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Antonio Conte has revealed that he wanted to sign Romelu Lukaku and Virgil van Dijk during his time as Chelsea manager, with his reign losing momentum once those transfer pleas came to nothing.

The Italian tactician delivered a Premier League title triumph during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge and FA Cup success followed in his second, but he was to be ushered through the exits in 2018.

Questions were being asked of his brand of football by that stage, but the current Inter coach believes things would have been different if Roman Abramovich had bankrolled moves for star turns that were on the books of Everton and Southampton at the time.

Conte told The Telegraph: “I asked for two players and we were very, very close after we won the league.

“One player was Romelu Lukaku, the second player was Virgil van Dijk, and these two players were very, very close.

“We were in contact every day and I always said that with these two players we would improve my team by 30 per cent.

“I think maybe we lost the momentum to bring Chelsea at the very top and then to stay for many years.

“It was a pity that it didn’t happen and Romelu is showing with Inter that my idea was right and also Van Dijk has shown with Liverpool that my idea was right for the club.”

While he missed out on managing Lukaku in England, as the Belgian ended up heading to Manchester United, Conte has linked up with the forward in Italy.

The powerful frontman hit 34 goals across all competitions last season, and has seven to his name in the current campaign, with Conte convinced that he would have succeeded in the Premier League where United and Jose Mourinho failed with Lukaku.

He added: “For sure, it would have been a different story if I was the coach of Romelu.

“Romelu is an incredible player and he has a lot of space for improvement.

“In one year at Inter, he had a lot of improvement because he wants to learn and I think I am a teacher. But he can continue to improve to become one of the best strikers in the world.”

Manchester United have been handed a defensive boost after seeing Alex Telles test negative for coronavirus while away on international duty.

Media reports emanating from Brazil in the past few days suggested Telles had once again returned a positive test result for Covid-19, having previously been diagnosed with the illness at the end of October.

That was a frustrating setback for the full-back, who at that point had only recently made his United debut, which had been delayed due to an international window right after he joined from Porto for £14 million ($19m) last month.

When reports began to suggest Telles was one of the rare cases of someone contracting the virus multiple times, it looked set to be a major worry for United having already lost regular left-back Luke Shaw until December with a hamstring injury.

But the Brazilian Football Confederation have confirmed Telles is available to face Uruguay in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier via the following statement on their website: "Thiago Galhardo was listed after Alex Telles' tests were positive for COVID-19.

"The defender already had the disease, was asymptomatic and with a non-transmissible condition of the virus, but he could not travel to Uruguay.

"On the last examination, however, Telles' test came back negative and the defender was released for the game."

Telles will now be available for selection when United welcome West Brom to Old Trafford for a crucial Premier League encounter on Saturday.

The 27-year-old's sole appearance for the Red Devils to date came during a 2-1 Champions League victory over PSG last month, but he could make his top-flight bow against the Baggies in the absence of Shaw.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will be looking for a second successive victory when they take on West Brom, having picked up a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Everton just before the international break.

United are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table after a slow start to the campaign, but they do have a game in hand on leaders Leicester, whom they currently trail by eight points.

Jurgen Klopp is the only candidate to succeed Joachim Low as Germany boss, claims Lothar Matthaus.

Low has enjoyed a hugely successful 14-year stint in charge of the Germany national team, with his place in the country's hall of fame cemented following a World Cup triumph in Brazil back in 2014.

The 60-year-old has overseen a staggering 187 matches as Germany head coach to date, and will be back on the touchline for a crunch Nations League clash against Spain on Tuesday night.

However, Germany are no longer considered to be the formidable force they once were, with a group-stage exit at the last World Cup in Russia leading to many calling for a change to be made in the dugout.

Low has ultimately managed to hold onto his position and will likely still be in charge at next summer's rescheduled European Championship, but some believe a passing of the torch is inevitable in the near future.

Matthaus thinks Klopp should be the man to replace the current Germany manager when he eventually moves on, having seen him enjoy unprecedented success at Liverpool over the past five years of his career.

The Reds chief has delivered the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup during his time at Anfield, and a Bayern Munich legend believes he will be open to taking up a coveted post at international level when he is finished on Merseyside.

"When you talk about possible candidates, there is only one person that everyone would want in the future, and that is Jurgen Klopp," ex-Germany captain Matthaus told Sky Sport.

"He is extremely successful, personable and equally popular with fans and the media.

"He's far from finished in Liverpool and he'll have time for the national team in a few years."

Matthaus added on the need for Low to steer Germany into the Euro 2020 knockout stages in order to avoid being sacked: "Elimination in the first round is the equivalent to being eliminated as a national coach."

Germany must avoid defeat against Spain in order to qualify for the Nations League finals as Group A4 winners, having moved to the top of the pool by beating Ukraine 3-1 last time out.

Arsenal will not be signing Mitchel Bergkamp following his week-long stay with the north London club last month.

Bergkamp, son of Gunners legend Dennis, was invited to London Colney in October where he spent a week working with Steve Bould’s Under-23s.

The midfielder has been a free agent since the summer having left Dutch second tier side Almere City, where he progressed through the youth ranks.

But he will not be following in the footsteps of his father and making the move to north London, with Arsenal not looking to pursue a transfer following his short spell at the club.

Bergkamp grew up in London and was on the pitch with his father for his testimonial against Ajax in 2006, which was the game that officially opened Emirates Stadium.

And although he left England 14 years ago, he still holds Arsenal close to his heart.

“My father also played for Internazionale and Ajax, two wonderful clubs, but Arsenal feels like home,” he said during an interview with ELF Voetbal last year.

“Whether I choose the Emirates or Highbury? I would have preferred to play at Highbury. There are the memories of everything my father has done for the club.”

Arsenal have brought in several players from overseas to bolster their youth set-up during recent months, with large swathes of the club’s Under-23s players having been sent on loan for the season.

That has left Bould in short supply of experienced U23s players, with only nine of his current squad unable to also play for the U18s.

The addition of 22-year-old Bergkamp could have added to his options, but the Gunners U23s boss will now continue on with the players he has at his disposal.

Mitchel’s father, Dennis, made 423 appearances for Arsenal during his glittering 11-year stay in north London which stretched from 1995 to 2006.

The 51-year-old scored 120 goals for the Gunners and won three league titles alongside four FA Cups. He was named the Premier League Player of the Season in 1998 and his total of 94 Premier League assists remains an Arsenal record.

He retired in 2006 before returning to former club Ajax, where he took his coaching qualifications and began working in the academy. In 2011 he was named as assistant to first-team manager Frank de Boer, but took a step back following the appointment of Peter Bosz.

Bergkamp eventually left Ajax in 2017 and has recently been helping out in a technical capacity at Almere City, where Mitchel had been playing.

He was linked with a possible role on Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff following the departure of Freddie Ljungberg in the summer, but sources at Arsenal insisted at the time that there hadn’t been any contact.

Lucas Hernandez has sparked exit talk at Bayern Munich, but the France international is determined to remain at the Allianz Arena and justify an €80 million (£68m/$90m) price tag.

The 24-year-old defender became a club-record signing for the German giants during the summer of 2019, arriving in Bavaria as a World Cup winner and with plenty of potential still to be unlocked in his game.

Form and fitness issues have prevented Hernandez from making the impact expected of him, despite forming part of a treble-winning squad last season, and there has been talk of another big-money move being made.

He is, however, tied to a long-term contact Bayern and intends to honour that, telling France Football: “I still have a four-year contract.

“I don't just want to stay here, I want to make a name for myself here and be part of the team in the long term.”

Hernandez added on the price tag around his neck: “I know the club went to great lengths financially to sign me.

“Even in the difficult situation last season, I always saw myself at Bayern.”

The Frenchman says leaving Munich has never crossed his mind, “not for a second”, as he has “always felt the club's trust - from the management, the coach and my team-mates”.

Hernandez has been given an unexpected opportunity to impress at left-back in the current campaign, with Alphonso Davies suffering an unfortunate injury.

He has impressed in a role that is markedly different to the centre-half berth that he is accustomed to filling, with one goal and an assist recorded through 10 appearances.

Confidence has returned to Hernandez’s game, but the former Atletico Madrid star is hoping to see Davies back in action sooner rather than later as the 20-year-old Canadian has quickly become a key man for Bayern.

“I need the competition to move forward,” said Hernandez.

“With his speed, his technique and his positional play, he was the best left-back in the world.”

Bayern have already opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table in 2020-21, with just three points dropped through seven games, and they will return to domestic action after the international break with a home date against Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Santi Cazorla believes Xavi will “be Barcelona coach one day”, with a Camp Nou icon being backed to return to Camp Nou when the time is right.

That moment has not arrived as yet, despite several opportunities opening up.

Barca have never shied away from the fact that they want to re-open their doors to a club legend again at some stage.

Approaches have been made to secure his services in a managerial capacity, with questions asked of his availability when Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien headed through the exits in Catalunya.

Xavi has opted against taking a high-profile post with little experience on the touchline of which to speak of.

After hanging up his boots, he has focused his attention on cutting his teeth at Al Sadd.

He has been joined in Qatar by former Spain team-mate Cazorla, with the ex-Arsenal midfielder seeing out his playing days in the Middle East.

A man who tasted European Championship glory alongside Xavi in 2008 and 2012 believes his current boss will head back to Barca in the near future, with his career path seemingly being mapped out.

Cazorla told FIFA’s official website: “Without a doubt, Xavi is a great coach.

“I deal with him on a daily basis, and the many leadership qualities he had as a player he now has as a coach. He’s making great strides as a coach and brings his own philosophy.

“I think he’ll be Barcelona coach one day, but that’s his decision and he’ll know when it’s the right time to take that step.

“Even though he’s a graduate of La Masia like [Pep] Guardiola, that doesn’t mean he’ll be a copy of him. He has a different coaching style and a lot of tactical ideas, so I’m sure he’ll be a great coach. We all need to wait and see.”

Cazorla added on playing under a man he once partnered in Spain’s midfield: “Xavi is a great player and the whole world saw what he did with Barcelona and the national team.

“He’s one of the best midfielders in history, and he proved this with his great performances and the titles he won.

“It’s great to play under his management at Al Sadd. He's doing a great job with the club and has big ambitions, and I think everyone appreciates what he does.”

Pep Guardiola is still to decide on his Manchester City future with the clock ticking down on his current contract.

The City boss is set to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, with the club still waiting to find out if he is willing to commit to another year in charge.

Guardiola recently said that there have been no talks over a contract extension , with his focus remaining on the first-team during this season's hectic schedule.

However, the international break has provided respite from the gruelling campaign and an opportunity for the Catalan to give some serious thought to his next move with just seven months remaining on his current deal.

The two-week break is the last until the end of March, with City having at least two games a week scheduled until the start of 2021.

Guardiola is in his fifth season at the Etihad, which is already his longest spell at a single club having spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.

He recently hinted that he could potentially stay longer when he rejected the possibility of a return to Camp Nou after Barca presidential candidate Victor Font suggested he would like to bring him back to Camp Nou.

"I'm incredibly happy here, delighted to be in Manchester and hopefully I can do a good job this season to stay longer,” Guardiola said at the end of October.

That suggested that he was minded to remain at City and a club which is perfectly set up for the way the he likes to operate.

But any new deal would only be a 12-month extension, with Guardiola having no intention of replicating Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, who stayed at Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively, for more than two decades.

The 49-year-old is determined not to overstay his welcome, with the players needing fresh ideas to maintain their motivation.

City finished 18 points behind Premier League title-winners Liverpool last season, and have made a slow start to the current campaign, winning fewer than half of their league games to sit 10th in the table, with Guardiola enduring his worst-ever start to a new season.

He insists that uncertainty around his future is not impacting performances, with injuries, illness and the lack of a pre-season all contributing to a difficult opening few weeks.

"When they are on the pitch they do absolutely everything with one manager or another because they are incredibly professional and they want to do well," he said. "Nothing changes. Absolutely nothing.”

City are desperate to keep the coach they see as the best in the world for as long as possible, and before the season started  chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak insisted that the relationship between the club and the manager meant any talks would be convivial.

“Pep and I have a very clear understanding of what is right for the club and what is not. We have a clear alignment in terms of where we see the future and what we want in terms of success for the club," he said.

"I think again, it will be a comfortable conversation and it will work out in the best way for Pep, for me and for the club."

City have a shortlist of potential successors should Guardiola decide to end his stay at the club, with  Goal  having learned that RB Leipzig's Julian Nagelsman and former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino are among the potential candidates.

But Guardiola remains their priority after becoming the most successful coach in the club's history, winning two Premier League titles and four domestic cup competitions in his four years so far.

There does, however, remain unfinished business in Europe, with performances in the Champions League during his time agonisingly disappointing.

Guardiola has never taken City beyond the quarter-finals of the competition, and their remains a frustration at the slim margins that saw them lose to Premier League rivals Tottenham and Liverpool in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Last season's exit was particularly disappointing as City were dumped out in the last-eight by French side Lyon after a poor performance in Lisbon.

City are on the verge of reaching the knockout stages again, needing just a point from next week's game at Olympiacos to secure a place in the last-16.

There are concerns, however, that this season's intense schedule could impact any English clubs' chances of competing in Europe and for the Premier League.

Staying through the 2021-22 campaign would potentially give Guardiola a better chance of trying to challenge in all competitions as he has done throughout his career.

There also remains the enticing prospect that Lionel Messi could potentially join him at the Etihad, with the Argentine still unhappy at Barca and available for free next summer after his fall-out with the Spanish giants at the end of the last campaign.

The club remain hopeful that Guardiola will stay longer, but uncertainty over his future will remain until an announcement of any agreement. 

Manchester United youngster Lauren James has been handed a first call-up to the England women's squad.

Lionesses head coach Phil Neville has announced his latest 29-player squad ahead of his side's November training camp.

England were originally due to take in a friendly clash against Norway on December 1, but two in-house training matches have been scheduled instead following the cancellation of that fixture.

The players will reconvene at St George's Park on Sunday to begin a 10-day training camp, with James set to step up to the international stage for the first time, albeit in a non-competitive capacity.

The 19-year-old has been a bright spark in United's team since joining the club from Arsenal in 2018, and her hard work has caught the eye as England start to look ahead to the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

The other notable inclusion in the squad is Manchester City’s Laura Coombs, who has not played for the Lionesses since 2015.

Elsewhere, Liverpool star Rinsola Babajide and Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy have been called up for the second time, but there is no place for Chelsea defender Millie Bright, despite her impressive start to the 2020-21 season at club level.

Manchester City midfielder Jill Scott has made the cut once again, but the cancellation of the clash with Norway means she will have to wait until next year before picking up her 150th cap for England.

Neville explained his selection choices, saying: “This has been a challenging time for everyone, but it will be good to finish the year with an intensive training camp during which the squad will develop further and in which every player has the chance to prove themselves ahead of our upcoming major tournaments.

“I’m delighted to give Lauren James her first senior call-up. She is an exciting young player that we want to help develop further. She joins the squad alongside many other young players who we’ve introduced over the last few months.

“Laura Coombs is a player I have watched a lot this season and I have been very impressed with her progression in the game. She has performed consistently at a high level which merits her call-up to the squad.

“This camp will give us another excellent opportunity to integrate young promising players with our experienced internationals and align everyone on the team’s long-term vision."

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Birmingham City), Sandy MacIver (Everton), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Carly Telford (Chelsea)

Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Grace Fisk (West Ham United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Manchester City)

Forwards: Rinsola Babajide (Liverpool), Rachel Daly (West Ham United, loan from Houston Dash), Bethany England (Chelsea), Lauren James (Manchester United), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Olympique Lyonnais), Ellen White (Manchester City)

Andy Robertson and Alphonso Davies are the best left-backs in the world, claims Renan Lodi, with the Atletico Madrid defender a big fan of star turns on the books at Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Leading sides across Europe have started to find considerable value in a position that can often be overlooked.

Liverpool spent just £8 million ($11m) in luring Robertson away from Hull City in 2017, while Bayern invested €13.5m (£10m) in prising Davies from the Vancouver Whitecaps’ clutches in 2018.

Both have gone on to become title winners in England and Germany respectively, while also capturing much-coveted Champions League crowns.

There is the promise of more to come from them, with Robertson 26 years of age while Davies is just 20.

Lodi, who is forging an impressive reputation of his own in Spain, believes key men on Merseyside and in Bavaria have risen to the top in their chosen position.

He told FIFA’s official website: “Robertson of Liverpool and Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich are outstanding players. Davies is even younger than me, and Robertson is still young. They’re great players and have so much potential.”

Lodi added on those he modelled his own game on growing up, allowing him to become a regular for Atletico and Brazil: “Roberto Carlos was a great player, but I didn’t see too much of him because I’m young.

“I really like Filipe Luis, Alex Sandro, who I watch a lot – the way he defends, the way he reads the game. Marcelo too.”

Lodi is learning from some of the best within the Brazil national team set-up, and is also surrounded by superstars at Wanda Metropolitano.

Luis Suarez now forms part of that group, with the prolific Uruguayan having completed a shock move from Barcelona over the summer.

“He’s a real joker, a lot of fun,” Lodi said of a fellow South American.

“He also does his utmost to help everybody day-by-day. I try to learn the maximum possible from the time I spend with him, because there are no words to describe him. He’s strong, very talented, finishes with both feet. He’s a magnificent player and a huge asset for our club.”

Lodi is also enjoying working alongside Joao Felix in Madrid, with the Portuguese youngster seemingly destined to become a modern-day great.

He added on the talented 21-year-old forward: “He’s my brother at the club. We’re almost the same age. We get along really well.

“He’s an incredibly talented player, but he’s always trying to learn and improve. I have no doubt that he will become one of the best players in the world.”

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has confirmed the kick-off date for the 2020-21 FKF Premier League campaign has been changed from November 20, Friday, to November 28.

FKF President Nick Mwendwa has confirmed to Goal owing to logistical problems, they have pushed the kick-off date to November 28.

“The new season will now kick-off on November 28 and not this Friday [November 20] as earlier planned,” Mwendwa told Goal on Tuesday. “We have a number of logistical issues which need to be done, including testing of players and officials [for Covid-19] and all those who will be involved during matches.

“It is the reason we have shifted the date but we are confident the league will now start on November 28.”

In a previous interview, Mwendwa confirmed to Goal they will have a trophy made of pure gold for the 2020-21 FKF Premier League season.

“We will have a 24-carat gold trophy, very heavy and enticing,” Mwendwa told Goal. “We have already purchased the trophy, it will be round in shape, very good for everyone’s eyes, these are some of the changes we promised after taking over the league.

“There are no more jokes, we want to have the league managed professionally, we want to have many changes done to the league so that local players can also enjoy the game, we already have two sponsors on board and we are working at increasing the number.”

Asked where the trophy will be kept under lock and key for security reasons, Mwendwa said: “We have already talked to KCB bank and they will keep the trophy for us, the trophy will arrive in town soon and we will parade it for everyone to see it.”

Gor Mahia, who were declared the champions of the 2019-20 season after the FKF moved to end the league prematurely owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, are yet to receive their trophy for winning the league.

The KPL were yet to purchase a trophy after title sponsors SportPesa walked away, leaving the league in turmoil.

However, the FKF has already unveiled Nigerian betting-firm BetKing and Chinese Pay TV StarTimes as part of their partners for the new campaign.

The new season will be under the leadership of the FKF after the federation refused to renew the contract of the Kenya Premier League (KPL), who had managed the division for over 17 years.

Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has conceded his charges were not good enough in the 1-0 loss to South Sudan in the Group B Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier played at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi Kenya.

Gor Mahia striker Tito Okello scored the lone goal from the penalty spot in the first half to hand Bright Stars their maiden win in the group. The tactician has taken full responsibility for the shocking loss.

"Ultimately we were not good enough and as a coach, I take full responsibility," McKinstry told Goal.

"We planned for the game, we trained, players did their best and the coaching staff did their best to come up with the game plan.

"But I am sad for them [that we lost the game] and we have to go back and see what we have to do to give players what they need to perform [in the next game]."

The 35-year-old has also explained the reason for Cranes' struggles especially in the first half and how the Khalid Aucho red card impacted the team.

"It is hard to talk about tactics because when you go down to 10 men too early on, it makes it tough," McKinstry continued.

"Even before the red card we did not move the ball fast enough and that was the key point.  

"After the red card, we had to change things around and you noticed in the second half we went three at the back which is something Uganda have not really played [before], but I think the boys did everything they could.

"We hit the crossbar, had another two chances but we did not score. I am responsible for what the players do, I know they work hard to put on the show that people want but [on Monday] we fell short."

The Northern Irish coach has now stated they will have to go and analyse the game well in preparation for their next assignment.

"So I have to go back and look at ourselves and see if there is something positive; the [1-0 loss] humbles all of us. 

"We took this match seriously, we prepared well, nobody can say we were casual in our approach but for whatever reasons we did not get it right, and congratulations to South Sudan for the win."

Arsenal-linked midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is edging "closer" to the Red Bull Salzburg exits, according to his agent.

Szoboszlai has emerged as one of the most exciting young players in Europe since joining Salzburg from Liefering in January 2018.

The 20-year-old has since scored 22 goals in 74 games for the Austrian club, while also laying on an impressive 33 assists.

He has taken his game to a new level this season, with his best performances coming in the Champions League, and a number of top clubs are starting to take notice.

Arsenal are reportedly among those weighing up a move for Szoboszlai, who has just entered the final 18 months of his current contract.

The Salzburg star's main legal representative, Esterhazy Matyas, has now admitted that his client will likely be looking to move onto a new challenge next year, but they are taking a thoughtful approach when it comes to deciding his next destination.

"We're seeing that every time he has a good game, which fortunately is happening quite often, the rumours are getting stronger," Matyas told Digisport of the speculation surrounding Szoboszlai's future. "However, our strategy isn't going to change because of one or two games,

"We have belief in our own plans and the vision we had originally is only getting stronger because all of the comments we are reading only prove that we are on the right path.

"Whether it's in January or next summer, the most important thing is that he goes to a club where he will have a good chance of playing regularly and continuing the learning curve he started in Salzburg - that's the most important thing for us.

"Obviously, it's no secret that Dominik is closer now to leaving the Austrian league."

Bayern Munich have also been credited with an interest in Szoboszlai, and their former player Lothar Matthaus is certain that his old club will be keeping a close eye on the Hungarian playmaker.

The former Bayern and German captain recently said: “He could move to RB Leipzig in January, but I'm convinced that every top club in Europe has him on their list, including FC Bayern."

Bernd Leno has jumped to the defence of Mesut Ozil, insisting the Arsenal outcast is "absolutely loyal" and "still a part of the team".

Ozil's seven-year stay at Arsenal appears to be drawing to a close, with there little sign of the playmaker being offered the chance to extend his stay at Emirates Stadium beyond June 2021.

The former Germany international hasn't played for the Gunners since March, and was left out of Mikel Arteta's latest Premier League and Europa League squads, despite being in peak physical condition.

A man once revered as one of the finest players in Europe has seemingly been reduced to little more than a social media cheerleader  at Arsenal, but he has pledged to continue fighting for a place in the team while insisting that London "still feels like home" .

Although it has been suggested that Ozil's perceived unenthusiastic attitude and sub-par work rate have been the main reasons behind his recent omission, Leno is adamant that he has always been fully committed to the collective cause at the Emirates.

The German goalkeeper has been impressed with how the experienced schemer has dealt with his situation, and still sees him as a valuable member of the squad regardless of whether or not he ever plays for the club again.

"Mesut is still a part of the team and trains with us," Leno told BILD .

"He is absolutely professional, both on the pitch and in the dressing room.

"Obviously it's a disappointing situation for him, but Mesut handles it well and is absolutely loyal."

Ozil will be absent once again when Arsenal resume their latest Premier League campaign away at Leeds United on Sunday afternoon.

Arteta's men will be looking to get back to winning ways at Elland Road after suffering a surprise 3-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa before the international break.

That result left the Gunners down in 11th in the early top-flight standings, with six points separating the north Londoners and leaders Leicester after eight fixtures.

Arsenal's focus will shift back to the Europa League following their latest domestic outing, with a Group B clash away at Molde scheduled to take place on November 26.

Mason Mount has spoken about his humbling experiences working with UK charity 'Together for Short Lives', and he has begun taking a hands-on role through meetings and donations in recent weeks.

The 21-year-old midfielder is involved in the Christmas Appeal, which is supporting seriously ill children. A video message featuring Mount launched on Monday showing him meeting six-year-old Alfie on Zoom after his diagnosis for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which is an incurable illness.

Mount is a regular starter for both Chelsea and England now,  but he wants to be more than just a footballer.

"It makes me want to be a better person having learned about experiences like that but it also just meant a lot to me to speak to Alfie and his family," Mount told Goal in an exclusive interview. 

"It has helped me as a person to learn about these individuals who go through these difficult moments. It is unbelievable to see how they had to deal with hearing about Alfie’s life-limiting illness on the phone and it was such a tough time for them to go through that.

"For someone to say your son has a life-threatening illness only on the phone is hard to believe."

It took careful consideration for Mount to put his name to a cause this Christmas, but Together for Short Lives means a lot to him due to his own tight family unit.

Tony Mount, his father, has been very influential in his career - driving him the long distances between his home near Portsmouth to west London to train with Chelsea .

To this day, Tony still guides his son with well-placed advice having coached at non-league level.

He is also close to his brother and sister as well as his mother Debbie, who has put in great efforts in supporting her son's football career. Those memories came into Mount's mind particularly ahead of the holiday season.

"Christmas means a lot to me as me and my family have always been together celebrating, it is a big thing for my family," he added. "Especially at this time where families have even more problems due to the UK lockdown.

"I know people might not be able to visit their families when they normally would be together when they deserve to be together. The support is everything; I want everyone to look out for each other, I want us all to support each other so no families feel alone."

Mount is the latest of a host of young England stars to find off-field causes to support during the UK coronavirus pandemic, which is causing health and economic problems across the world.

Marcus Rashford has taken time to campaign for free school meals and has recently been involved with Macmillan Kids UK to improve literacy for children.

Mount's team-mate Reece James, meanwhile, has been involved with the Felix Project's food poverty appeal this Christmas.

Together for Short Lives estimates that 99,000 children are seriously ill in the UK. It aims to support families through the right end-of-life care and is pushing for donations this Christmas through its website.

"Everything they do means a lot to me and I have spoken to the people involved in the charity about what I can do. I wanted to be involved helping out however I can," Mount concluded.

Mohamed Salah has been slammed for contracting Covid-19 at his brother’s wedding, with Mido accusing the so-called “cowards” in the Egypt national team camp of allowing fear of the Liverpool star’s status to influence their actions.

The 28-year-old forward is having to sit out important games for his country after testing positive for coronavirus, with it possible that he could also miss crunch clashes for his club in the Premier League.

Mido is bemused as to how such a situation has come to pass, with Salah mixing with hundreds of well-wishers during a ceremony in Cairo despite social distancing measures being in place throughout the world.

Egypt and Liverpool are now counting the cost of those decisions, with a talismanic figure at Anfield and those charged with the task of managing his career criticised for their handling of the situation.

Former Ajax and Tottenham striker Mido told Al-Nahar TV: “I know I may be under attack after my next comments, but it has to be that way.

“Mohamed Salah made a big mistake by attending his brother's wedding a few days before the Egyptian national team match, he showed great negligence with the steps taken to prevent the coronavirus and the result was that he was infected.

“The neglect of Mohamed Salah caused the Egyptian team to lose an important player in a very important match and time, and he also risked the health of his team-mates.

"He should not have been present at his brother's wedding, especially at that time. The wedding included more than 800 people, and half of them accepted to embrace and kiss Salah.

“The other point here is the silence of all those responsible for the player's negligence, which confirms the fact that the player is still bigger than the national team and this will lead to a great failure.

“When I missed the 2006 African Nations Cup, I was punished by missing the final and being excluded from the national team for six months. The final we lost, I was young and I think I am older than the team, but I confirm now that no one is bigger than the team, and if someone thinks this, this will be a great failure.

“Officials in Egypt did not direct any word of blame or reproach to Mohamed Salah and the harm caused by his negligence to the Egyptian team, and I name each of the Minister of Sports Ashraf Sobhi, Chairman of the EFA Amr Al-Ganayni, the coach of the national team Hossam Al-Badri, and the national team director Mohamed Barakat, all are cowards and fear Mohamed Salah fans who love the Liverpool star, but here I am speaking without calculations or fear of anyone, and what is being said should be said to me.

“No one can say that Salah did not make a mistake by going to his brother's wedding at that difficult time and in light of the corona crisis, all the English newspapers speak against us negatively.

"Salah should have been blamed for what he did, but everyone feels fear.”

Bayern Munich could easily afford to trigger a €50 million (£45m/$59m) release clause in Dayot Upamecano’s contract and should be looking to land the RB Leipzig centre-half as a replacement for Jerome Boateng, claims Lothar Matthaus.

The Bundesliga champions are expected to enter the market for defensive reinforcements at some stage in the near future.

World Cup winner Boateng has entered the final year of his contract, while David Alaba has done likewise and seen talks regarding a possible extension break down.

If Bayern find themselves in need of cover at centre-half, Matthaus believes they should be looking to raid a domestic rival for quality reinforcements.

“Jerome is prone to injury and has reached a certain age at 32,” Bayern legend Matthaus told AZ.

“In the past few years he has often had to take criticism, including from me, and that was justified. But he always behaved professionally and enjoyed a great comeback under Hansi Flick.

“One thing is clear, if David Alaba should go alongside Boateng, Bayern will need a replacement.

“There are, of course, some internal solutions: Lucas Hernandez, Niklas Sule, Benjamin Pavard and the young Tanguy Nianzou. From what I hear, Nianzou must be a giant, a really great talent. 

“Nevertheless, reinforcement from outside would be needed. Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano would certainly be a player that would fit very well in terms of quality.”

Part of the problem for Bayern could be that Upamecano is attracting admiring glances from across Europe, with a number of sides in the Premier League said to be keen on the 22-year-old Frenchman.

Matthaus, though, believes that rival interest from the likes of Liverpool can be fended off.

The ex-Germany international added: “He has a release clause that allows him to move for €50m. That would be easy for Bayern. 

“I already have the impression that the Bundesliga made up ground on the Premier League during the pandemic.

“You can see from the results of the German teams in the Champions League that they can keep up.

“Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig and Gladbach all play attractive, attacking football. The Bundesliga shines, and is therefore also attractive for many top players.”

Paul Robinson says "any top club in Europe" would take Jack Grealish right now, and has admitted that he "would love" to see the Aston Villa star in a Tottenham shirt.

Grealish has been in red hot form for club and country at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

The 25-year-old has contributed four goals and five assists to Villa's cause in seven Premier League appearances, earning a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad in the process.

He has been arguably the standout performer for the Three Lions during the current international break, with his latest eye-catching display coming during his first competitive start for his country against Belgium on Sunday.

Grealish was powerless to prevent England from slumping to a 2-0 defeat in the Nations League, but received widespread praise for his work across the middle of the pitch alongside Chelsea's Mason Mount.

The Villa talisman is now being linked with a whole host of high-profile potential suitors, including Manchester City and Manchester United, but Robinson has suggested Spurs as an alternative next destination for the midfielder.

The former Tottenham goalkeeper believes Grealish is capable of playing at the very highest level, and insists the playmaker will have to seek a move if he wants to start collecting some major silverware as he heads into the prime years of his career.

“Top teams in Europe will be looking at Grealish and no disrespect to Aston Villa but they are not on the same level as Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich," Robinson told Football Insider.

“He loves the club but if he wants to win things at some point he will have to leave Aston Villa. It depends on his ambition.

“I would absolutely love to see him in a Tottenham shirt.

“Any top club in Europe will take Jack Grealish right now if they could but he signed a new contract so Aston Villa will demand a huge price tag for him.

“If a club does have the money and Grealish wants to play Champions League football then a move is possible.

“I can see Jack Grealish at one of Europe’s top clubs.”

Ali Daei “sincerely hopes” that Cristiano Ronaldo will break his international goalscoring record, with the Portuguese superstar just seven efforts short of the Iranian’s mark of 109.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been back on target for his country in the latest round of fixtures.

With Ronaldo hitting the back of the net in a 7-0 mauling of Andorra, he now has 102 goals for Portugal to his name and that return has him sat second on a notable chart and chasing down another entry in the history books.

The Juventus forward is now 35 years of age, but he is showing no sign of slowing down and is expected to pass Daei at some stage.

An iconic figure from the past, who managed his haul for Iran through just 149 games, claims he would be happy to see an all-time great overtake him and raise a remarkable bar a little higher.

Daei told Record: “I sincerely hope that Cristiano Ronaldo will reach my goal record for the national team.

“In no way [would I be hurt], it would be a real honour for me if a player of his class could do it.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players not only of his time, but of all time. He is an absolute phenomenon.

“I would congratulate him directly. But first he has to get there.

“Cristiano Ronaldo already has 102 goals for Portugal and will beat my record, I'm sure of that, but he still has seven goals to go.”

Ronaldo has one more outing to take in for Portugal before domestic action resumes in November.

He has been unable to guide the defending champions back into the Nations League Finals, but their 2020 campaign will come to a close with a trip to Croatia on Tuesday.

Ronaldo will be looking to edge ever closer to Daei in that contest, but Fernando Santos claims no-one in the Portugal camp is allowing record-chasing exploits to become a distraction.

He has said: “Nobody will be thinking about Cristiano.

“The [other players] will not be thinking about not scoring in order to give the chance to someone else.

“Even Cristiano wouldn't want that to happen. Cristiano will score when he has to score. The [other players] will not be thinking about that.”