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AmaZulu head coach Benni McCarthy has faulted the criteria used by South Africa coach Hugo Broos to pick players for Bafana Bafana ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualifying matches.

South Africa are drawn in Group G of the qualifiers and will open their campaign with a game against Zimbabwe at Zimbabwe National Sports Stadium on September 3 before they face Ghana at FNB Stadium on September 6.

McCarthy, who managed 79 caps for Bafana and scored 31 goals, believes Broos has made poor selections for the qualifiers.

What did McCarthy say?

“We select players who are not even playing at club level. Some have not kicked a ball for their teams this season but they are selected to the national team and we expect to be successful,” McCarthy said as quoted by Phakaaathi.

“Other national teams have local players who play week-in week-out, they don’t sit on the bench.

“If the international players are not released, the local-based players should be good enough to carry on when other players are not available. As to how we select players, it sometimes boggles me because I see players who are there based on what they did in the Cosafa Cup and last season.”

McCarthy continued: “Clubs feel that they pay big sums of money to sign players and for them to release players to national duty, especially when they have to leave Europe and come to Africa.

“They [complain] about the long journeys because African players always have to take two flights and then they have to play and when they go back, they arrive a day or two late for a big match. So there will always be that reluctance from clubs to let their players go.”

McCarthy calls for good relationships with coaches

McCarthy has further called on Safa to improve the relationship between national team coaches and coaches at the club level saying it will help a great deal when it comes to the naming of the Bafana squad.

“Managers should have an open network where they are able to talk to each other and look at the importance of different games because if there is no relationship between the national team coach and the club coaches, then you are always going to find that problem,” McCarthy continued.

“Sometimes, as a club coach, a player who is not playing in your team because he has a small injury and you don’t want to jeopardize the player’s career - is selected for the national team and he plays there.

“For this, club coaches feel disrespected because you don’t put your player’s well-being in jeopardy but he goes on and play for the country and when he comes back, you are now missing the player for two or three games because he went to the national team and aggravated his injury when he was on the verge of fully recovering.”

Tanzania international Mbwana Samatta has joined Royal Antwerp on loan from Fenerbahce, the Belgian First Division A side has announced. 

Since joining the Turkish Super Lig outfit from Aston Villa, the African star has struggled in front of goal. In the 2020-21 campaign, he scored just five times despite making 27 league appearances.

Nonetheless, he has been shipped to the Bosuilstadion Antwerp where he is expected to rediscover his scoring form under manager Brian Priske.

At the end of the 2021-22 season, Samatta is expected to return to Sukru Saracoglu Stadium as he would hope to see off his contract until the summer of 2024.

“The 28-year-old striker from Tanzania comes over from Turkish [club] Fenerbahce, who we will meet in the UEL group stage. He will be hired until the end of the season with a purchase option,” a statement from Royal Antwerp read.

“Samatta became champion two years ago at KRC Genk, where he played a total of five seasons. In 191 games, he scored 76 times and handed out 20 assists.

“In 2020, he made the move to Aston Villa in the Premier League, after which he moved to Fenerbahce. Good luck at the Tawny Owl, Ally!”

With this move, he becomes the seventh player from Africa in Priske’s squad. Others include Abdoulaye Seck (Senegal), Alhassan Yusuf (Nigeria), Nill De Pauw (Congo), Luete Ava Dongo (Congo), Bruny Nsimba (Angola) and Opoku Ampomah (Ghana).

He is expected to join with the rest of his teammates after the international window as they continue their Belgian top-flight campaign.

The African star will lead the Taifa Stars’ attack when they visit DR Congo at the Stade TP Mazembe, Lubumbashi in Thursday's 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier.

Samatta could make his debut when Antwerp travel to Kehrwegstadion for their league fixture against Stefan Kramer’s KAS Eupen.

After five matches played so far, the four-time Belgian kings are 15th on the log having accrued five points from five games. Their last outing ended in a 2-2 draw at home against OH Leuven.

During his time at Genk, he wrote his name in the history books being the first Tanzanian to feature in the Champions League having featured against Salzburg on December 20, 2019.

Patrick Bamford has responded to the well-known myths of his privileged upbringing, revealing that one of his old coaches at Leeds thought he was "a billionaire".

Bamford was raised in the small village of Norwell, Nottinghamshire, and entered into Nottingham Forest's academy at the age of eight while also attending an independent fee-paying day school.

It is common knowledge that the Leeds striker was a high-flying student and that his rise into the professional football ranks didn't follow the same pattern as most of his peers, but he insists that many of the rumours about his advantaged background have been exaggerated.

Is Bamford's dad a billionaire?

Pressed on whether Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa asked if his dad was a billionaire, Bamford said: “Bielsa didn’t think it but one of the coaches at Leeds who isn’t there anymore did.

"I can’t remember the exact words he used but when we got promoted he said he was proud of how hard I worked considering my dad was a billionaire.

"I was like: ‘What are you on about?’ He believed, like a lot of people, that my dad was something to do with JCB – which is a myth."

Does Bamford speak four languages?

It has been suggested that Bamford is fluent in French, Spanish and German as well as English, but the 27-year-old has now set the record straight.

“No I don’t [speak four languages]” he added. “People have invented a lot of things. I can speak French and understand it. I kind of understand Spanish but can’t speak it.”

Did Bamford turn down a place at Harvard?

One rumour Bamford was able to confirm is that he rejected a place at private Ivy League research university Harvard after finishing his A-Levels, with the Englishman claiming to have never considered a career path outside of football.

“As for Harvard, when I was at school all my mates were doing their UCAS applications and it was before I signed pro," he said. "I wasn’t sure I was going to get a pro contract, so I had to go through the process as well.

"But I didn’t want to go to university in England. I wanted to do a football scholarship in America so my dad put the feelers out. The school helped with that.

"The first reply was from the University of Connecticut and then others followed. That was how Harvard came with their offer. But football was always my first love.

"It sounds weird to say I turned Harvard down but I was never really interested.”

Further reading

Donny van de Beek's agent Guido Albers has expressed his disappointment over Manchester United's failure to "co-operate" in transfer negotiations amid interest from Serie A, Bundesliga and Premier League clubs.

Van de Beek has struggled to live up to expectations at Old Trafford since his £35 million ($48m) switch from Ajax in September 2020, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer yet to trust the midfielder with regular minutes in his starting XI.

The Dutchman is contracted to remain at United until 2025 but he was strongly linked with a move away from the club on deadline day, and Albers has now revealed that he saw his potential exit path blocked.

What's been said?

Van de Beek's agent was left frustrated by the end of the window, but he now expects the 24-year-old to be given the chance to prove himself in Manchester.

"There was a lot of interest from Italy, Germany, England, so that looked good," Albers has told Voetbal International. "But you need the co-operation of the club, and it looked like they would, but ultimately they didn't.

"Disappointed, but also assuring for him, so that he will get his chance, and will get his minutes, but this will become clear in due time.

"He's been promised that before, but we came to a clear agreement about this with the club, so we have all faith that it will happen now."

Asked whether Van de Beek is unhappy with the situation, he added: "I won't say. But everybody who knows Donny knows he loves the game and he wants to be on the pitch every week.

"So from this answer, you can probably tell what he wanted most."

Van de Beek's United struggles 

Van de Beek appeared in 36 games across all competitions in his first season with the Red Devils, but only 15 of those came as a starter, including just four in the Premier League.

The Netherlands international quickly fell behind the likes of Paul Pogba, Fred and Scott McTominay in the squad pecking order, and has yet to show off the talent that saw him marked out as one of the top young midfielders in Europe at Ajax.

Van de Beek was an unused substitute in United's first three games of the 2021-22 campaign, but will be back in contention for a place in Solskjaer's lineup when they welcome Newcastle to Old Trafford on September 11.

Further reading

Football Kenya Federation has confirmed the 2022 World Cup qualifying fixture between Kenya and Uganda will be played behind closed doors at Nyayo Stadium on Thursday.

The two East African rivals will face off in their 77th ‘Migingo derby’ after being pooled in Group E of the qualifiers alongside Rwanda and Mali.

Ahead of the match, FKF President Nick Mwendwa has clarified to Goal fans will not be allowed to attend because of the risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

What did Mwendwa say?

“We will not have fans attending Kenya versus Uganda,” Mwendwa told Goal when asked about the presence of fans during the fixture.

“We tried our best to engage the government on the issue but they have insisted it is not possible to have fans, as it will be a risk to those attending so only essential workers including accredited journalists, security detail, and officials from the two countries, will be allowed to attend.”

Asked why fans who have already been vaccinated cannot be allowed to attend the game, Mwendwa said: “We don't want to take any risks, I have seen Europe allow such fans to attend but we are not ready yet, maybe time will come when we will allow them [those vaccinated] to start attending matches.”

Mwendwa has further said his mission remains to take Kenya to their first-ever World Cup appearance in Qatar and promised a positive start against the Cranes.

“I made the promise that Kenya will be among the teams taking part in the 2022 edition in Qatar and nothing has changed, we are targeting a good start [against Uganda] and this will put us on the road to achieve our target,” Mwendwa continued.

Kenya will face Uganda minus captain Victor Wanyama, who turns out for CF Montreal in Major League Soccer, defender Joash Onyango of Tanzania’s Simba SC, midfielder Johanna Omollo of Turkish side BB Erzurumspor, and winger Ayub Timbe formerly of Vissel Kobe in Japan.

Some of the big names in coach Jacob Mulee’s squad include Joseph Okumu of KAA Gent in Belgium, Erick Ouma of AIK (Sweden), striker Michael Olunga of Al Duhail SC in Qatar, Sweden-based Eric Johanna, and the Zambia-based trio of goalkeeper Ian Otieno, Duke Abuya, and Duncan Otieno.

Further reading 

The FIFA Women's World Rankings were introduced almost a decade after the FIFA Men's World Rankings started in 1992. The first women's rankings were published on July 16, 2003.

The USA Women's National Team (USWNT) were the top-ranked team in the first-ever rankings and they have dominated the rankings ever since and have been the number one ranked side in the world the most number of times. 

In the latest rankings released on August 20, 2021, USA lead the charts followed by Sweden and Germany. In the latest list, the Indian women's national team is ranked 57th in the world and 11th in Asia.

The highest ever FIFA rank which the Indian women's team achieved was 49 in 2013. The lowest they dropped to was 63 at one point in 2019. It must be noted that India are all set to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup in January 2022. The Indian eves had ended the year 2020 on the 53rd position but have dropped to 57 in April 2021 which is also their current ranking.

Here, we take a look at the Indian women's teams ranking at the end of each year since 1993.

The men's FIFA World Rankings were introduced for the first time in December 1992 with the intention of ranking the countries on the basis of their success over a period of time. The first FIFA ranking for men's football teams was published on 31st December 1992.

Currently, Belgium are at the top of the rankings and the Red Devils have hold on to their top rank for the past two years. Since the time the rankings started, Brazil have had held the top rank for the most amount of time.

The Indian men's football team is currently ranked 105th in the world, a position they have held on to since April 2021. The Blue Tigers' highest ever FIFA rank was 94 which they had achieved in 1996. 

In recent times, India have twice reached the 96th position, in 2017 and 2018. Under British coach Stephen Constantine, India saw their greatest progress in FIFA rankings ever. When Constantine took charge of the team in 2015, India were ranked 166. In fact, at one point in 2015, India had even fallen to 173rd place. But in the next two years, India under Constantine made rapid progress and reached 96.

Since 2019, India have maintained their rank between 100 to 108. At the beginning of 2021, the first ranking which was released on February 18, India were ranked 104 but in April they dropped one place and moved to 105 which they have maintained till the latest ranking which was released on August 12.

Here, we take a look at the Blues Tigers' ranking at the end of each year since 1993.

Liverpool have confirmed the departure of Sheyi Ojo to English Championship side Millwall on loan for the 2021-22 season.

This is the 24-year-old’s seventh loan move due to his inability to break into the Reds’ first team.

During the 2020-21 campaign, he was loaned to Cardiff City. There, he featured in 41 league games with five games to his credit as Mick McCarthy’s Bluebirds failed in their bid to secure promotion to the English topflight after finishing eighth.

Having joined Gary Rowett’s men, Ojo will not only be aiming for regular action but would be keen to help the Lions realise their EPL dreams.

“Sheyi Ojo has completed a season-long loan move to Millwall,” a statement from Liverpool website read.

“The Liverpool forward will spend the 2021-22 campaign with Gary Rowett’s team in the Championship after finalising a temporary switch on transfer deadline day.

“Ojo, who joined the Reds in 2011, has made 13 first-team appearances for the club and opened his goalscoring account with an Anfield strike against Exeter City in a 2016 FA Cup tie.

“The versatile attacker was also part of the England squad that lifted the FIFA U20 World Cup in the summer of 2017.

“He has previously completed loan spells at Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Reims, Rangers and, most recently, Cardiff City.”

Ojo becomes Rowett's sixth signing of the summer transfer window and he will join the rest of the squad after the international window.

He joins DR Congo international Benik Afobe as the second African at the Den. Barring any obstacles, he is expected to make his debut when Millwall travel to the Hawthorns for their next league outing against West Bromwich Albion.

After five matches played so far, the Lions are 17th in the English second tier log having accrued five points.

On the international scene, Ojo has represented England at the U16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 levels.

He was part of the English team’s squad to the 2017 Fifa U20 World Cup. He made his first start against Guinea before playing more games as Paul Simpson’s boys ruled the world after defeating Venezuela in the final.

Regardless, he is eligible to represent Nigeria at the senior level.

Antoine Griezmann has made a shock return to Atletico Madrid after the Rojiblancos completed a season-long loan move for the Barcelona forward with a mandatory €40 million (£34m/$47m) option to buy.

The France international has sealed a surprise homecoming to the Wanda Metropolitano two years on from an acrimonious exit in one of the final twists to a dramatic summer transfer window.

The World Cup winner now heads back to the capital where he forged his reputation as one of the game's strongest talents.

What was said?

In a club release confirming Griezmann's departure, Barca confirmed that Atletico would be obligated to purchase the France international.

"FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement for the loan of Antoine Griezmann for a season with the option of a further season," the statement said.

"The Madrid club will pay the player's wages and there is a compulsory permanent transfer clause. 

"FC Barcelona would like to thank Antoine Griezmann for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future."

Forward makes unlikely comeback

In a summer market that has already seen several of the game's greatest players swap clubs, a reunion with La Liga's reigning champions for old star Griezmann still felt like a distant pipe dream.

But now the 30-year-old - a Ballon d'Or nominee during his previous five-year spell with Diego Simeone's side - is set to wear their distinctive red-and-white strip once more.

An exit from Barca is perhaps less than a surprise, given the Blaugrana's noted financial issues off the field, a problem that has seen the club attempt to cut costs.

Likewise, Griezmann's yield of 35 goals in 105 games for the club has seen him struggle to emerge from the shadow of Lionel Messi, though he did make a scoring start in last term's Copa del Rey Final victory.

Now, he will hope to recapture his golden form with the Rojiblancos as they set about defending their crown this term.

Barca's summer of departures

Barcelona's difficult financial situation led to a number of big names leaving the club over the summer – none bigger, of course, than Lionel Messi, who joined PSG on a free transfer.

The club also sold Junior Firpo to Leeds United before seeing Ilaix Moriba join RB Leipzig and Emerson Royal move to Tottenham on deadline day.

Griezmann's departure capped a difficult spell for the Blaugrana, who have been crippled by financial mismanagement.

Further reading

Serge Aurier and Tottenham Hotspur have parted ways by mutual consent, the English Premier League club has announced.

After representing Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain for three years, the Cote d’Ivoire international joined the North London side on August 31, 2017, for a fee in the region of £23 million.

At Spurs, the right-back was a key figure featuring in 77 English topflight games with five goals to his credit. He also played five times as the club reached the final of the 2018–19 Champions League – where they bowed to Liverpool in the final played in Madrid.

While no reason was given for the mutual termination of the contract, the club wished the African star all the best for the future.

“The club can confirm the departure of Serge Aurier following the mutual termination of his contract,” a statement from Spurs website read.

“Signed from PSG in August 2017, Serge made his debut in our 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League before going on to make 110 appearances for us, scoring eight goals.

“We thank Serge for his service and wish him well for the future.”

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old has appreciated Tottenham Hotspur while stating it was the right time for him to move.

“I have really enjoyed my time at Spurs and would like to thank the club and the fans, but I feel now is the right time for me to move onto a new challenge,” Aurier was quoted by the club website.

The Ivorian had expressed his desire to switch back to Parc des Princes in a bid to reunite with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

“Everyone is aware that if I wanted to extend my deal at Tottenham, I would’ve done so already. I’m not going to do it in six months,” he told L’Equipe.

“I’ve reached the end of a cycle and it’s time to look elsewhere. The two parties, Tottenham’s board and my agents, have agreed upon the conditions. We’ll see after that.

“I’ve never hidden my desire to return to PSG one day. It’s the club of my heart, the one that I support and I feel free to speak about it.

“But I don’t want people to think that I’m stuck on them and I’m not closing the door on anyone.

“But if the club were to make an offer this summer, it’s sure that PSG would be my first choice.”

Chelsea have signed Saul Niguez on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid with a £30 million ($41m) option to buy.

The Blues have brought the 26-year-old to Stamford Bridge after a turbulent and protracted day of talks that saw the deal described as 'dead' and then subsequently revived.

In fact, Thomas Tuchel's side left it so late, they only completed the deal sheet for the Spain international with two minutes to go before the transfer deadline.

Why are Chelsea signing Saul?

The loan move comes after Tuchel requested that the Blues add another midfielder to compete with N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.

Saul has long been considered the best solution, with the loan giving the Blues a chance to 'try before they buy' as they did with Kovacic from Real Madrid.

The move is hoped to rekindle the Spain international's best form after an underwhelming season last year despite Atleti winning the league.

It is understood that Tuchel allowed the club to send Ethan Ampadu out on loan to Venezia when he realised the Blues would bring another player into their squad.

That deal for the 21-year-old Wales international included a three-year contract renewal which shows just how much his parent club values him.

What other deadline day business has happened?

Sevilla's director of football Monchi explained that Chelsea's approach for Jules Kounde failed because the club did not meet Sevilla's valuation.

The Blues had made an offer that fell short of the Liga club's asking price and they declined to come in with an improved bid, missing Sevilla's deadline in the process.

Chelsea sent Ampadu on loan to Venezia, Thierno Ballo to Rapid Vienna, Dujon Sterling to Blackpool and Tino Anjorin to Lokomotiv Moscow, but saw Malang Sarr's loan to Greuther Furth collapse.

Furthermore, Tuchel told Callum Hudson-Odoi that he had to stay at Stamford Bridge despite a loan bid from Borussia Dortmund. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has opted to stay despite being on the fringes of the squad.

Further reading

CF Fuenlabrada have confirmed the signing of Stephane Mbia from Chinese side Wuhan on a one-year contract.

Following this development, the 35-year-old returns to Spain after seven years. The former Cameroon international enjoyed a fruitful spell at Spanish side Sevilla – a team he helped win back to back Europa League titles.

For Fuenla, they recruited the experienced African to help their bid in securing promotion to the Spanish elite division at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

“CF Fuenlabrada have taken over the services of Stephane Mbia. The 35-year-old midfielder has extensive experience with a career at the highest level,” a statement from the Segunda side’s website read.

“He helped Sevilla win two Europa League titles – with special prominence in 2013-14 where he scored a goal in the semifinals to help his team reach the final.

“He also won the French League, two French Super Cups and three League Cups. On an individual level, he was in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations team of the tournament as Cameroon finished as runners-up.”

In his first interview with Fuenlabrada, he vowed to help the Estadio Fernando Torres giants achieve their objectives.

"I return to Spain with a lot of motivation. It's a new challenge for me, but I know it's very competitive and I'll do my best to help the team achieve the goals,” Mbia said.

Mbia began his career at Rennes in 2004 before moving to Olympique Marseille five years later. He left the Olympians in 2012 to pen a two-year deal with then Premier League side Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee.

The Cameroonian was loaned out to Sevilla on August 26, 26 2013.  On his debut, he provided an assist for Kevin Gameiro's first goal in a 2–2 draw with Malaga.

Thanks to his impressive spell at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he was signed permanently. His first goal of the 2014-15 campaign came on September 18, heading in a cross from Gerard Deulofeu as Los Nervionenses started their Europa League title defence with a 2-0 victory over Feyenoord.

Following his departure from La Liga, he went ahead to represent Turkish side Trabzonspor, Hebei China Fortune, Toulouse, and Shanghai Shenhua.

Mamelodi Sundowns left-back Malebogo Modise and Orlando Pirates midfielder Azola Tshobeni joined JDR Stars on PSL's transfer deadline day.

The two promising youngsters have been snapped up by the National First Division club on a loan deal until the end of the current campaign.

The Hammers released the following statement on Tuesday night:

"Azola Tshobeni [Central Midfielder] joins the Hammerboyz on loan from Orlando Pirates," a club statement read. 

"Malebogo Modise [Left Back] joins Hammerboyz on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns."

Tshobeni spent the second round of the 2020/21 season with the Bucs first team having been promoted from the club's academy eight months ago.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder made six appearances in the PSL under coach Josef Zinnbauer, who parted ways with the Buccaneers earlier this month.

Zinnbauer had handed Tshobeni his professional debut against Maritzburg United in a PSL enocunter which Pirates won 1-0 at Harry Gwala Stadium in January this year.

The diminutive player has now been loaned out in order to get regular game time at the Hammers, who are expected to fight for promotion to the PSL this season. 

Meamwhile, Modise spent last season out on loan at Maritzburg from Sundowns and he will also be keen to play regularly at JDR.

The talented player, who can also operate as a left winger, made just 10 appearaneces in the PSL for Maritzburg, before returning to Masandawana.

Modise would have hoped to get some game time at Sundowns following the departure of veteran left-back Tebogo Langerman last month.

However,  the lanky player found it difficult to break into the Brazilians' starting line-up with the club having purchased left-backs Sifiso Ngobeni and Divine Lunga from Bloemfontein Celtic and Lamontville Golden Arrows respectively. 

Modise, 22, was nurtured in the Sundowns academy and he has played for South Africa's under-17, under-20 and under-23 national teams. 

Yacine Adli has joined AC Milan on a permanent basis from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, the Italian topflight side has announced.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder began his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain, before moving to the Girondins in 2019 on a four and a half years contract.

In his first three seasons at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, he featured in 63 Ligue 1 encounters – boasting five goals and eight assists to his credit

Notwithstanding, he caught the fancy of the Serie A giants on a five-year deal that will keep him at San Siro until 2026.

AC Milan also revealed that Adli will represent the French giants in the 2021-22 campaign.

“AC Milan is delighted to announce the signing of Yacine Adli from FC Girondins de Bordeaux on a permanent basis,” a statement from AC Milan website read.

“The footballer has signed a contract with the Rossoneri club until 30 June 2026. Adli will stay at the French club on loan for one year.

“Born in Vitry-sur-Seine, France on 29 July 2000, Adli spent his youth career at Paris Saint-Germain, making his first-team debut in 2018.

“In January 2019, he moved to Bordeaux, where he scored five goals in 72 appearances.”

The player went on social media to express his joy in signing for the seven-time Uefa Champions League winners.

“An immense pride to sign for this mythical club. Forza Milan,” Adli wrote on Instagram.

So far this season, the youngster has featured in four Ligue 1 games for Vladimir Petkovic’s men.

After the international break, he will continue training with the club as they step up preparations for their next fixture against Lens on September 11.

Bordeaux are winless in their last six matches across all competitions with their last fixture a 4-0 defeat at Nice.

As it stands, they occupy the 19th spot in the log having garnered just two points in all four matches played so far.

Born in Vitry-sur-Seine to Algerian parents, Adli represented France at U17 level – participating in the 2017 Uefa European Under17 Championship and the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup.

Even at that, he remains eligible to switch allegiance to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champions, Algeria.

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of defender Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna.

The 22-year-old Japan international joins for a fee of £16 million (€19m/$22m) and will wear the No.18 in north London.

Tomiyasu is a natural centre-back but has played mostly at right-back since joining Bologna in 2019, and will likely feature there after Hector Bellerin joined Real Betis on a season-long loan earlier in the day.

What was said?

Arsenal technical director Edu told the club's official website: “We’re delighted to have signed Takehiro. We’ve been watching him for a while now and we’re pleased that we have reached an agreement with Bologna. He is an important addition to our squad.”

Mikel Arteta added: “Takehiro is a strong defender with good experience in Serie A and at international level. He’s a versatile defender with great defensive qualities, high technical ability and composure on the ball.

"He will be an important member of our squad. We look forward to Takehiro joining up with us when he returns from international duty.”

More to follow...

Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin has joined La Liga outfit Real Betis on a season-long loan, the club has confirmed.

The Gunners stalwart, who has been with the club for a decade since his youth days as a teenager, returns to play in his home country at club level for the first time in his career.

A three-time FA Cup winner with Mikel Arteta's side, the 26-year-old will now swap London for Seville and arrives at Estadio Benito Villamarin on a temporary deal with no option to buy.

Betis get target man

Talks have intensified following a weekend in which Arsenal mulled options for Bellerin and saw Barcelona pass on a move.

Betis have been long-time admirers throughout the summer, with the defender's wage packet thought to be the major obstacle to a move.

Those issues have been resolved with the transfer deadline looming however, paving the way for the Catalan-born man to seal a move to his home country.

Bellerin's career so far

A graduate of Arsenal's youth system after arriving as a 16-year-old, Bellerin initially spent a loan spell with Watford in the Championship across the 2013-14 season, gaining key minutes.

It paved the way for him to establish himself amid the Gunners as a regular presence, firstly under Arsene Wenger and then his successors Unai Emery and Arteta.

He started all three of their FA Cup Final triumphs in 2015, 2017 and 2020, though he missed their 2019 Europa League Final defeat through a long-term ACL injury.

Further reading