Oxford united FC
Liverpool legend makes bold claim after Arsenal lose Champions League
The Gunners were defeated by the Parisian giants on penalties last weekend in only their second Champions League final appearance, 20 years after losing their first 2-1 to Barcelona in 2006.
Former Chelsea man Kai Havertz opened the scoring after just six minutes before Ousmane Dembele equalised from the penalty spot in the second half.
Extra time was goalless which meant a 1-1 score line sent the two teams to spot kicks, Gabriel missing Arsenal’s final penalty to secure a second successive European prize for PSG.
Mikel Arteta’s side secured the Premier League title with a game to go over a week earlier, meaning they ended the season with silverware for the first time since 2020.
Despite their heart-breaking defeat in Budapest on Saturday, three-time European Cup winner Souness praised the North London outfit for their domestic crown.
The ex-Liverpool midfielder exclusively told the Oxford Mail: “Arsenal have had a great year, they’ve won the Premier League.
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“When I was a player at Liverpool, that was always a priority, to win the league, because our coaches would say that more about you as an individual, and more about you as a collective. Winning a European Cup, which I was fortunate enough to do a few times, is a great feeling as well.
“But…winning the Premier League is more, it’s a hard, hard nine months you have to be on it.”
Souness was at the forefront of the charity tournament hosted by Oxford City last Sunday which aimed to raise money for DEBRA, of which the 73-year-old is the president.
The five-time First Division winner was in the dugout on the day, in charge of the DEBRA Legends team.
Other big name players took to the pitch at the Mgroup Stadium, including Matt Le Tissier, Carlton Palmer, and Dean Saunders, with former Manchester United Champions League and Premier League winner Wes Brown also in attendance.
When asked about Oxford United‘s fortunes following their relegation to League One last term, Souness said: “They managed to get themselves relegated, didn’t they? And that’s a tough gig I’m sure, but you just have to bounce back.
“You know, you’ve had a day to feel sorry for yourself, a weekend to feel sorry for yourself, and now it’s all about thinking next year, we’re going to get ourselves back and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The U’s are looking to strengthen after their relegation from the Championship last season, with a new striker wanted by supporters after the return of fan favourite Will Lankshear to his parent club Tottenham Hotspur.
Chaplin spent last season on loan at boyhood club Portsmouth as the club survived in the second tier, the 29-year-old scoring twice and managing one assist in 40 appearances.
Meanwhile, his parent club Ipswich secured promotion to the Premier League by finishing second in the league only behind runaway champions Coventry City.
The Englishman was key in the Tractor Boys’ League One promotion-winning season where they finished second, Chaplin scoring 26 goals that year to win the division’s Golden Boot award, joint with Peterborough United’s Jonson Clarke-Harris.
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He was also awarded Ipswich’s Player of the Season award and included in the League One Team of the Season.
Chaplin then struck 13 goals in the Championship as the Suffolk side were promoted again, before suffering relegation from the Premier League the year after.
The attacking midfielder was released by Ipswich last month following their return to the top flight and SportsBoom are reporting that Oxford have ‘expressed an interest’ in signing the free agent.
With experience in the top tiers of English football and proof of goal scoring prowess in League One, Chaplin would be a sensible addition to the U’s ranks.
Tottenham Hotspur want £20 million for 21-year-old Will Lankshear and have turned down multiple bids for him, according to Hayters.
The ex-U’s striker, who was the club’s top scorer last term with 12 goals in all competitions, is highly rated by his parent side who narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season finishing two points above the drop zone.
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However, they haven’t ruled out selling him if the right offer comes in with Portuguese side Sporting CP reportedly interested.
In addition Spurs is also considering another loan move for Lankshear to a Championship club, although the London team is looking to fund a summer spending spree that has already seen a £52 million bid for defender Jan Paul Van Hecke accepted by Brighton.
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Lankshear has made three Premier League appearances for Spurs as well as scoring one goal in three Europa League features.
In a breakout season in men’s football, the England youth international became a fan favourite in OX4 for his tenacity and goal scoring success in a struggling Championship team.
The 21-year-old’s attitude off the pitch also endeared the fans to his name, with the player crediting the club as the place where it all began ahead of a hopefully successful career.
The U’s will play host to the Tractor Boys on Saturday, August 1, with kick-off scheduled for 12:00PM.
The fixture is the fourth pre-season friendly confirmed by the club and the first from a division higher than League One, where Oxford will compete next term.
United will face National League side Aldershot Town (Tuesday, July 21) and League Two club Barnet (Saturday, July 25) away from home before the welcoming of another fourth-tier outfit Crawley Town (Tuesday, July 28).
The U’s have also confirmed that tickets for the trip to Aldershot are now on sale.
Oxford played Ipswich twice in the Championship last season as Matt Bloomfield’s side suffered relegation whilst the Suffolk club were promoted to the Premier League, finishing second.
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Under former head coach Gary Rowett, the Yellows pulled off a shock 2-1 victory against Kieran McKenna’s men in OX4 in late November, Mark Harris and Przemyslaw Placheta scoring the goals.
They were defeated 2-1, however, in the second fixture, Will Lankshear scoring the only goal for the U’s at Portman Road.
The Tractor Boys are currently on the hunt for a new manager after McKenna stepped down last week in order to take a break from football management.
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