Arteta calls on Arsenal to splash out
Gunners boss is baying for new blood to fend off City in title tilt
MIKEL ARTETA insists Arsenal cannot afford to waste this January transfer window as they look to cement their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
The leaders could be without striker Gabriel Jesus for up to three months after he suffered a knee injury that required surgery, Emile Smith Rowe (groin) remains out and Reiss Nelson will also miss ‘weeks not days’ after damaging his hamstring in a recent friendly against Juventus.
It is no surprise then that the Gunners are looking to bolster their attacking options next month, with talks under way over a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk.
Another centre back and central midfielder are also on Arsenal’s wish list and boss Arteta says they cannot rest on their laurels, despite a fine start to the campaign.
‘We will always be active in the market and we will assess the biggest opportunities that we have,’ he said.
‘We are looking to strengthen the team. This squad still doesn’t have the luxury of not maximising every single window. We have to do that because it’s really important.
‘We have to get the right profile, it has to be the right player to take us to the next level.’
Eddie Nketiah, the only other natural No9 in Arsenal’s squad, is set to lead the line on St Stephen’s Day against West Ham, when they could also be without Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (muscle problem).
Arteta and sporting director Edu met with club owner Stan Kroenke earlier this month and the manager insisted they are prepared to spend on the squad.
‘The ambition is there and the alignment is certainly there as well,’ he said.
Defender Cedric Soares is in talks with Fulham over a move away from the Emirates but Arteta, who has previously admitted that his squad is short of numbers, hinted that they will not rush into letting players leave.
‘We know where we are in terms of the squad and numbers that we have. We’ll be extremely cautious about what we want to do in the window,’ he said. Nine of Arsenal’s squad have already played more than 1,000 minutes in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
Among those to have started every match is William Saliba, who is due back from World Cup duty with France today.
Despite an impressive start to the season for his club, he made only one substitute appearance in Qatar and will have had minimal preparation before the Premier League returns.
But Arteta has not ruled out throwing the centre back straight back in.
‘It depends on how he comes back,’ he said. ‘We have the data on what he’s done in training.
‘In terms of minutes, he didn’t participate much but it was a huge experience for him. When he gets back we’ll see. We have, of course, had a lot of contact but it’s one thing on the phone and another in person when you can actually talk to him directly, see how he is in training and see how he gets the rhythm.’
Arsenal won all but two of their 14 League matches before the World Cup and Arteta knows they must recreate the momentum they built before the break, despite conceding that losing Jesus is a ‘huge blow’.
‘We need to do that on the pitch,’ he said. ‘We have talked a lot about it. We know the importance of starting strong. We play at home.
‘The season has challenges, losing Gabriel is a challenge we have to overcome, but if you’re going to be at the top then there are going to be those challenges.’
The manager is not expecting any hangovers from players who have been at the World Cup.
‘They were buzzing to be back and part of it,’ the Spaniard added. ‘I feel a really good energy around the place.’