Arsenal news: Gunners send scout to watch Liverpool transfer target as Kai Havertz verdict made
Mikel Arteta is preparing his Arsenal side to face West Ham this weekend after seeing his side beat Sporting CP in the Champions League, and will hope to apply some Premier League pressure
by Scott Trotter · The MirrorArsenal are flying high after back-to-back wins over Sporting CP and Nottingham Forest
The Gunners will next take on West Ham in the Premier League and hope to put a dent into Liverpool's lead at the top of the table. Mikel Arteta's men sit nine points behind the Reds in fourth position, and just one point behind second-placed Manchester City.
Arsenal have the advantage of playing in advance of their opponents who face off against each other this weekend. Arteta will hope to apply some pressure with victory at the London Stadium.
They may yet have to do so without Gabriel Magalhaes, who was forced off the field due to discomfort against Sporting. As we await an update on the defender ahead of the weekend, Mirror Football takes a look at the latest news surrounding the club.
Arsenal scouting
Arsenal have sent scouts to watch Bundesliga star Omar Marmoush in recent weeks. The Egyptian ace has enjoyed a lightning start to the season for Frankfurt and already recorded 14 goals and 10 assists this season.
Understandably, Arsenal have not been alone in showing some interest. According to TBR Football, scouts from Newcastle, Manchester City and Chelsea have watched the ace, who has been linked to replacing Mo Salah at Liverpool.
Frankfurt’s sporting director Timmo Hardung has not ruled out the possibilty of a move in the summer.
“It is clear that players like Omar have their own market value in the transfer market,” Hardung tells Win Win. “At the moment, we are not looking to sell him. We are very happy with him at our club.
“We will see what happens in the summer. Who knows? He might stay. There is definitely a possibility that he will stay next summer, [that] we will not let him go.
“He has a great personality, he is an excellent footballer. There is no reason to let go of a player like him. It is better for us to have him here with us and strive to achieve something big.”
Wright prediction
The Gunners may trail Liverpool by nine points in the Premier League but Ian Wright has not been dismayed over Arsenal's chance of tasting success this season. The north London side have twice finished as runners-up in the last two seasons with Manchester City claiming the title on each occasion.
The return of Martin Odegaard has sparked the club to start chasing down Liverpool believes the former Arsenal star. He believes the adversity Arsenal have suffered could help set up their challenge.
"I’m not going to change my prediction," Wright said on Wrighty’s House. "Not just because I want it to happen so much, but I think Arsenal needed this time where they kind of fell off in those results.
"Odegaard getting injured, and them having to really knuckle down, get the results done, then he’s come back and now look at them. Now, it’s just chasing Liverpool, we’re chasing Liverpool."
Kai Havertz verdict
Arsenal may have been linked to signing the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak in a search for a striker but it was Kai Havertz who was able to do the job on Wednesday evening. The German international scored in the Gunners' 5-1 Champions League win against Sporting but posed the opposition defenders a tricky proposition.
Denmark midfielder Morten Hjulmand found himself becoming familiar with Havertz in Lisbon as the Arsenal star dropped deep to pose problem. "I think we gave too many chances away and they are very efficient, so it was a tough night. It was not good enough," Hjulmand explained.
"When they put their striker more as a number ten and as sometimes like a number eight, they will have more players in midfield. And we could feel that on the pitch, and it’s also a good opponent."
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