Here are the Arsenal morning headlines for Wednesday, July 8.
Arsenal choose striker replacement
Transfer rumours have been rife that Arsenal may need to sell one of their two senior strikers this summer, with both captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette at different times said to be keen on a move elsewhere.
Reports in France suggest the club have already decided on who to replace them with, if they do eventually move on at the end of the season: Moussa Dembele.
The Lyon striker isn’t one of the players the club wants to sell this term, but financial issues mean they’ll have to consider any big proposals for their players.
Foot Mercato say that Arsenal want Dembele to be the incoming name if Lacazette or Aubameyang head off, but they’ll face strong interest from around Europe for the 23-year-old.
Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid are mentioned as considering a move, as well as Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Lineker and Cesc pass Nketiah red verdicts
By common consent, it seems Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah was unlucky to be shown a red card against Leicester City last night, just moments after coming on as a substitute.
The striker raked his studs across the knee of James Justin and, after getting a yellow initially, had that changed to a red after the referee consulted a pitchside monitor.
Gary Lineker, a former player for both Leicester and Arsenal’s rivals Tottenham Hotspur, noted that even as a “biased” observer it shouldn’t have seen Nketiah dismissed.
“I understand why they’ve given a red, but not for me. Nothing challenge and I’m biased,” he said on Twitter.
Cesc Fabregas agreed: “It’s a bad tackle but he doesn’t mean it at all. So unlucky if he gets the red.”
Nketiah now faces a three-match ban if the Gunners do not appeal.
Van Persie loving Saka impact
Robin van Persie was certainly a striker who appreciated his team-mates sending good through-passes and crosses his way.
So when he has praise for one of the Arsenal youngsters who does exactly that, the odds are he’s correct in his assessment - and the Dutch legend loved what he saw from Bukayo Saka against Leicester.
Saka, playing on the right of Arsenal’s front three, made a great run into the channel behind Caglar Soyuncu, teased Jonny Evans and left him on the floor, then squared across the six-yard box to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a tap-in for the game’s opening goal.
Van Persie tweeted soon after his appreciation of the role Saka played, saying “absolute brilliant run & assist from Saka” and highlighting the versatile youngster’s traits including pace, technique and vision.
