A year ago
Arsenal, the league leaders in the English Premier League, welcomed West Ham to the Emirates Stadium as they seek to retain their title.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, West Ham scored first, with Benrahma scoring from the penalty spot in the 27th minute, ending the first half 0-1 for West Ham.
Saka put the ball in the net in the 53rd minute of the second half, thanks to an assist from Odegaard. Martinelli scored five minutes later to put Arsenal ahead.
Eddie Nketiah's goal in the 69th minute gave the Gunners a two-goal lead.
Meanwhile, here is how the Premier League table looks after this result.
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Liverpool 'could sign £53m star for free in five days' as new Jürgen Klopp dilemma will emerge
Liverpool are, of course, looking for new midfield options, and they appear to have signed a forward in the form of Cody Gakpo, but their defense will require attention in the medium term as well.
According to TeamTalk, Liverpool are among the clubs interested in 27-year-old Inter centre-back Milan kriniar, who will be available for no fee in the summer because his contract is set to expire.
That means the Reds, as well as PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, and others who are interested, can begin negotiating a deal within five days, according to the same report.Kriniar is a strong and aggressive tackler who is also composed enough to play out from the back either short or long. His first priority, however, is to defend.
While he may not be the most elegant at times, the statistics paint a picture of Kriniar as someone who is at ease in possession, with Antonio Rüdiger and Marquinhos among the top-10 players FBref compares him to.
In a defensive four, Kriniar is comfortable being pulled out wide into the full-back areas and can play either right or left centre-back.
Perhaps the summer of 2023 is a little too soon for Liverpool to want a defender — or, more accurately, it is too soon to think about it because of other priorities.If you liked this article, you'll love our latest project here on Liverpool.com: our new-look, exclusive newsletter, which is sent every weekday to people who have signed up for our mailing list.
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Jol Matip's contract expires in the summer of 2024 (18 months away), and he will be 33 at the time. Virgil van Dijk is also around the same age. Ibrahima Konaté, who is still only 23, is also present, as is Joe Gomez, who is 25.However, given the age of both players, Liverpool will need to consider whether Matip, who has had injury issues in the past, should be given a new contract alongside Van Dijk.
While it is obvious that their midfield and attack are the immediate needs, Liverpool will also need to consider their defensive options in the future.
In that case, kriniar, who is about four years younger than Matip, could be a viable option.
It's a similar story for RB Leipzig center-back Joko Gvardiol, who shone for Croatia at the World Cup and has long been regarded as one of the world's top emerging defenders.Liverpool will no doubt be aware of his abilities, but he will most likely be on the move within the next year as the Reds deal with more pressing issues that will be costly.
The distinction with Kriniar is that he would be a free agent. While Gvardiol is expected to cost a lot of money (The Athletic reports that Chelsea has been told to pay £79 million ($96 million/€90 million) for him, the Inter player, who Transfermarkt values at £53 million ($64 million/€60 million), would be a free transfer.
In that case, there would be a much stronger case for getting it done, even if no transfer is ever truly "free" due to the other costs involved.
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