Last night's clash against Brentford was justthe beginning of a huge December for Mikel Arteta's team, with the fixture list piling up going into Christmas.

The Gunners have enjoyed a stellar start to their Premier League season, though, with a memorable 4-1 win against London rivals Spurs the highlight of the campaign so far. Their form extends beyond the domestic campaign, too, with a stunning victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League setting the tone for them going into the latter stages of the league phase.

With Martin Odegaard finally returning after a long injury injury lay-off, Arteta will have some firepower back to help with the title charge. Ahead of another weekend of Premier League action, Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest news coming out of the Emirates.

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• Martin Odegaard told Arsenal team-mate could replace him as captain next season

Mikel Arteta makes transfer admission

Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal tried to sign David Raya "much earlier" before having to wait another two years for his signature.

Raya signed for £30m from Bretnford in 2024 after spending a season on loan at the Emirates. He replaced Arsenal's former number one Aaron Ramsdale and won the Premier League Golden Glove, keeping 16 league clean sheets in 41 games across all competitions.

"An amazing goalkeeper," said Arteta. "It’s a great story as well and how it happened. We tried to sign David much earlier, it was as soon as I arrived almost, and he had to wait another two years. The start that he had and the journey that we had together has been phenomenal for us and I’m very happy to have him."

Speaking on whether it's the best signing he's made, Arteta added: "It's a very difficult question to answer but he’s certainly one that is taking us to a different level. He’s certainly a player that has brought something to our way of playing."

Berta eyes next masterstroke

Arsenal have set about launching a fresh transfer strategy on recruiting talent that will completely alter the way Mikel Arteta adds to his first team squad. In a report by The Telegraph, it has been revealed that Arsenal will be switching their focus to buying players in the 16-18 age range. By doing so, they will improve the quality of their academy team, who have not been up to standard in recent times.

It will also cut out the middle man in big deals - in a Premier League context this would be Brighton or Brentford, who are renowned for picking up young talent and then selling them for huge fees - Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro are great examples.

This new strategy is epitomised by the recent recruitments of twins Edwin and Holger Quintero from Ecuador, set to arrive in London in 2027. Shamrock Rovers youngster Victor Ozhianvuna, also 16, is set to join Arsenal when he turns 18 in January 2027.

In simple terms, picking up talent in London simply isn't enough anymore, especially if they wish to compete with rivals Chelsea, who secured Estevao last summer for £29m. He is now, of course, a Brazilian international and one of the Premier League's hottest rising talents. The report adds that the signing of Tommy Setford from Ajax last year can be viewed as the official start point of this new strategy at Arsenal.

Should they be successful in securing some of the top young talent, the move could prove to be a masterstroke by sporting director Andrea Berta.

Arsenal to 'plot' move for Bundesliga star

According to Sky Germany, Arsenal are "seriously considering" moving for Eintract Frankfurt star Jean-Matteo Bahoya.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has started half of Frankfurt's games so far this season but his talent has already garnered interest outside of Germany.

Several Premier League clubs are already looking at the youngster, who has represented France throughout the age grades. Frankfurt reportedly value their man at £61.5million.

Bahoya was offered a move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro Leaguein the summer but rejected it. Explaining his decision, he told L'Equipe: "I honestly didn’t hesitate for a moment. It was a logical decision. I want to have a great season here and compete in the Champions League.

"We’ll see what happens after this season. In any rate, Frankfurt was the ideal place for me and I’m happy I stayed."

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