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The 22-year-old Norway international joins on a short-term deal until the end of the season, filling the creativity gap left by Mesut Ozil. Arsenal have signed Norway international Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid. The 22-year-old playmaker joins until the end of the current season, providing the Gunners with some much-needed creativity following the departure of Mesut Ozil. Odegaard had requested to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in January due to a lack of first-team minutes so far this season. He has played only seven times in La Liga and is yet to complete 90 minutes for Madrid since returning from last season's loan spell at Real Sociedad. Sociedad had been linked with a move to take Odegaard back this month but a return became unlikely once Arsenal entered the race to sign him. What Odegaard has said about joining Arsenal Odegaard revealed the role Arteta played in his decision, telling the club's official website: "I spoke to him before coming here, of course.

 Kieran Tierney can add Sir Alex Ferguson to his growing list of admirers. The left-back has been a key player for Arsenal during their return to form over the past month, turning in excellent performances in wins over Chelsea, West Brom, and Newcastle United. So much so that he's caught the eye of the greatest manager in Premier League history. When discussing Scotland's chances at this summer's European Championships, Ferguson brought up the national team's strength in depth at left-back with Tierney and Liverpool's Andy Robertson in competition for the spot. After finding a solution to get both players in the same team, Ferguson heaped praise on the Gunners defender. "I do think Scotland have some very good midfield players, and I’m not sure how they’re gonna play Robertson and Tierney in the same team," Ferguson said on theLockdown Theatre - A Team Talk With Legends show on Friday night. I know there were some situations where they played Tierney as th

The attacking midfielder's transfer could be announced as early as Sunday evening as his time in north London comes to an end Mesut Ozil’s seven-and-a-half year spell at Arsenal could come to an end as early as this weekend, with the Gunners star on the verge of leaving for Fenerbahce. Talks have been ongoing for weeks between the club and Ozil’s representatives in a bid to reach an agreement over ending his £350,000-a-week contract - which expires this summer and still had around £7 million left to run - early. And Goal can confirm that an agreement which will allow the 32-year-old to end his stay in north London has now been reached in principle following a breakthrough in negotiations, with only a few finer details left to resolve. Should things progress as hoped, sources at Arsenal expect Ozil to travel to Turkey in the coming days to complete a free transfer to Fenerbahce, the club he supported as a boy. Speaking earlier in the month, Ozil’s agent Erkut Sogut said: “Everyone k

 Mesut Ozil is closer than ever to the exit door at Arsenal. According to The Athletic, the 32-year-old and the Gunners have reached an agreement in principle to terminate his reported £350,000-a-week contract with immediate effect As a result, Ozil's seven-and-a-half-year career at Arsenal will come to an end. In addition, the report states that of all goes to plan the attacking midfielder will travel to Fenerbahce this weekend ahead of completing a free transfer. his development falls in line with what Fenerbahce's sporting director Emre Belozoglu said about getting a deal for Ozil over the line. "Mesut Ozil has been one of the most special players in the world for his position in the last 20 years," Emre told Turkish media, as per Sky Sports. "If this transfer takes place, it will be a first. I regard it as a very positive move for both our community and our president, but I don't think it will be easy. We have our own plans. And Mesut has a contract with

 Gabriel Martinelli had quickly established himself as an integral Arsenal first-teamer last season, but his progress has been severely hampered by injuries and had only made two League starts in this campaign. So he must have been devastated when he twisted his ankle in the warm up to the FA cup game against Newcastle, and he had to sit out the game. After the match Mikel Arteta was very worried indeed about the extent of Martinelli’s injury, but yesterday he sounded a lot more upbeat after seeing Martinelli a day later. He said on Arsenal.com: “We don’t know how bad he is. He’s getting a scan this morning. We didn’t look after the game because he was in a lot of pain but yesterday he tested it a little bit better, so let’s hope. We have a scan today so let’s hope it’s not as serious and we can have Gabi back really soon. We will know more tomorrow, certainly.” Arteta was then asked if he was worried about Martinelli’s injury record, and he responded: “It’s more bad luck. It’s only th

  So Arsenal may have made hard work of beating Newcastle in the Third Round of the FA Cup, and it looks like it could get even tougher for us to go on to win a record 15th FA Cup Final win. I think there are very few pundits that would forecast that Southampton v Shrewsbury Town would end up in an away win, especially as the lower League side have got coronavirus problems limiting their choice of players, but you never know we may just get very lucky! So as much as we love to see a bit of giant-killing, I have a feeling we’ll be going down to St. Marys on the 23rd Jan, where we won 2-0 last season. It will also be important for us to win psychologically as well, as we will be at the same ground three days later to play the Saints in the League. If we do manage to get through we could then have another tough away game at Wolves, unless the mighty Crawley can emulate their incredible win over Leeds in the Third Round. Funnily enough we also have to travel to Molineux for a League game t

 Once he hit the U18s he was known as a prolific goalscorer, and was quickly promoted to the U23s, where he carried on scoring despite his age, and Arsene Wenger introduced him to the senior side. Fans started to take notice when he came on as a sub in a League Cup game against Norwich and scored both goals and we were excited for his future. But that promise has never quite materialised. Eddie has continued to be prolific against Smaller sides (i.e. League Cup, Europa League and England U21 qualifiers) but in the League he has managed just 4 goals in 33 appearances, although mostly off the bench. The superstriker never seems to emerge, but I guess we have to remember he is still only 21 and has rarely had a run in the senior side, but I don’t think fans are as excited about him displacing Aubameyang or Lacazette any more. So, the rumours today are that West Ham are considering making an offer for Eddie, after selling Hillier to Ajax for 20m, and we could probably do with selling a few

 The 19-year-old attacker has said that manager Mikel Arteta was a great support as he was returning to fitness. Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli has admitted that the horror knee injury he suffered in June caused him a huge amount of pain both physically and emotionally. The young wide player sustained the issue during training, and though it did not feel like anything at first, it required surgery. After missing several months with the injury, Martinelli is now only finding his way back into competitive football. I was about to receive the ball and felt a little pain on my knee,” he told the Daily Mail. "Not enough for me to stop practising, but, while we were on the finishing session, I told them that I was in pain. They told me to rest and, if I felt the pain the next day, to let them know. “When I woke up, I felt it but I was able to walk. I thought it was nothing at first, but it was a pain I'd never felt before. I went to the club for the examinations and they said i

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ Owerri, has intercepted 5,200 live ammunition, 1,215 bags of foreign rice, a bullet proof Toyota Landcruser SUV and other contraband goods worth N386 million.  The Controller, Mr Yusuf Lawal, who confirmed this on Thursday January 7, while addressing the media in Owerri, Imo State capital said the seizures were made between November 23 and December 27, 2020.  "Having intensified its anti-smuggling operations, the unit intercepted 5,200 live ammunitions (cartridges of 30GR 70mm Calibre ) and various contraband with a duty paid value (DPV) of Three Hundred and Seventy Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirty Five Naira only (N378,751,935.00) between November 23rd to December 27th 2020," he stated.  He said that the DPV of the bullet proof Landcruser and other three vehicles seized during the period was N221 million.   "Similarly, the unit through its interventions recovered S

China has locked down a city of 11 million people in its northern province of Hebei, in order to contain the country's worst coronavirus flare-up in months. Residents of Shijiazhuang, a provincial capital close to Beijing, have been barred from leaving the city, as major highways were blocked, train and bus stations closed and flights canceled. The lockdown comes as a total of 117 Covid-19 infections including 67 asymptomatic cases were detected in Shijiazhuang on Wednesday.  On Thursday, Shijiazhuang identified another 66 positive cases, according to the Hebei provincial health commission. Since January 2, a total of 304 positive cases have been reported in Hebei,  most of which were in Shijiazhuang, official figures show.  At a press conference Thursday night, municipal officials announced a ban on outbound travel for all residents and vehicles from Shijiazhuang, except for emergencies. Within the city, gatherings are banned, all schools have been suspended, and residential commu

 The Arsenal defender has joined Ligue 1 club Nice on a season-long loan deal as the Gunners looked to secure him regular playing time William Saliba has admitted that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told him he wasn't ready for first team football, before the club decided to loan him to Nice. The centre-back joined the French side on loan for the remainder of the season, after failing to make a single Premier League appearance for the Gunners. Saliba returned to Arsenal in the summer after a season loan spell at Saint-Etienne last year, and the 19-year-old was expected to compete for a place in Arteta's first team plans this campaign. But despite a series of injuries in defence, Saliba was still not given a chance and Arsenal have now allowed the defender to return to France to gain more experience. And Saliba has now opened up on his frustrations of not being allowed an opportunity to stake his claim for a place. "My first six months were difficult, because I was coming from s

 Ian Wright says he would be happy if Arsenal finished “anywhere near the top six” in the Premier League this season. Mikel Arteta’s side have recorded three straight victories over Chelsea, Brighton and West Brom to relieve the pressure after a shocking start to the season. They have now climbed to 11th in the table and are just six points off sixth place. And Wright says he would be content if Arsenal continue to “create” in a similar way to their last few games and challenge for sixth place. “If Arsenal got anywhere near the top six and they start to create and do what we’re seeing now in the last few games, I’d be happy with that, for now,” he told the Kelly and Wrighty Show. “I think that the confidence that will be going through the guys now, they’ll be looking forward to those games. “Whereas a couple of weeks ago, before the three wins, they would be games where you’d be thinking, ‘oh my gosh, this could be quite intense for Arsenal.’ “Before the Chelsea game they had a run of

 The former Manchester City and PSV youth player has opted to continue his career at the Gunners after completing a move from Hertha Berlin Arsenal have completed the signing of Omar Rekik from Hertha Berlin. The 19-year-old will join the Gunners' Under 23s side after penning a professional contract with the club. Bild reports Arsenal have agreed to pay Hertha around £540,000 to land the centre-back, who had periods in the youth academies of Feyenoord, PSV, Manchester City and Marseille before joining the German side. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed on Thursday that the defender's arrival was all but complete, telling reporters at a press conference: "He’s a young talent that we’ve been following for a while that we believe has a really bright future." The Tunisia Under 21 international is yet to make his senior debut, having played regularly in the fourth-tier of German football with Hertha Berlin II this season, but he was an unused substitute in three Bundes

 Former England forward Eni Aluko handed Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka a secret tip during her time at Chelsea - take a dip in a magnesium bath. Speaking on the Kings of the Premier League show, sponsored by Budweiser, Aluko revealed: "I know Saka's family well. When he was a bit younger, I told them I soaked in a magnesium bath the day before a game to prevent cramp. Saka has now scored two goals and notched an assist in his past three league games and started in a variety of positions for the Gunners this season, having broken into the first team as a regular at just 19 years old. "There have been jokes that Arsenal are part of a relegation battle, but they're on the way back up and Saka has been part of that. He's really influential for such a young player, in terms of chances created and scoring goals."

  The Gunners great wants the management at Emirates Stadium to ensure that they do not allow another promising playmaker to slip their net Arsenal need to ensure that Emile Smith Rowe does not become another Serge Gnabry says Ian Wright, with the Gunners great concerned that regular game time for underperforming Willian and Nicolas Pepe could force another academy graduate to look elsewhere. Mikel Arteta has been putting his faith in youth lately, with a different approach favoured on the back of a poor start to the 2020-21 campaign at Emirates Stadium. With seasoned performers such as Willian and Pepe struggling for form and Mesut Ozil frozen out of the picture, Arsenal have had to look elsewhere for creative inspiration. Smith Rowe has provided that during a run of three successive Premier League wins, with the 20-year-old playmaker impressing after being given an opportunity. Wright wants Arteta to resist the urge to return so-called stars to his starting XI, saying that overlookin

 The summer signing from Atletico Madrid has missed out recently due to a thigh problem although he could return for the Gunners on Saturday Thomas Partey could be fit for Arsenal's FA Cup third round clash with Newcastle United on Saturday after he returned to full training. The midfielder has missed the previous month after suffering a thigh injury, although the Gunners say the summer signing from Atletico Madrid is back with the first-team squad and will be ready to return to action very shortly. Arsenal confirmed on Thursday that Partey is back in training but that he will be assessed regularly in the build-up to the FA Cup clash, in which the north Londoners will begin their defence of the FA Cup having beaten Chelsea in the final last season. They face Newcastle at Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening, with Mikel Arteta's men having finally found some form following a terrible start to the Premier League season. Arsenal have won their last three games and will get another

 The defender has set his sights on making Mikel Arteta's first-team despite twice being told he was being released by the Gunners When Daniel Ballard made his international debut for Northern Ireland against Romania in September, there was only one man who was going to get his shirt. It was not one of the Romanian players or even a family member back home; it was Brian Stapleton - the scout who first spotted him and took him to Arsenal as a seven-year-old. A lot has happened since Stapleton first cast eyes on Ballard while he was playing for his local side in Stevenage, and there have been times when the defender thought he was not going to make it. So after making his international debut he wanted to ensure Stapleton knew how much he appreciated the part he had played in a young career that now only appears to be heading in one direction. “Brian’s been there since the start and has always helped me and my family with everything,” Ballard told Goal during an exclusive interview. “

Mesut Ozil has not played for Arsenal this season after being left out of the club's Premier League and Europa League squads. Arsenal are reportedly unlikely to bring back Mesut Ozil for the second half of the season, meaning he is likely to have played his last game for the club. The World Cup winner has been cast aside by Gunners boss and former team-mate Mikel Arteta as he enters the final six months of his current deal. Ozil was handed a blockbuster contract extension worth around £350,000 a week in Arsene Wenger's final season in north London. It's a decision Arsenal have lived to regret in recent times after Ozil fell out of favour under both Unai Emery and Arteta. The club have tried to negotiate a mutual termination of Ozil's contract on two occasions but the attacking midfielder has made it clear he's going nowhere. In the wake of Arsenal's recent slump which they have since recovered from, there were plenty of calls to see Ozil reintegrated into the se

  Rio Ferdinand has branded Arsenal defender William Saliba 'a waste of money'. The Gunners splashed out £27million on the former Saint-Etienne defender but still only 19 years of age, he is yet to see any first-team action at the Emirates Stadium. And he has now returned to France on a loan deal, joining OGC Nice until the end of the season in a bid to get more first-team minutes under his belt. On the back of that decision, Manchester United legend Ferdinand clams Saliba looks like being a 'waste of money'. Discussing Arsenal's centre-backs, he told his FIVE YouTube channel: "I still think Arsenal need a top centre half, all the problems stem from that. "You’ve got a great nucleus of young players, there’s seven or eight young players there who everyone is talking about. "But you’ve got to put the pieces around them and that’s the big problem. That’s been the big problem with recruitment at Arsenal for so long. "Saliba, what’s happened with him

 According to the Independent, Arsenal are interested in recruiting Emiliano Buendia in the January transfer window, with Norwich valuing their prized playmaker at a minimum of £40m as it stands. The Independent report that the Gunners have actually already held early talks with the 24-year-old’s agent on what a potential deal could look like, as the cash-strapped side eye a players-push-cash deal. It’s added that the north London outfit would be willing to offer the Canaries academy graduates Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock in an effort to land a player that Mikel Arteta seemingly ‘greatly admires’. Daniel Farke’s recent insistence that Buendia is tied down to a long-term contract and thereby Norwich plan to ‘keep’ hold of the ace, comes as speculation intensifies regarding a move to Arsenal. Whilst Buendia certainly boasts enough skill – which he’s shown consistently since joining Norwich in the summer of 2018 from Getafe – the Gunners may want to rethink what it would take to land the

 Arsenal clinched a third consecutive Premier League win with their 4-0 thrashing of West Brom on Saturday; academy product Emile Smith Rowe has played a crucial role in the recent turnaround, providing an injection of creativity in Mesut Ozil's absence. Emile Smith Rowe attracted plaudits for the assist that allowed Bukayo Saka to score Arsenal's second goal against West Brom on Saturday night but it was his pass moments earlier that best summed up what he has brought to Mikel Arteta's side. The 20-year-old had already spotted the space opening up in front of him when he received the ball from Hector Bellerin in the middle of the West Brom half. Using the inside of his right boot, he steered it into the feet of Saka, bypassing Romaine Sawyers and Conor Gallagher with one touch and sprinting forward as he did so. Suddenly, Arsenal were away. Saka turned and laid the ball off to Alexandre Lacazette, who then directed it back into the path of the onrushing Smith Rowe. The Wes