Darren Bent believes Mikel Arteta should not play Kepa Arrizabalaga for the remainder of Arsenal’s season and insists David Raya should start every game.

After crashing out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat away to Southampton last Saturday, Arsenal are still in with a chance of winning the Premier League and the Champions League this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side currently have a nine-point cushion over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, while the Gunners sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP on Tuesday night.

Arsenal now turn their attention back to the Premier League this weekend as they host Bournemouth in Saturday’s 12:30pm kick-off.

Former Premier League striker Bent has called on Arteta to stick with his trusted players for the remainder of the campaign, and described Gabriel Jesus as a ‘passenger’ in the defeat to Southampton last wekend.

‘It was just worrying, the performance, because there were so many players who I have lauded this season, like [Cristhian] Mosquera, whenever he has come in to play when [William] Saliba has been injured, at times he’s looked really good, he looked like he was nervous against Southampton,’ Bent told talkSPORT.

‘Gabriel [Magalhaes], I don’t know if it was because Saliba wasn’t next to him, he looked a little bit nervous, not like his normal self.

‘Gabriel Jesus… I mean, I don’t know why we keep trying, I could’ve told you, it’s not worked for like three years and yet we’re still… I know you’ve got to give players minutes but that’s not working.

‘As I said, [Max] Dowman was the only one who I thought, ‘he’s got a little bit about him’.

‘Stop playing Kepa. I know it’s not necessarily his fault, but I don’t want to see Kepa again this season.

‘As a back-up, perfect. David Raya, between now and the end of the season, has to play every single minute.

‘Even if Arsenal destroy Sporting in the Champions League, next week I need David Raya in goal. Play him from now in every game until the end of the season.

‘I understand he’s trying to play bodies but these players are letting him down, they keep being given opportunities and they’re not taking them. Gabriel Jesus was like a passenger.’

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Former Chelsea star Tony Cascerino fears Arsenal will need a helping hand from his old side if they are to pip Manchester City to the Premier League title.

The Gunners remain in a commanding position given they hold a nine-point lead, albeit having played a game more, but successive cup defeats has put an entirely different complexion on the run-in.

Mikel Arteta had hoped that the Carabao Cup final would provide an opportunity to end a six-year silverware trophy doubts but a 2-0 loss has instead seen fresh doubts creep in and provided City with fresh impetus.

Pep Guardiola’s side turn in an ominous display against Liverpool on Saturday, romping to a 4-0 win, and would have taken fresh belief from the way in which a disjointed Arsenal team saw their FA Cup hopes go up in smoke against Southampton.

Arsenal are back in Champions League action in midweek against Sporting Lisbon before they resume their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth at home on Saturday lunchtime.

A win there would see them extend their lead, temporarily at least to 12 points, before City face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 24 hours later.

With Arsenal’s trip to the Etihad also on the horizon, Cascarino believes extgending their current lead this coming weekend could prove to be essential if the north London club are to finally end their wait for the title.

He told talkSPORT: ‘I would say if you ask me today and Arsenal have to go to the Etihad and get a victory, I think City will beat them.

‘I think eight out 10 times at the moment City would beat Arsenal.

‘I think it’s really important that Chelsea who City play next away that Chelsea get some sort of result for Arsenal.

‘I think they need a bit more help from other teams. I don’t see Arsenal winning every game, I just don’t.

‘I think all Arsenal fans will be shell-shocked today at what they’ve witnessed. There a good side, we know they are.

‘They’ve led the way all season but for this period of the season to then look vulnerable that would be a concern.’

After talk of a quadruple gathered pace last month, Arsenal are now contemplating the unthinkable and another trophyless season following the upset at St Mary’s.

‘We have the most important period in both competitions ahead of us, and it’s now the moment when you have a difficult moment in the season, to show what we are made of – and it is now we have to show who we are,’ said Arteta after Shea Charles’ late goal condemned his side to back-to-back defeat for the first time this term.

‘Obviously, we’re very disappointed. We wanted to get back to Wembley as quickly as possible, and we haven’t managed to do that – so first of all, congratulations to Southampton for being there.

‘The game had moments, we had moments, where we had a lot of dominance from our side, and chances, and situations in and around the box that we didn’t capitalise on enough.

‘And then we have to accept we were poor in and around our box defending situations that normally we are excellent at. We paid the price.’

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By LUKE AUGUSTUS, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Published: 06:30 EDT, 5 April 2026 | Updated: 06:35 EDT, 5 April 2026

The fallout of Arsenal’s surprising FA Cup quarter-final exit at Southampton on Saturday night has continued, with some of their supporters fearing the worst for the rest of the season.

The Gunners suffered a 2-1 defeat on the south coast with Shea Charles’ 85th-minute winner seeing the Championship side progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Arsenal have now suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions, either side of last month’s international break, having lost 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City at Wembley.

Those results have seen their quadruple dreams halve with the Premier League and Champions League now to play for.

Arsenal remain in the boxseat in the former, as they sit nine points clear of City on 70 points – albeit having played a game more. In the Champions League they travel to Lisbon to take on Sporting in the first leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday night.

But despite going well in the Premier League and Champions League, one of their celebrity supporters believes Arsenal could end the season empty-handed.

Jack Whitehall is among Arsenal fans fearing the worst after their FA Cup exit on Saturday 

After losing 2-1 at Southampton, Whitehall fears that the Gunners may end up empty-handed

Taking to X on Saturday night, comedian and actor Jack Whitehall bluntly wrote: ‘I actually think Arsenal might f*** everything’, with his caption accompanied by an ‘eek’ emoji.

Piers Morgan was another vocal about his beloved club, posting on X at half-time when they were trailing 1-0 at Southampton courtesy of Ross Stewart’s strike: ‘Do you actually want to win any trophies @Arsenal? Such a poor, lacklustre half.’

His mood did improve when Viktor Gyokeres equalised in the second half, but his frustrations came to the fore with the full-time result and then again on Easter Sunday morning.

With the latter, he wrote: ‘Not exactly in a celebratory mood’ in a quote post of Arsenal wishing all of their fans a happy Easter that celebrate it.

His posts have since seen him mocked by rival fans who are revelling in the club’s two most recent results.

One Chelsea supporter shared a video of actor Jim Royle, played by actor Ricky Tomlinson, just laughing from a scene of the hit comedy The Royle Family.

A Manchester City fan mocked up an AI image of an apple crumble rebranded as ‘Arsenal crumble’ too.

It wasn’t just his most recent tweets that Morgan was mocked for though, with Southampton digging up his post from March 9.

Piers Morgan was another celebrity fan to express his frustration on X after Arsenal’s loss

Morgan was quickly mocked by rivals and Southampton themselves on social media

Southampton also teased another Arsenal fan on X after their FA Cup quarter-final victory

On that day, Morgan declared it was a ‘Great draw for Arsenal’ in relation to their quarter-final tie and in response on Saturday night, Southampton merely put a picture of Charles’ face celebrating at the full-time whistle.

They also teased another Arsenal fan who labelled their victory as a ‘Fluke win’ by replying back: ‘Enjoy your quadruple, pal’.

Southampton can look forward to a FA Cup semi-final later this month when they’ll face either Chelsea, Liverpool or West Ham United/Leeds United.

Arsenal are sweating on another potential injury blow after Gabriel Magalhaes was forced off in their FA Cup defeat against Southampton.

After Manchester City ended their quadruple bid, the Gunners crashed out of a second competition on Saturday night after a shock defeat at St Mary’s.

Mikel Arteta’s side trailed at half-time after an error from Ben White led to Ross Stewart scoring the opener for the hosts before Viktor Gyokeres levelled the quarter-final tie after 68 minutes with.

Shea Charles scored a winner for Saints five minutes from the final whistle, sparking jubilant celebrations among the home crowd.

It was a woeful night for Arsenal and there will be concern for Gabriel who was forced off with 20 minutes of the game remaining.

The Brazil international was among the clutch of players not involved for their respective nations during the international break but was named in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI at St Mary’s on Saturday night.

His evening came to an end after 73 minutes with the centre-half replaced by Gabriel Saliba. Gabriel was seen sat among the Arsenal subs with his right knee elevated with an ice pack applied.

Speaking after the game, Arteta revealed Gabriel asked to be replaced, describing the situation as ‘not ideal.’

Arteta said in his post-match press conference when asked about the Brazilian: ‘I don’t know. He felt something, we don’t know exactly what it is.

‘But when a player asks to be substituted, it is not ideal.’

Saliba, who replaced his teammate after the knock, was another who missed the international break as he recovered from an ankle issue.

Gabriel missed 10 games earlier in the season with a thigh injury he suffered while on international duty with Brazil last November.

Arsenal will be hoping the issue is not a serious one with a hectic fiixture schedule ahead, back in action away to Sporting CP in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

Bournemouth visit the Emirates next weekend before Sporting come to town for the return leg.

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The FA Cup returns this weekend with eight teams competing for a place in the semi-final at Wembley later this month.

Manchester City and Liverpool kick off the action with their tie at the Etihad Stadium at 12:45pm on Saturday.

Chelsea are next up as they host League One side Port Vale at Stamford Bridge at 5:15pm before Southampton host Premier League leaders Arsenal at St Mary’s at 8pm.

In the only FA Cup tie held on Sunday, West Ham play Leeds United at the London Stadium at 4:30pm.

When is the FA Cup semi-final draw?

The FA Cup semi-final draw will be held on Sunday, April 5, after West Ham’s quarter-final tie against Leeds United at the London Stadium.

The match kicks off at 4.30pm and the draw will take place approximately 15 minutes after full-time.

How to watch the FA Cup draw on TV and live stream

The draw will be available for fans to watch on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max.

The draw will also be streamed live for free on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.

When will the semi-final games be played?

The two semi-final ties will take place on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at Wembley.

Are there replays in the FA Cup this year?

Replays are not in use in any of the full rounds of this season’s FA Cup.

The FA scrapped replays from the first round onwards in last year’s competition and that has continued into the 2025/26 campaign.

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Ally McCoist believes Julian Alvarez has a straightforward decision to make this summer when it comes to choosing his next club.

The Argentina international already has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt having played a key role in Manchester City’s historic treble-winning campaign.

Disenchanted at the prospect of continuing to play second fiddle to Erling Haaland, however, the 26-year-old joined Atletico Madrid two years ago where he has continued to enhance his reputation as one of world football’s most complete forwards.

The Spanish side are reluctant to lose one of their prize assets this summer but manager Diego Simeone left the door ajar when asked about Alvarez’s future after his devastating display in the Champions League win over Tottenham.

‘He looks happy to me,’ Simeone said. ‘He’s scoring goals, if you look at the teams he’s been at [River Plate and Man City], Atletico is the team where he’s scored the most goals.

‘He looks committed, positive. There isn’t much difference between this season and last season in terms of the goals he’s scored.

‘Let’s hope he can stay for many years at Atletico Madrid, and we can keep building a team so that important players want to stay.’

Asked whether he would be at Atletico next season, Alvarez, meanwhile, said: ‘I don’t know, I might be, or I might not. I’m happy. I’m thinking about the day to day.’

Despite Atletico’s stance and their £129million valuation, the Premier League giants continue to circle ahead of what is likely to be an intense transfer tug of war.

Arsenal and Chelsea are both reported to have registered an interest but McCoist feels Alvarez should snub the champions-elect and opt for their west London rivals where he could be almost guaranteed a starting spot.

He told talkSPORT Bet Casino: ‘Oh, without a doubt. I think he’s got a better chance of playing more regularly at Chelsea, to tell you the truth, than he would at Arsenal. The squad at Arsenal is phenomenal. 

‘They’re playing Kai Havertz, sometimes as a false nine, Gabriel Jesus is through the middle, and Leandro Trossard has played there.

‘Alvarez is a real talent. As I say, it would surprise me to see him coming back. But in terms of where he went, I think he’d probably get more game time.

‘And you know something? Chelsea might appeal to him because of that, because of those factors you’ve mentioned, particularly the one about a young side with a lot of potential. 

‘If he came to Arsenal, they still haven’t got over the line at this moment in time.

‘I think they will, and I think they will in a couple of years, but it’s a big six weeks coming up for Arsenal, there’s no doubt. You look at the size of Arsenal’s squad, it’s absolutely massive.

‘So, he’s probably got a better chance of getting more regular playing time with Chelsea.’

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Jason Cundy believes Arsenal ‘are not on the same football level’ as Paris Saint-Germain but insists Mikel Arteta’s side can still win the Champions League this season.

Arsenal remain the only unbeaten team in the Champions League this term after their 3-1 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16.

The Premier League leaders will now play Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final with the first leg of their tie against the Portuguese side to be played next Tuesday

PSG, meanwhile, needed to beat Monaco in the playoffs to reach the Champions League last-16 but Luis Enrique’s side impressed in their 8-2 aggregate win over Chelsea last month.

Arsenal’s hopes of winning the quadruple this season ended before the international break with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

Cundy maintains Arsenal can still win the Champions League but claims Arteta’s side are ‘nowhere near’ the level PSG have shown.

‘We [the Premier League] are an unbelievable league but the truth of it is the last couple of seasons the league is actually pretty goal,’ Cundy told talkSPORT.

‘I watched PSG [against Chelsea], all jokes aside, that is a football team, a proper football team. Don’t rely on long balls, don’t rely on set-pieces, don’t rely on long throws, they are a proper team.

‘Last season, they were the best side I saw in any competition and they went on to win the Champions League.

‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean to say that Arsenal, who have had their criticism, aren’t capable of going and doing what they’re doing in the Premier League and overpowering teams.

‘I’ve got no love, I hope Arsenal fall at the last every time, but you’ve got to appreciate a good side, you’ve got to appreciate what they do and they do it well, dark arts and all that.

‘I’ve said this, I want my side Chelsea to be more like them. I want to be more like Arsenal. I want the dark arts, go down in the box, throw yourself down, goalkeeper’s holding his head.

‘Arsenal can go on and win this Champions League by being who they are. But if you’re talking about a football club and a football team, PSG have embodied everything, they are just a brilliant team, moving the ball, creativity.

‘Going forward, Barcelona, that’s the beautiful game, the way they move the ball through the thirds, Arsenal are not that team and that’s okay, you don’t have to be like that.

‘What I saw [PSG beating Chelsea] was just an eye opener. They are miles ahead of anything in the Premier League in terms of football, PSG, no team can touch them with the ball at their feet.

‘And Arsenal, as good as they are, they’re not on the same level as a football team as PSG, nowhere near it, but Arsenal can do it in a different way and they’re going to have to find a way.

‘Liverpool have got to find a way. From what I’ve seen of Liverpool this season and PSG in the Champions League, I don’t think they are capable, I genuinely don’t think they are capable of matching PSG because they have got the lot and they are ruthless, utterly ruthless.’

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Steven Gerrard shut down Gary Neville’s suggestion that Mohamed Salah could ‘rock up’ at Chelsea or Arsenal after leaving Liverpool.

Salah, one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, announced last month that he would be leaving Anfield at the end of the season.

Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, putting his third in the club’s list of all-time record goalscorers.

The Egyptian superstar, 33, has helped Liverpool win two Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and three domestic cups.

Salah signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool last summer but will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season after ‘reaching an agreement’ with the club.

The Anfield legend has been heavily linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and the MLS since announcing his imminent departure.

But Neville has questioned if Salah will try to keep playing at the top level for another season or two before perhaps moving to Saudi or America at a future date.

If that proves to be the case, landing spots for Salah are not entirely clear, with Neville dismissing moves to the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG as unrealistic.

The former Manchester United and England defender raised a ‘ridiculous’ suggestion after questioning whether Salah could ‘rock up’ at one of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals, Chelsea or Arsenal.

But Liverpool hero Gerrard was quick to dismiss that theory and tipped Salah to move to the Saudi Pro League, where he himself managed between 2023 and 2025.

Speaking to Gerrard, fellow ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher said on The Overlap: ‘You went to LA Galaxy and with Mo Salah now, do you think he will do a MLS or a Saudi move or do you think he will still think he can play at the top level and move to another big club?’

Gerrard responded: ‘Knowing him, he’ll still have himself down as one of the best players in the world.

‘That’s why the fallout [at Liverpool] came apart, he was probably struggling with the transition of not starting every game. But I think that’s his mentality.’

Neville then said: ‘You’ve both said the same thing now about Salah, that he will still think he’s the best player in the world and you don’t think it’s right for him to go to the US or Saudi.

‘Has he got a shock in him though? I’m going to put something ridiculous out there… could he rock up at Chelsea or Arsenal?

‘He’s been to Italy before and he’s not going to Barcelona or Real Madrid. In a different time I could have seen him at PSG but that’s not going to happen now.

‘These players have egos that means they have to play at clubs that suit their brand and way of thinking.’

Responding to Neville’s theory, Gerrard said: ‘I’m not saying it’s not right for him to go to Saudi or MLS. I’m talking about what he might be thinking in his head and where does he see himself… 

‘I don’t think he will do that [join a Premier League rival]. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s another big club somewhere else, but I don’t think he would move to a rival.

‘I think it will be Saudi. I’ve lived over there and knowing how he’s thought of over there, I think it will be Saudi.

‘It wouldn’t shock me if he moved to Italy but if I had to put money on it I would go with Saudi.

‘There’s some good players in the top-end out there and he would be playing with some good players, some very good players.’

Carragher, meanwhile, tipped Salah for a move back to Serie A and suggested he would regret joining a Saudi Pro League side this summer.

‘I could see Italy, I could see Milan or Inter,’ Carragher added. ‘I think he thinks he’s still one of the best players in the world.

‘And that’s almost retiring going over there in my eyes. I think he could do another two or three years somewhere and then go there.’

While Liverpool failed to retain their Premier League trophy this season, Salah will hope to help the Reds salvage a poor campaign by qualifying for the Champions League.

Arne Slot’s side also have aspirations of winning the Champions League and FA Cup ahead of quarter-final ties against PSG and Manchester City.

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Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor felt her players ‘deserved more respect’ after the Blues hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals were dashed by a 3-2 aggregate loss to Arsenal.

Sjoeke Nusken scored in stoppage time at Stamford Bridge to inspire the hosts to a 1-0 second-leg quarter-final victory which was overshadowed by a late incident that appeared to show Arsenal defender Katie McCabe pulling the ponytail of Chelsea forward Alyssa Thompson, who was left in tears.

McCabe later claimed on Instagram that she was ‘genuinely’ reaching for Thompson’s shirt, offering her opponent ‘full respect’, but Bompastor felt the episode deserved a review by the match officials.

‘I just think it’s not good enough,’ said Bompastor, who was visibly outraged on the touchline.

‘At the end I’m the one who gets a red card where I think the Arsenal player should be the one who gets a red card.

‘What is the VAR doing in these games? If we have the VAR, why are we not checking these situations? I don’t understand, and it’s not good enough.’

Bompastor was still raging by the time she gave her TV interview with the BBC, arriving armed with a mobile phone in hand and a clip of the moment McCabe pulled Thompson’s hair asking: ‘Why do we have VAR?’.

She added: ‘I don’t want to speak to them [the officials] because it’s always the same story.

‘Even if I go and speak to them, they will not give me a clear answer. It’s difficult for me because I don’t want to be the only one talking about this situation.

‘Everyone needs to understand that’s the difference between being qualified and not being qualified. It has a big impact on players.’

Chelsea, meanwhile, look unlikely to catch Manchester City in the WSL title chase but remain alive in the FA Cup, and will take on Tottenham in Monday’s quarter-final.

‘The reality is, for a club like Chelsea, (our season) is not good enough,’ admitted Bompastor. ‘I’m not happy about the fact that I can’t help the team more than we did this season.’

Arsenal’s Champions League title defence continues with a semi-final matchup against either Lyon or Wolfsburg, who enter Friday’s decider locked in a goalless aggregate stalemate.

Boss Renee Slegers, who did not feel the hair pull was deliberate, said: ‘It was an unbelievable performance from the team, because it is a hard scenario.

‘I think it’s special to be a part of this. I really enjoy being with these people every single day and the process that we’re in and the results that we’re getting.

‘I think everyone feels this way about what we’re doing at the moment. We can never get comfortable in this, even though we have to enjoy where we are at, but we have to keep on striving for more and better.’

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Great Britain’s Adam Gemili has announced his retirement from athletics after 14 years at the top of the sport

In the space of a few months, Adam Gemili went from playing for Dagenham and Redbridge academy to becoming World Junior 100m champion and stepping onto the start line at the London 2012 Olympics.

Gemili had left Chelsea’s academy at 15 after training alongside the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and three years later was racing against Jamaican legends Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake at the Olympics.

Now, as the Londoner announces his retirement from athletics, he will be sharing his wisdom with the current Chelsea youngsters as he joins the Premier League club part-time as a speed coach.

Gemili made his Olympic debut at 18 and raced Jamaican Yohan Blake

“I dabbled a little bit in athletics, but I didn’t really try properly, and I remember just suddenly getting into the sport in training, and I just picked it up so quickly,” Gemili said.

“I was winning races and next thing I know, six months later, it’s a home Olympics and I’m lining up for GB thinking ‘what am I doing here?’

“Honestly, it the most imposter syndrome I’ve ever had, I was thinking ‘how does this happen to me?’

“Six months prior, no one had ever asked for my autograph or asked for a picture with me and now all of a sudden I’m at a home Olympics.

“Everyone sort of knew who I was, I was the young sprinter on the block, it was a really crazy time, not just for myself, for my family as well.

“I’d seen Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake on the TV, then suddenly, I’m in the call room, looking across and Usain’s sitting there.

“I remember thinking to myself ‘lock in, come on, focus’ – I was fangirling.

“I was in the Olympic Village in London walking around and Serena Williams walked in front of me and I was like ‘what’s happening? I was playing at Dagenham five, six months ago’. I didn’t really feel like I belonged.”

Gemili’s major breakthrough into the sport came within three years of leaving the Chelsea academy

Now as Gemili retires with a plentiful collection of medals, including a 4x100m gold from the London World Championships in 2017 and four European golds, he returns to where it all started to help the next generation at Chelsea.

“I’m just a normal guy from Dartford, we didn’t grow up with a lot,” Gemili added. “We just worked hard and I committed to my sport.

“I just hope one or two of them [the academy players] take some inspiration from that and say ‘you know what, it doesn’t matter if I can’t do it in this way, I’ll always find a way to be successful’.

“It doesn’t matter what you do. My story is my own and I hope a lot of these guys can create their own stories.

“I really hope they will go on and become super famous, rich, successful footballers that I can ring up and say ‘oh, I need some tickets for this game’, but the reality is it might not happen.

“But they might then be able to go ‘Adam used to do that and then he became a professional athlete in another sport, maybe I can do that’.

“These kids are so talented, they’re going to be talented no matter what they do – these 12, 13, 14-year-olds, they are just a different breed.

“It’s more brutal to be amongst [academy football] now, social media wasn’t a thing when I was growing up and now everything you do is online.

“Everyone can judge everyone, so the pressure, the performance, you’ve got to be on it.”

Gemili placed fourth at the 2016 Olympics and 2019 World Championships over 200m, and in 2023 in the 4x100m

Through his background in football and athletics, Gemili can provide a unique perspective on improving your speed and emphasises that while all sports are different, the key is to learn was ‘fast’ feels like.

He’ll be setting up his own ‘academy’ to help sprinters, footballers, and young athletes from other sports learn how they can optimise their speed.

“Knowledge is power and if I’m able to teach these kids everything that I know, I can die happy,” he added.

“I hope even just one or two of them can feel some sort of inspiration from my story because football is very tough sport – like, I never planned to become an athlete.

“For a lot of these guys they won’t make it to the top level, they won’t make it to the top of the Premier League.

“But if I can teach them the skills that I got, one or two of them might even come into athletics, you never you never really know.”

Home World Championships ‘inspire a nation’

Gemili won gold at the London 2017 World Athletics championships in the 4x100m alongside Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, CJ Ujah and Daniel Talbot

The bidding process for the 2029 World Athletics Championships is ongoing, but British Athletics’ bid has been hit by reports West Ham are yet to agree to the London Stadium’s use.

Gemili said the impact of a home championships cannot be missed, as he reflected back on his experience competing in the stadium in 2012 and at the 2017 World Championships.

“It gives athletes a great opportunity, but also it inspires a city, inspires a nation,” he said.

“Who knows in 10 or 15 years, that moment might make the future because there would definitely have been people in that 2017 stadium that were inspired by performances there that are now on British teams.

“I really hope they can come to an agreement, because sport should be celebrated and – football, athletics – there’s so much joy and brilliance that it brings to people.

“It brings such community in it, and especially London, it brings such a city together when especially over the last couple of years, it’s felt quite divided.”