Arsenal’s stunning £157m January transfer window predicted with Celtic, Wolves and Sporting CP deals.
Arsenal had a successful summer transfer window as they aim to improve even further in the Premier League title fight this year.
The Gunners administration supported manager Michael Arteta as he brought four new players into his team and finalised the permanent acquisition of custodian David Raya, who had already spent the previous season on loan at the Emirates Stadium, following their defeats to Manchester City in the previous two seasons.
Riccardo Calafiori, an Italy international defender, was brought to Arsenal for £38 million. Mikel Merino, a midfielder for Real Sociedad, joined him a little more than a month later.
The last transfer of the window happened a few hours before business closed, when Raheem Sterling, an England winger, moved across London to join on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
When the January transfer window opens for business at what is expected to be a crucial point in the Gunners season as they aim for success on multiple fronts, there will undoubtedly be departures as players like Eddie Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdale, and Emile Smith-Rowe headed to new pastures. But what other business could happen?
Launching the most widely used managerial simulation in the world, we utilised the editor to obtain Arteta’s present roster and let Football Manager 2024 forecast what could happen in January.
Ins
Mikel Arteta opted for quality rather than quantity during the window after he added just two new faces to his squad. The departures of two midfielders (more of those in a moment) meant the Gunners boss had to refresh his options in the middle of the park and that came with a £40m move for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Joao Gomes.
Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP accepted an offer to join Arsenal after attracting interest from Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Real Madrid, and Chelsea. The virtual manager of the Gunners acknowledged this weakness and turned over £62 million to seal the deal.
Outs
The main departures came in the heart of Arteta’s midfield as two players left the Emirates Stadium after entering the final six months of their current contracts. It should come as no surprise that both players chose the profitable path that so many other players have chosen recently—moving to Saudi Pro League teams.
First, after the two clubs agreed on a £10 million cost, Italy international Jorginho joined Al-Hilal alongside players like Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves. After spending £13 million to join Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, fellow player Thomas Partey will join him in the Pro League.
Both players left Arsenal, but they weren’t the only ones: Leandro Trossard signed a £32 million contract to join Inter Milan, while Kieran Tierney returned to his old team Celtic on loan until the end of the season. Perhaps more importantly, the Gunners managed to hold onto both Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka despite both players turning down sizable bids from La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid.
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