Leicester City are ‘thought to be most at threat’, according to reports.

The Premier League will issue disciplinary charges against any clubs who have broken financial rules for the 2021-2024 reporting period – and three teams are said to be ‘fearing points deductions’ as they await their fate.

On Tuesday, the Premier League will issue disciplinary charges against clubs found to have broken its profit and sustainability regulations (PSR).

Clubs that have recorded losses for the first two years of the reporting cycle were required to submit their accounts for the financial year ending June 2024 to the Premier League in December last year.

Any clubs that are served with a complaint on Tuesday will have 14 days to respond.

In the past, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have breached regulations.

In January last year, both Everton and Nottingham Forest were charged for a breach of PSR regulations, with the latter docked four points after an independent commission found their losses to 2022-23 breached the threshold of £61 million by £34.5 million.

Leicester City, meanwhile, won their appeal against a charge in September that they had breached the PSR threshold by £24.4 million for the three-year cycle ending in 2022-23.

Now, three top flight clubs are ‘fearing points deductions’, according to a report from The Sun, with Leicester thought to be ‘most at threat’ after cumulative losses of £124 million for the final three seasons before they were relegated.

There has been speculation Leicester could be charged by the league, but neither the club nor the league have made a comment on the matter.

The above report goes on to suggest that two other clubs ‘may be close to the cut line’.

According to RTE News, Chelsea’s ownership are ‘extremely confident’ that they are compliant with PSR rules, despite spending a hefty amount on transfers since a consortium led by Todd Boehly completed its takeover in 2022.

The report also suggests Everton and Nottingham Forest are positive about their situation.

As mentioned above, any clubs served with a complaint by the Premier League on Tuesday will have 14 days to respond.

The Arsenal boss did a strange thing while watching his side at the Emirates on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta was spotted doing an odd thing by cameras during his side’s 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat against Newcastle at the Emirates on Tuesday evening.

Arsenal failed to convert any of their 23 shots on goal during the game, while Newcastle went ahead on 37 minutes through the in-form Alexander Isak before Anthony Gordon doubled the away side’s lead on 51 minutes to hand the Magpies the advantage going into next month’s second leg at St James’ Park.

Arteta, 42, even explained how the ball may have had something to do with why his side misfired in front of goal.

“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better,” said Arteta in his post-match press conference.

“It’s just different,” he added when asked to elaborate on his comments regarding the ball.

“It’s very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different.”

Now, footage emerged appearing to show the Arsenal boss checking his watch while the Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka took his time on goal kicks.

https://x.com/CF_Compss/status/1876756588746223932?t=nHqDdYEI2_llHPDUfB_LMA&s=19

And fans were quick to give their thoughts on social media.

One fan said: “Arteta timing Dubravka’s goal kicks when his team has 9 yellow cards for time wasting this season.”

Another added: “Lost the plot as all the pressure mounting with each game further away from a trophy.”

A third slammed: “He was fighting back the tears in the sky post match interview yesterday because he knew there were no excuses he could use. To then go to the official post match presser and complain about the ball is just hilarious. The man is a 2nd rate coach.”

While a fourth commented: “Bro is in his time keeping phase.”

A fifth explained: “What goes around comes around.”

Next up, Arsenal face Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United in the FA Cup third round at the Emirates on Sunday, with Arteta no doubt hoping they can return to winning ways.

The Gunners are now two games without a victory having drawn to Brighton last Saturday before Tuesday’s defeat against Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta knocked back the suggestion that Arsenal’s players could be struggling with fatigue after the side’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, saying he ‘didn’t even want to talk about that’ as a potential excuse.

Alexander Isak got Newcastle off to a perfect start in the 37th minute of tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, hammering the ball into the roof of the net after Martin Dubravka’s looping free-kick wreaked havoc inside the Arsenal box.

Just six minutes into the second half, the visitors doubled their advantage, with Anthony Gordon slotting home on the rebound after Isak’s initial effort was parried away by David Raya.

The Magpies held firm to take a two-goal lead to St James’ Park in a month’s time, giving the Gunners a mountain to climb in reaching this year’s final against either Liverpool or Tottenham.

The result represented Newcastle’s seventh straight win in all competitions – and Eddie Howe’s first ever victory as a manager at the Emirates – but Arteta felt the outcome did not ‘reflect the story of the game’.

‘If you look at what both teams produced and the domination of the game, obviously it is not the result that reflects the story of the game,’ the Arsenal head coach said at his post-match press conference.

‘But the reality is that they were super efficient with the chances that they had and we weren’t.

‘At this level and in these kind of scenarios you need that to impose yourself and win the game.’

The Spaniard added: ‘It’s just half-time.

‘They way I see the team playing and the way we deal with a lot of situations and playing against a very good team, I must say, I have full belief that we can go out there and do it.’

Asked whether his players’ energy levels were down due to the sheer number of games over the winter period, Arteta replied: ‘If we lose the game or draw the game, it’s going to be down to that.

‘If we win it and we scored three that we should have scored, three easy goals, the story would have been different, “They’re incredible, they’re tireless, how they try in every single action…”.

‘But I don’t even want to talk about that. We have so many games coming up, big ones, and the team really wants it.’

Arteta believes both of Newcastle’s goals were ‘preventable’ and Arsenal were capable of doing far better from defensive point of view.

‘The two goals that we gave away after one or two deflections with the first one, it’s preventable but they generate chaos and are good at that,’ he continued.

‘The second one as well, in particular the first, second reception in the box and then the ball can only get there to score the goal, but it gets there so we can do better.’

According to Arteta, Arsenal – who host Manchester United in the FA Cup this weekend – are in a ‘better position’ now than they were at this stage last season.

‘We were knocked out of the Carabao Cup so we are in a better position, considering everything that happened,’ he went on.

‘I don’t want to really use that [injuries] as an excuse because the team still performs and competes with the best teams, one of the most in-form teams right now, and we produce much better things so no time to talk about that.

‘Hopefully we will have more players back [for the second leg] and have more options to do that and the freshness that we’re going to need in that period when we play so many important games. So I hope so!’

Arsenal’s season looks to be on the brink after the Gunners shipped two goals to Newcastle at home in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash.

It’s only early January and yet the Gunners are flagging in the Premier League title race and they now face a mountain in the Carabao Cup. It had been a bright start for Mikel Arteta’s side, but after Alexander Isak powered home it was one-way traffic.

Anthony Gordon grabbed the second and the Gunners are now 90 minutes away from elimination. And Daily Star Sport has a look at what Arteta got wrong on a freezing evening in north London…

This one does feel a bit harsh, there’s not a defender on the planet who can handle Alexander Isak at the moment.

The big Swede was up to his old tricks again at the Emirates Stadium as he fired the Magpies into the lead midway through the first half. William Saliba and Gabriel have been two of the Premier League’s best centre-back’s in recent seasons, but even they couldn’t stop Isak from powering home.

If you can’t beat ’em join ’em, and that could be true for Arteta with reports suggesting he’s lining up a move for Isak.

Dominating the midfield in the early stages.

Up until the moment Alexander Isak smashed the ball past a stranded David Raya, the Gunners had done everything right.

Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard is the strongest midfield that Arteta can muster – and they showed exactly why in one golden moment in the first-half that resulted in Gabriel Martinelli bearing down on goal.

Some lovely one-touch football, a la Arsene Wenger, saw Martinelli released one-on-one – and he was only denied handing the Gunners the opening goal by the woodwork.

Slow start to the second half

Arsenal really needed the second goal of the game. When the Gunners came out for the second half they were one goal down on home turf – letting Newcastle score the next goal would leave Arteta’s side with a mountain to climb.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Isak, again, was quickest to the ball and his snapshot was pushed into the direction of Anthony Gordon who turned home. Adding insult to injury, Gordon then posed in the corner as Thierry Henry had once done when the Gunners called Highbury home.

Waiting too long to make changes

The bottom line is changes had to have been made at half-time.

The game was slipping away from Arsenal – and Arteta didn’t look to his bench. The game needed something new, after a bright start the Gunners had watched the game slip towards Newcastle and that only continued after the second goal.

“Arteta is lost tactically right now. Nothing to offer. Scared to change the shape of his struggling team. Awful,” one fan fumed. While a second said: “Yeah tonight was my last straw. I’ve backed it for ages, but until Arteta makes some changes, serious changes I can’t watch this anymore.

William Saliba fouled Joao Pedro to concede a bizarre penalty.

The Premier League have issued a statement following a bizarre foul during Brighton vs. Arsenal.

Joao Pedro cancelled out Ethan Nwaneri’s first-half opener with a penalty just after the hour mark.

He was adjudged to have been fouled by William Saliba, who accidentally headbutted the Brighton forward inside the box.

William Saliba headbutted Joao Pedro to concede a penalty. Image: Premier League

Match referee Anthony Taylor wasted no time in pointing to the spot as he awarded Brighton a penalty, which was converted by Pedro.

Shortly after the incident, the Premier League released a statement, revealing the foul had been checked and confirmed by VAR.

The statement read: “The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty.”

Fans on social media were left divided over Saliba’s foul on Pedro.

One X user wrote: “Just like any other tackle that really. Ball is there to be won, Pedro wins it first and Saliba is late. Correct decision.”

A second tweeted: “I’m sorry that’s an incredibly soft penalty. Saliba is attempting to head the ball, and there is the lightest graze of Joao Pedro’s head.”

A third argued: “Not sure why there’s complaints about that penalty decision. Saliba heads Joao Pedro and completely misses the ball… Blatant penalty…”

A fourth said: “I called that as a penalty when I saw it. Saliba mistimed and headbutt him. But you don’t really see those given.”

A fifth commented: “Balls in the air to be won. More of a clash of heads if Saliba went down holding his head as well, wouldn’t have been given.”

The penalty proved crucial as Brighton grabbed a point against Arsenal, with the fixture ending 1-1.

The Gunners close the gap on league leaders Liverpool – but by just one point.

As for the Seagulls, they climb into the top half of the table in 10th place.

Arsenal could be busy in the January transfer window.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has identified the one position he hopes to target in the January transfer window and picked eight names as his ideal signings.

After 19 matches, Premier League clubs are now able to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season as the January transfer window has opened.

Several clubs across the top English division are expected to be active in the market, including Arsenal as they hope to challenge League leaders Liverpool for the title.

And now, it has been revealed that in preparation for the window opening, Arteta decided which position he wanted to target in January, and even wrote a eight-man list of his ideal transfers in the window.

According to The Daily Mail, Arteta is prioritising signing a new attacker in the January window to try and lessen the blow of losing star winger Bukayo Saka, who is facing months on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.

Top of the Spanish manager’s list is talented winger Nico Williams, who has attracted interest from across some of the biggest clubs in Europe and is reportedly a long-term target for the Gunners.

With a release clause that is believed to be around £50million, a deal is certainly within Arsenal’s budget, but they may struggle to convince the 22-year-old to leave Athletic Bilbao mid-season and will face competition from other clubs for the Spaniard’s signature.

Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane, who has recently been linked with a move away from the German giants, is also included in Arteta’s shortlist, but due to him being 28 years old, the winger would not be seen as a long-term investment.

Young Real Madrid superstar Arda Guler is said to have several admirers at the Emirates, but the La Liga champions reportedly see the 19-year-old as a key part of their future and therefore are unlikely to be willing to sell him.

Having enjoyed a breakout year for both Beyer Leverkusen and Germany, Florian Wirtz will almost certainly be pursued by Arsenal once he decides he wants to leave his current club.

However, when the 23-year-old does decide to move, he will reportedly have his pick of several of the top clubs in Europe, including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

The report also claims that, as well as wide forward to fill in for Saka, Arsenal are also considering signing a new striker, a position that they are often criticised for being too weak in.

In-form Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak tops the last of targets up front, alongside Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

However, Arsenal’s chances of signing any of these strikers in the January transfer window are believed to be slim, with a move in the summer much more likely.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has undergone surgery and is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has broken his silence after suffering a devastating injury blow.

Saka, who has scored nine goals for the Gunners this season, suffered a hamstring injury in the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace and given it was the third issue this season, it was decided that the England international undergo surgery.

In his absence, Arsenal won 1-0 against Ipswich on Friday thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. But a day later and Saka issued an update to fans on his situation, sharing a message on Instagram.

Alongside a picture of him in a hospital bed, Saka wrote: “The majority see obstacles, but few see the opportunities. Recovery has begun and I’m coming back stronger ! Thank you all for your messages.”

Saka was inundated with supportive comments wishing him well for his recovery and hoping he returns to the pitch sooner rather than later.

But the reality is that Saka is set for an extended period on the sidelines, with Mikel Arteta predicting that he will be absent for more than two months – though any comeback will depending on how well his scar tissue heals.

“He had a procedure,” Arteta said after the win over Ipswich.

“Everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks.

“I said many weeks, so I think it will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer.

“It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, the mobility of that. Let’s see, it’s very difficult to say.”

Against Ipswich, Arteta elected to play both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli in wide areas, with the latter lining up on the right flank.

Loan signing Raheem Sterling can also play on the left or right and Arteta has said he expects the former City star to return sooner than anticipated after picking up a knee injury.

But Arsenal could look to the loan market again, with France pair Randal Kolo Muani and Kingsley Coman touted as possible options to replace Saka.

Arsenal are back in action on New Year’s Day when they travel to Brentford.

Emmanuel Petit made the controversial decision to leave Arsenal for Chelsea in 2001, but his time at Stamford Bridge was far from enjoyable as his club career fizzled out.

Emmanuel Petit opened up about his departure from Arsenal to join Barcelona – confessing it was a move he deeply regrets from his storied football career.

The former Gunners star landed in north London back in 1997, reuniting with Arsene Wenger, who had previously managed him at Monaco. Petit quickly became a fan favourite at Highbury, playing a pivotal role in Arsenal clinching the Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season.

After three years with Arsenal, Petit, along with team-mate Marc Overmars, transferred to the Spanish titans for a total of £7million. His switch to Barcelona promptly followed his Euro 2000 victory with France, adding to his 1998 World Cup triumph.

However, his club success didn’t follow suit as he only lasted one season at the Nou Camp, plagued by injuries and struggling to secure a spot in the starting XI.

Petit’s remorse over his exit from Arsenal was palpable in 2020 when he reflected on Philippe Coutinho’s lack of success at Barcelona after his £142m transfer from Liverpool in 2018. “If I was Philippe Coutinho, every morning I would wake up and think to myself, ‘Why, why, did I sign [for Barcelona] in Spain? ‘” Petit shared with Mirror Football.

“And do you know why I say this? Because, I can remember the time when I’d wake up, when I was at Barcelona, when I left Arsenal, and I was thinking the same way, ‘why did I leave? Why did I leave? Why did I leave?’

“And to be honest with you I am sure Coutinho has been asking himself the same question for a while now. He left for Bayern Munich, he does sometimes play well but he’s not really a first-team player.”

His short-lived stint in Barcelona saw Petit join Chelsea who turned out to be his last club in professional career. Initially, Petit’s transition to west London seemed successful, but a succession of knee injuries relegated him to the bench under Claudio Ranieri. This led to his eventual release in 2004.

The Frenchman was less than pleased about how his time at Chelsea concluded, confessing his frustration to SFR Sport 1s The Locker Room: “I really didn’t like the way it ended in the dressing room, with the medical staff and the president [Abramovich] at Chelsea.

“I was even disgusted. That’s why I left and didn’t give them any news about me after that. My performances had been suffering because my knee was a mess, but I put things off. I hid the truth from the medical staff. I still had the hunger.”