It’s been an incredible season so far for Arsenal Football Club. There was some excitement about The Gunners after an excellent summer window, but few if any Arsenal fans believed that they would be top of the table in January and also be 7 points clear of Manchester City. A truly amazing feat.
With that said the club will likely never have a better opportunity to win their first league title since 2003 and they can’t squander this opportunity with a quiet January window. There has been a serious injury that will keep star man Gabriel Jesus out for a few months, while a lack of depth in other areas will likely hamper Arsenal as the season goes on.
These are the five potential Arsenal transfers that could bring help seal the deal on the Premier League title.
Leandro Trossard
This first of the potential Arsenal transfers should have belonged to Mykhailo Mydryk. Arsenal was reportedly close to agreeing on a deal with the outstanding Ukrainian winger before Chelsea nipped in and stole the player from under their noses. It can’t be said that Arsenal is short in the wide areas with the likes of Saka and Martinelli, but this does show that they are in the market for a talented wide man. Brighton’s Leandro Trossard is that guy.
A proven Premier League talent in his prime Trossard has been in excellent form for The Seagulls over the last two seasons and is understandably keen to move on with his career. Trossard is a system player and while he isn’t outstanding compared to his peers at this level, he is productive in a number of roles and rarely puts in a poor performance. Trossard has already been more productive in front of goal this season than any other and Arsenal could strike while the Iron is hot to bring the Belgian international in during this window.
Which London club will finish highest in the table?
Arsenal
Chelsea
Tottenham
Trossard is 28 years of age, has had disciplinary issues, and has rejected a new contract at Brighton. Surely a cut-price deal can be arranged fairly quickly here.
Kenneth Taylor
Another talented player to come off of the Ajax conveyor belt and the next of the potential Arsenal transfers, Kenneth Taylor is a versatile defensive midfielder that is mostly deployed as a box-to-box player. At just 20 years old the Dutchman would fit Arsenal’s transfer policy or pursuing young players and could provide depth for the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka. Currently that responsibility would likely fall to Sambi Lokonga who has struggled to make an impact since joining the club.
Taylor is the type of defensive midfielder that fits well in a team that plans on having lots of possession and also gets forward at any opportunity. The midfielder has some of the best stats in Europe when it comes to attacking output from his area, especially when allowed to play his favoured box-to-box role. Taylor has recorded an average of 5.31 progressive passes received and 6.05 progressive passes played per 90 minutes played which puts him in the top 1% of players in this role.
One of the players he is most comparable to statistically is World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and while Taylor won’t come cheap, he is likely to cost far less than the Argentinian.
Lautaro Martinez
Of the potential Arsenal transfers, this one may seem out of the blue with the newly crowned World Cup winner not looking as good as he did a few years back. but Martinez is an outstanding striker with many traits that make him a viable candidate for Arsenal. Most importantly Lautaro is a player in the same mold as Gabriel Jesus and offers a like-for-like replacement for the Brazilian.
Like Jesus, Lautaro is the type of striker that blows hot and cold when it comes to his goal return. For many, this gives the impression he is out of form, but the Argentinian makes up for this with his exceptional work rate and ability to bring his teammates into the game. Lautaro is the type of striker that defends from the front and can drift wide or drop deep to impact the game even when his shooting boots aren’t on. That’s not to say Martinez lacks in his goal-scoring ability.
The player currently boasts a goal-scoring average of 0.56 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes played which puts him in the top 15% of players in his position.
Amine Gouiri
If Lautaro isn’t the one then perhaps Amine Gouiri is. The 22-year-old French attacker has been touted as one to watch for the future for much of his career and over the last few years has been growing into his potential. Gouiri received the first big transfer of his career in the summer when Stade Rennes spent a record £25 million to bring the attacker to the club. This is an enormous outlay for a club of Rennes size and shows the faith they had in Gouiri at the time.
Gouiri is unlikely to ever be a prolific goalscorer, but as we have seen with Jesus this isn’t the only thing Arteta values at Arsenal. Gouiri is a versatile player that is comfortable anywhere in the front three and often brings other players around him into the game.
He is a natural presser of the ball that makes more tackles and interceptions than 80% of the players in his position while also being a consistent creator of goals. The Frenchman looks like a player that will only get better as he gets older and it would be wise of Arsenal to put a bid in for him now before his price skyrockets in the coming years.
Declan Rice
This is the biggest of the potential Arsenal transfers. If Arsenal wants to make a statement and show finally that they are a big dog at the table then they should go out and sign Declan Rice. With West Ham struggling and his contract winding down the England international midfielder will have seen his price tag drop dramatically from the £100 million plus that was quoted 18 months ago. At this time Rice has 18 months left on his deal with The Hammers and reportedly has expressed a desire to play at the highest level. With Arsenal lacking depth in midfield and challenging for the title, this is surely the ideal situation for Rice.
The midfielder would immediately challenge the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka for a starting position and would provide an immediate improvement to Mikael Arteta’s squad. Rice also tends to play every game and is known for his ability to stay injury free.
While Partey has been outstanding for Arsenal this season the midfielder was brought in two seasons ago and is only now fit enough to get a run in the team. Rice’s quality and reliability are surely an upgrade that Arsenal cannot miss out on.
These are the players we think Arsenal should go for in January, can you think of any others? Please let us know.
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