Arsenal face finishing the season with another key player being forced to watch on from the sidelines due to injury.
The Gunners are sitting in fifth in the Premier League but have a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has labelled their local neighbours a "one man team" and that once Harry Kane has an off game, he believes his former club will take advantage and secure Champions League football for next season.
Former Gunners boss and club legend Arsene Wenger has once again explained just how close he was to signing Cristiano Ronaldo before the Portugal international joined rivals Manchester United in a move that continues to haunt the club such has been the illustrious career enjoyed by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Here are Mirror Football's latest Arsenal headlines.
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Partey injury blow
Arsenal are set to be without key midfielder Thomas Partey for the remainder of the Premier League season.
Partey played in Monday night's defeat at Crystal Palace but failed to finish the match, coming off with 16 minutes remaining due to an injury. While manager Mikel Arteta was coy on what the actual injury was, speaking on Friday the Spaniard said it was a "concern" and that he will be out for at least "weeks".
Arteta did say that Albert Sambi Lokonga could be Partey's replacement whilst the Ghanaian midfielder is absent.
Merson's top four prediction
Arsenal are currently sitting in fifth position, one spot off the final Champions League spot but have been tipped to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League.
With nine games remaining for the north London outfit, they are level on points with rivals Tottenham but have a game in hand. Former Gunner Paul Merson believes Spurs are too heavily reliant on Kane, who won't be able to stop Arsenal from leapfrogging them and securing European football next season by finishing fourth.
"As soon as he [Harry Kane] has one of those off-days Spurs will slip up and Arsenal will pounce," Merson wrote in his Daily Star column.
Wenger's Ronaldo story
In an alternative universe, Wenger would have signed Ronaldo for Arsenal back in 2003.
The Gunners pursuit of the United striker is well-documented and the Frenchman has once again spoke about how close the Portugal star was to landing in north London. Instead of wearing the red of Arsenal and linking up with Thierry Henry, Ronaldo ended up donning the red of United despite being days away from heading to Highbury.
"That makes you sweat a little bit, and I was very close to doing it. I thought it was all done," Wenger told FourFourTwo.
