ARSENAL recovered from a disappointing start to claim a 2-2 draw in the first North London Derby of the season against Tottenham last weekend.

And Nacho Monreal has revealed he purposely missed the match to ensure his Real Sociedad move went through.

Follow all the latest news and gossip from the Emirates right here…

  • CESC FABREGAS has lifted the lid on the reason why he rejected Real Madrid twice while at Arsenal.

    He told AS: “They called me more than once or twice.

    “The first time I was very young. I was 18 and they offered me a big salary, but I felt like I belonged at Arsenal.

    “Wenger had bet the farm on me. I couldn't leave. In any case, I'll always be grateful to Madrid for the way they treated me.

    “When I was 23 I had a serious calf injury and they sent me a really nice message.

    “I'm grateful for their interest in me but I always dreamed of playing for Barcelona and if I felt that way it was for a reason. It all worked out pretty well for me.”

  • HENRIKH MKHITARYAN has revealed he joined Roma on a season-long loan due to a lack of playing time under Unai Emery.

    The ex-Man Utd flop failed to win over the Gunners fans following a number of below par performances.

    Speaking before Armenia's clash against Italy, he said: “Everything happened in the last day right after the Tottenham game I got a call from my agent.

    “He told me that I have to fly to Rome the next day to have a medical with the team and also sign a contract.

    “It is a great opportunity for me as I didn’t get a lot of playing time.”

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    Taking two players out of the game, Auba style ?⁠ ⁠ #Arsenal #Aubameyang #Gunners #AFC⁠ ⁠

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  • ARSENAL chief Edu reportedly held talks with Real Madrid this summer regarding the future of Brazilian teenager Vinicius Junior.

    According to UOL, Edu spoke with Los Blancos, but they were unwilling to sell the 19-year-old winger.

    Arsenal instead signed Nicolas Pepe from Lille for a club-record fee.

    Junior has featured three times for Real this season, with two of them coming as a substitute.

    Speaking of the competition at the Bernabeu, he said: “The beginning of the season is also a bit difficult. New players always are tested and Real Madrid now have plenty of players.

    “We are playing more and Zidane always talks to all the players, he gives opportunities to all of us at the beginning, so that we can have a good season.”

  • ARSENAL and Man Utd target Kai Havertz has refused to rule out leaving Bayer Leverkusen next summer.

    The 20-year-old is one of Europe's most coveted players following a number of dazzling displays in the Bundesliga.

    Speaking to Sky Germany of being chased by eight elite clubs, he said: “They haven’t scared me off.

    “I don’t know exactly what it was like with Timo [Werner], but it just didn’t happen for me this year. I think there were a number of reasons why.

    “But I’m happy to be here and stay in Leverkusen for another year. We’ll see what will happens next summer.”

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