TheHardTackle takes a look at the most intriguing news pertaining to Arsenal for the day.
Hector Bellerin’s return, the secret behind Alexis Sanchez’s success, and more as we summarize the key Arsenal stories that emerged today –
Injury update on Hector Bellerin
In some excellent news for the Gunners, Hector Bellerin has revealed he’s on track on his road to recovery and could be fit within four weeks.
The 21-year-old right-back picked up an ankle injury during the North London derby in the first week of November, with initial reports suggesting that the defender could be sidelined until January.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, Bellerin said “It’s (recovery) going really good. Better than I expected”
The Spanish full-back stated he will return to training from next week, and is eager to feature during the crunch and congested festive fixtures around the Christmas period. The newspaper suggests Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City could be an optimistic return date for Hector Bellerin.
Arsene Wenger decodes the reasons behind Alexis Sanchez’s success
The tactical tweak by Arsene Wenger of utilizing the Chilean international as the number nine has worked wonders for the player and team, with Sanchez finding the back of the net 10 times while setting up a team-mate on 5 occasions in 18 appearances this season.
And now, the manager has revealed what makes Alexis Sanchez tick as the striker leading the front-line.
Speaking to Arsenal’s official website ahead of their clash with Southampton on Wednesday, the French head-coach said, “I think he has improved a lot on [running effectively]. He’s more conscious of his responsibilities and he is an intelligent player.”
Wenger added the former Barcelona forward has the instincts of a real striker and a dribbling style that’s provocative to create damage for the opposition, which makes him fit to a T to spearhead the Gunners attack.
Former Arsenal defender and pundit Martin Keown believes loaning Wilshere was mistake
Martin Keown thinks Arsenal made a blunder in loaning Jack Wilshere, as he feels the English midfielder could do a better job in midfield than £30 million summer signing Granit Xhaka.
Appearing on Match of the Day, Keown said, “Arsenal’s midfield is a concern, it’s a worry. Maybe Wilshere would have been the answer this season but of course he’s on loan.”
“It was a gamble (letting Wilshere go on loan). I know why Jack went, he has to play football and get back playing. Jack has played deeper for England and he could definitely do that for Arsenal. I see no reason why he’s not better than the guy who’s been brought in to replace him in Xhaka.”
Whether Arsenal made a mistake in loaning out Jack Wilshere is still up for a debate, but the loan can definitely be termed a success for the player if one strictly considers the playing time the Englishman is accumulating under his belt.
The 24-year-old midfielder has already played more league minutes than he did in his last two seasons individually, and has started in the last eight consecutive league games, something he hadn’t done since early 2013.
Serge Gnabry states Arsenal desperately wanted to keep him in the summer
Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal allowed Serge Gnabry to leave for Werder Bremen in the summer for a paltry fee of £5 million.
The young German then set the stage on with his performances for club as well as country, fueling even more arguments about Arsenal’s misjudgment.
However, the Serge Gnabry has now revealed that Arsenal did try to keep him but he insisted to move on following concerns over playing time.
Speaking to Kicker (h/t Sky Sports), Gnabry said, “Arsenal wanted to keep me, badly. But I had to look after my development.”
“That was the main reason for the transfer – I wanted to get more playing time and it (the move) worked.”
