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Metro
9 minutes ago
- Metro
Arsenal fans convinced Arteta dropped major Gyokeres hint during presser
Fans believe Mikel Arteta may have let slip Viktor Gyokeres' impending arrival from Sporting as he was asked about the striker at a press conference on day one of Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia. Speculation surrounding Gyokeres' future has dominated the the headlines ahead of Arsenal's trip to Singapore, with updates arriving at a pace throughout the course of the summer. The Gunners have already wrapped up deals for Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga and the club are privately confident that Gyokeres will be the fifth new recruit through the doors at the Emirates. Gyokeres is understood to be Arsenal's primary target up front and personal terms have been agreed with the prolific 27-year-old forward, who scored 54 goals in 42 games for Sporting last season. However, a fee is still yet to be agreed with the Portuguese champions and Manchester United remain a serious threat to Arsenal's hopes of luring Gyokeres to north London ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Some reports emanating out of Portugal at the weekend suggested Arsenal's move for Gyokeres was hanging in the balance, with the Swede's father said to have broken down in tears as talks continue to stall. Asked how close Arsenal are to signing Gyokeres, Arteta told reporters: 'You know I cannot comment on any player that is not part of our group yet. 'When we have something concrete to offer in any case, to any player, we will do that.' Arsenal supporters have been ready ready to latch onto any possible hints or signs of positivity regarding a deal for Gyokeres – and it's fair to say Arteta's use of the word 'yet' has got many fans a little excited on social media. Some began welcoming Gyokeres to the club upon hearing Arteta's supposed clue, while others jokingly shared gifs of the Spaniard's face superimposed on a well-known gif of Arsene Wenger smirking prior to Mesut Ozil's arrival in 2013. Mikel Arteta on Gyokeres' deal: "I cannot comment on any player who is not part of our group yet."The 'yet' part though 👀 — Vidricø Ars (@VidricIvanovit2) July 21, 2025 Arteta said about Gyokeres, I can't comment on any player that is not part pf the group yet. 'Yet'. Welcome Gyokeres 🤷🏻♂️ — Londonisred (@Afcbloodgroup) July 21, 2025 ' Can't talk YET'. That's a big statement ✌️ — SIR ALEX WENGER (@siralexwengee) July 21, 2025 Arteta confirmed that Arsenal's hierarchy were working hard behind the scenes to strengthen, while admitting his squad remains 'short in terms of numbers' in certain areas. 'There's still a long time in the window and we are seeking,' he added. 'We are short in terms of numbers and we have to improve the depth and the quality of the squad. 'We are constantly looking in the market but we've got to focus on the players that we actually have, work with them and I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far in the first ten to 15 days.' The Arsenal head coach is 'very pleased' with the support he has received from sporting director Andrea Berta and the rest of the board in the transfer market. 'Ideally, you want it [all transfer business] for day one of pre-season so we've done very, very well so far,' he continued. 'I'm very pleased with the way the club is supporting the necessities and improvements that we required in the team. 'I think Andrea [Berta] and the team are doing an excellent job as well, trying to push everything forwards. 'There's still a long time to go in the window and we have a lot of hopes that we can still improve the team. We're going to continue to try to do that.' Asked whether Arsenal are ahead of schedule with their transfer dealings, Arteta replied: 'I'm very pleased, that's what I would say. 'There are a lot of parties and a lot of things that we have to bear in mind to get a player over the line, but I'm very that we're going to do it soon. 'It's exciting. The moment that you see the club with an ownership and the ambition that they have, the alignment that we had with everybody on the board, with everybody that is connected with Andrea.' After several months of back and forth, Arsenal finally announced that a deal had been completed for Real Sociedad Zubimendi earlier this month – and Arteta has been blown away by the immediate impact his fellow countryman has made on the training field. 'It was a long, long process and he had a lot of opportunities to decide whether to come,' he explained. 'The good news is that this club is amazing and everybody wants to come to it. 'He left some very good opportunities to come to us and he's been very impressive. I think we're all very impressed with what we've seen in the last seven to 10 days. 'Once you have the player daily there, you see his character, his personality, his intelligence and how much he's going to bring to the dream. I'm very excited about him.' Arteta is similarly 'excited' about the arrival of Madueke, who became Arsenal's eighth signing from Chelsea in the last ten years. 'It's probably because they have some great players and a lot of players!' Arteta joked. 'But yeah, we try to focus on the players that we want to sign. 'The squad and the quality of the squad, also I want to congratulate them for winning the Club World Cup because I think it was a big achievement for them. 'With Noni, I'm very, very excited. You saw the reaction of all the players as well, especially the ones that know them very well.. 'He needs a little bit of a break now but he will be with us soon, showing what he is going to bring to the team.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: 'Hard to come by' – Man Utd urged to sign £34m former Chelsea star MORE: Man Utd hold talks with Chelsea star's agent as new signing completes medical MORE: Adam Wharton makes transfer decision amid Man Utd and Liverpool interest
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Arsenal followed right processes over Partey'
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he is "100%" sure the club followed the right processes when dealing with former midfielder Thomas Partey, who was under police investigation for multiple counts of rape while he was playing for the Ghana midfielder, 32, left Arsenal at the end of his contract on 30 June and four days later was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual offences are reported to have taken place in 2021 and 2022, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on 4 charges involve three women, with two counts of rape relating to one woman, three counts of rape in connection to a second woman and one count of sexual assault linked to a third denies the charges and "welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name", his lawyer has said. Detectives started a investigation in February 2022 after police first received a report of are in Singapore for their pre-season tour. They play AC Milan and Newcastle before travelling to Hong Kong to play was asked in a news conference before they play Milan on Wednesday about the situation with Partey."The club was very clear in its statement," Arteta said. "There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated so I cannot comment on any of that." He was then asked: "A lot of fans have questions over the way in which the matter was handled by the club. Do you feel confident and comfortable that the club followed all the right processes in that?"Arteta answered: "100%, yes."Partey is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 5 joined Arsenal for £45m from Atletico Madrid in October made 35 appearances in the Premier League last season and scored four goals as Arsenal finished second. He also played 12 times in the Champions League as the Gunners reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by eventual winners Paris St-Germain.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Calafiori needs 'a little bit more luck' this season
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has high hopes for defender Riccardo Calafiori after an injury-hit debut who arrived from Bologna last season, suffered multiple injuries that kept him sidelined for some of the Gunners biggest fixtures throughout the Arsenal are to get their hands on major silverware for the first time since their FA Cup success in 2020, then Arteta knows they will need all of their players available - and Calafiori is an important part of that."It's a big season for him," said Arteta. "He looks very, very excited. We know that one of the biggest things we have to achieve this season is availability."It's true that the main two injuries that he had were on international duty while he was playing with Italy. But these things can happen."Now we want a player that is consistently available, and performing at the level that he can do because he brings an energy and predictability to the team that we really are going to need."He was certainly missed for a big part of last season. Hopefully that second season with more understanding and a little bit more luck, we can see a great version of him."Not an Arsenal fan? Find and follow your club here
