The mid-season World Cup break could give Arsenal a huge advantage in landing Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in January, having become a highly coveted player. The Ukraine international could join as a first-team option to improve both depth and quality at the club.
It comes as Mikel Arteta faces the challenge of battling in all competitions while having a depleted squad on his hands at this stage. The latest example of this came in the Carabao Cup exit to Brighton, where the Gunners were unable to overcome the Seagulls after a number of changes.
"I said from day one that we have a short squad because at the end we left some players," Arteta claimed after the defeat. "It’s what we have. If everyone’s available and no one is injured we are OK, but the moment there is, we know what it is. It’s nothing new. I think I said it the first day after the transfer window."
