AFTV News

Who were Arsenal's best performers during the international break? By Jonny Bray Arsenal stars have been lighting up the international stage this week, with several playing critical roles for their sides.  Some have scored or set up goals in international friendlies, while others qualified for this winter's World Cup.  And with the historic tournament in Qatar fast approaching, what better time to look at Arsenal's best performers from the international break? Martin Ødegaard It is almost impossible not to put Martin Ødegaard on this list after his Norway side beat Armenia 9-0 in a friendly.  Norway look like a team that could become a significant force on the European stage in the future, now that they have world-class talents like Ødegaard and Erling Haaland.  The 9-0 win came after a 2-0 victory against Slovakia, where Ødegaard once again played a central role, scoring the second in the 80th minute. The 23-year-old has been in brilliant form for the Gunners all se...

Arsenal loan players round-up: Torreira and Guendouzi impress By Jack Lacey-Hatton With the January transfer window on the horizon talk will soon be dominated by who Arsenal may be able to bring over the next month.   However, with an already large squad it’s perhaps worth checking in on the progress of some of the players currently away on loan deals, before looking at who can be brought in.   The squad may need further trimming down before new players arrive.   Mikel Arteta had to allow some players back in the summer to leave to ensure they receive minutes, particularly with his team not contesting European football this season.   In total the club currently has 17 players currently out on loan.   Let’s see how they have been fairing recently with the New Year fast approaching. Senior players   Matteo Guendouzi  is one of the more senior figures at the club currently spending this season elsewhere, the midfielder is with Marseille in ...

How are Arsenal's loan players getting on away from the Emirates? By Oscar Maung-Haley The international break gives us a chance to take stock of how Arsenal’s out-on-loan players are getting on at their respective clubs. Here’s a look at how the away-from-the-Emirates Gunners are faring on the continent. William Saliba It’s great for the Gunners that Benjamin White and Gabriel have seemingly formed a strong partnership at the back for Mikel Arteta’s side. But it cannot be overstated how much the club has butchered the handling of William Saliba’s time at the Emirates. Signed for a whopping £27m in 2019, Saliba has yet to feature for the Arsenal senior side, being loaned out back out to Saint-Etienne for the 2019/20 season. Upon his return last season, he was left out of the first team squad entirely, being loaned out in January to Nice. Again, this season, the 20-year-old France U21 international finds himself at Marseille in Ligue 1. And this season, his 3 rd  loan move has more ...

Does Matteo Guendouzi have a future at Arsenal FC after all? By Oli Dickson Jefford In a club full of polarising figures in recent years, very few have been quite as polarising as Matteo  Guendouzi . For some,  Guendouzi  was a bright young talent who showed natural leadership qualities and could have become a mainstay in the starting XI. For others he was an erratic, hot-headed and at times reckless footballer who cost Arsenal more than he gave them. Mikel Arteta decisively thought the latter, shutting the Frenchman out, and several fans seemingly switched to that view as he became a maligned figure at the club. Loan spells The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Hertha Berlin and is now at Marseille, where all of a sudden his career has seemingly been reborn. Guendouzi  scored twice as Marseille beat Lorient 4-1 on Sunday, and he was the club’s Player of the Month in September. Now, many Arsenal fans believe he may actually have a future at the club af...

Why offloading the talented but fiery Matteo Guendouzi is the right move By Peter White As the dust settles on Arsenal’s lacklustre 2020/21 campaign at home and in Europe, plans are well underway to ensure such shortcomings don’t occur again during the impending season.  With the club having failed to qualify for continental competition for the first time in 25 years under his tutelage, boss Mikel Arteta is hard at work moulding a squad he believes is capable of rediscovering former glories.  One member of his team seemingly edging closer to the exit door is French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who fell out of favour early into the Spaniard's reign.  After a season out on loan at Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, it is being reported the 22-year-old has agreed to sign for Marseille on a permanent deal, back in his homeland.  One stumbling block could prove to be the signing fee the Ligue 1 side are willing to pay, with Arsenal’s reasons for selling largely do with attitu...

What should Mikel Arteta do with Matteo Guendouzi in the summer as the Arsenal reject returns from Hertha Berlin? By Adam Le Roux How do you solve a problem like Guendouzi? That’s a question that has been asked time and time again by numerous people throughout the years, with the Frenchman seemingly burning bridges everywhere he goes. Loan club Hertha Berlin seems to be the latest side to not require his services, with the Bundesliga side said to have made up their mind that they won’t be making his switch to Germany permanent beyond the end of the season. That leaves Arsenal and Mikel Arteta in a conundrum with the 21-year-old unwanted at the Emirates as well, so where could he end up over the summer? La Liga looks likely Despite a number of promising performances for Hertha - including an assist in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen - Guendouzi has failed to endear himself to his temporary club this season, with talks of a permanent deal unlikely. The young star has bee...

Matteo Guendouzi the goner: bad blood with Mikel Arteta means Frenchman's time at Emirates Stadium is up By Adam Le Roux The writing is on the wall, Mikel Arteta has effectively packed Matteo Guendouzi’s bags for him and sent him off into the night. He is yesterday’s news to the Spaniard.  The Frenchman’s days at the Emirates have looked to be numbered for a while, having been whisked off to Hertha Berlin at the first possible opportunity last summer, due to an apparent fallout with his boss.  But with the season getting nearer to its climax, there doesn’t seem to have been a change in the relationship between the pair, with the bad blood still bubbling under the surface.  It looks like a summer move is the only solution. But will Arsenal regret letting the midfield general leave on the cheap, with his all-action style something that the Gunners have been crying out for in the middle of the park?  Guendouzi is a goner  There was a time when Matteo Guendouzi’s na...

The midway mark: how good has Arsenal's January transfer window been so far as Mikel Arteta looks to bring in new faces to improve the Gunners' Premier League season? By Adam Le Roux The month of January never goes by in the football world without plenty of drama, with comings and goings all over the shop, and non-stop rumours circulating about the latest player to be linked with a big move.  And in that respect, Arsenal are no exception, with plenty of hearsay about ins ands outs at the Emirates throughout the month, as Mikel Arteta looks to revitalise a squad that started the season so badly.  At one stage, the Gunners looked like they needed a complete overhaul,, and while victories over Chelsea, Brighton and West Brom after Christmas have changed the mood around the team somewhat, the need for a new arrival or two is still clear for all to see.  And as we reach the halfway mark of the January transfer window, we take a look at the done deals, the doubtful ones, and th...

From standing by Xhaka, to playing Aubameyang down the left, to Signing Mari & Cedric. We take a look at Mikel Arteta's biggest decisions and adjudge whether this is all 'Process or Poppycock'. By James Bayliss For many years, Arsenal fans endured managers who didn’t quite seem willing to make the big decisions most felt were needed at the club. Mikel Arteta though, does look like someone who’s trying to push a real culture change - but is he the man to do it? Arsene Wenger, for all his amazing attributes, didn’t seem the type to put his foot down, yet still often displayed an infuriating stubbornness at times with his on-field approach. Unai Emery was at first a breath of fresh air, switching formations and tactics with every passing game, though eventually his constant chopping and changing began to portray him as a clueless and desperate coach once results declined. But can we trust Mikel to lead a resurgence at the club with Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham &...