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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Malley

Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta’s “open” challenge as Gabriel Martinelli prediction rings true

Arsenal were able to witness Kieran Tierney display a superb performance in Scotland’s 3-0 victory over Ukraine on Wednesday, and now all eyes will return to the rest of their international stars over the following days.

But attention may also turn to young forward Folarin Balogun, who has revealed that Mikel Arteta set him an “open” challenge ahead of his season-long loan move to Ligue 1 club Reims this summer. Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp’s prediction on Gabriel Martinelli rings true, while a supercomputer has predicted Arsenal will finish as Premier League champions.

Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest stories coming out of the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s “open” challenge to Folarin Balogun

Arsenal starlet Balogun appears to be living up to Arteta's “open” challenge after leaving Highbury hero Thierry Henry “happy” with his performances for Reims so far this season, following five goals and two assists in eight games.

The young striker joined French side Reims on a season-long loan this summer after spending the second half of last campaign with Championship club Middlesbrough and has enjoyed an excellent start to life in Ligue 1. But Balogun has revealed the words of advice he was given by Arsenal boss Arteta upon sealing his loan exit to the continent.

Speaking to Prime Video , he said: “Before I moved, Mikel just wanted me to develop as a man. It was kind of like an open answer and it was for me to interpret what he meant by ‘develop as a man’. By moving abroad, I’m starting to learn what he meant by that. It doesn’t just mean on the pitch but also off the pitch.”

Read the story in full HERE .

Mikel Arteta gave Folarin Balogun a challenge ahead of his switch to Reims (Getty Images)

Will Folarin Balogun be a big player for Arsenal in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Jurgen Klopp’s Gabriel Martinelli prediction rings true

New recruits such as Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira have dominated a lot of Arsenal discussion coming into the new season, and understandably so, but another player who’s had a sizeable influence on the Gunners alongside them has been Brazilian attacker Gabriel Martinelli.

While more people are starting to sit up and take note of Martinelli’s attacking ability, the 21-year-old already has a number of admirers in the footballing world. One of those is famously Jurgen Klopp who spoke glowingly of the attacker, calling him a “talent of the century”.

After an incredible 5-5 Carabao Cup draw in 2019, Klopp said, "Martinelli’s pretty much the same age (as Liverpool defender Sepp Van De Berg) but he’s a talent of the century, he’s an incredible striker.”

Read the story in full HERE .

Supercomputer predicts Arsenal to finish as champions

The dreaded supercomputer is back... and it's even more shocking than usual.

Throughout each season, various supercomputers predict how the Premier League table is going to look come May. Right now, Arsenal are leading the way in the Premier League - sitting one point ahead of champions Manchester City and bitter rivals Tottenham.

Most critics accept the table won't look like this come the end of the season. For example, Liverpool are expected to finish in the top four and it would be a shock to see West Ham in a relegation battle. Yet Football Web Pages' supercomputer sees things differently.

According to their mystic powers, Arsenal will win the Premier League title by three points. What's most surprising about this prediction is Man City are tipped to win all 19 of their home games and still finish second! And that's not the only shocking call.

Read the story in full HERE .

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