Arsenal need to improve but title race isn’t over just yet…

It’s tough to really assess the result at Chelsea from an Arsenal point of view.

Usually, a point at Stamford Bridge would not be a bad thing and there were certainly some positives for Arsenal to take from the game.

I thought they probably just about shaded it. They played some good stuff at times, created more chances than they have for a while and scored a good goal through Gabriel Martinelli.

The return of Martin Odegaard was obviously huge and the fact that he played 90 minutes in such a high intensity game after so long out was incredible. It was no surprise that he didn’t look his sharpest, but he still played very well all things considered and showed what Arsenal had been missing in his absence.

He was integral in all the good things Arsenal did going forward and produced a moment of real quality to set up the goal for Martinelli after the interval.

But the fact that Arsenal again failed to hang on to a lead was really disappointing, especially when you look at the goal they conceded.

Yes, it was a great strike from Pedro Neto, but he should never have been given the time and space that he was allowed before he got his shot away. It was a rare moment of miscommunication from Arsenal. Three or four players were all caught out of position and no-one took command of the situation.

You could see how annoyed Mikel Arteta was afterwards. He knew his team had given two points away in that moment and Arsenal can’t afford to make those kind of avoidable errors given the position they find themselves in right now.

I don’t think Arsenal are out of the title race. Maybe I’m being naive and I’m underestimating Liverpool, but I would be far more concerned if Manchester City were nine points clear.

Liverpool have had a great start and are riding the crest of a wave, but I do get the sense that things are going their way a bit at the moment and I would be surprised if they kept up the pace they are currently setting.

They are obviously in a great position though and Arsenal are going to have to improve massively if they are going to catch them. The run of fixtures between now and the New Year is going to be huge.

After such a difficult start, especially away from home, Arsenal have what appears to be a good run coming up and they have to take advantage and get some momentum going. I look at the next eight games and the aim has to be maximum points.

That’s a tough ask in the Premier League, but that’s what they have to aim for. If they can achieve that, I think they will be in touching distance by the time we hit 2025 and then everything will be to play for over the second half of the season.

Pedro Neto looks like an opportunity missed by Arsenal

Of all the signings Chelsea have made over the past couple of years, Pedro Neto was the one that I looked at and felt that Arsenal should have had a go for.

They had looked at him in the past, but a move never materialised. I think at the time they seriously considered him, Wolves were better placed to resist any advances.

But last summer he just wasn’t really on the radar. I don’t know why that was. Clearly, he was available, but Arsenal didn’t make a move and Chelsea did.

He always looked like a player to me who was perfect for Arsenal. Obviously there were injury concerns. His availability while he was at Wolves was not great and maybe that put some clubs off.

But when he was fit he was always top quality and given his attributes he really did feel tailor-made for this Arsenal squad.

As we saw on Sunday, he can play on either wing so could have provided competition and cover for both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli which is much needed.

He has real pace, something Arsenal lack, he’s extremely comfortable on the ball and he is a goal threat, as he demonstrated with that excellent finish past David Raya.

It felt like an opportunity missed by Arsenal when Chelsea got that deal done in the summer and it still feels like that now.

Plenty of speculation, but Arsenal will take their time over Edu replacement

Arsenal will take their time over appointing a successor to Edu as sporting director.

I’ve seen lots of names mentioned already, like Tomas Rosicky and Tim Steiden. Even Per Mertesacker has been getting a mention.

But there will be no quick decision.

It’s going to be a thorough process because Arsenal want to make sure they get someone that they believe is perfectly suited to an important role.

Jason Ayto, who has been Edu’s assistant for the past year, will take on the role on an interim basis and is viewed as a very capable stop gap while the recruitment process takes shape. He could even be considered for the role full-time, although there is a feeling the opportunity might have come a bit too soon for him.

But he is highly respected and knows the current set-up better than anyone, given how closely he has been working with Edu for the past 12 months.

He is due to travel to the USA this week with Mikel Arteta, managing director Richard Garlick and director Tim Lewis to meet with the Kroenkes in Los Angeles.

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It’s a scheduled meeting that always takes place in the November international break. It’s when the management group always lay-out their plans for the following summer to the owners.

Obviously the hunt for a new sporting director will also be on the agenda and I know Arsenal are currently not limiting themselves to a certain type of candidate.

They will take their time and look across the globe as they consider who they want to go for. Obviously they will have certain names already in mind at this early stage, but they will not rush into anything.

Ousmane Diomande linked with Arsenal yet again

It always makes me smile when I see Ousmane Diomande linked with Arsenal.

He’s just one of those players who year after year gets linked with a possible move to the club.

I can’t believe he’s still just 20 years old because it feels like he’s been rumoured to be close to a move to Arsenal for the past decade.

Diomande is obviously an excellent talent and has been doing very good things with Sporting over the past few seasons.

But it’s not one that I’ve ever had backed up in terms of Arsenal’s interest. That’s not to say that the reports about interest are not correct, it’s just not something I’ve heard myself.

And to be honest, if Arsenal are going to splash out the type of money it would take to get him out of Portugal, I’d much rather that cash would be spent on attacking options rather than defensive ones.

The post Arsenal column: Chelsea reaction, Pedro Neto transfer miss, Ousmane Diomande links & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal will take their time over appointing a successor to Edu as sporting director.

I’ve seen lots of names mentioned already, like Tomas Rosicky and Tim Steiden. Even Per Mertesacker has been getting a mention.

But there will be no quick decision.

It’s going to be a thorough process because Arsenal want to make sure they get someone that they believe is perfectly suited to an important role.

Jason Ayto, who has been Edu’s assistant for the past year, will take on the role on an interim basis and is viewed as a very capable stop gap while the recruitment process takes shape. He could even be considered for the role full-time, although there is a feeling the opportunity might have come a bit too soon for him.

But he is highly respected and knows the current set-up better than anyone, given how closely he has been working with Edu for the past 12 months.

Arsenal talks scheduled soon

He is due to travel to the USA this week with Mikel Arteta, managing director Richard Garlick and director Tim Lewis to meet with the Kroenkes in Los Angeles.

It’s a scheduled meeting that always takes place in the November international break. It’s when the management group always lay-out their plans for the following summer to the owners.

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Obviously the hunt for a new sporting director will also be on the agenda and I know Arsenal are currently not limiting themselves to a certain type of candidate.

They will take their time and look across the globe as they consider who they want to go for. Obviously they will have certain names already in mind at this early stage, but they will not rush into anything.

To read more Arsenal news in my full Daily Briefing column, click here!

The post Exclusive: Arsenal set for meeting soon, new sporting director on the agenda appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Edu’s shock exit will have an impact on Arteta

Edu’s imminent departure from Arsenal has certainly come as a surprise.

There have been whispers for a while about talks taking place with Evangelos Marinakis about a role overseeing his football group, but it was certainly not seen as a given that he would move on.

So his seemingly imminent exit has caught people off guard, with an official announcement from Arsenal about his future expected soon.

I’m flying out to Italy on Tuesday for the Champions League game with Inter and I will be at Mikel Arteta’s press conference, which is due to take place at San Siro at around 7pm.

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal make an announcement before then. I would expect that they will, just so they have something official out there before Arteta has to sit in front of a room full of journalists, but we’ll have to wait and see.

I’m still a bit torn myself in terms of how Edu’s departure will impact the club.

There is no doubt he has done a great job since his return to the club in 2019. Not every deal he has made has been a success, but the majority have worked out well and that’s all you can really ask for from a sporting director.

He and Arteta have worked very well together. They have been aligned in what they have wanted to do and together they have moved the club forward in a big, big way.

They have overhauled and built a squad that is now full of excellent young players that have had Arsenal challenging for the Premier League title for the past few seasons.

Arteta and Edu have a good relationship. They trust each other. Arteta knows they are on the same page and that is very important because it creates stability behind the scenes and that is absolutely vital.

This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Charles Watts’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

So Edu’s departure will impact Arteta. That’s obvious. But it shouldn’t be seen as a disaster.

Sporting directors come and go. It’s a role at football clubs which always comes with a pretty high turnover in terms of personnel. There are others out there that can do the job, so the important thing now is that the club chooses a successor wisely.

Arteta will have a strong say in that, along with Richard Garlick, Arsenal’s managing director and director Tim Lewis, who make up Arsenal’s football leadership team.

Making the right appointment is crucial. If they get it right, the new man could come in and bring a fresh outlook to the role which could help Arsenal in the long-run.

So it’s an interesting one to really assess right now. It’s a bit of a step into the unknown for Arsenal again after a period of stability under Arteta and Edu.

The unknown can be a bit daunting of course, but it can also be exciting. It’s just about making sure you make the right decision at the right time.

Something has to change for Arsenal to get back into the title race

Manchester City’s defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday did soften the blow somewhat of Arsenal’s defeat at Newcastle.

That defeat means that the gap to City is still just five points, which while being far from ideal, is also far from insurmountable at this early stage of the season.

One thing that is for sure, however, is that Arsenal are going to have to find some form fast if they are going to remain within touching distance of City and Liverpool at the top of the table.

The performance against Newcastle was worrying. It was just so, so flat. It was very similar to the Bournemouth game in many ways.

Could Arsenal replace Edu with the transfer guru who discovered Lewandowski & Gundogan? Click here to find out more!

There is a real lack of spark at Arsenal at the moment. Without Martin Odegaard it is tough to see where the creativity is going to come from.

Arsenal did OK in the immediate aftermath of Odegaard’s injury. Arteta rejigged things a bit, with the shift to a front two of Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard working quite well in the absence of their captain.

But it does feel like that tactic has run its course a bit. Teams seemed to have wised up to it and Trossard’s form has also fallen off a bit of a cliff in recent weeks.

And you can see – especially away from home – that Arsenal are looking quite easy to play against.

I just don’t think the midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Mikel Merino works very well. It might in the future, but right now with Merino still settling in and Rice far from his best form, it just makes Arsenal a bit one dimensional in the central areas.

It feels like the only way that something is going to happen is if Bukayo Saka gets on the ball. He’s the only real threat and you need more than that if you are going to open sides up at the top level.

So it feels like Arteta has to change something quickly if Arsenal are going to get back on track.

They have two very difficult away games to come this week, first at Inter in the Champions League and then at Chelsea on Sunday. If he does the same thing that he did at Bournemouth and at Newcastle, it’s difficult to see the results being any different.

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Odegaard is close to a return now which is a positive, but he’s going to need some time to get his fitness and sharpness back so you would expect he will be slowly eased back in.

So Arteta will need to find another solution. Whether that be trusting Ethan Nwaneri to start, or bringing in Gabriel Jesus or Raheem Sterling I don’t know. But it does feel important that he tries something new to get Arsenal out of this slump they find themselves in.

The title is not gone yet. There is still a lot of football to be played and a lot of points to be won.

But things have to improve quickly at Arsenal or they will soon find themselves too far off the pace and that will be incredibly disappointing given the ambitions the club had at the start of the season.

The post Arsenal transfer news: Edu’s shock exit, Gyokeres and Lookman links, & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Viktor Gyokeres is going to be one of the most talked about players in Europe when the January transfer window opens.

The Swedish striker is doing incredible things at Sporting right now, just as he did last season having made the move to Portugal from Coventry city.

No-one picked him up in the summer despite his goalscoring exploits with Sporting, but it would be very surprising if he does not move on in the next couple of windows.

Personally, I would be surprised if anything happens in January. Sporting will do all they can not to lose him halfway through the season. But when the summer comes around, I imagine he will be off.

You would think that Ruben Amorim’s departure from Sporting to Manchester United will only add to the speculation. Will he follow his former boss to Old Trafford? United have spent big on a couple of young strikers in the past couple of seasons, so that might not be possible.

Viktor Gyokeres transfer: Just how interested are Arsenal?

Gyokeres is a player Arsenal have looked at. That’s well known.

But despite needing a new forward, they opted not to move for him in the summer, even after they missed out on Benjamin Sesko.

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I’m still not convinced they will sign a striker in January, even with the poor run of form we are seeing from Mikel Arteta’s side. It still feels more likely that they will wait until the summer when they will have more options available to them.

Gyokeres will be one of those options once again. But Alexander Isak would still be my first choice, I have to admit.

The post Arsenal have looked at this world class attacker, but how will Man United impact the transfer? appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Edu’s imminent departure from Arsenal has certainly come as a surprise.

There have been whispers for a while about talks taking place with Evangelos Marinakis about a role overseeing his football group, but it was certainly not seen as a given that he would move on.

So his seemingly imminent exit has caught people off guard, with an official announcement from Arsenal about his future expected soon.

I’m flying out to Italy on Tuesday for the Champions League game with Inter and I will be at Mikel Arteta’s press conference, which is due to take place at San Siro at around 7pm.

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal make an announcement before then. I would expect that they will, just so they have something official out there before Arteta has to sit in front of a room full of journalists, but we’ll have to wait and see.

I’m still a bit torn myself in terms of how Edu’s departure will impact the club.

There is no doubt he has done a great job since his return to the club in 2019. Not every deal he has made has been a success, but the majority have worked out well and that’s all you can really ask for from a sporting director.

He and Arteta have worked very well together. They have been aligned in what they have wanted to do and together they have moved the club forward in a big, big way.

They have overhauled and built a squad that is now full of excellent young players that have had Arsenal challenging for the Premier League title for the past few seasons.

Arteta and Edu have a good relationship. They trust each other. Arteta knows they are on the same page and that is very important because it creates stability behind the scenes and that is absolutely vital.

Edu exit WILL impact Arteta…

So Edu’s departure will impact Arteta. That’s obvious. But it shouldn’t be seen as a disaster.

Sporting directors come and go. It’s a role at football clubs which always comes with a pretty high turnover in terms of personnel. There are others out there that can do the job, so the important thing now is that the club chooses a successor wisely.

Could Arsenal replace Edu with the transfer guru who discovered Lewandowski & Gundogan? Click here to find out more!

Arteta will have a strong say in that, along with Richard Garlick, Arsenal’s managing director and director Tim Lewis, who make up Arsenal’s football leadership team.

Making the right appointment is crucial. If they get it right, the new man could come in and bring a fresh outlook to the role which could help Arsenal in the long-run.

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So it’s an interesting one to really assess right now. It’s a bit of a step into the unknown for Arsenal again after a period of stability under Arteta and Edu.

The unknown can be a bit daunting of course, but it can also be exciting. It’s just about making sure you make the right decision at the right time.

The post Sporting directors come and go, but Arsenal & Arteta will be destabilised by Edu’s shock departure appeared first on CaughtOffside.

What Arteta got wrong in Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth

Saturday was just an awful night for Arsenal. There haven’t been many of them in recent times, but that was certainly one of them.

It was one of those games when everyone was just a bit off. There were so many sloppy errors and that’s something you just don’t really get from Arsenal any more, so it was strange to see.

Look at Leandro Trossard’s pass that led to the incident that saw William Saliba sent off and then there was Jakub Kiwior’s back pass which led to the penalty. It was just a really slack performance from Arsenal and they were punished for it.

This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Charles Watts’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

I thought the Saliba red was just about justified, but I can also see the argument that once the referee has made his decision on the pitch, then the VAR shouldn’t really get involved.

Was it really a clear and obvious mistake? Saliba and Evanilson were a long way from goal. Referee Rob Jones had a good view of it and he clearly felt there was enough doubt over how the incident would have played out to only give Saliba a yellow.

So you can see why some Arsenal fans feel aggrieved that the VAR decided that a review was needed. The fact that Chelsea centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo escaped a red for a very similar incident against Liverpool 24 hours later only added to their sense of injustice.

But personally I can see why Saliba was sent off and I do think the Tosin incident was slightly different because of how close Levi Colwill was and the direction the ball was traveling in.

It was clumsy from Saliba and it summed up Arsenal’s display really. He didn’t need to commit to the challenge, but he panicked a bit. Yes, Evanilson was ahead of him, but had he let the incident play out I’m sure he would have got back and dealt with the Bournemouth striker.

It was just a really poor night for Arsenal and I don’t think the team selection helped. I was really surprised that Arteta went with all three of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino in midfield. That always looked like a midfield that would struggle to create and that’s how it played out.

With No Martin Odegaard or Bukayo Saka and with Gabriel Martinelli only starting on the bench, I would have liked to have seen Ethan Nwaneri start just to give the team a bit more creativity and attacking intent in those central areas.

It will be interesting to see what Arteta does against Liverpool on Sunday because that’s a huge game for Arsenal now. They have to get back on track and win that one and I’m sure the performance will be very different.

The fact that Saliba will be missing is far from ideal but Arsenal do have plenty of other options. If Jurrien Timber is fit, I would bring him in at right-back and move Ben White into the centre to play alongside Gabriel Magalhaes. That seems like the best option to me, because I can’t see Kiwior starting that one.

The latest on Saka and Odegaard injuries

Arsenal still hope that Martin Odegaard will be available to feature before the next international break.

November has always been the month they have had in mind for his return and I’m not aware of anything that has happened that has changed that.

Obviously they want him back as quickly as possible because he’s such an important player, but they will not take any risks with him.

His return will be carefully managed because the last thing Arteta will want is for Odegaard to come back too early and suffer any sort of setback.

You can see how much the side misses his creativity in those central areas, so it will be a huge boost to get him back.

Bukayo Saka didn’t train on Monday ahead of the Shakhtar game, so he is obviously a doubt for Tuesday night and Liverpool on Sunday might also come too soon for him.

It’s too early to rule him out for that, but you can’t really take any risks when it comes to hamstring injuries.

One thing that is for sure is that Arsenal will do everything they can to have Saka available for the weekend.

They clearly missed both players against Bournemouth. To be without Odegaard is one thing, but to also have Saka out as well was a huge blow.

You could see the creative void that left in the side and they struggled to really cause Bournemouth many problems as a result, even when they had 11 men on the pitch.

It just shows how important it is that both players get back fit as quickly as possible.

Could Arsenal make a move for Semenyo?

Antoine Semenyo has had a strong start to the season for Bournemouth and his comments that he is an Arsenal fan certainly caught the attention of some fans.

I have no idea whether Arsenal have any plans on trying to make his dream of playing for the club come true at some point, but it will be interesting to follow his progress this season.

He certainly plays in an area where the club will look to strengthen their options in the summer and his performances for Bournemouth are clearly making some top clubs take notice.

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But I think for someone like Arsenal to really consider making a move for him he will need to show he can maintain a top level consistently over the course of a campaign.

It’s not just about impressing in flashes, it’s about doing it consistently and showing you are ready to move up to the next level.

Gittens linked with Arsenal as Sterling unlikely to stay permanently

Jamie Gittens is another player who has been named as a potential target for Arsenal.

But, like Semenyo, it’s really too early to be talking with any real substance about who the club might look to bring in to strengthen their squad.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal look to do any business in January. I’m sure they will if they can, but we all know it’s a very difficult month to do anything significant when it comes to transfers.

That’s not to say that they won’t dip into the market. If the right opportunity arises then I’m sure they will go for it, but it’s still more likely they wait until the summer to spend big money.

Gittens has caught the eye of late and we know Arsenal will be looking at options out wide. They have Raheem Sterling right now, but it’s tough to see that loan being made permanent come the end of the campaign.

So there will be scope to bring someone in and if Gittens continues to perform at a high level then he might be the type of profile Arsenal will consider.

Time will tell.

The post Arsenal news: Arteta’s tactical error, Saka injury latest, potential Sterling replacements & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal still hope that Martin Odegaard will be available to feature before the next international break.

November has always been the month they have had in mind for his return and I’m not aware of anything that has happened that has changed that.

Obviously they want him back as quickly as possible because he’s such an important player, but they will not take any risks with him.

His return will be carefully managed because the last thing Arteta will want is for Odegaard to come back too early and suffer any sort of setback.

You can see how much the side misses his creativity in those central areas, so it will be a huge boost to get him back.

Bukayo Saka injury latest – when could he return for Arsenal?

Bukayo Saka didn’t train on Monday ahead of the Shakhtar game, so he is obviously a doubt for Tuesday night and Liverpool on Sunday might also come too soon for him.

It’s too early to rule him out for that, but you can’t really take any risks when it comes to hamstring injuries.

One thing that is for sure is that Arsenal will do everything they can to have Saka available for the weekend.

They clearly missed both players against Bournemouth. To be without Odegaard is one thing, but to also have Saka out as well was a huge blow.

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You could see the creative void that left in the side and they struggled to really cause Bournemouth many problems as a result, even when they had 11 men on the pitch.

It just shows how important it is that both players get back fit as quickly as possible.

Click here for my full exclusive column on the Daily Briefing!

The post Exclusive: How Arsenal will handle injured duo and when they could return appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Honestly, the Unai Emery debate when it comes to Arsenal really does bore me now. I just don’t understand how it is still a thing.

Emery is doing fantastic things at Aston Villa and I’m happy for him because he’s clearly an excellent manager and he was a pleasure to deal with when he was in charge at Arsenal.

But no matter what he does at Villa and what they go on to achieve, it will not change the fact that Arsenal were absolutely correct to get rid of him when they did.

It was the right decision. In fact, it was the only decision. He just had to go.

The results were woeful, the football was even worse and the Emirates was half empty every other week. He’d lost the majority of the fans and it was blatantly obvious that he’d lost large swathes of the changing room as well.

It just didn’t work out and that happens.

That’s not a slant against Emery. Sometimes things just didn’t fit and that’s what happened with him at Arsenal.

Unai Emery was a bit unlucky at Arsenal

He was unlucky as well. He came in at a time when there were so many changes happening behind the scenes. Ivan Gazidis, the man who appointed him, left soon after he arrived and that departure created a power vacuum at the club.

There was a battle behind the scenes that led to Raul Sanllehi taking control and he brought in some players that Emery didn’t really want.

So he had to deal with a lot and maybe if he’d been given the type of power that Mikel Arteta had been given things might have been different.

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But that argument is all ifs and buts. That’s why I just don’t get why it is still a thing.

The fact is, everyone has come out of it better.

Emery has gone on to do fantastic things, first with Villarreal and now with Villa. While Arsenal have transformed themselves completely having turned to Arteta.

It’s a win, win for everyone and that really should be the end of the discussion.

The post I don’t understand how some Arsenal fans are still having this debate appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal not overly concerned by Gabriel Martinelli injury, but could it mean a fresh chance for Gabriel Jesus?

I can only imagine what Mikel Arteta was thinking when news filtered back to Arsenal that Gabriel Martinelli had followed Bukayo Saka by picking up an injury while on international duty.

It’s too early to say yet whether the calf problem Martinelli is suffering from will rule the Brazilian out of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth. My understanding is that – following conversations with the Brazilian team’s medical staff – there is not much concern at Arsenal over the severity of Martinelli’s issue.

It might still force him to miss Saturday’s game, but that is a decision that will be taken on Friday before the team makes the trip to the south coast following their final training session at London Colney.

This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Charles Watts’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

Arsenal have not insisted that Martinelli returns to the UK early. They are comfortable with him remaining with Brazil and returning as scheduled with Gabriel Magalhaes following the match with Peru.

So it’s too early to rule him out of contention for the weekend, but if he were to miss out then Arteta does have a fair few options to call upon, even if Saka is also absent.

Gabriel Jesus is one of those options. He struggled playing as the central striker against Southampton before the international break, but he’s shown he can be a handy option playing out wide.

He can play on the right or on the left and it would not surprise me to see Arteta utilise him out wide at Bournemouth, although the more likely alternative to Martinelli on the left would be Raheem Sterling.

Jesus is clearly struggling for confidence right now. You can see that by the way he’s playing. He’s thinking about things too much and taking too many touches when he’s in possession.

When Jesus is at his best he does things off the cuff. He creates chaos with his movement and his work rate. But right now he’s bringing more confusion than chaos with his play.

I think there’s certainly a chance this could be his final season at the club, but obviously that is a decision that will be taken in the summer should any suitable offers arrive.

I do expect Arsenal to bring in a forward and that would limit Jesus’ chances further. He’s way behind Kai Havertz now in the pecking order and it’s tough to see him turning that round at present given the form of both players.

But whatever happens he still has a big part to play this season.

Arsenal are going to need Jesus, so it’s crucial they help him improve and find his confidence again because if they can do that then they have a player who has the quality to still have a major say on this campaign.

My thoughts on the Mikel Arteta vs Unai Emery debate

Honestly, the Unai Emery debate when it comes to Arsenal really does bore me now. I just don’t understand how it is still a thing.

Emery is doing fantastic things at Aston Villa and I’m happy for him because he’s clearly an excellent manager and he was a pleasure to deal with when he was in charge at Arsenal.

But no matter what he does at Villa and what they go on to achieve, it will not change the fact that Arsenal were absolutely correct to get rid of him when they did.

It was the right decision. In fact, it was the only decision. He just had to go.

The results were woeful, the football was even worse and the Emirates was half empty every other week. He’d lost the majority of the fans and it was blatantly obvious that he’d lost large swathes of the changing room as well.

It just didn’t work out and that happens.

That’s not a slant against Emery. Sometimes things just didn’t fit and that’s what happened with him at Arsenal.

He was unlucky as well. He came in at a time when there were so many changes happening behind the scenes. Ivan Gazidis, the man who appointed him, left soon after he arrived and that departure created a power vacuum at the club.

There was a battle behind the scenes that led to Raul Sanllehi taking control and he brought in some players that Emery didn’t really want.

So he had to deal with a lot and maybe if he’d been given the type of power that Mikel Arteta had been given things might have been different.

But that argument is all ifs and buts. That’s why I just don’t get why it is still a thing.

The fact is, everyone has come out of it better.

Emery has gone on to do fantastic things, first with Villarreal and now with Villa. While Arsenal have transformed themselves completely having turned to Arteta.

It’s a win, win for everyone and that really should be the end of the discussion.

Georgiy Sudakov to Arsenal transfer links make sense

Georgiy Sudakov has been linked with Arsenal recently and they will be able to have a close up view of his talents on Tuesday night when Shakhtar Donetsk visit the Emirates in the Champions League.

Sudakov’s stock is rising fast, with clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Spurs and Liverpool all said to be interested in the attacking midfielder.

It’s too early to say whether Arsenal will actually make a move for the 22-year-old, but it’s no surprise to see him mentioned as a potential target for the club.

He fits the profile that Mikel Arteta and Edu like and plays in an area where Arsenal will look to strengthen over the next few windows.

Sudakov likes to get forward from midfield and operate in the No.10 role, but he can also play deeper and with Thomas Partey and Jorginho expected to move on at the end of the season and Mikel Merino approaching his 30s, Arsenal will be looking to add some fresh blood to their midfield options.

They will know, however, due to their highly publicised chase of Mykhailo Mudryk, that Shakhtar are not an easy club to do business with.

So if they do decide to pursue Sudakov, they will be aware that he would not come cheap and Mudryk’s struggles since joining Chelsea show how big a step in class it is when moving from Ukraine to the Premier League.

That should certainly be a warning to any interested parties.

Why haven’t Edu and Arsenal turned to the Brazilian market more?

Arsenal fans have been a bit surprised at the club’s reluctance to enter into the Brazilian market of late.

We’ve seen lots of clubs doing it, particularly Chelsea and of course Real Madrid, but Arsenal have kept their powder dry since the signings of Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos.

There was an expectation when Edu was appointed that, given his connections in Brazil, the club would look to take advantage of the market over there, but it just hasn’t really happened.

There are always links and we’ve seen that recently with Vitor Reis, but so far Arsenal have preferred to focus their business on the European market.

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I can’t say for certain why that is, but my hunch is that they have preferred to move for players they believe will acclimatise quicker to the demands of the Premier League.

Arsenal have been on a rapid rise in the last few years and their approach to building their squad has been carefully managed.

They have signed project players, but maybe they believe the risk has just been too great when it comes to moving for young Brazilian talent, especially given the transfer fees they are now commanding.

The post Arsenal column: Gabriel Martinelli injury update, Edu and the Brazilian market & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

I can only imagine what Mikel Arteta was thinking when news filtered back to Arsenal that Gabriel Martinelli had followed Bukayo Saka by picking up an injury while on international duty.

It’s too early to say yet whether the calf problem Martinelli is suffering from will rule the Brazilian out of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth. My understanding is that – following conversations with the Brazilian team’s medical staff – there is not much concern at Arsenal over the severity of Martinelli’s issue.

It might still force him to miss Saturday’s game, but that is a decision that will be taken on Friday before the team makes the trip to the south coast following their final training session at London Colney.

Arsenal have not insisted that Martinelli returns to the UK early. They are comfortable with him remaining with Brazil and returning as scheduled with Gabriel Magalhaes following the match with Peru.

Could Gabriel Martinelli injury keep him out of Arsenal’s game against Bournemouth?

So it’s too early to rule him out of contention for the weekend, but if he were to miss out then Arteta does have a fair few options to call upon, even if Saka is also absent.

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Gabriel Jesus is one of those options. He struggled playing as the central striker against Southampton before the international break, but he’s shown he can be a handy option playing out wide.

He can play on the right or on the left and it would not surprise me to see Arteta utilise him out wide at Bournemouth, although the more likely alternative to Martinelli on the left would be Raheem Sterling.

For more Arsenal transfer news, exclusive injury updates and thoughts on the Unai Emery vs Mikel Arteta debate, read my full exclusive column on the Daily Briefing!

The post Exclusive: Arsenal receive important injury update from national team’s medical staff appeared first on CaughtOffside.