Arsenal: Danny Welbeck The Missing January Signing

Danny Welbeck returned to the Arsenal starting lineup and scored twice. He is like the missing January signing that Arsene Wenger never made.

They say that a player returning from a long-term injury is like a new signing. Arsenal have experienced this in the past with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and even Thomas Vermaelen playing key roles as they return to the starting lineup after an extended period on the sidelines.

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The same is happening with Danny Welbeck.

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In the past, Arsene Wenger has squandered title-challenging sides by failing to invest smartly and sensibly in the January transfer window, choosing to loyally persist with the squad that he has already assembled, even if major holes clearly exist.

Perhaps the most painful example of this was the 2013/14 season. With Arsenal leading the way, Mesut Ozil enjoying his first season in the Premier League with his typical grace, decorum and disguise and Aaron Ramsey the best player in English football by some distance, Wenger was unwilling to add to a squad that were being cripple with injuries, ultimately settling for Kim Kallstrom… on loan.

The Swede played just 128 minutes of league football, making just one start. The Gunners would squander their title chances with a run of poor results, limping through the remainder of the season with a barren selection of players. There was, then, significant worry at the lack of transfer activity throughout this January’s window.

However, perhaps those who criticised Arsenal’s transfer behaviour, myself included, missed the return of Welbeck as a key contributor for this squad in the latter stages of the season. The striker made his first start of the season on Saturday, scoring twice, his first goals since April last year. More than his two exquisitely taken goals, though, Welbeck was sharp throughout, showing a deft first touch and subtle passes, linking up with Lucas Perez particularly well.

The five-goal demolition of Southampton, which now sees Arsenal into the fifth round of the FA Cup, searching for their third win in four years in the competition, was one of the best attacking displays of the season. The interchangeable movement of the attacking trio, their pace, mobility and dynamism were far too much for a weakened Saints’ side to handle.

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Now Welbeck enters the squad, reaching full fitness with fresh legs and energy in the tank. While Wenger will have to manage his return from such a long lay-off carefully and wisely, he now has another weapon on which he can rely to find goals as the season reaches its climax. Perhaps Welbeck is the missing January transfer that many yearned for.