NANTES’ FIFA CLAIM FOR SALA FEE
Cherries bashed in warm-up for rivals Spurs
ARSENAL: BOURNEMOUTH: REF: NANTES have made a formal complaint to FIFA over the Emiliano Sala transfer.
Nantes have contacted the world governing body as they seek the first £5million instalment of the £15m fee. Nantes had ATT: BRING on Tottenham – the sands may have shifted in north London, but the red tide’s coming in again.
Five-star Arsenal flexed their muscles ahead of Saturday’s tiff over the garden fence at Wembley.
And in the clash between a side who have now won eight Premier League games in a row at home and travel-sick opponents who have lost nine on the trot on the road, nothing had to give.
And sure enough, Bournemouth – who have lost every game against the top six this term, apart from Chelsea at home – keeled over.
Unai Emery will not be fooled by the preposterous space his side was afforded, destroyer-in-chief Henrikh Mkhitaryan in particular.
But it took just four minutes for the Gunners to make serious headway in the race for a top-four finish.
And after three comfortable home wins in a week, Emery is closing in on the first layer of bricks in his reconstruction of Arsenal.
He may have reservations about Mesut Ozil’s value for money at £350,000 a week, but it is never the brightest idea to let him run free.
Yet, the Cherries gave him the space to collect Sead Kolasinac’s pass, surge into the box and clip in his first goal since October.
Arsenal were grateful for keeper Bernd Leno’s alert intervention when Ryan Fraser threatened an equaliser, and Laurent Koscielny’s block from Josh King’s follow-up.
Leno’s save had added value when Arsenal doubled their advantage after 27 minutes. Mkhitaryan intercepted Adam Smith’s woeful crossfield pass and finished without breaking stride when Ozil’s cut-back arrived 10 yards out.
But Arsenal soon pressed the self-destruct button. Matteo Guendouzi, appealing in vain for a foul, was robbed on the edge of his own box by Dan Gosling and Lys Mousset stroked his first league goal this term for the Cherries into an empty net.
Bournemouth were undone again within 90 seconds of the restart as Mkhitaryan surged into the box and his low centre was swept in by Koscielny.
Another Mkhitaryan run and pass cut the Cherries open for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to get his 19th goal of the season.
And sub Alexandre Lacazette’s free-kick 11 minutes from time piled on the misery for Bournemouth.
MATCH STATS
already requested payment from Cardiff for the player (right), who died in a plane crash last month, and extended the deadline, but are determined to take action.
A FIFA spokesperson said: “We have received a claim from FC Nantes against Cardiff City.”