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Tag: Arteta

  • Inter Milan Must Pay the Premium Price for Flo Balogun.

    Inter Milan Must Pay the Premium Price for Flo Balogun.

    Inter Milan Emerges as Potential Suitor for Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun

    Following failed negotiations between Inter Milan and Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan has reportedly turned their attention to Arsenal’s forward, Folarin Balogun. Balogun, who spent last season on loan at Stade de Reims in Ligue Un, caught the attention of Inter Milan as they seek to bolster their attacking options.

    During his loan spell, Balogun impressed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who had instructed him to develop not only as a player but also as a person. The experience of playing abroad has provided Balogun with valuable lessons in maturity and growth, on and off the pitch.

    Loan spells are often beneficial for young players, allowing them to showcase their talents in competitive environments and influencing the decisions of their parent clubs regarding their long-term futures. William Saliba, an Arsenal defender, is a prime example of the advantages of consistent loan experiences, as he developed into a vital component of the team’s defense after loan spells at various clubs.

    While Balogun’s loan spell at Middlesbrough in the Championship wasn’t personally successful, his time at Stade de Reims was a resounding triumph. Under the guidance of manager William Still, Balogun thrived, scoring 21 goals and helping the club secure an 11th-place finish in Ligue Un. His impressive performances earned him a call-up to the United States national team, where he found the net against Canada in the Nations League finals.

    Upon his return to Arsenal, Balogun has made it clear that he does not wish to go out on loan again. This leaves Arsenal with two options: either include him in their plans for the upcoming season or sell him to the highest bidder. The club has set a price tag of £50 million for Balogun, and talks are reportedly underway between his representatives and Inter Milan. Although no official offer has been made, Inter Milan is expected to bid around £34.3 million, which falls short of Arsenal’s valuation.

    Arsenal’s negotiation team, led by Edu Gaspar, has been successful in securing Arteta’s desired targets early in the transfer window. However, the club has spent over £200 million while only recouping £27 million from player sales. With Balogun valued at £50 million, Arsenal must do everything possible to ensure that Inter Milan meets their asking price, as they do not want a repeat of the situation they faced with West Ham over Declan Rice, ultimately leading to a hefty transfer fee.

    At just 22 years old, Balogun possesses immense potential and is considered a valuable asset. Arsenal must hold firm and secure the premium price Inter Milan is willing to pay for the talented forward.

  • Arteta calls for time after ‘big’ Arsenal shake-up

    Arteta calls for time after ‘big’ Arsenal shake-up

    Mikel Arteta is adamant he still has the full backing of everyone at Arsenal and says stability is now key to turning the club’s fortunes around.

    A run of just one win in his last nine Premier League games has seen the pressure increased on Arteta, who takes his struggling side to Everton on Saturday sitting 15th in the table.

    But despite Arsenal’s current form, club bosses Vinai Venkatesham and Edu have both publicly come out in support of Arteta in the past week, reaffirming their belief that he is the right man for the job.

    And ahead of this weekend trip to Goodison, Arteta says he appreciates that support and insists he feels the same level of backing from everyone else at the club.

    “I said it from the start, that I felt really supported by the owners, by the board, by the technical director and then by everybody that is at the club,” said the Spaniard.

    “Because at the end of the day it is a feeling that I feel with the staff, with the coaches, with the players – which is the most important one.

    “What chemistry do you have with them? What understanding do you have? Do they follow you? Do they believe in what you are trying to do? And I always have to say ‘thank you’, because I haven’t seen anything that goes against what we are trying to do.”

    Arteta added: “After a big shake-up, we need to find stability and in order to do that we need time.

    “We all knew, at least the people that made the decision with me to start this new project, that this wasn’t a quick fix and it was going to take time.

    “And when you are shaking things up, things can take a while.”

    Saturday’s game at Everton will mark Arteta’s first year in charge of Arsenal.

    Despite the huge challenges of working through a global pandemic, there were clear signs of progress when the FA Cup and Community Shield were won in August with victories against Chelsea and Liverpool.

    The recent run of poor form in the Premier League has certainly taken the gloss off those successes at Wembley, but Arteta is convinced that significant progress has still been made.

    “I think it has been one of the most challenging years of the club’s history for many, many different reasons,” he said.

    “We have made a lot of progress and we have implemented a lot of positive things that have worked really, really well. We have gone through structural changes all across the club, that obviously has shaken the club big time.

    “I would say the highlights of this year are the two trophies that we have won together. And the most disappointing thing is that we haven’t had our fans with us to take us through this difficult moment.

    “I think it could have been a really, really positive year – but the recent form in the Premier League is taking the gloss off what we have done in a calendar year.

    “But we have to accept that the Premier League form, in recent weeks, has not been good enough for this football club.”

  • Arsenal players letting ‘great’ Arteta down – Tierney

    Arsenal players letting ‘great’ Arteta down – Tierney

    Kieran Tierney says Arsenal’s players are letting Mikel Arteta down and must take the blame for the club’s ‘terrible’ form.

    The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by Burnley on Sunday evening and sit just five points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

    They have now lost four successive home games in the league for the first time since 1959, a run of form which has led to many questioning whether Arteta remains the right man for the job.

    But Tierney is adamant that the Spaniard is a ‘great manager’ who still has the full backing of his squad and says it’s the players who must take the blame for the crisis that is now engulfing Emirates Stadium.

    “It’s not good enough,” said the left-back. “There is no way to disguise it. It’s terrible, to be honest. It’s not what we are, not where we are as a club.

    “It’s not what the fans deserve, it’s not what the manager deserves, it’s not what the board deserve. It’s us players that need to take responsibility for this.

    “We have got a great manager and we believe in him 100 per cent. The blame is on us, nobody else.”

    Tierney added: “Everything is going wrong. We are working on the right things, we are doing the right things in training, we are working as hard as we can, but just things that can go wrong are going wrong.

    “That happens in football. It is the lowest we have probably all felt in our careers and nobody is going to help us except ourselves.

    “So we just need to keep believing, keep positive. I know it is hard. I know the fans deserve much better and all I can do is apologise to every single one of the supporters through these tough times.

    “We just need to work hard. It is easy enough to say we want to do better, but we need to actually show we want to do better.”

    Arsenal were well on top against Burnley on Sunday night and had been looking likely to break the deadlock before Granit Xhaka was sent off just before the hour mark.

    The Switzerland international was dismissed for grabbing Ashley Westwood round the throat, an act Arteta later labelled as unacceptable.

    Tierney admits going down to 10 men made things difficult, but the Scotland international says that should not be used as an excuse for the defeat.

    “Red cards change games for and against you,” he said. “When you are a man down it is always going to be tougher, especially against a team like Burnley. They’re physical, they’re good at it, they play to their strengths and they did that tonight.

    “But even if we do go down to 10 men we should be winning the game at that point. We should be taking chances. We are not scoring enough goals.

    “Confidence is massive in football with everyone. When everyone is out to get you of course confidence is going to be low, but we can’t let that affect us. We can’t use that as an excuse.

    “We are Arsenal. We need to be better than this and we are not performing up to standard. We need to be better throughout the full game. We need to take chances, we need to score goals.

    “It’s Arsenal. It’s just not good enough.”

  • Partey defends Arteta despite slow Premier League start

    Partey defends Arteta despite slow Premier League start

    Thomas Partey has thrown his weight behind Mikel Arteta by stating the Arsenal manager is building something good with the players at the club.

    The Gunners are enduring a four-game winless run in the Premier League and they currently occupy the 15th spot in the table with 13 points from 11 games.

    Having qualified for the last 32 of Europa League, Arsenal are struggling to reciprocate their form in the European tournament in the English top-flight.

    Upon his return from a thigh injury in Sunday’s North London derby, Partey was taken off at half-time as Arteta’s men fell to a 2-0 defeat against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

    READ ALSO: Baseksehir coach Buruk condemns racist words from match official

    The Black Stars midfielder, however, reiterated his commitment to the club amid their poor attacking form in the Premier League and he is aiming to bounce back from his latest setback.

    Since he moved to the Emirates Stadium on the transfer deadline day in October, Partey has made six appearances for Arsenal so far, with five coming in the league.

    “Being part of the Arsenal family is something incredible for me, since the day I arrived I have felt so supported,” the Ghana midfielder wrote on Instagram.

    “The coach had a great influence in my decision to join this team and even though we had some bad results I know we are building something good together. I have had the bad luck to suffer an injury but I hope I can play again soon and fight for this team.”

    Ahead of their final group game against Dundalk on Thursday, Arteta disclosed that Partey has suffered a thigh injury again and he will miss Arsenal’s ‘next few games’ with no specific timeframe for his return.

    “He got injured in the same area,” the Spanish coach  said. “Not exactly the same spot, but similar as it was before.

    “We MRI [scanned] him yesterday [Tuesday]. There was an injury there and he will miss the next few matches.”

    Arteta also defended his decision to play the 27-year-old on Sunday after he completed two full days training ahead of Tottenham trip.

  • Arteta blames Arsenal’s struggles in attack for Tottenham defeat

    Arteta blames Arsenal’s struggles in attack for Tottenham defeat

    Mikel Arteta blamed his misfiring stars for Arsenal’s north London derby defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League.

    Goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane gave Jose Mourinho’s side a 2-0 victory on Sunday as Spurs provided a clinical edge that the Gunners missed.

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was unable to register a single effort on goal while strike partner Alexandre Lacazette had just two.

    This was despite Arsenal enjoying more possession – 69.2 per cent to Tottenham’s 30.8 per cent – and delivering their most crosses (32) in open play since February 2016.

    READ ALSO: Harry Kane reacts to Tottenham’s defensive performance

    It has been a season of struggle for Aubameyang and Lacazette, who have managed a paltry five Premier League goals between them.

    By way of comparison Kane and Son have 18 goals and 13 assists together and both got their names on the scoresheet again.

    “You look at all the stats, they’re in our favour, but at the end of the day it’s about putting the ball in the net,” Arteta told a media conference afterwards.

    “We had the chances. We had generated probably more than ever this season, put the ball in the box more than ever, had the numbers there.

    “But at the end of the day we have to score the goals, and when they had a half chance they scored, and at the moment we haven’t. To build something, you need results.

    “I take a lot of positives for the way we played, when we come here in this moment and play with the personality, the courage, the passion, the energy and the belief the boys showed.

    “At the end it’s a football match and you have to win it, and we lost again today.”

    When asked how Arsenal, who are now 15th in the table and 11 points behind table-topping Spurs, might turn around their results, Arteta went back to the same theme.

    “By scoring goals, very simple,” he said. “We need to score goals. If not, it’s unsustainable. It doesn’t matter what we do in other departments of the pitch, if we don’t score goals we can’t do nothing.

    “A cross doesn’t mean just an aerial cross. There were a lot of good parts where we penetrated the penalty box on numerous occasions.

    “Just to find the last pass or the final ball and the goal came through, we didn’t hit it, they blocked it – it was a lot of things to happen.

    “If we generate it every week we will win football matches. At the moment it looks like we need to do a lot to score a goal. We need to put the ball in the net, urgently.”

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  • Partey injury more serious than first thought – Arteta

    Partey injury more serious than first thought – Arteta

    Mikel Arteta has revealed that Thomas Partey’s injury is more serious than Arsenal first feared and says it will be a ‘few games’ before the Ghana international returns.

    Partey has not featured for there Gunners since he was replaced at half-time of the 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa on November 8.

    Initially, it was believed the £45 million deadline day addition from Atletico Madrid would not be sidelined for too long with what was described as a thigh problem, but he has now sat out Arsenal’s last three matches.

    And, speaking after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Wolves, Arteta could not confirm when the midfielder would be ready to return.

    “I don’t think he will be with us in the next few games,” said the Gunners boss. “We have been missing a lot of players. We have many, many different issues, but I don’t like to use that excuse.

    “At the end of the day, we are all the time really close to winning football matches and we end up losing it in the last few games.

    “This is only in our hands with the players that we have. It is what we have to do. We cannot change that. It is in our hands.”

    When asked whether Partey’s issue was more serious than first thought, Arteta added: “Yes.”

    Arsenal host Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday night before travelling to Tottenham next Sunday for the first north London derby of the season.

    They then have Premier League games against Burnley, Southampton and Everton before Christmas, as well as a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester City.

    The defeat against Wolves left Arteta’s side 14th in the table with just 13 points from their first 10 league games – their lowest points tally ever at this stage of a Premier League season.

    They have scored just 10 goals in the league and could will fall 11 point behind leaders Spurs, should they lose to their neighbours next weekend.

    Arteta insists, however, is not worrying about his job, despite his side’s alarming run of form.

    “The day I decided to be a coach I know that one day I will be sacked or leave the football club,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the day after I sign my contact, in a month’s time, a year’s time or six months’ time. I never worry about it.

    “My only concern is to get the best out of the players, give the best possible service to the club and become better and better.

    “I know, I repeat, in this profession, one day I will get the sack or leave but I don’t know when that is going to happen.”

  • Balogun ‘wants to stay’ at Arsenal – Arteta

    Balogun ‘wants to stay’ at Arsenal – Arteta

    Mikel Arteta says Folarin Balogun ‘wants to stay’ at Arsenal.

    The Gunners boss was speaking after seeing the youngster score his first goal for the club during Thursday night’s 3-0 win at Molde in the Europa League.

    Balogun struck just 37 seconds after replacing Eddie Nketiah in Norway, finishing well after being picked out by fellow academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe.

    It was his first senior goal in only his second first-team appearance and it comes amid increased speculation over his future.

    Balogun is out of contract in 2021 and had looked set to leave last summer after talks over a new deal broke down.

    But negotiations have now been resumed with the attacker and Arteta says that the 18-year-old’s desire is to remain in north London.

    “He wants to stay, we want him to stay,” said the Arsenal manager. “We gave him the opportunity and he took it straight away.

    “It’s well deserved for the boy. He’s working really hard.

    “He had some difficult months with all the speculation around him, he’s handled the situation in a really mature way.”

    Victory in Molde secured Arsenal’s passage through to the knockout stages of the Europa League with two games to spare.

    Nicolas Pepe sent them on the way with an excellent opening goal before Reiss Nelson and Balogun rounded off an impressive night’s work for Arteta’s side.

    It was the perfect response from Pepe following his red card at Leeds on Sunday and Arteta was delighted with the Ivory Coast winger’s performance.

    “I am really pleased,” he said. “Obviously after the disappointment, something negative, you want to see a reaction and to stand out really quickly.

    “I could see from the first minute, from his body language, that he was ready to act. I think he had a great performance. He scored a goal, he could have scored another one or two. He created some great moments in the game and worked really hard for the team. I really liked it. I am really pleased with that.”

    The Spaniard added: “We all know where his level is and all the time the question is how often he can get to that level – and how he contributes to other aspects of the game.

    “That should be the level that he needs to hit and from there he needs to keep improving, because he is capable of doing it and you can see that every time he gets in those positions, in the final third, he is a real threat and a really difficult player to control.

    “He can come with his feet, he can go inside, outside, he can shoot and create crosses. He can go in behind you as well. That’s what we expect from him.”

  • How Aubameyang’s favourite Arsenal youngster changed Arteta’s mind

    How Aubameyang’s favourite Arsenal youngster changed Arteta’s mind

    “This young boy is fire.”

    Those were the words of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when he alerted the world to the talents of Folarin Balogun with a post on social media in 2019.

    Few outside of Arsenal would have been aware of the teenage striker up to that point, but when a player such as Aubameyang makes a comment like that based on what he has seen at training, others soon start to take notice.

    And take notice they should, because the Gunners have one of the hottest young talents in the country in Balogun – who could be handed his second senior appearance on Thursday against Molde in the Europa League.

    The forward is one of several youngsters who have made the trip to Norway with Mikel Arteta’s squad, and while he is not expected to start, he has a good chance of adding to the 14 minutes he was given off the bench against Dundalk earlier in the competition.

    “It feels great,” Balogun said after making his senior debut last month. ”It’s a moment I have been waiting for a little while so to finally get it feels great.

    “I can only thank Mikel and the staff for this opportunity and I look forward to doing it more often.

    “I’ve been working my way through the academy and I think as time has gone on I’ve become a better player. I think that’s shown in my performances and I think it’s good now to get the recognition that my performances deserve.”

    Those final few words from Balogun following his late appearance against Dundalk shine a light on where he feels he should be now, having made such an impression at youth level in the past couple of seasons.

    And they paint a picture as to why – with just eight months of his contract remaining at Arsenal – he has yet to sign a new deal with the club he has been with since he the age of 10.

    Balogun has immense belief in his ability and has felt for some time now that his progress in north London has not been as fast as he would have liked.

    While others such as Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have been given opportunities in recent seasons to work with and feature with the first-team on a regular basis, Balogun has mainly had to watch on from afar.

    That is why talks over extending his contract proved so difficult and why, after months of negotiations, they broke down altogether in the summer.

    Prior to that, the Gunners had rejected a £5 million ($6.7m) offer for Balogun from Championship promotion hopefuls Brentford in January, and were hoping at that point that they would be able to reach an agreement with the teenager over extending his stay.

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  • Arsenal boss Arteta plays down Luiz and Ceballos fight

    Arsenal boss Arteta plays down Luiz and Ceballos fight

    Mikel Arteta has played down reports of a fight between Dani Ceballos and David Luiz in training – saying incidents happen all the time behind closed doors.

    The Athletic revealed on Thursday that Ceballos and Luiz had clashed after the latter had taken exception to a challenge by the Spaniard during a training ground match at London Colney.

    It was reported that Luiz hit Ceballos in the face, leaving the midfielder with a scratch on his nose, although Ceballos, who is on loan from Real Madrid for the season, labelled the story as ‘fake’ on social media.

    Despite the Spaniard’s denials, it is understood that the two players did indeed clash – although Arteta said he did not see exactly what went on when he was quizzed on the incident.

    The Arsenal boss did insist, however, that there is now ‘no problem at all’ between the pair, who could both feature when the Gunners take on Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday.

    “I have got a really bad vision from far,” Arteta said with a smile. “That is why we train behind closed doors.

    “Training is very competitive and issues happen a lot of times. Those things get resolved immediately within the team and there is not much to say.”

    Meanwhile, Arteta, says the situation around Willian has been “resolved” after the Brazilian travelled abroad without the club’s permission during the international break.

    Willian was pictured on social media at restaurant in Dubai, despite current government guidelines stating that “travelling away from home, including internationally, is restricted from England except in limited circumstances such as for work or for education.”

    It is understood that in explaining his reasons for the trip, the former Chelsea man told Arteta that it was for business reasons and that he was fulfilling commitments linked to image rights.

    The forward trained with the squad on Thursday having tested negative for coronavirus upon his return and Arteta says the incident has now been dealt with – although he stopped short of confirming that the 32-year-old would still be in the squad to face Leeds this weekend.

    “The deal has been resolved, explained and dealt with in the team and the club,” said the Gunners boss. “We had a conversation and I explained what I was expecting.

    “There are a lot of personal factors at the moment and as well from our side, we need to be in their shoes. A lot of players are having different issues, like any public person out there, and sometimes they make decisions based on the needs or the moment or what people are expecting from there.

    “Whether they are right or wrong, after obviously it is a thing we have to discuss. But, again, it has been dealt in the right way and let’s move on.”

  • Arteta calls for consistency from Pepe

    Arteta calls for consistency from Pepe

    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called on Nicolas Pepe to show greater consistency despite a solid performance in the club’s 4-1 win over Molde in the Europa League on Thursday. 

    Despite the Gunners going behind in the 22nd minute, Arteta’s side rallied with Pepe scoring their third goal before setting up Joe Willock for their final effort late in the game. 

    Pepe now has three goals from 11 appearances for Arsenal this season, and like in his debut campaign, has shown patches of brilliance. 

    READ ALSO: Arteta sends message to Willock after Europa League win

    Asked what Pepe needs to do to start for the Gunners in the Premier League again, Arteta declared his star attacker needs to perform more solidly in every aspect of his game. 

    “Consistency throughout the game, throughout 90 minutes in every ball, in every action and every time he is on the ball in the final third to make a difference and do it more and more and more,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference. 

    “The final product has to be better, not just from him, if we want to become a top, top team and score many more goals it’s something we have to put higher demands on at the moment.

    “Today he scored a really good goal, another assist and he can do more. But I think he is on the right path.” 

    Arteta went on to stress he wants his entire side to show greater consistency in the final third with the Gunners boasting just one goal from their past three games in the Premier League.

    “I’m talking generally. It’s not just Nico or Willy [Willian], in general consistency wise in the final third with the end product, with the quality that we have we have to finish more things better and we can improve a lot,” Arteta said. 

    “That goes for every single player. Nico has scored three goals, the aim has to be to score 10 and Willy the same, three assists, he needs 10. If we don’t have that mindset, we won’t become the top team we want to be.”

    Arsenal have now won three straight games in all competitions and currently sit top of their Europa League group after collecting maximum points.