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Four Southampton players who Arsenal should try to sign Southampton may be coming off the back of a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, but that doesn't mean Ralph Hasenhüttl's squad is devoid of talented players. The Saints have proven that they are a hotbed of young talent for several years now, helping to develop elite European stars such as Virgil van Dijk. Hasenhüttl's side currently sit in 14th after a disappointing run of form, and next up is Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. So with that in mind, there is no better time to take a look at the four Southampton players Arsenal should try to sign this summer. James Ward-Prowse James Ward-Prowse is the least surprising name on this list. The midfielder has been a standout star for the Saints since his progression into the first team back in 2011. The Southampton academy graduate has been praised for his work rate and talent on the ball while also making set-pieces his point of difference. Arsenal may be strong in midfield, but...

Would Armando Broja be a good summer signing for Arsenal? By Jonny Bray Armando Broja truly burst on the scene when he picked up the ball on the edge of the Crystal Palace's defensive third, turned, and fired a low driven shot into the bottom left corner of Vicente Guaita's goal. He immediately sprinted towards the Palace fans and let them know exactly how he felt about it. That game between Palace and Southampton at Selhurst Park may have ended 2-2, but it was the start of a superb run of form for the Chelsea-loanee. After six goals in 21 appearances, the Albanian striker has been linked with several top Premier League clubs. But would he be a good summer signing for Arsenal? Plenty of potential Broja is just 20 years old but he already possesses the build of a full-grown man and has plenty of pace and skill as well. He can hold up the ball, is prepared to work hard, and could be the perfect fit for Arteta's side. The forward's best characteristic is his desire, and in...

Arsenal v Southampton review  By Tom Masters Arsenal’s latest slump came to a resounding end on Saturday, as the Gunners triumphed 3-0 against lowly Southampton at the Emirates Stadium.    Goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Martin   Ødegaard   and Gabriel saw Arsenal rise up to sixth in the Premier League table, overtaking rivals Tottenham Hotspur, although they do have two games in hand.     Southampton applied pressure and almost caught Arsenal out early on with the pressing game, but the Gunners were able to play through the press and score a sensational goal through Lacazette, with almost every player touching the ball, including keeper Aaron Ramsdale.    From that moment on Mikel Arteta’s men were in almost total control, doubling their lead before half time and Gabriel sealing the deal in the second half.    Much needed win for Arteta    Pressure was starting to mount again on Arteta and Arsenal following a dip in form ...

Preview: Arsenal V Southampton  By Jack Lacey-Hatton After a difficult start to the week at Goodison Park on Monday night, Arsenal need to recover quickly when they host Southampton at the Emirates on Saturday. The last minute loss to Everton felt harsh but Mikel Arteta’s team failed once again kill the game off when in the lead, while the outcome could have been very different had Eddie Nketiah not hit the post at 1-1. Even so, it was a below-par display and although Southampton have struggled recently, Arsenal will need to step things up to get a better result this weekend. Being back at home should bring some comfort.  The Gunners have excelled at the Emirates recently, winning seven from their last eight in all competitions on home soil, including three in a row in the Premier League. Visitors Southampton are also wounded after throwing away three points in the dying seconds of their game against Brighton, after Neal Maupay fired home an equaliser.  The Saints are now...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 32 A year on, are Arsenal regretting handing Aubameyang a three-year deal?   By Jonathan Bray   Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 32, has been Arsenal’s star player for the better part of four seasons now.     Having joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 Aubameyang has endeared himself to the Arsenal faithful.     He’s scored 64 goals in 114 Premier League appearances, including ten goals in his first 13 games for the club, while he  scored more than 20 league goals in back-to-back  seasons.  He won the Premier League golden boot in 2018-19 season and Arsenal’s Player of the Season award during the 2019-20 season.     However, last season he only hit the back of the net ten times in the league, which would be acceptable for a Chris Wood or a Che Adams, but it was well below par for the Gabon international.     On   September 15 2020 Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract ...

How has Mikel Arteta managed to turn the season around? By Peter White Any claims that Arsenal’s resurgence was over after last weekend’s FA Cup exit were quickly quashed by Mikel Arteta and his team, with Tuesday’s 3-1 win at Southampton a timely reminder of how far they have come in such a short space of time.  A much-changed XI had seen their FA Cup defence fall 1-0 with barely a whimper at St Mary’s three days earlier, but back at the same venue against the same opposition, league duties were taken care of with aplomb.  Stuart Armstrong set the haters loose by putting the Saints in front early on but strikes from impressive pair Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka gave the Gunners a slender lead at the break.  Alexandre Lacazette notched his tenth goal of the season in all competitions to seal Arsenal’s fifth win in six Premier League games, leaving them just five points off the top four ahead of Wednesday night’s fixtures.  Such a hot streak is certainly a far cry from...

This is the week that will define Arsenal's season By Adam Le Roux The next seven days are vital. The next two matches are pivotal. This is the week that will decide whether Arsenal are genuine contenders for a European spot this season, or destined for mid-table obscurity. After a poor start to the season, a five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League has seen the Gunners climb towards the top half of the table, with Mikel Arteta’s side not tasting defeat since before Christmas. And as fortunes start to change around the Emirates, thoughts of a competitive end to the campaign are starting to surface, with the next two fixtures sure to make all the difference come the end of the season. The Gunners need to respond quickly after FA Cup defeat to Southampton on Saturday, and will have the perfect chance to right those wrongs with another clash against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Tuesday night. Victory over the Saints would see Arsenal leapfrog their opponents and potentially put the...

Should the Gunners take inspiration from Southampton’s approach? By Peter White Having emphatically bounced back from a turgid first half of the season, Arsenal’s impending double header against Southampton represents something of a make-or-break moment in the 2020/21 campaign.   The Gunners have been looking up ever since a 3-1 win over Chelsea on Boxing Day initiated a six-game unbeaten streak, which has also produced five successive clean sheets for the first time in 11 years.   Arsenal and Southampton shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates in their previous meeting last month, and now the Saints stand in the way of the north Londoners’ bid to continue their FA Cup defence on Saturday, before a league meeting three days later.   Currently one spot and two points above 10th-placed Arsenal in the Premier League table - and with a game in hand - Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have largely impressed throughout 2020/21, beating the likes of Everton and defe...

Leno getting lippy: What we learned from Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Southampton in the Premier League By Adam Le Roux It really says something when we are sat here today pulling the positives out of a 1-1 draw with Southampton as Arsenal still languish in bottom six of the Premier League, but the way things have been going of late, beggars can’t be choosers.  There were definitely a number of promising signs from the clash with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, including the fact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted for the first time in six Premier League outings to salvage a point for the Gunners.  But the fact still remains that it is half a dozen league matches without a victory for Mikel Arteta’s side, who had Gabriel dismissed in the second half to make it three red cards in the last five domestic matches - more than the amount of goals they’ve scored in that time.  As ever, there was plenty to talk about following the midweek clash at the Emirates, including a grumpy goalkee...