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Mikel Arteta will be looking at strengthening his Arsenal side during the January transfer window as the second half of the season could be the most important in the North London side’s recent history.

The Spaniard will be given funds to spend next month and with a midfielder and a winger targeted, it could be a busy month for the Premier League side.

There might even be a surprise move for Leroy Sane, with journalist Pete O’Rourke telling Football FanCast that Sane’s previous relationship with Arteta, from their time together at Manchester City, could help with any potential move:

“So, I think any player wants to go into a club where you can immediately settle and if you’ve got a previous relationship with players or coaching staff, sure, its something that will seriously come into their consideration about where they possibly move.”

Arteta was of course an assistant coach at City under Pep Guardiola and coached the German winger throughout his spell in Manchester, building up a positive relationship with the 26-year-old.

According to Sport Bild (via TEAMtalk), the club were linked with Sane during the summer, although Bayern valued the player at £59m and as he still has two and half years left on his contract, it could well take an offer around that number for the Bundesliga side to consider selling in January.

The 50-cap gem has been in fine form this season, registering 16 goal contributions in just 19 matches in all competitions (ten goals and six assists) and it’s no wonder Arteta would love to have him in his team.

Gabriel Martinelli is currently impressing on the left wing for the Gunners, chipping in with five goals and two assists, however, he is still only 21 years old, and with the club leading the Premier League table, it is a lot of pressure on the youngster to maintain his excellent form.

Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann once dubbed Sane as “unbelievable” following his sensational start to the season and this could make it difficult for the 40-year-old to tempt him back to England with a move, either in January or the summer.

Winning the league and securing Champions League football might prove to be the catalyst that can land Arteta the Bayern winger, and it would be a magnificent coup that would signal a real statement of intent over their rivals.

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has held a difficult conversation with Patrick Roberts in his office regarding the winger’s lack of game time in the Championship.

The Lowdown: Amad’s instant impact

Amad Diallo arrived at the Stadium of Light over the summer on a season-long loan from Manchester United and the winger has made an outstanding start to life in the northeast.

The Red Devils starlet’s form has therefore seen the 25-year-old pushed out of the matchday line-up, and the boss has now delivered an update on how he’s been dealing with both players behind the scenes.

The Latest: Mowbray’s comments

Speaking to ChronicleLive, Mowbray was full of praise for Diallo and revealed the explanation he’s given to Roberts as to why he’s not currently starting.

“He’s only playing on a regular basis because of his talent. I have to sit Patrick Roberts down in my office, who, in my opinion, is probably the most talented footballer in this league, yet he’s not playing.

“‘Why am I not playing if you think I’m that talented?’ ‘Well, because this kid assists and scores goals Pat, and with total respect, you scored two amazing goals away at Reading this season and you’ve had some assists, but Amad’s on fire at the moment and he plays in the same position as you’.

“My job is to try to find a way of putting them both in the team, yet you have to pick and choose the games where you feel you can be dominant with the ball and put them both in the team at the same time.”

The Verdict: Deserves a chance

Sunderland will be losing Amad next summer so Roberts will get his chance to shine again, and he more than deserves it given the instant impact he can make.

The Black Cats dynamo has two goals and the same number of assists to his name in just ten league starts this season and averages two successful dribbles per game (WhoScored).

Roberts can also operate in five different positions which is handy should any injury crisis occur, though it’s on his shoulders should he want to force his way back into Mowbray’s starting XI.

Arsenal are closing in on a deal to bring Youri Tielemans to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Marca (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite Barcelona’s interest in signing the Leicester City midfielder as a replacement for Sergio Busquets in the heart of Xavi Hernández’s side, the Catalan club believe that they have already missed out on the Belgium international’s signature.

The report goes on to state that this is due to the 25-year-old being ‘very cold’ to the approaches of the LaLiga giants, something that Barca feel is down to the playmaker having already agreed a deal with another team, with Marca suggesting that this side is Arsenal – who have previously been reported to be “on track” to land Tielemans this winter.

Edu must move

Considering just how impressive Tielemans has been in an underperforming Leicester side so far this season, coupled with central midfield clearly being the area of Mikel Arteta’s table-topping side that lacks the most depth, the news that Edu appears to be closing in on a deal for the 25-year-old is undoubtedly fantastic news for the Gunners.

Indeed, over his 15 Premier League appearances in the current campaign, the £43.5m-rated talent has been in sensational form, having scored three goals, registered one assist and created five big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.1 shots – 0.6 of which have been on target – making 1.2 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles – per game.

The £35k-per-week midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typically associated with his position, making an average of 2.3 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 0.7 clearances and winning 4.1 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per match, as well as playing an average of 2.5 long balls, 2.3 chipped passes and completing a total of 47.3 passes – at a success rate of 86% – per game.

These returns have seen the playmaker who Jack Johnson dubbed “unreal” average an astonishing Sofascore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Brendan Rodgers’ second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 26th-best player in the top flight as a whole – a rather remarkable feat considering he is playing a team who sit 13th in the Premier League standings.

As such, it can be safely assumed that, if playing for a side who currently occupy top spot in the division, Tielemans’ attacking and creative output would only increase further, something that further suggests that the 58-cap Belgium star would be something of a dream signing for Arteta ahead of his side’s title charge in the second half of the season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a blow in their pursuit of Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuna, with the move now looking like it is off the cards.

The Lowdown: Wolves’ Acuna interest

Earlier this month, Spanish sources confirmed, via Sport Witness, that Wolves were ‘interested’ in a move for Acuna in the January transfer window, in a deal that could be worth around £10.3m.

Journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Argentinian arriving at Molineux, alongside Matheus Cunha and Felipe, would be a ‘big signal of intent’, but it now appears that a deal for one of the trio is not going to happen for Julen Lopetegui.

The Latest: Development at Sevilla

According to Spanish outlet Marca, the 31-year-old has now been removed from the transfer list at Sevilla after an injury to fellow full-back Alex Telles.

The La Liga outfit now believe there is no benefit to selling Acuna in January, despite him having previous disagreements with the club.

The source claims that ‘Acuna will stay at Sevilla’, closing the door to the proposed switch to Wolves this winter, and Fosun will now have to look elsewhere to find Lopetegui a new full-back.

The Verdict: Blow for Lopetegui

The news will come as a big blow for the Wolves boss, largely because of the fact that he knows his level from the time they spent together with Sevilla, and clearly trusts him if he was willing to bring him to his new club amid a relegation battle.

Not only that, but the defender has been seriously impressive en-route to Argentina’s run to the World Cup final, being lauded as ‘fantastic’ by reporter James Dodd, featuring in all five games before being suspended for the semi-final against Croatia.

While Hugo Bueno is a promising prospect at left-back, he is only 20, and Lopetegui’s options would be bolstered by having an experienced head to rely on in the defence.

Acuna is a player who is evidently capable of playing at the highest level, as indicated by his World Cup displays, most notably achieving the second-highest SofaScore rating behind Lionel Messi in the quarter-final clash with the Netherlands.

Aston Villa have been handed a slice of good news concerning their hunt for a new forward to bolster the ranks, with reports stating a prolific ace could soon be on the move… 

What’s the word?

According to French outlet Media Foot Mercato, Villa boss Unai Emery is set to rival Manchester United for the signing of Olympique Lyonnais striker Moussa Dembele, with his club reportedly happy to part with the ace if their demands are met. 

The 26-year-old has fallen somewhat out of favour with his French outfit and signed for Atletico Madrid on loan with the option to make the move permanent last year, although the clause was not exercised. 

And now Dembele could reignite his career in the Premier League with Villa, who could offer him a platform to star in a central role as the club look to climb the table and return to prominence. 

Imagine him & Watkins

The Frenchman returned to his homeland in 2018 when Lyon signed him from Scottish giants Celtic for £19.7m, enjoying considerable goalscoring success before slipping from form recently. 

Indeed, despite scoring a total of 69 goals from 156 appearances for his current outfit, Dembele has managed just two strikes this term.

One player that he could bind his skill-set with is Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, who has suffered something of a slump himself recently.

Watkins has enjoyed fair success in Claret and Blue colours, scoring 30 times and serving ten assists across 92 appearances for his club since his – then – club-record £28m transfer from Brentford. 

As per Sofascore, Watkins is enduring a dip in performance and efficiency this year, only clinching three goals and assists apiece across 16 displays.

His average Premier League rating is a lowly 6.64, and with eight big chances missed, he certainly seems to have lost his cutting edge in front of goal.

The previous two campaigns, however, Watkins snatched 11 and 16 goals for the Midlands outfit, and the introduction of Dembele could prove a worthwhile recipe for the success of both respective forwards. 

In the 2019/20 season, Dembele’s most productive campaign, the ace scored 24 goals and assisted seven more for his club, and despite dwindling these past few years could indeed reignite his career.

With Watkins’ pace and direct drives at opposing backlines, and Dembele’s tendency to drift outside of the traditional spot for a centre-forward, the contrasting approaches could lead to a multi-dimensional attack that can lift Villa to new heights under Emery.

The reports from France state that Lyon are looking for between roughly £7m-£9m for their “powerful” – as once dubbed by former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers – player, and a cost-effective move hinting at a return to roaring form could materialise in the near future, boosting the fortunes of the likes of Watkins in the process.

Tottenham Hotspur finally returned to Premier League action on Monday afternoon, however, despite Antonio Conte having over a month to work with a large portion of his first-team squad during the Qatar World Cup, the club’s defensive issues from before the break were still very much evident in the 2-2 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Indeed, Vitaly Janelt’s 15th-minute strike to put the hosts 1-0 up ensured that Spurs have now fallen behind in nine consecutive games across all competitions, before Ivan Toney doubled the Bees’ advantage shortly after half-time.

And, while goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did seal a point for the top four hopefuls, Conte will nevertheless be furious that his side once again started a fixture so slowly – with Yves Bissouma, Matt Doherty and Eric Dier all having something of a game to forget in west London.

However, while the aforementioned trio were all well below par on Monday afternoon, it was undoubtedly the performance of Japhet Tanganga that will have most disappointed the 53-year-old Italian, as the centre-back well and truly failed what could easily be his last “big chance” to impress in a Tottenham shirt against Brentford.

Indeed, over his 67 minutes on the pitch, the £8m-rated defender was largely bullied by Toney in the Spurs backline, with the 23-year-old winning just four of his nine duels – a failure rate of 56% – up against the Bees striker, with The Sun journalist Tom Barclay stating his belief that the 26-year-old was “proving difficult for Tanganga to handle” in a post on Twitter.

The £25k-per-week talent also committed three fouls – one of which was for “rugby tackling Toney” – lost possession of the ball on six separate occasions and failed to make a single interception, with these returns seeing the player who journalist Rory Robinson claimed plays like a “construction worker” earn an extremely disappointing Sofascore match rating of just 6.50.

Alasdair Gold also awarded the centre-back a match rating of just four in his own player ratings for football.london, as well as writing of the former England U21 international’s display: “His first start of the season and he was up against one of the toughest challenges in the Premier League right now in Ivan Toney and it showed as the Brentford man ran him ragged throughout.”

As such, with Tanganga being linked with a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium already next month, his performance on Monday afternoon will have done little to convince Conte that he is a defender who should be kept on in north London beyond the end of January, as the 23-year-old well and truly failed his big chance against Brentford.

Aston Villa have started life under Unai Emery very brightly indeed, having won three of the four league encounters since the Spaniard’s arrival at the back end of October.

Most recently, the Villans sank Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on enemy turf, and with the opening of the January transfer window, there is certainly plenty to be optimistic about within the Claret and Blue army.

With Emery likely to polish his outfit with his own sheen, there have been multiple names flying around the rumour mill, and vague intrigue could solidify into concrete interest over the coming weeks.

Previously, The Mirror reported that the Midlands outfit were targeting Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma ahead of the January window, with Emery well accustomed to the dynamic ace’s skill set having managed him at Villarreal before returning to the Premier League.

And now reports from Spain state that with Villa recently instigating transfer negotiations, a deal could be struck in the region of €50m (£44m), despite the rumoured release clause of €75m (£66m) within his current contract with the Yellow Submarine.

A game-changing signing

As transfer insider Dean Jones remarked to GIVEMESPORT at the end of 2022, the Dutchman could be a “game-changer” as far as the Midlands side are concerned.

Danjuma has been beset with consistent niggling injury setbacks this season, only playing 15 times, although he has still found the back of the net on five occasions for his Spanish outfit as he continues to exhibit his devastating dynamism.

However, last season the 25-year-old truly blossomed into his own with the club, netting 16 times and finding four assists from 34 outings, emerging as one of the Spanish La Liga’s most ruthless forwards, also playing a pivotal role in a monumental Champions League campaign that saw a surge to the semi-finals.

His six goals in the continental competition were the driving force behind Villarreal’s exploits, with his notable winner against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals proving to be decisive in advancing in a huge upset.

While Emery cannot currently offer him guaranteed European endeavours off the bat, there is the allure of working under the manager once again that gave him his most productive top-flight spell.

Indeed, under the 51-year-old, Danjuma scored 19 goals and assisted four more from 43 appearances, accounting for the vast majority of the 21 total goals he has forged for Villarreal.

He was branded a “nightmare” by Kevin Phillips for his robust aura and devastating presence along the offensive third, with Sofascore recording his performances in La Liga last term at 6.97, scoring ten times from just 17 starts.

And having signed for the club from AFC Bournemouth in August 2021 in a £21.3m deal, he has already paved the foundation for a successful career on English soil, having scored 17 goals and served eight assists from 52 appearances with the Cherries.

Emery must complete the signing, issuing in a new talisman who could become game-changing in Aston Villa’s climb up the table.

Journalist Paul Brown is ‘not convinced’ by West Ham United central defender Thilo Kehrer, claiming that he ‘looks a yard off the pace’.

The Lowdown: Summer signing

Kehrer signed at the London Stadium from French giants PSG for a reported transfer fee of £10.1m plus add-ons.

Hailed as a ‘talented player’ by David Moyes upon his arrival, there were high hopes for the central defender when he signed, but his move does not seem to have worked out so far.

The Latest: Unconvincing

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Brown has claimed that he is ‘not convinced’ by Kehrer, as he ‘looks a yard off the pace’, and is not a player that Moyes can ‘trust on a regular basis’:

“I’m not convinced by him either. He looks a yard off the pace at the moment. He doesn’t seem to have adapted very well since he’s come in.

“He’s had the odd game where he’s looked okay, but I’m not sure you can trust him on a regular basis.”

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The Verdict: Needs time

Given he only arrived in the summer, Kehrer still needs time to settle in.

He has played in every minute of his 14 Premier League appearances this season, suggesting that Moyes fully trusts him, so he is clearly impressing on the training pitches and just needs to translate that onto the big stage.

Kehrer ranks as the 16th-best performer in the Hammers squad, with three central defenders all ranking higher than him in the top flight, and his poor form coincides with the team struggling in the table.

Irons supporters will just be hoping that he can find his feet quickly in the second part of the campaign.

Wolves have been linked with a move for Stoke City defender Harry Souttar recently and the centre-back could be the man to finally replace Conor Coady at Molineux.

According to reports last week from TEAMtalk, both Wolves and West Ham are keen on signing the 24-year-old in this month’s transfer window, after the 6 foot 6 defender caught the eye with the Socceroos at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Stoke City man had only just recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury when he earned the call-up to Graham Arnold’s side but he was instrumental in their progression to the round of 16 before their defeat against eventual champions Argentina.

Souttar would average a hugely impressive 6.94 rating from WhoScored for his performances at the World Cup this winter, helping the Socceroos to impressive wins and clean sheets over Tunisia and Denmark, so it was no surprise that he was ranked as their top performer.

Middlesbrough star Riley McGree was full of praise for his Australia teammate after his sensational performances so soon after a career-threatening injury.

He said: “It’s inspirational, honestly. I’m really close with Harry off the pitch, but on the pitch he’s a warrior, he’s got quality and he can move for the size he is.

“He is only going to have a bright future going forward, definitely.”

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell was also full of praise for the defender, dubbing him an “absolute monster,” which suggests that he could be a huge player for Julen Lopetegui to have in the second half of the campaign.

Having possessed one of the best defences outside of the top four last season, Wolves have struggled immensely at the back so far this campaign, shipping 27 goals in the top flight, some of which must be put down to the summer exit of captain Conor Coady.

Bruno Lage inexplicably loaned the England international to relegation rivals Everton and failed to secure an adequate replacement, which has left the Old Gold seriously low on centre-back options so far this campaign, with Ruben Neves forced to fill in there earlier in the season after a Nathan Collins red card.

Depth is clearly needed in defence and given Souttar’s impressive displays in Qatar and his obvious leadership skills for his country, he could be the ideal man to fill the void left by Coady since his loan exit in the summer.

Leeds United have managed to lower Hoffenheim’s initial asking price for Georginio Rutter and are hopeful of finalising a move today, according to The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones.

The Lowdown: Rutter speculation

The Whites were first linked with a ‘massive’ move for the forward over the weekend, in the words of Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg, and a transfer has gathered plenty of pace in recent days.

Sky Sports stated on Monday evening that the 20-year-old had been due for a medical in the next 48 hours, citing a £35.3m fee for the French forward. However, it looks as if Victor Orta and co have managed to slightly reduce that figure in a fresh transfer update.

The Latest: Rutter transfer update

Jones shared a story for The Daily Mail on Wednesday morning, claiming that Leeds are hoping for a transfer to be finalised today.

The reporter adds that the club have lowered an initial asking price of around £35m to £30m, although a move for that amount would still be a club record for the Whites.

The Verdict: Good work

This transfer twist is good news for Leeds, with Orta seemingly working his magic to lower the fee at the last minute. It looks like Rutter will complete a move to Elland Road, which will be a welcome boost for everyone associated with the club.

The Whites’ last big-money centre-forward signing was Rodrigo following promotion to the Premier League in 2020. You’d expect that Rutter will be rivalling the club’s leading scorer this season for a starting berth under Jesse Marsch, while also providing an option out wide or as a number 10.