Arsenal Transfer News: Petr Cech, Jackson Martinez Blows Rock Gunners and Reds

The agents of Petr Cech and Jackson Martinez have confirmed their clients won't be moving in January, dealing a frustrating blow to Arsenal's reported transfer plans heading into the winter window.

Arsene Wenger answered with a simple "no" when recently asked if he is interested in signing Cech, per John Cross of the Mirror, but he is still being linked with a move for the Chelsea stopper. Hannah Duncan of the Metro reports his interest alongside that of Roma, but comments from Viktor Kolar—the player's agent—indicates no mid-season switch will take place.

"There has not been contact with Roma and certainly Petr isn't going to be moving in the January transfer window," Kolar told Rete Sport (h/t Duncan).

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Cech—who has lost his first-team place to Thibaut Courtois—has also been linked to Liverpool, per Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star. He recently admitted Chelsea will have the final say on his future, reported by Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard:

"

As concerns my future at Chelsea, it depends entirely on the club. Everyone is asking me what if and what will be. As a player who has two years left on the contract, I cannot make choices. If the club says, ‘you are staying’ then I will be staying. That’s why I’m staying.

"

The Blues provided an official tweet after Jose Mourinho confirmed Cech won't be leaving:

Damian Martinez has performed well in the absence of Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina for Arsenal. The 22-year-old is a good shot stopper and reads the flight of the ball well. He appears calm from crosses and certainly a useful prospect for the future.

In fact, it's fair to say his assured start to life in the senior team has made Wenger's alleged hunt of a new keeper far less important than it previously appeared.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Attention may now turn to improving the Gunners' forward ranks. Arsenal don't possess a forward who will regularly grab 15-20 goals in a Premier League season and are currently trailing the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United when it comes to firepower.

Both Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud are capable of winning matches. That said, they are both prone to missing vital chances at important moments. Wenger needs a clinical, powerful, pacey type who can burst through the centre.

Porto's Jackson Martinez was said to be a £30 million target for Arsenal and Liverpool, but his agent has also moved to play down rumours he will leave after Christmas. Henrique Pompeu's comments were reported by Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star:

"He is happy," said Pompeu. "He wants to be champion in Portugal and go far in the Champions League. There is plenty of talk, but he has an agreement with Porto and will respect it. He won't leave in January."

Paulo Duarte/Associated Press

Martinez has scored 13 goals across 16 appearances in Liga Sagres and the Champions League this season, per WhoScored.com. Only Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi have netted more in Europe's elite competition, making the 28-year-old a hot property after he was largely overlooked during Colombia's showings at the 2014 World Cup.

Wenger's January signings will play a major part in his long-term future. Arsenal fans are restless—as proven by the anti-Wenger banner shown during their win at West Brom, per the Metro's Vaishali Bhardwaj—and they need to see quick signs of progression.

Even so, the manager recently suggested he is focusing on youth, per Arsenal's official Twitter account:

Despite narrowly beating Southampton on Wednesday, Gunners specialist James McNicholas told B/R UK's Ryan Bailey that pressure is continuing to mount on Wenger:

Arsenal are just three points behind the third-placed Saints. This is the highest position Wenger's men can expect to reach this year, as right now, Chelsea and City are leaps ahead of the chasing pack in terms of overall quality.

Premier League ties against Stoke, Newcastle, Liverpool, Queens Park Rangers and West Ham arrive before Arsenal face Southampton again on New Year's day. Only an unbeaten run—mainly made up of wins—is likely to satisfy many supporters at this stage.

Wenger needs to invest, as per usual. Failure to do so could spark a further array of angry reactions, particularly if the current squad doesn't perform well during the run to January.