In just over a week’s time, the January transfer window will open for business, and both Arsenal and Chelsea could be heavily involved.
Various players from either London club are close to the end of their current contracts and could be offloaded next month so that some funds are received, rather than allowing the players to go for free in the summer.
The Gunners have steadily climbed their way into the top four, and whilst Mikel Arteta’s side are a way off of the top three in points terms, their ‘best of the rest’ position is well deserved.
They certainly look nothing like the team that were bottom of the table earlier in the 2021/22 campaign.
The Spaniard is finally seeing the performance levels expected after an incredibly rocky period, and kudos must go to the board for sticking with Arteta when the fan base were, for all intents and purposes, demanding he be sacked – as reported widely in the media, including in this report from the Daily Star.
Part of the reason for the improvement has to be the continued belief in his methods and that things would eventually turn around, but also a disciplinary code which applies to every member of staff.
His adherence to the same is what’s seen club captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, stripped of the armband and dropped from the first-team squad.
It appears that Arteta is so keen to ensure that his players toe the line, that he’s even willing to listen to offers for the striker in January, sources have told ESPN.
Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, worked with Aubameyang at Borussia Dortmund and remains a fan of the player, though not enough to make a bid for his services it would seem.