Stakes are high as Mikel Arteta is left with a nagging dilemma

Eyes will turn to the remaining fortnight of the transfer window. What is required to turn an increasingly likely thing into a sure thing for Arsenal?

DILEMMA: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds the fans after the final whistle in the Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Pic: PA

A month rarely laden with certainties has one sure thing for Arsenal. When January ends they will be top of the Premier League, with a game in hand over their rivals and the likelihood of a significant points cushion. They are currently the best team in the division by some distance and, when everything is working this smoothly, momentum can feel entirely self-sustaining.

The manner of their win at Spurs, which included a first-half showing as capable as anyone will produce all year, reinforced the view that Mikel Arteta is under little pressure to make changes for the campaign’s second half. Arsenal’s consistency of performance is remarkable; results are following and their squad depth is such that the medium-term absence of their star centre-forward, Gabriel Jesus, is barely felt.