* The 2022-2023 season saw Arsenal lead the Premier League table for 248 days, but unfortunate stumbles in the final stages saw them overtaken by Man City to be crowned champions. Preparing for the 2023-2024 season, Arsenal recruited a series of quality players and the opening match of the new season saw the Gunners meet Man City in the English Super Cup, taking place at 10:00 p.m. on August 6. Man City has a superior head-to-head record compared to Arsenal, winning all 8 of their most recent matches. If you look further, Man City have won 15 and lost only 1 of their last 16 matches against Arsenal.

Man City have a superior head-to-head record against Arsenal ahead of the Community Shield. Photo: Getty

* According to Athletic, Man City must pay Leipzig 90 million euros (99 million USD) for Gvardiol's transfer fee, making him the second most expensive defender in history after Harry Maguire (102 million USD). Gvardiol signed a 5-year contract with Man City, effective until the summer of 2028. Gvardiol was born on January 23, 2002 in Zagreb, and grew up with his hometown club Dinamo. Becoming a mainstay of the club at the age of 18, he caught the eye of Leipzig and was recruited by the club for a transfer fee of 21 million USD. The 1.85m-tall center-back has played prominently in the Bundesliga, but his value has skyrocketed thanks to his performance at the 2022 World Cup with Croatia. Gvardiol is considered the best center-back of the tournament, despite being surpassed by Lionel Messi in the semi-finals. He was included in the IFFHS's 2022 World Cup Team of the Year.

* According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Hojlund suffered a minor injury before the season with Atalanta, nothing serious but still needs time to reach full fitness. Hojlund is considered the "new Haaland" and was welcomed by the Old Trafford audience when he was officially introduced by MU before the recent 3-1 friendly win over Lens. Sharing about one of the reasons for signing this striker, coach Erik ten Hag said: "MU needs hungry people and Hojlund is a player who is very determined to score goals, win matches, and conquer titles".

* Chelsea has just announced the successful recruitment of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton for 25 million pounds. The Spanish goalkeeper is attached to "The Blues" under a contract of up to 7 years. Sanchez's salary and shirt number at Chelsea have not been revealed. The 25-year-old goalkeeper is the replacement for Edouard Mendy, who recently joined Al-Ahli Club for 16 million pounds. At Chelsea, Robert Sanchez will have to compete for the official position with compatriot Kepa Arrizabalaga. Sanchez is Chelsea's 7th new player in the summer transfer window of 2023, after Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo, Diego Morreira, Lesley Ugochukwu and Axel Disasi.

* After Messi scored his recent goal, he celebrated by crossing his arms over his chest. Explaining the action, Messi's wife Antonela Roccuzzo shared on her personal page: "De Asgard a Wakanda", which means "From Asgard to Wakanda". This is related to the Marvel superhero series "Black Panther", which features the late actor Chadwick Boseman. In both films, the main characters perform the same action as Messi's recent goal celebration.

* Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned his former club Barcelona to “make the right offer” if they want to sign Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese midfielder is keen to leave City to join Barcelona, ​​but they have yet to receive any offers. City manager Pep Guardiola insists he will not stand in Silva’s way if the 28-year-old wants to leave. City want £80m for the deal.

Bernardo Silva is said to want to join Barcelona. Photo: Football Espana

* A year after the successful deal for Casemiro, MU is said to be contacting Real Madrid to negotiate the recruitment of young midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Last year, Tchouameni came to Real Madrid to replace Casemiro. He played prominently in the early stages but faded after the 2022 World Cup. Many big teams have been interested in Tchouameni in recent months. Before MU, clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and PSG all made moves for the 23-year-old French player. Fichajes revealed that MU representatives are trying to convince Real Madrid with a total transfer fee of about 90 million euros.

* After losing to MU in the race for Ramus Hojlund, PSG decided to end the target Goncalo Ramos to upgrade the attack. PSG is ready to completely change the new football project with Luis Enrique, after parting with Lionel Messi and the conflict with Kylian Mbappe. Journalist Fabrizo Romano said that the negotiation process between PSG and Benfica is still ongoing. The Paris team hopes to complete the deal soon. Most likely, PSG will recruit Goncalo Ramos on loan with a buyout clause next year. This solution helps the French football champion avoid violating the regulations on financial fair play.

HOAI PHUONG (synthesis)

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