Norman Mapeza - who, as you'll all know, is the captain of the Zimbabwean national team - seems to have blown his chances of playing in the Premiership, by choosing a trial with Arsenal ahead of a transfer to Sunderland... and failing it.

Mapeza, who has played in Turkey and Poland since leaving his home country, is understood to have been offered £20k a week to move to Sunderland, but turned it down when he was offered a trial at Highbury.

One local newspaper, the Zimbabwe Standard is claiming to have it 'on good authority' that although he was judged to be 'technically good' by Arsenal, 'his positioning and awareness to be not up to the gruelling English premiership standard.'