Here are the Arsenal morning headlines for Wednesday, August 26.
Atletico swap options suggested
Arsenal have been chasing Thomas Partey all summer, while Atletico Madrid are keen on Alexandre Lacazette. A swap deal of sorts might seem the obvious solution - but the Spanish side aren’t willing to offload the midfielder for anything less than his buyout clause.
They are, however, open to an exchange of three other players to lure Lacazette to the Wanda Metropolitano, according to Marca.
Wide attackers Thomas Lemar, Vitolo and Angel Correa are all on the list of considerations, though it’s noted the Gunners turned down the option of all three back in January.
Atletico hold a long-standing interest in Lacazette and failed to get him three years ago due to their transfer ban, while Arsenal tried to buy Lemar from Monaco before he moved to La Liga.
Partey over?
On the main chase of the summer for the Gunners, it seems as though Mikel Arteta and Co. are abandoning the race for Partey.
They have not had any encouragement from Atleti that a deal can be negotiated and with his buyout clause standing at €50 million (£45m), Sport (via the Express) say it’s simply too expensive a deal for Arsenal and they will concede defeat.
Atletico have been clear about wanting to keep Partey, who has become a crucial part of Diego Simeone’s midfield.
Other alternatives have been suggested in overseas media, including Amadou Diawara of Roma.
Fans react to Saliba’s first game
William Saliba made his long-awaited first appearance in an Arsenal shirt this week, playing in a 4-1 pre-season win over MK Dons.
The French youngster spent last season on loan at former club St-Etienne, but is now ready to challenge for a place in Arteta’s team and supporters were excited about his display against the Gunners’ League One opponents.
Taking to Twitter, one supporter suggested he was “fantastic on the ball” and showed “composure well beyond his years”, while others looked forward to a potential partnership between him and Gabriel Magalhaes.
There were others who noted that not too much could be taken from pre-season and especially this standard of opponent, but as one pointed out, a first “real test comes at the weekend against Liverpool”, when the Gunners will play at Wembley in the Community Shield.
Arteta will have to decide which of his current squad members need to make way, who is expendable and which players make up the best combination at the back, with plenty of options to choose from.
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