Time is ticking away in the January transfer window and Arsenal have still yet to bring in any senior reinforcement to the squad despite allowing several players to leave.
Sead Kolasinac has left to join Marseille whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pablo Mari and Folarin Balogun have all left Arsenal on loan for Roma, Udinese and Middlesbrough respectively. The Gunners have recalled a number of younger players too with Miguel Azeez and Tyreece John-Jules returning.
However, despite little time in the window remaining, Arsenal under Mikel Arteta with the aid of technical director Edu have looked to plan for the long term. However, a recent piece of indirect help for Antonio Conte has perhaps aided his north London rivals’ cause.
Arteta spoke ahead of the League Cup semi-final with Liverpool regarding the club’s squad depth and how there are already plans in place to tackle the problem beyond simply January.
“At the moment with the players that we have at AFCON, the injuries and the Covid cases, it’s extremely thin,” Arteta replied when asked if his squad was too light with players leaving on loan.
“But that’s why we have a plan as well to bring players in and to try to get the players that we want, with the right qualities, and to improve the squad in the best possible way, every single window.
It became even clearer that the preparations are being readied for the following window with how Arteta continued his answer.
“We have a lot of things to catch up, a lot of things, as you can see, contractually with many other players still. We’re carrying that weight. That’s not resolved in one window,” explained the Spaniard.
Arteta is said to be an admirer of Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans. According to CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs, the club are ‘actively considering’ the Belgian. Although his price would be steep, should the Gunners fail to secure a marquee striker this winter, attention could turn to midfield.
Tielemans gave the ball away to give Harry Kane the chance to set up Steven Bergwijn in yesterday’s late Tottenham win. Conte's side celebrated as Leicester City looked again at another opportunity missed. An occurrence becoming worrying regular for Brendan Rodgers' side.
The result left Leicester in tenth place and 12 points off from the fourth spot. Tielemans has decided not to renew his contract with the Foxes thus far and the likelihood that the club fails to qualify for European football next season is becoming a reality.
Arsenal meanwhile are pushing for a Champions League place and could use the elite competition in addition to the attractive project ongoing under Mikel Arteta to lure the former Monaco man to the Emirates.
Should the Gunners secure a quality midfielder and striker in addition to strengthening the depth in other roles, Arsenal will begin to look a greatly different side to the one that finished eighth in 2021. Tielemans could be that midfielder, adding another Premier League acquisition to the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White.
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