 17 of his 37 games the helm – already under mounting pressure as he fights to keep his job.

Aston Villa fan favourite John McGinn is gearing up for an exciting summer at the European Championships with Scotland [BBC].

A star player for club and country, the Glasgow-born midfielder has wowed the Villa Park faithful once again this season with his tenacious performances.

Almost ever present for the Lions in 2020/21, McGinn featured in all but one of Aston Villa’s top-flight fixtures this term [Transfermarkt]. Within that time, the centre-midfielder was able to record an impressive eight goal contributions – three goals and six assists.

Getting through a ton of work in the middle of the park, it is hardly surprising that the Aston Villa supporters cannot wait to see McGinn again on the international stage this summer.

Sure to be an integral part of Steve Clarke’s Tartan Army, loads of Villa fans took to Twitter to show their excitement towards his prospective involvement after the club shared images of him donning the Scotland kit.

Aston Villa fans react to exciting McGinn images

“Ginny to score the winner vs England”

Credit: @AVFCFaithful_

“Mcginn to score first but England win 2-1. You heard it here first.”

Credit: @at_villa

“Wow so proud. Villa have awesome players x”

Credit: @mrsessex48

“What a man, what a player”

Credit: @AvfcPearson

“Not gonna lie, if he scores against England, I might go wild”

Credit: @York_Villa

“Gew on meatball all the very best.”
Credit: @wst1975

In other news, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is stalling on a potential transfer pursuit.