London battle for the Champions League entrance

It is a well-known fact how intense the battles are in the EPL, when the Champions League places are at stake and it's been known to derail the focus from the title with the intesity of competitiveness. With just a handful of games to be played, nothing is clear regarding the 3rd and 4th spot. Three of London's biggest clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, are all going head to head in the thrilling rush for the Champions League extasy and bellow you'll find the situation the teams are in.

Arsenal - 63 points

Games played: 34

Form: WDWWW

Remaining schedule: Man Utd (H), QPR (A), Wigan (H), Newcastle (A)

Chelsea - 61 points

Games played: 32

Form: WWLWW

Remaining schedule: Liverpool (A), Swansea (H), Man Utd (A), Tottenham (H), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H)

Tottenham - 61 points

Games played: 33

Form: WDWLL

Remaining schedule: Wigan (A), Southampton (H), Chelsea (A), Stoke (A), Sunderland (H)

Jack Wilshere substituted with thigh injury

Just as he was making his way back to the stardom, Jack Wilshere's injury concerns can't seem to go away. Midfielder was praised recently for his performances, most notably in England's 2:1 win over Brazil, where Arsenal star was declared man of the match.

Wilshere was brought down by Alfred N'Diaye right at the beginning of the second half, after which he was taken out of play, though the seriousness of the injury is yet to be determined.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has already been concerned with Jack's workload after the return from a 19-month injury.

Wilshere has made his debut for Gunners in 2008 as a 16 year old and has so far made 49 league appearances, making the scoresheet 5 times.

Is Arsenal doing the right thing keeping Walcott?

Despite being just 23 years old, name Theo Walcott goes back a long time, considering how long the talented ex-Southampton player has been under the spotlight. Walcott is Southamptons youngest first team player, making his debut as a 16 year old. He is also the record holder for the youngest player to play a competitive match for a senior England national team, being just 17 years and 75 days old.

It was becoming quickly obvious that pacey striker was not going to stay with the Saints for a prolonged period and in winter of 2006, Arsenal lured him with a £5M bid, potentially rising to £12M.

Comparisons with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry were inevitable, but Walcott's progress at Arsenal has stalled to say the least, but he featured for Arsenal on regular basis, making over 20 league appearances every season since his arrival.

Due to his quick feet and ability on the ball, Walcott was often deployed as a winger on the right side of the pitch, which he disliked, but it made more sense for a player of his physicality to be operating on the wings, rather than the middle of attack.

Walcott saga is one of the many in Arsenal's recent times, but it looks as though this one is here to stay, with him finally agreeing on a 5-year deal which will make him one of Arsenal's top earners, making £100,000 per week, after rejecting a £75,000 per week deal in summer.

But the question is, does a player of his (in)consistency really deserve £5M annually, same sum his former teammate, Gareth Bale, is making with Arsenal's arch-rivals, Tottenham.

Walcott tends to be overshadowed far too often and his scoring record is rather poor for a striker, scoring just 34 league goals in 166 league appearances for the Gunners, though it is fair to point out that Walcott has spent a good deal on the wing, and even more on the bench.

Could have Arsenal spent their money wiser? It remains to be seen by Walcott's performances.

Jack Wilshere ready to sign new Arsenal deal

In the recent weeks, sun has definitely not been shining on the Emirates, as Arsenal continues their struggle in the league, making just 24 points out of 16 games so far, and the biggest shocker came on on Tuesday night, when Gunners were knocked out of the Capital One Cup, after losing on penalties to a low-tier team Bradford. After a poor league run so far and the unexpected early exit form the cup, people have started questioning Wenger's methods yet again, wondering if he's the right man for the job.

Despite the negative energy circulating among the supporters, there is a timid light in the darkness, as their most promising star is ready to commit to a club and accept the offer of £80,000 a week contract in the duration of 5 years, meaning he'll earn somewhere around £20M during the time span, provided that he does see out his contract.

He has recently recovered from a serious ankle injury, which eventually required operation and kept young Englishman from the pitch for almost 15 months now. Before the blow, he was considered to be the most promising player England had, though expectations faded away, as the injury dragged on.

Wilshere has made his debut for London-based club in 2008 as a 16 year old and has so far made 49 league appearances, scoring just once. He also had a loan spell with Bolton Wanderers, scoring also one in the 14 league appearances he made.

Tottenham looking stronger than Arsenal at the moment

These two teams are obviously biggest contenders for that 4th spot that leads to Champions League and it feels that Spurs are ahead of them at the moment, form-wise judging from their last 5 games, in which they've managed to win 4 and today showed a lot of quality against Chelsea, while missing 4 key players.

Last year, there's little doubt that Arsenal we're incredibly dependent on Robin van Persie. Now they appear to be even weaker than last season. Sure Cazora has been magnificent for them, and Podolski is looking good, but Giroud doesn't look as good of a signing, judging from these few games so far. They've also lost Song and replaced him with injury-prone Diaby at the center.

On the other hand, Tottenham are looking way stronger, defence was never as strong, provided players stay fit and Dembele appears to be on par with Modric's contribution, plus return to form of Defoe and Lennon is really showing lately. Probably would have been better off with keeping VDV and, but I'm sure, given time, Dempsey will find a way to slot into our system, scoring 17 goals in EPL for a mid-table team is certainly not a coincidence.

January could be season-changing moment for both clubs, with funds available to spend. Arsenal have identified Atletico Madrid's Adrian as their primary target and could snare him if they meet the release clause in his contract which states that Adrian can leave Madrid for €18M. Spurs could be back on their summer targets, but a push for Moutinho appears unlikely. It wouldn't be a surprise if they went for Remy, though, as Marseille is looking to sell some of their star players due to debt and Remy, as well as Andre Ayew, who was previously linked to Arsenal and whose price tag stands at €14M.