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After an extremely poor start to the season, many looked towards Arsenal’s January transfer window as an opportunity to correct a few wrongs. Having conceded an extreme amount of goals and shots, it was clear the Gunners needed to strengthen their defensive options. They did that, but many were still left unsatisfied by their dealings.
Only time will tell whether the Gunners made the right decision not to go stronger in the January window but what is for sure, they will know by the end of the season how much of the rebuild Mikel Arteta will need help with.
Here are 3 talking points from Arsenal’s transfer window.
#3 Emile Smith Rowe to Huddersfield Town
A lot has been made of Arsenal’s Hale End academy. The emergence of Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have shone a favourable light on Arsenal’s youth academy, with many now hailing it as the best academy in the country. One of the brightest lights from that academy is Emile Smith Rowe.
The 19-year-old has shown much promise over the years with some likening his playing style to that of Kevin De Bruyne. His willingness to run with the ball, exceptional ball control and eye for a pass have made him a credible contender to succeed Mesut Ozil in the #10 role.
On the 10th of January, Huddersfield Town announced the loan capture of Smith Rowe. The Championship side currently sit 20th in the table and are in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle. They’re in dire need of quality in the final third and are hoping the 19-year-old can provide just that.
The youngster has already made three appearances for the Terriers, scoring one goal and providing one assist. To break it down further, Smith Rowe has averaged two successful take-on's, two key passes and two shots per game. This will be a great move for the Englishman, readying him to take his place in the first team next season.
#2 Depth in defence
Injuries have always been the bane of Arsenal’s life. On many an occasion, fans across the world have wondered why the North London club suffer so many setbacks to player’s fitness. This season, the Gunners have lost Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Sead Kolašinac, Kieran Tierney and now Bukayo Saka for extended periods of time.
This has forced the club to go out into the transfer market and recruit some low-cost short-term solutions. The Gunners have secured loan deals for Flamengo’s Pablo Mari and Southampton’s Cedric Soares.
Pablo Mari is a 26-year-old Spanish centre-back that plays his football in Brazil after it was made clear that Manchester City no longer wanted him. Clearly, Arteta disagreed with this decision and has decided to give the 6’3” centre-back another chance. As for Cedric Soares, the right-back was on the verge of leaving on a free in the summer with Southampton reluctant to renew his contract.
The Portuguese international will act as a cover for Hector Bellerín, thus relieving the strain on Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Arsenal now finally have some defensive cover at the back, leaving the team less susceptible to collapse because of injuries.
#1 Eddie Nketiah stays at Arsenal
Leading into January, all the talk surrounding Eddie Nketiah was where he would end up in the January window. His loan spell at Leeds United offered several highs but also many lows.
In total, Nketiah made 17 league appearances for Leeds, however, only two of them were starts. In that time the 20-year-old scored three goals. Arsenal decided to cut short the youngster’s loan despite Marco Bielsa expressing his concerns about that decision.
Mikel Arteta then announced that they would take a few days to decide on Nketiah’s short-term career, many assumed that implied deciding the next destination for the striker with Bristol City firmly in the mix.
In the end, Arteta shockingly decided to keep the youngster, with him willing to give the 20-year-old first-team opportunities. That has already paid a dividend with him scoring a deciding goal in Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth round win over Bournemouth.
Time will tell whether this was the correct decision or not, but it’s quite clear that Arteta trusts Nketiah and will give him the minutes to repay that faith.
