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Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday (March 10) in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16. Mikel Arteta's men went ahead early in the game through William Saliba and then had to rely on a Hidemasa Morita own goal to stay in the tie.
Meanwhile, the Gunners face competition from Barcelona for the services of Marcus Thuram. Elsewhere, the north London side are eyeing midfield reinforcements this summer, according to acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on March 10, 2023.
Arsenal face Barcelona competition for Marcus Thuram
Arsenal face competition from Barcelona for the signature of Marcus Thuram, according to The Sun.
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The French striker has been in red-hot form for Borussia Monchengladbach this season but is nearing the end of his contract this summer. There's already a beeline for his signature, with Manchester United and Chelsea also eyeing him with interest.
The Gunners are looking to add more bite to their attack at the end of the season and have set their sights on Thuram.
The 25-year-old has managed 14 goals and four assists in 24 games across competitions for the Bundesliga side, turning heads at the Emirates. However, the north London side will have to compete with the Blaugrana for his services.
Gunners eyeing midfield reinforcements
Arsenal are interested in bolstering their midfield this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Gunners brought in Jorginho from Chelsea in January, and the Italian has gelled in quite well in his new surroundings. However, Arteta continues to be linked with new midfielders ahead of the summer.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that the north London side are pleased with Jorginho's impact at the Emirates.
"Arsenal are very happy with Jorginho, on the pitch but also in the dressing room he had great impact, and they’re very happy with him,” wrote Romano.
He added:
“I still believe that Arsenal want a new midfielder in the summer to help Mikel Arteta if they find the right opportunity, but Jorginho is a permanent signing and they’re convinced it was an excellent deal.”
The Italian has registered six appearances for Arsenal across competitions this season.
Europa League draw a fair result, says Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka reckons Arsenal and Sporting deserved to share points on Thursday night. The two teams played out a 2-2 draw, with the second leg at the Emirates now evenly poised. The Gunners failed to impress and squandered an early lead in the game.
Speaking after the draw, Xhaka said that his team were wary of losing the game, so they're fine with the draw.
"We spoke before the game that we have to be smart. We knew that we had two games and at this level, in this competition, we have to be smart, because if you come open straight away, you can lose 3-1 or 4-1 here and it’s much more difficult to overturn," said Xhaka.
He continued:
“I think that we can win and lose this game today as well, so I think the draw is OK for both sides, now let’s see what happens in the second game.”
The Swiss midfielder also rued his team's inability to hold on to their 1-0 lead but remains hopeful of a positive result at the Emirates.
"You go 1-0 up and afterwards, you concede two easy goals and at this level, it can’t happen. We came back to 2-2, we take the 2-2 back to London and try to finish the game there. They’re a good team, they have good footballers as well. We saw they had a lot of discipline at the back, but we can do much better than today," said Xhaka.
He added:
"We have two legs of games to play; we take the 2-2 back to London and try to finish it there. The support this season has been unbelievable, and we want to give them something back for this season as well, so we’ll try our best."
Xhaka has a been a first-team regular for Arsenal this season, registering four goals and five assists in 35 games across competitions.
