Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta knows all about the hype that comes with the January transfer window.
Since his appointment back in December 2019, the Spaniard has experienced as many as four of these during his time in charge of the Gunners. Very soon, he will have overseen a fifth, with next month providing a chance to add to his first-team squad for the second half of the season.
And just as has been the case concerning previous windows as Arsenal manager, Arteta has been tipped to make at least one significant signing amid links to the likes of Ousmane Diomande, Martin Zubimendi, Douglas Luiz, Ivan Toney and Dominic Solanke just to name a few.
If, in a dream scenario, the north London outfit were to sign one of the aforementioned players – or spring a surprise like with the deal for Jakub Kiwior just under a year ago – then supporters will have every reason to remain optimistic about lasting the distance in the Premier League title race.
Going by the last four January windows specifically, then there’s every chance the Gunners will be busy throughout the month as Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar have completed several deals involving first-team players – whether that be incomings, outgoings, or contract terminations.
Interestingly, looking at Arsenal’s activity in the winter window under Arteta, the focus has largely been on trimming the first-team squad. For example, Shkodran Mustafi, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sokratis Papastathopoulos all reached agreements to cancel their respective contracts during this period, whilst others have departed on loan.
Having said that, when taking into consideration that Auston Trusty, Kieran Tierney, Marquinhos, Granit Xhaka, Rob Holding, Pablo Mari, Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Folarin Balogun, Runar Alex Runarsson and Arthur Okonkwo all left in the summer either temporarily or permanently, the only realistic senior squad departure is Cedric Soares which means the focus could be on incomings.
Now, as revealed by football.london because of last summer’s huge outlay of £200m+ in addition to Arsenal’s concerns about profit and sustainability regulations, they are unlikely to have too much to spend in January, so loan deals with an option to buy could be preferable.
