SETTABLOID

Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways in today’s Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners received a boost yesterday with Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest. They can reduce the deficit to the leaders to four points with a victory in the north London derby.

Ahead of the game, the club have confirmed that Gabriel Jesus won’t be involved. The Brazil international is out for the long-term after picking up a serious knee injury at the weekend.

Formation: 4-3-3

Predicted Line-up:

David Raya has played every minute of the Premier League campaign. He made a vital save in extra-time in the FA Cup third round against Manchester United but could have fared better in the penalty shoot-out. He will be eyeing a clean sheet tonight.

The backline could stay the same. Jurrien Timber was only substituted as he was cramping and should reclaim his place at right-back. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are assured starters in the heart of the defence for the Gunners.

Riccardo Calafiori needs to be assessed after a minor injury. We don’t see manager Mikel Arteta taking a risk with him. Myles Lewis-Skelly has been brilliant as a deputy, and the teenager should continue from the left-back role in the derby.

We expect a double change in the centre of the park with Jorginho and Mikel Merino dropping to the bench. The duo lack sufficient recovery pace, which is essential against Spurs’ attacking playing style.

Thomas Partey should feature in the number six role. Declan Rice should be reinstated into the XI to partner Martin Odegaard in central midfield. Rice was unlucky against United as Altay Bayindir made two stellar saves.

Further forward, Raheem Sterling looks poised to start on the right wing with Jesus out. The England international was superb with his distribution and direct dribbling on Sunday. He lacked the final end product but showed plenty of promise.

Gabriel Martinelli is likely to continue on the left wing ahead of Leandro Trossard due to his pace on the counter-attack, which could unsettle Spurs’ makeshift defence. Kai Havertz had a bad outing against United. He squandered two clear-cut chances before missing his penalty in the shoot-out.

Despite this, he has received a vote of confidence from the manager. The German has 12 goals for the campaign and has the opportunity to redeem himself with a strong showing against Spurs.

How Arsenal could line up vs Tottenham tonight

As the January transfer window hits the midway point, Arsenal finally look to be making some major moves. Despite the injury issues facing Mikel Arteta, there was minimal activity regarding new signings coming into Emirates Stadium but that has seemingly changed.

On Tuesday, it was shockingly revealed that Arsenal had all-but-wrapped up a deal to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad with the midfielder to join this summer. Such a decision being made ahead of the 2025/26 season suggests both Thomas Partey and Jorginho will depart at the end of their contracts.

As for imminent arrivals, the need for an attacker to come in continues to heighten following confirmation of Gabriel Jesus suffering a serious knee injury. Despite the complications over a potential deal, Nico Williams remains Arteta’s favoured target with a fresh update now coming to light.

Zubimendi release clause decision

Arsenal look set to pay Martin Zubimendi’s Real Sociedad release clause in instalments, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Speaking to NBC, he said: “Martin Zubimendi’s release clause is £50.6million (€60m), my understanding is that they [Arsenal] might look to pay a bit more so that they can stagger the payments and that would allow them to do other business next summer.”

Another injury in attack could finally tempt Arsenal into signing a new striker, with Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres being linked with a move to the Emirates.

A striker has been on Arsenal’s wishlist for some time now, and with Gabriel Jesus joining the Gunners’ injury list in the FA Cup defeat against Manchester United, the Gunners may look to add some depth in attack this January rather than waiting until the summer. With the Premier League and Champions League still up for grabs, now could be the perfect time for a new striker, with Sporting’s Gyokeres reportedly a target for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Since moving to Sporting from Coventry City in 2023, Gyokeres has scored 75 goals in 80 games for the Portuguese side, with 32 of them coming in 30 games this season. He’s also proven a threat on the international stage, grabbing 13 goals and five assists in 15 games for Sweden across 2024.

The 26-year-old has a release clause of €100 million (£83 million), but if Arsenal were to wait until the summer, Sporting could allow the Swede to depart for a lower fee. So, if Arsenal were to sign Gyokeres, how could he perform for Arteta’s side? Let’s take a look.

Rest of Arsenal’s 2024/25 season simulated with Viktor Gyokeres

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Gyokeres to Arsenal in the January transfer window before simulating the rest of the 2024/25 season. This is how the Gunners performed with the Swede in their squad.

Arteta made Gyokeres his starting striker as soon as he signed for the club, with Kai Havertz dropping into midfield or coming on off the bench. Once the 26-year-old was in the squad, he became undroppable, making 24 appearances in his first six months at the club, with all of them starts.

Arsenal could be set to benefit from two major Juventus decisions with one of those involving Dusan Vlahovic. The Gunners have been linked to the 24-year-old for some time and he is believed to be on Mikel Arteta’s striker transfer shortlist which also includes Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko.

The Serbia international has been in good form for Juventus this season with 12 goals to his name from 23 appearances in all competitions. With Thiago Motta now in charge, the Old Lady have somewhat struggled for consistent form this season as they currently sit fifth in the Serie A standings.

Alongside Vlahovic, Kenan Yildiz has impressed but Juventus have struggled to get over the line in most games. Though he has not overseen a loss in the league yet, Motta’s side have drawn 12 Serie A games with a further two stalemates coming in Champions League action.

With the January transfer window open, it looks as though Motta is attempting to do something about that with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claiming an agreement is now in place with Paris Saint-Germain for the loan, with no buy-option, of Randal Kolo Muani.

A number of Premier League clubs, including Tottenham and Manchester United, have been linked with Kolo Muani but it now appears as though he will play the remainder of the 2024/25 season in Turin. As for Vlahovic, it does bring into question his role under Motta with Kolo Muani’s preference to play as the striker.

The former Fiorentina man has missed the last two league games with a minor muscular injury and though a return is expected later this month, he was missing from the squad to face Atalanta on Tuesday. Going forward, Kolo Muani could easily take minutes away from Vlahovic and that may well bring into question his long-term future.

Arsenal have been tipped to splash out for a top Premier League forward after confirming that striker Gabriel Jesus will undergo surgery after suffering a cruciate ligament injury to his knee.

The Brazil international was forced off on a stretcher in the first half of Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round tie against Manchester United on Sunday night before Mikel Arteta’s side went on to lose the game on penalties.

Speaking after the game, Arteta went on to describe Jesus’ injury as a “big worry” and revealed the 27-year-old was in “a lot of pain” – and now the north London club have confirmed that the attacker will have an operation this week.

A statement from Arsenal on Tuesday afternoon read: “Further to being substituted during our match with Manchester United on Sunday, Gabriel Jesus has received extensive assessments, scans and specialist reviews which have confirmed that he has sustained an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The North London Derby is perhaps the most important for Arsenal in recent memory. After losing their last two games, a third in a row and at home could be catastrophic for the morale of the fans and the team; but equally, a win could be the cornerstone for the season as the club’s league standing remains sturdy.

Arsenal will be without Gabriel Jesus now, who has suffered a serious knee injury, but the diagnosis is not expected to be positive – certainly not in the short term. The hope will be that business can be done but none will happen now before the derby.

Tom Canton

While Gabriel Jesus is a big blow, the news that others who came off against Manchester Utd should be fine is a boost and therefore Jurrien Timber makes my team. Myles Lewis-Skelly also persists having continued to impress since his push into the side.

Thomas Partey returns to the base of the midfield and Declan Rice, who did energise the performances against United despite the missed chances, should be a welcome addition again – both did not start Sunday and should be in good shape for the derby. Martin Zubimendi’s links to the club will surely see the England international maintain that eight role next season, and here we perhaps see the start to that preparation. Martin Odegaard looked much better on Sunday too, all he can hope is someone finishes off the chances he will inevitably create.

Kai Havertz is Arsenal’s only option and he will need the support of his fans in the ground in the week. Mikel Arteta spoke excellently on the topic and as he said less than a month ago the ground was filled with the chants of his name… support is needed.

Arsenal’s woes in attack look set to get worse for Mikel Arteta following news of Gabriel Jesus’ suspected long-term injury picked up in the Manchester United defeat.

The Gunners’ run without a win stretched to three games at the weekend as missed chances and a penalty shoot-out defeat dumped them out of the FA Cup. They are also eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

After losing Bukayo Saka to a hamstring tear before Christmas, fears of the worst-case scenario emerged when Jesus was stretchered off. The Athletic have reported that the 27-year-old is set for a long spell out through a suspected anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture.

Recent events could force Arsenal’s hand to strengthen Arteta’s options for the second half of the season. It has been reported that loan moves outside of England are understood to be considered as solutions for the remainder of the season.

A permanent arrival would be preferred but there’s more likelihood of the likes of Nico Williams and Viktor Gyokeres being pursued in the summer, rather than mid-season. So who is out there for Arsenal to consider?

Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic is a striker that Arsenal have liked for a number of years, dating back to his days at Fiorentina. The 24-year-old has scored 12 times this season but could be available this month.

Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Spurs in the Premier League on Wednesday night. The Gunners boss has lost another forward player in Gabriel Jesus and provided the latest on team news including Jorginho and Riccardo Calafiori.

With Jesus out, there was a significant change in how he approached questions about the prospect of signing a striker. There was perhaps more optimism and intent about how he answered queries on the matter and it seemed very evident that there is a desire to find a player this winter.

We know more now and it’s not looking good at all. We need to review one more specialist, so we will probably know more information this afternoon.

Arsenal have won the race to sign Martin Zubimendi after the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel revealed an agreement has virtually been closed with Real Sociedad to bring the Liverpool target to Emirates Stadium, with the timeline of the deal and the costs involved also coming to light.

The Spain star was followed closely by Liverpool last summer as the Reds looked to make the Real Sociedad man the first signing of the Arne Slot era on Merseyside. But despite agreeing to activate his €60m (£51m) exit clause and having agreed personal terms with the player over the switch, an 11th-hour change of heart saw the move break down.

However, with Zubimendi then remaining with his hometown club for the season, speculation over his future has risen once again in recent weeks amid claims he remains on the Reds’ radar, while also coming under surveillance from Manchester City as they look to replace ACL-injury victim Rodri.

He writes that Arsenal have moved to trigger his £51m exit clause, and with negotiations now at an advanced stage, sources have indicated that the deal is virtually completed.

He claims that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta had wanted the move for Zubimendi done now but has been forced to put the move on the backburner with Sociedad chiefs making it clear to the player that, while they would not, or could not, stand in his way, their preference would be for the move to go through at the season’s end. As a result, Zubimendi has agreed to honour that wish.

The future of Ronald Araujo has been in focus in recent weekThe future of Ronald Araujo has been in focus this week, with speculation growing over a potential move away from Catalonia.

Barcelona, for their part, are not too keen on selling the defender unless they receive a favourable offer. Their priority is to convince the defender to extend his contract, failing which the club are likely to force him out.

Araujo, in fact, was closely linked with a move to Juventus. But his participation against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup appears to have changed the circumstance, a bit.

Barcelona players try to convince Araujo

In fact, In the aftermath of Barcelona’s commanding victory in the Super Cup, a special moment was captured by Movistar+, showcasing Robert Lewandowski’s attempt to persuade Ronald Araujo to remain with the club.

Lewandowski was direct in his plea, stating (h/t MARCA), “Ronald, you have to stay,” followed by a look towards his teammates, confidently declaring, “He stays, he stays now. New contract.”

He further elaborated, “You can [leave] at the end of the season. It’s better for you. You play now, here you play.”

Araujo’s response was muted, leaving room for speculation about his future at Barcelona. His only clear word was, “Brother.”

Araujo’s contract situation is critical as his agents are actively exploring transfer options. Several European clubs have shown interest in the young defender, aware of his potential availability.

Juventus, as mentioned earlier, have made the first move by submitting an offer of €35 million, which Barcelona swiftly rejected.