ARSENAL have bolstered their ranks by recalling Miguel Azeez from his loan at UD Ibiza after Mikel Arteta’s transfer plea.
The Gunners were left frustrated on Tuesday after they were held to a goalless draw by Newcastle United at The Emirates.
GettyArsenal have recalled Miguel Azeez from his loan spell in Spain[/caption]
That stretched their advantage at the top of the table to eight points – but rivals Manchester City can close the gap to five with a win over Chelsea tomorrow.
With striker Gabriel Jesus ruled out through injury, Arteta is desperate to bring in reinforcements during the January transfer window.
And his lack of options were evident last night as he decided to make just one substitute during the game, which was right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu replacing Ben White.
Now he could have one extra option to call on after Arsenal decided to bring back England U20s international midfielder Azeez.
The 20-year-old, who also had a brief spell at League One Portsmouth last year, was sent out to Spanish second tier outfit UD Ibiza for further first-team experience.
However, he has featured just ten times for the club, with just two of those coming in the last nine games.
Whether or not Arteta decides to keep him around for extra options remains to be seen as he continues to be linked with new signings.
Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk has emerged as the Gunners’ No1 January target.
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST FOOTBALL BETTING SITES IN THE UK
However, we reported earlier how the Ukrainian club are set to reject Arsenal’s improved £62million bid for 21-year-old amid Chelsea’s late interest.
Arteta was quizzed about his squad’s depth following yesterday’s stalemate and whether if it would have helped having a new signing in his ranks.
He replied: “I don’t know. That’s something more for Edu and the board to respond. “We are really trying to improve the squad in every window.
“We’re trying to do our best because we cannot waste any windows still with the squad and the numbers that we have. We will try.”