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Arsenal will compete in the Champions League next season, and if their league performance in 2024 is any indication, they will almost surely be in the title race next season. Any player willing to strive for greatness would undoubtedly jump at the chance to be a Gunner.
Whether a superstar or an up-and-coming star, that player should look at the transformations that players like Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard have gone through at Arsenal and feel for sure that’s where I belong. Despite this, Benjamin Sesko declined a transfer to the Emirates Stadium, and also blanked the interest from Man United.
Everyone has a notion about why Benjamin Sesko turned down a move to Arsenal. Some Gooners speculate that Benjamin Sesko might have realized he would fall behind Kai Havertz in the Arsenal strikers’ perking order and concluded that it wasn’t the right move for him once he realized it. Most who thought so were right, as the Slovenian revealed in his first comments after committing to RB Leipzig.
The 21-year-old confesses he isn’t ready to make the major move yet; he believes he still has a lot to learn.
“I had a good first year at RB Leipzig and am incredibly happy to be here,” he told the club’s website. “Team, club, city, fans – the overall package is simply outstanding for me. The early contract extension was therefore the logical next step for me. Even though I didn’t play or score as much in the first half of the season, this phase was very important for me and my development. I feel a lot of trust and appreciation throughout the club and that is crucial for being able to perform to my full potential. In the second half of the season in particular, I was able to give something back with my goals. We have a team with great potential and a balanced mix of young and experienced players.
“I’m really looking forward to taking the next steps with this team. We’ve already achieved a lot in my first season and often shown the amount of quality and outstanding football we can bring to the pitch. But there’s still a lot more to be done and that’s now our common goal.”
Sesko is certainly not a finished product; he only broke into Leipzig’s starting lineup in the second half of the season. Although he showed flashes of brilliance, Arsenal spending £55 million on him would have been a big gamble, but at least they can now recruit someone they’re confident in and not sign for just the hype around him.
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£50m Gunner tipped as possible casualty of Arsenal’s summer spending
As Arsenal continue to show ambition in the transfer market, could Ben White find himself in the same position as Jakub Kiwior? With the Gunners pushing ahead with a move for Piero Hincapié, the deal, if completed, looks set to seal the fate of Kiwior, who has been linked with a switch to FC Porto. Hincapié is expected to take over the Polish international’s role as a left-sided centre-back and left-back in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal project. While the narrative appears to be Hincapié in, Kiwior out, could White also be at risk of making way for a new face? Martínez deal could reshape defence Arsenal have also been linked with a late swoop for Girona’s Arnau Martínez. The Gunners are understood to have submitted a bid for the right-back, who can also operate as a right-sided centre-back. If the Martínez deal goes through as expected, it would likely prompt the departure of a right-sided defender. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are unlikely to be sacrificed, as both are central to Arteta’s tactical blueprint. That leaves Ben White as the most probable candidate to be moved on. While he has impressed when fit, recent recurring injuries have hampered his availability. With Timber and Cristhian Mosquera, along with Martínez, all capable of competing for a starting spot, White appears the likeliest option for an exit if Arsenal opt to reshape their defence following these additions. White’s Arsenal future uncertain One would hope Martínez is good enough that Andrea Berta felt compelled to pursue him, despite already having capable options at the club. As brilliant as this summer’s transfer window has been, an uncomfortable exit was always likely to surface, whether now or in January. That exit could well be White, whom Arsenal signed for £50 million in 2021 as a right-sided centre-back, before he transitioned to right-back following Saliba’s breakthrough. What are your thoughts on Ben White being moved on? __________________________________________________________________________________________
Cowboys make 2 shock CB releases to make room for waiver claims
The Dallas Cowboys front office and coaching staff are still in the thick of it when it comes to sculpting the 53-man roster and practice squad for the upcoming regular season. On Tuesday, the team was tasked with delivering bad news to those who wouldn't be on the roster to start the season, and today, it's been more of a different tune. Waiver claims were made on Wednesday, and the Cowboys brought in some secondary help by claiming rookie Trikweze Bridges and second-year cornerback Reddy Steward. Unfortunately, adding two players to the roster meant that the Cowboys would have to release two to make room. ESPN's Todd Archer has reported that the Cowboys are releasing cornerback Andrew Booth and UDFA fan favorite defensive back Zion Childress. Archer stated that he expects Childress will return to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Crazy how much can change in just 24 hours. This time yesterday, fans were hoping to see Childress make the roster. Now, fans are hoping no one steals him. Both Childress and Booth had impressive preseasons. Booth's highlight of the preseason was returning a pick-six against the Baltimore Ravens. However, two players who thought their future was clear just one day ago are now wondering what it holds next. —
Former Steelers WR Sends Message After Browns Release
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had no shortage of personalities be members of the team during the lengthy tenure of head coach Mike Tomlin. These players have often dominated the headlines while simultaneously performing at a high level. Once the players performance begins to falter, the team has cut ties with each of them. The most recent example of such a player was George Pickens, who was sent to Dallas in a trade despite still producing at a high level. Pickens tenure with the team was full of off-field issues and the team replaced him with possibly a more talented wideout in DK Metcalf. One such player who has continued the trend of remaining in the media despite no lopnger being with the Steelers is Diontae Johnson. Once thought of as the next top wideout to help run the Steelers offense, Johnson has had a tumultous career since he led the team as the top wide receiver for the 2023 season. This has now led to his release today, when Johnsonw as let go from the Cleveland Browns. He took to X to comment on the matter, seeming more serious than many have come to expect from Johnson throughout his NFL career. "Appreciate the opportunity regardless" Johnson wrote. Johnson had been with his fourth team in only two seasons, and his career since his departure from the Steelers in 2023 was not without serious controversy. His play during the beginning of the 2024 campaign when he joined the Carolina Panthers left much to be desired, but nothing major happened off the field. He was traded following Week 8 to the Ravens. Once on the Ravens, he would play seldomly but would receive a release due to off-field concerns. Johnson refused to enter the Ravens' Week 13 game and was suspsended for a game for "conduct detrimental to the team" before being waived two weeks after that. He would get picked up by the Texans soon after, but they waived him after getting eliminated in the playoffs. He was signed by the Ravens again, was unable to play in their playoff game due to an NFL bylaw, and became a free agent after they were eliminated in the playoffs. He signed with the Browns in April at the outset of free agency, and now will be able to look for another team to join following his release from the Browns.
Browns GM explains drafting of Shedeur Sanders after Dillon Gabriel pick
Numerous members of the NFL community have wondered why the Cleveland Browns traded up in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders after the Browns selected Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round. During a recent chat with William C. Rhoden of Andscape, Browns general manager Andrew Berry explained how Sanders ended up with Cleveland. "We actually had them very similarly rated," Berry said about Sanders and Gabriel. "We just felt like quarterback is the most important position in sports. You can never have enough of them; you never know when you’re going to need one. And at the point when we took him, in our wildest dreams, we never thought that Shedeur would be available in the fifth round. At that point, it was just like, 'This guy, he’s just way too talented of a player to be just staring us in the face. Let’s take him, and we’ll figure it out later.'" Sanders' alleged handling of the predraft process seemingly impacted his draft stock, as did the fact that teams reportedly viewed him as "a developmental prospect with limited upside." That said, some have strongly suggested that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam essentially forced Sanders on Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. Haslam tried to pour cold water over such claims in late July, but Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand said earlier this week that Sanders' "suspicious arrival, via that out-of-left-field trade-up in the fifth round, reinforced the notion that owner Jimmy Haslam still sticks his nose too far in draft decisions." Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson attracted attention when he claimed last week that he heard from "a very good source" that the Browns only grabbed Sanders "because somebody made a call." Berry suggested no such conversation occurred. "We made a decision that we thought was best for the team," Berry told Rhoden. "We’re really happy to have Shedeur as part of the program. As I mentioned earlier, there’s no way that we thought that he would be available at that point." Sanders is on track to enter Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 as the Browns' QB3 behind starter Joe Flacco and Gabriel. It was unclear as of the final Wednesday of August when Stefanski and Berry may feel comfortable giving Sanders snaps against live defenses in regular-season contests.
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