Arsenal are on the final straight heading towards the January transfer window.

Mikel Arteta's side have two upcoming battles before the end of the calendar year vs Ipswich Town and Brentford. Only maximum points will suffice as the Gunners then enter the first month of a new calendar year, which sees them remain hopeful of winning the Premier League, continue their Champions League campaign, take part in a Carabao Cup semi-final, and finally enter the FA Cup.

All of that takes place whilst Bukayo Saka is injured, set to miss 'many weeks' now his manager has painfully confirmed.

READ MORE: Arsenal have already completed £65m transfer to replace Bukayo Saka during injury absence

READ MORE: Mikel Arteta knew Arsenal issue long before Bukayo Saka injury and failed to fix it

With Arsenal's challenge ahead set in stone, football.london takes a look at the latest news headlines and transfer rumours surrounding the Emirates Stadium before providing a view...

Gary Neville title verdict

After the recent weekend's action, Gary Neville was able to give his fresh take on the Premier League title race.

Defeat for Manchester City has left them stranded well outside of the top four, let alone in the picture for silverware; then Arsenal beat Crystal Palace.

Chelsea followed up with a goalless draw at Everton, allowing the Gunners to close the gap to their London rivals, before Liverpool extended theirs' at the top by beating Tottenham.

"Liverpool are clearly the best team in the Premier League at this moment in time. They’re the clear favourites for the title. Man City’s drop-off has been spectacular, I’m not sure anyone really knows how it’s gone so badly wrong," Neville explained on his Sky Sports podcast.

"Chelsea had a tough game today but they’re doing well and having a good season. I think the one team Liverpool need to watch are Arsenal if they can get their tail up and close that gap going in March and April. But at this moment in time, Liverpool are clear favourites. I think the biggest risk for them is injuries – if they were to lose Van Dijk and Salah that would hurt them.

"Van Dijk is like Rodri for Liverpool, he holds it all together. Keeping him fit is absolutely crucial. There’s some big challenges coming up so we’re nowhere near the point that you can hand Liverpool the title but they’re in a great position, and at this moment in time they’re by far the best team in the league, and the table tells us that."

football.london says: As much as Gunners fans may not want to hear it, Neville is a bit hasty in writing off Chelsea as key challengers compared to Arsenal. But it is understandable why he thinks that at the same time. Arteta has more experience in his squad after two prior seasons of title battles; now they just have to show that and hope their rivals capitulate.

Marcus Rashford peace offering

In the days after Marcus Rashford openly admitted he would seek to leave boyhood club Manchester United, Arsenal have been suggested as one of the rivals he could switch to for the 'new challenge' he desires.

However, his new manager, Ruben Amorim, hopes it will never come to that with his latest message to his striker.

As he took a swipe at people who influence Rashford, he told Sky Sports: "I am always here to help Marcus as another player.

"As a coach, I focus on performance and the way you train. The rest, it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes. At the moment I focus on improving Marcus, and we need a talented guy like Marcus.

"I forget the interview now and see what I see on the pitch."

football.london says: If Arsenal were genuinely interested in Rashford, there is little they can do but let this power struggle play out, then see how they can get the best out of the situation. Realistically, Arteta does need another prolific forward, but is this player the answer? With only 11 league goals in the last season and a half, perhaps not...