There’s two ways to look at the January transfer window.
Firstly, from a fans perspective, there surely isn’t a single supporter who hasn’t identified the genuine need for two centre backs and possibly another creative midfielder. The defensive issue is and has been a burning concern for several seasons and although Kroenke splashed the cash in the summer, he failed to cure Arsenal’s biggest problem.
The precarious nature of Arsenal’s season is obvious when you look at the table. They are as far away from 5th as they are from 17th and they could head in either direction with a series of positive or negative results.
Consolidation is key. Yes, players are coming back from injury but that might not be immediate, thus leaving more gaps and exposing greater frailty. So at the moment, a few key purchases certainly wouldn’t go a miss as the Gunners attempt to stop shipping crucial goals.
It’s a huge risk if Arsenal’s board don’t rubber stamp a cash injection at this stage of the campaign, because as much as Arteta has begun to turn things around, it could all go horribly wrong without the infusion of necessary personnel in the January transfer window.
The second way of looking at the January transfer window is from the perspective of a club that invested £137m in the summer. They have been unlucky with injuries and still have one signing, William Saliba, to commence his Arsenal career later this year.
Arteta has hardly had time to assess his squad or his academy and he could, in theory, promote or unearth hidden potential in a defensive area from within. He also still has to decide who will stay or go and those sales will release much needed funds that can be reinvested after the season ends.
Availability and choice will be greater in the summer and whilst I disagree with Raul Sanllehi about the use of the January transfer window, it’s almost impossible to add the type of player Arteta would need whilst many of the top teams are in mid competition.
Who wants to look for a replacement player when they have title, promotion or relegation concerns. Exactly !
According to the Mirror, the Spaniard will not be backed in the transfer market and he will have to soldier on with the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka covering the full-back roles.
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To add perspective, Sky also said that Arsenal’s funds would be limited last summer, when Arsenal were probably at their most active in years.
When Arteta was involved in negotiations with the club, he will have spoken about the transfers policy and structure at length and sought assurances that he would be supported.
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