Football news LIVE - Arsenal to let seven leave, Ozil makes Ronaldo claim

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Record-breaker Ibrahimovic upstaged by Lukaku

Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke Dino Zoff’s 30-year record as the oldest player to feature in Euros qualifying on Friday night.

But the Swede, at 41 years and 172 days old, was completely upstaged by another scoring legend in Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku in Stockholm who hit a superb hat-trick.

Ibrahimovic, who last week became the oldest scorer ever in Serie A for AC Milan, was thrown in off the bench after 73 minutes with his side two goals behind.

And those goals both came from Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea at Inter Milan, with his 69th and 70th goals for the Red Devils.

And late on he took that tally to 71 to hand new coach Domenico Tedesco a huge win for his first game in charge.

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Mbappe shows leadership qualities

France captain Kylian Mbappe ushered in a new era for his country by inspiring them to victory against the Netherlands on Friday.

World Cup hero wants Man Utd move as doubts over Harry Maguire's future grow

Mbappe, 24, was confirmed as France's new skipper earlier this week following Hugo Lloris' retirement from international football. The Paris Saint-Germain star was chosen to lead his nation after delivering an inspirational team talk at the World Cup in Qatar.

Mbappe marked the occasion by scoring a brace in France's 4-0 demolition of the Dutch - handing Didier Deschamps' side the perfect start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. The Euros is the one major international honour missing from Mbappe's cabinet.

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Neville continues Agbonlahor spat

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville has hit back at fellow pundit Gabby Agbonlahor after recent comments from the ex-Aston Villa man.

Agbonlahor, who played more than 300 Premier League games for Villa and won three senior England caps, has targeted a number of current and former footballers in his role as a talkSPORT pundit. Even ex-Man Utd captain Roy Keane hasn't been safe from the 36-year-old's barbs, while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been a regular target.

Neville and Keane discussed their fellow pundit during a live episode of The Overlap in Dublin. It didn't end there, though, with Agbonlahor quickly firing back and refusing to let the former Man Utd duo have the last word.

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Zinchenko's Arteta admission

Oleksandr Zinchenko has admitted he broke down when Mikel Arteta left Manchester City to take on the role of Arsenal manager in December 2019.

Zinchenko has been nothing short of remarkable since making the move from City to Arsenal last summer and that is in large part due to Gunners boss Arteta. The Spaniard made the same move three years prior, in late 2019, when Arteta left his post as Pep Guardiola's assistant to take the reins at the Emirates.

It has since emerged that Zinchenko and Arteta struck up quite the relationship while the pair were at the Etihad together, with the former conceding he could barely contain his emotion after he found out the latter was taking on a new challenge away from Manchester.

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Champions League streaker now pilots helicopters

The infamous streaker from the 2019 Champions League final has become a helicopter pilot after turning her back on the 'Vitaly Uncensored' porn website.

Kinsey Wolanski hit the headlines almost four years ago, when she streaked during Liverpool's 2-0 victory against Tottenham in Madrid. The stunt made her an internet sensation, as she now boasts 3.6 million followers on Instagram and three million on TikTok.

Wolanski, who describes herself as a "professional stuntwoman", has posted a video of herself flying a helicopter for her social media followers to observe. It took her around 18 months to get her pilot's license - describing the process as "challenging but rewarding".

Read the full story here

Nagelsmann's Spurs link

As Tottenham eye talks with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, it has been claimed the German once owned a Spurs shirt.

Nagelsmann has found himself on the lookout for a new job after being sacked by Bayern despite their impressive Champions League form. The reigning Bundesliga champions won all six group games before eliminating Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, but have fallen off top spot in the league.

Spurs currently have an incumbent manager, in the form of Antonio Conte, but the Italian is not expected to remain in north London beyond the end of the season. Conte could depart sooner, in which case Nagelsmann would be a popular choice with fans hopeful of seeing their team remain in the top four picture.

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EXCLUSIVE: Zilliacus explains Man Utd plans

Thomas Zilliacus admits that he does not have the wealth of Sheikh Jassim but the Finnish entrepreneur insists that his bid to buy Manchester United is “serious and credible.”

In an exclusive interview with Mirror Football, the former Nokia executive has further outlined his fan-led vision for the club post-Glazers amid a warning that a bidding war will give the incumbents exactly what they desire.

"I'm not as wealthy as Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe but I'm wealthy enough to place a serious and credible bid,” the 69-year-old said. “It’s not with my own money only but together with other parties, other investors, who would like to join me. If we don't reach the total number then maybe with money from third parties. I believe we can do it by bringing fans together and not bringing in any external financing.”

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Alexis Sanchez makes brutal Man City claim

Alexis Sanchez believes he would have won the Champions League with Manchester City if he turned down Manchester United, claiming he would have "done something" in a final.

Sanchez, 34, joined the Red Devils from Arsenal in January 2018 after rejecting the chance to sign for Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. The Chile international was expected to join City and surprised English football when he accepted an offer from United instead.

Sanchez endured a difficult 18-month spell at Old Trafford before joining Inter Milan, initially on loan, in August 2019. The forward insists he does not regret choosing United over City, but his Champions League quip suggests a gulf in quality between the two teams. United have not reached the semi-finals of UEFA's premier club competition since 2011.

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Robbie Savage makes Macclesfield promise

Saturday is Non-League Day – please support your local semi-professional or grassroots team and help to nourish football's feeder system.

But a storm is brewing because of major changes to non-league players' contracts, and at Macclesfield we have made a stand which other clubs, hopefully, will follow. As I understand it, this change comes into effect for contracts with the FA from July 2023 - but there is so much disquiet among players at National League level and below that there is even talk of strike action.

Wow – after a winter where train drivers, nurses, ambulance staff, junior doctors and border control officers have resorted to industrial action, I didn't envisage footballers threatening to strike.

Read Robbie Savage's full column here

Premier League confirm fixture change

Prem bosses have confirmed only one top flight game in London will go ahead on the day of King Charles III’’s coronation.

Tottenham’s home game with Crystal Palace will be played on Saturday, May 6, with all of the other games shifted.

Manchester United’s trip to West Ham have been moved to Sunday May 7 at 7pm as the Premier League look to give clubs in Europe as much time as possible around UEFA competitions as they could both be involved in European semi finals.

Fulham will play Leicester at 3pm on the Bank Holiday Monday after the Board gave them special permission to shift the game as there were so many Royal events planned within the vicinity of Craven Cottage that weekend.

EXCLUSIVE: Zilliacus slams rival Man Utd bidders

Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus has rejected suggestions that his offer to buy Manchester United is a publicity stunt and sensationally revealed that he has told Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe he wants to join forces to split ownership of the club into three portions.

On Thursday former Nokia chief Ziliacus, 69, announced that he had submitted an offer which would place supporters front and centre.

Rival bids immediately played down the seriousness of his offer, which was submitted to the bank overseeing the potential sale on behalf of the Glazer family on Wednesday before the initial deadline.

Read the full story here

Elland road evacuated

Leeds United's Elland Road stadium has been evacuated and closed on police advice after reports of a "security threat".

A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident, which was reported on Thursday night. The Premier League club confirmed various parts of the stadium, including the club shop and ticket office, have remained closed following advice from the authoriites.

"Leeds United’s offices, ticket office, Foundation offices and club shop at Elland Road will be closed until further notice on the advice of the police," a club statement read. "We apologise for any inconvenience and we will inform the public when normal service resumes."

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Arsenal ready to sell seven

Arsenal record signing Nicolas Pepe is one of seven players who could be in line for a summer exit.

Ivorian winger Pepe joined the Gunners from Lille in 2019, in a deal worth £72m. He scored just 16 goals in 80 league appearances for the club and was loaned out to Nice in the summer with his opportunities in north London limited by Bukayo Saka's impressive form on the right.

Arsenal are expected to take a big hit on the 27-year-old, who has six goals in Ligue 1 this season and two more in the Europa League. He isn't the only senior star at risk of an exit over the summer as the Premier League leaders prepare to freshen things up.

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Everton face potential points deduction

Everton have been charged by the Premier League for an alleged breach of financial fair play rules following a 10-month investigation into the club’s transfer spending.

Rules stipulate that clubs can lose a maximum of £105m across three years but last May Burnley and Leeds United wrote a joined letter to question whether rules had been breached.

Everton have recorded losses of £372m in the past three years, citing the coronavirus as a key reason, but the complaint from Burnley and Leeds prompted the Premier League to investigate. And they have now been charged with an alleged breached of the same rules champions Manchester City were charged with last month.

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Caulker blasts "scandalous" Wigan

Wigan defender Steven Caulker has hit out at the Championship club because his team-mates are yet to receive last month's wages.

Wigan, who won the FA Cup as a Premier League side just a decade ago, were deducted three points by the English Football League on Monday for failing to pay the players and other staff members on time. It is the fourth this has happened in the last nine months.

Caulker, who joined Wigan on a short-term deal in January, has criticised his employers for the "lies" his team-mates have been told. Wigan's players have been forced to go on strike - missing training on Friday - and it is unclear when they will return to work.

Read the full story here

Bayern explain Nagelsmann decision

Bayern Munich have sacked head coach Julian Nagelsmann and have immediately confirmed his replacement as ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

The news comes as quite the surprise to many considering Nagelsmann had hardly overseen a dire period while at the helm of the Bundesliga titans, but Bayern's chief executive officer and former player Oliver Kahn has laid bare the reasons behind why the club felt they needed to go in a different direction and dismiss the 35-year-old from his post.

In a statement released by the Bavarian giants that both declared Nagelsmann's departure and announced Tuchel's arrival, Kahn cited the fact that Bayern have played less attractive football since club action resumed following the Qatar World Cup late last year.

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Bayern confirm Tuchel as new boss

Bayern Munich have officially confirmed Thomas Tuchel as their new manager.

The former Chelsea boss has succeeded Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked following Bayern's 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, at the Allianz Arena. It was a harsh decision to axe the 35-year-old, as Bayern are still going strong in the Champions League. They face Premier League holders Manchester City in the quarter-finals next month.

It is Tuchel's first job in management since he was dismissed by Chelsea in September. The Champions League winner, who has previously coached the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, is one of the most admired managers in Europe after winning silverware in three different countries.

Read the full story here

EXCLUSIVE: Non-league captains slam 'joke' plan

The captains of all 24 National League clubs have signed a letter demanding action on the new non-league contracts.

Non-league players have been left furious after plans were revealed to impose a new standard contract which has caused huge uproar. Under the new contracts, clubs will only have to pay injured players in full for a minimum of 12 weeks. Clubs can then reduce wages to statutory sick pay - £99.35 a week - until they are fit, or up to 28 weeks.

They will also be able to serve notice on players in what is seen as a major threat to earnings and security of non-league players and has led to calls for a player strike.

Read the full story here

Ozil gives Messi v Ronaldo verdict

It is a question that comes to everyone involved in football at least once in your career, or in Mesut Ozil's case twice.

The talented German international recently called time on his stint in the game following a dazzling career which included a La Liga title with Real Madrid, four FA Cups while at Arsenal and of course the World Cup with Germany in 2014.

But for many there would only be one thing they would have wanted to know: Who does he think is better, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?

Ozil played for three years alongside Ronaldo in Madrid, with the pair crucial to winning that league title under Jose Mourinho in 2012.

Read the full story here

Trossard makes Arsenal admission

Leandro Trossard has admitted that he is surprised at how much he has played for Arsenal since completing his £27million January switch.

The versatile Belgian forward, 28, joined the Gunners from Brighton after the Londoners failed to strike a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for their primary target, Mykhaylo Mudryk. But while Mudryk has failed to shine since signing for Chelsea in a blockbuster £87m deal, Trossard has gone on to make a major impression at the Emirates.

While deputising for the injured Eddie Nketiah as a false nine in recent weeks, Trossard has scored once and clocked up six assists to keep the Gunners' title bid on track - including a remarkable hat-trick of assists in the comprehensive 3-0 win over Fulham earlier this month.

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Foster makes Wrexham admission

Ben Foster has insisted he is only earning "peanuts" at Wrexham after coming out of retirement to join the National League leaders.

The goalkeeper left Watford at the end of last season and went into retirement, despite being linked with moves to Newcastle and Tottenham. But the 39-year-old has now reversed course to join Phil Parkinson's title-chasing side.

Read what he had to say here

Trossard admits to Arsenal "surprise"

Leandro Trossard has admitted that he is surprised at how much he has played for Arsenal since completing his £27million January switch.

The versatile Belgian forward, 28, joined the Gunners from Brighton after the Londoners failed to strike a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for their primary target, Mykhaylo Mudryk. But while Mudryk has failed to shine since signing for Chelsea in a blockbuster £87m deal, Trossard has gone on to make a major impression at the Emirates.

Read his thoughts in full here

Birmingham chaos rolls on

The clock is ticking at Birmingham City - whether it is counting down to salvation or oblivion - no-one knows.

But a day of reckoning will soon come at a club that has been battered from pillar to post - not just during this season - but for the majority of the past decade.

It’s three months now since golf bigwig Keith Pelley and former Microsoft salesman Jeremy Dale were unveiled as the latest hopefuls to step forward in the hope of wrestling control away from the Hong Kong-listed company that has dragged the Second City outfit to its knees.

Find out more here

Chelsea to host Ukraine benefit game

Chelsea have offered to host an American-style all-star match for Ukraine at Stamford Bridge in August.

Todd Boehly has provisionally agreed to allow Football for Ukraine to play a fund-raising match amid the ongoing troubles in the country, according to the Standard. This comes after Mykhaylo Mudryk made the big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January - with a portion of the fee being donated to help the war efforts.

Read the latest here

Odegaard hails Arteta

Martin Odegaard has lauded Mikel Arteta's remarkable attention to detail and believes that the Spaniard's meticulous methods have been the driving force behind his own sensational form.

Odegaard, 24, has played a key role in an Arsenal side that have emerged as unlikely title contenders under the guidance of Arteta this year. After a late implosion cost the Gunners a top-four finish last term, the Londoners have been the surprise package in the Premier League this season and are currently eight points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the domestic standings.

Read what he had to say here

Man Utd make Joao Felix u-turn

Manchester United have changed their tune on a deal for Joao Felix and are ready to launch a sensational summer swoop for his services if Chelsea decide against signing the on-loan Atletico Madrid ace on a permanent basis.

United were one of the Premier League clubs who were mulling over an approach for Felix back in the January transfer window but decided against firming up their interest in the wake of Atletico's mammoth demands, which included a staggering £10million loan fee.

Find out the full details here

Haaland's Dad offers injury update

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland is "touch and go" to face Liverpool after the international break, according to his father Alfie.

The 22-year-old pulled out of the Norway squad earlier this week for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Spain and Georgia due to a groin issue. Haaland had scored a whopping eight goals in two matches heading into the international period - but suffered an injury in the 6-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Find out more here

Messi risks PSG fan fury

Lionel Messi has risked harming his reputation at Paris Saint-Germain after he sung an anti-France song following Argentina's first game since winning the World Cup.

La Albiceleste claimed their third title back in December after beating France on penalties in Qatar. It was a frantic final which ended 3-3 after extra-time, but Messi's Argentina came out on top in the shootout.

Find out the details here

Spurs play role in Nagelsmann sacking

Bayern Munich made the decision to sack Julian Nagelsmann so they did not miss out on the services of Thomas Tuchel to Tottenham, it has been claimed.

The German giants made the decision to jettison the former RB Leipzig boss during the international break despite being just one point off the top of the Bundesliga and still in the Champions League. The decision to sack Nagelsmann brings to an end a near two-year spell for him at the Allianz Arena.

Find out more here