The English Premier League season is already halfway through, with Arsenal, the Gunners, accumulating 36 points and ranking 3rd, lagging behind the league leaders, Liverpool, by as many as 9 points. It is no longer realistic to talk about the championship title. The young coach of Arsenal, Arteta, has stated that Arsenal has the weakest squad among the Premier League teams. Yes, he did say that! Perhaps it's the funniest joke the fans have ever heard!
Arteta's statement could be an attempt to shirk responsibility or perhaps a sign of running out of ideas. However, if he never had the talent in the first place, how can he claim to have exhausted it? Arsenal's total squad value is 1.16 billion euros, only slightly lower than Manchester City's 1.21 billion euros. How can the squad be described as weak when Liverpool's squad is valued at 968 million euros?
The most devastating news for Arteta is that his most relied-upon player, Saka, has been injured. Saka scored 5 goals and provided 6 assists through dribbling in the 2024 Premier League, being the only player in the league to achieve at least 5 in both categories. Saka underwent surgery on his hamstring and will be out for an extended period. The recovery time from hamstring surgery typically depends on the location, type, and size of the tear. This time, Saka is expected to be out for 3 and a half to 4 months. At this critical juncture of the championship race, the Spanish coach claims the squad is weak, which might be a way to pressure the team management, as the winter transfer window is about to open, and it's time to buy players!
Arteta's focus on strengthening the squad is mainly on attacking midfielders, but he also emphasizes that Arsenal will not sign emergency players due to injuries but is open to short-term loans. There were many rumored targets before, but looking back, they all seem like unrealistic wishful thinking. Brentford set a high price for Mbeumo, Wolves won't let Cunha leave in the winter window, Newcastle has higher ambitions and won't let go of Isak, and Rashford's transfer won't happen. Currently, Arsenal has not given up on pursuing Omar Marmoush from Frankfurt.
Marmoush has grown into a superstar at Frankfurt, with the Egyptian scoring 18 goals and contributing 11 assists in 24 games across various competitions. Under the leadership of head coach Dino Toppmöller, Frankfurt currently ranks third in the league. Marmoush has successfully attracted the attention of Premier League giants such as Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, hoping that the January opening of the winter window will bring the player under their wing.
Marmoush's contract with Frankfurt will expire in the summer of 2027, and it is expected that the Bundesliga team will set a price of no less than 60 million euros for the Egyptian forward. If they want to sign the Egyptian during the winter window, the price will be significantly adjusted upwards to over 80 million euros. Currently, Arsenal is leading the competition in this battle.
Nowadays, Arsenal's goal is clear, especially for Arteta, who needs a winger capable of pulling wide to enrich the team's tactical system. Of course, Arteta has more options, and the 22-year-old young forward Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao is a long-term target for the Gunners. Nico scored the first goal in the 2024 European Cup final against England, a super winger, with a release clause of nearly 50 million pounds in his contract, still within Arsenal's budget range. However, there are many buyers for Nico, and Arsenal needs to defeat numerous top European clubs, especially Barcelona, with whom the player has been linked for a long time.
Another comparative target for Arsenal is Sane from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old German winger has proven his abilities in the Premier League with Manchester City, but after leaving the blue moon to join the Bundesliga, there have been few exciting performances on the field. Perhaps Arsenal will not consider Sane as part of their long-term investment.