SETTABLOID

Arsenal face Manchester City on Sunday in what is the biggest match of the season so far with title hopes on the line once again. The Gunners will be wanting to avenge the late equaliser at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the season.

Erling Haaland became infamous – more than he already was – with Arsenal supporters after he was caught telling Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” at the end of the match. While the Gunners boss dismissed this ahead of the rematch, it will surely not be something easily forgotten.

David Raya remains a doubt after missing the clash in the Champions League while Myles Lewis-Skelly is available after his three-match ban was overturned following a successful appeal.

Arsenal can field a very solid team against Manchester City and after their midweek trip to Girona, they can do so having perhaps more freshness than their opponents. William Saliba was completely rested while David Raya, who will hopefully be fit, also was not used in midweek.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice all played either a half or less. All of the aforementioned six players start for me against City, which will hopefully give the Gunners an extra edge.

Ethan Nwaneri is an exciting name to watch after his goal against Girona in midweek. Thomas Partey can return to the midfield, too, which will improve progression, and all this comes ahead of a Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday. Sadly, that cannot be considered until the game on Sunday develops, with perhaps some substitutions if the game state allows.

Arsenal’s attempt to poach Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is looking increasingly unlikely after the Midlands club look set to receive a huge windfall for another player – and Gunners fans says that the approach has frustrated them for more reasons than one.

Arsenal had already made one bid for Watkins, which Aston Villa angrily rejected due to the timing of the bid before a Champions League game. The club are expected to try a second bid, but a sale would leave Villa dangerously short on attackers due to the £64 move agreed with their other striker Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.

Arsenal are expected to try again to tempt Watkins to London, but Villa are adamant that they cannot sell both of their strikers in one window, with days to go until the 3rd February deadline. Arsenal are in need of another forward target to provide the goals they need to challenge for the title.

Emmanuel Petit believes Arsenal should monitor Marcus Rashford’s situation at Manchester United before Monday’s transfer deadline.

The Red Devils academy graduate has not featured for Ruben Amorim’s side since United’s 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on December 12. United head coach, Amorim, has implied that Rashford is not working hard enough and would rather play his goalkeeping coach than a player who is failing to give maximum effort.

Barcelona have been linked with a January move for the 27-year-old, who has scored seven goals across 24 appearances for United this season. However, our colleagues report that the Catalans are hesitant about forcing through a loan move for Rashford this month but would be interested in signing him permanently in the summer.

And former Gunners midfielder Petit has suggested that the forward could be an option for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta before the Janaury window closes at 11pm on Monday. Rashford can play as a striker where the north Londoners are currently short after Gabriel Jesus’ ACL injury.

“Marcus Rashford would be an interesting signing for Arsenal,” he said via DisCasino. “I’m very frustrated with Gabriel Martinelli’s performances at the moment, he’s very inconsistent and it’s annoying to watch. He’s been like a ghost on the pitch.

“Competition for a spot in the XI is important for Arsenal, look at Liverpool’s bench, the quality they have is amazing. I know Nico Williams has been linked, but I’m told he’ll never come to the Premier League if he leaves Athletic Bilbao, he’d only go to Barcelona. The Raheem Sterling gamble has not worked.”

And former Gunners midfielder Petit has suggested that the forward could be an option for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta before the Janaury window closes at 11pm on Monday. Rashford can play as a striker where the north Londoners are currently short after Gabriel Jesus’ ACL injury.

“Marcus Rashford would be an interesting signing for Arsenal,” he said via DisCasino. “I’m very frustrated with Gabriel Martinelli’s performances at the moment, he’s very inconsistent and it’s annoying to watch. He’s been like a ghost on the pitch.

“Competition for a spot in the XI is important for Arsenal, look at Liverpool’s bench, the quality they have is amazing. I know Nico Williams has been linked, but I’m told he’ll never come to the Premier League if he leaves Athletic Bilbao, he’d only go to Barcelona. The Raheem Sterling gamble has not worked.”

With Arsenal having just days left to source a replacement number nine after Gabriel Jesus’ devastating injury, the Gunners are facing another set back with one of their primary targets Benjamin Sesko reportedly set to stay in Germany.

The 21-year-old Slovenian international is looking like he’ll be playing the rest of the season at RB Leipzig with the club making it clear that Sesko is not for sale. Having already bagged 14 goals in all competitions this season, Sesko has made his name at the German side being a key player in the top four push this season making him an exciting prospect to help Arsenal chase down Liverpool in the title race.

This is not the first time he has been linked with making a move to The Emirates with rumours also floating in the summer. Although, the forward recently signed a long-term deal until 2029 seemingly keeping him in the Bundesliga – making a deal somewhat harder to finalise before the end of the month.

The setback puts Arteta in a difficult position with Aston Villa also rejecting the club’s official bid for England international Ollie Watkins. The Watkins deal is set to face another setback as it looks more and more likely that Villa’s second forward Jhon Duran will close in on a deal with Al Nassr – leaving Emery set on keeping at least one of his goal scoring threats.

Arsenal are still keen to sign a new striker before the transfer window closes and could make a late move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Gunners submitted a bid of around £40m for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins earlier this week, which was instantly rejected, and he won’t be joining the London side this window.

Aston Villa are on the verge of selling Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, who has already completed a medical ahead of the move, and Unai Emery has no intention of allowing his first-choice striker Watkins to leave too.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, has confirmed that Watkins isn’t pushing to leave Aston Villa. “Some players prefer to leave and some players accept to stay here and commit to Aston Villa and compete for our challenges. One of them is Ollie Watkins,” Emery said in a press conference.

Mikel Arteta’s priority ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline is to sign a new striker to cover for Gabriel Jesus, who is sidelined with an injury.

Sources state that Juventus striker Vlahovic is among Arsenal’s top targets. A final decision on whether to bid hasn’t been made, but the Gunners are considering a bid over the weekend.

The 25-year-old is open to a new challenge in the Premier League. He has scored seven goals in 18 Serie A appearances this season and has big admirers at the Emirates.

The Turin-based club are now running out of time to sign a new centre-forward, even though they have already signed one new one – Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal and Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Victor Boniface late in the January transfer window, with a report claiming that three other clubs in the Premier League have been told that he is willing to join them after his big move to Saudi Arabia broke down.

Boniface is one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga and helped Bayer Leverkusen win the title last season. The 24-year-old scored 14 goals and gave eight assists in 18 starts in the league and also found the back of the net five times and provided one assist in eight UEFA Europa League matches.

The Nigeria international, who has scored 69 goals and given 31 assists in 167 matches in all competitions so far in his career, was on his way to Al-Nassr this month, but that move has fallen through.

The Saudi Pro League club had agreed a deal in excess of £50million with Bayer, but they have now decided to abandon that move and are about to complete a transfer for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.

It is well-documented that Arsenal are looking for a new striker in the January transfer window.

With Gabriel Jesus injured and Kai Havertz not scoring as frequently as he did last season, Arsenal are keen on bringing in more firepower. The Gunners have already had a bid for Ollie Watkins turned down.

Man Utd too could do with signing a striker in the January transfer window. The Red Devils have scored just 28 goals in 23 Premier League matches this season.

Rasmus Hojlund has found the back of the net only twice in 18 Premier League games, while Joshua Zirkzee has scored just three goals in 23 league appearances.

Arsenal fans will be eagerly hoping that their team signs a striker before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Mikel Arteta’s team are badly in need of reinforcements up front, with Gabriel Jesus, the club’s only natural No. 9, set to miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury. One forward that the Gunners have shown interest in is Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, with the Villans turning down an offer.

Another Villa forward, Jhon Duran, has also emerged as a potential target for Arsenal, as the West Midlands club reportedly considers selling him. Al Nassr are currently in pole position to secure his signature, but the landscape could shift dramatically if the Gunners decide to step up their interest.