Arsenal need two forwards but January deal unlikely, says correspondent
Arsenal's long standing search for attacking reinforcements is unlikely to be resolved in the winter window, according to football.london's Arsenal correspondent Tom Canton, who fielded questions from fans in a Q&A session on Thursday covering the January transfer window, Mikel Arteta's tactics and the futures of several first team players.
Asked whether Arsenal need a prolific striker and two wingers, Canton was blunt about the scale of the task. “Three forwards? That is a big ask,” he said. “So far, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Max Dowman have the right hand side locked down for the foreseeable future; Noni has been particularly impressive. On the left, more is definitely needed, and another top level winger or wide forward, be that Antonio Nusa, for example, would help solve that for me. The signing of Viktor Gyokeres has not solved the multi year need to bring in a top level centre forward; otherwise, we wouldn't still be talking about it. So for me, that looks like two players. Is it possible? Not in January, but it should be across the next two windows to sort out the Arsenal front line, and it will require an outgoing to make space.”
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Nusa remains the dream left wing target
When asked which single position Arsenal should prioritise in January, Canton pointed straight to the left wing, naming RB Leipzig's Antonio Nusa as his preferred option despite rating the chances of a deal as low. “It has to be the left wing for me, and despite the fact that the likelihood of a deal is low, Antonio Nusa would be the option,” he said. “An in form, skilful, and (importantly) powerful winger who has proven himself at the World Cup and in Champions League clashes against major opposition like Manchester City. But as I say, RB Leipzig do not want to sell this winter, and even in the summer the required fee would be massive.”
Canton also referenced Bournemouth's Kroupi as a top target, noting that Bournemouth do not want to sell and that Arsenal would need to offer a fee well beyond their current valuation to convince them. On the broader question of whether Arsenal can keep sticking to their pricing principles, he suggested the club may eventually have to adapt. “The Gunners might need to bite the bullet and pay,” he said, pointing to the Bruno Guimaraes deal as an example of Arsenal previously overpaying for a player they viewed as a certainty.
Gyokeres future could hinge on a big offer
On Viktor Gyokeres, who turned 28 this year and has struggled for consistent minutes as first choice centre forward under Arteta, Canton suggested Arsenal would be tempted to cash in if the right offer arrived. “If a big money offer came in that made what they paid Sporting CP back, I would be very surprised if they turned that down,” he said. “Now 28, getting more than £60m would be seen as too good to turn down for a player clearly not first choice at CF under Arteta.”
With Kai Havertz ahead of Gyokeres in the pecking order despite his own fitness struggles, and no new centre forward arriving before next summer at the earliest, Arsenal's attacking reshuffle looks set to be a gradual process rather than a single window fix.
