Arsenal

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We wanted your suggestions for Arsenals all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's the second set:

Mazin: 4-3-3. Raya, Lauren, Saliba, Campbell, Gabriel, Petit, Vieira, Rice, Pires, Henry, Alexis. A mix between the Invincibles and the spine of this current Arsenal team but it was tough to leave out players like Ljungberg and Overmars from the Invincibles, as well as the full backs from Arteta's team.

Will: 4-2-3-1. Raya, Lauren, Saliba, Gabriel, Cole, Vieira, Fabregas, Saka, Bergkamp, Pires, Henry. Timber could cement right-back with the early Bellerin the only alternative. Adams/Keown tempting but not as well-rounded as current two. No love for Cole but is our most consistent Premier League left-back. Midfielders and forwards pick themselves. Front six stand on top in Premier League era. Would love Odegaard to match/better Bergkamp but he's not close yet.

Ali: 3-4-3. Raya, Campbell, Gabriel, Adams, Saka, Viera, Cesc, Rice, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry. Flair for days in attack, steel in the middle of the park, ball players across the pitch and a rock-solid defence. All these players in their prime would be immense.

Lucas: 4-3-3. Lehmann, Keown, Saliba, Adams, Cole, Vieira, Fabregas, Bergkamp, Saka, Henry, Alexis. Hard not to include Ozil but that midfield would be magic.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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England U21 head coach Lee Carsley says 15-year-old Max Dowman is being considered for an England call-up.

Dowman - who this season has made his Premier League debut and become the youngest player to feature in the Champions League - has been impressing while with the England Under-19s.

He has made five appearances for Arsenal's first team this season but Carsley has said the "timing has got to be right" for the attacker to represent his under-21 side.

"He's a player that we're monitoring," Carsley said.

"Sometimes that talent, we have to accelerate it so quickly because of the challenge they are getting at their clubs.

"It's important that we keep in mind how young Max is and we are fully aware of him. We get all of the feedback from the camps that he plays on and there is definitely time. He'll definitely get his chance within the Under-21s."

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"The quality of Eberechi Eze's goal was just sublime", said BBC Radio 5 Live's senior football reporter Ian Dennis after England cruised past Serbia at Wembley to record their seventh successive World Cup qualifying victory.

Arsenal's attacking midfielder put away a curling 90th-minute finish, set up by Manchester City's Phil Foden, to wrap up another win for Thomas Tuchel's side.

"It was interesting when Eze came on for Marcus Rashford," Dennis said post-match. "Thomas Tuchel has already said not everybody is going to go to the World Cup, especially regarding his number 10s.

"That position includes Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Cole Palmer, so obviously not all of those players are going to be able to go to the United States next year.

"But Eze coming on for Rashford made me think that Tuchel clearly sees him on the left-hand side of England's attack.

"If that is the case, then Eze's competition is with Rashford and Anthony Gordon, who had started England's last three matches before picking up a hip injury.

"It is becoming very clear which players are in competition with each other now, as Tuchel tries to narrow things down to that final cut.

"Nothing has been confirmed by Fifa yet, but we are assuming it will be a 26-man squad - and he has got to get the balance right."

Did you know?

• All three of Eze's goals for England have been as a substitute, with both of his strikes at Wembley being assisted by Foden.

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Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze both scored for England in the 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday night.

It is the first time two Arsenal players have both scored in the same match for England since November 2021 when Saka and Emile Smith Rowe scored against San Marino.

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Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is pleased with the "beautiful goal" he scored in England's 2-0 win over Serbia, as Thomas Tuchel's side extended their unblemished record in World Cup qualifying at Wembley.

The 24-year-old has scored 14 goals for England in 47 appearances since making his debut in October 2020.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, Saka said: "Another goal - and a nice one as well. I'm happy with that one. It was a nice strike and a beautiful goal.

"It was a good performance from us in a tough game.

"For Serbia, it was a game that meant everything for them and they came with full aggression. We dealt with it well.

"We could have been more clinical, but we won 2-0 so we are happy. It was good to see us come out here and match their hunger, even though we have qualified."

Did you know?

• Bukayo Saka has scored (two) or assisted (one) in three consecutive appearances for England for the first time.

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We wanted your suggestions for Arsenal's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Chris: 4-3-3. Seaman, Timber, Campbell, Gabriel, Cole, Vieira, Rice, Bergkamp, Saka, Henry, Pires. Bergkamp in Odegaard's role and this provides good balance across eras.

Ryan: 4-2-3-1. Seaman, Cole, Gabriel, Adams, Sagna, Viera, Rice, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Saka. Horrible but wonderful decisions to make. Although touch choices, I feel I can justify the team...Picking; Henry, Saka, Pires, Vieira, Cole and Adams were no brainers... however, leaving out the likes of Sol Campbell, Jurrien Timber, Fabregas, Lehmann and Santi Cazorla is a decision no Arsenal fan wants to make!

David: 4-1-2-3. Seaman, Cole, Adams, Campbell, Dixon, Vieira, Odegaard, Fabregas, Saka [right], Henry [left], Wright [middle]. This team blends the best of the players Arsenal have had with two of our current best. The midfield has a good blend of offence and defense and the attack would trouble international teams let alone club sides.

Jubril: 4-4-2. Raya, Dixon, Saliba, Adams, Winterburn, Saka, Merson, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry. These are the best players I have seen since starting watching my favourite club.

Forrest: 4-4-2. Lehmann, Sagna, Saliba, Campbell, Cole, Saka, Rice, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry. Gladiators through the core, pace and guile out wide and the best striking partnership the PL has ever seen. Arsenal have never replaced Henry.

Sam: 4-3-3. Seaman, Timber, Adams, Gabriel, Cole, Fabregas, Vieira, Rice, Bergkamp, Henry, Sanchez. Quality all over the pitch!

Juventus have failed to reach an agreement with their 20-year-old Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz - who has been linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid - and contract talks between the two parties have been halted. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Riccardo Calafiori has been following an individual training programme before Italy's World Cup qualifying match against Moldova on Thursday.

The Arsenal defender has been one of the Gunners' standout performers this season, starting all 11 of their Premier League games.

And although Calafiori has not trained with his Italy team-mates and may not take part in the game on Thursday, BBC Sport has been told that it is a precaution, with the 23-year-old's training and game load being managed.

It is hoped Calafiori will be back for what could be a massively important game for Italy against Norway on Sunday as they look to try to secure a spot at next year's World Cup.

It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream Arsenal's Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Promoted Sunderland clearly have not received the memo that they are supposed to be doggedly clinging on to Premier League survival with a respectful awareness of their lowly status.

‌Maybe it was a good time to get Arsenal after the Gunners' trip to Prague this week. The visitors also had an injury list reading like the local phone directory. Sunderland are in fact a very good team with a fantastic team ethic and having beaten Chelsea and now drawn with the mighty Arsenal, everyone knows they are not going to be relegation fodder.

As a result, Arsenal fans should not be too dismayed. They got a point having just won 11 on the spin and had not shipped a goal in nearly 18 hours of play. The most important thing is not to have a mini-implosion like Liverpool did after their defeat at Crystal Palace in September.

‌With their next two league games against Spurs and then Chelsea, with the small matter of Bayern Munich squashed in between, they will now face the kind of test that tells you if you are a true domestic and European champions contender.

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League One Cardiff City came from behind to beat a 10-man Arsenal Under-21 side 3-1, thus eliminating the Premier League club from the EFL Trophy in the final round of group-stage matches.

Marcell Washington's powerful strike gave the visitors the lead after great build-up play, only for Cardiff midfielder Troy Perrett to level the match two minutes later.

But calamity for the Gunners when goalkeeper Alexei Rojas was shown a red card for a foul, and the hosts capitalised on their one-man advantage with goals from Will Spiers and Trey George.

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here

Arsenal are yet to hold talks with boss Mikel Arteta over a new contract, with the Spaniard set to have 18 months left on his deal at the turn of the year. (ESPN), external

Meanwhile, Everton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and West Ham are monitoring Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly's situation after England boss Thomas Tuchel said the 19-year-old needs more minutes to be considered for his squad. (Caught Offside, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column here

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Arsenal are in advanced talks over appointing Napoli head of scouting Maurizio Micheli into a leading recruitment position.

In what would be viewed as a significant coup for the London club, Micheli - who has been credited with the identification of players such as Marek Hamsik, Kim Min-jae and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - is said to be finalising a move to Emirates Stadium.

The Premier League club have undergone a period of internal change over the previous 12 months following the departures of sporting director Edu and his number two Jason Ayto.

Andrea Berta was appointed the club's sporting director in April and is playing a key role in shaping the club's recruitment department.

And Berta is understood to have identified Micheli, 57, as a key appointment to his team, with discussions already believed to be underway.

The Italian has held numerous scouting roles across Serie A, including positions at Bologna and Brescia.

He originally joined Napoli in 2010 in the position as chief scout but left for the head of scouting role at Hellas Verona in 2015. Micheli eventually returned to Naples in 2018 in his current role.

It is remains to be seen how far Micheli's remit would stretch if he is appointed at Arsenal.

Long-serving executive James Ellis was promoted into the position of technical director - player recruitment earlier this year.

Micheli has developed a reputation as one of Italian football's leading talent-spotters in recent years.

In addition to Hamsik, Kim and Kvaratskhelia, the transfer specialist has also been credited with unearthing former Ghana internationals Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan among others during his time working for Udinese.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Life as a Premier League goalkeeper is a tightrope walk.

It is a fine line between being the hero and the villain.

And while David Raya could by no means be called the villain on Saturday, or during the past month-and-a-half of clean sheets, a late lapse in judgement or concentration has left fans feeling he is the reason Arsenal came away from the Stadium Light with just the one point instead of three.

Former goalkeeper David Seaman was also among those to question the 30-year-old, telling Premier League Productions: "Whether Raya should come, I'd question that.

"And the way he comes for the ball, he tries to catch it, is he aware of the guy [Brian Brobbey] getting close?

"It's a great finish by Brobbey but I would just question the decision of Raya, whether he should come and try to punch it, rather than try to catch it."

But this is not a regular occurrence from the Gunners' number one.

In fact, the type of decision making from Raya that saw Sunderland's Brobbey grab the late equaliser does not register in Opta's recording of errors leading to goals.

As such, the Spain international has not made an error leading to a goal for Mikel Arteta's side since his first season at the club in 2023-24.

In total, since his Arsenal Premier League debut on 17 September 2023, Raya ranks joint-ninth among his fellow keepers for errors leading to goals with three - and those three errors all came in the same campaign.

In the following season, he made nine errors leading to shots and so far this term has just the one, none of those instances have led to a goal.

While the stats do not always represent feeling or perception, Raya has shown that it is now a rare occurrence that he falls off that goalkeeping tightrope.

Image source, Opta

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We asked for your views on David Raya, and whether it was his mistake that led to Sunderland's late equaliser in their 2-2 draw on Saturday.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: Absolutely Raya's mistake but he has saved us on many occasions and that is the life of a goalkeeper. It's not a big deal.

Mike: Raya could/should have done better for their equaliser, but so should Gabriel. Declan Rice should do better for the header that eventually led to Dan Ballard's goal. Martin Zubimendi should have scored. These guys have been immense, no use digging them out after one below-par performance and a game we didn't even lose.

Paul: Raya has been consistently very, very good. Yes, he might have saved it by staying on his line but one error compared with his many great saves is no issue for me.

Fred: He slipped up here but how many times has Raya made a crucial save to keep us in a game we then went on to win? Mistakes happen and now it is up to the team as a whole to get back to winning ways.

Jay: It is the way he plays. He is aggressive and comes to meet the ball. His aggressive approach has a higher success percentage than passively standing on the line. On another day, the shot hits him and people are talking about another world-class save. How can you be critical of the best goalkeeper in the league?

Laura Kirk-Francis
Fan writer

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David Raya might have the easiest job in football. Before Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sunderland, Arsenal had conceded only 12 shots in nearly 13 hours since their 2-1 win at Newcastle in late September.

Arsenal are the first English top-flight team for more than a century to win eight successive matches without conceding across all competitions.

The records have been tumbling and this season. Raya has been awarded an improved contract by the club in recognition of his performances.

Despite all this, many will be pointing the finger at the Spaniard for his role in Bryan Brobbey's 95th-minute equaliser. It was a rare mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.

It is hard for us mere mortals with our ever-decreasing attention spans to fathom how Raya stays switched on for 90 minutes when his defence is so impenetrable in front of him. Fans have even made jokes that he might as well start bringing a book to keep himself amused.

But one thing Arsenal fans know far too well is that the title can come down to one point. The difference between first and second could be too tight for a momentary lapse in judgement, particularly by a player whose standards are so high.

Should the Gunners have held on to the win, they would have opened up a nine-point gap over second-placed Manchester City before their game against Liverpool. As it currently stands, the gap is four points. The door has been left ajar for Pep Guardiola's team.

There should be no cause for panic. Arsenal simply do not allow teams to have many chances to shoot on goal.

But when they do, there are no excuses for Raya not to perform. It was a mistake that cannot be repeated.

What do you reckon? Is Raya allowed one mistake or was this particularly costly?

Have your say on the Arsenal goalkeeper here

Find more from Laura Kirk-Francis at the Latte Firm podcast, external

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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The Premier League has agreed to move games involving Arsenal and Crystal Palace in December to ease fixture congestion.

Arsenal's trip to Everton and Palace's game at Leeds - both originally scheduled for 14:00 GMT on Sunday, 21 December - will now be played at 20:00 on Saturday, 20 December.

The move means the two sides will have an extra day to prepare for their EFL Cup quarter-final on 23 December.

The decision to move forward the two Premier League matches has been done after requests from both clubs.

It is understood the desire for both teams to have the same recovery time before the EFL Cup tie was a factor, though television scheduling is also believed to have been a consideration.

There is an acknowledgment that the 20:00 kick-off does provide travelling supporters with logistical difficulties.

But the Premier League says the decision has been taken with the players' well-being at the forefront of its mind.

It said: "Player welfare is a priority for the Premier League, and we have therefore granted requests from Arsenal and Crystal Palace to move their respective fixtures.

"This comes after the scheduling of matches from other competitions around Premier League fixtures without adequate player recovery time.

"This is also further evidence of the impact the expanded Uefa competitions have on the domestic fixture calendar."