Here are your Arsenal morning headlines for Tuesday, 20 October.
Micah Richards on Ozil and Arteta
Mesut Ozil might have offered to pay Gunnersaurus’ wages, but it still hasn’t convinced Mikel Arteta to return him to the Arsenal side.
The German midfielder has not played for the club since March, and looks set to spend the final season of his contract picking up his enormous salary while not contributing on the pitch.
Arteta’s handling of the situation has impressed Micah Richards, who explained why in his MailOnline column.
"What I love about the way Arteta has handled Ozil is that he hasn’t allowed one bit of animosity to creep out into the sport pages," he wrote.
Arteta’s balancing act
While fans are always urging their clubs to sign more and more players, the reality is that compiling a squad for the season ahead is a balancing act.
Premier League teams are allowed a maximum of 17 non-homegrown players in their squads of 25. If somebody new joins who would be part of the 17, someone else probably has to leave (or face months on the sidelines).
Take Arsenal, who have at least 20 players who are classified as non-homegrown. While Ozil is not expected to play any time soon, the majority of the others could make a case for their inclusion.
Karl Matchett has assessed the Gunners’ squad and looked at the pros and cons of Arteta’s options here.
The impressive form of Arsenal’s defence
Arsenal have conceded at least 48 league goals in each of the last three seasons, which has torpedoed their hopes for a top-four finish each year.
However, things are looking up. Only Aston Villa have conceded fewer goals in the top flight than Arsenal have this season, and they’ve played a game fewer too.
With Arteta’s side having already travelled to play Liverpool and Manchester City – the top two scoring teams last season – there are definite grounds for optimism that Arsenal have solved their long running issues.
James Benge has taken an in-depth look at what the Gunners’ defence has been doing well recently, and has assessed the impact of Gabriel Magalhaes.
