Arsene Wenger has claimed today that ‘nobody’ is coming to Arsenal this month, a decision which could prove costly.
The Gunners dropped out of the top four of the table this week following their disruptive draw with Bournemouth two days ago, and as tough it is to take, this is the strongest top six we have ever had challenging.
We are used to being able to secure our top four spot without too much hassle, with Arsene Wenger managing to somehow maintain our place in the Champions League year-on-year despite the changes made to the squad, but this year will not be so easy.
Tottenham leapfrogged us and into third spot with their win over Chelsea last night, leaving the leaders five points ahead of Liverpool in second place, and a further five points separates second with sixth.
This is going to be the most intense finish for the top four spots there has ever been, and I cant help but believe that each of the sides in that top six will be eager to strengthen this month. Everyone apart from us that is, following Wenger’s comments.
He said: “In our club, who is going out? Nobody at the moment. Who is coming in? Nobody. The best way would’ve been to get [Santi] Cazorla back, to get Danny Welbeck back.
“Anyway, there is very little hope to find players of that quality in the January transfer market. So the best way to deal with that is to get our injured players back.”
Chelsea have predominantly used only 13 players to start in their last 14 matches, and will surely be adding to their core group of squad players in the coming weeks, while Manchester City and Manchester United have shown in recent years that spending is no issue when necessary.
The Citizens will no doubt be letting Pep look at fixing the teething problems he has been having since starting the season, with his defence and goalkeeper looking like weak-points in many matches.
Arsenal should be looking at their midfield options this month, with Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin failing to form the partnership we had expected in the middle of the park. The return of Santi Cazorla would be a huge boost to our side, but his age and recent injury record would still lead me to seek cover.
Do Arsenal need more numbers, or more specifically another central midfielder? Will we pay the price for not adding to our squad?
Pat J