It's been an interesting few days for Arsenal, who lost their first game at the Emirates Stadium this season on Wednesday night as Brighton knocked them out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory. The result has been met largely with indifference by the Gunners fanbase, who feel the club have bigger fish to fry.
They are currently top of the Premier League with one game remaining before the World Cup break. Saturday's fixture against Wolves will represent a final match before Boxing Day as club football pauses for the tournament in Qatar. Upon return they'll be straight back into thick of things with just days remaining before the January transfer window opens. Mikel Arteta has already admitted that his squad is short as things stand and Arsenal could well be busy.
With that in mind it felt like a perfect time to do a Q and A with our chief Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak. Here football.london takes a look back at the most interesting talking points that came up in the session.
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Q: What is the latest on William Saliba's contract? And where do you think Arsenal will strengthen in January?
KK: As things stand Arsenal are in dialogue with William Saliba about a contract. His current deal expires in 2023 although Arsenal maintain the option to extend it. I'd be surprised if we saw anything concrete before the World Cup though as him and his agent will surely want to hold off to see what his status is after the tournament in Qatar where France are one of the favourites.
Also when it comes to where Arsenal are planning to strengthen in January, Mikel Arteta has already admitted that his squad are short. The obvious positions where they look light are with a left-footed centre-back, a forward who can play on the wings and a midfielder who can offer similar cover to Thomas Partey. If I had to guess I'd assume that's where the Gunners will look to add in January, but it's worth noting that Arsenal will only go and get a player if they think he's the perfect man for the job. Arteta and Edu have created a delicate ecosystem in north London and they don't want to risk jeopardising that.
Q: What are Arsenal's plans for the world cup?
KK: Despite the fact that Arsenal are top of the league, it doesn't look as though too many of their players are going to be heading out to the World Cup. As a result Mikel Arteta will have quite a big group to work with during the break.
The plan is to give them 10 days off starting after Saturday's match with Wolves. They will then be heading out to Dubai where they'll be playing friendlies with AC Milan and Lyon in the Al-Nassr Stadium. As well as offering some chances for warm weather training, Dubai's proximity to Qatar means that some of the players who go out of the World Cup early can join up easily with the Arsenal team. They will then head back to north London where they'll play one more friendly before starting their campaign again on Boxing Day away to West Ham.
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