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Arsenal are so close to tasting Premier League glory for the first time in 19 years. All they have to do is negotiate the next few weeks and Mikel Arteta can lay his hands on the trophy.

Of course, it’s never as easy as that, with plenty of tough matches ahead for the Gunners, starting with today's match against a Liverpool side who are in serious transition this term.

Despite their strange season, there is still some bite in them, with the recent 7-0 demolition of Manchester United perfect evidence of this, so the north Londoners must be wary of the threat Jurgen Klopp’s team pose this afternoon.

Arteta may well make a few changes from the side that defeated Leeds United last weekend as they claimed their seventh straight league win – and they will be eyeing up their eighth against the Anfield side.

The Spaniard has a few tough decisions to make, but we think he must now boldly ditch £27m January signing Leandro Trossard from the starting XI, with Bukayo Saka coming in to replace him.

Will Leandro Trossard start for Arsenal against Liverpool?

Since arriving at the Emirates Stadium during the transfer window, the Belgian has been in wonderful form. He has scored once for the club while grabbing seven assists, including three in one match against Fulham, giving Arsenal that extra bit of attacking spark.

The 28-year-old has started the three previous league matches for the club, but with Saka certain to come back into the starting XI after being benched through illness against Leeds, it’s clear that Trossard could be the one to make way, especially with the form of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli of late.

Arteta resting the English winger last week could prove to be a crucial decision with some key fixtures still to come, and with 22 goal contributions this term, Saka could be key to unlocking the Liverpool defence.

Trossard will still have a big part to play from the bench, and the “creative machine” – as dubbed by broadcast journalist Buchi Laba – has scored his only goal for the Emirates side after emerging from the substitutes' bench, suggesting it could be a good omen.

The decision would be a harsh one on the player, but the manager has got to select his strongest starting XI against a Jekyll & Hyde Liverpool team who can still cause damage and potentially derail Arsenal’s title charge if they aren’t careful.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has been urged to get a deal done for James Maddison ahead of the summer transfer window.

Are Spurs interested in Maddison?

The north London club have been credited with interest in the Leicester City midfielder before with his future at the King Power Stadium under speculation.

It is believed the midfielder is keen to join a club that can offer him Champions League football with Newcastle United another club who are said to be interested in the £60m-rated "magician".

And speaking on TalkSport, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Tottenham to get the ball rolling over a potential summer deal for the 26-year-old:

"If I'm Spurs, I'm getting a Maddison deal done behind the scenes now. So in the summer, Maddison comes in. Because Newcastle will just come out of nowhere and say 'aright then, we're not wasting no time' [and] Newcastle will end up getting Maddison."

Could Spurs sign Maddison in the summer?

A move away from Leicester does feel as if it will be on the mind for the England midfielder in the summer with a number of clubs said to be keen to sign him.

It will also provide Leicester with their last opportunity to bring in some serious cash for the midfielder who will be playing into the final year of his deal when the summer window opens.

The issue for Spurs is whether they can prove themselves to be the most attractive potential destination for the 26-year-old who is also said to be on the radar of Manchester City.

Spurs are currently experiencing somewhat of a crisis in north London on the back of Antonio Conte being sacked and the banning of their director of football.

In comparison, Newcastle are climbing up the table and mounting a serious challenge to beat Spurs to fourth spot in the table and potentially Maddison in doing so.

What could side in Tottenham's favour is their top-four pedigree having played Champions League football for the last five out of seven seasons (via Transfermarkt).

Bringing in a player of Maddison's ilk would almost undoubtedly improve Tottenham with the midfielder's return of six league assists outdoing any current Spurs player.

However, Spurs may struggle to get an early deal done due to their managerial situation with Maddison unlikely to favour Spurs when it is unknown who will be in the dugout next season.

Spurs could potentially offer Maddison a higher wage than the Magpies with their wage structure more developed than that on Tyneside.

But it seems the Londoners have a lot to sort out in-house before looking at sorting deals ahead of the summer transfer window.

Former Premier League striker and talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor says that the signing of Raphinha would ‘excite the fanbase’ at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Newcastle interest

It was reported earlier this month that Newcastle were eyeing up a potential move for Raphinha in the summer.

FC Barcelona have seemingly been underwhelmed by his performances since he moved from Leeds United last summer, and so the winger could potentially make a swift return back to the Premier League.

The Latest: Perfect signing

Speaking to Football Insider after hearing the news that Raphinha could move to St. James’ Park, Agbonlahor has claimed that Raphinha would fit in ‘perfectly’ in the North East, adding that he could form part of a new ‘outstanding’ attack, and that his move would ‘excite the fanbase’:

“He’d be a great signing for Newcastle.

“Almiron needs a bit of competition, and Raphinha would definitely bring that. Almiron would have to be at the top of his game to get past him and into the side.

“If you think about Raphinha on the left, and one of Saint-Maximin or Gordon on the left – that’s an outstanding attack.

“It just depends on how much Barcelona need the money.

“I’m sure if Newcastle give them the right money, they’d have to consider it.

“He’s a top player and I loved him at Leeds. He’d excite the fanbase and I think he’d fit in perfectly at Newcastle.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Unfortunately for Raphinha, his move to Barca has not quite worked out as he perhaps would have hoped, having started in just 23 of the 37 appearances that he has made for the club so far this season, with only 14 of those coming in La Liga (Transfermarkt).

However, the Brazil international has shown moments of quality in those matches, scoring nine goals and making a further nine assists in total over all competitions.

Lauded as a ‘phenomenal‘ player by pundit Tim Sherwood, it was in the Premier League that Raphinha made a name for himself, with former Leeds forward Noel Whelan hailing him as being able to produce moments of ‘magic’ and having a ‘relentless’ work ethic.

Indeed, the 26-year-old scored an impressive 17 goals and supplied a further 12 assists from the wing in his two terms in the top flight (Transfermarkt), and so should be able to settle in quickly at the Magpies, should they end up making the move this summer.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen should be fit to play in the club’s next game amid an injury scare.

What’s the latest on Jarrod Bowen and his WHUFC injury?

Things have not been going well of late for the Hammers and their inconsistent form was well summed up on Sunday afternoon as they slumped to defeat in the Premier League.

Indeed, goals from Emerson Royal and Son Heung-min gave Tottenham Hotspur a comfortable 2-0 win which saw David Moyes’ men end the week inside the relegation zone.

On top of that, key winger Bowen suffered a knock after the defeat and while he did not come off, he appeared to finish the game in notable discomfort.

However, in an update on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed that the Englishman should be fine to play in the club’s next game.

He said: “Bowen received a knock at the end of the game against Spurs.

“Apparently he’s fine as well and should be available for Nottingham Forest.”

What does the Bowen injury news mean for West Ham?

After the game, his manager slammed the challenge that lead to Bowen’s injury noting that it should have been a yellow card. Moyes told the press: “I thought it was a poor decision that it wasn’t a yellow card. I thought it was very simple.

“This was a whack around the shins to me. I was a long way away, so I might be wrong but my first thought, and I’ve not had a chance to see it again, my first thought was it was a pretty clear booking.”

Seeing as the club have a big game against Nottingham Forest at home coming up this weekend, they’ll certainly hope to have Bowen fit. Indeed, a win would leave West Ham just two behind Steve Cooper’s men who are currently 13th in the league.

With that in mind, Moyes will no doubt be relieved to have his winger fit and ready for the game. After all, the 26-year-old has started every league game so far this term, scoring four times and proving two assists.

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘doing everything’ to keep teenage starlet Mikey Moore and are attempting to tie him down to a long-term deal, according to John Wenham.

The Lowdown: Tottenham’s youth policy…

Spurs have seen many bright and exuberant youth prospects blossom into potential first-team stars, most notably Oliver Skipp and Dane Scarlett in recent years.

The former has been labelled a ‘future Spurs captain’ and already has a few noteworthy performances in the bank. Meanwhile, the latter has been likened to Marcus Rashford by former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho, with the promising Englishman currently on loan at Portsmouth.

The Latest: Spurs ‘doing everything’ to keep Moore…

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham ‘expert’ Wenham claims that the club hold another youngster in Moore, who is yet to make a first-team appearance, in very high esteem.

Spurs are currently attempting to tie down the 15-year-old with a long-term contract and are believed to be ready to give it their all to keep him.

Wenham explained: “I thought the selection of players was very interesting when the club shared an image of Alan Shearer at the training ground. Tottenham chose some academy players to line up next to Shearer. You had Jamie Donley there, a very highly-rated striker.

“Luca Gunter, a very highly-rated England youth goalkeeper. Then two 15-year-olds, one of which being Mikey Moore.

“Tottenham are trying to tie him down to a long-term deal. We can only do so much, we are involving him in everything that we can.

“He’s started in the Youth Champions League and the Under 18s’ League this season. I get the indication that he will stay and the club are doing everything to make sure that happens.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

The 15-year-old has already displayed real promise in the youth leagues, not just for Spurs but also at international level.

The England under-16 international has two goals in two caps for the young Lions and has plundered three goals and four assists in nine appearances for Tottenham’s under-18s (Transfermarkt).

Moore has attracted huge praise from those who follow the Spurs academy with real intrigue, not least Wenham, who has previously raved over the teenager before this latest appraisal.

The striker has been called a ‘hugely promising’ and ‘hugely impressive’ youngster by the Spurs expert before, and Wenham claimed in another interview last year that the teeanger put in ‘outstanding’ displays in the UEFA Youth League (Football Insider).

If recent form and plaudits are anything to go by, Moore is another hot prospect who could soon emerge from the Hotspur Way academy.

Arsenal head into today’s Premier League clash against Everton having enjoyed a solid January transfer window, adding Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard to their title-chasing squad, and Mikel Arteta will surely be happy with the business that the club conducted.

Despite racing away at the summit of the table, the Gunners tasted defeat in their last match as Manchester City prevailed 1-0 in the FA Cup against a much-changed Arsenal side who appear to have one thing and one thing only on their minds – a first league title since 2004.

A trip to Goodison Park to face a struggling Everton side should give Arteta and co the ideal chance to bounce back to winning ways and assert their dominance in the league. The Spaniard may also unleash Jorginho and Kiwior at some stage.

The starting XI will also be back to near full strength following the rotation against City, and Arteta must surely unleash Martin Odegaard against the Toffees, with the Norwegian aiming to carry on his excellent form this season.

Odegaard has been a revelation since joining Arsenal on an initial loan two years ago. Nine goals and seven assists during his first 18 months in north London laid the foundation for what has simply been a magnificent campaign for the 24-year-old so far.

His performances during the first six months of 2022/23 has seen him receive a Sofascore rating of 7.49/10, ranking him not only as the club’s second-best performer in the Premier League this term but also as the fourth-best player in the top-flight, showing just how integral he is to Arsenal’s chances of glory.

Across 18 league appearances, he has scored eight times, registered five assists and created ten big chances, along with averaging 2.2 key passes per match. That underlines his attacking threat from a midfield role, helping to shoulder the burden from the injured Gabriel Jesus, the club’s main centre-forward.

Odegaard also chips in defensively, making 1.1 tackles and winning 3.4 duels per match, but it is his attacking feats which have been incredible and led to comparisons with a former Arsenal icon.

Football London editor Hush Kerai was full of praise for the 24-year-old’s performance against Nottingham Forest in October, describing Odegaard as like “watching Bergkamp”; and with the Dutchman gaining legendary status among the Arsenal faithful, there is arguably no higher praise.

Having appeared as a late substitute against Man City last week, the £115k-per-week star simply needs to be unleashed from the start against Everton today. Their new manager Sean Dyche could be set to walk into a baptism of fire if the Norwegian is in the mood, which he has been so often this season.

YouTuber Conor McGilligan has accepted that exciting Leeds United youngster Wilfried Gnonto will likely be targeted for a transfer switch in the near future.

What’s the word?

The player only arrived on deadline day last summer, moving from FC Zurich for a fee believed to be just under £4m. That price is looking to be more or a bargain by the minute.

Indeed, the Italian has shone in recent weeks and has three goals and one assist in his first ten senior outings for the Whites, totalling at just 623 minutes of game time.

However, with Leeds struggling down a the bottom end of the Premier League table, it’s unlikely that their best talents will hang around for that long and so if Gnonto continues to impress, he could be set for an exit soon enough.

This certainly seems to be the option of McGilligan. Indeed, he told the One Leeds Fan Channel: “What a signing he could be in terms of – because it’s a shame, isn’t it, but it is how football works – in terms of us having to sell him on.

“We’re not in a position right now to keep someone like Willy Gnonto for a long period of time, which is upsetting, of course it is.

“But at the end of the day, we can love Willy Gnonto for as long as we can and hopefully we can keep him for a longer period. But this is the perfect Raphinha replacement.

“He’s a wonderful player, a wonderful player. I don’t care if I’ve not seen enough of him – seven games, whatever he’s played… he is a star. He’s an absolute star.

“Football intelligence, great balance, fantastic shot, football IQ, agility – he’s got everything.”

Next Raphinha?

It’s interesting to hear McGilligan reference Raphinha as he is a good example of a top player who quickly outgrew Leeds. Indeed, the Brazilian joined from Rennes for £17m in October 2020 but did enough in just two seasons to earn a big-money transfer to Barcelona.

And it feels as though Gnonto could be destined to follow a similar pathway. After all, he is Italy’s youngest-ever goalscorer, having netted at 18 years and 222 days old.

And so, while his career in England is still in its infancy if the teenager can continue to shine – and deliver more wondergoals as he did against Cardiff City recently – top clubs will surely come sniffing with genuine transfer interest.

67 Hail Hail’s Hamish Carton has noticed a significant change to a report surrounding Josip Juranovic’s potential exit from Celtic.

The Lowdown: Juranovic links to Monza raises eyebrows

Writing for the Daily Mail, Stephen McGowan reported that Serie A outfit Monza were ‘pursuing’ the Scottish Premiership full-back. The report had initially said that the Italian side were ‘closing in’ on Juranovic ahead of a mooted £7m deal, though this is still the case within the article’s standfirst.

McGowan also stated that Monza would want to take him on loan with a view to signing permanently in the summer.

The Latest: Carton gives verdict on ‘major shock’

Speaking on the 67 Hail Hail YouTube channel on Monday, Carton described the latest surrounding Juranovic as ‘a major shock’ but stated his scepticism over McGowan’s report.

He stated: “Earlier today we got a major shock with the apparent news that Josip Juranovic is very close to joining Serie A side AC Monza.

“I mean, surely not.

“All of that is kind of useless because it turns out that the report we got this morning from the Daily Mail’s Stephen McGowan isn’t quite what it is now.

“Eagle-eyed employees at 67 Hail Hail Towers have noticed that McGowan actually edited, or I guess, updated his article several hours after it first went up. The most notable changes were the wording going from Monza ‘closing in’ on Juranovic to just ‘pursuing’ the full-back. He also added another paragraph about Juranovic assessing all of his options.”

The Verdict: Juranovic should set his sights higher

The Croatian has been an important player for Ange Postecoglou and Celtic this season, as shown in being one of the club’s highest-rated players on Sofascore with an average match rating of 7.19/10.

Juranovic’s progressive passing is arguably his strongest asset. He’s one of the best in Europe, according to the stats. Indeed, the 27-year-old is in the top 3% across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, as per FBref.

With that in mind, there’s no doubt that Juranovic could set his sights higher than a move to Monza. The Italian side find themselves 15th in Serie A, so we wonder why would he leave a side that consistently plays Champions League football for a mid-table side.

The Celtic man has been linked with moves to European heavyweights such as Barcelona, so he should perhaps wait for a club of a much higher calibre to make an approach for his services if he really wants a move.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Josip Juranovic to London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Ignazio Genuardi, who revealed in a recent post on Twitter (via Sport Witness) that David Moyes is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Celtic right-back ahead of launching a potential bid in the winter market.

The journalist went on to state that an unnamed French club have also made an enquiry regarding the availability of the 27-year-old, to whom the Scottish champions are believed to have informed that the Croatia international will cost €20m (£17.5m).

In his tweet, Genuardi said: “A French club inquired about the availability of the Croatian right side Juranovic, but Celtic seem particularly greedy (around €20m). Outside L1, West Ham is notably in the ranks.”

“Unbelievable”

Considering just how impressive Juranovic has been for both club and country so far this season, the argument that the right-back would be an unbelievable signing for Moyes to bring to West Ham this winter is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his eight Scottish Premiership appearances in the current campaign, the £5.7m-rated talent has been in fantastic attacking form, having already scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance, as well as taking an average of one shot, making 1.6 key passes and completing 0.8 crosses per game.

The defender has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping his side keep four clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.1 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, one clearance and winning 3.4 duels – at a success rate of 60% – per match.

These returns have seen the 27-year-old average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Ange Postecoglou’s third-best performer in the league but also as the seventh-best player in the top flight of Scottish football as a whole.

However, it will have undoubtedly been over Juranovic’s six appearances at the World Cup in which the right-back caught the most eyes, with the £42k-per-week flanker helping his country keep two clean sheets and registering one assist, in addition to making an average of 2.0 tackles, 1.2 key passes, 2.0 clearances and winning 3.5 duels – at a success rate of 68% – per game.

These metrics saw the 27-cap international average a rather remarkable Sofascore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Zlatko Dalic’s sixth-best performer in the competition – playing a key role in Croatia’s extremely impressive third-place finish in Qatar.

Rather unsurprisingly, Juranovic’s displays – particularly his performance in the quarter-final win over pre-tournament favourites Brazil – earned the 27-year-old a considerable amount of praise, none more so than from William Gallas, who stated:

“What he did against Brazil was just unbelievable. He had to play against Vinicuis Jr, Neymar drifted over to his side, the guy defended very well and, at the same time, he was attacking.

“Can you imagine putting in a performance like that against that level of opponent? Normally when you know that you have to keep players like Neymar and Vinicius quiet, what do you do?

“You think, tonight I’m going to have a nightmare and I will just have to defend, I won’t attack. When he had the opportunity, he was attacking. What he did in that game was unbelievable.”

As such, with Juranovic having more than proven in Qatar that he is capable of turning in extremely impressive performances against some of the best attackers in the world, it would indeed appear a very wise move for Moyes to launch a bid for the Croat this winter, as, for a fee of just £17.5m, the 27-year-old would look to be something of an unbelievable steal for the Hammers.

Sunderland have been linked with Grimsby Town defender Anthony Glennon in recent months and the young defender could be the next Luke O’Nien in Tony Mowbray’s side.

It was reported in November by Football Insider that Sunderland, along with Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, were all keen on signing the former Burnley man in the January transfer window.

The Black Cats have been making ‘regular checks’ on the ex-Liverpool academy graduate ahead of the mid-season transfer window and could look to make an early swoop for his signature as he continues to impress for the Mariners in League Two.

Glennon is ranked as the second-best performer for Grimsby in the fourth tier so far this campaign after averaging a strong 6.98 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

For context, only Ross Stewart and Jack Clarke have averaged higher from Sunderland’s squad this season, which emphasises just how impressive Glennon has been.

The 23-year-old mainly operates as a left-back in Paul Hurst’s side but has shown his attacking qualities on a regular basis this term, as no player in Grimsby’s squad has averaged more crosses or key passes per game.

Burnley under-23 boss Steve Stone was full of praise for Glennon in 2019 as he impressed in a number of positions for the Clarets’ youth team. He said:

“He is exceptional wherever he plays. He is exceptional in terms of how he drives and leads this team because he is captain of this team now.

“He drives it from centre half, he is not a big centre half and he has been unbelievable alongside Bobby Thomas and I keep saying to people how brilliant he has been.

“It is the same name that comes out and I think everyone else says the same thing.

“Then to push him to left back and be as good as he was again after not playing there for months is a testament to what he is about.”

Versatility is a hugely valuable asset for a player to have in modern football, as O’Nien has shown during his time at the Stadium of Light, as he has featured as a defensive midfielder, centre-back and right-back on a regular basis.

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Therefore, if Glennon does complete a move to the Black Cats in January, there seems no reason why the versatile defender can’t emulate the 28-year-old at Sunderland and become another Mackems’ fan favourite.