ARSENAL are reportedly putting all their energy into signing £90m Declan Rice this summer. .
It has been claimed that Gunners U18 coach Jack Wilshire could persuade Rice to join due to their close relationship from the days when they played together for West Ham.
And the Gunners have been keeping tabs on ex-Man City prodigy Romeo Lavia, but they face some competition from bitter rivals Manchester United.
But the Gunners have been dealt a blow by Raheem Sterling, who is said to want to stay at Chelsea.
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- Henry Tomlinson
Arsenal still hurting
Aaron Ramsdale revealed that Arsenal’s relentless title bid has been powered by bitter rivals Spurs.
He said: “The scars from last year are obviously driving us on. No one here has forgotten what happened, especially as we lost out to the other lot down the road, which made it even worse for our fans.
“That hurt us a lot and it was a massive motivation for us at the start of this campaign. We were all thinking back to our mistakes at the end of last season, the times we dipped under our levels and didn’t do what he had practised all year.
“That was a big lesson for us but I’ve also found out the hard way that you can’t get too low or too high. If you lose a game of football it can’t take over your whole life.
“If I had let that happen after every disappointment, I would have been sat in my house and not seeing the outside world for a long period of my short career.
“Obviously I want to win every game I play but it’s not the be all and end all at the moment. Of course that will change if we get to the final four or five games of the season and we’re still in this position.
“But for now it’s just playing with a group of my mates and enjoying it.”
Credit: Reuters - Henry Tomlinson
City's Arsenal regret
Jamie Carragher has insisted that Man City will never do business with Arsenal again following the success of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko this season.
He told the Overlap: “Pep Guardiola’s system this season is a flip of what he’s done before. It was always the full-back going into midfield, now it’s the midfielder going to full-back.
“Bernardo Silva is starting in midfield, then trying to get to full back. Pep and Manchester City will never sell a player to Arsenal ever again.
“The reason why Oleksandr Zinchenko was sold to Arsenal is because of Pep’s mate – and he didn’t feel Arsenal were a threat.”
Credit: Alamy - Henry Tomlinson
Arsenal 'must' continue form
Paul Merson believes the match against Bournemouth is a "must-win" for Arsenal.
Merson wrote on Sportskeeda: “If Arsenal can win against Bournemouth, they are likely to be five points clear of Manchester City. From there, they will be favorites to win the title as there won’t be a lot of games left.
“Gabriel Jesus is back and Jorginho and Leandro Trossard are settling down well. All the players they’ve bought are pulling their weight. They’ve been success stories in their own way. I thought the Gunners were absolutely outstanding against Leicester City in the first half last weekend without scoring.
“Jesus’ return will be like bringing in a new signing. It gives Eddie Nketiah some much-needed rest and the Brazilian’s return will give everyone a great deal of confidence. The game against Bournemouth is a must-win for the Gunners as far as their title charge is concerned.”
Credit: Getty
- Kealan Hughes
Good morning Arsenal fans
Chelsea star Raheem Sterling will turn down any approach from Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
That's because Sterling wants to stay at Stamford Bridge and play a key role in the Blues’ rebuild under manager Graham Potter.
The winger was considering his future less than a year after his move from Manchester City to the West Londoners.
But TalkSport report the England international is determined to stay put and make a success of his Chelsea career.
Meanwhile, Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has reassured fans that there's no chance of Bukayo Saka snubbing a new deal.
Ramsdale said: “Even if he only had one week left on his deal I wouldn’t be worried about him being here.
“I’m fairly relaxed about Bukayo, let him crack on with his team and allow the club to sort things out so we can move forward.
“It’s obviously not affecting him, which is why he’s not rushing into anything, but we all know that Bukayo will be an Arsenal player for a long time."
And Arsenal are using a 'secret agent' to win the race for West Ham star Declan Rice.
The Mail reports that Rice and Gunners icon Jack Wilshere “formed a close relationship during their time playing together” for the Hammers.
And the pair “have remained tight”, with Wilshere now an Under-18s coach at Arsenal.
The report also states that “the Wilshere-factor could well be an influencer as Rice decides his next destination”.
However, Manchester United legend Roy Keane has warned Arsenal that Rice doesn't match the best midfielders in the Premier League yet.
Keane said: "He has first got to focus on West Ham and doing well for the rest of the season.
"But I don’t think he has been great this season, I don’t think he has kicked on for all the talk there has been about him – he needs to do a lot more.
"He doesn’t score enough goals or get enough assists. I have been a fan of him, he is always fit, but I just want a little bit more from him.
"There is talk of him leaving for big money and competing with teams for trophies, and he needs to do a lot more, it is as simple as that.
"Sometimes I see him play at West Ham, and he goes through the motions and he needs to do a lot more to match the top midfielders in the country."
- Kostas Lianos
Arsenal make Rice priority
Arsenal look set to go for West Ham star Declan Rice's signature in the summer.
According to The Times, the Gunners have made Rice their top target ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
Manager Mikel Arteta still needs reinforcement in midfield despite signingJorginho in January.
But the North Londoners are set for a bidding war over the England international, who is also targeted by Manchester United as well as Chelsea
- Kostas Lianos
Arteta's defiant title message
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reckons Wednesday's 4-0 win over Everton was a huge statement to title rivals.
Arteta said: “This win is a statement that we’re here and we want to continue like this.
“We’re where we are in the table because of the way we work, we have really good players and a good connection that adds to everything.
“There’s a lot of expectations but we will just focus on what we can control and let the rest happen naturally"
- Kostas Lianos
Seaman praises Partey
Arsenal legend David Seaman heaped praise on returning star Thomas Partey.
Seaman told talkSPORT: “We’ve seen this season that when he’s had a lot of games one after another, he’s played really well, and he’s a really important part of that team.
“Jorginho’s come in and [Granit] Xhaka’s now performing in a different role, where he’s a little bit further forward, but he can also drop into that if Partey gets injured.
“With Partey, he’s a really important player”
- Kostas Lianos
Caicedo's Instagram change
Brighton star Moises Caicedo has apparently deleted his official Instagram profile.
This comes just over a month after Caicedo tried to force a move away from the Amex Stadium via social media.
The midfielder was linked with a January transfer to Arsenal, who had a £70million bid turned down by the Seagulls and ultimately landed Jorginho.
It doesn't look like the Ecuador international will be sharing any messages from Instagram any time soon as he appears to have scrapped his 'moises_caicedo55' account
Credit: Rex - Kostas Lianos
Mikel Arteta reaction
Arteta said: "I am really happy as it was the game we had in hand against an opponent that we knew would make life really difficult for us. We experienced that at Goodison [Park].
"We started the game with some frustration and not really understanding what we had to do and allowed them to run in certain transitions
"But after 25 minutes we started to get much better and the timing of the two goals was key. We needed a magic moment there and Alex [Oleksandr Zinchenko] produced that.
"And then the team grew especially with Thomas [Partey] as Jorginho was not feeling good today. When he came on he really gave some presence and some stability to the team and I think the second half was superb"
- Kostas Lianos
Pressure back on
Ex-Arsenal ace Emmanuel Frimpong believes the Gunners' Premier League win over Everton has put pressure back on Manchester City.
Frimpong told BettingSites.co.uk: "The Arsenal performance against Everton was very good. The first 30 minutes was a bit poor because Everton showed a lot of spirit and fight, but quality always wins in the end.
"It took a brilliant pass from Oleksandr Zinchenko and a great finish from Bukayo Saka to unlock the Everton defence.
"At the moment, we have to keep winning, we've recovered from the bad performances against Manchester City and Everton last time.
"Yesterday was a crucial win because Manchester City have Newcastle on the weekend which is a tough game, we might be able to extend the points gap even more"
- Kostas Lianos
Gary Neville criticism
Manchester United legend Gary Neville criticised Arsenal fans for their "desperate" celebrations.
Neville told The Overlap: "We have this little [WhatsApp] group on Sky and obviously they know that I’ve nailed my colours to the mast that [Manchester] City are going to win the league and I’ve been getting a lot of stick from Arsenal fans.
"But after the [Aston] Villa game I got on the group [and there were messages saying] 'unbelievable win for Arsenal' and I replied: 'It’s all too desperate, too much emotion too early.'
"I think I’ll be right at the end of the season but I might not be – and it sounds daft but emotion in football when you’re playing and you’re that desperate and you celebrate that much, and you’ve still got half the race to go almost, it’s not a good thing.
"You ordinarily don’t celebrate that hard. So after the Villa game, I could understand how big a moment it was, and actually to be fair I didn’t say this publicly, but I thought, 'That’s quite desperate quite early'.
"The emotion is something that is a negative, it’s not a positive in a title race, for me, honestly. You’re right to be worried [about emotional fatigue]"
- Kostas Lianos
Amadou Onana wish
Everton ace Amadou Onana has admitted he hopes to one day play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
That is amid reports linking the midfielder with a move to Arsenal.
Onana told SoFoot: “I see myself having had a lot of life experiences, which will have made me learn a lot about human beings in general, as well as about myself.
“I see myself, God willing, at one of the biggest clubs recognised worldwide”
Credit: Getty - Kostas Lianos
Wood you believe it
Laura Woods has called out fellow talkSPORT host Adrian Durham for his "secret Arsenal fetish".
Durham reeled off a number of occasions on which the Gunners have been the beneficiary of good fortune.
The Matchday Live host mentioned Manchester United being without Casemiro, Brighton missing Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool lacking Luis Diaz, Tottenham minus Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur and even Leicester having James Maddison out.
Woods responded: "Let’s be honest…you can make a case like this for or against any team in any league in the history of football if you really have a lot of time on your hands and a secret Arsenal fetish"
- Kostas Lianos
Declan Rice warning
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has warned Arsenal that West Ham star Declan Rice doesn't match the best midfielders in the Premier League yet.
Keane said: "He has first got to focus on West Ham and doing well for the rest of the season.
"But I don’t think he has been great this season, I don’t think he has kicked on for all the talk there has been about him – he needs to do a lot more.
"He doesn’t score enough goals or get enough assists. I have been a fan of him, he is always fit, but I just want a little bit more from him.
"There is talk of him leaving for big money and competing with teams for trophies, and he needs to do a lot more, it is as simple as that.
"Sometimes I see him play at West Ham, and he goes through the motions and he needs to do a lot more to match the top midfielders in the country"
- Kostas Lianos
Left and Wright
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has identified a major part that is "not working" for his former team but says he knows the fix.
Wright told Premier League Productions: "Arsenal are straining every sinew right now to stay in front [of Manchester City].
"Yes, we have [Gabriel] Jesus coming back which will then hopefully fire up [Gabriel] Martinelli even more because our left-hand side has missed Jesus.
"Jesus would interchange with Martinelli, and he would get inside and we would get a little bit more going on our left side.
"That has been a bit redundant even though Martinelli has scored some goals, he’s had to come off the bench to do that. It feels like a whole side of Arsenal is not working.
"And once that comes back maybe we could start scoring more goals again and getting those goals and chances that we need to score, just to give us a bit more breathing space in the game because I don’t think from now on in Man City are going to relent"
- Kostas Lianos
Hou are ya
Manchester United have had a move for former Arsenal target Houssem Aouar rejected by the Lyon star.
The Gunners are one of the clubs consistently credited with an interest in Aouar and they had a bid worth £31million turned down in the past.
Aston Villa and Real Betis were linked last summer though it is United who remain interested in the versatile midfielder.
According to Sport1 reporter Patrick Berger, the Red Devils tried to approach the France international with an offer to sign him on a free transfer in the summer.
The 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but has reportedly agreed to join Eintracht Frankfurt instead of the Manchester giants
Credit: Getty - Kostas Lianos
LAV IS IN THE AIR
Manchester United have joined Arsenal and Chelsea in the transfer race to sign Southampton ace and Manchester City academy graduate Romeo Lavia.
According to the Daily Mail, United are the latest club to keep tabs on Lavia.
The 19-year-old midfielder is already in the Gunners' sights, with the Blues previously enquiring about his services.
However, in the Red Devils' case, the Belgian does not represent their first-choice option.
Instead, manager Erik ten Hag wants to pursue a deal for Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong or Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham, who both fit his tactics.
There is also a long-standing admiration for West Ham's Declan Rice at Old Trafford, though Arsenal are leading the race to sign him
- Kostas Lianos
Ramsdale on Saka
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has reassured fans that there's no chance of Bukayo Saka snubbing a new deal.
Ramsdale said: “Even if he only had one week left on his deal I wouldn’t be worried about him being here.
“I’m fairly relaxed about Bukayo, let him crack on with his team and allow the club to sort things out so we can move forward.
“It’s obviously not affecting him, which is why he’s not rushing into anything, but we all know that Bukayo will be an Arsenal player for a long time"
- Kostas Lianos
Declan Rice secret weapon
Arsenal are using a "secret agent" to win the race for West Ham superstar Declan Rice.
According to The Mail, Rice and Gunners icon Jack Wilshere “formed a close relationship during their time playing together” in east London.
And the pair “have remained tight”, with Wilshere now an Under-18s coach in north London.
The report adds that “the Wilshere-factor could well be an influencer as Rice decides his next destination”
- Kostas Lianos
Raheem Sterling snub
Chelsea star Raheem Sterling will reject any approach from Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
That's because Sterling wants to stay at Stamford Bridge and play a key role in their rebuild under Graham Potter.
The winger was considering his future less than a year after his move from Manchester City.
But TalkSport report the England international is determined to stay put and make a success of his Blues career
Credit: Getty - Anthony Chapman
Lokonga 'relief' at leaving Gunners
Albert Sambi Lokonga has aimed a swipe at Arsenal after leaving them for Crystal Palace.
He said: "It is important for me to play back-to-back matches. That is what I need, and Palace's manager supports me and has faith in me.
"It is a relief, as Arsenal was becoming impossible mentally for me.
"I would watch back videos of my games, and no longer recognised myself. It was time for me to go for something new."
- Anthony Chapman
Piers picks best Arsenal player
Piers Morgan reckons Oleksandr Zinchenko is Arsenal’s Player of the Season.
He said: "For me, potentially along with Saka and Odegaard, the player of the season for us, and maybe the Premier League, has been Zinchenko.
"Pep Guardiola said he was surplus to requirements. His heat map last night is absolutely insane.
“That guy was supposed to be left-back and he was absolutely everywhere."
- Anthony Chapman
Ramsdale confident of Saka stay
Aaron Ramsdale has reassured Arsenal fans that there's no chance of Bukayo Saka snubbing a new deal.
Ramsdale said: “Even if he only had one week left on his deal I wouldn’t be worried about him being here.
“I’m fairly relaxed about Bukayo, let him crack on with his team and allow the club to sort things out so we can move forward.
“It’s obviously not affecting him, which is why he’s not rushing into anything, but we all know that Bukayo will be an Arsenal player for a long time."
- Anthony Chapman
Arsenal budget right on track
Arsenal's sensible spending has been proven in a stunning new salary reveal.
The Gunners have the smallest outgoing wage bill in the Premier League's big six, despite leading the title race.
Arsenal are paying £206million each year, £178m less than top spenders Man Utd.
And their salary spend has increased by just 5.4 per cent since 2017.
- Anthony Chapman
Sterling to snub Gunners switch
Raheem Sterling will reject any approach from Arsenal this summer.
That's because he wants to stay at Chelsea and play a key role in their rebuild.
Sterling was reportedly considering his future at Stamford Bridge less than a year after his move from Man City.
But TalkSport claims the England ace is determined to stay put and make a success of his Chelsea career.
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