Mykhaylo Mudryk says he follows Arsenal closely amid speculation over a potential move to the Gunners from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mudryk's sparkling form this season has seen him register 16 goal involvements in as many appearances and attract interest from some of Europe's elite clubs, with the 21-year-old closely linked to Arsenal.
The Ukraine international says he has kept up to date with the Gunners' impressive form, which sees them holding a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League heading into the World Cup break.
"I check on them on 'MyScore' and know when they’re playing I can check on them," Mudryk told Vlada Sedan's YouTube channel. "I also watch them too.
"They are a very dynamic side, in general not just in controlling possession but also in scoring goals."
However, Mudryk would want assurances over his playing time from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, adding: "I would first want to know from the head coach that even if I wasn’t a guaranteed starter, that I’d receive a chance.
"Essentially I need to hear directly from the manager what he envisages my role in his side to be.
"From a purely hypothetical perspective if there was the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal.
"But it’s a tough question and involves a lot of factors in my answer. The team’s style of play will play a role. It’s very important to me."
Mudryk was reportedly close to a move away from Shakhtar in the last transfer window, but ended up staying with the 13-time Ukrainian Premier League champions.
While he was disappointed a move never materialised, Mudryk acknowledged that the delay in a move away may actually end up benefitting him, saying: "I spoke with two or three head coaches either directly or via a translator. They were Nice, Bayer Leverkusen and Brentford.
"When it didn’t work out I was a bit upset but as we can see now God’s plan is better than my dreams."
West Ham boss David Moyes is expecting another tough test against Crystal Palace.
The Eagles are unbeaten in their last four visits to the London Stadium, winning two and drawing two.
But West Ham have won four of their last five matches in all competitions ahead of Sunday’s London derby.
“Crystal Palace have always been a tough team to play against throughout the years,” said Moyes.
“Roy Hodgson, as a manager, is always really well organised and highly prepared for whoever they’re playing against. It will be a really tough game for us, as are all the games in the Premier League.”
Former England boss Hodgson is the oldest manager in the Premier League having turned 76 in August.
Moyes, a relative spring chicken at 60, added: “I hope Roy stays working in the Premier League because that then means I’m not the oldest.
“Roy is doing a fine job and let’s hope he continues. He has been an incredible ambassador for football. The way he’s gone about the job, he’s a gentleman in what he does.
“To continue working in football now shows just how much love for the game he has.”
Moyes hopes to have Jarrod Bowen available after the forward missed the last two matches with a knee injury picked up on England duty.
Mohammed Kudus and Vladimir Coufal sat out the midweek Europa League win over Backa Topola in Serbia through illness and will also be assessed.
Striker Michail Antonio is still sidelined with a knee problem.
Ilkay Gundogan looking forward to enjoying many more years with Barcelona
Ilkay Gundogan says he hopes to stay at Barcelona for many more years and wants to win titles with the Catalan giants.
The 33-year-old moved to the club in the summer after seven years at Manchester City – where he signed off by winning the Champions League.
Gundogan has played 19 times in all competitions so far this season for Xavi’s side, scoring once, and says he is starting to find his feet at the club.
“I am getting more and more used to it,” Gundogan told Barca TV.
“The start of course is always a bit difficult. You come from a different country, a different league, you don’t know many people. So there are things that you need to get used to.
“But as a family we are settling in more and more, we have found an apartment for ourselves. Everyone is amazing to me, the way I get treated here in the club.
“We love the city as a family, we feel very at home and very comfortable.
“I did not have any doubt for one second, I did not regret my choice for one second. We are very happy and we are looking forward to many more years here. And I came here to prove myself, play amazing football and win a lot of titles hopefully.”
Barcelona host Atletico Madrid on Sunday sitting fourth in LaLiga, level on points with their opponents and four adrift of Real Madrid and surprise challengers Girona.
Xavi’s men slipped up last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano before securing their spot in the Champions League knockout phase with a 2-1 win over Porto in midweek.
Striker Robert Lewandowski knows that this is a key week for Barcelona, with home games against Atletico and Girona, and is targeting taking six points.
“We know we need to take a step forward. The season is very long,” Lewandowski said.
“We want to win every game and now we have very important games in the league and I hope to win both games and get six points.
“It’s always hard to play against Atletico Madrid. Atletico always play very well in defence, good at attacking with good players too.
“But we are Barca and we’re playing at home. From the first minute we have to play very well, attack and score goals. We’re playing two teams that are very high up in the table and I think we know how important it is for us to play well in defence.
“We attack with a lot of players in the area. With a lot of players in the area we have more chances to score goals. Of course it’s a challenge for us and now we want to start not only winning but also playing better. That’s very important for us.
“Yes it’s not just Atletico and I hope that we end up with six more points.”
Beth Mead highlights the importance of consistency after England’s comeback show
England forward Beth Mead called for more consistency after the Lionesses required a dramatic comeback to beat the Netherlands 3-2 at Wembley and keep their hopes of qualifying for next summer’s Olympics alive.
The Nations League contest marked a first appearance for second-half substitute Mead in more than a year since she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament last November, just a few months after the Arsenal veteran had won the golden boot at Euro 2022 and also been named player of the tournament.
England will need to beat Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday night to have any chance of advancing in the inaugural tournament, with only the group leaders progressing.
Mead said: “The days when I’ve struggled in the gym, long, hard training days of not being able to play football and do the thing that I love, it makes it worthwhile to run out there in front of such big crowd getting a great reception and a ruthless second half of football.
“We can [flick on at a moment’s notice], but we need to do that for 90 minutes. The first half let us down. We were chasing the game and you don’t want to be 2-0 down at half-time.
“But we had the belief in the team, we knew we could score goals and we came out in the second half and I thought the team was amazing. Every single person on the pitch and every player that came on is a game changer. And now we’ve got to do that for 90 minutes and be more consistent throughout the (next) game.”
England and the Netherlands have identical head-to-head records after Friday night’s meeting, which saw goals from Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Ella Toone follow Lineth Beerensteyn’s first-half brace, but the Oranje Leeuwinnen now boast a 4-1 advantage on goal difference.
The Lionesses, therefore, will hope for both improvements to their defence, which spluttered in the build-up to the Dutch opener, and a bit of help from Belgium, who travel to the Netherlands for their own final group stage encounter on Tuesday night.
England could secure top spot with a victory should the Netherlands drop points, but if both they and the Dutch win the Lionesses will require a comprehensive win over Scotland to overcome the goal difference, a situation many have pointed out as unusual considering those same Scottish players would be eligible for Team GB.
Mead, who started every game of England’s Euro 2022 triumph, was actively engaged from the bench throughout the first period, and passed on her observations at half-time before coming on for Chloe Kelly to start the second half.
She added: “Obviously I didn’t know I was coming on until quite late at half-time but everybody in this team can make an impact on the game, whether you’re playing or not playing.
“I think tactically, if you see something, give somebody that information to make the team better. And I think we did that really well at half-time. We give each other the belief and then the players that came on give the energy to the rest of the girls on the pitch. And ultimately that’s probably why we had such a good second half.
“[The win] gives us that little bit of energy again. We know we’re capable of that. We’ve just shown it in front of such a big crowd on such a big occasion and now we’ve got to do it consistently.”
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