Nine wins from 10 games have put Arsenal top of the Premier League on 27 points, with the best defence in the division after conceding only five goals. The attack tells a less comfortable story. Arteta’s side have scored 15 times; six of those league wins came by a single goal, and nobody at the club has more than three league goals.
Hull City, who have won two of 10, kept them out until Martin Ødegaard scored in the 72nd minute on Saturday. Gabriel Martinelli left for Al Hilal in a £60m deal, Leandro Trossard joined Besiktas, and Christos Tzolis arrived as the only forward after Vinicius Junior, Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola slipped away. January has to repair that.
1. Junior Kroupi, the finisher Arsenal lack
Viktor Gyökeres has one goal in all competitions this season, and Kai Havertz has three in the league, so Arsenal need somebody who finishes chances. Bournemouth’s 20-year-old forward scored 13 league goals in his first Premier League season, and no January target needs less time to settle in.
At 5ft 10in, he is no target man, and a fractured metatarsal ruled him out for the opening three to four months of this campaign, so sharpness is a worry. Fabrizio Romano reports a summer deal is likelier, yet Arteta should force the conversation.
2. Antonio Nusa, the left-sided carrier
Leipzig’s Norwegian winger has four goals and seven assists in nine Bundesliga games and scored against Manchester City in the Champions League last week. He matches the profile The Independent says Arteta wants: a transition player who carries the ball at pace and still threatens in tight spaces. The 21-year-old has history to prove, though, with only four goals and three assists in 31 league games last season. Leipzig also dislike selling players mid-season, and Nusa has three years left on his contract.
3. Kenan Yildiz, the highest ceiling
Juventus’ 21-year-old scored 14 goals and set up 10 more last season, and he drifts inside from the left to shoot from range, exactly the balance Arsenal have lacked since Martinelli left. Gazzetta dello Sport claims Juventus want at least £83m for him; he is recovering from a broken foot with a return expected at the end of November, and Juventus refused Arsenal’s enquiry this summer. His contract runs to 2030, so the Italians hold every card.
Can Arsenal realistically land all three in January?
No, and Arteta shouldn’t try. Goals are the real issue, so Kroupi comes first. He has proven himself in the Premier League. Nusa comes second because he gives Arsenal a runner who attacks space against deep blocks like Hull’s, where the Gunners had 20 touches in the opposition box by half-time and no goal to show for it.
Yildiz should wait until the summer. Paying £83m for a player still working back from a broken foot hands Juventus all the leverage, and Arsenal have already spent roughly £195m on Guimarães, Konsa, Tzolis and Hincapié. Selling Martinelli for £60m helps fund two realistic moves. Arsenal lead because they stop goals; Kroupi and Nusa would let them win games without waiting for Ødegaard to rescue one in the 72nd minute.
