AFTV News

Is Ben White Arsenal's best option at right-back? By Tum Balogun  William Saliba’s impressive form upon returning to the Emirates has necessitated a reshuffle in the Arsenal backline.  Despite scoring an unfortunate own goal in this weekend's 4-2 win over Leicester, the young Frenchman has already stamped his authority on a position previously held by 2021/22's £50 million summer signing Ben White.  Acutely aware of the former Brighton man’s defensive qualities, as well as his versatility, Mikel Arteta has opted to play the Englishman at right-back, dislodging Takehiro Tomiyasu who enjoyed a fine debut campaign last term.  It’s a selection headache the manager will relish after years of struggling to piece together a defensive line which could provide a solid platform for the team to build attacks while also keeping opponents at bay.  With Saliba and Gabriel set to continue at the heart of the Gunners defence, let's assess some of the options at right-back....

By Matt Wright In seasons gone by   an article assessing Arsenal’s defending would make for tough reading.  In fact, the same applies for the first month of the 2021/ 2 2 campaign when the Gunners let in nine goals in their first three games, without reply.  Let’s  not lie. A lot of us were expecting a long and painful nine months after such a torrid start, but thankfully it’s been one to finally rekindle  optimism among the faithful at the Emirates Stadium.  It’s natural that, with Arsenal now favourites to finish fourth in the Premier League, supporters would focus on the attackers that have made this possible – Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli etc.  However, it’s also been reassuring to know that Mikel Arteta’s men are now less likely to point the barrel at their feet and blow their own toes off at any given second.  That decreased propensity for self-destruction at the back is one of the ways in which the Gunners have improved...

Who should Arsenal sell before the close of the window? By Jonny Bray One of the fairest criticisms thrown at Arsenal over the last decade is that, too often, the club pays over the odds for average players and then struggles to sell them. Not only is this a waste of money, but it creates a toxic environment at the club and limits the options of managers who may be stuck with a Shkodran Mustafi or a Sead Kolašinac in their squad. Those millions could be reinvested elsewhere, and for too long, Arsenal have allowed players to take advantage of our desperation to return to the top and our poor recruitment strategy. For that reason, it's time to look at the Arsenal squad and see which players need selling immediately.   Hector Bellerin    If reports are to be believed, Hector Bellerin earns more than Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris at Spurs. I mean no disrespect to Bellerin when I say this, but that is ridiculous. Bellerin is a great character. I personally like his social media pr...

Good business? Ranking all of Arsenal’s 2020/21 season transfers By Josh Graham Now the season has ended it is time to rank Mikel Arteta’s business in the transfer market from both the windows last summer and in January.  Thomas Partey 6/10 It was finally Partey time on deadline day at the end of last summer’s delayed transfer window. Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey arrived from Atletico Madrid for £45million with big expectations after some impressive engine room displays in La Liga. Much like the team as a whole, there have been glimpses of the real quality Partey can bring to the side but overall he has failed to live up to the hype in his first Premier League campaign. The 27-year-old has battled with injury and if he can string a run of games together next season is sure to become a fans favourite and help boss games in the middle for Arteta. Gabriel Magalhaes 6/10 Another man who arrived to much fanfare, centre-back Gabriel rocked up at the Emirates for £23.5m after Gunners...

                                               What Arsenal stars are playing for their future as Mikel Arteta prepares to shuffle his pack in the summer transfer window? By Adam Le Roux The games are ticking down and the season is nearing its end, and for Arsenal Football Club, the sooner they can turn their back on the current campaign the better. With a nondescript Premier League sojourn and European hopes hinging on Thursday’s trip to Prague, the Gunners will already be looking ahead to the close season, where they can assess and adjust accordingly ahead of next year. The powers that be will already be looking at the current crop of players and seeing who could be farmed out and replaced in the summer, with a number of stars likely to be on borrowed time with just a handful of matches remaining. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who could be on their way out ...

Smith Rowe debut ends in despair while Aubameyang grabs a goal for Gabon - how did Arsenal players fare on international duty this week? By Adam Le Roux While we may not have had an Arsenal game to digest and scrutinise this weekend, there were plenty of Gunners in action across the globe on the international break. From Gabon to Ghana and Ivory Coast to Iceland, there were players representing their countries all over the place as qualification for the 2022 World Cup began in earnest, with a mixed bag of results for the Arsenal stars. But who impressed the most for their country over the weekend, and who will be coming back to the Emirates eager to get back to winning ways? Emile Smith Rowe It was a bittersweet week for Emile Smith Rowe, with the academy graduate making his England under-21 debut against Switzerland in the FIFA U21 EURO Championship in Slovenia. In what would have been a memorable occasion for the young star, the result didn’t go his way, as Dan Ndoye struck late for ...

Five right backs who could replace Hector Bellerin if the Arsenal defender decides to leave the Emirates in the summer By Adam Le Roux With the news that Hector Bellerin could be set for pastures new in the summer, Arsenal will be on the hunt for a new face to slip into the right back berth that the 25-year-old has made his own for the last few years. The Spaniard has been a regular name on the team sheet, injury permitting, for much of the last five years, with his shuttle runs up and down the right flank a familiar sight at the Emirates. But with a move to either former club Barcelona or PSG on the cards, the defender looks set to call a day on a ten-year spell with the Gunners, leaving Mikel Arteta a man light in the backline. It looks set to be another busy summer of comings and goings at the club as the boss looks to find his perfect squad, so who will he be looking at as a replacement on the right side of defence? Tariq Lamptey - Brighton Ever since he made his debut for the Seag...