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ARSENAL STRENGTHEN AND STRUGGLERS BUY BIG IN PREMIER LEAGUE TRANSFER WINDOW

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[FILES} Arsenal – Emirates Stadium, London, Britain – December 22, 2017 General view of a corner flag before the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley

Chelsea were the biggest spenders of a record-breaking January transfer window for Premier League clubs while relegation-threatened teams also splashed the cash on a frenetic final day.

Leaders Arsenal took a more measured approach in strengthening a number of key areas, but Manchester United and struggling Liverpool — two clubs whose owners are seeking fresh outside investment — were relatively quiet.

AFP Sport looks at some of the talking points after £815 million ($1 billion) was spent by the English top flight last month.

Arsenal reinforce core

The Gunners are five points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand — but have they done enough in January to get over the line?

Manager Mikel Arteta wanted highly-rated Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo to turbo-charge his push for the club’s first league title since 2004.

But Arsenal could not match Chelsea’s bid for Mudryk while Brighton rebuffed approaches for their prized midfielder.

Instead, they have added Leandro Trossard, also from Brighton, and Italy international Jorginho, who was snapped up from Chelsea, along with Polish defender Jakub Kiwior.

Trossard adds quality and depth to Arteta’s options in wide areas, where Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have excelled this season.

Midfielder Jorginho, 31, brings experience and trophy-winning nous after notable success at club and international level.

Arsenal’s title bid may also have been aided by Manchester City’s lack of activity.

The defending champions boast enviable strength in depth but added only Argentine youngster Maximo Perrone and shipped out one of their key players in recent seasons as Joao Cancelo joined Bayern Munich on loan.

Strugglers splash the cash

Just six points separate Nottingham Forest in 13th from bottom-of-the-table Southampton and the race is well and truly on to escape the relegation trapdoor.

Bournemouth, currently 18th in the table, were the second biggest spenders last month.

Four of the five bottom clubs — West Ham, Wolves, Bournemouth, and Southampton — splashed out around £175 million.

Bournemouth made six signings, bringing in Ukraine defender Illia Zabarnyi from Dynamo Kyiv and Ivory Coast midfielder Hamed Traore in the final hours of the window on Tuesday.

Southampton broke their transfer record, snapping up Rennes and Ghana winger Kamaldeen Sulemana for a fee that could reportedly rise to more than £24 million.

The group of clubs hovering just above the bottom five also spent big, with Forest adding yet more new names — three on the final day — in an ongoing revolution at the newly-promoted club.

Leeds broke their transfer record in signing Hoffenheim attacker Georginio Rutter, while Leicester brought in Australia defender Harry Souttar from Stoke.

But second-bottom Everton did not make a single January signing to further anger an unhappy fanbase.

Man Utd and Liverpool quiet

Liverpool were quick out of the blocks, agreeing on a sizeable deal for Dutch international forward Cody Gakpo in late December as Jurgen Klopp sought to boost his forward line.

But last year’s quadruple-chasers failed to do any more business despite their faltering form.

The decision not to reinforce an ageing midfield has raised eyebrows with Liverpool ninth in the table and out of both domestic cup competitions.

Uncertainty over the club’s ownership is one of the reasons given for Liverpool’s lack of activity and the same can be said of Manchester United.

The Red Devils did not buy a single player to strengthen their push for a top-four place but boosted their options with three loan signings.

United responded quickly to an ankle injury suffered by Christian Eriksen to bring in Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich on deadline day.

Manager Erik ten Hag signed the Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst, giving him the option of a tall target man to add bite to his attack, and Jack Butland’s arrival added depth to the goalkeeping options.

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LIONEL MESSI’S PREFERRED MOVE WOULD BE BACK TO BARCELONA, FATHER AND AGENT SAYS

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Lionel Messi's father says his son's preferred move is back to Barcelona.

Lionel Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, says his son’s preferred move would be a return to Barcelona during the summer transfer window.

Messi played his last match for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, ending a two-year stay in the French capital which had become tumultuous of late.

The World Cup winner was booed on more than one occasion by PSG fans this season, including when he walked onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes stadium to celebrate the team’s Ligue 1 title on Sunday.

Among the clubs vying for his contract is Al-Hilal, with Reuters reporting last month that Messi had received a formal offer to join the Saudi club.

However, when asked by journalists if returning to Barcelona, where Messi spent 17 trophy-laden years, would be his son’s preferred move, Jorge answered: “Yes.”

Jorge was then asked if the Messi family was confident of a return to the Catalan club, to which he responded: “I would love it.”

Messi left Barcelona in tears in 2021 after financial mismanagement at the club, which was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, meant it was unable to offer its talisman a new contract.

The Argentine won two Ligue 1 titles in his two seasons at PSG, but was unable to help the club win the Champions League for the first time in its history.

Messi’s time at the club ended acrimoniously after PSG suspended him for taking an unauthorized trip abroad, with the Argentine later apologizing.

Barça legend

Now a move back to the club where Messi turned from schoolboy to sporting legend is on the cards.

At 17 years old, he made his first of 778 appearances for the Blaugrana, becoming the youngest player to represent the club in an official game at the time.

He went on to break the club’s goalscoring record and won 35 trophies during his time at the Camp Nou – including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

Under new coach and club legend Xavi, Barcelona this year won its first La Liga title in four years.

“For me, there’s no doubt that if Messi comes back, he will help us on a football level,” Xavi told Barcelona-based newspaper SPORT in a recent interview.

“I let the president [Joan Laporta] know this. I have no doubts, no doubt at all that he will help because he is still a decisive footballer, because he still has hunger, because he’s a winner, because he’s a leader and because, also, he’s a different, different player,” added Xavi, who told SPORT that he still talks to Messi.

“We don’t have a Barça on a talent level like 2010, for example. And what would Messi bring? He’d bring talent. Final pass, set pieces, goals … in the final third, he’s a player on a different level.

“As such, and because of the way I want to play, the way the staff wants to play too, for me there’s no doubt that he would help us a lot, but it all depends on him. In the end, the one who calls the shots at this time is Leo. There’s no doubt.”

CNN

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MOHAMED ALI ON SONY LISTON

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He said:

“He knows I’m great. He went to school, he’s no fool. I predict that he will go in eight to prove that I’m great, and if he wants to go to heaven, I’ll get him in seven. He’ll be in a worser fix if I cut it to six.

“And if he keeps talking jive, I’ll cut it to five. And if he makes me sore, he’ll go like Archie Moore, in four. And if that don’t do, I’ll cut it to two. And if he run, he’ll go in one. And if he don’t want to fight, he should keep himself home that night. Just before the fight, when the referee was giving us instructions, Liston was giving me that stare.

“And I won’t lie, I was scared. Sonny Liston was one of the greatest fighters of all time. He was one of the most scientific boxers who ever lived, he hit hard, and he was fixing to kill me. It frightened me, just knowing how hard he hit.

“But I was there, I didn’t have no choice but to go out and fight. The first round, I was dancing, moving back and side-to-side. I hit him with a couple of combinations, and he got me once with a right hand to the stomach.

“At the end of the round, I went back to my corner, and I felt good because I knew I could survive. Round two, I made a mistake and he caught me against the ropes. I got away from most of the punches, but he hit me good with a left hook that shook me up. Round three, I changed my strategy.

“I’d planned to fight hard the first two rounds, and then coast while Liston got tired. That way, by round five or six, I’d be rested and he’d be out of energy, and I’d start coming on strong. But at the start of round three, I could see he was frustrated and getting tired already, so I decided to test him then.”

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HOW OSIMHEN’S STRIKE ENDED NAPOLI 33-YEAR WAIT FOR SERIE A TITLE

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Napoli finally ended their long wait to win Italy’s Serie A on Thursday after a 1-1 draw at Udinese secured their third league title with a record-equalling five games to play.

Thousands of fans in Udine, at the Stadio Maradona in Naples and all around southern Italy’s biggest city exploded with joy at the final whistle as 33 years of waiting came to an end.

Supporters streamed onto the pitch at the Dacia Arena to celebrate after a season dominated by Luciano Spalletti’s side, creating moments of tension with home fans not happy at such open partying on their ground.

Victor Osimhen scored the decisive goal in the second half as Napoli’s current stars came back from trailing to Sandi Lovric’s opener at half-time and emulated the teams led by Diego Maradona which won the league in 1987 and 1990.

Spalletti and his squad will receive an emotional welcome when they return to Naples, where the partying is set to continue to until at least their next home fixture against Fiorentina on Sunday evening.

“Seeing Neapolitans happy is enough to give you a sense of that joy they are feeling,” Spalletti told DAZN on the verge of tears.

“These people will look to this moment when life gets hard, they have every right to celebrate like this. You feel a bit more relaxed knowing that you’ve given them this moment of happiness.”

It was appropriate that Osimhen was the man to take Napoli over the line as the Nigeria striker has had the best season of his career and been key to Napoli’s historic charge to glory.

Osimhen’s title-deciding strike was his 22nd goal in 28 league appearances and rightly caused bedlam among the massed ranks of away fans who took over Udine.

Napoli’s 16-point lead over second-placed Lazio leaves them with a month-long parade between now and the end of the season which will allow their long-suffering supporters to fully unload more than a generation of frustration.

Osimhen seals deal

Napoli were straight on the front foot but as on Sunday looked worryingly bereft of ideas in the final third, and the away side were stunned in the 13th minute following the first spell of play in Udinese’s favour.

Lovric was given the freedom of the penalty area after being fed by Destiny Udogie, and the Slovenia midfielder took advantage by placing a lovely shot in the top corner.

Lovric stung the fingers of former Udine youth product Alex Meret in the Napoli goal just after the half-hour mark, by which point Napoli hadn’t created a single goalscoring opportunity.

Seconds later Osimhen, who looked like Napoli’s only hope of scoring in the opening period, headed a deep cross just the wrong side of the post.

And in the 52nd minute the 24-year-old stepped up as so often he has this season to unleash a wave of relief and blue smoke from the stands with his 27th goal in all competitions.

Osimhen was on hand to ram home the leveller when, after a corner, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s low shot was blocked and fell to the clinical striker.

He had the ball in the net again in the 67th minute but was denied by referee Rosario Abisso who rightly whistled for a foul by Eljif Elmas.

But by that point the fans grew ever more sure that Thursday night would be the night, chanting victory songs in Udine while flares billowed and fireworks were set off at the other end of the country.

While fans had to be cleared from the pitch in Udine to avoid clashes with home supporters the Stadio Maradona was lit up by phones held by teary-eyed Neapolitans singing along to songs by late local singer-songwriter Pino Daniele.

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