Arsenal news LIVE updates: Mesut Ozil wants Man Utd move, Wenger angry about Gibbs and Ox

ARSENAL news is coming thick and fast and Express Sport is on hand to give you all the latest updates from the Emirates.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in action for Liverpool GETTY

Arsene Wenger doesn't miss Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain too much

Arsenal news LIVE updates: Follow here for all the latest from the Emirates

Monday 25 September

Arsenal target issues contract ultimatum

16:50: Arsenal target Kepa Arrizabalaga has told Athletic Bilbao he wants a pay rise.

Arrizabalaga is one of the rising stars in Spanish football and has earned comparisons to Manchester United star David de Gea.

The 22-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and in January he can sign a pre-contract agreement with another club.

Bilbao have been desperate to tie Arrizabalaga down to a new long-term deal and recently offered him a four-year contract.

But according to Spanish outlet AS, Arrizabalaga is demanding to be paid around £1.9m-a-year by Bilbao.

Arsenal, Real Madrid and Napoli are all tracking the young goalkeeper.

The report says the release clause in Arrizabalaga’s contract would be around £61million.

Wenger disagrees with Jose & Pep

15:45: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has said the club cannot afford to ignore any competition unlike rival managers who have questioned the value of the League Cup.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho suggested scrapping of the League Cup could help avoid fixture congestion and would help English clubs become more competitive in European competitions.

The Portuguese manager was also backed by Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola, who played down the significance of the League Cup.

"You cannot sacrifice deliberately any competition with the pressure that every club is under now," Wenger told reporters.

"You know that you could pay the price sometimes for it because you know that if you go further in the League Cup, at some stage you play in the semi-final - home and away in January. So you have the FA Cup, the Premier League and sometimes you lose players in these competitions."

Sanchez focused on Arsenal - Koscielny

14:20: Alexis Sanchez is focused on being an Arsenal player after a frustrating summer that saw his proposed move to Manchester City blocked, says team-mate Laurent Koscielny.

Sanchez has scored one goal in five appearances for the Gunners in all competitions so far and Koscielny believes the 28-year-old is giving his all for the club.

“Alexis is an important player for us,” said Koscielny. 

“I know it was a difficult situation with the transfer window but now it’s finished and I think he is focused on his job, on his performance and on his club. 

“He’s an Arsenal player and he knows that he needs to play and he needs to score some goals and give assists to be better. 

“He’s still working every day like he did before, so the most important thing is to keep his head cool and just play and enjoy.”

Wenger angry about sold players

11:44: Kieran Gibbs explained following his £5m move to West Brom that he was a huge fan of manager Tony Pulis and felt he could improve his game after 13 years coming through the ranks at Arsenal under Wenger.

Gibbs will face a reunion with Wenger at Arsenal at the Emirates tonight (8pm).

“Obviously it is different to what I have had before so I feel like he can develop certain areas of my game that may need working on and help me progress,” Gibbs said.

Similarly, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took a pay cut because he felt he could improve at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp after his £40m move.

But Wenger merely scoffed when it was put to him that players these days felt they could get a better footballing education elsewhere.

“Look!” he said, exasperated. “You look at the players who performed here and left. You come back to me after.” 

Nicholas praises Wilshere

09:30: Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere’s return to the first team will have Tottenham fans acknowledging his “remarkable determination.”

That’s according to former Arsenal striker-turned-pundit Charlie Nicholas.

Wilshere has been plagued by injuries over the years that has seen him start just one Premier League match for the Gunners since the start of the 2015/16 season but he is now back amongst Arsene Wenger’s plans.

“None of us, in all honesty, think he can get back to where he was four or five years ago because the injuries have been so severe, but if he can get close to that then he's still worth keeping,” Nicholas told Sky Sports.

"Is he a better footballer than Granit Xhaka? Yes. He's certainly better than Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin, and things are starting to fall in place for him where he's going to get opportunities.

"Even Tottenham fans would have to acknowledge he's shown remarkable determination to bounce back again and he's got too much talent for Arsenal to give up on him.”

Arsenal midfielder Jack WilshereGETTY

Jack Wilshere's Gunners career has been disrupted by injuries

Bellerin wants momentum

08.05: Hector Bellerin thinks Arsenal are on the up after securing a draw against Chelsea.

Arsenal sit in 12th but play West Brom tonight and could move up to seventh with a win.

And Bellerin thinks the mood is good and has called on his team-mates to use the momentum.

"Even before Chelsea, the games against Bournemouth and in the Europa League helped the team build up the momentum," he told Sky Sports.

"And the last few games against Chelsea, we have always come out on top and the team was confident we could do the same again.

"We were a bit disappointed as we had chances to score and when you come out of the game thinking, 'we could have won that', it is a bit disappointing.

"But to perform away from Stamford Bridge, which is always hard, and to come out with a clean sheet and a solid performance was very good for the mood in the team and the club."

Ozil's shock move

07.00: Mesut Ozil is keen on a shock move to Manchester United.

The Arsenal star is out of contract in the summer and looks set to leave the Emirates on a free.

And United are interested in bringing him up to Old Trafford.

Ozil and Jose Mourinho worked together at Real Madrid and the Sunday Mirror report that the German is keen on a reunion.

He is said to have been putting feelers out over a potential move and has been encouraged with the feedback.

Arsene Wenger’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dig

05:00: Arsene Wenger has admitted he was hurt more by Kieran Gibbs’ departure than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s.

Arsenal cleared out the deadwood in their squad over the summer, with nine players leaving the club on permanent and temporary deals.

The most high-profile move was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s switch to Liverpool for around £40million.

However, Arsene Wenger has admitted it was not his departure to Anfield that hit him hardest over the summer.

And speaking ahead of tonight’s clash with West Brom (8pm), the Frenchman admitted seeing Kieran Gibbs lining up for the Baggies is the toughest to take.

“Overall it's true that with Gibbs [it hurt] more than Chamberlain because he had been educated at Arsenal from the age of 10,” he told Sky Sports.

"When he arrived he was a left-winger. I transformed him into a full-back because he was not necessarily rated as a guy who would make it as a left winger.”

Arsenal's Theo Walcott scores after amazing assist from Sanchez

Jack Wilshere warning

04:30: Jack Wilshere would be going backwards in his career if he were to leave Arsenal.

Those are the thoughts of former Aston Villa star Darius Vassell.

Wilshere’s time with the Gunners has been severely disrupted by injuries and he has made just one Premier League start since the 2015/16 season.

But Vassell thinks it would be a mistake for Wilshere to leave the Gunners at this stage of his career.

"Should he move on and do other bits and pieces? As a fan, no I want to see him do his bits and pieces at the club he belongs,” Vassell told Express Sport.

“There shouldn't be any rush to move him on because another injury at a new club and then we're back at square one again."

Sterling move not up for discussion

04:00: Pep Guardiola has slammed the door shut on a move for Manchester City star Raheem Sterling.

Arsenal were interested in the England international over the summer as part of a swap deal involving Alexis Sanchez.

But when asked about his chances of leaving the Etihad, Guardiola said: “Raz is staying here.

“The club trust him - that is why we have invested a lot of money in him.”

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