adminLONDON. — Henrikh Mkhitaryan is poised to make his Arsenal debut when Arsene Wenger’s side resume their English Premier League soccer campaign at bottom club Swansea City tonight. The Gunners head to South Wales boosted by their League Cup semi-final triumph over Chelsea and rested following a free weekend, a consequence of the holders’ early exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Championship side Nottingham Forest.
Mkhitaryan’s arrival from Manchester United also means Wenger’s players have been able to prepare for the game without the sideshow caused by Alexis Sanchez’s protracted departure from the Emirates Stadium.
The swap deal that saw Sanchez and Mkhitaryan change clubs has drawn a line under a saga that was threatening to destabilise the second half of Arsenal’s season. But with Sanchez gone, Wenger hopes he can rebuild his side around the axis of Armenian playmaker Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil.
The extent to which that partnership can flourish will depend on whether Ozil opts to stay at Arsenal beyond the end of his current contract which expires at the end of this season. There have been reports suggesting the Germany playmaker could be in line for and Old Trafford reunion with Sanchez and Wenger admitted he is not yet sure what Ozil’s future holds.
“Not close enough to be optimistic and not far enough to be pessimistic,” was Wenger’s assessment of negotiations with Ozil when he spoke at a media briefing.
“The vibes I get from his commitment, his focus and his desire for achievement with the team is that he behaves like someone who is completely focused and committed and ready to commit but after that contract negotiations are what they are.”
Fixtures
Today: West Ham United v Crystal Palace (9:45pm); Swansea City v Arsenal (9:45pm); Huddersfield Town v Liverpool (10pm.
Tomorrow: Everton v Leicester City (9:45pm); Newcastle United v Burnley (9:45pm); Southampton v Brighton & Hove Albion(9:45pm); Chelsea v Bournemouth (9:45pm); Stoke City v Watford (10pm); Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion (10pm); Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United (10pm). — AFP
Online Reporter