A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao fires a dig at Mikel Arteta and the Gunners lead the transfer race to sign an in-demand wonderkid.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were ‘not as effective’ as Arsenal lost at Porto
Porto hold a 1-0 advantage over Arsenal after the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. And Gunners hero Theo Walcott feels Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka were both ‘not as effective’ as expected during their meeting at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday night.
Galeno secured the Dragoes the aggregate advantage in the 94th minute after Otavio easily intercepted Martinelli’s loose pass. He tried to switch the play in the final seconds but failed to connect with Martin Odegaard. Galeno finessed a perfect strike out of David Raya’s reach.
A sloppy switch was the final nail in the coffin of Martinelli’s performance as Arsenal lost to Porto. He struggled to make an impact in the last third and took fewer touches with 55 than any Gunners defender. Martinelli and Saka also combined for one single off-target shot, too.
Arsenal attempted just seven efforts on goal all night and did not force Diogo Costa to make a single save. Saka struck his sole shot in the 45th minute, as well. So, Walcott feels Arteta may not ‘trust’ Arsenal’s bench having left Martinelli and Saka on during the clash at Porto.
“We were speaking about the squad depth that Arsenal have before the game,” Walcott told BBC Radio 5 Live. “But now, looking back, does Mikel Arteta trust the players outside of that starting XI? He only made one substitution tonight.
“It could have been a game where he decided to shut up shop even more and brought off the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, who were not as effective as they could be tonight.”
Read more about what Walcott has said about Saka and Martinelli at Porto, here.
Sergio Conceicao fired a dig at Mikel Arteta after Porto beat Arsenal 1-0
Porto manager Conceicao also fired a dig at Arteta and Arsenal after his Liga Portugal side won the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. He feels the Gunners only visited the Estadio do Dragao ‘to play’ football and enjoy their possession but his team ‘wanted to win’.
Arsenal had 65% of the ball to Porto’s 35% on Wednesday night but failed to make use of it, at all. The Dragoes used their limited possession to record more shots (8-7), with more also on target (2-0). Even though the Gunners still recorded a higher amount of key passes (5-4).
Conceicao felt Arsenal’s style in the encounter stemmed from Arteta’s education as a coach at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard spent three years as an assistant at Etihad Stadium. But Conceicao questions the effectiveness of how Arsenal played at Porto.
“It’s an opinion – they wanted to play, we wanted to win,” Conceicao said, via Goal. “Arteta is from the Guardiola school, who is the coach with the most titles in the world. They think that the best way to beat their opponents is to have more possession of the ball.
“But that depends on the team and the performers they have. We had 40-60% possession of the ball, which is not a scandal. I didn’t mind having 30-70% and winning, too. It all depends on what you do with the ball within the strategy defined to score goals.”
Read more about what Porto boss Conceicao said about Arsenal and Arteta, here.
Arsenal and Chelsea lead the transfer race to sign Lewis Carrol
London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are now leading the transfer race to sign wonderkid Lewis Carrol from Aberdeen. That is according to The Athletic, which notes that the Gunners have joined the teams scouting Carrol over recent months. Chelsea hold a long-standing interest.
Carrol is now set to be at the centre of a tug-of-war in the summer transfer window with his 16th birthday next month. Aberdeen have told the centre-half that they are prepared to fast-track his progression into the first-team. But his potential has Premier League clubs on alert.
Clubs will owe Aberdeen a fee for Carrol but the sum will depend on whether or not he signs a professional contract first. The youngster, who is earning comparisons to Manchester City defender John Stones with his height and ability on the ball, is eligible for professional terms.
Aberdeen would demand a full transfer fee to sell Carrol to Arsenal or Chelsea if he agrees to sign a professional contract. But the London rivals will only owe the Dons compensation for his development if the 15-year-old were to switch clubs before he agrees to sign a pro deal.
Read more about Arsenal’s interest in Carrol’s summer transfer from Aberdeen, here.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
