Arsenal continue their title challenge as the Premier League heads into the new year
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
04:00, 28 Dec 2025
Arsenal are still in the hunt for the Premier League this season(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Arsenal are preparing for a crucial January transfer window as their title battle with Manchester City heats up. Piero Hincapie has returned from injury but Mikel Arteta is facing a huge injury crisis with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori both absent from yesterday’s clash with Brighton.
The Gunners will likely need to bring in defensive reinforcements while they have also been linked with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo. However, Manchester City look to be closing in on the winger.
Here, Mirror Football has all the latest coming out of north London.
Arsenal hero backed to save Liverpool’s season
Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool should’ve moved to sign Declan Rice before he sealed the deal with Arsenal. Back when the midfielder was fashioning an exit from West Ham, the Reds were one Premier League club heavily linked with Rice.
READ MORE: Arsenal decide on January transfer priority after missing out on Antoine SemenyoREAD MORE: ‘Viktor Gyokeres is like Darwin Nunez – I know who’d have been a better fit for Arsenal’
However, Arteta flexed his financial muscle and signed Rice in 2023 for a whopping £100million. This made the 26-year-old the joint-most-expensive English player in history alongside Manchester City star Jack Grealish.
During an appearance on the Smiths Brothers podcast, Gerrard is adamant his former club should’ve stolen the deal from under the Gunners’ noses. He said: “He’s maybe one we should have tried to grab from West Ham.
“I don’t know whether we did or not, but I think he’d have been brilliant for us. I mean, imagine him in midfield now.”
Gerrard believes Liverpool should’ve gone for Declan Rice(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Rice has gone on to become a stalwart in the midfield for the Gunners. The England international has 18 goals and 26 assists in 128 appearances and is aiming for Premier League glory this campaign.
Arteta’s U-turn on Gabriel Jesus transfer plan
Gabriel Jesus looks set to stay in north London this season despite Arteta’s attempts to sell the striker in the summer. After Viktor Gyokeres arrived in a £63.7million transfer, Jesus’ days looked numbered in an Arsenal shirt.
However, the former City forward looks to have changed Arteta’s mind after overcoming his injury problems and due to Gyokeres struggling in front of goal. The Athletic reports that the club are keen to hold onto Jesus as long as they can with some tough games in the schedule coming up.
It’s also understood Jesus has “re-asserted himself as an important” figure in the squad. This suggests the Brazilian is no longer seen as a dispensable member of the team, after the Mail reported in October that the chances of Arsenal selling Jesus after the festive season was high.
Gabriel Jesus doesn’t look like he’ll leave Arsenal this campaign(Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Speaking ahead of the club’s penalty shootout win over Crystal Palace last week, Arteta was keen to highlight the impact the 28-year-old has made on the team. He said: “You can see now, not only in games but every day in training, how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon.
“I watched him when he was seven months [off] the pitch, and the way he was moving and how much he wanted it. I think he wrote a beautiful letter [on The Players’ Tribune ] explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. It was something beautiful.
“I think that’s probably the biggest quality of Gabi: bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent. When you’ve seen [against Everton] the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality – so we need to exploit that.
“It’s been a really intense journey, I would say. I think when he joined us, he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had and it was really impressive. And then he had some very bad injuries that haven’t allowed him to have the consistency that we need from a very important player.
“But he’s back. I think his fighting spirit, his desire to always prepare the best way… it’s unbelievable. The team has got it now and we need to use it.”
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£49
£35
Sky
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.