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5 players from outside the 'top six' that would improve Arsenal By Oscar Maung-Haley With the January transfer window hurtling towards us, we take a look at five names outside of the ‘top six’ that could improve the Gunners chances of qualifying for the Champions League. It should also be pointed out that at this time of writing, Tottenham and Manchester United sit outside of the top six. But based on their rivalry with Arsenal, it would seem unlikely that they would do business with the Gunners this January. Yves Bissouma It seems incredible Yves Bissouma is still a Brighton player after a stellar campaign last season. The Malian midfielder has been an ever-present mainstay in the Seagulls line-up since his arrival from Lille in the summer of 2018. During his four years on English soil, the 25-year-old has impressed plenty of people with his all-action style of play and is rumoured to have plenty of suitors. His contract is set to run out at the end of next season. The Gunners...

Is it time to sell Granit Xhaka? How Arteta should respond to interest from Roma By Jonathan Bray How do you solve a problem like Granit Xhaka?   At points during his Arsenal career, the Swiss defensive midfielder looked like the answer to the questions that had plagued Arsenal’s midfield since the departure of Patrick Vieira in 2005.   However, that’s always been the problem with the 28-year-old, there are too many question marks surrounding him.   He is clearly passionate, aggressive and offers something different to the other midfield options in Mikel Arteta’s squad.   Sadly, these traits seem almost inseparable from his tendency to be too rash, too casual on the ball and too reactive.   But in a team where he’s expected to provide cover for what is, by the standards of Arsenal Football Club, a weak defensive set-up, is this a surprise?   Why Arsenal should keep him.   First things first, much of the criticism of Xhaka is totally unjustified. ...

Why offloading the talented but fiery Matteo Guendouzi is the right move By Peter White As the dust settles on Arsenal’s lacklustre 2020/21 campaign at home and in Europe, plans are well underway to ensure such shortcomings don’t occur again during the impending season.  With the club having failed to qualify for continental competition for the first time in 25 years under his tutelage, boss Mikel Arteta is hard at work moulding a squad he believes is capable of rediscovering former glories.  One member of his team seemingly edging closer to the exit door is French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who fell out of favour early into the Spaniard's reign.  After a season out on loan at Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, it is being reported the 22-year-old has agreed to sign for Marseille on a permanent deal, back in his homeland.  One stumbling block could prove to be the signing fee the Ligue 1 side are willing to pay, with Arsenal’s reasons for selling largely do with attitu...

Potential transfer targets and a former Gunners striker - what can we expect from Brighton? By Josh Graham Arsenal end the Premier League season at home to Brighton with the visitors fresh from a stunning 3-2 victory over champions Manchester City.  Graham Potter’s men will give Mikel Arteta’s side a stern challenge on Sunday and boast potential Gunners transfer targets and even a former striker within their squad.  The Seagulls will be full of confidence after overturning a 2-0 deficit against Pep Guardiola’s men and will be looking for revenge after losing 1-0 to Arsenal at the Amex in December.  Danny Welbeck One man who would have been hoping for a warm welcome from the 10,000 Gooners lucky enough to be inside the Emirates on Sunday is Danny Welbeck.  The 30-year-old forward spent five years in north London after leaving boyhood side Manchester United in 2014. But the England international is set to be denied a homecoming after hobbling out of the extraordinary C...

Should Arsenal bring Aaron Ramsey back to the Emirates this summer? By Peter White There’s just one game of the Premier League season remaining, and it is surely safe to say that plans for 2021/22 are firmly underway at the Emirates after a largely underwhelming campaign.  An unlikely shot at European qualification remains a possibility following Wednesday night’s 3-1 win at London neighbours Crystal Palace, with the Gunners just one point adrift of Spurs and Everton in the race for seventh place.  Two goals from Nicolas Pepe either side of a late Gabriel Martinelli strike got the job done at Selhurst Park, with Christian Benteke finding the net for the Eagles in Roy Hodgson’s final home game in charge.  Victory at home to Brighton on Sunday - alongside both Spurs and Everton dropping points - would earn Arsenal a spot in the newly-created UEFA Europa Conference League next season.  While hardly as glamorous as the coveted Champions League, or even the Europa League ...

Who should Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta target if owner Stan Kroenke sanctions summer spending?  By Bradley West Yes, Arsenal have just completed the double over Chelsea for the first time in 17 years and that is an achievement to be proud of.  But, it’s fair to say that this season hasn’t quite worked out as many fans would have hoped in Mikel Arteta’s first full campaign in charge.  For too long now the club has accepted mediocrity. The Emirates, and Gunners fans, deserve Champions League football.  With a hugely talented young core including the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, there are positives signs for the future but this summer is vital.  If Stan Kroenke wants to try and appease fans after the European Super League debacle then he should dip into his own pocket and put his money where his mouth is to instantly improve the squad with a raft of summer signings.  He’s promised it on internal calls, but actions speak far louder than words....

Dani Ceballos can go but Arsenal need to snap up other two loan stars By Peter White The countdown to Arsenal’s biggest clash of the campaign is almost over, with the outcome of Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal likely to point towards the sort of summer Arsenal fans can expect.  If Mikel Arteta’s men overcome the 2-1 disadvantage and successfully navigate themselves into the competition showpiece for the second time in three seasons, a spot in next year’s Champions League remains within reach.  A return to the premier continental competition would enhance the club’s ability to attract some of the planet’s hottest prospects, with the 14-time FA Cup winners bidding to recapture former glories under the Spaniard.  Exiting at the last-four stage however would mark the latest blemish on a largely disappointing campaign, particularly due to domestic form that sees the Gunners languishing in ninth place in the Premier League, with four game...

How could the addition of Yves Bissouma boost Arsenal's prospects next season?  By Peter White While Sunday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle served a welcome boost ahead of Thursday’s do-or-die Europa League showdown with Villarreal, news that Arsenal are leading the race for the summer signature of Yves Bissouma earlier this week was further cause for smiles among the Emirates faithful.  The Gunners have reportedly been long-term admirers of the Brighton midfielder, with sustained interest during the winter transfer window eventually coming to nothing after creative star Martin Odegaard was supposedly prioritised.  But the Arsenal hierarchy have kept tabs on the 24-year-old Mali international, who has emerged as one of the Seagulls’ most prized assets throughout a season in which they have largely delivered more on the pitch than their results would suggest.  Having left Lille for the south coast in a £15m deal in 2018, it is widely acknowledged that Bissouma is ready for his...

Five players Mikel Arteta should be bringing to the Premier League to play for Arsenal in the January transfer window By Adam Le Roux Happy New Year’s Eve Arsenal fans! And although we can’t celebrate in the usual fashion this year, there is still at least one thing that remains the same, and that’s the fact we’re less than 24 hours away from the January transfer window.  Yes, tomorrow will see the start of the wheeling and dealing, as clubs all over Europe look to bolster their squads ahead of the run-in until the end of the season, with deals being struck all over the shop throughout the month.  Arsenal will be no exception to this, with boss Mikel Arteta planning an overhaul of his squad as Big Ben strikes midnight. And after a terrible start to the season, who can blame him?  With shot-shy strikers and a leaky backline, there are plenty of contenders for where the new arrivals will be over the next 32 days, but we have whittled it down to just five players that all st...