Arsenal Round-Up, Tuesday 10th November: O'Neill Ruled Out of Northern Ireland Duty as Transfer Rumours Swirl
Ceadach O'Neill has been ruled out of Northern Ireland's final two Nations League fixtures against Ukraine in Belfast and Hungary in Budapest after picking up a fitness issue (BBC Sport) (Football.London). It caps a big few weeks for the young Arsenal attacker, who had been looking forward to the international trip before the injury struck (Football.London). Elsewhere on international duty, Ezri Konsa has been handed a fitness boost after England confirmed he is only set to feature in one of their two matches this break, which should help keep him fresh for his club return (Football.London).
Back on the pitch, Football.London's Seeing Red podcast has been discussing the long-running tension between Arsenal and England over how international call-ups are handled during this period, with hosts Tom Canton and John Cross admitting it's a disagreement that is unlikely ever to be resolved given Mikel Arteta's concerns for his squad (Football.London). Christos Tzolis, meanwhile, is back fit and has been speaking to Greek outlet Novasports about his recent injury setback and what he feels makes Arteta such a special manager to work under (Football.London).
On the transfer front it's another busy evening of speculation. ESPN report that Arsenal could look to offload three players this winter, with Atletico Madrid said to be keen admirers of some of those involved (ESPN). TeamTalk suggest the Gunners have set their asking price for Martin Zubimendi, with Chelsea reportedly reviving their interest and facing competition from Real Madrid for the Spain midfielder (TeamTalk), while another TeamTalk report claims Arteta has settled on a £100m-rated forward as his priority January target, with Zubimendi potentially sacrificed to help fund a move (TeamTalk). Football.London examine why Arsenal may face a "sell to buy" situation in January despite banking around £90m in sales, suggesting the issue runs deeper than finances alone (Football.London). TeamTalk also report that Arsenal are ready to step up interest in RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa, with Fabrizio Romano giving his take on the Gunners' chances given Leipzig's stated asking price (TeamTalk), and that a rekindled move for Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, valued at £54m, is being considered as Arteta looks to add further firepower up front (TeamTalk). Separately, TeamTalk claim Arsenal have reached a final decision on a surprise January transfer involving Barcelona, according to multiple sources (TeamTalk).
Away from transfers, Rio Ferdinand believes William Saliba's return will spark a selection battle for his place at the back, with Ferdinand describing a rival defender as an "immovable object" that Saliba will have to compete with (ESPN). ESPN's overreactions column also asks whether Brighton's impressive form puts them in the title picture and whether Arsenal should be concerned (ESPN). Football.London look at what the expected departure of Michael Carrick at Manchester United could mean for Arsenal, outlining three things they say will "definitely" follow from the decision (Football.London).
In the women's game, Alessia Russo's first-half double helped seal a hard-earned win away at Liverpool, with Arsenal.com's Access All Areas feature giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the victory on Merseyside (Arsenal.com), and the full match replay of the 1-2 win is now available to watch back (Arsenal.com). Head coach Renée Slegers has since faced the media at Estadi Johan Cruyff ahead of a trip to face Barcelona, with every word of her press conference published on Arsenal.com (Arsenal.com).
In other club news, sporting director Berta has been named Best Executive at the Golden Awards, with the prize to be collected in December at a ceremony in Turin (Arsenal.com). Former manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly considering standing against Gianni Infantino in the Fifa presidential election in March (BBC Sport). Sam Wilson, a member of Arteta's former backroom staff, has left his new job just months after departing Arsenal at the end of last season's title-winning campaign (Football.London). Young goalkeeper Khari Ranson has joined National League South side Billericay Town on a 28-day loan (Arsenal.com), while Arsenal.com also round up which Gunners are away on duty this November (Arsenal.com) and have posted Bench Cam highlights of Arteta's reactions from the win over Hull (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.
