Here are your Arsenal morning headlines for Tuesday, May 12.
Ceballos expected to return to Real
Arsenal are not expected to hold talks with Real Madrid about extending Dani Ceballos’ loan spell at the Emirates for another season, according to Spanish publication El Confidencial.
The Spaniard joined the Gunners last summer and impressed in the opening matches of the 2019/20 campaign under Unai Emery. However, a hamstring injury suffered in November kept Ceballos out for almost three months and halted his early momentum.
He returned to the first-team fold in February and Arteta wants to keep Ceballos at the club until the current season is concluded.
Arsenal will discuss an extension to the 23-year-old’s current loan which expires on June 30 but won’t push for Ceballos to remain at the Emirates for the 2020/21 campaign.
Mertesacker lays out academy vision
Per Mertesacker admits it could take up to ten years for the changes he has made in his role as Arsenal’s academy manager to bear fruit.
After finishing his playing career at the Emirates, the German was put in charge of the Gunners’ youth system in the summer of 2018. And it’s a role that has grown in importance with the club hopeful of promoting one academy graduate to Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad every season.
Mertesacker has had big decisions to make - eight senior members of academy staff, including head of youth recruitment Steve Morrow, left the club earlier in the campaign - and insists everything is done to benefit the club for years to come.
He told Arsenal’s club website: "My expectations are high towards myself and I have a lot of expectations for staff and players, but I need to relax and think in [terms of] five to 10 years really.
“I’m literally preparing myself mentally to make sure that I don’t get overloaded by the fact that I expect a lot from myself to deliver. But you can’t rush it, especially in youth football in terms of the long-term planning.
"We’re making steps in the right direction and that’s what I’m proud of. Every single small step I’m proud of but the vision I have to develop strong young Gunners is in the making and needs to really sink in over years.”
Arteta makes big impression on NFL coach
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay believes the “impressive” Mikel Arteta will do a great job at Arsenal.
McVay, who has been in charge of the Stan Kroenke-owned Rams since 2017, last week gave advice to the Gunners boss, technical director Edu and head of football Raul Sanllehi on managing small-sided training sessions.
They are expected to be the norm when Premier League sides are given the go ahead to return to training and while they will be somewhat alien to Arteta, the NFL coach and his team are far more used to coaching smaller groups.
The call will have likely been invaluable for Arteta, who made a big impression on McVay.
"He is really an impressive guy," McVay told reporters in Los Angeles .
"I think he'll do a great job, and I'm certainly a fan of Arsenal and love following them, just through those relationships, through the Kroenke family. But it was more than anything a chance for us to connect, kind of share some ideas."
