Rumour reel: Ozil will commit to The Gunners
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German expected to sign a new contract
So, the first Saturday of the English Premier League season is now in the books and, as expected, we weren’t short of drama. There’s more to come this afternoon, with Super Sunday giving us Newcastle vs Tottenham and Man Utd vs West Ham. You can place your bets on the outcome of those matches at Coral.
With the curtain up, and the bulk of managers getting a good look at how their sides are shaping up – what works and what they still need to improve on – time is running out to get sorted in the transfer market. Flicking through the Sunday papers, we bring you the best of the rumours doing the rounds…..
Ozil ready to re-sign at Arsenal
Starting at the Emirates and Mesut Ozil, who couldn’t get out of Arsenal fast enough at the end of last season, is now said to be on the verge of signing a new deal at The Gunners. We told you earlier this week that Arsene Wenger was preparing to throw money at another contract rebel in Alexis Sanchez, offering £300,000-a-week to get him to commit to the rebuilding job, and they’ll now try to win over Ozil with the universal language of hard cash. 28-year-old German Mesut will be offered £225,000-a-week to stay where he is, making him one of the highest paid players in the English top-flight. He’s in the last year of his contract, but employer and employee seem to have finally reached an agreement. Fans will demand the club get their money’s worth.
Celtic target left out of squad
Celtic manager Brendan Rogers has spent his summer chasing Manchester City player Patrick Roberts, and made the 20-year-old Englishman his number one transfer target. The talented winger impressed during an 18-month loan deal at Parkhead, and The Bhoys want to bring him back, either permanently, or on another long-term loan. He shouldn’t be any great loss to The Citizens, certainly in the short-term, and was left out of the squad to face Brighton on Saturday. Does that pave the way for a return to last season’s treble winners? We’ll find out soon enough. Celtic are also said to be interested in South African defender Rivaldo Coetzee, according to newspaper reports in his homeland.
Newcastle and West Ham want Spaniard
Premier League duo Newcastle and West Ham are set to battle it out for a player from the Championship. Brentford midfielder Jota spent much of last season on loan at Eibar, and was a target for then Rangers manager Mark Warburton in Glasgow earlier this year, but since returning to Griffin Park the Spaniard has done nothing but impress, both his current employers, and managers from the level above. 26-year-old Jota played for Real Madrid B and Celta Vigo, as well as The Bees, and only has a year left on his contract, meaning Brentford will be eager to get things sorted sooner rather than later. Rafa Benitez is said to be at the front of the queue, and he too is in a bit of a rush.
