My Arsenal Blog

Arsenal’s season is essentially over after they fell to another embarrassing Europa League exit last night at the Emirates. All the Gunners needed to do was register a 1-0 win, at home, in order to make it through to the final. Instead, Villarreal held on for a 0-0 draw that saw them go through 2-1 on aggregate.

The loss compounds the fact that this club is going nowhere in a hurry and as we look ahead to the future, Mikel Arteta’s future seems to be in doubt. After the game, he spoke with the media about another poor night at the office.  .......Read more here.....

Forget about Unai Emery, forget about Aubameyang, because tonight is about one thing and one thing only – Arsenal beating Villarreal to reach the 2021 UEFA Europa League final. Technically speaking they only need a 1-0 win to get the job done, but in reality, they need to go out there with the intention of putting a beating on this team.

The Spaniards got the upper hand in the first leg but that away goal could change everything for the Gunners. Either way, it’s going to be a tense evening, and manager Mikel Arteta spoke about that and so much more with the media prior to kickoff.  .......Read more here.....

There can be no doubt that the second leg of the Europa League semifinal against Villarreal, played tonight (Thursday) at the Emirates, is the most important one of Mikel Arteta’s time in charge of the team so far. The whole season seems to be hanging on its result, but it’s actually more than that, for several reasons, some rather obvious, some perhaps less so.

The importance of playing in the Champions League cannot be overstated, either from the financial point of view, or in terms of club reputation. The Gunners have been trying for years, without success, and the Europa League has (too) long been their consolation battleground.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal were considered to be the favourites to beat Villarreal over two legs and progress to the final of the UEFA Europa League but now, that’s no longer the case. The Gunners were beaten 2-1 by the Spaniards last night in the first leg and, in all honestly, they’re probably lucky that it didn’t get worse than that for them.

Mikel Arteta has a lot to answer for in the eyes of supporters and in his post-match press conference, he answered all of those concerns as the pressure continues to mount.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal may not be destined for great things in the Premier League this season but the jury is still very much out with regards to the Europa League. They’re at the semi final stage of the competition and tonight, they face an exciting first leg encounter against Villarreal.

The winner will meet Manchester United or Roma in the final but for the time being, the focus needs to be on one thing and one thing only: building a solid lead heading into the second leg.

Prior to tonight’s festivities, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has spoken to the media about the game.  .......Read more here.....

Having had great success with Sevilla and a reasonable amount with Paris Saint-Germain as well, Unai Emery was chosen ahead of a number of other candidates (including Mikel Arteta) to succeed the legendary Arsene Wenger as the Arsenal boss in 2018. The Spaniard arrived with fresh ideas and moved to reconstruct the team he had inherited, bringing in the likes of Bernd Leno, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichtsteiner straight away.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal’s Barcelona loanee Denis Suarez has confirmed that a groin injury will mean that he will not play again for the Gunners this season. It will also most probably mean that the midfielder will not play for Arsenal again.

Struggled to make an impact at Arsenal

Suarez has struggled to make an impact in north London since a January loan switch from Barcelona. Reportedly the Spaniard has cost the Gunners £3.2million in wages and signing-on fee, yet never started for the club. In fact, he has made just over an hour’s worth of football in the Premier League for Arsenal.  .......Read more here.....

According to the Daily Star, among other publications, Arsenal are set to battle it out with north London rivals Tottenham for the signature of Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly in the January transfer window.

The Ivorian’s future at Old Trafford is in doubt after failing to start in the Premier League for the Red Devils since gameweek two of the campaign. Reportedly, the defender is set for talks with United over his future.

Promising start but has struggled of late

Bailly looked like the real deal in his debut campaign at United after joining the Red Devils from Villarreal in the summer of 2016. He looked strong and pacey, which are two attributes needed to be a top centre-back.  .......Read more here.....

According to the Guardian, Arsenal and Tottenham are in a transfer battle to land Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly in the January transfer window.

Both clubs are looking to strengthen at the heart of their defences, for different reasons. It seems that Bailly has become a prime target for the north London pair.

Endured mixed fortunes at United

When Bailly arrived at United in 2016 from Villarreal for a fee of around £30million, the Ivory Coast international was seen as the answer to the Red Devils central defensive problems.  .......Read more here.....

The signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus has been confirmed as imminent by the club via their official website.

The Swiss defender arrives on a free transfer from Juventus, where he won the Serie A title in each of his seven seasons there. After stints at Grasshopper, Lille and Lazio, he made a total of 257 appearances for the Old Lady, and now he joins Arsenal as a vastly experienced player, a proper defensive leader.

He captain his Switzerland team on Sunday in a pre-World Cup friendly against Spain, and directly facing world-class players he admirably stood his ground, leading by example like a true captain.  .......Read more here.....