Darren Bent was branded ‘out of his mind’ by Noel Gallagher after he made an optimistic Arsenal prediction.
Gallagher, a diehard Manchester City supporter, joined Bent and Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT Drive to preview his side’s Champions League play-off clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
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Gallagher couldn’t stop laughing at Bent’s bold Arsenal claimCredit: Getty
City host the first leg of the tie before travelling to the Spanish capital on February 19, with the winner to face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen.
Given City scraped into the play-off stage of the new-look Champions League format and had to come from behind to beat League One side Leyton Orient in the FA Cup last Saturday, Gallagher isn’t exactly feeling confident.
“I feel like I’m going to watch it from behind the couch, if I’m honest,” Gallagher said.
The Oasis rocker added: “We haven’t shown any evidence in the Champions League this season that we’re going to do anything in it.
“Sadly for us, [Kylian] Mbappe’s bound to click into gear. Ever since the (FA) cup final last season, a malaise has set in. Any time the opposition goes over the halfway line, you’re just expecting them to score.
“If it was a one-off game, toss of a coin… but over two legs, I just can’t see it.”
The conversation between the trio then shifted towards Bent’s beloved Arsenal, who he conceded were out of the Premier League title race.
Although the Gunners sit just six points behind league leaders Liverpool, the Reds have a game in hand and will be hard to stop.
However, Bent believes Arsenal can still end the season with some silverware.
Bent reminded Goldstein what he said earlier in the season about which competition Arsenal would win, to which Goldstein responded: “Champions League.”
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Bent believes Arsenal are due to end their wait for a European trophy
The claim left Gallagher in hysterics as he replied: “You what with the Champions League? Are you mad?”
Despite Gallagher’s shock, Bent doubled down on his stance.
“The league is done, I think the league is done,” Bent said.
“But the Champions League, we’ve got a great chance. One of the big ones are going in the second leg, so that’s one of them gone.
“So, it’s our time.”
Bent’s bold belief in the Gunners only prompted more laughter from Gallagher.
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Arteta never went further than the round of 16 in the Champions League during his playing days at ArsenalCredit: Getty
“I listen every day,” Gallagher said.
“The amount of times I’ve had the phone in my hand thinking, ‘I’m going to call in here, because he’s out of his mind.’”
Luckily for Arsenal, they breezed through the league phase of the Champions League phase to avoid competing in the play-offs.
They await either Juventus, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord or AC Milan in the last 16.
A major European trophy has proved elusive for Arsenal having finished as runners-up in the 2005/06 Champions League to Barcelona and in the 2018/19 Europa League to Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta’s side reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last term, their deepest run in the tournament since 2010.
But Bent evidently believes this current crop of Gunners stars are the ones to go even further and make club history.
Carragher likened the young star to Jude Bellingham and Wayne Rooney, emphasising his bold attitude on the pitch.
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Gabriel enjoyed getting under Erling Haaland’s skin.Credit: Getty
He said on Sky Sports post-match: “You talk about football arrogance. I always regard that as a positive trait.
“Someone who carries that confidence on the field. Wayne Rooney comes to mind, and Jude Bellingham embodies it too.
“You’re saying, ‘I’ve just arrived, but this is my stage to own’.”
Man City endured a tough run in December last year, suffering five consecutive losses, leaving Guardiola at his wits’ end.
While they had recently sparked some hope with improved form, this defeat to the Gunners is a huge blow just before their Champions League play-off tie against Real Madrid.
With this victory, the Gunners maintain their title challenge, staying in the hunt against leaders Liverpool, though they remain six points adrift with Liverpool holding a game in hand against Everton on February 12.
Live reaction as Myles Lewis-Skelly mocks Erling Haaland in Arsenal 5-1 Manchester City!
For City, a loss to West Ham on Monday night could see them tumble out of the top four, with tensions running high as they face an uncertain future after ending a seven-match unbeaten run in the league.
Myles Lewis-Skelly possesses such confidence, composure and fearlessness that the teenager will surely be a major player for Arsenal going forward.
And the buccaneering left-back is very good at going forward. The only problem with Lewis-Skelly for Arsenal fans is fitting his long name into a chant, let alone one that rhymes.
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Lewis-Skelly had City on strings when scoring his goalCredit: Getty
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He was rightly given a standing ovation when he was substituted on 84 minutesCredit: Getty
They settled for ‘one of our own’, the ultimate accolade they could bestow.
Having a home-grown presence matters hugely. It matters emotionally for connection between fans and team. It matters financially for Profit and Sustainability Rules. It matters for squad competition, rest and rotation. It may soon also matter for England.
It helped that Manchester City’s defending bordered on the shambolic at times.
Arsenal sensed a vulnerability and pressed and punished, overturning possession, picking off loose passes, scoring through Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri.
Lewis-Skelly scored the third Arsenal goal which really killed off City, whose second-half collapse must have alarmed their fans.
He was showered with praise by his teammates afterwards, but the best compliment Martin Odegaard and company paid Lewis-Skelly was they kept trusting him with the ball, even under pressure.
They knew he had the mental and physical strength to withstand City’s (intermittent) press. They knew he had the touch.
Declan Rice, outstanding all game, ushered Lewis-Skelly in from the left just after the hour.
The effortless way he eluded John Stones again highlighted the 18-year-old’s class and character.
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Lewis-Skelly danced around the City defence to score the goal which effectively ended the contestCredit: Getty
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The stats don’t lie for Lewis-Skelly
Lewis-Skelly took the ball with his left foot to make Stones go one way and then calmly stroked the ball with his right past the bemused, unbalanced centre-back and past the unsighted Stefan Ortega.
Nwaneri, aged 17 years old, was not completely fit, so he started on the bench, but came on to stunning effect. He scored Arsenal’s fifth, the very red icing on the cake.
Again, Rice provided an assist from the left, this time sweeping a 50-yard crossfield pass. Nwaneri’s first touch was adhesive, followed by three more with his left and then a curling finish around Ortega, who looked too shellshocked to react.
Nwaneri operated as a No.10 during much of his rise through the Arsenal ranks but arguably looks best cutting in off the right and onto that dangerous left foot. That, of course, is the kingdom of Bukayo Saka, another of Arsenal’s own.
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Nwaneri joined the party with this splendid stoppage-time strikeCredit: Getty
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Some day for Arsenal’s Hale End academyCredit: Getty
The emergence and increasing prominence of Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, following Saka’s magnificent example over the past six years, shows how Mikel Arteta evolves Arsenal further.
There was something very symbolic in the link-up between Rice, a superstar signing, and Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, a powerful mix of established elite talent and emerging.
Even if the odds are heavily against Arsenal catching Liverpool, the trust in Arteta’s management and in the team’s future deserves to be strong.
The debate will continue about Arsenal needing a No.9 will continue but otherwise so much is right about Arteta’s team and squad.
City develop talented youngsters, but Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers were sold, Rico Lewis is back on the bench, James McAtee came on for a few minutes but wants more. Phil Foden’s recent good form was absent here.
There were many contrasts with City. Such an organised club as City should really have started the rebuilding work earlier, and now look to have brought next summer’s signings like Omar Marmoush forward.
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Marmoush showed some neat touches but will need time to pick up the pace of English football.
Lying 14 points off the top, City have all-but surrendered their title, and their Champions League ambitions may be ended by Real Madrid.
City still have talent, such as Haaland, who briefly made it 1-1 with a towering header, and Josko Gvardiol, who twice tested David Raya, but they still haven’t found a playmaking successor to Kevin De Bruyne, who came on when all was lost here.
Ortega is no replacement for the injured Ederson. Stones has been a magnificent servant for City, winner of six titles and played well against Club Brugge in midweek, but he couldn’t handle Arsenal’s relentless press.
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City have lost seven Premier League matches this seasonCredit: Getty
There was nobody protecting the back-four properly. Rodri’s ACL has cost City dear. Ruben Dias’ adductor deprived City of their main defensive leader.
Pe Guardiola cut an increasingly frustrated figure. His team has lost its fear factor. They certainly lost the ball too often.
And where were the leaders? Bernardo Silva is a fine footballer but not one for rallying the troops in a battle. Nobody seemed to be raging against the fading of their light.
Unlike Arsenal. They had to win and did, the will to win embodied by Lewis-Skelly.
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Erling Haaland claimed to not know who Lewis-Skelly is after the reverse fixture. Everyone knows who he is nowCredit: Getty
He said on Sky Sports post-match: “You talk about football arrogance. I always class that as a good thing.
“Someone who has that strut on a football pitch. The person that comes to mind is Wayne Rooney, and Jude Bellingham’s got it.
“You’re saying, ‘I’ve been here two minutes but I’m owning this place’.”
“When you see a young player burst onto the scene,” Carragher continued. “They always have that impact, a big goal, a game we remember.
“A lot of the great players have that and those moments early on in their career and they’re destined for stardom.
“This kid looks an absolute superstar. He’s got that presence and personality on the football pitch.”
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The 18-year-old has played ten Premier League games this seasonCredit: Getty
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And he’s already being compared to BellinghamCredit: AFP
Lewis-Skelly’s goal on Sunday put him in an exclusive club that Bellingham is also part of.
The full back’s now the fifth youngest player ever to score against a Pep Guardiola team at the age of 18 years and 129 days.
Teammate Ethan Nwaneri is also now a part of that group having netted a brilliant goal against Man City aged 17 years and 318 days.
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe and German centre-back Niklas Sule make up the youngest five.
As well as this, looking back to Lewis-Skelly’s Rooney comparison, he and Nwaneri did something against City that no one had done since the Man United legend.
They became the youngest players to score in the Premier League against the reigning champions since Rooney netted for Everton against Arsenal in March 2003.
Youngest players to score against Guardiola
Jude Bellingham – 17 years 289 days
Ethan Nwaneri – 17 years 318 days
Niklas Süle – 18 years 60 days
Kylian Mbappé – 18 years 63 days
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 18 years 129 days
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Nwaneri joins Lewis-Skelly in the exclusive club along with Bellingham and MbappeCredit: Getty
Lewis-Skelly’s performance left Arsenal fans delighted as they gave him a huge standing ovation as he was substituted late on.
And manager Arteta echoed their thoughts on him.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Arteta said: “You need big individual performances to beat them [Man City].
“Myles was certainly one of them, the maturity he showed and competitiveness as well.
“He plays with that personality and he’s scored a beautiful goal.
“He has been pushing us since he has been with us. We like his character and personality. He has so much courage.
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Lewis-Skelly had an incredible game against Man City
“He has qualities that fit into the way we want to play. He got some minutes and he is asking for more. He deserves to play.”
On Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, Arteta added: “They play with a lot of personality. They are really brave, they have the courage, and they understand what we want.
“They play to make things happen. The players believe in them and that is a big thing.”
There’s no doubt that the two teenagers will continue to play a big part in Arsenal’s second half of the season.
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The 5-1 win over Man City moved them back to within six points of league leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners face Newcastle in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday before having to wait for a league game.
They’ll get the weekend off as they’re already out of the FA Cup, with their next top-flight clash away at Leicester on February 15.
Arsenal must take full advantage of Manchester City’s makeshift defence to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive.
That’s the view of Gunners icon Martin Keown ahead of Sunday’s clash between the two teams at the Emirates.
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Arsenal sit second in the Premier League table, but seem destined to miss out on the title yet againCredit: Getty
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The Gunners must beat City this weekend to keep the pressure on leaders LiverpoolCredit: AFP
Mikel Arteta‘s men sit six points behind leaders Liverpool, who also boast a game in hand over them.
And the north Londoners know they cannot afford to drop any more points if they wish to remain in touching distance of the Reds having drawn twice in January.
For City, they appear to have recovered from their horror blip that saw them lose six out of eight league games from November to December.
Pep Guardiola‘s side have won four from their last five top-flight fixtures to move up into fourth spot following Saturday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea.
But the match against the Blues once again highlighted their defensive frailties with the club now conceding eight goals in all competitions so far this year.
With Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake both out with injuries – and John Stones only just returning to the squad due to his own knock – new signing Abdukodir Khusanov was forced to partner Manuel Akanji at centre-back.
And unfortunately for the 20-year-old, he made a huge error just two minutes into his debut to gift Noni Madueke an early opener.
While Stones replaced him shortly into the second half, the youngster could be chosen to start against Arsenal in Guardiola’s bid to get him to adapt to English football quickly.
Kyle Walker‘s loan exit has also provided problems for City at right-back, with central midfielder Matheus Nunes starting in the position against Chelsea – ahead of academy graduate Rico Lewis.
Keown believes City’s defence is an area that Arsenal should be looking to exploit, though he stressed that his former employers must be wary of their opponents’ midfield and attack.
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Khusanov struggled on his Premier League debut against Chelsea – shortly after arriving at City
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Arteta and Guardiola will renew their rivalry at the Emirates on SundayCredit: Getty
Speaking to talkSPORT.com, Keown said: “Well their defence has been leaking goals.
“There’s no Dias this time around, Stones has only come back from injury, their new signing makes a mistake early on.
“There is an issue there, but I think what was encouraging for them was they got back to playing their football again.
“They got as many footballers out there as they possibly can – [Kevin] De Bruyne coming off the bench – [Ilkay] Gundogan is somebody I really like.
“He’s someone that has got to be stopped and they are progressive.
“When you go tight on them, they find [Erling] Haaland now, he looks like he’s coming back through the gears, getting his confidence back.
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Arsenal know they cannot afford to drop more points if they wish to win a first league title since 2004
“Our two central defenders are going to have to be really strong against him.”
Arsenal go into this weekend’s clash without a defeat against a ‘Big Six’ side in the Premier League since losing to City in April 2023.
Their last meeting in September proved to a barnstormer – a 2-2 draw which saw Stones score an injury-time equaliser after Leandro Trossard‘s first-half red card.
Tempers boiled over following the full-time whistle which saw Haaland tell Arteta to ‘be humble’, before branding Gabriel Jesus as a ‘f****** clown’.
Bernardo Silva meanwhile taunted the Gunners over their back-to-back second-placed finishes, which saw Piers Morgan label the playmaker as ‘rattled’.
Following the four-goal thriller at the Etihad, Keown has claimed that City’s stars have been forced to eat humble pie of their own having slipped down the table.
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He remarked: “I think if you look at what’s happened this year, Bernardo Silva is a great player, but I don’t know if they were the greatest of comments.
“It’s been a wake-up call for them, they realised you can be brilliant one minute, and very ordinary the next.
“The way that City have kind of lost that X factor this season has been really shocking to see.
“Look, they’ve had one defeat now in eight, they’re on their way back, but they still have their shocks, that PSG game [in Champions League], no-one expected them to be 2-0 up and lose 4-2.
“So it’s not quite the infallible City of old, this is an Arsenal team that’s emerging when Man City have won four years on the trot.
“They are a team of winners and we all feel that they will slot back into that, but it won’t be easy against Arsenal at the Emirates.
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Haaland stirred the pot against Arsenal several timesCredit: Getty
“They’ll find any kind of weakness, I don’t think City are as strong now.
“I think particularly with Walker not being there, he was always someone that used to tie us up a little bit.
“So it’ll be interesting to see how they’re going to make their new signings work.”
With Liverpool playing on Saturday, Arsenal could trail Liverpool by nine points going into their match with City.
Though with the Reds to face high-flying Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, the Gunners could be given a chance to close the gap should the Merseyside outfit slip up.
Arsenal are hopeful of fending off interest from fellow Premier League clubs to snap up Rosenborg starlet Sverre Nypan, talkSPORT understands.
The Gunners are in advanced talks with the Norwegian side to bring the teenage playmaker to the Emirates Stadium.
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Norwegian starlet Nypan (left) is a player in demand during the winter transfer windowCredit: Getty
While the deal isn’t in the closing stages of completion, it is Arsenal who are the frontrunners to secure his services.
Both Aston Villa and Brighton are also admirers of the 18-year-old, who is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Europe.
Meanwhile LaLiga outfit Girona are also interested in the youngster in the race to sign the player tipped as the ‘next Martin Odegaard‘.
Recent reports have stated that Manchester City are in the running to land the attacking midfielder.
Nypan was present at the Etihad Stadium to watch the Citizens’ 3-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday evening.
He even shares the same agent as City striker and compatriot Erling Haaland in Rafaela Pimenta.
But talkSPORT understands that Pep Guardiola‘s men will not be making a move for Nypan before the February 3 deadline.
Instead, their Premier League title rivals Arsenal are confident that it will be them that wins the race for Nypan to see him join Norway captain Odegaard at London Colney.
It is believed that Nypan would instantly become part of Mikel Arteta‘s first-team squad, where he would add much-needed creativity in the middle of the park.
Able to operate as a No. 8 or as a No. 10, Nypan would likely be deployed as a left-sided central midfielder should he link up in north London.
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Nypan is destined to depart Rosenborg before the end of the winter transfer windowCredit: AFP
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He has been likened to Arsenal captain and Norwegian compatriot OdegaardCredit: Getty
Regarded as Norway’s next big star after Haaland and Odegaard, Nypan burst onto the scene in 2022.
In November of that year, he created Rosenborg history by becoming the club’s youngest player having made his senior debut at the age of 15 years and 322 days.
Just six months later, he became their youngest goalscorer in the league at just 16 years and 145 days.
And in the recent 2024 Eliteserien campaign, he chipped in with an impressive eight goals and seven assists in 28 matches.
His dazzling displays saw him win the Eliteserien Young Player of the Season award for the second year running.
With fellow teenagers in Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly given regular game time under Arteta, Nypan could be the latest teenager to make his name at the Emirates.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland admitted Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s antics even caught him by surprise.
Sanchez’s questionable positioning proved costly as it allowed Haaland to score the go-ahead goal in City’s 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
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Haaland couldn’t believe his luck when he saw Sanchez in no-man’s-land
City goalkeeper Ederson fired a long ball up the other end of the park in Haaland’s direction.
The Norwegian got the better of Chelsea‘s Trevoh Chalobah as he flicked the ball on and sprinted after it down the right flank.
But what caught Haaland off-guard was the fact Sanchez had come flying off his line in anticipation of the ball.
However, once Haaland gained possession, the Spaniard was caught in no man’s land.
Sanchez got as far as the left corner of his box before being forced to rapidly backpedal as Haaland sat Chalobah down and clipped an effort into the empty net.
The Chelsea goalkeeper smacked the turf in frustration having gift-wrapped the lead for City in the 68th minute.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Haaland confirmed he was surprised at Sanchez’s actions as he walked the panel through his decision-making process.
“Yeah, I thought he was going to go and get it at first because I saw him in my eyesight,” Haaland said.
“But then I quickly saw that he stopped. Then it was about trying to stay calm and put it in the back of the net.”
Haaland also revealed his process for how he out-dueled Chalobah.
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Sanchez had only himself to blame for Haaland’s goalCredit: Getty
“It’s difficult because you have to take the decision right there, what you’re going to do, if you’re going to try to take it (the ball) down or if it’s going to come and pull you down,” Haaland said.
“But I thought there was space in behind so I tried to just let it go because he (Chalobah) didn’t quite go for the ball.
“Then it was about running. Sanchez was mistiming it and the opportunity was there to just shoot it in the back of the net.”
Haaland’s goal took his season tally to 18, one behind Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah in the race for the golden boot.
The 3-1 result was also City’s fourth win in their last five league games as they continue to build some much-needed momentum.
City’s win was also their first over a team with a higher league position since a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on December 4.
Pep Guardiola‘s side had to do it the hard way though having conceded after just three minutes.
New signing Abdukodir Khusanov was behind the nightmare start as his attempt to head the ball back to Ederson lacked power and allowed Nicolas Jackson to swoop in.
Jackson squared the ball to Noni Madueke and he tapped into an empty net to send the travelling Chelsea supporters wild.
Khusanov then picked up a yellow card just minutes later when he mistimed a tackle on Cole Palmer.
But City found the equaliser in the 42nd minute via Josko Gvardiol when he smashed home the rebound after Sanchez had stopped Matheus Nunes‘ initial effort.
Haaland nudged City in front as Phil Foden added the cherry on top three minutes from time.
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Foden sealed the three points in style with his sixth goal in four matchesCredit: Getty
The win helped Guardiola’s side leapfrog Chelsea and go up to fourth on the table with 41 points.
Fanatics have announced they will be opening their first-ever global flagship store ahead of a stunning new Premier League deal.
The shop will be located on the iconic Regent Street, showcasing the brand to a footfall of around 70 million people when it opens in spring.
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Fanatics will be hosting more events with athletes like Dominic Solanke at their new Regent Street storeCredit: Topps
It marks a big step as Fanatics look to expand further into Europe having dominated America as a $25billion behemoth.
The store, which will showcase the brand’s collectibles which cover UEFA club competitions, including the Champions League, MLB, NBA, WWE, UFC, Formula 1 and more.
Fanatics last year announced that they had beaten Panini to the rights for Premier League trading cards and stickers, which will be made under the Topps brand it bought in 2022.
That deal will begin in June, and their new store in London will allow fans from around the world to enjoy a new interactive community space.
The store will include an a state-of-the-art breaking studio, where creators can open packs and boxes for their audiences, interactive customer education touchpoints, and a personal card creation suite
There will also a central display of the rarest and most-desirable cards, all with a giant suspended circular screen above.
The space, as well as selling collectibles has hosted events, including a night with Tottenham star Dominic Solanke and Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo.
The pair known for their love of collectibles opened boxes of Topps products with fans and creators for an unforgettable experience.
And there will be more of the same to come at the Regent Street store.
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The new store will span 803 square meters (8,647 square feet)Credit: Fanatics
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The breakers studio will allow interactive events within the storeCredit: Fanatics
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The Fanatics store will take pride of place on Regent StreetCredit: Fanatics
“We are incredibly excited to cut the ribbon on this amazing community-building retail space, one that we hope will delight collectors and be a true home for the hobby in Europe,” said Topps President of Trading Cards, David Leiner.
“It’ll be a destination for millions of fans as well as our own internal partners – and team and club partners, the latter using our dedicated space to launch and showcase new products in a way that has never been done before.”
While the store will, in the most part target the enormous trading market, there is going to be plenty more to do and buy.
Apparel from Toppsand Fanatics-owned Mitchell & Ness, will be on sale as well as memorabilia, such as signed kits, jerseys, balls and other equipment.
There will also entertainment stock on sale after the recent success of Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Garbage Pail Kids, Stranger Things products.
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Douglas Luiz is willing to return to the Premier League less than seven months after his departure from Aston Villa, talkSPORT understands.
And the Brazilian isn’t short of interest, with two clubs in the English top-flight keeping tabs on his current situation in Turin.
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Luiz hasn’t had a happy time in Italy since he left Aston VillaCredit: Getty
Luiz joined Serie A giants Juventus from Villa last June for a cool £42.3million, with Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea moving in the opposite direction.
However, Luiz’s transfer has not gone to plan.
Of the 26-year-old’s 16 appearances across all competitions this term, just three of them have been starts.
Juventus boss Thiago Motta has instead preferred a midfield pivot of Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram while Teun Koopmeiners operates as the attacking midfielder.
As a result of his lack of game time, talkSPORT understands Villa and Manchester City are open to offering Luiz an exit route.
Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, chief football correspondent Alex Crook shed light on the transfer situation surrounding the Brazilian.
“He’s (Luiz) keen to come back to the Premier League,” Crook said.
“I think his old club, Aston Villa, are monitoring the situation.”
Crook added he checked some time ago whether City, who had Luiz on their books before selling him to Villa in 2019, were in the market for him.
The Premier League champions played down talk of a move, but Crook revealed the situation has changed.
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Luiz left Villa last summer, but could return to the club in a shock January switchCredit: Getty
“Since then, I have been told on good authority they are looking for a defensive midfielder,” Crook said.
Crook added: “I think it’s that midfield area Pep Guardiola himself admitted to me after they drew at Brentford that it’s a problem for them.
“If it’s an easy deal to do, then I can see that City would be interested. Certainly I think it’s one to keep an eye on.”
City have been in desperate need of defensive midfield reinforcements since Ballon d’Or winner Rodri tore his ACL against Arsenal earlier this season.
With the Spaniard gone for the season, Guardiola has had to rely on Mateo Kovacic as his primary option at the base of midfield.
Ilkay Gundogan is also on City’s books, but at age 34, the German is not the phenom he once was.
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Guardiola is keen to bring in a defensive midfielder in JanuaryCredit: Getty
Given City are still competing on three fronts this season, Guardiola is under no illusion he needs some fresh faces.
City have already made a big splash in the January window, as talkSPORT understands they are closing in on an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for forward Omar Marmoush.
