Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal are “very alert” ahead of the January transfer window, but fans should not expect the kind of spending spree we saw in the summer.
Back then, Arsenal reshaped their squad by coughing up around £140million on new players and that is unlikely to be replicated next month.
Much of Arsenal’s business is likely to be shaped by outgoings, with the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the big unanswered question.
The forward still has 18 months left to run on his contract worth £250,000-a-week and, at 32 years of age, he would surely be hard to sell.
Fellow forwards Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah also have uncertain futures, but they look more likely to leave for free next summer rather than in January. Another striker, Folarin Balogun, is set to go out on loan.
Arsenal will likely receive loan interest in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers, who have struggled for minutes, and Mohamed Elneny could attract suitors, too.
If players go then Arsenal will have to act, but it is likely they will want to do their major business next summer instead.
A new striker is a priority and the club have scouted Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jonathan David and Ollie Watkins. All three would be hard to sign in January.
The option of a loan signing is not off the cards, though, and Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski could be available. If Nicolas Pepe were to leave, possibly on loan, such a move would make sense.
