Paul Merson is baffled that Bukayo Saka was not nominated for the Player of the Season award in the Premier League this term.

The nominees were recently revealed, and while two Arsenal players were picked, Saka was notably absent from the list.

Despite Saka’s recent struggles to find consistent form, Arsenal has remained in fine form as a team.

While it is difficult to pick only one or two players from the Gunners to challenge for the award, Saka seems to deserve a nomination based on his overall performances this season.

After seeing the list, a baffled Merson said, as quoted by Metro Sport:

Newcastle United has shown interest in signing Aaron Ramsdale since he lost his first-team place at Arsenal.

Some reports even suggested that he might join them in the last transfer window, but Arsenal had no interest in losing their second-choice goalkeeper midway through the season.

Ramsdale has remained as the backup goalkeeper, and he is now widely expected to leave at the end of this season.

Arsenal will not stand in his way if he wants to leave, and Newcastle is looking to add him to their squad.

According to a report on Team Talk, in recent days, the Magpies have stepped up their interest in his signature and are looking to sign him at the end of the season.

Arsenal is stepping up its efforts to improve its squad at the end of this season with newer and better players.

The Gunners deserve a lot of credit for how they have been spending money on good signings over the last few seasons.

This strategy has been a key factor in their recent success, and Mikel Arteta’s side is keen to continue improving its options.

At the end of this season, they are looking to add several fresh recruits to their squad to make it even better, and one of their potential targets is Nico Williams.

The Spaniard has been one of the most exciting wingers in Europe over the last few seasons, and he could add significant value to the Arsenal team.

Manchester City star Josko Gvardiol has admitted that they discuss Arsenal’s goal difference in the dressing room, knowing it could be the deciding factor in the title race.

Arsenal has been in fantastic goalscoring form in the Premier League this season and they had the most goals in the league before Manchester City’s 4-0 win against Fulham this afternoon.

Although Manchester City now have the most goals in the league, Arsenal still maintains a better goal difference, thanks to their fantastic defensive form.

After the win against Fulham, which took them back to the top of the Premier League, Gvardiol said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

‘We just need to be focused on ourselves and keep going that way. Of course we talk about it [goal difference] and as you can see we are trying to get there. But it is not easy, Arsenal have quality as well.’

Arsenal star Jorginho believes Mikel Arteta is doing an amazing job at the club, and the Gunners gaffer deserves to stay at the helm for the long term.

Arteta has transformed Arsenal into title challengers again following years of mediocrity in the final seasons of Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery.

Before Emery left the club, the culture at the Emirates was poor, and mediocrity was allowed to prevail.

However, when Arteta arrived, he initiated a campaign to rid the team of bad influences and gradually changed the club’s culture to one of excellence.

With two games left in the season, Arsenal still has a chance to win the Premier League, thanks to Arteta’s remarkable work.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is focused on his team winning their remaining games of the season, even though that could help make Arsenal the champions of England.

Spurs are struggling to secure their return to the Champions League next season, and they must be perfect for their remaining matches of the campaign, including their game against Manchester City.

If they win or draw that match and Arsenal wins their remaining games of the season, the Gunners could be champions.

Having Arsenal celebrate winning the Premier League title in North London is not what Tottenham fans want, but they also need to beat City for their own good and Postecoglou said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

‘I don’t give up on anything, I’m fighting tooth and nail every single day for everything I can get for this football club because that’s my responsibility.

Kieran Tierney insists he has no hard feelings towards Mikel Arteta, despite being dropped from the Arsenal team.

When Tierney first joined Arsenal, he was considered one of the best left-backs in the Premier League, and he was also useful to Arteta when the manager first joined the club.

However, Arteta wanted an inverted full-back, and Tierney struggled to adapt to the new demand.

When Arsenal secured Oleksandr Zinchenko’s signature, it marked the end of Tierney’s time at the club.

After spending most of last season on the bench, the defender is now on loan at Real Sociedad for this season.

The Arsenal manager recently discussed how Jurgen Klopp and his former mentor, Pep Guardiola, have served as sources of inspiration for him in his quest to bring his team back to the top.

He credits the two with being the driving force behind his success in leading Arsenal back to the top and challenging for trophies. As for him, feeling the pressure to compete with the two top coaches and wanting to come out on top has kept him going. He is determined to lead Arsenal to Premier League glory, a feat that the club hasn’t achieved in the past two decades.

“It’s a challenge, but at the same time, it’s very inspiring,” Arteta said about his firecest rivals. “When you have two of the best managers in the world [Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp] with two huge clubs, competing and facing them in their eyes and willing to be better than them, you learn from it.

“You challenge yourself and seek excellence because it’s the only way to try to beat them.

“We are so lucky that we are fighting to win major trophies. The outcome is going to be decided by small details, but with that journey, you have to really embrace and enjoy the moment.

Arsenal Women and Lionesses’ formidable defender, Lotte Wubben-Moy, has earned a well-deserved nomination for the prestigious Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Season accolade.

Throughout the current campaign, 25 year old Lotte has showcased her defensive prowess in 18 WSL appearances, triumphing in 13 matches while maintaining five clean sheets and netting a goal.

Notably, her offensive contributions have surged, evident in her record-breaking 134 progressive passes this season, marking a career high. Furthermore, her defensive performance has soared to new heights, evidenced by an increased number of tackles and blocks compared to her previous WSL campaigns.

Lotte played her way into Arsenal Women’s starting XI, after the departure of Brazilian centre-back, and the unfortunate ACL injury suffered by Lioness captain and Arsenal centre-back, Leah Williamson. Lotte has also played her way into Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses starting XI, scoring the opener in the Lionesss 5-1 romp over Italy in February.

Lotte is also very active in the Arsenal community and received a fitting tribute, on International Women’s Day, where a vibrant mural showcasing the achievements of the Arsenal and England defender was revealed, when she visited her alma mater, Born and raised in East London, Lotte Wubben-Moy met pupils and engaged in a spirited football session alongside girls at Olgar Primary School in Bow.

Israel on Saturday ordered hundreds of thousands in Rafah to evacuate immediately as Israeli military forces prepared to expand further into Gaza’s southernmost city amid a devastating humanitarian crisis. The warning, which arrived in the form of dropped leaflets, came despite a rare threat from President Biden this week that he would withhold certain weapons if Israel advanced further into Rafah. 

At least 300,000 people affected as further areas across #GazaStrip receive new evacuation orders today, both towards central #Rafah in the south AND #Jabalia in north #Gaza@UNRWA estimates 150,000 people have now fled #Rafah since Monday, looking for safety where there's none. pic.twitter.com/9UNfo6b0rW

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 11, 2024

More than half of Gaza’s population have fled to Rafah since the start of Israel’s military operations in the north, pushing the densely populated city, which also serves as a critical passageway for transporting aid into Gaza, to a “breaking point.” Now facing an imminent ground invasion, as well as vows by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fight “with our fingernails” if the US follows through on its threat to cut off certain weapons, displaced Palestinians are forced to flee once again. To where, it’s exceedingly unclear, as Gaza’s north has already been decimated by months of bombing.

“The bombing and shelling is incessant,” Bridget Rochios, a certified nurse-midwife from California volunteering at Rafah’s last maternity hospital, told Mother Jones this week. “And there’s nowhere else to go.” Rochios described scenes of horror where basic medical supplies such as gloves and scissors are nearly gone; doctors are forced to use razors to remove umbilical cords; and the lives of 50 newborns in the intensive care unit hang in the balance.