Arsenal avoided a definitive defeat but still have it all to do against Paris St Germain in the Champions League semi-final.
But things continue to look up for Wrexham’s celebrity owners, who now have their eyes trained on the Premier League after three successive promotions.
Arteta optimistic of Paris comeback
Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal are capable of producing a special moment to overturn their first-leg defeat against Paris St Germain and reach the Champions League final.
Arsenal head to the French capital next week trailing by a single goal after Ousmane Dembele stunned the Emirates when he scored inside four minutes.
Mikel Merino had an equaliser disallowed by VAR but PSG substitute Goncalo Ramos struck David Raya’s crossbar late on.
Arteta said: “We are at half-time, and my message is exactly the same as it was after we beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final. We have to go to Paris and win the game, and we are more than capable of doing it.
“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special, and we are going to have to do something special in Paris to be there. We still have a lot of chances to be in that final.”
Wrexham’s celebrity owners sticking to long-term plan
Ryan Reynolds is looking forward to “many more” years at Wrexham following their promotion to the Championship.
Deadpool star Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham for £2million in February 2021 and on Saturday the club became the first in English professional football to achieve three successive promotions.
Writing on X, Reynolds said: “This club is the sum of its supporters.
“Before we showed up they’d saved it multiple times. It’s a temple as much as a football pitch. @Wrexham_AFC has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Thank you for the greatest four years and here’s to many more.”
Campaigners call for dementia funding increase
Campaigners are calling on MPs to help tackle what they say is a “scandalous” lack of funding to support the families of footballers diagnosed with dementia.
Former England stars including Sir Geoff Hurst and Kevin Keegan were at the House of Commons on Tuesday evening to meet with MPs in support of the Football Families for Justice (FFJ) campaign headed up by John Stiles, the son of former England and Manchester United midfielder Nobby Stiles who died in October 2020.
He told the PA news agency the Brain Health Fund, set up with an initial £1million in 2023 by players’ union the Professional Footballers’ Association with support from the Premier League, was a “smokescreen”, “PR exercise” and “not fit for purpose”.
Barnes not betting on summer signings
Former Liverpool winger John Barnes does not believe there is a pressing need for Arne Slot to bolster his Premier League title winners with new signings.
A record-equalling 20th championship was achieved with a squad which had just one summer addition – the £10million misfit Federico Chiesa.
When Jurgen Klopp ended the club’s 30-year wait for a title in 2020 he bought Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and Thiago Alcantara for a combined £73million with limited returns.
“I’m a bit old-school in thinking the solution to problems is not just signing players,” Barnes told the PA news agency.
“We have won the league comfortably so why do we need to sign players? Other teams have to take that chance because they need to improve. Do we need to take that chance?”
What’s on today?
Chelsea can secure a sixth successive Women’s Super League title if they win and Arsenal fail to beat Manchester United.
League One champions Birmingham could break Reading’s EFL points record of 106 in their penultimate match at Blackpool, while Mansfield and Peterborough can play with some freedom knowing both are safe.
