More Injury Trouble for Arsenal

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As the Gunners fans get ready with tier Arsenal tickets ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur, manager Mikel Arteta won’t be the happiest man after the international break with several players not at 100%. 

Injury Situation 

Fans with Arsenal tickets have largely accepted that Declan Rice will miss their Premier League clash against Tottenham after the international break.

However, by the time of the fixture, there may be more concerns about the availability of other key players.

This match is crucial for Arsenal, who must keep pace with Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title.

With City remaining unbeaten and leading the table, dropping more points could be detrimental, especially if City continues to win.

Arsenal has closely monitored its players’ fitness during the international break, and the situation does not look promising.

Football London reports that, besides Rice, Arsenal is already missing Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney, both long-term injury absentees.

Gabriel Jesus is confirmed as absent, and Riccardo Calafiori’s fitness is in doubt after leaving the Italy camp due to injury concerns.

Jurrien Timber, who suffered a knock in the game against Brighton, could be another potential absentee for the Spurs fixture.

The strength and conditioning staff will have to work fast to assess the player profiles and make a decision later in the week. 

Arsenal Bank on Big January Signing

Arsenal’s decision not to sign a centre-forward in the summer transfer window could determine the outcome of their 2024/25 season.

Despite being linked with several strikers, the Gunners strengthened other positions in Mikel Arteta’s squad. Raheem Sterling’s deadline-day arrival from Chelsea did bolster the options in attack, but it’s fair to say that Arsenal is weaker at center-forward.

Eddie Nketiah, who played 37 times in all competitions last season, left the club for Crystal Palace in a deal worth £ 30 million. The striker’s departure means Arteta is a striker-short for the rest of the season.

Kai Havertz has started the season’s first three games at center-forward, scoring twice already. Gabriel Jesus’ return from injury after the international break will provide competition to the German. But despite this, there are continued concerns over the lack of a prolific goalscorer.

And that’s a concern that all the fans with Arsenal tickets have, considering they’ve been so close to winning the Prem twice but failed. 

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored 97 goals in 102 appearances in England. Liverpool have Mohamed Salah, who guarantees at least 20 goals, and other clubs have out-and-out number nines.

Arsenal, though, do not. Yet after investing big in Declan Rice 12 months ago and spreading their transfer budget across several players this year, next summer’s priority in the transfer window is clear.

Two popular names who could be the next marquee signing at the Emirates Stadium are Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak. The two Sweden internationals have reportedly been on the Gunners’ radar for some time, and their goalscoring records speak for themselves.

After moving to Sporting CP from Coventry City last summer, Gyokeres scored an impressive 43 goals in 50 appearances with 15 more assists. This campaign, the 26-year-old has continued his fine goalscoring form with seven league goals in four games.

Isak bagged 21 Premier League goals in 30 games last season and has already contributed to two goals in the first three games of the new campaign.

During this month’s international break, the two strikers gave Arsenal further reason to sign a new striker. Both players have scored three goals across the fixtures against Azerbaijan and Estonia.

In all honesty, Gyokeres is the most likely of the two to leave their current situation. After moving to Portugal in 2023, the next step for the Swedish star would be to be in one of Europe’s best divisions, and Arsenal could be that step.

Life after the International Break

The international break has halted the Premier League action – just as it got going.

Arsenal started the season positively on the pitch, having claimed seven points from their opening three games. That might have been nine had they not been reduced to ten men in their 1-1 draw against Brighton.

Regardless, Mikel Arteta’s men still find themselves in a good place, especially after an eye-catching summer transfer window. The Gunners welcomed a host of new players, including Raheem Sterling.

The window has been closed just over a week, but attention could already be on January. Take a look at the latest headlines from the Emirates Stadium below:

Ex-Protege Gedion Zelalem Without a Club. Former Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem finds himself without a club after seeing his deal with FC Den Bosch brutally canceled. He is now on the hunt for a new club at 27.

Zelalem, who made four senior appearances for the Gunners, joined in January 2023 and made 38 appearances for the side before making the decision. 

“Yesterday we reached an agreement with Gedion to terminate his contract,” said club technical director Bernard Schuiteman. “That is the best for him and for FC Den Bosch because Gideon did not fit into our plans for the A-selection.

“That is a pity because under the previous technical management, his contract was extended in the meantime, and he was one of the intended key players for the future. With new people come new ideas, and in Gideon’s position, that has led to different choices. That is a pity from a human point of view, but Gideon, who has been around professional football for a long time, knows how it works.

Ramsdale deal criticised

Feyenoord CEO Dennis te Kloese has taken aim at Southampton for signing Aaron Rasmdale instead of Justin Bijlow.

Fans with Arsenal tickets were reluctant to see Aaron Ramsdale leave but understood that it was in good spirits for him. But there’s been a lot of backlash on the move. 

“It is quite a coincidence that a club has Aaron Ramsdale ready for £25m and a five-year contract five minutes after they told us that he would not pass the medical,” Te Kloese told ESPN Netherlands. He added: “I don’t think you can organize that in five minutes.”

The Saints looked to be signing Bijlow from the Dutch side but pulled out after conducting a medical. They instead opted to move for Ramsdale, who had fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates.

Arsenal tickets for the UEFA Champions League will be available shortly. 

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