Manchester United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of \u00a365m-rated(?) Elliot Anderson, but a free \u2018transfer masterstroke\u2019 has emerged.<\/p>\n
After one Championship start for Hull City, Toby Collyer is ready to replace Casemiro.<\/p>\n
But first, Arsenal are still quite rubbish.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sporting chance<\/p>\n
Barely a year has passed<\/a> since Charlie Wyett referred to Arsenal as \u2018more mentality muppets than monsters\u2019; only 11 months ago he wrote that \u2018deluded\u2019 Mikel Arteta had to \u2018accept that his club has gone backwards\u2019.<\/p>\n That second criticism came after Arsenal were beaten in the Champions League semi-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, while sitting 15 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with three games of the season remaining.<\/p>\n With the Gunners now top of that table<\/a> by nine points with seven games left and with one foot and at least a toe or two in the Champions League semis again<\/a>, it is worth wondering what The Sun\u2018s chief football correspondent makes of Arsenal now.<\/p>\n He was thankfully on match report duty in Lisbon with a piece which concludes:<\/p>\n \u2018Ultimately, it still seems unlikely that Arsenal will win the Champions League because even though their quadruple hopes have died, it is all about the Premier League.<\/p>\n \u2018However, a win in Budapest on May 30 would be nice.\u2019<\/p>\n It would be lovely. Winning the actual Champions League would be mightily pleasant. A real delight.<\/p>\n A reminder that while \u2018it still seems unlikely that Arsenal will win the Champions League\u2019, they are the competition favourites in many markets and second best at worst behind Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n All in all, writing about a 1-0 away win which puts Arsenal in control of the tie and on the brink of reaching the last four, that \u2018it still seems unlikely\u2019 they will win the Champions League, is quite the take.<\/p>\n Is Arteta still the \u2018deluded\u2019 one? And have Arsenal still \u2018gone backwards\u2019?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n What the \u2018Ell?<\/p>\n Mediawatch is not saying that the latest transfer exclusive from Jeremy Cross should be taken with an entire swimming pool of salt, but his recent hit rate from shouts of Alexis Mac Allister to Manchester United, Igor Thiago to Aston Villa and Federico Valverde to Manchester United does not bode particularly well.<\/p>\n Still, he is busy revealing in the Daily Mirror that \u2018Manchester City believe they have won the race to sign Elliot Anderson\u2019.<\/p>\n The headline is that \u2018Elliot Anderson snubs Man Utd with Man City in pole position to complete \u00a365m transfer\u2019. Hmm. You don\u2019t have to be a fan of the brum-brums to know that being in pole position and winning the race is not the same thing.<\/p>\n And by the second paragraph, \u2018Etihad chiefs\u2019 are merely \u2018confident of landing Anderson in a \u00a365m deal\u2019. That is quite the climbdown from a won race.<\/p>\n Hell, by the fourth paragraph, Anderson \u2018has let it be known that the Etihad is his preferred choice\u2019. Which is not exactly the emphatic victory the story is sold on; ask Morgan Gibbs-White whether Evangelos Marinakis gives a toss about what a Nottingham Forest player\u2019s \u2018preferred choice\u2019 of next club is.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t feel particularly seismic for a player to pick Manchester City and probably playing under Pep Guardiola for a bit while regularly winning trophies over Manchester United and maybe working with Michael Carrick<\/a>.<\/p>\n