Arsenal beat Everton to the signing of Sead Kolasinac

Arsenal are usually known to be very slow movers in the transfer market but the Gunners have wasted no time whatsoever in securing their first signing of next season by agreeing a deal for Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac.

It can be confirmed that Kolasinac will be joining Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of his current contract at Schalke and the North London side are said to have beaten off competition from Everton to secure the services of the Bosnian international.

Since breaking into the Schalke first team back in 2012 as a teenager, Kolasinac has managed to slowly earn a reputation as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe and had grabbed the attention of the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton, Juventus and Milan with his performances.

Kolasinac, who can play left-back, central defence as well as on the wing, has however decided to join Arsenal and the versatile defender will be a great addition for the Gunners – especially with the likes of Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs struggling this season.

Wenger says Arsenal will not succumb to Alexis’ demands

Alexis Sanchez and Arsenal have been involved in a contractual standoff for a while now and it does look like the Chilean international will be departing the Emirates Stadium following the latest revelations by manager Arsene Wenger about the attacker’s situation.

It is believed that Sanchez is demanding a deal worth £300,000-per-week and while many have urged Arsenal to do all they can to keep hold of the 28-year-old, Wenger has insisted that the Gunners will not be held hostage by their superstar.

The Frenchman said, “Some people tell me ‘Just give him what he wants’. But then you cannot respect anymore the wage structure and you put the club in trouble as well. Always, the club has to be the priority.

"I understand as well that top players is a big priority, but at the end of the day even for important players you can only pay as much as you can afford.”

Cech and Koscielny in contention, Lucas and Ospina still out

Arsenal prepare to square off against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Monday night and it would not be an exaggeration to state that the match is a must-win in the Gunners’ aspirations of finishing in the top four.

Heading into the clash, Arsenal have been handed a double boost as the duo of Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny could be fit in time to feature but manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that the duo of Lucas Perez and David Ospina still remain ruled out.

Wenger told reporters, “From the last game, I believe that we have a chance of getting Petr Cech back in the squad. Laurent Koscielny is joining in today. If their tests are positive, they will come back into the squad for Monday’s game.

Eighty per cent (Cech and Koscielny will play). At the moment it’s pretty good, but sometimes the 20 per cent can play a villain’s part in the final preparation. Ospina and Perez are still out.”