Arteta to backed in the January market
Arsenal made some big signings during the summer transfer window this year, most notably bringing in the duo of striker Gabriel Jesus and midfielder-turned-fullback Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. But as the Gunners lead the title race in the Premier League by two points, manager Mikel Arteta is expected to be backed again when the market opens in January, according to The Telegraph.
Arteta is still keen on adding another midfielder of steel to his ranks, someone with the ability of reading the game and anchoring those ahead of him in the system, someone to provide cover and competition for Thomas Partey in the middle of the park. To that end, Arsenal tried to sign Douglas Luiz on the last day of the summer window and failed, and the 24-year-old Brazil international has signed a new contract with Aston Villa since.
Another department that the manager wants boosted is the wide attacking area. The club’s pursuit of Raphinha, another Brazil international who ended up leaving Leeds United for Barcelona instead, was well-documented throughout the summer. At the moment, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka remain undisputed for the places on the flanks, following the loan exit of Nicolas Pepe. Marquinhos is a talented player, but he lacks the experience needed to be able to contribute significantly when the title race heats up in the second half of the season.
Arteta’s work has truly been remarkable. He has now replaced almost every player that was here before his time, at least when it comes to those actually in contention to start in big matches. Among those, the only one remaining from the Unai Emery era at the moment is Kieran Tierney, and even the Scotland international has so far made more starts in the Europa League (five) than in the Premier League (three) this term.
The results of this evolution are clear to see.
