Arsenal are continuing to grind out results at the very top of the Premier League tree.
Since losing to Aston Villa towards the start of December, Mikel Arteta's Gunners have won three league games on the spin, but have only scored five goals along the way, as they continue to push Manchester City aside at the top-flight summit.
Arsenal
The likes of Declan Rice and David Raya put in huge performances against the Seagulls, with Rice not looking out of place in Mikel Arteta's starting XI whatsoever as a makeshift full-back.
Moreover, the former Brentford goalkeeper had to stay alert throughout to Brighton pressure, with one fingertop save to deny Yankuba Minteh even being hailed as "one of the best" you'll see all campaign by Match of the Day's Alan Shearer.
Still, even with the Arsenal machine chugging along nicely, Arteta wouldn't say no to a few January additions here and there...
Arsenal consider move for highly-rated youngster
While it now looks tied up that Antoine Semenyo will head to the Etihad over the Emirates, Arsenal have still been linked to a couple of fresh signings already, ahead of the window reopening.
Indeed, reports have suggested that the North London giants have held talks with Rennes starlet Jérémy Jacquet over a possible January switch, with a summer move also in the works for Lille midfield sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi.
ayyoub-bouaddi-lille
Furthermore, Arteta and Co. have another potential signing with the future in mind in AC Milan youngster Davide Bartesaghi, with Caught Offside revealing that the Gunners are monitoring the breakout talent from Italy, alongside Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The report states that Arsenal have several left-back targets on their shopping list, which includes Bartesaghi, who could move to English shores for a price tag around the £39m mark, although it is stated that a mid-season move is viewed as unrealistic.
Still, whether a move is sealed in January or at some point down the line, this news will be an unsettling development for Myles Lewis-Skelly, with the 19-year-old surely fearful of becoming even more of an outcast in North London if Bartesaghi were to join Arteta's camp shortly.
Why Bartesaghi joining would be bad news for Lewis-Skelly
It's been an extremely rapid decline for Lewis-Skelly at his boyhood club, with the teenage defender - who was once hailed as a "future captain" of the club by Gunners' insider Hand of Arsenal - only being handed one Premier League start so far this season.
lewis-skelly white
That one start would actually come against Brighton, and it was far from the most convincing performance from the number 49, with zero tackles won and zero key passes amassed.
It's no great shock to see Arteta clamouring for a new signing in the left-back department; therefore, as Bartesaghi starts to come into his own at the San Siro, while Lewis-Skelly worryingly regresses.
As journalist Matt Santangelo has recently put it, the lively number 33 has been "making the most of his opportunities" this season under the wing of Massimiliano Allegri, while Lewis-Skelly has slid down the pecking order, with two goals even coming his way against Sassuolo in the middle of December, from a left-wing back role.
Moreover, Bartesaghi hasn't looked out of his depth in a defensive capacity when called into action, with three duels won at the tail-end of November by the 6-foot-5 defender, helping the Rossoneri to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Lazio.
Subsequently, he has picked up a high four clean sheets from his nine Serie A starts for the campaign, as a consistent first-team presence under Allegri.
Bartesaghi vs Lewis-Skelly (league stats)
Stat - per 90 mins*
Games played
Games started
Goals scored
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Key passes*
Big chances created
Total duels won*
Clean sheets
Stats by Sofascore
Bartesaghi has more than lived up to his early hype, having once been branded as an "incredible" future asset and a "golden boy" by former San Siro scout Mauro Bianchessi, but the worry will be whether he can adjust to the English game quickly enough to be a more effective stand-in than Lewis-Skelly.
But, all the hurdles the 19-year-old has had to overcome in the senior game to date, he has managed to overcome, with the number 33 even being handed a start in a fiercely contested Derby della Madonnina versus Inter Milan last month, which saw him come out the other side with a clean sheet.
Lewis-Skelly-Olise
Unfortunately for the Arsenal number 49, after his showing against Brighton, he needs to improve quickly, amid he fears he will be shoved to the periphery even more by Bartesaghi's potential arrival.
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