Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Given £20 Million Budget for January

Arsene Wenger will receive a budget of £20 million to strengthen his Arsenal squad with one or two key signings in January, according to reports.     

The Gunners spent just under £60 million during the summer on the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Calum Chambers, making them the second-highest-spending team behind Manchester United. But per The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson, Wenger will be allowed to add even more top players to his squad in January:

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Arsenal's cash reserves at the end of May stood at £173.3m but this did not reflect further day-to-day costs over the course of the 2014-15 accounting year and also the subsequent activity in the summer transfer window.

The available resources for January are estimated at £40m by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust, who will use Thursday's annual general meeting to challenge the club on why Wenger also did not strengthen his centre-back options during the summer.

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A club statement confirmed the report, per Wilson: "The AST estimates that spare cash available for investment during the summer is approximately £40 million. The manager's ability is now firmly and unequivocally in the spotlight."

Wenger built a reputation for being a cautious man in the transfer market over the course of the past decade, but the club's financial position allowed him to complete big-money transfers for the likes of Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the last two years.

The French caretaker has never been a fan of the January window, but with the Gunners lacking defensive depth and a top performer at the holding midfielder position, this year's window could see the arrival of one or two key contributors.

Fans shouldn't expect any marquee signings, however. While £20 million is a significant amount of money, Wenger's reluctance to invest heavily during January and the high price tags mid-season targets usually carry means the Gunners will likely aim for two or three free agents to be, or players who can be acquired cheaply.

Real Madrid's Sami Khedira and Aston Villa's Ron Vlaar would be two players who immediately come to mind, although the London Evening Standard believes the former could be signing for Chelsea instead:

Regardless, it now seems Arsenal will be actively involved in the January window, giving fans something to look forward to as their club remains inactive during the international break.

While some will wonder why the budget is limited at just £20 million, the declaration the Gunners will be players once the market reopens means we could be in for a very interesting window in January.

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