08 March 2023 , 03:00
480
0
Arsenal are flying high again after four wins on the bounce to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Saturday's dramatic 3-2 comeback victory at home Bournemouth kept the Gunners five points clear of reigning champions Manchester City, who could be eight points adrift by the time the international break comes around. Mikel Arteta will have to turn his attention to the Europa League on Thursday, though, with a trip to Sporting Lisbon on the horizon.
That last-16 is followed by a tricky trip to Fulham, but there's also off-pitch issues for the Arsenal manager to deal with. One of those is Reiss Nelson's uncertain future after the Gunners opened talks over a new contract this week.
Here's a round-up of the latest news from the Emirates.
Nice interested in Nelson amid contract talks
French side Nice are said to be interested in signing Reiss Nelson on a free transfer. After the 23-year-old winger scored a 97th-minute thunderbolt to secure all three points on Saturday, Arsenal reportedly opened talks over a new contract.
Wenger breaks silence on Arsenal visit as he doubles down on title prediction
But they now face competition to earn his signature once his current deal expires in June, as according to CBS Sports, Nice - who are owned by Manchester United bidder Sir Jim Ratcliffe - will consider a swoop should Arsenal and the ex-England under-21 international fail to agree fresh terms. Gunners flop Nicolas Pepe has been spending the season on loan at Ratcliffe's club in the south of France, who also signed former Arsenal hero Aaron Ramsey last summer.
Read the full story HERE.
Reiss Nelson's current deal with Arsenal expires in June (Julian Finney/Getty)Caicedo breaks silence after penning new Brighton deal
Moises Caicedo, the Ecuadorian midfielder who Arsenal failed to sign in January, has opened up on his decision to pen a new contract with Brighton - just over a month after handing in a transfer request. The Gunners are understood to have tabled a £70million bid in the final days of the January window, but the Seagulls stood firm and didn't allow 21-year-old Caicedo to leave.
Having signed a new four-year contract extension, the Ecuador international told club media: "It wasn't a hard decision. If it had been a hard decision, I wouldn't have signed. I'm happy with everything at the club and that's why I signed. I'm focused here on Brighton, the club which opened the doors."
Read what else Caicedo had to say on his future HERE.
Arsenal saw their £70m bid for Moises Caicedo rejected in January (Getty Images)Have your say! Should Caicedo have signed a new contract? Join the debate in the comments section.
Neville flags major issue to Arteta
Gary Neville insists that Arsenal must tighten up defensively if they're to go on and win their first Premier League title in 19 years, despite claiming four successive wins and being five points clear of Man City with 12 games to play. Neville reckons that the Gunners need to stop shipping goals, having only picked up two clean sheets from their last nine games in all competitions.
"The fact that they've won in that way gives them that extra spirit and extra momentum, because it is a game you'd expect them to win 2-0 or 3-0 just because Bournemouth are second from bottom," he began on the Gary Neville podcast. "But they made it really difficult for themselves. They've got a real momentum, they've got a spirit building, the fans are with them, I would say to them they've got to stop conceding goals."
More of Neville's analysis HERE.