Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has hinted he will not be moving for any attacking players in the January transfer window but has suggested he may still make New Year additions if the right player should become available.

Speaking ahead of the Gunners’ Thursday clash with fourth-placed Southampton, Wenger expressed his belief that Arsenal are all set in terms of forward players, but he could be tempted to strengthen elsewhere, per the club’s website:

There is a need there but the right opportunity has to come up. To buy [just] to buy is not what we want to do, but if the right opportunity comes up, we will do it. […]

Offensively we have many options [when everyone is fit], too many to keep everyone involved with the right number of games, that is for sure.

These comments seemingly rule out the possibility of Arsenal signing Edinson Cavani from Paris St-Germain in January, despite the Uruguayan being heavily linked with the club, per Jamie Anderson in the Express. 

Anderson suggests the fact that Cavani has not joined up with PSG’s winter training camp in Morocco points to a potential £50 million switch to Arsenal as being a possibility.

However, along with Wenger‘s assertion that he is not in the market for a new forward man, Ligue 1 expert Jonathan Johnson also relayed Le Parisien‘s report that Cavani will not be leaving the Parc des Princes in January:

Despite being sent off in Arsenal’s Boxing Day win over QPR, the Gunners’ current main front man, Olivier Giroud, has looked in fine form of late, as have the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck.

Thus, Wenger is likley right to not pursue any more forwards in January, a window so often characterised by inflated prices and panic buys.

However, the Gunners could do with improvements elsewhere and Wenger has pointed at a shortage in midfield because of injury:

If you look at the number of games some players played, and the injuries we have with Wilshere, Ramsey and Arteta, we are a bit short at the moment in midfield.

A mooted central target for Arsenal is Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko—valued at £16 million, per Nick Lustig in the Daily Star—but the Frenchman has recently insisted he plans to stay at St James’ Park, thus pouring cold water on any hopes the Gunners had of signing him, per The Sun‘s Colin Young (subscription required):

“I said all along I was happy here at Newcastle. I will be here and trying to do my best for this club in 2015.”

For many Arsenal fans, this may come as something of a relief as, although Sissoko is a fine player, he is not the type of midfielder that the Gunners have been crying out for and his purchase would potentially be a misuse of valuable funds, per B/R UK’s James McNicholas:

What Wenger needs is a defensive-minded midfielder—which Sissoko is not—to protect the back four and bring a certain calm and composure to the middle of the park, hence why Arsenal have so long been linked with Sami Khedira and Morgan Schneiderlin—the latter analysed below by B/R UK’s Sam Tighe:  

On potential departures, Wenger ruled out a move for Lukas Podolski to Inter Milan—who are interested in the German, per the Daily Mail‘s Jack Briden—but a loan move for Yaya Sanogo could be on the cards:

I don’t really doubt [loan deals] in some positions where players need experience. That’s not the case for Podolski but players who need practice because they’re at a very young age like Sanogo, it is not impossible.

A victory over Southampton on Jan. 1 would see Arsenal leapfrog Saints into fourth place, the final Champions League spot.

Thus, despite an inconsistent start to the season, the Gunners are steadily moving up the table and are in a good vein of form of late having won three of their last four league games.

It seems that drastic January transfer moves are not necessary, but added strength in defence would certainly be welcome. 

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2314368-arsenal-transfer-news-edinson-cavani-in-doubt-arsene-wenger-addresses-rumours
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