MIKEL ARTETA has compared Arsenal’s young generation to the one he came through with at Barcelona’s iconic La Masia academy.
The Spanish manager came through at Barcelona alongside Carles Puyol and Andres Iniesta.
Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli, Charlie Patino and Emile Smith Rowe are all Arsenal starlets that have made waves this season.
The Gunners are also looking to sign Fiorentina’s Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic, 21, according to reports.
Arteta is looking for a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
That comes with Jose Mourinho eyeing Arsenal’s Ashley Maitland-Niles in a January loan swoop for Roma.
The England international, 24, has struggled for playing time with the Gunners this season.
Meanwhile, the Spanish press claim that Barcelona are desperate to send Phillipe Coutinho on loan to the Premier League.
And that puts the Gunners in a strong position, with technical director Edu known to be close to Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian.
⚽️ Norwich vs Arsenal LIVE – Updates from Carrow Road in Premier League Boxing Day clash
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30′ – Norwich 0 Arsenal 1
Half an hour gone at Carrow Road and Arsenal lead 1-0 thanks to a 6th minute strike from Bukayo Saka.
Can the Gunners double their lead before the break?
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Arsenal are in the house
The Gunners have arrived at Carrow Road ahead of their clash with Norwich at 3pm.
Stay right across the action on SunSport.
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Arsenal trio test positive for Covid
The Gunners have confirmed that a further three players have tested positive for Covid-19 and are missing from today’s team.
Mikel Arteta was already without Albert Sambi Lokonga, Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers after their tested positive.
And they have been joined by Takehiro Tomiyasu, Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The their absence, Ben White fills in at right-back, with Ron Holding in at centre-half.
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Norwich City XI vs Arsenal
Dean Smith has named his starting XI for this afternoon’s clash with Arsenal.
Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour starts, while Man United ace Brandon Williams is at left-back.
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Arsenal XI vs Norwich announced
Mikel Arteta appears to have named Ben White at right-back for this afternoon’s match, with Takehiro Tomiyasu absent from the matchday squad.
There’s also no place for Emile Smith Rowe in the starting XI, with the attacking midfielder left on the bench yet again.
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Man Utd in for ex-Arsenal ace
Emi Martinez is reportedly on Manchester United’s list of potential goalkeeping targets.
The Argentina international, 29, has shone for Aston Villa ever since joining them from Arsenal in September 2020.
And his consistent displays have caught the eye of the Red Devils.
The Daily Star claims United have ‘watched him closely’ several times and believe that he could be a future No1 at Old Trafford.
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Arsenal target in superb form
Gunners target Dusan Vlahovic has been in sensational form this season for Fiorentina.
Feast your eyes over his incredible stats, ahead of what is set to be a fascinating January window.
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Gunners boss eyeing top four
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is determined to make additions to his squad in the January transfer window.
The Gunners spent big last summer with £50million Ben White and £30m Aaron Ramsdale arriving.
Arsenal spent £150m in total with Nuno Tavares, Martin Odegaard, Sambi Lokonga and Takehiro Tomiyasu also coming in.
And although the newcomers have helped Arsenal into fourth Arteta is not completely happy with his squad, according to The Express.
He said: “If you can tweak what you need to in that period, which is not easy, it would be really helpful.
“We are working on that to see the necessities we can have and whether we can find the right solutions.”
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Gabriel backs namesake to shine
Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes reckons there is even more to come from in-form Brazilian compatriot Gabriel Martinelli.
He told Sky Sports: “He has many great traits in a player.
“I’m sure it’s just the beginning and he will make many Arsenal fans happy.
“And he will make us happy as well.”
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Pundit on potential Arsenal target
The Gunners should target Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong if the LaLiga giants want to make a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to former star Kevin Campbell.
He told Football Insider: “I would like De Jong, if you don’t mind. I would love to see him at Arsenal.
“I cannot see them moving him on because he has been phenomenal for them, he really has.
“He is the one player who really fit into Mikel Arteta’s squad. He would fit in effortlessly. I think he’d be brilliant beside Thomas Partey.
“Would they want to do that deal? Barca want another striker now [Sergio] Aguero has retired. There is room for Aubameyang.
“Listen, at the end of the day, if they want to do business and Aubameyang wants to go – do the business. Create some room on that wage bill.”
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Serie A hot property tracked
Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic may price himself out of a Premier League move with the striker reportedly demanding £200,000-a-week.
The Serbian is being tracked by the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea after netting 18 goals in 22 games this term.
But according to the Daily Star, the 21-year-old may price himself out of a big money January move after demanding a huge £200k-a-week contract AFTER TAX.
Fiorentina are only willing to part ways with the striker for £70million too.
Although in a boost to Vlahovic’s potential buyers, Manchester City have already ruled out a potential move.
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Feliz Navidad to all Gooners
Feeling good after yesterday, Gooners?
Emile Smith Rowe appeared to have a fun Christmas!
But will the England international be back in the starting XI this afternoon against Norwich?
We’ll have all the action here on SunSport.
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Fond Gunners memories vs Norwich
Ahead of today’s clash with the Canaries, feast your eyes on this classic Jack Wilshere effort!
Could any of Mikel Arteta’s current crop conjure anything even half as good today?
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Our Gunners line-up vs Norwich
Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe could force their way into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI this afternoon after enjoying fantastic starts to the season.
Both Hale End academy products started Arsenal’s last game against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup.
Nketiah scored a hat-trick in the 5-1 win to book the Gunners’ place in the semi-finals.
And Smith Rowe had a fine game alongside Martin Odegaard in the midfield.
Here’s how SunSport’s Josh Mbu thinks Arteta will line up his men at Carrow Road.
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Arsenal team news vs Norwich
The Gunners travel to Carrow Road this afternoon looking to keep up their momentum in the Premier League.
Boss Mikel Arteta will have to do without four members of his first-team squad.
Albert Sambi Lokonga, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are all sidelined by Covid-19.
While Sead Kolasinac has an ankle problem.
For Norwich, meanwhile, Mathias Normann is expected to be the only absentee – missing out with a pelvis injury.
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Arsenal boss’ January transfer update
Mikel Arteta is hopeful that is side can be active in the January transfer window.
But the Spaniard accepts that it won’t be easy.
He said: “If you can tweak what you need to in that period, which is not easy, it would be really helpful.
“We are working on that to see the necessities we can have, and whether we can find the right solutions to that.”
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Nketiah on the move? Exclusive by Alan Nixon
Crystal Palace remain focused on Eddie Nketiah — in case his move to Germany falls through.
The Eagles have a long-term interest in the Arsenal forward, 22.
But his camp have their sights on a free transfer switch to the Bundesliga and a major payday.
Nketiah is yet to have a concrete offer, though, and the Eagles are hovering as he is a player they admire and could move for him in this window or next summer.
Palace transfer guru Dougie Freedman watched Nketiah net a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland last week.
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Xhaka could have gone to Stoke
Granit Xhaka almost joined Stoke City on loan before eventually landing a lucrative gig at Arsenal.
Max Eberl, director of sport at Xhaka’s former club Borussia Monchengladbach, claims the Swiss midfielder was close to a Potters loan move after a disastrous start to life at the German club.
Despite his initial struggles, Xhaka decided to stay in Germany and enjoyed a much more productive two-and-a-half years – eventually securing a £35million switch to Arsenal in the summer of 2016.
And Eberl believes rejecting Stoke City was the best career move Xhaka ever made.
Eberl told the Rheinische Post: “Granit’s career in the first 18 months at Gladbach did not run [as smoothly] as sliced bread.
“He was almost ready to be loaned to Stoke and I told him, ‘If you go to Stoke now, you’ll never end up at a big club – but you could’.”
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Mikel Arteta on La M-Ars-ia
The Arsenal boss said: “When I was a kid at Barcelona I was in a room of eight at La Masia including Pepe Reina, Victor Valdes, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol.
“I learned there was so much competition. But within that you need to look after each other.
“Now with this generation of young players at Arsenal they have a similar purpose to transform this club and be successful together.”
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Young Guns have all the fun
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s Gen Z can be ‘A list’ stars if they all stay on the straight and narrow, writes MARK IRWIN.
The Gunners boss is thrilled by the exciting crop of young talent graduating from the club’s Hale academy and taking the Premier League by storm.
And he compares the situation to his own experience of growing up in Barcelona’s famous La Masia.
Charlie Patino, 18, became the latest prospect to roll off the Arsenal production line, joining the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Folarin Balogun, Eddie Nketiah and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all pushing for a place in the team.
And Arteta could not be more pleased with the work being carried out by academy head Per Mertesacker and his assistant Luke Hobbs. He said: “What I see is a group of young boys with incredible enthusiasm and passion for this club.
“That shows the education they have had, their families, background environments and how supportive the club has been throughout.”
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Tottenham vs Crystal Palace could be postponed
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace looks set to be the next Boxing Day game called off.
A Covid outbreak among the Palace staff has put the clash at risk, with speculation suggesting it will be cancelled.
However, an announcement has yet to be made.
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Piers Morgan backs Aubameyang
Piers Morgan has had his say on the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga, and sided with the former Arsenal captain over boss Mikel Arteta.
He tweeted: “Shameful decision by Arteta. What a disgusting way to treat a man who went – with the club’s full knowledge & permission – to help his sick mother.
The former Good Morning Britain presenter even went as far as to say Arteta’s real reason for removing the Gabonese star as captain was Arsenal’s ongoing Amazon documentary.
Morgan commented: “Arteta’s ongoing public shaming of Aubameyang is disgusting.
“Horrible classless disloyalty that I suspect is purely designed to make him look tough for the Amazon cameras, and to distract from his own very mediocre performance as manager.
“Second time Arteta’s publicly thrown Aubameyang under the bus like this over internal ‘discipline’ issues.
“Just outrageous disloyalty to a guy who’s scored 68 goals for us in 128 games.”
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Arsenal scout En-Neysri
Arsenal appear a step closer to identifying a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
ESPN claim that the Gunners have scouted Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri.
Dusan Vlahovic and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are also said to be targets.
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‘Family first’
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has broken his silence by hitting out at Arsenal on Instagram.
The Gabonese international posted a picture of himself and his family on Christmas Eve, which he captioned “Merry Christmas #FamilyFirst”.
Aubameyang was stripped of the Gunners captaincy by Mikel Arteta, with the reason for the decision reportedly being that he returned late from seeing his ill mother in France.
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Boxing Day fixtures
As yet, there’s been no other postponements to the festive fixtures so far today.
Let’s hope it stays that way with Arsenal due to face Norwich tomorrow at 3pm.
- Liverpool vs Leeds – 12.30pm – postponed
- Wolves vs Watford – 12.30pm – postponed
- Burnley vs Everton – 3pm – postponed
- Man City vs Leicester – 3pm
- Norwich vs Arsenal – 3pm
- Tottenham vs Crystal Palace – 3pm – BT Sport
- West Ham vs Southampton – 3pm
- Aston Villa vs Chelsea – 5.30pm – Sky Sports
- Brighton vs Brentford – 8pm – Sky Sports