SETTABLOID

Arsenal return to Premier League action on New Year’s Day with a trip to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Gunners have an opportunity to go second in the table and six points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Last time out, Mikel Arteta ‘s side edged past Ipswich Town 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

A first half goal from Kai Havertz proved to be enough as they secured their 10th league win of the campaign so far. Now, they face two difficult away tests against Brentford and Brighton at the beginning of January.

Arsenal’s injury concerns have eased somewhat in recent weeks, although they suffered a significant blow when Bukayo Saka was forced off with a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace earlier this month. The winger is expected to be sidelined for quite some time, while other injuries in the squad are minor.

The manager opted to play Gabriel Martinelli in place of Saka against Ipswich, with Leandro Trossard in on the left. Raheem Sterling remains a doubt for the Brentford fixture, but his availability would provide a significant attacking boost ahead of two crucial away fixtures.

Arsenal should explore a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain star Randal Kolo Muani when the transfer window reopens next month.

The Gunners have had mixed fortunes in the first half of the season, and they are already nine points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Despite this, they have plenty to play for in the back end of the campaign. The club still have the chance to win silverware in four competitions.

Manager Mikel Arteta may want an attacking upgrade in January, but the hierarchy could be reluctant to spend big due to concerns over PSR limits.

A loan deal with a possible option to buy could be the best solution, and we believe that the club should swoop for the services of PSG’s Kolo Muani.

The Gunners are likely to be offered the opportunity to sign the France international in January as he has fallen out-of-favour under Luis Enrique.

Muani would be a good acquisition on loan

The 26-year-old had a brilliant 2022/23 season with Eintracht Frankfurt. He scored 23 goals and provided 17 assists from 46 appearances in all competitions.

The Frenchman secured a £79 million move to PSG in the summer of 2023, but has since struggled with 11 goals and seven assists from 54 appearances.

Muani has averaged only 44 minutes per game and Enrique has been reluctant to start him regularly.

In comparison, he has four goals and two assists from his last nine caps for his national team.

The ‘explosive‘ striker looks poised to depart Les Parisiens and Arsenal should explore the possibility of a loan deal with an option to buy for future benefit.

Muani is known for his high pressing and fantastic dribbling skills. He has the ability to find the back of the net, but has also excelled with his chance creation.

The former Nantes man has a knack for dropping into deeper attacking positions to link-up play. He would be a quality alternative to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

An initial loan deal would suit the Gunners to assess whether he can adapt to the demands of the Premier League. It appears a no-brainer decision to make such a move.

Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak has also been linked with the club over recent months, but it is unlikely that the Magpies will do business in the winter transfer window.

The Swede has propelled the club back into the Champions League race after a poor start. Eddie Howe’s side could wait until the summer before considering a transfer offer.

The January transfer window games have already started. Even with less and less serious business at the top done during the mid-season market, Arsenal have found themselves in an unexpected position.

On Sunday it was confirmed that Fabio Vieira had not been recalled despite claims that his absence from Porto’s squad against Boavista was evidence that he was indeed on his way back.

“I have to make decisions, pay close attention to the players’ performance and how they view their day-to-day activities,” he said. “Fabio is very talented but talent has to be based on a series of pre-conditions. And when one or two of them end up falling apart, it makes everything more difficult.”

Left-back cover

Arsenal are seriously interested in making a move for Crystal Palace left-back Tyrique Mitchell, according to CaughtOffside. The 25-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is free to start discussing a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of England on January 1.

Mitchell has not yet committed himself to Palace and has a host of clubs including Barcelona and Milan looking at him as an option. Arsenal are said to be in talks with Mitchell already but will have to wait until June to get a deal completed as he could be snapped up by those across Europe first.

Arsenal know that should they win their next two games at Brentford and Brighton, they will be two points better off after 20 games than they were at the same stage last season. But that is an “if” right now and the points need to be collected.

The win over Ipswich Town on Friday evening was dominant but hardly prolific with some big chances coming and going. A trip to west London on Wednesday sees the Gunners round off this match week’s games as they look to keep pace with their title rivals.

Mikel Arteta spoke of enjoying the dominance and control of the last game more so than the five-goal victory over Crystal Palace – perhaps somewhat telling of what he expects of his side. He will want that same control as they go to a tricky place in the Gtech.

Arteta could yet make some changes with the games coming thick and fast this winter. David Raya will be expected to start as usual but with the FA Cup coming up, Neto’s debut may not be too far away.

In defence, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes all continue having proven to be very solid. While it might seem harsh, Myles Lewis-Skelly could be rotated out of the side.

Riccardo Calafiori is back and fit for the Gunners and is in need of some minutes to build up his form and fitness. Lewis-Skelly could then come back in for the trip to the south coast this weekend.

Former Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna has thrown his support behind Mikel Arteta, claiming the Spaniard remains the right man to lead Arsenal to their first English title in two decades.

Despite recent criticism after a faltering title challenge, Arteta’s side has bounced back with consecutive wins over Crystal Palace and Ipswich, keeping them hot on the heels of Liverpool. With two near misses in past seasons, expectations are high for Arteta to clinch domestic glory, especially as Arsenal gear up for a crucial match against Brentford to avoid further costly slip-ups.

The pressure is intensified by Arsenal’s lengthy wait for premier league supremacy, a drought extending since their last triumph 20 years ago. Arteta, commemorating five years at the helm this week, can lay claim to an FA Cup win during his tenure, yet it’s the league crown that eludes Arsenal. Sagna, an ex-Gunner with 284 caps from 2007-2014, has voiced his opinion amidst the scrutiny levelled at Arteta.

The former French international told Paddy Power he believes Arteta is still doing an amazing job – and that he deserves more appreciation. Sagna said: “We’ll never judge a manager by the results and performances over the last two weeks, no matter who it is. We have to see the full picture, and if you take that, Mikel Arteta has been doing an amazing job at Arsenal.

“People were expecting Arsenal to win every game, but in life you have expectation and reality, and everyone is competing and are playing well. It’s still clear how great of a job Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal, from where they were when he joined to now. At the time, the club were in a rebuilding position, but they have brought in some great players and the football they are playing is much better.”

Despite praising Arteta, Sagna does admit Arsenal have a problem when it comes to killing teams off. But he has urged supporters to be more patient: “Tactically and from a quality point of view, Arsenal have the ability of beating anyone. But they have opponents who are going up against them and are doing everything they can to stop Arsenal’s momentum and to win the game.