Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Says He Wants January Signing, Top Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he is seeking to conduct some transfer business in the January window.

After only signing Petr Cech in the summer, the Gunners squad has looked a little short in recent weeks after a succession of injuries, the latest and most debilitating coming in the form of Francis Coquelin, who will be out for around three months, per BBC Sport.

“We are in a position where we want to do something,” conceded Wenger during his press conference on Thursday, per David Hytner of the Guardian. “If I find the right quality, I will do something.”

The Frenchman went on to outline what he would consider to be a bargain acquisition, which teams are often limited to in January:

"

For us, a bargain is to buy players of top quality, because only top quality strengthens our squad. I bought Patrick Vieira for £2.5 million and it was a top bargain because he was a top quality player. We spent £40m on Ozil but I still consider it a bargain because the player is top quality.

I love a bargain. Who does not love a bargain? I don’t know many people that don’t like a bargain.

"

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Bargain or not, there are definitely some areas in the squad that need replenishing if Arsenal are serious about mounting a title challenge.

The most notable is in the centre of midfield, where the Gunners are crying out for an enforcer without Coquelin. The Frenchman’s industrious, dynamic playing style has given Arsenal a huge foothold in the middle of the pitch, and without him, it’s likely this side’s soft underbelly will be exposed once again.

Unfortunately for the Emirates Stadium faithful, plenty of opportunities have come and gone for Wenger to strengthen this facet of the team.

As ESPN FC's John Brewin suggested, it’s unlikely the manager will bolster the position in January:

Granted, it’s difficult to make these kinds of acquisitions in the mid-season window.

There are few teams in world football who could afford to lose a player as capable as Coquelin halfway through the campaign, meaning Arsenal may be looking at lower-quality acquisitions they would end up paying over the odds for.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

It’s necessary if Arsenal want to put together a serious challenge, though. It’s no coincidence that they’ve looked a lot more capable of winning the Premier League with a holding player of genuine quality throughout 2015. But without one, as was evident as they lost to West Bromwich Albion last time out in the league, this team can fold under pressure.

That fact is backed up by statistics, with Arsenal’s win ratio much better with Coquelin than it is without him:

A player such as Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender would be ideal, with Calciomercato (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror) claiming the Gunners are weighing up a January move for the player. But acquiring someone of that class remains a fanciful proposition, with the German side looking to achieve their own goals in 2016.

PATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty Images

In truth, it was naive of Arsenal not to add a player of Coquelin's ilk in the summer. Having sorted one longstanding issue with the signing of Cech, addressing this other standout problem would have made Wenger’s squad much more suitably balanced for the challenges of a rigorous season.

The January window is often seen as a period of salvation for teams in this kind of position. But of all the available times to buy players, it is the worst to address a problem that has hampered this team for years and years.

Wenger will certainly have to rediscover his eye for a bargain if he’s to find a suitable replacement for Coquelin midseason.