Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Jamie Carragher fires Arsenal major Prem title warning as Mikel Arteta told to learn from Tottenham error

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Jamie Carragher has explained how Arsenal can learn from north London rivals Tottenham and avoid making the same mistakes in their Premier League title hunt.

The Gunners are currently preparing for their league return following the World Cup break. They play West Ham at the Emirates on Boxing Day before travelling to Brighton on New Year’s Eve.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping his team can continue where they left off before the World Cup. They sit top of the table after 14 matches, having won 12 of them.

It is still early in the season of course, but this looks like Arsenal’s first realistic shot at the Prem title in a long time.

However, they were recently rocked by a big injury blow. Gabriel Jesus picked up a knee injury while playing for Brazil in Qatar and has had to have surgery on the issue.

As such, he will be out until around March. And this has led to rumours Arsenal could bring in a new, high-quality striker to replace him over the coming months.

There have been transfer links with Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix and his team-mate Matheus Cunha.

The latter is on the verge of joining Wolves, but Vlahovic and Felix remain up for grabs.

Jamie Carragher issues Arsenal with transfer advice

Carragher has told Arteta and Arsenal to avoid falling into the same trap as Spurs, and sign one or two quality players in January to help them lift the Prem trophy.

“Arsenal should learn from the mistakes their north London rivals made when they were in a similar position under Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Redknapp,” Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

“Both their Tottenham sides had great chances to win the league at this point of the season. In January 2012 and 2016, Spurs were genuine contenders, one quality signing away from continuing their momentum.

“Redknapp’s side fell away to finish fourth well behind Manchester City. But Pochettino would have pipped Leicester City to the Premier League with more boardroom backing.

“Daniel Levy favoured the long-term over the here and now and Spurs consoled themselves with the idea that, even though they lost out to Claudio Ranieri, other title bids would follow.

Spurs ‘blew their best chance’ at winning title

“The reality is – as a club – they blew their best chance in decades of being champions. Although their long-term planning has taken them this far, Arsenal will not want to look back with similar feelings of ‘if only’ in six months’ time.”

Carragher doesn’t specifically refer to a striker signing for Arsenal there. But it is clear that is one position that needs strengthening while Jesus is recovering.

Arsenal could also land a new winger in the form of Ukraine star Mykhaylo Mudryk. There is confidence in the Arsenal camp they can get his signing over the line this winter.

But they have yet to reach an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk over his transfer fee.

Shakhtar publicly value Mudryk at Jack Grealish level, which is £100m. However, it is understood they are privately willing to accept less than this.

Their private demands are unknown right now, but there is a good chance Arsenal will end up matching them and bringing Mudryk to England.

Meanwhile, Arteta says an important Arsenal player is ‘close’ to returning to the squad after an injury ‘setback’.