Arsenal · Euro Championship - Qualification · Defender · #12 · Netherlands · 24 yrs · Injured
Marti Cifuentes has had a mixed start to life at the Portland Timbers, and he will be hoping for a victory against Minnesota United next. The post ‘It always takes some time’ – Cifuentes trusting the process at Portland appeared first on SoccerNews.
Mikel Arteta is impressed by Chelsea’s summer signings (Photo: YouTube) Mikel Arteta has praised Xabi Alonso and Chelsea for one ‘really smart’ signing ahead of the huge Premier League clash against Arsenal. After both won their opening two games of the campaign, the London rivals meet at the Emirates on Sunday, in an early meeting of two title favourites. A whopping 11 players signed for Chelsea in Alonso’s first summer in charge, headlined by the record £117million transfer of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. But it is their other arrival from Villa Park, Emiliano Martinez, that has received plenty of praise from fans and pundits, with the Argentina star performing well on his debut against last Brighton last weekend. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Replacing Robert Sanchez with the World Cup-winning goalkeeper has surely boosted Chelsea’s title credentials and fixed what has often been cited as a problem position for the Blues. This Sunday will see Martinez return to the Emirates, having previously spent eight years at Arsenal, which culminated with winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2020 under Arteta. The 33-year-old’s switch to Stamford Bridge came as a shock to many, but Arteta says he was ‘not surprised’ by the move and believes his rivals have made an excellent signing. Emiliano Martinez made his debut for Chelsea last week (Photo: Getty) ‘Obviously, I know Emi really well,’ the Gunners boss said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. ‘We had him here. He is a top goalkeeper. ‘It is clear what he is going to bring to the team and I think it’s a really smart decision.’ Arteta managed Martínez during his first season at Arsenal (Photo: Getty) {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Arteta hints at surprise injury boost before Arsenal face Chelsea","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/04\/377782006283025146\/480x270_MP4_377782006283025146.mp4","description":"The lesser-spotted Jurrien Timber got a 'we will decide tomorrow' from his manager.","duration":"T15M43S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/04\/14\/111053691-0-image-a-49_1788529672703.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-04T14:50:04+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); The aforementioned Rogers has made an impressive start to life in west London but he could well have been playing in the north of the capital instead, as Arsenal were the frontrunners for his signature before Chelsea swooped in. After also being linked with Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, the Gunners missed out on signing a marquee forward this summer but Arteta is not concerned. ‘I don’t know [if it is a missed opportunity], these are just opinions,’ he added. ‘The window is closed, and I prefer to look at all the incredible things that we have in the squad and not to spend any more time on the things that are not part of us right now. So, that’s it, and that’s my main responsibility.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty) Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Jurrien Timber could be involved for Arsenal when they host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday. Timber has not played a competitive match since coming off the bench in the Champions League final in May, in what were his first minutes since mid-March. The Netherlands defender subseqeuently missed the World Cup, and underwent surgery on the groin problem that had plagued him for several months. Timber has now returned to first-team training with Arsenal following the start of the season, but was not expected to be available for selection until later on in the month. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta confirmed the 25-year-old could feature against London rivals Chelsea at the weekend. ‘He’s in really good condition at the moment,’ Arteta said of Timber. ‘He’s been training with us now, he’s in a good place.’ Asked if Timber could face Chelsea, Arteta replied: ‘We will decide again tomorrow after training.’ Jurrien Timber has returned to first-team training (Picture: Getty) {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Arteta hints at surprise injury boost before Arsenal face Chelsea","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/04\/377782006283025146\/480x270_MP4_377782006283025146.mp4","description":"The lesser-spotted Jurrien Timber got a 'we will decide tomorrow' from his manager.","duration":"T15M43S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/04\/14\/111053691-0-image-a-49_1788529672703.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-04T14:50:04+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); There was also positive news for Bruno Guimaraes, who made a brief substitute appearance against Aston Villa but was not pictured in training on Thursday. ‘He had a knock against Villa in the previous game,’ Arteta said. ‘He’s been assessed, but probably tomorrow he will be OK to train.’ However, there is more uncertainty over the fitness of Cristhian Mosquera, who was replaced by Ezri Konsa midway through the second half at Villa Park on Monday. Bruno Guimaraes could be fit to feature on Sunday (Picture: Getty) ‘It was more precaution than anything else,’ Arteta added. ‘We have to see tomorrow in the session how he feels.’ Should Mosquera miss out, Konsa could be set for his first Arsenal start since joining the club for £51million towards the end of the summer window. Elsewhere, Arsenal’s opponents, Chelsea, could be without influential midfielder Moises Caicedo after he picked up a fresh injury in the 4-3 win over Brighton last Sunday. ‘We will check tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last session for the squad on Sunday,’ Alonso said. ‘We need to not worry about the things that happen,’ he added. ‘We will make the final decision tomorrow.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
New Rangers striker Kevin Kelsy is "hungry to make an impact" after joining Derek McInnes' side on a four-year deal. The forward has spent the last 18 months with MLS side Portland Timbers but is "ready for this new chapter". Manger McInnes already has high hopes for his new striker who will provide support for captain Lawrence Shankland.
What was all the panic about? Crystal Palace may have left significant transfer business until after the window had officially closed but they can be content with their summer's work.
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