ARSENAL are set to provide Mikel Arteta with a £50million war chest for the January transfer window SunSport can exclusively reveal.
The Gunners boss wants to add two more players to his squad after their sensational start to the season.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has opened up on his relationship with Mikel Arteta.
The French international spent two years on loan at Marseille before making the switch permanent.
He told BeIN Sports: "It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with [Arteta].
He preferred other players and I respect that decision.
"That’s why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress."
And Arsenal will reportedly wear a bizarre mash-up of their home and away kit for their Europa League clash with PSV.
- Kealan Hughes
Arsenal close in on Tielemans
Arsenal are set to sign Youri Tielemans on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to Italian outlet Juve Dipendenza.
Juventus are claimed to have given up their pursuit of the midfielder, opening up the path for Arsenal to snap him up.
The Italian side will instead turn their attention to Lazio star Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, who has also been linked to the Gunners.
- Kealan Hughes
Gunners set for new look
Arsenal will be forced to wear a mash-up of their home and away kits for their Europa League showdown with PSV Eindhoven due to a kit clash.
The Gunners will face the Dutch giants at the Phillips Stadium on Thursday evening in their penultimate Group A match.
But they will be forced to don an unrecognisable kit due to the similarities between their and PSV's home and away strips.
Mikel Arteta's troops will turn out in their black and gold top and socks from their away kit – with their white and red striped home shorts completing the bizarre ensemble.
- Chisanga Malata
Good morning Arsenal fans!
Arsenal will back boss Mikel Arteta with £50million of hard cash in the January transfer window to prevent their title bid being wrecked by burn-out.
Arteta wants to add at least two more players to his squad to help them maintain their blistering start to the season.
And owner Stan Kroenke is ready to finance another spending spree despite splashing out £130m in the summer.
He is particularly keen to ease the workload on Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka, who have featured in all 15 Arsenal games so far this season.
Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has admitted he’s open to choosing Nigeria ahead of England amid his sensational loan form for Reims.
Balogun, 21, is joint fifth-highest scorer in Ligue 1 on seven goals – one ahead of Lionel Messi and equal with former Gunner Alexandre Lacazette.
The New York-born starlet also netted seven times in 13 games for England’s Under-21s, but his parents are from Nigeria.
Arsenal released their ‘colour collection’ – The gunners club shop has bought out a selection of brightly coloured hats, socks, bottles and books.
Meanwhile, Fans slammed the new Champions League format as they got a chance to play it on Football Manager 2023.
Sports Interactive released the beta version of its 2023 game last week – and some players have already devoured their first two seasons to reach the 2024-25 campaign.
A grab of the new-look 36-team Champions League group on FM23 subsequently did the rounds on social media.
One fan joked: “Looks awful but Arsenal in the UCL.”
- Alex Cole
Murray mocks mate Fed with Arsenal jibe
Andy Murray has trolled tennis legend Roger Federer by saying the best Basel-born sports star plays for Arsenal.
Old rival Murray trolled Ferderer by saying there's a better local sports ace, who happens to ply his trade in North London.
Scotsman Murray is, of course, referring to Arsenal's Granit Xhaka, whose zero to hero story has been some watch.
Speaking to Aargauer Zeitung, Andy Murray said: "I messaged Roger [Federer], when I landed in Basel, and I said: 'I just touched down in the city of one of the world's greatest ever athletes: Granit Xhaka. I know that Granit Xhaka is from here.'
"I'm a huge Arsenal fan. Xhaka is playing really, really well this season.
"He scored another wonderful goal on Sunday."
- Alex Cole
ICYMI – Napoli still keen on Ronaldo despite Arsenal being mooted
Cristiano Ronaldo is open to another Italian job – after being snubbed by a string of Premier League clubs.
SunSport understands Napoli remain “interested” in the legendary striker, who is heading for an Old Trafford exit following his behaviour against Spurs last week.
Sources close to the Portuguese star say his advisors have sounded out Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Newcastle and Arsenal.
But the 37-year-old is seen by United’s rivals as too risky.
And a return to Italy is now on the cards after Ronnie won two titles in three years at Juventus.
- Alex Cole
Gunners Women's squad shot
Arsenal Women sat for their official 2022/23 squad photo this afternoon at Colney training ground.
- Alex Cole
More shopping for Arteta
Arsenal are also in the market for another winger and are currently keeping track of Shakhtar Donetsk’s young Ukrainian international Mykhaylo Mudryk.
As well as Mudryk, they are eyeing up Villarreal’s exciting 20-year-old Yeremy.
The pair would both cost somewhere in the region of £25m.
- Alex Cole
Ref named for weekend clash
Simon Hooper will be the referee taking charge of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest over the weekend, the Premier League have confirmed.
He will be joined by assistants Adrian Holmes and James Mainwaring.
The Fourth official will be Thomas Bramallm and the VAR officials will be Andre Marriner and Darren Cann.
- Alex Cole
Patino in team of the week
Arsenal wonderkid Charlie Patino has been named in the Championship team of the week.
Patino shone for Blackpool against Preston in midweek by grabbing a goal and assist in their 4-2 victory and subsequently earned a spot in the team alongside team-mate Jerry Yates.
- Alex Cole
Arteta wants Brazilian double
Arteta has been relying on a core group of 15 starters in Premier League but has also been forced to select a number of those players in the Europa League group games.
He is particularly keen to ease the workload on Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka, who have featured in all 15 Arsenal games so far this season.
Plans to make another bid for Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz have been scrapped after he recently signed a new long-term contract.
Now Arsenal could revive their interest in another Brazilian midfielder, the 21-year-old Palmeiras star Danilo.
Arsenal made two unsuccessful bids for Luiz on transfer deadline day but also sounded out Palmeiras about a potential deal for Danilo.
They were prepared to pay £22m but the Brazilian League leaders were not interested in selling their young star while they were still involved in the Copa Libertadores.
But with the Brazilian season finishing before next month’s World Cup finals, Arsenal believe that Palmeiras could be willing to cash in on Danilo in January and will test their resolve with an improved £26million bid.
- Alex Cole
Arsneal will back Arteta with January war chest
Arsenal will back boss Mikel Arteta with £50million of hard cash in the January transfer window to prevent their title bid being wrecked by burn-out.
Arteta wants to add at least two more players to his squad to help them maintain their blistering start to the season.
And owner Stan Kroenke is ready to finance another spending spree despite splashing out £130m in the summer.
- Alex Cole
Arsenal release 'colour collection'
The gunners club shop has released a selection of brightly coloured hats, socks, bottles and books.
It is avaliable via the official store.
- Alex Cole
Guendouzi speaks on Arsenal exit
Matteo Guendouzi has revealed the reasons behind his Arsenal exit.
He was banished from the Arsenal squad in the summer of 2020 following his infamous spat with Brighton’s Neal Maupay, while he also admitted he didn’t enjoy the best relationship with Mikel Arteta.
He told BeIN Sports: “Journalists used (the Maupay incident) to say that we had a bad relationship and that’s why I stopped playing and left Arsenal.
“Not at all. It’s a gesture like many on the pitch. There’s a lot of tension sometimes, a lot of problems on the pitch. In any case, it has nothing to do with all that.
“It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with (Arteta)… He preferred other players and I respect that decision.
“That’s why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress. The most important thing when you’re young is to play.”
- Alex Cole
Henry 'happy' for Balogun success
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is among those to praise Balogun for both his decision to join Reims in the first place and his performances since.
Henry told Amazon Prime Video last month: "He’s a very English-style player who likes to run down the channels but he was missing something, which was his finishing.
"He’s now starting to score goals regularly and I’m happy for that – happy he has gone abroad."
Balogun himself said: "I had a lot of advice telling me that this would be a good league for me to develop.
"Now that I am here, I'm seeing the benefits of this league and I'm happy that I can help the team."
- Alex Cole
What did Balogun say?
Balogun told BBC Sport Africa: "I haven't heard anything from Nigeria, but I'm open to anything because Nigeria is very close to my heart.
"My family's from there. I always have love for Nigeria.
"That's a conversation that I need to have with people around me, my agent and obviously my family.
"But if I was asked about the opportunity to play for Nigeria, then I can have that conversation. But first I need to be asked."
- Alex Cole
Flo to pick Nigeria for international duty
Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has admitted he's open to choosing Nigeria ahead of England amid his sensational loan form for Reims.
Balogun, 21, is joint fifth-highest scorer in Ligue 1 on seven goals – one ahead of Lionel Messi and equal with former Gunner Alexandre Lacazette.
The New York-born starlet also netted seven times in 13 games for England's Under-21s, but his parents are from Nigeria.
- Alex Cole
Football Manager fans slam new Champions League format
Football Manager released the beta version of its 2023 game last week – and some players have already devoured their first two seasons to reach the 2024-25 campaign.
Only the most ardent of fans will have kept up to speed with the changes confirmed by Uefa bigwigs earlier this year – and those that didn't were in for a big shock.
A grab of the new-look 36-team Champions League group on FM23 subsequently did the rounds on social media.
One fan responded: "Not sure what’s more concerning, the new UCL format or the fact people are in 2024-25 within 2 days of fm23 being out."
Another asked: "Sorry is this a bug????"
After looking through all the teams that had qualified for the 2024-25 edition, a third fan joked: "Looks awful but Arsenal in the UCL."
- Alex Cole
New Champions League format analysed
From the 2024-25 season onwards, the Champions League group stage will be drastically revamped.
Rather than the current 32-team format featuring eight groups of four – 36 clubs will be entered into one giant league.
They won't face everybody, however, instead playing ten matches – five at home and five away.
The lucrative plans will see 189 games take place in the competition instead of 125.
Despite not everyone playing each other, all results will be entered into one 36-team group.
The top eight will qualify automatically for the round of 16 – while those placed between ninth and 16th will be entered into two-legged play-offs.
- Alex Cole
Allardyce picks Saka for his England XI
Sam Allardyce and former assistant Sammy Lee told William Hill and Footy Accumulators’ new podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football which England team he'd pick for Qatar.
He said: "We’d go for Jordan Pickford in goal, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Conor Coady and Luke Shaw in defence.
"Declan Rice in midfield and Jude Bellingham alongside him, along with Mason Mount.
"Harry Kane up front, and we’ll go with Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. We’d be celebrating with that, this team would win the World Cup."
We'd sure love to see Bukayo come back with the winner's medal.
- Alex Cole
Allardyce would back himself to win the World Cup
Sam Allardyce believes he would win the World Cup if he was still England boss.
He even named the side – with an Arsenal star in it – he would pick in Qatar had he not resigned as Three Lions manager in 2017.
England face Iran, USA and Wales in Group B and Allardyce would have gone for a blend of youth and experience at the World Cup.
The former West Brom and England boss appeared on William Hill’s and Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football podcast alongside his former assistant Sammy Lee.
And when asked if he believed he would have won the World Cup, Allardyce said: "Yes, definitely. With this squad, yes."
- Alex Cole
Gunners keen on Milinkovic-Savic
Arsenal are reportedly "willing to do anything" to land Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
That includes having youngster Albert Sambi Lokonga as part of a package deal with £52.5million.
Milinkovic-Savic, 27, is a wanted man as his contract expires at the end of next season.
The Serbian midfielder is set for crunch talks with the Serie A side to discuss his future.
He has netted four times and assisted seven in 15 games this season for the third-placed team.
Lazio are said to have slapped a whopping £105m price tag on their prized target.
- Tony Robertson
Baptism of fire
Unai Emery faces a brutal first five Aston Villa matches after taking over the reins at Villa Park following Steven Gerrard’s sacking.
Ex-Arsenal boss Emery is believed to have agreed a three-year deal but will not be in charge for Saturday’s clash against Newcastle as he is yet to receive a work permit.
It means his first game is likely to be the November 6 clash against Manchester United.
He will then face a tough trip down to Brighton before the World Cup break kicks in.
And he will not find life any easier when Prem action returns as Liverpool are the visitors to Villa Park on Boxing Day.
If that was not bad enough, Villa then travel to North London to take on Tottenham on New Year’s Day before the Black Country derby against Wolves three days later.
- Tony Robertson
Marc my words
Arsenal have suffered a blow in their transfer pursuit of Marco Asensio after reports emerged indicating he was now willing to sign a new deal at Real Madrid.
The Spaniard, 26, has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham since bursting onto the scene at Los Blancos in 2016.
According to SER, however, Real want to hold showdown talks with Asensio’s representatives to extend his stay in Madrid – including a bumper pay rise.
Previous reports suggested Asensio wasn’t happy with his bit-part role in the team – but he appears to have changed his mind after a string of opportunities off the bench.
- Tony Robertson
Pat on the back
Arsenal wonderkid Charlie Patino has been named in the Championship team of the week.
Patino shone for Blackpool against Preston in midweek by grabbing a goal and assist in their 4-2 victory and subsequently earned a spot in the team alongside team-mate Jerry Yates
- Tony Robertson
Ref Watch
Simon Hooper will be the referee taking charge of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest over the weekend, the Premier League have confirmed.
He will be joined by assistants Adrian Holmes and James Mainwaring.
The Fourth official will be Thomas Bramallm and the VAR officials will be Andre Marriner and Darren Cann.
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