Here are your Arsenal evening headlines for Monday, 18 May
Partey urged to join Arsenal by international teammate
Thomas Partey is one of the biggest names on Arsenal’s radar at present, with the club reported to be keen to meet the Atletico Madrid midfielder’s release clause.
The Gunners aren’t the only ones who would be improved by the arrival of the Ghanaian, but one of Partey’s international colleagues has said he would love to see the midfielder move to the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking to Modern Ghana, Edwin Gyasi suggested his compatriot has the qualities to play for “every club,” but singled out the Gunners.
“Partey can play for all of these teams but personally, I will love to see him play for Arsenal because Arsenal is my favourite club,” the CSKA Sofia winger said.
Partey has been a key cog at Atletico this season, going the distance in both legs of their Champions League triumph over Liverpool, and the Spanish club are understood to be keen to tie him down to a longer deal amid interest from across Europe.
Arsenal set Mkhitaryan price as Roma consider permanent move
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has impressed at Roma, scoring six times after joining on loan from Arsenal in August, but a permanent switch remains up in the air due to the Gunners’ asking price.
The Armenian, who joined Arsenal from Manchester United in January 2018, would cost the Serie A side less than £10m after the Gunners lowered their demands for the surplus-to-requirements playmaker, as reported by football.london.
However, there’s the added issue of wage demands from Mkhitaryan, who also has three assists in the Italian top flight this season.
He is on just under £200,000 per week in north London, so meeting his demands as well as paying a transfer fee close to £10million may be too rich for Roma’s blood.
There’s no questioning the player’s priorities, though, if a video interview for the Italian embassy in Armenia is anything to go by.
"Since the first day I arrived here in Rome, I feel very good in the club, in the city, and of course it would be nice to stay here," he said.
Former Arsenal striker Bendtner opens up on seven-figure poker losses
Nicklas Bendtner has admitted to losing “an unrealistic amount” of money playing poker, dating back to his time living in London.
The former Arsenal striker made the admission on Danish reality TV show ‘Bendtner and Philine’, as reported by The Independent.
Bendtner began his career at Arsenal, moving to London from Copenhagen as a 16-year-old, and spent a decade on the club’s books, earning significant wages at his peak, but estimated his poker losses ran as high as £5.4million.
"It was something that I was always in control of and I simply betted big sums of money,” he said. “Sometimes in London, things would get out of control on a night and things could really have ended badly. Now I place smaller bets of 100 Korona (£12).”
Now 32 years old, Bendtner has been without a club since leaving FC Copenhagen at the end of 2019.
He played more than 150 games for Arsenal, making his debut in 2005 and playing his final game for the club in February 2014.
