Mikel Arteta puts two Arsenal youth players in the lineup against Kairat. Details....

 Arsenal youth duo Ife Ibrahim and Marli Salmon are set to receive call-ups to the first-team squad for Wednesday night’s Champions League match against Kairat Almaty.

Isaan Khan of the Daily Mail reports that Arsenal academy duo Ife Ibrahim and Marli Salmon are both set to be in the matchday squad against Kairat Almaty on Wednesday night.

Brando Bailey-Joseph and Jack Porter are also reportedly with the squad ahead of the game, though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be named on the bench. Players will sometimes join the team pre-game as emergency backups, particularly goalkeepers like Porte

Kairat Almaty train to host Real Madrid in Champions Leag

Arsenal fans will be familiar with Salmon, given the defender has already made an appearance in this season’s Champions Leagu

The 16-year-old came on at right-back against Club Brugge in December, and he might be in line for another opportunity this midweek

Arsenal will be without William Saliba and Jurrien Timber due to minor knocks, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, and Piero Hincapie are only recently back from injuries of their own, and Mikel Arteta will be wary of overplaying Gabriel Magalhaes after his hamstring setback in November.

Then Ibrahim is a midfielder who signed his first professional contract with Arsenal this week. With Declan Rice and Mikel Merino suspended and Martin Zubimendi probably in need of a rest, there’s perhaps an opportunity for some midfield minutes on Wednesday as wel

If included, Bailey-Joseph is a winger, whilst Arsenal fans will know Porter from his performance in goal in the League Cup against Bolton Wanderers last season.

This is a rare game with relatively little at stake for the team. Arsenal would have to lose to even have a chance of conceding top spot in the Champions League’s League Phase, and they’d still finish second even if that happened (functionally the same as finishing first in terms of the draw).

Considering it’s a home game against the club in 36th in the table, a defeat by enough goals to overturn Arsenal’s five-goal advantage over Bayern Munich seems unlikely.

Arsenal have key Premier League fixtures, League Cup semi-finals, and FA Cup and Champions League knockout matches on the horizon. It’s hard to see the next time Arteta will have the chance to hand out some development minu

tes.

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Jeremy Jacquet transfer truth revealed as Liam Rosenior verdict clear on Chelsea target

 Chelsea remain in talks with French club Rennes over a deal to bring defender Jeremy Jacquet to Stamford Bridge with Liam Rosenior wanting a new centre-back at the club

Chelsea remain locked in talks with Rennes over the signing of defender Jeremy Jacquet this month, though there has been no significant movement in the last couple of days.

Reports in France recently claim that the Blues could reach a compromise with Rennes, who are reluctant to sell the 20-year-old midway through the season, and loan him back to Roazhon Park for the remainder of the campaign. Chelsea are considering numerous options in negotiations for Jacquet, football.london understands, as the Blues look to bring in the highly sought-after France Under-21 international.

Liam Rosenior was asked directly about Jacquet in his pre-Pafos press conference on Tuesday afternoon but the newly-appointed Chelsea head coach did not want to comment on players from elsewhere. He said: "You'll know about me, I don't speak about players at other clubs until something is agreed with any player. I think it is disrespectful.

"If I was a manager of another team and a manager was speaking about my player, I wouldn't be a happy person. So whether it is true or not, I will speak about that at the right time."

Jacquet is one of a few centre-back targets on the Blues' radar this month. Como defender Jacobo Ramon and Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi, whose contract at the Vitality Stadium is due to expire at the end of the season, are both admired by Chelsea chiefs.

Chelsea's pursuit of a centre-back is nothing new. Last summer, the Blues tried to sign Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth and were confident in doing so. Real Madrid, however, the club Huijsen supported as a child, swooped in and signed the Spaniard.

The west Londoners were looking at bringing in a starting-level defender all summer-long, even before Levi Colwill's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in August. However, nobody Chelsea believed to be at said level, or a clear upgrade on what Enzo Maresca already had at his disposal, was available or moved during the 2025 summer transfer window.

Colwill remains fully backed by the west London club and remains imperative in the long-term vision, football.london understands. The England international's rehab is going very well, though no timeframe has been put on the 22-year-old's return due to it being such a serious injury.

Chelsea's search for a new defender, namely Jacquet, is not reactive. The club's transfer team, spearheaded by the likes of Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, have brought forward their summer plans and there is internal optimism a deal to bring a new centre-back to Stamford Bridge can be struck before the conclusion of the January transfer window.

Elsewhere, Chelsea remain open to selling Tyrique George this month. The 19-year-old forward has made just four Premier League appearances for the Blues this season, with Saturday's win over Brentford the first time he has been in a matchday squad for almost three months.

There is significant interest in George from the Premier League and a few foreign clubs, though nothing is imminent regarding a move. The England Under-21 international is open to leaving Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis before the deadline, but is not thought to be actively pushing for a departure this month.

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