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HOW MATTEO GUENDOUZI’S MIDFIELD GRIT COULD ELEVATE SUNDERLAND’S PREMIER LEAGUE CAMPAIGN

Sunderland face a massive battle with Atletico Madrid for Matteo Guendouzi. Read the latest on the £26m bid and Le Bris's reunion.

How Matteo Guendouzi’s Midfield Grit Could Elevate Sunderland’s Premier League Campaign
Will Sunderland Lose Guendouzi to Atletico Madrid

Sunderland just can’t shake off the links to Matteo Guendouzi. Word is, they’re still chasing the Lazio midfielder this month, even as Atletico Madrid—yeah, that Atletico—sniffs around too.

Guendouzi’s name keeps coming up with Sunderland lately. There’s talk that Regis Le Bris wants to make a bold move for him in January, especially since Guendouzi’s future in Italy looks shaky. Plenty of reports across Europe say Lazio might have to cash in on him soon because of money troubles, and Sunderland’s name always seems to pop up as a possible destination. Le Bris actually worked with Guendouzi before at Lorient, so there’s some history there.

Last month, nobody seemed sure if Sunderland could actually pull this off. At one point, journalist Giulio Cardone told RadioSei (with Lazialità repeating it) that Sunderland put in a bid of around £21.5 million. But Cardone also made it clear—Guendouzi wants to play in Europe if he can. In his words: “Sunderland made a significant offer for Guendouzi, worth €25 million. The first person Sarri wants to veto is the Frenchman. Guendouzi would like to go to England right now, but not to Sunderland: he wants something more.”

So what’s happening now? Honestly, Guendouzi isn’t short on options. Fenerbahce, who are in the Europa League, have been linked to, and some reports even suggested a deal was close.

But now Il Messaggero says Sunderland might still have a shot. First off, Fenerbahce’s supposed deal isn’t as far along as people think. Plus, Guendouzi is apparently open to leaving Lazio. Sunderland gets a mention again as a possible landing spot for him, but they’d have to beat out some serious competition—Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray are both in the mix.

And about Atletico: intermediaries actually flew to Spain on Saturday to see if they could get something going. Lazio, for their part, want about £26 million if they’re going to let Guendouzi go. So, it’s still up in the air, but Sunderland hasn’t given up just yet.

OPINION: ROY KEANE IS RIGHT—MARTINELLI’S LACK OF RESPECT HAS NO PLACE IN FOOTBALL

Arsenal and Liverpool play out a 0-0 draw, but Martinelli’s clash with an injured Conor Bradley steals the headlines. See the fallout.

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Martinelli branded a "disgrace" by Roy Keane

Arsenal and Liverpool ended up with a goalless draw at the Emirates tonight. Even without a flurry of chances, the match still had its moments—both teams kept things lively, if not exactly clinical.

Arsenal looked sharper throughout most of the first half. Bukayo Saka, in particular, caused Liverpool plenty of problems down the right, but, honestly, they didn’t manage to create much in terms of real chances.

Liverpool, on the other hand, had the best shot of that opening half. Arsenal’s defence got themselves in a mess, Conor Bradley pounced, and his shot rattled the bar. That was as close as either side got before halftime.

After the break, Liverpool settled in and took more control. They kept the ball well, but neither team really threatened in attack. Liverpool seemed happy enough to let things drift to a draw, and Arsenal’s attack just never clicked together.

So, in the end, things fizzled out. The game sort of drifted to a dull 0-0.

But the real talking point came near the end. Conor Bradley went down with what looked like a nasty knee injury. While he was still on the ground, Gabriel Martinelli threw the ball at him and shoved him—pretty shocking stuff. The ref booked Martinelli, and Gary Neville didn’t hold back, calling him “an idiot” on commentary.

Roy Keane went even further on Sky Sports. He tore into Martinelli, saying he’d crossed a line:

“I didn’t like it, didn’t like it at all. I’ve been there myself—bad injury, player standing over me. It’s just not on. You could see Bradley was hurt. First, you throw the ball at him, then stand over him, then give him a little knee if you look closely. He’s just trying to force him off.

I’m surprised Liverpool’s players didn’t react more. Martinelli, with that behaviour, is a disgrace. He’s the type to roll around when he gets a knock. Not good scenes. Hopefully, he’ll look back and apologise.

You know your players—Bradley isn’t the sort to fake injury. When you’re standing over someone like that, you’ve no idea how badly they’re hurt. It looked pretty serious, and you’re still trying to push him off the pitch? Not good.”

Martinelli’s bound to get hammered for this, and honestly, he deserves it. It was a terrible look.

As for Bradley, Liverpool fans will be crossing their fingers that it’s not as bad as it looked. But seeing him stretchered off didn’t give anyone much hope.

PREMIER LEAGUE UPDATE: GABRIEL MARTINELLI FACES BACKLASH FOR PUSHING INJURED CONOR BRADLEY

Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool turned ugly as Gabriel Martinelli shoved an injured Conor Bradley. See why Gary Neville is fuming.

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Gary Neville brands Gabriel Martinelli an "idiot" after Liverpool draw.

Gary Neville didn’t hold back on Gabriel Martinelli after Arsenal’s tense draw with Liverpool, especially after Martinelli clashed with Conor Bradley in stoppage time.

As the match wound down, Arsenal’s frustration was all over the pitch. Then, in the added time, Martinelli lost his cool. Bradley had just cleared the ball and then went down, clutching his left leg. He looked like he was really hurt, but Martinelli, clearly fed up, first threw the ball at him, then tried to shove him off the pitch to keep the game going. Bradley didn’t budge, and Martinelli’s push just seemed to make things worse. The Liverpool players weren’t having it—Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister stormed over, tempers flared, and the referee ended up booking Martinelli and Ibrahima Konate, who pushed Martinelli back. Declan Rice had to step in and separate the people.

The whole thing left a bad taste after what was an intense match. Gary Neville was furious on Sky Sports. He called Martinelli an “idiot” and tore into him for shoving an injured player. “You can’t push him off the pitch. You idiot. That is so poor,” Neville fumed. “Honestly, I’m shocked none of the Liverpool players just went for him. He owes an apology.”

Szoboszlai, speaking after the game, said, “I saw Conor twist his knee. He wasn’t trying to waste time; he was just in pain. Pushing him off the pitch—no. The player’s health matters more.”

Roy Keane also weighed in, thinking back to his own playing days. “I didn’t like it. It’s happened to me before, when I was badly injured, and a player stood over me. Not good. Martinelli threw the ball at him, stood over him, and even caught him with a knee. I’m surprised Liverpool’s players didn’t react more. That behaviour is a disgrace. Hopefully, Martinelli looks back and apologises.”

Martinelli’s yellow card sparked a scuffle, and both benches were fired up. Neville even said he thought a Liverpool player should have given Martinelli a “whack,” while Keane just called it “absolutely disgraceful.”

After the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tried to defend his player, saying, “He probably didn’t know. Knowing Gabi, there’s no intention to hurt anyone.” He added he’d speak to Martinelli about it.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot tried to see both sides: “I don’t know Martinelli, but he seems like a nice guy. The problem is, with so much time wasted these days, players get frustrated. I’m sure that if he had known how severe the injury was, he wouldn’t have done it. But it doesn’t look good.”

Arsenal never really got going in the game. They barely threatened Liverpool’s goal in the second half and missed their chance to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points. Martinelli, who came on for Leandro Trossard in the second half, only managed one shot in 26 minutes. Arteta tried five different subs searching for a winner, including Myles Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel Jesus, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke. On the Liverpool side, Joe Gomez came on for Bradley late on.

Daniel Sturridge, watching on, called Martinelli’s behaviour “disappointing.” He said, “Passion is one thing, but you have to be respectful. When someone is down injured, you’ve got to recognise that. We’ve all been there—it’s more than disrespectful.”

Keane summed it up: “Know your players. He’s obviously injured. Martinelli’s not usually like that. Not good at all.”

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