There have already been a large number of names put forward by various parts of the football media about which players Arsenal will sign in the January transfer window, always assuming that Arsene Wenger agrees that is. The main candidates have been strikers and defensive midfielders, with the latter surely the main priority after one central midfielder Santi Cazorla followed quickly on the heels of his colleague Francis Coquelin in being ruled out for a large part of the season.
We currently have Mathieu Flamini doing a decent job in there and there has been talk of both Calum Chambers and the centre back Gabriel being possible options but it would be incredibly risky of the Frenchman to rely on these. We have heard Arsenal transfer rumours linking us to various players around Europe, such as Lars Bender, William Carvalho and many more.
According to The Mirror though, the Arsenal boss is looking closer to home and he may well have taken the advice of our former star Robert Pires about who to sign. Becaise the paper claims that the Southampton star Victor Wanyama is now at the top of Wenger’s wish list.
And it just so happens that Pires, who is currently training with the squad at London Colney, talked up Wanyama as the player we need to sign just a few days ago. So is the prof finally listening to advice on Arsenal’s transfer needs and agreeing with one of his former students?
I swear Wenger better not bottle this transfer window. He said in a recent press conference that he is “looking to do something” in Jan. lets hope its a DM because we seriously can’t rely on Flam the billionaire playing in midfield against Barcelona et al in the UCL and our domestic rivals. LETS GO VENGAA
agreed, spending some cash on a decent DM in Jan will be a big statement from wenger in my eyes. I wouldn’t say no to Pogba and Stones too….hawhaw
I would say no to pogba no problem I don’t think there’s a more overhyped player in world football
It would be of character for Wenger to make a January signing. He will play with what he has.
Chambers, here`s your chance.
As of right now, it’s impossible for Wenger to sign a new player WITHOUT selling an existing one. It would unsettle the squad morale. We have one of the closest bunch of players in the league, even Flamini and Ozil has some sort of bromance going on.
However, as sad as i would see them go, the team needs an upgrade on DM and promising CB star. Our striking department is on form, signing a striker would really hurt TW and OG morale. Transfer window is not like Football Manager game
Flamini has filled in but his form will not last over an extended period.
Arsenal in a good position on 2 important fronts EPL and UCL. Time to add the right piece at the right time. First transfer must be a proven CDM. Transfer number two is John Stones. Him Kos will form a greater partnership for years to come. Per has played well but to have a CB of Stones ability to play in tougher UCL and EPL matches would make Arsenal strong at the back for the first time in over a decade.
Cech, Kos, Stones, and WC dm would give us brick wall we need!
It is this kind of logic that makes Arsenal fans a laughing stock in the public eye. Stones is an Everton player, and at the moment Arsenal has four centre backs, with two of them rarely getting game time. Added to that Monreal can also play in that position. Of what use will Stones be to an Arsenal squad. Good as he may be as a player, it must be known that Arsenal cannot sign every other good player out there for the sake of it. If that is not enough it must be known that Stones is a similar player to Kos and Gabriel, a such cannot replace Per. It is time you understand football before you try to be a Wenger adviser on who to buy.
Coming to the issue of defensive midfielder, I will start by saying in the last transfer window you wanted Arteta and Flamini sold, with Morgan brought in from Southampton. The facts of the matter are that Francis is out injured while Morgan is also out injured wherever he is playing. If Wenger had followed through your logic Arsenal would be without a defensive midfielder for around 7 games till January. Do you see how buying does not stop a club from suddenly falling short in certain positions? Right now the rejected stone, Flamini is holding fort in that position.
Can Arsenal realistically buy a DM of Francis’ quality who is in the same age bracket with him? The answer is no. That player will know that as long as Francis is fit he will not get game time, 15 games per season will be what he will expect. He cannot bank on Francis getting injured to get into the team because that may not happen season long. Right now Debuchy wants out because he cannot play regularly. In 2013/14 season we had an opportunity to sign Gustavo from Bayern before getting Flamini, but the former refused to come to Arsenal, arguing that he would not get enough game time ahead of the world cup. Quality players will always want to play when fit, hence one aspect they consider before joining a club is possibility of game time. Admittedly money can counteract that but Arsenal is not Man City.
Realistically Arsenal can get an experienced squad player either on loan to the end of the season, or a player nearing his playing career on a 1 to 2 years contract. There are very few known players in that bracket, with Xabi Alonso being one of them. The question is whether Bayern will let him go in January. Thinking of quality defensive midfielders who are in their prime is just but some worthless dream.
I would actually take most of the names we’ve been linked with in recent weeks.
Wanyama, sure why not, we obviously lack a player like him. Would probably be fine with being a squad player aswell. Granit Xhaka or Lars Bender would be better options but maybe the Kenian is easier to sign. Not sure what Soton are going to ask for him tho.