Following a comfortable 2-0 triumph over Brentford in midweek action,Arsenal can now turn their attention to this weekend's Premier League clash against Unai Emery's Aston Villa.
With 14 fixtures completed, the north London side sit proudly at the Premier League summit with 33 points, boasting a five-point cushion over Manchester City. Whilst this represents a promising position for the Gunners, Liverpool supporters will be all too aware of how quickly such an advantage can evaporate against City's relentless title charge. Meanwhile, London neighbours Chelsea endured a damaging setback on Wednesday, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat away at Leeds United.
Arsenal's remarkable 18-match unbeaten streak continues and Mikel Arteta's men will be eager to strengthen their grip on top spot ahead of the demanding festive fixture list. Here, football.london examines the latest developments surrounding the Gunners before another challenging round of Premier League encounters.
Viktor Gyokeres has been on the receiving end of a blunt evaluation from former colleague Martyn Waghorn, who branded the striker "evil" during their shared spell at Coventry City whilst simultaneously showering the Swede with acclaim. Gyokeres represented the Sky Blues between 2021 and 2023 before earning his lucrative switch to Sporting Lisbon.
The forward has since established himself as one of Europe's most feared marksmen. Former team-mate Martyn Waghorn, speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast, described Victor Gyokeres as having a fierce determination in his eyes. However, he admitted that he didn't foresee the rapid rise of the Arsenal striker.
When asked if he could have predicted Gyokeres winning the best striker in Europe award four years later, Waghorn responded: "Errrm, mentality-wise, yes. He was a machine. Ability-wise at the time, no. Vik was unbelievable. Like everything he did, I could see him being a top striker. No way did I think within three years he'd be at Sporting, Champions League, whatever... But his drive and will to want to be, yeah, he was so focused. He was like, 'I'm going to be the best,' and I was like, 'OK mate, whatever.'"
On whether he believed Gyokeres' ambitious claims, Waghorn said: "Yes and no. He said it with that much conviction and when he trained he was evil. He had this look in his eyes like, 'I'm going to kill you,' and that's how he trained. He's mad but he believed in himself and yeah, incredible. And what a great guy as well. He's a funny guy.
"But he trained like every day was ******* the last day he was going to play for you. And the gaffer is like, 'we've ******* got a game tomorrow, Vik,' and he'd say, 'no, no, I've got to score five goals, I need to do this, do that...' He was just relentless and it's all down to hard work, in fairness to him. He was a machine."
Roy Keane's four-word title predictionManchester United icon Roy Keane thinks 'the league is over' following the latest round of midweek Premier League fixtures.
Mikel Arteta's pursuit of the title continued on Wednesday evening with a 2-0 victory over Brentford, thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino. This win reinstated Arsenal's five-point lead at the top of the table.
Aston Villa are next in line for Arteta and the title chase persists. However, speaking on The Overlap, Keane was unequivocal about the season's trajectory.
"Your lot have got to win it. You've got to win the league this season," stated Keane to Ian Wright. "The league is over. It's over. The league is over."
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher also weighed in on the title race but offered a contrasting perspective: "Your lot [Arsenal] have been so much better than everyone else. But Man City are still there, aren't they? They haven't even played that well but they're still close. There's a long way to go."
Twins officially signIn other news, Arsenal have officially announced that they have secured the double signing of Edwin and Holger Quintero from Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle.
The 16-year-old South American talents will join Arsenal when they turn 18, having already earned under-17 caps for Ecuador. They have been performing exceptionally well for their club and will significantly strengthen Arsenal's youth academy when they join the squad in 2027.
In an official statement, the club noted: "Edwin is left-footed, quick and a skilful dribbler. He operates as a right winger, likes to take on opponents and has a catalogue of skills.
"Holger is a technically gifted, right-footed, attacking midfielder who links play with his progressive vision and also possesses the ability to beat opponents with quick feet.
"We will be collaborating closely with Independiente del Valle on the development and wellbeing of both Edwin and Holger until they arrive at Arsenal. Everyone at Arsenal is excited to welcome the Quintero twins to the club in the near future."
