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Hello and welcome to the Premier League transfer news and rumours of the day! Here are the top stories of the day surrounding the Premiership!
Ozil should be sold
Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell is of the opinion that Mesut Ozil should be sold in order to raise funds to sign new players. Campbell was blunt in his assessment, claiming that Ozil would have been gone if he was the one pulling the strings.
He stated that while Ozil is an incredibly gifted player, he can’t do enough for the Gunners, which is why he should be let go.
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"If it was up to me, he’d be gone," he said. “I don’t think he can contribute enough to Arsenal. With the set-up and the way the Premier League is going, I don’t think he does enough.
“Is he a wonderfully gifted player? Of course he is. But the way his talent is going, he doesn’t do enough for me.”
Campbell believes that the wages that Ozil is on could actually be used to bring in four versatile players and he thinks that it should be the fact that takes the priority right now.
“On his wage, that could bring in four players. And it might be four versatile players. On one person’s wage you get four opportunities to improve the squad, that must take priority.”
Campbell believes that “functional” players are destroying Arsenal but that should not be the case with Arsenal, which is why he believes more players of that sort are necessary to the club.
“More functional players get the better of Arsenal and are undoing them. That should never undo Arsenal because the club should have that in abundance. Arsenal haven’t had that type of player in recent years and they need to get that back.”
Spurs urged to sign Hakim Ziyech
After a decent outing at the World Cup, Hakim Ziyech took his game to another level with Ajax this season. As a result, he has put himself on the radar of many top clubs and Martin Jol thinks that Spurs should sign him.
Jol thinks that Ziyech is someone who can drift in from the right wing and is an excellent passer of ball, which allows his team-mates to attack the spaces. He then advised Spurs to sign him, despite the fact that he is not physically the strongest.
“Hakim Ziyech is on the right wing but he is more like a midfield player. He drifts in, plays in spaces and he is a passer. If he has got the ball, the others will attack the spaces and run in behind,” he wrote.
“If I was Spurs, I would sign Ziyech. He is not the strongest but he is developing into a very good player.”
Pochettino plays down Milan links
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a move to Milan. The Argentine has spent quite a long time with Spurs and there are whispers that link him with a move to Italy.
However, according to the former Espanyol manager, reports linking him to Milan are nothing but “press” and that these stories don’t inflate his egos as he only views interest from other clubs as a certification of his esteem.
"Milan? I read it in the press, nothing else. We know how this world works, these kinds of voices do not feed my ego. Others like to be on everyone's lips to feel up to it, but I don't need it. It's part of football,” the former Southampton boss was quoted as saying.
"If we talk about an interest from other clubs I take it as a certificate of esteem."
Varane not going anywhere
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane had been linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu with Manchester United interested in him. There were reports of him being unhappy over Madrid’s treatment of him after he won the World Cup with France.
However, with the arrival of Zidane, everything seems to have changed as the Real Madrid manager has confirmed that the French defender is set to stay with the Galacticos.
"The positive point of this season finale is that Varane will stay," he said.
Meanwhile, another Real Madrid player who has been linked to Manchester United is Gareth Bale and Zidane doesn’t have the same words to say for the Welshman.
In fact, the Frenchman doesn't know if Bale’s head is at Madrid.
"I don’t know, you have to ask him,” Zidane responded when asked whether the former Spurs star is focused.
Stories of the day
Today, Manchester United are the clear winners in the rumour mill as most of the news here is somewhat linked to them. In this last slide, nothing much changes as both the stories here are regarding the Red Devils.
According to Cadena Ser, Paul Pogba is set to leave Manchester United. The deal is very likely to happen and the Frenchman thinks that it is for the best of his career. The deal could be worth €150 million.
Meanwhile, reports from Spain claim that James Rodriguez has interest from Inter and Manchester United but he wants a second chance at Real Madrid. His time with the Bavarians on a loan deal was a mixed one.
As a result, it is highly unlikely that James, who also was on Liverpool’s radar, will stay in Germany. The final decision over his Madrid future, however, rests in the hand of Zinedine Zidane.
