Arsenal are preparing for a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening, but off the pitch, the club is dealing with transfer speculation and criticism of one of its star players.
The English champions, who reached last season's final, face the German champions in the league phase. This challenging fixture in Bavaria comes after a slender 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, where Noni Madueke's deflected effort proved decisive.
Arteta's 'Dream Winger' Identified
Former Arsenal defender Gilles Grimandi believes Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is Mikel Arteta's dream signing. The Spaniard's pursuit of a world-class left winger is widely acknowledged, as he has been eager to strengthen his options for several years.
The Gunners offloaded both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard during the summer transfer window. The club expected to bring in a top-tier forward alongside £34m acquisition Christos Tzolis, who was always earmarked as a squad option. However, Arsenal were unsuccessful in their attempts to secure several primary targets, including Vinicius Junior and Kenan Yildiz.
Grimandi told Goal: "This guy is special. He's special because he's always good in the big games and last season, every time when the competition was getting close to the end, he was getting better and better."
He added: "He has fantastic commitment; he's running, he's defending, and when he gets the ball in the final third, he's very efficient. For me, he's a special guy."
Grimandi acknowledged it remains improbable the Georgian will be tempted away from the European champions, stating: "I don't think they will do it. Now it's complicated when the guy plays in Paris because they have a huge salary and they do not need any money so it's quite complicated to pick up one of the best players and bring him to another team except if there is a problem."
Bukayo Saka Slammed
Carlton Cole has delivered a damning verdict on Gunners winger Bukayo Saka, branding him a passenger in Arteta's side. The 25-year-old enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign, netting three goals in the opening fixtures, but has subsequently struggled to make an impact and spurned numerous opportunities in front of goal.
Following Saka's failure to find the net against Forest, Cole suggested that the England international is being overprotected by his manager and argued that his place in the starting XI should be under review in the coming weeks.
Cole stated on The Dressing Room Podcast: "We have to look at Saka, I'm not sure man, he's not doing it. I think he's a little bit of a passenger at the minute and I hope that he does come good but he's not quite there right now."
He added: "You have Max Dowman and as they say, if you're good enough you are old enough. He's probably looking at people on the bench, thinking 'How am I not getting on and playing' because he can glide past players. That No10 role is even his position as well, so he comes on the right but I think he's better in the middle."
Cole concluded: "But Saka gets grace all the time and I think it's unfair on the other players because every other player gets called off by the gaffer."
