The January transfer window is in the books, with Arsenal’s big summer splash in the market meaning they have had to make do for a quiet month.
There were no significant arrivals or departures at the Emirates, meaning Mikel Arteta’s Premier League tilt will rest on his current squad, with no help incoming at the striker position.
It seems likely that a new forward will be a key priority for the Gunners in the summer in what is set to be a competitive market. But this may end up suiting Arsenal.
According to transfer journalist Ben Jacobs, there could be a ‘merry-go-round’ situation that benefits the Gunners and their interest in AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, a player who has been dubbed ‘the new Thierry Henry’.
“Rafael Leao was in demand but too expensive, particularly when Chelsea looked, for example, and now things have calmed down, I don't think that a move is necessarily guaranteed but in the summer, there's going to be this big push for elite strikers,” Jacobs told FourFourTwo on January 26. “And several clubs are looking for players who can get them 20-plus goals, particularly Premier League clubs.
“So we know that Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are all going to be in the mix and there'll be crossover as they each look to get their top targets. I think Leao might be the byproduct in the summer of a kind of merry-go-round of movement because it's clear from the Premier League clubs that the primary targets appear to be Victor Osimhen, and potentially even Toney, more so for Arsenal. I think with Chelsea, it's likely that Osimhen is there at the top for them, and Toney is a bit further down the list.
“Not all three of those clubs can get necessarily their number one target either due to competition or cost. And then we have a wave of secondary strikers that could come into play because the money will be there to spend for those clubs. And I think Leao will fall into that category.”
Leao signed a five-year deal at the San Siro in the summer of 2022, but has found goals somewhat hard to come by in Serie A this term, netting just three times in 19 appearances, albeit from a left-wing position.
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