Mikel Arteta identifies dream position change for Arsenal star as undroppable's status clear

Arsenal will be aiming to make it three wins in a week when they head across London to West Ham in the Saturday evening kick-off. The Gunners beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 last weekend before hammering Sporting CP 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Having returned to the starting XI before the international break, Martin Odegaard's presence has made a massive difference, while the Gunners just look much better as a team over the last couple of matches. With Arsenal still nine points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, there is still a lot of work to do to get back in contention to win the title this season.

Next up for the Gunners is a trip to West Ham - a fixture in which they won 6-0 last season, with Declan Rice among those to find the net against his former employers. Ahead of the fixture at the London Stadium, football.london take a look at the latest news and gossip surrounding Arsenal...

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Arteta on Lewis-Skelly

Mikel Arteta has hinted that youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly could move back to a midfield role now that Arsenal's mini injury crisis has eased. Although the 18-year-old has caught the eye in the academy playing as a midfielder, his first three senior appearances have come as a left-back.

When asked about using Lewis-Skelly in midfielder, Arteta said in a press conference: "That’s an option. He can play in three different positions. He can play as a holder, he can play as a left-attacking midfielder. So gaps for him."

FL says: "Lewis-Skelly has impressed since making his Arsenal debut despite playing in an unnatural position. It's only exciting news that Arteta is willing to play him in his preferred role in midfield, which could be a dream move for him."

Arteta hails Saliba

Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on William Saliba after the Arsenal centre-back made his 100th appearance for the club during the 5-1 win over Sporting CP in the Champions League.

"At his age, the consistency and quality of performances is incredible," Arteta said. "It's not easy, it's a tricky position to play in this league, but he has a magnificent partnership and credit to Gabriel as well for that."

FL says: "Saliba has been excellent for Arsenal since making his debut in August 2022 and he has been one of their most important players over the last two and a bit years. Across his time at the Gunners, Saliba has won 67 of his 100 matches, keeping 43 clean sheets in the process. That is a very good record - making Saliba one of Arteta's 'undroppables'."