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Arsenal have another difficult clash against Everton this weekend but will take some positives from their midweek draw against Southampton. Here is the latest news featuring Arsenal from 18 December 2020.
Gabriel Martinelli to face Leicester City
The Brazilian was in good form prior to his knee injury, and he is set for some more playing time against the Leicester City development squad tonight. Martinelli played 45 minutes against AFC Wimbledon for the U-21 side and will feature in the Arsenal U-23 team when they face Leicester.
After playing an entire half for the first time in nine months, Mikel Arteta will hope Martinelli has a good outing against Leicester City and further improves his fitness levels.
Arsenal have struggled for goals this season, and Martinelli will add more quality and depth to the Gunners’ attack. The 19-year old has played 26 games for Arsenal and has scored ten goals for the club.
Ozil to remain at Arsenal until the end of his contract
The German last played for Arsenal in March and is likely to run down his contract, which expires in the summer of 2021.
Ozil has been frozen out of the team despite being on a hefty £350,000 a week wage package. The former Real Madrid star’s absence has been felt as Arsenal have struggled in midfield under Arteta. Even though Arteta is unlikely to use Ozil, the German’s agent Erkut Sogut has revealed that his client is working hard and wants to play for Arsenal once again.
“He is currently working hard to wear the Arsenal shirt again, and he will continue to work,” Sogut told Fanatik (h/t TeamTalk). “I would like to clearly state our situation regarding Fenerbahçe. Yes, we had meetings with Fenerbahçe. We had a one-on-one conversation with club authorities."
“However, we can never have contact before January for official transfer talks. We received transfer offers for Mesut from all over the world. Fenerbahce’s interest is also known. Nothing has changed for Mesut right now. Under these circumstances, it seems that Mesut will complete the season at Arsenal," added Sogut.
Arsenal considering Marc Overmars for director role
Under current director Edu, Arsenal seem to have moved backwards rather than forward. Some of the signings Edu has sanctioned have been questionable as Arsenal have taken too much of a gamble on has-been players like David Luiz and Willian.
As per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Express), Arsenal are might install former star Marc Overmars as their new director and could hire him sooner rather than later. The former Arsenal legend is currently football director at Ajax.
With Overmars as their director, Ajax have had a brilliant run and developed the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek, Frenkie de Jong and Hakim Ziyech before selling them for massive transfer fees.
