The Gunners failed to land their priority January target after the Ukraine star joined Chelsea – so who else could they look to sign this month?
Arsenal’s failure to win the race to sign Mykhailo Mudryk has left the Gunners in a race against time to add to their squad before the end of the January transfer window.
Mikel Arteta has made it abundantly clear how much he wants new additions this month as he looks to maintain his side’s stunning start to the Premier League season.
That’s why they pushed so hard to bring in Mudryk to provide cover for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka in the wide attacking areas.
But Chelsea’s late hijack left Arsenal empty-handed and they now have just under a fortnight to turn their attention elsewhere.
So who is potentially available for the Gunners to target? GOAL assesses some potential options…
GettyRaphinha
This was a deal Arsenal were interested in getting done in the summer before it became clear that the Brazilian had his heart set on Barcelona.
Things, however, haven’t gone smoothly at the Camp Nou for Raphinha since his £55m ($67.5m) move from Leeds, with regular starts proving more difficult to come by than he would have been expecting.
And with Barca’s well-documented financial issues, you couldn’t ever rule out them deciding to do business should a tempting bid arrive.
There’s no doubt Arsenal would still be interested, but it still feels unlikely that Raphinha would agree to leave Spain just six months after getting the dream move he was pushing so hard for.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWilfried Zaha
If Arsenal want to sign someone who could come in and help them get over the line in the title race this season, then Zaha could be just the man.
The Crystal Palace talisman has long wanted to move to Emirates Stadium and the Gunners did bid for him during the summer of 2019 before eventually signing Nicolas Pepe.
Zaha will be out of contract in the summer and is not expected to extend his stay at Selhurst Park due to his desire to have another crack at a top-six club before the end of his career.
So given his contract situation, Palace could potentially be open to cashing in this month just to get some money for the winger rather than losing him for free in a few months time.
Given he would not need any time to adjust to the Premier League, Zaha would be a good short-term option for Arsenal and could make a big impact between now and the end of the season.
But given the Gunners' approach to the transfer market nowadays and the age profile they like to go for, it feels unlikely that the 30-year-old would be the option they turn to, especially given the wages he would likely command.
GettyLeandro Trossard
Trossard is being offered around at present given the breakdown in his relationship with Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham are interested, while Arsenal are also thought to be monitoring the winger's situation.
Trossard is out of contract in the summer and wants to leave the club, but Brighton will only let him depart if their valuation is met and they do have an option to extend his contract by a further year to protect themselves.
Like Zaha, Trossard would be Premier League-proven and he has shown he has the technique to come in and make an impact for Arsenal immediately in their hunt for the title.
The 28-year-old could be an appealing option, but a lot would depend on exactly what Brighton are asking for.
Orlando City SCFacundo Torres
Torres is a player Arsenal have been monitoring, with the north London club having had discussions with the 22-year-old’s agent.
Torres is currently with MLS side Orlando City having joined from Penarol in January last year. He made an immediate impact in the United States, and even scored against Arsenal during a pre-season friendly last summer.
Torres would certainly be a far cheaper option for the Gunners than a number of the potential contenders, but so far the initial talks have not been firmed up into anything more substantial.