Arsenal: 3 positions that need reinforcing in January transfer window

1. Central Midfield

The festive period has always posed problems for teams in the Premier League, with games coming thick and fast and no break in sight. Clubs with smaller squads or weaker benches are being punished even more this year, with AFCON taking place in January.

Thomas Partey had his best game in an Arsenal shirt against Man City and has already jet off to play for Ghana. So much for a lucky break. Even with Partey, midfield reinforcement was needed this summer, primarily in the deeper positions. With the former Atletico Madrid man gone for the next few weeks, Granit Xhaka remains the main man in the middle of the park. Well, he’s also pretty much the only man in the middle of the park.

The only other central midfield options are Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Maitland-Niles has been adequate against lower level opposition but not much more than that, and he is minutes away from joining Roma on a six-month loan deal.

Sambi possesses a great deal of potential and has shown his talent throughout the season, but is still prone to mistakes due to his age and his ongoing adjustment to the speed and physicality of the Premier League.

Getting high quality midfield reinforcement in January is crucial if Arsenal want to maintain their momentum. Mohamed Elneny, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Maitland-Niles will all be officially off the books in the summer and as exciting as Charlie Patino may be, Arteta said himself he needs to be ‘cooked slowly’. Arsenal need midfielders. It’s as simple as that.

Yet with all of these positions, getting the right fit should take precedence over all else. More Tomiyasu’s and less Cedric’s please.