Legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has given his verdict on the top four credentials of Arsenal ahead of the final third of this current Premier League campaign.

Wenger talked about his former club while he was on BeIN Sports earlier this weekend.

The Frenchman is presently a director with world’s football governing body, FIFA in addition to his job as a pundit on the aforementioned media outlet.

Wenger was the Gunners boss for over two decades before he exited the role in 2018 and was subsequently replaced by Unai Emery who didn’t last long in the job.

Unai Emery barely made it past the halfway stage of his second season at the club.

On Arsenal and the hopes of a top-four finish at the end of the season, Wenger said that the Gunners still have a good chance of finishing in the top four places.

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Arsene Wenger also said that the gap between the top teams and the bottom teams has narrowed.

According to him, the top teams have dropped from their usual standards, while the bottom teams have improved.

At the start of the weekend, Arsenal were seven points adrift of Chelsea in fourth spot which will be enough for Champions League qualification next season.

Chelsea have since moved ten points ahead of the Gunners after they saw off Tottenham Hotspur in their London Derby clash on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues beat Spurs 2-1 to move four points clear of their opponents and ten points ahead of Arsenal who can get that deficit back to seven points with a win over Everton on Sunday evening.

Arsenal have a very good home record against the Toffees dating back to 1996. Everton are also in the running for a Champions League spot at the end of the season with 11 league games left to play after this weekend’s set of games.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sent a transfer message to club bosses over sensational player Bukayo Saka who has been turning ends with his performances in the last few months.

In a chat with reporters earlier this month via the Daily Express, Mikel Arteta said that the future of Bukayo Saka will be sorted by the Arsenal chiefs led by executive director Raul Sanllehi.

Bukayo Saka has a little over one year remaining on his Arsenal contract and that has cast serious doubts over his future at the club with Liverpool and Manchester United said to be interested in the Nigerian-born teenage attacker.

The 18-year-old came through the Arsenal ranks before making his debut for the first team under Unai Emery last season.

Saka has played for the England youth teams.

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He played the left side of defence and attack for the Arsenal youth teams and was primarily used as a left-winger at the club until this season when he had to switch to the left-back position permanently because of the injuries to first-choice options Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney.

Bukayo Saka has been so impressive for Arsenal at left-back to the extent that Sead Kolasinac has not been able to displace him upon his return from injury one week ago.

Kieran Tierney is also back in full training with the Gunners meaning that the first choice left-back options for the North London club are now fully fit.

Saka has the most assists in the Arsenal first team with nine in addition to three goals scored for the club this season.

He notched his ninth assist of the season in the last game, an Europa League win over Greek club Olympiacos.

The Gunners secured a slim 1-0 away victory in the first leg of their last 32 tie with French international Alexandre Lacazette getting the only goal of the game off a Bukayo Saka assist.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been able to oversee a remarkable improvement in performances and results since the Spaniard was named the new manager of the North London club.

Arteta was part of the playing personnel at Arsenal for five years between 2011 and 2016 before he retired as the captain of the club.

He joined Pep Guardiola at Manchester City after his playing career had ended at Arsenal and was the assistant manager with the Citizens until the end of last year when the Gunners came calling for the second time.

Mikel Arteta had been interviewed for the Arsenal job in the summer of 2018 after the exit of legendary manager Arsene Wenger and he came close to getting the job before it was given to Unai Emery.

Spanish tactician Unai Emery didn’t last long in the job after his dismissal last year November. He spent just 16 months as the Gunners boss.

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Unai Emery left Arsenal in a bad state and Mikel Arteta has been able to resurrect the club from that slump in just two months but the Spaniard won’t be judged on this season.

Arteta will be critically analysed as from next season and he might need a new striker to make his work effective going by the form of Alexandre Lacazette.

French international Lacazette recently ended his drought in front of goal during the league game at home to Newcastle United.

Alexandre Lacazette has been below average in front of goal this season as the Gunners’ main striker. He has scored just eight goals in all competitions.

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta might need to sign a new striker that will score goals on a consistent basis if the team will achieve the targets of next season.

Top strikers like RB Leipzig star Timo Werner and Lyon hitman Moussa Dembele are expected to be available this summer, and Arsenal can take advantage by swooping on one of them.

Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn has revealed the criteria that will decide whether playmaker Mesut Ozil will stay at the club beyond this summer.

According to him, new Mikel Arteta will have a discussion with Mesut Ozil in the summer and the outcome will determine whether or not the German will see out the final year of his contract at Arsenal.

It was revealed that Mikel Arteta will weigh up the defensive capability Ozil adds to the team before making his decision this summer.

Nigel Winterburn spoke to gentingbet about Mikel Arteta and Mesut Ozil.

Ozil has been at Arsenal since the summer of 2013 following his big money move from Real Madrid in the Spanish top flight.

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Arsenal paid around £42m for Mesut Ozil and it was their club-record as at then. That record has since been broken three times.

The arrival of Ozil ushered in a new era at Arsenal under legendary manager Arsene Wenger. The Gunners had gone eight years without any form of trophy but that ended with the presence of Ozil that season as the North London club went on to win the 2014 FA Cup title after their come from behind win over Hull City in the final.

Mesut Ozil has been the main man at Arsenal throughout his career at the club until the start of last season when Unai Emery replaced Arsene Wenger as the Gunners boss. The German World Cup winner struggled to get along with Unai Emery and that saw him play a small role under the Spanish manager.

Ozil was dropped from the Arsenal squad for several games under Unai Emery but that situation has changed for the better under Mikel Arteta within two months of his appointment.

He scored his first goal of this season in the league win over Newcastle United last weekend.

Arsenal have been warned that they might need to cash out on star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer.

According to club legend Nigel Winterburn via Gentingbet, the Gunners will need to sell Aubameyang in the summer if he does not extend his contract at the club.

The Arsenal skipper has just one year left on his Arsenal deal at the moment and his long-term future at the Emirates Stadium is in serious doubt.

Aubameyang addressed those transfer rumours of a move away from Arsenal earlier this season as he pointed out that his commitment is to the North London club especially since the arrival of new manager Mikel Arteta.

Former Gunners midfielder Mikel Arteta has been able to turn the fortunes of Arsenal around for the better in comparison to where the club was when he took over the first team in December 2019.

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According to ex-Arsenal left-back Nigel Winterburn, his former club might need to settle for a transfer fee of £40m for Aubameyang this summer and that they have to sell him to avoid a free transfer move when his contract expires in 2021.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Borussia Dortmund in Germany for Arsenal in January 2018 in a £57m deal. His transfer was a club record as at then.

Since his transfer to Arsenal, the Gabonese international has scored 58 goals in 94 matches in all competitions. In addition, he has 13 assists from those games.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has spent a large portion of his playing time on the wings as present and past Arsenal managers have not been able to accommodate him and Alexandre Lacazette upfront at the same time.

His position might not influence his decision as to the Gunners’ failure to qualify for Champions League football since he became an Arsenal player.

Manchester United and Barcelona have both been touted as his next destination in recent weeks.

The top centre back target for Arsenal ahead of this summer’s transfer window has been revealed via popular German newspaper SportBild.

According to the popular media portal, Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah is the top centre back target for the Gunners later this year.

It was further disclosed that Jonathan Tah has a release clause of £40m.

The Arsenal defence has been shaky in the past years but there have been signs of improvement in recent times under new manager Mikel Arteta.

Under Arteta, Arsenal have conceded just seven goals in eight appearances in the Premier League.

In addition, the Gunners signed two defenders in the January winter transfer market.

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Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari joined the Gunners on respective loan deals last month but they are yet to make an appearance for their new team.

Portuguese international right-back Cedric Soares is presently injured as a result of the knee injury sustained last month during the league game between his former club Southampton and visitors Crystal Palace.

He joined Arsenal on loan from the Saints on deadline day of last month’s transfer window.

Cedric Soares is expected to return to full fitness by the end of February.

For Pablo Mari, the Spanish centre back signed on loan from Brazilian Serie A giants Flamengo last month after the Gunners paid around £4m for the transfer with the option of a permanent transfer for £8m this summer.

He has already played for the Arsenal u23s during the 2-1 loss to the Chelsea u23s earlier this week.

Arsenal have been linked with a lot of centre backs ahead of this summer including the aforementioned Jonathan Tah.

Apart from the German international, the Gunners are also interested in RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano and Premier League star Nathan Ake who is on the payroll of Bournemouth.

Arsenal have made an enquiry for Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze according to one of their former players, Santi Cazorla.

Villarreal midfielder Santi Cazorla was an Arsenal player for six years until the summer of 2018 when the then new manager Unai Emery decided to let him leave the club on a free transfer after two years of several injury setbacks.

At one point, doctors told Santi Cazorla that it would be hard for him to play football again but the Spanish international was able to recover from what was the lowest part of his football career.

Cazorla has since returned to full fitness and he’s a big player for Villarreal in the Spanish La Liga. The midfielder has also returned to the Spanish national team setup.

Arsenal officials have contacted Santi Cazorla to enquire about Super Eagles star Samuel Chukwueze as confirmed by the ex-Gunners player during his last interview via the Daily Express.

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The Gunners are not the only club interested in Samuel Chukwueze who was part of the Super Eagles squad to last summer’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.

Samuel Chukwueze and Nigeria finished the tournament in third place.

Apart from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are also keen on the Villarreal star.

On Samuel Chukwueze, Santi Cazorla revealed that the Nigerian player has the quality to represent Arsenal before adding that the winger is on the payroll of Villarreal.

Arsenal have started their plans for the summer as regards new players though the focus would be mainly on the defensive side of things.

The Gunners were able to strengthen their squad in the last transfer window with the capture of both Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares on respective loan deals.

The two players will go a long way to boost North Londoners Arsenal on the defensive side of things.

North London giants Arsenal have improved significantly on the defensive front since new manager Mikel Arteta was appointed in December 2019.

The Gunners were known for their numerous defensive errors before Mikel Arteta returned to the club as a manager. He was at Arsenal for five years before he retired from football.

Arsenal have conceded just seven goals in eight games in the Premier League under Mikel Arteta. He has been able to improve the Arsenal defenders but that has not stopped him from strengthening that part of his team.

The Gunners signed two defenders in January 2020 and more will follow this summer.

Arsenal signed Portuguese international player Cedric Soares on loan till this summer when he’ll become a free transfer. Right-back Cedric Soares is still injured and yet to make his debut for the club.

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The Gunners also signed a new centre back in Pablo Mari who joined on loan from Flamengo in Brazil. He’s also yet to make an appearance for Arsenal though the Spaniard played for the Arsenal reserves on Monday night.

Despite the signings of Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are still expected to sign more defenders. Here are four potential defensive signings.

1. Dayot Upamecano

The French junior international is a major defensive target for the North Londoners who tried to sign him last summer. His German club RB Leipzig rejected a big money move for him from the Gunners last summer. He has one year left on his RB Leipzig contract meaning that the Gunners have a good chance of signing him this summer.

2. Nathan Ake

Bournemouth defender is also a top target for Arsenal. The likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in him.

3. Lewis Dunk

The Brighton skipper is a transfer target for London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea.