Mikel Arteta played a high risk strategy in last January’s transfer window - and a year on Arsenal appear to be on the same path.
Last year, Arsenal cleared the squad out with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the headline departure which left them gambling on having enough numbers. This time, Arsenal’s No1 priority is to add some depth which they have done with the £27m signing of Leandro Trossard from Brighton.
But the last few days of the window have been taken up with trying to sign a midfielder as back-up for Thomas Partey. They had a £60m bid turned down for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and made a further enquiry but were told in no uncertain terms that he is not for sale in this window.
Arsenal have also been looking around for a stop gap signing - possibly a loan - to tide them over because the situation became even more acute after Mohamed Elneny went down with a knee injury which could rule him out for the rest of the campaign.
Partey has arguably been the best No6 in the Premier League this season, has formed a formidable partnership with Granit Xhaka but they are severely limited in terms of back-up options.
Elneny could do a job but is now out. Fabio Vieira is more attack minded but has taken time to settle. Albert Sambi Lokonga has promise - but looks like a player who desperately needs games to really settle in English football. He looks like he needs a loan move.
The problem with all of this is that everyone can see Arsenal coming. Brighton were adamant they were not going to sell anyway as chairman Tony Bloom’s lifelong dream is reaching Europe or an FA Cup final.
Maybe they might do business in the summer - but not now. Brighton are brilliantly run and only do things when it suits them.
Arsenal are long term admirers of West Ham ’s Declan Rice. But that has always been for the summer and it was strange why everyone got excited about an old story a couple of weeks ago. It’s not happening now.
They might end up having to manage Partey’s fitness until the summer. One thing they’ve been very good at is not doing panic buys. Last January, they wanted Dušan Vlahović but couldn’t get him, waited and got a better deal in Gabriel Jesus in the summer.
In years gone by, they might have panicked and signed a striker for the sake of it. That is a credit to manager Arteta but also technical director Edu who are on the same page on transfers.
It has to be the same on midfielders. Sometimes it’s about the timing and circumstance. Last summer, in the final days of the window, they wanted Mykhaylo Mudryk and Arteta was all in. But then Elneny got injured, they put Mudryk on hold and went for a midfielder (and got neither).
Now, ironically, Elneny looks to be out again - and they have another midfield headache. This is all about strength in depth to get them over the line in the title race.
