My Arsenal Blog

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has mostly been deployed on the left side of Arsenal’s attack, not only since Mikel Arteta took over, but under Unai Emery as well. Not putting the team’s best goalscorer into the central attacking position has often been mentioned as something not easily understood by the fans, but the fact remains that the captain has been very effective when cutting in from the left.

As for the Gabonese himself, he was asked about where he prefers to play, and his answer was simple.  .......Read more here.....

The UEFA Europa League may not be everyone’s favourite competition, but there’s no way of denying just how efficient Arsenal tend to be when they play in it.

They picked up another win last night as they ran out 3-0 winners over Molde, confirming their position as one of the leading contenders to win the whole thing. It was the definition of a well-rounded performance and manager Mikel Arteta recognised that, talking through the ins and outs of the win with the media after the game.  .......Read more here.....

As relayed by the Mirror, William Saliba is desperate to leave Arsenal on loan in January in order to get regular first-team opportunities.

The Gunners signed the 19-year-old defender in the summer of 2019, paying a reported fee of £27 million – not a small amount for a player of that age with very little experience, even if his previous performances for Saint-Etienne were mature. A part of the agreement was a season-long loan back to the Ligue 1 side, which would have suited Arsenal fine had not the Covid-19 outbreak caused the season in France to be cut short, limiting Saliba’s number of appearances to just 12.  .......Read more here.....

It’s another week of European action for clubs across the continent and that includes Arsenal, with the Gunners hoping to take another big step towards the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League. There are some hefty expectations when it comes to what the club can achieve in the competition, but as we all know, that’s been the case for the last few years.

Mikel Arteta should and will be feeling confident heading into the game against Molde, and before the game, he spoke with the media about what he expects to see.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have recently been credited with interest in RB Salzurg’s Dominik Szoboszlai, as the midfielder continues to spark admiration around Europe with glittering performances both at club and international level. The links have grown much stronger since David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed he had been informed that the interest is genuine.

However, with all the attention the 20-year-old Hungarian has been getting lately, bringing him to the Emirates was never going to be an easy task. Tottenham Hotspur are also keeping an eye on the situation, it has been reported, as are Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and AC Milan. And now, according to Football Insider, RB Leipzig are about to enter the race as well.  .......Read more here.....

It’s safe to say that things haven’t quite gone to plan so far this season for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, and while it hasn’t exactly been a disaster, it definitely hasn’t been perfect, either.

Still, while the critics have been out in force to point out the Spaniard’s mistakes, there is also a general acceptance of the fact that he is a new manager who is still attempting to learn the ropes. As such, there are also going to be some progressive decisions make that counter some of the errors.  .......Read more here.....

Nicolas Pepe was sent off in Arsenal’s goalless draw against Leeds United on Sunday, and the Ivorian winger has taken to Instagram to offer his apologies to the fans, his teammates, manager Mikel Arteta, and everyone else at the club for his actions.

The game had just gone past its 50th minute when Pepe, clearly annoyed by Ezgjan Alioski, appeared to have headbutted the Leeds left-back. The contact between their foreheads seemed minimal and there’s no doubt that Alioski made the most of it with a theatrical fall, but the fact that Pepe should have known better than to react that way is beyond doubt as well. In all fairness, referee Anthony Taylor had no choice but to raise the red card against him after seeing the incident via the pitch-side VAR monitor.  .......Read more here.....

It’s been almost nine months since fans were allowed to head into football stadiums on a week-by-week basis, but now, it appears as if we’re just a matter of days away from supporters being able to return. That’s because it was announced yesterday that when the national lockdown ends next week and we’re placed back into the tier system in England, those in tier 1 and 2 will be able to have between 2,000 and 4,000 fans back in their ground.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This is a big step forward for sport.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have reopened the negotiations with Folarin Balogun over a new contract, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

In January this year, the Gunners reportedly rejected a £5 million offer for his services from Brentford and were discussing fresh terms with him. However, no progress had been made by June and the 19-year-old was said to be keen to move on from the club. The talks were then brought to a halt, after he reportedly rejected all offers, and Arsenal felt compelled to start listening to suitable offers in order to avoid the prospect of letting him go for free when his current deal expires next summer. Sheffield United are also said to have had a bid turned down during the summer transfer window, with manager Chris Wilder openly speaking about the Blades’ desire for Balogun.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal fans weren’t exactly treated to the best performance last night as the club played out a somewhat dire 0-0 draw with Leeds United. The Yorkshire-based side were the ones that looked the most likely to score, especially when the Gunners went down to ten men, but the visitors somehow managed to ride out the storm and secure a point.

After the game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke about a range of subjects from his side’s performance to the bizarre actions of Nicolas Pepe that led to his dismissal early in the second half.  .......Read more here.....