That does not mean a handful of top players have not been linked with a move to north London, however. Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen, Martin Zubimendi, Joshua Zirkzee, Borja Mayoral and Jorrel Hato are just some of the stars reportedly on the Gunners' radar, although it's unclear whether Edu will make a move for any of them this window.
One Premier League player Arsenal are interested in is Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, football.london understands. The Toffees' expect a fee in the region of £50million for the Belgian international, though their perilous financial position could prompt a sale in the coming weeks.
With Financial Fair Play a real concern for the Gunners, football.london understands that the club are surveying the loan market for potential signings that could offer some temporary support. Over the weekend, it emerged that Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema could leave the Saudi Arabia side this window having not turned up to a training camp in Dubai, according to Marca.
This has caused some to speculate that Arsenal could make a move for the former Real Madrid forward in January, given the Gunners' problems up front in recent weeks. Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have all struggled to hit the heights of last season which could mean a move for Benzema makes sense.
Mikel Arteta has been asked about Arsenal's January plans already, with the Spaniard admitting ahead of the Gunners' defeat against West Ham at the end of December that his side were "really short". He said: "Well at the moment, it is very difficult. We are really short.
"We have positions that we have been very exposed for the last six weeks and hopefully we are going to get players back. In what condition and when? That’s a question mark and as well because we have some long-term injuries still for certain players that give us a lot of versatility and that’s an issue."
Asked about potential targets, Arteta said: "That’s a different matter. We’re just focusing on the importance of tomorrow, Fulham and the FA Cup.
"Then we’ll have a break to assess and see... We have certain targets, ideas if things happen. As well, we don’t know how the squad is going to look in two weeks’ time and you have to be always prepared for that. But it is a very, very tricky market that shifts very quickly and it is quite unpredictable as well - and you have to be prepared. We will be prepared and we will try to make the right calls."
Onana and Benzema could be decent additions to the Arsenal team if Edu decides to make a move for the pair this window. Here, we take a look at how Arsenal could line up with both players in the side:
Potential Arsenal starting XI with Onana and Benzema: David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Declan Rice, Amadou Onana, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Karim Benzema, Gabriel Martinelli.
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