Mikel Arteta has said his Arsenal players “recognise” the need for a new signing this month and he is talking to his squad about possible targets.
Sources have told ESPN that the Gunners are scouring the January market for reinforcements after their decision not to sign a forward last summer was compounded by serious injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal are weighing up multiple options in the attacking positions and midfielder Declan Rice hinted at the feeling among his teammates when, after the win over Tottenham Hotspur, he suggested he’s “not surprised if we are going to do something” before the window closes on Feb. 3.
Asked whether the players had spoken to him about wanting a new addition, Arteta said: “Not like that, but we have all been there, we all look at each other. We have very, very short numbers for many, many weeks and they recognise the situation, we all do.
“That’s why we are trying to do what is right for the club, the team, that’s our intention.”
Pushed on whether he consults players over possible signings, he continued: “Sometimes yes, especially if they know them because that’s getting us away from the computer and what the data is saying and it is real.
“I have seen it, I sense it. A player can score a lot of goals, great. How does this player react when he hasn’t scored for six or seven games? This is what I am interested in. Watch an interview with a player who hasn’t scored for six games, and then what kind of goals does he score?
“Against which teams in which context? Is it first half or second half? Is it only with his right foot, only headers, only in open spaces? Does he like the physical contact of this league? There are a lot of things. So when you have a player that has spent a lot of days with him, that is really valuable information to have.”
When asked if he was doing that now, Arteta replied: “I always do it. If we can get the right player, that’s why we are actively looking at it. Any player, no. Someone that makes us better and has an impact in the team.
“It is clear that in the period that we lost them, ideally we need some help. We were short already and now we are even shorter. The team still copes with that. We have to do what is right for the club.
“That’s an option. It doesn’t just depend on Arsenal, on Mikel or our will. It depends on the market and a lot of different factors.”
Arteta added that there was a chance Myles Lewis-Skelly (knee) and William Saliba (hamstring) could be fit to face Wolves at Molineux on Saturday. Both players face late fitness tests.
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