Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared some much-needed “positive news” out of London Colney, following a regrettable last few days which saw the north Londoners lose influential director Edu Gaspar and fall behind in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal prepare for first game since Edu announcement
Arteta’s side travel to the San Siro this evening for a pivotal Champions League clash against Serie A champions Inter Milan, and a win would seriously lift the spirits of supporters right now.
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He’s got a growing reputation.
A damning 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park handed Arsenal their second loss of the campaign and Eddie Howe’s first win since mid-September – a result which saw Liverpool gain a seven-point advantage over them at the top of the pile.
Even though it is still very early doors, this gap will still be difficult for Arteta’s side to overcome, especially considering Liverpool look near-unbeatable under new manager Arne Slot.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Chelsea (away) |
November 10 |
|
Nottingham Forest (home) |
November 23 |
|
West Ham United (away) |
November 30 |
|
Man United (home) |
December 4 |
|
Fulham (away) |
December 8 |
Arsenal were dealt more bad news on Monday when journalist Sami Mokbel revealed that Edu was set to leave his post as sporting director. The Brazilian brings an end to his five-year stay at the Emirates after playing a key role in Arsenal’s development, having worked in tandem with Arteta to transform the club back into an elite English side.
Edu oversaw the signings of key men like Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes to name a few, whilst also helping Arsenal in the managerial recruitment process to appoint Arteta as manager.
It is believed Edu is poised to link up with Greek tycoon Evangelos Marinakis, where he could take on a chief executive role in the day-to-day running of clubs under his ownership, like Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave in Portugal.
There are suggestions that Arsenal chief Jason Ayto is a real candidate to replace Edu, with The Mirror journalist John Cross calling him an “obvious choice” for the role. Whoever the Kroenkes decide upon, it needs to be the right decision, and could prove pivotal to Arsenal’s long-term future.
Arteta shares “positive news” out of Arsenal ahead of Inter Milan
In the wake of a fair bit of bad news recently, Arteta has now shared a “positive” Arsenal update on Odegaard’s fitness.
The Norway star has been sidelined with ankle ligament damage since September, but he’s now on the verge of a return and back in full training with the squad, which will come as much-needed relief for Arsenal who are now set to welcome their captain back to the field very soon.
“The positive news is it’s great to have Martin back,” said Arteta in his pre-match press conference.
“He’s trained with us for the first time, a full session today. He felt good, it’s a bit earlier than we expected, but he wanted to be with the team, so we’ll decide tomorrow whether we use him, but at least it’s a big step that he’s travelled with us and is part of the team.”
The 25-year-old’s presence will be key in the title race and Europe, with Arsenal seriously missing Odegaard’s creativity in his absence. A return against Inter would be a spectacular sight, but if not, his Premier League return surely isn’t too far away now.