Last night I was told Max Allegri will stay at Juventus and is using Arsenal’s interest to improve his contract there.
Luis Enrique was seen as too much of a risk and wanted far too much money.
As I said last week, there was no consensus on Enrique and never likely to be one.
Also : confirmation that Arsenal are in detailed talks with an ex-player.
Two of these Premier League games are significant :
Leicester v Arsenal
Chelsea v Huddersfield
Spurs v Newcastle
After 36 games, Arsenal are nine points behind fifth–placed Chelsea. That ‘s why the Leicester match is two clubs is…. fulfilling a fixture.
I reckon Chelsea hate being below Spurs more than Arsenal hate being below Spurs.
Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge is a game Chelsea, two points behind Spurs, need to win. We hear far too much about “must-win games” but that is a must-win game.
Tottenham v Newcastle is a game where I’m expecting Dele Alli to shine and score. Rafa Benitez, still a great coach, has made Newcastle far greater than the sum of their parts.
After a difficult period spell, Dele looks fit and fast again. Eriksen keeps producing. That’s what a good pro does. He produces and keeps producing in every game.
Rafa is the reason I won’t do a win double tonight.
Last season I broke even gambling on football. After two jammy bets, I recently recouped my losses this season. Stick or twist? I feel sticky. Definitely.
But all this is small stuff, small beer.
The biggest game of the season is Liverpool v Real Madrid in Kiev on Saturday May 26th
The second biggest is the World Cup Final in Moscow on Sunday July 15th.