I’m a huge fan of Eberechi Eze and have been pretty vocal this summer about my desire to see Arsenal make a move for him.

There have now been discussions with his representatives to learn about the potential terms of any deal, but that is as far as things have gone so far.

Read more about Eze and other major Arsenal transfer news in my exclusive column for CaughtOffside!

And Arsenal have had discussions with the representatives of lots of wide players so far this summer as Andrea Berta looks to assess all the options that could be available on the market.

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I think the Kepa deal is a fantastic one if it gets done, which it appears it will.

Arsenal have acted really quickly after it became clear that Joan Garcia would not be arriving from Espanyol this summer and have all but wrapped up a really smart piece of business.

Landing a keeper like Kepa for just £5 million is an absolute steal. I’m honestly baffled at how there seems to be some who are questioning it.

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I can only think the issue for some is that it will be another signing from Chelsea. I can understand that in a way given what has gone on in the past, but when you put that to one side and just take this deal for what it is then there is nothing to complain about.

You are talking about a keeper approaching his best years who has plenty of experience and is a senior international. He had a very good season on loan at Bournemouth last season and the season before he helped Real Madrid win the Champions League while he was there.

Yes, he had some high profile issues when he first arrived at Chelsea. The world record transfer fee clearly was a weight on his shoulders that he struggled to deal with.

But those days are behind him. He’s shown himself to be a fine goalkeeper at this level.

And remember, he’s coming in as a No.2. Providing Raya stays fit, then Kepa will only play a handful of games.

It’s just a really good deal at an exceptional price. And the fact it looks like it will be wrapped up early in the summer is a real positive.

What went wrong with the Joan Garcia transfer?

We all know that Garcia was the keeper Arsenal really wanted, but the season he just had at Espanyol basically made that an impossible deal to do this summer.

He was never going to come to be Raya’s No.2. His remarkable progress during the past 12 months ended Arsenal’s hopes of getting him.

So they had to move on to other targets and in moving so quickly for Kepa and taking advantage of that release clause they have shown a lot of nous in the market.

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I’ve seen the Julian Alvarez links and I’ve had lots of Arsenal fans asking me about them. But I have to admit, I would be surprised if there is much to this other than speculation.

The reports have emerged from Spain and suggest that Arsenal are the club ‘pushing the hardest’ for Alvarez, but I just can’t see it myself.

MORE from Charles Watts: Anthony Gordon to Arsenal? Plus Max Dowman’s first-team breakthrough and the Women’s team’s superb Champions League success!

Don’t get me wrong, I think he would be a great signing for Arsenal. He would bring something to the attack that Mikel Arteta currently does not have. He’s a live wire, someone who doesn’t stop pulling defenders out of position. He would add some chaos to how Arsenal play and I do think the squad needs that.

I think back to when Gabriel Jesus first arrived and that’s exactly what he offered in those early months when he ‘changed Arsenal’s world’, to use a quote once used by Mikel Arteta.

I see a lot of what we saw in Jesus in those first few months before his injury at the World Cup in what Alvarez would bring, which is why it is a move that would appeal to me.

But it all just feels a bit fanciful to me.

First of all Alvarez is very happy in Spain by all accounts, he’s loving it over there and is not exactly pining for a return to the Premier League.

And then there is the money involved. Players like Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres would not come cheap, but they would still be significantly cheaper than Alvarez would be, should he move on from Atletico.

They spent around £80 million to sign him from Manchester City last summer and he’s been a huge success since that move. So it would take a huge fee to prize him away from the Spanish capital.

So I just don’t really see this one having much legs, as exciting a prospect as it may be.

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If Joan Garcia does sign for Arsenal this summer it will end a transfer chase that has stretched on now for well over a year.

He is the keeper that Arsenal want to bring in, with goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana a big fan of the Espanyol stopper, who has had a very impressive season in Spain.

Should the deal happen then Garcia would be coming in as No.2. He wouldn’t be coming in to replace David Raya.

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After last night’s heart-breaking Champions League exit, it’s inevitable that we’re seeing plenty of Arsenal transfer rumours out in full force, with strikers and wingers being linked.

In my latest exclusive column, out on CaughtOffside at 5pm today, I’ll be looking at how reliable these links are, and what it could mean for players leaving as well.

Meanwhile, you can catch an exclusive early preview below…

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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a special player.

There are not many attackers who can make Jurrien Timber look uncomfortable, but Kvaratskhelia certainly did that in the opening half an hour at the Emirates.

It’s hard to look at the performances he has put in since moving to Paris and not think about what might have been for Arsenal had they pushed to land the winger when he became available at Napoli.

I said at the time that Arsenal should have been all over him and nothing has changed my mind on that.

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As far as I’m aware Arsenal are still hopeful that they will win the race to sign Martin Zubimendi this summer.

I know there have been reports from Spain suggesting that Real Madrid have stepped up their attempts to land the midfielder in recent weeks and that his head may have been turned.

I can’t really confirm anything about the level of Madrid’s interest in Zubimendi, I’m just not sure about that. But I know that Arsenal remain hopeful of getting a deal over the line for the Real Sociedad star.

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Real Madrid had no answer against Arsenal, but PSG will be a different test

I’m writing this column as I fly back to London from Madrid and I’m honestly finding it tough to sum up exactly how I’m feeling after last night’s events in the Bernabeu.

It just doesn’t get any bigger than what Arsenal did at the home of the 15-time European champions. They came of age in front of our eyes. It was just very, very special to witness.

To walk into the cauldron of the Bernabeu and to silence it the way they did. It was remarkable really. In truth, over the two legs, it was a mauling.

Arsenal ground Madrid down and by the end they looked broken. They just had no answer to Mikel Arteta’s side.

I thought the win in the home leg was spectacular, but the victory last night was a sign of a team that now genuinely believes it can beat anyone, anywhere.

All the talk in the build up to the game was about the Real Madrid remontada and it was tough not to get swept up by it all while you were over there. There was a real belief about the way the Madrid players, the fans and the media all hyped things up.

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Mixed injury news in win over Fulham sums up Arsenal’s season

The win against Fulham on Tuesday perfectly encapsulated Arsenal’s season.

You had the positive of Bukayo Saka coming back, something that boosted the whole club. And then you had the crushing disappointment of seeing Gabriel Magalhaes limp off early with a hamstring injury.

That’s just how things have gone at Arsenal since the season got underway. Injuries have just been the theme of the campaign.

And obviously it’s not just Gabriel. It’s Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White as well. In the space of a week it looks like Arsenal have managed to lose four defenders with the biggest two games of the season looming large.

Mikel Arteta tried to put a positive spin on things after the game, as he has done all season. He’s never looked to use the injuries as an excuse, but deep down he must be wondering what he’s done to deserve all the misfortune that has come his way this season.

Saka’s return was such a great moment. The excitement that swept around the stadium when he got up just to warm-up showed how much has been missed.

And for him to then come on and end up scoring the winner was incredible. He just writes his own scripts.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly’s England success was a joy to watch - new Arsenal contract next!

I’ll be honest, I can’t remember cheering an England goal scored outside of a major tournament as much as I did when Myles Lewis-Skelly scored against Albania the other other day.

What a moment that was for him. Just another to add to the long list he has enjoyed throughout what has been a remarkable season of firsts for Arsenal’s prodigious teenager.

It was just really special to see him tuck away that finish and then run off to celebrate in front of the fans. You could see in his face what it meant to him.

And it was particularly pleasing given all the rubbish that had been posted about him on social media leading up to the game, with much of it coming from supposed England ‘fans’ who seemed to take exception to the fact he was pictured smiling as he walked into St George’s Park to link up with the senior squad for the first time.

I mean, how dare he smile?? Clearly, that warranted all the abuse that followed in the comments under the picture that was posted by England’s official X account…..

The reaction was just so ridiculous and it was really sad to see, but the good thing is Lewis-Skelly is such a level headed young man with such a strong support network around him that I knew it wouldn’t bother him.

And given the way he played against Albania and also against Latvia he just brushed it all aside with ease.

He’s now the youngest ever player to score on his senior England debut. What a perfect way to shut up all the social media idiots out there.

As I said, Lewis-Skelly is known as such a level headed person. Anyone you talk to at Arsenal will tell you that.

His family have played and continue to play a huge role in how he is managed off the pitch and that has all contributed to the sensible head he has on his shoulders.

Arsenal are very proud of him and how he has developed, although I’m sure almost everyone will still be quite surprised with how comfortably he has dealt with everything that has been thrown at him this season.

He still obviously has lots to learn and there will be plenty of bumps in the road, but we’ve seen this season that he can hold his own at any level, whether that be the Premier League, Champions League or on the international stage.

His rise has been rapid and he will inevitably have to be rewarded with a new contract. It’s something Arsenal are very aware of.

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Gabriel transfer interest is genuine, but he should cost at least £100m

The interest from Saudi Arabia in Gabriel Magalhaes is nothing new, it dates back a couple of years now.

In the summer of 2023 there were fears at Arsenal that Gabriel’s head had been turned by the money that was on offer, which was why he was left out of the team in those early games that season.

Mikel Arteta publicly said it was tactical, but it wasn't. It was because of what was going on behind the scenes with the interest from Saudi.

Arsenal did not want to lose him and ultimately Gabriel stayed put, with Arteta swiftly restoring him to his starting XI once the situation was put to bed.

Since then Gabriel has obviously gone to form what, in my opinion, is the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League and possibly even the world with William Saliba.

So the last thing Arsenal would want this summer is a repeat of what happened in 2023, but it would be no surprise if the interest from Saudi did result in a firm offer, although at this stage it is a bit too early to suggest it definitely will.

Obviously every player has a price, so I can’t sit here and say Arsenal should not even contemplate a sale should a bid arrive, but it would have to be huge to tempt them into doing business - over £100m in my opinion.

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Encouragement over William Saliba’s Arsenal future

I was in Tuesday’s press conference when William Saliba was quizzed on his future and what was undeniable in his answers was the strong feelings he has towards Arsenal.

It was the truth when he spoke about being a fan of the club as a kid, something he says is behind the wild celebrations we see from him whenever the team scores a goal.

But those feelings will only go so far and that is why, until a new contract is signed, fans will be edgy about his long-term future - especially with Real Madrid waiting in the wings.

Saliba confirmed to me when I asked that talks had not started yet over a new deal. “There is no rush,” he said.

In a way, he is right. He was into the final year of his contract when he signed his last extension, in 2023. We are far from that now, so the need for an immediate signature is far less pressing.

But Arsenal fans will be desperate for things to be sorted sooner rather than later because the longer any talks go on, the weaker the club’s position will become.

We all know how Real Madrid operate. Just look at what’s happening with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool right now.

Madrid love a free transfer and have shown before that they are willing to play the long game for their big targets if it means they can get them for nothing.

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A special night for exceptional Arsenal

It was a special night for Arsenal in Eindhoven on Tuesday.

No-one would have predicted a scoreline like that before the game given the issues Mikel Arteta’s side have been struggling with in attack in recent weeks.

But Arsenal were exceptional. They tore PSV to shreds and in truth the scoreline could have been even greater than it was.

You could see encouraging signs in the game against Forest, but nothing to suggest something like this was coming.

It was really encouraging because the performance showed that the players are now getting to grips with what they have to do in the absence of the squad’s main attackers.

It was very apparent that Arsenal were looking to get more players into the penalty area on Tuesday night than they have been doing of late. The full-backs were constantly in and around the 18-yard box, as were Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

I counted seven Arsenal players in the penalty area when Jurrien Timber scored and there were six when Ethan Nwaneri netted. They swamped the penalty area and PSV couldn’t deal with it.

I thought Martin Odegaard was excellent, especially in the second half, but Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber were exceptional, as were Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri.

A win like that has to give the team confidence. It shows they can score goals even with the players they have missing and you would hope that would send them into Sunday’s game at Old Trafford full of optimism.

It’s too late in terms of the title. That ship has sailed, but hopefully Arsenal can at least now finish the season strongly and give themselves a chance in the Champions League.

Experienced Andrea Berta looks a strong choice for new Arsenal director

We are still waiting for confirmation on who Arsenal’s next sporting director will be, but as it stands Andrea Berta is understood to be at the top of the list of the remaining candidates.

My understanding is that an official offer has yet to be made to Berta, or anyone else, but Arsenal do want their preferred choice in place imminently with the club well aware of how important the upcoming summer window is.

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The harsh reality is that Arsenal haven’t really been in the title race for some time

The last few days may have ended Arsenal’s title hopes in most people’s eyes, but in truth their race was run way before the defeat by West Ham and the draw at Nottingham Forest.

The injuries to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz put an end to any hopes of Mikel Arteta’s side being champions, as did the club’s decision not to bolster their attacking options in January.

Even with Saka, Jesus, Martinelli and Havertz fit I think it would have been a long shot, given the way Arsenal have struggled at times this season and the superb form that Liverpool have shown, but without them there was just no chance.

For Arsenal to have put any pressure on Liverpool they would have had to win pretty much every game between now and the end of the season and that just wasn’t going to happen. They simply do not have the firepower at present to put a run together like that.

The last two games have shown that and in all honesty the signs were there for all to see in the win against Leicester before Mikel Merino’s dramatic late introduction saw that game swing their way.

So now I think they just have to focus on finding a way to finish the season as well as they can.

The big fear now is that it all just fizzles out and Arsenal get sucked into a battle to stay in the Champions League places.

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Mikel Merino will now surely start over Raheem Sterling

Even though there was plenty of chat about Mikel Merino potentially having to operate as a makeshift striker ahead of the Leicester game at the weekend, I don’t think anyone could have predicted quite how well the experiment would go.

It was an unbelievable cameo from the Spaniard, who turned the game on its head having been brought off the bench in those final 20 minutes by Mikel Arteta.

The two goals were superb. Not just the finishes either, but the movement to ensure he received both crosses from Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard in space.

Merino’s match winning cameo certainly leaves Arteta facing a big decision ahead of Saturday’s game with West Ham…

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Kai Havertz out for the rest of the season

It looks like bad news on the Kai Havertz injury front after it first emerged he had a hamstring issue yesterday evening.

Havertz now looks set to miss the rest of the season with this injury, with further updates coming this morning as the team return to London from Dubai.

It will be interesting to hear what Mikel Arteta has to say about it at his press conference on Friday morning, but there’s really no other way to look at this other than as a hammer blow to Arsenal’s trophy chances this season, especially with the injury coming on the back of the news that Gabriel Martinelli will be out for at least a month with his own hamstring problem.

It is unfortunate obviously. You do need luck with injuries throughout a season and Arsenal have had no luck whatsoever since the summer.

But the fact is Arsenal have left themselves wide open to something like this happening. It was glaringly obvious throughout January that they needed to do something to protect themselves in attack over the second half of the season.

They were short of options going into the transfer window and then they lost Gabriel Jesus. They should have acted then, but they didn’t and they’ve only got themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in.

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How close Arsenal really came to signing Ollie Watkins and Mathys Tel

In the end it was a frustrating transfer window for Arsenal fans, who were desperate for the club to bring in at least one new attacker.

They did look, most intently at Ollie Watkins, but in the end they kept their powder dry and opted to wait until the summer, rather than move for someone they weren’t overly convinced by.

Only time will tell whether that will end up being a sensible call, but it is a huge gamble on the club’s part.

They were short of attacking options when they went into the window following Bukayo Saka’s injury, but they are even shorter now due to Gabriel Jesus being sidelined because of the knee injury he suffered in the FA Cup.

So they are relying on picking up no further injuries between now and the end of the season. If they do, then they will be in real trouble. Especially if they lose Kai Havertz for any period of time.

He is basically the only option they have when it comes to playing centre forward. Leandro Trossard can play there at a push, but it’s pretty much Havertz or bust now until May and that is going to put huge demands on him, both mentally and physically.

Mikel Arteta just doesn’t really have an option to give him a breather and I think that’s a real problem. It’s asking an awful lot of a player who has already started to show signs of tiredness in recent weeks.

I’m sure Arteta will defend the club’s lack of activity in the transfer market and some of their reasoning for keeping their hands in their pockets is understandable.

They are through the worst of their fixture congestion now and the hope is that Saka will be back in March. They also believe that Ethan Nwaneri has emerged as a genuine goal getter this season.

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That’s surely the last straw for Michael Oliver and Arsenal matches

I don’t see how Michael Oliver can take charge of another Arsenal game. Certainly for a fair while anyway.

We’ve seen it happen with some referees in the past when their chequered history with certain clubs has seen them conveniently placed on other games when they are playing and I think that probably has to happen here now as well.

What happened on Saturday was the last straw in terms of Arsenal and Oliver. There have now just been too many high profile incidents when he has been in charge of their games.

Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports on Sunday that he could probably count on one hand the amount of mistakes Oliver has made in his career. Well, that’s just rubbish really because you would need two hands just to count the mistakes he has made in Arsenal games alone.

There is just no trust there anymore.

Everyone could see that it wasn’t a red card on Sunday. It’s very rare that you see almost every high profile pundit and commentator in the country express their shock at a decision, yet that’s what happened after Oliver opted to send off Lewis-Skelly.

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It just doesn’t feel like it’s going to be Arsenal’s season

One step forward, two steps back. It’s the story of Arsenal’s season really.

It’s tough to really criticise them too much for what happened against Villa. It’s been such a demanding week with three energy sapping games in just six days.

Pretty much the same group of players have had to go through 120 minutes against United, 90 emotionally draining minutes against Spurs in the north London derby and then another high intensity 90 against Aston Villa on Saturday.

But despite all the injuries and everything that has gone on, they played really well. The frustration obviously is, however, they threw away a game they had won with a mad spell when they just lost their way at the back.

Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino could have done better with the first goal, although it was a wonderful ball from Lucas Digne and a great run and header from Youri Tielemans.

But the second goal was totally avoidable. It was really poor from Partey. He switched off completely and let Ollie Watkins go. You just can’t do that against a striker like him in the penalty area.

To Arsenal’s credit I thought they responded quite well after that. The players were clearly running on fumes and there was nothing on the bench to change things, but they somehow picked themselves up and could have grabbed a winner.

But things just aren’t going for them this season. It’s felt like that from the start of the campaign and we saw it again in those closing moments against Villa, especially with the disallowed goal.

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FA Cup exit is a disaster for Arsenal, but could it free time for a much-needed Dubai trip?

Sunday’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester United was a complete disaster for Arsenal. It’s really tough to look at it any of the way.

In terms of the result, it was obviously hugely disappointing to get knocked out of the cup at home in the third round stage for the second successive season.

But it really does feel like the potential implications of the defeat make it even worse.

This was a game Mikel Arteta was clearly determined to win. With two huge Premier League fixtures to come on Wednesday night against Spurs and against Aston Villa on Saturday, Arsenal’s manager could have rotated far more than he did.

But aside from shaking things up a bit in midfield, he went as strong as he could go and the majority of those players had to put 120 energy sapping minutes into their legs.

And the ones who didn’t, limped off injured or - in Gabriel Jesus’ case - left the pitch on a stretcher and could well now be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

Given the injury issues that are already hurting Arsenal, it was the worst case scenario and then the manner of how the defeat actually happened made things even more damaging.

You had players who were out of form and short of confidence missing huge chances to win the game in Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard and then you had the morale-crushing finale of exiting on penalties against a team who had played with 10 men for such a large period of the contest.

It really did feel like an immensely damaging night for Arsenal. One that could be incredibly difficult to bounce back from.

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