Arsenal suffer transfer blow as Saka tells star to 'shine' away from Emirates

A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as the owner of another Premier League side sets his sights on a key Gunners player and a player Mikel Arteta wants to discuss his future.

Bukayo Saka reacts to Arsenal selling Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham

Hale End legend Bukayo Saka has sent a message to Emile Smith Rowe after Fulham signed the Arsenal academy product in a club-record transfer. The midfielder swapped the north of the capital for west London on Friday in a bid to revive his career after two difficult seasons.

Smith Rowe has only featured in 25 Premier League games over the last two terms and has started just three games. Injuries have blighted the Hale End graduate’s emergence as a key player in N5 after a successful 2021/22 season with 10 goals in 33 appearances, of which he started 21.

The Cottagers will be hoping his creativity can take Marco Silva’s side to another level after Fulham paid Arsenal a club-record fee. Saka will also be hoping his close friend can get his career back on track after progressing from youth gems to the Arsenal first team and playing for England together.

Saka captioned an Instagram post to Smith Rowe: “From Hale End to the Emirates and all the memories of our journey. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Go and shine bro!”

Read more about what Saka had to say about Smith Rowe’s move to Fulham here.

Evangelos Marinakis wants Edu to swap Arsenal for Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis wants to try and pry Arsenal sporting director Edu away from the Emirates Stadium. That’s according to Brazilian publication UOL, which notes that the Greek billionaire is keen to appoint Edu as a CEO specialising in international football.

Marinakis, who also owns Greek giants Olympiacos and Liga Portugal side Rio Ave, rates Edu as his ideal right-hand man. Together, Marinakis hopes Edu can help make his network of clubs a more successful force than Nottingham Forest struggling for Premier League survival.

Edu returned to Arsenal in July 2019, initially as the club’s technical director before becoming sporting director in November 2022. Since then, the former Gunners midfielder, alongside Mikel Arteta, has transformed the north London side into Premier League title contenders once again.

Read more about Marinakis’ interest in Edu swapping Arsenal for Nottingham Forest here.

Arsenal target Pedro Neto rules out Wolves move

Arsenal have spent the last few months considering a move for Pedro Neto, but Mikel Arteta will not sign the Wolves star this summer. The 24-year-old has essentially ruled out leaving Molineux in the current market after addressing his future at the Old Gold.

Neto put Arsenal on red alert with his brilliant displays under boss Gary O’Neil last season. He provided nine assists and two goals in 20 Premier League appearances at Molineux. The Portuguese has played on both wings, as a midfielder and also as a striker.

Injuries have disrupted what could have been an even more exciting period, which saw Arsenal push vigorously for a transfer for Neto. He has missed a total of 17 games with two hamstring problems following injuries to both legs, so Neto is keen to help Wolves now that he is fully fit.

When asked by journalist Nathan Judah if Neto intends to stay at Molineux this summer, he replied: “I love this club. I’m very happy to be here and take this team to another level.”

Read more about what Arsenal target Neto had to say about a transfer here.