Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Arsenal v Crystal Palace: Arsene Wenger confirms Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski won't be back until Everton

German World Cup winners will miss Crystal Palace and Besiktas

James Orr
Friday 15 August 2014 14:29 BST
Comments
Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil during Arsenal training
Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil during Arsenal training

Arsenal Wenger has confirmed that his German World Cup winning trio Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski will not be in consideration for Arsenal's first two matches of the season - Crystal Palace tomorrow and Besiktas away in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The three players have been given an extended break after Germany's World Cup triumph last month, and will now not return until Everton away next weekend.

Ahead of the new season, Wenger was asked about Arsenal's title chances, and says that he believes Arsenal should be classed as one of the favourites.

"The favourites [for the title] are Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United, Man City and us,” the Frenchman explained. "I believe we have a chance because we were top for a long time but we have to take more points from the top teams.

"I'm happy with all the players I have signed. They have integrated with the team very well."

Wenger also spoke about his "surprise" at manager Tony Pulis's departure from Palace. Pulis quit just 48 hours before the match against the Gunners because of a row of transfer activity.

“It was a complete surprise for me,” said Wenger. “The only thing you can say is he's done a remarkable job there.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in