The January switch window got here and went with no main arrivals or departures at Arsenal, however that’s to not say it wasn’t a busy month on the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s males presently sit second within the Premier League desk, however are six factors behind leaders Liverpool in a season during which they hoped would see them finish their two-decade win for the league title.
One space of the pitch that has now been a long-term want for the Gunners have been a brand new striker, with the membership failing so as to add a ahead to their ranks in the summertime and seeing Gabriel Jesus undergo an ACL harm in final month’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
Why Arsenal didn’t signal a striker in January
Arsenal made a bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins (Picture credit score: Malcolm Couzens/Getty Photos)
With simply Kai Havertz because the membership’s solely senior possibility up entrance for the rest of the marketing campaign, Arsenal did transfer to deal with this case in January, tabling a bid for Aston Villa and England striker Ollie Watkins.
The Gunners had hoped to benefit from PSR stress that Villa have been feeling, however reasonably than promote Watkins to a home rival, Unai Emery’s aspect let Jhon Duran make a big-money transfer to Saudi Professional League aspect Al Nassr.
Arsenal ahead Kai Havertz (Picture credit score: Alamy)
Many Arsenal followers hoped that their aspect would return in for Watkins after Villa knocked again their bid, however a follow-up supply by no means materialised and regardless of late hyperlinks to Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel, who would go on to signal on mortgage for rivals Tottenham , the window slammed shut with none new arrivals on the Emirates.
In response to The Athletic , each Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy have been ‘aligned’ of their perception {that a} ‘physique’ shouldn’t be signed only for the sake of it.
The report provides that the membership needed a participant who would be capable to hit the bottom working and make a right away and tangible impression on the title race. Whereas they felt Watkins would be capable to do that, they did not need to pay Villa’s £60million asking worth and no different appropriate choices emerged, with the Mirror noting the board put their foot down and “blocked” the transfer.
Lengthy-term targets Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko weren’t obtainable within the January window, that means the impetus could be very a lot on Havertz to hold the attacking load between now and Could.
Alexander Isak stays an Arsenal goal (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Arsenal are asking a number of Havertz to be the one ahead possibility because the membership look to chase down Liverpool and in addition progress additional within the Champions League.
However January is just not the time to try to signal such an essential participant and the place Arsenal actually fell quick was in the summertime, after they failed to usher in a brand new ahead. Isak and Sesko stay the form of targets that Arsenal must be going for, however with values of €75million and €50million respectively on Transfermarkt, neither will come low-cost.
