"He’ll be in contention" - Mikel Arteta provides fitness update on key player ahead of Arsenal vs Brighton
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reckons Gabriel Martinelli has a good chance of playing in his side's clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday (December 17).
Martinelli missed the Gunners' training session on Monday due to illness, per football.london. He then sat out Arteta's side's 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
However, it appears that the 22-year-old has made a recovery and is in contention to feature against Brighton at the Emirates. Arteta said in his pre-match press conference (via the source above):
"Martinelli is feeling good. He’ll be in contention."
That comes as good news for Arsenal as they look to challenge for the Premier League title. They currently sit second, one point leaders Liverpool after 16 games played.
Martinelli has been in fine form this season, posting four goals and three assists in 19 games across competitions. He is a key member of the Gunners' squad and Arteta will want him to be available against a tricky Seagulls side.
Brighton have made a promising start to the campaign, sitting eighth in the league. Fans won't need reminding about the same fixture last season which saw Roberto De Zerbi's men essentially end Arsenal's hopes of winning the title. They beat Arteta's men 3-0 at the Emirates.
Arsenal are reportedly prepared to sell Jakub Kiwior
According to Forza Roma (via Sport Witness), the Gunners want to offload Jakub Kiwior amid a struggling spell at the Emirates for the Polish defender. The 23-year-old arrived in January from Spezia Calcio for €25 million.
However, Kiwior has failed to nail down a starting berth in Arteta's side. He's started six of 12 games across competitions this season, helping the team keep five clean sheets.
It's claimed that Arsenal no longer believes in Kiwior and would prefer to sell him. AS Roma are interested but cannot afford to pay his €25 million price tag, the same fee the Gunners paid for his services.
The Serie A outfit would look to do a loan deal with an obligation to buy depending on Champions League qualification. AC Milan are also notably keeping tabs and a tug-of-war could ensue for the Poland international.
Arsenal are well stocked in their defensive department, possessing William Saliba, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Jurrien Timber. The latter is sidelined with an ACL injury but could return before the end of the season.