Arsenal could join Spurs in the battle to sign Barkley
ENGLAND may have thrown down the gauntlet with their emphatic openinggame win over Scotland last night but midfielder Jordan Nobbs says they must get even better if they want to become European champions.
Mark S a m p s o n’s side wanted to make a statement in Utrecht and a 6-0 win ensured they did just that but there were no excessive celebrations afterwards.
They face Spain next on Sunday and play their final Group D game against Portugal next Thursday.
“To win 6-0 shows how far we have come and how hard we want to push ourselves,
Twe don’t just want to win 1-0 but we want to keep going and I think Spain will be another true test,” said Arsenal star Nobbs.
“But we believe we can go far and this was another stepping stone to show that.”
England supporters are certainly excited to see what else there is to come from striker Jodie Taylor, after she became the first England player to score a hat-trick at a senior tournament since Gary Lineker in 1986.
The 31-year-old tormented Scotland with her intelligent movement and ice-cool finishing, while Ellen White, Nobbs and Toni Duggan also got on the scoresheet.
SSE is an official partner of the England’s Women’s team, supporting the game from grassroots through to international level. Follow SSE at @YourSSE OTTENHAM t a r ge t Ro s s Barkley is also on the radar of Arsenal ahead of his expected departure from Everton next month.
Barkley has long been wanted by Tottenham and is attracted by the idea of joining the club, where Mauricio Pochettino has worked successfully with his England colleagues Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Eric Dier.
Everton have placed a £50million valuation on Barkley but that number is expected to fall before the transfer window closes on August 31, as the 23-year-old has only one year left on his contract and would be a free agent in 12 months’ time.
Barkley has had surgery on a hernia that will keep him out for four weeks but he is scheduled to be fit again before the end of August.
Barkley’s suitors are confident a fee of about £25m will eventually persuade Everton to do business. He has been on Tottenham’s list since last winter but Standard Sport understands Arsenal are monitoring the situation.
The Gunners have already spent £54m to buy forward Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon, while defender Sead Kolasinac has joined on a free from Schalke.
Barkley has not travelled with Everton for their pre-season fixtures in Holland and Belgium due to a groin injury. The club have spent heavily this summer, signing five players at a cost of about £100m and adding Wayne Rooney and Cuco Martina on free transfers.
By contrast, Tottenham have yet to sign a player and Juan Foyth, the 19year-old Argentine defender, now looks likely to join Paris St Germain from Estudiantes for about £8m despite holding initial talks with Spurs.
Spurs have also asked to be kept informed of Riyad Mahrez’s position at Leicester. The 26-year-old attacker has asked to leave but Leicester want close to £50m for him. Tottenham would not enter the race seriously unless the price dropped substantially.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s squad for the pre-season tour of the Asia-Pacific has been struck down by illness after making a rapid transition from the relative chill of the Australian winter to the full heat of the Chinese summer.
The Gunners scored a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw before beating Bayern Munich on penalties in the opening match of their International Champions Cup campaign in Shanghai yesterday, despite a string of players falling ill.
Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud were unable to take to the pitch, while Sead Kolasinac was forced to come off after vomiting, with Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey also feeling unwell.
Some reports suggested the players were suffering from food poisoning, while manager Arsene Wenger ascribed the sickness to “a little virus”.
Wenger conceded that a trip from London to Australia, where Arsenal played two games in front of more than 160,000 fans, and then on to China was hardly the best way to get ready for the new season.
“It was a bit of a shock coming here from Australia, where we were freezing at times,” he said. “If you ask me is it ideal to prepare, certainly not. But is does have other advantages because we can meet fans all over the world.”
The travelling continues this week with their next match a friendly against Chelsea in Beijing on Saturday.