On December 26th, The Athletic UK Arsenal reporter James McNicolas wrote a winter window special.
What is the position with the highest priority?
given Jesus’s injury, many fans might say: it’s the center.
But Arsenal don’t necessarily see it that way. They don’t want a relatively short-term problem to affect their lineup-building plans. Therefore, a pure No. 9 center is not important on their agenda.
Arsenal have wanted an extra attacking player for some time, but this player should be playing on the flank: he can provide cover and competition for players like Bukayo Saka and Martinelli. Arsenal allowed Nicolas Pepe to join Nice, France in the summer, but they are closest to replacing him with the promising but very original Marchionius.
A new central midfield player has also been put on the 2023 agenda, but the urgency of midfield reinforcement has been reduced due to the current health of Thomas and Ernini. This is something that is more likely to be noticed in the summer.
Who would be the most credible target?
Arsenal’s main target is Shakhtar Mudrick. Arteta and Edu are both chasing the 21-year-old winger, who has been closely watched by the club for some time. Arsenal had considered signing the Ukraine international in the summer, but they tried to sign Douglas Lewis after Thomas and Ernini were out due to injury.
Mudrick is excited about the prospect of joining Arsenal. The problem is that his Shakhtar Donetsk miners’ club has said publicly that they are expected to demand 100m euros (88 million pounds) from his transfer. Arsenal are not going to pay that high price, so they will find a compromise as soon as possible.
High price tags may be a risk factor for the market this season.
Looking around Europe, Mudrick’s alternatives are not cheap either. Take Mohamed Koddous (Mohammed Kudus), the Ajax winger who played strongly with Ghana in the World Cup and was coveted by major European clubs.
When Manchester United bought Brazilian winger Anthony from the same Dutch club for 100 million euros this summer, they set a problematic precedent.