Arsenal already made their first January transfer painfully obvious
Arsenal had a quiet end to the summer transfer window as they failed to bring in an attacker despite links with several top targets and that has already made their first move in January painfully obvious.
The Gunners were tipped to sign two left wingers before the window closed on Tuesday, but only one was brought through the door in the form of Christos Tzolis and as Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli ended their time in North London, the club have now been left surprisingly weak on the flank.
Each January offers a chance for clubs to tend to areas that need improvement midway through the season and some even take the opportunity to return to targets they failed to sign in the summer. For Mikel Arteta's side, their task will be the latter as they look to sign another attacker in the winter.
Arsenal have to prioritise signing an attacker in the January window
Heading into the summer, Arsenal had made their priorities very clear as per multiple reliable reports. They had lined up moves for a midfielder, versatile defender and a left winger, later requiring two of the latter when it became evident that Martienlli would be leaving the club.
As Bruno Guimarães, Ezri Konsa and Tzolis joined, alongside Illan Meslier arriving as a third-choice goalkeeper, it looked like the Gunners were ready to tick off every position on their list with just one more attacker needed.
Target after target was linked with the club. Vinícius Júnior was explored as an option but opted to remain at Real Madrid, interest in Kenan Yıldız and Eli Junior Kroupi was ended by the pair suffering injuries and Julián Alvarez stayed fixated on joining Barcelona despite Arsenal being his only viable destination. As the window's closure crept closer and closer, signing a marquee name in attack looked more unlikely and it ultimately proved unsuccessful as the clock struck 11pm on Tuesday night with no new name joining the club.
The failure to sign another left winger, or general attacking option, leaves Tzolis as the only clear choice on the flank with Eberechi Eze likely to step into the role too, but that's not enough. If Arsenal are serious about retaining the Premier League title and finally winning the Champions League for the first time, they have to act in January.
There have already been promising reports that Arteta's side are looking to reignite their interest in Bournemouth's Kroupi in the winter window, which suggests the club are aware of the desperate need to bring in another attacker.
January hasn't always tended to be a busy period for the Gunners under Arteta. They have made just five winter signings during the Spaniard's tenure, going five of the seven mid-season windows without welcoming any first team arrivals.
However, that has to change in 2027 as Arsenal simply can't rely on Tzolis and an out-of-position Eze to lead them to multiple trophies. Another deadly attacker is needed and Arteta's side need to act on that. The Gunners already know what they need to do, they just have to make sure the business gets done.
