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Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020 QQQ83
Reiss the mastermind as young Gunners tame Pompey to claim their place in last eight
the admirable nelson!
PORTSMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Bass 6; McCrorie 6,
Bolton 6.5, Burgess 6.5, Seddon 6;
McGeehan 6, Close 6.5; Williams 7, Evans 6.5
(Cannon 74min, 6), Harness 6 (Curtis 67, 6);
Harrison 6 (Marquis 67, 6).
Subs not used: MacGillivray, Naylor,
Whatmough, Raggett.
Booked: McGeehan.
Manager: Kenny Jackett 6.
ARSenAl (4-2-3-1): Martinez 6; Sokratis 7.5,
Luiz 7, Mari 7, Saka 7; Torreira 5 (Ceballos 16,
7.5), Guendouzi 7; NelSoN 8 (Maitland-Niles
90+1), Willock 6.5 (Xhaka 87), Martinelli 6;
Nketiah 7.
Subs not used: Leno, Lacazette,
Holding, Pepe.
Scorers: Sokratis 45+4, Nketiah 51.
Booked: Guendouzi.
Manager: Mikel Arteta 6.5.
Referee: Mike Dean 6.5.
Attendance: 18,839.Clubs want deal
to sign foreigners
without permits
PREMIER LEaguE clubs believe
they are edging closer to a deal with
the Fa which would significantly
relax the regulations around work
permits for foreign players.
The government want a definitive
update this month on how the
new rules will look after Brexit, with
the Fa and Premier League in talks
which also concern the homegrown
players quota.
Initial concerns that an agreement
would not be reached by the end of
this month are subsiding and there
is optimism a deal can be struck in
the coming weeks.
among the changes being consid-
ered is allowing as many as three
foreign players per 25-man squad
w h o w o u l d n o t r e q u i r e w o r k
permits.
as it stands, players outside the
Eu must meet criteria such as
appearing in a percentage of their
country’s international matches
before being granted work permits.
But the possibility has been raised
of introducing ‘free hits’ so clubs
can sign players from all over the
world exempt from employment
red tape.
P remier League clubs would
prefer all work-permit restrictions
to be lifted, but the Fa are keen to
use Brexit to curb the number of
foreign players in the top division.
The Fa’s view is that extending
the current restrictions would
benefit the national team. and
knowing the Fa are unlikely to give
clubs free rein in the transfer
market, the Premier League clubs
are seeking a compromise.
The Fa have proposed reducing
the number of foreign players that
top-flight clubs are permitted in
their squads from 17 to 13 — an idea
the Premier League are unwilling
to accept.
Premier League officials fear the
Fa’s plan would damage the compe-
tition’s status as the best in the
world and, given its huge global
following, will have significant con-
sequences for the uK economy.
Fa technical director Les Reed is
playing a key role in the dialogue
between clubs and the governingbody. His experience as a key tech-
nical administrator at Southamp-
ton means he understands the
club’s requirements.
One source involved in the discus-
sions has told Sportsmail that, while
clubs generally remain against
being forced to have 12 homegrown
players in their squads, being able
to bring in a number of non-work-
permit players could be crucial in
making a breakthrough.
The source said: ‘at one stage we
didn’t look close, but the option of
being able to sign players from out-
side the Eu who wouldn’t need work
permits is an attractive one.
‘What we might see is an agree-
ment on having around 12 to 13
foreign players who meet work-per-
mit criteria, 10 homegrown players
and two to three free hits.
‘Those numbers are still to be
decided but it looks like it will be
there or thereabouts.’
Clubs are also seeking clarification
on which foreign players fit the
homegrown category, with teams no
longer able to sign overseas players
under 18 from January because of
Brexit.
as it stands, a player can be born
overseas but still viewed as home-
grown if they spend three years in
an English or Welsh academy
between the ages of 16 and 21.From Back Pageforward were rushed. gareth
Evans went closest with a header
which went wide and then in the
fourth minute of first-half stop-
page time they slipped behind.
an arsenal corner was cleared
and collected by Ceballos who
found Nelson on the right and his
cross was met on full the by Sok-
ratis. It was a stylish finish from
the greek centre half who was
operating again as a right back.
‘That deflated us,’ said Pompey
manager Kenny Jackett. ‘We
needed those moments to go for
us in the first half and were disap-
pointed not to get to half-time at
0 -0. after the second we really
had to battle because arsenal
can get on top but make you pay
and we never gave up and gave
everything to the end.’
Pompey stirred briefly at the
start of the second half. Matteo
guendouzi acted smartly to
prevent Harrison from tearingclear on the counter and Luke
Williams jinked into the penalty
area from the right only to drag
his shot wide.
arsenal stretched the lead six
minutes after the restart. Nelson
drove down the right and deliv-
ered another cross. It was con-
tested by Nketiah and Bolton and
dropped kindly for the striker to
pounce and net.
Nketiah had the nerve to goad
the Fratton End. Perhaps he
knew the tie was over. arsenal
had not been knocked out of the
Fa Cup by a team from the third
tier or lower since the Wrexham
defeat in 1992. They have not lost
to Portsmouth since 1958.
The wait goes on. arteta’s team
move on. Back to Premier League
action with a derby against West
Ham on Saturday.
Pompey have a promotion clash
at Peterborough next and they
will have their day at Wembley innext month’s EFL Trophy final
against Salford.
‘I’m proud of what we’ve done in
the Fa Cup,’ said Jackett. ‘We
were the last League One team in
it. This was arsenal’s night and
we wish them all the best.’eXClUsiVe
by sami moKbel
Football News CorrespondentSaint-Maximin gloom for
Toon as stars slam tactics
field a team he could rely on
against Burnley.
However, it is claimed a
number of players have
been frustrated with
the tactics employed,
believe the team
should be playing
better football, and
are more capable
than Bruce is making
out in public.
After a run of one win in 10
league matches, Newcastle
are five points off the bottom
three and could do without a
fallout between their head coach
and arguably their best outfield
player. Indeed, the Magpies havewon only one game without him
in the starting XI.
Saint-Maximin (below) signed a
six-year contract in the
summer after joining for
£16million from Nice and
looked set for a bright
future on Tyneside
following an excellent
first half of the season.
However, there is likely
to be no shortage of
interest in the former
France Under 21 star
should relations fail to
improve in the coming months.
Saint-Maximin has scored two
goals in 19 appearances and has
thrilled the Toon Army with his
explosive pace and direct play.Key role: england’s les Reed REX22
ARSenAl are
unbeaten in 22 games
against Portsmouth —
their longest current
run without defeat to
any side. Their last
loss to Portsmouth
came in 1958.PAINFUL NIGHT FOR TORREIRA
ARSeNAl midfielder lucas Torreira lasted
only 16 minutes when a tackle by Pompey’s
James Bolton (top) left him reeling (right)
and he was carried off REX/REUTERS/ANDY HOOPERFa CUP this WeeK
QUarter-Final draW:
Tomorrow, BBC after Sheff Wed v Man CitytoniGht
Chelsea v liverpool 7.45pm, BBC One
West brom v newcastle 8pm, BBC iPlayer
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tomorroWleicester v birmingham 7.45pm, Facebook
sheff Wed v man City 7.45pm, BBC Onetottenham v norwich 7.45pm, BBC iPlayer
thUrsdaYderby v man Utd 7.45pm, BT Sport 1