Waching daily Dec 30 2018

 Arsenal are faced with an host of injury issues ahead of January and are expected to use the transfer window to strengthen their depleted squad

 The Gunners are currently without Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos while Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal have only just returned from injury

 **PREDICT FIVE RESULTS AND WIN £25,000 - FREE TO PLAY HERE** Hector Bellerin is also out with a calf problem while Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are long-term absentees

 Promising youngster Emile Smith Rowe is another who is sidelined while Mesut Ozil was unavailable against Liverpool and appears to be heading for the exit

 Manager Unai Emery prefers a five-man defence but is short of personal and was forced to field Granit Xhaka as an emergency centre-back against Southampton earlier this month

 Several short-term defensive targets have been touted including Eric Bailly, although the Ivorian may be less willing to move following Jose Mourinho's departure from Manchester United

 Real Valladolid ace Fernando Calero is an alternative while Chelsea veteran Gary Cahill represents another option, with the 33-year-old playing just 21 minutes in the Premier League so far this season

 Emery has previously claimed Arsenal will not be able to strengthen in January after a busy summer window, although loan deals could be a solution

 He said: "It is not easy. But I don't believe I would [buy] in this transfer window because it's not a very big possibility with the players

 "The club is working only if some player can help us with a high level or better than within for us

 "It is not a good situation for transfers in January but we are going to look and the club is working

But also we are in a [good] way." Meanwhile, speculation surrounding Mesut Ozil's future continues to build after Emery refused to answer questions about the German's future after he was left out of the Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Tottenham

 Ozil is the highest-paid player at the club but has found opportunities limited since suffering a back injury last month, with Arsenal said to be willing to listen to offers

 Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsey is out of contract in the summer and could move on for a fee next month

 Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega has been identified as a natural replacement and has a relatively modest release clause of £18million

 The Argentinian's agent has reportedly travelled to London in an attempt to thrash out a deal, with Banega having worked with Emery at Valencia and Sevilla

Arsenal predicted line-up after the January transfer window (3-4-2-1): Leno; Mustafi, Sokratis, Cahill; Bellerin, Torreira, Xhaka, Monreal; Banega, Aubameyang; Lacazette

For more infomation >> Arsenal transfer news: Starting XI after January window – New defence, Banega in, Ozil out - Duration: 3:53.

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Arsenal news: 'He'd walk into Emery's team, I'd be shocked if he stayed' - transfer claim - Duration: 2:26.

 That is the view of Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal forward Paul Merson. Doucoure has once again impressed in the Watford midfield this season

 **PREDICT FIVE RESULTS AND WIN £25,000 - FREE TO PLAY HERE** The Frenchman started the first 19 Premier League games of the campaign until dropping to the bench for Saturday's visit of Newcastle

 Merson is a fan of Doucoure and has previously spoken of the 25-year-old being good enough for the top teams in the Premier League

 He reckons he would make an immediate improvement to Unai Emery's Arsenal side. And Merson cannot see Doucoure remaining a Watford player for much longer

 "They might keep hold of him this January," Merson said. "But I think if he keeps doing what he's doing I'd be shocked if he was playing at Watford Football Club next season

 "That's no disrespect to Watford Football Club. "I think [he could play for a team in the] top six

 "He would walk into Arsenal's team tomorrow morning in my opinion. He would walk into Arsenal's team

 "You talk in this day and age about players going somewhere and be squad players

 "Would he be out of place at Man City? We've seen what's happened with Fernandinho, people haven't been able to step in and do what he does

 "He's got legs, he gets around the pitch, he does things, he can score a goal. I think he could play for any of them

 "I said Man United the other week and then Man United fans will go 'why are we buying players from Watford? We're better than that'

 "I think he's a very good player, very good player."