Arsenal made an audacious bid for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, whileLiverpool have contacted Ancelotti. That and more from the Thursday papers
Arsenal's ambitious move for Lewandowski - Months before Robert Lewandowski scored an incredible five goals against Wolfsburg, Arsenal tried to buy him with a very bold move, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The Gunners asked about the striker in the summer and were prepared to spend in excess of £40 million to acquire his services, but Bayern Munich made it very clear that they were unwilling to sell at any price. Lewandowski could be available next summer if Pep Guardiola signs a new contract at Bayern because the Spaniard still does not rate the striker especially highly, according to the paper, so Arsenal could yet land their man.
Paper Round's view - Lewandowski is an unbelievably good striker and his five goals in nine minutes this week made that abundantly clear once more. Guardiola's views on the striker have more to do with how he regards the flexibility of the forward position in general than the player himself. The Gunners would be much better if they signed Lewandowski and, while he'd come in at a high price, he's the type of player Arsenal should be spending big on. Arsenal fans will be encouraged to hear that Arsene Wenger at least attempted to sign a player of his calibre, if a bit disappointed that the club couldn't make a move happen. If it is true that Guardiola still doesn't appreciate the striker then surely many clubs aside from Arsenal would be ready to pounce.
Euro Papers: Insigne - Arsenal chase Italian ace - Eurosport
Arsenal want to give Ozil new deal - Arsenal are ready to extend Mesut Ozil's contract. The Mirror understands that Arsene Wenger is going through all of the first-teamers' contracts and is keen on ensuring the German stays at the club long-term. Ozil is already the team's highest-paid player, but his deal expires in 2018 and the Gunners don't want him to enter the final two years of his contract.
Paper Round's view - If Arsenal don't give Ozil a new contract soon, they will be forced to enter new negotiations with the player having all the power or to sell him on the cheap. Letting a 26-year-old of Ozil's quality get into the final two years of his contract would be foolish so the Gunners better work towards getting him on board with a new contract in the next few months.
Arsenal's Mesut Ozil - PA Photos
Liverpool reached out to Ancelotti - Liverpool are already looking for a Brendan Rodgers replacement. The Mirror reports that the club have already reached out to Carlo Ancelotti and are looking to line him up to take over should they fire Rodgers. The Reds denied that they approached Ancelotti, but that isn't true. They gauged Ancelotti's interest in the job, but Liverpool's lack of Champions League football is problematic.
Paper Round's view - Ancelotti is a terrific manager and would be great for Liverpool, but it's tough to imagine him taking the job. He's in a position where he can wait and be picky about what club he goes to next and it would be a shock if he picked one that wasn't in the Champions League. If Liverpool can figure out how to land him, all the power to them, but they should probably also be looking at managers who are a step down.
Carlo Ancelotti - PA Sport
Norwich will go for Gayle - Norwich are hoping to sign Dwight Gayle in January, according to the Daily Mail. The Canaries tried to sign Gayle on September 1 and thought they had the deal done, but Crystal Palace said no at the final moment. Gayle hasn't started a match in the Premier League this season, though, and Norwich want to try for him again in January.
Paper Round's view - If Gayle is really on the fringes of the Palace team come January, he will probably leave and Norwich would probably be in the pole position to land him. The question is whether he'd be on the fringes of the team. He may have not yet started a Premier League match, but he scored a hat trick in the League Cup and that may be the start of a move up the club's depth chart.
Dwight Gayle - PA Sport
Gray can leave Birmingham on the cheap - Birmingham look set to lose Demarai Gray. The Mirror claim that the 19-year-old's buy-out clause goes down to just £3m in the summer so the club will be willing to sell him for a bit more in January. Birmingham turned down bids of more than £5m from Bournemouth, while Liverpool are also interested, but now they're in a position to sell as his new contract gives him a way out.
Paper Round's view - There is only one reasonable explanation for the situation Birmingham are in: they wanted one more year of Gray and will happily sell him for £3m in the summer. If not that, they turned down £5m when they knew they would be backed into selling even cheaper in January and that would be extraordinarily dumb.
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