After their Champions League match against PSG, Arsenal is preparing for Southampton’s arrival on Saturday.
If rivals Manchester City and Liverpool falter, the Gunners have a great opportunity to overtake them at the top of the Premier League. However, manager Mikel Arteta will once more be without his captain.
After being out of action since the September international break, Martin Odegaard appears to have a long wait until he is back in the game. The Gunners and Real Madrid have also engaged in a transfer dispute elsewhere.
And when Pep Guardiola ends his tenure at City, Arteta is expected to be the top choice to take his place. Mirror Football compiles all of the most recent Arsenal news here.
Odegaard released an update.
It looks like Arsenal will have to wait longer than anticipated for skipper Martin Odegaard to make his comeback. Odegaard sustained an ankle injury during Norway’s victory over Austria, which has kept him out of action since the September international break.
Although Mikel Arteta suggested he would make a comeback in a few weeks, Stale Solbakken, the manager of Norway, has left him out of the team for the October international break. Additionally, he disclosed that the midfield player is “a long way” from being given a chance to start.
He declared: “It’s not like we don’t think we can do it without Martin; we played the last 35 minutes against Austria without him and won that portion of the match 1-0. However, Martin is a vital member of the team and has been excellent in every recent game.”
Mikel Arteta is expected to succeed Pep Guardiola as Manchester City’s inevitable successor. Legendary Arsenal player Emmanuel Petit thinks City may make a move for the Spaniard shortly since Guardiola is “running out of energy.”
“Mikel Arteta would be the ideal replacement for Guardiola should he decide to depart. He is familiar with the team and the concept that he has attempted to implement at Arsenal, Petit said to Prime Casino.
“Guardiola has begun to show signs of tiredness in the last two years, and you can sometimes see that he is lacking energy. Things move so fast and anything can happen in football, Arteta could step into Guardiola’s shoes but City wouldn’t be the only club interested in him.”
Read Petit’s entire essay.
Arsenal begins the match against Madrid
Vitor Reis, the wonderkid from Palmeiras, is being pursued by Arsenal and Real Madrid. The 18-year-old has impressed since making his debut in Brazil’s Serie A earlier this season, earning 11 appearances in the top-flight.
His performances saw him handed a new contract in the summer, tying him to Palmeiras until December 2028. But now, both Arsenal and Madrid sides have made initial enquiries with Palmeiras and Reis’ representatives over a potential move.
While a formal approach has not been made, Palmeiras have made it clear they are keen to keep the defender until after the 2025 Club World Cup. There is an £83m release clause in the contract he recently signed though so a deal could be completed sooner.