New York State

MO SALAH’s record-breaking season continued in style as Liverpool saw off Manchester City at the Etihad.

The Egyptian forward, 32, scored and assisted as the Reds ran out comfortable 2-0 winners in the Premier League champions’ backyard.

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Mo Salah broke another six remarkable records on Sunday afternoon[/caption]

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The Liverpool superstar notched another goal and assist as the Reds beat Man City[/caption]

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Salah has now contributed more than 50 goals and assists combined this season[/caption]

Salah has now racked up an incredible 51 combined goals and assists this season across all competitions.

He has now reached 25 goals and 16 assists in the Premier League alone – with 11 top-flight games still to go.

The remarkable season comes as the 32-year-old’s contract future at Anfield remains uncertain.

But fans were left in awe as he put in a world-class performance to shatter SIX more records in a single evening.

Salah swept in Liverpool’s opener at Eastlands, finding the top corner as City’s defenders gave him far too much space from an early set-piece.

He later laid on the second goal for Dominik Szoboszlai, cutting in from the left before the Hungarian lashed past Ederson.

Salah’s goal and assist make him the first player in Premier League history to register over 40 goal involvements in TWO different seasons, per Squawka.

He is also the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to be directly involved in 50 goals across all competitions this season.

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Salah has now scored AND assisted in 11 different Premier League games this season.

That’s the most since a certain Lionel Messi achieved the same feat for Barcelona in 2014/15.

Former England midfielder Steve McManaman had long held the assist record at Anfield, grabbing 15 in the 1995/96 season.

But Salah has now taken that record as well, with his 16 assists this season more than any other Liverpool player ever in Premier League history.

And Salah’s record-breaking day didn’t end there.

His goal and assist made him the first player in Premier League history to score AND assist in both games against the reigning champions in a single season.

To top things off, Salah is now the first player to score over 25 goals and register more than 15 assists in a single Prem season. 

He is also closing in on Messi’s all-time greatest LaLiga season, which saw the Argentine rack up 61 combined goals and assists, per StatMuse.

Liverpool fans were also keen to compare Salah’s heroics with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age.

Aged 32 in 2019/20, Messi made 58 goal contributions during his time at Barcelona.

Ronaldo was at Real Madrid in 2017/18 when the same age, securing 52 goals and assists.

Salah has 51 contributions as of February 23 – and still has at least 14 games left to go.

FEARS are growing for a man who is thought to have been dragged overboard by a great white shark during a fishing competition on Saturday.

A major air and sea search is to resume to desperately find the fisherman off the New South Wales coast in Australia.

The man was taking party in the interclub fishing competition yesterday off the coast of Port Stephens when he dramatically fell overboard on Saturday.

It’s understood that fisherman was then horrifically dragged under by a great white shark.

The NSW Water Police, Marine Rescue NSW and the Life Saver Rescue helicopter were desperately searching the area 55km off the Newcastle coast, north of Sydney.

And around 30 fishing vessels, including some of those in the competition, joined in on the search.

The rescue operation for the fisherman has so far taken the shape of a line search across the water.

Authorities have also undertaken drift testing to desperately find him.

Inspector Paul Stitt from NSW Ambulance said paramedics were on standby for the missing fisherman.

He said: “We are using all of our resources to hope for a positive outcome.”

Game fishing competitions are widely popular off this particular coastline due to the deep water and warm currents where fish and sharks like to inhabit.

A mere few days ago a group of anglers came across another great white shark in another competition.

The shark managed to get away with half of their catch.

It comes after a man in his 20s was airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a shark in waters off a popular tourist island.

The victim was found suffering from abdominal injuries and deep lacerations to his leg.

Emergency services rushed to the scene near Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia, just after 3pm on Saturday.

The man was treated at the scene before being flown to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition, a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokeswoman said.

Authorities have yet to confirm what species of shark was involved in Saturday’s attack.

Moreton Island, a popular tourist hotspot north of Brisbane, is known for its pristine beaches and the Tangalooma Wrecks – a collection of scuttled ships that have become a famous diving and snorkeling site.

The attack marks the fourth shark incident in Queensland this year.

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Australia’s Newcastle is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales[/caption]

DANCING On Ice fans were left completely stunned as a fan favourite became the sixth celebrity to be axed from show.

After a tense skate off, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Oti Mabuse, Ashley Banjo chose to eliminate Mollie Pearce.

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Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern revealed the results who made it through to the semi-final[/caption]

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The Traitors star Mollie Pearce was eliminated after the skate-off[/caption]

Earlier on in the night, both Mollie Pearce and Dan Edgar failed to impress viewers despite receiving high scores for their respective ice-dancing routines.

Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern made the nail biting announcement as all four couples received scores of of over 35 points.

However, both stars recieved the least amount of votes from the public which meant they had to skate once again in a head-to-head duel.

It was down to The Traitors personality and The Only Way Is Essex star Dan Edgar to battle it out on the ice.

Both respective pairings faced stiff competition in the skate off after a series of impressive performances during Musicals Night.

Former footballer former footballer Anton Ferdinand, Corrie actor Sam Aston, and Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan were sent straight through by the viewers.

After the two tense performances, it was time for the judges to decide to save their favourite competitor to skate in the semi-finals.

The Dancing on Ice judges chose to save Dan for his Oklahoma-inspired musical performance, but the judges were split.

Despite Oti wanting to send Mollie through, it all came down to head judge Jayne Torvill who chose to save Dan.

Now, only four competitors remain to battle it out in the long-running ITV celebrity skating competition.

Next week, Anton Ferdinand, Mollie Pearce, Dan Edgar, Sam Aton and Michaela Strachan will compete for a place in the final.

This comes after actress Chelsee Healey, Ferne McCann, Olympic rower Steve Redgrave were all eliminated.

Love Island‘s Chris Taylor was previously forced to skate away and former EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks was axed by the judges last week.

Last year, former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas emerged as the victor after beating Radio 1’s Adele Roberts and Made In Chelsea personality Miles Nazaire.

Fans were left absolutely stunned as they took to social media in droves with disappointment.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan wrote: “Mollie got absolutely s****** over tonight by the gross overmarking of Dan and Anton.”

A second commented: “So sad to see Mollie go she deserved better than what she got. I hope the people who vote for Mollie can unite with the people voting for Michaela because it’s time we get a woman to finally win this show again.”

“What the hell are these judges thinking? Mollie & Colin were robbed,” fumed a third viewer.

While a fourth exclaimed: “We all know Mollie was miles better! Oti the only one with eyes it seems!”

And a fifth fan added: “Ah s*** sake. Mollie and Colin deserved to stay in this.”

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Mollie was still all-smiles after she successfully completed two rounds of the dreaded ‘head banger’ move[/caption]

Dancing On Ice continues on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.

WHEN it comes to weddings, the old saying goes that the bride is always right.

However, one woman’s list of demands for her big left had been calling her “insufferable”.

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A bride-to-be shared a list of rules she has in place for any guests attending her wedding (stock image)[/caption]

A screenshot of the bride’s rules were shared on the Reddit forum Wedding Shaming.

The woman had listed the six requirements she had for her bridesmaids in an Instagram post.

And it was more than simply: “Don’t wear white to my wedding”.

She explained that she would be sharing the list “every day til the wedding”.

For her first requirement, the bride-to-be reminded her friends that it is “not your day” as she warned them: “Do what the bride asks or don’t be in the wedding.”

She again reminded her bridesmaids that it is “not your day” before informing them that they will have no say in their hair or make-up for the day.

“If the bride wants make-up or certain hair for everyone, and you don’t wear make-up – don’t be in the wedding,” she wrote.

“It’s usually the ones who scream ‘I don’t want all that’ who ends up looking less flattering.”

She added that the only way she would be flexible is if people had a “specific haircut” that required different styling such as “locs or a pixie cute”.

The cheeky bride once again pointed out that it was her day, not her friends’ as she told them to “act how you would want your bridal party to act, if it was your day”.

For her next rule, she explained that her bridesmaids would “look jealous when you object to every little thing”.

“Especially things you have not paid for, be grateful or don’t be in the wedding,” she said.

Next, she reminded her bridesmaids that they are on “team bride” and should act accordingly.

“If you wish to act like anything less, switch to team guest,” she told her friends.

“Have a seat and throw rice, preferably uncooked.”

Finally, she laid out her expectations for her bridal party when it comes to finances.

“If you can’t afford to be in the wedding, let the bride know up front,” she said.

“Don’t accept and then penny pinch, especially if it’s one year or more out.”

Reddit users shared their thoughts on the bride’s demands in the comments section.

“At least she’s giving everyone a daily chance to join TEAM NOT GOING,” joked one reader.

“I would be on team not going just so I could not get this letter every day, ‘Please unsubscribe me from this list’ would be my dream response,” said another person.

“TEAM NOT EVEN SENDING A GIFT,” commented a third Reddit user.

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SEVEN years after hanging up his headphones for the final time on Radio 1’s Breakfast Show, Nick Grimshaw is ready to wake up the nation again.

Today he kicks off his brand-new show on 6 Music after taking over the role from his good pal Lauren Laverne — and despite having to set his alarm for 5.45am, Nick assures me the new full-time slot is a breeze compared with his hedonistic days in the studio next door.

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Nick will have celeb guests like Elton John on the show[/caption]

“Radio 1 Breakfast was so high-octane, I’d always feel ­knackered when I left,” Nick tells me across the desk in his new home at Broadcasting House.

“I wouldn’t want to speak to anyone else for the rest of the day.”

But he adds: “6 Music is a softer place to land. It’s a different pace. We’re starting the new show at 7am. At Radio 1 it was 6.30am so this feels leisurely.

“Plus, I see those freaks on Instagram who are like, ‘Start your day at 5am!’

“I feel like starting my day at 5.45am isn’t that bad — and I am totally wrapped up by 10am.”

Nick then breaks off politely as he picks up the phone to his mum Eileen, his legendary sidekick who fans often see on Instagram.

“I’m just sorting her an Uber,” Nick says. “Her phone is so old the app does not work.

“And she only wants a driver with five stars.”

With Mother Grimshaw safely in her taxi, we continue our chat and Nick tells me how 6 Music — where he has taken over since Lauren underwent treatment for cancer — has always been a favourite of his.

He says: “I first did 6 at ­Glastonbury with Beth Ditto who was brilliant but unruly, shall we say.

“I never thought they’d ask me back after that but when Lauren was ill they asked if I could cover.

Celebrity guests

“Now Lauren has a new slot at the station and I am on ­Breakfast.

“I’ve always listened to 6 Music — I love it and it feels like home. Beth is with me too.

“I want her as sort of an agony aunt for the show.”

And Nick asks: “Is there a problem you’d like Beth to solve,                                                Ellie?” Racking my brain, I tell Nick I’m looking to rescue a dog.

“The BBC used to let you bring them in and now they don’t,” Nick says, before adding, with a cheeky glint flashing in his eye: “Sara Cox’s dog chewed through a wire.”

During his time at 6 Music, Nick has already clocked up a load of top celebrity guests on his show including Keira Knightley, Jesse Eisenberg and Eddie Redmayne.

And there are plenty more to come, including Sir Elton John — who Nick joined at his home in Windsor last year with rising Scots star Jacob Alon.

“I had an existential crisis when I was in Elton’s house,” Nick recalls.

“When you interview him, it’s like if you interviewed Madonna in a conical bra.

“He wore the suit and he has the hair and the glasses.

“I was listening to him talking to Jacob about the music he loves, like Kneecap and Fontaines DC, and in my head I was like, ‘Wow, I am in your house’. I started to freak out a little bit.”

As he launches his new show today, Nick has plenty more big-name celebs booked in to shoot the breeze with.

“We’ve got a mix of new artists and ­legends,” he says.

“ShyGirl is coming on, Paul Simonon from The Clash and Goldie.

“Goldie is really into yoga and he’s trying to make me go with him.
“I’d be so zen after that.”

I reckon a daily downward dog would certainly make that 5.45am alarm even more of a breeze, Nick.

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New show guest Goldie[/caption]

A saving Grace

THEY have defied the odds as a band by staying together for over a decade, which is not a milestone many pop acts reach.

But Clean Bandit have admitted they did once have a screaming match, although it’s thankfully one of very few ­disagreements they’ve had.

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Grace Chatto fronts band Clean Bandit[/caption]

Grace Chatto, who fronts the group with bandmate brothers Luke and Jack ­Patterson, told me: “There was one between me and Luke when we were in America backstage. I think it was when we were promoting ­Symphony with Zara Larsson.

“We ended up screaming at each other in front of everybody, which was quite extreme.

“But if we do have any ­fallings out, we make up quite quickly. And we’ve been together so long it feels like we have got such a strong trust that nothing can really go too wrong. Often it’s me and Jack who ­disagree on things – then Luke has to be the peacekeeper. But as brothers, they are actually just very solid.”

The trio will be back on stage this Friday for a one-off headline concert at the ­London Palladium as part of the charity gig series Brits Week For War Child, where they will be joined by guests including Jess Glynne and Wes Nelson.

Grace teased: “We’re playing a lot of unreleased songs because we thought that, in the intimate setting, it would be really cool to play new stuff that isn’t even finished, to gauge which ones feel right.

And we just finished our new single yesterday.

“It’s with Tiesto and Leony, who’s an amazing singer we met up with in Berlin and made the track there.”

K-Pop hopefuls go with the Flo

GONE are the days of competing girl groups, as British trio Flo are busy helping to launch the career of a ­fledgling act in South Korea.

I’ve learned the girls – Jorja Douglas, Stella ­Quaresma and Renee Downer– have written a debut single called The Chase for K-pop’s newest act Hearts2Hearts.

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British trio Flo are busy helping to launch the career of a ­fledgling act in South Korea[/caption]

It is out today and has been described as a dreamy yet mysterious introduction to the eight- member Asian group.

Despite this being their first tune, they have already been announced to play at SMTOWN Live in London at Twickenham Stadium on June 28, alongside a load of other K-pop acts.

Meanwhile Flo are gearing up for their ­European tour, including shows in Glasgow, ­Manchester, Birmingham and London, which kicks off next month.

Glynne and tonic for Alex

ALEX SCOTT and Jess Glynne looked loved up as they attended a London Fashion Week show.

The couple, who have been dating since 2023 and are no strangers to attending a glitzy event together, held hands as they smiled for cameras outside the venue.

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Jess Glynne and Alex Scott were pictured at a London Fashion Week show[/caption]

Ex-Lioness Alex and singer Jess were joined by Ella Eyre at Abbey Road Studios for the showcase from menswear brand Labrum.

‘Boozey blow for the Brits

HIS viral hit A Bar Song (Tipsy) was up for best International Song at Saturday’s Brit Awards.

But if Shaboozey wins the gong he won’t be there to pick it up in person, after he was forced to pull out of appearing.

The US star, who was also due to perform, shocked fans last night with a sudden statement on Instagram.

Shaboozey said: “For reasons beyond my control I sadly won’t be making my planned appearance at the Brit Awards. I want to say good luck to all the nominees and the performers on the night.”

Shaboozey was one of the first acts to be announced in January as a performer at the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena, and we were excited to see him live.

Whatever the reason, he won’t have taken the decision lightly and we wish him all the best.

JUDD TRUMP has returned to the table in China as he eyes World Open glory.

The World No1 is the defending champion and is eyeing a three-peat this year, having won the event in 2019 and 2024, the last two stages of the tournament.

Taka G Wu/Alamy Live News

But Trump will face some fierce competition from some of the biggest names in the sport, with the likes of Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy in action.

SunSport has the guide on everything you need to know ahead of World Open snooker 2025.

When is the World Open snooker 2025?

• The tournament will take place between Sunday, February 23 and Saturday, March 1.
• The World Open will take place in Yushan, China.

Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing at World Open snooker 2025?

Ronnie O’Sullivan will not be playing in the World Open this year.

Rocket was due to play Stuart Carrington in his tournament opener before he withdrew from the event on medical grounds.

The seven-time world champion has pulled out of numerous tournaments this season, but it is expected that O’Sullivan will return to snooker at the World Grand Prix in March.

World Open snooker 2025 format

The tournament will consist of a top half and a bottom half, with the winner of either half facing off in the final on Saturday, March 1.

The order of rounds is:

• Round of 64
• Round of 32
• Round of 16
• Quarter-finals
• Semi-finals
• Final

The last 64, last 32, last 16 and quarter-finals will be best of nine frames.

The semi-final is best of 11 frames, and the final is best of 19 frames, played over two sessions.

How to watch World Open snooker 2025

• The World Open is broadcast live on Eurosport 1 and TNT Sports 3.
• From Thursday, February 28, Eurosport channels close down meaning TNT Sports 3 will be the only TV channel broadcasting the World Open.
• TNT Sports customers can live stream the tournament via the discovery+ app/website.

World Open snooker 2025 schedule and results

Sunday, February 23
All times GMT
From 1.30am
Elliot Slessor 5-2 Lyu Haotian
Sanderson Lam 1-5 Zhou Jinhao
David Lilley 5-4 Cao Jin
Scott Donaldson 5-0 Wang Yuhang
Zhang Anda 3-5 Stan Moody
Xu Si 5-3 Zou Pengfei
Kyren Wilson 5-2 Hammad Miah

From 6am
Mark Selby 2-5 Liu Hongyu
Jimmy Robertson 5-3 Noppon Saengkham
Aaron Hill 5-3 Sunny Akani
Mark Davis 1-5 John Higgins
Daniel Womersley 2-5 Stuart Carrington

From 11.30am
Antoni Kowalski 5-3 Matthew Stevens
Michael Holt 5-3 Martin O’Donnell
Wu Yize 5-4 Jackson Page
Ali Carter 5-3 He Guoqiang
M Phetmalaikul 1-5 Zhou Yuelong
Judd Trump 5-0 Xing Zihao
Ding Junhui 5-1 Jiang Jun

Monday, February 24

From 1.30am
Zhou Jinhao vs Shaun Murphy
Mark Allen vs David Lilley
Jack Lisowski vs Scott Donaldson
Zak Surety vs Jordan Brown

From 6am
Ben Woollaston vs Amir Sarkosh
Jamie Jones vs Barry Hawkins
Louis Heathcote vs Stuart Carrington
Xiao Guodong vs Duane Jones
Pang Junxu vs Anthony McGill
Zhang/Moody vs Graeme Dott
Lei Peifan vs Kyren Wilson

From 11.30am
Judd Trump vs Long Zehuang
Alfie Burden vs Joe O’Connor
Yuan Sijun vs Hossein Vafaei
Joe Perry vs Ding Junhui
Ishpreet Singh Chadha vs Tom Ford
Daniel Wells vs Gary Wilson
Robert Milkins vs Xu Si

Wednesday, February 26 – Last-16

Thursday, February 27 – Quarter-finals

Friday, February 28 – Semi-finals

Saturday, March 1 – Final

DANCING On Ice fans were quick to accuse one celebrity of throwing his pro skater ‘too hard’ before they tumbled on the rink.

Dan Edgar and Vanessa James channelled the wild wild west with a performance to Oklahoma for Musicals Week on the hit skating competition series.

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Dan Edgar and Vanessa James performed to Oklahoma on Sunday night[/caption]

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Vanessa took a tumble on the rink[/caption]

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Fans accused Dan of ‘throwing her too hard’[/caption]

As the pair skated, Vanessa took a tumble, which left viewers flinching in the comfort of their own living rooms

But despite Vanessa’s slip up, the couple still scored 37.5, with fans left taken aback.

Firstly, fans reacted to the fall on X, with one saying: “Ouch. That must of hurt.”

“Down she went! Good recovery though,” said a second.

But then viewers began to slam Dan for “throwing” Vanessa “too hard”.

One person said: “Thought he threw her too hard in rehearsal, whoops.”

“So he skated well but kinda threw his partner to the point she fell. Maybe marked too high?” asked a second.

A third then fumed: “Dan’s scores are a jokeeee, that routine has no life and he basically dropped Vanessa.”

While a fourth said: “I honestly don’t think Vanessa was at fault for that, he didn’t do the setup properly and launched her too hard, I bet that landing hurt too.”

“Don’t worry about the mistakes and the fall. You still get 9.5 Dan,” said a fifth.

While a sixth added: “Dan was chronically overmarked – that is shocking from the judges.

“The bias towards him is sickening. There was a massive fall that should’ve been reflected in the score.”

Dan and Vanessa’s score wasn’t the only one slammed by viewers on Sunday night.

Another pairing on the hit ITV skating competition was supposedly given a very high score that wasn’t deserved, according to fans.

Earlier on in the show, viewers were up in arms and quick to slam the judges for ‘overscoring’ The Traitors star Mollie Pearce.

Asking “are they watching something different?” after Mollie and Colin took to the ice, fans didn’t agree with the 35.5 score the pair nabbed.

Ashley gave the pair 9.0, Oti followed suit with a score of 9.0, and so did Jayne who gave 9.0, while Chris gave the pair 8.5.

Fans were disappointed with the high scores the couple received, with many quick to say how Mollie needed to skate on her own more.

One person on X said: “Overmarked I think, not much solo skating for me. Pretty sure they told her last week they wanted to see more solo skating #dancingonice.”

A second then echoed: “I love Mollie but that was overmarked #dancingonice #doi.”

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Mollie and Colin’s high scores were also slammed by viewers tonight[/caption]

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Dan and Vanessa seem to be the judge’s favourites, according to fans[/caption]

EX-ARSENAL ace Lucas Perez has made the 14th transfer of his career to the 12th different club after signing for PSV Eindhoven.

The 36-year-old sealed a free transfer to the Eredivisie giants just weeks before the two sides face off in the last-16 of the Champions League.

PA:Empics Sport

It comes weeks before Arsenal are due to play the Dutch club, though he cannot be registered to face his old club[/caption]

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He has signed for PSV after unexpectedly terminating his contract at Deportivo La Coruna in January[/caption]

Arsenal secured their passage after finishing in the top eight of the new league phase of the competition, while PSV stunned Juventus with a 4-3 aggregate victory in the knockout play-offs.

The first leg of the clash will be played in the Netherlands on March 4, with the Emirates playing host to the second leg on March 12.

And just weeks before the tie the Dutch club have brought in a familiar face for Arsenal fans.

However, Perez will not be eligible to play against the Gunners due to the registration date for the competition passing on February 6.

Perez had been a free agent after unexpectedly ripping up his Deportivo La Coruna contract in January for personal reasons.

The Spanish striker has now signed a short-term contract to the end of the season to sign with PSV, where he will wear the No.27 shirt.

In a statement, he said: “I can’t wait to show myself to the fans and my new team-mates.

“I am very ambitious and am looking forward to delivering many goals and assists.

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“My first impression of the club is very good, I get energy from the people I have already met.

“PSV were on top of it right away and did everything they could to bring me to Eindhoven.

“That did me a lot of good. Unfortunately, it took a bit longer than planned before a final agreement was reached, due to personal reasons on my part.

“I found a solution for that and I am very grateful for the fact that the PSV management remained so patient.”

He will join the team’s training group on Monday to work under Peter Bosz.

The veteran added: “I am extremely driven to help this club achieve its other objectives, including winning the national title and national cup.”

“I have worked very hard in recent weeks, both on and off the field. I am more than ready to prove myself here.”

Perez originally joined Arsenal in 2016 in a £17million transfer from Deportivo.

But he never managed to truly settle in North London despite having a solid record when playing, with seven goals and five assists in 21 games in all competitions.

Arsenal loaned Perez back to his hometown club, Deportivo in August 2017 before they sold him to West Ham the following summer.

He scored six goals in 19 appearances for the Hammers before they sold him a summer later to Spanish side Alaves.

Perez then bounced around from Elche to Cadiz and back to Deportivo for the fourth time in his career.

Overall he has scored 62 goals and added 53 assists in 172 games for the Spanish side.

His other clubs include Atletico Madrid C, Rayo Vallecano B, Rayo Vallecano, Karpaty Lviv, Dynamo Kyiv (where he never made an appearance), and PAOK Saloniki before signing for Deportivo.

PA:Empics Sport

Perez also played for West Ham during his time in England[/caption]

JURGEN KLOPP described his never-say-die Liverpool team as mentality monsters.

So what are Arsenal under Mikel Arteta?

On the back of this latest title collapse, they are English football’s mentality muppets.

Saturday’s abject display at the Emirates was surely confirmation the club’s wait for a title, which now stands at 21 years, will continue.

It is Arsenal’s longest gap for a title post-war and you have to wonder if Arteta is actually capable of getting them over the line.

This was their first Premier League defeat in 16 matches and only the third of the season.

But this was an absolute must-win and Arsenal bottled it just when they needed to show some b******s.

You can see why Arteta was so angry afterwards.

Conspiracy theorists — and there are certainly a few of them about — will complain about Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card, their fifth of the season, with the team dropping ten points in those games.

Incredibly, this was the 20th sending-off in the top flight under Arteta, so it is absurd to blame the officials for all of them.

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Arsenal have had some bad decisions go against them this term and Lewis-Skelly’s foul on Mohammed Kudus was on the halfway line.

But it was still a red card.  Arteta has spent over £600million, so he has been backed heavily by the club.

The decision not to sign a No 9 in the summer — or in January — was obviously ludicrous.

It would have helped. But looking at this current team, you have to wonder whether that will have solved all their problems because there are just so many flaky  players in this squad.

Due to the spectacular fall of Manchester City, this season was a great opportunity for Arteta.

You can see why some of the club’s fans are now having major reservations over their manager.

He will be given even more cash next summer.

But if Arsenal find themselves in a similar situation in 12 months’ time, then the club may consider a change – even though it would break  hearts.

Arteta has been hit badly by injuries this season which is why the team have gone backwards.

And maybe they can still deliver something magical in the Champions League.

Yet Liverpool suffered unbelievably bad luck last term with  injuries and, while they fell away in the league, Klopp’s team somehow managed to win the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea — even though they ended the game with a bunch of teenagers.

Arsenal’s approach to the West Ham game was completely wrong. There was a lack of belief, desire and intensity, as well as quality.

Equally, the visitors defended superbly and new boss Graham Potter seems a perfect fit.

Over the last couple of seasons, the atmosphere at the Emirates has been superb, the best since the move to the stadium in 2006.

Yet there was no buzz before or during this game. And it seemed as though the supporters were resigned to their team’s fate.

Mikel Merino was the two-goal hero against Leicester a week earlier in his first ever-game as a central striker.

You can see why Arteta started him in this position owing to the lack of options but the Spaniard looked lost up front.

The defending for the opening goal from Jarrod Bowen before half-time was embarrassing, with Riccardo Calafiori deciding not to bother to stop a cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Calafiori, a £42m summer buy from Bologna, is still adjusting to the Prem but this display was just not good enough.

Arteta’s decision to relegate Lewis-Skelly to the bench was curious, particularly as he was also substituted at Leicester just minutes after he delivered a stunning goal-saving intervention.

The one positive was the sight of defender Ben White returning to action after three months out.

Now Arteta must lift his team for Wednesday’s tricky trip to Nottingham Forest.

And at the very least, Arsenal’s players need to start showing that they actually care.

EDDIE HEARN paid tribute to Martin Bakole’s bravery but believes he should not have fought Joseph Parker.

The heavyweight stepped in at short notice after Daniel Dubois was ruled out days before the fight with sickness.

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Eddie Hearn questioned Martin Bakole’s decision to take on the fight[/caption]

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Bakole was KO’d by Joseph Parker in the second round[/caption]

Bakole travelled from the Congo and only arrived in Riyadh in the early hours on the day of the bout.

He weighed in considerably higher than his usual fight weight and looked rusty before being knocked out in the second round by a big Parker right hand.

Hearn questioned his decision to fight and suggested a member of his team should have intervened to prevent it from going ahead.

He told The Stomping Ground: “I don’t think the fight should have happened, if I’m honest.

“I don’t think anybody did anything wrong.

“But when you’re representing Martin Bakole, you’ve got to ask yourself [if it was the right decision]. For a long time, he struggled to get opportunities.

“Now he’s found his way in Riyadh Season. He’s developing a name, a brand. He’s got an IBF final eliminator to become the mandatory to Daniel Dubois against Efe Ajagba.

“Obviously, there’s more money tonight, but he did it [on a day’s notice]. He took two flights, indirect, across Africa and landed [in the] morning [before the fight].

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“I think sometimes, you just need to take a step back and think about what you are doing. [He] probably [does not] know what day of the week it is. I think it was a bad decision.

“Respect to the bravery, but sometimes, you’ve got to be a bit smarter than that. You need people around you to say absolutely not. I couldn’t be happier for Joe.”