Arsenal title winner Nigel Winterburn expects manager Mikel Arteta to be active in the January market.

With the Gunners five points clear at the top the Premier League table, there is an expectation Arteta will be granted funds to strengthen their title push during the winter transfer window.

For Winterburn, a new midfielder and potentially a new winger will be on Arsenal's shopping list going into the New Year.

Speaking on behalf of FreeSuperTips, Winterburn told Tribalfootball.com: "I think they'll be looking, and they've probably already been looking for quite some time now.

"We've already seen names being linked with Arsenal again and my gut feeling tells me that they will try to get another central midfield player. Before the season started it was an area identified and I think they'll try again if that play is available.

"They've got Mohamed Elneny who's coming back from injury, and he was very good towards the end of last season.

"In the couple of games he's come back into, for someone who's been out for a while I think he looked pretty sharp. They've got that other option there as well, but I think if the right player comes along in any position, then they'll try and make that transfer.

"With the wide players it always feels as if Bakuyo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are having a lot of game time. But if we look back at the minutes per player then I think they'd all be pretty equal because Mikel Arteta is trying to manage the workload.

"Potentially another wide player could come in, but we've got Emile Smith-Rowe to come back as well.

"But I would think central midfield will be the priority position that they'll be looking at."

On the potential of any new signing disrupting team harmony inside the Gunners locker room, Winterburn continued: "In terms of the player fitting in, I don't think the club would buy them if that player doesn't fit in.

"You're never 100% on these things, but you do the work and look at the stats, see how the player is and try to find out everything about the player that you possibly can. Since football started, we've seen big name transfer signings that do not work out at some clubs for one reason or another.

"Other times you bring someone in who's relatively unknown and they turn out to be absolutely sensational. You're never going to buy a player who you don't think will fit into your style of play because that's the one thing they have to try and do as a player, to buy into the style.

"I'm so strong on that if Arteta believes that a player doesn't fit the system, or the attitude is wrong then Arsenal will not try to buy them.

"That's just a given for me, Arteta and Edu have to believe that the player would fit into the system if they're going to do any business."