Arsenal news LIVE: Smith Rowe England CALL UP, Ferguson BLASTS Wenger Out fans, Vlahovic transfer race with Tottenham
November 8, 2021EMILE SMITH ROWE has seen his fine form this season rewarded in his first England call up.
Gareth Southgate has picked the Gunners star for the internationals against Albania and San Marino.
Meanwhile, Gunners fans have been given the hairdryer treatment by former rival boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Fergie has laid into the Wenger Out brigade, which he sees as having got the legendary Gunners boss sacked in 2018.
We've also the very latest on Dusan Vlahovic, with Arsenal reportedly battling with North London rivals Tottenham for his signature.
And in a boost for Arteta, Granix Xhaka has returned to training as he continues his comeback from a knee injury.
Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
- Anthony Chapman
VAR FETCHED IDEA
VAR is like Marmite… you either love it or hate it.
But what would the Premier League table look like without the controversial officiating system?
Check it out below!
- Anthony Chapman
FROM THE HEART
Arsene Wenger admits he should have left Arsenal at some stage during his managerial career.
The Frenchman revealed: “I should have gone somewhere else. My fatal flaw was that I loved too much where I was.
“I identified myself completely with Arsenal and that was the mistake I regret. But now there is no special reason for me to go there.
“I could have gone to the French national team, the English national team three times, I could have gone twice to Real Madrid, to Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and even to Manchester United.”
- Anthony Chapman
GIFT OF GAB
Arsenal defender Gabriel is another set to make his international bow.
The centre-back has been called up by Brazil for the first time.
Gabriel has formed a top partnership at the back with Ben White.
And he will be hoping to get his first cap this month.
- Anthony Chapman
THREE LIONS BLOW
Emile Smith Rowe was called up by England after Marcus Rashford, James Ward-Prowse, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw did not report for international duty.
Rashford is staying with Manchester United to focus on regaining full fitness after his recent injury issues while Southampton skipper Ward-Prowse misses out through illness.
Mount’s arrival has been delayed due to recent dental surgery and he will continue to be monitored in the coming days.
While Shaw is currently following concussion protocol at United.
- Anthony Chapman
ROWE YOUR BOAT
Emile Smith Rowe has been given a first call-up to England's senior squad.
The Gunners playmaker will link up with Gareth Southgate's men for upcoming internationals against Albania and San Marino.
Smith Rowe could even be set to line up alongside club pal Bukayo Saka for the Three Lions on Friday.
And it is a just reward for his fine form under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal this season.
- Anthony Chapman
OUT OF LAC
Newcastle face a fight to sign Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette with defending LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid keen on a free transfer, reports say.
The 30-year-old is out of contract next summer and can agree a pre-contract with foreign clubs from January 1.
And according to Spanish outlet La Razon, Atletico could turn to Lacazette as a cheaper alternative to RB Salzburg wonderkid Karim Adeyemi.
The 19-year-old is hot property and is being tracked by a number of Europe's elite.
Atletico, however, have an issue with his price tag – which is believed to be between 30 and 40million euros.
And Lacazette on a free could be an effective short-term fix.
- Anthony Chapman
GUNNING FOR GLORY
Arsenal would be top of the Premier League if the season had started in September.
The Gunners have won the most points so far if results from August are ignored.
- Justin Lawrence
AAR YOU KIDDING ME?
Juventus are looking into TERMINATING former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey’s contract with the midfielder not in boss Massimiliano Allegri’s plans, reports say.
The 30-year-old has played just 112 minutes of football for the Old Lady this season.
Ramsey has been played in a number of roles, but hasn’t manage to stamp down a first-team place.
And according to Calciomercato, Juve are looking into the possibility of shifting the Welsh star off the books in January.
Juve, however, realise they most likely won’t be able to sell Ramsey – so they will have to work on an agreement to cancel his contract.
- Justin Lawrence
BACK TO NORMAL
Prem club chiefs will this week discuss a potential return to “normal” for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Clubs have opted to keep all match media briefings and interviews online since Project restart in June of last year.
While Watford unveiled boss Claudio Ranieri in a “real” event at Vicarage Road, that has been a rare situation.
League bosses remain aware of the consequences of a covid outbreak forcing matches to be cancelled in what is a ludicrously tight calendar with little or no room for postponed matches to be rescheduled.
All of last week’s pre-match events for non rights holders were conducted remotely, despite the mass vaccination campaign.
It has led to TV and media interviews on match days conducted through laptops with reporters sat in the stands and often struggling to hear answers because of the noise from mowers and other ground equipment.
But a potential timetable for getting back to the pre-covid world is up for discussion at Thursday’s “shareholder” meeting of the 20 clubs.
League bosses feel they have been successful in pushing the vaccination message to clubs and players, despite social media scare stories that saw some stars reluctant to get jabbed.
A full re-opening of training grounds and stadium media press conference rooms would be a further signal that the battle with the virus is being won, especially with more than 10m booster shots already given in the UK and children over 12 also receiving free injections.
The club bosses met in person for the first time since the outbreak in September and will again gather on Thursday.
Other issues include an update on the temporary rules restricting owner sponsorship of clubs amid continuing issues raised by the Newcastle takeover, the contentious “owners charter” and an expected confirmation of the next six-year US broadcast deal.
- Justin Lawrence
STOP RON
Arsenal star Ben White is relishing the chance of going up against Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.
The defender revealed that facing the United striker at a packed out Theatre Of Dreams will be the highlight of his season.
When Arsenal asked him what team he was looking forward to facing, White said: “I think probably the United game.
"I want to play against Cristiano Ronaldo. I’ve played at Old Trafford before, but not when it was full.
“It would be a great experience. In fact I’ve been there to watch a game, when they played Chelsea a few years ago, because my uncle is a United fan so he took me along.
"But playing there in front of a big crowd is what I really want to do.”
- Justin Lawrence
RAM JOB
Ex-Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder reckons Aaron Ramsdale would've kept him in a job if he produced the same saves for the Blades like he has for Arsenal, according to Trevor Sinclair.
Sinclair claims Wilder made the admission to him whilst they watching the Gunners play Leicester in the match where Ramsdale arguably pulled of the save of the season.
Sinclair told talkSPORT: “I was at the Leicester game and even the goalkeeper, I doubted his ability. Aaron Ramsdale, when I was at the King Power Stadium made that worldie save.
“Actually, on the day when we were broadcasting we had Chris Wilder behind us. He was broadcasting for a different broadcaster and at half-time we had a little chat.
“I’m like, ‘wow, he’s playing well, what a save that is’. And Chris Wilder said, ‘listen, if he’d played like that for me I might still be in a job’."
- Justin Lawrence
NO BANTER
Ex-Tottenham star Jamie O'Hara has eaten humble pie and praised Arsenal for their remarkable turn-around this season.
The Gunners started the campaign dismally and O'Hara slammed Mikel Arteta's side, labelling them 'Banter FC'.
But since then, Arsenal have gone on an incredible 10-game unbeaten run
And O'Hara said to talkSPORT: “I was critical of Arsenal at the start of the season by calling them ‘Banter FC’.
“Now, all of a sudden, the tide has turned.
“They are playing with confidence and playing with belief and they’re getting results."
- Justin Lawrence
RIGHT DECISION
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher agrees with Arsenal's decision to not return the ball to Watford before scoring.
Watford star Danny Rose hit put the ball out of play so that his teammate Ozan Tufan could get treatment.
The Hornets expected the Gunners to hand them back the ball but they didn't and instead went on to score through Emile Smith Rowe.
And Gallagher reckons the Gunners were in the right to do so despite Watford boss Claudio Ranieri's anger over the situation.
He said to Sky Sports: "If you kick it out, you presume you're going to get the ball back. If it doesn't come back, the referee is powerless.
"It has to be a player's decision to do it; Arsenal chose not to do it and that's their choice."
- Justin Lawrence
KAN LOVE
Arsenal legend Nwankwo Kanu has praised his former side after their 1-0 win over Watford.
Kanu, who was at The Emirates to witness the Gunners win took to Twitter to hail the club after the game.
He wrote: "KAN U believe it? 3 points in the bag. Common Arsenal. Congratulations #Coyg #arsvswatford."
- Justin Lawrence
ARTETA APOLOGY
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has apologised to Watford boss Claudio Ranieri after their spat on the weekend.
Ranieri was fuming after Arsenal scored the game's only goal when he feels the Gunners should've given his team back the ball following an injury to one of his stars.
However, that wasn't the case and Ranieri made his feelings clear about the situation.
And now, Arteta has come out to smooth things over with the Italian,
He said: "I have to defend my players, my team and my club.
"I would say we are the most honest [of] all of them, and at some stages we can even become naïve.
"But still, if he feels like that towards our club, I have to apologise if that’s the case. But for sure there was not any intention to take advantage."
- Justin Lawrence
IN THE PAST
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has put his Arsenal woes behind him and is fully focused on his future with the club.
Maitland-Niles tried to force through a loan move to Everton in the summer and even took to Instagram to express his desire.
However, after his sterling display against Watford for the Gunners yesterday, the 24-year-old has had a change of heart.
Speaking on his desire to leave North London in the summer, he said: “That’s all in the past now."
And when asked about his future plans, Maitland-Niles added: “I am just thinking about the future and what’s ahead of me.
"It was great to be out there today, getting my minutes, and hopefully there is more to come.
“Yeah [I’m] always happy to be on the pitch and play, it’s a good feeling.
Of course I’m looking for more minutes, I just need to keep my head down and keep going and working hard.”
- Justin Lawrence
'CLEVER BOY'
Mikel Arteta hailed Ainsley Maitland-Niles as a ‘different player’ after Arsenal’s hard-fought victory over Watford.
The versatile Gunners man was sent on loan to West Brom last season as he searched for regular football in his preferred midfield position.
Arsenal blocked a similar move to Everton this term, which irritated their academy product as he demanded to go ‘where I’m wanted and where I’m going to play’.
But with Thomas Partey injured, the 24-year-old was given his chance in the 1-0 win and Arteta was impressed by what he saw.
The Arsenal boss said: “First of all, I see a different player in terms of his urgency, his commitment, the clarity in his play, his purpose.
“Since we made the decision (to keep him), it was clear what I was seeing that I wanted him to stay, because he was going to be useful.
“He has a huge talent because he’s versatile enough to adapt to almost any position on the pitch.
“Today we made use of him to do what he had to do in the game, which was really important."
- Justin Lawrence
NO HAIRDRYER
Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he wasn't a fan of former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's infamous hairdryer treatment.
Fergie was renowned for losing his temper with his United players if they performed poorly in what was coined as 'the hairdryer treatment.'
But Wenger preferred to be more gentle with his stars to get the best out of them.
He told The Guardian: “I felt always that the most important thing is that you get a good diagnosis of what’s going on.
“The hairdryer method [screaming at your players] is more to get your frustrations out – and it’s not very efficient.
"If you do that every week, people adapt to the behaviour of their manager. I thought it’s more important to be kind, master the situation and give an indication of what you should do."
- Justin Lawrence
ARSENE SUPPORT
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed he will support the club forever despite not returning to The Emirates since his exit.
Speaking to The Guardian, the Frenchman said: "I will support the club until the end of my life, because I think I contributed a lot to what the club is today.
“I suffered a lot. I sweat a lot for every stone that is in the stadium and I sacrificed the best years of my life to do that. So I won’t renege on that. I will support this club for ever.”
But despite his adulation for the Gunners, Wenger doubts he'll get time to visit the stadium this season due to his hectic schedule.
However, he does plan head to North London at some point in the future.
Wenger added: “This season? I don’t know. Because I travel a lot, you know, and I have a very, very busy schedule. But at some stage, why not?”
- Justin Lawrence
WILSHERE PRAISE
Arsenal legend Jack Wilshere has praised the Gunners for showing strength to see off Watford on the weekend.
The Gunners fought off a resilient Watford team to secure a 1-0 win, and Wilshere reckons the North London club would have had trouble doing so in the past.
He said after the match: “Watford’s game plan was to come and try to bully them almost and they stood up to that,” said Wilshere.
“In the past, Arsenal teams have been questioned when teams have done that to them – they might’ve got a point. A big three points for them.”
- Justin Lawrence
ARSENE SHAME
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has blasted Arsenal’s fans for hounding out ex-boss Arsene Wenger.
Fergie reckons the Gooners should feel ashamed for how they treated the Frenchman who kept them in Europe throughout his tenure.
Fergie made his feelings clear in the new film, Arsene Wenger: Invincible.
The Scotsman said: “He kept them in Europe every year and yet he was criticised. The supporters should be ashamed
“Arsene and myself are dinosaurs, but we didn’t do so badly.
“I won 13 leagues but I was never near going through a season undefeated. The achievement stands above everything else, and it was Arsene’s.”
- Justin Lawrence
HEC-TIC ENDING
Arsenal loanee Hector Bellerin scored a HORROR own goal to seal boyhood club Real Betis' 2-0 defeat to Sevilla.
Sevilla were leading 1-0 heading into the final ten minutes of the LaLiga clash.
And right-back Gonzalo Montiel found himself in acres of space down Betis' left-hand side.
The Argentine whipped an inviting cross into the box, which both forward Rafa Mir and Betis defender German Pezzella somehow missed.
Bellerin was in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was unable to adjust his feet in time to prevent planting the ball into the back of his own net.
- Justin Lawrence
NO PROBLEM
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has no plans to stop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang taking penalties after his glaring spot-kick miss against Watford.
Instead, Arteta plans to work with the striker to ensure he hits the net in future from six yards out.
Speaking after the Gunners 1-0 win over the Hornets, Arteta said: “He will stay on penalties if he is happy to do so.
“You will miss if you take penalties, that is part of your career and the job and we will try to help him.”
- Justin Lawrence
WRIGHT CHOICE
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has defended Emile Smith Rowe's goal against Watford after criticism from Claudio Ranieri.
Smith Rowe opened the scoring for the Gunners but his strike was shrouded in controversy.
Hornets ace Ozan Tufan was hurt which led to his teammate Danny Rose putting the ball out of play.
However, the Gunners didn't give them the ball back – resulting in Smith Rowes goal shortly after and Ranieri's ensuing fury.
But Wright doesn't think his former club done anything wrong in the situation.
He told Premier League Productions: “There’s nothing wrong with him (Ozan Tufan) in the end, there’s nothing wrong with him.
“I am sorry, plus people will say it’s Arsenal so I am biased. If there’s something wrong with you, then stay down and then you go through what you normally do.”
- Justin Lawrence
BYE-BURY
Arsene Wenger has admitted for the first time that he regrets dedicating so much of his life to Arsenal.
And he claims he has no reason to return to the club where he was sacked after 22 years in charge.
The Frenchman, 72, rejected job offers from some of the biggest clubs in the world before being asked to leave in 2018.
He has never returned to the Emirates and now cannot help wonder what might have been if he followed his instinct to leave when things started to fall apart in 2007.
In a revealing new documentary released this week, Wenger said: “I should have gone somewhere else. My fatal flaw was that I loved too much where I was.
“I identified myself completely with Arsenal and that was the mistake I regret. But now there is no special reason for me to go there.
“I could have gone to the French national team, the English national team three times, I could have gone twice to Real Madrid, to Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and even to Manchester United.”
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