Arsenal news: Gunners confirm transfer as Mikel Arteta escapes another injury worry

Arsenal's title hopes suffered a major blow on Saturday as the Gunners fell to a 1-0 home defeat against West Ham United.

Jarrod Bowen's lone strike separated the teams at the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners toiled without a recognised striker in their team. Arsenal racked up 20 shots on goal but only twice hit the target as Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off.

Mikel Arteta's side remain second in the Premier League but face the prospect of Liverpool extending their lead at the top of the table. The Reds take on Manchester City on Sunday with an eight-point lead already secure for the moment.

The Gunners will have to quickly return to the drawing board to bounce back against Nottingham Forest in midweek. Mirror Football takes a look at the latest Arsenal news below.

Nwaneri relief

Mikel Arteta has allayed fears that Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri left the field injured against West Ham. There had been the suggestion the teenager limped off the field after 81 minutes.

It had been a difficult afternoon for the youngster as Arsenal laboured, and worries were further raised upon his substitution. Arteta confirmed he would not be added to Arsenal's list of injured attackers that already includes Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli however.

"No, hopefully not, he was just fatigued I think," Arteta clarified in his post-match press conference.

Zane Monlouis has joined Major League Soccer side Toronto FC from Arsenal in a permanent deal.

The 21-year-old had been part of the Gunners' ranks for more than a decade and signed his first professional contract in October 2020. Last season Monlouis spent time on loan with Reading and the academy product made 99 appearances for the north London side across under-18 and under-21 levels, including 15 this term.

The central defender was part of the first team squad for the Champions League matches against Shakhtar Donetsk and Monaco.

Monlouis has agreed a two-year deal and his new club hold options for 2027 and 2028, with the signing announced ahead of Toronto's season opener. The player had been on trial with the club during their pre-season camp.

"We are excited to announce the addition of Zane to our backline for the 2025 season and beyond," Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a statement. "Zane joins us from Arsenal FC, one of the top club environments in Europe. At just 21 years old, he has already gained a variety of playing experience in the U.K.

"His skill set both on and off the ball will be an asset to our defence and we look forward to his continued growth and integration with our first team."

Standards dropped

Arsenal boss Arteta was left furious by the Gunners' performance. The Spaniard believed his side's standard's dropped against the Irons.

While the north London team failed to narrow the gap to Liverpool, Arteta was left more frustrated that his players did not produce the performance they were capable of.

The head coach said: "It's not in our hands. I am really, really annoyed with the things that are in our hands - which is the performance and the result - and we didn't do that as well as we possibly could.

"I am very disappointed, and obviously very angry as well. Even though we had 20 shots, I never felt that we were at the standard and the level that we needed.

"We have to be (angry), and I hope we are because we didn't hit the levels today, and I am very much responsible of that so I am very, very angry."

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