Mikel Arteta drops huge Arsenal January transfer hint with eight-word verdict

Mikel Arteta has again hinted that the January transfer window may be a quiet one for Arsenal.

The winter trading period is set to open in roughly two weeks and the Gunners are not expected to be busy with Arteta reaffirming that by issuing a new transfer update in his latest press conference.

Asked if he needed to solve creative issues in January, the Arsenal boss said: "I fully trust the squad and our players. The amount we generate in the match and how little we concede I fully trust my players." Arsenal failed to score at home to Everton in Premier League action this past weekend with their last three league goals all from set-pieces.

However, it must be mentioned that between those goals, Arsenal netted three from open play against Monaco in the Champions League with Arteta keen to remind reporters of that. "That’s always the narrative," he said. "When you score five goals and three you’re not going to talk about it. That’s normal. For us it doesn’t change.

"We want to score three or five. Even though we didn’t score on Saturday we want to do better." Arsenal are now set to face Crystal Palace twice in the space of three days with their first meeting for a spot in the Carabao Cup last four.

This coming weekend, Arteta and his players make the short trip to Selhurst Park as they take on the Eagles in Premier League action. There was major concern over Declan Rice's availability after his early withdrawal last Saturday against Everton, however Arteta has confirmed he is available.

"He’s fine," Arteta revealed on Rice. "We will make the decision on whether he’s available or not. Alex [Oleksandr Zinchenko] and Riccy [Riccardo Calafiori] will still be out of the squad for tomorrow." The defensive duo have both missed the last few weeks and are thus major doubts to return over the Christmas and New Year period.