Arsenal players have been urged to give more ahead of a crucial Premier League game against Newcastle this weekend
05:00, 25 Apr 2026
William Saliba of Arsenal before the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England.
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William Saliba says his team-mates need to leave it all on the line(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal have the opportunity to reclaim their place at the Premier League summit this Saturday.
The Gunners were knocked off their perch by Manchester City in midweek after City's victory at Burnley. It follows a woeful spell for Arsenal at a pivotal moment in the campaign which has blown the title race wide open with five matches remaining.
Mikel Arteta's side have suffered four defeats in their last six outings across all competitions, with last weekend's 2-1 league loss at City proving most costly.
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However, the elusive Premier League trophy is still within their grasp, with five wins from their next five fixtures giving them a great chance of winning the title for the first time since 2004.
They face Newcastle at home in a must-win game on Saturday afternoon. football.london now brings you two of the latest developments surrounding the north London club.
William Saliba's demand
William Saliba insists he and his Arsenal team-mates must be prepared to "die on the pitch" to achieve their ambition of winning the Premier League this season. The centre-back, often considered the best in the world in his position, has finished as a runner-up with the Gunners in each of the last three seasons.
The Frenchman has called for calm heads after a poor run of form but insists the north Londoners must give everything to finish the campaign with silverware. Saliba told the official Arsenal website: "I think we need to be calm. We need to die on the pitch as well, because it's now.
"Now we have to go, and we need everyone: the supporters, the team, the staff, everyone, because we have to do it now. After that, it's too late. When the season is finished, it's too late; you have to start the next season. It's now. You have to give everything and die on the pitch.
"Last game we wanted to win, and we didn't. But it's not finished. Now we know what we have coming, and we know what we have to do if we want to win the league. We have to start on Saturday. We have good pressure with us because when you play football, you want to play these kinds of games. We're ready for that."
Ian Wright issues challenge
Ian Wright
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Ian Wright has challenged three Arsenal players to step up(Image: The Overlap/YouTube)
Ian Wright has urged Piero Hincapie, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Jesus to step up and help their team-mates throughout the remainder of the season. The trio are the only current Arsenal squad members to have won league titles in recent seasons, meaning they understand the intense demands of a title challenge and, crucially, know how to get over the line.
That experience is vital for the current crop of players, who have repeatedly missed out on trophies, leading critics and fans to doubt their mental fortitude. Club legend Wright believes Jesus, Hincapie and Timber can make all the difference by setting an example to their team-mates in the remaining games of the season.
The former striker said on The Overlap: "In the City game I thought we did enough. If we can play like that, even if we’re trying to creep over the line, we can probably do it.
"We’ve got to find the fight. We’ve got Piero Hincapie who has won the Bundesliga, we’ve got Gabriel Jesus and we’ve got Jurrien Timber who has won in Holland, three players who have seen it off.
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"They need to step into that team and try to make them understand what it’s going to take to finish this off because everybody in there will be having doubts, there’s nothing wrong with that."
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