Arsenal are in the middle of a hectic end to December with four games before the winter break, and Mikel Arteta could be lining up new signings to boost the team’s chances of silverware
Arsenal are bracing themselves for a hectic end to December with a flurry of matches lined up in the coming weeks.
Mikel Arteta’s squad will face Everton, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Aston Villa in four games before the year draws to a close. The Gunners are currently topping both the Premier League and Champions League tables, having suffered only two defeats in 22 matches across all competitions, following a last-gasp win over Wolves at the weekend.
However, the race for the league title is heating up, with Manchester City on a winning streak of four games, keeping Arsenal on their toes at the summit of the table, whose lead has been cut to just two points. Arteta will be hoping his team can keep racking up victories as the new year approaches, while he also plans to bring in some fresh faces to bolster the squad’s chances of clinching silverware in 2026. Here’s all the latest news from the Emirates.
Arteta sets sights on Madrid pair
During the summer transfer window, Arsenal were reportedly considering making a move for Brazilian forward Rodrygo.
The Gunners were persistently linked with the Real Madrid star throughout the summer, but he ultimately remained in Spain for the 2025/26 season.
A hefty sum of £78million is rumoured to be the asking price to lure the attacker away from the Bernabeu, with Liverpool also said to be keen on signing the 24-year-old, reports the Mirror.
However, it appears Rodrygo isn’t the only player Arsenal are interested in prising away from Real Madrid – recent reports suggest they’re also eyeing Victor Valdepenas.
According to ESPN Deportes, the 19-year-old defender is being tracked by Arsenal with Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen also reportedly showing interest.
However, Madrid manager Xabi Alonso may be determined to retain the youngster after heaping praise on him following his bow against Alaves.
Despite the teenager’s error that allowed Alaves to level the score, Alonso remarked: “We conceded on the only occasion that Valdepeñas made a mistake, because in all the others he was very accurate and played very well.
“But then, the team continued to stand up and fight, battling hard in a difficult stadium against a very intense opponent. We got that second goal that gave us the three points and we’re leaving here happy.”
Pep Guardiola’s latest title warning
Pep Guardiola has issued a fresh warning to Arsenal, insisting his emerging City talents possess the potential to become club legends.
After a commanding 3-0 triumph over Crystal Palace, the Spanish tactician is convinced his squad will only get stronger and has what it takes to go the distance.
He said: “We are improving, new players came along and adapted many things. My only dream as a manager is be ourselves all the time.
“Perform like we are working and talking and doing and this is, I think, the reason why we had Vincent, we had Kyle. All the players who have been legends in this club had the composure. I had the feeling that we are getting better and this is what we want to feel.
“Today was 0-3 but against Sunderland we won 3-0 and we were good against Sunderland for 95 minutes. I cannot expect Palace don’t have chances or we lose the ball on transitions because they were the FA Cup winners.
“But how we approach, how aggressive we are, that made me so happy. Of course we are really pleased because I know how tough they are. To make 0-3 here is a great statement for us.”
Emphasising his side’s determination in past championship campaigns, Guardiola continued: “From experience when you win in the past you believe the past is always perfect – brilliant, red carpets.
“When we won 100 points and all the titles we had a lot of games like this and the resilience was part of that. This will help us build something. We are in a better position than last season, we are close and this is what we are here to do.”