SETTABLOID

Arsenal could close the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to three points with a win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

The Gunners make the trip to the Amex Stadium for the Saturday night fixture with Mikel Arteta’s side handed the opportunity to put pressure on Arne Slot’s squad. The Reds welcome Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday and are about to embark on a tricky looking run which includes away trips to Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Bournemouth.

The Gunners go into the clash at Brighton on the back of a dominant display against Brentford. Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli ensured the north Londoners came away from west London with a 3-1 victory.

With the fixture against Brighton coming just three days after the clash at Brentford, Arteta may be tempted to make a few changes to freshen things up. One possible change could come at left-back as it may be a big ask to play Riccardo Calafiori in back-to-back games so soon after returning from injury. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Oleksandr Zinchenko both came on from the bench against the Bees and are options for Arteta.

The player in question is Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, who hasn’t been a regular starter under Vincent Kompany this season.

The report claims Arsenal could make a move for Coman if the Bundesliga giants are willing to sanction a loan move for the Frenchman.

Coman has started just six Bundesliga games and two Champions League matches for Bayern this season.

Dean Jones’ report says Arsenal face ‘significant challenge’ in trying to find good value in the market and a loan deal could be a way of securing cover for Saka on a budget.

However, it remains to be seen how much of Coman’s reported £270,000-a-week salary would be covered be Arsenal if given the go-ahead.

Arsenal were linked with Coman last summer before wrapping up a loan move for Chelsea and England ace Raheem Sterling.

Kingsley Coman factfile

Coman came through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain before joining Juventus, but he didn’t get much game time for either club.

His big break came when he joined Bayern in 2015, initially on loan before signing permanently in 2017.

Coman won a multitude of trophies with Bayern, including a Champions League and eight Bundesliga titles.

Former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann once labelled Coman as one of the best players in Europe.

Mikel Merino claims that Ethan Nwaneri is starting to ‘scare’ him after his Brentford performance.

The Arsenal academy graduate made his full Premier League debut as the Gunners secured a 3-1 success. It came at the same ground that Nwaneri, 17, became the club’s youngest-ever senior player.

And he repaid Arteta’s faith with a standout display against Brentford, with even his Arsenal teammates hailing his frightening abilities. Merino, who scored against the Bees, said: “He is an unbelievable player and also a really nice guy, really shy. He’s always keen to learn and try to listen to the more experienced players, the coach. Whatever can make him a better player, he’s always looking for.

‘But it’s not only him, all the young kids who are training with us, maybe not playing, but in the training sessions you can see that the academy is a big thing in this club also.

Boss Arteta has also hailed Nwaneri for his performances. Speaking after the win against Brentford, he said: “The game became very difficult from yesterday because, again, we lost some players and had certain issues around the camp.

Mikel Arteta will hope Arsenal can pick up from where they left off this weekend. Brighton will host the Gunners at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they both look to climb the Premier League table.

On Thursday night, Arsenal came from behind to defeat Brentford in a four-goal thriller. The north Londoners have now won each of their last four games across all competitions, and they remain unbeaten in 12.

This month, Arteta will be eager to capitalise on his side’s great momentum and narrow Liverpool’s lead in the title race.

Riccardo Calafiori played 78 minutes during his side’s 3-1 win against Brentford on the first day of 2025 before being subbed off by his manager Mikel Arteta, who was happy to welcome him ‘back’.

The Italy international had recently returned to the pitch after another injury, the third of the 2024-2025 campaign, before remaining on the bench for the full 90 minutes during the Gunners’ last game of the year.

However, he proved fit enough to convince Arteta to hand him his first start since coming back and stayed on the pitch until the closing minutes, when he was replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly with his side 3-1 ahead.

Calafiori’s final rating for Sofascore was 7.3, as a result of a solid defensive performance that saw the former Bologna defender win five of eight aerial duels, complete two clearances and block one shot.

The 22-year-old also picked up a yellow card after 57 minutes, while his offensive contribution was limited to one key pass in 78 minutes, one accurate long ball and one completed cross.

Arsenal will ‘prioritise’ Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in January rather than bring in a short-term back-up for Bukayo Saka, according to reports.

Transfer expert Rudy Galetti says that the Gunners ‘are prioritizing Dusan Vlahovic as their top January target, with Arteta favoring him over a direct Saka replacement’.

Excuse the US spellings but you get the gist; Arsenal will favour long-time striker target Vlahovic – who has scored 12 goals in 22 games for Juventus this season – ahead of a wing option.

He does detail three names if the Vlahovic deal falls through, with Brentford’s Bryan Mbuemo being joined by Jamie Gittens and Leroy Sane as options.

The Gunners moved with six points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table with victory over Brentford on Wednesday night, with Gabriel Jesus scoring his third Premier League goal of the season along with Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli.

Southampton’s Tyler Dibling has sparked demand that he should sign for Arsenal after leaving a comment on Ethan Nwaneri’s Instagram post. The 18-year-old has been impressive in his breakthrough season for Saints, scoring two goals and adding two assists in 21 appearances across all competitions.

Notably, Dibling won the Player of the Match accolade for his fine individual performance against Brighton in November and scored the opener at Crystal Palace last Sunday. He also excelled during Southampton’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal earlier this season and it doesn’t look like the Gunners fans have forgotten about that.

After commenting on a post from Nwaneri on New Year’s Day, Dibling was inundated with messages telling him to join Arsenal. Dibling wrote a red love heart emoji on Nwaneri’s post which reflected on his first Premier League start and a much-needed three points for the Gunners in a 3-1 win against Brentford.

There has been increased talk over Dibling’s future following his performances for Southampton in the Premier League. Manchester United are among the others that have been linked with a move for the 2006-born forward, who has two-and-a-half years left on his contract.

When asked about a reported £21million bid from United for Dibling last month, former Saints boss Russell Martin replied: “I’m not sure you’ll get his left foot for that.”

The January transfer window is officially open, which means Mikel Arteta can strengthen his side over the next four weeks as the Gunners look to remain in the hunt for a first Premier League title since 2003.

After the recent injury to talisman Bukayo Saka, the Gunners have been linked with several players who could bolster their front line until the England international returns to action in March.

Names such as Alexander Isak of Newcastle United and Omar Marmoush of Frankfurt have been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium this month.

But with both players key figures for their current clubs, will they be allowed to leave in January? Only time will tell.