Mikel Arteta says that Arsenal are trying to bring some new players in before the end of the transfer window, but says a complicated market means he’s unsure if anything will be completed.
The Gunners have been linked with Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, as well as midfielders, however it seems the difficulties of the January window mean nothing is close right now.
Speaking after the disappointing 0-0 draw with Burnley, which really highlighted the need for reinforcements, the Arsenal boss was quizzed about potential new arrivals.
“Well, we are certainly trying,” he said, “but I don’t know if we’re going to be able to do it.
“Let’s see, it’s not only our intention, but a lot of facts that are needed to happen.
“It’s what we planned, but the market is difficult, it’s complicated. We knew that, but it’s a lot to manage and we have to make the right decisions with players that we believe are going to really help us and try to bring in ones that can take us to the next level.”
It sounds as if they’re not willing to compromise in this window, unwilling to spend money on a player unless he’s exactly what they’re looking for, and that does make sense.
However, having gone through January scoring just a single goal and without winning a game, the manager and those above him have to find some kind of solution to improve matters.
The team will head for Dubai for some warm weather training, so let’s hope Edu can make something happen before next Monday.
What should have been a routine win today would have put us back in fourth.
I want us to be back in the champions league but feel like we’d be embarrassed plus we’ve shown we don’t have even close to the squad depth for the fatigue of the extra games and travel
Just being in the Champions League will attract better players and give our youngsters great experience. It all depends on what group you get, as to how far we could expect to go.
I am telling you now, we will not get a better chance to make Champions League football than this season due to the variance in the league. Normally losing 8 games by January would have you sitting just above mid table, yet somehow we’re hanging on in this top 4 race. So there is absolutely no chance that Leicester, Spurs, United are going to all have sub par seasons again. That’s not even taking into consideration the likes of Villa and Wolves who are smartly run operations with decent budgets behind them. Villa have signed Coutinho, Digne and they’re talking… Read more »
I agree wholeheartedly with the first paragraph
I don’t know why you think we’d be embarrassed in the Champions League. We played maybe the best team in the world a month ago and were unlucky not to get at least a point. Taking on the big teams is not really the problem- it’s slipping up in the games we should be winning comfortably that’s costing us.
Getting back to the Champions League would be unequivocally and hugely positive.
Yes and players we want might not want to compromise on the big risk that we probably won’t be playing in the Champions league next season.
About as positive as today’s result.
The classic “we tried” line.
Nah. I don’t agree.
When negotiating transfers with others you should never go out and say WE ARE DESPERATE AND WE WILL BUY WHATEVER THE PRICE.
keeping the ball low is expected
Contrary to “keeping the ball low”, our transfer team tends to balls up.
I know it’s unrealistic, but I am still firmly of the opinion that anything but a Top 4 finish is a failure for Arteta and Arsenal. 2.5 years, an 8th place finish, and well over 200m pounds spent… Top 4 is not by any means a ridiculous ask by this time and with these resources. I want us to sign a midfielder and a striker this window precisely because we need to go for champions league football sooner rather than later. Sure, partey and xhaka will be back before the next match but we are one injury away from another… Read more »
Kidnap is a serious crime
That’s so absurd and just so reflective of the impatient culture we live in. Edu and Arteta are in the midst of overhauling the line-up. We are fielding the youngest starting line-up in the league. Patience. If we finish with more points than last season, regardless of where that places is, it’s improvement. Step by step. To expect us to go from 8th to 4th with six new players all under 24? That’s silly talk.
When I see players with such agents I don’t think they are worth it. At least for Arsenal.
We’re nearly 18 years removed from winning the league. It’s just silly to suggest “impatience” as a complete explanation for why many are suspicious of a(nother) 5 year project, but this time under a questionable leader, and with a lower floor for expectations. But I guess there’s little point arguing “reasonable expectations” in the abstract. Personally, I chose to avoid today’s game – it had all the signs of a ‘trap’ fixture (experience with this club does help sometimes). Plus this team is running out of the exuberance that rescued us from August. Rest should help, the transfer market might… Read more »
Well, you may not want Arsenal to finish fourth, but I and many fans do. Doesn’t make anybody impatient.
The warm weather training will hopefully do them so good.
But you know what would make it even better…? Vlahovic joining them in Dubai !
Don’t hold your breath he’s not coming to us we’re being played like a fiddle he wants Juventus
Why do people talk like they know what’s going on
It seems obvious we’re getting played, has the Fiorentina chairman not already said he’s happy with the offer? If the player wanted the move it would already be done.
Guys, lets not forget we would have all taken a Top 6 finish at the start of the season. We are rebuilding an entire squad, changes are being made which have been needed for years. Deadwood has been almost all cleared so lets be patient. This new team has given us more than enough to be positive about… Lets push club to make the next step and keep the atmosphere loud and positive in stadium 💭❤️
First, that doesn’t mean we should willingly let go of an opportunity to finish in CL spots. Second, not ‘all’ would have taken a top 6 finish if there were no signs of progress. In fact, not having Europe was thought of as a huge advantage (which I think it is) and many thought this was the best opportunity to push for a top 4 finish. Apparently the board did too, hence the outlay in the summer when we could have gone for a ‘slower’ rebuild. Third, how is ‘‘let us be okay with a top 6 finish’ and not… Read more »
“First, that doesn’t mean we should willingly let go of an opportunity to finish in CL spots.” Obviously. Who’s doing that. “Second, not ‘all’ would have taken a top 6 finish if there were no signs of progress.” It’s lucky, then, that there are very obvious signs of progress. “Apparently the board did too, hence the outlay in the summer when we could have gone for a ‘slower’ rebuild.” This logic kind of falls apart when you remember that the outlay was mostly on very young players. “Third, how is ‘‘let us be okay with a top 6 finish’ and… Read more »
If fans, who are the paying customers and should be the most demanding, are ‘okay’ with finishing sixth, you think the players and management are going to push for fourth ? This is what amuses me about certain fans. Liverpool fans, even in the throes of their banter era, never expected less than a title every season. It may not have been realistic, but if you can’t dream boldly, why even bother being a fan ? If we as fans are ready to make excuses and let our ambitions slip down the table, where is the motivation for the club… Read more »
Think you might want to read up on what an straw man argument is.
Arteta fanboys cannot deny the fact that he is liable for the state of our squad. Awful Planning > Loaning out 3 centre mids when we only have 3 left in the team – yes you can say that he couldn’t have known they would get red cards in consecutive matches….although its always a possibility that Xhaka can do a Xhaka…. and Partey could have been gone at the AOC for the month. Desperate Tactics > He prioritised the League cup over the League, fast tracking Tomi and Partey back and then losing them for the more important games and… Read more »
I would agree that mismanagement of our squad is partly reason for our deep of form.
AMN in particular could have should have played more and hence stay around as acover for RB LB and CM. Since Watford he was exiled again.
Pepe the same. Martinelli was the same for long period.
And even the late subs are putting extra pressure on the first line.
Would Niles have made a huge difference today or against Liverpool?
Can’t say I’m convinced of that argument
Oh yes. Because either ESR or Martinelli would have been power subs. Or Holding would be put so AMN would be the RB.
AMN is a player-filler the dream of every manager. Yet we lost him and we could have managed him better.
We gave minutes to Elneny and Soares instead…
I would agree with that, but it’s hard not to fault the fact he didn’t want to get a good fee of wolves for amn then hasn’t played him since. I think ainsley has been treated very poorly. Mikel also recalled Eddie from his loan at Leeds, didn’t send him out to another team and hasn’t played him. I think it’s been a very poor management of assets. They are both on a par with willock, I would say amn a better more versatile and valuable player than willock.
we were playing well until the man city result which l think has affected the players confidence badly.we have now reverted back to the boring sideways and backwards football that we were just coming out of!! no goals since that result and poor performances.wont get an easier home game than that!!
Injuries , absentee’s and fatigue are what’s brought this on almost a perfect storm in January hopefully after the international break and a bit of warm weather training (which I’d be happy to have myself if it’s offered 😉) we should be ready for the final push.
There’s a lot of poor squad management as well, with all the players we’ve had over the last 20 years, I believe oxlade Chamberlain is the highest fee we have ever received for a player
Think you’re right, we got it right with iwobi and possibly willock but we missed the opportunity to move on Ainsley, Eddie and probably Nelson when there was interest.
Mikel made a play for Tammy Abraham and a central midfielder during the summer..I think aouar and guimares…. shows he knows where the problems are….those problems were profound today…. meanwhile Tammy Abraham is having a great game as we speak and bossing the serieA… vlahovic and Arthur Melo are still supposed to address the summer’s deficiencies but it’s not looking like we’ll get them…..no effective plan B and no commanding progressive midfielders when xhaka and partey don’t play…..we played to our strengths…we just have to stay positive… we’ll need some luck to nick that final champions League spot…depth will be… Read more »
Basically, we can forget about top 4 unless we get a striker and a midfielder before the window closes.
We’re at close to a game a week, we play 2 games in February:
………Ramsdale
…….White Gabriel
Tomiyasu …….Tierney
……Partey Xhaka
Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe
…..…Lacazette
If we avoid brain farts + injuries, then this team will be in the mix for 4th
Top six is where we’re at I think.
If only we had some internal solutions the manager is refusing to consider.
And we hadn’t sent one of our very few midfielders out on loan on the first day of the window without having a replacement lined up.
Never change, Arsenal.
If they are having such difficulties getting anyone in, why the hell did they let players leave this month on loan? Even inferior players are better than running your better ones into the ground and injuring them, aren’t they? If nobody arrives I will seriously doubt the competency of the people making those decisions at the top.
I don’t really rate Arthur and I don’t think Vlahovic will come so I won’t be too disappointed if we don’t get them. I’d rather we didn’t buy someone who’s not really what we want than get panicked into spending a fortune on an average player, maybe we get a nice surprise, nobody saw Tomi coming! Transfers are always a matter of luck as well as judgement so we’ll see what happens, the best players don’t move in January and we’ll have better options in the summer. I was sad that we loaned out AMN but I can understand why… Read more »
This is a complete ballsup from Arteta and Edu to be honest and it does need calling out. They are getting so much support because of things “outside their control” like COVID and sendings off, but our players are completely knackered because they have been overplayed – despite the games postponed which meant not as busy a schedule as it could of been. However, sending players out on loan before we have found replacements is simply just stupid, especially when it leaves us so short in the middle of the pitch. Even worse is the opportunities he had to rest… Read more »
We lack depth. Poor transfer window so far. How can this be a team deserving a place in the champions lesgue? Definitely not. Alot needs to change and it needs to happen soon. When we beat team that we should be beating, we all excited about the performances. What about united, chelsea, Liverpool and city? Who is the benchmark for Arsenal? We lost our identity with this process.
Interestingly, when asked whether Auba would be going to the Dubai camp, Arteta said “We’ll see what the situation is”
Doesn’t sound like any reconciliation is coming soon. Which is a worry, as I don’t see us signing a striker this month
On the Auba situation, anyone else think it’s really weird that he didn’t go back to AFCON?
Auba said he’s completely healthy, Arteta wasn’t going to play him, and Gabon really needed him (might’ve stopped them getting knocked out today)
The way I see it, either:
– He’s not actually fully healthy/fit
– There were other reasons he was sent home by Gabon
– He is negotiating a possible transfer, and wants to focus on that – personally I’m guessing this has something to do with it
According to the Gabon manager Arsenal ‘pressured’ him to release Auba
https://onefootball.com/en/news/gabon-manager-neveu-arsenal-pressure-forced-aubameyang-release-34410993
Assuming he is healthy as he claims then it is either a possible transfer or ongoing exclusion. Hopefully if it is one of the two it is the former (provided we are signing someone) and not a matter of freezing Auba out. Continuing to freeze him out would be poor from the manager.
Really Maitland Niles should not have been loaned out until we had a replacement lined up.
Trying is not good enough