Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has had a good week
Arsenal are on the verge of a return to Premier League action and will hope to sign off a good week with a win over West Ham.
The Gunners will make the trip to East London buoyed by victories over Nottinham Forest and Sporting CP as Mikel Arteta appears to have got his team back on track with the return of Martin Odegaard. The Spaniard will hope his team can find more good form for the festive period and avoid injury as the January transfer window awaits.
Speculation will only increase over the next month, and the Gunners will see no shortage of links to and from the Emirates. Already Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres have been reported to be the subject of interest from Arsenal and beyond.
With that said, Mirror Football takes a look at the latest news around north London.
Loan offer
Arsenal are open to the idea of seeing defender Jakub Kiwior depart the club on loan in January after Napoli enquired over the availability of the player.
Reports from Italy suggest Antonio Conte's side have followed in the footsteps of the interest Juventus and Inter Milan displayed in the summer. The Italian coach is said to have doubts over the move given Kiwior's fringe status at the Emirates but he could earn more opportunities to play in the Serie A side.
Arsenal January plan
Gabriel Magalhaes (L) of Arsenal and Viktor Gyokeres (R) of Sporting CP seen in action during the UEFA Champions League football match between Sporting CP and Arsenal
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Viktor Gyokeres
(
Image:
Hugo Amaral/SOPA Images)
January is not expected to be a busy month for the Gunners however. They have been linked to moves for the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak but neither is likely in the first month of 2025.
Instead, ESPN reports, the north London side are planning a restrained transfer window with little business to be undertaken. Arteta's team have previously been unafraid to add to their team during the season with the likes of Jorginho, Leandro Trossard joining in the month January, though they kept their nose clean last term.
Only an injury or an unexpected opportunity will drive Arsenal into the market.
Lopetegui verdict
The Irons will hope to build on from their impressive win over Newcastle on Monday but will face a difficult task against Arsenal at the London Stadium. Boss Julen Lopetegui was full of praise for Arteta and his team when previewing the clash.
The Spaniard said: “He was a big, big player, in England above all. After that, he is doing very well as a coach. He’s managing Arsenal in his way to work, and you can see how well he’s doing.
“So, we have to be ready for a really tough challenge, against top players. But, we have to believe in ourselves.
“It was a very good performance, for sure," he added on Arsenal's win over Sporting. "Mikel has a lot of options, and a lot of ways to win. I have seen it, and they played really well.
"I won’t talk about any of their individual players, because they have many top players. I prefer not to talk about them, and instead focus on us."
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