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ARSENAL were close to doing a deal for Philippe Coutinho in the summer – but reports suggest the deal fell through at the last minute.
Meanwhile, we’ve the very latest on Mesut Ozil’s future at the club while Jorginho has revealed he was open to a move across London in the summer.
Follow all the latest Arsenal transfer gossip, news and updates below…
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MISSING MEN
Arsenal could be without five players for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Leicester.
New boy Willian could be one of the players set to miss the match after picking up a calf injury.
Rob Holding, Gabriel Martinelli, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are also expecting to miss the game.
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LEGEND’S COMPARISON
Ex-Arsenal player Alan Smith has compared new boy Thomas Partey to Arsenal legend Patrick Viera.
Smith told the Evening Standard: “There was nothing sloppy about Thomas Partey. He hardly put a foot wrong in a performance that showcased an impressive passing range that should encourage anyone in front to keep making runs.
“Holding midfielder? No, Partey is much more than that. He proved that emphatically with some incisive play that suggested a useful understanding could quickly develop with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
“Without wishing to get carried away, the way he bossed the game, Partey brought back memories of Patrick Vieira.
“For the first time since the majestic Frenchman’s time, the Gunners may now boast a dominant force in the middle of the park who can change a game as well as mix it physically.”
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SOLIDARITY
Arsenal have issued a message of solidarity to their Nigerian fans.
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MARC’S TOP CLASS
Mesut Ozil has congratulated Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford for all of the work he is doing off the pitch.
Rashford has continued to campaign and fight against child poverty and he has sparked off a nationwide campaign with organisations and councils all joining in.
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HELPING HAND
Arsenal new boy William Saliba has revealed which two team-mates helped him settle into life in North London.
In an interview for Adidas alongside Arsenal legend Ian Wright, Saliba revealed that Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have helped him overcome the language barrier.
Saliba said: “Yes it’s very good because I don’t speak good English at the moment. When I don’t understand something, Auba, Laca and the coach help me.
“It is a big dream [to play for Arsenal]. It was a big dream becoming a reality for me.
“[Mikel Arteta] is very positive. Sometimes he would send me a message when I was at Saint-Etienne. So it’s good.”
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LOYAL HEART
Arsene Wenger has turned down the chance to manage Champions League teams because of his loyalty to Arsenal.
But the Frenchman has not ruled out a return to the dugout despite just turning 71.
Wenger left the Gunners in 2018 after 22 years at the club and admitted the last two years have been a ‘grieving process.’
It is the reason why he hasn’t been able to take up a new role despite receiving job offers.
But as he watches his former player Mikel Arteta take his first steps into management with the Gunners, Wenger admits the desire is still there.
He told the Daily Mail: “Yes, I’ve still got the desire to manage.
“I still think I can be useful somewhere else, that I can be efficient somewhere else.
“If the phone rings now, I would be tempted to say yes. I’ve said no before. It has rung. I’ve had offers. From big clubs, in the Champions League.
“But I was at the end of a love story of 22 years. It meant some suffering, some thinking, so I felt I needed time to reflect on what I did, what was right, what was wrong. I was stamped too much with Arsenal.”
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SAY WAT?
Troy Deeney says he happily bumps into Arsenal stars in Sainsbury’s and claims there are no hard feelings over his ‘cojones’ jibe.
The Watford hero famously accused the Gunners of lacking ‘cojones’ after inflicting a 2-1 defeat in 2017.
That came during Arsene Wenger’s final season, when the North London club were screaming out for a change of leadership.
But despite questioning the Gunners’ stars bravery and bravado, he insists there is no bad blood.
He said: “I see their players in Sainsbury’s or the petrol station and say hello, it’s nothing personal. I went up to them in the NBA game in London that year to make sure they knew that.
“People say it was revenge Arsenal relegated us but it was a really bad season and we just happened to get relegated there.
“I had a few memes from Arsenal fans and you take it on the chin.”
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A FAMILY THING
Episode two of Ian Wright’s series is out and on today’s episode he speaks to Arsenal trio Aubameyang, new boy William Saliba and Hector Bellerin!
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EXPLAIN THE MES
Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere shed some light on Mesut Ozil’s plight by revealing how ‘draining’ it is to be continually left out the side.
Wilshere is currently without a club after seeing his West Ham deal terminated by mutual consent this month.
Ozil hasn’t played since March and was not included in Mikel Arteta’s Prem or Europa League squads.
Wilshere told BBC Sport : “People will say what they want and footballers get paid well, but there is nothing more draining and saps your confidence more than when you know you are not going to play, that no matter what you do in training, or what the other players are doing, even if you lose 3-0, you are not going to get an opportunity.”
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JOR-DROPPING
Arsenal were linked with a move for Chelsea’s Jorginho at the back end of the transfer window.
And now the Brazilian Blues vice-captain has admitted he was ‘open to negotiations’.
Jorginho told ESPN Brazil: “I believe that every player is open to negotiations. So I believe there was something they talked about. And in the end it was decided that I remain here.
“Now my head is here and we’re going to do a great job with Chelsea, which I always wanted to do.”
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WEN I RULED
Arsene Wenger has revealed he could have quit Arsenal back in 2007 – 11 years before his exit.
Real Madrid, England and Paris Saint-Germain have courted the…
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