Here is your Arsenal digest for Friday, December 11.
Szoboszlai response
The January transfer window is around the corner and one player to have been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal is RB Salzburg midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.
Arsenal are looking to bolster their squad after a creative void became apparent in the first half of this season and Hungarian attacking midfielder Szoboszlai has been touted as a potential option.
It prompted Arsenal fans to go on a scouting mission of their own by watching the player in action for Salzburg against Atletico Madrid in a crucial final Champions League group stage game.
Sadly, a 2-0 loss saw the Austrian side knocked out of the Champions League and instead enter the Europa League.
It was a frustrating performance from Szoboszlai, too, who missed a one-on-one by slicing a shot wide.
Van Persie admission
Robin van Persie says Arsenal's obsession with finances drove him to seek his controversial transfer to Manchester United.
The striker was a key part of Arsene Wenger's team but quit the Gunners to move to Old Trafford in 2012.
In a candid interview, he has now revealed that he felt Arsenal were too focused on their off-the-field activity than they were with how competitive they were on the pitch.
"At Arsenal, I didn’t feel like we were on the level to compete," Van Persie said (via Voetbalzone).
"One day, the chairman of Arsenal showed me how healthy the club was by showing me their positive numbers. I told him: ‘I don’t care about these numbers, I want to lift the Premier League trophy’."
Smith Rowe praised
Mikel Arteta praised Emile Smith Rowe's performance against Dundalk in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
The Gunners ended the group stage with a 100 per cent record as they brushed aside the Irish side at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Smith Rowe was given his first start under Arteta and the Arsenal boss was impressed with what he saw.
He said: "He played in a position that doesn’t suit him perfectly for his qualities, but you can see that every time he is around the ball that something is gonna happen.
"He has a lot of creativity he’s a player that has a lot of quality to receive the ball and do things in areas where the high-value spaces after gets open. He’s a threat and I'm really happy with his performance."
