Tag: Arsenal FC

Another day, another record for 15-year-old Max Dowman. But Arsenal’s teenage prodigy is taking everything in his stride, according to his manager Mikel Arteta.

The winger had already written himself into Arsenal’s history books by becoming the second-youngest player to represent the club and second-youngest to play in the Premier League – with team-mate Ethan Nwaneri holding both records.

But on Wednesday Dowman became the youngest player – at 15 years and 302 days old – to start a match for Arsenal as he starred in the EFL Cup win over Brighton.

Dowman made his Premier League debut off the bench in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds in August – but his talent has had everyone at the club excited for a long time.

He has been training with the first team since he was 14 and was one of the standout players on Arsenal’s pre-season tour.

Arteta made 10 changes to the side that beat Crystal Palace on Sunday and his youthful side contained four teenagers – including Dowman and Andre Harriman-Annous who were both making their full debuts.

“A tiny smile, that’s what you get with him,” Arteta said when asked how Dowman reacted when he heard he was starting.

“For him everything is natural, for him everything is OK. It’s the way he plays and that’s the secret, that he doesn’t make a big fuss of it.

“He just does what he does best, which is to play football. To play football with a lot of courage and determination and today again, he has shown some incredible skill, some capacity to run past players at that level in the Premier League at 15. It’s definitely something special.”

Dowman again showed his excellent dribbling ability and in one notable run left Brighton’s Diego Gomez scrambling to keep up.

He completed the most dribbles (five), won the most fouls (four), and won the most duels (nine) of any player on the pitch.

“We made 10 changes, we played players that never played together, yet we made two huge debuts for Max and Andre,” Arteta added.

“That feeling of giving the opportunity to somebody and fulfilling a dream is unique, and I’m very happy that things turned out to be very positive, and we managed to win the game.”

Dowman could become the youngest player to play in the Champions League if he makes his debut in the competition before his birthday at the end of the year – and Arteta says the youngster believes he is ready to have an impact in any competition.

“For sure, if you ask him, for sure,” Arteta said.

“That’s what we have to manage and not only that, there’s a lot of things that are new in his life, we discussed that a few days ago.

“We have to make sure that he takes the right steps and he needs be able to cope with it, too, because it’s happening very, very fast and we all need to be aware of that.

“Let’s encourage him to keep going that way, but let’s protect him as well.”

This was another positive evening for Arsenal’s academy with 17-year-old Harriman-Annous playing a big part in the Gunners’ second goal and 19-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly combining with fellow academy graduate Nwaneri for the opener.

“That’s what it is and I’m very happy with both of them (Harriman-Annous and Dowman) today,” Arteta added.

“Myles as well, Ethan scoring a goal, Bukayo [Saka] scoring a goal – so two academy graduates taking us to the quarter-finals.

“Again, it was a special emotional evening.”

Gary Neville believes an Arsenal star is the best in his position in the Premier League right now, and he’s also close to putting pen to paper on a new contract.

When naming Arsenal’s best players at present, the obvious names that spring to mind are William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka.

Saliba and Gabriel can both stake a claim to being up there with Virgil van Dijk as the best centre-back in the league. Saka may have surpassed Mohamed Salah if the Egyptian’s early-season struggles are signs of decline and not merely a blip.

But according to Gary Neville, a different Arsenal player is already the best the Premier League has to offer in his position.

Speaking on an episode of The Overlap, Neville declared Jurrien Timber to be the best full-back in the league. That claim is inclusive of both right-backs and left-backs.

“What I was watching Arsenal vs Atletico, I was watching [Myles] Lewis-Skelly, obviously Timber played, you’ve got Ben White and [Riccardo] Calafiori, I thought all Arsenal’s full-backs are better than Liverpool’s, all four of them, that’s a big problem for Liverpool. Timber is the best full-back in the league at the moment.”

Neville went on to claim Timber is not far off matching Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal who in his mind, is the world’s best full-back right now.

He added: “I think Timber is almost, in my mind, I would class as being… do you know the guy that plays for Real Madrid? Carvajal.

“For me, he’s the best. And I think Timber’s the nearest to him at the moment, I see, in terms of being able to do that bit and do that bit, do the forward bit well enough, but definitely cuts everything off down his side.”

Jurrien Timber to earn massive pay rise
Timber and Arsenal are deep in discussions over a new contract that will see the Netherlands international secure a gigantic pay bump.

Timber currently pockets a base salary of £90,000,a-week, but TEAMtalk understands that will more than double to roughly £200,000-a-week.

Both the player and club are more than happy to continue their relationship. Talks are ongoing and are understood to be positive.

Bukayo Saka believes Viktor Gyokeres just needs to continue settling in while his team-mates adjust to his style of play.

Arsenal’s talisman says that the north London side must offer more chances for the summer signing to take advantage of.

Gyokeres arrived in a £63.7million transfer from Sporting CP after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches in Portugal. It saw Mikel Arteta handed an out-and-out striker that Arsenal had sorely missed as they finished runners-up in the Premier League.

The Gunners striker has scored five goals in 13 appearances so far, including three in nine in the Premier League. However, the Swede has gone five matches without scoring in the division. But Saka has suggested it is not simply down to Gyokeres to find his feet and deliver. The England international even praised the form of his new team-mate.

“Viktor is playing really well,” Saka told Sky Sports. “He has settled in well with the group. Last season, we didn’t play with a striker like him. Kai (Havertz) is a different player from him.

“It is about us having to adapt to his game a bit and create a few more chances. He’s getting more and more settled each game.”

Saka is also pleased with how Eberechi Eze has settled since joining from Crystal Palace. The midfielder scored against his former club at the weekend.

“He’s fitted in like a glove. He’s happy, he’s playing and he’s playing very well as well, which is important. I’m happy to have him at Arsenal and looking forward to what he’s going to bring to us this season.

“It’s quite sweet when he signed and there’s like about 20 of his family in the picture. You can see what it means to him to be at Arsenal and to his family as well. We spoke about the pictures and all the other videos across social media and that’s what I love, having a player that wants to be here and loves the club.

“He’s going to give everything for this club, and that’s what you need.”

Despite being happy with Arsenal’s new signings and a strong start to the season, Saka is not getting ahead of himself in the Premier League title race. The Gunners already lead Liverpool and Manchester City by seven and sic points respectively.

“I think it’s a bit early to talk about ‘our year’,” Saka added. “We’re still in October. Of course, I’ve been in a title race for the last three years now, finished second in all of them…

“What I’ve learned is that now is not so important. It’s in April, that’s when you need to be there and try and be (in) first place.

“Now it’s about staying in and around it, building your momentum and then going on a run of performances. It’s still a bit early to talk about winning the title based off a few results that in the past haven’t gone our way.”

Arsenal Star to be Sidelined for Two Months After Latest Injury Scare.

It has been an incredible start to the season for Arsenal, who currently sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

After nine league games, Mikel Arteta’s side have lost just one game and conceded only three goals, whilst title rivals Liverpool and Man City have already fell behind.

However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing with a number of player suffering from fitness issues.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery spoke exclusively to EPL Index and shared an update on Arsenal’s injury struggles…

Martin Odegaard 

“He’s out with a knee problem and I would expect between six to eight weeks out,” said Dinnery. “He did have that shoulder problem but he was still able to keep his cardio up reasonably.”

“I would expect for him to be reintegrated pretty quickly, but how and when that is done could fall based on how the fixtures plan out upon his return.”

That timeframe could see Odegaard return for Arsenal’s festive fixtures against the likes of Everton, Brighton and Aston Villa.

Kai Havertz

“He shouldn’t be too far away and will hopefully be back end of November or early December,” said Dinnery. “However, given his problems throughout 2025, he would be a player that will be managed a lot more in terms of his reintegration.”

“As I say with all of these injuries, there a lots of influencing factors like other injuries or suspensions and how things go on the pitch for Arsenal,” said Dinnery. “If they keep being successful then Arteta and his staff can afford to be patient with these returns.”

Based on Dinnery’s insight, you can likely expect Havertz to be back amongst Arsenal’s plans regularly for those same festive fixtures.

William Saliba

“This one is a difficult one to diagnose and we’re waiting for an update but it didn’t seem to be anything too significant,” said Dinnery. “He’s already had a thigh problem this year, so you hope that it is just more of a precaution from Mikel Arteta.”

The Frenchman has already been ruled out of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Brighton, but isn’t expected to be out of the side for too long.

He has been a crucial part of Arsenal’s success so far this season, but both Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera provide brilliant depth behind him.

Arsenal will definitely be without one player for their next Champions League encounter against Slavia Prague and it has nothing to do with an injury.

The Gunners made it three straight wins in the competition’s league phase on Tuesday night with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid – a match that was seen as a potentially difficult test at the Emirates Stadium.

After a goalless first half, Arsenal blitzed through Atleti with four unanswered goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and then a brace from Viktor Gyokeres.

It leaves the Gunners third in the table, behind only last season’s finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in the early stages.

Manager Mikel Arteta is already dealing with a number of injury concerns, with captain Martin Odegaard and frontmen Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz sidelined.

Unlike last year, however, Arsenal are managing, so far, to deal with those injury issues and are well set in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Games come thick and fast, with Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League this weekend before a Carabao Cup fourth round enoucnter with Brighton & Hove Albion next midweek. Then it’s Burnley in the Premier League before a trip to Czechia to face Slavia Prague on matchday four of the Champions League.

Martin Zubimendi will not travel with the squad for that clash in Prague, having picked up a yellow card in the game with Atletico Madrid, meaning he is suspended for the trip.

What are the rules around yellow cards in this year’s competition?

Article 63.02 of the UEFA Champions League rules states: “As from the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc).

“In addition, all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals.”

Zubimendi was booked against both Athletic Club and Olympiacos and received his third caution against Atletico, meaning he will be suspended for the next match. That may not end up being a bad thing, with the Spaniard to miss Slavia Prague, but return in time for arguably Arsenal’s toughest test of the league phase against Bayern Munich on November 26.

Declan Rice was another who had two yellow cards already heading into the clash with Atleti, but did not receive a booking during the 90 minutes and will therefore walk something of a tightrope again if he plays against Slavia Prague in the hope that he does not pick up another and miss the Bayern clash.

Noni Madueke is set to return to Arsenal training soon, ahead of schedule, with the winger making faster-than-expected progress in his recovery, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The 23-year-old has been sidelined in recent weeks with a knee injury, but is now close to rejoining first-team training after impressing staff with his attitude during rehabilitation.

Sources have told GMS that Madueke’s professionalism and focus throughout the process have stood out, helping him recover quicker than initially anticipated. While his progress has been encouraging, Arsenal plan to take a cautious approach when reintegrating him.

Sources: Madueke Set to Return to Arsenal Training

Arsenal are keen to manage his workload carefully to avoid any risk of the injury reoccurring, particularly given the intensity of fixtures ahead. The current plan is for Madueke to complete several controlled sessions before transitioning back into full-contact training.

The Gunners have been pleased with how he’s handled his time out. Those close to the squad say Madueke has taken the opportunity to improve other areas of his game, including strength and conditioning, while maintaining a strong presence around the training ground.

His attitude has made a strong impression on the coaching and medical teams, who view him as an example of how to approach recovery. His return will come as a boost for Mikel Arteta, who values Madueke’s ability to beat defenders and inject directness into Arsenal’s attack.

Before his injury, the England international had started to show flashes of what he could offer in Arteta’s system, with his pace and creativity giving Arsenal a different edge in wide areas.

The club’s focus now is on ensuring that when he does return, he’s fully fit and capable of sustaining that level across a busy run of fixtures. Arsenal’s medical department are expected to continue monitoring him closely, with gradual increases in minutes once he’s cleared for selection.

Madueke’s early return marks a positive development for Arsenal, who have been managing several fitness concerns across the squad in recent weeks. If his progress continues as expected, he’s likely to be back in full training soon — providing Arteta with another valuable attacking option as the Gunners look to maintain momentum.

The winger has yet to register a goal or assist in Arsenal colours since his £52m move from Chelsea in the summer, but his performances prior to his injury were strong, and he shone for England too.

Wayne Rooney admits if Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal throw away the Premier League title given their current position then “you’d probably see a change of manager”.

The Gunners extended their lead at the top over the weekend with a win over Crystal Palace whilst their rivals came unstuck elsewhere. The win at the Emirates was their fourth on the bounce and tightened their grip on first place after nine games.

They’ve recovered from some early criticism and have looked champions in all but name – owing to their overall quality, defensive solidity and set piece prowess. Elsewhere Liverpool have lost four on the spin and Manchester City cannot find the necessary consistency.

Arteta has been in the job since late 2019 and only has an FA Cup to show for his efforts. He’s spent millions and was again backed in the summer. All of which means there is pressure on him to deliver and with his side sitting pretty at the top Rooney insists changes have to be made if they can’t see the job through.

He said on his podcast: “They’ve got a good squad and good players. Mikel Arteta has been waiting and has been very close. They’ve tallied up some very good points in some of those seasons which in other years would have been good enough to win the title.

“Arteta has got a squad now where they’re really expected to win the league. They grind out results, they’re physical, they’ve got good attacking players, they’re so solid at the back. They’ve become the favourites. They’ve been top before and not won it and that’s the pressure, can you be top of the league and stay there?

“I think they can. The squad is good enough now and I think they’ve had the experiences which have got them close, but I think they’re ready for it, I think they’re ready to do it. There’s no excuses now, there’s no excuse. If they don’t win it now, you’d probably see a change of manager.”

Arteta’s doubters are often quick to point to his trophy haul and the minimal return he’s provided for the sizeable investment in him. Whilst Arsenal have been serial challengers they’ve struggled to get over the line and have finished second for three years on the bounce.

In 2022/23 and 2023/24 they had leads at the top of the table, only to let them slip late on with City pouncing on both occasions.

Arsenal have not claimed the Premier League title since their Invincible season more than two decades ago, but have been tipped by many to finally end that wait.

Arsenal pair William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli have been ruled out of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton.

Defender Saliba was forced off at half-time of Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace, while forward Martinelli limped down the tunnel after coming on as a second-half substitute.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who confirmed Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will be available to face the Seagulls, is unsure how long the duo will remain sidelined.

Asked about Saliba, Arteta replied: “He’s out. We are assessing him but he won’t be involved in this match.”

Speaking of Martinelli, the Spaniard said: “It looks as well he’s going to be out.

“We have to do some more tests and see the extent of the injury but this game is going to be too early for him.”

The loss of Martinelli adds to Arsenal’s attacking issues, with Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus already unavailable due to injuries.

Summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, who made a handful of appearances for opponents Brighton early in his career, has started all 12 of the Gunners’ top-flight and Champions League fixtures this term, scoring five goals.

Arteta is wary of becoming further depleted in that area of the field.

“In the front line, that’s where we have more difficulties with Noni out, with Kai out, with Gabi Jesus out, with Gabi Martinelli out as well,” said Arteta, who plans to rotate his squad.

“That’s the area where we have to be more careful, more conscious, because we don’t have that many options.

“We are going to try to manage the load as good as possible, to make sure that the players are fresh, they can compete really well, and the team can maintain the level that it is showing.”

Arsenal four points clear
Victory over London rivals Palace left Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League, with seven wins, a draw and one defeat from nine fixtures.

Arteta is embracing the optimism around the club.

“That’s what we want,” he said. “When our people are excited and you see that the team is competing at the level consistently, they are the right reasons to believe.

“If you want to win big trophies, you certainly have to install that feeling amongst the team, the club, and around it.

“We are in a really good position at the moment but we know how early it is and how difficult every game is.”

Arsenal will definitely be without one player for their next Champions League encounter against Slavia Prague and it has nothing to do with an injury.

The Gunners made it three straight wins in the competition’s league phase on Tuesday night with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid – a match that was seen as a potentially difficult test at the Emirates Stadium.

After a goalless first half, Arsenal blitzed through Atleti with four unanswered goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and then a brace from Viktor Gyokeres.

It leaves the Gunners third in the table, behind only last season’s finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in the early stages.

Manager Mikel Arteta is already dealing with a number of injury concerns, with captain Martin Odegaard and frontmen Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz sidelined.

Unlike last year, however, Arsenal are managing, so far, to deal with those injury issues and are well set in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Games come thick and fast, with Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League this weekend before a Carabao Cup fourth round enoucnter with Brighton & Hove Albion next midweek. Then it’s Burnley in the Premier League before a trip to Czechia to face Slavia Prague on matchday four of the Champions League.

Martin Zubimendi will not travel with the squad for that clash in Prague, having picked up a yellow card in the game with Atletico Madrid, meaning he is suspended for the trip.

What are the rules around yellow cards in this year’s competition?

Article 63.02 of the UEFA Champions League rules states: “As from the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc).

“In addition, all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals.”

Zubimendi was booked against both Athletic Club and Olympiacos and received his third caution against Atletico, meaning he will be suspended for the next match. That may not end up being a bad thing, with the Spaniard to miss Slavia Prague, but return in time for arguably Arsenal’s toughest test of the league phase against Bayern Munich on November 26.

Declan Rice was another who had two yellow cards already heading into the clash with Atleti, but did not receive a booking during the 90 minutes and will therefore walk something of a tightrope again if he plays against Slavia Prague in the hope that he does not pick up another and miss the Bayern clash.

Arsenal pair William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli have been ruled out of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton.

Defender Saliba was forced off at half-time of Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace, while forward Martinelli limped down the tunnel after coming on as a second-half substitute.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who confirmed Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will be available to face the Seagulls, is unsure how long the duo will remain sidelined.

Asked about Saliba, Arteta replied: “He’s out. We are assessing him but he won’t be involved in this match.”

Speaking of Martinelli, the Spaniard said: “It looks as well he’s going to be out.

“We have to do some more tests and see the extent of the injury but this game is going to be too early for him.”

The loss of Martinelli adds to Arsenal’s attacking issues, with Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus already unavailable due to injuries.

Summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, who made a handful of appearances for opponents Brighton early in his career, has started all 12 of the Gunners’ top-flight and Champions League fixtures this term, scoring five goals.

Arteta is wary of becoming further depleted in that area of the field.

“In the front line, that’s where we have more difficulties with Noni out, with Kai out, with Gabi Jesus out, with Gabi Martinelli out as well,” said Arteta, who plans to rotate his squad.

“That’s the area where we have to be more careful, more conscious, because we don’t have that many options.

“We are going to try to manage the load as good as possible, to make sure that the players are fresh, they can compete really well, and the team can maintain the level that it is showing.”

Arsenal four points clear
Victory over London rivals Palace left Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League, with seven wins, a draw and one defeat from nine fixtures.

Arteta is embracing the optimism around the club.

“That’s what we want,” he said. “When our people are excited and you see that the team is competing at the level consistently, they are the right reasons to believe.

“If you want to win big trophies, you certainly have to install that feeling amongst the team, the club, and around it.

“We are in a really good position at the moment but we know how early it is and how difficult every game is.”