Arsenal are believed to be looking at making a move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in January, sources familiar with the matter have claimed. This comes after the Premier League club made three bids for the Brazilian in September 2022, all of which were rejected by Villa.

Luiz is viewed as a key player by Villa, with the club handing him a new contract through 2026. He has started in all 13 of the team’s Premier League matches so far this season, with the club rising to fourth place, which would secure UEFA Champions League qualification should they be able to retain this position.

For Arsenal, the pursuit of Luiz could be a financially straining one, given the club’s limited funds after spending over £200 million during the summer. The club is also waiting to confirm the future of Thomas Partey, who may depart the club in the January transfer window.

The post Arsenal Target Douglas Luiz in January Transfer Window appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Mikel Arteta insists on remaining calm following Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat at home to Manchester City in Wednesday night’s Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium. According to the Arsenal manager, a “psychological marathon” lies ahead in the race to the Premier League title.

By grabbing this crucial away victory, Man City has replaced Arsenal as Premier League leaders, tieing with the Gunners on 51 points each but remaining ahead on goal difference. Arsenal does, however, still have a game in hand, meaning that the top spot remains within reach if Arteta can motivate his team to bounce back.

“Psychologically there is a marathon still out there,” Arteta commented. “So psychologically [the title] is very far. I said it three months ago and I said it today, it’s about tomorrow. The most important thing is how we are tomorrow and focus on that because the rest of the things, we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Man City boss Pep Guardiola agreed with Arteta’s view, stating that there is still a long way to go in the title race. Guardiola believes that the title race may be decided when City and the Gunners face off at the Etihad Stadium in April.

The post Arteta Calls for Cool Heads Following Crucial Arsenal Loss to Man City appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Alexandre Lacazette has returned to Lyon, signing a three-year deal with the club. This comes after the striker’s five-year contract with the Premier League team Arsenal lapsed at the end of the season.

Prior to his contract’s expiry, Lacazette revealed that he was in talks with multiple clubs about a potential move, thereby hinting that his time with the Gunners was coming to an end. It is believed that the French international’s decision to leave was initially sparked by his desire to play for a team that is competing in the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal finished in fifth place in the Premier League this season, thereby narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot.

A statement by Lyon on Lacazette’s return to the club read as follows: “Lacazette’s return to the club, having played more than 200 times for Arsenal over the course of five seasons [71 goals] has been the club’s priority for many months and he fits in perfectly with the environment and the new strategy that the institution wishes to put into place.”

During his time at Arsenal, Lacazette won both the FA Cup and the Community Shield. He was the club’s top scorer in the 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons and has made it into the club’s top 10 Premier League all-time scorers’ charts.

The post Lacazette Returns to Lyon on Free Transfer appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta fired back at claims made by goalkeeper Bernd Leno regarding Leno’s place in the team. Leno accused Arteta of keeping him in the dark in terms of team selection and replacing him with Aaron Ramsdale as the first-choice Arsenal goalkeeper. Leno hasn’t played a Premier League match for the Gunners since August 28, when his side was thumped 5-0 by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

Leno was approached by German newspaper Sport Bild on Wednesday, to whom he gave the following statement: “There was no clear reason why I was out, but it had nothing to do with my performance.”

Mikel Arteta responded to Leno’s claims by stating by rejecting the notion that Leno has been left in the dark while also advising the German national to rather concentrate on developing his goalkeeping talents in order to regain the number one keeper’s spot.

Arteta furthermore revealed: “I had a very clear conversation with him 48 hours before I was going to make the decision. Obviously, any conversation I have with him is completely private and I’m not going to speak with any media about it.”

The post Mikel Arteta Responds to Bernd Leno Claims appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Premier League side Arsenal is set to be spread thin in the midfield, with club veteran Granit Xhaka ruled out of action for three months following a serious medial knee ligament injury that was incurred during the Gunners’ Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.

After a strong tackle from Spurs player Lucas Moura in the 82nd minute, the 29-year-old Xhaka had to be substituted. Fortunately for Arsenal, the loss of Xhaka had little impact on the final result, with the Gunners coming away with a resounding 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Following the North London side’s victory against their local rivals, the club released the following statement on Xhaka’s condition: “Further to injuring his right knee during Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, assessments and scans have confirmed that Granit Xhaka suffered a significant injury to his medial knee ligament. Granit’s recovery and rehabilitation program will start immediately and we are aiming for him to be back in action in approximately three months.”

The Swiss national was linked with a move to Serie A side Roma during the summer transfer window, but such speculation was shut down once he signed a one-year contract extension to keep him with Arsenal for the duration of the 2021-22 season.

The post Arsenal Set Back By Granit Xhaka Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending the past year in limbo on an Arsenal side that decided that they no longer wanted him, attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil has now found a new home in Turkey.

Ozil is currently in Istanbul, working on finalizing a transfer that will see him move to Turkish side Fenerbahce. According to reports, he terminated his contract with Arsenal early and signed a deal with his new club for the next three seasons.

Despite being a key member of Arsenal over the better part of the last decade, Ozil was left out of all matchday squads for the team in the 2020-21 season after seeing limited playing time the season before.

All in all, the former Germany international player leaves Arsenal after having scored 44 goals and provided 77 assists in 254 matches.

With his new team, which is currently in competition for top honors in the Super Lig and just three points behind first-place Beskitas, Ozil is expected to be the star of the squad and a key piece for their Champions League title push.

Expect Fenerbahce’s newest signing to begin training immediately and make his debut for his new team at some point over the next couple of weeks.

The post Mesut Ozil Makes Move to Fenerbahce appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Just before the clock struck midnight and the wacky summer 2020 transfer window closed, Arsenal made a big move to sign Ghana international midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal paid Partey’s $59 million release clause on Monday evening after agreeing to contract and personal terms with the experienced player. That gave them free rein to sign a new player which should be a solid addition to the team’s midfield.

Partey, who is 27 years old, spent the past five seasons as a regular for the Colchoneros, helping them reach the 2016 Champions League final and win the 2018 UEFA Europa League.

The Ghana vice-captain played in 132 total league matches with Atletico during his tenure there, scoring 12 goals and recording 7 assists. His impact was most strongly felt as a defensive end, anchoring the back of an Atletico midfield that consistently ranked as one of the top defensive sides in Spain.

Partey is expected to step into the same defensive midfield role with the Gunners, where he will try to become an improvement over Granit Xhaka.

The Ghanaian midfielder will now fly to Turkey to join his national team for their AFCON qualifiers before returning to London for training ahead of their match next weekend against Manchester City.

The post Arsenal Makes Splash to Sign Thomas Partey at Transfer Deadline appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the much-awaited North London derby, Arsenal hosted Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with the hosts clearly unsatisfied with their inability to capitalize on their home ground advantage.

The Gunners were clearly the team in the driving seat at the start of the match, however, it was Spurs who grabbed the early 10th-minute lead. Arsenal stopper Leno was unable to keep a hold of the ball after parrying a strong Lamela strike, and midfielder Eriksen was perfectly placed to capitalize on the rebound.

Despite further dominance from the Gunners, a foul by Xhaka resulted in a 40th-minute penalty to Spurs, which Harry Kane put away to double the visitors’ lead against the run of play.

Moments before the half time break, Arsenal finally reap the rewards of their efforts as Alexandre Lacazette fired home a goal with his left foot.

From the start of the second half, it was one-way traffic as usual, as Arsenal found their way into the Spurs’ penalty box on numerous occasions. While they enjoyed a number of prime goal-scoring opportunities, The Gunners were denied time and again by the excellent goalkeeping of Hugo Lloris.

Finally, the Gunners’ home fans could blow a sigh of relief, as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tap in drew Arsenal level, securing a point for the Gunners.

The post All Square as Arsenal Draw With Spurs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long period of negotiations and counter-offers, Arsenal finally won the race to sign Lille winger Nicolas Pepe on Thursday.

Arsenal came out on top after battling for Pepe’s services with other European giants such as Paris St-Germain and Manchester United. Their $93 million bid and their contract offer won out, and Pepe was announced as a Gunner on Thursday.

The Ivory Coast international is considered to be one of the top young wingers in soccer. After coming up through the Poitiers youth academy in relative obscurity and then gradually making moves to bigger French clubs such as Angers and Orleans, Pepe burst onto the scene after joining Lille on an $11.1 million transfer in 2017.

The right-winger scored 35 goals in only 74 matches with the Great Danes, impressing with his agility, velocity, and strong left foot. He was unstoppable with Lille in its 2018-19 Ligue 1 campaign, which finished with a 2nd place slot in the league, scoring 22 goals and recording 11 assists.

Now, Pepe will have the opportunity to play Premier League soccer and establish himself as Unai Emery’s biggest offensive weapons. Pressure will be high on the 24-year-old, but he undoubtedly has all of the tools to succeed at one of England’s most legendary clubs.

The post Arsenal Wins Race to Sign Lille Winger Nicolas Pepe appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the two first legs of the Europa League’s semi-final matchups, Arsenal grabbed an important home win and Chelsea picked up a valuable road draw.

Arsenal faced Valencia at home in the first leg of the teams’ matchup, and they left Emirates Stadium happy with a 3-1 victory.

Valencia tasted first blood after Mouctar Diakhaby scored a 10th-minute goal to give his team a 0-1 lead. Arsenal then scored three of its own, however, with Alexandre Lacazette bagging a brace before halftime.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a stoppage-time goal to sentence the encounter with a 3-1 final.

In the Chelsea matchup, they drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt on the road.

Eintracht Frankfurt found the net first when talented striker Luka Jovic scored in the 21st minute, but then Chelsea found the net after a Pedro goal to tie the game up just before the half.

The game ended with this 1-1 result, putting Chelsea in a favorable position to win and advance to the final in Baku.

The second leg of the matchups will be played next Thursday in Valencia and London, respectively.

The post Arsenal Wins, Chelsea Draws in Europa League Semi-Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Arsenal are believed to be looking at making a move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in January, sources familiar with the matter have claimed. This comes after the Premier League club made three bids for the Brazilian in September 2022, all of which were rejected by Villa.

Luiz is viewed as a key player by Villa, with the club handing him a new contract through 2026. He has started in all 13 of the team’s Premier League matches so far this season, with the club rising to fourth place, which would secure UEFA Champions League qualification should they be able to retain this position.

For Arsenal, the pursuit of Luiz could be a financially straining one, given the club’s limited funds after spending over £200 million during the summer. The club is also waiting to confirm the future of Thomas Partey, who may depart the club in the January transfer window.

The post Arsenal Target Douglas Luiz in January Transfer Window appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Mikel Arteta insists on remaining calm following Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat at home to Manchester City in Wednesday night’s Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium. According to the Arsenal manager, a “psychological marathon” lies ahead in the race to the Premier League title.

By grabbing this crucial away victory, Man City has replaced Arsenal as Premier League leaders, tieing with the Gunners on 51 points each but remaining ahead on goal difference. Arsenal does, however, still have a game in hand, meaning that the top spot remains within reach if Arteta can motivate his team to bounce back.

“Psychologically there is a marathon still out there,” Arteta commented. “So psychologically [the title] is very far. I said it three months ago and I said it today, it’s about tomorrow. The most important thing is how we are tomorrow and focus on that because the rest of the things, we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Man City boss Pep Guardiola agreed with Arteta’s view, stating that there is still a long way to go in the title race. Guardiola believes that the title race may be decided when City and the Gunners face off at the Etihad Stadium in April.

The post Arteta Calls for Cool Heads Following Crucial Arsenal Loss to Man City appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Alexandre Lacazette has returned to Lyon, signing a three-year deal with the club. This comes after the striker’s five-year contract with the Premier League team Arsenal lapsed at the end of the season.

Prior to his contract’s expiry, Lacazette revealed that he was in talks with multiple clubs about a potential move, thereby hinting that his time with the Gunners was coming to an end. It is believed that the French international’s decision to leave was initially sparked by his desire to play for a team that is competing in the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal finished in fifth place in the Premier League this season, thereby narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot.

A statement by Lyon on Lacazette’s return to the club read as follows: “Lacazette’s return to the club, having played more than 200 times for Arsenal over the course of five seasons [71 goals] has been the club’s priority for many months and he fits in perfectly with the environment and the new strategy that the institution wishes to put into place.”

During his time at Arsenal, Lacazette won both the FA Cup and the Community Shield. He was the club’s top scorer in the 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons and has made it into the club’s top 10 Premier League all-time scorers’ charts.

The post Lacazette Returns to Lyon on Free Transfer appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta fired back at claims made by goalkeeper Bernd Leno regarding Leno’s place in the team. Leno accused Arteta of keeping him in the dark in terms of team selection and replacing him with Aaron Ramsdale as the first-choice Arsenal goalkeeper. Leno hasn’t played a Premier League match for the Gunners since August 28, when his side was thumped 5-0 by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

Leno was approached by German newspaper Sport Bild on Wednesday, to whom he gave the following statement: “There was no clear reason why I was out, but it had nothing to do with my performance.”

Mikel Arteta responded to Leno’s claims by stating by rejecting the notion that Leno has been left in the dark while also advising the German national to rather concentrate on developing his goalkeeping talents in order to regain the number one keeper’s spot.

Arteta furthermore revealed: “I had a very clear conversation with him 48 hours before I was going to make the decision. Obviously, any conversation I have with him is completely private and I’m not going to speak with any media about it.”

The post Mikel Arteta Responds to Bernd Leno Claims appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Premier League side Arsenal is set to be spread thin in the midfield, with club veteran Granit Xhaka ruled out of action for three months following a serious medial knee ligament injury that was incurred during the Gunners’ Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.

After a strong tackle from Spurs player Lucas Moura in the 82nd minute, the 29-year-old Xhaka had to be substituted. Fortunately for Arsenal, the loss of Xhaka had little impact on the final result, with the Gunners coming away with a resounding 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Following the North London side’s victory against their local rivals, the club released the following statement on Xhaka’s condition: “Further to injuring his right knee during Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, assessments and scans have confirmed that Granit Xhaka suffered a significant injury to his medial knee ligament. Granit’s recovery and rehabilitation program will start immediately and we are aiming for him to be back in action in approximately three months.”

The Swiss national was linked with a move to Serie A side Roma during the summer transfer window, but such speculation was shut down once he signed a one-year contract extension to keep him with Arsenal for the duration of the 2021-22 season.

The post Arsenal Set Back By Granit Xhaka Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending the past year in limbo on an Arsenal side that decided that they no longer wanted him, attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil has now found a new home in Turkey.

Ozil is currently in Istanbul, working on finalizing a transfer that will see him move to Turkish side Fenerbahce. According to reports, he terminated his contract with Arsenal early and signed a deal with his new club for the next three seasons.

Despite being a key member of Arsenal over the better part of the last decade, Ozil was left out of all matchday squads for the team in the 2020-21 season after seeing limited playing time the season before.

All in all, the former Germany international player leaves Arsenal after having scored 44 goals and provided 77 assists in 254 matches.

With his new team, which is currently in competition for top honors in the Super Lig and just three points behind first-place Beskitas, Ozil is expected to be the star of the squad and a key piece for their Champions League title push.

Expect Fenerbahce’s newest signing to begin training immediately and make his debut for his new team at some point over the next couple of weeks.

The post Mesut Ozil Makes Move to Fenerbahce appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Just before the clock struck midnight and the wacky summer 2020 transfer window closed, Arsenal made a big move to sign Ghana international midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal paid Partey’s $59 million release clause on Monday evening after agreeing to contract and personal terms with the experienced player. That gave them free rein to sign a new player which should be a solid addition to the team’s midfield.

Partey, who is 27 years old, spent the past five seasons as a regular for the Colchoneros, helping them reach the 2016 Champions League final and win the 2018 UEFA Europa League.

The Ghana vice-captain played in 132 total league matches with Atletico during his tenure there, scoring 12 goals and recording 7 assists. His impact was most strongly felt as a defensive end, anchoring the back of an Atletico midfield that consistently ranked as one of the top defensive sides in Spain.

Partey is expected to step into the same defensive midfield role with the Gunners, where he will try to become an improvement over Granit Xhaka.

The Ghanaian midfielder will now fly to Turkey to join his national team for their AFCON qualifiers before returning to London for training ahead of their match next weekend against Manchester City.

The post Arsenal Makes Splash to Sign Thomas Partey at Transfer Deadline appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the much-awaited North London derby, Arsenal hosted Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with the hosts clearly unsatisfied with their inability to capitalize on their home ground advantage.

The Gunners were clearly the team in the driving seat at the start of the match, however, it was Spurs who grabbed the early 10th-minute lead. Arsenal stopper Leno was unable to keep a hold of the ball after parrying a strong Lamela strike, and midfielder Eriksen was perfectly placed to capitalize on the rebound.

Despite further dominance from the Gunners, a foul by Xhaka resulted in a 40th-minute penalty to Spurs, which Harry Kane put away to double the visitors’ lead against the run of play.

Moments before the half time break, Arsenal finally reap the rewards of their efforts as Alexandre Lacazette fired home a goal with his left foot.

From the start of the second half, it was one-way traffic as usual, as Arsenal found their way into the Spurs’ penalty box on numerous occasions. While they enjoyed a number of prime goal-scoring opportunities, The Gunners were denied time and again by the excellent goalkeeping of Hugo Lloris.

Finally, the Gunners’ home fans could blow a sigh of relief, as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tap in drew Arsenal level, securing a point for the Gunners.

The post All Square as Arsenal Draw With Spurs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long period of negotiations and counter-offers, Arsenal finally won the race to sign Lille winger Nicolas Pepe on Thursday.

Arsenal came out on top after battling for Pepe’s services with other European giants such as Paris St-Germain and Manchester United. Their $93 million bid and their contract offer won out, and Pepe was announced as a Gunner on Thursday.

The Ivory Coast international is considered to be one of the top young wingers in soccer. After coming up through the Poitiers youth academy in relative obscurity and then gradually making moves to bigger French clubs such as Angers and Orleans, Pepe burst onto the scene after joining Lille on an $11.1 million transfer in 2017.

The right-winger scored 35 goals in only 74 matches with the Great Danes, impressing with his agility, velocity, and strong left foot. He was unstoppable with Lille in its 2018-19 Ligue 1 campaign, which finished with a 2nd place slot in the league, scoring 22 goals and recording 11 assists.

Now, Pepe will have the opportunity to play Premier League soccer and establish himself as Unai Emery’s biggest offensive weapons. Pressure will be high on the 24-year-old, but he undoubtedly has all of the tools to succeed at one of England’s most legendary clubs.

The post Arsenal Wins Race to Sign Lille Winger Nicolas Pepe appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the two first legs of the Europa League’s semi-final matchups, Arsenal grabbed an important home win and Chelsea picked up a valuable road draw.

Arsenal faced Valencia at home in the first leg of the teams’ matchup, and they left Emirates Stadium happy with a 3-1 victory.

Valencia tasted first blood after Mouctar Diakhaby scored a 10th-minute goal to give his team a 0-1 lead. Arsenal then scored three of its own, however, with Alexandre Lacazette bagging a brace before halftime.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a stoppage-time goal to sentence the encounter with a 3-1 final.

In the Chelsea matchup, they drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt on the road.

Eintracht Frankfurt found the net first when talented striker Luka Jovic scored in the 21st minute, but then Chelsea found the net after a Pedro goal to tie the game up just before the half.

The game ended with this 1-1 result, putting Chelsea in a favorable position to win and advance to the final in Baku.

The second leg of the matchups will be played next Thursday in Valencia and London, respectively.

The post Arsenal Wins, Chelsea Draws in Europa League Semi-Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.