Mikel Arteta has summoned the dark arts of a Premier League icon and may now sign his son

Take a quick scroll on social media after Arsenal’s victories this season and you’re likely to see a peculiar meme involving Gunners boss Mikel Arteta doing the rounds.

Such has been Arsenal’s success from set-pieces this season, Arteta has been compared to former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis, with some disgruntled fans using that as a stick to beat the Spaniard with.

So much so, that a picture of Arteta’s face superimposed onto the body of Pulis, donning full Stoke regalia, has gathered plenty of traction on social media this season.

The comparisons, in a way, are fair. Since the beginning of the 2021/22 season, Arsenal have scored 41 times from corners, which works out at seven more than any other time in the same time frame.

Of course, as far as Pulis and Stoke were concerned, it was throw-ins instead of corners that gave the Potters so much joy during their Premier League stint.

The main man behind Stoke’s threat from throw-ins back in the mid-2000s was the iconic Rory Delap, who was famed for his long-throw abilities.

But in a roundabout way, to fully unlock Arsenal’s tag as masters of the ‘dark arts’, Arteta could look at signing the son of Rory, Liam Delap.

The striker has been in red-hot form for Ipswich Town since arriving at the Premier League newbies in the summer, netting six goals and providing one assist in his 14 appearances so far this season.

Having already proved he’s up to scratch in England’s top tier, Delap is being tipped for a move away from Ipswich in the near future, with big clubs across the division taking notice.

Chelsea have been mooted as a potential suitor, with the Blues reportedly keen on bolstering their attacking options, specifically upfront.

What’s more, Manchester City, who let Delap leave in the summer, are also reported to have a buyback clause in his Ipswich contract, meaning they’d likely get first dibs on any move.

At over 6ft tall though, Delap would add to Arsenal’s menacing threat from set pieces and given the clamour from some supporters for a natural centre-forward option, the Gunners could do much worse than launching a bid for the Englishman.

It’s unlikely to be a deal that costs Arsenal too much money either, given Ipswich currently sit firmly in the relegation spots towards the bottom of the Premier League title.