Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Saturday as they travel to Burnley, with Mikel Arteta sent a message about one star and another involved in a furious row
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s and Neil Docking
11:58, 01 Nov 2025
Mikel Arteta is not happy with talk of fixtures being rearranged for Arsenal
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Mikel Arteta is not happy with talk of fixtures being rearranged for Arsenal
Arsenal will aim to maintain their flawless streak with a journey to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Gunners enjoyed a stellar October, claiming victory in all six matches during the month whilst keeping a clean sheet throughout. A comfortable 2-0 triumph over Brighton saw Mikel Arteta's team cruise into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup in midweek, though they were handed a challenging draw against Crystal Palace in the following round.
Due to fixture congestion, where Palace are set to play four matches in eight days, that clash with the North London giants could be rescheduled. Nevertheless, Arteta isn't enthusiastic about selecting an alternative date. He said: "I don't think that's fair because we have other competitions as well, so we have to try to accommodate. We knew at the start of the season the competitions that each club is playing in. I don't think it would be fair."
Here's all the latest news at Arsenal, including a bitter row involving a summer signing.
Zubimendi at heart of 'very bad' row
Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and West Ham United
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Martin Zubimendi is at the centre of a legal wrangle(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Martin Zubimendi finds himself caught up in a bitter dispute between his former clubs Real Sociedad and Antiguoko, reports the Mirror. The midfielder departed Sociedad during the summer transfer window to join Arteta's side.
But The Sun report that Zubimendi's youth club Antiguoko have taken legal action over this very transfer. It is claimed that they are owed £870,000 (€1m) in the deal that took him to north London last summer.
Roberto Montiel, Antiguoko's technical director, has launched a scathing attack on Sociedad's conduct and accused his club of being "mistreated". He declared: "Currently, the relationship with Real Sociedad is very bad on their part.
"We had an agreement with Real Sociedad until 2020. Since then, we have an agreement with Athletic Bilbao. When Zubi signed for Real Sociedad, it was agreed that, in the event of a transfer, we would receive 5% up to one million euros in return. With this behaviour, we decided not to renew the agreement with them because we felt mistreated by them."
Expressing further anger, Montiel continued: "They are obsessed with crushing us at all levels. They want us to be more and more inferior. The Provincial Council of Guipúzcoa has put in place a law that is subject to Real Sociedad of 'territoriality'.
"Real Sociedad collected the transfer fee from the sale of Martín Zubimendi from Arsenal and has not paid us the five per cent that corresponds to us according to the agreement.
"Real Sociedad has not said anything, and we have made the request in court. And we will have an administrative dispute to reach an agreement. They will maintain their position of not paying us. That money is very important to us because we invest it in our academy."
Future transfer 'needs' to happen
Max Dowman was superb for Arsenal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup
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Max Dowman was superb for Arsenal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup(Image: (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images))
Micah Richards reckons Gunners teenage prodigy Max Dowman will eventually need a loan spell away from the Emirates.
The 15-year-old has been brilliant for Arsenal since bursting onto the scene at the beginning of the campaign and etched his name into the history books by getting the nod against Brighton.
Nevertheless, Richards insists that as Dowman matures, he'll need to secure consistent playing time elsewhere. Speaking on The Rest is Football, the former Manchester City defender declared: "He's special, isn't he? He's special.
"I think the difference that I see with him is that normally, you get thrown in at 15-16 because you are physically developed. And he's not, he's technically developed, which would say that he's going to be something special.
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, looks on prior to the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on October 29, 2025 in London, England.
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Mikel Arteta needs to find a way to give Max Dowman the chance to develop(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
"He's just got a window from 16 to 18 to keep developing at the same rate. And Mikel Arteta comes with these quotes, but he has to be playing also, because you can't get 30 minutes here and then 90 minutes [there], because other people are developing at a quicker rate than you would be.
"Maybe he needs to go out on loan. I know that's maybe too early, I don't think he can go out on loan yet at 15. He's not going to get the game time."
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Co-presenter Gary Lineker also reckons Dowman requires match experience but points out that the youngster can operate in several different roles for the Gunners. He added: "But he plays in a position that Saka plays, so he's not.
"He can play No.10 and he can play the other side. But the manager, the way he is, I would say, he errs on the side of being a little bit more defensive with Saka and then allowing the players to come on.
"He's not going to play ahead of Saka. But to keep developing, he needs to play. That would be my only worry."