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Wenger denies Ozil moving to Barcelona rumours
London, Nov 25 (IANS) Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger brushed aside talk of star attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil making a switch to Spanish soccer giants FC Barcelona.
“What kind of control can I have over that? All these people have agents who can talk to anybody. That doesn’t disturb people, that happens all through their career,” Wenger was quoted as saying by ESPNFC on Friday.
The 29-year-old is out of contract at the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season.
Manchester United and Fenerbahce are also linked with moves for the player.
Chile star Alexis Sanchez has also been linked to a move away from the club but Wenger said he is not worried about fielding the pair ahead of Sunday’s trip to Burnley.
“They are honest. I don’t question their honesty,” the Frenchman said.
“Nobody knows what will happen when the players reach the end of their contracts. Our worry is to perform on Sunday, that’s it.
“They want to turn up and put in good performances. I have no concerns. I am more concerned about the team performance.
“Ozil and Alexis are praised when the team is doing well because of them, and when the team doesn’t do well they get more criticism. I’m more concerned that the team focuses on strong performances.
“My worry is on Sunday. After that, I will care about the second half of the season later,” Wenger added.
Both players are expected to be recalled for Sunday’s trip to Turf Moor after Wenger made 11 changes for the 1-0 Europa League defeat to Cologne in Germany on Thursday night.
–IANS
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.