Arsenal's Biggest Need in Final Week of Transfer Window

There are now just a matter of days left in the transfer window. For Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, that could mean one last opportunity to strengthen the squad. With their title hopes dented after the defeat against Chelsea, perhaps Wenger will consider opening his chequebook one more time to ensure he has the requisite depth to get Arsenal over the line.

Prior to the Chelsea game, he certainly wasn’t planning on any last-minute additions. Arsenal have already made one signing in this window, acquiring Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny from Basel. They signed him to help assuage an injury crisis—at one stage, Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere were all simultaneously sidelined.  

With Elneny in the bag, Wenger appeared ready to shut down the prospect of any further signings. He told Hamish McKay of the Mirror, "You will certainly over the next 10 days have some work to do, but not especially with Arsenal. We are always open to the exceptional cases. At the moment I expect our last 10 days [of the transfer window] to be quiet."

It seems at least one senior player is set to leave the club. According to Dominic King of the Daily Mail, Sunderland and Aston Villa are among the teams chasing full-back Mathieu Debuchy. The Frenchman has fallen out of favour at the Emirates Stadium and is chasing a temporary move to revive his chances of making the France squad for the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship. 

Assuming Debuchy goes, that could leave Arsenal needing a new right-back. Although Hector Bellerin is established as the first choice, Calum Chambers makes for a rather unconvincing understudy. Despite arriving from Southampton with a glowing reputation as a full-back, most of his football has been played in the centre at Arsenal. On the flank, his lack of pace can be exposed.  

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In the longer term, Wenger may view Carl Jenkinson as the perfect back-up to Bellerin. The bona fide Arsenal supporter is on loan with West Ham, but he signed a long-term contract in the summer that means he could be recalled at the end of the season to understudy the sprightly Spaniard. With that in mind, Wenger may look for a short-term loan of his own to cover the right-back spot. 

However, that kind of signing would not exactly fit the “exceptional” criteria Wenger has laid out. If he is to make another signing in this window, one imagines it would have to be a player who will have a usefulness that extends beyond this season.

Arsenal could definitely do with a shot in the arm. The Gunners have not won any of their last three league games and look a shadow of the side that stormed to the top of the table the other side of Christmas. Fatigue is beginning to take hold—injuries meant that Wenger had to get through the festive period with a shallow squad, and the effects of that hectic schedule are now becoming clear. 

The last time Arsenal won the league was in 2004, with their famous Invincibles team. In that campaign, Wenger delivered a January signing that was ultimately a massive lift to his team’s title challenge. The Arsenal manager smashed the club’s transfer record to recruit Jose Antonio Reyes, a live-wire Spanish forward with huge potential and a burgeoning reputation.

MAX NASH/Associated Press

Ultimately, the Reyes signing did not work out. It eventually became clear that he was never going to settle in England, and he returned to the continent before too long.

However, that unfortunate end to his Arsenal career should not cloud his immediate impact, nor how important he was in helping the Gunners finish the league on top. For starters, there were some crucial goals on the pitch and increased competition for places. What’s more, his signing was a statement of intent: The moment he was paraded in north London, everybody knew Arsenal meant business. They were clearly prepared to go the extra mile in order to land the league. 

The Gunners broke a previously strict transfer policy to get their man. Speaking to the BBC, then-Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido said: 

"

We have made a pact of confidentiality on the price and we cannot say. But I can tell you that it is greater than any other offer. It's more than was paid by Bayern for Roy Makaay, more than Barcelona paid for Ronaldinho. It is even more than Real Madrid paid for David Beckham.

"

Arsenal didn't need Reyes. They already had a star-studded stable of strikers from which to choose. This was not about rounding out the squad; it was about landing a marquee talent to excite supporters and worry rivals. It gave fans and players alike renewed belief that 2004 would be their year. 

How Arsenal could do with such a boost now. Signing a player of the necessary calibre to provide that effect would not be easy in January. However, just because something is difficult does not mean it isn’t worth attempting. If Wenger could identify a player with Reyes’ ability to inspire and invigorate 12 years on, he should go for it. 

That would probably be in the attacking part of the pitch. Olivier Giroud is doing a good job at centre-forward, and Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez’s spots in the three attacking midfielders behind him seem secure. However, there is a potential vacancy on the right-hand side.

At the moment, Costa Rican Joel Campbell fills that place. As much as Campbell has been one of the surprise successes of Arsenal’s season, few onlookers would argue he will be able to hold down a regular place in the long term.

What’s worrying for Wenger is that the two players in line to compete with him—England internationals Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain—are both really struggling for form. Back in the autumn, Walcott looked lethal. Now he has just one goal in his last 14 Arsenal appearances.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Wenger and his scouts should scour the globe for a player with quality to complete Arsenal’s attacking lineup. It could prove just the lift the Gunners need to propel them to the title.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.