Mikel Arteta given green light to make January signing

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has reportedly been given the go-ahead by the club hierarchy to sign one player in the upcoming January transfer window, according to reports.

The Gunners are currently top of the league and, should they win their next two Premier League games at Chelsea and Wolves, they will head the table going at Christmas.

That would be uncharted territory for the Gunners, who have not led the division on Christmas Day since 2007, under the management of Arsene Wenger.

On that occasion, they eventually slipped to third, thanks to a high number of draws and a horror leg break suffered by in-form striker Eduardo in February.

Arteta and his side will be desperate to ensure a repeat of that does not happen this time around. And to that end, the Gunners have been linked with a number of players throughout recent months.

Their priority positions to strengthen appear to include both attacking flanks, and central midfield.

However, as per new reports, Arteta will get to add a new player in one of those positions - but not both.

Arsenal to strengthen in January

The Telegraph claim that Arsenal sporting director Edu is looking to bring in one player in the January transfer window as the Gunners look to continue their stay at the summit of the Premier League.

That means the Spanish boss will have to decide carefully on who he brings the club. Arsenal will likely be fighting on at least two fronts, with progression to the Europa League knockout stages already secured, whilst they could also progress far in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

On Wednesday, the agent of Orlando City winger Facundo Torres confirmed, as per talkSPORT, that Arsenal are interested in signing the player, with the 22-year-old reportedly available for around £15 million.

The signing of Torres would represent competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, whilst the club have also been linked with moves for Shakhtar Donetsk star Myhkaylo Mudryk and Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha.

Zaha is available on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, but Arsenal would likely have to pay a fee to bring the 29-year-old to the Emirates Stadium in January, as he can discuss a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs from then onwards.

In central midfield, the Gunners have been hotly linked with the signing of Leicester's Youri Tielemans, who is also out of contract next summer.

Arteta has now been presented with an important transfer decision, and one that could prove to be a key call come the end of the season.