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Jake Stokes

Mikel Arteta challenges Ralf Rangnick on £35m transfer as Edu eyes 'wildcard' Arsenal signing

Welcome to our football.london The Arsenal Way daily news round-up.

Maybe not the first, we've definitely done transfer round-ups before, and European round-ups, so I guess in some ways it's not that new at all.

Anyway, we thought we would enter the world of football in a broad and roundabout manner for you and have some fun with some of the stories and captions doing the daily rounds.

Two Gunners have been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month for December after a dazzling December.

Meanwhile, Arsenal look set to welcome an old face from across the Channel as Edu goes toes-to-toe with Manchester United for Portuguese star.

Gunners gun for POTM award

Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard have both been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month for December.

The Arsenal duo guided Mikel Arteta's side back into the running for Champions League football, finishing last month inside the top four having won four from six.

Martinelli (five) and Odegaard (six) directly contributed to a combined eleven goals in December, plugging the rumbling volcano - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's stripping of captaincy - that could have derailed the Gunners' season.

Joao Cancelo, James Maddison, Mason Mount, Son Heung-Min and Raheem Sterling have also been nominated for the award.

Our view: Martinelli is my Premier League Player of the Month for December because it's hard to overlook the impact he has had since Arteta threw him into the side and if he hadn't of performed like he had then Arsenal could be in the mud a bit with the Aubameyang saga in mind.

What you waiting for, vote here!

Gabriel Martinelli has been one of Arsenal's standout performers over the past six Premier League games (Getty Images)

Ramsey set for PL return

Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey looks set for a Premier League return in the January transfer window.

The 31-year-old seen his odds to join Newcastle United in the January transfer window slashed over the past 24 hours from 3/1 to 1/1, according to BetVictor.

Meanwhile, London Colney graduate Eddie Nketiah is priced at 2/1 to join Crystal Palace, 12/1 to join Leeds, and 14/1 to join Brighton, as Mikel Arteta looks to resolve his striker situation at the Emirates.

Our view: Any club that moves in for Ramsey would essentially be making a wildcard signing. If you get the Wales international version, you hit the jackpot. but if you don't then you're at risk of walking away with your tail between your legs.

United set to hijack Edu's long-term target

Manchester United are plotting a £35 million January transfer hijacking of Arsenal target and Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, according to The Sun.

The Gunners were linked with the Portuguese international throughout the summer, with Granit Xhaka seeming likely to join Italian outfit AS Roma before a deal eventually collapsed.

Neves has enjoyed an extremely productive season for Bruno Lage's side, who now sit eighth in the Premier League following a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford - where he controlled the tempo in the middle of the park.

Ruben Neves has been linked with a move to Arsenal (Getty Images)

Our view: I rate Neves very highly and I think he has the minerals to become a consistent performer in the Champions League and Edu must do what he can to ensure United don't snatch their target.

He has a unique calmness on the ball about him, he's an international, a metronome in midfield, can score a belter at any given moment and he has a great beard on him as well.

Follow our The Arsenal Way trends writer Jake Stokes on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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