Arsenal: 3 cheap midfielders to target in January

Arsenal midfielders are disappearing in their droves. Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny have jetted off to AFCON, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been shipped to Roma.

An already light position then entered zero gravity with Granit Xhaka getting sent off in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, a game Arsenal held on to draw 0-0 in.

The midfield area has been one that has been tagged for improvement sooner rather than later, even before the recent issues that have arisen. January is, however, always a difficult time to conduct deals as clubs are loath to let go of their players in mid-season for a variety of reasons.

Arsenal’s showing against Nottingham Forest drives home the point that Arsenal have no choice but to move this window for midfield reinforcements.

3 cheaper midfielders for Arsenal to target in January on cheaper deals to help fund signing of a centre-forward

So far this month a few names have cropped up. The most prevalent one of all is that of Arthur Melo, the Juventus man who has been seemingly on the cusp of a loan move to north London for a number of days.

It’s believed that the Italian side are keen to secure a replacement before they sanction the deal, and if secured they will allow the Brazilian to join until the end of the season with the Gunners covering his entire salary.

Fellow Brazilians Danilo and Bruno Guimaraes have been mentioned – there appears to be a trend here – but as of yet those moves look more likely in the summer.

While Arsenal have been woe to fall into the trap of short-term thinking that has led to expensive and wasteful signings in the past, their hands are somewhat tied. They need to strengthen now as well as for the future, but finding both might prove difficult given the urgency of the situation.

With all in mind, including quick fixes and longer ones, here are three midfield signings that Arsenal could pursue this month that wouldn’t break the bank.

1. Georginio Wijnaldum – PSG

Georginio Wijnaldum was Jurgen Klopp’s ideal player. Gifted with a relentless engine and an impressive passing range, the Dutchman was an all-round midfielder. He could sit back and defend before nipping in and bursting forward. He could slip in Liverpool’s lethal attackers with delicate passes.

He even chipped in with crucial goals and assists.

Since moving to PSG on a free transfer, game time has been hard to come by, with Wijnaldum finding himself on the bench more often than he would like. This is not an indictment on his talent as player, rather it speaks volumes of PSG’s exceptional (and expensive) depth of talent. Should Wijnaldum be open to a move to Arsenal – reports open up the possibility of a loan – they should be keeping an eye on a loan deal for the midfielder.

Importantly, he knows what it is like to play in the Premier League and would not need time to adapt. A loan deal would ensure that Arsenal needn’t splash the cash in case the deal does not work as expected, and can put off their main targets until the summer as initially planned.

Wijnaldum has a point to prove in Paris, and the eventual return to PSG may see him play with additional focus and an desire as he attempts to convince Mauricio Pochettino to give him the starting berth.

Add his on-field strengths (finally some mobility) with his dogged work rate and winning mentality developed after years of working with Klopp and you have a smart loan deal for a solid midfielder.

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