Arsenal are running away in the early stages of the Premier League title race and secured another important victory this weekend.
The North London derby is always a difficult game to call, with the noise around the fixture largely dictating performances, but the Gunners were more than comfortable and confident at the Emirates last night.
New signing Eberechi Eze stole the show with a hat-trick, while reliable as ever, Leandro Trossard also got on the scoresheet to chalk up a 4-1 win over their fiercest rivals.
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Both Manchester City and Liverpool suffered defeat on their return to Premier League action following the international break, though Chelsea did secure a 2-0 victory over Burnley.
Arsenal extended their lead over the current champions by a whopping 11 points, while City fell to seven points behind and Chelsea sit six points shy ahead of hosting the league leaders at Stamford Bridge this coming Sunday.
Mikel Arteta will be feeling hopeful and confident about the position his team are in at this early stage of the season, and having the new signings make such a crucial impact so quickly has been the catalyst in their progress.
The Gunners have always struggled to keep up with City and Liverpool in previous seasons due to a lack of quality depth on the bench, which often left them falling away from title contention due to injuries in the starting eleven.
Indeed, Arsenal are not short of injury issues this season either, but the likes of Eze’s performance yesterday will settle the concern that they could find themselves in the same situation again.
The North London giants won’t want to rest on their laurels and will be keen to keep strengthening their squad when the opportunity arises, as they are in a great position to dominate across competitions this season and beyond.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for Juventus star Kenan Yildiz ahead of the January transfer window, but new reports indicate they will have competition for the signing.
Football Insider transfer reporter Peter O’Rourke has given an insight into a potential move for the talented youngster.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, O’Rourke revealed:
“I’m sure Arsenal will be ready to make a move for the highly rated attacking player as well. He’s regarded as one of the hottest young properties in European football.
“He’s done so well for Juventus that he’s come onto the radar of a number of top clubs; the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest in Yildiz.
“That’s why Juventus are so keen to try and sort out his future and give him improved terms. He’s under contract in Turin until 2029, but they want to give him an improved deal just to reflect his importance to the team right now.”
Will Arsenal sign Kenan Yildiz?
There is no doubt that Arsenal are in a strong position to start picking up some major trophies this season; however, they will also want to future-proof their squad to consistently compete.
At only 20 years old, Yildiz represents a long-term investment for Arteta’s attacking threat and would be a worthy successor to Trossard, while Gabriel Jesus is also rumoured to be on the chopping block in January.
Over 99 appearances for Juventus so far, the Turkey international – once hailed as a “real talent” by Igor Tudor – has scored 19 goals and registered 15 assists, averaging a goal contribution every 172 minutes.
Yildiz’s potential is through the roof and it would be a major coup for the Gunners if they could seal the deal in January ahead of their Premier League competitors.
According to reports, the Old Lady have slapped a €100m (£88m) price tag on their Turkish delight, and he currently has a contract running until 2029.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see at what price point Arsenal would be willing to pay for his services and whether they will try to jump the queue in the upcoming window to avoid competition in the summer.
If Arsenal can pair their blistering start with a bold January move, this could be the season they finally leave their rivals trailing and bring trophies back to the Emirates.
Rebekka Arnold
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Rebekka Arnold is an experienced writer with a strong background in digital media, PR and football journalism. Since 2021, Rebekka has written opinion pieces and match reaction content for Football Fancast, part of the Snack Media network, building on her growing presence in the football community through viral Twitter content and podcasting. Now at Transfer Tavern, Rebekka brings her sharp eye for analysis and deep passion for the game to deliver engaging football opinion and breaking transfer news content.
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