A report emerged that Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba would not be involved again for the remainder of the campaign as Arsenal fight it out with Man City for the title; watch Arsenal vs Brighton on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm
Saturday 13 May 2023 07:13, UK
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal could see the return of Oleksandr Zinchenko from injury before the end of the season while William Saliba is unlikely to play the next two games.
A report from The Athletic claimed Arsenal's defensive duo would not be involved again for the remainder of the campaign as the Gunners fight on for the title with Man City, who have a one-point advantage with a game in hand.
But Arteta has said there is no confirmation about the duration of either players' spell on the sidelines.
"With William it's for sure he's not going to be fit for this game and we're doubting him for next game," Arteta said ahead of Sunday's visit of Brighton, live on Sky Sports.
Asked if Zinchenko had kicked his last ball this season, Arteta said: "No."
Reports emerged this week that Arsenal were close to agreeing contract extensions for Bukayo Saka and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Arteta was unwilling to give anything away in terms of negotiations, but had plenty of praise for Ramsdale's performances since making his £30m move to Arsenal two years ago from Sheffield United.
"At the moment there is nothing to announce," said Arteta when asked about talks with Ramsdale. "We will do that as a club as we always do. This is not the time to talk about it.
"We are very happy with him, the way he's developed and the way he's performed, and the trajectory that he is at in the last few seasons is remarkable. We are really happy with him and he's very important for us."
As the transfer window fast approaches rumours are swirling about Arsenal's targets for the summer and Declan Rice has been one of the most mentioned names when it comes to the Gunners.
West Ham are said to be willing to part ways with Rice for £120m to a Champions League club with manager David Moyes on Friday admitting that the Hammers are preparing for life without their captain.
But Arteta had his cards firmly held to his chest when asked if Arsenal would be willing to break their transfer record - the £72m it cost to buy Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019 - and spend more than £100m on a single player this summer.
"We are playing to win the title, we want to be fully focused on that," he said. "All those things are a distraction and we don't want to be anywhere near that."
Arsenal revived their title chances somewhat with an impressive 2-0 win at Newcastle last Sunday - a feat many thought would be a hurdle too far for Arteta's side - but they are still chasing City with three games to go.
The Gunners face another tough game on Sunday as seventh-placed Brighton head to the Emirates hoping to bounce back from a shock 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Everton.
Asked if the win at St James' Park gave him renewed hope in the title race, Arteta added: "Every time you win, play well and feel you are competing at a level that is required to win this league it gives you hope.
"It is not in our hands but on Sunday we will need to be at our best. If we win that game we will be a little bit closer."
Sky Sports' Lewis Jones:
There is a time and a place to invest in Brighton. This is it.
Roberto De Zerbi's side may have dropped their standards slightly in the freakish defeat to Everton, but the longer-term picture implies that they have the style of football to be more than competitive for this trip to the title challengers.
Brighton's recent record against Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, Man Utd, Newcastle, Chelsea and Liverpool is a simple way of constructing this argument.
In their last 18 matches across all competitions against those opponents, Brighton have won 10 of those fixtures, winning the aggregate score 31-22 while also winning the expected goals battle 24.74-22.30. That is a phenomenal set of results for a team outside the so-called elite.
They have also won three of their last four visits to the Emirates Stadium in all competitions. And Arsenal remain vulnerable with their dogged pursuit of the title likely to end in disappointment.
At Newcastle they were brave and determined to stand up in a bearpit atmosphere, but they were fortunate to emerge with a clean sheet with the Toon creating 1.32-worth of expected goals, hitting the woodwork twice and forcing Aaron Ramsdale to make five saves. Arsenal are still conceding 1.8 goals per-game without William Saliba, and Brighton are very capable of keeping up with that average.
We could have a Premier League classic on our hands here if there is an early goal - and I'll be taking Brighton on the double chance (to win or draw) at 11/10 with Sky Bet, with the Brighton win and over 3.5 goals also a runner at 9/1.
May 14: Brighton (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 20: Nottingham Forest (A) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 28: Wolves (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
