The four key areas Arsenal need to address and whether they should spend in January

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Unai Emery’s Arsenal revolution is well underway, and with the January transfer window approaching, many are starting to think about the next stage of the Gunners’ development.

Despite falling to their first defeat since August against Southampton last Sunday, many are excited by the progress Arsenal have made since the Spaniard’s arrival at the club.

Having said that, there are still several glaring weaknesses in the team that are likely to be addressed in the coming transfer windows.

January business is never easy, but the Arsenal boss has hinted that the Gunners could be active next month as a result of their current injury issues.

“We don’t have a lot of possibilities. Maybe we can think of something to sign to help us, but only if we think the other players can’t help us with their performance,” Emery said after his side’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton.

“It is not good for transfers in January for this reason, but we are going to look.”

He also reiterated that the club will always look to promote from within to address problem areas of the team if at all possible.

So where may Arsenal be looking to strengthen and how should they go about doing so? Here’s our verdict.

Centre-back

Arsenal supporters would probably argue that this is the area of the team that is most in need of reinforcements.

Going into the season, Emery’s centre-back options were Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Rob Holding and Laurent Koscielny, with Konstantinos Mavropanos – Sven Mislintat’s first signing – also considered as a first-team player.

However, Holding, who had started the season in excellent form, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament earlier this month and is not expected to play again this season.

And with both Koscielny and Mavropanos only just making their way back from their respective injury issues, Arsenal are extremely thin on the ground in the heart of defence – Granit Xhaka has been used in emergency scenarios.

Despite Mustafi’s improvements, there are still major concerns relative to his decision making and proness to making a fatal error. Sokratis’ popularity amongst the Arsenal faithful continues to grow, but he certainly needs a reliable partner.

So how can the Gunners address this? At the moment, there aren’t too many centre-back options from the academy to consider.

Mavropanos was brought in as one for the future and impressed in his first few appearances for the club. He is yet to play this season but should return to full training this month after a groin injury.

Emery used Granit Xhaka as a centre-back as a result of the limited options at his disposal against Southampton on Sunday, but the defeat is all the evidence needed to prove this should be avoided.

Manchester United’s Eric Bailly has been mentioned as a potential January target, but with Jose Mourinho no longer in charge at Old Trafford, any hope of bringing the Ivorian to the Emirates may be long gone.

Chelsea’s Gary Cahill looks set to move on in the new year, but it remains to be seen whether Arsenal would take the plunge on a player who is clearly on the decline and is yet to start a Premier League game this season.

Emery may simply have to wait until the summer so that a primary target can be acquired.

Key stat: Arsenal have kept just three clean sheets in their 17 Premier League matches this season.

Left-back

Arsenal have two competent left-backs in their ranks, but there are serious worries about the reliability of first-choice options Nacho Morneal and Sead Kolasinac.

Both have missed large chunks of this season with various injury issues. Monreal is a decent option when fit, but his contact expires in the summer and growing injury concerns may persuade Arsenal to let him leave.

As for Kolasinac, the switch to a 3-4-3 to accommodate his defensive frailties was apparent under Arsene Wenger and now the same is evident with Emery. His partnership with Alex Iwobi looks promising at times, but injuries and a lack of flexibility will worry the Arsenal boos.

Xhaka has been asked to fill in at left-back on several occasions this season as a result of Monreal and Kolasinac’s injury issues.

It was actually Ainsley Maitland-Niles who was given the nod to start on the left side of defence for Arsenal’s first game of the season against Manchester City, only to suffer a leg injury that forced him off after 35 minutes and kept him out until late October.

But the England U21 international is not a natural left-back and the addition of another player in this position would give him the opportunity to prove himself in more familiar positions in midfield – or even provide emergency cover on his strong side at right-back.

Real Betis left-back Junior Firpo, 22, has been linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs this season and it would not be a surprise if he is the sort of player on Arsenal’s radar.

PSG’s Stanley N’Soki is a player that Emery will be familiar with and could also fit the bill, as could PSV’s Angelino. The former Man City full-back has terrorised the Eredivisie, proving to be proficient in taking the ball past players and creating numerous chances for his teammates.

Key stat: Sead Kolasinac has made just six league appearances this season, missing 12 matches through injury.

A replacement for Aaron Ramsey

After ten years at Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey looks set to leave the club on a free transfer this summer.

Why is Emery moving Ramsey on? Part of the reason is perhaps due to Ramsey’s lack of a clear role in Emery’s system. Deployed in the No.10 position when used this season, the Welshman sometimes struggles with dictating the play rather than being allowed to wreck havoc with off-the-ball runs and movement around the penalty area.

He can also play further back, but Emery likes his two sitting midfield players to be defensively solid, giving license for the attacking players to flourish at the top end of the pitch.

Ramsey may not fall fully into either of those categories, but there’s a new kid on the block that has been very impressive by since Emery’s arrival in London.

Emile Smith Rowe is being tipped by many to play an increasingly important role in Arsenal’s team next season.

The 18-year-old impressed in pre-season and has played a lot of football in Europe and in the Carabao Cup so far this term.

His favoured position is behind the striker, but he can also play out wide; his emergence could be a big part of the reason why Ramsey is set to move on.

If the Gunners did want to further strengthen in this position, then Barcelona’s Denis Suarez could be a good option, as could Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron, who is being heavily linked with a move to Newcastle.

Key stat: Emile Smith Rowe has scored three goals in six first-team appearances for Arsenal this season.

Winger

Arsenal are desperate for a player that can dribble and carry the ball.

Alex Iwobi has developed well this season after a difficult time towards the end of Wenger’s time at the club.

He is, however, the only proper ‘winger’ at the club at the moment and he might argue that he’s better playing inside, as he has done when Arsenal have used a system with three centre-backs in recent weeks.

Incredibly, Iwobi is one of only two Arsenal players to be averaging more than two successful take-ons per 90 minutes this season, with Maitland-Niles the other.

The distinct lack of a player able to beat a player in 1v1 situations stunts Arsenal’s counter-attacking style at times, with Iwobi himself still proving unreliable in these situations at times.

One option Arsenal fans are particularly excited about is a potential early return for Reiss Nelson. The 19-year-old is on loan at Hoffenheim this season and has managed an impressive six goals in 11 Bundesliga appearances so far, as well as two goals for England U21s.

His ability to play on the wing and behind the striker could prove a valuable, much-needed asset to Arsenal.

17-year-old winger Bukayo Saka is another hot prospect and made Arsenal history by becoming the first player born in the 21st century to start for the club in the Gunners’ Europa League tie with Qarabag last week.

The eight take-ons he completed was a sign of the direct, fearless approach play lacking from the current first-team squad.

Having turned 17 in September, however, it is no surprise to see that the club are said to be seriously considering a January bid for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, whilst Boca Junior wide man Cristian Pavon has also been linked with a move to the Emirates.

Pepe has netted an impressive 12 goals in 19 appearances from a right-wing position this season; Pavon also plays in the same position but is more of an orthodox winger on his strong side whilst Pepe prefers to cut in on his left to shoot.

The Ivorian would add an extra goal-threat, a new dimension and extra competition for the likes of Iwobi and would allow Nelson to continue his development in the Bundesliga before making his own claim for a spot.

Key stat: Nicolas Pepe is the joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 with 12 goals, alongside Kylian Mbappe and Nantes’ forward Emiliano Sala.

The post The four key areas Arsenal need to address and whether they should spend in January appeared first on Squawka News.



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