HANDBRAKE ON? WHAT EXACTLY DOES JERMAIN DEFOE MEAN BY EZE'S RESTRICTED STYLE OF PLAY?
Jermain Defoe slams £67.5m Eberechi Eze after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Brentford. Discover why the title race just got a lot tighter.
Jermain Defoe didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford on Thursday. He called out Eberechi Eze, who just couldn’t get going in the game. Arsenal now sit four points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, but this result wasn’t what they wanted. Noni Madueke put Arsenal ahead with a header in the second half, but Keane Lewis-Potter levelled it for Brentford at their place.
Eze, who cost Arsenal £67.5 million over the summer, looked off the pace. He barely left a mark on the match, and Arteta pulled him off at halftime for Martin Odegaard. Since leaving Crystal Palace, Eze hasn’t nailed down a starting spot under Arteta. Defoe summed it up: Eze is “playing with the handbrake on.”
Asked if Arsenal’s performance felt out of character, Defoe said, “Yeah, I think so. It’s the pressure. But honestly, Brentford’s a tough place. When you go there, you know it won’t be easy, but you have to try and make it look easy. You’ve got to cut out mistakes and keep your focus high. Arsenal didn’t really do that. Brentford were better after the break, and I think Arsenal wasted the first half. Eze just wasn’t good enough. I get that he hasn’t played much and maybe isn’t match fit, but you still expect more from him. Arsenal felt different tonight, and I think that’s all about mentality.”
Theo Walcott, who used to play for Arsenal, agreed that Arteta won’t be happy with how things went. Walcott said, “After seeing Man City get the points the day before, there’s always that pressure; you’ve got to get the job done. It’s still in Arsenal’s hands, though. They’ve got plenty of games to close the gap if they need to. Everyone’s already eyeing that game when Arsenal faces City. But Arteta won’t be happy. Not with that. He’ll have issues with a lot of players tonight because they just looked off.”
ELLIOT ANDERSON DOWNPLAYS TRANSFER RUMORS; STAYS FOCUSED ON ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP RUN
Elliot Anderson prioritises England’s World Cup glory as Manchester United and City challenge Newcastle for his signature
Elliot Anderson has downplayed rumours about a high-profile transfer from Nottingham Forest this summer, emphasising that his focus remains on the World Cup.
England manager Thomas Tuchel will likely want his squad fully concentrated on the tournament in the US. Anderson, a Whitley Bay native, is expected to be part of the 26-man Three Lions squad, set to face Croatia, Ghana, and Panama in the group stage.
Newcastle has publicly expressed interest through sporting director Ross Wilson in Anderson, who is reportedly on their radar. Yet, recently, Manchester United and Manchester City have also shown strong interest, pointing toward a possible competition between the two northwest clubs for his signature.
Newcastle risks being priced out if either Manchester club enters the fray. Their key motivation might grow if Sandro Tonali or Bruno Guimaraes moves to a rival team, intensifying Newcastle’s interest in Anderson.
Still, Anderson remains focused on England duty. Speaking today, he said, 'We've got the World Cup coming up this summer, so that's where all my attention is.' Wearing the England badge now means that’s all I’m thinking about at the moment.
Eddie Howe has always been a supporter of Anderson and suggested the midfielder should never have left. Earlier this season, Howe described the sale as rushed: We were on the clock and trying every angle to avoid a points deduction. We had little leverage to negotiate buyback clauses or similar protections.
Asked if he regrets the board's decision to sell Anderson due to Premier League financial rules, Howe admitted, 'It's not on my mind every day, but certain moments bring it back.' It never felt right then, and it doesn’t feel right now that we, as a club, had to make a decision we didn’t want to make. Elliot gave everything progressing through our ranks, aiming to play for Newcastle, but financial constraints ended that. Still, we wish him nothing but success.
He was clear it wasn’t about Anderson personally, but about the tough restrictions the club faced.
Given Anderson’s impressive performances for Forest and England, Newcastle are finding it tougher to secure a deal as time goes on.
WHY ROBERTO DE ZERBI IS NOW OPEN TO JOINING SPURS IMMEDIATELY DESPITE SUMMER PREFERENCE
Tottenham sets a 48-hour deadline for Roberto De Zerbi to accept the manager job as Igor Tudor exits amid a relegation crisis.
Tottenham have reportedly given Roberto De Zerbi just 48 hours to decide if he wants their manager's job. He’s now the clear favourite to replace Igor Tudor as Spurs scramble to avoid relegation.
Tudor left by mutual agreement on Sunday after failing to win any of his five Premier League games. He stepped in as a short-term fix after Thomas Frank, but things only got worse for Spurs with him in charge.
Right now, Spurs are 17th, just one point clear of the drop zone. Club bosses don’t want to wait any longer. They hope to have a new manager in place before the players come back from international duty, and talks with De Zerbi have really picked up.
At first, De Zerbi wasn’t keen on jumping in before the summer, but it sounds like he’s changed his mind.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Tottenham’s given him an ultimatum: he’s got a day or two, tops, to give a straight answer.
The paper said that until recently, De Zerbi kept saying no, but apparently, something shifted.
Now he’s seriously considering the offer, especially since taking the role now could boost his standing if he manages to keep Spurs in the Premier League.
If De Zerbi says yes, his first game would be on Sunday, April 12, away at Sunderland. That match suddenly looks massive given how close Spurs are to the bottom three.
They may already be in the relegation zone by then. West Ham, who sit 18th, play Wolves on Friday. A win for West Ham would shove Tottenham into the bottom three, though Spurs would still have a game in hand over their rivals.
Not everyone’s thrilled about De Zerbi coming in. Three major Tottenham fan groups have spoken out against the potential appointment because of comments he made about Mason Greenwood during his time at Marseille.
