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Arsenal have been handed a big injury boost regarding right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Evening Standard, who relayed the claims of Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu, who himself revealed that the defender is set to be fit before their World Cup opener on November 23 – something which subsequently means the 24-year-old should be in line for a return to club football in December.

Regarding the current condition of the 29-cap international, Moriyasu said: “I hear it’s possible for him to return before the start of the tournament.”

Big boost

While the Evening Standard go on to suggest in their report that Tomiyasu remains a doubt for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday and the Gunners’ Premier League meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, the fact that the right-back will be fit to feature in the World Cup is nevertheless great news for Mikel Arteta.

Indeed, while Ben White has impressed at right-back in the absence of the Japanese defender so far this season, it is undeniable that the return of a player who is a natural in the position will come as a very welcome boost for the 40-year-old manager.

Despite starting just four Premier League fixtures this term – making a further eight appearances from the bench – the £22m-rated talent has nevertheless impressed, helping his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of 1.2 tackles, one interception, one clearance and winning 2.2 duels – at a success rate of 56% – per game.

Those statistics were boosted by a hugely influential display out of position at left-back when the Japan defender ‘pocketed’ a certain Mo Salah during their victory over Liverpool, a performance that demonstrated his importance to Arteta’s side.

The £55k-per-week full-back has also caught the eye over his six appearances in the Europa League, once again helping the Gunners keep one clean sheet and registering one assist, in addition to making an average of 1.7 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 1.2 clearances and winning 3.5 duels – at a success rate of 75% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the 24-year-old average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Arteta’s joint seventh-best performer in the European competition.

As such, with Arsenal undoubtedly hoping to maintain a title charge, a European cup run and victory in domestic cups for as long as possible this season, squad rotation will be absolutely key for Arteta as the campaign goes on, leading us to believe that Tomiyasu’s return after the World Cup will come as big boost to the Spaniard and his side.

Leeds United chief Victor Orta has issued an apology after footage emerged following the 4-3 win over Bournemouth at the weekend.

The Lowdown: Dramatic comeback

It looked as if the Whites were heading for defeat at Elland Road after Dominic Solanke put the visitors 3-1 up shortly after half time.

However, goals from Sam Greenwood, Liam Cooper and Crysencio Summerville sealed a dramatic comeback and ensured Jesse Marsch’s side would make it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season.

Footage emerged on Twitter after the win of Orta chanting ‘sack the board’ at one supporter, with Conor McGilligan labelling it ‘absolutely insane’.

The Latest: Orta’s apology

Leeds correspondent Graham Smyth took to Twitter on Sunday evening to share an update on Orta, tweeting:

“Victor Orta has released a statement apologising over an incident that was captured on camera at full-time yesterday. He’s also detailed abuse received in recent weeks.”

The statement, which was shared by The Yorkshire Evening Post, is available to view here.

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The Verdict: Tension

There appears to be plenty of tension between the supporters and the board, with chants aimed at Leeds officials during last month’s defeat to Fulham.

Fans are entitled to their own opinion, and with Orta being extremely emotional at full-time, it doesn’t come as a shock that he reacted in the manner that he did.

An apology was expected after his Elland Road antics, but the abuse he has received via phone calls and texts is unacceptable.

The club need to try and come together once again, but sadly it feels like the relationship between fans and the board is growing apart.

Chem Campbell is slowly but surely establishing himself as a first-team player at Wolves and the new manager must consider giving him more chances in the Premier League.

The 19-year-old winger has made four substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season to take his tally in an Old Gold shirt to six, and he is surely knocking on the door for his first start as a senior Wolves player.

Last season saw the teenager contribute an impressive nine goals and nine assists in the Premier League 2, and considering Wolves’ woes in front of goal so far this campaign, Campbell surely deserves his chance to shine.

The Old Gold are now the lowest scorers in the football league with just three goals in their nine Premier League games thus far and with the likes of Pedro Neto, Sasa Kalajdzic and Raul Jimenez out injured, and Hwang Hee-Chan, Daniel Podence and Goncalo Guedes all struggling, Campbell could be the new manager’s solution.

Bruno Lage may have had doubts about playing the academy graduate on a regular basis as his contract was set to expire at the end of this season, however, it has been suggested that he is on the brink of signing a new contract at Molineux.

Once this behind-the-scenes development has been completed, there seems little reason why the 19-year-old shouldn’t get his chance to impress, and he will be hoping to win over whoever takes over from Lage at Molineux.

Wolves U23 boss, and current interim manager, James Collins was full of praise for Campbell when he made his senior debut against Newcastle United last season.

He said: “He’s always been a very talented boy, but sometimes it takes the really talented boys time to realise that it’s not just talent that gets you through.”

Praise has also been forthcoming from Steve Davis who once claimed that the Birmingham-born prodigy “can produce things out of nothing.”

With two goal contributions to his name in just four Premier League 2 appearances this season, Campbell is more than deserving of a first-team chance under the new Wolves boss, and given time, he could be the man to end the Old Gold’s shocking run of form in front of goal.

Everton have been backed to complete the permanent signing of Conor Coady ‘now’ by former BBC pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Permanent fee revealed

The centre-back joined the Toffees on a season-long loan from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers over the summer, and has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Goodison Park.

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath and John Percy recently revealed that Frank Lampard’s side will only have to cash out £4.5m to maintain his services beyond this campaign, and the Old Gold don’t have the option to recall the 29-year-old in January.

The Latest: Whelan’s message to Everton

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan urged Everton to complete the deal for Coady and claimed that he could go on to become a key man on Merseyside in years to come. He said:

“It’s a no-brainer.

“If you’re going to trigger that, then do it now. He’s already proven his point.

“We can see how valuable he is already in that back line. Him and Tarkowski have grown a really good relationship and they’ve got two leaders there.

“They’re talking and organising.

“Coady has got international experience and quality, and that is nothing for someone who can be at the club for at least another three years.”

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The Verdict: Absolute bargain

Everton signing Coady permanently is something that the club shouldn’t even have to think twice about considering the instant impact he’s made.

Before their match against Manchester United this evening, the England international was averaging 5.4 clearances per top-flight game and already has a goal and assist to his name in just seven starts (WhoScored).

Lampard has already asked the board to complete the deal, so it shouldn’t be too long before an official announcement is made.

The funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is set to take place on Monday after her passing earlier this month. The Transfer Tavern remember her with some of the stories from Arsenal’s famous trip to Buckingham Palace back in 2007…

Queen Elizabeth the Arsenal supporter?

Cesc Fabregas, a famous member of that iconic 2006/2007 Arsenal squad, revealed after the team’s visit to Buckingham Palace that the Queen had told them she was an Arsenal fan.

In fact, she had been fond of the North London club for ‘over 50 years’, according to a royal source, due to her mother’s admiration for the great Denis Compton, an England international cricketer who played for the Gunners between 1936 and 1950.

Arsenal remain the only football club to have ever been invited to the Palace for afternoon tea with the Queen.

Why did Arsenal go to Buckingham Palace?

The Queen was due to open the Emirates Stadium back in 2006, but was unable to attend due to a back injury.

As a result, she invited the Arsenal squad back to Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea in February 2007 as a way of apology.

What happened on the visit?

Cameras followed the Arsenal squad as they took a bus ride to the Palace and were greeted by Her Majesty and her staff members.

One Palace employee, who gave them a tour of the Queen’s photos, described meeting Gunners legend and captain Thierry Henry in particular as ‘very exciting’ and ‘extraordinary’, while even the forever composed Frenchman himself was starstruck by the ordeal, failing to properly tie his tie and even recently admitting that he ‘forgot’ his teammate Julio Baptista’s name during the visit.

Meanwhile, Manuel Almunia has since admitted that he doesn’t actually like tea, but said you ‘have to’ drink it if offered by the Queen.

Perhaps the most fascinating story during the visit involved Emmanuel Eboue, who allegedly asked the Queen if he could dog-sit for her corgis.

The Ivory Coast international said: “Ma’am, I am OK thank you but please, I don’t want to be a footballer anymore, I want to look after your dogs. I want to take them for walks, wash them, feed them. I want to be a dog carer.”

The Queen, Prince Philip and the team were all left laughing at the bizarre comment, particularly as Henry had warned the right-back beforehand ‘don’t do anything’.

What happened at the end of the visit?

At the end of the visit, the Queen was gifted a figurine of the club’s emblem, a cannon.

Manager at the time Arsene Wenger even drew a laugh from her after he said: ‘It’s not to incite you to make war!’

No other football club have visited the Palace since, showing just how much of a special occasion it really was.

Tottenham Hotspur still hold an interest in Everton winger Anthony Gordon despite the ever-increasing links to Chelsea, according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Young additions

Spurs have already added a plethora of youthful players to their ranks this summer.

21-year-old Djed Spence arrived at Hotspur Way after extensive negotiations and 19-year-old Destiny Udogie joined Spence as a young addition at full-back before returning to the Serie A on loan for the season ahead.

More high-profile signings, the likes of Richarlison and Yves Bissouma, are still young at 25-years-old, meaning Antonio Conte’s squad will be able to gel with one another and improve for years to come.

The Latest: Gordon interest

Fresh rumours have now suggested Tottenham could be looking to add another youngster to their ranks, but this time in a hefty deal from a Premier League rival.

According to a football.london report written by Gold, Spurs hold a firm interest in 21-year-old Everton star Anthony Gordon.

The winger is of course the subject of a serious move by Chelsea, who are ready to pay the Toffees £50m (plus £10m in add-ons) for his services.

Gordon has informed Frank Lampard of his intent to join the Londoners, with the player keen to play in the Champions League.

Manchester United and Newcastle United are also interested in the U21 England international.

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The Verdict: Perfect for Conte

Having established himself as a core component of Lampard’s starting eleven last season, the talented wide player has drawn up serious hype amongst rival Premier League scouts.

When looking at his underlying stats, it is easy to see why. As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, Gordon ranks in the 99th percentile for blocks, in the 96th percentile for tackles and in the 94th percentile for pressures – illustrating a constant hunger to win the ball back for his side which Conte would absolutely love.

Journalist Jeff Wallner previously hailed the youngster’s pressing from the front, dubbing him an ‘absolute beast’ on the pitch.

Whilst it remains a possibility that Fabio Paratici tries to hijack Gordon’s Chelsea move, a £60m fee for the 21-year-old does appear to be a little steep for Spurs.

Arsenal could still complete a couple of deals before the transfer deadline on September 1st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian journalist and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who believes the Gunners will have a “busy” end to the summer window.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, he revealed:

“It will take some time but I’m sure Arsenal will be busy in August with one or two more signings, it depends on the opportunities or outgoings, though.”

Arteta will love it

The north London giants have enjoyed a pretty successful window so far, with technical director Edu Gaspar bringing in five new signings through the door at the Emirates Stadium.

Former Manchester City duo Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have left the Premier League champions for Mikel Arteta’s project, whilst they have also signed a backup goalkeeper in Matt Turner, another young winger in Marquinhos and an exciting creative talent in Fabio Vieira.

Last weekend, the Gunners completed their pre-season schedule with another win, meaning they remained unbeaten throughout the off-season, which is an encouraging sign heading into Friday’s Premier League opener with Crystal Palace.

And if Romano’s claim rings true, then Arteta will surely be a very happy man as it appears as if the club aren’t finished yet.

Arsenal missed out on a move for right winger Raphinha and continued to be linked to midfielders such as Youri Tielemans and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, so it’s reasonable to predict that they are on the hunt for players in these two roles.

The Gunners were pipped to Champions League qualification by arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, so it’s easy to see why the Spanish head coach is in need of plenty of reinforcements as Spurs themselves have been on something of a spree, too.

Arteta’s side are back in the Europa League, so midweek rotation could prove key as the season rumbles on, only adding to the need for further additions.

The former City assistant will know this, which is why he will be delighted with Romano’s latest revelation and with less than a month to go, we should expect further movement at London Colney in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Edu can seal “phenomenal” £38m signing, he’d be Arsenal’s next Thierry Henry…

Leeds United are set to appoint former Borussia Dortmund assistant Rene Maric as Jesse Marsch’s new number two, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Marsch settling in well

Marsch replaced Marcelo Bielsa as Whites manager during last season, eventually steering his team away from the Premier League relegation zone in the final weeks of the campaign.

The American is now enjoying his first full pre-season as Leeds manager, working with his players on the training ground and also making several new signings.

It now looks as though an important backroom addition is also close to materialising.

The Latest: Maric appointment ‘close’

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Hay confirmed that Maric is on the verge of moving to Elland Road and becoming Marsch’s new assistant, having been dismissed by Dortmund back in May.

The Athletic journalist tweeted:

“Leeds United close to appointing former Borussia Dortmund assistant Rene Maric as Jesse Marsch’s new number two. Talks were held with Chris Armas but Maric is in line to join the coaching staff.”

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The Verdict: Exciting appointment

This feels like an exciting and fresh appointment by Leeds, with Maric just 29 years of age and only just getting started in his coaching career.

He already has plenty of experience, though, working as assistant manager at Red Bull Salzburg before Marsch arrived and also enjoying a spell at Borussia Monchengladbach, with more than 200 matches in the dugout to his name despite not turning 30 until September.

It is vital that the right individuals come in to complete Marsch’s backroom setup and the boss will likely be delighted if Leeds get Maric, having seemingly handpicked him over Chris Armas in the end.

Celtic saw a significant overhaul of their squad take place during the previous summer transfer window as Ange Postecoglou brought in a host of new players to Parkhead.

One figure, in particular, that enjoyed a rather impressive debut season with the Bhoys is Liel Abada.

Signed from Maccabi Petah Tikva on a five-year deal, the winger ended the previous campaign with 15 goals and 11 assists to his name in 54 appearances across all competitions.

In fact, not only did the attacker make more appearances in the league (36) than any other Celtic player, but he also racked up more shots (81) than any of his teammates, showing just how reliable he was for Postecoglou and how dangerous he was on the pitch in terms of his attacking play.

This shows just how impressive he was throughout the season and why the club and the manager made the right call in bringing him to Celtic Park in the first place.

With some time left before the current summer transfer window ends, the next few weeks could see the Hoops boss bring in what could be seen as his next version of the Israeli winger.

Back in January, Celtic reportedly had a transfer bid rejected for Shabab Dubai winger Mehdi Ghayedi.

Having made 166 club appearances throughout his career, the 23-year-old has found the net 40 times and supplied 28 assists for his teammates.

This shows just how similar he is to the current Hoops attacker in terms of being able to score goals and provide assists on a fairly regular basis.

Labelled as a “little magician” by journalist Navid Molaaghaei on Twitter, Ghayedi’s goalscoring talent has also been described as “extraordinary” by ADSportsTV.

Moving forward, if Postecoglou wants to recreate his masterclass from last summer with Abada and bring in a young winger, like Ghayedi, from the Middle East, securing a deal for the Iranian could be the best way to do it.

Bearing in mind how the Parkhead club will be looking to not only regain their SPFL title but also be as successful as they can in Europe, having as much strength and depth in his squad as possible will be a high priority for the 56-year-old, making a move for the 23-year-old a potentially smart move.

AND in other news: Imagine him & Gia: Ange can form “wonderful” Celtic duo by signing “massive” £2m gem

Leeds United are about to make a bid for Club Brugge star Charles de Ketelaere, according to RTL Sport journalist Alexandre Braeckman.

The Lowdown: Busy summer

The Whites have already brought in three players this summer and appear to be closing in on a fourth addition in Manchester City midfielder Darko Gyabi.

A £5m transfer for the 18-year-old is separate from Kalvin Phillips’ pending £42m move to the Etihad Stadium.

De Ketelaere could become the fifth arrival in Yorkshire, with Leeds’ interest ‘serious’ according to Phil Hay, and it looks as if Victor Orta and co are about to make a formal bid for the Belgian.

The Latest: Braeckman’s update

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Braeckman had this to say on Leeds and De Ketelaere, revealing that an opening €30m (£25.8m) proposal is set to be made ‘in the next days’:

“Leeds is about to submit a first €30m bid, it could be done in the next days, but I can’t tell exactly when.

“Bruges is expecting €40m, they know they could have a huge amount of money for this player. It could easily be the biggest transfer of the Belgian football (currently €27m for Jonathan David, from Gent to Lille).”

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Leeds view De Ketelaere as a forward, although he can also play in a deeper role or on the wing and has just come off the back of his best season with 28 goal contributions. [Transfermarkt]

Attacking reinforcements are needed in Yorkshire with the new season fast approaching and Raphinha’s future still up in the air, so hopefully the club can get a high-profile move for De Ketelaere over the line, especially with European giants AC Milan also circling.

James Marshment said that the 21-year-old moving to Leeds would be an “elite signing” for the Whites, and you’d like to think that the Belgian would improve Jesse Marsch’s attacking ranks straight away following his form in 2021/22.