Arsenal
‘Really good’: Mikel Arteta reserves special praise for two Arsenal stars after UEL win
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was delighted with the impact from Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in the club’s stunning 4-0 Europa League win over Slavia Prague last night. The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, and they needed to score at least once in Prague to stay in the competition. Saka was poor with his finishing at the Emirates Stadium last week but made amends with an impressive all-round attacking display for the Gunners. His curled shot in the 15th minute was impressively saved by the goalkeeper, but he won the penalty for the club’s second goal a few minutes later. Saka made it 3-0 in the 24th minute with a clever finish at the near post, which caught the keeper wrong-footed as he was anticipating a shot towards the opposite upright. Me...
Arsenal defensive duo out of big game, Solsjkaer set to shuffle starting XI
The Europa League returns with the quarter-final second leg ties scheduled to be played on Thursday. Manchester United will fancy their chances of progressing to the last four as they hold a two-goal advantage over Granada. However, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay all miss the game through suspension. Arsenal will be without David Luiz and Kieran Tierney for their tough trip to face Slavia Prague. The two sides are locked at 1-1 after the first game, leaving the Gunners needing to score at least once to reach the semi-finals. Roma are a good bet to go through to the next round after securing a 2-1 lead over Ajax in Amsterdam last week. Villarreal versus Dinamo Zagreb completes the quarter-final line-up with the La Liga side leading 1-0 after the first leg. Europa League Quarte...
Arsenal star misses big game, Solskjaer makes five changes
The Europa League takes centre stage this evening with the quarter-final second leg ties featuring some finely poised fixtures. We’ll update this story with reports, results and the latest Europa League highlights as the games are played. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made five changes to Manchester United’s line-up for their home game against Granada. The Red Devils lead 2-0 after the first leg and should progress to the semi-finals. Tonight’s team news = locked in 🔒 Let’s finish this one off, Reds! ✊ 🔴 #MUFC🏆 #UEL — Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 15, 2021 Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not in Arsenal’s squad for their fixture at Slavia Prague. The two sides drew 1-1 in the first leg. 📋 Tonight’s team news… 🏴...
‘I want to go now’: Arsenal man demands transfer this summer
Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira has demanded a move to Boca Juniors, admitting ‘I want to go now’ and urging the two sides to agree a loan move. Torreira’s future has been discussed for several weeks now, with the Uruguayan looking to return to South America following the passing of his mother. The midfielder has made his desire to join Argentine giants Boca known, but a report this week suggested Arsenal would not be willing to subsidise his wages if he joined them. The Gunners would only negotiate that kind of deal should he leave for a club in his native Uruguay. As a result, that same report claimed a move to Boca looked ‘very distant’. Now, Torreira has reiterated his desire to join the Argentine side, claiming he wants Arsenal to agree a one-year loan with&nbs...
Hammers reportedly favourites in the race for Frenchman ahead of Arsenal & Rodgers
According to Football Insider, West Ham United have emerged as favourites to bring Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard to the Premier League this summer. The 23-year-old is also on the radar of Arsenal, Leicester City and Crystal Palace, but the Hammers have laid the groundwork for a deal and have made significant progress in his pursuit behind the scenes in recent days. West Ham are looking to wrap up a deal before the summer transfer window opens, and it will be interesting to see how things go in the coming weeks. Celtic demanded £40 million from suitors for Edouard last summer following an impressive campaign that saw him bag 22 goals in 27 Scottish Premiership games before the campaign ended abruptly due to the pandemic. However, the financial hardship that the coronavirus has put clubs in...
‘Very close’: Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal forward is on the verge of signing new deal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that the club are close to committing Folarin Balogun to a new long-term contract. The 19-year-old is one of the Gunners’ highly-rated graduates, but it appeared that he could leave the club on a free transfer this summer. However, he has been convinced to stay by Arteta, but the club have yet to make an official announcement over a new deal beyond June. Speaking in a press conference today, Arteta said that he has always been positive about the player’s desire to stay, and the club are ‘very close’ to a renewal. He told Arsenal.com: “We’re going to make it official when it’s official and everything is done, but as I said before, I was being very positive that he wants to stay at the club. We want him to stay at the club, so we are very close.”...
‘I’m open to everything’: Arsenal star open to ‘new adventure’ amid contract talk
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has suggested he would be open to a ‘new adventure’ when his contract expires in two years. The German shot-stopper signed for Arsenal in 2018 and has since established himself as the number one choice in goal, having made 41 appearances so far this season. However, he is currently part of an underperforming Arsenal side that have come under fire of late. Despite the 3-0 win over Sheffield United, the Gunners sit ninth in the Premier League, and Mikel Arteta’s future as manager has even been questioned. Having being asked about his own future beyond his current contract, Leno has suggested he would be open to a ‘new adventure’ when his current deal expires. “It’s not the time to speak about the future,” Leno explained, as quoted by Football London. ...
Arsenal link with ‘£15-20m’ forward is a worry – fans deserve better than risky punts
The news that Arsenal are still hoping to sign Odsonne Edouard from Celtic this summer should fill their fans with dread. According to the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, the Gunners are competing with Leicester City to sign the 23-year-old. Dean claims that ‘a fee in the region of £15-20 million’ should be enough to secure Edouard’s services. SL View Edouard is apparently being viewed as a replacement for Alexandre Lacazette, who continues to be linked with a move away from the club. Whichever member of Arsenal’s staff has come up with this bright idea should be fired on the spot. Edouard appears to have a decent enough goalscoring record, having bagged 81 goals in 163 appearances for Celtic. However, when you consider the level of the opposition he’s been facing in Scotland, his tally is somewhat ...
Mikel Arteta hits back at Arsenal fans calling for Martinelli inclusion
Mikel Arteta has asked for patience from Arsenal fans calling for Brazilian starlet Gabriel Martinelli to feature more often. The 19-year-old has excited Arsenal fans for a while now, with the Brazilian’s potential among the highest in Europe. However, Martinelli has only featured 14 times this season, despite Arsenal’s attack coming under criticism. That has lead to calls from fans and pundits alike asking for the Brazilian to be given a chance. Arteta chose to start Martinelli when Arsenal faced Sheffield United on Sunday, with the forward scoring his first goal of the season. The Arsenal manager has now urged fans to be patient regarding Martinelli’s inclusion. “I’m asking you to be patient because we have a lot of players at 19 and 20 years old,” Arteta explained, as quoted by the...
‘So pleased’, ‘Smart’: Some Arsenal fans react to forward’s display vs Sheffield United
A selection of Arsenal fans on Twitter expressed their delight over the performance of Gabriel Martinelli against Sheffield United on Sunday. The 19-year-old has had a tough 15 months due to injuries and competition for places, and was handed only his fourth league start of the campaign yesterday. The teenager produced a lively performance with a tireless workrate, and showed good intent on goal with as many as four shots. He suffered an injury scare in the second half as he twisted his ankle but moments later, he went on to score the second goal of the game. It was a simple tap-in at the far post after an Aaron Ramsdale save off Nicolas Pepe, but he timed his run perfectly to find the back of the net. Here are some reactions from a few fans on Twitter. I’m so pleased for Martinelli. He re...
Martinelli starts, Arteta to make seven changes | Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Sheffield United
Arsenal make the trip to Bramall Lane for Sunday’s late Premier League kick-off against Sheffield United. The Gunners were disappointing last weekend against Liverpool where they suffered a 3-0 league loss at the Emirates Stadium. This was followed by another sub-standard display against Slavia Prague in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night. They squandered multiple clear-cut scoring chances. Nicolas Pepe eventually opened the scoring in the 86th minute, but Slavia levelled in the final minute of stoppage time. The north London club must now score in the reverse meeting against Slavia, or they will be eliminated from the European competition. With the importance of that game, manager Mikel Arteta may ring in the changes for the Yorkshire trip to face the Bla...
Seven changes for City, forward axed completely, Leeds keep it simple
The 31st round of fixtures in the Premier League features some important matches at both ends of the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. The action got underway last night, with Wolverhampton Wanderers securing a 1-0 victory at Fulham – Adama Traore bagged the winner in stoppage time. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made seven changes to his starting XI for their home game against Leeds United. Ruben Dias and Kevin de Bruyne are amongst the players who drop down to the bench, while Sergio Aguero misses out completely. The lads to face Leeds! 💪 XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Stones, Ake, Mendy, Fernandinho (C), Zinchenko, Bernardo, Torres, Sterling, Jesus SUBS | Steffen, Walker, Dias, ...
