Afrobeats artist Odumodublvck has laid out a clear plan for Arsenal’s path to Premier League glory, identifying four crucial positions that require reinforcement.

As the 2024/25 Premier League season approaches, Arsenal is gearing up to finally claim the title that has eluded them for two consecutive seasons.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN Africa, Odumodublvck shared his expert analysis, pinpointing the signings that can propel Arsenal to the top.

Firstly, Odumodublvck highlights the need for a top-class left back, suggesting Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo as the ideal fit.

Despite the recent signing of Riccardo Calafiori and the presence of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jurrien Timber, the artiste believes Cancelo’s skills would be a significant upgrade.

Secondly, Odumodublvck advocates for the addition of a left winger to support or upgrade Gabriel Martinelli, who has held down the position for four years. His preferred signing is Rafael Leao, whose €175 million release clause expired on July 15.

Thirdly, the Afrobeats star emphasizes the need for a prolific striker, citing Gabriel Jesus‘ fitness issues as a major concern.

While Arsenal has relied on goals from various sources, a consistent, high-scoring striker is essential for a title-winning campaign.

Lastly, Odumodublvck recommends strengthening the center midfield position with a defensive cover, allowing Declan Rice to utilize his box-to-box skills.

He suggests Frenkie De Jong as the ideal signing, despite the team already having Thomas Partey and Jorginho.

Additionally, Odumodublvck has previously praised Declan Rice, naming him England’s most important player ahead of Harry Kane. With these reinforcements, Arsenal may finally have the firepower to claim the Premier League title.

 

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Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has responded to rumors that he would quit the team and sign with Manchester United.

The Red Devils made a strong effort to sign the Dutchman last summer, and new manager Erik ten Hag made him a top priority.

Despite Barcelona’s need to raise funds in order to compete financially, which included the activation of several economic ‘levers,’ as well as a still-unfulfilled need to pay De Jong millions in deferred wages, he stayed at Camp Nou and has since become a pivotal member of Xavi’s preferred starting lineup.

De Jong has long insisted that he has no intention of leaving Barcelona, though he was recently quizzed directly about interest from England, with Ziggo Sport asking: “You won’t join Manchester United in the summer, correct?”

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To this, De Jong replied: “No, I don’t think so. You never know of course. But I’m very happy in Barcelona.”

According to reports, Ten Hag is still after De Jong, and United is ready to act should the right circumstances arise.

De Jong’s Barcelona were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League in the knockout round play-offs by United, who advanced following a 4-3 aggregate win. Ten Hag’s side have since reached the quarter-finals, where they will meet another La Liga outfit in Sevilla.

Barcelona, meanwhile, moved 12 points clear at the top of La Liga after beating rivals Real Madrid 2-1 in El Clasico on Sunday night, with De Jong in line to win the Spanish title for the first time since joining from Ajax.

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Marc-Andre ter Stegen has disclosed how he tried his best to keep Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona amid interest from Manchester United.

Despite consistently stating his desire to remain at Barcelona, De Jong was strongly connected with a move to Manchester United during the summer transfer window. At the time, according to Ter Stegen, he spoke with De Jong and tried his best to make sure the Dutchman stayed at Camp Nou.

“He brings a lot, I have a super high opinion of him but I also expect a lot from him because he has so much talent. He sees and feels football in a different way and this is why he is someone that Gavi and Pedri, for example, can look up to,” he told The Times.

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“I was hoping he would stay because this is the type of player I want to have in my team. I want to make very clear, when I talked to him I tried to [make him stay]. One day I will just put him in something here [he pretends to tie a rope around a chair leg] to keep him here always. I hope he will be here for a long time.”

Barcelona may need to sell off some important assets in the summer if their pay cost is to be reduced by €200 million. De Jong has stated that he wants to play for Barcelona for the next ten years, but he is still adamant about staying with the team.

This season in 21 La Liga games for Barcelona, Ter Stegen has kept 16 clean sheets and allowed only seven goals.

As Xavi’s team welcomes the Red Devils to Camp Nou on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League elimination playoff matchup, De Jong and Barcelona will next face the battle against Manchester United.

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According to Barcelona president Joan Laporta, the team intends to shed an additional €70 million in salaries during the summer transfer window.

The Blaugrana’s financial struggled are well-documented, with their high wages seeing them fall foul of La Liga’s salary cap rules on a number of occasions in the past.

They were blocked from making any permanent signings during the January transfer window and face a battle to free up enough money to put their ambitious plans into action once the end of the season arrives.

“It is difficult for us to register players due to the salary limit and the regulations,” Laporta admitted. “La Liga sets limits based on clubs’ accounts, and in the case of Barcelona, we inherited a limit exceeded by millions and millions.

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“There are contracts that were increased, it was exceeded by between €300m and €350m. A titanic effort has been made. As of today, we have reduced it by €100m and we hope to reach €175m in the summer, while also keeping a competitive team. The levers helped that.

“As we continue with a salary that exceeds the limit, it costs the club and La Liga sets more restrictive regulations. With these regulations and the levers, we have registered players with a titanic effort, but La Liga has been changing the regulations so that we cannot do these operations. Every time we overcome an obstacle, La Liga changes the norm for us.”

It’s unclear exactly how Barcelona will reduce that pay. Regarding contracts that are about to expire, experienced midfielder Sergio Busquets must be decided upon, while Sergi Roberto is reportedly close to signing an extension.

Selling players is an obvious option for Barcelona, whose squad is full of talents being eyed up by teams across Europe.

Manchester United are keen on midfielder Frenkie de Jong and have been linked with winger Ansu Fati as well, while the likes of Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba, Franck Kessie, Ferran Torres and Raphinha have all been touted as potential sales.

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After asking the Barcelona star additional transfer questions, Manchester United fans were ridiculed by Frenkie de Jong’s girlfriend, Mikky Kiemeney.

The Netherlands midfielder, 25, was wanted by the Red Devils in the summer of 2022 after a lengthy transfer drama that saw multiple attempts to entice him away from Camp Nou.

Since then, rumours about potential suitors for the Dutchman have persisted, but Kiemeney has astutely noted that the only time De Jong will be at Old Trafford is for the second leg of United’s Europa League elimination play-off match against Barcelona on February 23.

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Kiemeney was asked on Instagram “when’s Frenkie coming to Manchester?” and could not resist the urge to offer a tongue-in-cheek response to those still holding out hope that a player who has enjoyed an impressive return to form in 2022-23 could end up on the books of Premier League heavyweights.

There appears to be little chance of Barcelona listening to offers for De Jong any time soon, despite being open to bids last summer, with the classy operator starring for Xavi’s side after being asked to fill one of two holding roles in a new-look system for the current La Liga leaders.

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has released a statement on Frenkie de Jong’s future amid Manchester United interest and insisted that he does not want to sell the player and also never has done in the past either.

That is despite De Jong appearing to be on course for a Camp Nou exit during the summer.

According to reports, as part of a planned deal for up to €85m overall with add-ons, Manchester United agreed to pay De Jong €75m in guaranteed money. When John Murtough and Richard Arnold travelled to Catalonia for talks, the negotiations made progress.

Despite having no desire to leave Barcelona, the club recommended De Jong look into transfers due to the dire financial situation at Camp Nou.

Even if the agreement ultimately fell through, it was deemed “impossible” for the Dutchman to remain with Barça at that point.

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We also understand that United boss Erik ten Hag, who worked with and developed De Jong at Ajax, has confirmed to the player’s representatives that he would still like to have him in Manchester.

Even though De Jong’s public preference has been to stay, United maintain that the deal primarily fell apart in the summer over complications relating to the millions of unpaid wages deferred from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. That issue still hasn’t been resolved.

But in light of ongoing United interest, Laporta has issued a firm declaration on De Jong.

“In midfield I have never wanted to sell Frenkie de Jong because he is one of the best players we have. He is one of the great talents, young, and one of the leaders of the team,” he said.

De Jong appeared to be on the periphery of coach Xavi’s plans at Camp Nou at the start of this season. However, he has been a consistent starter since the beginning of October, even capping up his season with a goal and an assist in his final two games before the World Cup break.

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Following extensive research, here are the top 10 national team players with the highest market value for the 2022 World Cup.

In light of this, we looked up Transfermarkt’s enormous database of estimated player valuations to obtain an idea of which teams are indeed the most expensive at the 2022 World Cup.

The CIES Football Observatory estimates that England’s team is the most valuable at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, estimated at an astounding €1.499 billion, well ahead of the favourites Brazil (€1.455 billion) and the defending champions France (€1.377 billion).

Ahead of kick-off, The Mp3bullet runs down the list of the top 10 most valuable players, by nation:

1. England/Dortmund – Jude Bellingham (Estimated value: €202 million)

Bellingham, a player on the radar of the biggest teams in Europe, has England fans all over the world anticipating great things from him. This season, the 19-year-old has made 22 appearances for Dortmund, scoring nine goals and providing three assists.

2. Brazil/Real Madrid – Vinicius Junior (Estimated value: €201m)

The young Brazilian has had a fantastic start to the season with 15 goal contributions in 21 league games. He assisted Madrid in winning the Champions League and La Liga last year.

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3. France/PSG – Kylian Mbappe (Estimated value: €185m)

The biggest star in France, who was phenomenal as Les Bleus won the World Cup in Russia, will be aiming to avoid the rumoured winners’ curse in Qatar. This season, he has 24 goal contributions in 20 club games is just ridiculous.

4. Spain/Barcelona – Pedri Gonzalez (Estimated value: €158m)

For many years, one of Barcelona’s most promising young talents has played a major role in Luis Enrique’s side, as Spain attempts to qualify from one of the toughest groups alongside Germany, Japan, and Costa Rica. The player has been one of the most prominent footballers in the world but also one of the best midfielders today.

5. Germany/Bayern – Jamal Musiala (Estimated value: €151m)

Nine titles, including the Champions League, have already been won by Musiala at Bayern Munich at the age of 19. Former Manchester United and Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves called him “one of a kind” and predicted that he will excel for Germany.

6. Uruguay/Real Madrid – Federico Valverde (Estimated value: €123m)

The 24-year-old defender has already played 44 times for Uruguay in international competition, scoring four goals. He is worth €123 million, or 21% of the squad’s total value for the World Cup. In the first 14 games of the 2022–2023 season, he has six goals. He now ranks as the sixth-highest scorer in La Liga thus far. His shot-to-goal conversion rate is 41 per cent.

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7. Portugal/Man City – Ruben Dias (Estimated value: €118m)

Every fan of the Premier League is aware of how important Ruben Dias has been to Pep Guardiola’s illustrious Manchester City team over the past several seasons. Dias and City teammate Joao Cancelo will be vital to Portugal’s chances of winning the World Cup because players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, and Bernardo Silva will be causing havoc at the opposite end of the field.

8. Croatia/Leipzig – Josko Gvardiol (Estimated value: €110m)

You might not be very familiar with the first name on this list. Chelsea and Barcelona were both interested in signing the 20-year-old Croatian defender in 2022, and he might draw additional interest going into the January transfer market if he performs well in Qatar. Croatia should advance from a group that also included Canada, Belgium, and Morocco.

9. Netherlands/Barcelona – Frenkie de Jong (Estimated value: €110m)

Keep an eye on Frenkie de Jong in Qatar if you haven’t grown tired of hearing his name after the will he or won’t he dispute with Manchester United over the summer. He plays an important role in the Netherlands team coached by Louis van Gaal, who is optimistic his team can win the World Cup.

10. Argentina/Inter Milan – Lautaro Martinez (Estimated value: €99m)

Everyone we spoke to appears eager to watch the best team in international football compete for victory this winter, which is well justified. Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Lionel Messi form a terrifying attacking three, and the Inter forward has scored more than one goal for his country every other game – 21 in 40 games.

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