ARSENAL NEWS: ARSENAL VIEW SENNY MAYULU AS PRIMARY LONG-TERM SUCCESSOR TO KAI HAVERTZ
Arsenal have joined Chelsea and Man City in a €60m race for PSG’s Senny Mayulu, viewed as a potential successor to Kai Havertz.
Arsenal are looking to outdo Tottenham again this summer, this time by targeting PSG’s Senny Mayulu. Reports say Arsenal have joined the chase for the young playmaker, but they’re not alone; Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are all interested too.
Last year, Arsenal snatched Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace right out from under Spurs. Eze hasn’t exactly been on fire, but he did manage to score in both games against Tottenham. Now, Arsenal seem ready to twist the knife a little deeper by making a move for Mayulu, someone Tottenham tried and failed to sign last September, according to TEAMtalk.
CaughtOffside now reports that Arsenal and Chelsea are front-runners for Mayulu this summer. What helps their case? Talks over a new contract between Mayulu and PSG have stalled, and as things stand, he’ll enter the last year of his deal soon. The sticking point? Salary. Mayulu wants more than PSG is willing to offer, but Premier League clubs have a bigger appetite for spending.
Apparently, Arsenal see Mayulu as a possible successor to Kai Havertz in midfield. He’s played up front at times this season, but he’s really a midfielder at heart. Chelsea is also pushing for him, and Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle have all tested the waters with informal approaches.
No doubt about it, Mayulu is one of the hot names ahead of the summer window. PSG have slapped a €60m (£53m) price tag on him, so they’re not letting him go cheaply. They might still try to keep him, but if he won’t sign a new deal, selling now makes sense.
So, would Arsenal be the right move for Mayulu? He’s made 28 appearances for PSG this season, scoring four and assisting five. Since coming up through their academy, he’s racked up 72 games, 11 goals, and nine assists. That kind of promise makes a Premier League move feel almost inevitable, even though he’s already at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
If he does head to England, Arsenal will want to win the battle, but are they really the best fit? That probably depends on who leaves Arteta’s squad. Right now, Arsenal’s attacking midfield is stacked: Havertz, Eze, captain Martin Odegaard, and Ethan Nwaneri coming back from loan. Mikel Merino can play the hybrid midfield/striker role, and even Bukayo Saka has shifted more centrally at times, though he’s really best out wide.
So, there’s a logjam in attacking midfield at Arsenal. Unless Arteta sees Mayulu playing deeper, he might find more opportunities elsewhere. There could be an opening for another central midfielder, especially since Martin Zubimendi has been a hit and Christian Nørgaard hasn’t made much of an impact.
Chelsea isn’t much different. Cole Palmer is their main attacking midfielder, but that hasn’t stopped them from chasing more talent. City has Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, but there are questions over Bernardo Silva’s future.
Honestly, staying at PSG and continuing to grow there might be the best option for Mayulu. If he decides to leave, he needs to pick a club where he’ll actually play. Chelsea could make sense if Palmer moves wide, but Newcastle might be worth a look, too. They’ve shown they’re willing to adapt roles. Nick Woltemade, for example, has dropped deeper but could move back up if someone new joins as a No. 10.
In the end, Mayulu’s next move should be about finding the right fit, not just the biggest name.
SCHEDULE SHIFT: LIGUE 1 POSTPONES PSG VS NANTES TO FAVOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREPARATIONS
Ligue 1 has officially moved PSG’s clash with Nantes to April, giving Paris a massive rest advantage for their game vs Chelsea.
PSG just got a big break ahead of their Champions League clash with Chelsea.
On Friday morning, the draw handed last year’s winners a tough last-16 matchup against Chelsea, the same team that beat them in the Club World Cup final back in July.
Luis Enrique and Liam Rosenior probably hoped to avoid each other until later in the tournament. But here they are, set to meet again, having crossed paths before thanks to Rosenior’s time at Strasbourg. The first leg lands on March 11 in Paris, with the return in London on March 17.
Originally, both teams had league matches wedged between those two legs. But now, Ligue 1 has given PSG a helping hand. They agreed to move PSG’s game against Nantes so Paris can focus on the Champions League. According to a statement from Ligue 1, the PSG-Nantes match will now take place the week of April 20, with the exact date still up in the air.
No word yet on whether Chelsea will try to shift their own fixture pile-up. The Premier League rarely grants these sorts of requests, so don’t count on it. Still, with Chelsea set to play Newcastle, another Champions League side, on March 14, both clubs would probably love a schedule change if they had the option.
Looking at the schedules, Chelsea’s road looks brutal. Between their trip to Arsenal this Sunday and March 21, they’ll cram in seven games. After Arsenal, they go away to Aston Villa, Wrexham in the FA Cup, and then PSG. Four times in three weeks, they get just three days to recover. Only twice do they have a four-day breather.
PSG’s calendar is a lot kinder. From March 1 to March 22, they play just four times. They’ll have an extra day to get ready for the first leg with Chelsea and three more days to rest up for the second game in England. In fact, between now and March 11, PSG only play once. Chelsea, meanwhile, faces three matches before heading to Paris. That’s a big advantage for the French club.
PAYBACK IN PARIS? THE REAL REASON LUIS ENRIQUE WANTS ANOTHER CRACK AT CHELSEA
Will it be Barca or Chelsea? Read Luis Enrique’s defiant message after PSG’s 5-4 aggregate victory over Monaco in the play-offs.
Luis Enrique isn’t taking anything for granted as PSG looks ahead to the Champions League last-16. If they end up facing Chelsea, he’s made it clear his players need to be ready for a fresh challenge. PSG just squeezed past Monaco in the play-offs, booking their spot in the knockout rounds of Europe’s top competition.
Wednesday night’s game against Monaco ended 2-2, but PSG came out ahead 5-4 on aggregate. Now, the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday will decide if they go up against Barcelona or Chelsea in the next round.
After that wild match against Monaco, Enrique spoke to Movistar and weighed his options. Which team would he rather face, his old club, Barcelona or Chelsea? He didn’t pick favourites. “Neither will be easy,” he said. “I don’t get to choose, so I’ll take whoever comes. Both are incredible teams. Barca means a lot to me; it’s always special. But if we get Chelsea, we’ve got some things to work on.”
Chelsea embarrassed PSG not too long ago, beating them 3-0 in last summer’s Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. That match ended with tempers flaring; Joao Pedro hit the turf after clashing with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Enrique.
You can bet Enrique wants payback. After the Monaco game, he told reporters his team knows how to handle big moments. “We deserved to qualify, but it wasn’t easy. The match was complicated. Sometimes you lose your rhythm, and it’s hard to get it back. But we should be proud of how we fought through it. If there’s a team in this year’s Champions League that’s been tested by the toughest group, it’s us.”
He’s confident his squad can handle anyone. “We’re used to tough games. Sure, we want to get better, but we just faced a top opponent. Barca or Chelsea will be tough, no question, but if anyone’s ready, it’s us.”
Enrique’s history with Barcelona runs deep. He played over 300 games for them, lifting La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey twice, the UEFA Super Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup, and the Spanish Supercopa. Then he took over as coach in 2014 and kept winning La Liga, the Champions League, and more cups. His three years there brought a ton of silverware.
Enrique wrapped up his thoughts: “We have to keep going, stay ready for anyone, any competition. This season’s been crazy with injuries, but that’s not an excuse. It just helps to have everyone fit. We’ve got three months left, and we’re not changing our mentality. We’re in it to win.”
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