According to reports, Arsenal have ‘set their sights’ on a ‘shock’ January transfer ‘swoop’ as head coach Mikel Arteta looks to ‘add more firepower’.
The Gunners have endured a frustrating start to the 2024/25 campaign as they trail Premier League leaders Liverpool in the race for the title.
Arsenal’s defence is one of the best in the Premier League but they have struggled in front of goal and become overly reliant on set pieces.
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard remain Arsenal’s best two players and Arteta has solely missed these two players when they have been unavailable this term.
It has been suggested that they could enter the market for a winger as Saka is set to be unavailable for a couple of months after undergoing surgery to repair his hamstring.
Arsenal are linked with several potential targets but Bayern Munich and France star Kingsley Coman is reportedly one of the players they are considering, according to Football Insider.
The 28-year-old – who has previously had spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus – has been a bit-part player this season as he’s only made six Bundesliga starts. Despite this, he has three goals and two assists in his 13 league appearances.
The report claims Arsenal are ‘weighing up a shock swoop’ to sign Coman this month.
‘The 28-year-old has emerged as a target at the Emirates Stadium as transfer chiefs look to add more firepower to Mikel Arteta’s squad this month.’
‘Arsenal could swoop for Bayern star Coman in the January window after the injury to Bukayo Saka.
‘Football Insider revealed on Monday (30 December) that the club have decided to explore a move for another forward player after Saka’s surgery.’
Despite Arsenal’s attacking struggles, Arteta has indicated that they do not need to sign a striker to win the title as they will only do something if an “extraordinary” opportunity arises.
“I’m very happy with the players that we have. When you look at the amount of goals that we have scored as well, it is more than enough to win the Premier League. But the reality is somebody is doing more. And that is the reality of life so we have to do better,” Arteta said.
“Signing somebody is not enough, that is for sure. That signing has to score then how many goals? A lot of things have to happen. That (January) market is much more limited than in the one summer, but I don’t know.
“If something extraordinary is in the market that we can afford and we think will have a real impact on the team we have to be open for that possibility always. At the moment, the focus is on what we have.”
He added: “When you are in that moment you want to continue to play. Gabriel has had a massive step up in load in recent weeks. We are going to have to try and manage the players.”
