Mikel Arteta sends clear message to Arsenal fans about January signings

Mikel Arteta has declared that he wants Arsenal to complete their January transfer business as quickly as possible.

The north London side are set to be linked with a host of potential new arrivals in the new year as Arteta looks to bolster his squad and help his team sustain their Premier League title challenge.

Arteta’s Arsenal side are currently top of the Premier League table but are without injured front-man Gabriel Jesus, who picked up a knee injury while on international duty with Brazil at the World Cup.

The January transfer window opens on new year’s day and Arteta says that he is keen for the club to conclude their transfer business quickly – although he accepts that there are lots of other factors that may affect their dealings.

“We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is the same we want to do in January,” Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s Boxing Day clash with West Ham United. “This is idealistic. Sometimes it is not realistic. But obviously, if you ask my opinion, as quick as possible we want the players in to get settled.”

He added: “We are very aligned with the players we are looking for. Whether they are possible or affordable, the timing of it, depends on so many things that are out of my control. The theory says that it is a very tricky window.”

According to The Guardian, Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is Arsenal’s “priority” target heading into the January transfer window.

The 21-year-old has scored seven league goals and has netted three times in the Champions League so far this term, and the British newspaper reports that contacts between the two clubs are “ongoing”.

Elsewhere, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal are still keeping tabs on Leicester City star Youri Tielemans, although he says that a summer swoop would be more likely than one next month.

The 25-year-old Tielemans has scored three goals and made one assist in 15 Premier League games so far this season and is out of contract in the summer.

“Tielemans has always been on the list at Arsenal, he has always been appreciated,” Romano told Give Me Sport. “They always had his name on their list.

“At the moment, there are no conversations with Leicester, but I think this is one to watch because in the summer, Arsenal arrived in the final days to try to approach Leicester for Tielemans, then they did the same with Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz.”

Arsenal are next in Premier League action when they travel to take on Brighton and Hove Albion on new year’s eve, before a home clash against Newcastle United on 3 January.