At Arsenal, it is officially “open” season for the January transfer market. With the promised land of Champions League qualification within reach, business that might otherwise have waited until the summer could yet be brought forward to the midseason window.
For most of the season, the expectation had been that Arsenal would keep their power dry until summer. After all, they had invested the most of any Premier League club in the summer, a $200 million spree that has been an indisputable success. Indeed, part of the argument for pushing summer business ahead is simply that any additional expenditure could be offset by the rewards that would come from getting back into the Champions League.
There are more immediate factors to consider heading into Sunday’s FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest. COVID-19 cases have hit Arsenal, though the number is currently not thought to put the game at risk, at a time when their squad has been stripped back to its bare bones. Four players — Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang — are on Africa Cup of Nations duty while their midfield has been further weakened by Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ move to Roma on loan, a move Mikel Arteta felt compelled to sanction for the good of the 24-year-old’s career.
Then there is the matter of center forward. This summer had long loomed large as the moment to add to Arteta’s forward line. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will be out of contract then, Aubameyang will have a year left on his deal. However, with the latter ostracized from the first team and available to any interested parties, a new striker could arrive as something of a belated Christmas present.
Arsenal have long been preparing for the summer move. Among their list of targets are Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak, Jonathan David of Lille and Dusan Vlahovic, the striker whose…
Source : cbssports
