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Mesut Ozil is “too long in the tooth to change his game now”, says Alan Smith, with a summer move away from Arsenal considered to be the best option for all concerned at Emirates Stadium.

Transfer talk is building around a World Cup winner now that another window has swung open.

Ozil has fallen out of favour under Mikel Arteta, a man he once played alongside in the Gunners midfield, and was completely overlooked as FA Cup glory was secured by the north London outfit against Chelsea.

The 31-year-old’s representatives have maintained that a contract due to run until 2021 will be honoured at Arsenal, allowing him to drop into the free agent pool next summer.

There does, however, appear to be little point in Ozil sticking around, with it likely that game time would once again prove hard to come by next season.

With that in mind, and there no indication that the German playmaker will be meeting the demands of Arteta, Smith feels a parting of ways should be sought over the coming weeks.

The former Arsenal striker told Sky Sports: "It seems that Arteta wants to draw a line under it, and convince the players he's not part of the plans. He's passed the buck to Ozil and said: 'What do you want to do about it?'

"Hopefully he leaves the club would be Arteta's reasoning. That would free up a bit of money in terms of his wages.

"It's always going to be a talking point for as long as Ozil's at the club. I don't know whether anything could happen in this transfer window, there aren't too many links with any clubs. We might end up having this situation for another year until his contract runs out. He might get used now and again, but he won't be a core figure in his plans.

"It's something Arteta could have done without. He's got enough on his plate, without constant questions about the German's future. But Arteta is decisive; if he decides somebody doesn't fit in going forward, no matter how much they're earning, he's not going to pick them. That's strong management, and I think Arsenal need that.

"Can he fit in at Arsenal? No, I don't think so. This is an era at the club where everybody has to really dig in and work incredibly hard off the ball. Ozil is too long in the tooth to change his game now, and I don't think physically he is capable of doing what Arteta wants him to do, either.

"It might be another year before he leaves the club, but I can't see much of a future there for him."

Barcelona are still capable of claiming Champions League glory this season because “even a little bit of Lionel Messi is mucho Messi”, says Sylvinho.

The Blaugrana are still picking the bones out of a disappointing domestic campaign which saw them surrender the Liga title to arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Inconsistency has been an issue for the Camp Nou giants, with Messi taking to airing his frustration in public.

The Argentine has suggested that Barca will struggle to mount a serious challenge for a European crown in their current state.

The mere presence of the mercurial Argentine does, however, give the Catalan giants a fighting chance every time they take to the field.

Messi has collected another Pichichi Trophy in 2019-20, having topped the Liga scoring charts with 25 goals, and remains a talismanic figure for Quique Setien’s side.

Barca are due to take in the second leg of a Champions League last-16 encounter with Napoli on Saturday, with that tie locked at 1-1, and Sylvinho believes they remain serious contender for the ultimate prize.

The former Blaugrana full-back told The Guardian: “Even a little bit of Messi is mucho Messi.

“He’s still the best. He can change a game in the seconds. He gets the ball, bluh, bluh, bluh, bluh, goal! A team with a player like that, look out, maybe they can win it.”

Ex-Brazil international Sylvinho found himself on the books at Camp Nou as Messi was making a senior breakthrough.

He admits that he could never have predicted how good the South American would become, with a standing among the all-time greats having been safely secured for some time now.

“He was the same then as now in many ways,” added Sylvinho.

“He didn't speak much, he was relaxed, he would just train and go home. He has a great family behind him.

“We didn't know how far he would go. We knew there was a lot of potential there. We knew he was something different, very different. But it's a lie to say we thought: this guy will win six Ballon d'Or prizes, you never know what will happen.”

Messi has previously played a part in four Champions League triumphs for Barcelona, but the last of those came back in 2015 and a global superpower is keen to return to the top of a continental game.

Napoli have named Kalidou Koulibaly in their squad for the final stages of the 2019-20 Champions League while there is no place for new recruit Victor Osimhen and Algerian defender Faouzi Ghoulam.

The Parthenopeans will take on Spanish giants Barcelona in the round of 16 of the tournament in a one-legged tie on August 8.

According to the list announced by Uefa, Senegal international Koulibaly is the only African star who made the club’s 23-man squad.

Koulibaly has featured 33 times for Gennaro Gattuso’s men across all competitions, including six in the European tournament and will hope to help his side win the trophy. 

Algeria international Ghoulam will play no further part in the competition as he is still recovering from an injury.

Napoli will also not be able to bank on the services of their new signing Osimhen, with the Nigeria international having featured in the group stage of the competition for Lille.

The forward completed a €50 million transfer from the French side last month following his eye-catching performances during his time with the club.

Osimhen bagged 18 goals and provided six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions before leaving Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The forward made his Champions League debut against Ajax in September 2019 and scored two goals in five appearances as Lille failed to progress past the group stage.

The 21-year-old striker will be expected to make his first appearance for the Parthenopeans during their pre-season games.

Osimhen is a key member of the Nigeria national team and was part of the side that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The forward currently has four goals in nine games for the West Africans and will be expected to play a prominent role in the Super Eagles World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) communications director Henry Asante Twum has revealed the football's governing body has not made an attempt to lure Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah for an international future with the Black Stars.

The 21-year-old, who currently plays for England at youth level, and the GFA have been in the news concerning a possible discussion for a nationality switch following a social media exchange after Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 to win the English FA Cup on Saturday.

He was born in London to Ghanaian parents and reportedly turned down a first approach to play for the Black Stars in 2019 ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

“All his parents are from Ghana and he [Nketiah] has represented England in all youth competitions," Asante Twum said, as reported by Citi Sports.

“He has won two trophies this season, that is with Leeds United in the Championship and then with Arsenal, so we congratulated him on twitter for his achievement. He also responded to our tweet to show his appreciation.

“It is not far-fetched to strategically congratulate him to let him know that eyes are watching.

“Contacting his family has not come up yet. When the process begins, the media will be updated.

“That move cannot be made without the input of technical handlers.

“Where we sit, nothing of the sort has come to our table.”

After Saturday's match where Nketiah came on as an 81st minute substitute, the GFA quoted his celebratory post on Twitter with a reply "congratulations Eddie Nketiah".

The striker, who also picked a Championship winner’s medal with Leeds United with whom he spent the first part of the season, then responded "thank you", an exchange that prompted speculation about his international future.

In March, new Ghana coach CK Akonnor announced a list of seven diasporans being courted for a switch of international allegiance to represent the Black Stars.

The roster, which included the Anderlecht trio of Derrick Luckassen, Jeremy Doku and Francis Amuzu, Strasbourg centre-back Alexander Djiku, Gent midfielder Elisha Owusu and Ajax starlet Bryan Brobbey, had no place for Nketiah.

Recent reports say the FA have added Brighton and Hove Albion right-back Tariq Lamptey to their list of targets. 

Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa has revealed they will sign five players to beef up their squad ahead of the new season.

Batoto ba Mungu are yet to unveil any new signing and Kalekwa believes the first arrival could be done early next week.

“We want to sign five players to add into the squad we had last season,” Kalekwa told Goal on Tuesday. “Out of the five players, we have foreigners and local ones, I cannot give out the names now.

“But what I can promise is the first signing should be unveiled next week, we have discussed everything and agreed on all the terms, he is a foreign player, coming in the defence, but our number of signings will not go beyond five.”

On how far they have reached to sign ex-Gor Mahia captain Musa Mohammed, Kalekwa said: “It is not about [Mohammed] alone, we are engaging many players, our efforts are not only focusing on [Mohammed].

“Like I said last week, we gave Mohammed a contract which we feel is good for him, he promised to go read it and get back, we have not heard from since then and we don’t want to keep following him.

“We will now wait and see if he will come back to us, he is not the only target we have, we have other options, if he doesn’t want to come, it is fine with us, we will get an option for his position, I don’t want us to look as if we are desperate to sign him, we are not.”

Mohammed is currently a free agent after his two-year contract with Nkana FC of Zambia came to a close at the start of June.

In a recent interview, Kalekwa told Goal he was a keen admirer of the defender who guided Gor Mahia to five Kenyan Premier League (KPL) titles before he left for Nkana FC of Zambia where his contract ended in June.

“It is not an open secret Sofapaka have always wanted to sign Musa [Mohammed], since we engaged him last season before he left for Zambia,” Kalekwa told Goal.

“I am informed he is now a free agent after ending his contract with Nkana but we have not reached out or talked to him, we will talk to him when the right time comes, he is a good player, who can fit in well into our squad and give us the leadership quality that we want in the team.”

Tanzanian giants Young Africans (Yanga SC) are among the clubs that have reportedly shown a keen interest in signing the defender.

At Nkana, the central defender was parading alongside other Kenyan stars, including former AFC Leopards captain Duncan Otieno, former Gor Mahia captain Harun Shakava and Duke Abuya, who joined in January 2020.

Mohammed featured for K'Ogalo from 2010 to 2017, before moving to Albania for a short stint with KF Tirana.

When he ended his contract with the European club, he returned home before moving to Zambia in 2018.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) decided to release captain Papy Tshishimbi because the two parties failed to agree on the contract which was on the table.

The dreadlocked defender from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was among the 14 players shown the exit door by the Jangwani Street-based giants on Monday.

Goal can now reveal Tshishimbi and Yanga failed to reach an agreement on the new deal which the club had offered the player and hence moved to part ways on mutual consent.

“[Tshishimbi] was not keen to sign the new deal, he also demanded many things including a car, and it was difficult for the club to offer him what he wanted,” a source from Yanga, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Tuesday.

“The club was keen to keep him but it seems he had already made up his mind to leave if you see some of his comments to media in recent interviews, he was not ready to extend his stay with us, the contract was to end on August 12, but we have moved to part ways amicably and we wish him well.”

On Tuesday, Tshishimbi was among the players let go by the club as they continue with their clear out in the transfer window.

According to the club, former Gor Mahia striker Gnamien Yikpe, who took much criticism last season, was axed alongside Tshishimbi, who refused to renew his contract and Congolese striker David Molinga.

Others dropped are veteran striker Mrisho Ngassa, Jafary Mohamed, Mohamed Issa Banka, Tariq Seif, Andrew Vincent Dante, Patrick Sibomana, Muharami Issa, Ali Ali, Rafael Daud, Ali Mtoni Sonso and Eric Kabamba.

Surprisingly, the club have retained controversial Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison, who has missed training since the team suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against rivals Simba SC in the FA Cup semi-final clash and was since arrested under suspicion of marijuana possession.

Other played retained include Kenyan keeper Farouk Shikhalo, Metacha Mnata, Ramadhan Kabwili, Haruna Niyonzima, Lamine Moro, Bernard Morrison, Feisal Salum, Juma Mahadhi, Adeyum Saleh, Said Makapu, Balama Mapinduzi, Deus Kaseke, Ditram Nchimbi, Abdulaziz Makame, and Paul Godfrey.

Yanga had a disappointing campaign in the last season where they failed to reach the final of the FA Cup after losing to eventual winners and rivals Simba SC, and could only finish a distant second behind their old rivals on the league table.

The Timu ya Wananchi have now been linked to a number of foreign-players, including Kenyans Jesse Were and John Makwatta, who play for Zesco United, Sven Yidah of Kariobangi Sharks, Erick Rutanga of Rayon Sports and Mukoko Tonombe of AS Vita Club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Emmanuel Adebayor admits that players like Cristiano Ronaldo “come along once every 200 years”, with Real Madrid told they made a mistake in believing that a suitable replacement for the Portuguese could be found.

The Blancos bid farewell to their all-time record goalscorer in the summer of 2018, with a shock deal done with Serie A giants Juventus.

Ronaldo had starred at Santiago Bernabeu over the course of a nine-year spell, with his standing among the all-time greats secured during a stunning stint in Spain.

Real agreed to part with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as they felt a younger successor could be found to fill the role of club talisman in Madrid.

They have found out the hard way that countering the loss of Ronaldo was always going to be an impossible task.

Zinedine Zidane has returned the Blancos to the top of La Liga, with a title triumph enjoyed in 2019-20, but Adebayor believes a side that has been inconsistent at times would have secured even more silverware had a fearsome No.7 still been on their books.

“Without Cristiano, Madrid know what they have lost, but maybe not what they could have won if he was still there,” Adebayor, who took in a loan spell at the Bernabeu in 2011, told AS.

“I think maybe they thought they would get another player like Ronaldo but players like him only come along once every 200 years.”

Karim Benzema is among those to have been charged with the task of filling Ronaldo’s boots, with the French striker having fared as well as anybody in that quest – with 56 goals recorded across the last two seasons.

“When Ronaldo left, he had to take up the responsibility and I think he's done really well,” Adebayor said of a fellow frontman.

“He's scored a lot of goals, important goals so he'll be a danger [to Manchester City in the Champions League], no doubt about it.”

City are next in Benzema’s sights, as Real seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit in a heavyweight Champions League last-16 encounter, with the Blancos looking to conquer the continent for the first time since Ronaldo departed.

“Madrid would have been favourite with Cristiano,” said Adebayor.

“Back then, they had Cristiano who is a goal machine. He can make the difference at any moment and he would give the team 50 goals a season.

“They lost the first leg at home, at the Bernabeu 1-2, and it's going to be very difficult with the fans, against Manchester City, the city, the weather... but it's not impossible.

“Madrid have players with a lot of experience like Marcelo, Benzema, [Thibaut] Courtois and they are used to playing in big games like this one.”

Memphis Depay says Lyon will take a fearless approach when they attempt to knock Juventus out of the Champions League on Friday.

Lyon travel to Turin with a 1-0 advantage from a first leg that was staged way back in February. 

Rudi Garcia's side were beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in a Coupe de la Ligue final last Friday that was their first competitive match since March.

While the Ligue 1 season could not be finished due to the coronavirus pandemic, Juve returned to Serie A action in June and last week sealed a ninth consecutive title.

Depay knows that will be an advantage for the Italian champions, but the Lyon captain - who made his comeback against PSG after recovering from a knee injury - believes his side can defy the odds and reach the quarter-finals.

He is quoted as saying by UEFA.com: "[The first leg] was the first match I watched [after suffering a serious knee injury], and I saw a team spirit that made me so very happy.

"Juve weren't playing well. But now, months later, the situation is totally different. They have now played more matches than we have, so many aspects are now completely different to normal.

"But that has allowed me to be able to play in the Champions League. I am ready."

He added: "With the new rules [one-off games from the last eight onwards], anyone can be favourites. Because you know there are only one-off games.

"And Juventus have some very experienced players when it comes to playing finals. We, on the contrary, have a lot of young players who don't have much experience with the pressure of playing in finals and the Champions League.

"We'll just have to see. I do know that we have a very eager team and that we are definitely not afraid."

Lyon and Juventus will be squaring off for the right to face the winner of Real Madrid and Manchester City in the quarter-finals.

In the other round-of-16 matches, the victor of the Napoli and Barcelona tie will qualify for the last eight to take on the winner of Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Two quarter-final match-ups were already set before the coronavirus pandemic halted football, with Leipzig facing Atletico and Atalanta meeting PSG.

Francisco Bruto Da Costa, recently appointed as a coach of East Bengal, has the experience of working as an assistant manager at Indian Super League (ISL) clubs NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters. 

He has also worked with the Malaysian senior national team.

The common factor among all his aforementioned assignments is Portuguese coach Nelo Vingada who had taken him under his wing. He worked alongside Nelo Vingada for the first time at NorthEast United and then followed him to Malaysia before joining his coaching team at Kerala Blasters.

The new East Bengal coach suggested that it was an honour for him to work alongside a coach like Vingada who was associated with the Portuguese national team in the past. He had taken charge of the Seleccao between 1993 and 1994 as well.

As an assistant manager, Vingada has won the U20 World Cup with Portugal twice. He won the Asian Cup with Saudi Arabia in 1996 as the head coach apart from titles in Egypt, Jordan and South Korea,

“Working with Nelo (Vingada) was like a dream come true for me. First and foremost, he is a great human being with a great personality. God has blessed him with so much success. If you see his achievements, it is no mean feat. They are incredible. I was very fortunate to meet and work with such a person. Unfortunately, it did not work in NorthEast United. After that season, he had asked me to continue working with him as a part of his technical staff,” Da Costa told Goal.

The Goan spoke about the differences of working as a coach in a club and a national team. He also touched upon his time in Malaysia which lasted for only six months.

“It was a very good experience. There is a difference between working with a club and working with a national team. At clubs, you get to work every day. On Saturday you lose a game and fans are upset and then on Wednesday or Thursday, you win a game and fans forget the previous match’s defeat.

“But in the national team, you play matches once a month or once in two months and then you lose and then you have to wait for two more months to make the changes. It is challenging and it is a different type of work experience.”

Da Costa praised the league system in Malaysia and touched upon how ISL has improved Indian football.

“The league is very well organised in Malaysia. ISL also is very well organised. In Malaysia, all the clubs have great facilities, own grounds, training grounds. The infrastructure is very good there. India too has reached that level in recent times. I’ll say the ISL has helped Indian football in a great manner. From infrastructure to the standard of the game, everything has improved.

“It is difficult to compare the standards of Malaysia and India. Indian players are very hardworking and are willing to learn. It is nice to work with the Indian players. Malaysian players also are eager to learn, they do their best. I would say both the countries are in a similar situation. The thing is I don’t want to compare between the two countries. Each country has its pros and cons.”

Makan Winkle Chothe is a name that has cropped up regularly in the youth circuits in the recent past. The young winger made his name with the youth teams of Punjab where he was earmarked as a talent to watch out for.

Having broken into the Punjab FC first team at a very young age, he has now made the move to Indian Super League (ISL) with FC Goa. He is undaunted by the challenge and feels ready to vie for a first-team spot at FC Goa.

"It was a good opportunity for me. FC Goa is one of the best clubs in India. I have admired them ever since the ISL started and I have watched each and every game of theirs. I like how they play and I always wanted to play for them," the 20-year-old, who signed a three-year deal with FC Goa, told Goal.

After Redeem Tlang became the Gaurs' first Indian acquisition following the departure of Jackichand Singh to Jamshedpur FC, Chothe admitted to choosing Goa as his next destination despite an approach from another ISL club.

"There will be a lot of new players. So it will be hard to play (compete for a place) with them. Redeem Tlang and others are also new. Everybody will be fighting for a place and so will I," he insisted, given the likes of Brandon Fernandes, Tlang, Seiminlen Doungel as well as Romario Jesuraj who will all compete for a spot in the first team.

After his first taste of club football with Kanchenjunga FC during his time at Siliguri in West Bengal, the Manipuri lad made his senior team debut with Minerva Punjab (now Punjab FC) when the Chandigarh based outfit clinched the 2017-18 I-League, although his only appearance was as a last-minute substitute in the match against NEROCA in January 2018.

"When I got selected in the Minerva senior team, I trained well under coach Juan (Luis Perez Herrera). When Minerva would play friendly matches between junior and senior teams, the coach asked me to train with the senior team. I learned a lot and that's how I got in the senior team," Chothe recalled.

Even though the Spanish coach was shown the door before the start of the season, Minerva would go on to win the league.

"Under him (Juan), I started playing with the senior team in the Punjab league first and then I continued playing with the senior team. At the time, it was very hard for me with players like Chencho (Gyeltshen), William (Opoku) in the side who had more experience but I learnt a lot from them."

However, Chothe made a mark for himself by winning the Golden Boot with 35 goals from 13 outings that included a double hat-trick in one match as he helped Minerva Public School win the 2017-18 Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) football tournament in the senior boys' category.

Thereon, he made 11 appearances in the 2018-19 I-League and also played in an AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League play-off match. He went on to make five appearances in the AFC Cup besides winning the Hero Elite League with the U-18 side in the same season.

Chothe has 14 I-League appearances and a couple of goals to his name last season.

With FC Goa becoming the first Indian club to participate in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, Chothe is obviously excited at the opportunity. "Obviously, the AFC Champions League will be more competitive and it will be very hard but for the way FC Goa plays, I think we can be very competitive."

Yesterday was the first time that prodigious forward Luqman Hakim has joined the preparations with the Malaysia Under-19 squad ahead of the eagerly anticipated AFC U19 Championship in Uzbekistan in October, 

This is actually the second phase of the training camp after a similar one was held by Brad Maloney and his coaching staff in July where Luqman was among several star names that were missing from the call-up list.

At that time, it was understood that Luqman was needed by Selangor II in preparations for the resumption of the Premier League at the end of August but the situation has since taken off in a different direction.

The 19-year-old could be Belgium-bound in the coming weeks and that could scupper his chances of staying for the entire 1-month duration of this Phase Two training camp, but nothing is certain as yet.

"It’s hard for me to say at this moment (whether he could stay for the full 4-week training). There could be good news coming but I can’t say anything for certain now," said Luqman before the start of the training on Monday.

But the former Mokhtar Dahari Academy prodigy will not be shirking from his duties and until he gets further information, will be putting on his best during training to impress Maloney and will not be taking his spot in the team for granted.

"What people say is their right but I’m not someone who takes things lightly. For me, as a player we have to give 100% and then it’s up to the coach to decide. 

"I’m thankful to be able to train with this U19 squad and I’m excited to get this opportunity to adapt to the team and the players. 

"I’ve only seen him (Wan Kuzri) play on Youtube and I feel that he’s is a good player. Now is a chance for me to see up close in training and hopefully he can help the team."

Head coach Maloney later confirmed a similar understanding of the situation, which prompted him to include Luqman in the August call-up list, to give the young charge an oppportunity to blend with the squad.

"He’s committed now to his club in Belgium now, I understand. I was told that he probably won’t be playing for Selangor. In that case, it makes sense for him to train with us before he goes to Belgium," explained Maloney.

Celtic right-back Jeremie Frimpong is aiming to contribute more goals and assists this season after scoring in the Bhoys' 5-1 win over Hamilton Academical on Sunday.

The 19-year-old was among the goals at Celtic Park as the hosts began their quest for a 10th Scottish Premiership title in a row on a commanding note.

Sunday's strike was Frimpong's third goal for Neil Lennon's men since his permanent signing from Manchester City last September, and he hopes to continue his goalscoring form this term while not neglecting his defensive duties.

"It's not like me to score often, that's one of my targets this season, to get goals and assists, and I'm going to keep working on that,” Frimpong told the club website. "I saw the opposition defender was out of position and there was so much space so I thought if it comes let me get on the end of it.

"Hopefully, I can carry on getting forward as the season goes on," he added. "I enjoy getting forward a lot but sometimes when you make those runs they don't find you.

"It was a bit of a gamble for my goal because normally I wouldn't do that. If they don't pass it then it's a long way back.”

The victory shot Celtic to the summit of the Premiership table, and the Ghanaian youngster is pleased with the confidence level in the team ahead of their next league outing against Kilmarnock on Sunday.

“There's confidence in the team because everyone's looking forward to going out and playing and winning,” he said. “That makes you want to do it as well so the confidence comes naturally.

"I feel like the team's getting better and creating more chances which is good going forward. I feel like I'm improving too.

“The team is making me a better player," Frimpong concluded. "The team has come back strong and that makes you want to be even stronger yourself.”

Mikel Arteta needs to do more in a bid to appease Arsenal fans, according to former Enyimba and Nigeria forward Victor Ezeji, who has urged the Gunners to invest heavily this summer.

The Spaniard - who was a player for the North Londoners between 2011 and 2016, lifted his first trophy just seven months into his managerial career as Arsenal got the better of Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brace to give them their 14th cup crown, which is a record in the competition’s history.

However, Ezeji believes the Spaniard needs to step it up again if he's to return Arsenal to the top.

“He inherited players that might not be his wish, but I think we should give him another season to see what he can really bring to the table because he has done so well with the Arsenal team considering the position they were when he took over and where he has taken them to,” Ezeji told Goal.

“The problem is they were not consistent but I think overall he has done well."

“Now he has to bring in players he can really trust, that can work with him and give him the desired results," the former Enyimba star concluded. "Arteta needs to do more because Arsenal fans are yearning for more.”

Arteta’s managerial career began as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and under the former Barcelona boss, the Citizens won a total of seven titles which included two Premier League, one FA Cup and two League Cups.

Arteta then arrived as Arsenal manager after Unai Emery was sacked in late November 2019 following a string of uninspiring results.

The 38-year-old managed to steady the ship with the Gunners going on an eight-game unbeaten run shortly after his arrival which put them in contention for the top four. However, some uninspiring results after the league restarted saw them fall back and ultimately finish eighth.

Beyond Aubameyang who ended the campaign with 29 goals in 44 competitive matches, other key players for Arteta included Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe, although he's still yet to get the best out of some of the club's most high-profile players.

Saka excelled at left-back in Kieran Tierney’s absence and had a hand in 15 goals (four goals, 11 assists) while the latter is the club’s record signing following a £72 million move from Lille last summer. He played 42 times in all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing 10 assists.

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Stanton Fredericks believes the chopping and changing of coaches in South Africa should come to an end if senior national team is to be successful again, and has attributed the nation's slump to the decision to dismiss Clive Barker.

South Africa has had 26 coaching appointments since the re-admission in 1992, and this, according to 'Stiga', has been critical to Bafana's downfall. 

Fredericks feels national team coaches should be given at least five years to lay a solid foundation before a lot can be expected from them. 

"It's something of a culture in South Africa. If you just take it down to the PSL, the average lifespan of a coach is very low, and I am not even talking years, I am talking a couple of months," Fredericks told Goal . 

"It's a problem... it's something in our culture that needs to change."

Fredericks acknowledges that Bafana's decline came when Barker wasn't allowed to take the team to the 1998 Fifa World Cup in France despite winning the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 1996. 

The 42-year-old former Kaizer Chiefs man feels the generation of players at the time didn't do enough to defend the veteran mentor. 

"If you look at the very beginning, Barker had to take Bafana to the World Cup," he explained. "The players should have stood up.

"The players knew that this was the man that allowed us to conquer Africa. He qualified for the World Cup. 

"I think the beginning of the end started when they never allowed Clive Barker to coach Bafana Bafana in France 98, and that same inconsistency in the coaches is the demise of Bafana Bafana.

"I think the incosistency of the coaches is a massive factor: choose one guy and stick with him." 

Just before the 2002 Fifa World Cup finals, Carlos Queiroz was appointed as head coach of Bafana Bafana but he was fired soon after the global showpiece, and to this day, Fredericks believes the South African Football Association made the wrong decision.  

"We had Carlos Queiroz here; second to none in the world. How do you allow Carlos Queiroz not to spend at least five years at the helm and see what he produces?" he asked. "So, it's a problem that needs to be fixed."            

The 2020 South African Freestyle Championship Top-8 has been revealed.

A week after announcing the Top-16, the judges - an elite mix of local and international freestyle football legends - have managed to pick out the eight standout contestants who have continued to revolutionise the simple act of juggling a ball by creating tricks no one ever knew were possible.

Former champions Rishaad Ebrahim, Sipho “Six” Busakwe are amongst those who have progressed to the Top-8 while young duo Zenande Sineke (13) 11-year-old Shane Namuhuja have been eliminated.

Shane should find consolation though as his older brother Emilio Nahamuja remains a favourite for this year's title.

The rest of the Top-8 and who they will face on the road to the semi-finals is as follow:

- Rishaad Ebrahim vs Josias Bingo

- Adian Freestyle vs Emilio Nahamuja

- Shaker Mashudu vs Sipho Busakwe

- Jabu Mdaka vs Kyle Loogi

Goal will be publishing the winners of each round, all details and selected videos in their different platforms.

Bloemfontein Celtic manager John Maduka has expressed concerns ahead of his side's clash against Baroka in the Nedbank Cup semi-final, saying they have to be cautious in their approach.

Phunya Sele Sele are scheduled to face Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele at Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they look to secure a spot in the final, but the Celtic legend says he is wary of the Limpopo-based outfit.

The eagerly anticipated clash will be the first for both teams since the season was forcefully halted because of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

“Our preparations have so far been good, but it’s not easy [to prepare], it has been difficult for everyone [all the clubs], we have the same challenge [lack of fitness],” Maduka told DailySun. “When we started preparing the team we didn’t know when the league will start.

"We didn’t know whether to push players or not and we kept training trying to adjust," he added. “It has been difficult because we can’t even play friendlies due to Covid-19 to see whether players are 100 percent okay or not.” 

Maduka had replaced Lehlohonolo Seema who has since left the club to join Chippa United, and the Malawi legend added that it’s been a headache to prepare for coach Dylan Kerr’s troops.

“It’s difficult to plan because we don’t know how they will come at us,” he continued. “We watched their previous matches, but it’s more than three months since they played, so it’s tricky. .

"[However] we have a plan and we will play accordingly and at the end of the day, it’s a cup game, the one we must win. We need to be cautious [on approach] as we don’t know how long players will last [on the pitch], but having five subs gives us a chance because the game has to finish that day.”

The 49-year-old manager will be without his key defender in the form of Ronald Pfumbidzai who is locked down in his home country, Zimbabwe, and will miss the remainder of the current campaign as the borders remain closed.

In the other semi-final encounter, Bidvest Wits will lock horns with reigning Telkom Knockout Cup and Premier Soccer League champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the same venue later in the day.

With coach Gavin Hunt and Pitso Mosimane have also expressed their concerns as far as fitness is concerned, but both teams will also target a place in the final.

Cristiano Ronaldo would have made Real Madrid favourites to overturn a first-leg deficit in their Champions League tie against Manchester City, according to Emmanuel Adebayor. 

Los Blancos lost 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of the last-16 clash at the back end of February, with the return meeting postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Madrid were outstanding when LaLiga resumed in June, though, winning 10 and drawing their final game en route to beating Barcelona to the title, their first since the 2016-17 season. 

Former City and Madrid striker Adebayor says Zinedine Zidane's side still have the players capable of turning the tie around but the presence of Ronaldo – who won the Champions League four times with the Spanish club before departing for Juventus in 2018 – would have significantly increased their chances. 

"If you had asked me that question two years ago, I would have said yes [Madrid can turn the tie around]," Adebayor told AS.  

"Madrid would have been favourites with Cristiano. Back then, they had Cristiano, who is a goal machine. He can make the difference at any moment and he would give the team 50 goals a season.  

"They lost the first leg at home and it's going to be very difficult without the fans, against Manchester City, the city, the weather but it's not impossible. 

"Madrid have players with a lot of experience like Marcelo, [Karim] Benzema, [Thibaut] Courtois and they are used to playing in big games like this one." 

Adebayor believes Madrid did not fully appreciate how difficult it would be to replace a player such as Ronaldo, who became the club's record goalscorer during nine prolific seasons. 

"Without Cristiano, Madrid know what they have lost, but maybe not what they could have won if he was still there," he added.  

"I think maybe they thought they would get another player like Ronaldo but players like him only come along once every 200 years." 

Karim Benzema has taken on much of the scoring burden and has surpassed 20 LaLiga goals in the past two seasons. 

Adebayor says the French striker is crucial to Madrid, saying: "When Ronaldo left, he had to take up the responsibility and I think he's done really well.  

"He's scored a lot of goals, important goals so he'll be a danger, no doubt about it." 

Adebayor's stint in the Spanish capital was a short one and game time was limited under Jose Mourinho. However, he has nothing but fond memories of the Portuguese coach, describing him as the best ever. 

"I love Mourinho, we had a great relationship and he was the one who brought me to Madrid, although it wasn't easy for him to find a place for me in the side," he said.  

"The only trophy I have ever won was at Madrid with him. Now he's at Tottenham and I wish him the best of luck. He is the best coach in the history of football." 

Simba SC striker Meddie Kagere has not been shortlisted for the Most Valuable Player award despite emerging as the league's top scorer.

Kagere, who scored 23 goals for the league and the FA Cup winners and retained the Golden Boot, has been left out after he had been included in the provisional list of 30 players.

Zambian international Clatous Chama will battle it out with Ugandan defender Nicholas Wadada of Azam FC as well as Bakari Mwamnyeto of Coastal Union.

Wadada was key for the Ice Makers as he helped them record the second-best defensive record as they conceded 26 goals. The best record went to Simba who conceded just 21 goals but failed to produce a contestant even for the best defender of the season category.

Mwamnyeto, who has already signed a two-year deal with Yanga SC, was a defensive pillar for Coastal Union who conceded 30 goals, the fifth-best defensive record in the concluded season.

Waziri Junior is another notable figure to be dropped from the list of the final contestants for the MVP award despite scoring 13 goals for the relegated Mbao FC.

In the coach of the year category, Simba’s Sven Vandenbroeck will face off with Thierry Hitimana of Namungo FC. Vandenbroeck had to beat Hitimana’s side in the FA Cup final on August 2 to help Wekundu wa Msimbazi bag a treble in his maiden season in Tanzania.

The chance to fight for the award is an opportunity for the Belgian to get yet another personal accolade after winning two Coach of the Month awards.

For the Defender of the Year, Mwamnyeto and Wadada will face off again with David Luhende – a Yanga transfer target – being the third contestant.

The Midfielder of the Year trophy will be a contest between Lucas Kikoti of Namungo, Balama Mapinduzi of Yanga and Chama from the Wekundu wa Msimbazi side.

The Goal of the Season will be between Sadallah Lipangile of KMC, Luis Miquissone of Simba and Patson Shikala of Mbeya City.

Lipangile’s goal against Mtibwa Sugar has been put up against Miquissone’s strike against Alliance FC and Shikala’s effort vs JKT Tanzania.

Balama’s long-range goal on January 4 that helped Yanga draw 2-2 against Simba in the first Kariakoo Derby of the season did not make the cut.

Kelvin Kijiri of KMC, Dickson Job of Mtibwa Sugar and Biashara United’s Novatus Dismas are the candidates for the Young Player of the Year category.

Aishi Manula, the outstanding candidate for the Goalkeeper of the Season, is up against Daniel Mgore of Biashara United and Nourdine Balora of Namungo.

Manula kept 16 clean sheets in a season where he was preferred to Beno Kakolanya by both Patrick Aussems and Vandenbroeck despite criticism from fans.

The Team of the Year award will be contested by Coastal Union, Kagera Sugar and Mwadui FC while Ahmed Arajiga, Ramadhan Kayoko and Abdalla Mwinyimku will face off for the Referee of the Year award.

Frank Komba, Abdulaziz Ally, and Hamdan Said will rival for the Assistant Referee of the Year awards.

The ceremony to pick the season-end winners of the various categories will be held on August 7 in Dar es Salaam.