While we all continue to bask in the glory of the emphatic win over Tottenham, the bigger picture is all about the 20 remaining matches in the Premier League season and making sure we are in the best possible position to take maximal points and win our first title since 2004. Mikel Arteta has been very clear that his wish is to add to the squad, as we are shorter in a number of positions than he, and all of us, would like. What is also clear is that he wanted to make a run at adding not one of, but both Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk. Clearly that hasn’t played out in our favor. So, now what?
As James McNicholas of the Arsecast and the Athletic has pointed out, this is a position we’ve been in before and shown a real ability to pivot to new targets. Think David Raya to Aaron Ramsdale, Lisandro Martinez to Oleksandr Zinchenko, Dusan Vlahovic to Gabriel Jesus. In all three of those cases, it’s fair to say we’ve ended up with a better player than the one we were initially going after/prioritizing. In the case of Vlahovic to Jesus though, this was a January push that had to wait for the summer. While we ended up with a player that undoubtedly fits our system better, we have to admit there’s a good chance our lack of activity last January likely cost us a place in the Champions League. While I think the difference between fourth place and fifth place is significant, it’s nothing compared to the difference between first place and second place. This is a different beast. We must bring somebody in, if not multiple players.
News broke of our interest in signing West Ham’s Declan Rice, but the key element of this rumor is that it won’t be until the summer. While there’s undoubtedly a PR element to this one, it’s weird . On one hand the media could have put that out there in an effort to garner clicks, while on the other it could be Arsenal trying to buy some goodwill from a disappointed fan base at the way the Mudryk deal fell apart. I don’t think it was from the Arsenal side, as they clearly want to keep their cards close to the chest for a multitude of reasons, but also no Arsenal supporter cares what we’re going to do this summer at the moment. I do think Declan Rice, who is 24 years old, would be a perfect fit into Arteta’s Arsenal and with Xhaka and Partey at 30 and 29 years old we certainly need to be proactive about the next era of our midfield. With that said, we can turn our attention to that on February 1st. All that matters right now is what we do this month. Don’t talk to me about the summer.
January moves are not easy to get done in comparison to summer moves, but there are enough clubs around the world that desperately need cash at the moment. Arsenal are known to have cash available given the bids for Mudryk. There will be a fit somewhere, but we will need to be patient knowing there are two weeks left to get deals done. I think whoever we bring in should be able to play across the front 3, or at least at RW and ST. We’re covered on the left wing, but need competition for Saka and somebody who can relieve Eddie better than chucking ESR at false 9. Arteta will want a long term solution, but I would also be very open to a loan with an option to buy for somebody a bit more ready to hit the ground running in England. A transfer for a Leandro Trossard or Wilfried Zaha should be a last resort, but at the least you know they can make an immediate impact.
That’s all for today. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for all the latest updates. COYG!
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