I’m sure we are all aware that Jack Wilshere has been training with the club, and the Arsenal favourite could join the club after the 11PM deadline without issue, but he is not alone.
We are into the final hour of today’s Deadline Day, and it is looking ominously likely that we will not be bringing in any additions, despite at least four senior departures reducing our squad numbers.
Despite our efforts to sign Dusan Vlahovic, it is unclear just how seriously our club did try to bolster the playing squad, but what makes it overly frustrating is that the likes of Liverpool, Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle all signed players which could have improved our squad.
While it is devastating to believe that with our best chance of earning a top four finish in years, we didn’t grasp any of the opportunities which arose this month, while even more frustratingly, we allowed the likes of Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles and Folarin Balogun to leave, as well as expecting an announcement on Aubameyang’s departure imminently.
January was bad enough on the pitch, and the window has made it feel so much worse, but we could still add to our squad by landing a free agent.
Wilshere is one I would definitely be signing, assuming that his situation means that he would accept a realistic wage and a sufficient appearance fee.
Another former Gunner is also available in Yaya Sanogo, but at 29 years-old, there is a reason why he is yet to find a new club to play for.
Diego Costa at 34 years-old is without a club also however, having just played out his deal with Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro, and while I’m not convinced that he could find the form of his Chelsea days, he has fight in him that could well give us an edge in certain fixtures.
While I’d love to see Wilshere back at the club, I can only assume that Mikel Arteta believes that his younger squad players who have been filling our bench in recent weeks deserve their chance ahead of those who we could have signed during January, but as we’ve seen on too many occasions, it isn’t easy to hit the ground running when breaking into the senior side.
Patrick