The Arsenal players have returned to training following their 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday evening.
Mikel Arteta will spend this week preparing his Arsenal squad to welcome Brighton to the Emirates Stadium for a Premier League clash on Saturday.
However, by the time that fixture rolls around, the Spanish coach’s squad may look somewhat different.
The summer transfer window will shut at 11pm on Friday, and before that point there may well be a number of ins and outs in North London.
Arsenal are close to signing Mikel Merino. The midfielder is likely to formally join the Gunners’ ranks in time to be available for the encounter with the Seagulls.
On top of that, Ian Wright wants Arsenal to sign a winger, to provide additional back up for Bukayo Saka.
Meanwhile, further departures are likely. Fabio Vieira is set to re-join Porto on loan. Four Arsenal players could leave permanently before the transfer deadline passes, too.
Amongst that quartet is Eddie Nketiah. The Hale End academy graduate has been on the books with Arsenal since 2015, but his time at the club now looks to be up.
Crystal Palace have launched a bid for Nketiah, and it would now appear that they are on the precipice of securing the striker’s services.
Eddie Nketiah not spotted in Arsenal training
Arsenal recently released a selection of behind the scenes photographs on their official website. These images offer an insight into Arteta’s training sessions, where his players can be seen preparing themselves to take on Brighton.
However, Nketiah cannot be seen amongst his Arsenal teammates in any of these pictures.
This does not prove that the once-capped England man was absent from the session, as he may have simply eluded the camera. However, if his transfer to Selhurst Park is close then it is likely that he was not involved in training.
If we take these pictures to mean that he was not in training, then it stands to reason that official confirmation of his departure is now extremely close.
On that note, it is worth recording that Vieira is nowhere to be seen in these images either.
Arsenal fans prepare for Nketiah farewell
Nketiah has never been a nailed-on starter for the Gunners, but he has enjoyed some magic moments on the pitch for the club, and has always given his best.
Many Arsenal fans on X are already wishing him well for the future.
One said: “Eddie Nketiah has been a top professional throughout his whole Arsenal career. Wish him all the best at Palace. Thanks for the memories brother.”
Another stated: “There’s been frustrating moments for sure but I will never utter a bad word about Nketiah. He’s an example for all Hale End kids. Exemplary behaviour, dedication and will.”
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