Arteta holds transfer hope after Arsenal miss out on Mudryk & Felix in January transfer window

• Gunners left frustrated so far
• Still scouring the market
• Top of Premier League table

WHAT HAPPENED? The Gunners sit top of the Premier League table through 18 games, eight points clear of the chasing pack and with a club-record tally accrued at this stage of a domestic campaign. There is, however, a sense that greater depth is required to their ranks in order to allow trophy challenges to be sustained on multiple fronts, with Chelsea proving to be a serious thorn in their side as the Blues have stolen in to complete deals with Shakhtar Donetsk and Atletico Madrid that Arsenal had their eye on.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed by Sky Sports after a 2-0 derby victory over north London neighbours Tottenham on whether deals should be expected before the January 31 deadline, Arteta said: “We had some injuries, long-term injuries and it's not helpful but we can focus on tomorrow. Train better, train better and review the game. We will try to improve the team. There are always a few parties involved. The club are willing and they have my support and I have their support.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Arteta added when asked specifically about seeing Ukraine international winger Mudryk end up at Stamford Bridge in an £89 million ($109m) deal: “I am very proud to have the players we have. We always want to try to improve the squad. The club are the first to try and improve the players we have. We have to have some discipline and be consistent in the targets we have. We can make the players better - let's focus on that.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Arsenal have two more fixtures to take in before the end of the month – a Premier League clash with Manchester United at Emirates Stadium and a FA Cup fourth-round meeting with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium – with the hope being that fresh faces will be acquired to aid efforts in those contests.