Will it be a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for Arsenal? Quite possibly. For the third time in four years, they are top of the Premier League over the festive period.
Now, we all know how that ended in the previous two years. Tears were shed come May, but at least they enjoyed a relatively happy holiday season.
The Christmas schedule is always a packed one and their performance against Crystal Palace on the 23rd, a Carabao Cup penalty shootout win, perhaps raised more questions than answers.
Eberechi Eze failed to really cut the mustard against his former employers.
Arsenal targeting more Eze and Odegaard competition
While Eze was the only scorer as the Gunners defeated Palace in the Premier League back in October, his influence in the EFL Cup on Tuesday was far smaller.
For Mikel Arteta, it seems to be a case of either Martin Odegaard or Eze at the moment, rather than both of them. Sadly for the Englishman, he failed to grasp his opportunity pre-Christmas, substituted off on 67 minutes against the Eagles.
While Eze and Odegaard battle for the same spot in the team, it means Ethan Nwaneri hasn’t had many minutes. Well, his game time could be dampened even further heading into 2026 if Arsenal are active in the transfer market.
Given the lavish spending of the 2025 summer window, it feels unlikely that Andrea Berta and Co will spend big bucks again but they are still keeping tabs on a number of players.
According to TEAMtalk, one player they are monitoring is Juventus’ Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz.
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Arsenal had already held talks to sign the 20-year-old but this new report details how the Gunners are now facing competition from fellow London clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, for the forward’s signature.
Previous reports have suggested he could cost upwards of £88m if he moves away from Turin next year.
Why Yildiz is bad news for Eze
When Eze signed for Arsenal in the summer, he arrived to much fanfare, not least because he’d rejected Spurs but because he’s a boyhood Gooner.
The England international was famously spat out by the Arsenal youth system as a boy, a moment in his life that left him in tears.
Eze has since done the hard yards, he’s gone around the houses and via Crystal Palace, he’s now back in the red and white.
That said, his time at the Emirates Stadium has been somewhat topsy-turvy. He scored that hat-trick in the north London derby back in November but he has not found the net in six straight games since then. The 27-year-old has also failed to play a full 90 minutes since that 4-1 win on derby day.
So, with Odegaard also underperforming for Arteta this term – he is yet to score – an upgrade or replacement could be sought.
That’s where Yildiz comes in. While he has been described as “one of the best wingers in the world” in the past, it’s as an attacking midfielder behind the striker where he has thrived for Juventus this term.
Yildiz, who has said himself that he is trying to live up to the billing of being “one of the best talents in Europe”, has scored six goals and registered a further half a dozen assists in 22 games throughout 2025/26.