The Arsenal striker Viv Miedema is Arsenal’s, Holland’s and the WSL’s top scorer of all time, and at only 25 years of age has many many years ahead to greatly increase her tally.

She will be leading the line tonight for the Netherlands in their opening Womens Euros 2022 match against Sweden at 8pm UK time. She was part of the team that won the last Euros in 2017 in Holland and has very fond memories of lifting the trophy in her home country. “Looking back, it was something that we really didn’t expect to happen,” Miedema told UEFA.com. “Playing at the EURO in Holland was really special with all the fans and family there. And I think throughout the tournament, we just really thought that this is going to be our tournament.

“Obviously, in the end we won against Denmark in the final and since then, women’s football has been growing really rapidly. And in Holland, to be fair, we get sold-out crowds now. We’ve got an amazing fan base and I hope that we can continue our success over the coming years.”

So obviously she wants more success with Holland, having spent most of her career with Arsenal in England, she has probably been a massive part of the big rise in the popularity of the Womens game in England as well. So she also wants to see England do well as well, having five Arsenal players in their squad, and with the tournament being held here, with the Final set to be played at Wembley.

“This summer is probably one of the biggest chances to put women’s football on the map,” she says. “I think this is hopefully going to be the tournament. I hate to say it, but I want to see England do well because it will get people to the stadium, it will make the country itself feel really alive and I hope from there that we get our fan base coming to England because I do think that we’ve got the best fans in the world.”

With Donald Trump set to waive his claim to executive privilege, onetime adviser Steve Bannon may be due for a date before Congress. Trump had fought to prevent Bannon, a ringleader of the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, from appearing before the Congressional committee investigating the pro-Trump insurrection on January 6. Still, sources told the Washington Post that Trump now is “considering sending a letter” to Bannon that would clear the way for his testimony. 

Per the Post‘s reporting:

The letter would reiterate that Trump invoked executive privilege in September 2021, when Bannon was first subpoenaed by the House committee. But it would say that the former president is now willing to give up that claim—the validity of which has been disputed—if Bannon can reach an agreement on the terms of an appearance before the panel.

Bannon defied that original Congressional subpoena, leading to his indictment in November on contempt charges. For months, Bannon has fruitlessly tried to get his case dismissed while portraying himself as a victim of overzealous Justice Department prosecutors. 

Whether Trump even has the right to withhold his testimony through executive privilege is subject to debate. (Bannon had been long gone from the White House by the time of January 6.) Given how the testimony of so many former members of his administration only further added to Trump’s culpability, Bannon might offer Trump an opportunity to put one of his most ardent True Believers in the spotlight while under oath.

Arsenal are claimed to be intensifying their interest in signing Alex Grimaldo from Benfica this summer, but is that related to our chase of Lisandro Martinez?

Both us and Manchester United are believed to be vying for the signature of the Argentine defender, with him believed to have informed Ajax that he wants to move clubs this summer.

While it remains to be seen whether he has a preference to come to the Emirates or Old Trafford, our pursuit of Grimaldo could well close the door on our efforts to sign him.

Reports in Portugal (via the Express) are claiming that we are intensifying our efforts to sign the Portuguese full-back, with a £5.9 Million bid being readied at present. The report also claims that the deal will likely be accepted by Benfica with just 12 months remaining on his current deal.

If reports prove to be true, it could well spell the end of our pursuit of Martinez, although he could well have been earmarked for a role at centre-back, and we could still be in the hunt for his signature.

After agreeing to buy Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk has decided that the deal is off. But his attempt to break this agreement has roiled the tech company and set up a future riddled with legal headaches and uncertainty. The mood inside Twitter is grim, as the Washington Post reported Saturday: 

In April, Musk offered to take the company private at $54.20 a share—valuing the company’s shares at more than a 50% premium—but in the days since, the stock (and morale inside the company) has plunged. He’s used his personal Twitter to amplify criticism of Twitter executives (not including the ones who have jumped ship). He also promised to restore Donald Trump’s account and raised a ruckus over the company’s handling of bot accounts. 

The bots are angry at being counted