Arsenal go into the FA Cup tie against Manchester United wondering what would have been after the final round of matches.
Mikel Arteta's side failed to beat Brighton on Saturday, with Joao Pedro equalizing from the penalty spot after a controversial charge. It will have felt like an even bigger missed opportunity on Sunday afternoon when leaders Liverpool were held by United at Anfield.
Kai Havertz missed the match against Brighton due to illness, but he should not be sidelined for too long. It's a different story for Bukayo Saka, however, as the forward begins his long road back from hamstring surgery.
The situation means Arsenal can explore attacking options in January, although it remains to be seen whether they are able to achieve the goals they want. Here are the latest rules from Mirror Football from North London.
Jonathan David has long been linked with a move to Arsenal, but the Gunners are far from the only interested party. According to Sky Sports, four unnamed Premier League clubs have approached the players' camp over a pre-contractual agreement.
Canadian striker David is out of contract at the end of the season, meaning he can move to another club for free. Speaking to La Voix du Nord (via GFFN) in December, he indicated it was 50/50 whether or not he would stay at Les Dogues.
The 24-year-old has scored 11 goals in 16 Ligue 1 appearances this season, making him the league's top scorer. He also scored twice in Champions League qualifying and four times in the competition proper, including the winner against Real Madrid.
Barcelona will appeal to the Spanish Ministry of Sports on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor. If they fail to do so, Arsenal will be among a number of clubs linked with an opportunistic January move for Spain international Olmo.
According to El Periodico (via Football Espana), citing legal experts, the ministry is unlikely to side with Barcelona. The Catalan club has so far failed to convince the Spanish FA and La Liga to support their argument for registering the two players.
Barcelona were allowed to sign Olmo and Pau Victor for the first half of the season due to long-term injuries elsewhere in the squad, but wage restrictions prevented the renewal of registrations from January. Olmo has scored five league goals in the first half of the season, and Arsenal are joined by Manchester City and AC Milan on the list of clubs reportedly interested.
Arsenal have recalled Charles Sagoe Jr from his loan spell at Shrewsbury Town. The twenty-year-old winger had signed a season contract, but is back in North London after just thirteen appearances in League One.
Shrewsbury made a management change in November, replacing Paul Hurst with Gareth Ainsworth. The new boss appears to have favored other options in the wide roles, leaving Sagoe Jr. has only been given two competitive starts.
“Shrewsbury Town can confirm that Charles Sagoe Jr has returned to parent club Arsenal,” Shrewsbury confirmed on Monday. “We would like to thank Charles for all his hard work over the past five months. The club wishes him and his family every success for the future.”
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