Mikel Arteta's summer transfer plans for Arsenal have to factor in the unique predicament he will find himself in at the beginning of 2024.
Between January 13 and February 11, the Africa Cup of Nations will take place in the Ivory Coast. So with Egypt already qualified and Ghana on course to do so too, the Gunners manager could be without and Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey for up to a month early on in the new year if both players are called up by their respective nations.
Having said that, at the same time as AFCON, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be underway and following Japan's qualification for the tournament in Qatar, the north London outfit will face the prospect of losing Takehiro Tomiyasu for a similar timeframe, especially if his nation reaches the final.
Initially pencilled in to be held in China this summer, in May 2022 it was announced that they would not host the tournament due to the Covid-19 situation in the country. Following confirmation in October that the tournament would instead be played in Qatar, dates for the 24-team competition were revealed in early April, with the Asian Cup now commencing on Friday, January 12 and drawing to a conclusion on Saturday, February 10.
Japan have been drawn in Group D alongside Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam with the latter being their first opponents at the Khalifa International Stadium on Sunday, January 14.
If Hajime Moriyasu's side manage to reach the final then Arteta could potentially be without his versatile defender for a total of seven games across all competitions. However, that will all depend on when exactly Tomiyasu departs for the tournament and how Arsenal fare in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
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Not having Tomiyasu available for selection could pose a problem as his temporary departure would leave Arsenal with Benjamin White and Oleksandr Zinchenko as the senior options at full-back for a month that will involve four Premier League fixtures and potentially three domestic cup ties.
Although, given Zinchenko's not-so-great injury record, a problem at left-back could arise, especially if the Japan international makes the permanent switch next season. Although Kieran Tierney's qualities are as an overlapping full-back rather than the inverted role, he is the perfect understudy.
Of course, he has been heavily tipped to leave the club this summer amid links to Aston Villa and Newcastle United. If sold and not replaced, then as things currently stand, Arsenal will go into the season with just three senior full-backs to choose from. This prospect may be fine for the first half of the campaign, but come the turn of the year it could undoubtedly raise some problems.
With that said, Arteta does have the option of preparing for Tomiyasu's likely call-up by completing a deal for Jurrien Timber - who can operate at right-back. Alternatively, the Spaniard can turn to Jakub Kiwior as cover for Zinchenko at left-back if the Gunners' No.18 is needed elsewhere in January.
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