Jules, Andy and Pete douse their flaming Christmas puddings with some goals, more misguided footballer tattoos, and Manchester United tears...

They chew over the best of the Boxing Day football, where Spurs picked up from exactly the same confusing place they left off and Darwin Núñez proves for some that he is the second coming of Andy Carroll. Plus, a Newcastle fan embraces the real spirit of Christmas: wrestling with a child for Joelinton’s shirt.

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Arsenal has the best chance of winning the Premier League title in 18 years this season. After 17 games, the Gunners have 14 wins, 2 draws, and 1 defeat, putting them at the top of the table with 44 points.

Arsenal are favourites to win the Premier League title this season, but there are some doubts. One major question is whether they have what it takes to beat Manchester City.

Manchester City trail Arsenal by five points, but they are far from out of the title race. The good news is that Arsenal has an excellent opportunity to deal with City. The two teams have yet to meet, but Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal can handle the defending champions in this game. The Liverpool legend believes Arsenal will beat City in the two key games that he feels will decide the Premier League title.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “Watching Arsenal the other night (against Newcastle), I just felt they needed to relax. There so long to go in the season and when you’re talking about Man City can win so many games in a row, that’s what Arsenal have virtually done in the last sort of two or three months before the World Cup. I think they’ve only dropped points in three games, that is some going.

“I think a lot of it will come down to the two games against Manchester City. If Arsenal want to win the title, they have to take four points off Manchester City I’d expect, and that would put them in a great position.

The debate over whether Eddie Nketiah is ready to lead Arsenal’s attack in the months ahead before Gabriel Jesus returns isn’t going away any time soon, at least not while the transfer window is still open.

Some believe Arteta simply needs to go out and sign a reliable striker to lead their attack in the absence of their injured number 9. So far, all of Arsenal’s attacking transfer links have mentioned Mykhailo Mudryk as a possible new signing. Is Mudryk a natural striker? He isn’t, which raises the question of whether Arsenal signing him will fill Jesus’ void.

Arteta looks for Nketiah and gives him a massive hug 🫂 pic.twitter.com/UX27FQFtOf

— Gilles (@_Grimanditweets) December 31, 2022

Other than Mudryk’s swoop, there’s a feeling Arteta may need to move for a striker. Some transfer links name Atletico Madrid striker Felix as a player who could join Arsenal on loan, but Felix’s links are fraught with uncertainty, leading one to believe his swoop won’t happen.

In 2019, Arsenal was certain they needed to sign a reliable winger, so they scouted the market and returned with Nicolas Pepe, whom they paid Lille £72 million to sign.

It is worth noting that Pepe had 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 league games the season before joining Arsenal, and many wanted a piece of him, but Arsenal won that race. Unfortunately, we all know the story: Pepe never lived up to the expectations placed on him at Arsenal, and until he left for a loan move to Nice last summer, Arsenal fans were still waiting for him to recapture his Lille form.

Arsenal may need to pay a lot to bring Mudryk on board, just like they did for Pepe. Two “mega” bids from the Emirates haven’t sealed the deal, and with Chelsea now in the picture, they may need to break their £72 million expensive-buy record to bring Mudryk from Shaktar.

Looking at the figures being floated for Mudryk’s potential transfer to Arsenal, Dean Jones has hinted that Arsenal must be careful not to repeat a Pepe-like signing in which they pay big money for a player who fails to find his brilliance at the Emirates. “They’re in a situation where they’re being forced to pay over the odds for a player, and they’ve got to be very, very careful here,” said Jones on Give Me Sport.

“I think for a long time, £65 million has generally been the figure I’ve been hearing that Arsenal wouldn’t want to be going over for this player. And I think we have to make comparisons to when they bought Nicolas Pepe, and they overpaid for him, and it didn’t work out.

Arsenal Women’s 2023 squad is starting to shape up rather nicely by Michelle

The January transfer window started on 1st January and runs until 31st January.  So far we’ve had Jordan Nobbs leave our Gunners, opening up a midfield slot ahead of the announcement that Dutch international Victoria Pelova’s signed for Arsenal and only today another signing confirmed.

1st January Transfer window commences

5th January Midfielder Jordan Nobbs leaving Arsenal for Aston Villa

6th January Dutch international midfielder Victoria Pelova signs to Arsenal from Ajax

Giving Benjamin White his Flowers by Taku

Paying £50 million for a relatively inexperienced defender, from a recently promoted club is rarely ever a bargain, even when so called ‘British Tax’ is taken into consideration. However, with every passing match, it is increasingly looking like Edu and his team may have made out like bandits.

Suffice to say, there were a fair number of skeptics who—quite reasonably—questioned the wisdom of spending such a large amount of money on a defender who was, and perhaps still is, largely unproven. This article will go into the reasons why Benny Blanco is well on his way to proving the skeptics wrong.

Whilst it is important to take an insightful look into his statistics to further back this claim, it is worth mentioning the eye-test. And as the adage goes, ‘do not lie to your eyes.’

Whether it has been teaming up with Saka to torment Tottenham’s left-hand side with fantastic ball control, line-breaking passing, and intelligent movement; strategically sinister little trips to nip a potential counterattack in the bud on a couple of occasions; or throwing his body in the way of Reid’s stinging shot heading for the bottom corner, he has quietly become one of our most consistently exceptional players. All this, by the way whilst playing ‘out of position’.

There is obviously massive problems with Arsenal’s pursuit of the Ukranian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, and according to the most recent news it looks like the Gunners have hit a brick wall according to Mudryk’s agent, so surely it now makes sense to concentrate on other more realistic targets, because the fact is that Mikel Arteta still needs a much bigger squad to continue challenging on all fronts.

The other big rumour involving Arsenal at the moment is the possibility of getting Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix, who may be very expensive but is a more experienced and proven performer than Mudryk at the moment, and the Arsenal oracle David Ornstein thinks that Mikel Arteta may move on and try and complete this deal first.

“It will be interesting to see if Arsenal look to bring forward some business or get some other business done first,” Ornstein said on NBC Sports.

“They are interested in Joao Felix at Atletico in a loan deal. If the numbers come down significantly from where they are now – and that’s why it’s not happening right now – then perhaps they’ll try and get that one in first. And that will take the pressure off them in the Mudryk pursuit.”

It is probably a very good idea for Arsenal to take a step back and reassess their options in the light of the latest news, and one thing is for sure, Joao Felix would also be an excellent addition to the squad for the rest of the season….

Arsenal Women 2nd incoming international confirmed – Danish international Kathrine Kuhl by Michelle

Arsenal have just confirmed signing 19-year-old Danish international midfielder Kathrine Kühl from FC Nordsjælland. She is recognised as one of Europes greatest young talents. There has been a tough battle for her signature, including interest from Chelsea FC.

Still only 19 years old, Kuhl has 21 caps for Denmark and has been touted as Denmark’s next superstar with former coach Everton Women’s Brian Sørensen saying on analyticsfc I have not met anyone who is as determined as Pernille Harder. But compared to the tools that Pernille had at that age and that Kathrine has now, I think Kathrine is better technically. She has the potential to be one of the best interiors in the game.

Let’s take a look at Kathrine in action below.

Arsenal Women target 19 year old Danish midfielder Kathrine Kühl

There have been millions of column inches dedicated to Arsenal’s attempt to persuade Shakhtar Donetsk’s owners to let Mykhaylo Mudryk move to the Emirates for a reasonable price this month, and now the agent of the Ukranian star has publicly reported that there is very little chance of an agreement being reached.

He says that the two clubs are so far apart in their valuations that he has practically given up hope of Shakhtar listening to reason in January.

His agent Igor Kryvenko has spoken to Footboom about the situation and the news is not positive in the slightest…

When asked what the chances were of Arsenal getting the deal over the line, he said: “Minimal. Shakhtar won’t let Mudryk go for the money they (Arsenal) are currently offering.”

He then heavily criticized Shakhtar for their totally unreasonable valuation of Mudryk. He continued: “A player from the Ukrainian championship cannot cost more than, for example, a player from the Netherlands. You have to look at things realistically. There is a market value, and Shakhtar seem to be taking figures from the ceiling.”

Goalkeeper with most WSL clean sheets 2022? Arsenal Women’s Zinsberger, of course. by Michelle

Manu Zinsberger signed for Arsenal in May 2019 from German side Bayern Munich.  She was awarded the WSL Golden Glove Award in the 2021-22 season and she has kept 8 cleans sheet in the 2022-23 season so far.  There is much speculation around Arsenal goalkeepers at the moment, due to the imminent arrival of 29 year old Canadian international Sabrina D’Angelo.

No goalkeeper in the #BarclaysWSL registered more clean sheets in 2022 than @Manu_Zinsberger (13) @ArsenalWFC pic.twitter.com/Id1kDWgg5E

— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) December 28, 2022

Let’s take a look at Zinsberger in action so far this season:

Eddie Nketiah earned a new long-term contract at Arsenal at the end of last season after some very fine performances for the Gunners.

That didn’t stop the club from signing Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City in the summer and the Brazilian has been the club’s number-one striker so far.

However, he was injured at the World Cup and could be out for up to three months as Mikel Arteta’s side seeks to maintain their lead at the top of the league table.

His absence is a massive blow to the Gunners, but it hands Nketiah a huge opportunity to show he is worth keeping as an alternative to Jesus.

The Englishman has done well in some Europa League matches this season. Still, he did not inspire much confidence in Arsenal’s mid-season games, exemplified by missing a sitter against Juventus.

In their big mid-season friendly, Arsenal was beaten by Juventus as they prepared for the return to league football on boxing day.

The Gunners were one of the in-form sides in Europe before the World Cup break, and they also did well in the Dubai Super Cup despite losing Gabriel Jesus to injury at the World Cup.

Fans had high hopes they would also secure at least a draw against Juve, considering the Old Lady was missing key players.

They used most of the players in their B team in the fixture, yet we could not score a goal in the fixture and lost 2-0.

There are so many lessons to learn from that game, and we could dismiss it as just a friendly. However, one thing we must take from the game is that we are still a work in progress.

Arsenal went into the World Cup break at the top of the Premier League table, which is a massive improvement from finishing fifth last season.

They will want to continue their good run of form in the second half of the season and these players could be crucial to any success. 

Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli did not play much football for Brazil at the World Cup, but the attacker did well against Cameroon. His first half of the season was superb, and he will be a crucial attacker for Arsenal in the second half of the season.

William Saliba

Gabby Agbonlahor believes Eddie Nketiah has to step up and justify his new contract and the huge salary that comes with it.

The striker was given a new deal in the summer worth around £100,000 a week after he showed improved form in the second half of the season.

However, Arsenal added Gabriel Jesus to their squad in the last transfer window, and Nketiah has been struggling to play regularly.

But the Brazilian suffered a serious injury at the World Cup and will likely be out for around three months, offering the young Englishman a chance to show he can lead the line for the Gunners.

Agbonlahor says he has to step up and justify why he is earning such a huge salary. He tells Football Insider:

The January transfer window offers clubs an opportunity to add new players to their squad and prepare them better for the second half of the season.

Arsenal will need strengthening to continue staying at the top of the EPL table, and these players will help their chances if any of them are signed,

Mykhailo Mudryk

Mudryk has shown he is an exciting yet productive talent who can make things happen regardless of the opponent.

He will be a great backup to Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli.

Since the awful atmosphere that pervaded the Emirates a few years ago, Mikel Arteta has done a great job in repairing the broken relationship between the Arsenal fans and the team, and the crowd sound like they are right behind the team from even before the game starts nowadays.

The Arsenal defender Rob Holding has been at the club for six years now and has seen more changes than most of the players (excepting Xhaka maybe!) and he has been very impressed with the home crowd’s incredible support.

Rob also thinks that the Gunners appearance on the All Or Nothing series helped to bridge the gap with the fans, and also thinks that this new relatonship has been a great help in turning the ground into Fortress Emirates. Holding told Arsenal.com: “There has been a massive connection with the supporters over the past year and a half.

“The Amazon documentary we did last year helped with that I’m sure. It gave us some good publicity, and there’s a lot of positivity and energy around the place. You can see that in our performances and results, especially at home……”

Rob was then asked how he thought the recent atmosphere compared with his previous five seasons… “When I first joined we had some great moments, big games, late wins or whatever. It’s been wild before. The difference this year is that we are hearing it from the kick-off.

Arsenal Women boss Eidevall reflects on Champions League victory over Zurich by Michelle

Arsenal confirmed top spot in their Champions League group with a 1-9 away win over FC Zurich in Switzerland on Wednesday night. A hat-trick from Frida Maanum, a brace from Stina Blackstenius, a brace from Caitlin Foord and goals from Kim Little and Mana Iwabuchi secured a dominant win for our Gunners and was a great end to 2022. Jonas Eidevall spoke to the press after the match.

Jonas Eidevall is now in his second year with Arsenal and happy with our growth in the Champions League competition over the last year saying:  Last season’s experience was a factor and that is not only what is happening on the pitch but also off the pitch, where we are taking huge steps as an organisation. We are improving everything that we do all the time in the way we travel and have our logistics, so we are more and more time efficient and better prepared. All those small details also makes a difference in the end. Time is a factor, last season i was new to the club and now we are more settled and have experienced more things together and we are more mature as a team. That shows progress.

With Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema out for the rest of the 2022-23 season with ACL injuries, Maanum, Foord and Blackstenius got on the scoresheet.  Eidevall had this to say on player development and recruiting fire power: End product is important with forward players, I think it is important to develop existing players that we have. But that is one of the challenges of this transfer window that we need to recruit players that can give us end product because that is certainly one of the measurable factors that we have lost with those two players that we need to take into consideration.

On starting Leah Williamson in midfield…

My response to pundits who think Arsenal can’t live without Gabriel Jesus by Patrick S

“Gabriel Jesus is out for a while and that will be a big loss for Arsenal,” Mark Lawrenson told PP News. 

“I’m going to go for an upset here and go 2-1 to West Ham. All that momentum that Arsenal built up before the World Cup counts for nothing now because of the layoff.

I don’t really understand what Lawrenson was thinking when he made this prediction. Perhaps he seems to think that all of Arsenal’s success this season was down to Jesus and that without him, they’d definitely lose their way!

Now, I find such a claim absolutely wretched, especially coming from a man of Lawrensen’s experience. Arsenal are a team not blessed with superstars all over the pitch and it is hard to compare their players to the likes of Man City’s in terms of their individual quality. What they have in plenty though is togetherness, work ethic and a solid structure. That has not gone away.

Arsenal has been named as one of the clubs interested in Spanish talent Ivan Fresneda as he impresses for Real Valladolid in La Liga.

The Gunners have notoriously fished for talents in the Spanish top flight, mainly from Barcelona historically, and have turned most of them into top stars.

The likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin left Spain for Arsenal at a very young age, and the Gunners helped them to develop into Premier League players.

A report on Calciomercato reveals the latest in-demand Spanish talent is Fresneda, and several European sides are keen to add him to their squad, including Juventus.

However, the report says Arsenal is among the clubs leading the race for the Spain U19 international.