SETTABLOID

Arsenal have been given a huge boost to their hopes of tying Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly down to new long-term contracts. The duo have established themselves as key players for the Gunners this season, and they look set to be rewarded for their contributions.

Nwaneri, who signed his first professional contract with Arsenal last year, has played 24 times across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing one assist. The England Under-19 international struggled to force himself into Mikel Arteta’s side at the start of the campaign, predominantly featuring from off the bench.

But, as Nwaneri continued to impress and more senior players picked up injury problems, he was given more opportunities. Meanwhile, Lewis-Skelly, who penned his first professional deal with the North Londoners in October 2023, has made 21 appearances, with 300 more minutes under his belt.

He suddenly became a regular in the first-team during the festive period when Arteta so desperately needed a new left-back. Arsenal may be seven points behind Liverpool in the title race, but they still have a shot at silverware thanks to Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners want to reward the teenager with new deals ‘as soon as possible’. The Italian journalist claims contract talks have already ‘advanced well’ for both players, who are very happy at the Emirates Stadium.

It’s said Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are satisfied with the long-term pathway offered at Arsenal, so key details will be discussed in the coming weeks. Romano adds that the Gunners want to ‘reward the duo financially as important things are coming’.

Arsenal have been given a huge boost to their hopes of signing Alexander Isak in the summer. The 25-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium on numerous occasions in the past, with interest dating back to his days at Real Sociedad.

Isak, who sees his contract at St. James’ Park expire in June 2028, has featured 23 times for Newcastle United in the Premier League this season, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists. Playing a key role in Eddie Howe’s side, the Sweden international has fired the Magpies into the top seven.

He has also helped Newcastle reach the Carabao Cup final, finding the net against Chelsea and Arsenal en-route to Wembley Stadium. Isak’s impressive performances haven’t gone under the radar, with numerous top clubs reportedly chasing his signature.

According to Spanish newspaper SPORT, Arsenal are joined by Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona in the race to sign the Swede, who’s been given a price tag in excess of €100m (£82.9m). The report states that Isak wants to ‘make a leap forward’ in the summer, so Newcastle are willing to let him leave Tyneside on two conditions.

SPORT claim the Magpies want a ‘fair proposal’ that matches the striker’s ‘market value’. The Spanish newspaper have also noted qualification to the Champions League as a major factor in Newcastle’s decision, with Howe eager to hold onto his talisman.

That said, speaking to Swedish publication Fotbal Skanalen in November, as quoted by 90min, Isak claimed he’s not thought about his future. He said: “Throughout my career, I have never talked about or really commented on the move rumours during the season.

Arsenal and Chelsea have been dealt a slight blow to their hopes of signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli. The 26-year-old striker was heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League in the summer, but a move failed to materialise so he joined Galatasaray on loan instead.

Osimhen, who sees his contract at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium expire in June 2026, has featured 18 times in the Süper Lig this season, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists. Playing a key role in Okan Buruk’s side, the Nigeria international has fired the Turkish giants to the top of the table – and they remain unbeaten.

His impressive performances for Galatasaray haven’t gone under the radar, and, with no option-to-buy inserted into his loan deal, clubs will have the chance to sign him permanently when the summer transfer window opens. While the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea may be tempted to make a move, Osimhen seems content in Istanbul.

After netting a brace in Galatasaray’s 2-1 win over Çaykur Rizespor on Monday night, the Nigerian marked the victory with a celebratory post on Instagram. Osimhen uploaded a handful of pictures from the clash, including one where he’s seen kissing the badge on his shirt.

Arsenal left it late to win their recent Premier League clash with Leicester City but will not care on jot as they took all three points home to north London. Mikel Merino was the hero on the day, scoring twice.

There were, therefore, plenty of discussions between supporters of whether to take the next step and Merino was at the centre of it. Liverpool’s win over Wolves means they restored the seven-point lead and with a midweek clash with Aston Villa to come, the gap could be even wider by the time Arsenal face West Ham this weekend.

However, the Gunners and Mikel Arteta just have to focus on themselves, take everything game by game and hope the gap closes. It could indeed even be in their own hands by next week if results fall their way.

David Raya will continue to start in goal after effectively being a spectator against the Foxes. Ahead of him, both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba will be expected to remain in the team.

The full-back positions, however, can experience some rotation with a trip to Nottingham to take on Forest coming just four days later. Arsenal have depth here with Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori able to switch in for Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly respectively.

FC Barcelona can reclaim pole position in the La Liga standings when they take on Rayo Vallecano in over an hour at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

With both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid dropping points this past weekend, the Blaugrana have been presented with an excellent opportunity to move back to the top of the table.

And, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has now unveiled the starting lineup that will be tasked with achieving the target tonight against Inigo Perez’s side.

Even though Ronald Araujo has recovered from his knock, Flick has opted to leave him on the bench and start with the centre-back pairing of Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez, with the former returning to the lineup in place of the Uruguayan.

Meanwhile, Hector Fort gets a rare start at right-back ahead of Jules Kounde while Alejandro Balde continues as the left-back for Barça with Wojciech Szczesny continuing to fulfil his duties as the preferred starter in goal.

In the middle of the park, Pedri retains his place as expected and is partnered with Frenkie de Jong once again, with Marc Casado being overlooked for yet another match.

Gavi starts as the No. 10 ahead of Dani Olmo, with Flick not opting to switch things in the attacking midfield position.

By the sounds of it, Arsenal could invest heavily on new signings this summer.

Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail recently claimed there is a sense within the Emirates Stadium that Arsenal are preparing for an unprecedented summer in the market.

RB Leipzig No.30 Benjamin Sesko has been strongly linked to Arsenal – while the Gunners are also seemingly in the driving seat to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.

Therefore, with Mokbel’s comment in mind, it is not outrageous to think Arsenal could sign Williams, Sesko and Zubimendi this summer if finances allow for such a spending spree.

Furthermore, Rice believes he could score 20 goals for Arsenal if he played up front.

In November, the England international was asked: “If you could swap positions for one game only where would you play and why?”

Rice replied: “Number nine, a big target man.”

The former West Ham United skipper was asked: “How many goals are you getting?”

Rice replied: “A season? 20 plus.”

Even if the Europa Conference League winner was overestimating himself, Havertz rates Rice highly in attacking positions and perhaps it might be worth the experiment for Mikel Arteta to play him as a striker.

After a January transfer window that ended without Arsenal adding a striker to their ranks, sights have immediately turned to the summer. The hope is that the club will indeed go big on a centre-forward but the big question remains: ‘Who?’

There are several options that Mikel Arteta and the future sporting director, who remains yet to be appointed, will have. There are some well-known to be of keen interest to the club, and certainly others the Gunners will have been secretly and unknowingly watching and will consider too.

It leaves us and supporters playing a guessing game and debating amongst ourselves who we feel is ultimately the best option for the side. The standout known quantities are Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko.

These are the pair most talked about regarding Arsenal, and the club have made approaches in the past, but neither one has come to fruition for various reasons. Isak was of interest to the club while at Real Sociedad; however, the steep release clause, which Newcastle United came close to paying, always seemed to put off the north London side.

In hindsight, Isak has been more than worth the £63million they paid to get him out of San Sebastian. It left Arsenal moving for Sesko last summer, but unable to guarantee starting minutes, he opted to resolve his future early, before the Euros, and sign a new deal with RB Leipzig.

It leaves fans still debating whom the club should sign. The bottom line appears to be that if Arsenal can get Isak and not compromise the other business that needs to be done, they absolutely should.

Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger believes teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri is ready to play a major role in the team, drawing comparisons to former club captain Cesc Fabregas.

The 17-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a breakthrough season, becoming a regular fixture in Mikel Arteta’s squad. Since making history as the Premier League’s youngest-ever debutant in 2022, Nwaneri has continued his rapid rise, netting seven goals in all competitions this season.

His latest performance came in Arsenal’s crucial 2-0 win over Leicester City, where he played a key role in setting up Mikel Merino’s first goal. With the Gunners short on attacking options following injuries to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli, Nwaneri is set for a more prominent role in the final stretch of the season.

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have been given a major boost as they can now sign Alexander Isak for a discounted fee, according to a report.

Isak is enjoying another fantastic season in front of goal, having found the back of the net 19 times in 29 appearances so far. The striker has scored twice against Arsenal this season and ran centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel ragged during their League Cup semi-final second leg on February 5.

Jamie Carragher has labelled Isak the best centre-forward in the Premier League this season, while Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Sweden international is Arsenal’s dream target to fill the void at No 9, with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko another option.

Arsenal have previously been put off moving for Isak by Newcastle United demanding a remarkable fee of £150million (€180m / $189m) for him.

As per Catalan outlet Sport, Isak could be available for a far more reasonable fee of €100m (£83.3m / $105m) this summer.

Newcastle will be forced to drop their asking price significantly if they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The Magpies know that Isak is determined to shine in the competition and establish himself as one of the best strikers in the world.

While the Premier League looks set to be given an extra Champions League spot, there is still a possibility Newcastle will miss out on qualification. Following their 4-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, Eddie Howe’s side sit seventh.

Newcastle will have to fend off the likes of Bournemouth, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Fulham in order to make Europe’s premier knockout competition.