Arsenal have loaned defender William Saliba to Marseille for the duration of the 2021-22 campaign.

The 20-year-old has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners since being signed for a reported £27million (€29.7m) in July 2019.

Saliba was loaned straight back to Saint-Etienne and spent the second half of last season with Nice after being left out of Arsenal s Premier League and Europa League squads.

He will now return to Ligue 1 for another spell after Marseille reached an agreement with Arsenal over a season-long loan.

Following confirmation of the deal on Thursday, Arsenal technical director Edu told the club s official website: Together with William, we have decided it will be good for his continued development to spend another season on…

Abdulla Yusuf Helal was hailed as an inspiration for other Bahrain internationals to follow by head coach Miroslav Soukup, who hopes to have the forward fit for his side s second game of the 2019 Asian Cup against Thailand.

Yusuf scored five goals in 10 appearances for Bohemians 1905 in the Czech Liga to earn himself a transfer to league leaders Slavia Prague before linking up with the Bahrain squad in the United Arab Emirates.

Former Czech Republic Under-20 boss Soukup said Yusuf s achievements in European football should stand as an example to his team-mates.

His story inspires others, Soukup told iSport.

We [Bahrain] went to the Czech Republic every year and the players were able to get to know our conditions. Even Yusuf knew exactly what he was …

Antoine Griezmann is fixated on winning the Ballon d Or because he believes it would fulfil his dream of ranking among Atletico Madrid s all-time greats.

World Cup winner Griezmann is part of a star-studded 30-man shortlist vying for the coveted individual prize.

The 27-year-old has made no secret of his hope to improve on the third-place finish he managed in 2016 and believes he has done enough to break the decade-long duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Griezmann, who starred on the way to Europa League glory last season, views the France Football honour as a sure-fire way to cement his Atleti legacy.

To win the Ballon d Or at Atletico Madrid would allow me to go down in the club s history, Griezmann told Marca.

Being a historic pla…

Market: Paysandu draw no bet

Odds: 4/7 @

Two sides who are looking to drag themselves away from a potential Serie B relegation scrap, Paysandu will welcome CRB to the Estadio da Curuzu in the early hours of Wednesday.

Starting with the hosts, while Paysandu might have a real battle on their hands to keep hold of their Serie B status this season, the Wolfs will take plenty of positives away from what has become a recent flurry. Last seen over the weekend putting in a stellar performance as they secured an action-packed 5-3 victory away at Ituano, Heilo dos Anjos’ men should find the mood in their camp at a real high. Dragging themselves out of the relegation zone, the Belem-based outfit will certainly be smelling the chance to make another statement here. Makin…

Regardless of what occurs on the pitch at the Stade de France on Saturday, the 2021-22 season will have been a good one for Real Madrid.

Even if they are ultimately left with only the Spanish top-flight title to show for their efforts, there s an argument to be made that Carlo Ancelotti has defied expectations in his first campaign back at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Given the important losses of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos coupled with the fact only two new players were incoming, it would ve been understandable if fans were less demanding than usual in their pre-season predictions.

After all, Ancelotti was seen as a safe pair of hands rather than someone who was going to come in, shake things up and preside over a philosophical overhaul – and looking back ove…

Casemiro felt Real Madrid showed their LaLiga title credentials in a 1-0 victory at Real Betis.

Fit-again full-back Dani Carvajal scored his first goal since November 2019 on his return to the starting line-up with a stunning second-half volley to put Los Blancos joint-top of the table.

Betis had their chances in a feisty encounter on Saturday, but Madrid stretched their unbeaten run to 21 matches in the Spanish top flight.

Midfielder Casemiro believes the way Madrid rolled up their sleeves to secure all three points – and a first clean sheet of the season – bodes well in their quest to regain the title.

This is the way to win titles, we are working well, Casemiro said. The key has been the work of everyone, of those who have also arrived [at the c…

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is disinterested in suggestions Mario Balotelli is crazy , he just wants to see the striker perform.

Gerrard leads his team against Ludogorets on Tuesday as Liverpool make their UEFA Champions League return.

Without Luis Suarez, Brendan Rodgers men have made an indifferent start to the season as they wait for their new signings to settle in.

One of those signings – Balotelli – is searching for his first Liverpool goal and Gerrard said the squad were behind the enigmatic Italian.

If we get the best out of him, we have got him. If people want to write stories about him and say that he is crazy or he is a nutter, let them, but he is one of us now, Gerrard told The Daily Mail.

We have welcomed him into this clubs…

Newcastle United have extended Loris Karius contract until the end of the season.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper joined on a short-term contract in September following an injury to back-up Karl Darlow.

Martin Dubravka s return from a brief loan at Manchester United might have suggested Karius would depart again upon the conclusion of his initial deal.

But Newcastle announced on Thursday that the German – who is yet to make a competitive appearance – will be kept around until June.

The news comes after speculation began linking Darlow with several Championship clubs.

has extended his contract until the end of the 2022/23 season!

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)

…

Paris Saint-Germain won t be selling Kylian Mbappe or Neymar this summer, according to Ander Herrera.

Mbappe has been heavily linked with Real Madrid, who seem to be on the lookout for a Galactico forward to finally take on the role vacated by Cristiano Ronaldo two years ago. Meanwhile, Barcelona have been looking for a way to bring Neymar back to the Camp Nou after the Brazilian left them in a still-holding €222 million world record transfer in 2017.

However, speaking to , the former Manchester United midfielder implied that neither of those moves would be happening this summer.

In the light of the financial crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Herrera was asked if it would be harder to hold on to Neymar or Mbappe, providing they needed to sell. He replied…

Best odds: 7/10

Bookmaker:

Montpellier are set to play host to Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade de la Mosson on Wednesday evening, in a match within the 21st round of the 2022/23 season in Ligue 1. It will be a contest of two teams very far from each other in terms of quality and table placement, and consequently, in terms of their respective goals for the campaign.

Montpellier

Romain Pitau s side are not exactly in the relegation zone, sitting in 14th place with 20 points, but the gap of just five between them and the zone halfway through the season doesn t exactly spell comfort in that sense. There is still a cushion consisting of Troyes in 15th place with 19 points and Brest in 16th with 18, but even that seems rather thin with so many matches to be played s…