Arsenal chiefs shocked by Unai Emery decision, he’s on the brink of sack

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28-11-2019

After a bad run of form in the Premier League, it appears that the pressure has become too much to handle for Arsenal and Unai Emery.

The Spaniard is now on the brink of being sacked. As per the latest reports from the Daily Telegraph, the sacking of the manager is imminent and could happen anytime soon.

Despite the manager himself insisting that he had the support of the club’s hierarchy, it seems that they have reached a breaking point.

The overwhelming feeling within the club is that unless he is somehow able to make a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of the team, he will be removed from his post.

The report comes after Daily Mail claimed that the Arsenal chiefs were shocked to see Unai Emery give his players time-off from training ahead of Frankfurt clash as Emery is said to have felt that his players need a psychological break.

The report in Telegraph further claims that the club has taken this a step further and have already started looking for people who can replace Emery. Among the candidates, the two men with the strongest chances of becoming the next Arsenal boss could be Massimiliano Allegri and Nuno Esprito Santo.

Allegri has not yet returned to management since he was removed from the post at Italian club Juventus. Santo on the other hand is the manager of Wolves who have been hugely impressive since making a return to the Premier League.

It is now looking more likely than ever that the Europa League game against Eintracht Frankfurt could very well be his last match with the Gunners. After a tricky start last season, it seemed that the club was really going in the right direction. But a severe dip in form towards the end of last season and coupled with a crushing defeat in the Europa League final has sent the club on a downward spiral.

Now, it would be in the best interest of everyone involved if Emery is no longer the manager at Arsenal. Getting someone like Allegri would bring some structure to the club that has been lacking for some time now.

Emery has been given time by the club but it is clear that he is no longer the right man for the job. Fans will be hoping that whoever the new manager happens to be, they will get the team back into the Champions League.

Arsenal identify ideal candidate to replace Unai Emery

By

Nithyanand

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28-11-2019

With a lot of pressure mounting on Gunners manager Unai Emery, it seems that the club has decided on someone to replace the Spaniard.

And as per reports in Daily Mail(via Metro), that replacement is going to be none other than Nuno Esprito Santo who currently manages Wolves in the Premier League. They sit in fifth place one point ahead of Arsenal.

The North London club meanwhile are in 8th place and happen to be eight points behind Chelsea who are in fourth place at the moment. This run of results has seen the pressure mount on Emery.

And as per the reports the club have identified Santo who has been hugely impressive in the Premier League with Wolves who have been entertaining and solid as well.

Another reason that may have factored in the club wanting Santo is that he is a client of Jorge Mendes. The super-agent has close relations with Arsenal’s head of football Raul Sanllehi and that is sure to have played a role in making this decision.

It will also mean that it will be easier for the Gunners to bring Santo to London in the middle of the season. There is also a suggestion that the North London will be looking at Mauricio Pochettino who was recently sacked by Tottenham, Arsenal’s fierce rivals.

But the club acknowledges that it will be difficult to get him at this stage of the season. This has ended up making Santo a more preferred candidate that would be willing to take over the Gunners.

Whatever decision the board makes, it has to be done as quick as possible as the club has been under performing for some time now. It will be in the best interests of the club if Emery is removed from the post of the manager.

The fans have started to lose patience with the Spaniard and would be willing to see the back of him sooner rather than later.

The future of Arsenal after the departure of Arsene Wenger has not gone to plan and the next move the club takes will be highly significant. If Santo was to come in, he will have the backing of the club and the fans.

Arsenal make Granit Xhaka decision after shocking clash with fans

By

Nithyanand

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27-11-2019

Despite the clash that former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka had with the fans during the club’s 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace, he remains an integral part of the squad.

The midfielder reacted badly to his own supporters booing him off the field and his response did not go down well. He was stripped of the captaincy and has subsequently been left from every match-day squad.

But as per reports in Metro, David Ornstein of The Athletic suggests that Xhaka remains a part of the plans that the Gunners have for the season.

The former BBC journalist further claims that Xhaka is considered to be an important member of the squad both by players and those in charge of the club as well. His quality off the pitch is thought of very highly apart from his skills on the pitch.

After the clash, there were reports that he would be seeking a move away from the club but this bit of news puts his future in a whole new light. The North London club’s next game is against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday and we could finally see Xhaka make a return to the squad.

If he does it make it to the match, it will be interesting to see the way in which he is received by the fans. For the sake of the club and the player himself, it would be better off if the fans did not resort to booing him.

On the pitch, he is able to offer the Gunners some semblance of control in the middle of the field. Without his passing range, Arsenal find it difficult to dictate the tempo even with midfielders such as Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira.

It is unfortunate that his relationship with the fans has deteriorated to this point but if he is able to showcase his skills on the pitch, that can change very soon.

Arsenal are in a real rut at the moment with many results not going their way. At times like this, it is important to get all the help that the squad needs and leaving someone as experienced as Xhaka from the squad is not really helping the team.

The Gunners need to pick up their form if they are to make a comeback to the Champions League and it will be nice if the Swiss is there to help the club do this.

Former BBC journalist David Ornstein gives Unai Emery update ahead of Frankfurt clash

By

Nithyanand

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27-11-2019

With Arsenal’s failure to beat Southampton during the weekend, the pressure has increased on manager Unai Emery.

The recent performances have led to many asking for him to be removed from the club and we now may have an indication as to what is going to happen.

Former BBC journalist David Ornstein had tweeted about how things stand as far as Emery is concerned. He stated that the manager will still be in charge when Arsenal take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday.

Recording 1st episode of a new weekly @TheAthleticUK podcast at 2pm, released Tues 7am. This one will focus on Tottenham #THFC, Man Utd #MUFC, Arsenal + more. #AFC squad given Sun/Mon off, Emery in charge Thurs as things stand. Send Qs to @adeymoorhead & we’ll answer a selection
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) November 25, 2019

Few reports before the Southampton game claimed that the Spaniard had been given four games to save his job. These games were considered by the Arsenal board to be ones that the squad should be winning.

But the failure to win on Saturday will have cast further doubts on how well Emery is suited to this job. Apart from Saturday’s game, the other three matches are against Norwich, Brighton and West Ham United.

While it is nice to see the board back their man, it must not end up damaging the chances of the club. The Gunners currently lie in 8th place and are 8 points off 4th placed Chelsea.

If the club is unable to win all the remaining three games, it will put Arsenal in a real spot of bother. And when you add a very tricky festive period with some big games, it is tough to see Emery still being at Arsenal come the end of December.

It can be argued that the problems with Emery began towards the end of last season. When it seemed that the Gunners had done everything to secure a top four finish, they somehow ended up finishing fifth.

To add insult to injury, they went to lose the Europa League final 4-1 to local rivals Chelsea. This season began in a patchy manner, but the club seemed to have the rub of the green.

That seems to have vanished in the last month or so as they are struggling to get a win at the moment. It looks like this is the last chance Emery is going to be given and it is up to him to prove that he is the man to take Arsenal forward.

Aubameyang and Lacazette might leave Arsenal if Unai Emery stays

By

Nithyanand

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26-11-2019

There’s a lot of pressure right now on the back of Arsenal manager Unai Emery. A majority of the fans want to see him removed from the post of the manager as recent results have been underwhelming to say the least.

Now, it seems that it is not just the fans who would like to see the back of him. Arsenal’s star striker duo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette would be willing to quit the club, if Emery remains as the manager.

As per reports from the Daily Mail, both the forwards are unwilling to commit to a new deal as they are not happy with the trust that the Arsenal hierarchy has in Emery.

The Gunners are currently in 8th place and are eight points behind 4th placed Chelsea. This is not where the club should be at this stage of the season.

The report also claims that head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director Edu engaged in discussions regarding the crisis that the club finds itself in now. It is an encouraging sign that the board are willing to recognize the gravity of the situation.

Both Aubameyang and Lacazette have been crucial to whatever success Emery has managed during his tenure as Arsenal boss. If they were to leave, it will be a crushing blow to the future of the club, and it will become even more difficult to get back into the Champions League.

The club knows this and is trying to tie them both down to a new contract with Aubameyang having only 18 months left on his current deal. In order to convince him, the club will have to show that they mean business and that may result in the removal of Emery from the manager’s post.

This is not the situation that the club wants to be in at the moment but it seems that the players and these two in particular have reached a breaking point with regards to Emery.

It will be interesting how the board decides to tackle this situation as they might be forced to decide between the players or the manager. Whatever happens, they must have the best interests of the club in mind.

Arsenal make contact with £60m Brazilian star’s father over potential transfer move

By

Nithyanand

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19-11-2019

Arsenal have made contact to get their hands on Brazilian sensation Reinier Jesus, who is also on the shopping list of Europe’s elite clubs.

Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo via The Mirror, it is Arsenal who have made contact with the player’s father over a move to bring him to the Emirates. The North London club have made their interest clear to Reinier’s dad.

The 17-year-old plays for Flamengo and his performances have made him one of the most exciting young players to come from his homeland in the recent past.

The kind of clubs that are after Jesus is an indication of how highly rated he is. Among others, there has been interest from Liverpool, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

The most concrete interest from these clubs was from Atletico and Jesus himself had spoken about this. Jesus was quoted as saying(Mirror):

“It’s an honour that Atletico are interested in me because they are a huge club.”

His contract with his club Flamengo will last until 2020 and he reportedly has a release clause of £60m that will have to be paid by any club that wants him. Jesus has been a highlight of Flamengo’s season and the midfielder has four goals so far to show for it.

Arsenal fans will be very excited to be linked with such a player particularly after the success of young Gabriel Martinelli. The youngster has shown no sign of nerves as he has produced many impressive displays and ended up scoring seven goals already. This puts him only behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Gunners’ leading scorers this season.

Reinier Jesus is a serious talent and if the Gunners want to land him, they will have to part with a significant amount. Given the competition that is going to be around his signature, it would be wise to make a move soon.

The success of players such as Martinelli will perhaps be of help in making Jesus decide to come to London. Arsenal have a very promising young core coming through the ranks and it would be beneficial to add another gem to the squad. The January transfer window is not too far away so it will be interesting to see what happens once it opens.

‘Drained away’, Club sources claim Unai Emery given deadline to save his Arsenal job

By

Nithyanand

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18-11-2019

Unai Emery, the under-fire Arsenal manager has been given just about a month to save his job, according to reports in the Mirror.

It further states that if he is unable to turn around the fortunes of the team by the New Year, he may lose his job. The Gunners will be facing teams such as Southampton, Noriwch and Brighton, fixtures that the club will be expected to win.

And the murmurs coming from the Emirates seem to indicate that the board are willing to back Emery 100% at the moment.

This is in spite of the fact that the North London club have failed to win a Premier League since the beginning of October. They currently lie sixth, level on points with Sheffield United and eight points behind fourth placed Manchester City.

One club source has been quoted as saying by The Mirror that:

“The DNA that made Arsenal the club it was has slowly but surely drained away.

“Appointments have been made – both before and after Wenger’s departure – that either didn’t work out or aren’t working out.”

Apart from the results, it is also the club’s playing style that has suffered. Fans who spent years watching the free-flowing attacking football of Arsene Wenger will not be happy with the dull kind of play on display at the moment.

At the same time last year, the Gunners were on an unbeaten streak that included several wins and life seemed to be going on the right track after the departure of Arsene Wenger.

The next few Premier League games might be Arsenal’s best chance of getting back to winning ways as they face a few difficult games after that. From mid-December, they will be facing teams including Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. These are tough matches that will have a significant impact on the way Arsenal end up finishing the season.

There were reports coming earlier that the Gunners board were looking at Luis Enrique but it seems that the former Barcelona manager is not keen on returning to management at the moment.

Fans will be hoping that the fortunes of the club changes for the better soon. Emery has been successful in the past and it is time for him to show that he can be a success once again.

Medical today, 5-year deal: BBC journalist confirms Arsenal will sign £25m star before deadline

By

Nithyanand

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08-08-2019

Arsenal have for the better part of the whole summer have been trying to get their hands on Kieran Tierney from Celtic.

After their initial bids were rejected, the club reportedly went back with a revised offer and that seems to have clinched the deal. It was earlier being reported that Arsenal were confident of signing Tierney before the deadline of the transfer window and it appears that they have finally got their man.

This was confirmed by BBC journalist David Ornstein who said on Twitter:

‘Arsenal keen to sign Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney for years & finally have their man, subject to medical tomorrow (no formality given injuries but should be ok). Contact re-established this morning via Raul Sanllehi call to Peter Lawwell & deal swiftly concluded.’

He provided yet another update an hour back, claiming the defender will sign a 5-year contract with a transfer fee of £25m:

Arsenal have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign centre-back David Luiz for £8m. 32yo Brazil international will sign a 2yr contract. Deal for Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney 5yrs, fee £25m. Medicals today ahead of putting pen to paper before 5pm deadline #AFC #CFC #CelticFc

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 8, 2019

Arsenal have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign centre-back David Luiz for £8m. 32yo Brazil international will sign a 2yr contract. Deal for Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney 5yrs, fee £25m. Medicals today ahead of putting pen to paper before 5pm deadline #AFC #CFC #CelticFc

This is great news for the club as they have gotten someone they have been after for a long time. With the transfer deadline fast approaching, it was necessary for the London club to get the ball rolling. With the influence of the club’s Head of Football Raul Sanllehi they were able to convince the Scottish Champions into letting Tierney go.

The Scot is a great full back who is adept at both attacking and defending and can complement the style of play that manager Unai Emery likes to implement. His signing also allows Emery to play a 4 man defense more often as Tierney is defensively more solid that the Bosnian Sead Kolasinac.

Once the deal is made official, Tierney will become the fifth signing of the transfer window for Arsenal. The fact that the Londoners have managed to bring in players like Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe and Tierney is great news for everyone who is associated with the club.

Tierney has a vast amount of experience playing at the top level despite being only 22. He has made 170 appearances for Celtic and that should tell you a little bit about how mature a player he is considered to be. Arsenal are getting someone who will enhance their defense for years to come. The upcoming season promises to be an exciting one with these great talents coming to the Emirates. Fans will be hoping that now this will be translated into results on the pitch.

Unai Emery provides injury update on Alexandre Lacazette ahead of Newcastle game

By

Nithyanand

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06-08-2019

Arsenal’s star striker Alexandre Lacazette is not certain to play in the first Premier League match of the season against Newcastle United.

He suffered an ankle injury in the Emirates Cup game against Lyon and according to the Daily Mail, manager Unai Emery will be making a decision on the striker later on. Emery went on to say:

‘Hopefully he could be ready for the match against Newcastle and doctors are optimistic, but the next days will be very important. If he is ready, perfect – if not, the next [game].’

Lacazette was not a part of the squad that traveled to Barcelona to play the final pre-season game of this season. This was done as a precaution in the hope that he will become fit in time for the match against Newcastle.

He stayed back in London where he was training alongside the Gunners club record signing Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian might not play a part in the Premier League opener as well as Emery wants to be patient with him.

Fans are waiting with bated breath to see the likes of Pepe and Lacazette play together as that is a mouth-watering prospect. Lacazette himself is going into the new season on the back of a excellent 2018/19 campaign in which he was named as the player of the season by the fans.

His partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a big reason as to why the Gunners were in the race for the top four. He will want to start the new season on the right note and prove that last season was no flash in the pan.

Lacazette will be crucial in Arsenal trying to get back into the Champions League. It would be better for the club to wait until he is fit before playing him. The last thing they would want is to rush him into action and aggravate any injury that might be there.

Arsenal have made some important strides in the transfer window as they have brought in some really exciting talents. There is a lot of optimism for everyone associated with the club as the new season beckons. Players like Lacazette are what will help the club have a good season and Emery will be hoping that he gets fit soon.

Official: Arsenal announce John-Jules has signed new contract after impressive pre-season

By

Nithyanand

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06-08-2019

Tyreece John-Jules, the 18 year old striker has been rewarded for his displays in Arsenal’s pre-season with a new contract, clubs official website has now confirmed.

The versatile forward impressed in the game against Boreham Wood last month as he scored a brace. This led to him being selected for the pre-season tour of the USA.

He went to impress once more with strong performances against Colorado Rapids and Bayern Munich. The forward also made a second half appearance against Lyon in the Emirates Cup.

John-Jules turned professional in the summer of 2018 after impressing for the youth teams. After that he was included in the first team squad for some domestic cups as well as Europa League games.

Last season, he ended up playing 17 games for the U-23 side and he went on to score 6 goals. Apart from his goal scoring exploits, he was able to get 2 assists as well.

Arguably his best moment for the first team came in a friendly match earlier this year. In the game against Al-Nasr, he was the one who scored the winning goal as the North London club were able to emerge 3-2 winners. John-Jules is a versatile forward who is also capable of playing on the wings.

This will be very useful for the Gunners this season as they already have two strikers who have established themselves. John-Jules could be used on the wings as and when manager Unai Emery wants to rotate his squad.

Arsenal have always had a history of developing young talents and the fact that they have given the Englishman a new contract must mean that they are confident about his abilities.

Despite the plethora of attacking options that the Gunners have at the moment, John-Jules will be raring to go whenever he gets a chance. Fans always like to see a product of the Academy being given an opportunity and they will be hoping that the striker can come good in the years to come.

Arsenal have a serious talent on their hands in John-Jules and they will do well to develop him for the future. And by securing his future, they are also ensuring that other clubs don’t take him away from the Emirates.