Arsenal transfer news

AINSLEY MAITLAND-NILES is trying to shut out thoughts of his Arsenal mates being on a title charge.He and Southampton have a battle to win at the other end of the table — and he is confident they can do it.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is focused on Southampton’s survival battleCredit: Getty
Maitland-Niles, on a season-long stay at St Mary’s, is keeping in touch with fellow graduates of Arsenal’s academy like Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson.
He said: “We don’t speak about what is happening at each other’s teams.
“It’s more like, ‘Hi, are you good? Hope you’re well and I’ll see you soon’.
“I’m just staying focused because I’m   trying to help the team and get us out of this relegation battle.”
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Maitland-Niles has tasted the pain of the drop while on loan before, two years ago with West Brom.
An FA Cup winner with the Gunners in the Covid-disrupted 2019-20 season, he won five England caps in the first half of the next campaign before going on loan to the struggling Baggies.
And in a cruel twist, West Brom’s fate was sealed by a 3-1 defeat at the Emirates, with Premier League rules preventing the utility man from playing against his parent club.
Maitland-Niles, 25, said: “It was strange. You just have to sit there and try to rally the boys before the game and during the training sessions.
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“It was a difficult situation. It’s always hard when you are at the bottom.
“You just have to have self-belief as a team. There’s always talent in the room.
“As long as the man next to you is willing to fight with you, you should be fine.”
When asked why he is confident there will be a different outcome for rock-bottom Saints, Maitland-Niles said: “The positive energy coming from the manager Ruben [Selles], through the changing room, then from player to player.
“The mood is really good. Players are fresh back from internationals, the vibe is high, the spirits are high.
“Training sessions are looking absolutely amazing right now.
“We don’t even look as if we are worried about anything. That’s a good sign.”
And ahead of today’s crunch clash at drop rivals West Ham, Maitland-Niles gives much of the credit to Selles, Saints’ third boss of the season after the sackings of Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones.
He sees similarities between Selles and his fellow Spaniard Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal boss.
Maitland-Niles added: “The way he lives and breathes football and looks at the game is second to none, like Arteta.
“Maybe that’s the Spanish mentality, the love of football they have.
“He’s a very straightforward person. He tells you what he wants and needs.
“From day one, he said, ‘This is the way we are going to move forward. This is what I want everyone to do’.
“Everyone has jumped on board and is happy to do ten times what he is asking for. You can see that in recent performances.”
Not least the 3-3 draw against Spurs before the international break.
A lot of teams, especially one in Southampton’s situation, would have thrown in the towel after going 3-1 behind with barely 15 minutes to go.
Ruben Selles has praised captain James Ward-ProwseCredit: Getty
He is key the club’s battle for survivalCredit: Getty
But Selles’ side equalised through a stoppage-time penalty by James Ward-Prowse, awarded for a foul on Maitland-Niles.
He said: “The captain has showed what he’s capable of multiple times this season. It was fantastic.
“He is absolutely amazing. He’s a warrior, he’s a soldier, he’s Southampton through and through.
“He’s what you would want from every player on the pitch.
“He gives 100 per cent, he works very hard in training, he’s a stand-up guy. He’s perfect.
“It almost felt like a win in the stadium. It has brought a lot of confidence.”
Southampton still have it all to prove —  but at least they have time to prove it.
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Yet it remains a big ask for the Saints to stay up, whose squad is the second youngest in the Prem behind Arsenal.
Maitland-Niles said: “The experienced heads are now coming together with the youth and talent that we have — and I’m sure we will be all right in the end.” More

BRIGHTON have joined the hunt for Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu.Arsenal and Leicester are among the Premier League clubs to have been tracking the Turkey star, 22, for some time.
Much-wanted Orkun Kokcu is now being monitored by at least three Prem clubsCredit: Getty
But Brighton’s interest in the £30million-rated Feyenoord captain comes amid ongoing speculation about the future of star midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
World Cup winner Mac Allister and Ecuador international Caicedo are on the shopping lists of big clubs in England and Europe.
Both Mac Allister and Caicedo have signed new contracts this season, until 2025 and 2026 respectively, with the club holding the option for another year in both cases.
Brighton have no need or desire to sell either player, but their determination will be tested this summer by clubs able to pay big fees and offer the players massive pay rises.
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Kokcu has led Feyenoord to the top of the Dutch league and into the quarter finals of the Europa League.
He has scored 12 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions this season.
The Dutch-born star represented Holland at youth level but switched allegiance to Turkey and has 20 full caps.
It’s also been claimed that Tottenham and Sevilla are keen on him.
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And Feyenoord chief Dick Advocaat believes Kokcu has the flexibility plus technique to do a job for any club.
the former Sunderands and Rangers manager said: “I think he fits in everywhere.” More

ARSENAL star Bukayo Saka is out of the starting XI to face Leeds as Gabriel Jesus starts.The England winger has started every Premier League game for the Gunners this season, but he is only fit enough for a place on the bench this afternoon.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is out of the clash versus LeedsCredit: PA
Gabriel Jesus starts for the first time in the league since the World CupCredit: Getty
Saka’s benching ends his run of 485 days without being taken out of the league line-up by manager Mikel Arteta, last being amongst the subs in a 3-2 loss to Manchester United in 2021.
It is a major blow for Spaniard as his side look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.
However, the Gunners have been boosted by the return of Jesus, with the striker making his first Premier League start since returning from knee injury.
Before kick-off, Arteta said: “He [Saka] wasn’t able to train yesterday as he wasn’t well but today he feels a little bit better, so we’ve put Jesus in.
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“He brings a lot of energy, quality, movement & chaos. He’s a player we’ve been missing & it’s good to have him back.”
Arsenal’s attack features Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazilian striker leading the line.
Arsenal are also without centre-back William Saliba, who is out with a back problem.
Therefore, Rob Holding partners Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the defence.
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There were concerns over the fitness of midfielder Thomas Partey after he missed Ghana’s game versus Angola during the international break because of an injury.
But the 29-year-old has recovered in time to be named in the line-up.
Meanwhile, Leeds have their own problems with Wilfried Gnonto set for a spell on the sidelines with an ankle issue.
Javi Gracia’s side top scorer Rodrigo is amongst the substitutes, having not started since late January due to fitness concerns. More

THERE is no doubt in my mind that Arsenal have the ‘cojones’ to win the Premier League title.Sure, Mikel Arteta’s players have shown balls of steel to open up  an eight-point lead at the top of the table.
The Gunners not only have the collective spirit on the pitch, they possess the right stuff off it as they aim for their first title since 2004Credit: Getty
Edu deserves huge praise, both for his work this season and also for backing Mikel Arteta when the manager was under pressure in 2020-21Credit: PA
But it’s the actions of the club hierarchy which have impressed me more than anything.
It’s well remembered — especially by Arsenal fans — that I once accused some of their players of lacking ‘cojones’ when my Watford team beat them during the latter part of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
But when I look at Arsenal now I see a club which has been brave, which has had the courage of their own convictions  and are reaping the rewards.
Two seasons ago, the Gunners looked as if they were heading into a relegation battle and most  people thought they were mad to stick with Arteta, and to keep believing in their long-term  projects.
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Time and again, you hear about football clubs having ‘three-year plans’ and ‘five-year plans’.
But time and again, they  suffer a bad six months and they rip up those plans and start from scratch.
Not Arsenal under the ownership of the Kroenkes.
Their sporting director Edu needs a huge amount of credit. He spoke out in Arteta’s favour in the club’s darkest hour during the 2020-21 season.
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At Christmas, Arsenal were in the bottom six, having lost more than half of their matches and taken two points in seven games  — yet they stuck by their  manager, they believed in what he was working towards.
Later that season,  there were mass protests against the Kroenkes, with former players signing up for rival consortiums attempting a takeover.
It would have been easy for owner Stan Kroenke, and his son Josh, to walk away from the club. But they stuck at it.
Arsenal have not spent obscene amounts on transfer fees and player contracts, either.
They have cut the wage bill, getting rid of high earners such as Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, when plenty of supporters were opposed to those moves.
And just this January, when they were about to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, and Chelsea gazumped them with a huge  £88million deal,  Arsenal didn’t lose their nerve.
They stuck to their budget, they signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton instead  and the Belgian is proving to be an excellent addition.
 Plenty of Arsenal’s players have shown strong-mindedness, too. Most obviously, Bukayo Saka, who has excelled since his penalty miss in the Euros final of 2021.
Saka is not just a brilliant player but a humble, selfless individual who loves playing football and seems to me to be the ultimate footballing role model.
But a couple of lower-profile players have seriously impressed me, too.
Granit Xhaka was pretty much a hate figure among Arsenal fans a couple of years ago.
He could have left, or the club could have bombed him out — but club and player showed ‘cojones’ again.
The Swiss midfielder has been excellent this season.
You have to lose to learn how to win. And since they blew fourth place last season, that’s what Arteta’s exciting young team have done.
Then there’s Ben White, signed from Brighton for £50m primarily as a centre-half, he has reinvented himself as a right-back and has made himself first choice in front of a very good specialist in Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Now Arsenal are ten games from glory, their run-in starting with Leeds at home on Saturday  and that’s a game I expect them to win by three or four.
In fact, I expect Arsenal to win nine of their last ten — every one except for the visit to their only title rivals, Manchester City, on April 26.
That includes next weekend’s trip to Liverpool. I know Arsenal  haven’t won at Anfield in the league for more than a decade and been well beaten on their last six such visits.
But that was a different Liverpool and a very different Arsenal. Arteta’s side will feel they can really get at Jurgen Klopp’s back four.
If they win there, the last doubters will surely be  convinced  this is Arsenal’s year.
After facing City, Arsenal then host Chelsea and Brighton, either side of a visit to Newcastle — and that sequence of ­fixtures looks like the crunch for them.
But I think they can open up an even bigger lead before they head to the Etihad.
City are a brilliant side but they also have the Champions League and FA Cup to juggle with.
And I don’t see Pep Guardiola’s team going on one of their epic  winning streaks,   which is what they would need to pip the Gunners to the title.
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You have to lose to learn how to win. And since they blew fourth place by losing to Tottenham and Newcastle last season, that’s exactly what Arteta’s exciting young team have done.
From the dressing room to the boardroom, Arsenal are certainly not lacking ‘cojones’ now. More