Arsenal have been contacted by a manager's agents, as the Gunners are made aware of his desire to move to England, according to reports.
Arsenal locked in fierce Premier League title battle with Man City
Arsenal are into the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season, but Wednesday night at the Emirates will have done little to silence the doubters.
Madueke-Arsenal-Sporting
A 0-0 draw against a Sporting side with no wins in England in their last 10 attempts was enough to go through on the 1-0 aggregate advantage — Kai Havertz's late winner from the first leg in Lisbon doing the work — but a performance that produced a single shot on target in 90 minutes will not instil confidence ahead of Sunday's potential title decider at the Etihad.
Mikel Arteta's side made heavy work of the contest despite Sporting's woeful record in England, and the Emirates atmosphere, while audibly relieved at the final whistle, reflected the tension that has been building across this run of form.
Noni Madueke limped off in the second half with a knee injury and is a serious concern for the trip to Manchester.
Arsenal's last six Premier League games in title charge Date
Man City (away) April 19
Newcastle (home) April 25
Fulham (home) May 2
West Ham (away) May 10
Burnley (home) May 17
Crystal Palace (away) May 24
Atlético Madrid await in the semi-finals — a tie that, given Arsenal thumped them 4-0 in the group stage in October, will at least offer grounds for optimism.
The immediate priority is the Premier League.
Arsenal lead by six points with a game in hand sitting with City, and the fixture between them on Sunday could define the title race.
Lose at the Etihad, and City could close to within three points.
A draw would ease the pressure. Win, and Arsenal would make a significant statement.
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Arsenal secured their pathway to the last four of the Champions League but it was far from pretty.
Their last victory at the Etihad came back in 2015, and their 22-year wait for the Premier League title is felt more acutely with every dropped point.
Reports also suggest Arteta could be in trouble if he fails to win the league again, with ex-midfield star and Como boss Cesc Fàbregas seen as an 'ideal' candidate to replace the Spaniard.
Arsenal offered Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann by representatives
Now, TEAMtalk and Graeme Bailey report today that intermediaries acting on Julian Nagelsmann's behalf have approached Arsenal and made the club aware that he would welcome a move to the Premier League.
julian-nagelsmann-germany
The 38-year-old, who has managed Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich — where he won the Bundesliga — took charge of the German national team in 2023, and his long-standing desire to test himself in England is well established.
A proposed move to Chelsea in 2023 reportedly came close but ultimately fell through.
TEAMtalk reports that while Arsenal have been contacted by Nagelsmann's camp, the club are yet to follow up on that interest, and as things currently stand, all parties expect Arsenal to continue with Arteta.
A review will take place once the season concludes, as it does for every top side, but for now, the support from the club remains intact.
What that review concludes will depend significantly on what happens over the next five weeks.
Julian-Nagelsmann-Germany
Sunday's clash at the Etihad, the Atlético semi-final and whether or not the Premier League trophy finally arrives at the Emirates — those outcomes will shape everything.
If Arteta delivers at least one of those two, the Nagelsmann conversation stays theoretical.
If neither materialises, the summer review takes on a very different character.
If Arsenal were to go for Nagelsmann, this glowing review from Aberdeen sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel is well worth a read, given he claimed back in 2020 that the German is even better tactically than Pep Guardiola.
"What also impresses me incredibly about Julian is his ability to analyse,” said Pfannenstiel.
“For example, if I am a DAZN expert during a live game, I should and must recognise certain things. It takes me three minutes to decrypt a basic formation, for example. Julian needs about 30 seconds.
“Julian is even better than Pep Guardiola when it comes to reading the opponents' style of play and adjusting the tactics accordingly during a game.
“Pep is someone who analyses a lot and then makes a decision. With Julian, the analysis runs parallel to the observation. We're talking about a very small window of time, but it can be crucial.
“Incidentally, this is not a talent, but a gift. I've met a lot of coaches, but Julian has this quality exclusively. It is unique.”
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