It’s incredibly quiet out there in terms of Arsenal news so here is a round-up of a few bits and pieces I found on my travels through the papers this morning that I thought you might find interesting.

virgil van dijk v city
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 07: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool passes the ball under pressure from Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 7, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

NETHERLANDS boss Ronald Koeman told £75million Liverpool centre-back, Virgil van Dijk, he is ‘too laid back’. Koeman said: “I told Virgil within 30 seconds of the end of the game against France [the 2-1 defeat in the Nations League last month] what I thought.”

CARDIFF lost their appeal against Joe Ralls’ red card in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Tottenham at Wembley. The midfielder was sent off for a foul on Lucas Moura.

CRYSTAL PALACE striker Christian Benteke has undergone minor knee surgery. The Belgian has been out since early September after picking up the injury in the 2-0 defeat by Southampton.

benteke

PROSECUTORS in Belgium have carried out raids and arrests at clubs across the country linked to investigations into fraud and match-fixing.

NORWICH defender Max Aarons, 18, has signed a new five-year contract at Carrow Road despite interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.

max aarons
CARDIFF, WALES – AUGUST 28: Max Aarons of Norwich City celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Cardiff City and Norwich City at the Cardiff City Stadium on August 28, 2018 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

OXFORD are in talks with council leaders about a viable site for a new home as they continue to weigh up a move away from the Kassam Stadium

RONALDO’S agent has denied that the payment made to Kathryn Mayorga was because he raped her, claiming it was merely to maintain her silence after a consensual encounter. Police in Las Vegas announced on Tuesday that they want to speak to the player about the alleged rape from 2009.

ronaldo juventus
UDINE, ITALY – OCTOBER 06: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus looks on during the Serie A match between Udinese and Juventus at Stadio Friuli on October 6, 2018 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

In non-football news that I think is important, an exclusive in the Telegraph on Wednesday stated “Sexual-consent workshops will be given to cricketers at senior and academy level for the first time under an initiative delivered by the Professional Cricketers’ Association. It comes as the issue of sexual consent is at the forefront of public discussion in the wake of the Me Too movement and a series of high-profile sexual-assault allegations and cases.

“A pilot session will be held with the England Lions squad at the end of this month before being rolled out to all first-class senior and academy squads next summer. The PCA has employed an outside company with the backing of the England and Wales Cricket Board and it will include sexual-consent education as part of its welfare workshops, which also include sessions on gambling addiction and drinking.”

THE FA have admitted that they face up a bill of up to a £72m for upgrades to Wembley if they do not sell the stadium to Fulham owner, Shaid Khan.

Mark Burows, the FA’s chief financial officer, told county FA chiefs at a presentation that, “Wembley is profitable and we do not need to sell — I would be happy to keep running it and would enjoy doing so. This is a serious and very credible offer and it’s a far better deal than we would have got in the market. A forced seller would not get a deal like this.

“And the FA will save £72m in capital expenditure over the next six years. It’s £18m this year. We are immediately off the hook for this and it’s the biggest number in the turnover equation. So we would be better off by handing over the stadium to them, never mind the £600m.”

Approximately £2m of work is needed on the floodlights, while the pitch, roof, cabling and beer delivery systems all need work with the bill this year alone totalling around £18m.