D

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has called for the Saudi Pro League transfer window to close in line with Europe’s – but refused to rule out selling players beyond September 1. Some of football’s top names have made the move to Saudi Arabia this summer as PIF investment in four of the country’s top clubs has allowed for a vast increase in transfer fees. Arsenal host Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday and, while the Gunners have not lost any of their squad to Saudi, their visitors will be without talismanic forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, who moved to Al-Hilal last week. Head coach Marco Silva rejected overtures from the Gulf before the start of the new season while winger Willian was also unsettled by transfer speculation. The Premier League window closes next Friday but Saudi clubs will be able to sign and register new players until September 20, something Arteta believes needs to be addressed. Asked if the extra two and a half weeks to conclude business was fair, the Spaniard replied: “No, because it is a competitor now. No, I think we have to change that.” Pushed on whether the Pro League deadline should fall in line with Europe, Arteta continued: “That is my opinion, yes. “It is another competitor and it brings other opportunities for players, for managers and for people that work in the industry to decide. “In the end, we are free to decide when clubs, players or whoever has to agree to something, you have to have the intention to go and find agreements, that is why there are contracts. It is another competitor and it brings other opportunities for players, for managers and for people that work in the industry to decide Mikel Arteta on the Saudi Pro League transfer window “If people agree to go it is because someone agrees to go there but that someone agreed to sell him, so it goes two or three different ways.” No Arsenal players have headed to the Middle East this summer but there has been reported interest from Saudi clubs in both Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey. While he wants to see a uniform transfer deadline, Arteta stopped short of saying Arsenal will refuse to sell players beyond the Premier League’s window closing on September 1. “Well, the principle would be that (we would not consider offers),” he said. “But I cannot make the decision for the club. It is a lot of people involved in that process and they would have for sure a say, the ownership, would do the same. “It would be on the table like with any offer and you have to look at it. The only thing I’m saying is it’s not ideal because they are a competitor.” Asked if losing a player after the window closed would be destabilising, he added: “Yes, very much. Yes.” Arsenal welcome their London rivals having won their first two league games and could welcome Gabriel Jesus back from knee surgery to play a part on Saturday. The Brazil forward went under the knife for a minor procedure before the start of the campaign but Arteta is hopeful he could feature against Fulham. “It was a big blow for him after the pre-season he had to have another surgery. He’s looking really sharp. He trained the full week good. He’s ready to go, that is great,” he added. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘This is unacceptable’ – Alexia Putellas after Luis Rubiales refuses to resign Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag avoids questions about Mason Greenwood Kevin Sinfield says England’s pre-World Cup setbacks are bringing squad together

Investec Plc will pay its highest interim dividend yet after booking double-digit growth in income from lending during

D'Corey Johnson's rendition of Journey's 'Open Arms' got the audience up and dancing

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Linus Ullmark stopped 27 shots and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Wednesday night in a rematch of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

By Luc Cohen NEW YORK Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried on Tuesday are set to urge a U.S. appeals

Barbara Walters made her final public appearance in 2016

By Hari Kishan and Indradip Ghosh BENGALURU Most key global stock indexes are forecast to rise modestly over

The bangs of incoming and outgoing shelling are the soundtrack of Ukraine's frontline. But its president warned this week that the counteroffensive should not be seen through the lens of a Hollywood movie.

All the insiders have joined Threads

Kalvin Phillips has vowed to fight for his Manchester City future after the England midfielder's troubled debut season...

Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira will meet in a tantalising UFC main event this weekend, as they clash for the vacant light-heavyweight title. The original headline bout at Madison Square Garden pitted heavyweight champion Jon Jones against Stipe Miocic, but an injury to Jones has led the initial co-main event to be elevated. The bout will see former champion Prochazka, who vacated the light-heavyweight belt due to injury last year, face ex-middleweight champ Pereira in an intriguing match-up of striking specialists. In the new co-main event of UFC 295, Britain’s Tom Aspinall and Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich will fight for the interim heavyweight title, with the winner in line to challenge Jones in 2024 – possibly leaving former champion Miocic out in the cold. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is UFC 295? The event is set to take place on Saturday 11 November at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The early prelims are due to begin at 11pm GMT (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am GMT on Sunday 12 November (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am GMT on Sunday (8pm PT, 10pm CT, 11pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Prochazka – 11/10; Pereira – 13/20 Pavlovich – 10/11; Aspinall – 10/11 Via Betway. Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira (vacant light-heavyweight title) Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall (interim heavyweight title) Jessica Andrade vs Mackenzie Dern (women’s strawweight) Matt Frevola vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight) Diego Lopes vs Pat Sabatini (featherweight) Prelims Steve Erceg vs Alessandro Costa (flyweight) Tabatha Ricci vs Loopy Godinez (women’s strawweight) Mateusz Rebecki vs Nurullo Aliev (lightweight) Nadim Sadykhov vs Viacheslav Borschchev (lightweight) Early prelims Jared Gordon vs Mark Madsen (lightweight) John Castaneda vs Kyung Ho Kang (bantamweight) Joshua Van vs Kevin Borjas (flyweight) Dennis Buzukja vs Jamall Emmers (featherweight) Read More Dana White responds to Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey UFC 300 rumours UFC announces three major title fights will kick off 2024 UFC 295 card in full with two titles on the line What time does UFC 295 start this weekend? When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year