Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Mbappe ‘willing to join Gunners’, Chelsea ‘in battle for Williams’, Neto updates
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KYLIAN MBAPPE is reportedly “willing” to sign for Arsenal in a blockbuster move so he can follow in the footsteps of his hero Thierry Henry.
Elsewhere, the Gunners are reportedly eyeing up a summer move for Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are reportedly monitoring Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams ahead of a potential summer transfer.
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Arsenal Women in crucial Cup clash
Arsenal Women face Manchester City in the Women's FA Cup fifth round this afternoon.
Kick off is at 12:30pm at Meadow Park.
Credit: Getty West Ham vs Arsenal ones to watch
Gabriel Martinelli has been in great form recently for Arsenal.
The Brazilian has scored three goals in his last three appearances in the Premier League.
He will be looking to continue his purple patch against the Hammers, who he has already scored two goals against in eight meetings.
For the West Ham, hopes will be put at the feet of Jarrod Bowen.
Mohamed Kudus is still getting back in to the swing of things after his time at Afcon.
Bowen, however, is the club's top scorer in the league this season, with 11 in just 22 appearances.
The Englishman bagged against the Gunners in the Carabao Cup earlier this season so will have some confidence.
Match preview
Get ready for today's game with SunSport's match preview HERE:
West Ham vs Arsenal team news
Arsenal have a few injury concerns on their books ahead of the match.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko are both being monitored for issues.
While there is positivity over Bukayo Saka after he was forced against Liverpool.
Takehiro Tomiyasu could also make his return to the team after coming back from the Asian Cup.
West Ham could be without Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta as they continue to recover from long-term injuries.
Alphonse Areola could also miss out after he suffered a knock to the head against Manchester United.
Matchday
Good Morning, Arsenal fans!
The Gunners are back in action today as they travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham.
They need a win today to keep up with Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, but it won't be easy.
Arsenal have played two and lost two against the Hammers this season, but will it be third time lucky today?
Marquinhos exit done deal
Marquinhos has signed for Brazilian side Fluminense with "formal documents" are being prepared.
The 20-year-old joined the North London club in June 2022 as he signed a five-year contract in a deal worth around £3million from Sao Paulo.
Fluminese manager Fernando Diniz has confirmed that the signing is imminent ahead of the Brazilian transfer window closing later this month.
He said: “Marquinhos is probably coming back. Fluminense signed very well this window.
“I am very happy with who we have signed at the beginning of the year.”
Credit: Getty West Ham match stats
Arsenal go into their game against West Ham with some stats in their favour.
The Gunners have lost just one of their last 15 league away games against the Hammers - a 1-0 defeat in 2019 when Declan Rice scored the winner.
Incredibly, David Moyes has lost 22 of his 37 league games against Arsenal.
West Ham could complete the double over Arsenal in the league for the first time since the 2006-2007 season.
Arteta on celebrations
Mikel Arteta is all for wild celebrations when his team wins.
He said in a press conference: "I love it.
“I’ve seen [away] managers at the Emirates on their knees, on the pitch. I’ve seen very big managers walking onto the pitch, I’ve seen managers going across the touchline. I’ve seen that all in the Premier League.
“Personally, I love it because it brings such passion and emotion to the game. When it’s done in a natural and unique way, I think it’s great. It’s my opinion and a lot of people may have something very different to mine.
“When you do something publicly, there are going to be opinions. Some of them are positive, some of them not so positive. That’s our job, to accept all of that and still behave in what you think is the right way to behave and make sure we don’t lose that.
“I see a lot of games, and in game three, game six, game eight, there were managers and teams celebrating a lot, and fans celebrating a lot because it’s so tough to win in this league.”
Scouts watching Neto
Arsenal sent scouts to watch Wolves star Pedro Neto, according to reports.
HITC claim the Gunners had their spies in attendance as Wolves took Brentford.
Another target Ivan Toney was on display for the away side at Molineux.
The Portugal winger has been in sublime form this campaign - netting three times this season.
Gabriel praise
Mikel Arteta has spoken of Gabriel's growing influence on and off the pitch.
“A lot of things have happened to him," the Spaniard told Arsenal's website.
"His role in the team has grown. His personal life is also very different to the one he had before with his family and his language.
“He also changed a lot of things in his life and improved his mentality. He can decide what he wants to be and I think he made the right call to take the direction he took.”
Onana talks
According to reports, Arsenal and Chelsea have already made contact with Andre Onana ahead of a summer move.
The Everton midfielder is in-demand, after impressing since his move from Lille.
Now Sport claim both sides have made enquiries about signing the Belgium international.
A fee of over £50million has been reported in the past.
Timber positives
Jurrien Timber is looking at the positives after being sidelined with a knee injury for the season.
The Dutch defender had to be subbed in the season opener against Nottingham Forest, and hasn't played since.
However, he is believed to nearing a return and has been watching the team to see how he can add to the side.
He told Arsenal's website: "I’ve had some more time to watch the team, see how we play, how I can fit in when I get on the pitch, so looking at the positives, I think there have been many."
Winger eyed
According to the Mirror, Arsenal are tracking Athletic Bilbao ace Nico Williams.
The Gunners are exploring their wide options, as they seek cover for Bukayo Saka.
At 21, Williams has plenty of time to develop. He has played 109 times for the Basque club, scoring 17 goals and adding the same amount of assists.
Pedro Neto is also said to be on Mikel Arteta's shortlist.
Arsenal's summer strengthening
Arsenal will look to make three summer signings, according to reports.
The Gunners will try to add a centre forward, midfielder and winger when the transfer window opens.
The Mirror claim Mikel Arteta is desperate to add some cover for Bukayo Saka.
While adding a striker could see Gabriel Jesus move to the left forward position.
Marquinhos deal
Marquinhos is on the verge of joining Fluminense, according to their manager.
Fernando Diniz said: "Marquinhos is probably coming back. Fluminense signed very well this window.
"I am very happy with who we have signed at the beginning of the year."
Gabriel reveals Arteta chat
Gabriel has revealed a chat with Mikel Arteta convinced him his future belonged at the Emirates.
"It was tough, obviously at the start. I wanted to play and it was very difficult for me but I understood what the coach had to do," Gabriel told PA news agency.
"It is difficult for any player to not be in the team but now I'm back in I want to keep on working hard to prove my worth.
"(Arteta) spoke to me and obviously explained the reasons behind the decision. Why I should stay - but the most important thing was to remain focused and concentrate - he knew how important I was to the team, so I'm happy to be back and to be able to help the team in every game.
"I'm happy to be back in the team and hopefully I can help them moving forward."
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Selection headache
In Mikel Arteta's press conference, the Spaniard spoke about Zinchenko and Tomiyasu's fitness ahead of the clash against West Ham.
"We have a few still in contention,"; he said.
"They’ve been evolving really well, so tomorrow we’ll have another training session.
"We’re hopeful we’re going to have a few back and that we can put out a very competitive squad out there."
Berbatov predicts 'trouble' for Arsenal against West Ham
Dimitar Berbatov has revealed he expects West Ham to "trouble" Arsenal, if the right team turns up.
Speaking to , he said: "Depending on which West Ham team turns up for the game, they can cause the opposition trouble or they can give the opposition space to score goals.
"The only thing Arsenal need to do is win because they’re waiting on Liverpool and Man City to make a mistake.
"This is why it’s good play after your rivals sometimes, so you know exactly what you need to do.
"They’re watching you on TV, you drop points and the whole team is like, ‘okay guys, now is the time to catch up to them’. It will be a tight game, but I’ll go for Arsenal."
Berbatov predicts a 2-1 win for the Gunners tomorrow.
Arsenal loanee ruled out for the season
Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he suffered a severe hamstring tear.
The injury came about in Derby's defeat against Reading last month.
Arteta gives blunt verdict on blue cards proposal
Mikel Arteta has given a blunt ten-word verdict on the proposal to introduce blue cards.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: "I don’t know if we are ready for that yet."
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'We look forward to these games' says Eidevall ahead of Man City clash
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has declared Arsenal are ready to take on Man City in their Women's FA Cup fifth-round clash tomorrow.
The Gunners boss said: "It's always quite intense games, challenging games [against City].
"Games have been won on small margins and we have to work as a collective to get results. We look forward to these games the most."
Arsenal were knocked out by Chelsea at the same stage last season.
The clash is the only all-WSL clash this round and will be shown on BBC Two from 12:15pm.
William Gallas gives take on Arsenal celebration police
Former Arsenal star William Gallas has thrown his support behind the Gunners players after Jamie Carragher criticised Martin Odegaard's post-match celebrations against Liverpool.
Speaking to , he said: “I think the players had a lot of pressure on their shoulders before that game.
"That game was very important for them because they knew they had to fight for the title. I think had they lost against Liverpool yesterday, then they would have been out of the title race.
"When you are under pressure, it’s never easy to go on the pitch, it requires so much focus and concentration.
“When you win a game like this, the emotions come out and you have to celebrate after the match. I don’t know how long they stayed on the pitch after the game but the title race is still on and there’s another 15 games left in the season.
"You have to be sure at the end of the season that you will be champions otherwise people, especially fans, will jump on you!
“If Carragher wasn’t happy with Arsenal players celebrating after the game, if Liverpool win the Premier League, I’m sure Carragher will make jokes about the celebrations from yesterday’s game. Arsenal have to play every game like they did against Liverpool!"
PL icon says Arsenal are better placed than Man City for title challenge
Dimitar Berbatov has claimed Arsenal are in a better place than Man City to win the league this season.
Speaking to , he said: "We now have a three-horse race for the Premier League title.
"I was hoping that Aston Villa would disrupt Arsenal, Liverpool, and Man City but unfortunately, despite their 5-0 win over Sheffield United, Villa have dropped points in games I expected them to win.
"Arsenal are in a great position after their win over Liverpool and if they correct the mistakes from last season, then I think they're in the best position to win the Premier League.
"You can't say anything is finished because Man City have a lot of experience. They came from behind last season so know what it takes to lift the trophy.
"Despite Liverpool's loss against Arsenal, the Reds are still a force to be reckoned with and they'll fight to the end too, but at the moment, Arsenal are the team for me. If they stay smart, I think they can win the Premier League."