In the seven years since — spent at Villarreal, Al Sadd in Qatar and, for the past two campaigns, back at his boyhood club Real Oviedo in the Spanish second division — Cazorla had kept in close touch with his former team-mate and now Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Losing to Aston Villa twice played a major role in Arsenal falling short in last season's Premier League title race, and manager Mikel Arteta does not want to take Unai Emery's side for granted despite a win at Villa Park in August.
Writing in the Telegraph, former Liverpool defender and now pundit Jamie Carragher believes that Arsenal may have already peaked under the guidance of manager Arteta.
Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Newcastle United in the first leg of Arsenal's semifinal tie in the Carabao Cup was the latest example of the struggles manager Mikel Arteta is having to deal with personnel-wise.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will do battle in a white-hot atmosphere as the rival clubs face off under the lights at Emirates Stadium.
There is never a good time to lose a north London derby but for both Mikel Arteta and Ange Postecoglou a defeat on Wednesday would only serve to further rile fanbases whose murmurs of discontent have grown more audible.
After the injuries of key players Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta addressed the transfer options for January.
Arsenal didn't let an early concession deter their derby hopes, and Mikel Arteta will likely be happy with his Gunners after a 2-1 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
The Gunners head into the game following a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Arsenal “cannot win the title” this season after Mikel Arteta prioritised signing Mikel Merino over a striker in the summer, according to Jamie Carragher.
Arsenal could have Riccardo Calafiori back for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa. Calafiori missed games against Manchester United and Tottenham but the Italian has not been ruled out of featuring against Villa at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.