West Ham are closely monitoring Swansea City midfielder Azeem Abdulai, who has been described as the new Jude Bellingham according to reports.

The Hammers were busy in the summer as they overhauled the squad and prepared for life under Julen Lopetegui with a flurry of new signings.

The likes of Crysencio Summerville, Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all arrived at the London Stadium with the club aiming to get back into Europe this season.

West Ham after Abdulai

The Hammers haven’t had the best start to the season with just one win from their opening three Premier League games, with it likely to take time for all the new signings to gel.

The summer window may have only just slammed shut but already players are being linked with West Ham and TEAMtalk have reported the club are keeping an eye on Swansea midfielder Abdulai.

The 21-year-year-has enjoyed an impressive start to the Championship season with two goals in five appearances in all competitions.

The report adds that West Ham scouts along with their Bournemouth counterparts have been making regular checks on the midfielder.

Abdulai is a Scotland under-21 international and currently has two years left on his contract with the Swans.

The Swansea man has only made 16 appearances for the club after making his debut in the Carabao Cup in 2022.

TEAMtalk add that the Welsh side are aware of the increased interest in the midfielder and are looking to keep hold of him.

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However, they could face a tough task doing so and if Abdulai doesn’t want to extend his contract then the Swans really need to cash in as he will have 18 months left in January, and just a year next summer.

From a West Ham perspective it’s clear that James Ward Prowse isn’t part of the long term plans at the club after he was loaned to Nottingham Forest and they could be looking for a younger more talented option to compete for a place in midfield.

The post West Ham planning to sign 21-year-old powerhouse as Soucek replacement appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup has been made, with the likes of Newcastle United, West Ham United and Everton learning their fate.

After round one saw Championship, League One and League Two sides kick things off, we’ve reached the stage where the Premier League clubs not competing in European competition enter the tournament.

All-Premier League ties of Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle and West Ham vs Bournemouth are among the most eye-catching, while there are also some local derbies like Millwall vs Leyton Orient, Barnsley vs Sheffield United and Blackburn vs Blackpool.

Read on for the full Carabao Cup round two draw, with all ties to be played the week commencing August 26.

Carabao Cup draw

Northern section

Grimsby vs Sheffield Wednesday

Everton vs Doncaster

Blackburn vs Blackpool

Fleetwood vs Rotherham

Shrewsbury vs Bolton

Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle

Barrow vs Derby

Leicester vs Tranmere

Middlesbrough vs Stoke

Barnsley vs Sheffield United

Harrogate vs Preston

Walsall vs Huddersfield

Wolves vs Burnley

Southern section

Coventry vs Oxford United

Swansea vs Wycombe

AFC Wimbledon vs Ipswich

Birmingham vs Fulham

Watford vs Plymouth

West Ham vs Bournemouth

QPR vs Luton

Brighton vs Crawley

Crystal Palace vs Norwich

Cardiff vs Southampton

Millwall vs Leyton Orient

Colchester vs Brentford

The post Carabao Cup R2 draw: Newcastle, West Ham, Everton and other Premier League clubs learn their fate appeared first on CaughtOffside.

This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Charles Watts’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

Gabriel Magalhaes has been an absolute bargain and early talks have taken place over a new contract

There have been very early discussions between Arsenal and Gabriel Magalhaes’ representatives over a new contract. Nothing is close, with the focus for Arsenal right now purely on finishing the season and trying to win the Premier League. But the possibility of sitting down to start negotiations have been raised and I would expect those talks to start during the summer.

Edu has done superb work in ensuring that Arsenal’s talented young squad are all tied down to long-term deals, it’s something he sees as essential. It’s not just about protecting the club either. Yes, Arsenal want to know that their best talent are secured to long-term deals, but Edu is very big on ensuring players are rewarded for their performances and paid what they are worth. And in Gabriel, Arsenal have one of the very best defenders in the league.

He only signed his last deal a couple of years ago, so there is no rush in terms of how long he has left, but in those two years since signing he has developed into one of the best centre-backs around. William Saliba gets most of the headlines at Arsenal, but Gabriel has been equally as impressive this season. In fact, in my mind anyway, he has had the better season of the two. He has been one of the big recent success stories at Arsenal.

The deal to sign him from Lille for just £27m in 2020 has proven to be an absolute bargain. It could have been very different though because Gabriel almost ended up at Everton. He passed a medical ahead of a move to Goodison Park, only for the coronavirus pandemic to delay his switch to Merseyside. With football shut down, the transfer wasn’t finalised and just a few months later, Arsenal made their move and Gabriel opted for a switch to North London and has been an integral part of Arsenal’s rise back towards the top of English football ever since.

Fofana and Guimaraes linked with Arsenal, but what kind of midfielder do they need to complement Rice?

What Arsenal in terms of their midfield will be one of most interesting aspects of the upcoming summer window. They will certainly have to do some business, given there are doubts over the futures of both Thomas Partey and Jorginho, while the out of contract Mohamed Elneny will certainly leave.

They have been tracking Martin Zubimendi at Real Sociedad for a while now and he does have quite an attractive release clause, but it is far from clear whether he actually wants to leave Sociedad at this point and other clubs are also interested. So that might not be the easiest deal to do.

Several other names have been linked, including Youssouf Fofana – who is expected to leave Monaco. Fofana was great against Arsenal in the Emirates Cup last summer and I’m sure that performance would have made an impression on those at the Emirates, I’m not convinced that will mean they make a move for him, however. There is reported interest in Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle, who I think would be an excellent addition. But with a release clause of £100m that has to be activated between the end of May and the end of June, he feels a bit pricey to me.

The more I see of Declan Rice, I do think that Arsenal should focus on a No.6 this summer. That’s the position Declan Rice was signed to operate in, but in my mind he’s shown he has far too much to his game to have him just sitting in front of the back four. He can be so dynamic in the No.8 role and can be such a threat in the final third. The more I see of him playing there, the more I think that could be his long-term position. He’s taken to it so well and will only get better the more comfortable he gets playing there. So I’d be looking for a new No.6. Someone who can come in and play behind Rice – a new long-term successor to Thomas Partey.

Would Marcus Rashford transfer be worth the risk for Arsenal?

Marcus Rashford’s name seems to pop up now again on social media in connection with Arsenal. There’s not really been any links in terms of a transfer, but it seems to be a talking point amongst fans from time to time.

We’ll have to wait and see if his future lies away from Old Trafford, but if he does go, I don’t see Arsenal as a possible destination. He’s on big wages and I just don’t see Arsenal going near them. A forward who can play out wide is certainly a priority for Arsenal, but I don’t see that being Rashford.

Arteta has shown with the job he has done turning Kai Havertz around that he can revitalise careers that had seemingly started to stagnate and I have no doubt he could probably do that with someone like Rashford as well. But having said that, I just don’t see Rashford being worth the gamble.

I’d be surprised if Charlie Patino stayed at Arsenal this summer

I think Charlie Patino will leave for good this summer. It was very close to happening last summer. That was the plan at the start of the window, but as the window went on it was decided that he would be sent out on loan again.

Talks are planned for the end of the season, but I would be very surprised if Patino is still an Arsenal player when the summer window closes this time around. He will still have one year left on his deal and as far as I’m aware, a new one won’t be signed. So it just feels inevitable that he will leave on a permanent basis.

It will be a shame because he’s a big talent and maybe he could have been managed a bit better. There did feel like there was an opportunity to give him a bit more game time, or at least have him around the squad a bit more to see how could have handled the step up. The decision not to take him on the pre-season tour in 2022 was a strange one in my eyes and I’m not sure things ever really recovered from that.

He’s had a couple of years of Championship football since then with Blackpool and Swansea and things haven’t always gone smoothly for him on those loans, but they would have been great learning experiences for him and he’s clocked up a lot of playing time at a high standard. So the time feels right this summer for him to move on and really try and kickstart his career and that’s what I think will happen.

Havertz surpassing all expectations as Arsenal win crazy NLD

Sunday’s North London derby was just a crazy game. There can’t be a more chaotic game in the Premier League than Arsenal vs Spurs. It’s a game that always guarantees goals and talking points and Sunday was no different.

It was a really odd game, one that was quite hard to properly analyse. I didn’t think Arsenal were very good to be honest, especially in that first half, yet they went in to the break 3-0 in front. Then I thought Spurs were pretty poor in the second half, but they ended up getting themselves back to within one goal of Arteta’s side, although that was down to two ridiculous errors more than anything else.

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But for Arsenal, it was just about winning. The performance really doesn’t matter at this stage of the season. They just have to take care of their own business and hope someone takes points off Manchester City somewhere. And that’s what they did at Spurs. They went there under huge pressure and they got the job done.

I thought Kai Havertz was outstanding. It wasn’t just his goal, or his assist. It was his all round play in that No.9 role. He was exceptional all afternoon. It was a really impressive individual performance from a player who is now one of the key driving forces behind Arsenal’s title pursuit.

He’s delivering in the big moments at the business end of the season and no-one would have predicted that during those difficult couple of months at the start of his Arsenal career.

The post Arsenal transfer news: Talks over CB deal, Rashford Gunners links, midfield targets & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

It now looks inevitable that Charlie Patino will leave Arsenal this summer, according to journalist and transfer news expert Charles Watts.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his column for the Daily Briefing, Watts explained that there seems no doubt that Patino will now leave Arsenal permanently after a couple of loan spells, with there being no indication that he’s going to sign a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Watts admits it’s a shame not to see Patino get a run in Mikel Arteta’s first-team, and he feels it was a strange decision by the club not to give him a chance in pre-season in 2022, though it now perhaps makes sense for all parties to go their separate ways.

Patino has one year remaining on his Gunners contract, so the north London giants would do well to cash in on him while they can, though it’s not yet clear who his suitors will be.

Patino transfer: Latest on Arsenal midfielder’s future

“I think Charlie Patino will leave for good this summer. It was very close to happening last summer. That was the plan at the start of the window, but as the window went on it was decided that he would be sent out on loan again,” Watts said.

“Talks are planned for the end of the season, but I would be very surprised if Patino is still an Arsenal player when the summer window closes this time around. He will still have one year left on his deal and as far as I’m aware, a new one won’t be signed. So it just feels inevitable that he will leave on a permanent basis.

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“It will be a shame because he’s a big talent and maybe he could have been managed a bit better. There did feel like there was an opportunity to give him a bit more game time, or at least have him around the squad a bit more to see how could have handled the step up. The decision not to take him on the pre-season tour in 2022 was a strange one in my eyes and I’m not sure things ever really recovered from that.

“He’s had a couple of years of Championship football since then with Blackpool and Swansea and things haven’t always gone smoothly for him on those loans, but they would have been great learning experiences for him and he’s clocked up a lot of playing time at a high standard. So the time feels right this summer for him to move on and really try and kickstart his career.”

The post Exclusive: Arsenal ace’s exit “inevitable” as transfer expert highlights “strange” moment it went wrong for him appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal midfielder Charlie Patino could leave the club this summer as he is not currently in talks with the club over a new contract, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Patino has long been highly rated at the Emirates Stadium, and there’ll no doubt be some fans keen to see the youngster become the next homegrown talent to make it into the senior team after the rise of other academy stars like Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

Still, it seems Romano expects there could be a chance for Patino to leave permanently this summer after his spell on loan at Swansea City this term, with the transfer news expert admitting that there haven’t been any discussions yet over the possibility of him signing a new deal with the Gunners.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano didn’t name any names in terms of clubs looking to sign Patino, but he suggested a decision could come soon as Arsenal will likely have talks with the player at the end of the season.

Patino transfer: Arsenal midfielder could leave, says Romano

Discussing Patino’s future, Romano said: “At the moment, there are no talks between Charlie Patino and Arsenal over a new deal. So it’s a possibility for the young midfielder to leave the club in the summer, but I’m told that final decision will be made at the end of the season when there will be talks with the player’s representatives. Let’s see how that conversation will go.”

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Some Arsenal fans will be disappointed by this update, but perhaps there’s still some chance that Patino and the club will come to some kind of agreement for him to stay and fight for a first-team place next season.

Even if the 20-year-old faces a major uphill struggle to be a regular starter in Mikel Arteta’s side, he could surely have a role to play as a squad player, so it will be interesting to see how this situation evolves.

The post Exclusive: Arsenal star could leave this summer as no new contract talks being held, says transfer expert appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are said to be willing to allow Charlie Patino to leave the Premier League club this summer as Mikel Arteta has no plans to use the midfielder in the future. 

The 20-year-old has been with the North London club since 2015 and has come through the club’s youth academy to play for the Arsenal senior team.

Patino was highly rated by those in the know at the Emirates Stadium and that increased further when the youngster scored on his debut against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup in 2021.

The midfielder has only featured one more time for the Premier League club since and is currently out on loan at Swansea, where he has not started a match since January 1.

According to The Standard, Mikel Arteta is willing to let Patino leave Arsenal this summer as the Gunners boss has no plans for him in the future.

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Arsenal ready to part ways with Charlie Patino

Patino will have one year remaining on his contract at the Emirates at the end of the current season and Arsenal are looking to cash in rather than lose the youngster for free in 12 months.

The report says that a move abroad is very likely for the midfielder due to his style of play and the fact that he holds a Spanish passport.

Where the 20-year-old goes remains unknown and what type of clubs come in for the Arsenal star is also guesswork.

Whoever signs Patino is taking a risk as he is so young but there is undoubtedly talent there for his next manager to work with.

The post Mikel Arteta to sanction exit of highly-rated Arsenal star, midfielder likely to move abroad appeared first on CaughtOffside.

It’s been a quiet window in the main for Arsenal and many other Premier League clubs, though there is one deal that has been confirmed for Deadline Day.

The Gunners are still in amongst it at the top of the Premier League table and can look forward to a real battle royale with those teams around them at present.

All of Liverpool, Man City, Aston Villa and North London rivals, Tottenham, have got the bit between their teeth and only the strongest will survive what’s likely to turn into an epic run-in.

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Financial Fair Play has hit every team hard and that’s meant that an expected deluge of transfers hasn’t happened.

One player that will be leaving the club according to transfer expert and CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano, is Charles Sagoe Jr.

?? EXCL: Swansea agree deal to sign Arsenal 2004 born talent Charles Sagoe Jr on loan until the end of the season.

Agreement in place as relationship remains very good between two clubs after Patino deal with #AFC last summer.

Sagoe Jr will sign on #DeadlineDay. pic.twitter.com/T6CC5iFg5c

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2024

The highly-rated youngster is on the way to Swansea City, a club whom Romano notes Arsenal still have a good relationship with because of the Charlie Patino deal.

It’s a loan deal for the player born in 2004 until the end of the current campaign, with no news as to whether that could be extended, made into a permanent deal or if the Gunners require his return in the summer.

The post Highly-rated Arsenal ace confirmed as moving to pastures new on Deadline Day appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Bournemouth lead Swansea 5-0 in their FA Cup tie at the halftime break and it was Arsenal target Dominic Solanke that added the fifth before the break. 

The striker has been linked to the Gunners during the current transfer window as Mikel Arteta needs a new forward but the Cherries value the former Liverpool star around the £50m mark, which clubs will not pay.

The North London club will very likely wait until the summer to address this issue, which will then give them more time to decide who they want to sign as Brentford’s Ivan Toney is also an option.

Solanke is having an incredible season under Andoni Iraola’s leadership and he continued it with another goal in the Cherries’ FA Cup clash with Swansea on Thursday night.

??| GOAL: Solanke makes it FIVE!

Bournemouth 5-0 Swansea pic.twitter.com/OHhWAm5fj6

— TTS. (@TransferSector) January 25, 2024

??????? Goal: Dominic Solanke | Bournemouth 5-0 Swanseapic.twitter.com/EPM9eY3jwr

— FootColic ?? (@FootColic) January 25, 2024

Pictures from Voetbal.

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The post Video: £50m Arsenal target continues incredible season with FA Cup goal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Charlie Patino scored the opening goal in Swansea’s FA Cup win on Saturday afternoon as he continues to impress while on loan.

The English midfielder joined the Championship club on loan last summer from parent club Arsenal and has established himself as a mainstay in the Swansea team.

Many supporters consider Patino as a potential prospect for the Arsenal senior squad as he demonstrated that he can score from midfield on Saturday.

The 20-year-old popped up at the back post to put his side ahead against Morecambe.

Patinooooooo

The @Arsenal loanee pops up at the back post for @SwansOfficial#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/ES6GC8Gwzj

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 6, 2024

The post Video: Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino scores in FA Cup win appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal could reportedly have reason to worry about the future of in-form youngster Charlie Patino as he supposedly starts to attract interest from AC Milan.

The 20-year-old midfielder has impressed on loan at Swansea City this season, and many Gunners fans will surely feel he has it in him to be the next prospect to make the step up from their academy into the first-team fold.

Still, a report from Calciomercato now states that Milan are interested in Patino, so it might be that there will be other opportunities for the youngster to make his senior breakthrough.

Arsenal have done well to promote homegrown talent like Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson in recent times, and Patino looks like another Hale End graduate with a big future in the game.

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Still, there’s a lot of competition for places in Mikel Arteta’s squad, so Patino may well feel tempted to go to somewhere like Milan, who have been good at providing opportunities to a number of top young players.

The report suggests Arsenal could consider selling Patino for around €30million.

The post Worry for Arsenal as European giants showing transfer interest in talented Gunners youngster appeared first on CaughtOffside.