Arsenal face a testing 2015 with Arsene Wenger perhaps under the most pressure of his lengthy career in charge of the Gunners.
Unrest amongst the supporters has been more apparent than ever this season with banners asking for the Frenchman to step down unveiled at the Emirates Stadium, videos of supporters aggressively booing their manager emerging on the internet, and even a supporter arrested for approaching Wenger to launch his complaints towards the dugout during their most recent defeat at Southampton.
There is perhaps no more of a split fanbase in the entire country than that at Arsenal and Wenger understands the only way to unite those supporters and perhaps to save his job is to win some silverware.
And in order to do that, Wenger is going to have to do what he has so often failed to do in the past and that is bring in the required talent during the January transfer window.
Here we have identified the areas in which Arsenal need to strengthen and come up with the supporters’ dream starting eleven post deadline day.
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Click on Arsene Wenger to reveal The DREAM starting XI all Arsenal fans want by February 2nd.
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Iker Casillas
There has been talk of Arsene Wenger chasing a more experienced goalkeeper for a couple of years now and they don’t come any more experienced than Iker Casillas.
Wojciech Szczesny endured a shocking afternoon during the 2-0 defeat at Southampton on New Year’s Day, perhaps further underlining the point Arsenal are still short when it comes to a world class goalkeeper.
Summer signing David Ospina may yet be the answer but the Colombian international is still unproven in English football.
Casillas has struggled for form over the past couple of seasons and has been linked with a move away from the Bernabeu consistently.
Reports have suggested Arsenal may look to tempt the Spanish World Cup winner with a loan move until the end of the season, with summer signing Keylor Navas battling for the number one spot under Carlo Ancelotti.
Other goalkeepers who have been linked include Chelsea’s Petr Cech and Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic.
Mathieu Debuchy, Laurent Koscielny, Winston Reid, Kieran Gibbs
A new centre back should be considered a priority for Wenger this season with injuries and lack of cover having played a big part in their demise during the opening half of the season.
Per Mertesacker looks a shadow of the man who impressed so much last season and would surely make way for a new signing, the most likely of which at the moment seems to be West Ham United’s Winston Reid.
Reid has been outstanding for the Hammers during their superb first half of the campaign and is keen to move this winter with his contract expiring in the summer.
Other defenders linked include Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels and Saint-Etienne’s Loic Perrin but Reid is the only one proven at Premier League level.
Aaron Ramsey, William Carvalho, Santi Cazorla
A defensive midfielder is what Arsenal fans have been crying out for and Wenger will certainly be feeling the heat if he is unable to add one this winter.
Twenty-two-year-old William Carvalho is the all-action midfield enforcer every top club in Europe is after and Arsenal are no different. Carvalho would be the perfect addition to a midfield three that includes Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla – players both capable of scoring and providing assists.
Alternatively, Arsenal have also been linked with Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin – a man who would be eligible for Champions League football – as well as Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, a man who experienced World Cup success with fellow Germans Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil already on the books at the Emirates Stadium.
Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck/ Julian Draxler
Olivier Giroud has hit the ground running since his return from injury whilst Alexis Sanchez continues to perform superbly each week. Summer signing Danny Welbeck has perhaps exceeded expectations with the goals he has scored and gives the front three a good balance with his pace and work rate.
But with Mesut Ozil sidelined and possibly on the move to Bayern Munich, the Gunners could perhaps do with another attacking signing and Julian Draxler fits the bill.
Arsenal failed with a deadline day move for the young German international last January but have remained interested. Draxler is capable of unlocking defences with a moment of magic whilst his finishing is outstanding for someone so young.
He is capable of interchanging and playing anywhere across a front three and at just 21-years-of-age, Wenger would back himself to turn the forward into one of the world’s best in the coming years.
