Arsenal latest as Bukayo Saka speaks out and transfer rumours addressed

The latest Arsenal news as the Gunners receive a response to a potential transfer target, while Bukayo Saka has hit out at those criticising his side

Arsenal witnessed their advantage at the summit of the Premier League reduced on Saturday as they were forced to settle for a 2-2 stalemate with Sunderland.

A stoppage-time leveller from Brian Brobbey has left the Gunners heading into the international break on a sour note. Mikel Arteta’s side remain at the top of the Premier League but Manchester City have narrowed the deficit to merely four points following their comprehensive 3-0 demolition of Liverpool on Sunday.

Arsenal will face little breathing space following the international interval either. A pivotal clash against arch-nemeses Tottenham will come before encounters with Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a derby against Chelsea, Brentford and then Aston Villa away.

With a Gunners transfer target making his feelings known and Bukayo Saka offering his perspective on the opening months of the campaign, Football.london examines the latest Arsenal developments.

Saka ignoring the noise

Bukayo Saka insists he and his Arsenal team-mates are shutting out the noise. He also suggested people’s views “change like the weather” following Arsenal’s stalemate against the Black Cats on Saturday.

Saka has declared that Arsenal are entirely concentrated on securing the Premier League title and dismissing any and all discussion about their recent performances.

“People’s opinions and thoughts about us change like the weather,” the England international said. “The most important thing is the changing room, how solid we are, the foundation we have, the belief we have in ourselves.

“How we stick together, through the good and bad, that’s the most important. We can’t pay attention to the external noise because it’s always fluctuating.

“We’re good, we’re in a good place. The last month or so has gone really well. We’ve won a lot of games, kept a lot of clean sheets and we’re playing well. So it’s all good.

“We just have to win every game, that’s the mentality we go into the games with. See where it leaves us. We can’t get carried away with what people are saying because one day they’ll say something, the next day they’ll say something different.”

Transfer rumours addressed

In response to swirling rumours, BK Hacken’s director of football, Martin Ericsson, has addressed the speculation surrounding their young starlet, Silas Andersen.

Recent chatter suggests that Arsenal have been keeping tabs on the 21-year-old midfielder, but it remains uncertain whether the Gunners will make their move when the January transfer window opens.

Ericsson spoke about Andersen’s links to Arsenal, saying: “It’s quite reasonable. He’s a young player who is doing very well and who is of great interest. It would be strange if he were to say much else.”

Via Fotboll Skanalen, he added: “With that said, I think he’s doing very well. He’s here both mentally and physically and pushes every day in training and matches. As long as he is, I don’t feel worried at all. Then we’ll see what happens in the winter.”

The young Danish star was snapped up by the Swedish club from FC Utrecht in January, with Ericsson expressing his desire to retain the promising midfielder for as long as possible.

“It’s clear that our ambition is to keep Silas as long as we can,” he said. “Then we’ll see what things mean in terms of offers, clubs and how we and he approach it. We’ll see when a possible sale takes place.”

When questioned about the potential cost for Arsenal to secure Andersen, he responded: “We’ll see. Everything has to be right. For us, he’s a very important and high-profile player. So, it’s clear that something extra is needed. Exactly what that means is difficult to assess now.”

In response to queries about Arsenal’s interest, the player himself told Fotboll Skanalen: “I don’t know. I’ll let my agent work on it. I don’t know much.” When pressed further, he added: “It’s a big club. I would be happy (to move)”.