Arsenal back in for Aston Villa ace as Martin Odegaard praises new signings

22 July 2023 , 03:00

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Arsenal have now seen all three of their summer signings in action after two pre-season friendlies, the most recent of which saw them run out 5-0 winners against the MLS All-Stars.

£65million man Kai Havertz bagged his first Gunners goal as he netted the fifth of that haul, while club-record signing Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber also impressed on what was their first outings. For now, on the transfer front, the focus seems to be on outgoings rather than the incomings.

With that being said, Mikel Arteta is thought to be keeping an eye on a number of players, with one Premier League ace in particular. Arsenal may be in a position where they now have to sell to buy, having forked out just north of £200m on Havertz, Timber and Rice.

Here are some of the main transfer talking points emerging out of the Emirates on Saturday, July 22.

Arsenal want Luiz

Arsenal back in for Aston Villa ace as Martin Odegaard praises new signings eiqdiqtdidtzinv

Both Arsenal and Spurs have been linked with Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz was linked with a move to Arsenal for quite some time during last January's transfer window, but a deal failed to materialise and the Gunners opted for Jorginho instead.

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While the Italian has performed well since he arrived, rumours are now rife that Arteta has once again shifted his attention to the Aston Villa ace. However, Arsenal are not the only club keen on landing Luiz's signature, with north London rivals Tottenham also monitoring the situation, as per The Sun.

It is believed that Spurs view Luiz as the ideal candidate to replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who could be on the move. It is a similar story for the Gunners, who want to bring Luiz to the Emirates if Thomas Partey does end up joining Al Ahli.

Odegaard heaps praise on new boys

Martin Odegaard has heaped praise on Arsenal's new recruits, including Declan Rice

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has spoken highly of the Gunners' new arrivals after all three featured in the MLS All-Star Game.

Havertz scored during a 45-minute run-out, while there were shorter outings for Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice in the 5-0 win. "Yeah brilliant, all of them," Odegaard told club media.

"They are already a part of the team, already a part of the family and you saw on the pitch today the quality they have so it’s a pleasure to have them here and a joy to play with them."

Odegaard proudly posed for a picture alongside Rice after the game and Gunners fans can barely contain their excitement at seeing the pair line-up together next term.

Martinelli's European confession

Gabriel Martinelli has discussed Arsenal's Champions League prospects next season (Premier League Productions)

Gabriel Martinelli has confessed Arsenal are preparing for the worst-case scenario so they are ready for the Champions League.

"I think we need to prepare ourselves for the worst, we need to prepare ourselves for the best teams and the whole team is doing that," the Brazil international explained. "I think we are ready for a new challenge."

Many fans and pundits alike have suggested that Arsenal's league ambitions could suffer next season now that Arteta's side have to juggle Champions League responsibilities alongside a title tilt. Martinelli himself has acknowledged the difficulty of more games in an already packed schedule.

"It’s so important (our squad depth) because we have too many games in the season and it’s going to be tough again," he added. "We are ready to go and it’s good to have so many options."