Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest news snippets from across the footballing world, including "raised eyebrows" over Mesut Ozil's Arsenal captaincy, Kasper Schmeichel's verdict on Paul Pogba and Arsene Wenger's links to the AC Milan job. Scroll down for more!
Ozil captaincy 'raises eyebrows'
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Some members of the Arsenal squad were left surprised when Mesut Ozil was confirmed as one of Arsenal's five new captains, according to The Sun. The German is the only player left at the club from last season's group of five skippers, and Emery held a secret ballot among the players to determine the identities of this season's five. Ozil was retained alongside Granit Xhaka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette, but some players are said to be suspicious that Ozil was deliberately included in order to avoid upsetting him.
Tony Pulis to take over at Stoke?
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Tony Pulis is being lined up for yet another return to Stoke City as manager should the club part ways with Nathan Jones, The Sun says. The Potters have taken just two points from their opening 10 Championship games this term and last night suffered defeat to fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town to leave Jones on the brink. Pulis previously managed Stoke between 2002 and 2005 and again between 2006 and 2013.
Schmeichel describes Pogba as "problem child"
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Manchester United's legendary keeper Kasper Schmeichel has given his verdict on Paul Pogba, saying that he doesn't understand the Frenchman's "role" in the current squad. The 26-year-old had a summer filled with uncertainty after saying that he wanted to leave United for a "new challenge" before ultimately staying at Old Trafford.
"He's playing very, very deep and I don't understand what his role in this team is," Schmeichel told Optus Sport. "He takes up so much attention and it kind of feels like he's the problem child in this team. When you have someone who takes up so much attention from newspapers, from when we talk about him, we need to understand what is his role. What is it that he's going to do for this Manchester United team? At the moment, I'm kind of confused and I don't understand it.
"He's not playing in the same way he did last season for sure. I think they need to find out what his role is and how Manchester United should play with him in the team and then it should be communicated to everyone. We've seen his world-class quality and how do we get him to perform like that in this Manchester United team? That's something they've really got to work on."
Arsene Wenger to AC Milan?
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Ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been linked with a shock move to AC Milan, almost 18 months after he left the Emirates. Current boss Marco Giampaolo is under pressure after a poor start to the season and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Wenger is the frontrunner to take over. Ivan Gazidis, who worked with Wenger for years at the Gunners, now serves as chief executive of the Serie A side.
MLS side to rival United for Mandzukic?
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MLS outfit Los Angeles FC have reportedly emerged as rivals to Manchester United for Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic. The 33-year-old has already rejected a lucrative move to Qatari side Al-Rayyan but Tuttosport says that he is destined for either Manchester or California in January.
Fabregas praises Guendouzi
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Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas has tipped young Arsenal midfielder Mattei Guendouzi for big things at the Emirates. Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "Gotta love Guendouzi. Can play good or not so good but always shows up in difficult moments at such a young age. Big future ahead of him at @Arsenal."
Collins offered new West Ham role
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West Ham United have offered James Collins the chance to return to the club in an ambassadorial role, according to Football Insider. The 36-year-old, who is currently without a club, has been vocal over how he left the Hammers in 2018 and the side are apparently keen to smooth relations by offering the fan favourite VIP status at the London Stadium.
Pique 'to smooth relations at Barca'
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Barcelona's veteran defender Gerard Pique is meeting president Josep Maria Bartomeu this week "as tensions escalate between the players and the board", according to ESPN. Ernesto Valverde's side are enduring their worst start to a league season in 25 years, and reports in the Spanish press have hinted at internal problems at Camp Nou. In recent weeks Pique has been critical of the side's pre-season trips to Japan and the US and was also vocal about his desire to see Neymar return to Barca over the summer.
