ARSENAL sensation Bukayo Saka is set to undergo further medical tests ahead of the super Sunday clash against Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta said after the Gunners' 2-1 defeat to Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday night that the England wingers' injury "doesn't look good".
Meanwhile, Ivan Toney is a 'firm' target for Arsenal in the January window, according to reports.
Elsewhere, Ben White is reportedly in talks over a new contract at the Emirates.
PADDY POWER WELCOME OFFER – Get £40 in free bet builder bets
Follow ALL of the latest from the Emirates Stadium below…
- By Emillia Hawkins
Arteta faces huge call
Mikel Arteta faces a huge call ahead of Arsenal's clash with Man City on Sunday.
The Spaniard must decide whether or not to include Bukayo Saka in his squad after the winger picked up a minor injury against Lens on Tuesday.
BOILING POINT Arteta faces huge call amid fears struggling Saka is too brave for own good
- By Kostas Lianos
Ben White contract talks
Arsenal ace Ben White has been holding talks with club chiefs over a new contract to secure his long-term future at the Emirates.
White already has three years left on his £120,000-a-week deal and the Gunners are sure they can reach a swift agreement with the 25-year-old.
The versatile defender will follow teammates, such as Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard, in extending his stay.
Last month it was reported the North Londoners were in line to start a discussion over the ex-Brighton star's future at the club – and now those talks are underway.
Credit: Getty - By Kostas Lianos
Arsenal target Kalvin Phillips
Arsenal are eye Manchester City flop Kalvin Phillips ahead of the January transfer window.
According to Fichajes, the Gunners are readying a swoop in January with manager Mikel Arteta looking to raid former club City again after landing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko a year ago.
The same source adds that Arteta is still “determined to strengthen their midfield” even further after landing the likes of Jorginho, Declan Rice as well as Kai Havertz within the last six months.
With next summer’s Euro 2024 in sight, Phillips is “seeking more playing time on the pitch and could consider joining Arsenal if this guarantees him a more prominent midfield role”.
But the midfielder's potential arrival could result in the North Londoners offloading another international from their squad to make room.
- By Kostas Lianos
Arteta on Raya
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta refused to reignite the goalkeepeing debate after David Raya's mistake led to Lens' equaliser on Tuesday.
This happens. Mistakes are part of football and they will continue to be there but the difference was made in both boxes.
Especially in the Champions League, you don’t generate 10 clear-cut chances.
When you get there, you have to put the ball in the back of the net.
Mikel Arteta
- By Kostas Lianos
Henry criticises Saliba
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry criticised the way William Saliba covered Lens star Elye Wahi during Tuesday's Champions League clash.
Elye [Wahi], he is special when it comes to that [finishing].
First and foremost let's talk about how he stayed away from Saliba.
You see you don't need to go and break your neck, Saliba will beat you to the first ball; Stay in a good position between the two lines and Wahi does that, he can finish so well.
"Can we talk about Saliba? The space never scores a goal. Can you have a look at where your striker is? He never looked at where his No9 is.
Thierry HenryCBS Sports
- By Kostas Lianos
Bukayo Saka injury boost
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka may feature on Sunday in the Premier League crunch clash with Manchester City at the Emirates.
That is despite Saka hobbling off with another injury on Tuesday's Champions League clash at Lens.
According to The Mail, the winger has suffered a hamstring tweak plus a blow to the thigh.
But the England international's injury is not viewed as serious by the Gunners.
Credit: Rex - By Kostas Lianos
Parlour's Kane prediction
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour told Mighty Tips Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane may return to the Premier League after leaving Tottenham.
He's certainly got time because he looks after himself these days, he can play until a little bit longer, and he's a clever player, isn't he? He can play that number 10 role. I always go look at Teddy Sheringham, Teddy was that sort of player as well. He'd play until late 30s, 40s even.
I know there's a lower division, but you know he could play at a good standard in the Premier League, so I think Harry will return. If it all goes well for Bayern Munich and they can win a few trophies, Harry will be delighted, and the Champions League is obviously the one from Bayern Munich's point of view.
Again, I'm sure he would come back at a certain time. It's all about your body, really, and whether you can handle games, I think German football will be a little bit easier than the Premier League, so maybe that gives him a little bit more time to come back.
But I'm sure he will look at that record and say it’s still there to be beaten, and If I can get a few good years in Germany, win a few trophies, who knows, I could come back and still win that the record off [Alan] Shearer, which would be an amazing achievement to have the Premier League record and England record.
After a few trophies in Germany, that would probably be the icing on the cake for his career.
Ray Parlour
- By Kostas Lianos
Man Utd should learn Arsenal lesson
Arsenal hero Gael Clichy told Genting Casino Manchester United need to learn from the Gunners' handling of manager Mikel Arteta.
Football has evolved so much that – and players have changed – they're demanding sponsors, media, fans, and so much more. It's a different game now.
'Process' is more than just a word in football – you need to have a clear vision of what you're doing and how you're doing it. [Manchester] City and Toulouse are good examples of how to do that.
Arsenal have managed it over the last four years by sticking with Arteta even when it would have been fair to sack him, but they've stuck with their plan and now they're reaping the rewards.
Football managers now have an average of eight months in a job and nobody can achieve anything in a period that short. Time has to be given to Erik ten Hag.
It's impossible to follow [Sir Alex] Ferguson, but if you look at what he did, you can make an argument that it is more of a personal legacy. There perhaps wasn't the foundation for the club to go on and be successful again.
Gael Clichy
- By Kostas Lianos
Campbell on Havertz
Arsenal legend Kevin Campbell exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone that Kai Havertz is not a lost cause despite his slow start to life at the Emirates.
Look, to spend £65m on Kai Havertz, and bring him in from Chelsea, was a huge decision from Mikel Arteta and the board this summer – especially when a lot of Arsenal fans probably weren't even thinking about him as an option.
The club obviously see something in him, because off the back of last season, he was the first player they went and got this summer, which says a lot.
He struggled at Chelsea at times – obviously he had that massive moment, scoring the Champions League winner.
His Arsenal career up to this point hasn't really been near the top level you'd expect, let's put it that way… but he's integrated himself into the team.
I've watched him on a few occasions this season, and while there are times he perhaps doesn't do so well, there are also times during the game where he's actually surprised me.
Technically, he's very good, his work rate is a lot higher than I ever thought, too. These are the sort of things that most fans won't really look at.
Kevin Campbell
- By Kostas Lianos
Vlahovic 'could be available'
Juventus will listen to offers for Dusan Vlahovic, who was previously linked with Arsenal as well as London rivals Chelsea.
Transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio told InsideSport:
The situation for Vlahovic is that Juventus tried to do the swap deal with Chelsea but it collapsed and now they don’t have [Romelu] Lukaku to get in this deal. They are trying to let Vlahovic play and try to sell him in June because if he plays and scores, he will have international suitors.
I don’t think Juventus will sell him in January but they will listen to offers because at Juventus, at this moment, they listen to every offer they will get about their players.
He was not on the top of [Mauricio] Pochettino’s list, otherwise they would have done the swap deal. So we will see what kind of club will need Dusan in the summer. Vlahovic won’t be a good option for Arsenal as he and Toney are similar in their characteristics.
Gianluca Di Marzio
Credit: Getty - By Kostas Lianos
Thomas Partey message
Arsenal ace Thomas Partey issued a cryptic message on social media after returning from injury.
Partey had been out of action for most of September due to a groin injury.
And the midfielder issued a quote from Sigmund Freud on his Instagram story after returning to training.
One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.
Thomas Partey
- By Kostas Lianos
Wojciech Szczesny praise
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri hailed former Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny as one of the “best goalkeepers in the world.”
Szczesny, 33, left the Gunners for Juve in 2017 following an 11-year stint at the Emirates.
And the North Londoners sold the Poland international for a mere £10million.
I’ve no doubts, Szczesny is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. He’s among the very best.
Massimiliano Allegri
- By Kostas Lianos
All about the numbers
Former Arsenal ace Thomas Cruise quit football aged 25 to become an accountant.
I’ve had a few serious injuries in my career, and you should always have qualifications to fall back on.
I’ve always been really good with numbers, so the decision to choose accountancy was a no-brainer.
I wish to enter this field of work once I complete my qualification, and am very excited to see what I can achieve
Thomas Cruise2016
- By Kostas Lianos
Kieran Tierney injured
Arsenal loanee Kieran Tierney will face a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for Real Sociedad.
Tierney picked up the problem when he played against Atheltic Bilbao at the Anoeta on Saturday night.
The left-back departed the Gunners this summer, to join Sociedad on a season-long loan.
The Scotland international made an impressive start featuring in six games so far for the Basque giants.
But the 26-year-old's playing career has come to a grinding halt again due to injury.
After 25 minutes into Sociedad's 3-0 win in the Basque derby, the full-back had to be taken off the pitch.
Credit: AP - By Kostas Lianos
Lampard on Havertz
Frank Lampard admits Arsenal ace Kai Havertz presented him with a “coaching problem” during his time as Chelsea manager.
Lampard admitted he was unable to figure out Havertz’s best role and that left him with a major “coaching problem.”
[My sacking] Hurt a lot because we were working towards something and bringing in those players changed the aspects.
When we brought players in I had different problems – coaching problems. What’s going to get the best out of Timo Werner, is he a No9?
We’ve still got Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud. Kai Havertz, what’s his best position?
It was a club recruitment policy, there were players I wanted. Ben Chilwell was big for me.
Frank LampardSky Sports
- By Kostas Lianos
Follow all the latest news
Join our amazing Arsenal WhatsApp channel for all the latest news
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va64tT9It5rtgAa7zV24 - By Kostas Lianos
Tomas Rosicky revelation
Former referee Martin Atkinson revealed Arsenal hero Tomas Rosicky was his favourite player to deal with.
I’ve been lucky that I’ve got on with the vast majority of players but one that stands out is Tomas Rosicky.
I always got on really well with him. We just pleasantly got on, not best mates or owt like that but he was always really respectful.
And when he left Arsenal, when he retired eventually, an unknown email came through and it was from Sparta Prague asking if I will go out and referee his retirement game.
You just never expect that and it was just a nice thing.
Martin Atkinson
- By Kostas Lianos
Serious fan trouble
Several Arsenal fans were reportedly attacked and injured before their Champions League clash in France last night.
The incident is said to have occurred just before kick-off at Stade Bollaert-Delelis and left one supporter "lying in the street".
It's understood British football support officers are currently working with French police as they investigate the attack.
At least one fan reportedly needed medical attention at the scene, according to Sky News.
It's unclear whether any Arsenal supporters were taken to hospital as French cops had earlier classed the Champions League game as "high-risk".
Arsenal fans attacked in Lens with one left ‘lying in street’ ahead of Champions League game as UK cops launch probe
- By Kostas Lianos
Arsenal taunts at Arsenal
A Lens fan had an ingenious way of mocking Arsenal supporters during their Champions League clash that saw the French outfit winning 2-1 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
The two sections were separated by a huge window and it led to banter between them.
One of the Lens faithful had a unique way of winding up the travelling Gooners.
In a hilarious video, he got up a picture of the Tottenham badge on his phone and showed it to the away end.
The man got the middle finger in retaliation and another Frenchman was spotted cheekily blowing kisses towards Arsenal fans.
Lens fans brutally taunt Arsenal supporters with cheeky picture on phone during Champions League defeat
- By Kostas Lianos
Aar you kidding?
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale's "wind up" antics have cost him his place on thesquad, according to former Gunner Gael Clichy.
Clichy told Genting Casino:
Ramsdale plays with his head up and can wind up the opposition fans.
Those qualities are great, it shows character, but if you go over the line then it can become an issue.
I see this as a way of [Arsenal manager Mikel] Arteta keeping Ramsdale humble and reminding him that Arsenal have not achieved anything yet.
And now he'll ask Ramsdale to prove to him what he's made of.
Gael ClichyGenting Casino
- By Kostas Lianos
Arteta faces big calls
Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, Mikel Arteta must be feeling that he just can’t win with some Arsenal fans right now, writes SunSport's Mark Irwin.
Regularly criticised for changing a winning line-up, the Spaniard is now getting it in the neck for not giving a break to star winger Bukayo Saka.
Arteta clearly hasn’t convinced all the social media experts who are turning up the heat ahead of Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with champions Manchester City.
Chief among Arsenal's concerns is the fitness of Saka, who limped off during Tuesday’s Champions League defeat in Lens after suffering a muscular strain attempting a backheel.
Arteta insists that the injury was totally unrelated to the foot problem which had forced Saka’s early exit from his previous games against Spurs and Bournemouth.
But many fans are still asking why Saka was even risked at Bournemouth and Lens when he has been struggling to cope with all the bumps and bruises he has copped this season.
- By Kostas Lianos
Arsenal target Ivan Toney
Brentford star Ivan Toney is a “firm” target for Arsenal ahead of the January window.
According to The Daily Mirror, Toney heads up the list of the Gunners' striker targets as they look to boost their frontline.
The striker, who is currently serving an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules, would cost up to £80million.
The England international's suspension is set to end in January.
Credit: Reuters - By Kostas Lianos
Arsenal target Kalvin Phillips
Arsenal are keeping tabs on Manchester City flop Kalvin Phillips ahead of the January transfer window.
According to Fichajes, the Gunners are preparing a swoop in January with manager Mikel Arteta looking to raid former club City again after landing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko a year ago.
The same source adds that Arteta is still “determined to strengthen their midfield” even further after landing the likes of Jorginho, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz within the last six months.
With next summer’s Euro 2024 in mind, Phillips is “seeking more playing time on the pitch and could consider joining Arsenal if this guarantees him a more prominent midfield role”.
But the midfielder's potential incoming could result in the North Londoners offloading another international from their squad to make room.
- By Kostas Lianos
Ben White contract talks
Arsenal ace Ben White has been holding talks with the club over a new contract to secure his long-term future at the Emirates.
White already has three years left on his £120,000-a-week deal and the Gunners are certain they can reach a swift agreement with the 25-year-old.
The versatile defender will follow teammates Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard in extending his stay.
Last month it was reported the North Londoners were in line to start a discussion over his future at the club – and now those talks are underway.
- By Kostas Lianos
Bukayo Saka injury update
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has issued a worrying injury update regarding Bukayo Saka’s status after he hobbled off during last night’s Champions League defeat at Lens with a muscle problem.
Bukayo tried a backheel and felt something muscular. He felt uncomfortable to carry on so we had to take him off.
We don’t know anything more than that but it was big enough that he couldn’t continue to play and that’s a worry for us.
I don’t regret picking him because the last few injuries were more knocks than strains and he hasn’t really missed any games.
We gave him a break against Brentford in the Carabao Cup last week and tonight he was perfectly fine.
Like everyone else, he was really looking forward to playing in a big Champions League night. I’ve no clue if he will be OK for the weekend. Let’s see the extent of what the injury is first.
Mikel Arteta
- 1
- 2
- 1
- 2
Source: Read Full Article
