How Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal failed to win the transfer window – again | OneFootball

How will Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta cope now the January transfer window has closed without the injury-hit club adding to their depleted squad?

When Arsenal confirmed the surprise departure of sporting director Edu in early November, their position was clear. His deputy Jason Ayto would step into his role relating to transfers.

They had failed to sign a coveted forward in the summer and had a squad on the small size to compete on four fronts, but Arsenal fans, they argued, had little to fear.

Their intentions for the winter market were always to be more reactive than proactive. In other words, if a word-class player became available or they were made an offer they could not refuse to sell someone, they would react accordingly. Yes, they wanted a striker, but only the right one.

Injury Crisis

They had problems at the back with long-term injuries to Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, but Martin Odegaard was back from his ankle problem and hopes were high going into Christmas.

That all changed on away day to Crystal Palace in December when their most creative player Bukayo Saka suffered a torn hamstring, ruling him out for many months. The alarm bells really started ringing when back-in-form forward Gabriel Jesus sustained a season-ending injury a few weeks later.

Even ever-calm Arteta was calling for reinforcements when quizzed in his pre and post-match press conferences over his transfer hopes. They were low on quality and low on numbers.

Leading targets such as Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko were going nowhere with so much still to play for at their respective clubs and a more open summer market ahead to maximise their value too.

The Answer is Ollie Watkins

It left Arsenal, to their surprise, scrambling. They finally identified and bid for the proven Premier League goalscorer Ollie Watkins as the best winnable bet. Aston Villa, they knew, were open to selling players due to their PSR situation but were less unaware of their intention to cash in on this season’s star striker Jhon Duran when the Middle East oil money was waved their way.

They flirted with a few others, most notably the unproven French teenager Mathys Tel, a player Bayern Munich signed for a small fortune in 2022 but played only nine times since. Like some of the other clubs Tel was offered to, they felt it was not worth the risk.

Speaking shortly before the window closed, he reiterated how much he would like to strengthen his squad, but not just for the sake of it.

He explained: “I’m very confident with the work that the club is doing and exploring every single opportunity that we believe can have an impact on the team. That’s certainly the case and if we can agree on something we will. If not, we won’t.

“We are trying everything that we can, but I don’t want to give any reassurance or not. I don’t know, it doesn’t depend only on us, so our intention is clear but the possibilities are affected by three parties.”

Only time will tell, pun intended, if they are proved right not to push the boat out. And, although Arsenal now face the rest of the season with fingers, legs and anything else crossable hoping they do not suffer any more injuries to the likes of their only obvious striker Kai Havertz, Arteta is not sitting in his office crying.

It might look like their hopes have diminished, but they remain among the favourites to win the Champions League, are off for some sunshine in Dubai and still have an outside chance of winning the Premier League.