Arsenal are well-stocked all over the pitch and boast one of the finest squad depths in England, yet they continue to be linked with high-profile transfers ahead of January.
Arsenal overcome Brentford to go five points clear
On the pitch, Mikel Arteta's side maintained their commanding lead at the Premier League summit with a professional 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Merino-Hincapie-Calafiori-Arsenal
The victory extended their unbeaten streak to an incredible 18 matches across all competitions, with Arteta seriously rotating his squad following a recent demanding triple-header against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
Arsenal's unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham
Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich
Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Brentford
Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze were all rested from the starting lineup, but the Gunners' strength in depth showed with Ben White and Noni Madueke combining brilliantly down the right throughout.
The opener arrived early on when White delivered an inviting cross that found Mikel Merino, who powered a header past Caoimhin Kelleher for his fifth goal of the campaign.
The Spaniard, who Arteta never expected to be the proficient going forward, has now netted 21 times in 2025 for club and country, showcasing his remarkable goalscoring form.
Merino-Arsenal
Arsenal suffered a blow before the interval when Cristhian Mosquera limped off with an ankle injury, compounding their defensive concerns with both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba already sidelined. Timber then replaced the injured defender as Arteta juggled his limited centre-back options.
Brentford manager Keith Andrews introduced Igor Thiago, Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson from the bench after an hour, while Arteta countered by bringing on Saka and Eze.
Arsenal controlled proceedings but missed several opportunities to seal the contest earlier.
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before the match Related
Arsenal hold new talks with Juventus star who Alonso has recommended to Real Madrid
The Gunners are 'captivated' by him.
To add further injury worry after Mosquera, Arsenal's arguable player of the season, Declan Rice, departed late with a calf problem, with Arteta now sweating over his fitness ahead of a hectic Christmas schedule and the clash with Aston Villa.
Saka finally made the points safe in stoppage time, latching onto Merino's perfectly weighted pass before finishing past Kelleher despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the effort.
Given Arsenal's injury curse which has plagued them since last season, sporting director Andrea Berta will be attentive to any unmissable transfer market opportunities.
Enter Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is reportedly up for sale this winter after playing a bit-part role under Xabi Alonso.
Rodrygo expresses wish to join Arsenal as agents open talks
Arsenal have already been linked with a move for the Brazil international heading into January, following exploratory talks over a deal last summer.
The 24-year-old has managed just three La Liga starts this term, making the vast majority of his appearances off the bench, with Rodrygo believed to be in the process of finding a new club.
Brazil's Rodrygo celebrates
That is according to TEAMtalk, who also report that Rodrygo has 'expressed a wish' to join Arsenal among four other Premier League sides he's also interested in.
Crucially, though, the ex-Santos star's agents have apparently reopened talks with Arteta's side, who also 'pushed hardest' to sign him in the summer window.
However, Arsenal will need a minimum £70 million to strike a deal, with a loan appearing unlikely as things stand.
Berta and co, meanwhile, are believed to be monitoring his situation closely, which isn't hard to see why given their bad luck with injuries, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Rodrygo
The latter wingers are both out of contract in under two years, and with no sign of an extension for either, Arsenal need to think about long-term succession planning.
Rodrygo's £282,000-per-week salary would put him in line with Arsenal's highest earners, so it is an expensive transfer to pull off beyond just his club fee.
That being said, Rodrygo is also a player of proven quality, having racked up 68 goals and 53 assists in under 300 appearances for Los Blancos.