Arsenal news LIVE: Gunners suffer HUGE blow as Gabriel Jesus could be out for up to THREE months with injury

Gunners defeat

Arsenal were back in action on Saturday as they continue their preparations for the resumption of the Premier League.

Bu the Gunners fell to a 4-2 defeat against Watford in the behind closed doors match.

Goals from Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah saw Mikel Arteta’s side lead at the break.

However, after 10 subs at half-time the pendulum soon swung and the Hornets ran out 4-2 winners.

Good Morning Arsenal Fans

Real Madrid are plotting a move for Gabriel Jesus, according to reports.

The LaLiga giants are desperate to add some firepower after Karim Benzema was ruled out.

And Gunners forward Jesus is top of the list, according to Teamtalk.
Los Blancos are also looking at North London rival Richarlison as an option.

Arsenal defender Ben White “will not travel” with Arsenal for their warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

The 25-year-old left the rest of Gareth Southgate’s squad earlier this week, flying back to England for “personal reasons”. Ben White left the England squad earlier this week

And according to ESPN, he will not fly with the Gunners to Dubai on Sunday as those not at the World Cup head to the Middle East for a mid-season training camp.

It is not yet known whether White will join up with Mikel Arteta’s squad at a later date.

Arsenal are scheduled to play two matches in the Dubai Super Cup while out in the UAE.

They will face Ligue 1 side Lyon on December 8, before taking on Italian giants AC Milan five days later.

Arsenal icon Jack Wilshere has praised Marcus Rashford and believes the Manchester United man shout start against Senegal tomorrow.

Wilshere mentioned that he remembered when Rashford became the youngest player to score on his England debut at 18 years and 208 days.

The Arsenal coach said: “Marcus is a great lad, a really nice guy. He’s not so much a joker, he’s very focused and driven.

“As the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent and Marcus has class on and off the pitch.

“This is an individual who inspired a nation. My kids were all talking about Marcus for helping children to get free school dinners.”

Jesus targeted

Real Madrid are plotting a move for Gabriel Jesus, according to reports.

The LaLiga giants are desperate to add some firepower after Karim Benzema was ruled out.

And Gunners forward Jesus is top of the list, according to Teamtalk.

Los Blancos are also looking at North London rival Richarlison as an option.

Jesus out of the World Cup

Gabriel Jesus won't play another minute in the World Cup,

The Arsenal striker suffered a knee injury and was withdrawn in the match against Cameroon.

According to reports, he will be out for a month and is a doubt for their Boxing Dax clash against West Ham.

Women win

Arsenal kept place in the Women's Super League with a 1-0 win over Everton.

Vivianne Miedema's goal after 24 minutes was enough to defeat the Toffees in a tight contest.

The Gunners stay in third - level on points with second-placed Man Utd and three points behind Chelsea, who have played a game more.

Morgan's dream signing

Piers Morgan has told Arsenal to sign one of the Netherlands' star players after he impressed in their World Cup win over USA.

He took to Twitter saying: "Arsenal should sign Memphis in January. Such a good player and would work well up front with Jesus."

There is a possibility that Depay, 28, could be open to the move with his game time at Barcelona restricted.

He has featured just three times this season scoring one goal for the Catalan giants having seen his minutes on the pitch drop since the arrival of Robert Lewandowski.

Xhaka to dodge ban

Granit Xhaka is set to dodge a Fifa bullet despite bending their ban on political protests.

The Switzerland skipper celebrated Friday’s stormy 3-2 win against bitter rivals Serbia by donning his country’s number 26 shirt with the name Jashari.

But Xhaka denied that it was a reference to Adem Jashari, the founder of the Kosovo Liberation Army who was killed by Serbian police in a battle for national independence in 1998.

And he insisted he was simply sharing the joy with Swiss squad player Ardon Jashari, even though the rookie midfielder did not even leave the subs’ bench.

He said: “There is no political thought behind the shirt at all. Ardon is a boy I really like and spend a lot of time with every day.

“At his age I was almost as far as he was and he asks for a lot of advice from me, so I promised him that if we won I’d put his jersey on.”

Gunners defeat

Arsenal have lost their first midseason friendly this winter.

The Gunners fell to a 4-2 defeat against Watford in the behind closed doors match.

Goals from Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah saw Mikel Arteta's side lead at the break.

However, after 10 subs at half-time the pendulum soon swung and the Hornets ran out 4-2 winners.

White excused Dubai training camp

Arsenal defender Ben White "will not travel" with Arsenal for their warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

The 25-year-old left the rest of Gareth Southgate's squad earlier this week, flying back to England for "personal reasons".

Ben White left the England squad earlier this week
1
Ben White left the England squad earlier this weekCredit: AFP
And according to ESPN, he will not fly with the Gunners to Dubai on Sunday as those not at the World Cup head to the Middle East for a mid-season training camp.

It is not yet known whether White will join up with Mikel Arteta's squad at a later date.

Arsenal are scheduled to play two matches in the Dubai Super Cup while out in the UAE.

They will face Ligue 1 side Lyon on December 8, before taking on Italian giants AC Milan five days later.

Granit Xhak attack

Arsenal ace Granit Xhaka got under the skin of the entire Serbia bench.

Xhaka was in action as Switzerland beat the Serbs 3-2 to secure a place in the 2022 World Cup last 16, and caused a bust-up after making a gesture towards the opponents' bench.

With the Swiss leading 3-2 during the second half, the midfielder then gestured towards the bench by grabbing his NUTS.

It came after Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic scored in the first half and celebrated by grabbing his nuts to hit back at claims he had an affair with a team-mate's wife.

Serbia's camp did not take it well, and stormed on to the pitch - the game ended with an astonishing 11 yellow cards from both sides, with Serbia picking up five in total after Xhaka's gesture

Gabriel Jesus statement

Brazil shared a statement confirming Gabriel Jesus' injury will not allow him to compete in the 2022 World Cup.

A Brazil statement said: "As announced by the Brazilian FA after the game against Cameroon, players Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus underwent tests on Saturday morning.

"Accompanied by the Brazilian National Team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, they underwent an MRI on the right knee that confirmed the injuries and the impossibility of recovery in time to participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

"The coordinator of the Brazilian National Team, Juninho Paulista, is in contact with the sports directors of Arsenal and Sevilla to define whether Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus remain with the squad in Doha to continue the treatment or return to their clubs"

New FA chair

Debbie Hewitt, the Football Association’s first female chair, combines a strong business background with proper football knowledge, writes SunSport’s Dan King.

Hewitt, 59, remains on the board of Visa Europe and other blue-chip firms.

But among the interesting things to emerge from a reception at the British Embassy in Doha was the fact that the lifelong Liverpool fan also knows the words to England’s 1982 World Cup song “This Time (We’ll Get It Right)”.

Maybe the FA have done just that by appointing someone who sees what needs to be done AND has the skills and experience to do it

Staying Put

Gabriel Jesus will stay put with the Brazil team for now while his injury is assessed.

Reports this morning suggest the striker will miss the rest of the World Cup - but it is not clear how severe his knee problem is.

ESPN's James Olley reports: "Gabriel Jesus is expected to remain with the Brazil squad in Qatar for the time being while the full extent of his injury is determined. Further updates expected in due course."

Ed Up

Gabriel Jesus' injury could potentially open up the door for back-up striker Eddie Nketiah.

It is reported that Jesus will miss the rest of the World Cup with injury and it is not clear yet if he will miss any games for Arsenal.

Nketiah will be desperate for more opportunities at the Emirates.

The 23-year-old signed a contract extension in the summer after explosive end of season form.

But he has found first-team opportunities increasingly tough to come by this season after the Gunners signed Jesus.

Bell of the Ball 

Emmanuel Petit has declared himself a fan of rising star and Manchester United target Jude Bellingham after his brilliant World Cup performances.

The former Arsenal midfielder told Midnite: “I love Jude Bellingham. He’s the mix between Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. He’s very mature, and his body language on the pitch is tremendous. 

“He can do so many things on the pitch so for me, he’s one of the best players [in his position] in the world right now.”

Gunner Worries

Arsenal fans will be fearing the worst after reports this morning claimed Gabriel Jesus would be out for the rest of the World Cup.

The striker got a start for his country last night but ended the night with ice on his right leg after he was subbed off.

'I fear England the most'

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has admitted fearing England "the most" in the World Cup knockouts.

The former midfielder thinks his native France will not want to play against the Three Lions.

Speaking to Midnite, Petit said: "I fear England the most. There are four teams that are different for me, there's England, Brazil, Spain and France. They're the teams that have shown something different.

"Gareth Southgate has received so much criticism recently but I have confidence in him. England have improved and it's very difficult to win big tournaments. I'm not sure if Southgate will still be England's manager after the World Cup but it's time for England to make a point and he is doing the right things."

The Saka Question

Fans are speculating on Gareth Southgate's starting line-up for Senegal tomorrow - and no one is sure what he will do.

Most of the uncertainty surround the wide areas after stunning performances from Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden against Wales.

They replaced Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka, with the pair claiming a goal and a brace respectively against Iran.

With Sterling a hardened international campaigner and a favourite of Southgate, and Saka one of the most in-form players in the country, the England boss has plenty of big decisions to make.

Jesus Wept

Brazil pair Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus have been ruled OUT of the World Cup, according to reports.

The Arsenal star suffered a knee injury against Cameroon, while the Manchester United also hobbled off in the 1-0 defeat.

Telles was withdrawn early in the second period on Friday, while the Arsenal man came off 10 minutes later.

According to Brazilian outlet Globo, the pair will play no further part in Qatar, with South Korea to come on Monday in the last-16.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be assessing the situation closely with Jesus one of his main stars at the Emirates.

Spurs could spring Thuram surprise

Tottenham are in the running alongside rivals Arsenal to land winger Marcus Thuram.

The Borussia Monchengladbach star's contract is up at the end of the season and he could be available on the cheap this January.

Arsenal have been linked to the Frenchman but it appears Spurs will be jostling for position as well.

French Journalist Ignazio Genuardi has said via the Transfer Tavern that a surprise Tottenham move "cannot be ruled out" and Spurs "could give it a try in January."

Juventus tickets on sale

Arsenal have confirmed that tickets for their first-team friendly against Juventus are now on general sale.

The mouth-watering fixture is set to take place on Saturday, December 17.

And kick-off against the Italian giants has been scheduled for 6pm UK time.

Mikel Arteta said: "Juventus will provide strong opposition – it’ll be a great test for us ahead of the restart.” 

Jack Wilshere praises Rashford

Arsenal icon Jack Wilshere has praised Marcus Rashford and believes the Manchester United man shout start against Senegal tomorrow.

Wilshere mentioned that he remembered when Rashford became the youngest player to score on his England debut at 18 years and 208 days.

The Arsenal coach said: "Marcus is a great lad, a really nice guy. He's not so much a joker, he's very focused and driven.

"As the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent and Marcus has class on and off the pitch.

"This is an individual who inspired a nation. My kids were all talking about Marcus for helping children to get free school dinners."

Morning, Arsenal fans

The Gunners have been linked with two more World Cup stars.

And two familiar targets are also back on the radar.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli finally started for Brazil in Qatar - only for Cameroon to land a famous late 1-0 win over the group winners. 

Arsenal could ponder a January bid for left-winger Marcus Thuram as Borussia Monchengladbach don't want to risk losing him for nothing in the summer.

The France star, 25, is not expected to extend his contract beyond next summer.

The Gunners are expected to hold more talks with Facundo Torres’ representatives after Uruguay exited the World Cup.

Arsenal are said to have made an initial approach for the Orlando City winger, 22, last month.

The Gunners are also tipped to weigh up a move for Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu in the next transfer window.

It's believed the Turkey hero might be lured away for around £26million.

Shakhtar Donetsk wideman Mykhaylo Mudryk has admitted he would rather play regular football for Arsenal than take a bit-part role at Real Madrid.

Finally, Barcelona could drop out of the race for Palmeiras attacker Endrick, 16.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all monitoring the Brazilian whizkid. 

Gunners slash wage bill despite topping Prem

Arsenal have cut a remarkable £32million off their wage bill on their way to the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners will top the tree at Christmas after a flying start to the season under Mikel Arteta, and their latest accounts reveal they have done so after a huge drop in wages.

While the accounts, which cover last season, will not take into account any wages for players signed over the summer, including Gabriel Jesus, they signal a clear change in philosophy for the club.

A line from the annual statement reads: “On the player side there has been a process of restructuring the men’s first team squad to improve the efficiency of spend.”

This covers the departure of former top earner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while, compared to the season before, the hefty wages of veteran players such as David Luiz and Willian will have been cut from spending.

Compared to the 2020-21 season, Arsenal’s wage bill fell from £244.4million to £212.3million, which is £150million less than Manchester United’s wage bill in their most recent accounts.

Arsenal made an overall pre-tax loss of £46.7million, down from £73.7million.

The loss is put down to the club not featuring in European competition for the first time in 23 years last season, something they say owner Stan Kroenke moved quickly to address.

Endrick boost

Arsenal could have a clear run at Palmeiras wonderkid Endrick amid claims Barcelona are ready to drop out of the race

Tottenham, Chelsea and Real Madrid are also keen on the Brazilian attacker, 16.

According to Marca, Barca aren’t willing to invest heavily in a player that won’t be able to play for the club until 2024.

Endrick is unable to move to Europe until he turns 18.