It was indicative of a side where the manager does not necessarily think they have enough in reserve to change out his starters. This is certainly the case for Arsenal which has been worsened by injuries to key players.
With that in mind, football.london takes a look at five dream January signings that would provide serious reinforcement to the squad. Players from all three areas of the outfield roles are covered in ranging levels of realistic potential.
Santiago Gimenez
Perhaps Europe’s most exciting young striker, Santiago Gimenez continues to score goals at an incredible rate for Dutch champions Feyenoord. He has 18 goals from the opening 16 Eredivisie games.
His style relies on his speed but physical presence too and would add a new dimension to the striker options. Ivan Toney does not feature in my list with the idea of moving for a younger player with a much higher potential ceiling the way to go if the choice was mine.
Pedro Neto
Again, the Liverpool game provides inspiration for a potential signing and this links to the defeat at Aston Villa too. With Gabriel Martinelli struggling in both games and Trossard failing to make an impact from the bench, there was certainly an element of speed missing in the attack which could not be said for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Moussa Diaby, who were causing Arsenal plenty of problems on the break.
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
Another young option and a player full of potential is Jorrel Hato. The Ajax prodigy is following in the footsteps of Jurrien Timber and is something of a left-sided reincarnation of the recent Gunners summer signing.
Hato possesses some of the most impressive stats for a defender in Europe despite his young age of 17 and has already captained the senior Ajax side this season. Where Oleksandr Zinchenko is exposed in some games, perhaps Hato could provide the competition and cover when the injury-prone Takehiro Tomiyasu is missing.
Jeremie Frimpong
A wildcard but one which would transform Mikel Arteta’s side’s attacking potential on the right. Jeremie Frimpong has been on fire for title-chasing Bayer Leverkusen producing more than 15 goal contributions already and it is on the halfway point – and he’s a right-back!
Ben White has been strong for Arsenal on the right but having a variation of option to the role could give Arteta more keys to try and unlock stubborn opposition doors. That said, Frimpong’s form has raised his value to its peak and will certainly take up all of the winter budget one would imagine.
Youssouf Fofana
Yes, I am still reeling from that Emirates Cup performance against Arsenal earlier in the year but with less than a year left on Youssouf Fofana’s contract the Frenchman surely presents as an attainable option this winter and one who can add plenty of depth the middle third too. A central midfielder of his quality and age would provide the reprieve from the frustratingly consistent Thomas Partey injures.
A box-to-box player with presence in both attacking and defensive thirds of the field. With the potential for several central midfielders to move on in the next few months, fresh blood is a club priority and Fofana fits the bill.
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