Which Player from Outside Premier League Top 6 Should Arsenal Sign in January?

It's little more than a month since the summer transfer window closed, but thoughts at Arsenal are already turning to what might happen in January.

Perhaps that's because there's seemingly a huge task ahead of manager Arsene Wenger next summer.

With the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, David Ospina and Jack Wilshere all due to be out of contract, the Frenchman might end up with an enormous workload ahead the 2018/19 campaign.

A positive January could alleviate a good deal of Arsenal's problems and spread the necessary recruitment over two windows rather than one.

In this piece, we take a look at the Premier League players who could be contenders for a January move to Arsenal.

Seeing as deals between England's "top six"—Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Liverpool and the Manchester clubs—are increasingly infrequent, we have spoken to fans and influencers to identify which players outside of that group could be fit to wear the Gunners' legendary shirt.

The fans' view

We spoke to a number of fans on Twitter to ascertain the players they would like to see join the club come January. There were, as expected, a few wild-card suggestions.

However, three names cropped up regularly: Riyad Mahrez, Jack Butland and Virgil van Dijk. We put that trio into a poll to see which one the Arsenal fans would like to see arrive.

It was almost too close to call between Butland and Mahrez. It's clear many fans view the Stoke City goalkeeper as the ideal successor to Petr Cech. With Ospina seemingly on the way out, he could join the Gunners and take over the Colombian's responsibilities as the club's "cup 'keeper."

Mahrez is a signing that would make sense given the uncertainty over Alexis and Ozil. However, the last 12 months have seen him struggle to recapture the form that fired Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2016. It's uncertain whether a transfer is what's required to spark him back into life.

The clear winner of the poll was Southampton defender Van Dijk. Doubts persist about Arsenal's defensive stability, and the powerful centre-back could provide an immediate, if expensive, solution. That's certainly a view borne out by some of the Arsenal influencers we posed this question to.

The influencers' view

Chris Wheatley, Arsenal Correspondent for Goal

Twitter: @ChrisWheatley_

Choice of signing: Virgil van Dijk

It's no secret that Virgil van Dijk wants to leave Southampton, and a player of his quality would strengthen Arsenal's defensive options 10-fold.

At 32, Laurent Koscielny's injury problems are unlikely to come to a halt anytime soon, while the unsettled Shkodran Mustafi wanted to leave in the summer due to personal reasons.

Per Mertesacker is only playing a bit-part role in the cup competitions, and youngsters Rob Holding and Calum Chambers aren’t trusted by Wenger to start every week.

Signing a top-quality centre-back makes sense, although it's clear Van Dijk won't come cheap with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool vying for his signature.

Clive Palmer, Arsenal commentator and podcaster

Twitter: @ClivePAFC

Choice of signing: Virgil van Dijk

When I started to think this through, it's a harder question than you might initially think.

In the Premier League, the gap between the top six and the rest is getting larger, especially as the survival mentality—driven by excessive financial reward given for finishing fourth from bottom—has now overtaken the bravery to play and develop styles of play to entertain. 

There are a few obvious names like Mahrez and Jamie Vardy at ex-champions Leicester. There are also a couple of wild cards such as Wilfried Zaha, Solly March and Jamaal Lascelles.

However, the one who stands out is Virgil Van Dijk.

Given the ages of our centre-backs—and Koscielny’s injury history—Van Dijk is a player we need to build around.

I do think we have three centre-backs who are similar in profile in Mustafi, Holding and Chambers. None of that trio are super quick or dominant, but all are good on the ball. 

We need that dominant reference point—a defensive leader and not another defensive peripheral player who can only survive in a back three. 

Given Southampton are admirers of Theo Walcott, there could be a great trade-off to keep the price down—and maybe we could even include Chambers, too. 

Recent clean sheets show how important defensive stability is to points accumulation. It might sound boring, but we need a central-defensive leader more than a centre-forward. Nevertheless, knowing Wenger, he'll probably buy a striker!

Joaquin, LA-based Arsenal blogger and podcaster

Twitter: @MorningPint

Choice of signing: Oriol Romeu or Seamus Coleman

My first pick would be Oriol Romeu of Southampton.

Depth in midfield continues to be an issue for Arsenal. Fitness concerns over Wilshere and Francis Coquelin mean we need more cover than just Mohamed Elneny.

Romeu has established himself as a steady defensive midfielder for the Saints: strong in the tackle and composed on the ball to distribute as our system demands.

ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

The second option would be Seamus Coleman at Everton.

He is recovering from a bad leg break but is expected back in action by next month. His searing pace down the right flank would give Arsenal a good back-up option behind Hector Bellerin.

Coleman is 28 so not really one for the future, but this could be his last chance to make a move to a big club and show he belongs among the elite.

Dave Seager, Arsenal columnist and author

Twitter: @GoonerDave66

Choice of signing: Robbie Brady or Ben Chilwell

I am sure that Van Dijk from Southampton will be a popular answer to this question, but I have decided to think outside of the box a tad. 

Based on what we have witnessed from the back end of the last campaign and so far this season, Nacho Monreal is justifiably the left-sided centre-half in a three.

On signing Sead Kolasinac, the obviousconclusion might have been that the Bosnian and Spaniard would alternate on the left, but this is now evidently not to be the case.  

Consequently, when Kieran Gibbs departed, Wenger found himself having to play one of them in both the league and midweek cup-ties, or to settle for playing Ainsley Maitland-Niles out of position and on his wrong foot.

Personally, this seems detrimental to the young Englishman’s development and therefore buying a specialist left-back or wing-back makes sense in January as we progress, particularly in the Europa League. 

From within the Premier League, there are two candidates who appeal.

If we are looking for experience to actually challenge the status quo, Robbie Brady fits the bill. He has a sweet left foot and is a delightful crosser with a great engine.

Alternatively, if it is one for the future and to play in all the cup games we're after, we could do far worse than reignite our interest in Leicester's under-21 star Ben Chilwell.

B/R's view

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Our view is that the fans have called this one right: the Premier League player outside of the traditional top six that Arsenal should be targeting is Van Dijk.

Mertesacker is retiring at the end of the season, and Koscielny's Achilles problems are threatening to become a chronic issue.

Van Dijk would not only improve Arsenal's back three this season, he could also ensure some continuity and consistency over the years to come.

It would be a statement signing that showed Arsenal were serious about restoring some physicality and defensive focus to their team.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base.