Mikel Arteta says technical director Edu is on alert during the transfer window as Arsenal look to strengthen the squad to ensure a strong end to the season.
The Gunners have known for some time that January could prove challenging with four first team players away at the African Cup of Nations, however, with Covid-19 still causing issues and player contracts coming to an end, the boss is all the more desperate for reinforcements.
In light of Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ loan move to AS Roma, the midfield is an area that needs particular attention while a host of strikers, including Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic and Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak, have been tipped to make the move to the Emirates with question marks hanging over the futures of Alex Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eddie Nketiah.
“I think with the amount of things [we want to do] and the way we want to evolve the squad, we have to maximise every window in many different ways,” Arteta told the press ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Nottingham Forest.
“We are alert, Edu and his team are working very hard because we know exactly what we need to do and whether we can accomplish that in January or the summer is a different question and is related to other stuff. But we’re there.”
Usually quite coy about anything transfer related, the boss was also quite bullish about the prospect of spending big money in January.
“I”f it’s the right player and we can afford it and we can do what we want to do, we will discuss it and make the best possible decision, we are open.”
One player who won’t be joining the club is Jack Wilshere. Training with the club for several months to build-up his fitness, the ex-Gunner and current free agent is still not being considered as a solution to Arsenal’s shortage of options in the centre of midfield.
“I think I was very clear with the situation on Jack and the role that he was going to have being around here,” said Arteta when asked if Wilshere would be offered a contract.
“We’re continuing the same way.”
Remember in the last decade of Arsene when fans sang spend some fucking money? Remember when we all mocked internal solutions and being only 2 players away from a good side? Remember that season when we were the only team in Europe to not sign an outfield Europe? How things have changed. Now our biggest worry seems to be how well will we spend our money. Right now that doesn’t seem to be much of a worry.
*outfield player lol
also interesting to remember how we all raged when the scouting department was fired and decided to rely solely on contacts… and then proceeded to have the best transfer window in years!
Exactly and it continued with Dennis Suarez with Emery, if we had bought or loaned one good player instead of Suarez we could have finished 4 or win the final against the chavs
Remember the years when we were playing CL every year with internal solutions? Not playing any european competition this year, how things have changed?
The competition has changed. Also my comment wasn’t negative towards Arsene. He did an insane job with the resources he had.
Announce Wilshire!😁
Auba reinstated – almost like a new signing.
Wow, I have to say that has got me excited.That was a direct response to a question about our interest in Dusan Vlahovic.The fact that Arteta was so bullish and didn’t use his usual response “I don’t like to speak about players who are not ours” is very, very interesting. At the very least it makes me feel hugely confident about both the direction of our “process” and our owners’ backing of it. Sounds like we are definitely going to strengthen significantly this month if at all possible. They are smelling top four and going for it!
Sensible thing to do. They have to take a risk and spend that money if their targets are available. If we can get into top 4, that will.be considered money well spent. Remember how people were saying Liverpool overspent on VVD and Allison? One good striker signing this Jan can have that kind of an impact for us. Even if we miss top4, the dude will get enough time to get adjusted with his new environment by next season.
Still lots of deadwood to clear out (mostly our loanees) so plenty of room for transfers in.
Would be great if we could get the likes of Guendouzi, Torreira, Bellerin, AMN, Mav and Nelson off the books while getting a bit of cash in for them.
A new striker has got to be one of the priorities, along with probably two midfielders, one to partner Partey to replace Xhaka, or two better than both!
Can add Kolasinac, Mari, chambers, Cédric, Aubameyang, Lacazette to all that too.
We’re likely to going to need two attackers if all Auba, Lacca and Nketiah leave so we should bring one in this this window if we can.
Need a new CM for sure, and a RB to offer competition for Tomi.
I’d like Isak, Gumareas and Tyler Adams.
I don’t reckon Cedric is leaving this year. 2.5 years remaining on his contract and nobody else would match his wages.
Chambers and Mari should stay this season no? Our only other cover for cb is Tierney and Tomi. Assuming Saliba joins the squad in the summer we can either keep one of Mari/Chambers as 4th cb or buy another young player, or even maybe an academy player. If White, Gabriel, Holding go down *knock on wood* we’re very thin there.
Torreira Guendouzi and Mavropanos all have obligations to buy, so they’re basically already gone. Bellerin I’d still like to see him back, but I guess his time here is over indeed. Chambers and Kola are out in the summer anyway, but it wouldn’t be a big loss to see them leave this winter. AMN I hope will have a nice loan, to maximise his value next summer. Cedric and Mari, I fear, are still here for some time – particularly Cedric who’s on a comfortable big contract for 2 and a half more years. Nketiah could leave this winter if… Read more »
Don’t forget Pepe
Right, and Nelson indeed.
Sign Frenkie De Jong. I remember him reading that he is an Arsenal fan due to Bergkamp. And Premier League is a huge draw now!
I don’t know. He’s a great player, but he actually said that the “Overmars route” was Ajax-Arsenal-Barça, and that he was already getting to the final step by joining Barça. So I wonder if he wouldn’t feel that coming to Arsenal was a step backwards.
But I’d love him here for sure.
Think its a sensible thing to do now. Not sure if we are this close to CL, so if spending a nit more achieve the target, then its money well spent.
Admittedly I don’t really know much about Vlahovic at all but the quoted confirmed bid of 45m + Torreira looks reasonable business for both clubs on the surface considering his impressive goalscoring record in the last 18 months and his age.
Obviously it’s not my money but I don’t want to see us dropping more than 60m or 70m on a single player again, unless it’s Haaland or Mbappe!
Mbappe hates the Arsenal. Check out his tweet at full time after the City debacle. He reckons we’ve “defaulted back to normal” – never mind that for most of the match we ripped City a new arse.
Anyone who sneers at The Arsenal can fuck right off – I don’t care who they are.
We’re short in midfield but looking at our options we have people who can play there: Xhaka, Sambi, Patino, Chambers. We could try ESR deeper or Odegaard, or even Saka who could potentially be Santi-esque with his control. While another experienced head would be useful there it could provide an opportunity for someone to evolve.
Odegaard could do a job there. Chambers seems a step backwards, Patino probably still too raw.
Partey and Elneny are only gone for a few weeks, 4 of those matches are cup games, so their absence shouldn’t derail our top 4 push too much.
That being said I could see a loan signing being made just to beef up numbers.
I know I might get laughed out of town for saying this – but Haaland’s release clause is about £60m – if Aubu goes – wages wouldn’t be a problem….
Reasons:
1) Exciting project to join
2) His mate Martin is already here
3) Playing with some of the best young talent – ESR, Saka, Martinelli, etc…
4) It’s not rainy manchester…..
Oh bugger – I just woke up…..
If there’s even a hint of a chance we should try it, he’ll surely be a Balloon Door winner pretty soon. But I think we all know it’s the most unlikely outcome and he’s been pencilled in for a move to a top tier club, probably Real Madrid as a replacement for Benzema.
The only thing that gives me any hope at all is the Odegaard factor, that is our ace card.
Everyone would love this wet dream to come true, but it’s just a dream just a dream 😀
I think he will only join a club from lets say worlds top 5 and at the moment, we’re not there yet
How bad things must be with Jack for us not to even consider some kind of offer for him, I wonder. He’s either completely unsuitable to our game or he’s finished as a footballer.
He couldn’t get into the Bournemouth team in the championship.
It’s 2022, time to give up on the Wilshire, Ramsey, Cazorla, Giroud rumours.
I’m just curious about the root causes of this downfall. Something muscular, I reckon.
4 goals and 1 assist in 12 matches from Isak. Really dont get the hype around him, seems very average. His on the ball play doesnt seem that impressive either.
Thierry Henry had 4 goals and 2 assists in 29 games the season before he joined us
There were clearly other issues with his one year at juve that resulted in the low yield of goals. Isak on the other is very much an integrated part of the team at sociedad. He should be playing his best football, and yet he isnt. Henry went from monaco to one of the biggest clubs in the world, and had a falling out with the president, thats why he didnt perform. Those two situations are very much not comparable.
Dusan Vlahovic should be top of our shopping list.
That said, he will cost a fair bit and we will probably need to succour top four to persuade him to join us – both goals not beyond the realms of possibilities – so, between now and the summer, I think we should be going all out to sign him. He is top drawer and would make us title challengers next season if we continue on the same trajectory.