Who Arsenal must buy in January to sustain Premier League title challenge

FT Desk

• 23 Oct 2022 16:18 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table for now, but there are some key areas the Gunners need to strengthen if they want to stay there come the end of the season.

Arsenal did some exciting business in the summer transfer window, with the double swoop for Manchester City pair Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko for a combined £77 million (€88.3m) particularly headline-grabbing.

William Saliba's performances since returning from his loan deal with Marseille have also been impressive, and the Gunners are deservedly top of the Premier League having beaten Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and others so far.

But there remains the feeling that Jesus' and Zinchenko's former employers Man City could pip them at any time - something former City right-back Micah Richards articulated recently.

"The difference between Manchester City and Arsenal is that City can lose a few players and play exactly the same way and can afford to rotate," he said.

"If Arsenal lose Gabriel Jesus, an Oleksandr Zinchenko or a Thomas Partey, all of a sudden they become a different team."

Who should Arsenal buy?

If Arsenal want to maintain their table-topping form season-long, there are some key areas they need to strengthen.

One is an extra body in central midfield. Partey has indeed been injured this season, missing five games with a thigh problem earlier in the campaign. Granit Xhaka continues to divide opinion among the support but beyond those two Miel Arteta only really has the somewhat unproven Albert Sambi Lokonga to lean upon.

Arsenal wanted Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz towards the end of the summer transfer window, and with Steven Gerrard no longer at Villa Park, there is a chance the Brazilian becomes more available under his successor. Arsenal should test Villa again in January.

Further forward, a lot is being asked of Bukay Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on the wings. Fine player, both, but some respite would be welcome for them. Mykhaylo Mudryk has already spoken of his desire to join Arsenal, and the "Ukrainian Neymar" brings a combination of pace and skill rarely found.

There is some surgery needed at the back, meanwhile. Newcastle are the only team who have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal, but that doesn't escape the fact that they are more patchwork there than Arteta would like.

Saliba's form has forced Ben White - a £50m (€57.3m) arrival from Brighton last summer - to play right-back, which he has done with aplomb whilst the incumbent Takehiro Tomiyasu has been injured. That might mean they need another centre-back as cover.

Gabriel has been handed a new contract until 2027, but another left-footer in the squad wouldn't go amiss. With Lisandro Martinez turning down Arsenal in favour for Manchester United in leaving Ajax this summer, perhaps the most viable player of that profile would be Eintracht Frankfurt's former France under-21 international Evan N'Dicka, who should be attainable.

Other business

Aaron Ramsdale deservedly ousted Bernd Leno as No.1 last season, but the England international only has the 10th-best save percentage among goalkeepers this season. Arsenal could do worse than checking on the availability of Edouard Mendyy now that Graham Potter seems to have installed Kepa Arrizabalaga as his No.1 at Chelsea. They could hoover up N'Golo Kante whilst they're at it, provided his own injury record calms down.

An out-and-out striker to rotate with Jesus/allow the Brazilian to play wide on occasion would also be welcome. The race for Brentford's eight-goal Ivan Toney could be one worth winning.