It has been a season of set pieces for manager Mikel Arteta’s side so far in the 2024/25 campaign, but as we head to the New Year and the re-opening of the January transfer window we remain sat in third place in the Premier League table and are only six points off Liverpool as things stand.
Our Achilles Heel has obviously been in scoring from free play so far this year, and with us now really being considered potential title challengers after the last few seasons, sides are sitting back and sitting deep, and we have struggled and we can all pick out a few matches from those six draws that we dominated and really should have won comfortably – but we did not.
Hopefully Gabriel Jesus’ hattrick in the League Cup Quarter Finals against Crystal Palace this week will be the start of some change on that front as we are well in the title battle despite our slip ups. Whilst many in the wider world of football look to January and the potential for a new striker, it is not the only position Arsenal could strengthen in as with Jorginho and Thomas Partey out of contract at the end of the campaign, Arteta cannot just think short term when it comes to his potential targets.
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One interesting piece of speculation on the transfer window rumour mill this week has been Chelsea’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Enzo Maresca effectively brought the 26 year old midfielder with him from Leicester City during the last window, but despite rating him from his time at the club, Dewsbury-Hall has only featured for them five times as a substitute in the league, as he is being used very much as a second choice option given eight appearances have come in the Cups and European competition.
With Chelsea’s finances given their spending, and the player not settling in as hoped, it is believed that he is now available next month as they look to recoup some losses and some feel that he has the qualities to fill the gap that might be left come next summer.
As is typical for rumour mill speculation, it is said that we are not the only club keeping an eye on his situation and the likes of Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Brentford and even Manchester United are being named. Further afield there is Rangers, and Leicester are also linked as a return option but given their £30 million outlay, he could be an expensive gamble for a few of those sides.
It might be a name worth remembering, particularly given our previous business with the Stamford Bridge outfit this season.
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