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    Mikel Arteta gives injury update on Thoma Partey after Arsenal midfielder forced to come off in FA Cup loss to Man City

    MIKEL ARTETA says Thomas Partey will have an MRI scan after limping off during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat at Manchester City.The Premier League leaders were knocked out of the competition as Nathan Ake sealed a 1-0 win for their closest title rivals.
    Mikel Arteta is sweating on the extent of Thomas Partey’s injuryCredit: Reuters
    The star will undergo an MRI scan after suffering a blow to his ribs at Man CityCredit: Rex
    However, the Gunners suffered a huge scare as their influential Ghanaian midfielder, 29, suffered a blow to his ribs during the opening period.
    Partey was taken off at the break and replaced by Albert Sambi Lokonga.
    And afterwards his manager admitted he did not want to “take any risks” with his star.
    Arteta said: “He felt something and we didn’t want to take any risks, so he could not continue.
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    “He had some discomfort and it was getting worse and worse, so he could not continue. He wasn’t comfortable to continue.
    “Obviously tomorrow, the day after he will have to have an MRI scan and see what he has.”
    Arteta will now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of the damage, especially with fellow midfielder Mohamed Elneny also out with a knee problem.
    Arsenal have been trying to bring in reinforcements to bolster the middle of the park this transfer window and have had an opening bid rejected by Brighton for Moises Caicedo.
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    The Ecuadorian World Cup ace, 21, has now begged the Seagulls via a bombshell social media post to leave him leave with talks between the two clubs set to continue.
    When asked about a move for Caicedo, Arteta added: “You know that I am not going to comment on any players until anything is done, and I will continue like that.
    “As I said before, we have been pretty active in the market.
    “We have some necessities and if something else is available, the club is willing to try to do it when it is reasonable and hopefully it’s a player that can improve our squad.” More

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    Watch as Arsenal star Zinchenko appears to lose his cool with Man City stars after FA Cup defeat

    ARSENAL star Oleksandr Zinchenko appeared to lose his cool with his former Manchester City team-mates after the 1-0 FA Cup defeat – and fans want to know why.Nathan Ake scored the winner for Pep Guardiola’s side to dump Arsenal out of the cup.
    Oleksandr Zinchenko didn’t appear to be happy at full-timeCredit: Twitter
    Zinchenko tried to pull away as his former team-mates greeted him
    The Premier League title holders will be hoping to unnerve the Gunners, who are occupying top spot with a five-point advantage and a game in hand.
    Friday’s FA Cup dust-up also happened to be Zinchenko’s return to the Etihad, where he spent six years of his career.
    Zinchenko won four Prem titles, four EFL Cups and an FA Cup during his time at the Citizens.
    He was, however, unable to help Arsenal get one over on City after coming off the bench in the second half.
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    The left-back also picked up a late booking for a foul, and was lucky to escape a second yellow for a challenge on Bernardo Silva.
    But at full-time as Zinchenko was surrounded by his former team-mates, he appeared agitated and emotional.
    He tried to break free of Joao Cancelo’s grasp after speaking with Riyad Mahrez, and fans aren’t sure whether he was happy or angry.
    One said: “Need to know what Mahrez said.”
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    Another tweeted: “Zinchenko getting bullied like the youngest brother.”
    A third questioned: “Why was Zinchenko so mad?”
    After breaking free, Zinchenko swapped shirts with Kyle Walker before disappearing down the tunnel.
    Arsenal meet Man City again in mid-February at the Emirates.
    That game could boost Mikel Arteta and Co’s chances of ending the season league winners.
    An away trip to the Etihad will follow in April. More

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    Moises Caicedo begs Brighton to sell him in bombshell statement after Arsenal have £60m bid turned down

    MOISES CAICEDO has released a statement calling on Brighton to let him leave the club.Arsenal have reportedly seen a bid of £60million rejected by the Seagulls as Roberto De Zerbi looks to keep hold of the midfielder beyond the January transfer window.
    Moises Caicedo has been linked with a move to Arsenal in the January windowCredit: Getty
    But, with the window set to close on Tuesday, the Ecuadorian, 21, has now posted on social media in a bid to accelerate his exit.
    Speaking on Instagram, Caicedo shared a picture of the Brighton badge and said: “I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart.
    “I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador.
    “My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.
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    “I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.
    “The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity. 🙌🏽🙏🏽”
    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted this week: “We need more cover in midfield but it’s pretty complicated to do that in this market”.
    Meanwhile, Brighton have also rejected a £55m bid from Chelsea for Caicedo.
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    The South Coast club have a history of holding out for the full asking price and previously refused to enter into negotiations before selling Ben White, Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma.
    And it is understood that they could be demanding as much as £100m for Caicedo, who cost them just £4.5m when they bought him from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle two years ago.
    Whether Arsenal would be willing to go that high remains to be seen, especially given they have only just signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton for an initial £21m plus up to £5m in add-ons.
    The Gunners have also bought Polish defender Jakub Kiwior for an initial £17.5m from Spezia.
    Arteta has been given the green light to spend big this month and selling clubs are aware that they were willing to pay as much as £88m for winger Mykhailo Mudryk before he recently signed for Chelsea.
    Everton’s Amadou Onana and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi are both being monitored as potential alternatives if Arsenal can’t get Caicedo.
    But they are expected to make at least one improved bid for the tough-tackling Ecuadorian World Cup star and are still hopeful a deal can be struck before the window closes. More

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    Gabriel Martinelli more than doubles Arsenal wage to £180,000 a week as he agrees new long-term contract

    GABRIEL MARTINELLI has agreed a new long-term Arsenal contract which will more than double his current salary.The 21-year-old Brazil international is set to sign a £180,000-a-week deal to 2027 with the option of an extra 12 months.
    Arsenal have reached an agreement with Gabriel Martinelli over a new contractCredit: Getty
    And Mikel Arteta is delighted to secure the services of the exciting young winger after months of negotiations.
    Martinelli, who currently earns around £70,000-a-week, will become one of the club’s highest paid players after pledging his future to the Gunners for the foreseeable future.
    Signed from Brazilian minnows Ituano for just £6million in 2019, he has emerged as one of the key figures in Arsenal’s  title challenge and has started all of their Premier League games this season.
    Now the Prem leaders are stepping up their efforts to secure lucrative new deals for Bukayo Saka and William Saliba.
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    Both players are currently under contract to 2024, although Arsenal have an option to extend both by 12 months.
    Arteta is relaxed about the situation and believes it is only a matter of time before agreement is reached to tie both players down.
    But he wants to reward them with significant pay rises to reflect their importance to the team.
    Martinelli’s new deal always looked likely too.
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    But Barcelona and Chelsea are previously thought to have shown interest.
    And Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is also a big fan of Martinelli.
    Klopp hailed him as “a talent of the century” after a 2019 EFL Cup tie, which ended 5-5 with Martinelli grabbing a brace.
    Liverpool went on to win the game 5-4 on penalties.
    But Klopp said in the aftermath of the then 18-year-old: “Martinelli’s pretty much the same age [as Liverpool defender Sepp Van De Berg] but he’s a talent of the century, he’s an incredible striker, so it’s really difficult.
    “It was not in this game only. I watch a lot of football, so I saw the Europa League games of Arsenal.
    “He’s 18 years old, right? So our scouting department is all over the world and stuff like this, but I think Edu gets all the credit for that signing – he came from… wherever.
    “He’s really unbelievable. So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat.
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    “Yeah, he looks like a really decent player.
    “I didn’t want to put any backpack [pressure] on his back with this thing [his earlier remarks] but I just really like good football players and obviously he’s a very good one.” More

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    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta slams claims he’s a ‘mini Pep’ as mentor Guardiola calls comparison ‘bulls***’ in X-rated rant

    ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta has dismissed claims that he is a “mini Pep” with his mentor Guardiola also calling the comparison “bulls**t” in an X-rated rant.The Gunners are currently sat top of the Premier League after 19 games played, and five points above Guardiola’s Manchester City, while also holding a game in hand.
    Mikel Arteta worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man CityCredit: Reuters
    The two Spanish coaches have had a close relationship for some time, even dating back to the 90s when Arteta was in Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy.
    At that time, Guardiola was one of Barca’s star players.
    After his playing days, Arteta would cut his teeth in coaching, working as Guardiola’s assistant at Man City.
    During his time at the Etihad, City won the Prem twice, an FA Cup and two League Cups.

    But with Arteta now in charge of his own team in Arsenal, and directly going head-to-head with Guardiola’s City for supremacy in England’s top division, the Gunners boss has dismissed claims that he has based his managerial style on his mentor.
    Ahead of Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with the Citizens this weekend, Arteta said: “We are very different as a person and we are very different as a manager.
    “That’s probably why we understand each other so well and have the relationship that we have.
    “I had this when I was a player as well because we grew in the same position.
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    “‘I have never tried to copy paste anything because I feel this club deserves much better than that and it wouldn’t work that way.
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    “Every character and person dictates how they are as a manager and I think we are very different.
    “I feel gratitude because he inspired me as a player and he has inspired me and gave me the opportunity as a coach. 
    “I accept peoples views because I probably wouldn’t have had the career that I had as a player or the understanding of the game if I didn’t have that time with him at Barcelona, and I wouldn’t be sitting here with that love for the game if he hadn’t crossed into my life and given me the opportunities that he has given me.”
    Guardiola has also refused to take credit for Arteta’s meteoric rise in an X-rated rant.
    The serial winner says Arsenal’s success belongs to the North London club and Arteta.
    Guardiola said: “I’d like to say, ‘Yes. What they do is because I taught him’. Bulls**t.” More

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    Arsenal ‘reject £7m Albert Sambi Lokonga transfer bid from Monaco’ with Gunners short on midfielders after injury blows

    ARSENAL have reportedly rejected an offer worth £7million from Monaco for Albert Sambi Lokonga.The 23-year-old has not been a regular for the Gunners in the Premier League, but Mikel Arteta is short of options in midfield.
    Arsenal have reportedly rejected an approach from Monaco for Albert Sambi LokongaCredit: Getty
    An injury to Mohamed Elneny has left the league leaders particularly light in the middle of the park.
    And a recent £7m bid for Lokonga from Ligue 1 side Monaco was rebuffed, according to Foot Mercato.
    With Arsenal currently top of the Prem, as well as still in the FA Cup and Europa League, Arteta will need to rely on his entire squad.
    So a knee injury to Elneny leaves Lokonga as their only available midfield cover for Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey, although Oleksandr Zinchenko can also play there.
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    Belgian international Lokonga has started just two Prem games this season, but has featured 14 times in all competitions.
    The Gunners have already rejected a request from Monaco to take Lokonga on loan for the rest of the season.
    Instead Arteta has eyes on adding to his midfield before the transfer deadline on Tuesday.
    The Gunners have failed in a £60million bid for Brighton ace Moises Caicedo.
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    Arsenal are now weighing up how much they are prepared to pay to get a deal over the line.
    Arteta said: “We need more cover in midfield but it’s pretty complicated to do that in this market.
    “But if there’s anyone available who can make us better we will look at it.” More

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    How apprentice Mikel Arteta can outfox master Pep Guardiola as Arsenal face Man City in spectacular FA Cup clash

    WE ARE into the back end of January and finally, the game everyone has been waiting for is about to take place.The two best clubs in English football right now are set to go toe-to-toe a high-flying Arsenal take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
    Pep Guardiola takes on his former assistant Mikel Arteta
    However, supporters will be forced to wait another two weeks before the European giants meet in the Premier League which could be a colossal game in the title race with long-lasting repercussions.
    In the mean-time, fans will still be treated to a nice prequel this Friday in the FA Cup ahead of the first league outing in mid-February.
    The Gunners are the competition’s record winners, having been victorious on 14 occasions.
    The last time Arsenal lifted the crown was back in 2020, which became Mikel Arteta’s first and only ever trophy with the club he once captained. For now, at least.
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    Pep Guardiola has only won the FA Cup once too but has never been eliminated at the fourth round since taking the job in Manchester back in 2016.
    One of these titans will bow out of the competition this weekend.
    But this gives the apprentice Arteta the ideal opportunity to turn the tables on his former master Guardiola
    Here are three tactical areas where this star-studded FA Cup tie can be won and lost between Man City and their title rivals Arsenal.
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    Will Guardiola bend?
    “I like to have a lot of players in the middle, it is like the kitchen in the apartment. We just want to create,” was Pep Guardiola’s response when a reporter asked him why he inverted both of his fullbacks after City beat West Ham earlier this season.
    There are a vast number of benefits to having fullbacks tuck inside and play in the middle of the park, providing they are comfortable on the ball and under pressure.
    Firstly, Pep wants full control in the midfield and having extra bodies inside the central channels allows this to happen.
    The fullbacks tuck inside and play short passes with the other midfielders and the centre-backs which helps them to dominate in the middle. 
    Kyle Walker likes to move infield
    Often with City, one fullback moves alongside Rodri while the other becomes a third centre-back. The shape switches from a 4-3-3 to a 3-2-5 because of this.
    However, inverting fullbacks is also a way to control counter-attacks through the middle of the pitch.
    Having more defensive-minded players in the midfield allows the team to defend and contain transitions better in this area.
    While the idea initially sounds unorthodox, this makes complete sense.
    Nevertheless, results as of recently haven’t entirely gone to plan for Guardiola.
    The Premier League champions were held to a 1-1 draw by a woeful Everton, knocked out of the Carabao Cup by an even worse Southampton before losing the Manchester Derby just days later.
    This is the most inconsistent City have looked since Liverpool won the title during the 2019/20 campaign and is one of the reasons why many believe Arsenal will take the crown.
    Rodri was dominant against Spurs
    As a result of City’s feeble nature at the moment, Guardiola has been a little more adaptable with his tactical approach, especially in big games.
    Against Man Utd at Old Trafford two weeks ago, we saw the former Barcelona boss shy away from inverting his fullbacks, telling them to keep a wider position on the pitch instead.
    This was likely because of the counterattacking ability in United’s forward line, particularly with Marcus Rashford.
    Pep knew that Erik ten Hag would look to exploit City down the flanks with Rashford’s speed if the right-back tucked inside and so instructed his wide defenders to stay holding the width.
    Both Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo held wide positions on the flanks for City so that the fullbacks would already be in position to defend against the wingers during United’s counter-attacks.
    Given Arsenal possess a similar counterattacking prowess with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, it will be interesting to see if Guardiola bends to the will of the opposition once more or makes Arsenal bend to theirs.
    Borrowing from Ten Hag’s playbook
    Man United limited Man City, the top goalscorers in the Premier League, to just one chance.
    Of course, the one opportunity City did get was converted but the Red Devils did extremely well to limit City’s effectiveness in front of goal.
    It wasn’t lucky either.
    Ten Hag set United up expertly to nullify City and Arteta will certainly have been paying close attention to the Dutchman’s gameplan ahead of this gargantuan FA Cup clash.
    As City kept their fullbacks holding the width during the attacking phases, ten Hag told his wingers to block the passing lanes to these wide defenders.
    The ex-Ajax head coach wanted to force City to play into the central areas where United had man-marked their rivals’ midfield three using their own midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Fred.
    Martin Odegaard has been outstanding for Arsenal
    Man City have the ball with Manuel Akanji at the back. The summer signing has to play into a marked midfielder because Marcus Rashford has cut the passing lane off to Walker on the right.
    This is an astute way to play against City.
    While the midfielders are excellent on the ball and under pressure, this method of defending in a block still entices the Premier League champions to play risky passes into the feet of players who are being marked which can lead to a turnover of possession.
    Nevertheless, this isn’t the first time a team have played against Manchester City in such a manner.
    In fact, Arsenal have even done so in the past.
    Back at the start of 2022, which was the last time the two sides met in any competition, Arteta demanded his side press high up the pitch when City were trying to play out from the back.
    While pressing, the forward line would apply pressure to the centre-backs and goalkeeper while trying to cut off the wider passing lanes.
    In correlation to this, Martin Odegaard sat on Rodri who is always City’s first line-breaking passing option.
    The Gunners wanted to entice City to make this pass so Odegaard could jump the Spaniard from behind and win the ball high up the pitch.
    Odegaard is right on the back-side of Rodri who has dropped deep to receive off of Ederson while the goalkeeper is being pressed. In the end, Ederson misplaces his pass because of Arsenal’s pressure and the lack of wider passing options to play to.
    Arsenal are one of the highest pressing teams in the Premier League and this will certainly transfer over on Friday night in the FA Cup.
    City may find it really difficult to play out of the visitors’ pressure in their own third, especially if Arsenal are able to close down all viable passing lanes to escape the press.
    Arsenal’s counterpressing struggles
    In attack on Sunday afternoon, Arsenal were scintillating and were even more impressive out of possession, putting Man Utd under serious pressure during the 3-2 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
    The scoreline may have flattered to deceive the Red Devils a little but ten Hag’s men still made a very good account of themselves and had the league-leaders on the ropes on more than one occasion throughout the match.
    Mikel Arteta’s potential champions have not really had many tactical problems this season.
    However, an issue reared its ugly head against United at the weekend.
    Arsenal really struggled to cope with Man United’s counterpressing when the ball was in the former’s half.
    Oleksandr Zinchenko has grown in stature at Arsenal
    The hosts would often regain possession from United but instantly lose it close to their own goal after United hunted it down in numbers.
    Many have credited Marcus Rashford for scoring a wonderful goal from outside the area after sending Thomas Partey to the cleaners.
    However, what hasn’t been discussed as much is just how intense and aggressive the Reds were to win the ball back in the build-up to the goal.
    United don’t take the lead unless Bruno Fernandes, Wout Weghorst, Rashford and Luke Shaw work together in search of the ball before it eventually found the in-form man who showed his class once more.
    Partey attempted to slide a ball through to Ben White but United didn’t drop back to track the England international. Instead, the players counterpressed in numbers and won the ball back before scoring seconds later.
    This was not the only time Manchester United exploited Arsenal from these situations.
    The Gunners struggled in transition and gave the ball away quite a lot to their valiant opponents.
    These scenarios are particularly dangerous because Arteta’s side are giving away opportunities for the opposition to counterattack in really menacing positions when Arsenal won’t have many players back.
    Man City are one of the best counterpressing sides in the world right now and so Arsenal will be facing a team who are far better in defensive transition than Man United this Friday.
    Pep’s men are incredibly brave and hunt the ball down in a pack regardless of how high up the pitch they have lost possession.
    City have lost the ball at the edge of the Tottenham Hotspur penalty area. Instead of dropping back to try and track dangerous runners, Guardiola wants his men to cut the counterattack off from its source.
    This is an area where City will certainly look to hurt Arsenal in the FA Cup this week and Arteta will need to have a plan in place to make sure that the Gunners are not susceptible to being counterpressed easily.
    So what does this all mean?
    With City bowing out of the Carabao Cup to a struggling Southampton and Arsenal running away with the league halfway through the campaign, the FA Cup may be the only piece of silverware that the Mancunian giants will win this season.
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    Guardiola will not want to make any mistakes in this one but will be facing a coach he imparted so much wisdom upon who now oversees the most in-form team in world football.
    Whatever happens or whoever wins, this is a mouthwatering FA Cup tie and one which will have analytical nerds like us thirsty for more. More

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    ‘London I’m ready’ – New Arsenal star Jakub Kiwior’s ‘Queen of Twerking’ wife sends message to Gunners fans

    JAKUB KIWIOR’S wife Claudia Kowalczyk hopes she’s got her twerk-life balance just right after announcing: “London I’m ready.”The Polish couple are settling happily into life in the capital after Arsenal paid Serie A club Spezia £21million for the defender.
    Twerking champ Claudia Kowalczyk is bearing up well after husband Jakub Kiwior joined Arsenal in the past weekCredit: Instagram / @claudia.redheaded_babe
    Claudia is thighly delighted to have moved to the capitalCredit: Instagram / @claudia.redheaded_babe
    Kiwior hopes his best times are in front of him, especially as wife Claudia is buzzing to taste life in EnglandCredit: Instagram / @claudia.redheaded_babe
    Claudia says Jakub ‘deserves’ his big opportunity with the GunnersCredit: Instagram / @claudia.redheaded_babe
    And twerking queen Claudia revealed she’s been overwhelmed by well-wishers.
    The 30-year-old posted on Instagram: “Thank you all for Your messages! 
    “I can’t reply to everyone, but I really appreciate it! London I’m ready.”
    Kiwior and Arsenal’s other January new boy, Leandro Trossard, could make full debuts in Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash at Manchester City.
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    That’s because Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta is considering resting players when his Premier League leaders face second-placed City in the tie of the round.
    Claudia appeared to be as excited as Kiwior, 22, when he signed a long-term contact at Arsenal this week.
    Sharing a picture of the moment with her 65,000 Instagram followers, she wrote: “So proud. You deserve.”
    She’s also promised to keep on dancing, having won the Queen of Germany Twerk Competition in 2017.
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    Posting a work-out snap, she posted:  “Not forgetting my responsibilities during this crazy time.”
    Jakub Kiwior and Claudia Kowalczyk – know as Redheaded in the twerking world – ae happy to be in LondonCredit: claudia.redheaded_babe/instagram

    Kiwior’s wife – known in the twerking world as Claudia Redheaded – shows off her supreme flexibilityCredit: Instagram / @claudia.redheaded_babe More