Arsenal are in the driving seat to win the Premier League title yet again. A momentum shift has been felt in recent days.
The Gunners defeated Fulham 3-0 last Saturday and in the process, rediscovered their mojo. It was a win that piled the pressure on Manchester City. The Citizens followed that result up by narrowly avoiding a defeat in Merseyside, drawing 3-3 with Everton.
The gap is five points and City now have just one game in hand. We've said it before but surely Mikel Arteta's men won't let it slip from here?
Arsenal-Rice-Gyokeres-Gabriel-Saka
Should they achieve domestic glory then last season's recruitment will be seen as a roaring triump. Viktor Gyokeres will have scored over 20 goals this season en route to silverware. Martin Zubimendi is set to play more minutes than any other outfield player in the squad.
Say what you like about who they signed but plenty of Andrea Berta's new recruits have certainly elevated the quality of the squad.
The question remains, who will the Premier League champions in waiting sign over the summer?
Arsenal targeting big-money England international
Arsenal have had a habit of signing Premier League-proven players during the Arteta era. Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard were the latest names to be added to that list when they joined last summer.
Arsenal summer transfer window 2025 (timeless - Gyokeres, Eze, Zubimendi, Mosquera, Madueke)
This summer, they could be joined by a few more players with experience of English football. Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon remains a target to bolster the flanks while his teammate Sandro Tonali, is viewed as an option to improve their strength in depth in midfield.
Should they sign those two then it would definitely fix two problem positions. Arsenal's depth in the middle of the park this term is one of few areas where they do look a little thin while the quality of play on the left flank has been questioned for a while now.
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The Gunners have spent generously in recent years.
Yet, they are not the only two Newcastle players on Berta's radar. Another is right-back Tino Livramento.
Once of Chelsea, he's been thriving at St James' Park in recent years and has attracted the attention of Arsenal. Reports earlier this week suggested that the Gunners had held 'positive talks' with the player's camp over a move this summer. Livramento is even said to be edging towards wanting a move to the Emirates Stadium.
tino-livramento-newcastle-premier-league
Tino Livramento against Arsenal.
Now, according to fresh reports out of France, the Londoners have already agreed personal terms with the England international as they get ready to open club-to-club talks with the Toon.
Why Livramento could be another Rice for Arsenal
It's safe to say that Arsenal have had a mixed success rate when recruting from within the Premier League. For every David Raya, there is a Willian. For every Leandro Trossard, there is a Noni Madueke.
Arsenal's Premier League signings under Arteta
Player
Cedric Soares
Willian
Mat Ryan
Ben White
Aaron Ramsdale
Gabriel Jesus
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Leandro Trossard
Declan Rice
Kai Havertz
David Raya
Neto
Raheem Sterling
Eberechi Eze
Noni Madueke
Christian Norgaard
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Yep, Arsenal's track record when signing players from Chelsea is perhaps the only blotch on Arteta's copybook in the transfer window.
Elsewhere, their record of signing proven players from England's top-flight has been phenomenal. There is no better example of that than Raya, who won a third straight Golden Glove on Monday night, and a certain Declan Rice.
Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after the match
Rice moved to the Emirates Stadium in a club-record £105m deal back in 2023 and since then, he has only gone from strength to strength. At the time, the midfielder was viewed as an elite player, but few will have expected him quite to reach the dizzy heights that he has reached in the last few years. He is now one of the best in the world.
At the time, the former West Ham man was still in the relatively early stages of his career. A wise head on young shoulders, Rice was just making his way in the England team and had the world at his feet. Yet, he had taken his career as far as he could at the London Stadium. It was time to move on. His switch to Arsenal was well deserved.
In that regard, Livramento is cut from a similar cloth. One of the best English players outside of the typical big six in the league, just as Rice was when he made the move, their rise to stardom is eerily similar.
Cast aside by Chelsea at a young age, albeit Rice was still a boy when he got released, it took for them to move elsewhere to finally realise their potential. The Arsenal man has certainly realised his, perhaps even eclipsed what was once hoped for him.
Livramento may not be at that very elite just yet but the Newcastle full-back is still a mighty fine player. Like Rice when he moved, the England international is one of the most exciting domestic players on the scene.
A potential £70m price tag may put suitors off and that would be an extoritionate price to pay. However, if Ben White does end up leaving in the summer, they will need a replacement. If they could negotiate that down to a fee of around £50m, the same fee White signed for, it would seem like a fair deal for all parties.
Newcastle's Tino Livramento
Here's hoping for Arsenal that this potential cross-Premier League move turns out more like Rice than somebody like Norgaard or Madueke.
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