Arsenal Transfers: Talk of January Window Signings Is Useless

Arsenal does not have the capacity, nor should they try, to sign players in the January transfer window. The winter window can serve as a time for clubs to get some sort of quick fix on the pitch, with the signing of new players.

The Gunners-like many other teams have been linked to a number of players to help right the ship. There is still over two months to go before the transfer window re-opens and Gunners could find themselves in a respectable position in the league, and still in the other cup competitions, thus lessening the talk of new signings.

Among the many rumored Arsenal targets—many of whom will never make it to the Emirates—players like Eden Hazard, Yann M'vila and Marvin Martin are intriguing choices for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, the new players would have to be registered to be part of Arsenal's Premier League team. The Gunners currently have three open spots, but those can only be filled by a homegrown player. If no sales are made then none of the aforementioned targets, except Hazard who is under 21, would be eligible.

Secondly, the precedent that has been set in the summer does not seem to allow for any one such big name transfer. There was talk of the Gunners having money to spend during the summer, but it was not until Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas left that the majority of new signings were made.

If that happens again then it is not possible for a new player to arrive as Arsenal will need to sell first. The question is, who could they sell at a decent enough price to allow them to buy any of these players? It is highly unlikely that any of the current Arsenal players—minus Robin Van Persie—will command a high enough fee to enable such a move.

The third thing to keep in mind is the Champions League. In this case only Marvin Martin would be eligible, but that would be negated by his ineligibility for the Premier League. With all those things considered, Bolton defender Gary Cahill—or any player who is "homegrown" and eligible for Europe—would be the only sensible option.

If for some reason all these things work out and in some fantasy scenario Hazard, M'vila and Martin are brought in, where would they fit?

Martin would battle with Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby for a midfield position. Hazard would have to contend with Gervinho, Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin, provided one of the two older players is not sold. His inclusion may also negate the impact of youngsters Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ryo Miyaichi.

The entrance of M'vila would most definitely mean a loan deal for either Francis Coquelin or Emmanuel Frimpong. In any case the player who stays would see his opportunities diminished. Even Gary Cahill would have considerable competition, as Arsenal already have five central defenders. His inclusion would be dependent on the sale of a player such as Sebastian Squillaci.

In any case there really should be no new signings for the Gunners. The decisions have already been made in that regard and the team should see out the season as is. If Arsene Wenger does bring in new players, he is basically stating that what was done in the summer was not good enough.