Arsenal Round-Up, Saturday 17th October: Arsenal Women Booed After Birmingham Draw as Pressure Mounts on Slegers
Arsenal Women were jeered by their own supporters at the Emirates after being held to a 1-1 draw by Birmingham City, with the Gunners needing a comeback just to salvage a point (Arsenal.com) (BBC Sport). Sky Sports reports that the result has increased the scrutiny on head coach Renee Slegers, with the side continuing to struggle for form in the Women's Super League (Sky Sports). Renée has had her say in her programme notes for the Birmingham game (Arsenal.com), while Arsenal.com also marked ten years since Kim Little's return to the club (Arsenal.com).
On the men's side, attention turns to Saturday's Premier League trip to face Nottingham Forest (Arsenal.com) (Arsenal.com). Mikel Arteta confirmed that Bukayo Saka had been managing a minor illness but is expected to be fit to start, though Football.London notes eight players in total will miss the game for Forest, with Arteta handed a welcome fitness boost elsewhere (Evening Standard) (Football.London). Football.London also reports that Arteta could make wholesale changes to his starting eleven, with Viktor Gyokeres reportedly set to be left out again (Football.London). The Evening Standard adds that Declan Rice has withdrawn from the England squad and William Saliba remains sidelined, though there is better news on Ben White, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera, who are all back in contention (Evening Standard). Separately, Sky Sports spoke to Arteta about what has changed for his side this season, with the club having won five of their opening six Premier League games and scored 21 goals in all competitions so far (Sky Sports).
Gyokeres continues to dominate the headlines regarding his Arsenal future. talkSPORT reports he has been tipped for an imminent exit after a difficult start to the season having lost his place in the starting line-up (talkSPORT), while Football.London reports he has 'made a decision' on his future amid the uncertainty (Football.London). Not everyone agrees he should be moved on, however, with one former Gunner defending the Swede in Football.London, pointing out he was Arsenal's top goalscorer last season (Football.London).
On the transfer front, TeamTalk reports that Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has made a striking claim about Vinicius Junior, suggesting the Brazilian should have left Real Madrid in the summer, in comments linked to Arsenal's unsuccessful pursuit of the forward (TeamTalk). TeamTalk also reports that Arsenal are among the frontrunners to sign Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi, though Tottenham are said to be lurking with a possible hijack (TeamTalk), while Arsenal and Chelsea are both said to be keeping tabs on Swedish starlet Oliver Mansson (TeamTalk). Football.London reports that Nico Williams' agent has confirmed Arsenal's interest in the winger and explained why a move away from Athletic Bilbao never materialised (Football.London), and separately reports that Victor Osimhen's transfer value has been revised after a swap deal involving Arsenal was ruled out (Football.London). Football.London also has the latest on Arda Guler, reporting a transfer decision and details of a private player meeting ahead of the Forest game (Football.London). The BBC's gossip column adds that Jude Bellingham looks set to commit his future to Real Madrid, while also touching on Arsenal and Liverpool being told a price for Brentford's Kevin Schade (BBC Sport).
Elsewhere, Football.London reports that Arsenal are set to cut 60 jobs across several departments, with chief executive Richard Garlick informing staff of the move this week despite the club having signed a £20m-a-year deal (Football.London). Away from the club itself, the Evening Standard reports that the landlord of The Tollington Arms, a popular Arsenal pub, says it may be shut for months after a fire, with reopening within four months described as a 'miracle' (Evening Standard). Finally, Arsenal's U18s beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, as reported on Arsenal.com (Arsenal.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.