Mikel Arteta extends Arsenal contract ahead of Tottenham blockbuster
Arsenal takes on North London neighbour Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the English Premier League, missing several players.
Its captain, Martin Odegaard, twisted his ankle while playing for Norway against Austria on Monday. He will be out for at least three weeks.
Two other midfielders – summer signing Mikel Merino and Declan Rice – will also miss the Spurs game. Merino has not played since injuring himself in his first training session after joining from Real Sociedad, while Rice is suspended after receiving a red card against Brighton two weeks ago.
There are also fears over the availability of Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney.
The Gunners, however, received some good news yesterday when Mikel Arteta signed a contract extension, which will keep him at the Emirates for another three seasons. His previous deal was to expire next summer.
The Spaniard’s new deal came with a significant pay rise, and he will hope to end Arsenal’s title drought before that contract expires.
The last time the Gunners won the league title was in 2004.
“I feel extremely proud, excited, and looking forward to what is coming next. I’m proud to be where I am and have the relationships I have with everyone at the club,” Arteta said in a statement.
“I feel extremely lucky to work every single day with good people and the ambition we have here. I feel inspired, I feel challenged, I feel supported, and I want to do much more than what we’ve already done together.”
Arsenal finished runner-up to Manchester City in the past two seasons, and after three matches, lies fourth in the table with seven points, two behind City and Liverpool. Brighton also has seven points but are ahead on goal difference.
Tottenham, meanwhile, will also miss several players.
Yves Bissouma, who has shone in the middle of the park since coming into the team, picked up a knock during Mali’s match against Eswatini on Tuesday.
Other players in the race to be fit are Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke, and Richarlison.
There is more bad news for Spurs as midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur could face a ban after the English Football Association charged him on Thursday with “misconduct in relation to a media interview”.
In June, a TV host asked Bentancur for a Spurs player’s shirt, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”
The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said it had received a “significant number” of complaints about the interview.
The Uruguayan international apologised to Tottenham captain Son Heung-min on Instagram, saying his comment was a “very bad joke”.
Tottenham issued a statement immediately after the incident with quotes from Son, saying the matter was resolved.
The English FA, however, has charged Bentancur with breaching FA Rule E3 and E3.2, for “making a reference, whether expressed or implied, to nationality, race, or ethnic origin”.
Tottenham is 10th in the league after collecting four points from the opening three matches.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
Sept 14
Southampton vs Manchester United (7.30pm)
Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest (10pm)
Manchester City vs Brentford (10pm)
Fulham vs West Ham (10pm)
Crystal Palace vs Leicester (10pm)
Brighton vs Ipswich (10pm)
Sept 15
Aston Villa vs Everton (12.30am)
Bournemouth vs Chelsea (3am)
Tottenham vs Arsenal (9pm)
Wolves vs Newcastle (11.30pm)
