Arsenal

Arsenal defender Pablo Marí, currently on loan at Serie A club Monza, was one of at least five people stabbed at a shopping market in the Assago area of Milan, according to Adam Crafton of The Athletic.

He is not believed to have suffered serious injuries.

"I just found out," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters on Thursday after his club's 2-0 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League. "I know [Arsenal technical director] Edu has been in touch with his relatives. He's in hospital but he seems to be OK."

According to Sky Sports, one man in his 30s died from stab wounds suffered in the attack. Per that report, a total of at least six people were attacked, but one did not require hospitalization.

A 46-year-old male suspect has been detained by police.

"We are all shocked to hear the dreadful news about the stabbing in Italy, which has put a number of people in hospital including our on-loan centre-back Pablo Mari," Arsenal said in a club statement. "We have been in contact with Pablo's agent who has told us he's in hospital and is not seriously hurt. Our thoughts are with Pablo and the other victims of this dreadful incident."

"Dear Pablo, we are all here close to you and your family, we love you, keep fighting as you know how to do, you are a warrior and you will get well soon," Monza CEO Adriano Galliani added in a tweet (h/t BBC News).

Mari, 29, joined Arsenal in Jan. 2020 on loan with an option to make the deal permanent that summer. Arsenal exercised that option and he's remained with the club since, though he was sent out on loan to Udinese in Jan. 2022 and Monza this season.

He's made 14 Premier League appearances for Arsenal in his career.

Ethan Nwaneri only had a brief cameo in Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Brentford on Sunday, but it was a moment to remember for the teenager.

At 15 years and 181 days, Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history when he subbed in for Fabio Vieira in the second minute of second-half injury time.

Liverpool's Harvey Elliott (16 years, 30 days) held the previous mark, and Nwaneri broke a club record that was previously held by Cesc Fabregas.

"It was a pure gut feeling," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of bringing Nwaneri on. "I met the boy, I really liked what I saw. He trained with us a couple of times. I had that feeling yesterday that if the opportunity could come, I would do it. He deserves it."

This adds to the youth movement Arteta has helped to fuel since arriving as manager in 2019, and the benefits of that focus were on display against Brentford.

Vieira, who only turned 22 in May, scored the Gunners' final goal Sunday.

Bukayo Saka assisted on William Saliba's opener in the 17th minute. He and Saliba are both only 21, with the former already asserting himself as a fulcrum in the club's attack.

Nwaneri hasn't been included on lists of the brightest young talents in world football or considered a can't-miss prospect within Arsenal's youth squads.

But after Sunday, his continued development will be closely followed by supporters.

A bookmaker based outside the United Kingdom alerted the International Betting Integrity Association after around $420,000 worth of wagers were placed on an unnamed Arsenal player to receive a yellow card during a Premier League match this season.

Joey D'Urso of The Athletic reported the update Saturday after England's Football Association previously confirmed it was aware of the allegations.

"The FA is aware of the matter in question and is looking into it," a spokesperson told ESPN's James Olley on Wednesday.

The player in question proceeded to receive a yellow card and put the bookmaker on the hook for over $1 million in losses, per D'Urso.

Other gambling insiders told The Athletic the pattern of betting in that instance was "highly unusual" and raised serious concerns about market manipulation.

Arsenal has not publicly commented on the matter. It's unclear whether the IBIA also launched an investigation into the situation.

The Gunners are next scheduled to play Sunday when they host Burnley for a Premier League fixture at Emirates Stadium. It's the last match before an international break.

In 2018, former Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood was banned from football for six years by the FA for committing 25 breaches of its integrity and betting rules. Wood denied the charges, but the FA said he "influenced a football betting market" during the 2016-17 FA Cup.

Sports betting has risen in popularity in recent years, especially in the United States, where the practice has become legal in more states.

Along with wagers such as which team will win a game, there are also prop bets that allow bettors to wager on minor events throughout a game. In the case of soccer, that includes events like corner kicks, the time of goals or whether a certain player will get a card.

Organizations like the IBIA are tasked with identifying whether there's any malicious activity when unusual wagers garner atypical interest before or during a game.

The English Football Association is looking into a yellow card received by an Arsenal player after bookmakers raised concerns with an "unusual" amount of money placed on the player getting booked during a Premier League match, per The Athletic's Joey D'Urso and James McNicholas.

"The FA is aware of the matter in question and is looking into it," it said in a statement to The Athletic.

The FA hasn't opened a formal investigation, however. 

According to James Olley of ESPN, "It is understood that the FA's inquiries are initially focusing on betting patterns rather than any individual player's conduct."

While the player hasn't been revealed publicly, D'Urso and McNicholas reported that the publication "knows the identity of the player in question but has agreed not to reveal it at this time due to legal reasons."

The practice of betting on specific instances in a match like a particular player being booked is called spot betting, and spot fixing has become a problem for a number of leagues around the world, though the large wages paid to Premier League players has seemingly limited the practice in England's top league. 

However, Olley reported that "the UK government has been examining the relationship between the sport and the betting sector, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport expected to publish a white paper on a wide-ranging review of gambling laws early this year."

The Premier League announced Sunday's north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur has been postponed following a request from the Gunners.

Arsenal asked for the postponement because of issues related to COVID-19, injuries and players participating in the Africa Cup of Nations, which left the club without the minimum number of first-team players required to play Sunday's fixture.

"The League apologizes for the inconvenience and disruption caused to supporters who would have attended or watched the game—we are fully aware that postponements disappoint clubs and fans," the Premier League said Saturday.

Spurs later released a separate statement saying they were "extremely surprised" the Gunners' application was approved by the Premier League Board:

We ourselves were disqualified from the European Conference League after a significant number of COVID cases meant we needed to reschedule a fixture and our application to move our Leicester fixture was not approved—only for it to be subsequently postponed when Leicester applied.

The original intention of the guidance ... was to deal with player availability directly affected by COVID cases, resulting in depleted squads that when taken together with injuries would result in the club being unable to field a team.

We do not believe it was the intent to deal with player availability unrelated to COVID. We may now be seeing the unintended consequences of this rule. It is important to have clarity and consistency on the application of the rule.

Yet again fans have seen their plans disrupted at unacceptably short notice. We shall once again send food deliveries to the local food banks to avoid unacceptable waste. We are sincerely sorry for our fans—some of whom will have traveled great distances.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta raised the prospect of a postponement Thursday after the club emerged from a Carabao Cup semifinal first-leg draw against Liverpool with just 12 healthy players.

"But we try to prepare the game thinking we will play," Arteta told reporters. "We came here and we were missing nine or 10 players. We don't know what to expect the next day so we cannot be looking at that."

The Gunners' group of absences include Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey and Nicolas Pepe, who are in Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka is suspended after picking up a red card in the midweek match with Liverpool, Martin Odegaard had a positive COVID-19 test ahead of Thursday's kickoff, and Calum Chambers, Bukayo Saka and Cedric Soares face uncertain statuses because of injuries, per ESPN.

Arsenal now has an additional four days to hope at least some players are cleared to return ahead of the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg with the Reds on Thursday.

The Premier League didn't announce a make-up date for the north London derby.

"The League aims to provide as much clarity as possible, but unfortunately postponements sometimes have to be made at short notice, as safety is our priority," it said. "Where possible, the League will endeavor to keep supporters updated if games become at risk."

Next up for Spurs is a Premier League clash with Leicester City on Wednesday.

Arsenal (35 points) is fifth in the table and Tottenham is sixth (33), with both on the hunt for a return to the Champions League next season. The top four Premier League clubs earn a spot in the UCL, with West Ham United (37) surprisingly holding the final berth at this stage of the term.

Arsenal announced Friday it had signed United States women's national team forward Tobin Heath on a free transfer following her departure from Manchester United in June.

"Tobin's record speaks for itself," Arsenal women's head coach Jonas Eidevall said. "She's an incredibly talented player who will bring so much experience to our squad. This is an exciting time for the club, and I'm delighted we could secure Tobin's signing as we prepare to kick off the new season at Emirates Stadium on Sunday."

Art de Roche of The Athletic reported Heath signed a two-year contract with the Gunners.

Heath was limited to just eight Women's Super League appearances with United last term because of ankle and knee injuries. She was productive before the setbacks, scoring four goals.

The 33-year-old New Jersey native returned to full strength in time to join the USWNT for its summer schedule. She scored a goal in each of the two friendly victories over rival Mexico and earned a place on the squad for the Tokyo Olympics, where the U.S. captured the bronze medal.

"It was huge. I didn't know if I'd get back to this place," Heath told reporters after scoring her first international goal since January 2020 in the July 1 win over Mexico. "And obviously it took a lot of work and patience. Honestly, I had a lot of help, so I have a lot of people to be thankful for that."

In all, she's scored 35 goals across 177 appearances for the national team since making her debut in 2008.

Heath made her club debut for the New Jersey Wildcats in 2004 before a standout collegiate career at North Carolina from 2006 through 2009.

She's since made stops with numerous clubs in the U.S., most recently the Portland Thorns from 2013 through 2020, along with European sides Paris Saint-Germain, United and now Arsenal.

The Gunners have a busy schedule on the horizon with three matches in eight days, beginning with Sunday's fixture against Chelsea. That's followed by road matches against SK Slavia Praha in the UEFA Champions League next Thursday and Reading in the Women's Super League the following Sunday.

Heath will then be a strong candidate for another call up to the USWNT for a pair of home friendlies in Ohio against Paraguay on Sept. 16 in Cleveland and Sept. 21 in Cincinnati.

Arsenal have canceled their preseason tour in the United States because of "a number of positive COVID-19 cases at the club," according to The Athletic's David Ornstein and James McNicholas.

The club was originally scheduled to depart for Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday and play a pair of friendlies before returning to London on July 28.

Four teams made up the Florida Cup: Arsenal, Everton, Inter Milan and Millonarios F.C.

Despite Arsenal's absence, Ornstein and McNicholas reported Everton are still planning to compete.

Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Lorenzo Bettoni of Football Italia) reported Inter was also considering removing itself from the Florida Cup because of the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. However, Inter indicated Tuesday morning it was on the way to the U.S.:

The Gunners have friendlies against Chelsea (Aug. 1) and Tottenham Hotspur (Aug. 8) still on the schedule. They open the 2021-22 Premier League season on Aug. 13 against Brentford.

Bukayo Saka discussed the racist abuse he received following England's loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final in a Twitter post Thursday:

Saka also thanked people for messages of support after the game and the racist messages he received: "For those who have campaigned on my behalf and sent me heartfelt letters, wished me and my family well — I'm so thankful. This is what football should be about."

The versatile Arsenal youngster, along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, was racially abused online after missing penalty kicks in the 3-2 shootout loss on Sunday. 

"I don't want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon and received this week," Saka added.

The 19-year-old was given the responsibility of taking the final penalty for England, but his attempt was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"I will not let that moment or the negativity that I've received this week break me," Saka wrote.

Saka has already seen a great deal of success at his age and is the youngest England player to ever start a semifinal of a major tournament.

At the club level, he has already had 59 Premier League appearances while tallying six goals and eight assists in the competition over the past two seasons.

Saka will return to Arsenal in the coming weeks ahead of the start of the Premier League season. His next chance to make an impact for his country comes September 2 with a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Hungary.