Winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and midfielder Santi Cazorla could resume full training with the Arsenal squad next week, manager Arsene Wenger said.
Cazorla, who has not played since the end of November, was expected to return from a knee problem in March, but the Spaniard suffered an injury setback when he hurt his Achilles. Oxlade-Chamberlain has been out with a knee injury since February.
“Next week they (Chamberlain and Cazorla) will be back maybe, they are not back in full training yet.
“They are still on fitness work,” Wenger told the club’s website .
Foxes fan Friend will not ref Spurs’ game
The Premier League have replaced self-confessed Leicester City fan Kevin Friend with referee Neil Swarbrick for Tottenham Hotspurs’ clash with Stoke City on Monday, following an outcry on social media.
Leicester will seal their maiden top-flight title if they win three of their next five games, while second-placed Spurs are chasing a first league title since 1961.
The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) do not pick Friend, who lives in Leicester, to oversee Foxes’ games, but do not usually consider factors such as a referee officiating a game that could have implications for the club he supports.
Gutierrez wins discrimination case
Former Newcastle United midfielder Jonas Gutierrez was dropped by the Premier League club because of his cancer diagnosis, an employment tribunal found yesterday.
The 32-year-old Argentina international is suing Newcastle for about two million pounds on the grounds of disability discrimination.
“Just over two weeks after the claimant returned to the club in November 2013 following his diagnosis and treatment, and at a point when he was match fit and returning to action, he was told he no longer featured in the club’s future plans," the tribunal ruled.
“We conclude the decision to drop the claimant was because of the claimant’s cancer.”
Marseille owner puts club up for sale
Olympique Marseille’s majority owner, billionaire businesswoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, is putting the French Ligue 1 club up for sale.
Louis-Dreyfus, the Russian-born chairwoman of global trading house Louis Dreyfus Commodities, said she would sell Marseille to the best long-term investor.
“The price is not my first concern. However, the capacity of the new shareholder to build a team capable of winning at the highest level is essential,” she said in a statement obtained by BFM TV.
Let’s win it for Pellegrini – Sagna
Manchester City right-back Bacary Sagna (picture) has urged his team-mates to try and win the Champions League trophy as a perfect farewell gift to their outgoing manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Current Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola will replace Pellegrini in July, taking over a side who have qualified for the semi-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time following a 3-2 aggregate victory over Paris St Germain.
“It would be the best (to win it for the manager) but we still have a lot of work to do to achieve that... Getting to a semi-final is massive,” Sagna told British media.
“We gave the best answer to anyone who doubts us by qualifying for the semi-final.”
No West Brom future for Lindegaard
Goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard accepts his time at West Brom is likely over and is in negotiations with loan club Preston about moving to Deepdale.
The 32-year-old Denmark international joined the Baggies from Manchester United last summer but featured just once for the club, in a League Cup game back in September, before linking up with the Lilywhites on loan in February.
“I don’t see myself back at West Brom, I don’t think West Brom see themselves having me back,” Lindegaard, who has another year left on his contract, said.
“I can’t see why it should end up being like that - that would be because we have a contract that we have to respect.”
Saints sign shirt deal with Under Armour
Southampton will wear shirts made by Under Armour from next season after announcing a seven-year contract with the American sports firm.
Under Armour, who already work with the likes of Tottenham, Andy Murray, Jordan Spieth and Anthony Joshua, will replace Adidas, who began a three-year partnership with the Saints in 2013.
Under Armour have pledged to bring innovation to the first-team shirts, including infra-red technology to combat cold weather, and to provide 5,000 pairs of footwear to the club’s academy by 2023.