Arsenal were within four points of league leaders Liverpool for just over 24 hours over the weekend as they look to put pressure on Arne Slot’s side in the race for the Premier League title.
Mikel Merino was the Arsenal hero at Leicester City in Saturday’s early kick-off. The Gunners were frustrated by the Foxes, but with just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining, Merino, who had come on in an unfamiliar striker position, headed into the Leicester net.
He added a second just a few minutes later to finish off an Arsenal counter-attack and secure the three points for Mikel Arteta’s side. Liverpool responded on Sunday as they came out 2-1 winners against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield. The win saw the gap again go back to seven points.
Eyes now turn to the next round of fixtures with Arsenal taking on West Ham United at home on Saturday. Liverpool, meanwhile are in midweek action as they travel to Aston Villa before an away trip to Man City.
Ahead of those games, we’ve taken a look at some of the latest stories at the Emirates Stadium, and shared our own thoughts.
Youngster sends Mikel Arteta message
While Merino’s two goals against Leicester may put him at the top of the pecking order to solve the striker problem at Arsenal, another Gunners’ players has also sent a message to Arteta this weekend.
As the Gunners were preparing for the game against Leicester on Friday night, 21-year-old striker Khayon Edwards was in action for Arsenal’s development squad. He opened the scoring in a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.
The goal was his eighth in 11 Premier League 2 appearances this season. The youngster has been a regular for the development side this season after spending the second half of last season on loan with Leyton Orient.
FL says : The experiment with playing Merino up front made the difference for Arsenal against Leicester in what was a game that was decided on fine margins. But there’s no guarantee that playing the midfielder up front could be a long-term solution between now and the end of the season.
It means that Arsenal will have to turn to youngsters or free agents. With both Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly both impressing so far this season, it could be worth turning to another youngster and give him a chance, at least from the bench before the end of the campaign.
Striker decision made
Red Bull Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is a player who has been heavily linked with Arsenal for some time. And it seems that they could reignite their interest in the forward when the summer window re-opens.
According to Spanish outlet El Nacional , Arsenal have already made a decision on a move for the striker. The report says that the Gunners are ready to make a bid of €100 million (£83.3m) for the 21-year-old.
It is added that Barcelona are also keen on signing the forward, but they will be unable to compete with Arsenal financially should a bidding war start.
FL says : The current striker situation at Arsenal only strengthens the thought that they will priritise signing a striker when the window opens. The two main names who seem to be mentioned a lot are Sesko and Alexander Isak. While Isak is proven in the Premier League, Newcastle are likely to demand a bigger fee that RB Leipzig would for Sesko.
If he can replicate his performances for the German club, then he could be a signing that helps Arsenal to bridge the gap to the title in the coming seasons.
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