Wenger wants to keep ‘kids’; Jose wants to spend

Sarah Winterburn

WENGER WANTS TO KEEP HIS BRITISH KIDS
The greatest indication yet that nothing is going to change at Arsenal: Arsene Wenger wants to hand new contracts to Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs, saying: “We still have a group of young players but we have to keep them all. We have Ramsey, Chamberlain, Wilshere, Gibbs. All these players, we have to make decisions and manage to keep them together.

“I personally think it is vital that Chamberlain stays at Arsenal.”

Firstly, it’s important to note that Gibbs is now 27; that is not young for a footballer.

Secondly, the four players he mentions (poor Carl Jenkinson, by the way) started a total of 22 Premier League games for Arsenal this season.

 

MAN UNITED TO SPEND BIG AGAIN
We have heard this before, of course, but this is straight from the chequebook manager’s mouth. Despite spending just shy of £150m last summer, Jose Mourinho wants more. The Manchester Evening News are predicting four signings – a striker, two central midfielders and a defender.

“What we have now is not bad at all but if you ask me how far we are from having the team I want, it’s far,” Mourinho said. “Very far. We had just one transfer window. We didn’t use the second one. We need a transfer window again. Definitely we need to improve, in terms of our squad.”

Names mentioned by the MEN are Antoine Griezmann (though that looks unlikely if they fail to reach the Champions League), Romelu Lukaku, Andrea Belotti, Victor Lindelof and Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.

 

AND THE REST
Chelsea are interested in signing Pepe when the 34-year-old centre-back’s contract at Real Madrid expires at the end of the season…Mamadou Sakho says he would be happy to play for Liverpool again…Leicester are interested in adding Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham to their squad next season…Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will cut a deal with former employers Juventus for the transfer of Juan Cuadrado after an extended loan spell.