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Mikel Arteta told to sign Man City star in January to replace two Arsenal players
Oct 17 2026 00:18 · By Chris Davie · 12 Reads
Erling Haaland has been tipped to join Arsenal if Man City are punished by the Premier League (Getty)
Arsenal should launch an audacious bid to sign Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in the January transfer window, according to talkSPORT host Adrian Durham.
With City facing the prospect of a strong punishment from the Premier League after the club were found guilty of breaking 114 financial rules over a nine-season period, doubts have been raised over Haaland’s long-term future at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal, meanwhile, held discussions over signing a new striker in the summer window but were unable to lure Julian Alvarez, their first-choice target, away from Atletico Madrid.
Durham believes Arsenal would ‘dominate’ with Haaland in their squad and feels the Norway international would want a move away from City if the club are severely sanctioned by the Premier League.
‘I was thinking to myself, just imagine Man City get relegated to the North West Counties Premier Division,’ Durham told talkSPORT.
‘And all those players want to leave. Would any of those players get into the PSG side? I couldn’t really think of too many.
Mikel Arteta has been urged to replace £64m signing Viktor Gyokeres (Getty)
‘Then, I thought Erling Haaland would get into any side in the world, his goal rate is phenomenal, and then an idea struck me, Arsenal in January should go for Erling Haaland.
‘The reason is this… they’ve been dilly-dallying about, showing a bit of pity on Kai Havertz, saying he works hard, when he really isn’t that elite level striker that they want.
‘Arteta is sticking by his man Gyokeres, when we all know that he’s not good enough for that elite level. Arteta has just got to hold his hands up and say he’s got this one wrong, he’s never going to make it and we’re never going to get down this road.
‘How good would it be for Arsenal, as they try to dominate domestically and in Europe, season after season, to sign the goal machine that is Erling Haaland?