Mikel Arteta reveals latest on Arsenal’s moves for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber and gives update on the extent of Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard’s injuries
- Rice and Timber are expected to join Arsenal in the coming days of the window
- Both deals are taking a while to be completed despite fees being agreed
- Odegaard and Trossard picked up injuries on the day of the club’s first friendly
Mikel Arteta has given an update on the progress of Arsenal’s moves for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber.
The Gunners are set to sign both players but are waiting patiently for the deals to get over the line as pre-season continues.
Arteta’s side played their first pre-season game of the summer on Thursday, drawing 1-1 with Nurnberg in Germany with Bukayo Saka scoring the opening goal before a Jorginho own goal levelled things out.
The game saw a debut for new signing Kai Havertz, but the club are in a race against time to get the Rice and Timber deals over the line before they travel to America.
Arteta, however, after the game confirmed the deal were not yet complete an there was nothing to report.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed the latest on the club’s moves for Declan Rice (pictured) and Jurrien Timber
Moves for Rice and Timber (pictured) have been agreed but are not yet over the line
Arteta admitted that there is not yet anything to announce but the deals are understood to be close to completion
‘At the moment we are working with the group of players that is her,’ he said in Germany following the full time whistle.
‘We have nothing to announce yet, and when it is done you will be the first to know.’
West Ham have grown frustrated with Arsenal over the slow progress of the Rice deal, but paperwork is expected to be completed on Friday ahead of the England midfielder’s £105million move.
Both players will likely be announced next week and sign in time to travel to the States for Arsenal’s pre-season tour.
Arteta also gave injury updates on captain Martin Odegaard and forward Leandro Trossard after the paid picked up injuries on the day of the game.
Arteta also gave an injury update on Martin Odegaard who missed Thursday’s first friendly of the summer
He also spoke on Leandro Trossard who left the field injured in the second half of the game
Odegaard was originally named in the starting 11 before pulling out due to a niggle in the warm-up, while Trossard played around 50 minutes before hobbling off.
‘[Odegaard] and Leo are struggling,’ he said after the game. ‘And we had other players with issues picked up in the week so we have to be cautious.
‘It’s pre-season and some of them have only had two or three training sessions so we’ll take it step by step.’
He added that Odegaard was ‘not feeling good enough to play’ and that Trossard’s injury was ‘hopefully not’ major.
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