Where are we going to start?
In years gone by, Arsenal would be there or roughly in the race for European football, and the arrival of the January transfer window would see attention turn to how the Gunners might improve their squad and look to themselves. climb into the top four. – but not this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side find themselves languishing in uncharted territory, 15th in the Premier League and just four points above the relegation zone (which is currently occupied by a Burnley side with two games underway against Londoners. North). Couldn’t that happen? Could he?
So, let’s take a look at the moves the Gunners need to make to make sure they don’t play championship football next season. There we said it.
Usually, when a player of Mesut Ozil’s stature falls out of favor at a club, we endure months and months of irritating rumors and by the time he inevitably passes we’re all just happy to see the bottom of it all.
This “transfer saga” was a little different.
The German hasn’t even made it to Arsenal’s Premier League or Europa League squads, and finds his involvement in the squad of the day limited to social media posts which most often lead to a argument with Piers Morgan. How is it “2020”?
The midfielder has been linked with moves to MLS and Turkey, and at this point it would simply be better for all parties if a deal was confirmed in January.
After pushing and pushing and pushing for a move to Inter, everything went wrong for Christian Eriksen very quickly.
The Danish midfielder struggled to make an impact at Nerazzurri, with the player and the club reportedly agreeing he can leave in January.
Arsenal’s interest in Eriksen has been well documented, but whether the ex-Tottenham man will be willing to join Spurs’ main rivals is another matter, with reports already suggesting he is not. interested in a move.
However, Arteta is badly in need of creativity in the midfield, and if he can lure the Inter man to Emirates Stadium and help him regain the form he has sometimes shown with Spurs, he could be the answer to their midfield problems (well, some of them).
Sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Forget all that fancy football and play from the back, you want your defenders to be able to defend – something that the current generation of Arsenal players don’t quite master.
Arteta tried all kinds of different combinations at center-back, with Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, David Luiz, Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari and Sead Kolasinac (and Breathe) all playing in the center of defense at a given moment. across various competitions (and that doesn’t include £ 18million man Sokratis Papastathopoulos who has been omitted from both the Europa League and Premier League sides).
The club have spent millions on defenders over the past few years, but still look like a mess at the back so a defender can Actually defending would be a good start.
Speaking of a center-back, this man appears to have the potential to bolster Arsenal’s fragile backline, although Arteta is adamant he still needs time to develop.
The Gunners paid a hefty price for the 19-year-old over the summer – £ 27million to be exact – although the Gunners boss immediately described his intention to ship him on loan rather than the integrate into the first team. There was talk of a temporary transfer to the championship, although the Frenchman eventually found himself playing with the Under-23s.
If Arteta is serious about Saliba’s potential, he needs to play regular and competitive football, and a loan is absolutely necessary to avoid kicking him in the youth squad for the rest of the season.
Arsenal have not been shy about stepping up their attacking options in recent years, but have struggled at times to find the back of the net during this campaign.
Maxi Gomez is rumored to be available at a reduced price in January as Valencia seek to generate cash to ease their financial woes.
The 24-year-old has a solid strike rate over his three and a half seasons in La Liga, and if the Gunners can negotiate a good price for the Uruguay international, he could turn out to be a quality buy.
