Many Arsenal fans would like to see Mikel Arteta sign a new centre-forward and play Gabriel Jesus on the wing. Photo: Ryan Pearce/Getty Images < p>An inevitable consequence of Arsenal's shock defeat to West Ham United, in which Mikel Arteta's side took 30 shots but failed to score any of them, was another debate about the strikers, or rather , on whether Arsenal needs a new one.< /p>
Every match goes by without the club's fans calling for the signing of a new center forward. With just a few days left until the January transfer window opens, these demands are more pressing than ever.
However, there are other areas of the team that also require attention, and Arteta's short-term needs do not necessarily coincide with calls for a long-term solution that can be found in attack. After all, building a squad is a complex process and the risks of making bad decisions are as high as the rewards of signing the right players.
In this article, Telegraph Sport assesses the various challenges facing Arteta and Sporting ” Director Edu as they look for ways to strengthen the team in the short, medium and long term.
Short Term: Defensive Cover
Arteta needs a squad with two quality players for each position. This would mean eight defenders – two for each role in the back four. If everyone is fit, Arsenal currently have eight options for a defender, but one of them is Cedric Soares, who is not in their plans and is out of contract in the summer.
Therefore, even without any injuries, Arsenal will still be interested in signing the defender. Indeed, Telegraph Sport understands they have been eyeing potential recruits in defensive positions since the end of last season. For example, they are long-time admirers of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guei, and are also considering options in the European market.
Arsenal ” – Long-time fan of Crystal Palace's Marc Guei. Photo: Sebastian Frey/Getty Images
Injury problems have compounded the situation, with new signing Jurrien Timber sidelined with a long-term knee problem and Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out since early December. Tomiyasu is also set to play for Japan at the upcoming Asian Cup.
Arsenal are therefore alarmingly short of defensive options at this stage of the season. They currently have just six senior players in four defensive positions and one of them is Cedric, who has not played a minute of Premier League football this season. Earlier in the campaign, midfielder Thomas Partey played at right-back, but he is also currently injured.
It should not be forgotten that Arsenal's title challenge fell apart last year after Tomiyasu and William Saliba were injured. They are now dangerously close to being in a similar position. Signing a defensive contract in January, perhaps only for the short term, would make sense.
Medium term: Offensive firepower
Over the past 18 months, Arsenal have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to spend huge amounts of money on another striker. They made attempts to sign Raphinha from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 before he moved to Barcelona instead, and also considered buying Pedro Neto from Wolves.
A few months later, during the January transfer window, Arsenal made every effort to secure the signature of Mikhail Mudrik before the deal was intercepted by Chelsea. That same month, Chelsea outbid them for João Felix, who was on loan from Atlético Madrid. They showed preliminary interest in Moussa Diaby last summer before he joined Aston Villa.
Arsenal eventually signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton in January 2023, but he is not has never been a go-to striker who can directly replace Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Apart from academy graduate Reiss Nelson, there are no other traditional wingers in the squad.
Do they need an alternative to Martinelli and Saka? This will certainly ease the burden of these two young men. Martinelli is particularly struggling to make an impact at the moment, with the 22-year-old scoring just two goals in 17 league appearances this season.
The alternative is to sign a new center forward and use Gabriel Jesus as a wide player. Clearly this is what many Arsenal fans want to see. The problem here is that there aren't many top quality centre-forwards on the market and Arsenal's finances are tight in January. After all, it was for financial reasons that they signed David Rye from Brentford on an initial loan.
Ivan Toney's name is often mentioned by supporters and pundits, but as Telegraph Sport detailed last month, any move by him in January should be considered highly unlikely. Brentford are reluctant to sell next month and it would take a huge fee to tempt them. Unable to pay £30m for Raya a few months ago, how could Arsenal return to Brentford with an offer for Tony close to £100m?
A big-money move for a new centre-forward is more likely in the summer , unless there are significant departures in January (Eddie Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdalde and Jakub Kivior could attract interest, as can Partey).
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is a potential long-term target for Arsenal Photo: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
In the long term, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is a player Arsenal admire. Arsenal are believed to have first registered their interest in Osimhen in the spring of 2022. He scored 31 goals in 39 appearances for Napoli in all competitions last year, helping them to the Serie A title, and is expected to be in the region of £100 million.
Long term: midfield evolution
Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are both out of contract at the end of this season, while Partey has just 12 months left on his contract. Jorginho's contract could be extended by another year, but neither of these players are long-term options. Of the current defensive midfielders, only Declan Rice will remain at the club for many years.
So at some point Arsenal will need to add at least one more player in that central position. They have previously made bids for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, who has improved every season, and have also shown interest in Everton's Amadou Onana. Real Sociedad and Spain's Martin Subimendi is another potential target.
This is another area of the squad that needs strengthening and, if the right opportunity presents itself, it would not be a surprise if Arsenal make tackle the linebacker sooner rather than later.
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