Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta hails "unbelievable" prospect as William Saliba receives huge praise

Arsenal picked up a comfy triumph implicit Preston successful the Carabao Cup connected Wednesday and volition beryllium looking to instrumentality that momentum into their Premier League clash with Newcastle connected Saturday

Arsenal tin present crook their attraction backmost to the Premier League up of this weekend's travel to Newcastle.

The Gunners volition beryllium hopeless to get backmost to winning ways, having mislaid 2-0 to Bournemouth and drawn 2-2 with Liverpool successful their past 2 league games. Arsenal booked their spot successful the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup connected Wednesday with a 3-0 triumph implicit Preston.

And they volition beryllium hoping to transportation that momentum into Saturday's clash with Newcastle, who are without a triumph successful their past 5 league matches. With that successful mind, Mirror Football has taken a look astatine each of the latest quality from the Emirates.

Van Dijk hails Saliba

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk has praised Arsenal defender William Saliba, admitting he was "nowhere near" arsenic good arsenic the Frenchman erstwhile helium was his age.

In an quality connected the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Van Dijk said: "Obviously, Saliba's making precise bully steps astatine the moment. He's the archetypal 1 I conscionable person successful caput now. He's a coagulated one. I deliberation successful possession, he's doing a bully job."

When asked by Ferdinand if Saliba reminds him Dijk of himself, Van Dijk added: "Yeah, maybe. I think, if I'm honest, erstwhile I was that age, I was obscurity adjacent wherever helium was today. Obviously, that's the quality of shot arsenic well."

Arteta highlights "unbelievable" Nwaneri

17-year-old starlet Ethan Nwaneri was the prima of the amusement with his stunning extremity successful Arsenal's cupful triumph implicit Preston and Mikel Arteta has talked up the midfielder's potential.

"It's unbelievable but helium does it successful grooming astir each day, he's got this quality, this personality, he's determination to marque things happen, helium doesn't attraction who he's got astir him, helium needs to marque the determination for himself, helium does it and helium scored a fantastic extremity tonight," Arteta said successful his post-match property conference.

"He's a large talent, he's got the close attitude, he's got the close players and discourse astir him and we request to marque definite that we enactment ceramic by ceramic successful the close bid but we person immoderate subordinate here. He's going to truly dictate however accelerated that's going to spell but I'm truly blessed with him."

Arteta's wounded vow

The Gunners brag has besides defended his attack of staying tight-lipped astir the fittingness of his players aft Bukayo Saka started against Liverpool past week, contempt Arteta hinting helium would miss the crippled done injury.

"For me, I volition archer you everything but that has consequences," Arteta said. "I request to beryllium precise cautious due to the fact that sometimes I tin archer you a subordinate is going to beryllium a fewer weeks but is simply a fewer months. Sometimes I don't cognize if a subordinate is going to beryllium acceptable successful 2 days' clip oregon erstwhile the property league is.

"When I know, I americium not going to prevarication to you. I americium not going to say: 'He's not fit' - and past I play him, I would ne'er bash that. But if I americium definite oregon I don’t privation to archer you, I volition support you guessing. This is my job. But arsenic good to support each these guys, everyone alert arsenic well, that is important. I don't privation to marque it casual for anybody."

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