While most people are getting ready for their New Year’s Eve parties, here at AllArsenal.com we are busy speculating as to who Arsenal will sign once the January transfer window opens for business on Friday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was heavily criticised after the summer transfer window closed for being the only manager of a top-tier club who did not sign an outfield player, which left the fans up in arms, according to the Telegraph.
He did however, make one fantastic signing in Petr Cech, a player who has gone a long way toward helping his other teammates believe in themselves, thanks to his strong leadership at the back.
If you were to ask most fans what positions they thought Wenger should be reinforcing in January, the answer would almost unanimously be cover for Francis Coquelin in the form of a defensive midfielder.
The French international hobbled off the pitch during the 2-1 loss to West Brom back in late November (via Sky Sports), with Wenger having to rely on Aaron Ramsey, Mathieu Flamini, and Calum Chambers for cover.
If the latest transfer rumours in the newspapers can be believed, Wenger has already addressed the problem by signing Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny for £5 million, (via the Daily Mirror). The report says the 23-year-old has already agreed personal terms that will see him earn around £60,000 per-week, and the deal will be completed soon.
Elneny is still to undergo a medical and acquire a work permit, but it is more or less a formality with him being a regular with Basel and having 39 caps for Egypt, according to The Telegraph.
With Mathieu Debuchy losing his position to Hector Bellerin, the Metro claims that he has admitted he must leave to have any chance of salvaging a place in Didier Deschamp’s France squad for Euro 2016.
This presents the possibility of a new right-back coming into the team, but with Calum Chambers available should Bellerin become injured, it is probably something Wenger will decide on next summer rather than now.
The other position that springs to mind is a striker to compliment Olivier Giroud, and while names like Javier Hernandez, Aleksandr Kokorin, Riyad Mahrez, and Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez are all being put forward by the Telegraph as possible signings, the only one that we feel may be available for a winter move is Dynamo Moscow striker Aleksandr Kokorin.
If Wenger’s past transfer moves are any indication as to what will happen, we would not be surprised if Mohamed Elneny was the only new arrival at the Emirates next month. And as Wenger has said in the past, he is not a fan of the winter window, telling the club’s official website Arsenal.com back in February that he would like to see the mid-season window abolished.
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There are definitely a few areas that need strengthening, but we may have to wait until the summer to see more than a player or two arriving at the Emirates.
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The post Who Arsenal might sign this January, Elneny & Real Madrid star included appeared first on All Arsenal News | The Latest Arsenal News, Transfer Rumours, Gossip & Team News | Arsenal FC.