AFTV News

Will Gabriel Jesus still join Arsenal after Eddie Nketiah’s contract extension? By Tum Balogun Eddie Nketiah secured a new long-term contract with the Gunners last week putting an end to months of speculation surrounding the forward’s future.  The surprising announcement was warmly greeted by Arsenal hierarchy with manager Mikel Arteta expressing his delight in the 22-year-old’s decision to extend his stay at the club. Few could dismiss the England U21 record scorers’ impact which saw him net five times in the Gunners' final eight league games last season.  But has his re-signing ended hopes of securing the services of another talented forward in Gabriel Jesus? State of play Prior to last week's announcement, Arsenal were leading the race to sign the £50 million rated wantaway Jesus from Premier League champions Manchester City.  The Brazilian international is keen to get more first team football and despite being out of the Champions League, Arteta’s connection with the ...

  Transfer Profile: Oleksandr Zinchenko By Alec McQuarrie Though not the main priority this summer, left back is still an area of concern for Mikel Arteta.   Nuno Tavares’ performances have been unconvincing at best, especially in the latter half of the season, and Kieran Tierney’s injury problems show no sign of abating.   While none would question the quality of the Scot, he has missed on average 98 days or 17.5 games in each of his last four campaigns.   What Arsenal need, then, is a left back who delivers regularly, both in terms of output and fitness.   Could Oleksandr Zinchenko, who worked under Arteta for two-and-a-half years at Manchester City, be that man?   Who is he?   Zinchenko was born in the small town of Radomyshl in northern Ukraine.   He captained the Shakhtar Donetsk youth team until the war in the Donbas forced the teenager and his family to move to Russia where he signed for FC Ufa. ...

Did the first month of the season cost Arsenal Champions League football? By Tom Masters With the Premier League season done and dusted last Sunday, it is time to reflect on what ultimately proved to be a slightly disappointing season for Arsenal.  Missing out on Champions League football to rivals Tottenham, after losing to their fiercest rivals and to Newcastle United towards the end of the season, left a bittersweet taste in the mouth. But was it perhaps form earlier on in the season that cost the Arsenal a place among Europe’s elite?  There is a saying in the game that the first month of the season is not going to win you the title but it absolutely can lose you the title, and this can also apply to the Gunners quest for a return to Europe’s premier competition for the first time in five years.  So the question is, did the first month of the season cost Arsenal Champions League football?    What happened?     On Friday 13 August 2021, the new ...

Arsenal's most disappointing defeats this season By James Reid It has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Arsenal this season, and despite all the trials and tribulations the Gunners have a real chance of Champions League football with just four games left to play.   However, while there have been plenty of great results this season, Arsenal have had their fair share of bad results too.   We took a look back at some of the most disappointing defeats this season.  Brentford 2-0 Arsenal   What better place to start than the first game of the season?  The start of a new season always brings fresh and optimism, but that was quickly dampened by defeat to newly-promoted Brentford on the first day of term.  Sergi Canos opened the scoring in Brentford’s first ever Premier League game just after 20 minutes and Christian Norgaard scored after the break to cap a nightmare start to the season for Arsenal. The Gunners never looked like really troubling Brentford who were ...

  Has Mikel Arteta shown that the process is working? The Spaniard is entering a key phase in his Arsenal career. By Oli Dickson Jefford ‘Trust the process’ is certainly Mikel Arteta’s favourite sporting cliché.  Amid times of near-crisis the Spaniard has reverted back to this philosophy to ease the pressure on himself - and things might now be paying off. There is greater positivity around Arsenal this season than there has been in recent years, and definitely more so than any other period of Arteta’s reign. Has Arteta made an impact? Perhaps the biggest positive of Arteta’s time as Arsenal manager, and one of the biggest positives this season, has been the development of the club’s younger players. Academy graduates Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have dazzled, leading Arsenal’s attack which has been particularly potent. Gabriel Martinelli is also much improved and looks like a really good centre forward, while summer signings Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu...

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 ...

After a humiliating defeat at the Etihad, what did we learn from Manchester City vs Arsenal? By Oli Dickson Jefford After back-to-back league losses to Brentford and Chelsea, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta would have been  praying  for an improved performance and result this weekend. That was always going to be tough against Manchester City, but things were even more dire than anyone could have predicted. Pep Guardiola’s side  were 3-0 up at half-time  thanks to goals  from Ilkay Gundogan, Ferran Torres and Gabriel Jesus  – while  Granit Xhaka  was  handed a straight red card in the 35th minute. And second - half strikes from Rodri and  Torres  compounded Arsenal’s misery as the Citizens secured a dominant 5-0 win at the Etihad. With Arsenal losing their opening three league games for the first time since 1954, things are looking incredibly bleak. So with  growing pressure on all at the club, what did we learn from Saturday’s match? ...