It’s FINALLY HERE! The World Cup starts on Thursday, and Upfront has all the info you need ahead of the biggest women’s football tournament in history.

In Part One, Chloe and Rachel look at England’s chances and whether they can find their attacking rhythm in time. We also check in on Ireland’s hopes, wonder if Sam Kerr can fire the Aussies to glory and assess the reigning Olympic champions Canada. Join them for part two tomorrow on the Upfront feed featuring the USWNT, Brazil and some European hopefuls!

Subscribe to Upfront here for three episodes a week throughout the Women's World Cup. Follow Upfront on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube!

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Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Gabriel Jesus’s injury, assuring Arsenal fans that the striker could be back in action soon. Jesus sustained the injury during the team’s preparations for the season, which was a significant setback for the Gunners.

While the absence of Jesus is undoubtedly felt in the team’s preparations, Arteta’s side is working diligently to prepare for the upcoming season without him. The Brazilian forward is a key player and an essential part of the team, so his absence is keenly felt.

Initially, it was anticipated that Jesus would be out for an extended period after undergoing a procedure, which was disappointing news for Arsenal supporters. However, Arteta has now revealed a more positive development.

He says as quoted by the Daily Mail:

‘He is fine. Obviously, he was very disappointed, he was feeling very good and this issue came up.

Arsenal will face Manchester City in the Community Shield tomorrow as top-flight football returns and the Premier League follows next week.

Mikel Arteta’s men earned their place as the second team in the country last season after City won the league and FA Cup.

The Community Shield is sometimes considered just an extension of the pre-season preparations for both clubs.

However, some teams take it seriously and depending on who you ask, it is a big deal.

However, former striker Chris Sutton insists Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola will not consider it an important game.

In recent weeks, Brentford has been resolute in their stance, demanding £40m for the sale of David Raya. This hefty price tag was one of the contributing factors that led to the collapse of his potential move to Bayern Munich and Tottenham.

Now, Arsenal is eager to secure the transfer and acquire Raya, but they find themselves in a challenging position due to the high asking price. The Gunners are determined to make the deal happen, despite the obstacles.

However, there is some hope for the Gunners. According to a report in the Daily Mail, Arsenal may be able to finalise the transfer at a reduced price of £30m. Although this amount is more than Arsenal’s initial offer, it falls short of Brentford’s initial demand. Nevertheless, the report suggests that this revised offer could be sufficient to reach an agreement and complete the deal for David Raya.

Just Arsenal Opinion

Brentford wants big money for Raya and we can understand this, considering how inflated the transfer market is and the performance of the Spanish goalie in the last few seasons.

Former England striker Gary Lineker has tipped Arsenal to learn from losing the Premier League title last season and win the next one.

Mikel Arteta’s team were surprise challengers in the competition after not being in the top four for several seasons.

They led the standings for over 200 days, but eventually fell short and Manchester City went on to win yet another title.

The Citizens are undeniably the best team in England and Europe at the moment and swept others away as they won the league.

That victory came as a loss to Arsenal and the Gunners would be eager to go one better in this campaign and Lineker thinks they can.

Arsenal is close to adding David Raya to their squad in this transfer window and a number of people are baffled by this decision.

The Gunners are working hard to win the league this season after finishing second in the last campaign.

However, they already have one of the best goalkeepers in England in Aaron Ramsdale, who is even gunning for the number one spot in the national team.

However, they are still in the running for Raya and could close a deal for him in the coming days.

The Spaniard has already agreed to join them as they negotiate a transfer fee with Brentford for his signature.

Former Premier League striker Frank McAvennie insists Nicolas Pepe never looked good enough to be an Arsenal player from the start of his spell at the club.

Arsenal landed the Ivorian for a record fee in 2019 after being the top scorer at Lille in France in the previous campaign.

Pepe arrived under Unai Emery and Arsenal hoped he would deliver for them as a club, but that never happened.

He struggled under Emery and Mikel Arteta. The latter did all he could to help the winger, but nothing worked.

Pepe went on loan to Nice last season and flopped. Arsenal is now contemplating ending his contract early so he can leave, but McAvennie insists he is not a player that should have been signed in the first place.

There is a surprising report on TRT Sport stating that Jorginho, who joined Arsenal from Chelsea in the January transfer window, wants to leave the club. The Brazilian-Italian midfielder has quickly become one of the most experienced players at the Emirates and has been performing well for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Despite being an important player for Arsenal, the report suggests that Jorginho has expressed a desire to be sold, indicating his interest in departing the club. The Turkish club Fenerbahce is reportedly interested in signing him, and Jorginho has requested that Arsenal consider their offer for his signature.

If this report is accurate, it could signal an unexpected development in Jorginho’s career at Arsenal, especially considering he has only been with the Gunners for six months. However, transfer situations can be fluid, and players’ preferences may change based on various factors. As of now, it remains to be seen how Arsenal and Jorginho’s situation will unfold in the upcoming transfer window.

Just Arsenal Opinion

Jorginho has been at the Emirates for less than a year, so it is hard to think that he would want to leave.

Inter Milan has shown significant interest in acquiring Takehiro Tomiyasu in recent weeks as they look to strengthen their defence. The Japanese international is no stranger to Serie A, having previously played for Bologna before making the move to Arsenal.

While at Arsenal, Tomiyasu has faced some injury issues, but when fit, he has proven to be a key player for the club. Despite reports claiming that Arsenal rejected Inter’s initial inquiry and deemed Tomiyasu untouchable, the Italian club remains undeterred.

According to Sport Witness, Inter Milan considers Tomiyasu a player they genuinely need, and he is considered one of their top targets in this transfer window. The club views him as a favourite for reinforcement and is intent on pursuing his signature.

Inter Milan will continue their efforts to add Tomiyasu to their squad and will likely make another attempt to strike a deal with Arsenal. With the belief that Tomiyasu can significantly bolster their defence, the Italian club remains committed to securing his services before the transfer window closes.

Just Arsenal Opinion

Gabriel Jesus is expected to miss the first few games of the season for Arsenal due to an injury. This has raised numerous questions regarding what Arteta’s attack will look like and who will replace him.

Eddie Nketiah has stated unequivocally that he is capable of spearheading the attack in Jesus’ absence. Of course, we expect Arteta to rely on Arsenal’s No. 14, with Folarin Balogun heavily linked with a move away, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other choices. Leandro Trossard, who shined in his preseason games as a Gunner playing the striker role, may also play there.

Other than Trossard, Kai Havertz could be an option, but could Arteta be tempted to use the German as the 9 when in the last few seasons he has failed to impress in a similar role in Chelsea’s colours? As per Darren Bent, Arteta shouldn’t think about unleashing Havertz in the No. 9 role, obviously suggesting that Arteta should use other options to fill the void Jesus’ absence leaves. “I hope he (Havertz) doesn’t play as a nine,” said Bent.

Bent, who discussed the Arsenal striker situation with Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT, said so after Gabby claimed Arteta should just stick to his original plan to use Havertz as an attacking midfielder: “When I see Gabriel Jesus play, in certain games I see him play, and I think he should be finishing that. I think that was a problem last season, but you have goals from Saka, Martinelli, Trossard can score goals, and now you have Havertz who could play in that eight.”

Would you consider Havertz playing as Arsenal’s No. 9 in Jesus’ absence? or should Arteta stick with Nketiah?

How to watch Arsenal players vying for quarter-final place at Women’s World Cup by Michelle

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicked-off on 20th July and, I’m sure you’ll agree, we’ve been treated to some pretty outstanding football in that time. Now, there are 16 teams that have progressed to the Round of 16 knock-out stage of the tournament.

Unfortunately, 3 of our Arsenal players were knocked out of the competition today, but we still have 9 Arsenal players vying for those coveted quarter-final places – see full schedule and how to watch below, by date.

Saturday 5th August

Noelle Maritz and Lia Walti – Switzerland

Arsenal’s Swiss duo were today knocked out of the World Cup, after losing 5-1 to Spain, at Eden Park, Auckland

Whether its footballers kicking lumps out of each other in the States or Jordan Henderson heading to Saudi Arabia, there ain’t time for pre-season romance this summer! 

Pete, Luke and Jim chew the fat on all that and much more. Plus, Pete brings unexpected news about one of his favourite wrestlers lowballing plumbers in the Leigh-On-Sea area.

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Today, we’ve got something a little different on The Drop In! We’re joined by one of Britain’s most-celebrated writers for stage and screen: it’s James Graham!

James has recently written a play entirely about Gareth Southgate and the England national team. Kate chats to him about what’s it all about and they reflect on how Southgate’s team have changed the face of national identity.

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In our final special Patreon drop of the summer, we’re throwing it back to one of Pete’s personal favourites of the season! Listen on to find out more.

For more bonus content just like this, head to patreon.com/footballramble! 

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After Al-Hilal made a world-record transfer bid for Kylian Mbappé, Dotun is joined by Nicky Bandini and David Cartlidge to dissect what this means for Mbappé and the potential consequences for European football.

One player trying his best not to move to Saudi Arabia is Romelu Lukaku - but, now Inter have lost interest, does he have a choice? Plus, we asses the Shakespearian love triangle that is emerging between Atlético Madrid, João Félix and Barcelona.

Exciting news! From next season, On The Continent is moving to its own brand new feed with more episodes every week! Subscribe here!

We'll be back with another OTC Transfer Special next week. Got a question for us? Ask away! Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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In an absolutely seismic pre-season friendly, Man United beat up Arsenal on the pitch - while Arsenal fans in the stands beat up each other. Ahh, soccer.

Marcus, Jim and Pete thoroughly cover that, try to smuggle some Lionel Messi shirts out of Miami, book trials at JLingz FC and buy a hearse.

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Listen to find out our BRAND NEW 2023/24 schedule! Begins on Monday August 7th.

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The Upfront team bring you all the reaction to England’s very first game at the Women’s World Cup!

England got off to a winning start, but a pretty unconvincing one. So, what next?

Join Chloe and Rachel for chat throughout the tournament here and follow Upfront on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube!

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Marcus and Andy are back with big news! Everyone wants to leave Fulham.

They discuss what playmaker-keeper André Onana will bring to Erik Ten Hag’s ranks and there’s some heated debate about King of the Cottage, Marco Silva!

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Kylian Mbappé’s deadline to extend his PSG contract is approaching. Today, Jonathan Johnson joins Dotun and Andy to explain why Harry Kane to PSG would never have made sense and Andy explains why Dušan Vlahović is a much better fit. It’s fair to say the PSG ultras don’t agree…

Elsewhere, we celebrate the romance of Ángel Di María’s return to Benfica before Andy and Jonathan talk about the transfers that have caught their eye so far this summer.

We'll be back with another OTC Transfer Special next week. Got a question for us? Ask away! Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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