The January transfer window has so far been dominated by stories regarding Arsenal and Chelsea target Mykhaylo Mudryk.
football.london understands that the Gunners they saw an offer in the region of £55million including add-ons rejected by Mudryk's parent club Shakhtar, whilst recent reports have also claimed that the north Londoners then followed this up with an improved offer for Mudryk. The second bid is still said to still be short of the Ukrainian club's asking price for the 22-year-old, who has also been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in recent days.
A recent report from the Telegraph claimed that the Ukranian international is a target for the Blues, who also tried to hijack the Gunners' move for Gabriel Jesus last summer - an approach that ultimately proved unsuccessful, with the Brazilian joining Mikel Arteta and Co at the Emirates Stadium. Despite interest from the west Londoners, Arsenal appear unlikely to be sucked into a bidding war for the 22-year-old.
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Arteta's side are said to be unwilling to go outside their comfort zone to sign Mudryk, even if that means Chelsea have a better chance to sign him. According to the Times, the current Premier League leaders aren't interested in paying over the odds for the sake of getting a deal across the line.
Albeit financially sensible, this approach could be a costly one for the Gunners and football.london has explained why below.
Rare opportunity
Arsenal's aforementioned position in the league table doesn't appear to be a flash in the pan when you take a look at some of the statistics surrounding their first 17 league outings. The Gunners, who currently sit five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, have lost just one match so far this term and their underlying numbers prove they can mix it with the best long-term.
Understat's xG (expected goals) tally of 35.62 is only bettered by City and Liverpool whilst their xGA tally (expected goals against) number is second in the English top-flight - only marginally behind Pep Guardiola's men. Arsenal's impressive performances, combined with the fact that the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all struggled for consistency, mean that this is the perfect time to go all-guns-blazing in terms of a title charge and signing Mudryk would significantly strengthen their chances.
Even if they have to pay slightly more than they originally envisioned, bringing the talented attacker into the squad rotation is something that is imperative in order to reduce the burden on current wideman Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who have started all 17 of Arsenal's league fixtures so far this term - something that is not sustainable for the remainder of the campaign.
Previous mistakes
This time last year, it was another eastern European attacker that dominated transfer chatter involving Arsenal. Serbian frontman Dusan Vlahovic was on the north London club's radar before he eventually opted to join Serie A giants Juventus instead.
The Gunners then didn't make a move for another centre-forward, deciding to rest on their laurels and go into the remainder of the season with Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette as the only two recognised strikers at Arteta's disposal. This decision ultimately proved costly, with Arsenal failing to score during defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in May - costing them a spot in last season's top-four thus continuing their ongoing UEFA Champions League hiatus.
Arsenal cannot afford to make the same mistake this winter, they need to back Arteta in the market and bringing in Mudryk is essential to what the Spaniard wants to achieve this term. Injuries to Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus have left Arteta's squad light up top, which was evident during Tuesday's 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.
If the young coach had Mudryk to call upon in the second half when Martinelli and Saka were struggling on the flanks, perhaps the north Londoners could have found a way past the Magpies' resolute defence and secured all three points on the night.
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