Arsenal FC: 5 Things Arsene Wenger Must Do During the January Transfer Window

Arsene Wenger is facing his most difficult times during his reign as Arsenal's manager. Already two months into the season and Arsenal are out of the title race and now are fighting to keep their Champions League start.

This has been one of the worst starts for Arsenal in the Arsene Wenger era at the club.

In the Premier League, Arsenal have only seven points through seven games and have already lost four games. To make matters worse, some of Arsenal's best players, such as Jack Wilshere, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna, are out with long-term injuries.

If Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal to claim silverware in the future and claim a spot in next year's Champions League, he must do five things during the upcoming January transfer window.

1. Get Rid of the Dead Weight

Players needed to be sold: Manuel Almunia, Sebastian Squillaci, Johan Djourou, Andrei Arshavin

Player on the hot-seat: Tomas Rosicky

Arsene Wenger must sell players who have been consistently underperforming for the club. These players must be sold in order to allow Wenger to use more of the youngsters who have something to prove or to allow him to bring better talent into the club.

Almunia is not necessary for the club to keep. Djourou and Squillaci have been shocking in the back and have cost Arsenal many vital points.

Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin have loads of skill, but they have been underperforming. It seems that these two are way past their prime and don't have the determination and grit that is necessary for Arsenal claiming silverware.

Also, this could include Theo Walcott. Before you get hostile, let me explain why.

Theo has looked good in Europe but not in domestic play. Walcott is very inconsistent based on his recent performances. He still hasn't improved much and it won't be long till Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain takes his spot in the starting XI. If arsenal were to sell Theo Walcott in January, it will allow Wenger to use that money and try to get someone like Franck Ribery or Mario Götze into the club.

2. Loan Marouane Chamakh

Many Arsenal supporters have given up hope on Marouane Chamakh. Ever since Robin Van Persie returned from injury last season, the Moroccan striker has been on poor form and has lost his ways of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Many of the club's supporters want Chamakh gone.

But, I think there is still hope for Chamakh. The reasons I think Chamakh is still valuable for Arsenal are very simple. 

1. He lacks consistency of regular appearances, which doesn't allow him to get back on form. 
2. When given regular appearances, Chamakh plays better and scores goals (Look at his performances during the first half of last season).
3. When on the pitch, he still gives it his all and works hard on every possession.
4. His confidence is shot right now. When someone is on the bench for a long time and doesn't get many appearances, that person's confidence is going to be very low.

What's the solution to all of this?

Sending Marouane Chamakh would be the best solution to solve the problem. By being loaned, Chamakh will get a regular starting role, find his goal-scoring form, and get his confidence back.

Don't give up on Chamakh just yet.

3. Buy World Class Talent During the Transfer Window

So far, Arsenal's performances have shown me one thing: they still haven't gotten over the losses of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Fabregas was arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League, and Arsenal found a short-term replacement in him with the transfer-deadline signing, Mikel Arteta.

Even though Arteta is a very good player, Arsenal still need one or two more players in order to compete with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City.

They missed out on their chance to get Juan Mata, and it seems that Eden Hazard will be most likely going to Real Madrid. But, there are still a lot of choices for Arsene Wenger to choose from during the transfer window.

Plus, he may need to get one or two decent defenders.

Players that Wenger should target:  

Defenders: Gary Cahill (Bolton), Gregory Van Der Wiel (Ajax), Christopher Samba (Blackburn), etc.

Midfielders: Mario Götze (Dortmund), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Christian Eriksen (Ajax), Kaka (Real Madrid), Ricardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Rafael Van der Vaart (Tottenham), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), etc.

Forwards: Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Carlos Tevez, etc.

Wenger must buy in the January transfer window if Arsenal are to qualify for Champions League next season.

4. Hire a Defensive Coach

Arsenal's back line has been tortured this season.

They look solid at times, but at other times they are just shambolic. The defense is disorganized at times, still has trouble with set pieces and are susceptible to the counter attack.

Wenger needs to hire a defensive coach to help shape up and organize the back four, and perhaps it could be one of his former players.

Sol Campbell, Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn would all make great candidates to become Arsenal's new defensive coach.

5. Re-Sign and Keep Hold of Robin Van Persie

Robin Van Persie is key to Arsenal's future success. There have been rumors circulating that Manchester City, Real Madrid and other big clubs will try to buy Van Persie during the January transfer window. Plus, Van Persie recently has not committed his future to Arsenal and has been coy on a move elsewhere.

Arsene Wenger must do everything to keep hold of his captain.

That includes signing more players, improving the squad, giving him a hefty pay raise and showing every possible way of committing to winning now. 

Van Persie is Arsenal's best player and only world-class player at the striker position. If he were to leave, the state of Arsenal would be chaos and Arsenal would be labeled as a youth-developing club.

With the likes of Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Gervinho, Thomas Vermaelen, one or two world class signings and others in the squad joining the likes of Robin Van Persie, Arsenal have a great chance of getting back into the top four and claiming silverware in the future.