All the latest Arsenal news after Mikel Arteta’s side faced Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night
Arsenal will now turn their attention back to the Premier League after facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Gunners are currently top of the table domestically after last weekend’s narrow win over Fulham.
Mikel Arteta’s men have a three point lead at the summit, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Bournemouth in hot pursuit. Next up is a visit from Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon following the Eagles’ own European exploits on Thursday night.
Besides last night’s match against Atletico, there’s still been plenty going on around the Emirates. From Arteta talking about William Saliba’s future to the manager’s surprise at one member of his squad, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest from north London.
William Saliba’s future
It is well known that Real Madrid have been interested in Saliba since the Frenchman made his Premier League breakthrough for the Gunners three seasons ago. However, the 24-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best defenders on the planet, put an end to increasing speculation by signing a new contract until 2030.
Arteta was recently asked in an interview with Marca whether it was difficult to retain Saliba given the links to Real Madrid, who have developed a reputation for poaching players on free transfers in recent years.
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The Spaniard maintained that he was confident Saliba would agree to an extension, saying: “All the previous conversations I had with him were based on the intuition of what he wanted and which he later confirmed by renewing, since his number one intention was to stay here because he is happy here.”
Saliba himself has insisted he is happy in north London, stating: “I didn’t win anything here except the Community Shield. I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies. I love this club, I couldn’t leave this club without giving something back, I’ve won nothing. I want to stay here and win.”
Apology issued
Arsenal were forced to apologise to Atletico Madrid after the Spanish club had no hot water in their dressing room at the Emirates Stadium. The La Liga outfit trained in N5 on Monday night ahead of their Champions League clash but were forced to return to their hotel to shower after the session due to the lack of hot water.
Atletico staff alerted Arsenal to the problem at 6.45pm on Monday, while their players were training. Their session had been due to finish at 7.30pm but it ended 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
The issue with the hot water, which is understood to have affected both the home and away dressing rooms, was not resolved until 7.25pm, by which point Atletico had opted to go back to their hotel. Arsenal reportedly apologised to Atletico staff for the inconvenience caused.
Mikel Arteta surprised
Arsenal’s extraordinary summer transfer window saw the club splurge over £250million on new signings Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Piero Hincapie. They have made varying levels of contribution, but midfielder Zubimendi was singled out by Arteta as one signing who is undoubtedly thriving at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners spent £60m on the former Real Sociedad star, beating the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid to the punch. And the Spain international’s seamless transition to English football, having already scored two goals, caught even his own manager by surprise.
Arteta told Marca: “I don’t like comparisons [to Man City’s Rodri]. I think Zubi has to make his own way, and he’s doing so. Since he’s arrived, his impact on the team has been exceptional, and that’s very difficult.
“I’ve seen many midfielders reach the Premier League, coming from top positions in other leagues, and they’ve struggled; it’s taken them a year or two to become who they are.
“The speed and naturalness with which he’s adapting is surprising. We’ve given him confidence and a clear role, at all levels, including decisions we’ve made here with players who were there but are no longer here.
“We gave him space. And then, he feels comfortable with our style; it suits his way of playing.”
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