THREE STARS STAY HOME: MIKEL ARTETA CONFIRMS ARSENAL SQUAD FOR INTER MILAN SHOWDOWN
Mikel Arteta rules out three key players for Arsenal's trip to Inter Milan. Get the latest on Hincapie and Calafiori’s recovery.
Mikel Arteta has ruled out Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, and Max Dowman for Arsenal’s upcoming Champions League match against Inter Milan.
Hincapie, who arrived on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, has missed the last three games with a groin injury. Calafiori hasn’t played since the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace back in December—he’s out with a muscle problem and has already skipped seven games. Then there’s Max Dowman, the young midfielder, who’s been sidelined since injuring his ankle ligaments in an Under-21 friendly at the start of last month.
All three are still rehabbing and haven’t returned to first-team training, so they won’t be making the trip to Italy. There’s hope they’ll be back soon, but not just yet.
On the brighter side, Arteta says Kai Havertz and Christian Mosquera are fully fit and ready for Tuesday night’s showdown at San Siro. When asked if there were any other updates, he kept it short: “No, that’s all.”
Arteta wanted fans to know the team goes into every game looking to win, no matter how many injuries they’re dealing with. “Every game’s its own story,” he said. “Players are at different stages, but we’ll put out the best line-up and finishers we can to win.”
Inter actually ended Arsenal’s unbeaten European run last season, with Hakan Calhanoglu scoring the winner from the penalty spot. But things look different this time. Inter have a new manager, Cristian Chivu, and Arteta has noticed the changes. “It’s a similar context to last year, even if both teams are in slightly different places now,” he said. “Their new managers put their stamp on them. They’re still a really competitive side, dominating in their league. It’s going to be a tough match.”
When someone brought up whether this game could help build momentum, Arteta didn’t hesitate: “Every Champions League game gives you a chance to achieve something. You have to take it. Tomorrow, we’ll have to earn it against a top side. That’s what we’re preparing for.”
Meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres had another frustrating afternoon as Arsenal drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest in the league. Arteta had sympathy for his striker. “It’s tough for all the number nines in the Premier League nowadays,” he said. “The centre-backs are physical, they dominate, and there’s hardly any space for strikers to exploit. But it’s about consistency, going again. We know how hard Viktor works; he’s giving his all, and we’ll keep working with him.”
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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