Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Arteta DEMANDS January signings, Gunners 'AGREE' Mudryk deal, West Ham build-up – latest | The Sun
ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta has demanded that the club make early signings during the January transfer window.
The Spaniard said: "We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is what we want to do in January."
And Arteta's wishes could be granted as the Gunners have reportedly agreed a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk ace Mykhaylo Mudryk.
It has been claimed that Arsenal have a deal 'in principle' for Mudryk to sign this winter.
But the North London club's main focus will be on their Boxing Day fixture against West Ham TONIGHT.
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- Henry Tomlinson
New role for former scout Yousuf Sajjad
Ex Arsenal scout Yousuf Sajjad has reportedly become the technical director of the Dutch club Den Bosch.
The 30-year-old left the Gunners in September and has rejected offers from lower-league English clubs.
However, he has now been appointed to a senior role with Eerste Divisie – Holland's second-tier – side Den Bosch.
By taking up the job, he has become the youngest person in the EU to hold a technical director position.
- Henry Tomlinson
Arsenal 'offered' Brazilian attacker
Mikel Arteta's side have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Brazilian winger Tete.
The 23-year-old is currently on loan at French side Lyon from Shakhtar Donetsk and has impressed thus far.
But Lyon boss Laurent Blanc is believed to be willing to let him leave, with the player being offered to Arsenal as a potential new club, according to 90min.
- Henry Tomlinson
Arteta aims for quick deals
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is hopeful the Gunners can get any January business wrapped up quickly.
However he wants to make sure the players that join are capable of making his team better.
He said: “We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is the same we want to do in January.
“This is idealistic. Sometimes it is not realistic. But obviously, if you ask my opinion, as quick as possible we want the players in to get settled.
“What we cannot afford to do is get a player here that is not for us.
“We don’t need a body, we need players that make the team better.”
- Henry Tomlinson
Vlahovic 'not happy' at Juventus
Arsenal transfer target Dusan Vlahovic is reportedly open to leaving his current club Juventus.
The Gunners failed to sign him from Fiorentina before he made the move to the Turin-based side.
However, according to CBS Sports Golazo, they may have another chance to sign him as he is “not particularly happy” working with manager Max Allegri.
Although a move will not be cheap as Il Corriere dello Sport are reporting that the forward is valued at around £80m.
Credit: AFP - Henry Tomlinson
Update on Arsenal's Mudryk chase
The Gunners have reportedly reached an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for exciting attacker Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The Ukrainian has been linked with Mikel Arteta's side for a while in an attempt to increase their firepower.
Shakhtar are believed to want a fee in the region of £85million, but the North London side are confident in negotiating a lower fee.
It would be a big boost for the Gunners as Saudi-backed Newcastle are also interested in his signature.
Credit: AP - Henry Tomlinson
Zinchenko backs Nketiah to step up
The Arsenal striker will be trusted to fill the role left by injured star Gabriel Jesus.
Defender Oleksandr Zinchenko believes that while Jesus will be a miss, Nketiah is capable of being amazing.
He told the club website: "He’s one of the leaders in our team. He’s a true warrior. I have no doubts he’ll be back much stronger than before, knowing him personally and knowing his character. As a team, we need to stick together.”
“I have no doubts that Nketiah is going to do his job amazingly and everyone trusts him.
"We have such a great group of people. We have this feeling of togetherness.”
Credit: Getty - Henry Tomlinson
Injured Hammers could boost Arsenal
The Gunners have had a boost ahead of their game against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium tonight.
Both strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio are doubts for the Hammers.
This means that Jarrod Bowen could be used as a makeshift striker for manager David Moyes.
While defenders Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd will also miss the game.
- Henry Tomlinson
Supercomputer against the Gunners
Arsenal have been predicted to fail in their attempts to win their first Premier League title since 2004 by a supercomputer.
Mikel Arteta has masterminded his young side's charge to the top of the table with the Gunners five points clear of Manchester City going into the World Cup break.
However, according to the BonusCodeBets supercomputer, Arsenal will NOT be able to cling on to first place during the second half of the season.
Instead, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are predicted to retain their title as Champions of England.
Credit: Reuters - Henry Tomlinson
Mikael Silvestre backs Arsenal for winning return
Former Gunners defender Mikael Silvestre is expecting his old team to return to Premier League action with a win.
He told bettingexpert: "Big game. I think Arsenal will continue to march and they should beat West Ham in that game because they’ve shown that it doesn’t really matter who they’re playing against, they’ll play the same type of football."
"They finish their chances and are pretty good defensively.”
"They (Arsenal) didn’t have a lot of players involved towards the end of the World Cup."
"Yeah they lost Jesus but I think they will be in good shape against West Ham and win this game.”
- Matt Penn
Gunners back in action
Arsenal return to Premier League action today against West Ham!
Arsenal's clash with the Hammers will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video.
You can live stream the action from the Amazon Prime Video app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
- Kostas Lianos
Work for Art
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Granit Xhaka adapting to a more advanced role was a "necessity" and revealed he threatened to axe him if he didn't.
Xhaka has gone from zero to hero under Arteta, having previously been stripped of the club captaincy in 2019 and being widely disliked after gesturing back at booing fans against Crystal Palace.
The Spanish tactician was the man to convince him to stay put in 2020 with the midfield intent on heading for the exit door.
Arteta told Sky Sports: "I think it was a necessity [change in role]. I think the squad wanted to evolve to another level and be more dominant and have more resources in the final third to attack and to score more goals. We needed to make that change.
"I spoke to him at the end of the season and said, ‘I need to unlock something in your brain because you’re so comfortable and confident playing in this area that you have forgot what is actually going to win us the game and the team now demands somebody here, so unless you unlock that I’m going to have to do something about it’.
"He took it straight away. He’s a very intelligent player, he came to pre-season fitter than ever, slimmer than ever, and he knew that if we wanted to take the team to a different level we had to change his role. He knew that was coming"
- Kostas Lianos
Adrien Rab grab
Arsenal are“pushing” to sign Juventus star Adrien Rabiot next month.
According to Repubblica, the Gunners are now looking to sign Rabiot in the January transfer window.
The midfielder's contract expires in June and he is allowed to discuss terms with teams outside of Italy from January 1.
But rather than lose the France international for nothing, Juve are more likely willing to offload him for a cut-price fee mid-season.
And it appears the opportunistic North Londoners are ready to pounce to try and bolster their midfield
- Kostas Lianos
Martinelli new deal latest
Negotiations between Arsenal and Gabriel Martinelli about a new deal are in the “final stages”, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
Romano tweeted: “Negotiations between Gabriel Martinelli and Arsenal on new long term deal are progressing to the final stages.
“It’s not done or fully agreed yet, also nothing signed – but it’s getting closer.
“Martinelli, [Bukayo] Saka and [William] Saliba are #AFC priorities in terms of new contracts”
Credit: Getty - Kostas Lianos
Saliba coming back
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update on when William Saliba will return, suggesting he is ready for action.
Arteta said: "Everyone is here, they were all fine. Some came earlier than expected and they were buzzing to be back and part of it.
"I feel a really good energy around the place. They have got straight away into the rhythm and what we want.
"They are in a really good place. Obviously a huge blow with Gabriel Jesus and his injury and we’ll miss him for a period of time.
"The season has challenges, that’s a challenge we have to overcome, but if you’re going to be at the top there’s going to be those challenges"
- Kostas Lianos
Charlie Patino extension
Arsenal are set to trigger an extension to the contract of promising youngster Charlie Patino.
Patino, 19, is currently enjoying a loan spell at Championship side Blackpool.
In his 17 games for the Tangerines, the midfielder has scored twice and assisted two more goals.
Patino has become a fan favourite at Bloomfield Road, with fans coming up with their own song for him.
The Gunners are set to trigger a two-year extension to the England Under-20 international's deal which expires at the end of the season, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The decision may also have been affected by the reported interest from Barcelona
- Kostas Lianos
Smith Rowe coming back
Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe is "close" to a return, according to manager Mikel Arteta.
Smith Rowe has only made four league appearances due to injury this season but fans will hope to see more of him in the New Year.
Ahead of the West Ham clash, Arteta said: "Emile is close. He had a setback but he’s there and he’s in a good place. We've done a lot of things with Emile.
"Sometimes he has been close, sometimes he has been in different places to see a different environment. His attitude has been great and this is part of any career, any development to have periods where you are out and have long-term injuries.
"He needs to react to that but for sure he has got all of our support and he is a huge talent that we need for the second part of the season at his best because his contribution will be key to the team"
- Kostas Lianos
Joao Felix latest
Arsenal may struggle to sign Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix in the January transfer window.
According to transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are finding it difficult to meet Felix's staggering asking price.
Romano wrote for Give Me Sport: “It’s true they had conversations with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
"But it depends on the conditions of the deal, because if it’s more than €100million (£88m), I think it is going to be difficult.”
If reports are to be believed, Felix is set to decide between a move to Manchester United or the North Londoners in January
Credit: EPA - Chisanga Malata
Merry Christmas, Arsenal fans
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed the club will indeed be "active" in the transfer window following Gabriel Jesus' recent knee surgery.
He said: "We are going to be active and active means we are looking to strengthen the team.
"This squad still doesn't have the luxury of not maximising every single window.
"We have to do that because it's really important, but then we have to get the right profile.
"It has to be the right player to take us to the next level."
The north Londoners, meanwhile, have been told they'll have to fork out a mere £8million to sign Atletico Madrid ace Joao Felix.
The Portugal ace is looking for a new challenge and is open to leaving the Wanda Metropolitano in the January transfer window.
And it's claimed Atleti are willing to let the forward leave on loan for a fee of £8m.
That's according to journalist Duncan Castles, who claims the Spaniards would want Felix's wages to be paid in full.
The Gunners are expected to receive competition for Marco Asensio's signature from French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Asensio is looking to move on to greener pastures after eight years at the Bernabeu and is said to be open to a move to the Premier League.
Arsenal are long-term admirers of the forward, with reports claiming Arteta views him as a potential solid addition to the squad.
But the Spaniard could face difficulty signing his countryman if, as Calciomercato claim, PSG have indeed entered the race to sign him.
It was recently claimed that Asensio was offered to both Arsenal and Manchester United.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said: "Asensio has been offered by his agent to many important English clubs including Arsenal, Man United in the last two weeks."
- Nick Emms
Joao decision
If reports are to be believed, Joao Felix is set to decide between a move to Manchester United or Arsenal in January.
However, Arsenal could struggle to afford a permanent deal.
With the Gunners sat top of the Premier League and Manchester United in 5th, where should he go?
- Nick Emms
Joao Felix to Arsenal 'difficult'
Arsenal's deal to sign Joao Felix could be difficult due to the price tag, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Writing for GiveMeSport, the transfer insider revealed why he thinks Arsenal could struggle in the pursuit of the Portugal international.
He wrote: “It’s true they had conversations with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
"But it depends on the conditions of the deal, because if it’s more than €100million, I think it is going to be difficult.”
- Nick Emms
Leao reveals Premier League ambitions
Rafael Leao has admitted that he would like to play in the Premier League in the future.
Speaking to RDP Africa, he said: "Yes (I'd like to play in the Premeir League), in the future.
"But now I’m 100 per cent focused on Milan. I’m at a top club and I’m under contract. I also like the city of Milan."
Could Arsenal make a move for the winger?
- Kiro Evans
Two-Way Fight For Felix
Manchester United and Arsenal are the main contenders for Joao Felix, according to reports.
The attacker has been linked with a Premier League move and helped put himself in the shop window with his performances for Portugal in the World Cup.
Now Mercato report that it is down to the two English giants to fight over his signature.
The 23-year-old is reported to be dissatisfied at Atletico Madrid and wants a January move away.
- Kiro Evans
What a difference
Last season, ahead of Arsenal's 15th game, they were in 6th spot.
Mikel Arteta's team trailed Chelsea by 10 points and were 12 points off league leaders Manchester City.
But how things have changed. Over a year on, and the Gunners are 15 points clear of Chelsea and lead the table.
Arsenal fans will be hoping the team can get the job done in the second-half of the season.
- Kiro Evans
I Want You
Arsenal are reportedly interested in Real Valladolid defender Ivan Fresneda.
The full-back has impressed in La Liga this season and been a regular in the team despite only being 18 years old.
Calciomercato report that the Gunners and Newcastle are among clubs fighting over Fresneda.
- Kiro Evans
Wait and Saliba
Mikel Arteta has kept fans guessing on whether William Saliba will be back on Boxing Day.
The young defender was part of the French squad who lost the World Cup Final but did not get much game time.
And Arteta said earlier this week: "We have the data on what he’s done in training in terms of minutes he didn’t participate much but it was a huge experience for him. Let’s see. When he gets back we’ll see."
William Saliba has been a revelation for Arsenal this season
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