Mikel Arteta faces the press ahead of Arsenal’s first match after more than a fortnight off as the Gunners host Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Despite there being no matches for the men’s side to speak of over the break, there was plenty of news, however. Firstly, the club posted images of Bukayo Saka back with the side and out on the grass with the Spanish coach expected to provide an update on his imminent return.
While Riccardo Calafiori unfortunately suffered a problem while away with Italy and Jurrien Timber missed the Netherlands’ matches through illness. Further clarity is anticipated on their statuses.
Lastly, Andrea Berta was finally announced as Arsenal’s new sporting director. This is sure to be the main focus as Arteta will look to keep the attention firmly on tomorrow’s Premier League match.
You can hear everything Arteta has to say on all that and much more with football.london's chief Arsenal correspondent Tom Canton in our live blog below.
KEY EVENT
Calafiori injury confirmed
Not what we wanted to hear on Riccardo Calafiori's situation.
Read the full story here.
KEY EVENT
Saka injury boost
Bukayo Saka is back!
Full story here.
Tom Canton
Every word to come
We will have a full trancript on Arteta's press conference in the next hour.
Tom Canton
On Odegaard and his importance
I need a lot of time to do that! He is one of our most important players, he is a player who defines our way of playing.
Tom Canton
More on Saka's return
The fact that he able to come in at the most important part of the season is massive.
Tom Canton
On Berta being a key winner
Well we certainly believe he is someone who is going to impact the club. His will to win, is very contagious.
Tom Canton
On Lewis-Skelly
Great moment, we are all so happy for him!
Tom Canton
On Smith Rowe and Silva's comments about him leaving
Exceptional, he's got all the attributes to be a top top footballer
Tom Canton
More on Calafiori
Knee injury yeah.
Yeah two injuries, one it was a kick and one it was a really bad turn, twist. The other was muscular.
Tom Canton
More on Berta
The words that come out are always about winning. Very clear vision about what he wants to do.
He had many other possibilities and he's chosen to come to us.
Tom Canton
On appointment of Andrea Berta
Yes I think he's a big addition to the club, to the team. With James with Jason, it's about building about that chemistry with the club.
Tom Canton
On Calafiori
Really unfortunate the way it happened it could be much worse. We will have to see how it goes.
Tom Canton
More on Saka
His role and his contribution to our success is so important to us.
Tom Canton
More on Saka!
He is pushing, we have to respect the timeframe. He is ready to go.
Could he start?
Yeah!
Tom Canton
On the comeback and Saka
Yes very closely, we had a good time to reflect and reset and put ourselves in this part of the season.
Bukayo is ready to go!
Tom Canton
Things spotted in Arsenal training
The final international break of the season is over and Arsenal welcomed their players back from their respective nations. Mikel Arteta had been working with a small group of stars who had not been selected by their relevant countries.
Raheem Sterling, Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, Jorginho, Neto and of course Bukayo Saka were all back at the club. Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu meanwhile are all still recovering from long term injuries.
Arsenal released some behind-the-scenes images of the club’s first couple training sessions since the return of the team.football.london has gone through them with a fine tooth comb to assess any news we can get from the pictures.
Read the full story here.
Tom Canton
The gift that Andrea Berta has to kick off Arsenal tenure
The announcement for Andrea Berta’s appointment as sporting director is not expected to be too far away. The Italian will arrive at the club taking over from Edu Gaspar in what could be a dream scenario for anyone in his position.
What a sporting director wants going into a new role is the ability to spend and Arsenal this summer certainly set up a scenario for Berta to do just that. It may come out through frustrating times for supporters but in the end, it could be worth the wait.
No players were signed in the January transfer window of 2025 despite Mikel Arteta losing both his natural centre-forward options. We know there was money to spend because football.londonunderstands that the club made a £40million plus add-ons bid for Ollie Watkins toward the end of the winter market.
Read the full story here.
Tom Canton
What Berta will bring to Arsenal
Arsenal have announced the appointment of Andrea Berta as their new sporting director. The Italian takes over the position from Edu Gaspar who resigned from the post at the start of November last year.
The club have gone through an extensive recruitment process football.london has been told, with many candidates being considered. The club were keen not to rush the process despite being mindful of the importance of making a decision well ahead of the summer transfer window.
Jason Ayto, the interim sporting director, oversaw the period between Edu’s exit and Berta’s appointment which included a disappointing January transfer window. The club did not sign any players despite making an unsuccessful £40million plus add-ons offer to Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins.
Read the full story here.
Tom Canton
Andrea Berta announced as Arsenal sporting director
Andrea Berta has been appointed as the new Arsenal sporting director. The decision comes following an extensive recruitment process by the club which assessed many different candidates.
Berta will be leading the summer transfer strategy alongside Mikel Arteta as the club aim to upgrade several areas of the squad. Arteta was involved in the decision to appoint Berta but the process was led by managing director Richard Garlick, executive vice chairman Tim Lewis and co-chairman Josh Kroenke.
The club have moved for a profile in Berta who spent well over a decade at one of Europe’s biggest and most successful clubs, Atletico Madrid. The Italian worked with Diego Simeone to help Atleti take on Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning La Liga twice in 2014 and 2021 and the Europa League in 2018.
Read the full story here.
Tom Canton
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to football.london's coverage of Mikel Arteta pre-match press conference after the Gunners' clash with Fulham.
You can hear everything Arteta has to say on all that and much more with football.london's chief Arsenal correspondent Tom Canton in our live blog below. Updates to follow...
