A look at the latest headlines surrounding Arsenal as they remain focused on Premier League and Champions League glory
Two of Arsenal’s past transfer dealings have attracted attention in recent days. Despite the summer transfer window approaching, the Gunners remain concentrated on the immediate objective – securing the Premier League and the Champions League.
Currently, Arsenal’s destiny remains in their own control. Mikel Arteta ‘s side need only to defeat Burnley at home on Monday and Crystal Palace away on the final day of the campaign to capture their first league crown since 2004.
Following that, a first Champions League final appearance in 20 years beckons, where the north Londoners meet reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain. Success in Budapest would deliver the club’s first-ever European Cup.
Ahead of a pivotal few weeks in the club’s history, we take a look at two of the latest developments concerning Arsenal, from Jamie Vardy’s unsuccessful transfer to Bruno Fernandes’ recent remarks.
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Bruno Fernandes gutted over Declan Rice
Manchester United captain Fernandes has admitted he was left gutted when Declan Rice signed for Arsenal. Fernandes has praised his midfield counterpart, who has been arguably the Gunners’ standout performer this campaign.
Rice had been linked with a switch to Old Trafford back in 2021 while still plying his trade at West Ham, having even held conversations with several United players about life at the club. A transfer never came to fruition, and the 27-year-old ultimately put pen to paper at Arsenal in 2023 for a club-record fee of £105million.
That remains a source of regret for Fernandes, who viewed Rice as the ideal acquisition and the perfect midfield partner. He recently admitted he wished the England international had chosen Old Trafford over the Emirates.
Speaking in an interview with Joel Beya, he said: “I’ve always said, Rice was a player to play for Man United, I was really sad when he chose to go to Arsenal. I always thought he would be a perfect fit for our club.”
Jamie Vardy snub explained
Vardy has shed light on his decision to turn down a move to Arsenal in the summer of 2016. The Gunners were famously pipped to the title by Vardy and Leicester City during the 2015/16 campaign, prompting then-manager Arsene Wenger to pursue the striker at the end of that season.
Arsenal were prepared to activate the then-29-year-old’s £22million release clause, but he rebuffed their advances and instead committed his future to Leicester. Vardy maintains he has no regrets about snubbing Wenger, having established himself as one of the Premier League’s finest forwards over the past decade and adding an FA Cup to his trophy cabinet with the Foxes in 2021.
Gary Lineker told Vardy on The Rest Is Football podcast: “Turning down Arsenal is quite a big deal,” with the 39-year-old Cremonese star concurring, before elaborating that the circumstances simply hadn’t aligned.
Vardy said: “It was like a surreal situation. I’ve never been involved in that type of thing. Like on paper, they were a way bigger club. I was away that summer with England.
“And when you’re away with it, you have so much time on your hands. It is frightening. That just gave me the space to just think about everything. And I just said, no, it’s not happening. It ain’t.”
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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.
