ARSENAL face Man City this weekend at the Etihad – and Kevin De Bruyne is OUT of the Premier League clash through injury.
Meanwhile, we've the very latest on William Saliba and Mesut Ozil's future at the club.
Follow all the latest Arsenal transfer gossip, news and updates below…
- Jake Lambourne
DIM VIEW
Former Man Utd striker Dimitar Berbatov has predicted Arsenal to beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad.
The Betfair ambassador said: “Excellent game here, much like Everton and Liverpool.
“(Mikel) Arteta is doing a good job at Arsenal, Pep has problems at City too in my opinion.
“I think there could be a surprise result here too, and Arsenal could topple City.
“City have looked vulnerable more than once this season, and Arsenal can take advantage.”
- Jake Lambourne
NO WAY, JOSE
Former Chelsea gaffer Jose Mourinho has joined calls for the Premier League to rethink its pay-per-view games programme.
This weekend sees five matches take place behind a new £14.95 price barrier, even though fans are still not allowed inside grounds.
The decision reverses the opening up of every game to Sky Sports and BT Sports subscribers, a move which took place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And Mourinho has said he 'feels sorry' for fans who are once again being asked to fork out, with no other choice if they want to watch these matches.
The Tottenham boss told reporters: “£14 is a lot of money.
“You cannot even share with your friends as they cannot come to your house [in London].
“It is difficult. I feel sorry for the fans.
“But hopefully this stops quickly and we can have some people in the stadium.”
- Jake Lambourne
HAVING A PARTEY
Arsenal midfielder has revealed Chelsea legend Michael Essien is not only his idol, but the best player of all time.
Taking part in a Q&A session, the ex-Atletico Madrid ace was asked who his hero is.
To which he said: “Michael Essien because he is one of the best players Ghana has ever had.”
He was then asked to name the greatest footballer ever, with Partey stating: “I would say Michael Essien, because he is my hero and he is my idol.”
- Jake Lambourne
KING JAMES
League Two side Southend have brought in Arsenal midfielder James Olayinka on loan until January.
Shrimpers boss Mark Molesley said of the signing: “We’re really pleased to bring James in. He’s been on our shortlist for some time and we've had him watched a number of times.
“He’s been well identified to us from our recruitment [team] and comes well recommended from people in and around Arsenal.
“He’s had a very good education at Arsenal and we’re indebted to them for trusting us with one of their young talents.
“I said if we felt we could add value we’d always look to do that and we’ve certainly done that with James.”
- Jake Lambourne
ART ATTACK
- Jake Lambourne
THAT'S A PAR
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes Arsene Wenger should have retired after winning the FA Cup in 2017.
Instead the Frenchman stayed for an extra season, with the Gunners missing out on a Champions League spot for the second season running.
Parlour told talkSPORT: “It was probably the hardest decision the board had to make in their lives because of what he did for the club, and suddenly to sack him, but they had to make a decision there.
“You look around the stadium when he came to his last year, there was no one there.
“The stadium was empty as fans said, ‘we’re not going to go and watch it anymore because we’re not enjoying what’s happening’.
“He probably outstayed his time at Arsenal. I think the time he should have left was after beating Chelsea.”
- Jake Lambourne
STERLING CONTINUED
Raheem Sterling has revealed he has been impressed with how Arteta has made Arsenal more aggressive off the ball.
He said: “You can see the change that he's brought in there, you can see the energy, you can see how much he's put into them with their off-ball work.
“We all knew before Mikel got in how much good football they could play, how technically good they were but probably off the field they weren't as aggressive as they are with Mikel.
“They run their socks off now, you can see why they benefited with some good results recently.”
- Jake Lambourne
WORK OF ART
Man City winger Raheem Sterling has praised former coach Mikel Arteta as he sent a warning out to the Gunners squad.
He said: “He's a person that had a lot of say here. The manager trusted him here and he had a lot of influence on the players here and the team as well.
“So I knew once he went into Arsenal that it would be a great opportunity for him but also he would definitely implement what he wanted to bring in.
“And he's a person that will put his foot down and not let things slide as you can see with the boys at Arsenal.
“They know if they don't run they are most likely not going to play.”
- Jake Lambourne
GUNNER BE SICK
Arsene Wenger revealed he used to be physically sick after losing matches.
The former Arsenal boss, 70, says the pressure on him to win was so intense that it made him ill.
Speaking on Friday night’s Graham Norton Show on BBC One, Wenger said: “Competition is real – it’s you or me.
“Pain hurts and the biggest pain is to lose a football game.
“I was physically sick when I lost.
“When I was a young manager, I thought I would not survive in the job because the tension is so high and the pain so big when you lose.”
- John Hutchinson
GOOD MORNING ARSENAL FANS
Mesut Ozil is set to be left out of Mikel Arteta's 25-man Premier League squad.
The German, 32, earns £350,000 per week and is the highest-paid player in Arsenal's history alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arsenal are poised to confirm they've successfully negotiated for Kieran Tierney to cut short his 14-day isolation period and be available for tomorrow's game against Man City at the Etihad.
And that will immediately spark a demand from Celtic for answers and a similar result for Ryan Christie ahead of the first Old Firm derby of the season.
SunSport revealed today the Hoops were ready to fight for their player.
Both Tierney and Christie were told to self isolate for two weeks from October 6 when they were deemed close contacts of the Covid-19 positive tested Southampton's Stuart Armstrong while the trio were together at the Scotland camp at the Oriam.
- Jack Figg
MEZ KEEP GOING
Legendary boss Arsene Wenger brought Ozil to the Emirates in 2013 and reckons he still has a future.
The Frenchman told Der Spiegel: “He wasn't exactly the one with the greatest discipline on the pitch.
“And playing the game without the ball wasn't exactly his forte.
“But you can deal with that if you put some more defensively minded players by his side.
“The main thing is to get the balance between attack and defence right.
“Players have lost their technical quality over the past ten years.
“Athleticism has become more important than technique and decision making.
“It's more about physical characteristics and intensity, about explosiveness. And it's also about being a showman.”
- Jack Figg
MAN OVERBOARD
Arsene Wenger has admitted his rivalries with Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho sometimes went “overboard”.
Wenger, who left the North London club in 2018, told talkSPORT: “The rivalry between me and Alex. I was a foreign manager coming in and disturbing his reign and he didn’t like it. He hated to lose and I hated to lose, so at some stage it went overboard.
“But with time, after the competition went, the relationship became better. And today it is peaceful and friendly.”
Mourinho famously branded the Gunners chief a ‘specialist in failure’.
Wenger, 70, admitted: “That was sometimes very personal and a little bit out of control. The problem is you go into a game and already have resentment because of what’s been said in press conferences.
“You hate the guy on the other bench and keep control but sometimes it goes overboard.”
- Jack Figg
PARTEY TIME
Finally the 'will he or won't he?' saga ended with a positive result for Gooners.
The Ghanaian midfielder, 27, was eventually prized away from Atletico Madrid as the Gunners deposited a cheque to La Liga to activate his release clause.
And it is a brutal start in the English game with Manchester City away on Saturday, with Partey expected to feature.
- Jack Figg
DIDN'T SOL-D BACK
Mesut Ozil is 'yesterday's news' and will NEVER play for Arsenal again, according to Sol Campbell.
The German playmaker has not played a single minute for Mikel Arteta this season and the former Gunners centre-back doesn't think that will ever change.
It recently emerged Ozil rejected a £200,000-a-week move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
And despite Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger urging Arteta to get the best out of Ozil, Campbell thinks his time is up.
Campbell told GentingBet: “Mesut Ozil is yesterday’s news at the club.
Campbell told GentingBet: “Mesut Ozil is yesterday’s news at the club.
“There is no chance that he will feature for Arsenal again this season, or ever again.
“There have been certain things that have gone on, instances where he has gone against the club, so I don’t see where there is any room for him to come back.”
- Jack Figg
SHIFTING TIN
Arsenal fans loved Gabriel Martinelli's bulked-up physique and lauded the 19-year-old's body transformation.
Excitable Gooners caught a glimpse of Martinelli's shape and could barely recognise the striker.
The Brazilian youngster appeared to have padded out his upper body during an injury layoff.
Martinelli was last seen as an unused sub against Brighton in June and had his debut season with the Gunners curtailed by a training-ground knee injury.
But he appears to have been putting in the hard yards during his rehab in the gym – something that Arsenal fans latched onto.
One said: “He's really bulked up. Can't wait for him to return.”
- Jack Figg
MAN OVERBOARD
Arsene Wenger has admitted his rivalries with Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho sometimes went “overboard”.
Wenger, who left the North London club in 2018, told talkSPORT: “The rivalry between me and Alex. I was a foreign manager coming in and disturbing his reign and he didn’t like it. He hated to lose and I hated to lose, so at some stage it went overboard.
“But with time, after the competition went, the relationship became better. And today it is peaceful and friendly.”
Mourinho famously branded the Gunners chief a ‘specialist in failure’.
Wenger, 70, admitted: “That was sometimes very personal and a little bit out of control. The problem is you go into a game and already have resentment because of what’s been said in press conferences.
“You hate the guy on the other bench and keep control but sometimes it goes overboard.”
- Jack Figg
EUR-OH NO – EXCLUSIVE
Football bosses are preparing to rip up the format for the Euros – and SCRAP some venues.
Uefa privately accept there is no way that next summer’s tournament – postponed because of Covid – will be able to go ahead with the planned 12 host cities.
A worst-case scenario could see one country stage the tournament with four venues being used. Wembley is due to stage seven games, including England’s three group matches, plus the semi-finals and final.
The competition is sure to go ahead – owing to the millions Uefa will receive from TV companies. And the governing body is hopeful supporters will still be able to attend.
But some venues are at risk and the tournament will have to be condensed to ensure less travelling.
Places such as Baku in Azerbaijan – now caught in a conflict with Armenia – plus St Petersburg in Russia will be among the first to be dropped.
- Jack Figg
CZAR IS BORN
Gary Neville is calling for a reboot of English football and warned: “Enough is enough.”
The former Manchester United and England right-back is part of an eight-strong group who believe the game is running off the rails.
This week’s dogfight over Project Big Picture has only brought home the ‘chaotic’ structure with the Prem, FA and EFL all fighting for authority.
Sky pundit Neville, who is part-owner of League Two Salford, said only an independent, Government-appointed ‘regulator’ with the powers of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can implement a new order.
Nev, 45, said: “The pandemic has demonstrated a void in the Premier League leadership…
- Jack Figg
PAU-ER MOVE
Arsenal are preparing to hijack Manchester United's £35million transfer swoop for Pau Torres in January, according to reports.
Both clubs are still thought to want to bring in another centre-back to bolster their defences when the window reopens.
And according to Spanish news outlet todofichajes.com, Mikel Arteta and Edu have a plan to land Torres.
The Villarreal defender, 23, has attracted plenty of attention over the past couple of years – including from both Arsenal and United.
Now the two Premier League clubs are reportedly ready to battle it out for his signature.
- <a href='http://www.thesun.co.uk/sport' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Alex Terrell</a>
ON THE HORIZON
Here are Arsenal's upcoming fixtures, including tomorrow's clash with Manchester City.
- <a href='http://www.thesun.co.uk/sport' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Alex Terrell</a>
MORE ON DE BRUYNE
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne will miss Saturday's home Premier League game against Arsenal after picking up an injury on international duty with Belgium last weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said.
The midfielder was substituted in the second half of Belgium's 2-1 Nations League defeat by England at Wembley last Sunday and then withdrew from the national squad with an unspecified injury.
Guardiola said: “The squad have come back a little better than the previous time. Unfortunately Kevin is out but the rest of the players came back well.
“I don't think it's much but the next games I think he will be out.
”But we will see day by day how he is going on.”
- <a href='http://www.thesun.co.uk/sport' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Alex Terrell</a>
KDB KO
Kevin de Bruyne is OUT of Manchester City's clash with Arsenal, Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
More info to follow…
- <a href='http://www.thesun.co.uk/sport' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Alex Terrell</a>
OZ OUT
Mesut Ozil is set to be left out of Mikel Arteta's 25-man Premier League squad.
The German, 32, earns £350,000 per week and is the highest-paid player in Arsenal's history alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
But according to the Daily Mail, he has been made no promises about his inclusion in the Premier League squad for this season.
Outcast Ozil was omitted from the Gunners' Europa League squad alongside Sokratis.
And now he is on course to be snubbed once again for the league team which will be submitted on Tuesday.
- <a href='http://www.thesun.co.uk/sport' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Alex Terrell</a>
EXCLUSIVE
Arsenal are poised to confirm they've successfully negotiated for Kieran Tierney to cut short his 14-day isolation period and be available for tomorrow's game against Man City at the Etihad.
And that will immediately spark a demand from Celtic for answers and a similar result for Ryan Christie ahead of the first Old Firm derby of the season.
SunSport revealed today the Hoops were ready to fight for their player.
Both Tierney and Christie were told to self isolate for two weeks from October 6 when they were deemed close contacts of the Covid-19 positive tested Southampton's Stuart Armstrong while the trio were together at the Scotland camp at the Oriam.
The Gunners and Celtic each released statements expressing unhappiness over the decision made by the Lothian Health Protection Team, stressing that their players had ensured social distancing.
READ THE WHOLE SUNSPORT EXCLUSIVE HERE
- <a href='http://www.thesun.co.uk/sport' rel='external nofollow ugc' class='url'>Alex Terrell</a>
PREDICTED LINE-UP
Thomas Partey is in line to make his Arsenal debut against Manchester City on Saturday.
Here is how the Gunners could line-up with the Ghana ace in their midfield.
Source: Read Full Article