A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Edu contacts an England ace’s agents about his transfer and Declan Rice shares Mikel Arteta’s one-word Euro 2024 final message.
Mikel Arteta thinks Arsenal are ‘for sure’ on the path to winning major trophies
Mikel Arteta is convinced that Arsenal are on the right path towards winning a major trophy again. The Gunners have not lifted any major pieces of silverware since the Spaniard sealed the FA Cup in 2019/20. It is also the club’s longest wait for a major trophy in the last decade.
Arsenal have come close to finally winning another Premier League title during the past two terms. But the wait for the top-flight title to return to north London after 20 years continues following successive second finishes. They missed out on the title by two points last season.
Yet Arteta feels the consistency of how Arsenal performed in 2023/24 proves they will soon be winning a major trophy. The Gunners scored a club-record 91 goals in the Premier League last term. Their 29 goals conceded also marked Arsenal’s best defensive record for 20 years.
“The stats show a high level of quality and a high level of consistency,” Arteta has told the official Arsenal website.
“You’re talking about the defensive side, the attacking side [and] about set-pieces and that’s really positive because that tells you that the team are starting to dominate many areas that are necessary to win major trophies. So, we are heading in the right direction, for sure.”
Read more about what Arteta has said about Arsenal winning a major trophy, here.
Arsenal contact Eberechi Eze’s agents to discuss his transfer from Crystal Palace
Arsenal have contacted the agents of Eberechi Eze to debate a transfer from Crystal Palace this month. That is according to Football Transfers, which claims that the Gunners are trying to beat Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and get the signature of the England international.
Mikel Arteta has marked Eze as one of Arsenal’s summer transfer targets but no talks have taken place with Crystal Palace. The 26-year-old is also reluctant to leave Selhurst Park in the off-season sales without guarantees over his minutes, putting Liverpool in a strong spot.
Eze would favour joining Liverpool over Arsenal as the playmaker feels he is most likely to be a starter at Anfield. But his stance has not stopped Edu from contacting Eze’s agents to see if he will consider a transfer to Arsenal after offering 11 goals in 27 Premier League matches.
Read more about Arsenal’s interest in Eze’s transfer from Crystal Palace, here.
Declan Rice reveals Mikel Arteta’s one-word text after England reached Euro 2024 final
Declan Rice has revealed that Mikel Arteta sent the Arsenal midfielder a one-word text after England reached the Euro 2024 final. The Three Lions will face Spain in Berlin on Sunday for a shot to win a first European Championship title. La Roja can be the first four-time winners.
It is just the second time that England have reached the final of UEFA’s premier international tournament, as well. Rice helped Gareth Southgate make history three years ago before Italy beat England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final. Now, they will bid to go one better in 2024.
Rice has been instrumental in England reaching the Euro 2024 final having played the joint-most minutes by any Three Lions player. His ongoing involvement even saw Rice and Arteta speak for the first time this summer before England’s semi-final win over the Netherlands.
“Yeah, I have spoken to Mikel,” Rice said in a pre-Euro 2024 final press conference. “He has been great. We had a phone call the other day. We were speaking for about 10 minutes.
“That was good. It was nice to speak to him. [I] hadn’t spoken to him since the end of the season, so that was really nice. Then he texted me the other night saying, ‘Vamos’, when we got to the final.”
Read more about what Rice has said about his conversations with Arteta, here.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
