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Your morning Arsenal digest on Thursday, September 7.
Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe has four options as deadline brought forward to complete £2m transfer
Time is slowly running out for Nicolas Pepe to seal his Arsenal exit.
The winger, who prior to Declan Rice's arrival from West Ham in July was the club's most expensive signing after completing a £72million move from Lille in the summer of 2019, has recently returned to N5 after spending last season on loan with Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice.
And whilst there are some supporters who have taken to social media to express an interest in seeing the 28-year-old reintegrated to provide cover and competition for Bukayo Saka on the right wing, it's understood that the Ivory Coast international is not in Mikel Arteta's plans.
As a result, Pepe has several options with regard to his next move. One is to stay at Arsenal and see out the final nine months of his deal and depart on a free transfer next summer. Having said that, as reported by football.london all summer, a mutual contract termination is not off the table.
Read on here.
READ MORE: Why Martin Odegaard can benefit from 'next Thierry Henry' completing Arsenal transfer exit
Pundits agree on Kai Havertz advice as Mikel Arteta hits back at £65m Arsenal transfer criticism
Arsenal star Kai Havertz has received plenty of criticism following his performances for Mikel Arteta so far. The Germany international has struggled to adapt to the Gunners' system and his new role under Arteta.
Havertz completed a £65million switch to the Emirates Stadium from Chelsea earlier this summer - but he is yet to score or assist in his opening four Premier League appearances, leaving many questioning why the Gunners spent a huge fee to sign him. Arteta has reverted the 24-year-old back into a No.8 role - a position Havertz played during his time at Bayer Leverkusen.
For Chelsea, the German forward played as a centre-forward but he failed to prove himself as a clinical striker for the Blues. Havertz's lack of clinical finishing remains present at Arsenal after he missed a glorious chance to put the Gunners ahead against Manchester United, before giving the ball away in midfield which led to Marcus Rashford handing the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Midway through the first half, the ball made its way to Havertz inside the area, but the forward slashed at it and the chance was missed from just seven yards. Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes the German just needs to remain calm in goalscoring situations and his form will return.
Read on here.
Mikel Arteta set to trial second Arsenal experiment after £30m transfer decision
Mikel Arteta is considering dropping Aaron Ramsdale in favour of handing David Raya his Arsenal debut after the international break. Ramsdale has established himself as the Gunners' No 1 since his £24million arrival from Sheffield United in 2021.
The England international stepped up his performances last term as he made a number of incredible saves during Arsenal's Premier League title challenge against Manchester City - seeing him be named in the PFA team of the year. However, despite his brilliant displays for the Gunners, Arteta wanted to bring in fresh competition for the 25-year-old this summer as Raya completed a move to the Emirates Stadium from Brentford.
According to the Daily Mail, the Spanish goalkeeper could now be handed the opportunity to start ahead of Ramsdale after impressing in training since his arrival. The Arsenal No.1 has come under increasing pressure to keep his position as first choice keeper since Raya's arrival - with the Spaniard rejecting moves to Bayern Munich and Chelsea in the summer.
Read on here.
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