SETTABLOID

Arsenal have been told that Dani Olmo is not considering a move away from Barcelona, despite the club’s troubles in registering the player.

The Spanish giants are facing a fight to be able to register the midfielder for the second half of the season, meaning he could be available on a free transfer when the January window opens. That has reportedly sparked interest from Arsenal, as well as Manchester United, Man City and Chelsea.

Barcelona completed the signing of Olmo from Red Bull Leipzig in the summer, and were able to agree a temporary solution with La Liga following the long-term injury to Andreas Christensen. That agreement, however, expires at the end of December.

It is reported that Barcelona are trying to come up with a solution that will see them deal a £82.9 million deal to sell VIP boxes at the Camp Nou to Middle East investors. That could potentially free up finances to be able to register Olmo, but it’s now a race against time.

Interested clubs will be watching the situation with interest. But the player’s agend Andy Bara has now sent a clear message to those clubs.

Arsenal talent Ethan Nwaneri has named Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka as the two senior players who have most helped him settle into the Gunners first-team this season.

Nwaneri made history in September 2022 when he made his senior debut aged just 15 years and 181 days, becoming Arsenal’s youngest ever player, as well as the English top flight’s youngest too.

He was so young that Nwaneri didn’t sign his first professional contract until March of this year, but has now become a permanent member of Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad. So far in 2024/25, it’s been 16 appearances and counting for the 17-year-old – including three starts and four goals.

Saka joined Arsenal when he was seven-years-old and made his first-team debut in late 2018, a few weeks after turning 17. The winger was a regular by 18 and has already hit 250 games. Odegaard was even more of a teen prodigy, training with the first-team at Stromsgodset in Norway from the age of 13 and making his debut at 15. A month after turning 16, he joined Real Madrid, having had every leading club across Europe on his tail in a very public transfer pursuit.

The January transfer window is here and clubs across the league will be scrambling to improve their squads ahead of the second half of the season.

Arsenal are in a strong position as they have an opportunity to move into second place in the Premier League standings with a win away at Brentford on New Year’s Day. They are in contention to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, while they are in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

However, the recent injury to Bukayo Saka has put a dent in the Gunner’s title hopes. The winger limped off during the Premier League win over Crystal Palace earlier this month and has since undergone surgery on the hamstring injury.

That means the January transfer window could prove to be pivotal for Mikel Arteta as he looks to ensure his squad can continue to compete on all four fronts this term. While the market mid-season tends to be a lot quieter than in the summer, clubs are always prepared to act when the right player is available at the right price.

Viktor Gyokeres signs

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres is the name everybody is talking about this season. The 26-year-old has scored 27 goals and registered six assists for his club across all competitions and only half of the campaign has been played.

Arsenal travel to Brentford to take on a side whose home record is extremely challenging. The Gunners know that a win will see them close the gap to Liverpool to six points having played a game more and can open the gap to Chelsea to four and Manchester City to eight.

Mikel Arteta witnessed Chelsea fail where his Arsenal side succeeded as the Blues lost to Ipswich to allow the opportunity to turn what was a four-point deficit a fortnight ago on its head. The team have been working to cope with the absence of Bukayo Saka and have been further hurt by other issues in the wide areas.

Arsenal posted to their official website a glimpse behind the scenes at the training session ahead of the trip to Brentford.

Four players absent

The first point of note is who is not pictured in the training images ahead of the game. Arsenal have had a rare extended break between games that other sides have not been privy to.

From those included, there were four players not seen in the pictures. Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling were the most recent injuries that Arsenal have faced and naturally were not seen.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both long-term absentees and were also absent for training. It will be good news that it seems there are no new worries before the New Year.

Youngster involved

Mikel Arteta had faced scrutiny for not using enough of his young stars throughout his time at the club. That has, however, been addressed, with both Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly getting plenty of exposure – both of whom were involved in training.

Added to them were Josh Gower and Maldini Kacurri. The latter of whom made his first senior appearance in the League Cup earlier in the season.

Tommy Setford joined Neto as the available goalkeeper. Neto was spotted on the edge of a team talk from the manager but it was Setford pictured in the action with hope he could take on a second-choice role in the future.

Arsenal take on Brentford looking to return to second place in the Premier League and close the gap to Liverpool to six points, having played a game more. Every game feels like a must-win with any slip-up sparking questions of whether the title race is even still on.

Mikel Arteta still must contend with the absence of Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling is not quite yet ready, having not been spotted in training. With Chelsea losing there is a chance to take advantage and create more of a buffer with those outside of the race.

Tom Canton

It was quite the sight to see the bench against Ipswich, with zero senior forward players among the substitutes. Against Brentford, even still without both Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, that for me must change.

Bringing Mikel Merino into the midfield, pushing Kai Havertz into the forward line and moving Gabriel Jesus to the wide right. It means that Leandro Trossard can come off the bench should he need to with Ethan Nwaneri also available to offer more threat should it be needed.

Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard complete the midfield, while the only change to the back four is at left-back. Riccardo Calafiori comes in to start with Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber naturally start ahead of David Raya.

Canton’s Arsenal XI vs Brentford: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Merino, Odegaard, Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli

Mikel Arteta addressed the media ahead of Arsenal’s game against Brentford with a focus, particularly on team news and the preparation for the game. The Gunners need to win each game they have to keep pace with league leaders Liverpool.

Arteta, who will be without Bukayo Saka for the foreseeable future, did provide something of a positive update on one of the winger’s potential replacements who has also been out. Raheem Sterling was also absent from the team that faced Ipswich after he was confirmed to have suffered a knee problem but the Gunners’ boss was upbeat on his chances of a quick return.

This will come as a positive sign considering the absence of any senior forward player on the Arsenal bench last week. Ethan Nwaneri was the only offensive option Arteta had to choose from and did not even come on as the Spaniard made just two changes in the game that saw his side narrowly claim the three points.

Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of Arsenal’s match with Brentford in the Premier League. He discussed the upcoming clash in west London and provided some insights into the team news.

The Gunners, following their 1-0 win over Ipswich Town on Friday, have the chance to close the gap to the top to just six points, although having played a game more than Liverpool. Chelsea’s subsequent defeat to Ipswich means Arsenal can move four clear of their London rivals.

Arteta was asked about the latest on Raheem Sterling in the absence of Bukayo Saka, his thoughts on Leandro Trossard’s demeanour in games and his importance, and also his latest thoughts on the challenge of chasing down Liverpool.

More games than ever before, how much have they grown since last year?

We are going to have to prove it. What we’ve proven that already this season, I’m sure of that. If this had happened last season, the number of games we’ve played with ten men, the injuries in the squad, for sure it would be difficult to be in the stages of the competition we are in now.

So, for sure, the team has made another step, the team is evolving and adapting to new circumstances and now we have another one with more games with less players. So, let’s face it.

Raheem back sooner than expected,

He was gutted because he had a good game against Palace here, he could have scored two goals and made an assist and in the end, he got injured in a training session. That was his opportunity because naturally, he would have played in that position. But knowing Raz, I think he will be back quite soon.

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has insisted he is concentrating on his current club despite rumours linking him to the likes of Arsenal.

Isak is in incredible form for the Magpies this season and has bagged 13 goals in 20 appearances so far this season. He was once again on the mark when Eddie Howe’s team cruised to a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday evening.

As such, the Swede has earned himself admiration from clubs looking to add a top quality centre-forward to their teams.

Arsenal are one of the sides believed to be interested in a move for Isak. In the summer, Mikel Arteta’s recruitment team forged a plan to find their perfect striker and the attributes they were looking for – pace, strength, physical prowess – matched that of Isak.

There has been talk though that Newcastle are so keen to keep hold of the Swede that they have slapped a price tag of £150m on him. When discussing his value to Eddie Howe’s team and potentially leaving, Isak was keen to dismiss the speculation.