Arsenal sent Joao Gomes transfer message before Wolves clash as Mikel Arteta warned of "disaster"

Arsenal expert Charles Watts has exclusively delivered his verdict on whether Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomes could be a potential transfer target for the Gunners in 2026.

Mikel Arteta's men welcome the Old Gold to the Emirates on Saturday evening in the Premier League, in a clash that pits first against worst - potentially the worst of all time.

With just two points from 15 games, Wolves are on course to record the lowest-ever points total in a Premier League season, comfortably surpassing Derby County's measly total of 11 from the 2007-08 campaign.

Considered the jewel in the Wolves crown, Gomes is expected to earn a marquee move away from Molineux next summer, and the Brazil international has been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

Asked by Sports Mole whether the 24-year-old could also be an option for Arsenal, Watts praised Gomes's 'tidiness' but played down the chances of a possible move.

“It's not one that's ever come onto my radar," he said. "He’s a good player, a tidy player, but I've never really looked at him and thought, ‘you could be an Arsenal player’. When I've seen Wolves over the years, there's been players I thought that immediately.

'Tidy' Joao Gomes unlikely to make Arsenal transfer in 2026

“I thought it when I first saw Diogo Jota, and Pedro Neto was a player I was always a big, big fan of. Can't say that I have that same sort of feeling about Gomes, but he's a good player and he's definitely going to get himself a move.

“He's not going to be playing in the Championship next season, so he'll get himself a decent move, but he doesn't feel like a future Arsenal player in my view.”

A whopping 31 points and 19 places separate Arsenal and Wolves in the Premier League table - a chasm that could have been 34 had the Gunners got the better of Aston Villa in gameweek 15.

However, Wolves were condemned to a far more humiliating result - a 4-1 home loss to Manchester United - during which a portion of fans entered the game late in protest against the owners.

The decision to replace Vitor Pereira with Rob Edwards has not yet had the desired effect for Wolves, who are on an eight-game losing run in the Premier League and have also conceded in each of their last 35 games against Arsenal in all competitions.

Arsenal vs. Wolves: "No room for error" for Mikel Arteta's men

Naturally, Watts expressed playful concern about the prospect of Wolves finally earning their first win of the season at the Emirates, which would be nothing short of a catastrophe for the Gunners.

“What could possibly go wrong?! Anything but a win would be a disastrous result, especially on the back of a defeat in the last Premier League game," Watts added. "You've got the worst team in the Premier League coming to your own place, you couldn’t ask for a nicer game.

“All the pressure is on Arsenal – no-one's expecting Wolves to get anything. It has to be an Arsenal win - they've just got to go out and do it. As Arsenal fans, you can go into this game with that trepidation of, ‘I bet you it ends up being their first win’. But it'd be an absolute disaster – a horrible, horrible result if they don't get maximum points.

“You've got a terrible team who concede comedy goals week after week - Bruno fell over and still managed to score. That goal that just summed up Wolves completely in that Man United game. Arsenal have to take advantage of it - there's no room for error in this game. Has to be three points.”

Arsenal boss Arteta issued a quadruple injury update in his pre-game press conference on Friday, including a pleasing prediction on William Saliba.