Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is expected to be out for an 'extended period' with a foot injury and may not feature again this season. He is set to undergo surgery on the issue, which he sustained late in the defeat against Manchester United last weekend. Arsenal are thought to be considering emergency measures in the winter transfer market to cover for the absence of the 29-year-old.

Mikel Arteta has compared Max Dowman's impact as a teenager at Arsenal to Lionel Messi's legendary start at Barcelona as a wonderkid. The Gunners academy product made his debut for the club as a 15-year-old and has broken a number of records for the north London outfit. And after signing a pre-contract with Arsenal, manager Arteta has waxed lyrical about the youngster and likened him to footballing royalty.

Mikel Arteta has said allowing his relationship with Pep Guardiola to deteriorate amid a title race would set a poor example for sport, pointing instead to the respectful rivalry shared by tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who competed against each other for decades but maintained a strong friendship away from the court.

Mikel Arteta has issued a passionate plea to the Premier League, begging chiefs to increase the size of matchday squads to protect the mental health of players. The Arsenal boss believes the current rules are outdated given the intense demands on modern footballers and has called for immediate reform to avoid the "avoidable" heartbreak of leaving stars at home.

"There’s still questions about the mental strength of the team. I think there was a lack of aggression. Too many players failed to deliver," Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira said on Sky Sports after watching his former side suffer a 3-2 defeat at home to Manchester United last weekend. "It was a must-win game. They needed to send a message to the rest of the teams in the league."