Arsenal are in the familiar position of fourth at Christmas after back-to-back Premier League defeats thwarted their progress.

The Gunners were top of the division following their 3-1 win over Stoke 13 days ago, but losses away at Everton and Manchester City have derailed their title challenge.

Arsene Wenger’s side are now fourth and nine points behind league leaders Chelsea, and are now looking over their shoulder at the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United.

Spurs are just a point behind the Gunners in fifth, while Jose Mourinho’s United have won three on the spin to sit a further three points back.

Nonetheless, Arsenal host West Brom on Boxing Day in their final game of 2016, and then open the New Year up against Crystal Palace at the Emirates on January 1 in what are two crucial games for the Gunners to get their season back on track.

Many feel that to be genuine title contenders in the second half of the season, Arsenal need reinforcements, so here are TWO former players who could return to the Emirates in January…

Carlos Vela

Remember Carlos Vela? He made just 62 appearances for Arsenal between 2008 and 2011, and netted just 11 times for Arsene Wenger’s men.

However, since leaving the Emirates and moving to Real Sociedad, the Mexican international has gone from strength to strength.

The 27-year-old has scored 66 goals in 208 games for the Spanish club, and scored in excess of ten goals in his first four campaigns in La Liga.

Last season’s tally was disappointing, as he netted just five times for Sociedad, but Vela already has four goals and two assists in 16 La Liga games this time around, helping the club to fifth in the Spanish top-flight.

At 27, Vela should be entering his peak years, and could well give the Gunners another solid attacking option for years to come.

Cesc Fabregas

He may not have endeared himself to Arsenal fans when he left for Barcelona in 2011, but Cesc Fabregas could make a return to the Emirates in January.

This is because, despite more recent appearances in the first team, the Spanish international has largely been behind Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante in the Chelsea ranks, and played just 55 minutes of Premier League football in the first three months of the season.

Consequently, he has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, and Arsenal is one club that has cropped up in that speculation.

Fabregas has proven in recent times to be a top-quality midfielder in the Premier League – he was a big factor in Chelsea’s title-winning success back in 2015 – and would certainly add to the Gunners’ midfield options for the rest of the campaign.