Arsenal kicked off their UEFA Europa League campaign with a 2-1 win over FC Zurich on an emotionally charged night.
Goals from Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah earned the Gunners a victory, with the game punctuated by the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II's passing. Both sets of players linked arms at the start of the second half, with confirmation coming during the half-time break.
In matters on the field, Fabio Vieira grabbed his first start for the Gunners and speaking pre-match, Mikel Arteta revealed how “blown away” he was by the Portuguese international and the reasons for his signing this summer, although he has hit back at Bernd Leno’s bizarre “politics” blast.
Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest transfer stories coming out of the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta “blown away” by Vieira ahead of transfer
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he was set on signing Fabio Vieira “straight away” after witnessing him in action, as the Gunners made the 22-year-old one of their first signings of the window this summer in a £34million deal from Porto.
The midfielder recorded seven goals and 16 assists in all competitions for Porto last season and Arteta claims those sort of game-changing displays - as well as Vieira’s versatility - were huge reasons which led to Arsenal splashing the cash to secure his services.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League opener against FC Zurich on Thursday, the Spaniard said: “We were looking for very specific qualities in the market and when I saw him, I really liked what I saw. Straight away, I was convinced that he was a player who can help us go to the next level and that he had the right personality and character to play for our club.”
Read the story in full HERE .
Will Fabio Vieira live up to his £34m price tag this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Leno “politics” blast shocks Arteta
Arteta has admitted his surprise at Bernd Leno’s rant about “politics” being the prime reason behind his Arsenal exit, following the German goalkeeper’s switch to London rivals Fulham earlier this summer
Since moving to Fulham, Leno has come clean on what he sees as the real reasons behind his Arsenal exit and claimed that it was not down to his quality as a goalkeeper - but instead because of internal “politics” at the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie with FC Zurich, Arteta admitted that he was taken aback by Leno’s comments. He said: "I’m really surprised and I don't know if he’s talking about the politics when he was starting every match or when he wasn’t playing. Really surprised about it."
Read the story in full HERE .
Thierry Henry admits fresh belief in Arsenal
Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry has admitted he has a fresh belief in the team which he hasn't held "for a very long time", with the Gunners now sitting top of the Premier League with Arteta at the helm and have their sights set on a top-four finish at a minimum.
After losing their 100% league record over the weekend with a defeat at Manchester United, Henry still has some reservations about the depth of the squad, although he has spoken of an optimism which hasn't always been there.
“The team is different," Henry told CBS. "When you get the likes of Gabriel Jesus, you get Saliba, that can allow you to play higher, and Odegaard the way he is right now, and still Bukayo Saka. Having said that, the way we beat Fulham and the way we beat Villa, we were a bit emotional at times. But I believe. I didn't believe for a very long time that we could do something.”
Read the story in full HERE .
