Hector Bellerin insists he ‘does not want to be anywhere else’ than Arsenal.
The Spanish right-back joined Arsenal as a teenager from Barcelona and has gone on to play over 150 games for the club. Bellerin emerged as one of the most promising full-backs in Europe but struggled last season in what was Arsene Wenger’s final campaign in charge.
He will hope to revive his career under new manager Unai Emery and says it is ‘crazy’ that there are question marks over his commitment to Arsenal. Barcelona have expressed interest in signing Bellerin, while Pep Guardiola is believed to have considered a move to bring the 23-year-old to Manchester City.
But asked directly about his future at the Emirates, Bellerin told the Evening Standard: ‘It is crazy that people ask me these questions all the time.
target ‘A few years ago I signed a very long-term contract. I have never said that I have wanted to be anywhere else. ‘I am very happy in London. I am very happy at this club. ‘The club have made me who I am and gave me the chance to be the footballer I am today. So I don’t want to be anywhere else.’ Incoming boss Emery has signed five players since replacing Wenger in north London but, with two weeks remaining of the transfer window, remains open to further additions.
Speaking to the media in Singapore, the former PSG manager said: ‘I believe in these players. ‘Now I am very happy with the players. On Monday other players come with us after the World Cup.
‘If there is a possibility to sign a player, it isn’t very important now, but while the window is open, we can.
Hector Bellerin, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Alexandre Lacazette and Petr Cech showed off the new kit while on tour in Singapore.The London side are preparing to begin a new chapter under coach Unai Emery after seeing the end of the Arsene Wenger era.
But the Gunners have paid tribute to the pre-Wenger age with a third kit that resembles their Bluebottle shirt from the 1982/83. The shirt also has a big W dotted across the middle to complement the M that is spread over the away jersey – a tribute to the WM formation the Gunners used in the days of Herbert Chapman. The shorts and socks, meanwhile, are similar to the shirt with their green base and with the bagdes, logos and sponsors detailed in navy blue.
Arsene Wenger left the club afre being in charge for 22 years.
Japan announced Hajime Moriyasu as national team head coach on Thursday amid reports that Arsene Wenger could still play an advisory role in the development of the game in the country.
Before his 22 years at Arsenal, Wenger spent 18 successful months in Japan as coach of Nagoya Grampus from 1995 to 1996, a period that has produced a lasting mutual affection between the Frenchman and the country’s football fans and administrators.
The 68 year-old, who left the London club in May, was linked with the national team job before the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to appoint a domestic coach to succeed Akira Nishino, who is stepping down after leading the Samurai Blue to the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup.
Moriyasu, an assistant to Nishino in Russia, is ready to introduce a stronger connection between the various national teams. He becomes the first Japan coach since Philippe Troussier in 2000 to take simultaneous charge of the senior and Olympic teams as he started preparation for the 2020 Tokyo games last year.
Mesut Ozil has thanked Arsenal fans for all their “love” following a torrid week that saw him quit international football with Germany.
Ozil watched Arsenal’s penalty defeat to Atletico Madrid in the International Champions Cup from the bench on Thursday, but received the biggest cheer of the night when his image was flashed up on the big screen.
“Thanks to the Gunners in Singapore for showing so much love tonight,” the 29-year-old German midfielder tweeted, with a picture of him waving to the crowd in Singapore.
Ozil sent shockwaves through German football when he quit the national team, complaining of “racism and disrespect”. German football chief Reinhard Grindel rejected the racism charge but admitted he should have defended Ozil after the playmaker was abused for having a photograph taken with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ozil, who was born in Germany to Turkish parents and lifted the World Cup in 2014, felt he was unfairly singled out for their shock group-stage exit at this year’s tournament.
Arsenal’s new head coach, Unai Emery, and players have all rallied round Ozil on their pre-season tour, with hashtags #StandWithOzil and #SayNoToRacism all popular on social media.
“Of course everybody supports Mesut. We’re with him, we’re trying to help him,” Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan said.
“Everyone knows that Arsenal is a team with a lot of foreign players and foreign employees. It doesn’t matter which country you represent, it’s like family and we support each other.”
A Spanish outlet famous for its outlandish transfer claims, Dembele is unhappy that Barca have splashed out on Brazilian winger Malcom from Bordeaux as he sees it as a threat to his place in the team.
The report also claims that Barca boss Ernesto Valverde upset Dembele by not congratulating him on winning the World Cup with France.
Don Balon report that Barca are willing to cut their losses and accept offers of around €100m (£88.8m).