6.30pm Arsenal news LIVE: Saka celebrates contract with goal, Partey ‘preparing to move’, Griezmann-Aubameyang transfer – The Sun

July 4, 2020

ARSENAL travel to Wolves this evening, while the signing of Atletico Madrid's Thomas Partey is moving ever closer.

Meanwhile, a sensational swap deal between captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Antoine Griezmann has been mooted.

Follow all the latest Arsenal news and transfer gossip below…

GOAL!
Arsenal take a 1-0 lead moments before the half-time whistle at Wolves.
Bukayo Saka scores a delightful goal to celebrate his new contract signed just days ago.
FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION WITH OUR LIVE MATCH BLOG.
LITTLE NICKY
Arsenal are without Nicolas Pepe against Wolves after his pregnant wife went into labour.
The club announced the news on social media, writing: “Nicolas Pepe misses today's game due to personal reasons, as his wife has gone into labour.”
Gooners on social media had questioned why the Ivorian star had not been put in the starting XI when it was announced earlier this afternoon.
But congratulations poured in after the news was announced.
It is believed to be the first child of Pepe and his wife, who are both devout Muslims.
FOLLOW THE GAME LIVE
Kick-off is approaching fast at Molineux, Gunners fans.
Nervous? Join us HERE for build-up and then live text commentary of a huge game in the European race.
WARY OF WOLVES
Wolves' team to face Arsenal.
TEAM NEWS IS IN!
Arsenal's team to face Wolves at Molineux this evening.
TWO HOURS TIL ARSENAL ARE XHAK
Arsenal vs Wolves kicks off in little more than an hour.
WHAT A MES
Mesut Ozil's stats do not make for good reading at Arsenal.
…
Morgan hit back: “Your tweets to me over the last 4 months: March: ‘STOP SCARE-MONGERING!’ April: ‘Sorry mate, you were right!’
“May: ‘STOP CRITICISING THE GOVT!’ June: ‘The Govt’s a shambles!’ That’s what I call nonsense.”
Cricketer-turned-conservationist Pietersen then fired: “I slap you when I see you! That won't be nonsense!”
But the tweet was removed by Twitter for “violating rules against abuse and harassment”.
TAKING THE KP
Kevin Pietersen Twitter was temporarily locked after he jokingly threatened to “slap” Arsenal fan Piers Morgan.
The pair were involved in a social media spat as they discussed the reopening of pubs in England on Saturday morning.
Morgan started the exchange by tweeting: “Reopening Britain's pubs on a sunny Saturday in July was dumb enough.
“Letting them open from 6am is stupefyingly stupid. Does anyone at No10 have a brain? Or do they just want us all to die? Serious questions.
KP replied: “Average age to die is around 80! Small % death rate. Stop your nonsense, fat boy!”
LUC WHO'S BACK
Arsenal have teased Lucas Torreira's return ahead of their game at Wolves this afternoon.
MART MY WORDS
Gabriel Martinelli had some positive words for Arsenal fans after signing a new contract with the club.
ART ATTACK
Mikel Arteta thinks the gulf between Arsenal and the Premier League teams above them is still very big.
Speaking ahead of his team's trip to Wolves today, he said: “It looks like it's [the top two clear of the rest] at the moment and what happened in the table for the last two or three years suggests that.
“But things change very quickly. Look how Liverpool have evolved in the last four or five years. Manchester United as well is looking really strong at the moment.
“They are making a lot of good decisions. Leicester the same, Wolves with the season they are having.
“It’s going to be a challenge but that gap has to be closed. For us, the margin that we have for improvement is still very, very big.”
IT'S VARCICAL – EXCLUSIVE!
West Ham vice-chair and SunSport columnist Karren Brady wants VAR scrapped from the Premier League next season.
She said: “VAR was brought in to reduce the number of innocent mistakes a referee makes during a game.
“But in this strangest of football seasons, it is clear VAR has not corrected those mistakes.
“It has made its own.
“Because the ref on the pitch has simply been replaced by one in a box — and not the penalty box. One in a box in a remote location in Stockley Park.”
…
For Akpom Arsenal would receive 40 per cent of the fee if he moved to a British club, but only 30 per cent if he went elsewhere.
While Frosinone would pay the Gunenrs 30 per cent of the fee if Campbell was sold back to the UK, but only 25 per cent if he went anywhere else.
The clauses were not initially declared prompting an investigation which began in January.
Fifa's disciplinary committee found Arsenal to be violating rules for entering into contracts that influenced other clubs, and also for failing to declare data in its Transfer Matching System.
Fifa disciplinary committee member Thomas Hollerer wrote: “The committee considers that, by the mere existence of these clauses, Frosinone and PAOK FC are influenced by Arsenal in employment and transfer-related matters.
“The committee considers that the relevant clauses undoubtedly grant Arsenal the ability to influence in employment and transfer-related matters the independence, policies and the performance of PAOK FC and Frosinone’s teams.”
PAIN IN THE ARSENAL
Fifa have fined Arsenal £34,000 and warned them about their future conduct regarding transfers.
It comes after an investigation into the sales of Chuba Akpom and Joel Campbell in 2018, undertaken by the Associated Press.
Akpom was sold to Greek club PAOK, while Costa Rica forward Campbell joined Italian side Frosinone.
But the North Londoners included variable sell-on clauses in their contracts which are prohibited.
The contracts stated that if the clubs sold the players back to the UK, the Gunners would receive a bigger fee than if they offloaded them elsewhere…
CLAP FOR CARERS
All of this weekend's Premier League games will see players and staff from both teams join the final clapforcarers for the UK's NHS Heroes.
WOLVES AT THE DOOR
Arsenal posted a throwback to “Five-of-the-best” goals against Wolves ahead of their game against Nuno Espirito Santo's side tonight.
PARTEY TIME
Arsenal are ready to treble the wages of Atletico Madrid's £45million midfielder Thomas Partey to make him Mikel Arteta's first summer signing.
The Gunners are favourites to sign the 27-year-old Ghanaian, who has a £45m release clause in his contract, according to sources in Spain.
Italian Serie A side Napoli are also chasing the African and could offer Poland international Arkadiusz Milik in a player-plus-cash swap.
Spanish outlet Diario AS claim the Gunners will make him one of their highest earners as they target a new-look midfield.
TEAMNEWS ALERT
Boss Arteta is primed to rotate his Arsenal squad for their trip to Wolves on Saturday evening.
Mesut Ozil continues to be assessed by physios after missing the 4-0 thrashing of Norwich with a bad back.
Bukayo Saka is one of those set to jump straight into the starting line up after signing a new deal that increased his wages ten-fold to £30,000 a week.
Expect him to fill in for Kieran Tierney in the left wing back position after the Scotland star played in the last three games.
On the opposite flank, Cedric Soares looks likely to finally make his full Arsenal debut after scoring off the bench against the Canaries.
GOOD MORNING, GOONERS
After Bukayo Saka agreed to renew his Arsenal vows, Gabriel Martinelli has signed a long-term contract extension with the club.
The Brazilian has taken to English football like a duck to water and Mikel Arteta was effusive in his praise of his rapid rise.
Arteta beamed: “I am very happy that Gabi has signed a new contract with us.
“He is a very talented young player and he has impressed us with his performances, attitude and work-rate.”
Martinelli added: “It is the first of many and I can’t wait to be back to play a part in the exciting seasons to come!”
One man who may or may not be joining the youngster in Arsenal’s attack next season is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabonese forward is seeking a pay rise to £250,000-a-week and a three-year deal if he is to agree a new contract.
That is according to ESPN, with Aubameyang’s current deal expiring in 12 months’ time.
Finally on the Gunners’ striker front, Alexandre Lacazette may be offered to Atletico Madrid as part of a swap deal for Thomas Partey.
The midfielder is a long-term target for the North London club and has a release clause thought to be worth around £45million.
FOOTY FIX
The Premier League is back!
And from now until the end of the season EVERY game will be televised so you can see your club's full run-in.
And now – as of July 3 – we know all of the fixtures remaining for the campaign after the Premier League released their full TV schedule…
Click through to check out the entire list.
IT’S ACADEMIC
Edu has praised Arsenal’s academy off the back of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli committing their futures to the club.
Developing a pathway from youth to first-team football is vital for any club’s success and the technical director is pleased with the Gunners’ approach.
He told the club website: “The academy is doing a proper job, the coaches from the academy are doing a proper job, the performance guys as well because you have to prepare the players to be strong to stay in the first team.
“Then of course, the quality of the guys in the first team. To see and to do the right process with the players because at times if you push too much it's not good for the players.
“You have to understand the right time to start training, the right time to start to including the players on the bench and the right time to expose the player to play football for the first team.
“The process is a very big piece for everybody.”
I GOT SOL
One of English football’s most controversial transfers took place 19 years ago today.
It worked out alright in the end, for the Gunners…
MORE FROM MARTINELLI
Gabriel Martinelli has praised the “family” aspect to life at Arsenal.
After signing his new long-term contract in North London, the striker told the club website why he loves being a part of the dressing room.
Martinelli enthused: “It's as if we are a family and everyone is united. Everyone chats to everyone and you have players like Aubameyang or Lacazette, who are top footballers, but they're great people as well.
“Emi Martinez and David Luiz as well. I can't thank them enough for helping me settle in and I'm grateful to God for this opportunity.
“[Mikel Arteta] helped me so much since he took over. As I've said before, when the ball is in midfield, I have to shape my body correctly to head towards goal.
“He's helped me in many areas, so I think he'll be very important in terms of my development at Arsenal. I hope to contribute with lots of goals, assists, good performances and results for the club.”
SAY E-DU
Arsenal technical director Edu has spoken of Gabriel Martinelli’s excellent adaptation to English football, that even caught the Brazilian out.
He told the club website: “I am surprised too because I know how difficult it is if you live in Brazil, to come to here and straight away adapt the way he has.
“As I say, the plan with Martinelli was to start with the under-23s, be with the first team in pre-season, then come back to the under-23s.
“But in that pre-season he already showed how important he's going to be for the team. It's quite similar, at that point, it's a quite similar situation to Bukayo Saka.
“When you are talking about behaviour, attitude, mentality, family, so it's really nice, really nice. I met as well his family, and I saw properly how nice they are, how educated Martinelli has been during that period.”

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