Arsenal Transfer News: Fresh Rumours, Players Eyed Ahead of January Window

Arsenal will look to Swiss giants Basel for reinforcements in midfield as they launch a bid for Mohamed Elneny, while Arsene Wenger remains adamant he was right not to make major additions to his side over the summer.

According to a report by Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, the Egypt international has caught the Gunners' attention ahead of a January switch to the Premier League (h/t Metro's Will Giles).

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Wenger has seen his squad rocked by a string on injury setbacks this season, the most damaging of which have come in central midfield, where Francis Coquelin, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla are all absent.

Wilshere is yet to feature this season, Coquelin and Cazorla are each ruled out for a few months, and the ageing figures of Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta may be edging toward the end of their days with the club.

Elneny has two-and-a-half years remaining on his deal with the reigning Swiss Super League champions, with whom he has already won three domestic league titles.

The Egypt international scored in a 2-2 Europa League draw against Fiorentina last month and left the Guardian's Michael Cox in awe of his talents:

Despite being an anchorman by nature, Elneny has scored six goals and made two assists in his 28 appearances across all competitions this term, showing some knack for getting forward, too.

Having that string to his bow assuredly won't go amiss with Wenger, and the tactician needs to supply a replacement for the essential figures that Coquelin and Cazorla once provided in the lineup.

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That being said, Wenger has been somewhat vindicated by his decision not to sign any senior outfield players last summer, months after encountering widespread criticism for doing so.

Petr Cech was the Gunners' only major signing, but Wenger said this week his squad has coped just fine as they sit second to leaders Leicester City in the table, per the Daily Express:

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In attack we not only had Olivier Giroud. We also had Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck who are world-class strikers. When I looked at the market I don't know who are better than those four players when spending money.

Competition exists if the numbers are not too short or not too big. When the number is too big, there is no competition anymore and goes against the interests of the team. If a player is number 26 in the team, he needs three players to die before he has a real chance to play. That has an impact when he comes in the morning.

He is down and he takes something away from the team. When the number is too short he thinks 'no matter how I am I play' and that is not good as well. I felt we have the right number.

"

It's difficult to argue with the Frenchman based on results. Despite their injury woes and worsening doubt regarding their Premier League hopes, the north London powerhouse are very much in the title race.

The BBC's Ravin Sampat previously echoed the fears surrounding the Emirates Stadium due to their fitness concerns and highlighted the thinned options at Arsenal:

Despite being just 23 years of age, Elneny already has 39 caps for Egypt and has made just under 150 appearances for Basel, including some experience in the Champions League.

His profile isn't as large as some of the other targets Arsenal have been associated with this winter, but what's likely to be a lower price tag means he's also a more realistic purchase for Wenger.