Friday, May 3, 2024
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Unai Emery confirms double injury boost for Arsenal ahead of Man City clash

By
Nithyanand
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Now that the transfer window is done and dusted, it is time to focus on the matches that are lined-up for Arsenal. The next match that the team has is in the Premier League against the defending champions Manchester City.

Ahead of the game, manager Unai Emery gave an update about the team news. He was speaking at the pre-match press conference and was quoted by Arsenal’s official website talking about the injuries that the squad faces. This is what he had to say:

Emery on Koscielny – “He trained today well, we are positive with him.”

On Maitland-Niles – “Today he didn’t train, we look tomorrow.”

On Mkhitaryan –  “He started to train with us today and he’s training normally. He is with us now”

The fact that the captain and Mkhitaryan are back in the fold is great news for the fans as well as the club. The North London club are a little light on players as a result of the injuries that have occurred.

Getting players as important as these two will be a big boost for the fortunes of the team. The race for the top four is becoming closer with every passing week. Due to the heavy defeat suffered by Chelsea against Bournemouth, the Gunners are back into the top four but they are level on points with their London rivals.

And the match against City is going to be crucial in the way the season is going to shape up to be. As for City, this match is very important as well as they try and keep pace with Liverpool who are leading the league at the moment.

In the same press conference, Emery was also asked whether new signing Denis Suarez would be in contention for a starting place and this is what the manager had to say:

“I am thinking about all the players, If he starts, I have confidence in him.”

Given that the signing was only announced on Thursday, it will be a little surprising if the midfielder did start the game on Sunday. He was brought in to help the team and if the manager feels that he can do the job then he will start it seems.

David Ornstein offers crucial update on Arsenal’s bid to sign Carrasco

By
Nithyanand
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Unai Emery Arsenal

When it comes to transfer news, everybody will always try to be a step ahead of the rest. But when it comes to news regarding Arsenal, there is one name that can be considered to be trustworthy and that person is BBC’s David Ornstein.

Ornstein took to Twitter to offer an update on the transfer plans that Arsenal have in place on the last day of the transfer window.

This is what he had to say in particular about Yannick Carrasco:

“Carrasco to Arsenal off. Player part fine but loan fee offer far too low to suggest recent interest was as serious as it seemed early Jan. Better offer from another club (reportedly AC Milan) & Dalian Yifang were offered replacement but reluctant so set to stay in China.”

It was earlier being reported by Sky Sports that Carrasco was a player who was on the verge of joining the Gunners but given what Ornstein is saying, that situation seems to have changed.

But as we all know the transfer window is all about changes and as deadline day goes on, there could be a lot of changes that may happen. So, we will have to wait and see to get a definitive resolution.

A winger is one of the positions that Arsenal are in need of as there is no real player who can play there. It is here that the signing of Carrasco makes a lot of sense as far as the balance of the team is concerned.

Though manager Unai Emery has frequently played a formation that would be classified as a 4-3-1-2, it is known that it is the 4-2-3-1 that is his preferred formation.

In a system like this, the wingers play an important role and perhaps this is why the club is looking at a player like Carrasco. The focus on the transfer window will only be for a short time and after that, we will have to focus on the upcoming match against Manchester City.

Arsenal to announce first January signing in next few hours

By
Nithyanand
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Denis Suarez

It is safe to say that the Gunners fans are waiting for some action or the other to be done during this transfer window.

The good news is that those prayers are going to be answered soon. There is going to be at least one incoming happening at the Emirates today.

Sky reporter Geraint Hughes reports via the Express that Denis Suarez will be the signing that the Gunners are going to be confirming soon.

This is what Hughes had to say about the Suarez deal:

“Denis Suarez has much been talked about, especially over the last 24 hours when it appeared to be confirmed at the Barcelona end yesterday evening.

But I think what’s happening now is the paperwork is being completed on that deal. I really expect that one to be confirmed officially via Arsenal I would say in the next few hours, lunchtime, early afternoon.”

This is a player that the Gunners have wanted for some time now and the fact that a deal has been completed is great news for the fans and the club.

The deadline day of the transfer window is one that has always been exciting and the fact that a player might be coming makes it all the more exciting.

As for any other deals happening, the Express reports that a move for either Yannick Carrasco or Ivan Perisic is unlikely at the moment. Both of these players have been heavily linked with the club and it would certainly be beneficial to the club if any one of them does join.

Arsenal have suffered some injury problems especially in the defensive department and fans would have thought that the club would be interesting in buying for that kind of role.

But the signing of Suarez shows that the club is interested in doing more with the attacking side of things. Manager Unai Emery likes to have a midfielder who is capable of linking the midfield and defense and the Spaniard certainly fits that bill.

Injured Arsenal defender begins work out, posts picture with teammate

By
Nithyanand
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Predicted Arsenal Line-up

As far as injuries are concerned, they are quite common for Arsenal and fans have become used to it by this point.

It is in the defensive department that the Gunners are struggling as a majority of the back line is out with an injury.

One of them is Rob Holding who until his injury was arguably the best defender in the Arsenal team. He suffered a season-ending injury against Manchester United and has been on the recovery road ever since.

He took to social media to offer an update on how he has been getting on by posting a photo on Instagram of him alongside Danny Welbeck working out on a cycle. This is what he said:

Staying positive with dat guy….. One day closer

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtONjU6jZ2O/

The defender suffered an injury to his ligament and as we know that something like that will take a lot of time to heal. The diagnosis is that he could out of action for as long as eight months. However, his post shows that he is well and truly on the road to recovery.

Welbeck also suffered a gruesome injury in the month of November against Sporting Lisbon and the indications are that he will be out for the season as well. It seems unlikely that Holding will play again this season and that will be a real blow for the club. He is the exact type of defender that manager Unai Emery likes to use.

He is confident on the ball, has good recovery speed and is an excellent reader of the game. Now, the team has no choice but to find a solution to deal with this problem.

As for Welbeck, his contract is going to be ending in the summer and if he is going to prove that he is worth another deal, he is going to have to play.

But the chances of that happening are slim as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens to the Englishman’s future. Arsenal are facing a tough fight to get back into the Champions League and having players such as Holding and Welbeck will only be beneficial to the squad.

Many Arsenal fans are convinced that this player has played his last game for the club

By
Nithyanand
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Mesut Ozil

Arsenal got back to winning ways against Cardiff City in the Premier League on Tuesday. It was a much-needed win after a disappointing loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

But fans were quick to pick up on something that happened during the match. Mesut Ozil who started and captained the team was substituted during the game.

What he did later had the Arsenal fans worried that he was waving the fans goodbye before leaving the club. With the Gunners trying to pull off few loan deals before the deadline, a lot of them feel that this is the last time they will be seeing the German play.

Here are some of the best reactions:

https://twitter.com/zunny23/status/1090367940816498689

https://twitter.com/AFC_Rob91/status/1090358662432989186

There were earlier suggestions from Star Sport(via Daily Star) that for Arsenal to sign Perisic, Inter Milan would want Ozil to complete the deal. If this is really going to happen, then it would mean that the German was indeed saying goodbye to the fans.

What could make this situation even more interesting is that as per Telegraph, Arsenal are looking at Carrasco who is playing in China at the moment. The Belgian currently is on the books of Dalian Yifang and was already touted to be a target for the Gunners but the emergence of the Perisic rumors put a new spin on this deal happening.

Ozil could be used as a makeweight in either deal but there is no indication as to whether this is actually going to happen or not. There is not much time left in the transfer window so we will be getting an answer sooner rather than later.

Whatever the situation may be, the truth is that the German playmaker is an integral part of the team at the moment. If Ozil was to leave the Gunners, it will leave quite an impact on the fight to get back into the Champions League.

Lacazette and Ozil to start: 4-2-3-1 Arsenal predicted lineup against Cardiff City

By
Nithyanand
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Arsenal Training

It was a disappointing end to the FA Cup campaign for Arsenal as they lost 3-1 to Manchester United. Now, they have a chance to bounce back in the Premier League against Cardiff City.

But to make this even more complicated, the Gunners are going to be without their first choice center backs in Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny. The Arsenal medical team have confirmed this on Arsenal’s official website.

So, this means manager Unai Emery will have to find some solutions to deal with the Injury problems in the squad. Let us see how the North London club might line-up for this fixture.

Formation (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper:

Bernd Leno will come back into the team in place of Petr Cech as the German has been the first choice keeper for Arsenal in the Premier League.

Defense:

This is where most of the problems exist and we can expect some shuffling from Unia Emery. Ainsley Maitland-Niles will retain his place on the right-hand hand side of defense. As for the middle, the most likely pairing will be Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka.

Though Emery has other options in Dinos Mavropanos and Nacho Monreal, he has already used Xhaka in that role and is more likely to continue with it. Sead Kolasinac is expected to start on the left.

Midfield:

If Xhaka is moved to center back, the midfield will have to be adjusted. The most likely candidate to fill that role would be Matteo Guendouzi who will be paired alongside Lucas Torreira.

In front of them, it should be a start for Mesut Ozil who has been out of favor with Emery in the recent past. On the flanks, it will most likely be Alex Iwobi paired alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The striker has played on the wings before and will be looking to drift inside to link up with the forward.

Striker:

If Aubameyang is on the wings, then Alexandre Lacazette will lead the Gunners upfront. The Frenchman has been in great form this season as he has shown with his all-around game. He is also an incredibly clinical finisher who has already scored against Cardiff earlier in the season.

The Gunners will be hoping to get the job done against a team who are struggling to stay afloat in the Premier League.

The youngsters who can make Arsenal great again

By
Nithyanand
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Ainsley Maitland-Niles

There are very few days left in the transfer window and as far as the Gunners are concerned, there hasn’t been any activity so far. Manager Unai Emery has spoken about the state of the club’s finances and fans should understand that no big transfers are going to be happening any time soon.

So, one way to get around this is to look at the youngsters who can make the club great again.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles:

He is already a bit of a regular for the club and since the season-ending injury suffered by Hector Bellerin, he is sure to get more chances as the season goes on. A versatile player capable of playing in the midfield as well as defense, he is set to have a bright career with the Gunners.

Emile Smith Rowe:

Another player who has used the Europa League to put his stamp on the team, Smith Rowe is easily among the best talents that the Gunners have at the moment. He has scored three goals this season and proven that he can be a thorn in the opposition’s defense.

Lately, he has been through some injury troubles but when he comes back, he is sure to make his way into the plans of Unai Emery.

Jordi Osei-Tutu:

Another youngster who has been very impressive in the youth teams, he is bound to make an appearance for the first team sooner rather than later. He normally plays as a right back and given the problems that Arsenal have been facing with that position, his time is going to come in the near future.

Eddie Nketiah:

A player with a phenomenal scoring record all throughout his career, he has not truly broken into the first team yet. The big reason for that not happening is that the Gunners already have two world-class strikers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. But with the injury suffered by Danny Welbeck, he will find more chances and if history is anything to go by, he is going to take make full use of those chances.

Bukayo Saka:

This year, Saka became the first player to play for the Gunners who was born this millennium. It is clear that there are big things expected of the young winger. In the glimpses that we have seen of him so far, he has shown that he is quite skillful. He also has an explosive turn of pace and that will help a lot out on the wings. Though the Gunners do not really play with traditional wingers, Saka is too good to be kept off the team.

One factor that will bring a smile to the faces of Gunners fans is the depth of young talent that is present at the club. If even one of these players fulfills the potential they have, it is going to be very helpful to the club.

How can Arsenal solve their center back crisis?

By
Nithyanand
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Arsenal Celebration

Getting knocked out of a cup is quite a damaging thing for any club and especially one of the stature of Arsenal. But to make matters worse, the Gunners suffered two injury blows that will have a big impact on the season going forward.

Now, it is essential to find a solution to this defensive crisis. Speaking to the official website of the club, the Arsenal medical team confirmed that Sokratis is going to be out until the end of February.

This is a massive blow for the club as the Greek has been a hugely impressive member of the team so far. As for the injury suffered by club captain Laurent Koscielny, this is what Arsenal’s official website, had to say:

“Bruising and soft tissue swelling to face and jaw. Being reviewed on a daily basis.”

The good news here is that the injury is not a major one and that is certainly a relief for the club and the defender. He has already undergone a lot of injury trouble and this is the last thing that he would want.

Coming to what can be done to solve this defensive crisis. As things stand, the only two fit center backs are Shkodran Mustafi and Dinos Mavropanos. Rob Holding is out for the season and he was arguably the best defender for the Gunners.

The other option that Emery can make use of is to recall Krystian Bielik from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic. He can play in the center of defense as well and has shown that he is quite comfortable on the ball and this is something that Emery likes.

A lot of people would say that Arsenal should dip into the transfer market to find a solution. The only way a deal that suits the Gunners would happen is if it were a loan deal.

And Emery has already mentioned that only loan deals are possible at this moment for the club. So, finding a player that would fit this profile is going to prove to be difficult. As for internal solutions, Arsenal could always make use of Nacho Monreal who has experience of playing in the heart of the defense.

This seems like the most likely solution that Emery is going to make use of as it is convenient and won’t cost the club any money. Now, the Gunners have to focus on only two competitions and juggling the squad is going to show just how good a manager Emery is.

If Arsenal can get through this tricky period with the center back crisis going on, it will be quite an impressive achievement.

‘He’s not that good’, Paul Merson urges Arsenal to replace Torreira with this player

By
Nithyanand
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Lucas Torreira

The transfer window is open and that means that Arsenal are looking to sign players and this has seen a lot of them being linked to the club. The player suggestions come from different places including the fans and former players.

In the same way, former Arsenal player Paul Merson had a lot to say about the transfer target that the North London club should be looking at.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the pundit slammed summer signing Torreira while also suggesting an alternative. He said:

“Everyone was raving about Lucas Torreira, but he’s not that good, if you put him up for sale tomorrow, then none of the top five clubs in the Premier League would be interested.

They should sign Abdoulaye Doucoure at Watford – he’d walk into the team. I’d take him tomorrow morning. He’s a much better player than Torreira and he scores goals. He’s one of the most under-rated players in the Premier League.”

Doucoure has been highly impressive for Watford ever since he joined them in the summer of 2016. He was their player of the season for the 2017/18 season.

The Frenchman is a midfielder who combines power and skill to good effect. He has been consistently able to trouble the Premier League defenders and he would make a good addition to the Gunners squad.

Torreira has been one of the best players for the Gunners this season as he has gone on to establish himself as a key part of manager Unai Emery’s plans. When he first joined the club, he was not playing too much as he was slowly getting used to the Premier League’s style of play.

But once he started to play on a more regular basis, he has shown why Arsenal decided to spend the cash on him. Paul Merson is known for some of his more outlandish statements, so his view may not be taken very seriously by many.

It is clear that many Arsenal fans have taken a real liking to the way Torreira has been playing. But it must be said that getting a player of the caliber of Doucoure would benefit the club a lot.

Manchester United boss reacts to Arsenal’s interest in Eric Bailly

By
Sri Aswin
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Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he is not surprised by the ongoing speculation linking defender Eric Bailly with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery is on the search for a central defensive reinforcement during the ongoing transfer window and of late, as per Daily Mail, the club are said to have made a loan approach for Bailly without any success.

Amidst this, Ole has been asked regarding the Gunners’ interest in the player and the Norwegian has admitted that the news does not come as a surprise to him. According to Daily Mail, he said:

“I’m not surprised if they do, to put it that way but that’s just one of those things there’s always speculation. It’s not a big surprise.”

The central defence has already been hampered by the season-ending injury to Rob Holding and he has recently been joined by right-back Hector Bellerin, who has likewise been sidelined for the campaign after a knee injury of his own.

Despite this, the club are not in the position to make permanent signings in the window and their attempt to pursue loan moves has provided no success to date.

Prior to Bailly, the Gunners had been linked with a probable move for Juventus’ Medhi Benatia but a deal never materialised with the Bianconeri unwilling to discuss a mid-season transfer.

Arsenal are scheduled to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night and the match should provide an exciting contest with both teams in good scoring form of late.

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