After months of negotiations, Arsenal have ultimately missed out on their number one target this January. The Gunners put in three bids for Mykhaylo Mudryk, but ultimately walked away from the deal after Chelsea offered a sum in the region of £88million for the Ukrainian. While there is disappointment at missing out on such a promising talent, Mikel Arteta is thought to be understanding of the club's position.
"We have excellent players and we want to improve our squad in this transfer window – when I say we I mean, myself, the coaching staff, the staff players, the board and the ownership – we all want to do that," the Spaniard told football.london. "But we will do the deals we can do and the ones we feel are right for the club."
However, the fact is that Arsenal still need to strengthen this transfer window. With an eight point lead at the top of the Premier League the Gunners are keen to kick on and secure a first title since 2004. But where should they look to strengthen? Here football.london 's Arsenal writers have their say.
READ MORE: Arsenal's Ivan Fresneda interest, Raphinha hope, Wilfried Zaha question and Mudryk fallout
Tom Canton - Arsenal writer
Arsenal need to strengthen their forward line and the midfield. It is plain and simple for me with the lack of quality strength in depth in both areas and injuries to Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny at varying points in the season have only highlighted the fragility of the squad.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Danilo were two names that have since been missed with Chelsea and Nottingham Forest taking the pair away from the Gunners. Options might be limited, particularly in midfield but with the opportunity of a potential Premier League title, Arsenal cannot afford not to jump at this opportunity.
Up top, the name I’d take a punt on is Wilfried Zaha. Just six month left on his deal, an 18-month contract for a player desperate to make that final big move in the end of his peak years could be exactly what the Gunners need if they can make the deal work for them and not overcommit in length or wages.
In midfield, Youri Tielemans’ name remains prevalent although football.london understands interest from the Gunners has cooled. That said, reports claim Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is available on a loan with an obligatory purchase clause with the whole package settling between €40million-€50million (£34.4million-£43million) – this would be a no-brainer if true.
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne - Arsenal writer
The silver lining for Arsenal after missing out on a deal for Mykhailo Mudryk is that Mikel Arteta and Edu usually have a very good plan B option. With that in mind, it's vital they have something in store to take advantage of their position in the Premier League table, as they can't afford a repeat of last January's mistake after missing out on their number one target.
Now, whilst bringing in a forward is clearly the priority amid rumours of making moves for the likes of Raphinha, Leandro Trossard, Ferran Torres and even Wilfried Zaha, there's a chance for the Gunners to effectively kill two birds with one stone by using the money set aside for Mudryk to additionally strengthen in midfield.
Midfield remains an area of concern to me especially with Albert Sambi Lokonga not developing at the rate I was expecting, not to mention the drop in quality when Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka don't start.
It's no secret that Arsenal's interest in Leicester City's Youri Tielemans has cooled but as the likelihood of signing Jude Bellingham for example, doesn't seem realistic, it might be worth performing a U-turn on the Belgium international as he would improve the quality of the squad.
Kaya Kaynak - Chief Arsenal writer
For me the area where Arsenal still need to add options is up top. Emile Smith Rowe is only just back from injury, while Gabriel Jesus is still a while off. Without those numbers the Gunners are heavily reliant on their current front three.
While Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli have all been excellent, just think how good they could be if they were actually given some time to rest. I only think Arsenal need one more, now that Smith Rowe is back, and suddenly this squad goes from lean to mean.
Personally I think a short term deal for Wilfried Zaha would be a superb addition to this Gunners squad, but his wages would make it tricky. Arsenal also think investing for the future is key, so expect them to target players of a younger demographic.
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