The Gunners are unbeaten in nine games across all competitions in 2024/25 so far and will be confident of extending that streak at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Saints are yet to pick up a single win in the Premier League and have scored just three goals in six games.
By contrast, Arsenal are riding high following their impressive controlled 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday. Another win this weekend would ensure Arsenal go into the two-week international break in good spirits, especially considering they have been without captain Martin Odegaard since the last break.
Kai Havertz is one of the players who has stepped up in Odegaard’s absence, scoring against PSG, yet he can still improve, according to some experts. Here are the latest headlines involving the Gunners.
Havertz needs to work on finishing
Arsenal shelled out £65million to sign Havertz from Chelsea last summer, knowing his positional flexibility would be a real asset under Mikel Arteta. That has been the case, but Gary Lineker still feels he can improve in front of goal, having netted 19 in 60 games for the club.
“The only thing is he doesn’t look to me like the kind of striker to score 25 or 30 goals a season. But he’s got a lot about him,” he said on the Rest is Football podcast. “He holds the ball up really well. He’s got a lovely touch and a deftness to his game. He’s probably learning the role a bit as well because he’s obviously quite late to it but I was really impressed.
“The only thing is he does miss quite a lot of chances and probably not the best finisher. But even that with the fact he’s in those positions could improve, definitely.”
Arsenal will come up against Aaron Ramsdale on Saturday, with the goalkeeper the man tasked with keeping his old club out at the Emirates. Ramsdale joined Saints in a £25m summer move after seeing his No.1 spot taken by David Raya and has no regrets, despite his new team’s rotten form since promotion to the Premier League.
"If I was sitting on the bench, it [winning a trophy] wouldn’t have meant that much to me," Ramsdale told BBC One's Football Focus when asked about his move. "I just wanted to play football. As a kid I wanted to play football to play, not to just sit on a bench. Getting out and playing was my aim so I'm lucky I found myself here at Southampton."
Another money-spinning move for Arsenal came in the sale of Emile Smith Rowe leave for Fulham. The Gunners pocketed £34m for the creative midfielder who had seen his form stall over the past few years due to injuries.
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