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Arsenal reporter in BudapestPublished42 minutes agoMikel Arteta says that Dutch defender Jurrien Timber is fit to start Saturday's Champions League final against Paris St-Germain.Right-back Timber has not played for the Gunners since sustaining a groin injury in their win over Everton in March.The position had become a potential worry for manager Arteta with his other natural option Ben White ruled out with a knee ligament injury.Spain centre-back Cristhian Mosquera has deputised in the position this season, as well as midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice.Timber has been pictured in training in Budapest as Arsenal prepare for the match against Luis Enrique's reigning champions.There was more good news for Arteta as he said that Noni Madueke, who came off with a hamstring issue in Arsenal's match against Crystal Palace last weekend, is available for selection.Arteta also dismissed the suggestion that the pressure is off for Arsenal, having already won a trophy in the shape of a first Premier League title in 22 years."No, the ambition is bigger, we have one [trophy] and we want the second one," said the Spanish manager."That is all we have been talking about. There has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more."The team is capable because they have shown it in the last seasons [in] this competition, what we have done this season in the competition."I want the players to be so confident that we are going to go and do it."PSG come into the match as favourites and the French side defeated Arsenal in the semi-finals of the tournament last year.They are looking to become only the second team to win back-to-back titles in the Champions League era."They are defending the trophy and they are the champions and we are here to take that away from them," Arteta said.Police in Budapest are expecting at least 10,000 ticketless fans in the city, with the number of visitors expected to pass through Liszt Ferenc International Airport over the weekend almost doubling, to around 85,000.Puskas Arena holds 61,400, with PSG and Arsenal allocated 17,000 tickets each.There will be 3,950 police officers on duty in Budapest on Saturday, with a fanzone in Heroes' Square where supporters with no tickets can watch the game.Latest Arsenal news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Arsenal - what do you want to know?

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Celtic's late penalty at Motherwell was the correct decision but Hearts were wrongly denied a spot-kick at Fir Park, the Scottish FA's head of refereeing has said.Giving his monthly update on video assistant referee (VAR) calls,, external addressed John Beaton's decision to award an added-time penalty for handball against Sam Nicholson in Well's 3-2 defeat by Celtic, with Kelechi Iheanacho scoring the winner from the spot on 13 May, and an unsuccessful penalty claim by Hearts in their 1-1 draw against Motherwell on 9 May.Tawanda Maswanhise appeared to trip Hearts' Alexandros Kyziridis but referee Steven McLean ruled no foul, despite reviewing the incident at the VAR monitor.Long-time leaders Hearts ultimately lost the Scottish Premiership to Celtic by two points but the Tynecastle side finished with a slightly better goal difference.Collum backed the Celtic penalty at Fir Park, citing "clear evidence" with Nicholson's hand and arm "in an unnatural position" and the resulting contact "a punishable handball"."We fully support what they've reached in terms of an outcome," he added. "We've been very consistent with handballs when it goes above shoulder height."On the Maswanhise-Kyziridis incident, the VAR team's view was that a foul had taken place but released audio of the discussion between the officials revealed referee McLean saying: "I've not seen enough."And Collum commented: "Once the referee comes to the monitor, the expected decision and the preferred decision here would be a penalty kick to be awarded."My personal opinion is that that's a penalty kick. There's some debate in refereeing I would say and we will discuss it with our referees pre-season."SPFL probe Celtic games as panel disputes penalty"If this player touches the ball with a punishable part of the arm then for sure, this should be a penalty kick," Collum said."Referees need a visual here to be able to make these judgments on-field and the visual is the t-shirt line. The t-shirt line is the guiding principle. The ball lands above the t-shirt line, therefore not punishable."Collum also addressed two incidents in Celtic's 3-1 home win over Rangers on 10 May, refereed by Nick Walsh.The visitors had claimed unsuccessfully for offside when Yang Hyun-jun equalised in a crowded penalty area and Alistair Johnston was booked for a challenge on Rangers' Mikey Moore at 1-1.The head of refereeing said Johnston's tackle did not meet the "criteria" in terms of "excessive force", "brutality" and "endangering the safety of an opponent"."We agree with the referee that it's reckless," Collum said. "We would say it's glancing contact, it's not full studs on the leg, bending over the leg."And Collum also backed the award of the Yang goal on the grounds of the goalkeeper's line of vision and Benjamin Nygren not interfering with play."Jack Butland can see the shot," said Collum. "The ball doesn't deviate, it continues in that direction."Does the Celtic player, attacker who is offside in front of the goalkeeper, does he make a movement towards Butland? Does he try to make a movement towards the ball? He makes no attempt to interfere with the goalkeeper."Two decisions in Celtic's 2-1 win at Hibernian on 3 May were discussed. Collum said a push by Hibernian's Josh Campbell on Nygren, which did not result in a spot-kick, "should've been a penalty"."Josh Campbell completely ignores the ball," said Collum. "It's a two-handed push. This is far removed from normal footballing contact. This is too excessive for us to ignore."However, the award of Hibs' equaliser after no handball was given against scorer Joe Newell was the correct call following a "thorough check", said Collum."They don't see any conclusive evidence here to say that Joe Newell has touched this with a punishable part of the arm," he added.

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Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday's Champions League final still riding high from their domestic success. Their title win was their first in 22 years but their 14th in top-flight history. Only Liverpool and Manchester United have won more.While firmly established as one of English football's giants, Arsenal's European heritage is relatively minor, their only trophy successes coming in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the 1970/71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, both of which ceased to exist decades ago.In Budapest, though, they have an opportunity to "write a new history", to use a term popular with their manager Mikel Arteta, who has guided Arsenal to only the second Champions League final, putting the club within reach of an unprecedented feat.A first Champions League triumph would ensure immortality for manager and players. As Josh Kroenke put it this week: "Champions of England sounds pretty good and champions of Europe could sound even better, especially with the double tied to it."The Premier League title win marked a culmination point for Arteta's work but, although an area of underachievement historically, it is arguably in European competition that the club's transformation over the last seven seasons is most apparent.Arsenal were in their third straight season without Champions League football when he took the job and another three followed, including one in which they missed out on European qualification entirely, before they finally returned to it in 2023/24.Since then, they have gone one stage further in three straight years, from quarter-final, to semi-final, to final. Arsenal were in uncharted territory even reaching the last four in consecutive seasons.Stream the Premier League with no contractSo what hope of actually winning it? PSG are of course reigning champions, a fearsome opponent whose five-goal thrashing of Inter in last year's final saw them lift the trophy for the first time and complete their own rise to the pinnacle of European football.But, for all the attacking brilliance of Luis Enrique's side, Arteta will have noted the defensive vulnerabilities displayed in their semi-final against Bayern Munich, who were able to put five goals past them even in defeat across the two legs.He might also reflect that last year's semi-final, when Arsenal were beaten 3-1 on aggregate, might have turned out differently if not for a combination of wasteful finishing and a goalkeeping masterclass from the now departed Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arsenal actually had chances worth 4.54 expected goals to PSG's 2.90.Those numbers mattered little in the context of the tie. They were also influenced, to some degree, by game state, with PSG's lead putting the onus on Arsenal to attack. But they do suggest a capacity to trouble them. Arteta has more options this time too.Arsenal's absentee list for last season's meetings included Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori. Their substitutes were mostly untested academy players or out-of-favour squad options. This time around, they have both a far deeper squad and an almost clean bill of health.And as well as having more attacking weapons, Arteta has an ever-improving defence. The Gunners have kept nine clean sheets in 14 games on their run to the final. Their total of only six goals conceded is 16 fewer than PSG's 22 in the same number of games.Arsenal will be aware, nonetheless, that PSG have a level of talent to test their foundations like few other sides. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Demebele and Desire Doue are surely the world's best front three, defined by fluidity which makes them tough to stop.In fact, PSG carry threats all over the pitch, with 11 different players having scored two or more goals in the competition this season. They attack from all angles. Plug one gap and another can open.They also have the potentially crucial advantage of freshness.While Arsenal have only just completed their gruelling slog to the finish line in the Premier League, PSG have been Ligue 1 champions, for a fifth straight year, for the best part of three weeks.While Arsenal have had to scrap for every point over the course of their domestic season, PSG's superiority in France has allowed them to rotate, holding back key players for the Champions League without jeopardising their domestic chances.The result is that while Arsenal have nine players who have played more than 3,000 minutes this season in all competitions, PSG only have three, their energy preserved for precisely this moment.PSG boss Luis Enrique said ahead of the game that newly-crowned champions Arsenal deserve their title and says there is no favourite in the final."I am not surprised, especially with what he [Mikel Arteta] has done this year, he said."They are worthy of winning the Premier League, the best team in the league. It was not easy with Man City on their tails."Arteta has been there six and a half years, and he knows them inside and out."Asked if PSG are favourites for the game, Enrique added: "I don't think that there is a favourite, to be honest. For us the devil is in the details, and I think it will be a very close call."We have to give our all but enjoy the 90 minutes; there is always tension. It is about knowing how to manage that stress, that's important."Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reacted to suggestions PSG are favourites, saying they are in Budapest to take the trophy from the Parisian side."Well, they are defending the trophy, they are the champions," he said. "They earned the right last season. And we are here to take that away from them.""We've played Arsenal quite a few times, we know what their strengths are and how difficult it is to come up against them."In a game, no one knows what is going to happen. For set-plays, attacks."Look at the teams we have faced: Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea."All these teams are teams that have given us a run for our money. We have been able to adapt and we have always been able to deal with it."The devil is in the details, knowing how to attack, defend and counter. Knowing how to defend from set-pieces and we have prepared for all eventualities.""I think we have enough fire going into the game tomorrow. We know the history of the club. We can write history as players in winning it for the first time, and that is enough for us."

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The summer transfer window is nearly upon us. Here are all the key dates.The transfer window officially opens for business on Monday June 15 with Deadline Day taking place on Tuesday Spetember 1 in England.However, the English window returns to a later deadline of 11pm this summer.For the last two windows in England, the FA, EFL and FA introduced an early finish of 7pm to allow a more normal working pattern for staff across football.But this summer will see a return to the late close with clubs also having a two-hour grace period after the window shuts to complete deals, if paperwork is submitted on time.The transfer window for LaLiga and Bundesliga clubs opens on July 1, while in Serie A the market begins on June 29.In Spain, the window shuts at 10.59pm on September 1, while in the Bundesliga the deadline falls on August 31 at 7pm.For Serie A clubs, the window shuts on September 1 with an 8pm deadline.The transfer window will re-open for winter in England on January 1, 2027 and close on February 1 once again at the later time of 11pm.The Premier League's 2026/27 season is due to start on Saturday August 22.That is a week later than the 25/26 season, to help player recovery following the 2026 World Cup.An August 22 start day is 89 days after the end of the 25/26 campaign and 33 days after the World Cup final on July 19.The Premier League has confirmed the final match round will be played on Sunday May 30, 2027.All 10 fixtures will kick off at the same time and be shown live on Sky Sports.That date is a week before the 2027 Champions League final on June 5.The new Premier League fixtures will be released on Friday June 19 at 10am.In previous seasons, the opening game has taken place on the Friday of the opening weekend, but the final schedule and picks for television broadcast will be announced in due course.

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Gunners face PSG in Budapest final on Saturday‘We have one, and now we want the second one’Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions the pressure is off Arsenal in Saturday’s Champions League final after their first Premier League title for 22 years and insists he and his players are hungry for more trophies.Paris Saint-Germain, who defeated Arsenal in the semi-finals last year before being crowned European champions for the first time, saw off Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages and are strongly fancied to retain their crown. Jurriën Timber looks likely to start after Arteta confirmed the Netherlands defender had recovered from a groin injury, although he has not featured since the win over Everton on 14 March.Arsenal have yet to win the Champions League and reached the final on one previous occasion, in 2006, when they were defeated by Barcelona. Arteta is determined Arsenal seize their opportunity on the biggest stage in club football after finally ending their long wait for the league title.“The ambition is bigger,” the manager said. “We have one, and now we want the second one. That’s all we’ve been talking about. There has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more. And the team is capable, because we’ve shown it in the last two seasons, in this competition. What we’ve done this season in the competition, and I want the players to be so confident that we’re going to win.”Arteta, asked whether he had noticed something different when he looks in the eyes of his players, said: “That they want more. Going through those moments brings you a different kind of desire. Because you lift it, you know exactly how it feels. You want to reproduce that feeling as many times as possible.“We have the opportunity to write a new chapter in the history of this football club. And in order to do that, we have to play with such clarity, a lot of courage, and a relentless desire to win. We have those three aspects, and I’m sure we’re going to be close to winning.”Bukayo Saka, who scored Arsenal’s goal in last season’s 3-1 aggregate defeat by PSG, revealed that Thierry Henry – part of the team that lost to Barcelona 20 years ago – had been in touch this week to offer encouragement. The England forward said it would round off a perfect season if they can beat PSG and that winning the Premier League after finishing second three years in a row had given the players plenty of confidence.“We all know where my journey started as a seven- or eight-year-old at Hale End – it was a long, long way away from trying to win the Champions League with Arsenal,” he said. “It feels like this last week it’s all become a reality and tomorrow is another exciting opportunity to create more history and win another for the club that I love. That goes a long way and it helped us win the title and hopefully it will give us an advantage on the pitch here.”Saturday’s game will be Arsenal’s 63rd of the season, more than any other team from the top five European leagues. It will be PSG’s 56th but Saka insisted fatigue would not play a part.“We’ve had a week to recover and we’re ready to go again and a game like this is not going to be decided on minutes,” he said. “It will be decided on moments and which team can produce a bit of quality and be well organised.”

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Lincoln have swiftly appointed Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw as joint head coaches in the wake of Michael Skubala's departure to Bristol City.Cohen and Shaw, both 39, had been working together under Skubala as assistant coaches as the Red Imps stormed to the League One title last season to reach the second tier of English football for the first time in 65 years.Lincoln sporting director Jez George said: "Chris and Tom were very close to being in these roles already, with autonomy to lead every training session, unit meetings and taking responsibility for devising individual game plans."We know this goes against convention, but our job is to do what we think is right for Lincoln City at this time."This provides us with maximum continuity for a squad that achieved 103 points last season and clarity at a crucial time leading up to the opening of the transfer window."Former West Ham and Nottingham Forest midfielder Cohen is in his third spell as a member of the coaching staff at Sincil Bank, having also worked at Luton, Southampton and Stoke.Shaw coached at Forest and Derby and also managed Gainsborough Trinity before joining Lincoln in 2018, serving as caretaker boss prior to Skubala's appointment in November 2023.Bristol City appoint Lincoln boss SkubalaLincoln striker Street signs four-year deal

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Sir Alex Ferguson was so determined to sign a teenage Wayne Rooney for Manchester United he came in for the striker twice.That is what Everton boss David Moyes revealed on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, as he provided a behind-the-scenes insight into how Ferguson's interest first came about.Then 18, Rooney moved to the Red Devils in August 2004 in a deal that was worth £27m.He had scored 15 goals in 67 Premier League appearances for the Toffees and had also been linked with Newcastle."I never wanted Wayne to leave," said Moyes."The worst was the guy I had looked up to so much, Sir Alex Ferguson, phoned me and said he wanted to meet me at Haydock Thistle Hotel. I was wondering what was that he wanted."I got there and there was a room booked and he came in and said, 'I want Rooney'. I said, 'No, he is not for sale. No chance, I am not selling him'. He said, 'OK, that's fine but you are not letting him go to Chelsea or anywhere else?' - and I said, 'no chance'."He said that was fine and left it at that to be fair. He was very straight with me because I told him I didn't want Wayne to go."However, Moyes revealed it was not long before Ferguson returned with another offer.He added: "Three or four weeks later I get another call and Ferguson said, 'I want to meet you are at the same place again because I want Wayne and things have moved on'."Rooney revealed Ferguson had accelerated his interest in signing him after his performance at Euro 2004.The youngster shone for England, scoring four goals in four matches before a broken foot ended his tournament at the quarter-final stage, where the Three Lions lost to Portugal in a penalty shootout."Alex Ferguson wanted to wait a year," said Rooney."He wanted to wait another year and then because I'd done so well at the Euros, it was just basically everyone was starting to get in ahead of the other one, then it became inevitable that I was gonna go that summer."Listen to the latest Football Daily podcastSoundsGet football news sent straight to your phone

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Manager recalls Rangers tenure fondly before friendlySteve Clarke: Scotland should be qualifing regularlyA smile flashed across the face of Dick Advocaat as he was reminded that, 27 years earlier to the day, he had watched his Rangers team complete a domestic treble at Hampden Park. “I was quite successful in this stadium, so you have to be careful tomorrow,” Advocaat said. Little could anyone have known in 1999 that in 2026 Advocaat would be bringing his World Cup-bound Curaçao to Glasgow for a friendly.During 11 minutes on Friday, Advocaat completed a verbal whistle-stop tour of everything from Martin O’Neill’s return to Celtic to his World Cup ambitions. At 78, it is remarkable to see Advocaat in this scenario. Reflections on the past in this city were inevitable. He will become the oldest coach in World Cup history when Curaçao face Germany on 14 June.“I don’t care because I don’t feel that age,” said the Dutchman with typical bluntness. “I have definitely changed a lot. There are things that normally under me would not be possible that are possible. That has to do with the squad – they are paid amateurs and you can see it. You have to change sometimes. At the highest level you cannot change; you have to be sharp and clear so that everybody knows what they have to do. But we did what we had to do to become members of this World Cup.”Curacao, ranked 82nd in the world, will feature in North America as Italy look on from afar. “We are not the favourites, we know this when we start,” Advocaat said. “But people who aren’t favourites can surprise. Today, you can even go on [to the next round] with two or three points.”This marks another kind of return for Advocaat. He was in charge as Curaçao sealed their World Cup berth but resigned in February owing to a family health matter he is unwilling to discuss. Advocaat was reappointed this month.“I was the coach who qualified with the team,” Advocaat said. “Something happened at home, which was the reason that I stopped. I could come back and start again. That gives me a good feeling, to be a part of this tournament will be something special.“I didn’t expect to be playing against Scotland with Curaçao so that is a surprise. The goal was to qualify for the Gold Cup a year ago and we did it. From that moment on, they started believing even more. It is a very hard-working team. Besides the game they enjoy their life; they are laughing, the music is there and maybe more, but at the games, they do what they do.“You must have a little bit of luck that people still want you at this age. If they don’t ask any more, you are finished. I still get the phone calls, which makes it difficult to refuse. I have already said so many times I will quit. Then someone calls me. I think: ‘So they are still interested …’ And then I go. Normally, [after the World Cup] I will stop.”Last December, Advocaat pursued Steve Clarke vigorously at the World Cup draw when seeking this game. “I remember when I was the manager of Holland and we had a game like this against Ireland, before we went to wherever,” Advocaat said, in apparent reference to a 1-0 defeat immediately before Euro 2004. “We lost. These kind of things can happen. If you are realistic, Scotland has the better players but you can have surprises.”As Advocaat winds down, Clarke has other thoughts. This week the Scotland manager signed a contract that will extend his tenure until the 2030 World Cup. Upcoming participation in the 2026 version seems to have stoked Clarke’s desire. “We should be qualifying regularly for tournaments,” he said. “That is not to say we won’t miss one now and again. A country of our size, there is the difficulty now with qualifying for tournaments. But to make sure we don’t have long gaps between tournaments. If we miss one, OK, but make sure we are at the next one.”Clarke had returned to Scotland’s team base as Advocaat reappeared at the scene of former triumphs. “I remember [former Rangers chair] David Murray, with the president of Celtic, tried to be involved in the English league,” Advocaat said. “Not to start at the top but in the fourth division. They [the English clubs] were scared to do that so they refused. I still think that was a great idea. It will never happen. Celtic and Rangers are so big it is unbelievable – not everybody realises that.” Nowadays, Advocaat spreads the gospel of a tiny Caribbean nation.

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Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reportsSaturdaySundayWomen’s T20 cricket1.30pmEngland v India liveEngland were outplayed by India as they fell to a 38-run defeat in the first of their pre-T20 World Cup meetings. England, who still await the return of Danni Wyatt-Hodge from maternity leave and Nat Sciver-Brunt from injury, were set a target of 189 to win but managed just 150 for eight in Chelmsford. The three-match series continues with the second T20 game at Bristol and the hosts’ stand-in captain, Charlie Dean, will be expecting improvements from the openers Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley. Tanya Aldred has over-by-over commentary while Raf Nicholson reports.If any team have the tools to stop PSG from becoming just the second team to retain the title in the Champions League era, it’s surely Arsenal. Winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004 has removed a burden from players carrying heavy expectations after so many near misses in recent seasons. Mikel Arteta’s side have the Champions League’s meanest defence this season but Luis Enrique’s team topped the scoring chart in this season’s competition with 44 goals – an average of more than three per game – and blew away Inter 5-0 in last year’s final. Rob Smyth buckles up to bring you all the buildup and action from the Puskas Arena in Budapest, with David Hytner, Barney Ronay and Ed Aarons our reporting team at the final.Champions League final follow-up, the Women’s FA Cup final, World Cup buildup … there’s plenty to occupy Emillia Hawkins at the controls of our Sunday football blog. There’s the regular mix of breaking news and transfer updates, plus readers’ thoughts and queries. Why not join the conversation by emailing matchday.live@theguardian.com?Daniel Harris picks up the baton for day eight of all the action at Roland Garros at the helm of our live blog. The women’s draw is packed with star names and dark horses, with the defending women’s champion, Coco Gauff, plus the heavyweights Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek the favourites as things stand.Less than 24 hours after Mikel Arteta’s side face PSG in Budapest, they’ll be parading at least one trophy from the top deck of an open-top bus along the thronging streets of Islington. Regardless of the result of Saturday’s Champions League final, the Gunners will at the very least be displaying the Premier League trophy after ending a 22-year wait for the title. The women’s side will be joining the party too, parading the Women’s Champions Cup they won in February, beating Brazil’s Corinthians in the final. The parade will take in Highbury, Canonbury and Upper Street before returning to the area around the Emirates Stadium, with John Brewin keeping pace with all the celebrations in north London.A historic day for Brighton as they play in the Women’s FA Cup final for the first time. Having seen off Arsenal and Liverpool en route to Wembley, there is a sense of growing confidence among Dario Vidosic’s underdogs as they face City, the WSL champions. Brighton have lost just once in seven games and beat Andrée Jeglertz’s side 3-2 in April, a victory that will give them heart against a side seeking a fourth Cup triumph to complete the Double. Rob Smyth hosts the blog with Tom Garry reporting from Wembley.