Arsenal will turn their attentions to the FA Cup as they look to build on good fortunes of late which has seen them climb up to mid-table in the Premier League.

The Gunners will welcome league rivals Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm) for a third round FA Cup tie.

Mikel Arteta’s men will be looking to progress as they big to retain their current crown after being successful in the cup competition last season.

The boss may use it as a chance to rotate his squad slightly and assess a number of players now the January transfer window is open.

They’ve already seen young defender William Saliba join French Ligue One side Nice on loan for the remainder of the season.

The move is designed to give the 19-year-old French youth international defender the chance for more competitive playing time.

Technical director Edu said: “William Saliba is a player with a huge amount of talent and potential. We’re confident he will have a great career with us but we must remember that he is still only 19 years old and has a lot of time ahead of him.

"William experienced a very challenging time last year, with his playing time limited by injury and the early ending of the Ligue 1 season due to the pandemic.

"So together with William, we have decided that spending the rest of the season on loan with Nice is the best way for him to develop. We will be keeping in close contact with William during his time with Nice and look forward to seeing him make good progress until the end of the season.”

Sead Kolasinac has also agreed to join Bundesliga side Schalke on loan for the remainder of the season.

The Bosnia & Herzegovina international will be returning to the club he joined as a youth player and spent five years in their first team before signing for Arsenal in June 2017.

Arteta may also be keen to move on a few more players and try bring in a few new faces to freshen his squad up as they look to continue turning their season around.

They will then return to league action when they host Crystal Palace on Thursday, January 14.