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Ghana forward Caleb Ekuban has completed a transfer to Italian Serie A side Genoa, the club has announced.

The striker has put pen to paper on a three-year contract, ending his spell with Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.

The Griffin secured his services in a reported €1.8 million deal.

“The medical visit has been completed, the contract signed, and the documents have been exchanged. Caleb Ekuban is now a new player of the Grifone,” Genoa wrote on their official website .

Ekuban’s departure from Trabzonspor has not been without controversy, amid reports that he forced his way out.

He joined the Super Lig outfit, initially on loan in 2018, after which he signed a permanent deal, which was supposed to keep him in Trabzon until 2022.

“Caleb Ekuban is a player who served Trabzonspor. He has been beneficial to Trabzonspor. His contract will expire in a year, and he left the club because of money. The timing of his transfer is wrong. I said it to Ekuban’s face, Trabzonspor boss Abdullah Avci told the Turkish press on the Ghanaian’s departure.

Last season, the 27-year-old made 32 Super Lig appearances, starting in all of the matches and scoring 10 times.

“To the Trabzonspor fans! I apologise for my silence and for all the speculation and talks about me because of that,” the striker wrote in a goodbye message on social media.

"I never had a bad intention with the club, to the fan base that was and is amazing... You guys (fans) made me feel like home but sometimes when home calls, you [can’t] say no and that’s what happened.

"I just wish to have accomplished what I really fought for in these years, that was to give to these amazing people of the city of Trabzon great and unforgettable memories! I tried a lot.”

Ekuban was born to Ghanaian parents in the Italian town of Villafranca di Verona.

He honed his talent playing at Chievo Verona’s youth team.

"I didn’t win it all but achieved some, with some amazing human beings first of all, before being players, staff and the workers. You never let me down and took care of me.

“With my heart full of joy and my eyes full of tears. I wish you the best of luck for everything. I will keep following because I can’t forget what you gave me…

"I just want you guys to know that I loved this club and the people that supported it! Thank you for everything. In football you never know but for now, it’s goodbye.”

Ekuban, a Ghana international who played at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, could make his Genoa debut in their Coppa Italia fixture on Friday.

Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana will not play again until next year, manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Saturday. 

Fofana suffered a horrific leg break during the Foxes' midweek friendly against Villarreal. 

He subsequently missed his side's Community Shield victory over Manchester City and will be absent for a large chunk of the 2021-22 season. 

What was said? 

"He will play in 2022 at some time. Unfortunately the ligament damage is quite bad," Rodgers said of his charge after downing City 1-0 thanks to a late Kelechi Iheanacho penalty.

"He is in great spirits, he wants to stay here in and be around his team-mates.

"Sometimes players want to go back to their country, but he is staying here. He has an operation on Monday and his recovery will start there."

High praise for Amartey

In Fofana's absence Daniel Amartey was obliged to step in as a late replacement in the centre of defence. 

The Ghanaian responded with a fine display to keep out the likes of City debutant Jack Grealish, leaving his manager delighted. 

"Whatever I have asked Daniel Amartey to do he has always done so with great commitment," Rodgers added.

"His attitude is first class and he's very much a team player. He was outstanding."

Further reading

Noni Madueke netted a brace as PSV defeated Ajax 4-0 in Saturday’s Dutch Super Cup fixture.

The 19-year-old who is eligible to represent Nigeria at international level beat goalkeeper Remko Pasveer twice in the first 45 minutes as the Farmers strolled past Erik ten Hag’s men who had a player sent off.

Defending champions Ajax came into the encounter on the back of splendid form that saw them play 17 matches in all competitions without losing.

For PSV, they silenced Midtjylland 3-0 in their last outing on Tuesday evening in a Champions League qualification showdown against the Danish Super League side.

Two minutes into the encounter, Madueke put PSV ahead after unleashing an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box past Pasveer after navigating his way past his markers.

That early setback was a reality check for the Sons of Gods who attacked massively in search of an equaliser.

Cote d’Ivoire international Sebastien Haller leveled matters in the 13th minute, however, it was chalked off for offside after VAR replays claimed there was an offside in the build-up to the goal.

Man-of-the-match Madueke doubled PSV’s lead in the 29th minute after receiving a delightful pass inside the box from Eran Zahavi.

Ajax’s ambitions of launching a comeback suffered a heavy knock as Nicolas Tagliafico was given his marching orders for serious foul play by referee Bjorn Kuipers.

In a bid to rescue the situation, manager Ten Hag threw Devyne Rensch, Danilo and David Neres into the fray, yet, that yielded no results.

Roger Schmidt’s men sealed victory in the 76th minute thanks to Yorbe Vertessen who slammed Cody Gakpo’s pass into the bottom right corner of goalkeeper Pasveer.

Mario Goetze sealed the victory with an 89th-minute finish as PSV picked the title for a record 12th time.

After an impressive display, Madueke was substituted for Armando Obispo in the 73rd minute, while Cote d’Ivoire’s Ibrahim Sangare was brought out for Davy Propper a minute after the hour mark.

For Ajax, Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui was in action from start to finish with Haller coming off for Neres in the 61st minute.

Brest boss Michel De Zakarian has said Lionel Messi "gives me a hard-on" amid reports the Argentine is headed to Paris Saint-Germain.

The manager claimed Ligue 1 getting a player like Messi would elevate the stature of the competition, lifting everyone else up in the process.

Messi will leave Barcelona in the coming weeks after the Catalan club could not finance a contract extension due to mounting debt.

What has been said?

"We say that we have a sh*t league, but if we manage to bring in a player like that it would be exceptional," Zakarian told RMC Sport. 

"I'm not going to be polite here, but he gives me a hard-on."

PSG's Messi pursuit

The French side has long been after Messi, and made its interest abundantly clear last season with players such as Angel Di Maria openly requesting Messi to join them.

But when Barcelona agreed to terms with the star attacker last month in a deal that has since fallen apart amid La Liga financial restrictions, it appeared PSG would miss out on their man.

Now, they appear in pole position to reunite Messi with Neymar to create a super-powered front line.

Who else is in the Messi chase?

Pep Guardiola insisted this week that Messi is no longer a target of Manchester City, who have been linked with him in the past.

"We spent £40m on Jack Grealish. We paid £100m and brought in £60m," he said.

"He will wear the No.10 because we were convinced with Grealish and we were convinced Leo would continue at Barcelona, so right now he is not in our thoughts."

There are few other teams that can afford Messi's wages, and that list has likely narrowed by signings earlier in the summer. Manchester United have already signed Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, while Chelsea are on the brink of signing Romelu Lukaku.

Further reading

Leicester City star Kelechi Iheanacho insisted that referee Paul Tierney was right to give a late penalty that handed the Foxes victory over Manchester City in Saturday's Community Shield.

The Nigeria international came off the bench for Leicester with just over 10 minutes on the clock and made an immediate impact, drawing a foul from Nathan Ake inside the box.

Iheanacho converted the penalty himself for the only goal of the game, but several City players were left furious by Tierney's decision which decided the clash in Leicester's favour.

What was said?

"I think it's a penalty," Iheanacho explained to ITV after the final whistle. "[Ake] caught me. The referee saw it but he wanted us to play on, so if we scored it would have been okay.

"I have been practicing [my penalties]. I missed one last season but I have been practicing all the time. I just had it in my mind to shoot on an angle and hit it hard, so that's what I did."

Mixed emotions

Iheanacho lined up at City before moving to the King Power Stadium, and admitted that beating his former employers held an odd feeling for him amid the elation.

"I don't know what to say. I think it is mixed emotions. I'm really grateful for getting the trophy today for my team. I'm really happy," he added.

"Disappointed not to start? Not really. We have a great squad and anybody that the manager puts in will deliver. We need everybody to get through the season so I'm not disappointed.

"I'm just happy for the team whether I start or not. I just know one thing, if I come in then I have to make an impact and help my team. That's what I did today."

Rodgers chimes in

The manager was ecstatic with the result as well as the support his team received from fans.

"There was a great feeling coming here today," he said on BBC Radio. "Every Leicester player, fan, staff member coming here, it was a really special feeling.

"We wanted to take that into the game and keep that feeling going, and thankfully we've done that.

"I think if we could have given the supporters more tickets they would have filled the whole stadium, so it would've been nice to have more in.

"But I felt it in the FA Cup final and I felt it today, it felt more like 60,000 supporters."

Further reading

SuperSport United chief executive officer Stanley Matthews has had his say regarding reports the club has received offers for Sipho Mbule and Teboho Mokoena.

PSL heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns are the two clubs that are known to be interested in the two highly-rated central midfielders in the current transfer window.

Recent rumours indicating that SuperSport have accepted an offer from Chiefs for Mbule spread like wildfire on social media. 

Matthews has now revealed that the Tshwane giants are yet to receive any official approaches and that they are only focusing on their upcoming MTN8 clash with Lamontville Golden Arrows on August 14.

“There has not been any formal approach by other clubs for the services of Teboho and Sipho and we cannot keep on making further comments on this matter‚” Matthews said on Times Live. 

“Our focus is on preparations for the coming season‚ which starts with the MTN8 [quarter-final] next weekend against Golden Arrows."

Mbule's representative Mike Makaab had to address rumours indicating his client is set to complete a transfer to Chiefs without dismissing the Soweto giants' interest in the player.

The Prosport International chief executive officer also explained that they can only step in once SuperSport agree on terms with another club for his client's services. 

Mokoena's agent Glyn Binkin recently stated that there was an obvious interest from local clubs including Chiefs and Sundowns. 

However, Binkin made it clear that the South Africa under-23 international is targeting a move overseas, but they have not ruled out the player joining a local club.

Mbule, who is nicknamed the Real Masterchef by his SuperSport teammates, and Mokoena, both signed three-and-a-half-year contract extensions with the Tshwane giants in March last year.

The Bethlehem-born duo were groomed at the Harmony Sports Academy in Virginia, Free State. 

Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho's winning goal against Manchester City has made him the first player to score a penalty in a Community Shield final (excluding shoot-outs) since 2001.

The 24-year-old was brought down by Nathan Ake towards the end of Saturday's clash and he stepped up himself to score the crucial goal that gave the Foxes a 1-0 victory.

Before the well-taken penalty by Iheanacho, no player has scored a spot-kick (in regulation time) in the Community Shield since Gary McAllister converted for Liverpool against Manchester United 20 years ago.

In addition, the 89th-minute strike finally ended Iheanacho's goal drought against his former club and it was his maiden goal in nine appearances against the Citizens in all competitions.

The Nigeria international left Manchester City for the King Power Stadium in 2017 and the strike was his sixth attempt against them.

The victory sealed the 24-year-old's first Community Shield after he finished as runners-up with City in the 2014-15 season.

His compatriot Wilfred Ndidi and Ghana's Dan Amartey were also in action as they played from start to finish for Brendan Rodgers' side while Zambia's Patson Daka replaced Jamie Vardy in the 71st minute for his competitive debut for Leicester.

Meanwhile, Nigeria prospect Sam Edozie, who made his debut in the starting XI, was replaced by new signing Jack Grealish in the 65th minute.

Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez was on parade for Pep Guardiola’s side but his contributions were not enough to rescue the Premier League champions.

After making a bright start to the 2021-22 campaign, Leicester City will hope to build on the win when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers for their opening league fixture on August 14 while the Citizens begin their title defence against Tottenham Hotspur on August 15.

Roy Keane believes Manchester United "still need one or two into the group to really challenge", with the former Red Devils captain seeing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side sitting behind arch-rivals Manchester City and Champions League winners Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel have been given funds to strengthen with this summer, with a £100 million ($139m) deal at the Etihad Stadium seeing Jack Grealish break the British transfer record, while Romelu Lukaku may be heading back to Stamford Bridge for £98m ($136m).

United have also invested, with £73m ($101m) spent on Jadon Sancho and £34m ($47m) on Raphael Varane, but Keane believes more is required in order for the most prestigious of honours to be landed at Old Trafford.

What has been said?

Reflecting on recent recruitment business with ITV Sport, ex-United midfielder Keane has said: "Two very good signings, particularly Varane with his experience with the problem at the back. 

"Sancho, a young talented player who did well in Germany. 

"I still think what City have done and Chelsea with Lukaku, United still need one or two into the group to really challenge."

Who have Man Utd been linked with?

There is plenty of speculation to suggest that Solskjaer remains in the market for further additions in the current window.

A new right-back is said to be a top priority, with Atletico Madrid star Kieran Trippier generating plenty of rumours as the England international sees a return to his homeland mooted.

There has also been talk of another centre-half being brought in, with the Red Devils among those to have been linked with Sevilla defender Jules Kounde and Villarreal ace Pau Torres.

Possible additions in midfield are also sparking plenty of gossip, amid questions of Paul Pogba's future, with Rennes starlet Eduardo Camavinga and Lille playmaker Renato Sanches said to be registering on the Red Devils' radar.

Clubs in England have until August 31 to get any business done, with United determined to put themselves in a position where a five-year wait for major silverware can be brought to a close in 2022.

Further reading

Amadou Haidara and Christopher Nkunku registered their names on the scorer’s sheet as RB Leipzig beat Sandhausen 4-0 in Saturday’s German Cup first-round encounter.

The Bundesliga side put up an impressive display away from home to book their place in the next round of the competition.

Heading into the game, Leipzig played a 1-1 draw with Dutch side Ajax in a pre-season fixture.

For Gerhard Kleppinger’s men, they had lost their last four games in all competitions and were hoping to return to winning ways against Jesse Marsch’s side.

Despite playing away from home, Leipzig dominated all departments of the game. They could have scored more than four goals, but they failed to convert several begging opportunities.

As at the 16th minute, Marsch’s team could have gone two goals up but goalkeeper Patrick Drewes saved Willi Orban and Mohamed Simakan’s headers.

Leipzig’s breakthrough came four minutes later as Orban headed Angelino's cross past Drewes.

A minute before the half time break, Haidara doubled the advantage after profiting from a moment of carelessness from the hosts’ defenders.

Sandhausen started the second half bravely but could not find their way through the defensive line of the visiting team.

France youth international of Congolese descent Nkunku extended the lead for the German elite division side on the hour mark to kill the home team's hopes of launching a comeback.

Not willing to go down without a fight, Kleppinger’s team tried to reduce the scoreline but were denied on two different occasions by Peter Gulacsi who had been rarely tested.

Nine minutes from full-time, Dominik Szoboszlai – who was making his debut - rounded the goalkeeper to complete the victory. Szoboszlai had replaced Haidara in the 78th minute.

Nkunku was in action from start to finish, whereas former England youth international of Nigerian background Ademola Lookman was not listed in the comprehensive win.

On the other hand, Senegalese defender Oumar Diakhite saw every minute of action as well as English-German left-back Chima Okoroji.

Benin Republic midfielder Cebio Soukou was handed a starter's role but was substituted for Alexander Esswein with 14 minutes left on the clock.

Leipzig’s second-round opponents will be announced by the competition’s organiser in September.

Islam Slimani rescued a point for Lyon with the equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Brest in a Ligue 1 encounter on Saturday.

Cameroon's Karl Toko Ekambi supplied the Algeria striker who converted with his first touch on the ball, two minutes after he was introduced on the hour-mark.

Slimani's strike canceled out Irvin Cardona's 43rd-minute opener for Brest.

After the equaliser, both teams could not find the winning goal and they settled for a share of the spoils at the Groupama Stadium.

Slimani replaced Brazil's Thiago Mendes while Toko Ekambi played the duration for the hosts. Ivory Coast's Sinaly Diomande, Zimbabwe's Tino Kadewere and Mali's Habib Keita were unused substitutes for Lyon.

On the other end, Benin striker Steve Mounie and Algeria's Haris Belkebla were in action for Brest but the latter was replaced in the 18th minute by Hugo Magnetti.

Ivory Coast's Maxwel Cornet did not make Lyon's matchday squad as he continues his recovery from a thigh muscle strain while Comoros midfielder Rafiki Said Ahamada was missing in action for Brest due to a groin injury.

Following the draw, Lyon will turn their attention to next Sunday's trip to the Stade Raymond-Kopa when they battle Angers while Brest are scheduled to host Rennes that same day.

Slimani has started the 2021-22 season a on a promising note and he will be aiming to surpass the record of the nine goals he scored in 18 league appearances for Monaco in 2019-20.

Last season, the former Leicester City striker scored three goals in 18 Ligue 1 matches for Lyon.

The 33-year-old moved to the Groupama Stadium on a free transfer from Leicester and he penned an 18-month deal which will expire in June 2022.

New Al Sadd signing Andre Ayew has opened up on the influence of father Abedi Pele and club boss Xavi Hernandez on his decision to join the Qatari outfit.

After leaving English Championship fold Swansea City at the end of last season, the Ghana skipper chose to continue his career in Asia, penning a two-year deal with The Boss.

The contract has an option of a further one-year extension.

“As soon as I was informed that Al-Sadd was interested, I thought straight away that it was a very good idea for me. For me, it’s the best club in the Gulf; I watched their style of play and it’s the best club here,” Ayew told his new club’s official website.

“It’s also a club with which I have a personal history due to my father. I followed the club when I was young because my father always followed the club’s results. It wasn’t a surprise for me, I was very happy and proud, but I had to take some time to make the decision, because I had a few offers from the Gulf and from Europe, so I had to take time to make the right decision.”

“But as soon as I spoke to the coach Xavi, I knew this was the right place for me for my future. Then I took the decision to come and everything happened fast.”

By joining Al Sadd, Andre follows in the footsteps of his legendary father Abedi who played for the Qatari club between 1982 and 1983.

“My father had a big influence, not only in my career but also in my personal life. He is my idol and someone I look up to and have great admiration for. I think he gave me a lot, advice in the game: how to compose yourself, how to be patient, and to try to make the best decisions, to stay in a club or to move,” Ayew stated.

“I learned so much from him and I think he has a big role in the career that I have had until now.”

“To be honest, Al Sadd is a club I know and I have followed for a long time. My father played here and this is the club that gave him the opportunity to leave Ghana. So it’s a club that I always followed. I followed the players who played here: Raul, Mamadou Niang, Abdelkader Keita – a lot of players played for this great club.”

Ayew is expected to make his Al Sadd debut against Al Sailiya on the opening matchday of the Qatari Stars League.

Ben White's agent has discussed his client's move from Brighton to Arsenal, with the Gunners praised for holding their nerve in a £50 million ($69m) game of "poker" with Seagulls chairman Tony Bloom.

Bloom, a professional gambler, oversees events at the Amex Stadium and is not a man that will cash in his chips without a fight.

Premier League heavyweights from north London have, however, prevailed in a long-running battle of wills, with an England international defender lured away from the south coast as Mikel Arteta and Co played a winning hand.

What has been said?

White's representative, Alex Levack, has told Sky Sports of a big-money deal: "The main challenge really was agreeing the fee between the two clubs and structuring the deal in the right way.

"Brighton didn't really want to sell and weren't really willing to give a valuation for the player, and with Tony Bloom being a professional poker player and gambler, he was hard to read."

Will White be a success at Arsenal?

The talented and versatile 23-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence.

White was on loan at Peterborough in League One as recently as 2018-19, before going on to enhance his reputation the following year in a Championship title-winning campaign at Leeds.

He took in 39 appearances back at Brighton last season, earning him senior international recognition and a spot in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2020 squad along the way, before Arsenal came calling in the latest transfer window.

White has been endearing himself to Gunners fans with some wholehearted displays in pre-season and Levack is confident that he will be a shrewd addition for a club that has been crying out for consistency and continuity at centre-half.

He added: "The way he plays is very conducive with the way that Arsenal like to play, and it was very fascinating the attention to detail that Arsenal put into scouting the players that they are going to sign, whether that would be artificial attention, data analysis or video analysis - it's all very impressive.

"Edu, Mikel Arteta, and actually all the guys at Arsenal were excellent to deal with, they were consistent in their message that they were going to do all they could to get Ben, and in all fairness that was proven with the level of transfer fee they paid for Ben."

Arsenal are due to get the 2021-22 Premier League season up and running next Friday when they make the short trip across London to newly-promoted Brentford.

Further reading

AFC Leopards emerged with a 3-1 win over Vihiga United in a Football Kenya Federation Premier League contest at Utalli Grounds on Saturday. 

Elvis Rupia, Austin Odhiambo, and Peter Thiong'o scored AFC Leopards' goals, while Kevin Omondi denied the hosts a clean sheet as he struck in the second half for the struggling Premier League side.

Rupia scored in the 10th minute when he was put through on goal by Harrison Mwendwa. The winger provided yet another assist in the 26th minute as his defence-splitting pass found Odhiambo in a perfect position to score the second goal for Ingwe.

Patrick Aussems made a change in the 46th minute when Omar Somobwana replaced Collins Shivachi before Thiong'o scored the third goal in the 54th minute, with Mwendwa registering a third assist in the game.

After scoring AFC Leopards' third goal, Thiong'o was replaced by Musa Saad in the 65th minute.

Mwendwa left the pitch in the 72nd minute as Aussems brought on Caleb Olilo, before Robert Mudenyu - in the 82nd minute - came on for Somobwana, who had been thrown into action in the early moments of the second half.

Meanwhile, Ulinzi Stars and Bidco United drew 1-1 in their respective encounter at Thika Stadium.

Mark Bikokwa scored Ulinzi's goal in the 39th minute with John Njuguna providing the assist against Bidco United, who had looked the stronger side for the better part of the first half. 

There was drama in the 58th minute after Peter Nzuki scored for Bidco United before the referee ruled against his goal because he judged the scorer was in an offside position.

Protests from both sides saw the referee change his mind and award the goal before he then cancelled it. 

A combination between Clinton Omondi and Elvis Nandwa almost gave Ulizni Stars a second goal, but Brian Opondo was alert enough to stop their ambitious attack.

The teams ended up sharing points from the 1-1 draw in a match that was entertaining and dramatic at the same time.

Finally, relegation-threatened Mathare United claimed a 2-0 win over Nairobi City Stars at Ruaraka Ground.

Clifford Alwanga and Daniel Otieno struck for the Slum Boys to stun their rivals, who had surprisingly won against Tusker and AFC Leopards in their previous outings.

Crystal Palace defeated Watford 3-1 in their last pre-season game on Saturday, with Wilfried Zaha finding the net on two occasions.

A goal in each half by the Cote d’Ivoire international propelled the Eagles to a commendable win over the Hornets at Selhurst Park.

Playing in front of their supporters, Patrick Vieira’s men began the game on a brilliant note as their strikers caused a moment of panic for Watford defenders marshaled by Willam Troost-Ekong.

Palace were in firm control of proceedings early on. Zaha was close to putting his side ahead when he looked to volley a lobbed James McArthur cross, albeit, the African miscued his chance leaving goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann unflustered.

On the other end, the visiting side’s first chance at goal saw Jeremy Ngakia float a goal-bound cross which Cheikou Kouyate knocked behind as Peter Etebo headed too high.

In the 29th minute, Palace were provided a big opportunity to take the lead as the referee pointed to the penalty spot after Zaha was fouled in the box by Danny Rose.

The Cote d’Ivoire international stepped up to take the ensuing penalty but it went wide of Bachmann.

Emmanuel Dennis almost leveled matters for the Vicarage Road giants. Sadly, his well-taken free-kick was saved by Vicente Guaita with Cucho Hernandez’s rebound hitting the woodwork.

Zaha completed his double in the 54th minute. The winger unleashed an unstoppable shot from 10 yards after cutting inside from the left and surging forward.

Seven minutes from full-time, substitute Troy Deeney – who replaced Nigeria’s Dennis - reduced the deficit courtesy of a deflection to put his team back into the game.

Watford’s ambition of ending the fixture on a no winner, no vanquished note faded into thin air as Christian Benteke restored Palace’s two-goal cushion three minutes later.

The Belgium international jumped in the box before sending a header past Bachmann as the Eagles ended pre-season on a winning note.

Crystal Palace begin their English top-flight campaign with an away game at Chelsea, while Watford host Dean Smith’s Aston Villa.

Arsenal are expecting Thomas Partey to return to training inside three weeks, with the Ghana international midfielder currently nursing an ankle injury.

The 28-year-old was laid low during a pre-season outing against Chelsea and will miss the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

He will, however, not be sidelined for too long, in a welcome boost for Mikel Arteta, and should come back into contention after the first international break.

What has been said?

Arsenal have said of Partey in a fitness update on the club's official website: "Thomas sustained an injury to ligaments in his right ankle during the friendly match against Chelsea last Sunday. 

"Thomas continues to be assessed and is expected to be back in training in approximately three weeks.

How many games will Partey miss?

Arsenal have a friendly derby date with local rivals Tottenham to take in on Sunday.

They will then be involved in a Premier League curtain-raiser against Brentford next Friday.

A testing start to the season then takes in a home date with Chelsea on August 22 and a trip to Manchester City six days later.

Domestic action then shuts down, giving Partey chance to work on his fitness before the Gunners face Norwich on September 11.

Who else is missing for Arsenal?

Arteta is in the process of finalising his plans for a new season, but does not have a full squad at his disposal.

Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Magalhaes sit alongside Partey in the treatment room, with an England U21 international striker and Brazilian centre-half also weeks away from returning to action.

Arsenal in a statement said of Nketiah: "Eddie sustained bruising to his right ankle during the friendly match against Chelsea last Sunday. 

"Eddie continues to be assessed and is expected to be back in training in approximately four weeks."

They added on a South American defender: "Gabriel sustained an injury to his right knee whilst with the Brazilian Olympic Squad. 

"Gabriel is currently being assessed and is aiming to be back in training in the forthcoming weeks."

Further reading

Fred Onyedinma stood out as Luton Town's hero in Saturday's Championship encounter with his goal and two assists in their 3-0 victory over Peterborough United.

The Lagos-born midfielder moved to Luton at the end of last season after two years at Wycombe Wanderers where he scored three goals in the Championship last season.

The 24-year-old assisted Nigerian descent Elijah Adebayo who opened the scoring in the 30th minute and he provided another assist for Harry Cornick, eight minutes after the hour-mark to double their lead before completing the rout with his 71st-minute strike.

Onyedinma was on parade for 82 minutes before he was replaced by Carlos Gomes and DR Congo's Pele Ruddock was replaced three minutes later.

Adebayo played the entire duration while Zimbabwe's Admiral Muskwe was introduced as a 78th-minute substitute for Luton Town.

The victory shot the Hatters to second in the Championship table, behind leaders Hull City and they will be aiming to build on the emphatic win when they visit League Two club Stevenage for a  Carabao Cup fixture on Tuesday before tackling West Bromwich Albion in a league match on August 14.

Elsewhere at Cardiff City, Kenya winger Clarke Oduor was introduced as a 72nd-minute substitute for Barnsley in their 1-1 draw against the Bluebirds.

Toby Sibbick salvaged a point for Barnsley in the 69th minute after Marlon Pack broke the deadlock at the Cardiff City Stadium in the 54th minute.

At the Pride Park Stadium, Senegal’s Naby Sarr scored an equaliser for Huddersfield Town as they held Derby County to a 1-1 draw.

Sarr powered in Sorba Thomas’s cross with his head on the stroke of half-time after Curtis Davies fired the hosts ahead in the 39th minute.

Richarlison was delighted to receive Olympic gold from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino following Brazil's football triumph on Saturday - while jovially warning the pair would see each other again in Qatar. 

The Everton star won the competition's Golden Boot award with five goals in Tokyo. 

And though he missed a penalty early on that would have put his side ahead against Spain, goals from Matheus Cunha and Malcom were enough to deliver a 2-1 victory for the defending champions after extra time. 

What was said? 

Following the final whistle, Richarlison joined the rest of the Selecao to receive their gold medals. 

But when Infantino reached the forward, he had a message to deliver. 

"Next year it'll be in Qatar, right, baldy?!" Richarlison joked with the FIFA president as he picked up his medal. 

'Don't look back in anger' 

Selecao coach Andre Jardine also raised eyebrows after the game, this time thanks to his musical talents. 

Jardine used to front an Oasis cover band before going into football, and treated reporters to a rendition of Don't Look Back in Anger as he entered the post-match press conference in jubliant mood. 

And he promised that a new version was on the way with captain and team talisman, Dani Alves. 

"This is very gratifying. We have come out victorious because of everyone's hard work," he said. 

"Now in the celebrations [Dani and I] are going to do something different and then you will all have the video."

Further reading