3 reasons Arsenal might not sign a midfielder in January

It’s January 18th, 2022, and Arsenal have not completed any transfers this winter window. They’ve been busy enough, sanctioning a host of loan departures, but fans are hooked on what happens the other way.

With the chance at securing a place in a cup final coming this Thursday as the Gunners host Liverpool in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, the window to bring someone in before the deadline is narrowing.

Even is Mikel Arteta and co were to miraculously get someone in before the registration time, thrusting some new signing, likely from abroad, into midfield in a game of this magnitude against opposition of this level is an unenviable welcoming.

But it is in midfield where Arsenal are thin. Even more so off the back of Granit Xhaka’s red card in the first leg.

3 reasons Arsenal might not sign a midfielder in January despite Mikel Arteta eyeing reinforcements

The Swiss will miss two matches through suspension, leaving Albert Sambi Lokonga as the sole senior option, and even when all the parts return and Arteta has Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Sambi to select from, injuries and Covid absences may well produce similarly depleted scenarios.

Albeit only really the Premier League left to contend with, you always run the risk of limiting yourself with fewer options. Hence why links to Arthur have been prevalent all month and is, as far as it seems, just one Juventus replacement away from being signed off.

Is it entirely certain that Arsenal will sign a midfielder, though? It would appear crazy to think they wouldn’t, yet amid all the kerfuffle, there are reasons why Arteta might not dip into the market after all.

Imagine the outrage, eh?

1. Thomas Partey Will be Back Soon

Remember AFCON? That magnificent competition that, while being magnificent, can be detrimental to respective clubs’ aspirations during a season? Well, it’s not really having all that big of an impact on Arsenal – although it did save Xhaka’s bacon.

The ongoing farce around match postponements is seeing games called off left, right and centre, with the very real possibility that Arsenal will only have three games this month where the AFCON quartet are unavailable for.

Yet another Burnley match has been called off on the Clarets’ request, and it plunges Sunday’s visit of the side into doubt as well. Should that game be postponed then Arsenal will have a 40-day break between facing Manchester City and their next Premier League match away to Wolves on February 10.

Even if Burnley goes ahead, Ghana have looked mostly dreadful during AFCON and you’d be unwise to bank on them making the last four of the competition. They might not even get out of their group.

The final and third-place play-offs are penciled in for February 6, and Egypt aren’t exactly pulling up trees either in their quest to get there.

So it may transpire that Arsenal will be looking stronger by the time their next league game comes around, and with the Premier League near enough all there is left, Arteta might feel he needn’t dip in just yet.

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