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There is certainly still a long way to go, but this season really is shaping up to be something quite special for Arsenal.

Thanks to their wins over Aston Villa and Bournemouth and Manchester City’s draws against Sunderland and Chelsea, Mikel Arteta’s side are now six points clear atop the Premier League table.

However, there is always room for improvement, and one area in which the North Londoners are still lacking when compared to Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut is in attack.

Fortunately, if reports are to be believed, Arsenal are keen to bolster their attacking options and have been linked with someone who could be their new Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Arsenal target their new Aubameyang

Now, it should be said that Arsenal do have one of the best attacks in the Premier League; they wouldn’t be sitting atop of it if they didn’t.

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However, even after scoring seven goals in their last two games, the Gunners have scored four fewer than City overall.

While this isn’t proving to be too much of an issue at the moment, it’s easy to understand why the club might want to add more firepower to Arteta’s side in 2026, which is what they appear to be intent on doing in the guise of someone who could be seen as another Auba.

At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Arsenal are very interested in Karim Adeyemi.

In fact, the report claims that the Gunners have already made inquiries over the player and spoken to the German international’s camp to outline a clear role for him in the side and that, as things stand, they are ahead of Manchester United in the race for his signature.

However, the potentially significant hurdle the North Londoners will have to contend with to make this deal happen is that Borussia Dortmund want up to €70m for the attacker, which is about £61m.

It could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Adeyemi’s ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he could be another Aubameyang.

Why Adeyemi would be another Aubameyang

The first and most apparent comparison between Adeyemi and Aubameyang is that, should this deal go through, it would be another example of Arsenal signing someone from Dortmund.

More than that, though, it would be an example of the Gunners signing a highly rated and dynamic attacker who knows where the goal is.

Sure, the German might not be quite as prolific as the Gabonese international was, or is, but he remains a serious attacking threat.

For example, in just 41 appearances last season, totalling 2434 minutes, the 23-year-old scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists.

That comes out to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.78 games, or every 105.82 minutes.

Adeyemi’s 24/25

Appearances

41

Starts

31

Minutes

2434′

Goals

12

Assists

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.56

Minutes per Goal Involvement

105.82′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of being a serious source of goal involvements, the former RB Salzburg gem would also be a problem solver for Arteta, thanks to his positional versatility.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Arsenal transfer insight Want more context on Arsenal’s reported pursuit of Karim Adeyemi? Subscribe to our newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, player-fit evaluations, fee breakdowns and how targets could shape the Gunners’ attack — essential reading for transfer-minded fans.

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Like the Gunners’ former captain, the Munich-born star can play up front or out wide, but unlike Auba, he can play off the left or right.

Finally, another trait the 11-capped international shares with the FA Cup winner is his rapid pace.

In the words of football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the goalscoring dynamo is blessed with “electric pace”, which he often uses to devastating effect on counterattacks.

Ultimately, while it won’t be a cheap transfer to get over the line, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Adeyemi, as he could be the missing piece to their attack and their new Aubameyang.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

Celtic are still waiting for Jota to return from his ACL injury that was initially predicted to keep him out for up to nine months, which would have him on course to return in February.

The Portuguese forward’s absence has been felt at Parkhead because the other wingers at the club have failed to deliver the kind of consistency or quality that he can produce.

He has racked up 33 goals and 28 assists in 99 appearances for Celtic in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which includes four goals and two assists in seven starts in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Amazingly, Hyun-jun Yang, James Forrest, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, and Sebastian Tounekti have all failed to provide at least one goal and one assist, with either one or two goals or one or two assists each.

Celtic in talks to sign new wingers

It is not a surprise, therefore, to learn that the Scottish Premiership champions are looking to add to their options in the wide areas ahead of the second half of the season.

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According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Celtic have made an offer of £2m to sign Maccabi Netanya winger Jocelin Ta Bi in the January transfer window.

The Hoops are in talks with the Israeli side to strike a deal for the 20-year-old talent, and have now made their move for his services with an official offer, despite the fact that they have parted ways with manager Wilfried Nancy this week.

Joseph adds that the Ivorian forward is currently on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva, a fellow Israeli side, and that they expect to lose the player this month, with his loan deal expected to be cut short so that he can seal a permanent transfer elsewhere.

However, the Sky Sports journalist does not reveal whether or not the £2m bid made by Wilfried Nancy’s team will be enough to convince Maccabi Netanya to part ways with him.

Why Ta Bi could be Celtic's new Jota

After six losses in eight games under Nancy prior to his departure, including a League Cup final defeat and a 3-1 loss to Rangers, supporters may not be overly excited about the signing of a 20-year-old prospect, particularly one who is currently out injured for another two weeks.

However, Celtic have to focus on the mid to long-term, as well as the short-term, and Ta Bi is a potential signing that could see the Hoops have their next Jota in the building.

As aforementioned, none of Celtic’s other wing options this season have shown that they have the quality to both score and assist goals in equal measure, as Jota has done throughout his two spells at Parkhead.

Ta Bi, who was described as an “interesting” player by Turkish analyst Harun Gunduz, has shown some promise in his performances in the Israeli Premier League on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva.

He also scored five goals and provided three assists in 27 appearances in the second tier for Hapoel Petah Tikva, per Transfermarkt, in the 2024/25 campaign.

25/26 Israeli PL

Ta Bi

Apperances

12

Goals

2

Big chances created

5

Key passes per game

1.3

Assists

2

Successful dribbles per game

3.2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Ta Bi has adjusted well to the step up to the top-flight this season, with four goal contributions in 12 appearances to date.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic transfer insight Want deeper transfer analysis? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused Celtic coverage — tactical breakdowns, scouting insights and player-fit evaluations around moves like Ta Bi, so you can follow the story beyond headlines.

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These statistics show that he can score and create goals in equal measure, even if not at an incredible rate yet, whilst he can also consistently get past his marker with successful dribbles, much like Jota.

Ta Bi has more combined goals and assists than Balikwisha, Tounekti, Yang, and Forest at league level, per WhoScored, and this suggests that he could have an immediate impact on the team if he can translate his performances over to Scottish football.

Whilst his numbers do not suggest that he will be an instant superstar in Glasgow, the return of Jota later this season means that he will be able to learn from the Portuguese winger and be his understudy until he is ready to be the main man at Parkhead.

Related Forget O'Neill: Celtic can save season by hiring "box office" Nancy upgrade

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Posts ByDan Emery

Therefore, Celtic could hit the jackpot by signing this impressive young talent for the mid to long-term as their next Jota, even if he may not be the most exciting addition with the current campaign in mind, due to his injury, age, and inexperience.

Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy backed himself to turn things around at Parkhead after he oversaw a 3-1 defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

The French boss claimed in his post-match interview that he believes that the Hoops are “close” to achieving success on the pitch, but that the results are not matching the performances.

Ultimately, though, he has lost six of his eight matches in charge of the Scottish giants and that will bring his future into doubt because of the high standards that are expected of the club.

Why Celtic should sack Wilfried Nancy

The Athletic’s Chris Hamill claims that Celtic and Nancy are not right for each other and that it is a “disconnect for the ages”, placing the blame on those who appointed him in the first place.

Chris Sutton, meanwhile, says that it is “time to move fast and be decisive” after describing the decision to appoint a “stubborn” manager as a bad one, suggesting that he thinks the club should act now.

It is hard to disagree with that assessment and BBC broadcaster Tom English backs it up in the clip below, going as far as to say that the Frenchman’s position at Parkhead should be untenable after six losses out of eight.

Celtic are now six points adrift of Hearts and have already lost the League Cup final on Nancy’s watch, but there is still time to salvage the season to win the league and compete for the SFA Cup.

The manager Celtic should hire to replace Wilfried Nancy

Some supporters may still wonder why Martin O’Neill was not given the interim role until the end of the campaign after he won seven of his eight games in charge after Brendan Rodgers resigned.

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However, it was right of Celtic to think of the mid to long-term, as O’Neill was only a short-term fix. The issue, on current evidence, is that they appear to have got the short-term all wrong with the appointment of Nancy.

The Hoops board can save the club’s season, whilst still focusing on the mid to long-term, though, by sacking the former Columbus Crew manager to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead.

Back in October, it was reported that Celtic were considering an approach for the Australian head coach as a replacement for Rodgers, but they ultimately decided to go with Nancy.

The 60-year-old boss, who favours a 4-3-3 formation, would still be an appointment with the mid to long-term as a permanent hire, but his experience and record at Celtic show that he would also immediately improve results in the short-term.

Postecoglou, whose press conferences were described as “box office” by reporter George Sessions, won five out of six domestic trophies in his two seasons with the Scottish giants, including the Premiership title in both campaigns.

The former Nottingham Forest boss only lost six out of 76 Premiership games in charge, per Transfermarkt. Nancy, meanwhile, has lost four of his six league games at Celtic, which means that he would have to lose just two of his next 70 games in charge to equal Postecoglou’s loss record.

Celtic stats

Postecoglou

Nancy

Matches

113

8

Losses

18

6

Points per game

2.31

0.75

Goals scored

284

11

Goals scored per game

2.5

1.4

Goals conceded

108

18

Goals conceded per game

0.95

2.25

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the former Hoops manager could get the team scoring more goals and conceding far fewer goals, which is why he was so successful in his two years at Parkhead.

Subscribe for in-depth coverage of Celtic’s managerial crisis Explore the Nancy vs Postecoglou debate — subscribe to the newsletter for detailed analysis, Transfermarkt-backed stats and tactical breakdowns that clarify what managerial choices mean for Celtic’s season and prospects.

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Some may say that you should never go back to what has worked before, in danger of souring things or lightning not striking twice, but Celtic did it with Brendan Rodgers, and he won the title in both of his full seasons in the dugout.

Therefore, the board must consider acting fast, as Sutton suggested, and sacking Nancy to bring in another manager to save the 2025/26 campaign.

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Posts ByTom Cunningham

Postecoglou could save their season by turning the team’s form around, with his proven track record at this level, to attempt to win the two domestic trophies still on offer.