Arsenal spent £150million over the summer on improving their squad, and the January transfer window hands the North London outfit the chance to improve again and secure a place in the top four
Arsenal fans were left heartbroken on Saturday afternoon as Manchester City’s Rodri popped up with a 93rd minute winner to secure a 2-1 victory over the Gunners.
However, the January transfer window provides Mikel Arteta with the opportunity to bolster his ranks again so that his side can continue to compete with the very best in the Premier League.
The Gunners crumbled in the second half against City after defender Gabriel received two yellow cards in the space of two minutes, with one being issued for trying to tamper with the penalty spot before Riyad Mahrez’s spot-kick.
The defeat underlined that there is still a lack of experience in Arteta’s squad, so will the Spanish boss look to right that wrong in this month’s transfer window?
Young striker Folarin Balogun appears to have been granted permission by Arteta to spend the second half of the season out on loan to aid his progress.
The 20-year-old has attracted plenty of interest from around Europe, and it is believed that several Championship outfits are keen to add the exciting prospect to their ranks in the short term.
According to Sky Sports, Chris Wilder’s Middlesbrough are one of the teams interested in acquiring Balogun’s services, along with several of their league rivals.
However, Boro will need to see off the challenge of Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne, who are also monitoring the progress of the Gunners’ academy product and have been waiting for the January transfer window to open.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Juventus are set to go toe to toe with Arsenal in a race to sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.
The Swedish forward has been closely linked with a move to North London since impressing at EURO 2020 but the forward remained in the La Liga for this season.
However, with both the Gunners and Juve desperate to add a striker to their ranks, a bidding war in January could commence for the 22-year-old.
With Alexandre Lacazette out of contract at the end of the season and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of favour due to his recent disciplinary breach, it would be no surprise to see Arteta make Isak his next marquee signing.
The January transfer window opening means that wantaway forward Eddie Nketiah is able to discuss pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs.
Sky Sports has said that despite Arteta wanting the Englishman to remain at the Emirates Stadium, his desire to leave the club in search of more game time has not changed.
Contract extensions have been offered to Nketiah but the 22-year-old has stood by his decision to run down his current deal in order to search for pastures new.
Speaking about Nketiah’s desire to leave last month, Arteta said: “I tell you every day that we want to keep Eddie. We see how he trains, that’s what he does every day, he works so hard and puts the ball in the net every session. I am really delighted with him. Every time we have needed him he has always responded.”
