Arsenal enters the January transfer window on a high note, leading the league at Christmas following a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Despite their strong start, the team’s limited substitutions during the game, bringing on Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah, highlighted a lack of depth in the squad. The manager appears to be cautious about making changes to the starting lineup, especially with key players sidelined due to injuries.
Considering these challenges, football.london explores five ideal January signings that could significantly strengthen Arsenal’s squad. The potential recruits span all three outfield positions, with varying degrees of feasibility.
Santiago Gimenez
Certainly! Here’s a paraphrased version:
Santiago Gimenez, hailed as one of Europe’s most thrilling emerging strikers, maintains an impressive goal-scoring record for Feyenoord, the reigning Dutch champions. With 18 goals in just 16 Eredivisie matches, he combines speed with physical prowess, introducing a fresh dynamic to the striker choices. In my view, pursuing a younger player with significantly greater potential, like Gimenez, is preferable over considering Ivan Toney for such a role.
Pedro Neto
Once more, the Liverpool match serves as motivation for a potential acquisition, drawing connections to the setback at Aston Villa. In those games, Gabriel Martinelli faced challenges, and Trossard, when introduced from the bench, failed to leave a significant impact. The noticeable absence of speed in the attack was evident, unlike the situation with players such as Mohamed Salah and Moussa Diaby from the opposing teams, who posed considerable threats to Arsenal on the counter.
Pedro Neto, despite his injury record, looks to be the best option to come in to provide an immediate impact in regard to his Premier League experience. The Portuguese international possesses that raw pace to make defences tremble while also having the goalscoring and creative talent to deliver – although a winter move would certainly be rather expensive.
Jorrel Hato
A promising and youthful alternative, Jorrel Hato, displays considerable potential. The Ajax talent is reminiscent of Jurrien Timber and shares similarities with the Gunners’ recent summer acquisition, particularly on the left side.
Despite being just 17 years old, Hato boasts impressive defensive statistics in Europe and has even captained the senior Ajax team this season. If there are instances where Oleksandr Zinchenko faces vulnerabilities in certain matches, Hato could serve as valuable competition and cover, especially in the absence of the injury-prone Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Jeremie Frimpong
An unconventional but potentially game-changing addition for Mikel Arteta’s attacking options on the right could be Jeremie Frimpong. The Bayer Leverkusen talent has been in exceptional form, contributing to over 15 goals already in the title-chasing campaign, an impressive feat for a right-back.
While Ben White has performed well in the right-back position for Arsenal, introducing Frimpong as an alternative could provide Arteta with more tactical flexibility to break down resilient opponents. However, it’s worth noting that Frimpong’s outstanding performances have likely elevated his market value significantly, potentially requiring a substantial investment from the winter budget.
Youssouf Fofana
Certainly, I’m still recovering from that Emirates Cup performance against Arsenal earlier this year. However, considering Youssouf Fofana has less than a year left on his contract, the Frenchman seems like a feasible option this winter. He could significantly bolster our midfield depth, especially in the central area. Acquiring a player of his quality and at his stage of career would alleviate the persistent injury setbacks suffered by Thomas Partey.
Fofana, a versatile box-to-box player, demonstrates prowess in both offensive and defensive aspects of the field. Given the potential departure of several central midfielders in the coming months, injecting new talent is a top priority for the club, and Fofana appears to be a perfect fit for the role.
