Arsenal are on the brink of their second Premier League game of the season, with Leicester visiting the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners have enjoyed a solid start to the new campaign. They picked up a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last Friday and have been bolstered by five new signings in the summer transfer window.
Having been short of players, Mikel Arteta now has selection decisions to ponder, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus both increasing competition for places. It is William Saliba who dominates the pre-match news, however, with the young defender causing a stir after returning to the club he signed for way back in 2019.
So without any further ado, here are the latest Arsenal headlines from Mirror Football.
Merson wants formation switch
Mikel Arteta should ditch his current formation and switch to a three-man defence in order to accommodate William Saliba, Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes.
That’s according to former Gunners midfielder Paul Merson, who believes that, as good as Arsenal played against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend, a change in tactics is worthwhile in the long run.
Writing in his Daily Star column, Merson said: “Mikel Arteta should switch to three at the back now that Saliba is in the team – even if it means giving Saka the graveyard shift.
“I think that system suits them. Oleksandr Zinchenko is a natural wing back for me, bombing on, and Saka can do the same job on the other side. Saliba looks like the perfect sweeper in between Gabriel and Ben White for me.”
Read his full opinion here.
Gabriel hails Saliba
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Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images)
William Saliba has already made quite the impression at Arsenal, with Gabriel Magalhaes one of his many fans.
Gabriel partnered the youngster in central defence in the win at Selhurst Park last week and says the fact they both speak French is proving helpful on the pitch.
“He’s a young player who came here at a very young age and then went out to get some experience. Now, despite his age, he is already playing for the French national team. That tells you how good he is. He’s here to help the team and he’s a very promising talent,” Gabriel told Sky Sports.
“He is a good friend of mine already. We speak French together, so that helps. He has added a lot of quality to the team and I think he has a brilliant future ahead of him.”
Read the full story here.
Wenger backing Ramsey
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Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Arsene Wenger is convinced that Aaron Ramsey can bounce back from his barren three-year spell at Juventus.
Ramsey has joined OGC Nice on a three-year contract and scored on his debut last weekend. Wenger paid a visit to the French club on Thursday and gave his take on the 31-year-old midfielder, who he managed for eight years at Arsenal.
“He had a few injuries in Italy. He needs time to get back to his best, physically. He’s creative, a finisher. He has the timing to be in the box at the right time,” he said.
“He also has a sort of self-confidence that can help the team grow. He’s played a huge amount of big games, I think he can also contribute a lot to the team thanks to his experience and ambition.”
Read the full story here.
