Good morning Arsenal fans
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta issued an angry apology to fans after chucking in the Premier League title towel.
The Spaniard said: “I hate the feeling of letting people down when they are expecting something.
“That’s the biggest regret and I have to apologise for that. Second position is secure and that is not going to change but this result is going to take me a few days to digest.
“My job is to get the best out of every single player and obviously today I didn’t do that, so it’s my responsibility.
“What the team has done over the last ten months is very different to what anybody expected and we have to manage how we deal with those expectations.
“We fought really hard to be in this position but when you are in a critical moment like this, you cannot do what we did in the second half.
“Now we have to look at if this team is capable of doing it when it comes to the biggest stage.
“With the level that is required to fight for the Premier League title and to compete in the Champions League, there’s a lot of things to think about and analyse because a performance like this cannot happen.
“Last Sunday we were so proud of the way we won at Newcastle and today is the complete opposite.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal are interested in RB Leipzig star Mohamed Simakan even though he recently signed a long-term deal.
According to The Guardian, the Gunners have shown “strong interest” in Simakan ahead of the summer transfer window.
But the North Londoners could have a real fight on their hands to secure the centre-back after he signed a five-year extension in December.
The 23-year-old is contracted to Leipzig until 2027, putting the Bundesliga giants in a strong negotiating position.
And Arsenal’s head of medical services Gary O’Driscoll put the boot in on Brighton star Moises Caicedo as he provided an impromptu update on Gabriel Martinelli’s fitness.
Martinelli was forced off in the 20th minute of the 3-0 loss to the Seagulls after Caicedo’s “revenge tackle”.
The Brighton star’s nasty challenge came soon after the Gunners’ ace had clattered into Kaoru Mitoma, a tackle that incredibly went unpunished by the referee.
O’Driscoll has since provided an update on Martinelli’s condition as a fan caught up with him while in his car after the game.
He said: “He’s a bit sore but he should be ok. Will he be back for the end of the season? Yeah, I think he’ll be back.”
Finally, Chelsea’s incoming boss Mauricio Pchettino faces a massive uphill battle to keep Arsenal transfer target Mason Mount, reports SunSport’s Any Dillon.
Pochettino has targeted Mount’s contract stand-off as one of his priorities when he takes over at the end of this season.
But SunSport understands the Argentinean coach’s arrival is coming too late to save negotiations and thus one of the Blues’ most popular players looks set to leave his boyhood club after 18 years.
The 24-year-old has barely a year left on his contract and talks are at loggerheads after 10 months.
SunSport can reveal the England international was offered a one-year extension by the West Londoners back in February, but this was flatly rejected and seen as a ploy simply to raise his transfer fee.
Relations between Mount’s representatives and the club are at an all-time low and Pochettino needs a “miracle” to turn this around.
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