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Just to get this out of the way: in an ideal world, Arsenal would love to add both Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar in this extended transfer window.

However, the financial realities in a pandemic-hit world mean the Gunners, like every other club, have to be thrifty and smart in the market. Without question, acquiring the Olympique Lyon and Atletico Madrid midfielders remain possible, if the North Londoners free up space in the side by selling some of their unwanted or fringe players before October 5’s deadline.

Be that as it may, there’s a strong indication that Mikel Arteta will get at least one more big signing in this transfer window — failure would be disappointing but certainly not disastrous — to bolster his options as Arsenal seek to return where they feel they belong.

So, if Gooners could only choose one, which midfielder should they opt for?

The prevalence of social media and highlight reels on YouTube gives nearly everyone access to assess both players, discovering their basic skill set and how it fits into the setup at London Colney. To the naked eye, Partey is a defensive midfielder with a unique collection of qualities, while Aouar thrives higher up the pitch and does most of his damage in the attacking third.

While there’s the lazy tendency to suggest the Ghana star is nothing but an anchorman incapable or limited in possession, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Indeed, the Atletico man has shown he’s adept at helping Diego Simeone’s side build-up play and progress the ball higher up the pitch with his line-breaking passing and underrated vision.

Furthermore, the West African’s awareness to read, predict and snuff out danger makes him one of the rare all-round defensive midfielders in Europe. Partey’s strength in aerial duels, an area of his game that rarely gets mentioned, also potentially benefits Arteta’s team given the current midfield men’s inadequacies in the air.

Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos and Mohamed Elneny (last season at Besiktas) won 45, 26 and 53 percent of aerial battles respectively, a significant drop-off alongside the Ghanaian’s 71 percent. In truth, there’s a feeling 2019/20’s dominance in the air was an anomaly, given Partey’s success rate in 18/19, 17/18 and 16/17 were 55, 57 and 57 percent respectively.

Before Arteta arrived in north London, Gooners wanted Xhaka out of the club, despite his importance to their build-up play. However, the Switzerland captain has had a renaissance under the Spanish manager, who has transformed the club’s ex-captain and tried to limit the regularity of his mistakes while harnessing the 28-year-old’s playmaking ability from deep.

The arrival of Gabriel from Ligue I side Lille, return to fitness of Kieran Tierney and retaining David Luiz for 20/21 indicates the Gunners can still do without the Atletico midfielder’s skill set in possession for another year at least.

Also, the return of forgotten man, Elneny, loaned to the Turkish giants last term, means Arsenal may have found the perfect stop-gap for Partey if a deal can’t be reached before next Monday. While doubts remain over the Egypt midfielder, his performances vs Liverpool in the Community Shield, the opening day win at Fulham and their EFL Cup defeat of Leicester City last week has won over some supporters.

Consequently, the continuing problem for the Gunners means a deal for Aouar instead of the Ghana international is in the club’s best interests.

With creative genius Mesut Ozil still out of favour and unlikely to return or, rather, play an important part of the side like he used to, the 22-year-old adds another dimension to the Arsenal midfield. The Gunners have struggled to fashion out enough clear opportunities without the ex-Germany international and last season’s tally of 67 put them 14th in the Premier League.

Interestingly, stats show that Aouar created three big chances last term, nine in 18/19 and six in 17/18. Still, there’s an argument that his ball-carrying, dribbling, technique and versatility — he can play in a two or three-man midfield, attacking midfield or as a wide playmaker — would add a lot to the Arsenal setup.

The Frenchman’s underlying numbers also make for good reading. He was the top-ranked Lyon player for shot-creating actions and goal-creating actions in Ligue 1 last season, finishing 20th and 12th respectively in a truncated season. For better understanding, Memphis Depay was next in line at 52nd for SCAs while Thiago Mendes ranked 17 places below Aouar for GCAs.

Unsurprisingly, the Lyon playmaker completed the fifth-highest volume of dribbles in the French top flight last term and came in at fifth for cumulative distance covered in carrying the ball towards opponents’ goal.

Perhaps more importantly, as seen in Arsenal’s defeat by Liverpool, where Arteta’s troops lacked a link-up player in midfield to dovetail with their attack. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was peripheral for most of the game, while Willian disappointed before his 68th-minute withdrawal.

Statistics will show that Arsenal created three big chances in 90 minutes but the first came about from a rare Andy Robertson mistake and Alexander Lacazette was offside for another. The reality is, for most of the game, the Gunners struggled to get to grips with Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The fact that the visitors’ fluidity improved after Ceballos’ introduction, further strengthens the perception that signing the Lyon man ought to take precedence in the final days of the window.

While the arrival of someone of Partey’s profile offers Arsenal several tactical options, acquiring Aouar may be Arsenal’s best bet for 20/21. Still, signing both — an eventuality Gooners will love — will cap off what will be tagged a ‘dream window’ and make supporters confident of a Champions League return.

Senegal international Edouard Mendy has been handed his Chelsea debut in Monday’s League Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur.

The 28-year-old joined the Stamford Bridge giants from Rennes on the £22 million ($29m) capture, as Kepa Arrizabalaga been struggling to live up to that billing despite being the most expensive goalkeeper in world football.

Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic remain out injured with knee and hamstring problems respectively, but all other Chelsea players are fit including Ben Chilwell, who made his first start since joining in a £50m ($65m) move from Leicester City.

Having laboured to a 3-3 draw at West Bromwich Albion over the weekend, Frank Lampard’s men head to the London Stadium for the competition’s Fourth Round fixture.

In a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Senegalese will be in goal for Chelsea with Cesar Azpilicueta, Fikayo Tomori, Kurt Zouma and Chilwell forming his defence line.

In Spurs’ starting line-up is Serge Aurier who will partner Moussa Sissoko, Sergio Reguilon, Tanguy Ndombele and Gedson Fernandes in the midfield.

Nigeria international William Troost-Ekong has completed a permanent switch to English Championship side Watford from Udinese.

The centre-back who featured in 66 Italian top-flight games having previously moved from Turkish Super Lig outfit Bursaspor, is the latest addition to the Vicarage Stadium outfit - and penned a five-year deal with Vladimir Ivic’s team for an undisclosed amount.

Born and raised in England, the 27-year-old started his professional career in the Dutch elite division with Groningen and Dordrecht before heading to Gent and Haugesund respectively.

He joins compatriots Tom Dele-Bashiru and Isaac Success in Hertfordshire and has been handed the No. 5 jersey.

Troost-Ekong is expected to play a crucial role in the team’s return to the Premier League.

Speaking on his move to England, the defender attributed the transfer to his ambition of featuring in the English elite division.

"I believe in the project for Watford to get back into the Premier League," Troost-Ekong told BBC Sport Africa.

"It's always been my dream to play in the Premier League and Watford has given me the platform now to get there. Looking at the squad, I believe we have the quality to do it.

"I've always made tactical decisions for my career and this felt like the right step now for me and my family.

"As for my international future, I have shown what I can add to the Super Eagles. I have consistently contributed to the team's success in the last five years and have had the pleasure of captaining the team."

Despite featuring for the Netherlands at U19 and U20 levels, he pledged his international allegiance to Nigeria and he made his debut in an Africa Cup of Nations game against Chad on June 13, 2015.

Troost-Ekong also played a sterling role in Nigeria U23’s third-place finish at the 2016 Olympics staged in Rio. In addition, he featured for the Super Eagles in the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia as well as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Egypt.

Watford also confirmed the arrival of Guinea youth international Djibril Toure. The 17-year-old, however, will join the club on January 1, 2021 from Ceffomig FC.

Saint-Etienne have accepted a bid from Leicester City for Wesley Fofana that would see the defender become the biggest sale in club history. 

Fofana, 19, has attracted strong attention from the Premier League this season thanks to his performances for the French club. 

The youngster made 24 appearances in all competitions in 2019-20 prior to the season's cancellation in March, scoring twice. 

West Ham had also moved for Fofana, while Leicester saw several bids turned down. 

But Saint-Etienne have now confirmed they have agreed to a record approach estimated at £30 million ($38.5m). 

"AS Saint-Etienne reached an agreement on Tuesday evening with Leicester, the current leader of the English Premier League, for the transfer of their defender Wesley Fofana," the club revealed in a statement published on their official website. 

"The amount of this transfer is the largest ever obtained by the club. 

"The decision to sell the player was taken collectively by the Management Board and the shareholders. ASSE accepted Leicester's exceptional offer, especially given the uncertain economic context caused by the health crisis. 

"In addition, even if it presented, for the 2019-2020 financial year and for the tenth consecutive year, a positive financial result, the club sees for the moment its room for manoeuver considerably reduced by the consequent commitments made in as part of his previous sports project, in 2018, 2019 and until the beginning of summer 2020.

"Trained at the club and winner of the Gambardella Cup 2019, Wesley Fofana revealed himself last season, under the direction of Claude Puel. It is indeed with the General Manager of ASSE, appointed head of the Greens in October 2019, that he has made spectacular progress, thus establishing himself at the highest level. 

"Last season, Wesley Fofana played 14 matches in Ligue 1, six in the Coupe de France, including the final against PSG, two in the Coupe de la Ligue and two in the UEFA Europa League. At only 19 years old, he is now considered one of the greatest French talents of his generation."

Fofana is set to become Leicester's third signing of the window, following the arrival of Timothy Castagne from Atalanta and Roma loanee Cengiz Under.

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said they are confident of qualifying for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar after they made it to the last edition in Russia two years ago.

The German tactician who led the three-time African champions to Russia in 2018, has been tasked with the responsibility of guiding Nigeria to the quadrennial showpiece after renewing his contract with the West African country in May.

Nigeria have been drawn in Group C against Cape Verde, Central African Republic and Liberia in the second round of the African qualifiers.

Despite these three opponents not reaching the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt, Rohr is still expecting a tough challenge and he is not underrating any of them.

“We have three opponents in the group and have to respect all of them. Liberia are a team that can’t be underestimated as we saw when we beat them in a friendly,” Rohr told Fifa website.

“As for Cape Verde, they have players of Portuguese and Brazilian origin, and they can beat any team. Central African Republic are an unknown quantity for us, which makes it more difficult. I think the group is tough, but we believe in our capabilities.

“Given that we qualified from the group of death for Russia 2018, we’re confident we can make it this time as well.”

The third round will see the winners of the 10 groups battle for the final five slots as African representatives in Qatar.

The 67-year-old manager is hoping to see spectators return to stadiums before they begin their qualifying campaign in 2021.

“There will be fierce competition regardless, but when we play without fans we’ll miss the excitement,” he added. “I hope fans can attend games next year as this will make the matches more enjoyable.”

For the first time since their last competitive outing in November 2019, Rohr will be reunited with his Super Eagles team in Austria next month.

They have been scheduled to play Tunisia and Algeria on October 9 and 13 respectively.

Borussia Dortmund have announced that Jadon Sancho and Roman Burki will both miss Wednesday's DFL Super Cup against Bayern Munich with a respiratory infection.

The club also confirmed that both players had tested negative for Covid-19. 

The two clubs will face off at the Allianz Arena in Munich having both lost their most recent Bundesliga matches after starting the new season off with a win.

Dortmund fell 2-0 at Augsburg on Saturday while defending champions Bayern were defeated 4-1 by Hoffenheim on Sunday, ending a 32-match unbeaten run across all competitions.

The two sides have made a habit of facing one another in the German Super Cup, with Wednesday's match the seventh meeting between the sides in the last 11 years. 

Dortmund have won three of those fixtures, including last year's, with Sancho and Burki's absence set to deal them a blow in this season's encounter. 

Sancho has recorded 35 goals and 45 assists across his first 101 outings for Lucien Favre's side, leading to strong interest this summer from Manchester United. 

Dortmund, though, have rebuffed all of the Red Devils' efforts to sign Sancho and on Tuesday, club captain Marco Reus appeared to rule out any move for the England international this year.

"For us players that was great news. We were all happy that he will be with us for the season," Reus told Sky Germany.

"Also because he delivers points for the team. Goals, assists - in the end, that translates to a lot of points.

"He is an essential player for us. If he will be as great of a player as [Cristiano] Ronaldo, only time will tell. He needs a little bit of time, many experiences."

Speaking to Dortmund's official website, Reus outlined the challenge that his side will face against last season's treble winners.

"They are very, very good. If you win the Champions League, especially in the way they did, it's impressive. We are playing against the best team in Europe. It's a good game to see where we stand," said Reus. 

"I think both sides will put a strong team out. There's a title at stake, and there has been a lot of prestige on the game for decades. No one wants to leave the pitch as a loser, so we will do everything we can to win tomorrow."

Tottenham have become the latest club to show an interest in Antonio Rudiger after Chelsea boss Frank Lampard made the centre-back surplus to requirements.

The 27-year-old is understood to prefer a move that would see him stay in the Premier League, but the Blues are wary of offloading Rudiger to a direct competitor for the top spots in the division.

Remaining in England's capital would also be preferable for the defender, whose young family are feeling comfortable since his move to west London.

Inter's Milan Skriniar is Jose Mourinho's top target but Rudiger is also on the list at Tottenham. 

Rudiger also has interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Roma, while Barcelona are also in mix, though he is low down on the Catalan side's shortlist.

The probable exit of Rudiger comes after Lampard signed Thiago Silva from PSG, which led to the Germany international dropping down to fifth in the central defensive pecking order.

For a time, it looked as though Fikayo Tomori would leave Chelsea, having had interest registered from Everton and Rennes among many others, but his exit has since been blocked.

Chelsea are allowing Rudiger to explore options with less than a week to go until the transfer window closes on October 5. The Blues are aiming to reduce numbers in their squad, which Lampard has recently admitted is oversized.

Alongside Rudiger's likely departure, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is looking for a loan move after missing the last three matchday squads and has interest from Aston Villa and West Ham.

However, his £150,000-a-week contract is a sizeable cost for both clubs, who are looking for wage contributions from the Blues to get a deal over the line.

There's also a need for the Blues to offload a full-back, with both Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri seeing their futures in doubt after the signing of Ben Chilwell from Leicester.

Emerson looked set for Inter for some time, with a late moved expected from Antonio Conte's side, but Alonso's heated falling out with Lampard at the weekend has thrown his future into doubt.

Lampard is said to have lambasted the Spain international in front of the squad as the Blues went 3-0 down against West Brom and substituted him at half-time. Alonso watched the rest of the game from the team bus at The Hawthorns.

Furthermore, despite interest from Bayern Munich, Chelsea will block any attempts from the German giants to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi. The Blues have previously shunned attempted moves and will do so again having signed the 19-year-old to a long-term contract.

Still, Hudson-Odoi has recently had some concerns around game time in recent weeks, having only had two starts since football returned after the UK lockdown.

Chelsea's main transfer target late in the transfer window is Declan Rice but West Ham have yet to receive an approach for the midfielder. 

The Hammers are determined to block any attempts of a cross-city transfer this summer, although the Blues are likely to retain a long-term interest in their former academy player.

Additional reporting from Benjamin Quarez, Kerry Hau and Ignasi Oliva.

Scottish Premiership side Livingston have announced Efe Ambrose as the club’s new assistant Reserve Team Manager.

The former Nigeria international as well as Gary Maley will assist the club’s captain Marvin Bartley, who has been named the manager of the Reserve Team following the departure of Stevie Pittman and Derek McWilliams.

Ambrose teamed up with the Lions in February after several months without a club and this season he has featured in six league games for the club.

The 31-year-old centre-back has spent seven years in Scotland, playing for Celtic and Hibernian and Bartley believes Livingston will benefit from his wealth of experience.

“Efe and Stretch [Maley] are two massive characters but in all seriousness, they both bring their own high level of expertise,” Bartley told the club website.

“Stretch has been a goalkeeper for a long time and he’s now passing on that experience to the younger goalkeepers at the club and Efe has played at the absolute highest level so to have him involved is absolutely brilliant for us and the boys will love working with him.”

Livingston Head of Football Operations David Martindale also expressed his delight the new reserve coaching crew and believes they will perform well in their new roles.

“Stretch & Efe are more than capable and they will bring a variety of skills to assist Marv. Both fantastic individuals and professionals in their own right,” Martindale said.

“All three of the guys are very different but collectively they will do fantastically well in my opinion.

“I’m delighted that we can call the trio our reserve management team – the lads at the reserves couldn’t be in any better hands.”

Ambrose started his professional career in Nigeria with Kaduna United before moving abroad, joining Israeli Premier League club FC Ashdod in 2010.

The defender then moved to Celtic, where he spent five years and won four Scottish Premiership title, Cup and League Cup trophies.

He also spent time with Hibernian and played more than 55 games for the club before he teamed up with Championship side Derby County. 

 Ambrose had 51 caps for the Nigeria national team and was part of the side that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The executive committee of East Bengal Club has officially announced the transfer of a majority share and sporting rights of the club to Shree Cement East Bengal Foundation Limited.

The announcement was made at the Extraordinary General Meeting convened on Tuesday. The Shree Cement East Bengal Foundation Limited is the newly formed joint venture between the club and their investors Shree Cement Limited. 

The club has also transferred all its assets and properties including their intellectual property to the new company. 

The amendments to the club laws, which was approved by the general members of the club, effectively mean that henceforth, East Bengal will be run by the newly formed company and its board members. 

A senior club official and executive committee member suggested that the Red and Golds are likely to play as East Bengal FC in the upcoming season of the Indian Super League (ISL). A final decision, though, is yet to be made regarding the name.

Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) officially announced the inclusion of the Kolkata giants into the ISL earlier this week, much to the delight of the Red and Golds faithful. The move also meant that ISL will organize the famous Kolkata derby from next season onwards.

FSDL chairperson Nita Ambani welcomed the inclusion of East Bengal and said, “It is such a happy and proud moment for ISL as we welcome East Bengal FC and their millions of fans into the League. The inclusion of both legacy clubs, i.e. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) opens limitless possibilities for Indian football, especially for talent development in the state.

East Bengal has become the 11th team to participate in the ISL which started off as an eight-team competition back in 2014. Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC joined in 2017 to take the tally up to 10.

Mikel Arteta has his “eye on a few more players”, says Lee Dixon, with the former Arsenal defender hoping that a deal can be done for a performer of Houssem Aouar’s ilk as added creativity is going to be “key” for the Gunners.

A raid on Lyon for highly-rated playmaker Aouar has been mooted for some time now and formal offers have been tabled, but the Ligue 1 outfit are yet to see a hefty asking price met.

Arsenal are refusing to give up on a top target, with Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey another of those in their sights, and Dixon believes deals will be done before the October 5 deadline.

The Gunners great told talkSPORT of Arteta’s efforts to reinforce his ranks: “I think he’s got his eye on a few more players. If he can get them over the line in the next week or so…

“I think a creative midfield player is key. When [Dani] Ceballos came on [against Liverpool] you could see the difference in that creative side of things.

“It’s so difficult to be under that sort of pressure for that amount of time against a brilliant pressing team, then to go and play your football because you’re absolutely exhausted. We’ve all played against a team that suffocates you.

“So they need a little bit of creativity in midfield in order to get them out of those situations when they’ve been under pressure.”

Arsenal slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Anfield in their most recent Premier League outing, but Dixon believes there have been plenty of encouraging signs for the north London outfit under Arteta’s guidance.

He added: “I think from Arsenal’s point of view, it’s a good reality check because it shows them how far they’ve got to go and how far they have come. That would have been a thumping under Unai Emery.

“I was sitting on the fence when Arteta got the job because it was his first job. Was it a bit too early in his learning curve? But what he’s doing at the club, what he’s doing to the players, what he’s doing on the training pitch and how they’re responding – he’s turned some of them around and he’s got them playing in a way they all understand.

“Yes, there’s lots of improvements to be made but they were playing against one of the best teams in the world.”

Arteta has delivered major silverware during his short time as Gunners boss, with FA Cup and Community Shield glory taken in, but returning to the top four and Champions League competition remains the ultimate goal.

Quizzed on “realistic” ambitions for Arsenal in 2020-21, Dixon said: “There’s always the ambition to win a trophy, we did that last year and I think that’s always on the side burner.

“If you can have a good cup run, that’s great and it builds confidence and it’s something tangible for people to look at and say: ‘Yes, we’ve won that’.

“We have to take into consideration the lack of pre-season and the unusual situation we find ourselves in, but I do feel Arteta will be looking at top four, absolute minimum. He’s a very ambitious young manager. ‘

“You’ve got to get in the top four now. They’ve fallen so far from grace that that didn’t used to be enough and now, all of a sudden, it’s the Holy Grail. So that’s the next step.”

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) have secured a sponsorship to transmit live all FKF Premier League matches starting with the 2020-21 season.

According to FKF President Nick Mwendwa, the deal will see the Chinese-based TV channel air all matches in the top-flight, national teams, both men and women, and also 30 matches from the lower-tier league.

Mwendwa has tweeted the latest news, which he said will last for the next seven years and is worth 1.1million dollars.

“StarTimes,” Mwendwa wrote on his Twitter handle. “FKF PL is now back on TV, seven-year deal, worth 1.1million dollars, a year including national teams, men and women and will also broadcast 30 matches in the NSL.

“What a day?”

Mwendwa added: “Get your StarTimes decoder and enjoy watching the new FKFPL this season, and one match per weekend will be on a free to air channel of their choice.”

Kenyan Premier League was switched off air at the start of last season after South African-based pay Tv channel SuperSport withdrew from airing the matches citing breach of contract.

This was after FKF under the new boss Mwendwa moved to extend the top-tier from 16 to 18 teams, a move the broadcasting said was not in the contract and hence they decided to walk away.

The news also comes just a few days after FKF officially took over the running of the Kenyan league from KPL, after their term of office expired on September 24, 2020.

The company had been running the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) since 2003; when it was formed to curb the constant wrangles between the Federation and the top-tier clubs.

A Football Kenya Federation (FKF)-KPL agreement was drafted in 2015, giving the latter the legal mandate to run top-flight football in the country until September 24, 2020.

The battle for supremacy between the FKF and the KPL started when Mwendwa and his team took the mantle to run football in the country four years ago.

In their recent spat, the FKF moved to end the league owing to the coronavirus pandemic and declared Gor Mahia the champions while promoting National Super League (NSL) table-toppers Nairobi City Stars and Bidco United.

However, the move was quickly protested by the KPL, who insisted they are the ones mandated to run the top-flight, and thus they are supposed to declare the state of the league.

The KPL further moved to the Sports Dispute Tribunal in a joint suit with relegated side Chemelil Sugar and recently, the SDT dismissing the case. 

KPL was operated and run as a private limited company which was formed under the Companies Act of Kenya and was fully owned and managed by the 18 member clubs with each being a shareholder.

It was affiliated to FKF who were also a shareholder and voting member of the KPL Board of Directors, with non-voting members including the Kenya Football Coaches Association and Kenya Football Referees Association.

Zinedine Zidane has swerved around rumours suggesting that Real Madrid are keen on Wolves striker Raul Jimenez, with the Blancos boss claiming to be happy with those already at his disposal.

Despite being renowned for their ‘Galacticos’ recruitment policy, the reigning La Liga champions having been surprisingly quiet in the summer transfer window.

Funds are in short supply as the financial pinch of a coronavirus pandemic is felt, but Madrid can usually be relied upon to bring in a marquee addition from somewhere.

There is mounting talk that Mexico international Jimenez could be among those that Zidane tries to land before the next deadline passes.

The Frenchman is, however, reluctant to be drawn on gossip and continues to play his cards close to his chest.

Quizzed on the Jimenez links ahead of a meeting with Real Valladolid on Wednesday, Zidane said: “I'm going to answer you: We have this team and I don't know what is happening elsewhere.

“I am focused on the ones we have here. There can be discussions about the rest, but to be clear, I don't know.”

Jimenez is not the only player to have seen a switch to Santiago Bernabeu mooted, but Zidane is eager to point out that he is not expecting much movement prior to the summer window closing.

He added: “Everyone can give their opinion. For me, I always have the best and the best thing is that it is always like that at Madrid.

“The market is open until the 5th [of October]. In the end, we already have a lot [in terms of the size of the squad]. Are you going to put more people here? What for?

“They are all very good. I am happy, really.”

Potential outgoings in Madrid are also being mooted, with Luka Jovic and Borja Mayoral seeing loan moves discussed, but Zidane is giving little away there either.

He said: “I'm not even going to answer you. I'm going to count on all the players who have a first-team contract. Then we'll see.

“You have to take everything into account. Until the 5th the market is open. We will see. The players are fine and that's what interests me.”

Former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba has been selected for the 2020 Uefa President’s award for his ‘commitment to excellence on and off the pitch’.

The 42-year-old has been transforming lives since his retirement from professional football through his foundation which provide educational assistance to millions of school children.

The forward made a name for himself during his time with the Stamford Bridge outfit, where he enjoyed two stints, winning a number of laurels, including the Champions League.

The organizer of the award Aleksander Ceferin has hailed the contribution of the former Marseille forward to humanity as well as the opportunity the top European competition afforded African players.

“Didier is a hero to millions of football fans for his achievements throughout his glittering playing career,” Ceferin told Uefa website. 

“He is a leader – a pioneer. I will remember him as a player for his skill, strength and intelligence, but above all for his insatiable appetite to succeed – a trait which is just as present in his desire to help others off the field of play.

“The UEFA Champions League has become the greatest club competition in the world, partly due to our clubs being able to attract the best players from around the world.

“We have been lucky to have seen the likes of George Weah, Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba play at the very highest level.

“They in turn, have blazed a trail for African footballers and have given inspiration to a whole new generation to look to follow in their footsteps.”

The Abidjan-born star is delighted to reach the height of his career, having also played at the World Cup with Ivory Coast, and hopes to inspire children to realize their ambition.

 “To have won a Champions League, to have played and scored for my country at a World Cup – these are things I could only have dreamed of when I was a child,” said Drogba

“There are so many children in the developing world who have the potential to become not only footballers but also doctors, teachers and engineers. This is why it is so important to help and support our youngsters to let them fulfil their dreams and aspirations.”

The award recognizes professional excellence and has been won by legends such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Eusébio, Raymond Kopa, Johan Cruyff, Francesco Totti, David Beckham and Eric Cantona.

Drogba will be honoured with the award in Geneva during Thursday’s UEFA Champions League draw.

Diogo Jota is a “pressing monster” for Liverpool and has been signed as cover for Sadio Mane, says Jamie Carragher.

The Portuguese forward has been snapped up by the Reds in a £41 million ($53m) deal with Wolves.

His qualities were expected to slot seamlessly into the fold at Anfield, with the 23-year-old another hard-working option that blends graft and guile.

Jota has shown as much through his early appearances for the Premier League champions, with his goal account opened off the bench in a 3-1 victory over Arsenal.

Carragher believes the latest recruit on Merseyside will prove to be a shrewd addition for Jurgen Klopp, but says he will be judged as much off the ball as he is on it.

The Reds legend told Sky Sports of Jota: “He’s a pressing monster.

“When Liverpool are looking at stats on attacking players, most people probably look at goals and assists. The big thing for Liverpool is pressing from the front.

“Jota has got off to a great start with the goal, but a big part of it will be what he does off the ball and if you don’t do anything off the ball for Liverpool, and even if you’ve got a few goals, Klopp won’t accept it.”

Jota is going to find it difficult to land regular starts for Liverpool, given the quality that they already possess in the final third of the field.

He does, however, offer Klopp a useful alternative when the likes of Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino need to be rotated or rested.

Carragher added: “Where they needed to strengthen was almost cover for Mane more than anywhere else.

“If Salah is out, you can put Mane on the right. Mane has played up front, Salah has played up front.

“It wasn’t necessarily a fixed position that they needed, it’s just the rest of them can now move about if Jota comes in on the left – I think that is definitely his strongest position.”

With Jota now up and running as a Liverpool player, it could be that he is included from the off when the Reds take in another meeting with Arsenal on Thursday, with a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup up for grabs when the Gunners pay their next visit to Merseyside.

Jadon Sancho is "essential" for Borussia Dortmund, according to Marco Reus, who says "time will tell" if the Manchester United target can go onto become as great as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sancho has become one of the most important members of Dortmund's squad since moving to Westfalenstadion from Manchester City in 2017.

The England international has recorded 35 goals and 45 assists across his first 101 outings for Lucien Favre's side, helping them challenge Bayern for supremacy in Germany while also making a mark in the Champions League.

His performances at Westfalenstadion have attracted plenty of admiring glances from Europe's top clubs, and BVB have slapped a €120 million (£109m/$140m) price tag on his head in a bid to ward off potential suitors.

Dortmund have publicly insisted that Sancho will be staying put for at least one more year amid strong interest from Premier League giants United, who have reportedly been trying to negotiate a deal for the 20-year-old through his agent over the past couple of months.

The Red Devils are reluctant to meet the Bundesliga club's valuation in one lump payment, and unless they alter their stance before the transfer window closes October 5, the talented young winger will see out the 2020-21 campaign in his current surroundings.

Reus is already convinced that Sancho's services will be retained having heard Dortmund's senior officials reject the possibility of a summer sale, and the Germany international believes his team-mate has all the necessary attributes to earn a place among the world's elite if he continues on his current trajectory.

Asked if the ex-Man City starlet has made the right call to stay at Westfalenstadion and whether he has the potential to emulate five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who currently plies his trade in Italy with Juventus, Reus told Sky Germany: "For us players that was great news. We were all happy that he will be with us for the season.

"Also because he delivers points for the team. Goals, assists - in the end, that translates to a lot of points.

"He is an essential player for us. If he will be as great of a player as Ronaldo, only time will tell. He needs a little bit of time, many experiences.

"There will surely be phases in his career where things will not go as smoothly as now, and we will see how he is going to deal with something like that. But I believe that he has the confidence and of course the quality to do that."

Sancho will be back in action with Dortmund when they take on Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup final at Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Favre's men suffered a surprise defeat to Augsburg in their last Bundesliga outing, and will be expected to produce a much-improved performance against last season's treble winners.

Eden Hazard is, according to Zinedine Zidane, “very close” to returning to the fold at Real Madrid after recovering from his latest injury setback.

The Belgium international has been ravaged by fitness problems throughout his time at Santiago Bernabeu.

That has prevented the former Chelsea star from making the desired impact in Spain, with the 29-year-old still boasting just one goal to his name.

He is yet to figure in the 2020-21 campaign, as Real seek to make a positive start to the defence of their La Liga title, but is edging his way back into contention.

Zidane is looking forward to having a talented performer back at his disposal, telling reporters of Hazard ahead of a clash with Real Valladolid on Wednesday: “I think he’s very close to a return.

“He is prepared and training well with the team. The issue is that he hasn’t been able to train much until now, but now he is back training regularly. So, we’ll see what happens.

“What he wants is to play. He had a big problem that caused him issues for a long time, but now it seems like he is fine.

“The season is very long and he is a professional. What he wants is to be with his team-mates and to play.”

Having Hazard back will allow Zidane to make further tweaks to his tactical approach, with the Frenchman not about to settle on one system after mixing things up through a goalless draw with Real Sociedad and a 3-2 win over Real Betis.

He added: “For me, the most important thing is the balance. We had two up front the other day, but we can play with one on the outside.

“When you have three up front, for example, the winger doesn’t have to stay on the wing. We can move around. We have many options.”

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are other alternatives available to Zidane and he insists that the Brazilian duo will see regular game time this season despite questions being asked of their lack of minutes as fellow youngsters such as Joao Felix and Ansu Fati thrive at Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

Zidane said: “These kinds of questions make me laugh.

“This is Real Madrid and some players will play more and others less. That’s the reality. Those two are barely 20 years old. At that age, sometimes you’ll play and sometimes you won’t.”

Kaizer Chiefs attacker Khama Billiat has revealed he's always wanted to work with newly-appointed coach Gavin Hunt. 

What makes the Zimbabwe international excited about finally getting to be coached by Hunt is that the 56-year-old is a winner. 

Billiat further admitted that Hunt's background suggests no player is guaranteed to be in the starting line-up but he likes how the former Bidvest Wits and SuperSport United mentor manages to get the best out of his players. 

"I've always wanted to work with him. He’s a great coach who knows how to win," Billiat told the Amakhosi website. 

"We have seen with him while coaching other clubs, that no player is ever guaranteed to play. He’s a coach who brings the best out of you.

"He makes players feel happy and that’s what we needed."

The 30-year-old also lifted the lid on how things have been since the team's return from the off-season, saying there's a new energy at the Village. 

"You can feel it at training, there is a different energy," he revealed. 

The former Mamelodi Sundowns talisman stated he's already a chat with Hunt and he outlined exactly what he expects from him in the new season. 

"He made it clear what he expected from me," concluded Billiat.

Billiat is considered one of Amakhosi's star players but he didn't have the best of seasons under Ernst Middendorp. 

He could only manage three goals and two assists in 25 appearances across three domestic competitions - the league, Telkom Knockout Cup and the Nedbank Cup. 

However, that can be attributed to the injuries the speedy attacker suffered throughout the 2019-20 campaign. 

His first season at Naturena was remarkable even though the Soweto giants finished outside the Top 8. 

Billiat scored 14 goals across all competitions and produced performances he became prominent for whilst on the books of Sundowns and Ajax Cape Town. 

The Warriors player will hope to return to his old form when the new era under Hunt starts in October, especially because expectations are very high for Amakhosi to do well and end their five-year trophy drought. 

Mohamed Salah is always going to have a selfish streak, says Emile Heskey, with Diogo Jota and the rest of his Liverpool team-mates needing to make peace with that despite the frustration an Egyptian forward may cause.

Accusations of being self-centred are nothing new for a star turn at Anfield as, throughout his time on Merseyside, Salah has shown that he will always look out for number one.

He is also a vital team player for Jurgen Klopp, helping to deliver Champions League and Premier League crowns, but an insatiable hunger for goals has made the 28-year-old one of world football’s top talents.

Salah has netted 97 times through 156 appearances for Liverpool, with his latest outing seeing him try to nick the ball off Jota’s toe when the Portuguese was better placed to shoot.

Further questions have been asked of whether that narrow mindset is good for squad harmony, but Heskey feels removing it would be detrimental to a player at the peak of his powers.

The former Liverpool striker told Sky Sports of Salah: “I think we all know with Mo, he is always chasing that Golden Boot, he is always wanting to score.

“There are times as an unselfish striker where you’re looking at him and saying ‘why didn’t you pass that ball?’ But this is what you get from top goalscorers, from people that are going to score you 20-25 goals a season.

“They have this relentless drive where they want to take every opportunity, they want to score every chance. They want to take goals off you and you don’t want to take that relentless streak away from them because that’s what makes them.

“That’s what has made him into the winger and the goalscorer that he is. I think he has to keep going and doing what he’s doing.”

Heskey adopted a different philosophy in his heyday, with the former England international cut from the same cloth as Roberto Firmino when it comes to selfless frontmen.

He has no issue with Salah being a predator, though, and believes Jota will learn to accept that he cannot change the ways of a talented team-mate, just as Sadio Mane has on the back of previous in-house squabbles at Anfield.

“You’re not going to be happy with that, you are going to be talking to him at half-time or at the end of the game,” added Heskey.

“But this is something you have to get over on the pitch, you can’t dwell on these things because you have still got a game to play.

“After the game you have got to sit down and discuss these things. That little spat they had with Mane as well last season, they get over it. You shake hands and you move on.”

Chippa United coach Lehlohonolo Seema has denied reports that Orlando Pirates midfielder Austin Muwowo is on his way to the Eastern Cape side, but is not ruling out the possibility of signing the player.

Muwowo’s debut Premier Soccer League (PSL) season was limited to just two league appearances after joining Pirates from Nkana FC at the beginning of last term.

The arrival of two midfielders in Terrence Dzvukamanja and Collins Makgaka could leave the Zambia international with no place at the Soweto giants.

Also, the possible return from loanees who were enjoying some game time elsewhere could see Muwowo being loaned-out somewhere else or released.

“Who is Muwowo? I will leave everything to the chairman [the possibility of signing Muwowo] to reveal things at the right time. But the only thing I can tell you is that maybe you will hear that there will be some names that are coming from Orlando Pirates, I am not sure at the moment,” Seema told Marawa Sports Worldwide on Metro FM.

Last season, Chippa had three players - Tercious Malepe, Diamond Thopola and Meshack Maphangulke - on loan from Pirates and they have since been released to return to the Soweto giants.

Seema, who joined the Chilli Boys in July, says he is bringing in a new way of conducting transfer business by not signing a lot of players on loan from other clubs as was the case when he arrived in Port Elizabeth.

“There is a nice relationship between Orlando Pirates and Chippa United. They have been working together for a long time but having said that, I spoke to the chairman [Siviwe Mpengesi] and said when we are building our team we must also try not to get a lot of loaned players so that we can try and create a team that will sustain us for long,” said Seema.

“And then whenever that is possible I can take one or two loan players. It is a fact that whenever you have a hot property and for you to balance your books you need to have one of your own.

“But if you are playing with a lot of loaned players and then they become hot properties, come the end of the season they are leaving you and then you have to start afresh. That is something I cannot write off [signing loanees] but one thing I can tell you is that they won’t be as many as before.

“We are still looking at about two or three players but I cannot confirm where they are coming from but I cannot come and stop what has been happening before but the only thing that I can reduce as the chairman agreed is having a lot of loaned players.”

After releasing 15 players, Chippa United have signed Cameroonian striker Bienvenu Eva Nga, formerly of Bidvest Wits and Namibian left-back Riaan Hanamub on a three-year deal from Jomo Cosmos.