Arteta looks forward to stronger squad

Talking to Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is like talking to a supercharged engine…you rev him up and he talks and breathes Arsenal football club.

He is one of the best coaches to interview. Arteta commented on their recent losses: “It is the small details, the margins and what happens in the penalty box that has played a big part of that. We have to change that.”

Looking at the statistics Arsenal have the second-best defence in the league, letting in only 20 goals this season with only Liverpool (18) ahead of them.

However, until the Crystal Palace victory last weekend, they had scored only 37 goals whereas Man City had 48, Liverpool 48, Tottenham Hotspur 44 and Newcastle 41.

If Arsenal do any business during the final January transfer window Arteta wants a recognised striker.

He is also hoping Declan Rice will be fit to face Nottingham Forest next week following his muscle-tightening problem. The coach is relying on Rice to link up with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz in making passes into opponents’ penalty box.

On their return from a Dubai training camp, players commented on how refreshed they felt. Jurrien Timber’s return to training following his serious knee injury last August is good news for the Gunners while Takehiro Tomiyasu is expected back from the Asian Cup next week.

Arteta said: “Those two are going to be massive for us when they return. They give so much strength and flexibility in defence.”

Salah could be out for a month

Mo Salah’s agent said the Liverpool star might not return to play for another month. The muscle injury sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations is now confirmed as a hamstring tear.

Mo is being looked after by the Liverpool medical team. It was initially thought that he would miss only a couple of games. Coach Jurgen Klopp had already planned for life without Salah given Egypt’s likely progress into the latter stages of the competition.

Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have taken over and done well. Having scored 18 goals already this season, Salah, who has scored 18 goals at Liverpool, is expected to miss the Reds’ next five games, including the FA Cup home game against Norwich and Premier League games against Chelsea and away at Arsenal. He will also probably miss the home game against Burnley on February 10.

Benzema could solve Arsenal or Chelsea’s goal problems

Karim Benzema and his agent have been involved in tense talks with Saudi club Al-Ittihad as the ex-Real Madrid striker wants out.

The problem is Karim’s wages, around £80million-a-year (Sh3.7bn)and no European club can afford that because of Financial Fair Play rules. Arsenal need a dominant striker and Chelsea still need goals.

Blues’ owner Todd Boehly has stayed within the rules despite a huge turnover in players but Benzema would severely strain the wage budget limits. French club Lyon are also involved and have shown their interest in signing Benzema.

The player has not spoken of where he would prefer to play and has said he could stay at Al-Ittihad and called many of the media stories about his departure “false”.

However, at 36, he is known to want more chances of silverware which would give Arsenal an edge at the moment. Benzema has scored 12 goals in 20 matches this season and the Saudi League are desperate not to lose another high-profile star.

Newcastle will have to sell to buy

Newcastle have admitted they might have to sell one of their big stars to comply with the FA’s financial rules.

The owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, have a sovereign wealth fund of £700 billion (Sh145tr) but they are not allowed to spend without staying within the rules. In other words, they must not record a club loss of more than £105million (Sh21.8bn) a season.

Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes would bring in the most money but coach Eddie Howe has warned that the sale of any of those vital players would wreck his plan. He will fight to keep them. Miguel Almiron is on a shortlist of players wanted at Saudi club Al-Shabab.

However, Howe admits he needs new quality players to freshen and strengthen his squad but needs to spend within the rules. Liverpool sold Phillipe Coutinho and invested some of that money in Alisson Becker and Virgil Van Dijk, who are two of the best players in the Premier League.

Aston Villa sold Jack Grealish to Man City, reinvested that money and now operate as a solid top-four team. The same with West Ham when they sold Declan Rice to finance David Moyes’ overall plan. Selling a prize asset often brings greater rewards.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich have increased their offer for Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier after having a £13million offer for the 33-year-old rejected.

Howe wants to keep Trippier but Bayern have made him a transfer window priority and the player himself is open to joining former Tottenham teammates Harry Kane and Eric Dier. 

Postecoglou believes Dragusin is the new Van Dijk

Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou is delighted with the signing of Romanian Radu Dragusin. He specialises in getting out of tight spaces and fights like a tiger when tackling opponents.

There is no denying what his qualities will bring to Tottenham. In Italy, he is known as “the Romanian Virgil van Dijk.” Dragusin has long styled himself on the Liverpool defender. He was on his way to the airport to sign for Tottenham when his agent called him and said that a bigger offer had come in from Bayern Munich.

He made an on-the-spot decision with his family and carried on to London. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been out injured and Dragusin would have slotted in the Spurs’ starting team. But with the two almost fully recovered, Dragusin is likely to play a rotational part.

Probably the most influential time in his career was learning his trade at Juventus after their scouts had spotted him as a teenager. At Juve, he played alongside legends Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Andrea Pirlo.

The 6ft 3in defender is quick, which makes him ideal to play in Postecoglou’s high-line strategy. He is known as a leader in the dressing room. The only question mark is whether he can adapt to the world’s supreme league. That’s why he cost £25m (Sh5bn) and not £80m (Sh16.6bn).

Time will tell but Postecoglou believes he has all the potential.  Meanwhile, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who has recovered from a muscle injury, expects to be fit for Wednesday’s match against Brentford.

Guardiola’s plan to link De Bruyne and Rodri

Pep Guardiola is working on a new plan. With the return of Kevin De Bruyne, Guardiola is experimenting with playing him next to Rodri to provide what he considers would be the best midfield pairing in football.

Despite De Bruyne’s impressive return to action and scoring against Newcastle, the City medical team are still cautiously working with him. Guardiola believes the Belgian can move back a few yards next to Rodri and still be as effective, making assists and scoring goals.

De Bruyne is 32 and has to be managed more carefully. The days of his blistering runs might be numbered but he can still read a game and deliver incisive passes. He has publicly said he intends to stay at the Etihad Stadium until the end of his current contract in 2025.

Pairing with Rodri could be the answer and who better to make the plan work than Guardiola. Erling Haaland said he would be back as soon as possible when he was named the 2023 Best Men’s Player at the Globe Soccer Awards.

Haaland was runner-up to Lionel Messi last month at the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards which has created a lot of negative comments around the world with many believing the Norwegian should have won.

The No.9 has missed nine matches so far and had to stop training last week after his foot injury became painful.

Guardiola is delighted that John Stones has returned to training following his ankle injury when falling awkwardly during the 3-1 win over Everton last month. This season has been particularly frustrating for Stones, who has completed just two matches since August.

Hammers go for Kalvin Phillips

Following all the speculation surrounding Kalvin Phillips’ departure from Man City, London-based West Ham agreed terms and he passed a medical on Wednesday after flying in from City’s warm weather training camp in Abu Dhabi.

The two clubs negotiated on Phillips’ loan value since City wanted £7m (Sh1.4bn). However, West Ham want an option to buy after the six-month loan expires but that comes at an extra cost. Since joining the Manchester club in 2022 Phillips, 28, has started only six games.

Manager David Moyes has admired the midfielder for some years. Last summer, the Hammers made an approach, which was rejected by City. Instead, they added James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus to their midfield after financing the deals by selling Declan Rice to Arsenal.

Palace fans blame management, not Hodgson

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has backed coach Roy Hodgson throughout the season but a poor run of one win in their last 12 games has left them just five points above the relegation zone.

Palace, I can reveal, have started looking at options to replace Hodgson. Sacked Nottingham Forest coach Steve Cooper and ex-Wolves coach Julen Lopetegui are on a shortlist which also includes impressive Ipswich Town coach, Kieran McKenna.

Fans still support Hodgson but have turned on Parish and the management. They held a huge banner during the Arsenal match: ‘Wasted potential on and off the pitch, weak decisions taking us backwards’.