Arsenal News Show:Arteta names director replacement! | Partey contract news | Gabriel Injury latest

Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Alabi, who is leaving the Spanish club at the end of the season, is believed to be Mikel Arteta's preference to replace Edou. Arsenal are hoping Gabriel Megalés will be fit to return against Everton on Saturday. The player has missed Arsenal's last three games with a hamstring injury but is close to returning despite not being risked in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Monaco last night, reports Sami Mokbel. And to be fair with you, Mikel Arteta did allude to him becoming a permanent fixture in the Brazilian national team as a potential overload for injury and why he's here. Allegedly, Thomas Pate's future at Arsenal is uncertain with no significant progress made on a new contract. So let's see exactly what has been said, people, in the column of Sami Mokbel. I mean, Dan Ashworth is still, I guess, being linked with Arsenal. I'm pretty sure if I scroll the way down, there you have it. Recent links to the sporting director vacancy at Arsenal stem from his longstanding relationship with the Gunners' managing director Richard Garlick. The pair worked together at West Brom and have remained close while their careers have taken different paths. Garlick's powerhouse at Arsenal has grown in recent weeks following the departure of the club's previous sporting director Edou and he will have an influential role in deciding who replaces the Brazilian, who is set to take a global position with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Mourankis' group of clubs. Garlick's sway would certainly work in Ashworth's favour should he have designs on a senior position at the Emirates. As things stand, one of Ashworth's main competitors in the race to replace Edou is Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Alabi, who would be my preference, who is leaving the Spanish club at the end of the season. Alabi is believed to be manager Mikel Arteta's preference for the position. Alabi and Arteta already have an existing relationship. Alabi signed the current Arsenal boss as a player in 2004 during his spell as Real Sociedad manager. No progress made on Partey extension. Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey's future is uncertain with no significant progress made on a new contract and just 20 days until he can sign elsewhere. The Ghana international has been one of the club's players of the season so far, staying injury-free to play a key role with Arteta's side. Partey's five-year deal signed when he joined for £45m from Atletico Madrid in 2020 and I think he's made just over 100 appearances for Arsenal which shows his historic injury issues. Although you look back at our first title challenge, you look back at this season, so far he's been superb. You look at all his injuries last season, when the running came, he was playing. Such, he can sign a pre-contract with overseas clubs from January 1st. The fact Arsenal are in the market to sign a new central midfielder most likely in the summer and have begun identifying targets indicates that Partey could leave the club at the end of the season, though Jorginho's deal is also due to expire in July. Would you lot keep Thomas Partey or would you not? I don't know because I think Jorginho is almost an extension of the coaching staff. In terms of ability, Partey would be a good player. If we could bring in another number eight, have Rice, have Moreno, Partey still in and amongst the team fair play. I personally believe, maybe I'm just an ignorant fan, but it would be nice if Arsenal have the replacements for the replacements before they need replacing. What I mean by that is, you have a younger Partey, exactly the kind of same player but a younger model or a different profile. Not too sure, but yeah, we're going to have to deal with all of this in the summer. Partey will turn 32 before next season and sources have indicated there is no major urgency at Arsenal to nail down Partey's future despite his re-emergence this season. Maybe they want to see continued fitness. Maybe Partey's always going to be moved on. We know we've tried to get him off the wage bill and sell him to Saudi the last two summers. Who knows? Would you give a Partey a new deal? Because right now it looks like the right thing to do, but being devil's advocate, how many times have we seen a player, whether it's at Arsenal or elsewhere, play for a new contract, play extremely well, get that new deal and then it's more of the same. He'll be 32 next season, which isn't the end of the world, but you know, you look at the wages he's on, you know, if you get rid of him, potentially Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, that's significant resources freed up. And you can make a case of several players, whether it's age, injury, lack of first team football, et cetera, leaving the club in the summer. And we've probably got a lot to do in terms of outcomes. I believe we need an eight. I'd love a striker. I'd love another versatile forward. Unpopular opinion. I'd love another defender. And we probably need to sign a goalie or two. So who knows people? He's one of the club's biggest earners with a pay package worth around 200 grand per week. But his career in North London has been beset by injuries on the topic of injuries. Meanwhile, the Gunners are hoping key defender Gabriel Magalhães will be fit to return against Everton on Saturday. Big up, Gabriel. You stepped in and done well, but clearly we're missing Gabriel. Gabriel has missed Arsenal's last three games with a hamstring injury, but is close to returning despite not being risked in the three-nil victory over Monaco on Wednesday night. So we'll have to see. Is there anything else Arsenal related here? Big up Lewis Skelly as well. He's doing his thing, got his first Champions League start, did what he needed to do. And the 18-year-old has all the world at his feet, and it's down to him to just keep going. It's nice to be sat third in the Champions League table. Obviously, there's still two games to play. We still need to get the job done against Dynamo, Zagreb and obviously Girona, but hopefully we get that done. We still are being linked with Nico Williams. I'm not sure if that happens in January. We're still being linked with Mohamed Kudus, who apparently has an 80 million release clause. I would not be against triggering that in January. Whether that's possible is another thing. We've been linked with a bunch of players. In the last week, it's all been Nico Williams. If not that, it's Adam Oluokun, and then it's Kudus. Every now and again, the Kunja rumours pop up. We've been relinked with Vladovic, which again, daily Doosan videos are back. I don't know if Arsenal are going to be prepared to splash the cast in January. I'd love to know if you think we need to sign players or not need to sign players. We've had a lot of injuries. Injuries excluded. We did not do everything we need to do in the summer, but there's been injuries around several players. Gabriel's missed a couple of weeks. Partey's literally missed a couple of weeks. Moreno's had two different injuries. Zinchenko's picking up knots. Califuri's picking up knots. Benjamin is a long-term absentee. Odegaard's not been a thing. Tini, while he probably wasn't in the thinking, has had knots. Zinchenko has had knots. Gabriel Jesus has had knots. I'm definitely missing out a player. Injuries are a thing. They happen. It is what it is. I'd love us to sign people, but January's kind of a reactive market. Players are reacting to a lack of football, to maybe not seeing eye-to-eye with a manager. There's obviously contracts running down and fire sales. Obviously, for me, where you look at the Adam Odelukmans, the Kudases, the Nico Williams, who, to be fair, does have a release clause, the Vlahovic's, regardless of if these clubs are open to selling them or not, would they want to do business in January? And would you have to maybe overpay? And if so, how much does that affect if it does the summer moving forward? It'd be nice to address something in January, but we've got what we've got until, at the very least, January the 1st.