Arsenal’s late move for Ollie Watkins in the January transfer window looks set to end with them empty-handed after Aston Villa approved another transfer.
Jhon Duran is closing in on a huge move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr meaning Watkins will be Unai Emery’s only available striker. Should there be no hiccups in Duran’s exit, Arsenal are expected to miss out on Watkins.
The transfer window is rapidly approaching its conclusion and Mikel Arteta is on course to miss out on adding a new face to his attack. However, there is still time for a deal to materialise with an array of options available.
Here, football.london writers have their say on who Arsenal should consider before Monday night’s deadline…
Josh Holland
News of Arsenal’s bid for Watkins was surprising. The detail of the fee involved was even more bizarre when you consider he is 30 this year and isn’t pulling up the trees like previous seasons.
I don’t think the England striker is the answer to their problems. In some way, they’ve left this too late. My first-choice would be to wait until the summer and throw everything at Alexander Isak. He’s the best striker available to them and would cost, supposedly, £150million.
But then that means the Gunners will be short for the next six months. Santiago Gimenez is on AC Milan’s radar and could be worth the gamble at a low price. There’s also Dusan Vlahovic at Juventus and Ademola Lookman, who reportedly has a €55m (£45.9m) release clause.
The Atalanta forward would cost less than Watkins and can play out wide. He should be a no-brainer.
Isaac Seelochan
Alexander Isak should be Arsenal’s next signing, but realistically they should look toward Matheus Cunha and a loan deal for Evan Ferguson. Signing both of them would make it a very positive window.
Cunha’s versatility as a winger and centre-forward would help the Gunners cover for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus when either player is injured. If both are injured, as is currently the case, then Cunha could fill Saka’s shoes, with Ferguson up front.
Of course, signing the Brighton striker on loan will be difficult unless it’s a permanent deal. Arsenal have already reached their loan signing limit from Premier League clubs this season after acquiring Raheem Sterling and Neto in the summer.
But if they manage to offload one of them, a double deal of Cunha and Ferguson before the window closes could make it a very exciting end to the season for Arteta’s team.
Bruna Reis
I mentioned the other day that I didn’t think Watkins would be the answer for Arsenal’s problems and I felt there were better options out there. In my opinion, the Gunners should look to beat off competition by signing Lille’s Jonathan David.
With his contract running out at the end of the season and with no sign of him signing a new deal, it’s a no brainer that Arsenal would be able to sign him for a cut-price fee. The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the sought-after strikers in Europe and the football he presents is exciting.
If Arsenal were to approach Lille over David, I believe they would have a good chance of securing his services, given this would be the last opportunity for the Ligue 1 side to cash in to avoid losing him for free at the end of the season. So far this campaign, David already has 19 goals in 32 games across all competitions.
A deal for the Canada international, who is guaranteed to score goals for the team, would be seen as a successful end to the transfer window.
Jack Flintham
Interest in Watkins at this stage of the window seems foolish considering Aston Villa would surely not let him leave with Duran nearly out of the door. The only hope that the Gunners would have at this stage is to hope the Duran deal falls through to allow them a realistic chance of signing the former Exeter City striker.
Arguably, the best option for Mikel Arteta would have been to try and sign Duran with Villa clearly happy to let him go for the right price. Perhaps it is too late now to sign him with the Al Nassr deal so close.
Full steam should now go ahead on Mathys Tel. Not a traditional striker but one of the best young talents who has been under-utilised this season meaning he will be eager to impress.
He would provide options for the Gunners on the wing with Bukayo Saka injured and there is a good that Tel will move before Monday’s deadline so it would not be a bid in vein.
