As Arsenal prepare to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this weekend, we take a look at the latest situation surrounding the reigning champions.
Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday to strengthen their bid for back-to-back Premier League titles. Although Manchester City are currently setting the pace, the reigning champions have made a strong start to the campaign.
With a few trophies still in their sights, Mikel Arteta’s side carried their momentum from last season into the new era. Attention will soon turn to the transfer market as Arteta and his staff assess where the squad can be strengthened.
However, reports this week suggest that one player linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium will stay put. football.london Rounding up the latest Arsenal news, including a star-studded account of a potential transfer bust and a key secret meeting.
Arda Güler’s transfer hopes are over
Arda Güler seems unlikely to move to north London in the near future after agreeing new terms with Real Madrid. The creative genius has been with the Gunners for several years, but his two-year extension at the Bernabeu is just around the corner.
Güler, whose current contract runs until 2029, has previously sparked concerns about how long he will play under Jose Mourinho. Nevertheless, those concerns were allayed after he scored twice in Wednesday’s 4-3 Champions League win over Roma, taking his tally to one goal and five assists in nine appearances this season.
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It represents a potential setback for Arsenal if the English giants were indeed looking to pursue the player. If he’s going to sign a new contract that doesn’t run out for another four and a half years, that will be virtually impossible.
The Gunners currently have talent in wide positions, especially on the right wing, where Güler often appears. Bukayo Saka looks set to lock down that area for the foreseeable future and Güler has too much quality to fill the backup role.
The same cannot be said for the number 10 role, but Martin Odegaard has been in action for much of this campaign. The Norway captain remains consistent in his performances but has struggled with injury in recent seasons, and Arsenal will be keen to prepare for the post-Odegaard era.
The new contract serves as a reward for Güler’s inclusion in Real’s starting XI, a project that first began when Arteta’s friend Xabi Alonso was in charge. This progress has only continued under Mourinho, who seems determined to ensure Turkey remains at the international level.
“Secret Meeting” led to a title shot
Mikel Merino has revealed how a secret meeting between Arsenal players overshadowed the Premier League title. The Merinos spent much of their title-winning campaign injured, but still had some highlights in a historic season.
The Gunners have frustrated fans with some results, including a 2-0 draw with Wolves in February and losses to Manchester City and Bournemouth in April. However, the Merinos have revealed how they have taken it upon themselves to ensure the players are mentally prepared to end the club’s 22-year drought.
He wrote for the Players Tribune: “One slip and all we heard was ‘same old Arsenal’. To be honest, there were doubts within the team as well.” “Losing a 2-0 advantage should never happen. But the day after the game, the players had a meeting in the dressing room without the manager. Everyone had their say.
“Nobody was talking about tactics. It was about how a group of people fight together against adversity. I talked about how I saw the team from the outside and said it was something we had to deal with as players because the boss couldn’t do everything for us.
“When one person has a lot of responsibilities at a club, you need leaders who can handle everything on their own. That’s what we do at this club.
“I think that was the day we won the title. Even if we lost to Bournemouth and City, that game kept us together. We decided to use all the criticism as fuel and thanks to social media we saw everything.”