Real Madrid are sniffing around the Emirates Stadium in search of elite talent to bolster their squad, in what could prove to be a worry for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta ahead of next season.
Arsenal desperately attempting to catch Liverpool in title race
Having crashed out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, Arteta’s best chance of winning his first domestic trophy since 2020 lies solely with Arsenal’s chances of catching Liverpool in the Premier League title.
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The Spaniard is a big admirer of his attributes.
Newcastle United beat Arsenal 4-0 on aggregate in their Carabao Cup semi-final tie, handing Arteta a seismic blow in his pursuit of a major trophy, with the club set to regroup and prepare for an important clash away to Leicester City in four days time.
“We had so many expectations to believe that we could turn it around,” said Arteta after Arsenal’s second-leg loss to Newcastle.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Leicester City (away) |
February 15th |
|
West Ham (home) |
February 22nd |
|
Nottingham Forest (away) |
February 26th |
|
Man United (away) |
March 9th |
|
Chelsea (home) |
March 16th |
“We didn’t generate momentum, especially in the first half, the game started in the first action almost with them scoring and then the goal being denied. Then we had the moment, two big moments, with Martin. We didn’t capitalise, and in the next action, they scored the goal and obviously the game shifted, and then you need to stay cool to score a goal as early as possible.
“We didn’t manage to do that in the first half, had another big chance, and then in the second half, we started to struggle as the game went by. We didn’t generate enough situations in the final third and the game started to get away from us.
“We need to swallow this one, it’s a tough one, and we had a lot of expectations. We knew the difficulty of the task because of the result that we brought from London, but there’s nothing we can do right now. What we could do was on the pitch a few minutes ago. Now we have to look forward, first of all I think this is going to be a painful one, and when we’re in Dubai, recharge and go again because we still have a lot to play for.”
Arteta’s side lie six points Liverpool in the title race, but the Reds possess a vital game in hand, so Arsenal face an uphill battle to clinch their first domestic league crown in 21 years.
William Saliba eyeing “dream” move to Real Madrid from Arsenal
A crucial player for their current ambitions, and future status for that matter, is £190,000-per-week defender William Saliba.
The France international and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed one of the English top flight’s best centre-back partnerships since the start of 2022/2023, but Saliba is believed to be attracting serious interest from Real as a result.
Sky Sports and reporter Sacha Tavolieri have an intriguing update on this, amid Madrid’s interest, with the north Londoners setting a £100 million asking price for his signature – which would make him world football’s most expensive defender of all time.
Real have also held talks with Saliba’s camp, earmarking the 23-year-old as a priority summer target. For his part, Saliba considers a move to Real as the “ultimate dream” – so there is every indication he is prepared to quit Arsenal for the La Liga champions. However, Arsenal come as a major roadblock, and the Spanish heavyweights will need to spend big money.
