Wayne Rooney has revealed that JJ Gabriel's Manchester United exit has been coming for some time.

Gabriel, 15, has told United he wants to leave Old Trafford, with a move to Spain reportedly among his preferred options. Real Madrid and Barcelona are understood to be monitoring the situation.

Rooney, speaking on Stick to United, insists United have done everything possible to convince the teenager to stay.

“I think that anyone close to it knew that was coming,” Rooney admitted.

“In fairness to Manchester United, they've done everything, they've done absolutely everything to keep him, to keep him at the club.

“I think it's been known that there's been a desire to go and play probably in Spain, I think, I might be wrong, but this is what you've heard over the years. The club have treated him probably differently to the other players because he is such a special talent.”

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Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton at the weekend has focused attention on the gaps in their squad heading into the international break.

The defending Premier League champions have slipped three points behind title rivals Manchester City and some fans fear that could get worse if obvious issues aren’t addressed.

Prime among them is a lack of depth in the centre-forward and left-wing positions.

Kai Havertz has started every Premier League game at the head of the attack so far and it appears Mikel Arteta is lacking trust in Viktor Gyokeres.

Meanwhile, the left-hand side – which saw Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli depart in the summer transfer window – seems to be relying heavily on new boy Christos Tzolis.

And while the transfer window may be closed until January, the Gunners do have the option of moving into the free-agent market. Here’s a look at some players who could be of interest…

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Along the same lines, Danny Murphy says he would also not rule out a Tottenham return for Mauricio Pochettino.

"I'm a huge fan of Pochettino,” he told Snabbare. “I think what he did at Tottenham was nothing short of incredible, considering what he had to work with and how little money he spent. He got them to title contenders and a Champions League final, and built a wonderful team.

"He was unfortunate with the timing around the stadium build and all those things, as he wasn't given the finances current Tottenham managers are receiving. You tend to think, what could he have done if he had been given that backing?

"There'll always be that conversation, and even when the rumours were there before, a lot of Tottenham fans I know were more than happy to have him back for obvious reasons. He plays good football, he's a likable guy, and he speaks honestly.

"I think he's probably a better manager now because of the experience he's had since leaving, working with superstars and taking on an international job. I could definitely see it happening.

"The only reason it wouldn't is if De Zerbi picks up and Tottenham go on to have lots of success, then he stays in the job, doesn't he? Simple as that. But otherwise, they’d absolutely love to see him back."

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Tottenham fans would happily see Roberto De Zerbi sacked if it meant Mauricio Pochettino returned as manager.

That is according to former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood, who has suggested that the heavy summer spending in north London is putting pressure on De Zerbi.

The club enjoyed their most consistent results during a five-and-a-half-year spell with Pochettino as manager, who was sacked in 2019 less than six months after reaching the Champions League final.

"Tottenham fans would take Mauricio Pochettino over Roberto De Zerbi - but it's a completely different team," he told MaxFreeBets.

"Pochettino did well in the past, but this is a different playing squad to what he had, his squad looked like a real Champions League squad compared to this one, and he still never won anything.

"But he was very good. I liked what he did at Tottenham to finish runners-up once and third another time and he had them in the Champions League final without getting over the line.

"I mean, Tottenham fans would take that now, don't get me wrong, but this is a completely different playing staff to what he had then. So it all depends. If they continue spending the money, anyone will have a job at Tottenham.”

Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi

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Arsenal and Chelsea are closely monitoring Feyenoord midfielder Gjivai Zechiel ahead of the January transfer window.

According to CaughtOffside, both clubs have watched the 22-year-old closely after his impressive start to the season. Zechiel has scored five goals and provided four assists in seven Eredivisie appearances.

Feyenoord rejected a €17m (£14.5m) offer from Lille during the summer, including bonuses, and are not prepared to let Zechiel leave cheaply. The midfielder is under contract until 2029.

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Chelsea are exploring a deal for Santos midfielder Gabriel Bontempo.

According to Sport Witness, the Blues continue to monitor the 21-year-old after his impressive form earned him his first Brazil call-up.

Bontempo, who has five goals and four assists in 44 appearances this season, can play as an attacking midfielder, either as an advanced no8 or out wide.

Santos were previously prepared to discuss a deal around €12m (£10.4m), but their stance has since changed. They now want to keep Bontempo, making any deal tougher to pull off.

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Vinicius Junior came so close to leaving Real Madrid for Arsenal this summer that several players believed the Brazil forward would move to the Premier League.

That is according to Cadena SER, who underlines just how crucial the contract talks with Real Madrid become during the final weeks of the window.

Arsenal viewed the 26-year-old as a major signing with global appeal, but Vinicius ultimately remained in Madrid and agreed a new contract until 2032.

The report comes as Vinicius faces criticism over his early-season form, including a subdued display in the 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid.

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The transfer window may have closed three weeks ago, but Arsenal are reportedly looking ahead to January.

Arsenal got plenty of business done during the summer, and continue to do so even though the deadline has long passed as they recently confirmed the signing of striker Vincent Joseph as part of a renewed focus on youth recruitment.

Defeat to Brighton at the weekend did expose one or two flaws with the Gunners’ recruitment, particularly in the forward positions and the likes of Eli Junior Kroupi, Rio Ngumoha and Maximilian Beier have been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium.

The latest news, however, is that of a major agreement is in place to secure the services of a key figure, while links to Julian Alvarez simply refuse to go away after a failed summer move.

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Chelsea are rarely ever too far away when it comes to transfer rumour-mill.

Despite a busy summer in which 11 senior players were signed on permanent deals, the Blues are being tipped to be just as active when the winter window opens.

Having failed to sign a replacement for Enzo Fernandez on transfer Deadline Day, naturally there will be links to a central midfielder or two such as Alex Scott, Adam Wharton and Lamine Camara.

That said, the latest talk is that Xabi Alonso’s side are targeting a new striker - even though Joao Pedro has publicly declared his love for the club - while a scouting mission in South America is reportedly on the radar.

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Manchester United enjoyed a largely productive summer transfer window, though the start to the season suggests they did not get enough business done.

The focus for Man United after a strong finish to the 2025-26 campaign, thus securing Champions League qualification, was a midfield overhaul and Michael Carrick got his wish with three new signings.

Youri Tielemans has already established himself as a regular alongside Kobbie Mainoo, while it remains to be seen if Carlos Baleba will force his way into Carrick’s plans after recovering from injury or have to wait in reserve like Andrey Santos.

With a midfield rebuild effectively done, attentions are set to turn to the defence in 2027, though there is also the concerning situation surrounding JJ Gabriel as United face a battle to keep hold of the talented youngster.

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