Arsenal scouts wowed by ‘Gundogan-esque’ gem on radar of Europe’s biggest clubs

Arsenal aren’t the only ones keen on the 17-year-old, however, with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona also monitoring his progress.

Said player has already made 36 competitive appearances for his club and has even been playing regularly in the Champions League.

The 17-year-old central midfielder is the latest prospect to come through Lille’s ranks and he has made a huge impact with the Ligue 1 outfit.

In 2023, at the age of 16 years and 3 days, he became the youngest player ever to play in a European club competition game.

However, it is this season that has seen Bouaddi take advantage of injuries and suspensions and has since become a regular in the side, despite the wealth of talent including England star Angel Gomes.

Bouaddi’s progress has been rapid in the last 12 months and he is now a French Under-21 international having been rewarded for his form.

Lille, who are set to lose Jonathan David and Angel Gomes, are looking to tie down Bouaddi to a new long-term deal.

Bouaddi does not turn 18 until October, so he could not join a Premier League club this summer.

In theory, however, he would be able to move within the European Union, so he could move to Spain, Germany or Italy.

Arsenal finally get first January transfer decision with telling Mikel Arteta approval

Arsenal’s final game of 2024, a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town, was a serious wake-up call to Mikel Arteta and those working alongside him ahead of the January transfer window.

Kai Havertz’s 12th goal of the campaign was the difference at the Emirates Stadium to keep the pressure on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. Whilst it was hardly a spectacle for the neutral, nor the most thrilling performance by the Gunners, they got the job done.

Yet the talking point following the win has been on how Arsenal will replace Bukayo Saka. The forward is facing a lengthy period on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury last week against Crystal Palace, leaving Arteta seriously limited in his options in attack.

As the line-ups were announced on Friday night, there was not one attacker on the bench with Raheem Sterling also missing. Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard started the game but apart from that trio, they are short in that area.

Arsenal simply have to enter the January transfer market with the ambition to strengthen that position, especially considering they remain in the Premier League title race and don’t have the fierce competition from Manchester City.

Fortunately, the emergence and performance level of Myles Lewis-Skelly means there is very little need to focus any attention at left-back. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori have both been out with injury this season and Jurrien Timber, who can play on the left, has played almost the entirety of the campaign covering Ben White at right-back.

Two Arsenal stars walking disciplinary tightrope but can avoid Premier League ban on one condition

Arsenal have some players who are walking a disciplinary tightrope heading into their next Premier League fixture.

The Gunners will travel to face Brentford on New Year’s Day as they aim to secure another three points in the title race against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta’s side are second in the Premier League table and six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Arsenal still have some injury concerns going into the fixture against the Bees, as well as others who are at risk of being handed a suspension.

Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Raheem Sterling and Takehiro Tomiyasu all remain sidelined with injuries for Arsenal going into the New Year. Arteta will also have concerns about other members of his squad who could be handed a suspension in the near future.

Arsenal’s clash against Brentford will be their 19th fixture in the Premier League this season. The match will also mark the cut-off point for five yellow cards resulting in a one-game ban.

Gabriel Jesus and Jurrien Timber both currently have four bookings in the top flight season. A yellow card for either of the duo against Brentford would see them serve a one-game suspension against Brighton on January 4.

Hansi Flick at Barcelona – Have your say on the season so far

Hansi Flick replaced club legend Xavi Hernandez as manager in the summer and enjoyed a brilliant start to life in Catalunya.

Barca built a six-point lead at the top of the table and enjoying brilliant wins over Real Madrid in La Liga and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Flick’s high defensive line worked well, while Lamine Yamal starred and Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski seemingly couldn’t stop scoring.

However, Barca have gone on to hit a sticky patch. They’ve suffered defeats to Las Palmas, Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Leganes as well as finishing the year with a loss to Atletico.

And Flick has been in the headlines too. He’s had to serve a two-match suspension after managing to upset the match officials in a draw against Betis.

La Liga has now paused for a winter break with Barcelona down in third place in the table behind both Diego Simeone’s side and Real Madrid over the Christmas break.

There’s still a long way to go this season but the excitement generated after beating Madrid and Bayern has faded, particularly after the tough defeat to Atletico.

Meanwhile, doubts have crept in about Flick’s high line, while the team look a little over-reliant on 17-year-old Yamal and have struggled when he’s not been available.

Barcelona Take Concrete Steps to Sign Milan Stalwart Next Summer

La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly ready to step up their long-standing interest in Milan talisman Rafael Leao. According to Calciomercato, Los Blaugranas could launch an assault on the 25-year-old at the end of the season.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has enlisted Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes to broker the deal. It’s no secret that Mendes wants to take Leao away from Milan. However, the winger’s contract at Stadio San Siro runs out in 2028.

That puts Milan in a strong bargaining position. Furthermore, Paulo Fonseca considers the former Lille megastar central to his project. Despite their frosty relationship at the start of the Portuguese coach’s tenure, they seem to have found common ground.

Therefore, the Italian giants have slapped a substantial €175 million asking price for their long-serving stalwart. Indeed, Milan renewed Leao’s contract in 2023, securing his services for another five years. They handed the 25-year-old an eye-watering €7m net per year salary, making him the club’s highest earner.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are on the lookout for a new forward. Hansi Flick’s charges hoped to sign Athletic Bilbao talisman Nico Williams last summer, only for the Spaniard’s extravagant price tag to scare them off. As a result, they’ve switched their attention to the Milan ace.

However, Barcelona can hardly match Leao’s price tag, let alone afford his wages. They already have to part company with Dani Olmo after failing to register his contract due to the ongoing struggle to meet La Liga’s Financial Fair Play salary cap.

Barça NewsBarcelona sensation earns high praise from super agent – ‘He’s a victim of his youth’

Jorge Mendes, one of the most prominent agents in football, has made his stance clear on who he believes is the best player of 2024.

For him, the standout performer has not been Rodri, Vinicius Jr., or Jude Bellingham. Instead, he firmly believes that Lamine Yamal has been the year’s best player.

However, Mendes feels the young Barcelona star has been overlooked due to his age. Many voters may have thought that at just 17 years old, Yamal still has plenty of time to win such prestigious awards, which has worked against him.

Mendes, who represents the young talent, highlighted Yamal’s exceptional maturity, both on and off the pitch.

Despite the immense responsibility of playing a leading role for Barcelona and the Spanish national team at such a young age, Yamal has shown no signs of being weighed down by the pressure.

Mendes is adamant that Yamal’s journey should not be compared to other legendary players, discouraging any parallels with Lionel Messi’s early years.

He believes every player’s career is unique, and Yamal’s achievements so far speak for themselves

The discussion about Yamal’s future at Barcelona also came up, and Mendes left no room for doubt.

He emphasised that Yamal’s place is at Barça and that his future is firmly tied to the Catalan club. Mendes expressed complete confidence that the young star will renew his contract and continue to shine in Barcelona colours for many years to come.

Man Utd told they’re ‘in relegation battle’ in ruthless criticism, as Amorim selection blasted

Former Manchester United star Owen Hargreaves has criticised Ruben Amorim for rotating his players too much and warned the Red Devils they are ‘in a relegation battle’.

Amorim has had a tough start to life at Old Trafford, with Man Utd losing their last three games and conceding nine goals in the process. The defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday was particularly damning, as the West Midlands outfit have had a poor campaign so far but caused United all sorts of problems in a famous home win at Molineux.

Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the 47th minute after picking up two yellow cards, which gave Wolves the advantage. Matheus Cunha then scored from the corner spot as United goalkeeper Andre Onana was crowded out in the six-yard box, with Hwang Hee-chan later adding a second goal in stoppage time to make sure of Wolves’ victory.

Following the result, which leaves United 14th in the Premier League, Amorim admitted managers – especially those at Old Trafford – are always ‘in danger’. He added that United are in a ‘really hard’ moment as their fans want them to start winning as soon as possible.

Hargreaves has questioned why Amorim makes so many changes each week and claimed United would struggle to get a point ‘anywhere’ right now.

“I saw it coming before the game,” the pundit said (via Football365). “As soon as I saw the team, I said this won’t be easy. And it wasn’t. They don’t create any sense of play, they don’t look like scoring.

How Man United can line-up vs Newcastle without Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte

Manchester United suffered yet more disappointment this week as they fell to a 2-0 loss away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Reds showed signs of securing a result in the West Midlands, but captain Bruno Fernandes’ red card for a second bookable offence left United with little hope. Matheus Cunha’s goal direct from a corner summed up United’s current form, and the second from Hwang Hee-chan deep into stoppage time came as a result of chasing the game.

If that was not enough doom and gloom for the visitors, not only will Fernandes be banned for one match, but so will defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte. The Uruguayan received his fifth booking of the Premier League campaign at Molineux, so he shall also serve a one match suspension against Newcastle.

As such, we can expect at least two changes to the team that lost to Wolves on Monday and MEN Sport has taken a look at the candidates to replace the two midfielders in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1.

Manuel Ugarte

Ugarte has been handed the responsibility as a defensive midfielder in Amorim’s system after working with the Portuguese head coach at Sporting. The obvious replacement for him would be Casemiro.

Let’s not forget, Ugarte was signed to replace Casemiro, but the roles will most likely be reversed. The Brazilian should have a ready-made partnership with Kobbie Mainoo should the teenager retain his place.

Mikel Arteta sent clear Arsenal transfer message after Ipswich victory exposes big problem

Arsenal made it harder than it should have perhaps been against Ipswich Town in their final match of 2024. A single goal from Kai Havertz was enough to grab all three points and bring second place up once again, clawing themselves above Chelsea and looking up only at Liverpool.

It was a game that lacked the spice that was maybe what Arsenal might indeed be like without Bukayo Saka. The Gunners lost their star man at Crystal Palace and there is an expectation that he will be out for a significant period of time too.

It was Gabriel Martinelli that was given the task of filling the right wing position on the night and the Gunners goal did come from an initial cross from the Brazilian, eventually reversed back by Leandro Trossard for Havertz to finish gratefully. Yet there was a longing for Martinelli to take the game that one step further, beat his man more and drive – to be fair to him that was present in the first half but faded as the game went on.

What was most telling before a ball was even kicked however was the lack of depth for the front line. As line-ups were announced, Mikel Arteta did not name a single forward player on the bench with both the aforementioned Saka and Raheem Sterling out injured.

Ethan Nwaneri offered the only real attacking change but he is more naturally a central player than a forward. Add to that the fact he sat as an unused substitute with only Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey coming on to help close out the clash and it paints a bleak picture in terms of options.

The hope was that the 17-year-old might be exposed to even more minutes with Saka absent, yet this appears to indicate that might not be the case. However, after Arteta confirmed post-match that Saka is expected to miss more than two months, there is plenty of time for the Spaniard to lean into Nwaneri getting time.

Emmanuel Petit was scared Arsenal were going to concede late on against Ipswich

Petit admitted he was scared of Ipswich coming back and breaking Arsenal hearts with a late equaliser, and said the Gunners should have killed the game off.

“Oh my God,” Petit said on Premier League Productions.

“Very hard (game), and I was scared at the end that Ipswich would come back, get a goal and get a point, but thankfully Arsenal held on. They should have killed the game off.”

Meanwhile, Don Hutchison said: “Mikel Arteta will be a bit split tonight. He’d have wanted a more convincing win, but when you get to this stage, you just want the three points.”

Finally, Darren Bent said: “Ipswich improved in the second half but they didn’t have enough cutting edge and they didn’t get the ball in the box enough.

“Arsenal weren’t at their best tonight but they got the win and a clean sheet.”

, Arsenal lead the way in terms of Premier League clean sheets (7) and fewest goals conceded (16) this season.

In addition, the Gunners have kept a shutout in four successive home matches in the Premier League for the first time since December 2021.

Arsenal have also won 19 of their last 20 Premier League games against newly-promoted opponents, with their lone defeat coming against Nottingham Forest in May 2023.

The Gunners have also won each of their last 13 league matches against such opposition at the Emirates Stadium in a row.

As for Ipswich, they suffered their 10th Premier League defeat of the season in their 18th game (W2 D6).

This is earliest into a league campaign that the Blues have lost 10 games since the 2012-13 Championship season (17th game).