Arsenal don't tend to spend money unless they have a particular talent in mind and despite the flurry of deals across the Premier League over the last month, the winter window is a particularly tricky one to recruit in.
In January's gone by, the Gunners have added marquee signings such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, two of the finest players we've seen in home colours at the Emirates Stadium. That said, will anyone join them in becoming one of the biggest post-Highbury deals we've seen?
Ollie Watkins is one target's name who has come to the forefront of fans' minds over the last five days but any move now seems unlikely given Jhon Duran has moved to Saudi.
So, is there anyone else in the pipeline?
Arsenal's late window business
With Watkins now likely off the table attention appears to have turned itself to Dusan Vlahovic according to reports.
The Juventus frontman could cost in the region of £54m if the Serie A side decide to let him leave Turin.
dusan-vlahovic-juventus-serie-a
However, he's not the only player on the club's radar. Indeed, according to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners and Manchester United are in contact with Bayern Munich regarding Mathys Tel.
The Frenchman - who can play as a lone striker or on the wing - rejected a £50m move to Tottenham over the weekend and it did look as though he might stay in Germany as a result.
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However, he could still be on the move with further reports from the Mirror even suggesting that he is 'ready to join' either Arsenal or United before the window closes.
Mathys Tel for Bayern Munich-1
A loan move cannot be ruled out either with reports earlier in the window indicating the forward was willing to initially leave Munich on a temporary basis.
What Mathys Tel would offer Arsenal
Should Tel move to Arsenal on a loan move this January then it could be a wonderful repeat of the initial deal that saw current captain Martin Odegaard head to north London.
Martin-Odegaard-Arsenal
Back in late January of 2021, Arteta and Co needed an extra sprinkle of creativity in the team and they did so by bringing the Norwegian to the capital.
"Martin is of course a player that we all know very well and although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while. Martin will provide us with quality offensive options and we’re all excited to be integrating him into our plans." - Arteta when Odegaard signed.
Judging by Arteta's comments four years ago, a similar move could be replicated here. Like Odegaard was when he joined, Tel is young, exciting, and on the periphery of one of Europe's major clubs. To put it simply, he desperately needs game time to improve.
Well, the 19-year-old would be pretty perfect for Arsenal given the boxes they need to tick before the window shuts.
With Gabriel Jesus injured, they need a centre forward and with Bukayo Saka also on the treatment table, they need a winger. Fortunately, Tel can do both.
Described as “one of the best young strikers in Europe” by journalist David Reed, there's clearly a great degree of excitement around the teenager and here's why.
Tel vs wingers in top 5 leagues
Metric
% ranking
Goals
64%
Assists
84%
Shots
93%
Crosses
92%
Goal-creating actions
95%
Successful take-ons
86%
Aerial duels won
86%
Stats via FBref.
Despite a lack of game time, the wonderkid ranks incredibly highly for a number of key metrics. Having scored ten goals in 40 games last term, he's not the most prolific yet but that's still an incredibly impressive number for someone still learning their trade.
Crucially, he ranks highly for goal-creating actions and what should also excite Arteta and the supporters is how highly he ranks for successful take-ons.
Mathys-Tel-Bayern-Munich
The Gunners have missed players with a daring ability to beat their marker and in Tel they'd find that player. A permanent move would be ideal but even if it's only on loan, an extra body certainly wouldn't go amiss in the final months of the new campaign.
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