Just keep winning. Just keep winning. While others falter around them, Arsenal’s mantra has remained the same over this hectic festive period, grinding their way to victory after victory to remain the Premier League’s leading team.
It took grit and courage, notably in narrow wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Brighton, but Mikel Arteta’s side have come through this intense period remarkably well, ending 2025 in style with Tuesday’s thumping 4-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Facing a real title rival, who had enjoyed an 11-game winning run in all competitions, the Gunners avoided that banana skin after a superb second-half performance, demonstrating once again why they are the team to beat.
Despite all the positivity, it hasn’t been a particularly happy time for everyone in Arteta’s squad, with summer signing Eberechi Eze an unused substitute for the third game in a row against Unai Emery’s side.
The £67.5million man has slipped behind resurgent skipper Martin Odegaard in the midfield pecking order, with his hopes of securing a regular role perhaps set to be further hampered if recent reports are to be believed.
Arsenal prepare official offer for Eze replacement
The January window has already started at a brisk pace for the Gunners’ Premier League rivals, with Manchester City closing in on the capture of Antoine Semenyo, while Tottenham Hotspur completed a £35m deal to sell Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.
It remains to be seen whether Andrea Berta will lead the north Londoners into the market, not least because the league leaders have already benefited from significant investment this summer.
Recent reports have indicated that Berta and co have been offered the chance to sign former Wolves player Ruben Neves, while the club are also discussing another centre-back signing, in the form of Rennes starlet Jeremy Jacquet.
Elsewhere, meanwhile, reports in Spain suggest the UAE side are even preparing a formal offer for Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler.
According to the report, the Gunners believe a loan with an obligation to buy could be enough to entice the LaLiga side to sell, with the total amount thought to be around €80m (£70m).
Madrid are believed to be in no rush to sell a player whose current contract expires in 2029, although they have not completely ruled out a move.
Why Guler signing could be bad news for Eze
It is perhaps too early to suggest that such a signing would mark the beginning of the end for Eze at Arsenal, although it is fair to say that the Englishman’s arrival has not gone as planned so far.
Plucked from Spurs, the 27-year-old’s best performance to date ironically came with his hat-trick against Thomas Frank’s side, while his only other league goal came against former club Crystal Palace in October.
Having lost his place to Odegaard as Arteta’s main playmaker, Eze has also failed to convince on the left flank, notably being hung up on the break during the previous defeat to Villa last month.
Already somewhat on the periphery, the midfielder could be further overshadowed by Guler’s arrival, with the 20-year-old arguably the “best CM/AM prospect in world football at the moment”, according to writer Neal Gardner.
The former Fenerbahce player is already shining at the Bernabeu despite his relative youth, accumulating ten goals and assists in all competitions this season, before the return of Eze (nine).
This is due to Guler taking on a deeper role under new boss Xabi Alonso in 2025/26, leading the way as a creative spark for Los Blancos so far.
Indeed, according to Sofascore, the Turkish genius has already created eight “big chances” and completed an average of 2.2 key passes per game, with a total of 40 key passes only bettered by two players in the whole of La Liga this season.
|
Eze vs Guler – 25/26 League statistics |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (*per match) |
Èze |
Necklace |
|
Games |
15 |
18 |
|
Begin |
12 |
15 |
|
Goals |
4 |
3 |
|
Aids |
2 |
5 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
8 |
|
Key passes* |
0.5 |
2.2 |
|
Success accuracy* |
85% |
91% |
|
Successful dribbles* |
1.3 |
0.7 |
|
Fouls won* |
1.3 |
0.8 |
|
Statistics via Sofascore |
||
For comparison, Eze only created three ‘big chances’ and averaged just 0.5 key passes per game, having yet to replicate the talismanic form he displayed during his time at Selhurst Park.
Patience will be given to the former Palace hero, but at 27, this was the type of signing Arteta needed to work on almost immediately, rather than proving someone long-term.
With Guler, Arsenal could well be getting the best of both worlds, a player who has already proven himself at elite level for a mammoth club, while still being young enough to have room to grow and progress even further in the years to come.
Whether Madrid and Alonso will allow such a talent to be sold remains to be seen, but with the Gunners already on the charge, the 20-year-old could be another hugely exciting weapon to add to Arteta’s arsenal…
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