Mikel Arteta enters arguably the most important week of his coaching career to date as he looks to double up on Arsenal success this season. The Spaniard already has a historic Premier League title in tow and now hopes to beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League crown.
The Gunners won’t turn their attention fully towards the summer transfer window until the outcome of Saturday’s showdown in Budapest is known. However, a couple of updates promise to boost Arsenal’s chances considerably ahead of the biggest fixture in their campaign.
There are also developments on the transfer front after one reported target confirmed he’s already in contact with figures at the club. Mirror Football unpacks the latest stories from around the Emirates in finer detail as the club stands on the verge of even more greatness.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page
Having already delivered the league title to north London, Eli Junior Kroupi is one name on the lips of many around the capital at present. And to make matters better for Arsenal supporters, they’ll be pleased to learn some at the Emirates have already reached out to the forward.
However, this is strictly in an unofficial capacity considering it’s not the club’s board who are in contact with the teenager. But rather it’s members of Arteta’s own squad who have got in touch to thank the Frenchman for his title-sealing heroics.
It was of course Kroupi’s curling finish against Manchester City last week that helped confirm Arsenal as champions. As such, rumours of the Gunners’ interest in the supposed £80million-rated 19-year-old have only ramped up in recent days.
When quizzed about whether any Arsenal stars had contacted him to say well done for his City strike, Kroupi told Stadium Astro: “Yes I have received many messages but I tell myself that I didn’t do this for Arsenal.
View 3 ImagesEli Junior Kroupi has revealed contact with certain Arsenal players after his goal against Manchester City delivered the Premier League title to north London(Image: Getty Images)
“I do this for Bournemouth. I can say I scored against Arsenal, I scored against City. It doesn’t change anything, I just wanted to help my team.”
That answer just serves to further illustrate the kind of rare maturity the player possesses. It’s little wonder the youngster, who joined the Cherries from Lorient last summer for a fee of just £10million, has taken the Premier League by storm this term.
It may take more than money to take him away from the Vitality Stadium this summer, however. Kroupi appears thrilled at the prospect of leading Bournemouth into European competition next term when asked about his next goal, saying: “Perform with my team and perform also in Europe also because it is very beautiful to be in Europe but you have to perform to play there.”
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV packageThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£44SkyGet the deal here
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
In an update that’s likely to go down well at the Emirates, both Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi are struggling for fitness ahead of Saturday’s final. There’s now less than a week to go before the two teams line up at the Puskas Arena, but Luis Enrique is still awaiting updates on both stars.
Hakimi, 27, has been missing from action since suffering a hamstring tear during PSG’s semi-final first-leg clash against Bayern Munich. He was absent from the second leg of that clash and could now be sidelined for the decider with Arsenal as well.
View 3 ImagesPSG are sweating on the fitness of both Ousmane Dembele (R) and Achraf Hakimi ahead of the Champions League final(Image: FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
Dembele, meanwhile, is still nursing a calf complaint he picked up in the recent derby against Paris FC. He sparked worry among the PSG fans after coming off early in that encounter, though his injury is believed to be the least concerning of the two.
L’Équipe has reported there is genuine fear Hakimi will be unable to start against Arsenal. The doubt around Dembele isn’t believed to be quite as severe, but those tensions will only increase if his absence from training extends into this week.
Article continues below
For his part, Dembele has sought to downplay concerns regarding his fitness in recent days. And PSG fans will arguably be most desperate to see him above all others feature against the Gunners.
“I’m doing very well. I had a slight scare against Paris FC, but I’m fine and I’ll be ready for the final,” he recently told RMC Sport. “Will I be 100% for the final? Yes, yes, I think so, yes, I’ll be ready. I have no doubt about it, I hope to be on the pitch on May 30.”