Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Reveals He Knows Names of January Targets

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the club will be seeking to do business in the January transfer window, and he already knows players that’ll be targeted.

The Gunners go into Monday’s crunch clash with Manchester City well in the hunt for the Premier League title, knowing they can go back to within two points of surprise leaders Leicester City with a victory.

Wenger told beIN Sports (h/t George Bellshaw of Metro) that the next couple of months are vital, and he’ll be trying to strengthen as a result:

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Yes, we are short and the number of games we have to play in January are very important.

God knows how we will come out of the Christmas period, with a lot of demand on the physical front so we need to do something.

I would love to give you names, downstairs on the bar with a coffee but not in front of your camera.

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Some new faces would definitely aid the title charge. Having only added Petr Cech in the summer window, a recent spate of injuries have pushed the squad to breaking point in certain positions.

In midfield, the Gunners lack an authoritative presence without the injured Francis Coquelin, and while Olivier Giroud has been in exceptional form as of late at the point of the attack, there’s little quality in reserve should he pick up a knock. With so many games to come over the Christmas period, injuries and suspensions are likely, too.

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However, Wenger does have a reputation for being rather stubborn when it comes to transfer targets.

Medio Centro on Twitter admits it wouldn’t be a surprise if the manager was to leave these problem positions unaddressed:

At least those associated with the Gunners can take comfort in the fact they no longer seem happy to cash in on their best players, which is especially poignant as City get set to visit.

In years gone by, Arsenal were happy to sell Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor to City; Bacary Sagna also left the Gunners on a free transfer in the summer of 2014 to sign for Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Wenger has also spoken candidly about having to let so many star players join their title rivals.

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“It was difficult to take but we had to survive financially and we had to live with it,” Wenger said, per Greg Stobart of Goal. “But we are in a much stronger position today. I cannot say it will never happen again because you never know, but we are in a position today where we don’t have to give in.”

There’s little denying that’s the case. While the players aforementioned were quality, they aren’t to the same world-class standards as Alexis Sanchez and particularly Mesut Ozil, who is having an exceptional 2015-16.

As noted by Spanish football journalist Rafael Hernandez, although the Arsenal fanbase is naturally pessimistic, things are looking good for the Gunners at the moment:

Still, that’s no excuse for Wenger not to supplement this talented squad further. It seems as though Arsenal have been a couple of signings off mounting a major challenge for the last couple of seasons, but the Frenchman, out of stubbornness or naivety, has opted against bolstering the base of the midfield and the point of the attack.

January is never the ideal time to make these key signings, but in what is a wide-open Premier League season, if Arsenal add some strength in depth, they’ll have a great chance of winning an overdue title.

Gunners supporters can at least be encouraged by the fact the manager seems to be aware of the personnel he’ll be chasing.