Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal sign Leandro Trossard after Danny Ings joins West Ham

Erik ten Hag is confident Manchester United can frustrate Arsenal again as his side look to do the double over the Premier League leaders.

A mightily impressive first half of the campaign has the Gunners atop of the standings and fans beginning to dream of a first league crown since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles triumphed in 2004.

Arsenal head into the weekend five points clear of Manchester City and boast a game in hand on both the reigning champions and third-placed United, who will attempt to hack away at their eight-point gap on Sunday.

Ten Hag’s improving side head to north London buoyed by a superb unbeaten run and the knowledge that they are the only team to have beaten Mikel Arteta’s men in the league this season.

Southampton boss Nathan Jones has challenged his squad to reach the psychological barrier of hauling themselves out of the relegation zone as they prepare for a period which could define the season.

Jones, who took over from Ralph Hasenhuttl ahead of the World Cup break, finally secured a first Premier League win at fellow strugglers Everton last weekend.

It was a third straight victory on the back of cup successes over Crystal Palace and Manchester City. While Saints remain bottom of the Premier League table, they are now just a point from safety.

West Ham United have completed the signing of striker Danny Ings from Aston Villa.

Ings has joined the Hammers for an undisclosed fee, understood to be around £12million, until the summer of 2025.

The 30-year-old is eligible for an immediate debut in Saturday’s crunch home meeting with fellow strugglers Everton.

“I’m really excited to join West Ham United,” said Ings.

Leandro Trossard has completed his move to Arsenal from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee understood by The Independent to be £27m.

The 28-year-old Belgian had been agitating for a move away from the Amex Stadium and new Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi no longer wished to use the forward, enabling a deal to be struck.

Trossard will provide much-needed attacking reinforcements for Arsenal as they find themselves in the midst of a Premier League title race, seeking to hold off Manchester City and possibly their city rivals United as well.

He will wear shirt No 19 and in their statement confirming the signing, Arsenal said: “All documents have been submitted and we’re hoping Leandro will be eligible for selection for our match against Manchester United on Sunday.”

“He doesn’t wait long,” said Jurgen Klopp. “Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?” It was in September and the German was quick to mock Todd Boehly’s idea for a Premier League all-star game. The new Chelsea owner had made an impression on the long-serving Liverpool manager: just not a positive one.

Fast forward four months and, if such notional sides were picked on top-flight form, perhaps neither Liverpool nor Chelsea would need worry about their players being injured in a glorified exhibition match. They met in two cup finals last season. Now they face off as ninth and 10th in the Premier League. Boehly’s southern all-stars could instead feature more players from Brighton, Brentford and Fulham than the club with the biggest transfer outlay in any season in history.

The alternative interpretation is that Boehly intends every Chelsea match to be an all-star game. He has just signed the rising star of this season’s Champions League, in Mykhailo Mudryk, and tried to buy his World Cup counterpart, in Enzo Fernandez. Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid’s £100m prodigy, was supposed to be a global star.

Chelsea have had an offer of £55million rejected for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to the Liverpool Echo via The Athletic.

The 21-year-old has been touted for a big-money move to a whole host of Premier League clubs but it appears the Blues have made the first move for the rising star.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has set the clock ticking on significant change coming to his squad after insisting he is going nowhere.

A sixth Premier League defeat at the weekend has left the German facing a considerable task to rediscover something close to their best form.

And while that will not be solved by transfer activity this month change is around the corner as Klopp, who denied he was too loyal to senior players, knows that is the only way forward.

Only last April he signed a contract extension until 2026 and in contrast to his situation at former club Borussia Dortmund, who were facing a relegation battle at this stage of his seventh season, the 55-year-old stressed only the sack would prevent him seeing that through.

Chelsea’s late swoop to scupper rivals Arsenal’s hopes of signing Mykhailo Mudryk set up one of the most eye-catching transfers of the season.

The Ukraine international has become one of the Blues’ most expensive signings after arriving at Stamford Bridge from Shakhtar Donetsk for £62million, a fee that could rise to £88m depending on performances.

Here we take a look at how the club’s five most expensive buys prior to Mudryk’s arrival have fared.

The Premier League reaches the halfway stage of the season with Arsenal sitting top of the table.

Mikel Arteta’s side have a cushion over champions Manchester City in the title race, despite Erling Haaland’s incredible goalscoring run.

Manchester United’s resurgence and Eddie Howe’s revolution at Newcastle United see both clubs primed to capture a Champions League place.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham have work to do, with Brighton and Fulham enjoying fine campaigns so far.

As teams spend big in January to change their fortunes, here is Indy Sport’s team of the season so far:

How many of our picks are in your squad?