Here are your Arsenal morning headlines for Thursday, October 8.
Arsenal trying to force Ozil exit
Arsenal have made renewed attempts to cut short Mesut Ozil’s contract with the German still out of favour with Mikel Arteta, according to the Daily Mirror.
Ozil is expected to be left out of Arsenal’s Europa League squad, which is published today, following an extended spell out of the team, with his last game coming prior to lockdown in March.
The Gunners are keen to reach a settlement with the playmaker, who is the club’s highest earner on £350,000-a-week, although Ozil reportedly is not keen to leave the Emirates with the transfer window having closed.
Ozil, whose contract will expire in 2021, is determined to regain his place under Arteta but his chances appear slim with him last having made a matchday squad in June.
Arsenal shut Hale End academy after Covid test
Arsenal have temporarily shut down their Hale End academy and ceased all operations after a senior member of staff tested positive for Covid-19.
As per The Athletic, the staff member travelled abroad before receiving the results of his test.
Six other staff members are self-isolating as a precaution while the academy has been shut for deep cleaning.
“Our Hale End Academy will now be closed on Thursday 8 October for deep cleaning,” read a statement.
“After Thursday, we will review our coaching plans at Hale End accordingly and will keep all staff, parents and young players fully informed.
“The health and safety of everyone on all our sites is our paramount concern. No members of our men’s or women’s first-team squads have been affected.”
Arsenal transfer business rated
Following the closure of the international transfer window, football.london has revealed its ratings for every deal Arsenal conducted over the summer.
In terms of new arrivals, while Willian and Runar Alex Runarsson scored reasonably lowly with a 6 each, there were 9s for centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey, the big-money deadline-day signing from Atletico Madrid.
Dani Ceballos, who spent six months on loan at the Gunners last season, scored an 8 with the Spaniard returning after an impressive run in the latter stages of last season.
As for the club’s outgoings, the departure of Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a perfect 10, while Emiliano Martinez’s move to Aston Villa was given an 8 with Arsenal receiving a £20m fee for their back-up goalkeeper.
Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira scored a 7 and 8 respectively after securing loans to Hertha Berlin and Atletico Madrid respectively.
