Arsenal news: Patrick Vieira predicts title winners as Ederson compares Gabriel Jesus to Haaland

Here is your morning Arsenal digest on Tuesday, February 21.

Vieira's prediction

Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has claimed that this season's Premier League title is the Gunners' to lose. "I think the Premier League title is Arsenal’s to lose, to be honest with you," the Crystal Palace manager told William Hill.

"I think Arsenal did really well against Aston Villa on Saturday, to bounce back with that 4-2 win at Villa Park. They are just in a really good place at the moment, with a lot of confidence.

"But I still believe Manchester City will chase Arsenal until the very last day of the Premier League season. But I think it’s Arsenal’s title to lose."

Haaland comparison

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has heaped praise on Gabriel Jesus' successor Erling Haaland whilst also admitting that the Arsenal striker has the Norwegian beat in some areas. "When [Haaland] arrived, we said he was going to score a lot – and that's been happening," Ederson told UEFA.

"He is a brilliant goalscorer, he always looks to score and help the team. He is the striker we needed because in comparison to Gabriel (Jesus), they are different players: Gabi likes to come in from out wide, he is stronger and more versatile; Haaland plays more centrally, looking to get into the box, he is a target in the area.

"That has been the major difference. When you get into the final third you have someone who will always be in the area."

Neville's advice

Manchester United hero Gary Neville has told Arsenal that they need to tighten up their leaky defence if they want to clinch the Premier League title this season.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: “They’ve conceded 10 goals in the last six games.

“I would say they need to stop conceding goals because one of the traits on a run-in is, if you’re conceding goals and teams feel like they have a chance, it’s very difficult to win a league, so they just need to watch that. If they can just think about, in this next week or this next period, getting back to clean sheets – it’s really important."