Arsenal don’t currently appear to have an urgent need to either buy or sell players in January, according to a report.
James McNicholas reports for The Athletic that Arsenal currently have no urgent need to enter the transfer market for new signings, and the club also aren’t in a hurry to let anyone leave this month.
McNicholas adds that Andrea Berta won’t exactly have the month off, and Arsenal will already be drawing up plans for the summer window. But with the team still fighting for four trophies, it’s not the ideal time to be letting players go.
The Athletic also recently reported that Arsenal retain their interest in Marc Guehi, and though they’re primarily thinking about a summer free transfer, a Manchester City bid this month could yet draw the Gunners in.
Arsenal’s win over Portsmouth at the weekend probably only made the club more likely to hold onto everyone in the current squad.
If there’s one player on the fringes who could use the minutes, it’s Ethan Nwaneri, but the midfielder made a start against Portsmouth and is likely to get another in the next round against Wigan Athletic.
Arsenal also have a League Cup semi-final coming up, and a couple of Champions League League Phase matches that have significantly decreased in importance given the Gunners’ five-point lead over third place.
Finishing first or second in the League Phase is effectively the same thing, and Arsenal now only need two points (at most) from their final two games to guarantee second. After a trip to Inter Milan, their final game is at home to the team in 36th – Kairat Almaty.
Considering Arsenal are very much in the hunt for a Premier League title, Mikel Arteta may well decide to rotate in the cup and Champions League games, keeping players fresh.
So any first-team backups who struggled for minutes in December may find themselves on the pitch a lot more often over the next month. Transfer exits are therefore unlikely.