"They’re working hard behind the scenes to get to that level" - Journalist says Arsenal will look to reinforce squad in January
According to former Manchester United chief scout Mike Brown, Arsenal are planning to reinforce their squad in January. The Gunners roped in Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna and Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad in the summer. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling was signed on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta has transformed the team in the past couple of seasons, with Arsenal finishing second behind champions Manchester City on both ocassions.
Brown told Football Insider that Arteta could target a backup for Bukayo Saka in the winter transfer window.
“Yes, they(Arsenal)’ll be looking to strengthen their depth. If I put my chief scout’s hat on – when you’ve got a good side like Arsenal have, you’re always planning for what happens if players get injured. I know Arsenal will be doing that now in case somebody like Saka gets injured," said Brown.
“They’ve done a brilliant job to bring themselves up to a level where they can compete with Manchester City, but I don’t think they have the same type of depth City have at the moment," he added.
Brown concluded:
“With City, they have players who can come into the side at any time and nobody notices a difference – Arsenal haven’t quite got that yet. But they’re working hard behind the scenes to get to that level.”
Saka has appeared 236 times across competitions for Arsenal scoring 61 goals and setting up 60 more.
How has Bukayo Saka fared this season for Arsenal?
Bukayo Saka has emerged as one of Mikel Arteta's most important players in recent times. The Englishman rose through the ranks at the Emirates and is now a first-team regular under Arteta.
The 23-year-old has registered three goals and seven assists from 10 games across competitions this season. Saka has been carrying the team's goalscoring burden for a while and has played too much football already.
Arteta opted to bring in Raheem Sterling on loan this summer to address the issue. The 29-year-old has managed one goal and one assist from five games across competitions.
Nevertheless, the Chelsea loanee is not a long-term solution and the Gunners could be tempted to look for solutions in January. Recent reports have suggested that Arsenal are eyeing Leroy Sane, whose contract with Bayern Munich expires in 2025.