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    Chelsea ace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang breaks silence after video emerges of ex-Arsenal man slamming Mikel Arteta

    PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG has broken his silence after a video emerged of the ex-Arsenal man criticising Mikel Arteta. The striker, who left the Emirates after falling out with the manager, said the Gunners boss “can’t deal with big characters”.
    Aubameyang is now at Chelsea, and will face Arteta’s Arsenal next monthCredit: Getty
    The relationship between Arteta and his star striker deterioratedCredit: Rex
    Their public falling out saw Aubameyang stripped of the captaincy before having his contract ripped up so he could join Barcelona.
    He has since returned to the Premier League after joining Arsenal’s rivals Chelsea.
    A short video emerged earlier this week that saw Aubameyang directly criticise his old boss.
    But he sought to play down his comments and said he made them when he still had “bad feelings” in him.
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    The 33-year-old tweeted: “Aware there is a video out that was recorded just after I arrived at Barca.
    “At the time I still had a lot of bad feelings in me – Arsenal are doing great things this season and I wish all my old guys well, just not on November 6 [when Chelsea host Arsenal].
    “Now full focus on tomorrow.”
    In the video, the forward can be seen sat in a room where at least two other people are present.
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    Aubameyang then begins critiquing Arteta’s management skills and says: “Big characters and big players…he can’t deal with it.
    “He needs some young players who don’t say anything. They listen.”
    Another voice accuses Arteta of not “having good people skills”.
    The video is just the latest sign that relations between the manager and player had completely deteriorated.
    It was revealed in All or Nothing: Arsenal how Arteta would note down Aubameyang’s indiscretions.
    He said: “I have everything documented, with the dates, the times, the conversations, how it happened, why it happened . . . because of if one day it’s needed.
    “[Aubameyang] has been late, apart from all the [other] issues, many times.
    “The club has got a tradition. When you get paid that much . . . ” 
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    The Gabonese international arrived at Arsenal in 2018 and scored 68 goals in 128 appearances before his departure.
    Since joining Chelsea, he’s scored twice with the goals coming in his last two appearances. More

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    Arsenal interested in Manuel Locatelli transfer after Juventus loan with midfielder costing £35m from Sassuolo

    ARSENAL are interested in signing Manuel Locatelli from Juventus, according to reports.But the midfielder would cost a minimum of £35million.
    Manuel Locatelli could be on his way to ArsenalCredit: Reuters
    Juventus beat off competition from Arsenal to sign the Italy star in 2021.
    The transfer came in the form of an initial two-year loan deal – with Juve having to pay £35m to make it permanent next summer.
    Reports in Italy suggest that Massimiliano Allegri and Co have not been overly impressed by Locatelli, however, and could opt to let him leave.
    Arsenal remain interested in the 24-year-old and could look to tempt him into joining this time around.
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    According to Il Bianconero, Juve would demand at least the £35m they have to pay Sassuolo in order to consider selling Locatelli.
    And they could even look to charge a bigger fee in order to try and make a profit.
    Arsenal are claimed to have already made enquiries to Juve regarding Locatelli’s availability.
    And it’s even been suggested that they could offer Albert Sambi Lokonga in a swap deal.
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    Locatelli has made 52 appearances for Juventus since making the switch.
    He has made nine appearances this season, including in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at AC Milan.
    The former Milan ace played 56 minutes against his old team before being hooked for Leandro Paredes. More

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    Gabriel Martinelli CONFIRMS he will sign new long-term contract extension at Arsenal after red-hot start to the season

    GABRIEL MARTINELLI has delivered the news that all Arsenal fans want to hear by declaring that his long-term future remains at the Emirates.The brilliant Brazilian international has emerged as one of the hottest young players in world football since being called “the talent of the century” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
    Gabriel Martinelli impressed against LiverpoolCredit: Getty
    And after ripping Klopp’s defence to shreds during Sunday’s thrilling 3-2 win, Martinelli declared: “Of course I want to stay at Arsenal.”
    That will be music to the ears of manager Mikel Arteta, who is desperate to secure Martinelli’s signature on a lengthy new contract.
    Arsenal paid just £6million to sign the 21-year-old forward from Brazilian minnows Ituano in 2019 but know his value has rocketed in the past year.
    His current deal expires in 2024 and though there is an option for the club to extend that by another year they want to reward the 21-year-old’s performance with a lucrative pay rise to keep him out of the clutches of envious rivals.
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    Martinelli confirms: “We are talking about a contract so let’s see what happens. But of course I want to stay.
    “I think this is my best season at Arsenal and I am so happy for this moment.
    “Everyone can see our hunger and our mentality. We want to win every single game.
    “I am so happy to be playing alongside players like Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
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    “You can see the understanding we have together but we have a lot of time to improve. We have great quality and I think we can do more.
    “Gabby is a great guy, not just on the pitch but off it as well. He is always trying to help me. He is only 25 but he has a lot of experience and everyone loves him.
    “It’s an amazing opportunity to be at a big club like Arsenal with so many good players.
    “Of course we dream about winning the title, but we leave all that talk to our fans. We are only thinking about the next game and trying to win again.”
    It was Martinelli’s first minute goal which set Arsenal on their way to arguably their biggest win of the season on Sunday as they regained their place at the top of the table.
    The Gunners remain a point clear of Champions Manchester City and already 14 points ahead of a Liverpool team who finished 23 points above them last season.
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    “It was an amazing atmosphere in the dressing-room after Sunday’s game,” Martinelli says.
    “Everyone was hugging each other because we all knew that it was going to be such a tough game but we deserved the victory and we are all so happy.” More

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    Arsenal star Charlie Patino in contract dilemma with no talks over new deal as England face fight to keep midfielder

    ARSENAL and England are facing a fight to hold onto rising star Charlie Patino, according to reports.The 18-year-old scored on his Gunners debut last December in the 5-1 League Cup win over Sunderland.
    Patino is impressing on loan at BlackpoolCredit: Getty
    Arsenal and England face a fight to keep the highly rated midfielderCredit: Getty
    Patino went on to play a second time for Arsenal last term but was a part of a side that fell to a 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest.
    The England youth star was then shipped out on loan to Championship side Blackpool to help with his development – and it has done just that.
    Patino has played nine times for Blackpool this term and has started their last four league games.
    He has impressed playing in a No8 role and is extremely popular at Bloomfield Road.
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    Despite impressing, Patino faces an uncertain future with Arsenal, with his contract expiring next summer, according to The Athletic.
    The Gunners do have a two-year option to extend, however that needs to be exercised prior to a set date in the months ahead and talks are yet to take place.
    Should Arsenal fail to meet the date, the option will expire and they would have to renegotiate with Patino.
    And should he decide to leave the Emirates he wouldn’t be short of options.
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    England are also facing a fight to keep Patino.
    The England U20s star holds a Spanish passport via his father and he was monitored by scouts during the last international break. More

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    Arsenal ‘keen on Club Brugge striker Ferran Jutgla transfer as back-up to Gabriel Jesus to help Premier League charge’

    ARSENAL are keen on adding another striker to their ranks to back up star man Gabriel Jesus and help maintain their Premier League title charge, reports say.The Gunners have taken 24 points from an available 27, edging out defending champions Manchester City at the top of the table by one point.
    Jutgla has landed himself on Arsenal’s radarCredit: Rex
    And Mikel Arteta’s men secured a HUGE victory over usual title contenders Liverpool on Sunday, winning 3-2 at the Emirates and extending their points lead over the Reds to 14.
    Summer signing Jesus has been Arsenal’s focus point in attack, netting five and assisting three in nine league games.
    And according to Todofichajes, the Gunners would like to sign another young striker to deputise Jesus, and Club Brugge’s Ferran Jutgla has landed himself on the North London club’s radar.
    The 23-year-old has scored eight goals and assisted five in 14 games across all competitions this season.
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    Two of those have come in the Champions League against Porto and Atletico Madrid.
    His form has helped edge the Belgian club closer to reaching the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since the 70s.
    Jutgla’s goal-scoring prowess may also force Spain manager Luis Enrique’s hand and land him a first senior Spain call-up, which would see him make his debut at the World Cup next month.
    The Spaniard joined Club Brugge from Barcelona in the summer for £4.5million.
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    But the report states his departure would “hardly cost £9.7m”.
    Arsenal are expected to be active in January with a midfielder also a priority. More

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    Chelsea striker Aubameyang filmed taking HUGE swipe at Mikel Arteta claiming Arsenal boss ‘can’t handle big names’

    PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG has been filmed claiming Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta can’t handle “big characters and big players”.Arteta stripped the striker of the Gunners’ captaincy last December and axed him before Aubameyang joined Barcelona and now Chelsea.
    Mikel Arteta seemingly fell out with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. who has now claimed his ex-boss can’t handle high-profile starsCredit: PA
    Gabon superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is firing for ChelseaCredit: Rex
    And the Gabon hero’s new comments could inflame Arteta’s allegation of a “catalogue of misdemeanors”.
    Aubameyang is seen relaxing on a sofa as he tells another man about Arteta: “Big characters and big players…he can’t deal with it.
    “He needs some young players who don’t say anything. They listen.”
    Aubameyang, 33, was Arsenal’s main man in attack after arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 – until early last season.
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    And he was suddenly dumped – forced to train away from the first team – for what the Gunners called at the time a lack of “dedication and commitment”.
    Now Arteta has revealed in All or Nothing: Arsenal how he would note down  Aubameyang’s indiscretions.
    He said: “I have everything documented, with the dates, the times, the conversations, how it happened, why it happened . . . because of if one day it’s needed.
    “[Aubameyang] has been late, apart from all the [other] issues, many times.
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    “The club has got a tradition. When you get paid that much . . . ” 
    Arsenal eventually ripped up Aubameyang’s £350,000-a-week contract to let him join Barca in February.
    And after only moving on to Chelsea in the summer he could join PSG at the end of the season.
    He’s reportedly already held talks with the French champions.
    That’s partly due to new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly looking to build a younger squad. More

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    Mikel Arteta says he is prepared for ‘inevitable’ Arsenal sacking – but it’s not his biggest fear as manager

    ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta might be on cloud nine with his team enjoying their time at the top of the Premier League – but he says he is prepared for an inevitable sacking. The Spaniard, 40, has turned things around at the Emirates having been one of the favourites to get the chop last season.
    Arteta says getting sacked in football is inevitableCredit: Rex
    Arsenal have taken 21 points from an available 24 this term and sat top of the table until Prem champions Manchester City won yesterday.
    Heading into Sunday’s home match against Liverpool, the Gunners are 11 points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s men, and can extend that to 14 with a win.
    Arsenal are also one of the favourites to win the Europa League, and with Arteta’s team in a free-scoring mood, it’s hard to disagree.
    But Arteta says losing his job is inevitable.
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    It’s only a matter of when – but he refuses to let the thought of losing his post at Arsenal drive his emotion.
    Speaking on Michael Calvin’s Football People podcast, Arteta said: “As a manager, probably it’s the (biggest) fear of getting sacked.
    “I made a very conscious decision the day I made the decision to become a coach – I said: ‘It will happen. Today, tomorrow, in a month’s time, in ten years time. I don’t know when it will happen.’
    “That cannot drive my emotion and this cannot be the reason why I do certain things or not.
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    “For me now the fear is to let people down.”
    The feel-good factor is back at Arsenal, something that has been absent since the departure of legendary boss Arsene Wenger.
    Arsenal are unified both on and off the pitch – something a long-serving staff member told Arteta.
    They told the Gunners boss: “I’ve never seen this before.
    “I have never felt that unity across the club, with our supporters.”
    Arteta says bringing the club together is a bigger success than winning trophies.
    The relationship between the ownership and the fans has been fractured for some time, but results on the pitch help ease the pressure on Stan Kroenke and Co.
    A lot of money has also been spent on the squad, in recent seasons especially, which Arsenal are reaping the benefits of.
    Arteta added: “It depends what you call success.
    “I mean, if it’s winning titles or it’s bringing our club together. For me, bringing the club together is much more powerful.
    “We have a club that was in a difficult state, with a lot of cracks, a lot of division.
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    “At the moment, this is a very different club.
    “And that’s an incredible credit that everybody has to take, from the top of the club to every player. Because we did that together.” More

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    Arsenal Invincible looks like a new man with grey hair and beard a decade after retiring – and now sells fruit and veg

    AN ARSENAL Invincibles star looks a new man with grey hair and a beard a decade on after retiring from football – and he now runs a successful fruit and veg business.The 47-year-old goalkeeper played for the Gunners for two years between 2002-04.
    The ex-goalkeeper (right) played five times for ArsenalCredit: twitter@shaabanrami
    The 16-capped Swede was at the North London club for two yearsCredit: Instagram/rami.fresh
    He was a part of Arsenal’s Invincibles but didn’t pick up a 2004 medalCredit: Instagram/rami.fresh
    He now runs a fruit and veg business out of SwedenCredit: Instagram/rami.fresh
    He made just five appearances for the North London club.
    The 16-capped Swede was a part of Arsenal’s squad that went unbeaten in the 2003-04 but didn’t pick up a Premier League medal.
    He was also loaned to West Ham in January 2004 before being released by Arsenal in the summer.
    A year was then spent at Brighton before playing in Norway and then finishing his career at Hammarby IF in 2012 in his home country.
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    But a decade on since his retirement, now rocking grey hair and a beard, the ex-Prem footballer is in the fresh food business.
    His company is a specialist in the supply from Egypt of fruit and vegetables segment.
    Rami Fresh are based in Sweden and offer an assortment of fruit and vegetables from the best farms in Egypt.
    And the mystery footballer can be revealed as… Rami Shaaban.
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    Shaaban still pays attention to football and is good friends with fellow Swede and ex-Arsenal team-mate Freddie Ljungberg.
    He was also pleased to see Arsenal dominate Tottenham in the North London Derby last weekend.
    Sharing a throwback picture of Thierry Henry’s iconic knee slide from Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Spurs in 2002, he tweeted: “It’s this kind of day today!”
    Shaaban started in the iconic 2002 win over Tottenham, where the game ended 3-0Credit: PA:Press Association
    Shaaban still keeps an eye on football, and Arsenal, despite running his successful businessCredit: EPA More