Arsenal Reportedly Block Two Players From Leaving in January

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly blocked two players from leaving the squad this January. According to a report by Sport Witness, the Premier League champions are having to fend off interest from Europe's biggest clubs for several key players who have made a slow start to the season.

One of the players named in the report is midfielder Martin Zubimendi. Although it is only November, there has been talk of Zubimendi leaving the Emirates in January since the last transfer window closed. The player, who joined Arsenal last summer after beating Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona, has slipped to fourth in the midfield pecking order after Myles Lewis-Skelly emerged in the middle of the park and Bruno Guimaraes was signed.

Sport Witness reports that Arteta has also blocked left-back Piero Hincapie from leaving in January alongside Zubimendi. Hincapie's season was interrupted by an injury early on, while the excellent form of teammate Riccardo Calafiori has also left him with little room to play. Hincapie, who arrived on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, started ahead of Calafiori in the Champions League final before the club made his transfer permanent.