Arsenal’s season is hanging by a thread after defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Mikel Arteta has little under a week to make his preparations to overcome a first-leg deficit and to keep hopes of silverware alive.
First, the Gunners have a game with Bournemouth on the horizon when they welcome the Cherries to the Emirates. The north London side are closing to securing second spot in the Premier League but could be forgiven for having one eye on the Champions League.
There will even be some at the Emirates looking further ahead as the transfer window approaches. A new forward will be on the agenda in the summer as Andrea Berta takes charge of the ins and outs at the club for the first time.
Mirror Football takes a look at the latest news and rumours surrounding Arsnela.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia has name-checked Arsenal as a club who hoped to sign him last summer. The Espanyol shotstopper was the subject of two bids from the Gunners, who were unwilling to pay his release clause at that time.
Garcia has a release clause of €25million (£20.8m), which rises to €30m (£25m) in the last 15 days of the transfer window, and is said to be the subject of interest of Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester United. But the 23-year-old is unconcerned about the future, until something more concrete arrives.
“There was lots of interest last summer, above all from Arsenal, but I stayed here and from then on I have been 100% focused on this campaign,” Garcia said.
“We all know the situation, not just mine, but of the club, and anything can happen. But the future will tell and we will worry about it when the time comes.”
William Saliba has issued a rallying call to his Arsenal team-mates as the French defender looks towards overcoming PSG next week. The Gunners star admitted that his side struggled in the opening exchanges but is adamant the tie is not over.
“We struggled a lot in the first 20 minutes,” Saliba told French broadcaster Canal+, as per Get French Football News. “They ate us a bit.
“We did a lot of running, chasing the ball. We were better at the end of the first half.
“It’s not over. We hope to win there. We need to take the positive, we can’t give up. It’s the Champions League. A lot can happen. We’ll need to show our character.”
Thierry Henry has offer an intriguing reminder to Arsenal following the Gunners’ defeat to PSG. The Arsenal legend pointed to how the Parisian side succumbed to Barcelona last season as cause for hope.
Henry told CBS Sports: “There is another tie. PSG were much superior, in my opinion, in this match. There are a lot of things that need to change for Arsenal to beat PSG. You never know what can happen.
“I’m thinking of PSG against Barcelona last season. Everyone thought it was over, but they ultimately won the return leg easily.”
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