Arsenal News Show: Arteta responds to Rashford interest! | Injury UPDATES! Transfer News

On this day in 2019, Arsenal announced the appointment of former club captain Mikel Arteta as their new head coach. Time flies, man. Arteta's been here five years. What would you lot define Mikel Arteta's five years so far? If he was to leave tomorrow, what would you say would be his lasting legacy, if any, at Arsenal Football Club? Let's see what the man himself has said in the press conference. Obviously, we're only going to look at the parts that are relevant to us, essentially, Declan Rice and Califuri have been missing. Apparently, they are both available to be part of the squad. That's music to my ears. He said Zinchenko could probably be available as well. Tommy Asu won't be. I can't say we're shocked there. Does Gabriel Jesus start against Crystal Palace for you lot people? For me, we'll get into that, but let me know your thoughts. Well, he was very happy. Everyone in the team was really happy, especially because he helped the team to win the game and get through to the semi-finals, which is what we wanted. You can see that immediate reaction of him. A big smile on his face, big energy around him. That's what we need to have, everybody in the highest level of performance. Gabby certainly had a big one on Wednesday on if he can go on a good run. I mean, as Mikel Arteta said post-game, for me, it's about consistency. Football's weird because a lot of us were saying, you know what, it's looking dark for Gabriel Jesus, not without valid reasons. And I wouldn't say too much has changed with him getting a hat-trick. We've seen Eddie score a hat-trick and nothing happened. But it wouldn't surprise me if more of the same negatively continues. But we do hope, you know, Gabriel Jesus goes on a run, finds his feet, because we need everybody to step up now really and truly. We're still competing in all competitions. Obviously, we don't know what the FA Cup is going to have to say. We've lost a lot of ground with the Premier League, the Champions League. Yeah, we're finished. We finished third or we're third in the league because it ain't finished, but that's a big arc. The League Cup is probably our most feasible one. So step in the right direction. Naturally, as a football fan or fan of Arsenal Football Club, you have to ask yourself the question, does Gabriel Jesus start against Crystal Palace? Is he going to go on a run now? Does he play up front and you drop Havertz? Or do you go Havertz, Saka and Gabriel Jesus off the left? Because who's really been doing the business off the left? He said, yes, he's been looking really good since he came back from pre-season. After he had a setback and started to play, he had some good performances without scoring. Obviously, what he did the other day is exactly what we need from our nines. Fair enough. We do need them to score. On Tini, at the moment he's with us. I wouldn't play a player that is thinking about leaving or is not committed to us. So he's fully committed. He's enjoying after a long period again with a really tough injury. So live the moment. He's a big part of the squad now. He deserves to be in the squad and played really well after such a long time. So that's the only thing I can say. Now you would have seen David Ornstein come out and say, you know, essentially Tini will be leaving as a free agent. We're not activating the one-year extension. He's linked with Celtic. I wonder if Arsenal let him go in January, if there is a cut price. I wonder if Tini wants to run down his contract to make that move to Celtic at the end of the season. Personally, I'd understand if he left, but, you know, we've got injuries in it. We've got injuries. I don't mind the option of Kieran Tini, whether we're trying to see out games, whether we need a more organic kind of fallback, like we saw with Tini just overlapping and all of that kind of stuff. And as I said, we've been dealing with injuries. Only if he wants to move in January. He hasn't come to me and said, I want to move in the past. If we had any doubts, he came to me and said, I think it's my time to move. This hasn't been the case yet. Big up Mikel Arteta on his five years on winning major silverware, keyword major. This is what we want to bring the big trophies. And without losing the rest of the things that we have built, that is very important as well on having to play the same team twice in one week is preparation is different. Obviously we played recently and analyse them. So we don't have to do that too much. I'm sure that both teams will adjust a few things and probably change some personnel as well. Apart from that, the difficulty of the game remains the same. We all know what it's like to go to Selhurst Park and we've prepared for that. You know, it's one of the, it's one of them grounds you don't want to go to. It's firmly up there with St. James' Park, where Newcastle concern, which we've got a two legged tie, let's kill them in the first leg of the League Cup and obviously Anfield people on if Jesus and Kai can play up front together. Yeah, that's possible with the players we have and the connection that we can generate. I think it's very doable, very doable to have that kind of situation. As I said before, I'm really pleased for Gabby's performance, for the team's performance and most importantly for the fact that we're in the semifinals on the two games against Newcastle. Let's play them. It will be two very difficult games. We know that four teams that are involved in the semifinals are at the highest level. We knew that whoever we got in the draw, the difficulty was going to be there. For me, we need to kill that first leg, man. They've got a couple of players missing, use home advantage. St. James' Park is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Again, big up Mikel Arteta on his five years, but I'm just trying to see what's relevant to me. On Rasford's situation, you know I'm not going to talk about players from other clubs. Fair enough. On Timber, he said, and better yet, he's adapting to different roles. We've seen him play left-back, right-back and centre-half now. He's doing that because, first of all, it's in his nature. He's capable of doing it. He feels very comfortable doing it and we try to coach him to play to his strengths and mould the qualities around him with other players as well. I'm very pleased because I think he's been performing really well. Amen, Gaffer. If we take a glimpse into Crystal Palace, again, our old manager Mikel Arteta loves a mind game, so I'm not going to read too much into this, but Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed Eze will miss the game against Arsenal on Saturday, people. He's also confirmed Walton, Matthias Francka, Riyad could all be potential missing players as well. Now, who would you lot play going into the Crystal Palace game? Naturally, I want to start Califiori, but I don't want any setbacks. For me, I don't think MLS has put a foot wrong in these opportunities. So, yeah, man, go give the man a baptism of fire at Selhurst Park and let's see what you're about. With the greatest of respect to Kivu, I need to see Gabriel and Saliba. Naturally, for me, that means Timber at right-back. Saka is obviously going to play. I would give Gabriel Jesus an opportunity on that left-hand side. I understand if he's going to play Martinelli, but Jesus does his defensive work. He's probably got a bit of confidence. I mean, people can be dropped, but a man got a hat-trick in it. That's one of the best individual performances we've seen recently. So, give him an opportunity, man. I'll go Gabriel Jesus on the left. Obviously, Martin Odegaard. I do think it's a game for Kai Havertz, especially when we want to go long and he peels over to the right-hand side. Probably see Partey at right-back. There's a reality where Partey's right-back, Timber's left-back once again, and Moreno's in the team, allowing Rice to be a six. But I would like to see Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey, personally, people. Don't forget to let me know who you would start. Now, Ian Wright has defended the opinion on Marcus Rashford. Ian Wright himself said, I got to Arsenal at 28, but you expect me to write someone off with the ability Rashford has at 27. I don't think he's wrong there, people. And he also said, I got to Arsenal at 28, but you expect me to write off someone with the ability of Marcus Rashford has at 27. So many of you are desperate to see these young people fail so that you can say you were right. You would take 1% of the career Marcus has had. I don't disagree with that. I do think people want people to fail. I do think people would take 1%. But Ian Wright, he was hungry, bro. He was 20. He was a 28-year-old man. Respectfully, Marcus Rashford is a 27-year-old boy. And I'm not even boying him. I just think the young players of, you know, forget-ability, Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas, teenagers, to a degree, Jack Wilshere. And there's plenty of other examples. Or even you look at people like Frank Lampard when he was young and real. They were men. These are boys now. And Marcus Rashford has ability. And I want him to get back playing and find a club that he can play at and whatnot. I do like his qualities. I wouldn't cry if he signed for Arsenal. But I'm rooting for you, Marcus Rashford, just not at Arsenal, because I just feel we need to get players that provide more answers than questions. You know, it wouldn't be the worst of signings, but essentially, you don't know what you're going to get. And look at what I'm saying about a poster boy of Manchester United, someone with however many Premier League appearances and England appearances and all of these kind of things, man. I wouldn't cry if we signed Marcus Rashford. I just don't think it makes sense, people. But big up Rashford. Now, Mikel Arteta has kind of shut down any talk of Arsenal moving in the January market, people. And the comments you can see on screen are quite pessimistic. So you have to take things with a pinch of salt. But you would have seen Sammy Moat Bell and people over the last 24 hours offering some soundbites. Arsenal's recruitment staff, in liaison with Mikel Arteta, are gearing up towards making a significant outlay on a striker this summer. Here we go. Are we being briefed that we're not going to do anything in January, which is improbable anyways? The identity of who they go for remains an ongoing process and will depend on a myriad of factors. Age, cost, injuries and experience. Nothing new there. Part of the reason Arsenal were against signing a striker in the summer was due to how Kai Havertz ended the season. That's worked out for us, hasn't it? You know, Kai's done his thing, but natural complacency really. And a lot of the issues that we see on the football field, we haven't just woke up in these 13, 14, 15, 16 Premier League games. They've been there. Anywho, people, in negotiations with potential centre-forward signings ahead of the current campaign, it's understood that Arsenal provided no assurances that they would play ahead of Havertz. But there's an exception now that they need greater firepower. Where you look at Jocorez, who I said I think Arsenal like him, but I think it's more paper tabloids than us genuinely being keen on him for whatever reason. Arsenal have been consistently linked with Jocorez. However, Mel Sport has learned that there are reservations over a move for the player. Jocorez has a reported £85m release clause in his contract, a big financial commitment, particularly when you consider he'll be 27 by the time next season starts. There are also said to be some concerns over whether he can replicate his goalscoring record in one of Europe's major leagues, having built his reputation in Portugal. I do think he'll score goals. I don't think he'll score at this abnormal rate he's doing in Portugal. I think he's a decent player. 27 years of age, if he keeps scoring goals from 27 to 32, that's five years. So it is what it is. Where you look at some of our other targets, or some players we've brought in, how much does the age thing play a part? Of course, £85m, big contract. I hear it. Among the players who will be considered next summer is Alexander Isak, who for many is the leading candidate to fill the role as Arsenal's new attacking focal point. Isak ticks all the boxes for Mikel Arteta. There are, though, internal concerns over his injury record, particularly given the intensity of Arteta's team. I hear it, but the Prem's intense anyways. Do you know the injury record is the only thing that scares you? On Benjamin Sesco, apparently he remains of concrete interest to Arsenal. The club will continue to monitor Sesco and will be in a strong position to strike, having already completed much of the groundwork if the player is identified as their main target. Arsenal and Man City are doing work on left-back Maxime de Koopa, 23 years of age, ahead of a January deal. Apparently both have sent scouts to watch him recently, people. As I said, Tini will leave the club next summer. Arsenal decided against activating an option to extend his deal at the football club. There's nothing there. Okay, that's a bit weird. Why is that not closing? Oh, finally. Huge surprise in Nico Williams' transfer saga. That could change everything. Yeah, right. Apparently he remains hot property in the transfer market. Arsenal and Chelsea