Cameron Smith may be swayed by the lucrative financial offer from the LIV Golf International Series, but must consider whether he will enjoy competing on the breakaway tour.
That is the message from former Ryder Cup captain Mark James, who acknowledged the financial benefits of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf but was unsure of the merits of a competition still in its infancy.
Smith secured his first major title at the historic 150th Open Championship last weekend, triumphing ahead of Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy on the picturesque Old Course at St Andrews.
While lauded for the blemish-free final round that ensured Open glory, speculation grew that Smith may become the next high-profile defector to LIV Golf, the tournament headed by Greg Norman.
Smith refused to comment on the matter as he celebrated at St Andrews, remaining non-committal on his future as he expressed his disappointment with the line of questioning following his Open victory.
Though James, a 32-time professional winner, appreciated the lucrative offers LIV Golf are making to secure the PGA Tour's prized assets, he warned Smith to think carefully about his future.
"I would imagine right now they're weighing up his contracts, weighing up what you'll get for playing the LIV Golf Tour and what you'll get for playing around the world and having all these contracts," James told Stats Perform.
"And I mean, yeah, they might pay him. They would have to pay him I would think 100 million to play LIV Golf Tour compared to winning the Open and having all those contracts, maybe more.
"I don't know, I'm a bit out of touch with the big money game these days. But that means you don't have to work the rest of your life, even at his age 100 million will go a long way.
"But he's going to be playing, is he going to be playing with his mind on the golf? Is he going to really enjoy it? I don't know.
"I think there's a lot of question marks over this tour. And it will be interesting to see what the outcome is."
Henrik Stenson relinquished his Ryder Cup captaincy after becoming the next big-name signing for LIV Golf, announced on Wednesday alongside Jason Kokrak and Charles Howell III.
The breakaway league already has the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, with every defector banned from playing on the PGA Tour as retaliation to their move away.
And James, who had a long career on the European Tour and has played on the US-based Champions Tour in senior golf, does not envisage LIV Golf succeeding, likening the tournaments to "exhibition events".
"They've gone in extremely heavy-handedly LIV Golf," he added. "But then I suppose if they're trying to take players away from the two major tours, they have to because the two majors are so protective of their product.
"But I agree with the two main tours, I think they have to be and I think the two main tours are brilliant for golf, because they have a pyramid system on both tours where anyone who's any good will make it to the top. It is that simple.
"Whereas, if LIV Golf were in charge, then that would not be the case. We'll see if they're still talking at the end of the year. Maybe something can be thrashed out and both tours can end a little sooner and have some big jamboree at the end of the year for six, eight weeks for anyone who wants to play.
"Certain events might be better suited but LIV Golf seems to want to take over the whole thing. And I think those tournaments are not good for golf right now. They're basically exhibition events.
"People are getting paid crazy amounts of money and there's a lot of animosity between current tour players and the LIV Golf players. So it's not a great situation. And I don't think LIV Golf have handled it well.
"I'm not sure Norman is a particularly good spokesman because they've taken him out in the press to a large extent, because he wasn't really voicing what Saudi wants someone to say.
"But, equally, I think that the pros from the tours who signed up with LIV Golf have not exactly been eloquent in defence of LIV Golf. So the whole thing, I think, is a little shambolic.
"But as I say, if you want to take golf by the scruff of the neck and make an impression on the main tour players, then maybe this is the only way to try and do it."
Andy Robertson insists Liverpool had no concerns over Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan hit four goals in a pre-season thrashing of RB Leipzig, as he urged fans to be patient with the Reds' new striker.
Jurgen Klopp defended Darwin from criticism after he failed to score in Liverpool's first two pre-season outings, but the new recruit put in a terrific performance against the Bundesliga outfit.
The former Benfica striker scored four times after coming on as a half-time substitute in a 5-0 win in Germany, including a hat-trick within 20 minutes of entering the action.
Speaking to the club's website after that victory, Robertson urged patience as the €75million arrival settles in on Merseyside.
"It always takes time to get used to new signings. We've all been through it ourselves, so it's no different," the left-back said.
"Maybe there's outside pressure on him in terms of the fee and everything like that, but to us it doesn't matter. People have come in on small fees, big fees, it doesn't matter.
"We know they have to take time to get used to our system, get used to our style of play, to get used to how we want them to play and things like that.
"He's adapting, he's getting fitter, he's getting stronger – like all of us are in pre-season – and he needs time to adapt. Today will do him a world of good. Today will give him a lot of confidence in terms of in front of goal and everything, which is obviously so important for a striker.
"So, [we're] delighted about that and we don't have any worries about him. It's just about having a bit of time with him, having a bit of patience, and we've got that and hopefully the Liverpool fans have it as well."
Meanwhile, Liverpool's latest pre-season outing came on the fifth anniversary of Robertson joining in an £8million move from Hull City.
Robertson has made 161 Premier League appearances for Liverpool since joining, a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah (180), Sadio Mane (169) and Roberto Firmino (165) in that time, while only Salah (46) has bettered his tally of 45 league assists since July 2017.
Looking back on his five years at Anfield, the Scotland international expressed pride at following in the footsteps of compatriots such as Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Graeme Souness in winning silverware at Liverpool, as he targeted bringing up a decade with the club.
"On that day it was a huge honour for me to sign for the club," he recalled. "A lot of people said that the club don't really win stuff without Scottish players, so obviously when I signed then I wanted to achieve it.
"We've obviously got a long history of Scottish players playing for this club, legends in their own right, and the fact I can be a part of this club, it meant a lot that day and it still means a lot now. So, hopefully many more years to come.
"Five years have flown by. It felt like yesterday that I was signing and it's crazy that that time has passed. I'm a wee bit older, a wee bit wiser now, certainly look a bit older now than the day I signed!
"It's amazing playing for this club, I don't want it to end, I want it to continue for as many years as I can. But five years is incredible but now I look to the next five. I'm always one to look forward and hopefully we can achieve a lot more things."
Henrik Stenson cannot feel slighted by losing the Ryder Cup captaincy over his decision to join LIV Golf, according to Europe's 1999 skipper Mark James.
James, who was captain when Europe surrendered a 10-6 lead to suffer defeat at Brookline, said Stenson's move represented a major coup for LIV, but insisted most of the breakaway tour's players were "past their peak".
Stenson became the latest big name to sign up for the controversial Saudi-backed tour on Wednesday, a decision that saw him stripped of Europe's captaincy for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome.
The 2016 Open champion wrote on twitter that he disagreed with the decision to remove him from that role, but James feels here was no other alternative.
"I don't think it was so much Ryder Cup Europe making a decision. Henrik was unable to fulfil the obligations of his Ryder Cup captain's contract," James told Stats Perform.
"If you can't fulfil the obligations, then the agreement is null and void.
"It's virtually a mutual decision. He can say, 'well, I didn't agree with the captaincy being pulled'. If he can't fulfil his contract, I'm not too sure what he expects.
"I don't know if Henrik needs the money. It's entirely possible. You hear rumours of a lot of tour players losing vast amounts of money with investments, I'd have no idea if he was one of those.
"But he'll be getting an awful lot of money for being Ryder Cup captain and stuff associated with that. So for him to jump to the LIV Tour means they're offering him a very, very nice wheelbarrow load of cash."
The LIV series already counted experienced pros such as Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter among its ranks, and James believes the circuit has found it far easier to persuade older players to sign up.
James did, however, note the recruitment of a player set to be Ryder Cup captain represented a significant coup for the Greg Norman-led tour.
"Their strategy is to get people who will come and if you get people in their 40s, they are way more likely to come than people in their 20s," James continued.
"They're building up names on their tour and having a tour full of good, big names, even if they're slightly past their peak, which you could argue that Westwood, Poulter, Stenson and [Paul] Casey and others are, is giving them a star-studded field and it's an inducement to other players to then jump on board.
"Certainly, [for] a Ryder Cup captain to sign up is a coup. Henrik knows what he's doing. He's not daft. And he's a really lovely guy. I like him a lot.
"It's a great shame because he would have been a brilliant captain. And that ship now has sailed and it's a pity. It would have been a real jewel in a glittering career."
Attention will now turn to Ryder Cup Europe's efforts to replace Stenson, which 2021 skipper Padraig Harrington said on Wednesday will be "no issue".
James agreed with that assessment as he downplayed the importance of the captaincy, adding: "They [LIV] are taking a lot of possible captains away. So we'll find other people to be captain, captain is not all-important.
"The captain's position is drummed up to be incredibly important. But I think it's overrated, I always have done.
"Every captain we have, over the last, certainly 15 odd years, everyone thinks they're just going a little extra mile to do something else and everything's a little better.
"When you get out there on the turf and start playing against Americans, there's only one thing filling your mind, how much you want to beat the Americans, because this is a massive event and it's a huge thrill to play in it and be involved in it."
Brentford have secured the services of Ben Mee on a two-year deal after the defender left Burnley at the end of his contract.
The centre-back played over 300 times for the Clarets, joining in 2011 on an initial one-year loan before signing a permanent deal at the end of that season.
He won promotion to the Premier League at Turf Moor twice, in 2014 and 2016.
Burnley endured a torrid 2021-22 season though, with long-term manager Sean Dyche losing his job in April with his team four points from safety.
Mee, who had suffered a season-ending calf injury, joined the temporary coaching staff until the end of the season, but they were unable to save themselves from relegation afnd a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on the last day sent them down to the Championship.
The 32-year-old now joins Brentford, who themselves looked threatened by relegation until a late-season charge sparked by the arrival of Christian Eriksen led them to a 13th-placed finish in their first top-flight season in 74 years.
It has been a busy transfer window for Brentford, who have broken their own record transfer fee twice with the signings of full-back Aaron Hickey from Bologna and winger Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull City.
Mee adds plenty of experience to Brentford's backline. He ranked third in blocks (21) and second in clearances (92) for Burnley in the league last season, while also winning the third most aerial duels (68).
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said: "I am very happy that we have signed Ben. He will add a lot of quality and experience to the squad.
"I really love his defensive mindset; he knows how to defend the box, he knows how to block a shot and he knows how to win duels.
"He will bring leadership and communication to the team, which is very attractive. I am looking forward to adding him to the squad."
Nemanja Matic wasted little time in deciding to join Roma and work with Jose Mourinho, explaining the Giallorossi coach "convinced me in less than five minutes".
The Serbia international will play under the stewardship of Mourinho for a third time in his career, having already featured for the Portuguese at Chelsea and Manchester United.
Mourinho first signed the midfielder for Chelsea from Benfica in 2014 in a deal worth £40million ($50m), winning the Premier League in their sole season together.
Matic played at Stamford Bridge for a further two years after Mourinho's departure, before the Portuguese coach re-signed him at United in 2017.
The following year Mourinho was relieved from his duties at Old Trafford, with Matic staying at United until last month, when he reunited with his former coach on a one-year deal in the Eternal City.
Matic has played 118 matches under Mourinho, the 33-year-old's most appearances under a single manager in the Premier League, and could not turn down working with him once more.
"He convinced me in less than five minutes to come to Rome: when I left United he called me and I immediately said yes," Matic told Il Messaggero.
"Mou has something extra that motivates and spurs you. I've never seen him satisfied, when he wins he already thinks about the next day. He is the first to be hungry for victories.
A dream team of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be complemented by Novak Djokovic at the Laver Cup.
Nadal, Federer and Murray had already been confirmed for the 2022 edition of the tournament, to be held in London in September.
And Djokovic, who won his 21st grand slam title at Wimbledon earlier this month, has now joined his fellow greats to add to a formidable Team Europe line-up.
The Serb last competed in the Laver Cup in 2018, and while it is yet unclear if he will be able to feature at the upcoming US Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status, Djokovic is relishing the chance to play alongside the best players of the modern era.
He said: "It's the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you're normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy – three of my biggest all-time rivals – it's going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport."
"I don't think I could have imagined having these four icons of the sport on one team together," said Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg.
"I know they, like I, appreciate the significance of this moment and will be truly up for it.
"Each year our goal is to win. With Rafa, Roger, Andy and Novak on the team, I like our chances."
The quartet have accounted for 66 of the last 76 grand slam titles won in men's tennis, while one of them held the number one spot every week between February 2004 and February 2022, when Daniil Medvedev ended that run.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman have been confirmed to be competing Team World - led by John McEnroe.
Six players will compete on each team, meaning Team Europe still have two more spots to fill, while Team World have three spare.
Erik ten Hag has warned Manchester United's board the club need to sign an attacker to be competitive this season, though he remains excited to integrate Cristiano Ronaldo into his plans.
United travelled to Thailand and Australia for the first part of their pre-season obligations with reserve left-back Tyrell Malacia the only new signing Ten Hag has been able to work with.
Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez have since agreed switches to Old Trafford, while a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong – who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax – is still in the works, albeit that deal is fraught with difficulties.
But Ten Hag wants attacking reinforcements to bolster a forward line including Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho.
Superstar striker Ronaldo is too still on the books despite reports suggesting he wants to depart Old Trafford less than 12 months after returning.
A move for Ajax's Antony has been touted, with one of the winger's representatives, Junior Pedroso, said to have been in Manchester for talks, though an asking price of €80million (£68m) is thought to be a sticking point.
When asked if an injury up top could leave United short, Ten Hag told a news conference: "That is a reason but also the number of games. You need more options in the offence.
"I think it’s vital if you want to get success – the season is really long – but we also still have time to fill that in."
Ronaldo did not travel with United for personal reasons unrelated to his future. Asked if there was any update about when he might join up with the squad Ten Hag added: "No – it is the same [situation] as last week."
Questioned on whether there was "concern" over Ronaldo's fitness for the new campaign, Ten Hag said: "Of course, but concerned is maybe not the right word.
"I focus on the players who are here. They are doing really well, they are in good shape. I prefer to focus on that and develop that.
"But I cannot wait for [Ronaldo] to come in. Then we will integrate him [into the team]."
United's competitors by contrast have concluded business swiftly, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham acting quickly in the market.
Ten Had concedes it is not ideal working without new signings but is confident the squad will adapt.
"It is definitely an advantage we could have but we are not in that situation," he said.
"Then you have to deal with that situation. You have to develop the team with the players you have. That's what we do.
"Back in Manchester, Eriksen, Martinez, will join in, we have more options. I think they can quite quickly integrate into the team."
Another headache for Ten Hag is how to get the best out of skipper Harry Maguire, who has endured a difficult 12 months and was the subject of boos during United's 4-1 win over Melbourne Victory on Tuesday.
Ten Hag told the England centre-back the only way to win over the doubters is via his performances on the pitch.
"About Maguire we heard [the boos] but you see, if you perform, it slows down," he added. "I think [Maguire] and the team impressed with the way we played.
"I don't think it matters to find out if I understand it [the boos]. It’s about how we can change it. So it's the team and Harry himself by performing. That is what we're working on. That is the only focus."
Barcelona have sold off a further 15 per cent of the club's LaLiga broadcasting rights to Sixth Street, a global investment firm.
In June, Barca confirmed 10 per cent of its TV rights had been sold to Sixth Street, and the company have now increased their investment into the club.
Sixth Street will now receive 25 per cent of the club's TV rights for the next 25 years, as Barca aim to appease their financial issues.
A statement from Barca president Joan Laporta read: "We continue to move forward on our strategy and are pleased to have completed this additional agreement with Sixth Street providing us with a meaningful increase in capital strength.
"Over the past few weeks, we and Sixth Street have engaged and collaborated with a shared understanding of what we are seeking to achieve for our organisation, and we look forward to our long-term partnership."
Alan Waxman, co-founder of Sixth Street and the organisation's chief executive, said: "FC Barcelona is one of the world's premier sporting organisations, and we are glad to be expanding our relationship through this additional investment.
"Our flexibility and cross-platform expertise continue to be of value to management teams when seeking to execute highly strategic initiatives."
Barca have required an influx of cash in order to boost Xavi's squad ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
While Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen arrived on free transfers, Barca have spent big on Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, with the duo arriving over the course of the last two weeks in deals worth around a combined €100million, according to reports.
Barca face rivals Real Madrid in a friendly in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Yordan Alvarez was full of belief that the Houston Astros could beat the New York Yankees, even before they went out and swept a double-header.
Houston claimed two wins over the American League leaders on Thursday, triumphing 3-2 and 7-5 respectively at Minute Maid Park.
That puts the Astros to within two and a half games of the Yankees, with the best records in the American League having gone head-to-head.
The Astros have now moved to a 5-2 record for the season against the Yankees, who have now lost seven of their past 10 games.
Alvarez homered in the second game and, along with Alex Bregman, combined for five RBIs as Houston won for the 61st time this season.
"I'm not going to say it doesn't mean anything," Alvarez told reporters.
"They're a really good team, but we also know we're a really good team as well.
"Beating them feels good, but we know that we’re capable of doing it."
The next time the teams face off could be in the postseason, with the Astros - thanks to their positive season series record - holding home-field advantage should that be the case.
"We were trying to chase a team and wanted to really win this first game, and that put us in a position that if we end up tied, we won the tiebreaker," said Astros coach Dusty Baker after the first game, having taken a risk by utilising his best pitchers in the early encounter.
"We really didn't want to take that into the second game. We went through our bullpen in the first game and that's why it was important for us to win it."
The Astros and Yankees faced off in the 2017 American League Championship Series, with the home team winning all seven games and Houston triumphing. Two years later, the Astros again succeeded, this time thanks to a walk-off home run from Jose Altuve in Game 6.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone understands the recent history of the rivalry, though his hope of claiming two victories failed to come to fruition.
"I'm aware of that, but it doesn't change the fact that we're going to try to win this game and win the night game," Boone said before the games.
"We're in the business of being the best team we can be right now and trying to win every time we are out there."
Newly crowned women’s 200m world champion, Shericka Jackson, insists she was determined to put on a show for the much-anticipated event at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Oregon on Friday.
By any measure, the young Jamaican certainly succeeded in doing so. En route to the gold medal, Jackson clocked the fastest time recorded for the event in 34 years. As it stands, only American Florence Griffth-Joyner, whose record still stands at 21.34, has gone faster.
The Jamaican’s time of 21.45 was a new national record and eclipsed the previous mark of 21.53 recorded by her compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah at the Beijing Olympics last year.
“I wanted to come out here and put on a show and I did just that. The fastest woman alive, a national record, and a personal best, I can’t complain,” Jackson said.
The 28-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise to her lofty position in world sprinting having begun her professional career at the 400m distance in 2015. The win was the first gold medal for the athlete at any major championship.
Griffith-Joyner’s world record, however, continues to be elusive but Jackson insists that isn’t a cause for concern at the moment.
“I wasn’t thinking about any time, the world record wasn’t on my mind. I was just going out there to execute each round as best as possible and when the time comes it comes.”
The Houston Astros started their second half of the MLB season in positive fashion, claiming a double-header sweep over the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The two best records in the American League (AL) faced off and the Astros bested the Yankees once again, moving to a 5-2 head-to-head record for the season with respective 3-2 and 7-5 wins at Minute Maid Park.
After splitting a four-game series in the Bronx in June, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman both homered and combined for five RBIs to hand the Astros the third win at home this season over the AL leaders.
In the earlier game, Bregman, Korey Lee and rookie JJ Matijevic combined for RBIs while Cristian Javier struck out three but only gave up two hits over 99 pitches in five innings.
With the sweep coming out of the All-Star Game, the Astros suddenly moved to within three games of the AL-leading Yankees, who have now lost seven of their past 10 games.
Gray gets Rangers rolling
Jon Gray led the way for the Texas Rangers as they commenced an 11-game road trip, shutting the Miami Marlins out for an 8-0 win.
Gray struck out five and conceded only four hits over 94 pitches in six innings, while Adolis Garcia homered and drove in three runs.
The Marlins slipped further away from the National League's wild card race with the defeat, now six games back with a fourth consecutive defeat and extending their scoreless streak to 34 innings.
Betts denies Giants comeback
Mookie Betts saved the day for the Los Angeles Dodgers after they almost squandered a big lead, eventually claiming a 9-6 win over their rivals in the San Francisco Giants.
Things were looking good early for the Dodgers, taking a 5-0 lead after the opening three innings off star Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon, with Freddie Freeman scoring a solo home run in the first inning with two out.
The Giants fought back in the seventh through Evan Longoria and Darin Ruf, though, with the two scoring home runs to set up a five-run inning.
A Trayce Thompson triple drove Gavin Lux home to tie after Thair Estrada was walked in the eighth, before a three-run shot from Betts off Jarlin Garcia gave the Dodgers the eventual win.
Betts confirmed the win with a great defensive play in the following inning, making a spectacular sliding catch deep in right-field to retire Joc Pederson.
Shericka Jackson produced the second fastest 200m time in history to win gold in the women’s 200m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene on Thursday night.
Jackson, who won silver in the 100m with a 10.73 personal best on Sunday, ran a spectacular championship record 21.45 for victory ahead of teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (21.81) and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (22.02). Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah finished seventh in 22.39.
Jackson’s time also makes her the fastest woman alive over the distance and is a new national record.
In the men’s equivalent, the USA completed their second sprint sweep of the championships with Noah Lyles defending his title from Doha with a phenomenal world-leading and lifetime best of 19.31 to become the third fastest man in history over the distance.
Kenny Bednarek ran 19.77 for the silver medal while 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton took the bronze in 19.80. The Dominican Republic's Alexander Ogando and Trinidad & Tobago's Jereem Richards were fifth and sixth in 19.93 and 20.08, respectively.
In the Women’s 800m, Jamaica’s 1500m semi-finalist Adelle Tracey ran a personal best of 1:59.20 to finish third in heat one and advance to the semi-finals.
Joining Tracey in the semis will be her Jamaican teammate and 2019 World Championships finalist Natoya Goule, who won the sixth and final heat in 2:00.06.
In the field, the world leader and defending world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada needed only one throw to advance to the final of the men’s javelin, registering a mark of 89.91m. Trinidadian 2012 Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott failed to advance, finishing 16th overall in qualifying with a throw of 78.87m.
Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez jumped 17.06m to advance to the final of the men’s triple jump.
Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah believes he will be able to form a threatening strike partnership with Gabriel Jesus, who arrived from Manchester City in the off-season.
Nketiah finished the Premier League season in solid form last term, scoring five times in the Gunners' final seven games amid speculation over his future at the club.
With his contract expiring at the end of the season, the 23-year-old renewed with the North London club, while Gabriel Jesus joined on a reported £45million transfer from the eventual Premier League champions.
Despite the potential of both fighting for the same spot, Nketiah feels Mikel Arteta could potentially get the best out of them together on the pitch, as witnessed in Wednesday's 3-1 pre-season win over Orlando City.
"I think we can play together, and I think we’ve shown that," he said. "Obviously, he’s a great player and it’s nice to play with him.
"Naturally with the kind of strikers we are, we’ve been able to combine quickly. It’s also good that we have a common celebration. I’m enjoying playing with him and hopefully we can continue to link up.
"Obviously, I like to play in the middle but I can play on the left as well and enjoy that. I’m just happy to be on the pitch in areas where I know I can be a threat and be dangerous. When 'Gabby' came on in the second half it was good to link up with him."
Jesus is the highest-profile signing for Arsenal in what has been a busy transfer window, with Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos also joining, and Oleksandr Zinchenko's signing reportedly imminent.
With the arrivals in mind, the England youth international added Arsenal was ultimately the best place for him to progress his career, despite interest from elsewhere.
"I wanted to wait until the end of the season and of course I had a lot of offers," Nketiah said. "I sat down with my team and with the manager and my family and we felt like Arsenal was the best place.
"When you get down to that stage of your contract you’re obviously going to have options and I sat down with my agent and family to go through them all.
"But Arsenal is a great club for me. I support the club and it’s a great project to be part of. I hope I can contribute to that in the future."
Five-time 100m World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce considers her longevity in the sport of track and field to be a blessing having seen so many of her contemporaries bow out.
The colourful Jamaica star first burst onto the world stage in 2008, as a 21-year-old, after capturing gold at the Beijing Olympics. One year later, the athlete proved she would be a force to be reckoned with after repeating the feat at the 2009 Berlin World Championship.
In a sport that is marked as much for its brevity at the very top level, as much as it is for blazing speed, 13 years later Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was once again crowned world champion in Oregon this week after dashing to gold in a blistering 10.67, her fastest time at a major games, at a jaw-dropping 35-years old.
As a testament to her remarkable longevity, the sprinter has remained the one constant in a changing sea of 100m athletes during the period. In the previous four World Championships finals, Fraser-Pryce has competed against 23 different athletes, the majority of which have now retired from the sport.
“Each time I step out on to the track I’m always feeling blessed to be able to do it because I know there are so many people I’ve competed with who have retired or they are injured or whatever it is. I’m just feeling blessed and am grateful to be able to continue,” Fraser-Pryce said.
In addition to being the oldest sprinter to win the 100m title, she also embarked on the journey of motherhood after taking time away from the sport in 2017 to have her first child, only to return to dominate.
“Age is a part of life, everyone will get to that stage, and taking time out to have a child is just part of the journey.”
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