Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta on Arsenal team news, Daniel Ek and the Kroenkes
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked several questions ahead of the second leg of the Europa League semi-final tie against Villarreal. The Gunners are trailing 2-1 after the first leg at El Madrigal, but they are very much in the tie after scoring a late away goal from the penalty spot. Alexandre Lacazette and Kieran Tierney have recently handed a boost by returning to training, but Arteta did not confirm whether they are fit to feature. Instead, the Spaniard said that the players will be assessed today. There could be an update this evening confirming whether the duo are available for selection. Meanwhile, when asked about the takeover talk involving Daniel Ek, Arteta said he would prefer to ignore the speculation and focus on winning games. He told football.london: “We have to try...
Arteta vs Emery: Arsenal boss under the cosh as stats expose progress myth
Arsenal have had another disappointing Premier League season, currently languishing in ninth spot, 10 points adrift of the Champions League places. There has been criticism from some fans towards manager Mikel Arteta while others believe that progress has been made. We look into how Arteta has fared when compared to his predecessor Unai Emery after 51 league games into their respective careers with the club. The Gunners have scored 16 fewer goals since Arteta took over in December 2019, but they have been unfortunate, hitting the woodwork on 15 more occasions. In general play, Emery’s team also had the upper side in terms of possession, but there has been more patience in the build-up play under Arteta. While the high pressing has been evident, the passing has also been more slow and intri...
‘Very close’: Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal forward is on the verge of signing new deal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that the club are close to committing Folarin Balogun to a new long-term contract. The 19-year-old is one of the Gunners’ highly-rated graduates, but it appeared that he could leave the club on a free transfer this summer. However, he has been convinced to stay by Arteta, but the club have yet to make an official announcement over a new deal beyond June. Speaking in a press conference today, Arteta said that he has always been positive about the player’s desire to stay, and the club are ‘very close’ to a renewal. He told Arsenal.com: “We’re going to make it official when it’s official and everything is done, but as I said before, I was being very positive that he wants to stay at the club. We want him to stay at the club, so we are very close.”...
Martin Odegaard tells friends his stance on potential Arsenal transfer
Martin Odegaard has reportedly opened up to his friends about a potential permanent transfer to Arsenal. According to football.london, the Norway international has been impressed by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta since joining on loan from Real Madrid in January, and could now be keen to stay. However, the report adds that Odegaard won’t push to extend his stay at Arsenal, even if he is keen to do so after being won over by Arteta’s project at the Emirates Stadium. Odegaard has long looked an exciting young talent but has not had many first-team opportunities at Real Madrid down the years. The 22-year-old also caught the eye on loan at Real Sociedad last season, and it seems his time with Arsenal has also been good for him as he’s shown what he can do when given the chance. Arsenal would sur...
Arsenal receive positive Martin Odegaard update after ankle injury scare
Arsenal have been left breathing a huge sigh of relief after it was confirmed that the injury suffered by Martin Odegaard while on international duty is not serious. Gunners fans were left concerned on Wednesday night after the in-form Real Madrid loanee appeared to painfully roll his ankle before being substituted at half-time of Norway’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Gibraltar. The absence of Odegaard for any extended period of time would have come as a sizable blow to Arsenal, with the 22-year-old having grown in influence since moving to north London in January and played a critical role in Sunday’s comeback draw against London rivals West Ham, afterwards attracting effusive praise from manager Mikel Arteta. But not only does it seem that Odegaard is now unlikely to miss key upc...
Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Bukayo Saka after north London derby win
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on Bukayo Saka following the club’s 2-1 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday. The Gunners were the dominant side from the start of the game, but fell behind after a stunning rabona strike from substitute Erik Lamela in the 33rd minute. They managed to level the scores prior to the break through Martin Odegaard before Alexandre Lacazette netted the winner from the penalty spot in the 64th minute. Saka was the subject of plenty of challenges during the opening half of the north London derby and he did not turn up after the interval. It was quite evident that he was carrying some kind of injury and following the game, Arteta revealed that the forward was ‘feeling his hamstring’. He told Arsenal.com: “We ...
Arsenal provide update on Smith Rowe ahead of Burnley clash
Arsenal have this evening revealed a late update on the fitness of Emile Smith Rowe, ahead of their showdown with Burnley. Mikel Arteta’s men are set to return to action tomorrow afternoon, in a Premier League meeting with the Clarets. The Gunners will of course head into the Turf Moor clash with their tails up, on the back of a morale boosting pair of wins over the last couple of weeks. First, a last-gasp Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang header saw Arsenal get the better of Benfica, to book their spot in the Last-16 of the Europa League. And this was followed last weekend by a hugely impressive 3-1 downing of Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The news, as a whole, proved of a positive nature, with only two players – including 3rd-choice goalkeeper Alex Runarsson – struggling as things st...
25-year-old Arsenal star could leave this summer after Mikel Arteta agreement
Arsenal vice-captain Hector Bellerin could head for the exit door this summer as part of an agreement made with manager Mikel Arteta last year, ESPN reports. The Spaniard was reportedly eager to leave the north London side in the previous summer transfer window but was convinced to stay by Arteta for one more season. Bellerin has been a consistent starter for the Gunners in the right-back/right wing-back role this term registering 28 appearances, but his future is uncertain. He will enter the final two years of his contract in July this year and it is reported that the club may sanction Bellerin’s sale as part of the deal with Arteta. Sportslens view: At 25, Bellerin has made 232 appearances for the Gunners but his performances over the past few seasons have been inconsistent. Injuries hav...
Mikel Arteta ‘especially happy’ for one Arsenal star after comeback win vs Benfica
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was particularly relieved for midfielder Dani Ceballos following the club’s 3-2 win over Benfica in the second leg of the Europa League last 32. The Gunners made the trip to Piraeus with a 1-1 aggregate score and went one-nil ahead on the night through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 21st minute. However, Benfica pulled level right before the break with a sublime free-kick from Diogo Goncalves before Rafa Silva gave them a surprise lead at the hour mark. Both goals were directly scored after errors from Ceballos. The Spaniard’s poor attempt at a tackle gifted Benfica the chance to score from a set-piece in the 41st minute. He thereafter mistimed his attempted header back to Bernd Leno which gifted Silva with an easy finish as he rounded the goalkeeper before t...
Arsenal boss hails Manchester City as ‘best in Europe’
Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal team will be facing the best side in Europe when they take on Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. City have won a club-record 17 successive games across all competitions and are 10 points ahead of local rivals Manchester United at the summit of the English top-flight heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures. Arteta knows City well after working under manager Pep Guardiola in Manchester for three years before returning to manage Arsenal, having previously played for the Gunners. “I think they are the best team in Europe at the moment,” Arteta said of City. “The way they are performing, the football they are playing and the consistency of the results, take all that it and it makes them the best team. “So we have a b...
‘He had a muscular injury’: Mikel Arteta confirms fresh injury blow for Arsenal star
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that midfielder Thomas Partey picked up a muscular injury which led to his second-half substitution against Aston Villa. The Ghana international joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid last summer and he has since missed a number of games due to multiple thigh injuries. He was forced off the pitch against the Villans with an apparent muscle issue and Arteta confirmed after the game that the midfielder could not carry on. The Spaniard added that he has no idea over the severity of the setback and a medical assessment will be required. “He had a muscular injury so we had to take him off – he could not carry on playing and I don’t know [how bad it is],” he told Arsenal.com. “We will see the extent of the injury. He wasn’t feeling well enough to ...
Shkodran Mustafi joins Schalke from Arsenal
Arsenal’s squad trimming has continued, with Shkodran Mustafi joining Schalke on a deal until the end of the season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said prior to the January transfer window that he was keen to trim some flab from his squad. Mesut Ozil has been the highest-profile departure, with the former Germany international joining Fenerbahce and in so doing the club cleared a sizeable chunk of wages from the monthly bill. Sokratis Papastathopoulos joined Olympiakos earlier this month after being released from his contract, William Saliba, Sead Kolasinac and Matt Smith have left on loan, while Matt Macey joined Hibernian on a permanent basis. World Cup winner Mustafi emerged as a possible departure towards the end of January, and he was linked with a shock move to Liverpool. Premier League ...
