Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard welcomes the increased competition within the squad – highlighted by manager Mikel Arteta now choosing to rotate his two goalkeepers – as he believes it will make them stronger.

David Raya, who signed on loan from Brentford and on whom the Gunners have a £27million option to buy, made his debut in the 1-0 victory at Goodison Park, which extended their unbeaten start to five matches.

It means England international Aaron Ramsdale’s position as established number one is likely to be challenged over the coming weeks, but Odegaard said that principle should apply to the whole squad.

The GK union

— Arsenal (@Arsenal)

That was evident as Leandro Trossard came off the bench for the injured Gabriel Martinelli to s…

Long gone are the days when Arsenal attracted the world s best talents, it seems, as the Gunners are reportedly set to miss out on one of their primary targets to Aston Villa.

Emi Buendia is, according to widespread reports, about to join Aston Villa from Norwich City in a deal worth in the region of £35million, a club-record purchase and sale for the two teams.

Arsenal have been linked with numerous players to fill a creative void, with Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos returning to Real Madrid after their respective loan spells.

Buendia had seemingly emerged as an attainable option for the Gunners, with the Argentinian – who recently received his first senior international call-up – always likely to leave Carrow Road after playing a major role in their r…

Market: Wrexham half-time/full-time

Odds: 19/20 @

Two sides who are firmly battling it out at opposite ends of the National League table, Wrexham will welcome Dover to the Racecourse Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, last seen earlier in the week putting in another eye-catching display as they stormed their way to a 3-1 win at home against Halifax, Wrexham are enjoying a real purple patch. Appearing to cruise their way to a play-off spot this season, Phil Parkinson s side are remarkably unbeaten in each of their last nine outings on the spin, recording eight victories. Undoubtedly handing a golden chance at the Racecourse Ground this weekend, the Welsh outfit have really continued to shine with their displays in the final third. With the cha…

Tottenham are back in the Champions League for the first time since the 2010-11 season and to mark the occasion full-back Kyle Walker displayed his vocal talents with an attempt at the competition s famous anthem.

There was one drawback, though, namely that the England international was none too familiar with the words.

Walker managed to fluff his way through the video, which was posted on Tottenham s official Twitter account, with plenty of humming and blasting out THE CHAMPIONS with gusto.

We don t have rights to use the music so we asked to give it a go

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

But if the 26-year-old ever fancies another crack at taking on the musical challenge, he has been aided by the official Champions League account, whic…

Former Inter star Diego Milito believes Mauro Icardi is on a par with Juventus forward Gonzalo Higuain.

The two sides met in the Derby d Italia on Sunday, with Icardi on the scoresheet as Inter ran out surprise 2-1 winners, while Higuain had to settle for a place on the visitors bench at San Siro.

Milito, who won the Champions League with the Nerazzurri in 2010, was surprised at omission of Juve s record signing and holds Icardi in similarly high regard.

[Massimiliano] Allegri will have had his reasons, but I was very surprised when I saw Pipa [Higuain] on the bench, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

But Icardi is worth the same as Higuain. For the title of top-scorer [in Serie A], I see a fight between the two of them.

Icardi had netted all fou…

Turkish giants Trabzonspor seem to be closing in on Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, the player s agent has confirmed.

Even with the Netherlands star still a very important player for the club, HSV seem ready to offload their prized asset, mostly because his deal is due to expire in a year s time.

And while van der Vaart rejected an opportunity to return to Ajax earlier this summer, he could be joining Turkish side Trabzonspor.

His agent Robert Geerlings has moved to confirm reports that his client is in talks with the Super Lig club.

“We are speaking to the club,” Gerlings confessed to NTVSpor.

This will be the second time the experienced midfielder leaves the Red Shorts, having quit HSV to join Real Madrid back in 2008.

Aft…

Arsenal are interested in signing Ousmane Dembele from Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to . Dembele is struggling to make an impact at PSG at the moment following his move from Barcelona for £50 million in the summer of 2023, and Arsenal are among the clubs keeping tabs on the 26-year-old France international winger.

Dembele has made four starts and one substitute appearance in Ligue 1 for PSG so far this season. The 26-year-old forward has given one assist in those games. The Frenchman has also played once in the UEFA Champions League for Luis Enrique’s side so far this campaign.

Arsenal are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with 14 points from six matches, four points behind leaders and defending champions Manchester City…

Giovanni Simeone netted twice to help Genoa to a shock 3-1 win over leaders Juventus in Sunday s Serie A encounter at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

The Argentine had failed to score in his last six league outings, but rediscovered his touch as Juve suffered a nightmare opening half an hour during which they conceded three times and left themselves too much to do.

Simeone opened the scoring after just three minutes with a finish from close range, doubling his tally shortly after with a glancing header.

An own goal from Alex Sandro then all but put the match to bed as Genoa claimed their second big scalp of the campaign, having trounced AC Milan 3-0 at home last month.

Miralem Pjanic netted a fine consolation free-kick with eight minutes remaining, but the…

Kosovo failed to mark their first FIFA-recognised international appearance with a win so they will be eager to surprise Turkey on Wednesday.

The world governing body failed to recognise the Balkan state until their lobbying paid off and they finally made their competitive bow against Haiti in March.

That clash at the Olympic Stadium Adem Jashari in Mitrovica ended goalless, so coach Albert Bunjaki, who was appointed in July 2009, will be hoping to mastermind the nation s first competitive victory at the same ground on Wednesday.

Bunjaki, the youngest coach of his country when he was appointed as Edmond Rugova s successor in 2009, will be hoping the clash is his finest hour.

Neither side will feature in the upcoming FIFA World Cup finals, but Kosovo could make the…

Sebastian Giovinco criticised Toronto for an unacceptable contract offer and insists he did not join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal for financial reasons. 

The Italy international hit 83 goals and provided 64 assists in 142 games in all competitions for Toronto, whose president Bill Manning described the forward as the club s greatest ever player on his departure. 

But Giovinco, who joined Toronto from Juventus in 2015, has used social media to explosively hit out at the club following his exit.

They may say I left for a more lucrative deal, but this is not the case, the 2015 MLS MVP wrote on Instagram.  

Their offer and lack of transparency is a clear message. It seems management prefers to focus on things other than the pure desire to win. …