Mikel Arteta says he’s planning the January transfer window with Edu, but he’s not making any promises in the current circumstances.

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures during the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 2 Group B football match between Arsenal and Dundalk at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 29, 2020. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures during the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 2 Group B football match between Arsenal and Dundalk at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 29, 2020. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

It feels like the summer transfer window just closed, but we’re already less than a month away from January now. Arsenal have had a terrible start in the Premier League, so the fans are unsurprisingly calling for additions to the current squad.

Speaking in his press conference pre-Rapid Vienna, Arteta confirmed the club are already holding internal discussions about their plans for the winter window, but there will be obstacles to overcome.

“We are planning, talking with Edu and with the club about the things we can do in January,” Arteta said. “But at the moment it’s pretty difficult, unpredictable as well in terms of [squad] places we are very restricted at the moment.

“We’ll see what happens, I think things will move in the market, we will be prepared, we will need to do something knowing the limitations of that market in January and the limitations we have as well to sign players.”

The restrictions Arteta is referring to concern squad spaces at Arsenal.

Even now, without making any signings, the club have to leave out two players in the Premier League (Mesut Özil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos) and three in the Europa League (Özil, Sokratis, and William Saliba.

Even if KSE give Arteta all the money he needs in January, it’s useless if the manager can’t fit the new player in the squad. As a result, it’s just as important for the club to offload fringe players in the winter window.

One area everyone seems to agree on is that Arsenal aren’t getting enough goals from midfield. Arteta admits “a big team needs players in midfield who score goals” and that “we haven’t had any”.

So that’s something to look out for if the Gunners to make any January moves.