Football transfer news

Former Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been diagnosed with throat cancer, though doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

Gazidis spent ten years with the Gunners before leaving the club in 2018 to become chief executive at Milan – a role he still holds to this day.

Milan took to their official website to reveal the news, sending their best wishes to Gazidis while offering the brighter news that doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

“AC Milan informs its fans and stakeholders that our chief executive officer, Ivan Gazidis, has been diagnosed with a cancer of the throat,” the statement read. “Based on an extensive series of tests and scans, doctors expect he will make a full recovery.

“Ivan will remain operational during the necessary treatment in specialized clinics, with the full support of the ownership, President Scaroni and the club’s senior management. Everyone involved with the club wishes Ivan all the best for a full and speedy recovery. We are all with you.”

Gazidis also took the opportunity to provide a brief statement, saying he is confident of making a full recovery and imploring others to ensure they have regular check-ups.

“Of course, there is never a good time for a diagnosis of cancer, but I have a very curable form of cancer and a positive diagnosis,” he wrote.

“I have world class medical expertise, and the support of so many loved ones and everyone at the club, and I am confident based on all advice that the cancer will be treated successfully, with a full recovery.

“My diagnosis demonstrates the importance of regular medical check ups, even if you don’t have symptoms. I would encourage everyone to prioritise their health and to make sure, even in the day-to-day obligations of life and work, that they have their regular medical check ups.

“We have a strong team, both on and off the pitch and I have full faith in their ability to drive our club forward over the coming weeks. See you soon and always Forza Milan.”

Tottenham are closing in on a deal to sign talented Sevilla winger Bryan Gil in a part-exchange deal that will see Erik Lamela leave the club after eight years in north London.

Spurs will also pay an estimated €25m (£21.7m) plus add-ons to Sevilla for the transfer.

Here’s a look at everything fans need to know about the 20-year-old winger.

Gil was born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the same city neighbouring Barcelona as the likes of Jordi Alba, Victor Valdes and Adama Traore.

But his family moved south to Andalusia when he was young and he grew up there instead, joining a local youth club near Cadiz before being scouting by regional giants Sevilla at the age of 11.

Spurs are buying long-term potential in Gil. He made his first-team debut for Sevilla in January 2019 shortly before turning 18 but has only played 21 games for the club in all competitions to date.

Having spent the second half of 2019/20 on loan at Leganes, for whom he scored in a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid on the final days of the season, Gil got his break when he joined Eibar on loan last October for the remainder of 2020/21. He started nearly every game, albeit in difficult circumstances as Eibar were relegated, and gained invaluable experience.

Gil holds a record that no one will ever break. His first senior goal for Sevilla, coming against Rayo Vallecano in April 2019, made him the first player born in the 21st century to score in La Liga.

The player had only turned 18 two months earlier and the feat immediately marked his card as a potential star of the future.

Gil is left-footed and plays primarily on the left, making more of a classic winger than football fans have grown accustomed to in recent years. Perhaps think of a left-footed version of Sevilla legend Jesus Navas, with whom he has been fortunate enough to play alongside.

But Gil also played a significant number of games for Eibar last season from the right, allowing him to cut inside to offer a different kind of threat if needed. He was similarly versatile while at Leganes the year before and also has the ability to operate centrally as a number ten.

Arguably Gil’s greatest attribute is sending crosses into the box. He is less about scoring goals like a wide forward might do and more about putting the ball in from wide areas allowing his teammates to attack and create chances from those situations.

He has the acceleration and technical ability to beat players to create the space for the cross. As well as strong open play delivery, he is also noted for set-pieces.

The first opportunity for Spurs fans to catch a glimpse of Gil is at the Olympics as he has been named in La Roja’s squad for the tournament in Japan, where he will be playing alongside the likes of Pedri, Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Mikel Oyarzabal and others.

Despite his young age, Gil has also already been capped at senior international level. He ultimately missed out on final selection for Euro 2020 but made two appearances for the national in World Cup qualifiers in March and then in the final warm-up friendly before Euro 2020 in June.

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All eyes will be on Hege Riise’s Team GB women’s side at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer.

While the United States undoubtedly head into this summer’s games as favourites, Team GB have a real chance of securing themselves a place on the podium, and if the 2019 World Cup winners do happen to slip up, Riise’s side will no doubt be waiting to pounce.

With Team GB’s opening group game against Chile right around the corner, 90min has taken a look at the players to watch out for over the coming weeks…

Despite the fact the 2020 Team GB squad is dominated by English players, Scotland’s Weir is as close to an automatic pick as they come.

Keeping hold of the ball at any level of the game is key, but it’s arguably even more important at international level – something Weir is brilliant at. Her technical prowess and ability to produce breathtaking long-range strikes make her a joy to watch, and with so many of her Manchester City teammates joining her in the squad she’ll feel right at home.

Having recently secured a move back to the WSL after two years away with Lyon, Parris will no doubt see the Olympics as a great opportunity to remind fans from these shores just what she’s capable of.

Arsenal’s new signing isn’t exactly a diamond in the rough who’s looking to make a name for herself, but that’s not to say she isn’t one to be watched.

Parris’ goals and experience on the big stage will be vital if Riise’s side harbour genuine hopes of making it into the latter stages.

Williamson’s versatility could prove to be a key attribute this summer, with the Arsenal centre back also capable of moving into midfield when needed.

Given her ability to play in midfield, it’s probably come as no surprise to hear she’s a progressive defender who likes to step out from the back and play forward where possible – something which is likely to be a vital tool as Team GB look to break teams down.

The Gunners centre back was named in the WSL team of the year for the 2020/21 campaign and her level of performance over the coming weeks could well have a big say in how far Team GB go in this summer’s tournament.

Ingle is the only Welsh representative in the Team GB squad, yet she’s far from a novelty pick.

The versatile holding midfielder churned out a number of brilliant performances for Chelsea last season, coming within 90 minutes of securing a Champions League winner’s medal to sit alongside her league winner’s medal.

If Team GB’s stellar attacking talents are going to be given the freedom to express themselves, Ingle will likely be tasked with completing a lot of the dirty work and for that reason she’s a vital cog in the side.

It goes without saying that Kirby is one to watch at this summer’s Olympics.

The Chelsea forward is a prolific goalscorer in the WSL and having recently recorded a career best league tally for the season of 14 she should be high on confidence coming into the Olympics.

Having cleaned up at the annual WSL award ceremony recently – subsequently becoming only the second player ever to be named PFA Player of the Year on two separate occasions – Kirby is playing the best football of her career and her goals and assists will no doubt be vital to Team GB’s pursuit of the gold medal.

If you’re looking for a talented youngster who could well and truly announce herself on the world stage this summer then look no further than Hemp.

The forward made her England debut at just 19 years of age and is already a key player in a very good Manchester City side.

Hemp’s eye for a pass and mazy runs mean she’s always exciting to watch and coupled with her ability to produce spectacular long-range strikes she’s capable of lighting up even the most dreary of contests.

Manchester United are hoping to take their defence up a level ahead of the 2021/22 season by working on deals to sign centre-back Raphael Varane from Real Madrid and right-back Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid.

Varane in particular is seen as a final piece of the puzzle for United defensively, with the French expected to be an upgrade on Victor Lindelof as a long-term partner for Harry Maguire.

The two new additions, should United be able to pull them off in the coming weeks, will offer not only depth for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to call on but also tactical flexibility.

The assumption is that Maguire and Varane would always feature together, fitness permitting or with the exception of mass rotation, and that a back-three would never feature fewer than two specialist centre-backs.

With that in mind, here’s a look out at United could line up defensively this season.

Solskjaer’s primary tactical system utilises a typical flat back four, affording him the freedom to make use of more midfielders and forwards further up the pitch.

The obvious four would see Varane as the sole addition to last season’s preferred unit in place of Lindelof, with the Frenchman partnering Maguire and with Wan-Bissaka and Shaw on either side.

But full-back depth would allow Solskjaer to mix things up should the situation call for it. That means Trippier, who offers more going forward, could come in for Wan-Bissaka. There is also the option for Telles to fill for Shaw on the left on occasion.

Options

Wan-Bissaka (RB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Shaw (LB)

Trippier (RB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Shaw (LB)

Trippier (RB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Telles (LB)

Wan-Bissaka (RB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Telles (LB)

Solskjaer is no stranger to picking a system with three centre-backs, notably using it last season when United beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and there are a number of different configurations that make such a setup both possible and attractive.

The third centre-back doesn’t have to be a specialist centre-back. It could be Lindelof joining Maguire and Varane, but for more flexibility and mobility asking either Shaw or Wan-Bissaka to tuck inside is also a strong option. Shaw has done that for United before and Wan-Bissaka is arguably better suited to being an auxiliary centre-back because his strength is defending over attacking.

Tripper operating as a wing-back outside Wan-Bissaka could be a great partnership on the right.

It is unlikely that Solskjaer would ever use both Wan-Bissaka and Shaw as centre-backs at the same time, unless forced to by injuries, but the latter has also shown fine acumen as a wing-back, having excelled there in the handful of games when England used a similar system at Euro 2020.

Options

Wan Bissaka (RWB), Lindelof (CB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Shaw (LWB)

Wan-Bissaka (RWB), Varane (CB), Maguire (CB), Shaw (CB), Telles (LWB)

Trippier (RWB), Lindelof (CB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Shaw (LWB)

Trippier (RWB), Wan-Bissaka (CB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Shaw (LWB)

Trippier (RWB), Maguire (CB), Varane (CB), Shaw (CB), Telles (LWB)

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Tottenham and Sevilla are close to finalising a swap deal which will see Bryan Gil arrive in north London and Erik Lamela depart for Spain after eight years in the Premier League.

Previous rumours suggested the two clubs had been talking about a potential trade involving Davinson Sanchez and Jules Kounde, though that deal fell through due to the latter’s reluctance to entertain it.

However, new negotiations involving a fresh pair of players are now reaching a conclusion.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham will send €25m plus add-ons in the deal which end Lamela’s spell at Spurs and see Gil replace him.

Gil signed for Sevilla in 2019 but was sent out on loan to Leganes and Eibar during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. In the 21 appearances he did make for Sevilla, he scored twice. The 20-year-old has also made his international debut for Spain and is in their squad for the upcoming Olympics.

Lamela has endured an ultimately frustrating time in England since signing from Roma in 2013. While there have been occasional highlight reel moments, injuries have often stopped the Argentine from building up any momentum and consistency. He has only made over 30 Premier League appearances in a season twice for Spurs.

The winger had been marked as one of the numerous squad players Tottenham need to sell this summer, and sealing an exciting forward in Gil – who has impressed in spells over in Spain – should be seen as positive business.

Elsewhere, the north London club are thought to be closing in on a deal to sign Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini. Technical director Fabio Paratici has brokered an initial loan deal which will include an option to buy at the end of next season.

He previously played in the Championship for Aston Villa and has been capped at international level for Italy, but missed out on selection for their winning Euro 2020 squad.

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