Arsenal have been labelled the “big losers” in the January transfer window after failing to add another forward to their ranks.
The Gunners were keen to sign another forward, with manager Mikel Arteta admitting that injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka would force their hand.
However, having also admitted that they would only sign the “right player” and not bring someone in for the sake of it, Arsenal failed to bring anyone in. Clearly the right player was not available.
The Gunners were linked with a return for Benjamin Sesko, while Wolves’ Matheus Cunha was also tipped with a move to the Emirates Stadium. Then, late in the window Arsenal had an offer in for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins rejected.
Villa were not keen to sell the England striker, given talks were advanced for the £71million departure of Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia – a deal that would eventually go through.
And football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson believes Arsenal’s failure to bring in another forward is the reason for them being the “big losers” in the transfer window. Speaking to GrosvenorCasinos, he said: “Arsenal are big losers in the sense that they haven’t been able to go out and sign a recognised No.9 that’s going to propel them into the next phase.
“The result against Manchester City aside, they do look fairly impotent up front which will cost them when it comes to having a big challenge for the title.”
Wilson also had his say on Watkins and believes Villa were wrong to keep him. He added: “I do think that Aston Villa should’ve sold Ollie Watkins. When you’re being offered around £60million for a player that is nearly in his 30s, they should’ve bitten Arsenal’s hand off.
“It would have created a huge amount of headroom for them to go and strengthen in the summer. They also clearly had a couple of loan deals that would enable them to continue their sporting progress this year.
“I’d have honestly bitten Arsenal’s hand off to sell an asset at that age.”
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london’s dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you’re curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
