AFTV News

Season Review: End of Season Awards By Jack Lacey-Hatton With the Champions League final and Championship play-off final rounding off the European club season this weekend, it won’t be long before attentions turn to 2022-23. Some supporters will see the last twelve months as a positive step forward for Arsenal and manager  Mikel Arteta, while others will be keen to move on after a missing out on the top four right at the end of the season, to fiercest rivals Tottenham. But before we start assessing summer transfer rumours and counting down the days till the next fixtures are revealed, 18 by the way, first we need to handout the Arsenal FanTV unofficial end of season awards. Ahead of the club's official Player of the Season award to be announced next week, here are our own picks after a rollercoaster season at the Emirates.   Player of the Season Bukayo Saka Sometimes you have to remind yourself where Arsenal would be without Bukayo Saka. The 20-year-old has once again ...

Player profile: Borna Sosa By Hugo Mirabel Hardy Borna Sosa has recently been linked with a move to not only Arsenal, but also London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham who are believed to be interested in the full-back’s signature. A relatively unknown name to fans outside of the Bundesliga, the 24-year-old Croatian has impressed pundits this season for Stuttgart despite his side facing relegation as they sit 17th in the league. So, who is Borna Sosa? Let’s take a look at the potential summer signing for the Gunners.   Profile:  Born in 1998, he is currently 24 years old and has been at vfB Stuttgart since the 2018/19 season, making 74 appearances across both Bundesliga and the dfB Pokal.  Sosa has scored three goals in that time, two of those coming this season, and has provided 19 assists during his time there, 10 of those coming last season. He is on his way to replicating that again this year, popping up with five assists so far across all competitions.  Sosa mai...

Arsenal's 2022 Wish List By Jonny Bray It has been a mixed year for Arsenal. The club has experienced ups and downs since the start of 2021 but tomorrow is the start of a new year, so it is time to look at Arsenal's 2022 wish list. Here's what Gunners fans around the world will be hoping to see during the next 12 months. Champions League Qualification If Arsenal want to take the next step under Mikel Arteta, then the club needs to qualify for the Champions League in 2022. Qualification would be a huge help and a significant morale boost both on and off the pitch, so it is key to the next stage of this squad's development that we take the opportunity in front of us and qualify for Europe's best competition. We haven't qualified since the 2016/17 season when we were eliminated at the Round of 16 stage. Qualification would undoubtedly get any Arteta doubters back on his side, as it would show that the club is moving in a positive direction under his stewardship. A ...

The top five moments of the year By Jonny Bray 2021 was Arsenal's best year since Arsene Wenger's departure back in 2018. It's been 12 months filled with drama, heartbreak and moments of pure ecstasy. And while there may have been very little silverware, Gunners fans could look back on this season as being the start of a new era at the Emirates. So as the year draws to a close, it's time to pick out Arsenal's top five moments of the past 12 months. Aaron Ramsdale's save against Leicester Aaron Ramsdale's save against Leicester in October was a crucial - and frankly world-class - bit of goalkeeping that kept the Gunners ahead in a crucial game. It typified the young keeper's performances this season and showed exactly why he is now considered one of the best stoppers in the country. He's arguably been the signing of the season and has had the best start to life as Arsenal's number one since David Seaman. If he continues like this, he'll replac...

Arsenal's best New Year's Day fixtures By Jack Lacey-Hatton The Turkey leftovers may be gone but the festive football continues throughout this week, albeit with Covid cases still forcing some postponements around the Premier League. For now though, Arsenal’s next game at home to league leaders Manchester City will go ahead as the Gunners look to secure their place in the top four. This is despite the absence of manager Mikel Arteta who tested positive for Covid-19, it was revealed on Wednesday. The game on Saturday still offers a great chance for Arsenal to test themselves against the best. In years gone by New Year’s Day has been a source of some classic encounters that will live long in the memory of supporters. Let’s take a look at some of the standout games from down the years.   2017 - Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace On the surface it was just a routine home win. But this London derby success is memorable for one moment of magic in particular.  Olivier Giroud’s incredible sco...

International Action Wrap By Angus Wright Goalkeepers   Bernd Leno (Germany)   Leno did not manage to get any minutes in either of Germany’s wins as Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen were selected ahead of the Arsenal keeper in both their 9-0 win over Liechtenstein and their 4-1 win over Armenia respectively.   Aaron Ramsdale (England)   The in-form keeper made his England debut and had a quiet night as England ran riot in a 10-0 win against San Marino. He made one simple save but had little to do in his first England appearance.   Defenders   Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan)   Tomiyasu had a successful international break, keeping two clean sheets in 1-0 victories over Vietnam and Oman. Japan are now in a good position to qualify for the World Cup, sitting second in their group.   Kieran Tierney (Scotland)   Tierney played a pivotal role in both clean sheets as Scotland secured a home-leg playoff spot. His goal-line clearance after Craig Gordo...

By Oli Dickson Jefford There is an air of positivity around Arenal after a run of form that has seen them rise from the bottom of the table to fifth in the Premier League and reach the last eight of the EFL Cup. However, things are not going to be easy once the international break concludes in a few days with some difficult matches coming up in the winter period. Meetings against Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham and Man City are among their league matches in the next couple of months. Ahead of what is a challenging period for virtually every club, we take a look at Arsenal’s run during the winter period and how it can be managed.  Tricky run of fixtures Mikel Arteta’s men face a huge test next weekend when they head to Anfield to take on Liverpool, though on paper should have an easier time of things the following week when hosting Newcastle. However, that is followed by a tricky run of matches against Man Utd and Everton - both away - before they host Southampton ...

Where do Arsenal stand heading into the November international break? By Oli Dickson Jefford The international break provides an ideal opportunity to look at where Arsenal stand 11 games into the Premier League season. With a huge meeting against Liverpool at Anfield coming up when the break is over, Mikel Arteta will hope key players on international duty avoid injury over the next fortnight. That was always going to be the case but after a resurgence in form in recent weeks, the Gunners will head to Merseyside fancying their chances of a result. Pressure on Arteta lifted as form continues to improve After losses in their opening three league matches, Arteta was many people’s pick to be the first manager sacked this season. Now, things are looking a lot brighter and there is perhaps more optimism than ever before as the Spaniard approaches his third year as the club’s manager. Arsenal have not lost since those defeats, the worst results since then being draws against Crystal Palace an...