{"id":990,"date":"2026-04-07T16:03:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=990"},"modified":"2026-04-07T16:03:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:03:33","slug":"arsenal-latest-mikel-arteta-tries-to-land-pep-guardiola-favourite-as-suspension-threat-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=990","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal latest: Mikel Arteta tries to land Pep Guardiola favourite as suspension threat grows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_32b220\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Arsenal news as transfer interest in a Barcelona star emerges and the push on referee Sam Barrott is assessed<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33722755\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Gabriel Martinelli\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722755.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Chelsea-v-Arsenal-Carabao-Cup-Semi-Final-First-Leg-Stamford-Bridge.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722755.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_Chelsea-v-Arsenal-Carabao-Cup-Semi-Final-First-Leg-Stamford-Bridge.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722755.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_Chelsea-v-Arsenal-Carabao-Cup-Semi-Final-First-Leg-Stamford-Bridge.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722755.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Chelsea-v-Arsenal-Carabao-Cup-Semi-Final-First-Leg-Stamford-Bridge.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mikel Arteta may have feared an extra punishment for Gabriel Martinelli\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mikel Arteta may have feared an extra punishment for Gabriel Martinelli<cite aria-label=\"Image: PA\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: PA)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arsenal have had little time to recover as they gear up to face Sporting CP in the Champions League.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Gunners have made the journey to Portugal for the opening leg of their quarter-final tie following Saturday&#8217;s crushing FA Cup exit to Championship outfit Southampton. Within a fortnight, after last month&#8217;s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, Arsenal&#8217;s quadruple aspirations have crumbled, leaving the Premier League and Champions League on their schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">While the Gunners hold a comfortable nine-point advantage over City, who possess a game in hand, recent disappointments have sparked concerns amongst supporters about another end-of-season capitulation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Having occupied such a commanding position throughout much of the campaign, a season without silverware would prove catastrophic for Mikel Arteta. Here&#8217;s a <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/arsenal-news-arteta-olmo-martinelli-36974752\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">summary of the latest Arsenal developments&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFCFootball.London#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_0389af\">Arteta wanted Guardiola favourite<\/h3>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Gunners are understood to have expressed interest in a player admired by Pep Guardiola. Spanish publication <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"http:\/\/sport.es\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><u>Sport<\/u><\/a>  has reported that Al-Qadsiah FC, the Saudi Arabian club managed by Brendan Rodgers, recently launched a determined effort to secure Barcelona star Dani Olmo with a \u00a360m offer and an \u00a38m-per-year deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The same report indicated that the Gunners were amongst those pursuing Olmo, who was finding regular minutes under Hansi Flick difficult to come by. Nevertheless, Olmo is believed to have turned down both clubs, opting instead to compete for his position in the Barca squad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">This isn&#8217;t the first time the 27-year-old has been linked with a transfer to the Premier League, following interest from Manchester City last summer. At that point, Olmo&#8217;s representative stated his client wasn&#8217;t considering leaving the Nou Camp but added: &#8220;You never know what the future will bring.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It remains to be seen whether the Gunners will reignite their pursuit of Olmo this summer, which will potentially see a substantial overhaul of the squad.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33722722\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33722722\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dani Olmo of FC Barcelona celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024\/25 Semi Final Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Barcelona at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 06, 2025 in Milan, Italy.\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722722.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_FC-Internazionale-Milano-v-FC-Barcelona-UEFA-Champions-League-202425-Semi-Final-Second-Leg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722722.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_FC-Internazionale-Milano-v-FC-Barcelona-UEFA-Champions-League-202425-Semi-Final-Second-Leg.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722722.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_FC-Internazionale-Milano-v-FC-Barcelona-UEFA-Champions-League-202425-Semi-Final-Second-Leg.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722722.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_FC-Internazionale-Milano-v-FC-Barcelona-UEFA-Champions-League-202425-Semi-Final-Second-Leg.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Dani Olmo has reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester City\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Dani Olmo has reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester City<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_0389af\">Martinelli to avoid further action<\/h3>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Gabriel Martinelli is expected to avoid additional disciplinary measures despite pushing referee Sam Barrott during the defeat at Southampton, according to former PGMOL chief and referee Keith Hackett.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Brazilian was arguably fortunate to only receive a yellow card after the incident, which took place in stoppage time as the Gunners chased an equaliser. When Barrott awarded a free-kick, Martinelli hurriedly attempted to take it and shoved the official, who promptly brandished a yellow card.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ex-Premier League referee Mark Hasley believes Martinelli should have been sent off. However, Hackett has highlighted that both the FA and FIFA are generally hesitant to re-referee incidents and doesn&#8217;t anticipate any further punishment for the player.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33722721\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33722721\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.78\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli pushing referee Sam Barrott\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722721.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Martinelli-referee-1.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722721.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Martinelli-referee-1.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722721.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Martinelli-referee-1.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33722721.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Martinelli-referee-1.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Gabriel Martinelli was booked for pushing referee Sam Barrott\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Gabriel Martinelli was booked for pushing referee Sam Barrott<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Hackett told <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.footballinsider247.com\/gabriel-martinelli-pgmol-expert-wants-arsenal-star-suspended-but-review-panel-unlikely-to-act\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><u>Football Insider:<\/u><\/a>  &#8220;Because the referee has issued a yellow card, it is unlikely that the disciplinary panel will review the decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The FA, and FIFA in particular, want to avoid re-refereeing issues. In this situation, Barrott, who I think is outstanding, hasn&#8217;t applied the law. He didn&#8217;t bring the attention upon himself, but he&#8217;s duty-bound to set an example for players and young referees down below.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I&#8217;d like the disciplinary panel to re-referee this one and suspend the player who laid his hands on the official. Some will say that it wasn&#8217;t violent, but that shouldn&#8217;t matter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article29688932.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-price-details__OpMC_\">\n<p>\u00a349<\/p>\n<p>\u00a335<\/p>\n<p>Sky<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;campaign=&amp;clickref=Regionals-FootballLondon&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals&amp;platform=pl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Get Sky Sports here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025\/26 season, saving \u00a3336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal news as transfer interest in a Barcelona star emerges and the push on referee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}