Arsenal are now considering canceling Piero Hincapié’s deal with an angry Arteta
Viktor Gyokeres has insisted Arsenal will be “even more motivated” in their title pursuit after losing the Carabao Cup final.
Gyokeres vows to bounce back from Wembley defeat
The Gunners’ quadruple hopes were dashed on Sunday as they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City – their nearest rivals in the Premier League – at Wembley.
The result could give City a boost in their bid to move nine points clear of Arsenal at the top of the league but Gyokeres hopes the setback will sharpen his side.
The Arsenal forward said: “Of course we don’t feel good at the moment but it’s not like we have another game in three days.
“We will definitely go again and be even more motivated for those upcoming games.”
Arsenal next travel to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4. They then have a final Champions League trip to Sporting Lisbon before their Premier League campaign resumes at home to Bournemouth on April 11.
They will face City in a potentially crucial game at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
Despite a brilliant opening season, Arsenal finished second to City at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the second half and regained victory with two goals from Nico O’Reilly in quick succession after an hour.
Bad as Kepa: Arteta must drop Arsenal star 3/10 who lost 90% of duels
Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
“I think we started really well,” said Gyokeres. “I think we created some good chances at the beginning of the game and maybe 10 minutes before the break they got some momentum.
“I think they had the ball, maybe they didn’t create many dangerous chances, but they had the ball for a long time and it looked like the second half.
“Playing top teams, it can be like that. From the moment they scored a goal, it was difficult to come back after that.”
Arsenal are considering canceling Hincapie’s deal with Arteta furious
Perhaps no one in the Arsenal squad was more bitter on Sunday afternoon than defender Piero Hincapie, who was run down by Antoine Semenyo and withdrawn after an hour.
His replacement, Riccardo Calafiori, quickly added more control down the Gunners’ left flank and hit the post.
Despite calling the 24-year-old a “hero” in the past, Arteta has been frustrated by the £65,000,000-a-week Ecuador international’s performance, and the club are considering whether to pursue their £45m option to buy him this summer, Football FanCast sources understand.
It is said that there are questions about his ability to dismiss Calafiori when he starts, and the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly has given the manager a bit of a headache.
Bayer Leverkusen are still waiting for the deal to go through, but if the Gunners were to pull out, they could opt to pursue a more established defender to provide depth behind Gabriel and William Saliba, who picked up an injury in the final.
Arsenal suffered another injury blow that was not seen during the cup final, requiring immediate treatment
The Gunners have bigger fish to fry but now face an anxious wait.
