AFTV News

Should Mikel Arteta go all out in the Europa League this season?  By Tom Masters After a season away from European action, Arsenal are back competing on the continent in the Europa League this season. They marked their return with a 2-1 win over FC Zurich last Thursday and were due to host PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates stadium this week, but due to the passing of Her Majesty the Queen and policing requirements around her funeral, that match has been postponed.  With the Gunners flying high in the Premier League, should Mikel Arteta go all out in the Europa League? Potential to win  Arsenal would without a doubt be among the favourites to challenge for the Europa League this year along with fellow Premier League club Manchester United, Italian sides Lazio and Roma and of course any number of Champions League sides who may drop down into the Europa League knockout stages.  The Gunners were in Europe’s secondary competition for four consecutive years from 2017/18 to 202...

Who are the sides in Arsenal's Europa League group?  By Jack Lacey-Hatton After coming so close to a UEFA Champions League return at the end of last season, Arsenal have had to settle for a spot in Europe’s secondary competition this time around. Thursday night football may often be the source of ridicule for rival fans, but in truth, the competition is not to be sniffed at. The Europa League not only offers Mikel Arteta a chance to lift some silverware for the second time in his fledgling managerial career. Crucially it presents a direct route to Europe’s elite with the winners guaranteed a berth in the 2022-23 Champions League. Arsenal’s road to a potential final in Budapest’s Puskas Arena starts on Thursday in Group A. Here is the lowdown on the other three sides.   PSV Eindhoven A stalwart in the heyday of European football, Dutch side PSV Eindhoven have serious continental pedigree. Unlike Arsenal, they have previously lifted the European Cup, winning the 1988 final on pe...

Transfer profile: Fabio Vieira By Ben Hart   Vieira, whoah. Vieira whoah. Arsenal fans could soon have the chance to belt out one of their favourite songs once more.   Seemingly out of nowhere, Arsenal are set to sign Porto’s Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese club confirmed the sale on Friday and his official unveiling should soon follow.   That could coincide with the release of Arsenal’s second or third kit, neither of which have been officially released yet.   Here we take a look at the type of player Arsenal are acquiring and where he could fit into Mikel Arteta’s side.     Player history   Born in the city of Santa Maria de Faria, located 23km south of Porto, Vieira was always destined to play for the club he grew up supporting.   He joined the Porto academy at the age of eight and his stand-out season at youth level came in the 2018-19 UEFA Youth League.   Porto beat a Chelsea side containing Marc Guehi, Tariq Lamptey, Billy Gimour and Conor...

Will Aston Villa be a threat to Arsenal’s European hunt next season?  By James Reid For a while it felt as if the so-called top six were impenetrable in the Premier League.  However, recent seasons have seen a group of clubs launch an assault on that idea, with the likes of Leicester City and West Ham qualifying for Europe and posing a considerable threat to the prevailing orthodoxy.  While the gap between the top two and everyone else feels to be getting bigger, there are a number of clubs closing the gap between sixth and mid-table.  One of those clubs could well be Aston Villa. While the midlands side had a disappointing 2021/22 season, they showed plenty of promise at times under new manager Steven Gerrard and will certainly be looking to improve on their 14 th -placed finish.  Many fancied Villa to threaten the European places last season after recruiting well having sold Jack Grealish but it never really came together.  Nevertheless, there is undoubte...

How can Arsenal get in the Champions League next season?  By Tom Masters After a long season that promised so much for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side, ultimately, they failed to reach the Champions League, finishing fifth at the expense of arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.  At the start of the season, following a year away from European action, Arsenal would no doubt have been content to have finished fifth and qualify for the Europa League, but with three games to go fourth place was in their control, something which the squad will have to look at and get over in the coming weeks before the start of the new season.  But, ahead of the new season, we look at how Arsenal can qualify for the Champions League next season.   Smart signings   Ultimately, one of Arsenal’s clear failings was that their squad just wasn’t good enough to reach the Champions League this season, which makes getting so close more impressive.  But missing out on the Champions League this ...

With three months to go - will Arsenal make the top four and return to the UEFA Champions League? by Hugo Mirabel-Hardy A rsenal’s late winner over Wolves on Thursday propelled their chances for top four into their own hands, as they have two games in hand over their rivals in the table. While top two seems to be a certainty for Liverpool and Manchester City, and Chelsea look to have secured third - the fight for the final spot looks like it could be a four, or potentially five, horse race. The Gunners sit fifth, having played 24 games and have 45 points. Manchester United are above them by a two points, and West Ham are three points below – both teams have played more games. Their opponents on Thursday, Wolves, have 40 points but have played 25 games, and an outlier to top four, Tottenham are six points adrift of their north London rivals. At the time of writing, United and West Ham are the only two teams left in Europe, while the Irons are Spurs have games left in the FA Cup. Therefo...

Five Arsenal stars who could benefit from a loan move this summer By Oscar Maung-Haley With the transfer window merry-go-round in full swing, we look at the Arsenal players who could benefit from a temporary move away from the Emirates ahead of the new season. Eddie Nketiah At 22 years old, Eddie Nketiah is somehow at risk of becoming yesterday’s man. While 13 goals in 65 appearances for the Gunners is by no means disastrous, Nketiah has hardly hit the ground running since making his debut four years ago. After featuring in all but two of Arsenal’s opening 14 Premier League games last season, he only appeared five times in their remaining league fixtures. There can be no doubt that Nketiah still has potential – he did break Alan Shearer’s England U21s record with 16 goals in 17 appearances. Recently, the Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Arsenal had offered Nketiah a new contract that would protect his value, which has not been accepted. With his contract set to expire next summe...

A year on, were Arsenal right to choose Bernd Leno over Emiliano Martinez? By Oscar Maung-Haley At the end of the 2019/2020 season, an injury to Bernd Leno against Brighton and Hove Albion thrust Emiliano Martinez into the spotlight. So severe was Leno’s injury, it ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. Martinez, who had only made six Premier League starts for the Gunners, was something of an unknown quantity at the highest level. During his time between the sticks, Martinez produced a number of stellar performances, even helping Arsenal achieve FA Cup glory with a win over rivals Chelsea. When the summer window opened, much was made about who would be Arsenal’s keeper for the new season. Despite Martinez's impressive performances, manager Mikel Arteta opted to stick with Leno. And after showing that he was of Premier League quality, Martinez signalled his intention to leave, joining Aston Villa for £20m. But, nearly a year on, were Arsenal right to let him go and stick with L...

Euros Watch: Highlighting the key Arsenal stars who could shine this summer By Peter White As the dust continues to settle on Arsenal’s hugely underwhelming season both domestically and in Europe, Gunners fans can at least turn their attentions to a feast of international action this summer.  After a delay of 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic Euro 2020 is finally upon us, with 24 of the continent’s best sides vying to get their hands on the Henri Delaunay Trophy and be crowned kings of Europe.  Covid-19 hasn’t prevented the action being smattered across a range of nations, with the highly anticipated tournament kicking off with a clash between Turkey and Italy in Rome on June 11.  The Azzurri - winners in 1968 and twice runners-up - are among the favourites for ultimate glory, alongside world champions France, defending champions Portugal and Roberto Martinez’s Belgium.  Gareth Southgate’s England are similarly fancied by many to match or better their 2018 Wo...