Swinging between absolute despair and jubilation like no other side it seems, Arsenal supporters are currently on the up here in the Football Transfer Tavern with Tuesday evening’s 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb giving them hope that they can still qualify to the knock-out stages in this season’s Champions League.
Having to do with the Europa League if they cannot win by a two goal margin at Olympiakos, the Gunners’ task is tough but our resident Gooners here in the tavern think they can do the business – if they don’t suffer any more debilitating injuries!
As everybody is more than aware now, the Gunners’ annual injury crisis has struck again and that Capital One Cup fourth round fixture at Sheffield Wednesday has rally put a spanner into the works of Arsenal’s season with injuries to both Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that have hit the team hard.
Joel Campbell has come into the team to deputise and despite impressing well against Zagreb this week, not to mention scoring against Swansea City, he’s still looked shaky and potentially not up to it for a club looking to win the Premier League title.
The injury that is likely to hit the Gunners even harder however is the one sustained by Francis Coquelin at West Bromwich Albion with the French linchpin now set to miss a crucial two months of the season at least.
With Coquelin’s injury in mind, not to mention squad deficiencies elsewhere, today we’ve devised a list of five realistic January transfer window signings that Arsenal fans would be delighted with.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five realistic January signings Arsenal fans would be delighted with.
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Sergi Samper
Actually receiving some first team game time under Luis Enrique in Barcelona’s 6-1 rout of Roma this week in the Champions League, Sergi Samper would’ve been delighted to make his second-half cameo from the bench.
Making it at Barcelona has and still is the young Spaniard’s priority but as we’ve read before in Metro, the player still has a release clause of just £8.5 million in his contract with both Arsenal and Manchester United having been credited with an interest.
A defensive midfielder by trade, surely that fee is excellent value for a potential star of tomorrow who could also fill in for Coquelin as a young player with more dynamism and mobility than Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta at present?
Having developed the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin incredibly well too, perhaps Samper may be receptive in January if the player still isn’t able to shake the day job of being a big fish in the small pond at Barcelona B.
Mauro Icardi
Mauro Icardi has been the big name player incessantly linked with an Arsenal switch this week with the Inter Milan forward struggling to recapture last season’s form with his new status as Nerazzurri captain.
The Mirror claim Arsenal will attempt to recruit the former Sampdoria striker in January and our resident Gooners think Arsene Wenger could do a lot worse with the 22-year-old boasting a goalscoring record of 35 strikes in 69 Serie A appearances for Inter since signing in 2013.
A different option to the likes of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, Arsenal simply need to boost their number of strikers with Danny Welbeck still out with injury and Giroud lacking the same potency without Walcott keeping him on his toes at present.
And what’s more, the number nine shirt is still vacant at Emirates Stadium following Lukas Podolski’s exit so Icardi could take that for himself!
Jorginho
Somebody more experienced than the previously mentioned Sergi Samper who could more than deputise for Francis Coquelin is Napoli’s Jorginho who is a long-term target of Arsenal, stretching back to his days at Hellas Verona.
The naturalised Italian has been impressing everybody in Serie A this term and Arsenal have already deployed scouts to watch him in 2015/16 according to The Mirror, referenced in Football Italia.
The source claims a deal in the New Year will be difficult with Napoli renowned for playing hardball with their key men such as Gonzalo Higuain but with Arsenal’s need great in the central midfield area right now, we think Wenger should at least enquire.
Jese
Eleven days ago, Metro led with the story that Arsenal were set on making a £21.1 million bid for Real Madrid’s Jese who is said to be likely to be giving up on his Bernabeu dream in the New Year.
A bit-part player at best under Rafaem Benitez, Jese only receives first team chances when the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are injured.
With this artillery in front of him in the pecking order for Los Blancos, it seems unlikely that Jese will ever manage to improve his first team prospects and thus a move to the likes of Arsenal makes sense.
Whether he’s worth £21.1 million is in doubt for our Gooners by the bar but at the same time, they point to the fact that Alvaro Morata surpassed even his own expectations at Juventus having departed Real in similar circumstances last year.
If you’ve even been on the books of Real Madrid, you must have something about you and who knows, perhaps Jese could do a Morata at Emirates Stadium?
One things is for sure; Arsenal’s strikeforce needs a boost and Gooners will be glad to see any striker top up the numbers this January.
Isco
Back at the end of October, The Express claimed that Jese’s Real Madrid team-mate Isco has told club president Florentino Perez that he wants out of the Bernabeu.
Rather strange timing considering the Spanish international has played more of an active role for Los Blancos under Rafael Benitez this term, the reports claim the former Malaga man is keen on playing in new surroundings.
After all, who knows; perhaps the weight of expectation is too much for Isco at present with Madrid boasting the very highest standards?
If the likes of Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey could be relied upon in terms of fitness, perhaps a swoop for Isco would be out of the question but given the fact that trio are often missing on the sidelines, you can see why Wenger might be tempted to swoop for the player who can play as both an attacking midfielder or more central.
