ARSENAL fans breathed a huge sigh of relief this week as it was revealed Gabriel Martinelli is “progressing well” after injuring his ankle.

There were fears that the 19-year-old forward was heading for another lengthy spell on the sidelines when his name suddenly vanished from Saturday’s starting line-up against Newcastle in the third round of the FA Cup. Cameras showed that he turned his right ankle during the warm-up and was in obvious discomfort while receiving treatment from Arsenal’s medical staff.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta painted a worrying picture after the match, saying: “I went to the medical room and he was in tears. It didn’t look good. He was in a lot of pain, so I imagine we’re not going to have good news with him.”

However, as it turned out, scans did reveal good news, and Martinelli is in contention to play a part in this Monday’s Premier League match against, fittingly, Newcastle.

An official update from the club explained: “Gabi has progressed very well and we’re hoping that he will return to full training with the squad in the next few days.”

It is a week full of good news for Arsenal fans, with defender Rob Holding putting pen to paper on a new three-year contract. The 25-year-old has become a regular starter under Arteta, and has been rewarded with a new deal that runs until 2024 with an option for a further year.

“I have been hugely impressed with Rob’s contribution to the club and the dressing room, on and off the pitch,” the manager said.

“The quality of his work every day on the training pitches is excellent and he is translating this into consistently high performances in matches.”

Holding might be the only signing fans see this month, though, with Arteta putting all his efforts into clearing out unwanted members of the squad. Summer targets are already being looked at, however, with reports linking the Gunners with a move for Manor Solomon.

The 21-year-old Israeli winger, who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk, has been attracting a lot of interest, with Arsenal said to have been monitoring his progress for well over a year.

The player’s agent, Ronen Katsav, said: “I think the bigger transfers will happen in the summer, because January is always corrections.

“Secondly, corona is affecting the market. Things will be clearer in the summer, but anything can happen.”

• Arsenal will be looking to continue their winning run tonight (Thursday) when they host Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Follow all our coverage from the Emirates at www.camdennewjournal.com.