Here are your Arsenal morning headlines on Wednesday, September 23.
Atletico have no need to sell Partey after Morata deal
Arsenal will be unable to sign Thomas Partey after Atletico Madrid sold Alvaro Morata to Juventus, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Gunners will have to meet the player’s release clause of £45million, because Atletico no longer have a financial need to allow Partey’s exit.
Morata’s £49.5m move to Juventus has changed the situation significantly, meaning Arsenal may have to turn their attention towards other targets.
“About Partey, [Arsenal] have to pay [the release] clause or nothing – Atletico Madrid have this mentality," Romano said.
“So, if you want Atletico Madrid players, you have to pay the clause, and Partey’s [is] €50m.
“So, at the moment, there are no negotiations because Atletico Madrid told Arsenal ‘if you want the player, you have to pay’.
“But I think after selling Morata to Juventus, Atletico Madrid won’t sell any other top player, so we have to see what will happen with Thomas.”
Two players could make debut at the King Power
The Gunners are expected to rotate significantly after the weekend’s Premier League win against West Ham United.
And new signings William Saliba and Alex Runarsson may be involved against Leicester.
The latter only joined the club on Monday, but is available for selection. Saliba, meanwhile, appears to have impressed in training.
“I think William is doing really well,” Arteta said. “He is adapting to the country, adapting to our club. We have to bear in mind that he had a really challenging season last year with the amount of injuries that he had.
“But he is a player that is going to be really important in our future, things sometimes take some time and we have to respect that.”
Arteta aiming to disrupt City dominance in League Cup
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is aiming to end Manchester City’s dominance in the Carabao Cup this season.
The former City assistant manager, who took the job at the Emirates in December, has overseen a significant improvement in his first managerial role.
And he has insisted that Arsenal will be taking the Carabao Cup seriously.
“I think it is [taken seriously enough]," Arteta said.
“The last few seasons I think this competition for the clubs has raised [importance], there is only one winner in the Premier League.
“That leaves a lot of frustrated clubs and now everybody wants a title and you can see in the last few years that teams have used strong line-ups and the types of finals we have seen in recent years.”
