Can Arsenal afford to not buy a forward this January?

Maybe if Alexander Isak had been wearing Arsenal colours instead for that Carabao Cup semi-final clash…

On Wednesday night, the Gunners fell to a 2-0 first leg loss against Newcastle and were left to rue some missed opportunities. Chief among them were a Gabriel Martinelli chance when one-vs-one with the goalkeeper (struck the post) and Jurrien Timber’s close-range header over the bar, while it was Kai Havertz who produced the most egregious miss as he sent his shouldered effort wide from just a few yards out.

Post-match comments by Mikel Arteta piled the blame on our misfiring forwards - “they were super-efficient and we were not” - and it is no secret that Arsenal are targeting a big offensive spend this summer, but fans will now start asking the key question: can the club really afford to wait until then to act?   

Of course, January business is notoriously hard to conduct, and if the right players are not available (e.g. Isak, Benjamin Sesko, Nico Williams) then there is perhaps little that Arsenal can do to address their frontline woes this month – or at least to get their top targets.

Can Arsenal afford not to buy a forward in January and instead wait until summer?

But to do otherwise and stand still feels even more absurd. At present, there are four competitions up for grabs and both the FA Cup and Champions League remain very much within our reach. The Premier League is also still a possibility but only, one would imagine, if a replacement is found for Bukayo Saka. Overturning a potential nine-point deficit without him is a lot to ask.  

Furthermore, Arteta ‘gets’ the acute nature of our attacking problems and has tried to sign several forwards over the years (e.g. Dusan Vlahovic, Raphinha, Pedro Neto) without success. The fact that he has pivoted on occasion and spent big mid-season – notably bringing in Leandro Trossard after the Mudryk saga in 2023 – likewise fuels a modicum of hope that Arsenal will move in the market if any opportunities arise.

It is, however, just a small comfort as those true difference-makers are hardly going to be given away and must instead be fought for. The Gunners need to create opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive on a silver platter and that can only be done in January by paying truly extortionate money, something the club most likely will not (and possibly should not) do.

Reports in The Athletic state Arsenal are focused on strengthening their wide attack this month and wish to mitigate the impact of Saka’s injury, while current interest in Lee Kang-in (PSG), Dani Olmo (Barcelona) and Nico Williams (Athletic Club) shows that we will do business if it is at all possible – although those names are perhaps unattainable.

From the Gabriel Jesus deal to our record spend on Declan Rice it seems Arsenal generally prefer to wait until the summer market for their no. 1 candidate, but the present situation means they might have to get creative and quickly find a strong frontline alternative.

They cannot wait; our campaign - and any hope of silverware - depends on it.

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