Arsenal have identified their top midfield target for January in Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz, and they could now even sell one of their top players to fund a move.
Brentford 0-1 Arsenal
Manager Mikel Arteta won his 116th game in charge of the club in all competitions on Saturday with a dramatic 1-0 victory away to Brentford. The Spaniard reached that milestone in just 200 matches, becoming the first manager to do so in Premier League history, and it was thanks to summer signing Kai Havertz's late header.
The three points sends Arsenal top of the table, with Arteta expressing his delight at both the squad and Havertz.
"I'm so happy with the team, with the way they performed, we got the clean sheet and I'm so happy with how everybody played," said Arteta on Arsenal's 1-0 win away to Brentford (via Sky).
"We should've scored earlier than that, but this is a really tough place to come. Credit to Brentford for what they do to every team. We showed a lot of resilience and belief. I'm delighted for Kai. You only have to see the reaction of everyone, how much they love him, and what he brings to the team. It's what he needs to do.
"We believed he could change the game with the way they were defending, and it was the perfect timing, perfect execution. He won the game for us – that's what big players do."
On the pitch, Arsenal are looking in very good stead and like sure-fire contenders to win their first league title in nearly 20 years.
However, there are still areas of the side which sporting director Edu Gaspar and Arteta want to strengthen ahead of the looming January window.
Arsenal identify Luiz as top target and could sell Partey
According to reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are very keen on signing Luiz from Aston Villa to shore up their midfield options.
The Brazilian has been a star of Villa's very promising early-season run of form, as their manager Unai Emery looks to contend for a Champions League qualification place. Luiz has started all 13 of their league games so far, scoring five goals and assisting two others, as Arsenal identify the former Man City man as a "leading" target.
That is according to ESPN, who also say Arsenal could sell Thomas Partey to fund Luiz's signing. The £200,000-per-week star (spotrac) has been a mainstay under Arteta in recent seasons, making 33 league appearances last campaign as a crucial player.
However, the Ghanaian has suffered from injury problems this season. Partey has been linked with an Arsenal exit in January as well, so he could be a good candidate to raise funds for a Luiz bid.
Partey's time at Arsenal, as per recent rumours, may well be coming to an end soon but supporters will look back on his stay with fondness.
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La Liga expert Gerry Armstrong has called him "sensational", while Gunneds legend Ray Parlour once branded Partey a "very efficient" and "important" player at Arsenal.