Arsenal
Arsene Wenger is braced for gloomy news as Arsenal await a specialist’s verdict on the tibia injury that could leave Olivier Giroud facing a significant spell on he sidelines.
Giroud has been ruled out of Wednesday night’s Champions League qualifier against Besiktas with the shin problem sustained in Saturday’s draw with Everton.
It is feared the 27-year-old France international could be absent for two to three months, robbing Arsenal of their first choice striker just three games into the season.
“On Sunday he had a medical check and he needed to have further investigations,” said Wenger, who revealed an announcement will be made over his fitness on Wednesday afternoon or evening.
“The first news wasn’t fantastic, but I’m not a doctor so I wait for tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) complete examination and decision over how long he’ll be out for.
“It can be (long term), we’ll see. I don’t know (if it’s broken). It’s sad for us, but for the moment we are focused on the game.”
Wenger may be forced into the transfer market in search of a replacement if Giroud is missing for any length of time. The Frenchman, however, refuses to panic buy before the window closes on Monday.
“We have plenty of players at centre forward. In England as soon as you have a problem, people want you to buy,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I can give you some clubs that every time they lose a game they say they might need to buy more.
“We are 24 hours from a big game and our focus is more on that than the transfer window.
“I’ve learnt one thing in our job – you say nothing categorically.”
Summer signing Alexis Sanchez could operate as the lone striker against Besiktas, although doubts have been raised over his ability to perform the role.
Sanchez was replaced at half-time at Goodison following an ineffective 45 minutes as the focal point of Arsenal’s attack, but Wenger is convinced he can operate as more than a winger.
“You do not convict a player on one half. It was not all bad what he did, there was some quality in what he did,” Wenger said.
“It was just that on the day we needed more physical presence. When you’re 2-0 down you don’t play counter attack.”
Yaya Sanogo, Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell are also options, although it is Sanogo, who missed out against Everton because of a hamstring injury, who is most likely to start.
Wenger, who ruled out Podolski leaving in the transfer window, is confident he has the options to cover for Giroud’s absence in the second leg of the qualifier at the Emirates Stadium.
“Yes of course, why should I not have that confidence?” Wenger said.
“Nobody can image that when one player is missing, no matter how big the player is, the team can’t win a game any more.”
Arsenal are seeking a 17th successive season in the lucrative group stage of the Champions League, but Wenger insists it would not be a financial disaster should they fail to qualify.
The first leg finished in a goalless draw in Istanbul.
“It will affect us because we’ll have less income, but it will not affect our balance sheet in a dramatic way because we can survive without that,” Wenger said.
“We want to be in the Champions League because we want to play top level football.
“Financially we’ve always adapted. When we had small resources, we always adapted to having small resources.”
Everton
Everton announced on Tuesday that they have signed Cameroon great Samuel Eto’o on a free transfer after he was released by Chelsea at the end of last season.
The 33-year-old striker has signed a two-year contract and could make his debut against his former club on Saturday when Chelsea visit Goodison Park in the Premier League.
“I met him and we had a very good chat about football in general and I was impressed about the hunger he still has,” Everton manager Roberto Martinez told the club’s official website.
“For someone who has achieved nearly everything, he still has the desire he had at 15 when he went to Spain and showed what he could do. For many reasons he has got a point to prove.
“We are very excited and I think Everton is the perfect home for him. The fans will make him ready and feel sharp, but we have got to be a bit patient with the fitness levels and make sure he is back to his best.”
Eto’o scored 12 goals for Chelsea last season after signing from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, including a hat-trick against Manchester United.
But his relationship with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho came under scrutiny after the Portuguese was caught on camera by a French television channel apparently casting doubt on Eto’o’s age.
“I am very happy to be here. I am looking forward greatly to putting on the blue shirt of Everton,” said Eto’o, who is Cameroon’s record goal-scorer.
“I have been very impressed by the style of play Everton adopt. I could see straight away that at this club I will have the opportunity to play football.
“I had the chance to speak with the manager over the last few days and we agreed that this was what we would do.
“I was impressed with his enthusiasm but also by the knowledge of football that Roberto Martinez carries, his vision of football and how he reads football. I still think I can learn a great deal from him here.”
Eto’o will provide back-up for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who joined Everton from Chelsea in a club-record £28 million (Dh170.2m) deal last month.
Eto’o has won three Champions League titles – two with Barcelona and one with Inter Milan – and has been crowned African Player of the Year on four occasions.
Hull City
Hull City announced on Tuesday that they have signed English centre-back Michael Dawson from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee.
Dawson, 30, has signed a three-year contract at the KC Stadium, having decided to end a nine-year association with Tottenham that saw him appointed club captain in 2012.
“I have been here for almost a decade and have loved every minute of it,” Dawson said on Tottenham’s official Twitter feed.
“I would like to say thank you to everyone at the club, including the supporters. We have enjoyed some incredible moments together and I hope the club continues to move forward in the future.”
Dawson, who has won four England caps, is the sixth new player to join Hull during the close season after Tom Ince, Jake Livermore, Robert Snodgrass, Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire.
The centre-back follows in the footsteps of older brother Andy, who used to play for Hull, and will compete with Curtis Davies, James Chester, Paul McShane and Maguire for a role in central defence.
“I know the club well with my family history, with Andy being here,” Dawson added. “I’m just ready and raring to go.”
Barcelona
Barcelona have agreed to sign defender Douglas Pereira from Sao Paulo for four million euros, the Spanish club said on Tuesday.
The transfer fee could rise by another EU€1.5 million (Dh7.3m) depending on the number of games the 24-year-old right back plays.
The five-year contract is pending a medical later this week in Spain, the Catalan club said on their website.
His signing is the latest in a busy off-season for Barcelona, who are prohibited from signing players in the next two transfer windows after they were found to have breached rules on the signing of underage players.
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