Arsenal latest: Liverpool told to steal player after Arteta's change of heart

Arsenal will turn their attention to the transfer window as the Premier League heads into the new year

Arsenal are gearing up for a pivotal January transfer window as their title race with Manchester City intensifies.

Piero Hincapie has recovered from injury, but Mikel Arteta is grappling with a significant defensive crisis, with both Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori unavailable for yesterday's encounter against Brighton.

The Gunners will likely need to bolster their backline during the winter transfer window, while they have also been linked with Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo. However, Manchester City appear to be leading the race for the winger.

Here, Football London rounds up all the latest developments coming out of north London.

Liverpool 'should have signed' Arsenal hero

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool missed a trick by not moving for Declan Rice before his switch to Arsenal. When the midfielder was awaiting his departure from West Ham, the Reds were amongst the Premier League sides strongly linked with Rice.

Yet Arteta wielded his spending power and secured Rice's signature in 2023 for a staggering £100million. The transfer made the 26-year-old the joint-most expensive English player in history alongside Manchester City's Jack Grealish.

Speaking on the Smiths Brothers podcast, Gerrard remains convinced his former side should have hijacked the transfer from the Gunners. He said: "He's maybe one we should have tried to grab from West Ham.

"I don't know whether we did or not, but I think he'd have been brilliant for us. I mean, imagine him in midfield now."

Rice has since established himself as a key figure in Arsenal's midfield. The England international boasts 18 goals and 26 assists across 128 appearances and is targeting Premier League success this season.

Arteta's change of heart over Jesus transfer

Gabriel Jesus appears set to remain in north London this campaign despite Arteta's attempts to offload the striker in the summer. Following Viktor Gyokeres' £63.7million arrival, Jesus' future in an Arsenal shirt seemed uncertain.

However, the former City man appears to have won over Arteta after putting his injury issues behind him and with Gyokeres struggling up top. The Athletic reports that the club are determined to retain Jesus for as long as possible with a challenging fixture list on the horizon.

It's also understood Jesus has "reasserted himself as an important" presence within the squad. This indicates the Brazilian is no longer viewed as expendable, after the Mail stated in October that the likelihood of Arsenal parting ways with Jesus following the festive period was significant.

Speaking before the club's penalty shootout victory against Crystal Palace last week, Arteta was eager to emphasise the influence the 28-year-old has had on the side. He said: "You can see now, not only in games but every day in training, how much he wants it. He's going to deserve a chance soon.

"I watched him when he was seven months [off] the pitch, and the way he was moving and how much he wanted it. I think he wrote a beautiful letter [on The Players' Tribune ] explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. It was something beautiful.

"I think that's probably the biggest quality of Gabi: bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent. When you've seen [against Everton] the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that's his biggest quality – so we need to exploit that.

"It's been a really intense journey, I would say. I think when he joined us, he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had and it was really impressive. And then he had some very bad injuries that haven't allowed him to have the consistency that we need from a very important player.

"But he's back. I think his fighting spirit, his desire to always prepare the best way... it's unbelievable. The team has got it now and we need to use it."