Marseille right-back Bouna Sarr impressed for his team despite their 3-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, and his performance didn’t go unnoticed by Arsenal fans on Twitter, who urged their club to sign the Frenchman.

The 26-year-old may have been part of a defence that conceded on three occasions against Diego Simeone’s men, but he showed throughout what a good defender he can be – especially with his tackle success – while he also caused Atletico left-back Lucas Hernandez plenty of problems in the final third, too.

Meanwhile, it has been a tough season for Gunners right-back Hector Bellerin, who has often been criticised by his own fans on Twitter for his below-par displays.

He hasn’t been as good defensively as he perhaps should have been, and prospective Arsene Wenger successor Mikel Arteta may decide that he needs to be replaced this summer.

We asked Arsenal fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would want their club to sign Sarr to replace the Spaniard, and a huge 71% said they would.

The French defender could come at a cost however, considering he only recently extended his contract with the Ligue 1 giants until 2022.

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According to The Times, Arsenal could sign Marouane Fellaini on a free transfer from Manchester United ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Fellaini, who is valued at £10.8m by transfermarkt.co.uk, will see his current deal with United expire at the end of this month, and it now appears likely that the Belgium international will leave Old Trafford this summer.

United boss Jose Mourinho has previously spoken of his desire to keep the 30-year-old, but it seems that the two parties have been unable to come to an agreement over a new contact.

According to The Times, Arsenal boss Unai Emery is a huge admirer of Fellaini, and has indeed already held talks with the former Everton playmaker over what would be a surprise move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

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The Arsenal fans have been reacting to the news on social media, and it would be fair to say that the club’s supporters are against the deal taking place. On the other hand, the Everton fans would gladly welcome Fellaini back.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

According to Le 10 Sport, Newcastle United want to sign Lille midfielder Thiago Maia this summer, and the Magpies have already had at least one bid rejected.

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez is reportedly still unclear as to what type of transfer budget he will have to spend in this summer’s window.

However, it is understood that the Premier League club are busy behind the scenes, and have identified Maia as a potential summer arrival.

The 21-year-old, who is valued at £3.6m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has previously been linked with a move to Liverpool.

He joined Lille from Brazilian outfit Santos in July 2017, and made 37 appearances in all competitions for his Ligue 1 club during the 2017-18 campaign.

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Newcastle are not exactly short of options in the middle of the park, but Mikel Merino could be moving on in this summer’s transfer window.

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The club’s supporters have been reacting to the transfer speculation surrounding Maia, and it would be fair to say that they are struggling to agree on the midfielder.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

The coming Premier League season represents something of a clean slate for Arsenal. While their regression over the last few years can’t be simply pinned on Arsene Wenger alone, the Gunners now enter a completely new era under his successor Unai Emery.

Arsenal fans appear convinced by the Spaniard too, which is perhaps the most important thing after the Emirates Stadium was left half-empty for many of the north London outfit’s away games at the end of last season – a symptom of the dissatisfaction that had swelled amongst the supporters.

While there’s quiet optimism for now, Emery will need to start his Arsenal tenure with a strong run of results or doubts will start to creep into the collective psyche, especially considering the new Gunners’ gaffer has rarely made a success of it when managing outside of Spain.

And the official confirmation of Arsenal’s opening fixtures for the 2018/19 Premier League season, as detailed below, gives us an indication of how likely Emery is to begin his tenure with a succession of wins…

11th August – Man City (H)

18th August – Chelsea (A)

25th August – West Ham (H)

1st September – Cardiff (A)

15th September – Newcastle (A)

22nd September – Everton (H)

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Verdict

Talk about a rude awakening to Premier League football; the fixture organisers probably couldn’t have picked a worse opening six for Emery – hosting reigning champions Manchester City on the first day of the season and then taking on a key big six rival and London rival in Chelsea, a side Arsenal will need to get a good result against to make it into the top four. That’s followed by another London derby with West Ham, and two incredibly difficult away days to Cardiff and Newcastle.

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The Gunners battered Everton at the Emirates Stadium last term but they’re a different proposition under Marco Silva, so it’s hard to gauge whether they’ll be far more competitive this time around. Overall though, it’s a testing beginning for Emery that could well set the tone for the rest of the campaign. A great start will have Arsenal fans dreaming of glory; a poor one will create doubts over whether the Spaniard was the right choice of successor to Wenger.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Hibernian striker Florian Kamberi is looking to make a big impact at Easter Road next season, to help him achieve his ambition of one day playing in the English Premier league.

What’s the story?

Kamberi recently moved to Edinburgh from Swiss side Grasshoppers after enjoying a successful loan spell in the second half of last season, delighting supporters and manager Neil Lennon.

Hibs are looking to compete towards the top end of the Scottish Premiership table again next term and will need players like Kamberi to fire in the goals on a regular basis.

Now he has revealed why he rejected a move to Sunderland and League One to join up with the Leith side – to help his dream of one day playing in the English Premier League.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Kamberi said:

At the moment it’s important to give a good performance in a high league to show myself and if I do that then the big money will come later. Of course, longer term my dream is to play in the Premier League in England.

But I believe I have a better chance to achieve that dream by playing in the top league with Hibs — this is a great window for me.

But I am not looking too far ahead. I just want to give my all for the club and if I do that then opportunities should follow.

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Will Kamberi be a success at Hibs?

The 23-year-old Swiss striker has as good a chance as any Hibs signing in recent years to be a success at the club. Scoring 9 goals in 14 appearances last term, he demonstrated he has more than enough quality to to shine at Scottish Premiership level.

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His ambitious comments also show he is a hungry player and while it’s probably not ideal to hear new signings state their ambition to play in a different league, if Kamberi ever shows good enough form to attract interest from England, then that can only be a benefit to Hibs.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

The defending at the World Cup, coupled with Dejan Lovren’s performances, are making Liverpool fans appreciate the Croatia defender more than ever.

The 28-year-old has played a key role in his nation’s success so far in the tournament, helping keep clean sheets against Nigeria and Argentina.

After a difficult start to the 2017/18 season, the defender eventually flourished alongside January signing Virgil van Dijk, forging a partnership that was the backbone to Liverpool’s exciting second half of the campaign.

Reds fans now feel he is playing at the peak of his game at the summer tournament, impressing more than some illustrious names who have yet to hit their stride defensively in Russia.

With rumours of signings and names arriving at Anfield, many reckon that he does not need to be replaced over the next couple of months.

Should Liverpool be on the hunt for another centre-back, or should they focus on other areas of the team?

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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thought on Lovren’s summer so far…

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On Saturday, Bernardo Silva’s World Cup campaign with Portugal came to an end as the nation were beaten 2-1 by Uruguay.

The Euro 2016 champions had an opportunity to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament in Russia, but even their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to drag them through.

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Silva played the entire 90 minutes on the right wing, and despite the result, he put in a decent individual display.

The 23-year-old, who is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt started just 15 Premier League matches and came off the bench in a further 20.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

In total, the winger made 53 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine goals and created six assists.

City have a team full of star-studded talent, which can make it tough for some players to break through, but the fans are hopeful that Silva will get more regular minutes this season.

After witnessing the player’s performance against Uruguay, City fans posted their thoughts on Reddit.

Comment from discussion Bernardo Silva.Comment from discussion Bernardo Silva.Comment from discussion Bernardo Silva.Comment from discussion Bernardo Silva.Comment from discussion Bernardo Silva.Comment from discussion Bernardo Silva.

South Australia have welcomed back the legspinner Cullen Bailey for their Sheffield Shield encounter with the leaders Victoria

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2009South Australia have welcomed back the legspinner Cullen Bailey for their Sheffield Shield encounter with the leaders Victoria in Melbourne from Thursday. Bailey, who comes into the squad for Matthew Weeks, has played two of the Redbacks’ four games this summer, taking five wickets at 49.80.The Redbacks are sitting in second on eight points, the same number as Queensland, while Victoria have a six-point buffer at the top despite playing only three matches. Life isn’t as easy for South Australia in the one-day competition – they are last.South Australia squad Daniel Harris, James Smith, Michael Klinger, Mark Cosgrove, Cameron Borgas, Graham Manou (capt, wk), Aaron O’Brien, Dan Christian, Cullen Bailey, Chris Duval, Jake Haberfield, Peter George.

In the end, five days just wasn’t enough. West Indies ran out of time to beat Australia for the first time in six years

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at Adelaide Oval08-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDwayne Bravo was the star of the final day but it wasn’t enough to secure a West Indies win•Getty Images

In the end, five days just wasn’t enough. Despite the finest efforts of Dwayne Bravo – and his best was brilliant – and a captain’s innings from Chris Gayle, West Indies ran out of time to beat Australia for the first time in six years. Draws like this might leave non-fans nonplussed, but they make cricket purists appreciate the huge workload required to win a Test.West Indies dominated the match but lost the Frank Worrell Trophy. Australia clung on for a draw that earned them the right to keep the silverware, which has resided at Cricket Australia headquarters since Mark Taylor’s men won it from Richie Richardson’s side in the Caribbean in 1995. But following their three-day humiliation in Brisbane, this match was about more than the result for West Indies.It was about pride, and about proving that they remain a dangerous Test side. They achieved that much. For Australia, the result will be a relief on one hand – they could easily have crumbled on the final day – yet a concern on the other. It’s one thing to lose to India, South Africa or even England, but to go down at home to the eighth-ranked West Indies would have been unthinkable.Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin ensured that didn’t happen, batting patiently to see Australia through to 5 for 212. The target of 330 had long since become irrelevant when the pair came together half an hour after tea. Bravo, the first-innings centurion, was swinging the ball dangerously and had just picked up a pair of wickets that meant survival was the only aim for Australia.Despite some agonisingly close moments as balls stayed low or shots lobbed into gaps, Haddin and Clarke did their job; Clarke played the role of a team leader with an unbeaten 61 and Haddin ended up on 21. Kemar Roach regularly breached the 150kph barrier, Sulieman Benn challenged with turn and bounce without adding a wicket to his five from the first innings, and Gayle set attacking fields until the very end.West Indies entered the final session needing seven wickets for victory – an unlikely goal but one that allowed them to dream. Australia became a little nervous when Bravo delivered a brilliant first over after the break, troubling Michael Hussey on a number of occasions and finally enticing an edge behind from a ball angled across the left-hander. Six wickets to get.Marcus North, arguably the Australia batsman best suited to attrition, survived for 27 deliveries before he too played at a Bravo delivery pushing across him and edged to first slip, where Ramnaresh Sarwan took a great catch low to his left. Five wickets needed.And that’s how it remained. Despite the expectations that Benn would be the man to watch out for on a fifth-day turning pitch, it was the fast men who caused Australia most of the worries. Before lunch, Simon Katich drove Bravo on the up to cover for 21, and shortly after the break Ricky Ponting (20) played on trying to cut a Ravi Rampaul offcutter.With each wicket Australia’s hopes of victory faded, although they retained some chance while Shane Watson remained at the crease, anchoring the innings. He guided them to 2 for 114 and kept looking for runs, which brought about his undoing when on 48 he pulled Darren Sammy to a deepish midwicket where a superb catch was taken by – who else? – Bravo, diving to his left.Bravo was outstanding but Gayle was the Man of the Match and the game’s most influential player. As time ran out and the Adelaide sun sunk lower in the horizon, Gayle was left to ponder whether he made the right decision in not declaring.Would they have had time to dismiss Australia had they closed their innings overnight? Would that have made any difference at all? West Indies will never know but it was easy to understand Gayle’s thinking – he’d have been much more nervous about losing the match if Australia had to chase 297 from 90 overs rather than 330 off 81.Had Australia reached their target it would have been the highest fourth-innings total ever scored to win an Adelaide Test, and the fifth-highest for any in Australia. After last summer’s mind-boggling chase of 414 by South Africa to win in Perth anything seems possible but here, time was Australia’s enemy. They had expected West Indies to play more aggressively on the fourth afternoon and perhaps even send them in before stumps.As it happened, Gayle batted on for 6.5 overs – about half an hour – on the final morning and West Indies shored themselves up with another 33 that pushed their total to 317. He became the first West Indies captain to carry his bat through a Test innings and finished unbeaten on 165, a seven-hour-plus effort that went a long way to restoring his team’s pride after their Brisbane thrashing.Doug Bollinger finished with 3 for 50 and Mitchell Johnson collected 5 for 103 – his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests – as Gayle lost his Nos. 10 and 11, Rampaul and Roach. Having never been in control of the match at the Gabba, West Indies enjoyed every minute in which they were the front-runners in Adelaide.The Frank Worrell Trophy will remain in Australia but West Indies can still draw the series with victory in the third Test. And here’s a thought to keep Caribbean fans interested: the final match is at the WACA in Perth. Australia have lost their past two Tests there.