It seems like an absolute age since the last ball was kicked as part of Premier League action doesn’t it? The good news is that the English top flight will return in just two days’ time with Arsenal facing an away day to West Bromwich Albion.
Unbeaten in their last five visits to The Hawthorns, Arsenal are used to getting the better of the Baggies on their home patch and if they do earn the three points on Saturday afternoon, they will temporarily go three points clear of Manchester City who face a huge match-up against Liverpool in the tea-time kick-0ff.
Our Gooners here in the tavern are delighted with the form they’ve shown in the Premier League so far this season but this has come at a price.
In typically Arsenal fashion, all of Hector Bellerin, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck are missing through injury right now and it could well prove the case that this mass injury crisis costs the Gunners come the end of the campaign.
Naturally, strengthening the ranks in the January transfer window would represent a way to get around these injuries but we know Arsene Wenger treats his returning players ‘like new signings’!
That said, Wenger did surprise a few by getting his chequebook out and swooping for Villarreal’s Gabriel Paulista at the mid-point of last season.
With that in mind, we’ve identified five more La Liga stars who should be on the Gunners’ radar for this January.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five La Liga stars who should be on Arsenal’s January radar.
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Nolito
Lets face it, Metro love a sensational story and they had one yesterday headlined ‘Nolito hints at Arsenal love after liking transfer story on Instagram’.
It’s part of the modern way nowadays that any single lead such as this is scrutinised to death but in fairness, the Spanish international has been linked with a Gunners switch for a little while now anyway.
The 29-year-old is a winger by trade and to be honest, Arsenal have plenty of those but at the same time, the former Barcelona man has struck seven goals for Celta Vigo this season while registering four assists to boot.
With the player having remained loyal to Celta thus far, the expectation is that he’ll be moving onto bigger and better things this January and with attacking talent a rare and expensive commodity in the transfer market at the minute, Arsenal should get this deal moving and quick with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud relied upon too much at present.
Shkodran Mustafi
He’s been heavily linked with a Manchester United switch so far this autumn but we think Arsenal should be in the running for Shkodran Mustafi’s signature as well.
The German international who was criminally overlooked in his spell at Everton is one of the highest regarded centre backs in La Liga right now with Valencia and still just 23-years-old has a bright career in front of him.
While Arsenal’s first choice defensive partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker is usually strong, Mertesacker is now 31-years-old and Arsene Wenger should start thinking about who his long-term successor will be.
Calum Chambers was of course signed last summer but looks in need of a loan spell to regain some confidence so perhaps Wenger should ‘do a Gabriel’ by swooping for another La Liga defender in Mustafi during the January window given many Gooners still think they lack one more dominant centre half.
Isco
A month ago, The Telegraph reported that Arsene Wenger will step up his pursuit of Real Madrid midfielder Isco in the January transfer window.
Receiving more first team chances than originally expected after his arrival from Malaga in 2013, he’s a bit-part player under the current Rafael Benitez regime and is said to be valued around £33 million.
While it would of course prove a surprise for Wenger to splash this kind of fee in January, Isco has remained at the forefront of the Arsenal transfer rumours despite Arsenal boasting so many midfielders in his mould so do the papers know something we don’t we wonder?
Sergi Samper
He seems to have been an Arsenal transfer target for an eternity but in reality, Barcelona’s Sergi Samper is still only 20-years-old and is just on the cusp of making a breakthrough in his professional career.
Still a big fish in the Barcelona B pond, yet unable to thrust himself into Luis Enrique’s first team plans, the player finally spoke about his prospects lately.
As reported by London 24, Samper was speaking about his intentions of getting into Barca’s first team squad, claiming: ““I’ve always said that my first option, my absolute priority, is to triumph here at Barcelona.”
“But if I cannot do it, if I don’t have the opportunity to do it here, then I will leave.”
With the Daily Star claiming his release clause still only stands at £8.5 million back in October, we think that Wenger should be snapping up this talented youngster as a perfect foil for Francis Coquelin with both Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini considered veterans now.
Alex Grimaldo
In the exact same position as the previously mentioned Samper right now, Alex Grimaldo is another hot property of the Barcelona academy who will need to make a decision regarding his intentions.
Seven days ago, The Mirror claimed the 20-year-old left back is firmly on the Gunners’ radar with the player now plying his trade in the third tier of Spanish football after Barcelona B’s relegation from the Segunda division last season.
Somebody who has experience of training with the first team, yet is still unable to make a true breakthrough, Grimaldo would naturally be encouraged by the fact Hector Bellerin, Jon Toral and Cesc Fabregas have been nurtured well at Emirates Stadium.
While Nacho Monreal is firmly the first choice left back at present, Kieran Gibbs hasn’t massively improved over the years so we wonder whether there’s space for another defender in the shape and form of Grimaldo.
