Arteta tipped to sell Arsenal star in January ‘if the money’s right’; likeliest next club named
Steve Pearson 1 hour ago

Mikel Arteta has been backed to axe an Arsenal star in January amid a worrying trend, and the player’s likeliest next club has been named.

The Gunners spent big over the summer in an effort to erase the gap between they and Manchester City. David Raya arrived initially on loan, while Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz cost a combined £208m in transfer fees.

Rice has slotted straight into the holding midfield role, with Arteta favouring Martin Odegaard and one of Havertz or Fabio Vieira either side.

That left Thomas Partey without a role in midfield and the Ghanaian was shunted over to right-back in the season’s early going.

However, the 30-year-old is currently sidelined with a groin issue in the latest of a long line of injury absences that have plagued his time in north London.

Arsenal fielded enquiries from the Saudi Pro League for Partey over the summer. Italian giant Juventus also registered interest, though a move obviously did not come to pass.

However, Juventus are understood to be prepared to reignite their pursuit in January on the back of Paul Pogba’s provisional suspension. The Frenchman recently failed an anti-doping test that could result in his Juve career being cut short.

Football Insider reported Partey is ready to quit the Gunners if not restored to their strongest starting eleven when fit.

Now, per pundit Gabby Agbonlahor, Arsenal would be wise to cash in when the winter window opens its doors.

Explaining why, the former England international pointed to Partey’s chequered injury history that in his mind, will only get worse now Partey is into his 30s.

Partey’s time in north London coming to an end?
“I would let him go,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider. “Some games he’s poor, some games he’s very good, and some games he is injured.

“When you sit down and work it out, is he giving you more than 50 percent of a season of his best football? Is he doing enough?

“If I was Arsenal I’d sell him if the money’s right. I think they were trying during the summer.

“I would look at a long-term replacement because as much as he’s a good player, the injuries will just get worse the older he gets.”

If Arsenal greenlight Partey’s sale it’s Juventus who look the best bet to secure his services.

READ MORE: Arsenal suddenly want to sign ‘unpredictable’ attacker just months after his latest move

Arsenal suddenly want to sign ‘unpredictable’ attacker just months after his latest move

Arsenal are in the queue to sign Ousmane Dembele in January if Paris Saint-Germain make him available for loan, a report has surprisingly claimed.

Dembele only joined PSG in August after they bought him from Barcelona. However, he was one of several attacking recruits by the French champions, for whom he is yet to score from five appearances. Therefore, the Sunday Mirror has suggested he could become available in the next transfer window.

In that case, the report names Arsenal as contenders to sign him, along with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. Any deal would have to be a loan, rather than a permanent transfer, though.

Dembele still seems to have the faith of Luis Enrique, who has described his new recruit as being ‘unpredictable’ and capable of ‘magic’, despite the early pressure the winger has been facing in Paris.

However, depending on how the situation develops in the coming months, there is a chance that Dembele could come to the Premier League for the first time in his career at the age of 26.

Champions League involvement could still be on offer at Arsenal if they progress from the group stage, while West Ham are aiming to reach the Europa League knockout phase and Tottenham are focusing on their domestic fortunes.

Dembele deal seems unlikely this soon
If anyone gets their hands on Dembele, it would only be for the short term, since his contract with PSG is still due to last until 2028. Yet the former Rennes and Borussia Dortmund attacker could be capable of adding a new spark to any of his admirers, as long as he avoids the kind of injury issues that have prevented him from reaching superstar status.

For now, his focus will be on proving himself as the worthy successor to Neymar in the no.10 shirt for PSG. It seems far too early to write off his spell in the French capital, but other clubs could be monitoring his situation in case he becomes someone to take a chance on in the near future.

Technically, he should be in the prime of his career, so he will want to prove he still has significant quality left in the tank.

Mikel Arteta mocked for ‘wasting’ millions on summer flop: ‘Not all of Arsenal’s spending makes sense to me’

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been accused of wasting millions on summer signing Kai Havertz, having already come in for so much criticism over the addition of the Germany international.

Plenty of eyebrows were raised when the Gunners forked out £65million to bring in the Chelsea misfit after three years of struggles at Stamford Bridge.

Havertz was added to the squad as a replacement for Granit , with Arteta feeling that the 24-year-old is better as a midfielder rather than the attacking role he had in west London.

He has yet to register a goal or an assist in his six appearances for Arsenal so far and was dropped to the bench at Everton last weekend.

However, Havertz did look much brighter in the Champions League thumping of PSV in midweek.

But despite that improved display, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness is not surprised to see the German not exactly excelling in the red and white.

He told the Daily Mail: “Not all of Arsenal’s spending makes sense to me. They’ve laid out £65million on Kai Havertz.

“Surely you’re not spending that kind of money on what he’s shown at Chelsea in the past three seasons?

“They’ve shelled out in the hope that Mikel Arteta can get a very, very different tune out of him than Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter ever did. Good luck with that one, Mikel.”

READ MORE: The five Arsenal players who are out of contract at the end of the 2023/24 season

Only two stats matter for Souness
Souness also feels that only certain stats should be used when assessing a player’s quality, rather than the multiple that are registered.

He added: “We live in a world where stats have become a very popular part of the game for the anoraks. But historically only two stats provide a judgment in black and white terms.

“For a goalkeeper: how many games have you played and how many clean sheets did you keep? And for a striker: how many games have you played and how many goals did you score?

“Havertz has scored 19 Premier League goals across the entirety of three seasons for Chelsea. Please draw your own conclusions.”

Mikel Arteta has transformed the mentality at Arsenal
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Having played well on Wednesday evening, there is a strong chance that Havertz gets the nod for Sunday’s north London derby clash against Tottenham.

However, Arteta could also turn to Fabio Vieira’s greater engine for that game as the Gunners look to leapfrog their rivals with a win