BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal suffers another injury blow as superstar confirmed out season after a horrible injury from training yesterday
Arsenal are enjoying a well-deserved week off, having been spared a play-off fixture in the Champions League after finishing in the top eight of the new format.
It means that Arsenal fans can sit back and enjoy the chaos of Manchester City vs Real Madrid safe in the knowledge that their side will be in the next round. It has also afforded Mikel Arteta and his players a rare week gap between the 2-0 win over Leicester last Saturday and this weekend’s game against West Ham.
The rest should be beneficial to Arsenal, who have been rocked by yet more injuries of late, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka – a potential first-choice front four – all absent at present. The Gunners sit second in the Premier League table ahead of the next round of fixtures, waiting and hoping for Liverpool to slip up and surrender their lead.
So, as we look forward to another weekend of Premier League action, here are the latest headlines from Mirror Football involving Arsenal.
Tomiyasu injury timeline
Takehiro Tomiyasu is braced for a long spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his right knee. The Japan international has managed to play just six minutes of football this season and it was decided he should undergo a procedure – the second in two years – to try and fix the long-term problem.
Arsenal said in a statement: “Despite an initial surgical procedure in August, followed by a return to full training, and featuring as a substitute in our home Premier League match against Southampton in October, Tomi continued to have issues with his knee, resulting in a further corrective surgical procedure.
“Tomi will now begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme, which is expected to be completed towards the end of this year.” Tomiyasu will miss pre-season and the start of the 2025/26 campaign but will be hoping to return in time to play in the autumn.
Isak’s prohibitive price tag
Arsenal will have to smash the Premier League transfer record if they want to land Alexander Isak this summer. The Newcastle striker has been in red-hot form this season, attracting interest from all over Europe.
The Gunners remain keen on the Swede, who cost the Magpies £63million from Real Sociedad, but is now valued at £150m by his club. That would top the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo – a fee which itself one-upped the £105m Declan Rice cost Arsenal from West Ham.
If Newcastle qualify for the Champions League, Arsenal’s pursuit could become even more difficult. The 25-year-old has also been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid but is tied down to Newcastle until June 2028.
Azeez hits out at Gunners
Former Arsenal midfielder Miguel Azeez has suggested that his career with the club was impacted by his personality, which stood out among his team-mates.
“I definitely felt, not adversity, but being misjudged,” Azeez, who now plays in the Greek second division with PAS Giannina, told The Athletic. “Ask anyone at Arsenal — I was always first into training and last to leave. If I looked like a quintessential footballer they would not have thought anything of it but because of how I looked, the hairstyles, the face, jewellery, whatever it was, they would say, ‘He is trying to be aloof by coming in early to be by himself’.”
He added: “I’m not causing any harm by wearing a pair of heels. There was always this thing representing the badge. I get that, but I think they wanted a different image to what I was giving.”
