Journalist Charles Watts has claimed that Shakhtar Donetsk will feel as though Arsenal will be more desperate to sign after Mykhailo Mudryk after their most recent game and so can hold out for a higher transfer fee.

What’s the word?

Mikel Arteta's men failed to score in a goalless draw with Newcastle United last night and so it's easy to see why some extra attacking quality might have helped their case. It's no secret that the Gunners are hoping to land the Ukrainian winger in the January transfer window and have already had one bid for the player rejected. Arsenal have since come in with a second offer and it remains to be seen if that will be accepted or not. However, according to Watts, Shakhtar might feel as though they are in no rush to sell Mudryk. While talking on YouTube after the game, Watts outlined the latest on the player and explained his thoughts on it all. He said: “I think Shakhtar Donetsk would have been delighted with that game last night and will be eagerly awaiting Arsenal's next phone call. “I'm still not sure if that bid's been rejected yet. I'm still trying to find out the second bid, but I mean, it's going to really strengthen their position.
"There'll be looking at that and thinking, 'yeah, Arsenal need reinforcements, they need attacking options. This is why we're not just going to give Mudryk away'.”

Depth needed?

In the Arsenal Premier League draw with the Magpies, Arteta only made one substitution and that was taking right-back Ben White off Takehiro Tomiyasu. Part of the issue for the Gunners is that Gabriel Jesus, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe have both been injured recently, so attacking depth on the bench is limited. With that being the case, it makes plenty of sense for the club to chase Mudryk – who has ten goals and eight assists in total this season. However, it also means Shakhtar will feel as though they can squeeze every last penny out of Arsenal in terms of a transfer fee. What's more, rivals Chelsea have now reportedly entered the race and so the player's valuation may well be going up by the hour.