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SEVEN POINTS CLEAR: ARSENAL’S QUIET TRANSFER WINDOW PROVES MIKEL ARTETA TRUSTS HIS STARS

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal sit seven points clear! Get the full update on Zinchenko's exit and the race for Jeremy Jacquet.

Seven points clear: Arsenal’s quiet transfer window proves Mikel Arteta trusts his stars
Arsenal’s £250m summer spend created a silent January window

Arsenal sit seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, with just two weeks left for Mikel Arteta to tweak his squad before the title run-in. While both Manchester City and Aston Villa slipped up over the weekend, Arsenal managed to inch a point further ahead—though their draw with Nottingham Forest was nothing to write home about.

After spending £250 million in the summer, nobody really expects Arsenal to splash more cash this window unless something special pops up. There’s talk of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri heading out on loan for more minutes, but nothing’s official yet.

A few fringe players could still leave, and Arteta faces a big call on Oleksandr Zinchenko’s future.

So, here’s what’s buzzing in Arsenal’s transfer world.

Arsenal and Ajax have reportedly reached an agreement for Zinchenko to go out on loan. The 29-year-old started the season at Nottingham Forest but barely saw the pitch. After falling out of favour at Arsenal in the summer, he got the go-ahead to join Forest, but things didn’t really work out there either.

Now, Ajax look set to snap him up on loan. Zinchenko is supposed to have his medical in the Netherlands this week. With his contract at Arsenal running out at the end of the season, it looks like his time in North London is just about over. Dutch outlets are even hinting that Ajax could offer him a longer deal.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are lining up a £56 million bid for Jeremy Jacquet, who’s also on Arsenal’s radar. The Rennes centre-back is making waves, but Chelsea seems to be leading this race. Rennes want big money for their 20-year-old defender and are deep in talks with Chelsea.

Liam Rosenior’s squad want to shore up their defence this month. Arteta likes Jacquet too—apparently, they’ve even talked—but Chelsea looks ready to seal the deal. Jacquet, by the way, missed Rennes’ last game against Le Havre because of a suspension.

TITLE RACE TWIST: ARSENAL DROP POINTS AT BRENTFORD AS LEAD CUT TO FOUR

Arsenal held in London! Noni Madueke’s opener was cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter as the Gunners' lead shrinks to four points.

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Arsenal lead by four points with 12 games left—is it enough?

Noni Madueke put the leaders ahead right on the hour, but honestly, Brentford deserved at least a point and got it when Keane Lewis-Potter equalised.

Arsenal’s still sitting four points clear at the top, chasing that first league title in 22 years. But they’ve got a tough trip to second-placed City coming up in their last 12 games.

That draw gave Brentford’s European hopes a solid boost; they're still seventh. Keith Andrews’ team has only lost twice at home all season, and Arsenal were honestly a bit lucky not to chalk up their fourth league loss.

David Raya, facing his old club, pulled off a brilliant save to deny Igor Thiago’s powerful header the best chance of the first half.

Arsenal had to do without William Saliba and Kai Havertz, both out with illness and injury. Good news for them: Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka made it back onto the bench. At halftime, Arteta threw on Odegaard, and you could feel the shift; the visitors suddenly looked a lot more dangerous.

Their pressure finally paid off when Madueke climbed high at the back post to nod Piero Hincapie’s cross back past Caoimhin Kelleher.

But instead of pushing for another, Arsenal started to sit back, trying to hang onto their lead. That’s when Brentford really started to believe. Thiago forced Raya into another sharp stop, and Lewis-Potter should have equalised earlier. He headed wide from a corner with nobody marking him.

Set pieces have been a massive weapon for Arsenal this season, a big reason they’re leading the title chase. But Brentford know how to handle dead balls too. The equaliser came from one of Michael Kayode’s long throws. Sepp van den Berg flicked it on, and Lewis-Potter nipped in ahead of Odegaard to head it home.

In the last 20 minutes, Brentford actually looked more likely to win. Cristhian Mosquera made a crucial tackle on Thiago right at the end, and Thiago almost found his 18th Premier League goal in stoppage time he just blasted it over.

Right at the death, Arsenal nearly stole it. Kelleher came flying off his line to deny Gabriel Martinelli.

HALE END EXIT: ARSENAL YOUNGSTER CHARLES SAGOE JR JOINS SWEDISH SIDE KALMAR FF

Charles Sagoe Jr has joined Kalmar FF on loan. Discover why the Arsenal academy graduate chose Sweden and what it means for Hale End.

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Arsenal confirm loan deal for Charles Sagoe Jr

Arsenal just moved on from a player who’s barely had a chance in the first team, Charles Sagoe Jr, who only made one appearance for the club.

After a wild summer in 2025, where they brought in eight new signings like Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, and Ebere Eze, Arsenal didn’t really do much in January. No big arrivals, no headline exits.

Despite that summer spending spree, they haven’t exactly cashed in on outgoing players. Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Oleksandr Zinchenko together brought in less than £20 million, pretty underwhelming when you think about it.

Where Arsenal have made good money is actually through their academy. Guys like Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Folarin Balogun, and Joe Willock all left for between £20m and £30m each. Since they came through Hale End, that’s basically pure profit.

Now, Charles Sagoe Jr, another academy product, has left the training ground at London Colney. Swedish club Kalmar FF just confirmed they’ve got him on loan. Sagoe Jr made his senior debut back in the 2023/24 League Cup against Brentford, and he was the only youngster to get a debut that season, following Ethan Nwaneri, who’d broken through the year before. But Sagoe Jr, now 21, hasn’t played for Mikel Arteta since.

Since then, he’s had loan spells at Swansea City and Shrewsbury Town and even turned down a call-up from the Liberian national team.

Kalmar’s sporting director, Mats Winblad, said they’ve been tracking Sagoe Jr for ages. He’s already training with them, and they hope he’ll get his first minutes as soon as Saturday, against IFK Norrkoping.

Let’s be honest: Sweden’s Allsvenskan isn’t exactly the highest level in Europe. It ranks below the top leagues in the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, and Scotland. So, Sagoe Jr’s move says something about Arsenal’s recent struggles to develop and keep hold of promising young players.

Just last year, the club lost Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi to Manchester United. Other highly rated youth products, Dan Ballard, Xavier Amaechi, and Reiss Nelson, never quite cemented a regular spot in Arsenal’s first team.

And, in another big change, Per Mertesacker recently stepped down after eight years running the academy.

According to Transfermarkt, Sagoe Jr is valued at €300k. Meanwhile, Arsenal are back in action against Brentford tomorrow.

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